Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Blood Shadow Sword
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Dan Hyeong-u looked up at the ceiling. And there, embedded in the center with only the hilt protruding, he spotted a sword.
As Dan Hyeong-u raised his head, the others followed suit, their gazes turning upward simultaneously. They too discovered the sword.
The ceiling was high, but someone of Tang Ho-gwan's caliber could easily leap up and grab it.
"A sword in a place like that... It really catches you off guard."
Tang Ho-gwan muttered softly. He hadn't even considered a sword might be lodged in the ceiling. But he didn't sense anything extraordinary about it either—no sense that it was some legendary treasure blade.
Even though only the hilt was visible, a sword had its aura, its presence. And this one embedded in the ceiling looked far inferior to the hundred blades Dan Hyeong-u had buried.
Tang Ho-gwan thought so, but the Sword Demon was different. His eyes burned with unbridled desire for the blade.
"Blood Shadow Sword."
It was unmistakably the Blood Shadow Sword.
He couldn't confirm it from down here with it stuck in the ceiling, but the blade was surely blood-red. So deep and vivid it looked like fresh droplets might fall from it at any moment.
The Sword Demon glanced at Dan Hyeong-u. Right now, the closest person to the Blood Shadow Sword was Dan Hyeong-u. And he'd been the first to spot it.
"What are you going to do with that sword?"
The Sword Demon asked point-blank, not hiding his greed for the weapon in the slightest. His openness drew the others' eyes back to the Blood Shadow Sword as well.
"Is that thing really that impressive? Enough to make the Sword Demon covet it like this?"
Tang Ho-gwan shook his head in disbelief. It was natural for swordsmen to desire fine blades. But to crave one with near-obsessive fixation—that strayed from the true path of the sword.
A master like the Sword Demon surely knew better. The fact that he was showing such greed meant there had to be some secret hidden within that blade.
The Sword Demon waited persistently for Dan Hyeong-u's answer. Dan Hyeong-u looked up at the Blood Shadow Sword once more. The energy emanating from the sword itself was truly formidable. It dominated the flow throughout this entire cavern—what the Heavenly Qi Master called the Void Grotto—and held it all together.
Dan Hyeong-u traced the flow generated by the sword with his senses. And he identified two more objects playing the same role.
The energies flowing from these three artifacts were what sustained the entire grotto, dubbed the Heavenly Qi Master's Void Grotto.
Having confirmed everything, Dan Hyeong-u lowered his head. He looked at the Sword Demon and said,
"Pull it out, and everything collapses."
The Sword Demon flinched at Dan Hyeong-u's words. But he quickly made a face like he couldn't believe it.
"How do you know that? You don't seem like someone versed in mechanisms or formations—at least, I thought not. You expect me to believe pulling one sword will bring this whole place down?"
Dan Hyeong-u stared silently at the Sword Demon. Then he casually turned his head to glance at the others. Their expressions made it clear most of them didn't believe him.
Dan Hyeong-u's gaze shifted to Jo Seol-yeon. Then to Umun Hye. Next, to Tang Ho-gwan.
"Three."
If this place collapsed, those three were the only ones Dan Hyeong-u needed to look out for. The rest didn't matter. As he started to turn away, his eyes caught Tang Mun-yeong.
Dan Hyeong-u nodded. If Tang Mun-yeong died, Tang Ho-gwan would grieve.
"Four."
No one understood what his words meant. As puzzled looks spread among the group, Dan Hyeong-u turned to the Sword Demon and said,
"There are two more rooms just like this one."
That was all Dan Hyeong-u said. He turned and headed for the entrance. Jo Seol-yeon followed right behind him, while Umun Hye hesitated a moment before hurrying to his side.
Tang Ho-gwan stared at the Blood Shadow Sword for a long while before finally letting out a sigh.
"Hoo... Let's go."
Tang Mun-yeong's eyes widened in shock at Tang Ho-gwan's words.
"You're not seriously believing that guy, are you, Grandfather?"
Tang Mun-yeong had no intention of leaving just like that. But Tang Ho-gwan was resolute.
"We're leaving this place."
His tone was so firm that even Tang Mun-yeong couldn't argue further. In the end, both the Tang family and Umun family members exited.
The Sword Demon stood dazed, staring at the Blood Shadow Sword. It was right there, within arm's reach if he jumped. Yet he couldn't bring himself to leap. Even if the cavern collapsed, he was confident he could escape unscathed.
With the Blood Shadow Sword, he could overcome anything. And yet, he couldn't grasp it.
"Damn it!"
The Sword Demon spat a quiet curse. Then he launched himself out of the room.
Grgrgrgrung!
The moment the Sword Demon left, the iron door descended.
Thud!
With a heavy boom, the room was sealed once more. Unless Dan Hyeong-u returned, that door would never open again. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The demonic cultists gathered before the character-shaped gate had tried every trick in the book, but with no success in opening it, some began to give up. Demonic arts practitioners were notoriously lacking in persistence by nature.
But the Blood Path Guest hadn't given up yet. There had to be some way. Brute force to lift the gate was out of the question—there were limits to what a single person's strength could achieve.
"Nngh... What if we all combined our power...?"
The Blood Path Guest racked his brains until his head felt ready to burst. But no clever solution came to mind. Thinking things through just wasn't his strong suit.
"Wait—combine our power?"
His eyes lit up as inspiration struck. He scanned the scattered demonic cultists around him. There were plenty of them—enough to fill this vast space, nearly two hundred strong.
The method the Blood Path Guest thought of was Separated Body Power Transmission.
"With over two hundred, if we all gather it up, we should be able to lift a door like that."
But the problem was that they were all demonic arts practitioners. Demonic arts inherently carried mixed, impure energies that couldn’t be purified.
There was no way to gather only pure demonic qi, completely free of those impurities. Demonic arts were powers gained only after abandoning one’s humanity.
If the energy wasn't pure, the burden on the focal point—the person lifting the door—would be immense.
'They'll probably die. Their bodies will burst. But it's worth a shot.'
That was the Blood Path Guest's thinking. As long as it wasn't his body exploding or him dying, what did it matter?
"Everyone, gather up."
At his command, the cultists from Heavenly Demon Castle moved in unison, lining up before him.
Among those present, there were some from the Blue Sea, others from New Frontier not affiliated with Heavenly Demon Castle. No matter how renowned the Blood Path Guest was, he couldn't command them all.
"Listen up, the rest of you too. I've come up with a good plan."
Those words worked like magic. All eyes focused on him. The Blood Path Guest explained his idea. Of course, he conveniently omitted the parts about the lifter facing mortal danger or their body exploding.
The cultists all nodded. It had potential.
"Right. Then we'll need to pick a Demonic Hero first."
As an elderly cultist spoke, murmurs rippled through the crowd. Soon, a massive brute of a man stepped forward—a mountain of muscle.
"I'll do it!"
His body brimmed with explosive power. No one here could match his raw strength.
Once he volunteered, things moved swiftly. Plenty knew the focal point was at risk, but no one voiced it. A sacrifice was necessary, after all.
The selected Demonic Hero stood before the iron gate. The other cultists gathered around him one by one.
Under normal circumstances, demonic cultists would never attempt something like this. Separated Body Power Transmission required entrusting your back to others—something they would never do, trusting no one but themselves.
But this was a special situation.
The Golden Demon Arts—the dream of every cultist—might lie beyond that gate. They were slipping into a strange collective frenzy.
Hands pressed to backs, they channeled their inner energy as best they could. Sinister, murky qi permeated the air. It coalesced into a torrent-like flow.
Kwaaaaa!
A colossal force surged along the human chain. And converged on one man.
"Kraaaah!"
Unable to contain the overwhelming power flooding his body, the man roared and shoved his hands under the gate. He pushed with all his might.
"Huuuup!"
The unbridled influx of energy churned like it would shred him apart. He poured it all straight into the iron gate.
"Kraaaaaah!"
He strained with a guttural scream, but the gate didn't budge an inch.
Spluuurt!
In the end, the man couldn't withstand the concentrated force and burst apart. Blood and flesh sprayed everywhere.
"Guh!"
A few cultists vomited blood from the backlash. But the Blood Path Guest sat down unharmed, scowling in frustration.
Back to square one. Separated Body Power Transmission had failed. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The situation at the Martial Alliance was no different. Except they refrained from dangerous attempts like Separated Body Power Transmission.
No matter how orthodox their arts, pure energy couldn't be amassed indefinitely. Impurities would mix in, and attempting it would invite disaster.
Dugun Un didn't want anyone suffering such harm. So the Alliance opted to study the gate relentlessly.
The entire Jegal family contingent was glued to the iron gate, searching for ways to open it or slip inside. But time slipped away fruitlessly.
Meanwhile, Dan Hyeong-u's group reached another iron gate in no time.
The cavern was labyrinthine, but Dan Hyeong-u moved through it without hesitation, as if he knew the way by heart.
At their arrival, the people gathered around the gate sprang up in alarm, drawing weapons.
"Keh heh heh. I was getting antsy anyway. How about a taste of blood first? Keh heh heh."
These were demonic cultists.
They advanced on Dan Hyeong-u's group, demonic qi wafting from them, spreading out to slowly encircle. But no one in the group even considered fleeing.
Dan Hyeong-u frowned at the foul demonic qi emanating from them. The Sword Demon's was tolerable, but this was revolting—laden with so much filth it turned his stomach.
In the end, Dan Hyeong-u drew his sword.
The cultists charged en masse at the sight. The Tang family warriors and Umun family escorts, tense until then, hurriedly drew their weapons to block.
In that instant, Dan Hyeong-u appeared before them.
His form multiplied into dozens, surrounding the group. And he brought his sword down.
Craaaack!
Lightning whipped around the group in a frenzy.
All that remained were the bisected corpses of the cultists.
Dan Hyeong-u stood calmly in his original spot, as if he'd never moved at all.
The Blood Path Guest scowled. Only after dozens of cultists lay dead did he realize who they were facing.
"Damn it. Everyone, stop! Are you blind to the Sword Demon over there?!"
His shout had the desired effect. Spotting the Sword Demon, the cultists finally stepped back.
But the madness in their eyes hadn't dimmed. They were poised to lunge at any moment.
"Women too, huh. Keh heh."
One muttered, having noticed Jo Seol-yeon and the other two women. That single remark stirred the crowd again.
Demonic cultists lived for blood and lust. Beautiful women like Umun Hye and Tang Mun-yeong right there—it was torture to hold back.
Dan Hyeong-u's display moments ago was fearsome, but their allure numbed that terror.
"Kyahahat! Screw it!"
One cultist charged at Umun Hye. That sparked the horde into a rush.
The Blood Path Guest watched, frowning and shaking his head.
Kwaaaarrr!
Dan Hyeong-u's sword swept horizontally. The ground erupted along its path, erecting a thin earthen wall before the cultists.
"What the—?!"
They ignored it and pressed on. But that was a fatal mistake.
Puh-puh-puh-puk!
The wall exploded outward, skewering the cultists. Those at the front were shredded beyond recognition; those behind fared slightly better, with some form intact.
Total annihilation.
Dan Hyeong-u sheathed his sword with casual ease. His cold gaze swept over the survivors.
Terror filled the eyes of the remaining cultists. The area fell deathly silent.
"Impressive."
The Blood Path Guest rose to his feet. The Heavenly Demon Castle contingent was still intact. They wouldn't move without his order.