Techniques for handling armor are rare.
It is no exaggeration to say that only three martial lineages in the world are widely known for it.
The northern tribes, the military forces opposing them, and Sichuan's Ten Perfection Sect.
While Jianghu warriors enjoy the order established by the nation, they shamelessly carry blades without qualification. However, compared to such casual armament, the act of donning armor privately is far closer to treason.
That is why the Ten Perfection Sect came to be known as the demonic faction.
They appointed a retired grand general, who had commanded a key front in the northern war, as their sect leader, leveraging his connections, capabilities, and the geographical isolation of Sichuan to subtly defy the nation's laws.
Thus, the peerless master, the leader of the Ten Perfection Sect, personally compiled and perfected the martial techniques of armored combat.
It became the sect's signature martial art, allowing the Ten Perfection Sect to threaten Sichuan's two great orthodox sects and the Tang Clan, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Pure Demon Alliance.
"..."
Silence followed.
The Tang Clan, the Ten Perfection Sect, Qingcheng Sect, Emei Sect, and the Pure Demon Alliance.
It was a gathering of warriors so esteemed that even in the harsh world of Sichuan's martial arts, they were called a constellation of legendary masters. There was no one present who had not mastered internal arts.
And yet, all of them saw the same thing.
The Loyalty Binding Heaven Art, a technique famed for its versatility across the Eighteen Arms of War and numerous other disciplines, had crashed against the black-robed youth and self-destructed.
Thud—
The remnants of blood, flesh, and shards of metal, which had soared high into the sky from the violent explosion, now fell to the ground with dull, wet sounds.
The eerie remnants of Engraved Crimson Radiant Star, Zheng Chu-gon. The vanguard of the Ten Perfection Sect was the first to return to the cycle of life and death, as befitted his station.
Amidst it all—
The young man in the black long robe paid no attention to the scattered remains, his gaze set indifferently upon the leader of the Ten Perfection Sect.
His entire body was enveloped in a faintly bluish radiance.
It was an unbelievable sight.
Not only for Red Cloud Dragon, who had loudly declared Engraved Crimson Radiant Star's rank at the Tang Clan's main gate earlier, but also for the leader of the Ten Perfection Sect, who had been quietly watching to see the fate of his vanguard commander, Jung Yeonshin.
"Chu-gon."
The leader of the Ten Perfection Sect muttered. The sunlight shimmered slightly over the eyes of the peerless master, a man who had weathered countless battlefields.
In the Ten Perfection Sect, those of equal rank to the leader were typically both his subordinates and disciples.
Most of those who represented the sect were long-time comrades. Engraved Crimson Radiant Star, Zheng Chu-gon, had also followed the leader from the northern front.
"…You have forged an impressive Internal Armor Technique."
The leader of the Ten Perfection Sect spoke slowly.
The turbulent energy that had been violently clawing at the ground beneath him suddenly vanished.
At the same time, the sheen on his silver armor disappeared, and an eerie, almost oppressive silence settled over the surroundings.
He had completely contained that overwhelming energy within his body.
Jung Yeonshin's eyelids lowered slightly.
'He hasn't withdrawn his energy.'
The upper dantian in his head registered an immense, oppressive weight.
It felt as though the man had ceased using broad-range techniques suited for chaotic combat and had instead transitioned to a focused energy manipulation, appropriate for a one-on-one duel to the death.
It was clear why he remained an unparalleled absolute force, even after being drained of energy by the Blood Flame Cult's leader.
The leader of the Ten Perfection Sect spoke with an expressionless face.
"There are few in this world besides Yeoryeong Sect's leader who can deceive others with such martial prowess. Perhaps only the Gray Ghost of the Dark Night War, or some lowly northern War God."
"There are many."
"Radiant Demon Squad's leader, Jung Yeonshin. You weren't lying after all."
"You talk too much."
"I originally didn't believe you. Not long ago, I saw your face—young, not even rid of its baby fat…"
"..."
"But now that I see you again, it appears you have undergone rebirth."
If not, who else at that age could have done this to Chu-gon? The leader muttered to himself, as if in soliloquy.
"Guang and Juha also met their end at your hands."
Sword-Thirst Demon, Dokgo Gwang, and Moonlight Spear, Lu Zhuxia.
They were elite masters of the Ten Perfection Sect. Jung Yeonshin remembered them well.
They were among the foes he had killed before creating the Transcending Law Radiant Wheel technique.
'I sent them off too easily.'
Jung Yeonshin felt the flaws of his short-term decisive combat strategy once again.
"In the end, a mere brat from Desolate Fortress has taken so many of my limbs. What a ridiculous turn of events."
As soon as those words were spoken, the Sect Leader's hand moved.
A subtle, fragmented motion, like the flapping of a moth's wings.
And suddenly, as if it had been there all along, a drawn sword rested in his grip.
There had been no sound of the blade being unsheathed.
'That is a martial art.'
Jung Yeonshin, whose hand had instinctively reached for the formless sword energy in response to the unseen sword wave, locked eyes with the calm and unwavering gaze of the sect leader.
Ten Perfection Sect, Jeng Jianwu.
He had heard of him before.
It was said that his technique bore similarities to the Radiant Demon Arts of the Radiant Demon Squad.
A martial art where mastery over one's body itself became the core foundation of a technique.
"Come."
The leader of the Ten Perfection Sect flicked the flat of his blade ever so slightly.
It was the gesture of a senior warrior addressing a junior, an acknowledgment that, as one of the Thirteen Celestial Demons, he did not recognize the black-clad warrior from Desolate Fortress as his equal.
Regardless of his true intentions, it was inevitable. A grand sect leader had to maintain the dignity of his sect.
A murmur rippled through the gathered martial artists.
"Has the Dark Flame King undergone rebirth…?"
"The sect leader himself said so. It must be true."
"That means he couldn't have come alone. He must have brought others with him…."
"We need to check the rear immediately."
"There are two of the Thirteen Celestial Demons here! No matter how formidable the black of Desolate Fortress may be, he's nothing more than bait!"
The voices came from the warriors of Ten Perfection Sect and the Pure Demon Alliance. Their gazes, locked onto Jung Yeonshin, gleamed with an oppressive and domineering energy.
"Look at that sword!"
"Isn't that the mark of Surpassing Craftsmanship forging? A technique only passed down to direct disciples?"
"The sheen is strange… True Silver Ore? That can only be obtained from the True Formation of the Flood Dragon…."
"The Dark Flame King! It must be an honored gift!"
"The Twin Venoms must have intervened."
"Stop him! We can't let him strike from behind!"
While the shorter masters of the Tang Clan reacted with shock, adjusting their daggers, long needles, and throwing weapons, shouts erupted from both sides, commanding that no one be allowed to escape.
Hwaaaak!
The air within the hall rippled translucently.
This was a battlefield where the Thirteen Celestial Demons, the Eight Freat Clans, and the Nine Great Sects stood opposed.
The surging energy waves of martial artists, each trained in different internal arts, caused the very atmosphere to undulate. And just as the killing intent of the battlefield was about to erupt once more—
A gruff, aged laughter rumbled heavily through the air.
A deep, guttural chuckle. The sheer, overwhelming force contained within that voice crushed all the gathered energy in the hall beneath its weight.
It was Demonic Energy.
[The tricks of a young one are quite amusing. Let's see how you fare.]
Hwoook—!
The dust that had risen in the air suddenly collapsed downward.
The walls surrounding the manor trembled precariously, while loose stones on the ground burrowed into the earth as if seeking shelter.
Those who had been shouting now snapped their heads upward, their expressions changing drastically. Some muttered under their breath, barely audible.
"The leader of the Pure Demon Alliance…!"
Another peerless master had arrived.
An old man with a long, flowing white beard, standing as if he were an immortal sage.
Yet he was none other than an absolute force of the demonic path, one who had split off from the Ming Cult's martial lineage. He was unpredictable, capable of turning at any moment.
If the leader of the Ten Perfection Sect and the leader of the Pure Demon Alliance joined forces, even Jung Yeonshin would have no choice but to prepare for death.
Even without turning his head, Jung Yeonshin could sense the presence of the old man hovering in midair.
In truth, he had been paying more attention to him than to the leader of the Ten Perfection Sect.
Because at the edge of the manor's cliffs, clinging like a spider, was a young man being toyed with by the leader of the Pure Demon Alliance.
'The white-rank of Desolate Fortress.'
Jung Yeonshin had crossed paths with him once before, back when his maternal grandfather had handed over the secret manual of the Jung Clan's Movement Arts at the main branch of Sichuan's Martial Affairs Bureau.
He couldn't leave him there.
"You're taking too long to measure the interval. I heard your martial lineage is known for keeping exchanges short."
The leader of the Ten Perfection Sect, meeting his gaze, muttered as if disappointed.
Jung Yeonshin turned the Radiant Wheel within his heart once.
At the same time, the image of a single sword was etched into his mind.
Sharper than ever, refined after Rebirth of Bones and Flesh and Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
'One strike is enough.'
With an indifferent expression, he pointed the sword within his mind at the leader of the Ten Perfection Sect.
"Hmm?"
In that instant, a pure white sword energy surged like a wave from the sect leader's grip.
An extreme reaction speed. His body had moved instinctively the moment it sensed the start of an attack.
The tearing slash that ripped through the air at point-blank range produced a sound like rough paper being shredded.
Exactly as Jung Yeonshin intended.
He had mastered Radiant Demon Arts to their extreme, a technique akin to Jeng Jianwu's martial discipline.
'Fan Dragon.'
In the fleeting instant, he erased the sword within his mind and unfurled a fan, merging it with the sword at his waist.
At the same moment—
Buaaaaang!
An earsplitting roar echoed as a blazing light shot forth in a perfect line, piercing the sky.
Fan Dragon Lotus Binding Technique, Sword Control Art.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZOOOOOOOM!
A circular shockwave detonated midair, sending a massive ripple outward.
The waves of energy from the gathered martial artists were instantly pushed back in all directions, while a seismic force akin to a tidal wave crashed into the ground, sweeping the floor.
Amidst the tremors, the leader of the Pure Demon Alliance plummeted rapidly from the sky.
He was falling at a near-freefall speed.
Even his Heavenly Void Stride couldn't withstand the recoil.
For once, the expression on the absolute master of the demonic faction, who treated everything as a game, was no longer one of amusement.
On his wrinkled face, as he looked at Jung Yeonshin, was an emotion he failed to completely hide—shock.
Tack—
"The bloodline of a Tyrant Hero, is it?"
The old man, now grounded, furrowed his brows.
Just like that.
A scene unfolded that made the hundred or so martial artists in the hall hold their breath.
The leader of the Ten Perfection Sect, the leader of the Pure Demon Alliance, and the Dark Flame King of Sichuan.
If one were to ask a hundred Jianghu warriors, ninety-nine would say that the Dark Flame King was doomed to a miserable defeat.
Even Jung Yeonshin felt the pressure.
If he engaged in battle with them, he would inevitably fail to protect the Tang siblings' carriage.
That was why he revealed the level of his martial arts.
Each of them valued their own survival above all else, and he wanted them to understand that no one could benefit from crossing swords with him in this situation.
Even among the Thirteen Celestial Demons, they were, at their core, warriors of the demonic faction. Had they not pursued personal glory, they would never have risen to such heights.
The leader of the Pure Demon Alliance bared his yellowed teeth.
"They've raised a monster in Desolate Fortress. My disciple should have killed him long ago."
"No, that one grew up alone. Yeoryeong Sect's leader said as much."
The leader of the Ten Perfection Sect retorted. The leader of the Pure Demon Alliance shrugged indifferently, as if it didn't matter.
"For one so young to stand across from this old man, what a ridiculous sight. This is quite the predicament."
They had invaded the Tang Clan. A clan with an ancient history.
Great sects, built over long centuries, always carried mysteries within them.
From the entrance to the inner halls, countless poisons, enchanted artifacts, and hidden weapons formed deadly formations—the Venomous Formation of the Nine Dragons, the Demon King's Command, and the Celestial Thunder Blossom Formation.
These were the Tang Clan's final defensive lines, so lethal that even peerless masters hesitated to face them.
Renowned for their mastery of poison, medicine, and metallurgy, the Tang Clan's mechanical formations were unrivaled.
That was why both the leader of the Ten Perfection Sect and the leader of the Pure Demon Alliance were not making any reckless moves against Jung Yeonshin.
They were not at full strength.
When facing weak opponents, such considerations were unnecessary.
But this was different.
At some point, the two peerless masters had shed the aloof arrogance of those who looked down upon the world as mere insignificant dust.
"What will you do?"
The leader of the Ten Perfection Sect, as if nothing had happened, sheathed the sword he had drawn earlier.
It was as if he had never been angered by his subordinate's death.
The conduct of a peerless master of the demonic faction was astoundingly fluid and unobstructed.
The leader of the Pure Demon Alliance, glancing briefly at this display, let out a hearty laugh before gesturing toward Jung Yeonshin with his chin.
"Young one, no matter how powerful you are, you cannot handle both of us. Surely you don't expect us to take turns fighting you?"
"Pathetic."
Jung Yeonshin responded calmly, spreading his hands slightly downward.
At some point, the Tang siblings' divine sword had risen behind him, hovering in the air, their keen sword-light gleaming menacingly.
Even without emanating martial energy, an overwhelming aura radiated from his entire being.
The transcendent presence of a peerless master.
Slowly, he parted his lips.
"You may attack together."
"..."
The entire hall fell silent.