Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Double Agent
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My weary body staggered. If I closed my eyes from lack of sleep, it felt like I'd pass out on the spot.
But I held on. I caught my breath and first checked Yeon-gwang's condition.
The moment he heard it wasn't too late, the strength drained from his body. The form that had pushed forward against the wind all this time plummeted straight to the ground.
I supported his body. I laid him down slowly, then unpacked his gear for him.
"A-Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine, senior brother."
Gun Cheon-gyeong handed me something. A colorless, transparent liquid.
"First, the Scatter Energy Poison antidote...!"
So it was the antidote.
I tore it open and swallowed it. I downed it in one gulp and wiped my mouth.
A slightly queasy feeling. But I could feel Heavenly Tribulation reacting immediately.
But it wasn't a welcoming reaction. Instead, it absorbed it as if claiming even this as its own prey.
As if...
Like it had been handling everything fine on its own, so why butt in?
Heavenly Tribulation rebelled fiercely. The Scatter Energy Poison and antidote mixed inside me. It felt bizarre, like stomach acid surging up entirely.
I covered my mouth. Gun Cheon-gyeong supported me.
"A-Are you okay?! What the hell?! What's with the bandages...?! Lie down right...!"
"I'm... fine... senior brother."
I regulated my breathing. To shake off the seasick feeling, I focused on my body.
Heavenly Tribulation, which had been rampaging wildly, was gradually calming. As if reluctant, it swallowed the antidote, then quickly broke down the Scatter Energy Poison it had been decomposing slowly.
Toxic energy. The decomposed qi, a form of internal energy, naturally blended into the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art.
Ironically, the vicious poison had turned into my inner power.
The remaining useless energy crept up with saliva. Since it wasn't much, I turned my head and spat out the poison gas.
The Blood Demon Squad Leader asked with interest.
"Quick recovery. Do you have some expertise with poisons?"
"I just circulated the antidote faster."
"Even so, that's too fast. How's the wound? Can you walk?"
"I can walk."
The wounded area was wrapped in bandages, barely visible. But I could feel Heavenly Tribulation awakening again, regenerating rapidly.
My broken body was restored in no time. I shook off the accumulated pain with a sigh and sat beside Yeon-gwang.
"...May I rest for a bit?"
The Blood Demon Squad Leader smiled.
"We're departing in the morning anyway. Rest well until sunrise..."
"This makes no sense! Leader!"
Someone shouted. I turned my head.
There was someone glaring at us with blazing eyes.
Jin Wi-ryang.
He spat as if foaming at the mouth.
"They must have used some shady trick! There's no way they qualify! To carry along these stragglers who were barely crawling-it's absurd from the start...!"
"Didn't you say it yourself, Jin Wi-ryang? If they made it on time, I'd acknowledge their qualification."
"B-But...!"
"Shut your trap."
The Blood Demon Squad Leader Na So-wan bared his teeth.
"Are you the leader of this inspection team? Cut the bullshit. If you're an inspection team member, act like one and stay put. The more I see you, the more you crawl up endlessly. Beyond picking fights at every turn, now you're questioning my decisions?"
"It's not that kind of issue..."
"They chased us in their own way. Do they look like they used sorcery to your eyes? Does the sight of those rag bundles who only catnapped repeatedly-and clearly didn't even sleep at the end-seem funny? Hell, considering your nonsense, I even fed that Blood Demon Squad member Scatter Energy Poison."
"......."
"I granted everything you wanted, and now you come late saying you won't acknowledge it? Jin Wi-ryang, my patience has limits. Back off if you don't want your mouth torn."
"...Ha! It's a valid point! You're defying the Myriad Demons Sect's will right now...!"
"Were you high enough in the Myriad Demons Sect to wield it as you please?"
Na So-wan's hand turned black. Proving his moniker Black Hand Ghost Doctor, dark energy rippled from his fingertips.
"You're just a late-stage disciple at best. Dealing with you is nothing to me. Above all, you're mistaken about something. I listened to you because I understood to some extent, not out of fear. Do you think the Blood Demon Squad Leader position is a joke? Quietly stick to the wall. Before I toss you down that mountain."
"......!"
Jin Wi-ryang glared at him. But unable to retort, he backed off.
A chilling gaze swept over me and Yeon-gwang. He even placed his hand on his sword hilt, as if demanding responsibility for crushing his pride in front of everyone.
But that feeble defiance was quelled by Na So-wan's heavy whisper.
"I told you to scram."
"...Yes."
No matter how skilled a late-stage disciple, facing the Blood Demon Squad Leader head-on was impossible to win.
Jin Wi-ryang retreated. The restless Myriad Demons Sect late-stage disciples behind him followed.
The eyes staring at us from huddled against one wall were far from ordinary. Just in case, I drew my sword in its sheath from my waist and held it in my arms.
I was sleepy.
Like I could collapse any moment.
"Come here, junior. Lay on this and sleep. Can't sleep long, but it'll ease the fatigue some."
I didn't refuse Gun Cheon-gyeong's kindness in offering his sleeping bag.
I just buried it in my heart. Thinking I'd repay it somehow next time.
"Senior brother."
"What?"
"The water. I drank well. Thanks to you, I made it here. Thank you."
"...Kid."
Gun Cheon-gyeong grinned.
"Wound okay? Want some golden sore salve? Should probably change the bandages."
"I'm fine, senior brother. I changed the bandages and medicine to fresh ones not long ago, so no need for a while."
"...You won't die in your sleep, right?"
"No way."
I lay down in the sleeping bag. The moment I closed my eyes, sleep washed over me.
A proper sleep after so long.
Consciousness plunged into darkness in an instant.
...
When morning broke, my body felt incredibly light. The poison energy was completely gone, and my internal energy flowed freely again.
Not just that. As if last night's events weren't a dream, the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art energy accumulated in my dantian had definitely increased by about ten percent.
Should I say overcoming the pain turned the poison into a boon?
Yeon-gwang, who had slept deeply, staggered but followed behind us again. Despite blistered feet and muscle aches tormenting him, with the end in sight, he gritted his teeth and kept up.
"Wa...rior."
"Yes?"
"If it's not rude... um..."
He glanced at me cautiously and asked.
"Can I call you brother?"
"...What did you just say?"
"N-No?"
His eyes held such earnestness that I sighed.
Suddenly calling me brother. What the...
'Damn little brother.'
Suddenly, Sima Ak of the Sima family came to mind. Thinking of our relationship, I chuckled.
...No reason not to. I'd already thought he had a pretty cool back while watching him earlier.
He was the same type as me.
Aside from being a bit timid at first.
"How old are you?"
"Tw-Twenty-four."
"I'm older. Call me comfortably."
"Th-Then... drop the honorifics too...?"
Drop honorifics, huh.
I pondered, but lately, I hadn't dropped them with anyone.
Not with Baek Mae, First Demon,
nor Silver Snow Orchid, Heavenly Demon, or Sima Ak...
Hadn't I always used honorifics?
The only times I'd dropped them were facing enemies. But it wasn't entirely wrong, so I spoke haltingly.
Awkward, but I endured.
"...Good?"
".......!"
Yeon-gwang smiled.
"Brother! Call on me anytime if you need anything!"
"Focus, kid. The Sealing Demon Cave inspection isn't over yet. Don't use that title with me for a while. Might get us in trouble."
"Trouble how...?"
"There's that guy up front dying to eat you alive."
I pointed at Jin Wi-ryang's back, who had grown curt.
"Don't give him any handles. Until the inspection ends."
"...As expected, brother!"
"Title."
"W-Warrior..."
The big, honest bear of a man shrank back.
The Blood Demon Squad Leader walking ahead stopped.
"We're here."
For the first time, a proper flat terrain appeared in what had seemed endless ruggedness.
Before us was an unidentified mist of clouds. Beside it, which devoured the plain itself, lay lush forest and river that didn't match.
A strange place where the terrain itself defied nature.
The boundary between cloud and mist was clear, as if drawn with a line, devouring only part of the terrain.
This must be... a formation.
Manipulating space itself using heaven and earth's flow.
Aside from glimpsing it at the Demon Battlefield's back gate, this was the first formation I'd properly examined.
I couldn't see beyond the fog. Even infusing energy into my eyes, I couldn't pierce it.
One late-stage disciple reached out. Blood Demon Squad Leader Na So-wan grabbed his nape.
"Don't act on your own. If you don't want to die."
"Y-Yes...!"
"Escort warriors, wait here. Blood Demon Squad members too, stand... by."
Na So-wan's brow twitched mid-sentence.
He peered into the formation.
"...Gun Cheon-gyeong."
"Yes?"
"The Sealing Demon Cave entrance is hidden under the right rock. Bring it."
Gun Cheon-gyeong lifted the rock and returned with a ledger.
The Blood Demon Squad Leader scanned the entrance quickly.
"Aside from regular supply teams... nothing. Not a single one. No one should have come to a place like this, so why..."
Na So-wan covered the entrance.
"Traces of intrusion, right?"
...
Na So-wan said.
"Someone forced open the area near the Sealing Demon Cave entrance. This is an emergency. Priority is excluding intruders. Everyone, stand by here."
"Yes?! But then...!"
"No arguments. Stay quiet until I check inside and return."
"Doesn't that make our climb here pointless?"
The one who spoke was Jin Wi-ryang again. Right after last night's incident, he glared at the Blood Demon Squad Leader and blustered smugly.
"If there's an intruder, shouldn't we catch them ourselves? With escorts included, we have 45 elite troops here-what's there to fear that we're waiting?"
"Jin Wi-ryang, shut it. You don't know. The inside of that formation is no joke. Not just anyone can pass through."
Na So-wan's eyes cooled coldly.
"One more arrogant word, and I'll toss you down without warning. You'll fly far. If you don't want that flimsy body shattered, no backtalk."
"......."
Jin Wi-ryang ground his teeth and sat. Na So-wan fastened his outer robe and stepped toward the formation interior.
"Anyone who follows on their own will face extreme punishment. Whatever's beyond, no one can stop me. No reckless actions. Absolutely."
"......."
Na So-wan's figure vanished into the mist quickly.
Gun Cheon-gyeong immediately stood and began setting up a temporary camp on the flat ground.
"Junior. You sit. Don't move unnecessarily."
"I'm fine, senior brother. I'll help."
"You really don't listen, damn it."
I lent a hand to the camp setup. Moving busily, we made several decent tents before half a day passed.
Just wait out the time like this. But Jin Wi-ryang slyly spoke up.
"The leader hasn't returned. Shouldn't some of us check inside?"
".......?"
"If the Blood Demon Squad Leader is in danger alone, don't we need someone to help? Wasting time like this vaguely, we might miss the chance to act."
Sudden bullshit.
But no one stepped up. They just watched the mood.
Knowing the Myriad Demons Sect backed him, they chose silence over stepping forward.
Gun Cheon-gyeong spoke cautiously.
"Young Master Jin. Then what do you suggest?"
"Simple. Everyone moving could be dangerous, so just a few enter."
"The leader said absolutely no one enters."
"But sitting idle while he ends up in danger-that's when things go weird. He won't be that angry at someone who followed out of worry. Someone should go. Better than idling here, right?"
"No, then who..."
"Don't we have two who just earned the leader's recognition? They could surely..."
Jin Wi-ryang smiled.
"Handle it even as a pair."
"......"
It was obvious who he meant. Me and Yeon-gwang.
I gripped my sword, unable to tolerate the blatant scheme anymore. I could handle it, but weary Yeon-gwang couldn't survive inside.
It was no different from pushing him to die, so I planned to step up for him.
But someone stood first.
"...Really, the more I hear, the less I can stand it."
A sharp dark energy burst out suddenly. The sharp voice whispered like stabbing a dagger into the ground.
"Know your place, Jin Wi-ryang. Even my tolerance has limits."
Eun Seol-ran.
She rose. Several late-stage disciples recoiled at the rippling energy.
"What vicious...?!"
"Ugh... Can't even breathe..."
It was formidable energy. As if the Sima family had poured every premium elixir into her, the sheer amount of internal energy was staggeringly vast.
Completely different from the last time I'd seen her. The edge of that power was faintly invisible, enough to draw cold sweat.
Time is equal to all... right?
She'd walked as far as I had, no doubt.
As if flying through the sky.
"...Wh-What...?!"
Even Jin Wi-ryang sweated coldly and retreated. He glanced at the Sima disciple before him, compared prowess, and turned away as if giving up.
"Re-Retract your energy... miss...!"
"...Hmph."
Eun Seol-ran turned her head. The energy threatening the surroundings vanished in an instant.
Jin Wi-ryang sighed. But in that moment, like refusing to give up, his hand shot out like lightning.
The target was Yeon-gwang.
More precisely, the sword he clutched.
Yeon-gwang reacted late, reaching for his sword. But the vastly superior hand snatched it first.
"You little...!"
Over his body pretending to trip artfully, Yeon-gwang's stolen sword flew up. The deliberately released sword passed his hand and rolled into the formation.
A moment of silence. Jin Wi-ryang dusted off the dirt and smirked.
"S-Sorry, Young Master Yeon. Tripped on a rock."
"Ah... ah..."
"Who'd imagine a sword right there... and rolling into the formation no less. Don't worry. I'll compensate your lost sword with another..."
"Aaaaaaah!!!!"
Yeon-gwang charged. Without time to stop him, he threw himself into the formation.
Eun Seol-ran exploded in rage. She bared her teeth, shoving aside blocking escorts.
"You filthy dog bastard!!!"
"Haha! It was an accident! You saw, Miss Eun! I tripped on a stone..."
---Gurgle.
Everyone froze mid-word. Hearing the odd sound, they turned to the formation.
Distorted space. The entire mist shook. The endlessly churning mist boundary rippled as if about to collapse.
Jin Wi-ryang's expression changed. His mocking face hardened. Inner energy gathered in his subtly retreating foot.
I gripped my half-drawn sword, bracing for the unknown.
But before that...
---Fwooooosh!!!
The mist exploding was faster.
"What?!"
Mist and clouds brushed past me. I tried to slash with my drawn sword, but it was useless.
My feet left the ground. My body was sucked in instantly.
When I opened my eyes late...
Everything had already changed.