Chapter 192: Revealed Secret History-1
Chapter 192: Revealed Secret History-1
"It seems you were in the middle of training."
Hae Cheong-yeon, who had been immersed in meditation in the residence's courtyard, slowly opened her eyes at the voice that suddenly reached her.
Her quarters were a detached building originally used by the Jeomchang Sect's elders—a spacious lodging whose wide courtyard could serve as a training ground.
She looked at the Blood Demon, who had somehow appeared right before her eyes, and spoke.
"As you can see."
Her gaze was expressionless and her tone calm, but her eyes somehow seemed to rebuke the rudeness of interrupting her training.
The Blood Demon smiled faintly and spoke again.
"I apologize for the intrusion, sojeo. I came to deliver news I thought you would be pleased to hear."
At his words, a glint of interest flickered in Hae Cheong-yeon's eyes.
"Good news?"
Good news for her.
It was a strange thing to say.
After all, good news for her would surely be bad news for the Blood Cult.
And indeed, as expected, the Blood Demon smiled wryly and spoke.
"In truth, for us, it cannot help but be a fatal piece of news. You may not know this, sojeo, but the place where we first took you was Aenoesan Mountain."
"Aenoesan Mountain?"
"That's right. Where the Emperor's Tomb is located. And where the facilities for producing demonic humans are now situated."
At those words, an emotion of shock rose on Hae Cheong-yeon's face, which had lately been perpetually expressionless.
The place known to have collapsed during the Emperor's Tomb Blood Incident was the production facility for demonic humans—no matter that she was a captive, it was far too great a secret to reveal to an outsider.
Hae Cheong-yeon abruptly asked.
"Why are you telling me this?"
The Blood Demon answered with an empty laugh.
"It doesn't matter if I tell you now. That place has truly collapsed."
This was nothing short of astonishing news.
Hae Cheong-yeon's eyes widened, growing larger in shock.
"The demonic human production facility... has collapsed?"
"Indeed. According to the survivors, Seol Pung and a child named Seonwoo Jin led a party there. Most likely... they intended to rescue you, sojeo."
At those words, Hae Cheong-yeon's gaze wavered violently.
Because she had heard names she had never imagined she would hear again in this place.
Seonwoo Jin—he... he had come to save her?
Cutting through jungles teeming with demonic humans all the way to Aenoesan Mountain, the heart of the Blood Cult?
Hae Cheong-yeon had to do her utmost not to show the turmoil of emotion before the Blood Demon.
But her body trembled to a degree that made it impossible.
'He came. He came for me.'
Seonwoo Jin had risked his life to save her.
She felt as though tears would pour out at any moment.
The Blood Demon, who had been closely observing her expression with a faint smile, spoke again.
"Those children were remarkable. They broke through that place—guarded by the Black Blood Illusion Demon Du Dang, five transcendent peak masters, and seventy-some peak-level masters—and ultimately brought it to ruin. You thought only your father was a great man, sojeo, but it seems you have great comrades as well."
Hae Cheong-yeon, who had been listening to him, suddenly asked in a trembling voice.
"Th-they... now...?"
At her question, the Blood Demon shook his head slightly and answered.
"It is certain that they escaped Aenoesan Mountain safely, but I do not know what became of them after that. As it happens, I too am curious and have dispatched Guyueumma. When there is more news, I shall deliver it to you."
At his answer, Hae Cheong-yeon let out a sigh of relief in her heart and nodded.
Hae Cheong-yeon could guess the Blood Demon's intent.
The fact that the Blood Demon was telling her such news was undoubtedly to breathe the will to live into her.
For her to become the vessel of the Yeokcheon Blood Demon, the higher her quality, the better it would be.
But it didn't matter.
Even if that was his intention, she intended to do her utmost to give him exactly that.
The Blood Demon turned as if to leave now and asked.
"I shall take my leave now. If there is anything uncomfortable or anything you need, please tell me."
Hae Cheong-yeon suddenly spoke to him.
"Would it be possible to learn the martial arts of the Blood Cult?"
At her words, the Blood Demon was genuinely taken aback.
He asked back with surprised eyes.
"...What did you say?"
"I said I wish to learn the martial arts of the Blood Cult. In any case, for the sake of your plans, wouldn't it be better for me to be learning the Blood Cult's martial arts?"
The Blood Demon gazed at Hae Cheong-yeon with complicated eyes for a moment.
She was right.
If she learned the Blood Cult's martial arts, there would be absolutely no loss for him.
Not only for use as a vessel in the future, but also because if she were swept up in the madness of the Blood Cult's martial arts, she would become easier to handle.
But he could not fathom why she, who would surely know this well, was making such a request.
"May I ask the reason?"
Hae Cheong-yeon answered as if it were nothing.
"My family's Stellar Net Sword Art requires much enlightenment to reach higher realms. It takes a great deal of time. It also doesn't particularly suit my disposition. I possess a talent far more suited to encountering and mastering a wide variety of martial arts rather than delving deeply into a single martial study. It is a method that can make my speed of advancement far faster."
Her words were true.
For her, who possessed overwhelming talent, digging many wells rather than digging one deep was the method that could bring far swifter growth.
At those words, the Blood Demon smiled faintly and nodded.
"I see. I shall soon send you the Blood Cult's finest secret manuals. Ah, if you ever need to raise your internal energy by breaking through walls, feel free to seize and absorb any passing wretch. As you likely already know, we do not keep much in the way of spirit medicines on hand. Instead, I will send you a generous supply of poison pills."
"I shall do that."
What the Blood Demon had just said was that she should learn the Blood Cult's essence absorption technique, sacrifice any one of his subordinates, and then build up her internal energy.
The Blood Demon, who had uttered such horrific words as if they were nothing, vanished with a satisfied smile.
It seemed this visit had yielded results beyond expectation.
And in the courtyard from which he had vanished, Hae Cheong-yeon finally collapsed to the ground with a thud.
The tears she had barely been holding back streamed down.
"Jin, you..."
She was overcome with emotion.
It felt as though she had glimpsed a single brilliantly shining ray of hope in this hellish existence.
Hae Cheong-yeon began to burn with fighting spirit.
She had never intended to go along with the Blood Demon's will from the start, but now it seemed she had gained the will to fight with all her might to the death.
Hae Cheong-yeon was now coming to realize with precision what she had done wrong in the past.
That the her of that time had thought only of herself, to the point that she had never once shown Seonwoo Jin her true heart.
'At first, I was arrogant, and later, I was selfish.'
In the early days, when she had first come to keep him in her heart, she had simply been confident that whenever she finally revealed her true appearance, he would fall in love with her—and so she had only watched him with amusement.
And after she learned that he was not that kind of person, she had been the one to leave his side first.
Because being hurt by that and having her heart shaken had wounded her pride.
But she should not have done that.
She should have approached him with sincerity.
Rather than thinking of herself first, she should have tried to understand him first.
Hae Cheong-yeon, having thought this far, gritted her teeth.
'I cannot repeat the same mistake again.'
If he had risked his life to save her, then she too had to answer him in kind.
If Seonwoo Jin had not given up on her, then she could not be the first to give up on herself.
She had to raise her realm by any means and return.
To him, whom she longed to see—to Seonwoo Jin.
A blazing fire roared fiercely within Hae Cheong-yeon's eyes.
***
"Huuuu."
Dang Yeo-eun, who had been training her swordsmanship with the White Crane Old Sword Yang Mun-heon, abruptly let out a sigh without realizing it and, startled, made an excuse.
"Ah, Grandfather. I'm sorry. I did it again..."
Yang Mun-heon, who had been guiding her in the sword, smiled gently and said.
"It is all right. It seems that with such a heart, you simply cannot continue your training."
"...I'm sorry."
Lately, Dang Yeo-eun had been habitually sighing without even noticing.
It was because of her worry for Seonwoo Jin.
She, too, was a frontline worker, so she knew that it was far wiser to concentrate on the training before her rather than waste time on pointless worry.
But even though she knew it in her head, she simply could not focus on anything else.
"Huuuuu."
It had already been a week since Seonwoo Jin entered the jungle.
Naturally, there had been no news of him to be heard since then, and her heart burned away with each passing day.
'Jin....'
Only the memory of that moment—when they had confirmed their feelings for each other and shared a kiss—replayed endlessly in her mind.
The anxiety that perhaps that moment might have been their final one tormented her heart without ceasing.
She was filled with so much regret.
That she hadn't gazed upon his face just a little longer.
That she hadn't expressed her heart to him just a little more.
Even though these regrets were utterly useless, shaking off the mind demon was far from easy.
But in one moment, she shook her head fiercely and let out a deep sigh.
"Huuuuuu!"
This sigh was not a feeble one.
It was a deep breath meant to cast off all distracting thoughts.
She could not remain trapped forever in the afterimages of the past.
She prayed with all her heart that it would not be so, but if that moment truly had been her last with him, then his vengeance would fall to her to carry out.
And so, for that purpose, she had to become stronger above all else.
Not only in martial arts, but in her heart as well.
Dang Yeo-eun raised her sword once more and focused her mind.
'Do what you can right now, Dang Yeo-eun. That is the true way to honor him.'
And then she activated the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance.
Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance, First Form.
Flying Moon.
Hwaaaak!
A dreamlike veil suddenly descended over her vision.
The level that Dang Yeo-eun could safely activate was up to Flying Moon.
She had attempted the second form, Hyeon Moon, before, but had quickly released it, believing she could not handle it.
But in this moment, Dang Yeo-eun bit down on her lip until it bled and activated the second stage of the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance.
Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance, Second Form.
Hyeon Moon.
Hwaaaaak!
In that instant, her senses expanded and everything around her entered into her perception.
A sensation of omnipotence and omniscience—as if she could do anything, as if she knew everything.
It felt as though her mind was floating upward.
In the hazy sensation of possessing the entire world, it seemed she could no longer maintain her reason.
But Dang Yeo-eun bit her lip even tighter.
At last, blood trickled down from her split lip, and through that pain, she steadied her heart.
'I can do this. I can endure it. No—I must endure it!'
That was when it happened.
Something entered her expanded perception.
Shiiiik!
From behind, something was hurtling toward her at tremendous speed, targeting her.
Even with the second form Hyeon Moon slowing down time, it was an object rushing in fast enough.
Dang Yeo-eun decided to throw her body to the side to evade it and then immediately transition into an attack.
Pabak!
Her body naturally dodged the flying object, and she turned her head to look in that direction.
And for an instant, she was so shocked that her breath nearly stopped.
"!"
The thing that had flown at her like a throwing weapon and attacked her was not an object.
It was a person.
And someone she knew very well at that.
It was him—the very man she had not forgotten for a single moment throughout the entire week—Seonwoo Jin, his face smiling as he looked at her.
He opened his mouth.
"Yeo-eun, you've improved quite a lot."
At those words, tears suddenly burst from Dang Yeo-eun's eyes.
Before she knew it, she had cried out his name.
"Jin!"
Dang Yeo-eun threw herself into his arms without a moment's hesitation.
Warak!
And held tightly in his embrace, she shed her tears.
"You came back! You really came back! Thank you! Truly, thank you, Jin!"
Seonwoo Jin held her close and smiled warmly.
"Why are you thanking me? Yeo-eun, greeting me like this—I'm the one who's far more grateful."
At that, Je Un Swordmaster Byeok Ri-jung, who had been watching them, cleared his throat and spoke.
"Ahem, ahem. Honestly, young people these days seem to have no shame at all, hyungnim."
At his words, White Crane Old Sword Yang Mun-heon chuckled and answered.
"It's a lovely sight, so what of it? Or is it that my sworn brother here is jealous?"
At the sound of their voices, Seonwoo Jin and Dang Yeo-eun, suddenly snapping back to their senses, started in surprise and pulled apart from each other.
Seonwoo Jin, with an awkward expression, offered a greeting to Yang Mun-heon and Byeok Ri-jung.
"I should have greeted the two of you first. My apologies."
Yang Mun-heon nodded with his characteristically warm smile.
"It is only natural that Yeo-eun caught your eye first. It is pleasing to see how you cherish my granddaughter. So, did you resolve the matter you went for?"
At his question, Seonwoo Jin bowed his head deeply and answered.
"Thanks to your concern, I was able to accomplish about seven-tenths of my objective. However, I have yet to rescue one comrade.... Regarding that, there is something I must speak with you about, elder. Could you spare me a moment?"
"With me?"
"Yes, it would be best if both of you could come."
At Seonwoo Jin's request, Yang Mun-heon and Byeok Ri-jung exchanged puzzled glances and then nodded.
"Very well, let us do so."
Avoiding the eyes of others, Seonwoo Jin brought Yang Mun-heon, Byeok Ri-jung, and Dang Yeo-eun to the Seventh Squad's quarters.
There, many others had already gathered besides them.
The original expedition members—Jeung Chil, Seol Pung, Bi Sa-yeong, and Ya Un-hyang—were present, along with Na Seo-yu and Sak Mu-heun, whom they had rescued from the Martial Emperor's Tomb, as well as Bae Jong-gwan, Cheon Ju-eun, and Ma Maeng-un, who had been staying at the Thirteen Squads' headquarters.
They had already spent a long while sharing emotional reunions with Na Seo-yu and Sak Mu-heun.
And so now, they immediately focused their attention on Seonwoo Jin.
Once all those gathered had fixed their attention on him, Seonwoo Jin finally spoke.
"The reason I gathered you all here without letting others know of my return is to share with you what I learned during this expedition."
After obtaining the Martial Emperor's secret manual within the tomb, Seonwoo Jin had been able to extract various pieces of information he had long been curious about from Du Dang, whom he had placed under the possession art.
And the facts he learned from him had dealt Seonwoo Jin an immense shock.
If the information obtained from Du Dang was true, then until now, they had not properly understood the true identity of their enemy.
"The most important fact I learned there concerns the hidden history of the last Great Blood War."
"...The hidden history of the Great Blood War?"
At Seonwoo Jin's words, everyone except the expedition members—who had already heard this—looked at him with puzzled expressions.
The Great Blood War had been the massive battle that occurred when the Blood Demon, having eliminated the elite of the Jeomchang Sect through the Martial Emperor's Tomb Blood Incident, had seized not only Mount Jeomchang but the entire Yunnan Province.
It could be called the most pivotal battle in the martial world's history of the past several decades—when the elites of the Murim Alliance had mounted an expedition to Yunnan Province to halt the Blood Cult's surging momentum.
However, at that time, despite the participation of the Murim Alliance's elites as well as the Sichuan Dang Clan, the Ami Sect, and even part of the Mount Qingcheng Sect, the Murim Alliance side had suffered tremendous damage.
The previous Murim Alliance leader, Hyeop-wang Cheon Gi-gang—who hailed from the Shaolin secular lineage—had been defeated and killed in a one-on-one duel he had boldly undertaken against the Blood Demon, and not a single one of the Ami Sect's elites had survived to return; they had been completely annihilated.
Seonwoo Jin began his account with the details that everyone already knew about the Great Blood War.
"You all know that in that crisis, Mo Yong-geom—the Sword Saint of the time, the second-in-command of the Murim Alliance, and the head of the Mo Yong clan—took command of the Murim Alliance's forces in place of Hyeop-wang Cheon Gi-gang and narrowly repelled the Blood Demon, and that for this merit he was later elevated to the position of Murim Alliance leader."
At that, Bae Jong-gwan nodded and responded.
"Right! And for what he did back then, he even inherited the title Hyeop-wang, didn't he?"
Cheon Ju-eun continued the thought.
"But it was a little strange, wasn't it? They said he repelled the Blood Demon, but he didn't completely overwhelm the Blood Cult's forces either, and in the end, it was the current alliance leader Mo Yong-geom who recognized Yunnan Province as their territory and signed a non-aggression treaty. Calling someone like that Hyeop-wang seems far too generous."
What they had just recounted was the version of the Great Blood War that everyone knew.
But Seonwoo Jin was now saying that there was a hidden history to it.
Seonwoo Jin finally spoke.
"Hyeop-wang Cheon Gi-gang did not die fighting the Blood Demon one-on-one. He was assassinated through the combined attack of the Blood Demon and, of course, the very man who served as the witness to that duel—the current Hyeop-wang, Mo Yong-geom."
At those sudden words, the people gathered in the hall could say nothing for a moment.
The statement was so shocking that they could not immediately process it.
But before they could even begin to voice a response, Seonwoo Jin's words continued on.