Chapter 149: The Secret of the Moon Immortal Demonic Art (1)

I could only sense the presence of the young clan heirs after entering the third pavilion.

“Yeong Mae, things have gone smoothly so far, but we never know what could happen. So, no matter what happens, don’t be startled and steel your heart.”

“Yes, Brother.”

I made sure to get a firm response from Jegal Cheongyeong.

From my perspective, Jegal Cheongyeong felt like a child left alone by the water’s edge.

As I secretly slipped into the third pavilion, I could feel warriors standing guard in various places.

It was a clear sign that there was something here worth protecting.

“They might be imprisoned here.”

Jegal Cheongyeong nodded, sensing the same thing I did.

But the more I thought about it, the less I could understand Ihwa Fairy’s actions.

There was no need to recklessly provoke the martial clans by kidnapping their heirs and stirring their fury.

No matter how renowned Ihwa Palace was as one of the three great secret sects of the martial world, if the martial clans united and put their full effort into searching, they would inevitably find this place.

When the Twelve Great Martial Clans combined forces, they wielded power comparable to that of the Nine Great Sects.

In truth, they were called the Twelve Clans, but if you included all the clans across the continent, there would easily be dozens.

And they possessed enough influence to unite those dozens of clans.

There was nothing for Ihwa Palace to gain by provoking such forces.

Ihwa Fairy wasn’t the type of woman to overlook such obvious calculations.

Judging by how she operated in Soho, it was clear she was a highly calculating person.

For her to undertake such a reckless act, there had to be a reason worth the risk.

As we slipped past the guards and approached the interior of the third pavilion, an eerie energy began to seep out from within.

Jegal Cheongyeong followed silently behind me without worry of being discovered. Somehow, I knew how to pick the most desolate, unguarded paths.

“That place looks suspicious. From here on, erase your presence as much as you can. It feels like there’s a master inside.”

Jegal Cheongyeong could sense the eerie atmosphere, but she couldn’t feel any master’s presence.

To avoid causing us to be discovered, she gathered her qi and used the Sleeping Dragon Thousand Slumber Art, a stealth technique passed down only in the Jegal Clan.

I glanced at Jegal Cheongyeong with slightly surprised eyes.

“Impressive. I can’t sense your presence at all.”

For the first time, I praised her directly.

Jegal Cheongyeong had received countless compliments before, but hearing this one made her heart flutter more than any other.

It surprised even herself, as it felt so unexpectedly fresh.

I had initially worried that a master might sense Jegal Cheongyeong’s presence.

I had even considered leaving her behind. But when she suddenly gathered her qi and hid her presence so perfectly, I was taken aback.

At this level, it seemed there was little risk of being discovered.

Nodding, I climbed up onto the crossbeam and silently slipped toward the room from which the eerie energy flowed.

As Jegal Cheongyeong and I entered the room, we nearly fell from the crossbeam.

The sight below us was so shocking.

If I hadn’t warned her in advance to brace herself, Jegal Cheongyeong might have lost control of her qi and revealed our presence.

“My god… What on earth are they doing?”

Jegal Cheongyeong asked me in a hushed transmission, clearly stunned.

But I did not answer. I just stared down with a hardened expression.

On the stone platform below lay eight women, almost completely naked.

What shocked us even more was that these women were the daughters of the clans abducted by Ihwa Fairy.

Seomun Seoseol, Shangguan Mijong, Namgung Sohong, Danmok Wan, and even the three members of the Three Chivalrous Sisters were lying there nearly naked.

Anyone looking at them might think they were corpses laid out for a ritual.

But their chests were rising and falling, indicating they were still alive.

“What are those needles stuck in their faces?”

“I don’t know either.”

The women lying there had thick needles, about the length of a finger, densely embedded all over their faces.

The sight alone gave off an eerie feeling.

Jegal Cheongyeong glanced at my eyes.

There was not even a hint of lust in my gaze.

Instead, a quiet fury and horror burned within them.

It was clear that I wasn’t paying the slightest attention to the women’s exposed bodies.

Jegal Cheongyeong let out a bitter smile, feeling ridiculous that she had been more concerned about that than the women’s safety.

‘Is this just a woman’s nature?’

Having already experienced countless battles and hardships, I wasn’t someone who could be easily shaken by this.

What occupied my mind was figuring out why these women had been subjected to this.

Moreover, seeing the Three Chivalrous Sisters in such a state made my anger rise.

“Where could the clan heirs be?”

Jegal Cheongyeong asked upon seeing only the women.

“It doesn’t seem like they are here. They might be in the fourth pavilion.”

“What should we do? Should we rescue these women first?”

“There is no one in this room, so let’s rescue them first.”

“But… how do we wake them up? Wouldn’t it be dangerous if we carelessly pull out the needles?”

“It shouldn’t be.”

While saying that, I stimulated my upper dantian to awaken the Demonic Master.

A moment later, I felt my head grow heavy as the Demonic Master stirred awake.

‘Oho! What a feast for my eyes after so many decades!’

As soon as he woke, the Demonic Master couldn’t stop marveling at the paradise spread before his eyes.

Truthfully, I had hesitated to awaken him precisely because I feared this reaction.

‘Where in the world is this place with such a beautiful sight? I enjoy it, but this doesn’t feel like a good place at all.’

‘It is a branch of Ihwa Palace located on Mount Myoseon.’

‘Heh, you actually made it all the way here. The formations of Ihwa Palace are not easy to break through.’

‘I came through a secret passage.’

‘I figured as much. So, why have you called me?’

‘I was worried about the needles stuck in the women’s heads.’

After observing quietly for a while, the Demonic Master spoke.

‘It’s nothing serious. Those needles merely keep the body awake while putting the mind to sleep. Pull them out, infuse your internal energy, and tap their upper dantian. That should awaken them.’

As expected, the Demonic Master, with his vast knowledge, instantly saw through the purpose of the acupuncture.

‘Wait… you’re saying they did this to the women in Ihwa Palace’s branch?’

The Demonic Master seemed momentarily stunned and muttered to himself.

‘Is there a problem?’

‘Looks like they’re preparing to perform Moon Immortal Demonic Art on them.’

‘What? Moon Immortal Demonic Art?’

‘Yes, it’s one of Ihwa Palace’s forbidden techniques. But no one has ever fully succeeded in mastering it. If they had, Ihwa Palace would have proudly revealed itself. Because of Moon Immortal Demonic Art, they earned the wrath of the martial world, and two hundred years ago, Ihwa Palace was nearly annihilated. That’s when they activated their formation and hid themselves.’

‘What kind of art is it, that it led to that? Are they making jiangshi or something?’

‘No. While jiangshi are terrifying, they lack intelligence and are no more than puppets to masters who wield sword qi. But Moon Immortal Demonic Art doesn’t turn people into jiangshi. It lets you synchronize with the soul of a living person. Through that, you gain control over them. The caster manipulates them using their own soul and spiritual essence. The large needles currently stuck in them are the preparatory stage for this technique.’

‘You mean it controls their souls? Wouldn’t others notice if someone was being controlled? What’s the point then?’

‘Moon Immortal Demonic Art isn’t such a crude trick. They would live their lives normally, but when the caster gives a command, they would obey while continuing their normal behavior.’

‘If that’s really possible… it’s horrifying.’

‘That’s exactly why the martial world united against them, forcing them to flee and hide after nearly being destroyed.’

While speaking calmly, the Demonic Master suddenly shouted.

The shout echoed in my head, making me nauseous.

‘What the hell am I saying? To perform Moon Immortal Demonic Art, they need Moon Yin Demonic Qi, and that vital qi line… belongs to my daughter! Damn it, are those women all people you know?’

At that moment, I finally remembered how the Demonic Master had raged when he heard in Soho that his daughter had been taken hostage and was being used as a servant of the Third Young Master.

‘Are you saying your daughter is here?’

‘How else can this be explained? Why do you think Ihwa Fairy appeared in Soho? She brought my daughter here to cultivate Moon Immortal Demonic Art. Then, she abducted the daughters of the clans to implant the art into their souls. Once she releases them, they’ll return to their clans, only to serve Ihwa Fairy when the time comes.’

As I thought more about it, it made sense.

The timing of Ihwa Fairy meeting the Third Young Master in Soho and the nearby location of this branch all fit together now.

While inspecting the women, I noticed an unfamiliar face in the center.

‘The woman in the center is someone I haven’t seen before.’

‘Move closer.’

The Demonic Master seemed unsure and wanted me to move to a position where the face could be seen more clearly.

Jegal Cheongyeong, who had been silently watching my grave expression, followed as I shifted positions.

‘Those damn bastards!’

As I moved closer, the woman in the center had the most voluptuous figure among them.

Her face looked youthful, but her body was captivating enough to steal anyone’s gaze.

‘Is that your daughter?’

‘Yes. She should have died, but here she is. Somehow, my younger self must have extended her life. But what does it matter? Look at the state she’s in! Damn fool that I was!’

The Demonic Master cursed his younger self in fury.

‘First, we need to rescue her. You go down, remove the needles, and inject your qi into her upper dantian.’

Just as I was about to descend to wake them all up—

Creak.

The door opened, and an old woman entered. Behind her, a woman who appeared to be her disciple followed.

It was the White-Haired, Red-Faced Hag I had seen in Soho, holding her whisk.

Seeing her appear so suddenly made me tense up.

I feared she might harm the women.

“Master, once the Young Palace Mistress absorbs their qi, these women will become mere puppets.”

“Yes. After absorbing the qi of the young clan heirs and taking in the Moon Yin Demonic Qi, they will obey the Young Palace Mistress’s commands.”

“Once the Young Palace Mistress demonstrates the Moon Immortal Demonic Art, securing the position of Palace Mistress will be guaranteed.”

“Yes. She will fulfill the wish passed down through generations. Prepare what you brought. We will perform the grand technique on these women.”

“Yes, Master.”

The woman opened a large wooden box she had brought and unrolled a leather sheet.

As it spread open, rows of golden large needles were revealed.

Seeing that, the Demonic Master paled in shock.

‘Until now, they only placed needles on their heads to stabilize their souls, but if they start placing those on their entire bodies, the women will enter a suspended state and it will be nearly impossible to wake them. We must wake them before they perform that grand technique.’

In other words, we had to kill the White-Haired, Red-Faced Hag before she could act.

And it had to be done so silently that no one would notice.

The problem was that she was already a master who had reached a high level. Killing her without making a sound was nearly impossible.

At the very least, it would take dozens of seconds of fighting, which would expose us.

I racked my brain furiously.

How could I kill the White-Haired, Red-Faced Hag in a single strike?

‘Do you have any poison?’

When I didn’t answer, the Demonic Master growled in frustration.

‘Damn it! I’m asking the impossible from a righteous sect brat.’

Even the Demonic Master admitted that without poison, killing her silently would be difficult.

Then, I suddenly remembered a certain method.

‘That could work.’

After I explained it, the Demonic Master groaned but nodded in agreement.

‘Ugh, that’s the best option we have right now. Go ahead and try it.’

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