Chapter 96: The Greatest Demon of All Time (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 96: The Greatest Demon of All Time (2)
“The Blood Demon Subjugation Step!”
The words uttered by Eon Gwang-woon, the head of the Jinju Eon Family, spread through the crowd like a crashing wave.
The sight of hundreds of fallen men had thrown them into utter chaos. Who could have imagined that so many people would be incapacitated by a single stomp?
“Is... is it true?”
“That he destroyed the 108 Arhat Formation...?”
Ho.
It seemed Jo Seong-won had done his job well, seeing as those rumors had already reached their ears.
Even Jo Cheong-un, the First Sword of Hengshan, who looked as though he would never break, was visibly shaken. He must have realized that their numerical advantage was now meaningless.
Indeed. There is no better technique for exerting pure pressure on an opponent. However, knocking out hundreds of people like this consumes a massive amount of Innate True Qi. It isn't efficient to use repeatedly, so I have to press the advantage while the enemy is still reeling in confusion.
I infused my voice with internal power and shouted.
“I will give you one last chance. I consider it meaningless to spill blood needlessly over the conflict between the Orthodox and Evil factions. If you leave now, I will spare your lives.”
This proposal was far more effective than the previous one. Even if the leaders of the various sects and clans—the high-ranking officials of the Martial Alliance—remained stubborn, the wavering of the common warriors was plain to see. When the foundation shakes, it is only natural for the tremors to reach the top.
“Do not be deceived! This is a cunning trick to shake our Alliance!”
“It is mere bravado! He is only human. No matter how vast his internal energy, after taking down so many people...”
Thump!
Before he could even finish his sentence, I stomped the ground once more.
Thud! Thud!
Once again, nearly a hundred warriors of the Martial Alliance collapsed, their eyes rolling back as they lost consciousness.
I let out a smirk and spoke.
“And what about it?”
“...This is madness.”
To those watching, this must have been a nightmare. Hundreds of men were falling helpless to a single step.
I have to make it clear.
I’ve spent nearly half of my Innate True Qi, but I need to show them this much. One look at their reactions tells the whole story.
With nearly a thousand men unconscious after just two steps, even the officials who had been trying to rally the Alliance's morale stood frozen, mouths agape. Even the rigid Jo Cheong-un looked grave, hesitating over how to handle this catastrophe.
The Lesser Conversation Sword was right. No matter how much sacrifice a leader demands, there must be a result to justify it. They were truly caught between a rock and a hard place.
If they retreated now, they could prevent further useless deaths, but it would mean the Martial Alliance's force of eight thousand had been defeated by a single man—the Blood Demon.
What choice would they make?
Jo Cheong-un grit his teeth before finally shouting.
“How can we trust your word?”
With those words, his choice became clear. He was swallowing his pride to choose the path that minimized further casualties.
“Do you think the one holding the blade has anything to lose?”
At my arrogant reply, Jo Cheong-un glared at me with sharp eyes. But soon, he let out a long, heavy sigh.
“I shall trust that you will keep your word, as befits your reputation.”
“Great Hero Jo!”
“Are you truly suggesting we follow the Blood Demon’s words?”
“This cannot be!”
Naturally, the other officials protested vehemently. Those protesting were likely terrified of the political fallout of such a retreat. It was foolish of them to choose their own honor over the lives of so many.
Jo Cheong-un spoke to them, his voice laced with frustration.
“...Why do you think the Blood Demon came here alone? Beyond his overwhelming power, there is something else at play. We must withdraw for now.”
That wasn't my intention, but it seemed he assumed I had some hidden scheme. Well, as long as they leave, my goal is achieved.
“Great Hero Jo. The honor of our Alliance is at stake here.”
Even Eon Gwang-woon of the Jinju Eon Family stepped forward to oppose him.
“He is right. We cannot retreat.”
“If we withdraw like this, we will lose the trust of all our brothers in the martial world who follow the Alliance.”
Faced with their strong opposition, Jo Cheong-un snapped at them.
“Is it better to sacrifice half of our main force only to suffer a total defeat?”
“......”
At his words, the officials could no longer open their mouths. He had pointed out that if everyone here died, the blow to the Alliance would be far greater than any retreat. Jo Cheong-un was the only one judging the situation coldly.
It was then that someone was seen galloping toward them from the rear of the Martial Alliance's formation.
A messenger?
It was indeed a messenger from the Martial Alliance. Jo Cheong-un and the other officials couldn't hide their confusion at his sudden appearance. The messenger, who had ridden ahead of the Alliance's main reinforcements, was struck with horror when he saw the hundreds of fallen warriors and me.
“Gasp!”
He immediately looked for someone. He seemed to be searching for the Alliance Leader, but that man was already dead.
Perhaps Jo Cheong-un had sent a secret message, as the messenger quickly approached him. Conscious of me, the enemy, he hurriedly whispered something via Sound Transmission.
“What?”
Jo Cheong-un’s face twisted in shock. He immediately approached the other officials and relayed the news to them one by one through Sound Transmission.
Seeing them all look so serious made me curious.
That’s a good idea.
I lightly flicked my finger.
Snap!
Suddenly, one of the officials who had been conversing via Sound Transmission blurted out his words.
“Why is Peerless Fortress heading toward our headquarters...?”
“Sect Leader Gwa!”
“Gah!”
The startled officials scolded him, and the man quickly covered his mouth, but it was too late. I had already heard it. The man named Sect Leader Gwa, who had accidentally leaked the secret due to the influence of the Transformation Eye Scripture, was being glared at as if he were a traitor, but that was none of my concern.
If Peerless Fortress was on the move, it was undoubtedly my father, the Merciless Wind God Jin Seong-baek.
Ha!
He must have moved to help me. I had already resolved the situation, but since he didn't know that, he must have set out after hearing that the Blood Cult was in danger.
For the Martial Alliance, this must be a bolt from the blue. With half of their strength away, Peerless Fortress—a neutral power—was suddenly marching south.
I smiled thinly and spoke.
“The current Martial Alliance seems to have many enemies.”
“Urgh!”
The Alliance officials groaned at my provocation. Not only was retreating humiliating enough, but they now had to rush back to check the advance of Peerless Fortress.
Jo Cheong-un quickly raised his hand and commanded the warriors.
“We return to headquarters immediately!”
“Understood!!!”
As soon as the order was given, the warriors began gathering their unconscious comrades to prepare for the withdrawal.
“Wait.”
“...?”
“Take this with you.”
As they prepared to retreat in an orderly fashion, I used Void Object Retrieval to levitate something and sent it slowly toward the Alliance officials.
It was none other than the head of the Alliance Leader, Merciless Blade Jeong Cheon.
Those who received it were overcome with shock and bewilderment.
“This is...”
The head of an enemy commander was usually kept as a trophy. Furthermore, since they were the ones who had invaded, they would have had no grounds for complaint even if I had desecrated the remains. Yet, I had returned it without a word.
“Though he was an enemy, I cannot dishonor a hero of the Orthodox faction. Take him back to his family and ensure the Martial Alliance holds a respectful funeral.”
At my words, the Alliance officials let out collective sighs of admiration and shame. It must have been humiliating for them to see that I, the leader of the Blood Cult whom they branded as evil, possessed more dignity than they did.
Sharing that sentiment, Jo Cheong-un shook his head slowly and muttered.
“...This is a humiliation for the entire Orthodox world.”
*
The southernmost tip of Shaanxi Province.
Near Pingli County, which could be considered the border of Hubei Province, a force of ten thousand from Peerless Fortress stood in a standoff against the Sichuan and Henan branch forces of the Martial Alliance.
The Alliance's branch forces, which had been hastily scraped together, numbered only three thousand. Peerless Fortress could have broken through them at any time, but they had maintained the standoff for five days.
For the Martial Alliance's side, it was a nerve-wracking and suffocating situation.
At the front of the Peerless Fortress line stood a man with his hands behind his back, observing the battlefield. It was the Sect Leader of the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect, the Merciless Wind God Jin Seong-baek.
Standing beside him was Ha Seong-un, the Sect Leader of the Flying Moon Hero Sect and his father-in-law.
“Will just standing here in a standoff really help the boy?”
“At the very least, it will prevent the Martial Alliance from committing their full strength to the Blood Cult.”
“We can only hope that Woon-hwi has safely reached the cult by now.”
Though they were at Peerless Fortress, they had been closely watching the movements of their grandson and son, Jin Un-hwi.
Then, Jin Un-hwi had suddenly vanished. They had been anxious for seven months after losing contact with him. They had even visited his sister, So Yeong-yeong, to ask about his whereabouts, but even she didn't know. The only thing they could learn was that the current Blood Cult Leader was actually a Vice Cult Leader acting as Woon-hwi’s proxy.
It was during this time that Jin Seong-baek received intelligence that the Martial Alliance was launching a massive subjugation campaign against the Blood Cult. He had agonized over whether to simply watch.
But then, news arrived that the Blood Demon had appeared at the Shaolin Temple.
Upon hearing this, Jin Seong-baek did not hesitate to lead the forces of Peerless Fortress south—to buy time for his son to return to the Blood Cult.
Ha Seong-un let out a deep sigh.
“I’m uneasy.”
“As am I.”
“Is not the Merciless Blade Jeong Cheon an absolute master who has crossed into the realm of superhumans?”
That was the primary concern. Jin Seong-baek felt the same as Ha Seong-un. He had heard that the Blood Cult’s strongest master, the First Venerable Blood Breaking Sword Emperor Dan Wi-gang, had died in an ambush by the Killing Fiend Jue Xin.
Even if his son, Woon-hwi, arrived in time, he would have to face an absolute master whose victory even Jin Seong-baek himself could not guarantee.
Jeong Cheon...
No matter how brilliant Woon-hwi’s martial talent was, this enemy was on a different level. In his heart, he wanted to go to the Blood Cult himself to help. But the distance made it impossible, and pinning down the Alliance's reinforcements was the best he could do.
“If... if anything happens to Woon-hwi, this fortress will see to it that the Martial Alliance meets its end that very day.”
Understanding his son-in-law’s heart, Ha Seong-un nodded in agreement. They were people who had already sacrificed much because of the Martial Alliance. They would never forgive them.
It was then.
“Fortress Master!”
Someone came running toward Jin Seong-baek, calling him by his title.
In the seven months since Jin Un-hwi had disappeared, Jin Seong-baek had joined forces with the Sea King Fortress Sect and brought all the other sects to heel. Having been appointed as the first Fortress Master of the unified alliance, Jin Seong-baek could now mobilize the entire strength of Peerless Fortress.
The man running toward him was Seomun Geuk, the leader of the Literary Spear Style.
“What is it?”
Seeing him rush over as if there were urgent business, Ha Seong-un asked before Jin Seong-baek could, his voice filled with anxiety.
Seomun Geuk reported.
“It is reported that the main force of the Martial Alliance has been defeated by the Blood Cult and is retreating.”
“Ah!”
At those words, Ha Seong-un let out an exclamation, momentarily losing his composure. It was the news he had been waiting for so desperately.
“Ahem.”
However, seeing Seomun Geuk’s puzzled expression, he quickly regained his dignity. As of yet, the only people in Peerless Fortress who knew that Jin Un-hwi was the Blood Cult Leader were the father-in-law and son-in-law.
Jin Seong-baek was also overjoyed by the news, but he asked without showing it.
“What happened to the Blood Demon, the leader of the Blood Cult?”
The most important thing was news of his son. Even if the Martial Alliance retreated, it meant nothing if something had happened to Woon-hwi.
“Prepare to be shocked. The entire martial world is in an uproar right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“It is said that the current Alliance Leader, Merciless Blade Jeong Cheon, was defeated by the Blood Demon and is being returned as a severed head.”
“...!”
At Seomun Geuk’s words, both men were struck dumb. To hear that Jeong Cheon, who had crossed the wall of superhumans, had not only been defeated but killed by their son and grandson was beyond belief.
“Listen, son-in-law. I didn't mishear that, did I?”
“...I believe you heard correctly.”
Like Ha Seong-un, Jin Seong-baek doubted his own ears. Who was Jeong Cheon? Was he not the greatest blade master of the age, the pride of the Orthodox world, who was said to have never lost a duel?
And yet, he had been defeated by none other than his son, Jin Un-hwi.
Clench!
Jin Seong-baek’s fist tightened involuntarily.
That boy...
He was his own son, but he was truly a terrifying monster. He couldn't help but wonder what on earth had happened during those seven months.
As the two men stood there in shock, Seomun Geuk spoke with a look of concern.
“People are already calling the Blood Demon the 'Greatest Demon of All Time.' Perhaps instead of checking the Martial Alliance, we should be worried about stopping the Blood Cult from growing any further.”
At his words, Jin Seong-baek and Ha Seong-un both shared a silent, mysterious smile.
Seomun Geuk had no idea why they were smiling.