WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 380: The World (4)
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It was an utterly unreal sight.
For one thing, a person had risen from a shadow. The world had fallen into chaos, with all manner of spiritual beasts, supernatural phenomena, sorcery arts, and martial arts throwing it into disorder, but such things were still rarely seen.
The Pure Demon Alliance Leader was the most shocked.
‘Come back...!’
The old woman sent her intent toward the weasel.
A demonic weasel. A spiritual beast without intellect or a physical body.
Its body was formed from spirituality, allowing it to appear and disappear freely.
It was like a heart sword that could be wielded without expending much power, especially against a master engaged in qi circulation and breath regulation.
As the Pure Demon Alliance’s demon creature and sacred beast, it should have returned straight to its master. Yet the old woman’s hand remained empty. Only cold wind brushed against her skin.
Someone swallowed.
The snow-white throat of the woman who had suddenly appeared bobbed once.
Haa...
Her exhale carried a sense of fullness as it brushed through the air. A reddish gleam flickered in her single red eye.
She looked satisfied.
To the Pure Demon Alliance Leader, she could only appear as a living thunderbolt. Wrinkles gathered at the corners of the old woman’s eyes.
“You wretched thing, how dare you...!”
“Wretched thing...? That’s not something I’d expect to hear from a Pure Demon old hag. I was born to the legitimate direct line, while you are, well...”
The Seventh Apostle trailed off in a whisper.
She was mocking the Pure Demon Alliance, a splinter faction of the old Ming Cult.
It was common knowledge, yet not something one could easily say before an absolute master of the demonic path.
Rumble...
The sky darkened once more.
Shadows spread in streams from the demonic qi. The way they blotted out the sunlight was anything but ordinary.
At that moment, the whites of the Pure Demon Alliance Leader’s eyes turned pitch-black.
Jeong Yeon-shin was looking at the Seventh Apostle’s long, flowing hair.
He slowly parted his lips.
“You.”
The Seventh Apostle, who had been eyeing the Pure Demon Alliance Leader askance, gave a slight tremble.
She did not turn around.
Her reasons were difficult to untangle.
Perhaps she could roughly guess how Jeong Yeon-shin felt about the deaths of the Tang siblings. Perhaps the Pure Demon Alliance Leader’s gaze bore down on her. Or perhaps it was because the sect leaders of Ami and Qingcheng, who had been guarding Jeong Yeon-shin on either side, had turned to look at her.
“Amitabha.”
“Martial Aunt, it seems a noble of the Blood Flame Sect has targeted the Leader of Demon Wings. I will handle the Pure Demon Alliance Leader, so please deal with that blood demon...”
Vwoooong!
Pure, refined aura began to flow from Baekyak and Perfected Cheong-su.
Dust spread over the ground in an enormous circle. In an instant, dirt and dust surged up in every direction.
Perfected Cheong-su’s reaction was quintessentially orthodox, unlike Baekyak, who had already suspected the Seventh Apostle’s presence.
His intent to slay demons and eradicate heresy surged forth in sharp waves of inner power. Given the chance, he looked ready to cut down the Seventh Apostle rather than the Pure Demon Alliance Leader.
“Blood demon, do not act rashly.”
It was a warning from the Qingcheng sect leader. Without looking back, he spoke while keeping watch over the Pure Demon Alliance Leader.
Before the eyes of countless onlookers, the Seventh Apostle suddenly let out a smooth laugh.
“What a shame. I could’ve sunk my teeth into the Leader of Demon Wings’s neck.”
She was pretending to be an enemy.
Jeong Yeon-shin’s brow tightened, while a strange gleam passed through Baekyak’s eyes.
As though it were only natural, Perfected Cheong-su flicked his sword and took a step toward the Pure Demon Alliance Leader.
Then it happened.
A heavy shockwave swept across the ground, and the Pure Demon Alliance Leader’s figure vanished as though it had warped out of place.
At the same time, the Seventh Apostle lightly kicked off the ground and launched herself high into the air.
Fwaaaash!
[I had been after you from the start!]
The Pure Demon Alliance Leader was in midair.
The hem of her long robe whipped violently in the crushing wind pressure. The palm she thrust at the Seventh Apostle bore immense force as it came crashing down.
The Pure Demon Alliance Nether Heaven Divinity-Tempering Force.
True to its name, it was a palm art that tempered divinity.
The old woman’s palm strike was monstrously fast. It crossed space without even a stray gust of wind impeding it.
The Pure Demon Alliance Leader’s eyes widened.
The indifferent face of the Leader of Demon Wings was reflected in her blackened eyes.
Energy blooming from their opposing outstretched hands scraped across space, making it seem translucent. Thunderous explosions erupted in rapid succession before their attacks had even collided.
Radiant River.
[...!]
The Pure Demon Alliance Leader hastily drew back her hand. At the same time, she unleashed the aura from both hands in ten layers, forming a dark sphere before her.
She had compressed the air with Force Projection.
Immense power raged inside the sphere.
It was a response worthy of a peerless master.
It was not demonic qi, but pure force-projection power.
“Petty tricks.”
The moment Jeong Yeon-shin muttered those words and extended his hand, ripples burst from the point of impact and engulfed the entire peak.
Kraaaaaash!
The space at the point of collision twisted.
Air mixed with black and white force waves crumpled and surged again and again.
Then Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand, filled with Radiant River, relentlessly crushed the sphere. Several translucent spheres spread through the air around the three figures suspended there.
Rumble!!
The entire peak shook beneath them.
Two figures shot off in opposite directions at terrifying speed, as though they had turned the whole shockwave into propulsive force waves.
The Pure Demon Alliance Leader and the Seventh Apostle.
Some among the crowd, staring blankly overhead, pointed upward.
“She’s fleeing... The Pure Demon Alliance Leader is running away!”
“What is this?!”
“One exchange! The Leader of Demon Wings has won again!”
* * *
Xiangyang, Huguang. Desolate Fortress’s main fortress.
Antique desks stood in long rows. Every surface gleamed with the reddish luster unique to red sandalwood.
It was the hall of the Chief Steward’s Office.
Normally, dozens of scribes would have been seated there with brushes in hand, but they had all moved to the central Training Hall long ago.
Even the usual heavy scent of ink had grown faint.
Swish.
Grand Chief Steward Im Jin-myeong lightly stroked his beard, then lowered his hand. It was a habit from his days as a novice scribe.
He would unconsciously stroke his beard to rouse himself before speaking. Since taking the seat at the head of the Chief Steward’s Office, it had become rare.
There was only one reason for it.
An old man was seated in the place of honor, above even the host.
He was the Elder Council Head of Desolate Fortress.
“Shall I have some Dragon Well tea brought...”
“That will not be necessary.”
The Elder Council Head cut him off.
The presence emanating from his aged body was formidable. Still broad of build, he wore a Purple Uniform long robe. His wrinkled face usually held a smile, but now it was cold, as though frost had settled over it.
He was ordinarily a man of great virtue, known for his benevolent manner and leisurely bearing.
Even after suffering a calamity at the hands of the Tyrant Sword Sect Master, the Blood Flame Sect Master, and the Tang Sect’s Supreme Family Head, he did not look like an old man reduced to such a state.
The Grand Chief Steward spoke carefully.
“Things have been hectic, so it has been a long time since I last visited you. How have you been lately?”
“I have been training in external arts. They suit my body rather well.”
“I am relieved to hear that you are moving so much better.”
“Mm. I covet the youth technique that the Leader of Demon Wings reportedly passed on to the Ma Family. I hear those hot-blooded youngsters have immersed themselves in training... It has been difficult to restrain myself from asking about the mnemonic formula. By any chance, has the Leader of Demon Wings’s marriage match been decided?”
“I do not know.”
“Then there is nowhere else to ask, at least for now.”
“...”
“It is because the main fortress is empty. It feels terribly hollow.”
They had come to the main point.
The Grand Chief Steward slowly nodded.
“Yes. This is my first time experiencing it as well.”
“The Elder Council is in an uproar.”
“...Naturally. I had expected as much.”
“This is an incident that could reduce the main fortress’s prestige to that of martial-world riffraff. That Dragon family bastard’s decisiveness sometimes rivaled even old Ma’s temper, but it erupted where it never should have. I never thought he would abandon the people’s welfare.”
His voice was dry. It was clear that he was forcing down his rage.
The Elder Council Head was a martial artist who had lived in the same era as Tyrant Hero Ma Yeon-jeok.
He could casually refer to the previous and current Divine Sword Squad Leaders together, and no one would dare object. Though he had lost his martial arts, his influence over Desolate Fortress’s internal affairs remained immense.
‘There are few people under heaven as decent as this man.’
The Grand Chief Steward thought of the summons issued to the Divine Sword Corps’ Seventeen Squads.
The squad leaders had been called to assemble.
That was why the Elder Council Head, who had always treated even White Uniform warriors with a smile, now gave off an icy air.
An order from the Divine Sword Squad Leader was a major event in itself, and opinion within the main fortress was sharply divided.
“Ensure their safety? It is an act that shakes the banner of the main fortress itself. It is not only the old men of the Elder Council who are enraged. This old man is holding back great fury as well. Those black-clad fools who leaped out as though they had been waiting for this, I would go find them and tear them apart myself...!”
The Elder Council Head began to straighten his back, then froze.
A dull sound came from his lower spine near the Mingmen acupoint. The old man furrowed his brow as though enduring pain.
“Some old man has been granted more blessings than he deserves in his twilight years and is running about full of vigor...”
“If you mean the Leader of Demon Wings, he is a blessing to Desolate Fortress.”
“I will not deny it.”
The Elder Council Head replied.
“There is no need to discuss the value of the current Leader of Demon Wings at this point. I came to discuss another matter.”
“What matter...?”
“The next Divine Sword Squad Leader.”
The old man spoke briefly. A low groan escaped the Grand Chief Steward.
“I have considered it, but the matter is far too weighty...”
“Of course. It is as great a matter as having the Seventeen Squad Leaders gather in one place.”
“...”
“That Dragon family bastard has no choice but to step down. The Divine Sword of Desolate Fortress is that kind of position. He may look down even on an imperial official of the first rank and execute any martial-world figure on the spot, but he cannot place the martial artists under his command before the common people of this land. That bastard has shaken the very foundation of Desolate Fortress.”
“Is that the Elder Council’s decision?”
“Not only the Elder Council’s. Law Enforcement Squad Leader Un So-yu has already taken the dismissal documents. There was no question about it. You feel the same way, do you not?”
The Grand Chief Steward did not answer.
Law Enforcement Squad Leader Un So-yu would naturally have done so. She was not the sort to overlook a superior’s mistake simply because he was her superior.
The Elder Council Head’s words were not excessive either. The current Divine Sword Squad Leader had issued an extremely reckless order.
Even as Grand Chief Steward, he could not gauge the force created by the current Seventeen Squad Leaders acting as one. It was the sort of incident that might cause the imperial court to see Desolate Fortress as an independent warlord faction and place it under watch.
Someone had to answer before the emperor.
It could not be the Lord of Desolate Fortress. She had been absent for a long time along with Ma Yeon-jeok. The Divine Sword Squad Leader who had issued the order needed to remove his long robe.
If so...
Who would inherit the Divine Sword, symbol of the Divine Sword Squad Leader?
“My purpose is this. Recommend candidates for the position.”
The Elder Council Head spoke.
The Chief Steward’s Office, the Divine Sword Corps, and the Elder Council were the pillars of Desolate Fortress.
The Divine Sword Corps was absent. The Chief Steward’s Office and Elder Council had to prepare for this major matter.
“I have three people in mind. Considering both their accumulated merits and experience, there are no others.”
The Elder Council Head held out a small sheet of paper. Three names were written on it.
[Divine Sword Squad Deputy Leader, Desolate Divine Spear Ak Su-rim.
Annihilation Squad Leader, Silent Dawn Lord Shin Hwang.
Wishspring Leader, Dragon Fist Bukgung A.]
The paper carried the clear scent unique to mulberry bark. The Grand Chief Steward studied the three names before speaking.
“As expected.”
“It is true that their martial attainments fall short of the position, but all three possess limitless potential. They may overcome their barriers before long. At worst, ten years...”
“In chaotic times, that is a long time.”
“It cannot be helped. Filling the position and reassuring the people is the urgent priority. A Divine Sword Squad Leader who has lost the people’s trust can no longer be called the Divine Sword Squad Leader. That Dragon family bastard should serve as a hidden sword instead.”
“It has been a long time since the Squad Leader’s whereabouts could be determined...”
“Do not worry. He may be dragging himself along somewhere, but he is not the sort to die away from home. Returning to the matter at hand...”
The Elder Council Head continued, lines forming on his forehead.
“Other than the Annihilation Squad Leader, I do not find any of them particularly suitable. They are all too restless. I can vividly picture them happily rushing off to Sichuan the moment this summons was issued.”
“Well...”
“Those fellows called the Martial Extreme Hall Master and Heaven-Treading Dragon Squad Leader have strange temperaments as well.”
“The Lord of Desolate Fortress is absent. In this situation, they had to place the Squad Leader’s command first. The martial artists of the main fortress are not at fault. It is not as though they could disobey.”
“Then let me ask. Are the flags of the Seventeen Squads still stored in there?”
The Elder Council Head pointed to the long table in the center of the hall.
The Grand Chief Steward fell silent for a moment.
Desolate Fortress was a faction close to a military organization.
It had ceremonial customs.
Whenever something important enough to display the main fortress’s name to the outside world occurred, the Seventeen Squads of the Divine Sword Corps bore flags bearing the names of their respective martial units.
Recently, the Annihilation Squad, Demon Wings, and Azure Sky Squad had used them when they exterminated the Huangbo Family.
“...I do not think there is any need to open it and check.”
“I thought as much. Insolent fools.”
“It only means that the Squad Leaders find the recent state of the martial world intolerable. To protect the common people, must the martial artists of the main fortress not first remain unharmed?”
“How many did they take?”
The Elder Council Head’s question revealed much.
The Elder Council of Desolate Fortress. It was a place Ma Yeon-jeok had once sought to lead.
By now, it had completely lost control over the Squad Leaders. Desolate Fortress possessed a temperament close to a military force, yet it was fundamentally a martial-world faction.
Though the Elder Council Head had fallen from prominence, he could still exert great influence over the affairs of Desolate Fortress. Yet he could no longer directly control the Seventeen Squad Leaders.
The Grand Chief Steward thought without meaning to. The Elder Council’s power had weakened beyond precedent. That also meant there was less strength within the main fortress to restrain the next Divine Sword Squad Leader.
Then someone with authoritarian tendencies would not do.
For example, Divine Sword Squad Deputy Leader Ak Su-rim or Wishspring Leader Bukgung A.
Swish.
The Grand Chief Steward picked up his brush and spoke. Then, beneath the paper offered by the Elder Council Head, he began writing one more name.
“Desolate Divine Spear Ak Su-rim took every flag of the Divine Sword Corps.”
“...All seventeen flags?”
“She bundled them in those short arms and disappeared.”
The ink-wet brush swept across the oil-treated paper in a single flowing stroke.
When the Elder Council Head lowered his gaze, several names for one person had been written in black.
[Seom-ye, Dark King Among Flowers, Lotus Nezha.
Leader of Demon Wings Jeong Yeon-shin.]
Footnotes:
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