Chapter 537 – Jianghu Name Record (3)

Silence settled over the clearing.

The hundred or so Wudang masters surrounding the pair of man and horse with their wide encirclement, as well as the northerner who occasionally uttered incomprehensible words alone, merely looked down from atop his horse.

“……”

The old Taoist in shabby robes and the peerless beautiful youth. The Acting Divine Sword Group Leader quietly waiting for the Wudang Sect Leader who had first spoken of rest.

There had been a similar situation in the distant past.

The anecdote of the former Sect Leader and Tyrant Hero Ma Yeon-jeok was like that. Among the martial artists of the Central Plains, there was no jianghu person who didn’t know of that incident.

Incidents caused by those in such positions inevitably became widely told in all directions, and the Wudang disciples who could be called the parties involved in that event inevitably recalled the taiji at this moment.

Going around and around to now.

To many people, Jeong Yeon-shin was the Divine Sword Group Leader. He could not simply be called just an Acting Leader. He was capable enough to substitute for the world’s greatest power holder.

Purrr—

The snorting of the gigantic war horse rang out eerily.

The sound of the northern jianghu watching. Though the Wudang disciples currently deploying sword formations did not take their eyes off the northerner, it was clear that the majority of their energy sense was tilted toward Jeong Yeon-shin and Profound Void.

Suddenly the Wudang Sect Leader pulled his feet buried in the ground out.

Crack.

Clumps of earth came up with them, dirtying his robes, but Profound Void’s face was calm. Rather, he showed signs of beginning to loosen up his body. Soon after, Profound Void calmly asked Jeong Yeon-shin.

“How long do you intend to keep it floating? You’re not trying to induce this poor Taoist’s heart demons, are you?”

“This puts my mind at ease.”

Jeong Yeon-shin answered briefly.

Above one side of his head, a stone box was floating. It was the function of Void Grasping.

It was the box Jeong Yeon-shin had brought along since before carving the blue taiji on the ground, and it had maintained its position even when exchanging moves with Profound Void.

Some of the Wudang disciples who belatedly became aware of its existence drew sharp breaths. It made no sense at all. Unless one had learned Yang Intention Divine Technique.

“Isn’t it heavy?”

The Wudang Sect Leader quietly spoke.

His aged voice contained several questions. It seemed as if he could see through everything Jeong Yeon-shin had experienced from Hangzhou until now.

Unlike before when he had displayed his emotions nakedly, it was gradually becoming difficult to read his inner thoughts. A small but clear change.

“Even once…”

Jeong Yeon-shin immediately moved his mouth.

“I don’t think it’s ever been heavy.”

“And it’s not cumbersome either?”

Profound Void asked again. For a moment, Jeong Yeon-shin’s lips rose faintly. It was a clear smile like that of the current Divine Sword Group Leader Yong Hye-myeong.

“There’s no reason for that. Rather, it supports me.”

“Does High Sword… Profound Principle support you a little? Does that stone box serve as a stepping stone for your heart?”

“I think of it as another ‘Desolate’ character.”

“……”

A pine scent arose faintly from the sword of Profound Void, who had briefly closed his mouth. Like the sword fragrance famous as a function of Mount Hua sword techniques.

But there was a difference.

A realm where the swordsman’s intent affects the opponent, a precursor to the Mind Sword. He had to be seen as thoroughly capable in studies requiring depth.

It was similar to the Heaven Conquering Sect Leader who had been skilled in all sorts of techniques, yet different in texture.

“That box. To me it’s a dam. A rock that blocks the heart, a heart demon that must be removed as quickly as possible. It’s problematic because it’s too big and heavy.”

Profound Void spoke slowly. While glancing at Jeong Yeon-shin’s Void Grasping. The box floating quite paradoxically lightly.

Jeong Yeon-shin answered briefly.

“I understand.”

For a moment, wrinkles around Profound Void’s eyes drew a faint smile. The madness of deviation of mind and the mystical energy of the Wudang Sect Leader. It was an eye-smile where both temperaments were simultaneously gathered.

Thus the conversation between the two was calm.

But the air surrounding them was still tautly stretched. All conversation was close to the quiet before thunder and lightning struck.

As all those present knew.

This was not sparring that held back in the hands.

An absolute Taoist who had fallen into deviation of mind and the tyrannical Acting Divine Sword Group Leader were confronting each other, so it wouldn’t be strange if anyone’s limbs flew off.

“Profound Principle lived and died as a jianghu person. His end was that of a chivalrous hero, but not befitting a Taoist. The Wudang disciples who died at the ‘gates’ and in the north until now were the same. All of them… ate with, learned from, and laughed with this old Taoist for a time.”

Profound Void said while raising the Pine Gate Ancient Sword to middle stance.

“So leave this poor Taoist be. The contemporary Wudang Sect Leader is different from Elder Beomheo. A petty person with a small vessel and a greatly lacking coward.”

Sssss—

The wind that suddenly blew scraped the dirt ground.

And gradually becoming semi-transparently thick, it began to embrace the entire space.

It was natural earth energy.

Profound Void had already imprinted a massive taiji in his mind.

A realm of becoming the axis between heaven and earth oneself. It was possible to draw the power of great nature without drawing circles with a sword.

Naturally, there was a limit to the power that could be mobilized once. But in terms of internal energy endurance alone, among the Five Greatest Swords under Heaven, he would be the only one who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Yong Hye-myeong.

“…Wudang has had a warm Sect Leader.”

Jeong Yeon-shin thought while gripping Remaining Thunder in reverse. That he shouldn’t let that function be applied to Ten-Stage Brocade.

Wudang’s Ten-Stage Brocade.

Like Brilliant River, it was a peerless divine technique capable of stacking. If deployed from Profound Void’s hands, it would inevitably manifest in a fearsome form.

The Jeong Yeon-shin of the deviation of mind period had nearly died from that palm technique that came out just once.

‘Moreover, the Sect Leader Immortal…’

He unleashed even techniques requiring massive energy without preparation. Because he had made great nature his dantian. He greatly omitted the completion process of absolute techniques.

That’s why he was fast even though his body wasn’t one that had intensively cultivated swift swords. Just like right now.

“You flatter me.”

With just one step, he swung the Pine Gate Ancient Sword from close range. Directly before Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes. Belatedly, a tremendous shock wave burst from Profound Void’s back with a bang.

Zzzzzzzing!

Twenty-five fierce waves struck Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand holding the sword in reverse. It was the number of internal waves contained in just one sword strike.

The sword strike technique of the Five Greatest Swords under Heaven. He had penetrated even the minute details of Jeong Yeon-shin’s gripping method, having once competed with him.

Though he didn’t show it outwardly, Jeong Yeon-shin had almost dropped Remaining Thunder.

‘Even though I gripped it to make the first attack easy to defend.’

Jeong Yeon-shin simply let go of the sword slightly. While passing by Profound Void’s side with Radiant Wing Steps in an instant.

Huuuuuung!… Remaining Thunder wrapped around Profound Void’s sword and body in turn like a rotating grass blade and followed Jeong Yeon-shin.

In that process, whitish sword winds arose along the blade.

Crack crack crack crack!

Not only Profound Void’s garment edges but even the ground was torn to shreds in a circle.

Thus Remaining Thunder struck through that brief moment and was caught again in Jeong Yeon-shin’s grasp with a clap, rumbling deeply.

It was likewise a sword technique of the Five Greatest Swords under Heaven.

The silence of the assembly deepened.

“……”

The two people who had exchanged one move and turned their backs to each other.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s clothes were intact. In contrast, Profound Void’s body was carved with minute cuts.

The protective energy of the Wudang Sect Leader, the Profound Jade Lonely Silence Robe, which had collapsed once from the earlier Blossoming Fist’s Brilliant River, had not been completely restored.

Rather, at this moment it was crumbling again, scattering glass-like fragments here and there.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly opened his mouth.

“Didn’t you rest properly?”

“I didn’t have the sense of shame to even straighten my attire.”

Profound Void said quietly.

And then he asked Jeong Yeon-shin.

“The circle surrounding us… this blue flame seems to have special functions, is that right?”

Crackle!

The deep blue taiji.

A circle with a radius of more than ten zhang burned blue. As if responding to Profound Void’s aged yet clear voice.

“It’s Southern Splendor Radiant Taiji.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said. Soon Profound Void’s counter-question followed.

“Broadly illuminating the south?”

“Hangzhou is south from here. It’s where Taoist High Sword’s will sleeps.”

It was a plain answer.

Thus Jeong Yeon-shin’s will had been concentrated on High Sword from this expedition until now.

He had wanted to somehow entrust the stone box to the Wudang Sect Leader, and when he drew a circle with such a heart, something followed.

‘Perfect Integration.’

The function of harmonizing all techniques.

It was the reason he could face Profound Void while keeping the stone box floating with Void Grasping on one side.

At this moment, Jeong Yeon-shin standing blankly in the circle was the incarnation of taiji.

There was no burden no matter what techniques he deployed consecutively.

Like a dharma treasure that could be deployed on the spot, within the blue flame taiji, all techniques Jeong Yeon-shin possessed naturally connected.

Like a Taoist with high Tao power who had learned Yang Intention Divine Technique to perfection throughout his life.

That was.

The price for Jeong Yeon-shin completely enduring his aged self. Even now, mystical spirituality was pouring into him from the deep blue taiji.

The reason Profound Void’s reason had begun to return somewhat was probably also due to that. Because dharma power and energies that even Jeong Yeon-shin could no longer fathom were woven together as one.

But Zhang Sanfeng was not in that intent.

High Sword.

The formula of Southern Splendor Radiant Taiji carved in Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind was those two characters.

The highest sword. The chivalrous hero that the multitude of common people in Hangzhou, and also the boy called Jeong Yeon-shin thrown into the jianghu, had occasionally wished for.

Was it because of that?

“South, south… Profound Principle’s will is…”

Profound Void’s eyes, repeating the word south, gradually lost focus. In contrast, Jeong Yeon-shin coldly analyzed the techniques he had obtained today as the Divine Sword Group Leader.

‘Though we didn’t exchange many moves, the density of all techniques was high. Is there no burden on my body?’

Certainly none.

Really none.

Only the feeling of being wrapped in a gentle breeze all over his body existed.

Tickling skin. Whether it was sorcery or pure martial arts, he himself found it difficult to fathom, but the end of sorcery practitioners that Shin Cheon-hwa had warned about didn’t come to mind at all.

Suddenly her evaluation when discussing Wudang’s divine techniques flashed through his mind.

—Well, that’s Zhang Sanfeng’s martial arts.

Southern Splendor Radiant Taiji was the same. Martial arts composed of Lightning Genius and High Sword. Before he knew it, Jeong Yeon-shin began to think of infinite possibilities within the blue flame taiji.

It was because the Wudang Sect Leader’s energy waves had completely subsided.

‘Basic non-action enhancement can be set aside. As long as I don’t leave the circle, I can apply this function even to Transcendent Martial Art…’

Some image was drawn in his mind.

The scene of spreading a deep blue taiji before Young Heavenly Demon Invincible, the great master of demons wrapped in dark flames all over her body.

It was also a situation where martial arts woven from connections she couldn’t have would retrieve Baek Mi-ryeo.

Would it go as intended?

Jeong Yeon-shin thought. Perhaps it might work.

“The energy is mystical. Too intense to be dharma power, too thick to be seen as Three Clear Powers…”

Profound Void muttered to himself.

Now the old Taoist’s face had madness and mystical energy wrinkled together like taiji. It felt that way temperamentally. It was clearly a more stable state than before.

[Six.]

The northerner muttered from afar.

Words directed at no one knew whom.

Sssss—

The natural earth energy that had been semi-transparently surrounding the vicinity scattered. The clearing naturally reached a lull.

Profound Void and Jeong Yeon-shin slowly turned their bodies toward each other. Their soles quietly rubbed against the ground that had been torn up messily.

“Southern Splendor… thank you for giving it such a name. Moreover, perhaps because I’ve been warmed by this fire, the fog in my head feels strangely diminished. My heart has been defeated by you.”

“Martial arts too…”

Jeong Yeon-shin naturally swallowed back the words that had flowed out unconsciously. And tied up the matter. That he would consider himself the winner of the wager.

Their conversation was natural like the clouds that gently covered the slopes of Mount Wudang.

The situation changed so calmly, yet rapidly. It was the world of peerless masters where there was no one who wasn’t strange.

Everything was accomplished only through their changes of heart. Like a river that was gentle yet meandered in all directions.

And there were few jianghu people under heaven who saw the Divine Sword Group Leader and Wudang Sect Leader as sane. It was even more so for the contemporary Sect Leader Immortal and Acting Divine Sword Group Leader.

The only thing that remained the same was the beautiful youth groaning while stuck on the old Pine Gate Ancient Sword.

Super Mad Dream Demon was looking back and forth between Jeong Yeon-shin and Profound Void with disbelieving eyes. Until Jeong Yeon-shin, who had appeared before his eyes like a lie, grabbed his head.

“What… what!”

“Be quiet. Be good.”

Jeong Yeon-shin had never spared an enemy’s life before. Awkwardness was natural. Enough to recall the gatekeeper dog raised at the Jeong estate while trying to soothe his opponent.

That’s when it happened.

—Wudang Sect Leader, obey the imperial command!

Some woman’s voice echoed.

An extremely high-handed voice. It rang out from the hill across, and it was unbelievable whether it was really words uttered to the Wudang Sect Leader.

Not only the Wudang disciples who had been falling into silence, but also Jeong Yeon-shin felt the same.

‘Imperial command?’

When he inwardly questioned.

“…!”

The human shadow that had been descending from afar hesitated as soon as she saw Jeong Yeon-shin.