Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: A Call to Arms
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A colossal monster burst from the river.
It was a monster with the torso of a Mangryang, the legs of a Paenghu, and the face of a Maek. A bizarre creature formed from the souls of monsters and hundreds of corpses from the bottom of the Yangtze River.
Mu-heun extended his senses to gauge the monster's power; it had already surpassed the level of Divine Ascension.
Just then, the monster roared at the sky, and the bodies of the already dead Yangtze River warriors began to twitch.
“Oh, no.”
Mu-heun could feel his heart pounding. He had wanted to at least recover Chang-yeon's body, which he had cleanly severed, but now it was swelling up.
This was... too cruel.
The monster was too wicked.
Then, the bodies of all the remaining Yangtze River warriors exploded.
*Splat!*
Bizarre insects burst out from within. Looking like hundreds of interwoven black threads, the insects moved as if they were living masses of malice, and they quickly flew toward the beast.
“Kuaaaak!”
The bizarre insects rushed at the beast, only to fly straight into its mouth.
They were all devoured. The plants that had been gestating inside the human bodies, already containing transcendent energy, willingly entered the beast.
Then.
The energy radiating from the beast began to grow stronger at an incredible rate. In terms of power, it had reached the very peak of the Profound Realm.
The now-stronger monster let out a powerful roar toward the sky.
“Kaaaaaaak!”
The situation had already surpassed all of Mu-heun's knowledge. For the first time since he had died and been reborn, Mu-heun was feeling the emotion of despair.
The transcendent beings his master, the Heavenly Demon, had spoken of—these were not them. They were likely just their underlings. That must be why they were going through such troublesome means to gather power.
But, even so...
“Master, you mean to say... this isn't even the true enemy that will destroy the world, but merely one of their lackeys?”
At the beast's roar, the teenage children who had just been calmed down, along with the rest of the villagers, began to go wild again.
The children started charging toward the beast all at once. It seemed the monster intended to use all the villagers as its nourishment.
The strength in Mu-heun's hand, which gripped the Sun and Moon Sword, began to wane.
As the crazed children ran toward the monster, Mu-heun used the Cloud-Weaving Formation to desperately hold them back.
Just then, the beast roared at the sky again, and this time, the villagers began spitting green blood from their mouths as they charged toward it.
Mu-heun squeezed his eyes shut. There was no way out. He could either protect the children with the Cloud-Weaving Formation, or kill all the children and save the villagers...
But in this situation, neither option was easy. The easiest choice was to kill all the villagers heading for the beast, and then kill the beast itself.
However, Mu-heun couldn't bring himself to kill innocent villagers with his own hands.
Yet, it was also difficult to ignore the charging villagers and unleash an attack powerful enough to defeat the beast in one go.
The beast's current energy was at the peak of the Profound Realm; even if he fought it one-on-one, he couldn't guarantee victory.
It was a truly desperate situation. As his mind reeled, Mu-heun muttered in a low voice.
“You’re here already.”
A voice like heavenly thunder echoed across the skies of Yuhwa County, where the Yangtze River flowed.
[ This way! Heroes of Kunlun! Draw your swords! ]
* * *
-One day earlier
When Mu-heun emerged from the other side of the Yangtze River, he gave Cheon-hyang a few instructions. But he didn't let his guard down. He always had to consider every possibility and prepare for the worst-case scenario.
In the end, he brought out his second subordinate. The subordinate who had pledged allegiance to Mu-heun after Cheon-hyang was in his possession.
He took out the rolled-up Ghost Shadow Talisman and prepared to infuse the scroll with his energy.
“Come forth.”
Mu-heun took a deep breath and unfurled the Ghost Shadow Talisman. The scroll felt cold, as if it held an ancient energy.
He began to focus his ki into the center of the Ghost Shadow Talisman scroll. A purple energy emanated from Mu-heun's hand and seeped into the scroll.
As the ki was infused, a strange change occurred on the surface of the talisman. A faint shadow stirred, showing signs as if something was about to awaken from within.
Then, the surface of the talisman began to tremble erratically, and the shadows shook more violently.
Believing it was ready, Mu-heun chanted an incantation.
“When Yang reaches its peak, Yin is born.”
“When Yang reaches its extreme, it transforms into Yin,”
“And when Yin reaches its peak, Yang is born.”
“Just as when Yin reaches its extreme, it transforms into Yang,”
“Heaven does not will the death of all things.”
“For nature does not allow all people to perish.”
“Where there is shade, there must also be light.”
At Mu-heun's chant, the power of his ki was maximized.
In that instant, a powerful energy erupted from the Ghost Shadow Talisman, and a dark shadow leaped out, crossing the boundaries of the scroll.
The shadow gradually solidified, swirling into a vortex before finally transforming into the shape of a Heavenly Demonic Corpse.
The Heavenly Demonic Corpse's eyes glowed red as it radiated a powerful energy.
For some reason, it seemed even stronger than before.
Hyeok's body was as hard as iron, and his blackened skin looked as though it were saturated with poison.
‘Perhaps my brief moment of reaching the state of Demonic Transcendence influenced this one as well.’
Watching the change in Hyeok, the Heavenly Demonic Corpse connected to him through Heavenly Demonic Ki, Mu-heun had a realization.
Perhaps the Dream Flower that blooms at night, the black flower, was beginning to bud.
Aside from that, Mu-heun calmly organized his thoughts. To prepare for any contingency, he needed powerful martial artists who could subdue the villagers and the Yangtze River warriors.
He couldn't do it alone. Hadn't even his powerful master, the Heavenly Demon, cooperated with numerous experts in his fight against the transcendent beings?
If his predictions were correct, to subdue their opponents without killing them, he would need Dang So-so, Seol Ha-ryeong, and at least ten other masters at the Transcendent level or higher.
Furthermore, considering the beast might be stronger than expected, it would be best to have one more master of a similar caliber to himself.
A flash of insight.
Mu-heun saw a small possibility.
People who fit the current situation. Heroes who would bravely jump in even after seeing his martial prowess and the state of things.
And the possibility that such people were passing through this area with someone he trusted most!
Having organized his thoughts, Mu-heun commanded Hyeok.
“From now on, travel south along this river. You will come to a path where the mountains are not so rugged. From there, follow the path and run at full speed to where Seol Ha-ryeong and Dang So-so are. You must bring them here.”
The Heavenly Demonic Corpse bowed its head as if in understanding.
“No, wait. You can't speak, so I'll write a letter. Deliver this letter to them, and then return to where I am.”
Hyeok was connected to me through scent and ki, so he could return to me no matter where I was. However, there was one problem.
“I will place a new barrier over the one they have set. When that barrier is activated, it will be difficult even for you to pinpoint my location. But do not worry. In preparation for that, Cheon-hyang will remain in the sky, releasing her scent.”
Hyeok bowed and waited by my side while I wrote the letter.
I immediately began to write. One letter was for Seol Ha-ryeong and Dang So-so, and the other was for a childhood friend.
Mu-heun wrote the letters carefully. He felt he needed Dang So-so and Seol Ha-ryeong, but he couldn't guarantee that even he would make it back alive from this ordeal.
In that case, he would ask for help, but he had to emphasize the gravity of the situation. He would tell them that unless they were prepared to risk death for villagers they had never met, it would be better to plan for the future.
“Here, take these letters. Time is of the essence, so hurry.”
Hyeok took the letters I had written, tucked them into his clothes, bowed his head, and set off.
As a Heavenly Demonic Corpse, Hyeok's martial prowess was near the level of Divine Ascension. Moreover, since he could use Poison Arts, there was no chance he would fall to bandits or wild animals.
* * *
Hyeok, the Heavenly Demonic Corpse, sped away from Mu-heun. When the moonlight was hidden by clouds, the dark mountain path often became pitch-black. However, as a master who had reached Divine Ascension, this was no problem for Hyeok.
It was difficult for him to think of anything other than moving for Mu-heun and absolutely obeying his words, but he moved diligently.
After traveling south for a short while, he came upon a path where the mountains were not so rugged. Seeing the tracks of a carriage, he knew it wouldn't take long to catch up if he ran with all his might.
In the end, it took Hyeok two hours to find the carriage carrying Seol Ha-ryeong and Dang So-so.
At that moment, Seol Ha-ryeong and Dang So-so, who were in the carriage, sensed an energy approaching at an incredible speed from a distance.
Seol Ha-ryeong, noticing that Hyeok's energy was the same as Mu-heun's, spoke.
“Huh? This energy? It’s Lord Mu-heun’s. However, while the ki is the same, it’s completely unrefined and wild. It’s likely the Heavenly Demonic Corpse he commands.”
Hearing Seol Ha-ryeong's words, Dang So-so replied.
“That means Lord Mu-heun might be in some kind of trouble, and he may have sent that corpse to ask for our help.”
Seol Ha-ryeong nodded at Dang So-so's words and said.
“Let’s check.”
When the two of them got out of the carriage, Hyeok immediately handed them the letters from Mu-heun. Dang So-so took the letters and asked Hyeok.
“Are these letters from Lord Mu-heun for us?”
Hyeok simply nodded without a word.
‘This person is…’
Dang So-so thought Hyeok resembled the Golden Fang Poison Claw.
‘It’s possible… If this is your final form, I will accept it. Even if it feels sad.’
Dang So-so and Seol Ha-ryeong unfolded the letter sent by Mu-heun.
[ To Lady Ha-ryeong and Lady So-so, I hope this letter reaches you.
I am currently in a village in the Chongqing Plains region, where the Yangtze River flows. However, this place is in grave danger.
The problem is that I do not yet know the number of enemies, nor how strong they are.
There is a fairly large village here, and it is being threatened by powerful monsters. Many are suffering because of them.
In particular, the children and villagers have been subjected to a high-level formation and are under mental control.
I will act to uncover their true identities. However, in this chaotic situation, I feel my strength is insufficient.
That is why I am informing you both of this situation and shamelessly asking for your help. Your assistance is desperately needed.
However, there is one thing you must clearly understand before you come. You could face a truly perilous situation here.
It is a situation where, if things go wrong, we could all be annihilated even if the three of us fight together.
You must not take this lightly. You both have much to do in the future, so you do not have to come to help. However, if that is your decision, please wait for a short while on the road you are traveling.
If the situation turns for the worst, it may not be something that can be resolved with our strength alone.
If my predictions are correct, the heroes of Kunlun will soon be passing through on their way to the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly. Please inform them of this and deliver the second letter to Elder Gu Pae-seon, the Light-Splitting Immortal of Kunlun.
That is my final request. ]