Chapter 134 – Net of Heaven and Earth (2)

Nanseol’s mission this time wasn’t a difficult one.

It was ordinary transport work delivering tribute sent from Tianzhu through the Silk Road to the Righteous Alliance.

However, this tribute had arrived at the unit where she was after passing through the Silk Road, which was the Demon Cult’s territory.

In that process, most of the warriors transporting the tribute died or were injured.

It was tribute that went through a rough road.

Fortunately, from her unit to the Righteous Alliance was all righteous faction territory, so it seemed there would be no more dangers like before.

Nevertheless, perhaps because of this tribute’s importance, they organized a powerful transport team with absolute master Single Moon Sword Hyeon Bin as transport team leader.

Moreover, Nanseol was also included among the team members.

As expected, there were no attacks while passing through Sichuan.

The party stopped by Sichuan Tang Clan on the way as usual to solve lodging and meals.

The Righteous Alliance was an organization made by righteous faction sects under the pretext of protecting the righteous path.

Member sects had been sending their sect’s warriors to the Righteous Alliance and supporting them with money and goods.

Providing lodging and meals for the Righteous Alliance’s warriors like this time was also one of the member sects’ support.

The day after spending a comfortable evening.

Nanseol’s party leaving Tang Clan came to move together with unexpected people.

They came to move together with the rising stars who happened to be staying at Tang Clan, the Five Dragons Three Phoenixes.

Five Dragons Three Phoenixes.

They were talents called five dragons and three phoenixes.

Young people who stood out among young warriors and received the highest recognition from renowned masters of the martial world.

After these people with all splendid family backgrounds, excellent martial arts, and even fine appearances came to be grouped and called Five Dragons Three Phoenixes, they made a gathering and continued meeting.

And this gathering place was Tang Clan, the sect of Dark Dragon Tang Samin.

They were Four Dragons One Phoenix excluding three people who couldn’t visit because they were far away.

Tang Clan’s successor Dark Dragon Tang Samin.

Namgung Family’s youngest Bright Dragon Namgung Jihyeon.

Pearl Language House’s Young Master Sword Dragon Eon Hobi.

Zhongnan Sect leader’s son Virtuous Dragon Gang Pungyang.

Huangbo Family’s youngest daughter Peach Fragrance Huangbo Sohong.

These five people finished their gathering and came to participate in the transport team heading to the Righteous Alliance.

Team leader Single Moon Sword felt uncomfortable about their joining, but couldn’t refuse Tang Clan leader’s recommendation, and the rising stars kept courtesy so they passed through Sichuan without big problems.

The problem burst when they arrived at the border between Sichuan and Shaanxi.

When the party was running across an abandoned field between cities, a Demon Cult group appeared.

Though it was extremely surprising that a Demon Cult group appeared in this place far in the rear even in righteous faction territory, the party steadily advanced toward Shaanxi.

The problem was the rising stars who joined midway.

They were all first-rate or above, plus in Dark Dragon Tang Samin’s case he was absolute level so they greatly helped in fighting.

But they didn’t listen well to team leader Single Moon Sword’s orders.

Tang Samin barely persuaded them so it barely rolled along, but that also didn’t last long.

The Demon Cult group continued sporadically rushing at the party to tie up their feet, and at some moment they became trapped in an encirclement.

It was the Net of Heaven and Earth that the Demon Cult boasted of.

Then Nanseol came to see a different scene from her companions.

She saw the mountain being dyed turbid colors from the top of the low mountain at the center of the encirclement.

The mountain was changing into a contaminated area.

At the same time, Summoner’s voice informing her of a mission reached her ears.

[Emergency mission. Break through the encirclement and deliver the tribute brought from Tianzhu to Strategist Zhuge of the Righteous Alliance. If you need personnel, immediately request help with the calling stone.]

Nanseol was surprised by the sudden contamination and voice, but quickly gathered her mind and used the [Summoner Calling Stone] to call Sun-woo before contamination covered where she was.

Regrettably, before Sun-woo came, not only where she was but the entire mountain was covered by contamination.

After that, the party was herded by the Demon Cult’s Net of Heaven and Earth and came to take refuge in this abandoned shrine.

The Net of Heaven and Earth stopped moving after herding the party into the shrine, but its firmness made finding a way to escape look difficult too.

After that, while Dark Dragon Tang Samin went to scout looking for weaknesses together with his guard warriors, the other Five Dragons Three Phoenixes couldn’t endure and came to confront Single Moon Sword.

***

“What happened while I was gone?”

Tang Samin who returned from scouting felt the awkward atmosphere and asked Namgung Jihyeon.

“Ah, we made some suggestions to the team leader. I thought it was a good method but the team leader seems not to like it.”

Namgung Jihyeon brushed off what happened just before with ambiguous speech.

In Nanseol’s view it wasn’t the level of suggestions, but since he slipped back one step now, there seemed no need to step forward unnecessarily and cause disturbance.

“I see. The decision authority belongs to the team leader anyway. And I’d be grateful if the team leader would also listen a bit to young people’s words.”

Though it seemed to be words keeping neutrality, from Tang Samin’s tone the appearance of the privileged was richly wafting.

Single Moon Sword also couldn’t ignore Tang Samin’s words and awkwardly nodded.

While he could ignore other Five Dragons Three Phoenixes’ clamor as young troublemakers’ rampage, he couldn’t ignore Tang Samin who rose to absolute level equal to himself at a young age.

“As I just said, the Net of Heaven and Earth is shaking from the mountain outskirts. I don’t know what’s happening but if we miss this opportunity now, escaping will be difficult.”

At his words, Single Moon Sword glanced at behind Tang Samin.

There stood a considerably aged middle-aged man, who slightly nodded when Single Moon Sword looked at him.

The middle-aged man was Tang Samin’s uncle and Tang Clan’s absolute master Green Hand Dan Pyeong. He came together to guard Tang Samin.

Besides him, other Five Dragons Three Phoenixes also brought masters from their sects and families as guards. They were scattered around this shrine area protecting the rising stars.

One reason Single Moon Sword was listening to the Five Dragons Three Phoenixes’ words was because of those guard warriors.

Anyway, it was confirmation from Dan Pyeong who experienced the martial world for a long time.

At Dan Pyeong’s small nod, Single Moon Sword decided to break through the encirclement.

Exhausted and injured team members began sluggishly raising their bodies.

The party positioned themselves in wedge shape with the burden carriers carrying tribute in the middle.

The party decided to break through the east of the encirclement following Tang Samin’s argument that the east weakened because Demon Cult members swarmed westward.

“We who have more stamina left will open the road ahead. Follow as much as possible.”

As his opinion was accepted, Tang Samin actively began stepping forward. Since it was quite rational opinion, Single Moon Sword also decided to watch first.

Thanks to that, what got excited were the other rising stars.

Namgung Jihyeon was confident things became like this thanks to his protest, and other rising stars also became itching expressions wanting to show off their skills one by one.

“How about Sword Flower also standing at the vanguard together?”

Tang Samin approached Nanseol and spoke politely.

Nanseol shook her head at his words.

“I’ll remain in the rear guard. My position is rear guard anyway. Even in the current situation, one person needs to remain behind.”

After speaking, when Nanseol looked at Single Moon Sword, he nodded with a satisfied expression.

Dark Dragon Tang Samin and other rising stars thought Nanseol would be itching like themselves.

But Nanseol unlike these hotheaded young people had discernment.

Nanseol ate from the same pot with team members in this unit. She thought team members’ safety was priority.

Moreover, she was someone who crossed countless lines of death before too. She experienced too many dangers to follow hotheaded actions.

Also one more thing.

She felt uncomfortable moving together with Tang Samin.

At Nanseol’s refusal, Tang Samin returned to his position with a complicated expression.

When everyone positioned themselves, Single Moon Sword raised his sword.

“From now until we break through the Net of Heaven and Earth, don’t stop. Everyone do your best not to fall behind. Depart!”

The party positioned in wedge form began running out quickly.

Fortunately, from where the shrine was to the east was a wide open downhill path continuing from the mountainside.

Thanks to that, the burden carriers could move quickly without falling behind.

Nanseol who was examining surroundings with qi sense could feel energies surrounding the surroundings swarming backward as Tang Samin said.

Of course many energies still remained in the direction they were running, but it was clearly weaker than when first encircled at least.

Nanseol looked back with a regretful expression before departing.

The Demon Cult members swarming backward might possibly be because of Sun-woo.

If Nanseol were alone she might have run westward, but she was a member of this transport team. She couldn’t abandon them and move looking for Sun-woo.

‘If it’s Sun-woo-nim, he’ll be able to come find me without problems.’

Nanseol nodded small toward the back then ran out chasing the party.

***

At the same time, Sun-woo was suffering hardship from surging enemies. He was breaking through the Net of Heaven and Earth from the west as Nanseol expected.

At first he could easily enter breaking through the Net of Heaven and Earth by ambush, but the Net of Heaven and Earth wasn’t called that for nothing.

After first being discovered by Demon Cult members, his news propagated through the entire encirclement instantly.

After that, the Net of Heaven and Earth encircling righteous faction people changed to a form blocking even Sun-woo together with righteous faction people.

Sun-woo’s advance continued slowing down by surging Demon Cult members.

“It changed too easily. It’s definitely a movement prepared in advance for attacks from outside.”

After killing Demon Cult members charging once more, Sun-woo who hid underground catching his breath examined surroundings with earth sorcery and came to a conclusion.

These Demon Cult members who made the Net of Heaven and Earth definitely had some connection with contaminated summoners.

Otherwise there was no reason they would contaminate the guard unit where summoner Nanseol happened to be.

Moreover, they were prepared that a summoner would come to this place too.

“What on earth is there where Nanseol is that they’re doing this?”

Though it seemed he got caught up in troublesome work again, since the mission fell anyway, quickly finishing it was better.

“Good, Nanseol’s side is also moving. The direction is opposite but thanks to that breaking through the gap will be easy.”

Sun-woo who now came to grasp most of the newly formed Net of Heaven and Earth’s movements prepared to move again.

Until now he fought like an ordinary(?) top-level absolute master so as not to be discovered as a summoner.

Now that enemies clearly knew, there was no reason to restrain.

Sun-woo immediately broke through earth and jumped up to the ground.

As soon as going outside, he started changing surroundings into illusion technique by converting internal energy to mental power.

Groooowl!

Corpses began moving.

Demon Cult warriors who were rushing toward Sun-woo who suddenly appeared all stopped their feet at the terrible scene unfolding around Sun-woo.

Their comrades Sun-woo killed began rising one by one and starting to rush at them.

At the sight charging with arms and legs cut off and intestines flowing out with bellies split, the Demon Cult warriors were terror-stricken.

“It’s an illusion. Don’t be fooled! Things like jiangshi can’t really exist!”

The enemies denied the appearance of jiangshi from stories becoming reality as illusion.

However, when a warrior bitten by a comrade’s corpse that turned into a monster spurted blood and died, the story changed.

Of course, the moving corpses were zombies made with illusion technique as the warrior shouted.

However, he combined phantom pain with illusion technique to make it seem like real zombies attacking.

He created the reality of pain.

Moreover, he mixed monsters summoned with the ring among the zombies to attack the warriors.

Of course, the monsters were hard to make completely look like people even with illusion technique, but the appearance of monsters seen for the first time made the warriors’ judgment clouded.

Sun-woo who turned the Net of Heaven and Earth into chaos leisurely shot out eastward toward Nanseol.

Soon he could find people fighting in the distance and Nanseol’s figure.