Chapter 383

Chapter 383

How long had he been standing guard alone?

‘I wonder if the treatment is going well.’

The thought suddenly crossed Hwangbo Ak’s mind, but he quickly shook his head and fixed his gaze straight ahead.

If his attention wandered to the back out of idle curiosity, it would spell trouble in more ways than one.

Having entered the Serenity Realm and successfully undergone marrow cleansing and bone transformation himself, he could perceive everything happening there from this distance without issue, as long as he focused his mind.

For the sake of maintaining dignity as an adult, he glared at those working to clean up the battlefield for a moment.

Startled, Hwangbo Ak nearly whipped his head around to look behind him without thinking.

From his back-centered on the thicket where Jin Ha-yeon and Il-mok had gone-the surrounding auras began to surge.

The energies flowing through heaven and earth split sharply into two kinds, and frigid, damp qi converged on that spot all at once.

Thanks to the nearby icy Qinghai Lake, the amount of qi was beyond description as merely tremendous.

It was a massive flow of energy, so Hwangbo Ak wasn’t the only one to notice.

As some of those cleaning up the battlefield prepared to approach, Hwangbo Ak infused his voice with internal energy and shouted.

Yang Mu-ja stepped forward from among them and asked.

“What in the world are they doing over there?”

“They’re in the midst of treatment.”

“Hah. What kind of treatment makes this much racket?”

“That’s beyond even this family head’s knowledge. One thing is certain: it’s treatment in progress, so no one approaches.”

As Hwangbo Ak radiated an aura that he absolutely would not yield, tension rippled through the vicinity once more.

“What are you all doing? Planning to kill my disciple and retainers out of curiosity?”

Jegal Mun spoke in a calm, nonchalant tone, and those who had been glaring at each other deflated, turning back one by one with listless expressions.

…

Within the mental world.

All manner of qi from heaven and earth surged toward Jin Ha-yeon, whose lower body had burned away, melting half her flesh.

She used that qi to instantly push out the flames that had melted her body.

Even amid this, the qi kept gathering, and that vast energy reconstructed her melted lower half.

Ruuuush.

Right after the massive qi swept away all the flames atop the mountain.

Pop!

She closed her eyes, then opened them, and the world’s scenery flipped.

The mountain of the mental world was gone, replaced by sparse thickets and Il-mok’s face reflected in her eyes.

‘Young Master is… safe.’

Fortunately, much of the blood qi that had flowed through Il-mok’s body was gone.

A certain amount of blood qi still lingered, but since it had already stabilized, it posed no major issue.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she rose and dressed Il-mok again in the clothes she had removed from him.

Then, putting some distance between herself and Il-mok, she sat in the lotus position.

This was only emergency treatment. Vast blood qi gathered from all directions still churned within her.

She drove out the blood qi that had scorched her dantian and meridians-which should always remain cold-while cooling the feverishly hot dantian and meridians.

At the same time, her body lifted an inch off the ground, accompanied by the continuous sounds of bones and muscles twisting.

Yet despite the agonizing sight, her face remained serene.

Before long, she had sunk deep into the mental world once more.

Scattering the abundant qi throughout her body, she pushed back the fiery demon flames that had scorched the mountain.

But this time, unlike before, she had no intention of turning that mountain back into a frozen peak.

She could freely wield all the qi filling her world as she wished, so there was no need to freeze it solid.

Above all, she had no desire to preserve anything precious atop a mountain encased in ice.

At her will, the qi gathered from all directions overwhelmed the fiery demon flames blanketing the mountain, and the scorching peak cooled to a refreshing chill.

Once all the flames vanished and a pleasantly cool energy permeated the mountain.

“Sip. Huu.”

Jin Ha-yeon’s eyes opened upon completing her marrow cleansing and bone transformation, a clear, bright energy flowing forth.

…

Il-mok, furrowing his brow at a light pain, soon groaned and opened his eyes.

“Urgh.”

The first thing he saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.

‘I definitely remember dealing with the Heavenly Blood Jiangshi….’

With no memory after that, Il-mok found the situation baffling in every way.

As he frowned in confusion and tried to sit up.

Creeeak.

The door opened with a frictional screech, and Jin Ha-yeon entered the room.

“Did you cough, Young Master?”

“Where is this place, Miss Jin?”

“Seonyeong, sir.”

“About two days. I’ve finished emergency treatment, but you’re not fully recovered yet, so please rest a little longer.”

At her words, Il-mok lightly moved his body to check his condition.

He felt a faint muscle ache in places, but nothing felt entirely wrong.

‘Some blood qi remains.’

Noticing the energy flowing through his meridians. Il-mok soon realized it was blood qi.

As he considered gathering the residual blood qi from his meridians throughout his body and absorbing it into his dantian, he noticed something odd.

“Hm?”

For some reason, a clump of qi had gathered in one corner of his dantian.

It even felt familiar.

Sending blood qi toward the gathered qi seemed risky, so Il-mok halted his qi circulation and opened his eyes.

To resolve his doubts, he turned to Jin Ha-yeon, who had been guarding him, and spoke.

“Miss Jin.”

But before Il-mok could finish. An awkward voice came from beyond the door-Jeong Hyeon’s.

“Y-Young Master. M-Miss Jin Team Leader. Th-The Cult Leader has arrived in Seonyeong.”

Il-mok tilted his head.

‘How did Eldest Brother end up here?’

Though the situation was puzzling in many ways, Il-mok first tried to rise.

“Young Master, it’d be better if you rested a bit more.”

Jin Ha-yeon took a cautious step forward and said so, but Il-mok waved it off.

“Battle’s out of the question, but light movement is fine.”

No sooner had Il-mok said that and started to rise than he sensed someone hurriedly approaching the door.

Small sounds of people saluting in respect echoed from various spots, and then Wi Jin-hak flung open the door with an urgent expression.

Bang.

Spotting Il-mok standing hale and hearty, Wi Jin-hak called out.

“Little Brother!!”

Jin Ha-yeon first offered a fist salute in respect, and Il-mok followed suit.

“Greetings, Cult Leader.”

“Enough with the formalities. You think I’d demand greetings from a wounded junior brother? Haha.”

Seeing his unchanged senior brother, Il-mok smiled awkwardly and asked.

“No major issues with my body, so light movement’s fine. But what brings you here?”

“I hadn’t planned to rush like this. But no sooner had I arrived in Seonyeong than I heard you’d collapsed, so I hurried here.”

Only then did Il-mok understand Wi Jin-hak’s reaction upon opening the door. Still, not all his questions were answered.

“I’m truly grateful for your concern, brother. But why is the Cult Leader, who should be at the main headquarters, here?”

That had been Il-mok’s initial confusion.

At the question, Wi Jin-hak laughed heartily and replied.

“Of course to help you. With those Orthodox hypocrites swarming into Gansu, how could I just sit by?”

Only then could Il-mok grasp the situation to some degree.

‘Right after confirming that letter, he must’ve mobilized the headquarters’ warriors and marched out.’

While Il-mok pieced it together, Wi Jin-hak kept talking.

“But when I reached the rendezvous, they said you’d drawn off the elites and headed to Gansu. That was days ago, so I heard you were likely en route to Qinghai. Then, while heading there, I got word of the battle.”

“My apologies. This fool let the Martial Alliance read our plans.”

“Hahaha. You’re safe, that’s what matters. More importantly, can you tell me the details of what happened?”

At Wi Jin-hak’s question, Il-mok briefly explained events after sending the letter.

Sneaking into Gansu to deal with Huashan, then heading to Qinghai.

Being attacked there by the Martial Alliance and Orthodox forces.

Just as they’d slain the fake Alliance Leader and the battle was turning in their favor, Hengshan Sect, Shaolin, Beggars’ Sect, Wudang, Zhongnan, and Qingcheng had crashed in one after another.

Finally, the Blood Cult’s intrusion and the matter of the Heavenly Blood Jiangshi.

“It was truly a monstrous thing.”

“Hah… A monster that even six Serenity Realms couldn’t overcome together.”

“Without the Ascending Heaven Sword’s aid, we’d all have become departed guests there.”

Il-mok meant it sincerely.

Without it, even piercing the monster’s skin would have been impossible.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s fitting. The sword’s lingering spirits were all victims of that Blood Cult’s atrocities.’

The seeds of sin sown by the Blood Cult had returned to them in full.

Heaven’s net is wide, and none escape it….

Lost in sentiment for a moment, Il-mok snapped back and turned to look at Jin Ha-yeon.

“After dealing with the Heavenly Blood Jiangshi, I lost consciousness, so Miss Jin would know the rest.”

At his words. Wi Jin-hak also looked to her, and Jin Ha-yeon plainly explained what followed.

After the Heavenly Blood Jiangshi and even the Blood Cult Leader perished, the mood shifted toward renewed battle.

“But at Lord Jegal’s mediation, each faction recovered their wounded. Those who would leave departed, and those remaining scattered in Seonyeong for treatment.”

Wi Jin-hak, who had listened quietly to her explanation, suddenly shouted joyfully.

“Congratulations on reaching Transcending Demon!”

“…It’s all thanks to the Cult Leader’s grace and Young Master’s virtue.”

“Hahaha. This is the Divine Cult’s good fortune.”

Wi Jin-hak laughed delightedly, while Il-mok tilted his head.

It wasn’t just because he’d woken in a daze and failed to notice Jin Ha-yeon’s breakthrough.

‘Why is it my virtue?’

In the past, during the fight with the Hao Clan, he’d saved her from Demonic Deviation while she was at Extreme Demon. That time, yes, but this time, Il-mok couldn’t see the connection.

As they celebrated Jin Ha-yeon’s Transcending Demon breakthrough amid brief chaos, a voice came from beyond the door-the Silver Guard Pavilion Master’s.

“Cult Leader. The Central Plains’ Taiji Sword Immortal, Iron King, Lord Hwangbo, and Lord Jegal seek an audience with you.”