Heavenly Inquisition Sword

Chapter 301



Chapter 301: Why Do You Think the Sky Is Covered?


Jang Mudeok, the Apprentice of the Supreme Tao, gritted his teeth and twisted, but his body, wrapped in multiple layers of webs, didn’t budge an inch.


“Huuuh…”


A sigh escaped through one of his nostrils. Even though he had freed himself from the word spell, he had no energy left to use his strength. Facing death with a clear mind filled him with resentment and frustration, making his heart pound heavily.


As he listened to his own heartbeat, Jang Mudeok tilted his head, puzzled. Despite the time that had passed, the human-faced spiders weren’t devouring him. It seemed the battle had ended, but he didn’t understand why they were leaving him alone. He couldn’t see anything, wrapped as he was in the webs.


Suddenly, an unexpected voice reached his ears.


“Great Swordmaster Jang, I’m going to try to remove these webs. Bear with it, even if it hurts, okay?”


‘Yeon Jeokha?’


That carefree tone could only belong to Yeon Jeokha. It seemed they had also arrived at Mount Pungji. For a moment, he felt relief knowing he was alive, but soon guilt washed over him. He remembered that, although it had been under the influence of the spell, he had almost betrayed them.


As Yeon Jeokha frantically tore at the webs, he let out a sigh.


“Ugh! These don’t come off easily. I might end up ripping off your eyelids and hair. What should I do?”


While Yeon Jeokha was hesitating, Shim Tong spoke urgently.


“Young Master, the human-faced spiders are coming in droves from the gorge. Do whatever you need to, but do it quickly.”


“Don’t rush me just because it’s not your problem. It’s not as easy as it seems.”


“If you can’t remove them, just burn them off like before.”


“And what if I burn all his hair off too?”


“Better to scorch some hair than to rip off his eyelids.”


“…”


Yeon Jeokha looked at the webs clinging to Jang Mudeok’s body with a complicated expression. The adhesion was so strong that it seemed like delicate skin would tear easily.


“Young Master! What are you doing just standing there? The spiders are coming in masses!”


Under the pressure from Shim Tong, Yeon Jeokha decided to act.


“Great Swordmaster Jang, I’m going to use the three-energy flame to melt the webs. Bear the heat, okay?”


Jang Mudeok shuddered. He didn’t have enough internal energy to protect himself. In his current state, another person’s three-energy flame would be even hotter than common fire.


Yeon Jeokha crouched in front of Jang Mudeok and grabbed his feet. Then, he summoned the three-energy flame that Shim Tong had described as capable of setting a mountain on fire.


Fwoosh.


The red flames that started at his feet engulfed Jang Mudeok’s entire body. They seemed even more intense than before, as if oil had been thrown on wood. The thick webs that enveloped him melted instantly.


“Argh!”


At Jang Mudeok’s scream, Yeon Jeokha quickly withdrew his hands. Fortunately, the three-energy flames extinguished immediately.


Yeon Jeokha didn’t dare lift his head, as the strong smell of burning told him he had scorched more than just the webs. Shim Tong was alarmed.


“Young Master! We have to leave now!”


Yeon Jeokha looked around, alarmed.


Chichichichi~


The human-faced spiders were pouring out of the gorge like a wave.


“Great Swordmaster Jang! Can you run?”


“I can’t.”


“Then I’ll carry you.”


Yeon Jeokha avoided looking at Jang Mudeok’s scorched head and hoisted him onto his shoulder.


The Three Immortals of Kunlun and Namgung Yeon turned and started running immediately.


Yeon Jeokha focused solely on following Namgung Yeon, without thinking about anything else.


After about fifteen minutes of running with the fast movement technique, Hyeok Muchun, who had been looking back, panted.


“Huff! Huff! They’re not following us anymore. Let’s rest a bit.”


The group stopped, exhausted by Hyeok Muchun, who was the weakest in internal power. Yeon Jeokha carefully laid Jang Mudeok on the ground.


“Thank you.”


“Don’t mention it…”


Filled with remorse, Yeon Jeokha responded humbly. Jang Mudeok looked more miserable than any beggar, especially his head, which evoked both pity and repulsion. All his hair was scorched, and without his thick mane and beard, he was unrecognizable.


Shim Tong approached and commented.


“He’s more burned than I thought. Didn’t you use too much energy?”


Even though Shim Tong was blunt in his criticism, Yeon Jeokha suppressed his anger.


“No. I didn’t use that much energy.”


“Then why is he like this? It seemed much stronger than the three-energy flame you used before.”


“I don’t know. I’m telling you, I didn’t use much force. It’s your fault for suggesting burning it.”


“I thought it would just singe a bit, not turn him into charcoal.”


“Ah, seriously, I’m telling you I didn’t…”


The two began blaming each other.


Namgung Yeon approached to intervene.


“It’s not your fault. The liquid from the human-faced spiders is highly flammable. The liquid in Great Swordmaster Jang’s body reacted with the three-energy flame.”


“See! I told you I didn’t use much energy.”


Yeon Jeokha exclaimed proudly.


Jang Mudeok, who had been silently listening, spoke in a calm tone.


“Young Master Yeon, thank you. Don’t feel bad about burning a bit of my hair.”


“Ah, yes, what a relief…”


Yeon Jeokha, although relieved by his words, couldn’t help but glance at Jang Mudeok’s scorched head.


After a moment, Immortal Taiyi approached Namgung Yeon.


“Hehe, is it normal for the Eight Trigrams formation to be so expansive?”


“What do you mean?”


“It seems like we’ve run a distance long enough to escape the formation.”


“This formation is different from what is commonly known. I didn’t expect the power of the spirits to be so effective. It seems to distort space.”


“Didn’t you say this formation had no exits or entrances?”


“Yes, it doesn’t.”


“Then how do you plan to get out of here?”


“What the Eight Trigrams of Spirits formation distorts is the earth, isn’t that right?”


“That’s what it seems.”


“We think we’ve been running in a straight line, but in reality, our eyes are being deceived by the surroundings. We might have been running in circles without knowing it.”


Immortal Taiyi nodded.


“At first, I thought about dismantling the formation. But after experiencing the power of the spirits, I realized it wasn’t possible. Instead of trying to dismantle the formation, I plan to advance toward the outside to open a path.”


“Ah, not seeking the eight doors…”


“Yes. It’s so vast and dangerous that finding the doors would be impossible. If we move in a straight line, we’ll eventually reach the edge of the formation.”


“But you just said we couldn’t move in a straight line because we don’t know the direction.”


Namgung Yeon pointed to the sky with her delicate white hand.


“Why do you think the sky is covered?”


“Ah!”


Immortal Taiyi finally understood her words. Beyond the clouds covering the sky, there were things that could indicate direction, like the stars in the night sky.


“Do you have any methods in Kunlun to control the gods?”


“Of course. The celestial god spell is more powerful than the male and female spirits and could clear the clouds.”


Immortal Taiyi’s face lit up. The celestial god spell could dominate malevolent spirits. Even the male and female spirits were no match for the celestial god, like a candle before the sun.


“If those clouds were created by spiritual power, the celestial god spell should clear them.”


Immediately, Immortal Taiyi turned to Immortals Taimu and Tairyeong.


“Did you hear that? We need to use the celestial god spell to clear the clouds.”


“Understood.”


“Let’s begin.”


The Three Immortals of Kunlun extended their right hands toward the sky, touching each other, and recited the celestial god spell.


“…May all celestial gods descend swiftly, om om, hurry, fulfill the command, sabaha!”


From the place where their hands joined, sacred energy rose toward the sky. The white clouds began to retreat slowly.


The small cleared space gradually expanded. When it reached the size of an embrace, the blue sky was glimpsed. Those present exclaimed in amazement.


But their joy was short-lived, as the clouds began to return. The struggle between the Three Immortals of Kunlun and the clouds continued for about fifteen minutes.


Namgung Yeon watched with concern. It seemed that the power of the three immortals was only enough to clear a small space. With that size, they couldn’t see the stars properly.


“What are we going to do?”


As Namgung Yeon pondered, the chanting of the spell gradually weakened. Soon, the clouds once again covered the sky.


“Huff, we can’t maintain this for more than fifteen minutes.”


Immortal Taiyi wiped the sweat from his face.


“Huff, it’s been a while since I did this.”


“I thought I had forgotten the spell. But we can still do it.”


Immortals Taimu and Tairyeong were also exhausted.


Namgung Yeon, though disappointed by the outcome, didn’t show it.


“Thank you for your effort. Could you recite the spell while moving?”


“It will be difficult, but not impossible. As long as we can concentrate.”


Namgung Yeon’s face brightened. Fortunately, they could move while reciting the spell. They couldn’t leave behind the Three Immortals of Kunlun.


“I caught a glimpse of the sky, so it seems it’s still daytime. Let’s wait until nightfall and use the stars to guide us. Can you recite the spell individually?”


“The distance is so vast that we need to combine our forces. It’s difficult to reach the sky with the power of one person alone.”


“Ah, I see! How much time do you need to recover your energy after reciting the spell?”


“About twenty minutes will be enough.”


Namgung Yeon nodded. They needed to rest for as long as they used the spell.


Shim Tong asked timidly.


“Miss, can we rest now?”


Namgung Yeon calculated the time. They had entered the formation around one in the afternoon. After an hour, it would be approximately three in the afternoon. To see the stars clearly, they needed to wait until nine at night.


“We must rest, as we’ll be moving all night. Rest until six hours from now.”


Without hesitation, everyone collapsed to the ground. They were physically and mentally exhausted.


Namgung Yeon watched everyone before approaching Jang Mudeok.


“Great Swordmaster Jang, how are you feeling?”


“I’m fine. Though I look like this, I have no internal injuries. I just need to rest a bit. And I’m sorry. It seemed like I was possessed.”


Namgung Yeon realized that Jang Mudeok had escaped the word spell.


‘It’s not easy to break free from a word spell on one’s own. He managed it.’


She looked at him with renewed respect. Perhaps he would soon reach the legendary state he so desired. With his current state of mind, there was no doubt he would achieve it.



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