Chapter 177 - The Black Flame Dragon That Swallows the Sea of Blood (7)

Murim Alliance's Mantong Bureau.

"Raise your hands properly!"

At Zhuge Somyeong's stern command, Maeng Ju-won's trembling hands shot back up into the air.

Seeing a man nearing thirty sweating profusely as he suffered through the childish punishment of 'raising hands' only made him look even more detestable.

He must have completely lost his mind to dare issue a Mantong Bureau command.

Of course, there was no issue procedurally.

When he was absent, it was natural for the next in charge, Mantong Bureau Manager Maeng Ju-won, to take over.

However, the problem was that the command was an order to recall the Council of Elders, and furthermore, that Seungho Hall had been deployed to execute it.

Good heavens... Seungho Hall...

Politically speaking, this left room for the interpretation that the Mantong Bureau considered the Council of Elders to be part of the Underworld.

Not just right now, but at any point in the future, this incident could be used as an excuse to shake up the Mantong Bureau.

No matter how crazy he was over Jin Sowoon, he had crossed the line by a mile.

"You couldn't have been unaware of that. Have you truly lost your mind?"

Unable to answer Zhuge Somyeong's question, Maeng Ju-won mumbled to himself.

"If you have a mouth, then speak! Speak! Did you commit a deed that you can't even offer a single excuse for?"

"... No, that is..."

"No? No, you say? Are you saying there is room for you to make excuses in this matter!"

Told to make an excuse, Maeng Ju-won, who had been about to explain, shut his mouth tight.

"This punk! What is with that dissatisfied expression?! Are you saying you did well?!"

"Uh... The truth is..."

"Do you still have more to say! A guy who shouldn't have anything to say even if he had ten mouths dares to open his one mouth?!"

"..."

For two hours already, the same scolding had been repeating, making Maeng Ju-won feel like he was dying.

'Are you telling me to speak or not?'

It would have been more comfortable if he just received disciplinary action, but instead, he was just being repeatedly scolded as every little thing was picked apart.

At this rate, he would be scolded for breathing.

"Then I will say just one thing."

"You really!"

"It is not an excuse. I simply wanted to let Jin Sowoon feel the power of the Mantong Bureau. That is all. I admit my fault. Still, please recognize my sincerity in wanting to bring in a talented individual."

Maeng Ju-won spat out all his words in a single breath so that Zhuge Somyeong wouldn't be able to interrupt him.

Maeng Ju-won panted as if he had said everything he needed to say.

Zhuge Somyeong was dumbfounded by his brazen attitude.

"Fine. But how did Seungho Hall move? There is no way they would have moved with just a command from the Mantong Bureau."

"Ah... That? It's nothing much. I went, kneeled, and begged. Like this—."

"..."

Maeng Ju-won spoke proudly, rubbing his hands together as if telling a heroic tale.

Hah, did this guy truly have no face to save!

It was already incredibly annoying that they would have to face the Council of Elders' checks in the future, but this was like plunging the Mantong Bureau's prestige into the mud.

"You really—"

Fearing Zhuge Somyeong's furious appearance, Maeng Ju-won suddenly snapped his fingers. He then pulled out a pouch from his sleeve.

"It's this!"

"Huh?"

"It's exactly this, Chief Strategist."

Caught by the sudden change in topic, Zhuge Somyeong unknowingly found himself drawn in.

"What is that?"

"The pouch that will save me from this crisis."

Had this bastard completely lost his mind?

"It's an item Jin Sowoon asked me to deliver to the Chief Strategist."

At the name 'Jin Sowoon,' his excitement cooled instantly.

There was no way that clever guy wouldn't have anticipated the fallout this situation would cause.

Even so, he was curious about the intention behind accepting the Mantong Bureau's command and Seungho Hall without refusal.

He opened the pouch with a hesitant expression.

Inside the pouch were two pieces of paper that looked like missives, along with a piece of wood.

Opening the missives first, Zhuge Somyeong frowned at the unfamiliar format of the message.

Like the Murim Alliance, intelligence organizations use their own designated formats because they need to contain compressed information within small missives.

The Mantong Bureau mostly dealt with the missive formats of internal intelligence groups and the Beggars' Sect.

The new format he was seeing now meant that this was not a missive from the Beggars' Sect or anywhere related to the Murim Alliance.

'Did this guy have a separate place where he received information?'

But as he turned the missive over, he recalled seeing it somewhere before.

That is, it was...

'... Haomun?'

A new intelligence organization that had been growing rapidly in recent times, closely chasing after the Beggars' Sect.

Haomun's growth was so immense that there were even rumors that the Beggars' Sect was unable to involve itself with the Murim Alliance these days because of them.

But did Jin Sowoon really have connections with Haomun too?

Not knowing the detailed circumstances, he unfolded the missive first.

-The individuals who appeared in Sichuan are presumed to belong to a different faction than those who appeared in the Puyang Plains during the same period.

-However, a commonality is seen in the process where the aftermath of their martial arts shakes a person's mind and causes them to lose their reason.

They had already investigated this far?

He couldn't help but be surprised that they had compared the culprits in the Puyang Plains and the culprits in Sichuan, something the Beggars' Sect and the Murim Alliance had yet to fully grasp.

Zhuge Somyeong quickly unfolded the second missive.

-Individuals who have lost their reason have been discovered in Sichuan starting ten years ago.

-These individuals commonly experienced nightmarish illusions and repeatedly showed signs of exhaustion, such as foaming blood while sleeping.

-Physicians, including those from the Tang Clan, were unable to find a commonality among the patients as they each examined their own patients separately.

The symptom of a perfectly sane person losing their reason and seeing illusions was one of the representative aftereffects of sorcery.

Because the differences from general mental illnesses were not very prominent, physicians could not diagnose the illness just from looking at the surface.

The only difference was that their insides would be shaken even while sleeping, causing phenomena similar to internal injuries.

This too was an intermittent phenomenon, so it was not easily identified.

'They even collected details of individual illnesses? Good heavens...'

Once again experiencing just how tremendous the growth of Haomun was to threaten the Beggars' Sect, Zhuge Somyeong felt that the current situation was somehow flowing differently than he had expected.

'No way...'

An uneasy feeling tickled his mind.

Though he thought it couldn't be, he comforted himself by saying it wouldn't be.

Just investigating the personnel that had appeared in the Puyang Plains was enough to make the Murim Alliance's system scream.

If others were to appear on top of this...

"Are you not going to look at the other one?"

"..."

Raising his head, he saw that Maeng Ju-won had lowered his hands and was sticking close, reading the missives with him.

"When did you stand up?"

"I will raise my hands again after just checking the contents of the missives."

"..."

"To me, it looks like quite a big incident has occurred."

"..."

Zhuge Somyeong, who had been fingering the piece of wood with his hand in the pouch, eventually pulled his hand out.

And with the feeling of a gambler checking a domino piece, he slowly inspected the piece of wood.

-Blood Cult Manifestation. Jin Sowoon.

After confirming the contents, Zhuge Somyeong's hands trembled uncontrollably.

Beside him, Maeng Ju-won babbled on, failing to understand Zhuge Somyeong's state of mind.

"Heoh! The Blood Cult, it's truly a stroke of luck that I kneeled and sent Seungho Hall. If not for that, wouldn't all our academy students have been in danger?"

It wouldn't have been enough even if he engaged in escapism to deny the news Jin Sowoon delivered, yet here he was trying to avoid blame for his mistake.

Was such a person truly fit to be the Manager of the Mantong Bureau.

Zhuge Somyeong infused the piece of wood with internal energy and threw it at Maeng Ju-won.

"Die!!!"

"Kueeek!"

* * *

Gu Jeongryong was dumbfounded by the sight unfolding before his eyes.

"What in the world..."

Dust was flying everywhere, and people were fiercely fighting.

"What are you all doing! The opponent is merely the Taiyi Sect! The Taiyi Sect! Are you not ashamed of Kunlun's name!"

The problem was that everyone fighting belonged to the Orthodox faction.

'What the hell are they doing!'

Nearly twenty disciples of the Kunlun Sect and lay sects were rolling on the ground, and another twenty were deploying Kunlun's sword array, the Thirty-Six Strikes Cold Plum Sword Array.

Absurdly, the opponents facing Kunlun's Thirty-Six Strikes Cold Plum Sword Array were three young men who didn't even look twenty years old.

"Stop!"

Unable to watch any longer, Gu Jeongryong launched himself and jumped between the two sword arrays.

It was an incredibly dangerous action, but it was possible because he was that confident.

"Ah! Hall Leader!"

"The Hall Leader is here!"

"Thank goodness!"

As Gu Jeongryong intervened, the Geum-eun-dong Brothers quickly withdrew their swords and stepped back as if they had been waiting for this.

On the other hand, the Kunlun disciples who failed to withdraw their swords in time ended up having to clash swords with Gu Jeongryong.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!

Gu Jeongryong clicked his tongue as he felt the heavy weight while blocking the swords of four people slashing at him simultaneously.

'So they say the Thirty-Six Strikes Cold Plum Sword Array is one of Kunlun's supreme arts.'

Feeling the tension that he could suffer a great humiliation and a severe injury if he made a mistake, he quickly raised his internal energy and fired Sword Qi toward the feet of the Kunlun Sect disciples.

PABABABAK!

The Sword Qi gouged the ground, scattering dirt everywhere, and while the Kunlun disciples faltered, the members of Seungho Hall, including Gam Cheon-ak, surrounded the academy students of the Kunlun Sect and the lay sects.

"Who are you!"

Elder Sangwon of Kunlun shouted furiously, his face dyed crimson.

"I am Gu Jeongryong, Hall Leader of Seungho Hall. Elder."

Upon revealing his identity, Sangwon's expression quickly changed.

Recovering his complexion instantly, Sangwon spoke in a solemn voice.

"This is not a place for Seungho Hall to interfere. Step aside at once."

Gu Jeongryong's gaze turned to the fallen academy students of the Kunlun Sect and the lay sect.

It then shifted to the Geum-eun-dong Brothers standing behind him, looking a bit exhausted but perfectly fine.

The circumstances made it obvious what kind of situation this was with just a rough look.

'They took a hit and their pride was hurt, is that it.'

Against the disciples of the Taiyi Sect, Kunlun and the lay sect ultimately failed to win.

That was the reason why Sangwon of Kunlun could not step back even at the mention of 'Seungho Hall'.

"I am sorry, but I cannot do that."

"... What did you say?"

Sangwon's martial robes swelled as if they were going to burst.

Gu Jeongryong continued speaking as calmly as possible.

"Now is not the time for us to be fighting amongst ourselves."

"... Do you think this is a fight?"

Sangwon seemed completely unable to regain his reason.

Gu Jeongryong spoke straightforwardly.

"The groups ahead have been attacked and suffered casualties."

"..."

As soon as Gu Jeongryong's words fell, the excitement in the area rapidly cooled.

"From what was reported, Elder So Chunghyeon and Elder Jeong Sa-ik have also fallen to the culprits."

"... What kind of nonsense..."

"Elder Sangwon."

Elder Sangwon turned his head at the call of Elder Suheo, who had arrived late.

"Is what that man just said true?"

"I don't know yet. I was on my way to confirm it."

Elder Sangwon frowned.

"Are you saying you followed along without knowing?"

"They said this news was sent by Jin Sowoon and Cheol Sunjik."

"Cheol Sunjik? The one from the Twelve Peaks and Castles?"

"Yes."

Although Cheol Sunjik and Jin Sowoon belonged to the same 108 Peaks, Jin Sowoon's solo dominance made it so that the two could not get along.

The fact that those two each provided the same information was unbelievable, yet it also meant the reliability of the information was high.

"There is no way this news is true, but if so, I thought we could just make an issue out of it."

At Suheo's words, Sangwon naturally nodded.

"It can't be helped."

Sangwon looked at the three Geum-eun-dong Brothers.

"Don't you dare think this is all Kunlun amounts to."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Sangwon turned around and furiously shouted at the academy students of the Kunlun Sect and the lay sect.

"What did you do so well to still be lying down! Get up at once!"

At Sangwon's thunderous roar, the academy students groaned and stood up.

Gu Jeongryong let out a long sigh and looked at the three brothers of the Taiyi Sect.

"You've worked hard."

"... We almost died, thank you, Hall Leader."

"Even so, I can't just give you praise."

"Pardon?"

Gu Jeongryong spat out bitter words with an absurd expression.

"How could you think of stopping them with force! It's a relief you barely managed to stop them. If they had used the Thirty-Six Strikes Cold Plum Sword Array from the start, you guys wouldn't have survived! Do you know that!"

Gu Jeongryong yelled furiously, but the three brothers' expressions were strange.

"..."

"..."

"... Ahem."

They exchanged glances, muttering as if frustrated, and some shook their heads as if to say not to speak.

Gu Jeongryong spoke up with a sudden thought.

"Don't tell me... they used the Thirty-Six Strikes Cold Plum Sword Array from the beginning?"

At that, Geumpyo laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.

"They were quite serious. Yes, so you have no idea how glad we are that the Hall Leader came."

Eunho, who had been listening quietly beside him, glared at Geumpyo with raised eyes.

"That's why I said we should just back out in the middle!! We really almost died a few times!"

"Ah! As long as we didn't die, it's fine! Why make a fuss now! You should've backed out then!"

"Ah!!! Brothers, don't fight!!!"

The Geum-eun-dong Brothers suddenly started squabbling among themselves.

Gu Jeongryong couldn't help but be inwardly shocked looking at the three of them.

'Just the three of them blocked the Thirty-Six Strikes Cold Plum Sword Array?'

Just then, Gam Cheon-ak approached Gu Jeongryong.

"Preparations are complete. We can set off again."

"..."

"Hall Leader?"

Gu Jeongryong asked Gam Cheon-ak, who was looking at him strangely.

"Cheon-ak, could you, me, and one Seungho Hall member block the Thirty-Six Strikes Cold Plum Sword Array?"

"... What is that? A new method of suicide? If you want to die, die alone."

Gam Cheon-ak shook his head, as if asking if Gu Jeongryong had finally lost his mind.

Right. This was the natural reaction.

"Right. It's obvious we couldn't block it... But how..."

"What do you mean?"

However, judging by Elder Sangwon's reaction, it didn't seem like the Geum-eun-dong Brothers were lying.

Just what was he supposed to believe.

"Never mind... That's not what's important right now."

The situation was too urgent right now for him to be distracted by curiosity.

* * *

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

Bizarre movements.

Bloodless skin.

Blackened fingernails and sharp fangs like those of a beast.

Even after rubbing his eyes multiple times, it was clearly a jiangshi.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it."

Nam Hwaseong dared to continuously spew curses right next to a monk, but the upright Ilgak found the current situation so absurd that he naturally nodded along with Nam Hwaseong's curses.

"To think Corpse Demon Necromancy would appear again..."

"I never imagined I would see a real jiangshi in my life..."

They hadn't even imagined that there would be those daring enough to use a heaven-defying technique that proudly placed its name among the Four Great Evil Arts, just like the Great Star-Absorbing Art.

Eun Seollan woke the two who seemed to have lost their minds.

"... U-Uhm, I don't think this is the time to be marveling at it! I-It's coming this way!"

After locking eyes on Moyong Jaehwa, the jiangshi was rapidly moving this way with its ridiculous movements.

"Benefactors, please all step back!"

Ilgak brought his hands together in prayer and dashed forward.

Golden Vajra Power poured out from his hands, pummeling the jiangshi.

PAPAPAPAK!

The jiangshi, which hadn't even budged against the Thunderbolt Arrow, flinched and was pushed back.

The onlookers watching the spectacle all let out exclamations of admiration, saying as expected of Shaolin, but their voices gradually grew smaller.

The golden radiance dwelling in Ilgak's hands was slowly fading.

"... Monk Ilgak looks very exhausted."

At Eun Seollan's words, Moyong Jaehwa nodded.

It was inevitable.

Ilgak had been continuously using Vajra Power, which was not regular internal energy but a higher-tier aura.

No matter how much of a Shaolin disciple he was, he could not endure this level of internal energy consumption.

However, Ilgak did not retreat in the slightest.

"Benefactor Jaehwa! Take the people and evacuate!"

"But Monk..."

"I know! That is why I'm telling you to evacuate. Until Benefactor Jin arrives...!"

Ilgak was surprised himself by what he had just spat out.

He pressed down his sincerity and continued speaking.

"... Until Benefactor Jin arrives, won't we need someone to protect those who are left!"

The golden energy from his thrusting punches gradually faded as he shouted.

Furthermore, the jiangshi began to slowly press past Ilgak and approach the group, including Moyong Jaehwa.

A situation where they couldn't do one thing or another.

Even so, Ilgak endured and endured.

Nam Hwaseong chewed his lip as he watched the sight.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, that damn Jin Sowoon... You didn't tell us there'd be a jiangshi..."

Moyong Jaehwa was about to speak to Nam Hwaseong, who was suddenly trembling and cursing Jin Sowoon next to him.

He suddenly raised his head and looked at Moyong Jaehwa and Eun Seollan.

"Exactly five forms! I'll buy you that much time, so lead the people and run!"

The two of them wore dumbfounded expressions at Nam Hwaseong's out-of-the-blue words.

"What's with that expression? I can't hold out any longer than that either!"

"No, it's not that, why would you necessarily..."

Moyong Jaehwa, Eun Seollan, and Nam Hwaseong essentially had no connection.

Going further, they were practically enemies.

It was only natural that it made no sense for Nam Hwaseong to suddenly say such things.

Nam Hwaseong looked at the two and spoke seriously.

"Jin Sowoon said he would give me five Demon-Subduing Talismans."

Moyong Jaehwa harbored doubts at the incomprehensible words, but Nam Hwaseong simply shoved the two of them in the back.

"Anyway, move quickly! If even a jiangshi is moving, we really might all die here."

Nam Hwaseong intentionally smashed his fists together tightly as if to forget his fear.

"Damn it, they dare try to dirty Jianghu with a jiangshi?"

Nam Hwaseong let out a malicious yell and threw himself down the hill.

If he didn't do at least that, he felt he would be swallowed by fear before even fighting.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

It was a ridiculous behavior he had never seen before in his life, but Nam Hwaseong gulped nervously.

A calamitous entity that was said to dye the world in blood every time it appeared.

A killing weapon created solely for the purpose of killing humans.

A horrifying entity he never wanted to encounter.

"Damn it, Jin Sowoon!"

He didn't know why he had said he would step up.

Because Nam Hwaseong himself was not a stupid fool who would risk his life over just five Demon-Subduing Talismans.

"Just try telling me later that you used them all up! I won't let it slide!"

What moved him at this moment was not an issue of shallow gains and losses.

It was an emotion that even Nam Hwaseong himself didn't fully understand.

Perhaps he had stepped up to figure out that unknown feeling toward Jin Sowoon.

"Benefactor Hwaseong! Be careful!"

Whether unable to withstand the jiangshi's strength, Ilgak fell back for a moment and shouted.

"Uwaaaaaah!"

The Deer Horn Iron Cloud Fist, the single martial art that elevated the Samwon Sect to the top seat of the 108 Peaks.

Through the gap created between it and Ilgak, the Deer Horn Iron Cloud Fist struck down.

The green fist strike imbued in his fist stretched out dominantly, looking as if it would crush the jiangshi.

The comically moving jiangshi shifted its target from Ilgak to Nam Hwaseong and merely extended its fist clumsily, as if unaware of what dangerous strike it was about to be hit by.

"Stupid fool, daring to take on the Deer Horn Iron Cloud Fist..."

CRASH.

A heavy resonance spread in all directions.

The moment their fists clashed, Nam Hwaseong swallowed back the confident words he had been shouting.

'Five forms my ass... I won't even last three.'

Just how many forms had Ilgak managed to hold out against a monster like this?

CRACK.

His right hand felt like it would shatter at any moment.

He shifted his internal energy to his left hand and fired off the Deer Horn Iron Cloud Palm.

PABABABAK.

With the sound of rough rocks scraping, the Deer Horn Iron Cloud Palm swept across the jiangshi's entire head, but the creature didn't even blink, just as when it had been hit by the Thunderbolt Arrow.

"Bullshit..."

The moment Nam Hwaseong withdrew his fist and palm and tried to unleash his final supreme technique once more, the jiangshi thrust out its foot.

THUD.

It was clearly an incredibly plain kick, but as if struck by a temple bell log, he was sent flying three zhang away without any resistance and slammed into a tree.

"Benefactor Hwaseong!"

"Keheuk, uwaaack!"

Along with the nausea rising in his throat, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Clear evidence of internal injuries.

"... Damn bastard... you said you'd be here soon..."

Nam Hwaseong stood up, not even knowing who the curse he spat out was aimed at.

The jiangshi, which seemed completely mindless, ignored Ilgak and approached Nam Hwaseong.

"I have to keep my promise of five forms."

Nam Hwaseong forcibly began to pour internal energy into his surging acupoints.

They swelled twice as much as usual, but he willingly risked the danger of them bursting at any moment.

In the meantime, the jiangshi damned well hopped—thump. thump.—as if mocking him, reaching a close distance to Nam Hwaseong in an instant.

"Benefactor Hwaseong! Dodge!"

Nam Hwaseong recklessly unleashed the Deer Horn Iron Cloud Fist as if in a last stand.

"Uwaaaaaaaagh!"

He poured out the Deer Horn Iron Cloud Fist so heavily that green radiance lingered all over the jiangshi's body.

PAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAK!

Unable to keep up with Nam Hwaseong's speed, the jiangshi couldn't even put up a proper defense...

A hollow laugh leaked out of Nam Hwaseong's mouth.

"... Haha."

Swept up once in the green radiance, the jiangshi appeared once more.

"Even if you're a jiangshi, isn't this cheating?"

It wasn't that it couldn't defend from the start.

It was that it didn't need to defend.

The jiangshi sharpened its black-painted fingernails.

"Heup!"

And unlike the slow movements it had shown so far, it rapidly pierced toward Nam Hwaseong's heart.

"Huh?"

No, it tried to pierce it.

If not for the golden threads wrapped around its neck and hands.

"..."

Nam Hwaseong, trailing his gaze up the thread, spoke.

"... Damn it, why are you only arriving now!"

The face of the jiangshi, which had been as unfeeling as a corpse, showed a hint of panic for the first time.

The jiangshi quickly scratched wildly with its nails to cut the thread, but the thread only tightened around the jiangshi's neck even more firmly.

And the man holding the jiangshi from the starting point of the thread replied with a dumbfounded expression.

"I never thought there'd actually be an idiot in the world who would try to body-slam an 'Iron Jiangshi'."

It was Jin Sowoon, the one who had caused Nam Hwaseong to act so strangely all this time.