Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village
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After returning to the base, Mang Ryang gathered the mutants separately. And he said,
"Thunder God Clan members, please remain on standby at the hideout for the time being. I'll look into a way to cure the mutation."
Lee Gwang glanced at me and said,
"You go with him."
"Yes."
Lee Gwang knew of the friendship between Mang Ryang and me, so he seemed to be sending me along to gather information. I picked up the large box containing the mutants in Mang Ryang's place and scaled the city walls again in the dead of night. The guards had been acupointed in advance to lose consciousness quickly, so we avoided detection. Mang Ryang had gone ahead and was waiting. When he saw me arriving with the box, he said in surprise,
"Isn't it heavy?"
Even though they were mutants, it was a massive wooden box containing seven people. Mang Ryang's question was perfectly reasonable, but it felt as light as a feather to me, so I nodded without much thought. Mang Ryang marveled once more at my internal energy and said,
"Let's move quickly before we attract more attention."
"Where are we headed?"
"To see my master, of course."
As I expected.
I followed Mang Ryang, carrying the box toward the nearby village. I had hidden the Heavenly Dark Secret Book in a pine grove before entering the village where Cheon Woo-jin resided. This was the true hidden abode where the real Mangliang Immortal and Cheon Woo-jin lived.
Cheon Woo-jin had apparently strengthened the Illusionary Boundary this time. The moment I stepped into the village, a massive fog billowed up. From beyond the fog, Cheon Woo-jin approached, speaking irritably.
"You're back?"
"Yes, we are."
"You lot really know how to pester a person. Get lost."
Mang Ryang said to Cheon Woo-jin,
"Junior brother, open the path first. This isn't a personal matter—it's a grave issue, so we need Master's opinion."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Cheon Woo-jin glared at me discontentedly but soon dispelled the boundary and teleported us to the shrine of Mangliang Immortal. Cheon Woo-jin seemed able to wield godlike power within this village.
"Open the box."
In front of the shrine, Mang Ryang had me open the box and laid out the mutants one by one. Then he spoke strongly to the invisible Mangliang Immortal.
"Master, as you can see, these people have been struck by vicious demonic energy and turned into minions of the malevolent gods. They are innocents, and this is proof that ancient beings have directly intervened in the mortal world. Please help them."
There was no reply for a while.
'Huh...?'
Suddenly, Mang Ryang staggered and collapsed. An intense wave of drowsiness hit me too, and I stumbled before falling right there. Overwhelming sleepiness crashed over me—I couldn't resist. I was baffled, but before I could even think, I lost consciousness on the spot.
It was the dream world.
I had been to this space once before.
And again, a black cat came trotting from across the stream. The cat glanced at me and said,
[ I am Mangliang Immortal. ]
"......"
[ You don't seem surprised. Well, I suppose not. ]
Mangliang Immortal replied as if he had expected it and leaped onto a nearby rock wall. Curling up like a round ball, he said,
[ To put it bluntly, to reverse those people's mutations, you must eliminate the caster who is the source of the curse. ]
"You mean kill the caster?"
[ Otherwise, an exceptional shaman would need to construct an altar over a long period to drive out the malevolent gods' blessings. At least ten years. ]
I said in disbelief,
"Wait, you call that a blessing? A slip of the tongue, right?"
How could anyone call humans turning into two-legged tentacle-wrigglers a blessing? It was nothing short of the worst curse. Mangliang Immortal yawned and flicked his tail.
[ It's a curse to humans, but that spell is undoubtedly the malevolent gods' blessing. Unlike other ancient beings, malevolent gods don't carelessly multiply their kin. They keep their numbers low, but each one is powerfully beyond mortals. Full mutation into their descendants grants immortality and exceptional sorcery, so the two-legged ones are desperate for this blessing. ]
"......"
I eyed Mangliang Immortal suspiciously and said,
"So what do you plan to do?"
[ What do you mean? ]
"Mang Ryang said this is proof of the two-legged ones intervening in the mortal world. Aren't you going to step in?"
[ That's why I told you. ]
Mangliang Immortal slowly descended the stone steps.
[ Handle it yourself. I've given you all the information I will. ]
"You're not stepping in?"
[ Persistent... ]
"You have immense power! If you wanted, you could wipe out the Brocade Guards or whatever in one go. Why not?"
As I pressed him, Mangliang Immortal fell silent. Then he went to the stream, lapped at the water, and said,
[ So what changes if I destroy the Brocade Guards and strike at the Demon Horse Hall? ]
"What?"
Mangliang Immortal already knew the term Demon Horse Hall. Mang Ryang must have told him. He continued,
[ The Demon Horse Hall is an ancient death god cult with deep history. They've existed since the Silver Age. They've clashed endlessly with the immortal realm, and each time, the immortals purged the demons and monsters at the forefront. Even Sword Immortal Yeo Dong-bin, who bestowed blessings upon you, rose to Half-Immortal Realm by slaughtering two-legged monsters like mad before claiming a seat among the immortals.
But this battle never ends, cannot end, and will not end. Because the Demon Horse Hall's root is a great being. ]
"The ancient ruler created the Demon Horse Hall?"
[ No. ]
Mangliang Immortal looked up at the sky.
[ Something even greater... ]
"......?"
[ I have no power left for small fry like the Brocade Guards. Suppressing him takes everything I have. ]
Mangliang Immortal looked weary as he spoke. He rolled into the grass with a sigh-like motion and said,
[ So you handle it. I'll offer some advice. ]
"Got it. Then can I ask three questions?"
Mangliang Immortal shook his head.
[ No. I won't answer. ]
"You crazy... You said you'd give advice!"
[ Is advice the same as answering questions? Use your brain, idiot. ]
"......"
I hesitated to speak, but Mangliang Immortal cut in first.
[ Not even one question. Don't bother. ]
"Fuck. Are you reading my mind?"
[ Your thoughts are obvious. ]
"Then what kind of advice are you giving!"
Mangliang Immortal hopped onto the rooftop. He walked with cute little dances.
[ Cheer up, cheer~ Cheer up, power~ All the strength from nursing days~ ]
"......"
This bastard was a total cat bastard. How did someone like Mang Ryang come from under a guy like this? As I ground my teeth inwardly, Mangliang Immortal said,
[ Fine, if you insist, one piece of advice: Use that Golden Winged Bird well. ]
"What?"
Suddenly, I felt Mangliang Immortal fading away, and my body floated up.
When I came to, Mang Ryang was asleep beside me. Sitting there blankly, sorting my thoughts, Mang Ryang soon woke too. He grumbled oddly upon waking.
"Master has never spoken through dreams before. Why now?"
"......"
"Anyway, we both got advice. Let's go."
"Yeah, we should."
After leaving with Mang Ryang, I retrieved the Heavenly Dark Secret Book. Upon arriving before Luoyang, I said,
"The conclusion is that toppling the demon in the depths of the Great Thunder Jade will restore the mutated ones."
"That's what I heard too."
"But it might be harder now."
"Why?"
"Thanks to Lee Gwang inflicting a major wound on the Brocade Guard Commander, their command structure is disrupted, making it easier to infiltrate the Great Thunder Jade. We secured an escape route, but normally, not just Brocade Guards—even 10,000 troops garrisoned nearby wouldn't be odd. Now that we've infiltrated once, it'll be an impregnable fortress."
"......"
It was a deadlock.
To save General Hwang Yeon and the other mutants, we had to reach the depths of the Great Thunder Jade and defeat the curse's source. But now, not even infiltration—let alone frontal assault—would be possible with defenses up. They might abandon the breached point, but the difficulty had skyrocketed regardless.
I said,
"If we must do it, how should we?"
"Hmm..."
That was when it happened.
Miho suddenly teleported beside us. She spoke curtly.
"What else? This is the end."
"......!!"
"I've disliked it from the start. I can't put Baek Woong in more danger."
I hurriedly said,
"Wait, Miho! It's not over yet. Defeating the demon in the Great Thunder Jade depths can turn things around."
"From what I sense, that demon's power rivals mine. It's a high-rank demon with intelligence beyond humans. What if you get cursed fighting such a being?"
"You can come with me."
"Are you sane? My sorcery focuses on enchantment and flames—I can't counter that. And I won't expose you to more risk."
Whoosh.
Miho unfurled the spirit-summoning paper. The floating paper split and expanded, enveloping Mang Ryang and me. As I surged my sword flames to tear the spirits, Miho locked eyes with me intensely.
"Urk."
My body wouldn't move. Miho said admiringly,
"As expected of Baek Woong. Resisting my enchantment."
"Don't do this! If I bail now, the Half-Heaven Alliance and Thunder God Clan are done for."
"Who cares?"
Miho approached and gently stroked my jawline. Her eyes held longing and obsession.
"Lee Gwang and Jin So-cheong are already broken in spirit. Forcing this won't guarantee the future. I'll save at least you and escape."
"So just defeat the demon..."
"You're obsessed with that demon—what do you even gain at the end of this ordeal? Why not just leave the Central Plains with me?"
Miho muttered irritably, stroking my chest. Then she leaned her face against mine and said,
"Instead, let's go somewhere no one knows for ten quiet years, just us. Quietly..."
"No, that's not happening."
"If not, make it happen."
The gumiho's eyes fixed on me.
Flash.
I felt Miho's enchantment truly invading my soul. My head pounded like it would burst, tormented by the urge to touch her. An incomparable lust surged, and scarlet flames boiled within my skin—I felt like dying.
"Huh... Hah..."
"Stop it!"
Mang Ryang shouted, but he too seemed bound by the binding spell. Miho gave him a cold look and said,
"Shut up. I'm sparing you because Baek Woong would grieve your death, but keep it up and I'll kill you."
"Urgh..."
"Then farewell. Fight your battles yourselves, hee hee."
Miho slipped her delicate fingers into my clothes.
"We'll be together from now on."
My heart raced as I felt her lips on mine. The impulse to lay her down and ravage her made my lower body throb rigidly. The erotic dream Miho once showed me revived in my mind.
I want it.
'No... No... No...'
I want a woman.
I've held back desire too long.
Strip Miho, thrust into her honey pot, enjoy her beautiful body.
Savor the joy of spilling seed into a woman's flesh at the feast of lust's end.
That's instinct.
'No...!!'
I screamed and wailed inwardly.
How did I get this far? So much left undone. I can't throw my life away to lust. I don't want decades of regret!
Clenching my teeth, I mustered my final will and shouted,
"Then just send Lee Gwang and Jin So-cheong!"
"What...?"
Miho flinched. The tremor weakened the enchantment, letting me barely regain my senses. Coughing, I said,
"You're worried about my life? Then I won't go! Send Jin So-cheong and Lee Gwang to subjugate it and see the results!!"
"Hoo..."
"Miho, you just hate this whole thing. Don't use me as an excuse!"
As I yelled fiercely, Miho looked embarrassed.
Mang Ryang chimed in from the side.
"If the result is bad, I'll disband the Half-Heaven Alliance and become a wild man. Failure means no future anyway."
Miho thought for a moment and said,
"...Fine. If that's what you want, so be it. But if Lee Gwang and Jin So-cheong fail, it's over. Then I'll take Baek Woong."
"Do as you like then."
The negotiation with Miho seemed successful for now.
Returning to base, I wiped my chest in relief.
'Phew... That was close...'
I nearly fell to Miho's enchantment and spent my life in a daze, endlessly rutting in some remote place. The time waste and mental drain would have been immense. But feeling Miho's intense attachment, I felt a mix of luxury and bafflement. Her emotions weren't just from trials returning to the heavens.
Back at base, I called the Thunder God Clan and made the proposal. Mang Ryang carefully persuaded Lee Gwang.
"...So, defeating that demon in the depths will likely restore General Hwang Yeon."
"Is that true?"
"Yes. My master guaranteed it."
"...But that place is now an impregnable fortress unmatched in the world."
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Lee Gwang raised his spear tip to Mang Ryang's throat. I cried out in shock.
"Master!"
Lee Gwang's expression didn't change a bit as he said,
"Half-Heaven Alliance Leader. Can you stake your life on it?"
"Of course."
"Your eyes ring true. But I can't trust you."
Muttering that, Lee Gwang called to Geuk-ho nearby.
"Geuk-ho!"
"Yes, Master."
"Exactly one day from now, if Jin So-cheong and I haven't returned, behead Half-Heaven Alliance Leader Mang Ryang."
Clang clang clang!!
Instantly, the surrounding Half-Heaven Alliance experts drew weapons. Terrifying killing intent pressed down. But Mang Ryang gestured to sheathe them and said,
"I accept the proposal."
"Forgive my rudeness. I still can't fully trust you, Half-Heaven Alliance Leader."
"I know. Isn't that thoroughness the Azure Dragon's nature?"
Mang Ryang said bitterly,
"However, since I wish to help, can you take this?"
Swoosh.
Mang Ryang offered the treasured pae, the Five Flowers Seven Golden Threads. Lee Gwang glanced at it, and Mang Ryang said quietly,
"Possessing that alone should block the demon's sorcery once."
"Didn't you hear? I don't trust you—do you think I'd take something suspicious?"
"You're not the only ones staking your lives. We're staking ours too—recognize that resolve."
"......"
Lee Gwang fell silent and accepted the Five Flowers Seven Golden Threads. Mang Ryang's spirit had swayed him. Lee Gwang muttered,
"I don't dislike spirited people."
"Master."
"Come, Jin So-cheong. Let's take down that demon."
"Yes."
"And Baek Woong. You too."
I shook my head.
"My skills are insufficient. I'll stay and guard here."
"Is that so?"
Flash!
"Urk...!!"
Lee Gwang lunged suddenly, catching me off guard. I deployed the Myeongseung Sword Arts to block, holding with internal energy for exactly thirty seconds. A glint passed through Lee Gwang's eyes, then he struck like lightning.
Pew pew pew!
Thud.
Intense pain shot through my wrist, flinging my sword away. I blocked somehow, but he'd aimed to disarm from the start. Even swordless, I retreated with Thunder Shadow Step and countered his pursuit with Thunder Cloud Hard Fist. Lee Gwang said admiringly,
"You've improved a lot. This level could take three Brocade Guard Thousand Commanders alone."
Swoosh.
But the skill gap was insurmountable. Soon his spear tip touched my throat, subduing me. His cold words fell.
"You're too close to the Half-Heaven Alliance Leader—I can't easily trust you."
"Master... That's."
"If you want my trust, let me seal your full-body blood points quietly. Until I return."
"...Understood."
I had no choice but to let Lee Gwang apply the Thunder God Clan's Binding Great Law to my entire body. My vast internal energy could break it by force if I wished, but that meant betraying him.
I had to sit here motionless.
Watching this, one of the Half-Heaven Alliance peak experts burst in anger.
"Such arrogance! We're all staking everything—how can you act so selfishly?!"
Lee Gwang replied coldly,
"Too many who claimed to stake everything stabbed us in the back."
"......"
"Trusting the Half-Heaven Alliance Leader is my own show of sincerity—remember that."
Whoosh.
Then Lee Gwang and Jin So-cheong left again. Yun Gwang, Ji Pyeong, and Geuk-ho pointed weapons at Mang Ryang simultaneously. The surrounding Half-Heaven Alliance warriors couldn't rush in recklessly with Thunder God Clan experts threatening his life.
My speech was unbound, so I shouted at Geuk-ho,
"Senior brother, don't do anything rash!"
"......"
Geuk-ho glanced at me briefly, then said, weapon still aimed,
"I like the Half-Heaven Alliance people—they're cool, full of侠义. When we brought the survivor earlier, they genuinely pitied and cared for the Present Flower Divine Maiden. I'd love to befriend them if possible."
Adding strength to his spear, Geuk-ho continued,
"But that's my personal thought. Master Lee Gwang, our leader and the only one to avenge the Wind God Style, gives absolute orders. If he doesn't return by tomorrow, I'll carry them out."
A nearby Half-Heaven Alliance warrior glared.
"Don't make me laugh. Kill Alliance Leader Mang Ryang? Then all three of you die."
"Probably. No thought of surviving crosses my mind."
Geuk-ho said sadly,
"That's how it is. The fate of those living in the martial world. Neither I, Yun Gwang, nor Ji Pyeong can defy it."
I was at a loss for words.
Their loyalty and determination far surpassed typical sects. Even famed righteous sects' disciples would have many compromising or betraying under such orders. Willing to stake lives on even seemingly pointless commands showed the Thunder God Clan's master-disciple bonds were bound in unbreakable chains.
'This is... the prowess of a faction that dominated the White Lotus Cult's Four Great Martial Styles.'
I pondered.
What should I do here?
Is just watching the answer, or is there another way?