Chapter 302: Prelude to Invasion
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 302: Prelude to Invasion
A peaceful morning.
The residents of Qinghai Province began their day as they always did.
Merchants displayed their wares, dreaming of selling out, while herb gatherers gathered in small groups and headed into the mountains to forage for rare herbs.
"Damn it. These mountains seem to get steeper and more rugged by the day."
A middle-aged man with a bushy beard grumbled.
He was panting heavily from the long hike.
"Keep it down. We should be glad. It's thanks to these rugged mountains that those Heavenly Demon Cult bastards can't easily cross over."
"Well, that's true. With the paths in this terrible state, they wouldn't dare set foot here."
It was a naturally fortified region with steep mountains and narrow paths.
Because of this, the Kunlun Sect had established a base here, allowing them to prepare for the Heavenly Demon Cult's advance in the most efficient manner.
But right then...
"Ugh?!"
The old man walking ahead gasped, his breath catching in his throat.
"W-what is it?"
"What's going on?"
Everyone's eyes gathered on him.
"I-I found it! Ginseng... I found wild ginseng!"
It was wild ginseng. And a specimen that was easily several centuries old.
"Ohhh!"
"I knew I had a good dream last night!"
Broad grins spread across everyone's faces.
If they sold a wild ginseng of this size, they could live in luxury for the rest of their lives.
But before they could even bask in their joy...
Rip!
A blackened hand burst through the abdomen of the shouting man.
Blood dripped from the arm.
"Argh... uh?"
A jiangshi covered in crimson blood from head to toe.
It was a Blood Jiangshi.
"T-The Cult!"
"Aaaah!"
"Run!"
The herb gatherers panicked and tried to flee.
But taking even a few steps was far too much to ask of them.
Splatter!
In an instant, the forest was dyed crimson.
A moment later.
A group of shadows emerged from among the still-warm corpses.
At the very front was Shimmasaryong, wearing a black robe so long it dragged on the ground.
The experts of the Death-Spirit Corps and the jiangshi he had handpicked were by his side.
"Any others?"
"None. It seems these are all the ones who came to gather herbs."
"Good."
Shimmasaryong nodded in satisfaction.
"Have you gauged the size of the enemy forces in the village?"
"The Pavilion Master of the Cloud-Mist Pavilion is a peak-level expert, but other than him, there is no one of note to watch out for."
"As for those Kunlun Sect leftovers, just give me three Yin-Yang Jiangshi, and I'll wipe them all out."
"Let's slaughter them all before sunset. Hehehe."
They all chimed in, brimming with confidence.
Having been in closed-door cultivation for so long, their bodies were itching for action—to the point where they had almost forgotten how to swing a sword and cut down a man.
The thought of finally being able to run wild unleashed a thick wave of bloodlust.
"I will give you until the Hour of the Pig. Clean everything up. We will spend the night here."
"As you command!"
Shimmasaryong's order was given.
Immediately, a massive dark cloud began to cast its shadow over the mountain.
* * *
By the time Jong Muryang received the report of the Cult's raid, the flames of war had already spread out of control.
"There are three hundred Blood Jiangshi... and over twenty Yin-Yang Jiangshi alone."
"Furthermore, there are types of jiangshi we've never seen before. It seems they developed them while they were lying low."
"The biggest problem is that Shimmasaryong, ranked fourth in the Cult, is moving personally. This isn't a simple provocation; they've definitely come with deadly intent this time."
"Pavilion Master... you must make a decision."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
They had already sent word to the Kunlun Sect and the Murim Alliance, but there seemed to be no chance of holding out until reinforcements arrived.
Yet, if they fled now, they would be branded as cowards and turncoats for the rest of their lives.
To a martial artist, pride and honor were more precious than life itself.
In that case...
All that was left was to take down as many of them as possible, even if it meant death.
"I have decided."
Shring!
Jong Muryang drew his sword.
"We will strike down every last one of those filthy Cult bastards. Who will stand with me?"
"Ohhh!"
"We are with you, Pavilion Master!"
"I'll drag at least five of them to hell with me!"
Just as their fighting spirit reached its peak...
Boom!
The main gate of the Cloud-Mist Pavilion shattered into pieces.
A low voice cut through the thick dust.
"No need to go far. This place will be your grave."
"W-when did they...!"
"Have those outside been wiped out already?"
They had expected to hold out for at least two hours, no matter how fast the enemy was.
But the speed of the breach was too fast.
Absurdly so.
"I am Sadoak of the Death-Spirit Corps. I figured you should at least know who is taking your lives."
A massive man holding serrated, saw-like swords in both hands spoke.
Beside him stood about thirty Blood Jiangshi.
Seeing them drenched in blood from head to toe, it was clear they had slaughtered countless people on their way here.
"Ugh! To think you would start another Orthodox-Unorthodox War the moment you finished your closed-door cultivation. Is peace truly impossible with cruel bastards like you?"
"You talk too much. In a world where the strong prey on the weak, words like 'cruelty' or 'cowardice' are just the excuses of the weak. What are you waiting for? Kill them all."
Sadoak jerked his chin.
"Kieee!"
"Kraaa!"
The jiangshi, black liquid dripping from their mouths, lunged forward in unison.
A desperate struggle to take each other's lives began, with no room for words.
Crash!
Clang!
The experts of the Cloud-Mist Pavilion, channeling their sword qi, clashed head-on with the jiangshi.
"Aaargh!"
"Aaah!"
Blood and flesh splattered as screams pierced the sky.
The swords could barely scratch the jiangshi's skin, but the jiangshi tore the martial artists of the Cloud-Mist Pavilion to shreds with a single strike.
"How can these jiangshi be so..."
"A jiangshi resistant to Aura?!"
"These aren't ordinary Blood Jiangshi. Everyone, watch out!"
The Blood Jiangshi, enhanced by the Blood Cult's unique manufacturing method and Shimmasaryong's signature martial arts, were easily three times stronger than conventional ones.
Naturally, even those who had faced jiangshi during the previous Orthodox-Unorthodox War were thrown into a panic.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just like that, the tide of battle began to collapse in an instant.
Because the corpse poison concocted by Shimmasaryong was so potent, even a minor scratch disrupted their qi flow, causing them to suffer qi deviation.
Those with relatively strong inner power managed to endure a few more exchanges, but those with even slightly lesser skills went mad one by one before turning into cold corpses.
"Groan..."
"Aaaah!"
"Cough! Gasp!Choke!"
Over half of the experts were already dead.
But there was one exception.
Jong Muryang alone ruthlessly sliced through the jiangshi with a sword enveloped in Sword Aura.
Five Blood Jiangshi were hacked to pieces and scattered.
"Not bad. They said there was one guy who surpassed the peak level. You must be that Jong Muryang fellow."
"If you think you can break the sword of the Orthodox faction with mere corpses, you are gravely mistaken."
"Hehehe. Good. Entertaining. I hadn't had a chance to use this one anyway, but he'll make a perfect warm-up. 'Baekryeong', you're up."
Step...
A new jiangshi took a step forward.
Its eyes were sewn shut with thread, and its entire body was discolored to a snow-white hue.
Blue veins writhed beneath its skin, a sight so grotesque it induced nausea just looking at it.
"Whew..."
Jong Muryang steadied his breathing.
That jiangshi had to be the new type mentioned in the report.
I must not let my guard down.
Since jiangshi possessed no qi, it was impossible to gauge their depth from the outside.
He had to assume it was stronger than expected and bet everything on his first move.
Whoosh!
Pure, refined qi flowed through his meridians, burning fiercely.
[Jong Muryang activates the 5-Star 'Great Void Dragon-Slaying Sword Art'!]
It was the signature technique of the Kunlun Sect.
The sword, infused with 5-star inner power, soared as if to cleave the heavens.
...Now!
Jong Muryang moved like lightning.
The trajectory of his blade drew a magnificent arc.
And that strike...
Slash.
...became the final move he would ever perform in this world.
"Ah..."
How the opponent had attacked, how he had been defeated—he could neither see nor feel it.
Death simply arrived as a natural consequence, marking the end of the battle.
They were on completely different levels.
"Like... a monster..."
Just before his consciousness faded, Jong Muryang thought:
The Orthodox-Unorthodox War of the past... will be nothing compared to the tragedy that is about to unfold.
* * *
After spending his vacation outside the Tower, Jinhyuk headed straight for the middle floors.
So this is Luoyang.
The place where the headquarters of the Murim Alliance was located.
At the same time, it was where the Imperial Palace, home to the current Emperor, stood.
It looks even more impressive at night. It's several times larger and more grand than the Empire's imperial capital.
By the time Jinhyuk emerged from the Gate and reached his destination, the sun had already completely set.
Naturally, no one was allowed to enter or leave the city after sunset.
[Currently, 1 Great Barrier and 72 types of medium-grade defensive arrays are active in the large base 'Luoyang'.]
Fitting for a capital, appropriate defenses were in place.
Entering openly through the main gate is out of the question.
The security was also incredibly tight, leaving no obvious loopholes.
"Damn it. I have to deliver something inside today. I'm going to get chewed out big time for missing the deadline."
"Nothing we can do. Even nobles can't get in at this hour."
The people nearby also grumbled amongst themselves.
They had all missed the curfew by a hair's breadth.
But after a brief moment of complaining, they all trudged away in disappointment to find lodging.
Now, Jinhyuk was the only one left on the empty road.
No, to be precise, there was one more person.
"Aren't you going to give up, mister?"
A man with disheveled hair struck up a conversation.
He was young.
Barely past twenty, perhaps.
Judging by his scruffy appearance, he looked like a street thug or a beggar.
"Sleeping outdoors isn't really my style, and I don't have much time to spare. If possible, I need to get inside tonight."
"Then you should've come a bit earlier. It's not like you didn't know there was a curfew."
Well, that was true.
If he had wanted to, he could have arrived a bit earlier.
However...
"That would be boring."
"...What?"
"They say the walls here are the most impregnable in the middle floors, right? I wanted to test if that reputation is actually true."
A new challenge was always thrilling.
Needless to say, even more so if it was one of the things he hadn't had the chance to try in the past.
Well, back then, the biggest reason was that he was too busy dealing with the Heavenly Demon and other matters to worry about things like this.
"Pfft, hahahaha! Wow. You're quite a character, mister. I thought you were a bit unusual, but you're even more amazing than I expected."
The man laughed uproariously, clearly pleased with the answer.
However, Jinhyuk was equally surprised and delighted by this encounter.
I didn't expect to run into this guy in a place like this. Coincidence really is a scary thing.
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.