Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: The Golden Demon Art
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The reason the demons had gathered was the Golden Demon Art.
"Did the Heavenly Qi Master take the Golden Demon Art...?"
Tang Ho-gwan's mutter drew a smirk from the Sword Demon.
"The Heavenly Qi Master didn't take it. He was the one who created it."
The Sword Demon's words sent shockwaves through the chamber. It was a revelation so staggering that no one could even open their mouth.
"That's why we couldn't lay a finger on him for a while. That guy was a real genius. It's a good thing he vanished."
The Sword Demon nodded thoughtfully for a moment before continuing.
"And there are a few weapons too. Things the Heavenly Qi Master made. Like the Blood Shadow Sword or the Heavenly Flash, stuff like that."
That made perfect sense. The Heavenly Qi Master was a genius at crafting as well. They had to be weapons as extraordinary as their names suggested.
"And there's also the Array Diagram Chart."
At the mention of the Array Diagram Chart, Tang Ho-gwan and Tang Moon-young's eyes lit up. The Heavenly Qi Master was the foremost expert in formations.
He had even devised formations that accelerated martial arts training. How incredible must that be? The Array Diagram Chart likely contained all of his formations.
"Those are some truly tempting treasures. So, is Heavenly Demon Castle after the Golden Demon Art?"
The Sword Demon nodded at Jo Seol-yeon's question.
"Of course. If we could unravel the Golden Demon Art, it would shatter the chains binding us."
"I suppose so."
Jo Seol-yeon nodded, then cautiously edged toward Dan Hyeong-u. She'd wanted to walk with him from the start, but Umun Hye and Tang Moon-young had dragged her away.
Now that they were here, she wanted to stay by his side from here on out.
"Shall we go? Wouldn't it be best if we found it first? The Golden Demon Art."
Her words startled everyone into motion again. She was right.
They absolutely couldn't let the demons get their hands on the Golden Demon Art. If they did, all hell would break loose.
Jo Seol-yeon smiled and pressed close to Dan Hyeong-u's side. He glanced at her once, then kept walking.
How long had they been walking like that?
Umun Hye began sidling toward the pair. The closer she got, the harder it was to endure the Sword Demon's suffocating aura.
'There have to be some trials for the fruit to be sweet.'
With that thought, Umun Hye gritted her teeth and pushed on to Jo Seol-yeon's side. Standing next to her made it somewhat bearable. Leaning in, Umun Hye whispered quietly to Jo Seol-yeon.
"Could you move over there, little sister?"
Jo Seol-yeon made a troubled face. She was currently on Dan Hyeong-u's right. If she shifted left, she'd end up sandwiched between the Sword Demon and Dan Hyeong-u. That wasn't what she wanted either.
"I..."
She started to speak but closed her mouth upon seeing Umun Hye's pleading expression. Any man who saw that look would hand over his heart without hesitation.
"Umun sister, you're truly beautiful."
Jo Seol-yeon murmured enviously, then stepped aside. Umun Hye brightened and swiftly slipped into the spot on Dan Hyeong-u's left.
Umun Hye gently looped her arm around Dan Hyeong-u's. He didn't pull away. Jo Seol-yeon hesitated at the sight, then lightly gripped Dan Hyeong-u's sleeve.
Her face flushed as she bowed her head. She couldn't bring herself to be as bold as Umun Hye.
The Sword Demon watched the peculiar atmosphere from the side with a blank stare.
"Lucky kids."
Umun Hye bristled at the Sword Demon's mutter but couldn't speak up. He was the one person she truly feared.
No matter how close she was to Dan Hyeong-u.
After wandering for a long while, the group finally spotted a massive iron gate blocking the path. Seamless and impenetrable, it bore a large, embossed character for "Heaven".
"Impressive."
Tang Ho-gwan said in admiration.
"It's pure ink iron."
Ink iron was far rarer than ordinary iron. Ten catties of regular iron equaled one catty of ink iron in weight, and its value matched that of an equal weight in gold.
"We could make a fortune just prying this gate off and selling it."
Tang Ho-gwan stroked the door playfully while meticulously checking for any hidden mechanisms.
"The gate itself seems safe, at least..."
He examined it thoroughly, but there were no traps. Yet there were no seams either. Meaning, no one knew how to open it.
"We don't have to lift the whole thing up, do we?"
Tang Moon-young joked. But no one could take it as a joke.
"That might actually be right."
This time, it was Jo Seol-yeon. She pointed to the bottom of the gate. Everyone looked and saw a small groove carved there, preventing it from fully touching the floor.
"So... it means grab here and lift it up."
Tang Ho-gwan frowned. Ink iron was ten times heavier than cast iron. Even if it were pure cast iron, the weight would be immense—not to mention ink iron.
"At least a few hundred thousand catties, I'd say."
Even masters with profound inner energy struggled to lift thousands of catties. How could anyone lift hundreds of thousands?
"The gap's just big enough for one hand... It really means one person has to lift it alone..."
As Tang Ho-gwan pondered, Umun Hye muttered from the side.
"What if we dig under and go around?"
Tang Ho-gwan slapped his fist into his palm with a gasp.
"Ha! Why didn't I think of that?"
He started digging in front of the gate himself. But he soon grimaced.
"The floor's ink iron too."
"Cut it."
The Sword Demon stepped forward this time. The group nodded and retreated, having expected as much.
The Sword Demon unleashed his sword aura. A jet-black blade extended a full pace, striking the gate.
Clang!
"No way!"
Incredibly, the gate was unscathed. More astonishing still, it had cleanly absorbed the Sword Demon's sword aura.
Wearing a disbelieving expression, Tang Ho-gwan gathered energy in his palm and thrust it toward the gate.
Boom!
He hadn't touched it directly, but he felt it clearly. The force from his hand had been wholly absorbed by the iron wall.
"Does that mean we can't use inner energy either?"
Tang Ho-gwan muttered in disbelief.
One of the Tang family warriors approached the gate as if to test it, slipping his hand into the groove below and straining. He naturally channeled his inner energy too.
"Hrrrngh!"
Veins bulged on his face, but the gate didn't budge. Still, there was a result.
"Even with inner energy, it doesn't disperse."
Now the answer was clear. Put your hand in the groove and lift the gate—pure physical strength only.
"Heh... What nonsense is this...?"
Tang Ho-gwan's hollow laugh echoed in the cave. The whole group shared his sentiment. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ While Dan Hyeong-u's group puzzled over the Heaven gate, the Martial Alliance had arrived at another iron gate. Their situation was identical, save for the character "Earth" embossed on it.
Jegal Jung-cheon and Jegal Lin were busily inspecting it. Dugun Un waited quietly until they finished.
Finally, Jegal Jung-cheon pulled his hands from the gate and approached Dugun Un. Dugun Un's eyes gleamed as he asked,
"Well? Any mechanisms we can dismantle?"
Dugun Un placed immense trust in Jegal Jung-cheon. The Jegal family had disarmed countless traps navigating the cave. When it came to mechanisms, they were beyond reproach.
"No notable mechanisms."
"Then we can just open the gate."
"It's not that simple."
Jegal Jung-cheon explained what he'd discovered: the gate was entirely ink iron, had to be lifted by one person's raw strength, and couldn't be broken.
Dugun Un's face grew grave after hearing it all.
"Rough estimate on the weight?"
"Can't measure precisely, but it's about a pace thick. Ink iron's ten times heavier than cast iron, so around 250,000 catties."
"250,000 catties?"
Dugun Un's eyes widened.
"And one person has to lift that?"
"Yes."
Jegal Jung-cheon nodded. No matter how they looked, there were no alternatives.
The gate opened only by lifting straight up, and the floor was ink iron too. Digging wouldn't work. Lifting was the only way.
"Could I do it?"
Jegal Jung-cheon pondered Dugun Un's serious question before cautiously shaking his head.
"Probably impossible. That's a weight no human strength can handle."
Lifting 250,000 catties would require over a hundred peak masters. Attempting it alone was absurd.
As they deliberated, Jegal Lin, who had continued investigating, stood up.
"It seems to react to certain unique breathing methods."
Jegal Jung-cheon turned to her. Curiosity flickered in Dugun Un's eyes too.
"What do you mean?"
"The gate has some kind of formation embedded in it. I tried a few inner arts, and the reactions were subtly different each time."
Jegal Jung-cheon admired her insight.
"Impressive. Figuring that out. Can you identify which breathing method?"
Jegal Lin looked troubled.
"How would I know that? The character on the gate just nags at me a bit."
At her words, Jegal Jung-cheon and Dugun Un looked at the gate. The large embossed "Earth" caught their eyes.
"Earth, huh..."
The sound of dozens racking their brains filled the cave. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Others were stumped by iron gates too. They faced the same impasse, the same dilemma.
"Huff... huff... No clue. How the hell do we get in?"
The cave reeked of demonic energy. With demons unleashing martial arts nonstop, it was inevitable.
Corpses littered the surroundings. No—the path the demons had carved was soaked in blood.
Since entering the cave, the demons had slaughtered every martial artist in sight. That bloody trail had led them to this gate marked "Human".
Thanks to them, the remaining martial artists in the cave had dwindled sharply. Strangely, though, the demons never fought among themselves. They moved as one toward a single goal.
It defied their bloodthirsty, frenzied nature.
Regardless, the demons hammered away futilely at the unyielding gate. Even as all their power vanished on contact, they refused to give up.
"The Golden Demon Art has to be behind this!"
Thud!
A demon's fist struck the gate. It didn't budge, but blood sprayed from his knuckles.
Ssshh—
The blood on the gate seeped inward, as if the metal were drinking it.
"Damn it..."
Thump.
The demon collapsed. No one else stepped up after him. All eyes turned to one man.
The one who hadn't tried yet—but who could surely smash the gate if he did.
The Blood Blade Guest scowled fiercely at the gate. He could tell. It absorbed internal energy.
"Nngh..."
In the end, the Blood Blade Guest advanced. The demons held their breath, watching intently. He stood before the gate, steadying his breathing. He reached for his blade.
Then he spotted the gap at the bottom. A slit perfectly sized for a hand.
"Damn. Lifting it was the answer after all."
The Blood Blade Guest's hollow grumble echoed through the cave.