Chapter 391: The Price of Blood is Expensive
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The space rapidly brightening.
Brilliant sunshine once again blanketed the entire forest.
Simultaneously with that, Hu-ra’s expression hardened like a statue.
‘Ah! No! My body still…!’
With the formation-created night dissipating, all the elements related to martial prowess level plummeted sharply.
Like this, she couldn’t fight any longer.
It was difficult.
No.
Fighting any further here was a foolish act.
Since the outcome had already been decided.
Before Cheol Ryu-heun’s overwhelming and terrifying martial power.
It was a fact difficult to deny.
Inwardly, defeat and humiliation intersected.
To think there was such a large gap…
After betraying the Heavenly Demon Cult’s Grand Prelate and coming to this land, her martial prowess level had been rising.
But what was that fellow?
High.
Too much so.
It was truly a vast and immense power.
She who newly understood the wall she had felt from Heuk Ma-yung while fighting Cheol Ryu-heun.
A brief question arose.
His martial prowess level was far stronger than what she had heard through Great Sword Tyrant Lord Danmok Cheon.
Wait.
Did his martial prowess rise after coming here?
If not, there was no way to explain it.
Anyway, she realized that the darkness created by the formation was insufficient.
True darkness had to arrive.
Only then could she exchange techniques again.
Even if the result would be the same…
Soon, Cheol Ryu-heun lowered his grip on the Gan Jiang Sword and released a dry voice.
“Quite a lot of tricks, yes?”
Saying that, he lightly kicked something that had fallen to the ground with the tip of his foot.
It was precisely one of Hu-ra’s fangs.
Broken from the fierce kick to her face…
“Look at this. It’s broken. I told you to clench your jaw tight.”
An expressionless mockery.
Hu-ra, suddenly enraged, cast off the fear in her chest and muttered while emitting brutal eye-light.
“Hmph, you won the fight but… you couldn’t kill me.”
No sooner had those quiet words ended.
TUK, TUTUK… SEUREUK, SEUREUREUK…
With a series of sounds, her body began to heal.
A recovery ability that transcended common sense.
The damaged areas on her forehead, fangs, side and such rapidly returned to their original appearance.
It was thanks to having consumed a large quantity of Cheol Ryu-heun’s blood earlier.
“Good, then shall I try killing you this time?”
In the moment Cheol Ryu-heun, having said that, pointed the Gan Jiang Sword forward.
A Secret Sound Transmission burrowed into Hu-ra’s ears.
She immediately recognized who the owner of that voice was.
‘You came at just the right time!’
Suddenly, a pair of man and woman appeared and rapidly charged in.
PAPAPAPA… PAPAPAPA… !
It was the current Heretic Cult Master Snake-Robed Hwa-rang and Vice Cult Master Snake-Robed Hwa-nong, the siblings.
The target of their movement was Cheol Ryu-heun.
In the blink of an eye, the siblings flanked him from left and right and each unleashed hand techniques.
Thus, palm attacks containing baleful death energy exploded as if detonating and blurred the field of vision.
CHWACHWACHWACHWACHA, CHWACHWACHWACHWACHA!
Countless palm shadows that exquisitely concealed truth from deception.
PEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEONG!
Explosive sounds rang out consecutively as Cheol Ryu-heun’s form was enveloped in haze.
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang and Snake-Robed Hwa-nong immediately retreated.
PAT, PAPAT!
The siblings, having moved to Hu-ra’s side, joined their hands together.
It seemed to be the motion of trying to chant an incantation.
At that time, Hu-ra saw.
That a talisman was stuck to the center of Cheol Ryu-heun’s chest.
It was a talisman of high-level sorcery that inflicted the curse of Soul-Capturing Ghost-Transforming Body Subjugation on victims of blood sucking.
SYUSYUSYUSYU, SYUSYUSYUSYU… !
The talisman scattered smoke along with pitch-black flame fire.
In the midst of that, Snake-Robed Hwa-nong wore a cold sneer.
“That talisman will guide you to the path of the Darkness-Craving Blood Clan…”
Trailing off her words, she suddenly lightly trembled the hands maintaining the sorcery incantation form.
The reason was Cheol Ryu-heun’s expressionless face.
He appeared completely unchanged.
Naturally, there should have been trembling as a precursor symptom, along with smoke of the curse being emitted from the crown of his head.
In an instant.
DEOKSEOK!
Cheol Ryu-heun grabbed the talisman on his chest with his left hand.
“Were you hoping this would be absorbed into my body and disappear?”
Suddenly, the black flame fire lost its momentum.
PUSEUK, PUSUSEUK.
Furthermore, even that talisman turned to ash.
At the moment Snake-Robed Hwa-rang and Snake-Robed Hwa-nong were shocked upon seeing that, Hu-ra swiftly sent a Secret Sound Transmission.
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang and Snake-Robed Hwa-nong immediately took out new talismans and executed summoning incantation techniques to buy time.
HWARUREUK, HWARUREUK!
The two talismans thrown forward rapidly burned.
FLASH!
Along with vast light, two large shadows appeared.
A beast with a form like a pure white wolf but a red head, two eyes resembling a rat’s, and that cried like a pig.
“Kkuiik!”
It was Galjo, the mysterious monster beast that craved human flesh.
The other that appeared beside it was also a large and fierce beast.
A hulking monster with a human face, a body that seemed to mix cow and pig together, and long teeth jutting out jaggedly.
“Heuaeng, heuaeaeng!”
That cry sounded like a baby, sending chills down the spine.
It was Habyu, a monster beast no less savage than Galjo.
DUDUDUDUDUNG… KUKUKUKUKUKUNG… !
The summoned superior monster beasts, Galjo and Habyu, fiercely charged forward.
The movements kicking off the ground felt like stepping with heavy cultivation-laden stomp techniques.
However, Cheol Ryu-heun didn’t evade.
Instead.
TSEUTSEUT…
He fiercely emitted red eye-light from both eyes.
Then Galjo and Habyu stopped just a few feet away.
“Kkwe!”
“Kkyaa!”
Each screamed and rolled on the ground.
Furthermore, their entire bodies began to be torn apart, drawn by some force.
CHWEET CHYUCHWEET, CHWEET…!
The screams of Galjo and Habyu rolling on the ground grew even louder.
On top of that, internal energy was also added, with sound waves vibrating the forest.
DEUDEUDEU, DEUDEUDEUDEU, DEUDEUDEU… !
Meanwhile, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang and Snake-Robed Hwa-nong again wore shocked expressions.
“How can this be!”
“No, how…!”
Hu-ra was already running toward the rear.
Only then did Snake-Robed Hwa-rang and Snake-Robed Hwa-nong siblings also swiftly pivot and run.
‘I have to buy more time…!’
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang, having spoken inwardly, soon shot a signal firework into the sky.
PIHIING… PEONG!
Then countless presences rushed in from far in all directions.
Before anyone knew it, Cheol Ryu-heun had completely eliminated Galjo and Habyu.
SEUSEUSEUSEU, SEUSEUSEUSEU…
The monster beasts scattering like powder and dissipating without having filled their summoning time.
During that, Hu-ra, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang, and Snake-Robed Hwa-nong deployed extreme-grade Lightness technique and disappeared beyond.
Following that, the reality of the countless presences appeared.
About twenty martial artists of the second-generation forces of Forbidden Soul Ghost Thing Bodies.
However, Cheol Ryu-heun just maintained an indifferent attitude.
As if it didn’t matter whether the number was many or few.
Rather, he watched the direction where the three had disappeared and inwardly smirked.
‘Hut. Stage one operation was a success. The price for absorbing my blood into your body is very expensive. Go and wait there with it in your body. What I’ll do, you’ll realize later.’
In an instant, the Forbidden Soul Ghost Thing Bodies group charged violently.
“Uuuk!”
“Uueouk!”
Simultaneously, Cheol Ryu-heun waved his left hand.
HWIIIIIIK, HWIIIIIIK…
By the heavy formless Aura/Aura/bearing, all the Forbidden Soul Ghost Thing Body ones floated into the air.
PPUDEUDEUK, PPUDEUDEUDEUK, PPUDEUDEUK… PUSYUT, PUSYUUUUT, PUSYUUT… !
All their bodies crumpled helplessly like paper balls and splattered crimson blood.
Thus the forest regained its original tranquility.
At that time.
The wound on Cheol Ryu-heun’s neck disappeared cleanly.
SEUSSEUT…
A strange and mysterious mystical application of divine power.
He soon quietly cast his gaze in another direction.
‘That fellow seems almost done too.’
Following that, when he whistled, Divine Wind pushed through the bushes and emerged.
“Now, let’s go over there.”
* * *
PAPAPAPA, PAPAPAPA, PAPAPAPA…
Hu-ra, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang, and Snake-Robed Hwa-nong raced through the forest, taking turns leading and following, until they arrived at a valley.
It was a place where the Heretic Cult’s high-level formations were installed in double layers.
CHEOCHEOK!
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang, having immediately stopped his movement, spoke.
“We can relax here.”
Then Snake-Robed Hwa-nong, having stopped beside him, nodded her head and received his words.
“Yes, Brother. It seems we’ve shaken him off. There’s no Aura of Cheol Ryu-heun anywhere. I think he might have given up on pursuit.”
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang nodded in return while adjusting his lapel.
“Or… he had no intention of pursuing from the beginning.”
Hu-ra, having likewise stopped, murmured quietly with meaningful eye-light.
“It seems his personal martial prowess has improved. That fellow…”
At that sound, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang’s eye-light deeply sank.
“Could it be that again, a fortuitous encounter…?”
“Who knows, that’s not an impossible thing. Right?”
“That’s true…”
“Seeing how things are, the sudden change in the Ten Directions Ghost Road Lost Soul Formation wasn’t a coincidence.”
“Indeed… it’s too coincidental.”
“Right. It probably has some kind of connection to Cheol Ryu-heun’s achievement. First, I should report to the Great King.”
“Understood. Let’s return for now. By the way, what should we do about the Detached Three Army Corps Great General’s party that was pursuing Hebei Peng Family Lord? I heard some Eastern Heaven Division cadres joined them too…”
The meaning was that if they encountered Cheol Ryu-heun, they would suffer harm.
However, it wasn’t an expression genuinely worried.
Hu-ra shrugged her shoulders and wore a faint smile.
“Hu. At this point, the Great General will handle it himself. Whichever side becomes a sacrifice is good for us, isn’t it?”
At those words, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang also smiled in return.
“Huhut. Right… that’s true. We just need to collect large amounts of soul energy. Regardless of friend or foe.”
“Of course. Ohohot. Let’s secure that brat from the Zhejiang Son Family. After luring him as close to our trap as possible.”
Hu-ra pictured Zhuge Bi, whom she had seen earlier, in her mind.
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang also understood the meaning and answered.
“If we use that fellow’s outstanding talent, we’ll be able to strengthen certain formations. Also, that young Son Family Lord will become an excellent fighting force.”
Just at that moment, a faint Aura was heard.
But there was no look of wariness on the faces of the three.
Because the owner of the Aura was Gold Direction Master, who had been subjected to damage during Soul-Return Perfect Form Technique and unavoidably became a Forbidden Soul Ghost Thing Bodies by Heuk Ma-yung’s authority.
“Keureu… You were here?”
Gold Direction Master, having soon appeared nearby, made a respectful gesture.
Snake-Robed Hwa-nong, having turned her head, immediately asked.
“How did things go on that side?”
“The allied forces of Sichuan Tang Family and Purple Forest Enchanted Gate have been joined by Thousand White Sword Castle.”
Hu-ra showed interest upon hearing Gold Direction Master’s report.
“Hohot… So Eon Po-Wook survived the Eastern Heaven Division attack after all? I didn’t expect it, but he’s living up to his sobriquet.”
“Yes, after all, he’s nominally the leading Swordsman representing the Unorthodox Jiangnan Jianghu.”
“That means the Eastern Heaven Division personnel were defeated?”
At Hu-ra’s words, Gold Direction Master nodded his head.
“They’re probably quite frustrated.”
“Eastern Heaven Division will mobilize some forces to avenge their defeat, right? It would be troublesome if they catch on to our work, so it’s good to cause some confusion.”
At that time, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang answered instead of Gold Direction Master.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve cleverly deployed an illusion formation along that path. Disguised it as if it had existed from the beginning.”
“Then that’s fine. Uhuhut. They’ll probably arrive at the bound formation connected to the otherworldly gate by tomorrow at the earliest. Ah, right… since it came up, I wanted to ask…”
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang anticipated her words and answered immediately.
“The gap has widened more. Enough for five fingers to poke through.”
In an instant, Hu-ra wore an excited expression.
“Oh… It really is close now.”
“If even just one arm of the great demon god comes fully outside, the Cheol Ryu-heun gang will die unable to even breathe.”
As Snake-Robed Hwa-rang showed a cold smile, Snake-Robed Hwa-nong’s quiet voice followed.
“Of course. Because he possesses the power to neutralize any variable.”
Thus the four people finished their conversation and once again disappeared.