Chapter 141 : When It Was Time to Withdraw

Chapter 141: When It Was Time to Withdraw

The moment Yul Han’s order fell, the Ghost Demon and Pageuk moved.

The martial artists of the Zhuge Clan who had been blocking the way reacted all at once, but it took no more than a few breaths for them to be broken through.

To be honest, if not for the Vice Cult Leader’s voice saying, “Do not kill them,” we could have cleared them away even faster.

Simply cutting off every single one of their heads would have been far easier.

Instead, after beating them senseless and rendering them incapable of resistance, we opened a path, and Yul Han stepped forward.

Truthfully, the reason he had ordered others to clear the way instead of stepping in himself was not because he wished to use his subordinates.

It was because of the nature of the martial arts he had been experiencing lately.

The martial arts he knew were far too steeped in killing intent.

They were so ferocious that even stopping at merely subduing an opponent required an extraordinary level of mental focus to avoid crossing the line.

Against three or four men, perhaps it was manageable, but facing dozens without drawing blood had become difficult.

Until recently, he could achieve that by restraining his strength. But ever since he had felt that the Demon Wall Five Absolutes had reached near perfection, it had grown difficult.

After that moment when he had felt himself ascend another step, the boundary of what it meant to “hold back” had blurred.

There had been more than a few times when he thought he had restrained himself, only for his martial arts to erupt with excessive force.

Fortunately, his training partners were in the Manifestation Realm as well. Had they merely been in the Transcendent Realm, rumors might have spread that the Vice Cult Leader had exploded in fury during training and beaten someone to death.

It was no small number of dangerous moments.

To the point that even the Thirteen Bloods and Demon Flower, who trained with him, limited themselves to one-on-one sparring with Yul Han. The multi-opponent, real-combat-style bouts where he had tangled with several at once had been halted.

That was why he had entrusted the matter to the Ghost Demon and Pageuk.

But the result had not been good.

True, none had died—but too many of the Zhuge Clan martial artists were injured so severely that one wondered whether they would ever function as proper men again.

At that point, it might have been better had Yul Han simply smashed through them with hand strikes.

Still, what had already happened could not be undone.

With a heavy gaze, Yul Han passed by and entered inside.

The people of Room 32 followed behind in a rush.

Above the heads of the Zhuge Clan prodigies who were cultivating while having consumed the Enemy Pellet, flower buds formed.

They were red flowers, suffused with powerful ghostly aura. As the buds slowly began to open, the eyelids of those circulating their energy trembled.

Something had gone wrong.

Yet none of them could halt their energy circulation. Their bodies had already fallen into the hands of another existence.

The ghostly aura surged explosively.

Among the many absolute formations installed to protect the Closed-Door Training Grounds were those designed to prevent the transmission of clashing auras or impacts within to the outside.

However, those had been created to block physical force. They could not block ghostly aura, which belonged to the realm of spiritual pressure.

From the beginning, no one who had built the training grounds had anticipated that the Zhuge Clan would cultivate martial arts steeped in ghostly aura or demonic energy.

For that reason, the powerful ghostly aura rising within spread beyond the training grounds.

The first to notice something was wrong was Yul Han. His figure burst toward the source of the spreading energy.

When Yul Han suddenly vanished and even the Ghost Demon and Pageuk disappeared after him, the people of Room 32, who had been flustered, finally sensed the ghostly aura as well.

As Monk Ilyeon and Daoist Chamyeong exchanged looks, the Ghost Monk—who had quietly followed until now—sprang forward.

Realizing that the situation had grown severe enough to compel him to hurry, the people of Room 32 all ran after him.

The absolute formations protecting the Zhuge Clan’s Closed-Door Training Grounds from external intrusion numbered six in total. Of them, three had never once been breached in history.

The Zhuge Clan had been confident they would never be broken in the future either.

Yet those formations shattered instantly under Yul Han’s movements.

The Ghost Demon and Pageuk, who had hurried after him, witnessed clearly as the Sun-Moon Sword and the Half-Moon Asura Slash were executed simultaneously.

That was to say, they saw Yul Han’s sword moving according to the profound principles of the Sun-Moon Sword while two arcs of Half-Moon Force Energy erupted from the Lightning Cloud Blade in a Half-Moon Slash.

Even a single Half-Moon Force Energy could claim the greatest destructive power in the martial world.

And here there were two.

It was only natural that the formations were ground apart entirely.

Moreover, the Half-Moon Force Energy launched from the Lightning Cloud Blade was drenched in lightning energy.

Lightning energy was the natural nemesis of that which was unnatural. It burned and shattered everything.

Naturally, formations that twisted natural energy to construct their formation pressure were vulnerable to lightning energy.

That was the decisive reason the painstakingly constructed formations of the Zhuge Clan were all destroyed.

Yul Han dashed through the breached path as if it were level ground, and behind him shuriken, throwing stars, arrows, and poisoned needles filled the air.

His speed was so great that only after he had passed did the mechanisms fire, embedding their projectiles into the ground.

The Ghost Demon and Pageuk ran as if flying over them, chasing after Yul Han far ahead.

The problem lay with the people of Room 32 following behind.

The ground was so densely embedded that there was hardly space to step—and many of them gleamed green.

That meant they were coated in extreme poison.

“Hold your breath and do not set foot on the ground under any circumstances! If you are not confident you can cross, then do not attempt it at all!”

The Ghost Monk shouted loudly, forming complex hand seals before leaping high into the air.

A pale, indistinct form appeared and supported his body midair.

Then, like a cloud flying through the sky, he floated above the ground bristling with concealed weapons.

“Ghost Cloud Art!”

It was sorcery that commanded ghosts and used them like clouds. It was also called Somersault Ghost Cloud, likened to how Sun Wukong rode clouds.

Monk Ilyeon, known to have reached the pinnacle of Buddhist sorcery, and Daoist Chamyeong, said to be near the peak of Wudang’s Daoist arts, could also perform it.

The two of them crossed over with Ghost Cloud Art as well, but the others could not.

Among them, only two masters from Inner Shaolin and Monk Ilju leapt across using Linked Nine Steps, a famed lightness skill of Shaolin.

The rest could only stamp their feet helplessly and stop.

Those few from Room 32 who hurried after them were met with a shocking sight.

About fifty Zhuge Clan martial artists lay dead.

Another fifty stood confronting Yul Han’s party with fierce gazes.

“H-how did this happen?”

At the Ghost Monk’s urgent question, the Zhuge Clan Head barked back.

“That is what I wish to ask! In the midst of my already dangerous cultivation of energy arts, having just overcome a critical juncture, you launch a sudden invasion? What is the meaning of this? The martial artists of my Zhuge Clan who were training have all perished!”

At his furious shout, the Ghost Monk’s gaze shifted to Yul Han.

Seeing that look, Pageuk stepped forward, his expression twisted like a fiend.

“Cut the nonsense! There’s no need to wait for such timing to slaughter the likes of you!”

“So this was it! Shaolin and the Martial Alliance joined hands with the Bright Cult to oppress the Zhuge Clan?”

At the Clan Head’s accusation, shock entered the Ghost Monk’s face.

The same was true for Monk Ilyeon, Monk Ilju, Daoist Chamyeong, and the two masters of Inner Shaolin who had arrived behind him.

—We must quickly find evidence. That ghostly aura that erupted just now must have left traces somewhere.

At Monk Ilyeon’s mental voice transmission, the Ghost Monk shook his head.

—There is none. I commanded the ghosts that aid me, but they say they cannot find any trace.

Ghostly aura that even ghosts could not find.

That meant the ghostly aura had vanished entirely.

Naturally, their gazes shifted to those seated cross-legged, now lifeless, heads hanging limply.

—Could the ghostly aura have disappeared when they died?

—It was the Enemy Pellet. If a person had died, the ghostly aura of the Enemy Pellet should have risen even stronger.

—Then…?

—It means it was not the Enemy Pellet.

At the Ghost Monk’s words, Monk Ilyeon’s expression darkened endlessly.

That meant the Clan Head’s claim—that they had interfered with the Zhuge Clan’s martial training—might actually be true.

In other words, as he claimed, Room 32 might have joined forces with the Bright Cult to sabotage a critical cultivation.

If this were handled formally, none involved would escape death.

Room 32 had been created centered around Shaolin.

Naturally, all its members were from Shaolin and allied Nine Sects.

If such a Room 32 had colluded with, been deceived by, or even merely misunderstood matters alongside the Bright Cult, and inflicted irreversible damage upon one of the Six Great Clans—the Zhuge Clan—

The Martial Alliance and the Nine Sects would never desire enmity with the Six Great Clans.

Even if it meant executing their own disciples.

Hearing the rage-filled voice of the Zhuge Clan Head, those who had closed their eyes in despair opened them again.

“Answer me! State the reason for committing such a tragic deed!”

Seeing that the people of Room 32 could not respond before the Clan Head’s fury, Yul Han stepped forward.

“Enough wordplay. Endurance does not mean we intend to suffer like fools. So consider this a warning. Do not worsen the situation with useless words. Do not push me—or the Bright Cult—to slaughter every last one of you and erase even the traces.”

As Zhuge Hoon stepped forward to protest, the Clan Head quickly blocked him.

He had recognized that the indifferent gaze in Yul Han’s eyes held sincerity.

If they took one more step forward, Emperor Salyejin would truly draw his sword.

And then it could not be stopped.

The prodigies the Zhuge Clan had painstakingly nurtured were not yet at the level they desired.

Thus, the Clan Head hurriedly spoke, his voice faintly trembling.

“V-very well. If you withdraw from here, we shall not pursue the matter further.”

“What kind of trick—!”

As the Ghost Demon roared again, Yul Han raised a hand to stop him.

He had searched with Ghost Eyes and found no ghostly aura anywhere inside. Judging from the reactions of the people of Room 32, it was not merely that he alone failed to find it.

In other words, even if they forcibly searched, they would not find evidence connected to ghostly beings.

Of course, they might find the Great Reversion Pill—but crossing an irreversible river with the Zhuge Clan over merely that was not worth it.

What Yul Han had wanted was the ghostly beings and the Great Reversion Pill to overlay upon them.

Finding only the pill was meaningless.

Moreover, if blood were shed with the Zhuge Clan here, the Martial Alliance would inevitably be dragged in.

All the bloodshed thus far had not escalated into war because Yul Han and the Bright Cult had held the moral justification.

This time was different.

On the surface, it was clearly the Bright Cult—and Yul Han—who had provoked first.

If the Martial Alliance endured even this, it would lose its footing.

Naturally, the Great Ma Baek War would erupt.

War did not frighten him—but there was no need to spill blood that did not have to be spilled over a few Great Reversion Pills.

“We are leaving.”

With those words, Yul Han turned.

The Ghost Demon and Pageuk followed with regretful eyes.

So did the people of Room 32, including the Ghost Monk.

They had realized that the Zhuge Clan Head’s withdrawal at Yul Han’s warning meant he too had something to hide.

But they held no evidence to prove it.

Nor was there anything likely to emerge from a forced search.

And so, with nothing gained, Yul Han gathered his people and withdrew.

The people of Room 32, confirming his departure, also retreated from the Zhuge Clan.

Bang!

The gates of the Zhuge Clan closed firmly after everyone had left.