Bloody Battle (1)
Locked away in the training chamber, practicing nonstop for two months, it was finally time for our shift. I had hoped to reach Qi Refining 8th stage, but my cultivation was still lacking.
Yunnam Village had a population of around a hundred thousand, making it fairly large in scale, with a wide area to cover. But even so, it was narrow for cultivators, so we decided not to split up during patrols. We were only a team of four to begin with—if we halved that, we'd be in serious danger if we ran into the killer.
Team leader Jo Mihyeon took the lead, with Kang Seolhui following behind her. I stuck to the rear with Byeok Soseol since she felt the most comfortable to be around, flying alongside her.
Our patrol route took us outside Yunnam Village, circling the outskirts completely. As we scanned the area with our spiritual senses spread out, we only occasionally picked up minor spirit beasts—nothing special.
The other two teams had patrolled over the past two months without incident, and with no word from Unkak Sect, maybe the killer had already left the Gaun Mountains? Spending the time peacefully like this and returning to the sect without issue didn't sound half bad.
A week passed. During one patrol, I sent a transmission to Byeok Soseol flying beside me.
"What do you think, Senior Sister Byeok? Has the killer already fled?"
"Since there's been no news from the sect headquarters this whole time, he might have left. Or he could be hiding somewhere, healing his wounds."
Were there any good hiding spots around Yunnam Village? It was close to Unkak Sect to begin with, so even a killer would hesitate. A Core Formation initial-stage killer caught by a Nascent Soul expert from the sect wouldn't stand a chance—he'd be dead before he could flee…
Time flowed on like that until it was time to switch shifts again, and our team holed up in the training chamber to cultivate. Everything was peaceful as usual when a massive explosion rocked the air from outside.
I knew instinctively: the killer had appeared. Rushing out of the training chamber, our team and the other group quickly mounted flight artifacts, preparing to head toward the source of the boom.
A burly man flying by shouted, "You all heard that, right? Looks like the killer's shown up—move out fast!"
With Senior Brother Jang at Core Formation mid-stage, I felt reassured even if the killer appeared.
"Yes."
"Understood."
Eight streaks of light shot across the sky toward the noise. Senior Brother Jang surged ahead at the front, with Jo Mihyeon right on his tail. At a time like this, having her as an ally was a relief.
Just in case, I sent a transmission to Byeok Soseol. "If things get dire, don't look back—just flee to the sect."
She smiled at me. "Don't worry. I can protect myself. And I have the silver armor you gave me."
Silver armor, huh… I had no idea how effective it would be against a Core Formation initial-stage killer. All I could do was trust Senior Brother Baek Gong, the sect's famed refiner for outer disciples.
Judging by our flight path, we were heading toward the spirit stone mine. I'd heard the one near Yunnam Village had been abandoned—had he been hiding there?
Upon arriving at the abandoned mine, Senior Brother Jang and Jo Mihyeon—who had gotten there first—were already attacking the killer. Where was the team that had been stalling him originally?
Looking around, I spotted four corpses behind the killer, hearts ripped out, lying dead. Already?
How long had it taken from hearing the noise in Yunnam Village to reaching the mine—and their whole team was wiped out…?
Senior Brother Jang blocked the killer's black beam of light with a blue shield and shouted, "The intel was wrong… He's not Core Formation initial—he's mid-stage!"
A Core Formation mid-stage killer! A chill ran down my spine.
Jo Mihyeon snapped in an angry voice, "Stop standing around and get over here to attack! If you run, I'll kill you myself first."
The killer grinned unpleasantly as he formed hand seals. "Kekekeke… Too late to run now. I'll make good use of your flesh and souls."
The killer approached slowly, no vitality emanating from him, only deathly yin energy permeating his entire body.
"That's—!"
"Mukhyul Jiangshi! Junior Sisters Kang and Byeok, Junior Brother Yu—handle the jiangshi. Everyone else, attack the killer!"
At Senior Brother Jang's command, Kang Seolhui, Byeok Soseol, and I swiftly surrounded the Mukhyul Jiangshi from three sides, while the rest of his team engaged the killer.
The Mukhyul Jiangshi let out a guttural roar and charged at me. This was the moment to test all my training.
"Hah!"
I bellowed and threw a punch at the oncoming Mukhyul Jiangshi.
Boom!
As expected, its body was insanely tough. But my own, tempered by Iron Skin Art to the 7th stage, was no pushover either.
While I held the Mukhyul Jiangshi at bay up front, Kang Seolhui used her green wooden staff artifact to make trees sprout from beneath its feet, binding its hands and legs. Byeok Soseol pulled out a white pearl artifact and hurled it at the bound Mukhyul Jiangshi.
Kreeee!
The Mukhyul Jiangshi writhed in agony, its eyes turning blood-red. The trees binding its limbs shattered, and it spewed deathly yin energy from its mouth, stripping the white pearl artifact of its spirituality.
I fired a fireball at the Mukhyul Jiangshi and retreated. The intense heat scorched its entire body in roaring flames.
The Mukhyul Jiangshi, rolling on the ground with fire clinging to it, suddenly leaped up and charged at Byeok Soseol.
"Gasp!"
Startled, Byeok Soseol fell back, but the Mukhyul Jiangshi was too fast. I quickly channeled spiritual power into the Red Earth Talisman I'd gotten from Yang Dosu's storage pouch and flung it.
A massive earthen wall erupted in front of the Mukhyul Jiangshi, blocking its path to Byeok Soseol.
Boom! Boom!
As it smashed through the wall, I struck its nape with the Water Horn Sword, and Kang Seolhui formed seals to trap it in a wooden cage of her making, squeezing tight.
Clang! Clang!
The Water Horn Sword bounced off harmlessly. I tried the White Sand Flying Blade too, but same result.
While I racked my brain for how to kill the damn thing, its deathly yin energy weakened the wooden cage until it burst free.
Fight first, think later. The Mukhyul Jiangshi, annoyed by my persistent attacks, hurled a spear of yin energy at me.
I hastily erected a barrier, but the yin spear pierced it effortlessly, then the silver armor, embedding in my gut.
Thud!
"Gah!"
I spat out a bowlful of blood and collapsed. In that moment, the Mukhyul Jiangshi's fist connected, punching straight through Byeok Soseol's body and sending her flying.
"Urk!"
"No!"
I yanked out the yin spear and desperately pulled the Wood Life Powder from my storage pouch, sprinkling it on my wound. The Mukhyul Jiangshi finished with Byeok Soseol and barreled toward Kang Seolhui with terrifying momentum.
In this hopeless situation, I glanced at the fight with the killer, but his team was already dead—only Senior Brother Jang and Jo Mihyeon remained, locked in a desperate struggle.
Senior Brother Jang had lost one arm, Jo Mihyeon's robes were in tatters, blood trickling from her mouth.
"Junior Sister Kang, don't you have some powerful treasure from Elder Nae Cheonha?"
Kang Seolhui, dodging the Mukhyul Jiangshi, replied, "Junior Brother Yu, buy me some time."
She had a way to kill it. At her words, I circled behind the Mukhyul Jiangshi, smashing a fist into its head and hurling an ice lance at its legs.
Boom! Thud!
The ice lance shattered, and the Mukhyul Jiangshi switched targets from Kang Seolhui to me.
Our brutal fistfight began. Kang Seolhui pulled away and unfurled a massive scroll about a zhang in size. It depicted a demon gate with a fiendish face so vividly lifelike, it seemed to writhe.
The Mukhyul Jiangshi hurled another spear. Whoosh!
I dodged as best I could, but it lodged in my thigh.
"Argh! Junior Sister Kang, how much longer?"
"Almost. Hold on a bit."
Kang Seolhui spat essence blood into the demon's mouth and infused the scroll with spiritual power. The demon, eyes closed until then, opened them at the taste of blood, grinning wickedly as the demon gate creaked open.
Hehehe… Keeiiiik!
Dozens of emaciated hungry ghosts poured from the gate, swarming the Mukhyul Jiangshi.
No matter how much I'd pummeled its Iron Skin Art-tempered body, it hadn't scratched—but now, flesh peeled away where the ghosts latched on.
Kreeee!
The Mukhyul Jiangshi thrashed, unleashing yin energy, but the dozens of ghosts clung undeterred, devouring hands, torso, legs, ears—every inch.
I pulled the spear from my thigh and dusted Wood Life Powder on the wound. Then I rushed to the unconscious Byeok Soseol to check her.
I sprinkled Wood Life Powder on the hole punched through her gut by the Mukhyul Jiangshi's fist. Fortunately, she'd only lost consciousness—no fatal injury.
I used spiritual power to send her flying out of the mine. Kang Seolhui, looking drained from the heavy spiritual power expenditure, urged me, "Junior Brother Yu, we have to help quick!"
Looking toward the killer's fight at her words, I saw him slay Senior Brother Jang—the Core Formation mid-stage cultivator—and rip out his heart. A hungry ghost clung to the killer's chest; he fed it the heart, and mad laughter echoed through the mine.
Keeheeheeheehee!
No way! Senior Brother Jang…
Jo Mihyeon gripped silver wheels in both hands and hurled them at the cackling killer. Kang Seolhui moved to her side, pulling out her green wooden staff artifact. I couldn't just watch—I fired a fireball at the killer.
"You killed my Mukhyul Jiangshi! Fine, I'll turn you all into jiangshi!"
The killer swatted the silver wheels with a black beam and blocked my fireball with a barrier.
Kang Seolhui manipulated her wooden staff, thick vines sprouting around the killer to bind his body.
"Junior Sister Kang, can't you use that scroll from before again?"
"I already used it once—can't reuse it."
Black liquid oozed from the killer's mouth, corrupting the vines. With our spiritual power already depleted, Kang Seolhui and I naturally turned to Jo Mihyeon. She must have something from Nae Cheonha.