Chapter 504 – Desolate Great War (4)

It was literally a mountain of corpses and sea of blood.

From between the piles of men and horses’ corpses stacked like low valleys, dark red blood trickled out and seeped into the ground.

The aftermath of sound techniques.

The fishy stench of the dead Sima unorthodox path members slowly thickened, and above it the dry winter sunlight cast white light over the faces of the corpses. In death, they were transparent.

Clop.

Heavy horse hoof sounds. The Gang of Demons Green Forest Grand Chief who alone had passed over Jeong Yeon-shin and Yue Shou-lin turned his horse’s head halfway.

Then he turned only his head slightly to the side and looked down at Jeong Yeon-shin diagonally.

“Where in the world is there such a method?”

White Axe King Zhi Jiang-xian slowly began to speak. In a low voice, somehow faintly cunning in tone.

“You wouldn’t know. How much tremendous time, effort, and wealth goes into assembling such cavalry forces. They shouldn’t have been crushed by a single musical phrase spat out by a sword.”

He said.

Indeed, at this moment the southern battlefield of Desolate Fortress’s main gate was extremely quiet.

“……”

Not only had the wandering martial artists who sold their sword skills for money frozen, but even many masters of the Thirteen Evil Sects had stepped back and were scanning the mountain of corpses and sea of blood with shocked eyes.

Only some of them were forcing themselves to leap here and there to reorganize battle formations.

On the other hand, the main castle masters were catching their breath in place or engaging in energy regulation.

As if some absolute being was standing guard nearby. Not a single one of them moved rashly from atop the castle walls.

Though many had not actually seen Lightning Genius Jeong Yeon-shin due to rushing about on missions, it was so.

Trust in hierarchy.

The word “blind” was fitting. This was even more true for those who had spent their lives in Desolate Fortress since childhood.

Throughout history, all purple ranks had exceeded the expectations of the main castle masters.

Shin Cheon-hwa, Ma Yeon-jeok, Shin Byeok, Yong Hye-myeong.

Each one was a legend of the jianghu martial world. Like that, purple was the miraculous color of sunset that bloomed and set in Xiangyang.

Whinny—

The warhorse of the sole surviving Gang of Demons Green Forest Grand Chief snorted low. From the mouth of the steed heated to the point of rising body temperature, faint breath leaked out, whether from fear or fighting spirit.

The gaze of the warhorse whose eyes were filled with colorless light glanced diagonally past Jeong Yeon-shin.

Soon after, the Grand Chief studied Jeong Yeon-shin intently from atop his warhorse, then smiled slightly.

“Lord Jeong has good discernment.”

“……”

“That axe you used and discarded, called Qiangxuan Axe… it belonged to my son. It had that precious black iron mixed in. It was the work of a Yao tribe general rather famous in the north. A precious weapon, you could say.”

His words continued calmly.

“Though it scattered as futilely as the lives of our martial artists, it seems to have been used quite well… that should be enough.”

Meaning that among those who had just lost their lives to Jeong Yeon-shin, his child was included. But his tone was as plain as if he had spoken of a subordinate’s death.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not answer.

Hah—

White mist spread from around his mouth.

It was the exhalation of mental technique.

At this moment, Jeong Yeon-shin was inhaling and exhaling the breathing of Luminous Wheel Technique to cool his Baihui acupoint. Naturally, it was due to the recoil of the sword song.

A technique that had now completely become the decisive weapon of factional wars. The more he increased its power, the harder it became to use indiscriminately.

Especially not against careless opponents, but after making the full strength of a major faction that had charged with such overwhelming technique disappear like just now.

The Grand Chief had lost his subordinates who had deployed Grasping Wei and Observing the World Below Heaven together, and Jeong Yeon-shin had taken on the tremendous burden to his upper dantian by annihilating them all at once.

“Lord Jeong, you…”

The Grand Chief who had been studying him intently smiled broadly.

“Breathe unlike a human. Well, from your very outline being different… strictly speaking, you’re no different from a spirit creature imitating human form. Seeing this in person is quite eerie.”

Speech and conduct that seemed to probe Jeong Yeon-shin’s physical condition and weaknesses.

Uncharacteristic of someone who had just suffered such great loss. Did it mean he could replenish subordinates anytime since bandits were spread throughout the world?

“You.”

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly opened his mouth. The opponent was an enemy who had tried to crush Desolate Fortress with mounted martial arts. There was no reason to repay respect with respect.

“Turn completely to face this way.”

He said.

It wasn’t the Grand Chief who immediately reacted to those words.

The middle-aged man and woman holding axes and spears respectively behind Jeong Yeon-shin widened their eyes. They were supreme masters who had survived the sword song.

“Speak properly.”

“No matter how high your purple rank status, there are manners that must be observed! That person…!”

The conduct of those two was like generals at a military gate.

The slight downward fall of their tone endings was due to dialect from beyond the north mixed in, yet the strength in their voices was intense, creating a refined feeling like swords.

Their origins differed from bandits.

Surely there would be deep stories behind Gang of Demons Green Forest’s founding, but Jeong Yeon-shin only muttered briefly.

“Underlings are opening their mouths.”

“Ah, my apologies.”

The Grand Chief offered an apology and bowed his head.

He had turned diagonally to the side with his steed.

Due to this, the backs of the heads hanging at his opposite waist could be seen sporadically, but the exact facial features could not be identified.

Whoosh!

Meanwhile, the breath of the warhorse that seemed close to a spirit creature suddenly began connecting with the Grand Chief’s exhalation as white smoke.

Internal energy waves as powerful as any major faction’s sword formation boosting the energy of both sides. Some kind of mounted martial art was being deployed.

He too was preparing to make a move, just like Jeong Yeon-shin.

Though as a peerless master he would have assessed Jeong Yeon-shin’s condition, he was rather drawing out time by talking about this and that like a scholar from the Hanlin Academy.

Naturally, it wouldn’t be an ordinary extraordinary strike.

Meanwhile, Six Harmonies Voice that seemed deliberately raised loudly rang out from all directions.

[Begin!]

[After all, that’s the only purple!]

[Detour! Detour to where Sea Overflow Fist Heaven is! We can enter before Lotus Nezha!]

Though hundreds had died, hundreds more who breathed with internal energy still remained on the castle walls spread to both sides of the main gate.

Had there been no collapse of the northern front, the imperial army would have raised troops along with rebel designations. But at this point, it was a battle the Desolate Fortress martial artists remaining in the main castle had to handle entirely.

Flap! Crash!… 

Desolate Fortress had very many enemies.

Those racing swiftly to avoid Jeong Yeon-shin and leap over the castle walls. Robes fluttered violently everywhere and shockwaves of energy emission burst forth.

The battlefield began moving again. They had already confirmed one great hand of the Acting Divine Sword Group Leader.

The supremely powerful masters of major factions wouldn’t fail to devise countermeasures.

Don’t approach.

While other Thirteen Evil Sect Leaders blocked Jeong Yeon-shin, move avoiding him as much as possible.

Even with an overwhelming “single” strike, he hadn’t been able to suppress them all.

Since the Acting Divine Sword Group Leader possessed techniques as absurd as previous wide-area skills, the ripple effects that would spread through the jianghu when Desolate Fortress’s signboard fell would also be extremely great.

“Come to think of it, the Yue Family has met with successive disasters.”

The Grand Chief opened his mouth as if something had occurred to him. This time it was directed at Yue Shou-lin standing beside Jeong Yeon-shin.

“From what I know, it hasn’t been long since the current family head inherited the family after the previous head suffered disappointment at the Mount Hua Agreement and entered seclusion… Yue Dae-gyeong who achieved Peerless Spear Severing. I heard he was the great nephew of Divine Spear. Is that correct?”

“……”

“A pitiful matter. I’ll respectfully offer my condolences.”

Then he properly brought both hands together and raised them.

It was extremely polite cupped hand salute, and unlike martial world people who merely added fists to spread palms, he even slightly bowed his head. It was etiquette like a scholar’s.

The expression disappeared from Yue Shou-lin’s face upon seeing the Grand Chief’s conduct.

It was an appearance absent from Jeong Yeon-shin’s memory. Clearly Jeong Yeon-shin had disappeared from her vision, leaving only Grand Chief Zhi Jiang-xian.

“He bore no guilt. He was merely swept up in the flow of the times.”

Bang!

The moment his gesture of lowering the axe split dust like waves to left and right.

Perhaps he concentrated on energy circulation while speaking, befitting one who had achieved supreme Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown. Before long, space began distorting along the body lines of Zhi Jiang-xian and his warhorse. It was a precursor to attack.

He said.

“Chaotic times flow down like avalanches, fair to all. They don’t distinguish between evil and good, rulers and common people, and jianghu nobles and bandit riffraff. This worthless bandit needed the heads of lofty Eight Family heads. I had to spread my name as quickly as possible.”

“I told you to come at me.”

Yue Shou-lin muttered low, but at this moment she was not the spear wielder widely renowned in the jianghu, but an unarmed martial artist of bare-handed techniques.

The short spear she carried at her waist as backup was her only armament.

It was because she had thrown her spear earlier to clear Jeong Yeon-shin’s path.

In a state where even at full strength it would be difficult to handle such a great enemy, at this moment Yue Shou-lin took a step forward without even drawing the short spear from her back. With an expressionless face.

Rustle.

When her jet-black sleeve hem fluttered precariously.

Whooooosh!

Suddenly a snow-white beam of light roughly cut through the atmosphere, grazed Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand, rotated once in midair, then was sucked into Yue Shou-lin’s grasp.

It was the long spear she had thrown earlier, returned by Jeong Yeon-shin’s Myriad Flowers Rain attraction technique.

For the first time since the Grand Chief had spoken of the Yue Family, her gaze briefly glanced at Jeong Yeon-shin. But he was still only staring at the Grand Chief’s waist.

“I told you to turn around properly.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said. By now his breathing had quietly calmed.

The Grand Chief’s lips curved in an arc.

“I’m not quite finished preparing yet, so couldn’t you wait just a little? Originally once mounted charges stop like this, they often end there… anyway, this grand plan is something Yu Ling Leader prepared for a very long time. It was basically created assuming a prolonged war. Even while you cross hands with us here, your enemies will keep pouring in endlessly. They’re enemies Desolate Fortress has made over a very long period.”

Clop.

“So.”

The Grand Chief slowly turned with his steed. Even at the moment he came to completely face Jeong Yeon-shin’s front, he continued speaking slowly.

“Don’t think it will end quickly. I guarantee that this fight will drag on tediously like summer rain. Such is the weight of grievances that Desolate Fortress has created while supporting the world’s public order. We have many reinforcements, and your only reinforcement is you alone, isn’t it?”

Jeong Yeon-shin did not respond. Soon after, Yue Shou-lin also stopped walking.

The faces tied to Grand Chief Zhi Jiang-xian’s waist finally came to look upon the main gate’s official road that had to be extremely familiar to them as well.

A handsome noble clan head and a face wrapped in bandages making it difficult to confirm features.

They were Burning Abyss Squad Leader and Nether Stream Squad Leader.

“They did their best. You, Desolate Fortress purple, must not blame those two.”

“We mourn for them.”

Gang of Demons Green Forest’s male and female supreme masters spoke thus from behind.

Jeong Yeon-shin and Yue Shou-lin, with the pile of men and horses’ corpses to one side, were surrounded front and back by the Grand Chief and his subordinates respectively.

Simultaneously.

[Yong— Hye— Myeong—!]

Kwaaaaaang!

The massive human shadow who had landed while violently scraping both feet against the ground, Martial Dragon Alliance Leader Helian Feng-yue, threw those he had been gripping in both hands to either side.

Thud!

Immediately, the middle-aged man with prosthetic leg who had twisted his body in midair slid back kneeling on one knee, and the tall, gaunt swordsman was embedded directly into the ground creating furrows.

They were respectively Ultimate Martial Hall Leader and Azure Sky Squad Leader of the Divine Sword Group.

“Jeong-myeong…!”

Ultimate Martial Hall Leader who quickly raised his head saw Burning Abyss Squad Leader’s head and groaned. Meanwhile, Azure Sky Squad Leader couldn’t immediately stand up, appearing unable to control his body.

He looked almost dead, with his throat’s pulse extremely faint.

Helian Feng-yue clicked his tongue and opened his mouth.

“Ultimate Martial, or is it Ultimate Martial Hall now? You have quite a talent for capturing people. I heard that in Desolate Fortress, Ultimate Martial lineage stood alongside Lightning Genius lineage as twin pillars, and that truly wasn’t an exaggeration.”

“……”

“Ah, Lightning Genius. It’s been a while. I was truly surprised earlier. To use such sublime sound techniques with a blade? It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say your internal energy skills have reached heaven. Next time, let me have a taste too. It seems like it would be quite thrilling. Here you’ll have to replace Yong Hye-myeong, won’t you?”

It was casual chatter.

Thus the leader of Martial Dragon Alliance plainly revealed the madness widely known in the jianghu, and without any particular declaration of war, proved that the world’s jianghu had gathered on Xiangyang’s land… But none of the Desolate Fortress masters responded to those words.

Helian Feng-yue smacked his lips. Because their gazes were focused on Gang of Demons Green Forest’s Grand Chief.

“Well, it’s the same on this side with disciples and colleagues dying. Truly heartbreaking, but on the path to achieving Martial Ultimate, what need is there for worthless human lives…!”

He stopped speaking mid-sentence.

Because blue-white eye light was flickering and dying in the young purple’s pupils.

His eyes had completely flipped. He was out of his mind.

Pupils moving like beams of light up and down, left and right, diagonally, along with low vibrating sounds. Faint afterimages of radiance remained following the eerie gaze filled with killing intent.

Thus countless fragments of thoughts flowed from Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes into his mind, and in an instant, semi-transparent winds gathered like clouds in his hand stretched backward, occupying the rear.

Myriad Flowers Rain.

Whoosh!

Jeong Yeon-shin frantically mixed incantation phrases in his head. Now his jianghu experience was more than sufficient to the point of being sick of it.

Everything was already in his mental image, and what was truly needed was only a heart befitting the technique.

‘Ten Perfections. Unorthodox Path.’

Wuuuuuuuung!!

Axes and spears, swords and blades, and all sorts of ownerless weapons.

Hundreds of blades that had been scattered like tombstones across the battlefield floated up, shaking off dirt.

Like when Sichuan’s Ten Perfections Sect Leader Myriad Weapons Emperor had once boasted of eighteen weapon arts with each facing slightly different directions, or like the sword cloud sea that Heaven Conquering Sect Leader had raised with a single footstep.

“……”

The same scene was reflected in the eyes of Grand Chief Zhi Jiang-xian and his warhorse, and the two remaining Gang of Demons Green Forest supreme masters.

“Today.”

The appearance of the youth in purple robes moving his mouth expressionlessly with his back to the sea of countless weapons. It was another face of ultimate killing intent.

The Acting Divine Sword Group Leader said.

“The jianghu dies.”

It was the beginning of the Desolate Great War.