The Heavenly Demon Goes to Watch the Plum Blossoms (16)

“What sort of sinister thoughts are you entertaining with that face?”

A voice called out from behind, but the Blood Cult Leader did not turn his head. He had known the man was approaching for quite some time.

“Sinister? I would prefer you call it deep contemplation.”

The Blood Cult Leader spoke in a light, teasing tone, yet Na Seok-do, leader of the Blood Fiend Faction, offered no reply. As if the words were not even worth acknowledging. Instead, he walked over with heavy steps and stood beside the Blood Cult Leader, quietly gazing at the ruins of the Mount Hua site.

“Didn’t I tell you? A monster of a person would come.”

At Seok-do’s words, the Blood Cult Leader let out a soft chuckle. To be honest, he had not believed Seok-do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at first. He had assumed it was half exaggeration. In all of Murim, those who had earned the recognition of the Sword Immortal were rare. The idea that an outsider had nearly become his disciple? How could anyone believe ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that?

But now, things were different. There had been no falsehood in Seok-do’s claim. What martial artist in the world would not covet such a monster? To ignore a genius capable of inheriting one’s martial arts and leading them to greater heights would make one unfit to even call themselves a martial artist.

Apparently satisfied that the Blood Cult Leader’s laughter served as sufficient answer, Seok-do nodded and changed the subject.

“Still, it is a shame about this matter. We invested quite a long time here, didn’t we?”

Just the years the Blood Cult had spent infiltrating Mount Hua amounted to several. From their perspective, the Mount Hua Sect Leader had been a carefully crafted masterpiece. The results had been satisfactory too. The Sect Leader had successfully broken through the wall using blood arts. If one considered only the sheer quantity of internal energy, he had been worthy of contending for the title of Murim’s strongest. A finely molded piece of pottery. Pity he had shattered the moment he met the wrong opponent.

Yet neither Seok-do nor the Blood Cult Leader looked particularly grim as they discussed the failure. After all, they had not walked away empty-handed.

The Blood Cult Leader took a small orb from his robes. It was the purple bead he had once given to the Mount Hua Sect Leader. Previously it had contained no energy at all, but now it was different. Inside, it had condensed a portion of the demonic energy that had gathered around the Sect Leader.

“It was fortunate that the Mount Hua Sect Leader was clumsy at handling power. Even just gathering the energy he failed to circulate produced this much.”

The Blood Cult Leader had not lingered beside the Sect Leader during the blood ritual for no reason. Seok-do examined the orb carefully, then smiled.

“This experiment was a great success. It will make operations in other regions far easier.”

It was true they had invested heavily in Mount Hua, but the Blood Cult’s shadow extended to many other places. In fact, far more. No matter how corrupted Mount Hua had become, it still belonged to the Orthodox faction’s territory. There were inevitable restrictions on the Blood Cult’s movements. In contrast, regions dominated by the Unorthodox factions or areas that had lost their rulers due to the calamity known as the Heavenly Demon had no one to oppose them. Their operations there were far smoother.

That was why the majority of the Blood Cult’s hidden strongholds were located far from Orthodox territory. Mount Hua had simply been the exception.

“It is all thanks to the Blood Fiend Faction. Your hard work has allowed us to proceed with ease.”

“Will you at least throw us a few crumbs?”

“Of course! How could I fail to reward your labor?”

The Blood Cult Leader was rather fond of the Blood Fiend Faction that followed him. They were undying even in death, and they showed no hesitation in using blood arts or becoming sacrifices for them. They were both fervent collaborators and willing test subjects. How could he not like them?

One must reward a dog that listens well. Of course, the moment it bared its teeth, one would also need to be prepared to smash its head.

“Thank you. The children worked hard this time. I’ll be able to give them something now.”

Seok-do was well aware that the Blood Cult Leader viewed them as little more than dogs. Only those brainwashed devotees would fail to notice the man’s blatant intention to treat people as convenient tools. That was why Seok-do played along while proper compensation was being paid, all while quietly preparing for the day he would betray him.

Both men, each planning to use and discard the other at any moment, smiled as they looked at one another.

Harin’s eyes snapped open. She stared blankly at the ceiling. The room that had been bright when she closed her eyes was now steeped in darkness.

How long was I asleep?

She had set an alarm intending to sleep for only two hours. Fumbling for her smartphone, she turned on the screen and was greeted by a time that had long passed the halfway mark of the day, along with multiple missed calls.

This is bad.

Harin shot upright and hurriedly checked the messages sent by her sect members.

According to the messages, the fight that had broken out in the field where the Sword Immortal resided had ended in one faction’s victory. The current number one player sect in Hwaryong Muin, the Murim Alliance, had pulled in rankers from other sects and completely overwhelmed the opposition in a contest of raw power.

After reading all the messages, Harin quickly sent a reply saying she had just woken up and that she was sorry. Strangely, no one scolded her. Normally they would have been angry, but everyone simply told her not to worry since her presence wouldn’t have changed anything. The uncles in the sect who knew her real age simply found her adorable, like a daughter their own children’s age.

Master… Does he mean Hwaryeong-nim?

She was still only seeking instruction and hadn’t officially become a disciple, but perhaps others saw her that way. Harin considered correcting them, then deleted what she had typed and asked instead.

The atmosphere clearly wasn’t one for jokes. Harin had heard that Hwaryeong-nim was going to do a quest related to Mount Hua today, but hadn’t that been a quest to save Mount Hua? She waited for the uncles to explain, but they were too busy teasing Park Yeon and seemed to have forgotten about her entirely.

I guess I’ll have to look it up myself.

Harin left the chat and entered the community forums. Every single post had Hwaryeong’s name in it.

Just what did Hwaryeong-nim do today?

Reading every post would be impossible, so she decided to start with anything related to Mount Hua.

“Mount Hua was working with the Blood Cult?!”

Mount Hua. It was one of the six great sects of the Orthodox faction that always came up in conversation. In wuxia novels, it was the sect the protagonist often belonged to. And now that very Mount Hua had been colluding with the Blood Cult? It was hard to believe, but it was neither a lie nor a joke. It was a cruel reality.

Most of the posts related to Mount Hua were pure chaos. People lamenting that they had devoted themselves to Mount Hua only to be abandoned. People posting proof that they had deleted the game. People asking if there were any decent other sects. And people getting cursed out for inviting everyone to Shaolin right away.

Harin skipped past all the emotional outbursts and only read the posts that relayed what Hwaryeong was doing. Hwaryeong had kept fighting the entire time. Her opponents had been a member of the Blood Fiend Faction plotting in Mount Hua, the rampaging Shinryeong who had lost her mind to blood arts, and even the Blood Cult Leader who had shown up late and spouted unlucky nonsense.

Every single one of her battles could only be described as awe-inspiring. The fact that fewer people were talking about it was only because Hwaryeong was already known for all sorts of bizarre behavior. If any other player had done the same, the community would have been on fire for days.

Among the many videos, what caught Harin’s eye was the sight of Hwaryeong casually handling the enormous internal energy of the Stalactite Oil. Harin herself had once consumed a pill in Hwaryong Muin and tried to control the resulting internal energy. It had not been easy at all. What she had eaten was an ordinary Shaolin pill, and even after taking her time to circulate energy in a safe location, she had struggled greatly. Yet Hwaryeong was handling the vast internal energy of Stalactite Oil—considered the best among natural treasures—so lightly!

Just how outstanding must one’s skill in handling internal energy be to do something like that?

Even after the fight with the Blood Cult Leader ended, Hwaryeong did not stop playing. She clashed once more with the Mount Hua Sect Leader, who had reached the Simhwa Chwijeong realm and created a plum tree of purple energy from the Purple Mist Divine Art above his head. The Sect Leader altered the surrounding terrain with every swing of his sword, while Hwaryeong neutralized it all with her own martial arts. It was a battle between overwhelming power and breathtaking technique.

After the struggle ended in Hwaryeong’s victory, Harin watched the plum blossoms scatter ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠across the area and felt an overwhelming urge to log into Hwaryong Muin right that instant. There was something about the way Hwaryeong responded to overwhelming power with pure martial arts that stirred the heart of anyone who dreamed of becoming a true martial artist.

She was not the only one who felt that way. The rest of the community felt the same.

Curious, Harin clicked into Hwaryeong’s stream. The scene that greeted her was dozens of unaffiliated warriors sprawled across the floor and the female owner of the Beggars’ Inn trembling violently in front of Hwaryeong.