Chapter 272
Chapter 272
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Breakthrough of the Passes (1)
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"If you stray from the designated path, all sorts of formations and traps lie in wait."
"They say it's paranoia, but that doesn't seem entirely wrong."
It was a barrier woven so tightly that it was impossible to understand otherwise.
Jin Se-hyeon's finger moved across the map again.
"For example, if you climb the southern path, avoiding the observation posts and checkpoints, and scale the cliff..."
"You'd run into the Infinite Demon Slaughter Squad."
"And even if you take another route, you'll still cross paths with the Ten Thousand Rampaging Demon Squad."
These were Asura Blood Cult's combat units, each composed of hundreds of peak experts.
No matter which path they chose, they would face at least a thousand demonic experts.
"We could break through if we had to."
"True. But taking on all of them would be tough. Every one of the cult's elites is worth a hundred men."
Besides, these were just the outer guards. Facing the core unit's experts afterward would be dizzying.
"As you all know, the moment we smash through them, demon troops from all four directions will swarm in after sensing the disturbance."
The instant they pierced the layered curtain of manpower overlapping like concentric circles, they would be surrounded.
They would have to shed countless lives in vain, which was exactly what the Wangcheon Society wanted.
"Is there no other way?"
"There is one more, but it's tricky."
Unlike the combat units' names, the entry in red script read 'Thousand Spirit Stiffs.'
"Thousand Spirit Stiffs?"
"Stiffs developed when the demonic famed house Blood Corpse Sect was revived. Unlike ordinary stiffs, they're said to be extremely sensitive and ferocious."
There was also mention that ordinary swords couldn't cut them, but no one seemed particularly impressed.
None of those present lacked the ability to emit qi.
"Stiffs, huh. Chopping up corpses shouldn't be hard. My lord, the observation post's position is odd."
"Well spotted, Brother Sima. Exactly. The stiffs themselves are troublesome enough, but as I explained, they're extremely sensitive to shocks. Even the slightest vibration makes them react and attack."
"Clever. If the stiffs move, the others will follow right away, right?"
The concentric circles were tangled here too.
"Precisely. To break through here, we must neutralize the stiffs first."
"Any other method?"
"We'd have to cover thirty-some jang without touching the ground once."
"Thirty-some jang (about ninety meters)?"
How could a person leap ninety meters without touching down unless they could fly?
"This one's better."
But Chu Un-hwi smiled immediately.
"I'll go first and neutralize the stiffs. There must be a way to subdue them, right?"
"...You can really do it? Then it's simple. There'll be a sorcerer controlling the stiffs—take them out. But if you cause a commotion..."
"Don't worry. I'll crush their spirit core before they can even blow a signal horn."
Dokgo Ryul and Jin Se-hyeon were left dumbfounded by the follow-up explanation.
"As expected of my lord. So cool."
Only the brainless Dan-ya clapped with hands made of bandages.
"Is that the end of the path to the main stronghold?"
"For the first stage, yes. But as we approach the main base, the paths converge, and the defenses grow stricter, so we'll have to breach several passes."
"We have to smash at least four?"
They had tried to avoid it, but no matter where they looked on the tangled paths to the stronghold, no easy way presented itself.
"Hyeon-a. Who's the captain of the Shadow Demon Squadron?"
"The captain is a guy named Yeong-chung."
"Never heard of him. It would've been nice if it was the old Shadow Squadron captain."
"You mean Captain Sim? He's been locked in the Brain Prison for ages on ominous charges."
The ensuing conversation was as complex as the intertwined passes.
But gradually, they succeeded in finding needle-like gaps to thread through the massive iron fortress.
"The last part is infiltrating the main stronghold itself."
Jin Se-hyeon's voice, who had been laying out the strategies so far, grew quieter.
The defenses of the inner citadel were far stricter than the narrow, treacherous paths to the passes, and even he had no sharp solution.
Chu Un-hwi asked.
"There used to be a secret passage only the cult leader could use. Could we take that?"
Wi Ji-geuk shook his head.
"Doubtful. The meticulous cult leader wouldn't leave it unguarded."
"Hmm... What to do."
Suddenly, as Chu Un-hwi scanned the map, his eyes caught some faint script.
"Why isn't this place marked?"
"Ah. That spot."
Jin Se-hyeon explained right away.
"It's a newly created passage from recently. We haven't verified it, so we left it as is."
"Newly created?"
Wi Ji-geuk, listening, smacked his fist into his palm.
"...I've heard of it. The North Burial Gate, was it?"
"North Burial Gate?"
"The gate used to dispose of corpses. They used to just slip out the north gate casually, but..."
"If the number of bodies leaving has spiked, they'd definitely worry about drawing attention."
At Dokgo Ryul's words, blue glints flashed in everyone's eyes.
"Good. Worth checking out."
Summing up, Chu Un-hwi turned.
"We move tonight. Everyone, gather every last bit of intel you can."
It was a matter of piercing the heart of the Asura Blood Cult's main base.
A declaration to ravage the divided demonic cult's center from north to south.
"Yes."
"Yes, my lord."
The four pairs of eyes held no tremor.
The guest entering the Blood Demon Hall wrinkled his nose at the fishy stench.
"Finally here?"
But he had no choice but to withdraw his attention from the arrogant gaze looking down from atop the jade throne.
"Cult Leader. I've secured the Demonic Sorceress Awakening as you desired."
"Heh heh. Good. Where are those girls?"
"Hidden nearby. Even I can't fly endlessly over the wind with four of them without rest."
"What if those girls slip away?"
"You summoned me urgently, so I came straight here. I've posted guards, so I'll bring them to you shortly."
'Buy as much time as possible.'
He dawdled with that in mind, but he worried about Gu Il-so's reaction.
Rumors said his madness had deepened lately; he didn't hesitate to draw blood over trifles.
Yet, surprisingly, Gu Il-so remained calm to the request.
"Heh heh. If they're already in hand, no need to worry."
"Why did you summon me so urgently, anyway?"
"The Heavenly Demon God Army has invoked the Heavenly Demon Command. They've likely figured out it's our doing."
"Kidnapping the Heavenly Demon God Army's prized disciples, no less. Impossible not to notice."
"Whatever. It's what we wanted."
Gu Il-so's阴森 voice brimmed with irrepressible battle lust.
Punggae, meanwhile, burned inside.
'So he summoned me in a rush to build the altar after all?'
He'd dodged it day by day with various excuses, but it seemed unavoidable now.
'No choice. I'll pretend to build it as slowly as possible.'
Turning it over in his mind, Punggae equivocated slyly.
"If the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is moving, battle's imminent. The altar construction is urgent, then."
"Heh heh. Is it?"
A sinister smile curled Gu Il-so's lips.
Pap!
Suddenly, a heavy wave of air pressure made Punggae whip his head around in alarm, moving both hands.
Wind Thunder Art surged naturally, deflecting the hands clawing at his eyes and heart.
Kuung!
"Kuh!"
The impact of the unseen clash shattered the marble under his feet.
"Cult Leader! What is this?!"
"Heh heh. Why do you think?"
Astonishingly, it was Gu Il-so who had lunged and struck at him.
His callused, blunt hand darkened like rotten roots, soon emitting a foul stench.
"Goru Demon Hand!"
Shuk!
He twisted his head to dodge the knife-hand palm, crossed his arms upward, and elbow-struck.
'Guh. Incredible rebound force.'
Even blocking with Wind Thunder Art, the natural qi from Gu Il-so made his hands ache.
Papat!
Amid the chaotic hand strikes targeting vital points, thick poison qi swirled.
"Putting up a fuss, are you, Punggae?"
Chachachak!
Seeing dozens of palm afterimages, Punggae swiftly deployed his movement technique.
'What potent poison qi.'
Goru Demon Art, refined by stabbing hands into corpse poison and various toxins.
When mastered, a strike rots the victim to death—a heinous technique.
'Even grazing it invades with poison qi.'
True to its infamous notoriety in the Asura Blood Cult, just exchanging a few exchanges and breathing made his dantian throb.
Papat!
Punggae gritted his teeth, retreating swiftly with footwork.
"Cult Leader. Attacking me? You really intend to make an enemy of the Wangcheon Society?"
He blurted out the Wangcheon Society in panic, but Gu Il-so remained nonchalant.
"Wangcheon Society? Perish the thought. Heh heh heh."
"If you persecute me, I'll not only sever ties with the society but refuse to build your altar too."
"Altar. Altar, you say? Heh heh heh."
Letting out a grotesque laugh, he thrust his hand passionately, and the massive wall behind the golden throne began to tear away.
"Th-that..."
Behind the Blood Demon Hall's golden throne were memorial tablets of past Blood Demons and their inscriptions.
Beyond lay the remains of former hall masters.
A secret chamber holding traces of past ancestors, permitted only to the cult leader—yet Gu Il-so was ripping it apart with inner power.
'They said his mania reached his head, even desecrating ancestors' graves?'
No matter how demonic the path, there were lines not to cross.
In the Asura Blood Cult, past demon leaders' tombs were a taboo far beyond such lines.
But what lay beyond was even more shocking.
Kwajik!
As the wall tore off entirely, what emerged was not past Blood Demons' remains.
Instead, a massive, eerie stone altar in three tiers, its creation date unknown.
Punggae screamed silently at the bone-chilling demonic aura emanating from it.
'The Altar of Wailing!'
Even in the Wangcheon Society, such altars were permitted only to a few apostles.
The already dark red, glowing demonic aura indicated it had existed for quite some time.
'How... such demonic aura already.'
His mouth gaped at the bizarre script scrawled chaotically and the demonic mist rising over ghost shapes, as Gu Il-so cackled madly.
"Kek! Can't believe I've already built the altar?"
"...No way."
"Something felt off, so I contacted the society directly. Lucky me—a apostle replied personally."
"...Damn."
"Our cult's Apostle Communication Art is unmatched under heaven. Completing a mere altar is child's play."
It was a blunder.
Or perhaps his own fault for underestimating Gu Il-so too much.
Gu Il-so chuckled.
"Also, our defensive sorcerers said something amusing. Gathering evil qi isn't just through human sacrifice."
"...No."
Suddenly, he noticed weathered skulls embedded in the altar's walls and spires.
"...Don't tell me. You built the altar with past leaders' corpses?"
"Hahaha! A masterpiece, isn't it? Who knew these useless dead bones would be so helpful!"
Punggae staggered from the power in the resounding laughter.
Suddenly, Gu Il-so's face twisted.
"What are you fools doing! The altar's drying out!"
At his shout, blood-robed warriors dragged children roughly onto the altar from the side.
"Aaaak! Please!"
They slammed the wailing children down and stabbed daggers deep.
"Guhk."
Indifferent hands pushed the daggers, slicing through bone with drips of blood, until the children went limp.
The blood flowed down the troughs, soaking grotesque patterns and script, and only then did Gu Il-so burst into mad laughter again.
"Ha ha! Yes! That's it! Soak the altar without rest!"
Clapping and laughing, he turned with pale blue pupils and grinned.
"Heh. Heh. The final sacrifice is the blood of the virgin bearing Heavenly Demon Divine Art. She'll make a fine offering."
A chill grazed his nape, and Punggae tried to leap away, but...
Papapap!
The cult's elites hidden in the Blood God Hall made escape on the wind impossible.
'Damn it.'
As sweat poured, Gu Il-so, gazing at the altar, turned away.
His eyes, mania at its peak, were grotesquely distorted—no longer human.
'This is bad.'
Punggae's throat bobbed heavily.