At the words of the Poison Lord, Tang Unhwang, a rain of white blossoms rose in reverse. The instant his wrist bent, it sliced through the air.

It was as though starlight had appeared in the blue sky, each gleam edged with sharpness. Its sideways rush carried tremendous force.

THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!

Groans rang out from the Pure Demon Alliance demonic practitioners who had been hovering around Jung Yeonshin. All six bodies jerked this way and that as though struck repeatedly by small cannonballs. It was a truly terrifying sight.

One move.

A single move had riddled the Pure Demon Alliance masters. Their lifeless bodies collapsed, forming fresh pools of blood.

Murmurs rose around them, praising the Tang clan head's martial prowess.

'No.'

Jung Yeonshin had seen Tang Unhwang's throat twitch for an instant. He had exerted his full strength.

Slaughtering masters of the Thirteen Skies while suffering internal injuries? It made no sense unless he had overextended himself to display his authority at this moment.

"Clan Head!"

"Our boundless congratulations!"

Warriors in green martial robes emerged all along the avenue. They were unmistakably Tang Clan experts.

Those who had privately sympathized with their clan head's plight switched allegiances upon witnessing Blossoms Raining Across the Sky firsthand.

The retired clan head said nothing. He merely stood still, gazing at the Blossoms Raining Across the Sky he had spent his life striving to achieve—and at his unfeeling son.

"... How are we supposed to fight after seeing that?"

A hollow laugh escaped Gal Saryang, the Fell Sword.

As though tension compressed to its limit had suddenly released, Kuizhou's main avenue grew noisy.

One sight rare even in the martial world had followed another. Most of the crowd seemed to have lost all interest in who would win or lose.

Even the voices reaching them had changed.

"What an elegant sight."

"A senior and junior forging a friendship through peerless martial arts... We'll never see the like again. I'm glad I came out."

"With the Tang Clan turning out like this, Shunqing Prefecture is in for a storm. The clan head has returned, after all. The retired head won't sit idly by, but even so, against Blossoms Raining Across the Sky..."

"Lightning Genius of the Desolate Fortress. I vaguely remember hearing of him. I had no idea he was a Black-rank supreme master."

"It's truly hard to believe."

The avenue bustled. The bitter wind that had swept through it dispersed. With the breath of the crowd, a boisterous, humid summer breeze seemed to rise instead.

They had witnessed a rare spectacle.

The street had come alive before anyone knew it. Some boy had manifested Blossoms Raining Across the Sky, the very symbol of Sichuan's Murim.

An insular people because they lived in a basin? At this moment, those who had seen Jung Yeonshin were desperate for the chance to touch even the hem of his robe.

The Ten Perfections Sect warriors felt it keenly.

"Say, Lightning Genius."

Gal Saryang called out abruptly. When Jung Yeonshin turned, the Fell Sword's lips curved in a faint smile.

"Would you let us leave?"

"..."

It was effectively a declaration of surrender. Beside him, the Halberd-Surpassing Sword turned to stare in shock.

There was no precedent for great sects such as the Thirteen Skies or the Nine Great Sects raising the white flag.

Only some noble clans had surrendered to counterattacking Mongol forces during the transition from Yuan to Ming. Because of that, despite preserving their strength intact, they were still mocked as being inferior in overall martial power to the Nine Great Sects.

These were affairs of the martial world's upper echelons, but the Ten Perfections Sect belonged to those echelons too.

"Retainer! You must consider this carefully!"

"The Tang clan head and Lightning Genius alone are more than we can handle. The Poison Lord may have fallen, but he is still the head of one of the Eight Great Families. Even if I somehow hold Tang Unhwang off, what will you do about Lightning Genius? That would be difficult even without Blossoms Raining Across the Sky. From what I see now, it appears he killed the Pure Demon Divine Hand as well. With the Tang Clan involved too, can we even speak of a chance of victory?"

Gal Saryang posed the question with old-fashioned composure.

His words invited silence.

The Halberd-Surpassing Sword closed his mouth and fixed Jung Yeonshin's image in his eyes.

Unbelievable martial strength, and now the Tang clan head drawn to his side.

He had never imagined hearing the Poison Lord, Tang Unhwang, call someone his teacher. This was one of the Eight Great Family heads. Such a thing should never happen.

'An extraordinary event... Truly bizarre. Nothing like this has ever happened.'

His earlier comparison to Zhang Fei, styled Yide, had been wrong. This Lightning Genius had gone a step further.

It was as though he had summoned mighty reinforcements to Changban. His own prowess also warranted comparison to Zhang Yide here. He was no mere member of the rising generation.

The boy stood calmly beside the Tang clan head, who had unleashed Blossoms Raining Across the Sky. The black hem of his robe, fluttering amid waves of martial force, stood out with particular clarity.

'How?'

How on earth had he attained such martial skill at that age?

His was a level capable of dominating not merely a county, but an entire prefecture—the stage at which one's martial prowess began to earn a place in discussions of the realm.

Even noble-clan heirs who ate spirit medicines as regularly as meals could not do that. Refinement in controlling internal energy and perfection of forms were separate matters from the amount of qi accumulated.

The Halberd-Surpassing Sword's thoughts finally converged on one point.

Talent. It had to be talent.

The boy possessed something unreasonable. Even calling him a martial prodigy unmatched through the ages hardly described it.

An anomaly. That was the right word, the Halberd-Surpassing Sword thought.

Suddenly, he felt something unfamiliar in his chest. His middle dantian.

His heart was pounding of its own accord.

Was this envy?

The Ten Perfections Sect's promising young talent questioned himself. The answer came at once.

Yes, it was jealousy. It rose like a coiling snake.

The heart of an unorthodox rising talent who had spoken of being the greatest among his peers was now stirring into sinister qi waves, true to a lineage of the evil and unorthodox paths.

'Myriad Variations Primordial Unity Art.'

It was a martial art of the Ten Perfections Sect—a qi art that allowed its practitioner to wield all eighteen categories of weapons freely and without impediment. Its strength lay in flexible control of internal energy rather than qi accumulation.

The Halberd-Surpassing Sword was the eldest legitimate son of the Ten Perfections Sect leader.

Thanks to spirit medicines, he already possessed all the accumulated qi required to reach Great Completion in the Myriad Variations Primordial Unity Art.

In other words, his internal power rivaled that of Gal Saryang, the Fell Sword beside him.

THUD.

Lightning Genius, Jung Yeonshin, had yet to answer Gal Saryang.

A footstep from So Jinrang, the Halberd-Surpassing Sword, rang out with a wave of internal power. The ground crumpled like mud, giving a dull sound.

Gal Saryang addressed his back.

"Jinrang. What are you doing?"

"I cannot follow your decision, Retainer. I would rather die than lose my honor. Should we not at least match our skills once? That boy appears to have learned some extraordinary qi art, so I intend to pit the subtleties of our forms against each other without internal power."

"..."

"If we are to surrender anyway, we lose nothing by being defeated. If I win, we can preserve at least a scrap of pride."

So Jinrang answered in an even tone, still crushing the ground beneath his steps.

Gal Saryang did not stop him. His expression was calm, as though he had expected this.

If they had been people who united for their sect's practical interests, they would no longer belong to the evil and unorthodox paths. They would never have been counted among the Thirteen Skies.

They were the Thirteen Skies because they lived as they pleased, outside the Great Ming Code. They were the Ten Perfections Sect because they chose from every kind of weapon, their whims as changeable as boiling porridge.

If they were annihilated, so be it.

The Fell Sword changed his mind. Like the Halberd-Surpassing Sword, he would face this situation with a madman's resolve.

His heart grew impossibly light. He thought to himself that he truly was born for the evil and unorthodox paths.

'As I thought...'

Lightning Genius had to die here. The Fell Sword narrowed his eyes.

"Will you accept?"

So Jinrang asked quietly, five paces in front of Jung Yeonshin. He had walked fearlessly into the Tang clan head's Blossoms Raining Across the Sky.

Tang Unhwang merely waved a hand slightly to open a path. He looked up at Jung Yeonshin with the eyes of an Eight Great Family head.

Ink-black lightning seemed to swirl in his pupils.

"How to deal with this paltry provocation is also yours to decide. Give your instructions, Teacher. I shall follow your wishes."

His manner of speech had changed.

Jung Yeonshin felt a sense of déjà vu. First the Blood Flame Cult, then the Wing-Returning Unit, and now this again.

Only the titles differed. Grand Preceptor, founding master, teacher... Their meanings all ran in the same vein. It felt strange every time he heard them.

'I haven't even lived that long.'

He had only made a few minor improvements or created what he needed. Receiving such deference was not entirely comfortable.

As Grand Preceptor of the Blood Flame Cult, he had even had his freedom restricted. Without the Seventh Apostle, he could not have stayed safely at the cult's headquarters.

'Though she was the one who took me there.'

Shaking off his thoughts, Jung Yeonshin stepped forward.

The retired clan head, who had stood motionless all this time, briefly flashed his eyes, but the boy passed the gold-robed old man by.

That was now a matter for the Poison Lord, Tang Unhwang, to handle himself.

At the same time, the rain of blossoms settled. Tang Unhwang had withdrawn his core energy.

"Let's be clear."

Jung Yeonshin spoke, facing So Jinrang amid the falling iron fragments.

"The Pure Demon Alliance contingent has been wiped out. Only your Ten Perfections Sect remains. What do I gain by accepting your proposal?"

As he spoke calmly, the boy organized his thoughts.

If the Pure Demon Alliance Leader refused to yield now, all-out war would be inevitable. That was fine. With the Tang Clan's help, they could destroy the weakened alliance.

The situation with the Ten Perfections Sect was better.

He had heard of the Halberd-Surpassing Sword, having investigated Sichuan's Murim before undertaking a mission in unfamiliar territory. If he sent the sect leader's son back alive, might the man hesitate a little?

'If I use that delay...'

Facing two great sects of the Thirteen Skies at once would be burdensome. He needed to minimize losses among the Wing-Returning Unit and Radiant Demon Squad.

Starting today, Jung Yeonshin intended to roam Sichuan's Murim alone for a while.

Yes, letting the Halberd-Surpassing Sword return alive was the right choice.

The Fell Sword behind him seemed to have guessed Jung Yeonshin's intentions. His peculiar expression gave it away.

So Jinrang, standing directly ahead, was different. He was the son of a Lord of the Thirteen Skies.

Had he always weighed gains and losses solely from his own perspective? The way he furrowed his brow was absurd.

Jung Yeonshin could almost hear the gears turning in his head.

"I asked why I should indulge an inferior opponent."

The boy's voice broke through the unfamiliar air.

Kuizhou's main avenue, now transformed into a festive gathering, felt strange. The air against his skin was hot.

Jung Yeonshin planted a foot amid people watching for an opportunity to draw even a little closer to him. The commoners flinched, as did the local martial artists. He could not tell what they meant to do.

Then—

"... I'll give you a treasure map and a Poison-Warding Pearl."

So Jinrang spoke through his teeth.

"A treasure map?"

"A treasure the Pure Demon Alliance coveted. They said it marks the tomb of an unidentified leader of the Ming Cult. A Heavenly Demon, that is."

Gasps rose from all around. Had that been deliberate?

These were not people he could afford to let his guard down around. Trouble seemed likely.

Jung Yeonshin accepted the green, comma-shaped jade from him. Then, with a smooth motion, he merely touched his index finger to the aged paper. Not a trace of tension showed in the gesture.

Smoke spread from his fingertip. It was the flame of True Samadhi Fire.

Rising like a small brushfire, it swallowed the treasure map. Jung Yeonshin increased his power further, so everyone around could see.

WHOOSH!

"Wha—?"

"Th-that priceless thing!"

Cries of dismay came from every direction. So Jinrang's expression was a sight to behold as well.

"Your fucking tricks."

He muttered as he burned the paper.

Something of Heon Wonchang and the Supreme Flame Dragon's manner of speech had crept into his voice, but the boy made a point of not noticing.

They said the people of Murim would do anything to obtain powerful martial arts. Publicly accepting a Heavenly Demon's treasure map would only make him a target.

The boy committed it to memory by sight alone. The map, glimpsed for an instant, was engraved in his mind.

It was thanks to his upper dantian, which now blazed white-hot at frequent intervals.

He slowly parted his lips.

"Let's begin."

"Face me with forms alone, without internal power. I will show you that the profundity of our martial arts is no less than the Desolate Fortress's."

So Jinrang spoke, promptly schooling his expression.

Did he think he would win? Jung Yeonshin gave a perfunctory nod.

* * *

Two hours later.

His breathing was ragged. His pounding heart was louder than his exhalations.

The Sichuan earth, which had been as soft as mud, felt harder than ever. He was anxious, desperately anxious.

So Jinrang was fleeing in disgrace. He was utterly alone.

How had it come to this? He had never imagined things could go so badly wrong.

A monster had come from the Desolate Fortress in Xiangyang.

Lightning Genius, Jung Yeonshin, was sharper and more troublesome than the twigs now raking So Jinrang's entire body.

He had never even conceived of such a being.

'I'm afraid.'

The Halberd-Surpassing Sword admitted his feelings.

At the same time, he made up his mind. He would inform every great sect of the Thirteen Skies throughout the realm about the young master called Lightning Genius.

'He possesses qi that destroys evil and upholds justice, making him a natural enemy of the evil and unorthodox paths. He's a black-robed expert capable of commanding a combat unit in the Desolate Fortress, and he even has the Tang Clan's backing.'

Laid out like that, it was staggering. They could not leave such a being unchecked.

He had heard that some orthodox sects, including the Eight Families, were recently forming a Martial Alliance.

Supposedly, the cause was the Desolate Fortress's destruction of the Hwangbo clan and slaughter of the Namgoong direct line, but the alliance was unlikely to be friendly to the unorthodox factions either.

This was no time for the Thirteen Skies to stand aloof, each keeping to itself.

So Jinrang resolved to give his father a detailed account first, then press that argument forcefully.

Dark dusk was already settling over the wooded hills.

The top of a tree came into view. It had not merely happened to cross his field of vision.

An overwhelming presence had forcibly drawn his gaze upward.

"You. I don't like your eyes."

A silken voice rang out from so high above that he had to crane his neck to its limit.

A woman stood on a slender branch. Her hair, fluttering in the mountain breeze, was jet-black.

Her snow-white face was bewitchingly beautiful. A black eyepatch embroidered with gold thread covered one eye; the other was as crimson as a ruby.

So Jinrang opened his mouth in a daze.

"An Apostle...?"

"You've been having wicked thoughts, haven't you?"