Chapter 577: Chapter 577

This was a realization born of Jeong Yeon-shin.

It was created after his defeat by the Lord of the Celestial Extremes and the Dark Heaven Body. It stemmed from the traces of Sambong Zhenren that he discovered alongside So Cheonmujuk.

A limbless dragon, impaled by an old sword of the Song Gate, had drawn a Tai Chi in its death throes. That very image is now etched into Jeong Yeon-shin’s upper dantian as an immense, circular form.

An image symbolizing the unification of all he had received.

If I look at it another way...

Radiant Tai Chi was a cradle that bound all the fateful martial encounters he had turned into techniques. It was, essentially, a vessel.

Just like when he first fused Ultimate Thunder and the Dragon-Flower Reversal in Hangzhou. The resulting technique—"Entering the Dao Together and Transcending"—was clearly of the caliber of the Martial Path of Transcendence.

Its name says it all: expansive Tai Chi.

A realization that forged the young violet into one of the Five Heavenly Swords.

Even Shin Tu, who had been facing Jeong Yeon-shin until now, had reason to take a smooth step backward.

Even if she had never encountered Radiant Tai Chi before, this was to be expected. The very air around Jeong Yeon-shin now pulsed with the distinct intent of the Martial Path of Transcendence.

At this level, if she hadn’t prepared a counter-technique of equal grade in advance, evasion would have to come first.

I will hit her. No matter what.

Jeong Yeon-shin pivoted on the balls of his feet toward Shin Tu.

They were already deep within a domain where each moment stretched into eternity. Their upper dantian had long since entered a state of transcendental overdrive, and both were perceiving the present as endlessly prolonged.

Time slowed, like sinking into a swamp.

Then, Shin Tu’s figure wavered like a petal scattered by a light breeze.

The divine art that made her an invincible legend had manifested once more.

Now that Jоо Gwang-shin had lost his legs, the title of greatest movement technique in the world could rightfully be attributed to Sky-Slicing, Fortune-Seizing.

Shin Tu moved away exactly as much as Jeong Yeon-shin advanced. The direction placed her just beyond the ideal angle for a clean strike.

Jeong Yeon-shin, already in the midst of unleashing Radiant Tai Chi, had to decide.

Should he immediately release his supreme technique—or bear the burden of bodily strain just a bit longer to reach a more decisive position?

There was no hesitation.

In the endlessly drawn-out time, Jeong Yeon-shin once again twisted his toes. He was challenging the world’s fastest martial artist head-on—with movement.

This is a life-or-death blow. If I miss here, I die to her counterstrike.

Suppressing the burst of power raging inside him like a caged beast.

Perhaps she sensed it.

A subtle flicker of surprise touched Shin Tu’s dreamy gaze. At the same time, her stride lengthened.

Her retreat, which had always seemed almost playful, suddenly covered more than ten paces in a single step.

Dust billowed up behind her like a silk train, trailing in elegant waves. Jeong Yeon-shin followed instantly, of course.

Twin trails tore through the atmosphere like twin vortexes.

Their chase entered a bizarre state.

Shin Tu twisted and flipped through the air with fluid grace, aiming to unleash a fatal counterstrike while avoiding a direct clash using her ultimate technique.

Jeong Yeon-shin, sensing she would bolt to her allies if left unchecked, pushed his speed even further.

The plains split like crashing waves along the path of their aerial dash. Their godlike forms, charged with Radiant Tai Chi, tangled at the edge of contact.

They tuned into each other’s internal breathing, the faint twitch of tendons, the rhythm of each heartbeat.

If Jeong Yeon-shin predicted her next move even once, Shin Tu would be struck instantly by the life-or-death attack born from Radiant Tai Chi.

And so their endless chase and precise micro-movements stirred the world into chaos.

But inside, they were calm.

This was different from before. Like blades pressed to each other's throats, both had wagered their lives. And now, Shin Tu could no longer carelessly touch Jeong Yeon-shin’s limbs.

Because something unknown had already been loaded inside his body like a battlefield cannon.

She had no way of knowing what kind of ultimate strike, or from which angle, it would erupt.

Still, she didn't falter. Even as she subtly avoided direct conflict at close range, she refused to fall behind.

Shin Tu—the peerless legend, queen of dreamlike motion, new holder of the world’s fastest title—was relentless despite her grandeur.

A pale glimmer melted into the storm wind, dazzling Jeong Yeon-shin’s vision like a waltz of distraction.

That must mean it’s that important to her too.

Jeong Yeon-shin became newly aware of the half-manual in his inner robe. The Sword Manual of the Zhongnan Sword Immortal. A secret tome powerful enough to alter the stances of absolute masters like Mun Gok and Shin Tu.

Whatever future use it might have, he could not allow the severed halves of this sword manual to be reunited.

It was already in his possession, and it was his responsibility to guard it. Someday, he would return it to his niece Jeong Hye and to Wei Ji Myo-hwa.

He would lose nothing.

After the Battle of Ipwang, he had resolved to possess everything. Justice, the lives of the people, the safety of his companions—he would not forsake a single one.

Even now, as he and Shin Tu raced toward the solitary mountain rising in the center of the plains, locked in this desperate gap between blows.

Fortunately, Jeong Yeon-shin was not alone.

—The seven Commanders should be holding off Mun Gok. By the time you receive this message, reinforcements may have reached them. But Shin Tu... she clings to Your Excellency with body-movement skills at the pinnacle of martial perfection. According to the estimations from the Central Headquarters, to capture her, you would need both the perfected Open Sect Master Jоо Gwang-shin and a top-level warrior on par with the Black Tri-Core of the Capital. The synergy of extreme speed, one-strike kill power, and divine armor is incredibly difficult to overcome. However...

Advice from the new Myungryu Commander, Un Sohyeon.

It came calmly amid the distorted scenery caused by Jeong Yeon-shin’s rampage.

—Here is the most crucial part. Just as Shin Tu drew upon natural qi from this land of Cheonggwang Plain and its tower of corpses, Your Excellency has Ipwang Fortress.

And my senior is with me, too.

Jeong Yeon-shin thought suddenly. Would this new Myungryu Commander also like Ounsan Grass Wine? If he were to repay the support he now felt, it # Nоvеlight # would have to be with the best wine in the world.

—If you successfully arrive at the battlefield between the Radiant Sword Corps and the Resonance Command, even while revealing your identity... Your Excellency may be able to conduct yourself as the Northern Emperor. You may even come to be known as the North Sovereign, counterbalance to the Southern Emperor. You are certain to experience a wondrous public resonance. This is the conclusion reached through deep study of the Radiant Destiny Configuration by the Central Headquarters’ scholars.

Before long, the faint figures of Jeong Yeon-shin and Shin Tu, locked in their titanic psychological duel, arrived before a towering cliff face.

The shadow it cast was unimaginably vast and deep. It was, quite literally, a great mountain.

According to Un Sohyeon’s report, it marked the terminal line of the battlefield drawn straight from Yeokluseong. It was also the edge of the endless plain.

Beyond it lay a hellscape where the Yeom Jeong Army and Chi Geuk Army, as well as the Radiant Sword Corps and the Resonance Command under the Divine Sword Sect, clashed in chaos. At last, countless presences and massive martial surges became discernible.

What direction was the battle taking?

Now, as the wide-range spread of Namhwa Radiant Tai Chi drained his internal energy more and more, the burden began to weigh on him.

The spin of the Radiant Wheel was slowing—he had to end this fight here and now.

If only to speak of the North with wise seniors and the discerning Myungryu Commander.

First, I have to win this war. Only then can I establish a foothold for the Divine Sword Sect’s full assembly.

Un Sohyeon would likely think the same.

Perhaps, even now, she was atop Mount Haebing, sending echo messages ahead using the Ground King’s Earth Speech Technique, locked in a life-and-death battle with the Yeom Jeong and Chi Geuk armies.

Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t stop. He began running straight up the vertical cliff of the stone mountain. With Shin Tu circling him like a star in the night sky.

“Do you think climbing that will change anything? Won’t you fall into my dream...?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The propulsion wave of Ten-Ri Lighthowl shot up like a comet, leaving a faint tail behind. A mist-like shimmer etched itself onto the cliff. Faster than any known lightness technique.

In contrast, Shin Tu’s movement left no trace at all. Hands clasped leisurely behind her back, she glided up the cliff as if carried by air.

Her wide sleeves fluttered softly in the sunlight.

Jeong Yeon-shin had already activated both Namhwa Radiant Tai Chi and Radiant Tai Chi itself. He had no energy left to summon Yeoroe or attempt a Swordflight.

“Your running is far too noisy. Burn through your energy like that, and you’ll sleep restlessly tonight.”

Shin Tu’s whisper caressed his soul like a phantom in his ear. Her voice grew ever more dreamlike the longer they remained locked in battle.

It was dangerous—undeniably so.

But what Jeong Yeon-shin truly listened for was the clear, deliberate message from Myungryu Commander Un Sohyeon etched in his mind.

—There is a variable I must report. Some individuals are approaching the battlefield. You may recall the Celestial Martial Examination proclaimed by the new emperor of Ming. It was part of the World's Greatest Martial Tournament held at Mount Zhongnan. A significant number of famous warriors who attended have made their way north. Some were even pursued by the forces of Yeokluseong.

The Ground King’s Earth Speech Technique delivered staggering amounts of information.

One could say it was worthy of being called a secret martial art that allowed the user to write thousands of characters in a single breath.

Jeong Yeon-shin's expression flickered briefly with confusion. It happened as he reached the cliff’s edge, tightened his grip, and locked eyes with Shin Tu standing ahead.

The forces of Yeokluseong were under the Northern King Yaryul, a military might commanded by the Demon Annihilation Blade.

They might have been considered allies when Jeong Yeon-shin’s identity was revealed. But at present, it seemed allies were being chased by their own.

—Of particular note are Peng Ya, of the Five Radiant Masters of Fantasy; Namgung Mu-hak, Elder of the Namgung Clan and Lord of the Blue Sword; Yu Hyeon, acting Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect; Jegal Cheong-ah, representing the Zhuge Clan in her brother’s absence, known for her Quiet Deep Eyes; and Eon Gi-bo, the indomitable "Seven Punches Without Defeat" of the Eon Clan. Many more sects have also set foot on northern soil.

It was critical new intelligence in the midst of urgency.

At this point, it meant that this very Cheonggwang Plain was the crossroads of the unified martial world.

—However, I cannot identify exactly who is being pursued by the Yeokluseong forces. This is due to the limitations of my transmission technique. I only learned that Elder Namgung had hoped to become a unifying figure for the southern martial world, but it appears things did not go as planned. Perhaps he intended to rise as the next Murim Alliance Leader.

Yu Hyeon and Jegal Cheong-ah are there...?

Jeong Yeon-shin stood atop the mountain and surveyed the world below.

There was a battlefield.

Not the mountain’s peak nor even its middle, but the root where the broad stone base sprawled outward in all directions. In this clearing of pale limestone, chaos had erupted.

Dozens of warriors from Ipwang Fortress exploded in hazy bursts of energy like firecrackers, surrounded by hundreds of cavalry.

From the center of the vast, bluish ring, the ultimate strikes of Seomye Martial Vein poured out without rest.

Wheels. That was the only word that fit.

Towering cavalry martial artists circled like furious wheels, herding the warriors of Ipwang Fortress inward.

They tore their opponents to shreds or exploded themselves alongside their warhorses.

Blood erupted like spears across the terrain. The ground of the stony mountain trembled faintly.

Corpses were strewn everywhere.

A tangled mess impossible to decipher—man, horse, weapon fragment—it was all carnage.

Across the field, a man and a woman stood with the hazy horizon at their backs. Their presence was enormous. The woman, transparent in body and wearing a black veil, was King Chi Geuk.

Beside her stood a youthful man famed for his supreme lightness technique—he was surely the Chi Geuk Prince Consort.

They stood as if merely watching the cavalry battle, exuding relaxed confidence. The prince consort occasionally glanced behind him, wearing a sly smirk.

There, southern martial artists were lined up, blocked by the Chi Geuk Army. As if waiting for execution.

“The beauties will activate the Minor Mist Phantom Array. Strong swords won’t work against divine armor—exclude the Great Wind Technique.”

Among them stood Jegal Cheong-ah, hair black as ink and robes white as a crane’s wing, now grown into a commanding figure like her brother Jegal Hyeon.

“Impressive. Regrip your sword.”

“Shouldn’t we help them? If we try to escape, they’ll catch us anyway.”

Nearby were masters of the Namgung Clan whom Jeong Yeon-shin had seen before.

“There’s a way to break divine armor. The One Hundred Eight Techniques of the Eon Clan begin now.”

A man reminiscent of Eon Hwayeon, wielder of the First Fist of the Eon Clan, led his warriors with deathless eyes reignited.

A southern breeze, quiet and melancholic, drifted through.

But Jeong Yeon-shin couldn’t feel it fully.

—This is my final message.

Myungryu Commander Un Sohyeon.

—Mount Haebing’s rocky face and faulted ridgelines are soaked with the dominating internal force of northern Yozoku warriors. If it’s the Deputy Master Hwan-gang, he could easily collapse this mountain. You may use it as a variable at any time. As I write this, it’s just past 3 p.m. Sadly, I have no variables myself. The Southern Emperor and Bukdo stand before me. However...

Suddenly, Jeong Yeon-shin felt as though the world had sunk once more into a swamp. An uncanny instinct. Something vital had unraveled beneath his skin.

—Regardless of my life or death, you will not die.

The Ground King’s Earth Speech cut off abruptly, leaving not even a single trace behind.

Jeong Yeon-shin felt it clearly in his upper dantian: it was now just after 5 p.m.

A single dot flashed in the sky.

“Why’d you stop all of a sudden?”

Below it, dreamlike once more, stood Shin Tu. At Jeong Yeon-shin’s distant feet, the blue circle of Namhwa Radiant Tai Chi now glowed.

“Won’t you dance a little more...?”

[Entering the Dao Together and Transcending.]

Something fell straight down.

No one in the world could react in time.

With just one soft ripple of shock, a pure-white divine sword descended from beyond the clouds and pierced Shin Tu’s back, embedding itself in the mountain peak—without a single sound.

She collapsed at Jeong Yeon-shin’s feet in that exact moment.

Jeong Yeon-shin was crying.