In the Moonlight Pavilion, the Demon Empress stared at the map of the Demon Faction territory spread out on the table. Her slender finger pointed to an isolated spot at the edge of the Black Dragon Mountains, the Soul Refining Cave where Moen Kang Yo had been exiled.
"That cave is three days' horseback ride from the Evernight Gate headquarters,"
the Empress muttered, her voice flat and calculating.
"The report of the messenger's death only reached me today. This means this incident happened several days ago."
She glanced at her aide.
"Send a message by pigeon to Elder Gong. Tell him not to be rash. If Moen Kang Yo has truly recovered, he won't attack immediately. He'll be hiding to restore his shattered 'foundation'."
1 Day Later...
Meanwhile, at the Evernight Gate headquarters, Elder Gong slammed the Empress's letter onto a pile of messy accounting files. Cold sweat beaded on his wrinkled forehead.
"Three days' journey..."
Gong calculated on trembling fingers.
"If the cleanup unit sets off now, they won't reach the foot of the mountain until seventy-two hours later. That's too long!"
Gong called out to his chief guard.
"Prepare the fastest horse unit! Don't bring too many men, just five expert trackers. Their job isn't to fight, but to determine whether the 'rotten material' is still in the cave or has already escaped. I need confirmation before I send in a larger destruction force!"
He knew that if Moen Kang Yo could reach the nearest settlement and recover his strength, his years-long corruption scheme would be exposed.
Meanwhile inside the cave...
In the darkness of the Soul Purification Cave, it was eerily silent, except for the sound of dripping water from the stalactites. Yoe Choin paid no attention to what was happening outside.
To him, repairing the "pipes" within his body was far more important and must be addressed immediately than worrying about the enemy hundreds of miles away.
"Kang Yo, prepare yourself mentally,"
Choin said in his inner space.
"The Blueprint analysis shows that the poison in your body has hardened at the meridian intersections here and there, just like cement deposits in a main drainpipe."
"Those are the Ren and Du meridians,"
Kang Yo said flatly.
Choin closed his eyes, visualizing the flow of Qi as a high-pressure fluid.
"We'll use the flushing technique,"
Choin continued.
"I'll pump a large amount of Qi into the direction of the intentional failure, then reverse it abruptly to hit the blockage with a shock load."
"Are you crazy, Foreman!"
the real Moen Kang Yo shouted.
"That pressure will tear my meridians! That's the same as intentionally triggering a Qi Deviation!"
"In construction, sometimes you have to demolish the cracks to build a stronger foundation,"
Choin replied flatly.
"Endure the pain. If this pipe breaks, we'll both die. But if it succeeds, your energy pathways will be completely cleansed."
Choin began to inhale deeply and with great focus. He forced the remaining Qi to circulate in his lower dantian. An intense heat began to spread, causing Moen Kang Yo's skin to turn red and emit a thin steam.
"Now... CRASH!"
CRASH!
The sound of the impact was only heard in their heads, but the pain nearly made Choin lose consciousness. He felt the black mass of energy clogging his chest shatter, pushed away by the now unimpeded flow of Qi.
Thick, black blood poured from Choin's mouth and body, carrying with it the remnants of the poison that had been building up. Although weak, he could sense drastic changes in his internal structure.
Structure Status: Ren Meridian 80% clear.
Energy Level: Stable at the early stage of the Structure Realm.
"See?"
Choin wiped the blood from his lips with a trembling hand.
"The plumbing system has been repaired. Now, we have time before we begin the long journey to your Sect."
"Tch...!"
Kang Yo muttered in annoyance.
Choin picked up the Black Iron Heavy Sword and used it as support to stand. He stared at the cave entrance with the gaze of a foreman, as if he had just completed a phase of an expensive and risky project.