Chapter 372
“Here it is.”
“A cliff? It looks pretty ordinary.”
Standing with others before a steep cliff, I surveyed the surroundings. The cliff, stretching upwards for over a hundred feet, was made entirely of solid rock, and there was nothing particularly remarkable about the landscape.
‘What kind of formation could be here?’
However, it didn’t take long for my doubts to be resolved.
Following a sudden sense of déjà vu, I slowly walked forward and stopped in front of a tawny rock face.
“This is…”
Everything has a flow and a texture. Even energy, which cannot be seen or touched, doesn’t escape this principle.
The heightened senses that come with reaching the peak of mastery were enough to detect the unnatural flow of energy.
“A formation?”
A voice answered my muttering.
“More precisely, it’s an illusionary formation.”
Moon Kyung—or rather, the Killing Star—stepped forward, his gaze dry as he looked at my face. With a wave of his hand, the solid rock vanished like mist, revealing the entrance to a pitch-black cave.
“At least you’re not entirely blind.”
“Uh, excuse me?”
“Don’t question it.”
Without giving me a chance to respond, the Killing Star casually walked towards the cave entrance.
‘Was that an insult or a compliment?’
It left me feeling oddly displeased. Yet, it didn’t seem like there was any malice in the Killing Star’s words or actions towards me. His tone was just as dry and indifferent as when he spoke to others.
This made it more awkward than infuriating.
Of course, the fact that he’s the Killing Star plays a role in me choosing to let it slide.
If he had really meant to insult me, I wouldn’t have been so calm. I could’ve easily turned the “Killing Star” into “Rice Star” if I wanted to.
While I was lost in such thoughts, a low chuckle came from beside me. Turning my head, I saw Jeok Cheon-Gang smirking.
“Why are you suddenly laughing?”
“Just thinking that even the Killing Star isn’t as straightforward as he seems.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t question it.”
Is this the latest catchphrase or something?
After that, Jeok Cheon-Gang strode off, and the two sect leaders and I followed, heading into the pitch-black cave.
‘So there was a place like this hidden away.’
The cave was only a half-day’s walk from the capital of Sichuan. For an ordinary person, it would take half a day, but for those skilled in martial arts, it would be much faster.
As we walked through the seemingly endless cave, I looked around.
‘The entrance is massive. It’s several times larger than the underground prison of the Sichuan Tang Clan.’
On our way here, I heard that this very cave was where the beasts of Amcheon had been hiding.
I had wondered where such a large number of them had suddenly come from, and now it seemed they had been hiding here, waiting for the right moment.
‘But how did they even get here?’
The forces that attacked the Tang Clan under the command of the West Heaven Demon Army numbered around three hundred.
If you added the forces that headed toward Cheongseong and Emei, the number becomes even more significant. [1]
‘Is the security in Sichuan really that poor? No, even if that were the case, surely the Beggars’ Sect or the Hao Clan would’ve noticed something.’
As these questions lingered in my mind, we continued walking. The path was wide enough for ten grown men to walk side by side. Finally, a new space opened up before us.
I couldn’t help but mutter to myself.
“…Wow, look at this.”
The space was large enough to hold at least a thousand people. Several night pearls embedded in the ceiling cast a soft glow, and in one corner, there were piles of provisions, jars filled with food, and weapons.
But what surprised me the most was something else.
‘What is that?’
Strange patterns covered the entire floor of the cave. They were intricately carved, arranged in a precise manner, like the gears of an ancient machine, reminiscent of the ruins of a long-forgotten kingdom.
“Is that… what you were talking about earlier?”
Cheongpung Gogeom, the leader of the Cheongseong sect, nodded heavily.
“Yes. That is the strange formation that Bindo mentioned.” [2]
I had my doubts, but it really was a formation.
I had encountered various mechanical traps and formations during the Sacred Martial Meeting, but I had never seen one this large or strange.
‘This is beyond peculiar; it’s almost grotesque.’
Perhaps it was the mysterious yet ominous patterns that made it feel that way.
Jeok Cheon-Gang, who seemed to share my thoughts, spoke up.
“But what are those bizarre patterns?”
“That… we still don’t know.”
Myeol Jeol-shinni added after Cheongpung Gogeom .
“It’s too early to make a definitive statement. We showed a replica of the formation to various scholars and experts, but no one could identify it. It could be some unknown script from the Western Regions.”
At that moment, I blurted out something without realizing it.
“This isn’t a script.”
“Huh?”
“Mm?”
Everyone turned to look at me. The Killing Star, who had been silent since entering the cave, spoke up abruptly.
“Evidence?”
“Uh, evidence?”
“You must have a good reason for making such a claim. Don’t question it, just answer.”
Of course, I have evidence. No renowned scholar who’s read tens of thousands of books or any experienced martial artist could refute it.
‘The Unified Language Pack.’
Thanks to the system, I can understand and translate any language automatically. This includes speaking, reading, and writing.
It’s the same reason I could communicate with the Skeleton Warlord in modern times, thanks to the Unified Language Pack.
However, despite the translation function working like a passive skill, the patterns forming the formation remained unchanged. This was undeniable proof that these patterns weren’t a script.
The problem is…
‘How do I explain this?’
I should’ve kept quiet. Why did I have to speak up?
But it was too late. The Killing Star’s gaze deepened, and I stammered out a response.
“Pi, pi…”
“Pi, pi?”
The Killing Star’s eyebrow twitched. It was the first time I saw him express an emotion. He must be remembering the “dream talk” incident.
“N-no, not pi pi.”
“So, is it breasts then?”
Please, don’t say such things with that emotionless face.
“No, that’s not it!”
Just as I was frantically waving my hands, Jeok Cheon-Gang suddenly intervened.
“Are you trying to intimidate my disciple? The successor of the Fire King and the rightful heir of the Blazing Fire Clan?”
“Intimidate? I could, but I see no need.”
“I was willing to overlook it as a debt of gratitude for saving my life, but if you continue to press the issue, I won’t stand idly by.”
As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, I closed my eyes tightly and shouted.
“I-I was guessing!”
“Guessing?”
“I think I might’ve seen it in a book once… It just doesn’t feel like a script to me, so I guessed.”
The cave fell into a heavy silence. The Killing Star sighed almost imperceptibly before asking Jeok Cheon-Gang.
“So, this boy is the Fire King’s successor and heir to the Blazing Fire Clan?”
After a moment of silence, Jeok Cheon-Gang replied.
“Now that I think about it, he hasn’t officially gone through the initiation ceremony.”
“So technically speaking, he’s not yet a formal disciple of the clan. Meaning he’s still under the care of the Tae Won Jin family…”
Jeok Cheon-Gang awkwardly averted his gaze when our eyes met.
“I’ll leave it at that.”
You’ve already said everything you needed to say.
Myeol Jeol-shinni and Cheongpung Gogeom, who had witnessed this breakdown in trust between master and disciple, awkwardly changed the subject.
“Ahem. In any case, it seems we need to continue investigating this strange formation.”
“Your insights have been most helpful, Jin-dou and Senior Jeok.”
Everyone here, including the heavens and the earth, knows that wasn’t helpful at all.
Cheongpung Gogeom, realizing how ridiculous the situation was, wrapped it up with a grim expression.
“But it’s truly unbelievable. To summon that many people with just a formation. Unbelievable.”
“Indeed. If something like this is possible, it means these creatures could appear anywhere in the world.”
Wait, what did they just say?
I had been staring at the ground, lost in frustration and embarrassment, but now I snapped my head up.
“Is something wrong, Jin Si-ju?” [3]
“Uh, I don’t think I’ve heard what you just mentioned about the formation before.”
“Hmm? Are you referring to the Transportation Formation?”
“…Transportation Formation?”
“Yes, according to the Three Demons, that strange formation is called a Transportation Formation. It’s hard to believe, but they claimed that Amcheon used it to travel hundreds of miles.”
A Transportation Formation?
It would be less surprising if a square-framed critic suddenly appeared to rate this formation four and a half stars.
‘I’ve heard of something like this before.’
A formation that transports hundreds of people across vast distances.
The more I thought about it, the more my heart raced, and my lips dried up.
If this Transportation Formation is what I’m thinking it is…
‘No, that can’t be.’
But despite my efforts to deny it, I found myself swallowing hard.
“Is this formation still operational?”
Although I directed my question at the two sect leaders, it was the Killing Star who answered.
“We captured the Three Demons here.”
“…They tried to escape using the Transportation Formation.”
“Yes, but that was just their intention.”
“What do you mean?”
“As the Three Demons confessed later, they attempted to activate the formation, but nothing happened.”
“Oh…”
“One thing is certain. There’s no flow of energy from that formation. It’s nothing more than an empty shell now.”
After finishing his explanation in a flat tone, the Killing Star added one more thing.
“Given the evidence, Amcheon is undoubtedly a remnant of the Demon Cult. The cult possessed countless bizarre techniques, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they had something like this.”
I’ve heard about the Demon Cult so many times that my ears practically have calluses.
A powerful religious group synonymous with evil and heresy.
Although they were ultimately defeated in the Great War between the righteous and the demonic, they managed to dominate the martial world for a significant period thanks to their strange and powerful techniques.
‘So this formation is just one of many strange techniques passed down from the Demon Cult?’
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand it. Maybe it’s because this kind of thing was common in the fusion fantasy novels I used to read, but it only made me more confused.
‘In those novels, it was all explained easily enough. Ugh, I really shouldn’t have read something that never even got finished.’
Still, just in case, I decided to memorize the layout and patterns of the formation.
As I was intently studying the Transportation Formation, trying to commit it to memory, the Killing Star suddenly spoke up.
“Judging by your reaction, it seems like you know something. Do you have any clues?”
How am I supposed to explain this now?
Footnotes:
[1] Moving forward, I will be using “Cheongseong” instead of “Qingcheng”. Cheongseong is the romanized korean name while Qingcheng is the romanized chinese name. In our case, since this is a Korean novel we will start using the Korean version.
[2] Bindo (빈도) is a respectful Korean title used to address a Buddhist monk or practitioner. It conveys reverence similar to “Venerable” or “Reverend” in English. ↩
[3] Si-ju (시주, 施主): A term of respect often used in Korean Buddhism and martial arts contexts to address a patron, benefactor, or someone who has made a significant offering. It implies a person of importance or respect within the community.
