Chapter 21
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: A Midnight Chase
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Cheol Mu-ui, the Lightning Phantom, led the Tiger-Leopard Corps toward Taiyuan County, the central county of Shanxi Province.
Taiyuan was a major county in Shanxi, its scale not far behind the great counties of the Central Plains.
Climbing a mountain that overlooked the entirety of Taiyuan, Cheol Mu-ui surveyed the area and sighed.
‘It’s always darkest under the lamp, just as they say. To think the Shanxi branch of the Dark Blood Heaven Cult was coiled up right here in a major county.’
On his way here, Cheol Mu-ui had heard that Taiyuan was a large county, but he had his doubts, given how underdeveloped Shanxi Province was.
However, seeing Taiyuan with his own eyes, its scale was beyond his imagination.
That evening.
Under the cover of darkness, Cheol Mu-ui infiltrated Taiyuan County.
At dawn.
Cheol Mu-ui led the Tiger-Leopard Corps to the Cheongseong Estate.
It was a magnificent manor located on the outskirts of the county, and this was the Shanxi branch of the Dark Blood Heaven Cult.
He concealed himself stealthily and watched the estate. As morning broke, countless martial artists began to come and go from the manor.
‘These bastards have lost all fear. With the former Alliance Leader gone, they’re showing themselves openly. I thought they’d at least be a little more cautious. For them to act like this while the Martial Arts Alliance is still standing is proof of the immense power they’ve cultivated in the shadows over the years.’
Faced with this unexpected situation, Cheol Mu-ui’s expression hardened.
Still, he did not move. There was a very high probability that this was the Shanxi branch, but he needed to confirm it.
Then, he would send a carrier pigeon to the Alliance, and they would dispatch elite warriors to strike this place.
That evening.
Cheol Mu-ui slipped into the manor alone.
His Art of Concealment was far superior to Pure’s, allowing him to blend perfectly with the darkness.
He cautiously moved deeper inside.
In front of a luxurious building in the inner courtyard, Cheol Mu-ui hid himself and watched calmly.
A black-clothed warrior with a sharp aura strode unhesitatingly toward the building and cupped his fist in his palm to an ordinary-looking old man in yellow robes standing before it.
“Branch Chief.”
“What is the situation?”
“The thirty-five materials have departed from Henan Province.”
“So few.”
“It couldn’t be helped. The Martial Arts Alliance has tightened its surveillance so much that those bastards have tucked their heads in and are lying low.”
“Did you tell them to be careful? They cannot afford to be tailed.”
“Of course. I warned them repeatedly.”
The yellow-robed old man nodded slowly.
The black-clothed warrior carefully opened his mouth again to report.
“Also, the main headquarters has dispatched a master. He should arrive sometime today.”
“A master? Who?”
“I do not know the specifics. I only heard he is the Seventh Blood of the Dark Nine Bloods; I know nothing else.”
“Hmm. You mean the Dark Nine Bloods, personally trained by the Cult Leader?”
“Yes, sir.”
The yellow-robed old man let out a groan.
The Dark Nine Bloods.
They were a group of nine, but aside from their number, their gender, age, martial prowess, and other details were shrouded in complete secrecy.
The yellow-robed old man frowned, seemingly displeased with such a mysterious organization.
“Must I bow my head to such a greenhorn? I, Seop Yu-heun, the Blood Demon Saber?”
Seop Yu-heun, the Blood Demon Saber.
A great demon of the previous generation who had once terrorized Shanxi Province, he was a formidable master who had once been counted among the Ten Great Masters of the Black Way.
Yet even someone like Seop Yu-heun had kept his head down in fear when Hwa Un-ryong was the Alliance Leader.
A terrifying killing intent swirled from the body of the seemingly ordinary old man—no, from Seop Yu-heun.
The man in black flinched and prostrated himself flat on the ground.
“Please, calm yourself. You are in a much higher position than them, Branch Chief. Your showing respect to the Dark Nine Bloods is not only because of their greatness but also as a sign of your loyalty and respect for the Cult Leader.”
At the black-clothed man’s exquisite tact, Seop Yu-heun withdrew his killing intent.
“How skilled is this Seventh Blood?”
“Since the Cult Leader himself poured his heart and soul into training them, wouldn’t he be exceptionally skilled?”
The man in black did not directly compare the Seventh Blood’s skills with Seop Yu-heun’s.
It was partly because the organization was so secretive that he didn’t know, but also because there was nothing to be gained from needlessly provoking Seop Yu-heun.
“He’s a strange one, too. Why come at night when he could just arrive during the day?”
“He has likely only ever trained, so while his martial skill may be high, he is probably ignorant of the ways of the world. Therefore, even if they make minor mistakes, I hope you will understand, Branch Chief. Clashing with them will bring no good.”
“I understand. Keep the estate’s security tight, just in case. Not that I’m afraid even if Yang Cheon-rin himself were to show up.”
Seop Yu-heun felt no fear toward the new Alliance Leader, Yang Cheon-rin.
In his eyes, Yang Cheon-rin was a beatable opponent.
‘With that damned Hwa gone, I can finally breathe. It was truly a time of patience.’
Seop Yu-heun shook his head, thinking of the days he had spent lying low in hiding.
There were only two people he feared.
The Dark Cult Leader.
And Hwa Un-ryong.
Seop Yu-heun shook his head and went inside, while the man in black wiped the cold sweat from his brow and departed.
Cheol Mu-ui held his breath, concealing his presence completely.
He was so worried that Seop Yu-heun might sense his energy that he blocked all of his ki and didn’t even look at him.
He only listened with his two ears.
‘So Seop Yu-heun was really alive. He was said to be over ninety. The energy pouring from his body was truly terrifying. That aside, who are these Dark Nine Bloods?’
Cheol Mu-ui’s curiosity was piqued.
Even after his surroundings fell silent, he didn’t move an inch.
He, too, lacked the confidence to face Seop Yu-heun.
Therefore, his only choice was to be as careful as humanly possible.
An hour.
Cheol Mu-ui waited for an hour, and only after realizing no one was around did he stealthily begin to move.
Having confirmed this was indeed the Shanxi branch, he decided to leave and contact the Martial Arts Alliance.
By the time he had slipped out of the manor, it was nearly dawn.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and let out a sigh, “Hoo.”
He was about to leap away after one last look at the estate when he flinched.
A young man in blue robes was sitting on a tree stump, watching him with an indifferent expression.
The man felt like a single, finely honed blade, and the aura he exuded made Cheol Mu-ui feel he was by no means inferior to Seop Yu-heun.
He had no confidence he could win a fight against him.
Cheol Mu-ui was a martial artist specialized in information gathering, not one who possessed overwhelming martial prowess.
Of course, his martial arts were skilled enough to earn Yang Cheon-rin’s trust.
But that was only from their perspective; comparing himself to Seop Yu-heun or the man before him was simply impossible.
*Whoosh.*
He infused his internal energy into a low whistle to call the Tiger-Leopard Corps that served as his escort.
He believed that if he joined forces with the five members of the Tiger-Leopard Corps, they could kill the man before him.
“Don’t bother.”
The blue-robed man’s mouth opened, and a short, toneless warning emerged.
He threw something at Cheol Mu-ui.
*Thud.*
Cheol Mu-ui’s eyes inadvertently fell upon it, and his face turned pale with horror.
It was the head of the Tiger-Leopard Corps’ captain.
“A dog of the Martial Arts Alliance?”
It was in that instant.
Cheol Mu-ui’s body blurred and then vanished.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
*Swish!*
His sword stabbed swiftly through the empty air.
“Heok.”
To his surprise, a stifled groan came from the space that was thought to be empty.
“Impressive. To escape from me, the Seventh Blood. But now that you’ve been pierced by my sword, you will never escape my grasp.”
The Seventh Blood kicked off the ground and shot south.
‘Damn it. He’s monstrously strong.’
Cheol Mu-ui pressed one hand against the wound in his side and unleashed his movement technique at full power.
He was specialized in the Art of Concealment and movement techniques.
He wanted to treat his wound before fleeing, but the terrifying presence of the Seventh Blood pursuing him from a distance made treatment an impossible dream, forcing him to continue his escape.
If not for the wound, he would have been able to shake off the Seventh Blood completely.
Cheol Mu-ui felt his strength draining away.
‘If I keep running blindly like this, I’ll eventually be caught.’
He had to make a choice.
After a moment of deliberation, he gave up on fleeing and stopped.
Leaning hastily against a tree, he pressed on the acupoints around his wound to stop the bleeding.
A powerful presence was drawing closer, making his hands move even faster.
“You cur.”
A powerful gust of force flew at him from a distance.
Cheol Mu-ui quickly ducked to avoid it.
*Crack.*
*Crash.*
The tree that took the blow instead of him snapped and fell.
It was a truly terrifying display of power.
“Iron Thunder!”
Cheol Mu-ui unleashed Iron Thunder with all his might.
Iron Thunder was his ultimate trump card.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble.*
As if a powerful bolt of lightning fell from the sky, it shot toward the Seventh Blood.
*Boom!*
“Keuk.”
Struck by Iron Thunder, the Seventh Blood collapsed to the ground.
“Keoheok.”
Having forcibly squeezed out all his strength, Cheol Mu-ui collapsed to the ground.
It was then.
Amazingly, the Seventh Blood twitched and then pushed himself up.
“What a monster.”
Cheol Mu-ui never thought Iron Thunder would be enough to kill the Seventh Blood.
If there had been such a possibility, he would have used it from the start instead of running away.
But he had thought it would at least buy him some time, yet even that hope was dashed.
“Iron Thunder?”
To Cheol Mu-ui’s horror, the Seventh Blood knew the martial art he had just used.
It was a testament to how thoroughly the Dark Blood Heaven Cult had prepared in the shadows.
Even the Seventh Blood’s presence had weakened considerably from the shock of taking the surprise attack.
*Tap.*
Cheol Mu-ui launched himself away.
Having exhausted his inner energy by using Iron Thunder at full power, the pain in his side felt even more excruciating.
As he pushed his movement technique to its limit, he managed to gradually widen the distance between himself and the Seventh Blood.
*Swoooosh.*
*Pang!*
An uneasy feeling made Cheol Mu-ui glance back, and his eyes widened in shock.
Something shot into the air, shining brightly, before exploding and scattering in all directions.
Realizing it was a signal for reinforcements from the Seventh Blood, Cheol Mu-ui threw himself forward with all his might.
“I won’t let you escape!”
The Seventh Blood picked up speed, chasing after Cheol Mu-ui.
The surprise attack from Iron Thunder had shaken his dantian and slightly twisted his organs, causing a needle-like pain to course through his body every time he circulated his internal energy to run.
A full day of rest would fix it.
But the Seventh Blood endured the pain and continued the chase.
If he lost him now, he would never catch him.
And he had to restore his shattered pride.
Hyeonong Mountain.
A mountain located southwest of Taiyuan County, so rugged that even herb gatherers were reluctant to enter.
Upon seeing Hyeonong Mountain, Cheol Mu-ui gritted his teeth and pushed his movement technique.
He planned to hide here and wait for reinforcements from the Martial Arts Alliance.
‘Please, they have to come.’
Leaving everything to fate, Cheol Mu-ui threw himself into the dense undergrowth of the treacherous Hyeonong Mountain.