The Corrupted Dragon
The battle subsided swiftly. Overwhelmed by Ryeong’s monstrous might as she thoroughly suppressed the thrashing Sa Gon, the cultists of the Demon Blood Divine Cult broke rank and scrambled in panic.
Yet with Hebei Province hemming in their front, their avenues of escape were severely constrained. The martial masters of the Central Plains, having sustained minimal casualties, systematically ran down the fleeing cultists. Even when they attempted to capture at least one alive for interrogation, it proved futile.
The moment they were seized, the fanatics deliberately detonated their own demonic qi, turning themselves into living bombs. The battle had been won, but extracting any further intelligence ended in failure.
'A single person overturned the entire tide of the battlefield. There is far more to that woman than meets the eye. Much, much more.'
Ak Gu-yu had never witnessed a battle won so easily. Especially when the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been wiped out and reanimated as jiangshi, forcing them to fight former allies, Ak Gu-yu had grimly anticipated that more than half of their forces would perish right here.
Yet what Ryeong had demonstrated was utterly shocking. To relentlessly compress lightning qi until it formed an explosive sphere akin to a Heaven-Shaking Thunderclap—in raw destructive power, it had far surpassed any explosive forged by mortal hands.
It was fortunate. Had their casualties been severe, the Imperial Court would have intervened even more deeply in the affairs of the martial world.
It was not that the Ak Family lacked interest in Jianghu. Rather, despite any desire to step out into the world, their duty to suppress the evil dragon took precedence above all else. Until that sacred charge was fulfilled, their sole wish was that the martial world would not collapse beneath demonic terror.
Imperial intervention had gone far enough. From this point forward, the fight belonged to the martial world. Maintaining mutual respect for each other's boundaries was the delicate balance between the Court and Jianghu, and Ak Gu-yu judged that the Emperor would halt his moves here as well.
Wuuung.
The burning heat radiating from the back of Ak Gu-yu's hand intensified. What he had assumed to be a minor disturbance was worsening by the hour, the throbbing pain growing sharper. Something far more dire than anticipated had surely occurred back at the clan estate.
'A grim coincidence, perhaps. But with the power she commands, she might just be capable of standing against the evil dragon.'
She was someone he had to bring to the Ak Family by any means necessary. Ak Gu-yu resolved to speak with her the moment matters were settled and somehow guide her toward Shandong.
That night, after the carnage had settled, Ryeong granted Ak Gu-yu a private audience at his request. He was an intriguing man in his own right, but more importantly, acquiring the divine relic of the Ak Family required drawing close to someone of their bloodline.
The Ak Family was famously reclusive. If she lost this connection with Ak Gu-yu, she had little hope of finding another thread leading to them. Seizing this opportunity, Ryeong planned to use him as her escort into Shandong.
Of course, had he declined, she would have bided her time and approached slowly. Yet she felt an inexplicable premonition that claiming the relic known as the Yellow Dragon Scale would grant her the vital clue to stepping into the Profound Realm. Having already reached the peak of the Transformation Realm and played with a Blood King as if he were a child, her eyes were set on the next horizon.
Once she breached the Profound Realm, the strikes of the Blood Kings would be laughable child's play, and she might even stand a chance against the shrouded Cult Leader of the Demon Blood Divine Cult. She did not yet know whether the Cult Leader had attained true Demonic Transcendence.
Even so, a mere unit commander had attained the Peak Demonic realm. Unless their supreme leader had reached Demonic Transcendence, the sheer caliber of their masters made no sense. It was often said that those who cultivated demonic arts advanced far more rapidly than practitioners of orthodox or unorthodox arts.
Between those who painstakingly forged an unshakeable foundation and those who courted deadly peril to sprint toward the summit, a stark difference was inevitable. Naturally, it led to the conclusion that the Cult Leader was likely at the level of Demonic Transcendence.
“I have a proposal for you, Sword Empress. Will you accompany me to the Ak Family estate?”
“Even I know that the Ak Family does not mingle with the martial world, let alone welcome outsiders. Why, then, do you intend to bring me there?”
Ryeong did not readily leap at Ak Gu-yu’s offer. Refusing to show suspicion would have been stranger. If someone abruptly offered to escort her to a sealed clan, answering with an eager 'Thank you very much!' would only raise red flags.
In negotiations such as this, keeping things natural was paramount. Ryeong intended to ascertain his true motives beyond any shadow of a doubt. Being the party in need, Ak Gu-yu continued in a subdued tone.
“What I am about to tell you must remain in absolute secrecy. Consider this not a mere request, but a solemn demand.”
“Understood.”
“The truth is... from ancient times, our clan has borne the sworn duty of sealing an entity known as the evil dragon.”
Ak Gu-yu began his explanation. It differed little from what she had previously heard from Hyeok—that an evil dragon existed, and that the entirety of the Ak Family poured their lifeblood into keeping the beast sealed.
Ryeong nodded along as though hearing the tale for the very first time. At the same time, she deduced precisely why he wished to bring her along.
'The seal on the evil dragon must be teetering on the brink. Well, I had to deal with the beast to obtain the Yellow Dragon Scale anyway.'
Why not simply slay the beast while she was at it? Though she lacked detailed knowledge of the creature, she casually broached the idea to him.
His face hardened, and he shook his head with vehement refusal. Having grown up immersed in the Ak Family’s long, bloodstained history of holding back the calamity, he had long concluded that slaying the evil dragon was an absolute impossibility.
“That is reckless folly. Ensuring the dragon’s seal does not shatter completely is the very best we can hope to achieve.”
“Even if I lend my strength to your clan?”
“Indeed. The sacred energy you command is beyond anything I have ever felt. Yet the malicious will harbored by the evil dragon defies all comprehension. Reinforcing the seal is the only way to hold the creature at bay.”
It did not strike her as mere cowardice. Educated since childhood on the horrors of the dragon and raised in close proximity to its slumbering menace, he had simply accepted as fact that the evil dragon was an insurmountable calamity that could never be eliminated.
Wasting breath trying to change his mind here was utterly pointless. Her first priority had to be reaching the Ak Family and assessing the dragon's precise condition with her own eyes.
“For now, I will accompany you. If the crisis threatens the destruction of the world rather than just Jianghu, it is only right that I lend a hand.”
“I will not forget this debt of gratitude. Henceforth, whenever the Sword Empress calls upon the Shadow Sword Squad, we shall serve as your hands and feet without compensation—up to three times, without fail.”
“Sounds wonderful. To think I will command the very shadows of the Murim Alliance. My requests might be a bit rough around the edges, you know?”
“It matters not. To me, the absolute stability of the realm comes before the interests of the Murim Alliance.”
Hardly the sentiment expected from the leader of the Alliance's covert enforcers, yet considering the heavy karma shouldered by the Ak Family, his conviction was entirely understandable.
Their conversation went no further. Not only did their martial paths diverge, but their relationship was still far too awkward for casual banter beyond official matters.
Shortly after Ak Gu-yu took his leave, Jin Yeong came knocking. A single glance at Ryeong’s expression seemed enough for him to piece together what had just transpired.
“Are we headed for Shandong? What kind of trouble did he say broke out over there?”
“This matter could be genuinely dangerous. If you wish, I can leave you behind here.”
“Is this some new brand of trial? When has anywhere you've gone ever been remotely safe, young lady?”
Jin Yeong retorted in sheer exasperation. Ever since Mount Jongnam lifted its sealed gates, every single place Ryeong set foot in had been steeped in lethal danger.
First had been the Tang Family. Though Ryeong had disrupted their schemes, crossing paths with the Demon Blood Divine Cult had nearly dragged them into catastrophe. Their next stop was Hubei, where an avalanche of chaos unfolded.
Two of the three major unorthodox factions dividing Hubei had been annihilated, and the so-called Tragedy of Hubei had marked their first full-scale clash against the Demon Blood Divine Cult.
Just when they thought they could catch their breath, they had crossed into Hebei. While Ryeong was slaying the Ghost Spirit King, Jin Yeong had been abducted by the Paeng Family—prompting an enraged Ryeong to raid the clan and reduce their grounds to scorched earth.
Danger stalked every stride she took. Jin Yeong had already resolved himself back in Hubei: so long as he traveled by her side, he would cling to her heels through fire and brimstone, no matter how peril mounted.
“If I hated danger, I would have scurried back to Mount Jongnam long ago. From now on, feel free to disregard my opin—”
“Then I suppose we can sprint to Shandong at full speed.”
“...ion, is what I was about to say, but that was an atrocious slip of the tongue and I take it all back! Spare me, please!”
Jin Yeong shuddered at the mere mention of lightness skills. If he harbored a single grievance about following her, it was her relentless habit of pushing lightness techniques to their absolute physiological limits.
Heading to the Ak Family meant traveling with Ak Gu-yu as well. With both of them being masters at the pinnacle of the Transformation Realm, Jin Yeong would have to run his bones into dust just to keep their dust in sight.
Having already suffered that grueling ordeal twice before, the trauma was etched deep into his soul; the mere thought of cross-country dashes made his stomach churn.
“I'm joking, just joking. This time, we need to conserve our stamina on the way.”
“Is it truly that dangerous?”
“Did you think I offered to leave you behind in jest? In this upcoming ordeal, a mere peak master can't even show their face. You need to be at least a master of the Transformation Realm to survive.”
Ryeong’s gaze was dead serious. She was certain that in a battle against the evil dragon, Jin Yeong would be far from helpful—he would be a liability.
Against a monstrosity that masters at the peak of Transformation and the Profound Realm could barely manage to seal away, what could a mere peak master hope to achieve?
Yet Jin Yeong’s resolve did not waver. No matter what threat loomed ahead.
“You’ll protect me anyway, won't you?”
“...!”
“So I’m coming along. Even if it means being your pack mule.”