Chapter 65: The Blood Flame Cult (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 65: The Blood Flame Cult (4)
Whoosh!
In the next instant, Jeong Yeon-shin was standing right in front of the Cult Leader. It was an incredibly swift execution of the Body Protection Scripture.
A delayed gust of wind swept past, throwing the Blood Flame Cult Leader’s long white hair into disarray.
Was it due to their absolute faith in him? Not a single person dared to move.
Jeong Yeon-shin slowly reached out and took the elixir pill.
The Blood Flame Cult Leader did not stop him. He simply kept his palm open, watching Yeon-shin with an amused expression.
“Constricting the blood vessels?” Jeong Yeon-shin muttered quietly.
The pill in his hand loomed large in his vision. It was dark red, as if congealed from turbid blood.
He spoke.
“How can one live with their qi and blood obstructed? This is a poison. A fatal one.”
“It will be useful once you reach the realm of an Apostle. You can temper the blood vessels of your entire body with your True Qi. You will be able to endure it easily.”
“You must know the Upper Dantian is crucial for creating martial arts. Won't that render me useless?”
“Even with your extraordinary talent, that will take quite some time. By then, do you think our cult won't have found a way to overcome that one weakness?” the Blood Flame Cult Leader said, the corners of his lips curling into an enigmatic smile.
Trust this man? Absurd.
Jeong Yeon-shin assessed his reality.
The moment he had turned the tide of battle, he was met with the Namgung Clan's cold indifference. It was nothing like the family of the White Qilin Namgung Hwa-shin, who had possessed a surprisingly upright character. It felt almost similar to the Hwangbo Clan.
Now that his distrust for the Orthodox Martial World had deepened, the words of the Unorthodox Factions' sovereign rang hollow.
It was hard to believe anyone. The Jianghu was a place where trust could not exist.
Moreover, the man had said it was a poison that couldn't be consumed immediately. He had no idea what use it could possibly be.
I can only consume it once I reach the level of an Apostle? A Blood Flame Cult Apostle isn’t much different from a Desolate Fortress Black Rank. He’s telling me to live as a slave to my martial arts for years to come.
But for now, he had to comply.
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded slowly and slipped the pill into his robes.
Looking pleased, the Blood Flame Cult Leader clapped his hands once more.
“It is only natural that you have the Blood Summoning Art of an ordinary cultist. However, that is far too small a vessel to contain a once-in-a-generation talent.”
At his gesture, another servant approached.
Jeong Yeon-shin looked at the two books presented in the servant’s hands.
“The Mara Blood-Roaring Art. I bestow upon you, the Grand Preceptor, the secret art of the Apostles.”
The Blood Flame Cult Leader concluded, his voice laced with amusement.
Jeong Yeon-shin silently took the manual containing the mnemonics of the Mara Blood-Roaring Art. The paper felt brand new, as if it had been transcribed only recently.
The internal cultivation method of the Blood Flame Cult Apostles...
A peerless secret manual of the Unorthodox Factions was now in his possession.
Jeong Yeon-shin instantly sensed what kind of events this would trigger. An image of a river of blood flowing down the thirty-six steps below the Cult Leader’s Hall flashed through his mind.
Was it a premonition from his Upper Dantian, or merely his imagination? There was no way to know.
Yet, none of the top experts gathered here showed any concern. It was a confidence born from the unique boldness of devout cultists, their long years in the Jianghu, and their profound martial arts.
Indeed, this place was their sanctuary.
For now, at least.
Escaping on his own was impossible.
But he could still deal them a blow—in the unique way of the Desolate Fortress’s Flash Art.
How much merit would he earn for inflicting damage on the Blood Flame Cult’s main headquarters?
Perhaps she would grant me a share of the spoils.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not worry about his own survival.
The Blood Flame Cult. By capturing me, they’ve pinpointed the location of their main force.
The Lord of the Desolate Fortress came to mind—the absolute ruler of the Brightfolk, a being who wielded all manner of mystical abilities. Even though he harbored distrust toward the martial world, her image remained vivid.
Now that they had a clue, nothing that happened next would be a surprise.
They said I was the first to set foot in their main headquarters. Unprecedented. At most, a month’s distance from Clear Night Valley. If they can sweep the area in a circle...
While he was lost in thought, the Blood Flame Cult Leader spoke again.
“There is one thing the Grand Preceptor must not touch.”
“Speak.”
“Absorbing the turbid True Qi of pagans into our bodies to purify it... that is the fundamental doctrine of our cult. It is a sacred mnemonic that turns our mission into an instinct.”
“...”
“Do not touch it.”
He was telling him not to alter the mnemonics that caused qi absorption and madness. This was the Blood Flame Cult of the Unorthodox Factions’ Thirteen Heavens; choosing victims to test the modified martial arts on would be an easy task for them.
Jeong Yeon-shin turned around without a word. Complying too meekly would only arouse suspicion.
“Show proper respect!”
An explosive aura surged from the Third Apostle standing behind him, only to quickly subside. It seemed the Blood Flame Cult Leader had restrained him.
The Seventh Apostle trotted over and linked her arm with his.
Glancing sideways, he saw her ecstatic expression. Her crimson lips were curled into an extreme smile, giving her the look of a madwoman.
“I’m so excited for the reborn Blood Art. How long will it take? Hmm?”
“...”
From the moment he awoke in the Seventh Apostle’s residence to his arrival at the Cult Leader’s Hall, Jeong Yeon-shin had begun to sharpen the blade in his heart, experiencing things he'd never imagined possible.
* * *
“Modifying the Blood Summoning Art is up to you. However...” said the Seventh Apostle, reclining on her bed. She looked down at Jeong Yeon-shin, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. “The Mara Blood-Roaring Art is different. You must tailor it specifically for me.”
Rising smoothly from her seat, her lips parted. Her pale face was filled with possessiveness.
Soon, she approached with soft, rustling steps, her touch gentle as she stroked Jeong Yeon-shin’s hair. It was hair that not even Ma Yeon-jeok or Ma Jin had ever had the chance to examine so closely. Had they been able to touch his crown and inspect it directly, they would have immediately noticed his constitution.
There were many seniors of the Demonlight Wing who had stroked Jeong Yeon-shin’s head. In contrast, his maternal relatives had never dared to, likely out of guilt.
The Seventh Apostle’s lips drew close to his ear.
“I’ll show you everything. My True Qi flow, my force release, even the movement of every single muscle fiber that forms my Body Protection Scripture,” she whispered coquettishly.
Was she acting this way because she assumed he was going to die anyway? Keeping his eyes closed, Jeong Yeon-shin spoke.
“So this is the hierarchy of the Blood Flame Cult. Is it acceptable to plot behind the Cult Leader’s back?”
“To the Cult Leader, the Blood Summoning Art is what matters. It’s enough that the ordinary cultists can live without being hunted down. A slight change in the mnemonics of the Mara Blood-Roaring Art won’t drastically elevate the martial prowess of the Apostles overnight. But you...”
Suddenly, the Seventh Apostle’s hand gripped his hair tightly. Her single eye, resembling a red gem, filled Jeong Yeon-shin’s vision.
“Are you planning not to create a martial art just for me? Really? How dare you?”
“Let go. I am in the middle of unraveling your crude Blood Art.”
“Ah.”
Instantly, the strength in her grip vanished. Pulling her face back, the Seventh Apostle made a crying face. She began to smooth down the sides of Jeong Yeon-shin’s hair with both hands.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I interrupted your sacred work. I’m sorry. I was being nasty. I’m sorry.”
“...”
He had already grown accustomed to the Seventh Apostle’s constantly fluctuating emotions, even though not even a single night had passed since he regained consciousness.
But such things were not what mattered.
Jeong Yeon-shin slowly stood up.
The Seventh Apostle looked up at him, her single red eye wide. Her face no longer bore the murderous expression from moments ago.
After looking down at her for a moment, he spoke.
“I need to take a walk. Let me see your Body Protection Scripture.”
“Alright!”
Her face instantly brightening, the Seventh Apostle stood up and lightly grabbed his sleeve.
How should I channel the Demon-Quelling Azure Steel Hand to shatter this hand? Jeong Yeon-shin pondered.
Creak.
The moment he stepped out of the room, he sent True Qi to the Yongquan Point beneath his feet. Although the Blood Art True Qi filling his body lurked in his narrow meridians, it did not hinder his execution of Lightness Skills. This was due to his innate talent for controlling True Qi.
The Seventh Apostle smiled with her eyes.
Whoosh!
The two experts began to traverse the cult’s village. The main headquarters lay completely open to Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes, yet no one stopped them.
It made him wonder if there was another source for their absolute confidence.
“Is this place hidden by a formation?” his words pierced through the air whipping past his ears.
A strange smile played on the Seventh Apostle’s lips.
“Yes. It's the Dual Flame Blood Spirit Formation. I doubt you've heard of it—it's our cult's most profound technique. It has grown stronger and more solid over hundreds of years.”
“As expected.”
It was said that the blood of the Brightfolk ran thick in the imperial family. To build a city while evading their eyes? There was no other way unless they used sorcery or formations that manipulated the laws of creation. The Blood Flame Cult had long been famous for its Blood Art, which bordered on the realm of sorcery. It was not surprising that they protected their city with such bizarre methods.
“I’d like to look around the outskirts.”
“You want to find a clue to dismantle it, don't you?” the Seventh Apostle smiled broadly.
To Jeong Yeon-shin, sorcery was not an unknown domain. He had already created a Dharma Power martial art designed to break the Blood Art, which meant his sense of qi had already grasped the nature of sorcery.
Even so, the Seventh Apostle led him with a joyful demeanor, as if engraving the secrets of her Body Protection Scripture into his very eyes was a source of immense pleasure for her.
She’s underestimating me.
She had mentioned hundreds of years. Having lived safely in the main headquarters for so long, it was only natural for them to possess a confidence bordering on inertia. They did not care what kind of talent a single Desolate Fortress Blue-Ranked Expert brought into their midst.
The gazes of the Blood Flame Cult experts he had seen in the Cult Leader’s Hall… there was another foundation for their expressions, which looked as if they were staring at a spiritual beast trapped in their hands: the Dual Flame Blood Spirit Formation.
It was a grand formation woven from nature itself, one that even the Demon-Quelling Azure Steel Hand could not dismantle.
Hummm.
Jeong Yeon-shin observed the strangely shimmering space at the outskirts of the village. It was an astonishing mystery.
The area was completely severed from the outside world. Only the wind, strangely distorted as it blew in and out, possessed a peculiar freedom.
He heightened his senses, utilizing his innate sense of qi. He deconstructed and absorbed every single wave of energy the formation emitted.
Implanting energy?
Suddenly, Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes widened.
Rocks, grass, trees—they were all filled with True Qi and bound together through some technique. The bizarre arrangement created a concealment effect that was almost a complete severance. The entire village was hidden, enveloped in a formation of internal energy. It was a harmony of energies that could only be called sorcery.
He had found the clue to make up for his lack of strength, all thanks to the arrogance and inertia of the Seventh Apostle and the others.
Boom!
Blue lightning struck. A vivid blue inspiration flashed in Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind. Strands of lightning twisted together, beginning to form a skeleton of light—the mnemonic for channeling True Qi. It was directly linked to three techniques: the Demon-Quelling Azure Steel Hand, the Sword House, and the formation art. They expanded and rotated without pause.
“Impressive, isn't it? It's a barrier of the ages. Do you realize now that you're in no position to choose between poison and medicine?”
He had to avoid showing his enlightenment to the Seventh Apostle, who was chattering beside him.
Jeong Yeon-shin suppressed the light that threatened to leak from his eyes in a blue glow, closing them slightly. He made sure his expression, at a glance, was one of utter despair.
* * *
“This is why the great sects cannot be trusted…!” muttered a gaunt-looking Heonwon Chang. He seemed completely unaware that Wiji Myo-hwa of the Zhongnan Sect was standing right in front of him.
Her expression was equally heavy.
“The Namgung Clan… they did save face to some extent. They recognized Young Hero Flash Art’s achievements and gave you, Young Hero Heonwon, a spirit elixir.”
“If you hadn't been there, Lady Wiji, I would never have received it! Isn't that obvious? Those petty bastards!”
“...”
The two of them wanted two things: punishment for the Namgung Clan and to find the whereabouts of the Demonlight Wing's Flash Art.
Wiji Myo-hwa, who had been forced to stay back due to the range of Jeong Yeon-shin’s sect-exclusive martial art, the Sword House, had seen it clearly. When Jeong Yeon-shin cut a straight path across the battlefield and arrived before the Namgung Clan's leaders, no one had come to his aid. They had simply stood by and watched as the rising star of the Desolate Fortress, who had displayed such wondrous martial arts, collapsed into the arms of an Apostle and was carried away.
Did they wish to nip in the bud the one who would become the imperial family's divine sword?
They tried to kill a righteous hero using their enemy's blade, Wiji Myo-hwa thought. A truly despicable act.
However, rescuing Jeong Yeon-shin was far more urgent.
“I have sent a messenger beast to my sect. Reinforcements should be on their way. The Zhongnan Sect does not forget its debts. We share deep ties with both Shaolin and Mount Hua, so I sent urgent dispatches to them as well. We should receive a response one way or another.”
“...I am deeply grateful,” Heonwon Chang replied, his eyes bloodshot. He had been constantly venting his pent-up fury.
It was still the same now, twenty days after the battle of Clear Night Valley. The two of them had practically turned Chizhou and Ningguo upside down before finally returning to Huizhou. Heonwon Chang had stayed at the government office as a Desolate Fortress warrior, which was how he had received news from his seniors.
“So you were here.”
Cheong-myeong was the first to find them. His expression had turned incredibly cold, as if a layer of frost had settled over his face.
“I’ve heard the situation. Stand by. The Jianghu is about to swarm in.”
His tone was also extremely stiff.
Wiji Myo-hwa, after exchanging a fist-and-palm salute, asked, “What do you mean by the Jianghu swarming in…?”
“We’ve gathered the Shaolin martial monks, including the Young Divine Monk Gakjeong, the Mount Hua Sect’s first disciples and Plum Blossom Swordmasters, and the martial arts academies scraping by under government permits in Southern Zhili. A massive number of the Martial World's Local Aristocrats from Southern Zhili, Huguang, Jiangxi, and Henan have also been drafted. The rise of a heretical cult is a matter of state. They have no grounds to refuse.”
Cheong-myeong’s blue eyes stared quietly at Wiji Myo-hwa.
“You. You said you were the successor to the Zhongnan Sect. If you wish to build your reputation, there is no better stage than this. Make sure to perform well.”
“...Even so, isn't this a force assembled in extreme haste?” Heonwon Chang spoke, his expression grave. “Even if we are blessed by heaven and manage to find them, it will still be a problem. This doesn't seem like a force capable of striking down the Blood Flame Cult, whose power is immense.”
Because he wanted to save Jeong Yeon-shin more than anyone, he analyzed the situation coldly. Even if three of the Nine Sects joined, it would only be a fraction of their main forces. The same went for the martial clans, academies, and other Jianghu figures. No matter how great their numbers, dealing with Apostle-level powerhouses was a matter of an entirely different caliber.
Cheong-myeong slowly shook his head.
“A difference of that scale is meaningless.”
“Why is that…?” Heonwon Chang asked, looking bewildered.
Cheong-myeong fell silent for a moment. His handsome face was completely stiff, frozen.
He slowly parted his lips.
“The Lord of the Desolate Fortress is coming.”