Chapter 259: Carelessness Is Forbidden
Read more at Nineheavens.org
The young man’s gait was leisurely.
So was his face.
An expression where wariness and tension could not be found at all.
As if this was his own bedroom.
One could tell just from that.
That he was a bold fellow.
This place was clearly the territory of the martial world, and he himself was from the hostile Heavenly Demon Cult.
Could it perhaps be an expression of pride in his personal martial prowess?
That no one who challenged him posed a threat…
The young man, who had been advancing in the direction where Yeom Sang-ah had vanished, suddenly smiled faintly.
‘Hoo. The fight has finally come to an end.’
The echoes that had been heard without pause abruptly stopped.
Following that, cheers rang out.
Faintly.
They weren’t very long.
The young man, reacting to that, briefly stopped walking and cast his gaze to the distant rear.
Far away, one particularly steep peak was visible.
Mount Zhongnan.
The young man could readily surmise.
That the bloodbath within Zhongnan Sect’s grounds over there had ended in a great victory for the orthodox-unorthodox camp.
The young man, soon withdrawing his gaze, let out a soft voice.
“Cheol Ryu-heun…”
The existence of a variable who had provoked the Sun Moon Demon Cult through a series of rumors and orchestrated the large-scale battle.
Having erased his smile, he quietly moved his steps again.
‘An interesting talent has appeared. Indeed, the martial world is fascinating. In the past and now…’
* * *
“UUK!”
“AAAK!”
Screams in the dense forest.
Over ten lower-ranking Sun Moon Demon Cult members who had been fleeing Zhongnan Sect in fear lay fallen on the ground.
By the hands of Flying Star Squad, the elite unit of Falling Star Sword Sect that had established an encirclement around the Mount Zhongnan area.
The cultists whose bodies were still intact realized escape was impossible and knelt on the ground.
A total of over twenty people.
The Flying Star Squad swordsmen hurriedly bound them all, then pressed their paralysis points to prevent any action.
At that moment, Ximen Yue and a small number of the Gale Wind Squad appeared.
“Where did they flee to?”
In response to Ximen Yue’s urgent question, one Flying Star Squad member answered.
“That way. The Sect Leader is leading personnel in pursuit.”
A finger pointing far in that direction.
“We’ll go take a look!”
Ximen Yue nodded and immediately ran off together with the Gale Wind Squad.
‘Yeom Sang-ah! I won’t let you escape!’
But suddenly, a great sound was heard from somewhere in the forest.
KWAKKWANG-!
An explosive sound shaking the atmosphere.
Ximen Yue, momentarily startled, looked in that direction.
“You all continue on your way! I’ll check the source of that sound and then follow!”
“Yes! Young Master!”
Immediately after the Gale Wind Squad vanished.
PAPAPA, PAPAPAPA-
Ximen Yue arrived at the location where the thunderous sound had occurred with swift movement.
There he saw one person standing with head bowed, using a sword like a cane.
A thin line of blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth.
Most likely, it would be the aftereffect of internal injury.
“Ah! Sect Leader Seol!”
The identity of the injured person was Azure Edge Sword Master Seol Hu-yong, one of the Five Supreme Martial Experts of Hunan Province and Sect Leader of the Azure Heaven Sword Sect.
He wiped the blood from his mouth and spoke softly:
“You came at just the right time.”
“My goodness, who did this?”
“The third Apostle.”
“Ah…!”
“I was fighting him earlier, and he fled, so I immediately followed, but… hmm.”
He grimaced slightly and continued.
“It turns out he was hiding his real power. He was considerably strong. As if he had become a different person… As you can see, I ended up suffering internal injury.”
The surprised Ximen Yue suddenly recalled the moment he had fought the Third Apostle.
At that time, he had retreated repeatedly against the opponent’s continuous attack strokes.
‘Hmm, I had thought he was at a level comparable to Yeom Sang-ah, but…’
Suddenly, an intuition flashed through his mind.
‘Wait!’
Could the Third Apostle perhaps have been Yeom Sang-ah’s secret subordinate?
Ximen Yue immediately circulated his internal power and spoke.
“Sect Leader Seol, he likely intends to rendezvous with Yeom Sang-ah!”
“What? You’re saying he’s a sort of trusted subordinate? One loyal to Yeom Sang-ah instead of the Cult Leader…?”
“Yes. Somehow, it seems that way. He’s the only one among the Apostles who fled. That part is somewhat strange.”
“I see. It’s embarrassing, but I’ll need your help.”
“I feel the same. Dealing with him alone is burdensome. But you’ve suffered internal injury…”
“It’s fine. I can still fight. Am I not one of Hunan’s Martial Paragons in name? I must repay this debt.”
No sooner had Seol Hu-yong’s words ended, a group of swordsmen appeared beside them.
Over twenty high-ranking disciples belonging to the Azure Heaven Sword Sect.
Seol Hu-yong consumed a miraculous elixir that one of them had prepared.
“Now, let’s go together quickly! Don’t worry about my body.”
“Yes!”
Thus Ximen Yue and Seol Hu-yong’s group pursued the traces of the fleeing Third Apostle.
* * *
TUDUK!
Ham Chong the Starfire Sword Master, the Sect Leader of the Falling Star Sword Sect, suddenly stopped moving.
“How can this be…!”
Not far ahead, numerous personnel lay fallen.
Thirty people in all from Falling Star Sword Sect and Beggar Sect.
Someone had swept through this place with force and passed by.
None had mortal wounds.
But each had suffered serious injuries and could no longer move.
At that moment, one young swordsman spoke in a struggling voice.
“Euuuk… That way… Master…”
It was Chae Sa-rok the Fallen Star Sword, a Rising Star of the Falling Star Sword Sect who had previously suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Cheol Ryu-heun when he was posing as a Mount Heng Sect lay disciple.
“Rok! Was this the doing of the woman in black with the banana leaf fan?”
The person he mentioned referred to the Lewd Cruel Demon Servant Yo Mong-ji.
“Correct. If she’s left alone… the final encirclement will be breached too. I… only held out for three or four exchanges…”
At those words, Ham Chong was surprised anew.
Chae Sa-rok was a martial talent of the first-rate tier, comparable to Dark Sword Fragrance Mun Bin.
Of course, now the gap was significant, but even so, to have fallen in merely three or four exchanges…
Just then, over ten Flying Star Squad members appeared behind them.
Ham Chong quickly looked back at his group and ordered.
“Three stay here and tend to the wounded, the rest follow me!”
“Yes!”
In the instant the Flying Star Squad members responded in unison.
“Let’s go together! Sect Leader Ham!”
The Gale Wind Squad that had received Ximen Yue’s orders joined them.
“Understood. Let’s depart. If our final line of defense is breached like this, the pursuit operation will become even more difficult…”
A sharp sound cut off Ham Chong’s words.
PIK, PIK- PPIIK-!
It was an emergency signal whistle.
Simultaneously, the complexions of Ham Chong’s group changed drastically.
‘No, already…?’
The final line of defense around the Mount Zhongnan area was being constructed by elite personnel of Kunlun Divine Palace, one of the Nine Great Sects.
Moreover, at its center stood Sect Leader Beon Jin-ja, of the highest master tier in the Gansu region.
Yet even that was being breached.
The emergency whistle sound proved that fact.
“She’s no ordinary demoness!”
Having shouted that, Ham Chong deployed his supreme lightness skill, and all the Flying Star Squad and Gale Wind Squad hurriedly followed him.
* * *
A great white light crossing through the void.
The true identity of that pure white light moving as if flying across dozens of zhang was Divine Wind and Cheol Ryu-heun.
At that moment.
-Pik… ppiik…
A sound was heard faintly from far away.
It was an emergency whistle.
Soon after.
HWIIIK- KKUKKUNG!
Divine Wind, having dropped into the forest, moved his two ears.
As if curiosity had been aroused by the faint sound.
In contrast, Cheol Ryu-heun’s reaction was indifferent.
“Have they been breached?”
He had expected the Kunlun Divine Palace elite personnel would be sufficient, but it seemed the escapees’ abilities were stronger than anticipated.
Cheol Ryu-heun, having let out a drawn-out yawn, soon readjusted his grip on the reins and spoke with indifferent eyes.
“What a nuisance.”
His demeanor clearly showed he found it bothersome to go back since it was the opposite direction.
But hearing that sound and just leaving was also somewhat problematic.
“Tsk.”
Having clicked his tongue, Cheol Ryu-heun ultimately decided to change direction.
“Let’s go take a brief look.”
Divine Wind, understanding those words, quickly turned around and leapt.
KKWANG-!
* * *
Toad Rock Hill.
Having arrived at this place, Yeom Sang-ah waited with a somewhat anxious air for Yo Mong-ji and the Third Apostle to appear.
‘They should be safe, right?’
After a while, a presence was detected.
SASAK, SASAK…
Yeom Sang-ah brightened at that presence touching her senses.
‘Ah! They’ve come!’
A woman who emerged through the bushes in front.
It was Yo Mong-ji.
Yeom Sang-ah approached her side and asked while examining her condition.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
At that, Yo Mong-ji wore a bewitching smile.
“Hohot. Of course not. Though my clothes are torn here and there… Oh, hasn’t he arrived yet?”
She meant the Third Apostle.
Yeom Sang-ah gazed at the distant forest and replied quietly.
“He should be on his way. With his power, he can certainly break through.”
“That… would be so.”
Yo Mong-ji, having replied somewhat tepidly, her face hardened coldly.
“Good. Then I should take care of things first, before he arrives.”
Her manner of speech suddenly changed.
In the instant Yeom Sang-ah sensed something strange and flinched.
SHUSYUK- PEOPONG!
Yeom Sang-ah’s upper body, enveloped in black haze, lurched backward.
“UUK…!”
It was Yo Mong-ji’s surprise attack.
Continuously rushing hand techniques.
Heavy internal power approaching along with the banana leaf fan.
JJEONG- KKWAUUNG!
Yeom Sang-ah barely defended by weaving the chains in both hands.
HWIHWIK- KKWAJIJIK!
She bounced backward and slammed her back into a rock behind her.
“KEO…!”
Yeom Sang-ah, collapsed face-down on the ground, curled her body.
WALKAK.
Blood gushed out from between her full lips.
Yo Mong-ji watched that sight and sneered coldly.
“Still young. Carelessness is forbidden. Hohoo. You trusted me too much.”
“KEUK… you…!”
Yeom Sang-ah clutched her chest with a pained expression and ground her teeth.
She had suffered serious internal injury.
Her meridians including the heart vessels were violently convulsing.
But she forced her body to rise.
“HEUUUK! Yo Mong-ji… how dare…”
“My, don’t strain yourself. You’re going to die here anyway. And that’s not my real name.”
“What?”
“Ohoho. It has been quite long. The mission duration…”
The leisureliness of her hand movements lightly waving the banana leaf fan.
“The destruction of the Sun Moon Demon Cult – that was my secret mission. So that its lineage would be completely severed.”
“…!”
“You felt it earlier, didn’t you? That my demonic energy was different from usual. It is the power of the demon residing in heaven.”
At those words, Yeom Sang-ah’s pupils widened greatly.
“C-could it be…?”
“That’s right. The Heavenly Demon Cult.”
“No, why would the Heavenly Demon Cult…!”
At that moment, a calm voice was heard from somewhere.
“Well done.”
Greatly startled, Yeom Sang-ah turned her head.
‘Ah, without even a hint of presence…!’
In the bushes not far to the side, someone stood there.
A young man appearing to be around twenty years old.
His attire was ordinary.
Common gray clothing.
But such attire couldn’t hide his innately extraordinary and majestic bearing.
The moment Yeom Sang-ah saw him, she felt as if she couldn’t breathe.
She sensed it immediately.
A realm of martial prowess that couldn’t be estimated.
A person who overwhelmed all under heaven with just his gaze.
Truly one who held the heavens within his body.
Indeed.
She could tell without even needing to fight him.
In addition to his outstanding aura, even his features were handsome.
Did the word “perfection” exist solely for him?
His facial features were breathtakingly beautiful.
Like a masterpiece completed by a peerless craftsman.
Yeom Sang-ah soon discovered the dark sword hanging at his waist.
A sword hilt decoration reminiscent of a chilling demon god’s face… a sacred object symbolizing high-ranking positions within the Heavenly Demon Cult.
At that moment, Yo Mong-ji spoke while paying respectful obeisance.
“Welcome. Grand Prelate.”
Simultaneously, Yeom Sang-ah’s pupils created transparent ripples.
‘What? G-Grand Prelate… then that person is…!’
It was the appearance of Grand Preceptor Extreme Heaven Demon Emperor Gun Mu-ak, in name and reality the highest-ranking demon practitioner of the contemporary Heavenly Demon Cult.