Which sect represents Cheonghae?
If you ask the Se-in, they would likely mention the Gunlun Sect, situated in the Gunlun Mountains.
The overseer of the Gunlun Sect gazed down at the area beneath the mountains with a gloomy look.
Hundreds of Outcast Faction martial artists were gathered in groups, grilling meat and having a drinking party.
Under normal circumstances, they would have dared to discipline the Outcast group foolishly causing a scene in front of the Gunlun Sect, but the current situation made that impossible.
It was because a massive boar entity was standing by their side.
“Hoo.”
When the Blood Sect rampaged, there were only two sects that joined the Martial Forest Alliance in the vast Cheonghae, and among them, only the Gunlun Sect possessed Array Formation or Array Formation Teams.
Given this situation, the Gunlun Sect had no choice but to continue clashing with the Blood Sect since the Blood Sect’s rampage began.
In the early stages of the Blood Sect’s rampage, the Gunlun Sect easily drove back the Blood Sect’s entities.
Like the other sects in the Martial Forest Alliance, the Gunlun Sect’s martial artists were equally rusty, but the strength of the Blood Persons who fought alongside the entities was problematic.
The Blood Persons leading the entities were lacking in both quantity and quality to face the martial artists of the Gunlun Sect.
The Blood Persons couldn’t handle the Gunlun Sect’s martial artists, and the boar entity was busy protecting them, so the Blood Sect had no choice but to retreat repeatedly.
Thus, the Gunlun Sect continued to protect Cheonghae from the Blood Sect, but recently the situation drastically changed.
The Outcast Faction in Cheonghae seemed to be cooperating with the Blood Sect and eventually united as one.
One hand cannot block ten fists.
The skills of the Gunlun Sect’s Taoists were more than enough to overwhelm the Outcast martial artists; however, instead of fighting against the Taoists of the Gunlun Sect, the Outcast martial artists thoroughly avoided battle, focusing solely on attacking the Array Formation.
Attacking the entity would hardly inflict any significant damage, while the Array Formation would easily be shaken by the Outcast’s assault, forcing the Taoists of the Gunlun Sect to retreat.
The alliance of the Blood Sect and the Outcast faction raised their momentum and knocked on the main hall of the Gunlun Sect but soon had to retreat.
It was because the defensive formation set up around the main hall made it difficult to intervene in the Array Formation.
After that, the Blood Sect and the nearby Outcast Faction forces didn’t back down and continued to pressure the Gunlun Sect while surrounding them.
In the end, outside the Gunlun Sect, the Outcast Faction and the Blood Sect’s entities were able to gain the upper hand.
‘It has already been a week since we have been surrounded…’
The Taoists of the Gunlun Sect were practitioners and martial artists, not soldiers, and naturally, the Gunlun Sect, where such Taoists stayed, was not a fortress but a sect.
The stockpiled food wasn’t too plentiful, and now the situation regarding food was noticeably worsening.
‘The only means to overturn the current situation is the support from the Martial Forest Alliance…’
The overseer smiled bitterly.
The previously sent messenger must have informed the Martial Forest Alliance of the current situation, but he could think of nothing but negative circumstances regarding reinforcements.
Was the area where the Blood Sect rampaged only in Cheonghae?
It was said that the Blood Sect’s allies had sharply increased lately, so the situations in other regions should not be good either.
In such a situation, could the Martial Forest Alliance send reinforcements large enough to eradicate the Outcast Faction in Cheonghae?
Even if that were possible, the larger the redeployment of forces, the more time it would take to move and organize.
Realistically speaking, the likelihood of sending a large-scale relief force was already low.
Sending troops to a remote area like Cheonghae would mean that the return time for those reinforcements would also be prolonged, causing the Martial Forest Alliance to prioritize other matters over supporting the Gunlun Sect.
There was still some leeway to endure, so they waited for a response from the Martial Forest Alliance, but the overseer felt that the current situation was leading towards a crucial gamble on the sect’s fate.
‘A lot of blood will flow.’
Ultimately, the Gunlun Sect had to throw itself into an unfavorable situation, and today might be the day the legacy of this sect, which has endured for centuries, comes to an end.
Even if things went well and they drove away the Blood Sect and the Outcast forces, the Gunlun Sect would suffer considerable damage.
In a situation where no optimistic future could be anticipated, the overseer’s heart, monitoring the Outcast faction surrounding the Gunlun Mountains, was inevitably heavy.
“Haha!!”
“Uhaha!!”
In stark contrast to the Taoists of the Gunlun Sect, the momentum of the Outcast forces was truly unending.
To the Outcast forces in Cheonghae, the Gunlun Sect was like a thorn in their eyes, but they were too weak to do anything about it.
Even though they borrowed the power of the Blood Sect, they had driven the Gunlun Sect into a corner, mocking their opponent and even holding a feast, for the Outcast forces were now intoxicated with the fantasy of becoming the rulers of Cheonghae.
Although the Blood Sect might be on top, who cares?
As long as the Gunlun Sect, which was always meddling, was gone, the Outcast forces had confidence in reigning like kings in Cheonghae.
Perhaps this intoxication with such an imagination spurred them on.
Despite the unsettling, spine-chilling energy gradually closing in, the Outcast martial artists were not afraid but instead gazed with insolent eyes toward the source of the growing pressure.
Eventually, breaking through the brush, the figure that revealed itself was Wi Seoryeon.
“Oh.”
The Outcast martial artists had chosen a spot where the Gunlun Sect often gathered to form their encirclement. Wi Seoryeon, whose eyes fell upon the scenery of the Gunlun Sect, couldn’t help but let out a small gasp.
Though the attitude of Wi Seoryeon was composed, the faces of the Outcast martial artists twisted in discomfort, but none dared to step forward.
The black dragon Qi exuding from Wi Seoryeon and her appearance with pitch-black hair and chilling red eyes instinctively created a sense of crisis among them.
The inflated confidence of the Outcast martial artists shrank in an instant, and the previously lively drinking party became silent.
“Truly a famous mountain.”
Wi Seoryeon merely looked at the landscape of the Gunlun Sect, harmonized with the scenery of the Gunlun Mountains, and was lost in admiration, entirely disregarding the presence of the Outcast martial artists.
A deep smile appeared on Wi Seoryeon’s face.
Currently, in Wi Seoryeon’s heart, the winds of freedom were swirling.
After becoming the Heavenly Demon, her excursions had been far from freedom. In Xin Gang, the territory of the Heavenly Demon Sect, she was naturally accompanied by great ceremonies, and when leaving for any other territory, her eyes and hair, recognizable as those of the Heavenly Demon, forced her to stay confined in a cart.
Being able to freely unleash her black dragon Qi and roam the land with her own two legs felt like a wild horse unleashed from its reins.
That untamed wind of freedom had truly allowed Wi Seoryeon to marvel at the essence of the Gunlun Mountains.
In a place like this, merely breathing would naturally accumulate inner strength.
Pondering this, Wi Seoryeon’s gaze turned towards the Outcast martial artists engaged in revelry.
Specifically, Wi Seoryeon’s expression slightly crinkled as she scanned the signs of arson and the traces of indiscriminately cut trees for firewood caused by the negligence of the Outcast martial artists.
“I didn’t feel much toward helping the Righteous Faction forces.”
To the Outcast martial artists, this was an inexplicable statement.
“However, the essence of this mountain is truly delightful.”
Among the Outcast martial artists, a slight stir began to rise. There was a suspicion that the person before them was none other than the Heavenly Demon, with dark hair, red eyes, and an unsettling aura.
However, the situation was too strange for them to acknowledge Wi Seoryeon as the Heavenly Demon.
Why would the Heavenly Demon appear alone in the Gunlun Mountains and be inclined to help the Gunlun Sect?
Wi Seoryon continued speaking as if she had no care for the confusion of the Outcast martial artists.
“If you leave people like you, who are unruly, to run wild, the essence of this mountain will last only ten years.”
Why does a sect established on Spirit Mountain tolerate discomfort, using nature as companionship, controlling people, and preserving the landscape? Because if humanity’s hand were to touch it, logging, collecting, and farming would inevitably occur, ingraining the destruction of the land.
This destruction of land would prevent the spirit of the earth from enduring the flow of elemental Qi, and if the taboos flourish, the elemental energies flowing through the mountains would change, causing the flow of spirit energy to stir or, at worst, to extinguish.
“Today, I am in a good mood, so I will offer you the opportunity to retreat.”
Of course, it was unlikely the Outcast martial artists would understand the logic of the elemental energies drawn in Wi Seoryeon’s mind.
What the Outcast martial artists understood was simply that Wi Seoryeon was intending to oppose them.
“You’re a ridiculous girl!”
“You may seem to possess great martial arts, but do you think you can handle this many martial artists and the Blood Sect’s entities!”
Had they been faced with someone like Wi Seoryeon, they would normally have prostrated themselves or fled instantly, but the Outcast martial artists intensified their momentum.
Despite being scattered, they had hundreds of comrades and even entities that the Taoists of the Jeomchang faction could not handle.
“Oh? So that’s how it is.”
Recalling a fact she had momentarily forgotten, Wi Seoryeon noted the fierce stance of the Outcast martial artists.
“I’ve merely heard about the entities; I’ve never faced one before, so this is now quite interesting.”
Szzzzzzz!!
And at the same time, as the energy of the black dragon surged forth, the Outcast martial artists realized that something was going awry.
“So I must clear you out quickly and enjoy a taste before the Array Formation Teams arrive.”
With those words, the black dragon Qi enveloped the sky and shot towards the Outcast martial artists.
“Aaaah!”
“Gah!!”
In no time, the foot of the Gunlun Mountains echoed with the screams of martial artists.
The sight of martial artists collapsing at a mere brush of Qi turned the faces of the Outcast martial artists pale.
How could this be possible?
Although they had heard numerous dreadful rumors about the Heavenly Demon, there were hardly any who believed the stories.
They thought it was all exaggerated nonsense; tales of a single flick of a finger to subdue dozens of martial artists, or merely making eye contact resulted in one spewing blood. They dismissed such rumors as unfounded given that the Evil Sect only lurked in Xin Gang the last time they had shown up, which was ages ago.
However, upon witnessing the reality of the Heavenly Demon before their eyes, the Outcast martial artists realized.
All the rumors they had heard were indeed true, with no exaggeration whatsoever.
“I have no time, so I will proceed immediately.”
Wi Seoryeon’s flowing jet-black hair shimmered, and her red eyes sparkled as she moved toward the center of the Outcast group.
A single Heavenly Demon initiating a battle against hundreds of martial artists had just begun.
*
Had Wi Seoryeon ever taken a trip away from Xin Gang?
Well, if you consider being trapped in a cart and traveling to remote places without meeting anyone a trip, then yes, one could say she had.
When I and the Black Cat took Wi Seoryeon’s cart to the Heavenly Demon Sect, that journey was precisely like that.
It goes without saying that such travel can hardly be called a journey.
In that sense, Wi Seoryeon was experiencing her first real journey.
One that didn’t require her to hide her black dragon Qi, avoid people, and have the freedom to roam over mountains and fields with her own legs.
With such freedom coursing through her, Wi Seoryeon often strayed from the main unit and spent all day running around of her own volition.
Thus, having run ahead of us for quite some time, it seemed Wi Seoryeon had eventually collided with the Outcast forces surrounding the Gunlun Mountains.
An overwhelming black dragon Qi dyed the sky as chaos swept through, and it wasn’t long before the horrific sounds, unmistakably made by entities, reached her ears.
Wi Ji-cheon murmured upon hearing that sound.
“Looks like Seoryeon has encountered the enemy first.”
“It seems so.”
Wi Ji-cheon’s tone was exceptionally calm, but the martial artists from the Heavenly Demon Sect traveling with us began to stir. After all, it wasn’t every day their superior, the Heavenly Demon, was fighting against the enemy.
“Your Majesty, Heavenly Demon! Please allow the Hellfire Flame Legion to set out! I will return with the enemies’ entities!”
“Let our Iceblood Mountain Tempest Legion set out to show the might of the Sect!”
“The Mugeuk Chiljeong Corps will swiftly eliminate the entities!”
Especially the six captains of the Array Formation Teams representing the Heavenly Demon Sect were in complete disarray.
Hellfire Flame Legion, Iceblood Mountain Tempest Legion, Mugeuk Chiljeong Corps, Extreme Demon Slaughter Legion, Roaring Divine Tiger Corps, Guardian Heavenly Legion.
These six Array Formation Teams were competing for the title of the best formation team within the Heavenly Demon Sect.
However, the supremacy among these six teams had yet to be determined.
Because there hadn’t been an opportunity to fight against the entities so far.
And now that opportunity had finally arrived for them to showcase the prowess of their Array Formation.
The six captains quickly bowed before Wi Ji-cheon, eagerly sending glances at him while simultaneously casting wary glances at the other captains, hoping he would issue the order for one of them to set out.
“Hmm.”
A rare groan slipped from Wi Ji-cheon’s lips.
Since he had to choose a strong force for no special reason, it was naturally a troublesome situation.
Wi Ji-cheon gave each of the six captains a sweeping glance before he turned to me.
“What do you think, Saint?”
“…Pardon?”
“Since this is a dispatch to assist the Saint, I deemed that your opinion holds significance. Especially in deciding the vanguard, your opinion is invaluable and I wish to respect it.”
I stared at Wi Ji-cheon for a moment, feeling somewhat incredulous.
Are you… seriously asking for my input?
“Saint!”
“Surely the Guardian Heavenly Legion is the greatest Array Formation Team! Please make a wise decision!”
Wi Ji-cheon, appearing significantly lighter, turned his gaze away from me to look ahead, while the captains clamored, calling for the Saint.
Feeling the fierce resolve from the captains that they wouldn’t let me be until I picked their formation team, I sighed internally.
“While it is indeed admirable for the captains to want to assist the Saint and to eliminate the entities of the Blood Sect, could it be wise to allow all of you to head out together?”
The captains’ eyes intensified at my words. It seemed they understood my intent better than I’d expected, as they looked at me with piercing gazes.
If I were to specify a captain, it would ruin my relationships with the rest of the formation teams.
“However, since it’s necessary, the team that reaches the scene first should form the formation and deliver a heavy blow. Late teams should fall back and focus on support.”
So, it was best not to specify anything at this time.
It seemed my answer had taken the captains by surprise, their eyes blinking rapidly.
“Hellfire Flame Legion! Set out!”
The first to comprehend the situation among the captains was Yeom Sang-jin, the leader of the Hellfire Flame Legion.
With his shout, he bolted forward, followed closely by the members of the Hellfire Flame Legion, hustling after him.
“Set off! Let’s go!”
“Don’t fall behind!”
The latecomers gritted their teeth and sped off.
Thus, a chaotic line of martial artists charging toward the Gunlun Mountains began to unfold.
Hmm.
I noticed the fierce rivalry among the teams as they jostled against each other, impeding one another’s runs, yet they were certainly seasoned martial artists from the Heavenly Demon Sect, so it should be fine.
“Impressive.”
Wi Ji-cheon regarded them with a satisfied look, a mirror reflection of how Wi Seoryeon, in her previous acts of confidence, looked so shameless.
Just like a father and daughter, they resembled each other perfectly.
“This will surely let people know that our sect has moved.”
“Yes.”
A huge commotion was about to erupt again in the Central Plains.
With six powerful teams, the Heavenly Demon, and the Saint coming to the front, it was sure to be quite a spectacle.
If you counted the martial artists from both the formation teams and the Heavenly Demon, there were nearly two hundred of them emerging from the Evil Sect, a truly staggering event worthy of causing uproar.
“You are attacking the forces surrounding the Gunlun Sect yet I can’t help but think that this is a bit hasty.”
I nodded at Wi Ji-cheon’s observation. I could understand perfectly what he wanted to express as I too had thought extensively about how best to utilize the forces of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
“It is not something anyone could imagine when the Heavenly Demon Sect would move; perhaps it would have been better to reveal ourselves at a more dramatic moment.”
“Exactly. Saving the Gunlun Sect isn’t bad, but that could result in revealing our sect’s involvement prematurely with minimal benefits.”
Minimal benefits, huh.
Hearing that, I felt a hint of humanity in Wi Ji-cheon.
Among the various challenges in life, one of the hardest would undoubtedly be self-objectivity.
Hadn’t I once been trapped in mental burdens, mistaking my state for clear-mindedness?
Wi Ji-cheon was no different.
The insights he shared suggested he hadn’t fully grasped the worth of the title Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Demon Sect.
It wasn’t a matter of Wi Ji-cheon lacking strategy or insight; more so, it came from a lack of experience.
The Heavenly Demon Sect might have gathered plenty of intel about the Central Plains, but they had never engaged with Central Plains powers directly, so it was understandable there would be a disconnect.
“Then what do you consider to be the significant gain?”
“Ultimately, it would be to wait and suddenly raid the Blood Sect’s stronghold and crush them at once with our power.”
“Yes, I agree.”
“And this will happen.”
Wi Ji-cheon looked perplexed.
He appeared to wonder how a surprise assault on the Blood Sect’s stronghold could be achievable once it was known to the world that the Heavenly Demon Sect had moved.
I simply smiled while refraining from giving a complete answer.
“Now it might be time for us to act. It’s excellent to defeat the entities and the Outcast faction, but it would be contrary to our purpose if we ended up clashing with the Taoists of the Gunlun Sect.”
Revealing all the plans beforehand could lessen the excitement when the situation arose.
This was not merely a ploy to shift the conflict of interests regarding the formation teams onto me.
Suddenly, as I prepared to make my next move, a timely cheer resounded.
[The Hellfire Flame Legion has defeated an entity of the Blood Sect!]
Perhaps filled with overwhelming joy after vanquishing an entity, Yeom Sang-jin’s voice traveled far and wide through the earth, prompting me to spring into action.
With all preparations completed,
It was finally the time to unleash the game.
To commence this game, I surged forward with vigor, activated all my martial arts techniques, and began to fly.
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