Chapter 423: Light, Just Pure White Light

Read more at Nineheavens.org

Gun Mu-ak, walking with his back turned, failed to detect the meaningful gaze piercing into his back.

Cheol Ryu-heun’s gaze soon shifted to the Demon God Sword.

-This sword was actually made from the blood of a black dragon. As you know, when an Ink Child Dragon grows up, it becomes a black dragon.

Having thought of those words, Cheol Ryu-heun soon quietly withdrew his gaze.

‘The blood of the Ink Child Dragon and Heuk Ma-yung who drank it……’

Immediately after, the conversation with Gun Mu-ak again flashed through his mind.

-Our cult discovered a black dragon in the remote reaches of Mount Tian in the past. And after a difficult fight, we barely managed to kill it. We killed the Ink Child Dragon, its offspring, along with it. The blood of the black dragon was used to temper the sword. And the blood of the Ink Child Dragon was sealed and stored separately. He stole it and fled. What’s in our cult must be a cleverly fabricated fake.

-He took one gulp of it.

-My thoughts are the same. That blood affects the soul. In other words, by consuming a certain amount of the blood, he made spiritual contact. With an unknown being…… I surmise he experienced such a strange phenomenon because of the unique abilities inherent to the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan. Also, since the Heretic Cult is a force expert in mysterious and unfathomable sorcery, they would have been the first he made contact with.

‘It seems to be an extension of the strange phenomenon that was spiritual contact. The voice he heard……’

Having muttered internally, Cheol Ryu-heun then scanned the surroundings with his eyes.

‘By the way, why hasn’t the old snake appeared here?’

The previous era’s Snake Forest Master, Snake Eye Sword Demon Mo Dok-jae, had not joined this place.

Why could that be.

He surely wouldn’t have died.

Because he had only struck him hard enough not to die after peeping at his thoughts at the time.

Perhaps he might have perished from some sort of side effect during the process of transforming into a Forbidden Soul Ghost Thing.

Any endeavor cannot be completely flawless, after all.

‘If that’s not the case, perhaps the Heretic Cult and Darkness-Craving Blood Clan deliberately set him aside……’

Having thought that far, Cheol Ryu-heun inwardly laughed.

‘Hut. Yes, that’s possible. At any rate, they seem to be using every trick they can. Not knowing that their fate is to all die and disappear……’

He had already finished all predictions and calculations anyway.

Whatever it was, he just needed to smash it spectacularly with his own power.

Tricks were just tricks.

Frontal assault alone was sufficient for confrontation.

He just needed to break through with overwhelming power.

Variables?

Nonsense, they weren’t even in his consideration.

Why.

Because he himself was the variable in everything that would happen henceforth.

That’s right.

If by chance a variable arose, he would become an even greater variable to surprise the enemy camp.

That was not arrogance but rather the mindset of an absolute being.

Like one possessing transcendent intuition, akin to a divine entity.

Cheol Ryu-heun, who had reached a realm no one else had experienced, was qualified to do so.

Meanwhile.

Gun Mu-ak, with his back against a rock, once again recalled the earlier incident in his mind.

About that strange voice transmitted like mind-speech……

-Finally…… I can sense you. Is it…… you?

-I am…… pleased.

Recalling it, the feeling was peculiar.

Perhaps it was the cause of the discomfort.

It was, going further, a voice that stimulated something between foreignness and familiarity.

KKUUUUK.

Gun Mu-ak gripped the hilt of the Demon God Sword and expressed killing intent.

‘Heuk Ma-yung…… It seems you’re operating some strange power with the help of the Heretic Cult, but the moment you face me, you will experience the Unceasing Purgatory.’

He, having suddenly looked at Cheol Ryu-heun, tossed out his voice.

“They must be moving without incident?”

He meant Defying Heaven Evil Wind Shin So-sul.

“Probably.”

At Cheol Ryu-heun’s indifferent reply, Gun Mu-ak spoke again.

“If by any chance a new enemy appears and blocks the way……”

“Well, even so, there should be no setback to the work.”

“I see.”

“Indeed. I sent along something reliable by his side, didn’t I. The divine beast that has become a guardian spirit of the Shiwan Mountains.”

Gun Mu-ak also knew what that meant.

“Indeed…… At the very least, he’ll somehow avoid a crisis of death. He has already been reborn as this era’s greatest sorcery master.”

Then Cheol Ryu-heun spoke with a disinterested expression.

“Anyway, there’s nothing to worry about. That fellow now exudes power ten times stronger than that.”

What he indicated with a chin gesture was a massive elephant boasting an enormous frame.

The spirit creature native to Nanlin, the Stone Cliff Supreme Elephant.

Gun Mu-ak, having turned his gaze following the chin gesture, clicked his tongue and quietly murmured.

“Ten times…… That’s insane.”

While thinking inwardly that casually uttering such astonishing words was even crazier.

Whether knowing that or not, Cheol Ryu-heun merely continued speaking indifferently as always.

“Considering up to the ability I specially arranged for him, he’s practically equivalent to a supreme-tier superhuman of this era. My steed should naturally be so.”

* * *

Shin So-sul, who had been pushing through the dense forest, soon stopped his body.

SASAS.

Dense darkness filled all around.

It was not a natural night, so even moonlight was completely absent.

Now even the surrounding scenery was difficult to distinguish.

‘As expected, just as Sect Master Cheol predicted……’

Being confronted with such a strange phenomenon made him shudder.

It felt bizarre, as if he were at the center of a collapsing world.

With the otherworldly Demon God being summoned on top of all this, how frightening would it be.

‘Everything feels as if it’s bound within the leash of fate determined by heaven’s principles. Sect Master Cheol appeared to counter the conspiracy the enemy plotted…… And furthermore, even a genius who would be of great help happened to appear here of his own accord conveniently……’

He was referring to Zhuge Bi, the descendant of the Zhuge Family and possessor of the Heart-Stealing Spirit-Commanding Body.

He was currently an intentional prisoner of the enemy.

Now there remained one task.

To go there and utilize Zhuge Bi’s ability to completely close the dimensional gate through which the otherworldly Demon God would descend……

Shin So-sul thought again about the conversation exchanged yesterday.

-Sect Master Cheol. As you already know, the ability of the Heart-Stealing Spirit-Commanding Body possessed by the first generation family head of the Zhuge Family in the past was tremendous, to the point that even our cult was reluctant to face it. It was even recorded as divine skill given by heaven, capable of controlling even natural formations at will. But if the descendant Zhuge Bi were to become a prisoner of the enemy……

-That is precisely it.

-Pardon? Precisely what?

-The essential condition for the success of our operation, I mean. If he becomes a prisoner, it’s rather icing on the cake.

-……!

-The Darkness-Craving Blood Clan and Heretic Cult side have confirmed Zhuge Bi’s talent. So they’ll capture him and use him to summon the otherworldly Demon God. That’s why I’m on my way after telling him to get captured. Well, something like a spy intentionally infiltrated into enemy territory.

-W-won’t he be in danger?

-There’s no chance of him dying. I’ve made appropriate arrangements for that too. I’ve foreseen further ahead when planning things. To a place those stupid fools cannot see. The captive Zhuge Bi is rather like a sword that will strike the enemy. And…… the weapon that will assist that sword will be you.

‘A weapon to assist the trump card called Heart-Stealing Spirit-Commanding Body…… For now, that is my fate. What comes after will be a matter to ponder once all this is finished. We will be going there soon. So please grit your teeth and endure just a little more. Zhuge Bi……’

He firmly believed.

In the talent of Zhuge Bi that Cheol Ryu-heun had perfected.

In the wondrous abilities of that fully blossomed Heart-Stealing Spirit-Commanding Body.

‘Now, around here should be……’

Thinking it seemed safe, he intended to illuminate his view.

Shin So-sul soon took out a fire-igniting tool from his pocket and lit a fire.

CHIK……

Thus, when a small red flame arose.

HEUMCHIT.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar presence struck his sharp energy sense.

He immediately intuited.

That the owner of that presence was an enemy.

‘To approach this close without me noticing……’

Startled, Shin So-sul illuminated the side with his fire-igniting tool.

Sure enough.

‘……!’

Someone standing alone, shrouded in darkness, was captured in his two eyes.

Roughly ten-odd steps away.

A close distance that instantly heightened tension.

Shin So-sul raised his visual acuity and examined the opponent’s appearance.

His gaze swept over with lightning-quick speed.

It was a person whose face was half-hidden by a round bamboo hat.

The exposed lower face seemed to be approximately in his thirties.

He was a martial artist.

An iron sword hung at his waist side.

Moreover.

He was of a different caliber from ordinary martial artists.

An extraordinary presence was thickly transmitted.

How to describe it.

Like a great sword thrust and stuck upright into the ground……

Nine times out of ten, he was a warrior who had surpassed some realm.

Yet from appearance alone, it was difficult to guess his affiliation.

He was a martial artist with different attire from the Detached Three Army Corps or Eastern Heaven Division.

Moreover, he seemed unrelated to the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan or Heretic Cult either.

The uninvited guest’s identity was Xianyu Ershan, the elite subordinate of Black Tortoise Divine General Wang-ryu, one of the Four Divine Generals.

For Shin So-sul, it was natural not to know him.

SEUREUREUNG.

Xianyu Ershan quietly drew his sword and spoke.

“I’m curious where you’re headed. You won’t readily admit it anyway.”

The stance of drawing the sword meant he intended to subdue by force.

At that moment, Shin So-sul was engulfed by a strange thrill.

‘A supremely strong master! More than I expected……!’

However, there was no fear.

He already possessed a superb level of sorcery power that surpassed martial prowess.

Before the opponent could compress the gap.

PAT!

Shin So-sul quickly flicked his right hand and threw talismans.

Not one, but several.

Simultaneously.

CHWAHWAT, CHWAHWAAAT… !

When each talisman explosively radiated light, phantom images of all kinds of ghost shapes confused the field of vision.

Mixed Ghost Illusion Art.

It was sorcery that blocked the opponent by inducing not only optical illusions but also auditory hallucinations and accompanying formless energy waves.

But then.

CHYUHUUUUNG!

Along with a eerie sound, a sphere-like current spewed from Xianyu Ershan’s body.

It looked like a brilliant circular, sturdy energy barrier.

Immediately after.

SYUUUUUUT…

Xianyu Ershan broke through the Mixed Ghost Illusion Art in one stroke with movement reminiscent of a body charge.

As if he had shattered it with pure power alone.

‘No!’

Shin So-sul was quite disconcerted.

The blade’s tip had somehow already come bearing down upon him head-on.

Determined not to be outdone, Shin So-sul extended his right palm.

JJEOGEOEONG… KWAHAAANG!

With a great sound, Shin So-sul’s body flew backward with a PAK!

From the heavy repelling force.

In contrast, Xianyu Ershan’s posture was solid.

As if proving he was the elite combat power of Heaven Emperor Society’s general assembly.

Shin So-sul, while being forcibly pushed back, reproached himself for his judgment.

A mistake.

The moment he saw him, he should have immediately summoned supremely powerful beings like Iron-Armor Earth Governing Demon or Demon God Human-Faced Grotesque Monster through supreme-tier summoning technique.

Xianyu Ershan closed the gap again.

His successive movements were incomprehensibly swift.

But at that moment.

SYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYU…

A white light cluster charged in from one side and struck Xianyu Ershan.

JJEOGEOEONG… KWAAAANG!

Xianyu Ershan, having twisted his body and defended with his sword, was sent flying backward.

A distance of no less than three jang.

It was truly a fearsome impact force.

Immediately after, Shin So-sul cried out with a beaming expression.

“Ah!”

The intruding white light entity was none other than Cheol Ryu-heun’s steed, Divine Wind.

(Editor:Dude almost died for nothing)