Chapter 66: Breaking Through the Line of Death (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 66: Breaking Through the Line of Death (2)
We advanced for about fifteen minutes before stopping to rest again.
More than anything, my physical strength and Condensed Internal Energy were so depleted that I could no longer keep up with the Demon Subjugation Group. On the other hand, the possessed members of the group seemed to have endless energy, showing no signs of fatigue.
"Everyone, rest for fifteen minutes before we move out again."
Just as I was looking for a quiet spot to begin my Energy Circulation Practice, Do Yeon approached me with a question.
"Why is the Demonic Cult League trying so hard to stop us?"
Dried blood was splattered across her face, making her look less like a haughty noblewoman and more like a cold-blooded, lethal beauty.
"I don't know the full story either. Perhaps they’re after this manual? Seeing how the Nine Demons Chamber joined this Demon Subjugation Group under various pretexts, it’s a safe bet."
"But would they mobilize this many masters just for a single manual?"
As expected of Do Yeon, she wasn't just skilled in martial arts and beautiful; she was sharp, too. She had pointed out a problem I hadn't even considered.
"Now that you mention it, you're right. Why go to such lengths, mobilizing high-level masters, just to cling to this manual?"
Do Yeon shared her theory.
"I'm worried they might be planning to use this manual to create jiangshi. Throughout the history of the Murim, any group seeking to conquer the world has tried to create them. However, the Art of the Jiangshi has many flaws; while they might be strong against average martial artists, they are actually weak against super-peak masters. Perhaps they are putting in this much effort to overcome that weakness?"
I nodded, agreeing with her logic.
While Do Yeon was lost in thought, I prepared to start my Energy Circulation Practice. Seeing this, Hwang Chu approached me.
"We don't have much time left, Young Hero Eo."
He meant there wasn't enough time for a full session.
"I'll only circulate my energy for about fifteen minutes. How much time do we have left?"
Hwang Chu answered my question.
"About half an hour."
"Then we should have enough time. Within half an hour, we should be able to rendezvous with the Demon Subjugation Groups from the Emei and Qingcheng Sects."
We still hadn't broken through the Demonic Cult League's Heaven-Earth Dragnet. Having already survived three skirmishes, I had no idea how many more of them were still hunting us. It was worrying, but since we were almost there, I felt I could afford a small moment of respite.
Besides, I lacked the strength to move right now; I had to recover my internal power. Anyone who has climbed a mountain knows the feeling—when your legs turn to jelly just before reaching the summit, and you can't take another step. That was exactly my state.
The Twin Heroes of Guiyang stood guard around me, and Jeok Yeong remained close by as well.
The benefit of having a Circulating Dantian in the upper dantian was that the time required for energy circulation was gradually decreasing. Normally, when performing Energy Guiding Technique—whether through a Small or Major Heavenly Cycle—one has to release the internal energy from the lower dantian into each acupoint, passing through every single one. This meant the process couldn't be finished quickly.
Unorthodox cultivation methods took advantage of this by skipping less important acupoints, making their energy circulation twice as fast as Orthodox methods. While this allowed them to build internal power more quickly, the skipped acupoints would atrophy, preventing the practitioner from ever surpassing a certain level of advanced martial arts.
However, with a Circulating Dantian in the upper dantian, the Condensed Internal Energy moved naturally, like water flowing from high to low, gathering the energy scattered in various acupoints back into the upper dantian. In other words, while normal energy circulation requires intense concentration, Energy Circulation Practice with a Circulating Dantian doesn't require such meticulous focus on every acupoint.
This was why, as seen during the assassin incident at Ten Thousand Dragons Fortress, I could speak even while performing Energy Circulation Practice once my upper dantian became a Circulating Dantian.
I took a deep breath, preparing to draw back the energy I had released from my upper dantian.
It was then.
My upper dantian's Qi, which could now perceive surroundings quite clearly, detected an incredibly damp and sinister energy.
A powerful enemy!
I felt it instinctively. I snapped my eyes open and shouted.
"Everyone, get into formation! The enemy is coming!"
At my cry, Jeok Yeong and Do Yeon jumped, immediately scanning the perimeter. The Demon Subjugation Group members also cut their rest short, drawing their weapons and looking around.
Patter, patter!
With a sound like falling rain, men in black masks landed lightly in front of us. One was the man I had fought over the bundle containing the Legend of a Master, and the other was a man who reeked of overwhelming strength. Behind them stood a line of masked men who looked far more formidable than the Demonic Cult League masters we had faced so far.
Those are the real members of the Ghost Pursuit Squad.
The man threw the bundle at me.
"Do you have any idea how many of our men died because of this?"
So, they had finally tracked me down after getting their hands on that.
"How did you find us?" I asked, curious.
The man replied, "We followed the scent you left on this cloth."
To track someone by scent, they would need hounds, but no matter where I looked, I couldn't see any.
"With what? You don't even have a dog. Don't tell me you've got the nose of a mutt?"
The man's face flushed red with rage.
"What nonsense! The Rat King over there found you."
The Rat King? Looking closer, I saw one man cradling a black rat the size of a cat. Honestly, rats are always the problem, no matter where you go.
I locked eyes with the man and said, "Still, you managed to defeat the Blood Lama and the masters of Ancient Wood Valley to get that bundle, so you must be stronger than them. But now that you have it, why keep chasing us? Do you not like the manual?"
The man ground his teeth. "Stop your nonsense! You put a ridiculous book in there! Hand over the real manual!"
I sneered at him. "The Legend of a Master I gave you is far more valuable than any manual. It features the world's greatest martial arts, the greatest divine skills, and all the best mental cultivation methods. It literally only contains the techniques used by the greatest masters. I don't see why you'd hate it."
"You bastard!"
The man was so incensed he looked ready to devour me whole. As he lost his composure, the man standing silently beside him spoke in a low voice.
"Samho, step back."
At those words, the man whose eyes were practically spitting fire flinched and retreated.
"I am the Unit Leader."
I grinned. "If you're the Unit Leader, you must be No. 2, since that guy is Samho. Am I right?"
The man calling himself the Unit Leader smiled back. It was a deeply unsettling, gloomy smile.
"You certainly have a silver tongue. I don't need to hear anything else. If you hand over the manual and that man right now, I'll let the rest of you go."
"Hahaha! You expect me to believe that?"
Hwang Chu poked me in the back. It was a signal that the possession time was almost up and the spirits would soon return to the Soul-Soothing Three Spirit Bell. We didn't have time for idle chatter.
I looked at the Unit Leader and said, "Fine, I'll trust your word."
I reached into my robe and pulled out a manual. As soon as I did, the man who had been glaring at me earlier stared at the book intensely, likely trying to verify if it was genuine.
"Here, I'm throwing it, so catch it!"
I made a motion as if tossing it into the air. As their eyes instinctively followed the phantom movement, I barked an order.
"Charge!"
In a fight against masters of this caliber, inducing even a moment of distraction was a massive advantage.
"Tah!"
Jeok Yeong charged forward, taking on two of the men in black at once.
"Dammit!"
However, breaking through wasn't easy. These enemies were on par with our possessed Demon Subjugation Group members.
"The possession is fading because the ghostly energy is running low! We have to reduce their numbers now!"
Hearing Hwang Chu's urgent warning, I gave another command.
"Wipe them all out!"
"Wooooh!"
Letting out chilling, ethereal cries, the Demon Subjugation Group lunged at the Ghost Pursuit Squad. Even with their ghostly energy waning, the possessed group was still formidable. They didn't give an inch. I felt a surge of pride, even if their strength came from the possession technique.
However, because the enemies were also exceptionally skilled, the formation centered around me began to scatter. It turned into a chaotic melee, leaving me completely exposed.
This isn't good. But I can't call the others back to my side while they're in the middle of a fierce fight.
If I called the group back and created an opening, the members themselves would be the ones to suffer. Seeing me exposed, one of the Ghost Pursuit Squad members rushed toward me.
"Sipho, be careful! He's a master!" Samho warned his subordinate.
You're Sipho (No. 10)? Well, I'm No. 4, you brat. I'm higher in the rankings than you.
With that silly thought, I funneled my internal power into the Golden Qi-Poisoning Bracelet. I felt confident that with the bracelet, I could handle at least a few of them.
"Tch!"
As the man flew toward me in a straight line with his sword raised, I kicked off the ground and performed a Drawing Sword Technique.
Clang!
My strike was too linear, and he blocked it easily.
"You think you can win with a sword like that?"
The man looked back at me and smirked. Having clashed once, he seemed confident he could win. But that was his mistake.
The moment I brushed past him, the lethal poison from the Golden Qi-Poisoning Bracelet had already been released. The sword strike was merely a distraction.
Still wearing that smirk, the man suddenly coughed up a spray of blood and collapsed.
"Sipho!" Samho screamed.
In moments like this, a bit of acting was required to emphasize my composure—specifically, the exaggerated acting of protagonists from martial arts novels. I let my sword hang naturally at my side and gave him a faint smile.
This was the classic pose of a novel's protagonist. The books always said it was a stance that looked full of openings but made enemies too afraid to attack. The funny thing was, it actually worked in reality.
"Your turn. Come at me!"
As I spoke with feigned nonchalance, the man trembled.
"What kind of sorcery is this? Sipho clearly blocked your sword perfectly!"
I mocked him. "It's not sorcery; your skill is just too low to see what happened. When he blocked my sword, he couldn't withstand the massive Condensed Internal Energy flowing through it. His blood vessels simply burst, and he died."
To the naked eye, that was exactly what it looked like.
"Nonsense!"
Two other masked men standing next to Samho lunged at me. I stomped the ground and drew my sword again. Despite their shouting, they must have believed me a little, as they avoided clashing with my sword directly.
However, they had already inhaled the poison from the Golden Qi-Poisoning Bracelet as they passed me. When I didn't follow up with an attack after the draw, they closed in on me.
Huh? They should be coughing up blood and falling over by now.
Did the poison fail?
I had relied so much on the bracelet that I hadn't even taken a defensive stance. I just stared at them blankly for a moment. To anyone else, I must have looked like a man with a death wish.
Fortunately, just as they reached me, they both crumpled to the ground and died instantly.
Dammit, if you're going to die, do it quickly. You nearly gave me a heart attack.
I let out a sigh of relief, clutching my chest.
Watching me and his dead subordinates alternately, Samho’s voice shook.
"Th-this... the swords didn't even touch..."
Samho's eyes went wide with shock.
"I killed them with my Sword Qi," I bluffed.
Killing someone from a distance with Sword Qi? That was a feat only possible for super-peak masters. It was no wonder he was terrified.
"Sword Qi? Is that so? To me, it looks like a very peculiar technique."
The Unit Leader stepped forward, unmoved by my bluff.
"Unit Leader, let me handle him."
At those words, I shouted to Jeok Yeong.
"Little Brother Jeok, you handle that Samho fellow! We shouldn't use a butcher's cleaver to kill a chicken!"
"Understood, Brother!"
"Watch out, Samho. Here I come!"
Jeok Yeong shouted as he lunged toward Samho. Up until that point, Jeok Yeong had been performing brilliantly. I had lost count of how many Ghost Pursuit Squad members—all first-rate masters—he had already cut down.
He was truly a demon of the sword.