A basin refers to a hollowed terrain surrounded by mountains or hills.

The Crouching Dragon Basin, where the great battle is taking place, is also surrounded by mountain ranges.

Those sharp and tall mountain ranges resemble the spine of a crouching dragon, hence it is called the Crouching Dragon Basin.

Demon Brain, or rather, Gwi-ryeong, was not on the battlefield inside.

The mountain ridges surrounding the basin.

He was standing atop them.

From the high ground, the flow of the battlefield was clearly visible.

In terms of scale and quality of forces, both the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance and the Ming army were superior.

It was natural. Although the Demon Cult was very powerful, it was only a single sect.

With even Ming’s elite troops participating, the Demon Cult’s chances of victory approached absolute zero.

Before being the head of High Spirit Palace, Demon Brain’s position was Chief Military Strategist.

Naturally, he had to command directly, and strictly speaking, he should not have planned such a battle.

Charging headlong despite knowing they were outmatched was madness.

If Demon Brain started such an ill-planned operation, the Four Heaven Palace Master and the True Demon Palace Master should have stopped him.

But they were merely immersed in thoughts of fighting.

They were no different from hot-blooded ordinary cultists rather than demonic martial artists at the Unrestrained Realm.

That might be a long-standing malady of the Demon Cult.

Having been confined in Xinjiang for centuries, they clearly lost their fear of the world.

The demon masters underestimated the strength of the Central Plains.

They would not win.

“It’s a stalemate…”

“The spirit of the cult is outstanding.”

The cultists who followed Demon Brain could not properly grasp the battlefield situation.

Because the demonic martial artists’ fighting spirit was tremendous.

Those who have mastered demonic arts forget fear in battle.

Without the fear of death, they are much more aggressive than their opponents. At a glance, they even appeared as brave as tigers leaping into a flock of sheep.

However, it was not enough to turn the tide.

The opposing masters had stronger mental fortitude than the demon warriors.

They calmly slaughtered the rampaging tigers one by one.

In the end, many would die.

Even if the Demon Cult was annihilated, they too would suffer heavy losses.

Something caught Demon Brain’s eye.

It was the place where the palanquin he should have been riding was.

A splendid and conspicuous palanquin.

There were those fiercely approaching it.

At that moment, something like a cloud suddenly burst out and covered the palanquin and its surroundings.

“That!”

“They seem to be targeting the Chief Military Strategist.”

The cultists who followed made a fuss.

It was quite possible since the palanquin was conspicuous.

Those targeting an Unrestrained Demon Realm master should be well prepared… but Demon Brain scoffed.

“It’s the Guardian Sect.”

Few knew that Guardian Sect was the old name of the Azure Forest.

The cultists were curious, but Demon Brain didn’t care.

Only the Azure Forest would commit such acts.

‘Could they have seen through my identity?’

Just as the Evil Cult did not remain idle, the Azure Forest would not have either.

They might have finally recognized that Gwi-ryeong was disguised as Demon Brain.

‘Then they wouldn’t have prepared carelessly.’

They would know well how ancient and powerful the Cardinals are.

If they tried to attack such a being like Gwi-ryeong, they wouldn’t have been careless in preparation.

Indeed, that was the case.

A flash of light appeared where the cloud had spread.

Someone soared high into the sky and struck down wielding an iron cage.

A lightning bolt struck that spot.

The cultists beside Demon Brain gaped in astonishment.

To them, it must have seemed a magnificent harmony.

Gwi-ryeong quietly thought.

If the Azure Forest had brought several high-grade treasures, it could have been truly dangerous.

But Demon Brain was not there now.

Only a double was left, and the object beside the double was….

“They used the last Heaven-Shaking Thunderbomb effectively.”

The legacy of the Lei Family.

The earth-shattering bombs gathered by the Demon Cult and the Evil Cult were running low.

And the last remaining Heaven-Shaking Thunderbombs all exploded.

The sound of the explosion was heard even this far.

The magical clouds covering the ground dispersed instantly.

Figures, whether corpses or living, soared high into the sky and then fell.

The roar and explosion were enough to momentarily halt those fighting madly.

As the rising smoke and flames settled, the war resumed.

“A disaster almost happened.”

“I am impressed by the Palace Master’s insight!”

The cultists beside Demon Brain flattered him.

Though Demon Cult members were brave, not all were like that.

Demon Brain took a few cultists who belonged to High Spirit Palace and slipped away under the pretext of an operation.

It was forbidden for the Chief Military Strategist to leave the battlefield, but it was possible amid the chaos.

Demon Brain, or rather Gwi-ryeong, gazed silently at her subordinates.

Several years had passed since she disguised herself as Demon Brain.

If she had grown any affection for those she commanded, it was absolutely not so.

“I was bored.”

Demon Brain’s voice, once rough like rubbing rusty iron, had changed.

At the clear female voice, the subordinates flinched.

“W-what do you mean…”

“Kneel down.”

The sudden command made the subordinates hesitate.

They were timid. Seven out of ten knelt shortly after.

“You won’t kneel?”

The remaining three were quick-witted.

They slowly backed away and scattered in different directions.

“Gah!”

They collapsed simultaneously while running, coughing up blood and dying.

It was impossible to know how they were killed.

The seven kneeling trembled with fear.

“Please spare me!”

“Palace Master! I pledge my loyalty.”

Those kneeling begged for mercy without understanding the situation.

“Bow your head and press it to the ground.”

Gwi-ryeong said so in a fully female voice.

One by one, they pressed their faces to the ground.

One of the seven could not endure and slightly raised his head.

Glancing sideways at the others… he saw they were all dead without a scream.

“H-hiiik!”

He hurriedly stood up.

Demon Brain was no longer in front of him.

Only a mysterious young woman wearing Demon Brain’s clothes remained.

She looked like a gentlewoman, utterly out of place in such a harsh place.

The frightened demon warrior hesitated in surprise even then.

Gwi-ryeong raised a finger and pointed at him.

His vision darkened, and the cultist died.

Gwi-ryeong was left alone.

“…An unexpected harvest.”

Lives to be offered as sacrifices.

If a ritual was performed with them, a new world would open, and the Guardian Sect’s Honor Flower Disciples would be the greatest threat in the new era.

Eliminating such Honor Flower Disciples would be a great gain.

Gwi-ryeong soared toward the direction where Mang-hon and Heuk-am awaited.

Dam Hyun opened his eyes.

Everything was pitch black. He could see nothing.

Had his eyeballs burst?

The last thing he clearly saw was the fuse of a Heavenly-Shaking Thunderbomb burning down.

Fortunately, he was not blind.

He couldn’t see because his face was pressed into the ground.

Dam Hyun wiped the blood-soaked mud from his face.

Beside him, Do Won-myeong lay sprawled.

He seemed unharmed.

Dam Hyun tried to lift him but staggered, dazed.

A high-pitched ringing sounded in his ears.

The tinnitus in his ears was intense.

He could hear nothing but the ringing.

Blood trickled from his ears. Had his eardrums ruptured?

He hoped it was not so.

…Hyeon.

The person in front appeared doubled.

Dam Hyun squinted, trying to focus.

…of it.

It seemed to be Do Meng. Blood covered his face, so he couldn’t recognize him immediately.

He walked up to Dam Hyun and slapped his cheeks hard with both hands.

“Snap out of it, you bastard!”

Fortunately, his eardrums were not completely destroyed.

He could clearly hear Do Meng’s voice shouting like a ghost.

“…Damn it.”

Dam Hyun was startled and checked inside his bosom.

There, Cheongho’s eyes were wide open.

Fortunately, he was unharmed.

Looking at the situation, Dam Hyun could roughly guess.

“We were ambushed…”

Dong-ye staggered over. Her body was also covered in wounds.

Compared to her, Dam Hyun was practically unharmed.

Blood dripped from his shoulder as if a piece of the palanquin had pierced it, but he could move.

It was like a miracle.

“We will get out of here.”

Do Meng said so and stood up.

For some reason, Demon Brain was not inside the palanquin.

Instead, only a double and the Heavenly-Shaking Thunderbomb awaited.

Had they known about Azure Forest’s attack from the start and prepared?

Dam Hyun had no way of knowing.

Do Meng supported Dong-ye and began walking.

They seemed intent on leaving immediately.

Dam Hyun made a dumbfounded expression.

“Aren’t you going to carry senior uncle Do Won-myeong?”

Do Meng just looked back at Dam Hyun with hollow eyes.

Dam Hyun tried to lift Do Won-myeong’s outstretched hand.

“Damn it, if you’re awake, get up, stop lying down…”

When he grabbed the hand to lift him, it was too light.

The hand Dam Hyun held was severed from the forearm.

Looking closely, it was not Do Won-myeong’s hand.

Do Won-myeong, who had his eyes open, was not conscious.

He was dead with his eyes open.

Blood and pale brain matter flowed from his broken back of the head.

At that moment, Dam Hyun recalled the explosion.

Do Won-myeong beside him had pulled Dam Hyun.

He took the blast’s impact on his back instead of Dam Hyun.

This was the result.

Do Won-myeong died from a shattered back of the head.

“Dam Hyun!”

“Come quickly!”

Do Meng’s eyes were bloodshot red.

It was not only because of the explosion’s shock.

Cha Mu-reu and So Mu-tae were also dead.

Dam Hyun looked at their bodies briefly and followed Do Meng.

“We will break through and escape.”

This was the right wing of the basin.

Dam Hyun interpreted the phrase ‘escape’ as nothing special.

“There’s no time, so stick close behind me and just follow.”

Were they surrounded?

It was possible.

Then, something happened that sharply cleared Dam Hyun’s mind.

“Hup…!”

Do Meng’s momentum changed.

His muscles swelled greatly.

Though he was already large, he seemed to have grown taller suddenly.

“Haap!”

Just one swing of his sword unleashed a fierce whirlwind.

Then Do Meng began running at a terrifying speed.

Demon warriors blocked the path, but he ignored them.

“Get-out-of-the way!”

Do Meng’s sword did not contain sword aura.

But the sharpness of the sword surpassed common sense.

Wherever the sword passed, demon warriors burst apart.

The scene reminded one of the war god, Lü Bu.

Do Meng was exerting his physical strength to the extreme.

As proof, white steam rose from his reddened body.

Do Meng pushed away five demon warriors at once.

“Kah!”

Just as Lü Bu was strong even after losing his Red Hare, Do Meng could break through the retreat path.

They quickly escaped to the outskirts of the basin.

If they climbed the mountain and crossed the ridge, they could leave the battlefield.

Dam Hyun regained his senses.

He realized what Do Meng meant by ‘escape.’

“Climb up!”

“…Secnior Uncle!”

He asked back with a bewildered face.

“What are you saying? To leave the battlefield?”

“Yes. Shut up and climb!”

“Nonsense! Why are we running away here!”

The war was not over just because they failed to capture Demon Brain, or rather Gwi-ryeong.

The Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance and the Demon Cult were still fighting.

It made no sense to flee completely just because the mission failed.

Do Meng raised his hand and pointed outside instead of answering.

“It was a trap from the start.”

“What…”

Dam Hyun stiffened as he turned his head.

Dam Hyun looked around as if to confirm what he saw.

From all eight directions of the vast Crouching Dragon Basin, red energy was rising to the sky.

“Do you see? It’s a barrier.”

“A barrier…? Something this huge…?”

As a Honor Flower Disciple, Dam Hyun understood.

That a strange ritual was being conducted over the entire Crouching Dragon Basin.

And what might happen when the ritual was completed.

“We have to inform the people…”

“Go you idiot!”

Do Meng shouted angrily.

They couldn’t persuade people to stop fighting amid the chaos.

“Go to Azure Forest! Go and inform them of this!”

Dam Hyun looked at the panting Do Meng.

He thought it was because of overexertion of physical strength, but it was not.

His abdomen was soaked in blood.

A large wooden splinter was deeply embedded in his abdomen.

It seemed to be a wound from the explosion.

Dam Hyun was silent for a moment, then spoke.

“…I refuse.”

“This bastard is ignoring the senior uncle’s words…”

“Go, Senior Uncle Dong-ye.”

Dam Hyun said while looking at Dong-ye.

He was firmly resolved not to go.

Dong-ye stared blankly at Dam Hyun and Do Meng, bit her lip, and entered the mountains.

Do Meng got angry at Dam Hyun.

“If you don’t leave, you’ll die. Why won’t you listen!”

“No matter how you look at it, that’s a sacrificial ritual.”

“They’re trying to use the people here as offerings.”

Do Meng knew it too.

“So… what are you going to do?”

“What else? Everyone needs to snap out of it and get out of here.”

“You’re still stupid as usual.”

“You…”

“Do you think people will listen?”

They were drunk on violence and blood.

It might be possible within the time.

“St-stupid bastard… heh heh.”

Saying that, Do Meng suddenly collapsed forward.

“Senior Uncle, …Senior Uncle!”

Dam Hyun shook Do Meng and called out.

“Hey!”

Even shouting and shaking his shoulders, there was no response.

Do Meng’s body did not move.

After a moment, Dam Hyun stood up.

“Damn it, damn it.”

Cheongho poked his head out and looked up at Dam Hyun worriedly.

Dam Hyun wiped the blood from his eyes and turned back toward the battlefield.