Chapter 293 – Lotus (12)

Whoosh!

Two black figures sliced through the air. Energy waves of protective energy technique scattered in a line toward the distant blue sky.

From high above, a voice like a petulant complaint rang out.

“I was so shocked that I went along with it? Calling me Grandma, really! The more I think about it, the more infuriating! Is that how he saw me?”

“That’s right… no, it’s not.”

“I was about to smack him on the head but held back! Because he looked so depressed!”

“He looked depressed? Your eyes seemed to be rolling back.”

“Don’t make me laugh. How tender and gentle is our Lightning Genius? He hasn’t inherited even a speck of Master Ma’s blood, I tell you?”

“Hmm.”

“Don’t look at me like that. I’ll tell you everything later?”

For a moment, Jin Myeong-jo’s black robe, elegantly fluttering in the air, briefly faltered.

“I apologize.”

“That’s better.”

It was a conversation taking place in midair, thanks to the supreme masters’ protective energy technique.

Jin Myeong-jo, swallowing dry saliva with an impassive face, parted his lips again.

“…Will the two of us be enough? I mean against Zhuge Clan Leader. Lightning Genius is a significant asset.”

“We came here originally planning for the Yan Family’s First Fist. The youngest will handle her, and we’ll behead Zhuge Jian.”

“Zhuge Jian?”

“He’s like a dog. How can that be human? No, even dogs cherish their own offspring.”

Yue Shou-lin was chattering when suddenly:

[One thing is correct. I have now transcended humanity.]

A smooth, languid voice shook the surroundings. If the Jade Emperor of Heaven were to speak, it might sound like this.

The clouds scattered, followed by hibernating beasts being driven from the ground. The six-directional spirit energy was divine.

“The dog is barking. Seems we properly blocked his movements.”

“I’ll draw the Dark Night Brilliant Blood Demon Sword. If you can buy me ten breaths…”

Rustle.

Immediately after Yue Shou-lin and Jin Myeong-jo stood atop two cypress trees.

Above their heads.

A mystical energy wave rippled in all directions like six-directional spirit energy.

It wasn’t the robust feeling of internal energy. It was auspicious, as if a supremely thin and smooth curtain had been draped.

Soon after, a whitish energy current gathered like clouds, scattering the sunlight into colorless rays.

Whoooosh―!

A straight pillar was etched from the sky to the ground.

***

Martial Alliance in Hanzhong.

Alliance Leader’s Hall.

Click.

A sword was placed on a reddish weapon rack carved from sandalwood.

A large hand lightly touched the sword hilt and slowly moved down.

It was a touch permeated with fatigue. The sleeve that fell to the black sword belt tied at his waist was stained with dust and blood.

“My body feels stiff in my old age. Sitting in the wrong seat.”

The middle-aged handsome man raised the corner of his mouth. It was a self-deprecating smile.

“Why don’t you rest now? They’ll come again tomorrow.”

A voice rang out from far behind. When the man turned his head, a middle-aged man with distinctively black eyebrows was adjusting his attire.

Wind Water Mystic Master Zhuge Qian.

Originally the deputy commander-in-chief of the alliance, he didn’t follow Zhuge Clan Leader when he left the alliance and his clan.

He naturally took over the position he had been deputizing.

Despite the clan leader’s dishonorable departure, the prestige the Zhuge clan had built up wasn’t greatly shaken.

‘Like a bat.’

Sword Star Hyeon So-baek inwardly shook his head.

Many sects had defected. The current Martial Alliance had to borrow even the skills of such a man.

‘That b*st*rd.’

Sword Star Hyeon So-baek was born with a perfect physique as a peerless swordsman.

His limbs were long. His fingers, which had always gripped the sword hilt without wavering, were the same.

“I miss the freedom of movement. When I was a wanderer, I longed to rest my body in such a magnificent hall, but human hearts are truly fickle.”

Now his long fingers merely grasped at empty air before opening again.

Hiss―

Each time, white steam rose around his hand. The natural movement of internal energy generated tremendous heat.

The Sword Star, having just fought a fierce life-or-death battle, was like a weary tiger.

“Alliance Leader.”

Zhuge Qian, who had been silently watching him, opened his mouth.

“They say Xian’s body has been preserved. Since Zhuge Clan Leader is preoccupied with the martial arts tournament, we should be able to retrieve it intact. I’ve sent people with excellent protective energy…”

“So this old man should just sit here like a tower on the fortress wall?”

“I apologize.”

“Shouldn’t we just quickly cut off that Zhuge b*st*rd’s head and be done with it?”

“You know that’s impossible. Besides the Tyrant Sword Sect Leader and Yu Ling… with the Yan Family’s First Fist by his side, Zhuge Clan Leader in his completed realm is worthy of being called invincible. The most precious Dharma treasure passed down in the main family is also in Yan Hwa-ryeon’s possession. For you to defeat those two in a short battle…”

Sword Star waved his hand, cutting off the words.

“What about the Yan child?”

He spoke with a troubled expression.

“What was so good about that pale wretch that she abandoned her clan? Poor Azure Qilin, that child, even having his corpse desecrated.”

The Yan Fist was nearly synonymous with martial arts veins in the Ming Dynasty.

The current Yan Family’s First Fist’s martial prowess is ranked at the top among the Eight Great Clans’ fist practitioners.

“She didn’t see it.”

“What?”

“She refused to look at the marks Lightning Genius left on the corpse, and when handed the book containing the counter methods, she burned it with samadhi fire right there. Because of that, the counter methods for Lightning Genius’s martial lineage remain incomplete, and she fell out of favor with the clan leader… but Valor Fist Lord couldn’t cut off her old feelings. That’s why she followed him.”

Zhuge Qian’s voice was gruff. Sword Star smiled bitterly.

“…It’s hard to measure human affection with the mind. That Zhuge scoundrel has too much fortune. Beyond his share. The Yan child must be drawn to his nature and unable to control her heart.”

“As long as she stays by Reborn Hidden Dragon’s side, as long as Reborn Hidden Dragon freely deploys formation techniques unlike when he was in the alliance… it’s difficult to even attempt. Please give up.”

“What’s so difficult about slaughtering a dog-like b*st*rd? I’ll die of frustration, you stupid son of a b*tch.”

“…That’s fine. It’s better than losing face for the alliance by having your head taken by another absolute being in the wilderness. Since it’s difficult for everyone, it’s rather fortunate.”

“No, you crazy b*st*rd. This old man will reward whoever does it generously. Even if I have to climb back to Shaolin to get another Great Rejuvenation Pill…”

“Please understand.”

Zhuge Qian slowly bowed his head.

Hyeon So-baek, who had been pretending not to listen, merely moved his lips emptily before letting out a long sigh.

“Fan Dragon Xian. You said you were coming to serve as soldiers for the alliance, but how did you end up like this…”

***

Waaaaaaah―!

The place where the Shanxi aristocrats wanted to display their martial prowess and raise their fame had been transformed.

No one showed any signs of disappointment. Quite the opposite.

An unprecedented duel was taking place here. At this moment, expectations for the young masters of Shanxi were forgotten.

“They say Valor Fist Lord’s martial arts have become even more formidable… Isn’t it true that family clan orthodox martial arts improve rapidly at that age? I’ll have my eyes opened today.”

“Can they go any higher? At twenty, she was already traveling alone, destroying river bandits along the Yangtze. They say she was called the Fist Dragon in the vast land since her later training period. Isn’t this a battle of fate between those who have reached the ultimate realm?”

“Is that really Lightning Genius? Really?”

“His appearance doesn’t quite match a wanderer…”

Lightning Genius, Yan Family’s First Fist.

They are at the highest echelon of the martial world.

They represent the absolute martial prowess of Desolate Fortress and the Eight Great Clans. This is an undeniable fact.

The crowd stirred.

There was talk about him being the most noble person present, and that Gui Yitai must be regretting his actions immensely.

“Is he really a black-rank from Desolate Fortress? This is madness! I need to leave! Move aside! Make way!”

“I wonder if he’s falsely claiming to be from Desolate Fortress… we’ll know soon enough.”

“His appearance, age, and even that arrogant demeanor match the rumors about Radiant Demon Wing Leader Lightning Genius from Shaanxi. I vaguely remember what the chief of the Guigok Merchant Group told me while drunk. Everything about him is unreal, truly extraordinary.”

“I thought he only had his youth and martial prowess…”

“Who did the Shanxi Gui family’s young master insult?”

Amid all this, the center of the tournament grounds was quiet.

The two supreme masters gradually released their energy, raising dust from the ground beneath their feet.

As a faint breeze spread, the surrounding commotion gradually subsided.

‘She has indeed grown stronger.’

Jeong Yeon-shin faced the extremely powerful fist master.

Crack.

The moment their gazes met, the energy waves that intertwined created sparks along a long line, as if from friction.

Yan Hwa-ryeon’s energy waves wrapping around his skin felt the same as before.

The powerful energy waves constantly striking his skin, the piercing gaze that seemed to entangle his eyes, the hand that irregularly twitched in response to his breathing.

That’s why it was strange.

His martial prowess had clearly improved since the Martial Alliance’s sect-opening grand ceremony, yet why did the opponent he had defeated back then still feel similar now?

Even if, as some say, battles between ultimate masters are a matter of fate, it was peculiar.

Wasn’t she the one who developed counter methods using Azure Qilin Namgung Se-jin’s corpse and Zhuge Clan Leader’s schemes?

‘Why do I still see only one or two openings when there should be many?’

Jeong Yeon-shin was somewhat bewildered as he assumed the Luminous Wheel stance.

With his right foot back and his left arm’s back of the hand slightly raised, it looked relaxed and arrogant for a life-or-death battle between supreme masters.

Yet it was a stance that revealed not the slightest opening.

Yan Hwa-ryeon smiled with satisfaction.

“All your conduct befits your position. If we measure human worth by talent, there are few in the world who surpass you. I have walked the right path.”

“I’m not interested in your intentions. Come.”

Jeong Yeon-shin slightly flicked the fingertip he had raised.

She is obstructing his mission. Even if she seems to have grown disillusioned with Zhuge Clan Leader, she is effectively helping him at this moment.

As a martial artist who came to avenge her past defeat while unable to abandon her lover, this was a time to confront her without question.

“The world is vast, encounters are not easy, and it is even more difficult for a martial artist to find meaning in their existence.”

Valor Fist Lord Yan Hwa-ryeon raised both hands together briefly.

“Remember this Yan Hwa-ryeon. My courtesy name is Mong-wi, my nickname is Valor Fist Lord. I trained in the One Hundred Eighty Moves Yan Family Divine Fist in the Yan clan based in Zhenzhou. Not because my lover compelled me, but by my own will, I give my all to Lightning Genius.”

It was as formal as an official duel between renowned sects.

Eight Clans. Eight Great Clans.

Jeong Yeon-shin saw Azure Qilin Namgung Se-jin overlapping with her.

He even felt Fan Dragon Zhuge Xian’s purity, who had offered advice on Go principles and life despite being challenged at first meeting.

“Upon reflection, your existence pleases me, Radiant Demon Wing Leader Lightning Genius. Through you, I will leave a meaningful trace. Like the Tyrant Sword Sect Elder who carved sword marks on the cliffs of Mount Zhongnan… you can receive my striking power.”

Then Yan Hwa-ryeon, having spread her arms, swept one foot forward.

Whoosh!

The ends of her black hair, which reached down to her neck, were disheveled. A powerful energy wave had risen from the Yongquan acupoint on her foot sole.

The air distorted as if under the midsummer sun along her body line, and invisible internal energy barriers seemed to solidly encase her body.

Exclamations of “powerful energy cultivation” flowed from around them.

Along with whispers that she deserved to be called invincible as the gauntlet of the Eight Great Clans.

‘So she wasn’t using her full strength back then?’

Jeong Yeon-shin’s gaze sank.

‘Why distinguish between being serious or not in a fight? What an idiot.’

The carefree drunk he had first met was nowhere to be seen. The same was true for her subsequent movements.

After slightly arching her back.

Boom!

In an instant, her body, tearing through the air, grew rapidly larger. A perfect Bow Body Flash Shadow. The acceleration of her movement technique was tremendous.

The fist coming from behind her waist made the earth tremble with destructive force… Dozens of waves overlapping in an instant pushed against the skin of Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand with a blunt sensation.

As soon as he felt that sensation, she had drawn close enough that he could feel the energy in her breath.

The distance for close combat strikes. A fist practitioner’s domain.

He didn’t avoid it. From the moment he stepped onto the tournament grounds, he had wrapped Azure Qilin’s spirit around both hands.

‘What an interesting monkey. Should I make the trajectory a bit longer?’

As he slightly turned his hand that was constantly in Luminous Wheel state to the side, Yan Hwa-ryeon’s fist touched his palm.

A moment as brief as a fraction of a single exhalation.

Tap.

She was an opponent not to be underestimated. He thought he should push her back first.

Azure Qilin disagreed.

Boooom!

He struck the air, yet the earth shook. It was as if the sky had turned into a lakeside. The atmosphere was filled with concentric circles, rippling like water, drawn transparently in the air.

Along with fragments of Powerful Cultivation Energy that shattered like glass and rose up.

“Ugh!”

“Duck!”

“Primordial Heavenly Lord!”

Crash!

As the shockwave spread widely, one side of the tournament grounds collapsed, and many in the crowd who had been craning their necks fell in all directions.

Amidst the people covering their ears or faces as they fell, exaggerated exclamations, shocked cries, and screams were rampant.