Chapter 204: Entrance To Heaven Ascension Cave (3)

‘I managed to arrive within two hours. There’s still plenty of time left.’

「Hmm, I thought meeting the Sword Emperor was the condition for success. Haha.」

‘Do we need to break through there?’

「It won’t be easy.」

When Yi-gang entered the entrance of the Heaven Ascension Cave, what he encountered was a unique stone door.

The stone door was engraved with a strange pattern in bas-relief, not a roughly made decoration.

To open the door, it seemed that an understanding of the Qi Men formation was necessary.

‘Did you make this yourself?’

「…」

‘It doesn’t seem like it, so you must have gotten it from somewhere else. Hmm…’

After falling for Yi-gang’s leading question, Zhang Sanfeng was worried about leaking information as he spoke.

Whether he became mute as if he had eaten honey or not, Yi-gang focused only on the stone door in front of him. It seemed not overly complicated; he might be able to open it within half an hour.

Yi-gang concentrated his mind and solved the riddle imbued in the stone door.

However, amidst his intense focus, noise began to reach his ears at some point.

‘You stupid fool!’

‘Let it out!’

The sounds of fighting that reached even underground were unmistakably from Cheong Su and Cheong Hye.

Yi-gang furrowed his brow and forced himself to concentrate.

But no matter how much he tried to immerse himself, something inevitable happened.

Along with Cheong Su’s scream.

‘Aah!’

An invisible wave of Qi swept past Yi-gang and the stone door. It was a familiar yet sinister Qi.

Pat- Pabat- Pat-

Like weapons from a distant future war, the Qi embedded in the stone door dispersed.

The stone door must have been equipped with the power of Qi Men Dun Jia. However, the formation of the door, which someone had worked hard to establish, scattered in an instant.

“Uh…?”

He pressed various parts of the stone door, but it no longer responded.

It meant that Yi-gang’s efforts had been in vain.

“What happened, what went wrong?”

That wasn’t all. After mastering the Heavenly Thunder Bell, Yi-gang had something like a thread connecting him to Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Fox.

But now, the thread connecting him to Cheongho through Qi was gone.

Naturally, he could no longer use the power of the Heavenly Thunder Bell. It seemed like it could be restored over time, but currently, there was no way forward.

Focusing his eyesight on the stone door, he noticed that the dispersed Qi of the stone door was gradually gathering again.

However, it seemed that the formation of the stone door would not be restored in a short time. Even pushing it did not budge.

「Hahaha! It seems wrong to try to enter within two hours!」

“…”

「Finally, righteousness and law are aligned. Hahaha!」

“…”

「Hehe… ahem.」

As Yi-gang glared silently, Zhang Sanfeng realized his own disgrace and repeatedly coughed.

But that was not the only problem.

A rush of valley water poured from the entrance.

Yi-gang quickly became as drenched as a soaked mouse.

At that moment, as irritation surged—

‘Who are you people! Reveal your identities!’

Such a shout from Cheong Su was heard.

Yi-gang grabbed his sword and rushed out.

After warding off the sword of the stranger who was attacking Cheong Su and Cheong Hye, he pierced the man’s chest.

That’s how things happened.

There were five Hidden Ghost.

An unidentified, strange figure. Clearly, the term ‘demonic practitioner’ or ‘strange person’ would fit this enemy.

Now there were four.

As Yi-gang pulled Cheong Su aside, he assessed the situation.

He didn’t ask explicitly. Combining the conversation he heard below with what he noticed gave him a rough answer.

An unknown enemy. Having taken one down by surprise, the situation was somewhat favorable.

At that moment, as Yi-gang concluded.

「Don’t let your guard down.」

With Zhang Sanfeng’s advice, trouble erupted.

Sure enough, the strange person that had been pierced in the chest and fallen, surged up from the water.

Whether it had drawn another one without notice, the curved blade flew in with a sharp breaking sound.

Ssssack—!

Yi-gang twisted his head, and the curved blade, by sheer luck, only clipped a few strands of his hair as it passed.

Had it even grazed his cheek, he would have been poisoned.

“Phew!”

That wasn’t all. The Hidden Ghost spat a needle from its mouth.

Even the most nefarious martial artists from the unorthodox sects would be alarmed by such a technique.

It was hard to fend off all attacks with a sword. Yi-gang rolled on the ground, causing a splash.

Boom!

The needles, lacking internal energy, could not penetrate the resistance of the water and fell with a plop.

While the needles could not break through the water, Yi-gang’s sword could.

His Shooting Star Fang drew a long arc and then sharply cut through the neck of the Hidden Ghost.

Even the one that had survived being pierced through the chest finally met his end.

“…These are some vicious foes.”

Such martial artists were not commonly raised by many organizations in the martial world. Only those from the outer region sects or the Demon Cult, or perhaps…

“Young Master Immortal Divine Dragon!”

Cheong Su was tearfully joyful to see him. They rallied tightly around Yi-gang.

The four Hidden Ghosts that were about to attack also halted.

They were sizing up each other’s strength.

Yi-gang’s expression was impassive, but inside, he was not entirely calm.

「These are not simple foes.」

‘I know.’

The enemies were stronger than expected. They were all Peak-level martial artists, and managing to take down the first one was more luck than skill.

Especially the leader, whose aura was particularly formidable.

If Yi-gang were alone, even facing two would have looked difficult. Moreover, having to look after Cheong Su and Cheong Hye…

Yi-gang was the first to speak.

“Do you know where you are?”

No answer came.

This place is right in the middle of Mount Wudang. Moreover, it’s a place where trials were currently being held. He had to use this to his advantage.

“I won’t chase you, so retreat.”

He made such a proposal first.

At the same time, he sent a silent message to Cheong Su and Cheong Hye.

-One of you run behind me to call for help, and the other enter the Heaven Ascension Cave to call the Sword Emperor.

He pretended to look around while naturally concealing the movement of his lips.

-I’ll cover the back, so move immediately. Cheong Su, you enter through the side entrance… Cheong Hye, you will…

“I will go into the side entrance!”

Cheong Hye quickly responded.

However, he soon realized his mistake and covered his mouth.

Anger was evident in Yi-gang’s eyes as he glared at him.

Before the Hidden Ghosts could interpret his words, ‘I will go in,’ Yi-gang had already sprung into action.

He suddenly kicked Cheong Hye’s torso.

Thump!

How such monstrous strength came from Yi-gang’s lean body was unknown, but Cheong Hye couldn’t avoid it and was flung away.

And he tumbled into the open entrance of the Heaven Ascension Cave with a crash.

The Hidden Ghosts sprang from the ground.

Instead of attacking them head-on, Yi-gang threw something to Cheong Su and sent him a silent message.

-Pull and tug.

It was a concise instruction, but at least Cheong Su was a hundred times better than Cheong Hye.

Without even checking what the object was, Cheong Su ran towards Yi-gang’s back.

The Hidden Ghosts did not let him be. One of them quickly clung to Cheong Su.

Cheong Su ran fiercely.

His body was heavy with water, but he had a mission to call for help.

“Intruder—!” he shouted loudly once, and then again, “Intruder!”

He cried out more urgently.

The Hidden Ghosts were faster than Cheong Su.

He felt a sword flying towards him from behind. At that sensation, Cheong Su did something that a commendable successor of a prestigious clan should never do.

He immediately performed the Lazy Donkey Roll, rolling directly on the ground.

Sssack—!

The curved blade swept through where Cheong Su’s neck had been.

In an instant, the positions of Cheong Su and the Hidden Ghosts were reversed.

Even a highly trained Hidden Ghost tended to let their guard down against an opponent whose abilities they are fully aware of. This one, unlike when facing Yi-gang, allowed himself a bit of leisure.

That bit of leisure gave Cheong Su enough time to use the item Yi-gang had given him.

The long metal tube, resembling a firework, was aimed at the Hidden Ghost, and he pulled the string attached to its back.

It was somehow similar to the metal tube that Dam Hyun had given him. Therefore, Cheong Su could not anticipate what would spring forth.

Boom—!

A thick black liquid sprayed from the end of the tube.

In a compromised posture, and with such a sudden attack, even a skilled master could not have avoided it.

The sticky liquid that doused the Hidden Ghost ignited immediately.

“Guaaaagh!”

A suppressed groan escaped the Hidden Ghost’s lips as he writhed and died like a burning centipede.

What Yi-gang had handed over was indeed a terrible weapon.

“Huuk, huuuk.”

Cheong Su could never have imagined that the device he had just discarded, which had completely turned to scrap metal, was the same secret weapon of the Master of the Ghost Valley that was used against Namgung Yubaek, which Tang Eun-seol and Dam Hyun had managed to repair after it was nearly discarded.

Cheong Su finally stood up after throwing away the broken device.

Clang-clang.

A metallic sound echoed from where Yi-gang had been.

Cheong Su braced his stomach and started running again.

“Intruder—!”

Hoping that the elders of the sect would arrive soon.

Meanwhile, with Yi-gang.

He was facing three Hidden Ghosts.

All of the Hidden Ghosts were at Peak level. Especially the leader, who seemed to be nearing the Supreme Peak.

Moreover, Yi-gang was in a situation where he could not even use the Heavenly Thunder Bell.

The leader of the Hidden Ghosts spoke for the first time, “Has Pal-gwi fallen? It was a ploy to spread our forces from the start.”

His voice sounded metallic, as if altered.

Yi-gang responded, “Maybe. Or maybe not.”

“…”

“Are you from the Demon Cult?”

Yi-gang asked, but his opponent did not respond further.

“Die.”

Instead of wasting time on dialogue, they all attacked at once.

Zhang Sanfeng murmured softly, 「Focus.」

Following the advice, Yi-gang concentrated.

He was used to spirits interfering even during a fight.

Zhang Sanfeng offered guidance against the swords flying at him from three directions.

「Start from the upper left. The gap in the center is a feint.」

Advice flying at the speed of thought.

Indeed, Zhang Sanfeng wasn’t the only remarkable one.

Responding immediately to insights about his flaws and adapting was one of Yi-gang’s talents.

Clang-! Clack—

However, the difficulty was unavoidable. Yi-gang’s sword sped up, but the combined attack of the three was fierce.

「You don’t need to move three times faster to block three swords.」

Zhang Sanfeng said that, but inwardly, Yi-gang regretted not being able to use the Heavenly Thunder Bell.

With the extreme acceleration granted by the Heavenly Thunder Bell, even facing three would be easy.

「Haha, sometimes the field of view becomes so short.」

He couldn’t reply.

Yi-gang countered the Hidden Ghost using the Cloud Treading and Heaven’s Shadow Sword Technique.

「If you rely on that yokai energy-infused power, you will never attain the Immortal Sword.」

The tone was gentle, yet it was clearly a rebuke aimed at Yi-gang.

The curved blade slashed across the front of Yi-gang’s clothes.

Crackle—

This time it was truly dangerous.

「Even if heaven is too high to reach, and the earth too vast to find a path…」

Yi-gang focused his mind.

There had certainly been times when he didn’t have the Heavenly Thunder Bell. The Immortal Divine Sword did not have it, nor did Zhang Sanfeng.

「…The sword in your hand is the only thing you can take to the heavens.」

A man who had transcended humanity with just a sword was saying this.

Use the sword you have well.

Yi-gang pulled back the Shooting Star Fang.

For a moment, his upper body was fully exposed. Three curved blades seized the opening and rushed in.

「Now!」

There had been a misconception with Yi-gang.

The thought that facing two would be overwhelming was a misunderstanding of his own abilities.

With advice from the Sword Emperor and Zhang Sanfeng, the perfected Moon-Splitting Single Stroke was executed.

Yi-gang’s sword accelerated instantly.

Clang-clash—

And soon, as if effortlessly, he sliced through two curved blades and deeply slashed one opponent’s chest.

A perfect counter-initiative.

Shock filled the eyes of the Hidden Ghosts.

Another Hidden Ghost fell.

A brief silence lingered, then the leader spoke, “Retreat.”

The martial artists of the Wudang Sect would soon swarm in.

Quick decisions were made, and the two surviving Hidden Ghosts fled like arrows, their forms soon disappeared like a fading mirage.

Yi-gang did not bother chasing them.

There was something more urgent.

The Hidden Ghost whose chest had been slashed had to be immobilized before he could rise again.

Fortunately, its pressure points were similar to those of ordinary humans; it collapsed when the paralysis pressure point was struck.

Yi-gang also probed for the mute pressure point, just in case. From his waist, he pulled out a small knife.

He immediately shoved it into the Hidden Ghost’s mouth.

Crunch—

He wasn’t trying to kill it.

He did this to prevent the creature from committing suicide with a poison pill typically hidden in a molar.

Yi-gang retrieved the poison pill from its mouth.

“As expected, I knew it would be this way.”

But was that precaution insufficient?

It was less about Yi-gang’s mistake and more about the Hidden Ghost’s unique traits.

“Guuurgh.”

The Hidden Ghost made a strange noise and died.

Yi-gang clenched his teeth, and then his eyes widened.

The exposed skin of the Hidden Ghost was a dull grey. Something was moving beneath its facial skin.

Yi-gang used the small knife to slice open the bulging part of the creature’s jaw.

Ssshrrip-

Suddenly, a worm with dozens of long legs burst out.

Zhang Sanfeng was also startled.

「That is…」

Yi-gang’s face turned cold.

It was a characteristic that appeared when he went through intense emotional changes.

“It was you guys.”

The worm reminded him of the past.

Similar to the Gu that had come from the body of his uncle, Baek Jin-tae.

The worm wriggled as it looked directly into Yi-gang’s eyes.

Thump.

Yi-gang pressed down and killed it.

And then, Mang-hon in leisure.

He suddenly looked up.

“Huh?”

His lips, studded with silver rings, twisted with pleasure.

“Our eyes have met.”

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