Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Chapter 9: The Secret of the Blood Shadow Sword
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The Sword Demon stood quietly, gripping the Blood Shadow Sword. It was late evening now. The training ground lay utterly empty. Of course, give it a little more time, and the Thunderbolt Squad would come charging in for their training. And late into the night after that, Jong Chil would sneak in for his secret practice.
Before then, this was the only window for the Sword Demon to train alone.
He hadn't noticed it when Dan Hyeong-u first handed him the Blood Shadow Sword, but now, as he settled his qi and quietly contemplated it, he could sense the immense demonic energy slumbering within the blade.
And that energy felt remarkably familiar.
'Dan Gongzi.'
It was the same demonic energy Dan Hyeong-u had wielded, the very force that had purged and refilled his own body.
In other words, Dan Hyeong-u's power had been infused into the Blood Shadow Sword.
That eerie glow when Dan Hyeong-u had wielded it must have transformed the sword like this.
The Sword Demon gave the Blood Shadow Sword a casual swing.
Whoooosh.
Just a simple swing, yet demonic energy whipped up around him. The qi in the Sword Demon's body stimulated the sword, awakening the vast demonic power dormant inside.
Thick demonic energy bubbled up in dense clouds. Soon, the entire training ground was saturated with it.
The Sword Demon's body began to move slowly. Amid the heavy fog of demonic energy, his sword dance commenced.
Demonic energy continued to pour from the Blood Shadow Sword. It piled up relentlessly, filling the training ground. The demonic haze grew so thick it rippled like liquid, beyond mere mist.
The Sword Demon's body lifted slightly off the ground. He ascended gradually, halting a chi above the earth. Even as he rose, his sword cleaved through the space around him, his form flowing with effortless grace.
His sword dance resembled swimming through water.
The flurry of swordplay came to an end. The Sword Demon's body descended gently, soon touching down on the ground. The Blood Shadow Sword stilled as well.
The demonic energy that had filled the training ground began to swirl. It whipped into a vortex and was sucked back into the Blood Shadow Sword in an instant. Not a trace remained.
The Sword Demon opened his eyes.
Flash!
A deep crimson glow burst from his eyes, flooding the training ground before receding back into their depths.
"What a magnificent sword."
The Sword Demon marveled. A single round of sword dance had unveiled the blade's true worth. The demonic energy within was purely vicious, vast enough to blanket the world.
"This opens the door to far more intriguing training ahead."
He hadn't even tapped a thousandth—no, a ten-thousandth—of the Blood Shadow Sword's power. He was merely coaxing out fragments of its immense force.
With deeper training, he would eventually unleash it all. And when that day came, the Sword Demon would step into a realm beyond his current one. He felt it with absolute certainty.
"Time to head to Lin. She'll be waiting impatiently."
The Sword Demon turned and left the training ground, eager to reunite with Jegal Lin, who must be dying to get her hands on the Blood Shadow Sword.
Jegal Lin received the Blood Shadow Sword from the Sword Demon and examined it closely. Just as expected, intricate patterns had emerged across its surface, linking seamlessly to those revealed the day before.
"As I thought..."
Her hunch was correct. These were formations of profound subtlety and depth, incomparable to those on Thousand Threads Island. Even committing them to memory was no easy task—for Jegal Lin of all people.
"It's different. Nothing like the patterns on Thousand Threads."
Jegal Lin struggled to focus on her analysis. With Thousand Threads, deciphering the patterns' logic had been straightforward; they followed fundamental formation principles, making them comprehensible and researchable.
But these were baffling. Inscrutable patterns tangled chaotically. Yet they undoubtedly pertained to formations of unimaginable intricacy.
One person naturally sprang to mind. Among everyone she'd met, he was the most brilliant.
"Could Master Chwiwol figure it out?"
Jegal Lin shook her head. Dan Hyeong-u had chosen her for a reason—she could do this.
"I can. I have to, somehow. Now that Dan Gongzi has revealed himself to the world..."
She regretted how dramatically Dan Hyeong-u had exposed himself. His foes were overwhelmingly powerful, forcing his hand in the heat of the moment, but still, it stung. Such immense power was better kept hidden—for his sake and the world's.
But the secret was out. Rumors of Dan Hyeong-u flooded Heochang, exaggerated by eyewitnesses who'd felt his might firsthand. The irony? The hype was closer to the truth.
"For now, this is all I can do..."
Muttering to herself, Jegal Lin refocused on the Blood Shadow Sword. Lingering echoes of the Sword Demon's dance still tinged the blade with a faint blood-red glow.
The Blood Demon gazed down at Sa Yeong with a grave expression. Sa Yeong knelt deeply before him, recounting every detail of his encounter.
"He's... that strong?"
"Yes, Lord. There's no exaggeration in my words."
Sa Yeong's reply darkened the Blood Demon's face further.
"By your judgment, how does his power stack up? Against Blood Shadow, say."
"No comparison is possible."
"Not even if ten Blood Shadows attacked?"
Sa Yeong shook his head silently. By his estimate, not even dozens could touch him.
"What about a hundred?"
Sa Yeong fell silent. It was a pointless hypothetical. A hundred Blood Shadows was impossible anyway. Something else was needed to counter Dan Hyeong-u.
The Blood Demon stared at him for a long moment, then sighed and shook his head.
"Hah. Heavenly Qi Master. Truly remarkable. How does he produce such monsters in a mere decade?"
That was what galled the Blood Demon most. He hadn't just failed to surpass the Heavenly Qi Master—it was humiliating. The man had prepared him in ten short years. The Blood Demon had invested far more, including covert preparations before the Heavenly Qi Master even suspected.
Yet all that effort was unraveling because of one disciple he'd raised.
At least that was all the Heavenly Qi Master had left. He'd smashed the rest. Any remnants posed no real threat. The Heavenly Qi Master's sole direct countermeasure was Dan Hyeong-u. Topple him, and every plan crumbled.
"We need to kill that bastard. No more delays. But clashing head-on would cost me too dearly, wouldn't it, Sa Yeong?"
"Indeed, Lord."
Sa Yeong answered with relief. The Blood Demon wouldn't botch things in a rage, but the Heavenly Qi Master's shadow muddied even that certainty. He loathed the man that much.
Yet he'd overcome it, regaining his composure. Truly worthy to lead, Sa Yeong thought sincerely.
"Now, your thoughts. What should we do?"
At the Blood Demon's question, Sa Yeong shared his view. The final call was the Lord's; he merely obeyed.
"Best to leverage other factions without expending our own strength."
The Blood Demon nodded.
"Good. And which factions?"
"The Martial Alliance and Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. And the forces from beyond the borders."
"Beyond the borders... tempting words. One in particular has regained its full might lately, eyeing the Central Plains with hunger."
Sa Yeong bowed his head at the Blood Demon's words. He knew it referred to the North Sea Ice Palace, but no need to belabor it.
The Blood Demon watched him, mood lifting. After a moment's thought, he asked again.
"And the Blood Shadow Sword? Your take?"
"I can't judge that, Lord. But stealing it under his nose is impossible."
The Blood Demon nodded, though relinquishing it was unthinkable. The sword would elevate Blood Shadow far beyond his current level. It had been envisioned from the moment the title was bestowed. Blood Shadow must claim it.
"No need for you to move directly. Go see Wol Yeong. He's been acting suspiciously. Sound him out subtly. Or shadow his moves. He doesn't know your capabilities, so it should be simple."
"Understood."
"If Wol Yeong harbors treason, handle it. A betrayer is worse than none—he'd become a threat. Otherwise, use him to secure the sword."
"Understood."
With a wave of the Blood Demon's hand, Sa Yeong vanished. The Blood Demon stared at the empty spot, shaking his head. A bad feeling gnawed at him. Things felt poised to erupt everywhere.
"Dan Hyeong-u, Dan Hyeong-u... The Heavenly Qi Master's shadow stretches long indeed."
In truth, the Blood Demon Assembly's power dwarfed what Sa Yeong or the shadows imagined. If fully mobilized, even Dan Hyeong-u couldn't withstand it.
He'd taken an interest in Dan Hyeong-u long ago—not just as the Heavenly Qi Master's sole successor, but for his raw prowess.
Dan Hyeong-u had crushed teenage prodigies one after another, single-handedly razed the Moyong family, and annihilated the Sword Shadow Squad and Demon Shadow Squad alone.
No one in the Blood Demon Squad matched that now. He'd assumed Blood Shadow did, but Sa Yeong's report proved otherwise—a grave miscalculation.
Yet formidable as he was, he paled against the Assembly's might. Mentioning a hundred Blood Shadows wasn't idle talk. Each member now rivaled one closely—nay, they were still growing stronger.
Soon, breaking seclusion, they'd be unstoppable.
And that was just one asset. Mobilizing others could easily dispatch Dan Hyeong-u. But weakening the Assembly for one pest? Unnecessary.
"Time to release some True Heavenly Thunders. A pity, but they're replaceable."
True Heavenly Thunder wasn't some simple bomb. Worlds apart from Thunderclap Bombs in power and complexity. Even one Thunderclap Bomb demanded vast resources; True Heavenly Thunder, exponentially more.
Still, time and money could remake them. People? Not so. Scouting talent and forging them into elite took ages—decades to reach their current caliber.
"True Heavenly Thunders are cheaper, in the end."
Money was endless. The Assembly's merchant houses numbered plenty, and the pure funds from the Umun family were staggering.
With all that, unease still plagued the Blood Demon. Lately, it wouldn't fade. Thinking back, it started with Dan Hyeong-u's emergence.
He shook his head.
"Too paranoid. Excessive worry ruins even sure things. Anyway, let others handle him. Failure would be entertaining in itself—like hunting a spent beast for the thrill."
Muttering, the Blood Demon steadied himself. Nearly everything was ready. Sweep up the remnants, rise, and it was done. Soon, Dan Hyeong-u and the Heavenly Qi Master's legacy would vanish. All the martial world would fall into his grasp. Soon.
"How's it going lately? Any progress?"
Jegal Lin shook her head weakly at Umun Hye's question.
"It's exhausting. I've never hit a wall like this."
For the first time, Jegal Lin tasted true despair—in her strongest domain.
"It's been over ten days already? Even Grandpa Sword Demon's been diligent..."
"That's the problem. He's drawn out so many patterns with his efforts. I thought more would make it easier, but now it's a total mess. I can't make sense of any of it."
"Hmm. You've said that before, little sis."
Umun Hye's playful smile made Jegal Lin's heart skip.
"Sis, don't grin like that."
"Why not?"
Umun Hye leaned in, smile unwavering. Jegal Lin flushed faintly.
"You're real trouble, Sis."
She meant it. Umun Hye's allure was now so potent, even another woman felt its subtle pull.
She'd need a veil at home from now on.
"Sigh, what's the use? The one man I want won't budge an inch."
Jegal Lin stifled a chuckle at Umun Hye's sigh.