Chapter 688
"Seo Jin-ha."
"I'm fine."
Seo Jin-ha, his entire body drenched in blood, spoke calmly.
"I stabbed myself, avoiding the vital points."
"Why the hell did you do this?"
"I figured I needed to suffer this much pain to regain my senses."
Seo Jin-ha gave an apologetic smirk.
Even now, he hadn't yet reached the same realm as Bu Eun-seol, where he could freely control his own spirit and mind.
That was why he had forcibly inflicted pain upon himself—to regain his clarity and escape the Emotion Severing Secret Art.
"Here, eat this."
Seo Jin-ha pulled out a Demon-Subduing Divine Pill pill from his pocket and handed it to Myo Cheon-u.
"If you don't take it quickly, you might lose the use of your left arm."
"What about you?"
"Wounds like these won't kill me."
Seo Jin-ha smirked again.
"Besides, pain is necessary for proper negotiations."
Truthfully, Seo Jin-ha hadn't completely shaken off the Emotion Severing Secret Art.
That was why he deliberately maintained the pain, using it to keep his mind clear.
"But what's going on?"
Seo Jin-ha asked.
"I thought you weren't coming back to the Demon Hall at all."
Since Seo Jin-ha had also undergone dantian treatment at the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace,
he had long suspected that Myo Cheon-u had already recovered his Internal Power.
Yet, seeing that he hadn't returned to the Death Shadow War Unit, Seo Jin-ha assumed he either had no intention of returning to the Demon Hall
or had quietly left the Martial World altogether.
"You're right. The treatment was finished long ago. And for a while, I was helping with the Muhon Society's affairs."
"The Muhon Society?"
"Yes. Bu Eun-seol had been laying out various plans for a long time to build his own independent faction. And I've been traveling the Rivers and Lakes under his orders."
"I see. No wonder... I was wondering how such a massive alliance could spring up out of nowhere."
The Muhon Society wasn't created overnight—it was the result of Bu Eun-seol's meticulous planning over a long period,
with Myo Cheon-u carrying out the groundwork.
In fact, it was Myo Cheon-u who had relayed Bu Eun-seol's intentions to Dae Gu-hwi and Bing Han-pung.
"And that guy—he gave me orders the moment he decided to return to the Demon Hall. He said, 'You'll probably receive some bizarre mission from the Demon Hall, so stay close and wait.'"
"He predicted this kind of mission?"
"Yes. From the start, he returned to the Demon Hall intending to challenge the Demonic Heavenly Emperor."
Myo Cheon-u took a deep breath before continuing.
"And the fact that his prediction was spot-on... means there's a high probability the Demonic Heavenly Emperor will become our enemy in the future."
Seo Jin-ha nodded.
Since the Supreme Cult Commander couldn't have forced such an order on Bu Eun-seol...
this had to be the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's doing.
The problem was—if the Demonic Heavenly Emperor was truly determined to turn his blade against Bu Eun-seol,
then the Death Shadow War Unit would no longer have a place in the Demon Hall.
"But how did you manage to win over the Blood Cult leader? He's someone who grinds his teeth at anyone from the Demon Hall because the Demonic Heavenly Emperor blocked his expansion into the Central Plains."
"Bu Eun-seol had me bring medicinal herbs from the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace here."
Myo Cheon-u spoke plainly.
"The Blood Cult uses blood in all sorts of Great Arts, but apparently, it's because their dantians are hardening."
The Blood Cult employed many powerful Martial Arts and Great Arts that utilized blood.
The problem was—there was a thirty percent chance that mastering these techniques would cause one's dantian to seal shut.
Knowing this, Bu Eun-seol immediately ordered Myo Cheon-u to bring herbs that could serve as leverage in negotiations.
"I see."
Seo Jin-ha chuckled.
"If the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace can restore shattered dantians, then fixing ones sealed by Martial Arts would be nothing."
"Exactly."
"So that's how it was. Then—"
—Even if negotiations fail, you'll be unharmed.
Seo Jin-ha took a deep breath, recalling Bu Eun-seol's words.
He hadn't sent him into a death trap—he had sent Myo Cheon-u ahead to ensure that even if negotiations failed, Seo Jin-ha could return safely.
"First, I brought a thousand jin of medicinal herbs from the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace as a gift. With this, we can save many Masters of the Blood Cult suffering from hardened dantians. Pae Reuk-gyeol will have no choice but to negotiate."
"Well done."
Seo Jin-ha nodded and stepped outside.
"Are you leaving?"
"No."
Seo Jin-ha grinned.
"Negotiations haven't even started yet."
"Negotiations?"
"Since I'm already here, I might as well earn my keep."
Seo Jin-ha smirked.
"Now that the stage is set, I'll have a little talk with the Blood Cult leader myself."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the front courtyard of the Yin-Knot Demon Grounds, the Death Shadow War Unit forces, surrounded on all sides,
continued to cut down wave after wave of enemies using the battle formation devised by Bu Eun-seol.
But the battle was endless.
The Yin-Knot Demon Grounds pressed forward in relentless waves, tormenting the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit day and night.
And the infamous Iron Hammer Iron Corpse Warriors—
were still held in reserve, not yet revealing themselves.
If the Death Shadow War Unit were pushed to the brink, they would fight desperately to the death,
and even if the Yin-Knot Demon Grounds won, their forces would suffer heavy losses.
So instead, they sought to slowly grind the Death Shadow War Unit down, minimizing their own casualties.
—This won't be easy.
But the Yin-Knot Demon Grounds' plan wasn't going smoothly.
The warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit were no ordinary fighters.
Despite being outnumbered, they stood their ground defiantly, repelling every attack.
As a result, the area around the battle formation had become a sea of blood,
with the corpses of the Yin-Knot Demon Grounds' warriors piling up like mountains.
"Soul-Chasing Squad—shift formations to the Mist-Staining Array and collapse the enemy ranks!"
With Yu Un-ryong at the center, the other squad leaders continued directing their respective units, relentlessly pushing forward in the battle.
Before they knew it, the fight had stretched into its second day.
Yet the clash showed no signs of ending.
The Yin-Knot Demon Grounds still held the advantage in numbers, not to mention their Iron Hammer Iron Corpse Warriors.
No matter how high the corpses piled, no matter how many severed limbs lay scattered like pebbles—
In the end, they would emerge victorious.
But the Death Shadow War Unit refused to yield.
Whenever the pressure mounted, they counterattacked; whenever they were pushed back, they somehow regained ground, maintaining an unyielding stance.
The only stroke of fortune was that the battlefield was a vast forest.
While the dense woods favored defense, they made offense far more troublesome.
"Raaaaaah!"
After endless fierce combat, the Death Shadow War Unit finally repelled the Yin-Knot Demon Grounds' forces once more.
As the triumphant battle cries of the Death Shadow War Unit warriors shook the heavens—
"Fools!"
From afar, Yong Mun-gyeok, the Blood Trail Soul Chaser and first division commander of the Yin-Knot Demon Grounds, roared at his subordinates.
"You can't even crush a force of fewer than five hundred? Is this some kind of joke?"
The deputy commander, Gang Baek, bowed his head and replied,
"Their martial prowess is truly formidable. Moreover, they keep shifting formations in bizarre ways—"
"Enough."
Yong Mun-gyeok threw batons to the commanders leading each division.
These were the Slaughter-Reversing Flutes, instruments used to command the Iron Hammer Iron Corpse Warriors.
"Deploy fifty Iron Hammer Iron Corpse Warriors onto the battlefield."
"Commander Yong."
At that moment, Du Hyo, leading the second division, spoke up.
"If we use the Iron Corpse Warriors now, we'll face a critical shortage of troops when the Demon Hall launches its assault later."
Even if they crushed the Death Shadow War Unit, the ultimate battle would be against the Demon Hall.
If they wasted fifty Iron Corpse Warriors—each costing hundreds of thousands of taels to produce—
They would lack sufficient forces to resist the Demon Hall's true vanguard when the time came.
"No need for such worries. The Demon Hall won't be sending any more divisions."
"What do you mean?"
"They were sent here on a suicide mission—to die while supposedly suppressing our stronghold."
Shockingly, Yong Mun-gyeok knew exactly why the Death Shadow War Unit had been assigned this operation.
Which meant the Demon Hall's intelligence had been leaked to them.
Yet the Death Shadow War Unit's masters remained completely unaware of this fact.
"Why are you standing there gaping? Begin at once!"
At his command, the division leaders raised their flutes and began to play.
With the eerie melody, massive figures clad in black robes slowly emerged from the rear.
Their grotesque faces and pitch-black skin made them resemble jiangshi, but they were unmistakably living beings.
Iron Hammer Iron Corpse Warriors.
Bodies hard as steel, blood laced with poison, stripped of all fear and pain.
The most terrifying killing machines in chaotic combat—the Yin-Knot Demon Grounds' ultimate force had finally arrived.
"Attack!"
As the flutes shrieked again, the fifty Iron Corpse Warriors charged toward the Death Shadow War Unit's masters at terrifying speed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
They trampled over the corpses of their own fallen without hesitation, stampeding forward like maddened beasts.
Swish! CRACK! CRACK-CRACK!
Countless hidden weapons and razor-sharp sword qi rained down on them like a storm—
Yet their advance never faltered.
CLANG!
When blades struck their bodies, the sound of metal rang out.
Like raging bulls, they had already shattered half of the Death Shadow War Unit's formation in moments.
With just fifty Iron Corpse Warriors, they were effortlessly tearing through barriers reinforced with Gang Qi.
At this rate, the Death Shadow War Unit's battle formation would collapse completely in less than a meal's time.
"They're finally here."
Yu Un-ryong, commanding the formation, took a sharp breath.
The Iron Corpse Warriors had entered the fray.
Which meant the final battle—the one that would decide life or death for the Death Shadow War Unit—had begun.
"Deploy the Explosive Breach Reverse Path Formation—open a path through the center!"
At his shout, the formation shifted again.
The transparent walls of Gang Qi blocking the flanks vanished, leaving a direct, unobstructed route forward.
If they couldn't hold back the tide, they would meet it head-on.
"Engage those monsters directly!"
"Raaaaaah!"
Led by their squad leaders, the warriors launched a desperate assault.
"Haaap!"
At the forefront was Won Se-mun, the most valiant and battle-hardened of them all, leading his Peerless Squad into the fray.
BOOM!
As his twin swords swept out, Iron Corpse Warriors fell like autumn leaves before a gale.
In that instant, Wi Cheon-gyeong's Soul-Chasing Squad fanned out left and right, bombarding the enemy ranks with hidden weapons to disrupt their advance.
Then Jo Nam-cheon's Myriad Forms Squad surged forward like a collapsing wave, pushing the enemy back with the Poison Demon Body Art.
THUD! THUD!
Amid the chaos, a small shadow darted across the battlefield, unleashing a relentless barrage of steel arrows.
With each strike, the Iron Hammer Iron Corpse Warriors collapsed one by one, their foreheads pierced clean through.
It was Soyao.
Swish!
Following her lead, there were those who moved at speeds rivaling the martial artists of the Soul-Chasing Squad, slicing through enemies with the razor-sharp blades mounted on their elbows and toes.
The Death Soul Squad and their subordinate Flying Demon Unit, utilizing their swift movement techniques, brushed past the Iron Hammer Iron Corpse Warriors, felling them as they went.
"Hold the line!"
Under Yu Un-ryong's command, the Sanghak Unit and the remaining warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit deployed the Explosive Breach Reverse Path Formation, repelling the encroaching demonkin of the Yin-Knot Demon Grounds and forcing the battle into a head-on confrontation.
'The end is near.'
Yu Un-ryong's expression darkened as he surveyed the battlefield.
The warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit stood united, defending the line with their lives, fighting tooth and nail against the enemy.
But... defeat was inevitable.
The fallen Iron Hammer Iron Corpse Warriors had begun rising again, like stubborn puppets refusing to stay down.
Their lives were not easily extinguished.
And behind them, the demonkin of the Yin-Knot Demon Grounds advanced and retreated in waves, launching relentless, ferocious assaults.
'If we kill those controlling the Iron Hammer Iron Corpse Warriors, we might last a little longer.'
If they could hold out for two more days—or even just one—Bu Eun-seol might return from the Blood Cult.
For now, they had to endure the enemy's onslaught no matter what.
Clench.
His fingers tightened around the Ten-Joint Staff fastened at his waist, and he bit his lip.
'This is the only way.'
The best option now was to leap over the frontlines of the Iron Hammer Iron Corpse Warriors and strike down their commanders.
'Since Bu Eun-seol isn't here, I have to do it.'
The Ten-Joint Staff, embedded with ten harmonies, could scorch dozens of yards in an instant if he willed it.
If he used it to instantly kill the commanders, he could at least halt the Iron Hammer Iron Corpse Warriors' advance for a while.
'Even then, we'll still lose.'
Even if he cut down every enemy before him, the Yin-Knot Demon Grounds still had thousands of troops and four hundred and fifty Iron Hammer Iron Corpse Warriors in reserve.
Moreover, as one of the Four Great Wicked Lands of Murim, their demonkin of Hall Master Rank or higher wielded formidable martial arts and vicious techniques.
No matter how desperately they fought—
Without a master like Bu Eun-seol or large-scale reinforcements from the Demon Hall—
There was no way the Death Shadow War Unit could survive.
"Mu-gwang! Take command of the formation for now!"
Yu Un-ryong shouted to his trusted adjutant, the deputy leader of the Sanghak Unit, before leaping into the air in a single bound.
Whoosh!
Clearing the heads of the Iron Hammer Iron Corpse Warriors in an instant, Yu Un-ryong landed before the enemy commanders, who were already blowing their signal whistles.
"Hahp!"
With a battle cry, Yu Un-ryong's Ten-Joint Staff lashed out like a furious evil dragon, carving through the air.
"Stop him!"
The commanders immediately pushed their forces forward.
But within fifty feet of Yu Un-ryong, screams erupted as limbs of the Yin-Knot demonkin began flying.
The translucent Ten-Joint Staff moved like a living serpent, striking unpredictably at every enemy within range.
In the end, the once-bold troops dared not approach, resorting only to hurling hidden projectiles from a distance.
And like waves receding from the shore, they retreated in unison whenever he advanced.
"You're not someone we can afford to let live."
A low voice spoke, and a sharp force surged toward the back of Yu Un-ryong's neck.
Sensing danger, Yu Un-ryong twisted midair using the Blood Dragon Turns Its Body technique.
Something razor-sharp grazed past his nape.
Turning, he saw a middle-aged man with sharp, elongated nails glaring at him with bulging eyes.
It was Du Hyo, the second division commander of the Yin-Knot Demon Grounds.
"If you were cast out by the Demon Hall, you should've just bowed your head quietly. Why run around like a wild boar set on fire?"
"Perfect."
Instead of anger, Yu Un-ryong responded with an icy smile.
"If I take your head, we might last half a day longer."
"Nonsense."
Du Hyo scoffed.
Even if the Death Shadow War Unit had gained fame, it was only because of the Martial Soul Lord.
How dare a mere second-grade commander of the Demon Hall declare he would behead a division leader?
"Die!"
Du Hyo extended his claws, and invisible forces shot forth.
Like a whirlwind, they coiled around Yu Un-ryong's body, then stabbed toward his forehead—only to suddenly twist and strike at his abdomen.
The attacks from his nails were utterly unpredictable, impossible to anticipate or counter.
Swish!
Yu Un-ryong immediately swung his Ten-Joint Staff, dispersing sharp winds in all directions.
Only then could he clearly sense the trajectories of the previously imperceptible forces.
'I can't drag this out. I have to kill him in one strike.'
Having grasped the patterns of the attacks, Yu Un-ryong closed his eyes and stilled his movements.
Fortunately, Du Hyo was underestimating him.
He would use that to his advantage—decapitate him in one blow and break the enemy's momentum.
Swoosh!
In that moment, Du Hyo's forces pierced toward his forehead and abdomen.
Yu Un-ryong remained motionless, quietly observing the trajectory of the incoming force.
Kwang!
Just as the attack was about to strike his face, he hardened his Ten-Joint Staff and swung it with all his might, deflecting the force.
At the same time, he vanished from Du Hyo's line of sight in an instant.
"What—?"
The moment Du Hyo widened his eyes in confusion, having lost sight of his target—
Swish!
A transparent Ten-Joint Staff, rigid as a snake, spun through the air, aiming straight for his head.
"You think—?!"
Du Hyo immediately tried to activate his Life-Saving Ultimate Technique, but his movements froze again.
Because while the staff moved, Yu Un-ryong himself was nowhere to be seen.
"There!"
Du Hyo sensed Yu Un-ryong standing behind him and instantly unleashed the Spinning Poison Stain, pouring out a flurry of claw-force attacks.
But something was wrong.
Yu Un-ryong stood with his arms crossed, watching him indifferently.
Schwak!
Suddenly, from near his left leg, a Ten-Joint Staff shot up like a serpent, piercing through his chin and skull in one swift motion.
"So... there were two staffs."
Only then did Du Hyo realize—another Ten-Joint Staff had been coiled around Yu Un-ryong's body the entire time.
Yu Un-ryong had used his recently perfected technique—Twin Dragons Return Home.
By throwing one staff overhead to draw all senses upward, he had then pierced his enemy's body with the second staff hidden in his sleeve.
And with that, he severed Du Hyo's breath in a single strike.
"A mere Second-grade Commander of the Demon Hall..."
Those were Du Hyo's last words in the Mortal Realm.
Thud.
His skull impaled by the staff, Du Hyo closed his eyes.
Whirr!
Yu Un-ryong retrieved both blood-soaked staffs, shook off the blood, and coiled them around his arms again.
For a moment, silence fell over the battlefield. The Demonkin of the Yin-Knot Demon Grounds wore dazed expressions.
How could a mere Second-grade Commander of the Demon Hall kill their vanguard leader?
Piiii!
Then, a sharp whistle echoed from somewhere, and a dark energy began surging toward Yu Un-ryong from the rear.
Judging his martial prowess too dangerous, they deployed the Iron Hammer Iron Corpse Warriors to encircle him.
"Good!"
Hiss! Hiss!
As he channeled Internal Power into both staffs, they emitted sharp, serpentine hisses.
Bam!
Fearlessly, he charged at the Iron Corpse Warriors, unleashing two streaks of light.
Thud. Thud.
The warriors struck by the staffs toppled like logs.
Yet, their bodies were so unnaturally hard and their vitality so tenacious that even with caved-in skulls, they moved as if unharmed.
Though Yu Un-ryong's martial arts were formidable, he had not yet reached the Beyond-Limit Return to Origin realm.
After exhausting himself to defeat ten Iron Corpse Warriors, his energy waned, his Internal Power scattering.
"Huff... Huff..."
Yu Un-ryong's breathing grew ragged.
The Ten-Joint Staff was powerful but drained energy rapidly.
Moreover, since it relied more on blunt force than sharpness, he couldn't easily sever the steel-like bodies of the Iron Corpse Warriors.
Rumble.
Before he knew it, the warriors had surrounded him so densely he could barely see.
Most had caved-in skulls or crushed torsos, yet they moved with eerie agility.
—HYAAAH!
A rough battle cry from behind made Yu Un-ryong turn his head.
There, he saw the warriors of the Death Shadow War Unit struggling against the overwhelming tide.
Outnumbered and facing wave after wave of the relentless Iron Corpse Warriors, the battle had turned hopeless.
'Is this as far as I go?'
Yu Un-ryong tightened his grip on his staff.
But his Internal Power was depleted, and his legs refused to move.
The battalion leaders—Won Se-mun, Wi Cheon-gyeong, Jo Nam-cheon—along with the other warriors, were all fighting desperately, drenched in blood.
Even Mu-hon of the Death Soul Squad, Soyo-do, Tak Il-hon, and the Flying Demon Unit were barely holding on.
But the battle was already lost.
There was no way to turn it around now.
'Forgive me, Bu Eun-seol. It seems this is my limit.'
Facing death, Yu Un-ryong gazed at the distant sky.
Yet he felt no regret.
He had fought without reservation, unleashing everything he had. The rest was up to fate.
—KAAH!
An Iron Corpse Warrior spread its arms and lunged at him.
Yu Un-ryong swung his staff with the last of his strength.
But without Internal Power, it was just an ordinary whip-like strike.
Yet—
Crash. Crash.
The warriors collapsed as if they were nothing.
'Huh?'
Baffled, he swung again.
Thud.
Even without Internal Power, even with a light flick—the Iron Corpse Warriors kept falling.
"What the...?"
Upon closer inspection, their limbs bore razor-thin cuts.
Someone had completely severed the tendons of these supposedly invincible warriors.
'Who could pull off such a technique?'
Yu Un-ryong scanned the battlefield.
Even the battalion leaders fighting in the distance wore expressions of disbelief.
Just like him, they watched as the once-fearsome Iron Corpse Warriors suddenly crumpled like puppets with cut strings.
Thump. Thud.
As the encircling ranks of warriors collapsed, an eerie sight unfolded.
A single Unit Member in the Sanghak Unit uniform was cutting through the Iron Corpse Warriors' formation, tearing through them like paper.
'Geon Cheong-u?'
It was none other than—
Geon Cheong-u, a member of the Sanghak Unit, whose martial skill had always been considered average at best.