The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 404

Dan Akseon and his group stayed near Nokju for a day to recover from their accumulated fatigue.

“It seems like our destination isn’t far off,” Dan Akseon said, addressing the group gathered around a small bonfire that pushed back the darkness.

“But approaching the Cheonsan area is dangerous.”

Dan Akseon nodded at Cho Akryang’s warning.

No matter how skilled they were individually, they couldn’t recklessly confront the entire Demonic Sect.

“I know. That’s why I plan to move even more discreetly from now on. I’ll only pinpoint the location of the Divine Land and then return to the Central Plains. Then, we’ll gather our strength and strike at once.”

“That would be best.”

Cho Akryang looked satisfied, agreeing with Dan Akseon’s plan.

He was relieved that his worries were unfounded.

Given Dan Akseon’s recent assertive behavior, he had been secretly concerned that he might make a rash decision.

As Dan Akseon was studying their next destination based on the newly acquired clues, Han Seolhwa, who had been sitting silently, suddenly spoke.

“Then that noisy one should head back around here.”

Beom Gyewi, who had been lounging carelessly, looked puzzled.

It was because Han Seolhwa was staring directly at him.

“Me?”

“Who else could it be?”

Only then did Beom Gyewi realize that the “noisy one” Han Seolhwa mentioned was him, and he straightened up, looking serious.

“Why are you so eager to send me away?”

“Because this isn’t where you should be.”

Beom Gyewi’s eyes flickered at Han Seolhwa’s words.

“Hwa Ryung is taking you to Haenam Island, right?”

Beom Gyewi paused, then sighed.

“I’ll go after this is over. Hwa Ryung will be disappointed if I leave like this, right?”

“Since when have you listened so well to people’s words?”

“Get married, too. It’d be even better if you had a child. Then you’ll understand.”

Han Seolhwa’s eyebrows twitched.

How could he say that to an unmarried woman?

Moreover, she was still a maiden, so it was even more inappropriate.

“Huh? Why? Did I say something wrong again?”

Beom Gyewi tilted his head, noticing the strange looks he was getting.

Cho Akryang gave him a look of pity, and Ga Dudal seemed anxious.

Dan Akseon smiled and said, “First, I’ll inform the Shinma Merchant Guild of our movements.”

Periodic contact was necessary to maintain the connection with the martial artists in the Central Plains.

However, the desert area was so vast that they couldn’t use carrier pigeons.

Using carrier eagles that could travel long distances wasn’t impossible, but it was difficult because their routes varied depending on the situation.

So, they decided to get help from merchants traveling to and from the Western Regions for trade.

They would briefly convey news through merchant groups going to the Central Plains to trade with the Shinma Merchant Guild and those returning.

Recently, the trade volume between the Shinma Merchant Guild and the Western Regions was enormous.

Naturally, many Western Region merchants were heading to the Central Plains across the desert.

And finding them wasn’t that difficult.

Dan Akseon, who had stepped away from the bonfire, gathered his inner energy [Might of Divine Power].

Then, he leaped high into the sky.

Far away on the horizon, a small, flickering light, distinct from the starlight, came into view.

Like them, they had lit a fire for camping.

The bandit groups in this area had been eradicated long ago, so it was likely a Western Region merchant group traveling with martial artists.

Dan Akseon landed and said to the group, “I’ll be back.”

“Let’s go together, just in case,” Cho Akryang said, standing up. Beom Gyewi followed suit.

“Why are you coming?”

“I don’t want to be left alone with the witch.”

Ga Dudal carefully spoke up. “I’m here too, you know?”

However, Beom Gyewi didn’t seem to care.

Ga Dudal, feeling sulky, stirred the bonfire for no reason.

“Let’s go,” Dan Akseon said, darting off. Cho Akryang and Beom Gyewi immediately followed.

How long had they been running?

Tents and carts lined up around the bonfire in the distance came into view, and Dan Akseon whistled a long signal.

A short whistle returned from the opposite side.

It was a prearranged signal to distinguish between friend and foe.

“It was our people after all,” Dan Akseon said with a smile, soon arriving at the campsite.

But the atmosphere was strange.

The expressions of the guild members who came out to greet them were serious.

A man who seemed to be the head of the guild approached Dan Akseon.

“It’s fortunate to meet you like this. We were also looking for Master Gokju [Dan Akseon’s alias].”

“For me?”

The head of the guild nodded and led Dan Akseon to a tent near the bonfire.

Dan Akseon’s eyes widened as he entered.

“Huh?”

A lama monk in his thirties lay powerlessly, exhausted.

Judging by his attire, he was clearly affiliated with the Potala Palace [Tibetan Buddhist monastery].

The lama monk, seeing Dan Akseon, struggled to sit up.

“What on earth happened?” Dan Akseon asked, supporting the lama monk with a surprised expression.

He noticed dried bloodstains.

At Dan Akseon’s question, the lama monk sighed deeply.

Soon, Dan Akseon was shocked by the explanation.

“The Demonic Sect destroyed the Potala Palace?”

And the Demonic Sect Leader, the Heavenly Demon, was directly involved!

But the bad news didn’t end there.

Dan Akseon, hearing of the Dalai Lama’s death, stood blankly, speechless.

How much time had passed?

Dan Akseon, who had been standing blankly, hurriedly tried to leave.

Cho Akryang grabbed his arm.

“We need to hurry now…”

“It’s already too late.”

Cho Akryang, stopping Dan Akseon, looked at the lama monk with cold eyes.

“Isn’t that right?”

The lama monk sighed and lowered his head.

After a long silence, Dan Akseon spoke again.

“Did we provoke them?”

Cho Akryang shook his head at Dan Akseon’s gloomy expression.

“It’s not your fault. They’re the kind of guys who act unpredictably.”

Dan Akseon sighed, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

After a moment, Dan Akseon exclaimed in surprise.

“Kunlun! We need to warn the Kunlun Sect!”

Even with the Heavenly Demon leading them, their forces were only about a hundred strong.

No matter how elite they were, they wouldn’t immediately invade the Central Plains with so few people.

But now that the Heavenly Demon had directly intervened, he wouldn’t be satisfied with just destroying the Potala Palace.

Just as they had destroyed the Demonic Sect’s base, they would try to achieve similar results.

The Kunlun Sect was the first place that came to mind.

This was due to their geographical location, which had long been in contact with the Demonic Sect, and the deep-seated grudges between them.

“Now?”

Dan Akseon nodded firmly at Cho Akryang’s question.

Heading to Kunlun was more important than finding the Divine Land right now.

It would be fortunate if it was just a false alarm, but he had a bad feeling.

“We need to hurry as much as possible.”

Maybe it’s already too late…

Dan Akseon struggled to suppress those words.

* * *

The basin located in the middle of the Kunlun Mountains, Samseongyo (三聖坳) [Three Sage Valley].

Most martial artists who visit are surprised.

The air is always warm, making you wonder if it’s really the Kunlun Mountains, known for their freezing weather.

The high mountains surrounding the valley block the inflow of cold air, and the terrain has geothermal activity, creating a habitable environment.

Taechunggak, located in the center of Samseongyo.

Today, elderly Taoists are gathered in groups of three or five, enjoying the sunlight, playing Go [a strategic board game], or napping.

They were enjoying a peaceful afternoon, with one exception.

The two elderly Taoists were intensely focused on the Go board, the outcome of the game imminent.

One elderly Taoist, small and thin like a tree branch but with sharp eyes, spoke.

“Hey, where did the old man who was playing Go here go?”

“…”

“The Go board is about to be pierced! Are you going to conjure up a move that doesn’t exist by staring at the board like that? Just play roughly! Don’t you know the saying that a bad move comes from prolonged thought?”

The short elderly Taoist, holding black stones, twitched his white eyebrows.

“Does an elder act without dignity?”

“Then don’t you know how to admit defeat with dignity?”

“Keueung. Wait and see. I’ll flatten that nose of yours.”

“The sun will set before my nose gets flattened.”

“Ah, I told you not to rush me!”

While the two elderly Taoists were bickering.

Another elderly Taoist passing by offered advice.

“If you focus only on the center like that, you’ll be overwhelmed. Don’t you know why they call that Gok Samgung [Go term] an empty triangle?”

The expressions of the two elderly Taoists were mixed.

The face of the elderly Taoist holding the black stones brightened, but the elderly Taoist holding the white stones frowned.

Ttaak.

The moment the black stone was placed on a certain point.

“I told you not to interfere!”

Jjwaraak!

The elderly Taoist, who had been leading the game, threw the white stones and overturned the Go board.

“Do it again! Move the seat to a place where that old man isn’t there!”

Just then, a different look flashed in the eyes of the elderly Taoist who had given advice.

“It’s a Red Kite (赤鳶) [signal kite]?”

At that word, the gazes of the elders turned to the red kite fluttering in the sky.

This area was windy, so they couldn’t use beacon fires (烽煙) [smoke signals].

So, they used kites of different colors to communicate.

The red kite meant that they had encountered someone.

“What’s the big deal? They must have found a lost merchant wandering nearby.”

Just as they were turning away, dismissing it.

“A Black Kite (黑鳶) [signal kite] has also risen?”

“…!”

The elders’ eyes darkened.

Even the elderly Taoist who was dozing off straightened up, looking stern.

The black kite meant only one thing.

It was the Demonic Sect.

If a black kite rose immediately after a red kite appeared, it meant a scout from the main sect had encountered the Demonic Sect.

Immediately after that, alarm bells (警鐘) installed throughout Samseongyo began to ring.

Soon, everyone in the Kunlun Sect, including the sect leader Gwangjin Dojang, gathered in front of the mountain gate.

Doubt arose in Gwangjin Dojang’s eyes as he stared at the demons heading towards Samseongyo, not stopping even after being spotted.

‘With just that many people?’

There were only about a hundred people, so at first, he thought they were envoys sent for negotiations.

However, he soon changed his mind, sensing the threatening aura of the approaching group.

Gwangjin Dojang smiled coldly.

“They’ve got guts.”

Then, one of the elders noticed something.

“Jongyeoui, they said that old man is dead, so is that young punk the Heavenly Demon of this generation?”

Gwangjin Dojang looked at the young man leading the demons.

He possessed an extraordinary atmosphere and overwhelming presence, suggesting he was indeed the Heavenly Demon of this generation.

“Tsk tsk. He even brought the Four Demonic Venerables (四魔尊) [elite members of the Demonic Sect] as if he were a sect leader.”

One of the elders openly ridiculed the four old masters following behind the Heavenly Demon.

They were once the Ten Guardians of the Sect, but after the Righteous-Demonic War, four died, leaving the Six Demonic Venerables, and now only four remained.

However, Gwangjin Dojang, the sect leader of Kunlun, couldn’t laugh.

The Heavenly Demon’s calm eyes and confidence bothered him.