WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 126: Samadhi True Fire (6)

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The Saber Fist Demon was not the only one to give a hollow laugh at the insult. Many martial artists of the Thirteen Heavens either laughed or maintained indifferent expressions.

Jeong Yeon-shin's words were outrageous.

No one in all of vast Sichuan would dare say such a thing to the Saber Fist Demon.

Even searching through every martial artist in the region, it would be difficult to find another.

Provocations about corpses were the sort of thing only the Pure Demon Alliance's martial artists would say among themselves.

That sentiment showed in the murmurs spreading through the crowd like clouds.

Most were merchants and local martial artists well versed in the ways of the martial world.

"That young man does seem extraordinary, but his words go too far."

"Isn't he from Desolate Fortress? Sichuan's skies must look low to him."

There were plenty of mocking remarks. It was a trait of isolated regional martial worlds like Sichuan's.

They were said to be exclusionary regardless of orthodox, unorthodox, or demonic affiliation. Many also held a competitive spirit toward the Central Plains martial world beyond the Shu Road.

What did that have to do with him?

Then someone shouted.

"His words go too far? Do you have any idea how much evil those Thirteen Heavens bastards have committed?"

"Did the Emotion-Siphoning Demonic Art take your parents from you? No. If it had, you wouldn't be spouting such miserable nonsense without knowing right from wrong."

It was the voices of a boy and a girl. The Tang siblings clung to the wall of Desolate Fortress's Qizhou Branch.

They had only poked their heads out, apparently wanting to watch Jeong Yeon-shin fight. Yet they could not stand by and watch Sichuan's commoners defend the Thirteen Heavens.

The siblings had recently made names for themselves as peerless geniuses.

Those who lived close to Sichuan's martial world always kept facial-feature portraits of the Tang Sect's direct descendants, much as they would learn in advance where landslides and earthquakes often occurred.

Naturally, some recognized them.

"The Twin Dragons and Phoenixes of Poison...?"

"That's right. I've seen them before."

"Why would those noble young ones be at Desolate Fortress?"

Whispers rose through the crowd. The Tang Sect was feared, but it was still one branch of the Eight Great Families. It was renowned as an orthodox sect.

That meant it had the influence to make people reconsider the same matter.

The shift in atmosphere after the Tang siblings shouted was tangible.

The bearing of many in the crowd seemed to change, from hostility to watchful observation.

Interest even filled the air around them. Their thoughts were plain to see.

What could that boy accomplish? How far would the young swordsman's spirit reach?

Jeong Yeon-shin did not bother looking back.

A faint sigh from the siblings seemed to brush past the back of his head, but he had been measuring the gap between himself and the supreme masters even before speaking of corpses.

'Two leaders.'

He counted those who needed to die.

Fierce Sword of the Ten Perfect Sect, and the Saber Fist Demon of the Pure Demon Alliance.

They were as proud as masters of their realm. People like them would not abruptly join forces amid so many witnesses.

For masters, a martial artist's honor could sometimes take the place of practical gain.

This was a world where one's epithet was one's reputation.

Now that one boy had stepped forward and made his presence known, they could not pass through the gates unless they broke through Jeong Yeon-shin alone.

It was a good opportunity.

'The Martial Alliance, the Eight Great Families, the famine, the Thirteen Heavens...'

Jeong Yeon-shin recalled the names eyeing Desolate Fortress for an opening.

If he cut down the vanguards of the Ten Perfect Sect and Pure Demon Alliance here, they would suffer damage close to irreparable.

His martial prowess had reached the point where he could judge such things. Before he knew it, he had risen to that position.

"The young swordsman has made this place into Changban Slope. Zhang Fei Yide himself would have been no different."

A voice tinged with laughter came from the left.

Extreme Moon Sword smiled as though he found this entertaining. He was the young man attending Fierce Sword of the Ten Perfect Sect.

The crescent-bladed polearm on his back and the sword scabbard at his waist gleamed brightly, yet his bearing was calm, much like Fierce Sword's.

Those were often the more frightening kind.

Jeong Yeon-shin glanced at him, then turned away again as though looking at something insignificant.

The Saber Fist Demon of the Pure Demon Alliance stood before his focused gaze, arms at his sides.

The boy studied the Saber Fist Demon quietly.

'Saber Fist Demon. By Desolate Fortress standards, he is certainly a Black Uniform. I heard he is among the Pure Demon Alliance's strongest masters.'

Something about him was strange. Had he recognized the presence of the Dharma Light Wheel?

Jeong Yeon-shin did not care. Even without Bodhidharma's spirituality, the wheel was turning.

The light pouring from his heart was warm.

Step.

The firmly planted ground gave a faint sound. Grains of sand scattered beneath his foot.

He had stirred his energy. Qi spreading from the Yongquan acupoint began to create ripples.

It was the aura of the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel.

He had already seen everything.

He had firmly imprinted the Saber Fist Demon's and Fierce Sword's physical forms, postures, and auras into his mind.

The way they used their bodies was taking shape in his thoughts.

His upper dantian, nearing death, had joined with the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel to produce a peerless ability.

Crack!

"Fall back."

The Saber Fist Demon spoke briefly, directing it at his subordinates.

Whoosh!

The distance between them vanished at extreme speed.

Jeong Yeon-shin's movement technique, which had driven him forward with fury in the City of Master Craftsmen, had now become like a swift sword drawn straight from his body.

The fierce wind warped as though it were almost visible.

"...!"

Hummm.

As everyone stared in shock, sword resonance rang out. The Desolate Sword in the boy's hand slid from its scabbard.

He drew it with a trail of light. The rising slash flashed diagonally.

Clang!

The Saber Fist Demon struck the blade with his elbow. The sword grazed his abdomen, drawing blood as it passed.

Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes sharpened. The response had been remarkable.

'Strong.'

He had heard of him before.

They called him a Saber Demon because he was a demon who wielded a saber. They called him a Fist Demon because he was a fiend who used his fists just as well.

That was how the Saber Fist Demon had earned his epithet. He was one of the Pure Demon Alliance's main forces in the Thirteen Heavens, with fame that reached across the world.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not hesitate. He had appeared in the martial world wearing a Black Uniform robe. This was not a place for defeat.

Tap.

He brought the foot bracing him from behind forward. The gale still howled past his ears.

The instant he stepped in without fearing the close distance, his footwork naturally became True Step.

He planted his foot properly. It felt as though the earth's strength rising from below pierced his ankle. After the right fist came a left-handed fist art.

With the formula of Sihwa Boundless Hand, the wheel in his heart cast out radiance.

'True Barrier.'

He thrust forward from below his field of vision. The force wave of the straight, powerful fist shook even the front of Jeong Yeon-shin's robe.

Crunch!

Something caught against his fist.

The auspicious qi of the Dharma Light Wheel tore through the Saber Fist Demon's inner-energy armor.

The sensation was clear. His fist broke his ribs and grazed his side.

At the same time, Jeong Yeon-shin felt it near his ears. The expected shock disrupted his breath.

Having cultivated demonic arts, a master who could gain the upper hand against Jeong Yeon-shin in close combat would likely be able to discuss martial arts with even the Pure Demon Alliance Leader.

'I'll finish this here.'

Perhaps because he had been born with a short life, Jeong Yeon-shin preferred swift battles.

Or perhaps it was because of his talent for analyzing and predicting an opponent's forms.

Swish.

"Ugh...!"

It was unclear whether it was a groan or a battle cry.

As the Saber Fist Demon brought down his left fist, the boy's right fingertips swept along the hilt of the Desolate Sword.

He changed his hand form as naturally as flowing water. It took only an instant.

Leaving the Desolate Sword suspended in the air, he gripped its hilt fully in reverse. The sword point still faced forward.

It was a reverse-grip sword hold.

The instant he seized it, he slashed upward. The distance was so close that True Step had brought him nearly against the Saber Fist Demon.

The Saber Fist Demon's arm caught on the rising blade. In that single instant, Jeong Yeon-shin drove the blade upward with its force wave.

Splaaash! Clang!

A left arm fell amid an explosive spray of blood, while a fist struck Jeong Yeon-shin's shoulder hard enough to shatter it.

Whoooosh!

The fist's force wave was tremendous.

Jeong Yeon-shin's gradually lengthening hair scattered behind him. It felt as though a cutting wind struck his eyes.

Yet he felt no great impact. Before the pale qi shield of the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel, the demonic force wave faded away.

Even though Jeong Yeon-shin's defensive technique was still shallow.

The Saber Fist Demon's eyes widened as though they would split apart.

It was his final expression.

Destroy Evil, Reveal Righteousness. An energy that shattered evil and heretical ways and revealed the righteous order surged backward along his fist's force wave.

The Saber Fist Demon's body jolted to a stop. He had stiffened.

By then, Jeong Yeon-shin had lightly lifted the hilt and properly gripped it again.

The Saber Fist Demon's eyes shifted to the side. He seemed to have sensed the grip exactly.

But he was too late.

Slash!

A horizontal line was carved across his neck. A pure white trail flared like lightning.

Blood droplets scattered from the Desolate Sword's tip after it raced through that instant.

The Saber Fist Demon...

Could not overcome the Divine Technique that countered him.

Hearing something drop with a thud, Jeong Yeon-shin turned around.

The corpse was about to fall onto his back, so he pushed it away lightly with the back of his hand. A heavier impact soon traveled up through his feet.

"......"

The street fell silent. Extreme Moon Sword, who had spoken of Changban Slope, stared with wildly shaking eyes.

The Saber Fist Demon had not even drawn his saber once.

His body, tempered through extreme external arts, had not endured three sword strikes. It was a battle that brought silence.

Only to the boy had the outcome been natural.

'Good. I was able to remove one leader first.'

Jeong Yeon-shin thought as he lightly flicked the sword to cast off the blood.

He had wanted to break the Pure Demon Alliance's vanguard first.

Since only he knew the capabilities of the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel, he had believed he could take one life-and-death duel for free.

And he had succeeded.

In this moment, he had reduced the enemy's strength by nearly thirty percent.

'Wiping them out would be best.'

They were a band of evil and heretical martial artists. Considering Desolate Fortress's future, with enemies everywhere, it was right to cut off the limbs of these enemy major factions.

The elite masters of both sects had already died in the City of Master Craftsmen.

Those were the ones led by the Pure Demon Divine Hand and Sword Scorpion Demon. The enemies present here could only be considered replacement forces.

If even they disappeared, the Thirteen Heavens would no longer number thirteen.

'So this is what it is.'

Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly understood the symbolism and role of Desolate Fortress's Black Uniforms.

They were decisive-battle masters who could face the leaders of a major faction's elite group alone and deliver a fatal blow when fortune favored them.

It meant they could directly influence great groups that acted as local powers throughout the world.

"What..."

"That is monstrous."

"The Saber Fist Demon fell in a single exchange...!"

They said an exchange between supreme masters looked like a single move to ordinary people.

It was a crowded space where a single breath seemed to contain hundreds of inhales and exhales.

The gazes directed at Jeong Yeon-shin changed completely. Fear and awe mingled within them. Even the air felt different.

On one side, the Pure Demon Alliance masters revealed presences as deep as an abyss.

The smiles vanished from many faces. Yet they did not retreat.

Slowly.

They took one step at a time toward Jeong Yeon-shin, their oppressive presences flowing together as though they had formed a formation.

They were demonic people in every sense of the word. It felt as though the air itself had become a wall.

"He was one who could become Desolate Fortress's Divine Sword. You saw it, so do not treat him as a boy. Someone was right. That is a monster."

Fierce Sword of the Ten Perfect Sect muttered. Extreme Moon Sword remained silent.

Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes moved between them and the Pure Demon Alliance.

He could handle one of the two groups here.

Even with Fierce Sword remaining, something could be done if he were prepared to die. He now wore Ma Jin's long robe.

But he could not handle them all at once. His realm was still in the stage of laying the foundation of Black Uniform.

He lacked the strength to face a combined assault.

The Ten Perfect Sect.

Their side also gave off an aura that emerged sharply like blades.

After the Pure Demon Alliance, they looked ready to rush in at once. It seemed they had come to see Jeong Yeon-shin as a great enemy.

They believed this was no longer a situation where they could save face.

The Demon Wings seniors lying in their sickbeds might even use the Body Movement Scripture and rush out.

'That cannot happen.'

The Demon Wings were already close to beyond recovery. Their strength had been cut in half. That was why the remaining seniors' energy-circulating meditation had become even more important.

Therefore.

He needed another method.

Thud! Hummm!

Sounds rose from every direction. The vibrations of True Step and sword resonance tickled his robes.

Jeong Yeon-shin swiftly turned and swept his gaze in every direction.

As he tilted his head once, the boy's eyes flashed with white light.

A line born in his heart was etched into his vision.

It was the sword path he needed to swing.

The demonic martial artists rushing forward, clutching all kinds of weapons, had lost all dignity in their bearing.

The Pure Demon Alliance's Saber Fist Demon. They had lost a supreme master who had been their senior martial uncle or master before their eyes. The Pure Demon Alliance remnants were now avengers.

'One sword.'

He gripped the sword hilt tightly. It was the moment he imagined placing his consciousness within the blade.

His will traveled along the sword blade with his qi. The Desolate Sword was calling to him.

With sword power awakened alongside the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel.

He planted his feet firmly, spun half a turn, and struck with the sword. It was a horizontal slash. A trail of pure white light drew a curve.

Though he had swung it himself, it felt unbelievably solid.

Clangggg!

Every weapon in the demonic martial artists' hands shattered.

The sabers, swords, spears, and blades wielded by the Pure Demon Alliance masters broke apart.

The half-moon sword strike raced forward, warping into white light.

Jeong Yeon-shin clearly sensed their startled gasps. Turning with the Desolate Sword, he extended his other hand.

It was not over yet. There were still many enemies, and he had a way to break the situation.

Whoooosh!

The sound came from within him. The wheel in his heart spun sharply.

He operated different formulas through the Shaofu acupoint and Laogong acupoint in the center of his left palm.

Attraction and emission. As he drew in and expelled qi, the wheel's vortex burst through the acupoints in his left hand.

His arm suddenly stung. It was an immense fluctuation of power.

'It worked.'

Fragments of the weapons shattered by the Desolate Sword were caught up by a small gesture of his hand.

Iron shards soared into the clear sky. Their movement resembled a distant galaxy painted across the heavens.

Cold flower petals bloomed, each one etched into the blue sky.

They scattered sunlight in the air. Beams of sunlight streamed through the gaps in the hidden-weapon net.

Full Heaven Flower Rain.

Without even a secret manual.

He brought to life at his fingertips a Divine Technique he had only heard passed down by word of mouth.

The peak of complex and ever-changing martial arts became art.

At that moment, the crowd closed their lips instead of speaking. Their silence was filled with wonder.

Within the complete, frozen stillness, the iron fragments swept through the surroundings as though guarding the boy.

Groans began to ring out from every side.

They fell upon the crowns, shoulders, noses, and arms of those standing close to Jeong Yeon-shin, shattering them.

Blood sprayed alongside the radiant downpour.

At its center.

The boy thought.

'Sichuan Tang Clan.'

They were a sly lot. Even after arriving in Qizhou, they had hidden with a Concealment Art and watched.

Had they only half believed the Tang siblings' letter? If that was truly the case, all he had to do was demonstrate it before their eyes.

So he did.

The effect was immediate. Powerful auras came from pavilions along the broad roads stretching north, east, and west.

They had been hiding their presence faintly from the start.

"Tang Sect. I know you're here."

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke quietly.

Now he understood the value of Desolate Fortress's Black Uniform. His words and actions toward the outside world had gained weight.

"As an orthodox martial faction, you would do well to keep the Ten Perfect Sect's vermin in check."

The boy spoke slowly from the center of the swirling steel flower rain.

The black hems of his Black Uniform robe fluttered around him as Jeong Yeon-shin slowly finished.

"Pure Demon Alliance, come at me."

His calm voice alone rang out clearly.

Footnotes:

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