Chapter 184: Journey to the Demonic Cult (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 184: Journey to the Demonic Cult (2)
Seo-jun toyed with the sleeve he had just unraveled and rewoven.
‘This is better than I expected.’
For one, it was far more convenient than the Sword Control Art. Since the threads formed a single, continuous strand, they didn't snap under pressure.
More importantly, after trying it once, he already had the hang of it.
‘If I unraveled the whole thing and wove it back together, I bet I could even change the patterns.’
It felt like playing a game of cat’s cradle with Qi. Originally, this robe made of Heavenly Silk—which Seo-jun simply called the Heavenly Silk Garment—wasn't designed for this, but it wasn't impossible if he put his mind to it.
Back when he was in the Peak Realm, he used to play cat’s cradle with his internal energy just to pass the time. This was child's play.
Maintaining his persona as Baek Seo-jun, he casually scanned his surroundings.
Nearly a hundred cultists had died in his single strike, yet their numbers remained significant.
And this wasn't the only battlefield. He didn't know the full details, but it was clear a massive force had invaded Kunlun…
“Hey there, old Taoist.”
“…What is it?”
“Don’t look so terrified. I’m in a good mood today.”
Baek Seo-jun approached the priest with a smirk.
“Since we’ve met like this, why don’t we introduce ourselves? What’s your name?”
“I have no name to give to Black Lotus Union scum.”
“Hah, scum?”
Seo-jun’s eyes swept across the area. The battle had ground to a temporary halt. The surviving cultists and the exhausted Righteous Faction martial artists were all staring at him.
“In the eyes of this ‘scum,’ all I see are half-wits I could sweep away in an instant. Tell me, do you really want to test my temper?”
“…I am Pung-wol.”
“Ho. Pung-wol. Whoever gave you that Taoist name certainly had a flair for poetry.”
As they spoke, Seo-jun’s Qi Sensing expanded, mapping out every martial artist in the vicinity.
There were about three Super Peak Realm cultists within his range. Overall, Kunlun seemed to hold the upper hand here, but there was no way this was the full extent of the Demonic Cult’s strength.
After all, this was a war between the Demonic Cult—one of the three great pillars of the Murim—and the Kunlun Sect. Even though Kunlun was one of the Sixteen Major Sects and Clans, it was still just a single sect.
Naturally, the Demonic Cult held an overwhelming advantage.
“Like I said, I’m in a good mood today. But it’s quite a nuisance to find Kunlun crawling with these demons when I only came up here for a cup of tea.”
“…What is it you want?”
“Withdraw your forces.”
“Impossible.”
“Then?”
“What do you mean, ‘then’? Are you telling me to just let these demons walk away?”
Pung-wol’s tone had grown noticeably more polite. Seo-jun felt a tickle of satisfaction and laughed heartily.
“Haha! Don’t try to test me. I’ll handle them myself. You’d best find a high spot to sit and enjoy the show.”
“How can I trust you?”
“If you don’t, do you have any other choice?”
Pung-wol stared at the man's mysterious smile.
Having roamed the Jianghu for many years, Pung-wol could tell at a glance: the martial art this man used was the Ice Soul Divine Art of the North Sea Ice Palace. That meant he was an expert from the Black Lotus Union, a faction currently at war with the Righteous Faction.
However, the skill he had just displayed was far too great to confront here.
‘The Transcendent Realm? I can’t tell…’
Since the man wasn't showing his full power, there was no way to be sure. But judging by that single move earlier, he was no ordinary Super Peak Realm master.
To face him, the Sect Leader would have to step in, or the Elders would have to launch a joint attack.
But was there a reason to do that? Even if he was an enemy, he hadn't caused any harm to Kunlun yet.
In fact, he was offering to take care of the cultists himself.
‘That fellow… what is he plotting?’
Pung-wol glared at the man for a long moment before finally speaking.
“…Very well. For now.”
“A wise decision.”
The man grinned. Just as he turned to walk away, Pung-wol called out.
“Wait… You’ve heard my name, but do you intend to keep yours a secret?”
The man’s steps came to a halt. He turned his head, gave Pung-wol a brief glance, and smirked.
“Baek Seo-jun. I am Baek Seo-jun of the North Sea Ice Palace.”
*
The terrain of Mount Kunlun was so rugged that ordinary people struggled to even walk across it.
With vast plateaus and sparse trees, the risk of getting lost in a forest was low, but the dense, jagged peaks created countless variables in combat.
—All units, retreat! Block only the demons heading for the sect and leave the rest alone!
Pung-wol’s voice, infused with internal energy, thundered across Mount Kunlun.
After swiftly eliminating the remaining cultists nearby, Seo-jun kicked off the ground with light steps.
Tap!
In just a few leaps, he reached the summit of a peak. From there, he looked down at the chaotic tangle of Demonic Cultists and Kunlun martial artists.
‘They really don’t know when to quit. Why are they chasing them when they’re trying to retreat?’
Even though the Demonic Cult was currently at a disadvantage, they were doggedly pursuing the Kunlun forces.
Vwoom!
Beneath Seo-jun’s feet, the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art condensed into a sphere. He decided to target the area where the damage seemed most severe first.
BOOOOOOOOM!
Like a living missile, he slammed into the center of the battlefield.
*
Jo-hyeon, the strategist for the Demonic Cult, received urgent reports on the rapidly shifting situation.
‘An expert in ice arts is running amok, you say…’
The forces deployed for this offensive were expendable anyway—pawns meant to whittle down Kunlun’s strength and pile on fatigue.
However, they weren't so worthless that they could be thrown away for absolutely nothing. If that happened, Jo-hyeon’s own head might end up on the chopping block.
“How troublesome. What is his current location?”
An aide pointed to a spot on the map.
“This is where the most recent report came from. But he moves so fast that…”
“Have you tracked his movement path?”
“Yes!”
The aide drew a line across the map, tracing the path the ice expert had taken.
Jo-hyeon’s eyes darted across the parchment before he pointed to a specific spot.
“It’s obvious. He’s hitting the areas where our presence is strongest. Have you made contact with the 8th Squad Leader?”
“Yes!”
“Then his next target is the 8th Squad. Mobilize the surrounding 6th, 11th, and 12th Squads to ambush him in this canyon. Strike all at once.”
“The 11th Squad Leader is currently absent.”
“I know. The 11th Squad Leader is only at the Peak Realm anyway. The 6th and 8th Squad Leaders are at the Super Peak Realm, so that should be enough.”
No matter how brilliant an expert was, it wouldn't be easy to deal with a joint attack from two Super Peak Realm masters while simultaneously fending off strikes from squad members flying in from all directions.
Monitoring the battlefield, Jo-hyeon commanded, “Withdraw the rest for now. Pushing further like this will only result in meaningless losses.”
“As you command!”
The aide hurried out. Jo-hyeon watched his retreating figure for a moment, then tapped the table, lost in thought.
‘To be told to find someone without even knowing who they are…’
The higher-ups had said that the person would eventually come to the Cult on their own, but Jo-hyeon found it hard to accept.
‘If they’re going to come anyway, why bother attacking Kunlun?’
Jo-hyeon clicked his tongue. It was a useless worry. The Divine Priestess surely had a plan.
“The Heavenly Demon descends; ten thousand demons submit.”
Under the reign of Mara Papiyas, may eternal glory be upon the Demonic Cult.
*
Seo-jun traversed Mount Kunlun, seamlessly alternating between the New Primordial Unity Divine Art and the Yellow Dragon Crossing the Clouds. It wasn't easy to use the New Primordial Unity Divine Art to cover awkward distances, so combining the two movement techniques was the most efficient method.
Diligently slaughtering cultists along the way, Seo-jun eventually reached a canyon. The terrain was a perfect kill zone, practically begging for arrows to be fired from the cliffs above.
‘So they’re actually doing it.’
Unsurprisingly, Seo-jun’s Qi Sensing picked up the presence of cultists lying in ambush atop the cliffs.
They were quite stealthy, but to Seo-jun’s abnormally developed senses, they stuck out like sore thumbs.
Besides, they were cultists harboring Demonic Qi. That 'polite' Demonic Qi of theirs didn't know how to hide its existence from Seo-jun.
“It’s him…!”
Rather than the ones in ambush, the cultists waiting at the bottom of the canyon charged toward him, their eyes glinting with bloodlust.
The man in the lead was at the Super Peak Realm. After a moment’s thought, Seo-jun simply charged right back at them.
Shring—
The sword at Seo-jun’s waist unsheathed itself as he ran.
“Qi Sword Control…!?”
The lead cultist skidded to a halt in shock, but it was already too late. Seo-jun unraveled the sleeves of his Heavenly Silk Garment into dozens of threads and swept his hand outward.
Sssssssst—
Cultists and cliffs alike were sliced apart. Fortunately for the Demonic Cult, the lead cultist managed to deflect some of the threads, preventing a total massacre of his men.
Rumble!
However, the severed sections of the cliff collapsed, sending massive boulders raining down into the canyon.
To make matters worse, the 8th Squad Leader in the lead was now forced to face Seo-jun’s flying sword.
“Help me, you bastards…!”
As the 8th Squad Leader barely managed to block the flying blade with his own weapon, the cultists scrambling atop the crumbling cliffs all drew their bows at once.
Creak—!
Twang! Dozens of arrows rained down toward Seo-jun.
It was a volley from archers at the Peak Realm. Their arrows never missed, and the tips were imbued with a faint Arrow Energy that could pierce solid steel.
‘Demonic Qi is…’
There was no need to use it here.
Baek Seo-jun gave a wide grin and opened his mouth.
Crrrk—
His jaw unhinged until it nearly touched his chest. A golden inner core emerged from his throat, shining brilliantly in the air.
“Eight Cold Hells.”
A pseudo-domain unfolded, and a freezing gale erupted.
Crackle—
Every single arrow in mid-air froze solid and shattered into dust as they fell.
Rumble!
Massive pillars of ice shot up toward the sky. Standing atop one of them, Baek Seo-jun looked down at the cliffs.
“Struggle with all your might. I’ll play with you for a bit.”
Hell had descended.
*
“The 6th, 8th, 11th, and 12th Squads… have been annihilated.”
“…This is absurd.”
Jo-hyeon stared down at the map with murderous eyes. Even if wars between martial artists were ultimately decided by the strength of their experts, how could four squads be wiped out in such a short time despite having every tactical advantage?
Furthermore, the leaders of the 6th and 8th Squads were Super Peak Realm experts.
“Are you absolutely certain… that he is an expert from the North Sea Ice Palace?”
“Yes. Not only did he claim so himself, but the martial art he uses is undoubtedly the Ice Soul Divine Art.”
“Those Black Lotus Union bastards have lost their minds. How dare they interfere in the Cult’s business?”
Slam!
Jo-hyeon struck the table.
“Inform the Cult. Tell them the Black Lotus Union… no, tell them the North Sea Ice Palace has entered the fray.”