Chapter 287: Bongseon Ritual (5)

Gam Unbi had originally come from the back alleys of Evil Path Castle.

Like most people of the demonic path, Gam Unbi had almost no memories from before he could remember.

In other words, he had no parents.

Normally, those born in such back alleys wouldn’t even survive to adulthood and would die nameless deaths.

However, Gam Unbi had been born with physical might and a vicious nature.

When it came to sheer strength, he could overwhelm most internal energy experts with ease.

And he possessed a natural instinct that allowed him to fully utilize that power.

It was only natural that he caught the attention of the leadership of Evil Path Castle and began his meteoric rise—it could even be called inevitable.

It wasn’t well-known, but when Gam Unbi was in his late teens, Evil Path Castle had actually been an excellent place for someone to climb the ranks.

A few years earlier, one of the candidates for succession, Gu Yomyeong, known as the Lord of a Hundred Evils, had been driven out in a power struggle.

He had fled with his followers in a massive defection.

Though this had weakened Evil Path Castle’s influence and thrown both its internal and external affairs into turmoil, Gam Unbi had possessed the talent to break through the shattered ceiling that remained.

Though he had already been advancing purely on the strength of his physical might, Gam Unbi truly exploded onto the scene during a martial competition held for the lower- and mid-tier warriors of the castle.

In Evil Path Castle, the difference between lower-tier and mid-tier warriors was absolute.

Especially among the upper ranks of the mid-tier, those warriors were typically capable of wielding sword qi.

Yet even they had fallen to Gam Unbi’s unreal physical power.

Only the final opponent he faced in the finals had given him any real trouble.

But at that critical moment, Gam Unbi had awakened his blood power. His opponent had been crushed so completely that not even a corpse had been left behind, handing victory to Gam Unbi.

And so, standing on the podium of the awards ceremony…

“Hahaha, to think I would find the bloodline of one of the Four Fiends in a place like this.”

There, Gam Unbi had met the previous Third Heavenly Lord, one of Evil Path Castle’s leaders, and received the leadership seal.

Everything had progressed smoothly after that.

Gam Unbi, who had been nothing more than a low-tier warrior in his early twenties,

had taken only twenty years to rise to the pinnacle of Evil Path Castle, earning the title of Tyrant of the Central Plains.

In the years of struggle where he clashed with every strong opponent who stood in his way, he had lived each day true to his instincts, growing stronger day by day.

However, even those days had to come to an end eventually.

The higher his status rose and the more his skills increased, the fewer masters remained who could suppress Gam Unbi’s bloodlust.

At the peak level, the influence one exerted was so great that, unless there was an overwhelming justification, one rarely found the chance to fight.

On rare occasions, internal purges or assassination requests from other members of the Ten Lords would arrive, but those requests usually ended up going to someone like Second Heavenly Lord, who had no faction of his own.

Thus, having reached the position of one of the Five Kings of the Central Plains with only the Three Supremes above him, Gam Unbi had grown terribly lazy from a certain point onward.

He had always longed to fight the strong.

He had dreamed of dying honorably in battle against a transcendent opponent.

But now, there were so few people in the entire Central Plains capable of giving him that kind of death that he could count them on one hand.

The Three Supremes of the Central Plains: the Demon Supreme, the Buddha Supreme, and the Dao Supreme.

The Grand Heavenly Lord, the elusive leader of the Heaven-Defying Society, whose true face had never been revealed.

And finally… the only one who had ever been rated above him in martial power: Second Heavenly Lord.

“It’s been a while, Third Heavenly Lord.”

One of those rare few now stood before Gam Unbi, who had lost his reason.

Second Heavenly Lord, Old Han, could not hide his troubled expression as he looked at the monstrous, gorilla-like form of Gam Unbi.

“To think you’d look like that in broad daylight… Is it because of the black demonic energy covering the sky?”

Just as Old Han said, the demonic energy swallowing the sky above the Yoo Family’s Sacred Mountain had blocked out the light of the world, like a total solar eclipse.

Old Han shook his head bitterly.

“I heard you were defeated by my disciple, but it seems the Grand Heavenly Lord has yet to grant you the release of death.”

“Krrrk!”

“I sympathize with you, being in much the same position myself. I’ve been causing a stir trying to leave the council, but honestly, I’m not even sure if the Grand Heavenly Lord planted something in my body.”

“……”

“You’ve always wanted to fight me, haven’t you? Thanks to the Grand Heavenly Lord’s interference and my own avoidance, you never had the chance until now.”

Though the Grand Heavenly Lord had never interfered with the power struggles among the Ten Lords, he had strictly controlled any potential fight between Old Han and Gam Unbi.

However…

“I’ve reached the point where I have nothing left to hold me back.”

Old Han slowly drew his sword with a grin.

“And I have to open a path for my disciple now.”

“Krrrk!”

“I’ll give you the ending you’ve longed for.”

Flash!

Refined, black energy, flowing as quietly as water, began to ripple along Old Han’s blade.

“Though I wonder if you, who have lost your reason, still want that ending.”

At that moment, indigo energy surged from the massive sword in Gam Unbi’s right hand.

Sssik!

For a fleeting instant, a satisfied smile spread across Gam Unbi’s lips.

“So… your instinct to fight still remains after all?”

Boom!

A single clash shattered an entire peak of the Yoo Family’s Sacred Mountain in an earth-shaking collision.

The impact of their clash was so overwhelming that it momentarily halted the advance of those trying to enter the central altar.

“D-dammit….”

“To think such monstrous beings actually exist in this world!”

The shock was even greater for those who had not reached the Transformation Realm and had only achieved middling success.

The divine might of the two was enough to make those who once ruled small regions realize just how small they truly were.

Even Saber King winced as he sensed the destructive power erupting from afar.

“Your master truly is a fearsome monster. No wonder the Sword Demon had to sacrifice an arm to him.”

I opened my eyes wide in surprise.

“What? The Sword Demon sacrificed an arm?”

“You didn’t hear? Well, if you’ve been stuck in Hainan Island all this time, I suppose you wouldn’t have.”

Saber King explained what had happened.

The Heavenly Demon Cult had dispatched a rescue team led by the Sword Demon.

And standing alone to block their path had been none other than Second Heavenly Lord, Old Han.

Realizing that my master had once nearly taken my life, I couldn’t help but feel a bitter taste in my mouth.

Saber King gave me a piece of advice.

“Well, we don’t have an issue, but you’d better avoid letting your cultists and your master meet. Especially the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan—they’d go completely insane.”

“…That’s true.”

To the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan, the Sword Demon was an absolute existence.

If the one who had severed the Sword Demon’s arm stood right before them…

The maniacs from the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan wouldn’t cower. They’d charge in, screaming for revenge like lunatics.

At that moment, I was nearly certain—having already experienced the Blood Stream Sword Squad and the White Horse Sword Squad of the Ma Clan when they had been hunting Ma Cheolsu.

Just then, Wisdom Talent spoke while looking off somewhere.

“Your master drawing away the strongest monster is certainly encouraging, but I doubt things will resolve that easily.”

“……”

Just as he said, the number of foreign presences rapidly increased, centering on Jungcheon Peak where the ritual was being conducted.

Though the entire Jungcheon Peak was surrounded by dark fog, making it hard to discern…

‘Awakened Forms…?’

No, it felt slightly different from that.

Rather…

‘They resemble the monsters I used to hunt in my previous life.’

I could faintly sense some human presences, but the ones now appearing felt fundamentally different in nature.

Perhaps they were minions of Cheonak, or even monsters from the mythical era.

“Let’s hurry. At this rate, the entrance will be blocked.”

“Ah, wait a moment.”

I picked a cluster of blue stone-flowers blooming near the shrine and tucked them into my robes.

I also picked a few of the nearby red chrysanthemums and placed them together.

‘Red chrysanthemums….’

For some reason, whenever I was near Yura, I always caught a faint scent of chrysanthemums.

‘I miss her….’

I missed her so desperately that it was driving me mad.

Three months of unconsciousness. Another three months here since returning from Hainan Island.

It had already been half a year since I last saw Yura’s face.

I wanted to throw everything away and head to the Ten Thousand Mountain Range right this instant.

However.

‘I have to do what must be done.’

Today, I would settle things with Cheon Yujeong, one way or another.

—

While my master was keeping Gam Unbi occupied, the rest of us finally reached the entrance of Jungcheon Peak.

And we were all shocked by the scene that unfolded before us.

“So this is what they meant by a demonic domain….”

The massive mass of demonic energy rising from the altar had not only shot into the sky but had spread across the entire Jungcheon Peak, distorting the environment of the mountain.

The once ordinary vegetation had transformed into something like the tropical jungles of Southern Barbarian territory, spewing a poisonous miasma lethal to the human body.

“W-What is this? Is it even possible for demonic energy to do something like this?”

Those familiar with the demonic practitioners of the cult grimaced in disbelief.

“This isn’t an environment where humans can survive.”

The density of internal energy permeating the entire space was absurdly high, similar to Seongryeongcheon.

However, since the ritual itself had been ‘twisted’, the resulting environment had also been twisted beyond recognition.

If a normal ritual had been performed, this place would likely have become an area much like Seongryeongcheon.

“L-Look over there!”

Everyone’s attention turned to the spot someone was pointing at.

“Are those… Golden Robes?!”

Some recognized the figures by their uniforms.

But even at a glance, it was clear that these people could no longer be considered alive.

Their eyes were unfocused, their skin had turned pitch black.

‘They’ve been consumed by the ritual.’

They must have entered the mountain in pursuit of Lord Baek Cheong, only to be exposed to the demonic energy once the ritual fully began.

‘Even powerful martial artists struggle to survive in such dense demonic energy. To have been exposed to this twisted miasma for so long….’

The result was painfully obvious.

The Golden Robes, consumed by demonic energy, let out ghastly howls as they charged at the intruders.

-■■■■■!

“These damned wretches dare!”

In an instant, a chaotic melee broke out between the living and the dead.

On our side were martial artists who had all reached the peak level.

The Golden Robes, at best, were only first-rate or at their peak.

Normally, it wouldn’t even have been considered a fight.

But…

“T-They’re regenerating?!”

“They don’t die even if you cut off their heads! You have to completely sever their limbs!”

Like an army of immortals, the Golden Robes displayed inhuman regenerative abilities, holding their ground against the elite warriors of Black Lotus Union.

As I stood silently observing the scene, Baek Sang-ah approached me.

“What are you thinking about so deeply, Young Master Jin?”

“…Lady Baek.”

After a moment of consideration, I asked her.

“How long do you think you can endure in this environment, with this miasma in the air?”

Baek Sang-ah pondered seriously before answering.

“If I don’t engage in any combat, about a week. But if fighting breaks out, I doubt I’ll last even two days.”

“Two days?”

She nodded with a grimace.

“The poison mixed in with the demonic energy is too strong. Honestly, the environment we faced at the ruins of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden was far more tolerable.”

From her assessment, anyone below the first-rate level—no matter if they were demonic practitioners—wouldn’t last long and would soon end up like the Golden Robes before us.

“But why do you ask?”

“I was wondering what would have happened if this ritual had erupted in the heart of the Ten Thousand Mountain Range.”

“……!!”

Baek Sang-ah’s face twisted in horror.

“Y-Young Master Jin… what are you saying…?”

Because of its vastness, it hadn’t seemed obvious.

But the Ten Thousand Mountain Range, too, was a place filled with spiritual energy, no less than Yoo Family’s Sacred Mountain—perhaps even more.

If even one of the Eight Great Demon Peaks at the center of the Ten Thousand Mountain Range ended up like this…

The resulting disaster… was something I didn’t even want to imagine.

“It’s just a hypothetical. We must never let such a thing happen.”

“……”

For some reason, Baek Sang-ah wore a deeply troubled expression.

At that moment, Saber King approached me after surveying the situation.

“Little Brother, it seems we can’t afford to sit around any longer.”

“That much is clear.”

The further up we looked toward the summit of Jungcheon Peak, the stronger and more numerous the presences became.

“I’m no expert in rituals, but if this keeps up, something disastrous is bound to happen. We can’t possibly fight them all off. We’ll have to force our way through to the summit, even if it means taking some losses.”

I nodded at his words.

“I actually have a plan for that.”

“A plan?”

Saber King and Baek Sang-ah tilted their heads in confusion.

I turned toward an empty space where no presence could be felt and called out.

“Come out. I need your help.”

“……?”

“……??”

The two of them looked even more confused.

Even if this person had somehow fooled the senses of these two peak-level martial artists, they couldn’t fool my eyes.

“They’re obviously hiding because they don’t want to get involved, but since they’ve come this far, there’s no backing out now.”

“……”

Despite my clear call, there was no response, and I felt a vein throb on my forehead.

“Are you seriously not coming out?!”

I reached out toward the empty air.

And then…

“Uwaaaah! How did you even notice?!”

My hand grabbed someone by the scruff of the neck.

Like seaweed being pulled from the ocean, So Cheon’s body emerged from thin air.

Baek Sang-ah gasped in shock.

“Y-Young Master So Cheon?!”

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