Chapter 219
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 219
Chapter Title: A Fortunate Coincidence
A cruel sneer played on the young man's lips.
"Do you truly intend to stop me with that rabble?"
Before the young man stood a hundred warriors, swords drawn, their eyes tense.
Most of them were from the unorthodox factions, with a few rogue warriors and members of the Underworld Sect mixed in.
They were not all; two more groups of a similar size were present.
They were positioned to the young man's left and right.
Behind the young man, thirty pale men stood blankly, a faint scent of blood wafting from them.
The young man had no intention of moving those pale men.
"Surely you're not doing this because you trust the formation laid here?"
A wide-ranging formation had been set up in this place.
It was a formation that slowly drained the internal energy of those within it.
It wouldn't be very effective in a short fight, but the longer the battle dragged on, the greater its effect would be.
The Nameless warriors who had first entered—those who were now split up and fighting fiercely—had lost a considerable amount of internal energy to the formation, making their struggle increasingly difficult.
But no matter how well they fought, it would all be for naught if they couldn't stop these new arrivals.
From the group of a hundred warriors in front, a woman stepped forward.
It was the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
The young man's eyes gleamed.
"Oh? I didn't expect a woman to be involved."
And what a stunning beauty she was.
"Not bad for a spoil of war. She'd easily rank among the top three beauties I've ever seen in my life."
The young man smiled with satisfaction.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion found his attitude and manner of speaking rather odd.
"May I ask... which esteemed elder you might be?"
The young man chuckled.
"At your age, you probably wouldn't know. People used to call me the Azure Sound Demon Lord."
The eyes of the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion widened in shock.
The Azure Sound Demon Lord was a man said to have died two hundred years ago.
He had been a man of considerable infamy, and the story of his death was also quite famous.
It was said he had been trapped in the Five Great Families' inescapable net and had fought them for three days and nights.
In truth, he was a figure from so long ago that had anyone other than the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion heard this, they likely wouldn't have known who he was.
In any case, upon hearing the name Azure Sound Demon Lord, the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion felt a strong sense of familiarity.
Hadn't she experienced something similar to this before?
And she knew who was behind such things.
"Hyeokryeon Bigwang..."
The Azure Sound Demon Lord's eyes widened slightly.
"How did you know that? The more I look at you, the more I like you. It would be a shame to simply have my way with you and kill you. What do you say? Care to work for me? I'll treat you very well. Day and night, that is."
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion replied calmly.
"I already serve another."
A cruel smile formed on the Azure Sound Demon Lord's lips.
"That's fine. Your master will die anyway. If I kill him, won't I naturally become your new master?"
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion nearly scoffed.
Who was going to kill whom?
She knew how formidable the Azure Sound Demon Lord was. And now that he had been reborn, he might even be stronger than he was in the past.
But no matter how strong he was, she didn't think he could defeat Byeok Taesan.
The Azure Sound Demon Lord scanned his surroundings.
"You've gathered quite a lot. I suppose this is a testament to your ability? I truly covet it."
The number of people surrounding him from a distance had already surpassed three hundred.
"Do you know what I was thinking as I died?"
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion shook her head at the Azure Sound Demon Lord's sudden question.
"I do not."
In fact, she was grateful that the Azure Sound Demon Lord kept talking like this.
For now, she had to stall for as much time as possible.
Those currently fighting the Nameless warriors were the elites among those who remained in Wuhan.
Without them, the people here alone could never defeat the Azure Sound Demon Lord.
Not even with the help of the formation.
At the very least, they needed Yuk Taegu and Jang Gagu to even attempt to lure the Azure Sound Demon Lord into a trap.
That was why she listened intently, doing her best not to interrupt his conversation.
"That I would need subordinates to deal with the small fry."
She understood his meaning at once.
"Are you planning to fight the Five Great Families again?"
The Azure Sound Demon Lord beamed at her question.
"Why? Are you interested? It seems you have some bad blood with the Five Great Families. Then this is perfect. Come to me. Offer me your body, your heart, and your abilities. And I will grant your wish."
He meant to fight the Five Great Families again.
And if the Azure Sound Demon Lord made a proper move this time, even the Five Great Families would not be able to take him lightly.
Because Nameless would be behind him.
"But, if I may ask, who are those men behind you, elder? For some reason... they don't seem like ordinary people."
The Azure Sound Demon Lord grinned.
"Ah, these ones? Don't mind them. They're just half-finished scraps of corpses."
She understood this at once as well. They were Half-Jiangshi. But they seemed a bit different from the ones she had seen before.
It seemed they had been improved and made stronger.
'The Young Master would have been pleased to see this.'
The thought suddenly occurred to the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
It was a thought that came to her because she knew how diligently Byeok Taesan had been searching for Half-Jiangshi.
In truth, she still didn't know why Byeok Taesan liked Half-Jiangshi. All she knew was that whenever he got near them, they would lose their strength and collapse.
The Azure Sound Demon Lord shattered her reverie.
"Now, what will it be? Make your decision. If you're going to refuse, do it quickly. If you do, everyone here dies. But don't worry, I'll still take you alive. Though I might have to torment you a bit for refusing."
As the Azure Sound Demon Lord said this with a grin, his smile looked so cruel that the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion flinched and took a step back without realizing it.
When she didn't answer right away, the Azure Sound Demon Lord nodded.
"I see it's a refusal. The fight over there is almost finished, so I can't wait any longer. Then stand there and watch closely how these men die. It might give you a reason to change your mind later."
The Azure Sound Demon Lord cackled and threw himself at the hundred or so people on his left.
She hadn't even blinked, but she lost sight of him.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was startled and about to look around.
But with a tremendous roar, the Azure Sound Demon Lord returned to his original spot.
CRASH!
He was no longer standing upright as before. He was sprawled wretchedly on the ground.
"Kuaargh!"
The Azure Sound Demon Lord coughed up blood as he tried to get up.
His eyes glinted with killing intent.
"You... who the hell are you?"
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion looked where he was glaring, and her eyes widened in shock.
"Young Master!"
Byeok Taesan was slowly approaching with his characteristically leisurely stride.
"I was just out for a walk. Did I wander a bit too far?"
Before long, Byeok Taesan stood before the Azure Sound Demon Lord. He glanced around.
He saw the Half-Jiangshi lined up to one side.
The corners of Byeok Taesan's mouth lifted slightly.
"Just when I needed some elixirs. What a fortunate coincidence."
Moreover, those things were perfectly fine despite his presence.
Even the ones that hadn't collapsed instantly before weren't this unaffected.
These were a step above those Half-Jiangshi from back then.
After spitting another mouthful of blood, the Azure Sound Demon Lord shot to his feet and glared at Byeok Taesan.
"What are you?"
The Azure Sound Demon Lord sharpened all his senses to gauge Byeok Taesan's skill.
And then, he tilted his head.
"I was taken down by a mere whelp like this? Even if it was a surprise attack, I don't understand."
Byeok Taesan stared at him quietly.
"You thought that was a surprise attack?"
"If that wasn't a surprise attack, what was it?"
Byeok Taesan let out a short laugh. He then beckoned with his finger, as if to say, "Come on."
The Azure Sound Demon Lord's face turned red with rage.
He drew his sword and pointed it at Byeok Taesan. A chilling, azure energy coiled around his blade.
"You won't die a clean death."
The Azure Sound Demon Lord thrust his sword. The chilling energy shot out like arrows, rushing toward Byeok Taesan.
There was not one, but nine streams of energy. Nine arrows flew towards Byeok Taesan's nine vital points.
Byeok Taesan paid it no mind and took a single step.
BOOM!
The nine streams of energy exploded on the spot. The Azure Sound Demon Lord's knees buckled as he hastily retreated.
A sudden, immense pressure crushed his entire body, nearly forcing him to his knees.
"What is this?"
Honestly, he couldn't even tell what Byeok Taesan had done to him. What could he have possibly done to create such immense pressure?
Upon his rebirth, the Azure Sound Demon Lord had become much stronger than he was originally.
First, thanks to his new youthful body, his stamina and strength had increased dramatically. And thanks to Hyeokryeon Bigwang's secret arts, he had obtained an internal energy far greater than what he possessed in his previous life.
Therefore, he believed there was no one left in the world who could stand against him.
He thought that even if the Heavenly Demonic Cult came for him, he would not be easily defeated.
But what was this? To be toyed with by a mere brat like that.
"You... what in the world are you?"
The Azure Sound Demon Lord asked, his voice a mixture of despair and fear.
Byeok Taesan, of course, had no intention of answering.
"It seems you have nothing more to show. How boring."
Before the words were even finished, Byeok Taesan took a step forward and lightly extended his hand.
CRUNCH!
The Azure Sound Demon Lord once again felt the crushing pressure on his body. He tried to retreat, but he couldn't. Byeok Taesan's hand had seized him by the neck.
He couldn't even let out a groan, let alone a scream. His breath caught in his throat.
The Azure Sound Demon Lord struggled with all his might to break free from Byeok Taesan's grip.
"I wonder if you're even worth extracting from."
Byeok Taesan muttered as he tightened his grip.
*CRACK!*
With the sound of something twisting, the Azure Sound Demon Lord's eyes rolled back into his head.
Byeok Taesan tossed the unconscious man aside.
*Thud.*
As the Azure Sound Demon Lord crumpled to the ground, members of the Underworld Sect quickly came forward, secured him, and retreated.
Byeok Taesan's gaze turned to the Half-Jiangshi.
His eyes sparkled.
Thirty Half-Jiangshi stood in a row. They had been motionless before, but the moment the Azure Sound Demon Lord lost consciousness, they flinched and slowly began to move.
Now, they were exuding a violent aura, showing their hostility toward Byeok Taesan.
The thick smell of blood filled the air.
Byeok Taesan strode into their midst.
"Kuaaaargh!"
Roaring like wild beasts, the Half-Jiangshi charged.
Some rushed straight at Byeok Taesan, while others fanned out to the left and right, forming an encirclement.
And a few swiftly circled around to attack from behind.
All their movements were so fast that the onlookers perceived no movement at all.
A flash went through Byeok Taesan's eyes.
His hands lashed out in all directions.
*THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!*
The charging Half-Jiangshi were sent flying back, their faces struck by Byeok Taesan's fists.
Ten Half-Jiangshi lay sprawled on the ground.
The rest drastically slowed their charge and retreated.
They had judged that they could not defeat Byeok Taesan like this.
Seeing this, Byeok Taesan's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
"Oh? So now you can make such judgments?"
They were definitely the improved version.
A surge of high-purity spiritual power emanated from the ten fallen Half-Jiangshi.
Byeok Taesan firmly grasped all of that spiritual power and absorbed it completely.
At first, the efficiency had been extremely low because he could only accept the spiritual power from the Half-Jiangshi that was compatible with him, but these were different.
He could absorb all their spiritual power without any issue.
He couldn't afford to miss a single drop of such high-quality spiritual power.
"First, I should consume all the remaining elixirs."
Before the words were even out of his mouth, Byeok Taesan took a stride.
In that instant, his body was already standing among the Half-Jiangshi.
It was a sight that looked just like teleportation.
BOOM!
With a single explosion, all the Half-Jiangshi were lifted into the air.
Their hair and clothes whipped about wildly as they shot upwards.
*Thud-thud-thud-thud!*
All the Half-Jiangshi fell to the ground and collapsed limply.
Byeok Taesan slowly closed his eyes, feeling the suffocatingly dense spiritual power that filled the area.
As Byeok Taesan's fight ended, the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, who had been watching, let out a sigh of relief.
She then gave an order to the members of the Underworld Sect.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and clean this up. And make sure the Azure Sound Demon Lord is properly subdued. The Young Master will surely ask for him later."
The Underworld Sect members moved quickly to tidy up the area.
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion watched them and muttered to herself.
"I wonder how the other battles are going."
They probably ended well. No, perhaps they weren't over yet.
Originally, she had planned to direct the battle from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, sending reinforcements to where they were needed.
But the sudden appearance of the Azure Sound Demon Lord had prevented her from doing so.
The thought made her feel a sense of urgency.
However, with Byeok Taesan here, it was difficult for her to leave her post.
As if sensing her thoughts, Byeok Taesan, with his eyes still closed, gave her a dismissive wave.
"Tell anyone who gets hurt to be prepared for the consequences."
The Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion quickly bowed to Byeok Taesan and ran into the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
How much time had passed?
Byeok Taesan slowly opened his eyes.
There was no spiritual power left in the area.
The quality and quantity had been quite good, but he still needed much more.
During his walk from Changsha to Wuhan, he had discovered something else interesting.
It was another task that required spiritual power.
Byeok Taesan muttered as he walked toward the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
"I suppose I walked a little too far."