The eight directions were engulfed in light, the sword and fist, materialized through divine techniques.
The Sword of the Heart, bestowed by the Lord of Desolate Fortress, was fundamentally a technique that adjusted the opponent's energy.
Jung Yeonshin claimed as his own the sword and fist that had been resonating with the energy waves of the Murong Clan's leader.
Murong Zhongrak's Live-Saving Ultimate Technique reinforced his sword strikes, composed of fragmented true energy, yet it was something that could be seized through Transcending Law Radiant Wheel.
Hwaaaaaak—!
A blue flame enveloped the Beiming, distorting into the form of a blade. It was a wave of energy akin to blazing flames, the sound of it scorching the atmosphere was overwhelming.
[How dare…!]
Murong Zhongrak's intent wavered, like an echo fading.
The divine flame, formed of energy waves, climbed his entire body like a wildfire, surging along the blade that had pierced Jung Yeonshin's abdomen.
The aftermath of overlapping shockwaves lashed at the surroundings like a raging storm.
This was no longer merely a single form, referring to a single technique, it was an attack that devoured a sun that once overlooked the martial world.
At close-quarters combat distance.
At that moment, Jung Yeonshin's sword was short.
The deafening roar did not cease, his indistinct hand movements continued into destructive sword strikes, slicing Murong Zhongrak apart.
Zzeojeojeojeong—!
Fierce blue sparks scattered violently. The impact of each sword strike was immense.
Amidst it all, the Radiant Demon Squad's leader continuously clenched his sword.
Convulsions rippled through him due to the penetrating wound, only to subside under the control of Jung Clan Movement Arts, repeating the cycle. He did not even let out a groan.
The talent of a Martial God, one who never misses the target of a technique, an overwhelming spirit that etched a wrinkle between the brows of Star-Radiance Grand Sword Lord.
'This cannot continue.'
He too was an exceptional talent, counted among the greatest in the lands of Liangdong, a swordsman raised to protect his clan from the incomprehensible threats of the northern tribes.
He had not pursued Heavenly Demon Bloodline for his own rise in status.
To withstand the blow of a Northern Martial God, even the ancient true energy armor woven by the Heavenly Demon Clan in times past would be necessary.
The sacrifice of petty assassins was inevitable.
The moment Radiant Demon Squad's leader's sword strike approached, Murong Zhongrak altered the nature of his Body Protection Energy.
For as soon as the divine energy waves touched his garments, they spread like fire, searing hot, and at the same time, the unparalleled inner power of the Murong Clan's leader was unleashed.
The outer layer of the radiant mass transformed into the sturdy barrier of Murong Clan's Immortal Heaven Divine Energy.
Kwaaang!
Yet even so, the shockwave force of Radiant Demon Squad's leader penetrated deep into his body.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Armor, layered with Immortal Heaven Divine Energy, only served to amplify the impact like fuel to fire. Murong Zhongrak's vision continued to waver.
In the domain of supreme masters, he locked eyes with the Radiant Demon Squad's leader.
He was continuously reconstructing the framework of his Body Protection Energy, yet suddenly, he sensed something bizarre.
'This brat…?'
The gaze of the young one was unusual.
Even as he relentlessly shattered the Body Protection Energy with his sword strikes, his two eyes, glowing with blue light, were fixed intently on Murong Zhongrak's entire body.
His retinas were filled with Azure Radiance, revealing nothing of what they beheld.
A supreme master's intuition is sharper than a needle. Murong Zhongrak felt an immense and eerie sensation.
It was as if he had transformed into a frog playing near the well of the Murong Clan's inner garden in his childhood.
When an excited child suddenly squatted, casting a large shadow over him, he had been frozen in place, blinking his eyes—until he was ultimately crushed to death by the child's clumsy and naive swordplay.
His mind shrank with a chilling contraction. He felt as though he were sinking into an indescribable abyss.
Zzeojeojeojeong!
Before Murong Zhongrak's muscles could even move, the Azure Flame Sword was already slashing at the vital points of his body.
His Neiguan Acupoint on his right wrist, his Jianliao Acupoint on his shoulder, his Xuehai Acupoints on both knees where his stance was about to rise, even his Liangqiu Acupoints.
The moment each of those points was struck, they were sealed within dozens of strands of lightning.
It was accompanied by shockwaves so powerful they violently shook the atmosphere. Even the flow of counterforce was caught perfectly in Radiant Demon Squad's leader's sight.
He forcibly maintained Murong Zhongrak in the state of bearing the recoil of his own technique.
Murong Clan's leader's condition was even worse than after piercing Radiant Demon Squad's leader with Heaven-Piercing Radiant Spear's Stroke. His internal injuries had stacked upon one another.
To achieve this required intuition and insight that flashed like lightning, a vast understanding of human anatomy, a man eerily attuned to the human body.
The Azure Gaze of Radiant Demon Squad's leader had seen through Murong Zhongrak's entire being.
Even the supreme swordsman of the Murong Clan felt chills rise on his skin. His grip loosened.
His opponent was absurdly young, yet his abdominal muscles and internal organs were trained to an extreme degree.
He gripped Murong Zhongrak's sword and remained unmoving, like a thousand-year-old boulder, his entire body was martial arts itself.
Murong Zhongrak's intent rang out.
[Do you even realize what you are doing…!]
A lone man executing the leader of an ancient clan, he would become the target of the entire Murim Alliance.
The slaughter of a clan's leader.
Not merely crossing the line drawn by the martial world, but utterly breaking it.
They still consider Non-Interference in Official Affairs an unspoken doctrine. There is a reason no warrior regards the Divine Sword Order's leader as a friend.
Without allies, he would always be alone, no matter where he went.
The supreme masters who dominate the martial world would turn their attention to him. Many among the monstrous legends of martial arts refuse to stay in one place.
Those who view even the swaying of a tree branch as a measure of martial prowess, could they truly ignore a rising prodigy of unseen talent?
He would inevitably face challenges from warriors seeking fame. How many duel challenges would pile up?
[Can you bear the weight of the martial world!]
Murong Zhongrak did not feel shame.
His lifelong ambition had nothing to do with maintaining appearances within the Murim Alliance.
The restoration of the light of Yan, once held by the Murong Xianbei Clan, the liberation of his family from the dark clouds cast by the Northern Martial God—nothing else mattered.
However, Jung Yeonshin could not hear any of it.
'The profundity of Harmonious Balance. Near the kneecap, the Neixiyan Acupoint's true energy naturally bends, making it structurally advantageous for utilizing Protective Energy Technique….'
As he struck down upon his opponent's entire body, he unraveled every thread of the true energy composition in the Heavenly Demon Divine Armor.
It was said to be a supreme technique crafted over a lifetime by the Star-Radiance Grand Sword Lord. Even without intent, it entered his sight.
Through the hilt of the sword grasped in his palm, he could feel an exquisitely intricate web-like formation.
At a glance, the Body Protection Energy flowing like radiant mist seemed refined, yet it was woven with an incredibly meticulous structure.
A Protective Energy Technique tailored like a noble garment, almost as if displayed for admiration. It spoke of the Heavenly Demon's disposition.
The intent embedded in the mnemonic verse tingled through his entire body. It was different from Bodhidharma.
An intent to engrave one's existence upon all things and achieve immortality—beyond aloofness, it was divine.
In the fleeting gap of an instant, where time seemed to flow like eternity, suddenly, something within the technique addressed Jung Yeonshin's upper dantian.
[Arrogant.]
It was something beyond comprehension. Was it a spiritual will steeped into a formless divine mnemonic verse? Something passed down like flowing water through the long ages…
Jung Yeonshin thought absentmindedly.I could craft something just as well.
'A Body Protection Energy suited for Radiant Wheel Technique….'
Kwagwagwagwaak—!
Before his eyes, fragments of dark blue true energy scattered. The Body Protection Energy of the Murong Clan's leader was shattering into dust.
A pale current, spread like stars across the night sky, swept through Jung Yeonshin's hair as it rose.
For a moment, he thought he heard laughter. And before he knew it, he became aware of himself standing upon a ravaged mountainside.
At his feet lay the Murong Clan's leader, having endured the full force of the sword-made flame. His body was no longer whole.
His lips trembled open.
"Northern Martial… God… the invader of… Liangdong…."
His voice barely escaped as a faint breath.
Jung Yeonshin glanced down at him, then slowly began pulling out the sword embedded in his abdomen.
With Jung Clan Movement Arts, he adjusted the placement of his internal organs and preserved his energy. The completely severed sections were tightly sealed with True Energy Circulation Technique.
Thud—
The bloodstained sword fell onto the ground.
Murong Zhongrak's murmuring ceased.
He turned his head slightly, his eyes, once gazing at the distant sky, shifted toward Jung Yeonshin. His vacant gaze met the one looking down upon him.
"…I see."
The Star-Radiance Grand Sword Lord lifted one corner of his mouth.
"I too, was a frog."
His final breath scattered in a voice clear and distinct.
* * *
The Heaven-Piercing Sword of the Murong Clan leapt off the treetops once more.
To deliver the shocking news back to the main house.
'How could this happen!'
It was unthinkable. He had never imagined that the Radiant Demon Squad's leader would kill the clan leader.
The presence of a single supreme martial master was monumental in the martial world. As a messenger, the Heaven-Piercing Sword had to deliver the news faster than anyone else.
The main house could no longer stand firm in its domain.
As soon as the death of the Star-Radiance Grand Sword Lord became known, countless Murim warriors harboring grudges against the Murong Clan would swarm in.
The immeasurable enemies of the north would do the same. A clan that lost both its heir and clan leader simultaneously would have to worry about survival, not succession.
'Radiant Demon Squad's leader! Radiant Demon Squad's leader…!'
His rage surged. He thought of vengeance. What should be done?
He had heard rumors that Hu-gae of the Beggars' Sect despised Radiant Demon Squad's leader. That the Tyrant Sword Tribe's Sword Fangs and the Dark Night War's Bow Ghosts would not look kindly upon Desolate Fortress' Lightning Genius.
If he searched further, he would find countless more enemies.
'The movements of the Radiant Demon Squad's leader….'
Whoosh!
Suddenly, his vision collapsed. A hand abruptly seized the back of his head, forcefully halting his light footwork with a fluid technique.
He began falling through the air. He had no means to counter.
For he could feel the cold blade of a dagger pressed against his nape. Unfamiliar true energy burrowed into the Mingmen Acupoint at the back of his neck.
Thunk.
His entire body paralyzed, he collapsed onto the ground.
In his spinning vision, a mouth curved into a faint smile. The figure wore an ink-black hat, garbed in an assassin's attire.
It was Chivalrous Slayer Kim Jon-hwi.
"We'll question you later. There's something urgent now."
With his nape still seized, the Heaven-Piercing Sword was dragged back toward where he had come.
The first thing that entered his sight was the Radiant Demon Squad's leader.
Lying beside the clan leader's corpse, his eyes were closed, his appearance unsettling.
Was his condition critical? He was definitely unconscious.
'So be it.'
Just as Heaven-Piercing Sword twisted his lips,
"I hear from my subordinates that a thousand-strong Murim Army is marching north. Their official reason is northern reinforcement, but…."
Chivalrous Slayer Kim Jon-hwi's words halted.
For a man, draped in a rosy-colored long robe, subtly nodded.
With a grave expression, Ma Yeonjeok sat beside his grandson's head.
"That will do. Bring it here."
His words were not directed at Chivalrous Slayer Kim Jon-hwi. Instead, three other high-ranking warriors of the Radiant Demon Squad reacted.
"…Should I call this fortunate?"
Muttering to himself, Lazy Flame Dragon pulled a gourd bottle from his robe. His movements were as swift as light.
It was the treasure of the Tianzhu Sect that he now held in his hands.
Water drawn from the lake where the World Tree had taken root.
It was said to have immediate effects on internal injuries.
Jung Yeonshin had thrown it into Lazy Flame Dragon's satchel, refusing to accept it himself.
Telling him to drink it instead of liquor, and to stop reeking of alcohol.
"Elder, here it is."
From Heon Wonchang, a Summoning Pill emerged. It was a reward from a mission received long ago.
The Sacred Warrior of Desolate Fortress had been forced to accept it, as he was told that, since he devoted himself to the study of Buddhist doctrines, his martial skills would inevitably be lacking, and thus, he must take care of his body.
He knew refusing the squad leader would be futile, so he had carefully stored it away.
Now, he could use it.
"No, wait, isn't this Mount Hua Sect's Plum Blossom Pill? When did you even put this…?"
Even from Shin So-bin's chest, as she awkwardly fumbled over her own body, another pill case emerged, an elegant wooden box engraved with plum blossoms.
Ma Yeonjeok poured all the elixirs into his grandson's mouth. This was not the proper way to do it.
Secret elixirs had strict methods of ingestion that had to be followed. However, such things did not matter to Jung Clan Movement Arts.
Ssshhhk.
A hand, smoothed by the passage of time, pressed over the area of Jung Yeonshin's heart.
"Rise."
Upon the back of the grandfather's hand, a mother's hand overlapped.
A reaction came immediately. From Jung Yeonshin's body, crack— a sound echoed.
It was an ominous sign.