Chapter 176 Land Stained with Death (2)
After recovering for a day at the hideout, Jaun went outside and headed to Nan'an, the most prosperous city in the Chongqing region.
The first reason was to secure supplies for the hideout, and the second was to check if there had been any news from the Murim Alliance and the Sado Alliance in the meantime.
Nan'an was not far from the hideout. It was a distance that could be reached by crossing just two mountains, so Jaun did not delay and started running towards Nan'an as soon as he left the hideout. After crossing one mountain in an instant, Jaun soon reached the summit of the second mountain.
Upon reaching the summit, the vast view of Nan'an came into sight.
While crossing the mountains, Jaun's mind had become increasingly complex.
Since the Demonic Cult had begun its all-out offensive, the Murim Alliance and the Sado Alliance also had to prepare quickly.
In order to block the Demonic Cult, which was launching an all-out offensive with the power of the Blood Cult on its back, with minimal damage, the forces of the Sado Alliance and the Murim Alliance had to be used as efficiently as possible. And at present, the only person who could think of the most efficient way to move both forces was Jaun.
'I don't know whether the Blood Cult will target Hubei Province or Hunan Province first. In the end, we have no choice but to prepare with all our might on both sides... For now, the best thing is to be perfectly prepared and then move our forces according to the Demonic Cult's movements once they are revealed.'
The Central Plains were vast, and the power of the Demonic Cult had already reached every corner of it. As such, it was important to use the information network they had secured so far to grasp the Demonic Cult's movements even a little bit faster.
'I'll have to ask the Beggars' Sect and the Hao Gate branches again. And... I also need to check how much of the Imperial Court's power reaches the Chongqing region.'
Jaun, who had been sitting on a large rock at the summit for a long time organizing his complex thoughts, finally let out a small sigh.
There was no time to rest.
If he moved quickly, the preparations of the two forces could also be sped up.
Jaun, who had organized his thoughts and stood up to move to Nan'an again, stepped down from the rock.
Just as Jaun was about to take a step towards Nan'an again,
'...Hmm?'
He felt something unfamiliar in his senses. Jaun, who had stopped in his tracks, slowly turned his head.
An unknown energy was approaching him from afar.
Jaun's brows furrowed as he focused on checking the energy. A clear trace of demonic energy remained in the energy that was approaching him.
'They're definitely demons. But how did the demons get this far?'
Since it was as good as a declaration of war from the Demonic Cult, the Sado Alliance was also on high alert. He had heard that a huge number of warriors had been dispatched, especially to the border with the Sichuan region...
He couldn't understand how a demon was strolling around the Chongqing region like this.
Jaun tilted his head and slowly reached for his sword.
If the opponent was a demon, there was no need to think too deeply. He could just get rid of them right here.
Soon, a thick energy began to spread around Jaun's body.
The Mangru Blood Sword resonated with the thick demonic energy that Jaun had released and let out a low cry.
The approaching figures were not hiding their presence at all, as if they were not aiming for a surprise attack. Judging by the speed at which they were approaching, their level did not seem to be very high.
Jaun, who had confirmed the opponent's level, began to slowly condense his demonic energy.
The moment the demons entered Jaun's range, they would lose their lives without even realizing why they had died.
'One hundred breaths from now.'
Jaun, who had taken a position next to the rock, lowered his posture as much as possible and gripped his sword tightly.
'Fifty breaths.'
Jaun's energy, which had been honed like a single sword, exuded a cold sharpness.
'...Twenty breaths.'
The moment Jaun, who had confirmed that the demons had come close, was about to draw his sword,
"Kyaaaak!"
With a single scream, someone's figure shot up into the air from the bushes. It was a person wearing black martial arts robes and a mask. The masked person, who had been flailing in the air for a long time, landed a little ahead of Jaun.
─ CRASH
"...Damn it."
The masked person turned their head sharply and looked behind them. Judging by the fact that they had landed headfirst, it seemed they had been thrown by someone.
The masked person who had fallen to the ground gritted their teeth and slowly got up.
"I'm really going to tell on you later."
The masked person, who was drenched in sweat, patted their waist and struggled to their feet. The masked person, who was looking around, found Jaun and took a step forward. Although they flinched for a moment at the momentum that Jaun was exuding, they soon shouted in a shrill voice.
"No, why is it so hard to see you, Young Master? Do you know how much trouble I went through to find this place?"
It was a voice he had heard somewhere before.
Since he didn't feel any hostility from the opponent, Jaun tilted his head and slowly dispersed his energy.
As Jaun narrowed his eyes and looked at them, the masked person threw off their mask. Immediately, a fair face hidden behind the mask was revealed.
"Miss Muhyang...?"
The person wearing the black mask was Muhyang from the Illusionary Maze Palace. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Muhyang massaged her stiff waist.
Jaun, who had confirmed her appearance, walked forward with a look of disbelief.
"...Why are you here, Miss? What's with that mask? Didn't you return to the Demonic Cult?"
At Jaun's words, Muhyang snorted and strode towards him.
"The Demonic Cult? Gosh, I'm at a loss for words. How can someone just disappear without a word? Do you know how much trouble I was in at the Sado Alliance because you suddenly disappeared? There was a huge uproar because you killed four of the Demonic Cult's pavilion lords. How could I have gone back to the Demonic Cult in that chaos? If I had returned to the Demonic Cult, I would have been dragged to the torture chamber right away."
Jaun stared blankly at Muhyang as she rattled off her words.
"...Then where have you been all this time?"
"Where do you think I've been? Fortunately, Gwang-ryong, who understood my situation, arranged a place for me to stay in the Sado Alliance, so I was hiding there for a while."
The moment Muhyang, who had caught her breath, was about to open her mouth again, a small old man appeared from the bushes behind her.
'?!'
Jaun's expression instantly hardened. A deep, abyss-like energy was emanating from the body of the old man who had appeared late.
'...I didn't even feel him move.'
No matter how distracted he had been by Muhyang, goosebumps rose at the fact that there was someone who could so perfectly deceive his senses at this distance.
It seemed that because he had been moving at the same pace as Muhyang until just now, he hadn't felt anything special from him.
As the old man's eyes turned towards Jaun, their eyes met in mid-air and sparked.
'An astonishing level of power.'
Jaun, who had carefully examined the energy that was faintly spreading from him, gulped and gripped his sword tightly.
'He's... on a completely different level from someone like Fist Demon.'
The old man, who had been staring at Jaun for a moment, began to move. Although he was walking, there was not even a faint sound. Even though he was watching the old man's movements with his eyes, he could only faintly feel his presence.
'A state of complete harmony with nature.'
Jaun, who was looking at the old man, felt something strange and examined him again, then flinched and gripped his sword tightly. It was because the old man's feet, as he walked forward, were floating about a hand's breadth in the air.
Jaun's mouth gaped open as he confirmed the old man's appearance, walking in the air as naturally as if he were moving on the ground.
Each of the old man's steps contained a profound mystery of martial arts that was admirable.
Jaun did not take his eyes off the old man's movements and stared at him intently. Countless enlightenments flashed through Jaun's mind as he watched the old man's movements.
'...Ah!'
A flash, as if a firecracker had gone off, occurred in Jaun's mind due to the continuous wave of enlightenment.
While Jaun was being captivated by the dizziness, the old man, who had already come close, stopped and looked up at him.
"...Kuhahahahahaha!"
The old man, who had confirmed Jaun, burst into a loud laugh. It was a laugh that contained enough energy to make the forest tremble.
Jaun, who had come to his senses after hearing the old man's laughter, unconsciously brought his hand to the sword at his waist.
─ THUMP-THUMP
Jaun's heart beat wildly.
The old man in front of him was the martial artist with the deepest enlightenment among all the masters he had met in the martial world since coming down from the mountain.
A pressure that naturally reminded him of his father was rising from the old man's body.
Sweat instantly formed on Jaun's forehead.
"It was true. The lineage of the divine art has not been broken yet."
Although he was shabbily dressed in a worn-out long robe over a shabby black martial arts uniform, Jaun felt his breath catch as if he were facing a huge mountain range.
As the old man, who was staring at him, took another step forward, Jaun felt as if his vision had turned black for a moment.
─ SWISH
Jaun, who had hurriedly taken a step back, drew the Mangru Blood Sword and cut through the old man's momentum.
"Kekeke."
The old man, who looked at Jaun who had instantly escaped his energy, nodded his head.
"Considering his age, it's an unbelievable level. However, his depth is insufficient to face that Blood Demon. At this rate... would it be better to just retrieve the divine art?"
A fierce momentum erupted from the old man's body. Muhyang, who had been glaring at Jaun with a pouting expression, was startled by the sharp momentum that seemed to cut through flesh and hurriedly stepped back.
"Lord Sword Demon? What is this..."
"...Sword Demon?"
Jaun's eyes turned to the old man.
Certainly, there were not many in the current Demonic Cult who could display this level of divine presence with pure demonic arts alone.
The Sword Demon was a figure who was revered as the second-in-command of the cult until the Blood Demon's betrayal.
Judging by the martial prowess he possessed, the man standing in front of Jaun was definitely the Sword Demon himself, who was said to have gone into seclusion.
The Sword Demon, who was looking at Jaun with an expressionless face, slowly reached for the worn-out sword at his waist.
"L-Lord Sword Demon? This is completely different from what we talked about!"
As Muhyang tried to step forward again, the Sword Demon looked at her with a cold gaze.
"Shut up. I've been tolerating your insolent attitude until now for the sake of that Mad Demon, but there's a limit. Now that I've found this brat, your usefulness is gone. If you annoy me any further... I'll cut you down first."
Muhyang turned pale at the Sword Demon's chilling words and staggered back. The Sword Demon turned his gaze back to Jaun.
"The Demonic Cult, having lost its sky, has been swallowed by the Blood Cult and has lost its true form. The one who possesses the divine art must become the sky of the cult again and set everything right. However... you are a young child who can't even understand the internal affairs of the Divine Cult. No matter how much you possess the divine art, the position of the sky does not suit you."
The Sword Demon slowly lowered his stance and gripped his sword tightly.
"If you respectfully hand over the divine art, I will not take your life. If we had time, we could have watched your growth, but in a situation like this, he would have thought the same as me. You must be moving for his revenge, right? I will achieve that revenge for you. So, hand over the divine art to me obediently."
The energy that erupted from the Sword Demon's body pressed down heavily around Jaun. The terribly refined demonic energy became a huge blade and pressed down on Jaun.
'...Incredible.'
The energy that the Sword Demon possessed was a demonic energy that was refined to near perfection. Jaun could fully feel what kind of life the Sword Demon had lived to complete this level of demonic energy.
He had probably dedicated his entire life to the Divine Cult and the sword.
That was a path that only those with a firm belief in demonic arts and absolute loyalty to the Divine Cult could walk.
He could fully understand why the Sword Demon, who had walked the same path by his father's side, was making such a request to him now.
However, it seemed that the Sword Demon did not know the reason why his father had passed on the divine art to him.
'I have no choice but to show and prove it. It's actually a good thing, since I was planning to go and meet the Sword Demon in person to recruit him anyway. This man, who was my father's right-hand man... is absolutely necessary for me.'
Jaun took a deep breath and carefully examined and felt the Sword Demon's refined demonic energy.
An explosive demonic energy began to erupt from Jaun's body, which was feeling the Sword Demon's demonic energy that filled the surroundings.