Chapter 487 – Desolate Day Extinction (6)

Desolate Day Extinction Lightning Genius.

He stands trampling the chest of a feudal king recognized by the late Emperor.

Wuuung—!

Yellow-earth ripples spread out in several layers from beneath Prince Hong Huang’s back, crushed under that foot.

Dust clouds born from tremendously powerful energy waves. At this moment, they were the propulsion energy waves of Prince Hong Huang, who was straining with all his might to rise from his position.

If properly unleashed, it was force that might even carry him beyond Hangzhou, yet he could not lift his upper body even slightly.

It wasn’t even a particular breaking technique.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s long leg simply remained motionless like a great rock. Just as it had appeared with the earlier collision.

Whooooosh!

Purple-red garment hems flutter mixed with the hazily blowing strong wind. The long robe that bore a reddish tint from receiving sunlight.

“……”

It was such a bright day. The noon sunlight poured down ceaselessly.

“Huh!”

A dumbfounded exclamation burst from one side. It was Qingcheng’s genius Jin Mu, who had been constantly speaking to the masters of Desolate Fortress. He was staring blankly at Jeong Yeon-shin while touching the sword hilt at his waist.

Meanwhile.

Silence fell over the eight groups that had been arrayed leisurely.

Flags bearing their respective names fluttered in the silence, and Yue Shou-lin, who had been facing the forces of two royal residences, cheerfully slammed down her spear with a “bang!” then used it as a pole to perform a backflip.

Thud.

She, who had broken the silence, landed in front of Jeong Yeon-shin.

Body movements that blocked the martial forces of Prince Hong Huang’s residence, who had each raised their spears. Yue Shou-lin, who glanced back at her young superior, drew her lips in a displeased straight line.

“It’s not just resemblance…”

A mutter that would never reach Jeong Yeon-shin’s ears. At this moment, he was rather glancing back at Cheong Myeong.

“Why did you show restraint in your technique?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked quietly.

“He was quite formidable in a Zhu clan manner.”

Cheong Myeong replied while brushing dust from his trouser cuffs with a laugh. Radiant Demon Wing Blue-Eyed Demon Sword. The one-eyed noble clan swordsman wearing a blue headband like his epithet sheathed his sword with a “swish.”

It was not the bearing of a mere blue rank.

It was the demeanor of one who reassured Jeong Yeon-shin, who would become the next Radiant Demon Wing Leader. He had achieved great mastery of the Radiat Art Bond that only an extreme few in Desolate Fortress had learned.

Previously, when Jeong Yeon-shin’s death had become rumored, Cheong Myeong had greatly activated the divine essence in his mind. He now possessed capabilities that would be more than sufficient to lead Radiant Demon Wing alone.

That was when it happened.

“Master Jeong, there seems to be some misunderstanding…!”

A middle-aged man wearing blue official robes stepped forward from Prince Hong Huang’s residence side.

“Our royal residence has no intention of antagonizing Desolate Fortress! We merely heard that Your Purple Excellency had saved Hangzhou, so as a duty of kingship, we wished to commend that labor and inquire after your well-being…!”

At that moment, Hyeon Won-chang grumbled from a distance.

“Blue-Eyed Demon Sword is the next Radiant Demon Wing Leader whom Master Jeong once took as a sword instructor, so if the royal residence inquires after his well-being twice, one Divine Sword Squad armed unit will be smashed to pieces. This is scary, so I won’t…”

Since it was vocalization properly infused with deep internal energy breathing, he secured advantageous justification without needing to engage in dialogue. The middle-aged man from Hong Huang Wang’s residence shut his mouth.

“Hong Huang went too far.”

A languid voice rang out.

It was from the direction of the two royal residences that Yue Shou-lin had been blocking earlier.

Swish.

King Ting, wearing dark navy robes like Prince Hong Huang, descended from his sedan. His appearance of clicking his tongue was leisurely.

“I knew that competitive spirit would someday bring great trouble. He should have made his move while reading the situation.”

He too had long ears and spoke in an archaic manner. His face was naturally handsome, but at this moment, his gaze examining Jeong Yeon-shin was deeply sunken in colorless light.

King Ting.

A figure skilled in military strategy.

He was particularly famous for an episode from over ten years ago when he cut off the livelihood of bandit masters who had been notorious around the vast Poyang Lake, surrounding and annihilating them with martial forces.

That entire process was said to have been carried out as naturally as flowing water yet thoroughly.

“I am Zhu Dai-yi.”

He spoke in a heavy voice befitting his impression. A king governing part of Jiangxi. Jeong Yeon-shin gazed at him quietly before slowly raising his hands together.

“I am Lightning Genius of the Jeong family.”

A rather courteous appearance compared to his shocking intrusion. Starting with introducing himself by the courtesy name given by the Desolate Fortress Lord instead of his given name showed this.

It would have been a picture-perfect scene if he weren’t still keeping Prince Hong Huang beneath his foot.

King Ting pursed his lips once before speaking.

“I thought he was a man I absolutely had to see at least once, but I didn’t expect to meet this way. It’s also surprising that the Eternal Candle Divine Physician bestowed medical arts upon you.”

“May I inquire about your business?”

Desolate Day Extinction asked straight to the point.

Something that would not be tolerated by any military official. Because this was a conversation with none other than a feudal king.

But King Ting glanced at Jeong Yeon-shin’s long robe, which was rippling in gold and purple at this moment, then laughed heartily as if deliberately.

“Because there are those who spread false rumors that this nation’s sword had broken once, I came to confirm it personally. Now seeing clearly with these two eyes, far from being broken, the blade is razor-sharp with killing intent. Indeed, rumors cannot be trusted.”

“Is that all?”

“Then what else could there be? This land has long been a hollow rice cracker due to those northern barbarians. Nothing is more important than the well-being of one who guards the rough wilderness.”

King Ting smoothly evaded Deolate Day Extinction’s question.

From the beginning, there had only ever been one king in the royal residence of King Ting throughout history. Due to strongly inheriting noble clan bloodline, he had not met death since establishing the royal residence.

Naturally, his worldly wisdom had to be as flexible as his archaic speech and conduct.

‘That one is even worse than Ma Yeon-jeok. How can he brazenly stand trampling a feudal king in broad daylight, not even a eunuch supervisor…’

Was he trusting in the situation of chaotic times and his status as one of few in the world?

Seeing the appearance of Desolate Day Extinction with clear eyes, King Ting inwardly shook his head. He felt no particular schemes.

There was no sign of plotting anything political with purple rank status. It was simply a matter of his nature.

“My body is whole.”

At Jeong Yeon-shin’s toneless words, King Ting nodded with a smile. Goosebumps seemed to have been drawn up by that indifferent voice, stinging the back of his neck. It was very chilling.

“Of course, your body belongs not only to you but to this entire nation. Please cherish it greatly.”

“…Thank you for the kind words.”

Desolate Day Extinction raising his hands together again… It was an extremely polite cupped fist salute. Perfect etiquette to show an elder or king. But King Ting recognized with his aged senses that it was an order to leave.

It was a feeling he had never received from anyone other than the Emperor.

“I too have opened my eyes seeing your renowned face. Surprising in many ways. Very surprising.”

King Ting, with an elegant bearing with hands behind his back, mounted his sedan in the same posture he had descended, without turning around at all. It was the exact opposite of forward stepping technique.

Desolate Day Extinction, who had been gazing up at him intently, opened his mouth.

“Matters of martial artists will be resolved among martial artists. Your Majesty need not worry.”

“What worry? Since encountering your rumors, I’ve rarely been concerned about the nation’s public order. I had no doubt in Desolate Fortress’s soaring activities.”

Soon King Ting added in a deliberately leisurely tone.

“Take care of yourself. I mean live long in good health.”

“…If governing the land bestowed by the late Emperor becomes burdensome, please send word to the main fortress at any time.”

“Even the words are appreciated. I’m always in the mood to send a matchmaker to Desolate Fortress.”

“I have no intention of starting a family yet…”

“That’s understandable. Even I, when my father passed away prematurely in my youth, harbored no small amount of resentment during my immature years. You’re a hero endowed with chivalrous spirit, martial prowess, and even responsibility.”

King Ting was about to withdraw naturally from his position but hesitated. It was because Desolate Day Extinction’s jade-carved face somehow showed a gloomy cast.

He instinctively felt it. The favorable impression built up through their brief comfortable conversation had somehow crumbled like a sand castle.

“Let’s go quickly, we’ve left the royal residence empty too long.”

King Ting didn’t try to guess the reason. It was the same principle as how no countermeasures emerge even when deeply pondering natural disasters like drought, floods, earthquakes, bandits, or landslides.

He put force into his elegant gesture to order retreat to the flag bearer of his martial forces.

“Unless there’s something particularly celebratory, there should be no need to visit Jiangxi. I’ll govern it to be so.”

Clatter.

Countless horse hooves mixed into the low-lying dust. King Ting, who had left a quiet promise to Desolate Fortress’s Desolate Day Extinction, turned his sedan and departed with his escorting martial forces.

Thus one corner of the eight groups left.

Wind mixed with dust filled the empty space without any particular sound.

“……”

Royal residences governing land with lofty status.

Desolate Fortress overseeing public order throughout the nation with those possessing transcendent martial prowess.

They were relationships bound to clash. Sometimes they even competed in martial arts.

Because their affairs generally required secrecy, only rumors circulated, but earlier Yue Shou-lin and the other Desolate Fortress party couldn’t move differently due to the mere presence of the three royal residences.

Because they knew the feudal kings had personally come.

Moreover, it was a chaotic era of upheaval.

At this point, visits from royal residences to Desolate Fortress were close to inevitable, but King Ting’s residence, famous for military strategy, had disappeared without examining Desolate Day Extinction much.

The implications were significant.

The Guan Xu Merchant Alliance and Four Provinces Martial Alliance stirred. They lacked justifications as plausible as King Ting’s to present.

From the beginning, they had come seeking benefits and competitive glory. Moreover, unlike various rumors, Desolate Day Extinction was perfectly healthy.

“The uncle from Jiangxi said everything I was going to say.”

A woman’s voice. It was the last third royal residence.

Queen Yun Ming, governing northern Fujian, didn’t even dismount from her fine horse and nodded toward Jeong Yeon-shin. She wore a broad hat with blade-like ears rising on both sides of her head tied up.

“I am Yun Ming, Zhu Zhao-ling.”

Soon after, she turned her horse’s head with just stroking the steed’s neck.

The mystical horsemanship characteristic of noble clans. A small gesture had conveyed her intention. The gaze of Desolate Day Extinction, who had been looking around the scene with dry eyes, lit up slightly for the first time.

“Are you leaving already?”

“Having confirmed your well-being is enough. Seeing your temperament, we just need to fulfill our assigned duties.”

“That horsemanship.”

“Hm?”

“I heard the Yao tribe’s mounted martial arts are the best in the world. How would they compare to the horsemanship Your Majesty possesses?”

“How strange. To receive a question about martial arts from a purple rank.”

King Yun Ming raised her lips faintly.

“Yao tribe mounted martial arts.”

She who had stroked her chin slowly moved her mouth.

“That’s not martial arts. It’s a method by which monsters wearing human masks turn horses into cannons.”

“Not martial arts…?”

Desolate Day Extinction asked back blankly. The back of King Yun Ming’s head, who had already turned her horse’s head almost completely around, nodded.

“Right, that’s tactics. It merely shares the same vein as martial arts in using internal energy, but pursues something clearly different. Unless you’re someone at the level of Heaven’s Five Swords, other martial officials accustomed to deploying martial arts on two feet are often swept away by the tsunami of steeds. Desolate Fortress masters would be no exception. Anyway, as one who guards the frontier, this is all I know.”

“…Thanks to you, I’ve broadened my knowledge. But really, won’t you enter the estate…”

The moment Desolate Day Extinction reached one hand behind him, King Yun Ming once again stroked her steed’s neck.

Immediately the fine horse that had been spurred began galloping with intense hoof sounds. Then the martial forces of King Yun Ming’s residence withdrew like a receding tide, each sheathing their weapons.

“If you ever injure your dantian, come marry me.”

A single phrase from the feudal king, even maintaining formal tone, was left before the main gate of the now-empty Mu Family Estate. Hyeon Won-chang snorted from one side.

“Even if martial prowess and character are fearsome, they seem to covet the facial features. Anyway, those in power are just…”

“……”

Desolate Day Extinction, who had glanced at Hyeon Won-chang with a puzzled expression, suddenly put strength in his legs. Instantly the ground below exploded with a thunderous sound.

Kwaaaaaang!

Prince Hong Huang rolled his eyes back in the thick dust clouds.

The propulsion energy waves he had raised to finally escape his prone position had been shattered in one blow. Desolate Day Extinction, who had lowered his gaze, slowly parted his lips.

“When the late Emperor’s will is forged into a sword, it becomes purple. Having casually spoken of the life and death of Desolate Fortress martial artists with feudal king status, the judgment for your treason is my responsibility. Have you prepared a successor?”

“……”

“What business do you others have?”

He suddenly raised his head and asked.

The Supreme Commander’s martial forces from the Five Military Commissions, the Guan Xu Merchant Alliance, the Zhejiang Provincial Governor’s party, the Four Provinces Martial Alliance, and imperial envoys holding aloft golden flags inscribed with “Ming.”

‘Needlessly many.’

Desolate Day Extinction Jeong Yeon-shin felt the troublesome challenges of the world. The first jianghu journey he had undertaken as purple rank, precisely the life-and-death duel with the Heaven Conquering Sect Leader, had been that starting point.

Government, commercial circles, martial world, foreign invasion.

Most were masters of martial arts. Jeong Yeon-shin was in a position where, as Desolate Fortress’s supreme leader, he had to encompass them all. It was work difficult for a youth of barely eighteen to handle.

‘King Ting and King Yun Ming were different from first impressions. They were good people.’

He was inwardly tense. Could he manage the world with just a few words? Even Zhuge Liang of Shu-Han would have found it difficult.

[TL Note- Not the zhuge family head but the real Zhuge Liang who lived through Late Eastern Han Dynasty and early Three Kingdoms Period.]

“I should first show proper etiquette to the imperial envoy.”

Jeong Yeon-shin showed cupped fist salute with both hands while pressing down on Prince Hong Huang’s abdomen with one leg. The person beneath his foot had consciousness as persistent as befitted a Zhu clan master.

Simultaneously, more than half of the remaining groups cast their gazes downward. Like business that had folded before even raising the topic.

They literally showed signs of immediately returning once they found justification.