CHAPTER 127

It was truly a mysterious sight, an overwhelming visual impact.

A boy draped in a black long robe of Desolate Fortress.

Surrounded by a massive silver whirlwind, he spoke.

The blood of the scattered Pure Demon Alliance warriors demanded silence.

His words, like commands, did not feel out of place.

"...."

Jung Yeonshin dominated the scene. The dignity exuded by his fully revealed black robe was astonishing.

The atmosphere of the crowd shifted.

Those who had mocked the boy's words, those who had folded their arms while observing, and even those who had watched merely out of curiosity.

Thud!

A master, who had clung to the railings of the pavilion with wall-climbing skills, fell.

Jung Yeonshin's displayed martial prowess and Tang Clan's secret techniques had a mesmerizing effect. No one looked back.

Saaah―

Even the cutting wind that blew along the Grand Avenue seemed to lift and scatter the petals of steel, leaving onlookers in a daze.

The harsh sound of steel petals clashing against each other rang out with a grating texture.

His presence left a clear imprint on Sichuan's martial world. The boy took another step toward the world.

"... The problem lies not in his martial prowess."

The Sword Fist Demon, Gal Sa-ryang, slowly opened his lips with a sigh.

"It's something else entirely."

After the short statement, he fell silent again, his eyes half-open in calm contemplation.

The glimmer of a supreme master in his pupils reflected his complicated emotions. No one could remain at ease.

Gal Sa-ryang thought.

'I aimed to strike a blow against the battered Desolate Fortress.'

Whether through martial prestige or actual power.

He hadn't expected to be blocked by a single person, let alone one whose age likely hadn't even reached twenty.

Neither the Ten Perfection Sect's leader nor the Pure Demon Alliance leader could have predicted this.

The immediate issue was the Pure Demon Alliance.

Lightning Genius had taken down two warriors capable of countering black-rank masters. Without the leader, there were no more.

Desolate Fortress was holding back the entirety of the martial world alone.

Among the Thirteen Heavens, the Nine Great Sects, and the major clans, it was rare to have even two black-level masters.

Didn't the leader of Mount Hua's Plum Blossom Swordsmaster pale in comparison to the Radiant Demon Squad Leader?

Gal Sa-ryang pondered.

Should he retreat? Or should he do whatever it takes to kill the youngest black-rank master?

'If the Tang Clan interferes, retreat must be considered.'

But the latter was the bigger issue. A black-rank master at that age—monstrous and demonic indeed. Who knew how much stronger he might become?

While Gal Sa-ryang was lost in thought, he slowly opened his mouth.

"What is your name?"

"Jung Yeonshin."

The boy answered briefly.

The Sword Fist Demon of the Ten Perfection Sect was a man who paid close attention to all matters in the martial world.

The name Jung Yeonshin was already etched in his memory. The duel between the Namgoong Clan and Desolate Fortress had been a topic of intense interest.

A new talent who had defeated Namgoong Se-jin, the Azure Qilin—both his name and epithet were worth remembering. So, he had kept it in mind.

"Lightning Genius Jung Yeonshin… Such arrogance is befitting your skills. Incredibly refined and mysterious."

The Sword Fist Demon spoke slowly.

Was he stalling for time to adapt to the unexpected? The boy merely stared at him and then tilted his head slightly.

Then, almost murmuring, he said,

"Heaven and earth are quiet and desolate, yet their energy neither stops nor rests. Though night and day alternate noisily, their light remains unchanging, like the immutable cosmos. Such is the virtue of a nobleman."

Jung Yeonshin's calm voice resonated.

"You once advised me with these words from Discourse of Root Cultivation. Hiding is not always the answer."

He was addressing the leader of the Tang Clan.

Tang Yun-hwang, the Tang Clan's Leader, who had left the Tang Clan after his wife's death at the hands of the Thirteen Heavens.

As a husband and family head, he had sought revenge, but the Grand Elder opposed him, leading him to sever ties with the clan and leave.

—Rushing to unleash martial skills leaves no retreat. In leisure, one must prepare movement within stillness, and in urgency, maintain stillness within movement. This applies to both swords and hidden weapons.

These were words Tang Yun-hwang had shared at the City of Master Craftsmen. A favor.

They had played a key role in the creation of the Radiant Wheel Technique.

Had it not been for the guidance and counsel based on Discourse of Root Cultivation, the Radiant Wheel would not have contained the functionality of adaptable techniques.

Jung Yeonshin knew that he was lurking nearby.

The Radiant Wheel embedded in his heart never forgot the energy waves of those it encountered.

The former Tang Clan head, who had fallen from purple-level to black-level, couldn't evade the sense of the Radiant Wheel.

"Clan Head."

"...."

"Have you prepared for movement within stillness?"

Though his voice was quiet, no answer came.

The Tang Clan's leader was present. Did he lack the courage to return to his clan?

At that moment—

Thump.

Golden robes fluttered imposingly. A gaunt old man stepped into the open space.

He had leaped over the crowd and appeared abruptly.

"Don't waste time talking to this scoundrel. You must discuss supreme techniques with me."

He hadn't simply materialized. It was clear he had been watching and waiting for the right moment.

His wrinkled face revealed both awe and ecstasy, making it hard to discern the cause of his hesitation.

'That man….'

Jung Yeonshin fixed his gaze on the old man.

Withered like an ancient tree, he wore resplendent golden robes, but his natural aura was so grand it didn't feel out of place.

"Tang Taedok."

Gal Sa-ryang, who had been standing still, murmured.

The Grand Elder of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

Also known as the Supreme Clan Head, he was an aged master. But he wasn't the one Jung Yeonshin had been waiting for.

"I will burn the Ten Perfection Sect and Pure Demon Alliance to the ground. I will form an alliance with Desolate Fortress and treat you as a benefactor."

His tongue was sharp like a snake's.

The stance had shifted. Was this truly the same man who opposed his son, Tang Clan's Leader Tang Yun-hwang, seeking revenge?

Even with his young eyes, Jung Yeonshin could see through the old man's intentions.

Given the events at the City of Master Craftsmen and the recent incident, the strength of the two major factions in the Thirteen Heavens had been severely weakened.

Now, he sought to seize dominance over Sichuan's martial world.

By obtaining the Full Sky Flower Rain and eliminating potential threats, it was more than a double gain.

A smile bloomed on the old man's face, his lips stretching wide like a mask.

It was the obsession of an aged master with a lifelong ambition within reach.

"Bring it here."

Tang Taedok slightly tilted his head back and ordered.

His arrogant demeanor couldn't hide the slight trembling of his hands behind his back.

A green-robed martial artist approached.

Kneeling before the old man, he respectfully presented something with both hands.

A rolled-up scroll, decorated with blue silk backing, luxurious in appearance.

Tang Taedok held the document and approached Jung Yeonshin.

The boy studied the old man's eyes, finding a boldness unbefitting his age.

"My grandchildren relayed the news, and I doubted it at first."

Tang Taedok spoke with a drawn-out smile.

A faint presence trembled behind the wall at the rear.

Was it due to the authority in the Grand Elder's words? Tang Yeohwa and Tang Ryeo-ryeo made no objections.

Jung Yeonshin silently gazed at the aged face of Tang Taedok.

'So the Tang Clan's power and influence… are indeed as formidable as the rumors say.'

The Sword Fist Demon, Gal Sa-ryang, and the elite swordsmen of the Ten Perfection Sect, including Malevolent Sword, stood motionless in the distance.

Gal Sa-ryang's expression looked especially conflicted. The situation had turned into something he could not intervene in lightly.

The Pure Demon Alliance forces seemed to have paused for a different reason. Out of ten, four had already fallen to Jung Yeonshin's techniques.

The remaining six stood in silence, sharpening their intent while glaring at the Full Sky Flower Rain that still adorned the air.

"Read it, exceptional young talent."

Tang Taedok handed over the document. It was tied with a red ribbon.

Jung Yeonshin used the energy from his palm to cut the string and unrolled the letter.

As the scroll unfurled, the paper glided smoothly downward, revealing lines of elaborate text.

"...."

The boy scanned the lines in silence. The contents were remarkable.

It was filled with endless statements of guarantees and obligations—assurances of benefits from the Tang Clan, expressions of careful respect toward Jung Yeonshin, and a pledge to offer full support to Desolate Fortress in the future. It was, in essence, a contract.

"I apologize."

Jung Yeonshin, having finished reading, finally spoke.

"I owe a debt of gratitude to the Tang Clan's Leader, the former Tang Clan leader. I believe repaying that debt should come first. I have heard the Tang Clan is clear about distinguishing gratitude and resentment."

The wrinkles around Tang Taedok's mouth twisted.

"What nonsense? This is not a martial technique to be handed to a traitor who abandoned his clan. It is on par with the Clan Head's ultimate arts. I am pleading with you now!"

"While annihilating the elites of the Ten Perfection Sect and Pure Demon Alliance."

Jung Yeonshin spoke calmly.

"I received the Tang Clan's Leader's kindness at the City of Master Craftsmen."

"You foolish child!"

"The Full Sky Flower Rain, along with the Venomous Dragon and Venomous Phoenix, rightly belong to the Tang Clan's Leader. The opportunity to subdue two factions of the Thirteen Heavens in Sichuan was also created by him."

It was the moment Jung Yeonshin's sense of honor began to take shape. He saw himself as petty.

Living a life with limited time, he had no room to widely spread heroic virtues.

He did not aspire to pursue something noble, like Namgoong Se-jin, the Azure Qilin.

Instead, he resolved to act as a martial artist—to clearly distinguish gratitude and resentment and to repay everything righteously.

Whoosh.

Flames ignited in the hand holding the document. The fire of Tri Samadhi True Fire began consuming the pledge, glowing in a translucent red hue.

Hwaak!

Before anyone realized, the former Tang Clan Head had approached. His attire was awkwardly styled like a merchant's.

The Tang Clan's Leader, Tang Yun-hwang.

He did not look at his father, the Grand Elder, but instead focused on the young martial artist who shared his grudge against the Thirteen Heavens.

Just as Tang Taedok was about to explode in anger, Jung Yeonshin silently extended his hand toward Tang Yun-hwang.

At the same time, the fragments of the Full Sky Flower Rain swirling around lost their force and fell.

Jung Yeonshin paid no attention to them.

Swish.

The small former Clan Head and the young supreme master pressed their palms together. The Shaofu and Laogong acupoints aligned.

In that moment, the art of absorption and release was exchanged perfectly.

"So this intent. I am curious about the verses you had in mind. Were my thoughts correct?"

Tang Yun-hwang asked quietly. Jung Yeonshin nodded. He referred to the Discourse of Root Cultivation.

A look of emotion appeared on Tang Yun-hwang's stone-like face.

He had lived as a vengeful ghost, unable to fulfill his lifelong wish.

The phrase that had supported him in place of his lost wife lingered on his tongue. He then passed it on to the boy once more.

"Heaven and earth remain still and unmoving…"

"But their energy neither halts nor rests."

Jung Yeonshin responded calmly. Tang Yun-hwang's lips curved upward.

Opening his mouth again, the aged man captured the image of the boy—this fateful encounter—within his worn eyes.

"Though night and day alternate noisily…"

"The petals remain unchanged throughout eternity."

Jung Yeonshin altered the final verse. It now spoke of the ultimate martial technique.

The Tang Clan's secret art, the Full Sky Flower Rain.

The crowd held their breath as they watched. It was the connection between the exiled Clan Head and the young supreme master.

The moment they released their hands, the scattered fragments of steel rose again at Tang Yun-hwang's gesture.

A legend of the martial world had been revived.

At that moment, the Tang siblings leaped down from the wall, their faces filled with shock as they looked back and forth between their father and Jung Yeonshin.

Meanwhile, Tang Yun-hwang was calmly scanning the Grand Elder and the crowd.

"As the rightful master of the Full Sky Flower Rain…"

The Tang Clan's Leader, Tang Yun-hwang—the small giant standing beside the boy—spoke.

"From this moment forth, the clan shall follow my command, and shall rightfully serve Lightning Genius as their leader."

The three-sided standoff had ended.

Surrender or annihilation.

Now the Ten Perfection Sect and Pure Demon Alliance had to decide.