WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 173: Sword of Autumn
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The afterimage of pure white light swept past. The wind that had raged as though a typhoon had descended scattered.
There were not even screams. The silence only settled deeper.
Thirty more corpses had been added to the clearing along West Peak Road, accompanied by the stench rising from the dark crimson blood soaking the brush.
It was a sight that did not feel real.
In life, they had been elite masters leading the Heart Martial Union's martial forces.
“...”
A chilling silence settled over the clearing.
Every one of them had fallen to a single sword strike. Each corpse bore nothing but a single straight wound.
A swift battle was usually a tactic used by someone at a disadvantage against an enemy with more room to spare. Yet the outcome made it seem as though a carefree, peerless swordsman had cut them down.
By Desolate Fortress standards, they would have been a force evenly composed of Blue Uniform and White Uniform martial artists.
Shing.
The young swordsman standing alone at the center slowly sheathed his sword. His black sleeves rustled.
He was a Black Uniform martial artist of Desolate Fortress, the only supreme master present.
The young Leader of Demon Wings presided over the bleak scene.
Jegal Hyeon and Ak Ye-rim were speechless.
‘Was that force wave really released from his sword? Its trajectory was utterly strange. Unless he manifested his mental image into a sword path, how could swordsmanship like that exist beneath heaven...?’
‘What was that? What in the world was it?’
It was truly shocking.
They had broadened their horizons through countless sword arts at the Martial Alliance Assembly, yet they had never seen anything like it.
It did not feel like swordsmanship wielded by a person. Something strange, like the power of the elven race, seemed to have accompanied it.
As far as they knew, only one sword art beneath heaven had entered the realm of supernatural power.
The Namgung Family's Imperial Sword Art.
It was a sword art whose sword-strike force waves displayed the might of a one-man army.
They said even swordsmen of the elven race who freely controlled the wind could not escape the emperor's domain.
It was not only the sword art of the Namgung Family Head and the Namgung First Sword. The Imperial Sword Art cultivated by Clear Qilin Namgung Se-jin had also been called the finest of the younger generation.
A sword unmatched beneath heaven. A sword art that made its wielder seem inhuman.
Not anymore. It was no longer unique.
Mystery had bloomed from the high guard stance shown by the Leader of Demon Wings.
Even with the eye technique passed down through his family, Jegal Hyeon had not managed to analyze even thirty percent of it.
He did not even feel like trying. It felt as though he had witnessed Namgung Se-jin's legacy.
‘The Leader of Demon Wings succeeded the Clear Qilin, yet surpassed him.’
He had become an eternal rival. Namgung Se-jin's standing would rise without end from now on.
Snap.
Jegal Hyeon opened his fan wide and stared at Jeong Yeon-shin.
Was he organizing his martial insight? The boy had lowered his head, one hand resting on the hilt of his sheathed sword.
At his feet, a middle-aged man in black gloves lay sprawled with a stunned expression.
Even at the moment of death, the man had not understood the swordsmanship. He seemed only to have realized that he was absurdly weak.
Then he died.
“I've woven together one form.”
The boy opened his eyes and murmured quietly.
It was not something he needed to say aloud. The spirituality overflowing within him had drawn the words from his mouth.
For a moment, Jegal Hyeon doubted his ears.
‘Woven together?’
If he meant he had created that sword form here, then it belonged to the realm of the bizarre and supernatural.
It made no sense unless he was the reincarnation of Bodhidharma or Zhang Sanfeng.
For an instant, Jegal Hyeon even wondered whether he was the incarnation of the first Ming Cult Master, reborn through the cycle of reincarnation.
Ak Ye-rim also wore an unbelieving expression.
The boy paid no attention to their reactions.
Crack!
He kicked off the ground. Aura spread with a dull tremor.
He suddenly began sprinting with his lightness skill, and Jegal Hyeon and Ak Ye-rim hurried after him.
“Do you believe the Spirit Sky Sword Ghost headed for Sevenfold Gorge?” Jegal Hyeon asked.
Without turning his gaze, Jeong Yeon-shin nodded.
“The one in gloves was quite strong. Strong enough that an elder of the Heart Martial Union would entrust the rear to him.”
“Given that she still hasn't appeared, then surely...”
Jegal Hyeon's face darkened.
He could not help worrying about Moyong Myeong-jun and Gongsun Min.
Gongsun Min, in particular, was a young nobleman cherished by most martial artists at the assembly. Bright and kind by nature, he was liked by everyone.
It was worrying enough if Gongsun Min had been killed, but the repercussions for the Alliance Leader afterward were another problem.
Jegal Hyeon feared his father. The Family Head's cold devotion to the greater cause had weighed on him since childhood.
Only the Sword Star could restrain the Zhuge Family Head, whose nature resembled that of a heroic tyrant. Yet because he had ordered this mission, he might bear a grave fault.
They could only pray for heaven's favor.
“We have to trust the Languid Flame Dragon,” the young Leader of Demon Wings muttered.
Jegal Hyeon nodded.
Before Seom-ye appeared, Languid Flame Dragon had competed with the Clear Qilin for the title of best among the younger generation.
They had no choice but to trust the qi storage granted by the Sun God Meridian and his sharp senses.
‘I repeatedly told them to avoid a fight. If they approached carefully from the outskirts, they wouldn't have clashed.’
Whoooosh!
The boy ran like a gale, enduring the pain spreading through his insides.
It came from his lower dantian beneath the navel and the area around his heart.
They were the same internal injuries left after the Divine Sword Squad Leader overwhelmed the Namgung Family Head in a brief exchange. He had pushed himself too hard with an unfamiliar sword art.
He had wanted to end the battle quickly. The reason he had closed his eyes for a moment afterward was to settle those internal injuries.
The gloved master Jeong Yeon-shin had killed was likely the Spirit Sky Sword Ghost's chief disciple.
As he wielded his sword, he had begun to infer the Sword Ghost's movements. He had to bring the battle to a swift conclusion.
He had no choice when he thought of his companions.
He trusted the Languid Flame Dragon's aura sense.
Still, the Spirit Sky Sword Ghost's subordinates he had fought directly had been stronger than expected.
They would not be on the level of Hyeon Won-chang, who had hidden seventy percent of his true ability, but the thirty masters he had faced at the end were of a different caliber.
If Sevenfold Gorge was the same, he could not predict what variables might arise. It would not be strange if they were already facing the Spirit Sky Sword Ghost.
‘If the Little Sword Empress can display skill equal to Sword Dragon's, she can escape.’
Was it because they were both women, chief disciples, and wielders of peerless swordsmanship?
Weiji Myo-hwa of the Zhongnan Sect came to mind. Unlike Mount Hua Sect and Jeomchang Sect, she had not come to the assembly.
She might be somewhere now, walking the path of a wandering hero.
If there were many martial artists with hearts as kind as hers, even years of famine would be bearable.
Boom!
He increased the speed of his stride. The sensation of stones and dirt being crushed together thrust against his leather shoes. The movement was violent.
Wheel-like rotating force waves streamed out beneath his feet.
The two following him gradually fell behind. The difference in their martial arts was laid bare.
‘No!’
Ak Ye-rim bit her lip, recalling the letter she had once received from her aunt.
Desolate Divine Spear Ak Su-rim.
She had been dumbfounded when Ak Su-rim spoke of a boy not even twenty as a young husband.
Now that she had seen the Leader of Demon Wings today, she understood. He fully possessed the status of a Black Uniform. Given Ak Su-rim's eccentric nature, she might have meant it sincerely.
‘I need to see more of his character...’
She had just witnessed swordsmanship that reminded her of a deceased beloved. A single strike that seemed to honor the Clear Qilin's soul.
The Leader of Demon Wings' words came back to her anew. He had said that even when he became Purple Uniform one day, he would treat her as an equal.
She wanted to see more. She needed to see more.
Flap!
Yet the Leader of Demon Wings' black long robe kept moving without pause. His speed was too great to catch.
All Ak Ye-rim could do was feel the wind brushing past his black hem.
A dazed expression filled her face.
At this moment, she could neither reach out to call him nor grab hold of him. The boy's retreating figure receded heedlessly.
‘At the grand founding ceremony, I will...!’
Ak Ye-rim's lashes partly covered her eyes.
She was in no position to follow him now. She decided to wait for another time.
Boom!
Unconcerned, Jeong Yeon-shin poured strength into the Yongquan acupoint on the soles of his feet.
Though he intended to repay Jegal Hyeon for the martial insight he had received, he did not look back.
“The Spirit Sky Sword Ghost's epithet differs by region and sect! In the Heart Martial Union and throughout Henan, he is also called the Sword Venerable! His sword path's flow is bound to be more seasoned than yours, Squad Leader, so I believe you should trust your senses over experience!”
At last, the cry of Immortal Dragon Jegal Hyeon rang out behind him.
Two days passed like that.
He ran alone through two days and nights. Even he was surprised by his own stamina.
The inner-energy endurance granted by the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel was truly tremendous. It had fully harmonized with the body trained through the Jeong Family Youth Technique.
He could clearly feel his body racing toward completion as it grew.
The boy reached a winding cliff formed by enormous stone walls. He stood atop one side of a low hill as fierce winds swept over him.
The hair he kept for the Lord of Desolate Fortress's enjoyment fluttered with his black hem.
His view opened wide.
Dusk was falling over the endlessly twisting gorge below.
The rays of crimson twilight felt especially cold.
‘This is the place.’
The boy stared ahead.
The fortified positions he had seen along West Peak Road stood atop each peak.
They were heavily guarded.
They had even raised banners like army troops. How could a Feudal Prince support something so close to rebellion and remain unharmed?
It would not have been strange for the imperial court to label him a traitor.
They said that once one became a Black Uniform, it was difficult to remain free of politics. Since he would need to watch his conduct, it was worth considering.
‘Not now.’
Jeong Yeon-shin stepped forward without hesitation and climbed the nearest peak.
It was the lowest fortification at the entrance to Sevenfold Gorge.
Wind striking the gorge shook five barracks. A massive stone wall rose on one side.
They noticed him at once. He had not bothered to hide.
“An intruder. Some brat?”
“Idiot! Can't you see? That's the character for Desolate!”
“Isn't that a Desolate Fortress Squad Leader...?”
“The Leader of Demon Wings! It's Seom-ye, the Leader of Demon Wings!”
Whoosh!
Fifteen or so Heart Martial Union martial artists armed with spears and swords appeared in an instant.
Each landed on the rocky ground with swift Body Movement Scripture footwork.
Their coordinated movements created a powerful headwind. The hem of Jeong Yeon-shin's black robe, though he stood still, whipped violently.
“Reinforcements have come early, while the Sword Venerable is still enjoying himself.”
“Reinforcements. An apt description. If he is Black Uniform of Desolate Fortress, he can be called a one-man army. Does that not mean he alone possesses strength equal to our entire group?”
The martial soldiers in leather armor spoke with strange ease in their expressions.
Though they were soldiers in the Heart Martial Union's forces, they were martial artists trained in mnemonic formulas at heart. There was a minimum degree of refinement in their speech.
“Hide, young Black Uniform. For now, we fear your martial arts enough to let you go.”
“The Sword Venerable is a truly terrifying supreme master. A newly appointed Squad Leader like you will find it difficult to sustain a long exchange.”
“Though Desolate Fortress's walls may be high, they cannot match our union's spirit. These fortifications embracing the cliffs of Sevenfold Gorge will soon...”
It happened in an instant.
The black hem closed the distance of three zhang in a flash. Jeong Yeon-shin seized one soldier by the face.
The man had been babbling anything he could to buy time. He had not even perceived the speed of Wind Body.
“...!”
Shock spread in every direction.
Tremendous power surged from the palm covering the soldier's face. Part of the peak shook violently.
A deep hum followed. The fierce wind in the gorge resonated with the force wave of his palm art.
Streams of swirling force mercilessly tore apart the advice to hide.
Wooooong!
They had said the Sword Venerable was enjoying himself. That meant he was pressuring Jeong Yeon-shin's companions.
Even the time of one breath was too precious.
Boom!
He kicked off the ground, still gripping the man's face. With the wind brushing past his cheek, he slammed the soldier's head into the side of the stone wall.
The heavy tremor reached his feet. Overwhelming strength stirred in the boy's right hand.
At last, fear crossed the soldier's face.
“Please, reconsider...!”
Jeong Yeon-shin did not listen.
He drove the mnemonic formula of Radiant River to its end. The Blood Arts and dharma power infused into the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel surged to their peak in an instant.
Then he unleashed the mnemonic formula in his palm.
Blue veins writhed across the back of his hand. Irresistible power exploded like lightning.
Kwoooooong!
With a deafening roar, one side of the gorge shook as a whole. Cracks raced across the solid cliff.
The tremendous explosive force turned into echoes and rang out in all directions.
It was the Leader of Demon Wings calling for the Spirit Sky Sword Ghost.
Footnotes:
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