Reincarnated Sword Ghost

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The inside of the cave was just as expected.

Walking along the long passage from the entrance, several forks appeared, but even when he swept over everything with a keen sensitivity to ki, he felt no particular difference.

There wasn’t even a single thing that appeared, despite having walked for quite a bit.

The corridor only continued at a constant width.

’I keep sensing traces, though.’

However, the creatures’ characteristic filthy energy continued to be felt. There was no doubt—this was their turf.

Their foul demonic energy was mixed thickly into the surrounding air.

Even someone without the keen sensitivity of Jeong-un could sense it at this degree.

’There’s no point in following the energy.’

Despite that, he continued to pick the paths where the energy felt even slightly thicker.

Still, it yielded nothing. By now, he must have reached the heart of the cave, yet that was still the case.

And yet, nothing appeared—not even a single subordinate of theirs.

It was preferable not to run into anyone as he was here to infiltrate, but at this point, it could just as well be considered proof he was on the wrong path.

Tap.

Jeong-un stopped walking.

Continuing like this was meaningless. Time was already of the essence.

Blindly moving forward hoping something would show up was surely a foolish act.

’No time either.’

By now, large and small battles must’ve been breaking out all over Mount Tian.

Maybe the forces were already forming in earnest and systematically advancing.

This was not a situation where he could expect the enemy to just come out at their own convenience as he walked about aimlessly.

’Come to think of it...’

Standing in the middle of the passage, Jeong-un slowly looked around.

Ever since entering, aside from the creatures’ foul energy, there was nothing unusual to read.

Not even the formation he’d prepared for had appeared. It really was just an unending cave.

’Does that even make sense?’

The absence of anything strange was even more suspicious. This wasn’t an ordinary natural cave.

It was a man-made space, painstakingly dug out by those sinister Demonic Cult bastards for their stronghold.

And yet, for someone with a sensitivity as keen as his to enter and feel absolutely nothing out of the ordinary?

’That can’t be the norm.’

At the very moment he was thinking this, energy surged up from his body’s form.

True ki burst from every meridian and circulated violently, then gathered downward as if pouring forth all at once.

Fwoosh!

His foot moved forward at some point. An immense amount of cultivated power gathered at his ankle. The moment his sole touched the ground, explosive force erupted.

Boom—!

This exceeded the level of simply triggering a power wave by planting a stride.

Bursting energy surged like a tidal wave, violently flooding the surroundings.

The corridor was already long. Instantly, the wave spread smoothly across both side walls as well as forward and behind.

Jeong-un closed his eyes at that moment. He was searching for anything he could sense within his widely expanded sensory field.

And then—

’......?’

Jeong-un’s eyes snapped open, and he turned his head back. He was facing the path he’d just passed.

It was a distance of about thirty mats from here.

He’d gone past it earlier without noticing anything. There was still no discernible presence.

But there was something odd about that section of the wall.

Where the wave of true ki passed gently, it hit an obstacle and halted abruptly.

Step, step.

Without hesitation, Jeong-un turned back the way he came. He suppressed the urge to sprint using lightness skill.

He had just risked exposure to create a powerful burst of true ki.

Even though there were no energies he could sense nearby, it was nothing short of a gamble.

But it paid off.

Wasn’t this the first actual gain since entering?

He would have been lying if he said he wasn’t excited.

Step.

Soon he arrived at the passage he’d already passed.

Jeong-un stopped and turned his head to the side.

This was the exact spot where the power wave flowing along the wall and floor had been caught.

Ssssk.

Slowly, he reached out and swept a hand along the wall. The surface was rough, as though it had been carelessly dug.

There was, naturally, no discernible pattern to the grooves. Even up close, it looked like an ordinary cave wall.

Whoosh.

He gathered power and focused it into his hand.

Energy began to surge from his fingertips and flow along the surface.

Saaaak—

There was a spot where, as the energy spread from his palm, it vanished as if evaporating.

A very finely indented groove. Jeong-un advanced, placed his hand on the groove, and poured energy into it as he pressed.

And then—

Rumble-rumble-rumble!

A tremendous vibration started from beneath his feet. At the same time, the section of wall he pushed with his hand began to move.

Could that little groove have triggered a hidden mechanical trap formation?

Surprise— the wall slid back like a small door.

At last.

A path much narrower than any corridor he had walked so far was revealed. Ahead lay utter blackness, pitch-dark.

Step, step.

Jeong-un plunged forward without hesitation. There was no reason to waver.

Clearly, this was one of the secret corridors the creatures used.

Perhaps it was not a frequently-used entrance—otherwise, it would not have been built so small.

He walked through the sheer darkness of this narrow passage for about a shijin.

Finally, a faint light appeared far ahead and gradually drew near.

When he finally reached the end of the passage—

Suddenly, it was as if the night sky filled his view.

”......”

It was an unimaginably vast cave.

The ”night sky” he saw was actually the ceiling above, filled so densely with enormous luminous pearls it looked just like the real sky.

”... Unbelievable.”

Jeong-un muttered involuntarily.

It was almost identical to the cave chamber hidden behind the cliff at Sangsan.

A ceiling that seemed to transplant the outside night sky, and the sprawling city below it.

Even the gigantic pavilion at the center, like an imperial palace.

But back then, under that ceiling, burial mounds littered the ground. That was not the case now.

To his amazement, countless figures walked the village streets below. Actual homes were scattered all over—people genuinely lived here.

How long had they lived in hiding in this place? They came in all genders and ages, apparently.

But they all shared one thing: pale faces and pitch-black clothes.

Each also exuded a dense, foul demonic energy, though the intensity varied.

Their eyes glinted with a mysterious madness. Every one of them was a Demonic Cultist.

This was the main headquarters of the Demonic Cult—where they’d hidden away for so long.

’......’

Even as he looked, Jeong-un found it ludicrous.

Now it made sense how, after the chaos caused by the Demonic Cult decades ago, they had utterly vanished.

Hiding in a land outside the country—of course they could not be found.

At the same time, on another wall of the vast cave, more entrances came into view.

The one he emerged from was just one among many. At one, a substantial number of cultists were streaming in and out.

’I came in through an unused passage.’

That was why he didn’t encounter a single enemy until now.

He was relieved. His best move was to reach the Demonic Cult Leader without anyone noticing.

Smack.

After grasping the situation, Jeong-un leapt down lightly.

The structure of the cave was almost identical to the cave at Sangsan.

The enemy had arrogantly replicated their own main headquarters as an illusion in that formation.

Because of that, Jeong-un could move his feet as if he had trod this ground before, while his sensitivity to ki sought out the enemy’s presence.

Saaa.

His body’s form glided through the air like a breeze. Instantly, he reached the outskirts of the village below.

He entered boldly, using the shadows between buildings and even leaping to rooftops as he pleased. No one noticed him.

He and the enemies possessed completely opposite energy signatures.

So it was with his sensitivity too. Jeong-un could sense their foul energy from afar, but they, in turn, could not.

By carefully managing his own ki pathway, he made himself nearly undetectable to them.

Tap.

Without effort, he scaled the castle walls surrounding the palace at the village center.

He smoothly penetrated to the very heart of the stronghold.

Was it any wonder?

There were not even guards posted here.

Of course—the whole place was filled with cultists who worshipped the Demonic Cult Leader like a god.

Having strict defenses would be stranger.

”......”

Yet Jeong-un did not move right away, instead stilling his presence within a deep shadow.

’Is it wise to go straight to him now?’

He muttered inwardly, looking at the giant pavilion ahead.

Something gnawed at his mind. No matter how well he had hidden and snuck in, this was, after all, enemy territory.

What if he ambushed him but failed to kill him instantly?

If it turned into a drawn-out fight and the High Priests rushed in? What if he was caught before he could act?

What if he became a human sacrifice for the formation?

”......”

Jeong-un slowly closed his eyes.

He understood.

He was moving toward a goal almost impossible to achieve.

Once inside, there would be no turning back, and even the smallest error could doom everything.

’Still, I can’t back down.’

The enemy was elusive beyond even that word. The followers who’d hidden themselves so patiently for decades were the same.

The Heavenly Martial Hall Lord’s words were not wrong.

Unless he himself was present, the enemy would not let himself be drawn into a proper battle.

If he missed this chance, he might hide again and never be found.

He had only found him now because he’d revealed himself in Xinjiang—if the enemy hid again, who knew when another opportunity would arise.

Of course, soon the Orthodox Alliance would wage war and their numbers would decrease, but unless the leader was killed, they would never collapse.

That was the very nature of all heretical cults. The core, the unifying figure, had to be destroyed.

’... Let’s go.’

He began to move once more.

From the wall he’d just scaled to the palace ahead stretched a wide, impeccably kept garden with the scent of earth in the air.

A broad pond, fed by some unseen waterway, reflected the stone lanterns above its surface and the gentle, wavering light from the luminous pearls overhead.

It was tranquil, rather elegant.

Yet something about it was off.

There were no flowers.

This was an underground cavern that sunlight never touched.

Naturally, no flowers could grow. Only dense, dark green grass, nourished without sunlight, grew everywhere—just like the cultists who lived here without light.

Was this where the self-styled emperor plotted to overturn a nation while ruling over others?

Slaughtering innocents to gather components for a grand technique?

He crossed the garden and reached the massive pavilion.

He glimpsed a few people who looked like servants, but he slipped past them outside the range of their senses.

The garden was so large that such stealth was possible.

Several people guarded the main gate of the building.

At the Sangsan cave, he’d walked straight in and confronted the enemy. This time, he could not afford to do so openly.

Fortunately, there was more than one entrance.

A number of smaller side doors lined the structure; Jeong-un approached one, apparently a servant’s entrance.

Creak.

The door swung open noiselessly, proof of the building’s careful maintenance.

”......”

He was immediately confronted with a wide, long corridor. The floor gleamed so much it was almost slippery.

At the far end, the corridor split into two, with a wall dividing the paths.

The inside must be very complex.

Not only was it spacious, but there was no telling how many floors there were. The rooms probably varied in size too.

But—

’No time to search the whole place. And not enough strength either.’

With that thought, a gentle flow of true ki emanated from his body’s form.

In an instant, the energy changed into thin threads, stretching down the long hallway.

The enemy could not sense his energy. Even if any could, it hardly mattered.

The ki wave was so slender, like a thread, they would not notice even if it brushed right past them.

Perhaps except for him.

Saaa—

The thin energy spread out into several strands like a spider’s web, probing the structure’s layout thoroughly.

Jeong-un’s ability to control his ki had reached an almost unbelievable level.

Just being able to sense such a wide area would be enough to amaze anyone.

But now, Jeong-un could manipulate his ki waves like threads.

His sensitivity had advanced to an extraordinary degree—even he was surprised at himself.

Srrrrk.

One of the strands traced down a staircase into the lower levels.

Even though the building was tall, it also had an underground section.

Down below, the threads split again to survey the surroundings.

Then—

Someone’s palm grabbed him. Grabbed his energy.

”You’re here.”

Boom—!

As soon as Jeong-un stamped his foot, the floor shattered into pieces.

At the same moment, his sword flashed from his waist. A torrent of golden light swung from wall to ceiling, slashing straight through.

Crack-crack-crack—! Boom!

With a single sword strike, the building was split in two.

Through the widening gap, he caught a glimpse of the cave ceiling outside—before one half could even topple over.

Saaaak!

Jeong-un swung his sword again. It wasn’t just once or twice but three times and more.

With immense speed, he unleashed sword aura after sword aura, utterly demolishing the surroundings.

Boom-boom-boom-boom—!

In short, he was blowing everything apart.

The great pavilion, once boasting the majesty of a palace, became colossal debris and began to collapse from above.

Jeong-un tumbled down amid the destruction, heading toward his enemy.

’That should buy some time.’

As the structure crashed down, it would seal off the entrance.

The huge chunks of debris would block those trying to rush in for a while, at least.

Many of their forces were, no doubt, still outside the cave.

Of course, it wouldn’t last long. They were heretical cultists—if it meant saving their master, they would stop at nothing.

’But that’s enough.’

Jeong-un muttered.

Fwoosh.

Yellow sword aura flickered like fire from the black sword in his hand.