Chapter 189
As Sun Woo-jin and Seol Poong took down their opponents, Eo Chi-ram of the Bloodwind Demon Army, now left alone, grew increasingly desperate.
He was already struggling against Jeung Chil, and now he faced the grim reality of being ambushed by others as well.
He glanced toward the stone chamber’s door, but the firmly shut door blocked any chance of escape.
From the pounding sounds outside, it seemed someone was trying to break it down, but the door was so sturdy it didn’t budge an inch.
“What… what should I do?”
His mind raced frantically, searching for a way out.
But Eo Chi-ram wasn’t the only one growing anxious.
Jeung Chil, who hadn’t managed to finish off his opponent alone, was equally unsettled.
“W-what? I’m last?!” he shouted in disbelief.
How had these rookies managed to defeat their opponents so much faster than him, a renowned supreme master?
Even though their opponents were all top-tier fighters.
Frustrated, Jeung Chil suddenly yelled out.
“Stop running and come here to die, you dwarf!”
Eo Chi-ram, known for his swift divine techniques, shot back as he darted through the air.
“Shut your mouth and die yourself, you monkey!”
“You damn bastard!”
Jeung Chil’s rage boiled over, but taking down Eo Chi-ram—who excelled in divine arts—was no easy feat.
Watching their heated exchange with a sympathetic expression, Bi Sa-young suddenly spoke up.
“Need some help, Master Sa?”
Jeung Chil snapped back angrily.
“Don’t be ridiculous! No one touches him! Do you think I can’t handle this guy alone? I can take care of him just fine…!”
But just as he shouted, Eo Chi-ram’s eyes flashed sharply and he suddenly lunged to one side—toward Na Seo-yu and Sak Mu-heun, who were watching with bated breath.
Crack!
“If I can just take them hostage…!”
It seemed the reason those two had come in was to rescue those men.
If he could capture them as hostages, maybe he could find a way out.
That thought flashed through Eo Chi-ram’s mind.
But before Jeung Chil could react, his mouth agape in surprise, Bi Sa-young shook his head and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, of all times.”
Just as Eo Chi-ram, a bright grin on his face, charged at Na Seo-yu, two divine warriors suddenly shot in like streaks of light from either side.
Whoosh!
It was Seol Poong and Sun Woo-jin.
They had anticipated this and moved close to where the exhausted fighters were.
Eo Chi-ram’s failure to consider them was his fatal mistake.
Seol Poong’s palm strike and Sun Woo-jin’s sword slash came flying from both sides.
Already mid-leap, Eo Chi-ram couldn’t dodge; he let out a scream-like battle cry and twisted his body to block.
“Ughhh!”
But it was useless.
Crack!
Shing!
Seol Poong’s strike pierced through Eo Chi-ram’s small arm and shattered his skull, while Sun Woo-jin’s blade sliced through his waist.
The two attacks crossed paths, and all that remained was a corpse with a severed waist and a missing head.
The ragged body flew through the air, and Na Seo-yu barely dodged it in time.
Thud!
Jeung Chil screamed.
“No! He’s mine!”
But no one paid any attention to his cries.
Seol Poong approached Na Seo-yu with a worried expression.
“You alright, Lady Seo?”
Tears welled in her eyes as she nodded.
She still couldn’t believe Seol Poong was here.
As the two exchanged a tender look, Bi Sa-young moved over to Sak Mu-heun.
“Thank you for your efforts, Brother Sak. Are you alright?”
Sak Mu-heun, who had been staring at Seol Poong and Sun Woo-jin with a look of awe, gave a bitter smile and nodded.
“Yes, my body’s fine, but my heart’s troubled. When did those two grow so strong…? Anyway, thank you for coming all this way to rescue us. I can hardly believe it.”
Bi Sa-young smiled in agreement.
“Just ignore those monsters. By the way… what about Lady Hae?”
His cautious question drew the attention of everyone nearby.
Sak Mu-heun’s face darkened.
“Cheong-yeon isn’t here. She’s with the Blood Demon. That girl… back then, with the Blood Demon…”
Before he could finish, Sun Woo-jin cut in.
“As long as Lady Cheong-yeon is alive, that’s what matters. We can talk about that later.”
His eyes were fixed on the stone chamber’s door.
Everyone followed his gaze.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of pounding came from outside, and dust rained down from the chamber’s ceiling.
That sturdy door wouldn’t hold much longer.
Sun Woo-jin kept his eyes locked on it and spoke quickly.
“As you’ve probably sensed, the ones outside are the two Black Blood Demons. It seems two other supreme masters have joined them. More top-tier fighters are likely converging here.”
At the mention of the Black Blood Demons, the group’s expressions darkened.
One of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World, his name alone set him apart from ordinary supreme masters.
But Sun Woo-jin’s face showed no sign of alarm.
He spoke calmly.
“He’ll probably try to use the Soul Binding Technique as soon as he enters. I think Sa-young, Lady Ya, myself, and Brother Sak might be in danger.”
Na Seo-yu glanced at the still-pounding door and nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. When we were captured, we couldn’t resist his Soul Binding Technique and lost consciousness immediately.”
The group exchanged worried looks.
Sun Woo-jin nodded and said.
“I’ll take on the Black Blood Demon. Master Jo, please lead the others out of the Wuhwang Tomb.”
Everyone was stunned—not because of his confidence in facing the Black Blood Demon alone, but because it sounded like he intended to stay behind by himself.
Bi Sa-young quickly protested.
“What are you talking about? We all go out together!”
“That’s right, Lord Sun Woo. Don’t sacrifice yourself alone.”
“Who do you think you are, leaving your juniors behind, Elder Jeung?!”
As everyone voiced their concerns, Sun Woo-jin smiled faintly.
“Thank you all for your concern. But you’re mistaken. I’m not staying behind to buy time by sacrificing myself. While you draw the demons’ attention, I’ll take down the Black Blood Demon and then enter to do what needs to be done.”
“…Do what?”
“Do what?” Bi Sa-young echoed.
Sun Woo-jin gave him a sly smile.
“We need to bring down this Wuhwang Tomb, don’t we?”
The group fell silent, stunned.
They had only been thinking about escaping, never about destroying the place.
Bi Sa-young stammered.
“W-well, yes, but… is that even possible?”
Sun Woo-jin wore a confident smirk.
“Hah, trust me. The plan’s already in place.”
The group felt a strange mix of awe and uncertainty.
They trusted Sun Woo-jin completely, but could they really believe such bold claims in this situation?
Seol Poong spoke with a heavy heart.
“Jin, don’t overdo it. Even you can’t take on the Black Blood Demon alone, can you?”
At that moment—
Crash!
The stone door finally shattered.
Through the gap, a demon warrior burst in first.
It was Gye Seok-sa, one of the Blood Sect’s supreme masters.
“Ha ha ha! You fools! It’s all over now!”
Sun Woo-jin silently summoned Muk-rang.
“Elder.”
Muk-rang’s cheerful reply came instantly.
—I’ve been waiting!
In the next instant, Muk-rang’s body moved, swinging his sword.
From the blade of the Muk-rang Sword, a fierce indigo energy erupted, reminiscent of when they defeated Am Hyeol-hyang.
Fwoosh!
Muk-rang Sword Technique, First Strike.
Shing!
As his sword sliced through the air, the group felt as if the world itself was tearing apart.
It was like a brief glimpse into a rift leading to another realm.
Everyone was speechless, trembling at the overwhelming depth of that single strike.
Compared to that, Gye Seok-sa’s instant death—split in two by one blow—was hardly surprising.
After unleashing that devastating strike, Sun Woo-jin quietly looked at Seol Poong, as if asking, “Still think it’s impossible?”
Seol Poong swallowed hard, nodded, and told the others.
“While Jin holds off the Black Blood Demon, we’ll make our escape. Everyone, close your eyes until I give the signal.”
Behind the fallen Gye Seok-sa, the Black Blood Demon entered through the broken doorway.
He hadn’t yet seen how Gye Seok-sa had died.
“What? Gyeseoksa is dead? Already? What happened?”
He looked around in panic, instinctively reaching to use his soul-subduing technique.
But then his eyes landed on the faces of those who were already motionless, their eyes closed.
“Huh? These bastards are playing tricks…!”
At that moment—
A chilling, hellish cold swept over him, and Dudang instinctively leapt to the side.
Swoosh!
Once again, the first strike of the Mukrang sword technique flashed through the air.
As soon as Dudang dodged, he realized something.
If he had stood his ground and tried to take that sword blow head-on, he might have died.
This wasn’t just any fight—it was a level beyond the ultimate barrier of soul-subduing arts, and Dudang had recently lost an arm to the Sword Saint. There was no way he could withstand such a strike face-to-face.
The moment Dudang stepped aside, Seolpung shouted,
“Now!”
Then he dashed through the broken gap in the door first.
A faint red glow shimmered behind his tightly shut eyes.
The first to collide with Seolpung as he burst through the door was Gwak Gan-yeol, the last supreme master of the Blood Demon Army.
Gwak Gan-yeol had just been following Dudang through the gap when Seolpung suddenly lunged out, forcing him to hurriedly throw up his twin blades.
“What the—?!”
Shu-hak!
But Seolpung, already anticipating his move, struck out with a single punch at full force.
Kraaaang!
“Ugh!”
The impact was devastating.
Caught completely off guard, Gwak Gan-yeol staggered backward, blood welling up in his throat.
Though it was a surprise attack, he had taken internal damage from just one blow.
“W-what is this…?!”
Gwak Gan-yeol scrambled to suppress the injury and regain his stance.
But Seolpung gave him no chance.
After knocking him back with a single punch, Seolpung charged like a raging tiger, his other hand launching another cannon-like punch.
Shu-haak!
Gwak Gan-yeol gritted his teeth and swung his blades again, unable to evade the incoming strike.
“Ughh!”
Once more, blades and fist clashed in midair.
Kraaaang!
“Grrrgh!”
Gwak Gan-yeol was forced backward again.
His momentum broken, and with Seolpung’s demonic martial prowess far surpassing his own, he was overwhelmed.
But Seolpung’s assault didn’t stop there.
He pressed forward, chasing the retreating Gwak Gan-yeol with another right-handed punch flying like a cannonball.
Shu-haak!
“Ugh!”
Biting his lip hard, Gwak Gan-yeol summoned his last strength to unleash his twin blades.
If he lost this power struggle, he knew he’d never recover.
But just as their blades and fist were about to collide—
Seolpung’s body spun like a cat, deflecting Gwak Gan-yeol’s blades with a sudden twist.
This punch was a feint.
“W-what?!”
Before the stunned Gwak Gan-yeol’s eyes, Seolpung’s spinning kick rapidly grew in size.
“No, wait—!”
Crack!
His head shattered like a watermelon.
It all happened so fast that the other supreme demon riders watching from behind didn’t even have time to coordinate a counterattack.
With Gwak Gan-yeol down, Seolpung’s comrades poured through the gap one after another.
Dudang roared in fury, trying to strike at them.
“You bastards! How dare you—!”
But once again, a cold sensation forced him to leap aside in a panic.
Swoosh!
Another hellish sword strike came flying.
Sun Woo-jin—or rather, the Mukrang bearing Sun Woo-jin’s face—grinned mischievously and spoke to him.
“Focus. It’d be a shame to die because you’re distracted, right? Either way, you’re going to die.”
Dudang’s face flushed red with rage as he stared back.
Meanwhile, as Seolpung, Nasa-yu, and Sakmuhun emerged from the stone chamber, the Blood Demon woman who had been standing frozen nearby, unable to act without Dudang’s orders, suddenly twisted her face in anguish.
“No! My friends!”
She screamed and charged at Seolpung.
Seolpung, who had just killed Gwak Gan-yeol, moved to strike her down as well.
But Nasa-yu shouted,
“Don’t kill her!”
Startled, Seolpung paused for a moment, then gently caught the woman’s charging body and, using her momentum, threw her aside.
Whoosh!
Her body flew back through the stone door gap where the others had escaped.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
She tumbled across the floor inside the chamber.
Seolpung paid her no mind and surged forward toward the supreme demon riders before him.
It was time to break through them head-on and get Sun Woo-jin out safely.
At the same time, inside the stone chamber, Dudang ground his teeth and shouted,
“How dare a greenhorn like you mock me! I’ll show you what true hell really is!”
His eyes flared with a crimson bloodlight.
Having surpassed the ultimate barrier of soul-subduing arts, Dudang finally unleashed his full power.
Whoooosh!
The bloodlight pouring from his eyes bathed the entire chamber in a deep red glow.
Even the black tiger lurking in the corner growled in discomfort.
But Mukrang just smiled.
Through Sun Woo-jin’s mouth, he sneered,
“How pathetic. That’s not how you use soul-subduing arts.”
In the next instant, Sun Woo-jin’s eyes blazed with a brilliant golden light.
Whoooosh!