Chapter 243: The Imminent Great Battle

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Cheol Ryu-heun nodded with his hands behind his back.

“Good. I hope you don’t take lightly the weight of meaning contained in the word promise.”

“Indeed.”

Sal Ma-ha nodded in return and cast his gaze to the side.

His eyes rested where Woon Ja-heon stood.

“Palace Master Woon, please keep it safe. I’ll come personally to receive the book as soon as this matter ends.”

The warning hidden in Sal Ma-ha’s words was quite chilling.

If you damage the precious technique of our first Cult Leader, the Asura Divine Martial Scripture, out of wariness about my martial development, you will naturally pay the price…

Woon Ja-heon responded with a gentle smile.

“Don’t worry too much. How could I carelessly abandon basic morality?”

Following that, he gazed calmly at Gold Script Guardian Hu Su-ryeo and Silver Script Guardian Jin Jung-bi.

“You two should also visit with Cult Leader Sal later. I’ll prepare a special dish to serve you. I’d like to see that wonderful greeting method again later. HUHUHU.”

At that, Hu Su-ryeo and Jin Jung-bi spoke courteously.

“Thank you, Palace Master Woon. It’s rewarding to have worked so hard on it.”

“At that time, the Cult Leader will also perform that greeting method. It will now become our cult’s new tradition.”

Sal Ma-ha inwardly bristled at that.

Shut up! New tradition my ass! That greeting method will get abolished immediately!

Woon Ja-heon soon neatly clasped his hands together and bowed.

“Then Sect Leader Cheol, I will discuss with Cult Leader Sal shortly and execute the operation.”

Sal Ma-ha also conveyed a wordless greeting through a simple gesture of respect.

It was a meaning of thanks for finding the lost technique Asura Divine Martial Scripture.

The joining of the demonic Asura Demon Cult and the Taoist Kunlun Divine Palace.

An unprecedented alliance was thus formed.

Even though it was a temporary relationship.

Ye Woon-rang was inwardly impressed.

‘What a rare sight.’

But Cheol Ryu-heun, who had led the plan, was simply expressionless.

After exchanging final greetings with the party, Woon Ja-heon soon disappeared from the scene along with Jang Mo-pil.

Immediately after.

HWIK- TEOTEOK.

Cheol Ryu-heun, who had climbed onto Divine Wind back, sent a gesture.

“Please get on quickly. We need to move busily now.”

At that, Taoist Muhyeon first, followed by Wei Ta-gong and Ye Woon-rang, quickly climbed aboard.

Seeing them sitting tightly packed, Sal Ma-ha looked curious and murmured questioningly.

“You intend to carry them all?”

“You saw earlier, right? This fellow is overflowing with strength.”

At Cheol Ryu-heun’s indifferent reply, Sal Ma-ha let out a light laugh.

“HU, one lives long enough to see everything. Where did you get such a spirit creature?”

The answer that came with the question was outrageous.

“Get? I made this spirit creature.”

“You made it?”

“It wasn’t intentional from the start. I accidentally fed it a thousand-year-old immortal ginseng elixir.”

“HUH…!”

While Sal Ma-ha looked surprised, Cheol Ryu-heun grasped the reins.

“If there’s nothing more to say, I’ll be going.”

Having composed his expression, Sal Ma-ha asked with a meaningful look.

“But do you have a plan to defeat the Sun Moon Demon Cult Leader?”

“Why would I need a plan?”

“…”

“I just need to crush him with my power.”

Sal Ma-ha stared at him wordlessly for a moment, then raised the corner of his lips.

“Truly great confidence. So this is the Foremost Martial God of Hunan…”

“When this fight ends, you’ll learn one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“The power I’m hiding.”

“…!”

“Are you curious? It’s no fun if I tell you beforehand.”

With those words, Cheol Ryu-heun tapped Divine Wind’s belly.

Simultaneously.

FLASH!

White shimmer emitted by Divine Wind enveloped the party.

And then.

BOOM!

He kicked off the ground and leaped toward the distant sky.

As the rider and horse instantly disappeared from sight, Hu Su-ryeo, who had been watching, exclaimed in admiration.

“A true spirit creature. No, at that level it could be considered a divine creature of the heavens.”

Jin Jung-bi standing beside him also clicked his tongue in amazement.

“A leap of tremendous power that explosively releases vast yang-force… Cult Leader, the internal power that horse possesses seems no less than the two of us.”

Sal Ma-ha nodded and withdrew his gaze from the sky.

“Yes, I sensed early on the power the horse possesses. But you two have the power of transformation, don’t you? A mere horse cannot compare. No matter how much of a spirit creature it is.”

“AH, yes. That’s true, but…”

Hu Su-ryeo trailed off and then continued.

“Oh, I received our cult’s messenger hawk on the way here.”

“What was it?”

“It was from the Sun Moon Demon Cult. Here…”

Hu Su-ryeo rummaged through his clothes and pulled out a letter.

Sal Ma-ha quietly read the letter and then twisted his lips slightly as if scoffing.

“Foolish ones. Not even knowing it’s a futile dream.”

“What shall we do?”

“Today, the answer has been decided. What I want is the Asura Divine Martial Scripture. From now on, ignore contact from the Sun Moon Demon Cult. As a form of refusal.”

“Yes, understood. Aryun-nan and Yeom Sang-ah will be furious.”

“Either way, at the end of this fight they’ll become toothless tigers. It’s clear that Cheol Ryu-heun has already set many things in motion. Cheol Ryu-heun’s schemes are at an unpredictable level. He’ll become the most threatening existence to us. So for the time being, we must cooperate while watching.”

“HMM, the power Cheol Ryu-heun released was astonishing. Even if the two of us transformed and attacked together, it would be difficult to gain the upper hand.”

“I acknowledge it too. It’s been a while since I felt such pressure.”

“What you mean is…”

“Yes, Aryun-nan was the same.”

Hu Su-ryeo and Jin Jung-bi’s expressions changed.

‘…!’

They hadn’t known.

That Sal Ma-ha had experienced that power before…

“It was when Aryun-nan visited our cult a few years ago.”

Hu Su-ryeo’s eyes sparkled as he asked in a quiet voice.

“AH, did you have a private martial contest at that time?”

“HUT, it wasn’t a contest.”

“Then…”

“He showed me how tremendous the power he possessed was.”

“Did he create a new ultimate move of the Sun Moon Demon Arrival Technique?”

“No. He had learned an entirely different martial art.”

“Pardon?”

“Star-Absorbing Great Art.”

Before the name Sal Ma-ha mentioned, Hu Su-ryeo and Jin Jung-bi were simultaneously shocked.

Star-Absorbing Great Art was a legendary heretical martial art said to steal and possess the opponent’s energy.

The last practitioner recorded in martial history was the past rival of Martial Immortal Dongbang Ya, the unorthodox female master known as White-Haired Witch Bong Wan-jeong.

After that, it had never appeared in the world.

Hu Su-ryeo soon composed his expression and said.

“Truly surprising. How did he…”

“I don’t know either. He didn’t tell me.”

“UMMM… Then we don’t know how this fight will end. Aryun-nan has even achieved Rejuvenation twice…”

“If Cheol Ryu-heun is a martial artist capable of handling even Star-Absorbing Great Art… then our cult’s choice today will be a wise one.”

“What Cheol Ryu-heun said earlier was meaningful. He must have something he’s relying on?”

“Indeed. Nine times out of ten.”

“I’m already curious what power he’s hiding.”

“Perhaps Cheol Ryu-heun has even seen through the secret of Star-Absorbing Great Art… somehow I have that premonition.”

Sal Ma-ha soon looked up and continued.

“Only the heavens know the answer.”

* * *

Cheol Ryu-heun’s party arrived in the Shaanxi region in less than half an hour.

A quiet forest.

“Whoa.”

When Cheol Ryu-heun lightly pulled the reins, Divine Wind stopped in his tracks.

When everyone had dismounted.

HWIK, HWIHWIK, HWIK-

More than ten stout men appeared with agile movements.

The group that showed extraordinary movement was the Green Forest Alliance.

Immediately after, the giant at the front performed a polite fist-and-palm salute.

“Sect Leader Cheol! You’ve arrived on time.”

He was Green Forest Martial Buddha Gung Roe, the Alliance Leader of the Green Forest Alliance and one of the Six Polar Stars representing the Hubei region.

Suddenly.

‘HMM?’

A glint passed through Wei Ta-gong’s eyes.

Because the aura of Gung Roe before him was different from before.

It was a subtle change that only a supreme master could detect.

Had he read that look?

Gung Roe deliberately spread his large shoulders wide and grinned.

“HUT, what’s the matter? Did you sense the new power this body has gained?”

At that, Wei Ta-gong also smiled.

“You seem to have gotten considerably stronger.”

“As you probably already guessed, it’s thanks to a fortuitous encounter from Sect Leader Cheol.”

“A fortuitous encounter… What is it?”

“HAHA. I suppose I can tell now. It’s the secret martial arts of the Eighth Patriarch of Shaolin Temple.”

“Then, the one called Destruction Dharma Master, Gwang-jong’s…?”

“Correct. That’s it.”

When Gung Roe nodded, Wei Ta-gong was repeatedly surprised.

In the old days, Gwang-jong, who was the eighth patriarch of Shaolin Temple, was famous for his domineering and destructive martial arts.

‘At that time, the techniques Gwang-jong created were said to be so formidable that even foreign demonic practitioners avoided them… It feels somewhat fateful. For Alliance Leader Gung, an expelled disciple, to inherit the first technique in Shaolin history ever forbidden from transmission, the greatest in Shaolin history.’

Just as Wei Ta-gong was inwardly impressed, Gung Roe provoked half-jokingly, half-seriously.

“Palace Master Wei, from now on this body may compete for the top of the Six Polar Stars. Wait, since Severing Finger Sword Venerable is gone, is it Five Polar Stars? KEOLKEOLKEOL.”

At that, Wei Ta-gong bantered back playfully.

“HUT, what are you… I’m still Taoist Mu-hyeon’s rival. No matter what, yielding to a bandit would be beneath my dignity.”

“Let’s have a good sparring match when this fight ends.”

“Good. It should be fun.”

Meanwhile, Ye Woon-rang pulled out the Vermillion Dragon Medallion and said.

“AH, right. Sect Leader Cheol, here…”

But Cheol Ryu-heun’s reaction was unexpected.

“Keep it.”

“Pardon?”

“The Vermillion Dragon Medallion is now yours.”

“AH…!”

“If you don’t want it, then don’t.”

“N-no! Sect Leader! I’m just so moved… Thank you so much!”

“Enough. The battle isn’t far off now. You need to earn your keep, right?”

At Cheol Ryu-heun’s indifferent question, Ye Woon-rang steeled his resolve.

“Yes. As a guest of White Peak Sword Sect, as a successor of the Dragon Martial Gate, I will prove my martial prowess.”

Cheol Ryu-heun nodded and turned his gaze.

“Has everyone left?”

The question was directed at Gung Roe.

“They departed at noon.”

“Good. We just came from confirming the temporary alliance between the Asura Demon Cult and Kunlun Divine Palace. So now we just need to focus on the battle.”

“OH… You succeeded?”

The moment Gung Roe’s face brightened, a series of presences was detected.

Those gathered here were startled.

Because they hadn’t felt it until the presence approached.

At that time, Cheol Ryu-heun said,

“It’s our people.”

Sure enough, led by White Peak Sword Sect’s executives, guests including Namgung Sang-rin and Hae Su-yeon appeared nearby.

Following them, Head-Severing Yama Seop Pyo appeared last without even a hint of presence.

The group marveled at his ghostly movement ability.

Soon Cheol Ryu-heun issued an order to the White Peak Sword Sect party.

“The operation begins now.”

* * *

A few days later, the clouds of war hung thick around Mount Hua Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects and a prestigious Taoist sanctuary.