Chapter 199
Chapter 199
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: Blood Cult Infiltrators
Baek Yang-hui had several reasons for attending the Yongbong Assembly.
But the most important objective was just one.
To snag talented individuals overflowing with potential despite their humble origins?
To leverage his reputation as the world's greatest later-generation prodigy and spread the word far and wide that the Heaven-Covering Hundred Families was nurturing future candidates for the throne of the world's best?
To personally observe and gauge the movements of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans?
All wrong. They were all important, but the top priority was something else entirely.
'The Yongbong Assembly inevitably leads to the Social Gathering.'
He had to uncover and uproot any schemes by the demonic bastards who might be lurking at the Yongbong Assembly.
Just as Baek Yang-hui was attending the Yongbong Assembly with multiple objectives in mind, there was no doubt the Three Great Demonic Cults were doing the same.
Especially now that he knew, in this life, the demonic cult bastards had been scheming from quite some time ago—something he hadn't realized in his previous life.
'Whether it's the Blood Cult, the Radiant Cult, or the Divine Cult, there's no way they'd just sit back and watch a golden opportunity like the Yongbong Assembly pass by.'
Which was why figuring out exactly what the demonic bastards had done during the Yongbong Assembly was of utmost importance.
In that sense...
'Which side is this bastard on? Is he moving because of the Yongbong Assembly, or has he been lurking here from the start?'
Ju Jeok-yeon of Shinju's Ju Clan Manor. On the surface, he looked like a scholar from a wealthy family, but the energy nestled in his dantian was unmistakable demonic qi.
'Yeon-yeon's death might not have been due to that man's dark intentions after all.'
If that was the case, he needed to dig even deeper. Crush them all completely.
"With the young heroes of Gangseo gracing Shinju with their presence, wouldn't it be a shame to just let you go? Please, grant us the honor of hosting you at our Ju Clan Manor and treating you properly. Especially since you're family and friends of Young Master Baek, with whom you shared the same school."
After the introductions, Ju Jeok-yeon extended the invitation as smoothly as flowing water.
It could be a trap, but whatever.
He accepted without a care.
"My thanks for the invitation. We'll stay the night."
Fortunately, the ordered dishes could be canceled shortly after.
Instead, they bought an equivalent value in preserved rations, jerky, and travel provisions, then headed to Ju Clan Manor.
"Jeok-yeon, you've brought esteemed guests! The famous Heaven-Covering Sword Dragon and his siblings, along with the Young Clan Leader of the Tang Clan and his sister!"
The Ju Clan Manor Lord's face was filled with genuine delight.
Though it was late, a feast was prepared immediately.
"Please, enjoy yourselves to the fullest! May this gathering become a cherished memory in your minds long into the future!"
The Ju Clan Manor Lord and Ju Jeok-yeon took the lead in the conversation, seamlessly connecting topics and tossing out questions without pause.
To anyone watching, they appeared to admire the Baek Clan's fame and hold genuine goodwill.
He posed a question.
"It seems the Manor Lord holds our Baek Clan in high regard."
"Who could possibly dislike the Baek Clan? They embody the very essence of righteousness with their own actions!"
Was it truly because of their activities over the past few years?
"Your words fill me with pride."
"This lord may not practice martial arts himself, but my interest in the murim is profound. I might pester you quite a bit today!"
Baek Yang-hui's gaze briefly dropped downward before returning to the Ju Clan Manor Lord's face.
"That's perfectly fine."
"Come to think of it, I heard the Baek Clan isn't a new rising clan—is that true? Rumor has it that the founder was once the world's greatest martial artist."
"That's correct. Though it fell into decline for a long time, it's recently regained its strength."
"Heavens! As expected of a tree with deep roots—it doesn't die easily! Truly impressive!"
Afterward, the Ju Clan Manor Lord continued with more questions.
The conversation flowed haphazardly along the stream of consciousness, but Baek Yang-hui noticed that more than half the questions concerned the Baek Clan's past.
'Why the interest in our main clan's history? What's their angle?'
He looked up and gazed into the distance.
This much conversation should suffice for now.
"Manor Lord. With the fatigue of travel upon us, how about we call it a night and continue tomorrow?"
"Hm? If it means sharing another table with you young heroes, what couldn't I do?"
He rose from the table along with So, Yeon, and the Tang siblings—his entire group.
"My thanks for your understanding, Manor Lord."
Instead of the guest quarters, they were assigned an entire annex building for lodging.
This meant they were being treated not as mere guests, but as VIPs.
'No. I should assume there's another reason.'
He smirked and parted ways with the group, entering his guest room.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The night was pitch black, shrouded even by clouds. Dozens of shadowy figures surrounded the annex.
-Strike at once and subdue them all.
-Try not to kill them if possible. We need to extract information.
-Understood.
-Understood.
-Understood.
After exchanging sound transmissions, they were about to launch a simultaneous assault on the leader's signal.
"No sleep tonight? You must all be on the verge of keeling over from old age."
"......!"
Against the backdrop of clouds veiling the moon, Baek Yang-hui sat casually on the annex roof.
—Jeok-yeon. Why is that guy outside? All the annex doors were shut. None had opened since they entered their rooms.
So how had he gotten up on the roof?
"Hey, hey. If you're curious, don't yap via sound transmission—just ask directly."
As he spoke, Baek Yang-hui's hand moved.
Unidentified objects flew toward all dozens forming the encirclement.
The immense energy infused made those with lower cultivation unable to block, shattering their skulls.
"Kuh...!"
"Argh!"
The objects Baek Yang-hui threw were roof tiles and wooden shards.
"If all the doors are closed, just cut through the roof and climb up."
"......"
"You were watching, but heard no sound or sensed any presence? If you're going to get caught, quit being murim folk and bite your tongue instead."
"......"
"Sigh, if you're gonna scheme dirty, at least don't get found out. Why advertise it like idiots? Is that what your cult leader taught you?"
The things that had stayed silent despite his provocations finally spoke at the mention of their cult leader.
"You weren't asleep. Despite claiming fatigue from travel."
"Ah, Manor Lord. Couldn't sleep. The filthy stench stung my nose."
After acquiring the primordial qi, Baek Yang-hui had steadily perfected his body.
Not just externally, but internally as well.
As a result, his already hypersensitive qi sense had sharpened even further.
'Even without that, there's no way I wouldn't sense such a foul energy like demonic qi.'
All the Ju Clan Manor retainers harbored demonic qi.
Among demonic energies, it was the Blood Cult's blood qi.
"You blood-clot bastards, what's the plot? Craving to join the Blood God or whatever lone Blood Ghost?"
"Shut your mouth!"
"How dare you insult His Divinity!"
'Just a hunch, but looks like Blood Cult bastards after all.'
"Whoa, whoa. Ease up on the killing intent. Gonna fight right now? Should I release mine too? Huh?"
The Ju Clan Manor Lord, grinding his teeth, finally spoke.
"Hand over the invitation plaque. Do that, and we'll let you go peacefully."
"Oh, that's your excuse?"
A snort escaped him. Their goal wasn't the invitation plaque from the start.
They might want it too, but that definitely wasn't their main objective.
"Chui-dal, confirmed?"
"Of course, brother."
Chui-dal's voice came from far behind.
From the direction of the Ju Clan Manor's main compound.
The startled Blood Cultists whipped their heads around.
"Who's that guy? The moment we entered the inn earlier, I smelled blood. So I told him to hide."
It seemed purely coincidental running into him at the inn, so from their perspective, they probably thought Chui-dal had vanished.
"No secret letters with covert orders, brother. But I found something—these bastards are awfully interested in our Baek Clan. Tons of investigation files and dug-up intel. Some even dating back twenty years."
"I see. Good work."
No wonder they kept asking about the main clan's past during dinner.
Twenty years. Long before he returned through time.
The Blood Cult's schemes had been lurking around the Baek Clan even in his previous life.
'This is a shock. I thought their interest stemmed from the Sword King Tomb incident.'
Moreover, judging by the atmosphere, it was almost certain Baek Yeon-yeon had met her end because of these bastards in his previous life.
"No need for long talk. Let's fight."
He continued without waiting for the Blood Cultists' response.
"Brother Tang. Sister Tang."
"Done."
"Already poisoned them all."
At the Tang siblings' replies, the Blood Cultists flinched in unison.
Soon, thuds of bodies collapsing echoed from all directions.
"Circulating your qi, huh? That'll just deepen the poisoning."
Tang Yeon wiggled her poison-qi laden fingers.
It was poison technique at its peak.
"...How on earth."
Shock he couldn't hide filled the Ju Clan Manor Lord's face.
Combined, the Blood Cultists disguised as Ju Clan retainers had enough force to wipe out a mid-tier sect.
But.
They'd all been subdued without even noticing.
"You thought this was enough? That since we're all later-generation prodigies, you could just overpower us and squeeze out info?"
The Blood Cultists didn't think the Baek Clan's fame was overhyped.
On the contrary, their power overflowed beyond the rumors, which was why they'd launched the ambush.
But.
"Why that look? In the murim, you always hide thirty percent of your true strength."
Ninety percent, actually.
The Heaven-Covering Sword Dragon's fame that awed Gangseo?
That was just ten percent of his power revealed.
"I don't do words. For you blood-clot bastards, there's just the right medicine. So, gather the fallen ones, seal their acupoints, and prep for torture."
"Yes."
"...Reinforcements from the main cult will arrive soon."
"Brother, that's bullshit. I watched closely—no one left the manor all day, no messenger birds either."
"Good job, Chui-dal."
They gathered the Blood Cultists and stacked them neatly.
With dozens, the pile grew quite tall.
"Now. Answer everything, and I'll let you die easy?"
No one answered.
"Then we'll do it the hard way."
He never promised mercy, even falsely.
He was confident he could extract everything he wanted, with or without sweet talk.
"Yeah, I get it. You've all been trained against torture. Maybe under a silence seal. But here's the thing."
He recalled his first encounter with a Blood Cultist after returning through time.
Ghostly White Horse. Master of evil sorcery commanding a hundred vicious ghosts.
An opponent he couldn't beat with raw force back then, yet he'd subdued and extracted info easier than eating cold rice.
The reason that was possible.
Woooong-!
"Now, time for good children to go back home."
Sensing the ominous primordial qi, all the Blood Cultists twisted their faces.
"No need to start with the small fry, right? The head knows the most."
The moment Baek Yang-hui's finger touched the Ju Clan Manor Lord's forehead, his mouth gaped wide.
"Kraaaaaaaaaaaah!"
It didn't take long to uncover everything he wanted to know.
"Sect founding patriarch! We were to learn everything possible about the former world's greatest, and turn Baek Clan Manor into one of ours! Kraaaaaaaaaaah!"