Chapter 409
Chapter 409
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 409
Chapter Title: Dyed (8)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Just as one couldn't drink muddy water straight, raw resentful blood couldn't be absorbed as is.
To absorb the yin energy compressed within the resentful blood using inner power, refinement was naturally required.
This was a task that demanded an arduous qi circulation process, even for a great demon lord of Jin Gworang's caliber.
Yet Jin Gworang's physical condition had been precarious from the start.
Though he was on par with a transcendent realm master,
his body could be likened to a bowl filled to the brim with water.
Ordinary martial arts expanded the bowl through training and enlightenment, gradually accommodating more water.
But the Blood Rain Divine Art that Jin Gworang cultivated first filled the bowl with water, then slowly melted it away.
Taking in resentful blood was akin to adding droplets to such a state.
Naturally, it required utmost concentration and the expenditure of all mental energy.
Yet some loach-like bastard had barged in and thrown everything into chaos.
'...Eon Yong-un.'
The bowl shook, and the water within began to overflow.
Jin Gworang's five viscera and six bowels started asserting themselves—some burning, others twisting.
His meridians throughout the body boiled over.
In that precarious balance, the harmony that had barely allowed Jin Gworang to glimpse the edge of enlightenment shattered into disarray.
This was the onset of qi deviation.
"...You said I'd fit right in as a ten warrior under Hyeok Ryeon-gang?"
"Your memory isn't too bad."
After expending time and mental energy to suppress his inner turmoil,
all the blood hounds he had painstakingly gathered became useless.
Myo Wang, one of his most loyal retainers who had served him since his days of rags and risen through the ranks over long years, lay as a headless corpse.
Jin Gworang spat out a single phrase dredged from his seething gut.
"Today, I'll twist off your neck and drink your blood."
Shing—
He seized his beloved sword placed right beside him,
tossed aside the scabbard,
and kicked off the ground toward Eon Yong-un.
Screeeeech!!
Though qi deviation's aftereffects had left his eight extraordinary meridians in utter ruin,
Jin Gworang, who had devoted his life to demonic arts, knew how to exploit even such a condition.
"For a fledgling not even fully weaned to push me this far... Impressive, but—"
Yet between Jin Gworang, who had at least glimpsed the edge of enlightenment through such makeshift means, and Eon Yong-un, who hadn't, lay an insurmountable gap.
"You're no match for me."
Jin Gworang closed the distance to Eon Yong-un in an instant.
Envisioning a future where Eon Yong-un's upper body lay in tatters, he unleashed ferocious sword strikes.
Shuk! Shuk! Shuk! Shuk! Shuk!
At that moment,
Myo Wang's sprawled corpse suddenly jerked upright and wedged itself between Eon Yong-un and Jin Gworang.
Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk!
Thus, the future Jin Gworang had foreseen shifted slightly.
Eon Yong-un began fleeing desperately,
and as if the moniker "Demon Dragon" weren't earned in vain,
the corpses littering the corridors blocked Jin Gworang's pursuit at every turn.
'Right. The disciple of that Reverse Heaven Demon Gu who fed the old man a bitter pill.'
Manipulating corpses with a mere gesture, without talismans or sorcery tools, was skill enough,
but he seemed to be hiding something more.
'Some other trick up his sleeve... Ha. Even using my very suspicion against me?'
Seeing Eon Yong-un pull ahead by five or six steps through it, Jin Gworang let out a wry smile.
'...There was definitely a chance to crush him.'
When he first encountered Eon Yong-un at the Northern River.
The bastard had been within arm's reach, close enough to snap his neck with a hand.
'But at that time, such a choice wasn't possible.'
Choosing to absorb resentful blood with the enemy's forces right before him fell into the same vein.
The Blood Reinforcement Corps, which he'd thought would crumble at a touch, proved sturdy.
Considering the Orthodox Murim's reserves, reinforcements were surely en route.
The Blood Cult's predicament was a crisis upon crisis.
'It was an unavoidable desperate measure.'
To break through, there was only one way.
'For me to achieve great success in the Blood Rain Divine Art.'
To demonstrate, through overwhelming power, what became of those who defied the Blood Demon.
That alone was the sole path to right all wrongs.
But at the final moment, everything twisted awry.
His grand undertaking crumbled, and Jin Gworang's own cultivation regressed.
Pik! Pik! Pik! Pik! Pik!
Veins bulging on the back of Eon Yong-un's head, Jin Gworang quietly pondered the origin of this crisis.
'Where did it all go wrong?'
In truth, chances to capture and kill Eon Yong-un had abounded.
When word came that Reverse Heaven Demon Gu had taken heavy blows in Shanxi and the Northern Sea.
'Back then, I just thought he was an amusing fellow.'
When he dropped the head of the Sage Moon Horse in Sichuan.
He'd even wondered if Heaven itself—or Sword Demon Wi Cheol-jin—was aiding his grand cause.
'...No reason to kill the one cornering the Ten Demon Great Mountains into dire straits.'
With that, Jin Gworang put a period to his spiraling thoughts.
'One thing's certain. Killing that bastard now will end my qi deviation.'
Suppressing the rising bile, he surged his blood tide technique's energy,
compressed it thickly with his raised inner power, and unleashed it.
Screeeeeeeeeeeeech!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The energy transformed into a fierce gang hwan ring tore through the air with a shrieking roar, hurtling toward Eon Yong-un while slicing blocking corpses like tofu.
Nearby corpses he might have raised were all shredded, and it wasn't something ordinary rebound arts could block.
Jin Gworang's lip curled upward slyly.
In that instant.
Whoosh!
Eon Yong-un twisted his body sharply and brushed the gang hwan with his held sword.
Normally, it would have shattered into ripples, turning Eon Yong-un to thousands of shreds with blood-red crescents.
But once more, the future Jin Gworang foresaw changed.
Clang!!!
The gang hwan didn't fracture; it bounced off, altering its trajectory.
Whirl!
Eon Yong-un exploited the sliver of space created, twisting his body perfectly to slip free of the encirclement.
What enabled it was the blood tide energy coiled around Eon Yong-un's sword that first deflected the gang hwan.
"How do you wield the blood tide technique?"
In that moment,
fragments of thought in Jin Gworang's mind clicked into place.
"...Not Dugogo Cheol—you're the Ghost Face Elder?"
But the thought that had barely pieced together the truth soon shattered.
'...Since when?'
They'd been strangers from the start—where did it begin?
How did Dugogo Cheol, who bore blood feud with the Orthodox Murim, come into it?
Why would a famed family's heir be branded a public enemy?
Thoughts chaining endlessly,
Jin Gworang halted his steps and opened his mouth.
"...What the hell are you?"
At that, Eon Yong-un bellowed with a splat!
"Is that a question? Then show some respect, you punk! By bloodline, you're way beneath me!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Confirming flames rising on the Blood Rakshasa Gate side, Human King sealed his severed left arm's shoulder with a quick acupoint strike as if it were nothing.
"Things are turning dire! All forces, to Ox King's position!"
He turned without hesitation.
"Senior!"
"Right! Let's follow!"
Namgung Yun pursued Human King's legion with Do Jung-gwang and the bandit forces.
After sprinting briefly through the labyrinthine palace grounds of the Blood Heaven Asura Palace,
behind Human King's advancing legion,
『Plains Ox Demon Legion』
demons bearing Ox King's legion banner joined up.
The bandits trailing the two froze in horror.
"Gasp. The enemies just quintupled out of nowhere?"
"Quintupled? More like tripled—at least tenfold."
Behind that Plains Ox Demon Legion, seven Taoists wielding azure sword gangs and a group in ghost masks came running.
Namgung Yun brightened and rushed forward.
"Hong Army!"
Do Jung-gwang and the bandits followed.
"Namgung Family's Yun greets Infinite Sword Senior—"
As Namgung Yun tried to bow amid the chaos, Myeong Yeong at Hong Army's lead waved it off hastily.
"Enough. This isn't the time for leisurely greetings. Let's move."
"Yes!"
As they resumed chasing the demons,
Myeong Yeong gave Do Jung-gwang a light nod.
"Senior Do. I heard you made a bold decision. Glad you're safe."
Do Jung-gwang cleared his throat awkwardly at the greeting.
"Ahem. Well. Kh-hm."
His subordinates grumbled at him.
"...That's why I said earlier we should've taken the rabbit path."
It was inevitable.
The Wudang Five Heroes' fame spread because they punished those tormenting the common folk.
Among them were corrupt officials, but proportionally more unorthodox, including bandits.
They'd faint at the mere mention of Myeong Yeong coming, and now he was right there.
An utterly intimidating situation.
"Straighten your shoulders, you lot. What've you done wrong?"
"We've done plenty."
"True, but... this'll square most of it away."
Their advance
halted before Blood Demon's annex, facing Rat King's fluttering legion banner.
『Wild Rat Demon Legion』
Thus, innermost: Rat King's legion and No Sam's white army.
Next: Ox King and Human King's legions.
Finally: Hong Army merged with Orthodox forces, facing off in disarray.
Yin Xia Lian, quickest to grasp the situation, infused her voice with inner power.
"Wudang Five Heroes are here! The demons are finished!!!"
This ploy signaled reinforcements to allies in fierce combat within and sapped enemy morale.
As bandit Taoists raised their voices too,
"Yeah! Those bastards are the worst! Wudang Five Heroes are here!!"
"We just take a modest toll, build bridges, block scum—our bandits are a different breed!"
"Waaah!!!"
From Blood Cult side, Rat King bellowed,
"Human King! Ox King!! We must secure the Cult Leader! Don't mind the rear—push inside!"
Simultaneously, white army's No Sam roared like a lion.
"Wudang Five Heroes? Then Myeong Yeong junior's there?!"
"Yes!"
"That annex you see! Head to the annex! Yong-un went in alone!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Realizing his blood tide-forged gang hwan, lethal to ordinary warriors, didn't faze me,
Jin Gworang focused it purely on enhancing his physical prowess.
Hiss! Hiss!
Screeeeech!!!
I circulated blood tide through my blood vessels to block his movements too,
but
slash!
rip! tear!
my martial robes shredded to rags,
and cuts large and small kept accumulating.
"Even now, you won't explain how you stole Blood Cult and Heavenly Demon Divine Cult arts?"
"I told you. Truth is, I'm your granddad."
At that, Master interjected.
- That Jin fellow's qi deviation is certain. Yet he still surpasses you. Don't get complacent.
'...I know. One slip, and my head's gone.'
At first, I'd thought maybe I could take Jin Gworang alone.
'...But when he quelled his qi deviation faster than expected and opened his eyes, it got dicey.'
If I could lure just one moment of carelessness,
'I figured the hidden assassin and blood dragon could seize the chance...'
Using corpses I'd dispatched entering the annex as shields was now tapped out.
"Then I'll drink the blood pooled in your body."
"That's the same line as before. No better threats?"
"It started as rage-spat words. But thinking it over, you're a walking elixir to me."
Flash!!
Jin Gworang's eyes gleamed as he charged with momentum incomparable to before.
No more hiding trumps.
'Assassin.'
- Yes, my lord.
'Summoning blood dragon now. It'll take one hit from Jin Gworang.'
- I'll strike his rear then.
'Good.'
I commanded the assassin.
And promptly summoned the blood dragon.
"Blood Dragon!"
Grrrrrrooo!!
"So this was your hidden card?"
"Nah. One more."
Blood Dragon, upon summoning, split in half,
but as intended, took Jin Gworang's sword once.
Screeeeech!!
Seizing the gap, the assassin rose from shadows, drawing a black crescent,
and syncing with his strikes, I swung Regret too.
Shuk! Shuk!
Screeeeech!!
Jin Gworang dodged my thrusts with lightning steps,
then swung wildly, shredding the assassin.
Boom!!!!!!
He stomped, blasting wind pressure to forcibly dismiss the assassin,
and from the backlash, I vomited dark blood.
"Cough."
"Now it's truly over?"
Grinning smugly with curled lips,
he sobered and charged again.
'...This is really dangerous.'
To counter, I executed Shadowless Heaven-Splitting Step backward while swinging Regret.
Clang! Clang!
Clangclangsclang!!!
As a strike pierced Regret's arcs to impale me,
a cool breeze stirred from behind.
"Duck."
Myeong Yeong, now right beside me, softly swung his azure sword-gang-wreathed blade, deflecting Jin Gworang's sword upward.
Riiiing—
With the sword's resonant hum, Jin Gworang retreated.
"Infinite Sword?"
Myeong Yeong gazed at me, exhaling in relief.
"Made it in time?"
"A bit late."
"You hurt?!"
"Nah. But you'll owe me for tardiness later."