Chapter 286: Bongseon Ritual (4)
Old Han headed toward the Yoo Family's Sacred Mountain with Lee Ho.
However, before they even reached their destination, he noticed the presence of demonic energy rising in the distance and frowned faintly.
“Damn it, looks like we’re late.”
“L-Late? What do you mean?”
Pointing toward the demonic energy, Old Han spoke.
“It means the ritual has gone wrong. That’s definitely not just a formal ceremony. Something like that could only happen if they’ve prepared a proper sacrifice and performed the ritual procedures correctly.”
Lee Ho’s face turned pale.
“Y-You mean….”
“There’s a high possibility that Ryeo-ah has been harmed.”
“……!!”
Lee Ho stammered in a panic.
“W-We have to go immediately….”
“We do need to go, but I think this is where your journey with me ends.”
“Huh? What do you mean….”
Thud!
Old Han cleanly knocked Lee Ho out.
“I’ll admit you’ve got some guts, but it’d be troublesome if you lost control because of the brainwashing effect of the Soul Devouring Technique after we take you there.”
Though it wasn’t easy to push him away because of the lingering affection.
Frankly, even Lord Baek Cheong, Ju Baek Ryeo, couldn’t really be called a saint.
‘True enough, it’s hard for someone from the imperial family to become a saint.’
If she had turned out a saint after experiencing all the imperial palace’s bloody schemes, one should rather suspect that her nature had been twisted.
Especially since the fox blood she was born with was a power specialized in toying with people.
Above all, the legendary demonic art, the Spirit Subjugation Technique, which the spirits and candidates had learned, was none other than what she personally passed down to them.
After knocking Lee Ho unconscious, Old Han expanded his qi sense to assess the situation on the mountain.
“Fortunately, the ritual is still in its early stages. I think I might be able to stop it….”
At that moment, two presences caught Old Han’s qi sense.
One was an awakened being, openly radiating violence.
The other was a master who had hidden their presence so well that even Old Han could barely sense them.
Old Han tilted his head.
“One seems like Gam Unbi… but who’s the other one? It’s not the Sword Demon.”
He had already fought the Sword Demon, Ma Seong-hwan, once before, so he could distinguish his presence.
But the master he now sensed was someone he had never encountered before.
“I might find out if I get closer… but still, the world sure is vast. To think another master of that level has emerged from the Demonic Cult.”
Unaware that the master was none other than his own disciple, Old Han shot forward.
At least, they didn’t seem to be on the same side as his opponent.
Seeing his disciple again after such a long time, Old Han was unable to hide his shock.
“My disciple, you… just what….”
To think that the formidable master he had just sensed was none other than his own disciple from not so long ago!
Grabbing both my shoulders tightly, Old Han shouted.
“To think you’ve already reached the Transcendent Demon Realm… This Master is overwhelmed with emotion!”
“W-What?!”
“W-Wait? Did you just say… Transcendent Demon Realm?!”
Those who had thought I was only at the Extreme Demon Realm stared at me in shock.
Among them was even Baek Sang-ah, though only Dowang nodded quietly as if he had somewhat expected it.
“E-Even the Extreme Demon Realm was unbelievable enough… but the Transcendent?”
“Then that means… practically a new Heav—”
Someone’s words were drowned out by Master’s sudden outburst.
“I’m sure the sword I passed down to you helped a great deal!”
“Ah, well… yes… that’s… correct.”
I desperately mumbled, unsure how to respond.
The Heavenly Deer Sword of the Water Attribute.
A sword created specifically to counter the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art and Heaven-Slaying Qi.
Master had said that I might see the next stage if I compared his sword with the original Heavenly Deer Sword.
Ironically, however, it wasn’t his martial arts that helped me break through the wall the most, but rather the martial arts of my senior brothers, the Six Great Demonic Clans.
“By the way, Master, what brings you here?”
“Hmm, it’s a long story….”
Old Han stroked his chin, choosing his words carefully.
“To put it simply, it seems your goal and mine are the same.”
As I had hoped, Master gave the answer I wanted to hear.
“So, you’re not here to assist with the ritual after all.”
“Of course not. I only joined the Society to find someone to succeed me.”
He placed his hand on my head and spoke.
“If you’re at odds with the Society, naturally, I’ll take your side.”
“…….”
Those words made my chest ache a little.
‘Still….’
I studied Master’s entire body with my eyes.
‘Now I understand just how strong Master really is….’
He had completely restrained the flow of qi throughout his body, disguising his presence as that of an ordinary person.
That restraint was achieved by using spiritual intent to suppress his energy. Ordinary masters wouldn’t be able to detect how formidable he truly was.
The fact that Cheon Yura had sensed his danger the first time she met him made her seem all the more impressive.
“Kuh kuh kuh! So, you’re already weighing yourself against me just because you’ve grown a little?”
“Ah, well….”
Master lightly flicked my forehead with his index finger.
“Your talent is astonishing, growing all on its own, but you’ve still got a long way to go. You’ll need a few more years of effort if you want to surpass your Master.”
Just as the Extreme Demon Realm had stages, so did the Transcendent Demon Realm.
As far as I could tell, Master was already on the verge of the Supreme Demon Realm.
Perhaps he was nearly equal to the Venerable Buddha, who had awakened using a fragment of the previous Heavenly Demon’s Founder.
While I was assessing Master’s level, he let out a small sigh.
“I’d love to catch up properly after such a long time, but this isn’t the time for that.”
After exchanging brief greetings with his son, Yoo Cheong, Master discussed the situation ahead with us.
“As far as I know, the Bongseon Ritual is conducted non-stop for three days.”
“But there’s no way they’d actually do that.”
“Right. There’s a high chance they’re not even performing the proper steps, let alone conducting a full ceremony. However….”
Master frowned as he looked off into the distance.
“As expected, Gam Unbi is getting in the way.”
“Come to think of it, you mentioned earlier that he was the watchdog of Heavenly Evil. What exactly did you mean by that?”
“Just what I said.”
Master continued his explanation.
“Many of those who join the Heaven-Defying Society inherit or are forcibly implanted with the blood of the Mythical Era, but those who carry the blood of the Four Fiends are treated with particular importance.”
Qiongqi (궁기), Hundun (혼돈), Taowu (도올), and Taotie (도철).
“One of the Society’s goals in the past was to find those who carried the blood of these four monstrous beasts.”
“……!”
“They are the true subordinates of Heavenly Evil. Regardless of the era, those who carry their blood have always served as the blades of the Heaven-Defying Society. Their strength is verified by history itself.”
I gave Master a look of slight surprise.
“You seem to know quite a bit about this.”
“…Hey, I’m still Second Heavenly Lord. Shouldn’t I at least know the history of the organization?”
“Hmm!”
I had momentarily forgotten that, considering how he wandered around like a hired vagrant living day to day.
“You little brat… Anyway, we need to destroy the ritual and rescue Ryeo-ah before it’s too late.”
“Isn’t it already too late to save Lord Baek Cheong?”
“I may not know much about ritual techniques, but I do know this.”
Master’s expression grew serious.
“In human sacrifices, a living sacrifice is far more valuable than a dead one.”
“…That’s true.”
Having had experience, I quietly agreed with his words.
“She probably won’t be killed until the ritual ends. Besides, the fox blood is also famous for its tenacious vitality….”
Master trailed off for a moment, then spoke to me again.
“That’s why I’ll handle Gam Unbi.”
“You mean…?”
“My disciple, you’ll have to stop the ritual. And… if possible, I’d appreciate it if you could save Ryeo-ah’s life.”
For some reason, I could feel from Master’s words that he didn’t particularly want to face Lord Baek Cheong again.
Strictly speaking, in terms of efficiency, it would have been better for both Master and me to ascend while leaving everyone else behind to stop Gam Unbi….
‘But Lady Baek, who has only just reached the Extreme Demon Realm, probably wouldn’t last long. And the others… even less so.’
If things went wrong, the Black Lotus might suffer a disaster, losing all its upper-level forces to a single opponent while they were still growing their power.
Considering Gam Unbi’s estimated strength, it was clear that either I or Master had to step up.
“In fact, I was going to ask you to do just that.”
“Good.”
Master nodded in satisfaction at my willing acceptance.
“But, Master.”
“What?”
I cautiously voiced a question that had been bothering me for a while.
“Do you… perhaps have feelings for Lord Baek Cheong…?”
Master’s face twisted like that of a furious demon.
“What nonsense is that? I’m a man with a family! Can’t you tell by the fact that my son’s standing right here?!”
Thwack!
“…….”
For the first time in my life, I got hit by an angry Master.
As it turned out, Master’s wife—my Mistress—had indeed passed away when Yoo Cheong was just a child.
Afterward, Master realized his wandering nature and completely gave up on the idea of remarrying.
It seemed that he had only taken care of Lord Baek Cheong when she was a pitiful child, and seeing her grow up and come on to him out of the blue had made him very uncomfortable.
‘Well, it’s a relief to know that Master still has a conscience.’
I suddenly thought of something and let out a faint laugh.
This was a crisis where it was hard to see even an inch ahead.
And yet, Master’s appearance had somehow lightened the heavy burden on my heart.
I knew it wasn’t just because of his strength.
After finalizing our strategy, I fixed my gaze on the demonic energy rising from the peak of Jungcheon.
‘Cheon Yujeong….’
She had surprisingly revealed most of her thoughts and feelings to me.
Even if her words about wanting me stemmed from her rivalry with Cheon Yura, they had not been lies.
And precisely because of that, as long as Cheon Yura existed, her choice could only lead to one outcome.
– Hurry and come….
– I’m waiting.
Flinch!
I frowned at the sudden telepathic message that reached me.
Though it was only two short phrases, I could feel many emotions in those words.
Ecstasy, murderous intent, and twisted possessiveness.
Perhaps her unstable emotions were a result of the ritual. I could sense a complex mix of feelings pouring out.
‘…I need to go before it’s too late.’
Just the fact that she could send me a telepathic message from such a distance showed how much her abilities had advanced.
‘I hope there’s still a way to bring you back. And that you still have the will to be saved.’
For the sake of preparing for the danger Cheon Yura would pose in the future.
If not…
What I had to do was already decided.
The inner sanctuary of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.
Cheon Taejong, the Cult Leader, who had been meditating quietly, slowly opened his eyes.
“Yujeong.”
Now virtually a half-divine being, Cheon Taejong let out a sorrowful sigh.
“You’ve made a foolish choice….”
If he could, he wanted to rush to Ten Thousand Mountains right this moment and stop Cheon Yujeong.
But if he did that, even the little time he had left would be completely used up.
Especially since, not long ago, he had taken out his frustration on the Grand Heavenly Lord when he had come to visit.
“I had hoped that little brother of yours could save even you, but… was that too much to wish for….”
Two streams of tears rolled down the eyes of the Cult Leader, who now appeared more like a boy than a grown man.
“I truly have no face to meet the enemy hawk.”
He could see the Heavenly Energy twisting in real time.
The distorted energy signaled the birth of a new evil.
But near the star that heralded the birth of that evil,
a star wrapped in a double helix of black and gold, one that devoured all fate, was drawing closer.
Once, no one had welcomed that star more than Cheon Taejong.
But now, faced with that unforgiving star’s presence, he couldn’t help but feel a little bitter.