Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: To a Half-Breed Like You
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On the way to the capital, Dosung-hyeon, I hadn't just been running.
I had also focused on further developing the Ghost King Scripture.
If those guys had truly taken my sorcery tome and studied it, the spells I currently possessed would clearly have their limits against them.
That's when the idea struck me: the Soul Capturing Delusion Net.
—Could I somehow combine the Purple Mystery Eye with the Soul Capturing Delusion Net?
That question suddenly took root in my mind.
The Soul Capturing Delusion Net hypnotizes the opponent, trapping them in an illusion.
But it requires a massive amount of sorcery power or a long preparation like a ghost ritual array.
In contrast, the Purple Mystery Eye specializes in activating and enhancing spells, though it has the drawback of backfiring if the spell's quality is low.
Each has its strengths and weaknesses, but my guess was that blending them well could compensate for those flaws and create something truly excellent.
If the Purple Mystery Eye could substitute for the ritual foundation needed by the Soul Capturing Delusion Net, and the Soul Capturing Delusion Net could provide the high-quality spell level required by the Purple Mystery Eye, then I could activate a soul hypnosis spell without any prior preparation.
And.
It seemed my guess had hit the mark perfectly.
—Purple Delusion Net.
That was the name of the newly created soul hypnosis spell.
Tssstssstss!
The incantation still had a lot of rough edges, so it wasn't perfectly refined yet, but its effects were undeniably solid.
The mist intertwined with the Soul Capturing Delusion Net.
With my sorcery power added to it, the resulting ghost fog instantly enveloped me and the entire area around Baeksan.
“The Young Sect Master asked me to teach him the incantation, so I did, but to wield it so perfectly in just one day!”
Shibo circled around me nonstop, unable to stop exclaiming in admiration as he watched the sorcery unfold.
My proficiency with the Soul Capturing Delusion Net wasn't high enough yet to create diverse illusionary worlds like the Bone Net Illusion, so I opted for a formation with similar properties instead.
That was the Terrifying Ghost Fog Formation.
Once I understood the nature of the ghost fog Shibo taught me and integrated it into the Purple Delusion Net, it formed perfectly.
“…Pointless tricks. Do you think this will let you escape my grasp?”
Baeksan scowled at the ghost fog surrounding him.
But I didn't miss the bewilderment hidden within it.
To him, it would feel like he'd been completely cut off from the outside world, suddenly dropped into another realm.
No matter how sharply he honed his senses, he wouldn't detect anything beyond the ghost fog.
Above all, this ghost fog in the Terrifying Ghost Fog Formation was far from ordinary.
Its density was at least three times thicker than that of the Black Bone Ghost Valley, and it even incorporated the poison arts I'd learned from Danggon.
Wraith poison was mixed into the ghost fog!
From now on, every breath Baeksan took would draw the wraith poison into his respiratory system.
The longer he was exposed to the ghost fog, the more his body would become poisoned until he finally met his end.
This place was a prison.
A prison that slowly withered its prisoner to death.
Only then did Baeksan sense the poison, grimacing as he hastily held his breath.
But he was human—he'd die without breathing—and the wraith poison already built up in his body wouldn't just sit idle.
“Foolish behavior. The wraith poison infused with the properties of the ever-spreading plague already multiplies on its own even at rest. Moreover, a North Sea Clan's blade ghost like you, brimming with yin energy, provides the perfect environment for it to thrive.”
Shibo spun circles around me, relentlessly hurling barbs at him.
“This is the ultimate trap to wither away fools from the North Sea Clan… The Young Sect Master's genius in crafting such a place leaves little Shibo in nothing but awe!!”
“Huh? Looks like the kid's eyes have gone a bit funny.”
“The North Sea Clan treated the Black Bone Ghost Valley like hunting dogs—do you think that's the first day? He's suffered enough to harbor grudges down to his bones—”
“And now this blade ghost joins as a new recruit? Ah! Can't stand for that. No way.”
“He was already depressed, thinking he'd finally escaped his old circumstances, and now he's thrilled to death.”
“His affection for the new recruit must be overflowing.”
Shibo, with his hint of madness, and the wraiths shaking their heads at him both radiated leisure.
It was only natural, really.
To me, combat wasn't some sparring match to gauge who was stronger or weaker.
It was strategy.
A war where lives were at stake.
“The fool's finally starting to panic.”
Chachachach—
Feeling the crisis, Baeksan began swinging his Fallen Blade rapidly through the air.
A snowstorm blew in.
The ghost fog froze solid, showering down ice particles, but the gaps were immediately filled with more ghost fog.
“Don't hide like a coward—come out, Little Heavenly Demon!!”
No matter where he moved, only ghost fog appeared.
From my view outside, he looked like an idiot circling in place, but to him, with his sense of direction completely lost, it must feel like wandering a maze.
He was probably dying inside.
Nothing to sense around him, and the wraith poison killing him in real time.
It'd be weirder if he didn't feel the crisis.
In fact, Baeksan's already pale skin was growing even paler by the second.
Proof that the poisoning was accelerating.
It was like a snowball rolling down a snowy mountain—it'd soon turn into an avalanche engulfing his whole body.
“They never imagined the empty lot they made to secretly capture Dark Demon Divine Cult followers away from prying eyes would become the trap snaring their own necks.”
“No one can match the Young Sect Master in battles utilizing terrain like this.”
Baeksan's frantic struggles began to slow bit by bit.
“Little Heavenly Demon! I said come out! Little Heavenly Demon!!”
Now the mood seemed ripe.
I was about to layer on a new spell to fully capture Baeksan when his movements suddenly stopped.
“Hm?”
What was he planning now?
“If you keep this up, I won't hold back either!!”
Whoooosh—
Cold winds began forming a whirlwind around Baeksan.
Glimmers of black demonic energy flashed like blades amid the pure white chill winds.
“He's ignited his internal energy?”
“That'll just poison him faster! Hah!”
As the wraiths said, Baeksan was pushing his internal energy to its maximum, risking everything.
All to catch me!
Ice Soul Blade Art
Ice Heaven Slash
Baeksan fiercely swung down his Fallen Blade, condensed with sword ki.
The whirlwind shattered, scattering in all directions as the blade winds tore the ghost fog to shreds, demolishing the entire Terrifying Ghost Fog Formation that had imprisoned him.
The ground around was now blanketed in ice.
Frost descended from the sky as Baeksan, exhaling frosty breaths, looked up at me.
“…Found you at last, Little Heavenly Demon.”
“Crazy bastard.”
It was absurd.
Shattering this complex formation with raw internal energy alone?
Even while embracing poisoning?
Sure enough.
Drip.
Thick blood trickled from Baeksan's lips.
It meant he'd suffered severe internal injuries from abruptly igniting his energy without preparation.
At the same time, his skin paled further, white frost settling upon it.
The wraith poison had now invaded his bone marrow.
A state where dying on the spot wouldn't be surprising.
“You sure you're okay like that? Your face is ghostly pale.”
“I'm fine. This life of mine had little time left anyway. Capturing you and escorting you to Cheonsan makes it more than worth it. After such merit, surely my lord won't deny reviving me as a jiangshi?”
“If I kill you, no such thing awaits.”
“As if I'd lose to a half-breed bastard like you!!”
Boom!
Baeksan kicked off the ground ferociously.
Now I understood his scheme.
“It seems he still thinks the Young Sect Master is only using sorcery.”
“Or perhaps this is all part of the grand design you laid to capture that blade ghost easily—”
I had indeed lured Baeksan into underestimating me.
He had no idea I'd reincarnated.
Seeing me as a sorcerer whose skills had dulled recently after treatment, revealing the Storm Wind Dance here would perfectly strike his blind spot.
But him falling for it so easily almost made me feel sorry.
Pathetic, really.
Charging at me in a poisoned state seemed like suicide from my perspective.
“Trapped in the Terrifying Ghost Fog Formation to die of poisoning, or forcing his way out only to die to the Young Sect Master—either way, facing you meant death for him—”
“Setting the board so a marked foe is inevitably ensnared, never to escape—that's the Young Sect Master's most terrifying trait.”
The scattered ghost fog was gathering inward again.
I drew it all to me, wrapping it around my body.
Kieeeh!
The Evil Ghost Battle Cloak voraciously absorbed the ghost fog.
With each swirl of gray mist sucked in, the evil spirits depicted on the cloak grew darker and more vivid.
Fwoosh!
At the same time, my sorcery power surged, the Purple Mystery Eye at my eye corners gleaming more fiercely.
Like flames flickering in a hearth.
Sorcery Power Enhancement
Evil Ghost Descent
Ghost energy spread wide binds enemies like shackles, but absorbed into one becomes an overwhelming power source to crush foes.
My upper dantian empowered fully, raw, unrefined information from dozens of zhang flooded my mind.
It hurt like my head would burst, but I could pick out exactly what I needed from it.
And assembling them in sequence revealed the path.
How to face an opponent with overwhelmingly superior power.
Storm Wind Dance
Storm Chariot
Boom!
Rumble—
Shoulders squared, I launched the Stealthy Ghost Step.
Thanks to my internal energy enhanced as much as my sorcery, the thatched hut's roof exploded as I closed the distance to Baeksan in an instant.
“What—”
I caught the bewilderment flashing across Baeksan's face.
To him, I wasn't fleeing but charging head-on—an incomprehensible sight.
The problem was that the aura emanating from me was anything but negligible.
The storm transcending gale was a veritable tsunami.
Boom!
His Fallen Blade, brimming with sword energy and expecting to cleave me in one stroke, wavered massively and bounced upward.
Baeksan's eyes widened.
“Not as easy as you thought, huh?”
“You clearly had your dantian destroyed—”
“Guess I got treated.”
“!!!”
“Pretty confident, weren't you? Then try blocking this.”
Whirl—
I spun my body like a top.
My heel, now a hammer, thundered down like lightning to smash his crown.
Demonic Wind Kick.
“Hup!”
Feeling the pressure?
Baeksan drew a sharp breath and recoiled.
Boom!
The Demonic Wind Kick shattered the innocent ground. The shockwave scattered the ghost fog.
But I paid it no mind, straightening my hand blade like a sword and sweeping at his waist.
Searing Wind Blade Edge.
Storm Wind Dance
Searing Wind Chaos Lash
Shhhhsh!
Clangclangclang—
Searing Wind Blade Edge and the Fallen Blade clashed countless times.
Each impact rang out deafeningly as shattered sword energy shards and searing wind fragments swirled chaotically in all directions.
“N-No, impossible!!”
I laughed.
Right now, I was strong enough to stand toe-to-toe with the North Sea Clan's elite without yielding.