Chapter 203

Chapter 203

Shortly after.

“Uh, mm. First, it’s not broken.”

“……But I can’t find her?”

“I also don’t know why that is, but it’s not broken. The others show up fine, don’t they?”

“Refunds aren’t possible.”

Baekgol Corps Commander, who spoke bluntly, awkwardly scratched his head.

“I momentarily wondered if she was eliminated, but she hasn’t been eliminated either. When eliminated, it doesn’t say ‘Search Impossible’ but ‘Eliminated’. She hasn’t been eliminated yet but searching is impossible. You should interpret it that way.”

“Not eliminated yet but searching is impossible…… Are there such cases?”

“There shouldn’t be none. For instance, when someone purchases the two-thousand-point Tracking Evasion Device. In such cases, tracking is impossible. Since its use is limited, almost no one purchases Tracking Evasion Devices, though.”

“My disciple probably didn’t buy it either. She’s a child without entangled grudges.”

“Then it’s not that.”

After contemplating for a moment, Baekgol Corps Commander stroked his chin and continued.

“This formation isn’t an ordinary great formation, but nevertheless, it’s ultimately a type of illusory formation . If there’s capability to disturb this formation, it’s also possible to hide one’s body within the formation. Does the Corps Commander’s disciple have expertise in magical arts ?”

“No.”

“Then someone accompanying her must have learned magical arts or concealment techniques to the extreme. In such cases, tracking isn’t necessarily possible. This formation isn’t omnipotent. There were even stories that if about three of the Ten Heavens tried to smash it with full force, it would break.”

“……I see.”

So it’s not impossible. Setting aside the question of whether the main house of magical arts would be at this event attended only by martial families and martial sects.

“Is there no way to search?”

“None.”

Baekgol Corps Commander, who asserted bluntly, added an explanation.

“Evading this formation’s eyes is the same as evading a Ten Heavens member’s senses. If someone with such capability deliberately hides their body, there’s no way to find them from this side.”

That’s also true.

“I recommend searching for the others first. If worst comes to worst, try waiting in the center. Anyway, if they’re such capable individuals, they’ll definitely reach the Central Zone, won’t they?”

“……That’s not wrong. Thanks for the advice.”

“Not at all.”

Leaving behind Baekgol Corps Commander shrugging his shoulders, I wrote down the other disciples’ names and confirmed their locations. Locations revealing themselves one by one shortly after.

‘Wang Pal and Baek Risan are together.’

Zone Twenty-Seven.

Same zone, similar location. They might coincidentally be in that vicinity, but it’s right to see it as them having joined up.

Then this side probably doesn’t need much worry. Anyway, having an ally versus not having one makes a big difference. Unless they’re unlucky enough to meet sect master-level members of the Nine Sects and One Gang or Chilmun-iga, or the Ten Heavens, they should be fine.

So I’ll postpone this side.

‘Seonwoo Gang is moving leisurely. This side doesn’t need worry either.’

Moving means not in combat. Leisurely speed means no threatening elements nearby.

Then Seonwoo Gang probably isn’t in danger right now. He’s either earning points or scouting for hunting targets—one of the two.

‘Postpone.’

I postponed three. Only Seohwa and Seomun Cheok remain.

‘He’s stopped.’

Seohwa isn’t visible, and Seomun Cheok has stopped. Either hiding while suppressing his breath.

Aiming for an opportunity.

“Zone Seventeen…… What kind of zone is this?”

“Mm? Ah, there’s a lot of water in that place.”

“A place with a lot of water?”

“Should I say it’s a sea with islands scattered here and there? You’ll know if you go. Unless you’re jumping around with Water-Treading Skill, you have no choice but to swim between islands or obtain a boat.”

“Isn’t it disadvantageous for earning points compared to other zones?”

“Each island has correspondingly large point allocations, as I understand. It’s not my assigned zone, so I haven’t heard the details.”

I see.

“I’ll go to this place.”

“Once you transfer, you can’t transfer again for about one dagyeong, is that alright?”

“It’s fine.”

It’s already been three shichen since entering. Compared to that, one dagyeong is a short time.

Surely nothing could happen in the meantime.

“Then I’ll open the door.”

After finishing his words, Baekgol Corps Commander who picked up a bundle of keys hanging nearby inserted a key into the door beside him and turned it. And.

As light appeared and the door opened, the moment I took one step, the scene that appeared.

“……So it really is the sea.”

About a hundred pyeong?

I sighed while looking at the shop sitting alone in the middle of the sea.

……At least there won’t be guys waiting on standby here.

Zone Twenty-Seven.

“Hehe.”

Bulgoe, who roughly handled the tattered edges of his monk robes with rough hands, let out a leisurely laugh while looking around. The two-person group, male and female, who disappeared without a trace after seeming to recognize him.

“Did they run away?”

Bulgoe’s body movement technique isn’t particularly outstanding. Because there’s no need for it to be outstanding.

A body trained to the extreme with external arts doesn’t get injured even when hit by swords, let alone sword energy. If he draws up Protective Strong Energy, he can even parry strong energy. That’s Bulgoe’s body.

Footwork for closing in or retreating within short range could develop, but lightness skill for moving long distances had to be weak. Because he didn’t feel the necessity.

Of course, even so, he’s one of the Ten Heavens. Even if he’s vulnerable in lightness skill, he possesses cultivation incomparable to ordinary people. That’s why he thought he could easily catch them.

“Good combination. Hehe.”

A bear-like man whose speed doesn’t drop at all even while carrying one woman on his back, and a young woman who continuously grasps his movements and deploys deception.

If they went inside the shop, he couldn’t catch them. At the movements exploiting that psychology, Bulgoe had no choice but to block the path between them and the shop, and the two escaped using that gap.

It could be fairly said he lost in a battle of wits.

“Are they children of the Orthodox Path?”

He knew the moment he came out of the shop. That Jeokrim vermin were waiting on standby. And behind them, two martial artists were stealthily approaching.

They probably weren’t trying to join forces. While the vermin were striking him, they must have planned to strike from behind to overcome numerical disadvantage. It was probably a scheme to eliminate the vermin occupying the shop’s front.

If you look up to there, it’s acceptable to see them as Orthodox Path children. But what about after that?

What about after Bulgoe alone beat up all the Jeokrim disciples?

“They ran away without even looking back. Without even crossing swords. For Orthodox Path children…… They’re pragmatic. Hehe.”

The Unorthodox Path is despicable. The Orthodox Path is strongly bound by formalities.

From Bulgoe’s standpoint, who doesn’t view either side particularly favorably, the appearance of those two who seemed to have taken only the advantages of both sides didn’t feel bad. If this weren’t Sado Alliance’s Opening Gate ceremony but just the middle of some mountain, he might have sat them down and drawn out a long sermon.

‘There’s work to be done.’

He’s a Buddhist who desires the salvation of sentient beings.

He can’t ruin important matters entangled in personal feelings. There’s work to be done right now, isn’t there?

‘The Demonic Cult is trying to stir.’

Recently, sightings of Demonic Cult followers increased in the Xinjiang outskirts. Different from ordinary Demonic Cult followers, those who gave their bodies to fanaticism, those eroded by demonic energy or yokai energy.

Bulgoe, who had devoted half a century to beating down Demonic Cult followers, knew very well why such people occurred. Those who abandoned duty, abandoned promises, and tried to set foot in the Central Plains usually became that way.

‘Dissatisfaction within the Demonic Cult is so rampant it can no longer be suppressed. If there’s a key to end the contract, they will definitely try to invade the Central Plains.’

And there’s only one key to end that contract. The legitimate bloodline of the Demonic Cult Divine Maiden. The blood of the lineage that presided over the contract.

“Heavenly Energy whispers.”

The stars, sun and moon, Yin and Yang whisper. That the Divine Maiden’s legitimate bloodline is here. That it must be found.

And once found, there’s one thing to do. Eternally postpone the contract’s termination.

The Divine Maiden’s bloodline must be completely severed.

“Cruel and cruel indeed.”

This too is karma.

Bulgoe, who whispered quietly, calmly closed his eyes and spread his senses.

To find the Divine Maiden’s legitimate bloodline that must be somewhere in this Opening Gate ceremony.

I almost died.

“Whew. Whew.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

At Wang Pal gasping for breath after deploying lightness skill at full force, Baek Risan looked around with worried eyes. Bulgoe’s figure not visible.

“He doesn’t seem to be pursuing…… I don’t know. Should we put more distance between us?”

“Whew……. If he chases, we can run again then. He doesn’t seem to be actively pursuing, so it should be fine.”

“If you think so, then okay.”

At Wang Pal’s words, Baek Risan nodded and frowned. Because things got twisted strangely.

“This is troublesome.”

“We defeated Jeokrim, but now Bulgoe is guarding the shop’s front, right? It became an even more troublesome situation than Jeokrim.”

“Yes.”

Wang Pal, who nodded, agreed with Baek Risan’s words. It wasn’t wrong.

“Using the shop is practically impossible. If it were Jeokrim, we could have somehow handled it, but…….”

“If Bulgoe is guarding it, we can’t. He looked like he’d already earned at least tens of thousands of points. He even tore off all the Jeokrim disciples’ bracelets, right?”

“Probably.”

“Then at least thirty thousand points or more. Compared to that, our total is about two thousand points…….”

Wang Pal is holding another thousand points, but they’re points that can’t be used. If you can’t even enter the shop, what does it matter how many points you’re holding?

Moreover, even with equal points, Bulgoe’s side would be overwhelmingly stronger, which is self-evident. Even if you gain advantage in inner power or equipment advantage, defeating Bulgoe is nearly impossible, but in a situation where you’re inferior in both, trying to do something about Bulgoe? That’s truly nonsensical.

“What do we do? We do need to use the shop.”

“Won’t Bulgoe also move around leaving the shop to some extent? If he transferred zones, he’d be trying to find comrades or earn points, but if he stays stuck in one place, he can’t earn points.”

“Well, if the opponent weren’t Bulgoe, that would be so, but…… Bulgoe’s body movement technique isn’t particularly outstanding.”

One zone is quite wide. Even if you can spread your senses widely, if you try to search alone, it would take forever.

Moreover, if Bulgoe, whose lightness skill is relatively inferior, came here to earn points, he’d more likely choose the method of guarding the shop’s front rather than wandering around searching for prey. If you just guard the shop’s front, strong people who earned points will come and献上 points.

“We could hide like this until Bulgoe goes to another zone, but…… Then it really takes too much time. Martial artists in other zones are still growing during this time.”

What to do?

At Baek Risan’s contemplating appearance, Wang Pal who had been thinking for a moment blinked. And the following answer.

“Growth……. How about using that?”

“Hm?”

“It’s not just us who can’t enter the shop.”

Bulgoe blocking it is troublesome not just for Wang Pal and Seohwa. It’s the same for everyone in this zone.

Then what can be done is one thing.

“Pull the entire zone to our side.”

“Because one hand can’t block ten hands.”

Everyone allies.

By allying, catch a Ten Heavens member.

“How about it?”

“That’s quite an optimistic thought.”

Orthodox Faction and Heterodox Faction, Unorthodox Path and Orthodox Path, and even neutral territory, everyone allies?

It’s an optimistic thought beyond measure.

Isn’t that the only answer?

Baek Risan grinned. The following answer.

“Let’s do it right away.”

Catch a Ten Heavens member.

That’s the only way to survive.