The Martial God with Psychic Powers

"Did you say you found a lead?"
Hearing Yeon Woo Jin’s words, Cheon Gi Jin’s expression twisted in surprise.
"Yes. Someone sensed demonic energy near Mushincheon."

"Mushincheon? N-No way… You mean there’s a spy inside Mushincheon?"
"No. Not quite. There was an incident where unknown assailants invaded one of the outer villages near Mushincheon. Apparently, they carried traces of demonic energy."
"Hoh… That’s unusual. They wouldn’t normally reveal their demonic energy so carelessly."

"It seems they initially used techniques from the Blood Cult rather than outright demonic arts. Judging by how awkwardly they wielded their martial techniques compared to their actual cultivation, they must’ve hastily learned them to deceive others."
"Mushincheon, huh… Mushincheon…"
Cheon Gi Jin sank into deep thought, muttering to himself.

Then, he abruptly stood up and began rummaging through his bookshelves.
"Not this one… Not this one…"
Cheon Gi Jin flipped through various books in search of something.
"Found it!"

He pulled out an old book, blackened with age and wear, and eagerly flipped through its pages.
After a while, Cheon Gi Jin exclaimed:
"Found it! Look at this."

He turned the book toward Yeon Woo Jin.
"My memory was fuzzy since it’s been so long, but thankfully, I recalled it."
Yeon Woo Jin began carefully reading the contents of the book.

Before long, his expression darkened.
Within the pages were detailed records of the former location of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
"So… the site where Mushincheon now stands is where the Heavenly Demon Cult once resided."

"Exactly. There must still be something there, tied to the Heavenly Demon Cult. That would explain why the demons risked so much to infiltrate Mushincheon."
Something related to the Demonic Cult…
What could it be?

Why would Grandfather build Mushincheon in that exact location?
Did he know all along?
Could it be… that Grandfather anticipated the Demonic Cult’s resurgence and established Mushincheon in preparation for that?

Countless questions began filling Yeon Woo Jin’s mind.
If he wanted answers, he’d have to meet with his grandfather in person.
"But… would they really come through Mushincheon itself? If they’re planning to enter the world, wouldn’t they prepare in secret and emerge elsewhere?"
"Hmm…"

It was a valid point.
The Heavenly Demon Cult likely knew as much.
Cheon Gi Jin retrieved an item from his belongings.

"It may not be as precise as the Celestial Qi Compass, but this should give us a rough idea."
Saying that, he channeled energy into a small ornate box.
Click-clack—click-clack—

The inscriptions engraved on the box began to shift and align themselves.
"Hmm… This isn’t good."
"Not good? What do you mean?"

"It’s not the same location as before. It appears a new rift has opened somewhere else entirely."
"Then we’ll need to locate that place."
Cheon Gi Jin nodded gravely.

Yeon Woo Jin rose from his seat.
"It seems I’ve finished what I came here to do. I should return now."
Cheon Gi Jin also stood up.

"I’d rather urge you to stay longer, ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) but it seems circumstances won’t allow for that. Let’s go. Bin Do will escort you to the mountain gates."
"There’s no need to trouble yourself—"
"Nonsense. You’re the benefactor of Jeomchang, the one we are honor-bound to serve. It’s only proper."

It seemed pointless to refuse; they were determined.
"Very well."
As they made their way to the mountain gates, Cheon Gi Jin spoke:

"I’ll have Bin Do search for the location of this new rift."
"I’ll investigate the rift within Mushincheon—see if there are any abnormalities or connections to Grandfather."
The phrase that appeared behind the Celestial Qi Compass—Gods and Immortals Perish, Man Prevails—could wait until the matter with the Demonic Cult was resolved.

 
****
Xinjiang, Qianshan Mountains.

Rumble—
The entire mountain range began to tremble as if struck by a massive earthquake.
Crack—craack—

With the tremors, the ground split open, releasing crimson light and smoke as the fissure widened, transforming into a canyon-like crevice.
Time passed.
Clack—

From within the fissure, a charred, blackened hand emerged above the surface.
Then, a dark red figure slowly climbed upward.
It resembled a human, but nearly naked, with black-red skin stretched across its body.

"Hooah…"
The grotesque being inhaled deeply before exhaling with a bright, satisfied grin.
"Puhaha! Kukuku! Magnificent… This fresh air…!"

The creature glanced around gleefully, taking in the countless peaks of the vast mountain range.
There wasn’t a single sign of human life in sight.
"Well, would you look at that? The location couldn’t be better… Kukuku."

The creature let out a series of delighted chuckles.
Then, it turned to the rift behind it.
From the widening crevice, more beings of similar appearance began climbing out in droves.

In an instant, the space was filled with these grotesque entities.
Each one spoke in turn:
"So it was true… A new rift opened elsewhere after all."

"Good timing. The old rifts were so heavily guarded by those humans, infiltration was near impossible."
"This place will be perfect for establishing our new Heavenly Demon Fortress."
"Kukuku… Then we must summon the humans who worship the Heavenly Demon to gather here."

"Leave that to me. The rest of you head down and prepare to breach the human world."
"Kukuku… Understood. This time, we make no mistakes."
"Naturally. We’ll repay the humiliation we suffered at the hands of those humans."

"We’ll enslave them all… make them toil like dogs beneath our feet."
"Kukuku… I want to fall asleep to the sound of human screams."
"I’m eager to taste the flesh of these humans."

"Calm yourselves. Rushing recklessly will accomplish nothing. To completely conquer the human realm, we must be patient."
"Understood. We’ll descend, report to the Heavenly Demon, and begin preparations."
"I’ll remain above to gather followers and construct the Heavenly Demon Fortress."

 
****
After concluding his business, Yeon Woo Jin returned to Sincheonjang and immediately set out for the village within Mushincheon that Jang Woon mentioned.

This was a civilian village.
It wasn’t a place where martial artists resided—it was entirely ordinary.
Yet, supposedly, someone had been searching for something here.

What could it be?
Yeon Woo Jin began to calmly inspect the village.
They say if you observe the children, you can sense how peaceful a place truly is.

The children here ran around laughing brightly, full of joy.
That alone revealed how peaceful this village was.
He could’ve just asked Grandfather or Sima Cheon, Mushincheon’s military officer, for answers and solved this swiftly—but he didn’t.

He wanted to uncover the truth himself.
Yeon Woo Jin’s eyes shifted, darkening into his Black Eyes.
Rather than simply looking around, he began examining the flow of energy within the village.

If something unusual existed, his Black Eyes would reveal it.
To outsiders, it simply looked as if he was leisurely strolling and sightseeing.
‘Strange… I don’t sense anything unusual. But they were supposedly searching for something here?’

Jang Woon had said the assailants were clearly scouring this village for something.
Of course, if it were easy to find, they wouldn’t have stumbled into Jang Woon and his son in the first place.
No need to rush. He would take his time, observing carefully.

During his search, a shrine at the village center came into view.
A shrine no different from countless others dotting the land.
Yeon Woo Jin nearly passed by without a second thought—

But an unsettling aura drifted from within the shrine.
Slowly, he approached, carefully inspecting it.
The walls were covered with unfamiliar inscriptions.

The same symbols were etched across the floor.
Yeon Woo Jin recognized them immediately.
He had seen this formation before, back in the Infinite Library.

The Demon Sealing Formation.
 
It was the name of the formation.

As the name implied—the Demon Sealing Formation.
This shrine was one of the formation’s anchor points.
The inscriptions covering the shrine's walls were only visible through the Black Eyes.

The intruders who had come to this village… They must have been searching for this shrine.
Or more precisely, they were trying to locate the position of this anchor point.
It was likely that similar beings had visited other villages as well.

Using that knowledge, Yeon Woo Jin estimated the scale of the formation.
If the anchor point was this large, then the entire formation itself must be vast beyond imagination.
Completing his calculations, Yeon Woo Jin’s eyes widened in shock as he muttered under his breath:

"Mushincheon… The entire region is a formation."
It was astounding.
Just what were they trying to seal, that they’d cover such an immense expanse of land with a formation and build Mushincheon atop it?

To destroy the formation, the enemy would first need to dismantle these anchor points and weaken its power.
Then, they would have to bring down the core—its central axis.
Where was the core of the formation?

The heart of Mushincheon.
Cheonjujeon—where Yeon Cheon Baek resided.
It was as close to an unbreakable formation as one could get.

They had said the Heavenly Demon Cult once occupied this place.
Which meant—the Heavenly Demon himself had been sealed here?
It was clear now. He needed to meet Grandfather.

 
****
“Woo Jin-ah!”

Yeon Cheon Baek’s booming voice echoed across the hall the moment he spotted Yeon Woo Jin.
Startled, Sima Cheon, who had been standing nearby, quickly covered his ears.
Wham—

In the blink of an eye, Yeon Cheon Baek closed the distance and pulled Woo Jin into a crushing embrace.
“Ahh, my boy! How long has it been?”
At his exaggerated display, Sima Cheon rolled his eyes and muttered from behind:

“He hasn’t even been gone for a few months. Why are you making such a fuss?”
“A few months is forever! I nearly fell ill from not seeing my Woo Jin, you brat. I told you to visit more often!”
“Sorry… I’ve been busy lately.”

“Busy? With what?”
“I… established a trading escort agency recently.”
“A trading escort? Why that all of a sudden?”

“I just wanted to try it.”
“That so? Then you should! My Woo Jin should do whatever he wants!”
“Ugh, you fool. Could you at least maintain some dignity as the Lord of Mushincheon?”

“Oh, what’s the big deal? Who’s even around to care?”
“I’m here! Me!”
“Come on, you’re basically family, so you don’t count.”

Sima Cheon clicked his tongue, glaring.
“This is all your fault, Woo Jin. You’ve spoiled your grandfather rotten, now he has no sense of decorum left.”
Yeon Cheon Baek flared up in indignation.

“Don’t you blame my Woo Jin for that! He’s done nothing wrong!”
“Right, what’s Woo Jin done wrong? It’s your nonsense that’s the problem.”
“Still, I’m the mighty Cheonju, show some respect.”

“You can act like the Cheonju if you speak properly for once. Or toss me out if you hate hearing the truth.”
“Tch, friends can say harsh things sometimes, can’t they…”
Yeon Cheon Baek backed down at Sima Cheon’s threat to leave.

Indeed, he’d changed.
The Yeon Cheon Baek from his earliest memories hadn’t been like this.
Those memories remained vivid—the image of Yeon Cheon Baek obliterating the Blood Cult in ruthless fury.

But gradually, his personality had softened, leading to the man he was now.
Of course, this side of him only surfaced in front of Woo Jin and Sima Cheon.
To others, he remained the terrifying, awe-inspiring Yeon Cheon Baek.

“So? What brings you here all of a sudden? Come to see your old grandfather?”
“Actually… I came to ask you something.”
“Something else?”

“Yes. There’s something I’ve been wondering…”
“What is it?”
“Mushincheon… The entire area… It’s a massive formation to seal something away, isn’t it? What exactly is being sealed here?”

At his words, both Yeon Cheon Baek and Sima Cheon’s faces froze with shock.
“H-How do you…?”
“I’ve been to the outer villages. I saw the shrines—they’re the formation’s anchor points.”

Yeon Cheon Baek and Sima Cheon exchanged a wary glance.
“Why did you construct a massive Demon Sealing Formation across this place? Is it because of a rift connecting to the Demon Realm?”
“Hah…”

“How do you even know that much…?”
“Please, just tell me.”
Yeon Cheon Baek sighed, shaking his head.

“You really are impossible… Sit down first.”
“Alright.”
“Where should I even begin with this…”

Yeon Cheon Baek frowned, visibly conflicted.
Yeon Woo Jin pressed him again:
“They say this was once the site of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Is that true?”

Yeon Cheon Baek stared at him, wide-eyed with surprise.
“You… know that too? It’s true. This is the very ground the Heavenly Demon Cult once occupied. And… it’s also where a dimensional rift to the Heavenly Demon’s world appeared.”
“Appeared, meaning… it’s gone now?”

Before Yeon Woo Jin could finish, Sima Cheon interjected:
“To be precise, it’s being contained.”
“Then… the Demon Sealing Formation is what’s holding back that dimensional rift.”

“Correct. Exactly that.”
“So… Grandfather… Did you build Mushincheon to stop the Demon Cult from returning?”
At that question, Yeon Cheon Baek averted his gaze.

Sima Cheon sighed from beside him.
What…?
Didn’t he build Mushincheon to prevent the Demonic Cult from invading?

“It wasn’t to block them… It was to bait them.”
“…What?”
Yeon Woo Jin’s eyes widened as Sima Cheon casually dropped the revelation.

Yeon Cheon Baek scolded him in frustration.
“Hey! You’re supposed to just say we built this to defend against them!”
“And what? Let Woo Jin find out the truth later and be disappointed in you?”

“Grk…”
What… truth…?