Chapter 138: The Sound of Winter Fading (5)
Chapter 138: The Sound of Winter Fading (5)
"And you are...?"
Murong Cheong’s eyes turned ice-cold.
Her gaze swept rapidly from the top of Hwa-yeong’s head down to her toes. It was a look so sharp that it momentarily jolted the Peng family instincts that had been dormant for the past few months.
"Aha."
In contrast, Hwa-yeong met that gaze with a soft, playful smile.
She lightly covered her mouth, letting out a small giggle before speaking.
"Should I say this is our first time meeting? Hoho... Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hwa-yeong of the Im family. On a smaller scale, I serve as the West Grand Preceptor of the Sixth Heaven Esoteric Buddhism—"
She slowly reached out and placed her hand on my chest. For a moment, I had to desperately suppress my Middle Dantian from reflexively releasing its Protection Aura. If Hwa-yeong harbored even a sliver of ill intent, Peng Hyeon-hwi’s frail body could be 'Eon Se-jeong-ed' at any moment...
"—And on a larger scale, I am my lord’s fiancée."
"Fiancée?"
The Little Arhat gulped, looking back and forth between Murong Cheong and Hwa-yeong. Hey, two masters of the Harmony Realm are currently engaged in a life-and-death duel right above our heads. Is now really the time for this?
Just as I was about to open my mouth, Murong Cheong suddenly flashed a bright smile.
"Ah. I heard there was a fiancée whose engagement was broken. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"...Broken, you say?"
"Oh dear... I am not yet fully accustomed to the Han language. Did I perhaps commit a discourtesy according to Han customs?"
Her tone was remarkably skillful. One could even call it a near-perfect 'mocking Standard Mandarin of the Beijing Han.'
Since when did her speech improve this much?
Is she seriously in 'Murong Cheong mode' right now?
Seeing the veins bulging on Hwa-yeong’s porcelain-white hand, I quickly shouted.
"Alright! We don't have time to dawdle like this. Even at this very moment, the fine young men of the Dragon Slaying Alliance are becoming lonely ghosts. Heavens, now that everyone’s introduced themselves, shall we get to work? Little Arhat, what do you think?"
"This humble monk is not part of the Dragon Slaying Alliance, you know."
"I miss Zhuge Yeon-seon..."
How did it turn out that the only people here capable of handling the situation are two from the Orthodox faction and one from the Demonic Cult?
Wait, isn't Zhuge Yeon-seon also from the Orthodox faction? Well, a man’s hometown isn't where he’s born, but where he’s buried. And as far as I can see, that guy is already a lost cause. His way of thinking is far too similar to those bastards from the Jongri Family.
Fortunately, they seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Although I appeared to be the only one in this group actually worried about our friends in the Dragon Slaying Alliance, we weren't exactly safe either.
"All paths leading out of Paxian are blocked, and half of our right wing is effectively stranded. Does anyone know anything about this formation?"
"This monk has seen something similar. It wasn't exactly the same, but I once took down a sorcerer belonging to the Ten Thousand Ghosts Alliance."
"And the solution?"
"The formation broke once I killed the sorcerer."
"Aha."
I looked up at the sky. The Ghost Gate Meridian Lord was floating mid-air, locked in a bloody struggle against the Sword Blood Ghost Demon, the Great Hero Hwang, and my brother Murong Seo-jeong, who had joined the fray at some unknown point.
Could three Super Peak masters really handle someone in the Harmony Realm? The only reason the fight was even holding up was likely because most of the Ghost Gate Meridian Lord’s power was tied up in maintaining this formation.
I didn't know the Ghost Gate Meridian Lord’s true ultimate technique, but the tales of Heavenly Killer Jin Hoe-seong were like myths within the Black Path Demonic Alliance.
Rumors always follow a man who has reigned as one of the Fifteen Lords for so long.
I had heard that with a single gesture, he could summon wind and rain, and with a single word of power, he could command all manner of demons and ghosts.
According to some highly reliable reports, there were records of Super Peak martial artists having their souls torn apart and dying just by meeting the Heavenly Killer’s gaze.
"With our current level, it’s impossible for us to intervene over there."
And for some reason... I felt like that wasn't the answer.
The back of my head felt itchy, as if it were burning hot. I knew what this meant.
It was the Peng family instinct. A constitution that was terrifyingly adept in the realms of survival and combat. It meant there was a clue somewhere that I had already seen but hadn't yet recalled.
If there isn't enough information to make a judgment, it’s better to prioritize what needs to be done.
"Let’s do this."
In a trap, the thing to fear most is chaos.
An unexpected ambush inevitably causes confusion, and the current Dragon Slaying Alliance—a coalition force drawn from various sects—would surely collapse under that chaos.
We had to gather the scattered forces of the Dragon Slaying Alliance within Paxian. Especially now, when the corpses were rising.
I didn't know how he was doing it, but the Ghost Gate Meridian Lord up in the sky was currently casting an unlimited 'Raise Dead.'
If you die fighting, you become the enemy. It’s a classic zombie trope, except these zombies can even use martial arts.
In a situation lacking information, we’d be lucky if the panicked martial artists of the Dragon Slaying Alliance didn't start fighting each other.
First, I counted the people gathered around me. They were the most elite among the Dragon Slaying Alliance’s forces. The martial artists of the Heavenly Thunder Alliance. Heroes who inherited the legacy of the old Green Forest.
"Acting Leader of the Heavenly Thunder Alliance, Lord Hwang is currently..."
—BOOM!!
Before I could finish my sentence, an explosion erupted in the sky. Despite the urgency, everyone looked up.
Flames and blades were dancing across the night sky.
"Since he’s a bit busy right now... if no one has any objections, will you follow my lead?"
"Give the command, Young Master Peng."
"If the Blade Ghost is leading us, then gladly."
"No."
I spoke quickly before that baseless negative nickname could spread any further.
"We need to split into two groups. I can't guarantee which path will be safer."
"In a situation like this, where would a safe path even be? Why split the group?"
"Because most of our allies are dying throughout this city."
Blood ghouls were swarming everywhere, and fires were breaking out. Now that the gates of the outer city had all collapsed, even a retreat was difficult.
If the enemy had prepared a trap, it would be foolish to fight inside it. A sorcery of this scale isn't something that can be used more than once.
If we could just succeed in gathering our allies and retreating, we could neutralize most of their schemes.
"Little Arhat. Can you do it?"
"...Me, this poor monk?"
Strictly speaking, the Little Arhat was more of a guest commander.
If you had to name the sects that had the worst possible relationship with the Dragon Slaying Alliance, the Northern Revered Shaolin would be in the top five.
From his position, it seemed difficult to accept the sudden request to lead the martial artists of the Heavenly Thunder Alliance.
"Then who else is there?"
"..."
The Little Arhat looked away. Hwang Jung-man, who had been leading the Heavenly Thunder Alliance, was currently in a life-and-death struggle with the Ghost Gate Meridian Lord in the sky, and Peng Ik-cheon, who had been commanding this entire force, was also locked in a desperate fight with the Sword Demon.
What, was I supposed to send Murong Cheong? Or Hwa-yeong? For the record, no one here even knew she was the Little Heavenly Demon.
"At least you’ve become a familiar face on the way to Paxian. Don't be so distant."
"Distant...? Fine, I understand."
"Gather and unite those scattered throughout Paxian. If someone has died in battle, even if they are a martial brother of the same sect, you must hack their corpse to pieces and scatter them."
"..."
This was no easy task. In this era, a martial brother was no different from a blood brother. Desecrating the remains of the deceased was an act of depravity equivalent to betraying one's master and ancestors.
Therefore, persuading them would be an arduous task. If they wouldn't do it themselves, we would have to. and friction would inevitably arise in the process.
"Put all the resentment and grudges on the name of the Peng family. When this is over, I will settle those debts personally. So."
I scanned the faces of those looking at me beneath the Peng family banner, one by one.
Those who met my eyes nodded their heads one after another.
Confirming this, I spoke to the Little Arhat.
"Don't die."
"Haha! Do not worry! I intend to see Young Master Peng’s path through to the end!"
"Right. If possible, bring those friends back alive too. Once you’ve gathered everyone, stay together under this flag."
"Where do you intend to go, Young Master?"
"I have to find a way out."
Uniting our allies was merely one of the victory conditions. It was a move to stop the damage from spreading right now. But it wasn't the fundamental solution.
We had to get out of Paxian. At this point, with both the outer and inner cities locked, in order to save them all from this formation...
'It’s not the Ghost Gate Meridian Lord.'
To be precise, it’s not just the Ghost Gate Meridian Lord.
There’s something more. Something lurking in this city... another condition that can break this formation. It’s not something I know through knowledge of formations. Instinctively, I feel that I must move separately right now.
"Then, I wish you luck, Young Master Peng."
"You too, monk."
We gave each other a short nod and moved in different directions.
The Little Arhat led the Heavenly Thunder Alliance martial artists toward the isolated sectors beyond the outer city. Fortunately, everyone seemed to follow his orders.
And in the meantime, two more people remained.
"Uh, what about you two...?"
"How could I leave my lord alone in such a dangerous place?"
"I cannot allow you to be left alone with that woman, even if dirt enters my eyes. The lewd attitude characteristic of the Han people knows no gender. You need to be more mindful of your conduct."
Murong Cheong said this, her lips pouting slightly as she spoke.
[Wasn't the engagement dissolved? Why is that girl still calling you 'my lord'? Stop acting like a playboy. You aren't even that great!]
[What nonsense are you...]
[Tra—Transmission?! You learned Sound Transmission into Secrecy? You said it was just a trivial trick!]
[Long sentences are hard. Don't talk to me.]
I knew the basics of how to do it, but even now, if I slipped up just a little while using it, the message would be delivered incorrectly. It was a more delicate technique than I had expected.
"So, my lord, where do you intend to go?"
At that moment, Hwa-yeong naturally squeezed in between me and Murong Cheong, leaning her body slightly against mine. It was a level of intimidation akin to a bear aiming its forepaw.
"The inner city."
I answered as I pulled away slightly to create some distance.
The inner city—the place where the Sword Demon and my grandfather, Peng Ik-cheon, were currently fighting, and also where the Ghost Gate Meridian Lord and the elders of the Dragon Slaying Alliance were locked in combat.
To be blunt, the disturbance happening in the outer city was closer to a side attraction.
In reality, even if all of them survived intact, the victory or defeat would be decided by how the struggle in the inner city ended.
'...Wait.'
I stopped walking and looked up at the sky again.
'The conclusion of this battle will be decided in there. If the Sword Demon is defeated by Grandfather, there will be no way for them to resist, even if all the disciples of the Ten Thousand Swords Hall were unharmed.'
The martial prowess of a Harmony Realm master is similar to a modern nuclear weapon.
A weapon of mass destruction with overwhelming destructive power. A clear asymmetrical force.
Therefore, a sect that possesses a Harmony Realm master does not face a war of extermination.
A sect without a master of that level wouldn't dare attack, and even a sect that does have one cannot guarantee victory before the fight.
If they were to challenge boldly and suffer a defeat, the future of their sect would crumble.
It would be like the walls supporting the sect had shattered. It was self-evident if I recalled the internal strife our Peng family suffered after the Righteous-Demonic War.
So.
'Then what is the point of all this...?'
What is the point of burning down one's own base, massacring civilians, and activating a formation?
Especially if the outcome is ultimately decided by the life-and-death duel between the Sword Demon and my grandfather.
'They locked the gates of the outer city. I thought it was a trap to prevent those inside from escaping...'
If the gates were blocked while people were trapped inside, it was only natural to think that way. The hellscape unfolding within also fit that description.
But what if it wasn't?
A sharp, stabbing sensation throbbed in a corner of my mind. As if this line of thought was correct, I felt a sense of time fragmenting and tilting.
Within the slowed flow of time, my thoughts raced alone. I pieced together the scattered fragments. Starting from the result, I traced back the causes in reverse—
'Isn't the act of closing the gates an attempt to block an external intrusion?'
It’s an action to stop something. To buy time? If so, why did they allow our intrusion? Shouldn't they have blocked us before we entered?
If not that...?
What if they allowed our entry because they had a certain way to deal with us, a guarantee of victory, and they closed the gates to block out any other variables?
—The Ten Thousand Ghosts Alliance might not have known our march route, but they would have known our strength relatively clearly. There were many eyes and ears during the war of extermination against the Jinju Eon family.
—No matter which route we took, the point we reached would have inevitably converged here, Paxian, where the Ten Thousand Swords Hall is located.
—Thinking that, they evacuated the numerous civilians near Paxian. Even though they must have known they would eventually become enemies of the Imperial Court.
—The Jinju Eon family was in league with the Ten Thousand Ghosts Alliance.
—Eon Se-jeong attacked us alongside an elder of the Blood Cult.
—The Blood Cult and the Ten Thousand Ghosts Alliance have formed an alliance.
'The Blood Cult, the Red Dyeing Shamanic Rite. Outer-land cultists close to practitioners of the dark arts, who must crave human life, blood, and flesh in the process of refining their martial arts.'
And wasn't human life, blood, and flesh the most common things in this city right now?
My gaze turned toward the sky again.
Above the sky of the inner city, where the Sword Demon and Grandfather were clashing blades—
—RUMBLE—!!
A sharp wave of energy, enough to make one's whole body feel as if it were being sliced by blades, exploded outward.
The martial artists of the Ten Thousand Swords Hall who had become blood ghouls.
The martial artists of the Dragon Slaying Alliance who had been killed by them and reborn as blood ghouls. Even the corpses of the civilians that were twitching in pieces, having lost their reason.
All of them turned their bodies toward a single direction and bowed their heads.
"Eternal life, the Red Dyeing Shamanic Rite."
"One Flower Spirit Flame, Heaven Submits."
With torn and collapsed vocal cords, they chanted crude incantations.
"Sword Demon, you bastard—!!"
Peng Ik-cheon glared at Sa Mun-hyeok with wide eyes. He tightly gripped the Peng family saber that was buried deep within Sa Mun-hyeok’s abdomen.
He stared at Sa Mun-hyeok, who was smiling sickeningly even as he bled.
"Is this not a joyous occasion, Six-Armed Rakshasa?"
Sa Mun-hyeok slowly pulled out his own sword, which had been buried in Peng Ik-cheon’s stomach.
"I have finally realized that there is something beyond the wall."
Peng Ik-cheon, clutching his stomach as blood gushed out, slowly fell to the ground. The distance between the two, which had been crossed, grew wider.
Sa Mun-hyeok wiped the blood from his blade and tied back his loose hair.
In that short interval, the Peng family saber that had partially pierced his body was forced out on its own, and his wounded body was healing itself.
What lies beyond the Harmony Realm? This was a topic that all martial artists of the Jianghu had always sought to answer.
Does the end of martial arts, the peak allowed to humans, stop at the Harmony Realm?
In most cases, yes. There is no precedent in the entire history of the martial world. No matter how great a martial artist may be, as long as they are human, their lifespan is fixed.
If one cannot live forever, one cannot grow forever. Even if one achieves the state of returning to youth, how can a human live eternally?
Unless it was the one and only martial sect that had honed and developed its techniques for the sole purpose of eternal life.
As for what lies beyond the Harmony Realm.
"There is me."
The Sword Demon took a step forward.
And at that time, on the mountainside overlooking the outer city of Paxian.
"..."
An old man’s footsteps stopped. At the same time, those escorting him all came to a halt as one, like a single body. They did not express any doubt.
Zhuge Yeon-seon, who was standing by his side, spoke up with an extremely cautious attitude.
"What is the matter...?"
"The Sword Demon has stepped through the outer gate."
"Pardon?"
The old man looked up at the night sky of Paxian with a serene expression, then suddenly spoke.
"One Soul."
"Yes, Supreme Master."
"Stand back."
The Heavenly Demon moved his feet.
As if out for a stroll, with his hands behind his back.
Toward the collapsed outer city of Paxian, toward the hellscape where the thick blood mist seethed.
"I shall go alone."
Zhuge Yeon-seon looked back and forth between the Heavenly Demon and the martial artists of the Demonic Cult with a bewildered face. However, the martial artists of the Demonic Cult merely bowed their heads without protest.
They did not insist on guarding or escorting him, their faces filled with a faith bordering on fanaticism.
And why wouldn't they? Even if their god walked alone, who would dare block his path? From the beginning, they were merely attendants.
This is called Wu-wei (Non-action). It refers to a state where every action is free of any hindrance, like a fish swimming in water or a bird flying in the sky. This is the non-action of an absolute being.
"Ten thousand demons shall submit."
Everyone present simultaneously chanted the prayer and lowered their bodies.
Leaving them behind, he walked alone.
The blood mist surrounding the massive outer city parted.
And so.
The giant arrived in Paxian.