Chapter 98
Chapter 98
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Peach Grove Training and Geonwon Cave
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The moment Jegal Seonghyeon and his group stepped out of the lodgings they had been shown to the previous night.
"Muryangsubeol."
A greeting rang out from there.
A female Daoist with a cold expression stood with a stern face.
"I am Seollan, a second-generation disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, assigned to guide you all today."
In response to her greeting, Jegal Seonghyeon clasped his hands in respect.
"I am Jegal Seonghyeon of the Jegal Family."
The female Daoist Seollan scanned Jegal Seonghyeon and his group one by one, her lips twitching slightly.
"Senior Brother Cheonhwi is waiting for you. Follow me."
With those words, Seollan turned and walked off briskly, as if urging them along.
"Third Young Master."
"Let's follow."
The group was bewildered by the sudden turn of events but matched steps behind her, following Jegal Seonghyeon.
Jegal Seonghyeon asked her.
"Miss. Could you tell me where we're headed?"
"Peach Grove Plain."
"Peach Grove Plain...?"
Jegal Seonghyeon, who had no idea what kind of place it was, tilted his head.
"What sort of place is it?"
At that moment, Seollan turned her head.
Her lips parted slightly as she stared at Jegal Seonghyeon with a stern expression, then a cold voice slipped out.
"The second-generation disciples' training ground."
"I see."
The conversation cut off abruptly.
Seollan, deeming that answer sufficient, turned her head back and resumed her paused steps.
Crunch crunch.
Watching Seollan's back as she left footprints in the snow, Jegal Seonghyeon muttered.
"She doesn't seem like a Daoist at all."
At Jegal Seonghyeon's very quiet words, the group nodded in agreement.
Her stern expression combined with the voice that pierced their ears was as cold as ice, chilling to the bone.
In the subtle silence, as Seollan and the group walked along the snow-covered path for a while, Jegal Seonghyeon felt a slight sense of incongruity.
'We haven't run into anyone.'
The distance from the lodgings to here was quite long, yet they hadn't encountered a single other person.
He squinted and scratched his head.
He knew well that the Mount Hua Sect had nearly fallen into ruin, but wasn't this too much?
'There are footprints.'
There were many footprints imprinted in the snow.
But no people.
Scratching his head, he looked around.
It was early morning, just after sunrise, time for training, but it was far too quiet.
'Is something going on?'
Crunch—
Just then, Seollan halted her steps.
And pointed somewhere.
"That's Peach Grove Plain."
Their gazes slowly followed her extended white index finger.
"What a beautiful place."
"It's breathtaking."
The group let out exclamations of admiration.
Under the freshly risen sunlight, the pure white snow-capped mountains sparkled, and below lay a vast training ground.
A landscape like a painting—they were lost in it when...
"Then follow me."
Seollan stepped forward again.
How long had they followed into Peach Grove Plain when it drew near...
Halt—
Jegal Seonghyeon stopped in his tracks.
"Third Young Master?"
"What's wrong?"
The group walking beside him asked, seeing him suddenly stop.
"Shh."
Jegal Seonghyeon placed his index finger over his lips with a serious expression.
And squinted his eyes.
"You hear that sound?"
"Pardon?"
"There's a weird noise from over there."
The group strained their ears in confusion.
And as they focused...
"Ugh, ugh..."
A strange sound came from afar.
Like groaning in pain.
Yes, it was moans.
"What is this..."
As the entire group panicked...
"Kwaaaak!"
A scream assaulted them.
"...!"
"Huh?!"
"What in the world is happening?"
Jegal Seonghyeon and the group hurried toward the scream in alarm, only to freeze at the sight.
"Third Young Master!"
The Jegal Family escorts widened their eyes and surrounded Jegal Seonghyeon protectively.
"This can't be!"
Jegal Seonghyeon's pupils shook.
The training ground was a scene of chaos.
Most of the young Daoists lay sprawled, writhing, while a few twisted their bodies in agony.
Beside them, a middle-aged Daoist and an elderly man who appeared to be physicians moved about, checking pulses here and there.
'Who the hell attacked the Mount Hua Sect...!'
Cold sweat suddenly broke out.
Just yesterday, the Mount Hua Sect had been peaceful.
Yet in a single night, most disciples were rendered combat-ineffective.
And few in the jianghu could pull off something like this.
'Bicheonhui? No, they wouldn't move in the current situation. Then the Evil-Black Alliance...?'
A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.
They had come for a commission, only to get dragged into something enormous.
'Of all times, while we're here to make the request.'
Jegal Seonghyeon swallowed hard.
Having penetrated this deeply already, escaping was no longer feasible.
'We need to join forces.'
He quickly scanned the Mount Hua Sect disciples.
Most were out of commission.
A few were meditating to circulate qi, but they looked utterly exhausted, devoid of strength.
It wasn't just their appearance.
A foul stench emanating from them lingered in the air, assaulting their noses.
"Ugh, what stench is this..."
Even his escorts grimaced, having caught the smell.
'Th-this smell!'
Jegal Seonghyeon's face turned pale.
"Everyone, cover your noses!"
"Pardon?"
"It's poison!"
At Jegal Seonghyeon's urgent shout, the group widened their eyes and held their breath.
'Of all poisons, this one...!'
His expression grew increasingly grave.
The smell floating in the air was one he knew all too well.
Sanbisaeng!
It was the deadly poison frequently used by that guy from the Sacheon Tang Family, a close friend of his.
'They're insane! Using such a deadly poison means they're gearing up for war!'
Jegal Seonghyeon's hands trembled.
Anyone poisoning the Mount Hua Sect aimed for total annihilation at minimum.
"What are you doing?"
A sudden voice from the side made Jegal Seonghyeon flinch and turn his head.
There stood Cheonhwi.
Cheonhwi looked at the group covering their mouths with both hands as if they were ridiculous.
'What the hell are they doing?'
Jegal Seonghyeon frantically gestured with his hands.
"Pardon?"
Even as he questioned, Jegal Seonghyeon kept his mouth covered and gestured desperately.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Cheonhwi frowned at the frantic hand signals.
"Just speak."
Seeing Cheonhwi utterly clueless, Jegal Seonghyeon quickly mouthed the words.
"Poison!"
"What? Poison? Jeez, making a fuss over nothing."
With those words, he casually waved his hand.
A gentle breeze arose, instantly dispersing the toxic fumes.
"Better now?"
As the nose-stinging poison scent vanished, Jegal Seonghyeon exhaled the breath he'd held.
"Then let's head to make the gateway."
"Wh-what do you mean? We're under attack right now..."
"Attack? What attack?"
Jegal Seonghyeon and the group were bewildered by Cheonhwi's utterly nonchalant demeanor.
"Then why are they collapsed..."
Seeing him point at the second-generation disciples, Cheonhwi replied flatly.
"They're training."
"Pardon...?"
As Jegal Seonghyeon stood dazed, unable to comprehend, Hyeoncheong approached.
"Muryangsubeol. You must be the guests from the Jegal Family who said they'd visit the peak we saw yesterday."
Startled by Hyeoncheong's sudden appearance, Jegal Seonghyeon jumped and clasped his hands.
"I am Jegal Seonghyeon of the Jegal Family."
"Haha, I am Hyeoncheong."
"Pleasure to... Ah, no. More importantly, what happened here?"
After greeting Hyeoncheong, Jegal Seonghyeon belatedly came to his senses.
"Th-this sight isn't an attack, but training...?"
"Haha, yes, it's training."
Hyeoncheong smiled awkwardly.
Not just Jegal Seonghyeon—if he himself had stumbled upon this unaware, he'd think it was an attack too.
With both Cheonhwi and Hyeoncheong insisting it was training, Jegal Seonghyeon was flustered.
"Th-then why the poisoning?"
"That's a secret."
"The Jegal Family must be the type to pry into other sects' training methods."
Hyeoncheong spoke, and Cheonhwi added on.
Jegal Seonghyeon flinched at the sharp, thorny words from both.
He didn't probe further and acquiesced.
"...Understood."
Cheonhwi said to Jegal Seonghyeon, who seemed lost in complicated thoughts.
"Anyway, let's go now."
"Go where?"
"To the place for making the gateway."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A short while later, Cheonhwi, Jegal Seonghyeon, and his group arrived at a cave on Mount Hua.
"To think we'd come here."
Jegal Seonghyeon exclaimed in admiration.
The place he now stood was none other than the Mount Hua Sect's Geonwon Cave, one of the Four Great Cave Heavens of Mount Hua, brimming with the sect's richest spiritual energy. It saw fewer visitors than the other three used for secluded training.
'I never thought I'd set foot in the Mount Hua Sect in this lifetime.'
The Four Great Cave Heavens were hard to enter even for Mount Hua visitors, so being allowed into one was moving.
"Ooh!"
Jegal Seonghyeon, excitedly touching the sizable entrance, spoke up.
"But is it alright to use this place as a gateway?"
Jegal Seonghyeon was cautious.
The cave visibly pulsed with sacred energy and ancient history.
Using it as a gateway might tarnish that history.
"Yes."
Cheonhwi answered softly.
'It was tough convincing them.'
The location had been decided from the start when planning the Plum Blossom Seven Gates.
Mount Hua's Four Great Cave Heavens.
There was no other choice.
'To properly activate the formations, we need abundant spiritual energy.'
The Heavenly Demon Ten Gates were no ordinary gateways.
They were the crystallization of all demonic paths from the Mythic Era, the very gateways that forged the current Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Thus, the mechanisms and formations in each gate were so powerful that activating them required immense spiritual energy.
'Not for nothing were they built in the Tianshan Mountains' most spiritually potent caves.'
He recalled the entrance to the Heavenly Demon Ten Gates.
A chilling place, like the gateway to hell, emanating an aura of death.
Cheonhwi's gaze turned to Geonwon Cave.
The spiritual energy felt far weaker than the Heavenly Demon Ten Gates, but he paid it no mind.
'The energy I felt back then had built up demonic qi over time. The Plum Blossom Seven Gates will change similarly with time.'
Cheonhwi shook his head.
"With my own hands, this place..."
To Jegal Seonghyeon, who touched the cave wall with a joyful expression, Cheonhwi said.
"Then let's begin."