CHAPTER 132

"Full Sky Flower Rain! Do not draw your concealed weapons!"

"We must handle this quietly… Aaargh!"

Unexpected groans and screams echoed through the banquet hall.

Weapons that had been turned back surged like a typhoon.

The large room was engulfed in an overwhelming wave of force.

Amid the splattering blood, no one could properly demonstrate their martial skills.

Jung Yeonshin, who had mastered the Full Sky Flower Rain technique, had become the bane of hidden weapon experts. No one could approach him.

He did not even look back. The state of the Grand Elder of the clan was remarkable.

As if his internal energy channels had been burned by the power of the Radiant Wheel technique, he slumped in his chair, groaning softly.

With his left hand stretched to the side, Jung Yeonshin grabbed the scruff of the ugly old man's neck with his right hand and locked eyes with him.

"Where is our Elder Council Head?"

The boy asked abruptly. The moment he confirmed the spy's identity, a certain sensation brushed past his upper dantian.

As death drew closer, the Baihui acupoint at the crown of his head grew increasingly sensitive.

Though the spiritual signals remained unpredictable, their relevance and frequency were gradually improving.

Heh heh.

The Grand Elder laughed. He was looking into Jung Yeonshin's eyes, yet his gaze seemed fixed on some distant point.

"Do you know why the Tang Clan trains in hidden weapons and venom techniques?"

Despite his condition, his voice was clear. He did not seem to expect an answer.

The old man slowly continued.

"It's because they require fewer sacrifices compared to sword fighting. The essence of Tang Clan martial arts involves no direct clashes. It was the foresight of our ancestors, who feared losing the lives of their kin to stray swords. After all, the variables inherent in swordsmanship are as unpredictable as fluttering petals. Even a weak opponent's fortune could end the life of a strong swordsman."

"In other words, you're admitting it. I understand now that you were involved with the Elder Council Head's kidnapping and the thunder bombs."

Jung Yeonshin didn't entertain the old man's words.

He had already pressed his fingers against the acupoint at the back of the old man's neck.

He had to remain wary of the venom techniques the old man mentioned. The Grand Elder could now only move his lips.

The old man didn't seem to care. He simply grinned and continued speaking.

"Caring for one's kin is akin to cherishing the last fruit of a great tree. It's an act of compassion that willingly endures accusations of cowardice for using dishonorable methods. Tang Clan martial arts were born from the desire of our ancestors to protect their descendants' lives and prosperity, forsaking the pursuit of honor among orthodox sects."

He was justifying the use of any means necessary to achieve one's goals.

Jung Yeonshin had already encountered many such descendants of powerful clans. They were masters of cloaking themselves in noble intentions.

"How shameless. The Radiant Wheel technique burned away the energy of your demonic arts. My internal energy's power can be proven at any time, so your choices are down to just two."

The boy spoke calmly. There was no need to elaborate further.

Suicide or confession—those were the only options left for the scheming martial artist of the righteous sect.

The corners of the Grand Elder's wrinkled mouth curved upward. At last, his gaze met Jung Yeonshin's directly.

"You don't seem like a foolish child, yet you appear to be in a hurry. There's no composure in your eyes. What are you being chased by? You've captured the villain, and my son is an admirable bastard who chose loyalty over the clan's reputation."

"..."

"Ah… I see now. A child the likes of which has never existed. You don't have time. Even heaven isn't fair."

His words were not sarcastic. They came across as the ramblings of an old martial artist dulled by age.

From the moment the Full Sky Flower Rain returned to the Tang Clan, Grand Elder Tang Taedok had lost the driving force of his life.

His grand ambition had been fulfilled, yet he felt deflated instead.

His lifelong desire had been achieved through a boy unrelated to his clan.

And that boy had delivered the legacy to the son he had so decisively disowned.

How must he feel? Yet Jung Yeonshin didn't care. He had simply realized an astonishing truth.

The old man knew about the nature of this body.

Jung Yeonshin's grip on the wrinkled nape of Tang Taedok tightened.

His previously calm eyes sharpened ever so slightly.

'The Blood Flame Cult was right.'

The Elder Council Head was a peerless swordsman clad in purple.

He was said to rival the heads of the Nine Great Sects.

Unless by choice, someone of that martial caliber wouldn't simply vanish from the martial world.

Now it was clear. The Blood Flame Cult Leader was alive and had allied with Tang Taedok.

The premonition from his upper dantian, the Elder Council Head's disappearance, Tang Taedok's cultivation of demonic arts, and the suspicions about thunder bomb production all unraveled at once.

Meanwhile, the Full Sky Flower Rain's storm, which had raged throughout the banquet hall, began to subside.

No one was left standing.

The Tang Clan masters, struck by the devastating technique, lay scattered with heavy injuries.

Some knelt on one knee, but none were in a condition to move easily.

Even the dancers and musicians in the hall were Tang Clan martial artists. They had collapsed after being struck by their own hidden weapons.

As Tang Taedok glanced past Jung Yeonshin's shoulder toward the high seat, his smile deepened.

"An unmatched talent…! A child of Desolate Fortress. Truly, you are like a comet."

"You've lost your mind."

The boy's quiet retort did not stop Tang Taedok's muttering.

His identity as a spy was exposed, and his lifelong dream had been hollowly achieved.

His voice, devoid of purpose, echoed with the weight of age.

"To shine with martial brilliance, only to fade away with time—that is your destiny. Seeing you up close makes it even clearer. Reversed Origin Three Yang Art defies distance and distinguishes between medicine and poison. That anatomical study was wrong. A body that spans two hundred years in just twenty—indeed, heaven's impartial law is manifest through you. Such exquisite martial talent."

"..."

"I now understand why the cults covet you. Any sect leader would. The Lord of Desolate Fortress, that fox-like woman from the Mountain and Sea Chronicles, must dote on you dearly. How soft must her embrace be?"

"She is my master. Do not speak of her."

Tang Taedok chuckled.

"A child like you should not have grown up righteous—it defies the world's order. Yet here you are. Still, you are right. My options are few. If I cared for my clan, I should beg for mercy. Imagine the scandal if rumors spread that the Tang Clan colluded with the Blood Flame Cult."

"Speak. Where is he?"

"You ask about his location without questioning whether he's alive… Such confidence. It must be your upper dantian's insight. I'd like to open your skull and see it myself. Studying blood channels is crucial."

The glint of madness in his aged eyes confirmed it—he had lost his mind.

At this point, Jung Yeonshin knew it was beyond his control.

He couldn't torture the Grand Elder of a noble martial clan in the heart of their territory.

"Enough. Don't speak."

Without hesitation, the boy dragged the old man by the neck.

He passed through the scattered, groaning masters of the Grand Elder's faction.

No one stood in his way.

Jung Yeonshin's demeanor matched that of a black-rank master, someone who stood in for the elite guards of a sect.

Tang Taedok's golden robes trailed across the floor beneath Jung Yeonshin's firm grip.

This was no time to act recklessly.

He propped Tang Taedok against a pillar in the banquet hall and let him sit askew.

The old man smirked and looked up at the boy.

"Your hand is firm, yet you know how to handle matters. You're no fool relying solely on talent."

"Quiet."

Jung Yeonshin replied indifferently.

From the moment he entered Desolate Fortress, he had been mindful of his reputation.

It was to rise to the position of Divine Sword Squad Leader. Knowing how to conduct himself was part of that.

The boy had no intention of creating disadvantages for himself.

Creak.

He stepped out alone. Servants carrying bottles of wine and trays froze in surprise.

They seemed to have been hovering outside the door, drawn by the commotion.

Jung Yeonshin spoke calmly.

"You must summon the clan leader. Something unfortunate has occurred."

"Y-yes! At once!"

No one dared to look inside.

The head of the Tang Clan had declared that the disciple from Desolate Fortress had taught him the Full Sky Flower Rain technique.

It meant that he was no outsider.

The Tang Clan's motto emphasized gratitude and vengeance—repaying kindness twofold and enmity tenfold.

This declaration elevated Jung Yeonshin's status among the clan members.

Even as a martial artist from Desolate Fortress, he was now untouchable.

Two servants hurried away.

Swoosh.

Jung Yeonshin leaned against a pillar.

He raised his head slightly and remained motionless for half a quarter of an hour.

The boy absentmindedly watched the summer sunlight fade into twilight.

As dusk fell, a pale halo spread across the sky.

Like a translucent veil, it draped over Jung Yeonshin's entire body, tinting his hair with a faint shade of dark brown.

Shadows cast by his sharply defined nose deepened.

The three remaining attendants stood respectfully, stealing glances at the boy.

They maintained the elegant demeanor befitting servants of a prestigious family, yet their curious gazes could not be suppressed.

"..."

Jung Yeonshin, with the Radiant Wheel infused into his body, exuded a presence that had grown more pronounced by the day.

His facial features, too, reflected this change. He was a boy in the midst of growth.

The bloodline of Ma Yeonsang, his mother, who had captivated the former head of the Jung family, known as Ban-ak, was becoming more apparent.

Jung Yeonshin was aware that his appearance was rather striking.

Though he felt little about it, the fact remained.

If it could assist him in securing the position of Divine Sword Squad Leader, he wouldn't hesitate to use this face to his advantage.

Just as he had used swordplay to dominate sparring matches.

'Once you become a supreme master, you should try growing your hair long.'

Perhaps it was because of the attendants' lingering glances. The words of the Lord of Desolate Fortress briefly surfaced in his mind, only to fade away.

Shaking off the thought, the boy dismissed the distraction.

At that moment—

'Ah.'

He sensed movement in the distance and immediately lowered his gaze.

Three small figures approached, seemingly having dismissed their attendants on purpose.

It was the head of the Tang Clan and the Twin Venoms siblings.

Their presence had grown familiar by now.

With rumors circulating that the siblings were beginning their succession contest, it seemed the family was returning to normalcy.

One look at their faces was enough to tell. Their refined features radiated tranquility and vitality.

"Benefactor, is there something you require…?"

Tang Ryeo-ryeo asked softly.

Jung Yeonshin gave a slight bow to the Tang Clan Head.

He had to cast a stone into the calm waters they had finally found. It was a regrettable circumstance.

—The Grand Elder has been revealed as a spy for the Blood Flame Cult.

He transmitted the message. Tang Yun-hwang's eyes widened in shock.

Tang Taedok, the Grand Elder, had been an extraordinarily skilled martial artist.

To incapacitate someone of his level with a single clash, without exploiting opposing forces, required a level of mastery equivalent to that of the purple rank.

Such was the nature of martial arts.

The power of the Radiant Wheel technique—

Tang Yun-hwang had experienced it directly, placing his hand against Jung Yeonshin's palm and receiving the technique.

He could sense the divine aura imbued within the Radiant Wheel's energy. Witnessing its might firsthand made matters even clearer.

"Confine the Grand Elder and prepare to execute him for his grave crimes."

Tang Yun-hwang's command was resolute.

He did not hide the truth, openly revealing his father's disgraceful betrayal.

While he expressed gratitude to Jung Yeonshin for discreetly informing him, he also took every measure to uncover the full extent of the incident.

The Venom Leader—a title denoting a master of venom techniques. True to his epithet, he was a great warrior.

His decisiveness only rallied the Tang Clan's martial artists.

The Grand Elder's influence crumbled, and Tang Yun-hwang reclaimed control of the household.

Events unfolded swiftly.

The Tang Clan's elite warriors followed the clan leader's orders. Scores of martial artists scoured the area.

They sought the cave where the Elder Council Head from Desolate Fortress was imprisoned.

The dazzling movements of the Heavenly Nine Step Body Technique unfolded in all directions.

These were masters who had trained in the Tang Clan's secret techniques. Even the unique energy perception of the Reversed Origin Three Yang Art was utilized.

With the Tang Clan Head refusing to conceal the scandal, the hidden lair of the Grand Elder would likely be found soon.

Meanwhile, Jung Yeonshin received numerous elixirs through the attendants—a token of gratitude from Tang Yun-hwang.

The boy immediately had Namgoong Hwashin and Heon Wonchang deliver the elixirs.

They were for the senior disciples who lay bedridden at the Desolate Fortress' branch hall.

"Take care of yourself until I return. Let's assume the Ten Perfection Sect doesn't know yet, but we can't predict how the Blood Flame Cult's leader or the Pure Demon Alliance's leader might act. I'll make sure to unlock seventy percent of my true power as soon as I get back."

Heon Wonchang bid farewell briefly.

He was right.

With Ma Yeonjeok's whereabouts still unknown, there was no master in the Tang Clan capable of standing against the Thirteen Heavenly Leaders.

It was almost certain that the Pure Demon Alliance and the Blood Flame Cult's leader would appear in one form or another.

Even the vibrant sunlight brushing against the eaves seemed to weigh heavily on the shoulders of the Tang Clan's retainers.

'I must grow stronger.'

Jung Yeonshin focused on circulating his internal energy through the Radiant Wheel.

At the center of the training ground, surrounded by stone staircases in all directions—winds swirled, lifting dirt and leaves, and converged upon the boy's body.

The stability of the Radiant Wheel, infused with divine energy, was incomparable to ordinary cultivation methods.

Whoosh—!

Just by circulating the wheel, he could feel a surge of energy unlike before.

In the process, Jung Yeonshin analyzed the martial arts techniques of three major sects.

The Blood Flame Cult, the Pure Demon Alliance, and the Ten Perfection Sect—

He had already encountered them extensively.

He had previously gambled his life to dismantle the techniques of the Tyrant Sword Tribe.

Then what would happen if he prepared in advance?

Until now, he had never devoted himself to preemptively countering martial arts techniques.

Whether it would work against unmatched masters like the Thirteen Heavenly Leaders remained uncertain. Yet Jung Yeonshin was determined to give it his all.

'Even against opponents two or three steps ahead, if I exploit their openings, I can close the gap by one move.'

He dissected the flows of their techniques—their energy waves, defensive maneuvers, fist forms, and sword techniques.

He developed new striking techniques to shatter gaps and refined the flows of the Radiant Wheel's energy to target different opponents.

His upper energy center burned white-hot repeatedly, as if in anticipation of a short, decisive battle.