124 – Palace of the Sun Devil (2)

Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon
Chapter 124 – Palace of the Sun Devil (2)
Translated by : moonchildkhz

***

The Demonic army, which became more powerful due to the merger with the Palace of the Sun Devil, camped near the Great Wall.

At this time, Woon-seong examined the Great Wall. 

Their enemies were not only the Martial Alliance, but also the Imperial Palace. It would take a great battle to cross the Great Wall if the Imperial Palace would not let the Cult through.

That was why the army had set up camp here, to stay a day and see what the plans were for the Great Wall. 

Perhaps it was because of rumors that the Demonic Cult was coming, but the Gateway to the Great Wall, through which many people travel to and from each day, was unusually silent.

Guards yawned in their seats by the gate. 

Hmn. 

Woon-seong stood in the camp and stared at the wall. 

He was sure that the Imperial Court would have heard about the Demonic Cult coming, but the expressions of the soldiers guarding the walls were of boredom. 

At first, he thought it was a trap.

But it wasn’t a trap at all.

It was not an act of provocation, but that they were truly unprepared. 

It was as if the war of Murim had nothing to do with them. 

Hmm. 

Woon-seong touched his nose lightly. A gust of wind blew his Black Dragon robes. 

The Strategist appeared after a moment and said, “Leader, what shall I do?”

“Have some of the troops pass through and report the results.”

“Respect,” the Strategist nodded.

Immediately after the order was issued, a small group of scouts was separated and sent to the front.

The Eastern Armed Forces were camped out in front as the Western Armed Forces waited on stand by. The other two units, the Southern Armed Forces and the Northern Armed Forces, would assist the other two from the back.

As Woon-seong watched, the scouts approached the Great Wall from the outside. 

By the time they were almost near the wall, the Strategist, who had gone down to give the order, returned and stood next to Woon-seong.

“They will pass.”

Then he turned to look at the small group from the rearguard, who were now entering the gate. 

Woon-seong nodded. 

“Are you sure they’re not prepared for anything? ”

Sang Gwan-chuk glanced at the wall for a moment. As a soldier, his eyes were hard, as if he was ready for battle. 

But he was a military strategist.

He always had to assume the worst.

“I’ll have some troops stay near the walls just in case. And if I see any movement, I’ll give the order to get back to you immediately. ”

The Cult Leader nodded his head. That was the least they could do.

Though it was a pity to leave a portion of the troops here, it was better than to fall into a trap and lose more.

Woon-seong looked up at the sky. Darkness had begun to spread like a curtain. 

He lowers his head, looking down to where the troops had settled and were preparing a meal.

Woon-seong watched the smoke rise into the sky. 

“I will spend the night here. Send a letter to the soldiers who entered first and tell them not to go too far. We will start marching again early tomorrow morning. ”

The Strategist bowed his head, “Understood.”

Dawn was brighter than Woon-seong expected.

Since it was an open plain, the sun rose more clearly.

Woon-seong glanced at the army and announced:

“Today, we shall enter the Central Plains.”

And finally, the Cult of the Heavenly Demon had moved beyond its boundaries and into the Central Plains.

* * *

The Demonic Cult had entered Zhongyuan.

Although it was on the outskirts, the Qinghai Province was definitely part of Zhongyuan. 

It was also home to the Kunlun Sect, one of the major Taoist sects. 

They should have heard the rumors a while ago and prepared. But there was no commotion. 

Rather, almost everything was abandoned. Everyone had retreated into their homes.

In this situation, the demonic soldiers were dumbfounded.

Woon-seong made a rough guess and told the Strategist, “The closed sects mean that they will not antagonize the Cult. They will not attack.”

 “What is the reason for that?”

In response, Woon-seong briefly told the Strategist about the Justice Blood Alliance. 

While the Cult was preparing for its trip to the Central Plains, Jegal Sung and King Jinseong would have made their own preparations.

Obviously, part of those preparations included making sure that factions that had joined the Justice Blood Alliance would not attack the Demonic Cult. 

Woon-seong’s conclusion was correct. 

Most of the sects which closed their doors remained un-hostile to the Cult and had been contacted by Jegal Sung. 

“Then what do we do with the other sects, the ones who have run away? ”

“I have to set an example. Burn down their forsaken sects and plant the Cult’s flag in their place.”

“Understood.”

Everything was done as Woon-seong commanded. The flag of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon began to fly above buildings of Qinghai.

It was a very different situation from their previous march into Zhongyuan.

That time, the Cult had to shed rivers of blood in order to gain new territory. This time, it was bloodless.

Of course, that was not reassuring.

“What about the Taoists? ”

A major orthodox sect, occupying a seat in the Five Mountains Swords Alliance. 

The Kunlun Sect.

Whenever the Cult had descended upon Zhongyuan, the Kunlun had been at the forefront of defense.

But right now, it was not moving at all.

The lord of the Kunlun is one of the Seven Leaders of the Justice Alliance. 

The man would naturally also know that Woon-seong was the master of the Fifth Jade Knife.

He must have been contacted by Jegal Sung.

But even so, he was still the leader of the Kunlun Sect. Woon-seong had to meet with him at least once and find out what his intentions were.

“Send a letter to Kunlun. Tell the master of Kunlun I wish to see him. ”

“Understood.”

“What happened to the factions that abandoned their sects? ”

At Woon-seong’s words, Sang Gwan-chuk unfolded a map of Qinghai. He then pointed at the Qaidam Basin.

“I  found that all those who retreated according to word from the Martial Alliance have set up in the Qaidam Basin.”

“The Qaidam Basin…”

A basin located in the north-western part of Qinghai.

This basin was located between the Altun, Qilian, and Kunlun mountain systems. 

Although lower than the rest of the Tibetan Plateau, the altitude of the basin was still relatively high.

Since mountains bounded it from all sides and it had high elevation, the Qaidam Basin was an excellent strategic point.

Tsk, Woon-seong clicked his tongue lightly. Of course they were there. 

The Martial Alliance could not just abandon their sects without thought. If they did, they would become the laughingstocks of the world. 

So you decided to stay there. 

There’s a lake nearby, so there’s even a source of water. 

Woon-seong nodded to himself. It might take a long time to properly conquer the basin. 

However, Woon-seong did not intend to stall in Qinghai. After occupying more than half of the province, the Eastern Army would continue eastward. 

The Eastern Army had to move and completely capture Gansu in order to establish a safe supply route. 

In order to do that, it was important for the Qaidam Basin to become part of the Cult’s territory. 

“Change direction and march towards Qaidam Basin. The Charred Dragon Unit will be at the front, and I will be the vanguard.”

Sang Gwan-chuk was startled at his words. “You will personally lead?”

“I don’t intend to stall here. I will personally take down the Orthodox forces here. If the base can be destroyed and we can secure Qaidam and the passage to Gansu, it will be an advantage for the fight in Zhongyuan”

 As Qinghai was located on the periphery, the number of martial artists in the area was smaller than compared to other provinces. 

The fact was that martial artists of the Alliance here lagged behind the Demonic forces in both number and quality. The Demonic Cult would win if they could fight straight on. 

I don’t intend to save my strength. Push the Martial Alliance to oblivion within the shortest time and kill Jwa Do-gyul. 

Beijing would be next.

Sang Gwan-chuk bowed his head. “I will send your letter.”

And a few days later, a reply arrived from Kunlun. 

* * *

It was quiet.

All sources of light were extinguished. There was no sense of inhabitation at all. 

This was not natural no matter how dark the night may be. It was obvious that someone had artificially made the area like this. 

As if to prove it, a shimmering glow was emanating from the center of the city.

It was brilliant, like it had absorbed all the light in the area.

It seemed to be welcoming someone.

And sure enough, someone entered the village.

Where there was no signs of humanity within 20 li of the place, two people walked in with the flutter of wind. 

One was an old man in uniform, and the other was a young man, in uniform as well.

A bright light seemed to emanate from the old man’s eyes. The youth had a distinguished vigor and a unique grace with which he carried himself. 

Tao was the source, pattern, and substance of everything that exists. It was a discipline of the mind. The more one walked down this path, the closer they would be to becoming one with the world. 

From that point of view, the two of them could be considered quite close to perfection. 

Among the two, it was the old man who opened his mouth first.

“There it is.”

Like the old man said, the young man bowed his head politely.

“Yes, Master.”

The two of them walked straight towards the building.

It was a brothel.

The old man soon burst into laughter.

“Such a place to meet a Taoist…This Cult Leader has a mischievous side to him.”

The two of them were members of the Kunlun Sect.

They were no ordinary disciples. 

The elderly man who walked in front was Hyun Hak-jin, the First Sword of Kunlun and Master of the Kunlun Sect. 

The following disciple was a man who had not yet gained such a title, but was called the Golden Dragon within the sect. 

Kun Long was a late starter, but an accomplished man nonetheless, who would be named as a sword in the coming spring.

The two of them had showed up here because of Woon-seong’s summon. 

And they finally entered the now illuminated building, stepping into the area where Woon-seong was waiting. 

Squeak-

As the old floorboards creaked, Woon-seong’s voice echoed through the room.

“There you are.”