Chapter 305: Passage to Luoyang (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 305: Passage to Luoyang (3)
Several more traps appeared after that, but each time, Ma Hye-ryang was forced to drink the bitter cup of defeat.
Things went awry by the narrowest of margins, agonizingly close to succeeding.
Yet, with every failure, his conviction only grew stronger.
Next time. Next time...
I will definitely succeed.
His opponent seemed that foolish, naive, and utterly clueless.
By now, he had brainwashed himself, driven solely by a single-minded obsession to succeed and the pure malice festering deep within him.
"Ughhh..."
"Are you okay? I don't know how scary that chief beggar of yours is, but looking at your state right now, getting beaten up seems like a better alternative."
Having his legs broken would be preferable.
At this rate, he was going to lose his life.
"I'm... fine, so stop talking and just keep walking."
"I'm saying this because you don't look fine at all. Even if you're incredibly weak, this is a bit much. I mean, can you even beg properly like that? If you want, you can work under me as a porter. Just let me know whenever you're interested."
"Aaaargh! Arghhh!"
Ma Hye-ryang slammed his forehead against the wall.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Ah, alright. We're going, we're going. I worry you might die, and this is the thanks I get? Right?"
"Yeah. Anyone else would think he's a corpse. I think 'Stupid Corpse' would be the perfect name for him!"
"Shh. Keep your voice down. He'll hear you."
"I'm saying it so he can hear."
Jinhyuk and Alice giggled.
They were perfectly in sync at times like this.
For the victim, it was beyond infuriating—it was enough to make him foam at the mouth.
I'll kill them. I'll definitely kill them. I'll force-feed them Gu poison and make them my slaves for the rest of their lives.
Ma Hye-ryang swallowed his blade of vengeance.
And so, they reached the seventh gate.
It was the location of the final trap before reaching Luoyang, and at the same time, a trap on an entirely different level from anything they had faced so far.
Wroooom!
A faint energy could be felt flowing through the talismans plastered on the walls.
The grand ritual was already complete.
...Now!
Ma Hye-ryang bit his lip hard.
As blood filled his mouth, a crimson energy surged everywhere except for the immediate area around him.
Rumble!
[The formation 'Red Viper' has been activated!]
As the grand ritual was unleashed, binding cords materialized to forcibly restrain the intruders in the passage.
Clack!
In the blink of an eye, Jinhyuk and Alice were bound tight.
"W-What on earth is this...?"
Jinhyuk put on his best tense voice.
A stiff expression and panicked body language.
It was a solid 98 out of 100.
"Oh. My. Goodness. I. Cannot. Move. My. Body. What. Should. We. Do. Are. We. In. Big. Trouble."
Alice also flailed her arms, speaking in a completely flat, robotic tone.
Jinhyuk sincerely regretted not bringing someone else.
Her acting was beyond terrible; it was practically tragic.
"Hehehe... Hahaha! I finally got you!"
Ma Hye-ryang burst into a mad, cackling laugh.
"What is this... Did you do this? We were getting along so well. Why on earth...?!"
"I. Know. Right. I. Had. Absolutely. Zero. Clue. We. Are. Completely. Done. For."
"Alice."
"Yeah?"
"Would you mind shutting up before I snort wasabi up your nose? My mood is starting to sour."
"I-I'll be quiet. I'm really good at being quiet. Look. Mmph!"
Alice pressed her lips tightly together.
"How absurd. Joking around even in a situation like this. Well, I suppose you can afford to be so relaxed because you have no idea what's about to happen."
Ma Hye-ryang pulled a grotesque-looking insect from his sleeve.
It was Gu poison.
"Screeech..."
The Gu poison flailed its legs wildly, eager to burrow into a body.
"The moment this takes root inside you, you will obey my every command. Hahaha! I'll pay you back tenfold for all the humiliation I've suffered!"
"For someone from the Beggar's Sect, which is supposed to be part of the Orthodox Faction... how many people have you backstabbed like this? Some must have died because they couldn't withstand the Gu poison?"
"That's none of my concern. If they died because they were foolish enough to choose the wrong side, isn't that their own fault? Besides, if their wretched lives are used for our grand cause, they should die feeling grateful instead."
Ma Hye-ryang approached with a broad grin plastered across his face.
Damn it...
Even if it was part of the plan, honestly, swallowing that thing was repulsive.
Gu poison was an incredibly troublesome nuisance.
However, there was no other way to make Ma Hye-ryang believe everything was going exactly as he planned.
Jinhyuk closed his eyes tight.
Gulp!
Something horrific slid down his throat.
[You have been afflicted with a status ailment!]
[If you do not obey the target's commands, you will permanently suffer fatal physical damage.]
Red status windows popped up one after another.
A throbbing pain was already beginning to flare in his brain.
"Give up. Resisting will only prolong your agony."
Yes. Normally, those words would be correct.
But you see...
[The 5-Star Barrier 'Partial Severance' has been activated!]
The moment he realized the opponent's trump card was Gu poison, he had prepared for everything.
Before entering the passage, mana was injected into a barrier he had drawn in advance.
And at almost the exact same instant:
[The unique ability 'Blood Demon Qi' has been activated!]
[The unique ability 'Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art' has been activated!]
A dense, dark energy crept up from within his body.
This unique demonic energy was the Gu poison's absolute favorite.
On top of that, the barrier allowed all the demonic energy to flow to the optimal location.
"Screeech?"
The parasite, which had been throwing a massive tantrum inside his body, was now purring contentedly and relaxing.
The pain also subsided rapidly.
Good.
Naturally, he didn't let any of this show on his face.
The key was to act appropriately pained while showing that he would never yield to the opponent's words.
Of course, Ma Hye-ryang, completely ignorant of this, could only watch in bewilderment.
W-What?
As time passed, Ma Hye-ryang's relaxed expression twisted into a grim scowl.
He had never heard of anyone in history withstanding Gu poison.
Wasn't Gu poison capable of subjugating even the high priests of the Shaolin Temple?
Yet...
"Ugh!"
The light in his opponent's eyes remained as vibrant as ever.
There was no mistake.
Unbelievable as it was, the guy was stubbornly resisting the Gu poison.
"No wonder... the Great Lord took an interest in you."
He couldn't even begin to fathom how powerful the man's mental strength was.
But he couldn't just stand there in admiration.
If he left him like this and the guy ended up a vegetable, ruining the mission, he wouldn't have the face to see that person.
"I have no choice, then."
Ma Hye-ryang drew his blade and pressed it against Alice's neck.
As if threatening to slit her throat if he continued to resist.
"Kyaaaah!"
"Even you wouldn't just stand by and watch your fiancée die."
"That's right, that's right! Surely you aren't planning to just let me die, are you?"
Alice put on a grand show of playing the damsel in distress.
You are so dead after this, seriously.
"Wait... Alright. I'll stop resisting. I'll stop."
Jinhyuk bit his lip hard.
"In exchange, let me ask just one thing. I'm so incredibly curious about this that I can't stand it."
"You really are a piece of work. Fine, spit it out."
"Where is the Heavenly Demon right now? When I went to the Heavenly Demon Cult, I couldn't even catch a glimpse of him."
"..."
It was a heavier question than expected.
Ma Hye-ryang's mind raced.
He held a hostage, and his target's energy was entirely focused on resisting the Gu poison.
There was absolutely zero chance of any variables.
Besides, if he had asked anything else, Ma Hye-ryang wouldn't have answered, but...
Why should he protect that idiot who had suffered internal injuries from recklessly fighting the beings of the 50th Floor instead of yielding to them?
Fulfilling the mission versus satisfying a minor curiosity.
His hesitation didn't last long.
"Of course you didn't see him. That fool is currently here in Luoyang."
"What? The Heavenly Demon... is here, in the stronghold of the Murim Alliance?"
"Yes. He abandoned the cult and fled, claiming he had to find a yellow, glowing stone. Thanks to that, the Left Dharma Protector and the Great Lord seized all the power."
"A yellow... stone, huh..."
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
So that was how it was.
Everything made sense now.
"Has your curiosity been satisfied? Once you become my puppet, you'll naturally learn much more anyway."
"Yeah. Thanks to you, it's completely cleared up."
"Then now... Huh?!"
Ma Hye-ryang's pupils dilated in shock.
It was only natural.
Jinhyuk, who should have been tightly bound, was moving completely freely.
Clang!
The blade pressed against Alice's neck spun through the air.
"T-The formation?"
"I told you. This kind of thing is my specialty. Now that you've run out of cards, what are you going to do?"
"Don't underestimate me! Do you think... I chose this place without any preparation?!"
Ma Hye-ryang retreated and bellowed.
At that moment:
Boom!
Crash!
Three Blood Jiangshi, their entire bodies stained crimson, burst from the ground.
"Graaaah!"
"Groooar!"
"Screeech!"
They were several times stronger than the Blood Jiangshi that had wiped out Qinghai Province.
These were high-grade jiangshi received directly from Shimmasaryong to deal with masters of the Peak Realm and above.
"Kill the woman, and capture that guy immediately to make him kneel before me!"
However...
The confident smile on Ma Hye-ryang's face did not last long.
Snap!
"Huh?"
A strange sound echoed from behind.
The head of the jiangshi holding Alice was ripped clean off.
"How dare a mere corpse lay its hands on Us."
Alice tossed the jiangshi's head aside as if it were a nuisance.
Crack!
Crunch!
The remaining two jiangshi were folded in half and rolled onto the ground.
"T-This is impossible... Wasn't she just an ordinary girl...?"
She was far from ordinary.
Though she looked fragile, a True Ancestor possessed a grip stronger than an ogre's.
"I think you're the one who was gravely mistaken..."
Jinhyuk smirked.
"No matter what you prepare, no matter what you try to do, it's useless. I'm always ten steps ahead of you."
"D-Damn it..."
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Ma Hye-ryang scrambled to flee.
Seriously, guys like him always act so confident, only to run away the moment things go south.
Thud!
Catching up in an instant, Jinhyuk kicked Ma Hye-ryang square in the back.
"Arghhh!"
Already battered and exhausted, Ma Hye-ryang couldn't even dodge a simple attack.
Now.
How should he cook him?
The first thing that came to mind was Balmung, but...
It would be a waste of the sword. I shouldn't get dirty blood on it.
He hadn't cherished and saved Balmung for so long just to use it on a guy like this.
At the very least, its first strike should be reserved for a worthy opponent.
Jinhyuk pulled a new weapon from his subspace inventory.
[The symbol of the Revisita family greets its new master!]
The Scythe of the Ghost Tree that Abigail used to wield.
The scythe, looking as if a crescent moon had been plucked from the sky, traced an ominous curve.
The eye embedded in its center emitted a chilling glow.
At the same time:
[You have successfully acquired 3 opportunities and pieces of information!]
[You have subjugated the 'Gu Poison'.]
[You have acquired information regarding the Heavenly Demon.]
[You have acquired information regarding the location of the 'Moonstone'!]
[Copying the skill 'Human Skin Mask'!]
[Human Skin Mask]
Acquisition Difficulty: A
Description: Allows the user to mimic the appearance of a desired target. The level of perfection can be further increased depending on the mastery of martial arts.]
The ability copy was a success as well.
He had squeezed out every last drop of value.
"I'll put this information to good use. Honestly, I never expected you to be this helpful."
Considering his past deeds, he deserved a far more painful end.
But considering what he did just now, maybe I should show some mercy... Like hell.
Thinking about the trouble this guy had caused, there was no way Jinhyuk would let him off easy.
Hundreds of people had been enslaved, betraying their families and brothers, and several times that number had died brutal deaths.
Considering the sins he had committed and the ones he would commit in the future, he had to be given a proper taste of hell.
"I have just the thing for you. You can look forward to it."
Jinhyuk tapped the ground once with the scythe.
Then:
[The special skill 'Tree Where Specters Dwell' has been activated!]
Rumble!
Purple-glowing tree roots erupted from the ground.
"W-What are you planning to do?!"
What else?
"I'm going to grant you eternal life."
The Ghost Tree absorbed a person's bodily fluids and mana.
At the same time, it kept its prey alive for an incredibly long time, preventing them from dying easily.
So, that life he had tried so hard to preserve by betraying his own faction...
He hoped it would last as long as possible.
Squelch! Squelch!
The tree roots wrapping around his entire body began to drain the fluids from their host.
"Aaaargh!"
Ma Hye-ryang screamed at the top of his lungs.
He would probably remain alive in this passage... for about a thousand years.
Unable to die, even if he wanted to.