"Sword Squadron Captain."
The speaker was the head of the Namgung family. Casting a fleeting glance at the corpses of Namgung Se-jin and Namgung Mi, he declared:
"The shame of using Charyun (車輪) is mine to bear."
"...I will follow your command."
The Sword Squadron Captain of the Celestial Sky turned around, clasping his hands together respectfully.
The meaning behind the Namgung family's leader's words was clear. Charyun—the word for a cart's wheel—referred, in the martial arts world, to a technique where the many fight against the few in succession.
He was essentially saying, "Accept the disgrace and exhaust the strength of the Sword Corps Captain, even at the cost of death."
"Magnificent."
The Sword Corps Captain smiled.
As he turned once more to face the Sword Squadron Captain of the Celestial Sky, his eyes gleamed with a piercing light.
"If you're going to mock me, do it with your sword."
"Not at all. It’s the proper thing to do. After all, this is a battle waged over the head of the Namgung family leader, is it not? Using every available means is only right."
The Sword Corps Captain's expression brimmed with satisfaction.
The absolute dominance of the supreme martial artist of Ipwang Fortress, known as the foremost purple-clad warrior, was unmistakable.
Jeong Yeon-shin had never witnessed such a demeanor before. This was perhaps what a master strategist looked like when formulating plans. The way he spoke so naturally about using any and all means was striking.
At that moment, the Sword Corps Captain’s gaze met Jeong Yeon-shin’s. His scholarly, gentle eyes curved into a crescent-like smile.
"You should leave now. I can’t even imagine how many wrinkles that old man has gained. He almost had a seizure when you crossed swords with Namgung's Azure Qilin."
"...I wish you luck."
Jeong Yeon-shin clasped his fists in a respectful salute, his words drawing a momentary look of surprise from the Sword Corps Captain.
"To think there’d be someone wishing me luck. Living long enough certainly leads to surprising things."
Then he let out a hearty laugh and gave a short nod.
"Ma Gwang-ik’s Seomye, you’ve worked hard."
Jeong Yeon-shin offered his gratitude and turned back toward the Ipwang Fortress camp. His steps were heavy.
The shadow of Namgung Se-jin, the Azure Qilin, loomed large in his mind. As he walked, he barely noticed the people or the scenery around him.
"Hey, hey. You’re pretty interesting, aren’t you?"
"Ah, Elder Ak, please maintain your dignity."
Several experts of the Sword Corps, led by Elder Ak Surim, stepped forward. Before them, however, a certain elderly figure approached in hurried strides.
"Yeon-shin!"
It was the first time Jeong Yeon-shin had ever heard his name called with such warmth.
He lifted his head.
Standing a few steps away was Ma Yeon-jeok, his wrinkled eyes surveying him closely.
The former Sword Corps Captain and the Ipwang Ma Clan Patriarch were distant figures to others, but to him, this man was simply his maternal grandfather.
"You’re not gravely injured. How admirable, truly admirable. Are you sure you don’t have any internal wounds?"
"No. We can discuss it later."
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded slowly, speaking with a measured tone. He lacked the composure to give his grandfather his full attention.
This was because the Sword Corps Captain now stood facing the Sword Squadron Captain of the Celestial Sky.
Each was the leader of their respective forces, Ipwang Fortress and Namgung Clan. It was an unprecedented clash.
The young warrior thought about his awakening. Witnessing the battle between such absolute masters might provide invaluable insights.
However, he worried he wouldn’t be able to comprehend their movements with his current abilities.
‘Don’t think about following their movements with your eyes. That’s impossible. Instead, just absorb what’s in your field of vision.’
With that determination, he roused his energy.
A formless flame ignited at the Baihui point atop his head. In that instant, a heavenly blue light flickered in his eyes, a glow emanating from his upper dantian.
‘The Sword Corps Captain... How strong is he?’
The boy’s goal lay before him. This supreme master, who had reached heights he dreamed of climbing, had become the purpose of his life.
Even if he gained nothing now, he hoped to recall this moment one day.
As Jeong Yeon-shin stared intently ahead, Ma Yeon-jeok, unusually, smiled.
"Did you say we’d discuss it later? To me?"
There was a trace of joy in his soliloquy. His expression brimmed with pride, as though he might dissolve into the warmth of the moment.
This grandson of his, who had always maintained a blade-sharp attitude even toward him, now offered a future promise? Even if it was spoken offhandedly, even if it wasn’t sincere, it was enough.
Meanwhile, the expressions of the Sword Corps experts, who had been silently observing, twisted one by one.
Their faces showed disbelief, as though they had seen something they weren’t supposed to. Elder Ak Surim’s lips curled as if she might vomit.
"Is that... normal?"
"I don’t think so."
"So-ha, Yeon So-ha. Where exactly is Seomye’s family from?"
"Why would we care about that? We’re too busy wandering Jianghu."
"That old Ma patriarch is bowing his head like that? Doesn’t that bother you? Ah, but back then, So-ha wasn’t even a white belt yet. You wouldn’t know how much I suffered under that old man when he was captain, would you? Seomye Jeong Yeon-shin, was it? I can’t make sense of him the more I think about it. He must be holding onto some scandal involving the Ma Clan..."
"Elder Ak, they can hear you over there."
As the dark-clad girl from Ipwang Fortress and the youthful Yeon So-ha chatted, the third duel between Ipwang and Namgung began.
The wind that had been blowing from the front suddenly stilled, signaling to everyone what was happening.
The Sword Corps experts fell silent. This was an entirely different level from the bouts of those in their prime.
The Sword Corps Captain versus the Sword Squadron Captain of the Celestial Sky.
Though the gorge was battered by relentless winds, the space between the two masters remained untouched by even a speck of dust.
The density of their energy formed an impenetrable barrier, keeping external influences at bay.
Swoosh.
From the very first moment, everything was different. As the sleeves of their robes fluttered, a flash of sword light erupted.
Namgung Ryeok, the Sword Squadron Captain, wielded a heavy sword. It was not the Imperial Sword Form.
He had refined the Celestial Sky’s Infinite Sword Technique to its absolute limit, earning him a reputation across the martial world.
It was said to combine a free-flowing sword path with destructive power, without restraint.
The Sword Corps Captain, however, faced him barehanded, countering the heavy sword with his open palm.
Boom!
The gorge shook violently, a massive shockwave spreading in all directions.
With a single hand blade, the Sword Corps Captain deflected Namgung Ryeok’s heavy sword, its force nullified and sent flying.
He had matched the technique with an equivalent force of energy.
Whoosh!
Meanwhile, the purple robe of the Sword Corps Captain remained perfectly still, undisturbed by the raging storm around him.
This was Hoshin Ganggi, an unparalleled internal energy barrier that shielded his body entirely.
"Your sword is quite sturdy. It’s no ordinary material. Was it made by the Iron Tribe?"
The Sword Corps Captain’s voice was calm, as though he were strolling through a quiet grove.
"Hup!"
Namgung Ryeok’s feet scraped against the ground as he was pushed back by a full jang of distance. The energy erupting from his Yongcheon point finally brought his body to a halt.
In that fleeting moment, he steadied himself and launched forward again, stepping into the grooves he had just carved into the earth.
It was an explosive movement. The ground trembled once more with each step.
Swish!
The blade, imbued with white light, sliced through the air. It was a strike as swift as lightning.
This was Quick Sword, a hallmark of the Celestial Sky’s Infinite Sword Technique, which prided itself on free-flowing motion. It embodied fluidity and freedom.
The Quick Sword and Heavy Sword complemented each other, both demonstrating their full might.
There was no pause in the attack. The strike reached the Sword Corps Captain’s face in an instant.
At the same time, a sharp energy surrounded the Sword Corps Captain’s hand, as if wielding an invisible sword.
When Namgung Ryeok’s blade neared his shoulder, the Sword Corps Captain seemed to step into a different time.
His step, just slightly askew, came first.
With a chopping motion from his right hand and a faint blur of his sleeve, he evaded.
Swoosh.
Namgung Ryeok’s blue-clad form brushed past the Sword Corps Captain. His body lifted momentarily, then crumpled to the ground.
He couldn’t stop himself. His balance failed entirely, and he collapsed in a heap, the dignity of a master vanishing instantly.
And just like that...
He stopped moving. Dead.
"..."
Once again, the entire assembly froze.
The commotion—people exchanging messages through messenger hawks and darting about using lightness skills—gradually stilled.
The scene defied explanation. The sword wielded by the mighty Namgung Clan shattered in the frontlines. There hadn’t even been an extended exchange.
Namgung Mi, Namgung Se-jin, and now Namgung Ryeok.
The anticipated events were unfolding in a spiraling crescendo.
"The Sword Squadron Captain. It seems he’s forgotten how to fight like a novice."
The Sword Corps Captain adjusted his robe. His slightly disheveled purple garment was now immaculate. Not a single bloodstain marred it.
"He should’ve realized how far beneath me he was. Had he been more cautious, he might’ve lasted a few seconds longer."
He spoke as if discussing a mundane matter.
The words were directed at the corpse. A provocation as natural as breathing. Yet no one dared to respond.
In the silence, the Sword Corps Captain’s gaze shifted toward the Namgung Clan.
"It seems you’ve been grumbling about the order of the juniors. So, will it now be the Elder Council Leader, as originally planned?"
"No. That won’t be necessary."
Step.
The one who answered was not the Elder Council Leader.
At last.
The head of the Namgung Clan stepped forward, draped in the overwhelming aura of the Imperial Sword Form.
His presence pressed down on everything around him like an impenetrable wall.
This was the head of one of the Eight Noble Clans, a complete martial master. Even his son, the Azure Qilin, couldn’t compare to his sheer aura.
"Come to think of it..."
The Sword Corps Captaintilted his head slightly.
Despite being known as an unparalleled master, his demeanor was unexpectedly playful, a quality that somehow only amplified the sense of fear he exuded.
"Still absent from their place, that old fool who refuses to act their age," he remarked.
"Sword Corps Captain, show some decorum," Namgung’s patriarch said in a low, commanding voice.
The tone carried an overwhelming power that could crush anyone’s spirit, yet the Sword Corps Captain simply frowned, as though mildly annoyed.
"You’re the one who needs to stop spouting nonsense. Where is Namgung’s Elder Council Leader?"
"You already know the Elder Council Leader of Ipwang Fortress left his post long ago. We’ve only matched the number of people present from our household with yours. Do you think you have the right to object?"
Jeong Yeon-shin, who had been listening to the exchange, suddenly recalled something Ma Yeon-jeok had mentioned previously.
The Elder Council Leader had gone off to pursue the Seventh Apostle.
‘That was days ago. Are they still at it?’
The Elder Council Leader was one of the few who wore Ipwang’s rare purple cloak. It was hard to believe the Seventh Apostle’s lightness skills could outmatch someone of such mastery.
Perhaps the Apostle’s survival hinged on the regenerative abilities of their advanced Blood Energy Techniques.
At that moment, the Sword Corps Captain’s voice rang out again, a touch more languid this time.
"Ah, so you’ve resorted to schemes. Keeping enough forces at your main house to maintain command, I see?"
There was a subtle sneer in his tone.
"An excellent decision. It seems we have no choice. Let’s handle the matter at hand first and think about the rest later."
And with that, an astonishing sight unfolded before Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes.
The Sword Corps Captain, now facing the Namgung patriarch, raised his right hand.
Crack.
A streak of light ignited in his palm. At the same time, the space around them seemed to stretch and fracture.
A sword materialized in an instant, forged from the surging wave of energy.
Wooooong!
The blade shimmered, condensed from rainbow hues into a single radiant weapon. The iridescent glow pulsed like a tide, emanating waves of overwhelming force.
‘This is nothing like my Lightburst Sword Style. That’s pure Light Sword,’ Jeong Yeon-shin thought.
Even without wielding it, the weapon exuded a sense of an inescapable strike.
‘A sword made entirely of energy.’
He immediately recognized it as a level of mastery where internal energy could manifest as a physical weapon. Despite having never seen such a technique before, he understood its nature instinctively due to the sheer density and intensity of the energy.
"Truly extravagant, just like your nature," the Namgung patriarch remarked.
Even in the face of near-divine skill, the patriarch appeared unshaken. His demeanor was steadfast, perhaps due to his experience as the leader of the Daebang Sect, where anything could be expected.
"Come," the patriarch said, drawing his blade.
This content is taken from freёwebnovel.com.
It was the last thing he uttered.
Boom!
Both supreme masters vanished. Only the brilliant trail of the Sword Corps Captain’s weapon lingered, gradually dissipating.
Jeong Yeon-shin couldn’t discern their movements. How many exchanges had taken place?
――――!
Pressure arrived before sound. The shockwaves of their clash surpassed the realm of ordinary noise, creating a thunderous silence.
Jeong Yeon-shin had to exert himself just to avoid being swept away.
He pushed his foundational Jeong Ga-donggong technique to its peak. Even then, it wasn’t enough.
He had to unleash movements from Ultimate Polar Flower Fist, carving through the waves of energy crashing around him.
Crash! Crash!
His hands ached terribly. He couldn’t tell how many techniques he had executed.
‘How long can this go on...?’
Each breath felt like an eternity.
And then, as he instinctively closed his eyes for a brief moment, he finally caught sight of the two masters.
The Sword Corps Captain’s energy sword had disappeared. Yet, he stood alone, upright and serene, gazing downward.
His opponent was a different story.
The leader of the Namgung Clan, one of the Eight Great Clans, who had commanded respect across the martial world, lay fallen. His eyes were wide open, but his upper body had been entirely severed.
In the end, he resembled his son, Namgung Se-jin. Neither family, clan, nor offspring were in his sights as he met his end.
Without even turning his head, his gaze remained fixed on the Sword Corps Captain. His expression reflected raw determination and bitter resentment.
"......"
The Sword Corps Captain was the one to break the oppressive silence.
He glanced briefly at the Namgung faction. Their warriors, frozen like statues, seemed unable to move.
And it wasn’t just them. Everyone in the expansive Qingya Valley stood in stunned stillness.
The head of one of the Eight Great Clans had perished. The ramifications of this event were unimaginable.
"Go on, clean up the corpse," the Sword Corps Captain said, clicking his tongue.
Then, he began walking, heading directly toward the Ipwang Fortress camp.
"Our captain sure took a lot of hits, huh? I counted at least five," Elder Ak Surim commented.
Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes fell on the Sword Corps Captain’s tattered purple robe. Though made of celestial silk, it seemed unable to withstand the Namgung patriarch’s strikes.
"Hmm. They were quite strong," the Sword Corps Captain replied.
"Don’t bluff. Your breathing’s uneven. Why not take a moment to refine your technique?"
The Sword Corps Captain gave a half-hearted nod, just as Yeon So-ha chimed in with an innocent expression.
"Well, things are settled for now. But I’m curious, Captain, about the reward you promised Seomye. Wasn’t it something about friendship in the martial world? Do you even have such connections?"
"......"
The Sword Corps Captain turned to look at Jeong Yeon-shin, their gazes locking instantly.
The lips of the unparalleled purple-clad master curved into a crescent, forming a rather awkward smile.
"Connections? In our position? What nonsense. What martial sect in the Jianghu would welcome the Sword Corps? If they don’t start chanting prayers to ward off misfortune, that’s the best we can hope for."