Chapter 271 – Being a Friend Means Being Cold (3)

The next day at dawn, Dam Ho and Eum Yu-kyung left Little Mount Hua.

Suddenly Eum Yu-kyung looked back. She could see Dan Hwa-ran seeing them off. But Cho Yeon-woon was nowhere to be seen.

Shocked by last night's events, Cho Yeon-woon had gone back into the forest. And Little Mount Hua had suffered all night long. Because of the tyrant Cho Yeon-un.

Eum Yu-kyung asked:

"Will he be alright?"

"What?"

"He must have been deeply hurt."

"He'll be fine!"

"…"

"He's not a man who would collapse from just that. He is…"

Eum Yu-kyung's eyes shone at Dam Ho's answer.

'Does he trust that man that much?'

Only then did Eum Yu-kyung realize what she had been thinking wrong about.

She had thought Dam Ho was a lone wolf. Someone who couldn't cooperate with anyone, and a cold-blooded person who wouldn't give his heart to anyone.

No matter how strong, there are always limitations to what one person can do alone. There's clearly a big gap between what one person can do and what many people can do together.

Because of this, she thought that while he might become a dominant force in one region, he would be insufficient to aspire for the world. But that wasn't the case.

It was true that Dam Ho was a lone wolf, but that didn't mean there were no people around him. There were people around Dam Ho. And they were clearly growing.

'He is never alone. People are gathering around him.'

Eum Yu-kyung's feelings became complicated.

Right now she was receiving Dam Ho's help, but she was basically the Holy Maiden of the Demon Cult. Dam Ho becoming stronger meant that the threat to the Demon Cult grew that much larger.

"Sigh!"

She unconsciously sighed then was startled. She felt she was being too shameless.

Eum Yu-kyung shook her head to clear her thoughts.

That's when Dam Ho asked:

"What's the fastest way to Sichuan Province?"

"We'll use the road from Hanzhong in Shaanxi Province to Guangyuan in Sichuan Province."

"The Shu Road?"

"That's right. There's no faster way than that currently."

Sichuan Province had a basin terrain surrounded by highlands that pierced the sky. The highland terrain was so treacherous that there were few roads into Sichuan Province.

The most famous among them was the Shu Road. A place so rough and treacherous it was beyond description.

The name of the mountain where the Shu Road ran was Dragon Gate Mountain. Another name for Dragon Gate Mountain was Sword Gate Mountain. It meant a treacherous mountain range reminiscent of a blade.

No wonder they called it Sword Gate Shu Road? The Shu Road was that treacherous.

"Let's go."

"Yes!"

The two rode their horses side by side. After passing Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, they entered a deserted official road.

A scenery appeared where not a single house could be seen even after riding horses all day. Fortunately, both were people accustomed to sleeping outdoors.

When there were no houses or inns, they simply slept by the roadside. After riding like this for exactly seven days and nights, they could reach Hanzhong.

Hanzhong was an ancient capital with a long history, exuding an antique feeling from the entrance.

Eum Yu-kyung said:

"Let's stay at an inn today and cross the Shu Road tomorrow."

Dam Ho nodded in agreement with her opinion.

After looking around briefly, the two unpacked at Lamp Light Inn. Lamp Light Inn was located in the center of Hanzhong and was quite large, with many people staying there.

When the two entered the inn, they immediately attracted people's attention. Though Eum Yu-kyung had half-covered her face with cotton gauze, she couldn't completely hide her innate beauty. People's eyes naturally showed admiration looking at Eum Yu-kyung.

Opposite to her, Dam Ho's appearance exuding coldness also couldn't help but attract people's attention. But the moment they saw his eyes, most people were startled and quickly looked away.

'W-what kind of eyes are those…'

Just meeting his gaze made their hearts feel like they would drop, and their knees weakened. That's how terrifying Dam Ho's eyes were.

"W-welcome."

Even the innkeeper seemed intimidated by Dam Ho's eyes, greeting from a distance without easily approaching. So Eum Yu-kyung stepped forward.

"Do you have rooms?"

"Yes! We do. Shall I give you one?"

"Give us two."

"Two?"

The innkeeper looked back and forth between Dam Ho and Eum Yu-kyung with a puzzled expression.

"Why, is there a problem?"

"N-no. The rooms are separated, is that alright?"

"That's fine."

"Understood. Please follow me."

The innkeeper guided the two to their rooms. As he said, the two assigned rooms were far apart.

Before entering her room, Eum Yu-kyung said to Dam Ho:

"I don't feel like dinner tonight, so please eat alone, Hero Dam."

"I will."

"Then I'll see you in the dining room tomorrow morning. Rest well."

After Eum Yu-kyung entered her room, Dam Ho also entered his assigned room. The room the innkeeper guided him to was very shabby. But the window was quite large, offering a view of Hanzhong at a glance.

Dam Ho sat by the window looking at the sunset. As darkness fell, lanterns lit up one by one on the streets of Hanzhong. It was a dreamlike scenery as if fireflies were swarming in the night sky.

After a while, Dam Ho left the inn and walked the streets.

"Hohoho!"

"Sir over there, come in here."

After walking a short distance, a red-light district appeared. Courtesans were sticking their heads out of windows, enticing drunk passersby.

They were also gesturing to Dam Ho. But Dam Ho didn't give them a single glance and continued walking.

That's when it happened.

"Ah!"

Suddenly a soft exclamation rang out. The sound was so small that most people couldn't hear it. But Dam Ho's keen ears didn't miss that faint sound.

Dam Ho raised his head and looked at the window of a nearby brothel. He saw someone quickly ducking their head beyond the window.

Dam Ho's eyes wavered for a moment. He immediately entered the brothel.

As soon as he entered, the manager looked him up and down and said:

"How may I help you?"

"Yun-jeong?"

"What?"

Instantly, a look of strong wariness appeared on the manager's face. Dam Ho spoke coldly:

"Don't do that."

"What?"

The manager's pupils wavered.

Dam Ho looked at such a manager and said:

"If you resist, not just you but everyone here will die."

"Kuh!"

Though Dam Ho spoke calmly, the manager's face crumpled like paper. His body was trembling.

The manager glanced around the first floor of the brothel. His subordinates were hiding behind large pillars with weapons. If he gave the order now, they would rush out and attack Dam Ho. But the manager couldn't do that. No, he couldn't.

'This man is Fist Demon.'… He recognized Dam Ho's identity at a glance.

The emotionless face, all-black attire, and slightly limping left leg. If one couldn't recognize Dam Ho's identity from these three things, they shouldn't be in the information business in the martial world.

Though it looked like an ordinary brothel, this place was one of the branches of the Hao Sect. That's why the manager immediately showed wariness upon seeing Dam Ho.

The problem was why Fist Demon had entered here. The manager's mind raced with countless thoughts like a kaleidoscope.

Sweat flowed between his tightly clenched fists, and his spine was so stiff he couldn't move. That's how overwhelmed the manager was by Dam Ho's gaze.

"I, I…"

"The manager doesn't need to strain himself."

At that moment, a voice saving the manager rang out on the first floor of the brothel. Only then did the manager's tension ease.

A courtesan who looked about seventeen or eighteen was coming down the stairs. She had round eyes and a gentle smile that left an impression, a beautiful courtesan. But her expression was slightly stiff like the manager's.

Dam Ho looked at the courtesan.

"It's been a while."

"Do you… remember me?"

At the courtesan's words, Dam Ho silently nodded. Then the courtesan softly sighed.

"I never thought I'd be discovered by a single exclamation."

The courtesan's name was Yun-jeong. Three years ago, she had been a child courtesan at Celestial Pavilion in Yueyang, serving as Gi Ye-hwa's subordinate. That's when she first met Dam Ho.

Three years was enough time to turn the child courtesan Yun-jeong into a mature woman. Now she was no longer a simple courtesan but the top courtesan of Heaven Cloud Pavilion. High officials and nobles lined up every night to meet her.

Today too, Yun-jeong was getting ready to meet a guest. During a brief moment of leisure, she looked out the window. That's when she saw Dam Ho walking alone on the street.

She was so surprised that she unconsciously let out an exclamation, and Dam Ho noticed her.

Yun-jeong said to the still dazed manager:

"Manager, please turn away all guests who were supposed to meet me today."

"Understood."

The manager quickly answered. He secretly sighed in relief. He was relieved not to have to confront Dam Ho.

Yun-jeong said to Dam Ho:

"I'll guide you to my quarters."

"Hmm!"

Dam Ho followed Yun-jeong up to the third floor of the brothel. It was a place only a select few VIPs could enter at Heaven Cloud Pavilion.

Yun-jeong offered Dam Ho the seat of honor and sat demurely to one side. Her appearance exuded the fragrance of a mature woman.

Yun-jeong asked directly:

"What brings you to Hanzhong?"

"Just passing through."

"Ha! That's ridiculous. You just happened to meet me while passing through? If it's coincidence, it's truly remarkable, and if it's bad karma, it's incredibly persistent."

"What about Gi Ye-hwa?"

"She is…"

Yun-jeong bit her lip firmly. After hesitating briefly, she continued with difficulty:

"She entered the headquarters."

"Headquarters?"

"Haah! Do I have to tell such stories… Alright, I'll tell you everything. Madam became the vice sect master. So she left the front lines and entered the headquarters. Whew!"

Yun-jeong shook her head with a sigh.

Three years ago, she had treated Dam Ho more comfortably. But now she couldn't. She had grown older and now knew how terrifying the world was. And how terrifying Dam Ho was.

If Dam Ho decided to, a branch of the Hao Sect like this could disappear without a trace overnight.

'Even if Madam were here, she would act the same as me.'

Yun-jeong comforted herself thus.

Yun-jeong, still young, was too overwhelmed by Dam Ho's presence to even breathe properly.

"And I'm in charge of this Heaven Cloud Pavilion, though it's humble."

"When did you come here?"

"It's been about a year."

"A year?"

"Yes! The headquarters decided to completely cut ties with the Martial Alliance and replaced everyone exposed externally with new faces. That's why I was assigned here too."

"Is that so?"

"Yes! I never thought I'd meet Hero Dam here though."

Yun-jeong sighed again.

Meeting Dam Ho was truly coincidental. That made her feel even more helpless. She still didn't have the confidence to handle Dam Ho's gaze. So her voice became tiny.

"Where is Hao Sect's headquarters?"

"I can't tell you that. Even if you are Hero Dam."

"Then a meeting with Gi Ye-hwa?"

"Honestly, it's difficult. Even I haven't seen Madam for over two years."

Yun-jeong raised her head provocatively to look at Dam Ho.

She knew that if she was dragged along by Dam Ho, she would end up neither dead nor alive. So she gritted her teeth and endured.

"I'm going to Sichuan Province."

"Why Sichuan Province?"

Yun-jeong unconsciously blurted out.

Dam Ho didn't answer. At this, Yun-jeong's pupils wavered.

"There's something in Sichuan Province, isn't there?"

"…"

"Right?"

She couldn't hide her true feelings. No matter how much more mature she was than before, she was still only eighteen years old. She was far too insufficient to face a warrior like Dam Ho who had been through everything.

"Do you want to know?"

"Yes!"

At Dam Ho's question, Yun-jeong nodded.

While Zhuge Son-gi attacked and retreated, the warriors that Dan Ryeong-gyeong had missed wounded one of the Evil Sect members behind her and moved again.

New ones filled their positions, slaughtered the wounded Evil Sect member, and again switched places with other warriors.

Frantic attacks continued.

Once Dan Ryeong-gyeong got caught up in one attack, there was no opportunity to extricate herself. With spears and swords flying from all directions, even for a master like her, it wasn’t easy to keep dodging them all day long.

Tweet! Tweet!

Whistle sounds kept ringing. Dan Ryeong-gyeong felt herself gradually getting separated from the group of Evil Sect members. To separate Dan Ryeong-gyeong from the group, attacks from one side were particularly fierce. The Evil Sect members were also gradually being split from Dan Ryeong-gyeong. As Dan Ryeong-gyeong tried to return to the group, something slipped between her legs.

Hook Sickle Spear!

A spear with a sickle attached next to the spear blade, designed so that when thrust and pulled with the sickle, limbs would be severed.

Looking at it, those carrying unusual formation weapons were the Zhuge family warriors. The Sichuan sect warriors carried swords and regular spears, while Zhuge family warriors played the role of striking at weak points with special weapons.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong hopped around avoiding the hook sickle spears coming from below.

Slash, slice!

The grass on the ground was sharply cut. Hook sickle spears also flew from above. Suddenly hook sickle spears flew from three directions and hooked Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s neck. Dan Ryeong-gyeong quickly lowered her body with Thousand Catty Drop. The three hook sickle spears cut through where Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s neck had been, scraping against each other and sparking.

Clang!

Dan Ryeong-gyeong spun her legs while her back was on the ground and got up in reverse. The hook sickle spear wielders retreated and iron rings flew again. Two iron rings wrapped around Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s left arm.

“Haaah!”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong put weight on her legs and pulled her arm with force.

“Wahhh!”

The two Zhuge family warriors holding the iron rings were lifted into the air and dragged along. But as they passed by, two sect leader-level opponents jumped from the side, crossed over, grabbed the iron rings together and landed.

Thud!

The two sect leaders who landed heavily added their strength, so a total of four people grabbed the iron rings wrapped around Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s left arm and entered a contest of strength.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong raised her Taod Art to maximum to create five dikes, then wrapped the iron rings around her arm two more times.

Screech.

Four sturdy men including sect leaders were dragged along, leaving marks in the dirt.

“Hah!”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong wrapped the iron rings around her arm once more and took another step forward.

Swoosh.

Each time the iron rings wrapped around, the four men continued to be dragged toward Dan Ryeong-gyeong. Even with two Zhuge family warriors and two sect leaders combined, gritting their teeth and resisting, they kept being dragged.

Since Dan Ryeong-gyeong was standing her ground against the formation’s movement without moving from her position, the formation’s operation seemed to stop briefly.

Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!

However, despite Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s resistance, sword wielders squeezed through in two rows between Dan Ryeong-gyeong and the Evil Sect, blocking them. Dan Ryeong-gyeong and the Evil Sect members were completely separated. The formation began operating again.

“You bastards!”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong was furious but her hands were insufficient. Zhuge Son-gi jumped from behind the four people holding the iron rings and attacked Dan Ryeong-gyeong with his sword. Dan Ryeong-gyeong planted her legs on the ground and moved only her upper body to dodge the sword. Zhuge Son-gi wasn’t a third-rate opponent who could be dealt with while having her hands and feet bound. Scratched wounds appeared all over Dan Ryeong-gyeong’s upper body.

Gam Chung and the Evil Sect members tried hard to push through the sword wielders blocking Dan Ryeong-gyeong and get to her, but couldn’t easily break through. They too were receiving attacks from all sides in turns. They had killed several warriors to use as shields, but casualties were mounting as countless attacks kept pouring in.

“Damn it, Fairy Maiden! Are you alright!”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong was in a situation where she couldn’t even answer while dodging Zhuge Son-gi’s sword strikes.

The Evil Sect members shouted.

“Poison Dragon! Do something about this!”

Jin Ja-gang had difficulty coming to the front because he was protecting Soso and the wounded Evil Sect members. Moreover, this Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Formation was at a different level from what Jin Ja-gang had experienced before.

Rather than attacks being determined by gates, attacks constantly changed even within a single gate. The arrow rain of Wound Gate and the vigilance of Alert Gate, and attacks from sect leader-level masters corresponding to the palaces in between were continuously mixed.

The Evil Sect members urged Jin Ja-gang.

“What are you waiting for!”

Jin Ja-gang looked toward the east. Eastern clouds were still there. The sun had risen but was hidden by young clouds in the east. Those eastern clouds needed to clear and the sun needed to break through.

Jin Ja-gang was waiting for that. Finally, a red spreading appeared above the eastern clouds.

Dawn.

The sun had risen.

Now!

Jin Ja-gang had Soso go inside the Evil Sect members, then ran forward. Bian Bu threw iron needle projectiles downward at the right timing to help with one hand. The front row sword wielders raised shields to block the projectiles.

Jin Ja-gang stepped on the shields and leaped up with all his might.

The sword wielders blocking between Dan Ryeong-gyeong and the Evil Sect members looked up at Jin Ja-gang jumping up.

Behind Jin Ja-gang, who jumped up with his back to the sun, the crimson sun poured out dazzling sunlight.

At that moment, the pupils of the sword wielders looking at Jin Ja-gang flickered.

When light quantity suddenly increases, pupils should contract, but their pupils dilated more as if paralyzed. Sunlight suddenly squeezed between the retina and eyelids, seeming to shake their brains.

“Ugh!”

All kinds of indescribable fragments of light invaded the sword wielders’ vision in an instant.

The sword wielders lost sight of Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang leaped over them and spread both arms with all his might. Dark lines embroidered the air.

Five heads of sword wielders separated from their bodies and fell away. A hole instantly appeared in the wall.

The remaining warriors also hesitated, unable to hide their bewildered expressions.

The Evil Sect members cheered. Jin Ja-gang’s poison had taken effect.

“It’s starting!”

The warriors kept blinking their eyes. Many warriors couldn’t open their eyes properly and tears trickled down.

“My, my eyes are strange!”

It was somewhat better in the shade of trees, but when they looked at sunlight, their eyes hurt unbearably from the glare. Among them, the severe cases even felt burning pain in their eyes and exposed arms and necks.

Jin Ja-gang broke through the flustered sword wielders and threw projectiles at Zhuge Son-gi who was attacking Dan Ryeong-gyeong. Zhuge Son-gi also felt something was wrong and immediately withdrew. He retreated while squinting and forcing his eyes open.

When Jin Ja-gang threatened with projectiles, one of the sect leaders holding the iron rings tied to Dan Ryeong-gyeong let go. The balance of power collapsed at once.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong gathered strength in her arm and pulled the iron rings. One sect leader and two warriors simultaneously flew through the air toward her.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong waved her left arm to wildly wrap the iron rings around her hand, then when the three men flew right up close, she explosively released her internal energy. The wrapped iron rings unwound and flew out, piercing the chests of the three men. The three fell to the ground spitting blood with holes punched through their chests.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong looked at Jin Ja-gang and nodded.

No long words were needed. Dan Ryeong-gyeong joined Jin Ja-gang in breaking through the blocking sword wielders and rejoined the Evil Sect members.

Tweet! Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!

Whistle sounds rang continuously but the formation’s flow couldn’t turn smoothly.

Though not continuous, the warriors forming the formation couldn’t respond agilely because of momentary glare. It was difficult to properly carry out even sixty percent of orders.

That alone opened breathing room for the Evil Sect members. Gam Chung killed two warriors while venting his anger but got careless and took a sword cut to his waist. This was because the formation itself hadn’t been completely neutralized.

“Tsk! My reputation is in shambles.”

Gam Chung, who had stopped the bleeding and tied his cut waist with cloth, laughed heartily while feeling embarrassed.

* * *

Zhuge Ming felt the formation’s movement suddenly become sluggish. The formation flags that should have been moving busily in the mountains had suddenly stopped in disarray.

The surrounding warriors also suddenly frowned, saying their eyes were dazzled.

“Ow, what’s this?”

“My eyes are suddenly glaring.”

Zhuge Ming raised his internal energy to enhance his eyesight. The warriors in the mountains did the same.

There was no reason for many warriors to complain of eye fatigue for no reason.

Only the Zhuge family warriors were fine. They had been biting poison-prevention pills from the start with the intention of facing Poison Dragon. They had also only eaten rations brought from the main family for meals.

Poison Dragon had undoubtedly tampered with the provisions or drinking water supplied to this side.

When on earth…

Zhuge Ming frowned deeply.

The Evil Sect members were just running westward recklessly.

‘They have the sun behind their backs?’

Because of this, the warriors forming the formation had no choice but to look at the sun in some way.

Since the warriors couldn’t fight properly due to glare, the formation’s operation became somewhat sloppy. They couldn’t apply the necessary pressure. The Evil Sect members had high individual skills, so they weren’t threatened by an imprecise formation. The Evil Sect members broke through walls of warriors haphazardly and continued descending westward.

Screams were bursting out in clusters from the warriors forming the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Formation.

“Front! I can’t see the front clearly!”

“What’s happening?”

“Ahhh!”

However, Zhuge Ming grasped the Evil Sect members’ intentions and changed the formation’s composition.

The situation in the mountains wasn’t that bad.

Zhuge Ming immediately raised his flags.

Tweet! Tweet! Tweeeeet!

Zhuge Ming first commanded the formation’s axis to turn diagonally. They couldn’t avoid looking at the sun completely, but they positioned themselves to fight while looking at it as little as possible.

The formation’s movement was very sluggish. Fortunately, trained Zhuge family warriors were positioned throughout to lead the formation, so the axis somehow moved to the desired position.

There were considerable casualties in the process, but they were finally able to slow down the Evil Sect members’ escape speed.

“You want to go west, is that it?”

Zhuge Ming had the Wood Element warriors open Du Gate to the west. Du Gate is a formation useful for hiding and concealing. Though it feels like a life gate, it draws enemies deep into the formation to create more dangerous situations.

Zhuge Ming kept opening Du Gate alternately to the southwest and northwest. The Evil Sect members would think they were breaking through the formation westward, but in reality, they were continuously entering the deepest part of the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Formation through Du Gate.

Zhuge Ming smiled with satisfaction.

The Evil Sect members had already passed through eight Du Gates. He occasionally guided them through Wound Gate to wound several Evil Sect members without them realizing they were falling into a trap.

Soon the Evil Sect members would enter the maximum depth of the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Formation.

In the depths were Rest Gate and Scene Gate.

Rest Gate is very quiet but gives the feeling that something is hidden, opposite to Du Gate. It’s very uncomfortable to enter because it feels ominous and makes one feel vigilant.

Scene Gate is a noisy gate. When Scene Gate is operated mainly with Metal Element, it looks very dangerous but actually has no substance.

However, if they enter Scene Gate instead of Rest Gate there, Death Gate is right inside.

From then on, all gates within the formation become Death Gates. They become unable to escape Death Gate no matter where they go!

The terrifying aspect of Death Gate was that from then on, all gates encountered become Death Gates, and the masters of Kun Palace, which forms the core of that Death Gate, get to rampage freely.

Zhuge Ming had even drawn in Mount Emei, who had been trying to avoid involvement as much as possible, and placed them at the center of Kun Palace.

The Evil Sect members facing Mount Emei within Death Gate would probably have a hellish experience.

The flags representing the formation were gathering toward the center like a whirlpool. Though the Evil Sect members didn’t know, all the warriors scattered throughout the mountains were continuously concentrating.

Zhuge Ming gripped his flag tightly.

“Almost caught them!”