Chapter 389 – Divine Sword Group (5)

Sichuan is the land of ancient Shu. It was originally an independent country.

The Provincial Administration Commissioner and the Regional Magistrate held the civil administration, finances, and military affairs of the entire Sichuan province in their grasp.

Rightfully having status equivalent to kings in their respective domains, they rarely needed to cater to anyone’s favor except Beijing.

But now.

‘What food does the Radiant Demon Wing Leader enjoy…?’

What an absurd question. The Regional Magistrate, who had furrowed his brow, opened his mouth but then hesitated.

The Provincial Commissioner who had glanced at him was subtly shaking his head. As if warning him not to act rashly.

‘This person?’

Of course, the Regional Magistrate had heard of Wish-fulfilling Spring Leader Beigong Ya.

She was said to be unreasonable. A person who could bring down a cliff with a single punch, who viewed high officials as mere roadblocks.

But among the high-ranking officials of Desolate Fortress, who wasn’t like that?

‘In any case, they’re all known to be aggressive and arrogant.’

The Regional Magistrate glanced at Beigong Ya.

“Does he even have preferences? I don’t think he’s the type to openly display his likes and dislikes…”

She spoke casually to herself. It was a self-centered temperament.

Her appearance, with eyelids slightly lowered as if lost in thought. Her eyelashes were long and dense, yet her blue eyes remained fully visible.

It was as if lightning had been condensed in her pupils.

Her eyes constantly emitted a sharp light. This testified to Beigong Ya’s temperament, bloodline, and internal energy cultivation.

The Regional Magistrate gently closed his mouth. A sudden chill had come over him.

With thirteen leaders of martial forces under the Divine Sword Group, this was the most dangerous place in Sichuan.

The Provincial Commissioner across from him exhaled a long breath. It seemed to be a sigh of relief.

“How unfortunate. Someone of your stature as Wish-fulfilling Spring Leader would naturally know…”

He said. A look of doubt crossed Beigong Ya’s eyes, which had been growing increasingly fierce.

She had been furrowing her brow, beginning to wonder why she was even bothering with this.

“I naturally know?”

“Yes. Well… it’s such precious information that you would be right to hesitate sharing it. The Radiant Demon Wing Leader will someday become the country’s Divine Sword, so how many people would cling to him seeking personal advancement and power? Such knowledge would only be granted to someone like you, Wish-fulfilling Spring Leader, whose bloodline, achievements, and martial prowess are all supreme. I must have been too greedy.”

The Provincial Commissioner added that he was sorry, then laughed heartily.

A voice so dignified it seemed the epitome of a high official, with a wit that wasn’t too light. It was different from when he had been talking with the Regional Magistrate in the carriage.

“Isn’t your flattery excessive?”

Beigong Ya lowered both eyebrows. Her expression was as if she had seen something disgusting.

But the Provincial Commissioner was actually relieved. He had avoided the reaction he had initially feared.

Earlier, he had discussed with the Regional Magistrate the issue of disbanding the Divine Sword Group squad leaders, and with Beigong Ya’s martial prowess, she would have easily overheard. Avoiding the situation was the urgent priority.

‘Of all people, we first encounter Wish-fulfilling Spring Leader, famous for her extreme temperament even among the Three Black-ranks… but we have no choice but to use her as a bridge to negotiate with the squad leaders of the Divine Sword Group. This is the best option.’

If he could actually learn the Radiant Demon Wing Leader Jeong Yeon-shin’s preferences, that would be even better.

The Provincial Commissioner was looking far ahead. This was separate from urging the squad leaders to disband.

The Radiant Demon Wing Leader would eventually go to Beijing. If he was lucky enough to gain his favor, it would be an enormous asset.

“It’s not flattery. The noble ones of Desolate Fortress are very grateful to officials like us. Even if we occasionally face difficulties due to the Divine Sword Group’s actions, it’s something we should rightfully endure…”

“I don’t converse with long-tongued fellows like you. Never know when I might get entangled.”

Thud.

Beigong Ya, who had cut off the Provincial Commissioner’s words, stepped down from the carriage.

Then she immediately began walking, without bothering to deploy her protective technique to soar upward. It seemed to mean “follow me.”

The Regional Magistrate, who had been silently observing the two, opened his mouth.

“May we bring our soldiers?”

“What?”

“You are too powerful. Even a small flick of your finger could become a wind strike that would harm us, so I’m concerned we might be intimidated before we can even converse. When we should be focusing solely on the welfare of this land…”

Beigong Ya, with her back turned, burst into laughter.

“As you wish.”

It was an answer without the slightest tension. The military guards remained silent.

***

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

The military guards, led by the Provincial Commissioner and Regional Magistrate, followed Beigong Ya across the threshold of the Ten Perfections Sect.

It was a vast place.

The grounds were so wide that training fields could be seen here and there, and every hall that came into view had a high-tiled roof.

It was extremely magnificent, thoroughly reflecting the taste of the deceased Ten Perfections Sect Leader.

White-robed martial artists could be seen scattered about. They seemed to be from the Desolate Fortress Sichuan branch.

“I smell blood.”

A soldier who had approached behind the two high officials whispered. He spoke aloud words that could have been transmitted through sound technique.

It was to sharpen his comrades’ vigilance.

“Of course. Did you think the miscreants who originally lived here would leave quietly?”

Beigong Ya retorted without even looking back.

The two officials swallowed hard. The annihilation of the Ten Perfections Sect, one of the Thirteen Evil Sects. Even if they knew about it through hearsay, experiencing it firsthand was another matter.

Merely a dozen or so people had toppled three pillars of the Sima Evil Path. It was truly so.

‘The squad leaders of the Wish for Peace Sword Hall. Truly terrifying…’

Such power would inevitably make anyone with authority wary. Even the imperial court would be no exception.

The Provincial Commissioner mentally prepared what to say when they were seated. He thought that he shouldn’t let the Regional Magistrate speak first.

The Provincial Commissioner glanced at his companion.

“Please stay by my side.”

“Of course I will.”

The Regional Magistrate replied while tapping his sword hilt. He had risen to the highest military position in Sichuan province after passing the military examination.

Though not as powerful as Desolate Fortress’s Black-ranks, he possessed quite formidable martial arts. If he disregarded his life, he could at least maintain his dignity.

“Stay by my side with weight.”

“…?”

The Regional Magistrate couldn’t ask the Provincial Commissioner to clarify.

On a bloodstain that looked as if a corpse had been dragged away, a strange figure was sitting on what appeared to be a watchtower pillar.

A body completely wrapped in gray bandages, wearing a pitch-black long robe. His form was sharp but not small. Only two facts could be guessed: male, Black-rank.

“Netherworld Flow Squad Leader…!” the Provincial Commissioner whispered. Beside him, the Regional Magistrate flinched as he reached for his sword hilt.

The strange figure’s gaze descended upon them.

“……”

Because his face was also wrapped in bandages, his eyes were not visible, yet his gaze could still be felt.

The Provincial Commissioner trembled slightly. The surrounding air seemed to brush against his skin.

‘That one is also a monster of extraordinary power…!’

Only Beigong Ya remained composed.

“Nothing from above?”

She asked. It was an unclear question, but the Netherworld Flow Squad Leader slowly nodded.

“I see. Good work.”

Beigong Ya didn’t even wait for a response and took a long stride. Her steps were extremely wide, as if she were in her own home. The now quieter military guards followed closely behind her.

“Is that the Azure Sky Squad Leader?”

It was the Regional Magistrate’s voice. The Provincial Commissioner raised his head.

A man was leaning against the door of a hall, cradling a long sword. His limbs were long like a monkey’s, yet he emitted the aura of dozens of sharp weapons.

The air around him constantly rippled semi-transparently, as if he were honing sword energy with his entire body.

He appeared to be engaged in cultivation.

His appearance was noble as he stared intently into the distance. He seemed to be waiting for something.

‘What is he looking at?’

The Provincial Commissioner followed his gaze but then stopped. Directly opposite, on the roof of a hall, stood a pale-faced man.

His pitch-black long robe wrapped around him like a bat’s wings made him look like a bat standing upright.

The energy waves that the military guards had been forcibly emitting dissipated like fog.

Blood Guardian Squad Leader Jin Myeong-jo.

While the Netherworld Flow Squad Leader and Azure Sky Squad Leader were known to be relatively courteous to officials,

Jin Myeong-jo was different.

He was extremely elusive. His cold-blooded methods had become known even in Beijing’s Forbidden City after what he did in Hainan.

He had left different stories in every province including Shaanxi, Sichuan, Guangxi, and Guangdong. All were described as bloody terrors.

“I will guard our position with weight.”

The Regional Magistrate completely removed his hand from his sword hilt.

Beyond the hall where Jin Myeong-jo stood, the sight of several Black-ranks gazing in the same direction as the Azure Sky Squad Leader no longer registered in the eyes of the military guards.

This place was a den of demons. To protect themselves, they had to ignore the superhuman energy waves.

***

Sunlight filtered through the paper windows, becoming diffused.

Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly opened his eyes. At this moment, the bed gently supporting his entire body felt newly significant.

“A martial force has arrived. About thirty…”

He said. He had sensed the unified energy waves. The military energy characteristic of soldiers trained in martial arts was flowing in through the threshold.

It was energy directly cultivated for forming battle formations or deploying combined techniques.

It was quite powerful.

Yue Shou-lin, who had pulled up a chair beside him, nodded roughly. She had her face buried in some book.

“They’re men who’ve cultivated the Auxiliary Illumination Mind Technique. Word came while you were sleeping.”

“Are they government troops?”

“Yes.”

Her answer was perfunctory.

Jeong Yeon-shin glanced down at her.

She showed no sign of removing her leg from the corner of the bed.

Her behavior was close to that of an idler. Her toes were moving frivolously back and forth as if mentally practicing footwork.

“So this is how it’s woven together. Yu Ling certainly has many nameless skills. So, ‘the wingbeat of mayflies’…?”

Yue Shou-lin was talking to herself.

She had said she was recently engrossed in reading a copy of the Compendium of Evil Sects Annihilation. She had brought it from the main fortress through a complex procedure.

Jeong Yeon-shin hadn’t seen the other squad leaders since he began focusing on recovery. Only the medicinal pills and mysterious medicines left in his hands made him feel the warmth of his seniors.

No one had visited him since they arrived at the Ten Perfections Sect.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly parted his lips.

“They’re all cavalry on fine horses. If they’re from the government, I can guess their business… wouldn’t the person they’ve brought be of high status?”

“Status? Someone like our Beigong rascal would be more than enough. Despite appearances, she’s northern royalty.”

“Isn’t Senior Yue the leader of this group?”

“What leader is there among Black-ranks? I only take charge at the Wish for Peace Sword Hall. Otherwise, it would be chaos. But…”

Yue Shou-lin’s forehead slightly rose above the book.

“How’s your body? Can you move properly now?”

“Yes, I’ve improved greatly. I thought I would need a longer recovery period…”

It was thanks to the bundle of spirit medicines given by the senior squad leaders. Their efficacy was truly remarkable; even without proper dosing methods, just continuously circulating the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique was enough to heal his internal injuries.

The wounds carved into his skin like sword marks were never of much significance. They didn’t greatly affect his ability to raise energy and move his body.

“Really…?”

Yue Shou-lin questioned.

After her forehead, her eyes appeared. The pupils that had slowly risen above the book scanned Jeong Yeon-shin’s entire body. She seemed to be assessing his physical condition.

“How much have you improved?”

“I can operate the Luminous Wheel to its extreme.”

“So you’re completely fine now…?”

“We can discuss our next move. The impact our gathering is having on the state of the world…”

“No, not yet.”

Suddenly, an invisible curtain surrounded the room. It was an energy barrier that had sprouted from Yue Shou-lin’s body.

How long had she been holding back what she wanted to say? While her movements were careful as she immediately closed the book and put it in her bosom, her calm expression transformed dramatically, reminiscent of a thunderbolt.

“First, I have many questions about how you fought the Golden Wing Sect Leader…!”

—Hey, what? Why are you doing this!

A voice as dignified as a high official’s rang out. It meant Yue Shou-lin’s energy barrier had been penetrated as soon as it was raised. The next moment, Jeong Yeon-shin witnessed black silhouettes surrounding his bed.

Whoosh—!

The tremendous backlash of lightness skill shattered all the walls.

Rumbling vibrations raced from the floor to the ceiling, and dust arose through the gaps, hazily coloring the surroundings.

“Any Black-rank who has arrived with frivolous intentions must stop. The Radiant Demon Wing Leader has mentioned the state of the world.”

It was the Annihilation Team Leader’s voice.