Chapter 172 : When the Unexpected Seized the Inevitable
Chapter 172: When the Unexpected Seized the Inevitable
The Bright Cult’s mission unit, which included Lee Tae, arrived near the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold under the guidance of Institute of Reason agents.
As they moved to obtain preliminary intelligence, they immediately sensed that something about the city’s atmosphere was strange.
The density of that unease was so thick that even someone without the Institute of Reason’s high-level intelligence training could easily detect it.
“Something’s happened.”
At the words of Iron Flower Demon Venerable, who had taken charge of leading the mission unit, everyone nodded.
Two Institute of Reason agents volunteered to go out and gather more detailed information, and members of the Twenty-Seven Ghosts attached themselves to them.
They were worried that if they came all the way into enemy territory, they might lose their guides.
Thus, the two Institute of Reason intelligence agents and three members of the Twenty-Seven Ghosts who had come with the mission unit separated from the group.
At first, there had been an opinion that everyone should move together if that was the case, but the Institute of Reason agents had requested that such matters be handled with as small a group as possible, and that request had been accepted.
After that portion separated, Iron Flower Demon Venerable, Evil Slaughter Ghost, and Lee Tae, who remained behind, entered a nearby guesthouse.
Despite the city being fairly large, there wasn’t a single guest inside the guesthouse.
Moreover, even the owner greeting customers wore a deeply uneasy expression.
Finding that strange, Lee Tae and the others sat down, and the owner approached to take their order.
“Today we can only offer liquor, a simple vegetable stir-fry, and thin noodles.”
The three exchanged glances at the owner’s words and nodded.
They had no intention of drinking alcohol during a mission anyway, and thin noodles weren’t bad for a quick meal.
“Then give us the thin noodles. But why are there no customers? I don’t even see a server. Is business not going well?”
At Lee Tae’s question, the owner replied with a voice full of complaint.
“It’s all because of the Fo—”
He stopped mid-sentence and glanced at their expressions, then forced a smile.
“…Is there some problem? There simply aren’t many people passing through, so there are no customers.”
Lee Tae realized that the owner had more to say but changed his words after noticing they looked like martial artists.
“Did those bastards from the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold cause trouble again? Those brats just can’t stop doing garbage things.”
Evil Slaughter Ghost caught Lee Tae’s intention and chimed in.
“That’s how the Unorthodox Factions bastards are.”
At their words, the owner cautiously asked,
“You aren’t from the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold, are you?”
“What are you saying? We’re people of the Bright Cult.”
Rumors of the Bright Cult giving food to those without it and caring for the sick had spread as far as Guangdong.
Moreover, the Demonic Path centered around the Bright Cult had always treated the Unorthodox Factions like dirt under their toenails.
They didn’t just despise them—they treated them that way in reality.
The only reason the Unorthodox Factions endured that treatment was not because they were patient.
It was because of their lack of strength.
Their abilities were incomparably inferior to the Demonic Path centered around the Bright Cult.
Everyone in the world knew that.
Even the people living in the city where the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold had made its nest knew it.
Thus, the moment the Bright Cult was mentioned, the owner’s face brightened.
“So you’re from the Bright Cult! That explains why you can say such things right here, with the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold so close.”
“What’s so special about the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold? So what are those bastards doing now? Don’t tell me they’re robbing money and chasing customers away.”
“That kind of thing we can endure. It’s not like it’s happened only once or twice.”
“Then…?”
At Lee Tae’s question, the owner looked around nervously before replying in a small voice.
“There are widespread rumors that martial artists from the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold are randomly capturing people.”
“They’re taking people who’ve done nothing wrong?”
“Yes. They’re just grabbing people walking along the road at random… There are many witnesses.”
“And the authorities are just letting that happen?”
“This place falls under the jurisdiction of the King of the South Sea… In exchange for the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold providing over a thousand masters, he handed over the city’s authority to them…”
In other words, he had handed an entire city to the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold.
Well, a thousand Jianghu masters would certainly tempt government officials standing on the brink of armed conflict.
Even so, Lee Tae clicked his tongue at the fact that they had even abandoned their duty as officials.
“Tsk. That King of the South Sea is doomed to lose. If you abandon your people, what’s left even if you win?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. It’s frustrating that those high above don’t understand that.”
When the owner’s complaints continued at length, Lee Tae cut him off at an appropriate point.
“I’m hungry, so please bring the thin noodles.”
“Oh dear, look at me rambling. It’s been a long time since someone came who I could speak with so freely. I’ve embarrassed myself. I’ll bring it right away, Great Hero.”
He hurried toward the kitchen.
It seemed even the cook hadn’t come out.
If people were being randomly taken off the streets, then staying inside the house was the safest option.
Thinking that, Lee Tae looked back, his eyes sinking.
Because he saw tension rising in the eyes of his close friends, Evil Slaughter Ghost and Iron Flower Demon Venerable.
Though Lee Tae served as the Third Squad Leader of the Chief Elder’s Chamber, in terms of martial ability he was inferior to Evil Slaughter Ghost and Iron Flower Demon Venerable.
In other words, the two could sense things Lee Tae could not.
Knowing that, Lee Tae asked with a tense voice,
“Looks like there’s trouble?”
“The Twenty-Seven Ghosts can sense each other’s presence. Especially within a hundred li. It’s faint, but we can tell when one is nearby.”
That was because they had learned a special internal heart method passed down only among the Twenty-Seven Ghosts.
This was necessary when they used their cooperative assassination technique to jointly attack a supreme master.
The Twenty-Seven Ghosts, each possessing their own unique martial arts, had to move as if they were a single person.
But that feeling had been cut off.
And it happened simultaneously.
Evil Slaughter Ghost and Iron Flower Demon Venerable clearly understood what that meant.
“The three Twenty-Seven Ghosts who went out with the Institute of Reason guides have been taken down.”
At Evil Slaughter Ghost’s words, Lee Tae’s gaze grew heavy.
Even among the Twenty-Seven Ghosts there were differences in strength.
But the gap was narrower than one might think.
Thus, if three of the Twenty-Seven Ghosts had been defeated, it meant that the two remaining here could not oppose the culprit.
Even if Lee Tae, who was a step weaker than the Twenty-Seven Ghosts, added his strength, that situation would not change.
Therefore—
“Let’s move. There’s no reason to sit here waiting to be attacked.”
At Lee Tae’s words, Evil Slaughter Ghost looked toward Iron Flower Demon Venerable.
“In matters like this, Lee Tae is more knowledgeable. Let’s do as he says.”
Iron Flower Demon Venerable also knew Lee Tae’s specialty.
He excelled in uncovering and manipulating information.
In addition, he possessed considerable skill in infiltration and tracking.
Since they needed to disappear from the enemy’s sight immediately, Lee Tae’s infiltration ability was necessary.
Soon Iron Flower Demon Venerable nodded.
“Guests, here are your noodles—”
The owner, who had just emerged from the kitchen, widened his eyes.
The men who had been chatting just moments ago had vanished without a trace.
The only reason he didn’t curse was because a piece of silver remained on the table.
“They’re certainly different from the trash of the Unorthodox Factions.”
The owner muttered quietly and smiled as he reached to pick up the silver.
At that moment—
Strangely, the ground rushed toward him.
Thud.
Palmi Venerable calmly watched the owner’s severed head fall onto the guesthouse floor and muttered,
“When you wag your tongue carelessly, this is what happens. Amitabha.”
Palmi Venerable, who had just killed a man, even turned his prayer beads while chanting the Buddha’s name.
An elder of the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold hurried over and reported to him.
“We’ve found traces. They lead to Mount Gil.”
“Mount Gil?”
“A small mountain located along the path leading out of the city. It’s called Mount Gil because the name means ‘full of good fortune.’”
“If they’re leaving the city, then it must be north.”
“Yes. It seems they’re trying to escape to the Bright Cult.”
At the mention of the Bright Cult, two figures faintly surfaced in Palmi Venerable’s mind.
“A dangerous one and an even more dangerous one… I’m curious what kind of men they are.”
But not yet.
Because he had just realized something before this.
He was not yet complete.
He had realized the difference between perfectly filling the blood essence of one million people and merely filling the amount equal to one million people’s blood essence.
Over the past few days he had barely managed to suppress the body of Palmi Venerable from rejecting him thanks to absorbing hundreds of blood essences.
But it was still unstable.
He was still far short of the blood essence of a million people.
That said, he couldn’t continue capturing nearby civilians and extracting their blood essence like he had been doing over the past few days in his urgency.
If he intended not to destroy the world but to make it kneel beneath his feet and rule it, he needed a base of power.
Therefore the missing blood essence had to be gathered from outside without anyone noticing.
Although rule was built on fear, the fear of being captured and eaten alive could provoke unexpected rebellion.
Thus Palmi Venerable intended to choose a slightly different method from now on.
At least until he became complete.
So—
“I’ll let you two keep breathing a little longer.”
The elder of the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold, unsure whom he was speaking to, received Palmi Venerable’s command.
“Release the hounds. Capture them properly. At least for now, the Bright Cult must not learn of this.”
“Yes!”
After acknowledging the order, the elder rushed out.
Soon an enormous force began moving.
Most of the masters possessed by the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold had been unleashed.
If one wished to avoid the strong, one had to slow down.
They would eventually be discovered, but they had to leave as few traces as possible to delay that moment.
Naturally, the movement speed of Evil Slaughter Ghost and Iron Flower Demon Venerable, led by Lee Tae, slowed as well.
They still hadn’t escaped Mount Gil.
Meanwhile, the martial artists of the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold moved at high speed.
Before even half a shijin had passed since Palmi Venerable issued the order, a heavenly net of encirclement had been completed around Mount Gil in three layers.
Lee Tae chose to move along the slope at the mountain’s base rather than toward the summit.
If they were driven to the peak, they would ultimately have no choice but to be trapped and die.
Thus Lee Tae led ahead while Evil Slaughter Ghost and Iron Flower Demon Venerable silently followed.
Palmi Venerable received a message dispatch from the Two Monstrous Spirit Controllers saying they might lose the Bright Light Sect people.
Palmi Venerable had no intention of allowing those who disobeyed his command and escaped to survive.
Thus, even while the encirclement of Mount Gil against the Bright Cult people was ongoing, Palmi Venerable left the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold accompanied by a group of masters.
He moved at such speed that many of the masters following him from the Stronghold were left behind.
Because of that, Palmi Venerable encountered the pursuit force of the Two Monstrous Spirit Controllers before the Bright Light Sect people had completely escaped Jiangxi.
Even though the commanded spirits controlled by the Two Monstrous Spirit Controllers could not find the fleeing people, Palmi Venerable arrived, recited a brief incantation, and pointed toward one direction.
At his command pointing toward a mountain path none of them had even suspected, the Two Monstrous Spirit Controllers and their pursuit force raced down the mountain path at terrifying speed.
The distance that had bought nearly an entire day’s worth of time shrank in an instant.
The Bright Light Sect people—who were being guided by martial artists from the Namgung Clan’s Dragon-Tiger Branch Stronghold—did not know this, but they were running along the mountain path with all their strength.
They knew better than anyone that every minute and second they gained would save their lives.
Fortunately for them, Palmi Venerable did not pursue them.
He had received another report that the Imperial King Sword Duke and numerous Grand Flame Sword Unit martial artists were escaping through a different route.
To Palmi Venerable, destroying the Bright Light Sect people was important.
But ensuring that the Orthodox Faction bastards who had stepped in to interfere with his plans did not return alive was just as important.
Moreover, the Imperial King Sword Duke was the Deputy Clan Head of the Namgung Clan.
Knowing the impact of capturing someone like that, Palmi Venerable smacked his lips in regret and began chasing after the fleeing Imperial King Sword Duke and the Grand Flame Sword Unit.