The Heavenly Demon Who Reigns

He couldn't even see an inch ahead.

All that could be seen was thick fog.

Since there was nothing to be seen, Soyeon Sang couldn't help but be nervous every time he took a step.

"..."

Still, in order to not get lost, Soyeon Sang had been thinking about the direction and the number of steps in his head since he entered the entrance.

For a while at first, it was quite manageable to memorize.

But as time went on, Soyeon Sang eventually gave up on memorizing.

'Now I have no idea where this is.'

He had already changed directions several times since entering the entrance.

Because of that, Soyeon Sang had no idea whether the direction he was walking in now was towards the entrance or the opposite.

If there had been something that could serve as a reference point, it would have been manageable to memorize no matter how many times he changed directions.

But now, since he could barely see within a single step, it was impossible to set such a reference point.

"..."

Now, Soyeon Sang had only one hope left, Cheon Myeong.

Originally, Soyeon Sang had been silently following behind Cheon Myeong from the beginning.

But now, if he lost sight of Cheon Myeong, he would be completely isolated in this fog.

That's why Soyeon Sang was following behind with his eyes wide open so as not to lose sight of Cheon Myeong.

'But is the Young Master really going with a known path?'

Cheon Myeong, who had been walking ahead with confidence since the moment he entered the entrance.

Soyeon Sang had no idea on what basis Cheon Myeong was going so confidently.

'It seems like he sometimes stands still and does something...'

Even that, Cheon Myeong's figure was not clearly visible because of the fog.

But seeing that he had never reached a dead end so far, it seemed certain that Cheon Myeong was moving with some basis.

If he had shown any signs of being flustered because the path was blocked even a little, it would have been worth having doubts.

But since he hadn't shown any such appearance yet, Soyeon Sang silently followed behind him.

Thump-.

At that moment, Cheon Myeong stopped walking.

And as he had been doing until now, he stood still and began to fiddle with something.

'What on earth is he doing?'

Soyeon Sang focused as much as possible and observed Cheon Myeong's appearance.

It seemed like he was holding his right hand above his head... and it seemed like he was holding something in his hand as well.

But that was all Soyeon Sang found out.

Because Cheon Myeong lowered his right hand and started moving again, he was busy following behind him again.

"..."

How long did they walk like that again?

He didn't know the exact time, but it seemed like they had been wandering in this fog for more than half an hour.

As that much time passed, Soyeon Sang began to feel anxious.

'What if the Young Master and I get lost in this fog...'

As an escort, there was nothing worse than that.

In fact, the person who had said to come in here was Cheon Myeong, but Soyeon Sang, who had not been able to stop him, would also be at fault.

No, rather, it could be said that it was all Soyeon Sang's fault.

'Even if I die, I must send the Young Master out of here.'

Thinking so, Soyeon Sang unknowingly tensed his whole body.

And at that moment.

When he suddenly looked ahead, Cheon Myeong's figure had disappeared.

"..."

He hadn't been distracted.

Cheon Myeong was right in front of him just a moment ago...!

'Young Master!'

He had to find him quickly.

Now, he wouldn't be that far away.

If more time passed, it would be impossible to find Cheon Myeong in this fog.

Fwoosh-.

Thinking so, Soyeon Sang immediately took a step.

Soyeon Sang rushed forward quickly.

And as if his eyes had been washed, Soyeon Sang's vision instantly brightened.

"..."

What on earth was this?

As soon as he ran forward to chase after Cheon Myeong, who had suddenly disappeared, all the fog had disappeared as if he had come to another world.

"...Young Master!"

And Cheon Myeong was standing in front of him.

As soon as he discovered that appearance, Soyeon Sang unknowingly let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

He was glad he wasn't late.

As Soyeon Sang had expected, Cheon Myeong was not that far away.

"What, why are you running so urgently?"

As Soyeon Sang approached, Cheon Myeong asked with a calm face.

Then, Soyeon Sang said in an unusually loud voice.

"What do you mean by suddenly disappearing on your own!"

"I've been walking at the same speed."

"What?"

That can't be.

Then how would he explain the reason why Cheon Myeong's figure suddenly disappeared?

Although he had been thinking about something else for a moment, Soyeon Sang had definitely not taken his eyes off Cheon Myeong.

So he had thought that Cheon Myeong had suddenly run off quickly on his own.

But since Cheon Myeong was saying that, Soyeon Sang was at a loss for words and couldn't say anything.

"Ah, it might have looked like my figure suddenly disappeared."

At that moment, as if he had understood something, Cheon Myeong nodded and said.

On the other hand, Soyeon Sang looked like he hadn't understood anything, and Cheon Myeong pointed at Soyeon Sang with his finger.

"Why are you suddenly pointing at me with your finger..."

"Not you, but behind you."

"...?"

When Cheon Myeong said that, Soyeon Sang turned his head back.

Then, he saw the fog he had just broken through, and Soyeon Sang couldn't understand why Cheon Myeong was pointing at it with his finger.

"What do you mean by that..."

"That's where this formation ends, and it's also where it begins."

"What do you mean by that?"

"In other words, Musan is a place surrounded by a formation."

"..."

Soyeon Sang showed no reaction after hearing Cheon Myeong's words.

And a moment later, he said with a surprised face, as if he had seen a ghost.

"D-did you say a formation?"

"Yes, it's called the Wind and Wave Fog Circle Formation."

"Wind and Wave Fog Circle Formation..."

It was a formation with a name he had never heard of in his life.

Since Soyeon Sang was clearly showing a reaction of not knowing, Cheon Myeong continued to speak.

"There's no fog around here now, right?"

"That's right."

"The reason is that the flow of air in Musan has been changed by the Wind and Wave Fog Circle Formation, so there's no fog here at all."

"...?"

"To put it simply... yes, you can think of it as a wall of fog in the form of a pillar surrounding this place, the center of the formation, to protect it."

After that explanation, Soyeon Sang could roughly understand what kind of formation the Wind and Wave Fog Circle Formation was.

'So that's why there's no fog here at all.'

To think there was a formation in Musan.

Soyeon Sang had entered it himself, but he hadn't noticed that fact at all until Cheon Myeong told him.

"Do you understand now?"

Cheon Myeong asked with a smile.

"Yes... I understand that part, but."

"..."

"How do you know about such a formation, Young Master?"

In fact, the biggest question was this.

The Wind and Wave Fog Circle Formation was a formation that even Soyeon Sang had never heard of.

But how did Cheon Myeong know about such a formation?

It was strange that Cheon Myeong, who had little experience in the martial world, would know about the Wind and Wave Fog Circle Formation.

"I read it in a book."

"In a book?"

"I read it in the Heavenly Demon Martial Library a long time ago."

When Cheon Myeong said that, Soyeon Sang could understand that part.

The Heavenly Demon Martial Library was a place where martial arts books collected from all over the martial world were stored.

In order to read the martial arts books there, the permission of the leader was absolutely necessary.

Cheon Myeong would have been able to get permission to read the Heavenly Demon Martial Library.

He had heard that there were many books on mechanisms and formations in the Heavenly Demon Martial Library in addition to martial arts books, so it wouldn't be strange if there was something written about the Wind and Wave Fog Circle Formation among them.

"I'm also a little interested in formations."

Cheon Myeong said that nonchalantly, but the truth was not that.

Of course, Cheon Myeong had some knowledge of formations, but the Wind and Wave Fog Circle Formation was a formation whose existence was truly unfamiliar.

Yakssobang was revealed to the world by the Martial Alliance, and at that time, the existence of the Wind and Wave Fog Circle Formation was also revealed.

That's why Cheon Myeong knew about the Wind and Wave Fog Circle Formation.

Of course, he had also learned the method of breaking the formation at that time.

Although he had some trouble figuring out the method of breaking the formation because it was a type of formation he had encountered for the first time.

'I don't know exactly what kind of structure the Wind and Wave Fog Circle Formation is, but if you know the method of breaking it, it's really easy to pass through.'

So if you moved along that flow, it was easy to get from the outside to the inside.

Of course, the same was true when coming out from the inside.

You could easily come out by following the flow of air that circulated in a spiral shape.

'Well, I'm glad I knew the method of breaking it. If I hadn't known, I would have definitely gotten lost.'

Thinking so, the herb gatherer who had first discovered Yakssobang could be said to be really lucky.

That herb gatherer didn't know this method of breaking it and had only moved according to his senses.

Even Cheon Myeong could barely feel the flow of air with the thin thread tied to his hand, so if he hadn't known anything, he would never have noticed that the flow of air was being artificially changed.

Well, if his senses were very sensitive, he wouldn't know.

If he had come here when he was Jang Cheon, wouldn't he have been able to feel that flow?

Cheon Myeong suddenly had that thought.

"Is that an answer now?"

"...Yes, thank you for the explanation."

"Then let's go again."

Saying that, Cheon Myeong walked ahead first.

Soyeon Sang stood still and watched his back without a word.

From the way he looked at Cheon Myeong, it seemed that there was still something he hadn't been convinced of.

'How did the Young Master know about this place?'

On top of that, what on earth was in this place protected by the Wind and Wave Fog Circle Formation?

He was also curious about that, but Soyeon Sang didn't ask Cheon Myeong about it for now.

"..."

He would know what was in front of him when he got there.

Thinking that he would first confirm that fact himself, Soyeon Sang followed behind Cheon Myeong.

* * *

Rustle- rustle-.

Every time Cheon Myeong walked, the sound of the grass that had grown up to his knees brushing against his legs was heard.

After breaking through the Wind and Wave Fog Circle Formation and entering the center of Musan, the fog was no longer visible.

Instead, what could be seen were all kinds of strange and beautiful flowers and plants.

As if he had left the secular world and entered another world, medicinal herbs and flowers that were not easily encountered were growing lushly around.

'It seems I've come to the right place.'

Cheon Myeong was not that knowledgeable about medicinal herbs, so he didn't know exactly what those things were used for.

But just by looking at them, they were not ordinary grasses.

In a word, they were only grasses that would grow near Yakssobang. So Cheon Myeong could be sure.

'I can see why Yakssobang was located here.'

It probably wasn't just because the fog was thick.

Didn't they set up a place here because they could easily obtain various rare medicinal herbs from the surroundings?

He didn't know if they grew here originally or if they were being cultivated by Yakssobang, but it was a sight that would make the eyes of herb gatherers pop out if they came here.

'It would be good to pack a bundle on the way out.'

Thinking so, Cheon Myeong carefully went deeper inside.

And a moment later.

A building in the shape of a sect began to be seen in the distance.

Flash-.

As soon as he discovered it, a strange light appeared in Cheon Myeong's two eyes.

At the same time, he clenched his fist and lightly raised his right hand as if to stop.

"..."

Soyeon Sang understood the signal and stopped.

'A house...?'

Soyeon Sang also discovered the building seen in the distance.

Wasn't that probably the place Cheon Myeong was trying to go to from the beginning?

Soyeon Sang suddenly had that thought.

"Let's wait here for a moment."

Saying that, Cheon Myeong lowered his posture.

As Cheon Myeong lowered his posture, Soyeon Sang also had no choice but to hide his body in the bushes.

And for quite a long time, the two sat there.

'...Is there no one here?'

If Yakssobang was still intact, he thought there would surely be people walking around.

He hid his body and continued to stare at the entrance, but there was no sign of the closed main gate opening.

"..."

Maybe there were people inside.

To find out that for sure, it seemed better to wait here a little longer.

But since he had no intention of delaying for that long, Cheon Myeong eventually got up from his seat.

"Soyeon Sang, wait here."

"Are you planning on going in there alone?"

"Yes."

"...Won't it be dangerous?"

"I'll just take care of my business and come out."

Cheon Myeong said in a light tone.

Seeing this, Soyeon Sang answered with a small sigh.

"I understand. If there's any danger, call me right away or come back here."

"Okay."

With the answer, Cheon Myeong ran towards the building.

Cheon Myeong hid his presence as much as possible and pressed his back tightly against the wall.

And he held his breath for a moment to check if he could feel a person's presence from inside.

'It seems like there's no one here...'

For now, it didn't seem like he could feel any human presence from inside.

The moment he thought so, Cheon Myeong jumped over the wall without hesitation.

Thump-.

Cheon Myeong jumped over the wall in an instant like a skilled thief.

As soon as Cheon Myeong landed on the ground, he raised his head and looked ahead.

And at that moment, Cheon Myeong's two eyes widened slightly.

(End of Chapter)