Chapter 95: The Majesty of the Blood Demon (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 95: The Majesty of the Blood Demon (3)
‘Ah!’
They say humans find enlightenment when facing death.
Without needing help from me or the Blood Demon Sword, Baek Hye-hyang regained her senses and began circulating the energy within her body, clearing all her blocked meridians on her own.
Everyone watched in awe as her aura began to surge.
“Brother Hae, this is…”
“She’s breaking through the wall.”
On the boundary between life and death, she was surpassing her own limits.
A red haze billowed from Baek Hye-hyang’s spirit, which had once lost even its primordial essence, creating a whirlwind of energy. This was the phenomenon that occurred as the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Art reached the eighth stage.
The shock of the onlookers lasted only a moment.
Soon, the soaring energy of the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Art was reined in, and her aura stabilized. Not long after she achieved this balance, she opened her eyes.
Her pale face had regained its vitality.
“Congratulations, Vice Cult Leader!”
“Congratulations!”
At the Second Venerable Raging Demon Lord Seo Gal-ma’s congratulatory shout, everyone repeated the sentiment in unison.
Truly, one never knows how things will turn out. To think that she, who had been on the verge of death, would be revived like this and step into the Realm of Superhumans—a feat achieved only by the greatest masters of the martial world.
Baek Hye-hyang looked up at me. Then, in her characteristically snide and playful voice, she spoke.
“I was just about to get some rest, but you dragged me back by force.”
“We still have a long way to go. I can’t let you rest yet,” I replied, matching her banter.
Baek Hye-hyang’s lips curled into a smirk. Everyone’s faces brightened, clearly overjoyed by her miraculous recovery.
My master, Hae Ak-cheon, laughed and said, “Kukuku! There has never been a more auspicious day than today.”
“Brother Hae is right. Hahaha. This old man no longer has any regrets,” Seo Gal-ma added.
At the words of the two Venerables, Baek Hye-hyang snorted.
“It’s too early for that. Don’t even dream of retiring until you’ve brought the Martial Alliance to its knees before our Cult.”
“Brother Seo might be different, but this old man will keep his post until the children of the Cult Leader and Vice Cult Leader are fully grown, so do not worry. Kukuku.”
“Third Venerable…”
I couldn't hide my embarrassment at Master Hae Ak-cheon’s words. What was he talking about, bringing up children out of nowhere?
While I was attracted to Baek Hye-hyang, I already had a fiancée, Sama Yeong. Furthermore, Baek Hye-hyang seemed more suited to achieving great ambitions like this than being tied down to me. The term 'heroine' suited her better than anyone else.
“The Vice Cult Leader has much to do. Please don't say such things, even as a joke…”
“Unhwi.”
She cut me off. She called me by my name, not my title as Cult Leader.
As I looked at her in confusion, she stood up and spoke.
“Do you know what I regretted most when I thought I was dying?”
“That…”
Suddenly, Baek Hye-hyang lunged forward, wrapping her arms around my neck as if to kiss me. Earlier, I had let her have her way because she was on the brink of death and I had a moment of weakness, but not now.
With lightning speed, I covered her mouth with my hand.
“Mmph!”
“With so many eyes watching, have you no shame?”
At my words, Baek Hye-hyang roughly brushed my hand away and licked her lips.
“How shy.”
‘Ha!’
Now that she was conscious, she was right back to her old self. She was a woman who did as she pleased and had a very strong will. She didn't care in the slightest about the gaze of others, even with the Revered Stars watching.
“Kukuku. To be young is a fine thing.”
Master, this isn't something to just laugh off.
Then again, Master had always wanted me to be with either Baek Hye-hyang or Baek Ryeonha to strengthen the Baek family bloodline. He had only kept his mouth shut after I became involved with Sama Yeong, the daughter of Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak.
Baek Hye-hyang, still licking her lips, said to me, “There was exactly one thing I regretted before I died. Not having you, Jin Un-hwi.”
For a moment, I was speechless. She was openly revealing her feelings for me. I was attracted to her as well, but since I had already decided to be with Sama Yeong, this was as far as we could go.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but we…”
“Stop right there.”
“...You really have no filter when speaking to the Cult Leader.”
Baek Hye-hyang was the only person who could treat me like this even after I became the Cult Leader. She looked me straight in the eye and spoke.
“Throw away excuses like fiancées or the Moon Evil Sword and just tell me this.”
“What?”
“Are you attracted to me?”
I was stunned by her blunt question. Usually, I was someone who could lie instantly without a second thought. I could have just said no, but looking into her eyes, the words wouldn't come out easily.
The Lesser Conversation Sword snickered.
Indeed. It felt ridiculous to lie. When I thought Baek Hye-hyang might die, my heart had ached as if it were being torn apart. From the first time I saw her to the hardships we shared in Peerless Fortress, many memories had flashed through my mind.
In that moment, I knew for certain. I was attracted to this woman just as much as I was to Sama Yeong.
“Don’t think about deceiving me. I can tell just by looking at your eyes.”
“.........”
She was truly a woman who only knew how to move forward. Looking at her as she waited for an answer, I let out a long sigh and nodded.
“I am attracted to you. But…”
“That’s enough. That answer is plenty.”
“What?”
The words after the 'but' were more important; what did she mean it was enough? Baek Hye-hyang spoke to me in a voice so excited her lips were twitching.
“Whether I split you in half or share a bed with that girl, that’s a problem between her and me, so you stay out of it.”
“!?”
What did I just hear? Split me in half?
Suddenly, my head began to throb. As I stood there bewildered, my master, Hae Ak-cheon, slapped my shoulder and laughed boisterously as if he found the whole thing hilarious.
“Bwahahahaha!”
...I guess it’s easy to laugh when it’s not your problem.
At any rate, now that Baek Hye-hyang was revived, I had to deal with the remaining Orthodox members of the Martial Alliance branch. Since they had entered Spirit Mountain, the sacred ground of our Cult, they had to be punished.
Aside from those who had climbed this mountain range, battles were also raging on the opposite peaks. Since there were no masters of the Revered Star level there, the situation would be less favorable than here.
“Revered Stars, go to the opposite mountain range and support the Cult members.”
At my command, Master bared his yellow teeth and grinned.
“You don't need to worry about that side, Cult Leader.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“He might not be used to using his left hand yet, but our Cult’s greatest master is over there.”
“!!!”
Could it be?
A chill ran down my spine. After hearing the news from Jo Seong-won, I had assumed 'he' was dead.
Sring!
I unsheathed the Lesser Conversation Sword and threw it toward the opposite mountain range. Rather than going there myself, I intended to check the situation through the sword’s vision.
Not long after it flew off, the vision seen by the Lesser Conversation Sword was shared with my mind.
There, an entirely unexpected figure was leading the Cult members and fighting the Orthodox warriors, swinging a sword with his left hand.
‘Ah!’
Seeing him alive made my heart swell with heat.
*
Northern Guangxi Province.
Between Yongfu and Yangshan, the main army of the Martial Alliance, numbering eight thousand, was marching south.
As the rear guard, they had marched for two days without rest to join the vanguard as quickly as possible. At this pace, they would reach Spirit Mountain in about three days.
However, the faces of the various elders, including Third Strategist Baek Wi-hyang who led them, were filled with anticipation.
It was only natural, as they believed the war would be nearly over by the time they arrived.
The vanguard included the Martial Alliance Leader, Merciless Blade Jeong Cheon. He was a peerless master counted among the top five of all superhumans.
On the other hand, the Blood Cult’s greatest master, First Venerable Blood Breaking Sword Emperor Dan Wi-gang, had been killed by Killing Fiend Jue Xin, and the Blood Cult Leader’s fate was uncertain.
Victory seemed guaranteed.
“We marched down here with such intensity, but won't the war be over by the time we arrive?”
At the words of Go Jin, the leader of the Buyang Clan—the largest sect in Anhui Province—the leaders of other sects nodded in agreement. The battle had likely begun yesterday or today. Since it was a war between martial artists and not a clash of formal armies, they didn't think it would take very long.
“It is a pity. I thought I would finally soak this saber in the blood of those Blood Cultists for the first time in twenty years, but it seems I’ll only be cleaning up the small fry.”
“Well, isn't it a good thing to reduce the casualties of the rear guard?”
“Hahaha. That is true.”
The vanguard consisted of the core strength of the Martial Alliance. If the war could be ended without damaging that strength, it would be a great achievement. Furthermore, it would provide the justification needed to push aside the Deputy Alliance Leader and the existing officials who had opposed this war.
However, not everyone was swept up in the excitement.
“Do not be careless. Our opponent is the Blood Cult. One never knows what variables might arise.”
“Ho. Great Hero Jo.”
The speaker was Hengshan’s First Sword, Jo Cheong-un, who participated as the representative of the Hengshan Sect. Among the masters of the rear guard, his martial prowess was considered top-tier.
Several officials couldn't hide their displeasure at his words, which dampened the festive mood.
In response, Third Strategist Baek Wi-hyang, who led the force, spoke in a triumphant voice.
“Great Hero Jo is right. However, do you think this Baek and the Alliance Leader would have devised such a clumsy strategy? By now, a messenger announcing victory should be arriving.”
“Strategist Baek has a point. Was he not meticulous enough to plan the strategy while deceiving even us? Let us trust the Alliance Leader and Strategist Baek for this subjugation war.”
Peng Sa-yong, the 6th Elder of the Martial Alliance and head of the Hebei Peng Family, added his support. At his words, Third Strategist Baek Wi-hyang squared his shoulders.
Hengshan’s First Sword Jo Cheong-un let out a sigh and asked, “Strategist. What if, by some chance, the Blood Cult’s forces have vacated Spirit Mountain?”
“That will not happen.”
“But did you not see all the carrier pigeons sent by the Beggar's Sect? They said Shaolin’s 108 Arhat Formation was crushed by the Blood Demon.”
At Jo Cheong-un’s words, Woo Bok-chang, the leader of the Paejeol Gate, laughed and said, “Come now, Great Hero Jo, do you really believe that? That Shaolin’s 108 Arhat Formation was collapsed by a single stomp of something called the Blood Demon Subjugation Step?”
Go Jin, the leader of the Buyang Clan, picked up the thread.
“Even if the current Alliance Leader stepped forward, that would be impossible. I cannot understand why the Beggar's Sect would send such absurd information.”
Everyone nodded at those words. When they first heard the news, they were more dumbfounded than surprised. It was simply too unrealistic. If they had said the formation collapsed after dozens of moves, it might have been believable, but this made no sense.
“Are you not being too distrustful of the information?”
Eon Gwang-woon, the head of the Jinju Eon Family, who had been listening quietly, chimed in. He also thought the information from the Beggar's Sect was exaggerated, but he judged that if they sent such a message, the person must have shown martial prowess equivalent to it.
To this, Third Strategist Baek Wi-hyang smirked and said, “It is a ploy by the Blood Cult. In their current state, they lack the strength to wage a full-scale war. Naturally, they would try to scatter our forces.”
Jo Cheong-un frowned and asked, “Then are you saying the person who infiltrated Shaolin Temple was not the Blood Cult Leader?”
“That is my judgment. We have confirmed several times through spies sent as physicians that the Blood Cult Leader is in critical condition from the wound inflicted by the Calamity Slaughter Sword. For such a man to appear at Shaolin? It is preposter—”
It was at that moment.
Someone pointed ahead and shouted, “Strategist! Look over there!”
In the distance, someone could be seen running toward them using lightness skills. As the figure drew closer, they could see a small signal flag tucked into his back; he was wearing the uniform of the Martial Alliance, appearing to be a messenger.
Everyone was puzzled. Strategist Baek Wi-hyang raised his hand to halt the march.
“See? Did I not tell you? A messenger of victory is arriving.”
“Hahaha. It seems Great Hero Jo’s worries were for naught.”
They firmly believed the messenger had arrived to announce their triumph. However, as the messenger drew closer, everyone couldn't help but scowl at his appearance.
‘What is this?’
The messenger’s clothes were completely drenched in blood. Sensing something was wrong, Strategist Baek Wi-hyang asked, “What on earth happened?”
The messenger caught his breath and spoke.
“Strategist! The Alliance Leader has passed away!”
“!!!”
The report was so unexpected that everyone was struck with bewilderment.
“The Alliance Leader is dead?”
“What in the world…”
Most of them, with a few exceptions, had been certain of the vanguard’s victory. Yet, news of the Alliance Leader’s death had arrived like a bolt from the blue.
Strategist Baek Wi-hyang, his face flushing with agitation, dismounted and approached the messenger, demanding, “What nonsense is this! Who could possibly harm the Alliance Leader!”
“It was the Blood Demon. The Alliance Leader and the top masters of the branch were slaughtered by the Blood Demon.”
“That’s impossible.”
The shock was so great that Baek Wi-hyang’s legs lost their strength, and he stumbled. He had been certain of victory in this war. They had overwhelming numbers, and the Alliance Leader, Merciless Blade Jeong Cheon—who was no exaggeration to call one of the greatest masters—had led the vanguard himself.
Stumbling, Strategist Baek Wi-hyang denied reality.
“That cannot be. That would mean the Blood Demon’s prowess surpasses the Alliance Leader’s. How could such a thing be possible? You must have mistaken—”
At that moment, the messenger pulled a bundle from his back. It was a red, soggy bundle.
“This?”
“I brought this because I thought you might not believe me.”
“What did you bring?”
“It is the head of Alliance Leader Merciless Blade Jeong Cheon.”
“What?”
As the messenger unwrapped the bundle, a severed head with bulging eyes and a lolling tongue was revealed.
At this sight, every sect leader and official at the front of the Martial Alliance was struck with horror. Who could have imagined they would see Jeong Cheon’s head right before their eyes?
“The... Alliance Leader...”
Strategist Baek Wi-hyang was in a state of total chaos. Amidst the confusion, a doubt flickered in his mind.
‘How did this man get the Alliance Leader’s head?’
He looked up from the head to the messenger’s face. For a messenger who had supposedly escaped a carnage to report the situation, his face was too clean, without a single scratch. It stood in stark contrast to his blood-soaked clothes.
Shiver!
In that instant, goosebumps erupted all over Baek Wi-hyang’s body.
‘This man... right now?’
As if enjoying his reaction, the messenger’s eyes were crinkled in a smile.
Sring!
Without time to think, Baek Wi-hyang trusted his instincts, drew his sword, and aimed for the messenger’s throat.
However, before the sword could reach the neck, it was caught between the messenger’s index and middle fingers.
Clang!
‘What?!’
It was utterly baffling. For a mere messenger to catch his sword like that.
“You... who are you?”
At his question, the messenger’s lips curled upward as he spoke.
“The one who cut off that head, I suppose?”
“!!!”