The Price of a Thousand Souls
Jeok-un, the leader of the Red Fang Gang, was a man of considerable renown even among the Unorthodox factions of the Jiangho. Although he faced no interference from the Orthodox sects, completely claiming an entire county as his own was an incredibly difficult feat. Thus, his strength and influence were already well-proven. In fact, the Black Summit Sect, the rival force of the Red Fang Gang, had been gradually pushed back under their relentless pressure. Yet now, with victory over the Black Summit Sect right before his eyes, it was no exaggeration to say that Jeok-un was facing the greatest crisis of his life.
"Damn you, wench! You've joined hands with those demons!"
Once a martial artist reached the late stage of the Peak Realm, they could generally discern whether someone practiced Orthodox or Unorthodox martial arts simply by sensing their aura. Yet, from the daughter of the pharmacy owner, a suffocating wave of Death Qi—the most sinister, yin-natured energy of the dual forces—was pouring out. It was so overwhelming that it transcended the Unorthodox path entirely; it was nothing short of the Demonic Path.
"Is this entire nightmare your doing?! Yours and those cursed demons?!"
"Then, who else, but us, do you think, could do, such a thing?"
San Ireong sneered through San Suhwa's body, glaring at Jeok-un. He knew that before becoming a Blood Ghoul, he wouldn't have dared to even look Jeok-un in the eye. But now, the gang leader seemed utterly insignificant.
Now that I have power, the world looks entirely different.
He could finally understand, if only a little, what the bastards of the Red Fang Gang and the Black Summit Sect had been thinking when they looked down on others like insects. As that thought crossed his mind, a sudden dread washed over him: How does the Blood Demon view the world? If one possessed such omnipotent power, wouldn't this entire world feel like nothing more than a game? Shaking off the chilling thought, San Ireong refocused his gaze on Jeok-un. Seeing that the dense blood energy blanketing the ground had already turned most of the Red Fang martial artists into Blood Jiangshis under his command, he grew even bolder.
"What a pity. Your loyal, Red Fang thugs, have all, become, your enemies."
"..."
Jeok-un was well aware that the situation had turned incredibly grim. However, in his decades as a martial artist, he had fought puppeteers who controlled others a few times before. Their common weakness was simple: kill the caster, and the spell would break. Thus, Jeok-un resolved to slit the woman's throat before things could deteriorate any further.
The moment he made his decision, he lunged forward like an arrow. Coating his broadsword in thick Saber Qi and weaving razor-sharp Sword Silk, he channeled a massive amount of internal energy and swung at San Suhwa. San Suhwa met his strike head-on, her claws wrapped in crimson blood energy.
Claaang!
The blood energy and the Sword Silk clashed violently, unleashing a deafening shockwave. A moment later, as the gap between the blood energy and the Saber Qi closed, San Suhwa's razor-sharp claws grated against Jeok-un's broadsword, emitting a screeching metallic ring.
Screeech!
Even after absorbing the full force of a late-stage Peak Realm master's strike, San Suhwa showed no signs of being pushed back.
"You... you wench!"
Jeok-un had intended to end the fight swiftly, but San Suhwa's strength far exceeded his expectations. Against any ordinary martial artist, the moment their blades clashed, the opponent's weapon and body would have been sliced clean through. Yet here he was, the one being pushed to his limits. As they locked eyes, their internal energies locked in a fierce struggle, a mocking sneer spread across San Suhwa's face.
"Is this, all you have, leader of, the Red Fang Gang?"
"What?!"
The crimson blood energy on San Suhwa's claws flared with blinding intensity. It solidified into a form entirely different from the hazy, flickering Sword Qi—it was the manifestation of Saber Qi Gang, burning with a brilliant red light.
"The... the Transcendent Realm?!"
"Is this, the power of, the Transcendent Realm? Indeed, the price of, a thousand lives, is worth this much."
"What on earth does that...?!"
When San Ireong had received power from the Blood Demon, Unwol, he had been granted the strength of two thousand souls. Excluding his own single soul, he had divided the rest equally between his sister and his father. Thus, the body of the Blood Jiangshi, San Suhwa, currently held the power of a thousand souls.
Due to the nature of Blood Ghouls and Blood Jiangshis, whose vitality and strength multiplied with the number of lives they consumed, the thousand souls packed inside them meant that San Suhwa and San Dogang possessed internal energy comparable to a master of the Blossom Realm. There was absolutely no way a mere late-stage Peak Realm weakling could stand against San Suhwa, who had become an Extreme Blood Jiangshi. Ignorant of this truth, Jeok-un could only break out in a cold sweat, stammering about the Transcendent Realm.
"You... you wench! What kind of contract did you make with that demon to obtain such power?!"
"To think, we suffered, such humiliation, at the hands of, such pathetic, weaklings..."
Grab.
Suddenly, someone clung to Jeok-un's back. Startled, he thrashed violently and spun around.
"Who... who is it?!"
As he turned his head, he was met with a grotesque ghost mask, its eyes glowing with an eerie, terrifying light right in front of his face.
"Aaargh?!"
Click. Click.
The ghost mask clicked its teeth in a bizarre, unsettling rhythm as the figure climbed onto Jeok-un's shoulders.
"You... you bastards! How dare you!"
Squelsch!
Before he could even finish his sentence, San Suhwa's claws pierced straight through his abdomen.
"Cough!"
As Jeok-un trembled violently, San Suhwa slowly stepped closer and spoke.
"In making, countless medicines, I realized, something. Medicine, and poison, are but, two sides, of the same coin."
"Urgh!"
"I have, injected you, with the Dead Blood Poison."
Instantly, a stinging pain flared in Jeok-un's stomach, followed by a sudden, bone-chilling cold that swept through his entire body.
"That poison, will slowly, solidify, all of, your blood. Heheh. You can, look forward, to it."
San Suhwa's pale face contorted as her terrifying black-red eyes stared deep into Jeok-un's pupils.
"You will, die, slowly, and painfully. I have, no intention, of giving you, a peaceful, death."
"You... you wench...!"
Unable to even utter a proper final curse, Jeok-un's tongue began to stiffen. A moment later, San Dogang withdrew his hand from the man's body, and Jeok-un collapsed to the ground, his skin turning a bruised, toxic blue as he convulsed.
Paralyzed and wracked with excruciating agony, Jeok-un would draw his last breath within fifteen minutes. It was an utterly pathetic end for the leader of an Unorthodox gang that had once ruled an entire county.
Through San Suhwa's eyes, San Ireong looked around the Red Fang Gang's headquarters, where his vengeance was now complete. Under the crimson moon, the red pavilion stood out more vividly than ever before.
"..."
As San Ireong silently gazed up at the sky through San Suhwa's body, the sound of slow clapping suddenly echoed from nearby.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
San Suhwa whipped her head around in surprise. Standing there was a man in clean white robes, his eyes squinted shut. He looked at San Suhwa and San Dogang, crying out in genuine admiration.
"My, my! So this is the legendary Blood Jiangshi—no, an Extreme Blood Jiangshi! Seeing it in person, it is truly a work of art!"
"Who, are you?"
San Suhwa's black-red eyes swept over the man from head to toe. He carried a tasseled spear on his back, and his exceptionally neat appearance and attire made him look like a martial artist from an Orthodox sect.
"And to think you share your vision with the Jiangshi! I have never seen such a marvel before!"
Crimson Saber Qi flared on San Suhwa's claws. For some reason, this man felt infinitely more dangerous than Jeok-un, whom she had just defeated.
Clapping and smiling in a situation like this... What kind of lunatic is he?
San Ireong immediately commanded the Extreme Blood Jiangshis to take a defensive stance. Seeing this, the squinty-eyed man waved his hands dismissively.
"Oh, dear, there is no need for such hostility. After all, we serve the very same master."
"Master? The Blood Demon?"
The man nodded vigorously.
"Indeed! I am Lee Hak, the Blood Wolf Disciple of the Blood Heaven Sect, servant of the Lord Blood God."
"..."
San Ireong knew very little about the Blood Demon's subordinates, so he was at a loss for how to respond. He had no idea whether "Blood Wolf Disciple" was a title or a rank. As San Suhwa stood there in silence, Lee Hak continued.
"I merely stopped by before paying my respects to Him, curious to see what kind of Blood Ghouls and Blood Jiangshis He had personally crafted. And oh, they are truly magnificent! They are on a completely different level compared to the crude Jiangshis I make."
"Jiangshis?"
Lee Hak slightly turned his head, casting a knowing glance toward a certain direction.
"It seems the Lord is nearby, so I must go greet Him. It was a pleasure meeting you. Jigok-do of the Six Paths Blood Ghouls? Or is it Lord Hell Ghoul? Well, whatever the case."
He vanished into thin air, leaving those words behind. San Ireong stared at the empty space through San Suhwa's eyes for a long moment before resuming his work.
"I, still have, things, to do."
San Suhwa and San Dogang dissolved into the crimson mist. From atop the pavilion of the Red Fang Gang, Unwol and Biwol watched them go, their red eyes gleaming in the dark.
Whoa, that's brutal.
I muttered in admiration as I watched San Ireong's battle from the roof of the Red Fang Gang's pavilion. The coordinated assault of San Suhwa and San Dogang was nothing short of spectacular. It made me wonder if San Ireong actually had a hidden talent for combat.
"He certainly has talent."
Biwol, standing beside me, nodded in agreement.
"He indeed possesses the qualities of the Six Paths Blood Ghouls who will serve you, Lord Blood God."
Just then, I felt someone stepping onto the roof nearby. Turning my head, I saw a neat-looking man in white robes, his eyes squinted shut and a spear strapped to his back, slowly walking toward me. I tilted my head and asked,
"And who might you be?"
Once he closed the distance, the man opened his squinted eyes slightly to study me for a brief moment. Then, without warning, he dropped to his knees and bowed deeply, his forehead touching the roof.
"Lee Hak, the Blood Wolf Disciple of the Blood Heaven Sect, pays his humblest respects to the supreme Lord Blood God!"
Seeing him, Biwol facepalmed and muttered under her breath,
"How did that noisy bastard find us...?"
Lee Hak slowly raised his head, looking up at me with a radiant, beaming smile.
"I have wanted to meet you for so! Very! Long!"