Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time-Chapter 450: Den of Demons (3)

The long stretch of the wall reflected the bright sunlight.

Beneath the grand plaque of the Great Heaven Gate.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not stop his movements, even as the bothersome voices reached his ears.

The Outer Hall Master of the Great Heaven Gate could interrogate him at any moment, but the only thing that mattered right now was his sword seal imbued with dense Ability of Light’s Wheel.

“Is Baek Mi-ryeo safe?”

[I told you before, she’s being treated exceptionally well, you know? Lavish feasts that you’d never even imagine in Ipwang Fortress, attended to by beautiful attendants, and housed in a palace where she can enjoy all the pleasures of the world. She probably doesn’t even spare a thought for you.]

Demon-Slaying Radiance.

Jeong Yeon-shin struck upward, using his two fingers as a sword, aiming from So Cheonmujuk’s lower dantian in her abdomen up to her middle dantian, just below her sternum.

Swish!

Following the faintly luminous white trajectory, her form wavered like smoke, distorting before returning to its original shape.

“Ugh!”

A sensation of cutting through empty space. As if merely parting a layer of dust.

While the Outer Hall Master of the Great Heaven Gate flinched and stepped back in alarm, the corners of So Cheonmujuk’s lips twisted slightly.

With her hands still behind her back, she floated weightlessly into the air, as light as down.

[It’s useless. This is just an illusion created using the power of a sacred artifact. In other words, nothing more than a ghost without a true form. But more importantly...]

As she looked down at Jeong Yeon-shin, she tilted her head slightly to the side.

[Isn’t your form absurdly crude? Your targeting, your trajectory, even the force contained within the energy waves—you seem to lack understanding.]

She observed Jeong Yeon-shin, who remained silent, before raising one corner of her mouth slightly. As if she had just figured something out.

[Don’t tell me you traveled all the way here using upper dantian-based martial arts? From Ipwang Fortress to this place?]

“......”

[Well, well. I did think it was rather quick for the newly appointed Purple-Rank to arrive. I wonder how many times you performed Great Circulatory Cycle on the way. Wasn’t your swordsmanship designed for short-term decisive battles? Like my Trinity Fiery Annihilation, for example.]

At this moment, her demeanor contradicted the world’s perception of her as a cold, cynical, and unbearably arrogant figure. The length of her speech alone suggested as much.

She was undeniably intrigued by Jeong Yeon-shin’s martial arts.

He did not respond.

He merely inhaled deeply, regulating his internal energy.

Killing her.

From the moment So Cheonmujuk had taken Baek Mi-ryeo, time had frozen for Jeong Yeon-shin. His sharpened senses had measured every single moment from that day onward.

Six days had passed since she was taken. He had spent those days restructuring the Shin Geom Dan unit in Ipwang Fortress, engaging in a war of nerves with the Prince of Gungmyeong, and rescuing both the Sword Saint and Zhuge Cheong-ah from the scum of Taemo Fortress.

The remaining time had been spent traveling with Seonryong.

Crossing half of Ho Gwang Fortress, passing through the southern Namjilrye, then flying straight across half of Zhejiang Province, all while a dragon coiled around a fan in the depths of his mind.

Of course, So Cheonmujuk was right. Jeong Yeon-shin was far from being in peak condition.

Repeated exhaustion, energy depletion, and the constant casting of forbidden techniques—any supreme martial artist would be in such a state after enduring this.

Yet, he was satisfied with having arrived even slightly faster. His sister’s whereabouts were at stake.

And now.

I need to refine my Heart Sword further. I will kill her within three days.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes glowed with an eerie blue light.

So Cheonmujuk’s gaze reflected the same intensity. She leaned forward slightly, her semi-transparent waist bending as though she were a drifting spirit, her gaze locking onto his.

A standoff between individuals once hailed as the greatest martial prodigies of their time.

A moment of reconnaissance.

Each analyzed the other’s form, gauging their current state, observing even the faintest ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ twitches of their noses, searching for the patterns in their breathing.

Then, at last, she spoke.

[They say the martial arts that represent today’s Yeonhwa Nata are twofold.]

So Cheonmujuk’s words were drawn out.

[Hwangang and Swordsmanship... From what I see, your martial art is both complete and inherently unstable. Such contradiction, isn’t it?]

Her insight was accurate.

Seonryong Fusion was a technique with clear limitations.

When the imagery of a dragon coiling around a fan overlapped with his sword, it became Swordsmanship. If he struck an opponent’s Baihui Acupoint, it led to the attainment of Trinity Purification.

But it could not be used alongside Total Body Hwangang’s Ultimate Thunderclap. Activating both at the same time placed too much strain on his acupoints.

From the beginning, it was a method that completely overworked Jing-Qi-Shen.

Just like Zhuge Hyeon, the Seonryong who had met an untimely death at his father’s hands.

Yet, precisely because of that, it allowed him to take another’s Trinity Purification State for himself, bypassing the need for enlightenment, and claim swordsmanship mastery without prior comprehension.

Even after he underwent Bone Refinement Transformation, Cheonggirin and Seonryong refused to harmonize within him.

At best, he had only mitigated the physical burden caused by using them separately.

Thus, Jeong Yeon-shin’s Skyfall Dance was still a distant dream.

One day, however, it was a challenge he would have to overcome.

When the many winding paths of his martial journey finally converged into one, Jeong Yeon-shin would have his own Skyfall Dance.

I wonder if the Leader of the Ming Sect has already completed his Skyfall Dance.

That was the most pressing matter.

If So Cheonmujuk was still somewhere in Hangzhou, then it was even more critical.

Then, she suddenly moved in close.

Swish.

Stretching out her translucent, elongated index finger, she slowly traced it down Jeong Yeon-shin’s forehead.

As if trying to sense his upper dantian and Baihui Acupoint.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not move away.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

There was no need to—neither of them could actually affect the other.

Yet, So Cheonmujuk lowered her gaze slightly, as if she had sensed something.

Even her pale white throat moved faintly, like an actress preparing for a ridiculous theatrical performance.

[Your Sword Arts are different from those of other swordsmen. It’s apparent from the sheer explosiveness of your strikes. By choosing overwhelming force, you have to constantly race against time from the moment you unleash them.]

“......”

[I can sense it just from your disposition. Am I wrong? If my real body were here... I doubt you would be able to handle me in your current state.]

She could sense it.

Jeong Yeon-shin analyzed the martial arts of his opponent purely through his heightened senses. The condescension in her gaze, looking down at him, carried a mocking edge.

A strange feeling washed over him—like looking at a shattered mirror and seeing his own reflection.

"Are you so certain that I cannot cut through sorcery?"

[You really are an enigma. Do you have no attachment to life because you feel your days are numbered?]

Each spoke only their own words. The way of those who had never before encountered an equal in talent.

Jeong Yeon-shin silently scanned his surroundings, feeling the weight and warmth of the wooden case resting inside his chest pocket.

A relic left behind by his grandfather, Ma Yeon-jeok.

A fragment of an Imoogi’s inner core.

He had yet to consume it, uncertain of what might happen if he did.

He feared that if he lost consciousness for even a few days while absorbing the spiritual essence of the Imoogi, Baek Mi-ryeo would drift even further from his reach.

But standing before an enemy of unparalleled skill, he could no longer afford to worry about what would happen after taking it. The moment things went awry, he would swallow it whole.

"......"

A brief silence fell between them.

Their gazes locked in an unrelenting stare.

The wind, carrying the lingering heat of late summer, swept past them.

Sunlight poured down in transparent, white beams. Jeong Yeon-shin felt the air brush against his skin, passing through the illusion of So Cheonmujuk.

It was thick and humid, heavy with something unseen.

Slowly, he parted his lips.

"...Even if you completely unravel my martial arts."

In that moment, he gained clarity. Right now, there was no way to deal with So Cheonmujuk.

But.

"You will not die as you wish."

[Ha.]

Her eyes widened momentarily, then curved into crescent slits.

[Do you realize that you just spoke of the fate of the Ming Cult Leader? I’m sure word has already reached Ipwang Fortress. That our cult has absorbed Sunmaren, and that I have officially ascended to the position of leader.]

"Ming Cult Leader?"

Jeong Yeon-shin's lips curled slightly.

"The death of one outcast from the orthodox path will amount to nothing."

[Hmm?]

"But if I die, the entire world will move."

The Purple-Rank of Ipwang Fortress had spoken.

[......]

For the first time, So Cheonmujuk did not immediately reply.

She merely gazed at Jeong Yeon-shin with those brilliant dark-blue eyes, as if trying to decipher something.

Then, after a few measured breaths, she let out a small chuckle.

[This might actually turn out to be an interesting journey. You truly are different from me in many ways.]

"What?"

[You’re impulsive, overflowing with youthful vigor, and every martial art you create is strangely distorted in some way... It will be amusing to observe.]

"Are you insane?"

Off to the side, the Outer Hall Master of the Great Heaven Gate silently mouthed the same words as Jeong Yeon-shin, but neither of them paid him any attention.

***

The situation had taken a bizarre turn. It was only natural to reassess.

Jeong Yeon-shin ignored So Cheonmujuk, who hovered around him like a particularly troublesome malevolent spirit. She showed no immediate intention of coming here in person.

I need to find the connection.

Jeong Yeon-shin grasped the meridian point of the Outer Hall Master and dragged him onto a secluded mountain path.

He had overheard the man boasting about Taemo Fortress earlier.

"Sir, please, have mercy! Please!"

Jeong Yeon-shin had once learned Bone-Grinding Fracture from Cheongmyeong of the Clear Eyes Sword. A torture technique that preserved the opponent’s meridians while meticulously breaking their bones.

He had never used it before.

Whenever they needed to extract information, his comrades had always dirtied their hands in his stead.

Now that he did it himself, he found it wasn’t difficult at all.

With an expressionless face, Jeong Yeon-shin shattered the Outer Hall Master’s scapula and humerus, breaking the bones from his shoulder down to his forearm.

The screams continued until they didn’t. Because Jeong Yeon-shin had sealed his energy flow.

Even as he interrogated the man in the underbrush, So Cheonmujuk lay leisurely in the air nearby, resting her head on her folded arms, drifting aimlessly.

[It’s pointless. I have no connection to the trash that split off from Moshan Sect.]

"That’s a lie."

[Ah... I forgot to mention that your Baihui Acupoint resembles mine from two years, two hundred thirty-nine days, and half a Shichen ago. The woman you end up living with won’t be able to lie to you, not even when she visits the latrine. I’d say your engagement is as good as broken.]

"Shut up."

[Ah, then you should just marry someone like me, a Daegong master who has surpassed the need for a latrine altogether. But then again, your lifespan is the real issue, isn’t it?]

Every time she mocked him, she spoke with deliberate courtesy. Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t bother responding.

He simply continued extracting information from the Outer Hall Master, who now wore a mask of pure terror and panic.

"I-I will tell you everything! Please... please ask me anything!"

Hangzhou.

A city where countless interests were entangled.

Up until this past spring, it had been under the rule of the Great Heaven Gate.

Thanks to the achievements of its Gate Master.

Having perfected Art of Limitless Emptiness, which amplified his presence to vast, cloud-like proportions, the poets and scholars of Hangzhou had put down their swords and lifted their brushes instead, singing praises of his martial prowess.

Thus, Hangzhou had achieved peace without shedding a single drop of blood.

But then, with the descent of a single Golden Imperial Decree from the heavens, everything changed.

Master artisans of the Iron Clan.

Wandering craftsmen selling their skills.

Countless martial sects, including those of Lone Legacy Lineages.

Scholars and merchants who debated the world’s affairs while overlooking breathtaking landscapes.

A handful of noble families.

Every last one of them had bowed to the silent arrival of Taemo Fortress.

Even government officials were not exempt.

The Hangzhou Zhifu, the naval admiral responsible for the waterways outside the city, and even the Zhejiang Province Judicial Inspector-General—all had delivered food to the Lord of Taemo Fortress.

They claimed it was an offering for the prosperity of the nation, made in the name of the Jade Emperor of Taemo Fortress.

The Dark Heaven Emperor, Chu Lie.

A name with a title so ominous, it was difficult to even speak aloud.

He remained hidden in the depths of the abyss, unseen.

Instead, he entrusted all matters to his son, Great Black Divine Hand, Chu Pae-gwang, while his suffocating presence alone loomed over the region.

And to make matters worse, the withering sword aura of the swordsmen from Celestial Extreme Sect had joined in, further smothering Hangzhou.

The Five Heavenly Swordsmen were patrolling the vast marketplace, each of them a warrior whose strength rivaled even the Apostles of the Bloodflame Cult. Beyond the walls of Hangzhou, it was said that the Master of Celestial Extreme Sect himself was wandering near the city’s outskirts.

Thus, Hangzhou carried on in hushed silence. Only those consumed by alcohol and gambling lived as if nothing had changed, unable to distinguish heaven from earth.

“We... We were summoning the Divine Dragon to quell the famine...!”

The Outer Hall Master of the Great Heaven Gate, who had been writhing on the ground, suddenly cried out.

Perhaps his suffering had reached its limit.

There was a raw sense of injustice in his voice, as if he had been wronged beyond reason. Even his speech had changed.

“All we did was request a large quantity of Golden Imperial Decrees and ink, and we were tasked with ensuring people’s silence! How could our sect possibly refuse Taemo Fortress’s orders? Even the scholars and swordsmen of Hangzhou, who once recited poetry about the harmony of martial arts and philosophy, have been forced into silence!”

He was referring to the supplies needed for mystical techniques.

Jeong Yeon-shin locked eyes with him, his gaze clear and unyielding.

The Outer Hall Master, who had been shouting through his trembling pain, suddenly shut his mouth.

The newly appointed Purple-Rank was no mere martial artist.

“...Divine Dragon.”

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke the name aloud, recalling the voices of the guest disciples who had been massacred at the Jeong Household.

— Recite Chapter 1, Verse 4 of The Grand Ming Codex.

— "From the Gate of Heaven, the kin of long ears and short stature returned, vanquished the vile enemies, and established Great Ming alongside the First Emperor."

— Chapter 1, Verse 8.

— "A great demon pursued our kin, but we sealed the gate in time, eradicating it completely."

Flood Dragon. Imoogi.

Names that, in one way or another, had always been entangled with Jeong Yeon-shin’s fate.

Not long ago, the Elder of Wudang had spoken of it. The Leaders of the Nine Orthodox Sects were on their way to Hangzhou.

The Dark Heaven Emperor of Taemo Fortress and the Celestial Extreme Sect Master, the two most feared figures of the Unorthodox Martial World, were plotting something.

And judging from what the Outer Hall Master had just said, they were preparing to cast a grand spell—one that could pull the Flood Dragon down from the heavens.

Meanwhile, the Ming Cult Leader, So Cheonmujuk, was caught in the middle of it all. Whatever her true intentions, there was undoubtedly some mutual understanding among the sorcerers.

The situation was spiraling toward an unprecedented battlefield.

The Immortals of the Orthodox Sects.

The Absolute Rulers of the Unorthodox World.

This was no longer just a martial arts conflict—it could become an event recorded in the annals of history.

So that’s why...

The Prince of Gungmyeong had told Jeong Yeon-shin to leave everything to the Nine Orthodox Sects. But Jeong Yeon-shin had set foot in this land for only one purpose—to retrieve Baek Mi-ryeo.

And in this moment, he became certain of one thing.

So Cheonmujuk was colluding with Taemo Fortress. Whatever her reasons, there was a connection between them—a shared understanding among those who practiced the mystical arts.

That meant the key to unraveling this entire scheme lay within Taemo Fortress. Everything was connected.

“...I know of your reputation as the Blade That Erases the Wilds. But even high-ranking officials and the Anihilation Lord of Ipwang Fortress himself have spent days in negotiation with Great Black Divine Hand, Chu Pae-gwang at Yeomcheon Pavilion. Do you really think the Great Heaven Gate had any choice but to cooperate with Taemo Fortress...?”

Jeong Yeon-shin abruptly stopped listening to the Outer Hall Master’s excuses the moment he heard a particular name.

“...Annihilation Lord?”

“...Damn it...”

Was that supposed to be a secret? The Outer Hall Master cursed under his breath, realizing too late that he had let something crucial slip.

That confirmed it.

Among the many Black Shadows of the Wanpyung Sword Hall who had scattered across the world, only Shin Hwang had headed toward Zhejiang.

Jeong Yeon-shin could still picture him—the moment when the Shin Geom Dan Leaders had gathered, and Shin Hwang had left alone, without even bringing his Annihilation Guards.

"In case of an emergency, it’s better to retreat alone."

That had been his reasoning.

Taemo Fortress. Celestial Extreme Sect.

The Uppermost Circle of the Unorthodox Martial World, known as Heaven Beyond Heaven.

Again. Again...

A sharp heat flared up the back of Jeong Yeon-shin’s neck. From beneath the edges of his deep purple sleeves, a faint white mist began to rise—his internal energy roiling, burning as fiercely as the flames of the Great Flame Dragon.

He had had enough.

Again.

Once again, a warrior of Ipwang Fortress had set foot in a perilous land.

A land of death, constructed by those who devoured the nation from within, those steeped in malice.

“Where.”

“...Pardon...?”

“Yeomcheon Pavilion.”

“T-That, uh... But you mustn’t! All the Immortals of Taemo Fortress are there...! If a disturbance breaks out, who knows how much havoc the Five Heavenly Swordsmen will wreak...!”

The Outer Hall Master hesitantly raised his uninjured hand and pointed.

A towering structure stood at the very heart of vast Hangzhou.

It was so high that it almost seemed like a spire, easily reaching twenty floors or more.

Clearly, the master artisans of the Iron Clan had constructed it with their finest techniques.

A structure that transformed all of Hangzhou into a world of its own.

Between the roof tiles, flickering blue lightning crackled in arcs.

Was it truly a place where Immortals resided? The countless layers of formations and mystical martial arts protecting it certainly made it seem so.

Jeong Yeon-shin had no idea what signal would ignite this legendary battle between the rulers of both orthodox and unorthodox martial arts.

Nor did he care.

All that mattered was the fury rising in his chest.

Swish.

Without sparing a glance at So Cheonmujuk, who had drifted closer to him, Jeong Yeon-shin reached into his robe and withdrew the wooden case.

Inside, nestled atop a small bundle of cotton, lay an object that resembled a charred fragment of bark.

[Would you please restrain yourself? The Lord of Taemo Fortress is a far more troublesome old monster than you think. And don’t forget that the Master of Celestial Extreme Sect is also nearby—oh?]

Jeong Yeon-shin did not answer.

Instead, he swallowed it whole.

It happened in an instant.

A deafening boom erupted from beneath him, as if the very earth had collapsed into a hemispherical crater.

The Outer Hall Master of the Great Heaven Gate, caught in the shockwave, was crushed out of existence—his body reduced to nothing.