Chapter 389 : Friend and Foe (1)
Chapter 389: Friend and Foe (1)
Maybe it was from the side effects spouting bullshit after bullshit, a dull headache throbbed in Il-mok's head, making him press a hand to his temples.
On top of that, a peculiar smell of blood stimulated his sense of smell.
Before he even realized it, a thin trickle of blood was already running down the corner of his mouth.
'To think I actually suffered internal injuries just from that...'
It seemed there was a reason why the silent side effects had suddenly grown so brazen.
As soon as his hearing finally returned to normal, he caught the sound of the women's voices.
"Young Master."
"A-a-are you all right?"
It was the voices of Jin Hayeon and Jeong Hyeon, who were still standing a safe distance away.
Jeong Hyeon's face had gone pale, and even the usually stoic Jin Hayeon couldn't hide her shock.
'I-I never imagined it would be such a martial art!'
When Il-mok first told them he was going to test out a new martial art, Jeong Hyeon had assumed that Il-mok was moving to a deserted area to avoid showing his new martial arts to others.
But now that she had seen it, she realized he hadn't come out here to hide it.
It was a mad martial art that shouldn’t be attempted in public.
'So that explosive sound I heard from the room yesterday was because of this!'
Only then did Jeong Hyeon recall what had happened the day before.
And the same was true for Jin Hayeon.
'So this is why he asked me to teach him the White Hand Demonic Art.'
A numb sensation ran down both her hands and spine as cold sweat trickled down her back.
In truth, even though they had moved dozens of meters back at Il-mok's warning, the aftermath of the explosion had still reached them.
The only reason they hadn't been blown away was that Jin Hayeon had reached the Realm of Truth and had frantically formed an energy barrier with her Yin Qi.
Because of that, she knew exactly how dangerous that martial art was just now.
They only survived because they were on the very edge of the blast radius; if they had been caught in the center, not even her lofty martial art realm could have saved them.
Seeing the shock and worry plastered across the women's faces, the side effects in Il-mok's head flared up immediately.
—Those bitches are looking down on you! They must be mocking you for getting hurt over something so pathetic!
—Ignore that lunatic! Look at them! They're so worried about you! Now is your perfect chance to pounce on them!
'Shut the fuck up, you retards!’
After cursing his side effects and shoving them back into whatever hellhole they spawned from, Il-mok forced himself to look composed and answered the women.
"I did sustain some minor internal injuries, but it's nothing serious."
Hearing his casual reply, Jeong Hyeon completely lost her usual cool and started stammering excitedly.
"I-It was i-incredible, Young Master! I-I've n-never even heard of a martial art like that! Aside from the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts, i-it has to be the greatest martial art in the world!"
The funny thing was that Jeong Hyeon herself was not exaggerating but was speaking from the depths of her heart.
Deep down, she genuinely believed it was the most powerful martial art under the heavens, but since she was a devout Cultist, she forced herself to rank it strictly below the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts.
This seemed to be much the same for Jin Hayeon, for instead of chiding Jeong Hyeon for her fuss, she calmly asked Il-mok.
"Young Master, what is the name of that Divine Art?"
"The name..."
Il-mok trailed off as if pondering for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders and replied.
"I haven't given it particular thought, but I suppose calling it the World-Destroying Primordial Jade Palm (滅世混玉掌) would do well enough."
Since they had just watched him literally blow up the landscape with an orb consisting of Yin and Yang Qi, the women felt that it was a fairly intuitive name.
Staring at the two women who somehow looked even more fanatically devoted than before, Il-mok felt a bit embarrassed and quickly added a disclaimer.
"The firepower is definitely there, but it's still largely incomplete. As you've seen, it takes an eternity to prepare, so I cannot yet make use of it in actual combat."
Worse still, he was a sitting duck while charging it up, meaning if he tried to pull this off in an actual battlefield, he'd catch a stray sword to the neck and die instantly.
He needed to train until he could cast it on the move, or to become skilled enough to produce it in an instant.
"What's more, I can't even aim the thing yet. It doesn't discriminate between friend or foe, meaning if I drop it at the wrong time, I'd end up slaughtering my own allies."
In other words, it was a martial art that could absolutely not be used on a battlefield where friend and foe were intermingled.
Of course, he had given some thought to a solution for this as well.
After all, Il-mok was not a fist fighter but a swordsman.
"So, once I get used to controlling both Qi, I plan to cast it through my sword instead of my hands."
What Il-mok had in mind was none other than Sword Thunder.
In fact, the only reason he even thought of this crazy technique in the first place was that he used to spam Sword Thunder so much in the past.
"As for the name, I guess I'll just tweak the name from the palm art and call it the Soul-Annihilating Primordial Sword Thunder. Though I don't know how long it will take before I succeed in deploying the Soul-Annihilating Primordial Sword Thunder. Hahaha."
Jeong Hyeon looked up at him with starry-eyed admiration as he laughed, and even Jin Hayeon offered a rare smile. But then, a thought hit Jin Hayeon, and she voiced her question.
"But, Young Master, will the Ascension Sword truly be able to withstand the recoil of the Soul-Annihilating Sword Thunder?"
The second she asked, the Ascension Sword in Il-mok's hand emitted a fierce sword cry, as if it were throwing a fit.
Weeeng!
Il-mok just smiled in satisfaction and nodded.
"Hahaha. Listen to it ringing! It's telling me to put my faith in it just like back when we fought the Heavenly Blood Jiangshi. I owe this fellow a lot."
As if answering his cheerful laugh, the Ascension Sword let out another sword cry.
Weeeng!!!
For whatever reason, when Jeong Hyeon heard that ringing, it didn't sound confident to her at all; it sounded like a terrified animal crying out and begging for its life.
After wrapping up his talk with the girls, Il-mok asked them to stand guard while he sat down to meditate and circulate his Qi.
Once he healed his internal injuries and refilled his drained Upper and Middle Dantians, the two psychotic voices in his head finally shut up.
'You really won't find bigger opportunists than these two.'
—We are but yourself, so who exactly are you insulting?
—Embrace your own desires.
'You guys spout pure bullshit like it's poetry. You muscle-for-brain and sex addict.’
—Ahem.
—T-That was highly uncalled for.
By the time he finished dealing with his internal injuries and side effects, the sky had already been dyed in shades of crimson.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting."
After offering a light apology to the two women who had stood guard, Il-mok returned with them to Xining.
But he wasn't planning on heading straight back to his quarters.
"Miss Jin, Miss Jeong. Do either of you happen to know where they're treating the people injured in the last battle?"
Hearing his question, Jin Hayeon and Jeong Hyeon led the way and guided him.
Before long, they arrived at the medical ward where Jin Hayeon led Il-mok to a particular room.
"The Dark Shadow Pavilion Lord is currently resting in here."
"Thank you, Miss Jin."
Il-mok offered his thanks, then carefully stepped up to the door and called out.
"Third Brother, is it okay for me to enter?”
"Come on in."
When Seo Wan-pyeong's voice came from within, Il-mok opened the door and stepped inside.
"It's good to see you, Third Brother."
"Welcome. I heard a rumor that you collapsed, so I was worried. It's a relief to see you looking perfectly fine."
"Are you doing alright, Third Brother?"
Seo Wan-pyeong gave a bitter smile at the question.
"My internal injuries are mostly healed by now. Honestly, I'm just sorry you had to see me looking so pathetic."
While Il-mok had been busy fighting Alliance Leader Cheok Pae-myeong, Seo Wan-pyeong had taken on the Sword Venerable Namgung Jin before ultimately passing out from excessive internal injuries.
He had been completely unconscious during the Orthodox Faction's ambush, the appearance of the Blood Cult, and the Heavenly Blood Jiangshi.
When he heard the wild stories upon waking, his mind was in a deeply complicated state.
"That's not true at all, Third Brother. If you hadn't held the line against the Sword Venerable, the vast majority of our Divine Cult's warriors would have been slaughtered. You're the one who saved them."
"Is that so?"
"Indeed, Third Brother."
After meeting Il-mok's eyes for a moment, Seo Wan-pyeong smiled faintly and said. "Still, I can't let myself pass out in such an embarrassing state again. Looks like I'll have to double down on my training. Hahaha."
"There's plenty of time to train after you've gotten some proper rest."
"Thanks for looking out for me."
After a bit more lighthearted chatter, Il-mok finally got to his feet.
His second stop was the room where Hyeokryeon Seon-ah was being treated. But unlike Seo Wan-pyeong, who had been resting quietly by himself, she had two men hovering over her.
Hyeokryeon Seon-ah's grandfather, who had now become the Grand Teacher, Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang. And her doting fool of a father, Hyeokryeon Hwan.
"It's an honor to see you, Grand Teacher. It's been a while, Young Lord."
"Welcome, Young Master."
Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang nodded warmly at the greeting, but Hyeokryeon Hwan just stood there scowling at him. It wasn't until Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang shot his son a terrifying glare that the man finally forced a bow.
"It has been a while, Young Master Il-mok."
Knowing that Hyeokryeon Hwan was a serious doting fool, Il-mok just brushed off the attitude.
He wasn't here to see those two old men, anyway.
"Are you feeling any better?"
"I am fine, Big Brother. I feel awful that I couldn't be of any help to you out there."
It seemed she was still beating herself up over the fact that she had suffered severe internal bleeding and passed out just from a grazing blow by the Heavenly Blood Jiangshi.
"What are you talking about? Do you have any idea how many Cultists are alive right now because of you? You did an incredible job out there, so don't let it weigh on you."
When Il-mok soothed her, the eyes of Hyeokryeon Seon-ah, who had been looking like a cat caught in the rain, curved into crescent moons.
Watching their wholesome interaction, the overprotective father's face twisted into a mask of pure fury.
Thud.
A dull sound suddenly echoed from behind, and when Il-mok turned his head to look, Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang was supporting a slumped-over Hyeokryeon Hwan.
"We'll step outside so the two of you can talk in peace."
"...Th-thank you for your consideration."
As Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang dragged Hyeokryeon Hwan out of the room, Seon-ah showed no concern whatsoever for her unconscious father.
She just focused her attention on Il-mok and chatted with him. After spending a good amount of time catching up with her, Il-mok finally stood up.
"You're still recovering, so you should get some sleep. I've got a few more people I need to check in on, so I'll be going now."
A complicated mix of emotions flashed across Seon-ah's face at his words. It was painfully obvious she wanted him to stay, but she swallowed it down and gave a polite nod.
"Take care. I'll stay right here and rest."
As soon as Il-mok stepped out of Hyeokryeon Seon-ah's room, Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang entered with the still-unconscious Hyeokryeon Hwan.
As Il-mok headed off to check on the rest of the wounded, Jeong Hyeon paused in the hallway.
She cast a long, lingering look at Seon-ah's door before hurrying after him.
'I-it's probably better not to know, right?'
Such a thought crossed her mind.
For the next hour or so after that, Il-mok wandered through Xining to visit the wounded from the recent battle.
In addition, he also visited the place where they had gathered and buried the fallen warriors to pay his respects.
Only at a late hour did Il-mok return to his room and immediately retire to sleep.
Early the next morning, the main force of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult dispatched those instructed to march back to the main headquarters, then departed Xining and set out for Gansu.
With war imminent on the horizon, they could not afford the leisure of taking more time to prepare at their ease.
Anyone critically injured was left behind in Xining, while anyone who could still walk joined the march.
Among them were Seo Wan-pyeong and Hyeokryeon Seon-ah as well.
"Are you sure you shouldn't stay behind and rest for a few more days?"
"I am fine, Big Brother. Honestly, moving around is probably the best way to make a minor injury like this heal faster."
"I-I see."
Il-mok forced an awkward laugh.
He could feel a burning prickle on the back of his head from Hyeokryeon Hwan glaring daggers at him.
'Can that guy seriously not read a room?'
And Il-mok was also keenly aware of the fact that Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang was glaring at the back of Hyeokryeon Hwan's head as though he might kill him.
'Then again, it's not like he's the only weirdo in this army.'
Il-mok subtly turned his head to survey his surroundings.
Even though they had sent the non-combatants packing, there were still thousands of demonic cultivators marching together.
It was only thanks to the masters who had reached Transcendence being deployed throughout that no incidents were occurring. But as he watched the unhinged antics of his allies all around him, Il-mok suddenly furrowed his brow.
Right at the path heading toward Lanzhou, just past the border between Qinghai and Gansu, a dozen or so Taoist priests stood blocking that path.
It was the Taoists of the Qingcheng Sect, who everyone assumed had already packed up and gone home.
'Do these guys have a collective death wish?'
No sooner had such a question crossed Il-mok's mind than the Taoist Master Cheongmok stepped forward and let out a shout laden with internal energy.
"Our Qingcheng Sect has come to propose a formal alliance with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult!"