WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 327: Shaking Heaven (6)
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It was beneath dust clouds mingled with white sunlight.
Void-Stepping and sword flight.
The contrast between the two figures was striking, a sight rarely seen under heaven.
Star Radiance Great Sword Lord Moyong Jung-rak trod upon the air, while Lotus Nezha Jeong Yeon-shin rode a sword he had drawn without anyone noticing.
Fine dust thrown up by shattered stone drifted like mist. It was a standoff fit for a painting.
Stunned sighs drifted up from below. Yeon-shin could also hear the voices of three Demon Wings companions.
“Good heavens... So that really was sword flight when we saw it before! It finally feels real.”
“He seemed envious of this young master’s height, so he chose a method worthy of a Squad Leader...”
“That’s sword flight, right?!”
Jests mingled with shock. It was just how the martial artists of Demon Wings spoke. Even amid a crisis, they found room to relax.
Hummm.
Standing on the white Northern Light Sword, Yeon-shin silently watched what lay before him.
The Moyong Family Head, wrapped in gray currents like a curtain, met his gaze.
“...”
The Foremost Master of Liaodong’s eyes flashed colorlessly.
His presence was overwhelming.
It was in his gaze. His eyes seemed to contain dozens of sword edges compressed into a tangled ball of thread. Though only his silhouette showed through the dust, he felt like something other than human.
Yeon-shin considered the difference between him and the Zhuge Family Head.
‘Martial strength accumulated entirely within his body...’
It differed from sorcery-based martial arts. It was not characterized by exceptional heavy strikes or endlessly changing forms.
He was simply strong, even without employing every sorcery formation and dharma treasure. His whole life must have been poured into that single sword, whatever kind of life the Moyong Family Head had lived.
Perhaps because their martial lineages were entirely different, it was not easy to judge which of the two Family Heads was superior.
Still, the Eight Family Heads could not all possess equal martial strength. They said that as one’s attainments rose, the world one belonged to grew wider.
Even the peak masters among the Black Uniforms varied in skill, so the leaders of major factions would differ even more.
‘Either way, I have to fight on the ground.’
He could not handle him while flying on a sword. A martial artist who could freely unleash sword arts while Void-Stepping would naturally hold the advantage.
He had only activated sword flight to draw Moyong Jung-rak’s attention in the first place. A peerless swordsman’s strike could not be allowed to fly elsewhere.
Then.
“Clear your mind.”
The shadow standing with an imperiously straight back spoke.
“You should be sharpening your sword qi, not entertaining stray thoughts.”
The absolute master of Liaodong spoke as though offering advice.
He did not explain his thoughts or intentions. Star Radiance Great Sword Lord Moyong Jung-rak no longer looked below. He spoke while watching only Yeon-shin.
Even though he must have known that the Moyong Young Family Head had died at the hands of the Leader of Demon Wings’ subordinate.
Yeon-shin did not answer.
There was no need to communicate with him. Trying to negotiate with a blade-wielding monster would be foolish.
He was Hyeon Won-chang’s enemy, while Yeon-shin had stood by and watched his son die.
By the standards of martial-world grudges and debts, theirs was a relationship that could never be resolved. Even if one side washed their hands of the martial world, it would remain so.
‘If I die, that can’t be helped. I’ll do my duty.’
He circulated the Light Wheel qi in his heart through the minor meridians in his face. The instant the energy passed through the Tongziliao acupoints beyond the outer corners of his eyes, a blue gleam shone in his gaze.
The Heaven-Displaying Eye Technique activated. Light Wheel qi flowed through the minor meridians between his optic nerves and Baihui acupoint.
At the same time, his vision flashed white.
A move from the Moyong Family’s Meteor Sword lunged at him without warning.
‘Go.’
Yeon-shin spoke to the Northern Light Sword.
The weapon immediately responded to its master’s will, unlike his body, which had not yet attained Three Flowers Gather at the Crown.
He shot upward on the sword.
Fwoooosh!
His field of vision changed. The moment he felt pressure crushing down on the crown of his head, his surroundings became lines, and barren wilderness peaks unfolded before him.
He had escaped the deep cavern in a single leap. The air entering even his lungs through inner-energy breathing was far fresher.
Rumble.
A thunderous roar rang out far below. Violent wind brushed the tips of Yeon-shin’s leather boots as he stood upon the Northern Light Sword.
It was the aftermath of a peerless sword move. Though he had clearly evaded it, its sword force shook the air dozens of jang away.
“You.”
A faint note of surprise entered the voice.
Moyong Jung-rak’s voice rang clearly amid the violent tremors. His figure rose from beneath the Northern Light Sword. The Foremost Master of Liaodong cut through the air as he ascended with Walking Upon Empty Space, as though swimming through the heavens.
He clearly believed he could seize the Assassins’ Sect masters whenever he wished. That was why Lotus Nezha took priority.
“You will leave your head here.”
The final words settled before Yeon-shin’s face.
The current Leader of Demon Wings nearly thanked him without thinking. That was the attitude enemy-side monkeys always took. In a situation where survival was far from certain, his mind felt much lighter.
They faced each other beneath the bright sunlight.
Moyong Jung-rak was a middle-aged man with especially thick eyebrows. His steadfast yet fierce features suited the transcendent air around him.
Dressed in spotless white robes, he looked like a celestial guardian.
In midair.
Yeon-shin silently crossed a peak. Moyong Jung-rak, his sword lowered in one hand, followed with ghostly slowness.
Step.
The Leader of Demon Wings landed in an ochre clearing as if nothing were amiss. Moyong Jung-rak also stepped onto the ground with an upright posture.
Both were swordsmen. The ground was naturally more suitable for taking True Steps. After their dull footsteps rang out, the silence between them deepened.
A rocky mountain in a barren wilderness without vegetation.
They were one jang apart. For peerless masters, it was nearly point-blank range.
Meeting Moyong Jung-rak’s gaze, Yeon-shin extended a hand to his side.
Tap.
The hilt of the Northern Light Sword, which had floated beside him, settled into his grasp. At the same time, he shifted the mental image of a fan made of rays of light from the Northern Light Sword toward the Moyong Family Head.
A secret Divine Technique. Dragon Fan Treading Flowers.
A dragon suddenly appeared in his mind and gripped the White Crane Fan. Just before it flew toward the Moyong Family Head’s crown.
Thud, thud, thud.
It was the sound of hooves.
A vast mass of men and horses charged toward them at tremendous speed. Yeon-shin reacted late because all his aura sense had been fixed on the Moyong Family Head.
Moyong Jung-rak seemed much the same. Only his eyes turned a fraction faster than Yeon-shin’s.
A massive cloud of dust rose over the ridge, accompanied by the rumble of one hundred and several dozen people moving as one.
“Heart Martial Union.”
Moyong Jung-rak muttered.
Yeon-shin had already guessed.
It was the martial army he had only heard of. It differed even from the forces Gwi Yun-rin had led. Every aura they gave off was firm and powerful, showing that they were no ordinary martial artists even within the Heart Martial Union.
At the front, a man in a fur robe that reached his feet flew forward while skimming the ground.
He was enormous. Translucent aura surrounded him like fortress walls.
The Body Movement Scripture that made him resemble an immortal roaming the mortal world was striking, yet he approached calmly while carving a terrifying gaze into space.
The air shook without pause. A formless martial aura forged from power pierced the heavens.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
They formed a sword formation while mounted. Their coordinated inner energy, linked like invisible threads, intensified as they approached.
Every one of them charged forward with their sword points aimed at Yeon-shin. The Heart Martial Union Leader had led them personally. One did not need to test their strength to know how formidable they were.
“Gwi Wi-hu. He came prepared.”
The corner of Moyong Jung-rak’s mouth rose faintly. Was it the composure of a peerless master?
Even when facing an equal powerhouse, he did not lose his distinctive air. Perhaps because he could withdraw at any time.
He slowly turned his head toward Yeon-shin.
“I hear you excel at short, decisive battles. I’ll sever your head before they arrive.”
“You seem relaxed.”
Yeon-shin replied briefly, once again picturing the Immortal Dragon holding the fan.
“The Sword Star is not here.”
Moyong Jung-rak continued.
“Nor will the Namgung boy’s corpse protect you.”
He was referring to the Martial Alliance Assembly.
The Foremost Master of Liaodong did not care about the approaching martial army.
He and the Leader of Demon Wings had met several times during the grand founding ceremony.
At the time, Yeon-shin had supported the Sword Star, the Martial Alliance Leader, by rescuing Clear Qilin’s corpse from the Zhuge Family.
It had even diminished the prestige of the Moyong Family Head, who had joined hands with the Zhuge Family Head. To preserve the Moyong Family’s position within the alliance, he would have to sever those ties.
Moyong Jung-rak had just pointed out Yeon-shin’s circumstances.
It meant that his backing and justification could not protect him here. He was right.
There was no Sword Star or Nine Sects watching, no allies such as Xiahou Wi-jin’s Heaven-Treading Forest Squad and Desolate Divine Spear Ak Su-rim, and not even Clear Qilin’s corpse, which had silenced the orthodox martial world.
Even the harsh spirit of those famine years, when everyone was too busy stabbing one another in the back, could not affect a place where the Moyong Family Head had appeared alone.
He could not hope for the massive force that had overwhelmingly destroyed the Huangbo Family two years ago.
With the Annihilation Squad Leader, Ma Jin with both arms intact, the Azure Sky Squad Leader who wielded sublime sorcery sword arts, and around seventy Blue Uniform martial artists of Desolate Fortress, they would be nearly invincible.
Yet it was a force that could no longer be gathered. Each had become too busy with separate missions.
The great martial sects had accumulated martial strength under Desolate Fortress’s oppression.
The times were changing. The Martial Alliance Assembly at Hanzhong had only been the signal flare. Martial artists across the land were breaking the Imperial court’s armed fists.
Desolate Fortress could no longer prevent the cooperation of all those sects in advance. That was why the Chief Steward’s Office at the main fortress constantly complained of being understaffed.
Complete isolation.
At this moment, Yeon-shin was much like the current Desolate Fortress. His situation was the same. Only the thoughts of the three Demon Wings members, who were likely even now breaking out from underground, reached him.
One hundred and several dozen martial soldiers advancing in a sword formation. Two leaders of major factions with overwhelming presences.
This was the martial world Lotus Nezha belonged to.
He had become a figure of attention no less significant than the Desolate Divine Spear, who represented Desolate Fortress.
[Drop your sword.]
Six Directions Voice Transmission. The dry voice struck his ears like lightning.
It rang from the vanguard of the mounted martial artists climbing the gentle ridge. The Heart Martial Union Leader approached with the lofty bearing of a Prince of Commandery and continued.
[Jeong Yeon-shin, Leader of Demon Wings. If you do not resist, you will be treated as a prisoner. Do not raise your sword merely because Moyong Jung-rak stands before you.]
The Heart Martial Union Leader’s voice gradually grew fainter.
It was not because he had lowered his voice. Colorless aura with an absolute quality flickered at his throat.
He had reached the extreme of Three Flowers Gather at the Crown. His power responded to even the slightest movement. He might have already stepped into Five Qi Return to Origin, where even blood flow and pulse were said to embody martial power.
The inner-energy aura flickering at his throat clearly meant that he was moving the vocal cords, muscles, and ligaments within it.
[This...]
The absolute master’s words abruptly stopped and faded away like an echo.
“Vermin.”
Whoosh!
The moment a rough voice struck down from the sky, sunlight unraveled in every direction like tangled thread.
The world seemed to have confused day and night.
Countless rays that had illuminated the ridge bent into crooked strands, while shadows of every shape flickered rapidly beneath them. Fragments of colorless qi created shadows throughout the area, then vanished.
Saaa.
The distant sky was the source.
What had been no more than a black dot rapidly grew larger, accompanied by aura pouring down like a tidal wave.
He was a handsome man with strong, clearly defined features.
He appeared to be around thirty. Concentric ripples continuously rose around his descending body as he fell with his arms crossed.
The air around him repeatedly warped and straightened in vivid pink. Amid it all, the hem of his long robe and the purple silk tassel on the hilt at his waist did not move at all, making them seem bizarre.
There was no dignity or refinement in his posture.
Yet what those on the ground saw when they looked up was an embodiment of supernatural phenomena in human form, descending while tearing space apart with its very body.
The man swept one wide sleeve through the air.
A move of Force Projection.
An ethereal blue ripple fell over the heads of the charging mounted martial artists.
Circular shockwaves burning a deep blue stacked upon one another in an instant. Then a heavy vibration warped space like flame.
Harmonizing Splendor Smoke Ash Method. Sword Sun.
Fwoooosh!
More than a hundred pairs of riders and horses were crushed and shattered at once.
As blood burst outward and turned into pale steam before vanishing, fragments of blue flame scattered around them like flower petals.
Footnotes:
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