Chapter 593 – Gathering the Night Sky (2)

Literally among the Ming Cult members who were looking down at the underground cavern from the spectator seats, a letter appeared in the hands of a woman wearing dark red fur clothing like a long robe.

It was a bundle of papers delivered with a crackling sound along with dark red flames.

An old man sitting in the lower seats slightly raised his head. An extremely short Dwarf Clansman with a deeply wrinkled face. He spoke slowly.

“I ask the Three Spirit Messenger. Is there a cavern with results?”

“No.”

She answered with a voice where male and female tones rang out simultaneously.

This was because hot demonic energy and cool demonic energy had split inside her throat, an aftereffect of learning the Mixed Demon Split Mind Art among the Ming Cult martial studies of the Heavenly Demon lineage.

“However, this place is running late. Because it’s the most fierce among the caverns where the festival is taking place.”

“That would naturally be so. With Stone Circle Pool Demon and the Dream Wanderer, the martial forces that fled from under Six Star Lord Upright Star, plus the expelled disciples of the Ice Palace and the unnamed disciples of Six Star Lord Finance Star, it’s worth estimating seven more days and nights.”

“You talk too much.”

“I apologize. The walls that hold against them are our clan’s achievement.”

“Your words were wrong from the start. You can only say such things because you don’t know what kind of people are in other areas.”

“Is that content in the letter…?”

“The Sword of the Night Sky, the fallen world’s fastest under heaven, the shortest among Emperor Qian-ling’s three disciples has entered our cult. Know this.”

At the indifferent yet detailed story, the Dwarf old man’s eyes widened. The clear mirror-like mind, a prerequisite for achieving great demonic arts, had been broken.

It was because identities had emerged that could shake even the composure of Ming Cult members, if only briefly. The wrinkles caught in the old man’s eyes held shock.

“How could they…! Even if they’re truly conducting the festival, aren’t they people who wouldn’t join the cult? Infiltration, it’s infiltration…!”

“Those are correct words. But since there will be the Cult Leader’s insight, don’t act rashly and prepare to organize the other caverns. They must be cleanly hardened and polished.”

“I shall do so.”

The old man soon lowered his head toward the cavern.

A semi-transparent energy barrier was set up around the two people, so their conversation didn’t leak out. Even if it did leak, it wasn’t a story of great utility.

The northern Ming Cult was like that.

The woman consistently observing the cavern.

The Dwarf old man who had become expressionless again like a lie.

And under the calm gazes of the Ming Cult members each observing the underground cavern, time flowed down and continued to flow.

* * *

Jeong Yeon-shin thought.

‘This is the northern edge of the demon realm?’

There were many people with tall stature and bright eyes like the elf clan, and it was said to be land close to the hometown of Wish-fulfilling Spring Leader Beigong Ya.

“It seems they handed over territory that was originally the Northern Sea Ice Palace’s advance route to the Ming Cult. The Ming Cult somehow managed to cross over here in large numbers with their followers.”

The man’s rambling drew Jeong Yeon-shin’s consciousness outward.

To the Divine Sword Group Leader who could now guess Young Heavenly Demon Invincible’s Form-Shifting Void, the man’s sidelong glances and sinister voice continued ticklingly.

“For us, well, what’s good is good. Thanks to this, we learned the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon lineage and got a chance to make a wish to the Western Greatest, didn’t we?”

“A wish?”

“They said they’d give a Guardian position to the person who stands out most in the life-and-death melee. As I just said, the Ming Cult Leader will personally grant wishes.”

“There are many who don’t look like Ming Cult members, so how did hundreds of jianghu people gather?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked while sweeping the surroundings with energy perception.

They were in an underground cavern. A cave as deep and cold as an abyss. It was an extremely vast and dark space lit in rows by thousands of lanterns.

The splendor was indescribable. It could easily accommodate thousands of people, and it was an absurdly vast circle.

As if it were a space where a flood dragon had coiled and then disappeared.

“Did you come in drunk after drinking heavily? This is the Ming Cult’s initiation ceremony. It’s also called the ‘Great Ming Flame Festival.’ It’s a ritual held when accepting followers from outside, and they say only those who survive until the supervisors tell them to stop become Ming Cult members. They also told us about the origins of the first Heavenly Demon and such… I didn’t listen carefully.”

“An initiation ritual?”

“Originally there were no rules, but perhaps to win the favor of the demon realm jianghu people, they told us to fight bare-handed like the Fighting God. Whether seven days and nights or a month. The story is to fight boringly long.”

Jeong Yeon-shin understood the surrounding background. He also understood the context of how his purple long robe and Remaining Thunder had changed to plain clothes and a simple waist belt.

He didn’t ponder how Young Heavenly Demon Invincible had thrown him here. Her inner thoughts were none of his concern. It was just one more reason to cut off her neck.

What was truly worrying was the Sword Star and the Divine Sword Group. How were their bodies? Weren’t they quite surprised?

“Oh, they’re slowly coming this way too. I could tell at a glance that we were weak, so I thought they’d come to eat us later.”

The man spoke as if warning.

As he said, some jianghu people who had been tangled in the underground cavern suddenly changed direction.

About a dozen in total. Each flashing colorless eye-light with blood-red eyes, with many Yao tribesmen and scattered Han Chinese visible.

Thud— Thud—

It was a weight as if always taking real steps. Blood stains remained with each of their steps, rippling with the ground.

The man’s voice trembled slightly.

“They seem to have gotten hungry. This is big trouble. Even the leader there is Stone Circle Pool Demon… Though he looks small for a Yao tribesman, he’s a monster from a major city lakeside whose life-and-death technique is fist methods. I thought either I or he would make a wish to the Western Greatest…”

Then Jeong Yeon-shin’s mouth slowly opened.

“Are these people who eat humans?”

“Aren’t you? To act as a strong one in the demon realm, meat is essential, but how did you make that body in this famine? You couldn’t have just eaten grain-avoiding pills like common people.”

The man asked back as if it were strange.

Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t answer. Instead, he asked a second time.

“You said there are supervisors. Can you tell me who observes and evaluates this situation?”

“Well, those looking down at us from above, that is, the noble veteran followers of the Ming Cult. They report to executives, and the executives’ reports go up to the Grand Preceptor and Cult Leader. I don’t know exactly either.”

The man pointed to the upper edge of the underground cavern.

“All those spectators are supervisors. They’re the Thirteen Evil Sects’ Ming Cult members.”

Following his fingertip, those sitting as if spectating could be seen. There seemed to be about forty of them.

A group of men and women with indifferent faces.

They had no expressions as if wearing masks, resembling merchants. Like those who grade ingredients to be presented to Beijing noble houses.

The man clicked his tongue.

“They’re monsters. Even though they’ve been watching for three days and nights, not one person has changed posture. They say Ming Cult members are all inhuman.”

Even at that moment, the strong ones participating in the festival were approaching. From Stone Circle Pool Demon with an ordinary build like Han Chinese to large Yao tribe strong ones who seemed to have refined external martial arts to the extreme.

“A Han Chinese has risen. He looks strong.”

“But he’s sick?”

“Then he’s mine. This body’s Great Circulation can fully handle rotten things.”

Behind them, hell was still unfolding. Each with flesh or blood smeared around their mouths. They were fighting fiercely while eating their respective opponents.

No one was screaming anew. Only other things were vivid.

Limbs shooting up from shock waves bursting in chains from the walls, thunderous roars echoing through the cave from fist clashes.

Jeong Yeon-shin had never seen such a scene.

There was no reason. In a state far removed from human duty, they were already demons. Even the mental imagery that achieved internal energy cultivation was like that.

At the same time, Jeong Yeon-shin felt a small doubt on one side. If this land had been fertile, what would they have looked like? If time were turned back…

He asked a third time.

“Having observed the fighting beside me for several days, wasn’t there a single warrior who didn’t eat opponents?”

“Looking now, you seem to have come up from the prosperous south. If I must answer… well, there weren’t any. That’s why you came this far, isn’t it?”

The man smiled smoothly.

“They’re friends who ate people against the Fighting God’s will. They came here while being chased by Bright Wind Spirit b*st*rds. No matter how mighty the Northern Kings are, they can’t touch the Western Greatest’s territory. My wish being marriage to the Ming Cult Leader is for that reason too.”

“I see.”

“But is your body alright? Your eyelids should be getting heavy by now. I poured out quite a lot of words.”

“You had a bewitching constitution.”

“That’s right. It’s quite common here in the demon realm. All the stories I poured out were upper energy center attack techniques.”

Of course, there were no lies.

The man who said this moved ten steps away with ghostly body movements. His lips bore a light smile.

“Let’s begin. With those friends, your senses will surely reveal gaps too.”

“Is combined attack possible?”

Jeong Yeon-shin muttered lowly and thought. There doesn’t seem to be anyone with reason.

But the man seemed to consider that also an opportunity for attack techniques. He immediately answered clearly.

“Of course. The Han Chinese who came up from the south only ate good things, didn’t you? Looking at you, you seem like a young master raised preciously in a noble house, and your internal energy must be purely refined to the utmost.”

“So?”

“Who wouldn’t target and covet you? You’ve even opened your eyes and become walking meat.”

Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head.

“It’s unpleasant to hear. Don’t say more.”

“Regrettably, it’s fleeting talk. There’s no need for that now.”

The man’s smile deepened.

It was a laugh that reminded him of the Extreme Demon he had seen several times. He could also feel the sensation of tapping at his upper energy center.

“Your internal injuries aren’t severe? Looking at how all the palm lines are crushed, you seem to be a sword ghost, but how do you intend to manage without weapons on that body? If you insist on struggling, those friends will keep you company for days more.”

Bang!

The next moment, what filled Jeong Yeon-shin’s vision was some Yao tribesman.

The person called Stone Circle Pool Demon earlier. With ignorantly straightforward advancing footwork, both hands were distorting the air of the dim cave. That’s why he was fast.

The moment of collision.

A bizarre scene reflected beyond Stone Circle Pool Demon’s shoulder. About three hundred strong ones of the demon realm had simultaneously glanced sideways. Precisely toward Jeong Yeon-shin.

They were like a pack of wolves afraid their prey might disappear. This too was a scene Jeong Yeon-shin had never seen. Monsters whose lifelines were tough because they survived on all sorts of things.

He thought. His body wasn’t in condition for a long fight.

Thud—

He stopped Stone Circle Pool Demon’s chest with his palm. Dust fell like waves from the heavy vibration.

“…?”

“No weapons?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked quietly.

The doubt that formed in Stone Circle Pool Demon’s eyes as he bared his molars was brief. The next moment, Jeong Yeon-shin was overlapping his hands with the mysteries of Internal Energy Heavy Hand Method and pulling out one rib from inside the creature’s body.

Splurt!

He was soaked in the explosively bursting blood.

His eye-light was the same colorless as when he had realized Nether Stream Squad Leader Yun So-hyeon’s death. The Divine Sword Group Leader was still at Clear Light Plain.

The moment the dark red bone was held like a blade in his hand, time seemed to stop. The movements of those who had been rushing stopped with a jolt.

It was because killing intent greater than theirs was overlapping with divinity and seeping into the single rib.

It was an instant until Jeong Yeon-shin completely grasped the bone’s material through the sensation in his grip.

It immediately activated.

[Sword Song.]

Wooooooooooooong—!

Intent elevated to the extreme covered the cavern like a tsunami. Along with violently swirling vibrations.

The bone’s song transformed into a semi-transparent force field and rushed not only to the walls but even to the spectator seats. It was a speed that permitted no one’s counterattack.

The atmosphere crumpled and twisted like a typhoon.

“……”

Only Jeong Yeon-shin remained standing.