The divine sword passed down by the Tang siblings. It was, quite literally, an extension of his own body.
The moment Jung Yeonshin grasped the sword hilt, he immediately felt that he could wield Full Sky Flower Rain using its absorption and emission mnemonics as though they were mere techniques of a weapon.
The state of absolute Body-Sword Unification that had harmonized in his palm extended all the way to the sword itself, allowing him to finally unleash the Full Sky Flower Rain through his blade, refined through countless battles.
The Silent Divine Sword of the Tyrant Sword Tribe's leader.
The Thunder-Clashing Sky Sword of Namgoong First Sword.
The Dog-Beating Staff Technique of the Beggars' Sect's leader.
The Fire-Purging Grand Demon Bow of the Dark Night War's leader.
Each one symbolized supreme authority and martial prowess within the world of warriors.
Among them, the Divine Sword Order's leader's Transcendent Sword and the Desolate Fortress Lord's Annihilation Sword were rarely drawn, yet their names alone ruled Murim with fear.
It was said that the Sect leaders' Command Seals of the great, renowned sects were not just tokens of authority but divine weapons rivaling sacred artifacts.
Some divine objects, like the Jade Buddha Staff of the Shaolin Abbot, served solely as revered symbols, while others elevated the martial prowess of absolute masters to the twelfth and highest degree.
Even the shattered Meteor Sword had been far deadlier when wielded by the Murong Clan's leader.
Yet at this moment, Jung Yeonshin felt no envy toward any of them.
The vast, ochre-hued expanse of overturned mountains and fields stretched endlessly before him.
Only the wind blew gently, scattering dust and tousling the edges of his robes. With his sword held low, he reflected upon what had just transpired, consolidating his realization.
'So this is possible.'
Just moments ago, he had deflected Ghost Roar Tyrant King's 'Dragon Emerges, Heavens Roar Canon' with his sword while simultaneously summoning the sword winds of Full Sky Flower Rain.
Capturing the forty-five transformations that his foe displayed in a mere instant, he had imbued the drifting dandelion seeds around them with Radiant Wheel Energy, sending them forth.
Ghost Roar Tyrant King had been sustaining her shattered bones and ruptured organs with pure energy, after being crushed by Jung Yeonshin's Sword Control with Energy.
In her desperate attempt to take her foe down with her, she had neither the composure nor the time to cloak herself in defensive energy—inevitably leading to her demise.
"To unleash the Full Sky Flower Rain with nothing but a sword and Golden Hairpin Grass (dandelion)..."
Peng Yuran stared at Jung Yeonshin, her eyes gradually losing focus.
The tattered remnants of her red robes fluttered at her feet. No longer did they resemble the resplendent wedding attire of a groom on a joyous occasion.
She lifted her gaze slightly.
"It's quite poetic. Golden Wings Sect's leader will be pleased."
There was an inscrutable emotion laced within her words, a tangle of complex emotions, perhaps even a hint of bitterness.
"I spent so much effort creating 'Dragon Emerges, Heavens Roar Canon', yet it was destroyed before it could even be compared to Heaven-Flipping Dragon Cleave..."
Peng Yuran murmured bitterly.
She had just spoken of one of the Three Supreme Techniques of Sichuan's greatest warrior. Her tone made it clear she had been deeply invested in mastering it.
Jung Yeonshin had seen the weight of years contained within 'Dragon Emerges, Heavens Roar Canon'.
It meant that he could have offered Peng Yuran words of comfort.
Something akin to: I have inherited your martial art. Golden Wings Sect's leader will one day witness the remnants of 'Dragon Emerges, Heavens Roar Canon'. A sentiment that righteous martial artists often exchanged.
But he did not.
He had lived long enough. He had even completed his rites of passage.
His experience of the world was as broad as any elder's, and he had long ceased to be moved by people like Peng Yuran.
"Old Demon. You said you killed Obeying Heaven Squad's leader."
"Old... demon?"
"Is it true?"
Jung Yeonshin asked.
Peng Yuran's gaze slowly descended from the sky.
"How cruel of you. I am on the verge of death, why not focus on me instead?"
"Enough nonsense."
Jung Yeonshin's voice was firm.
The moment he had first encountered Ghost Roar Tyrant King, he had heightened his upper dantian to the extreme, allowing him to discern truth from falsehood in his enemy's words.
When Ghost Roar Tyrant King had claimed to have slain Ha Do-un, she had spoken with absolute sincerity.
Even so, Jung Yeonshin had to confirm it once more.
—I only wish to impart guidance to a junior. If there is any grand master who wishes to intervene, speak now.
Back then, though Radiant Demon Squad's leader had not taken a liking to him, he had acknowledged Jung Yeonshin's achievements, martial prowess, and potential without reservation.
'People die so easily.'
Even those close to me.
Jung Yeonshin forced himself to suppress his rising fury.
The same sense of emptiness had gripped him when the Jung Clan had been massacred.
If Ha Do-un was truly dead, he had to retrieve his remains. He had to ensure that his existence was remembered.
"Where is Senior Ha's body?"
He asked.
"You truly have... no interest in me at all, do you?"
Peng Yuran let out a self-deprecating laugh.
Even as her breath grew fainter by the moment, a serene detachment settled over her face, one unbefitting of Ghost Roar Tyrant King.
Jung Yeonshin's brow furrowed.
"If you don't answer properly, I will make it known far and wide outside this formation."
"And what... would you say? Everything is meaningless now. I am on the path to the River of Three Crossings..."
"I will tell everyone that the previous Peng Clan's leader's ultimate technique was nothing but trash. That it couldn't even last an instant against my sword."
"What?"
"Golden Wings Sect's leader will be the first to hear it. And once I leave here, it will spread throughout Sichuan."
Jung Yeonshin stated quietly.
The smile vanished from Peng Yuran's face at once.
Though duels between masters were never truly dismissed as fleeting exchanges, the weight of the words could shift dramatically depending on their connotation.
Especially for warriors of Murim, who held personal honor in the highest regard.
With breaths that came in sharp, halting gasps, Peng Yuran let out a small sigh.
"The price I paid, for taking Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader from you and Desolate Fortress, was steep. I lost my lifelong pride…"
"Answer properly."
"…Obeying Heaven Squad's Ha Do-un left no corpse behind."
Peng Yuran suddenly spoke in a clear voice. Was this Returning Light Before Death? A colorless flame flickered in her eyes as she looked at Jung Yeonshin.
"What?"
"Unlike you, he had to take the full force of 'Dragon Emerges, Heavens Roar Canon' head-on."
"...."
"His bones and flesh were torn to shreds. There was nothing left to recover. If you must resent someone, resent the Golden Wings Sect's leader for using him as a human sacrifice."
Peng Yuran ended her words calmly.
Even as the color drained from her face, she displayed no further regrets.
She had slain Obeying Heaven Squad's leader and even tempted Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader.
She had left no failures behind.
To have utterly toyed with two of the seventeen divine swords that upheld the world as the Divine Sword Order, to have indulged in every pleasure Murim had to offer—there could be no better end for someone like her.
"...."
As Jung Yeonshin readjusted his grip on his sword hilt, behind him, Wind Lord Lee Shi-myung's face turned desperate as he struggled against Forest Striding Squad's leader Xiahou Wei-jin.
One of his legs had already been broken. He was barely dodging Xiahou Wei-jin's massive fists when, the moment Peng Yuran's final words fell like a deathbed confession, he suddenly twisted his body and leapt backward with tremendous force.
Straight toward the cliffside where the wedding had been taking place.
Boom!
The ground split apart in all directions.
Lee Shi-myung was a master of leg techniques. The power he had honed through a lifetime of training was immense.
The moment he let Xiahou Wei-jin's fist strike his back and kicked off the ground, a long, straight trajectory was carved into the air, instantly closing the distance.
At the end of that path, Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader Cheon So-so stood alone, motionless.
Her face was veiled behind a faintly red bridal cover, obscuring her expression. Ever since chaos had erupted because of Jung Yeonshin, she had remained rooted in place.
Clench—
Wind Lord seized both of her shoulders in an instant.
"Cheon So-so…! Cheon So-so! Listen to me! Your husband is in danger!"
The warriors of Immortal Spirit Wood Squad, held as hostages.
The martial art that embedded a compulsion within one's mind.
The Ghost Roar Tyrant King's seductive influence that transcended gender.
Ice Soul Cheon So-so had entirely forsaken Desolate Fortress.
Nothing that belonged to Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader was truly her own.
Not her body, nor her mind, nor even the World Tree sapling cradled in her arms.
"Peng Mae can live!"
Madness gleamed in Lee Shi-myung's eyes. The martial art of wind that he had pursued his entire life could never be perfected without Peng Yuran. She was essential.
[You wretch! Where do you think you're running?!]
Even as a bald-headed man charged toward him with terrifying speed, Wind Lord locked eyes with Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader and swiftly murmured using the Art of Lip Synchronization:
"Use up the sapling! Let the power of creation flow entirely to your husband! That way, everything will—"
"…Disgrace to the clan."
Cheon So-so's voice resonated quietly. Beneath the bridal veil, her lips moved.
"Foolish."
"What?"
"You truly believed it, didn't you? That Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader was enthralled by a mere woman. Even after witnessing that Lightning Genius…"
"What is going on—!"
Lee Shi-myung's eyes widened.
Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader should never have been able to speak so clearly, so decisively.
She shouldn't have been able to.
How could she maintain a lucid mind? She had even spent the night before the wedding with Ghost Roar Tyrant King.
She should have been completely broken, obediently following commands.
The effort that had gone into manipulating Desolate Fortress' black-robed warrior had been immense.
Secret Realm Peng Clan had poured nearly every artifact they had amassed within the formation into this endeavor. Killing her outright would have been a far cheaper option.
"Why do you think the color that signifies a squad leader of Desolate Fortress is black?"
"This… if this is how it turns out—!"
"Mind cultivation, untouched by the taint of Murim. You martial artists of the mundane world lack the depth to comprehend it."
Cheon So-so spoke softly.
She was moments away from losing Ghost Roar Tyrant King forever.
Lee Shi-myung, still lost in his spiraling panic, snapped his head up—only to meet a gaze of serene, unwavering blue behind the faint red veil.
Ice Soul Cheon So-so.
The leader of Immortal Spirit Wood Squad.
A direct descendant of a noble lineage, equal in standing to Desolate Fortress' Lord.
That bloodline granted her the ability to draw out the profound power of the World Tree sapling. It was also why she had become a target of the Secret Realm Peng Clan.
Ever since she had been captured and brought here by Golden Wings Sect's leader, she had been biding her time.
Unlike anyone else within this formation, she understood the World Tree's sacred power better than anyone.
"It repels unauthorized intrusions. It preserves the land as a place where people may live…"
To avoid being swept away by the collapsing formation, to halt its disintegration, she had to keep the sapling in her embrace. Even at the cost of her own sanity.
It had been a trial of endurance. She had suffered much. There were times when she had nearly lost herself completely.
But now, it was over.
Their youngest had returned to this land, now fully grown beyond recognition.
Like a part of Desolate Fortress itself, one of those few who could sweep away the chaos of war alone and establish a new order.
She steadied her mind like a divine sword, casting a brief glance toward Jung Yeonshin, who stood locked in a standoff against the Twin Kings and Three Lords. The youngest of Wonpyeong's First Sword Hall was watching her.
"Karma."
Cheon So-so murmured the words to herself like a mantra.
She was speaking of the price that Wind Lord and the warriors of this foreign land had to pay, their sin of underestimating the black of Desolate Fortress.
A piercing light flashed in her eyes, sharp as frost from the northern sky.
She, too, possessed divine techniques.
She had demonstrated as much in the duel fought over Jung Yeonshin and his subordinates.
Hwoosh—
Her jet-black hair surged upwards, lifted by the chill that had descended upon the air.
Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's technique—Frozen Heaven Stagnant Ice Art.
A stunned expression overtook Wind Lord Lee Shi-myung's face as he reflexively tightened his grip on her shoulders.
He had already sacrificed one knee to Xiahou Wei-jin. If he lost his balance here, it was over.
But Cheon So-so was unconcerned.
Three black-rank of Desolate Fortress had appeared in this land. Among them, one had transformed beyond recognition, even earning the qualifications of purple.
This moment demanded that Desolate Fortress display its overwhelming grandeur.
Whooosh!
A brilliant white gale swept out from her in all directions. With a sharp, cracking sound, the ground instantly froze over.
And beyond Lee Shi-myung's shoulder—
—Ha! So that's how it is! I, in both martial arts and spirit, lost to the two of you…?!
The terrifying sword strike of Lightning Genius streaked through the air like a flash of light, slicing cleanly across Ghost Roar Tyrant King's neck in an instant.
Had Lee Shi-myung sensed the sheer, incomprehensible presence?
His face twisted in shock as he instinctively turned his head, at that very moment, Cheon So-so's hand blurred within the pale frost-laden wind.
Clang!
"Gah…!"
It was an ice-palm technique.
Her strike shattered his solar plexus as though it were brittle candy, tearing straight through. He gasped for breath, his gums bared in an expression of utter despair that he could not suppress.
"You…! Damn imperial hounds…!"
Splat!
His grotesquely twisted head was crushed in an instant.
Behind him, Xiahou Wei-jin had landed, his colossal fist imbued with a storm so tightly compressed that his strike ground down from crown to spine, sending blood splattering in all directions.
"Reinforcements have arrived, Lightning Genius."
"I see it."
Xiahou Wei-jin and Cheon So-so exchanged brief words.
At this moment, they both gazed at their junior—who stood encircled by an ethereal, shapeless lotus, surrounded by drifting white dandelion seeds.
The sheer force of his presence was overwhelming.
—Obeying Heaven Squad, Immortal Spirit Wood Squad, Forest Striding Squad. If there is anyone else involved in the deaths of True Warriors of Desolate Fortress, confess now.
Jung Yeonshin's words, echoing from afar, were closer to a declaration of war.
Words that had no place being spoken in a gathering of Hwangbo Clan, Beggars' Sect, and Kunlun Sect elders, yet the sheer weight of his presence and his overwhelming martial energy made it sound like an ultimatum from an absolute master.
Xiahou Wei-jin and Cheon So-so kicked off the ground at the same time, not to stop him, but merely to stand behind him.
Boom!
As they landed in a wide arc, their descent forming a large parabola, a troubled voice rapidly approached, belonging to Divine Hand King Hwangbo Gon.
"…Perhaps we should put away these ominous blades for now? The liquor steeped with the tea leaves of this land is quite delightful…"