Chapter 469
Chapter 469
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 121
>Chapter Title: Great Battle (1)
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He had no immunity to women and got terribly embarrassed easily—his face would turn beet red at the slightest touch, as if it might explode.
But at the word "great dharma artifact" from his junior fellow disciple Yeo Su-rin, his flushed face instantly cooled.
"No. Absolutely not."
"Aww, senior brother."
"You got punished last time for barging into the Divine Origin Hall on your own and damaging Master's dharma artifact, and now you're spouting that nonsense?"
"That was when I was still inexperienced. Now..."
"Master surely still forbids you from entering the Divine Origin Hall."
"That's why I need your help, senior brother."
"Aren't you being too shameless?"
Her senior brother looked utterly dumbfounded.
Master had forbidden them from even leaving the sect to begin with—let alone touching Master's great dharma artifact. If that got out, it would mean immediate expulsion from the sect.
"This time, it's absolutely not happening. With the Great Peng Demon King's seal broken, not to mention the sorcerers vanishing and all sorts of ominous events unfolding, if you pull some reckless stunt now, I'll have no choice but to lock you in the meditation chamber..."
"Unless it's not just one of the Six Demons breaking free."
"What? What do you mean...?"
"Exactly what I said. What I'm trying to do does defy Master's orders, but it's far from reckless."
Her suddenly serious tone made her senior brother furrow his brow as he asked,
"What do you mean it's not just one of the Six Demons breaking free?"
"Exactly what I said. You don't know what mission Master assigned me, do you, senior brother?"
"It's the sect's rule that missions from Master must be kept secret from the other fellow disciples. Are you planning to break that?"
"With things the way they are, do you think I can afford to follow the rules?"
"Hah..."
To her exasperated senior brother, she pressed her forehead and said,
"Do you remember the heavenly secrets Master divined? That the Three Eyes would throw the world into chaos."
"...Are you saying the events happening now are connected to that?"
At his question, Yeo Su-rin replied in a meaningful tone.
"Yes. If we sit idle now because of Master's orders, there could be far more sacrifices than there are already."
"Sacrifices...?"
"If we do nothing, countless people in the Central Plains could die."
"..."
"So I desperately need your help, senior brother."
"Sigh."
At her words, her senior brother sighed, his embarrassment giving way to utter confusion about what to do.
* * *
Three days later.
The face of Mok Gan's clone, inhabiting an old man's body, had grown considerably haggard.
It was enduring thanks to the overflowing vital energy absorbed from the spirit beast's blood, but the Ancient Alchemical Great Duke's Heaven-Sealing Technique demanded the caster's sacrifice, and it was starting to feel overwhelming.
At best, this clone had only a few more days before its lifespan ran out.
Even so, the technique wouldn't be released.
A complete formation like this couldn't be undone by external forces or from within unless the release incantation was activated.
Those guys really were vicious.
Mok Gan's clone glared at Mok Kyung-un, trapped motionless within the Great Duke's Heaven-Sealing Technique, and clicked his tongue.
He kept trying to snuff out the bastard's breath, but each time, Mok Kyung-un struck back with his mind sword, dealing even greater damage to himself instead.
'How can a human who's regressed to such a state possess this level of mental fortitude?'
It had been nearly nine days, yet the guy's spirit remained intact.
This technique wasn't meant for trapping mere humans—it was designed for spirit beasts or immortals who defied the natural order.
An ordinary human would go mad within days, unable to endure the timeless stasis.
Yet that bastard's eyes still burned with life, struggling desperately to escape even in this situation.
'But it's futile.'
The mind sword was just that—a sword of the mind.
It only worked on living beings, so it was powerless against the Great Duke's Heaven-Sealing Technique that bound the entire space.
'Hahaha. You'll die right here. In agony as everything precious is stripped away.'
-Kwarung! Kwarurung! Boom!
At that moment, the roar of an explosion echoed even into the Heaven-Sealing Technique.
Mok Gan scowled.
"Hah..."
That woman was relentlessly tenacious.
Despite her slowed recovery from the injuries inflicted by the Formless Sword, she had fought day and night for nine days straight, holding them off.
In the end, she had let Ryu So-wol's soul slip away.
Mok Gan stuck out his tongue in admiration.
'To block dozens of upper-grade demon swarms even while wounded.'
Was her obsession with vengeance against Chun-chu this intense?
But now, it seemed to be reaching its end.
Only four demon swarms remained.
All of them were demonic beasts.
For her, exhausted and depleted of most of her demonic power, this was the limit.
She could tell just from that pale face.
"Haa... haa..."
As Mok Gan judged, Chun-chu had surpassed mere fatigue, sustained only by her burning obsession for revenge.
Her last strike had taken out three demon swarms, but now she truly had no strength left.
Exhausted, her body was gradually sinking lower.
Sensing her state, the remaining four demonic beasts opened their maws in unison and fired demonic power blasts.
-Papapapang!
Staring at the incoming blasts, she extended her trembling hand and murmured softly.
"Father... I'll see you soon."
With that, her body was engulfed by the demonic blasts.
-Kwarurung!
* * *
Around the same time.
Mok Kyung-un's retainers, riding the spirit beast Heumwon back to the Heaven-Earth Society's headquarters, were being pursued by an insect-like demon swarm even larger than Heumwon.
"These things are relentless."
Pagyeseung Ja Geum-jeong utilized his Vajra Staff and dharma artifacts to drive off the demon swarm, but the cunning bastard deftly evaded them while attacking Heumwon.
As a result, Heumwon's wings and body were covered in wounds.
-Weeeeng!
-Chachachachak!
"Haa... haa... Damn bug bastards."
Seop-chun swung his specialized weapon, the Lightless Sword, relentlessly slicing the swarming insects.
Not just him—the others were battling the hordes of venomous bugs unleashed by the demon swarm.
The injured Mong Mu-yak fought valiantly but passed out after being stung.
Without the poison expert Pal Dok-sa-jang Gu Yang-so, he might have lost his life.
"Just hold on a little longer."
-Papapapapak!
Gu Yang-so protected Mong Mu-yak, swatting away the incoming bugs with his snake staff.
-Papapak!
At first, Mara-hyeon had split his form into two or three to climb atop Heumwon and deal with the bugs, but now even he was panting heavily from exhaustion.
"Huu... huu... Seop-chun!"
"Yes!"
"Can you see the headquarters?"
At Mara-hyeon's shout, Seop-chun looked down from the carriage and sighed.
They should have been near headquarters by now, flying as they were, but being chased by that giant bug-like demon swarm had veered them off course.
Below was a river.
"Damn it. Where the hell are we?"
It was impossible to get their bearings.
At this rate, they might die before even reaching headquarters.
Then, the carriage tilted and suddenly lurched sideways.
"Wha-what?"
Seop-chun grabbed on in panic, and in his eyes, he saw massive feathers from the spirit beast Heumwon raining down.
"What, what is it?"
Looking up, one of Heumwon's wings had lost feathers, exposing a wound.
'Why?'
That spot had been healed by Lady Chun-chu's first secret art of enchantment.
She had slit her wrist, poured her blood on the wound, chanted some spell, and the hole had closed, feathers regrowing.
But what was happening now?
Why were the feathers suddenly...
It was right then.
-Kieeeek!
Heumwon flapped one wing desperately to delay the fall, but the insect-form demon swarm seized the opening, charging in and sending them plummeting downward.
-Shuuuuw!
"Uwaaaah!"
"Grab onto anything!"
"Below! The river below! Aim for it!"
Was it good fortune?
The spot they were crashing toward was the river.
-Chaaaash! Chwaaaa!
As the massive spirit beast Heumwon plunged into the river, the water churned, sending up waves like a tsunami.
Mok Kyung-un's retainers, who had fallen into the water, began surfacing one by one.
"Pua!"
"Huff huff. Damn. Nearly went to the Buddha's side."
"Mu-yak? Is Mu-yak okay?"
Gu Yang-so, having surfaced, held the unconscious Mong Mu-yak by the scruff and lifted his face above water while kicking desperately.
-Chap chap!
-Paak!
Then Mara-hyeon burst from the water, tore off his broken mask, grabbed Mong Mu-yak, and said,
"I'll take Mu-yak."
"Haa... haa... Thanks."
Gu Yang-so, already strained by his aged, frail body, expressed his gratitude—he could barely handle carrying Mong Mu-yak too.
Still, would the spirit beast Heumwon be alright?
It had sunk deep into the river and wasn't resurfacing.
Escaping the middle of the river seemed the priority, so they all swam.
But then,
-Waaang!
The flapping of wings reached their ears, the river water roiling like a storm, whipping up winds so fierce they could barely keep their eyes open.
"Hah..."
Seop-chun stared blankly at the insect-form demon swarm now looming above them.
The others were the same.
They had no strength left to fight it.
Was this the end?
It was at that moment.
-Kururung! Boom boom!
Thunderbolts crashed from a clear sky, dark clouds suddenly gathering from all directions.
Everyone was bewildered by the abrupt change.
-Chwaaaa!
Then, the sound of cleaving water came, the currents growing fierce.
The giant insect-form demon swarm, flapping down to devour them, suddenly shifted its gaze elsewhere.
There, a massive ship was approaching.
Countless vengeful spirits stood atop the deck, even clinging to both sides.
"Huh?"
Pagyeseung Ja Geum-jeong's face lit up upon seeing someone standing imposingly at the prow with hands behind their back.
It was the vengeful spirit Ha Yun, who had once ferried them across a flooded river in heavy rain.
The vengeful spirit Ha Yun bellowed at the giant insect-form demon swarm.
-You bastard! Get away from my friends at once!
* * *
Four days later, around noon.
Before the vast Ten Thousand Great Mountains, filled with countless peaks, a massive procession of people was approaching in formation.
At the forefront fluttered the banner of the Justice Alliance.
"Finally... you've come."
Ho Tae-gang, the Axe King atop the tallest peak watching them, raised his axe high.
At his signal, the warriors behind him sent hand signs, and in response, the conference warriors waiting on each peak raised their banners in unison.
Amid the black flags emblazoned with red patterns, massive characters stood out.
Heavenly Demon
The sudden raising of countless banners atop the peaks brought the advancing Justice Alliance procession to a complete halt.