Chapter 358
Chapter 358
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 358
Chapter Title: School Trip (4)
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Yunnan Province's southern tip.
Unlike the Myriad Mountains Range encircled by snow-capped peaks like a folding screen, this area featured the Ulin Mountains, where lush green ridges layered upon one another.
The range stretching down from Guangxi was known among the people as the Thousand Layer Mountains.
Nestled within the folds of these Ulin Mountains, called the Thousand Layer Mountains, stood a temple of an unorthodox cult, fortified like a fortress.
This was the so-called Blood Heaven Asura Palace, the Blood Cult's main headquarters.
At the center of the Blood Heaven Asura Palace rose a grand stone palace, majestically built from stacked boulders.
Every pillar was carved with demonic figures, and the ceiling bore murals of those demons writhing in prostration.
Into this grand hall strode a man, his blood-red robe billowing.
Thud... thud...
He was the Blood Demon, who had declared independence by stripping the first two characters from the name Heavenly Blood Demon bestowed upon him by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Blood Demon Jin Gworang.
At Jin Gworang's appearance, the Blood Cult demons lining both sides knelt like crashing waves.
"Hail the Cult Leader!"
Yet Jin Gworang indifferently passed by his subordinates offering obeisance.
He glanced at the throne elevated on several steps and murmured,
"It feels like they've transplanted the Ten Thousand Demons Hall wholesale."
At those words from Jin Gworang,
The demons arrayed left and right below the throne prostrated themselves and spoke in unison.
"We beg your forgiveness."
Among them, the foremost in the front row—one of the Blood Cult's Cult Protector Kings, Child King Ja Wang—spoke up.
"The Ten Thousand Demons Hall has a structure that's easy to defend against enemies in terms of formations. Moreover, its grandeur will inspire awe in our cultists and instill reverence in the local natives. We took some liberties in modeling it after that."
"I'm not blaming you, Ja Wang."
"...Then?"
To Ja Wang's question,
Jin Gworang stared northward toward the Myriad Mountains Range and gave a wry smile.
"Standing here, it reminds me of the expression on that bastard Hyeok Ryeon-gang's face—looking down at me from the top seat in the Ten Thousand Demons Hall as if I were beneath notice."
"...Just as that era you recall has become the past, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult will soon fade into the annals of history. The day will come when Hyeok Ryeon-gang, the Ten Thousand Demons, and all the heroes of the orthodox world prostrate themselves in this Blood Demon Hall."
Ja Wang's words were no mere flattery.
They were a necessary step toward the Blood Cult's goal of a world bathed in blood.
However, Jin Gworang was no naive optimist basking in such assurances.
He gave another wry smile and seated himself on the throne.
"Hyeok Ryeon-gang—that guy's a monster. Back in our youth, my brother was a martial prodigy no less than me, and our Jin Clan was one of the Eight Great Families that toyed with the Ten Thousand Demons Hall."
"...Indeed, that was the case."
"Now, what of the Hyeok Clan?"
"They were direct descendants of the founding Heavenly Demon, but... successive cult leaders failed to master the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and devolved into idiots, causing the clan's prestige to plummet. Even the Eight Great Families turned their backs."
"Right. In that very situation, during the Junior Cult Leader selection tournament, what did Hyeok Ryeon-gang do?"
"......"
"You're holding back because it's about my brother."
"We beg your forgiveness."
"I'll remind you myself. Hyeok Ryeon-gang slaughtered my brother and all the heirs of the Eight Families, claiming the Junior Cult Leader position. He then crushed their endless assassination attempts and schemes as if they were a joke, purging them until he ascended to Cult Leader."
"......"
"Hyeok Ryeon-gang—the only one in the Ten Thousand Demons Hall who ever made this seat tense. He's no pushover."
"...We shall keep that in mind."
Jin Gworang was wary of Hyeok Ryeon-gang, but not paralyzed by fear.
"Well, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was flawed from the start. That bastard Hyeok Ryeon-gang will end up pacing in vain in the Heavenly Demon Cave like his predecessors, driven mad."
That very conviction—that victory was possible—had led him to break away from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult in the first place.
"While he's wasting away like that, if my Blood Rain Divine Art reaches perfection... the Left and Right Envoys under him, and all the rest, won't last ten exchanges against me."
As Jin Gworang exuded confidence,
The demons prostrated below the dais chanted the Blood Cult's slogan in unison.
"Blood Flames Across the World! Ten Thousand Demons in Submission!"
Jin Gworang waved dismissively at them, then fixed his gaze on Ja Wang once more and spoke.
"So, what of the All-People Blood?"
"It seems the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult really is accelerating their research on it."
"Reliable intel?"
"Yes. Verified through multiple channels. However, the info originated from the dregs of the Black City, and despite warring with us, they haven't relocated their bases..."
"It's bait?"
"Yes. They clearly intend to draw out our core forces."
"Pretty blatant. Didn't expect them to come at us so openly..."
"Indeed."
"Clever move, though. With Hyeok Ryeon-gang holed up in the Heavenly Demon Cave, nothing would give me the power to topple the Ten Thousand Demons Hall like the All-People Blood. That sly old fox... So, how are the underlings moving?"
"According to South Sea Archbishop Sa Gyeom's report, with Black Island fully exposed, the ritual will take place on Sakwol Island."
"Sakwol Island?"
"Yes. I've ordered Sa Gyeom to keep watch. As for the White Path martial world, we've leaked our coastal bases except this one through the Doggo Clan."
"Good. So this 'school trip' is really them coming to wipe out the All-People Blood research facilities?"
"Precisely. With supply depots across the entire South Sea coast, the academy students will split up. The group with Doggo Cheol is heading to the Brain Province Peninsula for now."
At Ja Wang's words, the Blood Demon smirked.
"Hmph. That rotten old Thunder Brain. He probably thought he'd crush us without getting his hands dirty via the White Path martial world. But he has no idea our spies are embedded deep in their cradle."
"Likely."
"Once Doggo Cheol reaches the Brain Province Peninsula, have the Archbishop make contact. Probe exactly what the White Path folks are thinking—and exploit it if we can."
"Understood."
Jin Gworang waved off the bowing demons.
Then, staring toward the Myriad Mountains Range again, he chuckled darkly.
"Too bad leaving the Ten Thousand Demons Hall means I won't get to see Hyeok Ryeon-gang and that Thunder Brain geezer's faces twist in rage."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The Grand Marshal quickly moved to sort out the situation.
He threw Song Gil-joon back into the thunder prison.
"The fire at the east pier was an accidental blaze. However, given these turbulent times, we conducted emergency training to heighten vigilance."
He issued a public statement smoothing over the previous night's incident.
As everyone breathed a sigh of relief,
Professor No Sam poked my side and whispered,
"You knew in advance, didn't you?"
"Pardon?"
"About the fire."
"Ah. Yes."
"Hmph. Wonder if that Chang Ryang bastard's gonna blow a gasket again for not telling him ahead."
That's when Professor Chang Ryang suddenly approached and spoke up.
"What was that?"
"Mom! What kind of Taoist sneaks up without a sound like that?"
Professor No Sam jumped in shock,
And Professor Chang Ryang snorted.
"You were badmouthing me, so you didn't notice. Professor Je Gal and Professor Paeng are here too—what do you mean 'sneaking up'?"
"...Ahem. W-well! It wasn't badmouthing. Just saying you might nag Yong-un again."
"I've told you time and again, I'm not the type to nitpick unconditionally. Training like this is necessary."
After snapping at Professor No Sam, Professor Chang Ryang turned to me.
"The cadets seemed too tense. This training loosened things up—the mood's better now. It was more than adequate. Not bad."
At Professor Chang Ryang's words, my master chimed in.
- More than adequate, yet 'not bad'? Does that even make sense?
'...It's his way of praising.'
- He's really bad at this uncharacteristic stuff. So awkward.
That's when Professor Je Gal-min and Uncle Jae-hyeok, who had approached with Professor Chang Ryang, spoke up.
"Hmm. Doesn't seem like they'd burn that much just for training. There's more to it."
"......"
"Well, not for academy professors to meddle in the Grand Marshal's affairs. Hyea will handle it. That said... Chairman Eon, shouldn't we gather the cadets and give them a pep talk?"
"Yeah. Seems calmer thanks to the training, as Professor Chang Ryang said. But now's the time to rally them."
In truth, their suggestion matched what I had in mind.
"Yes. I was planning to gather the cadets separately anyway."
I quickly assembled the entire student body.
"This is Student Council President Eon Yong-un. Despite the sudden crisis, our cadets' calm response was exemplary. It shows the academy's training wasn't in vain."
I began my speech.
"However, complacency is forbidden. Demons demand eternal vigilance."
After praising and rallying them from the dais,
I spotted my sullen underclassmen with their cold expressions.
"......"
"......"
"......"
"......"
"......"
A suffocating silence hung between us for a moment.
My master prodded me.
- You said you'd apologize. Cat got your tongue?
'......'
- Yong-un, you're sneakily antisocial. You did it for their sake, right? But not telling them leaves 'em like this. Sheesh.
'...Master giving me relationship advice?'
- ?
'?'
- ???
Whatever the reason, it was true I hadn't said a word to them.
So I spoke first.
"Once we cross-verify the intel Song Gil-joon spilled, we'll split into groups and scatter. Gonna sulk the whole way?"
"......"
"Fine, I'll admit it—I've kept you in the dark multiple times. Guilty."
At my words,
The ones surrounding me fired back in disbelief, one after another.
"Primeval Heavenly Venerable. Not 'multiple'—it's every time."
- Yeah. More than a few. Look at him downplaying it even now... that devilish tongue.
"Dojang Jeong-hyeon is right. With Galaxy Star as the leaky sieve she is, Big Bro Yong-un opens his mouth and it's all lies. Big Mouth Bro!"
"Exactly!"
Faced with their barrage,
I corrected myself.
"...Alright, more than a few times. Happy? But those were special circumstances. Had to go that far to fool bastards like Song Gil-joon."
At that, Yin Ha-yeon and Eon Yong-myeong sighed and replied.
"Sigh. We get it, Young Master Eon. But you need to understand us too. This isn't just pouting. We were terrified."
"Lady Yin's right. Chaos everywhere, and the quarters you assigned burned to the ground... We thought Song Gil-joon escaped. That's why we're upset."
As they finished,
I spoke.
"Same here. We've gathered intel and prepped solidly, I thought. But splitting up to fight demon cultists like this? First time."
"......"
"I'm worried about you too. Wanted precise locations, better vantage points. No one wants to hear their sweat-sharing, hardship-enduring comrades died or got hurt—not even me."
"......"
"And you're the ones I clashed with most over it."
"......"
Silence fell again after I finished.
Breaking it, Yin Ha-yeon let out a longer sigh than before.
"Haa. Young Master Eon, you're awful. How do you make it impossible to even get mad?"
Beside her, Dang Ok-gi chimed in grumpily.
"That's why Eon Yong-un's even worse. I've said it a million times—sew that mouth shut!"
Yin Ha-seong immediately shrieked.
"Sister Ok-gi knew the whole story! Why sneak in a nod and pile on?!"
"Ack!!!!! Just this once! And I didn't know everything! Just made the smoke bombs! If Seol-ji knew, she'd have told everyone!"
As Yin Ha-seong and Dang Ok-gi bickered,
Namgung Yun quietly asked,
"So, have we pinpointed where the research is directly happening?"
"Needs a bit more verification, but... Gil-joon's intel feels legit."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I quickly returned to routine.
Trained with the cadets and helped rebuild the burned pier in spare moments.
Meanwhile, verification of Song Gil-joon's intel wrapped up.
"Black Island and nearby archipelagoes drew the Red Dragon Palace's eyes, but they're decoys. This Sakwol Island..."
"Pretty remote, huh?"
"Yeah. Map-wise it looks far, but per the Red Dragon Palace folks versed in currents... once through this rough strait here, sea routes link to our inland bases."
And so, departure day dawned.
The Righteous Martial Academy cadets assembled at Wuchang's pier, dividing by destination.
"Yin Ha-yeon, Yin Ha-seong, Je Gal Seol-ji, Woo So-neung, Namgung Yun, Namgung Young."
I called out the ones heading down the Yangtze by name,
Then shared parting words with representative Yin Ha-yeon.
"Clean up your assignments and regroup. I'll treat you to something besides beef noodle soup then."
"The most expensive thing on the menu, for real."
"Safe travels."
"You too, Young Master Eon."
After sending off the group bound for Zhejiang and Fujian,
We headed south along Dongting Lake's waterways.
At the fork to Guangxi and Guangdong, we bid farewell to Senior Ye Hae-su and Elder Blue Dragon.
"Yang Chong-ki will meet you, and Senior Ye has connections—no worries there. Guangxi's safer thanks to the Super King Manor, but stay cautious. Especially Elder Blue Dragon—don't get emotional just 'cause it's home."
"I'm not that emotional."
"I've seen enough tears from you to fill a bucket. Should we swap your Guangxi assignment even now..."
"...Sure, emotions surge sometimes. But I handle business fine, don't I?!"
"I'll trust you."
Continuing south to the sea, we reached the Brain Province Peninsula jutting like a dagger.
Thinking we were really on a school trip, the Haenam Sect disciples who came to greet us offered clasped-hand salutes.
"You've had a hard journey. Not sure if the extreme realm masters or celestials at the academy mentioned it, but Haenam is great for excursions."
"Eon Yong-un."
Fatigued from travel and needing to maintain the school trip facade until entering Haenam Island,
We toured Brain Province under the warm welcome of Haenam Sect disciples.
Shortly after wandering about,
Doggo Cheol sent me a transmission.
[Chairman. Found a marker from higher-ups wanting contact.]