Chapter 205
“What?! What do you mean, what happened?!”
Jegal Jigang couldn’t hold back and shouted, demanding an explanation.
He simply couldn’t believe what he had just heard.
Before him, the Black Dragon Commander and Black Wolf Commander, both looking utterly disheveled and pale, trembled as they spoke again.
“There… there was a… a monster there.”
“A… a celestial being. That old man danced like a celestial, and no one survived.”
“It must be the Sword Saint returned! The Sword Saint’s vengeful spirit punishing us! Aaaah!”
“No, it didn’t seem like the Sword Saint. More like a celestial in appearance than a vengeful spirit.”
Jegal clenched his teeth tightly.
What on earth had they gone through? The Black Wolf Commander, a veteran from the Shadow Assassins who had seen it all, was completely paralyzed with fear, his mind shattered.
The Black Dragon Commander seemed somewhat more composed, but even so, the idea of a celestial was absurd.
Regardless of whether it was a monster or a celestial, that wasn’t the point.
The crucial fact was that the Black Tiger Division had been wiped out, and both the Black Dragon and Black Wolf Divisions had barely half their forces return.
Out of three hundred elite warriors, only about a hundred had come back alive.
“What the hell…”
Jegal suddenly realized his hands were trembling uncontrollably.
His ambition to endure hardship on the front lines, rebuild his forces, and reclaim his position as clan leader was slipping further and further away.
“Ugh!”
Biting down hard on his molars, Jegal took a deep breath and decided to deal with the Black Dragon and Black Wolf Commanders first.
In their current state, they were no help at all.
“Return and regroup immediately.”
At Jegal’s order, they left the office still shaking, their retreating backs pitiful beyond words.
Moments later, once the room was empty, Jegal finally unleashed the fury he had been holding back.
“Argh!”
Bam!
His fist slammed hard onto the sturdy desk made of Northern Sea ironwood.
Thankfully, the desk didn’t break under his blow.
But staring at the unscathed desk, Jegal let out a hollow laugh.
“Heh… heh heh.”
It felt as if fate itself was mocking him.
How could someone who couldn’t even break a desk dare to aim for the position of Martial Alliance Leader?
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, a sharp pain gripped his chest.
His heart throbbed fiercely.
Some time later, through the Flying Dragon Commander, Gwan Gubong, Jegal learned that the person at the Flying Dragon Thirteen was none other than Yang Munheon, the White Crane Old Sword, one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the world.
“White Crane Old Sword… Yang Munheon?”
The news was both shocking and devastating.
That someone who wasn’t even one of the Fifteen Absolutes could rout over three hundred elite troops was staggering.
And Jegal’s own mistake—sending his forces into that area without any preparation—was a bitter pill to swallow.
He muttered weakly, “Why of all places… is he there?”
Gwan Gubong, unaware of the full situation, smiled brightly and shared what he knew.
“Master Yang recently took Lady Dang Sojeo, the granddaughter of the Flying Dragon Thirteen’s Third Division Chief, as his adopted granddaughter. So he came to the front lines to look after her. With the Sword Saint gone, it’s a huge relief for our front-line warriors! Ha ha ha!”
Jegal let the laughter wash over him, feeling his mind reel.
This was his own fault.
Had he done even a little reconnaissance, he would have known Yang Munheon was there.
His arrogance had led him to believe that three hundred troops could easily crush the Flying Dragon Thirteen, so he pushed ahead without investigation.
And now, as the price for that arrogance, Jegal had lost most of his forces.
Though about a hundred troops remained, the difference between three hundred and one hundred was like heaven and earth.
With such diminished strength, there was nothing he could do.
“Oh, by the way, there was a report just last night. The Blood Sect’s demon heads attacked the Thirteen Division in a large group two nights ago. But thanks to Master Yang’s presence, they were completely annihilated without any damage. Isn’t that a blessing for Commander Jegal? Wah ha ha ha!”
Jegal wanted nothing more than to kill the man smiling so innocently before him.
But he couldn’t.
Forcing himself to maintain composure, Jegal spoke with difficulty.
“Commander Gwan, I’m not feeling well today. Let’s discuss the rest another time.”
“Ah? Of course! You didn’t look well just now. Please rest well, Commander!”
After sending Gwan Gubong out, Jegal pressed his throbbing forehead and sank into thought.
To be honest, in this state, rising again on his own was nearly impossible.
Even if it were possible, he had no idea how long it would take.
He needed another way.
After a long moment with his eyes closed, Jegal suddenly snapped them open.
His bloodshot eyes glowed red with determination.
He had decided to use his last resort.
It seemed he had no other choice.
He muttered through gritted teeth, “The Blood Sect… I have no choice but to use them.”
Though not a force he could openly display, being able to leverage the Blood Sect was a significant advantage.
Besides, he still had something to trade with them.
Grinding his teeth fiercely, Jegal sprang to his feet.
It was time to move again.
Any thoughts about the immorality of colluding with the Blood Demons were long gone.
For him, giving up on his ambition was simply not an option.
Mount Jomchang, Yunnan Province.
Blood Demon Jeon Muwang read the letter from Jegal Jigang and smiled faintly.
“Jegal Jigang wants to meet.”
Nearby, the stealthy Nine-Tailed Demon, Jigi-eum, responded.
“That’s strange. He must still fear the Supreme Lord. Could it be he’s overcome that fear?”
Jeon Muwang snapped his fingers, burning the letter in a trance-like state.
“Unlikely. If he had overcome ‘fear,’ he would have overcome ‘ambition’ as well. But if he had overcome ambition, he wouldn’t be seeking me out. He must be desperate—desperate enough to ask for my help despite his fear.”
Jigi-eum scoffed.
“Hmph. That hypocrite of the righteous sect has truly hit rock bottom.”
Jeon Muwang chuckled.
“Isn’t that good for us? We haven’t yet received our due for dealing with the Sword Saint. If he’s desperate, we can raise our price—demand not only secret techniques but also materials.”
When Jeon Muwang agreed to eliminate the Sword Saint, he had demanded the Blood Sect’s old secret manuals held by the Martial Alliance.
Though confiscated, they had not been destroyed.
Jegal had secretly planned to retrieve those manuals and return them to the Blood Demons.
What Jegal didn’t know was that those manuals contained forbidden techniques capable of transferring a dead soul into another body.
Techniques that could bind the soul of the dead to a new vessel—like the one that could possess Haechungyeon with the reverse-blood demon Gwayom, or restore the soul of his beloved disciple, Gu Yusang, into a blood demon body.
Jeon Muwang murmured softly, eyes filled with sorrow.
“The day I see Yusang again is drawing near.”
Jigi-eum said nothing, quietly respecting his lord’s grief.
After a moment, Jeon Muwang suddenly asked, “Mayugyeom—have we found any trace of him yet?”
“Not yet. We believe he’s completely left the front-line area,” Jigi-eum replied.
Jeon Muwang snorted lowly.
“A man with nowhere to go, yet still evading us… He’s a pain. Must be the bloodline—there’s nothing about him I like. Is Heegum still the same?”
Jigi-eum answered apologetically.
“Yes, the young lady remains…”
Jeon Muwang’s daughter, Jeon Heegum, had been locked away in her room for months, refusing to come out since Mayugyeom’s disappearance.
Even when her father visited, she wouldn’t see or speak to him.
Though she never said it outright, it was clear she resented her father.
Perhaps she even believed that Jeon Muwang had killed her son, Mayugyeom.
Lost in thought for a moment, Jeon Muwang regained his composure and asked, “And how is Haesojeo doing?”
Jigi-eum answered with a hint of amusement.
“She’s doing very well. Judging by the recent deaths of a few nearby men, it seems she’s broken through a barrier.”
Jeon Muwang smiled bitterly.
Killing a few men meant she had absorbed their inner energy using the Blood Sect’s absorption technique.
That she was mastering the Blood Sect’s martial arts and increasing her power, even to the point of killing to absorb energy, was not something to be taken lightly.
The Blood Demon sighed with a trace of regret.
“I’m very curious to know what Geomseong would say if he saw this scene—the daughter of the greatest righteous swordsman mastering the Blood Sect’s martial arts and becoming a demon swordmaster.”
But as he spoke those words, a cruel smile slowly crept across his face.
“Isn’t it fascinating just to imagine? If I’d known it would come to this, I might have done something to save him… somehow. Heh heh heh heh!”
The smile the Blood Demon wore now was more wicked and demonic than anyone else’s.
“Heh heh heh, hahahaha!”
Unable to contain his laughter, the Blood Demon chuckled heartily for a long moment before suddenly stopping and turning to Jigium.
“I suppose it’s time I paid her a visit after all this time. I need to see it with my own eyes.”
At those words, Jigium appeared and knelt, replying respectfully.
“As you wish, Supreme One.”
But by the time he looked up again, the Blood Demon’s new form had already vanished without a trace from the study.
Whoosh!
Crack!
A bolt of lightning-blue sword energy flashed, splitting a towering tree straight down the middle.
It was the result of Ha Cheong-yeon’s sword strike.
With an expressionless face, she stared silently at the freshly cleaved wood grain.
Then—
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Suddenly, applause came from behind.
“Impressive, young lady. To wield the Blood Thunder Sword Technique so well after such a short time training.”
The Blood Thunder Sword Technique was the Blood Sect’s finest sword art, previously used by Gu Yusang against Sun Woo-jin.
The tree’s split wasn’t a clean cut from a sword but looked violently shattered and scorched, as if struck by lightning.
Ha Cheong-yeon had mastered the most crucial aspect of the technique—the thunder energy—within less than a month.
Turning around with the same blank expression, she faced the Blood Demon and said,
“Thank you for the compliment. It’s an excellent sword technique. Though, since it originally belongs to the Namgung family’s style, that’s only natural.”
Her words clearly criticized the Blood Sect for stealing and improving upon other schools’ martial arts.
But the Blood Demon laughed it off and replied,
“I’m confident it’s much easier to learn than the original Imperial Sword Technique, and even more powerful. Even you, Ha, have already managed to master it, haven’t you?”
It was undeniable that the Blood Sect’s martial arts were easier to learn.
That was why so many, despite knowing the madness it could bring, still succumbed to its temptation.
Ha Cheong-yeon asked him with the same impassive face,
“You’ve come after a long time. Is it to bring more good news?”
At her question, the Blood Demon suddenly recalled what he had told her last time.
He had promised to return with good news.
Though he had completely forgotten that promise, he smiled faintly and answered,
“I’m not sure if this counts as good news. Seolpung and Sun Woo-jin have disappeared. Moreover, all the members of the Seven Squad of the Flying Dragon Thirteen who didn’t come to Aenoe Mountain have vanished from the front lines as well.”
At that, Ha Cheong-yeon’s face stiffened for the first time.
“…They’ve disappeared?”
Watching her expression carefully, the Blood Demon continued slowly.
“Yes. They returned safely from Aenoe Mountain, but afterward, they didn’t show up in the Flying Dragon Thirteen. Instead, those who remained there vanished, claiming they were avenging their comrades. Fascinating, isn’t it?”
Ha Cheong-yeon pondered briefly before asking again.
But it wasn’t the question the Blood Demon had expected.
“Is the current commander at the front line perhaps Jegal Jigang?”
Surprised by the unexpected question, the Blood Demon studied her face before answering.
“Yes, that’s right.”
At once, Ha Cheong-yeon’s expression relaxed.
She nodded as if she had figured something out.
“I see.”
Jeon Mugwang barely caught on to what she was thinking in that brief moment.
She likely assumed that Jegal Jigang’s arrival at the front line had caused them to deliberately withdraw.
Considering Jegal Jigang’s revealed connection to the Blood Demon, she probably judged that he would kill her acquaintances, and with the destruction of Aenoe Mountain’s production facilities, the demons would disappear.
It was an impressively sharp deduction.
As the Blood Demon admired her insight, she suddenly asked again.
“Is it only the Seven Squad members who have disappeared?”
The Blood Demon shook his head.
“No, the spear-wielding Dragon Swordmaster, Sagunildo, has vanished as well.”
“The Dragon Swordmaster… So no one else?”
The Blood Demon sensed she was concerned about something she hadn’t told him.
Though curious, he refrained from asking outright.
Ha Cheong-yeon wanted to know if Dang Ye-eun had disappeared along with Sun Woo-jin.
But she couldn’t reveal that much to the Blood Demon.
Satisfied that Dang Ye-eun was still around, she nodded expressionlessly.
“That’s good news for me as well. Thank you.”
Hearing her inscrutable thanks, the Blood Demon suddenly felt frustrated.
For the first time, he wanted to lift her hair and see her face clearly.
Not to admire her beauty, but to look into her eyes and confirm the madness brought on by the Blood Sect’s martial arts.
But just as Ha Cheong-yeon restrained herself, so did the Blood Demon.
For the upcoming ritual, it was best not to cool their relationship now.
Feeling a deep sense of regret, he added one last remark.
“Ah, I heard you broke through the barrier. Congratulations.”
On the surface, it was a simple congratulation, but beneath it lay the knowledge that Ha Cheong-yeon had used the Blood Sect’s soul-sucking technique to sacrifice others and absorb their inner energy.
He was trying to probe her with that.
Yet, despite his careful observation, Ha Cheong-yeon’s expression remained unwaveringly blank as she replied briefly,
“Thank you.”
In the end, the Blood Demon left empty-handed, unable to confirm her true state.
Alone, Ha Cheong-yeon entered her room, sat down, and took a deep breath.
It was time to cultivate her mind.
“Huuuu!”
Her decision to master the Blood Sect’s martial arts, despite knowing the madness it brought, was not born of despair or recklessness.
Rather, she was confident she could overcome it.
She understood perfectly why the Blood Demon generously supplied her with the Blood Sect’s power.
“He wants me to fall into madness. That way, I’ll be easier to control, and it’ll be simpler to possess me with the Rebellious Blood Demon. But… sorry to disappoint him, that won’t happen.”
Her eyes, hidden beneath her hair, flashed with renewed determination.
In her childhood, Ha Cheong-yeon’s exceptional talent had made her increasingly arrogant.
She looked down on others, even her own sisters, and her temperament grew cruel.
Seeing this, Geomseong sought a secret method to help his daughter calm her heart.
Soon, through a monk he knew from Shaolin, he obtained a certain mental cultivation technique.
That technique completely changed Ha Cheong-yeon.
Geomseong’s devotion had worked.
Her chest ached as she thought of her father.
“Father…”
In truth, mastering that technique hadn’t made Ha Cheong-yeon fundamentally different.
It had simply made her realize that the emotions driving her—arrogance, contempt, hatred—were not her true self.
From then on, she grew into a talented yet humble person, eccentric but understanding of others.
Looking back, it was all thanks to that mental cultivation.
“I’d forgotten about it for so long…”
After calming her heart, Ha Cheong-yeon never continued practicing that technique.
Since it had no other special effects, she saw no need.
But when she decided to learn the Blood Sect’s martial arts, that technique was the first thing that came to mind.
She believed it would be enough to overcome the madness.
The name of that mental cultivation technique she had learned was the Great Lotus Serenity Mind Method.