Chapter 237

Chapter 237

In this Central Plains martial world, there are about three founding schools of magic arts.

The first is Mosanpa. Famous for magic arts since ancient times, Mosanpa is a sect of the neutral zone renowned for freely wielding magic arts such as Gangsi Technique and illusion arts.

Just the fact that Hwansin, one of the top practitioners in the magic arts world, studied here was enough to give you a sense of Mosanpa’s position in the magic arts community. Then where is the second?

The second is Wudang. The magic arts here are a bit different from ordinary magic arts, specializing in learning martial arts faster and more easily. One example of this is Yangui Simgong, which splits one’s consciousness in two.

Because their magic arts are specialized toward easily learning martial arts, famous magic practitioners rarely emerge from Wudang. They occasionally summon Taoists for spirit summoning or soul pacification, but it’s not really a place for practicing proper magic arts.

Thus, each founding school of magic arts was specialized and separated into different fields. There exists no magic practitioner in this world who can follow Hwansin’s illusion arts, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy for Hwansin to develop magic arts that help with martial cultivation either. 

From that perspective, the specialization of the third founding school of magic arts, Kunlun, was all too clear.

Astronomy.

Reading the heavens and reading the celestial omens.

“So this is Mount Kunlun…….”

Having arrived at the foot of the Kunlun mountain range, Geomhu let out an exclamation as she looked at the peaks rising beyond the clouds. Beyond the pale landscape, a massive mountain range with no visible end.

“It does look like a place where immortals would live.”

“Though it doesn’t feel like a paradise.”

The Sado Alliance Leader, who let out a chuckle, subtly turned his gaze. The fog that strangely seemed to envelop their bodies.

“Bad taste. Are you watching from above?”

“Surveillance……? I don’t sense such signs. In the first place, it’s still several hundred li from here to Kunlun Sect. Aren’t you just posturing?”

“Posturing? It’s simply a realm that can’t be detected by mere energy sense.”

The people here, the Sipcheon, were the pinnacle of Gangho. It would be fair to say they had literally reached the ultimate level of energy sensing.

Because each individual radiated such profound energy, the energy sense extending outward might be slightly scattered, but it was nearly impossible to monitor them while escaping their notice. That would mean the level of internal energy was higher than theirs, meaning at least a comparable or superior master.

“Watching from the sky isn’t constrained by distance.”

“……Are you saying they’re watching us from the top of Mount Kunlun? But nothing would be visible because of the clouds.”

“You don’t know—the sky and the ground are essentially one and the same. If you look at the sky, earthly affairs are reflected there.”

The Sado Alliance Leader gently shook his head with a grin, softly denying Geomhu’s statement. And then the following question.

“So, what scheme does our expedition leader who devised this operation have in mind?”

“I plan to request help from Gonryunseon.”

“Gonryunseon…… The former sect leader of Inner Kunlun, is it?”

“You know of him?”

“I’ve seen him from a distance. There was no one more troublesome to encounter. He truly seemed like an immortal.”

Looking at public perception, Kunlun Sect is said to be divided into two types. Inner Kunlun and Outer Kunlun. Here, Outer Kunlun is where the Taoists of Kunlun Sect who study martial arts reside, and Inner Kunlun is said to be where immortals dwell.

Outer Kunlun is often perceived as a place where those who couldn’t enter Inner Kunlun cultivate the Way to gain entry.

The reality is different. While it’s true that Kunlun Sect is divided into Inner Kunlun and Outer Kunlun, that doesn’t mean Inner Kunlun is superior to Outer Kunlun. It’s simply a difference of Inner Kunlun studying magic arts and Outer Kunlun studying martial arts.

“I know that the Kunlun Sect belonging to the Murim Alliance refers to Outer Kunlun, but can you be certain you can obtain Inner Kunlun’s cooperation? They’re people who don’t get involved in worldly interests.”

“I have a plan.”

I nodded and gave an answer to Daesageom’s question. No matter how uninterested Inner Kunlun was in worldly affairs, the fact remained unchanged that they were the Central Plains’ vanguard in checking Magyo.

“Gonryunseon is known to be stubborn, but he has a friendship with Shinui.”

“Shinui…… Come to think of it, you said he was taking refuge at Uicheonmun.”

“Yes. Though I doubt he’s someone who would be swayed by personal feelings…….”

There’s a debt left with Kunlun in the past, and there’s friendship with Shinui. Moreover, if he’s someone who reads celestial omens, he wouldn’t be unaware of how important this situation is.

“Even if he stubbornly refuses, there’s a way.”

Even in the worst case, there’s a method to make Gonryunseon move. In that case, I’d incur Gonryunseon’s wrath, but in a situation where we must move immediately, there’s no choice, is there?

“I will definitely persuade him.”

“Good.”

At my declaration, Taeak, who had been standing silently behind with arms crossed, nodded heavily. And Taeak, stepping forward.

“Let’s hurry.”

“Yes.”

As if there was no time to waste, I adjusted the hilt of Uicheongeom while watching Taeak begin striding toward Kunlun Sect. Thoughts floating in my mind.

‘The disciples must be suffering hardships by now.’

Looking at the status window, it seemed no disciples had died yet, but that didn’t mean they weren’t suffering hardships. If they were transported to Daemak in the first place, there was no way to avoid hardship.

‘There’s no time to delay.’

As befits one who is a sect leader, one must do whatever it takes to protect one’s own sect’s disciples.

Thinking of the disciples who must be suffering, I quietly closed my eyes and took a step forward.

Far in the distance, beyond the mountain range.

While feeling the ominous demonic power rising.

‘Wait just a little longer.’

“From now on, you are Yeonsam.”

“……What?”

What is this supposed to mean?

Having experienced the astonishing situation of having her name changed as soon as she regained consciousness, Seohwa turned her gaze to look at Seomun Cheok to understand what was happening. And at that sight, Seomun Cheok quietly bowed his head.

“Many things happened while Seohwa Sajeo was unconscious.”

“What things?”

“It’s a long story, but.”

After pausing briefly, Seohwa frowned as she listened to Seomun Cheok explain what had happened so far. Because she heard a story she couldn’t overlook.

“So…… we were transported to Daemak in Xinjiang.”

“Yes.”

“And Baek Risan was captured by Magyo while trying to save us?”

“Yes.”

“……So now we’re going to infiltrate Magyo?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

Seeing Seohwa make a dumbfounded expression, Seomun Cheok closed his mouth and nodded, and Seohwa pressed her forehead. A throbbing headache, perhaps due to the influence of demonic power.

“What on earth is this situation…….”

A story far too shocking to accept in an instant.

Having quickly organized her thoughts, Seohwa turned her gaze to the side to look at Jang Il…… Jeokyeol, whom she remembered meeting before. Then Jeokyeol shrugged his shoulders.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Were you from Magyo? The name Jang Il was…….”

“A pseudonym. Jeokyeol isn’t my real name either. I hardly ever use my real name in the first place.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Because I’m an assassin.”

People unconsciously leak information as they go about. And that applies even to skilled assassins.

Living habits, names, age. The more such information one leaks, the easier it becomes for people to track someone. Of course, even if Jeokyeol, a Magyo member, left traces, there wouldn’t be many people who could follow those traces, but that’s a different matter from neglecting concealment.

“Is what I just heard true?”

“It’s true.”

Jeokyeol nodded and continued speaking as he walked.

“It’s half-certain that the young family head is traveling with a follower of our cult. Because there are very few people wandering around this region except cult members.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Occasionally some crazy hunter from the Central Plains comes, but they only reach the edges of Daemak. It’s hard to come to this central area, and there’s nothing to do even if they do come. The probability is too slim.”

After pausing briefly, Jeokyeol continued speaking while looking beyond the sand dunes.

“Compared to that, our cult’s followers frequently wander around Daemak. Do you know why?”

“Why…… is that?”

“Because the cult’s role is to guard the Great Seal here.”

“Great Seal?”

“It would be an unfamiliar story to you Central Plains people.”

Seeing Seohwa question this unfamiliar story she was hearing for the first time, Jeokyeol let out a chuckle. And the story that followed.

“Do you know about the history of humanity?”

“To some extent.”

“What was the dynasty before the Ming arose?”

“There was Song.”

“Before that?”

“Well, there was Tang, and Sui…… There were so many.”

“Right. Then let’s go way back and think. Before Han arose, before Qin arose, what do you think it was like before that?”

“I’m talking about what humans looked like in ancient times not even recorded in human history books.”

At Jeokyeol’s statement bringing up an unimaginably distant past, Seohwa frowned deeply. At that sight, Jeokyeol grinned.

“You won’t know, so I’ll tell you the answer. Humans were livestock.”

“Live……stock?”

“Yeah.”

Merely offering fear to yokai, resembling yokai but unable to resist.

Livestock.

“Yokai are fast, strong, and fearsome. In an age now forgotten and remaining only in myths, yokai reigned at the pinnacle of this world.”

“We humans were livestock raised by yokai. Inherently weaker than yokai, whether gathered or scattered, we only offered fear to strengthen them. Humans were livestock unable to even properly resist.”

Unable to handle demonic power, nor possessing outstanding physical abilities. Not overwhelmingly intelligent either.

Humans were inferior to yokai in every aspect. Though they could suppress desires better than yokai born from primal emotions, in the ancient age such things didn’t even function as advantages.

“Yokai raised humans by grazing them. Humans, who could offer the finest quality fear and had decent fertility, were perfect livestock for yokai.”

“Living in hiding day after day, afraid of being caught by yokai, then getting devoured. Such history continued for thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years. And.”

And then…

“The first human to discover something called ‘energy.'”

“Cheonma was born.”

“……Cheonma? You mean the head of Magyo?”

“Yeah.”

Jeokyeol nodded.

“Cheonma was someone whose upper dantian was extremely developed from birth. Because of that, he could discover that besides the demonic power wielded by yokai, something called natural earth energy flows through this world.”

Just as it’s easier to detect acrid smoke than a gently blowing breeze, demonic power is easy to detect because it’s extremely harmful to humans, but natural earth energy is difficult to detect. Because it’s not purely harmful energy to humans.

“But Cheonma, who succeeded in detecting natural earth energy, realized that natural earth energy was spread far more widely and profoundly than demonic power from the start. And he also discovered that if this situation was used well, the momentum of demonic power could be extremely reduced.”

“……That means.”

“Yeah.”

As Seohwa carefully opened her mouth while looking around at the environment rife with demonic power, Jeokyeol nodded as if to say that was correct.

“Now only outside the Central Plains has such an environment, but originally all places, including the Central Plains, had an environment this full of demonic power.”

“Then what Cheonma did was…….”

“Isn’t it simple?”

Gathering the demonic power of the Central Plains to one place and sealing it.

Thus extremely reducing the range of yokai themselves.

“The Great Seal is the world.”

Jeokyeol pointed at the ground with a grin and left a footprint in the sand dune.

“The world’s lifeline is here.”