Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time - Chapter 128

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 128: Azure Flame

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At Poison Commander Dang Un-hwang’s words, a white rain of flowers rose in reverse.

The moment his wrist turned, it cleaved through the air.

The starlight revealed against the blue sky seemed to hold sharpness. The force rushing sideways was immense.

Papapapak!

Groans rang out.

They came from the Pure Demon Alliance’s demonic martial artists who had been hovering around Jeong Yeon-shin.

As though struck repeatedly by tiny cannons, all six bodies jerked wildly in every direction. It was a truly horrifying sight.

One move.

With a single move, he had shredded the Pure Demon Alliance’s experts.

The lifeless corpses collapsed, forming another pool of blood.

Murmurs praising the Tang Family Head’s martial prowess rose from the crowd.

‘No.’

Yeon-shin thought.

For an instant, he saw Dang Un-hwang’s Adam’s apple twitch. He had used every ounce of his strength.

To slaughter Thirteen Heavens experts with an injured body? It made no sense unless he had overexerted himself to establish his authority at this moment.

“Family Head!”

“My deepest congratulations!”

Martial artists in green uniforms appeared throughout the main road.

Anyone could see they were Tang Sect experts.

Those who had privately sympathized with the Family Head’s plight changed sides after witnessing Full Heaven Flower Rain firsthand.

The Supreme Family Head said nothing.

He simply stood there, watching both the Full Heaven Flower Rain he had sought to achieve through a lifetime of effort and his heartless son.

“...How are we supposed to fight after seeing that?”

A hollow laugh escaped Fierce Sword Gal Sa-ryang.

As though the tension compressed to its limit had suddenly unraveled, Qizhou’s main road grew noisy.

Rare sights, seldom seen even in the martial world, had unfolded one after another. Most of the crowd no longer seemed concerned with who would win or lose.

Even the voices had changed.

“What an elegant sight.”

“Seniors and juniors forging a bond through a Divine Technique and ultimate art... We may never see anything like this again. I’m glad I came.”

“If the Tang Sect ends up like this, a storm will rage through the Patrol Office for a while. The Family Head has returned. The Supreme Family Head won’t remain idle, but even so, against Full Heaven Flower Rain...”

“Seom-ye of Desolate Fortress. I vaguely remember hearing of him. I never thought he was a Black Uniform supreme expert.”

“It’s truly hard to believe.”

The street buzzed with noise. The biting wind that had swept through the main road scattered.

Along with the people’s breath, a clamorous, humid summer wind seemed to blow in.

They had witnessed a rare spectacle.

Before anyone realized it, the street had come alive. Some boy had manifested Full Heaven Flower Rain, a symbol of Sichuan’s martial world.

Sichuan was exclusive because of its basin terrain? At that moment, those who saw Jeong Yeon-shin were desperate to touch even the hem of his robes.

The Ten Perfect Sect martial artists felt it clearly.

“Hey, Seom-ye.”

Gal Sa-ryang suddenly called out. When Yeon-shin turned, the Fierce Sword’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“Will you let us go?”

“...”

It was practically a declaration of surrender. Extreme Moon Sword, standing beside him, turned with a shocked expression.

There had never been a precedent of major factions like the Thirteen Heavens and Nine Sects raising a white flag.

Only during the transition from Yuan to Ming had some families surrendered to Mongol forces launching a counterattack.

Because of that, they were mocked for preserving their strength yet still possessing less overall martial power than the Nine Sects.

It was a matter of the martial world’s upper echelons, but the Ten Perfect Sect belonged to that sphere as well.

“Bong Gong! You must think carefully!”

“Even the Tang Family Head and Seom-ye are difficult enough to handle. Though the Poison Commander has fallen from grace, he is still the Family Head of one of the Eight Great Families.

“Even if I could stop Dang Un-hwang, what would you do about Seom-ye? Even setting Full Heaven Flower Rain aside, he would still be difficult. It seems Pure Demon Divine Hand was killed by him as well. With the Tang Sect involved, is this a situation where we can discuss our chances of victory?”

Gal Sa-ryang asked in an old-fashioned tone.

It was enough to silence everyone.

Extreme Moon Sword closed his mouth and fixed Jeong Yeon-shin in his gaze.

Unbelievable martial strength, and he had even drawn the Tang Family Head to his side.

He had never expected Poison Commander Dang Un-hwang to call him Master. He was one of the Eight Family Heads. That should not have happened.

‘A strange event... It truly is strange. Something that could never happen anywhere else.’

His earlier words comparing him to Zhang Fei had been wrong. That bastard Seom-ye had gone even further.

It was like summoning overwhelming reinforcements to Changban Slope.

His own martial strength was also enough to mention Zhang Fei here. He was not merely a rising junior.

The boy stood calmly beside the Tang Family Head, who had displayed Full Heaven Flower Rain.

The hem of his black robes fluttered amid ripples of inner energy, standing out sharply.

‘How?’

How had he built such martial arts at that age?

He had reached a level where he could conquer an entire prefecture beyond a single county. He had entered the stage of discussing the world through martial strength.

Even the heirs of great families, who consumed spiritual medicine as casually as meals, could not do that.

The maturity of one’s inner-energy control and the completeness of one’s forms were separate from the amount of qi storage.

Extreme Moon Sword’s thoughts ultimately converged on one point.

Talent. It was talent.

He possessed something unreasonable. Even saying he had been born with martial talent unseen in a thousand ages was not enough.

Monster was the right word. Extreme Moon Sword thought so.

Then he felt something unfamiliar in his chest. It was his middle dantian.

His heart was pounding wildly on its own.

Was this jealousy?

The Ten Perfect Sect’s promising talent asked himself. The answer came at once.

It was jealousy. It coiled and rose like a serpent.

The heart of an unorthodox rising talent who contended for the title of greatest under heaven among his peers was now stirring with sinister aura, befitting the martial lineage of the Demonic Sect.

‘Myriad Essences Unified Origin Art.’

It was the Ten Perfect Sect’s martial art.

A qi technique that allowed one to wield all eighteen kinds of weapons with complete freedom. Its strength lay not in qi storage, but in the flexibility of inner-energy control.

Extreme Moon Sword was the legitimate eldest son of the Ten Perfect Sect Master.

Thanks to spiritual medicine, he possessed all the qi storage needed to bring the Myriad Essences Unified Origin Art to great completion.

That meant his inner power was comparable to Fierce Sword Gal Sa-ryang’s.

Step.

Seom-ye Jeong Yeon-shin had yet to answer Gal Sa-ryang.

Extreme Moon Sword So Jin-rang’s footsteps rang out amid ripples of inner energy.

The ground crumpled like mud, making a weak sound.

Gal Sa-ryang spoke toward So Jin-rang’s back.

“Jin-rang. What are you doing?”

“I cannot follow your decision, Bong Gong. I would rather die than lose my honor. Shouldn’t I at least test our arts against each other once? That boy seems to have learned an extraordinary qi technique, so I wish to compete only in the subtleties of our forms, without inner energy.”

“...”

“If we are surrendering anyway, I have nothing to lose if I am defeated. If I win, I may preserve at least a little of my pride.”

So Jin-rang answered in an even tone, still walking with steps that crushed the earth.

Gal Sa-ryang did not stop him. His expression was calm, as if he had expected this.

If they had been filled only with people who united for the sect’s practical interests, they would not have been the Demonic Sect in the first place.

They would not have been classified among the Thirteen Heavens either.

They were the Thirteen Heavens because they lived as they pleased outside the Great Ming Code, and they were the Ten Perfect Sect because they chose from every sort of weapon and were constantly fickle.

If they were wiped out, so be it.

The Fierce Sword changed his mind. Like Extreme Moon Sword, he would face this situation with a madman’s mindset.

Strangely, he felt at ease. He really had been born of the Demonic Sect.

‘As expected...’

Seom-ye had to die here. Fierce Sword narrowed his eyes.

“Will you accept?”

So Jin-rang asked quietly. He stood five steps in front of Jeong Yeon-shin.

Without fear, he had pushed through the Tang Family Head’s Full Heaven Flower Rain.

Dang Un-hwang lightly waved a hand and opened a path for him.

He looked up at Jeong Yeon-shin with the eyes of the Family Head of one of the Eight Great Families.

His eyes seemed to contain swirling dark lightning.

“How to deal with such a trivial provocation is yours to decide as well. Give your command, Master. I will follow your will.”

His manner of speaking had changed.

Yeon-shin felt a sense of déjà vu. After the Blood Flame Sect and the Returning Wings Squad, it was happening again.

Only the forms of address differed. Grand Preceptor, founding master, Master... Their meanings were all connected. It felt strange every time he heard them.

‘It’s not as though I’ve lived long.’

He had only made a few alterations or created things as needed. Receiving such respect did not feel wholly comfortable.

As the Blood Flame Sect’s Grand Preceptor, Yeon-shin had even had his freedom restricted.

If not for the Seventh Apostle, he would not have been able to remain safely at the Blood Flame Sect’s main headquarters.

‘Though the Seventh Apostle was also the one who took me there.’

Shaking off the thought, Yeon-shin stepped forward.

The eyes of the Supreme Family Head, who had stood blankly until then, flashed for an instant, but the boy walked straight past the old man in golden robes.

It was now Poison Commander Dang Un-hwang’s matter to handle.

At the same time, the flower rain of Full Heaven Flower Rain settled. Dang Un-hwang had withdrawn his qi.

“Let’s settle this.”

Yeon-shin spoke as he faced Extreme Moon Sword So Jin-rang amid the falling iron fragments.

“The Pure Demon Alliance has been annihilated. Only your Ten Perfect Sect remains. What do I gain by accepting your proposal?”

The boy spoke calmly as he organized his thoughts.

If the Pure Demon Alliance Leader refused to bow now, a full-scale battle would be unavoidable. That was fine.

With the Tang Sect’s strength, he could destroy the weakened Pure Demon Alliance.

The Ten Perfect Sect’s situation was better.

He had heard of Extreme Moon Sword. Before coming to an unfamiliar land on a mission, he had looked into Sichuan’s martial-world situation.

If he sent the sect master’s son back alive, would the Ten Perfect Sect Master not hesitate, at least a little?

‘If I use that delay...’

Facing the two great sects of the Thirteen Heavens at once would be burdensome.

He had to minimize the sacrifices of the Returning Wings Squad and Demon Wings.

Starting today, Jeong Yeon-shin intended to roam Sichuan’s martial world alone for a while.

It was still right to let Extreme Moon Sword live.

Fierce Sword, standing behind him, seemed to have noticed Yeon-shin’s intentions. His peculiar expression revealed it.

Extreme Moon Sword So Jin-rang before him was different. He was the son of a leader of the Thirteen Heavens.

Had he always judged gains and losses with himself at the center? The sight of him frowning was absurd.

Yeon-shin could almost hear the gears turning in his head.

“I asked why I should compete against someone beneath me.”

The boy spoke. His voice cut through the unfamiliar air.

The atmosphere on Qizhou’s main road, now turned into a festival ground, felt strange. The air against his skin was hot.

Yeon-shin stepped among the people who watched his reactions, hoping to approach him even slightly.

The commoners flinched. The local martial artists did the same. They had no idea what he intended.

Then.

“...I’ll give you a treasure map and the Poison-Avoiding Pearl.”

So Jin-rang spoke through clenched teeth.

“A treasure map?”

“It is a treasure sought by the Pure Demon Alliance. There is said to be the tomb of an unnamed Ming Cult Master. The Heavenly Demon, that is.”

Breaths were drawn in from every direction. Had he intended this?

These people were not the kind one could deal with carelessly. It seemed troublesome matters were about to arise.

Yeon-shin accepted a green comma-shaped jade ornament from him.

Swish.

He placed only his index finger against the old paper. There was no tension in the gesture.

At the same time, smoke rose from his fingertips. It was the flame of Samadhi True Fire.

It flared like a small wildfire and swallowed the treasure map. Yeon-shin increased his inner power further so everyone could see.

Whoosh!

“Huh?”

“Th-that precious thing!”

Laments rose from all around. So Jin-rang’s expression was worth seeing as well.

“Trying to play tricks.”

Yeon-shin muttered as he burned the paper.

His tone resembled Hyeon Won-chang’s and Languid Flame Dragon’s, but the boy deliberately did not acknowledge it.

They said the people of the martial world would do anything to obtain powerful martial arts.

Accepting the Heavenly Demon’s treasure map openly? That was a path to making himself a target.

The boy memorized it with a glance. The map glimpsed in that instant was etched into his mind.

It was thanks to his upper dantian, which now blazed white-hot whenever needed.

He slowly parted his lips.

“Let’s begin.”

“Face me without inner energy, using only forms. I will show you that the mysteries of our martial arts are no inferior to Desolate Fortress’s.”

So Jin-rang quickly composed his expression.

Did he think he would win? Yeon-shin gave a vague nod.

* * *

One shichen later.

His breathing was ragged. The pounding of his heart was louder than his exhalations.

Sichuan’s ground, soft as mire, felt harder than ever. He was anxious, unbearably anxious.

So Jin-rang was fleeing in humiliation. Completely alone.

How had it come to this? He had never imagined things would become so tangled.

A monster had come from Desolate Fortress in Xiangyang.

Seom-ye Jeong Yeon-shin was sharper and more troublesome than the branches scratching So Jin-rang’s entire body.

He had never even considered it.

‘I’m afraid.’

Extreme Moon Sword admitted his feelings.

At the same time, he made up his mind. He would inform every major faction of the Thirteen Heavens about the young expert named Seom-ye.

‘He possesses the energy of Destroy Evil, Reveal Righteousness. He is a Black Uniform expert capable of commanding a martial force from Desolate Fortress, and he has even gained the Tang Sect’s support.’

Once he put it together, it was overwhelming. Seom-ye was not someone they could leave alone.

Recently, he had heard that some orthodox sects, including the Eight Great Families, were forming a Martial Alliance.

Desolate Fortress’s destruction of the Huangbo Family and slaughter of the Namgung Family’s direct line were said to be the cause, but they would not be friendly toward the unorthodox sects either.

The Thirteen Heavens could not continue standing apart from one another.

So Jin-rang thought he should first report every detail to his father, then argue forcefully.

A wild mountain already darkened by the gathering dusk.

The top of a tree entered his vision. It had not merely passed through his sight.

An overwhelming presence had forcibly drawn his gaze upward.

“I don’t like your eyes.”

A smooth voice rang out. It came from so high above that he had to crane his neck to its limit.

A woman stood on a thin branch. Her hair, fluttering in the mountain wind, was deeply black.

Her face was as white as snow and beautiful enough to seem bewitching.

She wore a black eyepatch embroidered with golden thread over one eye, while the other was red as a ruby.

So Jin-rang opened his mouth blankly.

“An Apostle...?”