The Altar
I followed Kim Young-hoon as we left the imperial palace and arrived at a small manor on the outskirts of Seogyeong-seong.
There, a crowd of Wulin warriors had already gathered, waiting for us.
“You all….”
I stared at the faces of the warriors Kim Young-hoon had brought and clicked my tongue.
“The Seven Elders of the Saseong-sama… and even representatives from the elders of the major sects of the Yeon Kingdom.”
Through the connections that once made him the head of the Wulin Alliance, he had gathered the elders of the Seven Major Sects in Seogyeong-seong and several top elders from the major sects of the Yeon Kingdom.
All of them were Peak Martial Artists. Not a single one lacked the ability to manifest Sword Threads, and the number of those who had reached Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown exceeded ten.
‘If it weren’t for the lack of any True Person here, this force would be more than enough to topple the imperial palace…!’
While I was still marveling at their strength, several of them shot killing intent at me.
Red intent pierced toward my neck, my forehead, and my vital points, trying to provoke me.
‘What is this? A test?’
Piit!
I answered by sending my own intent, targeting their vital points.
For a brief moment, I clashed with several elders from the major sects.
“Heh, what is the name of the honored guest brought by the Alliance Lord? I have never seen such a powerhouse in Seogyeong-seong before.”
“Ah, this fellow is my younger brother, Seo Eun-hyun. A Peak Martial Artist who rose to fame two decades ago in the Changho-seong region. Recently, he was working in the shadows of the imperial palace until he heard my proposal and followed me.”
At those words, a few of the elders showed visible displeasure.
“Why bring someone from the officialdom? And a representative from the imperial family, no less?”
“Even if that guy is still loyal to the emperor, what are we supposed to do about it?”
“I don’t trust anyone from the officialdom!”
It seemed the Wulin sects, as a rule, had poor relations with the officialdom and carried their own prejudices.
“Wait, everyone, calm down. He was indeed working under the emperor, but after hearing my words, he completely betrayed him. Isn’t that right, brother?”
“Correct. If you wish, I can even curse the emperor for you.”
After a fake cough, I unleashed all the pent-up resentment I had accumulated toward the emperor over the years.
“Emperor! Makri Jeong, you bastard! You have your subordinates worked like dogs while you yourself sleep peacefully, and now you’re showing your true colors! I will expose every atrocity committed by your clan to the entire world!”
During my duty as the emperor’s escort, I had grown tired of the fact that even a True Person like him, when a killer appeared, simply stayed in his soundproofed chamber and slept instead of fighting.
Moreover, from the very beginning, I had never felt the need to be loyal to the emperor as a citizen of the Yeon Kingdom. If anything, I held a certain resentment toward the very existence of the emperor.
After I poured out my tirade, the killing intent in the eyes of the Peak Martial Artists finally softened a little.
“Hm, that’s reasonable. Even if you are a spy, such vulgarity is grounds for execution.”
“If you were a spy for the imperial palace, you would have been more careful with your insults.”
In this way, I won the recognition of the Peak Martial Artists.
Once their approval of me had settled, Kim Young-hoon turned to the Wulin warriors gathered in the hall.
“Listen well. As I told you earlier, the current imperial palace and the Makri Great Family behind it have abandoned all human ethics. They have been draining the pure blood of countless common people—literally sucking them dry. These people are no different from cannibalistic demons.
With all our allies assembled, from today onward I will ally with the true descendants of the imperial family, the Jin Clan Great Family, to dismantle the strongholds of the Makri Great Family one by one.”
He continued his explanation.
“The Jin Clan will back us, and under their guidance we will locate the hidden territories of the Makri Great Family and destroy the altars where they turn commoners into ingredients for their pills.”
“I hope all the great heroes gathered here will join us in this righteous cause.”
There was no loud agreement, only silent nods.
“Then let us hurry and head to the strongholds of those evil demonic True Persons. Let us break even one altar as quickly as possible!”
We followed Kim Young-hoon as we left Seogyeong-seong.
We arrived at a small mountain valley to the northeast of the city, called the Valley of Li-maek-gok.
There, a group of crimson-robed True Persons was waiting for us.
‘Those are…’
Their clothing matched the True Persons who had participated in the emperor’s assassination several years ago.
They must be the True Persons of the Jin Clan Great Family.
“Hm, they all look like formidable fighters.”
An elderly man among them, who appeared to be the oldest, observed us and said, “The promise has been kept. You have brought the allies we agreed upon, so let us dispose of these vicious True Persons together.”
“Yes, yes. That makes sense. Those vicious Makri bastards should all disappear from the Yeon Kingdom. Then I will open the gates to their territories.”
Woong—
After the crimson-robed elder sealed the agreement, the valley began to collapse.
“Follow us closely. From now on, we will break through the formation of the Makri Great Family.”
Following the crimson-robed True Persons, we walked into the collapsing path.
After some time, the collapsed valley scenery vanished, and we suddenly found ourselves in a small village.
It was a tiny, rustic village with thatched houses lined up neatly.
‘That smell…’
The moment the countless Peak Martial Artists, including me, stepped into the village, our brows furrowed.
Blood and the stench of rotting corpses filled the air from every direction.
“Intruders! The Jin Clan scum has come!”
Dong, dong!
Bells rang from a watchtower in the village.
Simultaneously, crimson-robed True Persons emerged from every thatched house and began forming seals.
Woong!
A blue curtain descended over the entire village, blocking our entry.
“Hahaha, I see you brought some Wulin trash. But you Jin Clan bastards cannot enter here!”
Even from a glance, the formation looked sturdy.
The thickness of the blue curtain was hundreds of times greater than the paper-thin spell I had shattered with Sword Gang the last time.
That was when—
Thud, thud…
Kim Young-hoon stepped forward.
“Lord, who is that guy? Are we really supposed to trust and rely on him?”
Behind us, the crimson-robed True Persons of the Jin Clan began to clamor.
The crimson-robed elder hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“That guy is indeed a criminal, but he is separate. I know it sounds unbelievable, but this criminal fought alongside me with the body of a criminal and did not lose by even a single inch. Moreover, the power of the techniques he uses sometimes even surpassed my own defense…”
Woong—
Kim Young-hoon began to draw in his energy.
Even I, the Peak Martial Artists, and the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown elders widened our eyes to memorize his sword intent.
Uuwoong—
As he raised his hand, energy began to gather in the air.
The energy coalesced gradually and then condensed into the form of Sword Gang.
The terrifying power emanating from the Sword Gang made even the True Persons of the Jin Clan tremble.
However, the transformation of the Sword Gang did not end there.
‘That is…!’
My eyes widened as I stared at Kim Young-hun’s sword intent.
Sword Gang began to condense.
Ku gu gu gu gu!
‘That is…!’
The realm Kim Young-hoon had pursued with mad intensity in his previous life.
Kku gu gu gu gu—
‘Five Qi Consorting with the Origin… the realm beyond that!!!’
The realm he had gazed upon to the very end of his life was now unfolding once more from Kim Young-hoon’s hands.
Sword Gang condensed and transformed into the form of a small sphere.
Everyone present could feel it.
If struck directly by that sphere, survival would be difficult.
The strike that had once shattered the arm of a Core Formation True Person from my previous life!
A sword intent capable of facing a Foundation Establishment True Person head-on!
The sphere of Sword Gang fell onto the formation that the True Persons had unfolded with Kim Young-hoon’s gesture.
Ku kwa kwa kwa guang!!!
Light flashed and a gale raged.
The True Persons each cast some spell to protect themselves from the gale, while the Peak Martial Artists simply held on with leg strength or cut through the wind currents to witness the scene.
It was visible.
Hundreds—
Thousands, tens of thousands—of Sword Gang streams erupted from the sphere like an explosion and tore apart the formation.
In the world of Peak Martial Artists, thousands and tens of thousands of killing intents danced in a trajectory no one could have imagined.
“Kkuhm…”
The crimson-robed elder, the Lord of the Jin Clan, showed an uncomfortable expression.
For some reason, it seemed he had bad memories of that sphere.
The gale subsided and the light faded.
What was revealed before our eyes was a huge hole blown straight through the center of the formation.
“Everyone, enter!”
“Yes, Lord!”
The True Persons of the Jin Clan each mounted their flying spirit tools and passed through the hole Kim Young-hoon had created.
We, too, each gripped our weapons and stepped toward the hole in the formation.
“S-stop! Block them!”
“W-wait! Stop those Wulin bastards first! Wulin people…”
Shuak!
The Sword Gang of a Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown Peak Martial Artist pierced straight through the defense spell of the True Person in front and slit his throat.
“Y-you criminal used a True Person’s spell!”
“Even among Wulin people, he is at the top! Foundation Establishment First Layer True Persons, retreat to the rear! Release the puppet soldiers!”
At the same time, pitch-black puppet soldiers began to emerge from various places in the village.
Paang!
The puppet soldiers rushed toward the Peak Martial Artists.
Their speed was faster than ours, and their power far surpassed ours.
However.
‘I see it.’
The optimal paths the puppet soldiers were shooting were perfectly clear.
‘It is strange. In the past I never thought of it, but… that line represents killing intent. Then does that mean even puppet soldiers who have already died and turned into ghosts possess killing intent?’
I dodged the hand of the puppet soldier charging at me and drove in with my heart sword, slashing diagonally as I thought.
‘Is it simply the killing intent of those who control them? No, it doesn’t seem to be exactly that. But if puppet soldiers have killing intent, why are they unable to use Sword Threads?’
I kept slashing the puppet soldiers and thought.
Beyond the puppet soldiers, I saw a True Person preparing a spell.
Pi shu t!
I quickly moved my hands and sent a hidden weapon toward the True Person forming a seal.
Kka gang!
The hidden weapon bounced off the True Person’s defense spell, but the True Person, perhaps lacking combat experience, canceled the spell he had been preparing.
‘Judging by the level of knowledge… he is only Foundation Establishment First Layer.’
I slashed the puppet soldier I was facing and drove into the True Person’s embrace, firing Sword Threads.
Kka ang!
When the Sword Threads struck, the True Person’s defense spell cracked visibly.
‘This is far weaker than the spell used by a Foundation Establishment Second Layer True Person from my previous fight.’
Of course, this True Person had no boost from talismans, but the defense spell was cast according to his own skill.
Kka gang, kka ng!
After countless strikes with Sword Threads, the spell of the True Person who had failed to react was shattered outright.
“Hah… hah yik… s-save me. Please save me.”
I grabbed the True Person by the throat and dragged him into the house he had come from.
It was a rustic thatched house, but a horrible stench of blood wafted from every house.
Burk!
When I opened the door, the scene that greeted me was one I could barely describe in words.
Countless humans had been killed.
Their blood had flowed into a small formation in the center of the room.
“…What is this?”
“Please save me. I only followed what my clan ordered. I didn’t want to do it, and actually…”
“What did I ask you? If you don’t speak, I will kill you.”
“Hik, I will speak. I will tell you everything. This is a first-grade purification.”
I frowned.
“First-grade purification?”
“Yes. We first extract the blood and innate spiritual energy of the criminals, then gather it into the formation and perform a first-grade purification to turn it into original blood. When this original blood is passed to the higher-ups of the clan, they transport it to a higher territory, gather and mix the original blood, and perform a second-grade purification.
In this way, after third-grade, fourth-grade, and fifth-grade purifications, we refine the blood and innate spiritual energy of thousands of criminals into fresh blood, and when we use that to refine pills, the Core Formation Great Elder’s Recovery Pill is completed.
Ah, great heroes, I am truly innocent. If you wish, I will give you all the original blood I have purified. The original blood is a lump of powerful spiritual energy, so when you refine it, not only will your inner energy increase, but…”
“Thank you.”
I looked at the man and smiled coldly.
“You will be able to kill us without hesitation.”
“Y-yes…?”
Fu k!
Instead of cutting his throat with a sword, I blew inner energy into my fist and burst his head open.
There had been a slight hesitation.
No matter how demonic the True Persons were, surely there were some who had simply been peacefully cultivating here.
A hesitation whether a gentle True Person might exist in this village, just like its rustic appearance.
‘There is no good person in this village. No, there cannot be!’
However, I threw away all hesitation and drew my sword toward the crimson-robed True Persons controlling the puppet soldiers.
“You all have no reason to live.”
Danak Sword Art.
Ki-san-sim-cheon!
Opening all my meridians with full force, I sent out my reinforced Sword Threads to slice the puppet soldiers that rushed at me in one stroke, then charged at the crimson-robed True Persons.
“Die all of you!”
***
The battle ended quickly.
The Foundation Establishment True Person from the center of the village was killed in an instant by the combined attack of the Lord of the Jin Clan and Kim Young-hoon.
Kim Young-hoon, who had finished off the Foundation Establishment True Person, went around slicing the puppet soldiers and other True Persons with Sword Gang.
“Haha, good! Just like a Makri Great Family True Person, their pockets are fat!”
“We did well with the purge this time!”
The True Persons of the Jin Clan were all searching through the bodies of the Makri Great Family True Persons and stealing their belongings.
Even the Lord of the Jin Clan was rummaging through the corpse of a Foundation Establishment Makri Great Family True Person.
“…The True Persons are a bit too much.”
“How can one kill people and then think of rummaging through their pockets?”
“Ahem, ahem.”
In contrast, I and the other Peak Martial Artists felt a little uncomfortable.
I had experience stealing weapons or property after killing some wandering Wulin people, but I had never done the kind of active body-rummaging they were doing.
“Heh, it is natural for the victor to take the spoils of war. You may not know because criminals have short lifespans, but gathering spoils is also a way to preserve the honor of the defeated.”
A True Person of the Jin Clan, whose face had flushed a little because he had heard the Peak Martial Artists discussing, rattled off some sophistry.
However, the more I listened to his words, the more our expressions hardened.
“Heh, fine. I never expected the True Persons to understand the thoughts of the criminals anyway. And you, if you have nothing to take, you can start leaving the village soon.”
At that moment, Kim Young-hoon walked over to us and said, “Wait here first. We have work to do.”
“Hm? What? Ah, you also plan to take spoils…”
Kim Young-hoon ignored the True Person and turned to us.
“In the houses of the True Persons, there are the corpses of the criminals they sacrificed. It seems we should at least bury their bodies so they are not left lying like this. What do you think, great heroes?”
“That makes sense.”
“Yes, we had forgotten about them.”
We each entered the houses where the Makri Great Family True Persons had lived and dragged out the corpses of the criminals, then buried them one by one in the ground.
“Tsk, just leave them there. They’re dead anyway. It would be better to leave quickly.”
Annoyed, the Lord of the Jin Clan who had already finished gathering the spoils told Kim Young-hoon, who was still digging.
However, neither Kim Young-hoon nor any of us paid him any attention as we silently dug and buried the corpses.
How many shichen passed?
Finally, after burying countless corpses, led by Kim Young-hoon, we chanted a short funeral ode to prevent the vengeful spirits from haunting us, then left the village.