Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 461

461. Subduing Devil Formation Formula

Yun-hyun and his group returned to the Co-op Sect’s guest quarters.

The Guest Elder didn’t ask Yun-hyun anything.

Neither did the old woman, Neung Se-yeong.

Geum Hwa-yeong looked like she wanted to ask something, but she seemed to sense the mood and grabbed the teapot first.

Pour.

While pouring tea, Geum Hwa-yeong asked,

“Young Master Yun, are you hurt anywhere?”

Her eyes were full of concern.

Yun-hyun responded with a gentle smile.

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.”

Seeing this, the old woman Neung Se-yeong sighed.

“Tch, she’s all grown up and changes her surname as she pleases, and now she cares more about a man than her teacher. Tsk, tsk.”

“T-That’s not it!”

Pour.

Geum Hwa-yeong retorted and quickly filled Neung Se-yeong’s teacup.

However, Neung Se-yeong’s dissatisfaction didn’t disappear.

“That’s why you shouldn’t trust black-haired beasts…”

“Whether it’s a disciple or a child, they’re all like that. And they should be.”

The Guest Elder said bluntly.

As Geum Hwa-yeong filled his teacup, a fragrant tea scent rose.

“Don’t they say a child is only yours until they leave your arms? Once they leave your embrace, they’re independent, so don’t bother them with unnecessary interference. That’s not what adults should do.”

Raising his teacup, the Guest Elder continued.

“Just silently watch and help.”

Slurp.

The Guest Elder indifferently savored the tea.

Neung Se-yeong frowned.

“Have you ever raised a child?”

“No.”

The Guest Elder replied calmly.

“But I’m doing something similar now.”

His gaze was directed at Yun-hyun.

Since the Guest Elder’s words weren’t wrong, Yun-hyun could only offer an awkward smile.

“So.”

The Guest Elder asked.

“Are you ready to face the Mercantile Giant now?”

It was a sudden question.

Neung Se-yeong and Geum Hwa-yeong looked back and forth between the Guest Elder and Yun-hyun with surprised eyes.

Yun-hyun nodded.

“Yes.”

The answer surprised Neung Se-yeong and Geum Hwa-yeong even more.

But the Guest Elder didn’t waver at all.

“I see.”

Nodding, the Guest Elder picked up his teacup again.

Neung Se-yeong asked Yun-hyun with a questioning look.

“Is that really true? You’re ready to face the Mercantile Giant?”

“Probably.”

It was a slightly different answer than before, but Neung Se-yeong didn’t hear it that way.

“Hmm.”

Neung Se-yeong sighed.

But soon, her eyes lit up and she said,

“Then how about moving quickly and catching him off guard? If the Mercantile Giant falls, then the Blood Cult and the Demonic Sect too…”

Neung Se-yeong’s words were the most efficient and sure way.

Since the Blood Cult and Demonic Sect’s unrest was due to the Mercantile Giant, wouldn’t all the danger be resolved at once if he was gone?

However, Yun-hyun shook his head.

“We won’t be able to catch him off guard.”

Caressing his teacup, Yun-hyun continued.

“I don’t know where the Mercantile Giant is now, but he must have noticed my change.”

“What?”

Neung Se-yeong asked without realizing it.

For the Mercantile Giant, whose whereabouts were unknown, to notice Yun-hyun’s change here in the Co-op Sect, especially in the depths of the Subduing Dragon and Tiger Formation, was impossible.

Even if he was spying on Yun-hyun, it was impossible.

But Yun-hyun smiled faintly without a word.

“Hmm, truly amazing.”

Neung Se-yeong said with a sigh.

“I once thought I had reached a realm where I could dominate the world, but I can’t fathom you at all. It’s like seeing a sky beyond the sky.”

At those words, Geum Hwa-yeong nodded vigorously.

Neung Se-yeong frowned and stared at her, causing Geum Hwa-yeong to shrink back.

Rustle.

The old woman Neung Se-yeong quietly caressed her teacup with both hands.

Although they had talked about other things for a while, what had happened in the Subduing Dragon and Tiger Formation had left a strong impression on them.

Quietly savoring the lingering feelings, the group silently sipped their tea.

Slurp.

Neung Se-yeong drank her tea.

Her thoughts were still complicated, but a warm feeling was rising in her heart.

***

The next day, Yun-hyun and his group attended the Co-op Sect’s Elder Council meeting.

The Guest Elder, Neung Se-yeong, and Geum Hwa-yeong were in the observer seats, but Yun-hyun’s seat was surprisingly at the head of the table.

“No, how can I…”

“No. It should be this way, so don’t refuse, Alliance Lord.”

Honwon Jin-in forcefully insisted on the seat.

The other elders, as well as the acting sect leader Cheonun-ja, took it for granted, so Yun-hyun had no choice but to sit at the head of the table.

But with the Guest Elder also in the observer’s seat, it was very uncomfortable for him to be at the head of the table, surpassing the senior members of the Co-op Sect.

“It’s truly a joyous day.”

Honwon Jin-in stroked his beard and smiled.

“The Subduing Devil Sword, which had been dormant in legends, has finally awakened, so how can we not be happy?”

“Ah, but…”

Yun-hyun was about to say that it had fallen asleep again, but Cheonun-ja said in a blunt voice.

“This is a great blessing not only for our Co-op Sect but also for the world.”

Cheonun-ja put his hands together and expressed his gratitude, chanting a Taoist invocation.

“We deeply thank the Alliance Lord.”

The other elders also chanted Taoist invocations in unison and bowed their heads.

They all had bright expressions.

“For the Subduing Devil Sword to utter its name, what did you do? This old man was very surprised.”

Okro Jin-in said with a gentle expression.

As Yun-hyun was about to answer, Honwon Jin-in suddenly said,

“Is that all? I thought the Subduing Dragon and Tiger Formation was collapsing. Just thinking about it makes me shudder.”

“I had a rough idea. When I looked at the heavens, the constellations…”

Hyeon-gi-ja spoke calmly, but no elder listened to him.

The elders were talking among themselves with bright expressions.

The surprise of that time seemed to be revived.

“…About the Nine Secret Formulas that appeared on the Subduing Devil Sword.”

Cheonun-ja suddenly said.

The elders stopped talking and focused on Cheonun-ja.

Yun-hyun also looked at Cheonun-ja.

Yun-hyun had also seen the Nine Secret Formulas that had appeared on the Subduing Dragon and Tiger Sword.

Although he couldn’t read them.

“As a result of the elders’ research, we were able to confirm that the Nine Secret Formulas are the true form of the Subduing Devil Heart Formula. So we have decided to call these Nine Secret Formulas the ‘Subduing Devil Formation Formula’.”

True form meant the true appearance and essence.

The true form of the Subduing Devil Heart Formula that had been passed down until now, the Subduing Devil Formation Formula, had been revealed.

The elders’ expressions became serious.

Yun-hyun, as well as the Guest Elder, Neung Se-yeong, and Geum Hwa-yeong, listened to Cheonun-ja’s words.

“Some elders have directly circulated their inner energy according to the Subduing Devil Formation Formula. As a result, the manipulation of inner energy has become smoother, and above all, we have confirmed that the aura of dispelling evil has become incomparably stronger than before.”

The manipulation of inner energy, which is the ability to freely generate and control inner energy as desired, is a very important element in martial arts.

The level of a martial artist differs depending on how freely they can do this.

Moreover, the fact that the aura of dispelling evil had become very strong clearly indicated that the Subduing Devil Formation Formula was originally intended for the mission of subduing devils.

“To what extent?”

The Guest Elder asked.

He was asking how much stronger they had become due to the Subduing Devil Formation Formula.

“If you use the Subduing Devil Formation Formula, an individual can face a Blood Fiend, and a Late Stage Seven Star would never be pushed back by a Blood Devil.”

The Guest Elder frowned.

It didn’t seem very impressive to him.

However, the old woman Neung Se-yeong said with a surprised expression.

“That’s amazing! Then has the Co-op Sect’s power increased by several levels at once?”

Originally, only the Co-op Sect’s sect leader and the Four Great Elders’ Five Elements Formation could handle a Blood Devil.

When the sect leader and the Four Great Elders were seriously injured by the Dark Heaven Martial Emperor, the Co-op Sect was virtually incapacitated.

They thought that all they could do for the time being was to monitor the movements of the Blood Cult and the Demonic Sect.

But thanks to the Subduing Devil Formation Formula, they had regained their former strength in an instant.

At least against opponents like the Blood Cult or the Demonic Sect, who were affected by the aura of dispelling evil.

Considering the current situation where the Blood Cult and the Demonic Sect were trying to stir up trouble, Cheonun-ja’s statement that it was a ‘great blessing for the world’ was not an exaggeration.

“Compared to the Demonic Sect?”

The Guest Elder asked again.

Cheonun-ja paused for a moment.

“We can handle Demonic Soldiers and Demonic Lords. But it would be difficult if the Six Great Demon Gods appeared.”

Yun-hyun asked with a puzzled expression at the unfamiliar words.

“Are Demonic Soldiers and Demonic Lords like Blood Fiends and Blood Devils?”

Instead of answering, Cheonun-ja turned to Okro Jin-in.

Okro Jin-in nodded and replied.

“It’s similar but a little different. Unlike Blood Fiends, Demonic Soldiers have intelligence, and sometimes ordinary Demonic Sect members may be mixed in.”

In a calm tone, Okro Jin-in continued.

“Those who oversee and govern them are Demonic Lords, whose individual abilities are slightly inferior to Blood Devils, but when they lead Demonic Soldiers, they are said to be unmatched in the world.”

“It’s like an army.”

At Yun-hyun’s words, Okro Jin-in gave a bitter smile.

“That’s right. And the Six Great Demon Gods are stronger and more terrifying beings than Blood Devils. According to legend, a single Demon God can destroy a country.”

Yun-hyun, who was listening, suddenly had a question.

“If they are Demon Gods, aren’t they above Heavenly Demons?”

“Not in the Demonic Sect.”

Okro Jin-in shook his head.

“According to Buddhist scriptures, Heavenly Demons are the rulers of the Demon Realm, the kings of the Desire Realm [realm of existence driven by desires], and the demon kings of the Sixth Heaven who rule the Sixth Heaven. The Demonic Sect believes that even gods prostrate themselves before Heavenly Demons.”

Yun-hyun sighed softly.

The Desire Realm refers to all worlds where desire exists.

He thought that Heavenly Demons were just so-so, but if even Buddhist scriptures said so, they must be the highest beings in mythology.

“Then what is the relationship between the Demonic Sect and the Blood Cult?”

“It’s not very good.”

Hyeon-gi-ja, who was next to him, answered.

“The Blood Cult claims that the Blood Demon is a god of destruction unrelated to the Heavenly Demon. But the Demonic Sect regards the Blood Cult as a branch of the Demonic Sect. The Blood Demon is the strongest subordinate of the Heavenly Demon and is responsible for washing the world with blood before the Heavenly Demon’s descent.”

Hyeon-gi-ja stroked his beard and continued.

“So, in the Demonic Sect’s view, the Blood Cult are foolish people who do not understand the Heavenly Demon’s will, and in the Blood Cult’s view, the Demonic Sect, which has arbitrarily degraded the Blood Demon, cannot help but be hateful, right?”

“So the Blood Cult and the Demonic Sect can never coexist.”

Okro Jin-in said with a stern expression.

“There’s even a saying that if the Demonic Sect, the Blood Cult, and the government army meet in one place, the Demonic Sect and the Blood Cult will fight each other first, leaving the government army aside.”

It was the first time Yun-hyun had heard of it, but the elders of the Co-op Sect nodded.

“But even the government army will not be able to withstand Blood Fiends and Demonic Soldiers easily. Because they cannot be killed with spears and swords.”

“Then what should we do?”

When Yun-hyun asked, Honwon Jin-in spoke this time.

“If they are disciples of Taoism and Buddhism, they have the aura of dispelling evil and subduing demons, so they can face them. It would be even better if they had mastered martial arts.”

“What about ordinary martial artists?”

“If they know about them in advance and respond calmly, they will not be in danger at least, but if they panic and their movements become disorganized, even a master will lose their life.”

In the battles of martial artists, it is not uncommon to lose one’s life due to a moment’s carelessness or misjudgment.

Moreover, since the opponent is a monster that goes beyond common sense, if they fall into confusion, they will not be able to use their skills properly and will be defeated.

“But if they respond calmly, ordinary martial artists also have ways to deal with them. Although it would be impossible for Blood Devils or Demonic Lords…”

Honwon Jin-in’s words were cut off.

“Elder.”

A low voice was heard from outside.

Cheonun-ja frowned and said.

“What’s going on?”

Thud.

The door opened and a Taoist of the Co-op Sect standing outside bowed.

“Those who went on the Subduing Devil Mission have sent an urgent message.”

The Taoist said with a stern expression.

“A village in Gansu has been attacked by the Blood Cult.”

“What?”

Cheonun-ja’s face contorted.