Chapter 249 : Heavenly Demon Secret Cave (1)
Chapter 249: Heavenly Demon Secret Cave (1)
Peng Ji-gwang, flushed red from guzzling down alcohol, suddenly shot to his feet.
"Young Master Peng?"
"Brother Peng?"
Before anyone could stop him, he stormed out and headed for the room next door where the voices were coming from.
'The Tang Family's got their asses on fire? Hehehe. Let's see what kind of rumors are flying around.'
After the way the Sichuan Tang Family had humiliated him, there was no way Peng Ji-gwang was going to miss out on some juicy gossip about their misery.
Slide.
Without hesitation, Peng Ji-gwang threw the door open without ceremony and barked. "I'm Peng Ji-gwang, from the Hebei Peng Family. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help hearing what you guys were saying. Sorry to barge in, but can you tell me more about that?”
The men inside looked annoyed and awkward at the intrusion.
Peng Ji-gwang’s friends arrived just in time to try and drag him away, but he was already flashing cash he’d pulled from his sleeve.
"I'm not asking you to tell me for free. As thanks, I'll cover everything you eat and drink here today."
Faced with such a blatant offer, the men cleared their throats and nodded in agreement.
“Hahaha! Well, they say strangers are just friends you haven't met yet. No harm in hanging out.”
Seeing their attitude do a complete change, the young martial artists looked at each other. They weren't sure if they should stay, but their curiosity won out.
"By the way, what's this Heavenly Demon Secret Cave you mentioned?"
The hot-headed Peng Ji-gwang jumped right in with the first question, and one of the middle-aged men in the room answered with a somewhat dismissive tone.
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. The secret cave of the Heavenly Demon.”
“Yeah, but why would the boss of the Demonic Cult have a cave here in Sichuan?”
"Ah... That made sense since you are from Hebei. You might not know, but the rumor about the Heavenly Demon Secret Cave is old news around these parts.”
"???"
While the group wore puzzled expressions, Zhuge Eun-yong suddenly clapped her hands as if something clicked.
"Ah! Are you talking about that Heavenly Demon who invaded the Central Plains a hundred and sixty years ago?"
"That's right."
"Hahaha. You are well-versed in ancient history.”
Seeing that the rest of the group still looked confused, Zhuge Eun-yong stepped in to explain.
She told them the story of the Blood Tears Heavenly Demon's final days and how he'd invaded the Central Plains a hundred and sixty years ago.
The two middle-aged men took turns chiming in.
"But in the end, the Heavenly Demon's body was never found."
"He pushed back the Murim Alliance's experts at the very end and escaped, but his injuries were so severe that everyone assumed he must have died. Plus, he never made it back to the Demonic Cult, so chances are, he died right here in Sichuan.”
"He must've died, but they never found the corpse. And because of that, rumors about the Heavenly Demon Secret Cave have been spreading wildly in Sichuan for ages."
“The Demonic Cult controlled Sichuan for a period of time before the Alliance expelled them to Xinjiang. People think the Heavenly Demon built a secret hideout back then.”
Hwangbo Yeon tilted her head at their explanation.
"I could understand if it were those lunatics from the Demonic Cult. But why would anyone else care about finding the corpse of a Heavenly Demon who's been dead for over a hundred years?"
“He might have been a monster, but he was also the strongest fighter of his time. He took on hundreds of Orthodox experts by himself. If a guy like that had a secret hideout, don't you think he would have left something valuable behind?”
"Maybe there are cultivation insights the Heavenly Demon left behind before he died, or perhaps the divine sword he wielded is resting there. Or maybe he stashed away gold, silver, treasures, or incredible elixirs for emergencies. All sorts of rumors have been going around."
Only then did the group nod in understanding.
Whether it was martial insights, a divine sword, or elixirs, they were all things that would drive any martial artist crazy with greed.
“I bet people tore the mountains apart looking for it.”
"That's how it used to be."
“But since nobody ever found it, it basically became a joke. Everyone knew the rumor, so it wasn't even a secret anymore.”
Hwangbo Yeon asked, “So, you’re saying this ‘joke’ of a cave was actually found recently?”
One guy shrugged like he didn't know, but the other one nodded.
"That's what the rumors say, at least."
It seemed he was the one who had first brought up the topic of the Secret Cave.
"Not long ago, a massive typhoon swept through the area. A few days later, an herb gatherer was climbing the mountain and stumbled upon a cave by chance. It had been revealed because the surrounding rocks and trees were smashed and uprooted by the storm.”
"Is there any proof that the cave is Heavenly Demon Secret Cave?"
The man shrugged at Hwangbo Yeon’s question.
“I haven’t been there, so how should I know? It’s just a rumor.”
"Then do you know where this cave is located?"
Suddenly, the man looked terrified. He checked over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening and whispered.
"I don't know, and I don't want to know either."
"????"
The young warriors were about to dismiss this as nonsense when the man's next words made their expressions turn grave.
"The herb gatherer who first discovered that cave was found dead a few days later. Everyone around him died too. Anyone who heard about the cave from him ended up dead."
"..."
“Rumor has it that there are a few treasure maps drawn after torturing the herb gatherer and his associates, and people are now hunting for those maps. Including the Tang Family, Emei, and even Qingcheng.”
After hearing these ominous rumors, the young warriors exchanged grave looks before turning back to the middle-aged men and clasping their fists in respect.
"Thank you for sharing this story with us. As promised, we'll pay for all the food and drinks here."
After Hwangbo Yeon and the young warriors gave their brief thanks and left...
The two middle-aged men who'd been chattering about the rumors looked at each other and revealed sly smiles.
***
At the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's branch in Guangyuan County, Sichuan Province.
SLAM!
The Branch Leader of Guangyuan County rushed into the building in a panic and ran straight to Il-mok.
"...Did the Tang Family attack or something?"
Il-mok asked, just in case, but the Branch Leader shook his head so hard it looked like it might fly off.
"I-It's something far more urgent than that!"
"No one's chasing you, so take your time and tell me calmly."
"T-Heavenly Demon Secret Cave has been discovered!"
"...Heavenly Demon Secret Cave? Did Master hide some kind of hideout somewhere in Sichuan without telling me?”
"N-No, not the current Heavenly Demon's cave. It’s the B-Blood Tears Heavenly Demon's cave!"
The Branch Leader's shout wiped the smiles off everyone’s faces.
Even Ouyang Mun and Ju Seo-yeon wore unusually grave expressions instead of their usual happy-go-lucky attitudes.
"Is that true?"
The only one who keeps his composure is Il-mok, so he asked the Branch Leader about the details.
“Let me get this straight. A hidden cave was found, and now everyone is hunting for a treasure map that leads to it?”
"That's correct, Young Master!"
Hearing that, Il-mok held back a sigh and looked around at the others.
Every single one of them looked anxious and itching to go.
"We need to find those maps immediately, Young Master."
"That's right. This is our chance to recover the remains of the Blood Tears Heavenly Demon."
Dam Bin and Jin Hayeon, the resident fanatics, led the charge, and everyone else nodded along.
“…Doesn't that sound fishy to you? It popped up out of nowhere. Besides, if our Divine Cult really built a secret cave, why doesn't anyone know about it?”
Il-mok felt something was amiss about this whole debacle and tried to point out the logical flaws, but logic doesn't work on zealots.
"Maybe the Blood Tears Heavenly Demon created the cave in secret?"
“Or maybe he didn’t build it in advance. Maybe he just hid there in an emergency while running away from that Central Plains trash.”
"It's already heartbreaking enough that we left the Blood Tears Heavenly Demon's remains behind here. But if we let those vermin from the Orthodox Faction claim his body first, how could we even call ourselves followers of the Divine Cult?!"
Seeing them suddenly turn into orators, Il-mok tried one more time.
"What if it's a trap?"
"Who would use the name of Heavenly Demon Secret Cave as a trap when they think we're the Maitreya Luminous Cult?"
Il-mok realized it was hopeless. They had already decided.
For these fanatics, recovering the remains of the Heavenly Demon they worshipped as a god was a task worthy of being called a Holy War.
'Damn it. Being fanatics usually makes them easy to control, but talking to them now is like talking to a wall.’
Normally, he could twist their doctrine however he liked, and they’d just nod and say, “You’re so wise, Young Master!”
But not this time. When it came to this, they wouldn't listen to a word.
Still, he couldn't just drag everyone into this sketchy mess just to make them happy. So, Il-mok offered a compromise.
"Since nothing is certain yet, let's start by carefully tracking down those maps. We can worry about finding the Blood Tears Heavenly Demon’s body once we know what’s really going on.”
Inside, he was praying they wouldn't find a damn thing.
"Young Master, my apologies, but I'll be leaving for a while."
Dam Bin apparently decided to handle this personally and reported as much.
And a few days later...
She returned with two pieces of news.
"I'm sorry, Young Master. Since I had to move while concealing my identity, I failed to obtain the maps."
Il-mok inwardly cheered at her report while maintaining a solemn expression on the outside. But then—
"But don't worry. I found out where the people with the maps are gathering. All we have to do is follow them.”
Hearing that, he swallowed a groan and forced a smile. If he didn't, these fanatics would probably label him a heretic.
***
Il-mok and his group packed their gear and departed Guangyuan County.
Their destination was Mount Baihe, one of the countless mountains near Jinchuan County in Sichuan Province.
(TL Note: I can’t find any Mount Baihe near Sichuan in real life. Even when I searched for it in Hanja, the one that pops up is the one in Hong Kong, thousands of miles away from Sichuan.
The closer they got to Mount Baihe, the more martial artists they spotted, and a dangerous atmosphere began to form around them.
“I told you before we left, but I’ll say it again. Do not act rashly. We don't even know if that place is truly the Blood Tears Heavenly Demon's hideout yet. Let's observe the situation first."
The group nodded at Il-mok’s warning, but they looked like they were ready to explode.
Even the usually calm Dam Bin and Jin Hayeon seemed restless.
Seeing them like this, Il-mok swallowed another sigh and added more words to calm them down.
"Even if that place really is Heavenly Demon Secret Cave, there's no need for us to jump in first. After all, what those hypocrites from the Central Plains are after are the treasures inside, not the Blood Tears Heavenly Demon’s remains."
Besides, the rumored divine sword didn’t even exist. The Heavenly Demon Sword was a symbol of the Cult, and it was currently hanging off the belt of his Master.
This was all thanks to the Blood Tears Heavenly Demon who had sent the sword back before he stayed behind to fight and die.
"No one's really going to be after the Blood Tears Heavenly Demon's remains, so even if we act later, it won't be a problem."
Il-mok’s logic finally got through to them, and the fanatics stopped looking so panicked.
Of course, the corpse of an Absolute Master could be useful for research. They could study the shape of the muscles and meridians to deduce the characteristics and secrets of the martial arts he practiced.
But...
'After a hundred and sixty years, there'll be nothing but bones left. There’s nothing left to study. Hell, we’ll be lucky if the bones are even there.’
Since the remains would be useless for research, there was even less reason to worry.
Now that everyone was calm, Il-mok led them up Mount Baihe using stealth.
He found himself thinking that the two years spent training at the Hall of the Demonic Way were proving useful in moments like these.
They followed traces left here and there throughout Mount Baihe for quite some time.
Before long, various noises reached their ears, and the group moved toward the source of the commotion.
When they were still a safe distance away, Il-mok sent a telepathic message to the group.
—Stop. Let's observe the situation first.
A huge crowd of martial artists was split into four groups, staring each other in a tense standoff.
One group was decked out in green, another was a bunch of nuns, and the third wore Taoist robes.
The last group was just a ragtag mix of people wearing whatever they wanted with no unified attire.
‘So that’s the Tang Family, Emei, and Qingcheng. And the last bunch must be an alliance of the stragglers?’
After scanning the gathered people, Il-mok lifted his gaze slightly to look further ahead.
There, he could see the entrance to a cave.
It looked like a fight had already broken out when someone tried to get in, because the entrance was splattered with dark red blood.