#182. Rewriting the Sichuan Blood Massacre (2)
Pew—
A signal flare suddenly shot up from deep within the Blood Cult camp.
The flare rocketed into the night sky with a deafening whistle, sending the cultists into a frenzy.
"Intruders!"
"Over there!"
"Kill them all!"
Hundreds charged toward me like madmen.
There was only one reason I'd risk firing that flare from the heart of enemy territory.
Go get 'em, Moyong Jaehwa!
Pfboom—
A faint explosion echoed from over two hundred zhang away.
Then, with a sound like the wind itself being shredded, a single arrow plummeted into the center of the Blood Cult camp.
Imperfect version relying on the arrowhead's explosive tip rather than true Thunderbolt Arrow power.
Boom!
Dozens of arrow fragments scattered with devastating force, punching clean through fragile human flesh.
"Gaaah!"
"Kuhk!"
"Kyak!"
Tiny holes the size of rice grains, but with enough penetration to halt any body's qi flow.
The bolt from the blue struck terror into the Blood Cultists who'd been hunting the intruder with murderous intent.
"Sh-shields! Get the shields!!!"
"Run! It's coming again!"
"Take cover!"
Boom!
Another Thunderbolt Arrow crashed down, plunging the camp into utter chaos.
Blood Humans collapsed bleeding everywhere, while shamans too slow to flee suffered grievous wounds from the shrapnel.
Wha... what?
Then one arrow veered toward me.
I bolted in panic, unleashing Heavenly Lone Walker God Step to evade.
High-speed movement skill for evasion and pursuit.
Boom!
Iron shards sprayed through the cultists closing in on my position, dropping them like dominoes.
I'd dodged by a hair's breadth.
"...He didn't do that on purpose, right?"
A flicker of unease crossed my mind, but I shook it off.
"Nah, Jaehwa wouldn't pull that on me. Gold Pyo or Eunho, maybe."
He'd stuck to me like glue since day one. Not like those blockheads Gold Pyo or Eunho.
Yeah, that's right.
Thanks to Jaehwa nailing the perfect spots with his Thunderbolt Arrows, I'd slipped from the cultists' sight and gained freedom of movement.
I darted through the shadows of their screaming encampment, weaving with Ghost Food Steps.
Finally, I approached the distinctive tent.
Crimson fabric all around, golden stripes on the edges, and crowning it all—a golden grotesque bird, the Blood Cult's symbol.
"This is it..."
My heart raced as I quickened my pace, only to freeze at sudden uproar.
Dozens were charging this way.
Did they spot my Ghost Food Steps?
I swiftly layered Ghost Food Great Law atop it, suppressing my presence to the max.
Stealth footwork erasing all traces and presence.
#
Byeon Hoseong, who had spread Blood Sea True Qi across the entire camp, snapped his eyes open.
The alien presence he'd sensed moments ago was fading.
Qi sensing the entire encampment without blind spots.
"Caught you."
Definitely some outsider with a presence unlike the Blood Cult's had appeared in the camp.
Shot off a flare to expose their location, then vanished shortly after.
"Foolish move. Even knowing this spot won't help them pierce the Blood Sea Illusion Endless Array."
Analysis from the Divine Cult back in the day said even the Jegal clan's strange gate formations—the smartest among the hypocrite orthodox—couldn't compare.
If they couldn't pass the Jegal arrays properly, no way they'd breach the Blood Cult's Blood Sea Illusion Endless Array.
Then, a massive boom erupted outside the tent.
Boom!
Followed by the agonized screams of his proud Blood Cultists.
Those murdering bastards...
But that damned arrow ground his teeth.
Just one arrow, yet it crippled at least three or four fighters.
And unlike yesterday, when he could at least gauge the enemy's position, today he couldn't even pinpoint the shooter's location.
Even the bravest Blood Humans were voicing their fears.
Crack.
The desk corner crumbled to dust on the floor.
Unable to vent his rage any other way only fueled his fury.
Then, the clamor of dozens rushing into the tent.
"Young Cult Leader!"
"Are you alright?!"
The tent filled instantly.
Byeon Hoseong scowled deeply.
"What is this commotion? You think I'd fear those pathetic arrows?"
His roar made the Blood Humans blanch.
"N-no, sir."
"Have you caught that damned archer?"
"We're searching now, and..."
Bam—!
Before the report finished, Byeon Hoseong slammed the desk.
"Useless fools! Can't even carry out one order!"
"N-no, Young Cult Leader! More importantly, there's an intruder in the camp."
"What?"
His subordinate's words soured his face.
"You didn't catch him?"
"Yes! He slipped the encirclement in the chaos, and... we have no idea where he went..."
"..."
Byeon Hoseong summoned Blood Sea True Qi again.
His inner energy, at the Iron Armor stage, wouldn't miss even an ant in this camp.
His brow furrowed as he focused.
Nothing...?
No matter how he scoured, that alien presence was gone.
Boom!
"Gaaah!"
"Kuhk!"
"S-save me!"
More screams from outside.
Veins bulged on his forehead.
"Catch that arrow-shooting bastard NOW!!!"
"B-but, Young Cult Leader!"
"You think I'd fall to some assassin?!"
"..."
The Young Cult Leader was unmatched among his peers in the western region, let alone the Blood Cult.
Rumors even compared him to Dragon Child in the wider martial world.
The Blood Human nodded reluctantly.
"Understood. We'll leave minimal guards and hunt down the archer."
"Don't kill him outright. Flay him piece by piece until his flesh is gone, then finish him."
"As you command!"
Even after they left, Byeon Hoseong's rage simmered.
"How... how did it come to this...!"
What would his father at headquarters say?
"Uwaaak!"
The trembling table finally shattered to powder under his aura.
"Damn... damn it all..."
He'd lost one of the Iron Corpses his grandfather had dragged from the Divine Cult—absurdly.
Only two left at headquarters now.
But what burned worst: they'd expected trouble only from the Murim Alliance main force, yet academy brats neutralized an Iron Corpse.
"What the hell was that guy?"
He knew Ilgak used Golden Bell Iron Cloth.
But no one foresaw the latecomer wielding Supreme Extreme Force.
"Wudang's not participating, so not Taiji Force... Then, Three Pure Ones Sect?"
He'd never heard of Three Pure Ones successors...
Everything from one to ten was unraveling.
At this rate, their conquest of the martial world could crumble.
Calming himself, he quietly summoned his subordinate.
"Chuhyeol..."
The black-clad guard knelt.
"Yes!"
"Tell them to regroup the unit."
"..."
To the hesitant man, Byeon Hoseong commanded firmly.
"While the pursuit catches the archer, we strike Shaolin and Jeomchang from behind."
Chuhyeol remained silent.
Understanding, Byeon Hoseong continued.
"We still have the Blood Sea Jade and Illusion Pearl. Catch that mystery bastard, and we slaughter them all here."
Chuhyeol glanced up, then nodded.
"As you command!"
He vanished seamlessly.
No one in the tent found it remarkable.
Byeon Hoseong gazed at the red grotesque bird ring on his finger.
"No matter if Three Pure Ones successor—even they can't handle the Blood Sea Illusion Endless Array and Corpse Mountain Blood Sea Array."
He'd make that bastard who wrecked their plans suffer worse than the archer.
No—flay his family and friends too, one by one.
Witness their agony with his own eyes...
"Really?"
A strange voice jolted him upright.
He saw it—a long black sword materializing in midair, piercing the guards' backs.
"Guhk..."
"Uk..."
"Kuhp..."
Lungs punctured instantly, they died without a whimper.
Then, a chill blade at his throat.
And an even chillier voice in his ear.
"Mm... don't move. Twitch and you're dead."
"..."
Struggling for composure, he asked the voice close by his ear.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Not exact, but that Three Pure Ones successor you mentioned? Probably me."
Byeon Hoseong swallowed hard at the casual tone.
The Iron Corpse killer?
"Got a question too—that Blood Sea Illusion Endless Array you mentioned, it's covering this camp, right?"
"Yes."
"Oh! Really? But you were staring at that weird ring while talking about it. Related?"
"Good eye. This is our cult's divine treasure, the Illusion Pearl."
"How's it work?"
"Why do you care?"
"Gotta know if I'm taking it, right?"
Byeon Hoseong snorted at the bold claim.
"Infuse any strange gate formation with its energy, done."
"For real?! Amazing treasure."
"It's been with our cult through history."
The Iron Corpse slayer sounded puzzled.
"You can just tell me like that?"
"Heh, you think you can take it?"
"Huh?"
Byeon Hoseong surged Blood Sea True Qi.
The intruder promptly thrust at his carotid.
But.
"Huh?"
The blade that should've sliced skin and artery halted.
Worse—the wound healed rapidly, pushing the blade out.
"Light Blood Human procedure?"
Byeon Hoseong gasped at the intruder's words.
"How do you know about Light Blood Human?"
Not info for ordinary orthodox scum.
But the intruder said calmly.
"Red skin and hair turning? Obvious Light Blood Human."
"...No, how do you even know the term..."
He couldn't finish.
Suddenly, qi drained from his throat where the hand touched.
"Kuhk... th-this..."
"Pretty shocking, huh? Our little secret."
"V-vampire clan? Sent by the Demonic Cult?"
"Nah, not Demonic Cult. Hate 'em, actually."
Light Blood Human tripled power with explosive potential.
Yet this intruder sucked endlessly like a massive river.
Even his reddening skin faded back.
"Thanks for the explanation. No such thing in my past life. Big help this time."
Through blurring vision, he saw the bastard wave lazily.
"Bye. Go reserve a spot in hell. Your Blood Cult pals and the Demonic Cult will follow soon."
"Ugh... ugh..."
#
I severed the Light Blood Human's neck in one stroke, then activated the Azure Dragon Ring until his head liquefied.
Blood Sea True Qi absorbs easier than demonic qi, at least.
Plus, generations of dual-core qi inheritance made absorbing it feel like swallowing an elixir—my total inner energy swelled.
"Should've let him have last words if he'd cough up this much."
Looked like he wanted to say something...
"Jackpot anyway."
Blood Sea Jade and this absurd Illusion Pearl treasure.
Thinking of the original timeline, it'd be invaluable in coming battles and wars.
"See? Gotta live righteously."
I unleashed Sacred Fire Demon-Exterminating Hand—one on the headless corpse, one each on the guards.
Blood Jade Hand variant. Purifies with golden flames of extreme heat.
Fueled by their death qi, the flames burned fiercer than usual, spreading wildly.
"F-fire!"
"The tent's on fire!"
"The Young Cult Leader's tent!"
People gathered in panic.
I slipped away with Ghost Food Steps.
"Heh heh..."
Only after putting real distance did I burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! This is just the start for you damned blood demon scum! Wait for me, Demon God!"
I roared loud enough to shake the night sky.
#
Jin Sowoon's booming voice echoed to a distant cliff.
A man atop it smirked at the invisible distance.
"Funny guy. Thinks Blood Demon Clan is the Divine Cult's full strength?"
Black Lion Gwak Gung chuckled.
A voice emanated from empty air.
"He dared insult the Demon God. Shall I fetch him?"
No one else there, yet crystal clear.
Gwak Gung shook his head casually.
"Nah. It was my job anyway—he did it for me."
"But the Illusion Pearl is the Divine Cult's treasure."
"If it were real, we'd have it already. You know half-assed fakes can't compare to our true treasures."
"..."
Gwak Gung smiled into the void, as if someone watched.
"Still impressive. Wields Three Pure Ones power, vanishes like a corpse on infiltration. Ever seen that?"
Reply from nothingness.
"Our cult's shadows..."
"Pfft, they leave demonic scent. Can they erase traces like him?"
"..."
Silence fell; Gwak Gung tilted his head curiously.
"What's his deal?"
"I'll investigate."
"Eh? Come on, you think I'd send the Heavenly Demon Black Sword Emperor for that?"
"If it's what the Young Cult Leader desires, it's our duty."
Gwak Gung waved it off with a leisurely grin.
"Haha, forget it. Someone that level? Info'll come naturally. We'll dig slow."
"As you command!"
With that, he smiled into the empty air again.
"Hope you're alive when we meet again."