Inside the Elder Council of the Celestial Tree.
Even after sending Geumbyeokja away, the First Elder continued to issue instructions to her subordinates.
There was no way she could allow an uninvited guest, brimming with hostility, to reach the heart of the Celestial Tree.
“The Elder Council must not be dragged into the coming battle. You must act swiftly. Unleash the Boshin Technique at full power.”
The martial artists of the Elder Council vanished the mont they heard her command.
Wooong!
The First Elder activated eight different formation techniques, each possessing unique abilities, and the hall was instantly enveloped in a dense mist.
It was an extraordinary feat, as even overlapping two formations was usually a challenge. Yet, she combined them in perfect harmony, exuding an overwhelming natural energy.
That wasn’t all.
She also sent out ssages to the hidden elite warriors of the clan, who were spread throughout the Celestial Tree, and played a brief tune on a sacred flute, commanding Chi Cheon-gung Baek to launch a long-range execution using the Soul-Piercing Bow Technique.
It was no exaggeration to say she had just mobilized an entire city.
She was the First Elder of the Celestial Tree.
It was only natural for her, who was also known as the Great Elder, to wield such authority.
The Soul-Piercing Bow Technique was a legendary archery skill—its principles had been betrayed and adapted into Ten Ri One Kill by the Thirteen Heavens Night Raid. Even Banryongjiche, the current leader of the Divine Sword Sect, had been forced to imdiately draw his iridescent energy sword after receiving a single arrow.
It had happened when he first visited the Celestial Tree’s great city.
After mocking the venerable clan, calling them nothing more than “a lazy giant panda”, events had swiftly unfolded.
Back then, the man from Ipwang Fortress had erged victorious.
However, a Soul-Piercing Bow strike launched from an unseen angle in the chaos of battle would be an entirely different matter. It was quite literally an execution-level attack.
But…
As always, the best option for the clan was different from that of the common people.
There was no benefit in clashing with Purple, especially at close range. The only option was to force him as far away as possible.
Geumbyeokja could do it.
The new Purple lacked the monstrous brute strength of the Ma Clan’s nightmare and the chaotic intangible sword that once toyed with the sky in seven dazzling colors.
As long as he wielded tal as a weapon, Geumbyeokja would inevitably pose a challenge. Regardless of their comparative strengths, that was the case.
The First Elder had raised him that way.
“Expel him before he sets foot on the Elder Council’s threshold—”
Before she could finish her words, one entire wall of the hall shattered into pieces.
A translucent shockwave burst through, reducing countless fragnts of stone into powder, surging forward like a storm. The force alone was enough to rapidly demolish the high-tiled roof, causing the entire pavilion to be half-destroyed.
It happened so suddenly that it felt surreal, like a dreamlike vision unfolding before her.
Then ca the explosion.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
It was the sound of the formation pillars being obliterated.
An exquisite jade wine flask, an undeniably rare scroll, a marble-carved Go board—all shattered instantly, sending thick dust into the air.
Even the chairs in the hall collapsed into piles of rubble.
A formless energy filled the hall in an instant.
Had so unparalleled martial prodigy sworn enmity against all forms of mystical arts?
The energy wave cut off all ans of manipulating harmony within the air, utterly annihilating all techniques relying on such thods.
The first line of defense had crumbled in a single blow.
Ruthless and absolute tyranny…
The First Elder stood steadfast, unmoved by the violent gusts of wind.
Her long, golden hair, gleaming as if lted from the purest gold, billowed wildly behind her, while the deep green robe, draped over her tall figure, beca dust-streaked.
Visibility was reduced to nothing.
Even though she did not blink once, for the first ti in a long while, she was shaken.
The sheer dominance in that single strike reminded her of an old force she had once encountered. Just for a mont, she had felt a familiar presence, appearing and vanishing in an instant.
“…No, this isn’t Daoist energy.
It’s… Buddhist martial arts.”
She deliberately spoke aloud and slowly shook her head.
There had been a ti when the vast world had seed filled to the brim with the na Zhang Sanfeng.
When the renown of the Greatest Under Heaven had weighed down even the noble dignity of the clan.
Back then, Geumbyeokja had always been shrouded in an incomprehensibly light and divine aura.
Thanks to that, even the First Elder had undergone imnse martial progress.
But the formless energy emanating from this intruder now was entirely different.
Step.
With a thunderous boom, a lone figure strode into the ruined chamber, brushing off his long sleeve.
A sudden gust of wind swept through the room, scattering the dust, revealing the intruder’s form.
“……”
It was just as she had heard.
A young man, as if carrying the balance of nature itself within his very features.
His purple robe appeared an even deeper shade of violet, illuminated against the backdrop of the ruined outer hall.
“What insolence is this?”
The First Elder asked quietly.
The heart of the Celestial Tree lay behind her.
If she were to part the long, water-soaked curtains that stretched down like countless entwined autumn leaves, she would reveal the most sacred place in the world.
Even now, those curtains stood unscathed, despite being caught in the very storm that Purple had unleashed.
“They say your master has already wasted three days here for nothing.
Anyone seeking an audience with the Celestial Tree must follow the proper traditions.”
Her voice remained composed.
“For now, leave. I will send word later.”
“The words I spoke outside.”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
The young man, who had been silently watching her, spoke slowly.
“Did you not hear them?”
His tone was just as quiet.
“There was no need to refute them.”
The First Elder replied indifferently.
She did not see the need to express emotion toward him. He was simply too young.
Since the birth of this new Purple, had even a single cycle of the Celestial Tree’s great ti wheel passed?
No, if even one mont had been carved into that wheel, it would have been a miracle.
A re fleeting curve, far too short to grasp the vastness of the world.
“What do you know of the Zhu Imperial Family and our clan?
This is not sothing for you to discuss with your narrow perspective.”
“It is already more than wide enough.”
Rustle.
The young man, sharp and unyielding until now, suddenly straightened his posture with an air of maturity. With his strikingly handso features, the movent appeared effortless—a natural elegance that drew the eye.
His peculiar deanor was strangely captivating. The First Elder found herself observing the jugular notch of his exposed pressure points before parting her lips.
"Purple is a sword. It has no mouth to speak of its master's affairs. Did you claim that any place funded by the imperial treasury is subject to the Censorate and Ipwang Fortress's interference? You're mistaken. Above the Great Ming Law stands the Emperor."
"Are you speaking of the late Emperor now?"
"Yes. If it were the Gunreung Emperor I knew, he would never have tolerated Purple's defiance. Such power must be kept under strict control."
At that mont, the young man's lips curled faintly at one side.
The First Elder waited for his response, but instead, all she received was the sound of leather shoes stepping forward. A clear indication that he had no intention of continuing this conversation.
A green jade-like light flashed in her eyes. The brilliance of an esoteric technique.
It's one of two things…
Yet, the answer did not co swiftly.
Had his arrogance grown so boundless that he no longer considered the Imperial Family worthy of his regard?
It was unlikely, but… what if the Gunreung Emperor had secretly given this young man so unspoken command?
Then, the young man spread his hand wide and muttered softly.
"You don't know as much as you think.
Now step aside."
"Return with your master and follow the proper rites of the clan. If you step any further—"
Hwoosh!
A cold wind enveloped the First Elder’s body.
It was the shockwave of her stepping technique.
Without any large movents, she was able to unleash rippling waves of force, a distinctive martial art among the Celestial Clan's masters. The First Elder was an expert.
She was the High Priestess responsible for overseeing all rites and ceremonies of the clan.
As long as her vessel permitted, she could seize and assimilate countless techniques from other clans using the Celestial Tree’s divine abilities and secret arts.
It mattered not what type they were.
Internal energy, mories, even personality—she could take them without much effort.
It was through such thods that she had perfected the Four Grand Laws of the clan.
In the process, she herself had ascended into the ranks of the greatest martial artists.
Even mbers of the Zhu Imperial Family, who periodically visited from Ipwang Fortress, had once remarked that not even the leaders of major sects dared to underestimate her.
She was not one to engage in combat often, but her strength was such that she never needed to.
Tuk!
Their hands collided.
At that mont, she spread her fingers wide to disperse the impact. By interlocking them, she suppressed the clash of force.
The energy waves that had been flickering translucently between their palms vanished without a trace.
Unlike the usual collisions between high-level masters, there was no destructive aftermath.
That was the First Elder’s ploy.
A hidden lightning strike shot out like an invisible thunderbolt, surging towards the young man’s hand.
Bzzzzzt!
The surrounding space warped and twisted transparently.
This was thunder energy, a byproduct of her wood-based qi—a power she had once taken from Geumbyeokja.
Through this, she had greatly enhanced her position within the Celestial Tree.
It had been thanks to her that Geumbyeokja had abandoned his reckless cultivation of lightning, which would have eventually destroyed his body, and had instead trained in tal-based qi to control it.
This was her first contribution to the Four Grand Laws. A feat even Sanbong Zhenren had failed to achieve, but which she, the First Elder, had accomplished.
"The death of the Gunreung Emperor—"
She tightened her grip around the young man’s wrist and spoke slowly.
"—proves that the world has fallen into chaos."
"You keep speaking of the late Emperor so carelessly."
The young man did not bother to et her gaze. Instead, he simply stared intently at their hands, as if he were morizing her martial technique.
The First Elder narrowed her eyes.
She could not discern his true intentions. The only thing whispering to her was the Celestial Clan’s unique sense of intuition.
It told her one thing.
He has not spoken a single lie.
Fsssshh—
Before she realized it, a soft radiance surrounded the young man’s entire body.
The thunder energy was being repelled like morning dew.
Sparks crackled in the air, illuminating the space with their violent glow.
As expected, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ he was not soone who could be subdued in a single move.
The First Elder quickly continued speaking.
"Since ancient tis, Ipwang Fortress has been a target of suspicion from all powers that wield strength. Even the Imperial Family was no exception."
"Do you think the warring martial sects will leave Ipwang Fortress untouched in tis like these? Instead of standing here, you should be out there, preparing for the grand siege that is bound to co."
"Right now, rather than gathering allies, you're creating enemies.
If you continue like this, Ipwang Fortress could be annihilated in your generation."
"I’ve already made my move.
It’s not your concern."
"Ah, yes. Now that I think about it—the divine swallow that should be nestled in your robes is missing."
"Today, you scorn the Celestial Clan, yet do you know that it was we who raised that child, Baekyeon?"
"For soone who should be dedicating his entire being to protecting them, you speak far too lightly of such matters…"
"If the people you left behind in Ipwang Fortress were so insignificant that you simply gave up—"
"Did you just insult the Master of the Bloodline Hall?"
"……?"
Before the First Elder could register the aning behind those words—
BOOM!
His knee shot up like an arrow, striking her abdon.
For a mont, she nearly lost consciousness.
She was sent flying upward, but before she could soar further, she tightened her grip around their interlocked hands.
"I am the final barrier."
Like lightning, her past accomplishnts flashed through her mind.
She had perfected the Four Grand Laws of the Celestial Clan, ensuring that they would never be taken.
Besides Geumbyeokja's internal energy, there were three other secrets she had secured.
Woooong!
Her trouser hem flared like a blade as she flipped in midair.
Descending in a wide arc, her kick carried the mories of Chi Cheon-gung Baek, infused with the supre martial arts of her youth.
At the sa ti, she channeled the water-based qi of Northern Abyss Fist Lord, amplifying her wood qi, which in turn strengthened the thunder energy within her leg.
The final touch was an intent overlay of Dragon Finger Sword Techniques, causing a thunderous explosion at the tip of her foot.
An execution-level technique.
While others required years of study to harmonize multiple energy types, the Celestial Clan did not.
Her eyes sharpened elegantly.
BOOOOM!
At the peak of its arc, the First Elder’s foot ca crashing down—
—only to be caught beneath the young man's sole and slamd into the ground.
At the sa ti, his foot shot up, breaking her guard, before instantly snapping her calf with a single strike.
The First Elder collapsed with a dull thud.
The footwork of Purple from Ipwang Fortress—
—was beyond re mastery.
He had used his leg like a blade. It was the precision of a true master.
Step.
Even after executing such a move, the young man did not step over her. He walked around, as if respecting her as an elder.
The First Elder watched his retreating figure, her eyes filled with bitter regret.
She should have forced him to draw his sword.
At last, Purple had overco all obstacles.
Without hesitation, he pushed aside the dense curtain.
Rustle.
The darkness receded rapidly.
A sacred golden hall, its floors strewn with fallen leaves, was revealed.
And there, standing within—
—was the Lord of Ipwang Fortress.
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