Black Flame Dragon Swallowing the Blood Sea (3)
“Hey! You with us?!”
Cheol Sunjik checked the pulse of the Cheonggwanmun disciple he’d found.
He’s alive.
Thank goodness he was still breathing. But with his eyes rolled back and foam still bubbling from his mouth, the guy didn’t look good at all.
“There’s someone here!”
“Over here too!”
“This way as well!”
The people discovered not far from the incident site were mostly out of their minds. Their minds corrupted by sorcery they’d only studied in theory. If they dragged their feet any longer, these folks might spend the rest of their lives lost to insanity.
He pressed a hand to the man’s dantian and infused qi. But the hasty first aid only made things worse.
“Krrrk, krrrk, krrrk.”
The Cheonggwanmun disciple shuddered violently, spewing bloody foam.
This isn’t ordinary sorcery.
If he’d sunk this deep into demonic possession, it was beyond what they could handle. Only shamans trained in breaking evil and controlling spirits could save him now.
“Step aside for a sec.”
Seong Moran suddenly shoved Cheol Sunjik out of the way and examined the disciple.
“This is beyond our—”
Ignoring his protests, Seong Moran pulled a talisman from her robes and slapped it onto the man’s chest. Then she placed her hand over it and began channeling her qi.
“Hey, messing with the middle dantian like that—”
“Shut it and stay put!”
“……”
The middle dantian was far more dangerous than the lower one. Tamper with it carelessly, and you wouldn’t just end up mute—you’d be wrecked.
Yet Seong Moran didn’t seem to care as she poured in her qi. Cheol Sunjik watched with eyes full of distrust.
But then.
“Huh?”
Miraculously, the disciple’s face began to relax. Color returned to his cheeks, his breathing steadied. Soon, his eyes fluttered open.
“S-save… me…”
“Don’t worry. We’re here to help.”
The now-lucid Cheonggwanmun disciple passed out again with a faint sigh. Seong Moran checked his pulse, confirmed he was stable, and stood.
Cheol Sunjik awkwardly stepped back to give her space.
“H-how’d you do that? With the breaking evil and controlling spirits…?”
“Nah, it’s this.”
Seong Moran held up the talisman. Cheol Sunjik recognized it instantly.
“A Demon-Exorcism Talisman from Hyeong Mountain Sect?”
“You knew right away?”
“Everyone knows what this is, even if no one buys them.”
“Fair enough.”
“Does Iron Sword Sect carry these around all the time?”
“Nope.” Seong Moran shook her head. “Senior Brother Jin Sowoon gave it to me.”
“J-Jin… the representative?”
Again. Jin Sowoon again.
“Yeah. For some reason, he told me to take it. Never thought I’d use it like this.”
“……”
Cheol Sunjik couldn’t wrap his head around it. Had Jin Sowoon foreseen everything—from the Open Faction’s blind spots to this mess?
He wasn’t from the future or anything.
And yet, here they were. Every unpredictable move was playing out just as he’d planned, all leading to…
“Cheol Gongzi!”
Snapping out of his thoughts, Cheol Sunjik blinked.
“Y-yes?”
“Can’t you see we’re busy?”
Seong Moran and the rest of the Twelve Peaks were handing out talismans, one by one, reviving the victims’ minds.
“If you’re not helping, at least stand proper guard! Enemies could strike anytime.”
“R-right.”
Cheol Sunjik nodded and leaped onto a tree branch. Seong Moran shook her head at him with a sigh.
“Hope the others are okay.”
#
“Geum Pyo-hyung, what now?”
Eunho and Dongryong glanced at Geum Pyo mid-run, but he had no answer.
“……”
The academy had taught three rules for reporting to superiors.
One: Keep it short and clear.
Two: Cover who, what, when, where, why, response, timing, results—concisely and specifically.
Three: Stay objective and logical.
The instructors swore superiors would listen and act if you followed them.
Doesn’t work!
Kunlun Sect elders and disciples hadn’t even pretended to hear the brothers out. It was expected, really. These people, out to curb their senior brother’s power, weren’t about to heed his warning.
But ignoring their sky-like senior brother? Impossible.
The trio didn’t know exactly what was happening in Sichuan, but if he called it dangerous, it was deadly serious.
The guy who jumped into danger without a proper report is this tense?!!!
If even he was on edge, the enemy had to be as terrifying as those weirdos from the Complex Plains.
“Damn it…”
Yet these idiots were marching into an ant hell like clueless ants, ignoring the warning.
“Eunho, Dongryong.”
After some thought, Geum Pyo looked at them.
“What was senior brother’s order?”
“Flee and report if we spot enemies. Block them from academy students if they haven’t met yet.”
“Right. No enemies yet, and the students haven’t run into them?”
“……”
“If we let this slide, they’ll meet those dangerous enemies senior brother warned about.”
Eunho eyed Geum Pyo’s resolute nod uneasily.
“Hyung, what’re you planning?”
“Academy rules aren’t working anyway.”
“……No way.”
Geum Pyo faced his brothers with grim determination.
“Time to use what senior brother taught us.”
“……What’s that?”
Eunho’s question went unanswered, but he figured it out quick. His face twisted.
“……This is insane.”
Geum Pyo looked at them.
“Bail if you don’t wanna.”
“……”
“……”
Eunho and Dongryong glared, brows furrowed.
“Hyung, that’s nothing like senior brother. Don’t copy him.”
“Big bro, that’s weird. Don’t do it.”
Geum Pyo’s face flushed red.
“I’m not copying!”
Clang! Clang!
Ignoring his shout, Eunho and Dongryong drew their swords.
“We in?”
“……If you die, I inherit the mill. But I swore to roam the jianghu as a warrior. Kinda sucks if you go.”
“Mom and Dad’ll cry if big bro dies.”
“Curse you both.”
Geum Pyo sped up. His brothers matched him, and soon Kunlun elders, disciples, and lay sect academy students came into view.
Whirr. Thud.
The trio landed before Kunlun Sect, crossing the woods.
“Ahem.”
The senior elder grimaced and bellowed.
“You didn’t get the message after all that nice talk?”
“Sorry. But we can’t just watch you walk into a trap.”
Geum Pyo bowed politely with a fist salute, but the elder’s anger didn’t fade.
“Tae-eul Gate thinks grabbing an academy rep spot makes you big shots…? What’re you waiting for? Think Kunlun disciples will stop for Tae-eul Gate trash?!”
“““Yes, sir!”””
Nearly twenty Kunlun disciples surrounded the brothers with a roar.
“Haa… Thought no friendly fights after Jeongsi.”
Geum Pyo grumbled. Eunho raised his sword and whispered.
“At this rate, maybe we were black path all along, like they say.”
As Eunho finished, Kunlun disciples swung.
Cha-chang-chang!
The now-natural White Tiger Sword Formation blocked seven blades—Dongryong’s work. Kunlun disciples, knowing Jin Sowoon’s skill but not the brothers’, gaped.
“Huh?”
Dongryong bared his teeth with a growl, parrying qi-infused swords solo.
“We’re… not black path!”
“What the—?!”
Cha-chang-chang!
The seven swords scattered like blooming petals. Cartoon Invincible Fist exploded through.
Pow-pow-pow-pow-pow!
The struck Kunlun disciple choked on pain and words.
Who said black path?!
#
Nam Hwaseong swallowed hard.
The Light Blood Humans before him felt different from the illusion array ones. Those moved identically, eerily synced. These had discipline but screamed human.
These are the real deal…
Jin Sowoon, who’d fought with an iron rod till now, drew his sword.
Shing.
The clear ring tensed Nam Hwaseong further.
“Nam Hwaseong.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
“Stay out of the fight. Conserve your qi.”
“H-huh? What—”
“Shut up and do it!”
“O-okay…”
Before he finished, Jin Sowoon launched at the Light Blood Humans.
Cha-chang-chang-chang.
Heavy-sword-wielding foes from behind leaped, pressing from all sides.
Chang, chang, chang, chang, chang.
Jin Sowoon blocked dozens of thrusting blades with his single Black Dragon Sword.
Pabababak. Pabababak.
Each swing birthed and banished a dozen illusory blades.
Kuhk. Kkuk. Krrraa!
His trailing foes fell like autumn leaves.
Thud.
Light Blood Humans swarmed like dogs around landed Jin Sowoon. He didn’t retreat—instead, he advanced, sword in one hand, fist in the other.
Cha-chang-chang-chang-chang-chang.
Swordstorm right shredded flesh, spraying blood and chunks.
Pow-pow-pow-pow-pow-pow-pow!
Fist gale left twisted limbs unnaturally, hurling them faster than they’d charged. A lone Xiang Yu carving the battlefield.
What kind of martial art…?
Dismiss as illusion? It’s real. Block as real? Illusion. Light Blood Humans couldn’t tell true blades and fists from phantoms amid the deadly swarm.
Sharper than before—even Nam Hwaseong couldn’t distinguish.
Was it even illusory? How foolish he’d been to underestimate it.
And that fist art? Seemed illusion-focused, yet impacts crippled fully. Raw power pierced warrior defenses—not even concentrated, yet rivaling Radiant Heaven Divine Palm. Illusions atop devastation: know it, can’t block; block it, still wrecked.
Kwajik, kwajik, kwajik.
Three more crumpled, bones snapping. Yet they struggled up on broken legs.
“God…”
Their tenacity chilled him to nausea. Bone-shattering pain no human endures.
That’s our enemy…
His morale already crumbling.
“Huh?”
But Jin Sowoon dashed in heedless, Black Dragon Sword severing three heads without pause.
“Cockroaches…”
He plunged back into the fray. Nam Hwaseong gawked, mouth agape.
Legless foes rising to kill. Jin Sowoon decapitating without mercy.
Who had the real killer instinct?
One thing’s clear…
The side you don’t want as enemy? Light Blood Humans over…
Jin Sowoon.
Even as he thought it, more swarmed, encircling Jin Sowoon. Too many to count—like ants on a spider. Black-clad Jin Sowoon ringed by foes. Perilous even for the world’s Jin Sowoon.
“J-Jin Sowoon! Need help?!”
Nam Hwaseong mustered courage, but the reply was icy.
“Shut up and save your qi, punk!”
“That jerk always has to—”
Fleeting goodwill crumbled. Watching Jin Sowoon yank a foe with golden thread, he couldn’t guess the plan.
Lost in thought—
“Nam Hwaseong! Ready?!”
Jin Sowoon’s shout stunned him.
“Ready to run, punk?!”
Run? Then air quivered faintly. It surged toward one spot—like a giant inhaling. Straight to Jin Sowoon’s palm.
Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-kwang!
Heaven-crashing roar. Massive pulling force erupted from his hand. Ant-like horde scattered like leaves, gouging earth.
What pulling power…!
Momentarily dazed by the storm-shrunken devastation, Jin Sowoon’s yell pierced his ears.
“Run! Nam Hwaseong!”
“Urk!”
He unleashed Rokgak Wind Cloud Palm with all he had, chasing Jin Sowoon over corpse-strewn ground—deep into enemy lines, yet Jin Sowoon pressed on.
Blast-scattered foes rose, forming encirclement.
“J-Jin Sowoon, you good?”
Foes everywhere. Breaking through wouldn’t shake pursuit.
Jin Sowoon was calm. He always was.
“Fine. Reinforcements coming.”
“Reinforcements?”
Victory Hall was far. When’d he call them?
Then, distant clamor rose.
“There! Grab ‘em!”
“Mocking Red Flower Stronghold? I’ll gut you!”
“Hwahwam first—move!”
Hundreds of green forest bandits charging with greatswords and axes from behind.
“……No way, your ‘reinforcements’ are…”
Blood-smeared Jin Sowoon grinned slyly.
“Why else drag those bandit holds along?”
Nam Hwaseong recalled the chase by three bandit groups.
“……Planned this from the start?”
Jin Sowoon smirked.
“Yi yi je i—using barbarians against barbarians.”
“Shit…”
Nam Hwaseong cursed unwittingly. What depth of mind planned this? Beyond scheming—execution took insane guts.
Jin Sowoon wasn’t just impressive; he was terrifying.
Gulp.
Countless brushes with death since Jeongsi, dancing before the reaper.
Now it’s less risky than before.
“Nam Hwaseong! Speeding up—keep up or get left!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
Honorifics slipped out as he desperately pumped his legs.