Scholar Demon Venerable

Xuzhou in Jiangsu Province was located at the northern end connecting Jiangsu Province and Anhui Province.

Since it was connected to Xiao County in Anhui Province, it was one of the transportation hubs where many people came and went.

And if you rode a horse from Xiao County for two more shichen, you would reach Tangshan, the northernmost part of Anhui Province.

Tangshan was a large city connected to four provinces, and it was a transportation hub with abundant goods and a lot of human traffic.

Thanks to that, there were many caravans and martial arts sects.

In particular, in Tangshan, there was a righteous path sect called the Zirong Palace.

They were a righteous path force with a history of nearly two hundred years, and they had set a brilliant record by standing at the forefront whenever numerous evil and demonic paths had emerged.

Thanks to that, there was no evil faction in the Tangshan area. There were just a few underworld sects created by the local underworld figures.

It was early evening when Hyeokryeon Hui and his party entered Tangshan.

They waited in a place where people's footsteps did not reach and then slipped into the Zirong Palace only when it was almost midnight.

Cheongun, who was watching them from a distance, immediately unfolded his lightness skill somewhere.

Cheongun entered a manor located not far from the Zirong Palace.

As Cheongun appeared, a figure quickly approached and guided him inside.

As Cheongun entered the pavilion, about a dozen people paid their respects.

They were the Jinyiwei members who were watching the Zirong Palace.

"Chung!"

"Chung!"

Cheongun, who had gone to the head of the table and sat down, looked around at the people.

There were also familiar figures, including Baihu Xiong Tian, and there were also figures he was seeing for the first time.

Among them, a middle-aged man cupped his hands in a fist and greeted Cheongun.

"Your Excellency, I am Song In-ho, who is in charge of the Jinyiwei garrison in Anhui Province."

Thousand-household Commander Song In-ho was a middle-aged man with a fairly solid body, and perhaps because he mainly used a saber, a saber with a wide blade was tied to his waist.

After the greetings were over, Lee Cheongun received a report on the progress so far.

Thousand-household Commander Song In-ho reported first.

"The Zirong Palace is busy. They are calling in the disciples who are outside, and a considerable number of righteous path people have gathered."

"Is there anything unusual?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. Except for the fact that martial artists have flocked, there is nothing special."

To establish a justification, he had to find the opponent's weakness. But even though he had been watching for nearly a month, it seemed there was no particular gain.

But he couldn't just ask for something that wasn't there.

"You must not take your eyes off them for a moment."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

After Song In-ho left, Cheongun was lost in deep thought.

'If I can't find it, I have no choice but to make it...'

* * *

Two days later, a carrier pigeon flew in.

It was a Thousand-Mile Eagle used by the Jinyiwei when they needed to make a payment.

It was a carrier pigeon that was not used unless it was an urgent situation, but it had flown from the imperial capital.

[Problem occurred. Inspector dispatched. Urgent.]

Although it was a short text, it contained many meanings.

It seemed the petition that the Provincial Inspector of Henan Province had submitted had become a problem.

In fact, the Five Military Governor's Offices had strongly risen up. It was too much for the Jinyiwei to block alone.

In the end, the Emperor also could not repel the petitions that were coming up from all directions and the fierce attack of the Five Military Governor's Offices. Because the power of the military was too strong compared to the Jinyiwei.

'The thing I was worried about has happened.'

But Cheongun didn't care much.

He had no interest in the power struggle that was going on in the imperial palace.

But in any case, if an inspector came, it would be a troublesome thing. He had to find evidence before he came.

* * *

A night when dim darkness had fallen. The surroundings were as quiet as a dead mouse.

Even the moonlight seemed shy and hid its face in the clouds.

Hwik.

A large night bird flew across the night sky.

It was so fast that its shape could not be distinguished.

Far away, a huge manor like a palace was located on a mountain ridge.

It was the Zirong Palace, a place surrounded by a high wall that was one zhang high.

On a large tree branch overlooking the Zirong Palace, a night bird landed silently.

The night bird was wearing clothes made of black cloth all over its body, and even its face was covered with a mask.

It was Cheongun.

Cheongun, who was dressed in a costume that a thief or an assassin would wear, his eyes lit up, and he soon flew into the air.

Ten Thousand Flowers Concealment Evil Form.

As befitting a martial art that could be called the best of concealment arts, Cheongun's figure disappeared from the air.

The Zirong Palace had a form in which nine independent areas were connected as one.

It was divided into nine areas that applied the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, and the principles of the sixty-four hexagrams were applied to the arrangement of the buildings.

Although it was a structure where a person who did not know the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams could easily get lost, it was no problem for Cheongun.

Cheongun's movements were without hesitation.

He went around and grasped the Zirong Palace.

'That place is heavily guarded. Is it a dormitory?'

He memorized the location of the guards and the dormitories, as well as the main bases and the heavily guarded places.

He carefully examined whether there were any suspicious parts one by one.

Cheongun, who had been looking around the Zirong Palace for a long time, hid his body under the long eaves.

'I don't see any particularly strange parts.'

He had looked around the wide Zirong Palace once. There was no place that showed strange movements. It was no different from other sects.

'The outside is done, now shall I look at the inside?'

He had not found anything strange when he had looked from the outside. There was nothing strange even after he had come inside.

Cheongun, who had made a decision, immediately flew his body.

Kwaang!

The door of a building that looked like a warehouse was smashed with a roar.

Cheongun continuously swung his twin palms in all directions and shot out a palm wind.

Shung! Shung! Shung!

Kwa-kwa-kwang!

Every time the palm wind flew, a roar was heard.

It was a roar that echoed in the quiet night. In the Zirong Palace, which was wrapped in darkness, lights were lit up everywhere.

"What's that sound?"

"It's the food warehouse side!"

The guards who were on guard in all directions shouted. Dozens of guards landed, as if to surround the building where the warehouse was.

But they could only see the smashed door, and they could not find the person who had smashed the door.

Piik! Piik!

"There's an intruder! It's an emergency!"

"Scatter and find him!"

With the sound of a whistle, the entire Zirong Palace was covered with guards. Warriors also began to pour out from inside the buildings.

Cheongun began to beat up the guards who were looking for him as soon as he saw them.

Thwack, thwack!

At least because it was a place known as a righteous path, it was a godsend for the warriors of the Zirong Palace that he did not take out his sword.

In a large hall with as many as twelve thick pillars.

A middle-aged man wearing a white dragon robe with a black dragon embroidered on it shouted with an angry expression.

"You still haven't caught him?"

"I am sorry. We have not been able to grasp who the attackers are, or how many there are."

The person who had reported trembled.

The man wearing the middle-aged dragon robe was the Tangma Great Hero, Ou Huliang.

His age, which looked to be middle-aged, was already close to sixty. His Xuanliu Thirteen Swords was still one of the martial arts that the evil and demonic paths feared the most in the martial world.

"I've never seen such foolish guys!"

At the loud shout that was unlike his age, the man just bowed his head even deeper.

"What are the Qinglai Twenty-four doing?"

Another power that the Zirong Palace prided itself on was the Qinglai Twenty-four. They were given the name Qinglai because they wore blue silk clothes.

"The enemy is appearing and disappearing like a ghost, so we have not been able to catch up."

"Wh-what? The Qinglai Twenty-four can't catch up?"

Something was strange.

Even if it were him, if he became the target of the Qinglai Twenty-four, he was not confident that he could completely shake them off. But he was frustrated that they had not even grasped the enemy's true identity until now, which was over a quarter of an hour.

He was on edge these days because of the Hyeokryeon Manor incident. The Demon-Subduing Unit he had dispatched to help the Hyeokryeon Manor had been smashed.

It seemed that what was happening now was also related to that.

'According to the kids, it seems this incident is related to the successor.'

It seemed something was pressing in, as if he were caught in a trap. He was in a bad mood at the feeling of being suffocated from all sides.

So he was on the lookout. He said that if there was anyone who looked down on him and the Zirong Palace, he would chew them up, bones and all.

In particular, he had vowed that he would not just let it go if this incident was related to that.

Padeudeuk.

"Did you say those guys are still moving?"

"Yes, they are not staying in one place for long and are causing confusion by going around."

"Alright. Unfold the Xuanxuan Mili Annihilation Formation!"

"I receive the order."

The man soon ran out.

As soon as he came out, he delivered the palace master's order.

"Unfold the Xuanxuan Mili Annihilation Formation in the place where the guys are likely to be!"

At the sound that echoed in all directions, the Zirong Palace became quiet as if it had stopped for a moment.

Soon, a loud sound was heard as if in response.

"As you command!"

With the sound of a mechanism moving and a sound that was somehow unpleasant to hear, the movements of the people became busy.

After a while, the Zirong Palace fell into silence as if it were a lie.

As the surrounding air changed, Cheongun stopped his steps and looked around.

"A change has occurred."

[It seems a formation is being unfolded.]

"A formation..."

Cheongun felt the energy that was rushing towards him scattering in all directions. Although nothing had particularly changed, his senses were telling him of danger.

Cheongun did not move even at the signal that was telling him of danger. He just spread his senses and waited for a change.

A busy movement was seen.

The place where Cheongun was currently located was the Kan Palace position among the 24 mountain directions of the Eight Trigrams, and a tension flowed throughout the Kan Palace.

After a while, a reaction finally came.

"Activate the formation!"

With a loud sound, the formation was activated.

Seueuk.

An eerie energy began to flow inside the Zirong Palace. Although he didn't know where it was flowing from, a dark red fog began to slowly form.

As the fog rushed in from all directions, Cheongun's brow narrowed.

'The color of the fog is strange. Don't tell me it's mixed with poison?'

There are more people who use poison in the martial world than you think. There are also those who poison their opponents by directly applying it to their weapons, and there are also those who apply poison to their hidden weapons.

In particular, the ones who are tricky to face are the ones who poison their opponents without them noticing. If they used fog like now, it was something that could not be ignored.

But unexpected words came out of the Blood Emperor's mouth.

[Be careful. It seems to be the Blood Demon Ten Thousand Demon Annihilation Formation.]

"Is it a formation you know?"

[If it's the formation I'm thinking of, you have to be careful of the sword in the illusion. The fog also contains hallucinogenic substances. It's so changeable that if you can't find the center of the formation, you could die of exhaustion.]

The Blood Emperor frowned as he looked at the dark red fog that was slithering and sticking out its tongue of the netherworld.

Kieeeek!

A ghost's cry echoed.

The one who reacted first to that sound was the Blood Emperor.

[Damn it, that's right.]

He had hoped it was a groundless fear, but it was real. The Blood Demon Ten Thousand Demon Annihilation Formation was unfolding before his eyes, transcending time and space.

[Until the formation is broken, I also don't believe...]

As the fog spread, the Blood Emperor's figure disappeared into the fog.

The Blood Emperor's voice was cut off, and the fog filled the area.

Soon, a strange movement was captured in the fog.

"Huh?"

Seureureureuk.

It was a heterogeneous sound that was slightly different from the sound of the fog spreading.

Cheongun focused on his senses. But although the sound was heard, nothing was caught in his senses.

His brow furrowed on its own.

Something he couldn't feel was approaching quickly.

For a moment, Cheongun reflexively swung his right hand.

Pang!

Something was hit by the palm wind and made a sound like a leather bag bursting.

Cheongun again took up the eight directions and quickly threw out his twin palms.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Explosions erupted in succession. And something came in, aiming for his neck.

Cheongun bent his head back and instinctively extended his left hand.

An object of unknown identity that gave a bad feeling was caught in his hand.

(End of Chapter)