Chapter 401 – Peerless Realm

The sound of rustling leaves filled the air.

A gentle breeze swept across the ground, clinging to the earth and stretching out languidly. Along the widely overturned soil, dust rose like a sigh.

Saaaa—

The clearing that had once been a forest no longer appeared desolate. This was because an extremely dense and vibrant silence had settled over it.

A young man with a purple robe draped over his shoulders like a windbreaker, corpses split in half on either side of him spewing bright red vomit from their entire bodies, a single sword stuck in the middle of the pungent smell of blood, emitting hot steam…

The stillness was tumultuous.

The energy waves that had spread semi-transparently along the trajectories of the Emperor sword technique were scattering in all directions. Sunlight refracted in various directions was slowly rippling and finding its place again.

About ten paces away from that gruesome scene.

“……”

The youthful young man had frozen in place with his hand outstretched. Divine Sword Prodigy Yeon So-ha of the Divine Sword Squad, who had been the youngest Blue-rank Martial Artist until the current Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s initiation.

The symbol of the Divine Sword Group Leader that So-ha had tried to receive earlier had now settled on another’s shoulders.

In normal times, this would have been a significant matter.

Not now. The enormously swollen question came first. Yeon So-ha swallowed dryly and slowly opened his mouth.

“…Thank you for saving my life. But who are you…?”

He had clearly seen the “Desolate” character engraved on the shoulders of the intruder.

Along with the black robe with narrow sleeves about the width of a forearm. It was clearly Blood Guardian Squad Leader Jin Myeong-jo’s robe, but it seemed like martial artists of equal rank had temporarily exchanged supplies.

But he had never seen someone like this before.

Though it was common for the main fortress’s internal affairs to change drastically during missions, there had never been a case of a new Black-rank displaying such overwhelming martial prowess as just now.

‘This is a purple-rank battlefield…’

Yeon So-ha’s eyes met the young man’s. In that moment, So-ha swallowed an expletive of admiration. His face was devoid of any evil.

Crack—

The Divine Sword that had been stuck in the dry ground made a small crack, then immediately rose up on its own and returned to its owner’s grasp.

“Radiant Demon Wing Leader Jeong.”

Jeong Yeon-shin, gripping the hilt of Remaining Thunder, opened his mouth toward the Divine Sword Group Leader. It was accompanied by an eye greeting tinged with relief. The situation was not suitable for a martial salute.

“I greet the Group Leader.”

He spoke quietly.

In that moment, Yeon So-ha took a sharp breath, and a strange light flickered in the eyes of Namgung First Sword, who had already lowered his sword.

Meanwhile, Divine Sword Group Leader Yong Hui-myeong raised the corners of his mouth. He was wearing a white scholar’s robe. There were clear bloodstains here and there.

“You’ve grown a lot.”

He said. It was a statement with many meanings.

Yong Hui-myeong’s pupils, elongated vertically.

Yellow light flickered like lightning within them. It felt like some kind of divine technique.

The eye technique possessed by the foremost master of the Divine Sword Group was sufficient to properly gauge Jeong Yeon-shin’s identity.

“Your eye level is similar to mine now. When I first saw you, it was down to here.”

He lightly tapped below his chest with the edge of his hand.

Jeong Yeon-shin paid no attention to his playful demeanor and narrowed his eyes slightly. His direct superior’s movements seemed awkward.

The Divine Sword Group Leader is the embodiment of martial arts.

Any gesture should be extremely natural, but his internal and external injuries seemed so deep that he momentarily appeared like a wooden puppet. His complexion was pale, suggesting signs of poisoning as well.

“The Sima Evil Path rarely engages in direct confrontation. It seems you’ve fallen victim to the trickery of these miscreants.”

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke calmly.

“……”

Namgung First Sword, who had been looking him up and down with interest, had his lips stiffen slightly. Yong Hui-myeong laughed.

“You scratch my itch well. Worthy of the Ma family bloodline.”

“I’m not very…”

Jeong Yeon-shin trailed off vaguely. If it hadn’t been the Group Leader’s words, he might have unleashed a wind strike instead of rebutting.

“Your martial arts have become remarkably outstanding. Even that sword demon of the Namgung family doesn’t dare to easily approach. Even this Group Leader can hardly believe it… Huh, that fellow far away, the archer of Dark Night Palace, also seems to be sizing you up.”

Yong Hui-myeong said.

Indeed, Jeong Yeon-shin was sensing gazes that seemed to be thoroughly examining his body.

There were two streams. The eye technique of the peerless swordsman Namgung First Sword and the gaze of the Dark Night Palace Leader, said to be the reincarnation of the legendary archer Hou Yi.

[TL Note- Hou Yi, known as the Divine Archer in Chinese mythology, was a legendary figure celebrated for his unparalleled archery skills. He is most famous for shooting down nine of the ten suns that were scorching the Earth, thus saving humanity from destruction.]

Jeong Yeon-shin met their gazes not with his eyes, but with his senses.

Woong—

In that moment, the air rippled like a great whip. It was the collision of Jeong Yeon-shin’s energy sense with the energy waves of the peerless masters.

A phenomenon demonstrating his martial prowess. It meant he was capable of properly facing any of them one-on-one.

“…!”

He could feel the opponents’ surprise on his skin. He could even sense the trembling of the Dark Night Palace Leader’s eyebrows from a distance of easily over twenty li.

Huh—

Namgung First Sword let out a strange sigh.

“Group Leader Yong has truly raised a reliable junior. Tell me more. I’ll wait.”

“You’ll regret it.”

Yong Hui-myeong smiled wryly.

He guessed his opponent’s intentions. Radiant Demon Wing Leader Jeong Yeon-shin was a master with less known about him compared to other absolute beings of the martial world.

It was said that opinions were divided among connoisseurs who loved to discuss rankings and such. Whether he had reached the realm of peerless masters or not.

When they heard rumors that he had single-handedly slain the Murong family head Great Radiance Sword Emperor, many would fall silent, but even that was naturally subject to debate regarding its authenticity.

Because it had happened over a relatively short period compared to the endlessly vast land.

Information about the current Radiant Demon Wing Leader.

It couldn’t help but be shallow compared to the personal details of peerless masters who had ruled the martial world for decades.

That was true even though many major factions were fighting behind the scenes to discover the birth dates, achievements, and Transcendent Martial Arts of enemy masters. Even Yong Hui-myeong didn’t know what Jeong Yeon-shin’s Transcendent Martial Art was.

‘Dragon Alliance, Dark Night Palace, Yu Ling… they’re people who value their lives.’

And they like certainty.

Now the Thirteen Evil Sects, along with numerous martial sects known as major factions, would be busy sizing up Jeong Yeon-shin. All while ignoring the fact that Lightning Genius was also observing them.

Yong Hui-myeong thought: Look all you want.

‘He seems to respect Myeong-jo more than me, but he must be quite skilled at preserving what he has.’

The opponents were the Emperor Sword Form with transcendent qualities and the Dark Night Palace Leader’s arrows said to pierce even the sun. Yong Hui-myeong instead wanted to give Jeong Yeon-shin time.

“How did the mission in Sichuan go?” he asked.

Jeong Yeon-shin answered immediately.

“Obeying Heaven Wing Leader Ha has passed away. The murderers were the former Peng family head, Golden Wing Sect, and Ten Perfections Sect. There were also stories of Pure Demon Alliance clashing with Obeying Heaven Wing before that.”

It was a simple report. But it contained what needed to be conveyed first.

In Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind, other matters weren’t so important. No matter how many enemy heads he took, it couldn’t compensate for the death of someone who was like a sworn brother.

A moment of silence passed.

Yong Hui-myeong’s lips opened and closed a few times. Despite having all sorts of sentences in his mind, he was like an awkward scholar.

“…The murderers?”

It was the Divine Sword Group Leader’s question. Jeong Yeon-shin shook Remaining Thunder once in place. A straight line of blood was etched onto the ground. It was the blood of the man who had drawn his sword against Blue-rank Martial Artist Yeon So-ha earlier.

A faint curve formed on Yong Hui-myeong’s lips.

“You’re better than me.”

“Let’s return to the main fortress. I’ll escort you.”

Jeong Yeon-shin dared to place his hand on the Divine Sword Group Leader’s back. A gesture shown with seemingly friendly words. It was just like when he had once calmed the Group Leader’s internal injuries after he had slain the Namgung family head in one strike.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s palm touched Yong Hui-myeong’s Life Gate acupoint.

‘Mother.’

Along with the incantation of the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique, energy rising from his heart flowed in. Gently, like the dignity of Blood Extreme Demon that he always observed and learned from, toward the inside of the Divine Sword Group Leader’s body.

During his Blue-rank days, Jeong Yeon-shin had felt the universe in this process.

Now it was different.

The elasticity and width of the meridians were now comparable to Jeong Yeon-shin’s own, and the middle dantian that had felt like a dragon’s inner core was surprisingly similar to the Luminous Wheel containing the Luminous Wheel that Transcends Law Energy.

The endless accumulation of energy was also like that.

It was no longer mysterious.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s body, which had undergone bone transformation, was not inferior to the Divine Sword Group Leader’s eight extraordinary meridians in terms of profundity.

‘There’s something messy. Qi-dispersing poison perhaps.’

The only surprising thing was the Group Leader’s condition. His internal energy was continuously scattering like powder. Even his blood flow was extremely unstable.

It was hard to imagine how he had fought until now. There were clearly things to learn.

Haha—

Yong Hui-myeong let out a hollow laugh.

“This is quite embarrassing. It’s amazing.”

His casually spoken words contained a subtle surprise. Perhaps he was feeling that his junior’s energy guidance was no longer influenced by his own vessel.

Whak!

Jeong Yeon-shin continuously infused the energy of the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique to perform a great circulation. Now at a speed close to light rays.

Starting from the Life Gate acupoint at the center of his back, passing through the Spirit Pillar acupoint above it, and circulating unhindered in a circle. The internal energy that embraced Jeong Yeon-shin’s childhood and could accommodate any energy planted some kind of spark in the blink of an eye.

“You rascal, it feels awkward.”

Yong Hui-myeong removed his back. He seemed conscious of Namgung First Sword’s attention. It also meant that it was enough now.

At this level, even if one had studied the technique as casually as a monkey eating a banana, it would be enough to calm internal injuries.

‘Is it time to stall now?’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought.

It was a place where he had to protect the Blue-rank Martial Artist and his direct superior. In this situation, he wasn’t confident about facing peerless masters of the Thirteen Evil Sects two at a time.

He hadn’t even inherited the Entering Divine Sword yet, let alone properly received the purple robe.

He didn’t know the difference between a purple-rank master without a position and the Divine Sword Group Leader. Here, he could only try his best.

‘Why is this happening?’

Jeong Yeon-shin found it strange that the purple robe had completely attached to his shoulders.

The silk hem that gently flowed down to the back of his calves. It was different from the black robe woven with precious heavenly silkworm thread. It seemed to be a dharma treasure with at least some spirituality.

“It seems you’ve shared all your thoughts.”

The middle-aged swordsman who had been watching the Divine Sword Group seniors and juniors took a step forward. Beneath his sky-blue sleeve hem, the milky white blade he let hang emitted a humming sword cry.

“I hear you’ve took all my nephew and niece. Their aliases were probably… Azure Qilin and Chivalrous Woman.”

There was only one man who had Azure Qilin Namgung Se-jin as a nephew.

Sword Howling Emperor Namgung Mu-jin.

He was said to be the best swordsman in the southern regions for twenty years.

While receiving all the expectations of his family, he suddenly abandoned the successor position and left home. Now he was someone who had the Dragon Alliance Leader as his sworn brother.

—The Martial Dragon Alliance has Namgung First Sword. He’s White Qilin’s uncle.

Words that suddenly crossed Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind. It was a story Radiant Demon Wing Cheong Myeong had told him.

“My sect’s spy who visited the Martial Alliance says that a child born from my brother’s concubine has served you as a superior. Despite Se-jin and Mi-ah ending up like that at your hands. I wonder if I should say he’s found his roots…”

The affairs of the martial world are truly unpredictable. The middle-aged man shook his head and smiled faintly.

“Come to think of it, the enemies of my family are gathered in one place. The Divine Sword Group Leader who killed the family head, and the Radiant Demon Wing Leader who cut off the direct lineage. I am, despite appearances, the First Sword of the main family. If I hadn’t seen it, I couldn’t help it, but having encountered this, how could I let you be?”

“First Sword…?”

Jeong Yeon-shin muttered. You?

Young family head Namgung Se-jin had treated the illegitimate Namgung Hwa-shin completely as a brother. He would say the word “pitiful” without reservation. That was the dignity of the Namgung family that Jeong Yeon-shin had accepted.

Concubine, roots.

Even as provocation, such words should not be uttered.

Jeong Yeon-shin recalled his mother.

Sreung.

Sword Howling Emperor Namgung Mu-jin’s sword made a chilling sound.

“The conversation has gone on too long. The Dark Night Palace Leader is a peerless archer, but his patience isn’t very deep.”

With those words.

Suddenly, something was flying from afar. The form was clearly visible to Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes, which had activated the Lowly Revelation Technique.

It was a long arrow. It grew rapidly larger the moment it was caught in his vision, and the sky violently trembling as if an earthquake had occurred among the clouds was the most impressive part.

Kuguung—

The Dark Night Palace Leader’s Ten Li Instant Kill.

Jeong Yeon-shin, who had been blankly looking up at the void, clenched and opened his left hand. A resonant sound humming from his heart arose.

Suddenly.

A cluster of stars that had risen from the ground surrounded his entire body. For a moment, the surroundings were dyed faintly white.

Bang—!

In the next moment, a suppressed sound exploded from his grip. The ground that received the circular shockwave sank deeply.

Even Namgung First Sword’s eyes widened, not to mention Yeon So-ha’s.

Starlight was distorting above the purple robe Jeong Yeon-shin was wearing. It was extremely mystical. The blackish iron arrow now in his hand looked so foreign it was remarkable.

Crack.

A small sound. The arrow in his grip bent like a taffy stick.