Chapter 2104 – 2104. Ascension To The Light
Baek Oh-cheol, the Mountain King of the Four Kings Alliance, rose to his massive height. His muscular body was covered in the hides of wild beasts. He killed the beasts and cut their hides to make clothes. His lower garment was made of leopard skin, and his upper garment was made of tiger skin.
“It’s about time, my brothers. Are you ready?!”
A lanky middle-aged man with a sly grin approached him. Baek Pal-cheol. He was the younger brother of the Mountain King, Baek Oh-cheol. A large red axe was slung across his back.
“Brother, I’ve only prepared the most trustworthy ones. Even if others try to interfere, these guys will stop them.”
Another middle-aged man approached from the opposite side of the Mountain King. He was small and expressionless. Baek Gu-cheol, another younger brother of the Mountain King. Five small skulls floated around him. They were magical tools made by casting spells on monkey skulls.
“All preparations are complete. If the legend is true… Mount Domyeong will reveal itself before us.”
“Haha. What if the legend of Mount Domyeong is a lie after all this preparation? The little ones will be dissatisfied, won’t they?”
Baek Pal-cheol stroked the axe at his waist. The Mountain King chuckled.
“Those little ones who try to climb up can always have their heads smashed, as always. And that’s a useless worry. My gut tells me. Mount Domyeong will appear.”
The Mountain King snorted. He was excited.
This was something he had been preparing for a long time. He had incited bandits to make other forces focus their attention on them. Even if they realized his plan, they wouldn’t be able to move easily because the bandits would be a nuisance. Especially for large forces like the Martial Alliance and the Demonic Cult, this place was too far for them to make a concerted effort.
The Imperial Palace? The army? If they were going to move, they would have moved already. They wouldn’t move over something like this unless someone crossed the line first.
Even if other variables arose in the plan, he and his brothers would be the ones to reach the summit of Mount Domyeong in the end.
The Mountain King and his brothers went outside the mountain fortress.
“It’s time. The energy is starting to change.”
Baek Gu-cheol said calmly, looking up at the sky. The white clouds that had filled the sky instantly evaporated and disappeared.
A light flashed high in the sky. The light fell on the mountain like a falling star. The mountain they were on shone brightly, and they were forcibly moved outside of their mountain.
A smile appeared on their faces as they were moved to the entrance of Mount Domyeong.
“Look! Wasn’t my gut right! The legend of Mount Domyeong was true!”
The Mountain King laughed heartily.
“Ah. I didn’t expect to be moved outside… I’ll have to give orders to my men again.”
Baek Pal-cheol swung his axe, cutting down a tree and leaving a message for the bandits.
“…We must be careful. The natural energy and ley lines are a chaotic mess. Even with my magic, it’s hard to figure out exactly what’s in Mount Domyeong. It seems like we can’t use teleportation or fly to get there.”
Baek Gu-cheol looked at the shining Mount Domyeong with a cautious gaze. Mount Domyeong was glowing faintly. It was also five times larger than the original mountain. The summit of Mount Domyeong was higher than the clouds.
“Hahaha! Enough with the useless talk! Let’s go, our era will soon begin!”
The Mountain King burst into a hearty laugh and ascended Mount Domyeong with his brothers.
• • •
There was another group watching Mount Domyeong. They were wearing white tiger masks and black clothes. They quietly shared their opinions through the masks’ abilities.
-Mount Domyeong has appeared. It’s even more mysterious in person.
-The Mountain King has entered the mountain. We must move before he reaches the summit.
-There’s no need to move hastily. The interior of Mount Domyeong is twisted and not as simple as it appears from the outside. Even if we start a little later, we can easily overtake the Mountain King.
-Still, wouldn’t it be better to start now?
-Wait. It’s better to figure out who is entering Mount Domyeong before we go in. As you know, our existence must not be revealed. We must avoid encounters with others as much as possible. If we inevitably encounter them, we must kill them.
Those who had been hiding around Mount Domyeong began to reveal themselves one by one. Most of them rushed towards Mount Domyeong. They encountered the bandits of the Green Forest around Mount Domyeong and started fighting. The air around the shining mountain was already filled with a fishy smell of blood.
-Wanderers who happened to hear the legend of Mount Domyeong and came looking for it… They’re very excited.
-In their eyes, Mount Domyeong probably just looks like a lucky opportunity. They don’t know what’s ahead.
There were others as well. Martial artists who had come prepared. They didn’t attack first, even while engaging in a war of nerves with other forces. Their priority was to enter Mount Domyeong.
*Ting!*
An unusual bell sound rang out. The ones wearing white tiger masks tensed up involuntarily.
-I feel a sinister energy. It’s unpleasant.
-Hundreds of Jiangshi are moving like an army. At the center is the old woman with the black hand.
-It’s the Black Hand of the Ghostly Souls. That creepy old woman has come.
The Black Hand of the Ghostly Souls was a master who did not belong to either the righteous or the demonic factions. Those without affiliation were also called the Wild Ones.
The Black Hand of the Ghostly Souls entered Mount Domyeong, showing off her five hundred Jiangshi. Surprisingly, as soon as that large force entered, their presence disappeared and could no longer be felt. It was as if the space itself was distorted based on the mountain.
*Swooshhhhhh.*
Along with black clouds, they fell at the entrance of Mount Domyeong.
A Hundred Ghosts’ Night Parade.
A great demon leading over a hundred demons had appeared.
The great demon had an appearance that was a mix of dragon bones and human parts, and wore armor and weapons like a general. He shone with a red, ominous light in his eyes and gave orders to his subordinate demons. Half of the demons that made up the Hundred Ghosts’ Night Parade began to rampage and attack the humans near Mount Domyeong. The other half entered Mount Domyeong with the great demon.
-That’s the Bone Accumulating Evil Ghost, Ban Oh. He collects bones regardless of whether they are from humans or demons. Rumor has it that he gets stronger through bones.
-There are quite a few formidable figures we can’t ignore.
-But we have the advantage. We have some general information about Mount Domyeong.
The number of people entering Mount Domyeong noticeably decreased as the demons appeared. It was because the demons were quite strong. The demons let out eerie laughs as they killed humans and tore apart their flesh and blood. It was their own feast.
-It seems like all the big shots have arrived.
-We should enter the mountain before it’s too late.
-…Wait. There are some unusual ones coming. Three this time.
The three walked in confidently. Two were men, and one was a woman. The woman had her face covered with a veil, but it couldn’t hide all of her beauty. The three walked forward slowly, almost leisurely.
The demons who had been eating humans hesitated. The energy they felt from them was unusual. That energy was comparable to the big shots who had entered earlier.
-I’ve never seen those faces before.
-The man who seems relatively weak smells like a military officer.
The demons, who had been hesitating, must have remembered the great demon’s orders, or perhaps they trusted their numbers. The demons rushed towards the three.
A black energy burst from the body of the man at the front. That energy, which was nothing short of tyrannical, was demonic energy.
The demons, momentarily overwhelmed by the demonic energy, simultaneously released their demonic energy. They were resisting the demonic energy. The demons’ momentum began to rise. It seemed like the demonic energy could overwhelm the demonic energy, until the demon took a step.
*Thud.*
An intangible wave arose, brushing past the world. Everything that touched it began to be forcibly crushed.
The demons’ momentum was instantly broken. The weaker demons knelt on the ground as if their spirits had been broken.
The aftereffects reached even the white tiger masked ones who were far away. They felt the pressure crushing their bodies.
-Ugh!
-I, is this magic?!
-No, this is….
*Thud!*
The second step.
All the demons who had barely been standing knelt on the ground. Not only that, but the trees around him broke, and the rocks shattered. The world was being crushed.
The demons screamed and begged the man for their lives. But the man walked forward indifferently.
*Thud!*
The third step.
A massive demonic energy swept through the surroundings.
Demons, humans, the world, everything was blown away.
-The Heavenly Demon’s Descent Step…! That’s the Lesser Heavenly Demon, Seong Yu-jin! Use your inner energy to protect yourself!
Fortunately, the demon did not descend. Instead, he walked into Mount Domyeong, stepping on the ruined ground.
But the group with the white tiger masks could not relax.
-Haa, haa. M, my head hurts! The, the one I killed back then…!
-I, I will never, ever submit!!
They grabbed their heads. There was no physical pain. Instead, something kept coming to mind.
It was evil.
Whispering sins and inciting desires.
It was agony.
They couldn’t shake it off. Even if they died, this agony would not disappear.
It was Mara.
The demon was seeping in.
“Get a hold of yourselves!!”
The man who had taken off his white tiger mask shouted. The profound inner energy in his voice awakened the others.
“Empty your minds! You should know how to deal with the inner demon! Recite the incantation of the White Spirit Heart Sutra! The energy of the white tiger protects us, so this inner demon won’t be able to harm us!”
They began to recite the White Spirit Heart Sutra, which they had learned since childhood. White energy flowed from their bodies.
The inner demon gradually retreated. Even as it disappeared, it left behind its lingering presence as if mocking them. By the time the white tiger masks had completely eliminated the inner demon, a long time had passed.
-W, was that the Heavenly Demon’s Descent Step?
-It’s much more terrifying than I had heard. To forcibly create an inner demon….
“I don’t know. As far as I know, the Heavenly Demon’s Descent Step doesn’t have the ability to create an inner demon. It might just be an inner demon that arose from being overwhelmed.”
The man sighed and put the white tiger mask he had taken off back on his face.
-…Let’s go. We’ve wasted more time than expected. If we encounter the Lesser Heavenly Demon, Seong Yu-jin… be prepared for battle so that you don’t get consumed by the inner demon.
