Returning Immortal

Chapter 9 : Thunder Cloud Sword

"That's enough. In any case, it's a great relief that Gwi Seongjin has woken up. Academician Yu, continue to investigate the reason why Gwi Seongjin was unconscious for three days, and Academician Qiu, tell me again about the movements of the Heavenly Sound Valley Lord, Shin Giseong."

"Yes. I reported yesterday that two of our cult's elders fought a life-and-death battle with the Heavenly Sound Valley Lord, and one died on the spot while the other barely survived and returned. Unfortunately, he also passed away this morning."

"I know. His meridians burst and his liver was shattered by the sound wave of the zither played by the Heavenly Sound Valley Lord..."

"I thought so too, but another cause was discovered a little while ago. As you know, both of the deceased elders were at the peak of the supreme realm. They would not have died so quickly just from their meridians bursting and their livers being shattered. So an autopsy was performed... and we discovered that minute holes were pierced in the brain tissue adjacent to the ears."

"Hmm... So that's why he was delirious and kept talking nonsense. Has the Heavenly Sound Valley Lord's whereabouts been identified?"

"The last place he showed himself was near the Manjang Cave. About ten of our cult's masters were dead there, and upon investigation, it was determined that they had been struck by his String-Plucking Killing Sound. Fortunately, the Azure Wing Flying King was not far away, so he led his masters and was dispatched. Since the Venerable himself went, no matter how elusive the Heavenly Sound Valley Lord is, he will surely get a bitter taste this time."

"Tsk, tsk. The damage to our cult because of one Heavenly Sound Valley Lord is too severe. Academician Qiu, what do you think his martial arts level is?"

"That... until recently, I knew it to be the late stage of the supreme realm. But considering his recent atrocities... I'm not sure, but it seems he has already surpassed the supreme realm."

"We should assume that possibility is high. Even so, if it's the Azure Wing Flying King, he should be able to subdue him without a problem. By the way, what about the whereabouts of the Hundred Poisons Sect Mistress? Is her trail still completely lost?"

"I'm sorry. I've had my members look everywhere, but the Hundred Poisons Sect Mistress's whereabouts are also unknown."

"...I see."

The Vice Director, who had been pondering with a serious expression after receiving Academician Qiu's report, let out a low sigh.

It was because he had a bad feeling about something.

But his contemplation was brief.

Raising his head, the Vice Director looked at the two academicians with piercing eyes.

"Recently, the movements of the Blood Cult have been increasing noticeably. The reason the Heavenly Sound Valley and the Hundred Poisons Sect are running wild in this land of Xinjiang is because they are relying on them. A big event will happen soon, so Academician Qiu, make sure to be thorough in gathering information. Don't neglect even small pieces of information... And Academician Yu!"

"Yes, Vice Director!"

"You, prepare the necessary items for Gwi Seongjin to go to the absolute forbidden zone. We can't be sure how many days it will take, so pack plenty of clothes and food, and ask if there is anything else he needs and grant it as much as possible. We will depart tonight."

"I will follow your orders. But am I going with you?"

"If we were only going to the entrance of the forbidden zone, I would have sent you as originally planned, but as I just said, the movements of the Blood Cult are unusual these days. So I have decided to personally take a few supreme masters and Gwi Seongjin. This time, I plan to go deep into the Heavenly Demon's Tomb."

"If you are going personally, Vice Director, there shouldn't be any major problems, but isn't the number of people too small if it's only a few supreme masters? Won't it be dangerous?"

"It is dangerous. If we're not careful, we might have to bury our bones there. But if not now, there will be no other chance, so I'm taking the risk even though I know it's dangerous."

"I understand. But if even supreme masters can't guarantee their lives... the probability of Gwi Seongjin returning alive from there doesn't seem very high."

Academician Yu said with a regretful expression.

"But we can't not take him, can we? We can only hope that he is lucky..."

The Vice Director muttered in a low voice, as if in a monologue.

* * *

At that time.

Deep in the basement of the building where the Luminous Cult's Elder Council was located, the Raging Fire Divine Lord was meditating with his Sky-Piercing Halberd on his lap.

Four days ago.

When his Pure Yang True Qi was escaping while unblocking Gwi Seongjin's acupoints, the Raging Fire Divine Lord had thought that not a single wisp of his true qi was left.

Indeed, the sensation he felt at that time was like that.

But after returning to his residence and circulating his qi, the Raging Fire Divine Lord let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

He had thought all his Pure Yang True Qi had disappeared, but about thirty percent of it still remained in his middle dantian.

But it was strange.

The remaining Pure Yang True Qi was not pure and had become very turbid.

Its power was also mediocre, only slightly stronger than the internal energy of his lower dantian.

It was clearly true qi, but it felt as if the core had been removed and only the shell remained.

What was even stranger was that from that day on, the true qi scattered a little each day, and now, four days later, only twenty percent was left.

In terms of power alone, it was about ten percent of what it used to be.

Fortunately, it had stabilized now, but for the Raging Fire Divine Lord, it was a situation that made him want to go mad and jump up and down.

He had agonized over it and had even gone into the Heavenly Demon Library to look at old booklets, but he couldn't find a clear cause.

In the end, the conclusion he came to was that he had to capture Gwi Seongjin and examine him directly.

So he had made a lot of effort to participate in this operation, and by asking the Grand Elder, the head of the Elder Council, he was finally able to obtain the Cult Leader's permission.

The Raging Fire Divine Lord's purpose in participating in the operation was to regain his lost Pure Yang True Qi.

If that was impossible, he wanted to at least find out its whereabouts.

He didn't know how those two matters would turn out, but there was one thing that was certain.

The fact that when they returned to the fortress, one of them, he or Gwi Seongjin, would not return alive.

* * *

That evening.

Academician Yu came to Gwi Seongjin's stone chamber.

After a brief glance at Gwi Seongjin, Academician Yu silently looked around every corner of the room.

Then he turned his gaze back to Gwi Seongjin.

"Is your body alright?"

"It is."

"Anywhere uncomfortable?"

"I just finished circulating my qi and regulating my breathing, and other than the blocked meridians being unblocked, there was nothing particularly wrong. Ah! It seems my internal energy has increased a little... I suppose the pill I took before my acupoints were unblocked was quite miraculous."

At Gwi Seongjin's answer, Academician Yu's brow furrowed slightly.

Considering the unusual behavior the Raging Fire Divine Lord had shown that day, there must be a reason he didn't know.

This would also be linked to the reason Gwi Seongjin was unconscious for three days.

There must be some reason, but annoyingly, Gwi Seongjin's answer contained none of the information he wanted.

"I should congratulate you on your increased internal energy, but the pill you took that day was a medicine that did not have a very good compatibility with the internal energy in your dantian. You might feel a foreign energy in your body, so how about you check it carefully once more?"

"I've checked it carefully, so don't worry too much. And since I didn't wake up for several days, you must have already called a physician and had my pulse taken, right?"

At Gwi Seongjin's accusation, Academician Yu did not admit it.

But he didn't deny it either, and through this, Gwi Seongjin was convinced that a physician had visited while he was unconscious.

A physician had taken his pulse while he was unconscious, and a strand of spirit energy must have come out due to his self-defensive instincts and protected his heart.

"It's a relief that there's nothing wrong."

"By the way, what's going on?"

"Since your blocked meridians are released and your internal energy has increased, you should have no trouble moving your body."

"Does that mean it's time to pay the price for the pill?"

"That's right. Tonight, you will go on a secret mission outside the fortress with the masters of our fortress. It's a dangerous place, and your mission is to break the formation that is spread out there."

"Did you just say mission?"

Gwi Seongjin asked as if it was strange.

A mission was something possible only for someone who belonged to an organization.

It was not a word that applied to him, who had been captured as a prisoner.

Fortunately, Academician Yu immediately grasped the intention behind Gwi Seongjin's stern words.

"Request would be a more fitting word than mission."

"A request... Then there must be a reward as well?"

"A reward?"

Academician Yu shot a sharp gaze at Gwi Seongjin.

Even so, Gwi Seongjin did not turn his gaze away.

His expression was as if he was demanding something natural.

"I thought you were detached from worldly possessions, but you're different from how you look. If there's something you want, say it."

"Before that, there's something I want to know. What is the importance and danger level of this operation?"

"Both are very high."

"Then my life could be in danger."

Instead of answering, Academician Yu nodded his head.

"If it's such a dangerous operation, it seems you won't refuse even if I ask for something a little unreasonable..."

"Go ahead and say it."

"Alright. I have two requests. One is to release Baekmae."

"Release her?"

"That's right. I would like you to set her free."

"Freedom! What if she insists on staying in the fortress after she's released?"

"What I'm asking is that you no longer oppress or restrain her. The choice after that is hers."

"Alright. I will release her as soon as you leave the fortress. What is the second request?"

Academician Yu answered refreshingly.

It was because he already knew that Gwi Seongjin would make such a request.

However, it was unexpected that Gwi Seongjin's requests were two, not one.

"I will receive the second one as a deferred payment. If I complete this task safely, please prepare an independent residence for me."

"An independent residence?"

"If possible, I would like it to be a cave dwelling located in a secluded place."

At the words cave dwelling, Academician Yu's brow narrowed.

There were quite a few cave dwellings within this fortress.

Choosing a suitable one among them and giving it to Gwi Seongjin as his residence was not a very big problem.

Above all, preparing a new residence for Gwi Seongjin on the surface was the Vice Director's instruction.

However, most of the cave dwellings were located quite a distance from the Dark Spirit Council, and since they were built by digging into the mountain, they were not easy to monitor by nature.

If you just locked the door, you couldn't know what was going on inside.

The bigger problem was the meaning of granting an independent space.

It was a statement asking to be recognized as a human being, not a prisoner.

Still, as a reward for this operation, it was not an unreasonable level.

And he could handle a matter of this level within his authority.

"Alright. If you return alive, I will choose one of the cave dwellings in the mountains and hand it over to you. Is that all?"

"It is. But may I ask for a favor?"

When Academician Yu accepted all his requests, Gwi Seongjin made a surprised expression inwardly.

Gwi Seongjin, who had judged that it was difficult to take revenge on the Luminous Cult with his current skills, had stored his killing intent deep in his heart and had decided to cooperate with the Luminous Cult for a while.

At that time, he had seriously devised a plan to get out of this place alive, so when Academician Yu mentioned a reward, Gwi Seongjin was able to assert his demands without hesitation.

But he hadn't thought that his requests would be granted so easily.

He had thought that even if they were granted, there would be various conditions attached, but they were accepted too cleanly.

Thinking about the meaning of that, Gwi Seongjin once again brought up the word 'favor'.

"A favor? Say it."

"You, Academician Yu, should also know well that breaking a formation is not that easy. Not only do you have to grasp the momentum and flow contained in the formation, but there are also not a few cases where you need to break the formation, change its position, or alter its characteristics. Also, there are not a few unexpected dangers, so I need a weapon to protect myself."

"Is there something you need?"

"Return the dagger I had."

"A dagger?"

It wasn't that Academician Yu didn't know and asked.

When Gwi Seongjin was dragged here, a small sword about a foot long was hanging from his waist.

It wasn't very sharp, so it was thrown into a warehouse, but to think he wanted that...

"You mean the sword with a purple handle and a cloud pattern embossed on it?"

Academician Yu asked with a slightly curious face.

"That's right. It's small and shabby, but it's a rather useful item for breaking formations."

Gwi Seongjin answered, looking at Academician Yu.

It was a bold gaze that said it would be nice if you gave it, but it didn't matter if you didn't.

"Does the sword have a name?"

"It doesn't. But I call it the Purple Cloud Sword."

Gwi Seongjin answered, using his quick wit.

It was because he thought they wouldn't give him the sword if he said it was the Thunder Cloud Sword.

"Purple Cloud Sword! Hmm. It's a name that suits the shape of the sword well. I understand. I will tell Adjutant Cheok to bring it to you."

"Thank you. Since you've gone that far, I will also do my best in this operation. By the way, are you also going, Academician Yu?"

"No. You'll know when you get there, but the people going with you are all masters of the supreme realm or higher. Moreover, they are people with high status and reputation in our cult, so there should not be even the slightest mistake."

"I understand."

"Before that, I have one piece of advice."

Suddenly, Academician Yu's expression turned cold.

"Say it."

"You're a smart fellow, so you should already know where this place is. Isn't that right?"

Gwi Seongjin, who was silent for a moment at Academician Yu's question, slowly nodded his head.

It was because he knew that even if he pretended not to know, it would be revealed soon.

"Then, you should also be able to guess what kind of attitude you should have towards your superiors in order to survive here."

There were no more words.

(End of Chapter)