Chapter 176
The outer valley of the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range.
When Jaseong and Lee Rin arrived there, Gal Seo-ryeong, Gu Janghu, and Han Soweol were already waiting at the spot.
They were anxiously awaiting Jaseong's arrival.
"Sect Leader! Did you succeed?"
Gu Janghu rushed over and asked.
To that question, Jaseong took out a jade vial from his bosom and showed it.
The Heaven-Transforming Creation Elixir, suffused with red and blue energy, glimmered splendidly inside the jade vial.
Gal Seo-ryeong remarked in admiration.
"As expected... you are truly remarkable. To slip through such tight security and seize the opportunity."
Lee Rin, gasping for breath, inquired.
"What about the civilians? Are they safe?"
Han Soweol answered with a bright expression.
"Everyone escaped safely. Since they scattered and fled separately, not even the Demonic Cult will be able to catch them all. And as people well-versed in the forest's layout, they won't be caught easily either."
Once again, Gal Seo-ryeong looked over her shoulder as she spoke.
"We must hurry and leave this place. They'll soon chase us here. Given Demonic Blood Exalted One's character, he'll follow us to the end."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the cries of pursuing Demonic Cultists rang out from behind.
"He definitely came this way!"
"Don't lose him!"
The light of torches reached the entrance to the valley.
Jaseong looked at Gal Seo-ryeong.
"Right Protector, is there a way to cut off the pursuit?"
Gal Seo-ryeong responded with a gentle smile.
"It's already prepared. I've planted a little present on the path they'll take."
Gal Seo-ryeong took out a fuse from her bosom.
She then set it alight.
Kwa-rurung!
A massive explosion blasted from the valley's entrance.
The explosives, set in advance, detonated, causing rocks at the entrance to collapse.
Urrurururung!
Dozens of tons of rock tumbled down, completely cutting off the route of pursuit.
With clouds of dust rising, visibility was blocked.
"Uagh!"
"It's blocked! The way is blocked!"
The screams of Demonic Cultists could be heard.
Gu Janghu spoke with a satisfied expression.
"Now we can truly escape from the grasp of the Demonic Cult."
Jaseong and his companions fled at full speed, completely leaving the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range behind.
Looking back, the eastern sky was growing brighter.
The long night had at last come to an end.
Jaseong took out the Heaven-Transforming Creation Elixir obtained at the cost of that long night and gazed at it.
From within the jade vial, a radiant light shimmered out.
Gazing at that light, it felt as if something fiery was surging from deep inside his chest.
'Now, the path to the Transformation Realm is open.'
He had avenged his sister-in-law, obtained the Heaven-Transforming Creation Elixir,
and saved innocent people.
Now, all that remained was to ingest the elixir and ascend to the realm of Transformation.
To reach the realm attained by only a handful in the Central Plains, beyond human limits.
"Sect Leader, from here on, let's ride."
At the moment when the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range receded into the distance, Gal Seo-ryeong spoke.
At her words, Jaseong nodded and entered the nearby farmhouses.
On that silent night, without waking anyone, he left a pouch full of money at the entrance of the house and took the horses.
"There are three horses?"
Counting the horses that Jaseong brought, Lee Rin asked.
Having expended all her energy performing the movement skill for half a day, her body was drenched in sweat.
"We'll ride together. I'll ride with Rin, and the rest can divide among the other horses."
"Huh? I'll ride the same horse as the great hero?"
"Why, is there a problem?"
"Um... it's just... I'm sweating so much right now...."
"Everyone here has sweated. This isn't the time to worry about that. If it really bothers you, I'll ride with someone else."
"N-no! I'll ride with the great hero!"
At Lee Rin's reaction, her nursemaid Han Soweol giggled to herself.
'When will my young lady ever be able to confess her feelings confidently?'
Afterward, Lee Rin, clinging to Jaseong's back, rode across the plains.
Jaseong pushed the horse without resting.
To fully escape the Demonic Cult's pursuit range, they needed to put as much distance as possible between them as quickly as possible.
The sound of hooves struck the desolate earth as they rode for two days and nights.
The place they arrived was a small town called "Cheongpungjin".
It was a tranquil, ordinary rural village, untouched by the chilling demonic ki of the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range.
As they entered the village, the sight of cooking smoke curling upward and children running about greeted them with peace.
"Haa...."
Lee Rin let out a deep sigh from atop her horse.
Her face was marked with exhaustion.
Having spent days in tension, both her stamina and mental strength had reached their limit.
"Great hero, can we rest a bit now? I'm too weary to go any further."
Lee Rin asked with a tearful face.
Jaseong looked around.
There was no murderous energy from the Demonic Cult to be felt.
Instead, only the scent of grass and earth carried by the breeze reached his nose.
Jaseong nodded.
"Yes. The Demonic Cult won't be able to follow us here. Let's stay the night."
With Jaseong's permission, relief appeared on everyone's faces.
They headed to an isolated inn on the outskirts of town, "Cheongun Inn."
The inn was old but clean.
The owner, briefly startled by the group covered in dust, immediately showed courtesy upon seeing the silver Jaseong offered and prepared rooms for them.
"Let's rest for two shijin, then gather on the first floor to eat."
After being assigned rooms, everyone dispersed to their quarters to rest.
Upon entering his room, Jaseong immediately opened the window to air it out.
A refreshing breeze cooled the heat.
Jaseong took a small jade vial from his bosom.
Heaven-Transforming Creation Elixir.
An opportunity from the Celestial Realm stolen at the risk of his life from the Demonic Cult's heart.
As he held the jade vial, a warm yet heavy energy flowed into his palm.
When he slightly opened the stopper, radiant light and a subtle aroma filled the room.
It was not a mere medicinal scent.
Just inhaling it cleared the mind and made his dantian stir—a fragrance infused with the essence of heaven and earth.
'If I take this... I can reach the Transformation Realm.'
Transformation Realm.
The realm where one sheds the human shell and steps into the domain of the gods.
Every martial artist aspired to it, but in all the land, only a handful had ever attained that legendary realm.
Now that power was in his hand.
But Jaseong soon closed the stopper again.
'Not yet.'
The Heaven-Transforming Creation Elixir was a powerful elixir, but with that power came great risk in ingestion.
To fully absorb the elixir's energy and make it his own, he needed the best possible physical condition and complete concentration.
If he consumed it while not in perfect shape or without safety, he could not withstand the elixir's energy and fall into ki deviation.
'Right now I'm at the limit of exhaustion, and the possibility of pursuit by the Demonic Cult is not wholly gone. I must wait until an even safer place, when I'm completely ready.'
Suppressing his greed, Jaseong regained his composure.
Just then.
Knock, knock.
A light knock sounded at the door.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, great hero. It's been two shijin, let's go eat."
Lee Rin's voice called from outside the door.
Having rested a little, her voice was now lively.
Jaseong smiled quietly and stood up.
"All right. Let's eat."
On the first floor of the inn's dining hall, the others had already gathered.
Gu Janghu, Gal Seo-ryeong, Han Soweol, and even the north sea's protectors.
All greeted Jaseong with visibly more relaxed faces.
The table was full of steaming dishes.
Grilled bullfrog, stir-fried pork, fresh vegetable side dishes.
Not glamorous, but the perfect meal to satisfy hungry bellies.
"You've all been through much. For this meal, let's take it easy and enjoy."
Once Jaseong finished speaking, everyone began to eat.
For a while, there was only the sound of utensils clinking in silence.
A warm meal was more precious than any tonic for comrades who skirted the threshold of death.
Once their stomachs were somewhat full, the wine began to circulate.
Gu Janghu filled Jaseong's cup with the wine bottle.
"Have a drink, Sect Leader."
Jaseong accepted the cup and drained it in one go.
As the alcohol burned down his throat, the tension melted away.
At that moment, Gal Seo-ryeong spoke up.
"Sect Leader, what you did this time was truly remarkable. To enter the Demonic Cult's heart in the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range, slay protectors, and even obtain the elixir... it's a feat worthy of being recorded in Hao Sect's history."
Han Soweol nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
"That's right. I've been through all sorts in the martial world, but there couldn't have been anyone except us who fought through that ordeal in the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range and escaped unharmed."
Then Gu Janghu asked, his face filled with curiosity.
"By the way, Sect Leader, when will you take the Heaven-Transforming Creation Elixir? Will it really raise you to the Transformation Realm?"
All eyes fixed on Jaseong.
The legendary elixir, and the realm of Transformation.
As martial artists, they couldn't help but be interested.
Jaseong fiddled with his teacup and replied calmly.
"Not yet. I'll take it only when I'm someplace safer and fully prepared. The elixir's energy is so strong that it could harm me if I'm not careful."
Gal Seo-ryeong nodded.
"They say haste makes waste. Waiting for the perfect moment is the right thing to do."
Dinner continued in a lively atmosphere.
Having shared so many ups and downs together, a strong sense of camaraderie flowed between them.
After the meal, Jaseong stepped out into the inn's yard.
The night air in the rural village was cold and clear.
The sound of grasshoppers filled the silence.
Jaseong strolled the yard with his hands behind his back.
His mind was filled with plans for the future.
Would he really attain the Transformation Realm if he took the Heaven-Transforming Creation Elixir?
What should he do afterwards?
How should he deal with any remaining enemies?
At that moment, he sensed someone approach from behind.
"Great hero, why do you go out alone every night?"
It was Lee Rin.
She approached Jaseong clad in a thin outer robe.
Under the moonlight, her face looked especially pale and clear.
"Rin. Why aren't you asleep?"
"I couldn't sleep, either."
Lee Rin dropped her head and lightly kicked the ground with her toes.
"I keep thinking about what happened in the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range. Those ruthless Demonic Cultists, and... the people who were imprisoned."
"......."
"All those civilians escaped safely, right? We did save them, but what if they got lost in the forest, or were chased down by Demonic Cultists?"
Jaseong looked up at the night sky.
Countless stars twinkled above.
"They are strong. Having survived such a hellish place, they'll make it outside too."
"You think so? I wish we'd had the luxury to do even more for them...."
The two of them sat side by side in an old pavilion in a corner of the yard.
Moonlight filtered between the pillars, shining on them.
"Great hero."
"Yes?"
"I... coming out into the martial world, overcoming so many hardships, I thought I was becoming stronger. Back at the north sea, I was even called a prodigy, you know."
Lee Rin looked down at her palm.
A small hand, calloused and worn.
"But there are still so many experts in the world. Ghost Mother of the Nine Heavens, Demonic Blood Exalted One... they were far too much for me to handle. If it weren't for you, I'd have died already."
A note of self-mockery crept into her words.
"When will I ever be as strong as you, great hero? When will I be able to truly help, not be a burden?"
Jaseong looked at Lee Rin.
In her eyes was both anxiety and a burning desire to become stronger.
"Rin."
"Yes?"
"You are plenty strong."
Lee Rin looked up at Jaseong in surprise.
"Me? But I...."
"Didn't your master say so? Strength isn't measured only by the level of martial arts."
"......!"
"The courage you showed in the Ten-Thousand-Mountain Range. The will you showed to save those weaker than yourself."
"......!"
"That's true strength. A real strength that those with only empty martial skills could never have."
Lee Rin's cheeks flushed red.
She never thought she'd receive such praise from Jaseong.
"And you are always growing. With the north sea's martial arts and the Central Plains' experience, you will soon be an expert known throughout the land."
"... Do you really think so?"
"Yes. So don't be impatient. You're doing just fine."
Lee Rin gazed blankly up at Jaseong.
"Now go and rest. We'll have things to do soon."
Jaseong headed back to his room.
Lee Rin sat for a long time in the pavilion, reflecting on Jaseong's words.
Beneath the moonlight, a beautiful smile spread across her lips.