Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time Chapter 553

◈ Magic Mirror (8)

* * *

Jeongyeonshin was at the center of the typhoon that hit the northern rivers. Like it or not, whether there was a better way or not, it was clearly that way.

King Yeol of the North.

Now that the Hocheonseong Fortress at the entrance of Jangseong has collapsed, the ones who have taken over the Yeokru Fortress behind it and even the Chigeuk Fortress like flowing water.

Reviews were mixed across the vast land.

The same was true of the military camp where Jeongyeonshin was staying at the time.

Han and Ming fugitives, the old Jurchen and Yuan barbarians, and even the Yaoist masters who originally sat silently, distorting the air around them.

Saaaaa―

It is the middle of winter, when the cold is at its peak.

Now, as the cool wind touches the horizon, the vast sunset is distorted into grayish shades.

They sat cross-legged in the desolate barracks, muttering among themselves, in the yellow wind covered with translucent frost, without even bothering to lower their voices.

“Why did you stop the harvest? The new king.”

“I don’t understand. What’s the point of fighting if you can’t loot…?”

“The more I think about it, the stranger it gets.”

“If the king is like that, what are we going to eat and live?”

The questions of those who crossed the Great Wall due to all sorts of favors were polite. They were mainly about the Han and Ming tribes, but on the other hand, they were already speaking as northern powers.

The weapons they each wore on their waists or backs looked like swords or swords in appearance, but they gave off a strong smell of blood, no less than the swords of other tribesmen.

Meanwhile, the Yojok Gangho people sitting roughly on the bare floor of the barracks had voices as loud and thick as their physiques.

“A king who is obsessed with war but does not reap its fruits…! He is only crazy about fighting!”

“He is clearly a pure-blooded yoke, with the only difference being his body size being the same as the seeds of the south. He has a northern wind blowing through his head… He has a character comparable to that of the northern king who is crazy about swinging an axe.”

The air is roaring.

Jeong Yeon-shin was listening to their story in the king’s barracks.

The same was true for the masked swordsman, Mama Gwangmyeoldo, who had been teasing Jeong Yeon-shin in front of him.

“Your Majesty, if you tell me to kill all of those guys right now, I will gladly follow that order.”

Mama Gwangmyeoldo spoke in a growling voice. Jeong Yeon-shin, who had been lost in thought for a moment, suddenly asked in puzzlement.

“It seems like you don’t recognize me as your king. What’s going on?”

“The bastards outside treat you like a king, yet they act like this. It means that they are tarnishing the dignity of the Northern King! It would be a hundred times better to capture them all, cut off their heads with three strokes of the sword, and fill the soil of this land with their flesh…!”

A masked Han Chinese man speaks like a Yao.

Kugu Palace―

Was it because he was a master of self-defense? The inside of the barracks shook slightly as he spat out his words that sounded like chewing and spitting. It was as if the scales made of qi waves on his invisible armor were creaking.

Jeongyeonshin thought.

‘This river… is really strange.’

A person who was banished from Habukpengga when he was young, and also a master so skilled that he could receive the swordsmanship of Cheonha Ogeom Seomye, highly reveres the King of the North’s Seat.

A place where the northern kings do not fight each other to the death, but the tribes below them often exploit and fight each other.

However, looking at the Mama Gwangmyeoldo, you can guess how solid and hellish the northern martial arts people’s net is.

How many pairs of man and horse masters will gather under the axes and swords of the Northern Kings, each of whom has achieved greatness?

Its power would be enough to rival the Ming Empire.

Suddenly, Jeong Yeon-shin opened her eyes. It was because she remembered what she had heard from Grand General Im Jin-myeong. He said that Yeo Ryeong-ju was a Yao tribe.

‘The Cheonrajimang that imprisoned Senior Yong… Is that also based in the North?’

Looking back, the method was very strange. The vast encirclement was made up of strongholds in the form of villages. Like the military camps of the northern powers that Jeong Yeon-shin had seen recently.

In that case, we should consider that the Northern King Yelü is already trapped in their net. This northern river is a land made up of countless military camps.

In the end, there is only one answer.

It was a task that required all of the capabilities of the new sword master to carry out the northern expedition within the laws that governed this world.

thud-

Suddenly, Mama Kwangmyeoldo stomps his feet. A movement that draws attention with his dragon power like a demon’s foot.

“So, who are you going to appoint as your grand champion? If you don’t get a proper master quickly, the castle and its power may be taken over by another northern king. Many kings are obviously watching you right now.”

There was an emphasis on the idea that it might be taken away.

But Jeong Yeon-shin ignored him and went outside. Shin So-bin, who had been sitting cross-legged quietly, quietly followed him.

Meanwhile, Mama Gwangmyeoldo’s mocking voice struck the tent.

“You don’t know how to bend. You probably don’t know how luxurious the Northern Kings’ Grand Knights are. I won’t wait long, so think it over quickly. Either force me to be loyal in exchange for your military achievements, or show off your own strength and be trampled by the Northern Kings’ horses.”

“I never allowed you to be rude.”

bang!

In an instant, an invisible tension pressed down on the crown of Mama Kwangmyeoldo.

Because Jeongyeonshin lowered her palm without even looking back, Mama Gwangmyeoldo stumbled greatly and laughed.

“It tastes so good…!”

“I think he’s really crazy. People like that are supposed to be strong.”

Shin So-bin whispered while standing close to Jeong Yeon-shin.

Mama Kwangmyuldo’s laughter, which was naturally heard, grew louder. It was as if he was very happy to hear that he was strong.

“Your Majesty, remember! Your noble feats of war are only meaningful when you stop the Northern King! While the kings face off against each other, the ones who sweep the battlefield are their subordinate monarchs…! So now you are nothing more than a penniless Northern King! That is how the world sees you!”

A story that hits you in the back of the head, either as advice or as sarcasm.

“… … .”

Outside the barracks, hundreds of men, women, children, and northern warriors of all sizes agreed silently to those words.

Each of them had a sword, an axe, a long sword, a crescent sword, a war horse, etc., but the cold wind that surrounded their entire bodies was the same.

-You are not perfect yet.

It seemed as if the world was talking to Jeongyeonshin.

Phew―

A few long gusts of wind swept across the wilderness. As usual, the dust clouds that covered the ground were making even the vision of the new sword master unclear.

It was a northern powerhouse.

Jeongyeonshin was definitely in the devil’s realm.

* * *

Ten days after King Yeolu of the North gained control of the city of Yeolu.

The devil.

Even though there are other proper place names, many people refer to the North as such. Even the northern powers themselves often refer to it as such.

Mainly out of pride in one’s strength and self-mockery about the land being barren.

“Are we going to continue like this…?”

“The old man is not very materialistic. Even during his days as a swordsman, a few grains of rice cake would fill his heart with abundance.”

Isn’t this truly a blessing?

The old swordsman of the wilderness concluded his words like this.

It was a very peaceful tone, but the ground he was standing on at that moment was different. The ground was dyed crimson and filled with the smell of blood.

Even occasionally, thick pools of blood would seep into the ground.

A bloody sea of shisan composed of hundreds of dead bodies.

This is an empty lot that was originally a village.

There were a few notices hanging on the walls, but for most of the common people, it was a world apart.

[Tell the Northern King, Yelü.

The half-king had a dream that was too much.

He has not the loyalty of any monarch, nor the loyalty of any great warrior.

You are not the vessel of a king,

The abundance of reverse oscillations is overflowing in four minutes.

I know that the Lord of Yeolru, who was originally a subject of the King of Yeomyeol, is being held in your hands without any virtue.

The northern gatekeepers who were blocking the southern invaders are also failing to fulfill the mission given to them by the god of war.

Awaken to your immorality.

Give up the retrograde.

Right now, I hold in my arms a great warrior with a body like a half-dragon, the Great Sword Master of the South, and as soon as I give my order, I intend to ask you to decide the life and death of the great warrior.

If you don’t believe me, I can hold a meeting and check it out for you.

You will lose everything, so step down from that place.

Before the prestige of the Northern King falls greatly throughout the world.

[Yongeumsa Temple King.]

[To King Ye-yul of the North.

I hereby declare in the name of the Heavenly Demon.

Do not misuse the most noble surname.

If you do not reveal your true name within the near future, the darkest flame in the world will descend upon the city of Yeolu.

I will burn and kill all the filthy things under your command.]

[Tell the Northern King, Yelü.

My brother was among the fierce warriors you conquered.

If you have the unrivaled martial arts skills to ascend to the throne, you should know shame. I heard that the Northern King’s fights are not fought that way.

A king must lay hands on a king.

How can a person who kicks the lower ranks of the enemy be called the king of the North?

My name is Do-hyo.

He is a man who raises mules in Manchuria.]

[King of the North, Yalu.

I don’t know who you are.

However, if you truly came from the South and are so confident in your bare-handed fighting, then face me. I have been defeated by the strong men of the Southern Unga Realm several times.

of course.

It is not you, but your clone, the great warrior who must step forward.

If there is no great warrior worthy of being called, then it is okay to pretend that you have not seen it. If I show you mercy, wouldn’t the name of our Ice Palace be raised even higher?

Don’t be excited.

I would say that it is not a big flaw to not have even one useful close friend in life.

[The first division of the North Sea Ice Palace.]

[To King Ye-yul of the North…]

Although the visit to the person who caused the most uproar in the current magic world was posted in all sorts of handwriting, the empty space where the walls were built was in ruins.

“… … .”

An old man stands in the middle of it all, holding a sword stuck in the ground like a cane.

That alone meant that the frozen frost nearby was breaking apart into tiny pieces, and that the wind around it had turned into a sword-like energy.

It is a natural disaster caused by a single blade.

A giant ogre with only the upper body remaining looked up at him.

“If you’re not going to take anything, why did you invade this place?”

A question that is constantly asked to the elderly even in the face of death.

Thanks to the innate talent that was like molten metal, everything was clear.

A thick mouth with a slightly slanted angle, a large and sharp nose bridge like the fingernails of a claw master, and dark eyes that sparkle inside the sunken eye sockets.

A strong man in the Demon Realm.

He is both human and a monster with incredible strength.

But the old swordsman looked down at him blankly and answered calmly.

“I saw it clearly, even from afar. They cut off the heads of the common people here with their swords and piled up the corpses with their strong hands. Isn’t that a truly disgusting formation?”

“It was to encourage the energy of the land.”

“That’s your excuse. Now that I look at it, it’s no different from the Sima Wei Dao of our martial arts world. It’s funny and sad.”

“I don’t know what Sima Weido is. It’s just that the God of War said that we should plunder each other but not eat human flesh. We will only follow his strict command.”

“…The meaning of the Northern Dedication? Is the method of promulgating the formation and the method of returning the corpse’s energy to the ground also a dedication?”

“The formation was created by the right hand of the god of war, but its meaning was established by the god of war.”

“The right arm of the God of War. This must be the Southern Emperor.”

“Even when we are hungry, we do not eat the weak. We only use them as manure for the grain that the strong eat, and as food for cows and pigs. This waiting is a time of patience and courtesy… Our formation is divine. Do not insult us with sarcastic words.”

The old swordsman, who had been silent for a moment, shook his head. Then he muttered. It’s difficult, it’s difficult.

Only then did the Yojok Kang Ho-in’s breathing become rapid. His thick facial skin, which barely showed his expression, gradually turned pale.

The Yao tribe master said, panting.

“Name…! Tell me your name! I need to know who you are… …! I want to die with dignity…!”

“Hyun-ga So-baek. He is from Taek-ju, Shanxi Province.”

The old swordsman answered.

An old man who has become very old and haggard since he almost met death at the hands of the Dark Heavenly Emperor.

The Yojok Ganghoin immediately recognized the name of Geomseong Hyeonso Baek. Some of the Ming Dynasty martial artists had already surpassed Jangseong in terms of fame.

It goes without saying that the Taemosanseongju, who was once the leader of the martial arts world and considered himself Jang Sam-bong’s greatest rival, was the first person targeted in the current martial arts world by the Jegal family during their heyday.

“Sword of the Night Sky. It is glorious.”

He laughed.

Those words were mixed with the last breath of his life.

“… … .”

The old swordsman, Hyun So-baek, who had been looking down at the breathless Yo-jok Gang-ho-in for a moment, suddenly turned his head to the side.

“I’m not feeling well right now. Whoever you are, you’d better go back.”

The place where the old swordsman’s voice descended.

Suddenly, a young man wearing a silver mask was quietly looking at Hyun So-baek. His entire body was covered with a thick robe.

“I was originally curious as to why you came all the way here, but I would like to ask first out of concern for you.”

Then the young man asked in a polite tone.

“By any chance, have you been telling other people your identity like that?”

“hmm?”

Only then did Hyun So-baek turn his head completely.

“I hear you’re familiar with me… Wait a minute.”

That was all he said. Suddenly, the old swordsman’s body turned pale, and the next sound came from the face of the young man wearing the silver mask.

Oh my god!

A wide shock wave erupted. It contained a loudness greater than the roar that immediately rang out.

Before they knew it, two people were facing each other with their swords facing each other. Dark blue sparks were crackling from each of their blades. It was the recoil from each of their swords.

Kuuung!

The ground itself belatedly caved in. The walls that had been supporting King Yeolu of the North collapsed with a loud noise.

However, from the beginning, the young man in the silver mask was only focusing his gaze on the old swordsman in front of him.

Those eyes were pure white light.

“Lawful power…?”

The old swordsman mutters.

The old swordsman was momentarily surprised by his opponent who had only taken a single step back, but the corners of his mouth rose in a soft curve.

“You both got older.”

Insight and judgment are faster than any sword.

At this moment, the greatest warrior in the world appeared before the eyes of King Ye-Lu of the North and Jeong Yeon-Sin.

-What makes a person complete?

‘By fate.’

The answer that Jeong Yeon-shin gave exists in the time he has accumulated. He is literally unique. He was already the leader of the Shingeomdan capable of the Northern Expedition.