"You're getting cocky!"
The old master had the leisure to vent her rage through words.
Even as Jung Yeonshin gripped his wrist, Yeo So-hyang's treasured sword emitted a blinding white radiance. It was just before Jung Yeonshin's right-hand palm strike reached her abdomen.
Loyal Severance Desolation-Cleaving Sword—Radiant Bloom.
Zzeoooong!
An overwhelming wave of sword energy erupted from the blade. Without even swinging, it stirred up a razor-sharp gale.
As Jung Yeonshin released her wrist and evaded, blood splattered from his body.
The sword winds shredded his black robe to pieces, leaving dozens of deep cuts in their wake. A searing pain surged through his left side as if it had been cleaved away entirely.
A wound unlike anything he had ever suffered before.
Jung Yeonshin spun, blood spraying like a waterwheel.
Yeo So-hyang, who had been about to press forward and land a decisive strike, hesitated for a moment.
It was because he had already inflicted Weighted Palm Technique upon her. The pain must have been excruciating.
Though it wasn't an extreme counter like the Demonic Faction's internal energy, the force she had cultivated was still not entirely free from the transcendent power of Transcending Law Radiant Wheel.
Sreung!
Jung Yeonshin drew the Beiming as he spun and pivoted. Even his evasive footwork was a display of True Advancement.
From his right hand to the sword's arc, every ounce of weight and strength was properly embedded. As he surged forward with Sword Thunder Flash Art's Swift Sword Mnemonic Verse, the Radiant Wheel's energy compressed his forearm and biceps.
'Judgment Qilin.'
In an instant, the sword body transformed into a streak of light. It extended outward like a typhoon, tearing through the air and leaving behind a shrieking shockwave.
As befitting an aged supreme expert, Yeo So-hyang had already closed the distance and was preparing to strike down his blade. Her eyes widened slightly.
Zzzeojeojeojeong!
Swords clashed, sending fragments of energy scattering in all directions.
The colorless aura of Sword Thunder Flash Art sliced past Yeo So-hyang's cheek, leaving a faint line of blood trickling from her wrinkled skin.
Neither side was willing to concede even a single exchange. It was a battle of heaven's greatest talents.
Jung Yeonshin concealed the agony of his torn palms behind a composed expression.
Even blocking a sword strike strong enough to sever a mountaintop and withstanding its force was an immense burden.
His nerves sharpened to their limit. It was as if he were walking a tightrope over a deadly chasm without any internal energy to support him.
If he hadn't developed Heaven-Piercing Technique, he would have already lost. Jung Yeonshin was keenly aware of the overwhelming disparity in swordsmanship.
Yet, those who watched from the sidelines did not see it that way.
Boom! Zzzeooong!
Sword auras continuously ravaged the surroundings. Every time their blades clashed and the divine wind of their footwork swept through the air, the ground cracked apart.
The duel between supreme masters was akin to a natural disaster in itself.
And yet, the spectators of Great Moon Gorge continued to draw closer, climbing cliffs and hillsides.
A duel of life and death that would be nearly impossible to witness again in a lifetime. It was as if something was pulling their very souls toward the battle.
"We have to see this."
"What if they kill us?"
"That's no human fight, it's demons soaring through the air on their swords. We're better off hiding."
"True, if we run, we'll just stand out even more in the Guanzhong Plain."
"Better to enjoy the spectacle of such supreme martial arts."
"I can't even tell… Are those two really human?"
They had come to witness the Elder of the Tyrant Sword Tribe in action. Proof that they were people obsessed with martial arts.
No matter how the duel ended, they would not be able to resist spreading word of what they had seen.
There were no other connoisseurs of grandeur, they were all storytellers at heart.
However, none dared to come too close. Unless one had a death wish, approaching this battlefield was unthinkable.
Zzzeojeojeong! Kuuung!
The center of the hill, now a battlefield, was blurred by the rising vortex of energy.
Swordsmen who created typhoons with their blades, no one had expected the Radiant Arts Leader to perform at such a level. The age disparity alone was too great.
Those who had crossed the gorge were seasoned warriors of deep experience and vast knowledge.
The more they knew, the differently they perceived the spectacle before them.
Most of their faces were frozen in sheer astonishment.
Some hid behind cracks in the rocks, while others perched atop trees, unable to take their eyes off the duel.
A few even stood in a daze, momentarily losing themselves.
The Radiant Arts Leader's upper garments were almost completely torn apart.
He extended his sword, his entire body bleeding, yet through the crimson streams, his meticulously sculpted muscles were starkly defined.
He moved with swordsmanship so refined that it hardly seemed like the work of the Demonic Faction, all while exuding an enthralling primal wildness.
Even Yeo So-hyang, the Ghost Spirit Sword and Elder of the Tyrant Sword Tribe, was not unscathed.
Her shoulder, nape, and face bore streaks of blood, her features twisted in an almost demonic snarl as she swung her blade. These were the residual wounds left by Jung Yeonshin's skillful techniques.
Had they been even slightly deeper, they would have been lethal. Though they hadn't fully penetrated, to the gathered warriors, the duel seemed entirely even.
Even the seasoned warriors of Yeoryeong Sect, watching from the shadows, thought the same.
"That guy… he's probably been ranked in the Grand Martial Record."
"A supreme master under twenty years old, one who can shake the entire martial world… There aren't many. Shall we count them?"
"The Seventh Apostle of the Blood Flame Cult."
"That lunatic's twenty-one this year. Besides, do you really think that one looks like a woman?"
The voices belonged to a pair of twins with long, draping bangs.
They were Radiant Sound Twin Demons of the Thirteen Celestial Demons in Yeoryeong Sect, warriors who once clashed with the Sword Sovereign of the Profound Martial Alliance while pursuing Wei Ji Myohwa and Jung Hye-ah of the Zhongnan Sect, only to barely escape with their lives.
"It's not the Young Lord of the Ming Cult… And we can exclude the noble sects, right? Like those from Dark Moon Hall."
The brother's words prompted his sister to shake her head.
"He uses a sword. What about Desolate Fortress?"
"Oh… Then… Could he be the current leader of the Radiant Demon Squad? That would certainly explain why he's here to thrash the Tyrant Sword Tribe. His martial prowess matches up, too."
"Let's capture him first."
"What about that old hag? She'll be furious if we interfere."
"She'll win eventually, but what if she loses an arm in the process? He's not an easy opponent. Besides, the higher-ups are already making arrangements with the Tyrant Sword Tribe. Less bloodshed is better for them."
The Radiant Sound Twin Demons' gaze returned to the two supreme masters clashing.
Kuuung!
On the increasingly desolate hilltop, Jung Yeonshin swung the Beiming Sword downward. The shattered foliage was swept away by the energy of the strike.
Forgetting his own wounds, he formed the Nine Azure Rivers sword path. A formless sword energy erupted in a grand, resonating roar.
Zzzeooooong!
The recoil against his grip was immense. Cracks spread across the ground beneath him.
Yeo So-hyang met the devastating strike head-on, her face twisted with fury. She had not retreated a single step.
Jung Yeonshin immediately channeled power into the Yongcheon Acupoint at his feet.
If he didn't move now, the Ghost Spirit Sword's unique power would burst forth at full force. He had to use Heaven-Piercing Technique to find an opening and suppress her momentum.
That was when—
"AAAAAAAHHHH—!"
A deafening dual roar suddenly erupted from the shadows to his right.
The density of the sound waves was terrifying.
A nearly translucent projectile shot toward him like a compressed sonic bomb.
The leaves of the evergreen trees around them trembled violently in succession.
"Damn it!"
"Grit!"
Zhuge Hyeon and the Lazy Flame Dragon grimaced as they surged forward, aiming to flank the enemy from both sides. They were a step too late.
They had hesitated, wary of interfering in a supreme master's battle and inadvertently disrupting Jung Yeonshin's focus. The attackers' martial prowess was nothing short of exceptional.
In front of him was the Elder of the Tyrant Sword Tribe, and to his right, the Radiant Sound Twin Demons of Yeoryeong Sect were launching a sound-based attack.
Jung Yeonshin felt everything with absolute clarity. Even handling Yeo So-hyang's distorted sword energy head-on was a daunting task.
If he evaded, the Heaven-Piercing Technique, which had dictated the flow of battle, would unravel. He was already at a disadvantage.
If the battle reset and had to be rebuilt exchange by exchange, there was no telling what would happen.
'Still, I have to avoid a fatal wound first...'
Just as he resolved himself—
Swish!
Suddenly, a streak of white radiance extended sharply beside Jung Yeonshin's nape.
Yet another third party had intervened.
An explosion of circular shockwaves rippled outward from behind the hilt of the incoming sword. A deafening roar accompanied it.
The tail of the energy wave left a comet-like trail.
In the blink of an eye, the Severed Intent Sword shattered the soundwave attack, swerving mid-flight before colliding with Yeo So-hyang's blade.
A retching sound came from behind, both Radiant Sound Twin Demons had vomited blood.
Kwaaaaaang!
A direct hit.
The blade of the Severed Intent Sword nearly embedded itself into the face of Yeo So-hyang's sword. The entire hill trembled from the impact.
The catastrophic shockwave rang in all directions.
The faint smirk on Yeo So-hyang's lips twisted into one of sheer bewilderment.
"Eight Rings Divine Sword? The Eternal Heaven Sword Demon…!"
By then, Jung Yeonshin's sword was already carving across her solar plexus.
A chilling sound crackled as it clashed against her protective energy barrier.
Had the strike dug even a little deeper, it would have shattered her ribs instantly.
For the first time, Yeo So-hyang's complexion paled.
The Elder of the Tyrant Sword Tribe—
Tap!
—attempted to flee.
Exploiting the opening created by the Radiant Demon Squad's leader's strike, she leaped upward onto her sword.
The Sword Sovereign of the Profound Martial Alliance, whose thoughts remained unreadable, had not yet reached the realm of Intent-Controlled Swordsmanship.
This meant that the Severed Intent Sword still followed the eyes rather than the mind. Since the unseen swordsman had launched the attack before revealing themselves, there was no way for Jung Yeonshin to chain his strike immediately.
As she soared away, she left behind a whispered curse through Lip Synchronization Technique.
"You are nothing but an offering to the Sect Leader. One day, you will surely face execution."
Beneath her feet, her Sword Domain shifted backward.
Schwaaaaak!
In an instant, Sword Flight activated. In the blink of an eye, she was slicing through the sky, vanishing into the distance.
'I expected this. Heaven-Piercing Technique.'
Jung Yeonshin didn't even glance up at her. He ran forward.
He had already activated Wind Body Technique at full force, his entire being transformed into a Swift Sword.
The scenery before him expanded endlessly. As the wind distorted his robes like a raging storm, he saw Zhuge Hyeon directly ahead.
Their eyes met.
A single fleeting moment.
A silent exchange between two supreme talents.
The next moment—
Tap.
Jung Yeonshin stepped onto the Crane's Wings Stance that Zhuge Hyeon had unfurled for him.
For an instant, it flickered.
The Radiant Demon Squad's leader's leather shoes and the young heir of the Jung Clan's silk socks overlapped in space.
In that moment, the entire martial world became a Dona Festival Swing, a place he would have stepped on if his mother had been present.
He pushed off.
Whoooosh!
The energy within his body surged violently.
From the Yinmen Acupoint behind his thigh to the Yongcheon Acupoint at the soles of his feet, it felt as if lightning were striking within him. Even the pain wracking his body began to dull.
The old woman's face turned sharply toward him as he closed in.
Jung Yeonshin gripped the Beiming's energy blade with both hands. The wind against his ears howled violently.
'Can I reach her?'
No. If this were a month ago, he would have failed. But now, his arms and legs were just slightly longer.
These were the days of his growth.
With a sharp ache in his knees, he had stretched further.
His body learned and adapted to martial techniques daily, etching them into his very being.
"…!"
By the time he could see the wrinkles of Yeo So-hyang's increasingly alarmed face, Heaven-Piercing Technique processed a flood of information.
The residual energy of the Severed Intent Sword that the Elder of the Tyrant Sword Tribe had failed to dissipate, the Protective Energy Barrier regenerating at her solar plexus, the total focus of her internal energy circulation dedicated entirely to Sword Flight—In an instant, his mind mapped out the Path of the Sword.
Countless trajectories of blades imprinted themselves in his consciousness like radiant streaks of light.
Jung Yeonshin aligned his sword with one of them.
Gripping the sword in both hands, he swung upward with all his might.
The Transcending Law Radiant Wheel's sacred energy rippled outward in all directions.
'Sword Thunder Flash Art, Third Strike.'
Azure Flame-First Form.
For an instant, his blade flashed like lightning.
The radiance of the sword surpassed even the sunlight.
The explosion of energy from his grip alone was enough to drown out all other sounds.
A fiercely burning sword light streaked in a straight line.
Straight toward Yeo So-hyang, who was frantically raising her treasured sword to block.
The brilliant blue arc of the strike carved through the air, then tore past the old woman's shoulder.
Fwaaaaaash!
Blood sprayed as an arm was severed and sent soaring.
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