Chapter 455
Chapter 455
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 455
Chapter Title: Coincidence and Inevitability (9)
I placed my hand on the ground and unleashed Eon Spirit.
Sahaaak—
The energy surging from my dantian began tracing out the ritual circle, extending toward the scattered corpses of the demons littering the area.
At that, Jang Cheol-han realized the meaning behind my mention of reinforcements and muttered,
"…Guryong. Right, that's what they called you before you were known as the Invincible Sword?"
A question must have occurred to him mid-thought, as he added,
"But it's broad daylight right now? With yang energy so abundant, is it even possible to move the dead?"
Just then, the ritual circle finished forming, so I stepped on the core nucleus at its center and activated the Poem of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.
"Poem of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" ⟨ Activated ⟩
A black sphere bloomed within the ritual circle and shot up into the sky.
Shuwaaaak!
Earthly yin energy surged toward the pitch-black sphere hanging in the heavens.
The gathered yin coalesced into jet-black clouds, raining down dark lightning that blotted out the sun.
Rumble rumble ruuumble!!!
A solar eclipse occurred, plunging the bright day into sudden darkness.
Abundant yin energy prickled against my skin.
The Poem of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons would grant life force and strength to the ghouls about to be born, while simultaneously boosting the confidence of my Eon siblings.
…They'll know whose handiwork this is at a glance.
As I thought that,
Jang Cheol-han opened his mouth with a dazed expression.
"Manipulating the heavens at will? What… what is this…."
I tossed a word his way.
"Looks like it's plenty dark enough to move the dead now, doesn't it?"
At that moment,
The energy extending toward the corpses, empowered by the abundant yin, began wrapping around them tightly.
Whiririririk!!
Dozens of pitch-black cocoons soon formed in the Azure Dragon Sect's backyard.
Accepting the black magic's rebirth through shedding and renewal, the newly born corpse soldiers began tearing through their black cocoons and stepping out.
Kraa!
Kraaaaa!!
Skin hardened to a pitch black.
Corpse poison leaking with every breath.
Sharp claws and fangs grown by feeding on the remaining inner energy in their bodies.
Jang Cheol-han swallowed dryly at the appearance of these rare beings from the mortal world.
"Truth be told, even calling you one of the Ten Great Swords of the World might be too narrow… I've heard you command the dead, but I never imagined something like this. You're a one-man army, truly."
Wu So-rung beamed with pride and spoke up.
"Hehe. Brother Eon's sorcery is the real deal, unmatched. Right, Brother Eun?"
Eun Ha-seong puffed up with equal pride.
"That's right, that's right. Actually, folks who clashed with Brother Yong-un in the White Path Murim need to realize he was holding back. He didn't use any of these tricks, just pure martial prowess—that's like playing chess without your queen and still winning. Only the demons have seen his true power. And most of them ended up dead."
It was so ridiculous I brought up an old story.
"Why only demons? You're one of them who trash-talked and got beat by me."
"Why bring that up again? Can't you let it slide?"
Meanwhile,
The last ghoul burst from the remaining cocoon.
Kraaaaa!
Confirming it, I oriented myself toward the point Gong Son-mu-gyeol was defending and spoke.
"The Alliance Leader will be between my backup and the Black Tortoise Sect. Let's go, Senior Brother."
I kicked off the ground.
The Azure Dragon Trio and the ghouls stuck close behind me.
Among them, Jang Cheol-han asked,
"You said we were going to cut off the head, right? You mean that Hyeok Ryeon-so guy?"
"Yes. One of his inner circle came to the Brain Prison, so he's probably where the Alliance Leader is."
Wu So-rung followed up with his curiosity.
"But is it okay for us to head there? Didn't they say the Azure Dragon Trio should support the most dangerous spots?"
I raised my thumb toward the ghouls following behind.
"That's only if the forces the Azure Dragon Trio faces are small-scale. With this many reinforcements focused on you, the demon forces at other points would naturally thin out."
"Ah, so you're saying the other places aren't particularly dangerous?"
"Probably not for now."
I said that and glanced up at the sky.
The blackened heavens made the pure white Yung-yong stand out even more, gliding leisurely through the air without a care.
"Yung-yong's calm for now, at least. Before we came here, it was signaling danger at the Vermilion Bird Sect, but it's quiet now—looks like Gong Yun and Monk Won-cheol handled it themselves."
I shifted my gaze toward where Gong Son-mu-gyeol and Hyeok Ryeon-so were likely clashing and continued.
"Anyway, this Hyeok Ryeon-so bastard is more troublesome than he seems. Unlike the demons we've faced so far, pickled in their own arrogance and overconfidence… this one's different."
Eun Ha-seong shot back,
"How so?"
"Think about how he hit the mountain village—shows he's suspicious. He showed up exactly on the date Eun Sojeo and Je-gal Sojeo predicted, so he's patient. And launching this gamble from the Azure Dragon Sect? Decisive too."
As I answered,
Eun Ha-seong quipped,
"Isn't that just demon self-loathing?"
Master chimed in agreement.
- Oh! I was just thinking the same thing—Ha-seong nailed it!
Pretending not to hear them, I finished my assessment of Hyeok Ryeon-so.
"Anyway. Letting him live would make him a lingering thorn."
Then Eun Ha-seong dropped his joking and asked sharply,
"But if Brother Gong Yun's side won like you said, and the other areas are stable… doesn't that make Hyeok Ryeon-so a rat in a trap? Just stall a bit and the Shaolin disciples will crash the party."
However, I shook my head firmly.
"We can't just count our own forces. What did I just say about Hyeok Ryeon-so?"
"Uh… that he's troublesome?"
"Exactly. Meaning he's someone the demons can pin their hopes on. Confirmed so far: three of the Eight Great Clans of Ghost City have joined him."
"Three out of eight…."
"Considering the Jin Clan that produced the Blood Demon is lying low like rats after that mess, that's practically half backing Hyeok Ryeon-so. The youngest prince who should've been poisoned or assassinated ages ago."
"Y-Yeah."
"Beyond those who've followed us here, there'll be others in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains secretly rooting for him. So the demons might have reinforcements too. No, they definitely do. That's why we need to take out Hyeok Ryeon-so while we have the advantage."
How long had we been walking while talking?
We soon reached the vicinity of our target point.
Chaeng! Chaeng!!!!
Chaechaechaeng! Chaenchaeng!!!!
We quickened our pace at the deafening clash of blades.
We arrived at a spot overlooking the group locked in fierce combat.
The strike team's formation is still intact. But we've got more wounded on our side.
Kang! Kang!
Kaaang! Kangkangkang!!!
In the fray was Gong Son-mu-gyeol wildly swinging his sword against the combined assault of a sharp-eyed young demon and an elderly one at his side.
- That must be the Hyeok Ryeon-so guy? He oddly resembles Ryeon-geum. Blood can't lie, huh?
I nodded and issued orders to the Azure Dragon Trio.
"You three, stick behind me like before. You lot."
I commanded the ghouls I'd brought.
"Bite!"
The ghouls charged at the demons.
Kraaaaa!!
Elite as they were, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult responded calmly.
Kraa!!
Even demons couldn't help but flinch at their grotesque forms at first sight, yet they didn't panic.
"Eon Yong-un's here, looks like. Five per ghoul. Form the Ghost Killer Array."
They methodically retreated in unison, reforming ranks and systematically slicing into the charging ghouls.
Hwaruruk—
Whenever their swords grazed ghoul flesh, the wounds burned away.
They'd applied sorcery to their blades.
Similar principle to the Mosan Sect's Four Ghosts Seven Stars Sword….
The Reverse Heaven Demon Gu's Weird King's Division oversaw demonic necromancy and had backed the eldest prince in the original story.
But they hadn't completely ignored the youngest.
Reverse Heaven Demon Gu Cheon-seo. If he's aiding Hyeok Ryeon-so… there must be other reinforcements.
The thought to hurry flashed through my mind again.
To do that, I needed to help the strike team regroup.
Seizing the opening as they focused on the ghouls, I approached Gong Son-mu-gyeol.
"Are you alright, Alliance Leader?"
He caught his breath and gave an awkward smile.
"Hoo. Look at me—hardly presentable. What a loss of face."
"No. You look cooler than ever. There was a slight misjudgment on the Azure Dragon side, but your leadership turned it around and got us here."
"You sure know how to sweet-talk. Hoo. I'll take the old one. The young one's Heavenly Demon Divine Art disrupts my energy flow."
"Probably based on Reverse Heaven and Heaven-Earth Great Nurturing principles."
"Yeah. From sparring you, I managed somehow, but it's fundamentally a counter to my Hyunwon Sword."
"Got it. I'll handle Hyeok Ryeon-so. Ha-seong and So-rung, follow me."
"Yep."
"Yes."
"Senior Jang, assist the Alliance Leader."
"Understood."
Finishing the talk, Gong Son-mu-gyeol and I kicked off toward our assigned foes.
Chwaak! Chwaak!
Chwaaaak!!
As we broke into their ranks, the clustered demons naturally split in two.
Hyeok Ryeon-so, now facing me, grinned.
"Pearl Eon Family's scoundrel?"
"Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's youngest prince? You're splitting up, huh? Must be hilarious?"
"Well, you and Gong Son-mu-gyeol were our targets from the start? Walking right into our hands saves us the trouble—how could I not laugh?"
"Nah. The moment you saw us coming, you knew you were screwed if we had a head to cut off. All bluster."
"I'll let you see if it's bluster."
He charged, smile intact despite my words.
Whiiiish!!
His left hand rippled with dark energy akin to Heaven-Splitting power.
I met his palm strike with Anti-Dragon Palm infused with my own Heaven-Splitting inner energy.
Kwaaaaaang!!!
A shockwave shook the area between our palms.
As my power didn't bend to his will, the smirk faded from Hyeok Ryeon-so's lips.
"……."
"What's with the face? I told you I'm the Sword Demon's successor. Isn't that why you slithered here?"
With that opener, I insulted his ancestors on a whim.
"Master said Hyeok Ryeon-geum was sharp as a tack, even tossed him some martial arts. But why are all you descendants such disappointments? Tsk."
"What?"
Direct lineage, huh?
It clearly stung.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Around the time Eon Yong-un first clashed with Hyeok Ryeon-so.
Jeong Hyun, Yin Xia Lian, Dang Ok-gi, Cheon Jang-ho, and Eon Yong-myeong—
Five Eon siblings, along with Grand Duke Yeo Chi-su and Demonic Musician Wang Seon-nam, were battling demons.
Kang! Kaaang!
Kaaaaang!!!!
Despite evacuating precious spirit herbs and elixirs beforehand, considerable forces were concentrated here due to the valuable herbs remaining.
Cheap didn't mean unimportant.
For instance, galgeun was a common herb effective against fever for treating ganmo—colds.
After brutal battles where many died or were injured, epidemics often followed, making such herbs vital.
But with evacuation sites scarce, they couldn't move everything from the Medicine King Hall.
Thus, the Medicine King Hall group's mission was to defend this place at all costs.
Chwaaaak!!!
As the last demon invading the Medicine King Hall clutched his throat and fell to Jeong Hyun's sword.
Thud.
Dang Ok-gi caught her breath roughly and let out a dry laugh.
"Haa. We held them off? Eclipse started from the Vermilion Bird side—looks like that went to plan too?"
Then Yeo Chi-su's expression hardened as he spoke.
"Dang Sojeo, don't let your guard down. I sense an ominous aura from that direction."
The Eon siblings' gazes turned toward where Yeo Chi-su stared.
Gooo—
A black-robed wanderer appeared over the horizon.
Wang Seon-nam's brow furrowed.
"Aura's off, and his features match the demon spotted at Taeho… Didn't Yong-un say he's a Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Radiant Right Envoy?"