Chapter 378: Crack

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Wei Ji-am suddenly thought of what had happened at the inn he had stopped by with Seol Hu-yong.

At that time, Cheol Ryu-heun and Gun Mu-ak had exchanged a meaningful conversation.

About a mysterious extreme transcendent being.

It was a story that began with one question.

The question Gun Mu-ak had posed was simple.

-In this era… Does there exist someone stronger than you?

He had probably asked thinking there likely wasn’t.

However.

Cheol Ryu-heun had mentioned one person as if with certainty.

That such a person clearly exists.

Throughout the world, there is precisely one such person.

However.

He said he didn’t know who it was or where they belonged.

And words followed that they couldn’t win.

Even if Cheol Ryu-heun himself, who had mastered several ancient opportunities, and Gun Mu-ak, who had completed the Demon Extreme Sacred Body, combined their strength.

That such a difficult adversary existed in this era, it was truly astounding.

For Wei Ji-am himself too, it was an enormous shock.

Because if Cheol Ryu-heun’s statement was true, it meant a warrior of divine might who had reached an unprecedented realm, far beyond the level of a superhuman.

But Cheol Ryu-heun had answered Gun Mu-ak’s question thus.

-By the way… Do you have a clever scheme to confront such a person?

-I just need to become stronger than I am now.

That’s right.

It was a simple and clear scheme.

To just become stronger himself…

Wei Ji-am erased that brief thought and looked at Taoist Mu-hyeon.

“Yes, Sect Master Cheol has probably entered the achievement process by now. Or he may have already achieved it.”

Had he perhaps been thinking similar thoughts?

Seol Hu-yong, seated beside him, nodded his head with a faint smile.

“Hut, he will somehow obtain a new power. In truth, we are the problem. Lest we fail to live up to his great expectations…”

In the midst of that, Chok So-geol softly said.

“Junior. You first send a carrier pigeon to our sect’s main lodge. We must report this situation to Master.”

At that, a young beggar put his hands together.

“Yes! Senior Brother.”

Now twenty-three years old, he was Gi Mo-ban, Fragrant Seeking Sword Beggar, the junior direct disciple.

In an instant, Taoist Tianmu restrained Chok So-geol with a gesture.

“That’s enough. There’s no need for that.”

“Pardon?”

“We sent word as soon as we parted from Sect Master Cheol. Directly to the Beggar King at the main lodge. Huhu, it was, of course, an urgent matter. No less than the fact that the Heavenly Demon Cult Grand Prelate has joined hands with us.”

“Ah…! So that’s how it was. Thank you truly.”

“What for? Actually, it was something Grand Prelate Gun requested. To inform the other side of the border as well.”

“Did he ask that when they were leaving the inn?”

“That’s right. Probably the story was conveyed to the Asura Demon Cult via the Kunlun Divine Palace. He expressed a kind of trust in that way. During the period of maintaining the temporary alliance relationship, he would control the actions of the demonic Jianghu… Of course, even without that, acting rashly would be impossible. Huhuut.”

As Taoist Tianmu let out a soft laugh thus, Chok So-geol also laughed back and chimed in.

“Hahaha, that’s a correct statement. In this land, Sect Master Cheol is already standing firm.”

“Now let’s leave the movements of the two Orthodox and Unorthodox giants to time and fate… and let us do what we must do.”

With Taoist Tianmu’s words, those who had concluded the meeting quietly came outside.

Everyone’s path was the same.

Each person’s destination was identical.

From now on.

It was a gathering arranged on this date for that.

Precisely according to Cheol Ryu-heun’s advance plan…

Wei Ji-am, having hurriedly operated his Internal energy, spoke.

“Now, shall we all go? To White Peak Sword Sect, which will become the enemy’s grave.”

* * *

Inside a rectangular inner chamber.

Bat Demon Great King Heuk Ma-yung took his seat in a large chair.

And standing in front of him was Blood-Robbing Deep Ghost Gin-gyun, one of the Three Spirits.

Heuk Ma-yung asked in a murmur while propping his chin.

“Hegemon of Poison Paramount, you say… You’ve confirmed it again?”

At that, Gin-gyun, having tipped his head, immediately opened his mouth.

“Yes, I just came from receiving the report of the search team that confirmed the scene.”

“How was it?”

“Umm, as you know, the Blood-Holding Fighting Ghost Tae-pa released the separate force of poison creatures by opening the hidden cave, but…”

“They’re dead. All of them.”

“That’s right. Even the Silver-Furred Divine Apes said to be the strongest among them… Furthermore, not all of them died only to the Great Poison Divine technique.”

“They brought additional forces?”

“Yes, it seems they are the forces who annihilated the poison creatures we had placed in advance. Nine times out of ten, they must be the forces of the Southern Embrace Poison Palace. What’s more, among the footprints discovered at the scene… amazingly, even those of the Stone Cliff Supreme Elephant existed.”

“Hu, is that so? Things are getting more and more interesting.”

“However, I don’t understand the Southern Embrace Poison Palace’s intentions. Circumstantially, I guess the Divine Martial Sword is their purpose, but…”

“Are you worried?”

“…”

“That Southern Embrace Poison Palace might be Cheol Ryu-heun’s support force, you mean.”

“Ah… Yes, I’d be lying to say no. Gun Mu-ak is already there, and if Hegemon of Poison Paramount is added on top of that, Cheol Ryu-heun’s forces will become even stronger. However, I don’t mean that my worry is large. Even so, it’s merely that the bleeding on our side will increase a bit more. Victory and defeat were fixed from the start. Only small changes within the process exist.”

It meant that before the plan the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan had established, variables would merely occur.

No matter how hard they try, they cannot overturn the predetermined result…

Heuk Ma-yung, pleased with those words, twisted up the corners of his mouth grotesquely.

“Of course.”

Then he sent a Secret Sound Transmission toward Gin-gyun.

He had sensed someone approaching.

Gin-gyun too had already noticed that and restrained his mouth.

Not long after that.

SEUREUREUK.

The lattice door opened smoothly and one figure quietly entered inside.

A person radiating a hegemonic intangible Aura/Aura/bearing.

An old man with elongated, sharply split eyes, a pointed hook nose, dark and thin lips, and a chin jutting out like the end of a hoe.

It was the entrance of Nine Springs Demon Dragon Sang-jan, the commander of the Detached Three Army Corps under the Heaven Emperor Society.

Having approached closely, he immediately tossed out a soft word.

“I hear there’s word of something.”

Heuk Ma-yung, having met his gaze, grinned.

Quietly, without a word.

At that, Sang-jan also wore a matching smile.

“Hu, there’s been a variable after all.”

Gin-gyun, having stepped to the side, accepted the words.

“Southern Embrace Poison Palace has come to the Shiwan Mountains.”

Sang-jan, having turned his gaze, asked with interested eyes.

“Has the famous Hegemon of Poison Paramount Meng Wang appeared in the Shiwan Mountains?”

“That’s right. We were just discussing that story.”

“The scale of forces?”

“Not yet determined.”

“Hmm… It is an unexpected variable.”

At the moment Sang-jan murmured.

“No.”

Heuk Ma-yung let out a decisive voice.

Sang-jan, having turned his head again, quietly gazed at him.

“No?”

“That’s right. The true variable is only one, White Peak Sword Sect Master Cheol Ryu-heun.”

“Ah, you mean it might have been Cheol Ryu-heun who called the Southern Embrace Poison Palace here?”

“It’s not yet certain. We’ll know by waiting and seeing.”

“Unexpected variable… Even so, seeing that look in your eyes, you’re overflowing with confidence.”

At Sang-jan’s words, Heuk Ma-yung nodded his head.

“Are we without variables? You who lead the Detached Three Army Corps and the Eastern Heaven Division are here too. At this point, what is there to fear? Isn’t that so?”

“Huhut. Well, I too feel the same as you. If your forces’ strength is added, we’ll be able to completely exterminate Cheol Ryu-heun’s group…”

“Of course. By the way, is the matter finished?”

“Yes. Just now, the personnel rotation at each ambush point was completely finished. As scheduled, we deployed the main force and part of the Eastern Heaven Division’s forces. I too was about to go out now accompanied by the Heretic Cult elite. Let your subordinates rest until evening comes again.”

“I’ll do that. Go on. I have to do more work separately.”

“But… you hardly sleep.”

“I already slept more than one hour and got up.”

“You mean about one hour is enough?”

“Of course.”

“Hu, even if you are the King of the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan, that’s… Wait, did you change through the Heretic Cult’s help?”

“Something like that.”

“There are no other factors?”

“What’s important now is the fact that I’ve become stronger.”

“Yes, understood. Anyway, it seems the Heretic Cult’s abilities exceed expectations. It’s quite an interesting matter.”

Having thus turned away, Sang-jan disappeared outside the inner chamber.

Heuk Ma-yung stared vacantly in that direction while inwardly letting out a sneer.

‘Uhuhut. Exceed them, indeed… You have no idea. What I and the Heretic Cult are trying to realize.’

* * *

Inside the secret valley surrounded layer upon layer by formations of sorcery arts.

In the center of the space where artificial darkness and grotesque cliffs blended, a man and woman could be seen on a raised platform.

The Snake-Robed Hwa-rang and Snake-Robed Hwa-nong siblings.

On the grass below, about one hundred bound people knelt.

Perhaps because they were caught in an incantation, everyone’s eyes were hazy.

As if they had lost reason.

They were a group of martial artists who had entered the mountains drawn by rumors and gotten captured.

Without knowing it was a trap that called death…

Standing at the top of the platform, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang softly said.

“Let’s begin.”

At the moment Snake-Robed Hwa-nong, standing beside him, nodded her head.

SSEUT-

A large, jet-black human shadow suddenly appeared to the rear.

The identity of the figure was Heuk Ma-yung.

Having looked up at the void, he soon let out a small laugh.

“Huhu. Indeed…”

Immediately after, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang, having looked back, raised the corners of his lips and spoke.

“Do you feel it? The power of that great Demon God…”

“Yes, just seeing those red two eyes makes my breath stop.”

The dark void that had entered Heuk Ma-yung’s pupils.

There, a huge crack emitting flashes of light was making strange sounds as it widened.

Very finely, little by little…

And through that gap, bright red light was seeping out.

It was the eye-light of the unknown Demon God beyond the huge crack.

Snake-Robed Hwa-rang and Snake-Robed Hwa-nong, having withdrawn their gazes, corrected their postures and murmured.

Some sort of words from the two of them.

An incantation.

Thereupon, the martial artists below began squirming their bound bodies.

Because excruciating pain had assaulted them as some sorcery activated.

And.

CHEUCHEUCHEU, CHEUCHEUCHEU…

Soon they began dying one by one while emitting smoke from above their heads.

It was a truly futile death.

The emitted smoke was absorbed into that crack high above as it was.

The Demon God was devouring those soul energies.

Before long.

JJEOJJEOK, JJEOK… JJEOJJEOK…

The crack in the void widened a bit more noticeably and played strange sounds.

Also.

From there, several fingers protruded through the gap.

Each single one was of a tremendous size comparable to a person.

Fingers squirming as if wanting to tear that gap apart and come out into this world at once.

Seeing that, the light of joy welled up in Heuk Ma-yung’s gray-white eyes.

‘Keuheuheu! It’s not far off! A new history of the demonic path to be achieved through destruction and creation…’

* * *

At the same time, inside the mental realm of Cheol Ryu-heun as the Divine Martial Sword.

PEOPEONG, PEOPEOPEONG, PEOPEONG… KWANG, KWAKWANG, KWANG…!

The incarnations of agony annihilated alongside successive shocks and explosions.

After a long time of clashing, their number didn’t even remain at forty.

But suddenly.

PAT, PAPAT, PAT-

The moment the remaining incarnations of agony rapidly retreated rearward, they caused a strange change.

FLASH- SEUREUREUK…

Each transformed into hazy smoke and clumped into one.

Following that, it changed into the form of a giant reaching a full twenty cheok.

A transformation accomplished in the blink of an eye.

A Dongbang Ya boasting an enormous size like a boulder mountain.

Namgung Sang-rin, who saw that, flinched in surprise.

“That is…!”

Hae Su-yeon, Cui Lan, Seol Pan-gyo, and Mae Yak-bang also had shocked reactions.

At that moment, the Divine Martial Sword gave a gesture to gather his companions nearby, then spoke expressionlessly.

“Now, the really big one is coming. Everyone, focus sharply. Because it’s the final stretch. When this fight ends, I will… be able to advance down the path of a new Martial God.”