Chapter 98: To the Martial Alliance (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98: To the Martial Alliance (2)
—Kuhahahaha! The taste of blood is exquisite.
The Blood Demon Sword, its blade drenched in blood, was reveling in pure delight.
Since I was sharing its vision, I saw exactly how many people it had slaughtered. Over a hundred had been pierced and killed by the Blood Demon Sword; barely ten remained alive.
First, I withdrew the Prison Torture from the sword.
The constant drain on my Innate True Qi finally stopped. Maintaining Prison Torture for over seven days had indeed consumed nearly half of my Innate True Qi. It was a relief that I had managed to perform energy circulation in secret whenever I had the chance.
“T-That sword!”
The man who had just rushed into the underground room pointed at the Blood Demon Sword and screamed.
I gave him a sharp, casual glare.
“Gah!”
The man pointing at me clutched his chest, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and collapsed.
Including myself, only four people remained standing in the room. The man they called Gal Ju looked utterly dumbfounded.
“The Blood Demon Sword? How can this be…?”
The Blood Demon Sword was a treasure of the Blood Cult, but it was also the symbol of the Blood Demon itself. It was only natural for him to be shocked that such a precious relic had flown into the hand of someone he believed to be Baek Ryeonha.
‘Hm?’
Suddenly, the flow of the air changed. The entire room grew rapidly cold—so cold that my breath began to mist.
Gal Ju, startled, cried out, “W-Wait, please stop…”
“The Blood Demon Sword is right before my eyes. What exactly do you want me to stop?”
As soon as she finished speaking, a massive wave of cold energy erupted. It completely transcended any normal level of power. Like an impending avalanche, a tidal wave of frigid energy swept through the room, freezing everything in its path.
“Damn it…”
“Gah!”
Cr-crack!
In an instant, the cold energy flash-froze Gal Ju and the middle-aged man with graying hair as they tried to flee. They were turned into gruesome ice sculptures, frozen solid where they stood.
She had boasted intense cold energy in the past, but her current power was incomparable to back then. She was a walking disaster.
—That is some incredible cold. Are you alright?
The Blood Demon Sword asked me.
As the room filled with frost, I too became frozen like a statue. Of course, I wasn't completely frozen like the others; it was more like a layer of ice had formed over the surface of my skin.
“Hmph!”
Seol Baek snorted and walked toward me, seemingly convinced that I was in the same predicament as the others. With her silver hair and the immense cold radiating from her entire body, she looked like the legendary Yuki-onna.
The advancement of her martial arts was on a completely different level compared to Chosa’s. I had assumed they would be similar since I used him as a benchmark, but I was mistaken.
She stopped right in front of me and reached out, seemingly intending to take the Blood Demon Sword.
‘Whew.’
I began to circulate the Sun-Warming Fist of the Snow Sound Flower Sun Dance.
Immediately, a surge of scorching Yang energy rose within me, shattering the frozen layer on my skin.
Cr-crack!
“What?”
Seol Baek’s elegant brow furrowed. She must have thought I was completely frozen and unable to move.
She hurriedly reached out toward me again. White snowflakes swirled from her hand like a localized blizzard, launching a surprise attack on my entire body. This wasn't just a simple release of cold energy; it was a technique from the North Sea Ice Palace.
—It’s the Ice White Divine Art.
The Ice White Divine Art?
—The first Blood Demon once fought a master from the North Sea Ice Palace. However, her level far exceeds his. Even my blade feels like it’s freezing.
If even the Blood Demon Sword was impressed, she truly had become a monster. But I wasn't about to go down easily.
This was my first time pushing the Sun-Warming Fist beyond the 5th stage. I wasn't sure if it would be okay.
Ssssssssss!
Steam instantly erupted from my entire body. It was the result of the heat from my Sun-Warming Fist clashing with the cold energy pouring from Seol Baek’s hand.
“This heat…”
Seol Baek also seemed to realize this was no ordinary heat. She pushed her cold energy even further. What on earth had happened to this woman over the last three hundred years?
Even as I unleashed the 7th stage of the Sun-Warming Fist, the cold energy surged in and attempted to penetrate my body faster than the heat could melt the frost.
[Try to refrain from pushing it beyond the 8th stage if possible.]
That was the warning from Master Jo, who had taught me the Snow Sound Flower Sun Dance. But if I didn't use at least the 8th stage, my body was going to freeze solid. Besides, this wasn't a situation where I could afford to hold back.
‘9th Stage Sun-Warming Fist.’
I pushed it straight to the 9th stage.
In that instant, the heat surrounding my body transcended mere warmth and erupted into soaring flames.
“Ah!”
The flickering flames swirled around me as if to protect me, creating a literal fire tornado.
Seol Baek, who had been unleashing her Ice White Divine Art at close range, hurriedly leaped backward. She looked visibly shaken, confronted by a martial art that was the perfect antithesis to her own.
“Phew… Now I can breathe.”
The cold could no longer cross into my radius. The room, which had been frozen solid, began to melt under the heat of the flames.
—Just what did you learn in that place?
Even the Blood Demon Sword couldn't hide its astonishment. Since it had spent most of its time inside the wooden case while we were in the Fuse, it hadn't seen me practicing the Snow Sound Flower Sun Dance.
This was also my first time unleashing the 9th stage after completing the technique. Now I understood why my master had told me to be careful. The room wasn't just melting; it was starting to burn. If I had used this inside the Fuse, the whole place would have gone up in flames.
—Your clothes are about to burn, too.
‘What?’
Startled by its words, I looked down. As the one performing the Sun-Warming Fist, my body was resistant to the heat, but my clothes were not. The flames protecting my body were beginning to catch on the fabric.
‘Damn it.’
I tried to control the flames I was emitting. Since it was my first time, controlling them was harder than I expected. My clothes were already quite scorched, exposing my chest and the hem of my skirt.
—It would have been entertaining to see you naked in that body.
Don't even joke about that. That would be no different from Baek Ryeonha exposing herself.
Ssssssssss!
‘Incredible.’
I marveled inwardly at how the heat of my flames and the cold from Seol Baek were forming a perfect, sharp boundary. Though she had retreated out of caution, her cold energy wasn't being pushed back at all. It seemed she hadn't reached her peak output yet either.
Seol Baek scanned me from head to toe and spoke.
“So the rumors that the Blood Demon is a woman were true.”
She seemed to have misunderstood because of the skin exposed by my burnt clothes. Then again, it was difficult to change one's body to that of the opposite sex with ordinary disguise techniques or human skin masks. This was the unique beauty of the Body Transformation Art, which was closer to a divine feat.
‘Did those rumors start because of Baek Hye-hyang?’
This was the first I’d heard of a rumor claiming the Blood Demon was a woman. It seemed the Golden Emperor’s side was also picking up some of the information being leaked to the Martial Alliance.
Whoooooosh!
Suddenly, an even more intense cold energy erupted from Seol Baek’s body. The boundary where my heat had been holding its ground began to be pushed back.
“If I kill you here and take the Blood Demon Sword, His Majesty will be pleased.”
Flash!
The moment she finished speaking, Seol Baek lunged at me. She struck with palms full of frigid energy, and I responded with the fist forms of the Sun-Warming Fist. In an instant, fire and snow collided, filling the surroundings with thick, white steam.
Roar! Whoosh!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The underground room was too cramped. As their vision became obscured, both of them seemingly had the same thought. They smashed through the ceiling and leaped up to the surface. The entire house was instantly demolished by the clash of fire and ice.
Crash!
Seol Baek and I collided in mid-air, leaving trails of flame and frost across the sky. Our opposing energies were reaching their absolute limits. I flicked my eyes around, scanning the surroundings.
“Where do you think you’re looking?!”
Seol Baek fired sharp shards of ice at my brow like hidden weapons. I reached out and created a wall of fire to block them.
“I-Is that even martial arts?”
“Never mind Lady Seol, who is that other woman?!”
I heard voices murmuring below. They were the ones the Blood Demon Sword hadn't finished off when I called it back. They were watching our duel in utter shock. Who wouldn't be amazed to see two women clashing in the sky, one breathing fire and the other conjuring snow?
‘Kill them all.’
—Understood.
I threw the Blood Demon Sword toward them. I had no intention of leaving a single witness alive. Controlled by Prison Torture, the Blood Demon Sword flew freely as if performing the Self-Moving Sword Art, diving toward the dazed onlookers below.
“Gah!”
“I-It’s that sword!”
“The Self-Moving Sword Art!”
If they had survived, they should have run away. I don't know why they stayed to watch their own funeral.
Seol Baek didn't care that they were being slaughtered; she was unleashing every ultimate technique she had to suppress me. It wasn't just the cold; her palm techniques were exquisitely refined. Unlike me, who had learned many different styles, she seemed to have dedicated three hundred years to a single palm art. The variations were so complex that it was difficult to read the flow of her forms.
Clash! Boom!
On the other hand, she was gradually growing accustomed to the fist forms of the Sun-Warming Fist. Her palm techniques were truly worthy of being called the best under heaven, to the point where even the Sun-Warming Fist—one of Master Jo’s two greatest techniques—was being pushed back. I had to admit that in terms of bare-handed combat, she was a step ahead.
Thwack!
In an instant, her hand pierced through my flames and landed a succession of strikes on my chest. Forced back, I had no choice but to land on the ground.
Slide!
I skidded back and braced myself with one hand on the ground. Steam rose from my chest.
‘Her cold energy is bottomless.’
Unless one possessed a divine art with scorching Yang energy or was simply superior to her, she was a nightmare to face. The Golden Emperor had been hiding quite the secret weapon.
Step.
Seol Baek also descended to the ground. Snow swirled around her as if she were in the middle of deep winter. As she raised both hands, sharp shards of ice formed over her shoulders.
“You are no match for me, Blood Demon.”
She was certain of her victory, likely because she had gained the upper hand in the exchange of palm and fist techniques.
Just then, the voice of the Lesser Conversation Sword echoed in my mind.
[They’re all dead now. There’s no one else around.]
Is that so?
This was the moment I’d been waiting for. I stood up straight. Seol Baek, poised to launch her ice shards at any moment, spoke.
“If you hand over the Blood Demon Sword now and surrender quietly, we can let you keep your position as the Blood Demon.”
I let out a short, dry laugh at her words.
“I’m glad I sealed your pressure points three hundred years ago. If I hadn't, this would have been quite a nuisance.”
“!?”
Her brow furrowed at my words. I wondered if she understood what I meant.
“You… what are you talking about…?”
“I’m going to get serious now.”
“What?”
Flash!
I blurred toward Seol Baek. She hurriedly reached out, and the sharp ice shards flew toward me like a rain of arrows.
‘Come.’
Whirrrrr!
As I reached out, the Blood Demon Sword whistled through the air and flew straight into my palm. Gripping the sword, I unleashed the 5th form of the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Sword: Blood Rain Fills the Sky.
I drew the sword to my left and thrust it forward as if performing a quick-draw technique.
Slash-slash-slash-slash!
In that instant, countless red sword trajectories exploded from the Blood Demon Sword like a torrential downpour. The crimson killing intent shattered the ice shards like falling rain. As I passed through the broken ice, she unleashed a massive burst of cold energy, sending snow flying.
‘Thunder Sword Cheondun!’
Crackle!
Red lightning erupted and coiled around the blade. When performing the Thunder Sword Cheondun while circulating the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Art, even the lightning turns blood-red. I glided toward Seol Baek like a hawk through the blizzard and drew a crescent arc with the Blood Demon Sword.
It was the Blood Net Sword Sky of the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Sword.
“Could it be?”
Her eyes widened as she saw the lightning coiling around the Blood Demon Sword.
Swaaaaaaash!
The red trajectory, imbued with lightning, cleaved through the snow. Having split the blizzard in half in an instant, I passed right by Seol Baek.
Five paces behind her, I gave the Blood Demon Sword a light flick.
Flick!
Droplets of blood from the blade splattered onto the ground.
Thud!
I heard something fall behind me. Unable to block the Blood Net Sword Sky, she had been caught in the killing intent, tossed into the air, and then slammed onto the ground.
When I turned around, her clothes had been shredded by the sword's path, and blood was flowing from her wounds.
“You!”
Covered in blood, she tried to force herself up. However…
Zap! Crackle!
“Agh!”
She fell back to her knees, paralyzed by the lightning from the Thunder Sword Cheondun that had invaded her wounds. Seol Baek muttered in disbelief.
“…You weren't using your full strength.”
To be honest, I still wasn't using my full strength. But there was no need to tell her that.
I walked toward her. Pointing my sword at her throat, I said, “If I take your head, you die.”
No matter how much she benefited from the Golden Imperial Body procedure, she would die if her head was severed.
Ssssh!
Her wounds were already beginning to heal. Her recovery speed was truly remarkable. Regardless, there was only one reason I hadn't killed her immediately.
“Where is the Golden Emperor?”
At my question, she tilted her head up slightly. Her eyes trembled strangely as she looked at me. Was she bracing herself for death?
To be honest, between Ghostly Bow Chosa and the rest of his subordinates, the only one who had ever talked was Ghost-Slaying Fist Demon Jang Mun-ryang, and he had been driven mad by brainwashing. I didn't have high expectations.
She parted her lips.
“Just… who are you?”
“Who am I?”
“Are you the Blood Demon? Or the successor of the Sword Immortal?”
I smirked and replied, “Let’s just say I’m both.”
“Both? Ha!”
Seol Baek looked utterly flabbergasted. I could understand why. Until now, they probably never imagined the Blood Demon and the successor of the Sword Immortal could be the same person. One was the lineage of the Sword Immortal, the pinnacle of the Orthodox and Taoist worlds, while the other was the Blood Demon, the apex of the Evil Faction.
She shook her head in disbelief and asked, “…Was it also you who sealed my pressure points three hundred years ago?”
I didn't deny it. If I didn't get what I wanted here, I was going to kill her anyway. With the Lesser Conversation Sword circling in the air and keeping watch, there was no way she could escape me.
Then, Seol Baek asked me seriously, “Why didn't you kill me back then?”
Why didn't I kill her? It was just that various circumstances had prevented it. It wasn't like I had intentionally spared her life. But I didn't need to give her a long-winded explanation.
“I wonder.”
At my vague answer, her face suddenly brightened. What? Her life was being threatened, but she actually looked… happy?
Seol Baek gave me a radiant smile and said, “I knew it. You wanted me after all.”
“What?”
…I think she’s seriously misunderstood something.