Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 75: Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds (3)

"The Blood Demon Sword?"

"What on earth does that mean?"

"Could that sword really be...?"

The upper deck of the transport ship erupted into a cacophony of voices. It was all because of the name Chamber Leader Hong Gu-ga had uttered: the Blood Demon Sword.

Among those of the martial world, how many could truly claim to be ignorant of that blade’s fame and infamy?

'How did this happen?'

Hong Gu-ga was utterly bewildered by the Blood Demon Sword blocking his path. It was all too sudden.

They were in the middle of the Yangtze River. Being surrounded by the Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds was bad enough, but the abrupt appearance of the Blood Demon Sword was more than enough to throw him into a state of total confusion.

'This is no time to dither.'

He was shocked, yes, but if he stayed here, he would be beaten to death by the pirates. After a moment's hesitation, Hong Gu-ga attempted to move past the sword.

However, as he tried to bypass it, the sword, which had been embedded in the deck, rose into the air and blocked him again.

"What?!"

Startled, Hong Gu-ga instinctively swung his Dog Beating Staff at the Blood Demon Sword as it hovered before him. In response, the sword traced a peculiar arc—as if being wielded by an invisible master—evading the staff and lunging toward his vital points.

'Damn it!'

Tap-tap-tap-tap!

Hong Gu-ga hurriedly deployed the Drunken Eight Immortals Step to dodge the strike.

'The sword is performing martial forms on its own... T-this is!'

"Sword Control Art!"

It was unmistakably the Sword Control Art.

The Blood Demon Sword had no intention of letting Hong Gu-ga escape. It flew toward him as he moved, tracing brilliant, lethal trajectories as if held in the hand of a peerless master. Since the flying sword was faster than he was on foot, Hong Gu-ga had no choice but to use his staff techniques to defend himself.

"The Sword Control Art!"

"Brother, am I really seeing what I think I'm seeing?"

"Ha!"

The three brothers of the Yangtze River Three Guests were equally stunned. This was the first time they had ever seen the Sword Control Art with their own eyes.

Though they had reached the Supreme Peak Realm and could lift objects using their vast internal energy, doing so required immense concentration. They couldn't even fathom the level of focus and internal power required to make a sword perform complex martial forms as if it were being gripped by a physical hand.

"G-Grandfather!"

Hong Geol-gae, who had been about to leap into the river, cried out.

Distracted by the relentless assault of the sword, Hong Gu-ga shouted back, "I told you to jump!"

His only thought was to at least save his grandson. Biting his lip in hesitation, Hong Geol-gae prepared to throw himself off the deck.

But the pirates weren't about to let him go.

"Where do you think you're going!"

As three pirates blocked his path, Hong Geol-gae unleashed the Descending Dragon Eighteen Palms and roared, "Out of my way!"

He thrust his palms forward in the Twin Dragons Drawing Water form, the energy surging like a pair of howling dragons. However, his palm technique was intercepted.

Slash!

"Ugh!"

It was the muscled middle-aged man among the Yangtze River Three Guests, the one wielding a hook-shaped saber. Hong Geol-gae was forced to retreat hastily to avoid the strike. A second later, and those hooks would have caught him and torn his arms off.

"Who said you could leave?"

'Curse it!'

Hong Geol-gae was in a desperate bind. Even though he had mastered the Descending Dragon Eighteen Palms—hailed as one of the greatest palm techniques of the Orthodox faction—his opponent was a master of the Supreme Peak Realm. The essence of the Descending Dragon Eighteen Palms relied on external martial arts and powerful internal energy; if his internal power was inferior to his opponent's, the technique's true might could never be realized.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

'Kuh!'

After clashing for only three exchanges, Hong Geol-gae felt his internals churn from the disparity in their power. The hook-shaped weapon followed a trajectory entirely different from standard arms, making it incredibly difficult to counter. For someone as inexperienced as him, there was no way to overcome it.

"Just a fledgling. Hahaha!"

Taking advantage of a lapse in Hong Geol-gae's guard, the middle-aged man hooked the saber around the boy's neck, pinning him in place.

"Ah!"

"Stay still."

The man neutralized Hong Geol-gae in an instant.

Seeing his grandson captured, Hong Gu-ga cried out in a panic, "Let the boy go!"

If not for the Blood Demon Sword hounding him, he would have charged over immediately.

Gal Yong, the leader of the Yangtze River Three Guests, spoke to him. "Hmph! Before that, explain why you were trying to run away!"

If he’d had a moment to think of an excuse, he would have said something. But the Blood Demon Sword left him no room to breathe. The True Qi infused in the sword was weaker than his own, so he could manage to defend, but its movements were more fluid and unpredictable than when a person held it.

'This is going to end in disaster.'

Hong Gu-ga was genuinely agonized. If he continued to struggle against the Blood Demon Sword, he would eventually fall to either the blade or the pirates. With his grandson captured, the situation was utterly hopeless.

'They say even a field of dog dung in this world is better than the afterlife.'

The thought of his grandson began to fade from his mind. He justified it to himself: he had to survive to seek revenge later. Finally, he resolved to escape alone.

It was at that exact moment.

Whoosh!

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the Blood Demon Sword shot high into the sky and vanished.

'Then...'

Hong Gu-ga looked up toward the mast. It was the middle of the night, and without any lights, he couldn't see anything up there.

Suddenly, he felt something sharp. Before he knew it, the razor-sharp claws of Hall Master Gal Yong were touching his throat.

'When did he...?'

At first, he thought Gal Yong had approached him silently. But as he looked around, he realized the truth. He had unknowingly moved closer to them.

Gal Yong glared at Hong Gu-ga with murderous eyes and spoke. "Old beggar. What was that about a martial artist being inside the cargo crates?"

Hong Gu-ga broke into a cold sweat and swallowed hard, feeling the sharp nails against his skin. They were aimed too precisely for him to dodge or parry.

"...Hall Master. Do you really believe those words?"

"I find them more trustworthy than you."

Hong Gu-ga steadied his breathing. A single slip of the tongue here would cost him his life.

"Someone who might be the Blood Demon has infiltrated this ship and is trying to drive a wedge between the Hall Master and this old man. If those words aren't true, the Hall Master will incur the wrath of my sect and the Martial Alliance over a mere misunderstanding."

"Do you think I fear the likes of the Martial Alliance?"

"I'm not saying you should fear them. No matter how much the Hall Master and his heroes dominate the Yangtze, the Alliance's strength is several times yours. If they decide to focus all their power on subjugating the Waterway Strongholds, you'll be fighting a war every single day. Do you think it'll be easy to make a living then?"

Gal Yong's expression shifted slightly at Hong Gu-ga's words. It wasn't entirely without logic. If the Martial Alliance concentrated its full might on them, things would indeed become very tiresome.

Sensing this hesitation, Hong Gu-ga spoke persuasively. "...Let us go. If you do, I will forfeit the cargo on this ship."

It was his last resort. Wealth was the only thing that could appease the pirates' wrath.

Upon hearing Chamber Leader Hong Gu-ga's words, Ho Jin-gak, the merchant leader who had been watching the situation in trembling silence, cried out in shock.

"Chamber Leader Hong! What are you saying? Two of our ships have been destroyed; this is all the cargo we have left! If we lose this too..."

"Listen, Jin-gak. We have to survive first."

"Chamber Leader, this is what my father spent his entire life building! If we lose everything, how is our merchant group supposed to recover? We even risked our lives to provide support because of your friendship with the Alliance Leader, so how could you...?"

"Shut up!"

Hong Gu-ga snapped at him. It was maddening. He was trying to smooth things over to save their lives, but the merchant leader had unexpectedly brought up the Alliance Leader. He had cut him off before he could say more, but the damage was done.

Hong Gu-ga forced a smile and said, "Hall Master. The lad is still young and overly attached to his wealth, so don't take it too..."

Thuck!

"Ack!"

Before he could finish, sharp claws dug into his neck. Chamber Leader Hong Gu-ga's face turned deathly pale in an instant. Only a fraction of the claws had entered, but if he moved even slightly, he would die.

"H-Hall Master..."

"Stay still, old beggar. Hey, you."

Gal Yong looked at Ho Jin-gak and called out to him. Then he asked, "What did the Martial Alliance ask of you? Tell me, and I'll let you go without touching a single thing on this ship."

Ho Jin-gak's eyes trembled at Gal Yong's words. It was clear he was conflicted. To keep his loyalty would mean losing everything the merchant group owned.

Then, a voice reached his ears via Sound Transmission.

[Why do you care about the opinion of a man who would squander your group's wealth just to save his own skin?]

The voice sounded as if it were coming from all directions—the Six Harmonies Complete.

Ho Jin-gak's internal conflict intensified. As the voice said, the one who had betrayed them first was the Chamber Leader of the Beggar's Sect. Come to think of it, if they hadn't helped these people, his two older brothers on the lead ships wouldn't have lost their lives.

Grit!

Unable to contain his rage, Ho Jin-gak finally exposed the truth.

"Listen, Hall Master. At the request of the Martial Alliance, our merchant group pretended there were four transport ships. I was asked to keep silent about the fact that martial artists from the Alliance are hidden inside the cargo crates of the last ship."

"Y-you!"

Hong Gu-ga's eyes widened. He hadn't expected the man to actually reveal the truth.

"And you still hoped to live after this?"

"H-Hall Master... this is..."

"Shut up!"

Gal Yong barked in a voice thick with killing intent and tightened his grip.

Squeltch!

"Gah!"

His claws completely pierced Hong Gu-ga's throat. Still unsatisfied, Gal Yong applied more strength and ripped Hong Gu-ga's throat out entirely.

It was a pathetic end for the leader of the Beggar's Sect, one of the Great Nine Sects and One Union.

"Brother, what about this one?"

His younger brother, Gal Ho, who was holding Hong Geol-gae, asked.

Gal Yong replied coldly, "Kill him."

At those words, Hong Geol-gae turned pale and pleaded, "P-please spare me! If you save my life, I'll give you anything you want..."

"What could a beggar brat possibly have to give?"

Slash!

"Keck!"

Gal Ho spun the hook-saber around the boy's neck. Hong Geol-gae's throat was torn open; he made a few pained, choking sounds before his head slumped forward.

Thus, the Chamber Leader and the Successor of the Beggar's Sect lost their lives on the same day, at the same hour.

The escort leaders and guards on the ship averted their eyes, unable to bear the sight of their deaths.

Merchant Leader Ho Jin-gak spoke up courageously. "K-keep your promise."

At his words, Gal Yong began to laugh like a madman.

"Khahahaha!"

The ominous laughter filled Ho Jin-gak and everyone else on the ship with dread. After laughing for a long while, Gal Yong spoke.

"I should keep my promise. But now that I think about it, didn't you lot also lend a hand in the Alliance's plot to strike us?"

The faces of Ho Jin-gak and the others stiffened. They couldn't argue, as it was the truth. However, unable to accept death like this, one of the escort leaders stepped forward.

"B-but didn't you make a promise? You are the Hall Master, the leader of the heroes of the Yangtze. Are you going to go back on your word?"

"I won't go back on it. I said I would let this ship go safely, but I never promised I wouldn't kill you lot."

"!?"

It was absurd. But as he said, he had never made such a promise. He had only said he would let the ship go without touching the cargo.

'Ah... I was a fool. To think I trusted the word of a pirate.'

Ho Jin-gak finally lamented his own stupidity. He even thought it would have been better to just give up the wealth and save their lives.

Right then, a voice echoed from all directions.

—Hall Master.

It was the same Six Harmonies Complete transmission from before. Gal Yong, who had momentarily forgotten the presence in his rage, looked up and shouted.

"Thanks to you, we avoided being stabbed in the back by the Alliance. Now, show yourself."

The direction the Blood Demon Sword had flown was definitely upward. Gal Yong was certain 'he' was atop the mast.

Then, the voice echoed again.

—Hall Master. Release them.

The eyes of the guards and sailors on the transport ship widened. If that was indeed the owner of the sword, it had to be the person they were thinking of. One of the Five Great Villains, whose fame had recently soared. And that man was telling Hall Master Gal Yong to let them go.

Gal Yong frowned and shouted, "Listen here. It's true we received your help, but these people are guilty of conspiring with the Martial Alliance. Do not interfere too deeply in our business."

—Did you not make a promise with your own mouth?

"What promise? I never promised not to kill these—"

—You said you wouldn't touch anything on the ship. If you don't touch them, how do you plan to kill them?

Gal Yong was left speechless. He hadn't expected the man to twist his words like this. But he couldn't really complain, as he himself had just been mocking the merchant leader and guards with wordplay.

Then, Gal Ho, the second of the Yangtze River Three Guests, shouted, "As the leader of the Blood Cult, you are a fellow traveler on the same path as us. Why are you insisting we release them?"

—You lack class.

"What?"

—If you lack the class to keep even the words you speak, then there was no point in me coming here.

The expressions of the three brothers turned grim. Regardless of how the Blood Cult Leader had ended up on this ship, it meant his target was them.

Hall Master Gal Yong spoke with a hardened face. "So, you came for us."

—Indeed.

"I thought this was just a chance encounter, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but this is unexpected. Then, may I ask for what reason you sought us out?"

What could the Blood Cult Leader's goal be? Gal Yong had one suspicion.

'It's obvious. He wants us to join forces.'

The Blood Cult was not the Blood Cult of the past. To face the current Martial Alliance, they would need the cooperation of a force like theirs, which ranked among the top three in the Evil Faction.

However, an unexpected voice rang out.

—The Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds shall submit to me.

"!!!"

In an instant, Gal Yong, his brothers, and all the pirates were dumbfounded. No one had expected such arrogant words.

His face contorted in rage, Gal Yong raised his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠voice. "What did you just—"

It happened right then.

Before Gal Yong could finish his sentence, a sword flew through the air, circling the transport ship and severing all the ropes that were holding it in place. The ship lurched, beginning to move with the current once more.

"Damn it!"

Gal Yong tried to shout for his men to throw the ropes again and secure the ship.

At that moment, someone dropped down in front of him.

BOOM!

The center of the deck buckled downward, and the entire vessel shook ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so violently that everyone lost their balance and stumbled. The only ones who remained steady were the three brothers of the Yangtze River Three Guests.

'What incredible internal power.'

'...He is definitely a master who has broken through the wall.'

They had suspected as much since seeing the Sword Control Art, but the sheer force of his arrival drew involuntary gasps of admiration.

Gal Yong's gaze turned toward the figure who had landed on the ship.

He saw a being wearing an Evil ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ghost Mask.

The Blood Demon Sword floated around him like a guardian warrior.

From behind the mask, a heavy, distorted voice rang out.

"Submit to me."