Chapter 44 Ambush (1)

A man in navy blue martial arts robes, with two talismans of the Six Armors Total Symbol^[1] on his forehead, chest, and abdomen, and one talisman of the Thunder supreme-ruler’s Seal Symbol (雷公印符), continuously chanted spells with a tense expression.

“公公……….公…………公……….公……………..公!”

The spell he was reciting was a type of concealment technique called the Western Mantra.

The man in navy blue robes, his face drenched in cold sweat, incessantly scanned his surroundings, maintaining vigilance.

While chanting the spell, no one could detect his presence.

The drawback was that he couldn’t move and had to continuously recite the spell without rest.

‘shit.’

He was filled with regret.

He had thought that with his experience surpassing even Sak, and his ability to control the high-grade monster-level Two Demons and Two Spirits, he could thoroughly uncover the truth as long as he was cautious.

However, that had been his miscalculation.

‘How could this happen……’

It wasn’t at the Green ghost level.

There was absolutely no way that could be the case.

If it were a Green ghost, he could have somehow confronted it by combining his magical techniques with the power of his spirit servant, Go-jo.

Yet, in an instant, it had unraveled the binding technique he had cast and inflicted wounds upon him.

The man’s back was soaked in blood.

‘Go-jo……..’

The spirit servant, Go-jo, had lured that entity.

It was to buy time for him.

However, a problem had arisen.

Thanks to the admirable spirit servant, he thought he could escape this situation, but he couldn’t understand what was happening.

-Rustle rustle!

Who were these masked individuals?

Thanks to the concealment technique, he could avoid their gazes, but they didn’t seem to be the warriors of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor.

If they were, there would be no reason for them to enter wearing masks in the middle of the night.

“The dull and hidden form, leading the spirits and acting alone, moving swiftly without hindrance. The noble horse possesses majestic power, the heavenly soldiers march forward…….”

It was a difficult situation.

Due to the blood loss from his back, his strength was gradually waning.

For some unknown reason, these masked individuals were thoroughly searching every corner of the surroundings, looking for something.

He had to endure until they disappeared, but it was extremely challenging.

‘I must endure. Somehow.’

At that moment.

‘What’s that?’

A figure, distinctly different from the masked individuals searching the surroundings, revealed himself.

It was a man wearing an eye patch and holding a walking stick.

The moment he saw him, the man instinctively knew.

‘A diviner?’

The extraordinary aura emanating from him.

This was one of the characteristics that manifested in those who had cultivated magical techniques for a long time.

Even if that weren’t the case, the hand seal he had formed with his left hand alone was a fundamental of magical techniques.

‘The Art of Pursuit?’

It was a spell used when one wanted to find a desired target.

The man furrowed his brow.

Seeing how the masked individuals naturally carried on with their task in the presence of the diviner, it was evident that they were all part of the same group.

However, there was a crucial rule among diviners.

They cultivated the principles of the Dao and practiced magical techniques, so they refrained from directly colluding with or joining any worldly organizations.

Until just ten years ago, this rule had been strictly adhered to.

However, it was broken by someone and a group of diviners.

‘Could it be?’

These masked individuals……

-Swish!

‘Gasp.’

The man’s breathing grew ragged.

It was because the man with the eye patch was standing right in front of him.

He was using a concealment technique, so it should have been impossible to detect him, but he couldn’t understand what was happening.

As he was perplexed, the diviner with the eye patch spoke.

“If you wanted to use a concealment technique, you should have completely erased your traces.”

‘Traces? Ah!’

The man finally realized.

The blood flowing from his back was dripping onto the ground.

At that moment, the man with the eye patch chanted a spell and forcefully struck the ground with his walking stick.

“The spiritual eyes perceive, each possessing clear understanding. Hurry, hurry, in accordance with the law and order! Release (解)!”

-Thud!

-Whoosh!

Instantly, the space around the walking stick distorted, and along with it, the man’s figure, which had been completely hidden from sight, was revealed.

Startled, the man leaped backward, attempting to cast another magical technique.

However,

-Clap! Clap! Clap!

Lín (臨)! Bīng (兵)! Jiē (皆)! Zhèn (陳)!

As the hand seals of the Nine Character Activating Method were formed, the man’s feet stuck to the ground.

At the same time, his body went limp, and strength drained from him.

The man’s eyes widened.

‘To perform a technique of this level with just hand seals?’

Magical techniques are completed through various combinations.

Mantra (呪), Talisman (符), Word (言), Seal (印), Instrument (器).

These five elements harmonize exquisitely to form a technique (術).

Diviners with low proficiency need to utilize all four methods to achieve a technique, but those with higher levels of mastery can reduce them.

‘At least level-Moon^[2] or above.’

Diviners receive six levels of titles based on their proficiency.

From top to bottom, they are Divine (神), Sun (日), Moon (月), Technique (技), Profound (杳), and Conveying (輸).

The man was certain.

This man with the eye patch was a diviner with an extraordinary level of mastery in magical techniques, at least at the Fang Yue level or above.

The man spoke with extreme tension.

“I am Mo Go, the Diviner Assassin of the Ghostly Spirit Pavilion. You are……”

-Grip!

“Urgh!”

Before he could finish his sentence, the man with the eye patch grasped the mouth of the Ghostly Spirit Pavilion’s Diviner Assassin, who had identified himself as Mo Go, with one hand.

Then, curling the corners of his mouth in a sinister manner, he spoke.

“How dare you interfere with the actions of our Primal Killing Pavilion? You must have been prepared to die.”

‘Primal….. Primal Killing Pavilion?’

Unfortunately, his ominous assumption had been correct.

A group of diviners who, despite being members of the Sixty-Four Diviner Sects, had joined a massive martial arts organization.

That was none other than the Primal Killing Pavilion^[3].

***

Meanwhile, at the same time.

-Clang clang clang!

The sound of clashing weapons filled the area in front of the Main Hall.

-Thud!

“Wh- What is this?”

The Mok family brothers, led by Manor Master Mok In-dan, emerged from the room, unable to hide their bewilderment.

The interior of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor, which had been peaceful just moments ago, had turned into a battlefield.

The warriors of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor and the unidentified masked individuals were entangled in combat, and it was difficult to fathom how this situation had unfolded.

“Madam. What in the world is going on?”

The Manor Master asked Lady Seok, the first wife, who was standing helplessly in front of the Main Hall.

The vassals and the Inner Manor Master, Jang Myeong-in, were engaged in battle with the masked individuals, so the only ones he could ask were her and the second wife, Lady Jang.

In response, Lady Seok spoke with a perplexed expression.

“I- I don’t know. It hasn’t been long since the outer courtyard guards suddenly shouted about an enemy attack, and in an instant, the masked individuals rushed in, resulting in this situation.”

“Sister-in-law is right. It happened so abruptly that we, too, are at a loss.”

At the wives’ words, the Manor Master’s expression darkened.

Even if it was a surprise attack in the middle of the night, for them to possess the strength to swiftly break through the defensive line of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor’s outer courtyard and push their way in, they were no ordinary individuals.

-Shing!

Manor Master Mok In-dan drew his sword with his unfamiliar left hand.

Although he didn’t know who these people were, it was too much for the vassals and warriors to handle alone.

The Manor Master unleashed a powerful roar, raising his sword energy

“Who dares to invade the Great Yeon Mok Sword Manor? You must be prepared to forfeit your lives!”

“Waaaaaaah!!!”

At the sight of the Manor Master, the warriors confronting the masked individuals let out a cheer.

With their lord, who had been bedridden for a long time, making an appearance, their morale couldn’t help but soar.

“Let’s go! Let’s protect the Yeon Mok Sword Manor!”

-Swoosh!

As Manor Master Mok In-dan took the lead and leaped forward, the Mok family brothers and the two wives from martial arts backgrounds were also inspired and followed behind him, shouting.

“Protect the Yeon Mok Sword Manor!”

Of course, not everyone participated.

Mok Gyeong-un was the only one who didn’t join the battlefield.

He naturally pretended to follow along, then slipped to the side and moved to a place with few watchful eyes.

‘It’s about time to leave.’

There was no need for him to defend this place.

He didn’t care whether they fought the masked individuals and died or not.

Only one thing bothered him.

‘The scar.’

The scar on the side of Manor Master Mok In-dan’s body.

It resembled that mark.

He wanted to ask how he had acquired it, but coincidentally, an incident had occurred.

‘Should I help?’

He was in a dilemma.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un felt a strange sense of fulfillment.

‘This is….. Ah!’

It was none other than the energy of death.

Mok Gyeong-un closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and savored the rapidly increasing energy of death.

‘Excellent.’

It seemed that a considerable number of people had died in a short period.

Otherwise, there was no way the energy of death would be overflowing from all directions like this.

Thus, he couldn’t possibly ignore it.

‘I want to absorb it.’

Opportunities like this were extremely rare.

However, masked individuals were popping out from various places, so if he let his guard down even for a moment, it could be dangerous.

-Swish!

At that moment, someone appeared beside him.

It was a beautiful woman with an alluring appearance, the Protector Go Chan who had taken over Ha Chae-rin’s body.

“Young Master. Are you alright?”

He had hurriedly searched for Mok Gyeong-un due to the sudden attack.

Finding him wasn’t too difficult since their fates were connected.

In response, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled and said,

“This is perfect. Can you guard me for a moment?”

“Pardon?”

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

With those words, Mok Gyeong-un sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

He then began absorbing the energy of death, which was continuously flowing from the surroundings, through the Reverse Breathing Technique.

‘No. What is he doing?’

At this sight, Go Chan was momentarily dumbfounded.

Even if he had no attachment to this Yeon Mok Sword Manor, was he out of his mind, or was he truly this audacious?

To think of circulating energy in a place that was no different from a battlefield.

However, Go Chan had a sense of why Mok Gyeong-un was doing this.

‘He’s absorbing not energy but this?’

Although he had possessed Ha Chae-rin’s body, Go Chan was a vengeful spirit.

Therefore, he possessed the Eyes of the Spirit and could see the energy of the deceased rapidly being absorbed by Mok Gyeong-un from all directions.

In the Eyes of the Spirit, the yang energy or life force of living humans appeared clear and warm.

However, Mok Gyeong-un’s appearance as he absorbed the energy of death was nearly the opposite.

‘Is he really human?’

To think he would discover this fellow’s true nature only after dying.

For some reason, he became even more frightening.

At that moment.

-Swish!

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, a hulking monk wearing a skull prayer bead necklace appeared from somewhere.

It was the Demonic Monk who had possessed the body of the Outer Manor Master.

But why had the Demonic Monk reappeared in the form of a vengeful spirit?

‘Oh my.’

Momentarily startled by the sudden appearance, Go Chan recalled that Mok Gyeong-un had mentioned having another spirit servant besides Cheong-ryeong.

‘I clearly heard that he had possessed the Outer Manor Master’s body.’

Go Chan asked in bewilderment,

“Co- Could it be that you are senior Demonic Monk?”

-………

The Demonic Monk nodded and said something.

It sounded a bit mumbled, but Go Chan understood what he was saying.

“You lost your body to a powerful opponent?”

Losing one’s body meant that the possessed body had been defeated?

As far as Go Chan knew, the Outer Manor Master Sang Ung-baek was a supreme master at the early stage of the Transcendent Realm.

But if he had lost his body, just how powerful was the opponent……

-Crunch!

“Ugh!”

At that moment, along with the sound of something being crushed, a death cry rang out, and a large man with a thick sword of the Taoist sect slung over his shoulder and a body covered in scars jumped over the pavilion.

He exuded an ominous aura, and the Demonic Monk frowned and pointed at him with his finger.

-………

“What? That man?”

Was he saying that man had killed the Demonic Monk’s possessed body?

As they were conversing, the eyes of the scarred man and Go Chan met.

At that moment,

-Flinch!

‘Wh- What?’

The keen senses of Ha Chae-rin, who had reached the Peak of the Transcendent Realm, were strongly warning him.

They were telling him that the man before his eyes was an extraordinary master.

If Ha Chae-rin’s body was instinctively on extreme alert to this extent, just how high was his level of mastery?

It was impossible to gauge.