CHAPTER 136

Jung Yeonshin pierced through the blue flames with his gaze.

Amid the ferocious azure flames burning like the dreadful Tri Samadhi True Fire, the Blood Flame Cult Leader struggled desperately, much like the defeated Ten Perfection Sect's leader earlier.

The hand of the cult leader, embedded in Ma Yeonjeok's abdomen, could not move.

The power of the Demon-Slayer suppressed the opponent's energy, and Ma Yeonjeok's solid abs, combined with the force of his internal energy, locked the enemy's hand in place.

The cult leader's movements were completely sealed.

"Arghhhhh—!"

A fierce scream burst through his pale lips.

The Blood Flame Cult Leader's body failed to manifest its regenerative abilities.

Even the blood, which was the foundation of his blood arts, burned away strand by strand.

The Blood Flame Cult Leader's entire body burned along with Ma Yeonjeok—blue, and even bluer.

"Leader!"

"Leader!"

The Blood Master Swordsmen, who had been focusing on blocking Jung Yeonshin, shifted their focus.

Leaving the boy behind, they leaped toward the two peerless masters. Their light steps kicked off the ground like clouds.

It was too late. The boy was already there first.

Boom!

With a burst of internal energy, his black robe flared dramatically.

As the battle momentarily halted, Jung Yeonshin's figure shot forward like a beam of light.

Clang!

A delayed attack from one of the Blood Master Swordsmen was shattered by a single palm strike.

The boy broke through the scattering silver fragments of the steel sword and kicked off the ground.

Ahead of him, the blue flames ignited by Ma Yeonjeok were raging. He knew them better than anyone—he had created this martial art.

He had vaguely imagined that martial arts at their peak would take such a form, but now, that imagined scene unfolded before his eyes.

Along with his grandfather's wounds.

To seal the Blood Flame Cult Leader's regenerative abilities, Ma Yeonjeok had closed in and grabbed his head.

It was the only method.

The cult leader's techniques, seemingly supernatural, were leagues above those of ordinary Blood Flame Cultists.

It was clearly the mystical product of the refined upper dantian he cultivated. It had to be targeted from the Baihui acupoint and upper dantian.

Ordinary martial energy wouldn't suffice. He needed an opposing force, and Ma Yeonjeok revealed it by perfecting his grandson's Demon-Slaying Azure Steel Palm.

And so, here they were.

The dying Blood Flame Cult Leader's struggle was the last stand of a peerless master. They were locked in close combat.

The hand piercing Ma Yeonjeok's abdomen released a heavy shockwave through internal energy techniques.

It stirred even the formidable energy of the Ten Perfection Sect's leader threateningly.

The boy saw it all.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind swept past Jung Yeonshin's ears urgently.

The rushing wind of his light movement seemed to press against his heart.

'No.'

It was his grandfather. He couldn't lose him to such a monster. Even if he were to pass on, it shouldn't be now.

Not before he had overcome his own limits.

Tap, tap.

He felt his steps clearly leaving imprints on the ground as he dashed toward the blue flames.

He recalled the twilight glow that had softly flowed through the Jung clan estate when he had first created the Jung Family Movement Technique.

A faint orange light had spread through the latticed windows, lonely and lingering.

He remembered the brushstrokes he had written while thinking of his mother, echoing softly within the dim light.

Then, curling up on the bed, he would drift to sleep.

He didn't want to experience that again.

'Move.'

The wheel of light in his heart responded.

Despite the internal injuries weighing down his meridians, the wheel of light began to turn.

It was the full-body circulation of the Transcending Law Radiant Wheel.

Hummm.

A faint, whitish light of energy enveloped his skin—a crude internal armor hastily formed.

Before he knew it, the blue flames filled his vision.

Jung Yeonshin was the fastest to arrive. He was the only one capable of entering the destructive force of the Demon-Slaying Azure Steel Palm.

It was thanks to the protective energy enveloping his body, enhanced by the Transcending Law Radiant Wheel. He took a step forward.

Whoosh!

He entered the world of blue flames.

His gaze immediately locked with blood-red eyes—it was the Blood Flame Cult Leader.

The light in the cult leader's pupils was fading.

He had already absorbed the profound energy of the Ten Perfection Sect's leader.

Apparently, he hadn't even had the chance to use his blood energy absorption on Ma Yeonjeok.

"You... come here…"

The Blood Flame Cult Leader's lips moved. He was speaking to Jung Yeonshin.

It seemed he was trying to say something.

The boy quickly stepped forward, holding the sword wave of the Desolate Sword in his right hand.

Perhaps due to panic, the Blood Flame Cult Leader was foolish.

Before trying to speak, he should have retracted his hand using the heavy technique against Jung Yeonshin's grandfather.

Jung Yeonshin tightened his grip on the sword hilt and swung his arm. A swift strike of the sword technique.

The strength of his thumb and forefinger loosened just enough, now instinctively guiding all his sword strikes.

Swish!

A thin trajectory sliced through the flames. The blade's white light slashed across the cult leader's neck.

The deployment of the Desolate Sword's technique was incredibly smooth.

There was no resistance, not even the sensation of cutting through an energy shield. It had likely been burned away by the Demon-Slaying Azure Steel Palm.

The body fell limply, headless.

The crimson robe that had once fluttered wildly finally stilled.

Yet, the Blood Flame Cult Leader was no ordinary man.

Even as Ma Yeonjeok's hardened grip held his severed head, the lips of the decapitated head curled upward.

Despite the furrowed brows, he mouthed once more.

"My adopted daughter is coming. I am not like your clan. I will never die."

Jung Yeonshin didn't care.

He immediately executed a second sword strike.

This one was quick yet deliberate.

Before the cult leader's body even collapsed, he stepped aside and slashed vertically.

Slash!

The arm embedded in his grandfather's abdomen was severed.

It was a fusion of swift strikes and absorption techniques.

The gushing blood evaporated into mist within the blue flames.

Jung Yeonshin hurriedly embraced Ma Yeonjeok and moved his left hand.

He pressed on the acupoints to stop the bleeding from the abdominal wound.

Though ineffective, he forcibly pushed his energy through the Transcending Law Radiant Wheel to suppress the bleeding.

Ma Yeonjeok's meridians and acupoints had already lost their resilience. His energy was barely detectable.

The extreme Demon-Slaying Azure Steel Palm faded.

The blue flames that had engulfed the entire space dissipated into shimmering heat waves.

The boy in the black robe felt the rough skin of his grandfather as he supported him.

It was harsh and dry. The once robust body had shriveled unnaturally.

Stripped of moisture, Ma Yeonjeok's body was losing its vitality—slowly.

A wrinkled hand rested warmly on Jung Yeonshin's head.

And that was the end.

Jung Yeonshin believed that his grandfather, having refined the Demon-Slaying Azure Steel Palm and engraved martial power into his body, might somehow cling to life.

Desperately, he spun the wheel of light for a long time, squeezing out every bit of energy he had.

The Blood Master Swordsmen were annihilated, the remaining Ten Perfection Sect warriors disappeared, and eventually, servants and guards from the Tang clan's inner courtyard emerged to clear the battlefield.

Even after that, time continued to pass.

"Hmm…"

Soft sighs repeatedly reached his ears.

The physicians of the Tang clan approached Ma Yeonjeok several times, checked his pulse, shook their heads, and respectfully withdrew.

The sun set.

His grandfather did not move.

When Jung Yeonshin finally came to his senses, Ma Yeonjeok's body had been placed on a luxurious marble altar.

He had no idea when it was moved. At some point, he had simply sunk to the ground in a daze.

"They said the Blood Flame Cult Leader's body was stolen?"

"My apologies, family head. We were escorting it to the forge to be burned in the furnace when…"

"You couldn't even react?"

"The intruder was incredibly powerful."

"Describe their appearance."

"A woman dressed in a crimson robe. She wore an eyepatch over her left eye, which appeared to be of high-quality material, and her other eye was intensely red. I suspect she might be one of the Seven Apostles of the Blood Flame Cult."

"…Any other details?"

"She was smiling, as if we were beneath her notice. She also muttered incomprehensible words. But… it didn't seem ordinary."

"Speak."

"She said… 'Should I bring the Grand Master? I'll become the cult leader'."

Jung Yeonshin dismissed the meaningless chatter.

He staggered to his feet, the ground beneath him feeling unusually hard.

The boy quietly stared at his grandfather, who lay peacefully.

"Master…"

Tang Yun-hwang, who had been talking to his subordinates, hurried over. He gazed at the boy with a sorrowful look.

The Tang clan's head exuded the aura of a great warrior. Slowly, he lowered his gaze along with Jung Yeonshin.

A great martial artist lay at rest.

The Dominating Hero, Ma Yeonjeok.

A seventy-six-year-old veteran.

He had ascended to paradise, taking only his grandson's enemy with him.

At thirty, he wore the purple robe. Until his later years, he was hailed as the Divine Sword.

Though he now appeared gaunt like a dried corpse, it seemed as though he might rise at any moment and draw his sword again.

"Rest in peace, Senior."

Tang Yun-hwang slightly lowered his eyes and bowed his head.

The Tang clan members lined up on both sides, offering formal salutes to the former Divine Sword Squad leader, treating him as both an honored guest and the clan's benefactor.

Then, it happened.

Cough—!

The corpse coughed.

* * *

The next day.

A proclamation was posted throughout Sichuan Province.

It was a lengthy document, pasted across government offices and marketplaces to spread news far and wide.

[…Therefore, in commemoration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, we will establish the Martial Alliance. We hope the heroes of Jianghu welcome this auspicious occasion…

…We hereby invite esteemed warriors to the founding ceremony of the Martial Alliance…

…We also call upon rising talents who will become the pillars of Jianghu.

Cloud Sword Dragon Wei-Ji Myohwa, Little Sword Queen Chui So-ok, Hidden Dragon of Mount Hua Yoo Hyun, …and Lightning Genius Jung Yeonshin…]

"They listed the titles of famous masters from all the old sects and eight great clans, even sect leaders. But isn't this ridiculous? They're inviting Jianghu's rising stars, and who do they think they are to summon a master from the Desolate Fortress?"

It was Flame Dragon, now fully acting the part of a proper warrior.

For once, he stood without his usual swagger.

He gazed at Jung Yeonshin, who sat calmly in a chair.

The boy casually scanned the document before him, while Ma Yeonjeok lay in a golden silk blanket atop a luxurious bed.

It was a spacious room.

Intricate wooden carvings adorned every corner—turtles, cranes, and deer.

The landscape paintings hanging on the walls appeared to be rare treasures.

Symbols of longevity surrounded the room, showing the Tang family's thoughtful consideration.

"Quite fancy."

Flame Dragon glanced around at the Ten Symbols of Longevity, his expression peculiar.

Meanwhile, Jung Yeonshin casually burned the proclamation he had received from Flame Dragon.

Whoosh!

The flame, ignited between his index and middle fingers, reduced the paper to ashes, sending a wisp of smoke into the air.

At the same time, the boy flicked his hand slightly, dispersing the smoke outside through a subtle martial technique.

Flame Dragon glanced at the boy's somber expression and spoke with deliberate playfulness.

"Hey, I brought it all this way for you."

"Bring lunch. And broth for my grandfather."