To Kunlun Mountain
I cursed under my breath.
I didn’t open my eyes until a full eight hours had passed. The accumulated exhaustion must have hit me all at once, because I’d slept like the dead.
“I didn’t think she’d actually go that far.”
I recalled the final blow Yu-ran had landed. The world had flashed white, and in that brief moment of panic, she had already sealed off every escape route I had. Then… darkness. I couldn’t even remember how the beating had continued. All I knew was the pain, and then the ground rushing up to meet me.
“Even if my head understands the techniques, my body still can’t keep up.”
I’d thought my strength and stamina had improved considerably, but it seemed I was still far from being able to face someone at the level of a great leader.
“Up we go. At least I got some proper rest.”
I hadn’t been able to sleep the night before, so in a way I owed Yu-ran some gratitude for knocking me out cold. I gathered my things and stepped out the door.
Outside, Muyoung and Yu-ran were in the middle of a meal.
“Young Master, are you awake?”
Muyoung set down his water cup and hurried over. Yu-ran simply raised a hand in greeting without even pausing her chopsticks. The bloodthirsty aura from yesterday was gone, replaced by that same foolish grin.
“This isn’t what I had in mind.”
I’d wanted to crush that arrogance of hers, but I had clearly underestimated her. Her skill was on an entirely different level than I’d anticipated. More than that, her instincts and reactions to opposing martial arts were almost animalistic.
While I was thinking, the food arrived. Muyoung must have ordered it in a rush. We finished our late breakfast quickly, then left the inn and immediately secured a carriage bound for Kunlun Mountain.
From here on, we would have to travel by carriage the entire way. Now that we had reached Qinghai Province, we had no idea what might happen. It was best to conserve our strength as much as possible.
The carriage carrying our group began to race toward Kunlun Mountain.
“Qinghai Province, is it…”
Sal-je Do-gon wore a meaningful smile as he listened to his subordinate’s report. He had been tracking the movements of Yu-ran, leader of the Red Dragon Unit.
Following her trail hadn’t been difficult. The Demonic Cult’s hands had reached deep into the Ju family a long time ago.
Do-gon quickly closed the distance between them.
“Crawling straight into the grave.”
His bloodthirsty smile grew even darker.
Qinghai was a land beyond the reach of the Central Plains martial world. Kunlun Mountain had once stood as a pillar of the righteous path, but that sect had fallen. In other words, Qinghai without Kunlun was now little more than the Demonic Cult’s own territory.
“Deliver all information about that woman to the demons stationed in Qinghai. Tell them to capture her. Until I arrive, they may do anything except kill her.”
“As you command, Sal-je.”
The subordinate bowed deeply and left the audience chamber at once.
Having given his orders, Do-gon gathered his weapons and rose from his seat.
The hunt had begun.
The atmosphere had turned decidedly strange.
The carriage had long since entered the mountain paths, and as night fell it grew unnaturally quiet.
“Young Master.”
Muyoung, who had been riding beside me, seemed to have noticed the ominous signs as well. He whispered softly, “There isn’t a single insect or mountain animal making a sound. It seems…”
“It’s starting.”
I let out a small sigh and cracked open the carriage window.
The air outside felt heavy. More than that, beneath the atmosphere lingered the unmistakable metallic scent of blood.
A shiver ran down my spine, and goosebumps rose across my skin.
My senses have become extremely sharp.
It was an awareness that shouldn’t have been possible at my current realm. Yet just as I had located the Seungryongdae before, I could now clearly sense the killing intent scattered throughout these mountains.
“So it really has come to this.”
I gathered my belongings and sighed again.
This whole situation was essentially a test. The location had been discovered far too easily. If not for the traitors lurking inside the Ju family, there was no way our position could have been compromised this quickly.
I had known the traitors had extended their reach into the Nine Great Clans and the Nine Great Sects. The only question had been time. This proved they had been betraying their own families and sects for a very long time.
If information is leaking even before the Demonic Cult makes its full move…
The carriage lurched to a sudden stop.
The driver spoke in a trembling voice, “T-there… s-someone is blocking the road up ahead.”
I opened the door and stepped outside. Yu-ran and Muyoung followed, swords already in hand.
Demons.
Five figures stood blocking the path. The eerie energy radiating from them was unmistakably demonic qi.
“Yu-ran.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Even she looked tense. Her hand tightened around her sword hilt as she slowly raised her aura.
“Don’t hold back. Kill them all.”
“Now that’s an order I can get behind.”
Yu-ran smiled brightly. There was no point in raising the banner of the righteous path against demons. Their beliefs were different, their goals were different. In the end, they were beings who could only meet at the edge of blades, where one must kill or be killed.
BOOM!
The moment I said they had to die, Yu-ran charged without hesitation. The term berserker suited her perfectly.
She drew her sword in a single motion and mercilessly severed the head of the demon at the front. Because of her excessively lethal style, she had always been restricted from certain missions. Even though she was a warrior of the righteous path and a leader-class expert, she showed no mercy in her strikes.
In the righteous martial world—where reputation, justification, and practical gains were valued above all—her existence was nothing short of a thorn in everyone’s side.
Yet Yu-ran didn’t care about any of that.
She cut down the demons, letting their blood spray over her without bothering to dodge, slaughtering them with ruthless efficiency. Her sword strikes, delivered without unnecessary suffering, almost looked beautiful in their purity.
This should be enough here.
I quickly scanned our surroundings. Five demons were well within Yu-ran’s ability to handle alone. The real problem was…
There are too many.
Demons had already spread across the entire mountain. I could feel them drawing closer even now.
“Driver.”
I called out to the coachman. He was huddled in the corner, trembling with fear.
“How long until we reach Kunlun Mountain from here?”
“Y-yes? Ah… at full speed, the carriage should arrive in roughly one shichen.”
One shichen. Of course, simply reaching Kunlun Mountain wouldn’t mean the end of the demons’ pursuit.
But I cannot afford to be delayed by these vermin here.
Just as I finished the thought, Yu-ran finished cutting down the last demon and approached.
“Let’s go. Quickly.”
I climbed back into the carriage at once. Muyoung and Yu-ran followed without a word.
“Drive straight to Kunlun Mountain without stopping. I’m counting on you.”
Only then did the driver seem to regain his senses. He gripped the reins tightly.
“Yu-ran, take the rear of the carriage. Muyoung, guard the front and protect the driver as much as possible.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Understood.”
They both answered at the same time. Once they had taken their positions, I cracked the window again to observe the outside.
The carriage picked up speed, racing forward at a frightening pace. It shook so violently I worried the wheels might shatter.
And then, from every direction, the auras of demons began to pour in.
“They’re coming.”
It was a moment of extreme tension. The instant we were surrounded and attacked from all sides, it would be over.
Do-gon. It’s that bastard. He’s the one moving the demons.
I knew because it was exactly the same method he had used before. Do-gon was first trying to exhaust my strength by sending wave after wave of demons. In our previous life, the number of demons I cut down in a single day easily reached two hundred.
Moreover, unlike our previous life, this was Qinghai Province. Since this was territory controlled by the Demonic Cult, the demons here would surely do everything they could to earn the cult’s favor.
BOOM!
There was no time to think. The assault began immediately.
Hidden weapons flew from every direction, and the demons’ indiscriminate attacks rained down without regard for front, back, left, or right.
Yet the carriage charged forward relentlessly. Yu-ran swung her sword like a madwoman, cutting down every demon that came within range of the carriage.
Even as she killed and killed again, the enemies kept pouring in. The madness in their eyes surpassed even Yu-ran’s own ferocity.
So this is what demons are.
They had no purpose or goal in killing. They simply followed orders, driven by greed and bloodlust. They would gladly throw away their lives like flies.
That was when it happened.
THUD!
An overwhelming presence surged from behind the carriage. It was so powerful that my entire body froze for an instant.
Sal-je Do-gon.
One of the Twelve Demon Emperors, the Bloodlust Sal-je Do-gon, had appeared.
He caught up faster than I expected.
I had thought we would eventually encounter him once the demons appeared, but this was much sooner than anticipated.
“Kunlun Mountain is visible in the distance!”
The driver’s urgent shout reached us, and just as he said, the towering peaks of Kunlun Mountain came into view far ahead.
“Go a little faster, please.”
Faster. Even faster. We had to enter Kunlun Mountain before Do-gon caught up.
The driver shook the reins like a madman, driving the horses for his own survival.
“Young Master! The terrain of Kunlun Mountain is extremely rugged… the carriage cannot climb it!”
The entrance to the mountain was now visible. The driver shouted desperately.
When I glanced back, the number of demons had increased dramatically.
“Huff… huff…”
Even Yu-ran’s breathing had grown rough. She was beginning to tire.
“Take the carriage as far as it can go. When we get off, follow me and run with everything you have. Understood?”
Both of them nodded.
The carriage gradually slowed. The driver gave me a meaningful look.
“Now!”
I grabbed my belongings and leaped from the carriage. Yu-ran and Muyoung quickly followed.
The driver cut the lines connecting him to the carriage and immediately galloped down a different mountain path, disappearing from sight.
We began running toward the mountain with all our strength. The demons hesitated for a moment before correcting their course and chasing after us.
Just a little farther.
There was a safe place. The location of the Thousand-Year Dragon Saliva Essence was completely sealed by a formation created by the Kunlun Sect. It was a forbidden ground that no one except me could approach.
We were only moments away from reaching it when—
“Got you.”
The bloodthirsty voice made my feet stop involuntarily.
The entire atmosphere of the battlefield changed. Beyond the demonic energy, a familiar crimson glow flickered.
It was Sal-je Do-gon.
Damn it.
His movements were far faster than I had anticipated.
“Young Master.”
Yu-ran’s voice had grown heavy. She had instantly sensed that Do-gon was no ordinary opponent. She pushed me back and declared firmly, “Send the messenger pigeon. My subordinates are in Sichuan. We’ll immediately request assistance from the families and sects there.”
The Red Dragon Unit carried out missions across the Central Plains. In other words, she was telling me to contact them for reinforcements. Which meant she intended to face Do-gon herself in the meantime.
“Insolent wench. So you’re that crazy bitch from the Ju family.”
“Shut your mouth. You look like someone chewed you up and spat you out. Who are you calling a crazy bitch?”
At Yu-ran’s venomous insult, Do-gon’s face stiffened for a moment before twisting into a manic smile.
“…Fine. I’ll tear you apart alive.”
BOOM!
The earth trembled. The moment Do-gon unleashed his strike, a shockwave powerful enough to shake the entire mountain erupted.
The ground split, trees snapped, and even the sky seemed to hold its breath in silence.
I gritted my teeth and stared at Yu-ran’s back. Her stance told me everything. She had resolved herself to die.
“No!”
The moment I tried to step forward, Yu-ran turned her head and smiled at me.
“Young Master.”
Her voice was strangely calm, unlike her usual self.
“I’ll buy you time, so please… make sure you save me later.”
With those final words, Yu-ran launched herself toward Do-gon. Even though she already knew she was no match for him.
Soon, a blood-red mist began to bloom across the sky.