Chapter 190
The moment the red eyes of the Black Blood Demon, Dudang, met the golden eyes of Sun Woo-jin, Dudang suddenly clutched his own eyes with both hands and let out a piercing scream.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
He looked as if he had been struck by an unbearable attack, writhing in agonizing pain.
Sun Woo-jin, stunned by this strange technique being used on Dudang’s own body, asked blankly,
“…What is this?”
Mukrang answered cheerfully.
“That, my friend, is the Supreme Divine Eye. If Mukrang’s Heart Method is the original Heavenly Demon Divine Art, then this is the Soul Subjugation Technique you would have acquired as well.”
Mukrang then shifted his gaze toward the blood demon woman who had been thrown inside by the gust of wind. She was just about to dash back outside, but upon seeing Dudang screaming in pain, she snarled fiercely and lunged at Sun Woo-jin.
But at that moment, her eyes met Sun Woo-jin’s.
Just like Dudang, she clutched her eyes and screamed, collapsing to the ground.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
Watching her, Mukrang casually remarked,
“Confident enough to go completely naked, huh? Quite the bold woman. Looks like she was mentally sealed by the author, and I just broke that seal for now.”
Sun Woo-jin had never seen her face before, but somehow he had a strong suspicion about who she was.
She must be the first blood demon woman who appeared wearing a red mask in his previous life—the Enemy Blood Demon Witch.
This was nothing short of astonishing.
In Sun Woo-jin’s past life, the first blood demon didn’t appear until at least four years later.
‘They showed up four years after we first appeared, but it seems they had already succeeded in creating blood demons back then. If I had arrived any later, we might never have been able to stop them.’
A chill ran down his spine.
Though he had no choice but to come here, it was an immense relief.
At that moment, Mukrang pointed his sword at Dudang and said,
“Well, no time to waste. Let’s finish this guy quickly and head to the control room. I don’t think it’ll be too hard to bring this place down without me leading the charge.”
Suddenly, Sun Woo-jin hurriedly stopped Mukrang.
“Sir! Please wait a moment!”
“Hm? What is it?”
The Soul Subjugation Technique Mukrang had just demonstrated sparked an idea in Sun Woo-jin’s mind.
“Is it possible to subjugate the author himself?”
He was referring to the Black Blood Demon Dudang.
Mukrang asked with a puzzled tone,
“Well, it’s possible, but why do you ask?”
“Then please, I beg you! There’s information I need to extract from the author!”
“Hmm, information, huh… I think I understand. Very well.”
Mukrang lightly swung his sword, sealing Dudang’s blood vessels and dipping a few drops of his blood onto the blade.
Then, after drawing a bit of Sun Woo-jin’s blood, he mixed the two and began chanting an incantation.
“Om Bara…”
A strange sensation enveloped Sun Woo-jin’s body, as if he were stealing a fragment of Dudang’s soul and holding it within himself.
Mukrang muttered,
“I feel uneasy showing you these kinds of things, like teaching kids bad habits. This is the Seven Sounds Secret Technique, created by a certain Gui Ma long ago, specifically the Soul Division Technique. Don’t try to learn it yourself. Maybe after I pass on my true spirit technique, but definitely not now. The Seven Sounds Secret Technique is dangerous—it can ruin the user.”
The incredible effect of the Soul Division Technique was immediately apparent.
Dudang’s face cleared in an instant, and he slowly rose to his feet, bowing respectfully to Sun Woo-jin.
Then, in a voice that was almost unbelievable, he said,
“My lord, I greet you.”
It was a truly shocking sight.
Dudang, the Black Blood Demon who had practically destroyed the Sun Woo family in Sun Woo-jin’s previous life, was now subdued by the Soul Subjugation Technique and bowing politely to him.
If Sun Woo-jin had been able to move his body at that moment, he would have been dumbfounded, mouth agape.
But Mukrang nodded as if this were expected and gave an order.
“Carry that woman and lead me to the heart of Muhwang Tower.”
Dudang bowed again.
“Yes, understood.”
He hoisted the still-unconscious woman onto his shoulder and swiftly ran down the corridor toward an unknown destination.
Sun Woo-jin only needed to follow behind, accompanied by the Black Tiger.
The Black Tiger seemed to instinctively recognize that this Sun Woo-jin was a different being altogether—and that his status was incomparably high.
Now, instead of walking beside him, the tiger trailed quietly behind like a cat.
Along the way, they encountered almost no other demon leaders.
It seemed the gust of wind and its group had successfully drawn the enemies’ attention elsewhere.
They did meet a few, but none suspected anything.
Those who saw Dudang bowed respectfully, only to be immediately turned into restless spirits by him.
“Demon Elder, to the research lab…! Ugh!”
That was how it went.
As they followed Dudang, Mukrang suddenly spoke to Sun Woo-jin.
“It looks like this training session is almost over. We haven’t really practiced the Mukrang Sword Technique much, though… But no worries. As I said, once we reach the central control room, there should be a device capable of completely destroying this place.”
“Yes, understood, sir.”
Originally, Sun Woo-jin had planned to borrow Mukrang’s power at the heart of Muhwang Tower, but he had called Mukrang earlier precisely because of this information.
If there was a device to destroy Muhwang Tower, there was no need to use the Mukrang Sword Technique in the center.
Suddenly, Sun Woo-jin asked Mukrang,
“Senior, if you were to use my body again, could you kill blood demons?”
This had been a question lingering in his mind.
If the sword spirit controlling his body could kill blood demons, everything might be resolved more easily.
If that were possible, he could even consider confronting the blood demons now to settle things and rescue Ha Cheong-yeon.
But, as expected, life was never that simple.
“Impossible.”
Mukrang’s firm answer left Sun Woo-jin disappointed.
“I see…”
Mukrang continued,
“The so-called Absolutes of this era have internal energy beyond the Jiazi and Huajing realms. The Thirty-Six Stars of the World haven’t yet surpassed that barrier—they’re stuck. The strongest I can handle with your body are those within the Thirty-Six Stars, except for assassins like Am Hyeolhyang or Dudang, who have transcended the ultimate realm through Soul Subjugation. Those who have reached the ultimate through combat techniques alone might be too much.”
According to him, even among the supreme masters who have created their own worlds, fighters like Cheolshingwangma Cheokgang, who specialize in boxing techniques, might be difficult to face—even with Mukrang controlling Sun Woo-jin’s body.
Am Hyeolhyang was easily dealt with because he was careless and fought head-on, despite having surpassed the ultimate realm with his assassin techniques.
Dudang, who had transcended the ultimate through Soul Subjugation, was defeated because Mukrang countered his technique with an even higher-level Soul Subjugation.
For Sun Woo-jin, this was disappointing news.
But after hearing it, he quickly shook off his disappointment and steeled his resolve.
He would have to find the true spirit technique of the sword spirit as soon as he got out of here.
Without becoming much stronger, he wouldn’t be able to bring down the Blood Sect.
“We’ve arrived, my lord.”
Soon after, following Dudang, Sun Woo-jin reached a cavernous chamber far larger and brighter than before.
At the far end stood a massive stone statue.
It depicted a man seated on a throne, exuding an imposing presence.
“Who is that?”
Mukrang, now back inside Sun Woo-jin’s mind, replied with amusement,
“Oh? So this is how he decorated the place.”
“Who, exactly?”
“That gentleman is my elder brother. To think he would decorate Muhwang’s statue like this—quite something.”
“…Huh?”
It seemed the statue was of Muhwang himself, the namesake of Muhwang Tower.
But Sun Woo-jin couldn’t quite grasp why Mukrang found this so remarkable.
Looking around, he noticed the walls were covered with intricate bas-reliefs and inscriptions.
A quick glance revealed they depicted Muhwang’s life story.
As Sun Woo-jin studied the murals, Dudang politely began to explain.
“According to the writings on the wall, Muhwang was a contemporary of the Martial God, Thunder God, and Sword God. He was a prince born into the royal family but was born with congenital paralysis, which caused him to suffer much scorn and persecution. Yet he never ceased his efforts and, through relentless determination, achieved a complete transformation.”
Up to that point, Muhwang seemed like a true testament to human triumph.
But just then, Mukrang scoffed and added,
“Yeah, he became an incredible master after his transformation. He seized control of the imperial palace and became emperor. But he wasn’t satisfied with that—he demanded absolute obedience from all martial sects, intending to bring the entire world under his heel.”
Dudang’s account was along similar lines.
But unlike Mukrang’s somewhat mocking tone, the story Dudang told was glorified, almost like a heroic legend.
“So, it is said that the Martial Emperor, who was on the verge of conquering the entire realm, was ultimately defeated and met a tragic end at the hands of the Martial God and the Thunder God who appeared at that time. This Martial Emperor’s Tomb was built to honor the one who was regrettably overthrown by those two Absolute Masters. At the end of the inscription, it reads: ‘Whoever wishes to succeed me must worship me.’”
At that, Mukrang suddenly burst out laughing.
“Huh? Hahahahaha!”
Sun Woo-jin couldn’t understand the reason for his laughter.
So, he focused back on Dudang’s words.
“We thought that phrase might be the key to inheriting the Martial Emperor’s legacy, so we tried various approaches. Especially, we suspected there might be something on the altar in front of the statue, so we offered prayers there and even tried to open it. But… no matter what we did, the Martial Emperor’s legacy never appeared.”
The altar Dudang mentioned was a long, rectangular stone slab positioned before the statue.
It looked suspicious, as if hiding some secret, but since they found nothing, the Blood Cultists apparently used it as a production platform for creating Blood Demons.
Sun Woo-jin suddenly asked Dudang, “Did you ever try to disable the mechanism?”
Dudang gave a bitter smile and replied, “We did try at first. But the mechanism here is so precise and perfectly constructed that if you tamper with it carelessly, the entire Martial Emperor’s Tomb could collapse. After realizing that, we couldn’t bring ourselves to touch it again.”
Sun Woo-jin nodded at his explanation.
Inside his mind, Mukrang’s arrogant voice echoed.
“Hmph, of course. How dare some Blood Cultists try to control a structure I designed.”
Sun Woo-jin forced a wry smile and then asked him, “So, does that mean the Martial Emperor’s legacy never really existed? Or the Blood Cultists just couldn’t find it?”
Mukrang thought for a moment before answering.
“I don’t know for sure. But one thing’s clear: the Blood Cultists were wasting their time. Even if the Martial Emperor’s legacy is hidden somewhere, there’s no way they would have found it by going about it like that.”
Sun Woo-jin frowned.
If paying respects at the statue was the wrong way, then what method should they have used?
He still couldn’t understand.
Then Mukrang spoke cheerfully.
“Go ahead and give that statue a good hit. Or better yet, smash it to pieces.”
Sun Woo-jin blurted out in disbelief, “What?”
That was utterly absurd.
Come to the Martial Emperor’s Tomb and hit the statue? Or even destroy it? What kind of nonsense was that?
Mukrang continued.
“Don’t you get it? This Martial Emperor’s Tomb was built by my older brother. And he hated that guy with a passion. Think about it—why would anyone make a beautiful tomb for a villain who tried to conquer the martial world and caused countless deaths? Especially when it was my brother who ground his teeth at that man.”
Only then did Sun Woo-jin understand Mukrang’s words.
“Oh, so the Martial Emperor’s Tomb wasn’t actually built to honor the Martial Emperor…”
“Absolutely not. I can guarantee you that.”
Now Sun Woo-jin could finally grasp the meaning behind Mukrang’s earlier laughter.
According to him, the solemn statue of the Martial Emperor and the heroic tales inscribed on the walls were all a ruse.
Sharing a ridiculous laugh with Mukrang, Sun Woo-jin suddenly lunged at the statue.
“Haah!”
Dudang’s eyes widened in shock.
When Sun Woo-jin’s fist struck the statue’s head, Dudang screamed in alarm.
“Ahhh! No, Master! If the Martial Emperor’s Tomb collapses because of this—!”
But even after shattering the statue’s head, nothing happened.
Sun Woo-jin ignored Dudang’s warnings and asked Mukrang, “Nothing’s happening.”
“Not enough yet. Keep hitting it.”
Boom!
Sun Woo-jin enthusiastically began smashing the statue to pieces.
Dudang could only stand behind him, helpless and anxious.
Then, just as Sun Woo-jin completely destroyed the lower part of the statue—
Crash!
Suddenly, the environment around him changed dramatically.
Whoosh!
Flames erupted all around him.
The entire area was engulfed in blazing red fire, as if it would swallow him whole at any moment.
The scorching heat made him groan involuntarily.
“Ugh!”
He couldn’t understand what was happening.
A sudden thought crossed his mind—had destroying the statue been a terrible mistake?
Then, a man appeared before his eyes.
A man with a face as white and flawless as polished jade, handsome, wearing a proud expression, radiating an overwhelming aura in all directions.
“A master!”
An incredible master.
Compared to the Absolute Masters Sun Woo-jin had met in this era—the Sword Saint, Blood Demon, Lust Demon, and even his own teacher, the Wandering Sword Ghost—this man seemed far beyond them.
The flames around him couldn’t even approach his presence.
With a furious face, the man spoke.
“You wretch! How dare you come to my tomb and not only fail to pay respects but also destroy my statue! Did you think you could live after that?!”
His voice was so powerful it shook Sun Woo-jin’s very soul.
The sheer force made Sun Woo-jin’s body tremble uncontrollably.
It seemed destroying the statue had indeed been a grave mistake.
Panicked, Sun Woo-jin asked Mukrang, “Sir, what do I do now?”
But no answer came.
“Sir?”
Sun Woo-jin was confused.
He could no longer sense Mukrang’s presence.
For some unknown reason, he was alone here.
Meanwhile, the figure who appeared to be the Martial Emperor continued to rage before him.
“Choose! How shall I kill you? Burn you to ashes? Or tear you limb from limb?!”
The pressure was overwhelming.
Sun Woo-jin felt as if he should immediately kneel and beg for mercy.
But he didn’t.
Biting his lip, he gathered his thoughts and finally spoke.
“Do whatever you want, Martial Emperor!”
It was reckless, like a puppy challenging a tiger.
The Martial Emperor’s aura surged like a storm.
“What did you say?!”
But Sun Woo-jin didn’t back down.
He forced himself to withstand the overwhelming force and shouted again.
“Do you think I’d beg you for mercy? You villain who stained the world with blood! A failure who died defeated by the Thunder God and the Sword God!”
The Martial Emperor’s fury took shape, binding Sun Woo-jin tightly.
The crushing pressure felt like it would shatter every bone in his body.
“Say that again!”
But even in pain, Sun Woo-jin refused to yield.
“Any number of times! Grr! I’ll say it! You failure!”
At that moment, the crushing pressure suddenly vanished as if washed away.
“Ugh!”
Relieved, Sun Woo-jin gasped for breath.
Looking around, the flames that had roared everywhere were gone, as if they had never existed.
And where the Martial Emperor had stood was now a man he had never seen before.
A man with a strong, masculine face and a mischievous smile.
Grinning, the man said to Sun Woo-jin,
“You’re the kind of guy I like. You pass.”
In the next moment, Sun Woo-jin found himself back in the original chamber.
“Jin! Jin! What happened? Snap out of it!”
As he regained consciousness, Mukrang’s worried voice called out to him.
Beside him, Black Panther gently bit and shook his leg, as if urging him to wake up.
Sun Woo-jin petted Black Panther’s head and, still dazed, looked around before answering Mukrang.
“Yes, sir. I’m back now.”
Mukrang sighed in relief.
“Hah, back? What do you mean? You just stood there frozen for a moment. You didn’t respond when I called. You looked like you’d lost your mind.”
“Ah, well… actually…”
Sun Woo-jin explained everything he had just experienced to Mukrang.
Mukrang’s voice grew distant and nostalgic.
“I see. So that’s what happened.”
Sun Woo-jin cautiously asked, “Was that… your older brother?”
“Yes. Even as he aged, he never lost that childish streak. It’s a shame. If I could have seen it with you, I might have teased him to grow up.”
The deep longing in his voice left Sun Woo-jin momentarily speechless.
Just then, the mechanism suddenly started moving.
Rumble!
From behind, the rectangular altar began sliding back, and something rose up from beneath it.
Dudang, watching from behind, shouted in surprise.
“Th-That can’t be?!”
It was a rectangular writing desk.
On it lay a thick book and a large, gold-embossed seal.
The book’s title was written in golden letters: “Hwangryong Musang Ganggi” (The Invincible Martial Technique of the Yellow Dragon).
Mukrang suddenly spoke up.
Sun Woo-jin stared blankly as he stepped forward and lifted the book.
This was the very moment when the Martial Emperor’s secret manual, which the Blood Sect had sought for years without success despite discovering this place, finally fell into Sun Woo-jin’s hands.