Chapter 341: Fire Demon (1)
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We did not even have time to talk to each other. Leaving Myeong-gyeong aside, it was a rare sight to see an expert of Cheong-hwa’s caliber gasping for breath while using lightness skills.
To reach Mount Wudang as quickly as possible, we ran through pathless forests and mountains meant for beasts rather than humans. Moving at such high speed, our clothes were even scratched and torn by fragile tree branches.
The trees and bushes filling our peripheral vision rapidly receded behind us. We barely exchanged words and pushed forward, skipping both meals and sleep.
Naturally, there were places where the path was cut off. There were sheer precipices along the way, and there were lakes daunting to cross. Whenever the distance was something Cheong-hwa and I could cross but Myeong-gyeong could not, either Cheong-hwa or I carried him on our backs to cross together.
As we ran, we did not converse, let alone eat or sleep. The sun set, the moon rose, and until dawn broke again, we never stopped running.
Inside my mind, the rational doubt arose that if we used lightness skills through the night like this, our strength might be depleted when the actual battle came, but instinct easily overwhelmed reason.
No one knew what state Mount Wudang was in right now. The thought that the fleeting moments we delayed might determine the life or death of a martial brother made it impossible to stop.
“Haa, haa.”
Myeong-gyeong, for whom keeping up must have been the hardest, was on the verge of fainting by the time we arrived before Mount Wudang. His wheezing breath was clearly abnormal at a glance, but his eyes remained crystal clear.
Having traveled through a day and night to arrive at Mount Wudang, we simply could not believe the sight before our eyes.
The home of the Wudang Sect, the sacred ground of Daoism.
Mount Wudang was……
Blazing in flames.
* * *
“We never expected to receive His Imperial Majesty’s choice.”
“You possess what I desire, and I can grant what you seek. That is all that matters.”
“Your imperial grace is boundless.”
Emperor Zhou Liubai looked at the person below the dais with languid eyes. A man cloaked entirely in black robes. He wore attire exceedingly suspicious to allow into the Emperor’s private quarters.
Even so, as if flaunting his own boldness, Zhou Liubai had kept no one around and was having a private audience with the black-robed man.
Between Zhou Liubai and the black-robed man hung a curtain made of Celestial Silkworm Silk. Woven with a special technique, this cloth was a precious artifact crafted so that the Emperor could see through it, while the man on the other side could not.
“Contrary to expectations, you people know what propriety is. I thought you were ruthless beasts maddened by blood.”
Zhou Liubai opened the conversation. The black-robed man kept his head lowered and spoke.
“We are merely those who revere strength in the world known as the murim. That we are crazed by blood and offer humans as sacrifices, or deliberately spread monstrous plagues, are all nothing more than grotesque rumors. In that case, in the eyes of the Holy Sovereign, would we be so significantly different?”
“Indeed.”
Zhou Liubai replied in that manner, but internally he was holding back disgust.
One who practiced imperial martial arts and one who practiced demonic arts were this incompatible. Even though the miraculous Celestial Silkworm Silk blocked the space between them, there was no avoiding the nausea that constantly stimulated his body.
If there was any solace, it was that the person before him had cultivated a relatively impure demonic art, making the revulsion somewhat milder. But to Zhou Liubai, who normally had no reason to feel such disgust, the difference was negligible.
“I am generous. Whatever misunderstandings you face, are you not still subjects of the Great Empire? If you are truly in the wrong, that too would be my failing.”
“As expected, Your Majesty’s caliber is extraordinary. To think you would even embrace us.”
“Embrace? That is a slip of the tongue. You were already within my embrace. It was only that I, lacking in virtue, had not looked after you.”
“This lowly one was ignorant and misspoke.”
“As long as you understand.”
Zhou Liubai made his voice sound deliberately displeased. Yet for some reason, the black-robed man in front of him showed no sign of flinching.
It was just like watching an equal trading relationship. Zhou Liubai found that deeply displeasing, but because the imperial palace had reached out its hand first, it was difficult to express his dissatisfaction directly.
“We shall do our utmost as the imperial palace’s hidden blade.”
“You must. What I have promised you is by no means small.”
“That is certainly so.”
“……Mm, yes. But there is something I wish to ask you.”
“Please inquire about anything.”
“How should I address you?”
At that moment, the black-robed man raised his head and grinned. Raising one’s head without the Emperor’s permission was an enormous disrespect.
Yet Zhou Liubai could not utter a word. Even though it was impossible, he felt as though he had locked eyes with the black-robed man’s narrow, snake-like pupils.
The words ‘How insolent,’ which had become second nature to him, caught in his throat and failed to come out. In those sinister eyes lurked a powerful oppressive force that constricted a person’s psyche.
“I have no name. Please call me the Heavenly Demon.”
“……I see.”
“This lowly one must move busily to carry out Your Majesty’s command.”
The black-robed man spoke. Zhou Liubai remained silent before finally granting permission.
“You may leave.”
“Your imperial grace is boundless.”
The Heavenly Demon walked backward slowly with a smile playing around his mouth. As soon as the chamber door closed, Zhou Liubai let out a heavy sigh and looked up at the ceiling.
“Commander of the Imperial Guard. What do you think?”
When Zhou Liubai spoke, a voice soon came from the ceiling.
“He is a dangerous person. Even I could not gauge his depth.”
“To the extent that even you could not gauge him?”
“From the start, he appears to be someone adept at concealment. Then again, to survive continuously as a demonic practitioner in the Central Plains, one would have learned how to hide first.”
“I suppose that is true.”
“However, his strength seems undeniable. Since he displays such confidence, it should be fine to trust and task him.”
“Right. In all my life, I never thought I would join hands with a demonic practitioner.”
“Did they not say that originally, there are neither eternal enemies nor eternal allies?”
At the Imperial Guard Commander’s words, Zhou Liubai gave a smirk. The Imperial Guard Commander always pretended to speak objectively while saying words tailored to his master’s taste.
“First, I hope he clears away that thorn in my side quickly.”
“It will be soon. In case of unexpected contingencies, all the Imperial Guards have been placed on standby as well.”
“Good. This is precisely why I cherish you.”
“Your imperial grace is boundless.”
Zhou Liubai’s eyes flashed in the darkness. It was Muk Hui-yeong, a mere commoner who had repeatedly offended the Emperor’s temper. Even for the sake of past emperors and the empire’s honor, he could no longer be left alone.
* * *
Without needing to decide who would go first, we attempted to rush into Mount Wudang. Among us was Myeong-gyeong, and only then did we come to our senses.
“Senior Brother. You must not enter.”
“What?”
“A mountain fire grown to this scale is dangerous. Even for a well-trained martial artist.”
“Are you saying I will be a hindrance right now?”
“Yes.”
I spoke point-blank. Right now, there was no time to beat around the bush for the sake of Myeong-gyeong’s feelings.
“Hui-yeong is right. Myeong-gyeong, you wait in Jun County.”
“I do not want t……”
“This is no time for us to bicker. Listen to me.”
Cheong-hwa spoke in a stern voice. Myeong-gyeong’s spirit was instantly deflated. At the very least, Senior Brother Myeong-gyeong was not someone steeped in disrespecting masters and ancestors like me, so Cheong-hwa’s words held more power over him than mine.
“Master, please stay with Senior Brother as well.”
“What?”
Now that Cheong-hwa had persuaded Myeong-gyeong, it was my turn to persuade Cheong-hwa.
Cheong-hwa opened his eyes wide as if he had never expected to hear such a thing.
“An expert must remain behind for the disciples who have already descended or will descend. It will be difficult for Senior Brother Myeong-gyeong to handle that alone. There might be injured people, and there might be pursuers.”
“Then you do that.”
“This is no time to bicker.”
“Is this the time to play with words!”
Cheong-hwa shouted angrily. I shook my head.
“The Wudang Sect is one thing, but there are also the people of the New Justice Association. In such an urgent situation, Master, will you not only look after your Wudang martial brothers?”
Cheong-hwa flinched. When a person was in a crisis, their true nature was bound to emerge. Even an expert of Cheong-hwa’s caliber could hardly endure long in the mountain fire currently engulfing Mount Wudang. Then, naturally, the time he could allocate to the people of the New Justice Association would be minimal. There were things that even superhuman human willpower could not accomplish.
“Master. Since the situation is critical, let us speak honestly. Can you truly stake your life to look after the people of the New Justice Association as well?”
“……I will try. Am I not also a person of the New Justice Association?”
“I am the Association Master. The weight of responsibility is different. They are people who gathered because of me, and among those doing simple clerical work, there are ordinary civilians who have not learned even a single martial technique. Therefore, it is right that I go.”
Cheong-hwa was lost for words. Even Cheong-hwa was not brazen enough to lie here and claim he would save every single person from the New Justice Association.
“……Then let us do that. Having a disciple with such a stubborn streak as an ox.”
“Master’s role is by no means small either. Rather, that side might be even more dangerous.”
“Understood.”
I barely pacified Cheong-hwa. Only then did Namgung Hwi, who had stayed quiet until now, raise his hand.
“Then I will go with Brother.”
“No, you go as well. No one knows who might be in there. If a fight breaks out for no reason, it is better for me to be alone so I can flee by myself.”
“Still……”
“I said this is no time to bicker.”
Even so, it did not take long to convince Namgung Hwi. He seemed slightly discouraged, but what could be done? I sent the three of them off together. The three immediately departed to survey the surroundings below Mount Wudang. Right before leaving, they each looked back at me once, but I had no time to reassure their worried gazes.
I immediately enveloped myself in maximum protective qi and entered Mount Wudang. My sleeves grew stiff as they absorbed internal energy, repelling the blazing heat.
The reason I volunteered for this task was partly because I was the New Justice Association Master, but being able to clearly perceive natural energy through the Wind God also played a part.
Unlike Cheong-hwa, I could pick and choose paths with less fiery energy. Of course, that was only relatively less; Mount Wudang, completely surrounded by wildfire, was nothing short of a living hell.
While penetrating as deeply into Mount Wudang as possible, I extended my sensory perception toward the Wudang Sect to check if there were people.
Only after drawing close to the Wudang Sect did I sense human presence, immediately leaping toward that direction.
They too were descending rapidly, perhaps because the mountain fire was too fierce, but I blocked their way.
The black-robed men’s eyes shone with unusual light the moment they saw me. As if they had been waiting for me.
“New Justice Association Master!”
“Who are you people? Where are the people of the Wudang Sect?”
I spat out my words rapidly without even pausing to breathe. The black-robed men smiled leisurely even amidst these scorching flames.
“Hehe. They must have already been caught by the fire demon and gone to the Scorching Hell.”
I felt a surge of rage in an instant, but I could not let myself be shaken by their words.
Now was the time to regain composure. Their words might be a lie. It was true that not a shred of vitality could be felt within the Wudang Sect right now, but until I saw it with my own eyes, I could believe nothing.
“I heard that a lying mouth changes right before death. Shall we see if that is true?”
I spoke in a voice so cold that even I was surprised. It was the first time such a voice had come from my mouth.
The black-robed men on the other side seemed to sense that momentum as they flinched.
“Let us see you try……”
The words of the black-robed man, who was trying to act relaxed again, were not finished. Because I charged in and severed his neck.
“What!”
The black-robed men were horrified and belatedly tried to form a formation. But having already allowed me within their range, they could not even erect a formation.
The blade, moving like a frost-covered frost-edge, danced.