Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Rest. And Advance. Rest Again.
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The interior of the Secret Cave after the battle was filled with groans and the stench of blood. The wounded lay scattered everywhere, and there was a flurry of activity as people rushed to treat them.
There were ronin who looked ready to rush over to me at any moment demanding treatment, but none of them could even approach me.
That was because the Blood Path Guest sat cross-legged right in front of me, eyes closed. The razor-sharp aura emanating from him alone was enough to deter most unorthodox scum from daring to come within ten zhang.
Thanks to that, I could focus entirely on recovery.
"Haa... haa..."
The righteous sect disciples applied elixirs supplied by their sects to their wounds or swallowed them to pull themselves together. Even the battle-hardened ronin, who lived by the blade, were ripping their clothes to bandage wounds and performing first aid with practiced hands.
I was completely enveloped in Soso's soft embrace, protected by the silent guardianship of Paeng Daesan and the Blood Path Guest. Her warm body heat and faint fragrance rapidly replenished my depleted mental energy. With my face buried in her plush bosom, I even felt a profound peace, as if cut off from the world.
In the midst of mindlessly absorbing mental energy like that...
I suddenly sensed something off.
'...Huh?'
The vessel of my mind. It should have been overflowing by now under normal circumstances, but it felt like it hadn't even reached half capacity. It was as if a small teacup had transformed overnight into a massive jar.
My mental energy limit... had more than doubled.
And that wasn't all. The rate at which I recovered mental energy through Soso was incomparably faster than before.
'Could it be... because of the Blood Path Guest?'
Forcing my way into the iron fortress of a peak expert's mental world and coming back out had apparently punched through the blocked meridians of my mind.
This was an enormous, completely unexpected harvest.
I barely suppressed the grin tugging at my lips.
Thanks to that, I recovered to peak condition in the blink of an eye. I reluctantly pulled myself from Soso's arms.
"I'm okay now."
"Really, Senior Brother?"
"Yeah. Let's go tend to the others."
Soso and I began systematically treating the wounded as we moved through the cave. For those with broken bones, we set them and applied crushed herbs. For deep wounds, I skillfully (probably) inserted acupuncture needles to staunch the bleeding.
It was around the time the treatments were mostly wrapping up.
The Blood Path Guest, who had been quietly immersed in meditation, rose from his seat and approached.
"Impressive."
A faint note of admiration colored his dry voice.
"How long does this state last?"
At his question, I glanced briefly at Paeng Daesan before answering.
"Probably proportional to your mental energy, senior. The stronger the mind, the longer it should endure."
In Paeng Daesan's case, the duration hadn't been that long, so my guess was likely correct. The Blood Path Guest mulled over my words in silence for a moment, then smoothly drew one of the paired swords from his waist.
Without any preliminary movements, he lightly swung it downward at the empty air.
Swish-
An utterly ordinary, textbook downward slash.
But through my eyes, enhanced by suggestion to strengthen my vision, I could see the terrifying precision contained within that single strike. A perfect trajectory, utterly devoid of wasted power, designed solely for cutting.
The Blood Path Guest gazed down at his sword for a moment before sheathing it and turning to face me.
Suddenly, he performed a respectful cupped-fist salute toward me.
"My thanks. I will not forget this favor."
I waved him off.
"No need."
I had gained something too, so we were even.
He seemed inwardly moved. Even after the enhancement wore off, he would return to his original peak realm, but the 'enlightenment' from wielding the sword in the transcendent realm just now would remain etched into his body and soul.
He was surely aware of that himself.
Before long, he would shatter his own limits with that enlightenment alone and ascend to true transcendent heights.
"You must keep your promise."
I cut through his sentiments and got to the point.
The Blood Path Guest nodded with a faint smile.
"Worry not. In truth, I am a man of few words."
As if I'd believe that, you crazy old coot.
.
.
.
The rest was short. Byeok Cheonwi reorganized the ranks and ordered another advance deeper into the Secret Cave.
"Move out!"
With his booming voice, the long procession once more stepped into the darkness.
The subsequent advance was incomparably smoother than before.
It was as if they'd gained another transcendent expert on par with Byeok Cheonwi, if only temporarily. With Byeok Cheonwi and the Blood Path Guest—the two massive mountains at the vanguard crushing waves of demonic beasts—the burden on the rear drastically lessened.
The Blood Path Guest's transformation was especially dazzling.
He no longer merely cut down demonic beasts alone. Instead, he used his overwhelming prowess as a shield, actively protecting and covering the unorthodox ronin in peril.
Shing!
The moment a demonic beast's sharp claws lunged for a ronin's throat, the Blood Path Guest flashed between them like lightning, severing the beast's neck. Brushing past, he pierced another demonic beast's heart—his movements utterly without waste. He dominated the battlefield.
Thanks to him, the chaotic unorthodox lines visibly stabilized, and no further deaths occurred.
But as they pushed toward the heart of the Secret Cave, the darkness grew thicker, and the demonic energy wormed slyly into their skin. The yin energy seeping from the cave walls chilled them to the bone, and the demonic beasts they faced grew ever stronger.
The demonic energy oozing from their bodies was incomparably denser and more vicious than before. Inevitably, even with utmost caution, some began to succumb bit by bit to the corruption.
"Argh! My arm! My arm!"
A righteous sect's later-generation disciple screamed, clutching his arm. Black veins writhed like snakes across his forearm, spreading through his entire limb.
In the end, Byeok Cheonwi halted the advance once more.
"All hands, halt! Rest here!"
His voice carried heavy anguish.
"The wounded and those corrupted by demonic energy, exit the Secret Cave immediately!"
In the course of the exploration, we had learned one horrifying fact.
The demonic beasts we fought were the righteous and unorthodox martial artists who had explored this Secret Cave just before us. If those eroded by demonic energy didn't receive proper treatment in time, they lost their reason and turned into those monsters we faced.
That meant allies could return as enemies. Carrying those infected with demonic energy was like hugging a ticking time bomb.
In the end, the corrupted and a minimal number to escort them turned back.
Deep fatigue etched the faces of those who remained. Righteous or unorthodox, all were exhausted. The relentless battles and ceaseless onslaught of demonic energy gnawed unceasingly at their bodies and minds.
I looked around at the slumped figures and let out a short breath.
Then I clapped my hands lightly once.
Clap-!
The clear, crisp sound echoed through the cave. In that instant, I gathered every last drop of my mental energy and scattered it outward with the sound.
'Forget your fatigue. Forget the pain of your wounds. In this moment, feel overflowing vitality.'
For the briefest instant, every exhausted body twitched. As if a warm energy enveloped them. They each examined their bodies with puzzled expressions, finding no change. Yet strangely, the crushing fatigue lifted like a lie.
"Kuh...!"
The price was steep. Even with my mental energy capacity nearly doubled thanks to the Blood Path Guest, applying wide-area suggestion to so many at once drained my vessel in seconds.
My vision went white, and I collapsed—only for Soso to swiftly catch me.
"Senior Brother!"
With my face buried in her bosom, I gasped for breath. Something the old me couldn't have dreamed of attempting.
Paeng Daesan immediately stood guard by my side, while Byeok Cheonwi and the Blood Path Guest—who showed scarcely any fatigue—took watch toward the dark depths in place of the weary.
As I recovered in Soso's arms, stealing a sidelong glance, the two seemed locked in serious conversation. I enhanced my hearing with suggestion to eavesdrop.
"Looks like I got at least three more than you."
"What nonsense! I didn't count, but I must have five more!"
"...".
Are these guys elementary schoolers? Shouldn't have listened.
I shook my head and buried my face once more in Soso's soft, warm bosom. I could feel my mental energy refilling at a ferocious pace.
As I recovered like that for a while, one person slowly rose from the resting group.
Enveloped in an aura like cold frost, he walked toward me—Moyong Bi, the Heavenly Sword Sovereign.
As he moved, the eyes of his righteous followers and the later-generation disciples of various clans turned toward me in unison, as if by prior agreement.
The air in the cave grew heavy in an instant.