Chapter 190
Chapter 190
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 190
>Chapter Title: Cold Heaven Society (2)
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The Gorang County Branch Leader opened his mouth with a complicated expression.
“I don’t doubt Young Master’s abilities, but isn’t it a bit dangerous? No matter how much Gansu Province is a half-abandoned land even in the Central Plains, the Cold Heaven Society is a force that controls the capital of an entire province.”
At the sight of him questioning Il-mok’s orders, people like Baek-cheon or Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a seemed ready to throw a fit like fanatics, but Il-mok spoke first.
“We’ve already killed the messenger they sent. That leaves us with only two choices: launch a surprise attack before this information reaches them, or hold a defensive battle here. And if it comes to a siege defense, the ones who’ll really suffer aren’t us.”
Those gathered quickly realized who Il-mok meant by the victims.
The common folk living in Gorang County could suffer greatly. Like that couple Il-mok had saved just moments ago.
“And I’m not planning to fight without thinking it through. So tell me. What do you know about the Cold Heaven Society’s martial prowess? Whether it’s from your recent investigations or the rumors floating around.”
“The Cold Heaven Society Leader, Meng Guo, is a man once called the Black Ghost Twin Blades. Since the Cold Heaven Society unified Lanzhou over a dozen years ago, no one has seen him fight in person. However, there are rumors that in his last battle ten years ago, he used gang qi.”
“Gang qi... In Central Plains terms, does that mean the Peak realm? Or the Realm of Insight?”
Il-mok asked, recalling a conversation he’d had with his master, the Heavenly Demon, in the past.
It was around the time he was preparing to enter the Demonic Path Academy. Whenever Il-mok found himself in dangerous situations, the Heavenly Demon would say he grew stronger from them and train him like a dog in near-real combat spars.
When Il-mok thought he might actually die, he’d often stall after each bout by asking questions.
One of them had been about the distinctions between realms.
- The realms of martial arts...
Stroking his beard and murmuring, the Heavenly Demon gave a brief explanation of the martial realms.
Those who succeeded in gathering internal energy in their dantian, fresh beginners in martial arts, were third-rate. If they could deploy techniques using internal energy, second-rate. If they surpassed merely operating energy according to fixed movements and could freely wield it across various motions, first-rate.
Beyond strengthening the body with internal energy, those capable of emitting qi were called Peak realm.
Those who could unleash fist qi or sword qi. Among Central Plains martial artists, the Peak realm was seen as the measure of a true master.
Occasionally, there were those who forcibly squeezed out sword qi using the power of superior arts, regardless of their actual skill, and they were separately called super first-rate.
- What frog-in-a-well thinking. Anyone who trains our cult’s superior demonic arts can emit qi within a dozen years at most. Haha!
Even then, the Heavenly Demon never forgot to boast about the Demonic Cult and disparage the Central Plains folk.
But Il-mok couldn’t deny it.
Not a single Demonic Path Academy graduate failed to reach Peak by Central Plains standards, and every demon from the main headquarters serving in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s martial units or organizations was Peak or above.
It wasn’t for no reason.
‘At the cost of suffering mental illness and falling into demonic deviation every day?’
He couldn’t say that out loud, or the Heavenly Demon would lop off his head.
The Heavenly Demon’s explanation continued.
- Central Plains folk talk of a Super Peak realm after Peak, but Super Peak is a mirage. It’s just something they tacked on because the gap between Peak and the next realm, Insight, is so vast. Like that false super first-rate realm.
The Peak realm allowed qi emission, and from there, possibilities were endless.
With a sword, one could go beyond sword qi to form a sword veil or create sword waves, shoot sword qi at distant foes beyond merely coating the blade, or operate qi to move sword qi according to the sword’s principles or flow.
After cultivating various qi operations within the Peak realm and gaining countless insights, swordsmen reached the dream realm of sword qi becoming gang—sword-gang.
Thus, Central Plains folk called those who could wield gang qi Super Peak.
- To freely wield gang qi, one must enter Insight. The gang qi produced at the so-called Super Peak level is just forcibly squeezed-out fakes.
Having already reached an overwhelming realm, the Heavenly Demon dismissed Super Peak lightly.
- Then, is the criterion for Insight the ability to freely wield gang qi?
- You’ve got it backward. One can freely wield gang qi because they’ve entered Insight.
- ???
Seeing Il-mok’s confused face, the Heavenly Demon added an explanation.
- The benchmark for Insight is the shedding of bones and seizing of marrow. The body transforms into the most suitable form for martial arts, all meridians and acupoints connect to the world, so naturally, one can freely wield gang qi.
The Heavenly Demon added with a face full of pride.
- And this ties to our Divine Cult. We classify ‘superior demonic arts’ by whether they allow shedding of bones and seizing of marrow upon Transcending Demon, reaching Insight.
- ...Then, does this disciple also achieve shedding of bones and seizing of marrow the moment I enter Transcending Demon with the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword?
Whether past-Il-mok, realizing the road ahead was billions of miles long, grieved or not, the Heavenly Demon spoke with pride.
- Indeed. Haha. So let’s resume training now.
His affectionate tone clashed with the horrific killing intent crushing Il-mok.
Recalling the horrific end to that day’s conversation, cold sweat trickled down Il-mok’s back.
Perhaps because Il-mok’s expression had grown heavy, the Gorang County Branch Leader cautiously spoke.
“The Cold Heaven Society Leader probably hasn’t reached Insight. Absolute masters of Insight are rare enough to count on one hand across all Central Plains unorthodox sects. A man of that caliber wouldn’t be in this backwater.”
“Then, excluding the Society Leader, how many Peak masters are there?”
“The Vice Leader, called the Rakshasa Woman in Gansu, is rumored to be at the edge of Peak. And I believe there are another five or six Peak-level masters besides her.”
Having heard the Branch Leader’s full explanation, Il-mok scanned his companions and nodded.
They were mostly madmen, but their skills were reliable.
* * *
Il-mok and his group, fully prepared, headed toward Lanzhou City.
Gorang County and Lanzhou City were relatively close by Central Plains standards, but that was relative to the vast landmass.
Unleashing lightness skills, they dashed over three hundred li nonstop and only arrived at Lanzhou City after the sun had fully set.
Considering the distance, they’d gained at least a full day.
“The ones who came to Gorang County were probably planning to stay a day, get treated at the relay station, and head back. At least until tomorrow, the Cold Heaven Society won’t notice anything amiss. So, rest now and launch the surprise attack at the start of the Tiger Hour.”
After issuing orders to the group, Il-mok washed his sweat-soaked body from the lightness skill exertion and slept for about two hours.
Waking around the end of the Ox Hour, Il-mok joined the others, sated his hunger with pre-packed rice balls from the inn, and slipped out.
* * *
A massive compound located just a short distance from Lanzhou’s red-light district.
Bearing the signboard [Cold Heaven Society], it dwarfed Gorang County’s relay station.
Perhaps due to its enormous size, the walls were correspondingly high, with torches lit at intervals and men standing guard.
But had it been over ten years since they established dominance in Lanzhou?
“Yawwwn.”
Contrary to the outwardly strict atmosphere, the guards yawned widely, staring blankly at the night sky.
‘Since there’s no day off tomorrow, I should visit Ang-ran.’
As a guard nurtured lewd thoughts gazing toward the nearby red-light district, his fantasies abruptly ended.
“!?”
Sudden breathing difficulty struck. Before he knew it, a thin black thread was around his neck.
Slice.
Before the man could resist, the thin black thread severed his neck clean in two.
Beside the corpse that had lost its head in an instant stood a woman cloaked in darkness, her approach unnoticed.
Clad in tight black night clothes, her face hidden by a fierce mask.
Despite nearby torches, her hiding in their shadows was miraculous.
Silver Shadow Squad Leader Dan Bin, vanguard of the surprise operation, finished her last prey and extinguished a torch as planned.
With no survivors near the wall, no one noticed, and masked figures scaled the wall through the darkened section into the Cold Heaven Society compound.
Safely inside, they split off alone or in threes, scattering in all directions.
‘Sloppier than it looks.’
Moving alone, Il-mok headed toward the compound’s center, thinking things were going smoothly.
Matching its vast size, the interior held multiple halls and sub-walls.
Passing one hall, Il-mok abruptly halted.
Between halls stood two guards together.
Il-mok cautiously approached using stealth, then from a distance unleashed Single Soul Severance with his fingers—an impromptu finger strike adapted from Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword.
Qi infused with swift sword principles struck their mute and mute acupoints.
Approaching the silently subdued pair, Il-mok swiftly beheaded them with his black-lacquered sword and moved on.
After passing another hall, a particularly brightly lit one appeared.
One guard stood watch at each side.
‘Jackpot.’
It was a hasty raid. They knew the compound’s location since the Cold Heaven Society was famous, but lacked time to pinpoint the Leader’s bedroom.
Thus, they’d spread out to search.
‘Who’d have thought they’d so blatantly advertise the Leader’s quarters smack in the center.’
Setting aside his exasperation, Il-mok pondered while eyeing the Leader’s hall.
Silently taking out the perimeter guards one by one felt like a bad move.
‘If the Leader’s truly Super Peak, I can’t fully fool his qi sense with stealth.’
Attacking one might alert the Leader to anomalous qi flows.
‘Go for the quick kill.’
Resolving himself, Il-mok regulated his breath and unleashed full dantian energy.
Boom!!
A sound like the ground exploding rang out, and in an instant, Il-mok was before the guard on the hall’s west side.
The guard’s eyes widened at the unexpected assault.
No time to shout a warning, he hurriedly reached for his weapon.
Slice!
Before drawing his saber, Il-mok’s lightning sword cleaved the guard in two.
But Il-mok’s target had never been the guard.
Sword qi bursting from his swing sliced past the guard’s body into the hall’s wall.
Boom!!
Amid the massive explosion and rising dust, Il-mok wildly swung his sword, blasting the dust away with sword wind as he charged inside.
‘Damn hygiene obsession.’
As the dust cleared, the hall’s interior came into view.
On a massive bed.
Three naked women, barely covered by silk blankets, stared at Il-mok in startled fright, as if just awakened.
“You dog bastard!!”
The man who’d been lying with them roared, lunging for the twin sabers beside the bed.
At that wretched sight, Il-mok nearly squeezed his eyes shut, his mind reeling from side effects.
‘My eyes are rotting!!’
- Cut off that hideous thing right now!!
The just-woken Cold Heaven Society Leader was completely nude.