Chapter 348
Chapter 348
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 348
Chapter Title: Who is the one in big trouble? (1)
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With the ominous ringing of bells echoing unpleasantly, Song Gil-jun's underlings lunged at us, swords extended.
Compared to me, their cultivation levels seemed one or two tiers below.
...But these were no opponents to take lightly.
Specializing in explosive bursts of inner energy, they unleashed the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's vicious combined assault.
Sssshaaaak!
Ssshaaaaak!!!
The blades tearing through the air felt anything but easy to handle.
However, Jeong-hyeon and Woo So-rung had been tangling with me since our days at the Blue Bamboo Pavilion. They were the types to leap out of bed and form ranks even in their sleep if I called for a drill.
"Jeong-hyeon!"
"Yes."
No need for detailed tactical orders.
Ssshak! Ssshak!
Ssshaaaaak!!!
The moment I called his name, Jeong-hyeon unfurled a Taiji pattern exactly where I wanted it.
Chwaak!
Chwaaak!!!
Using that Taiji as a shield, I swung Regret to slice through the demonic cultivators while...
Pop! Pop!
Puk!
Woo So-rung darted like lightning, joining the fray or covering our flanks as needed.
Chaeng! Chaeng! Chaechaeng!!!
Thanks to the two moving like extensions of my hands and feet, I gained a split-second breather.
I seized that moment, channeling inner energy up to my upper dantian.
In an instant, I wove a incantation and immediately invoked the corpse-rising command of the Eon clan's incantations.
"Rise!"
Energy streamed from my left hand, reaching out to control the scattered corpses around us.
Ting-
Ting-ting-
But the energy that normally bound corpses like puppets dispersed the instant it touched them.
'Oh ho. So basic corpse-raising sorcery won't work here?'
Realizing that, I quickly gauged the ritual array spread across this battlefield.
'...The bells' tones weaken the binding energy on corpses, while the runes etched into the floor trap the lingering souls like bound spirits.'
I let out a quiet sigh of admiration inwardly.
'They've done their homework.'
I'd seen hints of it in the sorcery of the Ghostly Feast Cannon when acquiring the assassin.
The sorcery of this era wasn't something to dismiss as outdated.
It definitely had its merits.
'No wonder the Demonic Cult, with Reverse Heaven Demon Gu Cheon-seo holding a seat in the Ten Thousand Demons Hall, leads the field in barrier arts in the Central Plains.'
Unlike the orthodox martial world, where places like the Pearl Eon Family—who specialized in corpse manipulation—or barrier Taoist experts were subtly looked down upon,
the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult stood at the forefront of this era's barrier techniques.
'When I get to the academy, I should have the seniors from Mount Mosan look into it.'
As I mulled that over, my master spoke to me.
- I hesitated to interrupt your focus... but your sorcery isn't working, yet you seem oddly at ease?
'My sorcery isn't working? What are you talking about, Master?'
- ...? The corpses didn't budge even after you commanded them. Hasn't it been countered?
'If my sorcery were truly countered, you and I couldn't even have this conversation.'
- ...Now that you mention it, you're right.
'Tricks like that only block me from commandeering corpses on the spot. The ritual array itself has flaws I can exploit, and my Death Knights aren't affected by such nonsense.'
As I conveyed that to my master, I addressed the assassin silently awaiting orders from the shadows.
'Right, Assassin?'
- I merely await my liege's command.
Just as the assassin replied,
my master posed another question.
- Then why drag this out instead of pulling him out to end it quickly? An assassin like that could be quite helpful.
Chaeng! Chaeng!!
Chaechaeng!!!
I parried the flashing swords of the demonic cultivators before me and answered my master.
'Honestly, I figured Song Gil-jun's odds of being here were only about thirty percent... but since he is, shouldn't I capture him if possible?'
If unavoidable, I'd kill him—but capturing him alive would be preferable.
'Song Gil-jun is the Demonic Cult's strategist, after all.'
A guy like him wouldn't spill all he knew easily,
but just the news of his capture leaking to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains could provoke all sorts of miscalculations.
'So first, I'll play along to make it seem like things are going his way.'
Revealing our full strength too soon would give Song Gil-jun too many options.
Given the Death Screen Barrier formation he'd prepared, there might be traps to collapse the building in an instant,
or he could even choose suicide.
'Plus, I need time to find the Vice Leader.'
To do that, I first needed to send out the ones searching for him.
Counting the demonic cultivators pressing in,
'Thanks to Jeong-hyeon and So-rung, their numbers have thinned.'
Enough that I could handle them alone.
I immediately sent a transmission to Woo So-rung.
[So-rung. Count to twenty inside, then slip out to the left when you see an opening. Search every building nearby.]
[Huh? But...]
[Tsk. Ha-seong mentioned you're getting mouthy these days—guess it's true?]
[...That's not it.]
[No time. Find anything that screams Vice Leader. Twenty. Nineteen...]
[...Yes, Brother Eon.]
Hearing Woo So-rung's reply, I sent a transmission to Jeong-hyeon next.
[Told So-rung to count to twenty and break left. Sending him for the Vice Leader, so you go cover him.]
[You sure you'll be okay?]
[Why does everyone keep asking that? We came here to secure the Vice Leader, right?]
[But these foes seem resistant even to necromancy. Can you handle them alone, Brother Eon?]
I could sense their worry,
but to deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your allies.
To fool Song Gil-jun, I had to use even Woo So-rung and Jeong-hyeon's concern.
[Vice Leader first. So-rung's probably down to nine now. Get ready, Jeong-hyeon.]
Hiding my inner scheme behind a curt order,
Jeong-hyeon replied with a heavy expression.
[...Yes.]
A moment later,
Woo So-rung and Jeong-hyeon broke away as ordered, dashing toward the surrounding buildings.
"Search thoroughly! Leave them intact!"
Song Gil-jun tossed a word their way, then sneered at me.
"Heh heh heh. You think you've strategically pulled those two away? I don't care what happens to the Prince's Residence—as long as I catch you, Eon Yong-un, the biggest obstacle to the Divine Cult's grand scheme."
"Now that you're alone, what will you do?"
"Yeah? This is turning into real trouble."
* * * Leaving Eon Yong-un behind, Woo So-rung and Jeong-hyeon plunged into the buildings, frantically searching the halls.
Ting-
Ting-ting-
Amid the incessant, eerie bell tolls tickling their ears,
"...Jeong-hyeon, maybe we should go help Brother Eon instead? That bell's stopping him from using his sorcery."
Woo So-rung paused while fiddling with a lock and spoke up.
"Brother Woo."
"My hands are shaking—afraid I'll mess up the lock and put Brother Eon in danger. Wouldn't it be better to go back and help?"
At Woo So-rung's words, Jeong-hyeon replied calmly.
"He sent us here because this path is viable. You must press on, even if scared. As he said, he's holding the outside."
"A-Alright."
Though Jeong-hyeon spoke plainly to the fidgety Woo So-rung,
he was burning inside too.
'If the frequency were stronger, I could've swept these demonic cultivators in one go...'
Jeong-hyeon gripped his Songmun Sword, chewing over his own weakness.
Meanwhile, Nangong Yun and Eun Ha-seong, guarding a choke point about a hundred paces from the inner gardens where the others were,
had been driven into a corner by demonic cultivators drawn by the echoing bells—but timely arrival of Dang Ok-gi and Yin Xia Lian had barely saved them.
"Huff. Huff. Think Brother Yong-un and the other two are okay? These bastards are no joke."
"...Yeah."
Even with their own lives on the line moments ago, the pair's concern for those inside prompted Dang Ok-gi and Yin Xia Lian to speak.
"Pick better breathing partners. Worry about the ones worth worrying."
"Says the one who kept fretting about the kids the whole way here."
"We broke off first, so we didn't know if they were safe."
"Honestly, I feel uneasy too."
Ting-
Ting-ting-
"Must be that creepy bell... More coming. Get ready, everyone."
The four juniors holding the path to the inner gardens of the Prince's Residence gripped their swords anew.
Dang Ok-gi claimed he'd broken off first,
but that wasn't entirely true.
"Brother Jong-pal! We're through! You bastard!!"
Outside the Prince's Residence, in the alleys, other beggars and Cheon Jang-ho guarded the area.
Farther still, across mountains and rivers in Liang Province's Prince of Chu Residence,
Flutter flutter-
Flutter flutter flutter-
Ye Hae-su scanned the messenger birds swarming madly.
"Clashes between martial artists breaking out all over Jiangnan out of nowhere... It seems to have started. Are the juniors okay?"
And farther north, in Henan Province's Mount Song,
reachable only after tracing back much longer,
Eon Yong-un's junior brothers had been training since the academy break began: Jeon Yeon-ji? Wait, Je Gal-seolji, Paeng So-cheon, Eon Yong-myeong, and the assisting Won-cheol.
They too received word from Jiangnan.
"...While the Prince of Chu Residence faces upheaval, demonic cultivators are clashing everywhere in Jiangnan?"
As Je Gal-seolji read the urgent missive, Eon Yong-myeong scowled and bolted for the door.
"!"
Paeng So-cheon grabbed him.
"Where to?"
"Trouble in Jiangnan! With the Prince's Residence in that state and demons appearing, Big Brother and the others are in danger!"
At Eon Yong-myeong's outburst, Je Gal-seolji offered a cool analysis.
"Probably. Even without the Prince's incident... with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and Blood Cult starting to tear into each other, Brother Yong-un's schemes must be at play. He's likely fighting for his life somewhere in this storm right now."
"Exactly. We have to go. Can't just sit here."
"But what can we do if we go? Info's limited with royalty involved, and we don't even know exactly where he is."
"...True."
"Even if we did, it's a problem. Liang Province is days away—not a short trip. It'll all be over by the time we arrive."
Paeng So-cheon finally spoke.
"Why fight? Don't fight."
Won-cheol, acting as mediator, chimed in.
"You're not quarreling with each other—you're frustrated with yourselves. Calm down. You're the Dragon of the Realm, aren't you? Master said he's no sapling to be easily broken."
Je Gal-seolji sighed deeply.
"Monk Won-cheol's right. Trust Brother Yong-un. What we should do now is train so we never feel this helpless again."
"......"
Silence fell over the hall for a moment.
The still-silent Eon Yong-myeong tried to head out again,
only for Paeng So-cheon to grab his arm once more.
"Said don't go. I thought it over too—that makes sense. Training here was our promise to Yong-un, right?"
"...Then I'm off to train."
* * * Easy to fill a vacancy, hard to know when one's own is empty, they say.
Ssshak! Ssshak!
Ssshaaaaak!
With Jeong-hyeon and Woo So-rung gone, my hands and feet were indeed busier.
Chaeng! Chaeng!
Chachaeng!! Chaengchaeng!!!
I deflected countless horizontally slashing swords, cleaving the demonic cultivators thrusting them one after another.
Chwaak! Chwaak!
Chwaaaak!!!!
Mimicking the steps of one cornered, exchanging countless bouts with the demons,
'Almost there.'
One big step with Phantom Sky Heaven Step, and I'd be in range of Song Gil-jun.
The problem: the surrounding demonic cultivators leaping in from all directions, aiming to turn me into a porcupine.
Shick! Ssshak!
Ssshak! Ssshaak!
But it was worth trying.
This was the moment I'd been waiting for.
Ssshaaaaaak!
With focus heightened to the extreme, stretching time like taffy, I drew my scabbard with my left hand.
Chaeeeng!!!!
Regret blocked overhead strikes, the scabbard thrusts from the front.
Chaengchaeng!!
The demons converged on me like sunflowers facing the sun.
"Kuh."
Gritting my teeth, I shoved off the swords pressing my blade.
Kaaaaang!
The encircling demons struck triumphant poses, bellies exposed for a split second.
'Assassin.'
I played my trump card.
'Now.'
- Yes, my liege.
A massive drain of inner energy hit, and the assassin burst from the shadows with a pop!
Drawing his sword like lightning amid the charging demons.
Chwaaaaaak!!!!!!!
A black crescent slashed out, felling the surrounding demons at once.
I immediately kicked off toward Song Gil-jun, tossing a line.
"So, who is the one in big trouble now?"