Chapter 1114: Scorched World.

I climbed the mountain. It was the same mountain as last time.

It was the place where I found the Great Demonic Gate, the same spot I climbed last time.

“…….”

“…….”

My father and I climbed that mountain endlessly. Last time there was guidance, but this time, since the Clan Head’s permission had been granted, we could climb the mountain without issue.

After climbing for quite a while and reaching the summit, we found the Demonic Gate I saw last time again.

However.

‘It seems bigger than last time?’

The size and light felt larger than the Demonic Gate I saw last time.

And.

‘One of the rings is gone too.’

One of the four rings I saw last time had disappeared, leaving only three.

Since it changed after just one day. I suspect this aligns with what Father mentioned.

‘If all those rings break…’

The Demonic Gate will erupt just like that.

As if reminding me of this, Father approached the Demonic Gate and examined it here and there.

Watching him, I examined the Demonic Gate too.

‘Why is it so big?’

I frowned. Its size was much larger than I expected. It’s not like I’ve only seen the Great Demonic Gate once or twice. I have seen Red Demonic Gates before, admittedly.

‘But I’ve never seen one this big.’

I haven’t seen a Demonic Gate of this size. Its size felt like there was another mountain on top of this one.

‘What happens if this thing erupts?’

A Demonic Gate of this magnitude… means the things raging inside won’t be messing around.

What bothers me here is.

‘The problem with the existence of the Demonic Gate itself.’

The Demonic Gate.

I didn’t know when I didn’t know, but now I know that Demonic Gate connects to the bottomless abyss of the myriad realms.

As the world perished, beings unable to reach the myriad realms were buried in the bottomless abyss.

The rift that formed from that bottomless abyss leads directly to the Demonic Gate.

‘So then…’

Whatever comes bursting out of that Demonic Gate must also be one of those things from the bottomless abyss.

‘Hmm.’

What on earth is trying to come out?

And.

‘…This is problematic.’

It’s an even more bothersome point because I suspect the creation of this Demonic Gate is my fault.

As we continued observing the Demonic Gate for quite some time…

“Do you feel anything unusual?”

Father asked me. He hadn’t said a word while we were climbing the mountain, but finally spoke to me.

Unusual?

I stared at the Demonic Gate for a moment before answering honestly.

“It’s big.”

“…….”

“And very, very big.”

A very large Demonic Gate. At that simple, blunt statement, Father’s brow furrowed. Was it because I stated the obvious? Probably not.

‘There’s no more accurate answer than this.’

No need to beat around the bush. The Demonic Gate’s unexpectedly immense size was the entirety of the anomaly.

“It looks twice as big as other Great Demonic Gates. Furthermore, its size makes it difficult to handle if the Demonic Gate erupts. It has all the bad points.”

Right, the terrain is also a problem.

A Demonic Gate formed at the summit… means the erupting demonic beasts will just come charging down the mountain. This creates many problems when dealing with them. Even though martial artists are beyond ordinary humans, this is still a major issue.

To my words.

“So then.”

Father looked at me and asked something else.

“What do you think would be the best way to handle it?”

A thought crossed my mind at his words. It wasn’t about the countermeasure itself, but the meaning behind the question.

‘I don’t know if he’s asking for advice or testing me.’

Whether it was advice regarding the situation. Or if he was testing me, I couldn’t tell.

“The only way to deal with it… is to fight well, isn’t it?”

Even so, my answer wouldn’t change.

“The terrain is a mess. According to Father… no, according to the Unit Leader’s assessment, the Demonic Gate will open in a few days. It looks difficult to request support from the Alliance, doesn’t it?”

At best, we’d have to request support from the Anhui branch. How much strength could they possibly have? Moreover.

‘The Namgung Family’s forces would naturally be available, but…’

The fact that it’s a Red Demonic Gate is the most concerning part.

‘They probably don’t know the proper way to deal with it.’

If their knowledge is the same as mine, dealing with it in the current state would be impossible. People of this era don’t know the proper way to hunt Red demonic beasts. And with that knowledge, a Red Demonic Gate erupting?

‘As far as I know, a Great Demonic Gate means at least…’

Six.

Six Red demonic beasts appearing simultaneously.

‘How could they possibly handle that?’

This is the part that bothers me. To hunt six simultaneously, you’d need at least a hundred peak-level martial artists. Additionally, you’d need over five martial artists at the Hwagyeong level to provide firepower.

Of course.

‘If I step in, I could probably catch them.’

If I personally intervened, killing the Red demonic beasts wouldn’t be a major problem, but…

‘Sigh.’

It’s precisely because I dislike that that I’m agonizing over this.

If there’s any glimmer of hope…

‘It’s that this is the Namgung Family’s territory.’

The fact that this is the seat of power in Anhui and the Namgung Family’s stronghold. I placed my hope there.

Because.

‘If it’s the Namgung Family’s stronghold, that person should be here.’

The master of Neuro-power, the de facto ruler of the Namgung Family. The father of the current Namgung Jeohui, and the grandfather of Namgung Jin.

‘Heavenly Venerate (天尊).’

Heavenly Venerate, one of the Three Venerates.

There was a possibility he was somewhere within the Namgung Family.

‘If that person is here, dealing with a Red Demonic Gate won’t be that difficult.’

Even if I don’t know Heavenly Venerate’s condition at this time… he should at least be in his prime. As he’s known as the most powerful among the Three Venerates in terms of firepower, if he moved, the Demonic Gate would be nothing to worry about, but…

‘…That’s only if he decides to move.’

I don’t even know if he’s currently in the Namgung Family. And I have no idea what Heavenly Venerate’s condition is now.

“Well, for now… we’ll have to go down and discuss it. Since the risk is high, wouldn’t it be best to send back those who aren’t helpful?”

“Those who aren’t helpful?”

“Martial artists below First-class. And those without martial arts should be evacuated.”

Moving them far away might actually be more dangerous. As far as possible. Around the prefecture should be fine, so the Martial Arts Alliance’s Anhui branch seems suitable.

“As you know from facing Red demonic beasts… martial artists below First-class aren’t much help.”

“…….”

Father didn’t deny it. In reality, First-class martial artists are no match for Red demonic beasts. They’d only be throwing away their lives needlessly.

“Evacuate the civilians and the First-class and below martial artists protecting them to the Martial Arts Alliance’s Anhui branch. Request the Namgung Family to prepare for battle. It would be good if you could also provide some information about the Red demonic beasts. And.”

Tap, tap, tap.

I tapped my waist with my finger.

“The important thing is, are we planning to provide support too?”

If the Demonic Gate erupted from the Anhui branch… it would be right for the Namgung Family to handle it. But now, the Azure Dragon Unit has been dispatched for support. Especially since we expect it to erupt in a few days. It was an ambiguous point whether we should end our support here. That’s why I asked Father.

“We will provide support.”

Father said firmly.

“Since an unexpected anomaly has occurred. We cannot let others die.”

“…….”

“The Martial Arts Alliance operates on justice and cooperation. We will support the Namgung Family and participate in the battle.”

‘Wow.’

I couldn’t properly respond after hearing that. I never expected Father to say something like this.

‘Justice and cooperation?’

It’s laughable. It was the phrase I hated most in the world. And it came from my father’s mouth.

‘…Is it because this is the Martial Arts Alliance of this time?’

The people I knew later on, while belonging to the righteous sects, mostly held negative views towards the Martial Arts Alliance. These people now seemed to feel pride in the Martial Arts Alliance. What on earth happened in those few years?

“Let’s go back.”

Father spoke and turned around.

“…….”

I followed Father’s back for now.

Swoooosh-.

Mid-slope, where all traces of presence had completely vanished. As only the Great Demonic Gate remained, gently swaying…

Crackle-!

A subtle change occurred in the Demonic Gate. It wasn’t a change in size or rings. It was a change in the color within. Amidst the color, dyed red as if blood was flowing… a very small, faint white light flickered. It was the beginning of another anomaly.

---

What we found after descending the mountain was the Namgung Clan Head’s office. Since we had given advance notice, we could meet the Clan Head easily.

“You’ve arrived.”

“We greet Clan Head Namgung.”

“We greet the Clan Head.”

Namgung Jeohui looked somewhat gaunt since we last met. He certainly bore a resemblance to Namgung Jin.

‘He doesn’t resemble Namgung Hyung much.’

Namgung Hyung, who supposedly looked exactly like Neuro-Heavenly Sword. Despite being his father, he didn’t resemble him much. Furthermore.

‘His blood energy is the same too.’

The blood energy felt from his body. That too was still distinct.

“How was it?”

To Namgung Jeohui’s question, Father handed over the prepared letter.

Rustle.

He took it, looked it over, and…

“…A request for evacuation and preparation for battle…”

Namgung Jeohui stroked his chin as if he had already expected this.

“The sooner, the more important it seems.”

Since there are only a few days left. Swift evacuation was crucial.

However.

“As it involves moving the families, moving so suddenly is impossible.”

Namgung Jeohui merely frowned, looking troubled. Seeing that, I interjected.

“Even with the Clan Head’s authority?”

With the Clan Head’s authority and command, they surely could move. What could be the reason for his reluctance? As I spoke, sounding puzzled…

“…….”

Namgung Jeohui touched his brow instead of answering.

What kind of reaction was that? As my father and I watched him silently…

“…Could you perhaps follow me for a moment?”

He said, looking at Father.

“It seems there is someone I must meet.”

“Someone you must meet?”

“The previous Clan Head. I believe I must meet him.”

“……!”

At those words, Father and I widened our eyes simultaneously.

The previous Clan Head…

‘It’s Heavenly Venerate (天尊).’

It was the Heavenly Venerate I thought of earlier while looking at the Demonic Gate.

‘Wow.’

My lips twitched at the situation.

This might just…

‘work out rather well.’

I felt like a troublesome matter might be resolved somewhat easily. So I felt a slight sense of relief, but…

This was…

“Who the hell are you?”

“Ah, damn it.”

The prelude to an even more troublesome event. I didn’t know that then.