Chapter 710: The One Who Will Pull Him Out of Hell
Chapter 710: The One Who Will Pull Him Out of Hell
“You still haven’t given up on the Young Cult Leader.”
Hwa Do-myeong interpreted Cha Yi-ran’s remark as a confession. She wasn’t the type to joke about waiving a debt in a situation like this. Moreover, why else would she be giving him such a captivating, knowing smile?
“To be honest, I half-hoped you wouldn’t give in.”
Hwa Do-myeong walked slowly toward Geom Mu-geuk. The Young Cult Leader sat with his eyes closed, drenched in a cold sweat.
“He’s holding out longer than expected. By now, the Flying Blood Snake should have taken its place in his heart.”
Shhh.
Hwa Do-myeong unfurled his fan and began to lazily fan Geom Mu-geuk’s face. Just then, Cha Yi-ran’s voice drifted from behind him.
“I’d like to finish the rest of the wine.”
Her demonic acupoints had been sealed, leaving her paralyzed. Hwa Do-myeong flicked a finger, firing a burst of finger-force to release the pressure on her blood points. She could move again, though her internal energy remained suppressed.
Cha Yi-ran picked up the bottle and poured a glass. It was the wine she had ordered while dining with Geom Mu-geuk. The two had rented a private room in the inn for their meal, and this nightmare had unfolded the moment they finished eating.
Without looking back, Hwa Do-myeong spoke.
“At least you enjoyed a fine final meal.”
His words carried a chilling weight; he intended to kill them both once this was over. When she didn't respond, Hwa Do-myeong glanced back at her. Perhaps she had truly resigned herself to fate; she didn’t beg for her life, nor did she show any will to fight.
She simply leaned back in her chair, drinking in silence while staring out the window.
She recalled the moment they had sat side-by-side in the manor’s flower garden, looking up at the sky. Back then, she hadn’t imagined she would ever abandon her contract. She had inwardly mocked how the Sinhwa Guild Master had changed his fate without a moment's hesitation, yet here she was, no different.
“What are you thinking about?” Hwa Do-myeong asked.
Cha Yi-ran refilled her glass and replied indifferently, “Nothing at all.”
She treated him with cold apathy. Just as he knew her, she knew Hwa Do-myeong. Though he always hid behind his fan, pretending to be bashful, he was a man who craved the center of the world. In this moment of triumph, he likely hungered for her recognition—her applause.
She would not give it to him.
Seeing her prepared for death, Hwa Do-myeong finally brought up a topic he thought might pique her interest.
“When Ak Gun-hak recovered the Secret Casket…”
Cha Yi-ran’s wine glass stopped mid-air.
“The old man was truly delighted. That alone was enough to make up for the failure to kill Geom Mu-geuk. However, the Secret Casket he brought back was a useless trinket that had no effect.”
She didn’t know what the Secret Casket was, but she listened intently, hoping for information that might help Geom Mu-geuk.
“He was played by the Young Cult Leader again,” Hwa Do-myeong continued.
This was what Cha Yi-ran was curious about. “What was that red energy inside the bead?”
The energy she had felt initially was quite pleasant, but its nature had twisted the moment the red snake emerged.
“The power to prevent destruction,” Hwa Do-myeong said, the word 'destruction' spilling from his lips once more.
“From whom? The Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader?”
Hwa Do-myeong nodded and looked at Geom Mu-geuk. “It all ends today.”
*
The Flying Blood Snake roamed through Geom Mu-geuk’s meridians as if it owned them. It was as supple as a water snake darting through a narrow cave.
The power and vitality radiating from the creature were entirely different from what the naked eye suggested. Condensed within it were the mysterious properties of countless Murim elixirs, rare herbs, and ancient artifacts. Geom Mu-geuk felt that if he could only kill and refine it, he would obtain energy more potent than any elixir he had ever consumed.
That is, if he could catch it.
The thing was lightning-fast.
Sss-sss-sssh.
It darted through his meridians, aiming solely for his heart. Geom Mu-geuk blocked the major pathways with his internal power, wrapping his heart in a protective shroud of pure, vast energy.
The Flying Blood Snake collided with the barrier.
Boom!
The impact jolted his meridians. Geom Mu-geuk gritted his teeth. He tried to seize the retreating creature with his internal power, but it was impossibly agile.
Sss-sss-sssh.
Slippery as a loach, it evaded his grasp and began swimming through his meridians again. The problem was that the snake wasn't his only concern. Inside his body, the five energies absorbed from the Secret Casket were raging through his system, stirred into a frenzy by the snake's movements.
He tried to soothe them, but it was no use. He realized these five energies would only settle once the Flying Blood Snake was completely refined. Thus, amidst a literal internal storm, he had to wage a defensive war to protect his heart while simultaneously conducting a hunt.
Crunch!
The second collision was even more powerful than the first. Geom Mu-geuk gritted his teeth again. He knew that if he hadn't reinforced his meridians with the Thousand Meridian Strengthening Technique, or if he hadn't accumulated such vast energy through his various fated encounters, this single strike would have broken through.
He tried to corner it again, but the snake escaped. This time, he sent his internal power in pursuit.
The creature was clever, possessed by a primal will to survive. It dodged his pursuit, weaving through the labyrinth of his body. It primarily fled toward meridians where internal energy did not flow naturally, instinctively knowing where to hide.
On the third attack, Geom Mu-geuk attempted an encirclement. He surged his internal power from all sides to tighten the noose, but the snake used the five raging energies to slip through the net.
Most of the paths the Flying Blood Snake took to escape were routes where True Qi flowed in reverse—blood paths he had never thought to explore.
‘Ah! So there was a path like this.’
The routes the snake revealed in its desperation provided Geom Mu-geuk with new enlightenment. After making another circuit, the Flying Blood Snake lunged toward his heart again.
Four times, five times, ten times, twenty times…
Dangerous moments arose, but Geom Mu-geuk held firm. With each repetition, he discovered new blood paths. The Flying Blood Snake did not tire, but neither did Geom Mu-geuk.
You were painstakingly created over decades?
I’m sorry, but the same goes for me.
‘So, come at me as much as you want!’
*
Finally, Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes began to open.
Hwa Do-myeong stood before him with an expectant expression. Behind him, Cha Yi-ran prayed fervently.
‘Please!’
The moment of truth arrived. An exclamation of joy escaped Hwa Do-myeong’s lips, while a gasp of despair came from Cha Yi-ran.
Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes were completely stained with a crimson glow.
“It’s done! The Flying Blood Snake has completely dominated the Young Cult Leader!”
Cha Yi-ran clenched her fists. She had believed he would overcome it. ‘You told me to trust you!’
She fell into despair, while Hwa Do-myeong’s face was filled with ecstasy. The red glow flickering in Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes soon vanished, and his gaze returned to normal, staring at Hwa Do-myeong with a calm, steady look.
An irrepressible surge of triumph washed over Hwa Do-myeong. Everyone else had failed to eliminate the Young Cult Leader, but he had succeeded in bringing him under his thumb.
“We have waited for this single opportunity. In the end, you are nothing more than a servant who has done our work for us.”
Geom Mu-geuk merely looked at him, devoid of emotion.
Hwa Do-myeong gave a cold command. “Go and kill the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader…”
Cha Yi-ran interrupted him. “If the Young Cult Leader kills the Alliance Leader, a war will break out.”
“I suppose so,” Hwa Do-myeong replied.
Cha Yi-ran looked at him with contempt. “To prevent destruction? You should use that fan to shut your mouth.”
Hwa Do-myeong ignored her, covering his mouth with his fan as he finished his command. “Kill the Alliance Leader and return to me.”
Geom Mu-geuk turned slowly.
Hwa Do-myeong turned toward Cha Yi-ran. “Now, shall we have our final drink?”
It had been decided from the start. If the plan succeeded, she would be eliminated as a traitor. Cha Yi-ran silently stared at Geom Mu-geuk’s back over Hwa Do-myeong’s shoulder.
She was infuriating until the very end. Hwa Do-myeong stared into her eyes—eyes that looked at the Young Cult Leader until the last moment. Just as he was about to kill her…
Hwa Do-myeong saw it. He saw the reflection in her pupils. A flash of something flying toward him.
Swish!
Hwa Do-myeong twisted his body desperately.
Thwack!
The Black Demonic Sword pierced through his shoulder. It was a strike that would have pierced his heart had he not dodged at the last second.
Geom Mu-geuk, who had been walking toward the door, had turned silently and attacked. The move he used was the Underworld King Step from the Wind God Four Steps.
Pierced through the shoulder, Hwa Do-myeong was overcome with shock and terror.
“…I told you to kill the Alliance Leader.”
He thought Geom Mu-geuk had misunderstood the command. He couldn't even counterattack immediately; he had to find out what went wrong. The Flying Blood Snake could never be recreated in this era.
“I am your mas—”
The moment his eyes met Geom Mu-geuk’s, Hwa Do-myeong’s entire body shuddered as if struck by lightning. The composure in those eyes was something that even ten Flying Blood Snakes could never create.
“Could it be… the Flying Blood Snake didn’t work?”
A bright smile formed on Geom Mu-geuk’s face. “The Red Essence and the Flying Blood Snake. I’ve savored them both.”
Geom Mu-geuk drew his sword.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed from Hwa Do-myeong’s shoulder. Geom Mu-geuk simply watched as the man pressed on his wound to stop the bleeding.
“Get lost while I’m still letting you live.”
Hwa Do-myeong didn't believe him. He thought it was a ploy to make him lower his guard.
Geom Mu-geuk gave him the reason. “Give your thanks to Miss Cha. She asked me not to kill you.”
Indeed, she had told him not to touch Hwa Do-myeong. But even Cha Yi-ran hadn't expected him to actually spare the man now.
Hwa Do-myeong looked at Cha Yi-ran. She simply stared back in silence.
Snap.
With a flick of his fan, Hwa Do-myeong vanished.
It seemed as though Geom Mu-geuk was making him owe a life-debt to Cha Yi-ran, but that wasn't the true reason. Once he confirmed that Hwa Do-myeong had left the room…
Clang.
Geom Mu-geuk dropped the Black Demonic Sword and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Young Cult Leader!”
As she rushed to support him, Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes began to turn red again. Cha Yi-ran grabbed his arm tightly. “Get a hold of yourself!”
With great effort, Geom Mu-geuk pushed back the red energy. He hadn't completely controlled the Flying Blood Snake yet.
“I’ve only surrendered half of my heart.”
He said he had surrendered it, but in truth, he had lured it in, using half of his heart as a prison. It was the only way to catch the creature. Because he was in a tense standoff within his own body, he couldn't execute a follow-up move to kill Hwa Do-myeong. If he had, he would have lost his heart to the snake. Even that first Underworld King Step was a move he had forced himself to perform to save her.
Cha Yi-ran realized it. Geom Mu-geuk could have just slipped away. He could have left as if going to kill the Alliance Leader and then sought treatment. Instead, he had overexerted himself to save her.
“Why on earth did you do this?”
With a trembling hand, Geom Mu-geuk released the suppression on her internal energy.
“No need to be moved. You’re the one who has to save me now.”
Even as he spoke, the red energy in his eyes repeatedly surged and was pushed back.
“When I open my eyes again…”
Geom Mu-geuk spoke his final words as he closed his eyes. The red energy leaking through his closing eyelids looked as if the gates of hell were shutting. There was only one person who could pull him out of that hell.
“Lord Smiling Demon must be standing before me.”
Geom Mu-geuk intended to follow where the prophecy led. Having delivered his final words, he lost consciousness.
Cha Yi-ran could tell he didn't have much time. She sheathed the Black Demonic Sword and hoisted Geom Mu-geuk onto her back. Because it was him, she managed a joke even now.
“Giving me a job without even paying the commission?”
She immediately leaped out the window. At that moment, she saw someone looking down at her from the roof of the building across the way. It was Hwa Do-myeong.
Without a word, Cha Yi-ran took flight.
Seeing Geom Mu-geuk being carried, Hwa Do-myeong realized he had been tricked. It wasn't that he had been spared; it was that Geom Mu-geuk had been unable to kill him.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Behind him, martial artists deactivated their stealth, appearing like heavenly soldiers descending from the sky. Their auras were formidable.
“Stop them! You must not let the Young Cult Leader reach the Smiling Demon!”
The martial artists leaped after her in unison. As Hwa Do-myeong moved to follow, a subordinate restrained him.
“Your wound is deep.”
The sword wound in his shoulder was indeed severe. Moving recklessly could be fatal, but he couldn't stay still.
“The Young Cult Leader’s condition is worse,” Hwa Do-myeong hissed. Even if he had to give up on the Alliance Leader, he couldn't give up on Geom Mu-geuk. He had to recover the energies dwelling within that body.
“Release the seal.”
*
Wheeeeee— Bang! Bang!
The Crescent-Moon Faceless Guest, who was sitting by the window, heard the sound of fireworks in the distance. It was a peculiar sound—the exact same signal he had heard during the operation to capture the Beauty Cult assassins.
The Crescent-Moon Faceless Guest looked back at the Smiling Demon. The Smiling Demon sat with his eyes closed, performing Qi Circulation.
“It’s a distress signal from the assassins.”
Behind his mask, the Smiling Demon’s eyes snapped open. As he stood, the Faceless Guests all rose in unison.
The Smiling Demon looked at the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master, who was drinking tea with Lee An. The Pavilion Master nodded slowly. She could feel it instinctively. The moment of the prophecy had finally arrived.
“Let’s go!”
As the Smiling Demon leaped out the window and soared into the sky, the Faceless Guests followed like a shadow. Beyond them, in the distance, fireworks continued to bloom against the dark sky.