Chapter 2: 434
Chapter 434 The Ruins of an Old Castle (2)
"Huff… huff…"
A beautiful woman was wandering through the dark mountains.
Her true identity was Go Chan, who had possessed the body of Wi So-yeon, the youngest disciple of the Heaven and Earth Society Leader.
With clothes stained with blood, covered in wounds, and drenched in sweat from exhaustion, he looked around as if searching for something.
'No. shit, they said it would be on the mountain opposite the highest peak after going southwest for about ten li without stopping, but where the hell is it?'
Despite being injured, Go Chan had used internal energy all the way here without rest and was now in no condition to move, his stamina completely depleted.
Even though it was a possessed body, it still needed recovery to keep moving.
Finally, after looking around, Go Chan entered a densely vegetated area that was inconspicuous and began to circulate his qi.
-Whoosh!
As the cold energy coursed through his entire body, Go Chan inwardly clicked his tongue.
'How strange.'
He had heard of masters who could handle cold energy among the experts in the North Sea, a place outside the world where it was cold and snow-covered all four seasons.
But how could a human body possess this level of cold energy?
He had heard that his master, Mok Gyeong-un, had helped dissipate the cold energy to prevent it from rampaging, but even without actively circulating qi, the cold energy was gradually increasing.
'… How peculiar.'
This didn't seem like an issue with the physical body.
It appeared to be related to the original spirit body that had fallen into a coma-like state when he possessed it.
Just as he was pondering this oddity,
-Rustle!
Go Chan tensed up and stopped his qi circulation and breathing at the sound of footsteps.
He was on edge, wondering if it was an ally or an enemy.
At that moment, someone suddenly burst through the foliage in front of him.
"Wah!"
"Ack!"
Even though his current body was exceptional, Go Chan had spent more time as a weakling in his past. Startled, he unconsciously fell on his backside while throwing a punch.
-Thud!
White frost rose from Go Chan's punch, but the figure who had jumped out in front of him quickly twisted to the side, avoiding it.
The energy from the punch froze the vegetation it touched.
-Crack!
The figure looked at the frozen vegetation with disbelief, then touched it.
The vegetation cracked and broke.
At this, the figure clicked their tongue and said,
"What's this? That body is quite powerful, isn't it?"
"Shit. I thought my heart was going to stop."
Recognizing the figure, Go Chan let out a sigh of relief and lowered his hand, still tinged with cold energy.
The one who had suddenly appeared and startled him was none other than Seo Hye-in, the leader of the Four Peaks, a member of the Five Peaks under Jang Neung-ak, the second disciple of the Heaven and Earth Society Leader.
More precisely, it was Gyu So-ha, one of Mok Gyeong-un's ghost servants who had possessed Seo Hye-in's body.
Gyu So-ha grinned and said,
"Were you scared? Were you scared?"
"C-Companion So-ha, isn't your joke going too far?"
"Ah, sorry. It was just funny seeing you all scared and hiding."
At Gyu So-ha's response, Go Chan clicked his tongue.
Every time he saw this one, he felt that despite being a wandering ghost for a long time, their mental age didn't seem very high.
"So you scared me in the middle of all this? What if I had accidentally hit you with my energy…"
"Hey."
'!?'
At that moment, Gyu So-ha approached Go Chan.
Wondering what was going on, Go Chan found Gyu So-ha pinching his cheeks and saying,
"Want to switch bodies?"
At these words, Go Chan sighed.
Gyu So-ha was always desperate to switch to any pretty body they saw.
As Cheong-ryeong had said, this one was definitely not a man.
If by any chance they were a man, then they must be per…
"You look like you really hate the idea. If you don't like it, forget it. Tch."
"It's a body we'll have to return anyway. If we aimed for this, the master would be very angry."
"… Hmm. That would be troublesome."
"Then let's hurry. If they notice that the one they recaptured is a fake with a human skin mask, they'll track us down to get the real one back."
"You don't need to worry about that. Are you too tired to sense the qi?"
"Qi?"
Puzzled by Gyu So-ha's words, Go Chan released his suppressed aura and focused on sensing qi.
He could feel the energy of hundreds of people not far away.
They were all masters.
It was enough force to engage in battle if necessary.
'T-To send such a force just to rescue someone like me, a mere former assassin…'
Go Chan was deeply moved.
What had started with the ill fate at the Yeon Mok Sword Manor had led to this—being cared for like a right-hand man. It truly touched his heart.
Because of this, Go Chan felt he should be even more loyal to Mok Gyeong-un.
Seeing Go Chan's reaction, Gyu So-ha scratched their head.
[Make sure to protect that body at all costs.]
It seemed like Go Chan was misunderstanding something.
But since it didn't seem to be a negative misunderstanding, it might be better to leave it be.
No need to break his sense of gratitude, after all.
***
-Rumble.
-Whoosh!
The Demonic Beast Heumwon, flapping its torn wings, crashed to the ground.
It tried to reduce its falling speed by fluttering its one remaining wing, but due to its massive size, the speed didn't decrease easily.
"D-shit!"
"Amitabha!"
Mok Gyeong-un's subordinates, tightly gripping Heumwon's wing feathers and claws, couldn't do anything in this situation either.
Falling from a height higher than the clouds, it seemed the only option was to jump off at some point.
As Heumwon was nearing the ground,
-Whoosh!
"Huh?"
At that moment, they felt Heumwon's falling speed gradually slowing down.
As the falling speed decreased rather than accelerating, everyone was puzzled. Looking down, they saw Mok Gyeong-un, who had somehow already landed on the ground, raising both hands.
"Ah!"
"My Lord!"
The expressions of those who had been pale with fear brightened.
Meanwhile, the Great guardian Eight Poison Snake Staff Guyang Sa-oh and the Right guardian Ma Ra-hyeon couldn't help but marvel at Mok Gyeong-un's profound inner energy.
"Hoho. What impossible internal energy. To still have energy left…"
Unlike themselves, who had been barely able to fend off the attacks of the Imaemangyang due to the restricted movement at an altitude higher than the clouds, Mok Gyeong-un had single-handedly killed all the Imaemangyang with his formless swords.
Yet, he still had energy to spare in his true qi, seeming even more powerful than during the internal war of the Heaven and Earth Society.
'… It's utterly impossible to catch up.'
Ma Ra-hyeon, who had inwardly aimed to match Mok Gyeong-un's martial prowess, felt that this was so inhuman that he couldn't even think of catching up.
Thanks to Mok Gyeong-un reducing their falling speed with his profound true qi, they were able to safely land on the ground.
However, they couldn't be entirely happy.
This was because the wings of the Demonic Beast Heumwon, their means of transportation, had been torn, making it difficult to move through the air again.
It would take some time for this to heal.
"Tsk, this reminds me of the Shaolin Temple incident."
At Seop Chun's words, everyone nodded in agreement.
Back then, Heumwon's wings had been injured by the attack of the Shaolin Demon-Subduing Monks, and they had to move on the ground until it healed.
The situation was the same this time.
The only difference was that during the Shaolin incident, they were in a position to avoid pursuit, while this time, they were in the opposite situation of having to pursue and catch up.
Therefore, having a problem with their fastest mode of transportation meant a significant setback in their pursuit.
Moreover,
"My Lord. I don't think this will end with just one attempt."
The Great guardian Guyang Sa-oh spoke with a voice of concern.
Having worked closely with the Secret Society for a long time, he knew their habits well.
They moved secretly, but once they were determined, they would pressure their target until they achieved their goal.
Therefore, they would continue to try to prevent Mok Gyeong-un from heading to the northern part of Shaanxi Province.
"The Great guardian's words are correct. They'll probably try to tie us down. My Lord, let us be the bait instead."
At that moment, Mong Mu-yak offered an opinion.
Seop Chun asked with puzzlement,
"Becoming bait? You don't mean…"
"Exactly what I said. We should split into two groups to draw the enemy's attention."
"..."
At Mong Mu-yak's words, Seop Chun swallowed dryly, unable to speak.
It was certainly a good strategy.
The only problem was that those who split up to draw the enemy's attention would have to take on a greater risk, but still.
"… So who's going to be the bait?"
After a moment of hesitation, Seop Chun asked directly.
Mong Mu-yak looked at Seop Chun intently.
"You want me to be the bait alone? Why don't you just perform a ritual to send me to my death?"
"Not alone, but you and me… And it would be good if one of the guardians here could join us."
"What?"
"Anyway, we two are the weakest among us. It's better to have the guardians stay by the Lord's side."
"Ugh."
It made strategic sense, so he couldn't refute it.
The guardians also seemed to agree with Mong Mu-yak's opinion, nodding their heads in agreement to some extent.
Since they were bound from moving through the air anyway, they had no choice but to respond strategically if they wanted to hurry.
'Hmm.'
However, Mok Gyeong-un's thoughts were different.
The strategy of using them as bait wasn't bad, but if they did that, those who became bait would essentially have to be prepared to die.
In the past, these people would have been mere chess pieces to Mok Gyeong-un.
Literally, if they had no use value, they were cards he could discard at any time.
But now, things had to be different.
As Cheong-ryeong had advised, to become a great master leading numerous people, he had to abandon the mindset of considering someone as a card that could be discarded at any time.
Unless it was truly the worst situation with no way out, sacrificing allies would be a bad move for the future.
So Mok Gyeong-un decided.
"No. All of you return as you are."
"What?"
Everyone couldn't hide their bewilderment at this unexpected decision.
They were prepared to sacrifice themselves for their lord, even if it meant losing their lives as bait.
"My Lord. How can you say that?"
"My Lord, you're no longer alone. How can you try to bear everything by yourself…"
"Return."
However, Mok Gyeong-un's will was firm.
He judged that moving alone would be more efficient and result in no sacrifices than using them as bait.
But right at that moment,
"Ah. There's no need to go to such lengths when there's a very safe and comfortable way to go."
Everyone's gaze turned towards the source of the voice they heard from somewhere.
The owner of the voice was none other than Chunchu, the highest-ranking executive of the Secret Society.
Unlike the others who had been traveling in a spacious carriage, she was tied to one of the Demonic Beast Heumwon's ankle claws.
A woman as alluring and beautiful as her might have been tempting, but Mok Gyeong-un considered no one as a romantic interest except for one person, so he had treated her properly as a prisoner.
"What do you mean by that?"
When Seop Chun asked her, Chunchu snorted and said,
"Step aside, youngster."
"Again!"
As Seop Chun was about to draw his Jeop Mu Sword in anger, Mong Mu-yak hurriedly stopped him.
Then Mok Gyeong-un spoke in a disinterested voice.
"What do you want?"
At his question, Chunchu smiled sweetly and said,
"You know what I want."
She stared intently at Mok Gyeong-un and stuck out her tongue, licking her upper lip in a seductive manner.
Seeing this, Seop Chun clicked his tongue.
'… Crazy woman.'
They had wrapped her entire body in ropes except for her head to tie her to the Demonic Beast Heumwon's claw pillar, and it was rather impressive that she was trying to seduce in such a state.
***
Six days later,
In a bamboo forest not far from the ruins of an old castle in the northern part of Shaanxi Province.
In the middle of a bamboo forest covering dozens of jang,
A man wearing a bamboo hat was wiping blood off his sword blade while breathing heavily.
-Wipe wipe!
Dozens of corpses were scattered around the man.
Each one had lost their life to a single sword strike.
One man who hadn't yet breathed his last opened his mouth with difficulty.
"Huff… huff… Be-betrayal… Is that what you're doing?"
"..."
"So… So it is… betrayal… after all… Huff huff… That person… That person will… never…"
-Thud!
Before he could finish speaking, the man in the bamboo hat thrust his sword into the man's head.
The man couldn't finish his words and breathed his last.
Looking down at the man, the bamboo-hatted figure shook his head slightly and muttered.
"… No. It's for that person."
Just as the man was about to sheathe his sword after shaking off the blood from its tip,
The man stopped and scanned his surroundings.
Then,
-Drip drip drip!
Suddenly, blood from the dead bodies began to flow rapidly and start pooling.
Even though dozens of people had died, this was a bamboo field, so the blood should have seeped into the ground, but it was a truly strange phenomenon.
The bamboo-hatted man hurriedly tried to leave the area.
Then, blood began to flow even from the surrounding bamboo, staining the area red.
As an ominous spiritual energy, chilling to the extreme, filled the surroundings, the bamboo-hatted man could be certain of what this was.
'Ghost Intent Domain…'
This was a domain created by the spiritual energy of a high-ranking spirit with strong resentment.
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