Chapter 406: Mount Bokryong (1)

About half a day had passed.

The disappearance of the Outer Hall Leader of the Southern Murim Alliance, Jegal Gun, was made known.

His subordinates initially assumed he had just stepped away, but when he did not return even after a considerable amount of time, they sensed the gravity of the situation.

“Excuse me.”

“What is it?”

“We plan to search the hall. We ask for your cooperation.”

With Jegal Gun’s disappearance, the Southern Murim Alliance began overturning the entire alliance compound in haste.

Baek Sang-ah frowned and confronted the warriors who stormed in.

“How rude. What have we done to be threatened without a word of explanation?”

“We apologize, but this is an internal matter of the alliance, so we cannot disclose the details.”

“……!”

Baek Sang-ah was about to raise her voice in anger with a grimace.

I shook my head as I grabbed her shoulder.

Then, So Cheon tightly grabbed my shoulder.

With our consent, the warriors ransacked the interior of the hall as if they were hunting rats.

In the end, they found nothing.

“Hm….”

“Is the search complete?”

Baek Sang-ah approached them with a chilling smile.

“To think we came from Namcheon only to be treated like this. Now I understand what the Southern Murim Alliance thinks of the Namcheon Baek Clan.”

“N-no, Lady!”

“Enough. I’ll be informing the clan of everything that happened today—without leaving a single detail out.”

The warriors all panicked.

They never expected us to react this strongly.

Before long, Gongson Un came rushing in, scolding the warriors and trying to appease Baek Sang-ah, but he couldn’t calm her fury in the end.

Using this incident as a pretext, we were able to walk out the Southern Murim Alliance’s main gate with our heads held high.

As soon as we stepped outside the Southern Murim Alliance, her expression relaxed.

“It went according to plan, but… are you sure this is okay?”

She clicked her tongue with a hint of regret.

“We could’ve stayed longer and probed deeper into the alliance.”

She glanced slightly at the receding main gate of the Southern Murim Alliance.

“It probably won’t work twice.”

The Southern Murim Alliance, which couldn’t afford to lose even a single combat force, would surely send envoys to the Namcheon Baek Clan.

They’d mention Baek Sang-ah’s visit and urge the clan to join them.

“And they’ll be flatly rejected at the door.”

When that time came, they’d realize the truth.

That Baek Sang-ah’s actions had been a unilateral decision, completely ignoring her clan’s intentions.

“Well, it’s fine.”

I gave a wry smile and shook my head.

“With no Alliance Leader present, digging deeper into the Southern Murim Alliance would be pointless anyway.”

Even if he had neglected alliance matters, he wasn’t the kind of person to leave behind clues about himself.

“The real problem is Mount Bokryong. What lies there, and what will happen there—that’s the key.”

Mount Tai.

A place where traditional Bongseon Rituals had been held throughout history.

“Could it be… that event being reenacted?”

“We can’t be sure yet.”

What happened at Yoo Family’s Sacred Mountain was nothing but a desperate trick.

It was only possible because the Heaven-Defying Society had used up all the fragments of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor they had gathered over the years.

Now those fragments lay dormant inside me, so if anyone wanted to attempt that again, they’d need a matching sacrifice.

“I suspected the Heaven-Defying Society might try to ‘consume’ the Southern Murim Alliance soon.”

Flinch!

Baek Sang-ah’s shoulder gave a slight shudder.

Now was the time—while the North-South system hadn’t solidified yet.

Once more time passed and a clear boundary formed with fortified defenses, a head-on clash wouldn’t be so easy.

“There must be a reason they’ve left the Southern Murim Alliance alone.”

“Should we request support from the Alliance?”

“Hmm…”

“If it’s the Black Sky Master Mask, it might be possible.”

The direct distance from Luoyang to Mount Tai was roughly 1,200 li.

Not quite crossing the Central Plains, but far enough that calling for reinforcements would take too long.

More importantly, the area around Mount Tai in the northern region was part of the Southern Murim Alliance’s territory.

‘If it were an elite unit like the Black Sky Master Mask, they might arrive in seven nights…’

But for some reason, I had a strong intuition they wouldn’t be much help.

“No, it’s better to exclude the Black Sky Master Mask.”

“If Young Master Jin thinks so, I’ll follow.”

“Instead, we’ll request other support.”

I took out a talisman from my robe and burned it with Samadhi True Fire.

After it burned, the characters engraved on the talisman remained in the air, glowing with light.

A voice came from the characters.

–Did you summon us, Your Highness, Lord of the Demonic Faction?

“I need your help.”

I relayed the general situation to the voice beyond.

–Indeed. Understood. I will lead only the clan’s finest to the vicinity of Mount Tai.

“If you succeed in this, it will be a great help toward your restoration to the Cult, won’t it?”

–Of course. I place my faith in you, Your Highness.

Baek Sang-ah asked with curiosity.

“Who are they?”

“They’re quite decent when it comes to sorcery.”

Heavenly Illusion Clan.

In truth, anyone who dared to call their sorcery merely ‘decent’ would immediately be cursed and drop dead on the roadside.

They were the descendants of the Illusion Demon Hwan Seong and rightful heirs of the orthodox sorcerous lineage, now mostly fallen.

“It’s just a hunch, but at that place, sorcery might be more necessary than martial arts.”

Shandong Province, Mount Tai.

Among the Five Great Mountains, this place was called the Eastern Peak, and as perilous as its terrain was, so sparse were the traces of people.

But now, Mount Tai was teeming with hundreds of visitors, bustling with activity.

“How arrogant, Alliance Leader. Are you daring to doubt our skills?”

A middle-aged woman who appeared to be in her forties frowned at someone.

“Even if you are from the great Jaegal Clan, when it comes to sorcery, you can’t even reach the tips of our sect’s toes. You should know that better than anyone, shouldn’t you?”

“Heh, I trust in the strength of Mosan Sect.”

Alliance Leader Jegal Cheon smiled brightly at her.

If anyone else had run their mouth so arrogantly, he would have torn them limb from limb, but the person before him was worthy of such words.

“But you’ve already wasted over a month under the pretext of finding Mount Tai’s spiritual vein. Doesn’t that shake the firm trust I’ve placed in you, even a little?”

“…Do you really think this is simply about locating a spiritual vein?”

Fine wrinkles creased the fair forehead of the woman.

With her naturally fierce expression, she looked even more vicious.

“We are searching for the nucleus of a dragon buried in antiquity. Can you even imagine how powerful the seal hiding it must be?”

“Hahaha, I’m sure of it. I trust you.”

“If you wish to fully control the Four Atrocities, then sit quietly.”

“……”

Jegal Cheon’s expression slightly contorted.

“You’d best abandon any thoughts of threatening our Mosan Sect over this. Don’t forget just how much we contributed to creating your true body.”

It was a veiled threat implying they could affect his true body if things went sour.

‘That hag of a witch.’

‘That venomous serpent.’

They cursed each other silently.

But neither was foolish enough to show such emotions outwardly.

“Mosan Celestial Maiden. Still, you’d better hurry. If he bolts off to the Ten Thousand Mountain, all this effort will have been in vain.”

Mosan Celestial Maiden, Jeong Wolyeong, scoffed.

“Don’t worry about that. The area around those calling themselves the Northern Murim Alliance is under strict surveillance by our sorcerers.”

Flames of fury burned in her eyes.

“There’s no way I’ll let a Demonic Cult bastard walk away unharmed.”

It was then.

Jegal Cheon suddenly snapped his head southwest.

Mosan Celestial Maiden tilted her head.

“What is it?”

Jegal Cheon’s face twisted like a ferocious devil.

“The Soul-Repressing Demon Curse Technique I cast on that Outer Hall Leader just dissipated.”

“Oh?”

He hadn’t cast the Soul-Repressing Demon Curse Technique only on Jegal Gun.

Even though there were tensions on the surface with the Southern Murim Alliance, he had never let things escalate into inner conflict.

Jegal Cheon shouted toward a middle-aged man who was standing respectfully at his side.

“You there!”

“Yes, Master.”

Jegal On, one of the elders of the Jaegal Clan, immediately prostrated himself.

“Send someone to the Alliance and assess the situation. Check if there was an intruder and thoroughly investigate who has visited recently!”

“I obey, Master.”

Emotionless, Jegal On pressed his forehead to the ground.

Once Jegal On vanished, Jegal Cheon subtly frowned.

“Something feels ominous.”

–Ah, one more thing.

“What is it?”

–Near the territory, some sorcerers of quite a decent level were observing the Alliance.

“……!”

–We have arrested them all and launched a counter-operation, but we won’t be able to hide it for long.

“Can you identify them?”

–Judging by their sorcery level and lineage, they were from Mosan Sect.

“Mosan Sect!”

The East has Mosan, the West has Gyeongcheon.

In the world of sorcery, such a saying existed—so formidable were the Mosan Sect and the Heavenly Illusion Clan, both towering as the twin peaks of the Central Plains’ sorcery lineages.

‘Has the Mosan Sect sided with the Heaven-Defying Society?’

It seemed quite plausible.

Sorcerers were even more susceptible to temptation than martial artists.

When the mythic era spoken of by the Heaven-Defying Society returned, the ones who would benefit the most would not be martial artists, but sorcerers.

“We may clash with the Mosan Sect at Mount Tai. Do you feel confident?”

A twisted smile came from Hwan Jeong.

–No matter how high and mighty the Mosan Sect may act, they are nothing compared to our clan.

“That confidence… I like it.”

–However, be cautious. Mount Tai is said to be the place where, during the late Tang Dynasty, the Sword Immortal Lü Dongbin defeated a resurrected Demonic Dragon. They may be searching for something related to that legend.

“I see.”

–And regardless of the others, you must be wary of the Mosan Witch. Her strength aside, that old hag bears a deep grudge against our Cult.

“Hmm…”

I already knew well about the current Sect Leader of Mosan Sect, the Mosan Witch.

‘She was said to have nearly married the former Cult Leader, wasn’t she?’

Though it had been a political marriage, it seemed she did hold some affection for the former Cult Leader.

The deeper the love, the deeper the hate when betrayed.

After being unilaterally abandoned by the Cult, the Mosan Sect had opposed our Cult’s every event and operation through many reincarnations.

“Very well. I’ll keep that in mind.”

–Heh. Then, I’ll see you at Mount Tai.

Fwoosh!

With those words, the characters that had appeared in the air completely vanished.

“What will you do?”

“For now, let’s first test the waters using So Cheon’s Ten Thousand Phase Tai Chi before deciding.”

Rather than waiting idly for the Heavenly Illusion Clan’s arrival, it was more important to focus on what we could do right now.

“At present, Mount Tai is practically a Demonic Battlefield. Whoever we meet, you should be prepared. Especially when it comes to the Jaegal Clan.”

“Ah… ugh…”

Before us now stood Jegal Gun, utterly reduced to a mental wreck.

Since So Cheon had secretly moved him out of the Southern Murim Alliance last night, he had remained in this condition.

“…How pitiful.”

“It was already too late the moment he was caught in the Soul-Repressing Demon Curse Technique.”

This wasn’t merely a suppression of the soul.

From the beginning, the caster had destroyed the victim’s ego and overlaid a puppet personality.

Under normal circumstances, he would act without suspicion, thinking and behaving with the memories and personality of Outer Hall Leader Jegal Gun. But the moment the caster gave an order, he would instantly become their loyal slave.

“I feel sorry for Eun Yi… but we must now consider the Jaegal Clan finished…”

Though we couldn’t judge the entire clan based on this alone, if someone in the position of Outer Hall Leader was in this state, the rest were likely not much better.

I turned my gaze to the northeast.

The sky was still red, but not much had changed from before.

Yet, for some reason, a nameless dread crept up through my instincts.

A sense that perhaps, beyond that horizon, we might face something utterly unimaginable.

It suddenly came over me.

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