Chapter 134: Eight Cold Hells (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134: Eight Cold Hells (1)
As night fell, Seo-jun quietly slipped out of the alleyway.
His form blurred with every step. With the first step, he grew hazy, as if shrouded in mist. With the second, he melted into the darkness. And with the final step, he vanished without a trace.
This was the Shadow Hiding Technique he had been practicing in his spare time.
Inspired by the Shadowless Under the Moon technique used by the Hidden Sword of the Darkness, Ye-hwa, it utilized his internal energy to assimilate with his surroundings. By doing so, he evaded sight, smell, and Qi sensing. As for his physical presence—like the sound of his footsteps—he erased it by mimicking the assassins of the Blood Crow Sect, whom he had dealt with until he was sick of them.
He named his version Shadowless Under the Moon.
Without leaving so much as a shadow behind, Seo-jun lightly vaulted over the main gate of the Blood Crow Sect. Guards were on duty, but they sensed nothing amiss, continuing their perimeter watch with their usual touch of complacency.
Seo-jun slipped past them and strolled leisurely through the interior of the sect, only to suddenly knit his brows.
A faint, heavy scent of blood hung in the air—a stench steeped into the very wood and stone of the buildings themselves.
Clicking his tongue softly, Seo-jun expanded his Qi sensing. A covert wave of Qi swept through every corner of the Blood Crow Sect, painting a detailed map within his mind.
The only person he needed to worry about was the Blood Crow Sect Leader.
Sweeping for an aura in the Super Peak Realm, he pinpointed a single presence in a building near the center of the sect.
Wait.
Then, he found another.
On the outskirts, near the opposite side of the main gate, pulsed a second aura at the Super Peak level.
I was told the Sect Leader was the only Super Peak expert here.
This was an unexpected variable. Seo-jun came to a halt.
Just then, three martial artists came into view. Walking at a slow pace on a routine patrol, they brushed right past him. Seo-jun immediately fell into step behind them.
Blissfully unaware of the shadow trailing them, the martial artists continued their patrol without an ounce of suspicion. Gauging the right moment, Seo-jun spotted a corner in a secluded area. He sensed no other presences nearby. He slipped ahead to check past the corner; the conditions were perfect.
He waited in the dark.
As if their discipline was quite strict, the martial artists turned the corner in complete silence.
In that instant, Seo-jun’s hands moved like lightning.
His left hand, with index and middle fingers extended and wrapped in Sword Astral Qi, cleanly slashed two of their throats. His right hand spread wide and clamped over the face of the third man.
“Mmph...!”
The man’s eyes bulged in terror. His two comrades were already corpses, their throats slit.
Without hesitation, Seo-jun activated the Star-Absorbing Great Art.
“Gubuh...!”
Deploying a Qi membrane to muffle any escaping sounds, Seo-jun threw the man’s Primordial True Qi into chaos and flooded his system with Demonic Qi. Soon, the man’s eyes glazed over, and his struggling body went limp.
Seo-jun asked, “I sensed two Super Peak experts just now. Who are they?”
“Sect... Leader...”
“And?”
“Ran... na... chal...”
Rannachal?
After pressing him a few more times, he managed to piece together the alias: Rakshasa Sword.
Once he learned that this Rakshasa Sword was an outside expert invited by the Blood Crow Sect Leader, the captive expired, dark blood gushing from every orifice.
This isn't a very good method for interrogation.
It was difficult to get long answers, and the victim remained alive for far too short a time.
Clicking his tongue, Seo-jun gathered the corpses into a pile. After extracting every last drop of their remaining True Qi with the Star-Absorbing Great Art, he used it to manifest Astral Qi, incinerating all traces of the bodies.
The Blood Crow Sect Leader and Rakshasa Sword.
Could he handle both at once? He wouldn't know until he faced them. Judging by their auras, both seemed to be in the early to mid-stages of the Super Peak Realm, but martial prowess couldn't be judged by realm alone.
Furthermore, he had to remember that this was the territory of the Black Lotus Union. It would be troublesome if the commotion dragged on.
To retreat or to press on?
After a moment of deliberation, he made his decision.
It should be fine as long as I assassinate one before the real fight begins.
The moment he decided, he kicked off the ground.
He landed on a roof and leaped again. After repeating this silent traversal several times, he walked straight up the wall of a particularly tall building and carefully examined the presence inside.
Found him.
He walked along the exterior wall, circling around to a blind spot, and used Astral Qi to carve a quiet hole through the wood. After slipping inside the building, he fitted the piece of the wall perfectly back into place. Infiltration complete.
He crept toward the room where he had sensed the Blood Crow Sect Leader and waited quietly in the shadows. He watched the man converse with his subordinates until they received their orders and took their leave.
As the Blood Crow Sect Leader finally began to move, Seo-jun stepped up behind him and placed a hand on the sword at his waist.
Delicately circulating his internal energy, he coated the sheathed blade with Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Astral Qi.
His target was the neck.
He took a slow breath, held it, and gripped the hilt tight.
In a single, explosive motion, he drew his blade.
“Hah...!”
Reacting with impressive speed, the Blood Crow Sect Leader imbued his hand with Hand Astral Qi and swung it to intercept the strike.
A fatal miscalculation. He should have dodged.
Sshrk—!
The Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Astral Qi cleaved right through the Sect Leader’s defenses. The upper half of his hand was sliced clean off. Blood erupted from the stump, leaving only the thumb behind.
“You...!”
His face contorted in agony and shock.
Seo-jun shook off the scattered Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Astral Qi and manifested a chilling Sword Astral Qi using the internal energy of the Ice Soul Divine Art.
“Jin Gi-jae-cheon! How the hell are you here?!”
Would he believe it if Seo-jun said he flew?
Seo-jun simply smirked and leveled his sword. “You actually blocked that? Good instincts.”
“You bastard...!”
The Blood Crow Sect Leader hurriedly threw himself backward—not toward Seo-jun, but toward the wall.
Crash!
Smashing right through the timber to escape the building, the Blood Crow Sect Leader pulled a long pipe from his robes. As he plummeted toward the ground outside, he put the pipe to his lips, inhaled deeply, and blew.
Fwoosh!
Thick red smoke exploded from his mouth and nose, rapidly expanding into a dense cloud.
Seo-jun, hot on his heels, was immediately enveloped by the smoke.
Poison?
He couldn't tell for sure, as his entire body was shrouded in Protective Astral Qi. Ignoring the crimson cloud, Seo-jun swung his sword with brutal force.
Cr-crack!
The very air along the sword’s trajectory froze solid.
The Blood Crow Sect Leader hurriedly swung his remaining hand to deflect the freezing strike, flipping mid-air to land heavily on the ground. Shaking his slightly frosted hand, he gritted his teeth.
“The Ice Soul Divine Art...?”
How could Jin Gi-jae-cheon use the Ice Soul Divine Art? No, the very premise was wrong. This man wasn't Jin Gi-jae-cheon.
“Why would the Black Lotus Union do this to me...! No, is this your own doing? No, that can't be... Is this the will of the Ice Palace? I don't understand! What is it that you want?!”
Is he an idiot? Seo-jun wondered before answering dryly.
“Die for the greater good.”
“The greater good? Speak so I can understand...!”
Seo-jun had just spouted the first nonsense that came to mind.
He pressed his hand against the ground.
Ice Realm.
Cr-cr-cr-crack──────────!!!
Starting from his palm, everything in the vicinity flash-froze. The world was dyed a brilliant white. It was the exact technique used by the Ice Palace martial artist during the subjugation of the Green Forest.
Recognizing the Ice Realm, the Blood Crow Sect Leader flew into a rage.
“You...! You will regret this...!”
The disciples of the Blood Crow Sect began swarming the courtyard from all directions.
Seo-jun smirked and unleashed a follow-up technique.
Ice Crystal.
A pure white snowflake crystal hovered above Seo-jun’s palm. Then came the sorcery.
Five Elements, Water, Diffusion.
As martial arts and sorcery linked together, they carved out an entirely new realm of power. Seo-jun clenched his fist.
Crunch!
The crystal in his palm shattered.
Fwoooosh!
Simultaneously, an absurd surge of Yin Cold Energy erupted outward, painting the world in pure, freezing white. The Blood Crow Sect disciples who had drawn too close were instantly frozen to death. Those further away survived the initial blast but screamed in terror as their bodies rapidly began to stiffen.
One hundred and eight massive pillars of ice erupted from the frozen earth.
Standing amidst that stark white world, Seo-jun indifferently scanned his surroundings.
The Blood Crow Sect Leader exhaled a plume of white breath, his eyes flashing with sinister triumph.
“I’ve got you...!”
Seo-jun furrowed his brows in confusion.
Drip—
A trail of fresh blood trickled from the corner of Seo-jun’s mouth.
“It is the Blood Salt Ten Thousand Soul!” the Sect Leader gloated. “Now that the poison is in your system, you won't be able to expel it so easily.”
Poisoned? When?
Poison shouldn't be able to penetrate Protective Astral Qi. Protective Astral Qi didn't just act as a substitute for physical armor; the Qi enveloping the body actively filtered out everything from the outside world. It blocked poison, extreme heat, biting cold, blinding light, and even foul odors—anything the user did not permit.
That was precisely why one could breathe underwater while enveloped in Protective Astral Qi. The water was filtered out, allowing only air to pass through the Qi barrier.
There was no point in questioning the logic behind it. Matters related to Mental Imagery were always like that. Martial arts made the seemingly impossible a reality as if it were nothing.
However, the undeniable truth was that the absolute defense of his Protective Astral Qi had been breached.
“Cough...!”
As Seo-jun coughed up a mouthful of dark blood, the Blood Crow Sect Leader let out a mocking laugh.
“Now the tables have turned.”
The surviving disciples of the Blood Crow Sect closed the encirclement. There was no way out.
To make matters worse, Rakshasa Sword had quickly arrived after noticing the anomaly. He surveyed the white, frozen landscape and glanced at the Blood Crow Sect Leader.
“What happened?”
“What do you think? An intruder.”
“Do I need to step in?”
“There’s no need to trouble yourself. It’s already over.” The Blood Crow Sect Leader pointed at Seo-jun, whose head was bowed low. “First, we must capture him and extract the truth behind this attack.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
Rakshasa Sword took long strides, stopping right in front of Seo-jun.
“I assume he doesn't need his limbs to talk?”
“Do as you wish.”
“Will do.”
Rakshasa Sword drew his blade.
Slowly, Seo-jun lifted his head. His eyes were heavily bloodshot, and terrifying, pitch-black veins bulged across his pale skin.
Watching from behind, the Blood Crow Sect Leader’s eyes narrowed.
The Blood Salt Ten Thousand Soul doesn't cause symptoms like that.
At that exact moment, Seo-jun formed a one-handed seal.
108 Ice Demon Pillar Formation.
Woooooom──────────!
The 108 ice pillars that had erupted around them instantly turned pitch-black, exerting a crushing, suffocating pressure over the entire courtyard.
“Guh...!”
Rakshasa Sword froze mid-swing. An absurd, invisible weight pressed down on his body.
If that were all, it might have been manageable, but a bone-deep, frigid chill began to spread from within him. Even as a Super Peak expert, Rakshasa Sword could not properly control his rapidly stiffening muscles.
Barely holding himself upright as his knees threatened to buckle, he glared at Seo-jun with bloodshot eyes.
“What... did you...!”
“Pah...!”
Seo-jun spat out a glob of pitch-black saliva.
Sizzle!
The concentrated toxicity instantly melted a hole into the frozen white ground.
“I didn't know Protective Astral Qi had a weakness like this.”
Chalk it up to a lack of experience.
Seo-jun clicked his tongue and immediately lunged forward, reaching out. Rakshasa Sword forced his stiff body to block as best he could, but he was far too slow.
Thwack!
Seo-jun’s hand, clad in Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Astral Qi, shattered Rakshasa Sword’s blade and plunged straight into his abdomen.
“H-how...”
“Shh.”
He immediately activated the Star-Absorbing Great Art, greedily draining all of the man’s True Qi. He dispersed the chaotic Primordial True Qi and absorbed the refined True Qi, using it to forcefully heal his poisoned and injured body.
“Whew...”
As expected of a Super Peak expert, the quality of his True Qi was on a completely different level. His body instantly felt light and revitalized.
Seo-jun casually tossed aside the shriveled, dried-up husk of Rakshasa Sword.
“First... let’s clean this up.”
Crack—
Seo-jun’s mouth fell open. From his maw, stretched so wide it looked as if his jaw had been unhinged, a glowing golden sphere emerged.
The Blood Crow Sect Leader’s eyes trembled in sheer horror at the bizarre, unnatural sight.
Seo-jun synchronized the Inner Core he had regurgitated with the 108 pitch-black ice pillars.
A place unimaginably high.
A fragment gathered by reaching out toward a realm far beyond mortal comprehension.
The pillars and the Inner Core resonated in perfect harmony, dyeing the entire area into a single, absolute domain.
Pseudo-Domain: Eight Cold Hells.
Cr-cr-cr-crack──────────!
The frigid, inescapable chill of hell descended upon the mortal world.