Chapter 347: Opening and Entering
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The light of pleasure rose in the gray-white pupils of Heuk Ma-yung as he drank blood.
On the other hand,
Gold Direction Master, whose blood was being drained while drawn by telekinesis, looked like he would expire at any moment.
His body trembled like a branch shaking in the wind.
The bleeding across his entire body was already severe, and now being subjected to blood-drinking, the pain grew even greater.
Then he soon lost consciousness entirely.
KKUL-KKEOK-KKUL-KKEOK…
As Heuk Ma-yung was inhaling human blood.
“Great King.”
A voice like an unpleasant metal sound was heard.
Following that, a tall black figure entered through the opened door.
A strange being as tall as Heuk Ma-yung.
CHEOK, CHEOK, CHEOK…
The gray beard drooping down to his navel swayed with his footsteps.
He was an old man.
Though there were almost no wrinkles visible on his face.
Therefore, his exact age was difficult to estimate just by his appearance.
And
He was pale.
His skin showed no trace of blood color.
Overall, his exterior lacked the vitality of a living person.
Even his hazy gray-white pupils were the same…
His Aura/Aura/bearing was like a walking corpse.
What that signified was singular.
Darkness-Craving Blood Clan.
The nine-Cheok-tall old man was none other than Blood-Robbing Deep Ghost Gin-gyun, one of the Three Spirits.
Furthermore, he was also the eldest at one hundred years within the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan.
Blood-Robbing Deep Ghost Gin-gyun, having approached nearby, bent at the waist.
“The leadership of the Detached Three Army Corps will soon arrive at the castle. By the way, how did Gold Direction Master end up like this…”
Only then did Heuk Ma-yung, who had been drinking blood, raise his head.
SEUK.
Having turned his gaze back, he wiped the blood from his lips.
“It’s Cheol Ryu-heun’s doing.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll need to find out the details. After this fellow regains consciousness.”
Following that, when he lightly waved his hand, Gold Direction Master was gently lowered onto the floor by intangible force.
The trembling of his body had already stopped.
Instead, another phenomenon began to appear.
SEUSEUSEUSEU, SEUSEUSEUSEU…
Gray smoke rose from his entire body.
Suddenly.
CHAAK-
Blood flowed freely when Heuk Ma-yung cut his own palm.
He then evenly sprinkled that blood over Gold Direction Master’s body.
KKUMTUL.
Gold Direction Master’s body moved weakly.
Was it reacting to the blood?
Heuk Ma-yung didn’t stop there and fed Gold Direction Master the blood from his palm.
At that.
SEUSYUT, SEUSYUT…
The gray smoke became clearer, and his body’s wounds began to heal.
It was Heuk Ma-yung, the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan leader’s unique innate ability.
The application of healing the body of one whose blood he had drunk…
Gin-gyun, who saw that, smiled gently.
“He has received a great blessing.”
Heuk Ma-yung, having withdrawn his hand, spoke in a low voice.
“He’s a useful force, so I must fix and use him even like this. Though it’s time-limited. So, how many did they bring?”
“According to what I confirmed earlier, it was the full force. Including even the Great General…”
Heuk Ma-yung, who heard Gin-gyun’s answer, laughed meaningfully.
“Hooho…”
Heuk Ma-yung quietly turned and spoke while flashing his pupils.
“So they’re so impatient that even that one moved. Is there anything else I should know?”
“Yes, it’s said that the full force of the Eastern Heaven Division has also joined.”
“Ho-oh.”
“I too was somewhat surprised.”
“Is it on the orders of the Heaven Emperor Society Leader?”
“That I still don’t know. But it must certainly be orders from the higher-ups. Since it’s the full Eastern Heaven Division, not just part of it, that was deployed…”
Having said so, Gin-gyun then lowered his voice.
“Perhaps they’ve come to survey our work?”
Heuk Ma-yung shook his head and answered.
“That can’t be. They probably dispatched them to support the Detached Three Army Corps. All of them have merely come to borrow our power…”
At that moment, the conversation he’d once had with a young-general-level Cloaked Figures who visited this place crossed his mind.
-Have your masters returned?
-They returned to that place early on.
-I’m curious where the hidden nest is.
-Watch your words. You don’t need to know. And you shouldn’t know.
-Huh, what if I can’t contain my curiosity and try to dig around?
-You die.
-Huh, is that so? By your hand?
-…
-I believe you said your rank was young general?
-That’s right. It’s a provisional title I use externally.
-At that time, your master taught me that young-general-level means you’re no different from a master dominating one region.
-So… are you trying to test my martial force using curiosity as an excuse?
-Test? A full general above your rank is still disqualified… At minimum, a Great General would be worthy of being a test subject.
-Heuk Ma-yung! Impudent!
Heuk Ma-yung, having withdrawn from his brief reverie, spoke with a thin smile.
“Heaven Emperor Society… evaluates their own forces highly. Arrogance blinds the eyes. They’ll have no idea what work we’re plotting. Hoot, even so, there’s no harm in being careful. Furthermore…”
“…”
“If we exploit the forces that came here in reverse, it will be of considerable help.”
“Ah, you mean…”
“Yes, countless prey have rolled in on their own. Now we must make the Eastern Heaven Division sacrifices for accomplishing the grand plan too. Selecting and using the useful ones among them.”
When Heuk Ma-yung raised the corners of his mouth, Gin-gyun also laughed along.
“Hooho. Yes. If we disperse the personnel under the pretext of fighting, it will work. It won’t be too difficult. The needy ones are on that side anyway. Somehow it seems things will become more entertaining going forward.”
“Indeed.”
Heuk Ma-yung said that and placed his index finger on his lips.
Someone had come.
Before long, two people in their twenties stepped inside the stone chamber.
A man draped in clothes with a red flower pattern on a jet-black background and a beautiful woman dressed in pure white clothes reminiscent of white snow.
They were the current Heretic Cult Leader Snake-Robed Hwa-rang and Vice Leader Snake-Robed Hwa-nong siblings.
“What… is the meaning of this?”
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang let out an icy voice.
His two eyes pointed at Gold Direction Master.
Not to be outdone, Snake-Robed Hwa-nong spoke coldly.
“Looking at it, you’ve made him a time-limited slave. Without even seeking our consent.”
However, Heuk Ma-yung responded unconcernedly.
“It was an urgent situation.”
At those words, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang and Snake-Robed Hwa-nong’s eyebrows twitched.
“What?”
“Earlier, he was covered in blood from a large explosion and collapsed. If I hadn’t appeared just in time, he would have died immediately.”
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang’s eyes revealed disbelief.
“What’s the meaning of that? That Gold Direction Master should have been commanding the reserve forces through the Soul-Returning Perfect Form Technique.”
“Huh… the opponent used the soul energy connected to the phantom to strike the main body.”
“That’s impossible. You’re saying the blade expert Ji Jang-jong employed such high-level sorcery?”
“It wasn’t him.”
“…!”
“Cheol Ryu-heun.”
“That’s…”
“I only heard that much too. Now, do you think my choice was bad? Since he was a precious force under your command, I provided an arrangement for resuscitation.”
Snake-Robed Hwa-nong, who had been listening quietly, nodded slightly.
“Elder brother, it’s not a lie.”
At that, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang also quickly regained his composure.
“Quite surprising. To think Cheol Ryu-heun has even mastered sorcery…”
“Well, perhaps that fellow secretly helped.”
“Could it be Shin So-sul…”
The name of the former cult leader that Snake-Robed Hwa-rang himself had previously imprisoned.
Having muttered that name, he emitted fierce eyes.
“Variables keep occurring. Same with the Wood Direction Master’s mission…”
“Dokgo Sword Family’s party escaped?”
“Byeok Song-ha suddenly appeared and rescued them. While controlling a swarm of Ghost Cloud Great Bees.”
“Really? Hooho. How interesting. Ghost Cloud Great Bees are difficult for even you to control. Wait… did that woman obtain the Charm Light Pearl?”
“She had the pearl. I too suspect it’s the Charm Light Pearl.”
“The timing of each variable’s occurrence is coincidental. It aligns with Shin So-sul’s activities after breaking the seal of the secret land…”
At that moment, a slender figure stepped inside.
A tall woman approaching nine Cheok.
It was Lust-Blood Seductive Ghost Hu-ra, one of the Three Spirits of the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan.
She approached with strides, wearing clothes that showed her naked body clearly, and spoke in a low voice.
“Great King, it’s been confirmed that the young demon head has finally entered the mountain.”
Simultaneously, everyone’s attention was focused.
Because the young demon head mentioned meant none other than Gun Mu-ak.
Heuk Ma-yung soon let out a small laugh.
“Hooho, so that fellow has finally…”
“However, something has happened.”
At those words, Gin-gyun, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang and others frowned.
‘Could it be another variable?’
Everyone’s premonition was on the mark.
“Hap-hwa has been struck.”
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang, having tilted his head, quickly asked.
“Phantom Demon Emperor has…? Wasn’t he scouting through the talisman I gave him?”
Hu-ra nodded and received the words.
“He was.”
Then she looked at Heuk Ma-yung and continued her report.
“He was scouting through the phantom of the Soul-Returning Perfect Form Technique when he encountered Gun Mu-ak’s party. And… his main body was attacked by that demonic power and became wounded.”
Killing intent stirred in Heuk Ma-yung’s chest.
“Keuk… that fellow’s ability exceeded expectations. Is it the power of that Demon God Sword?”
“According to what Hap-hwa witnessed, figures of Orthodox and Unorthodox groups were also seen at that location. Moreover…”
“What is it?”
“The spirit horse presumed to be what White Peak Sword Sect Master Cheol Ryu-heun rides…”
At that sound, everyone without exception had surprised eyes.
Gin-gyun, whose expression quickly hardened, let out a low voice.
“Are you saying those two have joined hands here?”
“Who knows? We’ll find out if we watch.”
Suddenly, someone’s Secret Sound Transmission rang out.
-So that’s how it is. We can just sweep them all together, can’t we?
Following that.
PEOLLEOK-
Along with the sound of a long hemline fluttering.
SASAK.
An elderly Swordsman with indigo long hair appeared like a ghost within arm’s reach of everyone.
A man with very sharp features – long slanted eyes, a pointed hawk nose, dark thin lips, and a chin jutting out like a hoe’s tip.
Heuk Ma-yung smiled at him.
“Hoo, you’ve come.”
“Yes, meeting you again like this is nice.”
The elderly Swordsman was Nine Springs Demon Dragon Sang-jan, commander of the Detached Three Army Corps under the Heaven Emperor Society.
An ultra-pinnacle demon who had moved alone and paraded his infamy and martial reputation amid the cracks between the Heavenly Demon Cult, Asura Demon Cult, Illusory Demon Cult and other great demonic powers.
His appearance alone made the chamber’s air feel heavier.
Indeed, it was a truly formidable intangible Aura/Aura/bearing befitting a former-era old demon.
However, Gin-gyun, Hu-ra and others were merely calm.
Because Heuk Ma-yung’s true power more than surpassed him.
“Did you wait long?”
At Nine Springs Demon Dragon Sang-jan’s question, Heuk Ma-yung let out a scoff.
“Koot, such tiring games… I was wondering when you’d come inside.”
“Did you sense my Aura in advance? As expected of the Bat Demon Great King.”
“Your skill seems still stagnant. How will you handle Cheol Ryu-heun and Gun Mu-ak like that?”
Heuk Ma-yung provoked him out of the blue.
Instantly, Sang-jan emitted murderous eye light.
“It’s been a while, but your greeting is rough.”
Having retorted thus, he too immediately drew his sword.
SEUREUREUNG.
Sang-jan’s voice followed.
“Then shall we confirm it?”
“As you please.”
No sooner had Heuk Ma-yung’s words ended than, Sang-jan, having kicked off the ground, thrust his sword into his body.
SYUKAAAAAK-!
* * *
“If you thrust it in like this, it opens.”
Cheol Ryu-heun thrust Gan Jiang Sword deeply into a boulder to one side.
Simultaneously.
JJEOK, JJEOJEOJEOK- KKWAJIK, KKWAJIJIK-
As the boulder cracked, the space vibrated greatly.
UREUREUNG, UREUREUNG-
At that, the party behind flinched with surprise.
Currently, they were at a secluded valley.
Surrounded by forest, cliffs, and a waterfall.
At that moment, a wondrous sight filled the party’s vision.
SYUSYUSYUSYU, SYUSYUSYUSYUSYU…
The waterfall fiercely pouring down ahead suddenly transformed into a giant ghost’s face.
Then soon, a terrifying wail of ghosts burst forth.
-Woowoowoowoo, woowoowoowoo…!
Then the large face opened its mouth wide.
As if opening a path.
It was deep and dark.
Just looking at it was terrifying enough to send chills down one’s spine.
Like a path heading to the afterlife…
Cheol Ryu-heun, holding the reins, gestured and said.
“That is the hidden entrance of the Ten Directions Ghost Road Lost Soul Formation. I’ll lead the way, so stick close behind and follow.”