Heavenly Inquisition Sword

Chapter 132: It's Not Me

Although his mind was clearer, Yeon Jeokha’s situation had not improved. In front of him, besides the dying Jang Danpyeong, stood Ju Yushim, filled with fury.

Ju Yushim obstructed any attempt by Yeon Jeokha to approach Jang Danpyeong. Blinded by vengeance, he attacked with renewed aggression.

Originally, the plan of the Demon of Illusion, Ungjaegwi, was "not to risk life in the fight and retreat if necessary." In other words, it was just to test the situation. But with Sa Do-yeong and Jang Danpyeong gravely injured, everything changed.

To make matters worse, Ju Yushim, the only one left, had lost his mind due to anger. The situation now was completely contrary to Ungjaegwi’s orders. Ju Yushim made sure that Yeon Jeokha could not get close to Jang Danpyeong.

Meanwhile, Jang Danpyeong's body, which had already stopped breathing, began to undergo a transformation.

Crack, crack.

The sound of something breaking accompanied the cracks appearing on Jang Danpyeong's skin. Soon, an enormous monster emerged from his body, with dark red, steaming skin, similar to the powerful demon they had faced in the Chamber of Commerce of Nanyang.

—"Raaawr!"— roared Jang Danpyeong, now transformed into a monster.

Ju Yushim, surprised, shouted:

—"Brother Jang! Is that you, Brother Jang?"—

He couldn’t believe that his comrade had turned into a black beast. Jang Danpyeong’s gaze first locked onto Ju Yushim and then fixed on Yeon Jeokha.

—"Raaawr!"—

From Jang Danpyeong’s black eyes, sparks flew, as if he knew exactly who his enemy was. Suddenly, he disappeared like a ghost and reappeared above Yeon Jeokha’s head.

When he raised his hand, a red flame burst forth.

Whooosh!

Yeon Jeokha, prepared, raised his sword without flinching. The energy of the wind wheel deflected the flames. He was about to counterattack when Ju Yushim’s sword struck from the side, forcing him to face him first.

Clang.

Ju Yushim’s sword was repelled backward. At that moment, Jang Danpyeong's two hands descended upon Yeon Jeokha’s head.

—'This is chaos'— thought Yeon Jeokha as his sword rose to use the Flying Dragon Ascension. The energy of three swords penetrated Jang Danpyeong's hands.

—"Aaaargh!"— screamed Jang Danpyeong, retreating, while Yeon Jeokha followed him, launching attack after attack.

Pum. Pum. Pum.

Yeon Jeokha’s sword pierced Jang Danpyeong’s body multiple times. At that moment, a familiar scream echoed in the distance, freezing Yeon Jeokha’s face.

He glanced sideways, and as he feared, the corpse of Sa Do-yeong had transformed into a monster with a horn on its forehead and was roaring toward the sky.

—'This is a disaster!'— thought Yeon Jeokha, gritting his teeth and striking with his sword even harder.

The technique of the Dragon and Tiger Windstorm trapped Jang Danpyeong's body in a storm. Meanwhile, Sa Do-yeong, now a monster, turned his head toward Old Shim after his roar to the sky. With long white claws, Sa Do-yeong lunged at him.

Old Shim, surprised, said with a feigned calm expression:

—"It’s not me. I am not your enemy."—

—"Raaawr!"—

Sa Do-yeong roared again, ignoring Old Shim’s words and attacking with his long claws.

Swish, swish, swish.

Old Shim blocked one of the attacks and stepped aside. The frozen ground cracked under the impact. Sa Do-yeong disappeared and reappeared behind Old Shim, launching another attack with his claws.

Clang, clang, clang.

Old Shim retreated, blocking Sa Do-yeong's attacks. Sa Do-yeong's claws were so powerful that Old Shim couldn’t hold his ground.

Namgung Yeon, seeing Old Shim in trouble, intervened. She attacked Sa Do-yeong with the Emperor Sword Technique.

Bang, bang, bang.

Sa Do-yeong, struck, turned toward Namgung Yeon, who motioned with her finger for him to come closer.

—"Raaawr!"— screamed Sa Do-yeong, launching himself at Namgung Yeon with fury. Namgung Yeon used her superior technique to move in circles, avoiding the attacks.

Frustrated by his constant failures, Sa Do-yeong turned back to Old Shim.

—"Damn it! I told you it’s not me!"— shouted Old Shim.

Sa Do-yeong continued his relentless attacks, ignoring Old Shim’s words. The battle raged on as Namgung Yeon joined the fight, giving Yeon Jeokha a brief respite.

Yeon Jeokha looked at Ju Yushim, who was stunned by the sight of his comrades turned into monsters.

—'It’s now or never'— thought Yeon Jeokha, seeing the opportunity to finish off the monster in front of him.

The sword technique enveloped Jang Danpyeong, who struggled in vain against Yeon Jeokha. With a final strike, Yeon Jeokha's sword pierced Jang Danpyeong's chest, ending his torment.

—"Aaaargh!"— screamed Jang Danpyeong as his body disintegrated into dust. Ju Yushim, seeing this, realized the battle was lost.

—"Everyone, retreat!"— ordered Ju Yushim to the few remaining warriors of the Dark Division. Yeon Jeokha, aware that he couldn’t allow more monsters to form, didn’t pursue them.

With Ju Yushim and his men fleeing, Sa Do-yeong was left alone, fighting against Old Shim and Namgung Yeon.

Yeon Jeokha rushed toward Sa Do-yeong’s exposed back, using his most powerful technique.

The sword pierced through Sa Do-yeong’s back and exited through his chest. Sa Do-yeong stopped, and his body began to disintegrate into dust.

—'Could it be the necklace?'— thought Yeon Jeokha, feeling a strange energy flow toward his chest, where he wore the Sacred Artifact necklace, as if it were absorbing the essence of the monsters.

—'It must be related to the Sacred Artifact'— concluded Yeon Jeokha, watching the ten orbs of light that floated in the air before disappearing.

The battle was over, but Yeon Jeokha's group knew they couldn't let their guard down. Despite the wounds and exhaustion, they had to keep moving forward.

After the battle, the coachman emerged from his hiding place, trying to decide whether they should eat among the corpses. Namgung Cheon, with experience, attended to the wounds of Seol Chasu and Yoo Geunsik, applying medicine to stop the bleeding.

—"We should eat quickly and move on. It’s faster than going back to the nearby village"— suggested Namgung Cheon.

—"Yes, we have a long distance ahead, but it will only take us one or two more hours"— responded the coachman.

Everyone gathered around the fire, eating in silence. Although the stew was a bit burnt, no one complained.

Yeon Jeokha, aware of his duty, sat next to the coachman, ready for any eventuality. The journey continued in silence, with the cart moving over the frozen terrain.

After a long journey, they arrived at a large village with an inn and a clinic.

Boeun Clinic

After receiving treatment, Seol Chasu asked the doctor about his condition.

—"How are they?"— he asked.

The doctor, a man in his fifties named Jang Moonjin, responded after some reflection:

—"The wound on the shoulder will heal in about a week. However, the wound on the back is deep..."

—"Is it serious?"—

—"Thanks to the medicine applied initially, it’s not life-threatening. But it will require at least a month of rest to heal completely."

—"Ah! What a relief"— said Jin Seolha, letting out a sigh of relief.

Unlike her, Yoo Geunsik frowned.

—"A month without being able to move? There are important things I need to do."

Yoo Geunsik didn’t want to miss the opportunity to participate in a mission that could become the pride of his entire life.