Chapter 557: Chapter 557

The city at the base of Guanghon Mountain, built entirely of ashen stone walls, was called Soul Extinction.

The townspeople who had fearlessly watched the standoff between the Four Kings of Dragon Resonance and Jeong Yeon-shin had vanished without a trace.

Only the curved rooftops of the houses, rising sharply like hooked blades, split the winter air with a faint rustle.

Black roofs atop blindingly white walls. With every person suddenly gone, the contrast between black and white became stark.

Somewhere in an unseen stable, the sound of restless thoroughbreds snorting occasionally blended with the cold mountain air.

"The kings of the southern Demonic Realm have gathered."

The Shame King laughed, stroking the side of a horse slung over her shoulder. She hadn’t taken a single step from where she stood, her own city behind her.

"Rarely does something happen. Whatever the reason, it's worth remembering."

The Northern Martial World, the Ming Dynasty's martial arts sphere, and the military stationed along the Great Wall—

All would respond in their own ways. The eyes focused on Guanghon Mountain in this moment were too many to count.

The meeting of the four Northern Kings was an event with the power to shake the world.

Yet Jeong Yeon-shin only gazed silently at the scene unfolding before him.

The air was split in two. Invisible tremors throbbed intermittently through the space, like something writhing in the void.

Heat and cold born from divine secret techniques were divided by the boundary of a man and a woman.

To the right, searing heat flared like the height of summer. To the left, iridescent light scattered like shards of gem. The qi came from the man and the woman, respectively.

From their perspectives, the woman was to the right, the man to the left.

It was clear from the atmosphere that there was a distinct hierarchy and order between them.

The man was undoubtedly Tae Yeom-ryong.

His face still looked half-drunk, his temperament blazing hot, the shadow under his eyes slightly faded. With ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ a frozen petal loosely gripped between his teeth, he stared blankly at Jeong Yeon-shin—absurdly out of place.

And then there was the Ice Empress.

The Grand Princess of the distant North Sea Ice Palace. Stories about her were as sparse as the distance between the North Sea and Ming territory—nearly nonexistent.

Her long black hair flowed to her ankles, her eyes an icy, piercing blue. Even her sharp features mirrored those of Bukgung Ah of Yeouicheon, entirely alien in appearance.

But one fact instantly collapsed the psychological distance between her and Jeong Yeon-shin.

‘Tae Yeom-ryong’s current master.’

Could there be a more aggravating reality for the Master of the Divine Sword Sect?

A newly appointed lowest-ranked member of the Divine Sword Corps had gone under another supreme master. And it happened around the time Jeong Yeon-shin was caught off guard by the combined assault of the Dark Heaven Emperor and the Celestial Gate Lord.

Naturally, Jeong Yeon-shin had every right to be pissed.

That was what he'd said through sound transmission.

As soon as Tae Yeom-ryong heard the call, he slurred his words—rare for him—and now looked slightly dazed as he examined Jeong Yeon-shin.

He had recognized his direct superior. There wasn’t the slightest hint of doubt.

From the start, Tae Yeom-ryong had the instinct to seize control of any battle.

Among their generation, only Jeong Yeon-shin, So Cheonmujuk, and the Seventh Apostle shared that kind of battle sense.

Because his divine energy center was one of the few Jeong Yeon-shin had ever truly acknowledged, Tae Yeom-ryong had likely realized the true identity of Northern King Yaryul with just one sound transmission.

In any case, the look on his face—so rare for a Yang Guifei brat—was worth filing away for later.

But right now, the Ice Empress beside him, tilting her head, was a thorn in his eye.

The Greatest in the North Sea.

Though she seemed to suit Tae Yeom-ryong outwardly, she might be of the same generation as Ak Su-rim.

Maybe a young and reckless Tae Yeom-ryong had simply fallen for a peerless elder.

If that were true, there was only one way to refer to her.

The moment Jeong Yeon-shin muttered that without thinking, a fierce whirlwind suddenly surged from the side.

The aftershock of internal energy strong enough to strip bare an entire cliff. A moment later, another man and woman pair broke through the turbulent air and stepped into the city at the base of Guanghon Mountain.

With just one step, the youth who had extinguished the wind opened his mouth. Among the two, he was the one with ghost-pale skin and an oddly seductive face.

[Ha! The King Yaryul lost Yeoklu Fortress?]

His oversized six-joint armor trembled with suppressed laughter. His tone and choice of words were clearly meant to provoke.

Whether he intended to disgrace Jeong Yeon-shin or undermine the dignity of the new Northern King.

But neither Jeong Yeon-shin nor Tae Yeom-ryong spared him a glance.

Even Shin So-bin kept her eyes on the hulking figure standing slightly ahead of the youth.

As if she were trying to convince herself not to recognize Tae Yeom-ryong. That would be necessary, given her Jeong Clan martial technique.

Otherwise, perceptive grandmasters with eyes like divine bows might notice something strange.

—That one's definitely the Chi Geuk King. His defensive inner energy runs so deep his entire body is transparent... just like the rumors. First time I’ve seen him since arriving in the north, but I bet the General Command already knew.

Shin So-bin whispered the sound transmission, her tone faintly shaken.

Only his head floated above a blurry body, and even his face was veiled in a pitch-black cloth.

‘Is he even human...?’

For a moment, Jeong Yeon-shin couldn’t be sure.

Would it even be possible to shatter that transparent inner energy robe with Hwangang? He might have to go as far as linking Ultimate Thunder and Seonryong Dissolution into the Grand Taiji Spiral.

Beside him, the Sword Saint also wore a heavy expression as he observed King Chi Geuk. In turn, King Chi Geuk alternated his gaze between the Sword Saint and Jeong Yeon-shin.

“That must also be Celestial Armor... truly mysterious.”

The old swordsman murmured quietly. They said the martial arts from the Demonic Realm often couldn't even be called human training.

Then the pale-faced youth who had mocked Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly smiled again, standing precisely to the left of Northern King Yaryul’s group.

“Speak only to this servant of Chi Geuk. Our King shares his thoughts solely through monarchs and grand warriors. He does not exchange idle words with the likes of you.”

His voice was exceptionally smooth. It pierced deeper into the ear than any of the others.

If the southern nobles of the Bloodflame Cult beguiled others with their innate demonic charm, then this servant of Chi Geuk seemed to have deliberately infused that kind of power into his cultivation.

—Fortify your senses with inner energy. I think he’s a Dream Phantom Body.

Jeong Yeon-shin ignored the man and advised Shin So-bin. Her reply came back immediately.

—Even the head of Wudang, one of the Five Heavenly Swords, fell to a Dream Phantom Body master... can someone like me really block it? Master Jade Veil’s energy center was cultivated to depths I probably can’t even comprehend.

Despite her doubtful words, a fierce resolve surged through the sound transmission. She had already pushed her qi to its peak.

The more time she spent by Jeong Yeon-shin’s side, the faster her pupil's true energy became subtle and refined. It seemed to be the natural result of standing next to the one who had authored the Jeong Family Pupil Technique.

—You know as well as I do, So-bin. He didn’t fall to the Dream Phantom Body. He was nurturing a disciple.

—Like you with your acting Master?

Maybe she wanted to ease the tension in the presence of the Northern Kings.

As Jeong Yeon-shin looked her way, her silver mask eyes curled like a cat’s smile.

An heir of a prestigious house under Ipwang Fortress, someone forbidden from forming formal master-disciple bonds, was playfully brushing against the edge of that rule.

Comparing her relationship with Jeong Yeon-shin to that of Master Jade Veil and his disciple. But Jeong Yeon-shin replied calmly.

At that moment, the preliminary standoff between the four Northern Kings ended.

Just as Jeong Yeon-shin had been observing them, the Southern Kings of the Demonic Realm had taken time to closely examine Yaryul King’s Reverse Eightfold Formation.

Four entities, each occupying a cardinal direction.

“All guests have gathered. The Sword Corps shall resume battle.”

The Shame King’s voice rang out with strict authority.

She stood just ahead of Jeong Yeon-shin’s party, still carefully stroking the belly of a pregnant warhorse.

As if the horse draped over her shoulder were more precious than the Sword Corps themselves.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The Sword Corps warrior who landed in front gave the old Sword Saint a sheepish glance, then turned her head slightly toward the Shame King.

[I already lost, didn’t I...?]

“That battle was your internal question—‘Can Yaryul be acknowledged as a Northern King?’ I, as the King of Yozhou and Cheongeuk, must demand certain things of Yaryul. You now must receive the guests in the name of your king. Your Celestial Armor is still intact, isn’t it?”

In other words, fight until your defensive qi is completely destroyed.

Before the Sword Corps warrior could protest, the Shame King turned toward the Ice Empress and King Chi Geuk, pressing them for their replies.

“This is a sacred assembly. State your business, and present your Grand Warrior.”

“To the Yaryul King who trespassed into Chi Geuk Fortress.”

It was King Chi Geuk who spoke first. Her veil fluttered like a banner in a deep exhale, her hazy form resonating with an eerie hum.

A terrifying breath of internal power, delivered without the slightest trace of formation.

“I demand a great price—one that matches his recklessness.”

“I shall carry out the King’s will.”

The fair-skinned youth—Chi Geuk’s servant—stepped forward, and the air nearby trembled with a delicate tremor.

A master of the Dream Phantom Body, capable of striking down an enemy from afar or plunging them into inner demons. He was famous throughout the southern Demonic Realm as the Grand Warrior who upheld a Northern King’s authority.

“I’ve experienced three-sided duels before, but four—this is a first.”

“I don’t even have business here. I just came because they said I’d get some land.”

The Ice Empress, Jeong Yeon-shin’s primary enemy of the moment, spoke shamelessly.

At least, that’s how Jeong Yeon-shin interpreted her words. When their eyes met, she even offered a faint smile, her irises glowing a cold blue.

A ripple spread through Jeong Yeon-shin’s otherwise tranquil mind.

Then, with the clarity of someone peering through the fog that perpetually cloaked the North Sea, she suddenly said:

“Better looking than Flame Wolf?”

It was hard to believe, but it felt as if she had peered inside his silver mask. “Flame Wolf” could only mean Tae Yeom-ryong.

Though it may not have been her intention, her words instantly pushed the acting Master of the Divine Sword Corps to the edge of a cliff.

If she were even slightly inclined to cooperate with the Northern Martial World, she could easily deliver Jeong Yeon-shin’s appearance to the other Northern Kings.

“I’ve never seen my husband so wary of another man. It’s amusing. I want to take a closer look...”

That’s when Tae Yeom-ryong snapped out of it. The lazy smile that had unconsciously crept onto his lips vanished. His expression hardened.

“Isn’t it customary for Grand Warriors to handle matters between Northern Kings?”

With that elderly voice, the Sword Saint stepped forward. Even that one step was enough for his thin frame to completely block Jeong Yeon-shin from view.

“Allow me to state our business as well. King Yaryul desires unification of the territories ruled by the Northern Kings. He also intends to aid in your secret search for the fallen god. As a King of the Southern Demonic Realm, he offers himself in your pursuit.”

A bond from the past spoke on Jeong Yeon-shin’s behalf. In this moment, Sword Saint Hyeon So-baek was another form of his martial power.

The Shame King’s Sword Corps warrior.

The Ice Empress’s Tae Yeom-ryong.

Anyone could see this was a stage set for a joint attack.

Even more so since the Sword Saint would have to seal all his signature moves for this fight.

Yet the old swordsman appeared utterly relaxed. Even with the eyes of such exceptional beings—each famed across the world—bearing down on him like thunderbolts.

“Martial unification. The romance of all warriors.”

With that, he gave a light diagonal slash, then thrust his sword forward. The most basic cut in the world. The opening move of the Three Talents Sword Style.