Chapter 172
Jaseong used stealth arts to scout the inside of the stone chamber.
The interior of the Nine Poison Demon Refinement Chamber stretched out in a labyrinthine way.
Narrow, long corridors split off in all directions, and on every wall, torches burned dimly.
[There are mysterious talismans stuck on every wall, Great Hero. There are dark red bloodstains on the floor....]
Lee Rin transmitted telepathically, furrowing her brow.
In the air, the stench of rot, medicinal herbs, and an indescribable foul odor mixed together.
When they finally reached the end of the stone chamber, Jaseong and his party saw hell itself.
"Kugh... Sa-save me...."
"It hurts... It hurts so much... Mother...."
Dozens of people were locked inside a huge iron cage.
All of them had black, rotting skin or were writhing in pain with twisted bodies.
They were innocent commoners.
And in the center, an old woman stood.
An old woman with wrinkled skin and grotesque makeup—she was Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens, the Right Protector.
She was injecting some unknown poison into a child's arm.
The child screamed in agony, but she merely watched with interest.
"Hehehe, this poison is effective. The speed at which blood vessels burst is very fast. If I improve it just a bit more...."
There was no trace of compassion for humanity in her eyes.
Only brutal curiosity and madness filled them.
Crack.
From Jaseong's fist, the sound of bone grinding could be heard.
His whole body trembled minutely.
The enemy who killed his sister-in-law and nephew.
Now, right before his eyes, she was trampling on more lives.
'I'll kill you.'
A rage so intense that it nearly paralyzed his reasoning surged through him.
He wanted to rush in right now and behead that old witch, tear her limb from limb.
Tap.
At that moment, someone grabbed Jaseong's shoulder.
It was the Right Protector, Gal Seo-ryeong.
[Calm yourself, Sect Leader.]
Gal Seo-ryeong's voice was low and resolute.
[There's the old saying sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall. After King Goujian of Yue lost to King Fuchai of Wu, he endured humiliation and waited for his revenge. Lying on brushwood and eating bitter gall, he finally achieved vengeance.]
[.......]
[If we rush in, blinded by rage, countless Demonic Cultists will swarm at us. And we won't be able to save even a single one of those innocent commoners inside.]
The agony of having to back down before his enemy gnawed at Jaseong's bones.
But Gal Seo-ryeong's words were right.
If they acted on emotion now, they could lose even more.
[... I understand.]
Jaseong released his grip from his sword.
He took a deep breath, forcing down his murderous intent.
He tried to regain his composure.
'Yes... let's wait just a little longer. So I can pay her back more thoroughly, more terribly.'
Jaseong calmed himself and activated his Samadhi Eyes.
Suuu—
With the opening of his third eye, the world looked different.
The flow of energy inside the stone chamber, Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens's movements, and....
He also saw an unknown black energy at the back of the chamber.
'That energy....'
Jaseong gestured to his companions and approached the black energy.
It passed through the open entrance at the rear of the chamber and connected to a plume of black smoke rising from the mountainside in the distance.
At last, Jaseong realized.
This black energy was a condensation of tremendous power—an omen of the Celestial Realm.
The opportunity for the Heavenly Demons, the Heaven-Transforming Creation Elixir that the Night Cat Celestial Spirit spoke of, would descend right at the mountainside behind Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens's stone chamber.
[Everyone, follow me.]
Jaseong led his party to where the black smoke was rising.
Soon they arrived at a massive altar hidden deep in the forest.
In the center of the altar, built from black stones, was an ominous pattern, and all around, animal and human skulls were piled like mountains.
[This... what sort of altar is this?]
Lee Rin covered her nose with a frown.
The stench of blood filling the altar was overpowering.
At that moment, they heard Demonic Cultists patrolling near the altar talking.
"I heard Right Protector Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens will preside over the altar ceremony at dawn tomorrow."
"What kind of ritual is this, anyway?"
"I heard Right Protector Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens discovered a 'trace of heaven' at this place."
"Oooh, a trace of heaven. Of course, it could only be Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens."
"Anyway, that's why forty-four children need to be brought here tomorrow by dawn. Well, it's obvious what kind of ritual she'll perform with all those kids. Kekeke."
The Demonic Cultists passed by, sneering slyly.
[Forty-four children offered as sacrifices....]
Lee Rin spoke in a trembling voice.
Jaseong's gaze also became chilling.
'If I want to claim the Heaven-Transforming Creation Elixir, I have to stop that ritual.'
And there was another reason: unless the ritual was stopped, those innocent children would not be saved.
So how should they stop the ritual?
Jaseong stared at the massive altar, falling deep in thought.
* * *
For now, Jaseong and his group used lightness skills to discreetly descend from the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range.
In an abandoned, empty house, they chewed on dried jerky as they discussed their next steps.
Jaseong spoke in a low voice.
"The fact we have confirmed is that at dawn, Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens will preside over some unknown ritual."
"Yes. If we miss that time, forty-four children will be sacrificed,"
Lee Rin said, eyes burning with anger.
At her words, Gal Seo-ryeong answered in a worried voice.
"But, Sect Leader. Since the ritual is overseen by the Right Protector, security will be very tight. Even the Heavenly Demon's disciples who follow Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens will join the ritual...."
"......"
"Our goal is to seize the elixir that the Demonic Cult found in the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range, isn't it? For now, we should focus solely on that. In the Demonic Cult's territory, it's almost impossible to save such a large number of commoners."
Gal Seo-ryeong's words were cold but reasonable.
But....
Jaseong slowly shook his head.
"Right Protector. You know well what kind of past I have and how I've lived."
"... Yes."
"I grew up in the lowest place in the Central Plains. I cannot just stand by and watch children in similar circumstances to my younger self be sacrificed."
At that moment, Jaseong recalled the last words of his master, the Eternal Divine Physician.
—Wield your sword for those suffering at the lowest places in the world.
He had to uphold that will.
And one more thing:
He had to kill Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens, his sister-in-law's murderer.
Therefore, in the next moment, Jaseong made his decision.
"Tonight, I will kill Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens."
"What...?"
"If we take her out before the ritual begins at dawn, there will be no more bizarre rituals that sacrifice innocent commoners."
Now that they knew Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens was in charge of the ritual,
If she died, the Demonic Cult would not be able to obtain the Heaven-Transforming Creation Elixir, the chance descending from the Heavenly Demons.
After all, without her, the ritual could not proceed.
And the forty-four children meant as sacrifices could also be saved.
He could fulfill his vengeance for his sister-in-law and nephew, complete the Celestial Realm's Heaven's Mandate, and even save the lives of innocent children.
This was Jaseong's triple solution.
Of course, the Right Protector Gal Seo-ryeong still looked at him with concern.
"But, Sect Leader. This is the heart of the Demonic Cult. If a fight breaks out here, thousands of cultists will recoil instantly. Even if you are powerful, you cannot fight the entire Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range."
Han Soweol, Lee Rin's nursemaid and a swordmaster of the North Sea, agreed.
"With your might and Lady Gal Seo-ryeong, both supreme experts, bringing down Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens herself may not be a problem. But the aftermath would not be easily handled. If we're not careful, all of us could lose our lives here."
Jaseong answered by tapping the hilt of the Wicked Flame Sword.
"That's why I'll cut her down in a single strike."
"A single strike...?"
"I'll use Mansul's stealth arts, approach Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens, and behead her in one blow. So she can't even scream. Then we end it before the Demonic Cultists can swarm us."
As he'd grown constantly stronger, Jaseong was confident in his martial arts.
Seeing his determined look, Gu Janghu nodded, gripping his throwing blade firmly.
"As long as we've come this deep into the heart of the Demonic Cult, there's no turning back. The Guryong Clan's recently honed martial arts can aid in an assassination, Sect Leader."
Lee Rin also nodded silently.
"I can't stand to just watch innocent people sacrificed. I am also a disciple who inherited the Eternal Divine Physician's will."
With Lee Rin joining in, Han Soweol still looked worried, but in the end, she nodded.
Gal Seo-ryeong, realizing there was no other way, also agreed with Jaseong's plan.
"Then, let's go, once more."
Like that, Jaseong and his party returned to the eastern section's third stone chamber, where Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens was located.
Moving through the darkness, they resembled a procession of Death itself.
But the moment Jaseong's group arrived at the chamber using Mansul's stealth arts—
'......?'
They witnessed an unexpected scene.
At the foot of a hill before the stone chamber, a tense standoff was raging.
Two groups of Demonic Cultists were facing off, weapons drawn.
One side were dressed in pitch-black bloodstained robes.
The stench of blood wafted from them.
The other side wore green robes laced with poisonous miasma.
The air around them shimmered with the haze of poison.
At the center stood two supreme peak masters.
One was a middle-aged man, with a rough beard, a scarred face, and eyes gleaming with murderous intent.
He was the Demonic Cult's First Protector—Demonic Blood Exalted One.
The other was the old woman exuding a sinister green poisonous aura.
It was the Right Protector—Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens.
[The atmosphere seems unusual, Great Hero. Why do you suppose those two are at odds?]
When Lee Rin sent this telepathically, Demonic Blood Exalted One's rough voice echoed across the mountain.
"Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens, I hear you're trying to conduct the ritual on your own?"
His tone was openly hostile.
Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens parried with a chilling, raspy laugh.
Her voice sounded like metal scraping.
"It was this Protector, who discovered Heaven's Stem energy. Demonic Blood Exalted One, what concern is that of yours? Get out of my territory."
"Heavenly Devil's will is to have all Four Protectors follow together! It's obvious you want to monopolize the Heaven's Stem energy! Do you intend to eat that energy and become the cult leader yourself?"
"Kekeke, isn't that what you want, too? To kill me and take it for yourself? It's obvious, Demonic Blood Exalted One."
The murderous aura from the two supreme experts clashed violently in the air.
And so did their disciples.
Demonic Blood Exalted One's disciples had already drawn their swords, radiating killing intent, while Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens's disciples waited, gripping their poison needles and weapons.
It looked as though a single spark would ignite a huge inferno.
Seeing this, a sly smile crept across Jaseong's lips.
[So, this is what they mean by heaven's help, eh.]
[Hmm... While the Protectors of the Demonic Cult being at odds is favorable for us, isn't this immediate situation rather bad? We've come to assassinate Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens, but with so many experts gathered in one place....]
[We just have to make them fight each other. That will make things much easier.]
[Make them fight? But how?]
[You'll see soon enough. While those fools tear each other apart, we'll claim Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens's head.]
Jaseong turned to his companions with a look of intent.
[When I give the signal, you must retreat at once and hide yourselves—so you're not caught in the crossfire.]
[Understood, Sect Leader.]
Gal Seo-ryeong replied telepathically.
Unlike Lee Rin, who looked puzzled, Gal Seo-ryeong, who had been through countless perilous situations, seemed to understand Jaseong's intent.