A battle waged amidst rocks and undergrowth, streams and corpses.
Sitting astride his fine steed, Gun Yuchun looked down obliquely at the Seventh Apostle and the young man, doubting his own eyes.
The scent of blood, once mingled with the sound of flowing water, had long faded from his nose. The close-quarters combat had stripped away his sense of reality.
'What is that bastard?'
With his back straight and his majestic bearing unshaken, Gun Yuchun was thrown into confusion.
He was the Grand Heir of the Profound Martial Alliance. In his pursuit of mastering martial military formations, he had trained in the supreme art known as Wei Wang Shi.
It was an internal technique passed down directly from his father, honed through relentless day and night practice, and, blessed with outstanding natural talent, he had reached great heights of mastery.
The display of supreme martial prowess before his eyes, every technique moved at such rapid speed that only faint glimpses were visible. Yet, even in those brief flashes, he could distinctly feel the presence of ascendant martial principles within the trajectories.
The Seventh Apostle, clad in the Pure Blood Robe, moved differently than when facing martial military formations.
Though her power had waned due to exhaustion, her white fingertips exuded an oddly soft grace. A movement both fierce and beautiful, captivatingly refined.
Gun Yuchun nearly lost control of his expression as he watched in a daze.
Moreover, the young man's martial prowess surpassed that of the Seventh Apostle, who had succumbed to Energy Deviation.
The way he subdued her had reached the pinnacle of Harmonious Balance, momentarily evoking the image of the Wudang Sect.
There was a reason why the Radiance Blade Sovereign had restrained him.
— Grand Heir.
With a deliberate step and a deep voice, a transmission reached him.
A weighty presence loomed beside the head of the white horse he rode.
A forceful aura, difficult to find in this place. The Radiance Blade Sovereign of the Profound Martial Alliance had approached and was addressing him.
— You must act prudently.
— What do you mean?
Gun Yuchun asked in return.
— Do not judge him rashly. Judging by his aura, he has refined a blood-based technique, yet I have never heard of a heretic from the Blood Flame Cult with such abilities.
Gun Yuchun cast a sidelong glance at her without responding.
Radiance Blade Sovereign, Kim Min.
Her long hair, tied back in a single strand, had an air of refinement, and the greatsword on her back was imposing.
Like all three martial sovereigns of the alliance, she possessed an appearance unbefitting her martial prowess.
Her cool, striking beauty won her the favor of high-ranking nobles, regardless of gender.
Much like the Twin-Winged Blood Sovereign, who had roamed the noble houses of Beijing before falling to the combined assault of the Four Great Diamonds and the Radiant Demon Squad's leader.
Yet Gun Yuchun did not extend warmth to the Radiance Blade Sovereign.
Of the three, the Blade Sovereign had been confined by the Profound Martial Alliance's leader for long ignoring the recall order, leaving only Kim Min, an apex martial artist, as a major influence in the succession.
She had once trained his younger sister, Gun Yurin. In the martial world, the bond of master and disciple took precedence over all else.
Moreover, Kim Min had a temperament as unyielding as a northern general. She had rebuffed Gun Yuchun's attempts to recruit her into his camp multiple times, an affront that had left a lasting mark.
'Be prudent? As if I needed to be told.'
The absence of the Twin-Winged Blood Sovereign was deeply felt. The only one among the three sovereigns who had supported him.
How lamentable was the news of his death, his Four Acupoints Meridian and Dantian shattered beyond repair?
Upon returning to the alliance, he would have to find a way to lure the Blade Sovereign to his side. Given her youth, martial brilliance, and extraordinary talent, the Seventh Apostle naturally caught his attention.
Gun Yuchun drew his inner energy to his throat.
— If I fail to take that woman with me from here, I will have no excuse before the leader of the Alliance. Our thousand-strong army has dwindled to nine hundred, and now we might let slip even the Seventh Apostle, who was practically within our grasp? Even you, Radiance Blade Sovereign, would not be free from the leader's wrath.
Kim Min's brow furrowed.
— ...That young man. His attire is that of a wanderer, yet his aura and bearing are no different from the aristocrats of the Blood Flame Cult. It's possible that another noble bloodline survived the annihilation of their main sect. Let me speak with him first. People of his caliber rarely regard those weaker than them as human beings.
Step.
Without a backward glance, she strode forward.
Behind her, Gun Yuchun clenched his fists so tightly his veins bulged, but he did not respond.
She treated him as one would a foolish child. Ever since word had spread that he had sent a love letter to the Eternal Heaven Sword Demon, Baek Seo-gun, their interactions had remained unchanged.
Kim Min approached the two warriors who had just fought.
'His limbs… I must be cautious of every exchange.'
She thought to herself.
The young man's limbs, exposed by his short garments, were astonishing.
Even without seeming to exert himself, his aura and musculature pulsed with power. His limbs were not particularly thick, yet at this moment, the sense of oppression he exuded rivaled that of a Shaolin Divine Monk who had fully mastered the Yijin Sutra.
"I am Kim Min of the Profound Martial Alliance."
With a slow and deliberate voice, the Radiance Blade Sovereign spoke as she took in the young man's entire form.
Ten steps separated them.
The Seventh Apostle, seemingly having had an acupoint pressed, was breathing unevenly. The young man, supporting her chin and upper body with one shoulder, gazed at the Radiance Blade Sovereign without a word.
"..."
A silence stretched between them.
An arrogance that bordered on insolence.
The Radiance Blade Sovereign was known within the Profound Martial Alliance for possessing the fastest and most destructive swordplay. Yet, the young man seemed to feel no need to even move the Seventh Apostle from his embrace.
"Profound Martial Alliance."
He quietly repeated the Radiance Blade Sovereign's words before parting his lips again.
"Are you on an expedition?"
"…Indeed."
"Your purpose must be the northern military supply."
"You are well informed."
"Any other objectives?"
The young man asked calmly, his voice so low it could be swallowed by the sound of the stream.
Yet, the Radiance Blade Sovereign heard him clearly and did not answer immediately.
The expeditions of martial aristocrats in the Jianghu were never for a single purpose.
Even she and the Grand Heir were the same. When encountering enemies, they fought to the death, and when finding someone of value, they did everything to recruit them.
Capturing an apostle of the Blood Flame Cult who had become a vagabond was no different.
From the beginning, no one in the martial world would condemn any way of dealing with a supreme master from the Demonic Faction.
The young man surely understood this as well.
Thus, his question was akin to forcing the formidable martial military force to make a choice—would they retreat, or would they fight?
An absurd situation.
'Today… the sword feels unusually light.'
The Radiance Blade Sovereign's right hand twitched slightly. Finding out his identity should come first, yet her arm muscles refused to move.
Her martial perception was sharper than usual. Her grip on her weapon felt incredibly light.
A day when her condition as a warrior was at its peak. The swordplay she wielded today would be at least half a beat ahead of her old friend, the Eternal Heaven Sword Demon.
Though Seo-gun would never admit it.
The Radiance Blade Sovereign's swordsmanship was as relentless as the rumors claimed. Her innate sense, combined with her footwork, allowed her to anticipate movements in advance.
And so, she slowly opened her mouth.
"The Profound Martial Alliance is a loyal military force of this land. There are no other objectives."
Her response flowed amidst the clamor of warhorses neighing around the village.
Something unbelievable had occurred.
Few could survive a head-on clash with a near-thousand-strong martial military force.
Even the Seventh Apostle had barely managed to hold them off through repeated retreats and counterattacks, only to fall into Energy Deviation.
Despite having mastered the Sacred Blood Art, said to be among the top five Protective Energy Techniques in the world.
Yet, the young man showed no particular reaction to the scale of the army.
The Radiance Blade Sovereign understood why.
With the Protective Energy Technique he had displayed upon entering, with footwork as if tracing constellations, he could decapitate the leaders and escape unscathed.
At the very least, the Grand Heir's death would be inevitable.
At that moment, the young man tilted his chin slightly beyond her shoulder.
"A loyal military force? That man doesn't seem to think so."
The Radiance Blade Sovereign did not even turn around. She already knew.
She could picture the Grand Heir's face, contorted in rage, clearly in her mind.
She thought to herself. Damn lecher.
"That is merely the arrogance of a young man of his age. He lacks wisdom and virtue, making it difficult for him to discern when to draw his blade… Pay him no mind."
"More than martial prowess, he needs humility. Otherwise, he may die as a guest in a foreign land."
"A fair point. I shall make sure he remembers it."
The young man gave no response, only nodding slightly.
He subtly turned his chin, brushing against the ebony sideburns of the Seventh Apostle, who lay against his chest.
The Radiance Blade Sovereign cautiously stepped back and returned to the formation.
Jung Yeonshin paid no attention to the distant cries of the rabble.
Nor did he care for the sight of the nine hundred-strong cavalry kicking up a storm of dust with their galloping hooves.
At this moment, the rhythmic pulse of the Seventh Apostle's heart was of far greater concern.
It seemed to whisper something strange against his chest.
'Energy Deviation… her blood flow is too erratic. Her internal energy is unstable.'
He began to contemplate how to use his Energy Circulation Technique to restore the woman he loathed and cared for in equal measure.
It seemed that something else needed to be incorporated into the Great Circulatory Path of the Demon-Blood Technique.
The Seventh Apostle's energy flow was subtly different from the True Blood Technique.
* * *
Beneath Gujinli, an expanse of vast wilderness stretched out.
The procession of men and horses extended far into the distance, a dazzling trail of dust rising in their wake.
"Radiance Blade Sovereign, does this make any sense…?!"
"Why wouldn't it? I saved your life. Even if we poured our entire force into killing him, what good would it do if you, the heir, perished? That young man was simply that formidable."
The Radiance Blade Sovereign responded, riding alongside the Grand Heir.
From atop his white steed, Gun Yuchun let out a scoffing laugh, as if dumbfounded. His grip on the reins tightened.
He could not think of a way to explain himself to his father.
Losing a hundred martial troops to the Seventh Apostle was a blow no less significant than losing a mid-sized martial sect.
With no tangible gains, there was no escaping the wrath of the Monarch of Infinite Swords.
"Weren't we originally on our way to strike the Radiant Demon Squad's leader? Rumors say that bastard dodged the One Kill Every Ten Li technique of the Dark Night War. If the Radiance Blade Sovereign's words are true, we should have changed course long ago. I would not have been able to handle his martial arts."
"That one is different from the Grand Duke of the Desolate Fortress. The Governor said as much."
"For the great Radiance Blade Sovereign of the Profound Martial Alliance to be so helpless? Is the rank of the Three Sword Sovereigns so insignificant?"
"Watch your tone. My patience has its limits."
"I have my doubts. Do you intend for Yurin to inherit the position instead?"
"I have told you repeatedly. If you truly wish to capture him, you must bring not an army, but absolute masters or a small group of supreme warriors…"
"I refuse to accept that, so let's see for ourselves! If we inspect the corpse of the Radiant Demon Squad's leader, we'll know that the Radiance Blade Sovereign has simply been overreacting!"
[Whose corpse are you speaking of?]
A voice that pressed down upon all directions fell to the ground.
It was Six Harmonies Voice Transmission. The authoritative tone carried the weight of age and experience.
Kwaaaaaaang—!
As soon as the Radiance Blade Sovereign flinched, and the moment Gun Yuchun raised his head toward the sky, an overwhelming thunderous roar surged forth, as if it would shatter their eardrums.
In an instant, all nine hundred warriors and horses reeled in terror, their heads snapping in every direction. It was as if the sky itself had collapsed.
"What the…?!"
By the time they recognized it, it was already too late.
Gun Yuchun's pupils were instantly flooded with a deep pink hue, and with a sickening crack—, both of his arms were torn apart with a splatter of blood.
A spray of crimson erupted into the air, forming an eerie rainbow above the severed limbs.
Kwaaaaaaah—!
As his agonizing scream filled the wasteland, three wild boar corpses suddenly plummeted to the ground, rolling heavily with dull thuds.
* * *
After the mounted experts of the Profound Martial Alliance had departed, an ethereal twilight filled Gujinli.
Jung Yeonshin leaned against a tree stump, one knee raised.
He occasionally shifted his gaze between the distant, fading edges of the reddish sunset and the Seventh Apostle, who lay wrapped in her Pure Blood Robe like a sleeping bag, her form dyed a deep red.
"You."
He slowly parted his lips.
"You've come back to your senses, haven't you?"
"...."