Chapter 451: Den of Demons (4)

Immediately after the Great Heaven Sect’s Outer Hall Master died.

A faint white light flowed from Jeong Yeon-shin’s body.

Saaaa-

Like a hazy mist, it swirled as it climbed out of the large pit, then slowly descended the mountain path, sweeping the ground.

An extremely peculiar form of energy wave. The sound of scraping earth was eerily serene.

[That just now, could it be…?]

Ming Cult Leader muttered.

Her dark blue eyes flashed with an icy light.

A quality similar to the eye technique that Jeong Yeon-shin displayed even before he created his own eye method. Ming Cult Leader revealed her heaven-bestowed insight without concealment.

[Surprising in many ways. That you had such a thing, and that you even consumed it in that physical state right in front of me.]

With the crooked smile wiped from her lips, she descended before Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes.

It was Ming Cult Leader.

Standing upright. Despite her semi-transparent form and white flowing robe, the demonic energy condensed with transcendent density in the erector spinae muscles of her waist seemed to exude a palpable presence.

Yelu Zhen, the world’s finest genius.

[Child.]

Her hair fluttered like dark clouds in the night sky. As if her true body somewhere else was stirring up energy waves.

[Did you overlook Form Shifting Void? Ming Cult Leader never takes more than two steps on a battlefield.]

Jeong Yeon-shin sat cross-legged at the center of the pit.

Then slowly parted his lips.

“Try it.”

[What?]

“I’ll crush your body.”

A voice seething in his throat. The sound that escaped was like a lion’s growl due to true energy scraping his vocal cords.

Simultaneously, an icily white energy sparked like lightning from the nape of his neck.

It was divine power.

[…Crush my body?]

Ming Cult Leader, who had been gazing down at him, suddenly narrowed her eyes.

[I see what countermeasure you’ve devised. I didn’t know you possessed such a skill as well.]

“……”

[I’ve been developing counter-techniques against Jeong Yeon-shin too, so let’s exchange blows soon. I’m really looking forward to it.]

A voice tinged with laughter.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not respond.

This was because another faint spirituality had taken root within him.

He had to overcome the serpent energy pouring into his mind.

Not even a full inner core of a serpent, but just a fragment was whispering something in his head.

It was like a lullaby from his mother that he might have heard in a dream. It seemed to gently envelop his consciousness and crush it.

‘What nonsense is this….’

He felt as if he should fall asleep immediately. His vision gradually blurred.

Conversely, his damaged acupoints were regaining their elasticity.

The Luminous Wheel Technique flowing inside his body according to the formula of the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique. The spirit imbued in that energy seemed to have become incredibly dense. Truly remarkable recovery power was welling up.

At the same time, it whispered in Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind with an oppressive feeling.

That since he harbored divine spirit, he must lose consciousness for an appropriate amount of time. That all supreme elixirs in the world were like this.

Jeong Yeon-shin recited an eastern saying he had once learned from Hyeon Won-chang. Go to hell.

‘Mingmen, Dazhui, Tianzhu.’

Starting from the Mingmen acupoint at the small of his back, he accelerated the blood flow. Soon a hot sensation swept up around his lumbar region.

Then full-body leg strength energy. He contracted the minute muscles around the Dazhui and Tianzhu acupoints above and below his nape.

As a result.

Thump-

The Baihui acupoint at the crown of his head pulsated like a heart, and hot blood carrying true energy began to circulate throughout his entire body.

His mind snapped to clarity.

It was the Great Circulation where blood and true energy were unified. That flow was immensely powerful.

‘Using Luminous Wheel Technique with Jeong Family Dynamic Technique… acupoints will recover within half a time unit. If I spread this Great Circulation flow to the three meridians, and recalibrate the qi circulation pathway…’

He suppressed the endless drowsiness with his innate talent. He began to harness the serpent’s spirituality while moving.

He staggered to his feet. His balancing movements were tinged with tyrannical killing intent. The air around him was growing hot.

[…Madman.]

A crystalline voice reverberating like a temple bell.

Step.

Having climbed out of the pit, Jeong Yeon-shin continued to walk. Not toward the mountain path, but toward the city, toward the distant Meditation Spring Pavilion in Hangzhou.

His steps were like those of a dignified drunk.

There was only one difference. The stone fragments touched by Jeong Yeon-shin’s footsteps were crumbling into powder.

[I don’t understand.]

Ming Cult Leader stared at him in bewilderment.

[Deliberately seeking a place to die…?]

She followed behind Jeong Yeon-shin, floating with her head tilted to one side, sitting cross-legged as if there were a Ming Cult Leader’s Taishi Chair in the air.

* * *

Great Heaven Sect Leader Su Wuquan sat silently in the banquet hall.

In his eyes was reflected the scenery where the waterway met the sky. It stretched endlessly.

A magnificent view that could only be seen from the top of a building reaching twenty-four stories.

‘Damn it.’

It was the roof of Meditation Spring Pavilion, touched by the hands of renowned Iron Clan artisans. A place where only those who could truly be called the pinnacle of Hangzhou could set foot.

Su Wuquan, who had inwardly cursed, carefully surveyed his surroundings while maintaining an outwardly solemn expression.

People who made him feel like dying were each drinking wine in different postures.

A large man with blue streaks of internal energy flashing over the veins on the back of his hand, a woman carrying a single sword on her back while holding an entire wine bottle, a thin young man nodding off with eyes opening and closing as if everything was wearisome…

‘Dragon Power Sword Ghost, Drunken Sword Fierce Tiger, Hidden Sword Absolute.’

The Five Central Swordsmen.

It’s said that even seeing one of them in a lifetime is rare, yet now three were exchanging drinks right before his eyes.

Were they playing a trick? It was a sight that could haunt one’s dreams.

Su Wuquan had repeatedly tried to lose himself, but whenever this scene came into view, his spine would involuntarily turn cold.

‘Damn it, damn it…’

Great Heaven Sect Leader Su Wuquan was born in Hangzhou.

He grew up witnessing all manner of sword fights in this city of scenic views, pleasures, and eccentric individuals. Having been born in a land where countless interests were intertwined, he couldn’t help but turn out this way.

Therefore, Su Wuquan’s dream was to drink daytime liquor in his hometown while making a ruckus.

More precisely, he hoped for a situation where he would be taken to jail by military officials for causing a disturbance.

Without being trampled by the feet of black path ruffians who dominated the marketplace, or being struck by the fist techniques of martial artists who didn’t view common people as human.

So he learned the Divine Skill of Emptiness and Fullness at Will. A third-rate martial art used for intimidation, which made the aura and atmosphere of a martial artist appear impressive.

It was the best martial art he could acquire.

Su Wuquan wanted a peaceful Hangzhou, and he wished that all people nearby would refrain from drawing their swords carelessly. He didn’t want blood to flow either.

That dedication led to a great achievement. One day, while immersed in training, something seeped into his small dantian, the size of a millet grain.

It was spirituality, said to create divine swords when imbued in blades, and to greatly enhance power or energy waves when imbued in martial arts.

A martial artist possessing divine skill and learning.

Su Wuquan pacified Hangzhou with an imposing presence that could choke off an opponent’s breath.

Swordsmen who mistook him for an enlightened peerless master voluntarily bowed their heads and sheathed their swords. His dignified appearance and plausible speech also played a significant role.

He opened his mouth slowly.

“Why do you only enjoy drinking among yourselves after summoning me?”

‘If there’s nothing to discuss, please dismiss me now.’

His speech and inner thoughts were contradictory. He was originally someone who had rolled around in Hangzhou’s black path.

He knew that even when bowing, if one is viewed with too much contempt, even one’s liver might be ripped out.

The man with the enormous physique poured wine into Su Wuquan’s cup.

“Why so stiff? We know that Hangzhou runs because of you. No one will harm you just because we’ve gathered here, so take this cup. I admire your dignified demeanor.”

Dragon Power Sword Ghost of Heaven Conquering Sect.

Truly a terrifying supreme master. Said to be on par with the Forest Treading Squad Leader of Desolate Fortress south of the Yangtze River.

Su Wuquan didn’t know his name.

To begin with, the swordsmen of Heaven Conquering Sect had no casual names.

He had heard that they were called by their epithets if they had one, or otherwise referred to as Number Four, Number Seven, and so on. Dragon Power Sword Ghost was Number Three.

On one side, a woman with long arms and a skinny young man were conversing. Drunken Sword Fierce Tiger and Hidden Sword Absolute. Also among the Five Central Swordsmen. It was as if they were the only ones who existed in this world right now.

“What do you think happened to Shin Hwang?”

“…The Annihilation Team Leader? One of his limbs or his head must have flown off by now. Since he caught the Sect Leader’s eye.”

“That’s a bit unfortunate. A head can’t be reattached, you know.”

“Can arms be reattached then?”

“I heard there’s a divine doctor in Hangzhou. The old man has a terrible temper, but his medical skills and internal energy control are amazing. They say even the imperial family is looking for him because he moves around so unpredictably.”

“Why not bring him into our sect…”

“The Sect Leader said to show respect. His acupuncture skills are superior to our swordsmanship.”

“What’s the use of that? From what I’ve heard, he doesn’t bestow his medical skills on just anyone.”

Su Wuquan couldn’t understand why they had summoned him and were having a drinking party.

‘These lunatics.’

He thought. He had heard that in the Heaven Conquering Sect, they develop sword techniques by wagering their survival.

‘The Outer Hall Master… that b*st*rd Wujin’s trust was misplaced.’

When Taimo Mountain Castle first set foot in Hangzhou, Su Wuquan had wanted to quickly inform Desolate Fortress and other major factions of the news.

If the Outer Hall Master, who was in charge of Great Heaven Sect’s external affairs, hadn’t stopped him, he truly would have.

Until then, he had no idea. That someone of the Outer Hall Master’s standing would betray the Sect Leader and side with Taimo Mountain Castle.

Because of that, it was too late. Dark Heaven Emperor was an epithet given to those who possessed terrifying inherited techniques and whose limits of martial prowess were difficult to gauge.

The Taimo Mountain Castle Lord must have completed a grand technique capable of turning Hangzhou into a living hell.

He had heard it was called the Dragon Summoning Ritual Formation.

A martial sorcery technique to summon the rain dragon, one of the monstrous beings with extraordinary power that made the founding period of the country chaotic along with the noble clan. It was an attempt to use the geomantic energy of Hangzhou, historically famous for its good energy, to stage a rebellion.

That was the kind of person Dark Heaven Emperor Cho Yeol was, possessing martial arts capable of overturning heaven and earth.

‘Damn it! Damn it!’

Just as Su Wuquan clenched his fist under the table.

Suddenly, the surroundings were dyed black. Billowing smoke had enveloped the top of the pavilion like clouds.

It was a dreamlike scene. Within it, a human figure briefly appeared and disappeared.

The supreme masters of Heaven Conquering Sect, who had been leisurely raising their cups, paused.

“The host is quite late after inviting guests.”

Dragon Power Sword Ghost muttered.

[My apologies. It was due to a matter my father had instructed me to handle.]

Voices of different pitches overlapped and resonated. It was as if several internal energy masters had simultaneously unleashed the Six Harmonies Voice.

Su Wuquan flinched.

‘Great Black Divine Hand Cho Baek-gwang…!’

The Young Castle Lord of Taimo Mountain Castle. The one who was effectively ruling Hangzhou.

He didn’t know his face.

This was because he always concealed his entire body with such black mist.

According to casual remarks from the Five Central Swordsmen, the black cloud that Cho Baek-gwang wrapped around himself was protective energy created through martial sorcery.

It was said to be difficult to penetrate even with decent eye techniques.

[Ah.]

The massive black mist swelled.

[Great Heaven Sect Leader is also here. I apologize for the discourtesy.]

The Young Castle Lord apologized politely. Judging by the polite tone, he might have been making a cupped fist salute inside the black mist.

Su Wuquan didn’t feel particularly honored.

He remembered those who had left not even corpses behind because that black fog had swallowed entire pavilions. He needed to escape from this banquet hall of monstrous beings quickly.

“Our sect has been faithfully responding to your requests. One thousand sheets of Locust Yellow Paper will soon arrive.”

[Excellent. Now, Sect Leader, please block the city gates. With your imposing presence, you can completely isolate the front of Hangzhou.]

Su Wuquan was shocked. These characters were truly planning a rebellion.

To block the gates of a metropolis like Hangzhou. It was something that should never be done privately.

“Aren’t you afraid of Desolate Fortress?”

[The leaders of the Divine Sword Group cannot gather again. They are tied to the imperial family in a highly political relationship.]

“The imperial army might rise. This is rebellion…!”

[Why fear military forces whose core is in the north? Moreover, our castle only needs a few days of time. We are not planning to hold out in Hangzhou.]

It was an extremely leisurely response. As if enjoying this kind of questioning.

The successor that Dark Heaven Emperor Cho Yeol had acquired in his later years.

Su Wuquan felt a sense of dread. Although he was said to have inherited the orthodox bloodline, this immortal had been appointed as the Young Castle Lord, surpassing even the leader of the Three Arts Grand Seats, who had been personally taught by the Castle Lord.

If one wished to refuse, death was the only option.

Just as the swordsmen of Heaven Conquering Sect were gazing at Su Wuquan with interested eyes.

“Is your father here?”

A woman’s voice.

It was a voice that hadn’t been present in the room. Terrified, Su Wuquan sharply turned his head back.

A figure rising suddenly from the twilit floor. A beauty wearing a pale pink robe over a pure white martial uniform was caressing the sword guard at her waist.

A sudden manifestation. It was highly transcendent. It immediately evoked the term “Goddess”, meaning a Taoist deity.

In an instant, Young Castle Lord Cho Baek-gwang’s black mist surged greatly.

[…Lady Lu Xian, how can you be so reckless……]

“Tell your father. If he doesn’t stop what he’s doing right now, he will face disaster.”

Lady Lu Xian rests her wrist on her sword handle. Natural confidence flowed from her demeanor.

“What kind of monster suddenly…!”

The presence of the Mount Hua Sect Leader was truly overwhelming. The supreme masters of Heaven Conquering Sect, who were somehow already positioned at her left, right, and behind her, immediately drew their swords.

But none of them stepped back.

Three of the Five Central Swordsmen of Heaven Conquering Sect, plus the Young Castle Lord of Taimo Mountain Castle.

They could try a joint attack against Lady Lu Xian. It was also a situation where retreat wasn’t an option.

The air began to distort along various currents.

The three Five Central Swordsmen had released sword energy waves without even raising their sword tips. For a moment, the pavilion’s roof shook with a resounding “ku-gu-gung-“

Lady Lu Xian smirked.

“Do you want to try?”

[The intervention of the Nine Great Sects was certainly expected.]

Rustle.

Some papers flew out from within the black mist and landed on the table.

Plum (梅), Forest (林), Dao (道)… characters symbolizing Mount Hua, Shaolin, and Wudang respectively.

Among them was also the character for Desolate (荒). It looked like a marking used when designating targets in military contexts.

[Actually, I was hoping for it somewhat. The Nine Great Sects who go around extracting the inner cores of all sorts of monstrous beings in the name of setting the world’s order right, and needless to say, the annoying Desolate Fortress… I hoped that the core masters of these groups would enter Hangzhou. No matter who comes, their life threads will be cut.]

Lady Lu Xian did not answer. She merely slightly gripped her sword guard. Simultaneously, the sky darkened. A subtle red light rose from beneath the pavilion.

[……!]

The foremost sword talent of the Nine Great Sects.

The youngest sect leader.

But Young Castle Lord Cho Baek-gwang’s voice flowed smoothly without the slightest tremor.

[Our honored guests from Heaven Conquering Sect must deploy their sword formations. Do not give that one a chance to unleash her Purple Mist Divine Technique. In that gap, I shall…]

The four sheets of paper marked with the characters for Plum, Forest, Dao, and Desolate rose from the table and began to tear one by one.

Control of objects in midair, exerting extremely precise force without even touching them. To Great Heaven Sect Leader Su Wuquan, they were all monsters.

[I will add strength to the Dragon Summoning Ritual Formation.]

Ku-gung-

Suddenly, a vibration rang out. It came from beneath their feet.

That was only for a moment.

Initially, it was subtle, but the magnitude of the vibration rapidly increased.

In the blink of an eye, the roof shook violently, reminiscent of thunder. Something was penetrating and ascending through the entire pavilion of over twenty stories.

As bewilderment appeared on the faces of all the powerful figures.

—!

A figure made of light shot up like a pure white lightning bolt, completely shattering the floor, and vertically split the Young Castle Lord’s black cloud.

Enjoyed the chapter?

If you like our work, consider supporting us on Ko-fi. This site solely runs on donations. Every donation helps us keep translating!

Support on Ko-fi