Chapter 585
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 585
Chapter Title: Now, Only a Quarter-Hour Remains
There was a discrepancy.
Though Wi Suyeon and the others hadn't noticed, it was plain as day in Ha Mu-baek's eyes.
'Three places.'
The footwork clashed completely with the sword path of the Plum Blossom Sword.
Rather than enhancing the sword's momentum, the steps were actually stifling it.
Ha Mu-baek had never seen the manual for the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques, so he didn't know the precise formulas.
Even the Plum Blossom Sword techniques he'd experienced in sparring were different from what No Hu-myeong had left behind.
He had only faced the version that incorporated the insights from Sword Immortal Gyu Hwi and Wi Suyeon's Flowing Cloud Sword Method.
Even so, the flow of the sword techniques was crystal clear in Ha Mu-baek's eyes, and three of the steps were disrupting that flow.
This was an entirely different realm from the stifling constraint of being bound too rigidly by the plum blossoms.
Yet even the elite disciple hadn't noticed it.
'Need to look deeper.'
Ha Mu-baek gave a small nod.
"We're leaving."
He said quietly to Wi Suyeon, who offered a fist salute to her senior brother and stepped away.
But the direction wasn't toward the Huashan Sect.
"Where are you headed?"
"Gotta check the other training caves too."
Wi Suyeon nodded at Ha Mu-baek's reply and moved to take the lead, but there was no need.
Ha Mu-baek's senses had already pinpointed the locations of the remaining seven.
Now that Huashan Sect disciples had arrived at the training caves, it was no challenge for him.
Wi Suyeon simply followed behind Ha Mu-baek as he raced full-tilt toward the southeastern cave.
"Huh?"
The elite disciple jumped in surprise at Ha Mu-baek's sudden appearance.
He knew who it was, but hadn't expected him here of all places.
And given the current situation, no less.
The sect leader's footprints were nearly gone, so he'd ordered the regular disciples to train there.
Wi Suyeon soon appeared as well. Upon hearing they were just passing through to survey the area, the elite disciple nodded and relaxed his guard.
In the meantime, Ha Mu-baek gave another small nod.
'Four here.'
The footprints had faded to the brink of vanishing, yet the regular disciples had somehow found them and were practicing their footwork and swordplay accordingly.
"That's enough. Let's go."
Ha Mu-baek said curtly.
Wi Suyeon blinked in shock.
They'd only been there a quarter-hour at most.
Plus, with regular disciples practicing the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques right at the cave entrance, they hadn't even peeked inside.
Yet Ha Mu-baek moved on to the next spot as if there was nothing more to see.
This time, due east.
Ha Mu-baek was checking the caves in the order of their most recent completion.
The eastern cave's Huashan disciples had already finished their inspection and withdrawn.
The footprints had vanished entirely, so no one was training Plum Blossom Sword there.
Ha Mu-baek carefully examined the spot in front of the now-empty cave where the footprints had been, after the Huashan warriors left.
He focused his internal energy into his eyes, pushing his visual acuity to its limit.
He found it—a faint, truly faint trace.
It was barely visible, even to Ha Mu-baek.
'Won't be able to confirm footprints in the next caves.'
With that, Ha Mu-baek gazed at the footprints and the sword scars on the wall, mentally executing the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques.
Having seen it twice already, it was no strain.
As the warrior swung his sword in his mind...
'Two this time.'
He encountered two discrepancies.
After noting their positions, Ha Mu-baek turned away.
"We're heading back."
And so the two returned to Huashan Sect.
Wi Suyeon, trailing behind Ha Mu-baek, kept tilting her head in confusion.
She'd thought they'd inspect the caves properly.
At the second, they'd only glanced at the disciples training their swords.
At the third, he'd just stared at the ground.
Then straight back.
She couldn't fathom it.
Upon returning to Huashan Sect, Ha Mu-baek headed straight for Mansu Pavilion.
To mull over his new clues.
No need to climb to the training cave at Lotus Flower Peak's summit—he sat cross-legged on his bed and pondered what he'd seen in those three spots.
'The eight-directional training caves and the left-behind Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques. There has to be something...'
The discrepant footprints.
There was clearly intent behind them.
'Damn it. That bastard Ill-Fortune King.'
Frustrated, Ha Mu-baek spat curses at the Ill-Fortune King—then froze.
He snapped his eyes open and bolted upright from the bed.
"Shit. A formation! How the hell did I not think of that? Idiot...!"
Recalling his first encounter with the Ill-Fortune King brought the scene flashing back.
And the conclusion he'd reached: a formation.
Back then, Hocheon Corps' mission had been to dismantle it before activation.
But Ha Mu-baek soon shook his head.
"No, that can't be. No way the Ill-Fortune King alone could set up that formation here at Huashan..."
He rejected his own conclusion.
It lacked a crucial element.
An enormous amount of demonic energy—eight sources' worth.
That's why the Demonic Cult's Eight Protectors had all been mobilized back then.
Yet no demonic energy could be sensed around Huashan.
So Ha Mu-baek had unconsciously ruled out formations from the start.
Still, the eight-directional caves had left him with a nagging unease.
'Hoo. Frustrating.'
As he muttered to himself,
he sensed Wi Suyeon approaching his room.
"Corps Leader Ha. Pardon the intrusion."
It was Wi Suyeon.
Ha Mu-baek opened the door, and she handed him a sealed letter.
"Master said to pass this to you. It's a map marking the training caves. Please review and burn it."
"Quick work."
He'd only asked today, and it was already done.
"We had all the records on the caves gathered, so it didn't take long."
Ha Mu-baek took the letter, tore it open right there, and unfolded the map.
A map centered on Huashan Sect, dotted with countless points.
Each dot marked a training cave No Hu-myeong had visited amid the myriad caves.
The instant he saw it, Ha Mu-baek's eyes widened.
"N-No way... This can't be possible... What about the demonic energy?!"
Wi Suyeon was startled by Ha Mu-baek's shock.
It was the first time she'd seen him like this since they met.
Which meant it was no small matter.
"Damn it."
Ha Mu-baek cursed and stormed out of the room.
The map had revealed a glaring truth.
The Ill-Fortune King had arrayed a massive formation centered on Huashan Sect.
He headed straight for the Discipline Hall.
The Huashan Sect Leader's seat was vacant.
His options for reporting were Discipline Hall Lord Yu Chu-eun or Sword Immortal Gyu Hwi—both currently at the Discipline Hall.
"Wh-What's wrong?"
Wi Suyeon chased after him, asking urgently.
"I know the Ill-Fortune King's goal."
Something the Ill-Fortune King would prepare in secret over long years... That formation from back then seems most likely, but Corps Leader Ha said no demonic energy around Huashan, so that's impossible...
Gong Son Dan-gyeong, Strategist of the Righteous Heaven Alliance and Lord of Heavenly Eye Pavilion.
The tasks demanding his attention were endless.
The documents flowing through his office in a single day could fill two carts with ease.
Amid the chaos, Gong Son Dan-gyeong reviewed records of the war against the Demonic Cult whenever he could.
He ransacked his memory once more.
One possibility surfaced, but he dismissed it with a shake of his head.
Demonic energy was essential for that formation—and in vast quantities.
Gong Son Dan-gyeong recalled a truly vicious, bizarre formation.
Soon after Ha Mu-baek joined Hocheon Corps, their mission had been to dismantle it before activation.
The operation succeeded, sparing the Righteous Heaven Alliance major losses, but Hocheon Corps endured hellish combat.
It was the mission that put Ha Mu-baek on the map in Hocheon Corps.
"A formation requiring eight peak masters to generate demonic energy from the eight directions to power it. Impossible at Huashan without some artifact hiding that much demonic energy...
No matter how he turned it over, impossibility was the verdict. Muttering as much, Gong Son Dan-gyeong paused.
"W-Wait... I might be off-base. I overlooked that."
A sigh slipped out with his murmur.
His assumption had been wrong.
The scale of that past formation differed from one at Huashan.
Equal area didn't mean equal demonic energy required.
Yet he'd assumed identical scale based on area alone.
"The target's scale changes the demonic energy needed."
Gong Son Dan-gyeong hurriedly unrolled paper and calculated furiously.
The result?
"At this level, even Demonic Cult artifacts alone could power the formation!"
Gong Son Dan-gyeong grew urgent.
"Must alert them to check immediately."
He grabbed brush and ink.
In a flash, he dashed off a dispatch, sealed it, and sent it express to Huashan Sect.
Praying it wasn't too late.
And that his theory was wrong.
Just then, as the dispatch took flight from Heavenly Eye Pavilion,
Ha Mu-baek was meeting with Gyu Hwi and Yu Chu-eun.
"You know the Ill-Fortune King's goal?"
Ha Mu-baek nodded frantically.
"No time. We need to move now."
His voice was uncharacteristically tense.
"That's why I'm here for permission to act."
"Corps Leader Ha, explain step by step what it is."
Gyu Hwi tried to calm the agitated Ha Mu-baek.
"No time for that. I'm going."
Ha Mu-baek left the Discipline Hall and leaped into motion.
The map he'd clutched lay on the desk.
"Wait!"
Gyu Hwi chased after him in a hurry, while Yu Chu-eun stared at the crumpled map.
"What the hell is this...?"
Huashan Sect's eastern outskirts.
A small roadside inn by the official path.
There, the Ill-Fortune King Ak Cho nursed a drink.
In disguise, of course.
"Heh heh. Still clueless, eh, Ha Mu-baek? Makes sense—even you couldn't guess it with no demonic energy bearers at Huashan. We failed last time because of you, but this time... victory's mine."
He smirked, sipping deeply. The liquor tasted especially sweet.
No alarms yet meant his setup was flawless.
"Now, only a quarter-hour remains."
This was why the Ill-Fortune King hadn't strayed far from Huashan.
To confirm his scheme unfolded perfectly.
'Would've been most enjoyable watching it all unfold right in Huashan Sect's heart. Pity. But will it work on Ha Mu-baek too?'
The thought struck as he set down his cup.
On second thought, Ha Mu-baek's presence at Huashan was a boon.
Before completion, maybe not—but after? Perfect timing.
He'd only aimed to topple one of the Righteous Heaven Alliance's pillars.
Instead, he'd hooked a monster—or rather, a dragon.
Just in case it might snag a high-ranking official, he'd passed a demonic art to Un Se-hyuk.
A brilliant move, it turned out.
The bite came from none other than Ha Mu-baek.
At that moment, Ha Mu-baek was unleashing his lightness skill in desperate fury.
The instant he realized the scheme, he'd wanted to race there outright—but duty demanded at least a warning.
Hence the Discipline Hall visit.
Now, Radiant Light Thousand-Mile Step blazed at full power.
'Damn bastard.'
Ha Mu-baek gnashed his teeth at the Ill-Fortune King.
'What the hell have you set up?'
Ill-Fortune King.
Ha Mu-baek had foiled the Demonic Cult's Eight Protectors' plot in the last war.
That led him to consider a formation—then dismiss it.
All Eight Protectors had been required to activate it.
Yet here at Huashan, only the Ill-Fortune King appeared.
He loathed other Protectors' involvement so much that Ha Mu-baek assumed it was a solo plot, ruling out formations from the outset.