Chapter 352: Evil Refining Sect (5)

“Uh?”

The moment the head of the High Priest, Golmok, was severed.

The Underworld King Unit, which had been waiting nearby, charged all at once toward the members of the Evil Refining Sect.

“Enemies!”

“Everyone, engage!”

The Evil Refining Sect were warriors accustomed to crossing deserts and grasslands.

Like the case with the Mad Annihilation Monk, they were all muscular practitioners of external martial arts.

However—

“Wh-what the hell are these guys… What’s with their size?”

The bodies of the black-masked figures throwing daggers and hidden weapons were all far from ordinary.

So Soryu, who had just taken the head of one of the Evil Refining Sect members, sneered coldly.

“I don’t particularly like it, but these guys were raised to endure even close-quarters combat.”

After the previous generation of the Underworld King Unit, which Myeong-oh had raised, was crushed head-on by the righteous sects of Eastern Sea Fortress,

I had specifically adopted the Jin Clan’s body-training methods to overcome the unique weakness of assassins.

“They’re still a bit lacking, but they’re more than enough to handle trash like you.”

She reached out her hand and shouted,

“Wipe them all out!”

A silent black storm swept over the members of the Evil Refining Sect.

“Well, this is surprising.”

Watching the members of the Evil Refining Sect being swept away by the Underworld King Unit, the ‘Teacher’ lightly stroked his chin in admiration.

Unexpectedly, he showed only a hint of curiosity, without the slightest sense of crisis.

“How did the Demonic Cult find this place? Was there a traitor inside the Evil Refining Sect? No, that can’t be. We’ve completely eliminated all followers of the previous Cult Leader.”

“……”

“They should’ve wasted time floundering near Qinghai Province for a while… I can’t understand this.”

I stared at the opponent, who had fallen into deep thought.

“You… you’re not that man.”

Though I had no clear evidence, I knew it instinctively.

That was not the man I had encountered before—Cheon Juchun.

“Are you from the Heavenly Brain Clan?”

As far as I knew, the only traitor from the Heavenly Brain Clan was Cheon Juchun.

However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the man before me was somehow connected to the Cheon Clan.

“Could be. Or maybe not.”

“Are you playing word games with me?”

“That’s harsh. I was actually giving you a serious answer.”

The man who had been observing me for a while clapped his hands.

“Ah, I see. I finally remember. You must be Jin Yeomyung, the one the main body mentioned.”

Main body?

“Then I should give you the treatment you deserve.”

Snap!

The man snapped his fingers.

At that moment, the bodies of the Evil Refining Sect members, who had been fiercely fighting the Underworld King Unit, began to swell rapidly.

“…! Everyone, fall back!”

Sensing the shift on the battlefield, So Soryu immediately ordered a retreat.

Though they were just a few minutes away from completely wiping out the enemy, the rigorously trained Underworld King Unit obediently followed her command and withdrew.

Immediately after—

“Guhhh!”

“Kuaaaah!”

Around thirty surviving members of the Evil Refining Sect began to transform into monstrous forms.

Their appearance resembled…

“Awakened Bodies?”

I watched them carefully for a moment before shaking my head.

“No, it’s a bit different. Did you forcefully explode their Qi centers to grant them momentary power similar to that of Awakened Bodies?”

“Oh? You noticed that right away? Sharp eyes you have.”

The man applauded.

“Just as you said, I call them disposable Awakened Bodies. Their bodies are tough enough to withstand the transformation without falling apart easily.”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The transformed members of the Evil Refining Sect began to surround me, ignoring the Underworld King Unit entirely.

“Let’s see if the one who slaughtered numerous Ten Heavenly Lords lives up to the reputation.”

“If that’s what you want.”

These were no longer human—just lumps of flesh.

Though they were enemies I had to kill, I felt a tinge of pity for them.

I danced through their ranks as if performing a sword dance, swinging my blade.

Had I used Resonance Qi, I could have wiped them out in a single strike, but my instincts warned me that revealing my full strength in front of that man would bring disaster.

One by one, step by step.

I cut down their limbs and heads, slaughtering nearly thirty of the transformed members of the Evil Refining Sect.

Thud!

The moment the last Awakened Body collapsed.

“…Impressive.”

The man let out a low whistle in admiration.

“At this level, you could easily kill even a Peak Master Level expert. You’re several times stronger than I expected.”

I pressed my sword to his throat.

“Do you have anything else to show?”

He smirked and shook his head.

“Nothing left, at least for now.”

The man kept looking straight at me with a relaxed expression until the end.

“Next time we meet, I’ll make sure to be better prepared.”

Without hesitation, I sliced through his neck.

His head and body separated far too easily.

“Wasn’t that a bit hasty?”

Gu Chil approached and voiced his doubt.

“No, he wasn’t someone who could be broken by torture.”

Even as his head rolled on the ground, his face still wore a smile.

‘This feels ominous.’

No matter how much someone might live risking their life, it was impossible to accept death this easily.

Unless they had undergone extreme training to suppress their emotions, but this man showed no sign of having received such training.

“Release the surviving laborers and reorganize the Underworld King Unit.”

“Will you enter the ruins?”

At Gu Chil’s question, I shook my head.

“No, we attack the main base of the Evil Refining Sect immediately.”

Originally, I had planned to investigate the ruins left behind by Senior Brother Sa before searching for the Evil Refining Sect’s base.

However, now that the location of the Evil Refining Sect’s base had been revealed, the priority had to change.

“Understood.”

Gu Chil and So Soryu bowed their heads.

“There it is….”

The main base of the Evil Refining Sect was riddled with holes like an antlion’s nest on the mountainside.

‘According to Senior Brother Sa, they live around a giant cavern inside….’

Fanaticism showed its unchanging resilience even after over a thousand years.

“It’s surprisingly plain…”

No one would have expected the hideout of the bandits who terrorized Qinghai Province and Xinjiang to look so humble.

But that didn’t matter.

The moment they touched the Cult, they had to pay the price in blood—dozens, even hundreds of times over.

I gave a quiet order to the Underworld King Unit waiting behind me.

“Your task is simple. Once inside, kill everything you see.”

“Understood.”

“Good, move out.”

I and the Underworld King Unit launched a direct assault on the Evil Refining Sect’s main base.

“Enemies!”

Clang, clang, clang!

Bells rang out in all directions, signaling the enemy’s appearance.

Immediately, members of the Evil Refining Sect began to pour out from various places.

However—

‘There are fewer than I expected.’

Judging by the presence I could sense, there were maybe two or three hundred?

It seemed that most of them were out raiding as bandits, leaving fewer residents in the base itself.

“Break through.”

I and the Underworld King Unit cut down all the Evil Refining Sect members blocking our path and pushed deeper into the tunnels.

“Find the Sect Leader. If you locate him, do not engage—report first.”

Even though the Underworld King Unit had become reliable, the Evil Refining Sect Leader was likely at Peak Master Level.

I had to face him personally.

However—

“After interrogating several captured members, it seems the Sect Leader is currently away.”

So Soryu reported back with a hint of irritation.

“Away?”

“Yes, it seems he’s been gone for about a month already. They said he headed somewhere north, but none of them knew the exact location.”

“……”

The moment I heard that, I felt an ominous sense creeping in.

‘If it’s further north from here….’

It could be the Mongolian plains where the Heavenly Illusion Clan was hiding.

Or, even further north, there was the foreign force known as the Ice Palace, though that seemed unlikely….

“Reporting.”

Just then, one of the Underworld King Unit members approached and knelt before me.

“A man claiming to be the former Sect Leader of the Evil Refining Sect is requesting an audience with His Highness the Demonic Faction Lord.”

“…The former Sect Leader?”

“Yes.”

If Cheon Jumyeong’s words were true, then the former Sect Leader of the Evil Refining Sect was known to be a moderate who did not have a bad relationship with our Cult.

According to the report from the Underworld King Unit, he had been found in a place deep underground, like a prison.

“Lead the way.”

“Understood.”

Thus, I followed my subordinate’s lead deeper into the cave.

And there, I encountered an old man whose four limbs’ tendons had been completely severed.

“Oh! Are you from the Heavenly Demon Cult?!”

His body was in such a terrible state that it was covered with dried blood scabs.

“Are you the former Sect Leader of the Evil Refining Sect?”

“Yes, I am Jo Mugi.”

“What happened to you?”

At my words, the former Sect Leader lowered his head with a bitter expression.

“…My successor staged a rebellion.”

“Your successor?”

Normally, it was not the successor but those who had been pushed away from succession who rebelled.

“Wouldn’t the Sect Leader’s position have fallen into his hands in time anyway?”

“He was tempted…”

“About a year ago, people claiming to be from the Royal Palace approached me.”

“…The Royal Palace?”

The title of Royal King wasn’t quite imperial but still held considerable influence as part of the royal family.

But the Royal Palace, all of a sudden?

“They must have offered you something, and you refused.”

“Exactly.”

“What did they offer you?”

Jo Mugi soon uttered a shocking statement.

“They told me that the Heavenly Calamity was approaching and asked for my cooperation in drenching the four directions of the Heavenly Demon Cult in blood.”

“…?!”

…Drench the four directions of our Cult in blood?

Jo Mugi spoke with difficulty.

“I don’t know the full details, but it’s certainly part of a massive ritual. It will never… end well.”

“Your successor, the current Sect Leader, reportedly went north. Is that related?”

“Yes…”

I thought he might mention the Heavenly Illusion Clan, but then something completely unexpected came out of his mouth.

“He is surely plotting to mobilize the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty to flood the northern Central Plains with blood.”

Right, there were still remnants of the Yuan Dynasty lurking in the northern Central Plains.

‘To the west, the Evil Refining Sect and the foreign powers. To the north, the Yuan Dynasty…’

In the south, there were the Sichuan Murim and the Evil Overlords of Heaven, and to the east, the Central Plains Murim.

“Cough! He… he betrayed me, tempted by their promise to make him the ruler of the northwestern Central Plains… Please, as an old ally sharing the same roots, punish him before he strays further.”

I already intended to do that, even without him asking.

“And please… grant me peace…”

“……”

Jo Mugi was already beyond saving.

His limbs’ tendons had been severed, and his internal organs were rotting away.

It was a miracle that he was still alive.

“Fine, I will grant all you ask.”

With a faint smile of satisfaction, he raised his hand and pointed somewhere.

“If you go down further, you will find a sacred relic of the Evil Refining Sect that has been preserved for a thousand years. It is originally a relic passed down from the era of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect. Take it as your own.”

“I will.”

There was no reason to refuse what was being offered.

I granted Jo Mugi his peace and descended deeper to retrieve the sacred relic he had mentioned.

And not long after, I found it.

In a chamber where a cool breeze blew from all directions, there was a black, transparent ritual cup.

However.

For some reason, the marble I had kept in my robe began to resonate.

“…Young Master?”

Gu Chil asked worriedly upon seeing my unusual reaction.

But I could not answer.

If my intuition was correct.

This was undoubtedly the entrance to the Heaven of Sacred Spirits.

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