Chapter 460 – Heaven’s Movement (4)

Two people were seated on a straw mat roughly woven from dry straw.

A youthful, tall boy and a middle-aged man of short stature. The corner of the dirt-colored mat kept rising due to the wind and falling back down. This happened repeatedly with a “tak, tak” sound as it futilely struck the ground.

“…Why can’t it be drawn out?”

Mount Hua Hidden Dragon Yu Hyeon muttered, pulling one knee up toward his chest.

A treasured sword with a plum blossom pattern was hanging at his waist, which gave Yu Hyeon a peculiar atmosphere.

It was because the boy, not yet fully matured, possessed a sharp energy like a steep cliff. This was the bearing of Mount Hua, the thousand-year-old sword sect.

But even the Hidden Dragon couldn’t draw out Remaining Thunder.

Though he had digested most of the Plum Blossom Elixir causing his limbs to grow considerably longer, and had also achieved great accomplishments in Mount Hua’s secret internal energy cultivation techniques, he still couldn’t do it.

Literally immovable. That’s why self-reproach was now evident on Yu Hyeon’s face. Remaining Thunder was like the embodiment of the stubbornness its owner had possessed in life.

“A divine sword that has met its proper owner typically becomes a dharma treasure. It occasionally creates miraculous events.”

The man with a neatly groomed beard replied. He was a middle-aged man who looked particularly good in his smooth green robe.

Poison King Tang Yun-hwang.

As soon as he appeared, he became the talk of the nearby marketplace.

From Sichuan to Hangzhou is a distance that even ordinary people, let alone martial artists, would find difficult to travel in a lifetime. Moreover, it was the procession of the Tang Family Head who had symbolized the Sichuan martial world for generations.

Many people took great interest in the two individuals, including Yu Hyeon.

The fighting had ceased for a while.

The crowd surrounding them continued to grow. Most were martial artists carrying weapons, and some were enthusiasts whose facial muscles twitched as if their mouths were itching to speak.

There were also poets and scholars who enjoyed describing scenes along the waterfront and beautiful sword paths. In particular, many wore scholarly attire.

This was Hangzhou.

“The Tang Family Head is truly of noble iron clan birth, just as the rumors say.”

“Look, isn’t that hammer moving on its own? To think I’d get to witness the legendary Myriad Flowers Rain firsthand.”

“With just a gesture, flowers bloom, and rain falls from the hammer… Excellent. I heard that the recently deceased Purple Rank of Desolate Fortress had passed down this divine technique to the Tang Family. They must have had a very deep connection.”

“Speaking of the Purple Rank, I wonder-are these cloud-dwelling individuals really just sitting here because they can’t pull out that one sword?”

“Watch your tongue! They’ll hear everything…!”

Whispering individuals.

Yu Hyeon didn’t mind. Compared to being revered as a Celestial Child or Young Immortal in Shaanxi where his sect was located, this was nothing. What mattered was the issue right before him.

“Should we dig up the ground and move it along with the soil?”

He said, looking at Remaining Thunder with a complicated gaze. Tang Yun-hwang, who was sitting cross-legged on one side, shook his head.

“How far do you think you’d need to dig? The divine sword’s spirit is connected to the earth’s veins.”

“If we keep digging, it will work out somehow. Though it might lose some of its dignity…”

Yu Hyeon’s retort was, as always, composed.

In that moment, Tang Yun-hwang’s bushy beard rose slightly. This was because his expression had hardened.

“That sword is now like the prestige of the deceased. If you rashly do something undignified, you’ll cause a great disturbance.”

“If it were Lotus Nezha, he would have chosen practicality over prestige. Um… am I wrong?”

“It seems you’ve only formed a superficial relationship. What do you know about the deceased?”

Tang Yun-hwang, as the head of the Sichuan Tang Family, was of a status that made it difficult to engage in petty disputes with a mere Rising Talent. Nevertheless, the dialogue he exchanged with Yu Hyeon was sharp. Even Yu Hyeon was far from being respectful.

-Desolate Fortress’s Purple Rank died while saving the common people.

A rumor that was fiercely striking the world.

For Tang Yun-hwang and Yu Hyeon, they couldn’t readily believe something they hadn’t witnessed with their own eyes.

But if Jeong Yeon-shin’s opponent had been the Heaven Conquering Sect Leader, and if Dark Heaven Emperor had also been involved in that battle, then the story changed.

Unless one were the Desolate Fortress Lord or the Fighting God of the north, no master would be able to withstand their joint attack.

Moreover, even Remaining Thunder was stuck in a mere marketplace, under the control of Taimo Mountain Castle’s martial sorcery practitioners. Now it was also serving as a spectacle for onlookers.

Quite some time had already passed.

The likelihood that he had truly passed away was high.

Compared to the sword techniques that the Heaven Conquering Sect Leader had built up over several decades as a legendary swordsman, the martial prowess of the newly appointed Purple Rank was closer to a sapling with the potential to shake heaven and earth.

The Unorthodox Path’s Finest Sword had lost his eyes in his youth, awakened his Heart Eye, and then went around breaking the swords of the previous generation’s peerless masters.

Among them were figures who were the sect leaders of the Thirteen Evil Sects or the Nine Great Sects at that time.

Yu Hyeon’s eyes narrowed.

“Family Head, sir.”

“If you’re going to spout nonsense, don’t open your mouth.”

“You think Lotus Nezha is dead, don’t you?”

“……”

Tang Yun-hwang’s lips were tightly sealed. His gaze, which had sunk heavily, and the hammer he was gripping with force, formed a silence that signified affirmation.

If so, then the Tang Family Head had traversed the entire country to avenge Jeong Yeon-shin.

‘They say the Tang Family is known for their loyalty…’

Yu Hyeon decided not to be rude anymore. He couldn’t blame someone for thinking differently.

And so, the two of them fell silent. Despite the murmuring of spectators, a fog-like silence settled. The silence of the Tang Family Head and Mount Hua Hidden Dragon was heavy.

Because neither of them had ever contemplated Jeong Yeon-shin’s death. For now, the only thing possible for them was to guard Remaining Thunder.

A moment later, Yu Hyeon raised his head.

The crowd surrounding them was parting. The sound of exhaling empty breaths echoed here and there. Some spectators were leaving their spots even though they had swords at their waists.

Through the gap, a group of people approached.

All were swordsmen, and about thirty of them were emitting a tremendous pressure as if they were a single body. Just by walking closer, the air was pushed aside and even the thick dust rose.

They moved toward Tang Yun-hwang, Yu Hyeon, and Remaining Thunder, then abruptly stopped, their yellow garments fluttering.

Among them, two people with different attire took a couple of steps forward.

One was a middle-aged man wearing a black garment that clung to his body like an assassin’s, and the other was a woman who revealed smooth, curved arm muscles.

There was a commonality between the two. They had obsessively removed any sleeve material that might affect their sword techniques.

Apart from that, the woman seemed to hold the highest rank, as the characters “Heaven Conquering” were embroidered in black thread on the collarbone of her white sleeveless martial uniform.

“……”

Energy refined like the blade of a treasured sword.

The woman stared at Tang Yun-hwang and Yu Hyeon with her hand resting on the sword at her waist. It was Yu Hyeon who spoke first.

“These days, thieves are too brazen.”

“Thieves?”

The woman briefly asked. Yu Hyeon nodded and continued.

“Aren’t you here to reclaim this land? To somehow deal with Remaining Thunder, which you can’t even draw out.”

“It seems you couldn’t draw it out either.”

“…We have a connection with the owner of this Remaining Thunder. Unlike the crooked path of Sima who are blinded by materialistic desires, we’re different.”

“Materialistic desires.”

The woman echoed Yu Hyeon’s words.

A taciturn nature. Not even a hint of a smile appeared on her lips. It meant she didn’t agree with what Yu Hyeon had said.

Yu Hyeon suddenly recalled rumors about the Heaven Conquering Sect Leader’s foremost disciple.

‘They say she’s a master of swift swordsmanship, I shouldn’t give her any more openings.’

She is Thunder Sword.

A genius who, whenever she goes on a martial journey, takes the head of a renowned master. In the vicinity of Zhejiang Province, she is referred to as one of the Five Marvels of Resplendent Brilliance, replacing Peng Family Head.

[TL Note- it’s referring to current Peng Family head who was as a successor until the Mount Hua Agreement where JYS killed the previous head.]

Among those five, only Lotus Nezha and Invincible had fixed names regardless of where they were in the world.

And now Lotus Nezha is dead.

The vast land of Hangzhou was rippling with the connections and legacy he had left behind.

“Someone who doesn’t covet the beloved sword of a peerless swordsman.”

Thunder Sword continued speaking in a careful, measured tone as she drew her sword.

“Can’t be called a swordsman, can they?”

“This is why I say thieves are brazen. Truly the end of times.”

Yu Hyeon rose from his seat. By now, a humming sound was emanating from the sword in his grip. It came with a faint plum blossom fragrance.

The colorless gaze of the black-clad man, Net Blade Venerable, standing beside Thunder Sword, showed a strange gleam.

“The realm of Sword Fragrance… They say Mount Hua has a sword talent who follows in Lady Lu Xian’s footsteps.”

“I’ll handle the fallen Tang Family Head.”

Just after Thunder Sword’s declaration fell.

Suddenly, a young man’s glib voice rang out from one side. It was right next to the divine sword Remaining Thunder.

“Then I’ll take care of this.”

A young man with a blue cloth wrapped around his head stepped on the ground like a ghost. Clearly the movement stepping technique of an assassin. Yet the hero’s bandana tied around his forehead suited him exceptionally well, making him a handsome man.

The moment he carefully wrapped his hand around the handle of Remaining Thunder.

One of the swordsmen of Heaven Conquering Sect, who had been about to kick the ground with his drawn sword, had his head burst open right where he stood.

Puhwak-!

“Oh my, his forehead shattered before he could even fall. He must have been born with bad luck.”

The young man with the hero’s bandana said, casually tossing a dagger up and catching it again. It was a different blade from the one he had just thrown.

The handling of his weapons was as swift as a ray of light, and even a seemingly light move was overflowing with killing intent. A chilling energy emanated from his entire body.

“Desolate Divine Hero…?”

“Young Hero Yu Hyeon, you’ve grown taller since I last saw you.”

Hyeon Won-chang didn’t even look at Yu Hyeon. He didn’t even make eye contact with Tang Yun-hwang, with whom he had formed a bond during the Sichuan mission, and instead just slowly caressed the sword handle of Remaining Thunder.

“……”

It was when his unusually long fingers, developed from learning assassination techniques since childhood, trembled slightly.

“Your internal energy has grown remarkably powerful.”

Tang Family Head Tang Yun-hwang remarked while retrieving his hammer that had almost just crushed Hyeon Won-chang’s head. Hyeon Won-chang greeted him with a sidelong glance.

“…It’s because I temporarily lifted the restraint.”

“Those around the deceased were never ordinary. I noticed the killing intent embedded in your movements, and today it’s particularly thick. It seems you were born and raised in an assassin’s sect.”

“Well…”

Hyeon Won-chang, who had vaguely evaded the question, loftily surveyed the gathering.

“This belongs to none of you.”

He continued slowly.

“I’ll take it… and will surely return it to its owner someday.”

Strength entered his hand gripping Remaining Thunder. The veins that rose on the back of his hand testified to his tremendous strength. Moreover, a faint white radiance was also reflected in his grasp.

Brilliant River.

Kawk-

Suddenly, Remaining Thunder slightly rose. The crowd held their breath.

But that was it. Nothing more happened. Remaining Thunder, which had momentarily flinched, couldn’t be pulled up any further, and Hyeon Won-chang grimaced as he twisted his waist.

“Why… Why……”

From one side, a roar erupted. As soon as Remaining Thunder moved even slightly, Thunder Sword and Tang Yun-hwang, who had drawn their weapons, clashed.

Sparks flew from the milky sword and the dark hammer, and Yu Hyeon suddenly faced the blade of Net Blade Venerable, who had already reached his vicinity.

Kwang!

Yu Hyeon’s body was flung backward. He had managed to defend successfully, but he couldn’t withstand the immense sword power.

Strictly speaking, he didn’t have enough time to gather his true energy. His hand trembled slightly from the recoil as he stopped after creating a long furrow on the ground.

“An untested youngster who hasn’t even achieved the unity of spirit, energy, and body, yet somehow…”

It was Heaven Conquering Sect’s Net Blade Venerable. He didn’t even finish his words and burst forth with energy waves from his entire body.

One of the Five Central Swordsmen who could contend with the Squad Leaders of the Divine Sword Group. In that moment, Yu Hyeon’s face turned pale.

It was the beginning of a fierce battle.

Whitish energy waves exploded from all directions, and the elite swordsmen of Heaven Conquering Sect formed a massive encirclement.

Within it were Thunder Sword and Tang Yun-hwang, Net Blade Venerable and Yu Hyeon, Hyeon Won-chang, and Shin So-bin, who had the hem of her blue robe extended all the way down to her trouser cuffs.

Shin So-bin, who had somehow approached with her short bob hair fluttering, stared intently at Remaining Thunder. Her large eyes trembled.

“Why, why……”

Hyeon Won-chang glanced at her.

“Perfect timing. This thing just refuses to move…”

“This is the real one. It really is Remaining Thunder.”

“Try drawing it. You’ve mastered Brilliant River and the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique, so it might work somehow. Aren’t you like the Squad Leader’s-no, the Group Leader’s proxy incarnation?”

“This can’t be right… It shouldn’t be impossible……”

Shin So-bin hesitantly stepped back. The sound of her stepping on the ground echoed forlornly.

The hair by her ears rose up, pushed by a faint radiance. The true energy of Brilliant River that had filled her entire body was seeping out.

Hyeon Won-chang’s brow rarely furrowed.

“The Unorthodox Path’s Finest Sword could barge in at any moment. I’ll hold off these lackeys, so hurry.”

“Our Squad Leader said he would visit his niece in Shaanxi next year…”

Shin So-bin’s voice trembled at the end.

It was unlike her usual self. This wasn’t the woman of strong character born into the most prestigious family in Desolate Fortress. Hyeon Won-chang’s voice rose.

“Can’t you feel Baek Mi-ryeo’s energy wave? Extend your energy sense more! The martial sorcery practitioners of Taimo Mountain Castle are watching from above. And that blood witch is here too. Blue-Eyed Demon Sword mentioned that even the Beggar Sect Leader Dai Ye-xing’s drunken ramblings can be heard.”

“Ah……”

“And Dark Heaven Emperor is a monster of incredible strength who even commands spirit projections like ancient immortals! Even these Five Central Swordsmen can’t be handled without Senior Desolate Spear! And what about the impending Myriad Flowers Rain? They’re all gathering right now!”

World-class talents and peerless masters, blood ghosts known to be noble by birth, martial sorcery practitioners who had mastered disciplined joint attacks and could wield lightning and ice, masters of Heaven Conquering Sect who, like Hyeon Won-chang, had grown up embracing blades from childhood…

The Jianghu of the martial world.

It’s a place where power attracts power. Even though Hangzhou is vast, this holds true.

A land where massive military force has gathered would inevitably be filled with battle. Most of them would want to try drawing Remaining Thunder at least once.

This marketplace would soon become.

An arena for living natural disasters.

In a brief moment, focus returned to Shin So-bin’s eyes. Her white hand, covered in calluses, moved toward Remaining Thunder.

The true energy originating from Brilliant River circulated throughout her body with the formula of the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique. At this moment, her temperament was the closest to Jeong Yeon-shin among all the masters in the vicinity.

Swish.

It was a land filled with individuals whose upper dantian intuition was highly developed.

Those who were drawing their weapons with intense gazes flashing due to their immense internal energy cultivation, even while unleashing their techniques, cast glances toward Shin So-bin.

It was then.

Before she could even fully grasp Remaining Thunder, the ground split with a “jjeojuk-” sound.

“……!”

Remaining Thunder had caused a faint vibration.

Waves spread from the ground where the white blade was stuck.

The dust raised by the many masters was pushed away in waves, forming concentric circles. It was a large, soundless ripple.

Shin So-bin, her eyes wide open, quickly stepped back with Radiant Wing Step.

In an instant, Remaining Thunder distorted and then, leaving behind an enormous roar like the cry of a dragon, shot up into the void.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaa!

In the blink of an eye, the divine sword, transformed into a beam of light, disappeared into the distant sky, drawing a massive parabola whose height couldn’t even be estimated.