Chapter 596: Chapter 596

An existence that made it hard to feel at ease.

While the names Dalma and Sambong were etched like diamond into martial history, never to be passed down as mere titles, the title Heavenly Demon had been inherited across generations as the most feared name in the world of martial arts.

He wielded the most bizarre techniques under the heavens, and his mental state was impossible to fathom. Even if he vanished before your very eyes, you couldn’t be sure it was real until time confirmed it.

That was why Jоо Gwang-shin the Beggar King and Eo Ung-gong hadn’t released the force gathered in their palms for ten full breaths. Only after ten cycles of inhale and exhale did they finally dissolve their peerless energy formation.

Then they turned, once more, to Jeong Yeon-shin.

The one to speak first was Eo Ung-gong. The moment Jeong Yeon-shin sensed his presence, he had to look quite a bit downward—he was a go-in, a high master, but shorter even than Master Jade Sword.

“That just now... I’ve never seen that technique before.”

“Well, this lad’s martial arts began in this very era, so that makes sense. Wouldn’t the imperial family know best of all?”

Jоо Gwang-shin chuckled, packaging his surprise at the Heaven-Splitting technique of Flowerless Martial Flow with a laugh, while Eo Ung-gong scoffed.

“The imperial family? That pathetic little house? I haven’t been part of that nonsense in ages.”

“Hey, watch your tongue...”

“The moment the throne changed hands, the Ming imperial family was finished. What’s left in the Forbidden City now is just a bunch of petty conmen.”

The childlike figure, not even eight years old in appearance, spoke crisply and with gravity about the decay of the present world. Jeong Yeon-shin felt a resemblance to Master Jade Sword in him.

To be precise, a version of Master Jade Sword who had devoted his entire life to the military. The essence felt similar, but the temperament and disposition were different.

Just then, Jоо Gwang-shin glanced toward the spot where So Cheonmujuk had manifested her true self.

“Of course, the Three Great High Protectors never returned from the Demon Realm to the Forbidden City, but aren’t the Three Directional Grand Generals still guarding the gates of the Great Wall?”

“Did your Beggars’ Sect intel say they were people? They’re not living men—they’re just parts of the wall itself. If someone holds the Emperor’s jade seal, they wag their tails and obey like dogs.”

“And that’s not how it should be...?”

It was at that moment.

Jeong Yeon-shin staggered ever so slightly in place. The recoil from squeezing out the radiant wheel had impacted not just his energy points, but his muscles as well.

Eo Ung-gong clicked his tongue.

“A proper candidate for Divine Sword Corps Commander. His body’s never going to have a day of peace.”

“I thought your complexion didn’t look good...”

Jоо Gwang-shin, still piggybacking on Eo Ung-gong’s tiny frame, examined Jeong Yeon-shin from head to toe.

The supreme beauty reflected in the old beggar’s eyes showed no flaws, yet his very nature somehow felt dangerously fragile.

Jоо Gwang-shin’s question was calm.

Yet somehow, it felt laden with many meanings, and Jeong Yeon-shin couldn’t answer immediately. After a moment’s silence, he barely managed to speak.

“...I heard you once competed, knowingly or unknowingly, against my maternal grandfather. Your concealment techniques now seem even more refined.”

Jоо Gwang-shin smiled lightly.

“Though he didn’t acknowledge me as a peer, when it came to footwork and intuition, I was ahead of that bastard. Not sure how it is now, though.”

Jeong Yeon-shin tried not to look beneath Jоо Gwang-shin’s thigh.

The world’s fastest man, now without legs.

The handiwork of the Southern Emperor.

He had left deep marks not only on the Sword Saint, but also on Jоо Gwang-shin. By robbing two peerless masters of their martial power.

The hulking figure cloaked in darkness resurfaced in Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind. The one who had warily suppressed and crushed the famed elder masters.

It was said he had been designated the founding emperor of a new nation.

And just like that, though he carried the reputation of the strongest in the North, he never let his guard down.

―The martial artist of Blue Flame you failed to bring... that one must remain there as well. If he wishes to live.

Even Ma Yeon-jeok had been named. It felt as though, no matter what it took, he would found a nation and push south all the way to the Great Wall. There was an overwhelming will in him.

At this moment, Jeong Yeon-shin compared the lingering sensation in his numb right hand to the Heavenly Radiant Armor that the Southern Emperor had worn. This too was part of the path toward perfecting the technique.

The fifth form of the Flowerless Martial Flow, following directly after Hwan-gang, the Technique of Sacrificial Thunder.

A single strike that shears through the roots of all internal structures, wielding the burst energy of a gnat that has endured as much as it can bear.

It obliterates the enemy’s internal energy from its very source. Even if they’re shrouded in techniques that reach the heavens, it’s the same.

Now, Shifting Void had lost its meaning. At least to Jeong Yeon-shin.

Stealth attacks, escape, and the ability to become intangible to evade absolutely—all of it would be impossible now.

What about Heavenly Radiant Armor?

And what about the Southern Emperor, who possessed both?

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly clenched and unclenched his right hand. He remembered vividly the sensation of the Shifting Void shattering.

The day he would face the Six Original Star Lords again.

That day’s Heaven-Splitting would be more complete than today’s—and far more lethal. Flowerless Martial Flow was rapidly nearing perfection.

“...Are you done reviewing?”

A youthful voice rose from around thigh-height. When he looked down, he saw Eo Ung-gong, staring quietly up at him.

“Yes. I have safely gathered my insights. Thank you for your consideration.”

As Jeong Yeon-shin spoke calmly and raised both hands in formal greeting, Eo Ung-gong’s expression crumpled in an odd way.

“The blood of the Demonic Cult bowing to a descendant of the imperial family...?”

“No, it’s nothing. My eyes often play tricks on me these days.”

Eo Ung-gong shook his head, then asked,

“Did you have a close relationship with the Cult Leader? Your conversation felt... unusually familiar.”

For a moment, Jeong Yeon-shin couldn’t tell what kind of expression he had on his face. He only noticed how Eo Ung-gong’s demeanor had softened compared to when he first greeted him.

“That’s how things are in the Cult.”

“I heard he doesn’t want you stepping onto the main stage of the martial world. I’m not sure why the Cult Leader sees the stand-in Divine Sword Commander as kin, but...”

Eo Ung-gong stared at Jeong Yeon-shin with piercing eyes.

In those large pupils, a faint white light shimmered—an unchildlike gleam.

It was the Changje Fighting Eye Technique, personally developed and bestowed by Emperor Gunreung to Eo Ung-gong. Known across the empire as the greatest in visual detection and coordination.

The Triple Honor Palace of Reverence—a title conferred upon the Three Great High Protectors of the imperial family—was a position said to transcend rank. Also created by Emperor Gunreung himself.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Meaning: he had every reason to be so meticulous in all things.

And in this moment, Eo Ung-gong was casting a gaze of suspicion even at the Divine Sword Commander.

Jeong Yeon-shin silently locked eyes with him, blue light glinting in his pupils. That light had not yet dimmed from the madness he had unleashed upon So Cheonmujuk.

Eo Ung-gong averted his gaze and muttered.

“...It really seems this one inherited the blood of Ma to its deepest extent. Gives me the chills.”

Joo Gwang-shin, still riding on his back, cut in from over his shoulder.

“When the God of War manifested, it seemed she didn’t want you to face him. That’s why she restrained herself and kept you confined here.”

The Beggars’ Sect’s Dragonhead Branch Leader had sharp instincts. He leaned closer to Eo Ung-gong’s nape and spoke decisively.

“But if Seomye denies any bond with her, then there’s no need to dwell on it. The Cult Masters of Minggyo have never exactly been... mentally sound.”

“Never been...? Go on.”

Though Eo Ung-gong asked gruffly, Joo Gwang-shin just let out a soft laugh.

“In my opinion, Cheonma refers to those who are in a constant state of mental deviation. Everything about them is extreme. Their words may carry absolute weight in the eyes of most in the martial world, but... they’re not always worth listening to.”

“Because they’re insane, as they themselves admit?”

“The true Cheonma Divine Arts are the most poisonous demonic techniques in the world. Any transcendent who fills their Upper Dantian solely with demonic energy can’t be in their right mind. That’s why they talk about destroying the world and whatnot.”

“I didn’t get the sense that that was all there was to her...”

“She’s human too, of course—she must’ve had her share of highs and lows. But neither of us is in a position to sympathize.”

With that, Joo Gwang-shin smoothly ended the discussion—like a beggar quietly vanishing from the marketplace with his alms bowl. That, too, was part of the Dragonhead Branch Leader’s martial art.

Having silenced Eo Ung-gong, Joo Gwang-shin laughed heartily.

“First, we need to get out of this damned underground. It’s still the main stronghold of the Thirteen Heavens, and in our current state, we can’t let our guard down. We have to remain vigilant at all times.”

Jeong Yeon-shin once again thought how this man was a true adult, far beyond his maternal grandfather. Slowly, he opened his mouth.

“Yes. I’ll secure it thoroughly.”

A continuation of what he had said earlier to So Cheonmujuk—that Minggyo was now within his grasp.

Was it such an obvious statement? Neither Joo Gwang-shin nor Eo Ung-gong reacted. As expected from veterans who had made their names long before Jeong Yeon-shin was born.

Jeong Yeon-shin gently picked up the Sword Sage from the bed. ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Perhaps time had no weight. The old man was absurdly light.

“More importantly...”

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly straightened his back.

“There may be a way here in Minggyo to heal the elder. They say the one who performed this acupuncture was the Cult Master herself.”

Eo Ung-gong shook his head.

“Didn’t they already attempt the Sevenfold Needle Seal Technique with no results? Yalu Jin is a grandmaster who has mastered all of Minggyo’s arts. Even she could only keep him tethered to life. What more could be done...?”

The words of the armor-clad boy general halted. Joo Gwang-shin had lightly tapped his shoulder to silence him. By then, Jeong Yeon-shin was already at the stone door leading out of the underground chamber.

“Now, now. Let the elder speak.”

Joo Gwang-shin disregarded Eo Ung-gong and spoke.

“Take ten steps to the left and break through the wall there. There’s a passage. It seems to lead to a storage room or archive.”

“You know the layout?”

“It’s the Starving God’s Perception Art of the main Beggars’ Sect. It spreads sensory perception finely across a wide area. I believe the Divine Sword Corps’ Myungryu Division has a similar technique.”

“Just trust this Dragonhead Branch Leader. If I put my mind to it, I could even tell you how many sets of undergarments the Cult Master owns.”

Joo Gwang-shin said this with a cheerful expression. Eo Ung-gong, carried on his back, snorted as he moved beside Jeong Yeon-shin.

“And that’s why sect leaders from the Nine Great Schools avoid someone like you. Surely you’ve felt out of place sitting among them before?”

“...Seomye is the strongest among us, so let him save his strength for more important things. Break down that wall with your inner force.”

As the childish voice of Eo Ung-gong rang out and he released a palm strike, Joo Gwang-shin turned his head toward Jeong Yeon-shin.

“Still, there are things you’d best avoid. The three War Bands of Minggyo and their leaders—the Three Sovereigns of the Underworld, the Twin Demons of Silence and Shadow who personally trained So Cheonmujuk in both martial arts and sorcery, and the four Ghost Emperors who raised her and ultimately made her the Cult Master. Finally, there’s the Grand Elder of Minggyo himself.”

“They’re all peak-level experts?”

“The Grand Elder has attained Moon-Eclipsing Martial Perfection. The Three Sovereigns and Ghost Emperors are demonic fiends who were infamous even before Yalu Jin was born. And the Twin Demons have recently risen as formidable powers. In your faction’s terms, think of them as White Qilin or Tae Yeom-ryong level.”

“The war bands of the cult—these crazed martial units—are massive in scale. One of their units is equivalent to at least two of your Divine Sword Corps’ squads. From what I’ve seen, there are three of them.”

True to its ancient name.

It now stood as the mightiest of the Thirteen Heavens.

So Cheonmujuk being revered as the Western Underworld King among the rising Northern Sovereigns was no coincidence. Even after suffering devastation on the scale of total annihilation, the cult had revived like an unquenchable flame.

As Eo Ung-gong’s palm technique shattered part of the stone wall, Joo Gwang-shin spoke quietly.

“Now do you understand what I mean? Just take what you need and get out. Know when to let go.”

Jeong Yeon-shin replied without resistance.

In that moment, Eo Ung-gong twitched his sharp ears and muttered.

“The moment he opens his mouth, lies flow like an automatic crossbow...”

Jeong Yeon-shin quietly melted into the darkness, still carrying the Sword Sage in his arms.

The inner sanctum of Minggyo.

Chill air grazed his skin. The dampness unique to deep caves clung to him like demonic energy. It was as though the abyss was flicking its tongue.

“First, I need to visit two places—the storage rooms for medicinal ingredients and martial arts manuals.”

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke quietly.

‘No matter who the opponent is, I’ll begin with Heaven-Splitting.’

He visualized a combat method that allowed him to dominate even when he wasn’t in peak condition.