CDF Chapter 23

As Lee Cheon-sang entered Judgment Pavilion, the surrounding scenery changed to the edge of a desolate cliff.

The weather was gloomy. It wasn’t raining, but the sun wasn’t out either. The sky, filled with dark clouds, was moving at a fairly rapid pace.

Lee Cheon-sang’s eyes suddenly lit up as he sipped Fenjiu in the barren pavilion.

Flash! Rumble!

Blue lightning struck from various parts of the dark clouds.

Click.

He put down his cup and looked up at the sky.

How would this ruthless sky appear in the eyes of the absolute ruler of the Divine Cult?

“Jackal?”

What Lee Cheon-sang saw was not the sky.

Beyond the sky, piercing through this maddeningly realistic illusion, he traced the sky of the Desolate Bamboo Forest, one of the Three Great Secret Domains of the Divine Cult.

A deep interest spread across Lee Cheon-sang’s face.

“Has the Master of the Desolate Bamboo Forest abandoned the spirit land?”

In the history of the Divine Cult, the times Jackal had come out beyond the spirit land could be counted on one hand.

Originally, Jackal was a being that should not come out. The Desolate Bamboo Forest needed Jackal’s spiritual energy regulation to maintain itself.

Conversely, despite Jackal having come out a few times, albeit rarely, the Desolate Bamboo Forest has maintained its lineage until now. Therefore, while unexpected, it’s not a major issue.

What’s curious is this.

‘Why?’

Lee Cheon-sang closed his eyes.

A moment later.

‘I don’t understand the reason.’

Among the Three Great Secret Domains, only Judgment Pavilion was under his will.

The same was true for past Cult Leaders. If they hadn’t reached the realm of being proudly called Celestial Demons, they wouldn’t have been able to peek into the situation of the Desolate Bamboo Forest.

Of course, even if one reached such a realm, it’s nonsensical to know what’s happening in such a distant area.

The reason why he, and the Celestial Demons of the past, could peek into the two secret domains other than Judgment Pavilion.

Thump thump.

Lee Cheon-sang placed his hand on his chest.

The Mysterious Formation Diagram engraved on his vigorously beating heart changed the formation of Judgment Pavilion at will.

‘It’s mysterious no matter how many times I see it.’

The formations spread across Judgment Pavilion and the other secret domain were fakes created based on the formation formed by the Desolate Bamboo Forest. That’s why one can only peek through the gaps, but cannot see the whole in detail.

He grabbed the wine bottle again as he listened to his heartbeat with his hand on his chest.

Gurgle.

The cup slowly filling up.

Lee Cheon-sang’s face became indifferent again.

“The third one, is it?”

The third.

Officially the third, unofficially the fourth disciple he had taken, full of vigor.

He had accepted him thinking he was a dragon, but he had degenerated into a common snake worse than a viper, steeped in corrupt power.

However, after miraculously surviving the qi deviation, the look in his eyes changed.

More precisely…

‘It’s as if he’s become a different person.’

The same disciple, yet not the same disciple.

There’s no need for rumors or testimonies to understand a person. Just look into their eyes, that’s all.

‘It was good to call him to Judgment Pavilion.’

There was only one reason he called the third to Judgment Pavilion. He hoped his own eyes were wrong.

The third in his younger days reminded him of his own past.

He resembled his younger self so much. His behavior, thoughts, desires, ways of solving problems, and so on were remarkably similar.

That’s why he was particularly disappointed when the third degenerated. The degeneration of the disciple who most resembled him implied that it could be one of his many possible futures. He couldn’t accept that.

So he hoped. Hoped that his eyes were wrong.

And the third brilliantly fulfilled his modest hope.

To be precise, he half-fulfilled it. He was neither the disappointing disciple he had seen, nor the past disciple who resembled himself.

‘Death…’

Lee Cheon-sang emptied his cup.

‘Did he visit the underworld or something?’

He showed some cowardly behavior and uttered surprisingly affectionate words, but in the end, this was his essence.

Death.

He had deeply hidden an explosive killing intent in his heart that seemed capable of killing anyone in the world if he wished.

Eight months have passed since he sent such a disciple to the Desolate Bamboo Forest.

The disciple is still alive and hasn’t learned the demonic arts he passed down.

Moreover, even Jackal has left the spirit land. The timing is too perfect to be a coincidence.

‘Did Jackal see something in the third?’

Gurgle.

The cup filling up once again.

Unbelievably, a deep smile spread across Lee Cheon-sang’s face as he looked down at the wine cup.

A smile of pure joy. But within that smile lurked thick blood, thorough destruction, and unfathomable death.

“I hope this is a good sign.”

Jackal.

Unlike the spirit beasts that someone from ancient times who created the Desolate Bamboo Forest brought to life from their imagination, Jackal is a real spiritual being that has repeatedly died and been reborn on its own.

It absorbs all the life energy around it when it sheds its old body and returns to being a cub. Because of this, it has gained the infamous reputation of being one of the most formidable monsters in the world.

But there was another real reason why Jackal was pointed at as a monster.

When Jackal appears, war breaks out in the country.

The legend of causing the curse of life absorption and war was the reason why Jackal was treated as the worst calamity on earth.

“… I wonder what will happen to our cult.”

***

“Huff! Huff!”

Ma Dong-pil, who had somehow reached a place where the entrance of the Desolate Bamboo Forest was visible, looked back while breathing heavily.

“Young Master!”

Swoosh!

Thick blood painted the air.

Thwack thwack thwack!

Seo Ryang’s swordsmanship, cutting down all the flying Zhu while rushing forward, was truly a work of art.

Crack!

After shattering a bamboo with one kick, he caught the falling tree with his hand.

Crack crack crack!!

With just his grip strength, the thick bamboo split into dozens of pieces.

Seo Ryang took a big step.

Boom!

Along with a spirited stomp, the bamboo pieces soared into the sky.

Thwack thwack thwack!

All those bamboo pieces, without a single miss, pierced through the bodies of the Zhu.

Ma Dong-pil’s eyes widened to the point of tearing as he witnessed the Zhu falling to the ground with screams.

‘Amazing hidden weapon technique!’

It was like watching the Plucking Leaves and Flying Flowers, said to be the pinnacle of hidden weapon techniques. He couldn’t believe his eyes, seeing how all those bamboo pieces were used without waste, striking every target.

But that wasn’t all.

“Damn it!”

Crack!

A Changbu’s head exploded into pieces.

It was the Whirling Wind Kick, spinning in the air and striking like a whip. It’s a kicking technique that even ordinary people with some training could perform, but the timing was impeccable, and the power was formidable.

Seo Ryang took out a paper containing tea leaves from his chest and tore the end.

Whooosh!

The tea leaves flew to the left like hidden weapons.

Their heavy scent stimulated the noses of the Changbu in front.

The Changbu hesitated in confusion.

Behind them, a herd of Deer Demons and Seongsong rushed in.

Crunch!

The bodies of about ten Changbu burst open. They couldn’t withstand the kicks of the Deer Demons and the weight of the Seongsong herd.

Seo Ryang cursed.

“You bastards! Have you lost your sense of smell?!”

Thud!

He tried to block their movement by throwing a Changbu corpse at a Deer Demon, but it burst it open with an incredible front leg kick.

Seo Ryang was dumbfounded watching the Deer Demon casually commit an atrocity that even the legendary celestial horse wouldn’t dare attempt.

“You cruel bastard! How can you even be called spirit beasts!”

Ah, I guess they’re called spirit beasts.

“You know what? I’ve chewed, torn, tasted, and enjoyed each one of you bastards before!”

Swoosh!

Suddenly, Meng Ji rushed in, breaking through between the Deer Demons. Its fangs, reaching down to its chin, and sharp claws looked strong enough to tear through steel plates.

Seo Ryang’s eyes wavered.

I don’t think I could eat you even if I caught you.

Roar!

‘Urgh!’

He flew back three zhang with just one front paw strike.

It felt like all the joints in his body were creaking. His thigh muscles throbbed as if they were about to tear, and his vision shook slightly. Blood seeped through his torn protective gear.

Seo Ryang was dumbfounded.

‘Why is it so strong?’

If he hadn’t instinctively blocked with his sword, this blow would have torn off his upper body.

Yet Meng Ji‘s front paw, cut by the blade, only bled a little. Even though it was a sword imbued with demonic energy, despite the sudden attack, that was all the damage it took.

“You big cat bastard!”

Whoosh!

A look of shock appeared on Ma Dong-pil’s face.

The Young Master had jumped into Meng Ji’s arms in a situation where he should be creating distance. He had been admiring the Young Master’s tireless stamina, but was startled by this sudden turn of events.

“Young Master!”

Slash!

Seo Ryang’s back was stained with blood as Meng Ji’s claws grazed it.

Sparks flew from Seo Ryang’s eyes. It’s enough that the bone wasn’t damaged.

‘Got it!’

Boom!

With a stomp, his left hand struck Meng Ji’s chest.

Thud!

Meng Ji flew back and collapsed, colliding with a Deer Demon.

It was a martial art of incredible strength. The sight of the giant leopard, weighing easily two hundred jin, flying through the air and collapsing was truly spectacular.

But Seo Ryang’s expression soured.

“That, that crazy bastard!”

Growl!

Meng Ji rose, tearing through the Deer Demon’s body as if it were nothing.

Blood streamed from its nose and mouth, making for a truly brutal sight. The fierce killing intent in its eyes reminded one of the grudge of an only daughter glaring at her father’s murderer.

Seo Ryang bit his lip.

‘It’s fine even after taking the Mountain-Exploding Force?’

The Mountain-Exploding Force was a supreme hand technique that maximized the subtleties of hidden energy, a type of internal heavy hand technique.

Unless one has reached the level of protecting internal organs with true energy, it’s a technique that kills instantly with just one hit.

Even for spirit beasts, there’s no way they could have the ability to protect their internal organs. Earlier, even a Deer Demon he had slashed up had its heart meridians burst from one hit of the Mountain-Exploding Force and departed for the afterlife.

In that moment, Seo Ryang realized the reason.

‘Damn, it’s because of the spirit bamboo.’

He hadn’t yet converted the spiritual energy from the hastily consumed spirit bamboo into demonic energy. The unconverted pure spiritual energy was lowering the emission power of the demonic energy and diluting its concentration.

‘I can’t do anything about it right now. I need to find another way.’

The sword doesn’t work, and the internal heavy hand technique doesn’t work either. Obviously, it won’t faint from just a flick to the forehead.

Then?

“Argh! This is fucking cheating!”

Whoosh!

Seo Ryang ran towards Ma Dong-pil.

“Dong-pil! Run!”

“Y-Yes!”

Ma Dong-pil ran at full speed. In that short moment, he seemed to have caught his breath, displaying a movement technique full of power.

Rumble!

The ground shook.

Led by Meng Ji, the remaining Deer Demon and dozens of Seongsong charged forward. In the distant sky, another Zhu was flying in.

“Huff, huff!”

Seo Ryang’s breathing also became a bit rough.

He had been unleashing explosive killing techniques while spewing all kinds of curses. Despite being incredibly strengthened by spiritual energy, it wasn’t something that could be endured with just eight months of training.

The fact that he was now running alongside Ma Dong-pil in such a state showed that his stamina and movement technique were truly among the best of the era.

Seo Ryang’s eyes lit up.

“We’re almost there!”

The entrance to the Desolate Bamboo Forest.

It’s an area where the concentration of spiritual energy noticeably weakens. Just one step away from the bamboo grove, and those beasts won’t be able to do anything.

That’s when it happened.

Swoosh!

Seo Ryang’s eyes wavered.

The bamboos to the left and right near the entrance had withered and twisted. The bamboos, drained of moisture and rotted, were swaying precariously, looking like they might break at any moment.

‘Damn it!’

He placed his hand on Ma Dong-pil’s back.

A look of confusion appeared in Ma Dong-pil’s eyes.

‘Young Master?’

Seo Ryang took a short breath.

“Hup!”

Whoosh!

Ma Dong-pil’s speed doubled. With no internal energy left to release a fist wind, Seo Ryang had directly thrown him.

Ma Dong-pil passed through the entrance in an instant.

At the same time, five or six snakes jumped at Seo Ryang from both sides.

Swoosh!

Although their movement speed was slow, their hunting speed was at least three times faster than Meng Ji’s sprint.

“Young Master!”

“It’s all or nothing!!”

In this critical moment, with the Biyu’s fangs about to sink into Seo Ryang’s body.

Swoosh!

Seo Ryang’s body spun, creating a bright red gust of wind.