* * *
The Divine Hand King resembled the Lazy Flame Dragon.
Not only in appearance but also in temperament. As soon as he heard Jung Yeonshin's harsh words, he waved his hand dismissively.
Still perched carelessly on a high tree branch.
"I came here thinking that the Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader was being played by Peng Yuran, but it turns out it was the other way around. That's a relief. Things have worked out well."
"...?"
"You shouldn't use something recklessly without knowing what it is. Especially something as troublesome as a sapling of the World Tree."
It could shake the foundation of this formation, he finished his words with a somewhat weary expression.
A coexistence of old age and youth in his speech and actions.
That feeling seeped from the face that resembled the Lazy Flame Dragon.
His wrinkle-free face, as if proving his overwhelming martial prowess, yet the expression he wore was more like that of an old man burdened by everything in the world.
Jung Yeonshin didn't like that sight. His subordinate, the poppy-brat, would never get to enjoy such an age.
He glanced at Peng Yuran's head, sprawled at his feet.
The gazes of the two squad leaders surrounding him followed Jung Yeonshin's line of sight.
Peng Yuran's face, pressed against the dirt with an expression devoid of refinement, the corpses of the elder warriors of the Secret Realm Peng Clan, now rotting and emitting a foul stench, and the ground, slowly being stained with a murky, dark crimson hue...
"I asked if you had ever harmed a warrior of the Desolate Fortress before."
Jung Yeonshin spoke.
Hwangbo Gon smirked as if troubled. Even the way he curled his lips was similar to the Lazy Flame Dragon.
"That's a tough question to answer. There are too many whose heads I've turned into mush."
"Come down."
"No, now, calm down. A peerless swordsman like yourself should wield a heavy blade."
Hwangbo Gon leaped down from the tree branch.
Thud.
His yellow sleeve fluttered grandly before settling down.
The hem of his robe, imbued with internal energy, assisted his movements. It seemed he was activating the Yejo Celestial King Steps of the Hwangbo Clan, but the depth he displayed was something Jung Yeonshin had never felt from the Lazy Flame Dragon.
Despite his frivolous speech, he did not neglect his vigilance against Jung Yeonshin. A veteran of the previous generation indeed.
"Hmm… how can a human body be like this...."
Facing Jung Yeonshin, the former leader of the Hwangbo Clan stroked his chin.
His gaze, subtly scanning up and down, was sharp as a blade, contrasting with his half-lidded eyes, which carried an air of weary indifference.
"…Now that I think about it, ever since the Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader set foot on this land, there has been no need to use indiscriminate slaughter. Things are quite orderly as they are. Does that answer your question? More importantly..."
His response lacked any particular interest. Instead, Hwangbo Gon's attention was solely fixated on the body of the Radiant Demon Squad's leader, meticulously sculpted through rebirth and transformation.
"Seeing it up close, it's even more astonishing."
"What?"
"I once underwent rebirth myself, but your body seems deliberately designed to accommodate a particular martial lineage. I don't know how that's possible..."
Jung Yeonshin did not answer. He simply lifted his head.
Two formidable warriors came into view.
An old man in tattered robes lay slumped against a boulder on a distant ridge, watching them, while a Taoist in a jade-green robe hovered silently in midair, looking down at Jung Yeonshin.
Ghost Lord Man Hu-gae and Shadow Lord True Immortal of the Void.
Their energy was overwhelming.
They were among the five supreme martial forces within the formation, the veterans who upheld the hierarchy of the Twin Kings and Three Lords.
They were powerful enough to inflict severe damage on the martial forces of Desolate Fortress, including the now-missing Obeying Heaven Squad's leader, Ha Do-un.
Jung Yeonshin needed to hear their responses as well. Whatever words left their lips, his upper dantian would discern the truth.
But he did not speak further. Instead, he merely tilted his chin upward in a gesture demanding an answer.
He had already seen how the past-generation warriors inside the formation had plundered the common people.
With the death of Ha Do-un becoming almost a certainty, there was no reason to respect these old monsters for their seniority.
"…Your demeanor is closer to that of a tyrant's martial arts."
The muttering of Divine Hand King Hwangbo Gon did not reach the ears of the Radiant Demon Squad's leader either.
"...."
Jung Yeonshin silently gazed at the two old warriors from within the transparent flower bud of Ultimate Thunder.
Saaaah—
Even without deliberately exerting his will, an overwhelming pressure naturally spread. The sight of the atmosphere rippling in all directions was terrifying.
A spirit that did not shy away from fighting again.
The faintly dimmed Radiant Wheel in his heart was not something he cared about.
Even though the amount of energy he had expended to annihilate the Tyrant King, Wind Lord, and the martial masters of the Secret Realm Peng Clan was immense, that emptiness could not quell the emotions stirred within him upon hearing news of his senior's demise.
His entire being was burning with rage, though he did not show it.
'Just one. Let just one of them step forward.'
It was at that moment, the old man lying on a rock atop a distant hill—Ghost Lord Man Hu-gae—suddenly let out a chuckle.
A leisure only a seasoned veteran could afford.
Perhaps because the distance was one that a martial artist without internal energy would need an entire sijin(Two Hours) to traverse.
"They say that the waves of the great river push forth the waves before them, yet now the distant tide of Jianghu seeks to oppress this old beggar."
"...."
"No, but really. How do you expect anyone to speak easily when you glare at them like that, with the Ghost Roar Tyrant King's head lying at your feet? Honestly, the warriors of Desolate Fortress, always like this whenever they see a Jianghu man…"
At that moment, the sword in Jung Yeonshin's grasp vanished, leaving behind an ear-splitting sonic boom.
A raging wind, unspooling like a coarse thread, violently swept up his pant leg before an Energy-Controlled Sword shot through the air in a straight line, piercing the rock where the Ghost Lord had been lying and detonating into a circular shockwave.
Kwaaaaaang!
With the explosion, the boulder shattered into pieces.
Heavy-looking fragments rolled down the distant slope, creating a continuous thudding noise for a brief moment.
"...."
For a few breaths, the air was filled with a deafening silence.
Behind Jung Yeonshin, Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader Cheon So-so's azure eyes widened slightly, while Forest Striding Squad's leader Xiahou Wei-Jin ran his fingers through the back of his head, the same spot where Ma Yeonjeok had once crushed him.
And then.
"Well, well. The young ones who have grown strong so quickly."
Ghost Lord Man Hu-gae stepped through the hazy dust, landing right in front of Jung Yeonshin.
His movement was dazzling, befitting his title of Ghost Lord. From the ragged clothes he wore, a fierce internal energy unique to the Beggar's Sect's martial arts radiated outward.
His expression was grim.
Perhaps he felt he had suffered an extreme insult. His eye sockets were naturally sunken, giving him a sinister appearance, but the way he was now glaring at Jung Yeonshin made him seem all the more menacing.
Man Hu-gae spoke.
"Is this how they teach negotiation in Desolate Fortress?"
"I heard that the Beggar's Sect teaches begging before martial arts."
"What?"
"The old man seems to have failed to learn the proper posture of a low-ranking man."
Jung Yeonshin replied calmly.
For a brief moment, Man Hu-gae's wrinkled brow furrowed.
"I can tell that you've exhausted yourself after exterminating the Ghost Roar Tyrant King of Peng Clan. What do you hope to gain by provoking us unnecessarily? The Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader and Forest Striding Squad's leader don't seem to be in pristine condition either. At best, this will end in mutual destruction…"
Flutter!
The old beggar suddenly cut himself off, spinning around and thrusting out his palm.
At the same time, a streak of white light slashed through the air from a distance, ripping through Man Hu-gae's shoulder before embedding itself with a resounding thud—right into the sword sheath at Jung Yeonshin's waist.
A sheathed blade.
The new sword crafted by the Tang Siblings had fit snugly into the Meteor Sword's scabbard.
Since the Radiant Wheel had weakened, it lacked the speed and force it had when piercing through the Ghost Roar Tyrant King's body.
But it was sufficient as a threat.
To the untrained eye, it might even seem as though the well-mannered junior had shown some restraint in his strike.
For the Ghost Lord, however, this was an unexpected provocation.
But the old beggar merely turned red in the face, unable to say anything further.
If he wished to maintain his dignity, he had no choice.
At some point, Jung Yeonshin had gathered the colorless lotus of Ultimate Thunder and quietly parted his lips.
"Answer my question."
"…Within this formation, I have never personally exchanged blows with a warrior of Desolate Fortress."
Man Hu-gae answered.
Jung Yeonshin stood still, running his hand over the sword's hilt.
Fan Dragon Lotus Binding Technique, Ultimate Thunder, and then Fan Dragon Lotus Binding Technique once more—the burning heat of his upper dantian found no traces of deception.
Xiahou Wei-Jin and Cheon So-so, both possessing heightened perception as elite martial masters, seemed to have come to the same conclusion.
Jung Yeonshin lifted his head.
His gaze met that of Shadow Lord True Immortal of the Void, who hovered in the air.
The Taoist, whose deep eyes evoked the word profound, studied Jung Yeonshin in silence before shaking his head. Likewise, there was no trace of deceit.
That was enough.
Jung Yeonshin had no interest in the personal affairs of the Ghost Lord, Shadow Lord, or the Divine Hand King.
His only concern was retrieving his comrades and returning safely.
"Seniors, bring your subordinates. It is time to leave."
He spoke without turning back, maintaining vigilance toward the three old masters.
"Are the warriors of the Immortal Spirit Wood Squad and Forest Striding Squad unharmed?"
"The Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's warriors are safe. The children captured by the Secret Realm Peng Clan… Peng Yuran… checked on them periodically."
Behind him, Cheon So-so's presence stirred slightly, a subtle nod toward the fallen Peng Yuran on the ground.
There must have been many complications in securing the sapling of the World Tree.
Jung Yeonshin could once again feel the weight of the black ranks' mission as he listened to Xiahou Wei-Jin's gruff response.
"The Forest Striding Squad will gather when called."
"Then let's go back."
Jung Yeonshin said.
His speech was naturally commanding, determining the actions of even his senior warriors.
And the Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader and Forest Striding Squad's leader nodded without hesitation.
A glint flickered in the eyes of Divine Hand King Hwangbo Gon.
"There is one thing I wish to ask."
"...?"
"The sapling of the World Tree in the Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader's possession, what do you plan to do with it?"
"I intend to take it outside and ask the Lord of Desolate Fortress for her decision."
Jung Yeonshin replied.
The shift in his speech from informal to respectful was seamless.
As the Radiant Demon Squad's leader of this generation, he was not ignorant of propriety, and regardless of the circumstances, the man before him was his comrade's grandfather.
"Why the change in tone? Speaking casually suits you better. As one of the black ranks of Desolate Fortress, you're not in a position to concern yourself with hierarchy."
"One of my subordinates happens to be your grandson."
"Hm? Hard to believe. That a warrior of Desolate Fortress came from among the failures of my clan…?"
Hwangbo Gon chuckled, stroking his chin. He did not seem particularly invested in the matter, yet his eyes held a deepening sense of favor.
"Well, in any case, this is troublesome. The Flood Dragon has been missing for a long time, so this formation will soon disappear…"
"That is none of my concern. I only intend to take the common people and leave."
"You mean to say you have a way out?"
"Yes."
"The World Tree sapling's power is only to sever space. Unless you're someone on the level of the Lord of Desolate Fortress, it would be difficult for the Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader to draw out any other function from it…"
Hwangbo Gon was subtly trailing closer, as if intending to accompany them all the way to the village where Xiahou Wei-Jin served as chief.
"There is a way."
"Did an unparalleled master of sorcery happen to come with you? Now that I think about it, something is truly odd. You said Golden Wings Sect's leader was the one who opened a gap in the formation and let you in, did you not? But that monstrous figure has yet to show herself. What could she possibly be doing all this time?"
He talked too much.
Unlike Ghost Lord and Shadow Lord, who had silently vanished without a trace, Hwangbo Gon was the complete opposite.
Jung Yeonshin thought that, unlike himself, Hwangbo Gon must have a stronger connection to his lineage, his temperament felt oddly similar to the Poppy-Brat left behind in distant Desolate Fortress.
Step.
Soft footsteps echoed as the wind carried away the heat from the blood-drenched ground.
"To avoid any deception, I should inform you."
"Hm?"
"Your clan has fallen."
"This Radiant Demon Squad's leader is quite a rare one. A young man with remarkable attention to detail."
"Yes."
"Well, the rise and fall of noble clans turns like a wheel. Having reached the level of Transcendence, I hold no particular attachment to it."
"For the crime of forcibly conscripting commoners for personal labor."
"...?"
"Their punishment was treason. The Desolate Fortress exterminated them for it."
"Hm…?"
"The only bloodline you have left is my subordinate."
"...."
The Radiant Demon Squad's leader, Forest Striding Squad's leader, Immortal Spirit Wood Squad's leader, and Divine Hand King descended the mountain.
Leaving behind the gazes of spectators who had watched in awe at the battle that had shaken the heavens and earth, their footprints marked their path forward.