Chapter 107: Chapter 107
Everyone looked at Ha In-seong and Cheon Woo-jin with dumbfounded eyes.
Since even the Divine Physician and the physicians had stopped their hands and were staring, Ha In-seong spoke.
“This isn’t something to be discussed here. First, I should return to the headquarters and report to the Castle Lord. Wouldn’t you agree?”
When Ha In-seong asked, Cheon Woo-jin made an expression asking why he was telling him that. He had merely received help from the Divine Physician, and he had no desire yet to get involved in the affairs of the Black Overlord Castle.
However, Ha In-seong seemed to think differently.
“Naturally, you should come with me, right?”
Ha In-seong said as if it were only natural. At that sight, Ma Yong-seok showed a slightly surprised expression. From a young age, Ha In-seong was a man who reigned above the people around him. Both his innate status and his personal abilities were extraordinary, so no one had ever raised an objection.
Thanks to that, his way of speaking had an old-mannish edge compared to his age, yet before anyone realized, his form of address toward Cheon Woo-jin had casually shifted from ‘you’ in a formal sense to ‘you’ as an equal.
Only when the topic of conversation shifted to Ha In-seong and Cheon Woo-jin’s accompaniment did the Divine Physician and the other physicians finally begin moving again.
They had been momentarily dazed after out of nowhere hearing about the death of the Green King, an expert who held one pillar of the martial world.
While the Divine Physician finished preparations with the help of the physicians and placed the Spirit Green Pill into Cheol Ji-ak’s mouth.
The conversation between Ha In-seong and Cheon Woo-jin continued.
Ha In-seong spoke as though it were completely obvious.
“Of course you must accompany me.”
“Why should I do so?”
Cheon Woo-jin asked calmly. He had already sufficiently grasped that Ha In-seong had a sharp mind. If his intentions were convincing, he was willing to accompany him even to the Demonic Cult, let alone the Black Overlord Castle.
Soon, Ha In-seong spoke with the most serious expression in the world.
“Because I’m scared.”
“…?”
“That silver-haired bastard. If I run into him again on the way back, I’ll be dead without a chance. You saw it too, didn’t you? That bastard’s martial prowess.”
Ha In-seong was shameless. His expression and every single word were filled with conviction.
Just as Cheon Woo-jin was about to say something with an absurd face, Ha In-seong’s lips moved even faster.
“Moreover, all by myself without an escort.”
“Do you not have an escort?”
Cheon Woo-jin pointed to Ma Yong-seok, who was standing to one side. In contrast to his simple and honest expression, his face and body were downright terrifying.
His forearms were as thick as a man’s head, his chest was as thick as a boulder, and his back was as broad as the martial training grounds of the Martial Alliance.
Cheon Woo-jin could infer his martial arts from his appearance. No matter how much of an external arts expert one was, rarely did anyone enlarge muscle mass to such an extent. That was because the target area struck by blades would broaden.
Such a physique was primarily the characteristic of those who had mastered escort martial arts. They trained prioritizing brute strength and physical endurance. In dangerous moments, they would risk death to protect their master’s life with their large, sturdy bodies.
‘The Black Tortoise Squad Leader is like that.’
Unlike the officers of the Black Overlord Castle or the Demonic Cult, there were many such people among the officers of the Martial Alliance. Basically, the Martial Alliance was always in a defensive position.
In any case, in Cheon Woo-jin’s view, Ma Yong-seok was a martial artist who resembled Cheol Ji-ak while being on a far higher level. No matter what kind of enemy appeared, he could at least buy enough time for Ha In-seong to escape.
“You have Escort Ma. As an escort, he must be an incomparable martial artist.”
“I probably know that better than you.”
Ha In-seong made a gratified expression, as if he had received the compliment himself.
“However, when returning to the Black Overlord Castle, I won’t take Butcher Ma… I mean, my escort.”
“Pardon? Why is that?”
Ma Yong-seok asked in surprise. Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed they had run into a formidable expert, so why would he not take an escort in such a situation?
“Butcher Ma, you want to stay here, don’t you?”
“Why would I…?”
Ha In-seong pointed at Cheol Ji-ak. Though he had not awakened yet, to experts like them, it was perceptible that Cheol Ji-ak’s unstable energy was rapidly stabilizing.
“I know just by looking at your eyes. Have we slept together for only a day or two?”
“…People will misunderstand if they hear you, Young Castle Lord.”
“Ahem, anyway. You’re interested in the Black Tortoise Squad Leader here, aren’t you?”
Ma Yong-seok furrowed his brow slightly. In any case, the Young Castle Lord had a talent for picking only words that invited misunderstanding.
Regardless, Ha In-seong’s words continued.
“As a martial artist, a man who held on even after suffering injuries where all the meridians in his entire body were severed while protecting his subordinates. With your personality, there’s no way you’d just overlook that, right? Putting aside ideology, don’t you want to help him?”
“Ahem. Still, he is a squad leader of the Martial Alliance, so how could I…?”
Ma Yong-seok made an expression indicating that he had been hit right where it hurt. Seeing this, Ha In-seong smiled faintly, as if knowing this would happen.
“Do as you please. Of course, I don’t know if an ignorant squad leader who clung to his convictions until his body ended up like this will accept the help of an unorthodox person like you.”
“Am I even qualified to help others? It’s just that meeting such a martial artist isn’t easy, so since we’ve brought him into the Black Overlord Castle, I merely thought I’d have a brief conversation with him.”
Just as Ma Yong-seok was acting modestly.
Rumble!
A tremendous tremor suddenly rang out.
The impact did not stop at once; it shook precisely six times before subsiding.
Ha In-seong’s brow creased tightly.
“It seems the formation has been activated.”
Soon, alarm bells clanged shrilly to announce an emergency, followed by a succession of urgent footsteps from martial artists.
“Could it be that the Black Overlord Castle is under attack?”
The Divine Physician asked while calming the startled physicians.
Ha In-seong could not answer hastily. That was because one could only determine whether a thief or assassin had been caught infiltrating, or whether someone had attacked with full intent, by seeing it in person.
“I will go check it out first.”
At Ha In-seong’s attitude, the anxiety of the physicians grew. The Divine Physician had plenty of experience in the martial world, but the other physicians did not.
Noticing the ripple of unrest spreading among the physicians, Ha In-seong narrowed his eyes. Cheol Ji-ak was a person that Ha In-seong also had to save at all costs.
Because his ultimate goal was to bring Cheon Woo-jin into the Black Overlord Castle in the future. In that sense, he spoke to reassure the physicians.
“Everyone, be calm. There are very few bastards under heaven who would dare attack the Black Overlord Castle. Moreover, do not forget that a Martial Alliance squad leader is present here.”
Only then did the physicians seem somewhat calmed.
If someone attacked this place where the Young Castle Lord of the Black Overlord Castle and a squad leader of the Martial Alliance were present, they would have to deal with two of the three factions dividing the martial world simultaneously.
That was something impossible for any faction or expert in the world.
Soon, Ha In-seong flapped his black robe and left the room, followed closely by Ma Yong-seok with a grim expression.
Cheon Woo-jin drew his Crescent Moon Staff and took a position in a corner of the room to protect Cheol Ji-ak and the physicians.
The physicians who took in that sight calmed down even further. Even if they did not know his identity, they at least knew that Cheon Woo-jin was an extraordinary expert.
As the hands of the physicians, spearheaded by the Divine Physician, began moving busily, Cheol Ji-ak’s energy stabilized at an even faster pace.
‘Fascinating.’
His master White Elder also had a deep knowledge of medicine, so he would often demonstrate it. Naturally, since neither his master Black Elder nor himself ever got injured, he would bring back injured wild beasts to treat them.
Even back then he thought it was amazing, but the Divine Physician’s medical skills were on another level. Even if there was a treasure like the Spirit Green Pill, how could severed qi meridians be connected so naturally once broken?
“Can you perhaps bring dead people back to life as well?”
The Divine Physician, who was inserting a large needle into Cheol Ji-ak’s thigh, paused his hand for a moment. Then he spoke in a tone telling him not to speak nonsense.
“Tsk, you brat! Am I King Yanluo, or am I a physician?”
“…I apologize.”
Cheon Woo-jin smacked his lips and leaned his back against the wall.
Inwardly, he had considered the silver-haired man who killed the Green King to be the Dark Emperor or a subordinate acting under his orders. That was because there were almost no people in the world who would seek a bead imbued with Dark Heavens Qi.
However, even the Divine Physician said it was impossible for a dead person to return alive.
If so, had the Dark Emperor not died in the first place?
Or was it some sort of sorcery…
Boom!
“…”
Cheon Woo-jin’s thoughts came to a dead halt. As if the martial artists of the Black Overlord Castle had not yet found the intruder, the formation was causing violent tremors.
After slightly extending his sensory perception to confirm there were no enemies nearby, Cheon Woo-jin closed his eyes again. The matter regarding the identity of the silver-haired man was not something to be easily dismissed.
‘If the Dark Emperor…’
Rumble!
“…”
Crash! Crack! Boom!
Cheon Woo-jin suddenly stood up holding the Crescent Moon Staff. Because of this damned vibration, he could not immerse himself in contemplation at all.
The moment he swung the door open, Ma Yong-seok’s intimidating face came into view.
He spoke with a very troubled expression.
“Ahem, Member Cheon. It seems this will drag on for a while.”
“Does the intruder seem to be an expert?”
“I don’t think that’s it, but they seem to be well-versed in formations, so we cannot catch them easily at all.”
“Are they trapped in the formation?”
Ma Yong-seok nodded. They had succeeded in trapping the intruder inside the formation. Yet strangely, they could neither pinpoint the location nor kill them.
For that reason, earthquake-like tremors kept rippling out continuously.
“I will go in and find them.”
“Pardon? Absolutely not. While it cannot compare to the formation at headquarters, the formation laid over the Sichuan Branch alone was prepared assuming an invasion by one of the Ten Great Experts of the Martial Alliance.”
In other words, it meant that even an expert counted among the top ten in the alliance could not guarantee their survival once stepping into the formation.
However, Cheon Woo-jin did not care.
“Please protect the physicians.”
Leaving Ma Yong-seok behind, Cheon Woo-jin walked down the long corridor.
* * *
“No, I’m telling you, you’ll die!”
When Ha In-seong shouted as though having a fit like a cat splashed with water, the formation masters managing the formation watched his reactions from the side.
Ha In-seong usually enjoyed recklessness like entertainment, but he could not let Cheon Woo-jin enter the formation.
Moreover, there was no reason to do so.
“Even if we don’t touch them, the intruder will end up dead before today is over. So why on earth are you crawling in there?”
“It is disruptive.”
“…What?”
“I want to think quietly.”
Ha In-seong made an absurd expression.
This fellow was serious. Both his words about going in to catch them and his reason were completely genuine.
Furthermore, he had eyes indicating that if they did not open the formation gate, he would go to some random spot, punch a hole in it, and enter anyway.
After scratching his head vigorously for a moment, Ha In-seong spoke.
“Open it.”
“Pardon?”
The formation master was startled and asked back.
At that, Ha In-seong’s brow narrowed slightly.
Seeing this, the formation master quickly bowed his head. Even if his words and actions seemed somewhat frivolous, the person standing before him was the Young Castle Lord of the Black Overlord Castle.
Soon, the formation masters moved in unison, and the air wavered briefly before space split open. Through the gap, a pitch-black space resembling the night sky came into view.
“What is the name of the formation?”
“It is the Primordial Chaos Dark Augmenting Formation.”
At Cheon Woo-jin’s question, the formation master replied courteously.
Cheon Woo-jin stared quietly at the dark space, then nodded.
“It is a fitting name.”
Primordial Chaos meant the world of stars existing above the heavens. To have darkness added onto that, was it not truly a fitting name?
Soon, Cheon Woo-jin stepped into that space with calm strides. Everyone was stunned by his attitude of casually taking a walk as if heading to the marketplace, without any preparation whatsoever.
Once Cheon Woo-jin entered completely into the space, the formation masters closed the entrance. If kept open continuously, there was no telling what strange phenomenon might occur when the immense energy inside the formation met the outside air.
Ha In-seong stared at the closed entrance, then spoke.
“Bring the Black Scale Armor. I’m scared, so I can’t go in bare-bodied.”
The Black Scale Armor was a treasure armor of which only two existed even in the Black Overlord Castle. It had the efficacy to block even the astral qi of most experts.
“Y-Young Castle Lord, are you saying you will enter as well?”
“You’re making me say it twice today.”
“…Ahem, I apologize.”
“That bastard is my friend. If he doesn’t come out after half a quarter of an hour, I have no choice but to go rescue him myself.”
Having upset Ha In-seong’s mood earlier, the formation master could hardly bring himself to speak. That going to rescue him was not a rescue, but entering to die together.
* * *
Cheon Woo-jin walked slowly through the formation, looking around.
Not only the ground and sky, but all directions were filled with darkness, so he could not even get his bearings.
A truly ferocious energy swirled within the space. If there were a martial artist who needed to accumulate internal energy urgently, training here seemed likely to yield great results.
Of course, for Cheon Woo-jin, the act of accumulating internal energy was no longer meaningful.
Rumble!
Another thunderous sound echoed. It was far louder and more solemn than when heard from outside, leaving his ears ringing.
Cheon Woo-jin stopped his steps and looked in the direction where the sound originated.
His masters had not taught him about formations. The reason was simple.
– There is no need to teach that punk.
If his masters had spoken so, it meant there was no way he would die inside a formation. To Cheon Woo-jin, the words of his two masters were tantamount to absolute truth.
“Hmm.”
With the Crescent Moon Staff drawn, Cheon Woo-jin quietly observed the formation. If it were a matter of breaking it through force, he had confidence. After all, he had previously shattered even the Eight Gates Formation of the Zhuge Clan.
However, right now, rather than merely destroying it, he had to find the intruder in this vast, perhaps endless space.
Cheon Woo-jin closed his eyes. In any case, it was a space close to nothingness, so having his eyes open had no meaning.
As he spread his sensory perception widely, he could feel crystals of energy arranged like stars. Tracing those energies, Cheon Woo-jin gradually expanded the range of his perception.
It was at that moment.
Boom!
Another explosion erupted. Unlike before, this occurred within Cheon Woo-jin’s perception.
Having confirmed the location, there was no reason to hesitate.
He ran forward with his eyes closed. Relying solely on his sensory perception, if something blocked his path, he did not smash it, but lightly dodged and went around it.
Astonishingly, with his eyes closed, Cheon Woo-jin was treading accurately along only the life paths of the formation as he advanced. He had no knowledge of formations. He was simply making only the correct judgments at the crossroads of life and death through his extremely developed sensory perception.
Even Zhuge Liang, the greatest formation master in all of history, could not do something like this. It was something only Cheon Woo-jin, possessing senses far transcending the human realm, could accomplish.
How long had he run like that?
Just when he felt he had arrived near the spot where the explosion had sounded.
A very faint voice could be heard distinctly in his ear.
“Vice Squad Leader, will we never be able to get out?”
“Probably? We’re barely holding on by unfolding the Zhuge Clan’s formation, but we’re slowly reaching our limit. Soon the ceiling I erected will collapse, and pitch-black energies will engulf us.”
“Then what happens to us?”
The reply followed after a brief pause.
“We don’t have much time, so if you have any last words, say them now.”
“…Are we going to die?”
“Probably so.”
Cheon Woo-jin sensed that the conversation was now taking place right before his nose. At the same time, an energy darker than the darkness in this formation gathered in his right hand.
Dark Heavens Qi.
That overbearing energy abruptly parted the space within the formation and surged forward. An immense resistance was felt, but there was no energy under heaven capable of blocking Dark Heavens Qi.
Soon, sensing something in front of him, Cheon Woo-jin instantly dispersed his energy and pulled it forward.
“Urgh…!”
What was pulled while gripped in Cheon Woo-jin’s hand was Song Yi-yeon, whose face was glossy even in the dark.
“Young Hero Song. Just what on earth are you doing here?”
Soon, through the hole where Song Yi-yeon had been pulled out, the faces of Zhuge Rin and Dok-ra-su came into view one after another.
“Huh? Youngest Cheon?”
“Nephew!”