Chapter 478 – Ultimate Wickedness (3)

The endlessly long body of the flood dragon.

The absolute masters who had reached Hangzhou were using this catastrophe manifested on earth as their battlefield at this moment.

It was only to this extent because Dark Heaven Emperor’s Dragon Summoning Ritual Formula was putting the supreme spiritual being to sleep.

The moment either side’s energy reached bottom, it would be over.

Just by descending to earth, it spread dark clouds like a sea of clouds and continuously drew down thunder and lightning. If it fully regained its reason, it would become impossible to oppose.

It was a battle of time, and Divine Monk Beomheo had entrusted the remaining task to Jeong Yeon-shin and Lady Lu Xian.

‘No.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought while rotating the Luminous Wheel in his heart even more vigorously.

Lady Lu Xian had already done her part by pushing the flood dragon all the way to Zhejiang with her Transcendent Martial Art ‘Crimson Horizon.’ It was something impossible for Jeong Yeon-shin.

So cutting Dark Heaven Emperor’s life thread had to be the newly appointed purple’s task. The current Shaolin Abbot had chosen Jeong Yeon-shin. The battle had flowed that way.

“……”

Above the river water that drew vast circles.

The eyes of the dead and the living met, crushing the silence.

* * *

Jeong Yeon-shin knows many things he doesn’t know.

All his learning consisted of the Four Books and Three Classics and the writings of Laozi and Zhuangzi that he had read with a perfunctory literature teacher. His understanding wasn’t deep either.

Rather, those who had first wholeheartedly bestowed teachings upon him were Shaolin monks.

When creating dharma power.

Young monk Gak Jeong and old monk Won Jong had taught him about Buddhism.

It had been enjoyable, though brief. Those days when he pondered what kind of intent should melt into refined internal energy to give it spiritual qualities.

Jeong Yeon-shin had been able to lay the foundation for the Luminous Wheel Technique thanks to exchanging discussions with the monks.

Masters of martial studies, they said, were beings who created all sorts of techniques while reflecting on clouds flowing in the distance or their own accumulated learning.

For Jeong Yeon-shin at that time, the Shaolin monks were nature itself.

Taoism was different.

What the Elder Sword Immortal had transmitted to him was chivalry.

In the traces of Taoist Three Peak, he had discovered the mysteries of swordsmanship. It would be correct to call them tremendously supreme techniques.

In between.

There was no middle bridge—the intent to contain in true energy.

Jeong Yeon-shin had thought this way since Dark Heaven Emperor first mentioned Taoist Three Peak.

It was a deepening contemplation that became certain through fierce battles that he had no decisive strikes other than Enter the Path and Transcend Together. After all, no sword technique could even scratch the flood dragon’s scales right now.

Jeong Yeon-shin pondered. What kind of heart had Wudang’s Taoist Three Peak used to subdue the lesser dragon?

What martial world people call enlightenment means finding intent suitable for melting into true energy.

The techniques visible on the surface are merely superficial. This is why, when the mind is refined to match the essence of martial arts, the power of one’s moves becomes different.

Even the secret manual of Taijiquan, commonly learned by common people, has specific formulas written in various ways, such as ‘When drawing a circle, think of the sun and moon that do not break.’

Naturally, Wudang’s secret Taiji Wisdom Sword would be incomparably more mysterious in comparison.

‘I don’t know Wudang.’

He lacked the study to extract the martial arts of Taoist sects. There was no knowledge in his heart to create the mental image of such martial arts.

The Radiant Taiji that led Jeong Yeon-shin to Transcendent Martial Art was merely enlightenment of mental imagery unrelated to the Taiji sword.

Swoooosh—!

Therefore, at this moment, the flow that spread hazily from Jeong Yeon-shin’s grip and ultimately made the river water curve in spirals was not orthodox Taoist martial arts.

Even as fierce winds began to surge up in tremendously large whirlpools along with white foam, it was the same. It lacked the mysterious temperament characteristic of Nine Great Sects martial arts.

It would appear as imitation.

The white bones formed by hundreds of years of obsession had reason to be greatly angry.

Indeed, imitation was correct. The Taiji technique he had once used to turn back the Heavenly Extreme Sect Leader’s slashing attack was the same. It hadn’t worked against the sword strike that the Unorthodox Path’s Finest Sword delivered personally at close range.

[How dare you……!]

Dark Heaven Emperor’s Six Harmonies Voice burst violently in all directions, creating tremendously high waves.

In an instant, walls of river water blocked the sunlight with a rumbling sound, and Jeong Yeon-shin released the Pine Pattern Ancient Sword shrouded in dim shadows from his waist.

It had been a feint from the beginning.

Regardless of his nature, which didn’t suit deceptive tactics, people of the martial world generally bristled with pride like thorns even at a few casually thrown words.

It would be the limitation of martial brutes who wielded internal energy like naked blades without law. Jeong Yeon-shin made a large circle with Remaining Thunder, which he had been holding originally, and lifted it upward.

He stood treading on scales that scattered faint blue light beneath his feet.

He had originally only one sword.

Above the flood dragon’s vast body.

Even while moving his sword, he was inwardly tense. The time the absolute masters of this battlefield could maintain their composure like a clear mirror wasn’t much left.

Though it might not seem so at first glance, he could feel it.

The internal energy breathing of his companions had become faster, even if extremely minutely.

Lady Lu Xian, who had hidden her body among the clouds, was especially so. Urgency seeped from the exhales she made while preparing her decisive strike, and white mist might have formed on the sword blade she held sideways.

The presence of Divine Monk Beomheo, who was stopping the flood dragon’s body entirely, didn’t seem leisurely either.

Step.

Jeong Yeon-shin stepped toward Dark Heaven Emperor, who had spread both arms wide.

The old monster of Taimo Mountain Castle treading a distance of about thirty zhang directly in front. Because his entire body was made of bone joints, formless energy waves were being woven like balls of thread at his snow-white fingertips.

It was an instant before dozens of branches of bright blue lightning began to flow out from around him.

He seemed extremely enraged.

Crackle crackle crackle crackle!

The internal energy contained in the sorcery technique was so fierce that the atmosphere momentarily curved here and there murkily.

This time, he didn’t even sound incantations or intent.

Soon after, Dark Heaven Emperor stomped his foot once and poured all the lightning branches he controlled at close range forward. Toward the purple form that was already charging toward him.

Light beams that distorted space along with vibration brightly illuminated the dim riverside in blue and raced forward at length, but Jeong Yeon-shin, who had become even more distorted, didn’t stop his charge and only swung his sword upward.

Whooooom!

River water shot up from both sides. Foam drawn up from the water surface following Remaining Thunder’s trajectory.

All those water droplets contained sword strike energy waves, then exploded white while cutting the lightning branches that had rushed up to Jeong Yeon-shin’s nose like hidden weapons, strand by strand.

Whoooooooosh!

White mist burst out in all directions… Even before the already humid air became more muggy, Dark Heaven Emperor tore through that cloud mist in an instant and muttered while seeing Jeong Yeon-shin flashing snow-white eye light right before his face.

[Using sword for Myriad Flowers Rain… No, before that, how the Taiji sword? Who are you?]

Strictly speaking, it was flowing intent.

Swish.

Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t answer and pressed Dark Heaven Emperor’s abdomen with his left hand.

At this moment, following Fan Dragon Flower Treading Formula that was producing perfect Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, as soon as his heart arose, thunder sounded from his left palm as if Azure Qilin’s palm had been overlaid.

His arm became sore from tremendously fierce energy. The very muggy, misty atmosphere also shook entirely.

‘Brilliant River.’

Tenfold Layering.

Jeong Yeon-shin thrust the power concentrated in his hand with internal energy multiplication technique. He forcibly stuffed in even the thunder sound that had been flowing out distantly.

Crack—

There was no loud sound.

In an instant, the white windflower robe scattered like powder, revealing thick ribs. It felt as if hundreds of layers of protective strong energy had been shattered all at once.

Indeed it was so.

Not only the dozens of sorcery techniques forming various defensive moves, but breaking the protective strong energy that had severed Dark Heaven Emperor’s body from the outside didn’t require complex sorcery.

The mysteries of Brilliant River that had walked the martial world with Jeong Yeon-shin were equally supreme.

From the first step until this moment.

How many techniques had been deployed in an instant, and how fierce was the internal energy that repeatedly flowed through all the acupoints throughout his body? It would have been impossible without Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown at the completion stage. It was a battle where there wasn’t even time to newly create martial arts suitable for the situation as usual. An instant had flowed that way.

[Indeed, you cannot…]

The ghost fire in Dark Heaven Emperor’s eye sockets, which had met gazes with Jeong Yeon-shin, began to fade like candlelight. The bone joints that had been spotless were also crumbling finely.

[…replace Three Peak…]

Those words remained like smoke.

The next moment, Dark Heaven Emperor’s spirit projection had completely vanished. Only the flood dragon’s scales shone coolly in the spot stained with bone powder.

Swoooosh—

Was it the aftermath of the strike? Jeong Yeon-shin silently faced the transparently blowing river breeze. But he didn’t sheath his sword.

“He’ll appear again soon.”

An aged voice resonated from afar.

At the same time, Jeong Yeon-shin deployed Ten-Li Gentle Light, leaving only star-like afterimages in place and disappearing. The next moment, he was standing treading on the flood dragon’s brow, vast like a volcanic mountain.

It was a space filled with cloud mist in all directions, and he could feel tremendously thick heat wandering around like fog. The flood dragon was literally a resting volcano.

“Form Transformation has reached mastery.”

He turned his head at the quiet exclamation.

Divine Monk Beomheo was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. Jeong Yeon-shin carefully opened his mouth.

“As the Abbot said… I don’t feel that Dark Heaven Emperor has died.”

“That would be so. Someone like you would sense it.”

“I saw him drop some kind of inner core into the true formula of the Dragon Summoning Ritual, and Dark Heaven Emperor’s innate true energy and spirituality were there. The flood dragon must have swallowed it.”

“You guessed correctly. Dark Heaven Emperor crafted a very wicked spirit projection, and unless that inner core is destroyed, he can be revived at any time. It just takes some time.”

The old monk’s words and actions were composed even at this moment. Though it was by no means a leisurely situation, Jeong Yeon-shin couldn’t help but unconsciously compare him to his maternal grandfather.

“I know you’re exerting great strength. Dark Heaven Emperor called your technique Wisdom Great Power when he saw your strike. May I ask how much longer you can stop this flood dragon?”

“Don’t rush.”

Divine Monk Beomheo smiled gently.

“Since you’re from a learned family, you’ll know the saying ‘haste makes waste’.”

Confucius’s words. It meant that rushing ruins affairs. Jeong Yeon-shin was about to shake his head but nodded instead.

“I know.”

“There are things I’d like the young divine sword of Desolate Fortress to keep in mind.”

Divine Monk Beomheo’s words and actions were strange. It seemed like he was trying to convey words that couldn’t be said if not now, but Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t particularly find fault with that feeling. Affairs of the martial world were unpredictable.

“Please ask.”

“First is Wudang and Shaolin.”

“What…?”

“Don’t feel burdened. Whatever we mountain monks and Taoists do, you haven’t incurred any debt. The same can be said about Master High Sword’s affair.”

“……”

“Second is Transcendent Martial Art. If it’s not discourteous… may I ask what your maternal grandfather taught you about that technique?”

Above the flood dragon’s head that breathed heavily, a discussion unfolded between the foremost of the righteous path and Desolate Fortress’s purple.

The old monk sat while the young man stood, but the suddenly occurring dialogue was strangely natural.

Absolute masters were that extraordinary.

Anyway, the flood dragon’s body was an incomprehensible being that couldn’t be severed entirely by anyone.

It could be seen as being granted a brief reprieve. In the end, it was a matter that could only be resolved when Dark Heaven Emperor, the master of the Dragon Summoning Ritual, died completely.

“My maternal grandfather said… that it was something that penetrated all the martial arts cultivated so far with a single technique…”

At Jeong Yeon-shin’s words, Divine Monk Beomheo quietly laughed.

“Truly like Benefactor Ma. Yes, that’s not wrong either. But this old monk thinks a little differently.”

“I will listen respectfully.”

“Transcendent Martial Art is not an unchanging life-saving ultimate technique. Because life exists before martial arts. If killing intent disappears from some swordsman’s heart right now, wouldn’t the sword techniques he wields also change a little?”

“That would be so.”

Jeong Yeon-shin quietly nodded. In an instant, Divine Monk Beomheo’s wrinkled lips rose slightly.

“You are very different from Benefactor Ma. He wouldn’t have tried to understand this old monk’s words. Though there wouldn’t be any particular need to…”

There was laughter in his words.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s favorable impression toward the current Shaolin Abbot, whom he had originally revered as a high monk of great virtue, grew even more.

“In any case, you are not like the Tyrant Hero. You can bend the direction of your life infinitely. All kinds of experiences will melt into your inner self and change you, so there’s no reason to solidify a fixed form of Transcendent Martial Art in advance. Do you understand what these words mean now?”

Divine Monk Beomheo asked quietly while erasing the smile on his lips.

The intermittent pulsing sounds from the flood dragon’s body became a little thicker. It was so silent that it felt as if they had discussed something great enough to remain in martial world history.

It also conveyed the feeling of a master passing on insights to a disciple who attends his deathbed… Jeong Yeon-shin immediately opened his mouth.

“You’re saying that preparing only one life-saving means is something only inferior practitioners do?”

“…You understood well.”

Divine Monk Beomheo answered.