novelraw Chapter 140 : Chapter 140
Chapter 140 : Chapter 140
Chapter 140 Treason (3)
"That's... impossible. Why would a martial artist who uses demonic energy be there?"
"That's what I want to ask. If he's a user of demonic energy, he must be a martial artist of the Demonic Cult, so why would a martial artist belonging to the Demonic Cult attack me?"
"Don't talk nonsense. You have to say something that makes sense."
As the soldier answered firmly, Jaun slowly opened his upper garment. Then, after undoing the bandages wrapped around his body, he revealed his shoulder, which he had personally wounded with a sword imbued with demonic energy.
"Do you see this mark?"
Jaun's shoulder was almost healed, but the area around the wound was still blackened.
The soldier's face, who had carefully examined the mark left around the wound, gradually turned pale.
The soldier, who was looking back and forth between Jaun's shoulder and face with confused eyes, slowly opened his mouth.
"...The appearance of the martial artist who attacked you?"
"He was a man wearing an unremarkable dark martial robe. He had his face covered with a cloth, so I couldn't make out anything."
The soldier, who was frowning and thinking, chewed on his lips.
"A user of demonic energy with martial prowess of the transcendental peak realm..."
As if he had remembered something, the soldier began to pace around Jaun, continuing to think.
Watching his serious face, Jaun's eyes shone.
'Good. If I do this, the Blood Demon will also expend a great deal of mental energy trying to find an enemy within.'
The soldier, who was muttering something with a frown on his face, spun around.
"For now, you should recover your body as much as possible so that there are no setbacks to the grand plan. I will immediately report this fact to the main headquarters."
The soldier turned his body and began to run down the mountain first. Jaun, who had imprinted the energy of the departing martial artist in his mind, hid his body in the shadows and began to follow him.
***
"...Is it true?"
"Yes. I have confirmed the trace of demonic energy left on Thousand Households Commander Ma's shoulder."
"Who on earth would do such a thing... Could it be that the missing Sword Demon has made a move?"
"The Divine Cult's information network covers the entire Central Plains. The Sword Demon's tracks definitely ended in Guangdong Province. Considering the time of the last trace found, it is difficult to believe that he has moved to the north in the meantime."
"My thoughts are different. It is not an impossible task for a martial artist of the Sword Demon's level. But there is no reason for the Sword Demon himself to do such a thing. If his goal is to interfere with Lord Blood Demon's plans, there is no need to move so inefficiently in the north."
Jaun, lying flat on the roof, concentrated on the conversation between the two that was audible through the energy barrier.
The spy disguised as a soldier of the 13th Army had immediately moved to a dilapidated inn in a secluded outskirts area as soon as he came down from the mountain behind. Jaun had followed him and ended up here.
'The Sword Demon... has gone missing.'
At the unexpected news, Jaun tilted his head.
He could not think of any particular reason why the Sword Demon, who was said to have entered seclusion for training after Wi Jeong-cheon stepped down, would stop his seclusion training and leave his post at this time.
'Let's focus on this for now.'
Jaun once again listened to the conversation inside the inn.
"...We will investigate that. You keep an eye on the movements of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Emperor. That item was delivered to the Emperor yesterday, so it shouldn't be difficult to track his movements."
"Have you finally... succeeded?"
"Yes. It was not easy, but we finally succeeded. It is an item that Lord Blood Demon personally injected with blood qi, so when it gets close to the item you have, a resonance will occur."
"Hoo. Still, I am relieved that the item was delivered safely. Since you have completed one of the most difficult tasks, we will also prepare properly so that there are no setbacks."
"You should. You know well how much effort Lord Blood Demon has put into this matter, right?"
"Of course. It is a grand plan that he has been working on for ten years. I will complete the grand plan safely, even if it costs me my life."
He felt the soldier who had stood up from his seat leave the inn. The martial artist who had remained alone in the room also stayed for about a quarter of an hour longer before leaving the inn and heading for the inner court of the Imperial Court.
Jaun, who had been lost in thought even after both of them had left, slowly stood up from the roof of the inn.
'An item containing blood qi was delivered to the Emperor?'
It was a big catch that he had not expected. Now that he had a way to detect the Emperor's movements, it would be much easier to respond in case of an emergency.
Jaun, who had glanced around the surroundings where darkness had already fallen, came down from the inn and began to walk toward the inner court of the Imperial Court.
***
Upon entering the inner court, Jaun looked up at the Forbidden City in the distance.
The duty of directly guarding the Emperor was given to the 1st to 10th Armies of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Therefore, even as Thousand Households Commander Ma Ryun-hoe, he had no authority to enter the Forbidden City.
After looking around once and moving to a secluded place, Jaun closed his eyes and cautiously began to spread his senses.
The inner court of the Imperial Palace was where the Emperor resided, so security was tighter than anywhere else. Not only was the number of martial artists large, but their level was also completely different.
'There seems to be at least a five-fold difference in military power between the 13th Army and the 1st Army.'
The elite of the elite among the Imperial Army were all gathered here.
Jaun, who had been scanning the inside with his senses for a while, shook his head.
'...Infiltration is impossible at this level.'
It seemed he would have to give up his plan to directly feel the blood qi of the item the Emperor possessed.
Jaun decided to return to his residence and slowly stood up.
The moment he looked at the Forbidden City with regretful eyes and turned his body, he felt a thick blood qi that made his stomach churn in his senses. It was an energy coming from the Forbidden City toward him.
'...This is?'
Jaun stopped in his tracks.
Blood qi was an energy that only those who had learned the Wuji Red Blood Art could feel.
The higher the level of the martial art, the more secretive and thicker the blood qi one could handle. What he had just felt was a thick concentration of blood qi that only someone who had mastered the Blood Art to the extreme could feel, and also create.
'There is nothing in this Imperial Palace that can emit such a dense blood qi other than that item the Blood Demon was said to have delivered to the Emperor. In that case... is the Emperor coming here?'
Jaun lowered his head deeply instead of turning his body, just in case. And he slowly predicted the direction of the blood qi's movement and moved to a place where he would likely encounter those who were spreading the dense blood qi.
Although he was walking at a slow pace to avoid arousing any unnecessary suspicion, the distance to the blood qi approaching him began to narrow quickly.
'A group of four. Three of them are... martial artists of a level that cannot be taken lightly.'
Not long after, the blood qi was felt right at his fingertips.
Soon, four people wearing dark wind-proof cloaks deeply over their heads passed by Jaun at high speed.
Jaun shivered at the thick blood qi that brushed past him.
The wind-proof cloaks of the martial artists who were passing by quickly fluttered in the wind.
Jaun turned his head to look at the passing party, and soon, he was able to find the source of the blood qi.
'That ring.'
The blood qi was flowing from a small ring worn by the man with the smallest build.
Jaun frowned once again at the sickeningly strong blood qi.
'With this much energy, I can find it anytime. For now, let's wait until they are at a certain distance.'
Jaun, who had memorized the direction the four departing people were heading, soon began to follow them.
***
"Huff. Huff."
The sound of rough breathing was heard, and soon, the sound of a body collapsing was heard.
Jaun, penetrating the energy of the three people guarding the surroundings, concentrated his attention on the inside of the dilapidated pavilion.
"...You have been too distant lately."
"Do not think of it as too upsetting. You know well that there are many things to prepare for the Heaven Worship Ceremony, don't you?"
Following the delicate voice of a young man, the tired voice of a man continued.
"You haven't found another lover, have you?"
"Tsk. What nonsense. I even granted your unreasonable request to keep the Eastern Depot fellows at a distance. In the first place, do you think other fellows have a chance to get close to me?"
"...Your Majesty does not know. The worries I endure each day you are out of contact."
"Do not worry. You are the only one who can move my heart."
The rustling of clothes continued for a long time.
"...I heard there are quite a few pretty children in the Embroidered Uniform Guard as well."
"Haha. Where did you hear such nonsense? The Embroidered Uniform Guard is full of sharp fellows like a single sword."
The man, who had last put on his wind-proof cloak, slowly sat down next to the young man.
"Tomorrow, I will not have contact with anyone and will perform ablutions for the Heaven Worship Ceremony. Even after the Heaven Worship Ceremony is over, I cannot leave the palace for two days, so I will only be able to see your beautiful eyes after four days. When everything is finished, I will visit more often, so put your worries to rest."
"...Yes, Your Majesty."
Silence flowed for a while, and soon, the Emperor left the room. The moment the Emperor left the room, three martial artists completely surrounded him.
As the four people left for the Imperial Palace, a young man opened the door of the pavilion and appeared.
He was a young man with dark skin, golden eyes, and long limbs.
The young man cautiously looked around, then put on the wind-proof cloak that was placed next to the door, covering himself up to his head.
'A young Semu person and the Emperor.'
Jaun let out a sigh and frowned. Jaun, who had been frozen in place for a moment by the shocking fact, shook his head from side to side.
'What an unsightly thing to see. Tsk. I have clearly remembered the blood qi the Emperor has come to possess, so this time, I will have to follow that man. If the Emperor is willing to keep the Eastern Depot at a distance after listening to that man's words, he must be someone who can have a greater influence on the Emperor than most high-ranking officials. I need to figure out his background.'
Jaun, who had stood up from the bushes, looked at the back of the young man who was walking toward the outer court of the Imperial Court.
'Today... it seems I'm playing the part of a gentleman on the beam all day.'
Jaun, who had clicked his tongue, moved his feet and began to follow the man.
***
The Semu young man who had crossed the outer court entered a huge manor in the center of the city wall.
The owner of the manor seemed to hold a quite high position within the Imperial Court, as the manor was larger than any other in the outer court.
Although it was a large manor, since there were almost no martial artists inside, Jaun was able to enter the manor without any burden.
Inside the manor, old books were piled up everywhere, and among them, numerous servants were busily moving about.
The Semu young man naturally passed through the servants and stopped in front of the northernmost pavilion. And after cautiously looking around once, he took off his wind-proof cloak and entered the room.
Jaun stuck close to the wall of the pavilion where the young man had entered and suppressed his presence.
"Anything special?"
"Nothing. However, his energy was a little weak. Has there been any other news from Euncheon?"
"None. Those exalted beings cannot be concerned with this place every day. Therefore, you just need to complete your given task well."
"It has been over seventy nights since we lost contact. Could it be..."
"Watch your words. They are beings connected to the heavens. They are beings who can read even your thoughts."
"I will take it to mean that more time is needed."
"Do not be impatient. On the day the last seat of Euncheon is filled, all the prohibitions of this land will be lifted, the heavens and earth will be overturned, and yin and yang will be reversed. At that time, you will also be able to act freely, so just endure a little longer."
"Haa. I know. I know, but... it's frustrating."
"For now, focus on the task given to you. Seeing the flow of the heavens, that day is not far off."
"Yes... Then I will go in."
"The date of your next visit?"
"At least four days later."
"Then I will keep the back gate closed until then, so if there are any changes, send word separately."
"Yes."
─ CREAK
The young man left the room, put on his wind-proof cloak, and began to walk out of the manor.
Jaun, who was watching the departing young man, tilted his head.
'Eun... cheon? And the heavens and earth will be overturned, what on earth is this about?'
Jaun thought about it and scratched his head, then let out a sigh.