Chapter 321 – Hyeon Won (16)

On the roof of an ancient-style pavilion.

Hyeon Won-chang’s mouth opened slightly as he gazed toward the distant city gate.

Thud!

The boy brushing off his sleeve amid the faintly rising dust, and the old woman sprawled unsightly at his feet.

“Did you hear…? Another martial artist!”

“Let’s go in! Quickly go in and lock the doors!”

Several city dwellers fled in alarm. This was Taiyuan, which had become a forest of masked swordsmen.

Urgent footsteps continued here and there, suggesting this wasn’t the first such incident.

Hyeon Won-chang stood firmly on the roof, staring intently at the area where the commotion had occurred.

‘Just now, what was that?’

It was unlike his young friend.

The current Radiant Demon Wing Leader typically humiliated his opponents even in a single exchange.

This was why few among the countless fortress martial artists dared to ask Jeong Yeon-shin for instruction, and it was a quality that the Desolate Fortress Administration Office had seen through and greatly appreciated.

He had ruined the Martial Alliance’s opening ceremony at the request of a newly promoted black-rank. They said such was the use of the noble Tyrant Hero bloodline.

Naturally, he could only continue to rise.

Jeong Yeon-shin had been experiencing an intense period of turbulence for almost a year, but today he had driven Elder Kim Yeon-sang into the ground with an unusually simple technique.

His foot energy and internal energy manipulation were like that. This was rarely seen.

The result itself wasn’t surprising.

The enemy who had killed his mother was a figure who merely put on airs with seniority within the Slaughter Sect, so she couldn’t possibly have cultivated martial arts that would work against Radiant Demon Wing Leader in a one-on-one fight.

Hyeon Won-chang had thought that Jeong Yeon-shin would regard an old monster like her as he would a monkey. He might hesitate to even draw his sword against ten such opponents.

That’s why this was a problem.

Could something be wrong with the squad leader’s body? It was hard to tell what the situation was from this distance.

‘If I leave during the test, those snake-like old men might find some fault with me…’

He needed the incantation.

The restriction currently placed on Hyeon Won-chang’s body was close to an illness.

Seven Pillar Restriction Great Technique.

The spiritual medicine he had consumed since birth along with the Bone Marrow Cleansing Technique had settled into a certain constitution.

If someone were to forcibly release his internal energy and try to extract it, both his power and vitality would scatter simultaneously. It was a secret technique that even the Murong family, who had kidnapped him, couldn’t unlock.

—He’s already become innate true energy. There must be a specific method to handle this.

—Yes. It’s definitely designed with a specific incantation in mind. That’s how the true energy structure is arranged. My, the depth of human body study is at this level… Ming Cult was truly a terrifying place.

—A den of monsters. To give such esoteric techniques even to mere gatekeepers.

—It would be faster to develop our family’s Energy Absorption Great Technique for the young family head to easily acquire it. Hmm? The Kim child has regained consciousness. I’ll press his acupoints.

This was a conversation that had taken place at young Kim Seon-hwi’s bedside.

The physicians of the Murong family.

They were people who studied martial arts like scholars, and in the corner of Kim Seon-hwi’s vision as he lay with needles all over his body, the Great Example Sword Murong Qi-huang and the young family head stood with their arms linked.

Their presence crushed a young boy’s fantasies about orthodox major sects.

The Scorching Divine Meridian possessed by the Hwangbo family’s descendant and the damned short-life constitution that the young squad leader was born with had been artificially inscribed.

It was the will of the Ming Cult martial lineage to never leave anything good for their enemies.

This was far removed from Jeong Yeon-shin’s innate talent for creating incantations for divine skills.

He needed to obtain the incantation.

To use the great power within his body, this was absolutely necessary.

“Tsk…”

Hyeon Won-chang could only stare blankly at Jeong Yeon-shin for a while.

Feeling a strange emotion that tickled his heart.

‘Kim Yeon-sang. She’s really… dead.’

The elders who had ruled the Slaughter Sect with the privilege of tradition.

They had turned young Kim Seon-hwi into a wooden puppet and frequently interfered with his brother Kim Jon-hwi’s chivalrous conduct.

During the chaos at the Heavenly Demon’s Tomb, countless elders had practically handed Kim Seon-hwi over to the Murong family’s clutches and retreated.

Yet they remained bound together under the name of a sect, securing their own safety under the pretext of protecting the Heavenly Demon’s legacy.

Like monsters who had been brainwashed, that’s how they all appeared to Hyeon Won-chang. His perception of the Slaughter Sect elders was like this because he had seen them from such a young age, and because the sect’s foundations were bizarre.

But.

Those iron-walled clusters of killing intent were also people.

They didn’t just die at the hands of inhuman figures from major sects; they also had their breath cut off by Jeong Yeon-shin’s strike, someone who had sat at the same table as Hyeon Won-chang for quite some time…

‘Though I haven’t seen many who aren’t like that.’

It was a matter of realization.

—Do martial artists avoid insidious methods?

—That’s what they say. Yesterday, the martial academy kids were going around talking about severing assassins’ throats and whatnot.

—Haha, whether righteous or demonic, they’re all just killers in the end. The chivalrous acts of those called great heroes are mostly killing too, so we should use our daggers like heroes.

—How can I know…? Whether my dagger technique is like that or not.

—If your past actions could be recited as poetry, that’s enough. Hmm… How about an assassin who takes the head of a powerful figure for a copper coin given by a child who lost their parents to plunder? The elder grandfathers probably won’t like it much.

Brother Kim Jon-hwi had become as he said he would.

Even after experiencing the chaos at the Heavenly Demon’s Tomb, he devoted his life to chivalrous conduct. He beheaded corrupt officials and demonic martial artists, and sometimes even hypocrites among the righteous sects.

They say a letter detailing the evil deeds of the deceased remains at the place he leaves.

He had dedicated his life to it. To change the perception of the sect.

After escaping the Murong family by heavenly fortune, Hyeon Won-chang had wandered the martial world as a sword attendant to some wanderer, and even during his service, he occasionally heard the alias Slaughter Chivalry.

He had witnessed his collateral brother’s struggle to transform the Slaughter Sect.

However, Hyeon Won-chang did not return. It was because he had become disillusioned after the incident with the Murong family.

It was only recently, when he reunited with Kim Jon-hwi, that he heard about the changes in the Slaughter Sect.

His brother had told him. The newly taught disciples completely followed him.

Only the Elder Council remained unchanged, and the future of their prestigious sect would certainly differ from their intentions, he said.

—If you return, I’ll serve you as the sect leader. Even though your martial arts are still inferior to this elder brother’s, once your restriction is lifted, another path will open. There are many martial arts of our main branch that you haven’t yet learned. This brother will devote all his efforts to purifying your roots. …I’ll cut down everything, whether it’s the Bamboo Sword or whatever.

He had ignored it.

But Kim Yeon-sang’s death brought a certain realization. The decline of the Elder Council was truly inevitable.

Swish…. The old men who now suddenly blocked his path had few days left to live.

“Do not move your feet.”

“The test is not over. If you move any further, we will consider it null and void.”

People with calm energy waves surrounded Hyeon Won-chang.

Because they all had their eyes covered with silk below, it was difficult to read their expressions, but Hyeon Won-chang sensed a strange emotion in their wrinkled eyes.

It seemed like hostility toward the young squad leader.

Their old friend had been killed with a single strike. It was like cutting into the pride of these stubborn old men.

“Don’t give him a moment’s rest! Block his mystical energy circulation!”

“The Radiant Demon Wing Leader must not be given time!”

Below, masked elite swordsmen were rushing toward Jeong Yeon-shin.

The momentum with which they rushed forward, leaving deep footprints in the ground and walls, was truly terrifying.

It was like arrows made of humans being fired from all eight directions.

The clash began.

Boom!

A shockwave erupted from the spot where Jeong Yeon-shin had been standing. The shockwave that spread in concentric circles colored the surroundings hazily as it raised dust.

“This is far enough. Let’s conduct the test after the battle situation subsides. If it’s the Murong family’s eye techniques, it’s only a matter of time before we’re discovered.”

“Yes, the Slaughter Sect will withdraw.”

“Kim Seon-hwi should follow the Elder Council’s orders.”

The assassins’ characteristically monotone voices pounded at Hyeon Won-chang’s ears.

He stared blankly at the old men before him and slowly opened his mouth. It began with the words, “I’ve been thinking for a long time—”

“About the final incantation. Does it really exist? The situation is becoming awkward, and all sorts of thoughts are crossing my mind. How dare you tell a master of Radiant Demon Wing to withdraw, leaving Radiant Demon Wing Leader behind.”

“…What is the intention behind your question?”

One of the elders who had made eye contact with Hyeon Won-chang asked in return. His voice was extremely dry.

The Great Tongue Sword paid no attention.

“Is my question strange? All the direct lineage except me are dead, and I don’t think you would have gathered the esoteric texts related to the direct lineage when the chaos at the Heavenly Demon’s Tomb occurred. You would have been more focused on bringing back one more of the Heavenly Demon’s legacies. For example, something like the Heavenly Demon Armor, a protective energy technique passed down through the ages.”

“……”

“You haven’t been lying to the sect leader, that is, Brother Jon-hwi, have you? To delay putting Slaughter Chivalry Kim Jon-hwi in the position of family head. Whether it’s me with the blood of a lowborn or Brother Jon-hwi from a collateral branch… you might not be satisfied with either of us.”

Saaaa— Boom! Clang!

Amid the winter wind mixed with shockwaves that kept ringing out in the distance.

The elders did not answer. They simply stood proudly as if maintaining their dignity.

Like the gentle breeze dryly brushing against their skin at this moment.

Hyeon Won-chang nodded, saying, “I thought as much.”

“The first virtue of an assassin is deception. You elders are truly exemplary disciples of the Slaughter Sect.”

“How dare you belittle us?”

It rang out from the side. A voice like a wildcat snarling.

Hyeon Won-chang half-opened his eyes.

‘There is no final text that completes it. Just the esoteric techniques of the branch families…’

His restriction was in the form of sleeping innate true energy.

Touching it carelessly would lead to death. If his luck was particularly bad, he might roll his eyes back and cross the River Styx right here.

However, the situation was urgent. If Jeong Yeon-shin’s technique earlier stemmed from internal injuries, he would inevitably struggle to handle the Murong family’s elite sword squad.

This was a crisis that inevitably faced a black-rank who had become the target of many major sects.

Hyeon Won-chang suddenly felt tightness in his chest.

His squad leader was living a life with a set time limit, yet why were there so many who wouldn’t even let him have that?

‘Wait, time limit…?’

In that moment, a bright light ignited in Hyeon Won-chang’s eyes.

He had guarded Jeong Yeon-shin longer than anyone at Desolate Fortress. He had always sensed the boy’s qualities.

The blue and white light flashing in his eyes as he created unexpected techniques, or the dazzling sword trajectories he would create in battles with seemingly no chance of victory.

—Young Hero Jeong! You seem to have grown taller!

—Brother Hyeon’s complexion looks good too.

He had closely watched the comet burning up its remaining time. The young star had called him a brother-like figure.

‘To hell with the Slaughter Sect.’

Hyeon Won-chang asked himself.

…Do I possess righteousness and spirit?

Do I have the courage to step into the same realm as my junior?

At this moment.

The inner Kim Seon-hwi did not answer.

Woong—

Only the Desolate Sword hanging long at his waist cried out.

That was enough. Hyeon Won-chang, with his shoulders straightened, no longer hesitated.

Dozens of streams of incantations in his mind began to link together one after another, seeping into his meridians throughout his body.

He continuously recalled the subtle sensations characteristic of the Luminous Wheel Technique.

‘Seven Pillar Restriction Great Technique. Time-Limited Unsealing.’

Faint streams of light emerged through the pitch-black encirclement of the elders.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

“The family head will come.”

The large man wearing a white robe spoke.

Great Example Sword Murong Qi-huang.

Wearing an Ox King mask carved with bull horns, he exuded the weathered energy waves of a veteran swordsman.

Even with his arms folded, formless sword energy flowed from his entire body, causing the ground around his feet to be carved into countless circles.

The young man wearing the Great Sage Equal to Heaven mask spoke while standing slightly apart from him.

“We need to obtain it before then.”

“How can you speak of the Heavenly Demon Armor when you can’t even handle the Radiant Demon Wing Leader before your eyes?”

“You know it’s only a matter of time. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kill Desolate Fortress’s most promising talent.”

“You seem confident.”

“I’ve already sent the Flowing Star Sword Formation. I thought you might be reluctant to face an exhausted Radiant Demon Wing Leader, uncle.”

A dust cloud hung before the two men’s eyes. The sounds of clashing swords and flesh being torn continued to flow out.

Murong Ming-jun retreated as soon as he confronted Jeong Yeon-shin.

He had approached with such bravado, but the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s gaze was extraordinary.

His courage to withstand a supreme master’s life-saving strike instantly diminished.

After several breaths, he thought it right to step forward to claim merit.

That time was now.

“I’ll go,” he said.

Immediately, a cold response came back.

“I will not go.”

“I know. Uncle, you favor my sister.”

Murong Ming-jun smirked.

His uncle, second in the family, did not see Murong Ming-jun as worthy of being family head.

He thought Murong Su-ran, brilliant in both talent and character, was more suitable for the position of family head.

Saying that the current young family head’s temperament was more suited to being an assassin.

Murong Ming-jun, unconcerned, entered the dust.

A shadow with slightly drooping shoulders stood motionless. It was distressing not knowing how many corpses had fallen around him.

The men who had attacked the Radiant Demon Wing Leader were swordsmen personally trained by Murong Ming-jun.

“Lotus Nezha! The commoners of Shanxi call you the incarnation of Prince Nezha!”

He shouted.

“But if you struggle so much against my subordinates who are mere mortals, the lotus petals said to be sharp enough to behead Zhuge Clan Leader will never reach me!”

“…Come here.”

A low voice rang out. Murong Ming-jun’s shoulders twitched slightly.

At the same time, his toes stamped the ground repeatedly as if to erase his disgrace.

“With such thick smell of blood, you clearly haven’t even deployed an internal energy barrier! I’ve heard much from my family head! That the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s protective energy is mediocre compared to his sword techniques! If you have any strength left, you come to me!”

Quite some time had passed since the initial clash.

His uncle, who had grown cold toward Murong Ming-jun due to some incident, would not help him.

The eccentric who would push for Murong Su-ran if the young family head died here. Great Example Sword Murong Qi-huang was the most insidious hypocrite who also valued honor.

Murong Ming-jun wanted to drain the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s energy somehow. It would be perfect if he could behead him personally.

Just then.

Pitter-patter.

A different presence sprinted from a distant wall. It was very small.

A squirrel with gently brown-tinged fur was scurrying across the walls in various directions. It had a small wooden box tied to its back.

A clear fragrance spread.

‘Shaolin’s spirit beast…? Known for its tracking abilities…’

In that moment, Murong Ming-jun’s eyebrows shot up.

The fight had gone on too long. It wouldn’t be strange for some variable to intervene.

“That! Catch that first! That must not fall into the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s hands!”

Whoosh!

More than ten figures sprinted toward the direction he pointed.

All were sword-carrying swordsmen. The battle with the Radiant Demon Wing Leader had momentarily reached a stalemate, but as soon as the order fell, they sliced through the air with swift protective techniques.

The wind fiercely brushing past their ears was quite reassuring.

“Swordsmen, you may reveal your true intentions!”

Murong Ming-jun’s shout was close to an order to join in the provocation.

The masked swordsmen responded.

“The fight drags on! Isn’t it too boring?”

“Is this truly the Lotus Nezha before us?”

“They say the current Radiant Demon Wing Leader has a violent temper, and now you prove that rumor with your actions!”

The corners of Murong Ming-jun’s mouth curled upward.

“You came coveting the Heavenly Demon Armor. But as expected, you now have nothing. No protective energy, not even the power befitting the name Lotus Nezha…”

Suddenly, Murong Ming-jun’s vision turned white. A dry light cluster obscured his eyes, preventing him from seeing the elongated shadow approaching from behind.

It passed across Murong Ming-jun’s neck without any presence.

Rustle.

The presence that suddenly stepped beside him was terribly empty. It was truly fear itself.

“Young Master Murong hastens his death with needless words.”

A cheerful voice rang out right beside him.

Murong Ming-jun could only gape as he lowered his eyes. But he could not possibly see the bloody line that had appeared on his neck.

“…This is Radiant Demon Wing’s protective energy.”

The shadow of death, with a hero’s headband on his forehead, whispered.

As he shook his sword once, the Radiant Art Bond energy waves scattered in a whitish hue, and simultaneously, Murong Ming-jun’s head rolled down.

On the opposite side, the necks of those who had extended their swords to kill the squirrel had all fallen off.

At the same time.

In the hazy dust.

The approaching squirrel’s gaze met Jeong Yeon-shin’s.

They were acquainted.

Soon after, as the mystical squirrel cut the string around its waist with its small front claws, the wooden box that had been hanging on the Shaolin spirit beast’s back crossed through the air.

Following a sudden suction force.

It was a sight that stopped the steps of the swordsmen rushing in behind.

The wooden box was drawn into Jeong Yeon-shin’s grasp.

Tap.

His five blood-stained fingertips brushed down the wooden texture.

The small sound created silence. The Radiant Demon Wing Leader had received his supplies.

“Behold the Lotus Nezha.”

The Desolate Divine Hero’s voice echoed desolately.