Chapter 269
Chapter 269
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Demonic Path Saga (4)
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The inn was a bizarre structure that sank deeply from the entrance, with a pit dug into the ground, earthen walls piled up, and wood reinforced beyond that.
Unlike the wooden and brick houses of the Central Plains, this was a unique desert creation designed to withstand sandstorms.
It was a sight I'd be seeing often from now on.
Once we settled in, the owner brought out liquor and meat.
"It'll be quiet tonight."
After he left, Dokgo Yul, who had circulated his qi to set up a barrier, spoke up.
"Once we leave Yu Gate Pass, it'll truly be like returning home."
"Yeah, pretty much. No separate word from the Sword Demon?"
"None."
"Any news on the Cult?"
"As you know, intelligence from inside the Cult is hard to come by. Road Lord Yo did his best, but there wasn't much to show for it."
"M-Master. Can I have more meat?"
I pushed a plate toward Dan-ya, and Dokgo Yul continued.
"There have been significant changes within the Cult."
"First off?"
"Nearly all the existing elders have been ousted. New ones have taken their positions afterward."
"Gu Il-so appointing his own lackeys as elders, I presume?"
"It seems likely, given that he meddled with the Demonic Noble Houses that you personally wiped out."
"Next?"
"Many squads and detachments have been reorganized. The one particularly worth noting is the Thousand Kills Blood Demon Corps."
"Thousand Kills Blood Demon Corps? First time hearing that name."
"It was formed after you left. Word is, it's filled with people from the Demonic Noble Houses as well."
In his second life, upon opening his eyes as Chu Un-hwi, he had upended many things.
Among them, the first order of business had been purging the factions that betrayed the Cult to the Heaven-Defying Society in his previous life.
The Demonic Noble Houses.
During the Heavenly Demon Purge, certain individuals had their loyalty recognized and passed down their unique martial arts.
Building on those arts, they rapidly grew their power, established their own forces, and for centuries stood as pillars of the demonic path.
If comparing to the Murim Alliance, it would be something like the Nine Great Sects and Ten Great Families combined.
"Not a bad choice."
They had long shouldered a major part of the demonic path. Had a freak like himself not appeared, they would still be wielding immense power.
"What about the Doctrine Protectorate?"
On the other hand, Chu Un-hwi was curious about elsewhere.
The Demonic Noble Houses had once flourished enough to manipulate the Cult Leader at will.
In contrast, there were those who ignored such prosperity and followed their own path.
Particularly, those even the Cult Leader couldn't touch: the Doctrine Protectorate.
True to their name, they prioritized the Cult's laws over loyalty to the Leader, emerging only when the Cult's survival was at stake.
Moreover, the elders of the Doctrine Protectorate were once heavyweights who held key positions in the Cult—no Leader could ignore them if they spoke in unison.
They had a considerable following among the younger lay disciples as well.
"Not much on the Doctrine Protectorate."
"Those guys have always been stubborn as mules."
"But for them to stay silent even as the Heaven-Defying Society allied with them, committing the taboo of using Cultists as sacrifices... it makes me think they've bowed to Gu Il-so's power."
The Leader, who should protect the Cult, was committing the madness of using members as living sacrifices.
If the elders tasked with stopping it remained silent, it likely meant the Leader's power now overshadowed even all the Protectorate elders combined.
In that sense, Dokgo Yul's speculation was reasonable.
But Chu Un-hwi saw it differently.
"It's suspicious that those finicky old fogeys in the Doctrine Protectorate are so quiet. They wouldn't just sit idly by."
Weren't they the ones who came charging with daggers in their mouths when he declared stepping down as Leader?
They'd die before letting the laws be broken.
"Besides, that man is still in the current Doctrine Protectorate."
"Who do you mean?"
"The Leader before last. Gu Se-gi."
"Is he even still alive? It's been over fifty years since he handed over the throne and secluded himself. He was already over a hundred back then."
"Around one hundred fifty now, I suppose."
"Even masters can't live forever."
"True."
Legend had it that Wudang's founder Zhang Sanfeng lived over three hundred years, but that was just myth.
'Even the mighty Heavenly Demon only lasted two hundred.'
Yet both were geniuses who reached the pinnacle of martial arts, unmatched through the ages.
Giants who reshaped the jianghu.
Though reviled as the Blood Demon, he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with legendary masters—a man who might well still be alive.
Whether he could still fight was another matter.
"No need to worry about it now. Let's first figure out how to handle our dear Sword Demon."
"Ugh. We have to go see Brother Wi Ji?"
Dan-ya shuddered, clutching his bandages.
'This guy's been through it.'
Dan-ya, who lived without a care, was always getting chewed out by the strict Sword Demon.
"Don't worry."
Grinning, he reached out and ruffled Dan-ya's white hair.
"If Wi Ji bullies you, I'll yell 'Hey, quit it!' for you."
"Hee... Hee... If Master says so."
As Dan-ya dove back into the meat, Chu Un-hwi nodded toward Dokgo Yul.
"Sigh. I don't know what's going on. Anyway, moving on. Next are the Cult's forces scattered across the desert."
Whiiiii.
Amid the harsh sandstorm sounds beyond the thin outer wall, Dokgo Yul's explanation continued.
Crossing Yu Gate Pass, they pressed northward.
For a time, they employed lightness skills, resting only when fatigue set in, taking shelter from the desert sandstorms.
Even for masters, piercing endless horizons battered by sandstorms was no easy feat.
But it wasn't just frightening.
"Seeing the desert again stirs up many thoughts."
Reading about it in books was worlds apart from facing nature head-on.
Sometimes endlessly gentle, yet sudden shifts made the whole world feel like it was writhing to kill you.
Dokgo Yul and Dan-ya had trained their martial arts in this desert.
Their sword styles differed in flamboyance and variability, but both concealed the desert's harsh truths.
"It's been a while, so shall I check your skills?"
"An honor for life."
"Me too! Me too!"
When the mood struck amid their relentless advance, they halted for training.
Then pressed on again.
In that process, shedding worldly ties beneath the sandstorms, the three gradually merged with the desert.
Like warriors born to the barren lands.
The three reached their first earthen fortress beyond Yu Gate Pass.
The castle, reminiscent of sandstorms, bustled with people on this rare clear day.
"Six days?"
A distance that would take a month even on camels, covered in merely six days.
A terrifying speed.
"Taha-mil. It's a sub-branch under our Cult."
The demonic path's domain was vast.
Its influence extended enormously across the desert, transcending nations.
"Doesn't ring a bell. Exactly where is it?"
"One of Turoban's affiliated fortresses. It fell to the Demonic Cult and was renamed when we took it back."
"These forts change names every time ownership switches. Tsk."
As he grumbled, Dan-ya's bandages bunched into hand shapes, waving lightly.
"Our kids are here."
"The Desert Assassins?"
"Yeah. Should I call them?"
"Hold off. A large movement of assassins might tip off the Cult."
"They'd be really helpful though..."
"If fighting breaks out, it'll be a massive battle. Even with assassins, it'd just mean more bodies."
Had they planned all-out war from the start, they wouldn't have come so stealthily.
"So, just us against the Cult?"
"If it comes to fighting. Worst case, scraping by with small fry help is worse than going down together. Better than wiping each other out."
"Whoa. Scary?"
"Welcome to the real deal. Life's fucked now. No escape, by the way."
"Heh. That's frightening."
As he bantered cozily with Dan-ya, Dokgo Yul went ahead, spoke with the fortress guards, and returned.
"We can go right in."
"Where'd you get the passes?"
"Didn't we pass those corpses swept by sandstorms on the way? Picked tokens from ones that matched our builds. A few coins, and they let us in without question."
Death was commonplace in the desert.
A sandstorm could bury people and camels alike.
Occasionally, miracle survivors staggered back to the forts to resume life.
"As expected of Yul. So thorough."
"I never refuse Master's praise. Heh."
Standing beside the beaming Dokgo Yul, gazing at the fortress, he placed a hand on the box Dokgo Yul carried.
"Uncle Sima. We're back."
Though for now, it was just a small patch of land devoid even of the Cult's lingering scent.
"We'll make it our home soon enough."
Once more, the three shadows tilted toward the fortress in unison.
After passing several fortresses, Dokgo Yul pointed the way.
"This direction."
"This way? Looks like nothing here. Not even a village."
Dan-ya replied.
"After Master left, Brother Wi Ji was given a position by the Cult but walked away. Settled here."
"Even so."
He had once led the Asura Sword Demon Corps, the Cult's strongest brigade.
Even in seclusion, abandoning everything, there seemed no reason to hole up in such a rundown village.
"Did Gu Il-so hate Wi Ji-geuk?"
"Nah. Seemed pretty keen on the Asura Sword Demon Corps."
No matter how foolish Gu Il-so, discarding that brigade made no sense.
Forged through countless asura fields, every member a hero of reversals—they rivaled the Blood Demon Guard in escorting the Leader.
"Then why?"
"Said he just didn't want to stay in the Cult anymore?"
Simply because he didn't like it, abandoning glory and riches for rural life?
A normal person might call it idiotic, but considering the Sword Demon's stubbornness, it fit.
"Doesn't look that peaceful, though."
The ramshackle village seemed ready to be swallowed by sandstorms, yet sharp auras emanated from everywhere.
As if true Asura Sword Demon Corps members lurked within.
Dan-ya continued.
"When Brother left, all the brigade members followed into retirement, it seems."
"All of them?"
"Except the vice-commander. He's probably leading the Thousand Kills Blood Demon Corps now."
"Makes sense."
A man who eyed Wi Ji-geuk with jealous trust came to mind.
"Whatever. Doesn't matter."
Without pause, Chu Un-hwi advanced along the path.
* * *
At the edge of the dilapidated village stood a far more wretched grass hut than any seen before.
The weathered planks wouldn't hold as a roof in rain, and the hole-riddled window would let in handfuls of sand from the slightest gust.
In front of the hut was a small yard where a man was splitting firewood.
Thwack.
The large, worn axe cleaved the log precisely into six pieces.
Thwack. Thwack.
Even standing before the reed gate not reaching his chest, the man continued swinging.
Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.
Like a monk in meditation, he reverently split and stacked.
An hour passed.
Two hours passed.
Until the midday sun dipped westward, the man chopped wood, while the three silently stood beyond the reed gate.
Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.
As dusk fell and darkness crept over the village edge, the man finally stopped.
He leaned the axe against the side, scooped water from a small puddle, drank, and only then turned his head.
"Why have you come?"