Path of Radiant Ascension
“We use the rumors. The roots of the Baeksan Gold Family lie in the Baeksan Gate sect. We’ll spread word that the martial arts and magical artifacts of the Baeksan Gate still rest somewhere on Baeksan.”
“Even if we spread a rumor like that, would the Baeksan Gold Family believe it?”
“The Heavenly Demon Cult will move first on that rumor.”
“...Indeed. There’s a real chance. Once the Heavenly Demon Cult moves, the Cheonui Alliance will follow. Even if the rumor is false, they won’t want any treasure falling into enemy hands. And once the Cheonui Alliance moves… the Baeksan Gold Family will act on the chance that it might be real.”
“We draw the forces of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the Cheonui Alliance, and the Baeksan Gold Family up onto Baeksan. And there…”
“We use human greed to spark a battle. Once enough blood has been spilled… the Baeksan Gold Family will no longer be able to stay neutral.”
“It would be best if the Cheonui Alliance started it, but… things rarely go exactly as planned.”
“To set this plan in motion, we have to thoroughly awaken human greed. Will rumors alone be enough?”
“I’ll handle that. Number 366. I want you to spread the rumors. Numbers 567 and 290 will stand by.”
“Without reporting to the Cult?”
Number 290, Seomun So-ryeo, asked.
“Number 151 was a spy for the Cheonui Alliance. I don’t believe there’s only one Cheonui Alliance spy inside the Cult.”
“…What if something goes wrong because we didn’t report it?”
“I’ll take full responsibility.”
Cheon Yu-un spoke with absolute firmness.
He was the current Heavenly Demon’s son and heir. If he stepped forward, no one would dare discipline him over a mere failure to report.
“Number 123.”
Jegal Mo-sun called me.
“What is it? Is there something I need to do?”
“I’d like your help spreading the rumors.”
“If I go out and spread them myself, it’ll only raise suspicion. The rumors’ credibility will drop too.”
“The rumors start outside Baeksan Fortress. Number 123, I want you to pretend it’s pure coincidence and put effort into spreading them.”
“…How exactly?”
“I’ll inform you of the time and place later. Just bring the disciples of the Doyang Gate there. Do nothing else. The disciples will spread the rumors on their own.”
“Understood.”
A plan that used rumors.
It was fairly convincing. In the modern world it might have been difficult, but this place wasn’t modern. This was a world where wars between sects broke out over rumors all the time.
Four days passed.
The plan to spread the rumors succeeded.
All of Baeksan Fortress buzzed with talk of the treasure on Baeksan. Step into any inn and simply listen, and you could hear it.
“Hey, have you heard the story about treasure on Baeksan? They say it’s a magical artifact of the Baeksan Gate.”
“I’ve heard. Everyone’s talking about it.”
“What do you make of it?”
“Bullshit. Someone got bored and started spouting nonsense. The Baeksan Gate vanished over five hundred years ago. Treasure suddenly appears now? No credibility at all. And no one even knows what kind of treasure it is.”
“Tsk tsk. Sounds like you haven’t heard the full rumor yet.”
“What rumor? There’s more I don’t know?”
“About the Baeksan Gate’s treasure. Its true identity has been revealed. A wandering martial artist who came back alive from Baeksan claims he saw it.”
“…What kind of treasure?”
“You just called the rumor bullshit. Why bother listening to a fake one? Planning to chat with your dog about it?”
“Come on, don’t be like that. You’re embarrassing me.”
“Ahem. Do you know how many times I’ve told this story today? My throat’s dry. I’m not in the mood to talk.”
“Waiter! Bring a bottle of Bamboo Leaf Green over here! There, happy? Now tell me. What treasure is it?”
“The Wooden Seal Staff.”
“Wooden Seal Staff? What’s that? Some kind of wooden stick?”
“Heh. Not an ordinary stick. Swing the Wooden Seal Staff and its tip stretches. Slam it into the ground and trees erupt from the earth. They say it’s a magical artifact of the Baeksan Gate.”
“A magical artifact… treasures with mysterious powers. So the Baeksan Gate’s treasure really is on Baeksan…?”
“That’s why the wandering martial artists are going crazy right now. They’re all itching to climb Baeksan and claim the Wooden Seal Staff. And there’s another rumor: the Wooden Seal Staff holds the secret ultimate techniques of the Baeksan Gate.”
“The rumors are getting pretty specific. Could they actually be real…?”
“You’re a suspicious one.”
“Think about it. If the rumor were true, wouldn’t it be strange that the Baeksan Gold Family is just sitting still?”
“I heard something from my nephew this afternoon. The Baeksan Gold Family looks fine on the outside, but inside it’s pure chaos. The atmosphere is so murderous… my nephew could barely breathe and ran the moment his work was done.”
“The atmosphere in the Baeksan Gold Family is that bad…? So the rumor… is real…?”
“The rumor is real. My gut tells me so. And this is another rumor I heard…”
“…You sure hear a lot of rumors. What’s your secret?”
“Connections, what else?”
“Hmm. Take a good long swig of that Bamboo Leaf Green and tell me. What rumor?”
“That the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Cheonui Alliance plan to climb Baeksan and search for the Wooden Seal Staff.”
“Oh-ho. Looking for the Wooden Seal Staff to give it to the Baeksan Gold Family? That would earn them the family’s favor. Smart thinking.”
“Are you an idiot?”
“Huh? What kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden!”
“Ah, sorry. I heard something so ridiculous I couldn’t help myself… The Wooden Seal Staff is known as a high-grade magical artifact. High-grade artifacts are rarer than most mid-sized sects. If the Heavenly Demon Cult or the Cheonui Alliance got their hands on it? They’d abandon Baeksan Fortress rather than hand it over to the Baeksan Gold Family. That’s how valuable the Wooden Seal Staff is.”
“Damn. Aren’t the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Cheonui Alliance afraid of the Baeksan Gold Family?”
“You’re a Baeksan Fortress local, so you don’t know anything. The only place the Baeksan Gold Family can flex its power is right here in Baeksan Fortress. Step outside? They have to crawl around watching the faces of the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Cheonui Alliance. That’s reality.”
“Haa. Now I feel weird for no reason…”
“Still, this is Baeksan Fortress. The Baeksan Gold Family’s territory. They won’t just sit still either. No one has the treasure yet, so let’s wait with high hopes. Has the Baeksan Gold Family ever disappointed us?”
“Never. Not once.”
Rumors like that were spreading through every corner of Baeksan Fortress.
The Wooden Seal Staff. That’s a real magical artifact of the Baeksan Gate. The reason the Baeksan Gold Family is panicking is exactly that. Even the name and abilities of an artifact only they should know are circulating.
Right now the Baeksan Gold Family would be hunting down whoever leaked the information inside.
They won’t find the culprit, and they’ll start thinking the rumor might actually be true.
The moment even a little credibility took root, the Baeksan Gold Family would have no choice but to act. They would rather die than let the Cheonui Alliance or the Heavenly Demon Cult snatch away their ancestors’ treasure.
Cheon Yu-un. He used his original-story knowledge to spread the rumors perfectly.
For the record, the Wooden Seal Staff did not exist. It had been destroyed centuries ago.
The next morning, the Heavenly Demon Cult assembled its forces and moved toward Baeksan. Cheon Yu-un’s influence had made it happen.
A few hours later the Cheonui Alliance scrambled together a force of their own and followed the Heavenly Demon Cult up the mountain.
The Baeksan Gold Family set out later than the Cheonui Alliance.
I pretended to join the Heavenly Demon Cult’s ranks, then quietly changed direction.
Cheon Yu-un’s real goal is the spiritual herb hidden on Baeksan. I have to take that for myself.
I was ready to break the restriction if I had to. The spiritual herbs obtainable here were quite precious. And snatching the herb would also hinder Cheon Yu-un’s growth.
I climbed Baeksan.
True to its name, it was a white mountain. Not white from snow, but because the trees and soil themselves were pure white. Even I didn’t know the cause. It had never been revealed. In the original story Cheon Yu-un speculated something about yin energy, but it wasn’t particularly important.
There he is.
With the Heavenly Eye I confirmed Cheon Yu-un’s position. He had no idea I was following him.
The moment Cheon Yu-un gets the spiritual herb, I stab him in the back.
I decided to release the restriction Mi-ryeong had placed on me at my request.
I stopped walking and closed my eyes. I entered self-observation. I felt the technique sealing my dantian and meridians. The technique was composed of water qi and wood qi. Mi-ryeong had deliberately used the energies of water and wood to bind me. The reason was simple.
Because lightning qi is strong against water and wood qi.
I raised lightning qi. Following my will, the lightning qi burned away the technique and erased the restriction.
I felt my body grow light. It was like setting down a burden of several hundred kilograms.
Let’s go.
I prepared the Illusiter. For a perfect ambush I turned my body invisible and followed behind Cheon Yu-un. He weaved left and right, finding the path with ease. He discovered a gap between white trees and boulders and slowly walked inside.
I followed right after him.
A vast cavern opened up, and in its center stood a single enormous white tree. Instead of leaves, white hair grew from its branches.
The White-Haired Ghost Tree. Closer to a spiritual beast than a true monster.
Cheon Yu-un drew his sword from his waist and charged the White-Haired Ghost Tree. He began using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in earnest.
Is it the difference in realm? The Heavenly Demon Divine Art looks pretty unimpressive.
After five minutes of fierce combat, Cheon Yu-un stabbed the core of the White-Haired Ghost Tree and brought it down. Cracks spread across the tree’s body, and it began to crumble.
After the White-Haired Ghost Tree dies, it blooms a flower.
The trunk split open, and a pure white flower blossomed beautifully.
The White Yang Flower. A spiritual herb among spiritual herbs.
“…At last I have it…!”
Cheon Yu-un rejoiced and reached for the White Yang Flower. I prepared to strike him from behind. One ambush to knock him out and snatch the White Yang Flower. A perfect plan.
Before I could execute it, a variable appeared.
Someone who had been hiding behind a boulder one step ahead of me kicked Cheon Yu-un unconscious and seized the White Yang Flower.
Fuck!
I immediately lunged out and swung Hwaryeonbido at the unknown figure. The enemy stepped lightly through footwork and easily avoided my attack. I frowned. I couldn’t identify them. Something like pitch-black shadow wrapped their entire body. Not only the face but even the build was invisible.
Martial art? Technique? Magical artifact? Whatever it is, it’s no ordinary thing. My Heavenly Eye doesn’t work on it.
The shadow kept its distance and stared at me. The gaze felt like it was observing me.
“Who are you?”
A distorted voice rang from the shadow’s mouth.
“That voice is fucking disgusting. Show yourself.”
“…I don’t think you’re in any position to say that.”
My voice was Cheon Yu-un’s. If the bastard had covered his body with black shadow, I had made mine transparent with the Illusiter.
I erased my presence as much as possible and charged the shadow. The shadow reacted instantly. As if it could see me.
The reaction is a little slow. So it can’t see me—its senses are just that sharp. Charna.
Hwaryeonbido wrapped its blade in crimson lightning and aimed for the shadow’s neck.
The shadow raised its sword and deflected my attack. The rebound sent both of us flying backward at the same time.
“A sword style I’ve never seen. Who are you?”
The shadow muttered as it settled into stance.
“A sword style you’ve never seen? That’s my line.”
I too settled into the stance of Yeongcheonryu—no, now Noecheonryu—and breathed quietly. Current mixed into the breath I exhaled. Crackling. Crimson lightning coiled around my body. In the shadow’s eyes I would appear as nothing but red lightning.
I took a single step. In an instant I closed the distance and swung my blade at the shadow.
The shadow flinched as if startled, then ducked its upper body and swung its sword. From that blade I felt pure demonic qi.
This is just like Cheon Yu-un’s…!
We exchanged sword strikes. The shadow calmly parried every one of my attacks. I managed to wound the shadow as well, but nothing fatal.
Crack, crackle…
The crimson lightning was swallowed by the bastard’s demonic qi and vanished. That demonic art and Noecheonryu had terrible compatibility. I clicked my tongue. My skill was insufficient to oppose that demonic qi. More precisely, my understanding of Noecheonryu was still lacking.
Thud!
The shadow’s fist slammed into my abdomen. Unable to defend, I was sent flying backward and crashed into the wall.
“…I’ve roughly grasped your swordsmanship. I’ll admit it’s impressive. But that’s as far as it goes. In the end, I’m stronger than you.”
Whirrr.
The Illusiter gave a short electronic whine and shut off. Its duration had ended. My form was revealed. My bare face was exposed. Not wearing a mask because it was cumbersome had been a mistake. …I never expected a bastard like this to appear either.
The shadow stared fixedly at my face.
“…I have no idea. Who are you?”
“I am… Yeom Gu-seok.”
I wiped the blood flowing from my mouth with the back of my hand and settled back into stance.
“Yeom Gu-seok? Ha, don’t make me laugh. Yeom Gu-seok looks a little dumber than you.”
“…….”
The shadow knew about Yeom Gu-seok.
“Well, fine. I’ll slowly figure out your identity later. Right now there’s no time… so I’ll just kill you first.”
Black demonic qi rose from the shadow’s body. Seeing it now, I was certain.
“Heavenly Demon Divine Art…”
“You’ve got a good eye.”
The demonic qi gathered into the shadow’s sword.
“Tsk. Every dog and cow is using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art these days.”
“What?”
I activated the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Pitch-black demonic qi wrapped my body. Just like the shadow, I gathered demonic qi into my blade.
The shadow froze as if in shock.
“Heavenly Demon Divine Art…?”
“You’ve got eyes, I see.”
I drove my fist toward the startled bastard.
The fist of the Heavenly Demon crashed forward.