Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Dreaming of Revenge (2)
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“Haa!”
A sigh escaped Jin Sanyo’s lips as the Immortal Cave loomed before him.
He had frequented the Myriad Poisons Valley for more than a day or two, and he had slipped in and out of the Immortal Cave several times as well. But never had he felt such a heavy burden as he did today.
“His madness seems to have worsened. I wonder if this will go smoothly.”
No one who performed the Immortal Myriad Poisons Spirit Control Art on humans could be sane to begin with, but after one of his test subjects escaped not long ago, he had heard that the man erupted in madness every single day.
“Still, no choice. Orders have come down.”
Before stepping toward the Immortal Cave, he took a deep breath.
He knew it was dangerous, yet he had to go. Even so, his expression wasn’t the worst. He had something to rely on.
No sooner had Jin Sanyo entered the Immortal Cave than a sharp voice rang out.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Valley Lord.”
“I didn’t hear you were coming. What’s this about?”
“I have a message for the Valley Lord.”
“Come in.”
Passing through the pitch-black tunnel, he emerged into a brightly lit space illuminated by tightly spaced torches, as bright as midday.
In the center of the space, Um Jeok-so, who had been soaking in a bathtub about a zhang square, waved a hand. Water overflowed with his every movement, blacker than ink.
Jin Sanyo swallowed hard upon confirming the rippling water in the tub was poison.
‘What kind of madness is this?’
Seeing Um Jeok-so immersed in a bath full of poison, Jin Sanyo instinctively realized his madness was far more severe than he’d imagined. Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to show it.
“What’s the message?”
Um Jeok-so asked languidly.
His posture, half-reclined in the tub even with a guest, hadn’t changed.
“There’s something the Valley Lord must do. Or rather, we need the Poison Blood Fiends’ prowess. We know they’re incomplete, but the situation has grown urgent, leaving us no choice.”
Jin Sanyo glanced at the twelve Poison Blood Fiends lying like corpses in one corner.
“Poison Blood Fiends, eh.”
Um Jeok-so chuckled and snapped his fingers. The Poison Blood Fiends rose in unison, lining up behind him.
Their pitch-black eyes and eerily pale skin showed no sign of life.
‘They’re not dead.’
The faint breathing and the chests rising with each exhale proved they lived.
“Oh! Their skin has returned to normal from that blackened state. It seems the process was a perfect success.”
“That’s right. It all wrapped up not long ago. Perfect Poison Blood Fiends have been born.”
Um Jeok-so smiled in satisfaction.
“Congratulations. After all that toil, you’ve finally succeeded.”
“Your help was immense. Without your full support, I couldn’t have done it this quickly.”
Um Jeok-so gave a slight hand gesture of thanks.
The materials needed for the Immortal Myriad Poisons Spirit Control Art were staggeringly vast. Most were exorbitantly expensive, and many couldn’t be bought with money alone. Jin Sanyo was the one who had solved that.
Missing the subtle aura emanating from Um Jeok-so’s soft smile, Jin Sanyo beamed.
“Hahaha! Securing those materials was no small feat. I appreciate the acknowledgment. But what good are materials without skill? In the end, it was the Valley Lord’s talent that birthed the Poison Blood Fiends.”
“Spare me the obvious flattery.”
His sarcastic tone made Jin Sanyo’s expression stiffen slightly.
“So, what is it you want?”
“Attack the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
“The Heavenly Demon Cult?”
Um Jeok-so asked with intrigued curiosity.
“More precisely, strike the demonic forces stationed near Sacheon.”
“That all?”
At Um Jeok-so’s question, Jin Sanyo hesitated briefly before taking a deep breath.
“And disguise it as the Sacheon Tang Clan’s doing.”
“Ho. The Sacheon Tang Clan.”
Um Jeok-so’s smile deepened.
“Leave no other traces. Only poison technique remnants. Of course, sparing one or two as witnesses wouldn’t hurt.”
“I get the gist. But why? The Heavenly Demon Cult is already at war with them. They’re fighting anyway—why go to these lengths?”
Um Jeok-so was still unaware that the Zhuge Clan had spread word of the Blood Cult’s existence across the martial world.
“No need for explanations, right? Just remember your promise: help us perfect the Immortal Myriad Poisons Spirit Control Art, and we’ll aid you in return.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You’d break our pact?”
Jin Sanyo’s voice rose.
“Pacts are made to be broken, aren’t they?”
At the blatant mockery, Jin Sanyo’s face hardened.
“If you break the agreement, I’ll have to make you listen.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a surefire way.”
“Of course.”
Um Jeok-so burst into mad laughter at Jin Sanyo’s utter confidence.
He slipped, submerging fully in the tub.
Um Jeok-so popped his head above the poison, a fist-sized scorpion clamped in his mouth.
“If you’re banking on some bug you snuck into my body, I’m truly disappointed.”
Jin Sanyo’s eyes widened in shock. He instinctively commanded the gu in his hair.
No reaction from Um Jeok-so.
‘Impossible!’
Jin Sanyo gaped.
A controlled gu couldn’t ignore the command.
The pain of the gu writhing in one’s head was unbearable for any human.
“Whatever you’re trying, it’s useless. Any bug that entered here died long ago.”
Um Jeok-so tapped his head and laughed.
“Even if it lived, the result would be the same. Why do you think I’m here?”
He splashed some poison water toward Jin Sanyo.
Seeing part of his robe dissolve instantly, Jin Sanyo recoiled in horror.
“N-No way... the Immortal Myriad Poisons Spirit Control Art...”
“Exactly. With a successful precedent, failure was unlikely, and it sped things up. The pain was intense, sure. But enjoyable enough. The key point? Unlike those fiends, mine’s fine.”
Um Jeok-so tapped his head again.
“In short, you failed. Your attempt to turn me into your dog.”
Rising from the tub, Um Jeok-so advanced on Jin Sanyo.
As Jin Sanyo backed into the wall, Um Jeok-so seized his throat.
“The moment you tried planting that bug in my head, the pact broke. Even if not, I have no intention of honoring deals with the Blood Cult scum.”
At “Blood Cult,” disbelief flooded Jin Sanyo’s face.
“H-How...”
“Soul-Stealing Poison.”
Um Jeok-so’s icy gaze chilled Jin Sanyo to the bone.
“As Myriad Poisons Valley Lord, how could you forget the Blood Cult’s Soul-Stealing Poison that tormented us? You’d lack the qualifications.”
“Uwaaaah!”
Realizing he’d been played, Jin Sanyo thrashed in rage, but gripped perfectly, it was futile.
“Thanks anyway. As repayment for your ‘kindness,’ I’ll let you thrash all you want. That’s what you wanted, right?”
Without waiting for a reply, Um Jeok-so hurled him into the tub.
Jin Sanyo’s face twisted in agony as he screamed, flailed briefly, then stilled.
Various venomous creatures swarmed his sinking body.
Watching impassively, Um Jeok-so murmured lowly.
“Heavenly Demon Cult, Divine Demon Division Leader! You’re next.”
The eyes of Um Jeok-so, now an incarnation of vengeance, were terrifyingly serene.
“Mu Eop! Trying to run?”
Mu Eop sneered at Gwa Yu’s call.
“Arrogant fool! Think I’m fleeing in fear of a worm like you?”
Mu Eop’s gaze wasn’t on Gwa Yu but on Cheol Woo, who was fully demonstrating the Reverse Eruption Aura Demonic Formation’s might.
“You die by my hand.”
The moment his blade severed his third brother’s life was still vivid.
Killing intent Gwa Yu had never shown before poured from his eyes.
“Wanting revenge for your dog of a brother who died waiting.”
“Shut up!”
“Too bad. Revenge won’t sate that grudge on mere spite.”
Mu Eop held his short curved sword at an angle, sneering.
“You shouldn’t have returned here. You might’ve saved that pathetic life.”
Mu Eop aimed his sword at Gwa Yu.
Killing intent exploded outward.
Gwa Yu truly felt Mu Eop’s prowess, rated closest to elite assassin rank.
Just then, a desperate cry ended, and no more screams followed.
Confirming his comrades had all fallen to the intruders, Mu Eop withdrew his intent from Gwa Yu. Wary of backlash, he checked the intruders’ movements and cautiously retreated into the forest.
“If you’re confident, follow.”
Before vanishing into the darkness, Mu Eop taunted Gwa Yu.
Gwa Yu leaped after without hesitation.
Entering the forest, Gwa Yu bit his lip as Mu Eop vanished instantly.
Night had fallen; even in dense foliage, losing his presence up close meant his skill fell short. The gap was clear.
But he couldn’t stand idle.
Avoiding Mu Eop’s likely hiding spots, Gwa Yu moved at once.
As a Blood Forest assassin himself, Gwa Yu erased his presence, hid, and mobilized all senses to hunt the vanished Mu Eop.
Silence reigned.
Only rustling bushes in the breeze and chirping insects broke it.
Even maxed senses found no trace. As expected of an elite assassin; Mu Eop had perfectly concealed himself.
Unable to find traces, Gwa Yu fought impatience to stay calm. Rash moves meant death—he knew it best.
‘This bastard.’
Just as Gwa Yu had lost Mu Eop, Mu Eop had lost Gwa Yu. He roughly gauged his spot but wasn’t sure. Moving uncertainly risked counterattack.
The novice who’d trailed elite assassin Black Dark on his first kill had grown, now threatening Mu Eop’s life.
‘Interesting. Let’s test your patience.’
Feeling Gwa Yu’s growth, Mu Eop entertained no thought of defeat. But the monsters who slaughtered his comrades lingered in mind.
Yet he—and Gwa Yu—remained oblivious to Sima Geon, leader of those monsters, watching nearby.