Chapter 421: Azure Dragon River (2)

It has already been two months ever since my trip to Sichuan started.

We started from Henan, climbed over mountains, and we still had more than half way to go until we reach Sichuan.

We currently had a big river in front of us.

This was the biggest river I’ve seen after my regression.

It was called the Azure Dragon River.

This river used to be a wide field of plains a few generations ago, but it was said to have been made artificially into a river by a White Demon’s rampage during the Blood Demon War.

Just hearing it made me wonder how a Demon was able to create a whole river, but if I thought about the fact that the Black Palace was located inside a foggy forest, I was able to understand that White Demons were capable of changing terrains and affecting the areas around it.

How was he able to beat this thing down?

My teeth shook when I thought about the people who slayed such Demons alone.

It was Elder Shin who slayed the Mist Dragon, a Demon responsible for covering a whole land with fog.

The Azure Dragon River that was responsible for turning a wide plain into a river, was slain by the Heavenly Poison.

He was one of the five heroes that stopped the Blood Demon, and he was respected by many as he brought Tang Clan back into the Orthodox Faction.

Crazy people.

Only Blue Demons appeared in the current world after the Blood Demon’s disappearance.

However, Red Demons would appear soon once the Heavenly Demon makes her appearance.

Then, the world would turn into a mess.

Not even Peak Realm martial artists are strong enough to take down a Red Demon by themselves after all.

That’s how powerful Red Demons were, so how the hell were heroes of the past able to take down White Demons by themselves?

No matter how much I think about it, they sounded at the very least as powerful as the Three Venerables, if not stronger.

I just thought Elder Shin was an old man with a nasty personality, but he in reality was a great hero of the past.

Even the Celestial Plum Blossom in Mount Hua was only the second most respected person after Elder Shin, which just showed how respected he is.

So could you please come out already…? How long does he plan to sleep?

Ever since Elder Shin helped me in the Heavenly Dragon Academy, he became silent as if he fell asleep again.

The beast inside my body also seemed to have calmed down as it only kept silence.

…Tsk.

I wanted solitude for so long at the time, yet now I felt bothered that I was alone.

As I organized my thoughts while watching the river, someone came and started talking to me.

“Young Master Gu.”

It was Moyong Hi-ah.

“You… should start going soon.”

“Ah, I’ll start going now.”

As Moyong Hi-ah was telling me something, she stopped midway when she saw Tang Duk behind me.

It seemed like she was having a hard time getting used to that giant.

Or perhaps she was scared by his horrifying face.

Tang Duk had a scary face that rivaled mine after all.

“Oh, by the way.”

“Yes?”

“Where is your aunt?”

“Ah… She told me she’ll be on the boat first.”

“…”
I put my hand on my forehead after hearing Moyong Hi-ah.

She was my escort, yet she got on the boat before I did.

How absurd.

Moyong Hi-ah seemed to have noticed the problem as well, as she didn’t have a good expression herself.

She spoke to me.

“I’m sorry… My aunt is… “

“It’s not something you should be apologizing for, so don’t worry about it.”

“…Okay.”

Despite telling her it was okay, her expression didn’t get any better.

It was understandable though. If my family member did something like that, I wouldn’t be able to lift my head up due to embarrassment.

I briefly pat Moyong Hi-ah’s head and spoke.

“Do go on without me. I’ll be there right away.”

“…Got it.”

Moyong Hi-ah smiled lightly and started heading towards the boat after hearing my response.

Yes, boat.

I had to ride a boat in order to cross the Azure Dragon River.

Hmm.

We didn’t travel on boat when we traveled from Shanxi to Sichuan, but now I had to ride a boat…

I guess I have no other choice.

It was a decision made by the Poison King, and I knew that it was the fastest travel method, but I still felt bothered by having to ride a boat.

I slightly turned backwards and asked Tang Duk a question.

“Hey.”

“…”

Tang Duk gazed over at me.

He gave no response.

It was because he couldn’t use his voice without my permission.

“Where are your minion bastards that you hid? It’s an order, answer me.”

When I ordered him, Tang Duk started to speak while shaking his lips.

“…After the first point…”

“So that’s about two hours after we leave. Are they still hiding there?”

“…Yes…”

“You already hid them there? You were well prepared huh.”

I smiled after hearing Tang Duk’s response.

Tang Duk’s shoulders shook after hearing my satisfied tone.

I wondered how the bastard was going to ambush a crew that consisted of the Poison King and Lord of Pe Clan, and it seemed like he knew that we planned to cross the Azure Dragon River.

Because of that, he hid his minions beforehand so that he could ambush from all directions.

Judging by that, it seemed like he was confident in combat over water.

There are Demons in there though yet he already prepared them there. Did he have a solution to that?

The Azure Dragon River was filled with Demons. It was especially filled with fish-like Demons, so no ordinary people were able to travel through it.

It was why the Poison King made this decision.

It was very unlikely that we were going to be ambushed by other people, and it was the fastest way to travel to Sichuan from where we were.

A martial artist like the Poison King was more than capable of dealing with Demons, and we had other ways to deal with them such as using weapons or treasures against them, so he probably saw this as a safe travel method.

However, Tang Duk planned to take advantage of this and ambush the crew.

Considering the Poison King had many things to protect including his daughter, fighting on a river was dangerous for him.

I started to wonder at the thought.

How did this bastard even figure it out?

I already knew from a few days before that the Poison King was going to make this decision, but I wondered how this bastard knew as well for him to prepare so early.

Moreover,

It’s strange that he had a possession of a treasure.

The treasure his minions had. I retrieved it myself and it was currently in my pocket.

I asked Tang Duk what it was, and he said that it was a treasure activated by Qi that hid the presence of the holder and other people around it.

It was a treasure that required activation.

It was a pretty pricey treasure to have, but it was strange for a bandit like Tang Duk to have possession of such an item.

Whether it was the information or supplies he had, something felt strange.

“Hey.”

“…”

Therefore, I decided to ask him.

“The spy you at Tang Clan. Who is it?”

“…!”

Tang Duk’s eyes widened after he heard my question.

I became certain after seeing his reaction.

So this bastard really did hide a spy.

I knew it was too strange for him to have that much information, and it seemed like he hid a spy in Tang Clan as I expected.

He was hiding it all along since I never asked him.

“Who is it. Tell me.”

But I knew now, so he had no other choice to tell me.

“…Ough…”

Tang Duk seemed like he was trying to fight against my Shackle, but I put it deep inside his heart.

He couldn’t break out of it just using the power of his will.

As I expected, Tang Duk’s hesitant lips started to open.

“Oh?”

I was lightly surprised when I heard Tang Duk.

An unexpected name came out from Tang Duk’s mouth.

Now I wondered just how shocked that spy must have been once Tang Duk came along with me as my escort.

The Poison King may have not noticed Tang Duk, but I’m sure that person did.

I held in my laughter and started to walk.

There was another bastard I had to kill on a boat.

The sailing began with about half a day of preparation.

The preparation was lengthy as the prisoner had to be put into a basement and the ship had to be fully stocked with food and supplies that would last us around four to seven days.

Thanks to the preparation we made though, we were able to have a pretty easy time on the boat.

“Woah…”

Wi Seol-Ah watched the river with a fascinated expression on the deck.

I couldn’t help but ask because of her reaction.

“What are you so fascinated by?”

“We are moving on water!”

“Of course, it’s a boat after all.”

“Wow…”

Huh, is this her first time on a boat?

Now that I thought about it, I didn’t have any memory of riding a boat with her.

Perhaps that was why she was so fascinated. I should take her to boat rides more.

Because of her enjoying the sceneries with a bright smile, it almost made me smile as well.

However, Moyong Hi-ah next to Wi Seol-Ah was standing there spacing out, and she didn’t look too well.

“What’s the matter with you?”

“…I don’t feel too good.”

“Huh? Are you boat sick?”

“…Maybe a little?”

I tilted my head after hearing Moyong Hi-ah.

Moyong Hi-ah may have been at a relatively lower level compared to others due to her lack of training, but it was surprising to hear that a First-rate martial artist was getting motion sickness.

It seemed like Moyong Hi-ah noticed my thoughts as she spoke after awkwardly coughing a couple times.

“I… got pretty sick last time like this. Ever since, I’ve been feeling this way.”

“How bad was it for you to develop motion sickness you didn’t have before?”

“…I don’t want to be reminded of that day.”

“Oh… I see.”

It seemed like she really hated that day judging from her expression, so I didn’t ask her more.

Then, I started to look around.

Cheol Jiseon went inside as he was also getting sick, and the Water Dragon went to go sleep.

It seemed like everyone was choosing to rest as we couldn’t afford to train on a boat.

For me, I was still able to train a little since using my Mind Art and walking with it was already tough on its own.

It was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t get any physical training though.

And for Namgung Bi-ah…

Wherever she went, I couldn’t find her. She was likely sleeping somewhere.

On top of that, she was most likely sleeping in my bedroom.

I let her be since I gave up on stopping her.

It didn’t really matter where she slept since she barely got any sleep before due to her training all the time.

It was probably better for everyone to take this time and rest.

A little more huh.

In a little bit, we were about to arrive in the location that Tang Duk told me about.

We were about to run into bandits that were waiting to ambush this boat, and I didn’t bother ordering Tang Duk to stop this ambush.

It actually wasn’t a bad thing.

I planned to help stop the ambush so that I could ask for a request from the Poison King.

An ambush without Tang Duk wasn’t going to be threatening in the first place anyway.

Oh and of course, it was possible that the bandits won’t initiate their attack without Tang Duk, so I kept that in mind as well.

I could also take this chance to kill that rat that’s hiding in Tang Clan’s crew.

Crack-

I lightly stretched my body.

Hmm…

I still felt a few problems from my body.

I was still feeling the recoil from the fight I had against Tang Duk.

I wouldn’t have used my body at this condition if it was like the usual, but I couldn’t afford to do that in this important time.

The Poison King, Lord of Pe Clan, White Ripple Sword, Dishonored Venerable, and Dark King were all on this ship.

Just this group alone was more than enough to erase a clan, so at the very least, everyone’s safety was assured.

However, it was also a great timing for me to pretend like I did something.

As I continued to organize my plans, I felt a presence approaching me.

“Young Master Gu!”

I heard a cheerful bright voice.

When I turned around, I saw Tang Soyeol standing with a happy smile.

She had a snack in her hand, and I slightly frowned at the sight.

“What is that?”

When I asked with a cautious tone, Tang Soyeol made a sad expression.

“I brought it for you… What’s up with your expression…?”

“Is there poison in that thing?”

“Of course not…! Do you really think I only eat things with poison in them!?”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

Tang Soyeol shouted out loud in a frustrated tone.

Am I really wrong though? I could’ve sworn I only saw her eat and drink poisonous tea and snacks.

Now I felt a bit awkward.

“If that’s not the case, then I’m sorry.”

“…Hmph…”

I accepted the snack from Tang Soyeol who sulked and turned her head away.

Surprisingly, it really seemed like it didn’t have poison in it.

That’s a surprise from her.

When I stared at her with shock, Tang Soyeol made a frustrated expression.

The funny part was how Wi Seol-Ah came running for the snack only after I ate it.

Perhaps.

…So she confirmed that there was no poison?

Using me? Wow.

When did she become so sly?

I wasn’t necessarily offended, but more surprised.

Then, Tang Soyeol who was handing out snacks approached Tang Duk this time and handed him a snack.

“You should eat this as well.”

“…”

Tang Duk’s shoulders shook when he heard Tang Soyeol speak with a bright smile.

To him, she was a blood relative of an enemy he wanted to kill, so he was probably very angered by it.

Right as I was about to go over and separate the two due to the potential danger,

Woong-!

“…!”
I quickly turned my head and looked towards the river.

I felt a strange sensation. I lightly leaped and stood on the deck.

“Young Master Gu…?”

Because of my sudden movement, Tang Soyeol and everyone else around all looked at me.

There was someone who didn’t, and it was Wi Seol-Ah.

She too stared at the river with her eyes wide open.

It wasn’t me that felt this sensation.

What’s going on?

I observed the river with shaky pupils.

The ship continued to move and the river looked the same as before, but I clearly felt something different.

Thud!

Slam!

Someone came running from behind.

Woo Hyuk and Namgung Bi-ah appeared at the same time, and Cheol Jiseon appeared after them while breathing heavily.

Did they feel it as well?

Other martial artists looked at us without being able to understand what was wrong, but I only continued to stare at the river.

The presence became larger.

Only then, it seemed like other martial artists noticed a change as well because they all started to move.

At first, I wondered if this presence came from the ambush I was expecting.

We were getting closer to that point, and it wouldn’t have been strange for them to ambush at any moment.

However, this was something different.

A presence of this magnitude couldn’t possibly come from a human.

Huh…?

I started to see something when I focused.

A shadow started to appear underneath the boat.

The size of the shadow was around eight to night feet wide. After seeing this, a martial artist shouted out loud.

“It’s a Demon!”

Others became shocked.

No Demons were capable of reaching Tang Clan’s boat. They had a treasure that prevented any Demon approach.

Only because of such a treasure, Tang Clan was able to travel through the Azure Dragon River.

However, the shadows that were gathering around us were all Green and Blue Demons.

Everyone on the boat seemed confused by the unexpected event, but it wasn’t really a huge emergency.

They were only Blue Demons, and there were many high-level martial artists on the boat, so we were able to defend ourselves easily despite fighting on water.

However.

“…I was wrong.”

I couldn’t help my eyes from shaking.

It’s not something measly as that.

I bit my lips.

The number of Blue Demons that were approaching seemed threatening, but they weren’t in reality as I said before.

There was a different problem however.

I gradually felt it.

The real danger that was approaching while hiding under those bastards.

I charged my Qi as I felt its presence.

Something was wrong.

Such a thing shouldn’t have been happening.

Why…?

I started to see it underneath the ship.

Below the respectful number of Demons, I saw something much more gigantic, move around.

Once others noticed the giant presence as well, their atmospheres changed.

It seemed like everyone noticed it by this point.

Many people started to shout out loud wondering what that thing was, but I knew exactly what it was.

But I found it harder to believe because of that.

Unlike the current Demons that lived in our current world, there used to be real Demons that lived a few generations ago.

They all became extinct by this point, and they would only appear again in four to five years from now.

They were monsters that only Fusion Realm martial artists and above could fight against.

Red Demons that only came out from the red Gate of Demons.

I was able to feel the giant presence that disappeared for many generations under the river water.