Chapter 208: Traces of Antiquity
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“It’s a trap!”
The black-robed figure who was the leader among the Sun Demon Assembly members who had come here let out a shout.
Simultaneously.
PEONG, PEOPEONG, PEONG-!
With successive explosions, ink-like pitch-black smoke clouds disrupted the space.
Multiple smoke bombs had exploded.
As hazy dark smoke mixed together like that, the four Sun Demon Assembly members scattered in unison and launched themselves out of the yard.
However.
“HALT!”
“STOP THERE!”
Ban Bu-bong and Dam Maeng-gi immediately stuck close to two of the Sun Demon Assembly members.
SSWAESSWAESSYANG- SSWAESSWAESSWAESSYANG-!
Needle-like throwing weapons flew in, making sharp piercing sounds.
Ban Bu-bong and Dam Maeng-gi’s swords drew complex trajectories in turn.
CHAECHAECHAENG- TITITITING-!
At the same time.
PUUUUK-!
“AAAK!”
Ju Yu-gang dispatched one Sun Demon Assembly member fleeing with his back turned using rapid sword control technique, then pursued the leader-type black-robed figure.
The gap closed in an instant.
The Sun Demon Assembly member, sensing the rapidly approaching presence, bit down hard on his molars.
‘CHIIK! It’s him!’
The unknown master who wielded sword control technique.
That’s right.
The very man who had appeared in the village dressed in shabby clothes not long ago.
It was the same for Ju Yu-gang.
‘So it was you!’
He recognized that the person who had back then left only torn cloth fragments before his sword control technique and vanished was exactly the target before his eyes.
You can hide your appearance, but you can’t hide your movements.
Having seen through the characteristics of his locomotion, Ju Yu-gang’s killing intent intensified.
SHUKAAAAK-!
A blade falling from above to below.
Not a sword control technique execution but a pure sword strike.
BUUUUUUK!
The black robe hem was torn long as a scream erupted.
It was a bit shallow.
The sword tip had barely grazed past the back.
PAT- FLUTTER FLUTTER-!
The startled Sun Demon Assembly member veered his path to the side.
Near right-angled movement.
The follow-up motion of executing throwing weapons was also superb.
SSYANG, SSWAESSYANG!
It was swift throwing weapon execution that targeted an opening during the short moment of direction change.
But it only cut the wind.
Ju Yu-gang was already floating in the air.
SHUAAAAAAAT-!
Was he splitting heaven and earth?
Falling with his body, the sword carried a feeling of wrathful spirit flowing through it.
OH NO!
It was already too late to dodge.
Tremendous internal power pressed on his entire body.
KWAKWANG!
The ground in a one-zhang radius caved deeply while the Sun Demon Assembly member also sank down, letting out a groan.
“GUGEUK…”
All the energy blood in his body was shaken.
Only then did the Sun Demon Assembly member clearly realize.
That this was a formidable level master absolutely impossible to face in close combat.
He had suffered internal injury from just a single sword strike.
Strong.
Even if the highest ranks of Sun Demon Assembly came here, they couldn’t guarantee victory at this level of martial might.
No.
One would need to be at least First Seat rank to be able to contend.
In an instant.
SHUKAAAAK-!
The moment Ju Yu-gang planted both feet on the ground, he vertically struck down with his sword.
Extremely fast sword wind loaded with perfected-level internal power.
KWAKWANG!
The Sun Demon Assembly member, having fully received the formless energy wind, bounced out of the pit-like space and slammed hard into a large boulder.
KUKUNG, JJEOK-!
The boulder touching his back drew chaotic cracks.
“KEOHEO!”
The moment the Sun Demon Assembly member twisted his expression, chilling sharp energy rushed in.
PIING-!
Sword control technique executed again.
PUUUUK- PPEUDEUK, PPEUDEUDEUK…!
The sharp sword pierced through his left side, breaking ribs.
“GUAA, GUHAAA…!”
As screams burst out.
HWIK.
When Ju Yu-gang lightly waved one hand, the sword moved like a bird and paused by his side.
STEP BY STEP.
Ju Yu-gang, holding the downward-angled sword, slowly approached and spoke.
“Do you understand now? How those who died at your hands must have felt?”
The sword leaving his hand again made sounds in succession.
PUPUPUPUPUPUK-!
The blade repeatedly stabbed hard into arms, legs, stomach indiscriminately.
“UAAK, UAAAK…!”
The Sun Demon Assembly member, screaming repeatedly, collapsed CHEOLPEODEOK and went into convulsions.
He had thoroughly severed the muscles and tendons.
To make even slight resistance impossible.
Soon, after Ju Yu-gang retrieved the sword and placed himself at arm’s length from the Sun Demon Assembly member.
KWAKWAK!
He balled up the cloth fragments fallen on the floor and gagged him.
“Have to prevent suicide.”
His coldly speaking eyes radiated a frightening light.
A killing glare tinged with malice.
The Sun Demon Assembly member, seeing the face of the man crouching before him, felt his heart drop.
Because the words heard earlier flashed through his mind.
-Guess there’s no choice but to make you kneel and find out through torture.
The fear he had forgotten raised its head.
The opponent was certainly an expert at torture.
You could tell just from the look in his eyes.
Ju Yu-gang grabbed the chin of the Sun Demon Assembly member collapsed on the ground and lifted it.
“I promise. You will come to regret being alive.”
“WOOP… WOP…”
The Sun Demon Assembly member, gagged, mumbled with his complexion turned pale white.
Seeing that, Ju Yu-gang only let out a cold sneer.
“HA. I’ve seen countless of your kind.”
“WOP, WOP…!”
The frantic screams of the gagged Sun Demon Assembly member wouldn’t stop.
“You must be curious how we came to know about this matter. The person looking down on everything from above your heads told me.”
“…!”
“Enemy? No, you’re just subjects of punishment.”
As Ju Yu-gang spoke coldly, noisy sounds came from the distance.
“SHUSHUK, SHUSHUK! SHUK, SHUSHUK, SHUK! SHUSHUK, SHUK, SHUK!”
It was Dam Maeng-gi.
The frowning Ju Yu-gang turned his head.
Then he saw Dam Maeng-gi, whose internal power had risen from consuming Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng a few days ago, displaying excellent martial might while pressuring the enemy.
Well, it was noisy, but since he was winning, that was fine.
It would be over soon.
Ju Yu-gang spoke again in a stern tone.
“Truly, pain makes humans honest. From now, mercy is…”
“SHUK, SHUSHUK, SHUK!”
“HM. From now, mercy is not to be expected. The price of creating a bloodbath…”
“SHUSHUK, SHUSHUK!”
“The price of creating a bloodbath – paying it and going to hell…”
“SHUK, SHUSHUK! YOU! How does it feel! Know that my blade has no mercy! SHUSHUK, SHUK, SHUSHUK, SHUK!”
Ju Yu-gang whipped his head around and shouted internally.
KURGH! Ah, seriously just stop! It’s noisy. It’s noisy! I’m finally being imposing here! And also, isn’t it your blade, not your mouth!
* * *
DUDUDUDUDU-!
A rider shooting through the moonlit forest like an arrow.
The four people riding closely packed on Divine wind’s back as it raced up a roadless ridge were none other than Cheol Ryu-heun, Hae Su-yeon, Namgung Sang-rin, and Gal Jung-heon.
KWANG, KWANG, KWANG, KWANG…!
At the ever-intensifying hoofbeats, startled flocks of birds fluttered up and decorated the night sky.
How long had they raced along the steep terrain?
Before long, Cheol Ryu-heun pulled the reins to halt Divine wind.
“We’ve arrived.”
Nimbly dismounting, he brushed back his hair.
Following that, the party also caught their breath and dismounted after him.
A flat area roughly large enough for only a few carriages to barely fit.
On the left rose a massive cliff, and on the right a deep precipice stretched down.
Furthermore.
Front and back were blocked by primeval forest left untouched for ages.
If Divine wind hadn’t charged through, forging a new path, it would have been a remote wilderness difficult to set foot in.
Examining here and there, Hae Su-yeon tilted her head.
“Sect Leader Cheol. Where is this place?”
“A secret realm with a fortuitous encounter.”
“Pardon?”
As Hae Su-yeon and others were startled, Cheol Ryu-heun spoke nonchalantly.
“I also want to taste the blessing of pain today.”
Simultaneously, the party’s expressions changed dramatically.
‘Blessing of pain!’
Because they well knew what that was.
That which even Yeop Hwon and Hyeop Mu-geuk had achieved meant complete body transformation.
Namgung Sang-rin, his eyes round, murmured.
“Y-you’re going to achieve your third complete body transformation here…?”
“Yes.”
Cheol Ryu-heun nodded, then gestured toward the left.
“There’s a hidden pond. Beyond this cliff.”
The party’s expressions said they didn’t understand what he meant.
Not a single gap was visible in the cliff, so how on earth…
At that moment.
SWISH.
As Cheol Ryu-heun extended his arm forward, an old tree vibrated.
As if resonating with formless energy.
Immediately after.
“WOW!”
“HA!”
The party each let out exclamations.
SEUSEUSEUSEU, SEUSEUSEUSEU…
Because a point on the cliff right beside generated a secret path along with hazy mist.
A gap-path.
Not an illusion but one that had existed from the start.
In other words, some kind of mysterious formation had been installed in a portion of the cliff space.
It was a so-called illusory barrier formation.
Was that all?
UWOONG…
With a sound resembling thunder, the primeval forest also transformed.
The forest vanished and boulders filled everywhere instead.
A mysterious change in all scenery.
It seemed like a sort of mirage playing a role of protecting and blocking the surroundings while one was beyond the gap-path.
As Hae Su-yeon and others wondered about its nature.
“It’s a supernatural barrier formation. Created long ago when two transcendents fought.”
At Cheol Ryu-heun’s unconcerned words, the party’s curiosity grew.
Even the heavy and composed Gal Jung-heon couldn’t contain his question.
“How old is it?”
“About a thousand years.”
“…!”
Gal Jung-heon, Namgung Sang-rin, and Hae Su-yeon were shocked in unison.
My goodness, a thousand years.
Cheol Ryu-heun’s continuing words were even more shocking.
“It’s a secret realm where the Heavenly Demon’s breath lives on, one of five such places.”
Ripples arose in the party’s eyes.
The Heavenly Demon.
The progenitor of the demonic path martial world and the absolute divine figure of the Heavenly Demon Cult was mentioned.
Before such tremendous words, everyone looked dazed.
Soon, Cheol Ryu-heun gestured.
“Bring that. It’s needed.”
Namgung Sang-rin, quickly adjusting his expression, lifted the large bundle.
It was the shed skin of the Blood Wood Black Divine Python.
“Follow me.”
Cheol Ryu-heun strode forward without looking back.
Gal Jung-heon, Hae Su-yeon, and Namgung Sang-rin also carefully moved their feet following behind.
The narrow path between the cliffs was long.
Some time passed.
Finally exiting the narrow path, a valley appeared.
It was quite a vast space.
On the circular surrounding rock walls, waterfalls poured down, and at the center’s stone plateau, a great pond was visible.
Moonlight descended to make everything beautiful.
But then.
Gal Jung-heon and the party’s gazes wavered again.
Lotus flower.
Floating alone in the center of the wide pond, it was of enormous size.
They doubted whether that was really a lotus flower.
Including the leaves, it was nearly as large as a boat.
Moreover, it was even emitting a strange aura, making it seem like a lantern crafted by a peerless artisan.
Due to the light the lotus was emitting, it felt almost like broad daylight, with some exaggeration.
The most wondrous thing was the color.
As if drawing a line of bisection with the central lotus as reference, the entire left side of the pond was bright yellow, while the entire right side was deep black.
Furthermore.
BUBBLE BUBBLE… BUBBLE BUBBLE… BUBBLE BUBBLE…
Countless bubbles were forming on the water surface where the half-moon-shaped colors met in a straight line.
How to put it?
As if competing with each other, it was boiling fiercely.
As everyone cast blank gazes.
“Demon Buddha Secret Pool.”
At Cheol Ryu-heun’s unconcerned voice, the party’s gazes concentrated on his face.
“Well, you could call it Buddha Demon Secret Pond instead. The yellow represents the Lord Buddha’s power, the black represents the Demon God’s power. In other words, this is a place where the energies of demon and buddha fiercely collide and coexist.”
Speaking thus, Cheol Ryu-heun headed toward the pond called Demon Buddha Secret Pool and spoke again.
“Getting the picture now? In that pond remains the residual energy of the Heavenly Demon, the progenitor of ten thousand demons, and his nemesis Shaolin Temple’s patriarch Bodhidharma. And I intend to use that to walk the path of a true Martial God.”