Chapter 71: Each One’s Thoughts (1)

“Gr-Grand Disciple?”

“I had my suspicions, but this place wasn’t a hunting ground prepared by those bastards. They were just guests here, too.”

Their ambush had certainly been deadly and vicious.

And yet, amidst that chaos, a strange thought crossed my mind.

If this truly were a hunting ground set up by them, they would have coordinated with installed traps and devices.

But they hadn’t done that.

“When they first appeared and attacked, I thought the youngest had dug traps around here. But that wasn’t it.”

Using false information to lure enemies into traps was surprisingly common.

But in the end, the first assumption had been correct.

“They were merely trying to excavate this place.”

The thought naturally flowed from there.

“They must’ve realized our strength was beyond what they expected, and decided to use our power to their advantage. That would explain everything.”

“Then… what do you intend to do, Grand Disciple?”

“We do exactly what they want.”

“What?!”

Despite the vice-leader’s shock, Geum Jeoksan remained calm.

“Two Peak Master-Level experts. Certainly, that’s tremendous power, but if we face them head-on, there’s no way we’ll lose.”

“Of course!”

The vice-leader agreed firmly.

A glimmer of hope began to return to Geum Jeoksan’s eyes.

Just what was hidden here that was worth throwing around over two million nyang to distract attention?

What could possibly be here that warranted the appearance of not one, but two Peak Master-Level warriors?

The answer was simple—something of that much value must lie dormant in this place.

‘If I can deliver whatever lies dormant here into the hands of the Evil Overlords of Heaven, then some losses will be forgiven.’

By now, the promise he made with Jin Yeomyung had completely vanished from Geum Jeoksan’s mind.

He had originally thought there might only be some wealth or ancient Martial Arts, but now his perspective had changed.

“Vice-leader!”

“Yes, Grand Disciple!”

“Send ahead those well-versed in trap formations. We break through to the innermost part of this ruin in one fell swoop!”

“Y-Your orders!”

From that moment onward, Geum Jeoksan’s overwhelming rampage began.

“Uwaaaaa!”

“There’s poison smeared on the pit floor! Everyone, chew the antidote pills!”

“It’s a three-headed monster! Everyone, engage!”

“This place is disgustingly deep!”

With the overwhelming might of the Yaksha Heavenly Blade Unit, they caught up in just three days to what had taken Nine Moons Blade Hall three full years to explore.

Though there were additional casualties along the way, Geum Jeoksan had long since stopped counting bodies.

“Grand Disciple, I believe this is the innermost chamber of the ruin.”

“Oooooh!”

A pristine altar, fit for an imperial sealing ritual.

And upon that altar, an enormous pile of gold and treasure!

‘Just seeing that much makes digging this deep worth it.’

Just as Geum Jeoksan was about to issue an order—

“Hehehe, good work.”

From behind, figures blocked the entrance like a cork in a bottle.

At their lead, the Yin-Yang Fist Demon and the Colorful Flower Lord, who had persistently harassed them until now, stood with faint smiles.

But Geum Jeoksan, having anticipated such a situation, remained composed.

“So, you’re here too, youngest.”

Han Mu-seong, standing at the rear, responded.

“Senior Brother Geum.”

“I’m not even sure if I still qualify as your senior anymore.”

Sneer.

Han Mu-seong’s lips twisted slightly. His voice, soaked in hatred and rage, slipped out.

“That’s right… Demonic Emperor Lord Geum Jeoksan.”

Although he had known the man for nearly a decade, there was no reason, nor desire, to show him any respect as a senior in this moment.

To Han Mu-seong, Geum Jeoksan had never been a true senior—just a rival who had endlessly suppressed him.

“Regardless of how the roles change, didn’t it seem inevitable that it would come to this between us?”

“Hehehe, yes. And not just between us. The same goes for the rest of our martial brothers.”

Geum Jeoksan quickly ran the calculations in his head.

The Yaksha Heavenly Blade Unit was still standing strong. Judging by the space around them, even if they went all out, there was little risk of being buried alive.

Though the enemy’s strength was formidable, if they clashed head-on, they wouldn’t lose!

“Thirty of you, huh? All monsters who’ve reached the realm of mastery. And you even brought along another Master-Level expert? You’ve certainly come prepared, Yin-Yang Fist Demon!”

“…Huh?”

A flicker of confusion crossed the eyes of the Yin-Yang Fist Demon and the Colorful Flower Lord, who were standing at the very front.

“Thirty… people?”

Including herself and the Yin-Yang Fist Demon, their group only numbered barely over twenty.

They hadn’t even counted the rest, since they weren’t worth considering. So why was he saying thirty?

And another Peak Master-Level expert on top of that?

“No way… from the cult…?”

Just as the Yin-Yang Fist Demon turned around in shock—

“I never imagined I’d run into you in a place like this, Seventh Elder.”

From the shadows of the Ten Thousand Mountains, a man with a crimson hue approached silently.

“You… Grand Protector?! How are you—!”

“I have no intention of listening to the words of a traitor.”

The fist of the Grand Protector, Wang Cheongeol—known as the Crimson-Faced Demon—shot forward, aiming to crush the Yin-Yang Fist Demon’s skull.

Thud!

The blow sent the Yin-Yang Fist Demon flying, and only then did the Colorful Flower Lord shriek in near-hysterical panic as he raised his fan.

“Since when were you here?!”

“From the beginning. Even when you were busy digging your little traps.”

“Wh-What?!”

“I wanted nothing more than to kill you all on the spot, but I held back to follow the Young Cult Leader’s instructions precisely.”

“Ghh… What? The Young Cult Leader? The Young Cult Leader is here?!”

The Yin-Yang Fist Demon shouted as she rubbed his aching neck.

Come to think of it, the Grand Protector was the staunch protector of the Lesser Demon Hall and one of the Young Cult Leader’s closest aides.

He wouldn’t have shown up here unless the Young Cult Leader was nearby.

The Grand Protector’s eyes shifted toward Geum Jeoksan.

“Demonic Emperor Lord.”

“…!”

Whether the hulking man who had suddenly appeared was an ally or an enemy remained to be seen.

The meaning behind the gesture aimed at the Colorful Flower Corps was something Geum Jeoksan couldn’t possibly fail to understand.

“Yaksha Heavenly Slaughter Squad! Annihilate the enemies of our cult!”

“Understood!”

The eighty members of the Yaksha Heavenly Slaughter Squad charged directly at the Hwaha Color Corps.

“Wh-what! Kill them all!”

At the urgent command of the Colorful Flower Corps, the members of the Second and Third Orders who were standing behind them had no choice but to engage the Yaksha Heavenly Slaughter Squad as well.

Just like that, a chaotic battle erupted in an instant.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the original altar where the ritual was being conducted by the Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens, Yoo So—

We were swinging our swords at Yoo So, entirely entranced.

Boom!

Crash!

How much time had passed?

By the time I became aware of myself again, Yoo So’s sword had violently slashed across my forearm.

“Khgh!”

“Focus.”

“Huff, huff!”

Catching my breath, I glared at Yoo So.

The other three were still lost in unconsciousness, swinging their swords in a trance.

I found myself asking a question without thinking.

“How much time… has passed?”

My whole body still brimmed with power.

What was it called again? The Demonic Spirit-Body Soul Flow Formation? This ancient formation forcefully drew in external demonic energy and infused it into the body, constantly maintaining it in peak condition.

‘Judging by the state of my body, it doesn’t seem like much time has passed, but…’

My clothes had become little more than rags—far too deteriorated for only a short while.

More than anything, the exhaustion in my mental strength was disturbingly immense.

To the point that I wanted to give everything up right now and collapse into sleep.

Yoo So slowly answered my question.

“Ninety-eight days.”

“……!!”

“But surely, that’s not what matters right now?”

“If… that’s not what matters?!”

Then doesn’t that mean everything outside had already ended long ago?!

“If you don’t keep emptying yourself, Yeomyung, your body won’t be able to endure the power of the formation and you’ll die from bursting apart.”

“But…!”

As I was about to roughly object to Yoo So, I suddenly felt something was off and faltered.

‘Wait… If that much time really passed, why is this place exactly the same?’

If over three months had gone by, something—anything—should’ve been resolved by now.

That would mean this place should also have been affected in some way.

“The flow of time outside is different, so there’s no need to worry.”

“…Ah!”

Only then did I let out a breath of relief at Yoo So’s words.

Then, I froze again.

“Wait, hold on. How does that even make sense?!”

A formation that affects time itself?

How could a mortal possibly touch the domain of gods?

Besides, if ninety-eight days really had passed, then the time ratio must be incomprehensibly skewed!

“It does make sense, Yeonja. Didn’t I tell you? It’s a heavenly, ancient opportunity.”

“……”

“This is not the time to be concerned about the outside. Yeomyung, worry about your body first.”

“Ghk!”

As if that was a trigger phrase, the moment those words left her lips, I felt blood surge up my throat.

So much power overflowed in my body that it was beginning to crack the vessel itself, causing all my Qi and blood to roil chaotically.

I hurriedly channeled my Qi into the Jade Green Heavenly Net Divine Sword.

And then—

Snap!

Effortlessly, a blade of sword aura formed.

“…What?”

The realm of forming Sword Qi was something that could only be barely reached through specific sword forms and internal energy circulation.

At my current level, I shouldn’t have been able to dream of such a thing.

Boom! Crash! Kaboom!

Before I realized it, Cheon Yura, Sa Biyeon, and Baek Sang-ah had charged at me like rabid beasts again.

Cheon Yura had long surpassed the current level, but even Sa Biyeon and Baek Sang-ah naturally wielded Sword Qi with their blades!

‘They’ve all surpassed the wall!’

As I trembled at their rate of growth—so fast it defied all common sense—

“Yeomyung, that’s still far from enough.”

Yoo So cut through my rising sense of contentment with a cold voice.

“Don’t get excited just because you managed to step onto the starting point. Compared to the realm you must reach, you’re merely at the foot of a great mountain.”

She slowly pointed her sword at me.

‘W-what is this?’

She hadn’t released any Qi or aura, yet I felt an overwhelming pressure blanketing my entire body.

‘Kh… gah!’

My knees trembled on their own. I wanted to throw down my sword and run away.

And just then, Yoo So spoke again.

“If you can’t endure this level of pressure, then there will be nothing you can achieve from now on.”

She was right.

The presence Yoo So was exuding right now was clearly not her full strength.

“When you first discussed this, didn’t you say something like this?”

As if in a trance, I answered.

“That we must overcome even the realm of ‘no-self.’”

“Yes. That’s exactly it.”

* * *

Right after the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden sword wind struck the altar—

Standing at the forefront, Cheon Yura stepped forward to block Yoo So and spoke.

“You all—can you form the Four Symbols Formation?”

Three Powers (Heaven-Earth-Human), Four Symbols, Five Elements, Six Harmonies, Seven Stars, Eight Trigrams, Nine Palaces.

Among these—the seven most well-known formation types in the martial world, determined by the number of participants.

Among them, the Four Symbols Formation took the shape of the four aspects of Yin-Yang-Taemin-Taeshao and was designed with rotation-based confrontation in mind.

“Are you all ready for this?”

“There’s a possibility. That person doesn’t seem to be showing any real fighting intent.”

Which meant—

“She doesn’t intend to go all out in dealing with us.”

There was a slight tone of respect in Cheon Yura’s voice.

“Indeed…”

It went without saying—if she decided to attack us seriously, we’d all be wiped out without being able to resist in the slightest.

“However, there’s one issue.”

“What is it?”

“The power right now is overflowing far too much.”

Cheon Yura’s voice held a trace of unease.

Too much of anything could be as bad as too little.

“No matter how simple the Four Symbols Formation might be, it’s ultimately about synchronization. The problem is, at this rate, we won’t even be able to dream of executing refined sword forms.”

If that happened, the formation would become essentially meaningless.

“And one more thing.”

As Cheon Yura continued to voice her concerns, the expressions of the others began to darken.

“This is just my assumption, but if this continues, we’ll eventually lose our sense of self and fall into the state of ‘no-self’.”

I understood exactly what Cheon Yura meant.

As long as this formation kept pouring endless power into us, we would have to continually empty ourselves of it to maintain balance.

And the more this repeated, the more we’d become obsessed with the act of emptying—eventually forgetting the very existence of others around us.

Still, for a martial artist, reaching the state of no-self wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

It wasn’t the same as simply losing one’s rationality—rather, it was a state where unconscious potential manifested itself, allowing one to find paths they could never see in normal circumstances.

But the issue Cheon Yura pointed out was different.

“If we fall into no-self, we won’t be able to properly maintain the formation.”

“Mmh…”

“Especially me. If I fall into that state, my Heaven-Slaying Qi won’t distinguish friend from foe. You’ll likely get severely injured.”

At that moment, a sharp voice cut through the air.

“You’re speaking unusually weak, don’t you think?”

“Lady Baek.”

Baek Sang-ah, who had been silent until now, glared at Cheon Yura.

“You’re supposed to be the Young Cult Leader—the greatest genius in the history of the Demonic Cult, aren’t you? With that kind of talent, shouldn’t you just overcome the state of no-self?”

It was a simple solution she offered, but of course, it was anything but simple to actually accomplish.

Cheon Yura, unusually, looked a bit flustered.

“Overcome even the state of no-self…?”

“There’s a slight difference between how the Orthodox Faction and we Demonic Cultists view the state of no-self. The Orthodox speak of regaining one’s ego within the realm of intent, while Demonic Cultists say we immerse ourselves in the demonic realm and subjugate it, no?”

Everyone looked surprised at just how insightful her observation was.

“Lady Baek… where did you hear something like that?”

“My grandfather told me. He said it was golden knowledge earned through a spar with a peak-level demonic expert.”

It wasn’t too surprising, considering her grandfather was one of the Five Kings and the Leader of the Murim Alliance—someone with experiences far beyond the norm.

Though I had no idea who that peak-level demonic expert he sparred with could be.

“In any case, we’re going to die if we keep dragging this out. If we’re going to die, might as well gamble on it.”

Baek Sang-ah smiled brightly.

“If we’re gambling, might as well go all in, right? Overcome it.”

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