Chapter 147: Chapter 147
In the process of taking revenge for the Kunlun Sect Leader, Cheon Woo-jin killed around one hundred demonic cultists. That too at the entrance of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
It was a situation where a massive declaration of war had already been delivered toward the Demonic Cult. Furthermore, with the donation from the Lord of Ten Thousand Gold Manor, even funds were abundantly secured.
Therefore, the Martial Alliance decided to attack the Demonic Cult in retaliation for the incident involving the Kunlun Sect and the Qinghai Branch.
It was the Chief Strategist’s judgment that since the Demonic Cult was currently in the midst of a battle for the throne, it would not lead to the outbreak of the Righteous-Demonic War.
“And so, what is the reason for calling me and this child?”
The Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect, the Wudang Sword Immortal, spoke in a cantankerous tone. A clear determination was felt to seize upon and nitpick any slip of the tongue if one was made even once.
Having received the Chief Strategist’s summons, the Wudang Sword Immortal and Cheon Woo-jin sat facing each other in this office.
Paying no mind to the Wudang Sword Immortal’s attitude, the Chief Strategist calmly continued his words.
“The Alliance’s spies have been obtaining intelligence on the Demonic Cult for over ten years. One of those is none other than the Ghost Demon Squad, the Demonic Cult’s secret assassin organization.”
A map unrolled smoothly across the table.
Pointing to a certain place, the Chief Strategist continued speaking.
“Here. The main headquarters of the Ghost Demon Squad is located on Mount Pingli, situated on the border of Hubei and Sichuan. It is an assassin organization that the Demonic Cult painstakingly fostered for decades, with a scale comparable to one of our Alliance’s division-level organizations.”
The Wudang Sword Immortal, who had been preparing to nitpick, showed a surprised expression. To think that in the dead center of the Central Plains, and right near Hubei where the Wudang Sect resided, such bastards had been nestled.
“Tell me in detail. How many special rank assassins are there?”
The realms of assassins were slightly different from those of ordinary martial artists.
There was terminology used among themselves, where the standard was not one’s own martial prowess, but the martial prowess of the target one could assassinate.
Commonly, assassins from fifth to second rank were grouped and called lower rank assassins, and they were those who could not kill a peak expert of the martial world single-handedly.
An assassin who could assassinate a peak expert was First Rank.
An assassin who could assassinate even a transcendent expert was classified as Special Rank.
“The Ghost Demon Squad consists of a total of one hundred assassins, including four such special rank assassins and twenty first rank assassins. Fortunately, there are no experts of the Realm Beyond the Heavens.”
Realizing that he had lived with one hundred assassins right before his eyes, the Wudang Sword Immortal let out a hollow laugh, yet on the other hand, he felt relieved by the fact that there were no experts of the Realm Beyond the Heavens.
“Are we wiping them out this time?”
“Yes, they were fellows we originally left alone despite knowing about them. Because there was no need to let them know that the Demonic Cult’s intelligence was leaking.”
However, the Courier Hall had already been caught while withdrawing during espionage activities, and given the atmosphere of the Demonic Cult, it would not be strange for them to deploy assassins at any moment, so wiping them out right now was best in many ways.
If one hundred seasoned assassins spread across various parts of the Central Plains, such a disaster would be rarely seen.
“Since it is a preemptive strike, to minimize sacrifices, I plan to deploy fifty from Zhongnan including their Sect Leader, fifty from Wudang including Senior Sword Immortal, and Hidden Dragon Squad Leader, an expert of the Realm Beyond the Heavens. Since it is a force of one hundred including two experts of the Realm Beyond the Heavens, our side’s casualties will be very small.”
Having said that, the Chief Strategist waited for the Wudang Sword Immortal’s reaction.
As expected, Cheon Woo-jin nodded as if he had no particular thoughts, while the Wudang Sword Immortal narrowed his eyes and sank into contemplation for a moment.
“Fifty each from Zhongnan and Wudang…”
Contemplating for a while, the Wudang Sword Immortal soon spoke.
“From Wudang, only thirty will be drafted, including myself.”
“Then from where will the remaining twenty be drafted? Everyone must fulfill their own roles and duties.”
“That is your job.”
The Chief Strategist let out a small sigh. He had felt it during the Grand Council as well, but the Wudang Sword Immortal’s desire to minimize the Wudang Sect’s casualties in the war against the Demonic Cult was strongly felt.
However, he could not strongly pressure the Wudang Sword Immortal. In any case, because the Wudang Sect, along with Shaolin, was a power boasting the greatest number of martial artists, the blow would be severe if they did not cooperate.
Furthermore, the Wudang Sword Immortal was an expert of the Realm Beyond the Heavens, one of their few precious combat assets.
Around the time the Chief Strategist was pondering.
The Wudang Sword Immortal spoke as if a good idea had occurred to him.
“Deploying the Zhongnan Sect this time. Isn’t that a punitive draft for the incident with the Righteous Heavenly Alliance?”
“What do you take me for? Those words hurt my feelings.”
“Well, I understand your feelings too. In a situation where war might break out, you would want to confirm once again the loyalty of those bastards who betrayed us once. But will fifty be enough? Since we are doing it anyway, I believe it is right to draft twenty more. In any case, since the Heartless Wanderer and I decided to go together, there will probably be no great casualties.”
“…In return, when filling the thirty from Wudang, please mobilize only first-rate experts and above.”
The Wudang Sword Immortal readily agreed. In any case, his goal was to return without a single person dying, so he had intended to do so anyway.
* * *
Like that, the combat force formed to subjugate the Ghost Demon Squad headed toward Mount Pingli, where their base was said to be located.
“No, isn’t the Chief Strategist really being too harsh? No matter that such an incident occurred, drafting as many as seventy from our Zhongnan alone for such a dangerous mission.”
Not even knowing that the Wudang Sword Immortal’s influence had played a role in this draft, Heo Jin, the Sect Leader of the Zhongnan Sect, grumbled.
The absurd thing was that the Wudang Sword Immortal chimed in with, “The Chief Strategist truly went too far this time.”
Thinking that they were not people he particularly wanted to get close to, Cheon Woo-jin was walking a little distance away.
Even so, the Wudang Sword Immortal deliberately approached and asked.
“They say you are Senior White Flower Sword Immortal’s disciple.”
“…Yes.”
Cheon Woo-jin replied lukewarmly.
Regardless, the Wudang Sword Immortal smiled as if he was somehow in good spirits and continued speaking.
“He was a senior I truly respected. To the point where I felt terribly ashamed when I came to inherit the moniker of Sword Immortal following in Senior’s footsteps.”
“…Is that so.”
In fact, unlike the words claiming he felt ashamed, pride was abundantly written across the Wudang Sword Immortal’s expression.
Originally, the title of Sword Immortal was often obtained by the strongest swordsman of the Daoist sects of the era.
For example, if the foremost Daoist swordsman emerged from the Mount Hua Sect, he became the Plum Blossom Sword Immortal; if he emerged from the Zhongnan Sect, he became the Zhongnan Sword Immortal.
For that reason, the experts of the Daoist sects respected the White Flower Sword Immortal, yet on the other hand, they were jealous. Because someone who was neither a Daoist martial artist nor used a sword had taken the moniker of Sword Immortal.
The one who quickly took over the moniker of Sword Immortal as soon as the White Flower Sword Immortal died was the Wudang Sword Immortal. Of course, his skill was indeed the highest among the Daoist experts of the era, but…
‘To think such a person is a Sword Immortal.’
In Cheon Woo-jin’s eyes, he was a completely different person from Master White Elder. It was not a matter of martial prowess. He was simply of the sort who was calculating and pursued practical gain rather than chivalry.
That was not to say it was bad.
However, because the Sword Immortal in Cheon Woo-jin’s mind was White Elder, that sense of disparity was simply being felt heavily.
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The mission squad traveled for three days and arrived at Pingli County.
Passing through the small village, around the time they were entering the entrance of Mount Pingli where the hundred assassins of the Ghost Demon Squad were said to reside.
“Are you sure there are assassins here?”
Cheon Woo-jin tilted his head and spoke.
During the three days of travel, it was the first time Cheon Woo-jin had opened his mouth first, so everyone’s gazes converged.
“Why do you ask?”
At the Wudang Sword Immortal’s question, Cheon Woo-jin spread his energy sense wide to check once again before answering.
“I do not sense any presence whatsoever.”
As far as Cheon Woo-jin could sense, let alone one hundred people, there did not seem to be even a single person. At that sight, the Wudang Sword Immortal burst into hearty laughter.
“They are assassins, are they not? Furthermore, they must have taken some measures at their own stronghold. For instance, laying down a formation.”
“Mmm.”
“You are still young and have little experience so you might not know, but in the martial world there are many bastards who use all kinds of bizarre petty tricks. The Tang Clan bastards are also quite skilled in such tricks as befitting a sect that walked the line between righteous and unorthodox. But the masters of that field are precisely assassins.”
“Is that so.”
When the Tang Clan was mentioned, the Sect Leader and martial artists of the Zhongnan Sect, who had dreamed of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance together with them, put on sheepish expressions.
Cheon Woo-jin wondered if there was really a need to bring up the Tang Clan, but because it was bothersome, he merely nodded his head.
Soon, based on the Martial Alliance’s intelligence, they found a cave. The interior of the cave was fairly spacious, but there were no traces whatsoever.
“Hmm, it looks like an ordinary cave…”
The Wudang Sword Immortal and the Zhongnan Sect Leader Heo Jin.
Along with the nearly one hundred Daoists, they scoured the interior of the cave thoroughly, but were unable to discover anything unusual.
Suddenly, Cheon Woo-jin closed his eyes.
Soon, he heightened all the senses of his entire body to the extreme.
Seeing what cannot be seen, and feeling what cannot be felt. The realm of the sixth sense that only a martial artist who had reached the Realm Beyond the Heavens could display.
The extremely subtle flow of the wind was vividly visible.
Because Cheon Woo-jin had inherited White Elder’s true teachings and controlled the wind, he was unrivaled when it came to sensing the wind compared to other experts of the Realm Beyond the Heavens.
The wind blowing from outside the cave blew deep into the interior, collided against the wall, and circled back around once.
In that process, a microscopic amount of wind subtly trickled into a certain part of the floor.
Stepping up to that spot, Cheon Woo-jin stomped his foot lightly.
It was solid.
However, when he stomped again imbued with the profound principle of the internal heavy strike, the floor, which had only been solid on the outside while hollow on the inside, collapsed with a rumble.
Soon, a hole barely large enough for one person to pass through was revealed.
Simultaneously, the one hundred Daoists erased their presence in an instant. They too were the elite of the Righteous Path. Since there might be enemies below, they were preparing.
– It seems to be here.
At Cheon Woo-jin’s voice transmission, the Wudang Sword Immortal and Heo Jin hastily approached.
The inside of the hole was dark to an unfathomable depth, but a small ladder stretched all the way down into the depths.
Seeing this, Heo Jin made a troubled expression.
– Through such a small hole, we can only descend one by one. If one hundred assassins are waiting below, it literally amounts to asking them to kill us.
It was a valid point.
If they descended one by one down the ladder, all manner of daggers, sword qi, and saber qi would mercilessly tear into their buttocks.
The Wudang Sword Immortal nodded his head and spoke.
– One of the three of us who can cope must go down first. Even if one hundred assassins are waiting, they will be able to buy time until the others descend.
Saying so, he looked at Heo Jin.
Heo Jin put on a flabbergasted expression.
– You are telling me to go in first?
– What does the order matter? Everyone will go down immediately anyway.
– Then Sword Immortal, please go first.
– How can I trust you?
– Pardon? What kind of statement is that again?
– Isn’t that right? How long has it been since you smiled like this in front while harboring different thoughts behind our backs?
The conversation between the two stretched on for a long time.
Citing various justifications and reasons, they were bickering over “after you, older brother” and “after you, younger brother.”
Deeply moved by the hearts of the two men overflowing with mutual courtesy, Cheon Woo-jin could bear it no longer and slammed the floor with his Crescent Moon Staff.
Rrrruuuuumble!
The floor collapsed completely just like that.
Plunged into the situation, all the martial artists fell downward.
“W-What in the world is the meaning of this!”
The Wudang Sword Immortal raised his voice in rare fury.
However, Cheon Woo-jin spoke in an indifferent tone.
“Look around you. It is empty anyway.”
Surprisingly, an immense cavern existed beneath the cave floor. It was a scale that could easily accommodate one or two hundred martial artists.
Traces of assassins practicing remained here and there, but just as Cheon Woo-jin had said, there was not a single person.
The Wudang Sword Immortal and Heo Jin, who had been engaged in a war of words over an empty cave, showed sheepish expressions.
“There are other connecting tunnels.”
Saying so, Cheon Woo-jin generated Samadhi True Fire and hurled fireballs in all directions. Then the surroundings lit up for a moment, revealing three connecting tunnels.
“I shall head over there.”
It was a message telling the two of them to each take charge of one connecting tunnel on their own.
To be honest, the Wudang Sword Immortal did not want to do that. Now that circumstances different from the intelligence received in advance from the Martial Alliance had unfolded, there was no reason to bear potential casualties.
However, before he could say anything, the Heartless Wanderer strode along one of the connecting tunnels single-handedly.
Because the youngest martial artist had taken such an action alone at that, it became a situation where it was embarrassing even for the Wudang Sword Immortal to retreat.
Soon, clearing his throat with a dry cough, the Wudang Sword Immortal led the Wudang Daoists and began marching through one connecting tunnel, and Zhongnan also chose the remaining connecting tunnel to advance.
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Cheon Woo-jin continued to take calm steps forward.
The underground tunnel was even longer than expected.
He attempted to guess the direction, but it was not easy at all. He had trouble finding his way even above ground, so underground without light or buildings, it was close to impossible.
Soon, a handful of light was seen in the far distance.
Walking to that spot and looking up where the light was pouring down, he saw a circular sky.
Cheon Woo-jin leaped upward directly without hesitation.
“Kyaaaak!”
A woman’s shrill scream echoed long.
Where Cheon Woo-jin had emerged was an abandoned small well in Pingli County.
“Ah, I apologize. I did not mean to startle you.”
Cheon Woo-jin reached out his hand to the fallen woman.
The woman looked at Cheon Woo-jin with extremely guarded eyes before cautiously rising to her feet.
Soon, Cheon Woo-jin examined his surroundings. In various parts of the village, there were Zhongnan and Wudang Daoists. By the looks of it, all connecting tunnels from the cavern seemed to lead to this village.
It was impossible that the assassins had known in advance and fled. Because this operation was known only to the Alliance Leader, the Chief Strategist, and the martial artists present here.
In the end, it meant that the cave was merely a training place for the assassins, and the place where they practically resided was this village.
Stalls selling fruit, dumpling shops steaming with steam, carts carrying goods, drapery stores, and young children clutching sweet candies, and so forth.
It was truly the appearance of an ordinary village.
All of them were looking at the Martial Alliance members who had appeared out of nowhere with strange eyes.
“…”
A bizarre silence fell over the entire village.
A hundred among these people were assassins.
In other words, it also meant that everyone other than the hundred people was no different from hostages.
The assassins would certainly not flee. Because if they adopted an attitude of recklessly trying to escape, they would be killed by the Wudang Sword Immortal or Cheon Woo-jin.
They would pretend to be villagers as much as possible.
Thinking so, he spread his energy sense wide, but nothing else was felt.
Here and there, the flow of qi flowed or was severed artificially, which was similar to when he had entered the Zhuge Clan’s formation.
It seemed to be a formation that disturbed one’s energy sense.
In the end, there was no choice but to directly find and kill the thoroughly prepared assassins who were attempting to deceive them one by one.
It was at that moment.
Suddenly, a child at a fruit stall approached Cheon Woo-jin holding an apple.
Since the child held out an apple out of nowhere, he accepted it. Soon, the child showed an open palm. He had thought it was a gift, but it seemed the apple was for sale.
The moment Cheon Woo-jin was about to pull a coin from his pocket.
A woman who appeared to be the child’s mother rushed over in a hurry.
“I-I am sorry!”
Apologizing hastily, she took the child away.
To commoners, martial artists were existences no different from disasters, so such a reaction was natural.
“Wait.”
Cheon Woo-jin suddenly stopped the woman.
The woman came to an abrupt halt while holding the child in her arms.
Soon, Cheon Woo-jin approached them.
The Daoists, including Heo Jin and the Wudang Sword Immortal, were watching that sight with tense faces.
Tap.
Cheon Woo-jin placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder.
Trembling all over while holding the child, the woman turned around.
“You must accept the price of the apple, should you not?”
Saying so, he pressed a coin into the woman’s hand.
The woman lowered her head in relief.
“T-Thank you.”
At that moment, Cheon Woo-jin unleashed palm force.
Utterly shocked, the woman and child flinched violently.
Passing right between the two, the palm force poured into the rear.
Crack!
The old man who had been pulling a cart died with his chest caved in.
In his hand was a dagger he had failed to throw in time.
If he had thrown it targeting Cheon Woo-jin as it was, it would have pierced through the backs of the mother and child.
“You almost died.”
“T-Thank you…”
With a face looking half on the verge of tears, the child’s mother let out a sigh of relief.
Cheon Woo-jin nodded his head impassively. In a village of this size, the merchants would have known one another. An old man she usually greeted and conversed with as if nothing was wrong had died before her eyes, yet.
“Why are you not surprised?”
Rather than the old man she had known and greeted regularly, she believed the words of Cheon Woo-jin whom she had just met for the first time. For an ordinary person, she should have been terrified that some martial artist had suddenly appeared and murdered a villager.
“…”
Instantly, the gazes of the child and mother turned frosty.