Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time - Chapter 326

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 326: Shaking Heaven (5)

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Was some monstrous demon from the Classic of Mountains and Seas pounding against a mountain peak?

The waves battering the cave came in layer after layer, terrifyingly violent. Powerful shockwaves burst without pause.

The Assassins' Sect disciples, who had been murmuring as they transcribed sound transmissions, stopped their brushes completely.

Fear of the incomprehensible seemed to seep through the underground plaza.

Boom! Boom! Crash!

One by one, the aura of the sound transmissions relaying news from above vanished. It happened with terrifying speed.

The waves of martial power that had filled the air like concentric ripples on a translucent surface disappeared without a trace.

It did not feel like something a person could create. It was closer to a fragment of calamity.

"So he has come after all. Liaodong's strongest and greediest peerless swordsman..."

The Slayer Hero, Geum Jon-hwi, muttered in an old-fashioned tone, as though reciting a tale.

Perhaps it was his own way of finding mirror-still composure. It was fitting for the older brother of the Imperial Hero, who always did what needed to be done even in desperate situations.

Even then, Jeong Yeon-shin did not take his eyes off the Moyong Family Head's sword scar.

The flawlessly smooth trace seemed to draw in his soul. Even his upper dantian briefly hummed in resonance.

A Divine Technique. The single stroke itself was one.

The Slayer Hero's words began to sound plausible. There were Assassins' Sect elders who had stared endlessly at that sword path until they became fools.

The trace left by one of the Eight Family Heads, who must have honed a single sword throughout his life, carried an exceedingly mystical quality. It was the spirituality said to dwell within a Divine Technique.

'There are no distracting thoughts in that cut. I can feel only one thing.'

The image of a blade that could cut anything.

The certainty that his sword strikes would fall like a meteor shower, carrying the force of Heaven's mandate.

They said swordsmen who reached a certain realm communicated through their swords. The Moyong Family Head's arrogant intent reached him intact.

It was the mindset of a ruler of the martial world, far removed from the humility cultivated by the current Leader of Demon Wings. It held an absolute confidence so immense it seemed noble.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly lifted his head.

The dim cave ceiling.

A single vibration traveled through walls too distant to see without an eye technique. It was sword force crossing an unknown number of jang. Its level was extraordinary.

Striking the cow across the mountain.

A method that delivered Force Projection no matter what obstacles stood before the target.

It was usually performed with fists or palms, but the peerless master driving a sword down from atop a cliff dozens of jang high seemed to transcend conventional understanding.

A straight force wave from a sword strike traveled down like an earthquake.

Boom! Boom!

Only after pounding a couple more times did the sound finally move away. It was as though a monstrous demon searching for prey had gone elsewhere.

Only then did a strange sense of relief fill the underground plaza.

"For now, we're safe. He won't know where we are yet."

The Slayer Hero, Geum Jon-hwi, casually tapped the floor with his foot.

"The Heavenly Demon's sacred dharma treasure conceals our sect's presence. Even if I were to unleash my martial power and dance with my sword like a madman here, a peerless master wouldn't detect a trace of aura. Still... it pains me that those who formed our sect's secret intelligence network have been slaughtered."

His voice trailed off bitterly. A sorrow unlike that of an assassin seeped into his tone.

Jeong Yeon-shin gave a slight nod.

Another dharma treasure. A treasure capable of wielding the wonders of sorcery arts and martial arts on its own. The stronger his martial arts became and the broader his knowledge grew, the more mysteries of the martial world he encountered.

'Is she all right?'

Before heading to Taiyuan, he had given Jegal Cheong-a the First Fist of the Eon Family's pebble.

It was a dharma treasure carrying the Zhuge Family's distinctive cool and clear quality, the inspiration behind Dragon Fan Treading Flowers. After losing her older brother and father, the girl had stared silently at the pebble for a while before carefully accepting it.

"Thank you for your trust. I will determine all of its abilities, so... please take care of yourself, Squad Leader."

That was all. He had heard nothing else from her.

Jeong Yeon-shin had deliberately left her room to act. He had permitted her to go alone.

With the Immortal Dragon and Crouching Dragon Rebirth dead, Jegal Cheong-a was the Zhuge Family's sole direct descendant. She naturally had a duty to shoulder the clan as its next Family Head.

She had become a guest martial artist of Demon Wings in the first place to display the friendship between the Martial Alliance Assembly and Desolate Fortress.

A warning aimed at the Thirteen Heavens would not take priority over the survival of the Zhuge Family.

'Where did she go?'

He did not know whether she had returned to Desolate Fortress with the two senior Squad Leaders or turned back toward her family home.

Either way, he hoped she found peace. Once he resolved what had come upon them here, they would meet again somehow.

While Squad Leader Jeong Yeon-shin was briefly lost in thought, Hyeon Won-chang grabbed the Slayer Hero by the collar and led him toward one side of the cave.

He first asked Jeong Yeon-shin for leave through sound transmission.

"The claim that the final mnemonic formula of the Assassins' Sect's secret arts was here was a lie. In the end, I had to open the restriction using your martial arts and my strength."

"You couldn't completely undo it?"

"Later. I'll tell you everything later, over a cup of Bamboo Leaf Green liquor."

Only after seeing his Squad Leader nod did Hyeon Won-chang turn to the Slayer Hero.

"Brother, there is something we need to discuss. It is a matter directly tied to your future course."

"Is it urgent? Even with the dharma treasure, our location won't change. We must move the disciples to the safehouses before that monster of the Meteor Sword arrives. No one knows how much power peerless masters are hiding. They're supernatural beings who could carve away an entire cliff at any moment."

"It is important. You must hear it before the elders arrive. What those old men have been concealing while deceiving you..."

Their voices could no longer be heard. They seemed to have switched to sound transmission.

Only the Slayer Hero's irregular breathing now and then testified to the importance of their conversation.

The occasional sight of Hyeon Won-chang patting his older relative's shoulder made it easy to imagine their childhood.

Watching them, Jeong Yeon-shin thought, Brother Hyeon still values his blood relatives.

"......"

After briefly thinking of Jeong Family Manor, he turned once more toward the Moyong Family Head's sword scar.

The long slash was ideal for study, for it contained so much.

Hard sword, swift sword, even the qi circulation method that raised the cutting power of sword-strike force waves to the highest level. If he observed it longer, he might even reverse-engineer the sword-gripping method used to hold the hilt.

The current Leader of Demon Wings liked such transcendent martial arts. It had been that way since the moment he succeeded in escaping through the Jeong Family Youth Technique in the courtyard of Jeong Family Manor, where no one had spared him a glance.

Even if his martial brothers reunited with their true family, Jeong Yeon-shin did not feel particularly lonely. He had a mother who always enveloped his whole body in her embrace.

How long had he stood there?

Dozens of presences spread through a passage on one side of the underground plaza, followed by familiar voices reaching Jeong Yeon-shin's ears.

"You look radiant. It feels as though I haven't seen you in ten years."

"Squad Leader!"

Two figures broke away from the group they had traveled with.

The short-haired rascal strolling over lazily was the opium poppy addict, while the girl who leaped over with feline, elusive footwork was the true successor of the Seom-ye Martial Lineage.

Languid Flame Dragon and Shin So-bin arrived before their Squad Leader.

"Your bearing has changed again. Just like someone still growing."

"You've been all right, haven't you? You look fine, but... I heard you killed that depraved man from the Zhuge Family. I couldn't believe it even after hearing it, but then I did. Because it's you, Squad Leader."

Languid Flame Dragon tossed out sharp remarks as though they were nothing, while Shin So-bin chattered over them with her greeting. Both felt familiar.

A faint smile formed on Jeong Yeon-shin's lips.

"Hm?"

Shin So-bin suddenly leaned her small face closer.

Was she imitating Baek Mir-yeo? With her thick lashes raised, she looked as though she were trying to act like an older sister.

"You must have been quite exhausted. It didn't sound like an ordinary journey through the martial world... I'm afraid One Lotus Sword Plum and Blue-Eyed Demon Sword will scold me for not supporting you properly. No, I feel bad myself. May I take your pulse?"

"White Cat still has some growing up to do."

"What? Who is saying that to whom...?"

"You're the same age as the Squad Leader, yet your teenage turmoil is bound to come late. At that age, even lying in bed can weigh on one's heart. Besides, does our Squad Leader have only a little karmic burden? Those legs are bound to grow stronger every night, so the martial world will soon fear Lotus Nezha's Leg Arts more than his sword..."

"Did you find opium poppy to chew even while staying in the Assassins' Sect?"

Jeong Yeon-shin muttered that he had told Languid Flame Dragon to quit long ago as he watched their banter.

Demon Wings of Desolate Fortress had reunited.

It was noisy, yet natural.

Even as old Assassins' Sect killers in black cloaks moved past while repeatedly glancing warily at Jeong Yeon-shin, the Leader of Demon Wings' two subordinates examined the lines of muscle visible beneath their Squad Leader's clothes and the waves of his martial power.

Desolate Fortress masters could grasp much in a brief instant. Only after several breaths did their gazes withdraw as though nothing had happened.

Around then, Geum Jon-hwi and Hyeon Won-chang finished speaking.

"I will lead the disciples. Seon-hwi, go to the vault and retrieve a small bronze box. It holds nothing but a few scraps of paper. There is no map, but... I know you have already examined every escape route and are thoroughly familiar with this area. I ask this of you."

"I am not an Assassins' Sect disciple. I do not wish to be involved any longer..."

"What else can I do when you're the only one I can trust now?"

Geum Jon-hwi's old-fashioned brazenness resembled Hyeon Won-chang's.

His tone was somewhat cold. He had learned that the Assassins' Sect secret arts, which would allow a successor to be recognized as Sect Master, had been completely lost during the Heavenly Demon's Tomb Uprising.

He trusted his younger brother. The Slayer Hero, his black hat pulled low, did not rashly reveal his eyes before the dozen or so elders who had already arrived.

"A vault? Young Sect Leader, surely you do not intend to entrust the sect's precious treasure to Geum Seon-hwi?"

"He is an outsider to the sect! How can you say such a dreadful thing? Wasn't his test brought to an end halfway through?"

Geum Jon-hwi did not answer each accusation.

"Did you not sense the Meteor Sword's presence? Elders, your priority is to evacuate the disciples with me. Seon-hwi, our only direct descendant, should bring the Heavenly Demon's Tomb relic and follow. By right of succession, he could even contend for the position of Sect Master. How dare you call this child an outsider?"

"Young Sect Leader!"

"Liaodong's greatest swordsman has come to our sect. No matter how I consider it, we must hurry first. We do not know when that supernatural being will split open a mountain peak, so let us take care of the disciples and head to the safehouses."

A proper assassin's safehouses were never limited to one or two.

The saying that a cunning rabbit had three burrows was one assassins had to remember above all else. The killing trade required many escape routes.

"Disciples, this way! Have the Black Attendants send sound transmissions to those who have just returned! We will meet at the safehouse on the southern edge of Datong Prefecture!"

It was the organization of a great sect.

Dressed as an assassin, he gave orders like a general. Dozens of Assassins' Sect disciples crossed the underground plaza at Geum Jon-hwi's gesture.

The Slayer Hero's forceful presence stood out among them.

The vast underground cave grew busy.

Among the Demon Wings members gathered on one side and watching them, Languid Flame Dragon clicked his tongue.

"That Namgung bastard comes to mind. So assassins are going to step into the light."

"In this chaos, Shanxi's foremost sect has been decided. Right, Squad Leader?"

Then, suddenly.

Bang! Crash! Craaash!

A thunderous sound raced along the cave ceiling. Fragments of stone rained down.

The faces of the Assassins' Sect disciples seated at the stone tables changed. It was nothing like when they had reported the movements of the Moyong Family Head and Heart Martial Union Leader.

"The Forbidden Gate Formation has just been severed."

"An urgent report. It appears the mechanism formation of the Message-Calling Wall has been destroyed."

Even their manner of speaking changed. Though their voices lacked inflection, they carried immense urgency.

All of them spoke while drawing in the cave's aura through their Baihui acupoints, as though they had cultivated a specialized art.

"Black Sword's sound transmission has been cut off. No aura can be sensed."

"The Immortal-Seizing Palace Resonance Formation has been shattered! Everything above has been breached!"

"He's coming!"

Woooooong!

The next moment, a deep echo swallowed every voice. It was as though a dragon from legend had forced its head into the underground plaza and roared.

Was the intent to smash the cave walls entirely? Immense pressure made their ears ring. An invisible force expanded in every direction in an instant.

Something was coming.

Craash!

Dust exploded with the blast. Every direction was clouded with it, and the ground beneath their feet shook as though an earthquake had truly struck.

Languid Flame Dragon judged the situation fastest.

"It would be best to get out of the way instead of making yourselves a burden."

His voice, carrying blazing yang qi, tore through the storm of shockwaves. Without sparing the Assassins' Sect members a glance, he urged Hyeon Won-chang and Shin So-bin to retreat with a look.

He was speaking to everyone. The madness gleaming at the corners of his eyes drove away anything that could become a burden to Jeong Yeon-shin before it happened.

"Isn't this place a spiderweb? Hide in any of the Assassins' Sect's safehouses."

Dust filled every direction. They could barely distinguish the outlines of people.

Even that was possible only because sunlight had begun pouring down from above, though no one there seemed to consider it fortunate.

Ziiing.

A chilling sword resonance scraped across the air amid the dust that intermittently obscured the vertical shaft of sunlight.

A transcendent sharpness began to fill the enormous cave. A figure was already standing in the air, a sword-shaped image extended beneath their feet, looking down at those below.

"......"

He had appeared.

The peerless swordsman who had coveted the Heavenly Demon's legacy for so long.

Gray dust draped him like a curtain. His appearance could not be seen. Only his presence, which created silence, was clear. It seemed to force the breath from their lungs.

"I found you."

A deep voice rang out.

The martial power contained in those words swept through the area like a faint whirlwind.

No one could react. The silence only deepened.

They lay beneath Liaodong's greatest master.

The master of the Moyong Family.

Star Radiance Great Sword Lord, Moyong Jung-rak.

There was no need to say his reputation was deserved. The Eight Family Heads were ancient absolutes.

His name gave rise to the certainty that one's life would end the moment one made a sound. It was as natural as the laws of the martial world.

Now that they had faced him, it was too late. No one dared break the silence.

Only one figure rose soundlessly at that moment.

It slowly ascended toward the shadow of the peerless master overlooking the underground plaza.