Chapter 42

Trap (2)

Mount Putuo.

In the past, it had been a sacred land of the Buddhist sect, comparable to Shaolin and Emei.

However, after the Potuo Sect was annihilated, it gradually declined, and by now had turned into nothing more than an unremarkable mountain.

As if announcing that the times had changed, those who visited Mount Putuo were now exceedingly rare, aside from herb gatherers.

"Tsk. They say ten years is enough to change rivers and mountains, but to think Mount Putuo would become this shabby. Time is truly merciless."

Someone was climbing Mount Putuo.

He was an old man clad in gray martial robes, yet the faint pressure emanating from his entire body weighed heavily on the surrounding air.

"They've laid it out quite thoroughly."

The old man frowned.

It was not merely because the dense demonic energy spread throughout the area was suppressing Mount Putuo's natural vitality.

Rather, it was because he found the shallow tricks prepared as a 'trap' distasteful.

Moreover, the very situation of having to help them against his will further soured the old man's mood.

"...."

The old man came to a halt.

There, he saw someone radiating such intense demonic energy that it was hard to believe he could be called an elder of a prestigious orthodox sect.

It was the man known as the Third Elder of the Cheon Family.

"Keuheuheuheuheu."

A ghostly aura could be felt.

Seeing this, the old man clicked his tongue.

The Third Elder's once-clear eyes from the past were nowhere to be found.

'In the end, you too couldn't withstand the temptation.'

The Third Elder was one who thirsted for the sword.

Yet even after mastering every sword art of the Cheon Family, his thirst was never quenched.

No matter how much he trained, he could not break through the wall of the Enlightenment Realm.

Thus, the Third Elder fell into despair.

And after despair came resentment.

『The Cheon Family's sword is incomplete! There must be another sword art passed down only to the direct line!』

Watching Cheon Wi-gang—who had learned the sword later than himself—reach the Enlightenment Realm only deepened the Third Elder's denial of the Cheon Family's sword.

『I will satisfy that thirst for you.』

That was when the Demonic Cult approached him, granting him countless sword techniques he desired.

He once again devoted himself to training, but in the end, the Third Elder still failed to reach the Enlightenment Realm.

『Am I unable to enter the Enlightenment Realm?』

Yet even before this uncomfortable truth, the Third Elder stubbornly turned away.

『No. This is all because I learned the Cheon Family's sword. If it weren't for the Cheon Family, I would have reached the Enlightenment Realm!』

He denied it, and denied it again.

He wanted to destroy the Cheon Family.

Thus, the Third Elder laid hands on demonic arts, and ultimately became a demonic human who had lost all purity.

"Tsk. How unfortunate."

The old man felt genuine pity.

To have taken up demonic arts meant that the limitless potential the Third Elder once possessed had been completely sealed away.

"To fail to realize that there is no paradise at the end of escape…"

What could be done.

Everything had been his own choice.

The old man slowly walked toward the Third Elder, intoxicated by false power.

"Ah, Venerable One."

"...."

"You have arrived."

The Third Elder addressed the old man as 'Venerable One'.

Despite the polite words—

The Third Elder himself was exceedingly aggressive.

As though he could not contain the overflowing power within him.

"Because things have come to this due to the Venerable One's failure, it would be fitting for the one who tied the knot to untie it."

"...."

"But just this once, I shall resolve it personally."

"Child, do not step forward relying only on that paltry power of yours."

"Keuheuheuheu. I truly don't know why I turned away from such an easy path all this time."

"...."

The Venerable One gave no reply.

As if he were merely an onlooker.

He turned away, indifferent, and simply walked deeper into Mount Putuo.

"Hmph."

Watching the Venerable One's back, the Third Elder ground his teeth.

"I'll see how long you can continue to look down on me."

Ssssh.

There was still not enough blood.

Before Cheon Muyang arrived, the grand art would be completed.

"If I can't cross the wall… then I simply need to shatter it. I've finally realized that."

If he completed the demonic art—

He would be able to ascend to the Enlightenment Realm he had so desperately longed for.

"Blood. Give me blood."

For this, he could sacrifice anything.

As long as he could grow stronger, the deaths of those who did not matter were of no concern to him.

"Keuheuheuheuheu!"

Having lost even his humanity, the Third Elder became intoxicated with the boiling demonic energy, as if driven mad.

***

Night fell.

So deep was the darkness that the area around Mount Putuo was shrouded in thick sea fog, making it impossible to see even a step ahead.

Ptoo!

The Wolf King spat roughly.

A faint anger could be felt.

"It reminds me of that day."

Their methods were vicious.

They had willingly thrown away their lives, and those methods were so brutal that even the Wolf King had been horrified.

"I'll say this in advance—this is a matter of the Cheon Family, so you may step aside if you wish."

"Bullshit. After coming all this way, why would I step aside?"

The Wolf King seemed heated.

It looked like he had already entered a combat stance.

"How could I give up something this fun?"

As an absolute master who had reached the Enlightenment Realm, he could tell with his own body that this darkness was anything but natural.

He wanted to face whatever was lurking deep within that mountain.

"Well, do as you like."

"What a vile demonic energy."

Cheon Seon-hak as well—

Could not loosen his tension.

Even two masters who had reached the Enlightenment Realm were on edge because of the demonic energy, yet Cheon Muyang himself remained calm.

"In the end, it's nothing but misguided power."

What exactly was demonic energy?

Demonic power was, ultimately, a force that went against the principles of this world.

Yet how could something that existed in this world defy its principles?

There was no greater absurd paradox than that.

"Even demonic energy, when viewed from the heavens, is nothing more than a single dot."

The heavens would embrace even demonic energy.

Even if that demonic energy itself resisted.

Hooong!

Was it a difference in perspective toward demonic energy?

Somehow, it felt as though the demonic energy could not draw near Cheon Muyang.

"If you've got that strange sword, why not try finding the path? It's too dark to see anything."

"...."

The Wolf King grumbled.

But as he said, because of the thick sea fog blanketing Mount Putuo, it felt as though they had fallen into the middle of a formation.

Snrk.

Cheon Muyang smiled.

No matter how thick the fog was, how could the Wolf King—who had reached the Enlightenment Realm—not find the way?

"If you want to see my sword, you should just say you want to see it."

Flinch!

Even within the fog, the sight of the Wolf King's shoulders twitching was clearly visible.

Even the way he cleared his throat.

"Ahem!"

Since they had to carve a path anyway—

Cheon Muyang raised Cheon-gwang straight up.

That alone was enough to make the surrounding demonic energy surge violently.

It was as if it were blatantly rejecting Cheon Muyang's very existence.

"Open the way."

Then, Cheon-gwang cut down mercilessly.

Hooouuung!

The vividly blooming blue sword aura blew away the sea fog that filled the area.

Shwaaaaa!

A path leading to the summit came into view.

"Let's go."

Cheon Muyang took the lead.

Though the sea fog had been dispersed, the trees of Mount Putuo grew densely packed and lush.

"It's clearly a trap."

This was a death zone.

Those ominous beings encountered at Makgan Mountain were likely here.

"So it's those bastards. Trash like them—just cut them down and be done with it."

Realizing that the beings they had encountered at Makgan Mountain were here, the Wolf King exploded in rage and stepped forward.

"I'm not the type to live with debts!"

As if he had not forgotten the humiliation of that day—

The Wolf King did not recklessly rush at them, but instead maintained his distance and unleashed slashing strikes indiscriminately.

The slashes that flew out roughly from the Wolf King swept through like a raging storm.

Kwaaaaaang!

Just like before, their shredded bodies began to writhe violently, then soon started to explode.

"I told you it wouldn't work twice!"

Shouting boldly, the Wolf King openly mocked their futile deaths.

It seemed he could not forgive the fact that he had once been injured internally by them.

"Hm…."

However, Cheon Muyang felt a sense of doubt.

It was far too easy.

'They wouldn't be unaware that the Wolf King joined us…?'

Only Cheon Muyang remained wary.

And so, he could feel it.

'The ground is shaking?'

Kugugugugung!

The earth trembled.

It could have been dismissed as the result of the rampaging Wolf King, but Cheon Muyang thought otherwise.

"Uncle!"

Cheon Muyang urgently shouted to Cheon Seon-hak nearby.

"Yes."

Perhaps he too had felt the vibration of the ground—Cheon Seon-hak immediately shot up into the air.

"Huh?"

Only the Wolf King, who had been grinning as he slaughtered them and wildly unleashed slashes, realized something was wrong a moment too late.

"You damn son of a—!"

Seeing the two men—

Cheon Muyang and Cheon Seon-hak—already soaring into the air, the Wolf King hurled curses and hurriedly wrapped himself in protective qi.

Kwagagagagang!

The ground where the Wolf King had been standing collapsed.

A pit as deep as a bottomless abyss formed.

From within it, horrific wraiths—so grotesque that one could hardly call them living beings—came crawling out.

"These bastards!"

The Wolf King had wrapped himself in protective qi, but he could not block the full force of the explosion.

Drip!

Just like last time, the Wolf King was forced to suffer severe internal injuries once again.

However, rage came first for the Wolf King. Paying no heed, he instead laughed and charged straight at them.

"Come on, let's see what else you've got!"

This was bad.

A wounded beast is all the more terrifying—but put another way, it meant that someone of the Wolf King's caliber was already being driven into a corner.

"Withdraw."

Thus, Cheon Muyang stepped in.

It wasn't that the Wolf King was weak—rather, for someone who favored close combat and relentless brawling, these foes were the absolute worst possible matchup.

"Just when it's getting fun, you're telling me to back off?"

The Wolf King was not Cheon Muyang's subordinate, so of course he refused.

This was his battlefield.

"I told you before—there's such a thing as compatibility."

"...!"

"So don't get in my way."

Cheon Muyang deliberately positioned himself right beside the Wolf King.

He looked ready to clash with the Wolf King himself if necessary.

"You rotten bastard…."

"You know it too—when you can conserve your strength, you should."

"...."

There was only one reason Cheon Muyang was insisting on stopping the Wolf King.

Since earlier, he had been feeling an enormous presence somewhere within Mount Putuo.

The moment he faced that presence, the Third Elder became irrelevant.

'How can someone with pressure on this level exist…? Is this the same trap I felt at Makgan Mountain?'

The Cheon Family had unknowingly been placed on the brink of disaster.

If the owner of that overwhelming presence were to harbor malice toward the Cheon Family even now, no one would be able to stop it.

The fact that a single individual's martial prowess—though still short of the very top—could rival that of the Ten Great Families of the world was a tremendous shock to Cheon Muyang.

That was why he could not afford to waste strength.

"Do you truly not realize that a trap of this level is nothing?"

The Wolf King knew it too.

And so did Cheon Seon-hak.

Soon, they would face something so massive that this trap would be laughable by comparison.

"Hmph. Do whatever you want."

The Wolf King was someone who valued battles against the strong above all else.

Rather than playing around with small fry like these, it seemed better to pool strength as Cheon Muyang suggested.

"But tell me—do you actually have a sharp solution? You're not thinking that strange sword of yours will work again like last time, are you?"

"Just watch."

Cheon Muyang smiled.

The Wolf King would never realize it, even if he died and came back.

'I can see the grain.'

Cheon Muyang could see the grain.

It wasn't only the grain of the heavens that was visible to him.

'They're beings carrying explosives within their bodies. Death itself is essentially the detonator.'

In other words—

Unless they died, they wouldn't explode on their own.

'No one in their right mind would live while carrying explosives.'

Nor would those who had been brainwashed be granted the judgment to choose death themselves.

That was why Cheon Muyang did not hesitate. Following the grain, he swung Cheon-gwang.

Whiiing!

A wind blew from somewhere.

Riding that wind, Cheon-gwang gently wrapped around them as it passed.

Thud!

They collapsed limply.

Yet no explosion followed.

The Wolf King shook his head and voiced his honest impression of Cheon Muyang's marvelous sword.

"Crazy bastard."

There could be no more accurate description.