novelraw Chapter 154 : Chapter 154
Chapter 154 : Chapter 154
Chapter 154. You finally came.
“The Demonic Prison… is the urgent report that it has been completely destroyed.”
Ho Jong-ak spoke as if it was difficult for him to even open his mouth.
And for good reason, Ho Jong-ak himself was not free from this situation.
Some of the prisoners in the Demonic Prison had been personally captured by Ho Jong-ak, so the moment this incident was revealed to the world, he too would not be safe.
“Who is behind this.”
“The Demonic Cult… it is presumed to be the Unrivaled New Demon.”
“The Unrivaled New Demon? He should have been dead. How could he……”
The Sword Saint muttered as if he couldn't believe it, but the answer was already clear.
The Unrivaled New Demon, that is, Jin Cheon, had faked his own death and fooled everyone.
“For the Demonic Prison to fall… the Demonic Prison… what is this……”
The Sword Saint, thrown into confusion, repeated the same words for a while, unable to shake off the shock.
Even though he had spent his entire life with the sword as his companion and reached the lofty realm of Sword Saint, it was impossible to maintain his composure in a situation like this.
The same was true for the Great Divine Physician of Immortals.
Unlike the Sword Saint, the Great Divine Physician of Immortals remained silent, his lips tightly sealed, but it was clear that he was considerably agitated.
“……We’ve been hit hard.”
The Great Divine Physician of Immortals managed to speak.
“Being caught off guard like this, we were bound to suffer a fatal blow. To think it was all planned.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think Shaolin, Emei, and the Tang Clan would have declared the closing of their gates for no reason?”
“……Ah.”
“It seems we’ve been dancing in the palm of the Unrivaled New Demon’s hand.”
The Great Divine Physician of Immortals squeezed his eyes shut as if grinding his teeth.
Although he did not utter any curses, his anger was so intense that a powerful wave of qi erupted, shattering the wine cups and bottle.
“My friend, what should we do about this.”
The Sword Saint urged the Great Divine Physician of Immortals.
“The moment the true nature of the Demonic Prison is revealed to the world, we are finished. Shaolin, Emei, and the Tang Clan are one thing, but we will also make an enemy of Wudang.”
The Wudang Sect.
It was not for nothing that there was a saying, "If there is Shaolin in Buddhism, there is Wudang in Taoism."
As the Wudang Sect had a history of being called the Mount Tai and Big Dipper of the Daoist sects since ancient times, there were no more fearsome enemies to have.
Moreover, as they were a sect that had kept some distance from the mainstream faction of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance led by the Sword Saint and the Great Divine Physician of Immortals, they were bound to be very difficult to deal with.
Wasn't that the very reason why masters from the Wudang Sect were imprisoned in the Demonic Prison?
If the Wudang Sect were to find out about this, it was as clear as day how they would react.
They would not only withdraw from the Righteous Heavenly Alliance but would surely seek to exact a price.
“First, we must stop them from escaping. We have to silence at least one of them.”
“R-right. We have to.”
“We must mobilize all the forces of the Alliance immediately to pursue them. Also……”
The Great Divine Physician of Immortals stood up from his seat.
“We must also step forward. Right now.”
“Of course, we will.”
The Sword Saint also rose from his seat.
With things having come to this, it was impossible to just sit back, watch the situation, and issue orders.
To resolve this disastrous event even a little, not only the Righteous Heavenly Alliance Leader, the Sword Saint, but also the Great Divine Physician of Immortals had to step forward.
Even so, it would be a story close to impossible to completely cover up this incident.
Thud, thud!
The Sword Saint and the Great Divine Physician of Immortals simultaneously leaped and headed for the Righteous Heavenly Alliance headquarters.
Truly enormous lightweight footwork… Ho Jong-ak hastily chased after them, but the Sword Saint and the Great Divine Physician of Immortals, who had already reached the Mysterious Realm, became smaller and smaller dots and disappeared.
“They must have headed south towards the Yangtze River.”
The Great Divine Physician of Immortals said to the Sword Saint running alongside him.
“I believe so. It would be the only way for them to escape with people who have difficulty moving.”
“Ask the Imperial Navy for help as well. We must block the waterway to stop them.”
“I understand, I will do so.”
The Sword Saint nodded his head as if he understood.
They too were not ignorant of the optimal escape route that the Demonic Cult could choose, so it was certainly possible for them to prepare a corresponding countermeasure.
* * *
Dududududu!
The warriors of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, led by Jin Cheon, divided the prisoners of the Demonic Prison into several carriages and immediately headed south towards the Yangtze River.
Meanwhile, Jin Cheon was in a swaying carriage, facing a master from the Wudang Sect.
“I am Jin Cheon. The Seventh Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
“The debt of saving my life... I will not forget it even in death.”
The master from the Wudang Sect clasped his hands in a greeting towards Jin Cheon.
‘What a relief. That he’s not dead yet.’
Jin Cheon looked at the Wudang master and recalled the past.
Taiji Divine Dragon Unhyeon.
In the past, when Jin Cheon had entered the Heavenly Martial Academy, Unhyeon had been a prodigy in the graduating class, a genius among geniuses who was said to have mastered almost all of the Wudang Sect's martial arts.
It was so much so that he was praised as the greatest talent since the founding of the Wudang Sect, and rumors even circulated that the title of "once-in-a-millennium genius" existed for Taiji Divine Dragon Unhyeon.
In reality, Unhyeon had proven the evaluations of himself by reaching the Realm of Transformation at such a young age.
The problem was that just before graduating from the Heavenly Martial Academy, he was kidnapped by the Righteous Heavenly Alliance and imprisoned in the Demonic Prison, causing him to go missing.
‘There was a time I admired you. We were quite close.’
Jin Cheon looked at Unhyeon and recalled his days in the Demonic Prison.
He remembered how surprised he had been to meet Unhyeon when he was imprisoned in the Demonic Prison; the memory was still vivid.
The subtlety of Taiji that Jin Cheon used was also learned from Unhyeon…….
“I don’t know if you remember, but my original name is Jin Yeong-in.”
“Jin Yeong-in……?”
“I studied under the great hero, Azure Heaven Divine Warrior Jang Guk-pyeong.”
“Ah!”
Unhyeon exclaimed as if he finally remembered.
“I heard there was a disciple of the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior among the new students of the Heavenly Martial Academy. Was that you?”
“Yes, it was.”
“But how did his disciple……?”
“There’s a story behind it. It’s a long story, so it’s a bit difficult to talk about now.”
“I see. I don’t know the details, but there must be a good reason. His disciple wouldn't have defected to the Demonic Cult for no reason…… Cough!”
Unhyeon suddenly coughed up blood.
“……!”
Startled, Jin Cheon hurriedly checked Unhyeon's condition.
“I-it’s fine. The aftereffects are severe, so don’t worry about it.”
Unhyeon's condition as he said this looked worse than his words suggested.
Having been subjected to such harsh torture in the Demonic Prison and used for martial arts research, his full body meridians and Lower Dantian were in tatters.
“Just hold on a little longer. Your master will come for you soon.”
“Wh-what do you mean? Did you contact my master?”
“Of course.”
Jin Cheon nodded his head.
Unhyeon's master was a master on par with the Sword Saint and the Great Divine Physician of Immortals.
How else could he be called by the alias Sword Immortal?
After Unhyeon went missing, he had wandered the world searching for his one and only disciple, and a letter had reached him at just the right time.
“I’ve also sent people to the Wudang Sect to inform them of your whereabouts, so you should be able to meet him within a few shichen at the earliest.”
“Thank you so much.”
Unhyeon said, wiping the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
“There’s no need to thank me.”
Jin Cheon shrugged as if it were no big deal.
“It’s all for my own survival.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The moment your master and the Wudang Sect intervene, the Righteous Heavenly Alliance won't be able to attack us recklessly, will they.”
“……!”
“Those Righteous Heavenly Alliance bastards aren't fools. They won't just stand by after the Demonic Prison has fallen and a large-scale prison break has occurred. They will surely chase us to kill us all.”
“So you’re saying you’ll use me as a shield.”
“Is there a problem with that?”
“There is not.”
Unhyeon said firmly.
To him, the Righteous Heavenly Alliance was also a sworn enemy, so there was no way he would be angry at Jin Cheon's words about using him as a shield.
In fact, it was good.
After being imprisoned in the Demonic Prison for nearly ten years and suffering such harsh hardships, what reason was there not to cooperate, even if it was with the Demonic Cult?
“Then it’s settled. Ah, and don't overdo it. It would be troublesome if you move rashly and a situation arises where nothing can be done.”
“I will do so.”
Unhyeon nodded his head.
* * *
Because the withdrawal was swift, carried out before the Righteous Heavenly Alliance could even respond, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult succeeded in taking the prisoners from the Demonic Prison and quickly heading south to the southern end of Hubei Province.
Meanwhile, Danmok Cheong focused on monitoring the movements of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance by constantly exchanging carrier pigeons with the Bat Squad.
It was around the time they had almost reached the waterway of the Yangtze River after running day and night.
“Liege, there is a report that the warriors of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance are gathering.”
“The numbers?”
“There are an enormous number of them. It is no exaggeration to say that they have practically issued a general mobilization order.”
“And the Wudang Sect?”
“I don't know for sure yet. It seems it is not easy for the Bat Squad to maintain close contact with the Wudang Sect.”
“Well. Their communication systems would be different.”
Jin Cheon nodded his head as if he understood.
It would be stranger if the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Bat Squad and the Wudang Sect were exchanging letters well.
“Maintain a tight watch on the surroundings, and ensure that we do not let our guard down until the very end.”
“As you command.”
About two shichen later.
“Heeeeeeigh!”
“Heeeing!”
With the sound of horses neighing, the furiously galloping procession of carriages slowly came to a halt.
“……What was to come has come.”
Jin Cheon sensed a fight.
For the procession to stop when they hadn't even reached their destination yet, it could only mean that an enemy had appeared ahead.
“Liege.”
“I know.”
Jin Cheon slowly rose from his seat and got out of the carriage.
“There are many.”
In front of the carriage procession, at least several hundred Righteous Heavenly Alliance warriors were lined up in formation.
However, the enemies visible in front were not all there was.
‘They keep flocking in.’
The presence of enemies was detected from all directions.
Although they were a bit far now, it was as clear as day that they would soon be surrounded if a little more time passed.
“All units, prepare for battle.”
“As you command!”
At Jin Cheon's command, the warriors of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult drew their weapons in unison.
And…….
“Wipe them all out!”
“As you command!”
At the command of the Rakshasa Troupe Leader, Man Yu-gang, the members of the Rakshasa Troupe threw themselves at the Righteous Heavenly Alliance warriors blocking their path.
The battle that ensued was truly overwhelming.
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
“Kraaaaaak!”
The might of the Rakshasa Troupe, one of the top military groups of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, was nothing short of a disaster for the Righteous Heavenly Alliance warriors.
The power of the demonic practitioners, who could devastate a decent sect in half a day, was not a level that those who had normally trained their martial arts could handle.
The same was true for the other enemies.
“R-retreat!”
“Uwaaaaaak!”
As soon as the Hellish Evil Ghost Squad stepped forward, the Righteous Heavenly Alliance warriors who had surrounded the carriage procession were unilaterally massacred and had to scatter in all directions.
The difference in military power was so extreme that, despite their overwhelming numbers, they could not gain the upper hand and instead suffered enormous damage.
Thanks to this, the Righteous Heavenly Alliance's first attack ended in complete failure.
However, the threat was not over.
Although the Righteous Heavenly Alliance warriors retreated after suffering enormous sacrifices, that was only to create distance, not to mean they had withdrawn.
‘It’s truly endless.’
Seeing the number of flocking enemies increase exponentially, Jin Cheon bit his lower lip.
But the important thing was not the numbers.
“Where do you vile demons think you are, running rampant!”
A truly thundering voice.
A white-haired old man in white robes descended upon the battlefield, roaring his reprimand.
“You finally came.”
Recognizing the old man at a glance, Jin Cheon slowly drew his sword.
Not only Jin Cheon, but there were almost no people who did not know the old man.
Because he was none other than the current Righteous Heavenly Alliance Leader, the one called the Sword Saint.