Chapter 294
Chapter 294
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 81
>Chapter Title: Joining (3)
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“Anyway, you’re really soft-hearted.”
Mok Kyung-un shrugged at Cheong-ryeong’s words.
She had called it being soft-hearted, but without laying down this kind of premise, there was no telling what Mara Hyun might do in her thirst for revenge.
It was better to dangle this carrot than create unnecessary variables.
At the very least, she wouldn’t be able to entertain other thoughts while chasing after the carrot.
“Still, I gave her a chance, so call it kindness.”
“Kindness? If it’s not now, the opportunity might vanish forever.”
Mok Kyung-un simply smiled without a word at Cheong-ryeong’s retort.
She was right.
Once he extracted all the information he wanted from the Sacred Flame Oracle, he would hand her over to the Heaven-Earth Society leader for the connection.
The Heaven-Earth Society leader was one of the Six Heavens, after all.
Even bedridden, if the Sacred Flame Oracle fell into the hands of the leader—a transcendent master on the level of a Grandmaster—it would be a distant dream for Mara Hyun to get such a chance again.
Of course, that was none of Mok Kyung-un’s concern.
*Swoosh!*
Mok Kyung-un turned his head and looked at the Sacred Flame Oracle.
Now that she knew who Mara Hyun was, she seemed somehow restless and anxious.
‘First, we need to get out of Kaifeng, right?’
There were quite a few things he wanted to ask the Sacred Flame Oracle.
But this place wasn’t far from the imperial capital Kaifeng, so there was a risk of pursuit.
Without So Ye-rin or the Six Blood Star White River, if even one of the Six Heavens—like the Southern Advance Warrior Gu Su-baek—showed up, it would be hard to handle right now.
With that, Mok Kyung-un said to everyone,
“Let’s get out of Henan first. Everyone, get on the carriage.”
“Understood.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Oho. So we get to ride that massive monster bird?”
“······It’s not something to be that thrilled about.”
As everyone cleared away the leftover food containers and climbed onto the now roomier carriage with fewer people, the Sacred Flame Oracle approached Mok Kyung-un and whispered softly.
“Disciple of the Night Immortal Instructor.”
“Your title’s too long. Just call me Mok Kyung-un.”
“Mok Kyung-un?”
“Yes.”
“Very well. Brother Mok. Are we traveling on this monster bird?”
“Yes.”
“Couldn’t we just procure some horses?”
“That’d be fine too, but how do you find horses in these deep mountains? And we’re not far from Kaifeng—if we don’t hurry, we might get caught by pursuit squads. You okay with that?”
“Ah······.”
At Mok Kyung-un’s words, the Sacred Flame Oracle glanced at Humwon with a pale face.
It was fast, but relying on the claws of that massive freak to fly through the sky wasn’t a pleasant memory.
However, with no choice, she had to accept it.
“Alright, shall we go? If it’s hard to climb onto the carriage, you can stay inside the food container again.”
“······Very well. But before that, Brother Mok. I have something to say.”
“Something to say?”
“Yes. The Night Immortal Instructor may have made arrangements, but before that, we must retrieve the Treasure Pearl.”
“Treasure Pearl······. Come to think of it, what exactly is this Treasure Pearl?”
He had been curious about that very thing.
The marking organization too, and even the Imperial Guards had been ordered from above to find this Treasure Pearl.
It wouldn’t make sense for them to pursue it so relentlessly if it weren’t important.
The Sacred Flame Oracle glanced at those on Mok Kyung-un’s carriage, then whispered into his ear.
“It’s the Sacred Flame Orb.”
“······Sacred Flame Orb?”
“You didn’t hear from the Night Immortal Instructor?”
“No, I was just told to abduct the Sacred Flame Oracle from the imperial palace’s Golden Prison.”
“Ah. The Night Immortal Instructor taught you well according to doctrine.”
‘Doctrine?’
From her words, it seemed even among the Blaze Demon Cult followers, only some knew about the Sacred Flame Orb.
The Sacred Flame Oracle spoke to Mok Kyung-un in a secretive voice.
“Normally I wouldn’t tell you this soon, but since you’ll succeed the Night Immortal Instructor, I’ll let you know. I can only receive the oracle with the Sacred Flame Orb.”
“Oracle? You don’t mean—”
“It’s the precognition you know of—that is the oracle.”
‘Hoo.’
At her words, interest gleamed in Mok Kyung-un’s eyes.
He had suspected the Treasure Pearl might be linked to precognitive abilities, and it seemed he was right.
Mok Kyung-un asked quietly,
“Without the Treasure Pearl, you can’t receive the oracle?”
“The Treasure Pearl is a sacred relic passed down through generations in our cult. Only with it can I receive the sacred oracle of flame and open the path.”
“It must be essential for delivering the oracle, then.”
“Indeed. Moreover, only with the Sacred Flame Orb can I gather the followers again, and the incarnation that has appeared in this world······. No, that’s still too much for you to know.”
‘Incarnation?’
Mok Kyung-un’s eyes narrowed.
Was the incarnation she mentioned the one written in the language of Parasa Kingdom that Dark Sect Leader Hwan Ya-seon possessed?
[The incarnation of Ahriman shall appear in this world—beware.]
He didn’t know what this incarnation was, but it seemed extremely important to Dark Sect Leader Hwan Ya-seon and the Blaze Demon Cult followers alike.
Of course, Mok Kyung-un had no interest in that.
His sole concern was uncovering the enemy who killed his grandfather and those behind them.
Still, it looked like he needed to find this Treasure Pearl.
The Heaven-Earth Society leader wouldn’t have sent people all the way to the underground Golden Prison of the palace just to see the Sacred Flame Oracle.
It was surely tied to that precognitive ability.
‘It’ll be necessary.’
A Sacred Flame Oracle without precognition would be worthless.
Even the leader wouldn’t acknowledge her.
Mok Kyung-un asked,
“Where is this Treasure Pearl—no, Sacred Flame Orb?”
“I entrusted it to my granddaughter.”
She had a granddaughter?
Well, at her advanced age, it made sense if she wasn’t living alone.
“I see. So where is your granddaughter?”
“I asked the family head of that place, with whom I’ve had ties since long ago. It’s a martial clan of the murim world—since you’re a murim man who’s trained in martial arts, you’ve probably heard of it.”
“A martial clan of the murim world? Where is it?”
“The Tang Clan of Sichuan.”
‘!?’
* * *
Sichuan Tang Clan.
A martial family composed solely of the Tang bloodline, one of the Seven Great Clans of the murim world.
Renowned as an upright martial clan, the Sichuan Tang Clan is famed for hidden weapons, Capturing Hand techniques, and poisons, wielding the greatest power and influence among the Seven Great Clans alongside the Moyong Clan and Nangong Clan.
*Flap flap!*
Mong Mu-yak, clinging to the swaying carriage gripped in Humwon’s talons, spoke to Mok Kyung-un in a worried voice.
“My lord······. The Sichuan Tang Clan belongs to the Justice Alliance. Is this alright?”
Having only learned the destination after taking to the skies, he couldn’t help but worry.
The imperial palace mission had been dangerous too, but it was more or less neutral ground, allowing them to focus solely on the abduction.
But the Sichuan Tang Clan changed everything.
As part of the Justice Alliance, they were completely at odds with the Heaven-Earth Society.
That meant entering enemy territory.
Moreover,
“The Tang Clan is one thing, but Sichuan Province is entirely righteous faction territory. With the Qingcheng Sect, Jeomchang Sect, and Emei Sect there, one misstep and we could face a Heaven-Earth Net.”
Heaven-Earth Net.
It was a massive encirclement and pursuit formation deployed by over a thousand warriors.
Spanning an enormous area, this formation made escape nearly impossible and pressed relentlessly without giving time to circulate qi or recover stamina.
And if the poison and hidden weapon experts of the Sichuan Tang Clan joined in, it would be a nightmare.
“It doesn’t sound good.”
“······It’s dangerous. Even without a Six Heavens-level transcendent master like at the palace, the Sichuan Tang Clan has Tang In-hae, one of the Eight Stars, said to rival them in prowess.”
Thousand Poison Hand Tang In-hae.
Among poison experts of the Central Plains and beyond, he had reached the pinnacle of poison arts—the Poison Human realm—alongside the Eight Venomous Serpent Staff Gu Yang-so.
Poison arts, diverging from conventional martial arts, were specialized solely for destruction and death, without exaggeration.
That was why heading to the Sichuan Tang Clan was especially daunting.
Seop-chun chimed in agreement.
“Mong Mu-yak is right. In some ways, the Tang Clan might be more dangerous than the palace. Wouldn’t you reconsider, my lord?”
“Reconsider? Even so, what choice do we have? Without the Treasure Pearl, she might not be in the state the leader wants.”
“However, the leader’s orders didn’t include that Treasure Pearl. Unlike the palace mission, we have no preparations for the Tang Clan trip.”
At Seop-chun’s words, the robed monk Ja Geum-jeong—who had been listening quietly—took a swig from his gourd and spoke.
“Keu. Why so scared? We’re not going to fight—just to pick up that old nun’s granddaughter.”
“It’s a matter of position. The Justice Alliance and our society are enemies. They won’t need an excuse to fight.”
“Then no choice, but if you’re that worried, how about this monk escorts the old nun there?”
“What?”
“The rumors haven’t spread yet that this monk serves Young Master Mok here, so it should be fine if I go.”
“······.”
Seop-chun stared piercingly at Ja Geum-jeong.
Was he serious?
The robed monk Ja Geum-jeong was one of the Three Madmen.
He’d earned the madman moniker for his eccentric acts regardless of righteous or evil factions.
If such a man tried entering the Sichuan Tang Clan, would they let him in nicely?
“······Hey. Do you really think the Sichuan Tang Clan will let you in?”
“Ahem. If luck’s bad, they might chase me out.”
He seemed at least somewhat aware of his own notoriety.
Seop-chun let out a deep sigh, then turned to Mok Kyung-un.
“My lord, please······.”
Before his words could finish—
*Twitch!*
Mok Kyung-un suddenly drew the Black Instant Sword from his waist.
*Shing!*
“M-My lord?”
Wondering why he’d drawn his sword so abruptly, Mok Kyung-un leaped onto the carriage handle and swung downward.
A sharp sword qi erupted from the blade, slicing through the air.
*Splang!*
Something collided with the sword qi, sparking blue flames and shattering with a metallic clang.
No one knew what it was, but it was clearly launched from below.
“What?”
“Pursuit squad?”
Startled, Seop-chun, Mong Mu-yak, and Mara Hyun poked their heads out to look below the carriage.
And right then—
Flashes erupted from below here and there, as objects hurtled toward them.
Too blunt and short to be arrows.
And their target was none other than—
‘Humwon?’
Mok Kyung-un shouted to Humwon.
“Dodge!”
At Mok Kyung-un’s cry, Humwon glanced below, then—rather than evading—beat its wings to deflect the incoming objects with a counter-wind, just like the arrows at the palace.
*Whoooom!*
The massive gust from Humwon’s wingbeats blew back most of the oncoming objects downward.
Just as they thought most had been repelled—
*Swoosh!*
One broke through the windstorm, flying straight at Humwon’s body.
The instant before it struck, Mok Kyung-un leaped up and slashed it with the Black Instant Sword.
*Clang!*
The severed object coincidentally fell onto the carriage.
Everyone stared at the halved thing, puzzled by its odd shape and unable to identify it.
But one person recognized it.
It was the robed monk Ja Geum-jeong.
This was none other than—
“A Vajra Pestle?”
Vajra Pestle.
Symbolizing the bodhi mind that shatters human defilements, it was a ritual implement used by Buddhist monks for cultivation or subduing demons.
‘No way?’
Startled at the sight, Ja Geum-jeong tried to peer below the carriage.
But before he could, two more Vajra Pestles flew up—one piercing straight through Humwon’s right wing.
*Pffft!*
As the Vajra Pestle pierced the wing, Humwon let out a horrific screech.
*Kiekekekekekekekgek!*
‘Couldn’t block that one.’
Of the two incoming Vajra Pestles, he’d thrown the Black Instant Sword to block one.
But the other flew toward the opposite wing, out of reach.
Mok Kyung-un reached out as if pulling.
The thrown Black Instant Sword veered back toward him.
*Pak!*
The moment he grabbed the sword—
*Ooooooo!*
From Humwon’s screeching right wing flowed a majestic aura unlike any before, accompanied by an eerie chant ringing in their ears.
*Om mani padme hum arihan na arihan na hum arihan na banaya hum banaya hum baa bam baa ra hum batak.*
It was a bizarre phenomenon.
How could the sound be so clear?
Puzzled, the robed monk Ja Geum-jeong shouted urgently.
“My lord! It’s the Demon-Subduing Mantra of the Demon-Subduing Monks!”