Chapter 96

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Following my heightened sensitivity, I felt the flow of true qi and the tremors of the atmosphere subside.

It was not that it was not actually flowing; it was that my senses felt it by expanding time.

Just like that, I recalled a single name.

The French scholar who always lacked margin, Fermat (Rebellious tears demon).

The unadorned operating principles of nature I discovered were engraved upon the sensitivity of the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition.

– Light travels along the path that takes the shortest time between two points.

Two points in space.

Infinite paths connecting them.

This marvelous discovery, which reduced that infinite number to one, inspired many in later generations.

The moment I drove my sword into the shoulder of the Young Spirit Slayer, all the paths of the killing sword the assassin wielded vanished, leaving only a single move. That, too, was a predictive ability derived from Fermat’s discovery.

‘Hamiltonian (Unraveling secrets, spitting mud, and peace).’

The path of thought that crushed and dismantled the solid rock formed by countless condensed possibilities, turning it into a handful of fine, soft soil, gradually erased the illusions filling the inner courtyard of the Zhuge Clan.

‘The illusions were created to cover up reality.’

It was an illusion formation with a clear intent and purpose.

Since the purpose was clear.

‘Identify the starting point.’

I formulated a mnemonic to pierce through the illusions that toyed with my senses.

From the Qingcheng Sect’s Subtle Concealment Method to the Wudang Sect’s Cloud-Amidst-Distant-Far, the principle was the same.

Ultimately, it was utilizing the refraction of light.

To do so, I returned once more to the fundamental properties of light.

‘The path that passes through two points in the shortest time.’

Naturally, because it was a straight path.

Humans instinctively believed.

That light travels in a straight line.

But what was the reality?

Considering Fermat’s discovery and the properties of light, a completely different result emerged.

‘The speed of light is constant, but that is only when it passes through a vacuum.’

This was because light was both a particle and a wave.

Since waves flow slower in relatively dense spaces.

‘Light bends from a hot layer of air to a cold layer of air.’

The instinct to believe that light travels in a straight line.

The reality of light bending.

The discrepancy between them.

As that created illusions.

Martial Uncle Mang-won also shouted.

! Filter out the illusions through your eye techniques and strengthen your guard!]

Hearing my Martial Uncle’s telepathic transmission, I opened my eyes again.

And.

‘I see it.’

Filtering out the blood energy and heat.

I felt the layers of air divided by the heat emitted by the blood ghouls and the technique formation unfolded in the inner courtyard of the Zhuge Clan.

As the countless light paths bending and distorting along the boundaries of space divided by cold and warmth compressed into one.

‘Fifteen.’

The number of real figures I felt and tracked.

It was exactly as I had initially felt through the presence of the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition.

Moreover.

‘There.’

I identified the key positions of the technique formation.

Because they were radiating heat.

Without fail, the blood ghouls clad in red robes lingered in those spots.

A daytime where sunlight beat down upon the manor.

Those who endured even under it.

They were those who walked in the daylight.

Even so, fear did not rise.

Since they were the ones I had continuously cut down until now.

I simply took a step forward.

Since I could distinguish all the real and illusionary figures of the enemies blocking the narrow path in a crane-wing formation in front of the collapsed wall.

“The enemy is moving!”

“Strike!”

The illusions and the real bodies moved simultaneously.

I ignored the illusions and read the attacks of the real bodies.

I slid my body off the trajectory drawn along my deepened upper dantian cultivation.

Swinging my sword and stepping with the Slender Willow Flutter Brownian footwork, I let the force waves slide along the grain of my robes.

The place I reached in the span of two breaths.

In front of the practitioner clad in a red robe, radiating heat.

**

I swung my sword down toward the blood ghoul, who was retreating warily, perhaps having finally received word of me.

“They say that following the Dangyang branch, even the Jingmen branch has collapsed!”

“Following the Jingmen branch, the signboard of the Zhongxiang branch has also been smashed to pieces! It has been identified as the work of the Wudang Sect’s mobile unit!”

Despite the alert order issued under the command of the Family Head, the Marquis of Divine Martialry, the branch families in southern Hubei were collapsing one after another.

Having lost the support of the public, they were also stripped of their legitimacy as an orthodox martial arts sect by the government.

The morale of the clan members could not help but plummet.

“Is this… really going to be alright?”

“I-I don’t know. The Family Head personally gave the order and even sent the practitioners of the Blood Cult, yet to think we would collapse so quickly.”

Furthermore, there was no good news among the information coming in through the eyes directed toward the Wudang Sect’s main mountain.

“I heard that the two martial units of the True Martial Pavilion dispatched to the north are on their way back… Rather than losing more of our branch forces, wouldn’t it be better to decide on a pitched battle…?”

“Even if the Sword Immortal has been crippled, five of the Eight Disciples of Sanfeng still remain. If we add the Nine Swords to that…”

“Is it a consolation that the disciples of the main mountain are not making any major moves…?”

They were on the verge of self-destruction before the fight could even begin.

Nevertheless, Sagacious Eye Scholar, the younger brother of the Marquis of Divine Martialry and the second-in-command of the Zhuge Clan, maintained his composure.

This was because there was also something gained even as the cultists and martial artists dispatched to the branches were wiped out.

‘The primary force destroying the branches. The Wudang Sect martial artists who were dispatched to the Guizhou branch formed the core.’

Over the letters from informants spread throughout Hubei based on the Zhuge Clan’s wealth, Sagacious Eye Scholar grasped the size of the Wudang Sect’s mobile unit that was destroying the Zhuge branches.

‘Their number does not exceed ten.’

This was the result of compiling testimonies extracted from prisoners captured by the government and other information received through informants.

The information confirmed through the dates and routes of the branch destructions was:

‘Their speed is immense.’

It was an elusive movement speed, as if they were ‘flying through the sky.’

Wudang Sect’s conventional lightness skills.

The Wudang Sect’s mobile unit was exhibiting a speed that was difficult to achieve with the Flowing Cloud Movement Skill or Cloud-Climbing Step.

‘It is a speed that surpasses the Flowing Cloud Movement Skill performed by elders. Then, the Cloud-Climbing Step? No. The Cloud-Climbing Step is a footwork force already evaluated as unsuitable for long-distance travel.’

Yet they destroyed the branches without hesitation, as if they never grew tired.

‘Among the prestigious orthodox sects in the world, the only groups capable of maintaining such movement speed while exerting this level of martial power would be the Ouyang Clan’s Night-Annihilating Unit, the Shaolin Temple’s Luohan Hall, or the Beggars’ Sect’s Dragon Head Leader’s direct strike force, the Dragon Claw Squad.’

Even if the Beggars’ Sect was cooperative with the Wudang Sect, sharing the Beggars’ Sect’s lightness skills was preposterous.

‘Could they have created a new movement skill?’

It was an idea difficult to believe easily, but thinking that way was the only thing that made sense.

Simultaneously with that thought, the hand busily flipping through the documents paused.

‘Creating a new movement skill?’

That was not something just anyone could do.

In addition, there happened to be a rising star of the martial world in the Wudang Sect who could do such a thing.

‘Could it be?’

His hand moved toward the pile of documents that had been set aside.

The information transmitted by the Zhuge Clan disciples who had previously been dispatched to the Guizhou branch.

‘Three members of the True Martial Pavilion’s Greedy Wolf Unit, plus the Lord of the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion. And there was also the Bringer of Chaos.’

Afterwards, as the cooperative relationship between the Zhuge Clan and the Blood Cult came to light, the Zhuge martial artists were expelled from each branch of the Murim Alliance.

Because of that, the information was cut off and more detailed information could not be confirmed, but…

‘The Yidu branch is at the southern end of Hubei. It lies on the path from the Guizhou branch to the Wudang Sect’s Yichang branch.’

He could feel it instinctively.

‘Bringer of Chaos! You were there.’

Simultaneously with the realization, his mind spun rapidly.

‘They said he possessed the qualities of a Grandmaster.’

That was the evaluation of Yeon Baek-jung that had spread widely during the last Murim Alliance meeting.

‘If a new movement skill was created, it could only be the Bringer of Chaos. In that case!’

Since it meant they had specified the location of the Wudang Sect’s greatest genius.

‘It is valuable simply for breaking the enemy’s vanguard.’

No matter how much power he had to destroy the branches, he could not compare to the elite warriors of the main family or the main forces of the Seven Great Clans.

The Bringer of Chaos, Yeon Baek-jung, was still a novice who had not even reached twenty years of age.

He was an unripe flower bud.

Meaning his talent had not fully bloomed.

Immortal Mang-won, who was supposedly with him, was also just an ordinary Wudang Sect elder.

He could not be compared to the Nine Swords of Wudang or the Eight Disciples of Sanfeng.

Therefore.

‘If we dispatch both our main family forces and the main force of the Blood Cult… it is a strength we can fully eliminate.’

Furthermore, the value of the Bringer of Chaos was not limited to that.

‘They said he was the disciple of Immortal Gangwon / Hye-song.’

Before being one of the Nine Swords of Wudang, Immortal Gangwon was the primary strategist of the Wudang Sect’s Immortal Sect Leader.

There was even a saying that all of the Wudang Sect’s affairs passed through Immortal Gangwon’s mind, earning him the moniker Hye-song, meaning ‘consistently wise.’

Above all, the Wudang Sect was a Taoist sect.

Taoist sects were not well-versed in the fame and wealth of the secular world.

Such was the essence of those who were Taoists.

Thus, when they resolved to go to war with the Wudang Sect, their primary target for assassination was also Immortal Gangwon, who had entered the Jianghu.

Yet, they had not even caught a glimpse of Immortal Gangwon’s sleeve yet. It was due to being blocked by the information control of Hye-song, Gangwon.

That was why they had tried to draw out Immortal Gangwon by holding the Greedy Wolf disciples hostage. Of course, it had all been in vain.

‘If his disciple is captured, will he truly be able to hide himself as he does now?’

A smile formed on the lips of Sagacious Eye Scholar.

They would break the future of the Wudang Sect while simultaneously removing an important part of its current power.

The effect that could be obtained by eliminating Yeon Baek-jung and his group, who were currently annoying them in southern Hubei, was immense compared to the resources they had to invest.

‘Wage war after having already won. He would be able to put the military maxim into practice.’

Since starting after eliminating the opponent’s head meant beginning with the war already half-won.

Sagacious Eye Scholar immediately began calculating the path of the Bringer of Chaos’ group, which was currently sweeping through southern Hubei.

He synthesized all those painful pieces of information and organized them in his mind.

Comparing the enemy’s route derived in this manner with the marching speed of the Zhuge Clan’s currently deployable forces:

‘Three days from now. The Yicheng branch.’

Thus, he formulated a plan.

‘Since we are doing this, we will pour in all our strength.’

He would pour in the maximum strength, even calculating any potential reinforcement forces the Wudang Sect could dispatch.

It was still a profitable venture.

When he visited the Family Head’s office with such a mobilization plan in hand:

The Marquis of Divine Martialry, Zhuge Seok-yun, made a surprising proposal to his younger brother.

“I will go personally.”

“You, the Family Head, personally?”

Although the reputation of the Wudang Sect’s Yeon Baek-jung was rising, that was entirely due to the expectations for an outstanding rising star.

He could not dare to compare to the head of one of the Seven Great Clans, an ultimate master of the Jianghu.

Yet Zhuge Seok-yun’s intention was clear.

“In addition, Jeong-er will also go along.”

“For even the Eldest Young Master to go together is…”

“Has he not come to walk beneath the sunlight? They said he is the greatest genius of the Wudang Sect, with the qualities of a Grandmaster. He will serve as a precious material to elevate that child’s qualifications to the next level.”

Not only the Zhuge Clan’s Eldest Young Master, Zhuge Jeong, but even the Family Head would go.

If the Family Head went, all of the Crouching Dragon Scholars would also set out.

Since Hubei was practically in a state of war.

Yet he made such a decision.

Sagacious Eye Scholar swallowed hard as he looked into the eyes of the Family Head, his elder brother, the Marquis of Divine Martialry, Zhuge Seok-yun.

Within those flashing green pupils lay an unfathomable wisdom that could perceive a thousand li.

Whatever he had seen, even if it was unknown, it would be information that could not be grasped by mere documents and scraps of intelligence.

“I will prepare immediately.”

**

Along with Sagacious Eye Scholar’s words, all the forces gathered for the pitched battle began heading toward southern Hubei, passing through the gates of the Zhuge Clan’s main residence. Their destination was Yicheng, where the Zhuge Clan’s branch family was located.

Myeong-hun saw a silver needle flying from Yeon Baek-jung’s blind spot and let out a shout of warning.

“Junior Brother!”

The moment Myeong-hun tried to move and handle it himself, seeing Yeon Baek-jung’s eyes which seemed somewhat vacant.

Yeon Baek-jung’s sword moved along the path of the silver needle rushing toward him, as if it were alive.

While his vacant gaze remained exactly the same.

‧

Without him even looking or clashing his sword blade against it, the path of the silver needle naturally avoided Yeon Baek-jung.

It was the aftermath of a sword qi force field sloshing like tea filling a teacup.

Myeong-hun pressed and packed his internal power onto his sword blade in a similar manner, taking his junior brother’s sword art into his eyes.

And.

Slicing.

He deflected the sword of the Zhuge branch family warrior and simultaneously cut his vital point. That movement resembled that of his junior brother, Yeon Baek-jung.

‘This is it.’

Because simply watching his junior brother Yeon Baek-jung’s martial arts from the side and practicing together had raised his own martial arts to a completely different dimension than before.

“Hap!”

Myeong-hun’s sword controlled not only the branch family martial artists but even the flames of the blood ghouls.

Even during all this, Yeon Baek-jung’s gaze remained dull.

His appearance, as if his entire mind had been stolen away somewhere, was unfamiliar.

‘Junior Brother is strange.’

‘Is he creating some new martial art?’

‘I don’t know. For now, protect him.’

He was a junior brother who did well on his own, but the minds of his senior brothers and sisters were different.

The Greedy Wolf disciples coordinated their hands and feet like cogs to escort Yeon Baek-jung’s surroundings, while crushing the martial artists of the Zhuge Clan’s Yicheng branch and the blood ghouls.

“Take care of the rear!”

“Reinforce it with the Supreme Clarity Free Hand, Junior Sister Yi!”

“Ignition Bloodline, the flames are approaching!”

Since they were people who had even mastered the method of countering the flames emitted by the blood ghouls—controlling blood energy and oxygen, which were combustible materials—along with the method of breaking the illusionary technique formations installed in the Zhuge branch, the danger was not great.

Even if they had Wudang Sect’s elder, Immortal Mang-won, they broke the forces of one of the Seven Great Clans abnormally easily.

So to speak, it was possible because it was a shape of having perfectly grasped and pierced the clauses of their martial arts.

When they thus crippled the dantians of the Yicheng branch martial artists and dealt with the blood ghouls:

Unlike usual, Yeon Baek-jung opened his mouth in a trembling voice.

“We…”

His words could not continue.

Because in an instant, darkness spread across the blue sky, and a huge wave of energy encompassing the entire Yicheng branch surged.

“Everyone… prepare.”

Following Immortal Mang-won’s resolute voice.

The disciples of the True Martial Pavilion’s Greedy Wolf Unit raised their energy waves.

While a storm-like silence continued.

The eyes of Immortal Mang-won and Yeon Baek-jung turned toward the air simultaneously.

Soon, everyone’s gaze shifted upward.

Someone among the branch family martial artists murmured.

“Family Head…!” The Marquis of Divine Martialry, Zhuge Seok-yun, was looking down arrogantly at the Wudang Sect disciples from the air. —