Chapter 287: Resolve to Kill, Resolve to Die

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“Darkness-Craving Blood Clan…!”

Everyone had surprised eyes, including Do Jwa-baek who spoke as if exclaiming softly.

According to the historical records of the martial world, the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan was a terrifying mysterious blood clan that craved darkness and blood.

A group that hated bright daylight and moved only at night when darkness fell, and also killed people to drink their blood.

That’s why they were also called the Mad Blood Demon Clan.

The true nature of that mysterious blood clan was first made known through the Blood-Drinking Demon King, one of the Four Dharma-Protecting Kings who were active in the era of the Heavenly Demon.

At that time, he enjoyed fresh human blood like a staple food.

That was, in fact, recorded as a characteristic of the entire Darkness-Craving Blood Clan.

Do Woo-pung, having deeply lowered his gaze, continued speaking.

“The characteristics of the enemy matched the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan. You must have seen it too? The fangs and fingernails different from ordinary people.”

Do Jwa-baek nodded slightly and answered.

“Ah… yes. That’s right. We saw that too.”

He then brought up the story about the Iron Shadow Blade Gate disciple they had discovered a few days ago after repelling a pack of Ghost-Slaying Leopards, the representative fierce beasts of the Shiwan Mountains.

How he had lost his reason and attacked with bare fists like a beast, how they had no choice but to take his life, and how his fangs were pointed, and so on.

Do Woo-pung nodded upon hearing those words and was convinced.

“I see. Those are symptoms that appear when one’s blood is sucked by the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan.”

Iron Shadow Blade Gate Master Vast Wilderness Iron Blade Hoon-sol to the side then added his words.

“Hmm, so he was met with misfortune while tracking Aeng’s whereabouts. I agree with Hall Master Do’s opinion. That group has a high possibility of being the vicious Darkness-Craving Blood Clan. Just from what happened earlier…”

At that, Ok-aeng beside him cautiously asked.

“What happened earlier…? Do you mean you saw the enemy that appeared earlier sucking blood?”

Hoon-sol, having nodded, let his expression darken.

“One person had already been victimized. The corpse is over there. Died in a very gruesome state. To the point where the form was unrecognizable.”

“…!”

While Ok-aeng and the others were surprised, Do Jwa-baek opened his mouth while casting a heavy gaze.

“We were busy fleeing due to being outnumbered. Because of that, there was no time to check the state of the corpses. Whether everyone had their blood sucked or not…”

Before he could finish speaking, Do Woo-pung stroked his beard and spoke again.

“As you know, the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan is a group whose martial power increases by absorbing human blood. To be precise, their bodies are strengthened, not their internal power. You must have already experienced that power.”

“Ah, yes. Indeed. It was somewhat alien to be pure muscular strength… hmm, I can only describe them as beasts.”

“The enemies that ambushed us seemed to be slaves of the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan. Meaning they’re not orthodox blood relatives.”

“That means…”

“Right, they seemed to be a group whose minds were enslaved through blood-drinking. It must be the strange ability of the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan. If you’ve studied martial history, you’d roughly know. That something similar occurred in the past.”

Five hundred years ago, when the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan reemerged, countless martial artists were turned into slaves who had lost their reason.

Thus a terrifying blood calamity occurred.

However, the martial world had Hidden Dragon Sword Tak Wi-yeon, an unparalleled unorthodox supreme Hegemon and owner of the Divine Martial Sword.

The chaos was stopped by the elite army of the Orthodox-Unorthodox factions gathered around him, and ultimately the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan was completely defeated and disappeared.

Do Jwa-baek nodded and quietly answered.

“Yes, that was roughly five hundred years ago.”

“At that time, the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan created a kind of slave army. With some power that sucked blood and even subdued the mind. Those they treated as prey to eat like food were killed and eliminated, while those worth using like expendable goods were kept alive.”

As Do Woo-pung spoke thus, his gaze shifted to one side.

Eyes directed toward the Danli siblings of the Righteous Sea Martial Gate – Danli Hyeok and Danli So.

“He is no exception.”

The complexions of the Danli siblings changed drastically.

Those words just now were referring to their father.

Brilliant Sea Sword Lion Danli-yeol, an ultra-first-rate swordsman at the Four Pillars of Guangdong tier…

Danli Hyeok recalled part of the conversation he had previously with Do Jwa-baek.

-As you know, Father hasn’t been well with his lungs since a year ago. But one night, after meeting someone, he started occasionally saying. That he had to go to the Shiwan Mountains sometime. Precisely… it was five days ago.

-Hm, who did he meet?

-He didn’t tell me that.

-Really? That’s strange.

-And since meeting that person, he wouldn’t come outside during the day. Even showing some kind of anxiety symptoms. How should I put it, as if he hated seeing light…

-Wait a moment!

-What is it?

-The symptoms are identical.

-Hm?

-The criminal we’re chasing… was the same.

-What…!

‘So that’s what it was. Everything was related to the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan!’

Danli Hyeok asked softly with an emotional expression.

“What state was our father in?”

“He was soaked in madness. As if he would kill all of us. Moreover, he displayed fearsome monstrous strength. This body suffered internal injury in merely a dozen seconds. Making a mockery of us being in the same Four Pillars tier…”

“Ah, th-that can’t be…”

“Looking at him, even his health seemed to have recovered. His breathing was too stable. As if his body had been newly strengthened. It must be the effect of being bitten by the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan. Even if you don’t want to admit it.”

At that moment, Ok-aeng spoke.

“I felt it too.”

“Did you?”

“Yes, when he lured me to the trap that was the cave, symptoms of lung disease were hard to find. I mentioned that a few days ago… but hearing Hall Master’s words, it’s reconfirmed.”

Meanwhile, Danli Hyeok and Danli So had dejected expressions.

As if to console those two, Do Woo-pung approached and patted their shoulders.

Although they were of different camps, it was an action containing warm sincerity as a fellow human being.

Meaning he would gladly help if there was anything to help with…

At that point, Hoon-sol asked about something he had been curious about.

“How did you come to be here?”

At that, Ok-aeng revealed an embarrassed expression.

“I was originally going to return to the sect, but I heard an unexpectedly amazing rumor and turned around. I was seized by needless curiosity and greed… I was too foolish.”

“A rumor?”

“Yes.”

“What was it?”

“It was the rumor that the legendary Divine Martial Sword exists within the Shiwan Mountains.”

Simultaneously with those words, Hoon-sol and Do Woo-pung’s expressions stiffened with a flinch.

Danli Hyeok, standing to the side, added as if to supplement.

“Our father was the same.”

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”

“Ah, yes… the letter Father left behind said this. That here, within the Shiwan Mountains, there was a peerless artifact that could cure his illness…”

“And that means the Divine Martial Sword?”

“When I heard Lady Ok’s story, I suddenly thought so. Vaguely, though.”

Immediately after.

“Heo.”

Hoon-sol, having slightly furrowed his brow, let out a sigh-like sound.

Ok-aeng looked like she didn’t know where to put herself.

“I-I’m sorry, Master. Because I needlessly showed off recklessness and bravado…”

“Hmm, no. Never mind. We also heard that earlier.”

“Pardon?”

“The Righteous Sea Martial Gate Master mentioned the Divine Martial Sword, Hegemon of the Ten Great Heavenly Weapons. That it’s somewhere in this place.”

“…!”

While everyone was astonished, Do Woo-pung let out a soft voice.

“The rumor concerning the Divine Martial Sword is surely a secret scheme of the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan. We need to quickly let the outside know… but we’ve lost our way. Tsk.”

At those words, the eyes of the party including Do Jwa-baek, Danli Hyeok, Danli So, and Ok-aeng sank heavily.

As he said, a mysterious barrier-type formation was currently active in this place, so the path had disappeared.

It had been so for the past several days.

Even when they went to what seemed like a new path, they just ended up going in circles to the same place.

But at that moment.

SASAK-

A series of faint presences were detected.

It was quite far away but approaching fairly rapidly.

“Everyone, prepare!”

When Do Woo-pung held his sword straight with a low shout, the party also hurriedly assumed stances.

Eventually, the source of the presences appeared in front.

“Oh!”

“What!”

Sharp voices from each.

It was because they were faces everyone was familiar with.

The thirty-some people who appeared nearby were the elite swordsmen of South Lake Sword Sect, an orthodox faction within the Guangdong region.

The figure at the front brightened and greeted.

“Ah! To meet all of you here, I’m quite pleased.”

A man around sixty with grizzled hair and a sturdy build.

It was Great Lake Sword Elder Byeok Woo-ham, the Gate Master of South Lake Sword Sect and one of the Four Pillars of Guangdong tier.

Hoon-sol, who normally had a friendly relationship with him, asked with an unexpected expression.

“Gate Master Byeok, what brings you to this Shiwan Mountains…?”

“Ah, you see…”

Byeok Woo-ham, having briefly read the mood, spoke without hiding anything.

“An ugly defector from the sect has fled. Hmm, that fellow stabbed an Elder in the middle of the night and ran away… he’s currently quite critical.”

“Ho, such a thing happened?!”

“But here, I’ve gotten lost. To make matters worse, I’ve also lost that fellow’s trail…”

The same thought flashed through the minds of the party who heard Byeok Woo-ham’s words.

Alas, he too has been caught up in it! In the trap of the Shiwan Mountains that the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan has set…!

* * *

The inner chamber table in a hall of Murong Family.

Murong Kang admired while caressing his teacup.

“My goodness… truly amazing.”

He had heard from Ximen Yue to the side about the process and outcome of the great battle with the Sun Moon Demon Cult, the encounter with the party of Gun Mu-ak who was the Grand Prelate of the Heavenly Demon Cult, and so on.

Especially upon hearing about Cheol Ryu-heun’s mysterious abilities, he was struck by wonderment beyond mere admiration.

At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun changed the subject with an indifferent expression.

“Now that my stomach is full, my head works a bit faster. Setting aside the rest, the rumor about the Divine Martial Sword is an intentional trap. And I believe it’s related to the enemy that attacked the Murong Family today.”

“Pardon?”

“Isn’t the coincidence too convenient?”

“Ah…”

“In other words, they deliberately attacked the Murong Family to heighten a sense of crisis in the martial world. So that people would have strong interest in the rumor.”

“Hmm, I see. Everyone holds a firm belief that if they possessed the Divine Martial Sword, they could pacify the troubled times… martial history vividly proves that.”

“Correct. So Murong Family, please don’t be needlessly shaken.”

“But… if the Divine Martial Sword actually exists in the Shiwan Mountains…”

At those words, Cheol Ryu-heun shook his head firmly.

“No, that won’t be the case. Trust me and wait. I’ll soon expose the truth.”

“Do you plan to visit the Shiwan Mountains directly soon?”

“Correct. I was going to go even without the Divine Martial Sword. I need to complete some martial arts separately.”

At that, not just Murong Kang but even Ximen Yue was surprised.

Heavens, he still has martial arts left to complete? Even at that level, there should be hardly anyone who could face him…?

Cheol Ryu-heun spoke again in an apathetic voice as if reading the minds of those two.

“Until now, I’ve only fought with resolve to kill. There’s never been a case where I fought with resolve to die. In other words, I haven’t yet met an opponent that required such a mindset. Even the Grand Prelate I saw the other day wasn’t an opponent requiring resolve to die. Well, I admit he’s a formidable adversary, of course. However, if truly troubled times begin, fearsome opponents requiring resolve to die will appear. Most likely. Because that’s the nature of troubled times. Therefore, I shouldn’t be satisfied with my current level.”

“Th-that couldn’t be… is it the leader of the enemy who destroyed the Namgung Family in the past and even attacked our family today?”

At Murong Kang’s cautious question, Cheol Ryu-heun inwardly laughed.

‘Hoot, well… I don’t know.’

A voice suddenly flashed through his mind.

-For something called the unprecedented divine sword in history, it’s nothing much.

The mysterious wanderer who had destroyed his former self as the Divine Martial Sword.

‘If that bastard is lurking behind the mysterious enemy… then Murong Kang’s words would be right. We’ll see.’

Having muttered thus inwardly, Cheol Ryu-heun took a sip of tea and said softly.

“Whoever it is, if I face them with resolve to die, the opponent won’t be unharmed either.”

Of course, that goes without saying.

Because I intend to strengthen this unprecedented body and reach a divine realm combining all the powers of the Divine Martial Sword’s past owners.

Definitely.