Chapter 96

Shinjeomdae (2)

"Changkyeondanju."

The one who spoke was Namgung Jaju. After glancing at the bodies of Namgung Sejin and Namgung Mi, he said:

"I will bear the shame of Charyun."

"......I will follow your order."

Changkyeondanju, who turned around, clasped his hands together.

Jaju's words were clear. Charyun refers to the wheels of a carriage.

In the martial world, it means a tactic where many people take turns to fight a single enemy.

It was a request to risk death and weaken the power of the Shinjeomdae leader.

"Remarkable."

Shinjeomdae leader laughed.

Changkyeondanju's eyes flashed as he turned back.

"You should speak with your sword if you want to mock me."

"No, it's proper to do so. Isn't this a fight for the head of the Namgung family? It's right not to hold back."

Satisfaction was evident on the face of the Shinjeomdae leader.

His demeanor as the supreme expert of the Iphwang Purple Robe was distinct.

It was a quality that Jeong Yeonshin had never seen before. Was this how a strategist who devises strategies felt?

The way he casually mentioned ruthless means seemed very natural.

At that moment, their eyes met. The eyes of the Shinjeomdae leader, which looked gentle like a scholar's, drew a curve.

"You should go in now. I don't know how many more wrinkles the old man has. When you fought the Blue Kirin with your sword, he seemed to have a seizure."

"......I wish you good fortune in battle."

Jeong Yeonshin's words, accompanied by a bow, made the Shinjeomdae leader look flustered.

"There are people who even wish me good fortune in battle. It's a long life to see such things."

He nodded briefly and laughed pleasantly.

"Ma Gwangik, you have done well. Your efforts are appreciated."

Jeong Yeonshin thanked him and returned to the Iphwang camp. His steps were heavy.

The shadow of Namgung Sejin, the Blue Kirin, loomed heavily. He didn't notice the people or the scenery around him as he walked.

"Hey, hey. You found it a bit amusing, didn't you?"

"Ak Halmoni, some dignity, please."

At that moment, a few of the Shinjeomdae experts, including Ak Sulim, stepped forward. An old man approached them first.

"Yeonshin!"

It was the first time he had called him so intimately.

Jeong Yeonshin raised his head.

Ma Yeonjeok was a few steps away, scrutinizing him with his wrinkled eyes.

The former Changkyeondan leader and Iphwang Jaju were distant figures. To him, they were just his maternal grandfather.

"You don't seem to have any serious injuries. I'm very, very proud of you. Do you have any internal injuries?"

"Yes, we can talk about it later."

Jeong Yeonshin slowly nodded, unable to give his full attention to Ma Yeonjeok because he was facing the Shinjeomdae leader.

The leaders of the powerful factions, each representing Iphwang and Namgung, were about to engage in a rare duel.

The boy thought about opening his eyes. A battle between such supreme experts could be a source of inspiration.

However, he was concerned that even his eye technique might not be able to follow their movements.

'I shouldn't think about following with my eyes. I won't be able to. I should try to capture them in my field of vision.'

With this resolve, he gathered his inner energy.

An intangible flame bloomed from the Baihui point on his crown. Instantly, a heavenly light shone in his eyes, a flash from the upper dantian.

'Shinjeomdae leader. How strong is he?'

The boy's goal was there. A supreme expert who had already reached the level that had become his life's purpose.

Even if he couldn't gain anything immediately, he hoped he could one day face him.

Jeong Yeonshin stared blankly at the front, while Ma Yeonjeok was unusually smiling.

"You said you would talk later. To me."

Joy was evident in his monologue. His face was filled with satisfaction.

His grandson, who had always maintained a sharp attitude towards Iphwang and himself, was now deferring to the future.

Even a casual remark was good. Even if it wasn't sincere.

The faces of the Shinjeomdae experts who had been watching from the side were distorted.

Their expressions clearly showed that they had seen something they shouldn't have. Iphwang Shin Chang Ak Sulim's lips were twisted as if he was about to vomit.

"Isn't this unusual?"

"I see it the same way."

"Seoha, Yeonsoha. Where is the main family's Jaju?"

"Why should we care? We're already busy in the Central Plains."

"Isn't it frustrating? That old man is so humble. You weren't even a white cloth back then. Do you know how many times I nearly died when that old man was the Jaju? Yeonshin of Seomun, I don't know what he is. The more I think about it, the more it seems he's holding some secret of the Namgung family..."

"Ak Halmoni, they can hear you over there."

While the girl in black from Iphwang and the young man Yeonsoha were talking, the third duel between Iphwang and Namgung began.

The wind that had been blowing from the front suddenly stopped, and everyone could guess what was about to happen.

The Shinjeomdae experts fell silent. It was a different level of battle from that of the young generation.

Shinjeomdae leader and Changkyeondanju.

The strong wind in the gorge continued to blow, but no dust was raised in the space where the two experts faced each other.

Their aura was so dense that it formed a barrier, preventing any external interference.

Swish.

It was different from the start. The moment their sleeves fluttered, a sword light flashed.

Changkyeondanju Namgung Ryuk had mastered the heavy sword technique. It wasn't the imperial sword form.

The Changkyeong Mujae Sword, refined to the extreme by the Namgung family, was known as a technique that combined a free and unrestrained sword path with destructive power.

The Shinjeomdae leader was bare-handed. He faced the heavy sword with his bare hands.

Bang!

The gorge shook instantly. A tremendous shockwave spread in all directions.

His hand blade, which gathered his inner energy, deflected the heavy sword that surpassed Namgung Ryuk's.

It meant that they clashed with sword energies of the same level.

Whoosh!

The Shinjeomdae leader's purple robe didn't even flutter. It remained calm in the midst of the storm.

Such a scene was impossible without the protection of a supreme inner energy barrier.

"Your sword is quite solid. It's not made of ordinary material. Was it made by the Iron Clan?"

The Shinjeomdae leader asked calmly, as if he were a scholar taking a stroll.

"Ah!"

Namgung Ryuk, who had been pushed back a yard, his feet scraping the ground, stopped his momentum with the explosion of inner energy from his Yongchun point.

In the moment his body paused, he stepped on the two grooves he had created and charged again.

It was a truly explosive movement. The ground shook again with each step.

Swish!

The treasured sword, filled with white light, sliced through the air. It was a lightning-fast sword strike.

Swift sword.

The Changkyeong Mujae Sword is known for its free and unrestrained sword path, which is not bound by the vast sky. It is characterized by its flexibility and lack of restraint.

The swift sword and the heavy sword both displayed their full power within the same technique.

There was no sound of breaking air. The sword strike reached the Shinjeomdae leader's face in an instant.

At the same time, a sharp aura surrounded the Shinjeomdae leader's hand blade. It seemed to contain an invisible sword.

As Namgung Ryuk's sword approached his shoulder, the Shinjeomdae leader seemed to be in a different time.

His first move was a slight twist of his step.

His sleeve and hand blade blurred with his right arm.

Swish.

Namgung Ryuk's figure in dark blue martial robes brushed past the Shinjeomdae leader. His body seemed to rise and then collapse.

He couldn't stop his rapid movement. He tumbled, losing his balance. It was a scene that completely lost the dignity of a supreme expert.

Thus.

He didn't move. He was dead.

"......"

The movements of the onlookers stopped again.

The chaos of sending messages and discussing opinions, and the various displays of lightness, gradually ceased.

It was a situation that was hard to comprehend. The sword of the Namgung family, a giant in the martial world, had shattered. The battle didn't even last long.

Namgung Mi, Namgung Sejin, and Namgung Ryuk.

The situation, which was supposed to be a routine event, was escalating.

"Changkyeondanju. You've forgotten how to fight like a beginner."

The Shinjeomdae leader adjusted his collar. His purple robe, which had been disheveled by a significant movement, was now spotless. There wasn't even a trace of blood.

"You should have known how many moves below you were. If you had been more cautious, you could have lasted a few more seconds."

He said this in a casual tone.

He was speaking to a corpse. His provocation flowed as naturally as breathing. However, no one could respond.

The Shinjeomdae leader's gaze, which had been silent, turned towards the Namgung family.

"You seem to have some shameful complaints about the order of the young generation. Then, should the next one be the head of the council of elders?"

"No. It's fine."

Thud.

The one who answered with a step was not the head of the council of elders of the Namgung family.

Finally.

Namgung Jaju stepped forward slowly. He was surrounded by the heavy aura of the imperial sword form.

The pressure he exerted on the surroundings was like a city wall.

He was the patriarch of the Namgung family, a man who had achieved perfection as a martial artist. His approach was different from his son, the Blue Kirin.

"By the way......"

The Shinjeomdae leader's head tilted slightly.

Despite being a renowned supreme expert, he showed a playful attitude, which was strangely more terrifying.

"Still not in position. That old man who doesn't act his age."

"Shinjeomdae leader, show some decorum."

Namgung Jaju said in a low voice.

His voice, filled with inner energy that could make anyone feel like they were in hell, made the Shinjeomdae leader frown.

"Jaju, stop talking nonsense. Where did he go? The head of the council of elders of the Namgung family."

"I know that the head of the council of elders of Iphwang left his position long ago. I just matched the number of people from our main family to yours. Do you have the nerve to object?"

Jeong Yeonshin, who had been listening to the conversation, suddenly remembered. He had heard it from Ma Yeonjeok before.

The head of the council of elders of the main family was chasing the Seven Demon Dao.

'How many days has it been, and he's still not back?'

The head of the council of elders was one of the three owners of the purple robes in Iphwang. The Seven Demon Dao's lightness technique couldn't be so powerful as to shake off even a purple expert.

Perhaps he was focusing on enduring with the regenerative ability of the Blood Technique, which he had mastered to the extreme.

At that moment.

"Playing tricks. Leaving some strength to command the main family?"

The Shinjeomdae leader's voice echoed. His tone had become lazy.

"Truly an excellent judgment. There's nothing I can do. I'll have to clear the immediate problem first."

Immediately.

Jeong Yeonshin saw an unbelievable scene.

The moment the Shinjeomdae leader, facing Namgung Jaju, raised his right hand.

Crack.

A beam of light emerged from his palm. At the same time, the space split open.

A sword took shape in an instant with the sudden surge of inner energy.

Whoosh!

It seemed to be a sword forged from a rainbow, condensed into a single blade. A treasured sword made of seven-colored light was held in the Shinjeomdae leader's right hand.

It was a sword of dazzling light, literally. A tremendous aura spread like a tidal wave.

'My Light Sword Technique is different. This is just a Light Sword.'

It felt like a strike that couldn't be resisted. Just holding it gave that impression.

'The sword of...... inner energy.'

Jeong Yeonshin realized.

It was a realm where one could forge a sword with inner energy. Despite never having seen such a technique before, he understood immediately.

It was due to the intense and dense tangible inner energy he felt.

"......As splendid as your character."

Despite facing a near-miraculous skill, Namgung Jaju seemed unperturbed.

His face was solemn. Perhaps in the realm of a leader of a major sect, anything was possible.

"Come."

Namgung Jaju's words, as he drew his sword, were the last.

Boom!

The two supreme experts disappeared. Only the light trail left by the Shinjeomdae leader's sword slowly dissipated.

Jeong Yeonshin couldn't see the sudden movement. How many exchanges had there been?

――――!

The pressure came before the sound. The aftermath of the collision surpassed the realm of sound.

He had to struggle to avoid being swept away.

Jeong Yeonshin activated his Jeongga technique to the extreme. Even then, it wasn't enough.

He unleashed the Shiwha Mujeok technique towards the sky. He had to break through the wave-like aura.

Boom! Boom!

His hands were extremely cold. He didn't even know how many techniques he had used.

'How long......'

A single breath felt like an eternity.

Suddenly, when he closed and opened his eyes, he saw the Shinjeomdae leader and Namgung Jaju.

The sword of inner energy in the Shinjeomdae leader's hand had dissipated. However, he stood alone, looking down.

His opponent was different.

The unified master of the Namgung family. One of the eight major family heads recognized across the martial world.

The giant of the era lay fallen, his eyes wide open. His upper body had been completely severed.

In the end, like his son Namgung Sejin, he didn't include his family, bloodline, or children in his field of vision.

He stared straight ahead, not even turning his head, where the Shinjeomdae leader stood. The determination and resentment on his face were starkly evident.

"......"

The intense silence was broken by the Shinjeomdae leader.

He glanced at the Namgung family side. The experts of the family were frozen, unable to move.

Not just them. Everyone in the vast Qingya Valley was the same.

The head of one of the eight major families had died. The impact on the future was unpredictable.

"Go, clean up the bodies."

The Shinjeomdae leader clicked his tongue.

Then he moved his feet, approaching the Iphwang camp directly.

"Our leader took quite a few hits. I counted up to five."

Ak Sulim said.

Jeong Yeonshin's eyes examined the tattered purple robe of the Shinjeomdae leader.

It was clearly made of celestial silk, yet it seemed unable to withstand the sword strike of Namgung Jaju.

"Hmm. Because it was quite strong."

"Boasting. I can feel his breathing is off. Shouldn't he focus on his mind technique?"

When the Shinjeomdae leader nodded casually, Yeonsoha interjected with an innocent face.

"The matter is settled. I'm more curious about the reward the leader promised to Seomun. Was it a friendship in the martial world? Did the leader have such a thing?"

"......"

The Shinjeomdae leader suddenly looked at Jeong Yeonshin. Their eyes met immediately.

The lips of the purple supreme expert curved into a line, but it was a rather awkward smile.

"What kind of...... friendship in the martial world. Where is there a place that welcomes the Shinjeomdae among the martial sects?"