Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: Roots of the Blood Tree
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“Grrraaaah…!”
Je-gal Cheon-sang let out a death rattle that sounded like his body was being torn apart.
The blood jade embedded in his chest turned pitch black and shattered into pieces.
The blood-red energy that had shot skyward without end vanished like a lie, revealing the clear blue sky beyond.
Beneath it, Je-gal Cheon-sang, now stripped of the blood jade...
“Huh, huuuuh…!”
...was gasping for breath with my sword still plunged into his chest.
His body hung limply, a far cry from the feral frenzy of moments before.
That wasn’t all.
His entire body, once flushed red-hot, lost its color and turned ashen, shriveling up like a mummy.
It seemed the rampaging blood jade had consumed even his own life force.
He looked beyond any hope of recovery.
I slowly withdrew the sword from his chest and carefully laid down his skeletal remains.
“Huh… huuuh…!”
Je-gal Cheon-sang’s mouth twitched as if desperate to say something.
But his utterly depleted body couldn’t even grant him his final words.
In the end, he breathed his last without even closing his eyes properly.
His vacant gaze stared blankly at the sky.
I reached out silently and closed them for him.
“…Is it over?”
“Yeah. For now.”
As Hwa-ryeon approached and asked, I gazed down at Je-gal Cheon-sang’s wretched end. That’s when I sensed someone racing toward us from afar.
Turning my head, I saw Hyeok Ri-eum sprinting desperately, as if being chased by something.
“Damn…”
I clicked my tongue briefly and covered Je-gal Cheon-sang’s corpse.
It wasn’t a sight fit for his little sister.
Just then, Je-gal Geun-young seemed to have the same thought and grabbed Hyeok Ri-eum’s arm to stop her from coming closer.
“Eum-ah, don’t look. It’s better if you don’t.”
“Let go! Let me go!”
Hyeok Ri-eum struggled to shake off Je-gal Geun-young’s hand, but her eyes widened.
She must have realized who the slumped corpse behind me was.
“O-oppa…?”
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed limply with a dazed expression.
She shook her head as if unable to accept reality, tears welling up in her bloodshot eyes.
And then,
“Waaah… waaaaah—!”
Her wails finally burst forth.
Not just me or Hwa-ryeon—even Master, Seol, and Je-gal Geun-young watched her sob bitterly with pained expressions.
That heartrending cry marked the end of the rebellion.
*
“Ugh!”
As Hyeok Ri-eum’s sobs echoed through the manor, someone else was stifling a pained cry.
“Ugh…! Damn it!”
A woman clutching her head on the ground, cursing through the agony of a splitting headache.
It was none other than Soso.
She had survived the rampaging Je-gal Cheon-sang’s assault thanks to Gok-il and fled to hide not far from the Great Hall, watching the battle’s outcome.
And when Ja-seong destroyed the blood jade with his imperfect sword aura, she collapsed from an immense headache.
How much time passed like that?
Soso struggled to her feet as the pain finally subsided.
“That damned bastard… how the hell did he destroy the blood essence…!”
She gnashed her teeth, glaring murderously at Ja-seong.
Blood essence.
The true name of the blood-red orb that Elder Council Leader Je-gal Yong-hwi had dubbed the blood jade.
Her knowing that name meant she had been deeply involved in its creation.
For example, secretly providing the Explosive Blood Technique to Su-kyeong.
Or, disguised as Gok-il, informing the elders about the great technique to absorb the blood essence.
She was the shadowy hand that had corrupted the Je-gal family from the shadows for twenty long years.
Soso—or rather, the woman who had lived under that false identity—bit her lip and let out a weary sigh.
“…Haa. How did things get so messed up?”
Originally, she had infiltrated the Je-gal family for two goals.
The first, of course, was the blood essence experiment.
It was an experiment to extract and fuse the blood essence grown within practitioners of the Explosive Blood Technique by feeding them blood, then absorb it into a body capable of withstanding its power.
But the experiment had ultimately failed.
Perhaps because they drew the line at human experimentation despite researching demonic arts, they fed it livestock blood to cultivate the essence.
The resulting blood essence was, predictably, flawed.
“It wouldn’t just rampage on its own. The spiritual link was so faint it wouldn’t even obey my commands properly.”
Because of that, the ritual embedded in the great technique to control the absorber’s spirit ended up all for naught.
“…In the end, we only managed to take out the family head and a few elders?”
The second goal was to annihilate the Je-gal family—or inflict comparable damage.
That was the reason for embedding the ritual in the great technique.
By the original plan, she would have manipulated Je-gal Cheon-sang, wielding the blood essence’s power, to slaughter the entire Je-gal clan.
But Geun-young’s sudden rebellion and Ja-seong ruined that too.
Especially Ja-seong’s final attack that destroyed the blood essence.
“…How the hell could a mere human destroy the blood essence?”
Even if imperfect, it was the blessed fruit bestowed by the great divine tree.
That was the blood essence.
How could a human destroy that miraculous creation?
Unable to comprehend this reality, she shook her head and soon slipped away to her room, avoiding others’ eyes.
Confirming no one was around, she took something from a small box in the corner.
It was a mirror. Infusing it with energy, its surface began to glow brightly.
As the light faded, the mirror reflected someone else’s image.
Seeing it, she immediately prostrated herself.
“First Stem.”
[Is that Sixth Stem?]
Her body trembled at the cold male voice, but Sixth Stem hid her shaking and replied.
“…Yes.”
[It seems things didn’t go as planned.]
Despite her efforts, the man in the mirror saw right through her.
Sixth Stem squeezed her eyes shut, still prostrated, and immediately apologized.
“I’m sorry. An unexpected variable arose…!”
[A variable…? Tell me in detail.]
Sixth Stem explained in detail how the plan had failed.
First Stem listened silently to her excuses, narrowing his eyes at the mention of the blood essence’s destruction.
[…The blood essence, by a human’s hand? You’re not daring to lie, are you?]
“Absolutely not! That guy’s sword suddenly started glowing, and then it just…!”
[…The sword glowed?]
First Stem’s face hardened, his voice dropping low.
Stunned by his ominous reaction, Sixth Stem swallowed hard and nodded.
“Y-yes! It was faint, but the sword definitely glowed blue.”
[…I see.]
A short reply, followed by a long silence.
After about fifteen minutes of pondering, First Stem finally addressed the fidgeting Sixth Stem.
[The blood essence experiments are sufficient at this point. It’s regrettable we couldn’t wipe out the Je-gal clan, but it’s not urgent right now.]
“…Y-yes?”
His tone suggested no blame for this failure.
Bewilderment mixed with relief on Sixth Stem’s face.
Then came First Stem’s command in her ear.
[Withdraw from the Je-gal family and head straight to Mount Wudang.]
“Mount Wudang… you mean?”
First Stem nodded at Sixth Stem’s question.
[Yes. A clone bestowed by the divine tree has taken root there. Its growth will soon be complete—protect it without issue.]
“B-but… isn’t that Fifth Stem’s responsibility?”
Sixth Stem recalled Fifth Stem’s obnoxious face.
That irritating bastard who strutted around like he was special, even mouthing off in front of First Stem.
‘He was in charge of the divine tree’s clone, wasn’t he?’
In response to her doubt came First Stem’s exasperated sigh.
Followed by shocking news.
[Fifth Stem is dead.]
“…Yes?”
[More precisely, missing, but circumstances point to a high likelihood of death.]
Dead? By whom? Fifth Stem?
Stunned by the unforeseen news, Sixth Stem unwittingly lifted her head, eyes wide.
Realizing her mistake, she bowed again, but First Stem didn’t reprimand her.
He just continued dryly.
[We’re still investigating what happened, but the base at Payang Lake was destroyed, and the divine tree clone there reduced to ashes.]
“How dare some heaven-defying bastard…!”
Sixth Stem ground her teeth at the news of the great divine tree’s clone being burned.
Glancing at her trembling fist of rage, First Stem issued another command.
[Three clones remain. We can’t lose more foundations for the cult’s great undertaking. The other two clones are guarded by the remaining stems, so you protect the one at Mount Wudang.]
“…Understood. I’ll depart immediately.”
With her resolute reply, First Stem vanished from the mirror.
And that night, the Je-gal family’s dutiful maid Soso vanished without a trace.
*
Somewhere underground, location unknown.
First Stem was there.
At the center of a massive formation etched into the floor, surrounded by several crystal orbs.
“…Blue light, huh.”
Muttering softly right after his conversation with Sixth Stem ended and one orb lost its glow, First Stem rose and ascended to the surface.
Soon after walking, a grand hall that could only be described as opulent came into view.
First Stem entered the hall with its striking golden tiles without hesitation.
The maids inside bowed politely, treating him as a familiar presence without obstruction.
Passing them, he reached the hall’s depths and spoke to the maid guarding the door.
“Send word inside.”
“Yes.”
-No need. Enter.
“…Please go in.”
Passing through the carefully opened door, he found a woman lounging languidly, adorned as extravagantly as the hall itself.
First Stem prostrated himself before her and bowed.
“I pay respects to the first root of the divine tree, the Cult Leader.”