Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Blood Demon Hunt (2)
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-Shink
"Kuaaaaaaaah!"
The pain was so intense my vision swam.
A continuous, excruciating pain that made me wish for death.
But the demon before me, oblivious to my suffering, continued to swing his ghastly sword.
"Tell me about the one who gave you this power."
"I d-don't... Gack!"
He shoved the sword into my open mouth.
The pain of the blade slicing and tearing the soft flesh inside my mouth.
I couldn't take it anymore.
The demon before me, his eyes now black and white from demonic energy, stared at me coldly.
Why did I ever think I could beat this man?
I couldn't even run.
As my vision blurred, I thought.
'Where did it all go wrong?'
I remembered the first time I received this power.
***
In a village at the northwestern edge of Qinghai, there was a man who ran amok, having formed a small dark sect called the Red Feather Gang.
His name was Munwu.
He was a martial artist who had just entered the peak realm, capable of wielding sword ki.
But he was now over fifty, and his potential for growth as a martial artist was all but gone.
To have reached the peak realm before his sixties without learning from a master or taking any special elixirs meant he had some talent.
Of course, that talent was rather mediocre, and his skills were far too lacking to cause any real trouble in the village.
The village already had a martial artist in the late peak realm who could also wield sword ki, and he had even established a martial hall after receiving training from an orthodox sect.
Naturally, with his refined martial arts and pure internal energy, he could easily defeat Munwu, a fact Munwu knew all too well.
That's why, despite calling themselves a dark sect, they were no different from common street thugs.
If they caused any major incidents, the orthodox martial artist would immediately step in to suppress them, so they only ever caused small, petty trouble.
Greatly dissatisfied with his situation, he spewed complaints and grievances almost daily.
"Damn it! If it weren't for that blasted orthodox sect bastard, this village would be mine!"
Munwu vented his frustration, slamming his fist on the desk in his office.
Although the peak realm was by no means a low level, he couldn't assert himself in the village, which filled him with discontent.
But the village was a bit too large for a martial artist just at the beginning of the peak realm to control.
Just then, someone revealed their presence in the darkness.
"You seem... quite... dissatisfied."
"Gasp?! Who's there!"
Startled by a voice behind him when he was sure he was alone, Munwu hastily turned his head.
In a dark corner stood a woman wearing a bizarre mask, her two red eyes glowing.
"Wh-when did you get there...?!"
Munwu quickly grabbed the broadsword hanging on the wall.
Then, the masked woman spoke calmly.
"Do you... need... power."
"What kind of nonsense is this all of a sudden?!"
"Power enough... to defeat... that orthodox martial artist. I... can give it to you."
"What..."
Munwu felt a strange sensation towards this woman who had appeared out of nowhere spouting nonsense.
She was undoubtedly suspicious, yet her words didn't sound like lies.
And those red eyes.
They even seemed to have a strange, soul-stealing quality.
"I will give you... infinite power... and life."
"Infinite power and life?"
Normally, Munwu would have scoffed and retorted, "There's a limit to nonsense," but this woman's words didn't seem like lies at all.
She had an eerie and bizarre aura, and the mask she wore only enhanced her mystique.
Her voice was also sweet, yet its choppy, broken cadence was quite strange.
All things considered, he should never have accepted her offer, but for some reason, Munwu felt this was a great opportunity.
He swallowed dryly and asked the woman.
"You wouldn't give me power without a price. What is it you want?"
"Nothing. Just... wield your power... as you please."
"Is that really all? There's no benefit in it for you."
As a member of the dark path, Munwu knew the laws of this world very well.
In this vile and cruel world, there was no such thing as a free lunch; if you received something, you would eventually have to pay it back.
If someone offered a gift without asking for anything in return, it was surely a trap, a scam.
Munwu knew this better than anyone, yet for some reason, her offer was incredibly sweet.
"There is... a side effect."
"Of course there is. Alright, let's hear what this side effect is."
In an instant, the air changed as the masked woman's red eyes flashed.
"You will no longer... be human."
"What...?"
"The moment you receive this power... you will cease... to be human."
"What is that supposed to..."
Just then.
A red aura blossomed around her, and an immense power spread in all directions.
A dense aura of death and yin energy churned, pressing down on the surroundings.
"Huk!"
Munwu was shocked by the overwhelming power, but at the same time, he felt a sense of awe.
"But is that a problem? You've already... given up... on being human."
Munwu broke out in a cold sweat at the masked woman's words, yet he let out a smirk.
"I-if I take this power from you... can I reach your level?"
"Not right away. But the potential... will be there."
Potential.
What an alluring word.
For Munwu, who was born with a modicum of talent and had wielded his power without knowing the true horrors of the world, only to be blocked by the wall of reality and fall into despair, it was like a rope sent down from the heavens.
Not knowing it was rotten.
"Are you saying I'll really have the potential to gain that much power?"
"I... do not... lie."
Hearing that, Munwu made up his mind.
"That power. I'll take it."
The masked woman's red eyes flickered, emitting a faint glow.
Then she took a small box from her robes and tossed it to him.
Munwu carefully caught it and slowly opened the box. Inside was a single, brilliantly shining red pill.
"This pill...?"
"That is... a Ten-Soul Pill. It contains... the souls of ten people."
"Does that mean..."
Munwu swallowed dryly.
The act of grinding up human lives to make medicine.
It was something no one would dare to do.
And in the Central Plains, there was only one group capable of committing such a horrific act.
"Are you from the Blood Cult?"
The masked woman said nothing.
But her silence was answer enough for Munwu.
He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then he picked up the pill, put it in his mouth, and swallowed.
Seeing this, the masked woman spoke.
"Your power and life... are replenished... when you take the lives of others. So if you wish to grow stronger... run wild as you please."
With those words, the woman vanished back into the darkness.
A day after that incident.
The orphans in the village began to disappear, and those who opposed the Red Feather Gang also vanished without a trace.
Someone grew suspicious of this—the very orthodox martial artist Munwu had always wanted to defeat.
But just one day after he stepped in, his fate became unknown, just like the others.
And Munwu, the leader of the Red Feather Gang, grew stronger by the day.
From someone who could barely wield sword ki, he had now reached the transcendent peak realm, capable of wielding sword force.
Everyone found it strange, but no one dared to question it.
He built a brothel with the beautiful women from the village and others he secretly kidnapped from nearby towns, and he took in those who were drawn to the power of the Red Feather Gang as his subordinates.
His power and influence grew stronger with each passing day.
Money, women, and power.
Having obtained everything, he no longer feared anything.
Now, not a single person in the village could stand against the Red Feather Gang.
It felt as if he had become the master of the world.
If he kept devouring people like this, he felt he could one day defeat even masters of the enlightenment or profound realms.
'That's what I thought.'
-Pshuuuaak
The life and power Munwu had accumulated were vanishing in an instant.
He felt it instinctively.
No matter how many people he devoured, he knew he could never defeat the monster before him.
It wasn't just the difference in power; the truly overwhelming techniques wielded by this demon were the bigger problem.
Munwu tried to resist, looking for an opening, but it only intensified his pain.
The demon's swordsmanship was like a colossal 'wall'.
He couldn't run, couldn't resist.
If he raised his arm to attack, his arm was cut off.
If he tried to flee, his legs were cut off.
If he opened his mouth to curse, his tongue was cut off.
If he glared in anger, his eyes were gouged out.
If he tried to draw upon his blood energy, a sword was plunged into his dantian.
Every part of his body was under the man's control.
He felt like he was being played with in the palm of the man's hand.
Having given up on everything, he felt the last embers of life within him fading away.
"It seems you no longer have the strength to speak."
"Just... kill... me..."
His regeneration had slowed, and unable to heal his internal injuries, Munwu managed to speak while coughing up blood.
Then the Sword Demon, drenched in Munwu's blood, spoke with a cold expression.
"Don't worry. You can't die, even if you want to, unless I allow it."
Hearing this, Munwu laughed as if he'd lost his mind.
"Kheheh, heheheh."
Who was he to talk about giving up on being human?
The real monster was right here.