52. Heavenly Wolf Sect (3)
Heavenly Wolf Sect (3)
52. Heavenly Wolf Sect (3)
The Flame Emperor's spirit had been bound into my sword. I wanted to obliterate the remaining three souls, but the Soul-Ascension Art took too long, and this wasn't the time. I had finally obtained power capable of opposing Heuk Cheon-gyeon. I had waited as Hwangseong's divination instructed and taken the detour. All that remained was to hurry.
An absurd sight unfolded as the horse galloped onward. My sword floated around me, flying freely through the air. Apparently pleased with its interior, the Flame Emperor swung it this way and that, thoroughly enjoying his new home.
—Say, Yeongmok. I have something to tell you.—
Hwangseong's voice suddenly broke in.
—Congratulations on acquiring a master's soul, but this is something I must tell you now. I'm sorry if it rains on your parade, but you are still in danger.—
—Hm? You had a Daoist's soul inside that fan?—
Ghosts could neither see nor converse with one another, but the Spirit Vessel Art was a branch of the Spirit-Binding Art. That apparently allowed these two old men to speak.
—He is Reverend Hwangseong, the founder of Yeongsan Sect. He created the Spirit-Binding Art, which summons ghosts and allows their souls to inhabit objects or my body.—
I finally introduced Reverend Hwangseong, who became painfully shy around men and women alike.
—Impressive! I saw many renowned Daoists in my life, but never one who could command ghosts. Are you from the Maoshan Sect by any chance?—
—Ah... yes, that's right. I was the last disciple of the Maoshan Sect, raised hearing of the Flame Emperor's great name.—
—Huh? The Maoshan Sect is gone? How long has it been since I died?—
—About one hundred and fifty years. I died eighty years ago. A general named Zhu Yuanzhang drove out the Yuan and founded the Ming.—
—Is that so? Much time has passed. Bound to that mountain peak, I knew nothing of the world. That damned lama... If only our last battle had taken place in Beijing, I could have watched the changing times with my own eyes.—
The Flame Emperor was strangely exuberant. Perhaps 'spirited' was the better word. He must have been a bold, vigorous man in life.
—Still in danger? Did that Top Hundred Master become the Demonic Cult Leader or something?—
—No. To display your full martial prowess, Hero, you require immense internal energy. Yeongmok doesn't possess enough to satisfy that need. He must face more than fifty warriors and their master using little more than the profundity of your swordsmanship, with almost no internal energy.—
Oh, right.
A soul had no dantian and therefore possessed no internal energy. If the Flame Emperor used my body, he'd have to rely on mine. That was a serious problem. My paltry ten years of internal energy was the first issue, and the energy I'd cultivated might not even suit his martial arts. A legendary master's swordsmanship would still be astonishing without internal energy and could perhaps handle the fifty Black Swordsmen, but Heuk Cheon-gyeon himself remained genuinely dangerous.
Could we do it? Heuk Cheon-gyeon and fifty Black Swordsmen—and I did not merely have to kill them. I had to rescue the women as well.
—Hm. That is unfortunate. But I'm levitating and moving this sword without internal energy right now. Where does this power come from?—
—That is Yeongmok's divine power, a different kind of energy from internal energy. As you said, Hero, the Spirit Possession Art uses Yeongmok's internal energy, while the Spirit Vessel Art uses his divine power. Displaying your full martial might would probably consume an enormous amount of divine power. If it were exhausted in an instant, Yeongmok could die. So while you inhabit the sword, please be especially careful not to draw too heavily on that power.—
Huh? That was the structure?
—Then there is no choice. You said your name was Yeongmok? I'll try to manage somehow with sword forms alone, but my martial prowess rests more on my signature aura, the Flame Aura, than on swordsmanship. Forgive me if the result is disappointing.—
—No, Elder. My divine power is absurdly abundant. Please try using the Flame Aura now.—
—Y-Yeongmok! Didn't I tell you that overdoing it would ruin everything!—
Hwangseong spoke urgently. Knowing how I felt, he must have assumed I was willing to throw my life away by overextending myself to save them. But in this particular respect, I was a cheat character. My magic power was unlimited.
—You asked for it. If this goes wrong, do not blame me.—
A pillar of scarlet light erupted from the sword. It was far more magnificent than Murong Hyeok-jung's sword aura, and even knowing it was on my side, I felt an overwhelming pressure sweep through the empty mountains, nearly throwing me from the horse.
Scorching heat washed over me. His sword aura seemed to carry the attribute of flame. Ah... so that was why they called him the Flame Emperor.
—Kuahahaha! Magnificent! How long has it been since I last used the Flame Aura? It's my signature martial art, and I thought I'd never see it again. There's nothing to worry about now. I'll take responsibility and beat that pup Heuk Cheon-gyeon—or whatever his name is—to a pulp!—
—A-are you truly alright?—
—Yes. I'm perfectly fine. Ah, Elder. The Spirit Vessel Art has one restriction. It cannot leave my field of vision.—
—Really? Then you'll have to keep up with me. One problem remains. While inhabiting the sword, I will tear the enemy apart. The danger isn't to me, but to you. I can't protect you while cutting them down. If I move too far away, I will leave your field of vision; if I stay too close, you'll be caught in the battle. Remember that carefully.—
He might not have understood the Spirit Vessel Art's principles, but in combat he was unquestionably a professional. He immediately identified the dangers of fighting through the art. He was an extraordinarily reassuring soul to have beside me.
The sun was setting. Even that sturdy horse had slowed noticeably after running for days. Ordinarily I should have stopped to rest, but the destination was finally close enough to leave me torn.
—How long will it take on horseback from here?—
—About three shichen (six hours).—
—Then let's let the horse rest and run from here on out ourselves.—
I wanted to do the same even before the Flame Emperor suggested it. Still, on a pitch-dark mountain road without a single streetlamp, setting out early the next morning seemed faster than trying to cover six hours on foot.
—My lightness skill will be faster. Your internal energy is meager, but if I circulate qi while we run, we should still reach the destination sooner.—
Ah... the Spirit Possession Art. Right. I had come this far; rather than sit here helplessly, I had to wring out my last strength and reach the Heavenly Wolf Sect. Even if I arrived completely exhausted, the Flame Emperor would handle the battle. I worried about leaving such a magnificent horse, but this was no time for that. I tied it in a suitable place and chanted the Spirit Possession Art. The Flame Emperor entered my body.
"Hahaha! A living body truly is the best. As I thought, your internal energy is slight, but you've trained your body surprisingly well. And this yang energy... I can clearly feel it even through such meager internal energy. It suits me. Ah, this is no time to chatter. Let us depart."
The sensation was completely different from when I surrendered my body to Hwangseong. The surrounding scenery flew backward in an instant beneath a lightness skill of incredible speed. The technique itself was probably a supreme art, but what amazed me most was how little internal energy he used to move so quickly. As for the yang energy in my body, that was naturally a trace of the Yang Blossom Art. Hearing that even the Bedchamber Arts were helping me made it finally seem possible to save them.
So this was how internal energy was circulated. The mental art as I had practiced it and the same art in the hands of a peerless master were worlds apart. While I absorbed the sensation, we broke through the mountain path and a small manor appeared ahead.
People said masters transcended common sense, and the old man had proved it by sustaining such speed with barely ten years of internal energy. Whenever the energy ran dry, he continued on physical strength alone while rapidly circulating qi to replenish it as he ran. Qi circulation and breath regulation in the middle of a sprint—this was the realm of a true master.
In the end, I had completely exhausted every last drop of internal power, but in just two hours, we were standing at the gates of the Heavenly Wolf Sect.
—I have circulated some qi, so you can still run a little farther. Listen carefully. In a hostage situation, the most important thing is to disable the enemy before they can bring out the hostages. The best method is to eliminate their leader by surprise. I understand your feelings, but this is no time to trade words or swords. Keep me in sight and concentrate only on running.—
That was exactly what I wanted. My goal was to save them, not defeat Heuk Cheon-gyeon honorably in a frontal duel. The Flame Emperor was a man of tremendous experience and clearly familiar with situations like this. After circulating my qi one final time, he returned to the sword, and the Flame Aura surged upward.
—All right. Then let us begin.—
Perhaps because he had left my constricting body for a sword where he could freely wield his power, the Flame Aura grew far larger than before. Wrapped in scarlet aura, he ignored the gate and smashed straight through the wall. Destruction by aura was strangely quiet. It didn't break matter so much as reduce it to particles. But the light was far too bright in the middle of the night, and several warriors spotted me.
"Wh-Who goes there!"
No answer was necessary. Before I could speak, the flame-wreathed sword flew out and incinerated four warriors. It took the lead as though guiding me and began slaughtering the enemy one by one. I had expected the Flame Emperor to roar with laughter like a berserker, but once combat began, he turned cautious and cut them down in silence. After dozens had been severed or burned, one terrified warrior finally fled toward the largest building.
That was probably where Heuk Cheon-gyeon was. Before the fleeing warrior could open the door, the Flame Emperor's sword pierced his back and shattered the door with him. Inside, Heuk Cheon-gyeon was drinking with roughly ten subordinates.
"What kind of bastard are you?!"
Heuk Cheon-gyeon calmly seized the sword beside him and sobered in an instant. A master of his level couldn't have missed the battle outside, no matter how drunk he was. But the Flame Emperor gave off no internal energy, while all he could sense from me was the aura of a shabby third-rate martial artist. That was probably why he had remained so unconcerned. He showed brief surprise that a third-rate martial artist had broken through the Black Swordsmen and reached him, then immediately faced the intruder with the gaze of a master at the summit.
But he was too late. We had committed to the ambush. Before Heuk Cheon-gyeon could draw his sword, the Flame Emperor's blade pierced his body and slowly began burning him from the chest outward. A master's body seemed to burn slowly.
"Th-this is... Qi-Guided Sword?"
It wasn't, but regardless, that became Heuk Cheon-gyeon's last words.
With Heuk Cheon-gyeon dead in one strike, the Flame Emperor—the overwhelming power in the room—didn't relax for even a moment. He silently severed the remaining subordinates' necks. Blood sprayed, flesh burned, and screams filled the hall. He had summoned hell into the living world. Only then did I understand that his title, Flame Emperor, meant far more than flame aura alone.
He was a man who looked far too much like King Yama, the ruler of hell.
—Well, it seems my work is finished for now. I have not enjoyed myself this much in ages. I ended it in an instant, just as promised, did I not?—
—Thank you, Elder. I survived thanks to you. Thank you so very much.—
Leaving the Flame Emperor's blazing sword in place, I pulled Heuk Cheon-gyeon's sword from his corpse and walked slowly toward the warrior the Flame Emperor had deliberately spared.
"P-Please spare me!!"
The Black Swordsmen were the central fighting force of the Black Heaven Association, one of the Ten Great Evil Factions. Yet one of the men who had made the Orthodox Faction tremble was now drooling, wetting himself, and begging me for his life.
"Where are the women?"
"Wh-Which women do you mean?"
I stabbed his leg with the sword, and he answered through a scream.
"In the rear dungeon! The White Tiger Fortress woman, the five women from Liaodong, and the women taken from the village—they're all in the dungeon!!"
Crazy bastard. He'd taken so many. I cut off the begging Black Swordsman's head and left the hall that had become hell.
Master. And my Senior Sisters.
I had already prepared myself. As that mad bitch's spirit had said, I could imagine what might have happened to beautiful women dragged into a place like this. Still, I would meet them with a smile. When a woman like Murong Rin could stride proudly through the martial world, what did a thing like chastity matter?