Chapter 477: Chapter 477

The masters of Taemosan Fortress, who had not closed their mouths even once while chanting the incantations, fell into silence.

Cheongsu Jin-in and Ak Su-rim were the same.

The sorcerers of the Mosan Sect, who had pierced the bodies of the moving corpses with a single strike or shattered the heads of the sorcerers with a spear, turned their gaze away.

It was a rare-scale clash of martial forces.

The battlefield would soon become intense again, but the great warriors, who were hailed as legends in the Jianghu, suddenly stopped their actions. The massive shockwave had caused the cluster of scales to shift backward right after the attack.

The Dragon of the Seas was pushed back with a single strike.

This was of great significance. It meant that a human who had mastered martial arts could resist natural disasters.

The violent wave of power that had risen like a typhoon had already swept away even the Dark Heaven Emperor.

Naturally, this was to be expected.

They had been caught off guard by a combined assault of peerless masters. Even the Dark Heaven Emperor, who had invoked the dead spirit of the departed as a last-ditch effort, would take some time to return to the battlefield.

Jeong Yeon-shin, floating in the air, flipped his body around. Following his swift movement, the wide hem of his clothes flared out. The sky, darkened by the coming storm, made his robes take on a deep blue hue.

He clenched and relaxed his hand.

A slight tremor passed through his palm. The aftershock of the single strike.

The strike just now had carried additional force. Beneath him, the Golden-armed Great Master, who had conjured golden arms from his own qi, was correcting his posture, having already twisted his body.

It was due to the overwhelming power of the Hundred-Phase Divine Fist, which had been amplified like a wave of force.

The old monk let out a deep sigh.

No energy flowed from the body of the great Shaolin patriarch. He was perfectly still. The words "Vajra" and "Immovable" naturally came to mind.

The power of the Hundred-Phase Divine Fist was much more refined than Jeong Yeon-shin's own strike. The control over the qi was on an entirely different level.

The ancestral home of the Great Circle of Dharma.

Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes caught sight of the twisting head of the Dragon of the Seas, who was trying to reset its position.

A deep rumble filled the air, like a storm approaching. The cliffs, carved into sharp, blue edges, seemed to move.

He had to go further.

He felt the wall in the strike of the Great Master. A smooth flow that dodged, then inserted a strike with precision—an attack that increased the internal force naturally, making the opponent’s stance grow even stronger. Such basic techniques were not his forte. It was a matter of accomplishment.

It was possible now. The Dragon Form was activated.

Jeong Yeon-shin barely parted his lips.

A response came instantly. It was a familiar voice. The moment he shook the sword in the air, it was Yulha Nanglang on the ground.

Jeong Yeon-shin glanced down.

The pale pink sleeve of the Mount Hwasan sect leader fluttered upward in the fragments of red energy. She looked like an immortal.

The wind of the famous Western Peak sword sect gently swept through.

Jeong Yeon-shin, now eyeing the Dragon of the Seas, calmly spoke.

Yulha Nanglang's Gongwolmu.

The enormous sword curtain, like a tidal wave, completely pushed the Dragon of the Seas back. It had absorbed the force of Jeong Yeon-shin’s martial shockwave.

It was an extraordinary move.

Had Jeong Yeon-shin unleashed only martial force, the massive dragon’s body would have been tossed around aimlessly. Alone, he would have reached his limit.

—You wouldn’t expect more, would you?

Jeong Yeon-shin, after addressing Yulha Nanglang, immediately began to think of another plan. A small chuckle echoed before long.

“You still don’t understand me.”

Yulha Nanglang’s voice settled into his ears, like petals falling. She left behind a statement: "You’ll understand eventually."

Soon, her heels rose, and she slowly ascended to Jeong Yeon-shin’s left.

“Hwasan is a mountain of rock, and Jaha Shin Gong is a tree rooted in the rock. My internal force binds both Essence and Spirit tightly, so the plum blossom swords I release in a single breath will always be at my command, as long as my energy allows.”

Her words were difficult, as expected of a master. But Jeong Yeon-shin understood immediately. It meant that if there was still internal energy, she could unleash Gongwolmu as many times as needed.

It was unbelievable. Was this the strength of the thousand-year-old righteous sect?

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

For a moment, the question could not be helped. Whether she sensed Jeong Yeon-shin’s expression or not, Yulha Nanglang’s eyes curved into a smile.

However, she did not elaborate on the ‘giant wave.’

“Of course, I can’t keep spreading it like the endless sword wind. You’ll have to sustain my breath... Can you do that?”

At that moment, the folds of a robe blocked their view.

Suddenly, the Great Master appeared, sitting cross-legged in mid-air. At the same time, a deep humming sound filled the air.

From the deep orange robes, a faint golden light seeped out, like the divine radiance of a Buddha. It was the aura of the Six True Sutras, comparable to the might of Vajra and Indestructibility.

The foundation of martial study lay there.

“What the old monk has experienced.”

A weary voice floated from the old monk’s back.

“Beings like the Dragon of the Seas, with gods of great power in their minds, see no difference between people and rocks.”

Jeong Yeon-shin, who had been behind him, flinched. Perhaps he had misunderstood the earlier purple-tinged aura. Yulha Nanglang gently squeezed his shoulder and smiled.

The Great Master’s words continued.

“Let alone those who are dragged down by the great laws during a time of turmoil. Even if their wisdom is regained, this land cannot avoid its wrath.”

In that moment, the sound of a volcano erupting came from the Dragon of the Seas' jaws. The intense heat sliced through the air, a scorching force that nearly burned the skin.

Then, the voice of the Great Master, resonating with an overwhelming power, echoed in several layers.

[As the priest said.]

It appeared that something was being prepared. Jeong Yeon-shin, now locking eyes with Yulha Nanglang, heard the continued words from the Great Master.

[First, we must push that body back further, and then open the mortal gates.]

He spoke of the Dragon of the Seas' death.

Could it be done? For a brief moment, Jeong Yeon-shin wondered, but then realized that it wasn’t a mere hypothetical—it was a necessary course of action, the resolve that any sword of the land must have.

[But we need to define our roles. The leader of the offensive, someone who will boost the combined assault... perhaps someone like...]

He was advising not to face directly the harmonized attack of the Dragon of the Seas. It was reasonable advice.

There was no need to counter such a devastating force with a human body. The wise path would be to sustain their defense with expert martial strategies, as was the case now.

Boom boom boom boom boom—

A red sea of flame spread out beneath the feet of the three figures, filling the air. The surrounding atmosphere distorted into a translucent haze as the rapidly expanding air pushed Jeong Yeon-shin’s feet upward.

It was the breath of the Dragon of the Seas.

Although he had leapt upward to evade it, his balance was still shaken. A mist began to rise from the air, obscuring his sight.

The fiery energy in the air was so intense that even using the unique techniques of the Martial Void was difficult.

Jeong Yeon-shin made up his mind.

By now, a string of silver thread had wrapped around his hand. The long sword gleamed as silver waves spread along its blade. Even in the red-tinted air, it emitted a subtle glow.

“I will control the flow of the battlefield.”

Calmly, he spoke among the greatest of the Jianghu warriors.

It was an impossible feat for any warrior who wasn’t already a peak master. Yulha Nanglang’s eyelashes fluttered, and the Great Master nodded silently.

He would suppress all variables.

This was the nature of Ipwang Fortress.

The land had long been shrouded in darkness, and across the sky, blue hues flickered through the rolling black clouds.

Despite it being winter, the air was humid. The sound of thunder crashing in the distance resembled the roar of a wild beast.

The vast marketplace was eerily silent.

Stalls lined with wooden toys and sweet cakes cracked with a damp sound. The soggy planks of the stalls were dotted with tiny drops of water, tracing down the muddy brown surfaces like dragon scales.

But no merchant looked down at their stalls.

The passersby were the same.

The crowd of all sorts of people stood, staring into the sky, yet no one dared to speak. Even the warriors with swords at their waists were no different. Each wore a grim expression.

The crowd split into three.

Some common folk hurriedly retreated into their homes, slamming their doors shut, while others stood aimlessly in the marketplace or tried to leave the city in haste.

Among them, Hуeon Won-chang and Shin So-bin were also present.

“How can I not? The purple Jianghu that I’ve only heard about from grandfather...”

“Good words. A nickname like Blood Flame Emperor is no place for someone like you. Are you planning to walk on air, like our lord? Ha, even if you can, it’ll be lucky if you don’t trip over your own feet. Left.”

“Why are you speaking so sharply? Are you my senior?”

“Honor and the elegance of noble houses have fallen to the ground... now turn right.”

“Now it’s all the same blue. What do you mean by hierarchy? Did you ever see the great senior Bei Gong treating other black-clad seniors with respect?”

“Seems like Baek Mi-reo is turning into a tiger. Maybe you’re also going through a turbulent time... Let’s turn left.”

“My bed is fine. The thunderous sword has entered from three hundred paces southeast.”

Their quick and smooth movements parted the crowd as they passed, and over their shoulders, a massive body, large enough to resemble the northern walls of a fortress, loomed in the distance, surrounded by mist.

It was the Dragon of the Seas, now materialized between the sky and earth. Its size was overwhelming, easily covering the entire lake without exaggeration. Naturally, it could not go unnoticed.

The figures surrounding its vast body as they emerged were just as remarkable.

Although somewhat blurry, each time the Dragon of the Seas was pushed back, the outlines of the figures could be faintly distinguished, their dense qi swirling around them.

The shockwave caused a deafening sound to reverberate through the air.

There was nothing to compare it to. Truly peerless. The battle between such rare individuals, whose power surpassed that of the world, was extraordinary.

Hуeon Won-chang and Shin So-bin both tried to avert their gazes from the scene.

Their battlefield was elsewhere. They had to ensure that Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t get caught up in unnecessary distractions.

Though martial artists from other sects had cast their martial arts barriers and whispered silently around them, it was best to ignore them.

“The combined attack of the Shaolin Sect leader and Mount Hwasan’s sect leader... We must not be seeing things...”

“I can’t quite see clearly. But they are monks and Taoists. Who else could it be?”

“The Dark Heaven Emperor is finally turning against the heavens...”

In an instant, a tremendous roar shook the heavens and earth, and an intangible shockwave swept through the crowd, lifting their hair and brushing their skin.

Soon, exclamations erupted from the crowd as they watched the Great Master and Yulha Nanglang somehow strike, sending the Dragon of the Seas flying away.

These were words from those who could not keep up with the movements of the peerless experts.

No talk of the purple-robed youth emerged.

Hуeon Won-chang had witnessed Jeong Yeon-shin’s martial shockwave pushing the Dragon of the Seas back at the beginning, but the wandering swordsmen and native martial artists couldn’t respond in time with their martial barriers.

The common folk of Hangzhou were no different.

“Those from the Celestial Peak Sect.”

He grumbled as he hurried along, aware that disaster had come to the land. The tension that felt like ice up his spine needed to be dispersed somehow.

“If the Sect leader’s gone missing, we could assume he’s died somewhere. But none of us have the courage to ask Lord Jeong about it... Hm? Why there...?”

Hуeon Won-chang turned around, his eyes catching sight of Shin So-bin.

She stood still, her mouth slightly open. Beneath her sharply cut bob, her blue robe fluttered aimlessly in the wind.

“Give me the Dragon Tooth. The Thirteen Heavens’ ones.”

This was not the usual Shin So-bin. There was something strange about her. Hуeon Won-chang didn’t ask again, quickly searching through his clothes, but her whispered muttering caused him to pause for a moment.

“Why is the Prince of Dae-ri here...?”

Her voice was laced with intense tension. The Prince of Dae-ri referred to the direct bloodline of a fallen kingdom. It was another title that could refer to the leader of the Sword Sect.

Shin So-bin had already gripped her sword tightly.