Chapter 591: Chapter 591

A massive man and woman stood in the wilderness.

Dry wind repeatedly kicked up sand and dust as it passed. Golden-colored particles slowly spread from their feet.

The northern wind was pressed down by the overwhelming presence of the two. The pressure emanating from each of their bodies was immense.

They were members of the Six Original Star Lords of the Demon Realm.

Among them were Mun Gok and Yeom Jeong.

Their silence ran deep.

They had just walked off a battlefield that hadn’t gone their way.

As a general or vassal king in the soon-to-be-established Imperial Empire, they could have taken it in stride. But as Northern Kings, it was an unfamiliar experience.

The Yozoku woman, Yeom Jeong, slowly opened her mouth. She carried a glaive as long as her own height, slung diagonally across her back.

"That so-called Number One Heretical Sword vanished the moment the Southern Emperor appeared. Right before the three of us could strike together. Should've killed him back then."

"With dozens of strikes in a single instant, he tore open a Transfigured Void. That one can’t be caught."

Mun Gok added in a heavy voice.

"Besides, he’s a man whose character and martial arts are impossible to grasp. It doesn’t matter. He didn’t appear to be an ally of Ipwang Fortress either... and it’s not like a blade-obsessed rogue swordsman would bother choosing sides. Before long, we might be able to use him ourselves."

He didn’t bother wearing an eyepatch over the black, hollow pit of one eye.

A one-eyed giant whose sheer strangeness made him seem like a demon from hell.

But Yeom Jeong continued without a care.

"She should’ve used Shin Tu’s Resurrection Step on that secret manual in the first place. The footwork that rewinds time."

"Hm. And who would bear the backlash?"

"Had her energy run out the moment she used the Resurrection Step, King Yaryul would’ve crushed her skull."

"She should’ve retreated first."

"Retreated? When the Six Original Star Lords and Shin Tu were together, and you’re suggesting to flee from a single enemy?"

"A pillar of a nation must be able to do that. I would have."

"Even so, Shin Tu’s Resurrection Step wouldn’t have been enough. That secret manual, as befits something called the Sword Immortal’s Manual, was a kind of divine artifact. Probably couldn’t even be found easily."

"Yes. You can’t forge a technique perfectly from something infused with spirit. Even the Resurrection Step of Shin Tu couldn’t restore the spirit energy in the upper danjeon."

"The Southern Emperor retrieved half of it. We can recover the other half from the Divine Sword Master."

Yeom Jeong scoffed through her nose.

"You think that’s possible? The Divine Sword Master is now inside an iron fortress. And we ourselves need to recover physically."

"Well, if it’s the black-robed elites of Ipwang Fortress... from my perspective, they’re not exactly a fortress right now. I already broke them a bit."

"Don’t underestimate them. The Divine Sword Master is the one who killed Shin Tu. You think you’ll just take the manual from his grasp? It’s not like the Ming Sect’s Bangju is fully intact and fighting for us, or Shin Tu herself is in one piece. With what strength?"

"There is a new Northern King, is there not?"

"We’ve lost the fake Yaryul, but gained the true descendant of the Yaryul lineage. She is the Demon Realm’s hope to bring about the reincarnation of the War God."

Mun Gok continued slowly.

"I’ll request the West Sky King of the Demonic Cult to enter the battlefield."

The western sky was dyed red with evening light. A late-arriving sunset. The Demon Realm's horizon was vast, and every dusk, it absorbed the sunset's glow for a long, lingering time.

Yeokluseong was a grand city nestled within that endless plain.

Below, it was close to the Great Wall. Above, it bordered lands properly considered part of the Demon Realm.

Naturally, it was a critical location.

All kinds of forces and people with secret ties passed through.

Every day was hell for Jin Myeong-jo, deputy of the Divine Sword Sect.

Because he had taken on the role of city lord of Yeokluseong, as commander under Jeong Yeon-shin.

He had to mediate not only the customs and structure of the Demon Realm—things like "death markets," "great fights," or "dark paths"—but also the incomprehensible conflicts within the city.

A vast metropolis lay in his hands.

The other black-robed warriors showed no interest in such dirty work. Nor did they seem inclined to follow orders from anyone but the Divine Sword Master.

Jin Myeong-jo had been granted full authority.

Even Yong Hui-myeong had vanished almost instantly after laying Jeong Yeon-shin down to rest. Jin hadn’t even had time to properly speak with him. He simply left behind a long, one-sided message.

―I’m at my limit. I need to leave now.

―Half of Pagoda Yellow Paper is destroyed. If I’m to restore it, I’d need either absurd amounts of innate qi or a massive formation filled with energy. Rather than wasting time on something so messy, it’s better to let Seomye fight at full strength. I doubt I’ll return.

―Myeong-jo, it seems Seomye listens to you well. I think I understand why, though it makes me laugh too much to say it. Hang in there.

―Shouldn’t you at least give the other Masters some orders—

―The God of War is moving beyond the gates, and both myself and our elders do not intend to avoid him. You all, however, should gather any of the Three Great Generals and Imperial High Protectors scattered across the North. Without them, it’ll be hard to withstand the Northern martial world’s full assault. At least Seomye has become a monster befitting the Divine Sword, and you, Myeong-jo, have achieved great mastery...

That was the last of it.

Yong Hui-myeong’s form, wavering faintly, extinguished like a candle. As if the power holding the unstable Transfigured Void had finally given out.

That had all taken place in the royal quarters.

Naturally, it fell to Jin Myeong-jo to redeploy the Divine Sword Sect throughout Yeokluseong, coordinating with the city’s existing martial forces. It took a very long time.

"Yozoku are no different from the Ming."

He thought with a flat expression.

Jin Myeong-jo had heard all sorts of things from the Yozoku soldiers, who knew no rank or order. For example—

A proper defensive formation should function as a counter-charge unit, a kind of flying-steps cavalry.

If the Northern Princess Yaryul lays down at the gate, that is the world’s greatest formation. Blood King, if we drink your blood, we’ll become stronger...

And so, after surviving this battle without battle, he had returned to the inner citadel, a crumpled report in hand.

It was a letter documenting the current state of the Masters who had joined the Qingguangping battle early. Jin Myeong-jo had written it himself.

[Master of Destruction Island, Shin Hwang – double shoulder dislocation.

Yeouicheon Lord Bukgung Ah – dislocation of all four limbs.

Heavenly Dragon Lord Wei Ji-geuk – signs of qi deviation, caution advised.

Seonmok Lord Cheon So-so – frequent unconscious spells.

Yullyeong Master Yun So-yu – spinal damage, unable to return to combat.

Wu Geuk Lord Geum Cheong-won – prosthetic leg damage and full-body burns.

Cheonrim Lord Hahoe Wi-jin – dislocated right arm and full-body burns.

Divine Sword Deputy Jin Myeong-jo – unfortunately at full strength.]

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

These were monsters who had once shaken the Ming on their own from various points across the Northern front—and had now retreated across the open plains without the support of their martial forces.

Jeong Yeon-shin wasn’t the only one feigning full strength.

His Masters were bluffing as well—to prevent other Northern King factions from making a move on Yeokluseong.

The current Divine Sword Sect was a sandcastle.

The junior Namgung Hwa-shin of Suncheon Ik was eyeing Jin Myeong-jo’s position. Ma Gwang-ik’s Cheongmyeong and Light Blade Captain Hak So-seon weren’t the type to obey orders from anyone either.

Among them, Changcheon Lord Han Cheol-mok was the most composed—but the problem was, he placed blind trust in Jeong Yeon-shin and Jin Myeong-jo.

That master of sword-based sorcery merely stood there with a noble air, saying it was fortunate that the future of the Divine Sword Sect rested with the two young men. While quietly sharpening the ceaselessly trembling sword qi around him.

"So they say we held off the greatest man in the North with a joint strike. It must have left them shaken."

In other words, not a single Master was currently doing anything.

But in Jin Myeong-jo’s eyes, only Jeong Yeon-shin still shone with true brilliance. The divine power he’d felt upon seeing him again—it was so strong his legs had buckled without warning.

One day, he might ascend to the Dalma Supreme Realm through the Radiant Wheel Technique. And yet, in this vast metropolis, not a single Master was truly functioning.

In Jin Myeong-jo’s mind, the Divine Sword Unit was finished.

Or perhaps it was only the Deputy of the Divine Sword Unit who had been ruined.

He reinforced the outer fortress walls and made his way up into the inner city of Yeokluseong.

“Divine Blood Demon...? What is it?”

“What, all of a sudden?”

The Northern Gatekeeper and the Destruction Blade of Demon Illumination on either side asked.

Each with a suspicious or sly expression. Jin Myeong-jo had complex feelings about them as well, but right now, he couldn't afford to worry about the Southern Murim traitors.

‘They really caused trouble again.’

His hypersensitive qi sense, honed ever since killing the Blood Flame Cult Lord, rang out like an alarm. When had it started? Something earth-shattering was happening ahead, inside the wide-spread fortress walls.

It was vividly drawn in his mind.

Three Northern Kings standing with their backs to the inner gate. Over a dozen powerful figures following them. And at the same time, Masters from the Divine Sword Unit encircling the uninvited guests from different positions.

A confrontation of men who didn’t know the meaning of restraint. Jin Myeong-jo cursed internally.

A decent amount of time must have passed.

As soon as he became aware of the incident, voices began to reach him as well.

He had trained in the Thousand-League Ground-Listening Technique to distinguish Jeong Yeon-shin’s footsteps in advance. Like the Blood Flame Cult Lord, Jin Myeong-jo could see and hear them from where he stood.

“Looks like the Divine Sword Master is in seclusion, but is it really so hard to show his face? I don’t understand.”

“The Four-Winds King of Dragon Sound is right. This is wasting time.”

The Northern Kings spoke freely. Fitting for men whose martial strength touched the heavens.

The one asking to see his face was a woman carrying a full battle horse on her shoulders, and the one talking about time had a transparent body beneath a pitch-black veil.

Respectively, they were likely the Four-Winds King of Dragon Sound, famous for cavalry martial arts, and the Extreme King, said to have forged the strongest body-protecting qi in the Demon Realm.

No one could say how long they had been in this standoff, but they were clearly beginning to guess at Yong Hui-myeong’s absence and Jeong Yeon-shin’s physical state.

Why had the Northern Kings visited?

No need to think too long. Now that the Qingguangping battle was over, the current condition of Northern Emperor Jeong Yeon-shin was an extremely important matter.

The Anti-War-God Faction and the Pro-War-God Faction.

The Northern martial world was split in half, and depending on Jeong Yeon-shin’s presence, it could either unify or descend into complete internal conflict.

“How long do you plan to keep us standing here? We already sent word. At this point, even in the South, it would be considered discourteous. Ipwang Fortress was known to be the most refined sect in all the Southern Murim...”

The one talking now stood with elegant composure, like ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) the personal attendant of the Extreme King. His features, perhaps even more harmonious than Jeong Yeon-shin’s, could be felt through qi perception.

It had to be the Dream-Demon-Body Chi Geuk Crown Prince, the clan with transcendent appearances that assaulted one’s upper danjeon even in dreams.

“Or is it that something unfortunate has happened to the Northern Emperor...?”

He was fishing for information. A snake of a man.

None of the Northern Kings stopped him, and Hahoe Wi-jin barked out in anger.

“You think that’s a body someone like you can talk about! The heir of the Seomye bloodline was born to be the Divine Sword Master until death!”

“She entered secluded training due to insights gained from the recent battle. The rude ones are you.”

Yullyeong Master Yun So-yu calmly added, leaning casually against one of the walls—unbefitting of her always-neat demeanor.

A posture that seemed far too relaxed.

A faint flow of energy leaked from her body—it was clearly a reinforcing qi substituting for her damaged spine.

She’d picked up a bad bluffing habit. She’d been tainted by the youngest violet-cloaked one in Ipwang Fortress.

More than half the Masters confronting the Northern Kings were like her. Ipwang Fortress now was practically a sect of hollow bravado.

If they let their weakness be exposed, they would be annihilated.

“I came to seek counsel from Yaryul. She no longer speaks through Whirlwind Bell... It’s an urgent matter.”

Another Northern King spoke.

Given his status, such words could sound like provocation to those with quick tempers. The corners of Yeouicheon Lord Bukgung Ah’s lips rose faintly as she stood tall alone on a lofty watchtower.

“Stop spouting crap and wait three more years. Whether it’s the greatest man of the North or that mutt War God, they’ll both be swept away.”

Such was the current state of Ipwang Fortress.

Each had staked everything on Jeong Yeon-shin’s future. Even Bukgung Ah, once so lofty as the youngest of the Black Three Ranks, was no different.

That was why they were so reckless—as if it didn’t matter even if the Northern Kings attacked and killed them in anger.

—Again, to that extent? Truly no way back now.

—Ever since taking a Black seat, she comes back injured every time. There’s a saying that injuries are part of a warrior’s life, but isn’t this too much?

—It’s not just admirable anymore. How far are you planning to go...

At some point, they’d started cherishing Jeong Yeon-shin in their daily lives. Even if the young commander ruined her body, they only lightly scolded her for it.

The one destined to become the Murim world.

Any suffering or experience was merely nourishment.

Even though the Divine Sword Unit now teetered on a tightrope, they still pushed back the Northern Kings with a composed air.

If need be, they planned to carry Jeong Yeon-shin on Jin Myeong-jo’s back and send her straight to the Ipwang Fortress Lord of the Martial Tree.

In a few years, two Fortress Lords would emerge into the Murim world. That wasn’t such a long time for the Masters, who even included Ming-blooded ones.

‘You're just as desperate. If a real clash happens here, what then?’

Once again cursing silently, Jin Myeong-jo began to move—turning his back on the Northern Gatekeeper and the Destruction Blade of Demon Illumination.

He made up his mind to activate Void Moon Step first. To prevent the Northern Kings from entertaining foolish ideas.

Chi Geuk Crown Prince suddenly opened his mouth again.

“I possess an upper danjeon martial art that drags out and stirs the opponent’s unconscious. There’s no need to force myself to meet the Northern Emperor.”

“I will not touch the Divine Sword Unit. Now that I see it, I wouldn't dare.”

Suddenly, Chi Geuk Crown Prince’s gaze snapped to Jegal Cheong-ah on the inner chamber’s roof. A flash of wicked white light sparkled in his eyes.

Chi Geuk Crown Prince asked:

[Have you seen Northern Emperor Jeong Yeon-shin today?]

His voice echoed like a reverberation. It was the upper danjeon technique of the Dream-Demon-Body.

[Whether you have or haven’t—what came to mind when you thought of him?]

The Acting Clan Leader of the Jeong Ga family, renowned throughout the world for her innate insight. The one who once sensed Jeong Yeon-shin’s Heavenly Sentence and brought Hyeon Won-chang to speak of eradication.

That question was directed at the calm-hearted Jegal Cheong-ah.