Heavenly Demon Cultivation Simulation - Chapter 371
“Hehehe… it’s impossible for someone to get hurt in a place where people come and go. If you want to cure someone who is sick, it’s natural to ask where he or she came from.”
Wudang Mountain was a tall mountain.
There were far more rough spots where the path was unpaved or only roughly paved, and people climbing the steep terrain often became exhausted and tired.
People would slip and get injured while climbing such a mountain.
Or, there were many who suffered from a lingering illness that made them sick when they moved up the mountain; such fatigue was known as altitude sickness.
“Are there that many people coming?”
“Uh. You, what do you think of this place? Wudang is Wudang. The number of visitors to the place is easily over 1,000.”
Often, most of the Nine Great Sects and the justice factions have their own shrines. Every single one of these temples was visited, unlike the Beggars’ Union place, which was not open to everyone.
A spiritual temple located on a high mountain attracted many visitors. A merchant looking to conduct business in Kangho, wanting to make good relationships, would come.
The local management took care of all that, so this person came to greet them. At the very least, visitors or students preparing for civil exams hoped to receive good energy.
In this way, various people came to visit, bringing small gifts. They brought incense and other offerings, and their contributions accounted for a significant portion of Wudang’s finances.
Therefore, Wudang checked the people who gave offerings and recorded them separately.
Regardless of whether it was a private matter to the sect, it was how any sect grew by having such benefactors.
And information about that was most commonly shared around.
“But, I just listened. I have never seen anything like a separate list.”
Naturally, such people had to be taken care of by the physician of Wudang, and that role was Hae Gong’s.
People naturally heard about it.
On days when important people visited, they even let him know in advance.
“So, are any made by Wudang?”
“There has to be.”
“Then where do I go?”
“If I am told, can I inform them to come find you?”
Seol-Hwi felt even more convinced by those words.
“Even if you get caught, will the punishment be much worse?”
The old physician said,
“I know that if you step into the basement, there are records of the visits of those who came to Wudang. But it will not be easy. It is obscure and silent. There are warriors there who aren’t known to the world.”
“It can be visited, right? It’s not like it’s some high-level treasure.”
There were people who lived without seeing light in Wudang. But those people were in that hall which held the records of Wudang.
“This is a secret place even for Wudang. Wouldn’t you know it if you got a look at the Purple Palace?”
“Ah!”
It was then that Seol-Hwi realized.
Three huge pavilions stood in the mountains of Wudang.
The Gold Pavilion, located at the top of Wudang Mountain. The Great Sun Palace sat at the highest peak.
And below that was the Purple Palace.
“Right. Now that I think about it, I don’t think it’s a place to enter without much thought.”
“Now you understand? So stop talking nonsense and heal your body now.”
The old man said and moved away.
Seol-Hwi just sat there, his face filled with a smile.
Time passed, and night fell.
The room was quiet since Leader Jin Mu and the others left.
Seol-Hwi, who was lying in bed, quietly closed his eyes and waited for a while before quickly escaping through the window.
His body’s recovery had already been completed.
Seol-Hwi, who had once reached the peak, achieved another rise through body reformation.
Of course, when he met Leader Jin Mu, they were at the same level.
Only then would he be able to train in the disciples’ growth.
Additionally, it was prudent to halt his growth to avoid detection by Wudang’s finest warriors.
After all, anyone who attained a state of peace and enlightenment would surely discern his presence.
But things are different now.
As per physician Hae Gong’s advice, if one wished to enter the Purple Palace, a place sacred to Wudang, one would undoubtedly encounter a formidable warrior.
Hiding one’s strength in such a situation posed a significant risk.
Nevertheless, up to this point, Seol-Hwi’s plan had unfolded as he had designed it in advance.
Is it there?
He gazed at Mount Hua’s highest peak, shrouded in clouds.
Just a bit further and he would behold the expansive palace.
This was the palace of Wudang, surrounded by both large and small palaces, positioned as though to admire the view.
The Purple Palace boasted as many as 2,000 rooms. Due to the uneven terrain at the peak, with no flat land for constructing buildings, pavilions, or platforms, hundreds of stairs linked the complex.
Seol-Hwi deftly scaled the wall and ascended the stairs of the Purple Palace. The secrecy of his endeavor made even the vigilant guards unaware of his presence.
Tang.
Upon sighting the palace’s hall, Seol-Hwi froze.
“…!”
Step. Step.
The blue and green uniform. The two Taoists, wide-eyed and alert.
Too close. They must be neutralized.
Pat!
Seol-Hwi pressed his foot against the stairs and sprang forward. The Taoist, who belatedly noticed the approaching figure, pointed skyward.
“Uh?”
“That…”
He spotted the other Taoist too late; by then, it was already over for him.
Tak
With a soft sound, he struck them on the chin, and they collapsed to the ground.
Seol-Hwi swiftly pushed open the door.
Kiik
Inside, it was as grand and spacious as he had anticipated. The wooden structure, with dual eaves, featured five rooms facing front, back, and left.
The floor was gray brick, and the front was painted blue. Behind him, where a statue of the Jade Emperor should have stood, there were several Taoists wandering around.
“I don’t have time for all this. Which side leads to the underground?”
Seol-Hwi concealed himself behind a pillar and quickly scanned the area.
This was complicated. Could it be a design of machines? Realizing it was difficult to find them with his eyes alone, he began to sense the airflow.
Wheik
It was the method for finding the defense circle, one of the techniques he had learned in the Demonic Sect. Before long, a space carved into the huge wooden board appeared.
“Hmm.”
Seol-Hwi moved stealthily, trying to avoid prying eyes, and maintained his balance.
The others paused momentarily at the sound of the wall and wooden board moving, but they did not detect Seol-Hwi’s presence.
“Hmm… what was that?”
“Nothing, must have been the wind.”
Using a hidden body technique, he slipped through the smallest gap. Once Seol-Hwi opened the wooden board, he was inside.
Tak. Tak. Tak.
Descending the stairs into the darkness, he found it difficult to see but did not let it bother him. After reaching a flat area, he raised his hand.
Wheik.
Seol-Hwi conjured a flame and soon found a lamp hanging on the wall, complete with wick and oil.
Shhh
He carefully touched the wick with his finger, and the wick ignited.
“Now I can see everything.”
Seol-Hwi walked toward the path ahead. Whenever darkness encroached, he lit the wall again and soon stopped in front of a massive iron gate.
“Huh, for something like this…”
Seol-Hwi looked at the door and uttered something as if he were dumbfounded.
The sight of the huge iron gate, standing three feet tall with a majestic appearance, blocked the path.
It was about half a foot thick. The material was not ordinary iron but seemed to be engineered to withstand extreme conditions.
This… is bad.
Seol-Hwi had been planning to head in with stealth, but that was no longer possible. The killing intent emanating from beyond the gate was not normal.
Two people. Supreme warriors.
This was an unexpected development.
He did not know who they were, but they were surely individuals capable of handling him.
Considering the internal energy they possessed, they must be those who could draw energy from nature. Yet, this sensation was unpleasant.
There was something about a person living in seclusion and darkness that did not seem right in Wudang.
And I wouldn’t be able to defeat them.
Seol-Hwi, who had just reached the Supreme Master level, was acutely aware of this fact. The moment he cut down the gate, they would attack.
If it were not for his keen senses, he would not have detected them, and they would be lying in wait.
But a surprise attack would not allow him any chance to react either.
Shhh… shh…
Seol-Hwi took a few steps back and sat down cross-legged. Judging by their presence, they would not come through the gate, so he had to prepare himself for victory.
Woooong!
Upper Dantian point.
While normal martial artists focused their energy on the lower and central Dantian, Seol-Hwi had an upper one.
It was this unique method, invented by Seol-Hwi a long time ago, that would enable him to rise to the Profound Master level.
The source of this was from the Qingcheng Sect.
Energy rushed to Seol-Hwi.
“…”
“…”
The figures behind the iron gate seemed to have noticed something odd, but they did nit react.
They did flinch a little. And as the wind around Seol-Hwi moved more vigorously, he took advantage of this opening and attacked them with all his might.
Shkkk
When he stood up shortly afterward, a completely different airflow coursed through his body.
“Do we start now?”
Shh
As he stepped forward, he drew the sword he had snatched from the Purple Palace Taoist and advanced.
Grrr
At that moment, as the airflow became widespread and the wind began converging at one point in the cave, it started to transform.
Shhh
As Seol-Hwi jumped, a ray of light erupted from the tip of his sword, blowing away the center of the tightly closed iron gate as if it were paper.
Swish!
The airflow stirred in the darkness.
One stream was red, clean like blood, while the other had a disgusting musty feel.
Swish
Then, it turned on its own.
However, their attack failed.
Like a lie, Seol-Hwi vanished from their sight and reappeared behind them.
“…!”
“Kuak!”
True to their skill, they constantly tried to attack and defend.
Seol-Hwi managed to appear for the third time at the next location.
“This is the real thing.”
They unleashed energy shots and techniques, while he deployed the Illusionary Misty Step, brandishing his sword in all directions.
Kuukung
A sharp sword wind flew towards them, leaving marks on the wall, but it did not cause much damage.
This was because the space was so small that not all strength could be applied.
Nevertheless, they seemed as if they were bound.
He could discern their nature and completely enveloped them in cloth, leaving only their eyes exposed.
“This…”
Seol-Hwi was shocked.
One was using the martial arts of the Evil Sect, which was vicious by nature. These were people who could never be considered protectors of the Wudang Hall. He looked hideous.
One was bent down with both hands on the ground, and the other was glaring at him with a skinny body.
“You… who are you?”
“How can someone who joined Wudang use the skills of Qingcheng?”
Hearing the angry voice, Seol-Hwi looked at them without expression.
“It is right for you to reveal your identity first. Why are you Evil Sect bastards in Wudang right now?”
And he was certain. These were probably ones placed here by the Absolute Being and were related to the deaths of the young Taoists.