* * *
The late winter wind was dry.
Saaaa—
It brushed transparently past his face. Perhaps because a supreme martial master stood before him as an enemy, smiling.
The dust settled low on the ground, chillingly brushing against his ankles like bundled blades. It was the aftermath of the battle between the black-robed seniors and the Zhuge Clan's leader.
The two seniors said nothing.
Had they accepted Jung Yeonshin's decision as equals?
As the flowers of Ultimate Thunder bloomed ever darker around him, Jin Myungjo's gaze hardened with concern for his junior, and Ak Surim clenched and unclenched her fists a few times before stepping back.
The cold energy sweeping through the surroundings seemed to be restraining the intrusion of the warriors.
'Those two must not be allowed to intervene.'
Though the seniors might still have strength left, it would not be enough to face a supreme martial master.
The moment Jung Yeonshin showed signs of being overwhelmed, they would charge in, willing to die in mutual destruction. But that would also be the moment both would lose their lives.
That could not be allowed.
'Never.'
Jung Yeonshin forced himself to suppress his impatience and anxiety.
—Today is the day.
At the same time, it felt as if his upper dantian was whispering to him.
That in this battle, he must seize the ultimate martial revelation by linking his own senses with Eun Hwaryun, his Dharma treasure, and the Zhuge Clan's leader, like connecting the stars in a constellation.
A rare moment of enlightenment in a lifetime, he could feel it. A deeply intuitive insight.
His mind tingled.
It was similar, yet different, from when he had created other martial techniques.
Beyond the corpses of Zhuge Hyun and Eun Hwaryun, a colossal wave of realization was surging toward him.
For now, the sheer magnitude of inspiration was too overwhelming to fully grasp.
'This is a turning point.'
Would he become one who judges the crimes of the great sect leaders and supreme masters? Or would he fail to overcome the inherent imbalance of his life and merely burn brightly for a brief time as the youngest grandmaster before fading away?
From his childhood, through all his experiences, even his training in the Jung Clan Movement Arts—everything was now cast in a radiant glow. A luminous stream of memories flowed through his mind.
In this moment, he had to create a martial technique that had never existed before, even as he fought for his life. A divine art powerful enough to threaten even the transcendent supreme masters.
'Is it possible?'
At that moment—
Swoosh.
Twenty paces away, the fingertips of the Zhuge Clan's leader traced an elegant curve.
Threads like the robes of an immortal maiden fluttered around him. Each strand was a Divine Male and Female Whips more powerful than Radiant River itself.
[Show me everything you have. Let the martial world witness your strength, so that I may raise the banner of Moon Castle Sect. Let the world know that Desolate Fortress, too, can be annihilated like any other sect.]
"Let's begin."
The Zhuge Clan's leader was talkative. His karma seemed to spill from his mouth like a flood.
Jung Yeonshin immediately moved, deepening the immense lotus surrounding his body, formed by Ultimate Thunder.
The rapidly intensifying power roared through his body like thunder. The moment he took a step, the ground erupted.
Boom!
A streak of hazy light trailed behind him like a comet. The residual force of Ten Li Radiance Step.
In an instant, he closed the distance and planted his foot in front of the Zhuge Clan's leader.
Once more—Boom! The ground caved in with a dull thud, and shards of earth flew into the air.
'Judgment Qilin.'
A gust of wind surged from his entire body.
Amidst the airborne debris, the radiant white trajectory of the Beiming Sword sliced through the air, sweeping away the Zhuge Clan's leader's black hat.
This happened just as he collided with five descending strands of Divine Male and Female Whips.
Crack!
A tremendous shockwave blasted outward in all directions.
Jung Yeonshin swallowed a groan.
The impact tearing through his arm was immense, like lightning scorching his forearm.
In the narrowing field of vision, the defiler of Azure Qilin's corpse came into view.
He bore an astonishing resemblance to the late Fan Dragon Zhuge Hyun. His sharp features etched in delicate yet pronounced lines.
'I detest it.'
That man had no right to wield a fan.
Only a noble figure like Zhuge Hyun deserved such a weapon.
To Jung Yeonshin, a man who had lived but a short time in the martial world, it was an absolute truth.
The murderer of the son smiled.
[You will be the first example of Desolate Fortress' demise. You are worthy.]
His voice hummed like a swarm of bees.
Interwoven with the mystical essence of Six Harmonies Voice Transmission.
Ten strands of Divine Male and Female Whips overlapped above and below, distorting the air with their colossal power.
Crack!
Jung Yeonshin barely evaded, deflecting with the Beiming in all directions. He had to use Wind Body as well.
He spun, wrapping the surrounding wind around himself.
As he dodged the endlessly encroaching threads of energy, the razor-sharp gusts scraped against his skin.
If he got trapped, it would be over.
Those threads of Divine Male and Female Whips were the product of martial sorcery at its peak.
Each strand contained the power and transformations akin to Sword of the Heart—the art of controlling a weapon with intent alone.
A spiritual weapon, forged by his own hands.
[That technique of yours must put an immense strain on your body. How much longer can you maintain it? Draining yourself with power beyond your limits.]
The Zhuge Clan's leader smirked, flicking his hand again.
The Divine Male and Female Whips streaked forth in unpredictable trajectories.
He no longer bothered to feint.
Because Jung Yeonshin, having activated Ultimate Thunder, could no longer fully focus his power on his sword.
Beiming no longer gleamed with its blue radiance.
By maintaining Ultimate Thunder, he had effectively sealed away the advantage of his Demon-Slaying Azure Steel Palm.
Only by continuously unleashing the translucent lotus surrounding his body could he barely keep up in this duel.
The overflowing force of the Radiant River was the only thing forcefully sustaining his spirit, energy and essence unification's extreme speed.
[You do not understand. Desolate Fortress is a plague upon the world. A sanctuary of corruption disrupting the order of the martial world, pretending to be the protector of the common people, what an absurdity.]
'Ultimate Thunder will soon dissipate. I can't go on like this. I will die.'
With every breath, a sense of despair seeped into his mind.
A single darkened whip of energy sliced past his earlobe.
Boom—!
Amidst the explosion of the ground, a burning pain spread across his ear.
He had nearly died.
His evasions were turning into tightrope walks.
It felt as if he was trapped in a sorcerous formation.
The way the Zhuge Clan's leader chained his techniques was seamless.
His lips curved into a graceful arc, fingers plucking the air as if playing a golden zither.
Crack! Boom!
The tightening encirclement of Divine Male and Female Whips did not share such elegance.
They struck, pierced, and slashed from all directions.
Every brilliant arc of Sword Thunder Flash Art was effortlessly penetrated, and even his left hand's movements for Infinite Blossom Fist Strike were completely suppressed.
The shockwaves only ruffled the long hair of the Zhuge Clan's leader.
The man who had deciphered the counter to Azure Qilin's lightning-speed techniques from its corpse.
A weaker martial artist would have already been entirely seen through.
As their exchanges continued, wounds multiplied.
The long robe inherited from his uncle was being torn apart, thread by thread.
Darkened patches bore witness to his bleeding.
The petals of the lotus surrounding him were fading.
Ultimate Thunder was reaching its limit.
[Grand Thunder.]
A streak of dim light surged beside his vision. He saw it first. The pain followed like a shadow.
Only after feeling the deep gouge in his flesh did he realize his shoulder had been pierced.
'I saw it…!'
Puhwaak—!
With searing pain, blood erupted from various parts of his body. Amidst the pillars of martial sorcery crashing down, the Divine Male and Female Whips had also deeply carved into the flesh of his abdomen.
Since becoming a warrior, he had never been cornered like this before.
Even as the agony surged up to his head, he felt a burning frustration. His internal energy's flow was unable to keep up with his senses.
If only he had moved just a fraction faster, he could have dodged them all.
Whiiioooo—!
Before he knew it, his surroundings blurred. He was completely engulfed by the threads of Divine Male and Female Whips.
The trajectories woven by the Zhuge Clan's leader closed in like a meticulously crafted spell formation.
Now, the force of impact meeting his desperate defenses had grown exponentially stronger. The sheer oppression of it made death seem imminent.
The black-robed seniors, their bodies reaching their limits, could charge in at any moment.
Jung Yeonshin's heart pounded. Overheated blood and internal energy surged all the way to the crown of his head.
He did not want to be alone in a foreign land. The warmth he sought in books and martial arts was no different.
His mother alone had been enough.
Wooong.
Suddenly—
Hwaaak—!
A scorching sensation flared within him, and in his upper dantian, something bloomed into the shape of a flower.
Beneath his feet, faint ripples spread outward like flower buds floating upon water. For a moment, his thoughts overflowed.
'Why is it that only you can blossom the lotus of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown?'
Was it because the heavens had not struck him down with the curse of a short life?
That would be too cruel.
Damn the heavens, if all they had granted him was a broken balance and a short-lived existence.
If that were truly the case—
'Then I will make it fair. Even if I must step upon your lotus to rise.'
Hwaaaah—!
The intangible waves that had been rippling outward suddenly surged forward.
At the same time, ten beams of Divine Male and Female Whips streaked toward him like bolts of light.
The energy burning white-hot in his upper dantian surged ahead with violent force.
Like a storm pushing against the ocean, an invisible current shot forward and struck the Zhuge Clan's leader's head.
Jjeoong!
Only Jung Yeonshin could hear the sound.
He had recreated the resonance phenomenon he once felt through Eun Hwaryun's sphere treasure.
Forging the power of his upper dantian into a massive pathway, he linked himself to the Zhuge Clan's leader.
The transcendence evoked by the unity of his spirit, energy and essence—he had opened a direct conduit to that profound sensation.
For a fleeting moment, he was sharing the Zhuge Clan's leader's Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown state.
A martial feat that defied the order of the heavens.
But why?
Though it was clearly an act against natural law, his entire body suddenly felt weightless.
His frame, honed through the Jung Clan Movement Arts, and his senses, sharpened like a divine sword, had begun anchoring the resonance.
As if his entire being had become a Dharma treasure.
And then—
Had it taken too long to momentarily establish an entirely new martial technique?
His vision filled with streaks of light. Divine Male and Female Whips.
And alongside them, the sight of a short-haired girl breaking into the battle.
"Lightning Genius, go!"
Ak Surim had broken through the Zhuge Clan's leader's formation.
Already suffering from severe internal injuries, blood seeped from her lips—dark, coagulated, turning her mouth black.
As she opened her mouth, about to speak, Jung Yeonshin saw the scene unfold in slow motion.
It was as if she were apologizing.
[You've arrived, Desolate Divine Spear.]
Suddenly, the battlefield sharpened into clarity.
The Divine Male and Female Whips were sucked entirely into the Zhuge Clan's leader's grasp.
The ruined Gongya Manor, the distant crowd of onlookers watching them in silence, Jin Myungjo staggering toward them—
And, clutched once more in the Zhuge Clan's leader's grip, its frame fully restored—
The White Crane Fan.
He had gathered his strength for an unparalleled strike.
The name Desolate Divine Spear carried such weight.
In a flash, the Zhuge Clan's leader closed the distance in a single step and swept his fan's ribs upward toward Ak Surim's throat.
The air trembled along the sweeping arc. It was as if an earthquake had erupted in midair.
Then—
Kuuung—!
A pair of leather shoes stomped down upon the White Crane Fan.
[What?!]
He had dropped from above.
Faintly glowing starlike traces scattered in the air, remnants of movement technique aftershock.
Jung Yeonshin, having plunged downward with Ten Li Radiance Step, had planted both feet squarely upon the fan in midair.
At this moment, the suction force of Full Sky Flower Rain spiraled through the air like a circulating typhoon.
[What in the…?]
"…Lightning Genius?"
The Radiant Demon Squad's leader, Jung Yeonshin, gazed down silently at the Zhuge Clan's leader.
With Ak Surim behind him.
His feet, standing firm upon the fan, evoked the Thousand-Pound Hammer technique.
Even as catastrophic shockwaves erupted from the White Crane Fan, he did not fall.
Instead, he balanced atop it with the grace of a lightning flash, creating a bizarre standoff.
Paararak—
The long, black robe of the Radiant Demon Squad's leader billowed dramatically atop the supreme master's fan.
Ripped in places, it fluttered like the robes of an immortal maiden.
"..."
The Zhuge Clan's leader's green eyes remained unshaken, his fan still outstretched.
And upon it, feet drawn together, stood the Radiant Demon Squad's leader, high and unyielding.
The tension thickened, as if a single move would decide life and death.
The onlookers encircling the battlefield did not utter a word.
The Zhuge Clan's leader raised only his gaze, staring at the supreme martial master before him.
[…You are not one who should live long. You will be a great hindrance to my march upon Desolate Fortress.]
As a leader of one of the Eight Great Clans, he sensed something horrifying.
If Tyrant Hero Ma Yeonjeok had grown into a fully polished Divine Sword, would he have been like this?
"March?"
Jung Yeonshin pressed his weight into his stance, lowering his eyelids slightly.
Even the act of folding his arms behind his back became part of his martial form.
At that moment, the Radiant Demon Squad's leader spoke.
"You talk nonsense."
If the conditions were equal—
"This is Desolate Fortress."
How well could the monkey follow my senses?
[You arrogant fool!]
For the first time, the Zhuge Clan's leader bared his teeth in rage.
Whiiiuuuung—!
Once more, the ribs of the White Crane Fan split into countless strands, wrapping themselves in colorless energy and surging with monstrous force.
'Upper Dantian Resonance… Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.'
Jung Yeonshin, balancing upon the very edge of one of the fan's ribs, closed his eyes.
A moment of fleeting recollection.
He absorbed the most familiar sensation from his opponent's upper dantian and completely merged it with his own body.
The same sensation he once felt from Fist Grand Duke Eun Hwaryun.
The unity of spirit, energy and essence, as if a Divine Dragon soared endlessly beyond the lotus bloom.
A secret divine technique.
Fan-Dragon Lotus Binding Technique.
Wooooooong!
From the toes of the Radiant Demon Squad's leader, a wave of energy erupted.
Its speed instantly caught up to the forming Divine Male and Female Whips.
Suddenly, atop the White Crane Fan, a colossal, colorless lotus detonated into bloom like a thunderclap.
It was akin to hundreds of sword energy waves exploding at once.
His internal energy had reached divinity.
[...!]
Before the Zhuge Clan's leader's long fingers could even recalibrate his energy strands, Jung Yeonshin's heel struck the Yongcheon Acupoint, his step producing a thunderous roar.
In an instant, the ever-expanding lotus swallowed all ten strands of Divine Male and Female Whips.
Ensuring that the fan would never be a fan again.
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