Bluffing (3)
It was the right arm of a Sapa warrior.
The right arm of the Sapa warrior who had thrust his blade toward the Blood Demon lay on the ground, still clutching the sword.
Only a handful of people here had witnessed the Blood Demon's movements.
The Cold Iron Box that had been on the floor was already in his left hand.
The Sapa warrior's slash hadn't affected the Blood Demon's actions in the slightest.
The Blood Demon opened the lid of the Cold Iron Box again, this time with just his thumb.
Pop!
At the same time, he dumped the Qingming Pill into his mouth.
Then he tilted his head.
"This seems like a spirit pill... but I can't be sure it's the real deal. I'd have to try the genuine one to know for sure, right?"
He glanced around with a grin.
After scanning everyone, the Blood Demon asked as if something had just occurred to him.
"Any more Qingming Pills left? If there are, bring them. You know what happens if you hide them, don't you?"
"......"
Everyone stared at the Blood Demon in silence.
Their eyes held a mix of doubt and humiliation.
They all harbored the faint hope that they might defeat him if they attacked together—yet none dared to step forward first, gripped by fear.
At that moment, one Sapa warrior charged at the Blood Demon.
Thwack!
With it, the Blood Demon's Blood-Splitting Blade moved lightly.
Whoosh! Thud!
The warrior's body collapsed forward.
Head and torso separated.
A fellow clan warrior from the same group stared at the rolling head and rushed forward.
They were warriors from the White Serpent Sect, known even among Sapa for their unbreakable bonds.
"Waaah!"
"Kill that bastard!"
Seeing them charge together, the Blood Demon smirked viciously and extended his right hand.
That was when it happened.
The Blood Demon halted his outstretched right hand and sheathed his Blood-Splitting Blade.
At the same time, he took several steps back.
As he retreated a few paces from the oncoming warriors, the crowd began to murmur.
"Isn't that guy weaker than he looks?"
"Should we charge too?"
But the murmurs died quickly. The Sapa warriors had to hold their breath.
A red aura began to rise around the Blood Demon.
It crept up slowly, thick and visible to the naked eye.
Someone shouted then.
"Protective Aura!"
Others followed one by one.
"Then that means..."
"A Hwagyeong master!"
"That guy... could he be the Demonic Cult's Blood Demon...?"
"Yeah, it's the Blood Demon."
"Damn, why's a Demonic Cultist here?"
"For now..."
The warriors couldn't finish their sentences.
The Blood Demon's aura intensified further.
Trapped like flies in a web, the Sapa warriors couldn't budge.
The Blood Demon ground his teeth in apparent rage, scanning his surroundings.
The Sapa warriors just tilted their heads, wondering why he was acting that way.
Of course, some among them understood the situation.
One was Black-Clothed Death Wind of the Shanxi Three Killers.
Black-Clothed Death Wind vaguely perceived the strange scene unfolding.
The Blood Demon swung his Blood-Splitting Blade toward a Sapa warrior.
Just as the warrior's head was about to fly...
A man in gray martial robes appeared as a blurry figure behind the Blood Demon.
And vanished instantly.
That was all Black-Clothed Death Wind saw.
The man in gray robes was, of course, Han Bin.
Why would Han Bin save the lives of Sapa warriors?
It made no sense.
But the reason was simple.
Hiding his presence from afar, Han Bin confirmed the script.
Dragon Eye confirms the technique.
Acquired Human-grade formula: Bind (bind).
Han Bin gazed at the three incomplete Human-grade formulas.
[……]
Human-grade - Self (self), Self (self), Bind (bind)
Han Bin looked up at the Blood Demon.
A single thick glowing point still lingered on him.
In truth, acquiring this formula had been pure luck.
It wouldn't have worked if the Blood Demon hadn't underestimated the Sapa warriors.
Han Bin had completely erased his presence and lain on the ground, waiting.
The Blood Demon must have mistaken him for a corpse.
When the Blood Demon moved against a Sapa warrior, Han Bin had stabbed a dagger toward the point revealing the formula.
At the same time, he had unleashed Gugeol Ship-pal-bo to its limit and evaded.
That was how he'd obtained the formula from the Blood Demon.
But one formula point still remained.
If he could snag that last one, he'd complete a full Human-grade technique.
Fight a Hwagyeong master one-on-one?
That was like sticking his head into a guillotine.
The silver lining: the Blood Demon seemed newly ascended to Hwagyeong.
Up to Super Peak, arts were divided into low, mid, and high tiers.
But Hwagyeong changed that.
Hwagyeong realms spanned from 1st to 12th gyeong.
This was the division set by past masters.
All Han Bin knew was that at the entry-level 1st gyeong, one could only dominate the space within a single step around them.
Could Han Bin defeat the Blood Demon?
He could confidently answer no.
Could he at least snag the remaining formula from the Blood Demon?
That was fifty-fifty.
Among the Yongrin Sword Art techniques was one called Fast Sword Chaos Demon.
It boosted attack power by ten-tenths against demons—a technique that had proven effective against the Heavenly Mountain Blood Wolf.
Its effect was active now too.
Of course, if the Sapa warriors cooperated, acquiring the formula would be easier.
But whether they'd move as he wanted was doubtful.
While Han Bin suppressed his presence, the Blood Demon had lowered his head and yanked the dagger from his thigh.
Shlick!
A fountain of blood sprayed out.
Squirt!
It stopped moments later as he sealed it with inner power.
The lower-tier Peak and below Sapa warriors watching tilted their heads.
The Blood Demon was a Hwagyeong master. A dagger in his thigh?
Who could have wounded him? No way to tell.
One crept toward the Blood Demon.
The Blood Demon refrained from swinging his Blood-Splitting Blade recklessly.
He seemed wary, guarding his rear.
The approaching warrior glanced back, signaling others with his chin to attack together.
That was when it happened.
Shlick!
The warrior's head fell.
The Blood Demon scoffed.
"Where's this prank coming from? Think I'll fall for it twice? The rest of you brats won't get off easy. I'll mince you like vegetables—wait your turn."
Now ignoring his surroundings, the Blood Demon strode toward the Sapa warriors.
He'd sensed no presence rivaling his own nearby.
A dagger in the thigh was embarrassing. But with his Protective Aura up, no more wounds would come—and if he slaughtered them all, no one would ever know of the shame.
Shlick!
His Blood-Splitting Blade sliced air, severing someone's arm.
Overwhelmed by his aura, the warriors backpedaled.
Could hundreds of angry cats take down a tiger?
They might inflict shallow scratches, but even dreaming of fighting was impossible.
Here, the Blood Demon was the tiger; the Sapa warriors, mere cats.
Thud, thud!
Matching his footsteps, he swung his Blood-Splitting Blade.
As one warrior's head was about to fly, a sword flashed from somewhere.
It was Han Bin's sword, Wol-a, of course.
Han Bin had unleashed Fast Sword Chaos Demon and One Touch Instant Kill simultaneously, charging to harvest the last formula.
But sensing the momentum from behind, the Blood Demon twisted away hastily.
Clang!
The Blood Demon blocked Han Bin's Wol-a with his sword body.
After the clash, the Sapa warriors retreated, staring in awe.
The master who'd stabbed the Blood Demon's thigh had revealed himself.
Someone shouted.
"A great hero's come to help us!"
"But who is he?"
"Gasp, wait... that movement... he's one of the guys who attacked us earlier!"
"Then why's he helping us?"
As the Sapa warriors cried out in equal parts hope and confusion, the Blood Demon grinned viciously at Han Bin.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Secret!"
Han Bin grinned back. Despite the mask, the Blood Demon read his expression in his eyes.
The Blood Demon twitched an eyebrow.
"You're the brat who stuck that dagger in me?"
"Not a brat—an adult."
"Fair enough. If you can wound me, you deserve adult treatment. So, where you from? Sapa?"
Han Bin shrugged at the Blood Demon's joking tone.
"That's a secret too. I hate guys who yap during a fight."
"Guess I'll have to wipe that mouth off your face first. Careful now, sweetie."
The Sapa warriors shuddered at the Blood Demon's words.
His androgynous tone, mismatched with his cruelty, amplified the terror.
But Han Bin was unfazed.
He'd fought the Blood Demon in his past life too.
That one wasn't this guy.
The past-life Blood Demon had inherited the title and Blood-Splitting Blade from the one before him—the current one.
Lower realm, but far more grotesque.
The techniques would be similar anyway.
No need to fear just because it was Hwagyeong.
Han Bin yelled.
"Hurry up already. You gonna do something staring at me like that?"
At the same time, the Blood Demon's Blood-Splitting Blade moved.
His mocking expression gone, as if he'd run out of patience.
Clang!
Han Bin's Wol-a clashed with it, sparking flames.
The Blood Demon murmured lowly.
"Oh ho, you've got some moves, sweetie!"
"Who knows? Maybe two."
With that, Han Bin channeled his power and repelled the Blood-Splitting Blade.
Thwack!
Both stepped back a pace.
A smile crept across the Blood Demon's lips as he faced Han Bin's sword.
He'd gauged his opponent's realm. Time to cook him now.
Clang! Clang!
Their clashes continued.
At speeds invisible to Sapa warriors, they exchanged blows.
Ice Blood Serpent of the Shanxi Three Killers shouted.
"That possible? Is that the Fourth Young Master's skill?"
"Heh, seems he didn't show his full power even against us."
Black-Clothed Death Wind murmured agreement.
Minced Lamb narrowed his eyes to their limit, savoring the duel.
No warrior present possessed arts higher than those two.
The Fourth Young Lord might differ, but without seeing it firsthand, no direct comparison.
Of course, no one knew Han Bin could match the Blood Demon thanks to Fast Sword Chaos Demon's effect.
Clang!
Meanwhile, Han Bin thought the matchup was worthwhile.
Fast Sword Chaos Demon's boost was tremendous.
His power and speed felt doubled.
But it was an illusion.
The Blood Demon's blade tip grew sharper.
Shlick!
It grazed Han Bin's shoulder.
But the recovery formula from Basic Edition staunched the gushing blood.
The Blood Demon narrowed his eyes at the sight.
It looked for all the world like inner power sealing the wound.