Chapter 237
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 237
Chapter Title: I'll Know When I Burn It
Hyeokryeon Bigwang stared at Byeok Taesan, his eyes a mixture of horror and disbelief.
From the moment his neck was seized, all strength had drained from his body, leaving him unable to lift a single finger.
All he could do now was move his eyes.
"I've finally caught you."
Byeok Taesan said calmly.
But to Hyeokryeon Bigwang, that calmness was all the more terrifying. To be so composed at a moment like this meant he could commit unimaginably terrible acts with the same placid demeanor.
Byeok Taesan, still holding Hyeokryeon Bigwang, looked around.
He had leaped through space with the sole intention of capturing this man, not even checking where he would end up.
He found himself in a vast stone chamber.
It was cylindrical, with niches carved into the walls to display objects.
And lined up in these display cases were rows of white gourds.
This was Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s true hideout, his base of operations.
He had created similar places elsewhere, but those were not the real thing.
He had placed decoys there, controlling them from this location.
The one Byeok Taesan had caught back in Yichang was one such puppet.
Naturally, most of the gourds there had also been fakes.
The real ones were all here.
Curiosity flickered in Byeok Taesan’s eyes as he surveyed the gourds lining the curved walls.
"You have some interesting things."
Byeok Taesan immediately discerned that souls were slumbering inside those gourds.
They were not just ordinary souls. They were souls imbued with considerable power.
The souls of those who had trained for a long time during their lives.
And every soul here was steeped in strong malice.
"The gourds aren't made of ordinary material, either."
The reason only malicious souls were present lay in those gourds.
The gourds served to imprison the souls using their own malice.
"How interesting."
Byeok Taesan’s gaze returned to Hyeokryeon Bigwang.
"By the way… where are the Half-Jiangshi?"
The Half-Jiangshi were the very reason Byeok Taesan’s ill-fated relationship with Nameless had begun.
And they were one of the reasons he had captured Hyeokryeon Bigwang.
As Byeok Taesan saw it, Hyeokryeon Bigwang was the one creating the Half-Jiangshi.
This man had undoubtedly manufactured all the Half-Jiangshi and supplied them to the other Nameless bases.
That was the conclusion he had reached after burning the souls of Nameless martial artists and examining their thoughts.
"Well, I'll know when I burn it."
As Byeok Taesan spoke nonchalantly, terror filled Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s face.
He knew all too well what "burning it" meant.
"What… what are you? How did you learn the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts? That art is permitted only to the Heavenly Demon!"
Byeok Taesan smirked.
"And how did you learn the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts?"
"I!"
Hyeokryeon Bigwang shouted as if vomiting blood.
"I have not learned the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts!"
The smile on Byeok Taesan’s lips deepened slightly.
He sent a stream of spiritual power through the hand gripping Hyeokryeon Bigwang.
"Kugh!"
The spiritual power rampaging through his body brought a pain like his blood vessels were being torn to shreds.
It was a pain that could not be felt by those who couldn't handle spiritual power.
After tracing the paths of spiritual power in the man's body, Byeok Taesan spoke.
"It's a bit modified and crude, but it's definitely the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts. Now, give me your next excuse."
Hyeokryeon Bigwang screamed in defiance.
"This isn't the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts, it's the Blood Spirit Demonic Arts!"
"Blood Spirit Demonic Arts?"
A flicker of interest appeared in Byeok Taesan's eyes.
"Judging by the name, it must be a demonic art that extracts spiritual power from blood."
"That's right. It's a demonic art that extracts spiritual power from blood. This is the result of eliminating the flaws of the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts."
Byeok Taesan’s gaze turned cold.
"Eliminated the flaws?"
That was absurd. By sending his spiritual power through Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s body just now, he had grasped a little of the principles behind how the Blood Spirit Demonic Arts worked.
It was ridiculous to think there were no side effects to extracting spiritual power dissolved in blood.
"If the goal is to become a madman, I suppose you could say there are no side effects."
The deeper one delved into the Blood Spirit Demonic Arts, the more intoxicated one became with the madness of blood.
One would endlessly crave blood and fall into uncontrollable lust.
"I'd rather have the flaws of the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts."
Of course, those flaws no longer existed for him.
Byeok Taesan looked at Hyeokryeon Bigwang calmly.
"You have no intention of answering my questions willingly, do you?"
Hyeokryeon Bigwang didn't answer, merely clenching his jaw tightly. He glared at Byeok Taesan.
"Don't think this is the end. Behind me are great figures who are incomparable to the likes of me. They will hunt you to the ends of the earth and destroy and burn everything you and those around you hold dear."
At Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s curse, Byeok Taesan grinned.
"I'd be grateful if they did. It would save me the trouble of hunting them down. Rats like you are the most annoying."
With those words, Byeok Taesan released his grip on Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s neck.
Thud.
Hyeokryeon Bigwang slumped helplessly to the floor.
Even though he was free, not an ounce of strength remained in his body.
Byeok Taesan placed a hand on the crown of Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s head.
"Now, shall we see where the elixirs are?"
Muttering this, he swiftly pulled out Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s soul.
***
*Kkeeeuaaaaaaah…*
A sound like a scream, or perhaps the wind, could be heard from a distance.
"Hey, doesn't it feel a little creepy today? That's a scream, right?"
"I don't know, it sounds like a scream, but maybe not…"
"It sounds just like a ghost wailing."
"What ghost in broad daylight… Stop talking like that. Anyway, do we not have to go check on that place today?"
"We have to. Ugh, I really don't want to go today."
The two members of the Underworld Sect shuddered as they spoke.
The Underworld Sect checked the burnt-down manor twice a day.
They would randomly select two times without a set schedule to inspect the manor.
Today, it was the turn of the two men who were now talking.
Later tonight, other members would probably go for another check.
In any case, if they didn't get going soon, it would get too late and inconvenience the members scheduled for the second check.
"Let's get going."
The two Underworld Sect members moved sluggishly.
A job was a job, after all.
As they headed toward the burnt-down manor, the screams seemed to grow clearer the closer they got.
*Kuaaaaaah…!*
At first, they had thought it was the wind. But the closer they got, the more certain they were that it was a scream.
Their pace slowed even more.
"This… should we really be going in by ourselves?"
"We still have to check, at least."
The two Underworld Sect members continued walking. Soon, they reached a point where the burnt-down manor was in sight.
From here, they had to proceed carefully, methodically checking their surroundings.
They had to be especially cautious today.
*Kuaaaaaah…!*
The screams carried on the wind were growing clearer.
"There's nothing around here, at least."
"Let's go in a little further."
The two moved closer to the manor. Proceeding little by little, checking as they went, they eventually entered the manor grounds.
At that moment, a scream louder than any before rang out.
"Kuaaaaaaaahk!"
The two men flinched and froze in place. They looked in the direction the scream had come from.
Until now, the sound had been faint, as if carried on the wind, so they couldn't pinpoint its origin.
But this time, it was so clear they could tell the direction.
The two Underworld Sect members cautiously walked toward the source of the sound.
"Kuaaaak!"
Just then, another scream echoed.
The two members exchanged meaningful glances.
They had pinpointed the location.
They approached their destination quickly and stealthily.
It was a building near the burnt-down manor.
There was almost no sign of life. But it wasn't an abandoned building. It was well-maintained.
As they cautiously entered, they saw figures lying on the floor.
"What is this?"
"Did someone attack this place?"
A quick glance at the fallen figures revealed no external injuries. From the looks of it, they didn't seem to have internal injuries either.
Of course, they would need to bring a physician to check their pulses to be sure, but that was their experienced assessment.
"But isn't something strange about this place?"
"It is strange. This… this isn't just an ordinary place."
The two ventured deeper inside.
All along the way, they saw fallen figures.
But there were no signs of a fight or a surprise attack around them.
To the Underworld Sect members, it looked as if these people had simply collapsed.
As they went deeper into the building, they saw a door set into the floor.
Opening this door would likely lead to a basement.
The two cautiously opened the door.
Just then, a voice came from within.
"How many Underworld Sect members are there in Taiyuan?"
The two were so startled they scrambled backward.
The person who had spoken from inside was undoubtedly the one who had taken down everyone in this building.
"Must I ask twice?"
"There are forty-three!"
The Underworld Sect member who had answered reflexively looked at his companion with an embarrassed expression.
But his companion had also been about to answer, his mouth already open. He had just been a step quicker.
"Go and bring them all here."
The Underworld Sect member asked hesitantly.
"May I… ask who you are?"
"I am Byeok Taesan."
The two Underworld Sect members' eyes widened, and they looked at each other.
There wasn't a single Underworld Sect member who didn't know the name Byeok Taesan.
How could they not know the name of the man who was practically the true master of the Underworld Sect?
"Uh… I heard he was in Xi'an…"
"I'm on my way from there."
"Ah! I understand. I will relay the order immediately!"
The two Underworld Sect members exchanged signals with a glance. Then, one of them dashed off.
The other remained, standing guard and observing the situation.
Honestly, he didn't even know if that person was the real Byeok Taesan.
*'He seems like the real Byeok Taesan, though…'*
He didn't know why he felt so certain. But the moment he heard the name Byeok Taesan, he couldn't help but believe it.
It was incomprehensible, but it felt like the truth.
While the Underworld Sect member stood guard nervously outside, Byeok Taesan was burning the soul of Hyeokryeon Bigwang in his hand.
A jet-black fluid trickled down.
Burning the souls of these bastards always left behind such filth.
The black fluid dripped onto the floor.
Byeok Taesan summoned his internal energy and burned the fluid away completely.
He had gotten all the information he needed.
Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s thoughts were too numerous and complex to obtain perfectly organized information, but he had crammed it all into his head anyway.
Later, he would unload it all onto Hwaok, and she would sort it out for him.
"Now, it's time to deal with those gourds."
Those were no ordinary gourds.
They were gourds containing the souls of demonic masters. Moreover, they used the residual malice in the souls to keep them imprisoned.
He had hoped to gain knowledge about these gourds from Hyeokryeon Bigwang’s thoughts, but they were too fragmented to properly verify that part.
He had only managed to glean a few fragmentary pieces of information.
"It would be a waste to just throw these souls away…"
The fact that they could be stored in gourds for so long and still be usable meant the souls were incredibly powerful.
So how could he just discard such souls?
"I'll have to save as many as I can."
No sooner had Byeok Taesan spoken than cracks spiderwebbed across all the gourds.
Then, they all exploded at once.
*Craaack!*
The souls trapped in the gourds were all released.
But the souls could not escape. Byeok Taesan had already extended his hand, and all the souls were sucked into his grasp.
*Swoooosh!*
Dozens of souls merged above Byeok Taesan’s palm, spinning furiously.
*Fwoosh!*
The Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts was unleashed, and it began to burn the cluster of souls.
Intense flames engulfed the surroundings.
This was no ordinary fire, but a flame that burned spiritual power.
Byeok Taesan closed his eyes and focused.
He had to discard what was useless and take what was valuable.
If these souls had belonged to those who had died recently, he would have just burned them all without a second thought.
But thanks to their long confinement in the gourds, quite a few usable parts had separated.
Byeok Taesan boldly carved out the tainted parts, burned them, and sent them away, leaving only the pure parts.
He then re-burned the remaining pure parts through the Soul-Devouring Demonic Arts, turning them into spiritual power and absorbing it.
The corners of Byeok Taesan’s mouth lifted high.
A spiritual power more concentrated than any elixir he had ever consumed seeped into his entire body.
How much time had passed?
Byeok Taesan’s eyes snapped open.
"There must be someone who taught this to Hyeokryeon Bigwang."
First, he would consume the Half-Jiangshi, and then he would find that person.
Byeok Taesan left the place for now.
As he leaped up, the Underworld Sect member who had been waiting was startled and scrambled backward.
"They're not here yet?"
The Underworld Sect member quickly replied.
"They're almost here! They'll be here any minute!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Byeok Taesan looked to one side.
A moment later, a group of Underworld Sect members came rushing from that direction.
Byeok Taesan nodded upon seeing the man at the very front.
His face was familiar. He must be an Underworld Sect member who had seen him before.
Sure enough, upon seeing Byeok Taesan, the man was startled and ran even faster to greet him.
"Young Master! I never expected to see you here in Taiyuan! Please entrust any task to me!"
Byeok Taesan nodded and pointed downward with his finger.
"Clean up everything here and pack it up."
Immense wealth that Hyeokryeon Bigwang had possessed was gathered here. Also stored were all the information he had collected and everything he had researched over the years.
There were also the unconscious members of Nameless. They had to be secured as well.
"We will begin cleaning up immediately!"
The Underworld Sect members began to move busily.
The faces of the members who went down and discovered the treasure stored there lit up.
Excitedly, they carried the wealth outside.
Byeok Taesan watched the scene and pondered for a moment.
It was time to decide where to go next.