“Wouldn’t a Blood Cult led by an Undead Lich be good?”“If the Death Knights rise up and start shouting something like long live king, long live the king!⋯⋯."
“No way.”
I got rejected.
===============================================================
Stab.
“Kughk⋯⋯."
The sound of clashing steel that had been pouring like rain finally stopped with somebody’s pained cries signifying its’ end, a deep smell of blood spread through the nameless forest. The ones who survived began sighing with relief one after another, and the sharp killing intent softened.
The battle was over.
A blood-soaked young noble ordered as he wiped the blood off his blade using a corpse’s clothing.
"Everyone, clean up. Cut off the heads of the Blood Cult bastards and put them in sacks, place any ominous items together in a separate place."“What should we do about the headless corpses?”
"Leave them as food for wild beasts. They are not worth the effort to properly bury or yeom1 . Let them wander as a dead spirit."
“Yes sir!”
Men in blue martial outfits moved hastily. They cut the heads of those in red, and took it along with various other items they found in their clothes.
A talisman written in a chicken’s blood, a Khakkhara2 with a twisted image of Buddha engraved on it, a Buddhist rosary made with forty four balls, and⋯⋯.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯?"
A box lavishly decorated with gold thread and all sorts of jewels.
It was suspicious. The Blood Cult members seemed like they were carefully escorting something, and when they were ambushed they tried to protect the object more than their own lives.
It had been an extremely chaotic battle, and because their goal was complete annihilation, it couldn't be accurately confirmed, but this box was likely what the blood cult had been trying to protect given the circumstances.
The warriors opened the box and checked its contents, and found that there was a book that emanated an ominous aura.
The ominous book was unnerving to the point that you couldn’t easily pick it up. The warriors read the four words written on its cover. Demonic Descent Divine Technique (魔降神術).
The Blood Cult used grotesque and violent sorcery. If they considered this book so precious, it must certainly contain secret techniques of the unorthodox path.
They say some writings can possess a person just from looking at it, so the warrior quickly shut the box closed. He too, like any man who stepped foot into murim, always had a burning desire to succeed in martial arts.
But if one asked if he was going to walk the unorthodox path, he would say no. What value was there in strength earned by killing people?
The warrior loaded the box on the cart.
And the martial artists in blue martial outfits withdrew. Since they defeated the evil Blood Cult members who were throwing the world in chaos, it was now time to return and tell everyone about their achievement.
The one that leads the group would receive a huge reward, the warriors will receive a bit of gold and an interesting story to tell. In the moment that the remnants of Blood Cult were defeated, that I was there.
However, there were always those that chased strength more than their humanity. To the eyes of a dhole3 who could have given up everything they had for the sake of their goal, Demonic Descent Divine Technique looked like a ten thousand pounds of gold.
A shadow that was quietly looking down at the box.
Click.
In the end, it opened the box and took the book without anyone noticing.
Those were the events of three years ago.
===============================================================
Cheep. chirp.
The sounds of birds chirping woke Envers. When he slowly opened his eyes, a pleasant feeling of sunlight came through the dense leaves. It was a forest.
"⋯⋯Was this."
Was this Murim?
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
He honestly couldn’t say for certain. He didn’t have the ability to look at his surroundings to tell if the world was different, and his surroundings were woods without even as much as a person’s shadows in sight.
To check if it was truly the land that his Beggar Teacher and the Heavenly Demon roamed, there was a need to meet people. Whether that be a pedestrian passing by or a commoner, anyone would do.
Rustle.
Envers rose as he brushed off the leaves covering his body.
He intended to look around and see what was there. It would be great if there was a village nearby.
Ta tat.
With nimble movements, Envers climbed to the top of a tree. And turning his body 360 degrees, he was able to confirm that there was a giant city far far away..
Buildings constructed in an architectural style he had never seen before.
His heart raced. The Beggar had said that the Yu Xiang Rou Si4 you got for free was extremely delicious. Although he didn't have a penny to his name, he could quickly earn money by using his skills to find work.
Though he remained a young boy in age, wasn't he a person of great ability and tremendous potential in the Academy? The Beggar also told him that his martial realm was not low.
He had reached the realm where he could freely infuse Inner Qi into his body and weapons. This was the realm of a First-Rate Master. It was said to be a realm rarely seen even in the martial arts world.
If he used Ignition, a martial arts technique that was Unorthodox Faction-like no matter how you looked at it, the Beggar said he would even be able to face Peak Realm Masters.
“He said merchant groups’ guards were called escorts⋯⋯ First thing I should do is become an escort and earn money. After that, find the Beggar’s Union and return the Dog Beating Staff Technique, and ask if I can learn any other martial arts.”
It was said that martial arts were not passed on to outsiders.
But if he achieved in returning the martial arts that disappeared with the Beggar’s Union’s Sect Leader along with his message, wouldn’t he be able to request a few martial arts?
Envers made a promise to himself. To learn and train as much as possible in this world, and to aim for a higher realm than now.
[Pursuit of Power : Become a Peak Realm Master (Achieve Breakthrough, Fill, and Tuning)]
There was a significant distance to the city. If he wanted to reach the city, it would take at least two days. If the travel time was going to be long anyways, it would be better to conserve his strength and walk slowly.
Thanks to Luna’s food bag, there was no need to struggle looking for food. And since it was a forest, there were quite a lot of places to find water.
Even if he couldn’t find it, if he tore off the nearby grass and squeezed it, he would be able to quench his thirst.
Thanks to Selvier’s tools, there was no need to do a somersault. If he just grabbed enough firewood and stacked them, then a simple campfire would be possible.
He felt reassured. It was thanks to his friends.
The boy walked through the forest path without worry.
===============================================================
Walk, make a fire, eat, and sleep.
That’s how he spent the last day. It was quite lonely walking through the forest alone, but it helped a little to practice martial arts.
Envers learned various martial arts from the Beggar. Sword Techniques, Palm Techniques, Staff Techniques, Dao Techniques. However, he hadn't decided which one to focus on mastering. Each had its own strengths and weaknesses.
Because he was unable to decide on a path, he had no choice but to practice broadly. He trained them alternately, and as much as his efforts were dispersed, the proficiency in each weapon increased slowly.
This time, he was in the midst of practicing sword techniques using a tree branch as a sword.
Walking while holding the branch, whenever a leaf carried by the wind fell in front of him, he would swing it. It was a training and game where he was successful if he could cut it in one stroke.
The success rate so far was about 10%. He missed eight or nine times out of ten, occasionally managing to cut one. The surface was closer to being blown up than cleanly cut, but⋯⋯.
Then, Envers heard a commotion echoing from afar.
Click, clang, the sound of carriage wheels bouncing and the house hooves. Was it a merchant passing by here? Envers grabbed a tree, climbed to the top and looked around.
He saw a carriage kicking up dust while going at a crazy speed. And also the martial artists in black clothes chasing it.
The coachman was whipping the horses recklessly, as if it didn't matter if they died after this mad sprint. Looking at that scene, it didn't seem like a peaceful situation.
Pursuer and fugitive.
Though he had no way to learn the intimate details, judging by the appearance of the carriage, they seemed quite wealthy.
He’ll have to see how the situation unfolds, but if he could do a favor for one side, he might receive some help. If that were possible, it would make settling in the Central Plains much easier.
However, if there was a problem, it was that their strength was unknown.
Judging by the speed that the pursuers were running, they couldn’t be that strong. If they were a monster of the Sublimation realm, they would have stopped the carriage from the get go, and (may differ depending on the ability) but even if they were just in Metamorphosis it would have been finished by now.
"⋯⋯Scroll."
He had an item he received from Selvier.
● Scroll that emits black smoke
With this, even if he found himself in a difficult situation, he should be able to save his own skin. In that case, he might as well dive in head first into danger.
Envers slid down the tree and dashed.
He applied Ignition(爆灑結).
By triggering explosions from his toes and receiving propulsive force, he could run at a fast speed. He triggered a small explosion that his body could handle.
Bang──!
A tree branch quickly passed by Envers’ body.
Since fine control was impossible, he could only shoot straight forward⋯⋯ but it could be very well considered a pseudo-Qinggong.
Envers left deep footprints on the ground and caught up with the carriage. As the distance closed, their voices began to be heard intermittently.
"⋯⋯Run! Move a little faster!!"
"How far do you think you can run? You guys can't leave this forest alive!"
"You, damn bastards! Aren't you afraid of the consequences?! Targeting the Namgung Clan, you will greatly regret this later!"
"Kehahaha! The Namgung Clan? Do you think the Demonic Cult would be intimidated by that kind of name?!"
"⋯⋯⋯⋯!!"
Envers pricked up his ears. It seemed that the ones being chased were from the Namgung Clan, and the pursuers were the Demonic Cult. The Demonic Cult, those were the ones who served the Heavenly Demon and caused bloodshed in the Central Plains.
⋯⋯Did the Demonic Cult call themselves the Demonic Cult? He heard that they originally had a proper name, and that Demonic Cult was a derogatory term.
Anyway, there was no time to ponder. Envers pushed aside his doubts for later.
Tat!
Envers took a big leap off the ground and landed on the roof of the speeding carriage. As soon as he did, the people inside the carriage became greatly alarmed.
“One of the bastards has climbed onto the roof!”
“Quickly shake him off! If these bastards destroy the wheels, it’s over!”
"⋯⋯Wait! It is a misunderstanding! I am here to help you guys!"
“Even an idiot wouldn’t fall for that lie!”
Rip !
A well-sharpened spear tip tore through the leather covering the carriage and popped up. Envers managed to successfully maintain his balance on the wildly running carriage, dodging the spear tips coming from this and that way.
“Hup!”
And then he smashed through the carriage roof and went inside. Since they were being pursued, it seemed difficult for them to trust easily, so he decided to go down and directly persuade them while looking them in the eye.
As Envers landed, there were four people inside the carriage. All of them were wearing blue martial arts outfits, but the materials and patterns were different for each of them.
Two of them looked like guards, one seemed to be the captain of the guards, and the last one was⋯⋯ a small boy. Judging by his appearance, he might have been about ten years old.
"⋯⋯A Semu5 ?!"
"Are you saying the Demonic Cult is even using Semu as puppets now?!"
"I shall say it again, I am here to help you. Those chasing the carriage are from the Demonic Cult, correct?"
"Don't even think about deceiving us with your cunning tongue! I'll make you get off this carriage right now⋯⋯!!"
As the guards were about to draw their swords while almost in panic, the boy, who had been maintaining his composure comparatively well, raised his hand to stop them. Then, in a clear voice, he looked at Envers and asked.
“Young Expert. Are you really here to help us?”
"⋯⋯That is right!"
"If you help us, I'll reward you greatly. I swear on the name of the Namgung Clan!"
“Wise decision. I shall tear this scroll, so just watch!”
"?"
What a scroll.
As bewilderment flashed across their faces at the sudden use of a foreign word, Envers took out the black smoke scroll from his bag and aimed it at the back of the carriage.
The black masked martial artists with swords at their sides were fiercely pursuing. They were twelve many. Too many to face in direct combat. As expected, now was the time to use it.
Envers ripped the scroll.
Riiip!
Boom──!!
In an instant, black smoke billowed up and plunged everyone’s sights pitch black. The martial artists in black that were chasing the carriage were surprised by this sudden strange magic and seemed to scatter in all directions.
If they came chasing again, then he would brace for a forest fire and tear up the explosion scroll. As Envers stared beyond the black cloud intently, he couldn’t hear any sounds of movement.
"⋯⋯Looks like we more or less managed to shake them off"
As Envers turned around with a sigh of relief, the four members of the Namgung Clan were frozen with their mouths wide open. When the foreigner barbarian tore a talisman, what do you know, a rain cloud with a radius over the size of 10 zhang6 appeared on the ground!
If he knew how to perform a sorcery of this level with a simple hand gesture, he was surely a renowned Daoist Monk. Or, a very evil Demonic Adept Sorcerer.
While everyone was frozen in shock, the boy exclaimed loudly and said this.
“G-Great Expert, are you a well versed Daoist Monk?”
"Daoist Monk⋯⋯?"
“Our Namgung Clan is holding a banquet celebrating the Clan Lord’s birthday, and I heard that they invited a very famous Daoist Monk. Perhaps, Great Expert, you are⋯⋯?"
“That is not the case.”
Envers was mistaken for a Wizard.