Chapter 458: Advancing into the Central Plains (4)
A blond-haired youth who introduced himself as a dragon.
I examined his face once again, carefully.
‘He's not a colored-eye foreigner.’
He was simply a Central Plains person who had dyed his hair blond.
But perhaps because his original appearance was decent, it suited him surprisingly well.
‘Even that must be the result of artificial sculpting.’
While I silently observed the opponent—
Sssssk!
Suddenly, Guardian Lions emerged from the surroundings and encircled him.
The Guardian Lions were extremely wary of the outsider who had made it this far without any obstruction.
“Huhu...”
The youth laughed with his hands behind his back, as if he found the Guardian Lions laughable.
Just as they were about to make their move to subdue him—
“Stop.”
“……”
Thud!
As if it were a lie, the Guardian Lions froze in place.
“He came for a conversation. Stand down.”
The Guardian Lions cautiously widened the distance, still watching the youth warily.
At that, the youth smiled.
“You are far too wary. I am, after all, one of the so-called Divine Beasts.”
“If you had killed even one of them, even if you were the Yinglong of all creation, I wouldn't have spared you.”
“Hooh…”
“You thought I wouldn’t notice the killing intent subtly hidden beneath your smile?”
The smiling youth’s expression slightly stiffened.
“You are more dangerous than I anticipated. Well, I suppose you’d have to be for me to have made the trip here.”
“If you're just going to spew nonsense, get lost. Speak only of the main point.”
“How cold-hearted.”
Clicking his tongue slightly, the youth—Yinglong—got to the point.
“I came to propose an alliance.”
“An alliance?”
“You're aware that Heavenly Evil is soon to resurrect, are you not?”
“So you want to join forces to eliminate him?”
“Yes. I'm glad we understand each other.”
I slightly furrowed my brow.
“…I don’t understand.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your existence. And this entire situation.”
I crossed my arms and glared at the one called Yinglong.
‘He’s definitely not easy.’
He's not an opponent I can't defeat.
He's cleverly hiding his capabilities, but even from the surface aura alone, it’s clear he’s a notch above Do-ol, whom I fought before.
Even so, he seems significantly weakened compared to his prime.
“You beings haven't appeared in history at all in the past thousand years. Even when the Heavenly Demon Founder was active, who was at the peak of an era, you were never mentioned.”
If beings like them had been active at the time, surely Master or my Senior Brothers would have left some word about them.
“And one more thing. If you're among the Divine Beasts known as the Linbong Ghost Dragons, you’d be at the pinnacle even among that group. If four beings like you gathered, you should be more than enough to eliminate the weakened Grand Heavenly Lord. So why did you come to me?”
Of course, if they truly acted to eliminate the Grand Heavenly Lord, that would be terrible news for me.
It would mean the chance of getting Yura back would be reduced to near zero.
No matter how intact Gunggi is, there’s no way I could handle four beings of that level.
“A fair question.”
Yinglong nodded calmly.
“First, let me answer the first question. We only recently awakened. A thousand years ago, as you mentioned, we were still asleep.”
“……!”
“And another thing. As you said, we attempted to strike at the current candidate for Heavenly Evil alone. And we failed.”
“…What?”
They failed?
Considering the unstable state the Grand Heavenly Lord was in when I last saw her, it’s something that shouldn't have failed.
“Are you serious?”
“Dragons do not lie. More importantly…”
Crunch!
A sound of grinding teeth came from Yinglong.
“If we had not failed, I wouldn’t have come to propose an alliance with a mere human like you.”
“……”
That arrogant nature of looking down on humans.
But precisely because of that attitude, I found him more believable.
“Heaven and Earth are inherently heartless and view all beings as straw dogs… huh.”
Even if he is a Divine Beast, it seems he still sees humans not as equals, but as insignificant creatures.
“I understand even less now. How did you end up losing?”
“……”
“I understand that your pride is hurt, but if you cannot clearly explain that part, there will be no alliance.”
Yinglong shut his mouth.
His expression was clearly filled with hesitation.
But before long, he opened his mouth again.
“First of all, not all of us Linbong Ghost Dragons have awakened. Had that been the case, there's no way we would have lost to a mere candidate.”
“Then?”
“Only the Qilin and I have awakened. The Phoenix and Spirit Turtle are still asleep.”
“Hm…”
Then to some extent, I could understand.
Four and two—there’s a world of difference in power.
“While the Qilin held back Gunggi, I stormed the hiding place of the Heavenly Evil candidate myself.”
“And you lost?”
“Yes. Honestly, I was confident. Especially because the place she had taken refuge in was none other than where my blood relatives were buried.”
It seems they clashed at Mount Tai.
Another name for Mount Tai is Mount Bokryong.
Was she able to draw upon the power of the dragon that remained there?
“But that was a huge miscalculation.”
Swish!
Suddenly, Yinglong began to remove his upper garments.
Just as I was bewildered at what he was doing—
Flinch!
I frowned at the sight of the dense sword scars etched across Yinglong’s torso.
‘That’s…’
Unbelievable.
Those marks carved into his torso were none other than the sword paths of the Heaven-Slaying Demon Sword.
Yinglong pointed to the scars on his upper body and spoke.
“That one wielded a human weapon and used bizarre techniques that went beyond what a human should possess.”
“……”
“Though I hadn’t fully regained my authority due to recently awakening, as I just said, I had a certain confidence. But because of an unexpected variable, I was utterly defeated.”
I remained silently still.
“Afterward, upon investigation, I learned that what defeated me was the power system that humans call ‘martial arts.’”
“You’re saying the Grand Heavenly Lord really used a sword?”
“You seem to have a hard time believing it. But it’s the truth.”
“……”
What is this?
Why?
Why is the Grand Heavenly Lord able to use the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art and the Heaven-Slaying Demon Sword?
It feels like the worst-case scenario I had feared has come true, and my mind is a mess.
But with such clear evidence in front of me, I have no choice but to believe it.
“What’s somewhat fortunate is that the martial arts used by other humans aren’t inherently all that threatening, and that one himself wasn’t complete.”
“Not complete?”
“To be more precise, her soul wasn’t in a normal state.”
“Explain precisely.”
“Two souls in one body, unable to merge and constantly fighting each other.”
“……!!”
“And despite that, she was able to push me back. If those souls were to fully merge, something unmanageable would occur.”
That’s a relief.
It seems the worst-case scenario I had in mind hasn’t happened yet.
‘I must hasten my advance into the Central Plains.’
Yinglong continued.
“In this era’s human world, there are a few strong ones, but among them, the only human acknowledged by our Commander is you.”
“So that’s why you called me the King of Humans?”
“Indeed. Kings of human nations are irrelevant by the standards of us Divine Beasts. More importantly…”
Yinglong’s eyes flashed slightly sharp.
“Now that I see you up close, for some reason, I feel both the power of Heavenly Evil and Earth Sage from you.”
“……”
“No matter how I look at it, you don’t seem like a candidate, which makes it all the more curious.”
“And why are you so sure I’m not a candidate?”
“Because your soul isn’t being swayed by that power.”
Yinglong spoke with certainty.
“Those born with the fate of Heavenly Evil and Earth Sage cannot help but be endlessly swayed by that power. But you, far from being controlled, perfectly dominate both forces. Someone like that cannot be a candidate.”
“Hm…”
“So then, I believe I’ve answered most of your questions. Now I’d like to hear your answer regarding the alliance.”
He certainly answered everything without dodging.
In that sense, he’s shown a degree of credibility.
However… moving forward, there can be no room for error.
“That’s not an offer I can accept right away.”
“…Are you serious?”
Yinglong’s expression hardened.
From his perspective, he had spilled all the information he had, only to be brushed off coldly—an outrageous affront.
However—
I slowly gathered my energy and spoke.
“Let me ask just one thing. I hope you answer it properly.”
The biggest reason I couldn’t trust them—
“After you eliminate the Grand Heavenly Lord, what do you intend to do?”
“……”
“If we safely pass through the Heaven Timing, the density of the upheaving energy across the world will decrease again. And then? Will you quietly go back to sleep?”
Yinglong didn’t answer.
He couldn’t.
They too were beings who had lived during the Mythic Era.
They wouldn’t be pleased about returning to slumber.
After a brief silence, Yinglong opened his mouth.
“Even if we part ways later, it isn’t strange to join hands against a common enemy, is it?”
“That’s right. Which is why I said I can’t answer right away. I refuse to be stabbed in the back at the end.”
Ultimately, I and they were in positions where we could never fully join hands.
Rushing to decide on an alliance would be foolish.
“What you can offer us. And the clear boundaries of responsibilities and duties. That’s what would make it a true alliance. Don’t you agree?”
“Hmmm…”
Yinglong folded his arms and sank into thought.
“Well, fine. I admit I proposed the alliance too hastily. I’ll discuss it with Qilin and return.”
“I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to wait long.”
“Don’t worry. It won’t take that much time.”
That was how my first meeting with Yinglong ended.
“There is new contact from the Northern Alliance.”
I opened and read the letter Bu Il-hwa had brought.
The letter contained a short greeting, some reproach toward So Cheon, and the main point—abolishing the names Southern Alliance and Northern Alliance, and reestablishing under the name Murim Alliance.
‘Not a bad choice.’
The status of the Murim Alliance in the Central Plains would soon become absolute.
The Murim Alliance would be the only force capable of standing against the hordes of demonic beasts that even firearms could hardly affect.
However—
At the end of her letter was a concern: the noticeable decline in the activities of those who hadn’t learned martial arts and low-ranking warriors.
While brimming with energy, the excessive flow was causing them to tire quickly and suffer internal injuries.
She suspected it was a side effect of the recently intensified qi in the atmosphere.
‘Seems their situation is similar.’
This was, in fact, a problem that had recently become an issue within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult as well.
Sorcerer sects led by the Heavenly Illusion Clan were searching for a solution, but unless the root cause was eliminated, this could cause major setbacks in the advance into the Central Plains.
‘Preparations are almost complete, and supply is proceeding without issue, but…’
If this condition continues or worsens, it won’t just be the warriors, but the laborers handling logistics and support who will face severe setbacks in movement.
‘It’s not yet comparable to the Heaven of Sacred Spirits, but with time, it may well become that.’
This situation wasn’t all bad.
With the atmospheric qi density rising, the warriors’ accomplishments were dramatically increasing.
Even in just a week, the number of people breaking through to First Rate and above had risen to unprecedented levels.
‘But that won’t last long.’
I remembered So Cheon’s reaction when he first stepped into the Heaven of Sacred Spirits.
It’s fine for now, but once that threshold is crossed, a world may come where even those below Supreme Peak won’t be able to survive.
We had to settle things before that happened.
It was then—
“Kept you waiting.”
Whoosh!
The space in front of me split open as Yinglong, appearing once again in his blond-haired form, stepped out.
And beside him stood a sharp-eyed woman clad in a blue palace robe.
“We’ve come to present the terms for the alliance.”