Chapter 682: Three Emperors of Martial World (5)
It was chaos.
Just after a wide-range sword strike swept through the atmosphere. The friction from that line filled the marketplace with reddish mist. A scene of hundreds of corpses rolling about the square entrance one by one. Each had their waist severed in half.
Bowls containing the remains of the dead king were breaking or rolling around with rattling sounds.
Screams burst out among the surviving people. The former former Eight Family Heads who had been welcoming the Northern Six Star Lords had already turned away.
“This technique must be Sima Unorthodox Path.”
“Amazing sword path…”
“If such people roam Central Plains, it’s understandable that families would be exterminated.”
The blind man in the bamboo hat didn’t respond to them.
He merely shook off his blood-stained sword once like a drunkard, but Xiahou Wei-jin felt some vastness for a moment.
Unorthodox Finest.
The realm of being able to inflict fatal wounds on all things.
A situation where Desolate Fortress martial artists had no choice but to agonize. Were common people who had become so hungry they enjoyed human flesh still common people? Could one make allies of some villain who had slaughtered them all?
‘My head hurts.’
Xiahou Wei-jin reviewed the situation.
Since he was resisting World Tree’s spirituality, it was no different from being drunk, and perhaps because of this, he had mistakenly thought himself to be Jin Myeong-jo and strutted about. Of course, he had been discovered from the start by the Great Righteous Orthodox Alliance, which possessed appearance records of all seventeen squad leaders.
Xiahou Wei-jin thought that not just anyone could live like Jin Myeong-jo.
The immediate situation was the problem.
He was bound with both hands behind his back by Great Righteous Orthodox Alliance masters’ ropes.
Now he was vulnerable to ambush. While confronting World Tree’s mental attack, he had even deployed the Hundred Meeting Protection chapter of Jeong Family Dynamic Technique for this purpose.
The sound of young Jeong Yeon-shin clicking his tongue in his mind pressed down and pushed back World Tree’s spirituality. An ability like a miraculous monk’s wooden fish sound. It was a divine art formula.
—You’ve finally walked into the center of natural disasters. Among the black ranks, such a fool…
It was Profound Martial Alliance Single Sword Tiger’s sound transmission. Similarly a voice that seemed squeezed out, it scattered futilely at Xiahou Wei-jin’s ears.
‘Two behind, six further back. Nine each on left and right sides… closing in from afar. The density of true energy approaches blue rank. Elite among elites.’
The noble clan body that sometimes made movement difficult.
If some mad blind man hadn’t swept through Luoyang’s marketplace, as one wing of Wish for Peace Sword Hall, he would have experienced unprecedented humiliation. Perhaps he might have been forced to kneel.
That must not happen. Death would be better.
‘Isn’t he a direct disciple black rank of Lightning Genius lineage?’
A widely known fact.
Various grandmasters’ prestige depends on those who learned from below, and Xiahou Wei-jin was a particularly famous super master. To the extent that even when urgently fleeing, submission and such would not be permitted.
Clang!
He nearly fell backward for a moment. Because tremendous sword strike aftereffects had struck from afar, and those binding Xiahou Wei-jin’s wrists only regained balance after stepping back a couple steps.
Unorthodox Finest Sword had clashed with the former former Eight Family Heads.
A major event that would shake jianghu.
‘An opportunity…!’
Whoosh!
Grabbing Single Sword Tiger’s arm, he spun like a leaf in place. Body technique Wind Body. Rotation like Jeong Yeon-shin’s movement created sword winds.
“Block the rear!”
“Forest Treading Squad Leader is escaping…!”
Great Righteous Orthodox Alliance masters immediately kicked the ground, but Xiahou Wei-jin’s whirlwind rotation was already offense and defense united. Pale gales scraped the floor as well as enemies and swept in all directions.
Crack!
—Why try to escape together…?
Complex feelings seeped from Single Sword Tiger’s sound transmission. Even if detained for negotiations with Profound Martial Alliance, unpleasant affection could have sprouted.
Xiahou Wei-jin threw him as bait to the enemies while letting out a resounding battle cry.
[Add meat.]
He couldn’t add that they were no different from Yao tribe miscreants. Because of a scene that flashed through his vision for a moment. Northern Six Star Lords Martial Star was holding an entire jar to his mouth. Even while the terrifying battle between Unorthodox Finest Sword and the former former Eight Family Heads beneath the altar was making the ground itself sink.
“Though we had no acquaintance, they’re really good fellows? Thanks to them, my energy is returning.”
He babbled with slurred pronunciation.
Great Righteous Orthodox Alliance Seven Treasures Divine Lord laughed heartily beside him, looking down below.
“In today’s Ming Dynasty, there are quite a few rulers hiding who wouldn’t feel refreshed even if boiled and eaten. Various monarchs and Zhu imperial family, plus military sects and martial clan nobles down to corrupt officials… Most are those who’ve been eating elixirs like rice. Even Northern Six Star Lords couldn’t have enjoyed such delicacies.”
“Your Central Plains intelligence seems comparable to Bright Wind Cave? How do you also know that the foundation of my internal energy depth is corpse energy?”
“I had no idea, but is it alright to speak so openly? It must be some kind of martial art formula.”
“Anyway, the only one hindering my meal was that blind man over there. Should I slowly kill him?”
The giant figure bent down to his waist and let out a burp.
“Not because he’s the Unorthodox Finest Sword, but the person himself is very creepy. Regardless of victory or defeat, he’s definitely someone who would cut off my limbs, so I avoided him, but if there’s a chance, I should twist his neck. Especially when his eyes have turned like now.”
The figure jumping down from the altar.
Thud—
The ground shook lightly. While thick dust scattered in all directions, giant Martial Star walked boldly into the bloody mist.
By then, Xiahou Wei-jin had conversely entered the square entrance. Because the energy waves of world-class masters had begun bursting nearby common people’s bodies repeatedly. Being a Desolate Fortress martial artist means not turning one’s back on massacred common folk.
Even if this repeatedly caused Jeong Yeon-shin’s losses, it was something the one who became Divine Sword Group Leader had to endure. All historical Enter The Divine Sword Masters had done so.
Clang!
Some feather bounced off Xiahou Wei-jin’s back of hand. In the instant pale shockwaves penetrated down to the ground from the strike point, Xiahou Wei-jin adjusted his wrist tendons with overwhelming rebound force. Without Jeong Family Dynamic Technique, his full power would have been cut in half.
The feather was a fan rib. Part of an elegant folding fan. It was obvious who the owner was.
At this moment, it would be an old woman occasionally revealing her finely wrinkled face from within the storm of sword energy.
Thousand Fan Martial Empress Zhuge Qing.
The absolute being of Zhuge martial learning known to unfold a thousand fans in one hand. Otherwise called the incarnation of Empress Wu Zetian.
The former former Zhuge Family Head who had power high enough to grant the Zhuge surname to her husband, she had lived in Tyrant Hero’s era. She was someone who had left Central Plains after golden basin hand washing immediately after some incident with Ma Yeon-jeok.
‘Now one of Seven New Enemies of Defeated Desolation…!’
A person who had already been sitting at the General Administration’s desk asking “what is death?” even before Spear King Yue Bi-gang broke down Desolate Fortress’s main gate. She was said to have swept through Desolate Fortress and disappeared without any particular formation or array assistance.
According to old information from the main fortress General Administration, she had originally been touring the distant Western Regions. It seemed she had returned after hearing of the death of former Zhuge Family Head Zhuge Pae-ryeon, who was her son.
She had Zhuge Qing-ya, who was the current Zhuge Family Head and Radiant Demon Wing’s guest martial artist, as her granddaughter. But her child’s grudges seemed to be separate.
Rumble!
Centered on the feather embedded at Xiahou Wei-jin’s feet, cloud-like pale concentric circles spread. The true energy that had been struck into the long fan rib repeatedly compressed, expanded, and rotated on its own, binding Xiahou Wei-jin’s feet. A technique that seemed to strike pressure points without direct hitting acupoint striking.
The suction force was tremendous.
It meant she wouldn’t let the Desolate Fortress martial artist go anywhere. Resoluteness seeped through.
‘Even while competing with the blind man, such techniques…?’
From some point, Heaven-Conquering Sect Leader’s sword strike energy waves stopped flowing out. Only terrifying silence deepened like trembling.
There had been four former Eight Family Heads.
They should have been able to completely tear apart Unorthodox Finest Sword’s sword circle.
Hiss—
The bloody mist surrounding them continued thickening while swallowing even sounds from inside. If it weren’t for the occasional blue-black sword light flashing like lightning from within to slash and burst the cannibalistic common people outside, Xiahou Wei-jin would have turned away telling them to fight among themselves.
“…Two more black ranks would be needed. With the most intact ones.”
He struck both elbows strongly backward.
He continuously accumulated Radiant Art Formula’s true energy in his thick thighs. Simultaneously inflating muscles with Jeong Family Dynamic Technique, explosive leaping like Jeong Yeon-shin burst forth. Of course, the ground beneath his feet was torn up with earth.
Clang!
Xiahou Wei-jin, who had crossed the distance in an instant, punched strongly once more. The light ray that had been about to pierce through a common person’s back was knocked aside with a bang. This time it was wind pressure curving in like the character 之, but the rebound exploded not from the struck fist but from inside his innocent shoulder.
Though it was fragments of Internal Weight Heavy Method, nearby dust was pushed away with a whoosh. Weight so heavy it was aching squeezed his muscles. Even his feet rumbled.
It was like water streams spreading like roots while containing tremendous water pressure. Because thick water energy actually soaked his entire meridian system and made it dully droopy.
‘Surging Wave Transformation Technique…! Former former Gongsun Family Head!’
His elderly alias was Mad Lord. His name was Gongsun Yue.
A strange person who had formed friendship with eastern jianghu people and crossed the eastern sea.
Like peerless masters who pursued martial extremes even in old age, the former former Gongsun Family Head was also said to be a madman. To the extent that he had thrown away even his family head position to gain inspiration from the great battle of the Imjin year.
He too would have returned after hearing news of Gongsun household’s extermination by Dark Heaven Emperor’s faction. Even madmen had families.
‘I really need to call for support.’
Crack—
Xiahou Wei-jin blew a long whistle while restoring his crushed muscles with Jeong Family Dynamic Technique. It was then that Thousand Fan Martial Empress Zhuge Qing’s aged intention flowed out through the red mist.
[Noble clan brat.]
“……?”
[Such Bow Body Bullet Shadow in a place without wind… martial learning beyond the norm. It would be troublesome to catch.]
It was then.
Following the misty path that Northern Six Star Lords Martial Star had slowly walked into, muffled roars continued in succession for a while. The sound of continuously striking and pounding something with thunderbolt-like force and speed. Occasionally accompanied by terrible sounds of flesh being crushed.
When such time of dozens of breaths subsided.
“……”
Silence filled the marketplace.
* * *
Great Righteous Intelligence Bureau Report.
1. The walking tree, World Tree, arrived in Fujian with absurd lightness skill mobility. Desolate Fortress Lord emerged from the tree city. Fujian’s Zhu clans refused ‘unification’ and strongly resisted using hundreds of years of historical organ formations according to later reports. However, Desolate Fortress Lord’s Enter The Extinction Sword bisected the city, ending all martial uprisings. Current Desolate Fortress Lord’s alias is Mixed Heaven Emperor or Martial God of Dignity.
2. Our alliance’s Emperor Li Chuang gave some instruction to Tyrant Sword Sect Leader Dan Seong-eum. Please manage all alliance members not to block the path of the mixed-blood noble clan dragging a great sword on the ground. Especially pay attention to the former former Eight Family Heads. They cannot be controlled.
3. The northern cripple has begun building power. Thousands of warriors compete to bow to him, with rumors it’s like courtesy offered to emperors. Even in Nanzhi’s Yangzhou Prefecture, those bowing filled all main roads. The demon realm’s Fighting God is one against whom combined attacks are useless, so we fear Nanzhi’s Merchant Substitute Spring Gang might fall to the crippled barbarian.
4. The emperor has gone over to Divine Sword Group Leader Lightning Genius. It’s effectively like Ming Dynasty’s legitimacy being transferred. Also, somehow Mount Hua Sect Leader appeared at Desolate Fortress then disappeared like a mirage, and Shaolin Abbot Beom-heo went north toward Henan with the Divine Sword group Leader. The Divine Sword Group Leader Lightning Genius’s dharma power usage has long been revealed through repeated intelligence warfare, and he’s someone with constantly raised suspicions of Shaolin connections. Please hasten the originally planned alliance formation.
5. There are false rumors that Divine Demon Mad Silence Sect Master Wol-yo, who remains only as a head, sang of world destruction from the Divine Sword Group Leader’s bundle.
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