Chapter 335
Chapter 335
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 335
Chapter Title: Golden Turtle Island (2)
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Shaolin Temple after the Demonic Cultists had retreated.
"Injured, come this way!"
"Amitabha... May you be reborn in paradise..."
As expected, Shaolin had suffered the heaviest losses in this incident.
Not only had the warrior monks defending the temple grounds taken heavy casualties, but quite a few scholarly monks had been caught in the crossfire as well.
On top of that, hadn't the imperial scion Ju Kang-in, who had been staying here, been kidnapped by the Demonic Cultists?
The temple's leadership was in a frenzy, holding meeting after meeting.
'Naturally, the Murim Alliance gathering will be quietly canceled. They'll probably treat the wounded as best they can and then everyone heads home.'
In the midst of all this chaos, as everyone was busy restoring order, someone approached Hugo, who was lost in thought by himself.
"Young Master Ha, there you are."
It was Nangong Soran of the Nangong family, the sheltered flower of their house. She had wiped the blood and dirt from her face as best she could and straightened her clothes to look as presentable as possible.
She approached cautiously, took a light breath, then bowed deeply at the waist.
"Things have been so hectic I couldn't greet you properly until now. Thank you for saving my life. If you hadn't helped, I wouldn't be standing here today."
Her tone was far more composed than the bright, cheerful demeanor she'd shown before.
Well, with so many people dying around her just moments ago, it must have been a severe shock for someone raised like a flower in a greenhouse.
"Think nothing of it. It was only natural."
Hugo responded politely to her gratitude with humble words.
And from there, as they chatted briefly, people began gathering around them one by one.
They all had one thing in common.
Each had received some help from Hugo, great or small.
"Thank you again, benefactor."
"Whew~ That was incredible back there. For a moment, I thought a divine warrior had descended from the heavens!"
"You saved my life. If you ever need my help, don't hesitate to call on me."
Unlike the others, Hugo hadn't been affected by the Demonic Cultists' bizarre techniques, allowing him to perform steadily without fluctuation in his abilities. That had been a huge help to the junior martial artists around him, who were mostly at the first-class level.
And later, he'd even reached the superhuman realm, rampaging freely across the battlefield.
In such circumstances, it wasn't long before others with ulterior motives began approaching him too.
"By the way, young hero, are you heading back to the Zhuge family?"
"I'd like to repay your kindness by inviting you to our clan..."
In a way, this development had been foreseeable.
Hugo... or rather, Ha Seung-hun, was a once-in-a-millennium genius who had reached the superhuman realm in his early twenties.
In this era where martial prowess was paramount, it was only natural for people to flock to build connections with such a talent early.
Besides, wasn't he merely a guest at the Zhuge family through a loose connection, not formally affiliated with any faction?
So if, somehow, they could pull him into their own faction...
The eyes of the junior martial artists approaching with such thoughts gleamed.
Securing him would greatly bolster their standing within their clans.
This was especially evident among a few of the women.
'If I can snag that man...'
'It might help in my brother's succession struggle. Then for me too...'
His abilities were top-notch, his character exemplary even in dire situations, and his looks strikingly handsome.
With no prior ties holding him back, he was the perfect candidate for a son-in-law.
As this peculiar atmosphere formed among the women harboring such thoughts, Nangong Soran subtly stepped forward, drawing closer to Hugo.
As if to block the other women's gazes upon him.
While silent rivalries played out among a few, conversations began flowing among the gathered juniors.
"Still, it's worrying. The Demonic Cult rising up like this... This can't be the end, can it?"
"Probably not. If anything, this is just the beginning. I hope the damage stays minimal."
"They even attacked a gathering hosted at Shaolin. Who knows how long they've been preparing... I'm afraid the world will fall into chaos."
Naturally, the talk turned mostly to the Demonic Cult behind the raid.
All expressing concern over the turmoil to come.
Of course, that was a perfectly natural reaction...
'Ah, but that's already over.'
Hugo smiled awkwardly, the only one privy to the truth.
As the others earnestly discussed countermeasures, he kept his mouth firmly shut.
How could he reveal it now?
That the Demonic Cult's leader, who had just broken his long silence and begun stirring, had become a guest who would never return mere moments after his first raid.
'Well, they'll all be cautious and lay low for a while... But once enough time passes, it'll blow over. No big deal.'
In the end, the crisis had been quietly resolved unbeknownst to all, bringing peace back to the world the moment it arrived.
Sure, the faction leaders would groan in frustration, clueless about the Demonic Cult's schemes, but that was far better than some real catastrophe unfolding.
'More importantly—that's not the priority right now.'
Hugo's somewhat relaxed expression turned serious.
In piecing together the information from the Heavenly Demon, he had gleaned a vague sense of their plans.
'I need to decide my next moves based on that. First, I'd like to make contact with Golden Turtle Island.'
The Demonic Cult's full resurgence after years of silence following the imperial palace bloodbath was all because of them.
They hadn't stepped out front, but they'd been active in the shadows—lurking in regional underworlds, absorbing groups like the Blood Cult.
'And the Dragon's Child—I need more detailed info on that too.'
Ju Kang-in, the frail youth seeking refuge at Shaolin due to an inexplicable affliction. The Demonic Cult's primary goal in this raid had been to secure him.
Overthrowing the orthodox martial world on the day of the gathering had just been a bonus.
'Dragon's Child and Ju Kang-in, plus...'
And he knew one other with the same symptoms as the imperial scion.
'Zhuge Hye-mi.'
...He'd have to head back to the Zhuge family first.
As quickly as possible.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Hans personally stepping in to swiftly eliminate the Heavenly Demon had caused a far greater stir than anticipated.
To use game terms, it was like cheesing the final boss that briefly appeared as an event in the tutorial.
Unfair and dirty from the Heavenly Demon's perspective, but from this side, it was the most efficient outcome possible.
However, despite taking down the enemy leader, the information he gained was disappointingly sparse.
'Well, there's a limit to rummaging through the mind of a transcendent realm master at will.'
Even with the Heaven-Slaying Sorcerer back then, all he'd extracted by pouring soul energy into his remains were fragmented memories.
And the Heavenly Demon was a rank above that—its difficulty went without saying.
Of course, Hans had grown much since then, and with the 'Orb of the Mind' aiding his psychic abilities, success had seemed possible...
'That damn Reverse Heaven Society Lord is no help at every turn.'
This time, the divine power residing in the Heavenly Demon's body had interfered, preventing him from fully committing his strength.
Hans had some resistance to the Reverse Heaven Society Lord's divine power, but limits existed there too.
It merely dulled external damage at best—hardly useful for such delicate work.
'At least the harvest wasn't zero.'
After all that effort, he'd gleaned a few key pieces.
One was that the Heavenly Demon wasn't just a Reverse Heaven Society puppet—he was a settler from Earth, planted long ago.
'For at least a few decades. He used his unique skill early on to establish himself, then focused on martial arts to prepare for when the system's aid vanished.'
The process was impressively systematic, even from the fragments.
It explained why the Reverse Heaven Society boasted so many powerhouses.
Hans shook his head with a tsk.
'It's like... an organization sponsoring scholarships across worlds. Who knows how many more cases like this there are.'
They'd selected and invested in talent suited from the start—no better description fit.
Another revelation was the importance of the 'Dragon's Child.'
He'd suspected something extraordinary from the outset, but the rough picture from the Heavenly Demon exceeded expectations wildly.
Of course—direct ties to this world's gods? What else could it be.
'...Well, even if this realm's gods are hands-off, they wouldn't sit idle while the world crumbles.'
They were entities arranged by Kang Hwan Realm's main god.
Seeds of hope born to mend a world crumbling without its mystic core, the dragon heart.
He couldn't learn more from the Heavenly Demon—the limit there—but Hans brushed off such minor details.
"Kehh, shall we go then?"
He could ask those in the know later.
"Start with their main base."
This was a lead on restoring Kang Hwan Realm, after much deliberation.
No way the culprits who wrecked the world kidnapped them for nothing—he needed to act before they caused more mischief.
'And recover the kidnapped Ju Kang-in while I'm at it.'
No intent to hunt down the kidnappers one by one in hiding.
Just wait at the final destination—they'd crawl in eventually. Why waste time?
'Coordinates aren't exact... but I know the rough area. Sweep it, and they'll pop out.'
Plus, the Heavenly Demon Cult's headquarters was evil's grandest nexus in Kang Hwan Realm—plenty of premium materials for top-tier jiangshi, and artisans galore with the know-how.
"Heh—killing two birds with one stone."
Grinning crookedly, Hans rose slowly.
He gauged the angle and distance to his destination, then—
Scree—!
With a sharp sound slicing the air, his body shot forward across the sky.
Carrying the corpse of the world's former strongest within that sub-space.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Mount Yungzhong, seat of the Zhuge family.
A massive man appeared at its foothills.
"Tch, too late after all."
The man—Mad Demon Halli—scanned the surroundings and clicked his tongue.
Despite rushing here with 'Hero's Footsteps,' the devastation suggested a storm had already passed.
Scattered trees and rocks, charred forest remnants, weapon scars everywhere.
The multiple layers of formations from the mountain's base to the Zhuge clan's core...
'All destroyed.'
Halli's eyes narrowed.
His steps toward the interior quickened.
Amid the acrid smoke from the woods mingled a familiar scent from recently.
'Blood.'
And the stench of death laced with despair, grief, and resentment.
Halli climbed a ridge and gazed toward the Zhuge clan's base.
'Survivors... not too few. They somehow repelled them.'
He sensed familiar presences bustling inside the buildings.
Heavy losses, no doubt, but true to their defensive specialization, they'd managed to drive off the intruders.
'But no sign of Zhuge Hye-mi. Hidden in an inner formation? Or...'
...Or the attackers achieved their goal and withdrew cleanly.
Harboring such doubts, Halli didn't rush in, instead scanning like a hunter.
They'd be on high alert after the sudden assault—his distinctive foreigner look would just cause unnecessary tension.
'Hm?'
Sniff—
Then, his keen nose caught a subtle anomaly.
Something off amid the battlefield's emotional residue.
The moment he detected it, his body flashed like lightning.
Scree—
Covering kilometers in an instant, his hand plunged into a thicket.
Clang!
"Hngh?!"
With a shattering sound, a middle-aged man in worn robes was yanked out by the collar.
Halli's lips curled, revealing saw-like ferocious teeth.
"Who are you? Why hide here? Connected to the raiders?"
"Uh, y-you...?"
"Hm, slow to answer. Better rip off an arm first and chat."
"W-Wait, please!"
The pale-faced Taoist flailed his hands desperately at Halli's cold mutter.
"There's a misunderstanding! I'm from Mount Mosan... er, Golden Turtle Island! Yes! No ties to the Demonic Cultists— they're enemies!"
"Huh? Golden Turtle Island?"
"Y-You're not from there, I see. But kin, right? Let go and we can talk calmly..."
Halli froze at the sudden barrage of unexpected words.
Taking it as positive, the collared Taoist sighed in relief and continued.
"Whew, I'm Cheonggwan, under Lord Blue Dragon. I was out on a mission, witnessed the disturbance at Zhuge, and was about to report to superiors when..."
He emphasized 'Blue Dragon'—clearly a reliable backer.
Meaningless to the clueless Halli, though.
Halli eyed the middle-aged Taoist curiously.
'Kin... How convenient.'
Come to think of it, this Cheonggwan's scent differed subtly from Kang Hwan humans he'd encountered.
Another yokai hiding among humans, masking his identity.
An unexpected encounter, but...
'Perfect—saves time.'
Stumbling upon a yokai by chance, Halli's eyes curved amiably, lips quirking up.
Carelessly licking his lips in satisfaction.
"Eek! I-I don't taste good! Fresh-water bred, so strong fishy smell...!"
It took a bit longer to clear the misunderstanding.
This yokai seemed more timid than expected.