Chapter 172: Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 172: Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven (1)
A few days had passed since the finals of the Yongbong Gathering, and Seo-jun’s party finally departed from Henan.
Shortly before leaving, Seo-jun had attended the final meeting of the elders from the Sixteen Major Sects out of a sense of professional courtesy. However, the content of the meeting wasn't much different from the previous ones.
The only new piece of information was that a new Great Arch-Demon had appeared in Gorang County, Gansu. Since Seo-jun knew the truth about "Cheon Seo-jun" better than anyone, this wasn't particularly shocking news.
The elders concluded the meeting by agreeing to tighten their vigilance against the Demonic Cult.
"Ho-ho, I shall take a din-rec today."
"A din-rec...? What on earth does that mean, True Human Heo-do?"
"It means I am open to 'dinner recommendations.' I heard it's a term the youngsters use these days."
"Hah, I suppose this is what they mean by the generation gap. Time truly does fly."
While True Human Heo-do was busy flaunting his 'MZ vibes,' it wasn't anything of great consequence.
And so, they were now inside a carriage leaving Henan. It should have been a joyous day, returning home after so long... but Seo-jun was busy stealing glances at Chun-bong, nervously gauging her mood.
"What."
"Huh? Oh, nothing... just looking."
"……"
Chun-bong’s glare was razor-sharp.
She had been in a foul mood for the past few days. For a day or two after the 'Chun-bong Kiss Incident,' she had been jumping around in flustered embarrassment, but as time passed, her mood had suddenly plummeted.
What is it now...?
Even Lee Seo-jun, who practically held a PhD in Chun-bong Psychology, couldn't figure out the reason. Everything seemed normal, so why...?
Then, a thought suddenly struck him.
"Ah, is it that time of the month?"
Beside him, Namgung Su-ah shot him a horrified look. A dropkick from Chun-bong followed as an immediate bonus.
"Gah...! No, wait...! Why?!"
"You just...! Just die already...!"
The first day passed without any other major incidents.
The next day, perhaps because he had spent the night singing her lullabies, Chun-bong’s mood seemed to have improved slightly.
Relieved, Seo-jun gazed out the carriage window.
"Spring is already over."
It felt like it had been snowing when they first arrived in Henan, but now it was nearly summer. As time continued to pass like this, he’d be thirty in no time, then forty, fifty, a hundred, five hundred, a thousand...
Hmm.
Even so, he didn't think a thousand years would come that quickly. By then, wouldn't it be perfectly fine to call him a walking fossil?
"Man, I don't want to get old."
"What was that, you brat?"
Pae Jin-gwang, the oldest member of the group, felt personally attacked. Riding in the carriage ahead, he suddenly poked his head out the window.
"It'll happen to you in the blink of an eye, you punk."
"Hey, old man."
"What."
"How old are you, anyway?"
"I don't know. I stopped counting after five hundred. I think I'm over seven hundred now."
"Wow, you really are a crazy ancient geezer..."
"Are you requesting a life-and-death duel?"
"Let's not go that far."
Seo-jun scratched his head awkwardly.
It was a peaceful time. Aside from minor squabbles, nothing major was likely to happen in Henan. Even if something did, the combat power gathered here was enough to overwhelm most major sects.
He could afford to relax. Logically, that was the case.
Hm?
Just as something brushed against the edge of Seo-jun’s Qi Sensing, a crimson pillar plummeted from the sky.
Blood?
His body moved before his thoughts could.
The pillar was massive—large enough to crush everything in the vicinity. If he didn't stop it, the carriage would be flattened instantly, along with everyone inside.
Wooooong—
Internal energy, rising from the realm of pure instinct, drew a Reverse Taiji and shot toward the sky.
The Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art pierced through the center of the blood-colored pillar. With a loud crack!, the pillar shattered, and its fragments rained down on the group.
"Aaargh...!"
"My—my arm...!"
The limbs of the warriors struck by the fragments were violently torn away.
The Super Peak masters quickly blocked the debris, but it was impossible to stop it all. Several warriors of the Namgung Clan collapsed, grievously wounded.
Seo-jun’s eyes glowed brightly.
"Everyone, get back."
The internal energy of the Primordial Unity Divine Art erupted, gathering at Seo-jun’s fingertips. Something was approaching rapidly. With a powerful mental intent to pierce through anything, he fired a Reverse Taiji.
Heaven Piercing.
Creeeeeak—
The mental imagery of Shooting the Sun pierced through space and struck its target.
Boom!
More accurately, it collided with a red barrier. The man who revealed himself from behind it smirked.
"Not a chance... hm?"
The man stumbled for a moment. A heavy pressure bore down, as if something were crushing his shoulder. Realizing it was the mental intent embedded in the previous attack, the man furrowed his brows.
"Insolent brat..."
The man waved his hand.
"Guh...!"
"Ack...!"
The warriors who had been wounded by the fragments of the blood pillar began to writhe. Soon, their movements ceased. Their breath stopped.
Simultaneously, Seo-jun hastily deployed a Qi Membrane.
Whoosh!
The spreading curtain of Qi blocked the energy emanating from the corpses.
It's poison.
This was troublesome. Seo-jun’s eyes darted rapidly.
Inside the carriage were Chun-bong, Namgung Su-ah, and Namgung Myeong. In the front carriage were Pae Jin-gwang, Namgung Hyeok, and Jang-geuk. Outside were the warriors of the Namgung Clan.
Seo-jun observed the man. His aura was strange. Unlike the Transcendent Realm masters he had seen before, there was no sense of him being one with space itself.
Instead, the scent of blood was thick. He wasn't at a level one would merely call Super Peak, either. He was at a level similar to the Transcendent Realm. In that case?
He made a swift judgment.
"Don't move from here."
Immediately leaping out of the carriage, Seo-jun stood on the roof and stared at the man.
Pae Jin-gwang, Namgung Hyeok, and Jang-geuk also stepped out, looking up at the man standing in the sky.
Soon, four men in black appeared behind him.
Without taking his eyes off the man, Seo-jun asked, "Old man, do you know him?"
"No. Never seen him before."
"You don't know him at all?"
"...It's a Blood Art."
A Blood Art? No wonder the scent of blood was so thick.
Seo-jun frowned casually, but Jang-geuk and Namgung Hyeok reacted differently.
"...A Blood Art? Are you saying he's from the Blood Cult?"
At Namgung Hyeok’s words, Pae Jin-gwang shook his head.
"That's impossible. The Blood Cult was completely uprooted. We tracked down their very souls and the mental imagery of their martial arts to slaughter every last one of them. There shouldn't be a single survivor."
The man, who had graciously waited while they talked, clicked his tongue.
"I suppose that's enough waiting. None of you will know me—but I am called Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven."
For someone who had initiated an unprovoked attack, he was remarkably composed.
Seo-jun tried his best to cool his rising temper. He couldn't just lash out here. With Chun-bong, Namgung Su-ah, and Namgung Myeong to protect, this wasn't an easy opponent to fight.
It was infuriating that the Namgung warriors were already dead, but if he made a wrong move, more would follow.
Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven continued.
"I know a girl named Geum Hee is here. Hand her over. Then I shall let the rest of you go peacefully."
"...You son of a bitch."
Crack— Seo-jun immediately shattered his inner core. In an instant, the balance of his Essence-Qi-Spirit collapsed, and his Qi exploded outward.
This is a mess.
He didn't want to use Demonification if he could help it. Last time, he had come close to losing control. It would likely be worse this time, but this wasn't an opponent he could afford to hold back against.
Crack, snap!
A long horn sprouted from the top of Seo-jun’s head. Simultaneously, two extra pairs of arms surged from his sides.
He saw Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven’s expression twist. This moment of unexpected shock was the perfect opening.
Swish—
Six streaks of the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art, completed in an instant, shot forward.
Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven clicked his tongue.
"So you refuse my mercy."
He had intended to kill them painlessly if they had just handed over the Divine Blood.
Splash! Streams of blood erupting from Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven’s sleeves blocked the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art.
"Hmm...!"
Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven’s eyes widened. The power was unusual. He immediately added more strength and struck upward, sending the streaks of the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art soaring into the sky.
"You..."
His pride was wounded. He had to deflect an attack? And from a mere Super Peak level Qi art? Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven growled and commanded.
"Take care of the Fist King."
"……"
The four men in black silently lunged at Pae Jin-gwang.
Seo-jun glared solely at Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven. Jang-geuk and Namgung Hyeok also remained on guard instead of moving recklessly.
The top priority was protecting the carriage. Since poison was spread throughout the area, if Seo-jun moved too far away, the people inside would be affected.
The Namgung warriors who had been further away from the carriage had already succumbed to the poison. Even Peak Realm warriors had been unable to resist it at all.
Seo-jun spoke, clinging to his fading rationality.
"Don't worry about his Blood Art. Just kill him."
Immediately, Jang-geuk and Namgung Hyeok moved.
Seo-jun sat cross-legged on the roof of the carriage. His three pairs of arms each formed hand seals.
As the sorcery unfolded, dozens of pillars erupted from the ground.
Leaping onto the rising pillars, Jang-geuk coated his broad blade with Astral Qi.
Giant Spirit Divine Art.
Jang-geuk was a genius. Standing next to Seo-jun might have made him seem overshadowed, but it was actually the opposite.
Jang-geuk felt no great difficulty in following the path of existing martial arts. By learning the techniques Seo-jun had created, he had become far stronger than before.
A faint image of a giant loomed behind him as his intuition sharpened to a razor's edge.
"Your arrogance knows no bounds."
Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven’s expression contorted. Don't worry about the Blood Art? It meant they were confident they could block it all.
"Then try it."
Fwoosh!
An absurd amount of blood erupted from Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven’s entire body.
A massive wave of blood crashed down toward Jang-geuk.
Having sensed the turbulent Qi in advance, Seo-jun fired a massive sphere created between his six palms. It was the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
A massive hole was punched through the wave. Green energy swirled in the eyes of Jang-geuk as he dove through the opening.
"You picked the wrong opponent...!"
To face his lord with Qi techniques, one had to be at least at the Transcendent Realm.
The enemy's aura was impressive, but he lacked the Transcendent Realm's characteristic sense of being one with space. In that case, the man's Qi techniques were meaningless.
Just as Jang-geuk kicked off the air to lunge forward, his intuition rang a terrifying alarm.
"Hup...!"
He hurriedly twisted his body. Droplets of blood formed in the air and shot toward him.
How?
He shouldn't be at the Transcendent Realm. But there was no time to ponder.
I can't dodge them all...!
Jang-geuk wrapped his entire body in Protective Astral Qi. It was a futile effort.
"I told you, don't worry about it. Just kill him."
Five Elements, Water, Blood Manipulation.
The droplets of blood froze in mid-air. Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven’s eyes bulged.
"How...?"
Namgung Hyeok seized that opening. Falling Sea from the Firmament. He immediately unleashed his ultimate technique.
A small domain manifested over his sword. Within it, an endlessly growing sea crashed down upon Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven.
Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven thrust out his palm. Clang! With a lightly thrust palm strike, Namgung Hyeok’s ultimate technique was neutralized.
He then swung his hand broadly, flinging back the approaching Jang-geuk as well.
Ignoring them, Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven stared solely at Seo-jun.
"What kind of sorcery is this...!"
He could accept that the boy's Qi techniques were stronger than expected. But interfering with his own Qi techniques was a different story. It was impossible.
Rage boiled over as Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven’s eyes turned a deep crimson.
Seo-jun looked back at him.
I see.
So that is the Transcendent Realm of Blood Arts. Unlike the orthodox Transcendent Realm, which achieved a grand expansion of the body and took the surrounding space as its Essence and Qi, this man had dissolved his Essence-Qi-Spirit into his blood.
Did it have a specific name?
He wasn't curious.
Seo-jun immediately fired six streaks of the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art.
His face twisting, Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven attempted to interfere. It was revenge. He should be the one capable of interfering with Qi techniques, not the boy.
His excessively thick Blood Qi dominated the surrounding Qi, attempting to scatter the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art.
Or rather, he tried to.
Swish—
There was no effect. The Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art flew toward him without a single tremor. Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven gritted his teeth.
"What the hell are you...!"
He couldn't understand. No matter how he looked at it, the boy's realm was Super Peak. Such a feat should be impossible.
His eyes glowed red as he used streams of blood to wrap around and deflect the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art.
"Fine...! I get it now."
He abandoned his casual attitude. He drew out his true power.
Looking at the situation, the Fist King was weaker than expected. Despite living all those years, there were limits to relying solely on external martial arts.
He had been far too cautious of the Fist King. Now that he realized this, there was no need to conserve his strength.
Gurgle! Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven’s physical body turned into blood. His aura exploded.
Splash!
His elongated form reached Seo-jun in an instant. It was an absurd speed.
Jang-geuk and Namgung Hyeok couldn't even react in time. Seo-jun sensed it through the horn on his head. He locked eyes with Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven, who had appeared right in front of him.
"I'll admit you're quite talented."
He thrust out his palm. A massive, dark-red Astral Qi gathered on his palm. It was Poison Blood Astral Qi.
Seo-jun saw it through his pupils, which were now slit horizontally.
I can't neutralize this.
It was unavoidable due to the difference in their realms. In fact, the current situation where he was even somewhat holding his own was what was strange.
Seo-jun, still sitting cross-legged, unleashed the Tyrannical Power Ghost God Art.
Six fists collided with Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven’s palm strike.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
He deflected as much of the impact as possible, but it wasn't perfect. The roof of the carriage was blown away. Chun-bong, Namgung Su-ah, and Namgung Myeong looked at Seo-jun with eyes full of horror.
Seo-jun, blood trickling from his mouth, imbued his six hands with Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Astral Qi.
But Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven was much faster. His body, turned to blood, twisted eerily and slammed a palm into Seo-jun’s abdomen.
Thwack!
With a wet, sickening sound, Seo-jun’s body was pulverized. Shards of his body scattered in all directions.
"Oppa—!!!"
Amidst a scream that sounded like her very soul was being torn out, Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven laughed.
"No need to rush. It's your turn now."
Squelch— Strands of blood stretched out. Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven felt something was wrong. This wasn't his doing.
"What...?"
His eyes widened. The shattered pieces of Seo-jun’s body were being connected by blood. It looked as if a red spiderweb had been spun between them.
Soon, the body parts formed a formation.
Heaven-Defying, Reverse Taiji, Heaven Piercing.
FWOOOOOOSH—
A massive pillar pierced the sky.
Between the body parts forming the formation, the blood strands—acting like spiderwebs—violently pulled the fragmented pieces together.
Squelch— Seo-jun’s body fused back into one. Finally, his head snapped back onto his neck.
Without a single expression, Seo-jun, now draped in garments made of blood, looked at the turbid pillar he had created. In its center, a figure tore through the pillar and emerged.
"Just what are you..."
It was Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven, with one arm missing. Squelch— the blood making up his body stretched out and took the shape of an arm once again.
Jang-geuk and Namgung Hyeok, arriving late, hurriedly stood between Seo-jun and Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven.
"My—my lord... are you alright...?"
Seo-jun said nothing. There was no light in his eyes. He had already lost his reason.
Instead, three hideous flowers bloomed behind his head.
Twitch—
Countless eyeballs embedded in the flowers all looked at Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven at once.
Seo-jun also looked at him. His neck, not yet fully attached, tilted sharply to the side before snapping back into place.
"A mere insect... dares—"
—Higher, even higher. It's still not enough. To tear this thing apart, he needed more power.
The sole remaining thought took root.
Seo-jun’s eyes were dyed the color of blood.