Chapter 44: Blood (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: Blood (2)
Everyone’s faces paled with shock at the mention of Energy Dispersal Poison.
Energy Dispersal Poison.
Though called a poison, it was technically closer to a medicinal agent. Its properties temporarily prevented one from freely controlling their internal energy. While the duration of its effects depended on the depth of one’s cultivation, even the greatest masters couldn't avoid its influence the moment the medicine began to spread through their systems.
Jo Seong-won spoke in a grave voice.
“It’s a trap!”
“Dammit!”
Song Jwa-baek kicked his chair back and stood up. His expression twisted as the internal energy in his dantian began to scatter.
It was then that Sama Yeong spoke up.
“I’m fine, though?”
“You’re fine?”
Everyone else had been hit by the poison, yet she was perfectly alright. Wait, if that was the case...
“Young Lady Sama, is there any food you didn't eat?”
“I didn't drink the wine. It smelled unpleasant.”
“Ah!”
At her words, everyone’s eyes instinctively turned toward the wine bottles. Everyone here had been drinking. It seemed the poison hadn't been in the food, but the wine.
“Is there anyone else who didn't drink?” Hae Ak-cheon asked.
However, excluding Sama Yeong, there wasn't a single person who hadn't touched the alcohol. They had all been pouring drinks for one another, so they knew.
It was the worst possible situation.
“Master. For now, we need to get out of—”
Before I could even finish my sentence...
—...
A ringing sound echoed in my ears. It was the Voice of the Sword. There were over twenty people nearby carrying blades. Given the noise, the actual number of enemies was likely even higher.
“It seems we’re too late,” Sama Yeong said, drawing her sword. She had also realized that the house was surrounded.
It was then.
Crash!
The door shattered as someone burst inside. It was a middle-aged man with a rugged face and a long scar running from his forehead down to his chin. Masked men followed close behind him.
The moment Hae Ak-cheon saw the man, he scowled and muttered, “Yeon Bu-saeng?”
The middle-aged man offered a polite fist-and-palm salute toward Hae Ak-cheon.
“Mad Demon Unit Leader Yeon Bu-saeng greets the Venerable One.”
Yeon Bu-saeng?
—How do you know him?
There was no way I wouldn't. Aside from the Venerables and the Blood Stars, there were several masters in the Blood Cult who were famous in their own right. One of them was the Mad Demon Unit Leader, Yeon Bu-saeng.
In the Orthodox Martial World, he was notorious by the alias 'Mad Demon Blade.' He possessed martial prowess so exceptional that he had once slaughtered twenty swordsmen of the Zhongnan Sect single-handedly. In truth, his skills far exceeded those of a typical Unit Leader.
If he’s appeared, then...
This wasn't the work of the Martial Alliance; it was a move made by Baek Hye-hyang’s faction. The man who had been guarding this safe house must have been turned by her side. Perhaps we had been too exhausted, or perhaps we had simply felt too secure because the guard was one of our own.
It was a blunder.
I shouldn't have let my guard down until the very end.
Hae Ak-cheon spoke, his voice dripping with displeasure.
“You’re really pulling out all the stops, aren't you?”
“My apologies. But how else could we hope to escort a Venerable such as yourself?”
“What was that?”
“The Young Lady gave orders to escort you comfortably.”
Just as I thought. These were men sent by Baek Hye-hyang. There was no way she would have let us go so easily. She was a formidable woman, as cunning as a thousand-year-old fox.
“Which of you is the Venerable’s disciple, So Woon-hwi?”
At Yeon Bu-saeng’s question, Song Jwa-baek reflexively glanced at me.
You idiot. You shouldn't have made it so obvious.
Seeing this, Yeon Bu-saeng’s lips curled into a smirk.
“So it’s you. Be careful not to get hurt.”
“Understood!”
It seemed he had been ordered to bring me along as well. Then, Yeon Bu-saeng’s gaze shifted to the Blood Demon Sword in my hand.
Tsk!
I should have wrapped the sword in cloth before they burst in. Now I was going to be their primary target.
However, his reaction was completely different from what I expected. Yeon Bu-saeng let out a short laugh and spoke to Hae Ak-cheon.
“You went through all that trouble, and yet you brought back a fake? My sympathies, Elder.”
Huh?
Everyone was bewildered by the mention of a 'fake sword.' Ignoring their confusion, Yeon Bu-saeng continued.
“Elder, this is already a meaningless struggle. The true Divine Object has already fallen into our Young Lady’s hands.”
“What?”
“The Young Lady has personally secured the Blood Demon Sword.”
What kind of nonsense was this? The real Blood Demon Sword was right here in my hand.
Hae Ak-cheon glanced at me, his eyes darting side to side. He was telling me not to reveal the truth. I didn't know how it had happened, but if the enemy didn't realize this was the real Blood Demon Sword, there was no reason to correct them.
Yeon Bu-saeng saluted again.
“Elder. It is pointless to waste the Cult’s strength on internal squabbles. Please, make your decision and support the Young Lady, who will become the new Blood Demon.”
“Hmph! Is this how people who want help behave?” Hae Ak-cheon barked, his voice thick with rage.
By using Energy Dispersal Poison, they had truly crossed the line with him.
Yeon Bu-saeng smiled thinly.
“It was to prevent unnecessary sacrifice. Please, do not force us to commit an act of disrespect.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then we shall have to escort you by force.”
“Ha!”
Hae Ak-cheon’s face twisted into a terrifying mask of fury. If he hadn't been poisoned, he likely would have ripped Yeon Bu-saeng’s head off right then and there.
Glaring at him with murderous intent, Hae Ak-cheon asked, “Is it just you lot?”
He seemed to be gauging the extent of their forces.
Yeon Bu-saeng shook his head.
“Do you really think we would bring only this many to escort a Venerable? Give up. Escaping this place is impossible.”
He was implying that the men surrounding the house weren't their entire force. This was truly the worst-case scenario.
Hae Ak-cheon let out a long sigh.
“Whew.”
Believing that Hae Ak-cheon had finally given up, Yeon Bu-saeng smiled and said, “Thank you. I shall apologize for this rudeness again once we reach the main—”
In that instant...
“Shut your damn mouth!”
!?
Hae Ak-cheon grabbed the massive table and charged at them like a raging bull. Those bulging muscles weren't just for show. Even without internal energy, he pushed forward with incredible physical strength. Caught off guard by the sudden charge, Yeon Bu-saeng and the masked men were momentarily pushed back.
“Urgh! Elder!”
Having shoved them back, Hae Ak-cheon roared at us.
“Run! Sama Yeong, you take the lead and break through! I’ll hold them here!”
Sigh...
Hae Ak-cheon was trying to sacrifice himself. I knew he would make a hard decision, but I never imagined he would offer himself up while poisoned just so the rest of us could escape.
Two men suddenly lunged at Hae Ak-cheon’s sides.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Master, how can you expect to hold them off alone? Let us help!”
“I... I’m helping too!”
It was the twins, Song Jwa-baek and Song Woo-hyeon. As the three muscular men threw their weight into it, the table was pushed back even further despite their lack of internal energy.
Song Jwa-baek looked between me and Sama Yeong and screamed, “What are you doing?! Fuck! Run, already! Young Lady, go!”
Sama Yeong bit her lip, hesitating. This was likely the first time she had experienced someone volunteering to sacrifice themselves for her.
“Go!”
At Hae Ak-cheon’s command, she finally moved.
“Deputy Unit Leader!”
Realizing she was the only one who could clear a path, she called out to me with eyes full of resolve and swung her sword at the house’s only window. Once she had carved out enough space for a person to pass through, she urged me forward.
“I’ll take the lead. Follow m—ah!”
However, masked men were already surrounding the house outside. A confrontation was unavoidable.
“Tsk! Stay back!”
As the masked men tried to push their way inside, she unleashed her sword techniques against them. We were truly trapped on all sides.
It was then.
Riiip!
“Dammit!”
At Song Jwa-baek’s shout, I looked back to see the table split in two. Yeon Bu-saeng had drawn his blade and cleaved right through it. He didn't stop there, following up with a horizontal slash to prevent them from pushing forward again.
Having destroyed the table, Yeon Bu-saeng spoke with a grim expression.
“In the end, you force me to be disrespectful.”
“You were disrespectful the moment you walked in, you bastard.”
Hae Ak-cheon swung his fist at him. Though he lacked internal energy, his movements were incredibly fluid, befitting someone who had reached the pinnacle of external martial arts.
Yeon Bu-saeng used his footwork to dodge the punch and attempted to strike the back of Hae Ak-cheon’s head with the blunt side of his blade.
“Forgive my rude—”
Thwack!
“Gah!”
Hae Ak-cheon’s knee slammed into the man’s groin.
“Caught you off guard, didn't I, you brat?” Hae Ak-cheon smirked.
No matter how much one protected their body with internal energy, that specific area remained a vulnerability. Yeon Bu-saeng doubled over in agony, his face twisting into a mask of pure rage.
“You... you cowardly...”
In that moment...
Swish!
A sword lunged toward Yeon Bu-saeng’s forehead. Startled, he leaned back and unleashed a defensive blade technique.
Clang!
“What?!”
Yeon Bu-saeng’s blade was knocked back, and his entire body was sent reeling. He stared at me with eyes wide with shock.
The one who had lunged at him was me.
“Wait, you?”
Hae Ak-cheon, Song Jwa-baek, and Song Woo-hyeon all stared at me with bulging eyes. They had assumed I was affected by the Energy Dispersal Poison since I had drunk the wine, so seeing me push back a master like Yeon Bu-saeng with internal power left them stunned.
—I guess the secret’s out.
Seems so.
Of course, I couldn't use my lower dantian because of the poison. But my middle dantian was a different story. Innate True Qi was closer to primordial energy and operated on a completely different level than standard internal energy. Though he was my master, I had intended to keep this as a hidden trump card, but the situation didn't allow for it.
Sama Yeong and I were the only ones capable of fighting.
Without looking back, I said, “Let’s do this together. There’s no other way out anyway.”
“You can still fight?”
“Yes.”
At my answer, Hae Ak-cheon took a deep breath, grimaced, and asked, “Can you hold out for fifteen minutes?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll flush the poison out within fifteen minutes.”
As expected, his cultivation was profound. He was telling me exactly how long it would take for him to neutralize the Energy Dispersal Poison.
Fifteen minutes. It was a short time, but against so many masters surrounding us, it was an eternity.
Song Jwa-baek asked me, “Can you do it?”
“Mind your own business and just focus on protecting Master!”
“Dammit! Fine!”
As Hae Ak-cheon sat cross-legged, Song Jwa-baek, Song Woo-hyeon, Jo Seong-won, Lee Gyu, and Ha Mun-chan formed a perimeter around him. They would do their best to keep anyone from getting close, but the enemies would surely try to force their way in. They were the final line of defense.
Fuming with rage, Yeon Bu-saeng pointed his blade at me.
“You insist on seeing blood, then.”
“Didn't you say you were told not to hurt me?”
“As long as I take you back with your limbs intact, it’s fine!”
The moment he finished speaking, Yeon Bu-saeng lunged at me.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
I effortlessly parried the flurry of strikes from his blade. He scowled.
“You handle a sword better than you look.”
I replied to him, “Given the circumstances, it’s fine if I kill you, right?”
“What?”
In that instant, I stomped hard on the floor and spun my sword.
It was the 6th stance of the True Life Bright Sword Technique: Chasing Return Sword.
!?
Startled by the swirling sword pressure, Yeon Bu-saeng swung his blade frantically, creating a defensive net of steel.
It was strange. His defensive net was incredibly dense, yet the openings were so glaringly obvious to me. My battles against Falcon Warrior Na Yuk-hyeong and Bukyeong Doseong Gwak Hyeong-jik had clearly paid off.
The swirling sword pressure precisely pierced through the gaps.
“No!”
The vortex tore right through his net of steel. Once the defense was breached, the storm of blades surged forward with the force of a gale.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
“Aaaaaagh!”
His body shredded by the sword's edge, Yeon Bu-saeng was sent flying back with a horrific scream. The masked men behind him tried to catch him, only to be knocked back along with him.
Cough!
Covered in blood, Yeon Bu-saeng spat out a mouthful of gore and went limp. He was dead.
“Unit Leader!”
The surrounding masked men were frozen in shock. Their famous Mad Demon Unit Leader had been killed so effortlessly by my hand.
Standing at the entrance to block their path, I shouted at them.
“Make sure you take me alive!”
Because I certainly intend to kill you.