Chapter 688 – Origin (6)

A hazily rising trajectory.

It originated from just a single sword wind, yet Enter the Divine Sword had already returned to Jeong Yeon-shin’s scabbard without any trace of being drawn. Simultaneously, traces of blade wind scattered without a trace like smoke clumsily lit by incense bearers.

“……”

Before he knew it, Jeong Yeon-shin was standing on Martial Star’s broad shoulder. Because he had taken a light step just before extending the sword wind.

It was Lotus Nezha’s sword drawing technique.

It was natural that the surroundings stiffened.

The visitors who had been cautiously poking their heads out from the walls returned to the Guest Reception Hall. This was despite most of them being people of high status or deep composure.

Brief silence descended.

The current Divine Sword Group Leader’s sword technique was something that made people hold their breath and wait for results even when immediate aftereffects weren’t revealed. The same context as Northern Six Star Lords Martial Star not rashly changing his posture.

Meanwhile, Jeong Yeon-shin pondered about Zhongnan Sword Immortal’s single sword. Since Zhuge Qing happened to have her back to the gate, he had tried it, and such opportunities were rare, so it was natural behavior.

‘I still don’t understand.’

If it were sword strikes established merely through technique and sword power, at least Central Plains would already be peaceful. Because the Nine Sects’ immortals would have mixed into people’s livelihoods. This was why many jianghu people once climbed to the north following Zhongnan Sword Immortal Zong Yeo-il’s legacy.

The one who cut the gate.

The only old swordsman in all ages.

Even for Jeong Yeon-shin, martial arts like Zhongnan Sword Immortal’s sword techniques were a first. Though he had clearly read the formulas, he couldn’t grasp the feeling, and what intention should be poured into the sword path was also ambiguous.

When seeing Hye-ah playing dangerously at South Five Terraces, he felt breathless once.

When Myohwa, who had been absorbed in the sect leader’s secret sword techniques, closed her eyes as if falling into heart demons, he let out a light sigh.

Suddenly the scene of common people mixed with white clouds climbing to the shrine was also beautiful, so his inward breath sucked in the cloud mist…

His breathing stopped.

The sword flows like clouds.

How should one interpret it? This nameless sword technique.

This was why he accepted Shaolin’s invitation. If he could obtain Master Bodhidharma’s insights, even fragments of them, he might get a little closer to the sword technique that cuts gates.

“What did you do?”

Suddenly Thousand Fan Martial Empress Zhuge Qing asked quietly. Jeong Yeon-shin slowly stroked the sword hilt warmed by the tremendous friction heat of sword drawing.

“…A test.”

“Did you apply a sword circle to me? For a swordsman of your level to bother…”

Zhuge Qing’s words stopped.

She was an old woman with Martial Empress in her alias. Having experienced even Western Region jianghu, her knowledge and senses would be unimaginably tremendous.

“Wait.”

Her wrinkled eyes twitched. Her old pupils like aged ink paintings also extinguished their light. As if upper energy center intuition had activated.

“Could it be…? That can’t be. That would be absurd recklessness, merely the result of narrow experience…”

Separate from the old master’s archaic soliloquy, Jeong Yeon-shin silently lowered his head. Because formless energy waves had risen like wildfire beneath his leather shoes.

Rumble—

Northern Six Star Lords Martial Star.

Before he knew it, he had wrapped his entire body in semi-transparent flames, and the vibration flowing from his giant frame was as violent as an earthquake. Instantly, fragments of paving stones bounced up chaotically from the cracked and shattered floor.

‘He uses defensive energy like attack techniques. Irregular energy waves compared to Literary Star, skilled in short-term decisive battles.’

Already, crackling sounds like firewood popping spread from the gentle radiance of defensive energy Radiant Star that similarly surrounded Jeong Yeon-shin’s feet. Friction between both sides’ aggressive internal energy barriers. The vicinity repeatedly dimmed and brightened.

“Heaven is angry!”

“Namo Guanshiyin, Buddha…!”

These were reactions from common people strolling near the Guest Reception Hall. In a great temple like Shaolin, incense bearers couldn’t be only in the Guest Reception Hall.

When all those presences were engraved in Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind like map markers, the nine-foot giant who had been lending his shoulder for a while said.

“The world is wide indeed.”

He grinned while placing the Divine Sword Group Leader like down feathers.

A being who raised gentle ominousness like another defensive energy. The feeling of an evil spirit that had opposed Guanyin Bodhisattva in Buddhist paintings manifesting.

“On the high white mountains, don’t the Mughal Emperor’s great warriors and Roman priests ask about World Tree? Here the Divine Sword Group Leader mimics Northern Power Mixed Origin Emperor… Did you perhaps meet Fighting God? Did you share friendship like you did with Southern Emperor elder?”

He had only asked questions that Yao tribe would naturally have to ask, but nearby Great Righteous Orthodox Alliance masters seemed to take it differently. At least Thousand Fan Martial Empress Zhuge Qing and some noble lady did.

“World’s Southern Emperor and Divine Sword Group Leader have friendship…?”

“There were rumors of some Yao tribe entering Desolate Fortress. Martial Star, is that true?”

Among them, the noble lady’s voice was strange.

A woman with eye-smile traces standing out in her features, wearing blue palace robes hanging to her toes. She smiled gently as soon as her eyes met Jeong Yeon-shin’s.

“I am Lan of the Xing family. Though jianghu fellows praise me as an immortal, it’s nothing compared to Divine Sword Group Leader’s reputation anyway. It’s an honor to meet you like this.”

She lowered herself saying she was the third of Great Righteous Orthodox Alliance Leader’s four wives, and it was then that Jeong Yeon-shin moved.

‘Ashamed Night Kick.’

He struck the giant with leg power that could shake even peaks through in-place stepping. Instantly Martial Star’s body swayed with a thud, while simultaneously giant hands grasped Jeong Yeon-shin’s ankle.

“Well, that’s answer enough.”

Pleasant laughter seeped through Martial Star’s voice.

“World’s Northern Emperor wouldn’t rush in to death like a bamboo hat one-armed man, so it should be worth playing for a while.”

A situation caught by Northern Six Star Lords’ vajra hand technique through absurdly immediate counterattack.

‘Normally the fight would have ended here.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought.

It was the same as what he once experienced with Literary Star. There was no way he’d be caught twice.

Then Zhuge Qing asked from the air.

“Do you mean to fight without suffering any losses or caring about right and wrong? In such situations, even ten-year rogues would move positions first, yet aren’t you concerned about the common people?”

Words that might work on Desolate Fortress white but not purple. Because he knew well what would happen if carelessly manipulated by enemies.

Jeong Yeon-shin answered briefly.

“I don’t negotiate with jianghu people.”

Whoosh—

The moment tremendous giant strength settled into Martial Star’s grip on his right foot.

Ultimate Thunder’s whole-body environmental strengthening consistently spouted thunder sounds from within his body. Simultaneously twisting his waist slightly to enter a different time axis, he instantly trampled the giant’s back of hand with the front and heel of his left foot as gracefully as a dance.

Crackle!

It was the sound of striking acupoints.

The giant hand naturally opened, and Jeong Yeon-shin’s freed right foot struck directly to Martial Star’s temple while bursting propulsion meridian strikes.

Crash!

Hazy shock waves chained together and tore up even the stone floor. Fragments of earth and stone crumbling and soaring in the fierce wind. In the muffled roar, Martial Star’s pupils rolled back for quite a while.

[This is also Fighting God’s explosive force…! Are you also challenging divine power!]

He laughed while showing the whites of his eyes.

The Northern Six Star Lords’ upper energy center heat that instantly heightened burned Jeong Yeon-shin’s leather shoe front with a sizzle. The next moment, both responded simultaneously. Jeong Yeon-shin drew up Enter the Divine Sword, and Martial Star’s single punch rose as if asking when he had been struck at acupoints.

Jeong Yeon-shin flipped through the air like light.

Screee!

He drove Enter the Divine Sword’s point into the giant’s back of hand then scraped down. The blade that couldn’t penetrate skin split semi-transparent defensive energy left and right, creating long arcs. Then it was an instant to step on sparks flying up in lines from fierce friction a couple times like an immortal and leap.

He immediately soared to Zhuge Qing’s face.

[With Grass Treading Step…?!]

The old woman’s wide-eyed face was covered by sun-white mist. She had rotated Mount Song’s gate like a shield to put it forward, and Enter the Divine Sword was buried in it then pulled out. Originally it was a Thunder Annihilation Sword technique that would have penetrated Zhuge Qing.

Rumble—

Dusty wind was violently sucked in along Enter the Divine Sword’s blade extracted from the gate. Zhuge Qing’s flustered intention also spread.

[I expected as much, but you’re no different from a monster!]

“I’ve never heard of techniques that move gates at will. A master who cultivated such arts in the Western Regions would bother causing chaos in the secular world?”

[Because it’s a place built by the most worldly people, it’s a great family! Where would there be gentlemen among those who eat and drink luxuriously in troubled times! Even if he’s an unfilial bastard who killed my grandson, if not me, who would put on a brazen face to avenge a child’s enemy!]

Fan Dragon Zhuge Xian.

Reincarnated Hidden Dragon Zhuge Tian-sang.

The child killed by his father, Jeong Yeon-shin who killed that father, and Zhuge Qing who seeks to kill Jeong Yeon-shin today. Grudges go around and around. It was martial jianghu.

“Originally.”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked while trampling and bursting all the punch winds that rose from below with terrifying pressure using Yongquan acupoint environmental strengthening.

“What’s the reason for bringing such forces to Mount Song? It couldn’t have been targeting me.”

“What country would rise while leaving power like Shaolin behind? At least we must receive an agreement for seclusion.”

Great Righteous Alliance Leader’s wife, Xing Lan, answered with a bright smile while watching the peerless masters’ exchanges. She seemed to be hiding something. She also seemed somehow cautious.

“You’re aiming for founding a nation?”

“The country name is Great Righteous. We won’t tolerate nobles who accumulate wealth through exploitation or corrupt officials, and it’s a country where everyone starves even if starving. Not only the former Eight Family Heads, but countless martial artists and common people were greatly moved and joined us.”

Even while her words continued, Jeong Yeon-shin was returning his ankle bone twisted by Martial Star’s punch power with Jeong Family Dynamic Technique, and clashing Strange Technique Sword with the great war hammer that fell with a large shadow from behind in an instant.

Claaaang!

Enter the Divine Sword that had risen from the hilt roughly pushed up Martial Star’s weapon. Fragments of explosive force constantly flickering like blue lightning at the impact point of the metal pieces. The giant who had occupied the rear with Void Treading Step laughed with great excitement.

[Northern Emperor! Northern Emperor! Northern Emperor…!]

“Not a good alias to be widely known…”

When the name Tyrant Someone suddenly flashed through his mind, he turned with void stepping. Simultaneously, he pushed away Martial Star’s knee that had charged in while hazily crushing even space with left hand environmental strengthening.

[Just one bite of the energy center…!]

As soon as the knee was repelled, the giant extended his opposite leg like a whip. With such a build, even his field of vision changed completely.

‘Can’t let it affect Shaolin grounds.’

He skillfully kicked that thick calf’s side with a bang, and also grasped and burst Zhuge Qing’s thunder explosive force that had detoured bluely flashing around the gate like dragon claws line by line.

[Heaven Breaking.]

Rumble!

Countless recoils shattered walls, paving stone floors, and roofs in succession. Among them, not one thing harmed common people. As if all aftereffects had avoided them by themselves.

Meanwhile, the energy accumulation of former Eight Family Heads was comparable to noble clans.

Crack, crackle—

Lightning remnants crumbled like sand grains briefly illuminated Jeong Yeon-shin’s body then disappeared. Even in broad daylight, the blue light was distinct.

“Martial God…!”

Words uttered like a sigh by several incense bearers looking up at Jeong Yeon-shin from afar.

“……”

No one denied it. Only Martial Star, who had stepped back in the air, spoke aloud in anger.

“You won’t kill even one precious weakling? Do you really think you’re an emperor or something? Does that seem possible? Where did the great cause recognized by Southern Emperor elder go?”

This is disappointing— the giant concluded like that, but Jeong Yeon-shin’s reply was as calm as Southern Emperor who had stood like a scarecrow in the black capital palace.

“You know nothing.”

Swoosh.

He reached behind his back.

Toward Thousand Fan Martial Empress Zhuge Qing floating there, toward the sun-white mist that covered her to human size.

[It’s a useless act.]

Zhuge Qing said calmly.

[If you showed proper battle readiness, you might be able to make us retreat. But with such recklessness trying to have everything like now, it’s difficult. Peerless martial might is calamity, and protecting common people from natural disasters is impossible. With no support whatsoever, isn’t even that Yao tribe monk caught by former Gongsun Family Head?]

Words putting the gate forward.

She was someone who implemented absolute defense with sorcery martial arts. Any words she spoke had to carry weight. Even more so because Northern Six Star Lords was with her.

Jeong Yeon-shin silently put his hand into the gate. While wrapping the bluish radiance of Heaven Breaking, martial arts antagonistic to all principles, around his knuckles.

From beyond, Zhuge Qing questioned.

[That is also recklessness, so what are you doing…?]

That was as far as it went.

The texture of thick hair touched Heaven Breaking’s grip, and some shaggy head began to be pulled up from the densely packed mist like the sun.

Jeong Yeon-shin muttered inwardly with satisfaction. Not a bald head.

“Like it or not.”

He slowly continued speaking.

“You will see my battle readiness.”

Rustle.

Vajra hand technique that pulled up defrocked monk Beom-ryeol’s hair from the gate as carelessly as a child picking a toy.

Jeong Yeon-shin said quietly.

“I can do this one hundred and eight times.”

“……”

Instantly the air froze.