Chapter 429 – The Outbreak of the Great World War (1)

"Huff! Huff!"

Nam Hak gasped raggedly.

The place where he was located was a secluded alley in the Demon Cult's outer fortress. All over his body, large and small wounds gaped open. His entire body was stained with blood, and red heat haze was rising from his shoulders as the blood evaporated.

His breath was caught at his chin, and his heart was beating violently as if it would burst at any moment. Sweat continuously flowed down his face, and both eyes were colored with terror.

"They're all dead. Everyone…"

All the suicide squad martial artists who had acted with him were dead. Among them were old friends and juniors from Joint Cave Sect. They had all been brutally killed, and only Nam Hak had barely escaped.

The Demon Cult's strength was beyond his imagination.

Nam Hak himself was said to be one of the best late-stage rising talents in the martial world, but the Demon Cult had very many masters at his level.

A land of terror where dragons hide and tigers crouch.

The suicide squad's surprise attack might have worked during the first Righteous-Demon War, but the same tactics didn't work on the current Demon Cult that had become a dragon's den and tiger's lair.

The Martial Alliance's greatest mistake was following the same method that worked once decades ago, and that young talents were swept up and participated in it.

With the death of so many young talents, the martial world's vitality was bound to be greatly damaged. The sects that had many martial artists participate in the suicide squad would suffer enormous losses, and it would take decades or more to recover their former prosperity. But Nam Hak couldn't think that far.

The only thought filling his mind was that he had to escape this place alive.

He had even brushed off Eom Tae-cheon who pleaded for help to survive. Shadowless Divine Dragon Eom Tae-cheon, one of the Nine Martial Dragons, had asked for his help while seriously injured. But Nam Hak coldly brushed off his hand and fled. It was to survive alone.

"I need to find Yeon-woon. He must have some method."

He recalled Cho Yeon-woon.

The one who had opposed the suicide squad's infiltration of the Demon Cult to the end. So he had felt like a thorn in his eye. But now that it had come to this, he was the first person who came to mind.

He didn't know why for some reason. He just had a vague thought that if he met him, he would save him from this danger.

Nam Hak raised his head and looked around.

The Demon Cult was vast. Combined with the inner and outer fortress, it was truly beyond imagination. Even fellow Demon Cult members would get lost if they weren't familiar with the geography, as the interior was so complex.

Thanks to this, Nam Hak could survive until now, but even that was precarious. At this very moment, countless Demon Cult martial artists were closing in like a net.

The moment he was caught by them, he would certainly suffer terrible torture, let alone lose his life.

"Damn it!"

Nam Hak cursed and moved his steps with difficulty. His two legs were trembling as if they would collapse at any moment. But Nam Hak gritted his teeth and endured.

If he stopped here because it was difficult, only death would remain. Knowing this fact, Nam Hak desperately moved to find a path of life.

"I won't die. I'll definitely return alive to Joint Cave Sect."

It was when Nam Hak kept muttering the same words as if hypnotizing himself.

An old man in shabby robes appeared silently in front of him.

Wrinkles carved all over his face so deep that his age couldn't be guessed and age spots blooming here and there. His eyes buried in wrinkles were full of discharge, and the two hands revealed between the shabby robes covering his entire body were also full of wrinkles reminiscent of old tree bark.

But Nam Hak moved his steps with difficulty without detecting the old man's appearance. He only noticed the old man's existence after bumping his head into the old man's chest.

"What? Gasp!"

He was really startled.

No matter how tired and injured he was, his senses hadn't become dull. The epithet Thunder Lightning Martial Guest wasn't obtained by sitting comfortably. He had fought so many battles and proven himself with skill that his martial world peers gave him that name.

The fact that such a person couldn't perceive the opponent's existence until he bumped his head into their chest was shocking in itself.

Nam Hak hurriedly took a defensive stance and shouted:

"Wh-who are you?"

"A child with dull senses. Or are you thinking too much?"

The old man looked at Nam Hak and smiled.

The moment he saw that smile, Nam Hak felt a chill as if cold water had been poured over him and trembled.

Nam Hak was never a person with small courage. Though he had a strong tendency to look down on others arrogantly, his boldness was thick enough that no one could match.

Especially with his strong belligerent nature, many people feared him. Thus he was someone who gave fear to others, not someone who felt fear from someone else.

But such a person was feeling fear toward another. Just from making eye contact.

Shudder!

It felt like every hair on his body was standing on end. The thrill running up his spine was warning him of danger.

"Cha-aht!"

Grumble!

Nam Hak quickly retreated while deploying Joint Cave Sect's ultimate technique, Mysterious Heaven Divine Palm. The Mysterious Heaven Divine Palm, said to be powerful enough to dye the sky black, rushed toward the old man with a thunder-like sound.

At that moment, the old man casually waved his hand. Then the Mysterious Heaven Divine Palm that had rushed in like a tidal wave was snuffed out like a candle before the wind.

Nam Hak's eyes widened as if they would tear.

His pupils were shaking violently as if an earthquake had occurred. Because something he couldn't understand with his common sense had happened.

"What?"

Nam Hak's mouth gaped open and his teeth chattered involuntarily.

He instinctively felt that the old man before his eyes was an existence on a different level from himself.

'The… the class is different.'

Though he had the same human form, the old man before his eyes was different from himself. His voice naturally trembled.

"Wh-who are you?"

Not only did his manner of speech change, but his momentum also broke completely. It was something the usual Nam Hak could never imagine. The problem was that Nam Hak didn't even realize this fact.

The old man's tree-like face squirmed. His lips curled up slightly as if he was smiling.

"Shall I let you out?"

"What?"

"Weren't you looking for an exit? I'm saying I'll let you out of the Demon Cult."

"R-really?"

Nam Hak asked blankly as if bewitched by something. Then the old man nodded with a smile.

"Of course, child. I can let you out of this place."

"Then please let me out quickly."

"Then you must pay a price."

"A price?"

It was the moment a puzzled light appeared on Nam Hak's face.

Grip!

Suddenly the old man grasped Nam Hak's head with both palms. Instantly Nam Hak felt a shock like being struck by lightning and lost consciousness.

The old man closed his eyes and muttered something for a long time. Nam Hak trembled all over while unconscious. It looked as if something was being forcibly injected into him.

It was quite a while later that the old man removed his hands from Nam Hak's head. He looked at the unconscious Nam Hak and smiled.

"To gain one thing, you must lose something – that's the way of the world. Your vessel is quite sturdy, so you'll be useful. Ma-yeong."

As soon as his words ended, a masked person in gray clothes appeared from the alley and knelt before the old man.

The old man said to the masked person:

"Take this child to Gwi-sa. Then they'll handle it appropriately."

"Yes, sir!"

The masked person answered and disappeared carrying Nam Hak on his back. Right after that, a noisy sound came from the opposite side of the alley.

"This way. His traces lead this way."

It was the sound of Demon Cult masters tracking Nam Hak. They had already arrived nearby chasing him.

The old man didn't hide or avoid. Instead, he just bent his straight back crookedly. Just that alone completely changed the old man's atmosphere.

The presence that seemed not of this world disappeared, and he became an ordinary old man.

Right after that, the Demon Cult masters appeared.

"Oh? Blood Elder, sir!"

They discovered the old man and quickly bowed their heads. Though he was an old man who rarely showed himself outside, some knew his face.

The old man was precisely Blood Elder, the spiritual leader of Demon Mother Dan Un-hyang and head of the missionary organization Middle Heaven.

"How is Blood Elder here?"

"It was noisy outside, so I came out briefly."

"There are still those who haven't been caught, so it's dangerous. Please go inside quickly."

"Hehe! I will."

Blood Elder obediently answered and moved his steps inside. No one thought Blood Elder was strange or suspicious. Rather, they thought of Blood Elder as an important person who should be protected.

Blood Elder disappeared into the inner fortress with a smile. Meanwhile, the Demon Cult masters who had been tracking searched the outer fortress thoroughly, but Nam Hak's figure couldn't be found anywhere.

On this day, hundreds of Demon Cult masters were killed or wounded by the suicide squad's invasion. Especially two of the Seven Great Demons, Yi Seon-chang and Yoon Gwang, were seriously injured, causing a loss of power.

It was a big blow to the Demon Cult. But that didn't mean the suicide squad was unharmed.

Because they had prepared in advance, the suicide squad suffered damage close to annihilation. Most of the young martial artists died or were captured by the Demon Cult, and among them was Shadowless Divine Dragon Eom Tae-cheon, one of the Nine Martial Dragons.

Among the previous generation suicide squad, Thousand Man Enemy Sword Jang Jin-myeong and Heavenly Wolf Guest Gu Ui-jin lost their lives. They were dismembered and brutally killed, and their severed heads were hung in front of the Demon Cult's main gate.

The Martial Alliance's intention to deal a fatal blow to the Demon Cult using the suicide squad had only achieved half success. No, rather it brought about the worst result.

Military Advisor Sang Han-cheon of the Demon Cult ordered an advance on Mount Song Martial Alliance instead of managing the Demon Cult.

The anger of the Demon Cult martial artists who lost comrades to the Martial Alliance's surprise attack was frightening. They systematically prepared their forces and began advancing toward the Martial Alliance.

Countless forces left Yueyang and headed toward Mount Song where the Martial Alliance was located. Enormous forces incomparable to before had begun advancing.

***

The confusion of the Martial Alliance and Shaolin Temple upon receiving this intelligence reached its peak. Contrary to their intentions, the Great World War had actually been accelerated.

Thus the world was being sucked into a vortex of turbulence.

Dam Ho's party, having left Nosukji, spent a full day to arrive at Luan. Luan was a city in northwestern Anhui Province adjacent to Henan Province.

Though not very large in scale, quite a few people lived there, so there were many suitable places to stay.

"Ah, today we can rest at an inn."

The one who was most pleased was precisely the woman, Nok Su-bing.

While the men could camp out for several days without problem, the woman Nok Su-bing had suffered quite a bit from not being able to wash properly. She wanted to enter an inn as soon as possible and bathe in warm water.

The Namgung brothers felt the same about the inn being welcome. The days in the wilderness had made their bodies and minds strong, but on the other hand, it was also difficult. Though they didn't say it, their feelings were no different from Nok Su-bing's.

Especially Namgung Seon-hwi, who had walked refusing even horses to train his stamina, felt tremendous fatigue. He looked at Luan with an expression as if he might collapse at any moment.

"Whew!"

Thinking that tonight he could eat his fill and sleep well in a comfortable place, his whole body already felt drowsy.

They hurriedly entered Luan and took the first inn they saw. It was an inn called Peaceful Inn.

Since there were many people, they took a separate building. Though it cost quite a bit of money, Bang Jin-bo paid cheerfully. He too wanted to rest in a comfortable place tonight without worrying about others' gazes.

"I'll wash first."

As soon as they took the separate building, Nok Su-bing went in to bathe first. The rest sat down with tired faces.

"Whew! It's tiring."

"I feel like I'm going to die."

"Me too."

The Namgung brothers agreed with Bang Jin-bo's words.

Unlike them with tired expressions, there was no particular change on Dam Ho's face. Dam Ho wasn't the type to feel tired from just this much. Even at this moment, the Dark Soul Mind Technique was naturally operating to drive away his fatigue.

Bang Jin-bo looked at Dam Ho.

"Brother, can I go out for a bit?"

"……"

"I want to get a new kitchen knife. It's somehow bothering me to keep staining a cooking knife with human blood."

It was a thought he had been having for a long time.

He couldn't keep harming people with a cooking knife forever. He wanted to prepare a new kitchen knife to use only for cooking on this occasion.

Dam Ho nodded.

"Go ahead."

"Hehe! It won't take long. I'll be back by evening."

"Alright!"

Bang Jin-bo went outside with a bright smile. ​

Taoist Master Bok-cheon guided Jin Ja-gang who lacked lightness skills.

Taoist Master Bok-cheon’s lightness arts were exceptionally advanced, allowing him to provide stable support to Jin Ja-gang just by holding his hand.

Jin Ja-gang’s leg meridians were all normally open, so there was no discomfort in using internal energy. However, he had a habit of putting excessive force on his intact right foot rather than his previously broken left foot, causing his body balance to be misaligned.

Such subtle habits affected his steps, causing him to constantly stumble.

“Don’t try to run quickly with an impatient mind. Think about relaxing your strength, making your body as light as possible, and running very long distances with minimal internal energy.”

Jin Ja-gang repeatedly either shot forward suddenly or nearly stumbled when his speed dramatically decreased, but thanks to Taoist Master Bok-cheon holding his hand, he didn’t lose his center of balance.

Jin Ja-gang focused on his senses.

Gradually the flow became familiar.

Jin Ja-gang found the optimal flow for himself. Instead of walking with uniform strides like others, he naturally repeated jumping far and jumping narrow.

At some point when Taoist Master Bok-cheon let go of his hand, Jin Ja-gang didn’t fall. He had completely caught the flow. Though not at the same speed, he became able to run without falling behind Taoist Master Bok-cheon or Son Bi.

“Thank you.”

Taoist Master Bok-cheon lightly nodded to accept the greeting.

Neither Taoist Master Bok-cheon nor Jin Ja-gang were talkative types, and Son Bi couldn’t speak, so conversation quickly ceased.

Once the lightness skills became familiar, Jin Ja-gang became lost in thought.

An ominous feeling came from somewhere, grating on his nerves. Anxiety and suspicion came together.

He couldn’t yet identify the cause.

However, for now stopping the salt ships that would be used to distribute Five Poisons Fatal Pills took priority, so he couldn’t think more deeply about it.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the Min River.

Standing on a high hill overlooking the Min River below, Taoist Master Bok-cheon shouted.

“Those ships!”

Hundreds of ships presumed to be carrying salt were heading south at tremendous speed. Some had already passed by Jin Ja-gang and the others.

It seemed they had departed early due to Sim Hak’s signal.

Taoist Master Bok-cheon couldn’t hide his disappointed expression.

“We received word that Emei Sect was also coming, but did we fail to match the timing?”

Taoist Master Bok-cheon looked at Jin Ja-gang.

“Anyway, complete annihilation is impossible with just the three of us. We could wait for Emei Sect, or follow the ships downstream and join up with the Poison Sect Four Cliques. What would you do?”

Jin Ja-gang answered.

“Master said he would bring in Demonic Cult to attack the Northern Heaven Evil Faction. If Master failed, it’s either because the evil faction’s power was too strong, or…”

Killing intent formed in Jin Ja-gang’s eyes.

“Because Demon Cult betrayed him.”

In that fleet, there were probably Demon Cult and Northern Heaven Evil Faction masters who killed Master Haewol together.

“I will pick them out and deal with them.”

Taoist Master Bok-cheon agreed.

“It will be a difficult battle. Then let’s leave the rest to the Poison Sect Four Cliques coming up from downstream.”

The Poison Sect Four Cliques had weakened from fighting Jin Ja-gang. They couldn’t stop the Demon Cult and evil faction masters.

Son Bi tapped Jin Ja-gang’s shoulder.

She wondered how he would pick out and attack masters from among the ships of that rapidly rushing fleet.

Jin Ja-gang gave a look that said to watch, then stood at the edge of the hill observing the passing ships.

Then he drew up his internal energy to the maximum.

GRIND.

Jin Ja-gang gritted his teeth.

“Come forth, Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit!”

Whirlpools began forming in Jin Ja-gang’s entire body’s meridians. The whirlpools rapidly rose within the embankment blocking the path.

Three, four… six, seven… eight!

In the past, Dan Ryeonggyeong dominated Shandong as the Fifth Ray of Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Demonic Art, and Muam Honorable Master became one of the Three Paths thirty years ago with the Sixth Ray.

However, now Jin Ja-gang had reached the Eighth Ray, surpassing all of that.

Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Demonic Art Eighth Ray.

The Raise of the Head-Bowing Demon God!

Jin Ja-gang spread both arms and roared silently.

GROOOOOOOOO!

Instantly the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit’s energy went berserk in Jin Ja-gang’s body and poured out externally.

Son Bi’s skin tingled as she stepped back and defended with internal energy. Son Bi thought this was merely simple internal energy momentum that Jin Ja-gang was creating, but Taoist Master Bok-cheon of the Taoist sect felt differently.

He received a terrible impression like a fierce demon howling while caught on a leash. Goosebumps arose and all the hair on his body stood on end. Without knowing it, his demon-subduing internal energy reacted and surged up.

Jin Ja-gang’s energy poured indiscriminately over the entire fleet passing below the hill.

The Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit’s energy hit the Min River’s waves and scattered.

Originally, Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Toad Art combined Qingcheng Sect’s Toad Art with Demon Cult’s Five Thunder Heaven Art.

The Demon Cult masters on the ships were also affected.

The Demon Cult masters came out onto the deck and looked toward Jin Ja-gang.

Despite the distance, they felt something ominous.

Fire Flame Master and Myriad Enlightened Master holding burning energy.

And even the ferry boats of Demon Cult followers lined up protectively around the ship they were on.

“Found them!”

Killing intent filled Jin Ja-gang’s bulging eyes.

The evil faction masters also felt Jin Ja-gang’s energy and came up on deck. Among them, a giant in armor holding a great sword was particularly noticeable. Four or five masters stood around him. Among them was the demoness So Su-jin, who had previously crossed hands with Taoist Master Bok-cheon, looking up at Taoist Master Bok-cheon with a splint on her left wrist.

Taoist Master Bok-cheon recognized the one holding the great sword. Their gazes met across a distant distance where faces couldn’t even be seen.

“Thunder Emperor Ga Mu-ru! I wondered if it might be so, but even that one has finally entered the Central Plains.”

It was clear without seeing how difficult a battle Master Haewol had fought alone.

“Indestructible Heavenly Sword Sword is not visible.”

To Taoist Master Bok-cheon’s words, Jin Ja-gang replied.

“He’s somewhere among those ships.”

Jin Ja-gang momentarily felt Baek Li-jung’s energy responding to his own momentum. However, immediately afterward, Baek Li-jung’s energy hid itself.

Surprisingly, Baek Li-jung’s Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit had become afraid of Jin Ja-gang’s Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit!

Therefore, Baek Li-jung’s Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit completely erased its presence, hiding its tail.

Jin Ja-gang could feel the reason.

It was afraid of being devoured by Jin Ja-gang, who had subdued the Eighth Light Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit. Baek Li-jung’s Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit was by no means weak. However, Baek Li-jung’s Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit could not escape the limits of master and servant.

It knew all too well that if it appeared now, it would lose to Jin Ja-gang who had the qualifications of a master.

“I’ll take Thunder Emperor.”

Taoist Master Bok-cheon directed his gaze toward Ga Muru. Son Bi wanted to go toward Jin Ja-gang, but the momentum Jin Ja-gang was emitting was too murderous for her to approach. Going together would only be a hindrance.

Taoist Master Bok-cheon and Son Bi worried about how Jin Ja-gang would move from the hill to the ships cutting through the current below.

However, that was an unnecessary worry.

Jin Ja-gang immediately leaped down.

Then he spread both arms and launched Asura Sutra.

Like Soul Seizing Hall Master Tang Sang-yul who had shown Jin Ja-gang how to use Soul-Seizing Thread, he shot Asura Sutra in all directions. Asura Sutra entangled with the rocks below the hill, the masts of the ships passing closest by, and the ship railings.

Jin Ja-gang ran with lightness skills on the Asura Sutra woven like warp and weft threads.

It was a sight like running through empty air.

As he advanced toward the direction where the Demon Cult masters were, the startled followers each drew weapons and aimed at Jin Ja-gang.

When Jin Ja-gang flew over the ships, they shot arrows and stabbed with spears. Naturally, it was meaningless. None of the weapons the ordinary followers launched hit Jin Ja-gang. Some were deflected by hitting the Asura Sutra stretched in the air.

Jin Ja-gang reached the ship in the center of the river in an instant.

Until he landed on the ship’s rail, the two Demon Cult masters Fire Flame Master and Myriad Enlightened Master didn’t attack Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang glared at them with blazing eyes.

Fire Flame Master, holding burning energy, looked at Jin Ja-gang and shouted.

“You have the same roots as us! So why do you harbor killing intent toward us!”

Jin Ja-gang asked back.

“I understand you were brought in by Master Haewol. Is that correct?”

Fire Flame Master and Myriad Enlightened Master briefly looked at each other.

Myriad Enlightened Master, bald with a hooked nose, glared at Jin Ja-gang.

“How dare… Where does a young punk get so impudent?”

Jin Ja-gang asked coldly.

“I asked if that’s correct.”

“So what if it is, what will you do if it’s not?”

Myriad Enlightened Master also began emitting killing intent.

Then Fire Flame Master blocked between them with his burning iron weapon.

“Wait! Are you by any chance Poison Dragon, Jin Ja-gang?”

“That’s right.”

Myriad Enlightened Master and Fire Flame Master frowned.

“Myriad Enlightened Master, step back.”

Both took a step back.

“We heard about you from the Sect Leader. Go back. We are like family.”

“Sect Leader?”

“Radiant Enlightened Master Yelu Hwan, that person has become the leader of our sect. Haven’t you already received kindness from him? Yet you would still fight us?”

Radiant Enlightened Master Yelu Hwan had transmitted the latter half of Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Toad Art, created with Venerable Woo-am, to Jin Ja-gang.

However, Jin Ja-gang wasn’t swayed at all.

“You’re mistaken. It’s not me who owes a debt, but Radiant Enlightened Master, your sect leader.”

“What?”

Jin Ja-gang bellowed.

“Is this how your sect repays kindness when in debt!”

At Jin Ja-gang’s bellow, Myriad Enlightened Master’s eyes narrowed.

“This fellow dares to threaten people of our sect while using our sect’s internal energy?”

Jin Ja-gang asked in a sharp voice.

“Then let me ask just one thing. Why did you betray Master?”

“We didn’t betray him. We had joined hands with Indestructible Heavenly Sword Sword from the beginning.”

“Indestructible Heavenly Sword Sword is the person who imprisoned your sect leader for a long time.”

Myriad Enlightened Master snorted.

“That’s all Haewol’s scheme. Indestructible Heavenly Sword Sword was deceived by his tricks and coveted the martial arts the sect leader possessed.”

“So in exchange for joining hands, you handed over Demon Cult’s martial arts to him?”

Myriad Enlightened Master smiled coldly.

“What we handed over wasn’t Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Toad Art but the incantation of Five Thunder Heaven Art.”

Without Qingcheng Sect’s Toad Art formula, the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit cannot be subdued. So that’s why Baek Li-jung was swept away by the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit!

Jin Ja-gang said.

“I understand.”

“What?”

“Immediately disembark and return to your sect. And tell your sect leader that I will come to collect the debt anytime. Then I will spare you.”

Myriad Enlightened Master’s eyes became fierce.

“Such impudence…! Just because you can use a bit of our sect’s energy, you think the whole world belongs to you? How dare you speak of debt to our sect leader?”

Jin Ja-gang said coldly.

“He joined hands with the one who imprisoned him and handed over martial arts that would harm his body, betrayed the one he promised to join hands with and drove him to death. And now he’s cooperating in a plan to spread poison that will disturb the martial world. How great must such a person be that I shouldn’t speak of it?”

“You brat!”

Fire Flame Master restrained the indignant Myriad Enlightened Master.

“The martial arts you learned from the sect leader, how many dikes did it form?”

“Eight.”

Fire Flame Master and Myriad Enlightened Master were startled.

“To achieve Jade Void to the Eighth Light. Remarkable.”

“If he achieved the Eighth Light, it’s equivalent to achieving eleven-tenths of Five Thunder Heaven Art. It’s difficult for us to oppose.”

“Eighth Ray… You mean this little brat is stronger than us?”

While speaking, Myriad Enlightened Master’s eyes suddenly changed.

Myriad Enlightened Master ambushed Jin Ja-gang. He crouched down and hooked Jin Ja-gang’s legs with a skewer to trip him.

“Lies should be told properly! How could a little brat like you have the same achievement as our sect leader!”

Even Fire Flame Master’s expression changed as he joined the attack.

Fire Flame Master roared and brought down his flaming iron weapon.

“The crime of insulting our sect and sect leader, I shall punish with fire!”