Chapter 193
'The flow of magical power is felt!'
'The sorcerer is not far away!'
'We must pinpoint the exact location!'
The monks of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Hall, as befitting the strongest sorcerers in the martial world, succeeded in detecting the source of the magical power that was maintaining the terrible formation after a short time.
But...
'I can't catch the tail!'
'I definitely found the flow of magical power... but the magical power that operates the spell itself is acting in a very roundabout way!'
'The pursuit will not be easy.'
They soon showed a look of embarrassment.
Even if they awakened their sharp senses and tried to track the source of the formation, it was because the flow of magical power that maintained the formation was twisted in all directions.
There were a whopping twelve monks of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Hall.
No matter how strange a method they used, it was impossible for them not to be able to track the target of the spell.
But it was the first time for them to encounter a situation where a sophisticated, and very complex yet powerful maze formation and illusion formation were unfolded simultaneously, so they were faced with the worst dilemma in history.
'What happened?'
'Are things not going well?'
'Damn it! What the hell is this? I'm in a state where I can't even fight and I'm stuck!'
Suddenly, the crowd, trapped in a transparent curtain and floating in the middle of the sky, each let out a complaint inwardly.
At first, when the thunderbolt took people's lives, they felt fear, and when Baek In-hwa's spell protected them from the lightning, they felt a sense of relief, and now, anger was welling up.
'I have to be able to do something! Dammit!'
It was because of the sense of powerlessness that came from not being able to do anything.
That's how much the crowd, regardless of their status, was entrusting their lives to Baek In-hwa and the 12 monks of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Hall.
From the perspective of a martial artist who had the courage and spirit to fight without fear of death, it would have been better to meet a strong enemy and die by the sword than this.
But that defiance and anger were only for a moment.
A hole in the sky.
The downpour and thunder and lightning that poured down like a torrent through that hole made the people's livers turn cold.
Moreover,
"O-Over there!"
Someone pointed a finger at the pierced heavenly gate.
"What is that?"
"W-What is this!"
The people's faces were contorted with unbelievable shock.
From the sky, a heavenly army holding a huge trident and wearing armor, with a menacing expression like a yaksha of hell, began to rush in on a five-colored cloud.
The trident of the heavenly army fiercely stabbed the square transparent curtain that Baek In-hwa had unfolded.
The lightning that flashed on the blade of the spear and the rebound force of the curtain collided, and a white flash exploded in the sky, and the people could not even open their eyes properly in front of the brilliant explosion of light.
"Th-The divine generals of the sky... have come to kill us... the Maitreya Blood God that the White Lotus Cult worships... has come to kill us!"
Someone shouted with a trembling voice.
He was not a young late-stage master, nor a person from an unknown small sect.
A core official of the Martial Alliance, whose martial arts were outstanding, and a core master who had the Kongtong Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, as his sect, Jeong Cheong.
But this hellish formation that was cornering the allied forces was none other than the strongest illusion maze formation of the Blood Cult, the Great Demonic Blood Formation...
A terrifying formation where those with weak mental power would unconditionally lose their minds, regardless of the level of their martial arts.
The fact that no madmen had appeared so far was thanks to the spells of Baek In-hwa, and furthermore, the fact that the people of the Shaolin side had been chanting Buddhist scriptures to support the souls of the crowd.
But that too was gradually reaching its limit.
The opened heavenly gate.
The messengers of the heavenly army who had descended on a five-colored cloud and were menacingly stabbing the transparent protective curtain.
Furthermore, since the downpour and the roar of thunder that were covering the world were stimulating the five senses of everyone with fear, it was impossible to endure without going mad.
[Everyone, get a grip. Didn't Sect Leader Baek say so! This is an illusion. The Blood Cult is a wicked group. How can they make the heavenly messengers descend!]
The divine monk of Shaolin, Gwangwon, was chanting Buddhist scriptures and was stimulating the crowd's vigilance with the Wisdom-Light Heart Words, the best sound art of Buddhism, which encompassed the crowd.
The Wisdom-Light Heart Words was a divine art among divine arts that had numerous effects and mysteries, so it was hard to see it as a simple part of telepathic transmission.
If the caster had mastered the ultimate, just by hearing the Wisdom-Light Heart Words, one could maintain a righteous mind, so it was acting as an exquisite one move in the current situation...
Fortunately, the fear and the trembling fear that had begun to invade the people's minds seemed to be somewhat contained.
But...
...another trial came to the crowd.
The wind power that started from the end of the horizon.
That wind power, in an instant, became a typhoon with the momentum to devastate all things, and the whirlwind that rose from the ground to the end of the sky was trying to swallow the transparent curtain with a terrifying appearance.
The transparent curtain that had been firmly protecting the people even in the midst of the harassment of any illusion, slowly began to crack.
'Supreme Being... please give me strength!'
It was the moment when Baek In-hwa's spell was breaking.
He reached for the top-grade talisman that he had been saving.
***
—Palace Lord! We will go to Go-hap-san first. Please follow us slowly, hahaha!
—Kya-u-u-u-ul! Father! I will. I'll go first with So-ah on this thing called a carpet, okay?
So-ah and his daughter, after leaving a disappointing one sentence, flew away on a carpet by themselves.
Going first?
Good.
What does it matter?
It's good if even one person arrives at the scene quickly and can be of help.
His daughter left him alone and set out on her way first?
That doesn't matter either.
Because he thought that she would have a fun time with So-ah, it was something he had been hoping for.
But.
"Ah... I really want to ride it too... tsk..."
Wang Bang-tae just wanted to ride Jeon Woo-chi's carpet at least once.
Definitely!
When Jeon Woo-chi took out the carpet, Wang Bang-tae had shown much more surprise than his daughter.
There was no way So-ah would not have noticed.
Why didn't he offer him the carpet?
But he couldn't do the uncool thing of asking him to let him ride it once.
"Aww! You indifferent person!!"
In the end, Wang Bang-tae had come to complain to the clear sky.
In that moment.
"Palace Lord! Why are you suddenly like this?"
The adjutant, who had thought that the palace lord who was talking nonsense was crazy, asked with a surprised look.
Suddenly, Wang Bang-tae became even more embarrassed and blushed.
"Hmm... hmm-hmm! It's nothing. Nothing at all..."
"Perhaps..."
"H-Perhaps what?"
"Are you perhaps... wanting to ride that carpet?"
"W-What?! What do you take me for? Do I want to ride a carpet? My goodness! You're quite a joker. I'm telling you. I am a man of the North Sea, which is called the number one dragon's den and tiger's lair in the world. I have no hobby in toys!"
Wang Bang-tae, who said that, clicked his tongue inwardly, feeling a pang of guilt.
'This brat has been with me for about twenty years, and now he can read my inner thoughts just by looking at my face. He's a scary brat.'
But.
"A toy, Palace Lord... at a glance, it looked like a very precious magical treasure."
"Ah, I'm telling you! Whether it's a magical treasure or a toy, I have no hobby in it!"
"I see. Then there's nothing to be done. Ah! By the way, I was curious. In the future, I plan to ask Jeon Woo-chi to let me ride it once. You don't have to ride it, right, Palace Lord?"
And at the same time,
Grin—
...wasn't the adjutant's lips ascending to the sky!
'Th-That brat! He's definitely teasing me!!'
Wang Bang-tae was so dumbfounded that he couldn't even get angry.
Not only was his daughter giving him a hard time when she was bored, but now even his faithful adjutant was sitting there and mocking him...
'The way of the martial world! If it hasn't fallen to the ground, what is this!!'
It was Wang Bang-tae, whose worries were increasing day by day.
***
"Hoo-woo!"
"Wow!"
"Ye-ap!"
"Ho-ro-ro-ro-rol-rol!"
"Hehehe!"
He was excited, so excited.
Just go crazy, go crazy!
Jeon Woo-chi, who was unfolding his flying art with his magical power, cursed inwardly.
Towards the two men and women who were riding behind him.
"Jeon Woo-chi! Let's go!"
"Brother Woo-chi. Let's go faster! Giddy-up! Giddy-up, giddy-up!!"
So-ah and Wang So-yeong were so excited that they couldn't control themselves and were repeatedly shouting.
'Lady Wang is riding a carpet for the first time, so that's understandable, but that brat So-ah has ridden it more than once or twice, so why is he making such a fuss?'
Jeon Woo-chi was so dumbfounded that a hollow laugh was about to come out.
[Hey, Jin So-ah. You should be quiet too, you brat! Is this your first or second time riding a carpet? Why are you making such a fuss?]
[Phew! So, you're a Taoist, a Taoist. Let's not talk, let's not talk. What would a Taoist know?]
[What?!]
So-ah was actually matching Wang So-yeong's rhythm at the moment.
Because So-yeong, who had been feeling suffocated, was so happy in front of the novelty of the magical tool, he had wanted to match her mood.
"So-yeong-ah. Isn't it great?"
"It's really the best. I feel like I've become a bird flying in the sky."
"I'll let you ride it a lot in the future, hahaha!"
"You promised, right? Hehe."
Oh my!
Now they're even acting all lovey-dovey!!
"Aww..."
Jeon Woo-chi sighed and had no choice but to enjoy the situation of being a driver, not a driver.
But the peaceful immortal play did not last long.
Wasn't Jeon Woo-chi, who was driving the carpet like lightning, suddenly stopping his flying art?
"Brother Woo-chi. What is it?"
So-ah, who felt a question, suddenly asked.
But Jeon Woo-chi turned around and brought his index finger to his lips and muttered.
"Shh."
'What is it...'
'Huh?!'
At that moment when So-ah and So-yeong had no choice but to shut their mouths.
Jeon Woo-chi immediately lowered the carpet to the ground and closed his two eyes.
'What is this old man doing?'
So-ah's curiosity grew even more.
But he did not do the careless act of opening his mouth and asking Jeon Woo-chi.
Because judging from Jeon Woo-chi's usual disposition, there was no way he would do something for no reason, and since he had made a gesture to be quiet, he could not act rashly.
In that moment.
The small golden bell that was hanging on Jeon Woo-chi's waist began to make a very clear and bright sound.
It was none other than the Seon-yo-jong, a magical treasure that had an excellent effect in detecting the flow of demonic aura and magical power.
'The Seon-yo-jong is ringing, which means there's something nearby...'
A fragment of the past that had flowed in So-ah's mind came to mind.
When he had first met Jeon Woo-chi as a child.
He had used the Seon-yo-jong to detect the appearance of a Ghost Demon Jiangshi and had performed an exorcism.
Because So-ah had not yet forgotten that mysterious sight, he felt a sense of vigilance and sent a telepathic message to Wang So-yeong.
[So-yeong-ah! I think there's something.]
[W-What?]
[I don't know. But don't worry. That Taoist brother is quite skilled. And I'm here too.]
[You're trying to act cool.]
Although she said that, Wang So-yeong's trust in So-ah was almost like a religion.
Because the divine authority of So-ah, who had single-handedly defeated the robbers of the great desert and the wind and sand and had saved her, was still vivid in her eyes.
It was then.
"So-ah."
"Yes, Brother Woo-chi."
"It's a very strong magical power. A magical power so strong that it gives me goosebumps all over my body. Moreover, judging from the fact that the air currents are out of place, it seems that a huge illusion and maze formation has been activated nearby."
"A formation? You mean a formation?"
"Yes."
"Then what should we do?"
"We have to find it. Of course, it won't be easy, but we have to track the magical power and find it."
Just by looking at Jeon Woo-chi's expression, So-ah could guess how serious the matter was.
But.
"So. A son of a bitch is using a dirty trick in this neighborhood. Is that what you're saying?"
"That's right."
"Then what, it's simple, isn't it?"
"What?"
"What's so difficult about finding and dealing with a rat bastard who's hiding somewhere and chanting spells?"
"You...?"
"Kekeke. Leave it to me, Brother Woo-chi."
(End of Chapter)