Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Hellgate
"Hah... haah..."
His breath came in ragged gasps, reaching all the way to his chin.
The inside of his leather shoes was soaked with spilled blood, and his body felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to move.
Then, as Heo So-chang turned his bloodshot eyes backward—
Thwip!
Bang!
"?!"
A massive hole was punched clean through a thick tree right beside his face.
Startled, Heo So-chang stumbled before breaking into another desperate sprint.
'Damn... damn it all!'
If he stopped even for a second, the next shot would pierce his skull.
Reduced to prey in an instant, Heo So-chang was suffocating with frustration.
'Grrk—where the hell is he?!'
The attacker was sniping from such a distance that even expanding his qi senses couldn't locate them.
Even when he tried focusing his vision to track the trajectory of the projectile, its small size—unlike an arrow—made it nearly impossible to trace.
But even if he did pinpoint the attacker's location, it wouldn't solve his problem.
Heo So-chang had no means to counterattack or defend against such long-range assaults.
This was the price of his blind faith in the Black Heaven Phantom Art.
His body had been reinforced to near-indestructible levels, just shy of the Diamond Indestructibility technique, so he had never once prepared for ranged attacks in his life.
As Heo So-chang cursed his past arrogance—
'Target locked.'
Se-woon maintained a flawless thirty-zhang distance from his prey, preparing his next shot.
Tap!
Astonishingly, Se-woon was running while simultaneously assuming a firing stance.
Normally, archery required firmly planting one's feet and stabilizing the body's center of gravity.
Even mounted archers fixed their lower bodies to their steeds before shooting.
Firing while sprinting was supposed to result in abysmal accuracy and power.
But—
Se-woon was different.
Whoosh!
While chasing his target at full speed, he assumed a posture worthy of a master archer.
Though he held neither bow nor arrow, he aimed with an entirely different projectile.
Twist.
Creak!
Crrk!
Multiple black threads twisted and coiled into a single cord.
A newly formed golden thread stretched taut in a straight line.
The tension was so fierce that his fingers ached from the strain.
Se-woon's cold, hawk-like gaze locked onto his target.
Release.
Thwip!
Thud!
"GAAAH!!"
A sharp, piercing sound was followed by Heo So-chang's agonized scream as he collapsed, writhing on the ground.
This was the long-range sniper technique where Se-woon twisted the golden threads to their limit, compressed them, and infused them with Reverse Heaven Energy before firing—
The Silken Flash Arrow had struck again.
Swish!
Confirming his enemy's incapacitation, Se-woon swiftly closed the distance.
Earlier, when Se-woon had shot threads from the pier to the pleasure boat, he had also used this technique.
The difference in power between that first attack—which shattered protective qi and obliterated Heo So-chang's hand—and this one was due to the Formless Dagger attached to the tip of the initial Silken Flash Arrow.
But as demonstrated, the Silken Flash Arrow was a versatile technique—equally effective for traversing treacherous terrain like cliffs and rivers as it was for sniping enemies.
Moreover, the threads could be swiftly retrieved after use, eliminating the limitation of ammunition like an archer's arrows.
'Damn it... I was so close...'
Heo So-chang despaired.
His opponent's relentless interference had prevented him from reaching his destination.
No allies were coming to his aid, and his enemy was charging toward him at this very moment.
An inescapable end loomed before him.
In this crisis, Heo So-chang's mind raced faster than ever before.
The only option left to him was—
"I know you've gained the Demon Sect's power—!!"
A desperate gamble.
Heo So-chang roared with all his might.
To stop this madman, he had no choice but to try—even if the odds were slim to none.
He continued frantically.
"I've already sent word to my sect!! If you kill me here, that truth will be delivered straight to the Martial Alliance!!"
Heo So-chang had guessed that Se-woon's mysterious power stemmed from the Demon Sect's legacy.
Though nothing had been confirmed yet—
In this dire moment, he staked everything on that assumption.
Hiding his trembling fear, he boldly declared:
"Do you think the Martial Alliance will let you live?! No—not just you! The sister you tried to protect, everyone in the Sichuan Tang Family, they'll all die horribly!!"
It was a bluff.
No message had been sent to his sect, and even if he died, no news would reach the Martial Alliance.
But his enemy didn't know that.
If—if—Se-woon truly had obtained the Demon Sect's legacy...
And if he secretly feared its revelation to the orthodox factions...
Then this threat would strike deep.
Please! Please let this work! PLEASE!
As Heo So-chang screamed inwardly—
Crunch.
Footsteps abruptly halted.
'!!'
Heo So-chang's eyes widened to the point of bursting.
His charging enemy had stopped just ten feet away.
Instinctively, he realized—
His final ploy had succeeded.
'Grrk!'
Suppressing his pain, Heo So-chang forced himself up and pointed toward the sky.
"Do you see?! The heavens of Kaifeng, dyed in blood—this is my master's doing!!"
"......"
The sky above Kaifeng, still crimson from the Blood Cult's sorcery, remained a horrifying sight.
Se-woon's eyes trembled violently for the first time as he gazed upon it.
Encouraged by this reaction, Heo So-chang pressed on with renewed vigor.
"Our power is beyond anything you can imagine! Not just the Martial Alliance—we have the strength to devour the entire martial world!!"
"......"
"Now that my master has awakened... this world will drown in blood!!"
Of all the lies Heo So-chang had spewed, this last statement was the absolute truth.
Starting with the Blood Massacre of Kaifeng, the martial world—regardless of faction—would soon be plunged into an inescapable maelstrom of chaos.
All by the hands of the Blood Cult and its master—the Blood Demon.
"Come. Join me before my master."
"......"
"The power of the Demon Sect cannot stay hidden forever. Sooner or later, your demonic arts will be exposed, and those orthodox dogs you called brothers will turn their blades on you!"
"......"
"Surrender to us. Bring the Demon Sect's legacy, and your path will be paved with glory!"
"......"
"Are you satisfied with merely reclaiming your place among the Seven Great Families? Follow my master, and you can become more than just the Hegemon of Sichuan—you could rule all of Jiangnan! I'll make it happen!!"
Like a serpent flicking its deceitful tongue, Heo So-chang tempted Se-woon.
Just as he was certain he had survived—
Whoosh...
'?!?'
Something strange happened.
The qi enveloping Se-woon's body—which had remained silent—suddenly began to fluctuate wildly.
'What...?'
Heo So-chang blinked in confusion.
The unfamiliar grayish innate qi swirling around Se-woon's form—
Sss...
Like a flower withering in winter's grasp—was visibly weakening.
Only then did Heo So-chang realize his opponent was rapidly losing strength.
A flicker of regret passed through him—If only I'd held out a little longer...
But—
'No. Who knows what other tricks this lunatic has? Stick to the plan.'
He quickly dismissed the thought.
From what he had witnessed, this man was not someone to underestimate—not even for a second.
Then—
"...I was wrong."
"!!"
The silent figure spoke softly.
Heo So-chang's eyes gleamed like a viper's, dark with cunning.
Wrong, he said.
Whatever came next couldn't possibly be bad.
Forcing a smile, Heo So-chang replied:
"Y-yes. You were wrong. If you had joined us sooner—"
"To conquer the darkness..."
'Huh?'
Se-woon's voice carried a sorrowful weight.
And then—
"...I should have stepped into the abyss first."
"—!!"
His gaze, filled with utter emptiness, locked onto Heo So-chang.
Shiver.
A chill crawled up Heo So-chang's spine.
For the first time in his life, fear coiled around his throat like a venomous snake.
Step.
Unconsciously, he took a step back.
"...W-what does that mean?"
"To catch evil... one must become a greater evil."
"Y-you—snap out of it!! Kill me, and your secret reaches the Martial Alliance!!"
"To destroy demons..."
"...!"
Se-woon's final words fell upon the trembling Heo So-chang.
"...One must embrace a greater demon."
Whoosh...
CRACK!
The precarious gray innate qi vanished in an instant.
In its place surged a ferocious, unknown energy—
Like the moon eclipsing the sun.
The abyss's darkness.
A pitch-black radiance so blinding it seemed to sear the eyes erupted from Se-woon.
RUMBLE!
CRACK!
Heo So-chang's face drained of all color.
His teeth chattered violently, as though he stood naked in the Arctic snow.
But there was no escape.
"H-how...? No—what...? What is this?"
The energy radiating from his enemy now—
'M-my master's power... Why... why does he have it?!'
—was identical to that of the Blood Demon.
The lord of ten thousand demons.
The sovereign of all wickedness and aberration.
His master.
'I'm dead.'
Crunch!
Knowing his end had come, Heo So-chang bit down on the Blood Pill hidden in his molars.
A final, desperate elixir—one that burned his life force to explosively unleash all his latent power, including his innate qi.
BOOM!
"DIIIIE!!"
With a burst of speed, Heo So-chang lunged at Se-woon like a rabid beast.
But—
Se-woon made no move to defend himself.
No—he couldn't.
[Do you wish to protect?]
A mysterious voice echoed in his ears, erasing all sensation.
'Yes.'
Se-woon answered.
[Do you wish to destroy?]
'Yes.'
Se-woon answered again.
Crack!
CRACK!
Golden Arm Energy, Divine Poison Energy, Innate Qi, Reverse Heaven Energy—
The precarious balance within Se-woon's body began to collapse.
Reverse Heaven Energy consumed everything.
[Sacrifice all.]
CRACKLE!
BOOM!
Reverse Heaven Energy shattered the Three Stars.
And finally—reached the Fourth Stage.
[Then you shall receive.]
Se-woon gave his final answer as his vision faded.
At that moment—
KABOOOOOM!!
The Devil's Gate—located at the center of his upper dantian, which the Blood Demon had once called the Hellgate of Blood Fiends—burst open, shattering all locks and chains.
Fwoosh.
The abyss took root in Se-woon's eyes.
The true—
Descent of the Demon.