Chapter 291

Chapter 291

It didn’t take very long to reach Yunnan.

“What should we do about Sect Leader?”

“Hmm.”

A forest near Kunming.

After confirming the sight of Kunming in the distance, the group’s gazes immediately turned to me as Seohwa glanced at me floating like a ghost and asked. Hyungnim smiled broadly at the sight of everyone sighing as if there were no solutions.

“Can’t we just go like this?”

“It seems like we’ll draw attention…….”

“Isn’t drawing attention good?”

“It’s because it seems like we’ll be treated as demons and chased away.”

“That’s undeniable.”

Mystical arts dealing with the dead have always been shunned.

Even handling jiangshi with physical bodies is like that, much less in the case of ghosts without physical bodies—it’s far worse. Soul-summoning arts or arts that call souls from the afterlife have existed since ancient times, but most were treated as fraudulent and fell into disuse.

Given such perceptions about spirits, if I float around like this, martial artists will probably be dispatched to capture us before long. In the current situation where we’re moving relatively covertly to avoid causing confusion, such an occurrence must be prevented in advance.

—Hyungnim. Can’t you make me look like a person?

“I can, but I can’t materialize you. You won’t be able to touch or handle objects—is that okay?”

—It doesn’t matter. As long as I don’t bump into things.

I can’t handle internal energy, and I can’t move objects, but that doesn’t mean my senses have deteriorated. If I don’t have substance, I just need to deceive people into thinking I do.

—Please do so.

“If you say so.”

Geupgeupyeoyulryeong.

At my request, Hyungnim nodded and recited an incantation playfully, and my body stuck to the ground. My body, which had been semi-transparent with the background showing through, gradually gained color.

“Ah, ah.”

“He really came back……?”

“Since illusion arts are the most common among mystical arts. He probably won’t be touchable though.”

“Is that so?”

“Try touching him.”

Untouchable sensation.

“It feels strange.”

Watching Seohwa’s hand pass through mine, I chuckled, and Seohwa looked at me with an odd expression.

“It clearly seems like you’re there, but I can’t touch you…….”

“Do you feel any other sense of incongruity?”

“Not at all.”

“Then that’s fortunate. Shall we talk while walking?”

Finishing my words and casually moving my steps toward Kunming’s city gate, the group followed in a line.

“What are you planning to do from now on?”

“Well, I should first find out about the current situation.”

“The current situation?”

“What the situation in Yunnan is like, and what route we should use for evacuation.”

“Ah…… do you have something in mind?”

“The easiest thing to consider would be evacuating them to Sichuan or Guizhou.”

Sichuan, and Guizhou.

Both are places where it’s easy to deploy defensive lines because formidable forces are gathered there. In Sichuan’s case, the Tang Family, Emei, and Qingcheng are all gathered together, and in Guizhou’s case, two of the Seven Gates of the Unorthodox Path are there.

“If they’re gathered centered on Kunming, evacuating to Guizhou would be better. But they’re probably not gathered centered on Kunming.”

“Why is that?”

“Because it’s not the center, and it’s far from Dianqiang.”

“Is that… so?”

“Yes.”

Kunming is the provincial capital of Yunnan, but it’s not in the center of Yunnan. Rather, it’s slightly to the east, so it’s not suitable for deploying a defensive line.

If Dianqiang were deploying a defensive line centered on Kunming, that would mean abandoning about two-thirds of the west and focusing only on protecting the remaining people. Considering Dianqiang Sect’s identity, that’s practically an absurd story.

And for good reason—would those stubborn Taoists who polish only the single point of thrusting to reach the ultimate principle of the sword change just because they practice the way of saving people? They’ll definitely maintain a principled approach the same way.

“They’re probably deploying a defensive line centered on Dali or Lincang. And between those, the one with more people is Dali, so they’ve probably deployed the defensive line toward Dali.”

“Ah…… then why did we come to Kunming?”

“Because this is the route connected to the Murim Alliance.”

“A route?”

“That’s right. Look at that.”

“That’s…….”

Pointing my finger and seeing someone wearing a familiar-looking Taoist robe, Seohwa narrowed her eyes.

“Is that a Dianqiang Sect Taoist?”

“Yes. He must be going to convey news to the Murim Alliance.”

“To the Murim Alliance…….”

“Because Yunnan’s current situation isn’t something Dianqiang can block alone.”

“Is that so? I heard that even among the Nine Great Sects and One Great Association, Dianqiang has considerable foundation…….”

“That’s not wrong. Dianqiang has Dianqiang Sword Sage.”

“Dianqiang Sword Sage?”

“A Ten Celestials from the previous generation.”

“Ah…….”

When Namgung Hyeok was called the Sword King during the era of Namgung’s Supreme Elder.

Dianqiang also had a Ten Celestials in that era. The person who has now descended from the Ten Celestials, Dianqiang Sword Sage Jong Hak, is that very person.

“Unlike other Ten Celestials, Sword Sage didn’t descend from the Ten Celestials position because he was defeated by anyone.”

“Was it Qi Deviation?”

“That was a fairly sharp guess, but that’s not it either. There’s only one reason Sword Sage descended from the Ten Celestials.”

“What is it?”

“He voluntarily relinquished it because his stamina declined due to aging. That’s all.”

“Ah…….”

Among sword arts, those that mainly use thrusting are especially draining on stamina.

Therefore, Sword Sage, who had overworked his body since his youth, felt the lack of stamina at some point and relinquished the title of Ten Celestials. Saying he couldn’t bear the numerous honors and burdens attached to that title.

“Just because he relinquished it doesn’t mean the sword arts he learned went anywhere. From the beginning, Dianqiang’s sword arts are specialized for short-term battles.”

“Hmm.”

“If Sword Sage truly exerts his strength, probably few among the Ten Celestials could face him. With such a Sword Sage, Dianqiang belongs to the strong sects.”

“I roughly understand. The martial power itself is strong, but because endurance is weak, Sword Sage alone can’t hold everything back, right?”

“That’s right.”

Well, it’s not just for that reason that I think Dianqiang can’t defend Yunnan alone. From the beginning, Dianqiang has few martial artists.

Unlike Wudang or Shaolin, which have hundreds or thousands of disciples, Dianqiang’s total number of disciples ends at around two to three hundred. Of course, if you include personnel handling miscellaneous tasks, it increases more, but considering the actual number of martial artists, they’re probably among the fewest in the Nine Great Sects and One Great Association.

“Anyway, let’s do what needs to be done first.”

“What needs to be done?”

“Mm.”

Nodding and deploying Lightness Art to position myself in front of the Dianqiang Taoist heading toward Guizhou, the stopped Taoist looked at me and blinked.

“……Who are you to block my path?”

“Are you by any chance a Taoist of Dianqiang? I’m called Uicheon Sect Leader Baekri Un.”

“Uicheon Sect Leader Baekri Un? ……Ah!”

The Taoist, who had been pondering before clapping his hands as if he understood, introduced himself.

“My junior martial brother spoke of you. He said you’re so outstanding at teaching people…….”

“Your junior martial brother?”

“Jong Do is my junior martial brother. He studied at Mujeong Hall. My name is Jong Hyeop.”

“Ah.”

Is he the Dianqiang disciple who clashed with Muryeon Hall?

“About a year ago, my junior martial brother returned to our sect… He spoke much about Uicheon Sect Leader. He said you’re no ordinary person. That he learned something from you.”

“You’re too kind. How much help could one teaching session be?”

“Sometimes a single word from a master can be worth more than a thousand words from a novice. Hahaha. But what brings you here?”

“Hmm.”

Clearing my throat and fixing my gaze on Jong Hyeop’s inner pocket, Jong Hyeop looked at me with puzzled eyes.

“You seem to be heading to the Murim Alliance. Is that correct?”

“That’s correct, but how did you…….”

“I’d like to see the contents.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m here as reinforcement dispatched from the Murim Alliance, but I need to know about the current situation.”

“Reinforcement……you say?”

“That’s right.”

“I didn’t hear anything about dispatching reinforcements separately.”

“I came of my own judgment. Because we have independent operational authority.”

“Is there such a thing…….”

Looking at me for a moment with an expression asking if such a thing exists, Jong Hyeop pondered before taking out a letter from his inner pocket and handing it to me. And Seohwa, who received the letter instead of me, tilted her head.

“I shouldn’t say this from the requesting position, but is it okay to just hand it over like this? They could be imposters.”

“It’s fine.”

“Yes? Why?”

“Aren’t all three Central Plains families united?”

What are the Murim Alliance’s enemies? The Sado Alliance? The Demonic Cult? Or the Blood Cult?

That’s not it. Whatever it was before, in the current situation, what the Murim Alliance is wary of is ultimately only demons.

In ordinary times, it would be natural to be wary of those three and prevent mission or report contents from being transmitted, but now that we’ve formed an alliance after being attacked by demons, there’s no particular reason to hide report contents. As long as the opponent isn’t a demon, it doesn’t matter who sees it. After all, as long as the report goes up, that’s what matters.

“You mean as long as it’s transmitted, it doesn’t matter, so it doesn’t really matter who we show it to along the way?”

“Yes…… if it were a letter I shouldn’t show, I would have received a warning beforehand, but I didn’t particularly hear such a thing.”

“I see.”

How carefree.

Understanding and nodding, Seohwa handed the letter to Hyungnim, and I chuckled before looking at the letter together. The situation in Yunnan written from top to bottom.

“Hmm.”

“May I go now?”

“……Please do.”

Receiving the letter again and clasping his fists before hastening his steps, I watched Jong Hyeop leave and let out a sigh. Because the situation was flowing in a far from ordinary way.

“Changcheon 3rd Squad was annihilated……?”

Changcheon 3rd Squad was defeated. Along with Dianqiang’s Five Swords.

Actually, being defeated itself isn’t that strange. Because everyone dies.

Although it’s sad and painful since there are people I personally taught among them, I consider it something that could sufficiently happen. The life of a Murim Alliance Martial Corps member is like that. You can’t carry out missions without anyone dying.

But annihilated? An entire squad of Changcheon Corps?

“This is strange.”

“What’s strange?”

“That they were annihilated.”

Changcheon Corps’ response system is simple. When meeting a strong enemy, gather and fight, and if judged that you can’t fight, scatter and run. Focus on surviving.

Since it’s a response system I established, that system definitely has a clear effect. With ordinary levels, they can’t even properly follow the footsteps of fleeing Changcheon Corps members, and even renowned masters would find it nearly impossible to catch and kill all Changcheon Corps members.

But if such Changcheon Corps members suffered not near-annihilation but complete annihilation?

It means there’s a tremendously strong demon.

“We’ll need to investigate the other two martial sects that participated in that operation.”

“You mean Cheonglim Poison Valley Sect and Silyong Scholar Sect?”

“Yes.”

One is a poison sect. One is a scholar sect.

They’re names I roughly know, but they’re not sects that could return without much damage after facing such an overwhelming demon. There’s definitely something suspicious.

“It’s Dali.”

“We’ll go through Dali toward Baoshan.”

If it’s Sugak, he would have left something—records or whatever. Because he’s a meticulous fellow.

Thinking of Sugak from when I was Changcheon Corps Captain, I quietly crossed my arms.

Hoping we’re not too late.