Chapter 182 - Rewriting the Sichuan Blood Tragedy (2)

FWOOSH—

A signal flare suddenly shot up from inside the Blood Cult's forces.

The members of the Blood Cult were thrown into a frenzy as the signal flare flew into the night sky with a loud noise.

"An intruder!"

"Over there!"

"Make sure to kill them!"

Hundreds of people began charging madly in my direction.

There was only one reason I fired the signal flare, despite the risk of doing so right in the middle of enemy territory.

'Go! Moyong Jaehwa!'

POP—

A barely audible little explosion rang out from two hundred zhang away.

Following that, an arrow fell right into the middle of the Blood Cult's unit with the sound of tearing through the wind.

BOOM!

It was an incomplete Thunderbolt Arrow that utilized the explosion of the arrowhead rather than the original Thunderbolt Arrow.

However, the power of the arrow fragments scattering into dozens of pieces was more than enough to pierce holes through fragile human bodies.

"Aaaagh!"

"Keugh!"

"Kyak!"

They were holes as small as a grain of millet, but their penetrating power was enough to stop the body's functions.

This sudden lightning strike from the sky instilled terrible fear in the Blood Cult members who had been viciously aiming for the intruder.

"S-Shields! Bring the shields!!!"

"Run! Another one is coming!"

"Dodge!"

BOOM!

Another Thunderbolt Arrow dropped, completely plunging the unit into chaos.

Blood-robed figures collapsed, bleeding from all directions, and array masters who failed to escape in time suffered severe injuries from the iron fragments.

'Uh... Huh?'

Then, one of the arrows fell in my direction.

Terrified, I executed the World-Traversing Lone Footwork and escaped from that spot.

BOOM!

Iron fragments splattered among the Blood Cult personnel who had pinpointed my presence and were approaching, causing them to collapse on the spot like falling bamboo shoots.

I had truly dodged it by a hair's breadth.

"... He didn't do that on purpose, right?"

A sense of unease crossed my mind, but I quickly brushed it off.

"Of course, our Jaehwa would never do that to me. Eunho or Geumpyo might, though."

Jaehwa had followed me exceptionally well ever since our first meeting.

He was a different kid from the crude Geumpyo or Eunho.

Right, that must be it.

Anyway, thanks to Jaehwa landing the Thunderbolt Arrow in the perfect spot, hadn't I escaped the Blood Cult bastards' line of sight and gained the freedom to move?

I executed the Turtle Breath Footwork, seeking only the shadows within the Blood Cult's encampment where screams ran rampant.

And I approached the uniquely shaped tent from before.

A tent made entirely of red cloth.

The corner sections had golden stripes, and crucially, a golden bizarre bird symbolizing the Blood Cult was placed at the top of the tent.

"Right here..."

As I moved my feet with a fluttering heart, I stopped dead in my tracks at a sudden commotion.

Dozens of personnel were running in this direction.

'Don't tell me, they noticed the Turtle Breath Footwork?'

I quickly followed up the Turtle Breath Footwork by executing the Turtle Breath Great Art, hiding my presence as much as possible.

* * *

Byeon Hoseong, who had been spreading his Blood Sea True Qi across the entire encampment, suddenly opened his eyes.

The foreign presence he had felt until just a moment ago had gradually vanished.

"I've got you."

An entity with a presence distinctly different from that of the Blood Cult had definitely appeared inside the encampment.

Then, as if to expose this location, they fired a signal flare and vanished shortly after.

"A foolish act. Even if they know this location, no one will be able to pass through the Blood Sea Illusion Martial Array."

According to past analyses within the Divine Cult, it was said that even the martial arrays of the Zhuge Clan, supposedly the smartest group among the Orthodox faction hypocrites, could not compare to the Blood Sea Illusion Martial Array.

Those who couldn't even properly navigate the Zhuge Clan's martial arrays would certainly not be able to pass through the Blood Cult's Blood Sea Illusion Martial Array.

At that moment, a massive explosion was heard from outside the tent.

BOOM!

After the explosion detonated, the agonizing screams of the proud Blood Cult members echoed out.

'Those damn bastards...'

However, he ground his teeth at those damned arrows.

With just a single arrow falling, at least three or four people were incapacitated from battle because of it.

Moreover, unlike yesterday when they could at least estimate where the enemy was, today they couldn't even distinguish where the arrows were being fired from.

Because of this, the blood-robed figures, who were braver than anyone else, were now complaining of fear.

CRUNCH.

The edge of the desk turned to dust and piled up on the floor.

More than anything, it enraged him that he could only express his anger this way.

At that moment, the sound of dozens of personnel rushing toward the tent was heard.

"Young Cult Master!"

"Are you alright?!"

As dozens of people entered all at once, the large tent quickly became packed.

Byeon Hoseong heavily furrowed his brow and spoke.

"What is this commotion?! Did you think I would be afraid of such arrows?"

At Byeon Hoseong's sharp rebuke, the blood-robed figures showed looks of dismay.

"T-That is not so."

"Have you caught that damned archer?"

"We are currently searching for them..."

SLAM!

Before the report could even finish, Byeon Hoseong slammed his fist on the desk.

"You useless fools! You can't even properly execute a single command!"

"N-No! Young Cult Master. More importantly, there is an intruder inside the encampment right now."

"What?"

Byeon Hoseong's face twisted at his subordinate's words.

"You're saying you didn't catch them?"

"Yes! T-That is correct. The bastard took advantage of the chaos to slip out of our encirclement, but... we have absolutely no idea where he disappeared to..."

"..."

Byeon Hoseong once again drew up his Blood Sea True Qi.

His internal energy, which had already reached 120 years, was at a level where he wouldn't miss a single ant within an encampment of this size.

As he focused for a moment, Byeon Hoseong's brow contorted.

'They're not here...?'

However, no matter how thoroughly he scoured the encampment, he could not feel that foreign presence from before.

BOOM!

"Aaaagh!"

"Ugh!"

"S-Save me!"

Meanwhile, the screams of the blood-robed figures echoed out once more from outside the tent.

A vein visibly bulged on Byeon Hoseong's forehead.

"Catch the bastard shooting those damned arrows this instant!!!"

"B-But Young Cult Master!"

"Do I look like someone who would fall to the likes of an assassin?!"

"..."

The Young Cult Master was someone who had reached a level incomparably higher than anyone his age, not only within the Blood Cult but throughout the entire Western Regions.

There were even frequent rumors that one would have to be around the level of Yong So-ah from the distant Jianghu to compare to him.

The blood-robed figure eventually nodded.

"Understood. Then we will leave only the minimum required guard personnel and have the rest track down and kill the bastard shooting those arrows immediately."

"Do not beat him to death in a single blow. Slice him up piece by piece and make sure he witnesses all the flesh on his body disappearing before he dies."

"Your command!"

Even after all the blood-robed figures had left the tent, Byeon Hoseong's anger did not subside.

"How, how did it come to this...!"

What thunderous scolding would his father at the main mountain have unleashed if he saw this?

"Aaaargh!"

The rattling table finally failed to withstand Byeon Hoseong's furious energy and turned to dust.

"Damn it... damn it..."

He had absurdly lost one of the Iron Jiangshis that his grandfather had brought along when he left the Divine Cult in the past.

Now, there were only two Iron Jiangshis left at the main mountain.

What was harder to swallow than anything else was that, contrary to his expectation that they would only struggle once they encountered the Murim Alliance's main force at the very least, the Iron Jiangshi had been neutralized by the hands of academy students.

"What the hell was that bastard?"

He knew the fact that Ilgak used Vajra Power.

But no one within the Blood Cult had expected that the bastard who showed up late would use Supreme Qi Power.

"The Wudang Sect didn't participate in this event, so it can't be Taiji Power... In that case, the Three Purities Sect?"

He hadn't heard anything about there being a successor to the Three Purities Sect...

He felt as though every plan, from one to ten, was falling apart.

At this rate, their grand scheme to conquer Jianghu could be completely shaken.

Byeon Hoseong calmed his agitation and called for a subordinate in a low voice.

"Chuhyeol..."

A black-robed figure who had been standing guard stepped forward and knelt down.

"Yes!"

"Tell them to reorganize the unit."

"..."

Towards the subordinate who couldn't readily reply, Byeon Hoseong ordered in a stern voice.

"While the pursuit team catches the archer, we will strike the rear of the Shaolin Sect and the Mount Cangshan Sect."

The man called Chuhyeol still gave no answer.

As if understanding this, Byeon Hoseong continued speaking.

"We still have the Blood Sea Jade and the Illusion Ring. As long as we capture that unidentified bastard, we will be able to kill them all in this place."

Chuhyeol briefly raised his head to look at Byeon Hoseong, then nodded.

"Your command!"

Simultaneously with his reply, Chuhyeol completely vanished without a trace.

However, no one inside the tent found that sight surprising.

Byeon Hoseong mumbled as he stared at the red bizarre bird ring worn on his finger.

"No matter how much of a Three Purities Sect successor he is, he won't be able to handle the Blood Sea Illusion Martial Array and the Corpse Blood Death Spirit World-Destroying Array."

He intended to kill that bastard who had ruined the Blood Cult's grand scheme even more painfully than that damned archer.

No, taking it a step further, he would slice the flesh off every single one of his family members and friends and kill them one by one.

He would make sure to watch them writhing in pain with his own two ey...

"Really?"

The moment Byeon Hoseong shot his head up, startled by the sudden unfamiliar voice.

He saw it.

The sight of a long black sword materializing in mid-air and piercing the backs of his guards.

"Ghhk..."

"Urk..."

"Keuh..."

Perhaps because their lungs were pierced all at once, the guards met their premature deaths without even being able to let out a single scream.

Following that, the chilling sensation of a blade thrusting against his neck.

And an even more chilling voice dug into his ears.

"Mhm... don't move. I'll stab you to death immediately if you move even a little."

"..."

Struggling to maintain his composure, Byeon Hoseong asked the stranger who had come right up next to his ear.

"Who the hell are you?"

"It's not exactly accurate, but the person you just mentioned about being a successor to the Three Purities Sect or whatever is probably me."

Byeon Hoseong audibly gulped at the nonchalant voice.

Was he saying he was the bastard who killed the Iron Jiangshi?

"I have a question myself, but that Blood Sea Illusion Martial Array you just mentioned—is that what's spread out here in the encampment?"

"That's right."

"Oh! Is that so? But earlier, while talking about that Blood Sea Illusion Martial Array, you were looking at that weird ring. Is it related to that?"

"You observed well. This is none other than our cult's divine artifact, the Illusion Ring."

"How do you use it?"

"Why are you curious about that?"

"Shouldn't I know how to use it once I become its owner?"

Byeon Hoseong burst into a slight chuckle at the brazen reply.

"All you have to do is infuse the energy of the Illusion Ring into any martial array, and that's it."

"Really?! That's an amazing divine artifact."

"Because it is an item that has been with the history of our cult."

The bastard who killed the Iron Jiangshi asked, as if puzzled.

"But is it okay for you to tell me that so easily?"

"Hehe, do you think you'll be able to take this?"

"Huh?"

With his words, Byeon Hoseong drew up his Blood Sea True Qi.

The owner of the unfamiliar voice immediately drove the sword into Byeon Hoseong's artery.

However.

"Oh?"

The sword, which should have easily sliced through the skin and wounded the artery, dug in no further.

No, rather, the wound was rapidly recovering and pushing the blade away.

"Did you undergo the Frenzied Blood Human procedure?"

Byeon Hoseong let out a gasp at the words that burst from the intruder's mouth.

"How do you know about the Frenzied Blood Human?"

This was not information that an ordinary member of the Orthodox faction could possibly know.

Yet the intruder spoke nonchalantly.

"I can tell you're a Frenzied Blood Human just by looking at your skin and hair turning red."

"... No, I'm asking how you know that..."

However, Byeon Hoseong could not continue speaking.

At some point, his true qi began being sucked into his neck where the hand touched.

"Keugh... t-this is..."

"You're a bit flustered, right? This is a secret just between us."

"A b-bloodsucking fiend? Did the Demonic Cult send you?!"

"No, I don't hail from the Demonic Cult. To be exact, I hail from the side that hates the Demonic Cult."

When transforming into a Frenzied Blood Human, one's latent power explodes, tripling their internal energy.

However, the intruder before his eyes was endlessly sucking up that massive internal energy that was like the Yangtze River.

Thanks to that, even his skin that was turning red was reverting back to its original color.

"Anyway, thanks for the explanation. An item like this didn't exist in my past life. It looks like it'll be a huge help in this life."

Through the cracks of his fading vision, he saw the bastard waving his hand as if he were annoying.

"Farewell, go on ahead and secure a spot in hell. The bastards from the Demonic Cult will soon be following you after you Blood Cult bastards."

"Ugh... ugh..."

* * *

After severing the neck of the bastard transforming into a Frenzied Blood Human in a single strike, I activated the Jade Dragon Bracelet until he became a mummy.

'Blood Sea True Qi is still easier to absorb than demonic energy.'

Moreover, perhaps because his internal energy had been inherited across generations through the Qi Transference Art, while absorbing the guy's internal energy, it even felt like the total amount of my internal energy itself was expanding, as if I had consumed a spiritual elixir.

"If I knew he'd give me this much, should I have at least listened to his final words?"

It seemed like there was something he wanted to say at the very end...

"Anyway, I hit the jackpot."

I had obtained the Blood Sea Jade, as well as an absurd divine artifact called the Illusion Ring.

Considering what would happen during the standard exam, I couldn't even fathom how much of a help this would be in the upcoming battles and war.

"As expected, a person really has to live their life doing good deeds."

I conjured the Sacred Fire Demon-Extinguishing Hand and placed one on the mummy's corpse, and one on each of the guards' bodies.

Using the evil energy from their bodies as fuel, the Sacred Fire Demon-Extinguishing Hand sparked a fiercer flame than usual and began spreading in all directions.

"F-Fire!"

"It's a fire!"

"The Young Cult Master's tent is on fire!"

People began to gather one by one in sheer panic.

I once again executed the Turtle Breath Footwork and slipped out of their encampment.

"Hehehe..."

Only after putting a great distance between myself and those bastards did I wildly burst into the laughter I had been holding back.

"Mwahahahahaha! It's only the beginning for the damned Blood Demon Sect! Just you wait, Demonic God!"

I roared so loud that my voice resoundingly echoed across the night sky.

* * *

In a distant place that Jin Sowoon's resoundingly echoing voice could not reach.

A man standing atop a cliff let out a chuckle as he stared at something in the distance, far beyond the naked eye.

"What a funny guy. Does he think the Blood Demon Sect is the main force of the Divine Cult?"

The proudly standing man burst into a chuckle.

A voice drifted out from the empty air.

"He is a bastard who dared to insult the Demonic God. Shall I bring him in?"

Although there was definitely no one else besides the man, the voice could be heard clearly.

The man shook his head as if it were fine.

"Forget it. That was originally supposed to be my job, but he did it for me."

"However, the Illusion Ring is a divine artifact of the Divine Cult."

"If it were a true divine artifact, our main cult would already have it. You know it too. That kind of half-baked thing can't compare to the real divine artifacts of our main cult."

"..."

The man smiled, as if he could see someone in the empty air where nothing was visible.

"Still, it is fascinating. To think he uses the power of the Three Purities Sect and kills his presence like a dead man when infiltrating. Have you ever seen anything like this?"

An answer flowed out from the empty air, which was still devoid of anyone.

"Our cult's Dark..."

"Ayy, that leaves behind demonic scent. I'm asking if they can kill their traces like he did?"

"..."

As silence descended, the man tilted his head as if he were truly curious.

"What is his identity?"

"I will investigate it at once."

"Eh? Jeez, what's with you. Am I the kind of person to make the Heavenly Demon Black Sword Squad do such a thing?"

"If it is something the Young Cult Master desires, then anything is our job."

The man called the Young Cult Master waved his hand toward the empty air and laughed leisurely.

"Haha, forget it. With a figure of that caliber, information will naturally flow in even if we don't go out of our way. Let's just find out slowly."

"Your command!"

With those words, the man once again smiled as he stared out into the empty air.

"I hope he stays alive until we meet again."