Chapter 221
Chapter 221
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 221
Chapter Title: Forceful Entry
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The deeper they went, the thicker the fog became.
As visibility worsened, his hearing grew sharper.
*Whoooosh.*
The wind howled like a ghost's breath, accompanied only by the sound of their two sets of footsteps.
“Stop.”
Hyang-i, who had been leading the way, suddenly came to a halt.
“Why?”
“The guide.”
“Huh?”
“There’s a killing formation set up here.”
“Ah… Didn’t you say the Cult Leader deactivated it?”
“He did.”
“But we couldn’t just leave it like that.”
“Huh?”
“Because someone else might come looking.”
“Hmm… I suppose so. The Cult Leader might have been understanding, but others wouldn’t be.”
“Exactly.”
Hyang-i nodded.
It made sense.
As successors of the Sun Moon Divine Cult, they were a significant threat from the Demonic Cult’s perspective. Someone, fearing their existence becoming known, might try to erase them once more.
So, they had to be stopped.
No one but Dam Un-cheon was to set foot inside.
It had to remain known as the land of vengeful spirits.
Come to think of it, it seemed both the Orthodox Faction and the Demonic Cult were equally averse to having their dirty laundry aired.
What could be done?
That was the nature of those in power.
Just as a smirk touched Neung Un-bi’s lips, the fog suddenly stirred.
*Rustle, rustle.*
The sound of fabric dragging on the ground made Neung Un-bi tense, and a middle-aged woman appeared before him.
…*Gods, you scared me. For a second, I thought you were a ghost.*
“You’ve arrived?”
“Yes.”
The woman, who had bowed politely to Hyang-i, turned to Neung Un-bi with an indifferent gaze and spoke.
“You are not alone.”
“Um…”
“Even if you are the Mistress of Fire, you should know that you cannot bring an outsider without permission.”
“…I know. But I had no choice. I will explain to Grandmother and the elders.”
“That is not permitted.”
The woman refused the moment Hyang-i finished speaking.
*Mistress of Fire?*
Neung Un-bi’s eyes widened as he stared at Hyang-i.
Hadn’t she said the Sacred Fire Valley was an altar that served the sacred flame?
If she was treated as the master of flame in such a place… did that make her a divine maiden?
*You?*
What kind of absurd situation was this?
Even if the flame had gone out, they trained a divine maiden in the art of assassination?
Besides, her personality and behavior were a far cry from what anyone would expect of a divine maiden.
“I will say it again. Bringing an outsider is beyond the Mistress of Fire’s authority.”
“I know, but…”
“I will say no more. Deal with it yourself.”
Faced with such a cold response, Hyang-i wore a troubled expression. She seemed unusually timid, unlike her usual brash self.
Was it because of that?
Neung Un-bi, who was still trying to process his shock at Hyang-i’s status, scowled.
They knew Dam Un-cheon and Yang Seon had already been here, so why were they being so hostile?
When a guest arrives, you should at least offer a cup of tea…
*This is why they’ve been cooped up all this time. I’ve never seen a family prosper after chasing away their guests.*
“Damn, just listening to this… You people are ridiculously inhospitable.”
As Neung Un-bi irritably scratched his head, Hyang-i startled and pulled at his sleeve.
“Third Young Master!”
“Hey, hold on a second.”
Neung Un-bi scowled, pushed Hyang-i away, and looked at the woman.
“Hey, you.”
“What is it?”
“‘Deal with it’? Are you telling Hyang-i to kill me right now?”
“…”
Her expression said it all.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Telling her to kill the person she brought with her? What kind of rule is that?”
“…”
“I’ve heard the gist of your situation, but still. Are people who claim to be successors of the Sun Moon Divine Cult supposed to go around killing people so carelessly?”
“…!”
At Neung Un-bi’s words, a cold killing intent flickered in the woman’s eyes.
“Mistress of Fire.”
“…Yes.”
“Did you tell this man everything?”
At her question, Hyang-i gritted her teeth and winced.
“How could you!”
Anger tinged the woman’s voice, and Neung Un-bi felt the air around him grow chillingly cold.
“Ha, look at these people. So you want to do this the hard way?”
Killing intent radiated from all directions.
Neung Un-bi’s eyes turned cold as he realized there were assassins hidden in the fog.
“Third Young Master!”
“You stay out of it!”
“…”
Neung Un-bi yelled at Hyang-i, who kept trying to intervene.
“Hyang-i, guiding me here was more than enough. From now on, I’ll do things my way.”
“But…”
“It’s fine.”
Neung Un-bi gave Hyang-i a wide grin.
Judging by how things were unfolding, Hyang-i had clearly done something she wasn’t supposed to.
He could tell just by the troubled look on her face.
He couldn’t let her get any more involved.
He knew what she wanted, but wasn’t it all for his sake in the first place?
“I’ve decided not to waste any more time weighing my options and worrying about things. I’m done caring whether it’s right or wrong.”
“…”
“So, try and stop me if you can. I have to get in.”
Neung Un-bi took a large step forward, his eyes gleaming with a cold light.
“You insolent fool! You insist!”
“What a load of crap. You were going to kill me anyway for approaching the Valley of Malevolent Spirits, whether I knew about you or not. Isn’t it better to die trying to get in than to die retreating?”
As he sneered and took a second step, the surrounding killing intent grew twice as strong.
“This ignorant whelp! Do you insist on not dying a peaceful death!”
At those words, one corner of Neung Un-bi’s mouth twisted up.
*Not die a peaceful death?*
*Is there even such a thing?*
*And you’re the one who’s ignorant of your place!*
The injuries he’d sustained while fleeing the Orthodox Faction were already fully healed.
*Wooooong!*
As Neung Un-bi unleashed the Tyrant's Asura Art, a savage demonic energy erupted from his body and instantly consumed the area. The woman quickly retreated, shouting fiercely.
“Intruder! Kill him!”
*Swisssh!*
A faint sound cut through the fog.
In the past, he would have been startled, and perhaps even caught helpless.
Indeed, as Wang Cheon had said, the reason no one returned alive from the Valley of Malevolent Spirits was likely because of these people, in addition to the formation.
Most intruders would have never even sensed their presence, let alone their movements.
But to the current Neung Un-bi, they posed no threat.
His eyes, his ears, and even the flow of air against his skin.
By transcending his senses and awakening the Tyrant's Asura Art, his perception of his surroundings had reached a level of clarity that made everything visible.
Neung Un-bi didn’t use the Three Nothings Footwork to dodge as he used to.
Hadn’t he come here to become the new master of the Demonic Cult?
Since he came to bring the Valley of Malevolent Spirits to its knees, he would show them a display worthy of that goal.
Besides, this was a relief. People like this would be of great help to him.
Without even looking back, Neung Un-bi reached out and grabbed the blade.
*Crrrack!*
Surprised that the blade was bending like a piece of taffy, the assassin’s momentum faltered slightly.
*Whoosh!*
Before the man could even think to let go of his sword, Neung Un-bi yanked the blade with all his might.
The assassin was pulled forward.
Neung Un-bi’s free hand struck him squarely.
*Craaack!*
Though it was a bare fist without any infused energy, the assassin was slammed violently to the ground and lost consciousness.
“You, you bastard…”
The woman’s face contorted with shock at the failure of the first ambush.
“This is nothing compared to Hyang-i.”
“…”
“You really think you can stop me with just this?”
“Th-this bastard! What are you all doing! Kill him! Now!”
As the woman shrieked and fell back, the blades of other assassins flew at him.
Five in total.
“Hah, good. Then I’ll take you all on at once.”
A deep frown creasing his brow, Neung Un-bi smiled and stomped the ground with force.
The third step.
*Kwwaaaaang!*
The powerful stomp shook the entire mountain, and the fierce burst of energy blasted the fog away.
“Hah!”
The assassins, who had been concealed in the fog, were flustered as their positions were revealed.
When an assassin loses his composure, it’s only natural for the sword in his hand to waver.
*First, the closest one…*
*Thud!*
“…!?”
The assassin whose arm was caught by Neung Un-bi’s outstretched hand gasped in shock.
“This is gonna hurt a bit.”
“…”
Neung Un-bi grinned, then twisted the assassin’s arm back.
And then, he began to swing him at his comrades.
“Kuaaack!”
“Gaaah!”
As he used the man like a club, both the club and those he hit screamed in unison.
*Thwack! Thump!*
Still, Neung Un-bi didn’t stop.
Not until all the assassins around him were down.
Even after the one in his hand had lost consciousness.
One might call it merciless, but…
What could he do?
He couldn’t just kill these valuable future assets.
Besides, his Flying Swallow Sword was broken, so he didn’t have a proper weapon anyway…
*Crack, crunch!*
Glaring at Neung Un-bi as he happily beat down her subordinates, the woman vanished into the inner part of the formation.
“Seriously, what a piece of work. Running away while your subordinates get beaten? You think I’ll just let you go?!”
Neung Un-bi threw the assassin he’d been using as a club aside and lunged after the woman, diving into the formation.
“Th-Third Young Master!”
Hyang-i tried to stop him, but the formation had already swallowed Neung Un-bi whole.
“Oh, no…”
They were supposed to go in quietly and greet them politely, but what was she to do now that he had caused such a commotion?
Grandmother and the elders would surely come out because of the disturbance…
“Haah, I’m really going to lose my mind.”
Hyang-i hastily followed Neung Un-bi and plunged into the formation.
*Boom! Kaboom!*
Neung Un-bi paid no mind to the formation’s resistance and continued to press forward.
Dispel it?
He wasn’t doing anything of the sort.
It only occurred to him now, but when Dam Un-cheon encountered this killing formation, would he have bothered pondering over its axis, its life and death gates?
Absolutely not.
He wasn’t that kind of person.
Why else would he be called the Heavenly Demon Emperor?
He would have undoubtedly smashed his way through with brute force.
Since he was the one who would have to defeat him later, how could he fall behind now?
He would smash through it with force, just the same.
This wasn’t some ancient killing formation that Dam Un-cheon had broken through; it was just a formation the Sacred Fire Valley had set up later…!
Dense demonic energy surged from Neung Un-bi’s body.
The forbidden demonic art that had permeated his body, the Tyrant's Asura Art, was not a set of techniques. It was closer to a method of imbuing the body itself with energy.
Infused into a fist, it became a martial art of punches and kicks. Infused into a sword, it became swordsmanship.
“Haaap!”
Facing the tidal wave of resistance from the formation, Neung Un-bi threw a tightly clenched fist.
*Kuuuuung!*
The formation shuddered under the force of Neung Un-bi’s punch.
“Hoo-hoo-hup!”
*Claaang!*
Furthermore, imbued with the power of the Tyrant's Asura Art, every one of his movements caused the formation to falter, unable to perform its intended function.
It was as if it was being beaten while completely defenseless.
Of course, Neung Un-bi wasn’t unharmed either.
His skin was torn in several places, and blood seeped from his wounds.
But still, he did not stop.
Not until the formation could no longer withstand his power and completely exploded.
***
Inside the formation.
Numerous people stood watching the formation’s entrance.
*Thump! Thump!*
As the continuous vibrations shook the ground, two wrinkled elders scowled at the formation.
“Who is it that Hyang-i brought?”
“It is Neung Un-bi.”
“Neung Un-bi?”
“Yes. Dam Un-cheon’s third disciple.”
“Hmm…”
At the words of the woman who had fled from Neung Un-bi, the old woman pondered for a moment.
“Hwa-yeong.”
“…”
“If Hyang-i brought him… there must be a reason.”
At the old man Chung-san’s words, the old woman, Hwa-yeong, nodded.
She, too, knew of Neung Un-bi.
Hadn’t Hyang-i sent several messages after she went to the Central Plains?
Ultimately, it meant he was the person chosen by both Hyang-i and Dam Un-cheon.
“Wol-ryeong.”
“Yes.”
“Deactivate the formation.”
“Pardon?”
At Hwa-yeong’s command, the woman, Wol-ryeong, stared at her with wide eyes.
“Welcome him as a guest. I will speak with him first.”
“…Understood.”
Wol-ryeong could not refuse her command.
Hwa-yeong was the master of the Sacred Fire Valley.
But just as Wol-ryeong was about to deactivate the formation.
*Kwwaaaaaaang!*
The formation exploded with immense force, and the fog that had been concealing the Sacred Fire Valley dispersed.
And from within the destroyed formation, Neung Un-bi and Hyang-i walked out.
“Hoo, damn formation. Finally broke through.”