WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 262: Ascent (12)
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Sunlight shattered, clear and bright.
“...”
The snow-covered ridge was noisily silent.
Dawn-bright energy rippled everywhere. Radiance flowed from the sword embedded before the Leader of Demon Wings’ feet, spreading through the surroundings.
The glowing mist rose as high as the character for Desolation on the shoulder, faint and sacred.
The silence of the martial artists around them was anything but calm.
It was as though every emotion of those standing there had seeped into the air. Their expressions alone showed it.
Some kept their mouths shut, while others raised their brows or parted their lips blankly. Yet it was difficult to sense any hostility from them.
They were simply confused. Murmurs full of hesitation and shock drifted through the air.
“Desolate Fortress, the Leader of Demon Wings...!”
“The one who dominated the Martial Alliance Assembly’s grand founding ceremony?”
“What is this... A great figure has appeared out of nowhere...”
The man reclining atop the palanquin was not the foremost object of attention.
It could not have been otherwise.
A supreme master had emerged from Desolate Fortress, the martial world’s military. A treasured sword only seventeen years old had appeared before everyone’s eyes.
A Black Uniform Squad Leader of Desolate Fortress. To those whom even Blue Uniform experts feared and struggled to face, the Leader of Demon Wings was no different from Yama himself.
“That black long robe... Is it really him? He’s far too young...”
“They say the Ming Cult’s Young Sect Master traveled throughout the Thirteen Heavens at about that age and survived.”
“Enough. The current Leader of Demon Wings’ reputation is no less impressive.”
“That’s right. He defeated and slew the Thirteen Heavens’ core supreme masters in Sichuan. They say he even overcame the Sword Absolute, Cheon Ju-jin. He accomplished all that in a single year.”
“We don’t need to worry too much, right? I swear I’ve never harmed common people...”
“You junior martial brothers, snap out of it! We’re facing a Black Uniform martial artist of Desolate Fortress! Back up! Get back!”
The panic lasted only briefly.
Their reactions gradually became clearer. Depending on the faction they belonged to and the martial lineage they had inherited, the difference was like night and day.
The martial artists of orthodox sects were shocked and somewhat wary, but most stopped there.
The faction between orthodox and unorthodox, along with the Demonic Sect, were different.
Whether they feigned calm or looked nearly terrified, they all stepped back.
More than a hundred people crunched over the snow. How many steps they retreated did not matter. It was not a laughable sight.
They believed at once that this was the Leader of Demon Wings because their discernment and aura sense were highly developed.
Every one of them was skilled enough to recognize the identity immediately.
People who feared Desolate Fortress’s extermination. People the Divine Sword Squad of Desolate Fortress might deem worthy of killing.
“Quite a bumper crop of public enemies.”
Jeong Yeon-shin muttered calmly.
Whenever a mission was assigned to a Squad Leader, information on the martial artists active in that region was sent first.
The Chief Steward’s Office of Desolate Fortress prepared a book to be read once and burned. It contained all manner of information.
Facial-feature portraits, martial lineages and factions, martial arts considered their ultimate techniques, even nearby martial artists known to be their acquaintances.
It was not detailed. It held only as much information as a local might possess, based on intelligence sent by nearby government offices.
Even so, grim rumors surrounded the Squad Leaders of Desolate Fortress.
If the Hao Clan produced a dignified and powerful supreme master, that person would be no different from the Black Uniform martial artists of the Divine Sword Squad.
To the Demonic Sect and black-path martial artists, it could only be that way.
A stranger would act as though already acquainted with them, yet in truth, it was like Yama, having already passed judgment, reaching out with a joint lock.
“I-I’m going down the mountain.”
“Quiet... Let’s go together.”
A considerable number of those gathered in the grim crowd shifted back. Keeping a wary eye on Jeong Yeon-shin, they slowly descended.
They valued staying alive over the thousand-year-old he shou wu. The crowd that had seemed ready to form an encirclement completely dispersed.
About a hundred people remained: those unaffiliated with the Demonic Sect and groups from the Thirteen Heavens. They studied one another while glancing at the Leader of Demon Wings, tension plain on their faces.
The isolated ridge of Mount Taebaek entered a new phase.
Jeong Yeon-shin paid no mind to those fleeing. Without Demon Wings, it would be difficult to capture even such insignificant people. Jeong Yeon-shin needed to attend to the most important matter befitting a Black Uniform martial artist.
“Do you have something to say to this Squad Leader?”
Over the Beast King Sect Leader’s shoulder, Jeong Yeon-shin stared at the young man draped across the palanquin.
The noble young master’s lips curled faintly, as though watching the most entertaining part of a Peking opera.
The source of the sorcery. The one who had spoken of a scheme targeting Jeong Yeon-shin.
There was a reason Jeong Yeon-shin knew what was happening. The Heaven-Displaying Eye Technique had pierced the aura barrier they had set up, catching even their rapidly moving lips.
The speed of lip-speech meant nothing before eyes that watched over the people. Jeong Yeon-shin had read every word the young master uttered.
“A sprout, yes.”
The noble young master moved his lips.
“It seems you’re a sprout of the World Tree. Impressive.”
From afar, the young master finished speaking and raised the corner of his mouth even further.
The young master leaned his upper body back and let one hand hang from the palanquin’s armrest. The posture looked somewhat frivolous, and deliberately so.
The Leader of Demon Wings slowly parted his lips.
“That posture is bad for your lower back... With conduct like that, you will not rise. A low-level martial artist should not temper his body that way.”
“...”
Jeong Yeon-shin remained calm throughout. He was now a young martial artist who had fought his share of fierce battles.
Jeong Yeon-shin was poor at provoking another’s anger, but not gullible enough to fall for every provocation. Jeong Yeon-shin was no child.
Then it happened.
“You there.”
A thick voice rang out.
It came from the man standing directly before Jeong Yeon-shin, Wi Se-hyeok, the Beast King Sect Leader.
Wi Se-hyeok furrowed his brow as a powerful aura rose from his entire body, carrying the presence of someone fit to stand at the center of the Thirteen Heavens’ scheme.
It was as though Wi Se-hyeok were declaring that great figures did not emerge only from major factions.
“I watched in silence, and your arrogance is excessive. Where are you looking, Leader of Demon Wings?”
“Step back.”
Jeong Yeon-shin spoke almost under his breath. He was addressing Jang Sun-il and the Bukgung siblings behind him.
Unlike Jang Sun-il, who openly showed signs of terror, Bukgung Rin and Bukgung Hu’s breathing remained exceptionally steady.
Was it because they came from an Ice Palace in the distant frozen lands? They could not possibly be unfamiliar with Desolate Fortress, yet they reacted as though this was only to be expected. They were indeed dignitaries of a noble clan.
Bukgung Rin’s voice brushed against Jeong Yeon-shin’s ear.
“We’ll look after the guide boy.”
“Traveling companion, focus on displaying your martial arts. This looks dangerous, but we have no intention of turning our backs on you.”
Those were Bukgung Hu’s words. Their way of thinking differed from that of the Central Plains people.
The trust born from an insignificant campfire was firmer than Jeong Yeon-shin had thought. Their friendship might be as precious as the thousand-year-old he shou wu.
The noble siblings of the Ice Palace slowly retreated with Jang Sun-il.
“Thank you.”
After offering brief thanks, Jeong Yeon-shin stepped forward.
At the same time, Wi Se-hyeok, the Beast King Sect Leader, swung both arms wide.
A tumultuous aura spread colorlessly from his solid orange sleeves. It was a wave of inner power that filled the silence with violent ripples.
Jeong Yeon-shin’s blue eyes swept over him.
‘His inner energy isn’t inclined to either side. His foundation is deep. His opening stance and every muscle in his body are tightly built. He may be strong in a prolonged fight.’
The conclusion was clear.
He was a powerful opponent with no weakness to the compatibility of inner energy, someone whose overall martial prowess was solid.
He had been selected specifically to face Seom-ye, the Leader of Demon Wings.
They had practically targeted Jeong Yeon-shin, who had built his strength quickly and excelled in short battles. Wi Se-hyeok was not weak against martial arts imbued with dharma power, either. It was a meticulous arrangement.
‘I’ll win.’
The problem lay elsewhere. This would not be a life-and-death duel between only the two of them. They would not lay a trap and insist on a one-on-one fight.
Jeong Yeon-shin gripped the hilt of the Northern Light Sword embedded in the ground and slowly drew it up.
“Come.”
The moment he spoke,
Boom!
Wi Se-hyeok was not the only one who charged.
“Attack!”
“Kill him here!”
Jeong Yeon-shin had fallen into a carefully arranged battle formation. They showed not the slightest carelessness in facing the Leader of Demon Wings. Dozens of people surrounding Jeong Yeon-shin closed in all at once.
It was a combined-attack encirclement composed of elite experts from the Tyrant Sword Sect, Blood Flame Sect, and Yeoryeong. Terrifying auras sliced at Jeong Yeon-shin’s skin.
Bang!
Jeong Yeon-shin struck aside the Beast King Sect Leader’s fist with the back of his hand. A heavy shockwave burst forth.
Surprise flickered through Wi Se-hyeok’s eyes. He had failed to immediately dispel the aftermath of a strike containing the power of the light wheel.
The Beast King Sect Leader took a short step back, revealing that he had lost that exchange.
Shaaak!
At the same time, force waves poured in from all eight directions.
They were strikes from the combined-attack martial artists. Sword wind and metal weapons came stabbing in from every direction, leaving no opening for a follow-up attack. Their resonating hum was like a swarm of bees.
Jeong Yeon-shin’s black robe fluttered in that instant. Jeong Yeon-shin drew the Northern Light Sword inward and held it horizontally.
A fierce wind erupted from Jeong Yeon-shin’s entire body, pushing back the force waves crashing toward him. Judging the Qilin. Wind Body and the bearing of a sovereign.
“Fall back!”
Just as the Beast King Sect Leader kicked back and shouted,
Jeong Yeon-shin’s sword flashed silver like a streak of a whirlwind.
Jeong Yeon-shin spun and returned in an instant, his form seeming to break apart into slow, fragmented motions. They were afterimages. Even the aura surrounding his body could not keep up with his speed.
Clang, clang, clang!
Jeong Yeon-shin’s fast swordsmanship, several levels beyond theirs, shattered every weapon attacking from all directions. One after another, people gripped weapons reduced to hilts and vomited blood.
They had taken the full backlash of Jeong Yeon-shin’s Force Projection.
Six of the eight men collapsed in an instant.
Jeong Yeon-shin extended his left hand.
The fragments of blades falling through the air stopped in midair. It was the prelude to Myriad Flowers Rain.
“Rear guard!”
The Beast King Sect Leader shouted.
The second line moved in swiftly. It resembled the tactics of spearmen and shield bearers in an army.
People wrapped in denser, sturdier auras closed in. They seemed to be wearing thin armor beneath their martial attire.
At Jeong Yeon-shin’s brief gesture, steel petals scattered in every direction.
Crash, crash, crash!
They embedded themselves with dull impacts. The men’s bodies faltered.
Were they people who mainly cultivated the Protective Qi Technique? The wide-range secret art, unleashed without preparation, did not kill them outright. Their faces twisted in pain, revealing only slight traces of blood.
Jeong Yeon-shin’s gaze darkened briefly.
‘They know how I fight.’
The elites of the Thirteen Heavens had come prepared.
Whooom!
The Beast King Sect Leader tore through the air once more and chopped down with a hand blade.
It was a properly prepared attack while the front and rear lines held Jeong Yeon-shin in place. The force wave gathered along his hand blazed colorlessly as it swelled.
The energy of the Beast King Sect’s Beast King Phoenix Body Technique appeared far more powerful than the Chief Steward’s Office had described.
Naturally. Wi Se-hyeok was the Thirteen Heavens’ lackey entrusted with their vanguard.
Bang!
Faint shockwaves burst in every direction. While activating Radiant River, Jeong Yeon-shin drove his palm upward into the Beast King Sect Leader’s hand blade.
A monstrous recoil exploded, crumpling the man’s hand inward. The sensation of bones being crushed to pieces transmitted directly through Jeong Yeon-shin’s palm.
“Aargh!”
As Wi Se-hyeok, the Beast King Sect Leader, grimaced, spears and blades from all eight directions surged in again without pause.
Killing intent flowed from the faces of the Thirteen Heavens experts gripping spear shafts and sword hilts.
Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes shone blue as they moved from side to side.
Jeong Yeon-shin’s vivid blue eyes left faint afterimages, and the Leader of Demon Wings’ black long robe billowed as though dancing. Having seen through every trajectory, Jeong Yeon-shin spun with the movements of Wind Body.
Jeong Yeon-shin smashed apart a spear shaft flashing before his eyes with his left hand, then used the even faster Judging the Qilin to slash across the chests of the two men to his right in a single stroke.
Slaaash!
The afterimage of the silver sword path lingered, long and distorted. The power of the light wheel was densely contained within it.
‘Your uncle will get to you soon.’
Within the trajectory of his sword strike, Jeong Yeon-shin thought of his niece, Jeong Hye.
Footnotes:
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