The Yin Scale Shadow Submersion Sect (1)

Cheon Woo-jin had known from the very beginning that the Heavenly Silkworm Shadow Concealment Robe was destined to reach the Flame Emperor Sect.

It was a detail described in the game Yeongro Suseonjeon.

Cheol Hwa-jung himself had never appeared in the game, but anyone could reasonably predict that stealing the robe from him would make the thief a target of the Flame Emperor Sect.

The Flame Emperor Sect will inevitably come to Ghost Head City to reclaim the Heavenly Silkworm Shadow Concealment Robe. And they'll try to capture me and Na Chwi-ryang and make an example of us.

Even as he soaked in the hot spring ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠water, Cheon Woo-jin calmly recalled the Flame Emperor Sect as it appeared in the game. True to a sect specializing in fire-attribute arts, its cultivators endlessly unleashed wide-area, high-yield spells that would stain the entire screen crimson.

Yet even knowing that such people would invade Ghost Head City to hunt him down, Cheon Woo-jin remained composed.

Because it was precisely what he had wanted from the start.

That means I can begin my fight against the Flame Emperor Sect.

He needed, by any means necessary, to lure them into Ghost Head City. This had everything to do with the fact that he had reached the Great Circle of Foundation Establishment far too early.

To obtain the spiritual treasures needed to challenge Core Formation, I must make the Flame Emperor Sect my offering.

Just as a Foundation Establishment spiritual treasure was required to break into Foundation Establishment, challenging Core Formation demanded Core Formation spiritual treasures. The difference was that instead of gathering six per attribute like the Foundation Establishment treasures, only two were necessary.

With one treasure of Extreme Yin and one of Extreme Yang, one could challenge the Core Formation realm.

The reason was simple: to condense all of one's spiritual power into a Golden Core, one first had to operate Yin and Yang within the body and forge the primordial Taiji.

But these treasures, too, were graded.

Using low-grade treasures would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠yield only meager results even after the core formed, whereas treasures of the highest grade would elevate the cultivator's very standing as a daoist in dramatic fashion.

Cheon Woo-jin intended to secure both his Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang treasures at the absolute highest grade.

The highest-grade Extreme Yin treasure could be found here, within Ghost Head City itself. The highest-grade Extreme Yang treasure, however, had to be sought outside its walls.

And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at this point in time, the most certain way to obtain one was to fight the Flame Emperor Sect.

Yan Que, Bao Ying — the guardian spirit beast of the Flame Emperor Sect. That Golden Core would make a perfect highest-grade Extreme Yang treasure.

Bao Ying the Flame Sparrow was to the Flame Emperor Sect what the Thousand-Year Snow Toad had been to the Manya Ice Palace — a guardian deity watching over the sect. A divine bird wielding the power of flame, it had been born carrying Extreme Yang energy in its very nature.

If I waited a few decades, I could obtain a highest-grade Extreme Yang treasure elsewhere. But right now, this is the surest path.

In the game, reaching the Great Circle of Foundation Establishment this early had been impossible. That was why Cheon Woo-jin had never once, even in the game, acquired a highest-grade Extreme Yang treasure at this stage.

He had combed through his knowledge of the game and considered every possible method, but to obtain one immediately, baiting the Flame Emperor Sect with the robe and hunting the Flame Sparrow was by far the most reliable plan. Securing an Extreme Yang treasure anywhere else would have required decades of waiting and preparation — but with the Heavenly Silkworm Shadow Concealment Robe as bait, the opportunity could be seized right now.

So hurry and come to Ghost Head City, Jin Si-hyeok.

Jin Si-hyeok. Master of the Flame Emperor Sect, and a wielder of the Flame Jade Scorching Yang Art.

He was a man carrying a secret about his birth.

By rights, he should have been nurtured within the Taiyi Inverse Principle Sect like a forbidden treasure, showered with elite education — but through some complicated circumstances, he had been handed off to the Flame Emperor Sect, one of the Taiyi sect's branches. Perhaps because of that, Jin Si-hyeok possessed a burning need to step onto the front lines himself and prove his worth.

He had a marked tendency to flaunt his power, as if to show the main line of the Taiyi Inverse Principle Sect — the ones who had never acknowledged him — exactly what he was capable of. With something as significant as the Heavenly Silkworm Shadow Concealment Robe at stake, the odds were high that Jin Si-hyeok would come to Ghost Head City personally.

Bringing his guardian spirit beast, the Flame Sparrow Bao Ying, along with him.

I will use you as my stepping stone to reach Core Formation.

"You've gotten yourself tangled up in a real headache."

When Cheon Woo-jin returned to Junggyeongjin and told her about the Flame Emperor Sect, Seo Seol-ryeong let out a small sigh.

"If the Heavenly Silkworm Shadow Concealment Robe truly belonged to the Flame Emperor Sect, then it's highly likely they'll show themselves in Ghost Head City before long. Naturally, they'll come looking for Master Cheon to punish him — even if it was Na Chwi-ryang who actually took the robe."

For the moment, the robe was in Na Chwi-ryang's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hands. He intended to keep it safely stored away until he decided how to dispose of it.

"The smoothest way to resolve this would be to return the robe to the Flame Emperor Sect. That way you'd at least collect a proper service fee."

"Na Chwi-ryang doesn't seem the type to settle for a mere service fee."

"No. If that were enough to satisfy him, he'd never have acted in the first place. So in the end, a collision with the Flame Emperor Sect is unavoidable."

With that, Seo Seol-ryeong fell silent, lost in thought.

"What is it?"

"You're being far too detached, Master Cheon."

She was calling out his attitude.

"You've always been composed, but today your reactions are unusually flat. Did you know from the very beginning that it belonged to the Flame Emperor Sect?"

"Was there any way I could have known that at the time?"

At Cheon Woo-jin's deflection, Seo Seol-ryeong sighed once more.

"If things unfold this way, the sparks could land on me as well. I'd appreciate it if you kept that in mind."

"My apologies for that."

"Well... it's partly my own fault for not investigating beforehand."

Seo Seol-ryeong spoke in a stiff voice.

"Settling into the 6th Layer has kept me busy in every way, so my information gathering has been slower than usual. Under normal circumstances, I would have noticed the Flame Emperor Sect's involvement and headed off the problem in advance."

"..."

"Missing this is something I should apologize for."

Cheon Woo-jin shook his head.

"There's nothing for you to apologize for. I accepted the job on the spot without giving you time to properly vet it — that's on me too."

"That's... your prerogative, Master Cheon."

"If we keep parsing blame like this, it'll never end. I'd rather move on to something productive."

Seo Seol-ryeong nodded in agreement.

"Then let's discuss our course of action going forward."

"Let's."

"If the Flame Emperor Sect appears, the various factions within Ghost Head City will have no choice but to react as well. Some will resist them, but there will certainly be factions who try to seize this opportunity to curry favor with the Flame Emperor Sect."

Something similar had happened when the Vast World Yin Spirit Sect had expanded into Ghost Head City. Some sects, like the Peach Talisman Sect, had gone so far as to place themselves outright under the Vast World Yin Spirit Sect's banner.

"If that happens, not only the Flame Emperor Sect but also every faction seeking their favor could turn against you, Master Cheon."

"That would be inconvenient."

"Beyond that..."

Seo Seol-ryeong walked through, one by one, everything that could unfold if the Flame Emperor Sect showed itself in Ghost Head City. Some of it was stuff Cheon Woo-jin hadn't even considered.

"Taking all of that into account... it might honestly be safer for you to hide outside Ghost Head City for a year or so. The Flame Emperor Sect would go after Na Chwi-ryang first, and you might simply be passed over."

"That's not an option."

Cheon Woo-jin shook his head.

"No matter how threatening the Flame Emperor Sect may be, I have no intention of fleeing from them. If it comes to that, I'd sooner meet them head-on."

"I expected you to say exactly that, Master Cheon."

Just as Gong U had said back at Wolhongnu — whatever danger lay ahead, Cheon Woo-jin intended to walk his own path and see his convictions through to the end.

Because he believed there was a future that could only be seized by moving forward on such resolve.

"Understood. I'll keep that in mind and do my utmost on my end as well."

"Don't concern yourself too much with my affairs. You have your own work to attend to, don't you?"

"The most important matter before me right now is you, Master Cheon."

Saying this, Seo Seol-ryeong held out a thick bundle of papers.

"This is a list of everyone who has tried to commission work from you. I've marked the requests that are likely to be of real benefit to you going forward, so do look them over. I've also compiled all the relevant information on each commission."

"You put together material this detailed in only a few days?"

"I told you it was the most important task, didn't I?"

Seo Seol-ryeong said in her cool, even voice.

"You'll be learning the Linked Body Art from Na Chwi-ryang as well, won't you?"

"That's my payment for this job, so of course."

"Then you can simply proceed with both in parallel. To start with, the one I'd most like to recommend is..."

The Flame Emperor Sect would appear in Ghost Head City before long.

Until then, he needed to prepare as thoroughly as possible.

Five days later.

Cheon Woo-jin left Junggyeongjin and made his way toward the wetlands.

He had promised to receive instruction in the Liuji Tiangang Divine Art from Na Chwi-ryang.

The wetlands of the 6th Layer were home to the Yin Scale Spirit Needle Sect's headquarters, a region where all manner of demon beasts roamed. Insect-type and reptilian demon beasts were especially common.

At their root, such beasts and demon cultivators like Na Chwi-ryang belonged to the same races. Na Chwi-ryang was of the same kind as the lizard demons that ambushed humans in the swamps — except he possessed an intellect no different from a human being's.

This was because he had been stirred by the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and awakened into a sentient being. The Yin Scale Spirit Needle Sect was a sect of such demon cultivators — beasts who had acquired their intellect后天, later in life.

"That human walking over there... isn't that the guy from back then?"

"It is. That Foundation Establishment cultivator who did so much damage to us in Junggyeongjin."

As Cheon Woo-jin approached the Yin Scale Spirit Needle Sect, the demon cultivators began to murmur.

But not one of them stepped forward to pick a fight. Many of them had experienced his strength firsthand during the battle over the Ghost Summoning Demon Banner.

"Is that guy really that strong? Maybe I should challenge him to a spar."

"Don't. He's earned the respect of my own martial elder. With your skills, all you'd reap is humiliation."

"A monster who kills Core Formation daoists like it's nothing, and he's still only at Foundation Establishment. Genuinely terrifying."

They only whispered among themselves as they watched him; no one approached. As a result, Cheon Woo-jin found himself standing awkwardly near the entrance of the sect.

Someone could at least show me where to go.

Even when he glanced around looking for someone to ask, everyone averted their eyes. Of all things, the Yin Scale Spirit Needle Sect had no gatekeeper stationed at its entrance, and he had no idea whom to address.

"Why is everyone so frightened?"

Just then, a weighty voice carried out from within.

A woman with silver hair, draped in a white grand-sleeved robe, was approaching. At a glance she was a beauty with refined features and flawless skin — but below her neck, silver scales glinted into view.

"S-Sect Master!"

"We greet the Sect Master!"

The demon cultivators hurriedly cleared a path and bowed.

Watching her approach, sleeves fluttering, Cheon Woo-jin bit his lip.

Compared to the demon beasts around her, she looked nearly human — and yet she was, without question, the most formidable monster among all the cultivators gathered here.

As her Snake King Body constitution made plain, her true identity was a serpent demon.

Yo Eun-hee... the Sect Master of the Yin Scale Spirit Needle Sect, and the only daughter of Yo Won-gyeon, its former master.

Cheon Woo-jin had glimpsed Yo Won-gyeon briefly during the Ghost Summoning Demon Banner incident. The old snake demon had told him, "Come visit the Yin Scale Spirit Needle Sect sometime. I'll see you're treated well."

Had Yo Won-gyeon perhaps mentioned him in advance to his daughter?

"Come to see Na Chwi-ryang, have you?"

"That's right."

Yo Eun-hee drew close and curled one corner of her mouth into a smile. Fitting for a serpent demon, it was a smile with a bewitching, serpentine allure.

"That fool is being punished right now."

"Punished?"

"For stirring up an unnecessary source of conflict. Things are already chaotic enough on every front, and he has to go creating trouble like this."

Whether he had confessed it himself or not, it seemed she had heard from Na Chwi-ryang that a clash with the Flame Emperor Sect was anticipated.

But... chaotic on every front, was it?

Was that because of the power struggle reshaping the 6th Layer after the fall of the Manya Ice Palace?

Or the great upheaval soon to erupt over the succession to the Weijin imperial throne?

"What exactly is this punishment—"

"Nothing serious, so don't worry. Once his time is served, he'll come bounding out without a care in the world. About one shichen remain, so if you want to see Na Chwi-ryang, wait until then."

"One shichen... very well."

As Cheon Woo-jin nodded, Yo Eun-hee leaned her body forward.

"My father told you to come visit the Yin Scale Spirit Needle Sect, did he not?"

Yo Eun-hee the serpent demon stood two or three heads taller than Cheon Woo-jin. She looked down into his face and spoke.

"He promised you a proper reception, and a promise must be kept."

"There's really no need to go to such lengths—"

"Follow me, Cheon Woo-jin."

Cutting off his attempt to say he would simply wait outside, Yo Eun-hee turned and began walking toward the inner halls.

"I'll treat you with the utmost hospitality, fufu."

Swish.

Her forked red tongue flickered between her lips.