1. The main body of the Zhongnan Great Elder Ye Il-shin and the World Tree have merged. An ascension reaching the realm of transcendence. A state where the mind is being invaded.

2. The current Dark Night Lord and the Peng Clan have made contact. The Seomye bloodline is in danger.

3. Movement of the World Tree was observed, but the destination is unknown. A union between the Dragon Tooth Sword Duke and the World Tree. A sword aura akin to a natural blade.

4. Confirmed invasion of the Four Great Vajra's Master Wonjeok by the World Tree. Also, the appearance of a defrocked monk using the Vajra Immovable Body Technique at a transcendent level. A disciple of the Abbot of Shaolin—“Hell-Heaven Beomryeol.”

5. Urgent situation involving the head of the Nine Factions. Union between Cheongseong’s Cheongsu Jin-in and the World Tree. The Qingyun Crimson Mist Sword Energy, reaching the level of the Five Great Swords of the World, was observed.

6. The Lord of the Defeated Sword Sect is resisting invasion. It is unknown whether this is due to overwhelming martial prowess or their mixed blood.

7. Clash between the Battle God and the Imperial Army. According to Mun Gok of the Six Star Army, the origin of his refined Heavenly Forge Armor, Extinction, lies in the protective qi of the God of War, the Northern Force Mixed Primordial Desolation. It has also been stated that the vitality of the crippled Battle God is on par with that of the northern regions of the world. From now on, one must act in the martial world under the premise that the Ming military has become nominal...

All this was organized in Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind like a flash of light. He thought, if it were the scribes of the General Bureau, wouldn’t they have reported it this way?

“The root of the true nature.”

Now, he felt he could imitate their style—clumsily, perhaps. But that no longer held much meaning. The scribes of the General Bureau were nowhere to be found now.

Hoo.

The spring wind overlapped with Jeong Yeon-shin’s gaze and descended through the gaping hole in the ceiling.

There were no spirit beasts grooming themselves in the lukewarm spring breeze as they should have been. The letters they were meant to deliver had long scattered, and the fragrance of ink and paper from the study tools had likely dispersed as well.

The desks that once filled the General Bureau were the same.

It seemed like a burnt smell lingered from the few sheets of paper stuck there. Traces of intense clashes of footwork techniques.

“The Bureau’s scribes were also well-versed in martial arts...”

Jeong Yeon-shin laid the few remaining sheets of paper over the report he’d conjured in his own mind. Documents that might no longer be received.

He wanted to neatly peel off the blackened papers stuck to the desks.

But not now.

He had only barely stolen a glimpse from the World Tree’s eyes. Seeing more than that was impossible. That was the law of nature.

Meanwhile, in the annex of the General Bureau with a roof, no signs of life could be felt either. It had also served as the residence of Grand Director Im Jin-myeong, but at this moment, it was likely no different from the main hall.

Come to think of it, the plaque of the General Bureau’s hall lay shattered and scattered. The intruders had deliberately left it like that. Given the General Bureau’s role and symbolism, it was no surprise.

“......”

There was a time he vowed not to lose anything.

That had long since turned into the courage to step forward even if it meant losing something.

The sword that the Sword Saint last held had been forged in that way.

But he had never vowed not to get angry.

Jeong Yeon-shin felt the fire rising in his mind like the Solar Yang Energy of the Great Flame Dragon.

As he turned his searing gaze to the right of the General Bureau—there stood the pavilion of the Divine Sword Squad’s Small Company.

Lodging for the masters of lightness skill.

“Which direction is on guard duty today?”

“The noble clans.”

“We’ll need many night watchers. The noble clans of today’s martial world can’t be trusted.”

In the area surrounded by a particularly low wall, there were strangers.

Old and young alike wearing worn-out hemp robes as if they were grand commanders’ battle uniforms. Clearly not members of the Small Company.

The plaque hanging at the gate was different.

Where the words “Divine Sword Burning Abyss” had once been inscribed, before Jeong Yeon-shin ever wore the white martial robe—

<Great Righteous Alliance, Yangyang Branch.>

Below that,

a very ordinary-looking middle-aged man and woman stood with their hands behind their backs. Like the others, their hemp robes billowed long in the wind.

The woman asked in a composed tone,

“What about today’s Heavenly Gold Martial Vault?”

“Just as usual,” the man replied calmly.

“There are so many factions occupying the halls of Ipwang Fortress. If anything had happened to the Heavenly Gold Martial Vault, they would’ve all swarmed in like ants. So many are watching it.”

The woman nodded.

“True.”

“As you know, our Great Righteous Alliance places great importance on justification and appearances.

But having lent a hand in occupying Ipwang Fortress, we’ve already shouldered a considerable burden.”

“So it’s better not to recklessly get involved in such power struggles?”

“At least until the seniors of the previous generation who recently joined arrive, yes.”

“Hmm.”

Though the woman seemed to agree, she appeared to be more meticulous than the man. Her next words proved it.

“Still, there are many martial techniques that must never fall into the hands of the noble clans.

The Earth King Wood Family Art of Seonmok Ridge, the Zheng Family Movement Skill of Seomye, the Kunwang Taoist Method of Myeongnyu University, or the Shared School Sutra of Gongmyeong Ridge— 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Even the Puppet Steel Brewing Technique of Iron Demon Spring...”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Whoever takes it, we can always retrieve it later.

Well... if you’re truly concerned, let’s go take another look. We’ve nothing better to do anyway.”

They conversed peacefully within the Divine Sword Squad’s military pavilion.

As though they had made Ipwang Fortress’s main stronghold their very home.

They all looked used to this kind of everyday life.

Even as the man and woman leapt off the roof at the same time—

Hwaaak!

They ran forward, trampling the roof tiles of the main halls without hesitation.

A movement that would only be possible if one had a perfect grasp of Ipwang Fortress’s inner geography.

As they dashed with their lightness technique, other plaques flashed by.

The Law Command Division was the Yangyang Branch of the Four Holy Martial Alliance.

Yeouicheon was the Divine Demon Mad Silence Sect.

Changcheon Division was the Martial World Inspectorate Union.

Cheonrim Division was the Palace of Trampling the City...

From a few of those pavilions, notably intense flows of internal energy were spilling out.

Now that the Forbidden City was gone, this was the largest fortress in the Central Plains.

Unlike orthodox factions, the unorthodox and demonic ways often had powerful individuals emerge out of nowhere, and their rise and fall came rapidly.

That was why, even though the thirteen lords of the unorthodox paths constantly changed, the term “Thirteen Heavens” had long remained.

Across all times, the concept of vested power never disappears.

When one dies, another rises.

Even now.

Before the small white marble fortress where the man and woman of the Great Righteous Alliance had landed—

Hundreds had gathered, surrounding it.

Their appearances, internal energies, ages, genders, weapons, and even their stances were all different.

Truly, martial artists from across the entire nation.

“O Il-hwan! Are you really trying to make the Palace Lord of the City-Trampling Palace step in personally?!”

A warrior dressed in yellow silk shouted in front of the Heavenly Gold Martial Vault.

Hoo―

From the name “Palace Lord of the City-Trampling Palace,” a cloud-like pressure swept forth.

Dust rose slightly from the dirt.

Like the incantations chanted by spellcasters,

there existed a new powerhouse who had engraved their spiritual core in the world.

Cheonseong. Trampling the city.

A name gained as spoils after conquering Ipwang Fortress.

It could be that this was an old master of the martial world who had been living hidden in deep mountain valleys all this time. Or perhaps someone who had reached great mastery during the collapse of the Thirteen Heavens and gathered followers in the process.

“‘Conqueror’s Seven Thrones,’ ‘Palace of City-Trampling’—names that grate on the ears no matter how many times I hear them. Tell them to cut it out.”

The voice rang from within the small fortress wall. It was Oh Il-hwan, the scribe who had long managed the Heavenly Gold Martial Vault.

The martial artist from the City-Trampling Palace gave a faint laugh, as though satisfied that Oh Il-hwan had reacted to his words at all. He said:

“We destroyed Ipwang Fortress, so we are the Conquerors. We seized it completely, so it is City-Trampling. The people simply speak of what happened. No matter how much a petty scribe like you rages, nothing will change. How much longer are you planning to hold out?”

“You scoured every corner of the fortress, found nothing else worth taking, and now you have nowhere left to spend your strength. If you’re that bored of waiting, why don’t you use your precious martial arts to break down this wall?”

That was Oh Il-hwan’s reply.

But none of the martial experts surrounding the Heavenly Gold Martial Vault took the bait. They simply gazed at the wall in silence, like raptors waiting for prey to starve to death. They seemed all too used to this kind of standoff.

Then, a different middle-aged man stepped forward in front of the iron gate. As he raised his fists in martial salute, his hand brushed the yellow tassel of his sword’s hilt, and a scratchy friction sound—sarak—rang out, sending a sensation like a mental scrape through those present.

“I am called Deokyang, a nameless subordinate of the Martial World Inspectorate Union. I have long admired the scholars of Ipwang Fortress.”

“Deokyang the Silent Sound Scholar? Aren’t you a disciple of the Divine Demon Mad Silence Sect?”

“That is of no importance.”

Deokyang, the Silent Sound Scholar, was a middle-aged man with a pale face, so white it seemed overly powdered, and his bloodless skin matched his emotionless expression. Some of the martial experts present—especially those of the Martial World Inspectorate Union—scoffed at his shamelessness, but Deokyang addressed only Oh Il-hwan.

“It’s just a shame. That a mere formation could turn centuries of Ipwang’s martial arts into ashes. Are you really going to destroy the history of your own sect?”

His voice spread in translucent ripples and struck against the charred marble walls of the Heavenly Gold Martial Vault. A technique that wedged a sacred qi into the cracks between the clean bricks.

Whispers passed through the crowd.

—The Silent Sound Scholar has unleashed the Divine Demon Mad Silence Sect’s Xuanyao Sacred Sound. Seems like he pierced the internal energy barrier of the formation just a little.

—At that level, even if the Divine Sword Squad had held the place all winter, it would’ve fallen just the same to one of the Thirteen Heavens.

Deokyang continued calmly:

“I’ve heard that the scholars of Ipwang study a secret method called the Lunar Formation Art to grasp the tides of the world. You should do the same. The Divine Sword Squad fell in the north long ago, and Ipwang Fortress’s fate has been swept away by the times. At the very least, shouldn’t you leave some trace that you were here in the Central Plains?”

Wooooong—

Pale waves ceaselessly seeped into the walls. A sound-based energy capable of shaking the mind.

A reply came at the same time.

“Ipwang Fortress’s history is not martial arts.”

The Heavenly Gold Martial Vault spoke.

“The Central Plains maintained its form even as the martial world ran wild... That is the proof of Ipwang’s existence. Of course it will be remembered in history. And also—”

The composed voice continued slowly.

“No secret technique can compare to the history recorded in the annals.”

No matter what martial arts were taken from Ipwang Fortress, in the end, they would be remembered as no more than thieves. A truth no swordsman could avoid.

Deokyang fell silent, and for the first time, a stir rippled through the crowd. At the same time, bursts of martial energy erupted from several places.

“That man’s arrogance knows no bounds!”

“And he has the gall to say that while using our sect’s martial arts as a hostage?”

“You’ve already been defeated and driven into this corner—do you not even feel shame?!”

“Shame?”

The Heavenly Gold Martial Vault repeated the word.

“None of you clashed with the Divine Sword Squad, or the Island-Cleaving Division, nor did you cross swords with Yeouicheon. You never faced the energy of Gongmyeong Ridge, didn’t break through the Martial Extremity Formation, nor laid siege to the fortress. You didn’t have to stop the advance of Ma Gwang-ik and Suncheon Ik — Ha Do-un. You weren’t trapped by the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) eyes of Myeongnyu University, the swords of Changcheonda, or the lightness technique entrapment of the Small Company. And you speak of shame...?”

With a slight tilt of the head, like a farewell gesture, the voice added:

“I hope one of the proud martial artists blocked by the Divine Sword Squad drops on your heads. As for me, I’ll be going to bed now. Scholar Gi will keep you entertained.”

“Greetings. I am Gi Dae-seung of Ipwang Fortress’s General Bureau.”

Another scholar’s voice followed. This time, it was that of a much older middle-aged man.

It seemed they were responding, lest the invaders consider the lack of reply from inside a sign to begin the assault.

“Bluffing.”

At that moment, several martial artists flicked their swords or hands with bold gestures. Many appeared to be seasoned masters from the previous generation, with leisure ingrained in their movements.

“The sound attack definitely worked. The formation’s internal energy barrier has weakened.”

“They said the Master of Ipwang Demon Sect, Narak Sal, is in there... Looks like it was a baseless rumor.”

“Even if he were, it wouldn’t matter. Isn’t this the place where both the Palace Lord of the City-Trampling Palace and the Sect Master of the Divine Demon Mad Silence Sect are stationed? Two of the Conqueror’s Seven Thrones?”

One master even referred to the “enemy” character in Conqueror’s Seven Enemies as “throne,” elevating it to “seat.” That was likely the mindset of most who now occupied the seventeen pavilions of the Divine Sword Squad.

But now, there was no more reply from within the Heavenly Gold Martial Vault. As if they were preparing to hand something over.

‘.......’

From the innermost parts of the fortress, the people of the main stronghold stood night watch. A scene that gave off a feeling like dry firewood.

In that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin sensed the sting and swelling of his eyes—like flint striking.

Kwa-jik, kwa-jijik—

Hairline cracks etched the air, then began to shatter like glass.