Chapter 106: A Tasty Bait
It was no lie that the Fourth Demon Domain was the greatest grain-producing region of the cult.
To reach the Fourth Demon Domain, one had to pass through the mountain paths of the Third Demon Domain. Below that path stretched an endless horizon. It was vast. So vast that one might call it stupidly wide, if not outright continental in scale.
"They say it’s so wide you could ride nonstop for two days and still not reach the end."
At Saweol’s explanation, I nodded. It did seem like it could be that expansive.
"And the direction we’re headed must be over there."
Far off on the right edge of the Fourth Demon Domain, I could see an area where white smoke was rising. Even from a distance, it was clear the farmland had been reduced to ashes. If it looked that bad from afar, then up close, it must’ve burned on an enormous scale.
“We don’t need to take a wagon just for my sake, though. Tsk tsk.”
Cheol Muguk spoke with his signature tsk tsk chuckle.
Normally, martial artists of a certain level would use movement techniques to travel in a flash, but our “Muguk Expedition Team” was traveling by wagon. It was only natural — I couldn’t use light footwork.
So I vaguely brushed it off and insisted we use the wagon. Cheol Muguk, however, assumed it was out of consideration for him, since his skills were only at the First-rate level.
“It’s not particularly because of you.”
“Then it must be thanks to Cho Ryang. Cho Ryang, thanks to you, I get to ride in the wagon comfortably.”
“Hehehe…”
Even Saweol was riding inside the wagon. Cheol Sopyeong, who was far too large, was running outside using a body movement technique instead. He’d even volunteered to run, saying his body stiffened up when sitting inside.
“By the way, there’s something odd.”
“What is it?”
Cheol Muguk asked kindly at Cho Ryang’s words.
“It’s about the Infinite Heavenly Flame. As far as I know, the Infinite Heavenly Flame loves peace and nature, and doesn't set fires recklessly.”
“Isn’t it made of fire? Maybe it just naturally causes fires.”
“They say the Infinite Heavenly Flame only burns what it chooses to burn.”
“That’s rather mystical. So that’s what seems odd?”
“Yes. When I briefly got off the wagon to look, only certain areas were burning.”
I asked a question in response to Cho Ryang’s words.
“If it wanted to burn something, it should burn everything or nothing at all, but it’s strange that only the Red Dragon Domain is being burned?”
“That’s right. Why is it only burning the Red Dragon Domain?”
“Hm…”
No clear reason came to mind. In the first place, the Infinite Heavenly Flame was a divine beast that never even appeared in its true form in the original story.
“I should investigate at least…”
Maybe the Infinite Heavenly Flame had its own reasons for acting like that, and resolving those could actually make things go smoother than expected.
After traveling in the wagon for another couple of hours, we finally entered the Red Dragon Domain.
“How horrific.”
Cheol Muguk frowned.
“Cheol Sopyeong and I are used to smoke, so it’s fine. But you all might want to cover your breathing. The smoke is quite serious.”
From a distance, it looked like simple white smoke rising into the sky, but up close, the smoke was thick like fog, making it hard to see ahead.
Only a handful of people wandered around the scorched fields. They weren’t trained cult members, but common folk. There wasn’t even a hint of vitality in their eyes.
Eyes that had abandoned all hope.
And yet, perhaps fearful of us arriving in a wagon, they bowed toward us.
“Rise.”
Even at my words, the commoners didn’t budge. Looking closer, their bodies were trembling. They seemed terrified.
“Do not be afraid. I am Sado Hwan, head of the Sado family.”
Only then did the commoners react. They must’ve thought we were just some powerful officials, but hearing my name, their perspective shifted. News that I’d been tasked with subduing the Firebird must’ve spread throughout the cult.
And then—
“P-Please, help us!”
The youngest-looking man among the commoners rushed toward me and dropped to his knees. The others panicked and tried to pull him up.
“Ah, honored one, please forgive him. He’s a bit slow-witted.”
“No, it’s fine. More importantly, tell me what happened.”
“Th-that is…”
The man hesitated, glancing around nervously. I noticed bruises around his eyes. Had he been in a fight?
“Speak freely. There is no one here who will harm you.”
After hesitating for a moment, the commoner began to tell his tragic story.
The gist of it:
It had been nearly a month since the Firebird appeared, but no one had come to help. In that time, all the farmlands had burned down. Now, even the residential areas were catching fire, leaving them with no means of survival.
“What about the martial artists of the Hyuk Clan?”
“Those people— no, those bastards— didn’t help us at all. They only oppressed us. They said we must’ve provoked the Firebird and brought this on ourselves.”
“You’re sure that’s not true?”
“Of course not! I’ve lived here my whole life and never once heard of a Firebird appearing in the Red Dragon Domain!”
His words were likely true. I hadn’t seen any mention in the original work of a divine beast appearing in the cult's territory.
[Still strange. Didn’t Hyuk Mun say he cherished the Red Dragon Domain deeply? But in reality, they left it to burn?]
“It stinks. The Red Dragon Hyuk Clan must be involved with the Infinite Heavenly Flame.”
[You think they blocked others from intervening to hide their guilt?]
“And if they later claim they never did any of that, who’s going to stop them?”
A common cliché.
If we presented the commoners’ words as testimony, they’d shout, “You expect us to believe the words of lowly peasants?!” and turn red with rage. Worse, they might try to kill the commoners to silence them.
“When and where does the Firebird appear? Does it have a dwelling?”
“It always appears suddenly, at random times. But it seems to vanish at night and only acts during the day. When it shows up, it flies low and burns everything in sight.”
“Are there any signs before it appears?”
“Suddenly, the temperature rises as if it were midsummer. Just like now, actually…”
The man shuddered and went pale.
It did feel noticeably hotter than before, almost stifling.
At that moment—
Piiiiiii!
A sharp cry pierced my ears.
I looked up.
Far in the sky, something massive appeared. It was so large it reminded me of a modern helicopter. And it was rapidly approaching.
It was a massive bird.
Its general shape resembled a hawk. As a direct descendant of the Vermillion Bird, its body was a brilliant scarlet, with flames trailing from the tips of its wings and tail feathers.
“The Firebird! The Firebird has appeared!”
The commoners panicked and scattered.
“Heh heh, perfect timing. Even if the Hyuk Clan planned something, it won’t matter if we catch it early.”
“The problem is, will it even come near us?”
The Infinite Heavenly Flame was a divine beast with spiritual awareness.
If it really had a grudge against the Red Dragon Hyuk Clan, it might not even bother approaching us.
In this world, the scariest things were the elderly, women, and children — and our group had all three. We even had Cheol Sopyeong, massive and frightening in appearance.
Though the Firebird wasn’t human, no creature in its right mind would approach such a suspicious group.
“That’s why we need bait.”
But first, we had to observe its reaction.
Sure enough—
The Firebird descended slightly but simply flew past overhead.
In that instant, my eyes met the Firebird’s. Its transparent, yellow predator eyes clearly focused on us.
Snort—
A flame burst from the Firebird’s nose.
[That bastard just sneered at us.]
“Yeah, looked that way to me too.”
It felt like it was mocking us.
That irritated me.
Just because it's a divine beast doesn’t mean it can mock people for no reason.
“Cho Ryang.”
“Yes?”
“You said it likes pure fire energy, right?”
“Yep!”
I turned to Cheol Sopyeong.
“Lord Cheol, could you draw out the Ten Thousand Forms Solar Divine Art?”
Without a word, Cheol Sopyeong began channeling his energy.
Though he was often scolded by Cheol Muguk, Cheol Sopyeong was still a Transcendent Peak expert. As he began to gather energy in earnest, flames surged from his body.
Whoosh!
As fire erupted from Cheol Sopyeong’s body, his mental domain manifested.
A giant made of flame overlapped with his body like an illusion. The flame giant looked to be nearly five jang tall.
In that moment—
Piiiiiiii!
The flying Firebird suddenly turned sharply and redirected its flight toward us. A glimmer of curiosity appeared in its previously indifferent eyes.
“I’ll catch it!”
Cheol Sopyeong pressed his palms together. The flame giant mimicked his motion exactly. Despite its massive size, it moved with surprising speed.
“If that grabs you, you won’t even leave bones behind…”
But of course, the Infinite Heavenly Flame wouldn’t be caught so easily.
Flames on its tail burst into an inferno, and it accelerated sharply, slipping through the flame giant’s grasp.
It didn’t just slip through — it bit a chunk out of the flame giant’s arm as it passed, swallowing a portion of the fire.
Piiiii—!
Ptooey!
But the beast immediately spat it out, shaking its head like it had eaten something disgusting.
Grit…
Seeing that, Cheol Sopyeong ground his teeth and swung again.
Piiiiiiii!
But the Firebird simply soared higher into the sky.
It had judged that the flame giant, while threatening, couldn’t reach it if it stayed up there. And there really was no way to catch it.
Cheol Sopyeong dispelled his mental domain with a disappointed expression.
“Even the heat of a Transcendent Peak can’t satisfy it?”
“Lord Cheol. What about trying the Azure flame?”
At my suggestion, Cheol Muguk released a blue fire. Then—
The Firebird, which had been hovering high above, dove straight down.
Piiik! Piiik!
It was visibly excited. As expected from a being that loved pure fire, it reacted to the purest of flames — Azure Flame.
However—
Even as it circled above us, it showed no intention of landing.
“It seems very cautious.”
At Cho Ryang’s words, I nodded.
“Any way to lure it?”
“At this point, we’ll need to set a trap. Offer it a bait so tempting it can’t refuse, then hide the rest of us.”
“A tempting bait?”
Cho Ryang’s eyes turned toward Cheol Muguk.
“Yes! A tasty bait! Hehehe.”
And in Cho Ryang’s eyes, a spark of genuine madness flickered.