C149
When they crossed the main gate of Kunlun Sect and arrived at the pavilion where the Sect Leader resided, Cale raised his hand.
-Understood, Human!
The breeze that Raon had been swirling around Cale's feet disappeared.
Kuaaaang! Kuang! Kuaaaang!
A deafening crash assaulted Cale's ears.
"Jang Hyung-ah!"
Jang Hyung, the candidate for the next Kunlun Sect Leader, looked completely different.
Seeing his successor and disciple in this state, Kunlun Sect Leader In Ho exclaimed with excitement.
"Krr-"
Jang Hyung's voice sounded like a strange groan, and black veins protruded on his body as if they were about to burst. His eyes were also tinged with dark red.
"Umm."
The Heavenly Demon following Cale bowed at the horrifying sight, and Ron commented calmly.
"He looks like a Shaolen Jiangshi. And he's quite strong."
Kwah-ang-!
In addition to In Ho, there were two more people from Kunlun Sect restraining Jang Hyung.
Pum!
Kuaaaang!
A modest yet elegant pavilion in Kunlun was shattered.
"Sect Leader-nim, Hyung-ah's strength is increasing!"
One of the Elders dealing with Jang Hyung exclaimed urgently.
And the Heavenly Demon muttered to himself.
"He seems to be in the first half of the Unrestrained Realm."
Jang Hyung was originally in the late Transcendent Realm stage. Although he already had an impressive skill level for his age, with a bit more training, he was expected to reach the mid-stage of the Unrestrained Realm.
Kunlun's future and pride—that was Jang Hyung.
"When a Living Jiangshi goes mad, it would be difficult to deal with him even for masters who have reached the first half of the Unrestrained Realm."
The Heavenly Demon immediately shook his head.
"No, actually, over time, he will become stronger up to the second half of the Unrestrained Realm. That Living Jiangshi is stronger than the existing records."
In other words, the Blood Cult had strengthened the Living Jiangshis more than what was recorded in history.
Ron continued with a calm and benevolent smile.
"Somebody even stronger than Namgung Taewi has launched an attack, and it seems like most people can't stop him."
"Young Master-nim!"
Taoist Un Seon urgently called out to Cale.
And she wasn't the only one.
"Young Master Kim!"
"Please, solve this!"
With urgent faces, Kunlun Sect people approached him.
Cale looked at the person who had spoken, asking for a solution. When his gaze fixed on him, the person paused momentarily, and Cale asked nonchalantly.
"How did we end up in this situation?"
"Well, about that..."
Amid the confusion, Jegal Miryeo and Byuk Sun also appeared. Sima Pyeong couldn't enter Kunlun for obvious reasons and stayed at the main entrance.
The Heavenly Demon had been allowed to enter only at Cale's insistence that he was necessary to resolve the matter.
"Why can't you speak?"
He stammered, unable to explain the situation, and when Cale asked again, this time more calmly, the man by his side finally spoke.
"Let me talk to you in private."
And he looked at the Heavenly Demon.
Cale raised the corner of his lips. It was obvious he was not allowed to speak in front of someone from the Demon Cult.
Right now, when the Sect Leader and the two Elders were doing their best to restrain Jang Hyung, they acted with hesitation.
'I don't like it.'
Cale was inexplicably annoyed.
So far, both the Namgung Family, the Demon Cult, and the Murim Alliance, at least when it came to issues related to Living Jiangshis, had acted urgently and followed the order of precedence carefully.
"Speak. Now."
Cale finally used his Dominating Aura. The Dominating Aura slowly emanating from his body made the elder who had told him to resolve the matter come to a sudden halt.
Cale stared at the apparent elder for a moment, and then he opened his mouth.
Kwaaaaaaang----!
"Evacuate the people!"
The moment the sounds of people fleeing after a pavilion collapsed echoed...
"This happened after Jang Hyung learned about the cooperation with the Demon Cult and heard that exchanges would occur between Kunlun and the Demon Cult."
Cale's mouth subtly twitched.
"It seems like I clearly asked the Sect Leader-nim not to let matters related to the Demon Cult reach Jang Hyung's ears."
"Well, you see..."
One by one, the people around him fell silent as Cale's aura grew stronger and stronger. The person under Cale's gaze finally spoke.
It was because, even though Jang Hyung and the Sect Leader were still fighting, Cale showed no signs of moving.
For a man who valued righteousness and cooperation, one would expect him to resolve this situation immediately.
"The Elders were talking amongst themselves, and it got to this point when Jang Hyung overheard them by chance."
At that, Byuk Sun snorted and spoke up.
"Ha! So you're saying the Elders were talking carelessly outside without thinking, and Jang Hyung happened to overhear them, something the Sect Leader said was an absolute secret?"
Though his tone was quite sarcastic, the Elder couldn't respond.
"Ha! How careless must they have been for Jang Hyung to hear something while passing by without even realizing it?"
"Well, from our perspective, we might feel frustration over those strange words, considering that we might suddenly be cooperating with the Demon Cult, right?"
"And that's why they caused this situation?"
The Elder closed his mouth at Byuk Sun's words.
"What a waste, four Elders, two dealing with Jang Hyung and two here. It seems like everyone collaborated to create this storm. Tsk tsk. How could they be so careless!"
Byuk Sun's words grew harsher, but the Elder tried to justify.
"Anyway, we didn't talk about Blood Cult matters. We didn't mention anything about those things called 'Living Jiangshi'! We only talked about the Demon Cult."
"But for Jang Hyung, cooperation with the Demon Cult is more dangerous than the Blood Cult!"
Taoist Un Seon, who had been silently listening, finally spoke up.
"...What are you talking about when the Elder is speaking?"
"Ha. For an Elder, you only speak nonsense."
The Elder was furious but couldn't utter a single word in retort. Cale's momentum, combined with Byuk Sun's fierce gaze, suffocated him even more.
Finally, Cale's mouth opened.
"You're right, for Jang Hyung Daehyup, the Demon Cult is more important than the Blood Cult."
Having lost his parents at the hands of the Demon Cult, the Demon Cult was worse for him than the Blood Cult.
It would drive him insane. That's why Cale and the Sect Leader had tried to be as careful as possible.
At that moment, the silent Heavenly Demon spoke.
"First, we should bind Jang Hyung."
"Mmmm...."
When the Heavenly Demon spoke, the Elder appeared uncomfortable. Then, he spoke to Cale.
"Young Master Kim, we've made a mistake, but we need to stabilize this situation. So please. Go ahead, purify him."
Upon hearing this, Cale responded disdainfully.
"You want to leave this in my hands?"
"...Excuse me?"
"Do you want to leave the purification to me?"
The people around him stared at Cale in surprise.
Except for Ron and the invisible Raon. Even the Heavenly Demon seemed a bit surprised.
"No, well..."
The bewildered Elder shouted loudly.
"Are you trying to tell me that you're assisting the Demon Cult with purification but not our Kunlun Sect? After all, we are on the side of justice! We're not talking about the wicked Demon Cult, are we?"
"Is this guy crazy?"
Cale realized that his words had slipped out of his mouth without him realizing it.
Therefore, even though the Elder was surprised, he paid no attention.
He simply continued speaking without concern for the Elder.
"Maybe I've been too kind to all of you."
Cale's momentum grew stronger. Now, even the Heavenly Demon, who had reached the Profound Realm, felt pressured by Cale's energy and seemed like he was being choked with hands around his neck.
So how could anyone else resist? Jegal Miryeo lowered her head, her eyes trembling as she contemplated Cale's words.
"Krr-"
Even the Living Jiangshi stopped its rampage and looked at Cale.
As if instinctively realizing that the strongest had arrived.
But Cale just stood there.
Actually, it was quite understandable that Kunlun Sect felt resentment toward the Demon Cult.
What the Demon Cult had done was, in their eyes, evil.
That's why Cale never told Kunlun to cooperate with the Demon Cult or befriend them.
He only asked them to work together against the Blood Cult.
And it was the Kunlun Sect Leader who first announced his intention to join the Faction Alliance (정사마) to fight against the Blood Cult.
'Maybe the Sect Leader told the Elders that he was only temporarily cooperating with the Demon Cult because of the Blood Cult.'
But it was also because they needed to save Jang Hyung.
It was also because they needed the Heavenly Demon to completely purify the next Kunlun Sect Leader.
So maybe the Kunlun Sect Leader, who had always been on the defensive, accepted this situation with a heart boiling with blood, knowing that he must preserve Jang Hyung's life.
Furthermore, since the Blood Cult was also planning to destroy all of the Central Plains, he probably felt that temporary cooperation was the right decision.
"Young Master Kim-nim, our Jang Hyung will be okay, right? That child is Kunlun's future. He is the only one with the talent to stop the Demon Cult led by the Heavenly Demon."
Cale remembered the words of the Sect Leader, In Ho, who had secretly visited him while they were heading to Kunlun from the Demon Cult.
He also thought about what he planned to do.
'Stop the Blood Cult.'
To do that, Cale would recruit not only his companions but also people from the Murim.
And even the Imperial Family.
This was to protect their world and also to solve all the problems in this world. They had to take the lead since it was their world.
Cale extended his hand.
Tap, tap~
He touched the Elder's shoulder.
"You should handle the matters between Kunlun and the Demon Cult on your own."
There was no reason for Cale to worry about that.
Despite coming to catch the Blood Cult, he had no reason to solve all the problems of this world and save it from all troubles.
As cruel as it may seem, it was natural for Cale, who had much to protect, and he was a stranger in this world.
His home, his place of origin, everything was in another world.
But there was still something he could do.
"Don't worry about Jang Hyung."
Cale saw the concern and anxiety in the Elder's eyes.
Even though the Heavenly Demon, who had reached the Profound Realm, was surprised by Cale's intensity, the Elder continued to speak and asked him to save Jang Hyung.
People from the Murim World probably would have had trouble speaking if they were in his shoes. Cale understood their sentiment.
"Heavenly Demon, prepare yourself. When I give you the signal, immediately adjust your Upper Dantian."
Cale took a step forward.
Following closely, the Heavenly Demon opened his mouth.
"Shouldn't we stop the fugitive first?"
At that moment, the Heavenly Demon saw the corners of Cale's lips curling upward.
"That's right, someone should stop him."
Cale spoke to the Sect Leader and the Elders.
"Step back."
"But what about Jang Hyung?"
Hesitant, Sect Leader In Ho looked over Cale's shoulder and saw the only other people who had arrived.
"Choi Han Daehyup."
Choi Han approached, sword unsheathed.
"Young Master. Me too."
And Ron also stepped forward.
Both of them looked at Cale, and he responded to them.
"Capture him."
His finger pointed at Jang Hyung.
Choi Han and Ron headed toward Jang Hyung with determination.
-Count me in!
Raon's Black Mana, completely different from Dead Mana, began to appear in the air.
Cale clutched an old Heater in his hand.
Crack, crack-le.
A reddish-golden energy began emanating from his hand.
At the same time, Cale took something out of his dimensional pocket.
When he traveled from Roan to the Central Plains, he had prepared for a situation where he didn't know to what extent his Ancient Power would be sealed.
He had given Raon a considerable amount of Magic Stones, and he had brought various items himself.
Some of the items were rewards from his previous world, Shaolen.
'Tsk, tsk. Take it.'
Among them was something that the Golden Dragon Eruhaben had lent him with a pitying look.
'The Desert King's Whip.'
Shaolen gave this description of the treasure.
<Desert King's Whip (Rank: Legend)>.
<A warrior who roamed the desert became a king. He had the peculiar ability to shape grains of sand into whips. The whip containing that ability remained even after the king's death and ended up in Shaolen's possession->
It was a Legend-ranked treasure.
When Eruhaben gave it to him, he said.
'This fits well with my attributes, I've improved it a bit. It will be very useful.'
Cale took it.
Chrr~
The grains of sand clustered together, forming a whip in an instant.
And the whip headed for Jang Hyung.
Like a lurking serpent ready to bind its prey.
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