Chapter 314: Advancing and Retreating (1)

The entire staircase didn’t shake as the Heavenly Demon had managed, but the force unleashed was more than enough to rock the region. The fangs thrust forward and the twin dragon swords pulsated with energy, reaching new extremes.

“This, this is…”

The Devil Corpse Commander instinctively felt a sense of crisis. If they were hit by the Heavenly Demon’s divine technique in this condensed state…

It would be the end.

The carefully prepared zombie army would be evaporated in one go.

“Evade! Immediately!”

The Devil Corpse Commander bellowed at the top of his lungs.

And in that moment.

Boom!

The compressed demonic energy released in a sequential burst.

A giant light engulfed Jinhyuk, and for a moment, everything turned white.

First to be struck was a lowly zombie close to Jinhyuk.

“Keke?”

Along with a burning smell, flesh sizzled away. Even the bodies refined in the extreme abyss, which held a high resistance to heat, couldn’t serve as a shield against this onslaught.

The energy exploded beyond imagination, and when sight returned, the landscape was completely altered.

“Haah!… Haah. Haah…”

The Devil Corpse Commander staggered back, barely alive due to the zombie fodder that had shield-protected him. By using the Devil Corpse Troops, he had momentarily transformed their offensive power into defensive.

But that was the extent of it.

The zombie troops he had were now reduced to ash.

‘How… how am I supposed to face him after… failing this mission, and being the only survivor?’

Such a feeble excuse would never suffice.

He needed to at least achieve a small victory. While mulling this over, he noticed Jinhyuk.

Jinhyuk seemed to be severely strained, likely from using such a powerful martial art. His breath was ragged, his legs weak.

This was an opportunity.

“Ah, so there is a limit to your strength!”

If he could just take out this guy, he could redeem his previous failures. The Devil Corpse Commander leaped forward. Though he was wounded and exhausted, his opponent seemed close to collapse, staggering with his head bowed, incapable of wielding his sword or even dodging.

Now was the only chance to kill him.

Vuuuu!

The crescent moon blade shot out horizontally and vertically at once, but then…

Clang!

The slashed sword was deflected from an unexpected angle.

Overlapping with ‘Tombgrave’s Arm’…

…’High-Speed Sword’ ensued.

If the Heavenly Demon Divine Technique prioritized destructive power, this sword strike sought peak speed.

It wasn’t just fast; it had become impossible to see.

Thud, thud, thud!

A chilling sound signaled the end of the battle.

Blood spewed like a waterfall.

“How could you execute such a fast sword strike… when you should be drained of power…”

Just being tired was an understatement.

In fact,

“I was just pretending to be exhausted.”

He had already mastered controlling and optimizing his internal energy, and acting had come naturally just as well.

“Monster…like.”

Boom!

The Devil Corpse Commander’s body collapsed.

Simultaneously,

Ding!

[Your level has increased!]

[Your level has increased!]

[Your level has increased!]

[You have acquired ‘Advanced Zombie Creation Technique’.]

[You have acquired a pair of ‘Crescent Moon Blades’!]

Numerous system messages confirmed his victory.

Three levels up.

Plus, he acquired the two best items in possession of the Devil Corpse Commander.

＊＊＊

“Is it… over?”

Soyoung sat down, exhausted from the fight. She had just managed to protect the hostages against numerous enemies, and her breath now bore the tang of metal.

Her fellow priests and followers had already collapsed from exhaustion.

“That seems to be the case. We only helped Jinhyuk, though.”

Even Teresa’s white armor and shield were stained black with zombie blood.

“We definitely struggled. If there had been a few more of them, it could have been dangerous.”

Elise added her observation. They were fortunate to incinerate the enemies to their molecular level; otherwise, they couldn’t have killed them even with a hundred stabs, so great was the regenerative power of the elite zombies.

But then,

Clang clang!

The sound of a frenzied battle echoed from the forest. Someone was desperately fighting to survive.

Cheon Yuseong was still furiously continuing the fight.

Elise, deep in thought, tugged on Jinhyuk’s sleeve.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Hm?”

“If we’re all here, do we really need to use that swordsman as bait? Honestly, I think the contractor alone would have been enough.”

“Hmm…”

Elise was oddly sharp today. Her mind was quick and her curiosity was like someone destined for a short life.

“Elise.”

“Yes?”

“Sometimes it’s better to pretend ignorance, even when you know something.”

“Aha…”

Elise’s eyes widened as she remembered Cheon Yuseong slowly climbing that perilous ladder.

Perhaps it was…karma.

The accumulated karma for past actions.

The only thing she could do for him, from afar, was to cheer him on.

“…Good luck!”

She didn’t forget to wave at Cheon Yuseong, who was still fiercely evading and fighting.

＊＊＊

A day after the battle ended, Jinhyuk returned to Luoyang with his party. Having eliminated the Devil Corpse Commander, he was confident they had secured an advantageous position in the war.

However, upon arriving at the Wulin Alliance, he realized the situation was much more severe than expected.

“Three elite branches from Zhenmeng and Gongmeng have been annihilated.”

“We also lost all the internal elixirs and artifacts stored at our base.”

“The zombies were eliminated in large numbers, yes, but that white zombie was different. I barely escaped with my life.”

The mood in the conference room was grim.

The Wulin Alliance had only two victories to boast of; elsewhere, they had suffered massive losses.

At least they took down about two thousand blood zombies—if that could be considered fortunate.

Jinhyuk frowned as he joined the meeting late.

‘This place really seems to have collected all the idiots.’

Even having blocked the most troublesome Devil Corpse Commander, their results were this abysmal. Clearly, these people weren’t worth the trouble. It was best to use them to the fullest and then discard them.

But then, Hye Myeong, a monk from Shaolin, mentioned something unexpected.

“We also lost the Divine Herb we had in storage. Oddly enough, they didn’t touch anything else but took only that.”

“The Divine Herb? Isn’t it the herb that can boost one’s internal energy by half a realm?”

“Though it’s rare, because of the effort involved in making it into an elixir, the increase in internal energy is considered negligible.”

Dan Muilt from Kunlun and Ha Ryeoha from Mount Hua joined in.

“Indeed, that herb was a favorite of mine, and its loss is regrettable.”

Divine Herb… could it be?

Jinhyuk’s pupils dilated.

A herb known to revitalize and awaken those in a deep slumber for centuries.

Of course, this was in the context of proper refining processes.

In the martial world, the Divine Herb was thought of merely as an ingredient for internal energy-boosting elixirs.

‘Sama Ja targeted… the Divine Herb?’

He had thought it odd that two thousand blood zombies were sacrificed for little reason.

Now it became clear what Sama Ja aimed for.

Clearly not after making an elixir, but…

‘He’s trying to awaken the Four Symbols.’

To win the war, he intended to utilize the divine beasts now in deep sleep.

With Sama Ja’s abilities and the effects of the Divine Herb, it was a feasible plan.

And there was only one among those sleeping that Sama Ja could forge a contract with…

The Azure Dragon.

The dragon that controls the weather in the East would soon appear on the battlefield at a time the Wulin Alliance would never suspect.

‘Just when I thought these martial fools were completely useless… they turn out to be somewhat helpful.’

This information was worth its weight in gold.

Knowing one of the enemy’s hidden cards allowed him to prepare accordingly.

‘First, let’s get what I can.’

Especially in dealing with Sama Ja and the Azure Dragon, there was something Jinhyuk had to secure from the Wulin Alliance without fail.

Having organized his thoughts, Jinhyuk spoke out for the first time.

“Ahem! Ah! We appreciate your hard work in discussing matters, but I have an urgent matter to address. Could I have your attention, please?”

“You are…”

“Is he the one who took down the Devil Corpse Commander?”

“Kang Jinhyuk… Yes, that’s correct. Our kid was done in by that bastard.”

People who hadn’t attended the previous Wulin Alliance meeting murmured.

Gongmeng, Ami, and Zhenmeng;

Representatives from these clans were present, including those from the Mo, Je, and Huangbo families.

“What’s the urgent matter you wish to discuss?”

Ha Ryeoha asked Jinhyuk.

“The time has come to receive the reward for informing you about the movements of the Heavenly Demon Cult. As promised, I’d like you to deliver the treasures of each clan.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

Boom!

Dan Muil slammed his fist on the table, and everyone looked at Jinhyuk as if he had said something outrageous.

“Do you even realize how much we’ve lost? And you want us to give you more?”

“I told you where the enemies would be. If you fell into their trap, that’s your fault, not mine.”

If they were humiliated by their incompetence, they should just feel ashamed.

Complaining here was simply foolhardy.

“But, that is…”

“Moreover, I took out the Devil Corpse Commander, and now you’re telling me to just shut my mouth? Really? After all that talk of righteousness and cooperation? What will you do if I decide to withhold my information in the future? Do you think the Wulin Alliance can handle the next move from the Heavenly Demon Cult without my intel? Are you serious?”

Rapid-fire words left Dan Muil speechless.

The promises made were real, as was the merit earned.

Above all, Jinhyuk’s further information was desperately needed to overcome this dire situation.

Yet, it was hard for the representatives to give up their treasured clan artifacts, hoping to glean the information for free.

“Regardless of the reward, do you truly believe this man subdued the Devil Corpse Commander? It’s hard to believe that creature who controls hundreds of zombies is dead. I fear we may be dealing with a false report meant to exaggerate his merit. We should first verify the truth of this claim!”

“I agree too.”

“As do I.”

“To think someone like him achieved what many masters could not…”

“Certainly, we cannot rule out the possibility that he’s using strange methods or colluding with the Heavenly Demon Cult.”

“What’s all this talk? The lad helped us catch our breath. Shall we sit here doubting unendingly?”

“Isn’t the Open Sect favoring him a bit too much? It all seems very suspicious to me.”

Debate ensued.

As the situation reached this point, Suyuhun called over Suyoung, his student who had fought alongside Jinhyuk, hoping for a clear answer.

“Yumyung.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Did he really defeat the Devil Corpse Commander?”

“Well…”

Suyoung glanced at Jinhyuk as if seeking his permission to speak.