Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Mythical Beasts and Monsters
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The mythical beast, the Baku.
In other regions, it is also called a Bulgasari. Born with the energy of metal, it is a beast with a small head, short legs, and a diet of copper and iron.
When a Baku defecates and urinates, its waste turns into the five metals: gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin. This is because any metal that enters a Baku's stomach melts like water.
Its bones lack marrow, so they are used to make handles for various tools. It is a legendary beast whose hide, when made into clothing, is said to ward off all manner of diseases.
It has a peculiar emptiness within its nostrils and a weakness to fire.
Mu-heun thought, recalling his memories.
‘I've read about this in a book before. One of the creatures that did this to the village must be a Baku. I'm certain of it. It looks exactly like the illustration I saw in the text.’
He couldn't understand why a legendary beast said to chase away nightmares and block evil energy would do such a thing to a village, but judging by the massive formation it had cast, this was no ordinary creature.
Hadn't it been said that no Baku had been seen for over three hundred years? So why here, and why now?
Thinking about it, the physicians who claimed to have come to treat the plague... might not be human either.
The mythical beast or monster he suspected was a Penghou. This monster, too, was last seen an estimated three hundred years ago. Come to think of it, most monsters seemed to have vanished after that time.
Something must have happened three hundred years ago... Their simultaneous appearance seemed to be an omen of things to come.
“The Central Plains might have less time left than I thought.”
I composed myself and made a vow. I would capture one of these monsters here and extract information. I would also do everything in my power to save all the villagers.
If I were merely a powerful martial artist, this would likely be impossible. But I was not a martial artist who relied solely on his strength; I was a scholar.
‘From what I've gathered so far, they are skilled at infiltrating the mind and soul to manipulate and control people, and they can spread and retract diseases.’
The suspected beasts were the Baku and the Penghou. Fortunately, and coincidentally, both monsters were weak to fire.
The foundation of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon is flames.
My abilities are a good match against them.
Just then,
Shaaaaaa
The Myriad Fragrance signaled that it had covered the entire Yangtze River area, including the village.
“The preparations are complete.”
The Myriad Fragrance spread evenly around the Yangtze village. This area was now my domain. I began to deploy the Arts of Qimen Dunjia using the fragrance.
A common misconception is that Qimen Dunjia is mere superstition. However, the reality was the opposite. Qimen Dunjia was a domain akin to a formula, wieldable only by those who had mastered arithmetic and physics—the domain of a scholar.
Using the Myriad Fragrance, I began to analyze the structure of the formation surrounding the village. Then, I started arranging the essence of Jia in reverse.
I invested about four hours.
After meticulous research, I executed a perfect reversal of the enemy's formation, completing it by explosively releasing the internal energy from my upper dantian in addition to the Myriad Fragrance.
Now, whenever I chose, I could deal a massive blow to the Baku.
However, I knew it was still too soon.
I delayed the activation of the formation, leaving only a faint, purple flame in the sky above the village, ready to be triggered at any moment.
The long night passed, and the sun began to rise again.
I immediately shed my blood-stained clothes and changed into a spare set I had with me. Then, I used a disguise technique to alter my face and physique.
I had become a completely different person. Furthermore, I wrapped layers of a sealing talisman over my suppressed energy, completely blocking any detection of my presence.
Then, I waited until noon, when the monsters' power was at its weakest, before wrapping my entire body in a mental barrier formation using the Myriad Fragrance and my upper dantian's internal energy. Then I headed back to the village.
My appearance, scent, energy, expression, and attire were all completely different from before. No one would recognize me.
Except for one creature.
Chirp! Chirp!
Cheon-hyang, perched on a branch high in a tree, sent me a signal.
[ Master! It's amazing every time I see it! ]
I responded via telepathy.
[ You little rascal, don't make a fuss. What if we get caught? Let's each investigate the village first, then get a room at the inn and talk. ]
[ Yes, sir! Understood! ]
Eight hours later. Fortunately, Cheon-hyang and I managed to finish investigating the village without being caught by the creatures, and we met in a room at the inn. To prevent them from easily detecting us, I lit the Illusion Grass I had received from the Blade Leaf Demon.
I mixed the Myriad Fragrance and the internal energy from my upper dantian with the smoke of the Illusion Grass, creating the image of a passing traveler simply staying the night at the inn.
That night, a crescent moon rose in the dark sky above Yuhwa County village. Despite the starless, cloud-filled sky, the moonlight was clear and bright.
Oblivious to the darkness outside, Cheon-hyang revealed its pure white feathers inside the room and spoke.
[ I found them! ]
“Really?”
[ Yes! ]
“That's incredible.”
[ A-hem! ]
“Alright, tell me what you found out.”
[ Yes! One of them was the creature you described, the Baku. There's a hidden forest past the pavilion in the center of the village, and I think it's in there. ]
“How did you find that out, and what makes you think so?”
[ I saw some creatures dressed as physicians taking a few of the village children away. Since I'm a mythical beast of a different class than them, I concealed my energy and aura and followed. ]
[ Of course, I erased my scent as well. I went inside and looked around, and I saw five Baku feeding on the children's minds. ]
“...!”
Feeding on minds? The Baku? And five of them? The Baku was originally a creature that only ate nightmares. This meant it was acting contrary to its true nature and behavior. And there were five of them moving in a pack?
It was an ominous sign.
“Are you sure what you saw was a Baku?”
[ Yes! There's no doubt. Big ears, protruding horn-like teeth, and a long nose! It was exactly as you described. ]
“I see...”
[ That's not all. The ones dressed as physicians changed their form as soon as they entered the barrier behind the pavilion. ]
“Changed their form?”
[ Yes! Their bodies resembled dogs, but their faces were human. ]
“Penghou... How many were there?”
[ There seemed to be about ten of them. ]
The Penghou was said to be a monster, a spirit-like being that dwelled in ancient trees over a thousand years old. Normally, they weren't creatures that would meticulously and systematically spread and retract diseases...
Both the Baku and the Penghou... they've become truly evil beasts.
[ Oh, and when I went deeper, there seemed to be one more mythical beast. ]
“One more? Is that all?”
[ Hmm... I'm not sure. But if the massive barrier you created with your fragrance covers their entire territory, then the ones I saw in that space are probably all of them. ]
Then it was certain. I had used the Myriad Fragrance to investigate the entire Yangtze village and all the areas covered by the surrounding barrier, leaving no corner unchecked.
As a result, their territory was confined to that village.
“Did you see what that beast looked like?”
[ Ah, yes! I saw it, but I don't know what it was. ]
“That's fine. Describe its appearance.”
[ Its body was red, and it had long ears. It looked just like a human, with long hair! And it had a horn on its head. ]
“...Did it look like a goblin that lives in the fields?”
[ Ah! Yes! It did! ]
“I see... A Wangliang.”
The Wangliang was a monster described as dangerous even in ancient texts. It was also known as the 'Wanderer' for its tendency to bewitch passersby.
If that's the case, then all the formations cast in this village also make sense.
Moreover, all of them were creatures mentioned in the Three Books on the Advent of the Chaotic Heavens' Inhuman Beings.
Based on the current situation, the Baku must be responsible for guarding the Yangtze River area, while the Penghou are the ones managing the plague and posing as physicians.
And the one who cast the formation on the village and is bewitching the minds of all the residents is the Wangliang.
In other words, one Wangliang, five Baku, and ten Penghou. A total of sixteen monsters are behind this.
However, no matter how I thought about it, something was strange.
For what purpose were these monsters causing such an incident?
This question led me to suspect they had a mastermind behind them, and it was highly likely that this mastermind was the transcendent being Heavenly Demon Master had spoken of.
However...
It would be difficult to gather more information here. Getting any closer to them would surely get me caught. That left only one option: capture them all in one fell swoop and interrogate them about their mastermind.
Fortunately, it seemed I was more than capable of subduing monsters of this level with my own power.
‘And I've already made thorough preparations both inside and outside the village.’
Just then, Cheon-hyang asked.
[ By the way, Master, what were you doing for those eight hours? ]
Its gaze seemed to reproach me. I supposed I should explain it to this little fellow.
“I set up Qimen Dunjia formations throughout the village. In case a battle with them breaks out, I've placed the Heaven and Earth Grand Shift technique in various locations, and I've also set up the Deluding Cloud Formation to account for the possibility of their escape.”
The Deluding Cloud Formation was a formation that made the target wander in a direction I set, rather than the one they desired. Used in conjunction with the Heaven and Earth Grand Shift, it would be possible to gather them in one place and prevent their escape.
[ Ooooh! That's amazing! ]
“That's not all. In case the enemies are stronger than I anticipate, I've also set up Explosive Formations in various places to facilitate our escape. If worst comes to worst, we'll trap them and flee.”
The Explosive Formation was a formation that reacted to the energy I emitted, causing a powerful explosion. I planned to use this formation as my final move.
[ Whoa! Master, how do you know all this stuff so well!? Are you using some kind of Divine Talisman Arts based on supernatural powers!? ]
“Haha, not at all, you little rascal. This is all possible because I was a Divine Doctor and a scholar.”
[ A scholar? ]
“Yes. I was not only a master of medicine but also of numerous other fields of study. A Divine Doctor and a great sage. That was who I was.”
[ Huh? But Master, didn't you spend your whole life as a scoundrel in the Heavenly Dance Family of the Heavenly Mountains before finally coming to your senses? ]
“Well, that's also true, but...”
For a moment, I gave up trying to explain it to this creature.
My life as a scholar had been far more magnificent than it seemed, and I judged that Cheon-hyang would find it difficult to comprehend all at once.