Returning Immortal

Chapter 5 : Heavenly Demon's Legacy

Bang!

"What! Isn't that just a request to move his residence above ground?"

An old man, short and with a back hunched like a hunchback, slammed his palm on the round table and asked.

As if he had infused his internal energy into his hand, the old man's black fingernails dug deep into the round table.

"That's right. He said he wanted to walk in the moonlight, but it's no different from saying he'll obediently follow our wishes, so please prepare a residence for him on the surface where he can see the moonlight."

"It seems that bastard still hasn't grasped his situation. Should I have tortured him a little more?"

The hunchbacked old man said as he pulled his fingers out of the round table.

Screeeech!

As the black fingernails came out of the round table, a long, blood-curdling sound was heard.

It was the sound of the iron inside the round table being scratched.

"Since he's a cunning fellow... it seems he knows his own value well."

"Did he have the time for that?"

"He is from the Ghost Valley Sect."

To the Vice Director's question, Academician Yu answered with a meaningful statement.

At those words, the Vice Director did not raise any particular objection.

"If he's a descendant of the Ghost Valley Master, that could be possible. What's his personality like?"

"He seems calm, but he sometimes engages in impulsive actions... I couldn't gauge his personality at all. It seems his pessimistic tendencies have strengthened, perhaps because of the shocking situation he recently experienced."

"Well, he witnessed his parents die right before his eyes, so it's a relief he hasn't gone mad."

Tap. Tap. Tap.

As if in thought, the old man tapped the round table with his fingers.

It was because it wasn't the result the old man had wanted.

'To prove his worth and then only ask to change his residence, he's an incredibly cunning fellow. But if he has an impulsive personality... Phew! If I try to appease him, I might end up being led by him, and if I pressure him with force, there's a possibility he'll act out... He won't be easy to handle.'

The wrinkles etched on the old man's forehead deepened.

"Um... Vice Director!"

"What is it?"

"To what extent is Gwi Seongjin's ability? Seeing as he broke the Nether Demon Sealing Formation, his skill must be extraordinary, but..."

"Why? Are you worried about your position?"

"N-no, sir."

Academician Yu waved his hands in denial.

To say it wasn't...

It was too much of a reaction.

There was a reason why Academician Yu was reacting so sensitively.

Everyone in the Dark Spirit Council was exceptional, but the only two people who were well-versed in both formations and barriers were Ne Jinja and the Director, Po Seokcheon.

There were three academicians below them, but none were knowledgeable in formations.

Academician Yu was the same.

He had studied diligently on his own and had set foot in the realm of a master, but he couldn't dare to compare to the level of the two.

"Don't worry. It's true that his ability to break formations is excellent enough to be compared to mine, but there will surely be a limit to his ability to set up and sense formations. Isn't he still young?"

He was right.

Seeing that Gwi Seongjin had broken the Nether Demon Sealing Formation in a short time, it was an undeniable fact that he was a genius.

However, this was limited to formations drawn on paper.

The task of actually going out to the field, sensing hidden formations, and grasping their principles required a lot of experience and internal energy.

This was an ability that could not be expected from the still-young Gwi Seongjin.

But that didn't mean Gwi Seongjin's ability was not important.

The reason formations were difficult to dismantle was not because they couldn't be sensed, but because their principles couldn't be grasped.

"It seems you've misunderstood my words. The intention of my question was to accurately judge his ability so that there would be no mistakes in dealing with him in the future. But is his ability to break formations really comparable to yours, Vice Director?"

"Why? You don't believe it?"

"That's right. No matter how much of a genius he is, to think he could be compared to you, Vice Director..."

"He might even surpass me."

"..."

As if at a loss for words, Academician Yu stared at the Vice Director with a blank expression.

It was because he couldn't believe it at all.

In the Luminous Cult, when it came to the collateral studies of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, and Qi Men Dun Jia, the one recognized as the best, excluding the Director Po Seokcheon, was Ne Jinja.

To think he might surpass such a Vice Director...

It was by no means unreasonable for Academician Yu not to believe it.

Was it because he discovered the light of disbelief in his eyes?

The Vice Director added more.

"The Nether Demon Sealing Formation I gave him a few days ago... was actually not the original. I had tampered with it in a few places."

Even with the Vice Director's explanation, Academician Yu still wore a look of incomprehension.

He had given him a manipulated Nether Demon Sealing Formation?

It was because he couldn't understand the reason.

"But that didn't mean its power was reduced. It was several times more terrifying than the original Nether Demon Sealing Formation. It was so abstruse that even I, three years ago, would never have been able to solve it, but to think he solved it in just three days... After seeing the solution he wrote, I couldn't sleep at night."

"W-was it that much?"

"It had to be... The formation manual I gave him was even infused with the secrets I obtained from the Heavenly Demon's Tomb three years ago. You'll remember it too. How terrifying the ancient formation spread out in the Heavenly Demon's Tomb was... And how great a loss we suffered at that time..."

Of course, Academician Yu knew it well.

Three years ago.

The Cult Leader, who had summoned the Director of the Dark Spirit Council, gave a secret order.

It was an order to break an ancient formation that had been discovered in the absolute forbidden zone deep within the Tian Shan.

But the Cult Leader had set a strange condition.

It was an instruction that no one other than the Dark Spirit Council, not even the Emissaries of Light or the Guardian Venerables, should know about it.

The Director of the Dark Spirit Council accepted this, and the matter was considered a top-secret and was carried out in secret.

But a problem occurred.

The breaking of the formation was not as easy as they had thought.

Seventy percent of the personnel sent into the formation in the first wave died, and forty percent of the second wave, which included Ne Jinja, were also sacrificed.

At that time, Academician Yu had also gone in, and he had crossed the threshold of death no less than three times.

The group that barely escaped from the formation reported the situation to Po Seokcheon.

The opinion was that the range of the formation was too wide to gauge its depth, and that an ancient formation system that was now lost was applied, making it impossible to break.

And that there was a large stone monument inside the formation, on which was engraved 'Heavenly Demon's Tomb'.

Naturally, it was also reported to the Cult Leader, but the Cult Leader gave an unexpected order.

It was an instruction to break it by any means necessary.

Along with that, the Cult Leader also promised full support.

That night.

The Director of the Dark Spirit Council, Po Seokcheon, the Vice Director, Ne Jinja, and Academician Yu secretly entered the absolute forbidden zone with a few masters.

To be precise, the outskirts of the Heavenly Demon's Tomb.

It was right in front of the formation that they had painstakingly dismantled so far.

The three men, who had examined the vicinity by the light of the moon, came out with the conviction that this was the place where the legacy of the Heavenly Demon, who had disappeared a thousand years ago, was buried.

'Heavenly Demon's Legacy.'

It was truly a heart-pounding phrase.

To the demonic practitioners, the word Heavenly Demon was greatness and fantasy.

The greatest master of all time.

The Heavenly Demon could be represented by this one phrase.

The history of the martial world was even divided into before and after the Heavenly Demon.

Recalling the fact that the Heavenly Demon's legacy might be buried here, Academician Yu understood why the Cult Leader had emphasized secrecy so much.

If this rumor leaked out, not only the Dark Demonic Cult, which had separated from the Demonic Cult in the past, but also the Blood Cult, which had separated relatively recently, would surely flock to the Tian Shan.

This was because those two sects also revered the Heavenly Demon as their ancestor.

Of course, the one that inherited the orthodoxy of the Demonic Cult was the Luminous Cult.

Three hundred years ago, the imperial court had raised the banner of 'Exterminate the Demonic Cult' and organized a righteous-demonic alliance to attack.

In response, all the cult members united and barely managed to protect their headquarters, but the Demonic Cult, whose power had greatly diminished, walked the path of decline after that.

Later, it changed its name to the Luminous Cult and nurtured its power to regain its former glory, but in any case, the only one protecting the Tian Shan, the holy land of the demonic practitioners, was the current Luminous Cult.

The three men who returned to the Dark Spirit Council continued their discussion.

And they researched a way to break it, and the conclusion was to borrow wisdom from outside the Luminous Cult.

But even this was fruitless.

They had secretly invited those who were called masters of formations, but not a single one could solve the formation spread out near the Heavenly Demon's Tomb.

Greatly disappointed, Po Seokcheon executed all the invited people.

After that, while keeping an eye on the Zhuge family of Hubei, who were rumored to be a family of geniuses, he found a clue to the solution in an unexpected place.

Was it as they say, the darkest place is under the candlestick?

A legendary master of formations lived here in the land of Xinjiang.

The Ghost Valley Sect.

Because they had lived a life close to seclusion for a thousand years, surrounding their sect with a formidable formation like an iron fortress, they hadn't thought of it right away.

Having set his target, Po Seokcheon immediately reported this fact to the Cult Leader.

A year after that.

The sturdy Heavenly Gate Golden Lock Formation finally fell.

"Academician Yu!"

"Yes, yes!"

As Academician Yu wore a blank expression, Ne Jinja's voice rose slightly.

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

"N-no, sir."

Academician Yu, who had been reminiscing about the past for a moment, gave an awkward smile and straightened his posture.

At that, Ne Jinja's voice also lowered again.

"Right now, Gwi Seongjin's ability is desperately needed, so if there is anything he wants, grant it as much as possible. It's important to pressure him and make him submit, but what's more important is to persuade him and have him break the formation of the Heavenly Demon's Tomb."

"I understand."

Academician Yu answered in a heavy voice.

"Also, thoroughly monitor his every move. For the time being, he will have no choice but to cooperate with us because of the hostage named Baek Gayeong, but... since his parents were murdered before his eyes on the same day, the resentment piled up in his heart will not be small."

"I will engrave it in my bones and heart."

"But don't treat him carelessly. You must never kill him before the formation of the Heavenly Demon's Tomb is broken. Even if you kill him, it must be after the formation is broken. Do you understand what I mean?"

At the Vice Director's repeated admonitions, Academician Yu had to re-evaluate Gwi Seongjin's ability once again.

Before he knew it, Gwi Seongjin had emerged as an indispensable talent in the Luminous Cult.

"I understand. In that case, there's no need to test his skills any further, right?"

"Judging by his skill in breaking the Nether Demon Sealing Formation, any further tests are meaningless. To be honest, I don't know the extent of his ability either. The only task left now is to take him to the Heavenly Demon's Tomb and find out for myself..."

"Then I will prepare a residence for him on the surface as he requested."

"That seems like a good idea. Ah! And..."

The Vice Director continued to speak.

"I received a message from the Director this morning, and he said that the Heavenly Sound Valley Lord, Shin Giseong, and the old witch of the Hundred Poisons Sect have been meeting frequently recently. They're not dating in their old age, so... he said it seems they are plotting something sinister."

"Sinister, like what?"

"The Blood Cult."

At the Vice Director's answer, Academician Yu's expression hardened at once.

The Heavenly Sound Valley and the Hundred Poisons Sect were sects located on the outskirts of Xinjiang, and their power had been growing significantly recently.

Although they couldn't be compared to the Ten Great Demonic Gates that supported the Luminous Cult, they were analyzed to be able to surpass the Thirty-Two Strongholds.

"It's still just a guess, but... if they have colluded with the Blood Cult, a big fight will break out here in Xinjiang sooner or later. Before that, we must first solve the secret of the Heavenly Demon's Tomb."

"I will keep that in mind."

Academician Yu thought that he had to hurry things up.

It was the Blood Cult that had been defeated in a fight with the Luminous Cult some thirty years ago and had gone underground.

If it was determined that their shadow was cast behind the Heavenly Sound Valley and the Hundred Poisons Sect, a war would break out immediately.

'If a war breaks out, all the talented individuals in the Dark Spirit Council who are good with their heads will be drafted. Then there will be no time to pay attention to the absolute forbidden zone, so before that, we must break the formation of the Heavenly Demon's Tomb.'

As Academician Yu hardened his resolve, Gwi Seongjin's face was clearly drawn in his mind.

It was because the success or failure of the matter depended solely on his ability.

(End of Chapter)