Episode 24
“So there’s a space like this inside the Poisonous Forest. Quite surprising.”
Ji Gwang-ok, commander of the Blood-Hunting Demon Army, stepped onto the solid ground that stood like an island deep within the swampy Poisonous Forest, scanning his surroundings.
Except for the narrow entrance path and the cluster of huts and courtyard inside, everything else was marshland.
What was more curious was that, despite no walls or barriers, none of the snakes or insects swarming outside dared to enter. It seemed the entire area had been infused with a scent that repelled venomous creatures.
“This is the work of someone who knows poisons and herbs intimately.”
Ji Gwang-ok had a hunch about the paralyzed old man the Miao child had mentioned—someone who was half-paralyzed but possessed great knowledge.
A savage smile crept across his lips as he muttered, “So, we finally meet again, Elder Seok.”
But when he reached the hut and opened its door, the figures who stepped out were an unexpected young man and woman.
The man bowed first and spoke, “I’m Seol Poong, leader of the Seventh Squad of the Thirteen Divisions of the Flying Dragon. May I ask which senior you are?”
“Oh? The Flying Dragon Division, is it?”
A feral grin spread across Ji Gwang-ok’s face.
His subordinates, standing behind him, were already in an uproar at the sight of the woman beside Seol Poong.
“It’s a woman! A young one at that!”
“Heh heh, what a figure.”
“Her face must be stunning—why is she hiding it?”
“What’s there to worry about? We’ll just take care of that, heh heh heh!”
Ji Gwang-ok answered Seol Poong’s greeting first.
“I am Ji Gwang-ok of the Blood-Hunting Demon Army. I’ve come to see the old man who’s here. Do you intend to stop me?”
Seol Poong bowed again, this time more respectfully.
“Ah, Senior Ji Gwang-ok. Your reputation precedes you. How could I possibly stand in your way? But this place is a safe house where members of the Flying Dragon Division occasionally stay. Unless you intend to disregard the non-aggression pact made directly between the Martial Alliance Leader and the Blood Demon, I kindly ask you to withdraw.”
At the mention of the Blood Demon, Ji Gwang-ok’s eyes twitched.
Known for his fierce loyalty to the Blood Demon, he could not ignore the name.
Just as Seol Poong had anticipated, the smile vanished from Ji Gwang-ok’s face, replaced by a low growl.
“You say this is the Flying Dragon’s safe house? I beg to differ.”
Seol Poong quickly pointed out, “But isn’t that the Flying Dragon’s emblem over there?”
“Hmm?”
As Ji Gwang-ok turned his gaze toward where Seol Poong urgently pointed, a beam of light shot from Seol Poong’s body like a streak of lightning.
Flash!
It was clear a fight was inevitable.
Seol Poong had deliberately kept a respectful and somewhat fearful demeanor to catch his opponent off guard.
Believing this might be his first and last chance, Seol Poong unleashed a secret technique he had been hiding.
A red glow flickered between his tightly shut eyes.
With all his strength, he struck Ji Gwang-ok from behind with a fierce Tiger Claw strike.
This was his true secret technique, the Beast Fist, concealed under the guise of the Mangpyo Fist.
Boom!
“Yikes!”
Seol Poong gritted his teeth.
Ji Gwang-ok, who had turned to face him at the last moment, raised his arm to block the attack.
Though he managed to deflect it, the impact staggered him.
Seol Poong pressed the assault, striking like a wild beast—swinging both arms, spinning like a whirlwind, unleashing a relentless barrage.
Seol Poong could only maintain this level of power for about fifteen minutes at most.
He had to end it within that time.
As Seol Poong launched his surprise attack, Hae Cheong-yeon also sprang into action.
True to their plan, she targeted the subordinates standing behind Ji Gwang-ok.
Her shadow-like form suddenly appeared in the Blood-Hunting Demon Army’s line of sight.
“Hah!”
Shu-hak!
A lightning-fast thrust exploded from the tip of her sword.
Her father had confidently claimed her sword style, the Comet Black Blade, was no less than the legendary Silent Blade of Jeomchang.
Like a comet slicing through darkness, her blade pierced the chest of one Blood Demon soldier in an instant.
Pew!
“Ugh!”
Four down.
Hae Cheong-yeon’s cold gaze swept over the remaining foes.
But the Blood Demons, startled, had already taken defensive stances.
The element of surprise was over.
Now, she had to hold her own against four first-rate warriors of equal caliber.
Enraged, the Blood Demons charged simultaneously.
“That bitch dares!”
“Attack!”
“Hey, hey! Don’t kill her! We need her limbs intact!”
“Don’t scar her face either! I prefer licking a perfect face!”
Any ordinary martial woman would have been furious at such taunts.
But Hae Cheong-yeon only smiled.
Limbs intact, face unblemished—if they thought that way, she was almost grateful.
While Hae Cheong-yeon was oddly appreciative of her enemies’ mindset, Seol Poong’s situation was deteriorating.
Ji Gwang-ok, who had been pushed back by the surprise attack, was slowly turning the tide.
Even in this dire moment, his calm defense and recovery showed the experience of a battle-hardened veteran.
Ji Gwang-ok barely held on, letting out a sigh of relief inwardly.
He had paid dearly for his momentary lapse.
That young upstart, barely in his twenties, initially estimated to have about eighty years of internal energy cultivation, was now displaying near-superhuman martial prowess.
It seemed connected to the fact that the youth kept his eyes closed.
But now that the surprise attack had been repelled, it was merely impressive.
The youth had missed his one and only chance, and the true supreme warrior—Ji Gwang-ok—had regained the upper hand.
With a beast-like grin, Ji Gwang-ok shifted from defense to offense.
Crash!
Thunder roared as Ji Gwang-ok’s long spear slammed into Seol Poong.
It was the Blood-Hunting Demon Army’s signature technique—the Thunderous Blood Spear.
Bang!
“Grrr!”
Seol Poong crossed his arms to block but was blasted backward by the sheer force.
Struggling to regain balance, he saw Ji Gwang-ok charging like a fierce tiger.
“Ha ha ha ha!”
Surrounded by a crimson aura, Ji Gwang-ok’s twin fists struck Seol Poong like massive boulders.
Boom!
“Oh?”
Just when Ji Gwang-ok thought it was over, he murmured in admiration.
Seol Poong’s response was remarkable.
Crouching low, he spun fiercely, narrowly dodging Ji Gwang-ok’s powerful blow.
His movements were truly beast-like.
Using the momentum, Seol Poong’s spinning strike kicked Ji Gwang-ok’s head.
Shhhhk!
Both stepped back, pausing their assault.
Blood trickled from a cut on Ji Gwang-ok’s cheek—Seol Poong’s blade had grazed him.
Ji Gwang-ok wiped the blood with his hand, licked it, and chuckled low.
“Heh heh heh! You’re truly formidable. To think there’s such a warrior among the Flying Dragon’s young ones. Lucky I could kill you before you grew any stronger.”
Then, like a great beast, he lunged forward again.
“Ha ha ha ha!”
Seol Poong gritted his teeth as Ji Gwang-ok bore down on him like a monstrous beast.
Inside the hut, Elder Seok Gyeong-dal had yet to flee.
After handing over his research notes to Da-kam, he urged him urgently.
“Take the others and hide there. You understand? Under no circumstances are you to come out before six months have passed.”
Da-kam’s eyes welled with tears as he asked, “Tokno! Tokno, you must come too!”
But Elder Seok smiled gently and shook his head.
“I’m going to die soon anyway. If I’m to die, I might as well make it meaningful.”
He ushered Da-kam and the others into a secret passage.
For the first time in years, his paralyzed limbs were regaining sensation.
In truth, his paralysis had been self-imposed to seal his demonic energy.
Watching his friend Jeon Mu-gwang’s mind slowly consumed by demonic energy, he had taken this measure to protect himself.
Because of this, he could maintain his sanity against the Blood-Hunting Demon Army’s insane demonic energy, which would otherwise destroy the user’s body.
Now, a wild surge of demonic energy coursed through him, heating his heart like a raging furnace.
It meant the demonic energy was beginning to erode his mind—but for a short while, it was bearable.
After all, he didn’t intend to use it for long.
Just as he grinned wildly and prepared to rush out the door, someone grabbed his shoulder.
Frowning, the old man looked back and shouted, “Da-kam! You’re still here?!”
Hae Cheong-yeon was still holding her ground, surrounded by four first-rate warriors of equal skill.
But this was more due to the Blood Demons’ choices than her own.
“Oh! This is good!”
“Ha ha ha! The flesh on her thighs is so tender!”
“Next, let’s try the chest!”
“Hmm, that might be a bit more difficult.”
The Blood Demons were teasing her, slicing just enough of her clothes on her upper arms, thighs, and calves to expose the skin beneath.
Any martial woman would be trembling with rage at such humiliation, but Hae Cheong-yeon was effectively letting it happen.
Her focus was on the battle raging just beside her—Seol Poong’s situation was growing increasingly dire.
Under Ji Gwang-ok’s relentless onslaught, Seol Poong was barely holding on—truly a desperate struggle. The fact that he hadn’t broken yet was praise enough.
In this situation, Hae Cheong-yeon judged that pushing herself too hard would be pointless.
Beating all four of them alone was impossible anyway, and if she overextended and got captured, Seol Poong’s fate would be sealed.
So instead, she deliberately played the part of the one being dragged around, lulling the enemies into a false sense of security.
Then, suddenly, Hae Cheong-yeon’s ears perked up.
Beneath strands of hair falling over her nose, a faint smile curved her lips.
“All right, this time I’ll take a shot!”
One of the blood cultists, eyes gleaming with greed, charged at her.
But just as his blade was about to graze her chest, Hae Cheong-yeon’s sword flashed with sudden speed.
Whoosh!
A pale, misty sword aura spread out like a river of stars—the Celestial Sword Technique’s “Cutting Star Nebula Barrage.”
“What—what is that?!”
The blood cultist tried to defend in a panic, but it was already too late.
Clang! Swish!
“Ahhh!”
The tangled sword aura pierced through his defense, grazing his body, and his skin began to crack like shattered glass.
Moments later, blood erupted from him like a fountain.
Gush!
“Arrgh!”
Only after witnessing their comrade’s brutal death did the blood cultists realize she had been hiding her true strength to make them careless.
Their eyes darkened with malice.
“How dare she!”
“Attack all at once!”
“Losing an arm or two doesn’t matter! Just subdue her!”
The remaining three charged simultaneously.
Three top-tier martial artists attacking in unison—Hae Cheong-yeon faced a truly formidable challenge.
Yet, for some reason, she smiled calmly.
From behind her, two radiant figures shot forward like beams of light.
“Good work, young lady!”
“Die, you bastards!”
At last, Sun Woo-jin and Bi Sa-young had awakened from their trance.
Power surged through my entire body.
At last, my senses aligned with the memories of my past life.
My internal energy was nearly at the level of “Il Gapja” (First Grade Master).
I’d only consumed half a Danhwan pill, yet I’d gained over thirty years’ worth of internal energy. The old man’s claim that it would be comparable to the Summoning Pill was no exaggeration.
With the backing of Il Gapja-level internal energy came incredible speed.
The blood cultist’s panicked face rapidly filled my vision.
“Hah!”
Whoosh!
From the tenth second onward, the Sun Woo Thirteen Sword technique required at least first-grade internal energy.
I’d never unleashed it before—not in my past life, and not now, due to insufficient energy.
But now, for the first time, I unleashed the eleventh-second move, “Great Roc Soaring Ten Thousand Miles.” Brilliant sword energy spread like massive wings, enveloping the enemy’s entire body.
Startled by the ghostly wings wrapping around him, the blood cultist screamed and wildly swung his blade.
“Arrgh!”
But the wings were just an illusion.
A single beam of light shot from their center, lightly grazing his neck, and his movements froze.
Gush!
Blood spurted like a fountain from his half-severed throat just as I was closing in on the blood cultist who was locked in combat with Cheong-yeon.
Cheong-yeon wasn’t overexerting herself—she was simply parrying his strikes, as if she knew I’d finish this quickly.
The cultist’s eyes widened when he spotted me swooping in like a vulture from behind.
And the moment his gaze shifted to me, Cheong-yeon’s sword slashed sharply, as if to say, “What are you worried about?”
Swish!
Our blades grazed his body simultaneously.
His chest and neck split open, blood spraying as he collapsed.
I grinned and asked her, “Hope I’m not interrupting anything?”
She smiled back—rare for her—and replied, “A welcome interruption.”
The small smile beneath her hair, those crimson lips, were as beautiful as ever.
Then Bi Sa-young shouted like a scream.
“What are you doing?! I need to help too!”
She was struggling against the last blood cultist.
Though her internal energy was close to forty years’ worth, she hadn’t yet reached first-grade mastery, so facing a top-tier blood cultist was still a challenge.
But while the fight was tough, it didn’t look dangerous.
Using Bi Jong-mun’s Cheonpung Palm technique, which lets one become like a wisp of air to evade attacks, she was dodging blows with ease.
I laughed as I leapt forward and called out, “Stop whining when it’s not even that dangerous!”
“Whining?!” she shot back.
The speed of my new technique, powered by Il Gapja internal energy, was truly astonishing.
In an instant, my sword split into five streams, raining down on the blood cultist.
“Ugh!”
I saw him grit his teeth, blocking my strikes.
He was clearly the strongest of the remaining enemies.
Even when my blows scattered his defense illusions, he somehow managed to block the heavy strikes.
“Hah!”
Clang!
He was no pushover.
I felt the urge to see how long he could hold out, but there was no time.
The moment he barely blocked my sword, I grinned and dropped my weapon.
Confused by the sudden loss of pressure, he asked, “W-what?!”
Right then, I closed the distance and rammed my head into his face with full force.
Crack!
“Arrgh!”
My head, trained through countless external exercises, was as solid as a hammerstone.
His face caved in completely from the impact.
Without hesitation, I grabbed the sword floating in midair and slashed his throat.
Shhhk!
Blood sprayed as I leapt back.
A thrilling sensation coursed through me, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
I’d finally caught up to the martial prowess I’d lacked in my past life.
Brushing my disheveled hair back from the headbutt, I muttered, “Hah, not even a match.”
Bi Sa-young, watching with a shocked expression, snapped, “Don’t act so cool, you ignorant fool!”
Hmm, she probably had no idea her own strength was similar to mine.
Turning my gaze, I saw that the battle between the old man Seok Gyeong-dal and Ji Gwang-ok was entering a new phase.