Chapter 77 : Iron Demon and the Ghost Immortal

Chapter 77: Iron Demon and the Ghost Immortal

“What on earth is going on?”

The one who asked with an unmistakably startled expression was the Ghost Immortal, who had led the Mount Dian Sect’s investigative group into Sichuan.

The Qingyun Pavilion Lord of the Qingcheng Sect, who had known him before, briefly showed relief at seeing him, but soon replied with a heavy expression.

“Our sect’s matter is…… but what brings you here?”

Sensing that the answer was being deliberately avoided, the Ghost Immortal spoke.

“I was pursuing the Ghost Cult, and it led me into Sichuan, so I came to explain the circumstances.”

“The Ghost Cult. Hm…… It seems their claws have reached as far as Yunnan.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Half a month ago, Qingcheng received a demand to submit to the Ghost Cult.”

“What kind of absurd nonsense is that?”

The Ghost Immortal could not help but feel dumbfounded. Qingcheng was one of the most widely known sacred grounds of Daoism.

To him, the Qingyun Pavilion Lord continued.

“That’s right. We answered the same way. That it was utter nonsense.”

Pain was evident on the Qingyun Pavilion Lord’s face as he spoke.

“Did…… something happen?”

At the Ghost Immortal’s cautious question, the Qingyun Pavilion Lord shook his head.

“I cannot give you an answer.”

As far as the Ghost Immortal knew, once the Qingyun Pavilion Lord had decided to keep his mouth shut, there was no way to pry an answer from him.

Knowing that well, the Ghost Immortal sought not persuasion, but someone who could answer.

“Then who can give me an answer?”

“The Sect Master.”

“Then I will meet the Sect Master. Where is he?”

At the Ghost Immortal’s question, the Qingyun Pavilion Lord’s gaze turned toward the interior of Qingcheng, which was sealed off by a formation formed by hundreds of Qingcheng Daoists, including himself.

Realizing what that implied, the Ghost Immortal asked with widened eyes.

“Are you saying he is inside there?”

To that question, the Qingyun Pavilion Lord merely recited a Daoist invocation with pained eyes.

“Infinite Longevity Buddha.”

The Ghost Immortal could not understand what was happening at all.

But one thing was clear.

Something that would determine the fate of Qingcheng was unfolding.

“Please go back. Qingcheng, as it is now, can offer neither words nor help.”

Leaving only those words behind, the Qingyun Pavilion Lord once more joined his fellow Daoists and devoted himself to reinforcing the formation.

After watching the scene for a moment, the Ghost Immortal descended Qingcheng Mountain with the Mount Dian martial artists, whose faces were as confused as his own.

“What should we do?”

To the question from his junior brother Gwasong, the Ghost Immortal answered.

“For now, we go to Mount Emei. With Qingcheng like this, we’ll have to at least gain consent and a guide from there.”

“Will Mount Emei cooperate? They’re famous for refusing to get involved unless their own interests are at stake.”

“We have to try persuading them. Let’s go first.”

At the Ghost Immortal’s words, Gwasong and the Mount Dian martial artists followed, having no other choice.

If Mount Dian had sealed itself with a massive formation, Mount Emei had fully armed nuns blocking the mountain gate like an iron wall.

As if they intended to allow no one at all to ascend Mount Emei.

“This humble Daoist is the Ghost Immortal of Mount Dian—”

The Ghost Immortal’s voice as he introduced himself was cut off, buried under the sharp voice of a nun.

“Enough! Mount Emei is temporarily forbidding entry to outsiders. Turn back!”

The Ghost Immortal quietly looked at the nun who had stepped forward and shouted, then asked,

“Could it be that you are Abbess Hamyeol?”

“This is no time to welcome a visit from the Ghost Immortal. Please go down the mountain.”

With that response, it was confirmed both that she was indeed Abbess Hamyeol and that she recognized him.

“What in the world is happening?”

“These are not matters to be discussed with outsiders. So please, just return.”

She was obstinate.

Even considering Mount Emei’s famously sharp temperament, to bar fellow martial artists of the Nine Sects at the gate—this was far beyond the norm.

He sensed that something as serious as what had happened at Qingcheng had occurred here as well, but with the other party being so unyielding, there was no way to find out.

In the end, the Mount Dian martial artists descended Mount Emei as well, at a loss.

Leading them, the Ghost Immortal entered a small city near Mount Emei called Yishan.

Flags fluttered from every house in the town.

They were the flags of the Ghost Cult, which had recently been spreading with unstoppable momentum even in Yunnan, where Mount Dian was located.

However—

“Oh! That is!”

At the gesture of one Mount Dian martial artist, the Ghost Immortal turned his head and saw a house flying a flag that did not belong to the Ghost Cult.

The problem was that the flag—

“The Bright Cult?”

“Yes. That is definitely the Bright Cult’s flag.”

At Gwasong’s confirmation, the Ghost Immortal headed toward the house bearing the Bright Cult’s banner.

“Is anyone here?”

Only after calling several times did the owner come out, wearing a deeply uneasy expression.

“W-who…… are you?”

“I am a Daoist from Mount Dian. I have something I wish to ask—would you be able to answer?”

“We don’t believe in Daoism.”

“Ah! I’m not telling you to believe in Daoism.”

“Then why……?”

To the owner, who looked at him suspiciously, the Ghost Immortal asked,

“Most houses have hung the Ghost Cult’s flag. I was simply curious why only this house is flying the Bright Cult’s flag.”

“That’s obvious. It’s because our family are believers of the Bright Cult.”

The Ghost Immortal asked again of the owner, who answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Aren’t you afraid of the Ghost Cult?”

“How could we not be afraid? But…… ah! Over here, Instructor!”

Stopping mid-sentence, the homeowner waved with a bright expression.

Following his gaze, the Ghost Immortal turned his head and saw people approaching at a brisk pace.

—They’re Bright Cult members.

At Gwasong’s mental voice transmission, the Ghost Immortal sent a message to all Mount Dian disciples, including him.

—Do not act rashly.

Perhaps because of the Ghost Immortal’s transmission, the Mount Dian Daoists showed no particular agitation even as the Bright Cult members drew near.

“Are you all right, brother?”

“Thanks to the Instructor looking after us, we’ve always been at ease.”

“Were there any suppressions from the Ghost Cult?”

“Someone came by just yesterday, but when we shouted that we were Bright Cult believers, they simply left.”

“You must have been frightened, yet you showed great courage. Well done. I’m told that Bright Cult martial artists will finally be dispatched this afternoon, so please hold on with a bit more courage.”

At the words of the Bright Cult member called the Instructor, the homeowner’s face brightened.

“Are the Bright Cult’s martial artists really coming down?”

“Yes. Permission has been granted by the Cult Leader.”

“That’s a relief. Truly a relief.”

Watching the homeowner grab the Instructor’s hand and hop about in joy, the Mount Dian martial artists wore awkward expressions.

It was the first time they had ever seen commoners rejoice at the news that Bright Cult martial artists—symbols of death and destruction—were coming.

Among those Mount Dian martial artists, the Ghost Immortal was recalling a single face.

After exchanging a few more words with the Bright Cult Instructor, the homeowner shut the door and went back inside.

He did not even offer a greeting to the Mount Dian martial artists.

The Daoists of Mount Dian, who had never been treated like this anywhere before, were utterly bewildered.

Perhaps having sensed their feelings, the Bright Cult member called the Instructor spoke to them.

“Heavenly Demon Immortal. I am Hanjik, currently serving as an Instructor of the Bright Cult.”

“Infinite Longevity Buddha. I am the Ghost Immortal of Mount Dian.”

“Ah! So you are the Number One of Mount Dian, of whom it is said that non-action covers the heavens.”

At Hanjik’s bright expression, the Ghost Immortal gave a bitter smile.

Non-action covering the heavens?

It was praise far beyond him, someone who had been unable to utter a single word when he had clashed with the Vice Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.

However, since neither the man’s expression nor tone carried any hint of mockery, the Ghost Immortal accepted it sincerely.

“You flatter me excessively.”

“What humility. Our Vice Cult Leader said that with the Ghost Immortal in Mount Dian, there is nothing for them to envy elsewhere.”

“The Vice Cult Leader said such a thing?”

“Yes. He said your discernment is deep and your martial prowess is high, so Mount Dian has no need to envy any other place.”

“When…… was that?”

“Recently, those who receive Instructor ordination have an audience where they hear words from the Vice Cult Leader, per the Guardian of the Faith’s directive. I heard it then as well.”

“So you received your Instructor ordination recently.”

“Hahaha. Is it that obvious? That’s right. It’s been exactly half a month.”

“Is the Vice Cult Leader doing well?”

“He was until half a month ago. These days, I’m not sure.”

“Why is that?”

“I understand he’s been roaming heaven and earth trying to capture someone.”

“Capture whom?”

“He said they were the mastermind behind all of this. I don’t know the details myself.”

Judging that there was a limit to the amount of information he could extract from this newly appointed Instructor, the Ghost Immortal asked,

“I heard earlier that Bright Cult martial artists are coming down……”

“Yes. The Guardian of the Faith’s petition was accepted, and martial artists are finally being dispatched.”

“Do you understand what it means for Bright Cult martial artists to enter Sichuan?”

At the Ghost Immortal’s worried question, the Instructor’s expression darkened as well.

“How could I not? It could lead to a clash with the Hundred Paths.”

“Then why do you seem so pleased?”

“The Hundred Paths in Sichuan are failing to fulfill their role. It means the believers living in Sichuan are not being protected.”

“From the Ghost Cult?”

“That’s right. It’s no longer just extorting money like before…… the believers’ anxiety had grown too great.”

“Hm…… Where would I go to meet the Bright Cult martial artists?”

“I heard they are being dispatched to Chengdu, where the sealed Tang Clan resides, by the Hour of the Goat today.”

“Thank you.”

At the Ghost Immortal’s glance, the Mount Dian Daoists unleashed their movement techniques. The direction they headed was toward Chengdu.

The place in charge of the operation known as ‘Defending Sichuan’ was the Vice Cult Leader’s Pavilion.

Since the Vice Cult Leader himself was in charge, it was only natural that martial artists under his command would be dispatched.

Here, the question of exactly who those martial artists under the Vice Cult Leader were was officially addressed within the Bright Cult for the first time.

For now, those officially assigned by the Cult Leader’s command were the Iron Demon and the Profound Demon, along with squad leader–rank martial artists under them.

The Ghost Demon had failed the trial.

The plan to seize an opportunity using the Thousand-Year Ice Essence had collapsed when, unexpectedly, the Ghost Demon himself obtained it.

Naturally, the Ghost Demon’s Elder position was to be revoked, and it was decided as a matter of course that he and his subordinate squad leader–rank martial artists, who likewise lost their titles, would be assigned to the Vice Cult Leader’s chambers.

But the situation changed.

Because of the sudden bloodshed at the Tang Clan.

The revocation of the Ghost Demon’s Elder position was put on hold. Naturally, the squad leaders of the Third Elder’s Chamber retained their positions as well.

As a result, they were not officially under the Vice Cult Leader.

Another issue arose when the Thirteen Bloods claimed they were under the Vice Cult Leader, only to have that claim rejected at the Council of Elders.

The reason given was that the Thirteen Bloods were, strictly speaking, a combat group belonging under the Bright Cult’s military organization.

The Thirteen Bloods protested, but were unable to present any convincing argument.

The truly absurd part was that the Twenty-Seven Ghosts, who had spent a few days with the Vice Cult Leader, stepped forward and claimed that they too were under his command.

The Cult Leader laughed heartily, but the Council of Elders erupted in fury. They judged it a violation of discipline that all of the Bright Cult’s formal organizations were declaring allegiance to the Vice Cult Leader.

The Council of Elders demanded that the Discipline Court straighten out the Twenty-Seven Ghosts and restore order.

But the Discipline Court did not budge an inch.

That was because the one the Twenty-Seven Ghosts claimed to follow was the Vice Cult Leader.

No one knew better than the Discipline Court Head—known as the Cult Leader’s hunting dog—just how dearly the Cult Leader cherished the Vice Cult Leader.

In any case, the Twenty-Seven Ghosts’ claim was settled with a single remark from the Cult Leader.

“Did the Vice Cult Leader say he’d even take in half-wits like you?”

The term “half-wits” was grating, but none of them dared show it. In the Cult Leader’s eyes, most Bright Cult martial artists probably looked lacking.

And that wasn’t even the important part.

What mattered was that recognition from the Vice Cult Leader had suddenly become crucial.

The Twenty-Seven Ghosts, who had clung to the Vice Cult Leader upon his return from Sichuan and petitioned to be taken under his command, were crushed.

“If all of you work together and manage to suppress me, I’ll acknowledge you.”

At those words, the Thirteen Bloods beside them burst out laughing.

There was no way the Twenty-Seven Ghosts could accomplish something even they themselves would not dare attempt.

In short, they were utterly disregarded.

They say the sister-in-law who stops the beating is more hateful than the mother-in-law who strikes.

The Thirteen Bloods’ loud laughter was so infuriating that the same thought flashed through all the Twenty-Seven Ghosts’ minds at once—I want to drive a blade straight into their guts.

The problem was that if the Twenty-Seven Ghosts and the Thirteen Bloods were to clash, ten times out of ten, the ones getting blades in their bellies would be the Twenty-Seven Ghosts themselves, so they could not even attempt it.

In any case, with even the Twenty-Seven Ghosts dropping out, all that remained in the Vice Cult Leader’s Pavilion were the Iron Demon and the Profound Demon, along with their subordinate squad leader–rank martial artists.

Due to the Golden Flower Manor Bloodshed, there were still those confined to sickbeds, so the number of actually deployable personnel was only five squad leaders.

In other words, the Bright Cult martial artists who entered Chengdu in Sichuan consisted solely of the Iron Demon, the Profound Demon, and five squad leaders who were at Master Level.

They and the roughly fifty Mount Dian Daoists led by the Ghost Immortal stared blankly at one another.

In that situation, the Iron Demon’s growl burst forth.

“So what—are we throwing down right now?”