Awakening (3)
After the massacre by the Radiant Sword crowd ceased.
Twenty-eight shoulders standing on the plain gently heaved. It had been a large-scale battle. Hundreds of members of the Demonic Faction had been left in tatters or as corpses.
Even after displaying overwhelming mastery of movement arts, it wasn't strange that they needed to catch their breath.
The sleeves of martial artists were blackened, and the tips of the swords held by swordsmen continuously dripped blood, splattering onto the ground.
The Radiance Sword Style had its distinct pros and cons. There was a price to pay for its overwhelming breakthrough power.
Such was the nature of the world. Only after consuming a massive amount of internal energy could miracles be brought forth.
However, its effectiveness was undeniable.
This place, the gruesome sight of life-and-death combat from the Sect War, was proof of that.
"Huff…"
"Urgh…"
The grass and dirt were dyed a dark crimson. The smell of blood drifted on the cold wind, spreading in all directions.
Shattered flesh from shockwaves, scattered remains from explosive attacks, the torn pieces of bodies severed in one blow, and the defeated fighters exhaling painful breaths as the last traces of life clung to them…
"Is this… huh… a dream?"
"I feel… relieved."
"Pretending to be strong."
Even the resilient people of Xi'an in Shaanxi Province couldn't easily stomach such a sight. Even those with strong nerves averted their gaze.
Fortunately, there was somewhere else to look. The culmination of any Sect War was said to be the life-and-death duel between the leaders.
This flatland in Great Moon Gorge was no different.
"Only the sect leaders remain!"
"Whew, how will this end…"
"Is it true that the Sword Demon Sec's leader has fallen? Xi'an will be in chaos!"
"A combined attack from sect leaders is on a whole different level. Isn't it beyond what we can comprehend?"
"They've brought masters of such a high caliber. Even against the three great martial experts, they might show something extraordinary."
More spectators than the dead martial artists from the seven unorthodox factions lowered their heads. Many were people who hadn't eaten.
Despite their lifeless, gaunt faces, excitement bloomed. It was a sadistic appetite for violence.
"Please… please…"
Some prayed as if offering their devotions at a temple, pleading for the deaths of the unorthodox sect leaders as if Maitreya had descended.
Hands and foreheads pressed against rocks turned toward a young swordsman clad in a blood-stained robe.
The seven sect leaders of Xi'an and a mysterious grandmaster.
As hundreds of gazes focused on them, the cliffs of the canyon surrounding them fell silent.
The mountain ranges, stretching as if they could reach the horizon of the Guanzhong Plain, displayed a vivid green, while the slightly dimmed sunlight bathed everything in a white glow.
It was a dreamy yet lush scene. A stark contrast to the carnage and tension.
Thus, it created an eerie atmosphere.
Until a man, with a great sword strapped to his back, spoke from the side of the seven sect leaders.
"You won't last more than ten breaths?"
He was an unconventional figure.
His upper body was bare, as if flaunting his physical prowess. Scars climbed from his abs past his neck and onto his cheek, making him stand out.
A grotesque sword scar. How was he still alive? The searing energy emanating from his entire body was paradoxical.
The Wind Blade Monster, Bu Jo-wi.
He was the sect leader of the Heaven's End Sword Sect.
Regarded as Xi'an's greatest swordsman. His fame transcended orthodox and unorthodox factions. His mastery of the sword was said to rival the elegance of the Zhongnan Sect's Swordsmanship.
He was known for his famous boast: that even the Immortals of the Nine Great Sects did not intimidate him. Despite witnessing the defeat of the Sword Demon Sect's leader, the fighting spirit burning in his angular face was fierce.
"No matter how much…"
Just as his deep voice resonated.
The current Radiant Demon Squad's leader took a step forward. Leaves crunched softly. Wind sprouted from the ground he pushed off from, radiating from the Yongcheon Acupoint as a luminous force and launching him forward.
Boom!
His heel fully pressed against the ground. Even though he contained the energy surge internally as much as possible, it didn't hinder his control of energy.
With time, his internal energy manipulation had strengthened. His expanding upper dantian was the reason.
Whoosh!
Jung Yeonshin narrowed his eyes. Fierce recoil surged through him. He could feel the gust brushing past his hair and clothes and even through his fingers.
He didn't hesitate as he entered the territory of the six sect leaders. The contorted expression of Bu Jo-wi's face rapidly grew larger.
His reaction was swift. Drawing the great blade strapped to his back, he slashed downward.
The air split left and right, and the grass bent sideways. The blade strike generated an energy blast, shattering grass and dirt as it charged forward.
Boom!
Executing such a large-scale technique required reaction speed on par with a Swift Sword master. As a master wielding a heavy weapon, Bu Jo-wi seemed to have focused on refining his sense refinement techniques.
The transparent, fiery energy blast surged right in front of Jung Yeonshin's nose. The mere wind pressure from the blade could tear through bricks.
'He's no pushover.'
Jung Yeonshin thought. He could feel the Demonic Faction's essence on his skin.
How many unorthodox sect leaders would share their vital tonics, elixirs, and secret techniques equally with their disciples? Very few.
For a sect of the caliber of the seven evil sects of Xi'an, the sect leader's authority was nearly godlike. The leader's overwhelming strength was inevitable.
Anyone with even basic knowledge would know this. It was evident from the very first blade strike they exchanged.
The transparent slash sliced through the space between them violently.
Whoosh―
Jung Yeonshin could feel his bangs being blown back from his forehead. The view before him distorted as the blade strike approached his nose. He stared straight ahead and raised his left hand.
The luminous energy gathered at his elbow split into two beams that shot upward. As soon as his hand met the blade strike, wind gushed through the gaps between his fingers.
The recoil was immense. Despite the protective energy surrounding his palm, it felt as if his skin was being pushed back.
He used the pressure to interweave opposing energies, fine-tuning it through his senses.
'Should I try using Radiant River differently?'
Jung Yeonshin's lips slightly curled downward.
Bu Jo-wi's eyes widened slightly.
The Radiant Demon Squad's leader's advance didn't falter. Continuing his initial leap, he charged forward with his sword lowered, slicing through the incoming energy blast with his free hand.
Through the shimmering beams of sunlight, his expressionless yet handsome face appeared intermittently. It was a chilling sight.
"Kisoseul!"
Bu Jo-wi shouted urgently. Kisoseul was the leader of the Absolute Severance Pavilion and part of the Seven Major Sect Leaders of Xi'an.
Zing!
Suddenly, sharp beams of light flashed in front of him, like a sudden downpour. They connected the grass to the sky, cutting through the air and spreading in every direction.
The luminous threads formed a web-like barrier, their metallic texture firmly blocking his path.
Though they had been cast straight downward, their angles ricocheted unpredictably. The web seemed exceptionally durable.
The move itself was a masterpiece. Was it a blend of sorcery and martial arts?
Jung Yeonshin halted his steps. A thread nearly grazed his chin.
He slightly raised his head and looked to Bu Jo-wi's side. A woman in a sky-blue silk robe stood with both hands outstretched.
From inside her wide sleeves, dozens of shining threads extended like streams. Even at a glance, they numbered in the dozens.
It was the fabled silk sword. Threads woven from special steel, fashioned into a weapon.
'I've heard of this.'
Kisoseul, the Ghost of Razor Strings. Originally a musician who played the zither, she had obtained an extraordinary opportunity and founded her faction.
She, too, was of the unorthodox faction. Every brothel in Xi'an was under her control. She abducted commoners from inns and enslaved them in her pleasure houses to settle fabricated debts.
Together with Bu Jo-wi, she was known for indulging in all kinds of debauchery.
Their eyes met.
Dressed impeccably, she exuded a ghostly aura. Her twisted lips, forming a silent smile, radiated malice.
Such was the world of martial arts.
Were all prominent unorthodox practitioners as distinct as this?
"That guy's protective energy is his weak point."
It was from behind Bu Jo-wi.
"His protective technique isn't as potent as his other skills. Its structure is shallow. No, it's not truly shallow. Compared to his other techniques, it just lacks depth. It doesn't suit his body."
Sublime Land Sect's sect leader, Wei Il-hwa, spoke, her piercing gaze carrying a hint of sword aura.
Yeoryeong Sect's leader had gifted her with a Sight Art, and Jung Yeonshin intended to fully utilize its effectiveness.
"From the way he hesitated at Kisoseul's Decapitating Ghost Threads, it's obvious. With Yeoryeong's hidden insight applied, I'd say this man may be capable of creating martial techniques suited to his own body. His protective energy probably isn't fully developed yet. He must have prioritized refining other secret martial arts. If we want to kill him, now is the time."
The words came quickly. The battle was already incorporating the Art of Lip Synchronization. For martial masters who could move their hands as swiftly as a flash of light, it wasn't surprising that their voices could match that speed.
They were like the warriors of Desolate Fortress. Those who had mastered the Art of Lip Synchronization could speak even faster than their hands moved, and they could comprehend just as quickly.
Jung Yeonshin brushed off their words, only paying attention to sect leaders' intelligence capabilities.
He expanded his field of vision forward. Decapitating Ghost Threads. Kisoseul's silk swords were encircling him from all sides.
A cold, murderous aura radiated from them. Ordinary protective energy wouldn't be enough to endure this. His movements had already been restricted.
'How do these guys intend to move?'
The question crossed his mind.
Whoosh!
From the left flank, white robes billowed as they drew closer, as if the wearer were performing some kind of immortal teleportation technique. It was Baek Mu-ryang, the Patriarch of the Radiant Moon Clan.
With his long, white beard fluttering, he extended his palm, and from the invisible energy gathered within it, a strange rumble emanated.
It was a sound Jung Yeonshin had never heard before. It burrowed into his ears and seemed to flood his mind with a blinding white.
Screeech!
It was a key technique of the Radiant Moon Conquering Technique. As expected of a demonic technique, its purpose was to torment its target in every conceivable way. Devious seemed an appropriate word.
Simultaneously, the silk sword web stretched open to the sides. Anyone would have recognized it as Kisoseul's specialty.
The opening was structured in a way that only allies could exploit. The silk swords moved as though alive, oscillating between tension and relaxation.
On the right, a storm erupted. Bu Jo-wi had launched another attack.
As the large blade-wielding Bu Jo-wi swept forward in Jung Yeonshin's line of sight, the hefty, crushing power of the Heaven's End Sword Sect's leader's saber strike cleverly slipped through the gaps in the silk sword web.
The frictional sound it created was deafening, as though it was tearing through the atmosphere. Even before the strike reached him, Jung Yeonshin's clothes fluttered violently backward.
Boom!
With attacks incoming from both sides, Jung Yeonshin's gaze fixed on Wei Il-hwa, the leader of the Sublime Land Sect, beyond his shoulder.
She was a massive woman, her build rivaling that of Bu Jo-wi. Beneath her flowing red sleeves, her large hands were gathered at her waist.
From beneath her feet, a powerful flow of energy surged like a vortex. It felt as though it could carve the ground away.
Dust billowed upward like a whirlwind, and the vibrations in the earth suggested a minor quake.
It was Kang Mu-jeong of the Time and Mountain Destroying Fist.
She was the leader of Xi'an's Great Spirit Thunder Sect.
Her reputation was famous.
Born the daughter of an herb gatherer, she had consumed a millennium-aged Polygonum multiflorum. Infused with its spiritual energy, she had come to possess the greatest internal energy among the seven demonic sects.
If she fully unleashed her signature technique, the Foundation-Shattering Thunder Wave, rumors suggested she could destroy even a small mountain peak.
She hadn't managed to achieve top master status because she couldn't release such an overwhelming energy wave in a single moment during a life-or-death duel. Even so, as an unorthodox practitioner, she had repeatedly received invitations to join the military.
'They've set their formation perfectly.'
Jung Yeonshin thought in that brief instant.
Kang Mu-jeong was positioned at the rear, preparing a decisive strike, while Wei Il-hwa aimed to exploit weaknesses using Yeoryeong Sect's leader's Sight Art.
Kisoseul's silk sword web blocked all avenues of escape, while Baek Mu-ryang and Bu Jo-wi struck at the opportune moment.
All of these sequences were designed to converge on Kang Mu-jeong's Foundation-Shattering Thunder Wave.
Jung Yeonshin's eyes read the flow of their sequential attacks. He deflected Baek Mu-ryang's wrinkled palm as it reached from the left.
Initially, he had intended to crush the man's wrist with a single strike, but his opponent had wisely relaxed his muscles to mitigate the force.
Bu Jo-wi's saber technique, which came charging in from the right, met the same fate. As soon as Jung Yeonshin struck downward with the Judgment Qilin Sword Technique, the saber shattered into futility.
In fact, the tip of his Beiming Sword became entangled in the silk sword web, momentarily immobilizing him.
From a distance, Kisoseul laughed smoothly.
"I had iron extracted and blended with celestial silk after capturing a few steel-scaled insects. Even the Sword Saint wouldn't be able to cut through it."
The Sword Demon Sect's leader had met a pathetic end. He hadn't even been able to exchange a few techniques.
But the sect leaders who were now properly prepared were different. They moved with coordinated teamwork, operating under the assumption of combined attacks.
Even while maintaining a cautious approach, their techniques were imbued with the intention to wear down their opponent to death. It was as if they wanted to demonstrate to the martial world that this was how one kills a grandmaster.
"Ah."
Jung Yeonshin's lips curled slightly. Like tracing a line across a blade, he gently flicked one strand of the silk sword web with the Beiming Sword.
It was a gesture infused with a strange curiosity, reminiscent of a boy exploring something fascinating.
"Seven exchanges left, huh?"
He muttered slowly.
Then, with his left hand, imbued with Radiant River energy, he grabbed hold of a strand of the silk sword web.
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