Chapter 275: Heavenly Demon Cult (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 275: Heavenly Demon Cult (1)
A mountain slightly away from the Cloud-Mist Pavilion.
Jinhyuk repeatedly stroked the adorable Goguma.
"Mogi!"
"Yes, yes. Did you have a nice outing?"
"Mooooogi!"
Goguma blinked its eyes and wagged its tail.
It seemed to be in a great mood after smelling the fragrant scent of grass for the first time in a while.
It was then.
"Blegh..."
Goguma spat out a half-melted elixir from its mouth.
"What is that now?"
Cheon Yu-seong asked with a dumbfounded look.
"The Cloud-Mist Pavilion has quite a few good elixirs. Even if they aren't on the level of Shaolin's Great Rejuvenation Pill or Wudang's Purple Cloud Pill, they kept plenty of medium-to-high-grade ones in stock to immediately respond to the Demonic Cult. Thanks to that, our Goguma was able to grow rapidly."
It must have eaten at least seventy elixirs.
Jinhyuk activated 'Gluttony's Eye'.
[Goguma]
Species: Ancient Species
Age: 1
Level: 156
Strength: 105 / Agility: 138 / Stamina: 120 / Magic Power: 192 / Dragon Power: 104
Skills: 'Acid Spit' Lv6, 'Feast Time' Lv6, 'Acid Breath' Lv7, 'Flight' Lv11, 'Fear' Lv12
Traits: When an Ancient Species engages in battle, the master's magic power is also consumed. Normal combat requires 5 magic power per minute, while intense combat requires 15 magic power per minute.
Having been fed the magic stones received from KDS, on top of inhaling all sorts of elixirs this time.
Even considering the rapid growth characteristic of an Ancient Species, this was a crazy rate of growth.
'Now it's finally starting to raise Dragon Power, the unique stat of the Dragon Race.'
Jinhyuk wore a satisfied smile.
On top of that, he had obtained a rather unusual-looking secret manual, Myriad-Year Cold Iron, and a treasured sword from the treasury. There was truly no other way to describe it than a massive jackpot.
"Did you see that? This is how a veteran gets an identity badge."
Ahem.
"To think you'd package arson and plundering like that. In all my life, I've never seen someone like you."
"My Lord. Even the Heavenly Demon Cult doesn't do such things."
"Wow. You completely burned down the house of the person who served you tea and refreshments. Why don't you just rip out their liver and gallbladder and sell them too?"
Accusations poured in like a flood from all sides.
"Arson and plundering? Didn't you guys see what they were doing earlier?"
Their slick talk about valuing righteousness and chivalry, only to ruthlessly change their attitude the moment someone failed the test and was deemed useless, was still vivid in his mind.
What kind of martial artists are strong against the weak and weak against the strong?
Looking at their behavior, they were nothing but thugs.
"Hmph. Their blatant flattery was indeed disgusting. I suppose it could be considered poetic justice, just as you said."
Cheon Yu-seong nodded slightly.
Then, as if remembering something, he quickly asked back.
"Wait, but if that's the case, doesn't the badge we received become useless? If they investigate even a little, they'll realize the connection between you and Goguma."
"Well, probably."
No matter how foolish the Orthodox faction was, there was no way they wouldn't figure that out.
The information network of a giant power wasn't that flimsy.
"Then, regardless of whether it's a special-grade badge or whatever, does that mean everything we did earlier was a waste of time?"
No, it wasn't a waste of time.
Since they had obtained quite a few lucrative treasures from the Cloud-Mist Pavilion.
Besides...
"To be honest, getting the special-grade badge didn't really matter. I never intended to get an identity badge from that place in the first place."
He could just go to the Heavenly Demon Cult and get one from his master, so why cling to those full of hot air?
In the first place, it was only said that an identity badge was needed to stay in Murim. There was never a rule saying it had to be obtained from the Orthodox faction.
The only reason he had taken the platinum identity badge was simply because platinum was expensive.
At the nonchalant reply, Cheon Yu-seong's face crumpled.
"Then what about me? Surely, you're not asking me to go to the Heavenly Demon Cult with you?"
"Hmm. You can go ask Sister Soul-Chasing Shadow for one. I bet she has a few badges stashed away."
"..."
Shring!
Cheon Yu-seong silently drew his sword halfway.
"Whoa, wait. Hold on. Did I say I only did this for myself? Of course, I set aside something for you too. Look at this. It's an amazing sword."
A longsword engraved with a crane.
As expected of something kept by the Kunlun Sect, it looked extraordinary at a single glance.
"This sword has an attack power of at least 4,000. It's lightweight, and because it's mixed with Myriad-Year Cold Iron, it can withstand you pushing your Sword Qi to the limit. Aren't you grateful? Hurry up and say thank you."
"Wait, that's not what's important..."
"You're always like this. You don't show even a shred of appreciation for my sincerity in going out of my way to get this for you."
"No. Stop deflecting and talk straight...!"
"There you go again. Nitpicking to win an argument. Haven't you heard the saying that losing is winning? In this situation, pretending to lose and saying thank you is the real win. Am I right or wrong?"
Jinhyuk fired off in rapid succession.
"...Fine. Thank you so damn much."
Though he felt like he had been tricked somehow, Cheon Yu-seong ultimately nodded reluctantly.
Good. Now that the most troublesome guy was appeased.
'Now, shall I check my own spoils of war?'
Jinhyuk examined the old, worn-out book that Goguma had brought.
It was an incredibly ancient-looking book... perhaps due to the passage of time, even the characters written on the cover had faded away.
He had thought the Kunlun Sect mainly stored elixirs in that treasury.
Jinhyuk carefully used 'Gluttony's Eye'.
[Due to the low level of 'Gluttony's Eye', some of the target's information is restricted!]
[A book written by someone of an extremely high realm]
Acquisition Difficulty: Unmeasurable
Content: A secret manual written by the 2nd Heavenly Demon, Baek Wol-cheon, when he had just entered the Ultimate Demonic Realm and attained enlightenment. It contains one cultivation method and two forms that allow one to learn the essence of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, but because it is so profound and difficult, grasping its subtle truths is close to impossible.
Well, look at this.
The 2nd Heavenly Demon, Baek Wol-cheon... could it be...?
There was no mistake.
He was the very guy who had laid waste to Qinghai during the First Great Orthodox-Demonic War.
Come to think of it, he had read a record stating that near the end of the First Great Orthodox-Demonic War, the Kunlun Sect had also marched to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains and dealt a blow to the main headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
'Did they obtain this back then and keep it stored until now?'
Even if it was a secret manual written when he had entered the Ultimate Demonic Realm rather than the realm of Demonic Transcendence, a manual personally penned by Baek Wol-cheon was an item of immense value.
It would have been a waste to hand it over to the Murim Alliance.
Yet, trying to study it properly was impossible, as it was full of incomprehensible things from the very first page.
In the end, they had no choice but to lock it away deep inside their treasury.
'Actually, they might not even know this was written by the 2nd Heavenly Demon. They might only suspect it was written by some incredible master.'
If they had known it was written by the Heavenly Demon, they would have guarded it far more strictly than this.
Things were getting interesting.
If utilized well, this secret manual would become a highly useful hidden card when he went to the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Jinhyuk safely stored the secret manual in a corner of his subspace inventory.
Right then.
Tring!
A red status window appeared before everyone's eyes.
[A bounty event has been triggered!]
[All identity badges have been invalidated!]
[From this moment on, you are public enemies of the Five Great Families and Nine Sects.]
Dead or Alive.
500,000 Coins per head, 1,500,000 Coins for the ringleader.
Duration: Until leaving Murim (However, the bounty may be canceled if certain conditions are met.)
'They caught on faster than I expected.'
From now on, the entire territory of the Orthodox faction was a danger zone.
But it didn't matter.
It wasn't like this was his first time being wanted.
'Above all, this is much more fun.'
Going about things smoothly and easily didn't suit his temperament.
Thrilling and fresh.
That was the way of Veteran Corporation.
* * *
Among the top-tier masters of the Orthodox faction, only five had broken through the wall of the Peak Realm, including the current leader of the Murim Alliance and some reclusive masters.
Even the Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect had not reached the Transcendent Realm.
Because of this, the martial artists belonging to the Orthodox faction intentionally belittled the Heavenly Demon Cult.
To let other factions in the Tower know that they were the true masters of Murim, not the Heavenly Demon Cult.
They spread rumors that the Heavenly Demon's martial prowess was exaggerated and that the cult had long since declined, cooped up in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
'But that isn't true.'
The current Heavenly Demon was the scourge of ten thousand demons.
An absolute being whom even deities could not treat lightly.
If not for that incident during the Third Great Orthodox-Demonic War... the Orthodox faction wouldn't have even been able to preserve its existence today.
Jinhyuk looked at the single path leading up the mountain.
This was the only path leading to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, and at the same time, a deadly land where any outsider who entered would never return.
Of course, that was only the case for those who entered without permission.
"My Lord. There are quite a few troublesome traps ahead, so I will take the lead."
Wolyeong skillfully adjusted his stride.
"No, it's fine. I already told Master that I'd be arriving around this time..."
Jinhyuk trailed off mid-sentence.
It was true that he had mentioned visiting the Heavenly Demon Cult, but...
'Knowing my master, would he really clear the path for me just because he heard that?'
Memories of what happened in the Tower of Trials in the past flashed through Jinhyuk's mind.
There was only one answer to that question.
Naturally.
Not a chance.
Rustle.
A very faint movement was felt in the surroundings.
"Hmm."
Alice's center of gravity shifted slightly backward.
Wolyeong realized the anomaly a beat late.
"Wait! I am of the Black Wind Society...!"
"It's useless, Wolyeong. These guys aren't human."
Jinhyuk stopped Wolyeong.
"My Lord, not human? What do you mean by that?"
"They're Jiangshi. Looks like there are about seven of them."
No energy could be felt, but judging by their unique scent, they were likely 'Dark-Spirit Jiangshi', which were primarily used by the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Damn it. A disciple comes to visit, and the master sends Jiangshi as a welcoming party.
Throughout all of history, there probably had never been such a barbaric welcoming party.
Besides, if they were Dark-Spirit Jiangshi, weren't they intermediate-grade and quite troublesome to deal with?
"What should we do? Shall I smash them all? I can easily sweep away mere corpses on my own."
Alice bared her nails, as if waiting for the word.
"That would be convenient, but... it seems their target is me."
If someone else stepped in, he probably wouldn't be acknowledged.
Because the one his master wanted to test was none other than him.
Fine.
If the master is going to play dirty, isn't it the disciple's duty to play along?
"You guys rest in the back. I'll finish this quickly."
[The unique ability 'Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art' blooms.]
Whoosh!
Black energy surged along Jinhyuk's hands.
* * *
"Grrr..."
"Kieee!"
They lunged immediately.
Thud!
Crash!
Two Dark-Spirit Jiangshi burst out from the forest.
A hideous appearance, their entire bodies stained black.
Fitting for creatures made with all kinds of herbs and poisons to withstand blades and swords.
Attacks targeting his shoulders and thighs unfolded simultaneously.
But just before the black claws could reach Jinhyuk.
Swoosh...
Jinhyuk's figure vanished like smoke.
Sword Demon Emperor Stepss.
The footwork, which he had already polished countless times, was bordering on the realm of instantaneous shifting.
"I know each of these is quite expensive, but it's not my fault if they end up broken."
Jinhyuk swung his fist, which was packed with magic power.
Boom!
A single strike.
A massive gaping hole was blown through the Dark-Spirit Jiangshi's body.
Even a body capable of deflecting blades could not withstand the Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art.
'One...'
Next.
Jinhyuk's body spun counterclockwise, and utilizing the rotational force, he swung his elbow.
Crack!
"Kuaack!"
This time, the face was completely caved in.
He had neutralized two of them in an instant.
However, he had no intention of stopping here.
Before the remaining five could even leap out, Jinhyuk threw himself into the forest first.
A gentle breeze brushed past.
The place he arrived at was behind a boulder.
'As expected, they had their backs to the wind.'
Jinhyuk smiled brightly as he looked at the five Dark-Spirit Jiangshi.
What followed was a massive storm.
As his internal energy, condensed to the absolute limit, exploded, the trees of the forest were uprooted.
Rumble!
Naturally, the Dark-Spirit Jiangshi at the very center of the explosion had their entire bodies vaporized.
"I believe this is enough of a greeting... or do I need to run wild a bit more?"
Jinhyuk shrugged his shoulders.
Then, at that very moment.
"Bwahahaha! No, that is more than enough. You truly never disappoint."
A hearty laugh burst out from right beside him.