Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time-Chapter 585: Wildfire (9)

“This way, children. Why are you so slow?”

“As the Cheonrim Captain of Ipwang Fortress, I proclaim this clearly—you have no authority whatsoever to command us. No! It’s not even worth discussing! Your status is ambiguous!”

“I, Yeon-shin, am a prisoner.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re nothing—not even a guest or a servant. Even as a Bloodfiend, your standing is beneath that of the Divine Sword Deputy.”

“If you insult me again, your forehead’s going to get even wider.”

“That’s a lie.”

“The one who said he follows Yeon-shin spoke with a strange transmission method. Said he’d already scoped out the battlefield and asked us to trust him.”

“Tr...uth.”

“Myungryu Commander Un Sohyeon. Said it was her dying wish.”

“...Truth.”

“Follow me. It’s still this way.”

***

Two giants raced across the plain.

The barren field stretched out endlessly, filled only with the dim orange twilight of the northern dusk.

Mun Gok and Yeom Jeong were sprinting through the blazing silence of sunset.

It was as if iron towers were flying.

Boom!

Each time Mun Gok’s foot struck the earth, shallow pools of blood burst forth in succession beneath him.

This was the bleeding of a transcendent being, said to possess the strongest physique in the world. A peak-level external power user—yet the amount of blood pouring out of him was staggering.

Yeom Jeong cast a sidelong glance at him and asked in a mature, aged tone despite her youthful voice:

“Why isn’t it stopping? I’ve been sealing your pressure points the whole way.”

She used the term “sealing points” naturally.

A method of pressing acupoints with internal energy to produce certain effects. In this case, she was referring to bloodstopping. A typical term under the martial traditions of Ming China.

This was the influence of the Southern Emperor.

To found a nation below the Great Wall, all teachings of the God of War had to be expressed in Han language. So that they could reign supreme the moment they planted their banner in Ming territory.

A philosophy accepted long ago.

Even transcendent generals like Mun Gok and Yeom Jeong of the Six Original Star Lords had agreed to it. At this moment, Mun Gok’s massive frame surged with Southern techniques—Ming-era qi arts and medicinal practices alike.

He was using his internal force, Guwang Strength, to recover his body as much as possible.

His entire body drenched in blood, Mun Gok finally spoke slowly even as he sped forward using lightness technique.

“It must be... that Formless Sword.”

“You mean the one held by those guys in pitch-black robes?”

“Yes. That cursed weapon crafted by a Bloodfiend. The only wounds that aren’t closing... are the stabs and slashes from that thing. Every place I was cut or pierced.”

“A dangerous one, then.”

“An exceptional foe. Reminiscent of Silver Silken Technique and Life-Saving Fingers.”

“I agree. He was even young enough to catch my eye. Must be Yaryul’s right hand.”

The giant woman of the Yozoku, Yeom Jeong, her massive crescent blade slung across her back, idly rolled a dark pill in her palm as she spoke.

The parched earth sped past beneath her feet like a rushing river, accompanied by a stomach-churning shockwave.

“Once we return, we’ll need to plan carefully. A preemptive ambush to kill him.”

Mun Gok.

The one-eyed giant spoke in a voice so deep it seemed to rise from the earth itself.

A pit of blood surrounded his remaining eye. Where his other eye had once been now lay a deep crimson abyss.

Yet Mun Gok calmly acknowledged his enemies and continued analyzing them like a scholar.

Soon, they reached a consensus: the Bloodfiend wielding the Formless Sword would be second on their kill list. First, of course, was Yaryul.

Mun Gok and Yeom Jeong.

Their conversation flowed as if they were seated at a war table, even as they raced at such speed that the air burst apart behind them in circular waves.

They were discussing the fate of the world.

At that moment—

From afar—

BOOM—!

Without warning, a reddish shadow pierced into Mun Gok’s right shoulder. He reacted in an instant, flinging his arm with a bolt of force, and the attacker was hurled away by a violent shockwave.

It was a literal flash of a moment.

A sudden assailant—an ethereal beauty draped in flowing crimson—was already nothing more than a distant dot.

Even after exchanging that single blow, neither Mun Gok nor Yeom Jeong halted their lightness technique sprint. Only the lingering afterimage of glowing red eyes remained, fading into the dusk.

Yeom Jeong glanced back with madness in her eyes.

It had happened multiple times already.

“It’s clear now. She has the talent to control the battlefield.”

At her words, Mun Gok nodded.

“That makes three confirmed in the South. The Yaryul King, the Ice Emperor’s consort, and this woman. Of course, the most overwhelming remains Yaryul.”

“That Bloodfiend girl keeps targeting your right arm relentlessly. How about tearing her throat out next time she rushes you?”

“Judging from her movement, she seems to be using the Bloodflame Cult’s Arashin Technique. If I try anything rash, the Formless Sword Bloodfiend and the Seven Black Figures will catch up. They were chasing like they meant to kill...”

“If we stop here, it’ll be another bloodbath.”

“No reason we can’t handle that!”

Yeom Jeong’s boldness was the greatest among the transcendent Six Original Star Lords.

But Mun Gok, despite being a towering hulk drenched in gore like something crawling out of hell, smiled gently like a bookish scholar.

“I’m in too much pain. Honestly, this is a hassle. That joint attack hit harder than I expected.”

“Quit whining. What are you going to say to the Southern Emperor later?”

“I won’t. The moment I return, I’m collapsing. Tell him to come see me instead.”

“And this from the man who personally designated him the founding emperor? Do you think such behavior fits your principles?”

“There are always ministers the king cannot summon.”

“What?”

“A saying from the teachings of the Sage of the World.”

“You damn Yozoku mutt...”

BOOM! BOOM-BOOM—!

Even mid-conversation, the Bloodflame Cult Leader’s attacks continued relentlessly.

Amid the waves of overlapping shockwaves, a few elements stood out clearly.

The fluttering of bright red garments. The blade-sharp hand aiming to crush Mun Gok’s shoulder. A beautiful face consumed by madness...

But even that couldn’t completely halt the retreat of the Six Original Star Lords. After all, the Southern Emperor had already torn apart the legs of the world’s fastest martial artist.

Now, unless they died in battle, the six northern stars were the freest warriors in the realm.

It was just as the stench of Mun Gok’s blood faded into the northern wind—

Yeom Jeong muttered:

“Something... about our direction feels off.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Speak clearly. I’m too lightheaded from blood loss to think.”

Yeom Jeong ignored Mun Gok’s claim of dizziness as if it were irrelevant, then continued:

“I feel like we’re being drawn in by that Bloodfiend girl. Is this another sign of her battlefield control? It’s unsettling.”

“Drawn in, you say? Now that you mention it...”

They were transcendent warriors who’d clashed with the Southern swordmaster, the Divine Sword Deputy, the Seven Black Figures, and now the Bloodflame Cult Leader—and survived without losing a limb.

But even their senses weren’t unscathed.

Martial perception was like a sword—if you wield it too fiercely, you must hone it again afterward. Otherwise, you temporarily lose its edge.

At some point—

Near the edge of the plains, at the foot of a grey hill—

They spotted a man sitting idly on a low rock.

His eyes were pale white. A blind man, with a bluish sword and a tattered straw hat set beside him.

As the two raced just beyond the edge of Cheonggwang Plain, their lightness technique brought them face to face with a one-armed swordsman in the midst of sword practice.

Sword marks crisscrossed the earth like strands of silk below the rock. He looked like a wanderer simply passing through the martial world.

“That guy...!”

Before Yeom Jeong could shout—

Mun Gok, ever polite, directed his refined Liuhe True Voice toward the blind man.

“Forgive me for disturbing your time, but could you let us pass? We’re not in a condition to take the long way.”

“Hm?”

The blind man sounded momentarily puzzled.

But only for a moment.

He pressed his straw hat low over his face, and his lips curved into a blade-like smile.

“Of course, I should let you pass. I’m just a worthless drifter, after all.”

It was then.

Mun Gok glanced down, far ahead of the man’s feet. The patterns etched into the ground were disordered and uneven—but they were gradually drawing closer.

Traces of Illusion Sword and Shifting Sword.

***

At the far end of the vast Cheonggwang Plain, a wind of blades rose—it was a sword wind that sliced through the laws of nature.

Fragments of that wind tore even the clouds apart as they scattered in all directions, some faint streaks racing across the plain in an instant.

Then, as they descended toward the center of Cheonggwang Plain, they split transparently.

It was the point where Jeong Yeon-shin was spinning once in midair, tearing apart the dark mist.

He thought:

‘This is the limit. The Southern Emperor is a wall.’

His consciousness was blurring.

They had exchanged more blows than he could count.

Even with his Upper Dantian’s senses, it was difficult to gauge the passage of time.

Just as there was no one in the world who could stop the escape of the Five Heavenly Swords or the Six Original Star Lords, so too was it a long and arduous process for the Southern Emperor to pierce through Jeong Yeon-shin’s purely defensive stance using his internal method.

Boom!

Their bodies were flung apart again. The sound of both men dragging their feet across the ground with force echoed deeply. Dusky clouds and violet robes intertwined into a single streak as they faced off again.

The Southern Emperor’s art of neutralizing footwork force—Southern Face’s Overcoming Technique—was offset by Yong Hui-myeong’s intervention. The shockwaves weren’t expelled outward but instead were slammed inward into Jeong Yeon-shin’s body.

Thanks to the quick insight of the Swordmaster of his time and his divine coordination, Jeong Yeon-shin had managed to hold out for a long time against the strongest man in the North.

With his internal force nearly depleted, he could only endure.

But this was the end.

“You slew the Divine Slayer, and yet still stand... you are a wondrous warrior.”

The Southern Emperor spoke, standing still.

Jeong Yeon-shin no longer had the strength to move his lips. His entire body felt like it had been soaked in water and gone limp like wet cotton. So he only thought inwardly. A warrior... but I’m no general.

“Seomye Jeong Yeon-shin. The world calls you the Northern Emperor. In the end, what defines the status of those in high places is how others see them... which means, you and I are both kings.”

“Don’t talk bullshit.”

This time, the words came out easily. Maybe because it was a curse his body wasn’t used to saying aloud. But Jeong Yeon-shin realized that his consciousness was rapidly fading.

He couldn’t sense the presences around him properly anymore.

He quickly sent a transmission to the rear, where Yong Hui-myeong was clashing with Bukdo.

—Senior, in twenty breaths, strike the crown of my head. I’ll wake up immediately.

Meanwhile, the Southern Emperor continued speaking.

“For now, in terms of available force and tactical maneuvering, we’re evenly matched. What remains is the virtue of kingship. Which of us has gathered stronger companions?”

“Isn’t that me?”

“The demon troops of ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Whirling Wind Hollow and your Divine Sword Squad... they must have clashed once by now. Whose banner do you think will arrive first?”

“......”

“Whichever arrives faster wins this battle.”

A bet at the most unexpected moment.

And at the same time, an accurate statement. A couple of peerless warriors couldn’t handle the scale of martial troops the Southern Emperor spoke of.

All one could do was remove themselves from the oncoming tidal wave of lightness technique.

But Jeong Yeon-shin noticed that the Southern Emperor was preparing to unleash a finishing move.

The strongest in the North was charging a technique for several breaths, like a cannon.

The improvisation and instinctive defensive moves Jeong Yeon-shin had used so far—this new strike would crush all of it in one blow.

This will kill me...!

The moment Jeong Yeon-shin felt that chill of realization—

—Ahem. Northern Kings of Whirling Wind Hollow, listen. Yeom Jeong and I are in quite the predicament. Oh dear, that nearly pierced my heart just now...

Mun Gok’s voice rang out from Whirling Wind Hollow. It swept into Jeong’s ear like a gale. The Southern Emperor paused for a brief moment. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

—Mun Gok. What’s happening?

—We ran into a sword monster. The appearance is exactly like the Southern Rogue’s First Sword. I didn’t expect to find him wandering the demon realm.

—I know who that is. You can handle him.

—If I’d just had a nap and gotten up, maybe. But as I am now, even with Yeom Jeong by my side...

Slowly—

That was as far as Jeong Yeon-shin heard before he blacked out. His eyes remained wide open, and even his internal breathing stayed perfectly smooth, just as it had before he passed out.

The Divine Sword Squad is an unbreaking blade.

Just standing must be enough to put pressure on the enemy.

“Hm?”

Two voices overlapped in front and behind him.

The Southern Emperor and Yong Hui-myeong. Transcendents who could detect any irregularity in an instant.

Then—

Fwuoooom—!

A banner came flying through the air from afar and stabbed into the ground at the Southern Emperor’s feet.

Boom!

Shards of frost scattered from the ground.

Transparent fragments of ice tapped against the six characters: “Divine Sword Squad Ma Gwang-ik,” then fell away.

That was the beginning.

Dozens of banners shot down and embedded themselves around the battlefield. They formed a wide circle, like the bars of a prison.

Boom-boom-boom-boom! Rumble-ruuumble—!

Blue Sky Unit, Suncheon Wing, Law Command Unit, Yeouicheon, Fiber-Destroying Unit, Burning Abyss Unit, Forest-Treading Unit, Immortal Wood Spirit, Dragon-Treading Unit, Martial Extreme Hall...

And finally, a banner with the words “Blood Preservation Unit” slammed down diagonally with a gasp of breath.

“Damn, that was far!”

The grumbling of the young man who had thrown the Blood Preservation Unit’s banner. For a brief moment, the dry northern air seemed a little lighter.

The moment when the majority of the Seventeen Generals gathered.

The air pressure on the ground increased.

Fwoooosh!

In an instant, a gale shot up to the sky, and all the flags of Ipwang Fortress flapped wildly as if they were about to be sucked into the heavens. It was, quite literally, a blazing inferno.

A sight heralding the end of battle.

Over a dozen flags gathered around the unconscious guardian standing at the very center in place of the absent Danju.

The movement of the North’s strongest martial artist came to a halt.