Chapter 66 : The Threat Beyond the Heavenly Mountains

Chapter 66: The Threat Beyond the Heavenly Mountains

After escorting the Golden Flower Manor’s second Western Regions Trade Caravan and getting it safely across the Heavenly Mountains, Ghost Demon’s mood was far from good.

Despite exercising such caution while crossing the Heavenly Mountains, two of Golden Flower Manor’s workers had slipped and fallen to their deaths from a cliff.

A Golden Flower Manor merchant with experience trading with the Western Regions marveled, saying it was practically a miracle that they had lost only two people before crossing the Heavenly Mountains.

But it did not really resonate with Ghost Demon.

From his perspective, whether two died or everyone died, the result was the same: failure in the Vice Cult Leader’s test.

Once he returned, only brutal training like the kind Iron Demon had endured would be waiting for him.

Here, Ghost Demon decided to take a gamble.

<Thousand-Year Ice Essence>

It was an elixir known as a treasure of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

If one wondered why an elixir of the Northern Sea would be sought in the Heavenly Mountains, it was because the summit of the Heavenly Mountains was as cold as the Northern Sea and covered in eternal snow.

More decisively, there were records. Records that Thousand-Year Ice Essence had once been discovered in the Heavenly Mountains.

That was why, among the successive Cult Leaders of the Bright Cult, the inexplicable epithet “Ice-White Demon Emperor” had appeared.

To be honest, he had not refined an actual ice art. He had merely learned a Yin-cold palm technique called the Cold White Demon Palm.

Yet it was said that from the palm of his hand, after obtaining the Thousand-Year Ice Essence, an ice force capable of freezing everything had surged forth.

The fact that someone who had been no more than at the Supreme Peak had instantly crossed beyond the Transformation Realm had also been thanks to the Thousand-Year Ice Essence.

After that, he continued to grow and grow, eventually rising to the position of Cult Leader—an archetypal rags-to-riches figure.

It seemed the squad leaders of the Third Elder’s Residence were just as curious as to why Ghost Demon was seeking the Thousand-Year Ice Essence that had created such a miracle.

Because they had asked for the reason behind the order to find the Thousand-Year Ice Essence.

“You’re planning to become Cult Leader?”

Ghost Demon countered the question posed by Myeongho, the First Squad Leader who acted as the senior among the squad leaders under his command.

“Let’s say the Ice-White Demon Emperor of the past were to manifest again, and he fought our current Cult Leader. Who do you think would win?”

Ghost Demon’s behavior—asking something irrelevant instead of answering the question—did not sit well with Myeongho, but he answered faithfully.

If it bothered him that much, he just needed to become stronger than Ghost Demon.

“Going by the remaining records, I think it would be evenly matched.”

“Right. You think so too, don’t you?”

“Yes, I think so.”

Seeing Myeongho nod obediently, Ghost Demon said,

“Alright, here’s the problem. Let’s say I obtain the Thousand-Year Ice Essence and gain abilities on the level of the Ice-White Demon Emperor.”

“Wow! At that point, you’d have to go straight for it. If you hesitate there, you’re not even a man. You only know how long or short it is once you measure it, so you’ve got to challenge first.”

Ghost Demon shook his head at Myeongho’s words.

“Nope. That’s exactly why you can’t enter the Supreme Peak and keep wandering around the very top of the peak.”

“Are you saying that’s wrong?”

To Myeongho, who asked with his eyes wide, Ghost Demon replied,

“Yes. Let’s say I grew to the level of the Ice-White Demon Emperor and challenged the Cult Leader. Do you think the Vice Cult Leader would be pleased?”

“Well… I don’t think so.”

“Of course not. As much as our Cult Leader is known as a disciple fool and disciple worshiper, the Vice Cult Leader’s trust in the Cult Leader is absolute. Even when Kongtong was turned into a sea of blood in the incident fifteen years ago, he didn’t raise his voice at the Cult Leader even once.”

It was true.

Back then, the only words the Vice Cult Leader had said to the Cult Leader, in a deeply subdued voice, were, ‘I’m disappointed,’ and ‘I’ll never forget this.’

Of course, those two words alone had made the Cult Leader act as if the sky had collapsed.

In any case, the fact that the Vice Cult Leader cherished the Cult Leader dearly was common knowledge among all Bright Cult martial artists.

Ah! And there was one more thing everyone knew: that the Vice Cult Leader was unquestionably stronger than the Cult Leader.

During the execution of Elder Seomyeolgui, the elders had clearly witnessed that although the Cult Leader had blocked with all his might, Elder Seomyeolgui’s head had still been severed.

“Alright, another question. Let’s say I’ve grown to the level of the Ice-White Demon Emperor and challenge the Cult Leader. What do you think would happen to me?”

At Ghost Demon’s question, Myeongho answered with an expression that suggested he had belatedly realized something.

“I think my head would go flying before I even got close to the Cult Leader.”

“Exactly. The moment I shout ‘challenge,’ the Vice Cult Leader’s sword would come flying. I’d bet everything I have on it.”

Nodding as if he agreed, Myeongho then asked,

“Then why are you looking for the Thousand-Year Ice Essence?”

The question had returned to the beginning.

He couldn’t understand why Ghost Demon would seek something that would only plunge him into an abyss of death even if he consumed it. To that question, Ghost Demon answered crisply.

“A bribe.”

“A bribe? Ah! You mean offering it to the Vice Cult Leader and asking him to forgive our failure?”

“Tsk. With our Vice Cult Leader’s personality, do you think that would work?”

At Ghost Demon’s question, Myeongho recalled the Vice Cult Leader’s usual behavior and disposition, and shook his head.

“I’d really die before dying from harsh training.”

“Right. Obvious.”

“Then why call it a bribe…?”

At Myeongho’s mutter, his face full of grievance, Ghost Demon said,

“A bribe isn’t something that works just because you give it. It’s an item that requires a high-level technique.”

“What kind of technique?”

“You have to make an offer that the recipient absolutely cannot refuse, taking into account their tendencies, personality, current situation—everything.”

“Then what are you planning to do with the Thousand-Year Ice Essence?”

At Myeongho’s question, clearly unable to grasp it, the gazes of the other squad leaders all turned to Ghost Demon’s mouth at once.

They were just as curious.

Under the gaze of the squad leaders, Ghost Demon answered.

“Vice Cult Leader. Please give this to the Cult Leader.”

In an instant, expressions spread across the squad leaders’ faces as if they had been struck hard by something.

Among the internal cultivation arts their Cult Leader was practicing, there were clearly those of the Yin-cold category.

If that were combined with the Thousand-Year Ice Essence?

There was a strong possibility he would become a master on the Vice Cult Leader’s level, surpassing even the Four Heavenly Forces.

Only now realizing this, the squad leaders could not hide their shock, and amid them Myeongho asked,

“Then the Vice Cult Leader wouldn’t have a choice but to accept that offer! At that point, you’d ask him to overlook us, right?”

At Myeongho’s excited question, Ghost Demon shook his head once more.

“If you want to ruin a perfectly cooked meal by sticking your nose in it and head straight to the Yellow Springs, you can do that.”

“Then what are we supposed to do?”

To Myeongho’s puzzled question, Ghost Demon replied,

“Please grant us another chance.”

In that instant, a wave of admiration surged!

The squad leaders raised their thumbs without hesitation.

It was a proposal that perfectly matched the Vice Cult Leader’s temperament—valuing challenge and persistence rather than bowing before failure.

Watching Ghost Demon shrug his shoulders at the squad leaders’ praise, Myeongho could not help but marvel inwardly.

‘As expected, his judgment is exceptional. That must be why he even reached the Transformation Realm. So the elders were right—judgment and enlightenment really are inseparable. Then I, too….’

Myeongho resolved to cultivate his judgment no matter what.

Amid the squad leaders, Ghost Demon issued his order.

“So find it! No matter what it takes, we must find the Thousand-Year Ice Essence if we want to live!”

“Yes, sir!”

Responding thunderously, the ten squad leaders of the Third Elder’s Residence dispersed to search for the Thousand-Year Ice Essence.

The mountain range commonly called the Heavenly Mountains by people of the Central Plains was immense, stretching some four thousand five hundred li from east to west.

Naturally, there were many people who lived relying on this mountain range.

Of course, no one could live near the peaks, which were covered in eternal snow. It was simply too cold.

The mid-slopes were not a favorable environment for habitation either.

The terrain was far too rugged.

As a result, those who lived relying on the Heavenly Mountains all formed villages along the mountain foothills.

On the eastern side lived mountain tribes centered around the Bright Cult.

As one might guess from the word “centered,” the religion of these tribes was uniformly the Bright Cult.

That was also why people of the Central Plains referred to the Bright Cult as the religion of the Heavenly Mountain tribes.

By contrast, those living on the western side—that is, along the western foothills beyond the peaks of the Heavenly Mountains—were divided among countless religions.

Among them, the tribe with the largest scale and the fiercest reputation was the Lu Tribe.

These people, who worshiped dozens of gods whose names were not even known in the Central Plains, were famous as a mountain warrior tribe.

The reason was that their warriors practiced martial arts similar to the internal energy techniques of the Central Plains.

Some claimed those martial arts had spread from people who crossed over from the Central Plains, but that had never been proven.

Perhaps because of this, the weapon techniques used by the Lu Tribe’s warriors were also quite formidable, to the point that it was said they had no equal in the region.

For such reasons, to the people beyond the Heavenly Mountains, the tribe known as the shield of the Heavenly Mountains was none other than the Lu Tribe.

Calling them a shield might make them sound benevolent, but that was far from the truth.

Just looking at the fact that banditry was their livelihood made the nature of the tribe obvious at a glance.

Their primary targets were trade caravans from the Central Plains traveling along the Silk Road.

They strictly avoided touching caravans from the western countries, since doing so might provoke punitive expeditions from those nations.

But caravans coming from the east, from the Central Plains, posed no such concern.

The history of large-scale expeditions crossing the Heavenly Mountains from the Central Plains was so rare one could count them on one hand, and even those required accepting massive losses.

Thus, the Lu Tribe had lived without much worry, sustaining themselves by plundering caravans crossing the Heavenly Mountains from the Central Plains.

The problem was that over the past few years, there had been no caravans from the Central Plains crossing the Heavenly Mountains at all.

That was why they had completely stripped the caravan they had recently spotted.

The Lu Tribe’s situation was too dire to be satisfied with merely collecting a transit toll and letting it pass.

That was why, after completely looting the first Golden Flower Manor Western Regions Trade Caravan, the Lu Tribe also attacked the second one.

The Golden Flower Manor Western Regions Trade Caravan did not simply submit without resistance.

Seeing no prospect of resolving things through dialogue with the Lu Tribe, they fought back fiercely.

That was precisely why they had brought escort warriors along with the caravan.

Even so, the battle unfolded with the Lu Tribe holding overwhelming advantage.

In both numbers and individual strength, the Lu Tribe was superior.

If there was any misfortune for the Lu Tribe, it was only that the scene of the battle was spotted by the eyes of Myeongho, the First Squad Leader of the Third Elder’s Residence, who was scouring the Heavenly Mountains in search of the Thousand-Year Ice Essence.

From near the summit, Myeongho gazed down blankly at the sight of the caravan he had escorted being utterly looted and its people slaughtered, and he wavered.

After all, their escort duty extended only to getting the caravan across the summit of the Heavenly Mountains.

What happened after that was entirely the caravan’s own responsibility.

In other words, whether they were wiped out down there or slaughtered all the bandits and continued safely, it no longer had anything to do with the Third Elder’s Residence.

Still…

“This leaves a really foul taste in my mouth.”

One month.

Short if short, long if long—it was time they had spent together.

Watching people like that die without doing anything was not a pleasant experience.

In the end, Myeongho turned away and moved to report to Ghost Demon.

After Myeongho left, the Lu Tribe took the survivors captive, gathered the goods, and returned to their village with satisfied expressions.

Not a single one of them realized that their actions had been discovered by outsiders.

Ghost Demon, upon receiving Myeongho’s report, also wavered.

“Should we intervene?”

“Beyond the mountain peaks isn’t under our jurisdiction, but…”

Ghost Demon was about to decide against intervening when Myeongho’s next words forced him to change his mind.

“…But if the Vice Cult Leader learns that we saw it and pretended not to, wouldn’t he be disappointed?”

No sooner had Myeongho finished speaking than Ghost Demon grabbed his blade and stood up.

“Hey. Gather the men. We rescue them immediately.”

As Myeongho fired a signal flare to summon the scattered squad leaders at Ghost Demon’s decision, a faint smile crept onto his lips.

For some reason, he liked Ghost Demon’s decision.