* * *
The village under the protection of Thousand Fist Dragon Force Minister Xiahou Wei-Jin appeared peaceful on the surface.
A place where the clamorous sounds of bellows and hammering echoed under the blue sky, over and over again. Rather than the mysterious dwelling of the Flood Dragon, it was closer to a village where artisan clans lived together.
And it was also a paradise for the short-statured siblings of the Tang Clan.
The twin siblings, clad in green silk garments, fluttered about with sleeves too long for their small stature, their large eyes widening even further.
"Uncle, can we touch it? We've never seen this kind of ore before."
"Look at this, it'll be easy to attach. If we stack layers using Flying Petals, Iron Lotus Flowers, and Scattered Life Needles, a single disc would create an astonishing Full Sky Flower Rain..."
"That, that! The fire is white!"
The Tang Clan's handiwork in crafting all sorts of exotic hidden weapons was renowned across the world.
The village's artisans did not display the typical seclusiveness of the smithing community toward the siblings.
Whenever the two stood before a stall or a shop, the artisans would smile and show them various weapons and ores, as if indulging in an amusing pastime.
It was another world entirely.
True Silver Ore, passed down through oral tradition by the Tang Clan's ancestors, a casting method that made a sword's surface ripple with light, unfamiliar forges, and the natural energy filling the surroundings.
There was no time to feel bored.
They were blacksmiths as much as they were warriors, possessing an innate talent for craftsmanship. There was much to discuss about the new things they encountered.
The twins were two, yet one.
"Let's go with a sword and a disc."
Venomous Dragon, standing in a quiet street, spoke. Facing him, Venomous Phoenix nodded as if she had expected it.
"Alright."
"Finally, we have a chance to strike back at that old bird-brained monster. The Radiant Demon Squad's leader said time wasn't on his side when it came to Full Sky Flower Rain, right?"
"Yeah. Even though time means nothing when there's the three of us."
"The Radiant Demon Squad's leader isn't like us. He's ridiculously grown up now, isn't he? Just looking at him, you can tell he's been reborn, like some kind of divine weapon. I have no idea what kind of process he went through, but his body looks like something out of a legend..."
"Just get the gist of it."
It was natural for them to belittle the leader of the Golden Wings Sect and exalt Jung Yeonshin.
The Dark Flame King, who handed over the technique of Full Sky Flower Rain to the Tang Clan, dealt a massive blow to both the Ten Perfection Sect and the Pure Demon Alliance, and ultimately saved the Tang Clan from suffocation.
The leader of the Golden Wings Sect, who drove their father, the leader of the Tang Clan, to the brink of death.
Even as they roamed around, their conversations always circled back to Jung Yeonshin. Everything was just a wait for him.
Then, as the sun tilted westward, casting long shadows under the village houses, the siblings, upon hearing from the former village chief that Jung Yeonshin had already left, were deeply disappointed.
"Is he avoiding us?"
"Well, the last time we met, we looked pathetic... Who would believe that we, the Twin Venom of the Dragon and Phoenix, had become nothing more than prisoners of the Golden Wings Sect?"
"He didn't seem that way, though."
The former village chief, an elder of the Iron Tribe, who had long-standing ties with the Tang Clan, stroked his beard as he spoke.
The siblings of the Tang Clan, possessing both talent and pride, quickly regained their composure and began to chat again.
"But... The Ghost Roar Tyrant King is marrying the leader of the Immortal Spirit Wood Squad? Peng Yuran, the former leader of the Peng Clan, is a woman, right? Among the Twin Kings, the man is the Grand Elder of the Hwangbo Clan, isn't he? Hwangbo Gon, the Divine Hand King."
Venomous Phoenix asked, showing how quickly they had grasped the local affairs of the martial world.
The elder chuckled.
"Peng Yuran's honorific title is 'Tyrant King'. They say there's nothing in this world she cannot do, whether it be with men or women. The Eight Noble Clans are not based on teachings, but on family names, so there has always been at least one hedonistic figure in every generation."
Venomous Dragon furrowed his brow.
"If she still has the energy for such things, then her martial arts must be strong."
"Unimaginably strong."
"How strong?"
"The Twin Kings have both achieved Half-Step Divine Reversion and Revitalization, making them absolute martial masters. Their unparalleled skills have granted them the unquestioned power and influence fitting of their titles as kings, despite their advanced age."
Hearing the elder's response, the twins exchanged glances, recalling the sword that had hung from Jung Yeonshin's waist.
Venomous Phoenix spoke first.
"I don't feel at ease."
"You too?"
"The Radiant Demon Squad's leader has a lot to protect. From the looks of it, that's why he came here again."
They were the bloodline of an illustrious artisan clan, and at the same time, direct descendants of the greatest noble clan in Sichuan, the Tang Clan.
They were masters of both human anatomy and the forging of hidden weapons.
The twins did not merely look at swords; they sensed them through energy.
Just as the Radiant Demon Squad's leader Jung Yeonshin had masterfully manipulated delicate energy strands to mock the inner power techniques of the Golden Wings Sect, the Twin Venom of the Dragon and Phoenix could achieve a similar harmonization with metal.
"The one Radiant Demon Squad's leader had on his waist—that was the legendary sword of Liangdong, wasn't it? We heard the elders mention it before. The handle was engraved with the Seven-Star constellation."
Venomous Dragon, Tang Yeohwa, said as he approached a nearby anvil.
As the former village chief and the Iron Tribe artisans stepped aside, Venomous Phoenix, Tang Ryeo-ryeo, tied her hair up roughly with a thin string and followed her younger brother.
A faint green mist seeped from her small frame.
The Tang Clan's secret art, Reversed Origin Three Yang Art, an all-purpose internal energy technique used in metalworking and forging.
"It was crafted finely enough to reflect its surroundings. Even though some unknown fool had ground away all its sword patterns."
Tang Ryeo-ryeo spoke, and Tang Yeohwa's lips curved into a smirk.
"It wasn't the Radiant Demon Squad's leader's work. Probably that ridiculous guy, the so-called Sacred Warrior of Desolate Fortress."
"It must be the Meteor Sword of Liangdong, right?"
His sister asked as if seeking confirmation, and her younger brother nodded without hesitation.
"No doubt about it."
"Right? But how did Murong Clan's treasured sword end up with him…? The Radiant Demon Squad's leader was said to have cut down the leader of the Zhuge Clan, wasn't he?"
"He probably cut them both down."
"Does that even make sense?"
"I don't know."
Venomous Dragon, Tang Yeohwa, answered indifferently.
Yet, his demeanor was different. Standing before the forge and bellows, gripping a hammer and surveying his surroundings, he looked more like an artisan than a warrior. His sister, Tang Ryeo-ryeo, standing beside him, was the same.
"If the Ghost Roar Tyrant King was the opponent, it wouldn't be surprising if it broke in a single strike. The Murong Clan's leader seemed to have used it quite roughly."
"Let's forge a new one for him."
That was their purpose as they stood before the forge.
The Beiming Sword had been crafted to suit the man he was at the time.
Its hilt, tang, and blade were designed to accommodate the 'Lightning Genius, the blue-rank warrior'.
But now, with his limbs longer and his entire being transformed, the sword could no longer serve him at its full potential.
"Now, even if we push the sword's spirit and sharpness to the absolute limit, he can handle it."
"He originally used Swift Sword techniques. His Laogong Acupoint must be incredibly flexible. We should start designing from there."
"The way he grips the sword—he loosens strength from his index finger, right? That's what it looked like."
"I saw the same thing."
"Now, even his Intrinsic Tendons are more pronounced."
"Right. He can handle a slightly forward-shifted center of balance."
"We should only adjust it by the slightest fraction."
"I know."
The twins became completely absorbed, as if the world held only the two of them.
As they designed the weapon, their sky-colored eyes flickered, gathering everything—Jung Yeonshin's physique, grip techniques, sense of balance, and the energy flow they had felt—to craft the ultimate divine sword.
They were the ones who knew Jung Yeonshin best.
Only the two of them.
And they alone could forge the perfect sword for the current leader of the Radiant Demon Squad.
This was the chivalry of Sichuan's Tang Clan.
Return grace twice over. Repay vengeance tenfold.
Just the thought of reuniting with Jung Yeonshin had them gripping a hammer in one hand and sketching the envisioned sword onto the anvil with the other.
They were completely possessed, unlike any other time before.
The energy flowing from Jung Yeonshin's Baihui Acupoint seemed to separate into strands.
With each passing year, their talents sharpened.
Their abilities, like a flame on the verge of extinction, burned brighter than ever before.
"Use this."
And then, the villagers, yearning to break free from the Twin Kings' oppression, offered their support.
Thud—
The former village chief dropped a massive lump of silver ore before them.
True Silver Ore.
A peculiar material. Despite its size, it appeared extremely light, its surface shimmering like waves of sunlight. Hints of brilliant white radiance flickered intermittently.
"They say that a true master can face a thousand foes with nothing but a reed leaf."
The elder, seeing the light of determination in the twins' eyes, stepped back as if merely a spectator.
"But if one who wields a reed leaf with such skill were to hold a sword tailored perfectly to their own body—what then?"
He finished speaking.
The twins did not answer.
The smithy, open on all sides, was suddenly surrounded by dozens of artisans from the village.
As the bellows roared, smoke surged into the air at the twins' feet.
* * *
Fully armed.
The phrase suddenly crossed Jung Yeonshin's mind.
The energy waves brushing against his skin felt like arrowheads.
Like a military grandmaster, he felt as if he should reinforce his entire body with protective energy and grasp a trusted weapon tightly.
Step.
By the time the twilight settled over the grass brushing against his legs, the lantern lights spreading from the distant manor deepened the hues of the sunset.
Finding the wedding venue of the Ghost Roar Tyrant King was not difficult.
Laughter and boisterous conversation filled the air.
A broad ochre-colored hill path led directly to the source of the clamor.
It was just as Xiahou Wei-Jin had relayed through transmission from the village chief's seat.
All he had to do was follow the wide mountain road.
Shaa—
The Secret Realm Peng Clan, once cultivated by the former leader of the Peng Clan.
How many Iron Tribe members had they plundered over the years?
As he neared the summit of the hill, the massive pavilions stood out, grand like a fortress.
From within that cluster of structures, an immaterial flow of energy surged outward—thick, heavy, and suffocating, like a gathering storm.
'They say the elders form a defensive formation...'
The overlapping waves of internal energy were overwhelmingly dense. Elder masters from past generations, an environment overflowing with natural energy beyond any other place.
Regardless of their actual martial prowess, the accumulated energy reserves of the sect members were bound to be immense.
It was proof that Jung Yeonshin had come to the right place.
At last, he arrived close.
Among the three seniors he needed to escort back, he found Xiahou Wei-Jin and came face to face with Cheon So-so.
But Jung Yeonshin felt far from at ease. His heart plummeted endlessly into an abyss.
He had seen something he never wished to confront, in people he never expected.
'Tang Clan, the Grand Elder…'
The old monster, now long dead.
That old man, convicted of colluding with the Blood Flame Cult, had taken Severing Entrails Poison and perished, by none other than his own clan's decree.
But there was something that man, obsessed with Full Sky Flower Rain, had gained from dealing with the Blood Flame Cult—the ability to reproduce supreme martial arts techniques.
Receiving the anatomical diagram of Lightning Genius from Desolate Fortress, the Grand Elder of the Tang Clan had performed some grand ritual, implementing that diagram onto the bodies of his grandchildren.
Thanks to the flashes of Heaven-Piercing Technique and the latent power within his upper dantian, Jung Yeonshin had witnessed that moment through the eyes of the Tang siblings.
A vast stone chamber, a skeletal old man draped in golden silk over his ragged robes, a dagger in his hand, the sinister formation of the Blood Flame Cult spread all around…
Should he tell the Twin Venom of the Dragon and Phoenix?
That they had less than fifteen days left to live.
The price for implanting his talents into bodies not his own.
What the Grand Elder of the Tang Clan had performed was not a grand technique.
It was poisoned martial arts, leading them to a slow, inevitable death.
The Young Lord of the Ming Cult, Venomous Phoenix Tang Ryeo-ryeo, Venomous Dragon Tang Yeohwa.
People who reminded Jung Yeonshin of a fractured mirror, reflecting the fate that would one day befall him.
How could he not feel uneasy?
Suddenly, a nickname of his uncle, Ma Jin, flashed through his mind.
Naraksal—The Reaper of the Abyss.
"An unfamiliar face."
"Could he have achieved Revitalization?"
Two elderly men stood before the manor gates, blocking Jung Yeonshin's path.
Their appearance was immaculate, a fitting description for those of pure temperament.
Clad in light green Taoist robes, their presence was serene and refined.
Even the energy that enveloped them—as gentle as a mountain breeze—spoke of their profound mastery.
They had clearly cultivated Taoist martial arts to an exalted realm, the kind of men who, in any sect, could easily serve as guardians, enforcers, or elders.
There was no way such figures were mere gatekeepers.
They were testament to the status of the Ghost Roar Tyrant King.
"You've been focusing on breathing refinement, I see. What is your name?"
"Bride."
"...What?"
"Call the bride out."
Either one of them.
Jung Yeonshin's words were brief and cold.
CRUNCH—
At the same time, the ground beneath his feet was torn into a spiral, violently gouged away.
The rotational path of the Radiant Wheel, circulating from his heart, etched its trajectory into the dirt along with swirling dust clouds.
In that instant, the Radiant River completed in both his hands, unleashing a thunderous wail.