Chapter 113: Shared Goal (1)
Chapter 113: Shared Goal (1)
“Hahahaha.”
Jegal Sung collapsed into a fit of half-maniacal laughter.
The energy emanating from Woon-seong was still heart-stoppingly strong, and his garden had been completely destroyed.
The Divine Flame was still spreading, so the entire piece of land would soon be burned.
This place looked like it could never be used again.
But was that all?
The Sage of Bright Rock had been smashed somewhere and was still unconscious.
Moreover, the safe-house and all the hidden devices were also no longer usable.
But…
“All of this was just to have a talk?!” Jegal Sung cried out, the words sounding more like a wail of anger.
Woon-seong smiled. He also saw the devastated surroundings.
But the young man didn’t think any of it was his fault.
There was a reason, of course.
“Do you want to say it is my fault? You were the one who started to attack me the moment I said ‘I am the Heavenly Demon’, weren’t you? From the beginning, I just wanted to talk…”
“Hahaha… Yes, You are right…”
Jegal Sung could not find anything wrong in those words. He could not help but start laughing once more.
As Woon-seong had said, the first to strike had not been the Heavenly Demon, but Jegal Sung himself.
The Heavenly Demon had acted in self-defense.
I was being arrogant, since everyone was praising me as the World’s smartest.
I was stupid.
Jegal Sung reflected on his mistake with an empty chuckle.
Then, he slowly picked himself up off the ground.
His garments had been scorched by the flames, but he didn’t care. He straightened them as best as he could.
After all the preparations, he finally spoke.
“It was my fault. I apologize for that. You came to the Justice Blood Sect with the Fifth Jade Knife to have a talk. What do you want to talk about?”
Jegal Sung’s attitude was different from before.
Before Woon-seong’s identity had been revealed, the young man in front of him was merely the successor of a sect.
But now it was different.
Although the man was the Orthodox’s nightmare, he was the Cult Leader.
“I have said that already. What I wasn’t is revenge for the Spear Master Sect.”
Jegal Sung was silent for a moment. His purpose really was revenge for the Spear Master Sect. If that is so…
That made him confused, as he tried to guess the relationship between the Heavenly Demon and the Spear master Sect.
However, because he did not know the secret of Hyuk Woon-seong’s existence, he could not reach an adequate conclusion.
Eventually, Jegal Sung had to ask.
“If you’ll excuse me, may I ask what your relationship with the Spear Master Sect is?”
“Why not,” nodded Woon-seong, briefly explaining. “The Spear Master Sect is known to pass down its legacy to only one apprentice, but that is not always true. Did you know that?”
Jegal Sung was silent instead of answering.
He was one of the few people who knew that the Spear Master Sect was not always a sole apprentice sect.
“A long time ago, one martial artist who inherited the Spear Master Sect’s arts referred to himself to the Cult of the Heavenly Demon. Because of him, the Spear Master Sect’s roots sprang up not only in the Orthodox, but also in the Demonic Cult.”
“So that’s how you learned the Spear Master Sect’s arts?”
“Yes.”
Of course, Woon-seong had changed the middle of the story.
It was true that the Spear Master Sect’s apprentice referred himself to the Demonic Cult, but it didn’t take root. Instead, it was passed down to Hyuk Woon-seong, the one who was reborn there…
But that was a story Jegal Sung would not believe, and it was not something Woon-seong wanted out there anyway.
“Huh, so that’s why you knew the Spear Master Sect’s martial art,” Jegal Sung muttered to himself as everything began to make sense. “I lost. I’ll admit that I have lost.”
Immediately, Woon-seong dispersed his energy.
The flames receded.
The blades, which had been spiraling in the air, fell straight to the floor.
The White Night Spear was gently strapped back onto Woon-seong’s shoulder.
The overwhelming aura pressing down on all sides also subsided.
Woon-seong once again looked like a normal young man.
If it weren’t for the scattered traces of destruction around him, Jegal Sung would not have believed his eyes.
Huh. If I tell anyone about what he is capable of, they will think I’m crazy, since he looks so young…
Jegal Sung groaned in his heart.
A remarkable master has appeared in the Demonic Cult.
It’s good luck for the Demonic Cult, but if I stand in his way, he may become a nightmare for the Orthodox, one which has never been seen before.
While Jegal Sung was still starting, Woon-seong spoke once more.
“I want to ask you the same question again…”
“The same question?”
“The target is the Imperial Court. It’s actually the Cult of the Inverted Sky, since the power of the Inverted Sky is the power of the Imperial Court in the situation. Is there any way that I can get rid of them?”
Jegal Sung shook his head. The way to deal with the Imperial Court was also of great concern to him.
“As far as I can see, there is no way. We are having a hard time just keeping those who are hiding inside the Orthodox in check.”
That was the answer Woon-seong had been expecting.
The Imperial Court was truly a pain to deal with.
Power was sophisticated.
It was another problem of brains or brawn.
Overwhelming brute strength could trample a sophisticated set-up. But on the contrary, a sophisticated trap could allow weak soldiers to defeat physically stronger enemies.
The emperor was at the pinnacle of the physical power known as the Imperial Court. At his beck and call were hundreds of thousands of Imperial troops.
Mostly, those of Murim would bravely say they would fight back.
However, there was a limited amount each martial artist could do by themselves.
It was also not easy for such masters to lay down their lives to stop the thousands of imperial soldiers.
So, of course the Imperial Court was a headache.
That was why brute strength should be dealt with using brute strength.
And Woon-seong happened to have a useful connection.
King Jinseong.
Remembering him, Woon-seong asked, “What if there’s a way to make a diversion within the Imperial Court?”
Jegal Sung’s eyes widened.
***
As he was riding through the mountains, a name suddenly came to Sage Do Jin-myung’s mind.
The Venerable Dragon, Jegal Sung.
A dragon who must be worshipped every time it raises its head. When was the last time that I heard his name?
He was the head of the Jegal Clan before I was even born, a hero of the times, the one who raised the Jegal Clan back to the top.
That was a man technically one generation older than himself.
It’s amazing that he’s still alive and wants to see me.
A few days ago, a letter had arrived at the Jinseong Palace.
It was an invitation from Venerable Dragon Jegal Sung, asking him to visit Mount Wolong as soon as possible.
The moment he read the letter, Do Jin-myung hesitated.
This was an invitation from someone whose name had not appeared for decades.
Is it okay to answer this?
Is it okay to meet him?
That was a natural reaction.
But there was another letter that came with the Venerable Dragon’s.
A letter from someone who called himself the ‘Leader of the Demonic Cult’.
The Venerable Dragon, who was an important person on the Orthodox side, and the Heavenly Demon, who was the zenith of the 100,000 demonic practitioners, were calling him from the same place?
He would not go had it been an ordinary day.
It honestly sounded ridiculous.
There was a good chance it was a trap.
Nevertheless, Do Jin-myung still went.
It was because of a single phrase written in the letter by the so-called Demonic Cult Leader.
‘Empire’s messenger’.
The title Do Jin-myung had never used in any place, except one.
The title I used in the Divine Palace of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon is on the letter…
The only people who would call him the Emperor’s messenger were those who had been present on that day.
There’s no way I can doubt it.
Do Jin-myung shook his head, not thinking about it anymore.
His horse had already carried him, crossing into the Longzhong Mountains.
As the mountains began to appear, Do Jin-myung took out the letters.
Hm. It’s not the Jegal Clan, but a totally different place…
He directed the horse in another direction, using a different path to enter Mount Wolong.
The road was too rough for a horse, so he had to climb on his own feet.
How far had he travelled up the mountain?
Some distance away, there was someone standing in the middle of the path.
Do Jin-myung squinted at the figure, muscles tensing in preparation.
As his eyesight cleared, he was able to recognize the figure standing far away.
The leader of the Mount Hua Sect, the Plum Blossom Sword Saint.
“The Sage of Bright Rock, Sage Myung?”
The moment Do Jin-myung recognized the man, he felt cold sweat gathering at his nape and a chill ran down his spine.
The Sage of Bright Rock had some ties with the Orthodox Martial Alliance, but he was recently found to be related to an underground group.
Someone that an unknown group had planted…
An informer for the Cult of the Inverted Sky?
Was this a trap?!
King Jinseong did not know about the existence of the Justice Blood Sect, so it was natural that the unknown group would be considered an enemy.
Just as Do Jin-myung recognized him, Myung Am also recognized Do Jin-myung.
With a wave of his hand, Myung Am stopped Do Jin-myung from attacking. “I don’t want to fight with you.”
“You don’t want to fight?”
Myung Am nodded.
His empty sleeve fluttered in the wind, catching Do Jin-myung’s eyes.
Perhaps Myung Am felt the gaze on his empty sleeve. Smiling bitterly, he said, “I was only requested to bring you to them.”
Again, the first thing Do Jin-myung thought was, Wouldn’t this be a trap? If it is so, this is the time for me to leave since he can’t use his original power…
Do Jin-myung still thought of the Sage of Bright Rock as someone on the side of the Cult of the Inverted Sky.
As soon as he thought so, a mist began to swirl around the area.
It’s an illusion formation… Damn it.
As long as Do Jin-myung was trapped in the illusion formation, he had no choice but to move according to the creator’s intentions.
In the end, I have to go.
He was already here anyway.
Do Jin-myung’s shoulders sagged.
“Lead the way.”