Chapter 407: Mount Bokryong (2)

The journey to Mount Tai didn’t take very long.

Three days later, we arrived near Mount Tai and sensed a faint yet mystical energy lingering throughout the entire mountain.

Swoosh!

After a long time, Yorang emerged from my embrace and spoke.

–I smell something.

“Do you know something about it?”

When Baek Sang-ah reached out without much thought, Yorang responded with a fierce swipe of her front paw and clicked her tongue.

–A dragon.

“A dragon?”

–To be precise, a dragon’s corpse. It seems someone is trying to use its power.

Yorang locked eyes with So Cheon after speaking, then licked her front paw.

“Can you explain in more detail?”

–Hmm…

Yorang took a moment to gather her thoughts.

–Even dragons have grades. Judging by the lingering traces of its power, despite it having been dead for a long time, it must have been of quite a high grade.

“How long ago did it die?”

Baek Sang-ah, still rubbing the hand that had been smacked, asked.

–Roughly seven to eight hundred years? That’s what it looks like.

“If that’s the case…”

That would place it around the Late Tang Dynasty, or the early Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

A time when the unified empire that barely held the Central Plains together after the era of the Heavenly Demon Founder collapsed, and chaos swept the world again.

“Then it wouldn’t be surprising if the Heaven-Defying Society was already rampaging back then.”

“So? What can you do with a dragon’s corpse?”

–Many things.

Yorang’s eyes sparkled meaningfully.

–Even if the flesh has rotted and returned to the earth, the dragon’s essence would have taken root throughout the terrain’s qi veins. If all of that could be gathered and refined into essence again…

“If?”

–It could become a top-grade offering on its own. Or it could serve as a catalyst for high-level sorcery or as a power source for something else.

“……!”

“That’s odd. Why would they leave something that useful alone until now?”

Yorang gave Baek Sang-ah a surprised look.

–You seem dumb on the outside, but you’re unexpectedly sharp. That’s right. It doesn’t align properly. Extracting essence requires preparations on the level of divine sorcery, and if the timing isn’t right, the dragon’s power won’t respond.

“Timing?”

–Heavenly timing.

The moment when Heavenly Evil’s fragment regains its essence and revives.

“So the awakening of that power means the heavenly timing is approaching?”

–You could see it that way.

Yorang added a faint sneer to his words.

–That creature was likely one of Heavenly Evil’s close aides. That’s why it probably rampaged without knowing right from wrong and got killed by either my host’s descendant or some other human hero. Stupid thing.

“…….”

Honestly, you’re not one to talk…

–In any case, if left alone, it’ll be quite a headache. Either disrupt the process and reseal it, or…

Yorang’s eyes turned toward me.

–You take it.

“You mean me?”

I answered with a slight frown.

Honestly, I already had enough power.

This was a time when I needed to contemplate how to overcome the transcendence of the Supreme Demon Realm ahead, not a time to blindly seek power.

–The truly remarkable thing about a dragon’s power is that it harmonizes well with any system of power. More importantly, it’s a natural nemesis to divine beasts and demonic beasts, albeit in a different sense from intellectual force.

“Oh…”

–If you absorb it, it will definitely be of help someday. That is, if you can absorb it.

I mentally filed away Yorang’s opinion.

It was still too early to conclude anything, but if things were as he said, there’d be no loss in obtaining it.

If nothing else, I could always toss it to someone else.

Not long after we arrived—

Hwan Jeong led the Heavenly Illusion Clan’s fifty top sorcerers to Mount Tai.

“We pay our respects to the Grand Duke.”

Hwan Jeong and the elders of the clan all knelt on one knee before me.

All of them were individuals with reputations so high that, just a few years ago, I would have been the one to bow first.

“Well done.”

I warmly welcomed them. The reason was simple.

“It would be difficult to sneak into Mount Tai with just us.”

I had considered smashing through the front head-on.

But my concern was that the enemy leadership might simply retreat without engaging.

‘So Cheon’s Ten Thousand Phase Tai Chi can infiltrate, but assassination is a different matter.’

The defenses of martial artists and those of sorcerers were on completely different levels.

I instinctively realized that even if just one of the outer perimeter guards was compromised, it would immediately alert the entire force.

‘Even if it’s possible, there’s no proof that he’s the real body. There’s no need to take unnecessary risks.’

“You’ve made a wise decision. A sorcerer should be dealt with by another sorcerer.”

Hwan Jeong’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

“I’ll set up a reverse barrier so that not a single one escapes from Mount Tai.”

“Good, dependable as always.”

‘Intruders.’

The Mosan Celestial Maiden, who had been conducting a ritual at the highest peak of Mount Tai, instantly sensed the intrusion initiated by the Heavenly Illusion Clan in the distance.

There was no way she wouldn’t have noticed.

A sorcerer of her caliber would naturally be aware of the intrusion corroding the barrier spread across the entirety of Mount Tai in reverse.

The Mosan Celestial Maiden furrowed her brow slightly.

“This seems like a troublesome bunch has invaded.”

“Could it be the Heavenly Illusion Clan?”

Since Jegal Cheon also had knowledge in sorcery, he understood well that sorcerers of this level were rare in the Central Plains.

“The Illusion Clan? How did the Demonic Cult bastards know we’re here?”

“Does it matter? The situation is already underway.”

“Can you handle it?”

At Jegal Cheon’s words, the Mosan Celestial Maiden scoffed.

“Hmph, it might have been different when the Illusion Demon was still alive, but the current Illusion Clan brats can’t do anything to me.”

Jegal Cheon issued a quiet warning.

“Be careful. If the Illusion Clan is here, that Demonic Faction Lord is surely with them.”

“…Demonic Faction Lord?”

“Yes, that reckless bastard who butted in everywhere he didn’t belong and disrupted the grand plans.”

The expression on the Mosan Celestial Maiden’s face changed dramatically.

The face once full of pride quickly turned into a cold, expressionless mask.

“If it’s the Demonic Faction Lord, you must mean that bastard who married Cheon Taejong’s daughter.”

“That’s right.”

“Perfect. I absolutely can’t let him leave alive.”

Her eyes burned with hatred.

Even though decades had passed, the memory of that day still tormented her.

“That bastard who dumped me and chose some fallen Priestess of the Blood Cult. I can’t forgive a single one connected to him.”

Although it had been a political marriage, she had genuinely loved him in her own way.

That was why the memory of being one-sidedly rejected still vividly resurfaced like it happened just yesterday, tearing at her heart.

“To dare stick your head into the viper’s nest… I’ll make you regret it.”

In sorcerer battles, the side that establishes their stronghold first holds an overwhelming advantage.

The Mosan Sect had fortified their positions around Mount Tai for months in preparation for a potential surprise attack.

A reckless charge would only turn them into prey for the absolute formation, resulting in utter annihilation!

The Mosan Celestial Maiden used illusion sorcery to manifest herself before the intruders’ leader from afar.

Hwan Jeong’s expression stiffened slightly at the sudden appearance of the phantom.

“Mosan Celestial Maiden, so it was you after all.”

“So, it’s the young master of the Illusion Clan. The brat who used to follow Hwan Pyeong around has grown up quite a bit.”

“I’m now the Clan Head of the great Heavenly Illusion Clan. I’m no longer that brat you once knew.”

“And yet, you’re still nothing more than a rookie who can’t even reach Hwan Pyeong’s toes.”

Crack!

Hwan Jeong’s face twisted.

No matter how much he pretended to be calm as a sorcerer, he was still young and full of vigor.

He was naturally vulnerable to such provocations.

I sighed and stopped Hwan Jeong from bursting out.

“Hey, Auntie.”

“…What did you say?”

“Do you have something in your ears? I said, Auntie.”

From what I knew, the Mosan Celestial Maiden’s age had long passed fifty by now.

No matter how much she prettified herself with cosmetic sorcery, there was a limit.

The Mosan Celestial Maiden immediately shifted her gaze from Hwan Jeong and glared at me.

“So it’s you. That brat with the surname Jin they call the Demonic Faction Lord.”

“Auntie.”

“…I don’t know how you found your way here, but do you understand this will be your grave?”

“Auntie.”

“No matter what you struggle to do, it’s futile. You won’t survive this plac—”

“Auntie.”

“You insolent little wretch!”

The Mosan Celestial Maiden finally exploded.

After drawing her into disarray with a single word, Hwan Jeong looked at me with eyes full of admiration.

“I’ll remember your face! I’ll give you the most miserable, wretched death in the world!”

As soon as she said that, the surrounding scenery began to distort.

Space itself was warping.

‘Similar to what I saw at Yoo Family’s Sacred Mountain.’

It simply lacked the fatal poison of demonic qi. Other than that, this place was about to become an impenetrable fortress.

“Remarkable. The Mosan Celestial Maiden is known to be a figure like Sa Gal, and yet you’ve managed to infuriate her like that!”

“She got provoked way too easily for someone compared to Sa Gal, don’t you think?”

If she had also heard the remark about being dumped by the Cult Leader because of her face, she would have probably gone berserk.

“Hmm, I bet she was quite the beauty in her youth. Bit of a shame, really.”

“…What?”

Unaware of Jin’s preferences, Hwan Jeong blinked.

Just what part of that vicious face could possibly be to his liking…?

“Anyway, it looks like a Maze Formation has been activated. Do you have a way around it?”

Regaining his composure at my words, Hwan Jeong replied.

“Ah, dismantling it isn’t difficult. But there’s something concerning…”

“What is it?”

“From the peak of Mount Tai, where the Mosan Celestial Maiden should be, I can sense a dreadful presence.”

“……”

“It’s hidden thoroughly by sorcery, but not enough to completely mask even the smallest trace.”

I quietly admired Hwan Jeong’s sharp senses.

After all, I too had faintly sensed it.

“Once the elders from our main house begin clashing with the Mosan Sect’s sorcerers spread across the area, this Maze Formation will likely fall apart in no time. However…”

“They’re trying to lure us in deeper?”

“Yes, exactly.”

We were the ones launching the surprise attack.

And judging by the Mosan Celestial Maiden’s reaction, it didn’t seem like she’d caught on to our ambush.

“In that case, she must be confident…”

By now, even the Heaven-Defying Society bastards would know the level of my martial strength.

‘If it were just the Jegal Clan, I wouldn’t even need to step in. So Cheon and Lady Baek alone could sweep them away. But if they’ve prepared something specifically to face me…’

Whatever it was, I would crush it head-on.

That’s when—

–It’s him.

“Yorang?”

–It’s been so long. A thousand years, perhaps?

Yorang urged me on in an unusually grave voice.

–You’d better hurry. If the ritual is completed, even you will have little chance of victory.

“……!”

For Yorang—who had acknowledged that there was no human rival for me—to speak this seriously…

“So the opponent isn’t human?”

–Correct. And furthermore—

Yorang shifted his gaze.

–There isn’t just one ritual being performed right now. Two of them are underway. They really are squeezing every last drop out of this.

Not just one?

–They’ve hidden it extremely well, but even they can’t deceive my eyes.

‘A diversion tactic?’

I briefly considered targeting the other one first.

But in the end, I shook my head.

‘No. If a monster I can’t handle is born, then no one else in the Central Plains will be able to stop it either.’

If it were Cheon Yura a few years from now, maybe. But by then, that monster would have already devoured the world.

‘In that case—’

I looked to So Cheon and Baek Sang-ah, both ready for battle.

“Yorang, can you lead them to the other ritual site?”

–It’s not difficult.

“Please.”

Baek Sang-ah seemed somewhat dissatisfied with my decision, but there was no other choice.

Before she left with So Cheon for the other location, she said to me,

“That monster said to be at the peak of Mount Tai… there’s a high chance it’s either the one we fought or something on the same level.”

An unprecedented monster that couldn’t be defeated even by the two of them attacking together.

“Be careful, Young Master Jin.”

“Don’t worry.”

I tapped the scabbard of the Ten Heavenly Record Sword with a grin.

And so, the two of us parted ways for a while.

Not even half a quarter-hour later, the Maze Formation was lifted, and Hwan Jeong and I soon reached the summit of Mount Tai.

And then, we saw it.

A black monster absorbing spiritual energy flowing from all over Mount Tai.

The figure of Gunggi, one of the Four Atrocities.

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