Chapter 209: Different Dreams in the Same Bed
The remaining time is one month.
I need to prepare to catch them within this month.
I must utilize all the resources I have to their limits.
The top priority is, of course, training the followers.
I cannot take down all the enemies alone, so I have to work with the followers.
From my perspective, Chillang seems like a cute puppy, but in reality, even Chillang is a predator stronger than most humans.
Not just an ordinary wolf, but a dire wolf.
Furthermore, perhaps due to Baekrang's influence, it was much larger than an actual dire wolf.
If Chillang, the youngest, is this size, her older sisters are as massive as tigers.
If I use the wolves' rapid mobility to dominate the battlefield, they’ll be a great help.
Of course, since the number of enemies is so large, not everyone will be safe.
This will essentially be an all-out war.
Even so, my goal is a complete victory with zero casualties on our side.
I know how difficult this is.
Even achieving a victory itself is uncertain, let alone preventing any casualties on our side.
The likelihood of failure is very high.
But I have to try my best to make it happen.
And this is one of the reasons I prioritize training the followers.
“Keeeng!”
“Kioong!”
Tus and Pus have also learned to wield the power of cold to some extent.
“Awoo!”
The wolves, including Chillang, are the same.
Compared to Baekrang, their power might be insignificant.
Even if I make the most of the month we have, achieving significant results will be difficult.
But what if this cold power is focused on defense?
At the very least, it could save their lives.
The skills Baekrang is teaching them are focused on survival.
With Cheolduryong also joining the battle, the cold power handled by my followers will be further amplified.
“Ilboo… Dachaaa!”
“Ilboo! Ilbooo!”
The Igaksu may not be able to wield the power of cold, but they’re still a reliable force.
They may not be able to match the enemy's key forces, but most enemies won’t withstand the charge of ten Igaksu.
When I tapped them lightly with my claws, their durability seemed pretty high.
The Igaksu were sharpening their horns to make them even sharper.
“I hope there won’t be any casualties.”
Baekrang stretched and came to my side.
She looked tired, as she hadn’t been able to sleep properly while preparing.
Though I felt sorry for Baekrang, she would have to endure a bit more hardship.
Since I had personal matters to handle, Baekrang was taking charge of preparations within the territory.
Setting traps, training the followers, and other such tasks.
On top of that, she was responsible for the food supply, so it’s no wonder she was exhausted.
“That child and the shrine maiden are working the hardest. Neither of them is particularly suited for combat, yet they’re trying their best to help.”
Baekrang pointed with her paw toward Tang So-yeong and Nephila.
Even though she’s struggling herself, she doesn’t show it.
How could someone—or rather, a wolf—be so kind?
I naturally reached out to pet Baekrang’s head.
“…You keep treating me like a puppy… You know this doesn’t make me feel good, right?”
Even as she said that, her tail wagged gently.
“…Forget it. Talking to you always seems to pull me in.”
She glanced at me briefly and then plopped down beside me.
“How are things going?”
“Geggek.”
“Of course. You’d handle it well as always.”
A brief silence fell between us.
Baekrang, unable to endure the silence, started a conversation.
“Defeating Gongbok is probably the most important task… Do you think things will go as planned?”
Yongsaengguja, Gongbok.
This creature is the most troublesome.
Logically, the best course of action would be to rush to the rocky mountain and defeat it before it joins forces with the Hwasan Sect.
But since it isn’t an easy opponent, it might not be a good choice.
After obtaining the Dragon Gate, the power I gained is the ability to control plants.
It could be defined as the power of the neck.
What kind of power would it possess?
It would be reasonable to assume it controls the land itself.
My territory was becoming a dense forest.
If I use my abilities in advance to prepare the plants, they will be useful later.
It’s much easier to control fully grown plants than to grow them from seeds.
Even though I hadn’t had the Dragon Gate for long, I came up with this strategy.
Then what about Gongbok?
It’s a divine creature that’s had the Dragon Gate’s power for far longer than I have.
The rocky mountain is practically an extension of its body now.
Knowing this, I won’t initiate a preemptive attack.
When I lacked information, I thought things would somehow work out if I went with Baekrang, but after confirming its extraordinary defenses, I realized that was nonsense.
Ironically, my best option is to wait for the Hwasan Sect and Gongbok to join forces and attack my territory together.
“Considering the Five Elements, your power should have the upper hand in terms of compatibility. It’s natural for wood to absorb nutrients from the earth.”
If my claws can’t pierce it, I’ll have to rely on the compatibility of our powers.
“And although cold is closer to earth, its source lies in the power of water. Water nurtures trees, so the stronger the followers grow, the more your abilities will amplify.”
In the future I saw, I was defeated without leaving even a single scratch.
No matter how urgent the situation was, there’s no way I wouldn’t have used the power of the neck.
I used that power and still lost.
“If Cheolduryong joins, and I support you from the surroundings… we might actually be able to pierce that creature’s skin.”
Of course, the future me and the current me are different.
The followers hadn’t actively used cold, and Cheolduryong hadn’t joined us back then.
Now, it’s different.
If the power of the two Dragon Gates combines, even Yongsaengguja won’t be able to escape harm.
Like trees planting roots in the earth and rain falling upon them.
Baekrang stared intently at my arm.
“Hmm… Even so, I still can’t believe that this arm wasn’t enough. If nothing else, your arm…”
Baekrang gulped.
“…It’s so thick…”
Her tail swayed gently.
“…Ha!”
Drool slightly trickled down before Baekrang quickly shook her head, as if snapping back to her senses.
“Ahem, ahem! Aside from that, your claws are incredibly sharp, aren’t they? And on top of that, you can even handle qi, right?”
She raised her paw and tapped lightly on my arm.
“…Could it really be true that you didn’t even leave a scratch?”
“Gek?”
“No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t make sense that you couldn’t hurt it with this arm.”
Baekrang positioned herself between my arms, lightly lifting one with her head.
I couldn’t understand it either.
I can wield sword qi, yet I couldn’t cut through a snake made of stone.
But it was a fact, and I ended up defeated.
“…Maybe it’s a matter of size? You’re huge too, but Gongbok must be much larger than you. So even if you attacked it, it wouldn’t have been noticeable.”
The brief glimpse I had of it confirmed its enormous size.
It was so massive that it could be considered a mountain made of stone.
“Just like how the Tang Clan child can pierce it with a needle, but it’s just too small to be noticeable.”
Baekrang glanced at Tang So-yeong, who was lying flat with her hips raised.
She might be right.
But that doesn’t change anything.
Whether it’s due to extraordinary durability or an immense size that makes injuries unnoticeable…
It means my close-range attacks can’t inflict significant damage.
“That’s why I’m saying, what if you attacked it with something bigger?”
Baekrang turned her gaze to my tail.
A long tail that accounts for over 60% of my body length.
It’s big enough to be more of a kitchen knife than a needle.
But it’s not sharp.
I can’t channel sword qi into my tail, and it’s not as sharp as my claws.
While it would make an impressive weapon if wielded like a whip, it wouldn’t be much help against Gongbok.
“Gekgek.”
“If there’s some time left, why not explore that possibility? Who knows? It could unexpectedly become a breakthrough.”
Focus on the tail…
The theory sounds plausible, but for now, focusing on other areas seems more worthwhile.
We don’t have much time left.
What I need to concentrate on isn’t my tail…
Wooong.
The Fox Bead.
I need to learn how to use this artifact.
“These damn monks…”
Namgoong Yeon muttered in a low voice.
“For Hye-myeong Dae-sa to personally oppose this…”
Ak Bulhui responded to his words.
“…It seems things aren’t going smoothly.”
Namgoong Yeon sighed.
The orthodox factions, including the Nine Great Schools and Five Noble Houses, sometimes competed with each other, but when the Central Plains were in crisis, they united under the name of the Martial Alliance.
Ak Bulhui, the leader of the Hwasan Sect, tried to form a Martial Alliance under the justification of attacking the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, but the abbot of Shaolin opposed it, leading to failure.
“Should we call it a miracle? No matter how many moves we made, they always slipped through.”
“Isn’t it unnecessary to be so worried? It’s just a matter of dealing with a few divine creatures.”
Although Ak Bulhui accepted Namgoong Yeon’s suggestion, he thought Yeon was overreacting.
After all, it was just a single lizard.
Of course, there might be other divine creatures under its command, but Ak Bulhui believed capturing the leader alone was something he could handle with his own strength.
“It’s not just a single divine creature—it’s a divine creature with divinity. It likely possesses power at least equal to that of the Red Dragon.”
“The Red Dragon…”
Ak Bulhui spoke as if intrigued.
“…I trust you’re not planning to face it directly. If we throw the Red Dragon at it, it’ll likely destroy itself, so there’s no need to waste energy.”
“You’re right. We must conserve as much strength as possible. There’s always the chance that the Demon Cult Leader or that demon might emerge.”
Ak Bulhui stroked his beard.
“The Red Dragon. Is that child doing well?”
“Lee Rihwa. On the condition of ensuring her safety, we transplanted the gallbladder from its body into hers.”
“…I figured she would act that way.”
Lost in thought, Ak Bulhui closed his eyes briefly.
“The Tang Clan sent a precious gift. Not only can it control that fiery child, but they even sent a divine creature that can freely manipulate objects in the air.”
“The condition, however, was to pluck the flower of the Tang Clan.”
Killing a mere second-rate martial artist had garnered far too much support.
Ak Bulhui found it bothersome, but he didn’t mind too much.
“I am curious what kind of ‘flower’ it is, but since we’ve already received so much, we must uphold our sense of righteousness.”
The Tang Clan had always been that kind of group.
“Red Dragon, and the divine creature of the Tang Clan. Namgoong Yeon, are you still uneasy?”
No matter how Ak Bulhui calculated, he felt that the number of troops was excessive.
Even without the formation of the Martial Alliance, this level of force would suffice to achieve their objective.
“Besides, didn’t you say that divine creature will also participate in the battle?”
That divine creature.
Namgoong Yeon immediately understood who Ak Bulhui was referring to.
“Yes. Gongbok will join us on schedule.”
It was Gongbok, one of the Yongsaengguja.
“Oh… Gongbok. It never ceases to amaze me. For a mere human to even know of the child of a dragon…”
Ak Bulhui smirked slightly, as if intrigued.
It was a dangerous smile.
Namgoong Yeon sensed the bloodlust emanating from him.
“…I trust you aren’t planning to target Gongbok.”
Ak Bulhui laughed silently.
Gongbok, said to have the indestructible body of Vajra.
It was rumored that no blade could cut through Gongbok’s body.
But Ak Bulhui was different.
To him, there was no such thing as an uncuttable existence.
That was Ak Bulhui’s creed.
“I suppose I’ll have to leave it alone… at least until the task is complete.”
Namgoong Yeon sighed once again.
The leader of the Hwasan Sect, Ak Bulhui.
While it was beneficial to leverage his strength and reputation, controlling him was an exceedingly difficult task.
“You’re taking this joke too far.”
Namgoong Yeon hastily stepped back.
“…There will be other opportunities after this, so please endure for now.”
Namgoong Yeon’s gaze fell to the scabbard hanging at Ak Bulhui’s waist.
“Ha ha ha! Do you think I, a man of the orthodox faction, would cut down a divine creature allied with us?”
Ak Bulhui roared with laughter in his booming voice.
“I was just joking, as you said.”
But Namgoong Yeon knew that wasn’t the truth.
He couldn’t tell if Ak Bulhui’s words stemmed from mere bravado…
Or if they were a warning, knowing his true intentions.
But one thing was clear.
Namgoong Yeon could not stay aligned with Ak Bulhui until the end.
And Ak Bulhui was well aware of that fact too.