Chapter 59: The Mastermind (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 59: The Mastermind (3)
Mount Baiyun, located about twenty li south of Yan'an in Shaanxi Province.
In the dead of night, a dozen or so men were ascending the rugged mountain range. One figure moved ahead of the rest, faster than anyone else. This shadow scaled the steep slopes with more speed than the other men, as if running on flat ground.
Tap!
The shadow came to a halt near the mountainside. Large boulders sat halfway up the slope, and a small hermitage was nestled atop them. As the figure moved through the thick brush toward the boulders, the light of the full moon revealed his face.
Standing six feet tall with sharp, piercing features, he was one of the Blood Cult’s Seven Blood Stars—the highest-ranking among them: First Blood Star, Thunder Blood Sword Jang Ryong.
As he approached the hermitage, a middle-aged monk stepped out from behind the building. The monk bowed his head in greeting.
“You have arrived? I am Unbaek, the one in charge of the An Family safe house here on Mount Baiyun.”
Jang Ryong walked past him, asking, “Where is she?”
“She is inside, performing energy circulation and breath control.”
Jang Ryong bit his lip at those words. He had trusted her stubbornness and her improved martial prowess enough to send her to Luochuan, Shaanxi, alone. He had never dreamed that a situation like this would occur.
“Is her condition serious?”
“She has improved significantly now.”
“Then I must see the Young Lady immediately.”
As Jang Ryong hurried toward the hermitage, the middle-aged monk—Unbaek—blocked his path. Jang Ryong frowned.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Please forgive my rudeness, First Blood Star. But it would be best not to disturb the Young Lady right now...”
“Disturb her?”
Seeing his confusion, Unbaek whispered, “It seems the Young Lady has attained some form of enlightenment.”
“Enlightenment?”
“Her energy surged and then erupted in a way that was quite extraordinary. I have been guarding the perimeter of the hermitage ever since I sent word to you.”
At that, Jang Ryong looked toward the building. He focused his energy sense, but he couldn't feel any presence coming from inside. Instead, it was eerily silent.
Just then, the door to the hermitage opened, and someone stepped out.
Hair as red as blood shimmered in the moonlight. With a scarlet glow in her eyes, she was one of the two candidates for the position of Cult Leader: Baek Hye-hyang.
‘...She’s changed.’
Jang Ryong froze for a moment. Not long ago, he had been able to sense Baek Hye-hyang’s presence to some degree. But now, it was difficult to detect her energy at all. Unless she actively projected it, it seemed he wouldn't even know she was there.
‘Has she progressed even further in such a short time?’
It was beyond impressive; her rate of growth was truly terrifying. The thought that she might actually surpass the previous Blood Demon made his heart swell with anticipation.
“Young Lady!”
Jang Ryong dropped to one knee to pay his respects.
“You arrived quickly.”
“How could I not hurry? More importantly, I congratulate you on your enlightenment.”
“I still have a long way to go. I’ve only just found the starting point for the Reverse Blood Great Achievement Art.”
“The Reverse Blood Great Achievement Art?”
Jang Ryong’s expression hardened. “Surely you don’t mean you’ve been circulating your energy in reverse?”
“I have. When I practiced the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Art through reverse blood circulation, a whole new world opened up to me.”
“It is dangerous, Young Lady,” Jang Ryong urged.
There was nothing more perilous than going against established energy circulation methods. It was a direct path to Qi Deviation.
“I’ve found the solution, so don't worry about it.”
“Young Lady!”
“More importantly, what happened with that matter? The fact that you’re here after visiting the Second Blood Star means that the situation has reached a conclusion one way or another.”
At her question, Jang Ryong let out a sigh and nodded slightly.
“So you succeeded in persuading him.”
“The First Venerable stepped in personally.”
“What?”
She couldn't hide her shock at the mention of the First Venerable. He had been in closed-door training for a long time.
“The First Venerable has come out of seclusion?”
“Yes. He has.”
Her face flushed with excitement. The First Venerable, known as the strongest warrior in the current Blood Cult, had finally broken his long seclusion. As the only one among them who approached the level of the Eight Great Masters and the Five Great Villains, his emergence meant he had surely achieved the results he sought.
“That is excellent news.”
“However, two problems have arisen.”
“Two?”
“One was already expected.”
“The Martial Alliance, I assume.”
Jang Ryong nodded at Baek Hye-hyang’s words. “The Martial Alliance has made a public declaration that they will launch a massive operation to wipe out the remnants of the Blood Cult.”
She gave a thin, cruel smile. “The dogs who lost Peerless Fortress are getting desperate. Is it finally time for the Sect Opening?”
She had been waiting for the stage to be set. The day the Blood Cult soared brilliantly once more would be the day of its rebirth. But before that, one task remained. They had to decide who would take the seat of the Cult Leader—the Blood Demon.
Baek Hye-hyang commanded Jang Ryong, “Issue the Blood Demon Order. Assemble all members of the Blood Cult.”
Jang Ryong hesitated, his lips twitching. She raised an eyebrow, looking at him with curiosity. In response, Jang Ryong pulled something from his robes.
It was a rolled-up piece of red paper with the character for 'Blood' (血) inscribed in black in the center.
“A Blood Demon Order?”
Baek Hye-hyang’s eyes turned cold. It was indeed a Blood Demon Order—a summons bearing the official seal that only the Cult Leader could issue.
“So that’s the second problem?”
“Young Lady Baek Ryeonha sent out a Blood Demon Order first.”
Having finished his report, Jang Ryong braced himself for her explosive rage. However, Baek Hye-hyang didn't erupt in anger. Instead, she suddenly burst into a fit of wild laughter.
“Kyahahaha!”
“Young Lady?”
After laughing for a long while, she stopped and said, “I thought she was just slow, but it seems our Ryeonha knows how to make a preemptive strike.”
“This is not something to be taken lightly.”
If things continued this way, Baek Ryeonha would be the one controlling the narrative. With the Blood Demon Sword in her possession and three of the four Venerables supporting her, she held both the legitimacy and the power.
Jang Ryong spoke with a serious face. “There is no need for you to respond to Young Lady Baek Ryeonha’s order. It would be better if we issued our own summons...”
“No. I should accept the invitation.”
“Pardon?”
“An opportunity has presented itself; I can't let it slip away.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Jang Ryong couldn't understand her reasoning. If Baek Ryeonha used the Blood Demon Sword to invoke the sect laws, their own legitimacy would be weakened. Even those who had sworn loyalty to Baek Hye-hyang might waver. The only way for her to become the Blood Demon in that situation would be through a bloodbath.
Baek Hye-hyang gave him a chilling smirk. “That isn't the true seal of the Blood Demon Order.”
“What do you mean?”
“Before that old man died, he told me. He said the Blood Demon Sword and the Cult Leader’s seal are one and the same.”
This was a fact even Jang Ryong hadn't known. He had only heard rumors that only the previous Second Venerable, who had served as the Cult Leader’s guard, knew the secret. Before his death, that man had been in charge of teaching both Baek Hye-hyang and Baek Ryeonha.
“The old man recognized me as the next Blood Demon instead of Ryeonha, who couldn't properly learn martial arts due to her illness. He told me the secret of the Blood Demon Sword.”
“Does that mean...?”
“It means that right now, Ryeonha doesn't have the real Blood Demon Sword.”
‘!!!’
*
The Star Tower of the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect.
This was the office of my father, Jin Seong-baek. I was currently using the thinnest brush I could find to draw a man’s face. It was a man with an ordinary appearance but a very strong, intense impression.
This was a portrait of the Golden-Eyed Man I had seen in the memories of the Namcheon Iron Sword through the power of the Heavenly Secret. I filled in one eye with black ink and left the other blank.
My father, Jin Seong-baek, asked, “Is this the man called Nameless?”
“Yes.”
I told my father everything I knew about the Golden-Eyed Man. Since it was difficult to explain what the Namcheon Iron Sword had shown me, I based my explanation on what I had heard from Zhuge Won-myeong, the strategist of the Martial Alliance, and Bukyeong Doseong.
“I can’t even be sure if this is his real face.”
He could have been wearing a human skin mask. However, for now, this was the only clue we had regarding his appearance.
After studying the portrait and stroking his chin, my father spoke. “If what you say is true, there is a high probability that he obtained a power similar to your eyes in the depths of Bongnim Valley.”
“...That is what I believe.”
“Hmm. In that case, this Golden-Eyed Man might be related to the extinct Maoshan Sect.”
“Pardon?”
“This is a story I heard from my grandfather, your great-grandfather. He said that Bongnim Valley was once considered a sacred site for the Maoshan Sect.”
“Ah!”
I had thought my father might know something, and I had ended up learning an unexpected fact. As the Namcheon Iron Sword had mentioned, the Maoshan Sect was a Taoist sect proficient in sorcery. They were so skilled that they were said to be able to move even the dead. Perhaps, as my father suggested, the Golden-Eyed Man was a member of that sect.
—Then what about the guy with two golden eyes? Is he the same?
I didn't know. That man had said the one with a single golden eye had imprisoned him. But unlike me and the man with one golden eye, he had two. It was impossible to guess the nature of their relationship.
“It’s a pity Bongnim Valley is submerged. We might have found more clues otherwise.”
I felt the same way. There had been numerous mechanism traps there. Based on those, we might have figured out what the Golden-Eyed Man was planning and the secret of these eyes, but now that it was flooded, there was no way.
“One thing is certain: he is plotting something.”
He had attacked the rising young experts who were expected to be the next Eight Great Masters and had wiped out the Kunlun Sect. He had even devised a bold and terrifying scheme to seize control of Peerless Fortress through a fake Tian Wuxing.
—If you hadn't regressed, your father would have been killed without a doubt.
True. They had even targeted my father, the Merciless Wind God. What was the Golden-Eyed Man’s true objective? Was it simply to throw the martial world into chaos?
“If he is indeed a descendant of the Maoshan Sect, he likely harbors a deep resentment toward the current martial world. After all, they were destroyed while assisting the Imperial Court in its persecution of martial artists.”
“That’s possible.”
As my father said, the motive was certainly there. No one would burn with more resentment toward the martial world than a descendant of the Maoshan Sect. However, there was one thing I didn't understand.
—What is it?
Their power was great enough to destroy the Kunlun Sect. Furthermore, although I had only heard about it, the Golden-Eyed Man’s martial prowess seemed to have reached the realm of superhumans, comparable to the Eight Great Masters or the Four Great Villains. Why move from the shadows instead of revealing himself openly?
—Now that you mention it, that is strange.
There was no way to know for now. But my next task was clear. There was a spy planted within the Blood Cult by the Golden-Eyed Man—by Nameless. I had to find them before they could act.
—It’s one of two people anyway.
Third Venerable Blood King Gu Je-yang or the Second Blood Star, Asura Road Yu Baek. One of them was the man known as the Blood Lord.
Just then, my father said to me, “Are you going back to the Blood Cult?”
He already knew some of the circumstances, as I had told him what Mu Ak said before he died. I nodded in response.
“Yes.”
“Do you not need your father’s help?”
“Didn't you say you need to root out the spies who might still be inside Peerless Fortress, Father?”
At my words, Jin Seong-baek placed a hand on my shoulder. “Even if Peerless Fortress is important, could it ever be more important than my only son?”
His words made the bridge of my nose tingle. I hadn't realized how good it would feel to have someone I could lean on. I gave him a bright smile.
“I am the Blood Demon, even if I don't look it. I don't think it would be good for you if my identity were revealed just yet.”
If I had completely seized control of the Blood Cult, it might be different, but it was still too early. It was better to keep my identity hidden for now to avoid giving the enemy or the Martial Alliance an excuse to attack. That was also why I hadn't shown my real face to anyone but my father.
“Are you worried your father might get cornered?”
“Of course not.”
He was one of the Eight Great Masters. Who would dare target him lightly? However, there were still many factions within Peerless Fortress that harbored hostility toward the Blood Cult. If they united against him, my father’s position would become difficult.
“I’m just worried your position might become compromised, Father.”
“That is not for you to worry about. This father and the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect will always be your support, so you just take care of yourself.”
“Father...”
—He really knows how to be touching.
The moment would have lasted longer if you’d just kept your mouth shut. Honestly, this Lesser Conversation Sword... You should try being quiet like the Namcheon Iron Sword for once.
—Quiet? He’s only quiet because he doesn't make sounds. Whenever he touches you, he’s practically beaming with joy.
...Is that so?
—Ahem. What are you talking about, Sodam?
I really need to get a thicker scabbard.
Then, my father pulled something from his robes. It was a token made of profound iron, with a unique eight-pronged engraving and the character for 'Wind' (風) in the center.
“What is this?”
“It is the token of the Sect Leader of the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect.”
“Why are you giving me this?”
“I’ve been meaning to give it to you. I haven't made a Young Sect Leader token yet, so you keep this for now. With that, you can contact and receive help from Peerless Fortress or any of its branches at any time.”
My father was trying to help me in any way he could. My heart felt full. I pulled the Flying Crane Moon Token from my robes and handed it to him.
“I believe Mother would want you to have this as well.”
As he looked at the jade token, my father’s eyes grew red. The memory of my mother seemed to still bring him pain. He gripped the token tightly and spoke in a thick voice.
“I see. I shall cherish it dearly.”
“Ah!”
The Flying Crane Moon Token reminded me of something.
“What is it?”
“May I ask one more favor?”
“Ask anything.”
“Could you look after my younger sister, Yeong-yeong?”
“Your sister?”
“She isn't your child, Father, but she is a precious sister to me. I’m afraid she might get into trouble because of me if she ever has to leave the Hengshan Sect.”
To be honest, I felt guilty asking this. Yeong-yeong was my mother’s daughter, but she wasn't my father’s.
My father gave a faint smile. “Woon-hwi.”
“Yes?”
“Don't worry. If she is Ryeong-a’s daughter, she is like a daughter to me as well. If that time comes, I will protect her.”
“Thank you.”
I was able to set one more worry aside. With my father guarding my back, I could focus on what lay ahead. My father stood up.
“You said you were going to see your maternal grandfather and that Moon Evil Sword fellow early tomorrow, right?”
“Ah... yes.”
I planned to introduce my father to my grandfather, settle things with Sama Chak, and then head to the Blood Cult. Was he telling me to rest since we were leaving early?
“The night isn't that long.”
My father opened the office door and gestured for me to follow. As I looked at him in confusion, he spoke.
“Before you are the Blood Demon, you are the Young Sect Leader of the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect.”
“Pardon?”
“Time is short, but I will pass down our family’s greatest technique to you: the Wind Shadow Eight Streams.”
‘The Wind Shadow Eight Streams!’
It was the very martial art that had earned Jin Seong-baek the title of the Wind God.