Chapter 99: Heavenly Demon Tomb (7)The Demonic Adept who took down Shaolin Temple's signboard and put up the Heavenly Demon Temple’s sign was said to be a Guardian with an affiliation to the Shrine.
This individual had sailed across the vast ocean leading dozens of ships. As such, he couldn’t be identified because the command ship was far away, and Choi Leeong had no idea who it was either.
But in Qing's eyes, he seemed like the manliest man in the Demonic Cult.
It was truly a journey over mountains and across seas.
Whether it was luck or not, they finally managed to encounter the only small boy among the Demonic Cult Masters.
"Yo. Kiddo."
"...?"
Ji Seungju's eyes widened.
Given that Ji Seungju usually had no expression, one could roughly guess how surprised he was.
"What? Why are you so surprised? As if you've seen someone you shouldn't."
"You... you're alive?"
"What do you mean 'alive'? Since when did I die?"
"I clearly saw your corpse. And it was in a place modeled after the front yard of the Divine Cult's Holy Fire Hall."
"Holy Fire Temple?"
"It is the mansion where the Great Guardians reside. It seems someone wants to kill you badly enough to create an illusion of your death. Be careful. Even though it is an illusion, they might try to kill you if they see you."
For reference, this conversation completely left out one person.
Choi Leeong cleared his throat.
"Ahem."
"Purple Lightning Demonic Warlord, you are safe too. That is a relief."
"I heard the Demonic Brain was trying to remove the Formation, so I came to help. How is the progress?"
"I have removed a few cornerstones, but I cannot even begin to fathom how many were laid down. For now, I have applied the Nine Palace Method to the Eight Trigrams and used the Dissolution Mountain, but..."
"I see. As I was coming, I saw the Imaginary Heaven's Peerless Time with the Terra Vital Road."
"Ah, then in the Southern Heaven Section, we just need to remove the four similar methods of Spirit Trigram, Spirit Sky, Emerging River, and Flying Array."
Some kind of extremely professional terminology was suddenly unleashed.
From that point on, it was the start of a conversation Qing couldn't understand at all.
Of course, she had no intention of helping anyway.
So she soon lost interest and looked around, but there wasn't anything particularly interesting to see.
In the end, the bored Qing let out a long yawn.
Seeing this, Choi Leeong clicked his tongue.
"Tsk tsk, are you trying to split your mouth like that?"
"What else am I supposed to do when I'm sleepy?"
"Then you should just sleep properly instead of gaping your mouth so carelessly like that. You are a grown woman. If you had married early, you could have been a mother by now."
Qing tilted her head.
Isn't this nagging familiar?
Do all old people become like this?
But Choi Leeong wasn’t actually, nor deserved, the role of such individuals.
Qing frowned hard.
"Boohoo, who cares? Or more like, why do you care? What does it matter to you whether I become a mother or a father?"
"Your language is so filthy, girl. How have you become more and more vicious like this? Is it because you are relying on your pretty face?"
"Forget it. So, how long do you think it will take?"
Choi Leeong looked at Ji Seungju.
Ji Seungju looked back and forth between Qing and Choi Leeong with a strange gaze. Then, unable to withstand Choi Leeong's silent urging, he opened his mouth.
"I thought it would take at least another day, but with the Demonic Warlord's help, it should be much better. In fact, isn't time pressing since we have no water?"
People could endure without food, but they couldn't last long without water.
This was true even for the greatest of Masters.
Qing calculated inwardly.
Ji Seungju was an expert.
A job that would take a full day alone would be halved with this old man's help, so half a day.
Then, I can sleep soundly, right?
"Since Gramps said he'd do it, I'm going to sleep. Wake me up when the Formation is about to be undone. I want to watch how it turns out."
Qing made sure to remind them just in case, then wriggled around trying to find a comfortable position to rest her head.
Finally, she found a position that felt comfy enough.
It seemed she had already wandered for so long that she had passed her usual sleeping time. As her body relaxed, drowsiness washed over her.
----The dismantling of the Formation seemed to take much longer than expected.
When Qing woke up after a long, stretching sleep, the scene she saw was that same tiresome great hall of the palace.
Choi Leeong looked tired as he went back and forth between mountains, fields, and the palace. Well, the old man would naturally be tired if he kept moving around.
Qing, still being carried, started to feel embarrassed.
"Gramps, if you're tired, why don't you rest a bit?"
"Would a Master be tired from just staying up for a day? There is no need for useless worry."
"Or you could put me down. I can walk and run now, you know?"
Qing was at a loss for words, her mouth just opening and closing.
The mother was glaring with a face full of venom, yet the Alleged Supreme still had a bright, happy expression.
Qing sighed deeply and swallowed her curses.
Seriously, fuck. Every single one of these Demonic Cult fuckers are the same. Not a single one of them is normal.
----The dismantling of the Formation took place long after that.
It was enough time to be hungry, thirsty, nod off, and even get a headache to the point where she couldn't sleep anymore.
Qing had sunken eyes with an aching head.
Suddenly, Choi Leeong stopped walking and spoke.
"The Formation is disappearing."
"Ah. Seriously..."
I thought I was going to die from exhaustion. That was the unspoken latter part.
Ironically enough, this was what Qing thought. Let it be known once again that she had only been dozing off while being carried.
At this point, she could congratulate herself on achieving the feat of completely wearing down her ‘triangle of conscience’ into a perfect circle.
Like paper burning in dying embers, the world slowly started to burn away.
Ashes scattered everywhere, and beyond them, the dim tomb chamber gradually revealed itself.
Even though all the torches in the tomb had burned out, it wasn't completely dark, which must be why Banchi's technique of drawing light through small holes from outside the tomb was said to have reached the realm of Immortals.
The Demonic Cult members started to break free from their illusions.
Regretful sighs, occasional sobs of loss, or frustrated shouts echoed in the stone chamber.
Some even collapsed, sobbing and muttering names only they knew.
This was the reason why Ji Seungju had mentioned how terrible this Formation was.
When caught in the illusion, one did not want to leave on their own, and even after the Formation was dismantled, they writhed in terrible feelings of loss. It was truly the essence of malice.
And because of this, Qing's opportunity had come.
"Heup!"
Qing jumped out of Choi Leeong's arms with a Thwop.
"Child?"
"Hehe, it's been a long time of humiliation..."
At the same time, Qing stomped on the ground hard.
It was the Anti-Gravity Step of the Yue Maiden Footwork.
A human shadow fell over the radiance of the Heavenly Demon Spirit, a triangular pyramid shining alone in the darkness.
Finally, Qing grasped the glowing triangular pyramid in her hand.
Qing took a deep breath, and then a loud voice filled the tomb chamber.
"Now! Attention! Everyone, can you see this!"
In that instant, everyone's gaze turned to Qing.
The dazed eyes, still affected by the aftermath of the broken illusions, soon discovered the Divine Relic in Qing's hand and changed to their respective reactions.
Some widened their eyes in shock, some just blinked in confusion. Others immediately knelt down and bowed their heads.
Among them, Qing made eye contact with Ji Seungju, whose mouth was gaping, and winked at him.
Looking at Ji Seungju's mouth shape, she could tell what he was saying even without hearing it.
Damn it. Fucking bullshit.
And the Alleged Supreme. Where the fuck is that bastard?
Oh, the fuck? He still hasn't come to his senses?
The Alleged Supreme was still standing blankly with a dazed look.
How can he be like this at the most important moment?
Well, after I break the Heavenly Demon Spirit, he'll probably make some interesting expressions.
Qing took another deep breath.
Now it was really the end. Once she left the tomb chamber and destroyed it, it would be goodbye to these annoying Demonic Cult bastards.
Just as Qing was about to deliver her lines...
Choi Leeong's shout cut her off.
"No! Child! Put it down right now! Quickly! If someone unqualified touches the Divine Relic...! That cannot happen!"
It was a desperate cry as if he was coughing up blood.
His widely opened eyes were shaking, and the emotion contained in them was clear fear. Fear? Terror?
Qing read fear in Choi Leeong's expression.
Why on earth?
"I said put it down! Please! Are you trying to die twice in front of your father!"
Suddenly, her hand felt itchy.
Qing looked down at her hand blankly.
"Uh...?"
Qing made a dumbfounded sound.
After all, anyone would make a dumbfounded sound if they saw a self-illuminating triangular pyramid slowly seeping into their palm.