Chapter 216
Chapter 216
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 216
Chapter Title: Monsters of the Demonic Realm
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After hearing all those grim tales, I ascended the mountain with a tense heart deep inside.
But Mount Wudang, as we climbed the stairs, appeared utterly peaceful on the surface.
“That's because we're still outside the formation. Once we enter the domain of the Oxen Dream Illusion Array, the surrounding scenery will change in an instant.”
No sooner had Ye So-ha, leading alongside Daoist Hyeonjin, finished speaking than her words became reality.
“Hmm!”
“This is…!”
Just as Ye So-ha said, it happened in the blink of an eye.
The lush greenery withered and died, stripped of all life, while the trees, once vibrant with autumn leaves, twisted and dried up.
Above all, a blood-red sky hung over everything, casting a sinister pall.
It was a place that perfectly matched the term "demonic realm."
“…Seeing it in person is shocking.”
Hwa-ryeon murmured in a trembling voice as she touched a bush with her finger, only for it to crumble to dust.
Though she said nothing, Seol and Master wore equally grave expressions, clearly sharing the sentiment.
Unlike us, however, Ye So-ha and Hong looked relatively cheerful.
“It hasn't progressed too far yet. This means we have more time than expected.”
“Exactly. I thought it would be worse, so this is a relief.”
I shot them an incredulous look as I listened, but Cheong cautioned us.
“That doesn't mean we can let our guard down. Besides, in an environment like this, the time the Wudang Sect members spent fighting must have been grueling. Let's hurry.”
Hearing Cheong, I nodded naturally.
Compared to the cryptic and oddly relaxed So-ha and Hong, Cheong's serious and meticulous demeanor felt refreshingly human.
Somehow feeling my psychological distance to Cheong shrink, I called out to Daoist Hyeonjin, who led the way.
“Daoist Hyeonjin, do you know the path to your sect?”
“…Yes. The scenery has changed, but not the terrain. We were climbing these stairs when I came up with my senior brothers, so if we keep going, we'll surely find traces.”
Daoist Hyeonjin climbed the stairs, repeating "we'll find it" as if reassuring himself.
We followed peacefully for a while, despite the ominous surroundings.
But that peace didn't last.
Before long, the attacks began.
-Whoosh!
“…!”
A sharp whoosh of wind-cutting from behind.
Something long and whip-like flew straight at Seol, who was at the rear of our group.
“Hah!”
-Kreeee-!
Fortunately, before I could step in, Master moved in front of Seol and sliced it apart.
Seol, whose reaction had been slow, stared dazedly at the severed piece.
“…It's a tree branch.”
As she said, it was clearly a tree branch that had fallen on the stairs.
The problem was that it writhed like a worm, defying the common sense that trees don't move.
And the real assault was only just beginning.
“…They're coming. Everyone, stay alert.”
Hundreds of branches slowly encircled us like wolves stalking prey, waiting for an opening.
In response, we pressed our backs together and drew our swords.
Soon, one or two branches probed tentatively.
-Swoosh! Whoosh!
“Hah!”
-Slash.
Short shouts were followed by clean cuts.
Not only our group but also the three from Haomen and Daoist Hyeonjin easily repelled the attacks.
The issue was that, as time passed, the number of incoming branches multiplied exponentially.
Before long, the area was littered with severed, wriggling branch fragments.
Even as their bodies were chipped away, the branches' onslaught grew fiercer, showing no signs of weakening.
“This won't do. Any good ideas?”
I asked Ye So-ha as I slashed another branch aimed at my head.
By now, she swung a sword wreathed in white flames, incinerating every branch it touched.
Just like during the Seven Branches incident, the white flames raced along the branches as if they'd been oiled.
But whenever that happened, other branches would slice through the burning ones.
As if anticipating it, Ye So-ha called out to Cheong in a fairly relaxed voice.
“Cheong, ready yet?”
At her call, Cheong, who had been muttering continuously, clapped her hands together.
-Clap!
With a loud sound, a pure white energy spread from Cheong's hands.
The energy that enveloped us in an instant formed a hemispherical barrier, blocking the branches' attacks.
“Wow….”
I marveled at the barrier that didn't budge under the onslaught of hundreds of branches, as Ye So-ha scanned the surroundings.
“There must be a main body nearby—the mutated tree. We need to strike that tree directly.”
“Found it. Twenty zhang northeast.”
No sooner had Ye So-ha spoken than Hong pinpointed the location.
Focusing my energy northeast as she said, I spotted a massive tree with countless branches writhing grotesquely.
Not just branches—its roots too squirmed disgustingly across the ground.
So that's the damn main body?
I'll split it neatly in two.
“Then I'll—”
“Save your strength. I'll handle it.”
As I stepped toward the barrier's edge to approach the tree, Ye So-ha stopped me.
Wondering what was up, I turned to see white flames blooming from the index finger of her left hand, her sword sheathed.
The fist-sized flame illuminated the surroundings, and oddly, the branches pounding the barrier seemed to shrink back.
Seizing the moment, Ye So-ha grasped the white flame with her right fingers and drew it back like pulling a bowstring, aiming at the mutated tree to the northeast.
-Fwoosh.
The white flame stretched long along her fingers and, when she released, shot toward the tree like an arrow.
-Screeech!
The flame sliced through the air.
The streak of white light struck the tree dead-on, engulfing it entirely in an instant.
-Kiiiiii-!
Even from twenty zhang away, a piercing shriek echoed, and the hundreds of branches were wreathed in white flames.
Soon, they crumbled into white ash and vanished.
The distant tree trunk collapsed, motionless, its form disintegrating.
“…Wow.”
Unlike me, the others—who'd never seen such a sight—gazed at Ye So-ha with soft exclamations of awe.
Feeling their eyes, she smugly lifted her chin and flashed me a bright smile.
…Even now, she's showing off?
As I returned a baffled look, Cheong confirmed the area was safe and dispelled the barrier.
Hmm, doing her job silently and flawlessly—can't help but compare.
I nodded approvingly at Cheong while inwardly clicking my tongue at Ye So-ha.
“Alright, let's keep moving. More bizarre ones will come more often ahead, so stay vigilant.”
Putting aside my annoyance, I took Ye So-ha's warning to heart—something not to take lightly—and expanded my senses and energy detection web to their limits.
The mountain climb resumed.
But our pace inevitably slowed.
No sooner had we dealt with the mutated tree than a new assailant struck.
-Roooar-!
A massive boulder roared ferociously and swung down a fist (presumably).
-Boom!
The overwhelming mass pulverized the neatly laid stairs.
Having missed Hwa-ryeon, who had been standing there, the boulder raged and pounded the ground.
-Thud! Thud! Boom!
“Ugh…!”
The earth shook like an earthquake from the blows, causing Seol to lose her balance and stagger.
I grabbed her slender arm to steady her and channeled energy into my sword.
“There should be a spot inside that boulder where energy is concentrated. Aim there…”
“Got it.”
Cutting off Ye So-ha's explanation, I raised my sword.
Target: the lower right section of the house-sized boulder monster.
Aiming at the energy cluster my detection web had sensed, I swung.
A crescent-shaped sword qi followed my blade's arc, slicing through the boulder like tofu.
-Crack!
A faint blood-red energy burst from the cut surface, and it collapsed as if it had never moved.
-Rumble-!
After the dust cloud from the crash settled, Ye So-ha's admiring voice rang out.
“Impressive as expected. To fell it in one strike…”
Her surprise was evident on her face, not just words.
Cheong and Hong mirrored her reaction.
Daoist Hyeonjin went beyond surprise, staring at me in shock.
“H-How did you cut the boulder without even touching it… and so cleanly…!”
…Come to think of it, Daoist Hyeonjin knows nothing, and I just casually used sword qi in front of him?
He blinked repeatedly, doubting his eyes, staring blankly at the boulder rubble.
As I scratched my head, wondering what to say, my face hardened.
Something else was approaching, caught by my fully extended senses.
And it was fast.
“Another one's coming.”
At my words, everyone gripped their swords anew and watched the direction I indicated.
Soon, the identity of the fast-approaching thing revealed itself, eliciting gasps and groans from all around.
It was that repulsive.
Four legs of varying sizes, twisted and bloated.
A body asymmetrical and unbalanced from similar distortions.
Facial features so warped their original form was unimaginable.
-Kieeeh-!
The nightmarish abomination bellowed.
Amid it all, the horn on its head looked familiar, and I muttered unwittingly.
“…No way that's a deer?”
“Eek!? Th-that can't be!”
Seol cried out in shock at my words.
As if reacting, it gaped its twisted maw lined with fangs.
“Block it!”
Seeing this, Ye So-ha shouted urgently, and I reflexively shot toward the deer monster.
-Thud!
The instant I closed in with a grounded stance, the deer monster roared again.
-Kieeeeeh!
“Ugh…!”
Wincing at the eardrum-shattering roar from point-blank range, I immediately unleashed Full Moon Single Flash, severing its neck.
-Splurt!
The head flew through the air from one slash, blood gushing like a waterfall from the stump.
The headless body crumpled powerlessly.
But the deer monster's roar had already echoed across all of Mount Wudang.
“This is bad…!”
Ye So-ha grimaced in dismay.
Before I could ask why, my senses provided the answer.
-Kieh!
-Kiiii-!
“Damn it…!”
Answering roars from every direction.
Not just one or two.
The others' faces paled as they assessed the situation.
“…Getting surrounded in such an open area is hopeless. Run!”
At Ye So-ha's cry, we bolted up the stairs at full speed.