125 – Qaidam Basin (1)

Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon
Chapter 125 – Qaidam Basin (1)
Translated by : moonchildkhz

***

Suddenly, a voice echoed throughout the building and Hyun Hak-jin hesitated.

His disciple, Kun Long, was startled and looked around.

Hyun Hak-jin started laughing.

“The Cult Leader’s skills have been revered for generations, but his skills are indeed incredible. ”

That skill just now.

It wasn’t exactly the same, but the skill was very similar to the Six Combination Sound Skill.

Ordinary martial artists might be frightened or frustrated.

However, the leader of the Kunlun was unlike any other martial artist.

His strength was also great. That was why he laughed at Woon-seong’s voice.

Then he starts climbing the staircase once more.

The wooden staircase continued to squeak.

There seemed to be no one inside, except for them. Even the rats were dead silent.

Perhaps Woon-seong had specially made it so, arranged for them to talk.

Hyun Hak-jin arrived in the space Woon-seong had worked hard to create. Ascending to the third floor, the highest level of the tower, a man was seen. 

A man stood alone with a glass in his hands, admiring the beautiful scenery of the sprawling mountains.

Hyun Hak-jin immediately recognized this man as the one who had called him here.

It wasn’t just the Black Dragon Robe the man was wearing.

There was the noble grace of a martial artist who had surpassed the absolute, and a unique feeling that could only be gained by a leader.

Hyun Hak-jin felt that way about Woon-seong.

Of course, this was only possible because Woon-seong did not hide all of his aura…

“The Ultimate Sword of the Kunlun.”

“Heavenly Demon.”

The two of them spoke each other’s titles, without knowing much else to say. 

Woon-seong threw a cup at the man.

Under the guidance of his qi, the cup shot through the air like a fleeting star.

Weng-

Tak!

Hyun Hak-jin lightly caught the cup and sat down in front of Woon-seong.

“This is the first time I am meeting you in person.”

Hyun Hak-jin emptied his cup before slowly saying, “I never imagined I would meet the Cult Leader in a place like this.”

The Cult of the Heavenly Demon and the Kunlun Sect gathered together to drink?

It was a scene that could not be understood with common sense. It never would have happened had the two of them not both been of the Seven Leaders of the Justice Blood Alliance, or if the present situation was not ongoing.

“I heard the story of the jade knife. I also heard that you will only be taking the position of Fifth Master temporarily.”

Woon-seong picked up a slice of pear and shoved it into his mouth, nodding, “When this is all over, I’m going to pick the right person and leave.”

Hyun Hak-jin nodded at Woon-seong’s words. 

Was it because he felt like just that statement was enough?

After the bottle of alcohol had been emptied, Woon-seong set down his chopsticks.

“Actually, I didn’t call you here for some big reason. I just wanted to hear what your thoughts are.”

At Woon-seong’s words, Hyuk Hak-jin also set his chopsticks down.

“You’ve already been told the story through the Justice Alliance. Cult Leader, what else do you want to know?”

One chuckled. 

The other waved his hand. 

It was an act of not bothering each other.

“Apart from what I’ve been told by the Justice Alliance, what do you think of Zhongyuan? Will you remain in silence, as it is now, or will you hinder our Cult’s movements…?”

At the end of his question, Woon-seong’s eyes flashed with golden light.

At the same time, demonic qi rose, spiking and bristling around the young man. In response, blue-colored qi also rose and billowed.

The pitiful Kun Long, who had been politely standing in the back, trembled under the pressure. 

It was difficult for him, but if Hyun Hak-jin had not blocked part of it, his ending would be quite shameful. 

The remaining power still made his hands and feet tremble. 

Meanwhile, Hyun Hak-jin continued to talk with Woon-seong.

“After the war is over, I know the believers will enter Qinghai, Gansu, and Sichuan, Cult Leader.”

The man deliberately used the word ‘believer’ instead of the word ‘zealots’. 

There was nothing good to be had from calling the demonic practitioners zealots to the Heavenly Demon’s face. This was a consideration from the older man.

Woon-seong nodded. 

As the man said, after the war, the Cult of the Heavenly Demon’s sphere of influence would extend beyond the Heavenly Mountains, stretching from Xinjiang and into Sichuan. 

That was a promise made by King Jinseong. 

When Woon-seong nodded, the man slightly lowered his head.

“There is only one thing this old man wants. I hope that when the Cult advances after the war, the demonic people will take care of the common people.”

Hyun Hak-jin asked for the civilians to be spared. That also implied that none of the civilians would be brought to the Cult of the Heavenly Demon or participate in war.

Woon-seong agreed, “I will do that.”

In fact, the Cult of the Heavenly Demon had already been extremely careful so far to avoid interrupting civilian life.

The Demonic Cult might not have the upright character of the Orthodox sects, but its foundation was clearly religion.

In order for them to spread their religious doctrine, they needed to act with the public in mind. 

The Cult hasn’t touched the civilians. 

The plan was to spread their doctrine as they went. Woon-seong had already spoken with the Strategist about this. 

At Woon-seong’s words, Hyun Hak-jin nodded as a smile spread across his wrinkled face. 

“That is enough.”

That day’s meeting ended there.

The first to leave were Hyun Hak-jin and his disciple.

Squeak- Squeak-

Hyun Hak-jin walked down the stairs and asked his disciple, “How was it?”

At the question, the disciple, Golden Dragon Kun Long, trembled. Then he raised his arms, curling into himself. “It was scary.”

To this point, Hyun Hak-jin nodded.

Woon-seong had not fully expressed himself, but it was true that the Heavenly Demon’s presence had been immense.

Even if the Kunlun tried to stop the Demonic Cult’s advance, they were afraid that their protest would lead to grief.

Of course, Kunlun was not weak. If they decided to feight, they would be able to do great damage to the Cult. But why foolishly start a fight?

“And he seems to be the same age as you.”

At Hyun Hak-jin’s words, the young Golden Dragon shivered once more.

Up until now, he had grown up hearing that he was a genius in the Kunlun Sect. 

It had only been seven years since he learned martial arts, so it was indeed true that his outstanding achievements made him unparalleled among the disciples of Kunlun.

But today, he felt like he saw the sky beyond the sky.

A man of such skill was as old as himself.

“So that is the Heavenly Demon.”

Hyun Hak-jin smiled and told his disciple, “Kangho is wide, so never be arrogant.”

The Golden Dragon nodded heavily.

Hyun Hak-jin smiled slightly. With this, his disciple would continue to develop without arrogance.

With that alone, didn’t that mean he had gained something from the meeting with the Heavenly Demon today?

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Hyun Hak-jin muttered to himself as he looked into the distance.

* * *

A few days after talking with the Kunlun Sect, Woon-seong stood at the top of a hill.

Of course, the pathway to the basin was higher than the hill, so he had to look up.

I don’t like it.

Woon-seong rolled his neck and shoulders. There was the sound of his joints cracking as he stretched. 

It wasn’t just that he didn’t like having to look up.

Lookouts and wooden barricades had been made along the path.

Although the camp had been made in a hurry, it used the geography to its full advantage, so the area seemed hidden at first glance.

If we fight here, we might have to fight a war of attrition.

Behind him stood the Strategist and the Charred Dragon Unit.

Gwan Tae-ryang, who was not Captain of the Charred Dragon Unit, came to stand next to Woon-seong and bowed his head in greeting. 

“It’s been a long time since I’ve stood on the battlefield with the Leader.”

Woon-seong chuckled at his words. 

As Gwan Tae-ryang said, Woon-seong had laid down the captaincy after becoming the Young Leader. So he had not fought with the other members of the Charred Dragon Unit for a while. 

“Indeed, it’s been a while. ”

Woon-seong closed his eyes, as if recalling the past with Gwan Tae-ryang.

“It’s an honor to stand on the same battlefield again with the Leader,” Gwan Tae-ryang bowed his head and said. 

The other members also bowed their heads.

There was not a single lie in their actions. They seemed to truly respect Woon-seong.

This was not simply the respect between the followers and the cult leader.

Apart from that, there was more respect that came from sincerity. It was a respect that stemmed from Woon-seong’s beginnings.

Woon-seong was a trainee from the Cave of Latent Demons, just like the Charred Dragons. At the same time, he was also the strongest of all of the trainees from the Cave of Latent Demons.

Therefore, Woon-seong was not only the pride of the Charred Dragon Unit, but also of the Cave of Latent Demons.

Look at him. 

Our comrade stands so high up. We can do it, too. 

Let us grow and become his strength. 

With that in mind, all the ex-trainees of the Cave of Latent Demons had been training, their respect for Woon-seong only growing.

The Charred Dragon Unit was not an exception.

Gwan Tae-ryang’s martial arts were so strong that he was incomparable to when he and Woon-seong had fought.

Other members of the unit, though not as strong as Gwan Tae-ryang, had still made significant improvements.

The one with the greatest accomplishment was Back Woon-ji. As a female member who specialized in stealth, she used to lack combat skills in comparison with Gwan Tae-ryang. 

And now?

If she fought in the dark, Back Woon-ji’s skills were a level above the Lieutenant’s.

Baek Woon-ji faced Woon-seong and smiled, bowing her head. 

After seeing that, Woon-seong turned towards the fortress. A moment later, turned to the Strategist, raising his energy. 

“As soon as I enter, I will break down the wall. Afterwards, the Charred Dragon Unit shall charge inside. The army should then force the Alliance towards the center of the basin. ”

“Understood.”

He then turned away from Sang Gwan-chuk and spoke to Gwan Tae-ryang and the Charred Dragon Unit.

“I hope there will be no disappointments.”

“That’s never going to happen. ”

Woon-seong nodded. Both of his hands were soon covered in flames of yellow and gray.

Fwoom-

The flame crackled and grew.

With his hands alight, Woon-seong took his first step towards the fortress and Qaidam Basin. 

“This is the first battle. I better make it spectacular.”

An eerie sound burst from Woon-seong’s mouth.

“Hehehehehehehehehehehe!”