NOVEL NEXT Chapter 688
Chapter 688: The Dark Heaven Village
The night sky was swirling with ominous clouds.
As dawn approached, the remnants of the night’s screams tore the sky apart, transforming it into a massive entity echoing with light. The eastern sky throbbed with tremendous magical power, buzzing incessantly, responding to the flowing mana like a sensitive instrument. One sorcerer of the Manha Spiritual Gate, maintaining the barrier on the giant altar, murmured under his breath.
“This wailing is terrifying…”
“I’ve never heard anything like this even when facing great demons.”
All the sorcerers maintaining the barrier around the Divine City were trained enough not to be overwhelmed, yet they displayed intense fear, contemplating the source of the sound. After all, regardless of how sinister the great demon was, there were limits. They were subconsciously estimating the boundaries between humans and demons while performing exorcisms. However, the being about to descend now was something absolute that disregarded such limits, a realization they instinctively grasped.
The Sect Leader of the Twelve Joules, Lord of Haedong Milcheon, tried to calm the agitated sorcerers.
“Stay calm. We all knew that a demon lord-level entity was going to appear.”
“But if this is what a demon lord is like… we can’t possibly resist it with human power. It’s dozens of times stronger than a great demon.”
As one of the higher-ranking sorcerers sighed, Lord of Haedong Milcheon scratched his head.
“Even I’ve never faced monsters like this before. But well, the Joules will surely manage somehow.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“I think I should just hold the line here. What about you, Zhuge Sa?”
Lord of Haedong Milcheon glanced sideways at Zhuge Sa. Zhuge Sa smiled faintly and replied.
“I agree. If we can’t ambush, it’s better to sit back and wait.”
“Haha! No mysterious divine techniques at all?”
Zhuge Sa remained silent. Seeing this, Lord of Haedong Milcheon clicked his tongue inwardly.
*Tch. What’s this guy even thinking?*
Thinking he could discern Zhuge Sa’s intentions, the Sect Leader had deliberately assigned the cunning Lord of Haedong Milcheon to keep an eye on him, yet he still couldn’t figure out what Zhuge Sa wanted or what plans he was forming. Zhuge Sa was skilled at hiding his thoughts and had undoubtedly issued commands to his companions in ways that were imperceptible to Milcheon. The inability to conceal his incompetence from the Sect Leader left Lord of Haedong Milcheon feeling uncomfortable.
Suddenly, Lord of Haedong Milcheon looked up at the sky and said,
“The moon is bright…”
“Hmm.”
Zhuge Sa surprisingly took interest in that trivial comment. Oddly enough, even though dawn was approaching and the night was nearly over, the moon shone magnificently, refusing to wane. However, since this was a common occurrence, Lord of Haedong Milcheon merely intended to redirect their attention, but Zhuge Sa unexpectedly spoke up.
“That’s problematic. I think I’ll head out to stop it.”
“What? You’re just going to move around as you please?”
“If you’re not going to help, then it’s better you stay put here.”
*Swish!*
In that moment, Lord of Haedong Milcheon and the five sorcerers beside him all simultaneously cast binding spells and magical barriers. The speed of their sorcery was incredibly fast, and each of them was sufficiently skilled, so under the status quo, Zhuge Sa was certain to be defeated. However, unexpectedly, Zhuge Sa paused for a moment and waved his hand.
“Endura.”
*Crack!*
“Yikes!”
All the sorcerers attempting to bind Zhuge Sa were sent tumbling backward. A powerful backlash from the black lightning had nullified their spells. As Lord of Haedong Milcheon staggered to his feet, he found Zhuge Sa pointing his Vajra directly at Milcheon’s solar plexus. With Milcheon unable to move any further, Zhuge Sa grinned.
“You’re a bunch of country bumpkins from the East, so you probably don’t know about the magic of the Baehwa Sect. Defensive spells aren’t effective against the magic of territorial lords since the schools are entirely different.”
“Damn it. If there was no order not to kill you, this would not have been so easy.”
Lord of Haedong Milcheon grit his teeth. He was also a practitioner of sorcery, confident that his skills were on par with Zhuge Sa, but the command not to kill Zhuge Sa had restricted his spells, resulting in his defeat. Zhuge Sa coldly smiled, channeling power into his Vajra, causing Milcheon’s eyes to widen in horror.
“W-What the—”
*Boom!*
In the next instant, Lord of Haedong Milcheon’s head exploded. He could never have anticipated that Zhuge Sa would kill him right in front of the very essence of the Twelve Joules and the Sacred Altar Tree while facing demon lords. After all, if Zhuge Sa turned against the Twelve Joules, it was only natural he would be murdered with overwhelming force.
Zhuge Sa, having definitively summoned the black spears and annihilated the surrounding sorcerers, murmured,
“If I wait for the phoenix summoning, it’ll be too late. I have to move soon.”
Zhuge Sa slowly disappeared into the darkness, deciding to reveal himself last.
——————————————————————————————————
Meanwhile, it wasn’t only the descent of the Eight Parts of the Divine that was felt. The Leader of the White Lotus Sect, stationed near Divine City, stood with arms crossed, gazing at the brightly burning dawn sky. He then spoke to the Dark Dragon beside him.
[Oh, God. I humbly request you to subdue the Eight Parts of the Divine.]
The Dark Dragon glanced at the six deities of the Eight Parts of the Divine being summoned in the distant light and said,
[If I eat the avatar of Changhil, that will teach that arrogant brat a lesson. It always bothers me that he behaves so cockily, thinking he’s favored by chaos!]
The Leader of the White Lotus Sect was quite fortunate. Among countless masters, he had summoned someone with a grudge against Changhil, significantly easing the summoning conditions and enabling active participation in the subjugation.
[Please, I beg of you.]
[Hmph… You think I can’t take care of those punks?]
*Whoosh!*
The winds of darkness roared, and the avatar of the Obsidian King, the former ruler, emerged. Although he wasn’t widely known among sorcerers, he was a legendary being who had slaughtered lifeforms throughout a hundred stars in a faraway dimension and built a great kingdom by burning stars to cinders with a single breath. His true form was as large as ten planets combined, and of course, he was far stronger than any God of the Sea, but the issue was that an avatar in the material world could only utilize a fraction of that power. However—[the former ruler] is still [the former ruler]. It was evident Changhil’s avatar would be in for a rough time.
As the Leader of the White Lotus Sect watched from a distance while the Obsidian King’s avatar took flight, the Dark Phoenix beside him spoke up.
“Leader, you are truly ruthless.”
[Han Baek-ryeong.]
She raised her voice.
“Before Changhil invaded, you sacrificed ten innocent congregants daily to that avatar. Such acts cannot be tolerated by a human.”
It was rare for Han Baek-ryeong to display her discomfort openly; however, even the seasoned expert couldn’t help but protest given the brutal human sacrifices that had occurred. Three thousand innocent members of the White Lotus Sect had been offered as sacrifices just to summon the Obsidian King’s avatar, and even after a successful contract, ten live sacrifices were required daily to maintain its summoning. No matter how Han Baek-ryeong desired the protection of a divine avatar, the outrageous atrocities made it impossible to accept. At this rate, what was the difference between them and the fanatical Demon Sect?
[I’m sorry for those who were sacrificed. For those selected as living sacrifices, I administered anesthetics to minimize their suffering.]
“Is that all you have to say? What would the founding patriarch, Dharma, say if he saw you do this?”
As Han Baek-ryeong mocked him, Dokgo Jun beside her interjected with displeasure.
[What do you plan to accomplish by criticizing the Leader now? Our enemy is right before us.]
[Jun, stay quiet.]
[Yes.]
The Leader of the White Lotus Sect stared hard at Han Baek-ryeong before speaking.
[Dharma… would probably want to say something upon seeing my actions. I’m merely following his will.]
“What do you mean?”
[To the Dharma Guardians, Han Baek-ryeong, all criticism will be heard after this is over. But for now, follow my commands.]
His eyes gleamed crimson.
[Immediately, all Dharma Guardians head towards the Sacred Altar Tree. Kill the one maintaining the barrier, the Sect Leader of the Twelve Joules.]
“……!!”
Han Baek-ryeong momentarily showed a look of shock. After glancing at Dokgo Jun, she spoke.
“It won’t be easy for both of us.”
[Don’t worry. More reinforcements will arrive.]
*Swish!*
As three experts of the Su Shin Sect stepped out nearby, Han Baek-ryeong recalled what Zhuge Sa had said.
[The Leader possesses more experts from the Heavenly Spirit Pill among the Su Shin Sect. While we only know of three, there could be more. What’s certain is there must be a force equal to the Dharma Guardians among the highest elders of the Su Shin Sect.]
Upon hearing this information, Han Baek-ryeong felt doubtful. But upon seeing it with her own eyes, she could no longer deny it. She unconsciously felt the presence of infinite internal power and was even resonating with it. Han Baek-ryeong bit her lip, thinking inwardly.
‘If there are five Dharma Guardians, they could kill even the Sect Leader…’
Was it really the right choice to strike first?
She couldn’t shake the feeling that the Leader was rushing too hastily. The Leader of the White Lotus Sect seemed overconfident that the former ruler’s avatar could surely defeat the Eight Parts of the Divine. Gradually, Han Baek-ryeong found her resolve strengthening to side with Zhuge Sa. But no matter her thoughts, she raised her authority.
“Honorable Name.”
For now, her orders were to kill the Sect Leader of the Twelve Joules.
He was undoubtedly a harmful presence to the White Lotus Sect.
As the Dharma Guardians of the White Lotus Sect, including Han Baek-ryeong, began to move—Miyamoto Musashi, who had been at the training ground of Divine City, paused.
“They’ve come.”
He was in the process of training Baek Woong and his companions. However, there stood only the Sword Demon, Seo Mun-dae-ryong, in front of him. The rest had fallen out of the training midway. Even Gyeok-ho struggled to stay for as long as he could but had succumbed to exhaustion and threats to his life four days ago.
Yet, Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong had endured until the end of the Hell Training demanded by Miyamoto Musashi. As Musashi watched Seo Mun-dae-ryong, who stood firm and silent like a rock, he suddenly unleashed a strike.
**Ultimate Technique: Supreme Slash!**
*Kaang!*
That slash, capable of cutting down tens of thousands of otherworldly races in one go, was elegantly deflected by Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong. Watching this, Musashi grinned.
“Are you finally done with the pretense?”
“Thank you.”
Seo Mun-dae-ryong’s body was covered in sweat and bruises, yet his gaze was endlessly clear. He bowed respectfully.
“Thanks to you, I can be a greater help to Baek Woong.”
“I don’t understand…”
Miyamoto Musashi said with a curious tone.
“You’re a genius too. A hero with the spirit of a great sage… How can someone like you dedicate your life simply for one man?”
“Everyone only has one life.”
“……?”
“But there are those who are willing to sacrifice dozens of lives to uphold their beliefs. I can’t do that, so I can only offer this one life to help.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’ll find out soon.”
Miyamoto Musashi tilted his head but then said,
“If you survive, then you can try your might against me. If it’s you at this moment, I could surely consider killing you with utmost effort.”
*Pa-at!*
Miyamoto Musashi’s sword form vanished.
And Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong clenched his fist.
“I hope so.”