Chapter 272
Chapter 272
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 272
Chapter Title: Reconnaissance (2)
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Yi Hwan and his group substituted their meal with the dry rations they had brought. Indeed, the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains were vast and expansive. It had already been two shichen since they departed the camp, yet they still had quite a distance to cover before reaching the Dark Heaven Cult's headquarters.
Cheol Mu-ok spoke.
“According to the map, it's located in the most treacherous terrain of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. If they commit to a full defense, I wonder if even a hundred thousand troops could take it. Moreover, didn't they say the enemy can be self-sufficient?”
“Perhaps that's why Qin Kingdom hasn't taken aggressive action until now. They might have thought it sufficient to simply block the enemy from emerging into the world.”
“Having come deep inside ourselves, it's truly a natural fortress like no other. The name Hundred Thousand Great Mountains isn't for nothing.”
Everyone poured out skeptical remarks.
But Yi Hwan was different.
“If the Cult Leader's ambitions were satisfied with merely making this place their stronghold and living here, subjugating them might indeed be impossible. However, if that's not the case, then there are plenty of ways.”
“Have you found one?”
“I'm in the process.”
“…….”
“The problem is how many experts like the Earth Sword Demon they have, and that our information on them is still woefully inadequate.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“It looks like the rain is letting up.”
The sky was clearing, and the raindrops were thinning out like a lie. It was certainly a climate different from other regions of the Central Plains.
“We move at full speed.”
“Yes.”
Yi Hwan and his group began moving again.
Meanwhile, the face of the Earth Sword Demon, who had been watching them, hardened for a moment.
‘Incredible.’
He had only averted his eyes for a brief instant, yet Yi Hwan and the others had instantly become distant specks.
Flash!
* * *
A city in the northern part of Guangdong Province.
A man wearing a bamboo hat entered the bustling marketplace. It was Yang Chan, who had left Yi Hwan's side to retrieve the ancestral relic buried in his hometown.
Gurgle.
Yang Chan headed straight into an inn.
Avoiding the crowded first floor, he went up to the second floor, took a seat, and removed his bamboo hat.
A server approached.
“Would you like to order?”
Yang Chan pointed to the neighboring table.
“The same as that.”
“Yes.”
Yang Chan took a quiet breath and gazed out at the street beyond the inn. Having pushed through the mountainous shortcuts for days in his haste to return quickly, he found the passing people unusually welcoming.
He watched the passersby for a moment like that. Then his ears twitched slightly. It was due to the conversation at the table behind him.
“I heard Yeon Kingdom's great army is stationed at our military camp in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. They came because of the Dark Heaven Cult fanatics.”
“Really? Then are they planning a joint subjugation of the fanatics with Yeon Kingdom?”
“Given that one of the Imperial Princes headed to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains around the same time, it seems likely. Well, if they join forces to drive out the fanatics, that would be great.”
“I've heard rumors that Yeon Kingdom's great army is brutally savage beyond measure. Can we really cooperate properly with such people?”
“Even in the court, there were many complaints about the ruthless methods they used to suppress the Dark Heaven Cult in Yeon Kingdom. However, it seems His Majesty the Emperor views the cooperation with Yeon Kingdom positively... Well, whatever happens, as long as they drive out the fanatics, us common folk will welcome them with open arms.”
“That's true.”
Yang Chan listened to the conversation, his eyes gleaming.
‘The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains aren't far from here...’
First, he needed to confirm if Yi Hwan was really there. Going there only to find him absent would waste considerable time.
‘The Beggar Clan is highly active in Qin Kingdom, so I can inquire through them.’
Yang Chan thought of Yi Hwan. Then he recalled a part of the conversation and chuckled softly.
‘Brutally savage, huh...’
“Your order has arrived.”
As the server brought the food, Yang Chan shook off his thoughts and picked up his chopsticks.
It was then.
“Huh!”
“Hey, why did those guys come here?”
People suddenly began murmuring.
Looking back, two Beggar Clan members were entering the inn. They grinned at the people frowning at them and took seats in a corner.
‘Perfect timing.’
Yang Chan ate first. Having consumed only water all day, he was quite famished.
However, he kept his ears open toward the Beggar Clan members.
“I saw a messenger from the Anhui branch earlier, and it said the Namgung family is in an uproar. Apparently, the family head's younger brother was killed in an attack by Dark Heaven Cultists.”
“Oh! Really?”
“It happened while he was heading to the Qin Kingdom camp in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains with the eldest young master. Fortunately, the eldest young master is unharmed.”
“If the family head's brother met such a fate, the Namgung family won't stay idle.”
“Of course. They'll surely send their elite forces to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. The family head might even go personally. By the way, I heard Yeon Kingdom's great army is there too. Are the two nations really joining forces to wipe out the Dark Heaven Cult, as rumored?”
“His Majesty the Emperor seems quite pleased with Yeon Kingdom's great army. Sending one Imperial Prince there is apparently to have him learn something through the great army. If true, the prince's pride must be sorely wounded.”
“Well, there's no denying that Yeon Kingdom's great army leader is remarkable. Nine out of ten in the world thought the Empress had seized Yeon Kingdom's power, yet he overturned it. Moreover, he suppressed the Dark Heaven Cult uprising in the capital in just one night.”
“That's why there are so many malicious rumors. They say he beheaded all the surrendered ones and hung their heads on the mountainside? Thousands of them.”
“It was brutal, but thanks to that, the Dark Heaven Cult remnants were completely eradicated from Yeon Kingdom. In terms of results, it was the best outcome.”
“I suppose so.”
Yang Chan closed his ears. The ensuing conversation was mostly vulgar banter.
‘If it's confirmed he's in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains...’
There was no need to think; he would head straight there. His goal was to meet Yi Hwan, after all.
‘Even so, beheading thousands and hanging them on trees...’
Yang Chan thought of Yi Hwan again. A bitter expression crossed his face.
‘Perhaps he is someone capable of that.’
Shortly after finishing his meal, Yang Chan began his journey not toward Yeon Kingdom's capital, but toward the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
‘Whether I accept my fate or not still depends on you.’
* * *
A sea of clouds majestically unfolded before Yi Hwan and his group, who had climbed a mountain peak from which they could survey the Dark Heaven Cult's headquarters.
The fact that the sea of clouds, which usually dissipated by afternoon, had not cleared even now was something highly unusual.
It was troubling. The sea of clouds prevented them from scouting the Dark Heaven Cult's headquarters.
“The climate in these Hundred Thousand Great Mountains is indeed peculiar. For the clouds to linger until this hour.”
“Shall we go closer?”
“In this weather, the only option besides entering the headquarters directly is none. We'll stop here for today.”
“Understood.”
Yi Hwan had no desire to take unnecessary risks. The purpose of coming today was to survey the terrain and topography around the headquarters.
He turned back without regret. As he headed down the mountain, he suddenly sharpened his gaze and unleashed a finger wind toward the front.
A flash of blood light erupted from Yi Hwan's fingertip. Following it, five streaks of blood light pierced into the sea of clouds.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Dull sounds echoed from beyond the clouds.
At the same time, Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae leaped into the clouds. Moments later, they returned.
“There was nothing.”
“Did you sense something?”
“The clouds drifting on the wind scattered faintly at that spot. It seems someone was tailing us.”
“Could it have been a mountain beast?”
“If it were, we'd have sensed its presence fleeing.”
“Ah...”
“We'll scout the surroundings more.”
“No need. An expert capable of moving without any detectable presence would already be out of range. We head back.”
* * *
Moments after Yi Hwan and his group departed, the Earth Sword Demon revealed himself at the spot. He gazed toward where they had vanished, his eyes trembling.
‘Was there such an expert in the Qin Kingdom camp?’
He looked heavily down at his right arm. A trace of blood gleamed near his elbow. It was from barely grazing the finger wind Yi Hwan had just unleashed.
‘It felt like it would pierce even my protective aura.’
That's why he had tried to dodge, yet he still couldn't fully evade it and drew blood. The speed was that terrifying.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew, scattering the surrounding clouds in all directions. But soon, they enveloped the Earth Sword Demon's body once more.
‘For now, back to the headquarters...!’
Boom!
The Earth Sword Demon suddenly kicked off the ground and leaped upward. At the same instant, a single ray of light struck where he had stood.
Crack!
Spotting a shadow flickering beyond the clouds, the Earth Sword Demon threw his body backward with all his might.
Moments later, Yi Hwan and his group appeared. Yi Hwan stared precisely in the direction the Earth Sword Demon had fled, narrowing his brow slightly.
“Charging into this mist without hesitation means he's a Dark Heaven Cultist who knows the local terrain well.”
“That seems right.”
“Judging solely by lightness skill, he's at least peak transcendent realm, but why would such a person tail us?”
“It's more than that.”
“Pardon?”
“From the movements dodging my attack, the opponent is approaching absolute realm level. Moreover, with that cool-headed judgment free of bravado, he'll be a very tricky foe next time we meet.”
Cheol Mu-ok and the others exchanged glances.
The opponent had only moved stealthily beyond the clouds, yet how had Yi Hwan made such a judgment?
As Ju Tae could no longer hold back and was about to ask, Yi Hwan continued.
“On our way here, we employed peak transcendent-level lightness skill. Someone at absolute realm would have felt confident enough to ambush us, no matter our numbers. Yet he trailed us to the end without engaging, merely observing. Would someone overflowing with self-confidence and arrogance have done that?”
Cheol Mu-ok and the others nodded in agreement.
It's said that the difference between so-called absolute realm and peak transcendent is merely a sheet of paper.
But that single sheet is an eternal, insurmountable wall. Unless the absolute realm expert is careless, a peak transcendent has virtually no chance of victory.
“Could it not be a Dark Heaven Cultist?”
“Possibly.”
Yi Hwan looked toward the Dark Heaven Cult's headquarters.
Whoosh!
The wind made the mist sway here and there. The sea of clouds, augmented by the mist, still blanketed the surroundings in white.
“We head back.”
* * *
The Earth Sword Demon revealed himself again long after Yi Hwan and his group had left—and at a spot considerably distant from the mountain peak.
Twitch.
The muscles around his eyes spasmed faintly. His pride had been wounded in the process of dodging twice.
Rage surged.
But it was only momentary. The shock from evading the first and second attacks welled up again.
‘What was that second beam of light? Sword force? At least it wasn't a hidden weapon...’
It had been by the barest margin.
A slight delay in reaction, and he would have been forced to fight, where he certainly wouldn't have emerged unscathed.
Even as an absolute realm expert, in his current state with a left arm too injured to control properly, victory against such a foe was uncertain.
‘I must report to the Cult Leader first.’
As the Earth Sword Demon turned to leave, he suddenly placed his hand on his sword hilt.
Figures emerged from beyond the mist. Dark Heaven Cultists.
“Right Guardian!”
The Earth Sword Demon lowered his hand from the sword hilt and took a quiet breath.
But soon, he gave a wry smile.
‘Have I ever been this tense?’