Chapter 566: Chapter 566

High above in the clouds of the Guanghon mountain range.

The woman who had been lounging as if in her own bed amidst the pale air straightened her back. She wore a white, wind-patterned robe like an emperor’s dragon robe. The rustling sound of her sleeve folding was sly and languid.

“That fellow suits the silver mask well.”

The woman, seated in lotus position midair, murmured softly. She was quite good at talking to herself.

“If mine hadn’t been destroyed before, they would’ve made a fine pair. But then again, using my family name for a title—what’s the meaning of that...?”

At the same time, she tapped the blade resting under her chin with her index finger.

Each time, a faint wave rippled out, and the air around her face shimmered faintly like summer sunlight.

Her smooth brow furrowed slightly.

“Old man, isn’t your sword energy a bit too much? You’ll mess up my transformation.”

“A transformation? How unbecoming of the Master of the Myung Sect. Can’t even reveal your real face?”

The old swordsman who held the blade to her chin spoke. He, too, stood in midair like a star fixed in the sky.

He hadn’t spared a glance toward the mountainous city where the Northern King and the Southern Emperor had clashed. It was as if he trusted the Northern King completely.

The corner of the woman’s mouth lifted faintly.

“That’s not easy. I’ve reserved my real face for that man alone. For all the other trifling things, it would be far too generous.”

Her last words carried a completely different tone. A terrifying power was infused in her voice, as if her very words would crush the surrounding mountains.

It was the kind of charisma that could seduce anyone by sheer force.

But the old man remained calm.

“What exactly is trifling? The world that looks down on you? Or is it that the people who live fiercely every day seem that insignificant to you?”

“Useless question. I simply look from a different place.”

The voice of So Cheonmujuk, Master of the Myung Sect, was just as composed. She didn’t even glance at the old swordsman beside her, instead flicking the blade under her chin with a pale finger.

In that tiny wisp of mist lay the secrets of a miniature universe. The clash of energy and energy created a strange distortion.

So Cheonmujuk’s demonic energy tangled with the energy condensed in the master swordsman’s blade, twisted its intricate structure at will, and in an instant formed a specific inner force technique.

She’d woven together the energy of her opponent and herself to activate a technique.

She unleashed one of the highest-level spell martial arts with no burden on her body. Even the casting speed was as fast as a sword in the realm of absolute mastery. It was overwhelming enough that it couldn’t be called mere mockery.

Her entire body began to fade.

The blade that surged up to sever her neck in an instant passed right through her form.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The Sword Saint growled harshly.

He had already reforged the energy in his sword. Naturally, the follow-up ultimate move, Sword That Pierces the Heavens, flowed right out.

Grabbing the hilt like a vagabond regripping his weapon.

That alone tore the air apart like a ripping blizzard. An extreme combat sword form. Even the change in grip technique was martial art in itself.

The powerful sword wind carved dozens of tiny lines into the shoulder of So Cheonmujuk’s robe.

His mystical sword gust even caught up to Shifting Void. He had slashed through the twisted laws of nature distorted by a heavenly demon’s hand. But he could not wound the body of the Myung Sect’s master.

—Thanks to that old sword demon, my lifespan just got shorter again. Probably by an hour or so.

A soft chuckle followed her words.

And then her body vanished completely from the air, leaving only the fading echo of her voice.

—When Yeon-shin gains a territory, I’ll visit properly. I’ll send word under the name Western Underworld King, so let him know. Ah, since his enemy is the Southern Emperor now, he’d better build up power fast. Unless he wants the Northern wilderness to become his grave.

There wasn’t a trace of her left. Only vast clouds, spread like giant feathers, floated slowly through the blue sky. The dawn light bled faintly through their white bodies.

“...A Heavenly Demon, indeed.”

The old man—the Sword Saint—murmured as he slid his aged sword back into its sheath.

Kweeyooong! Hwaaaaak—!

Suddenly, something tore through the center of the clouds with a ripping boom. The air shook with a sonic blast so sharp it felt like it pierced the eardrums.

A speed and shockwave impossible to track unless one rode a flying sword.

Right beside the Sword Saint.

Just halting brought a thunderous roar.

The momentum was overwhelming. The Sword Saint instinctively placed his palm on his sword hilt and hesitated for a moment.

Jeong Yeon-shin had arrived, riding the massive greatsword he had taken from Lord of Hocheonseong.

Even after clashing through the night with Won Yeong-shin, the Southern Emperor clad in Heaven-Piercing Armor, he had charged up here.

He had hidden most of his true martial arts, so it was inevitable that both his body and spirit were exhausted.

Fragments of blue flame crumbled and fell down the side of his face. A residual effect from unleashing the Southern Vast Taiji, which required considerable power.

He needed time to recover.

Jeong Yeon-shin asked through the silver mask. The Sword Saint nodded immediately.

“She did. Regrettably.”

The story of how Yeonhwa Nata had lost her one-of-a-kind hundred-beauty blade to the Master of the Myung Sect was well known. Especially among the higher ranks of the martial world, few were unaware.

“Thank you for stopping her. If the Myung Sect’s master had interfered, things would’ve gone awry.”

The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps spoke respectfully.

“...We would’ve had to start over again from a much more difficult situation.”

He didn’t let himself be swayed by personal grievances.

He was looking at the bigger picture, even if he was greatly displeased at the moment.

“You didn’t just grow in body, I see.”

The Sword Saint smiled faintly.

But the feeling in that smile was closer to bitter than proud.

“...A chaotic world must’ve raised you this way. If the other Northern Kings knew your age, they’d be stunned.”

“As you said, I didn’t grow on my own.”

The Northern King Yaryul agreed without hesitation.

The Sword Saint thought of turbulent times; Jeong Yeon-shin thought of those around him.

A land so vast yet unpredictable even an inch ahead.

The clash between the Southern Emperor and the Yaryul King had, for now, come to an end.

The honored ones had crossed the Great Wall.

Even among the vast martial world of the Ming Empire, they were respected not just as powerful warriors, but as nobles in their own right.

Figures so renowned that the new Ming Emperor—first son of the late Emperor Gunreung, now newly seated on the throne—had invited them to participate in the “Heavenly Martial Examination,” abandoned that very stage for a single cause.

They cast aside the martial tournament hosted personally by the Emperor.

Tearing across plains of white snow and lifeless desert, turning them into painted scrolls under the burst of force beneath their feet.

All of it began from the niece of Yeonhwa Nata. A disciple of Zhongnan, named Jeong Hye, bearing the title “Child of Heaven’s End.” A girl of this generation’s martial world born with the power of internal defensive energy.

Had that child not revealed the secret manual of the Sword Immortal of Zhongnan, the Emperor’s event would never have been derailed, and the majority of the gathered martial artists would not have begun heading north.

Within the cloud of dust, peaceful conversation passed between riders.

“Master, what do you think happened to the niece of the Desert-Annihilating Flame?”

“What do you mean what happened? The Emperor brought her along—she’s probably being treated like royalty in the Forbidden City. Sleeping and eating better than us, no doubt.”

“Truly, one’s bloodline is everything. Some families have uncles acting like sovereigns in the North...”

“What’s wrong with our main family? Being part of the Peng Clan is more fortune than you deserve. As for that disgrace with the ridiculous nickname who was expelled? He’s the enemy of the entire martial world, so don’t even bring him up.”

“Yes, sir. By the way, where are we now...?”

“How would I know? We’re just tracing the aftermath of the clash between the Mount Dian sect leader and the Divine Combatant. Just ready the Gate-Severing Formation. If we want even a glimpse of the sword manual, a clash is inevitable.”

“The imperial border troops let us pass far too easily... Especially that Grand Commander Jeon U-rip, I’ve heard he’s quite formidable. If he’d wanted to stop us, he easily could’ve.”

“Who knows? Who can guess what the imperial army’s scheming.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Those who saw even the Empire’s blade-drawn borders as mere parts of the martial world—that’s who had crossed the Great Wall.

They were martial artists.

The impact of the sword manual left by the Sword Immortal of Zhongnan—the treasure containing the methods of blade techniques like those wielded by immortals—was that great.

“Master! Over there!”

shouted a woman carrying three swords.

One hung at her waist, wrapped in an orange sash; two more were strapped across her back. Her sharply slanted eyes seemed as much a part of her martial prowess as the weapons themselves.

She looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven.

Now, with the names of the Desert-Annihilating Flame and So Cheonmujuk removed from the Five Glorious Names, she was one of the current generation’s elites: Peng Ya, Master of the Peng Clan.

Dust clouds were surging up in front of her, thick and rolling.

No need to look twice.

That kind of force only came from powerful warriors. It was clearly hostile to those who had come from the South. This was the North’s land, after all.

“I heard these Northern bastards are real good with crescent blades!”

At her side, her closest follower, a young blade user, unsheathed his sword with a snap and shook his head.

“Please restrain yourself, Master! You’re the direct heir of the main family—your line could end here! Mount Hua Dragon-in-Hiding, a little help, if you please?”

He shouted back over his shoulder.

Among the crowd of countless martial artists, a young Taoist was silently running forward.

A cold reply, lofty as Mount Hua’s western cliffs.

He wore a white robe embroidered with soft pink plum blossoms and carried a long sword across his back. His face was expressionless, his figure tall and noble.

Peng Ya’s follower shouted again.

“Aren’t you from the Eastern Capital like all of us? If you used the Mount Hua Hidden Fragrance Marksmanship passed directly down from the Sacred Flame Sword Master, you might be able to match our Master’s defensive aura...!”

“My purpose is not aligned with you thieves.”

“That’s harsh, Taoist!”

“I’m going to return the sword manual to Yeon-shin’s niece. It belongs to her. You lot can suffer a bit more.”

The acting leader of the Mount Hua Sect moved purely for that one reason.

Out of affection and chivalry—things far removed from so-called rationality. His carefree nature was hardly befitting a traditional Taoist master. One could only guess who he’d taken after.

Expressions hardened, starting with the Peng Clan warrior who had shouted earlier, and spreading to the nearby martial artists.

An attack armed with truth always hurt more than any ultimate technique. If not for Yu Hyeon being Mount Hua’s acting sect leader, they would’ve already drawn steel.

[Stop right there! You lot have no business here!]

Meanwhile, Peng Ya, who had charged ahead at terrifying speed, released a warning through her sixfold mastered internal voice technique.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!!

But instead of heeding the warning, the sound of galloping hooves only grew louder. They charged in even harder as soon as the shout rang out.

The vibrations were intense. It felt like an earthquake rising from beneath the ground. This was clearly Northern-style internal force cavalry technique.

“They say they can trample any sword formation...”

One martial artist muttered, his face pale.

“The sword manual’s practically in hell...”

Even the ones who had been so relaxed now began to ready themselves.

Though they had arrived from all over since the Heavenly Martial Examination, the more than a hundred martial masters began calmly taking up their respective combat formations.

Five Tiger Gate-Severing Blade, Infinite Whirlwind Fan Style, Boundless Azure Sword Method, One Hundred Eight Strikes of the Yeon Family Divine Fist...

Just as these elite techniques were being drawn—

The land they stood on suddenly revealed whose territory it truly was. The roars of the beast-men martial artists drowned out even Peng Ya’s sixfold inner voice.

[Lord Yaryul has ordered the capture of all Southerners!]

Their monstrous ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) voices and the snorts of their warhorses shook the earth.

The distance closed rapidly.

Only now did the martial artists realize they had entered the Northern King’s territory. Just before colliding with the cavalry, they split to either side.

Each moved to protect their own life first.

In this land, they were not honored.