The Demon Cult (Part 4)
Crack! Crack! Crack!
After striking the celestial seal for so many eons, Jin-gwi-si bit down hard.
“Grrk… damn it…!”
By now his body was already shaking from the lightning tribulations hurled by Terminating One Jeon Myeong-hoon, moving a single step almost impossible.
On top of that, disaster struck again: the colossal celestial blade before him began to stir once more.
Whiiiing―
A magic formation burst forth from the celestial blade.
And slowly, it began to advance forward.
Jeon Myeong-hoon hid his body inside the celestial seal and laughed coldly.
[Haha, then I’ll leave you be. We’ll be on our way now.]
Whiiiing―
The celestial blade gradually accelerated.
But Jin-gwi-si, body battered and blood-smeared, grinned viciously even while spitting blood.
[Haha, so it’s a teleportation law that covers a certain distance over the span of a day. Within a twenty-ten-thousand-li radius of here, every inch is already under the grasp of Black Ghost Valley! Contact will reach every Integration-stage ghost king stationed at every branch of my sect! How long do you think you can keep running!? How long do you think you can maintain that celestial seal!?]
However, Jeon Myeong-hoon simply gave a disinterested look as he slipped inside the seal.
“Hmm, indeed twenty-ten-thousand li per jump is a little risky, but…”
He glanced toward Oh Hyun-seok, who was still enduring the tribulation inside the celestial seal.
“Anyway, Hyunseok-hyung will finish the tribulation soon, so the celestial seal can’t be sustained forever…”
He didn’t care.
Whiiiing― Whiiiing― Whiiiing―
The celestial blade picked up speed, accelerating by ten times each jump.
Acceleration grew steadily until, at some point, the teleportation law was activated and it crossed tens of ten-thousand li in an instant.
And this instant teleportation law had one special feature.
Flash!
[No matter which direction you run in, we Black Ghost Valley will never let you escape our grasp!]
Each time the instant teleportation law was used, the spatial distortion worsened, making the celestial blade that accelerated ten times faster now traverse twice the distance in a single leap.
‘Twenty-ten-thousand li last jump, so now it’s forty-ten-thousand li.’
Jeon Myeong-hoon clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘This world really… has units that make your head spin.’
* * *
Kugugugugu!
The Wondrous Sound Realm once again activated the instant teleportation law toward its second destination.
Flash!
“Second destination, arrived.”
[Everyone worked hard.]
I praised the formation masters, then extended my senses to scan the surroundings of the Wondrous Sound Realm.
First jump: twenty-ten-thousand li.
Second jump: forty-ten-thousand li.
‘Total sixty-ten-thousand li. Not bad at all.’
The instant teleportation law doubled the distance traveled with each jump, and seven jumps were possible.
Starting from twenty-ten-thousand li, the maximum total distance possible was…
‘Twenty-five million li.’
A number dizzying enough to make one’s head spin, but it was still possible.
‘This is… the power of converting human malice into instantaneous travel ability…’
What insane distances.
‘Forty-ten-thousand li isn’t long for Integration-stage cultivators, but with each jump taking a day or two, it will only get harder to catch up.’
Crack! Crack! Crack!
And at that moment the celestial seal, which had been gradually falling from the sky, slowly faded and vanished entirely.
In the place where Oh Hyun-seok stood.
An eight-winged starlight giant appeared.
Kugugugugu!
The Changryeong Seonggwang Ochae Daebop that Oh Hyun-seok had fully realized was slightly different from the versions realized by me and Changhoza.
While starlight had burst within the bodies of me and Changhoza, starlight within Oh Hyun-seok’s body was accompanied by swirling, mysterious purple clouds.
It must have been a part of his ability.
‘Good. Anyway, with this…’
Every one of the four guardians of Mugeuk Sect gained at least Four Pillars combat power.
Jeon Myeong-hoon, Hong Beom, and Oh Hyun-seok were all at Four Pillars stage right now, and the only one who had not yet reached it, Kim Yeon, was the second-in-command with absolute authority over the puppet bodies that were Mugeuk Sect’s very foundation.
It didn’t matter what her personal realm was, because she could mobilize the entire sect at any moment.
‘And on top of that…’
[A bit embarrassing. To flip sides so quickly.]
“…”
Yu-hye standing before my seat flushed slightly.
“…That’s right. I thought you were a pure demon sect all along. But upon looking around, the sect has clearly established itself, and I can see it’s a religious group that pursues peace quite earnestly.”
[Haha, so one shouldn’t judge a ghost by its appearance alone.]
“…? Isn’t the master’s inner death clearly revealed on the surface?”
[Um…]
I had nothing left to say and could only click my tongue.
[Well, regardless. Please treat me well with the Black Ghost Valley and my sect.]
“Hmm, I will simply relay Your Majesty’s words to my sect. The final decision is up to them. Even if I explain everything about Mugeuk Sect, the extermination order might still come down.”
[Well, I know that. It can’t be helped.]
Yu-hye, who had feared me so much, circled the Mugeuk Sect once, then met Baek Rin, Wi-sihon, and Eum-wa again.
Only then did she begin to dispel her misconceptions about us.
Of course, every time she looked at me she trembled from the thought of my death, but that was purely instinctive and there was nothing to be said.
Yu-hye, swayed by my sincere persuasion, finally promised to deliver our will to Black Ghost Valley in the future.
[By the way, how about receiving my ‘surgery’? It’ll be very to your liking.]
“I’m good. Receiving ‘surgery’ would require modifying the body I already have, right?”
[That’s correct.]
“This body was essentially created by my senior, Cha-jo-gwi, so there’s no need for modification.”
[Well, then do as you please.]
I wasn’t about to force someone who didn’t want it.
She brought up Cha-jo-gwi’s name and suddenly looked thoughtful.
“By the way, would it be possible to give me a transmission talisman so I can contact Cha-jo-gwi-nim? I think I should send a message saying I’m doing well and not to worry…”
However, Hong Beom shook his head at her words.
“You want to use the transmission talisman, but it’ll be difficult. We’ll be crossing tens or hundreds of ten-thousand li of space in the coming days, and the spatial distortion plus the twisted qi of heaven and earth will make transmission extremely unreliable.”
“Hmm, it really is that difficult? If I send a hundred transmission talismans, won’t at least one reach?”
“It’s not about the probability of reaching. While the transmission is happening, the content may be corrupted by the twisted qi. That’s what I’m warning you about.”
Yu-hye considered for a moment and said.
“I’ll accept that risk. Even if the voice is corrupted, how much can it change? At least I’ll be sending word that I’m safe, and that should be enough to worry Cha-jo-gwi-nim less.”
“Well, if that’s what you want…”
Hong Beom reluctantly pulled a transmission talisman from his own Wondrous Sound Realm and handed it over.
“Thank you, Protector-nim.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Then I’ll go to my room for a moment to send it off. Thank you, Master.”
[No need to worry about eavesdropping on lovers’ conversations.]
Yu-hye’s face reddened slightly at the words and she headed to the dormitory assigned to her.
[Good timing.]
I watched her retreating figure and laughed heartily.
* * *
Yu-hye returned to her room and unfolded the transmission talisman Hong Beom had given her.
“Cha-jo-gwi-nim, are you well? It’s Yu-hye. I’m at the headquarters of Mugeuk Sect right now. I’m sending this transmission talisman to tell you not to worry too much.”
She cleared her throat and recorded her voice into the talisman.
And Yu-hye began to explain the situation here.
“…I thought it was hell, but the master is actually a kind ghost who knows righteousness.”
Starting with the master himself, Mugeuk Ghost King Seo Eun-hyun, and the purpose of Mugeuk Sect he had explained to her.
“Also, their goal is a group that dreams of a peaceful Myeong-gwi realm. What a magnificent dream. As an outsider, I don’t know their final destination, but they said they’ll tell me later. You don’t need to come looking for me; I’ll return to Black Ghost Valley on my own.”
And because she was both Cha-jo-gwi’s senior and lover, she worried he might come chasing after her desperately, so she gave him a warning.
“Also, it would be best if Black Ghost Valley doesn’t chase Mugeuk Sect any further. I’ll explain the details when I return.”
Yu-hye spoke while keeping Black Ghost Valley and Mugeuk Sect in mind.
“Also, Baek Rin, my friend, seemed to have calmed down after seeing the true love between Wi-sihon and Eum-wa, the guardian ghost king couple. He looked a little downcast, but he didn’t burn with anger like before. Maybe we’ve misunderstood this sect too much.”
And the direct reason Cha-jo-gwi had jumped into the battle.
She also conveyed whether Baek Rin, his friend, was present or not.
“…What I saw here won’t be easy to forget.”
Yu-hye recalled her time in Mugeuk Sect.
At first it had been terrifying, but the master was surprisingly kind and upright.
And the ghosts of Wondrous Sound Realm who were happy and free, relaxed.
Yu-hye wondered if she would never forget the peaceful sight of that Wondrous Sound Realm.
“And also… before I was taken away, he left a last will, but… ugh, it’s a little embarrassing. I was grateful for everything during that time, but please forget the way he spoke like he was leaving a last will. I’ll be eternally grateful if you bury it in your memories forever.”
She recalled the faint-eyed last will she had left Cha-jo-gwi right before Jeon Myeong-hoon dragged her away, and her face flushed.
She wanted to jump into the bed right now and kick off her blanket.
“Well, with this much I’m sure you’ve realized I’m safe. I’m truly safe. I wasn’t brainwashed to leave good words here. Ah, and…”
Uuuuung―
She looked out the window at the trembling Wondrous Sound Realm.
‘I said we’d depart soon, right?’
Then it was time to send the transmission talisman.
“We’re about to depart. I’ll end the transmission here. I hope it doesn’t get too corrupted. Then, farewell. I’ll return soon.”
Yu-hye stepped outside the Mugeuk Sect and infused the transmission talisman with her ghost power.
Hong Beom, who had approached Yu-hye, asked worriedly.
“To be clear again, the spatial fluctuations haven’t settled, so the content may be corrupted. Some voices might be missing or noise might interfere with the transmission.”
“Hmm, it’s fine. My senior would understand even if the delivery is a little twisted. He’ll figure it out anyway.”
“Then…”
Paaat!
After a while, the transmission talisman in Yu-hye’s hand turned into a streak of light and flew somewhere.
* * *
At the place of Baek-um Realm.
There, a legendary ghost ship was streaking somewhere at high speed.
The captain’s quarters of the legendary ghost ship.
Sailors had gathered there, cheering on Cha-jo-gwi, who looked almost insane.
“Don’t worry, Captain. The vice-captain will probably be safe.”
“If his personality is like that, maybe he’s scolding the demon sect master to educate him.”
“Moreover, they’re the ones running away. What time do they have to deal with the vice-captain? Catch the demons first and the vice-captain will return safely!”
Cha-jo-gwi gave the sailors a faint smile.
“…Yeah… thanks. All of you… showed a pathetic side as captain…”
That was when.
Paaaaat!
A clear light entered the captain’s quarters of Cha-jo-gwi.
“W-what is that…?!”
“A transmission talisman?!”
Cha-jo-gwi flinched and reached for the transmission talisman.
The transmission talisman then emitted a soft voice.
―Cha-jo-gwi-nim…
It was Yu-hye’s voice.
Cha-jo-gwi’s eyes widened, and the sailors on the legendary ghost ship fell silent.
Chik, chik-ji-jik―
It was rather noisy, but Cha-jo-gwi swallowed hard and his voice trembled.
“Y-Yu-hye…! Are you okay? So, so answer me…!”
Chik, chik-ji-jik―
There was a lot of noise, but somehow the transmission talisman sent by Yu-hye delivered her voice to Cha-jo-gwi.
―Chik-ji-jik… here… chik-ji-jik… worry… hell… chik-ji-jik…
“…Y-Yu-hye…”
―Master… chik-ji-jik… truly magnificent… hope… yo… love… won’t forget…
“….”
―Eternal… chik-ji-jik… brainwashing… soon… goodbye… chik-ji-jik…
Chik, chik-ji-ji-jik―
With that, the transmission talisman went silent.
And in the captain’s quarters of the 30th legendary ghost ship.
A massive wave of ghost power began to writhe.
[Demon sect bastards!!!]
Kugugugugugu!
[I’ll kill them all!!!]
Tears of blood streaming from his eyes, Cha-jo-gwi gritted his teeth.
[I’ll do whatever it takes!!!]
* * *
Seven days had passed.
Kugugugugu―
Finally, Mugeuk Sect and the Wondrous Sound Realm had crossed the insane twenty-five million li.
They approached the northernmost end of Myeong-gwi realm.
The border between An-gye and Nan-gye regions.
“It’s almost time.”
I sat on my seat and smiled.
Jeon Myeong-hoon nodded from my right.
“Yeah, it’s almost time.”
Soon, the remaining disciples of Geomsin Cheonroe-mun would be saved.
Kugugugugu―
The Wondrous Sound Realm moved through the sky.
The instant teleportation law could no longer be used, but moving at a normal pace was possible using the dragon veins of the Wondrous Sound Realm.
A little later.
We entered the area where the remains of the one who had received the infiltration of the Gaeyeol-jinjin were located.
Dduk, dduk…
I flew high above Mugeuk Sect and gasped at the distant sight.
“That… is the remains of one who died from the infiltration of the jinjin?”