Chapter 307 : God (1)
Chapter 307: God (1)
Il-mok stood guard alone near the three women to monitor their condition as they absorbed the inner core.
Because all three of them practiced Demonic Arts, a sudden spike in their internal energy was a major double-edged sword.
Sure enough, they seemed to struggle with controlling the influx.
Energy from the inner core leaked out around them from time to time, and there were moments when the flow of energy twisted violently.
Jin Hayeon's surroundings were particularly bizarre. Since she wielded cold yin energy, frost occasionally formed in the air around her.
Whenever things looked dangerous, Il-mok stepped in to press his palm to their backs to calm the rampaging demonic energy.
He kept this up for a good while.
"Haaah... Phew."
Jin Hayeon was the first to open her eyes, exhaling a visibly chilling breath and rose to her feet.
"Thanks to you, Young Master, I was able to overcome yet another wall."
Maybe it was because she had stepped just a little bit closer to Transcendence, a tiny, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she said her thanks.
About an hour later, Jeong Hyeon finished consolidating her energy and opened her eyes as well.
Ju Seo-yeon was the last to rise.
Seeing that all three women had clearly leveled up a stage or two, Il-mok gave a deeply satisfied nod.
* * *
Early the next morning, Il-mok and his party headed west with the prisoners in tow.
The goal was to find the Mangud tribe's settlement.
Following the prisoners' guidance, they traveled until evening before finally reaching their destination.
"Hmm."
The settlement there was far larger than the Jarchigud tribe's. It was the biggest of any settlement Il-mok had encountered so far.
Maybe it was all the commotion of the returning warriors that drew them out, the villagers who had rushed out to welcome them suddenly froze, realizing a second too late that something was incredibly wrong.
Not only were half of their warriors missing, but there was a handful of completely unfamiliar masked outsiders walking right alongside them.
Perhaps to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, a considerable number of warriors had remained behind in the Mangud tribe's settlement. One of them stepped forward and bellowed.
"What happened to the Khagan!?"
In response, the young nomad who'd begged Il-mok to spare the women and children stepped forward and called out.
"The Khagan is dead! If you don't want to die too, surrender!"
"You dare betray us, you traitor?!"
Whether he'd misunderstood the young man's words or not, the Mangud warrior snarled with rage and drew his weapon.
But the target he picked for his revenge was completely wrong.
"Kill them!!"
The instant he screamed the order, the Mangud warriors remaining in the settlement turned on the women and children among them. Specifically, the women and children of tribes that had been subjugated in the past.
"NO!!!"
Right as the terrified captives shrieked in absolute despair—
Schlick!
A chilling sound of steel cutting flesh, and the bodies of those who'd chosen such cowardly revenge were cleaved apart.
Twaaang!!
Immediately after, precise arrows threaded through the gaps between women and children, piercing the hearts and skulls of the attacking warriors.
"So the Jarchigud chief was telling the truth," Il-mok murmured with a cold face.
He had just slaughtered the vanguard of warriors in the blink of an eye with a single sweep of his Ascension Sword.
In the meantime—
"Punish the evildoers!"
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's martial artists, along with Jin Hayeon and Ju Seo-yeon, charged at the surviving Mangud warriors.
* * *
After the battle ended, the young nomad knelt before Il-mok and spoke. "Thank you for saving my family, Baatar. As promised, I will carry out any task you give me, even at the cost of my life."
Il-mok clicked his tongue lightly. "Tsk. Do not call me Baatar. Call me the Incarnation of Maitreya."
"As you wish, Incarnation of Maitreya."
The young man's demeanor had grown considerably more reverent.
Il-mok gave him his instructions.
"The first thing you must do is convert to our Maitreya Luminous Cult. From this moment forward, you will follow the teachings of our Maitreya Luminous Cult."
"It shall be done."
He'd spent his entire life worshipping Tngri as all nomads did, yet he answered without a shred of reluctance.
"Second, as members of the Maitreya Luminous Cult, you will establish yourselves here and work to support our trade operations."
The reason for this second order was simple.
From the pastureland where the Mangud tribe had been stationed, one only needed to turn one's head to see the silhouette of a massive mountain range roughly a day's journey away.
It was the entrance to the natural fortress known as the Tianshan Mountain Range.
Just as he'd done with Ohalak's tribe, Il-mok planned to turn this place into an outpost for trade.
Once again, the young man answered with reverence.
"It shall be done."
A brief silence followed.
Sensing something was off, the young man cautiously raised his head and found the Incarnation of Maitreya staring down at him without a word.
"What should I do next?"
Il-mok answered in an indifferent tone. "That's it."
"?????"
The young man's eyes shook violently.
It was anticlimactic beyond belief.
When the young man showed his bewilderment, Il-mok let out a small laugh.
"Now that you've become members of our Maitreya Luminous Cult, let me teach you the most important tenet. Our Maitreya Luminous Cult is devoted to punishing evildoers who oppress the innocent and to protecting the diligent and virtuous."
"Ahhh..."
The young man gazed up at Il-mok with a moved expression.
It was a type of look Il-mok had grown rather familiar with.
'Hmm. Well, that was a pretty easy conversion.'
Staring down at the nomad, Il-mok decided that letting them live had definitely been the right call.
'See? It really does pay to be a good guy.'
It was a moment that made him want to pat himself on the back for choosing mercy over massacre.
"Heh. We'll be sending our Maitreya Luminous Cult people here soon. Learn the language of the Central Plains and our doctrine from them, then devote yourselves to the cause."
They had no idea yet.
That the members of the Maitreya Luminous Cult, which was to say the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, were currently working themselves to the bone under crushing mountains of labor.
* * *
After cleaning up all traces of the battle, Il-mok and his party rested at the settlement for one night.
The next day, Il-mok, the three women, and Ohalak prepared to depart with ten of the nomadic warriors with them.
The ten Heavenly Demon Divine Cult martial artists would remain behind as a precaution, in case the new converts had a change of heart.
Meanwhile, roughly seventy women and children had been separated and gathered in one corner of the settlement.
These were the women and children who were originally born into the Mangud tribe.
"I have plans for how to handle them, so if anyone lays a hand on them for revenge, they will be punished according to the laws of the Maitreya Luminous Cult."
At Il-mok's command, the young man who was now the settlement's representative known as Kaisan of the Kiyat tribe, bowed deeply.
"I will make absolutely certain that doesn't happen."
As Il-mok turned to leave after his warning, Kaisan quickly called out to him.
"Incarnation of Maitreya. If I may be so bold, there is something I wish to tell you."
"Speak."
"Is your goal to cross into the Western Regions, Incarnation?"
"It is."
At Il-mok's answer, Kaisan hesitated briefly before speaking with care.
"Forgive my presumption, but the road to the Western Regions may prove extremely treacherous. This is due to the powerful and vicious Oirat tribe, who have settled far to the northwest."
The name rang a bell. Il-mok dug through his memories and quickly realized where he'd heard it before.
'That's the tribe the Black Tiger Corps Leader mentioned.'
Since the Black Tiger Corps's original mission was to patrol the Tianshan Mountain Range and monitor the north, Ouyang Hyeok had been knowledgeable about the major nomadic tribes.
'If I remember right, he said they were based on the northern side of the Tianshan Mountain Ranges.'
Which meant they were a pretty good distance away from the eastern entrance of the mountains, the exact route Il-mok was planning to take.
While Il-mok was sorting through his memories, Kaisan continued.
"The Oirat tribe has been expanding rapidly of late. The Mangud tribe itself was driven here after being pushed out by them."
"Are they really that strong? Strong enough that the Incarnation of Maitreya should be worried?"
"...Forgive my presumption, but the Oirat tribe's Khagan is also a warrior known as a Baatar. Ever since he reached that realm and began moving in earnest, the Oirat tribe's territory has been growing by the day."
It was unexpected intelligence, but quite significant.
'It might not be an issue today, but if they keep expanding their borders, they're going to be a massive headache down the line.'
This was something he'd need to report to his Master, Il-mok decided.
* * *
With Kaisan's warning as a parting note, Il-mok and his party left the settlement.
They'd secured the route to the Tianshan Mountain Ranges, so their role as the advance party was complete.
Now, they were heading back to Lanzhou to load up on trade goods and set out on the real merchant expedition.
The ten steppe warriors who'd newly converted to the Maitreya Luminous Cult served as drivers, guides, and night watchmen, allowing the group to retrace their steps in relative comfort.
Once they arrived in Lanzhou, Il-mok met with Ouyang Mun.
"My apologies, Young Master. My wife is pregnant, so I had to come out and greet you on my own."
"Hahaha. Don't worry, you did the right thing. Squad Leader Dam definitely needs to take it easy right now. Look at you, Young Warrior Ouyang, about to be a father."
"Hahaha. Becoming a father. It feels kind of surreal, honestly."
"Knowing you, you'll be great at it. Though I suppose calling a man who's about to be a father 'Young Warrior' might be a bit weird now."
"I'm only able to become a father thanks to you, Young Master. Please call me whatever you like."
After enjoying the wholesome little catch-up with Ouyang Mun, Il-mok got down to business.
"How are the preparations I mentioned last time coming along?"
"I've gathered as many goods as possible to sell in the Western Regions. The rice, wheat, and long-lasting provisions to be sent to Xinjiang are all ready as well."
"And what about the people we're sending out to proselytize? Have they been picked out?"
"Yes. I've handpicked only the most devout among us. They'll spread the name of the Maitreya Luminous Cult far and wide across the northern grasslands."
Il-mok looked pleased at Ouyang Mun's report.
'He really is a capable man despite his usual antics.'
Honestly, he'd only ever lost his marbles when it came to anything regarding Jin Hayeon. His actual competence had always been outstanding.
His biggest issue was just that his red flags were so massive they usually hid all his good traits.
But now that he'd settled down and found some peace with Dam Bin, his actual talents were finally shining through.
"No point in dragging our feet. We'll head out tomorrow."
Il-mok then handed Ouyang Mun something he'd brought back.
"Oh, and take this. It's the horns and tendons from a Spirit Goat I stumbled across up north."
"You found one of those rare Spirit Beasts? As expected of you, Young Master."
"Just got lucky. Anyway, I need you to track down a craftsman who can actually do these horns and tendons justice."
"What kind of craftsman?"
"Find me a master bow-maker. I want an exceptionally strong and sturdy bow made from the Spirit Beast's horns and tendons."
Il-mok's stopgap measure for Jeong Hyeon was fairly straightforward.
If advancing her martial realm wouldn't make her significantly stronger until she achieved Transcendence, then just make her weapon stronger.
It was the exact same way Il-mok himself had gotten a massive power spike when he first got his hands on the Ascension Sword.