Chapter 113
Chapter 113
Judgment (5)
The moment Pa Eum-bi-ma descended into the underground chamber of the Blood Prison Hall aboard his palanquin, he was met with a sight that left him utterly bewildered.
The wounds carved into the corpses of the cultists left aboveground were unmistakably the work of someone at least at the peak of the Flower Realm—if not beyond.
'That's why I rushed here in such haste...'
The anticipation that had swelled within him now cooled into disappointment.
Tsk.
Clicking his tongue, Pa Eum-bi-ma surveyed the scene before him.
"Enemies!"
"Prepare for battle!"
"Their main technique is Sound Arts! Everyone, beware of falling prey to the Heart Demon!"
Before him stood nothing more than a group of youths who appeared barely past their twenties, their cultivation levels hovering around the early to mid stages of the Second Leaf.
Could they be concealing their true strength?
No matter how closely he scrutinized them, the answer remained the same.
'The strongest among them are only two at the initial stage of the Flower Realm.'
Aside from those two, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about them.
There must have been a leader guiding them, yet no matter where he looked, he couldn't spot anyone who fit the description.
...Could it be?
His gaze flickered toward the pit at the center of the chamber.
'Did he go to retrieve the Thousand Blood Gu...?'
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
That was an absurd assumption.
To begin with, the fact that the Thousand Blood Gu slumbered within that pit was a secret known only to the Ten Elders of the Blood Cult.
Even they couldn't approach it without the protective talismans imbued with the Blood Demon's power—lest they be devoured by the Gu.
So then, where was this leader?
Just as his curiosity about the one who had caused the massacre aboveground began to rise—
'Hmph. I'll just leave one alive and make him spill everything.'
He settled on the simplest solution.
"O Great Master,"
"bestow upon us your divine protection."
"Grant us the power to tear apart these fools who dare obstruct your grand design."
His four palanquin bearers—the Four Dukes—knelt in reverence as they spoke.
Pa Eum-bi-ma stepped out of the palanquin with deliberate slowness.
"Hmph. Indeed. These insects aren't even worth my personal attention."
Ting-ling.
As his fingers plucked the strings of his pipa, an enchanting melody filled the air.
"Ahh!"
The Four Dukes gasped in unison.
The forbidden martial art bestowed upon him by the Blood Demon—the Soul-Snaring Lullaby—was taking effect.
Whoosh!
Crack!
The moment the sound waves touched them, an eerie energy surged through the Four Dukes' bodies.
Their forms twisted grotesquely as they fell into ecstasy.
Thud!
Thick veins bulged across their skin, their eyes turning into blank white orbs devoid of pupils.
They now resembled Jiangshi—feral undead.
"We can't let them complete the transformation!"
"Kill them all before the ritual ends!"
Whoosh!
The enemies charged forward, their instincts screaming at them to eliminate the Four Dukes before it was too late.
Boom!
Crash!
In that instant, the enemies unleashed their most powerful techniques.
The underground chamber trembled as if struck by an earthquake, the sheer force of their attacks shaking the very foundations.
And yet—
'Pathetic.'
Pa Eum-bi-ma could only scoff at the sight.
Clang!
Screech!
The moment their blades struck the Four Dukes' bodies, shock and disbelief flashed across the enemies' faces.
Not a single attack had left so much as a scratch.
'The moment they heard even a single note, their enhancement was already complete.'
They weren't just Jiangshi in appearance.
The Four Dukes, now enthralled by the Soul-Snaring Lullaby, possessed defenses rivaling that of the legendary Iron Zombies—undead said to be nigh-indestructible.
Before the lullaby's influence, the Four Dukes had only been at the peak of the First Leaf.
But now—
"Grrr!"
"Raaah!"
Transformed into inhuman monsters, all four had broken through to the early stages of the Flower Realm.
Slash!
Rip!
This time, it was the Four Dukes who launched their counterattack.
What made them even more terrifying than ordinary Jiangshi was that they wielded martial arts with the same ease as when they were alive—all while possessing defenses akin to an impenetrable fortress.
Palm strikes, finger techniques, claw attacks, fist arts.
The Four Dukes unleashed a storm of the Blood Cult's most sinister and brutal forbidden techniques.
"Guh!"
"Cough!"
The enemies groaned in pain as they were overwhelmed.
"Don't take their attacks head-on! If the demonic energy corrupts you, there's no turning back!"
"Understood, Vice-Leader!"
But what should have been a swift battle dragged on.
Pa Eum-bi-ma's eyes narrowed in irritation.
No matter how long he waited, the leader still hadn't appeared.
At this rate, it would be faster to kill them all and search the surface.
'Let's crush their morale.'
Ting-ling!
With a flick of his fingers, the melody of the Soul-Snaring Lullaby shifted.
The battlefield's atmosphere transformed instantly.
This time, the targets of his sound arts weren't the Four Dukes.
"Gah! Ugh! M-My head...!"
"Ye Cheon!"
Pa Eum-bi-ma was sowing discord among the enemy ranks.
'Those who wield the power of stars are the easiest to manipulate.'
Controlling those touched by the Malevolent Stars was one of his specialties.
And so, with effortless ease, he seized control of one of the Flower Realm warriors among the enemy forces.
The tide of battle had turned irreversibly in their favor.
Pa Eum-bi-ma sneered as he watched the enemies—still gripping their weapons despite their injuries.
"Your weakness disgusts me. Not even a hint of a tragic melody comes to mind."
"...!"
"Now, die."
Ting—
The moment he pronounced their death sentence—
Splash!
'What—?!'
A geyser of blood erupted from the pit.
And from within that crimson torrent, a tempest came roaring forth.
Whoosh!
Boom!
'Guh!'
Pa Eum-bi-ma barely managed to twist his body aside, narrowly avoiding the attack.
But the Four Dukes weren't so lucky.
Slash!
Thud! Thump!
Their bodies collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Their heads had been cleanly severed.
"?!"
Who—?
Pa Eum-bi-ma couldn't hide his shock as he stared at the mysterious assailant.
"Cough!"
Black blood spewed from Pa Eum-bi-ma's mouth.
The backlash had been so severe that fragments of his internal organs mixed with the vomit.
'What... is this? How...?'
Half-buried in the cavern wall, Pa Eum-bi-ma struggled to make sense of the situation through the haze of pain.
The sheer force of the sudden attack had left his memories scrambled.
Crack!
Whoosh!
"—!!"
Just then, the sound of air being torn apart snapped him back to reality.
This was a life-or-death battle.
And the one who had reduced him to this state was standing right before him.
'Guh!'
Gritting his teeth against the pain, he flung himself sideways.
Thud! Roll—
An undignified tumble.
But the sacrifice of his pride paid off.
Crunch!
"...!!"
Pa Eum-bi-ma's eyes widened in horror.
Embedded in the spot where he had just been was a massive halberd—the kind a giant might wield.
A chill ran down his spine.
"Oh? You woke up faster than I expected, clown."
The voice of his assailant echoed through the chamber.
Se-woon smirked as he looked down at him.
Whoosh!
"You...!!"
Sensing the threat to his life, Pa Eum-bi-ma desperately drew upon the demonic energy in his dantian.
He unleashed the Ghostly Tone Demon Seal—an internal energy technique exclusive to the Blood Sound Sect's leader, reserved for direct combat.
'This is no opponent to underestimate!'
All traces of complacency vanished from Pa Eum-bi-ma's mind.
His injuries were nearly healed.
His gaze turned icy as he analyzed his foe.
A master of Yin-Cold techniques.
Primary weapon: a halberd.
Martial prowess: the peak of the Flower Realm—equal to his own.
Pa Eum-bi-ma's mind raced.
Within the Blood Cult, he was renowned as the second-most cunning strategist, surpassed only by Ghost Shadow, the Blood Brain.
'Good. Then I'll do this!'
Ting-ling!
Having settled on a plan, he plucked the strings of his pipa once more.
A hauntingly beautiful melody enveloped the chamber.
Se-woon immediately dodged.
Boom!
Crash!
The spot where he had stood exploded.
An invisible shockwave had struck.
Naturally, it was Pa Eum-bi-ma's Sonic Bullet technique.
Sound Arts weren't limited to bewitching or confusing enemies.
They could also be weaponized.
Boom!
Crash! Bang!
Pa Eum-bi-ma unleashed a relentless barrage.
But his attacks weren't solely aimed at Se-woon.
Like a torrential downpour, they rained upon the disciples who had taken defensive positions behind him.
"Guh!"
"Hah!"
The disciples were baffled by the sheer power behind the invisible projectiles.
With no way to see the attacks coming, they could only form a defensive formation, swinging their weapons wildly in a desperate attempt to block.
"Focus your energy into your eyes! Don't try to see the sound waves—read the air's movement and evade!"
Unable to stand by, Se-woon shouted instructions.
And in that moment, as his attention shifted to his subordinates—
'Now!'
Pa Eum-bi-ma's eyes gleamed coldly.
The reason he had recklessly expended his energy with that indiscriminate barrage was for this exact opportunity.
'Heh. You righteous hypocrites are all the same.'
The moment their focus wavers to protect their weaklings—that's when he strikes the killing blow.
Ting-ling!
A dissonant note rang from his pipa.
In that instant, the warrior under his control—previously like a puppet with its strings cut—snapped back to life, his eyes burning with murderous intent.
Whoosh!
Do Ye-cheon, now fully ensnared by the Soul-Snaring Lullaby, lunged at Se-woon with terrifying speed.
Tap!
At the same time, from the opposite direction, Pa Eum-bi-ma shot forward like a whirlwind.
He had deliberately made it seem as though he had lost control over Do Ye-cheon—all to set up this very moment.
A Flower Realm warrior under his command.
But if he pushed the Soul-Snaring Lullaby to its limits, he could elevate his puppet's strength to the late stage—no, even the peak of the Flower Realm.
And with himself joining the assault, that meant two peak Flower Realm experts attacking simultaneously!
'Against two of us, tearing him apart will be child's play!'
Remembering the monk he had once slain, Pa Eum-bi-ma unleashed his hidden trump card—the Soul-Stealing Ghost Claw.
But then—
Pfft.
'...Huh?'
Se-woon's lips curled into a smirk.
What was that, at a time like this?
For some reason, Pa Eum-bi-ma felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Flick!
In that instant, Se-woon's hand moved like a living serpent, his fingertip lightly tapping Do Ye-cheon's forehead.
And with that, everything changed.
Slash!
'Wha—?'
Freed from the Soul-Snaring Lullaby in an instant, Do Ye-cheon turned his blade toward Pa Eum-bi-ma.
'All it takes is a touch of demon-subduing power.'
Se-woon had wrapped the Extinction Thread around his finger, using its purifying energy to break the mind control.
Slash!
The next moment, Se-woon's halberd and Do Ye-cheon's plum blossom sword crossed paths—forming an X right through Pa Eum-bi-ma's body.
Chapter 114: The Tyrant of Sichuan