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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Finding the Warehouse (1)
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Shadowless Sword Yang Dae-un had just two burning desires in his entire life.
One was the revival of the First Heavenly Demon, just as the family precept demanded.
The other was finding his missing son, Ghost Shadow Sword Yang Hui-gun.
"I've heard all about that from Yeon-hwa. Aside from that, is there anything you need right now?"
That matter was sure to see the Heavenly Demon take decisive action soon enough.
Since the Heavenly Demon already had a plan in mind to locate Yang Hui-gun, he needed something else.
"Well..."
Under the Heavenly Demon's urging, Yang Dae-un hesitated, his face flushing with embarrassment.
"If I may be so bold, our manor has run out of the funds and emergency rations stockpiled since my father's time."
There was good reason for Yang Dae-un's shame.
Indeed, Ghost Sword Manor's finances had hit rock bottom.
Ever since his son's disappearance, the family had spiraled into decline, with the younger generation of Yang clansmen deserting en masse, sparking a funding crisis.
To make matters worse, the rise of the Fine Sword Sect had slashed protection fees and other local revenues from the area, bringing them to the brink of running out of grain entirely.
"I'm sorry. To burden the Heavenly Demon with such a pathetic request..."
Yang Dae-un sighed, his neck turning red as well.
"No, no. Providing food and sustenance for one's people is far more valuable than any art this world has to offer. How could worrying about feeding your family as the head of the household be pathetic?"
The Heavenly Demon understood his plight.
He had gone without food for far too long before joining the Demonic Cult, so he knew full well that putting food on the table was the most sacred duty of all.
"I have no face left. You've only just revived, Heavenly Demon, so your own circumstances must be tight."
As Yang Dae-un said, the Heavenly Demon didn't have a single coin to his name.
He'd gotten by on Sogang's charity or the travel funds and provisions from the North Sea Ice Palace.
"Hmm."
The Heavenly Demon pondered for a moment.
Helping not just one or two people, but an entire manor of dozens—and making them prosperous—would require at least several dozen gold taels at minimum.
That was far too large a sum to casually borrow from the North Sea Ice Palace, so as he racked his brains, it hit him!
'...!!'
The Heavenly Demon suddenly recalled a faint memory long forgotten.
-Your Excellency.
If our conquest of the Central Plains fails and the cult falls... you must remember this place.
You understand, don't you?
The voice belonged to a youth of unearthly beauty, rivaling the world's greatest beauties—a peerless intellect dubbed the Heavenly Demon's advisor.
It was Sima Hui, the Demonic Cult's strategist, known as the Demonic Visage Heavenly Brain.
If Loyal Ghost Sword Yang U-ryang was the Heavenly Demon's right arm, Sima Hui was his left, handling schemes and strategy.
His martial prowess was no slouch either, placing him among the top five in the cult—a true scholar-warrior.
'That's right—Sima Hui told me!'
Back then, he'd brushed it off with a lazy "Got it, got it," but now the memory surfaced crystal clear.
It was the contingency prepared by Sima Hui, the man with a hypnotic beauty despite being male and a heaven-sent genius mind.
'The North Sea Ice Palace is our supply hub, so if they get ideas, we're in trouble. Yang U-ryang and I stumbled on an ice gorge cave by chance—let's make it our emergency warehouse.'
As the Demonic Cult's strategist and one of the era's greatest tacticians, Sima Hui always planned for the worst.
Having sensed the North Sea Ice Palace's potential betrayal, he'd secretly stockpiled vast cult resources in the numerous ice caves between North Sea Star City and Yoneung Province—without their knowledge.
It was practically a provisional warehouse for the cult.
"Dae-un."
Opening that place would yield enough goods and treasures to make Ghost Sword Manor wealthy beyond dreams.
"Yes, Heavenly Demon."
The Heavenly Demon spoke with utter confidence to Yang Dae-un, who still looked apologetic.
"Just trust me and wait."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Having boldly promised Yang Dae-un that a day or two would suffice and to hang tight, the Heavenly Demon set out.
With the Fine Sword Sect that menaced Ghost Sword Manor out of commission for the foreseeable future, he headed at ease toward the massive ice gorge between Yoneung Province and North Sea Province.
Whiiiiiing!
But what was this?
"Strange. It was definitely around here."
The Heavenly Demon hit a snag.
Tracing old memories to find the ice cave, the area was too vast, and everything looked nearly identical, leaving him searching fruitlessly.
Bubble bubble!
After about two hours circling the frigid ice gorge like a lost pup, the Heavenly Demon was seething.
'Should I just blow it all away?'
A thoroughly Heavenly Demon thought occurred to him.
Blast the whole gorge with his arts, and wouldn't the warehouse goods and treasures reveal themselves?
"No."
There was that saying about burning the house down to kill bedbugs. His terrifying martial prowess could collapse the entire gorge into an ocean.
As his dilemma deepened...
"Hey, young fellow. What brings you to a place like this?"
Heading in an unexplored direction to widen his search, some locals called out.
They were natives who foraged herbs and hunted beasts in this barren, frozen gorge.
"Oh, nothing..."
The Heavenly Demon started to wave them off, then had a sudden idea.
'Maybe?'
He decided to swallow his pride and ask the locals who knew the area like the back of their hands.
"Are there spots around here with heavy mist flowing out, or where people often lose their way?"
"Oh! That's exactly why we called you over."
The locals reacted with surprise.
"Just a bit further up ahead, there's Human Loss Valley."
"Human Loss Valley?"
"Yeah. It's named that because people keep vanishing or going missing there."
"Be careful, lad."
"Don't even think about going near it."
Judging by his appearance, they figured he was naive to the world and warned him earnestly.
Smirk!
But the moment they left, the Heavenly Demon grinned broadly.
'Human Loss Valley—it has to be!'
There was a reason he'd asked that specific question.
The provisional warehouse cave he sought brimmed with countless supplies, priceless treasures, and even spirit elixirs. If thieves or anyone stumbled upon it, the losses would be catastrophic.
Even in remote, hard-to-reach spots, foragers like these roamed the caves.
Thus, the peerless warrior and formation master, Demonic Visage Heavenly Brain Sima Hui, had set up a formation around the designated cave.
One designed to disorient intruders and keep people away.
Fwaaaaaah!
Convinced Human Loss Valley housed the cave, the Heavenly Demon charged ahead excitedly.
The locals hadn't lied—not even a little.
He hadn't gone far when...
Shwaaaaa!
Thick, chilling mists of unknown origin began billowing from somewhere.
So dense that even his nose couldn't pierce it ahead.
"Hahaha!"
Far from despairing at this perilous deathtrap, the Heavenly Demon laughed.
'No doubt about it. This is that guy's formation.'
Few formation masters could erect such an advanced illusion array—and maintain its potency over 200 years.
Moreover, the Heavenly Demon had once heard the full explanation and bypass method from Sima Hui himself.
'It's Hee's Dream Mist Barrier Formation.'
The Dream Mist Barrier Formation spewed dreamlike fog and mists to beguile foes—a signature illusion array of Sima Hui's.
Its orthodox bypass was notoriously tricky, so few in martial history could pierce one he'd set with intent.
Not even modern Central Plains formation experts, ensuring the warehouse's security was ironclad.
"Alright, time to break it."
Crack!
The Heavenly Demon stretched with brimming confidence.
Truth be told, this wasn't proper formation-breaking prep.
To dismantle one, you needed to discern life gates from death gates and spot weaknesses with keen insight.
So, ready your mind, not your body—but the Heavenly Demon was different.
Shing!
He even drew the Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword, reclaimed just recently.
By the book, this was highly dangerous.
Applying raw force to an illusion array might thicken its phantoms and mists, consuming and killing the intruder.
"Huuu."
Yet the Heavenly Demon pressed on undaunted.
'Here goes!'
Gripping the Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword, he readied his top sword art—the one symbolizing the Demonic Cult Lord, Heavenly Demon.
Heavenly Demon Asura Heart Sword's initial stance.
Kwaaaaaah!
As he prepared, his body naturally cloaked in immense aura and bottomless inner power.
At the same time, he recalled a memory fragment.
-Your Excellency.
To protect the emergency warehouse from thieves or discovery, I'll deploy the Dream Mist Barrier Formation.
To bypass it... just unleash the first stance of the Heavenly Demon Asura Heart Sword.
The Heavenly Demon's mind worked simply—no grasp of complex formations or bypasses.
Scheming was Sima Hui's domain; he just judged and decided. Details were handled by him.
-Asura Vast Heart!
Only Demonic Cult Lords could learn it, and only those who'd maxed the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to its 12th pinnacle realm could unleash it—the first stance of the Heavenly Demon Asura Heart Sword.
The result was spectacular.
Kwagagagang!
The first stance: Asura Vast Heart.
It was a ferocious technique shredding foes in all directions—east, west, south, north, and the eight points between.
Thus, unleashing sword qi everywhere dismantled the Dream Mist Barrier Formation. Theory escaped him, but one thing was sure.
'At least trusting Hee's word gets me halfway there.'
That faith endured over 200 years.
And finally!
Shwaaaaa!
Sima Hui's Dream Mist Barrier Formation, repelling all intruders for ages.
It shattered temporarily, opening the sole path inward.
For reference, across martial and Demonic Cult history, only one had maxed the Heavenly Demon Divine Art: the First Heavenly Demon.
Thus, aside from him, only the late Sima Hui could bypass it—no one else.
The master had unlocked his own warehouse.
"Yes! It's open!"
Elated as the path to the long-sought emergency warehouse appeared, the Heavenly Demon cheered.
Now, only claiming the vast stores—rivaling those of the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Clans—remained.
What unimaginable wonders lay within?