Chapter 178 : Hall of Subduing Demons
Hall of Subduing Demons
These guys were certainly a cut above the rabble they had encountered while climbing the mountain.
They were not simply content to play at being martial artists with merely a handful of internal energy.
These men had distinguished sword techniques and footwork, honed through dedicated training.
They surrounded Jeong-un without hesitation, surging forward, and the impure demonic energy imbued in their swords was fairly thick.
Jeong-un clashed with several of the vanguard.
Saaaak—! Slash!
It was not simply the sound of swords clashing.
Rather, it was a sharp and distinct slicing sound that erupted.
Though these men would have been called unorthodox experts wherever they went, not one of them could withstand even a single sword strike from Jeong-un.
It was inevitable. Already, dragon Sky's snow-white sword blade was so enveloped in lightning-like golden true ki that it almost couldn't be seen.
Even though they had formed a decent battle formation and looked for an opening, there was simply no way they could endure Jeong-un's overwhelming cultivated power.
After cutting down a few more, a surge of ki wave exploded beneath Jeong-un's soles.
It was a wave of cultivated power so powerful that even the air around them swirled.
Paaaang!
In an instant, his body's form flickered, almost as if blinking, and he reached the very center of their ranks.
Kwaang!
With his landing, he planted a single step of Powerless Steps.
Stepping firmly with a forcible stride, the ground cracked as if shattering beneath him.
At the same time, formless ki surged upward from below with recoil.
Jjeojeojeok—!
The density of his cultivated power overwhelmed everything.
Ignoring even the force that should have pulled them to the ground, the ki wave surged upward and the bodies of the enemies floated into the air, against their will.
"......!"
They only realized Jeong-un had slipped between them just then.
It was only afterward they became aware that their bodies were already soaring skyward.
Saaaak!
Jeong-un rotated the foot that had landed his forcible stride outward, spinning his body.
A lightning-like sword strike swept out sideways, drawing a perfect circle of golden radiance.
Puwaaak!
Enemies both inside and outside the arc were hurled into the air.
Their faces, previously expressionless with a lack of emotion as they advanced, now contorted in shock and horror.
Weapons and severed heads and arms that had lost their owners collided and mixed in midair.
Tadak!
Baek Il-gang and Zhao Gang finally arrived. To be precise, they hadn't been slow.
They had driven their body-strengthening arts to the utmost, making it truly a matter of just a fleeting moment.
But in that short span of time, the battle had already reached its end.
"O-elder brother!"
Zhao Yeong-ryeong, who had been staring blankly at Jeong-un for a moment, cried out, looking toward Zhao Gang.
"Yeong-ryeong!"
Zhao Gang, too, hurried over to Zhao Yeong-ryeong in a lightness-skilled dash, a look of enormous relief on his face.
It was understandable, for even as he chased after the enemies with Jeong-un, he hadn't been fully certain of his younger sister's fate.
"You're unharmed. Thank goodness, truly thank goodness..."
He exhaled in relief after confirming Zhao Yeong-ryeong hadn't suffered any major injuries.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yeong-ryeong glanced at Baek Il-gang, who stood beside her with a somewhat embarrassed look.
He, too, had rushed with all his strength upon finding Zhao Yeong-ryeong.
"Elder brother Il-gang, you're here as well."
"Well, my mission was to pursue the enemy."
"Thank you."
"... I said it was just a mission, that's all."
With those brief words, he quickly turned his head away.
There was no time for a long conversation.
Jeong-un was still cutting through the enemy camp right beside them.
Only three or four enemies remained.
Tadak!
Zhao Gang drew his spear and charged in.
He couldn't stand idly by just because few enemies were left.
Behind him, Baek Il-gang let out a wry laugh.
"Wasting your strength for nothing. Young Hero Yu will take care of everything."
And so it was.
Even before Zhao Gang could fully charge in, the remaining enemies' heads were sent flying, all except for one.
Jeong-un sheathed his sword and approached the last man.
The man's arm and leg had already been severed.
In martial artist fashion, he had quickly used his meridian points to stop the bleeding, but escape was impossible in that state.
Even when his limbs were intact, escaping would have been difficult.
Jeobeok, jeobeok.
Jeong-un slowly approached. The man, expressionless, half-knelt, staring at Jeong-un.
Finally, he spoke up.
"I know you won't commit suicide."
"......?"
The man narrowed his brow, looking at Jeong-un with a puzzled gaze. Jeong-un continued, probing the man's body with his ki sense.
"If you planned to die, you wouldn't have charged at me. You let Lady Zhao go, only to deliberately chase after her again."
"......"
"Do what you must before you die. There must be a message your leader left for me."
The man's face, which had been expressionless all along, twitched momentarily, apparently annoyed Jeong-un had referred to his cult leader simply as 'leader'.
Of course, Jeong-un paid it no mind.
He was a man doomed to die anyway.
Knowing that, he had charged at Jeong-un.
Jeong-un only kept him alive, briefly, to hear what message the leader had left.
Soon the man spoke slowly.
"Come to the Heavenly Demon Hall at the center. The cult leader is waiting for you."
"That's it?"
"Yes. I have fi—..."
Saaak!
The snow-white sword blade flashed—and the man's head soared through the air.
It was a sword move without even a trace of true ki.
With bodily strength alone, Jeong-un had severed the neck of a martial expert.
"......"
Zhao Gang, who had arrived quickly but hadn't even managed to swing his spear, put it away in disappointment, surveying the corpses piled around.
He asked Jeong-un,
"Do we not need to search their belongings this time?"
He asked as if waiting for instructions.
Even though he was the honored young head of a famous noble clan in the martial world, it was obvious Jeong-un was leading their company now.
Jeong-un replied,
"If it bothers you, you may do so."
He had already confirmed Zhao Yeong-ryeong's safety.
Though things weren't completely settled, there was no urgent need to rush as before.
Zhao Gang asked, puzzled,
"What is Young Hero Yu's opinion?"
"I doubt there's anything meaningful to be found by searching every body. They wouldn't have carried anything important while attacking me."
"Then, what do you plan to do?"
"I intend to head straight for the center of this place."
"The center?"
Zhao Gang turned his head in response. He, too, had heard the words spoken by the man before his death.
They were trapped in this strange formation and needed to find the Gate of Life to escape.
Aside from finding his sister, he had no idea where to go.
Jeong-un was also gazing at the enormous pavilion rising at the center.
'The Heavenly Demon Hall, huh.'
He hadn't expected to hear that term from their mouths.
The 'Heavenly Demon'—it was an almost unfathomable name.
Even decades ago, when the Demonic Cult had invaded Beijing, it wasn't the Heavenly Demon himself leading them, but the cult leader.
Even the famous Elder Mu Jung of Shaolin, whom he'd heard about, had faced that very cult leader and not the Heavenly Demon in person.
If his assumptions were correct, the man he had just encountered was not that leader, but the leader of a previous generation.
At that moment, Baek Il-gang and Zhao Yeong-ryeong approached.
They, too, had witnessed Jeong-un interrogate and behead the last enemy.
It was time to discuss what to do next.
Baek Il-gang spoke.
"I think heading in that direction is right as well. There's nowhere else worth going."
Zhao Yeong-ryeong nodded.
"I looked around the cave while running from them. No matter where I tried to go—let alone the path I entered by—I always ended up back here. There must be a way through over there."
Zhao Gang let out a faint sigh at her words. The situation was making him feel uneasy, and for good reason.
He was no fool.
From climbing the mountainside to entering this cave, everything felt off in some way.
The flow itself wasn't natural.
'We sent a letter to the Murim Alliance to summon Young Hero Yu, after all.'
But thinking about how things had unfolded, it felt as though they had been used as pawns to lure Yu Jeong-un here.
The entire sequence of events—from his sister being captured to them being trapped in this place—only reinforced that feeling.
Jeong-un spoke up, watching him.
"Please don't worry."
"......?"
Taken aback by the sudden words, Zhao Gang looked at him quizzically. Jeong-un nodded, continuing,
"I will take responsibility and make sure you both get out safely. Please trust me."
"......"
Zhao Gang looked at Jeong-un for a moment before replying.
"I have no intention of escaping alone, leaving you all behind."
"Pardon?"
"This mountain has been considered sacred by my clan for generations. Now, after witnessing these wicked men hiding here, how could I simply walk away? Today, I intend to root them out from this place."
"......"
Jeong-un gazed at him and nodded.
Yes, this was the sort of man he was.
It was said that he had made a name for himself as a chivalrous hero in the region.
Even when dueling him, Jeong-un could sense that upstanding spirit in his spear's every movement.
He wasn't someone who'd quietly agree when told to abandon his comrades and run.
'I am responsible for this.'
Still, Jeong-un thought so.
The enemy's attention was entirely fixed on him.
If these people suffered harm because of that, he truly wouldn't be able to endure it.
Jeong-un spoke,
"As Lady Zhao says, the Gate of Life to escape this formation won't be at the cave's periphery. We must go in that direction."
"Let us do so, then."
They began walking toward the stone structure at the center, passing between the tombs.
They didn't bother hurrying. Zhao Yeong-ryeong was safe now, and caution was appropriate.
'There are still many oddities.'
Today was the first time he had directly faced cultists of the Demonic Cult.
At the battle with the Blood Cult, the enemies had killed themselves before he could investigate.
Upon reflection, the majority of those encountered today were distinctly lacking in skill.
While he hadn't expected every cultist to be one of the strongest, he had thought at least some might possess unique martial arts techniques.
The foes he'd faced while climbing the mountain toward the cliff had been even more so.
They truly fit the definition of rabble, with their crude martial arts.
'They seem like hastily deployed pawns.'
Most fundamentally, one question remained.
Why lure him here with a formation carved into such a place? What was their goal?
If their only purpose was to fight him, there were much easier methods.
This looked like a contrived trap, set up from the start to coax him here by any means necessary.
'There must be a reason for complicating matters like this on purpose.'
So thought Jeong-un, mentally simplifying his own objective: to get his companions out alive, and to confront the man behind all this himself.
He wanted to end the wretched entanglement that began in the Divine Physician's cave—before more innocents suffered.
'Let's finish it here.'
As he steeled his resolve, they soon arrived before the stone building called the Heavenly Demon Hall.
Jeong-un stood before it and gazed upward.
Though he had never been there, it seemed as grand and imposing as he imagined the imperial palace in Beijing might be.
A massive wall blocked the entrance, and beyond it a majestic main pavilion filled his view.
Above the enormous gate, a nameboard written in bold strokes was mounted.
"'Hall of Subduing Demons'. It feels like we're crawling into the enemy's den of our own accord,"
Baek Il-gang said beside him, letting out a hollow laugh.
The nameboard, seemingly intended to frighten, struck him as almost comical.
Jeobeok, jeobeok.
Without a word, Jeong-un approached.
His comrades behind him widened their eyes, reacting to the weight of cultivated power in each step he took.
And then—
Kwaaang—!
The massive door exploded into fragments, flying backwards.
Channeling all his true ki, Jeong-un had kicked the door open with all his might.
"Let's go."
Jeong-un turned and called back to them.