Chapter 182: Chapter 182
WHOOSH──
A signal flare suddenly shot up from inside the Blood Cult’s unit.
As the signal flare rose into the night sky with a loud sound, the Blood Cult members fell into chaos.
“Intruder!”
“He’s over there!”
“Kill him at all costs!”
Hundreds of men began charging madly toward me.
There was only one reason I had fired the signal flare even while accepting the risk of doing this in the middle of enemy territory.
‘Go! Murong Jae-hwa!’
POP──
A small explosion barely rang out from two hundred zhang away.
Then, with a sound that tore through the wind, a single arrow fell into the middle of the Blood Cult’s unit.
BOOM!
It was not an original Thunderbolt Arrow, but an incomplete Thunderbolt Arrow that used the explosion of the arrowhead.
However, the power of the arrow fragments that scattered into dozens of pieces was more than enough to punch holes through the frail bodies of humans.
“Aaaaaagh!”
“Kuhuk!”
“Kyaaak!”
The holes were as small as millet grains, but they had enough penetrating force to stop the body from functioning.
The thunderbolt that suddenly fell from the sky gave the Blood Cult members, who had been aiming for the intruder with killing intent, a terrible fear.
“Sh-shields! Bring the shields!!!”
“Run! Another one is coming!”
“Get away!”
BOOM!
Another Thunderbolt Arrow fell, and the unit was truly plunged into confusion.
Blood-robed men collapsed while bleeding everywhere, and even Spell Practitioners who could not flee in time suffered serious injuries from the iron fragments.
‘Uh…… huh?’
Then one arrow fell toward me.
With my heart nearly leaping out of my chest, I unfolded the Unrivaled under Heaven Movement Art and escaped from the spot.
BOOM!
Iron fragments scattered among the Blood Cult members who had grasped my presence and were approaching, and they collapsed in droves, like bamboo shoots after rain.
I had avoided it by a truly hair’s-breadth difference.
“……He didn’t do that on purpose, did he?”
Anxiety flashed through my mind, but I soon shook it off.
“Of course. Our Jae-hwa would never do that to me. Maybe Eun-ho or Geum-pyo would, but not him.”
Jae-hwa had followed me especially well from the moment we first met.
He was different from those ill-behaved children, Geum-pyo and Eun-ho.
Yes, he had to be.
In any case, thanks to Jae-hwa driving the Thunderbolt Arrow into the appropriate place, I had escaped the Blood Cult bastards’ field of vision and could move freely.
Inside the Blood Cult encampment, where screams flew in every direction, I unfolded the Ghost-Breathing Step while seeking out only the shadows.
And I approached that distinctive-looking tent.
It was a tent made entirely of red cloth.
Golden stripes ran along the corner spaces, and most decisively, a golden grotesque bird that symbolized the Blood Cult had been placed at the top of the tent.
“Right here……”
As I moved my feet with an excited heart, I came to a halt at the sudden commotion.
Dozens of men were running toward this place.
‘Did they notice the Ghost-Breathing Step?’
I quickly unfolded the Ghost-Breathing Great Art after the Ghost-Breathing Step and hid my presence as much as possible.
Byeon Ho-seong, who had been spreading the Blood Sea True Qi throughout the entire encampment, opened his eyes in a flash.
The alien presence he had felt until a moment ago was slowly disappearing.
“They caught him.”
A being with a presence clearly different from that of the Blood Cult had appeared inside the encampment.
Then, as though trying to expose this place’s location, he had fired a signal flare, and a short while later, vanished.
“What a foolish act. Even if they know this location, there should be no one who can pass through the Blood Sea Illusory Boundless Formation.”
According to an analysis once done within the Divine Cult, even the Mystic Gate Formations of the Jegal Clan, said to be the most intelligent group among the Orthodox Path hypocrites, could not compare to the Blood Sea Illusory Boundless Formation.
Those who could not even properly pass through the Jegal Clan’s Mystic Gate Formations would never be able to pass through the Blood Cult’s Blood Sea Illusory Boundless Formation.
Just then, a huge explosion rang out outside the tent.
BOOM!
After the explosion burst, the miserable screams of the proud Blood Cult members were heard.
‘Those bastards……’
But those damn arrows made him grind his teeth.
Only a single arrow fell, yet at least three or four men were rendered unable to fight because of that arrow.
Moreover, unlike yesterday, when they had at least been able to estimate where the enemy was, today they could not even tell where the arrows were being fired from at all.
Because of that, the blood-robed men, who were braver than anyone, were voicing their fear.
CRACK.
The corner of the desk turned to powder and piled up on the floor.
What angered him most was that this was the only way he could express his fury.
Then, he heard the sound of dozens of men rushing noisily toward the tent.
“Young Cult Master!”
“Are you safe?!”
As dozens of men entered at once, the large tent quickly filled up.
Byeon Ho-seong furrowed his brow deeply and said,
“What is this commotion! Did you think I would be frightened by arrows like those?”
At Byeon Ho-seong’s thunderous shout, the blood-robed men looked troubled.
“Th-that is not so, sir.”
“Did you catch that damned archer?”
“We are currently searching for him, and……”
BANG-!
Before the report could even finish, Byeon Ho-seong struck the desk with his fist.
“You useless things! You cannot even carry out that one order properly!”
“N-no, sir! Young Cult Master. More importantly, there is an intruder inside the unit right now.”
“What?”
At his subordinate’s words, Byeon Ho-seong’s face changed sharply.
“You did not catch him?”
“Yes! Th-that is correct. The bastard escaped the encirclement amid the confusion, and…… we have no way of knowing where he disappeared to……”
“……”
Byeon Ho-seong drew up the Blood Sea True Qi again.
His inner arts, which had already reached Two Cycles, were enough to miss not even a single ant inside an encampment of this size.
After concentrating for a short while, Byeon Ho-seong’s brow twisted.
‘He isn’t there……?’
No matter how thoroughly he searched the encampment, he could not feel that same alien presence.
BOOM!
Kraaaagh!
Kuhk!
S-save me!
Meanwhile, the screams of the blood-robed men rang out once again outside the tent.
A vein stood out clearly on Byeon Ho-seong’s forehead.
“Catch the bastard firing those damn arrows at once!!!”
“B-but, Young Cult Master!”
“Do I look like someone who would fall to a mere Assassin?”
“……”
The Young Cult Master was someone who had reached a realm incomparable to those of his age not only within the Blood Cult, but even within Tibet.
It was often said that even out in the distant Murim, only someone on the level of Yong So-ah could be compared to him.
In the end, the blood-robed man nodded.
“Understood. Then we will leave only the minimum number of guards and have the rest immediately pursue and kill the one firing the arrows.”
“Do not kill him in a single blow. Slice him into pieces one by one, make him watch all the flesh disappear from his own body, and then kill him.”
“As you command!”
Even after all the blood-robed men left the tent, Byeon Ho-seong’s anger did not subside.
“How, how did things come to this……!”
If his father, who was at the main mountain, had seen this, what thunderous rebuke would he have given?
“Aaaaaagh!”
The table, which had been trembling and rattling, finally failed to withstand Byeon Ho-seong’s Torrent of Qi and turned to powder.
“Damn it…… damn it……”
One of the Iron Corpse Puppets his grandfather had brought with him when he left the Divine Cult had been lost in an absurd fashion.
Now only two Iron Corpse Puppets remained at the main mountain.
What enraged him more than anything was that, contrary to his expectation that they would only face difficulty if they encountered at least the Murim Alliance’s main force, the Iron Corpse Puppet had been neutralized at the hands of Academy Students.
“What exactly was that bastard?”
He knew that Il-gak used Diamond Power.
But no one in the Blood Cult had expected the bastard who appeared later to use Ascendant Qi Force.
“Wudang did not participate in this event, so it cannot be the Taiji Power…… Then, the Three Pure Ones Sect?”
He had never heard that there was a descendant of the Three Pure Ones Sect……
He felt as though every single plan, from beginning to end, was going awry.
At this rate, the entire Great Plan of conquering the Murim might be shaken.
Byeon Ho-seong calmed his excitement and quietly called a subordinate.
“Chuhyeol……”
A black-clad man who had been standing guard came forward and knelt.
“Yes!”
“Tell them to reorganize the unit.”
“……”
To the subordinate who could not answer easily, Byeon Ho-seong gave a firm order.
“While the pursuit party catches the archer, we will strike Shaolin and Diancang from behind.”
The man called Chuhyeol still gave no answer.
As though understanding this, Byeon Ho-seong continued speaking.
“We still have the Blood Sea Jade and the Illusion Ring. As long as we catch that unidentified bastard, we will be able to kill them all here.”
Chuhyeol briefly raised his head and looked at Byeon Ho-seong, then nodded.
“As you command!”
At the same time as he answered, Chuhyeol vanished as though he had never been there.
But no one inside the tent found that sight strange.
Byeon Ho-seong looked at the red grotesque-bird ring fitted on his finger and murmured,
“No matter how much he may be a descendant of the Three Pure Ones Sect, he will not be able to withstand the Blood Sea Illusory Boundless Formation and the Corpse-Blood Dead-Spirit Chaos Formation.”
He intended to kill the bastard who had ruined the Blood Cult’s Great Plan even more painfully than that damned archer.
No, going even further, he would slice that bastard’s family and friends into pieces as well, one by one.
He would make sure to watch with his own eyes as they writhed in agony……
“Really?”
The moment Byeon Ho-seong suddenly raised his head in shock at the unfamiliar voice.
He saw it.
He saw a long black sword that had appeared in the air pierce through the backs of his guards.
“Guhk……”
“Ugh……”
“Kuhp……”
Perhaps their lungs had been pierced in a single stroke, because the guards died instantly without letting out even a single scream.
Then came the chilling energy of a blade stabbing toward his throat.
And a voice even colder than that dug into his ear.
“Mmm…… Don’t move. If you move even a little, I’ll stab you to death immediately.”
“……”
Byeon Ho-seong struggled to maintain his composure and asked the unfamiliar person who had drawn close to his ear, “Who are you?”
“I’m not exactly sure, but I think I’m the person you just mentioned, the descendant of the Three Pure Ones Sect or whatever.”
At that calm voice, Byeon Ho-seong gulped.
Was he saying he was the bastard who had killed the Iron Corpse Puppet?
“I have something I’m curious about, too. That Blood Sea Illusory Boundless Formation you mentioned just now, is that what’s spread over this encampment?”
“That is correct.”
“Oh! Really? But when you were talking about that Blood Sea Illusory Boundless Formation just now, you were looking at that strange ring. Is it related?”
“You saw well. This is the Illusion Ring, a Sacred Relic of our cult.”
“How do you use it?”
“Why are you curious about that?”
“If I become its owner, shouldn’t I know how to use it?”
At that brazen answer, Byeon Ho-seong let out a faint laugh.
“With any Mystic Gate Formation, it is finished once you infuse the Illusion Ring’s power into it.”
“Really?! That’s an incredible Sacred Relic.”
“It is an object that has shared the history of our cult.”
The bastard who had killed the Iron Corpse Puppet asked, as though puzzled,
“But is it okay for you to tell me so easily?”
“Heh heh. Do you think you can take this away?”
“Hm?”
Together with those words, Byeon Ho-seong drew up the Blood Sea True Qi.
The owner of the unfamiliar voice immediately stabbed his sword into Byeon Ho-seong’s artery.
However.
“Huh?”
The blade that should have easily cut through his skin and wounded the artery could no longer sink in.
No, the wound instead healed rapidly and pushed the blade out.
“Did you undergo the Mad-Blood Human procedure?”
At the words that burst from the intruder’s mouth, Byeon Ho-seong exclaimed,
“How do you know about the Mad-Blood Humans?”
This was not information an ordinary Orthodox Path member could know.
But the intruder spoke calmly.
“You have skin and hair that turn red. Of course that’s a Mad-Blood Human.”
“……No, I am asking how you know that……”
However, Byeon Ho-seong could not continue.
At some point, True Qi had begun being sucked away through his neck, where the man’s hand touched him.
“Kuhuk…… Th-this is……”
“It’s a little flustering, isn’t it? This is a secret between us.”
“A-a Vampire Breed? Did the Demonic Cult send you?”
“No, I’m not from the Demonic Cult. To be precise, I’m from the side that hates the Demonic Cult.”
Once one became a Mad-Blood Human, one’s Latent Power exploded and one’s inner arts tripled.
However, the intruder before his eyes was endlessly sucking in inner arts as vast as the Yangtze River.
Because of that, even the skin that had been turning red was returning to its original color.
“Anyway, thanks for the explanation. This kind of thing didn’t exist in my past life. Looks like it’ll be a huge help in this life.”
Through his darkening vision, Byeon Ho-seong saw the bastard waving his hand as though annoyed.
“Goodbye. Go ahead and settle into a spot in hell first. After you Blood Cult bastards, the Demonic Cult bastards will be following soon.”
“Uhh…… uhh……”
After I cut off the neck of the bastard who had been transforming into a Mad-Blood Human in a single stroke, I activated the Azure Dragon Bracelet until he became a mummy.
‘The Blood Sea True Qi is still easier to absorb than Demonic Qi.’
Moreover, perhaps because his inner arts had been passed down for generations through Dual-Origin True Qi, as I absorbed his inner arts, I also felt as though the quantity of my inner arts itself was increasing, as if I had eaten Spiritual Medicine.
“If I’d known he would give me this much, maybe I should’ve heard his last words?”
It did seem like he had wanted to say something at the end……
“Well, anyway, I hit the jackpot.”
I had obtained not only the Blood Sea Jade, but also the absurd Sacred Relic called the Illusion Ring.
Thinking about what had happened during the Regular Exam, I could not even estimate how much help it would be in future battles and wars.
“As expected, people really should live while doing good deeds.”
I raised the Holy Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand and placed one on the mummified corpse, then one each on the bodies of the guards.
The Holy Flame Demon-Extinguishing Hand, using the death qi in their bodies as fuel, raised flames far fiercer than usual and began spreading in every direction.
“F-fire!”
“Fire!”
“The Young Cult Master’s tent!”
People began gathering one by one in shock.
I unfolded the Ghost-Breathing Step once again and slipped out of the bastards’ encampment.
“Heh heh……”
Only after I had gotten quite far away from the bastards did I burst out laughing without restraint.
“Mwahahahahaha! The damn Blood Demon Sect is only the beginning! Demon God, you bastard, wait for me!”
I roared until my voice rang loudly through the night sky.
At a distant place where Jin So-un’s ringing voice could not reach.
A man standing on a cliff looked at something far away, too distant to be seen, and let out a faint laugh.
“What a funny bastard. Does he think the Blood Demon Sect is the Divine Cult’s full strength?”
The man standing with proud composure let out a small laugh.
A voice flowed out of the empty air.
“He dared insult the Demon God. Shall I capture him?”
There was clearly no one there other than the man, yet the voice was heard distinctly.
The man shook his head as if to say it was fine.
“Leave him. It was originally my job, and he did it in my place.”
“However, the Illusion Ring is a Sacred Relic of the Divine Cult.”
“If it were a true Sacred Relic, our cult would already have had it. You know as well as I do. Something half-complete like that cannot compare to our cult’s true Sacred Relics.”
“……”
As though he could see someone in the empty air where nothing was visible, the man showed a smile.
“Still, it’s fascinating. He even uses the power of the Three Pure Ones Sect, and when he infiltrates, he kills his presence like a dead man. Have you ever seen anything like that?”
An answer flowed out again from the still-empty air.
“Our cult’s Darkness……”
“Oh, come on. That leaves demonic scent behind. I’m asking whether it can kill its traces like he does.”
“……”
When silence settled, the man tilted his head as though he was truly curious.
“What is he?”
“I will look into it.”
“Huh? Goodness, what’s wrong with you? Am I the kind of person who makes the Heavenly Demon Black Sword Unit do things like that?”
“Anything the Young Cult Master desires is our duty.”
The man called the Young Cult Master waved his hand toward the empty air and laughed leisurely.
“Haha, leave it. If he’s a figure of that level, information will come in even if we don’t step forward. Let’s take our time looking into him.”
“As you command!”
With those words, the man smiled once again while looking into the empty air where nothing existed.
“I hope he stays alive until we meet again.”