Chapter 31: Desperate Flight

Just like on the way there, Byeok Soseol and I were flying on a flying treasure alongside the investigators from Team 3.

Since my body hadn't fully recovered yet, I circulated my qi whenever we had a moment. It had been a full day since we'd left the coastal fortress on the west side.

Then, suddenly, the Sect Leader flying at the front signaled for us to stop.

The clear blue sky stretched wide, with beautiful mountains unfolding below—no obvious threats in sight.

What could it be?

I could feel the Sect Leader's powerful divine sense spreading out around us. As if sensing something off, he unleashed a bolt of silver lightning into the empty air.

Krraaang!

The silver lightning slammed into an invisible barrier, and from within it, hundreds of hidden overseas investigators burst out.

"……!"

They were supposed to have returned to the island—how were they here?

There were over thirty Nascent Soul investigators and more than two hundred Core Formation ones lying in ambush.

A demonic cultivator shrouded entirely in black mist stepped forward and spoke.

"Sect Leader Wiyeon, did you really think you could ruin our plans and just waltz away unscathed?"

Wiyeon let out a low groan.

"Black Cloud Ghost Demon… So the report that you'd returned to the island was a lie."

"No, we did go back. But we left our elites behind to fly here at full speed and wait for you."

"Was that your idea?"

"It was. Since we're all gathered, we figured we'd capture the Unkak ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Sect's Sect Leader. Without you, Unkak Sect would crumble under pressure from the other powers. And then the entire strength of the Gaun Mountains would naturally weaken."

"Even without me, my master remains."

"You think we're scared of that Spirit Severing old monster who hasn't shown his face in a hundred years? He's probably already dead, his lifespan exhausted."

"……."

We had nine Nascent Soul experts on our side, against over thirty of theirs. Their Core Formation cultivators outnumbered ours by more than double. And there were even some who seemed to match the Sect Leader's realm. If we fought head-on here, it would be total annihilation.

Unkak Sect had more people overall, but most were Qi Refining disciples. To a Nascent Soul expert, a Qi Refining investigator was a bug that could be crushed with a single finger.

The Sect Leader turned to the Unkak Sect disciples behind him.

"Do you remember what I said? That in a crisis, I would protect the Unkak Sect disciples even at the cost of my life. I'm keeping that promise now. Everyone—run!"

The Martial Affairs Hall Lord beside him spoke up.

"Sect Leader, retreat with us."

"No. The Nascent Soul investigators will secure the retreat path. I'll hold the rear."

"Understood."

Wiyeon's entire body became enveloped in silver lightning as he charged toward the hundreds of enemies.

Kururung! Kwakakang!

The sky filled with lightning, and the enemies scattered to dodge it, their formation breaking apart. A path to survival had opened.

"Now! Flee at full speed!"

At the Sect Leader's command, the Unkak Sect disciples flew away faster than they'd ever gone before.

Countless pillars of light and beams shot toward the fleeing Unkak Sect investigators.

Yeop Inyeong, Seong Yuhyang, Nae Cheonha, and the other Nascent Soul experts stepped up, blocking most of the attacks to aid the escape.

But the enemy had too many Core Formation cultivators, and even the Sect Leader couldn't pin down all their Nascent Souls indefinitely. Under the relentless barrage, the lower-realm disciples with slower flying treasures were swept away like fallen leaves in the wind.

"Argh!"

"Save me!"

A beam grazed past, piercing the back of a Qi Refining disciple fleeing ahead of me. He spewed a fountain of blood and plummeted to the ground.

The enemies weren't just after the Sect Leader—they seemed intent on wiping out every Unkak Sect investigator dispatched here.

Byeok Soseol handled the flying treasure's controls while I attacked the pursuing Core Formation investigators from the rear with Flame Orb.

A black hand erupted from the chest of what looked like a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, blocking the fireball.

A massive black liquid tendril, larger than a person, flew over our flying treasure at terrifying speed and snatched away a fellow sect disciple beside us in an instant.

"No!"

It happened too fast to stop. He was reduced to a handful of blood ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by the black liquid.

The blood was absorbed into the tendril, and its five fingers grew to six.

Cold sweat trickled down my back at the grotesque sight I'd never seen before.

Now, only Byeok Soseol and I remained in the boat-like treasure.

"Investigator Byeok, increase the flying treasure's speed."

I left the flying treasure entirely to Byeok Soseol and hurled several low-grade treasures at the pursuing mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, detonating them.

Boom!

They were low-grade treasures I'd scavenged from corpses crawling through the battlefield.

The massive black tendril didn't dissipate even from the treasures' explosions and kept coming.

I gripped a spirit stone in my left hand to absorb spiritual energy while continuously firing Flame Orbs.

The tendril shrugged off the Flame Orbs, so I poured spiritual power into one, launching a Flame Dragon at the demonic cultivator.

No early-stage Core Formation cultivator had ever blocked this attack before.

Kwaaang!

The giant black tendril blocked the demonic cultivator, and a black barrier spewed from its six fingers, stopping the Flame Dragon.

The demonic cultivator who blocked it didn't pursue immediately—likely taking some damage.

"Now! Investigator Byeok—faster!"

Byeok Soseol poured full spiritual power into the flying treasure, doubling our speed.

Fortunately, the demonic cultivator stopped chasing us and went after other prey.

Having shaken off the demonic cultivator, I finally had a moment to glance back—and was met with a hellish scene of carnage.

Most Qi Refining disciples had become easy prey for the enemies, while the lucky ones had at least escaped with their nascent souls.

In the distance, Wiyeon fought alone against over a dozen Nascent Soul investigators. His initial momentum had faded, and he looked to be in danger.

But at my level, I couldn't help him.

Yeop Inyeong bought time battling pursuers with her puppet spirit beasts, while Seong Yuhyang—who seemed versed in body refinement techniques—tanked enemy attacks with her flesh and cleaved foes in two with her axe relic.

After fleeing frantically for half a day, the pursuit finally stopped. We linked up with other survivors and flew back to Unkak Sect.

We'd scattered in all directions, so many were unaccounted for, their fates unknown.

Eleven days later, when we arrived at Unkak Sect, we learned that many hadn't returned.

No Nascent Soul experts had fallen, but all were gravely injured. Half the Core Formation disciples were dead, and nine out of ten Qi Refining ones perished.

With so many investigators lost on the dispatch, the sect's mood was dark and somber.

Even worse, no one knew if the Sect Leader—who had held the rear—was alive or dead.

They said he'd used a forbidden technique to forcibly raise his realm to save as many Unkak Sect disciples as possible.

As a day passed, then two, with no sign of him, despair set in.

Then, on the third day, the Sect Leader returned.

Rumors said his body was covered in wounds without a single intact spot when he arrived.

His spiritual power depleted, he'd burned his vital essence to fight on until reinforcements from the Illusion Beast Sect arrived late, along with investigators left at the fortress. They killed over half the enemies and drove the rest back to the island for good.

Due to the Sect Leader's injuries, Unkak Sect decided to refrain from active operations in the Gaun Mountains for the time being.

The day we returned to Unkak Sect, Moyong Wol greeted me fiercely, hugging me tightly.

Only then did it hit me—I'd come back alive.

I survived and returned!

After catching up passionately with Moyong Wol, she returned to her quarters.

I sat on the stone bed and pulled out the contents of the storage pouch I'd obtained beneath the city walls.

Seeing them, I regretted self-destructing a few low-grade treasures against that pursuing demonic cultivator.

Even low-grade ones could fetch spirit stones if sold to Qi Refining disciples.

Gathering everything, I had about 150 low-grade spirit stones, corpses of Rank 2 spirit beasts, unidentified spirit herbs, and books on talisman techniques.

I planted all the spirit herbs in the spirit herb field for now. I'd identify them later.

Back in the cave, I read the books—they detailed how to craft Golden Seal Talismans.

These were used on jade ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠boxes, nascent souls, or flying treasures to block divine sense and seal them.

I memorized everything about Golden Seal Talismans when So Mu came to visit.

"Senior Brother Yuseong! Thank goodness you're back safe."

"Haha, I'm not the type to die that easily."

I spent time chatting with So Mu, who had come to play in the cave.

Still just a boy in his early teens, he was struggling with the deaths around him.

But what could be done? This was the cultivation world.

Someday, even this young So Mu would have to step up as a proper Unkak Sect disciple.

I regaled him with tales of my exploits against the enemies, teaching him how to respond in such situations.

Listening, So Mu said he wanted to become someone like Sect Leader Wiyeon.

After a long chat, So Mu left. I reset the Metal Vault Formation with a formation treasure and returned to the cave, pulling out the Soul Binding Bottle from the storage pouch.

I hadn't realized it before, but using the Soul Binding Bottle myself showed it excelled at suppressing nascent souls.

Inside, the nascent souls were wrapped in black threads, staring blankly as if they'd lost their wits.

Pondering where to use them, I couldn't find a good spot yet and put the bottle back in the pouch.

With the sect's mood soured by the deaths of the dispatched disciples, I stayed in the cave cultivating.

Ten days later, a jade slip arrived detailing the rewards for survivors of the dispatch.

I already had the high-grade relic Flame Orb and the Yin-Yang Art technique, so pills and Nascent Soul guidance seemed best.

This dispatch taught me the desperate need for spirit beasts or puppets to fight alongside me.

Library Pavilion Lord Yeop Inyeong. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'd learn puppet techniques from Unkak Sect's one and only puppeteer.