Chapter 139 : Visit for Investigation

Chapter 139: Visit for Investigation

“Judging by your expressions, it seems you still haven’t figured it out.”

“That is…… yes. It isn’t something included in the information we possess. However, since it resembles a Spirit Pill, we have speculated that it may have been made for a person to ingest.”

“Something a person consumes?”

“Yes. Given the powerful Ghostly Aura it contains, we suspect it could be a medium for Spirit Possession.”

“A medium for Spirit Possession…….”

Since he himself had already died once, the words ‘Spirit Possession’ drew considerable interest from Yul Han. As he reacted, the Profound Demon continued his explanation.

“It seems likely that those Zhuge bastards intended to create Spirit Possession Vessels and use them as their hands and feet.”

“Would those Spirit Possession Vessels truly obey the Zhuge Clan?”

“Which is why I believe there must be some additional arrangement prepared for that purpose.”

“So you’re saying this Ghostly Being would only be complete once some sort of additional measure is added.”

“Judging by the current Ghostly Aura, as you said, Vice Cult Leader, Spirit Possession itself may be possible—but controlling those possessed Vengeful Spirits at will would not be.”

As he listened to the Profound Demon’s explanation, Yul Han kept thinking about the Great Reversion Pill the Zhuge Clan had secured.

He could not shake the suspicion that it might play some role in the final grand art they spoke of.

It was a misunderstanding born of his ignorance of the complicated schemes tangled within the Zhuge Clan’s internal affairs—but in the end, that very misunderstanding led Yul Han to decide to head for the Zhuge Clan.

“Let’s go and see first. If we clash with them, we’ll find out.”

With only those words left behind, Yul Han vanished.

Momentarily flustered, the Profound Demon, the Ghost Demon, and Pageuk disappeared at the same time.

They had followed after Yul Han.

The Ghost Spirit Blood needed to follow them as well, but he could not.

He had no idea where they had gone, nor how far ahead they were.

He could only keenly realize that the gap between the Manifestation Realm and the Transcendent Realm was greater than he had imagined—there was simply no way for him to pursue them.

If that was the case for the Ghost Spirit Blood, who had reached the Transcendent Realm, then Dark Soul Blood, who remained at the Super-Peak Realm, and the Instructor of the Departed, who barely clung to the level of a First Rate Martial Artist, could only stand there in despair.

As though they had originally belonged there, Yul Han and his group revealed themselves—and their gazes fell upon the Zhuge Clan.

“Shall we break in?”

At the Profound Demon’s question—whether they should smash through the main gate—Yul Han shook his head.

“Let’s meet the ones who’ve been waiting first.”

“You mean the monks hiding around that corner?”

“Yes. The way they’re watching this place—it’s as if they’ve been waiting for someone. It seems the Human-Faced Spider has taken the bait.”

Having heard a rough explanation of the situation on their way here, they understood why Yul Han mentioned a trap.

“Shall we drag them over?”

“We’ll just go ourselves.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Yul Han’s figure disappeared.

When he reappeared, he stood at the mouth of an alley over a hundred jang away.

They had suggested dragging them over out of concern that the monks might flee if they approached—but at that speed, even if they wished to run, they would not be able to.

The Profound Demon smirked, and the rest of the group moved as well.

As if popping in and out of space itself, they revealed themselves one after another.

Monk Ilju and his three secular disciples stiffened at the sight.

In particular, Monk Ilju, who recognized Yul Han’s identity the moment he appeared first, stepped forward in fright as though to shield his disciples behind him.

Seeing that, the Profound Demon, who appeared next, sneered.

“You’re that scared, yet you laid a trap and set bait?”

“W-we never set a trap for anyone from the Bright Cult!”

“Well, I suppose that bastard was from the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold.”

At the indifferent reply, Monk Ilju’s eyes widened.

“D-don’t tell me the Human-Faced Spider……?”

Yul Han had no intention of satisfying Monk Ilju’s curiosity. Instead, he took another step forward.

“Why? What was your reason for drawing in the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold?”

“Th-that is…….”

“Were you perhaps planning to extract the Great Reversion Pill while they stirred up chaos?”

As Yul Han precisely exposed their hidden intentions, Monk Ilju’s expression grew awkward.

Taking that alone as his answer, Yul Han nodded.

“Very well. We will play the role of the Four Calamity Emperors’ Stronghold for you. In exchange, you will lead the way.”

“L-lead the way……?”

“You will enter together with us. A formal visit.”

“To use Shaolin’s name alongside the Demonic Cult at a time like this…….”

“You bastard trying to die?!”

The one who immediately flared up was the Ghost Demon.

Unlike the Profound Demon, who harbored the Blood Cult in his heart, or Pageuk, who had only recently joined, the Bright Cult was the Ghost Demon’s pride—his entire being.

Yul Han raised a hand to restrain his fury.

“We are in the middle of a conversation.”

Without even turning his head, he spoke in a cold voice.

The Ghost Demon stiffened in realization.

“Ah! M-my apologies.”

As the Ghost Demon stepped back, Yul Han looked at Monk Ilju and spoke.

“I won’t bother with the cliché about respecting others if you wish to be respected yourself. Just be careful. I won’t always be at your side.”

In other words, if he uttered such words in a situation where Yul Han was absent, he might not escape whatever harm the Ghost Demon chose to inflict.

It was, in effect, a threat.

Realizing Yul Han’s intent, the Ghost Demon—who had immediately stepped back earlier—now glared at Monk Ilju with eyes blazing blue with Killing Intent, as though he had never been flustered at all.

Intimidated by that gaze, Monk Ilju hastily offered an apology.

“M-my words were excessive.”

“Then simply refrain from doing so next time. In any case, I trust you will take the lead.”

“If we enter under our name, what do you intend to do?”

At Monk Ilju’s question, Yul Han answered plainly.

“I intend to find the Great Reversion Pill.”

To Monk Ilju and his secular disciples, those words could easily sound as though the Bright Cult had also come to covet the Great Reversion Pill. Their eyes widened.

Yul Han smiled faintly.

“Of course, if we find it, we will return the Great Reversion Pill to Shaolin.”

“That suggests you desire something else.”

“There is no need for me to explain that.”

With that abrupt remark, Yul Han turned his head.

Following his gaze, the people of Room 32 stood awkwardly.

They had discovered a Shaolin insignia left near the Zhuge Clan and followed it without much thought—only to run into this situation.

Looking at them, Yul Han spoke.

“You seem to have followed the Ghostly Aura. Perhaps you could provide an explanation.”

With that, Yul Han stepped back.

The people of Room 32 approached.

Representing them, Great Master Jeongbeop stepped forward.

“What brings you here?”

“Pretending ignorance will not conceal what you already know.”

“Th-that is…….”

As though struck at the heart of the matter, Great Master Jeongbeop faltered.

Yul Han continued.

“I have no intention of seizing leverage over the Orthodox Faction from this incident to gain advantage. I merely wish to prevent something problematic in advance.”

“You are saying the Bright Cult would forgo an opportunity to shame the Orthodox Faction and seize the upper hand?”

“It seems you are misunderstanding something. If we intended to crush the Orthodox Faction, we would not require justification.”

It was a statement grounded in overwhelming confidence.

If they wished, they could simply crush them at any time.

The issue was that Great Master Jeongbeop could not refute those words.

Seeing his troubled expression, Yul Han spoke again.

“We are merely wasting precious time. If you understand, then explain—and let us enter.”

Under Yul Han’s indifferent gaze, Great Master Jeongbeop finally nodded.

Then Monk Ilyeon—who was also his senior brother in private—explained the circumstances to Monk Ilju.

Hearing the explanation, Monk Ilju was visibly startled.

Monk Ilyeon then asked him,

“What brings you here, junior brother? There are Shaolin insignias placed everywhere requesting assistance. Has something happened?”

Since he could not openly mobilize his disciples, this had been the measure Monk Ilju had taken.

He had left the insignias in hopes that a secular disciple who recognized them while passing by might come to aid him.

At the mention of the insignias, Monk Ilju explained the situation.

After hearing everything, Monk Ilyeon’s eyes widened.

“Then does that mean there is a Supreme Treasure inside the Zhuge Clan at this very moment?!”

“Yes. Of the five that were stored in the Sutra Pavilion, three have been diverted here.”

“This madness!”

Monk Ilyeon could not help but erupt in fury.

Shaolin could no longer produce the Great Reversion Pill, known as a peerless elixir.

Though the secret method of compounding it was still passed down within Shaolin, they could no longer obtain all the necessary ingredients.

Through tremendous effort, they had somehow gathered the other materials—but the three most crucial ingredients were utterly impossible to acquire.

That was only natural.

Those missing ingredients were the Thousand-Year Golden Toad, the Empty Blue Stone Oil, and the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.

Each of them alone was considered a miraculous elixir.

The reason it was widely said that the Great Reversion Pill could no longer be made was precisely because of this.

For that reason, the last time Shaolin had compounded the Great Reversion Pill was seven hundred years ago.

Naturally, unless it was an unavoidable crisis, they had preserved it without use—and now only five remained.

To learn that such a treasure, one that might save Shaolin from utter catastrophe, had been diverted outside merely to gain wealth—how could he not rage?

Yul Han spoke to Monk Ilyeon.

“If it has not yet been used, I promise to retrieve it and return it. So……”

“Let us go. I will lead. For those who would commit such acts, dividing between Orthodox and Demonic is a laughable matter.”

With righteous fury surging within him, Monk Ilyeon strode forward.

Monk Ilju followed with a troubled expression.

He understood the sentiment—but their opponent was the Zhuge Clan, one of the Six Great Clans.

Given what they had done, this incident could easily serve as a pretext to deepen the rift between the Six Great Clans and the Nine Sects.

Unaware—or unconcerned—of his junior brother’s worries, Monk Ilyeon marched up and pounded on the main gate of the Zhuge Clan.

Though they were a martial faction within the Martial World, the Zhuge Clan prided themselves as the family of the Wise One and were famous for not stationing Gate Guards.

Perhaps for that reason, it took some time of knocking before the gate opened, revealing a group of martial artists.

They were visibly startled at the number gathered outside. Their voices were filled with confusion.

“Who…… are you?”

“Room 32 of the Orthodox Alliance Inspection Department. We have matters to investigate. Cooperate.”

With only that curt declaration, they pushed their way in.

The momentum alone forced the Zhuge Clan’s martial artists backward.

As outsiders stepped into the clan grounds, one of the Zhuge Clan martial artists seemed to decide this could not stand and placed a short whistle to his lips.

Thud.

A sword, still sheathed, had come to rest upon his shoulder before anyone noticed.

“Let’s not make me draw my sword.”

At the chilling voice of the Ghost Demon, both the Zhuge Clan martial artist holding the whistle and the people of Room 32—led by Monk Ilyeon—were taken aback.

“Vi-violence is…….”

At Monk Ilyeon’s flustered protest, the Ghost Demon replied indifferently.

“You thought words alone would solve it?”

At the rebuke-like question, neither the people of Room 32 nor Monk Ilju and his secular disciples could respond.

After sweeping his gaze across them, Yul Han gave his command.