Chapter 181: Aenoe Mountain
Chapter 181: Aenoe Mountain
It was not very difficult for Seonwoo Jin's party to arrive at Aenoesan.
After they began their covert movement, they didn't encounter a single demon for half a day, and before long, they discovered the massive mountain rising abruptly beyond the thickets.
Aenoesan, towering in the middle of the jungle, was colossal and mysterious.
Countless sharp peaks soared as if piercing the sky, and the upper portions of those peaks were mostly veiled by clouds, making it impossible to properly see their ends.
That was Aenoesan, the very place called the greatest mountain in Yunnan, where the Emperor's Tomb Blood Incident had occurred more than ten years ago.
'So that's Aenoesan.'
As the group momentarily stopped to gaze at Aenoesan, Mukrang abruptly spoke to him.
[- Aenoesan. It has been a long time. I must thank you for allowing me to revisit old memories.]
'You have been to Aenoesan before, Elder?'
[- Ah, I came here when I fought the Blood Demon of my time. It was a truly dreadful place. The mountain terrain was treacherous, the valleys deep, and the peaks were annoyingly high. Those sharp peaks you see now, the spaces between them are mostly thousand-foot cliffs. The mountain itself was just like those Blood Cult demon bastards.]
Hearing that, Seonwoo Jin couldn't help but let out a wry laugh.
It was because the content sounded more like something that shouldn't be generalized under the word "memories."
'It doesn't sound like a pleasant enough memory to call it that?'
But Mukrang replied in a cheerful tone.
[- No, they are memories. When I fought those tenacious bastards in that dreadful place, it was the last battle we all fought together. My elder brother, my friends, even the children. After that, there was no enemy left that required us all to be together again.]
'Ah...'
Seonwoo Jin suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
He had never considered that Mukrang, too, would naturally have had family and comrades with him back then.
He still remained here with memories and reason intact, but what must it feel like to return to a place of memory after a hundred years, with none of his acquaintances left...?
Seonwoo Jin couldn't even begin to guess.
But Mukrang, still in a cheerful voice, instead comforted Seonwoo Jin.
[- You don't need to think about it like that. Thanks to you, I am making new memories with a new companion, aren't I? No matter how joyful the past was, how could it be as exciting as the memories we are making right now? Hahaha!]
Seonwoo Jin chuckled.
He was simply amazed at how the character of a man who was once the number one under heaven, and might even now be evaluated as the all-time supreme, could be so unpretentious and cheerful.
Perhaps it was because of that very personality that he was able to rise to the position of an absolute being?
It was impossible to know.
The Sword God continued in a cheerful voice.
[- And... I value you highly indeed. I feel that you might just be the one to inherit my master's ultimate technique, something I couldn't pass on to anyone back in my time. Finding someone with both the talent and character like yours, even for me who lived the longest among those around me back then, was impossible.]
Listening to his words, Seonwoo Jin suddenly felt his heart pound.
Previously, Mukrang had said this to him.
That he had hidden his True Divine Ultimate Technique in a certain location.
And that he had arranged it so that only those who passed the test of the sword could inherit it.
Which meant that even the Mukrang Sword Technique, which he had previously thought was a martial study that touched the ends of heaven, was not his True Divine Ultimate Technique.
And the person who would inherit that Sword God's True Divine Ultimate Technique might just be himself.
With a fluttering heart, Seonwoo Jin said to Mukrang.
'When the situation is resolved to a certain extent, I will definitely go and seek out that place.'
[- Right. But first, properly mastering the Mukrang Sword Technique is the priority. Yet, somehow, I have a premonition that an occasion to visit that place sooner might arise. Of course, it's merely the premonition of one who is already dead, hahaha!]
Having burst into cheerful laughter like that, Mukrang suddenly asked again.
[- In any case, Aenoesan is a tremendously vast mountain. Do you know where exactly the place called the Emperor's Tomb is located on it?]
At that question, Seonwoo Jin answered with a bitter smile.
'No. That is indeed my greatest worry. For now, I plan to trace back the routes the demons are coming from, but I am not sure if that will work.'
At that, Mukrang suggested in a slightly excited voice.
[- Then let me help a little. I've grown sick and tired of looking at Aenoesan's terrain, so I should be able to roughly deduce the places where something could be built. Besides, the Emperor's Tomb... somehow smells a bit different for something made by those Blood Cult bastards.]
'You said it smelled?'
[- Well, it's something like that. I will tell you about it once things become clearer.]
After that, Seonwoo Jin set the party in motion again.
Aenoesan, which had looked high even from afar, was growing increasingly massive.
Then, it happened at a certain moment.
Seonwoo Jin, sensing something, urgently sent a hand signal to stop the group.
And he hastily sent a telepathic message.
[- Reduce your presence as much as possible!]
Strictly speaking, he should have sent the telepathy to Seol Pung first, but there was no need.
Because before Seonwoo Jin could send the telepathy, Seol Pung had already stopped abruptly with him and concealed his presence.
So Seonwoo Jin nodded to Seol Pung and immediately sent telepathic messages to Bi Sa-yeong and Dakam.
In the span of just a moment, everyone raised their thumb to signal they had received the telepathy and concealed their presence.
But among the party, only Seonwoo Jin and Seol Pung knew the reason for that action.
So it was just when the frustrated Jeung Chil was about to send a telepathic message to Seonwoo Jin.
Suddenly, Seol Pung sent a telepathic message to Jeung Chil first.
[- A tremendous master is passing by up ahead. At minimum a transcendent peak, and according to Jin, they are estimated to be a master of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World level.]
Jeung Chil frowned deeply at those words.
A master of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World level?
How on earth could he judge something like that?
And if it was really a master of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World level, that was even more of a problem.
Wasn't this tantamount to saying they had detected such a master passing by before the other party noticed them?
Did that even make any sense?
It was just when the indignant Jeung Chil was about to give Seonwoo Jin a piece of his mind.
Suddenly, a telepathic message came from Seonwoo Jin first.
[- Since you likely have many questions, if I may explain beforehand, I once encountered Am Hyeol-hyang before. I said what I did because I judged this individual's energy pattern to be similar in comparison to his. Additionally, in order to detect enemies on the frontline, I learned how to perceive opponents with my senses from Squad Leader Seol Pung and have consistently trained in it. Therefore, my senses are simply a bit more acute, so I would appreciate it if you could understand it that way.]
At that, Jeung Chil was momentarily at a loss for words.
He had preemptively explained everything Jeung Chil was about to confront him about, almost as if he had already heard it.
Jeung Chil was utterly deflated.
Wasn't it exactly as if that young brat had entered his mind and come back out?
Moreover, the fact that he singled him out specifically to explain via telepathy felt somewhat unpleasant.
No matter how outstanding a rising talent he was, the feeling of being in the palm of a brat who was nothing more than a wet-behind-the-ears junior—for Jeung Chil, born with a rebellious nature, it was anything but agreeable.
So Jeung Chil deliberately snorted and sneered.
[- Hmph! You met Am Hyeol-hyang, you say? Don't tell me you're trying to say you survived after becoming Am Hyeol-hyang's target? From Am Hyeol-hyang, who absolutely eliminates a target once marked and is said to have never failed a single request in his lifetime? Shouldn't you be telling a story that's actually believable?! Then how are you still alive right now?! Are you saying Am Hyeol-hyang went easy on only you or something?!]
But at Seonwoo Jin's reply that came next, Jeung Chil nearly screamed out loud.
Because he answered very simply.
[- Am Hyeol-hyang is dead. So he couldn't kill me.]
Jeung Chil was dumbfounded.
He couldn't even continue speaking.
Am Hyeol-hyang was dead?
The Am Hyeol-hyang known as the king of all assassins?
And it even sounded like he died while trying to kill that brat—did that make any sense?
So Jeung Chil, who had been scowling deeply, happened to lock eyes with Seonwoo Jin, who was looking at him, and ended up swallowing the words that had risen all the way to his throat.
Seonwoo Jin's subdued eyes were speaking.
They said that the statement was true, so he should not bring it up further.
That gaze felt chilling, unlike his usual self, and Jeung Chil could not help but gulp involuntarily.
At that moment, Seonwoo Jin had been using the second form, Hyeon Moon, of the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance to amplify his senses.
It was because after the past battle with Am Hyeol-hyang, he could now use up to Hyeon Moon without strain.
So it was only natural that Jeung Chil perceived him as different from usual.
And a moment later, Seonwoo Jin could perceive through his amplified senses that the unknown super-master had passed by without discovering them.
Seonwoo Jin locked eyes with Seol Pung, nodded, and then sent telepathic messages in turn to Bi Sa-yeong and Dakam.
[- He has passed. Situation resolved.]
The party now began moving toward Aenoesan again.
And Jeung Chil, gazing at the retreating figures of Seonwoo Jin and Seol Pung with renewed eyes, took a sip of his Small Flask Liquor into his mouth, a brew he was now drinking sparingly as less than half remained.
Gulp!
He had no choice but to acknowledge that those young brats had sharper senses than himself.
Hadn't he continued to witness them consistently detecting things that he himself had failed to notice?
But the fact that he was more sensitive than a master of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World level was a different story entirely.
Because it meant he might be even more sensitive than the White Crane Old Sword Yang Moon-heon, the only person in the martial world whom he himself respected and followed around.
And moreover, the possibility that he might have killed that Am Hyeol-hyang....
'I should have a deep conversation with that bastard when I get the chance.'
The thought suddenly flashed through his mind that perhaps he was now traveling alongside those who would become legends of the martial world in the near future.
Of course, the rebellious Jeung Chil immediately denied that very thought.
'Hmph! Legends, my ass! They're still nothing but chicks!'
***
Half a day after they set out again, the party arrived at the entrance to Aenoesan Mountain.
After pausing briefly to observe the general direction in which the demons were moving, Seonwoo Jin began leading the party somewhere with an air of familiarity.
The others couldn't know it, but he was currently receiving guidance from Mukrang.
- Estimating in reverse from the direction the demons are moving, I suspect it may be Ghost Laugh Valley.
'Ghost Laugh Valley?'
- It was a name we coined back then. It was a valley surrounded by thousand-foot cliffs, and we named it that because the sound of the wind passing through it was like the laughter of ghosts. We once had quite a hard time catching an annoying Blood Cult demon who hid in a cave inside that Ghost Laugh Valley. That was a hundred years ago, so perhaps....
'Hmm.'
He thought it was a bit of a stretch to assume that a place which had been just a cave a hundred years ago had now become the present-day Emperor's Tomb.
But Seonwoo Jin decided to check that place first regardless.
Since they had nothing definitive to go on, he figured it was right to verify anything that held even the slightest possibility.
However, as Seonwoo Jin headed in the direction Mukrang indicated without much expectation, he realized that they were moving in the exact opposite direction of the demons' occasional movements.
This direction had been correct.
Seonwoo Jin cried out to Mukrang with an excited voice.
'Elder!'
- Yes. Even if it isn't that exact spot, it seems we've gotten the direction right.
And one ke later, they arrived, concealed, at a valley surrounded by sheer thousand-foot cliffs.
It was the very Ghost Laugh Valley that Mukrang had spoken of.
Seonwoo Jin urged the party to exercise even greater caution, then slowly infiltrated deeper inside.
And soon, they were able to discover it within.
A cave guarded by Blood Cult demons who were clearly ordinary humans, not demonic beings.
That had to be the place.
They had found their destination the moment they arrived.
Seonwoo Jin clenched his fist and shouted inwardly.
'Elder! We found it! It's all thanks to you!'
- Yes, I am glad I could be of help.
Seonwoo Jin reined in his joyful heart and examined the cave and its surroundings in detail.
It seemed that demons did not constantly emerge from the cave, as only six demon heads who appeared to be at least peak-level were currently guarding the front.
And unfortunately, there was no opening to infiltrate.
To enter, it seemed they would have to deal with those six one way or another.
As thoughts of his comrades who might be held captive inside suddenly came to mind, his heart grew impatient.
'What if we deal with those bastards right now and go inside?'
Having entertained that thought briefly, Seonwoo Jin ultimately had no choice but to shake his head.
If that place was important to the Blood Cult, the six visible guards couldn't possibly be the only issue.
No, if they were posting peak-level masters as mere sentries, then there had to be transcendent peak masters inside—perhaps multiple transcendent peak masters.
If their luck was truly bad, there could even be a master of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World level, just like the one he had sensed earlier.
That master from earlier seemed to have moved in a direction away from here, but there was no guarantee that another wasn't present.
'So unless it's an absolute being like the Sword Saint Elder, a frontal assault is absolutely out of the question.'
No, even if it were the Sword Saint, it might still be impossible.
Seonwoo Jin suddenly asked Mukrang.
'Elder, forgive me, but is there perhaps another way in, like a detour?'
But this time, even Mukrang could not help.
- Hmm, at least I didn't discover one back then. I am sorry. But your notion of not entering from the front is a sufficiently wise one. Attempting such a thing without any intelligence would be a reckless act.
At that, Seonwoo Jin had no choice but to send hand signals to the party, making everyone fall back.
It seemed they needed to gather everyone's opinions and think this over.
Besides, they couldn't take Dakam any further either.
After retreating sufficiently, the party revealed themselves in a secluded crevice between the rocks.
Then Jeung Chil, unable to contain himself any longer, asked aloud as if whispering.
"No, how on earth did you find that place?! Did you already know the location of the Emperor's Tomb?!"
Jeung Chil had actually been thinking that discovering the Blood Cult's den in a massive mountain like Aenoesan was nearly impossible.
In the past, the Emperor's Tomb had only been found because a map had been released—before that, no one even knew of its existence.
But lo and behold. This bastard who looked like a male parasite had merely observed the demons' movements a little, then strolled right over with overwhelming familiarity and pinpointed the destination.
Jeung Chil simply could not comprehend how such a thing was possible.
At that, Seonwoo Jin, who had first swiftly checked that there were no other presences nearby, simply answered with an awkward smile.
"I have a pretty good sense for these things. My luck was also quite good this time."
He had considered giving a warning about speaking aloud without consultation, but with this crotchety old man, it seemed unlikely to do much good.
Rather, it would be fortunate if the old man didn't explode in anger.
Besides, he had already confirmed there were no other demon heads in the vicinity.
But even without being called out on it, Jeung Chil barked out in a small voice as if he were exploding in anger anyway.
"Are you telling me to believe that?! You found it in one go just because your sense is good?! What are you, some kind of Taoist immortal?!"
Then Bi Sa-yeong clicked his tongue and cut in.
"Tsk, Sasuk. That bastard Jin once received a revelation from an immortal in a dream and saved someone. So don't bother fretting over whether it makes sense or not. If that rascal says to go, you just go."
"Wha-what? An immortal appearing in a dream?"
Jeung Chil, who had been about to snap at Bi Sa-yeong for mocking him, could only let his jaw drop when he saw Seol Pung nodding seriously.
Because he had already grasped that, whatever else Bi Sa-yeong might be, Seol Pung was not a man who spoke falsehoods.
At that moment, Seonwoo Jin hastily changed the subject.
"Now, that's not what we need to be worrying about right now."
He then explained the current situation and his concerns to the party.
At that, Jeung Chil scoffed as if asking what was so difficult about it.
"Heh! With this elder Jeung and the likes of you, we could mount a frontal assault on any sect in the martial world! What's the problem?!"
Seonwoo Jin let out a sigh and shook his head.
"That's not possible. Because the Blood Demon or one of the Five Demons of the Blood Cult might be inside. Furthermore, there would be countless demon heads at peak-level or above. If we charge in head-on, not only would it be impossible to fight them, but rescuing our comrades would become even more impossible."
Then Bi Sa-yeong asked.
"What about using the method we employed with the ladies of the Ami Sect back in Sichuan Province? Most of the Blood Cult bastards are lust demons anyway, so we use the honey trap. Like last time, you dress as a woman using the Bone-Shrinking Art, and we have Unhyang here too."
"Hmm."
Cross-dressing and seducing the sentries.
It was at least a realistic method.
But it was also a method that remained inevitably dangerous because they didn't know who was inside.
Unlike last time, there was no condition allowing a flanking team to infiltrate either.
'What if we use the honey trap to lure the sentries outside instead? And then extract intelligence about the interior?'
That too was not a safe method.
If the absence of the sentries was noticed, security might actually be tightened.
But if they could learn intelligence about the interior, it seemed like a risk worth bearing.
Though it left a somewhat uneasy feeling, Seonwoo Jin ultimately concluded that they had no choice but to go with something along those lines.
It was then.
Suddenly, his senses detected a movement.
"Huh?!"
In an instant, his eyes met Seol Pung's.
Seol Pung spoke first.
"It seems to be demons. They're coming this way."
"Yes, but it doesn't look like they're targeting us."
"I think so too. But given the direction, they'll be upon us shortly. Should we relocate?"
A group of demons was making a commotion and rushing in this direction for some reason.
It didn't seem like they were coming after the party, so remaining concealed would probably be fine, but if they wanted to avoid getting swept up in unnecessary trouble, moving seemed better.
But a thought suddenly crossed Seonwoo Jin's mind.
'Unnecessary trouble, huh....'
He then immediately spoke to Seol Pung.
"The squad leader and I will go and check what's going on. The rest of you, stay here with Dakam and...."
At that, Jeung Chil immediately raised his hand and cut in.
"Me too! I'm going too!"
Seonwoo Jin gave a wry smile and nodded.
"Very well, Senior. Then we'll move while remaining concealed."
The three became shadows and began to move like ghosts.
And then, a short while later, a completely unexpected sight entered the eyes of the three.