Chapter 271
Hae Cheong-yeon returned once again to her quarters.
This was because, after Gu Yoo-sang’s resurrection, the Blood Demon had bitten others with a look of deep emotion.
It seemed he wanted to have a private conversation with her.
Unlike the Blood Demon, who seemed to have gained the whole world, Hae Cheong-yeon found herself unable to settle her mind upon returning. She paced restlessly in the training hall.
This was a side of her rarely seen—she was usually calm and focused on her duties.
In truth, she was deeply unsettled and anxious.
“Is it really possible to bring the dead back to life? What should I do? What if this is true?”
Though trapped in the heart of the Blood Sect, she had maintained some mental composure until now.
She had believed the legend of resurrecting the dead was just that—a legend.
Her father, the Sword Saint, was well-traveled and knowledgeable, and through countless books, she had learned of many extraordinary masters, rare spiritual essences, and mystical herbs scattered across the world.
But never once had she heard of anyone truly coming back from death.
It was simply impossible.
But now, it wasn’t.
Resurrecting the dead was not impossible.
That meant the legend of the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon’s revival was true.
“The worst Blood Demon in history, the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon, has been brought back. And using my body?”
It was a horrifying thought.
If such a thing were truly happening, perhaps it would be wiser to end her own life now.
Hae Cheong-yeon seriously considered it.
“Should I just take my own life?”
But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
It wasn’t fear of death, but rather the feeling that it would be far too hasty while hope still remained.
Her plan was to raise her martial prowess as quickly as possible and escape this place.
That was why she had devoted herself to training so diligently—mastering the Blood Sect’s martial arts and even drinking human blood.
She knew better than anyone how rapidly she was improving.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before she could deceive Gu Yoo-eumma’s gaze and make her escape.
But…
“The problem is, I don’t think I can wait that long.”
The Blood Demon had said that Je Gal Ji-gang would gather the materials needed for the grand ritual.
Given Je Gal Ji-gang’s influence, Hae Cheong-yeon knew it wouldn’t take long to collect them.
If he didn’t do it himself, someone else would—but if he took the lead, there was nothing in the martial world he couldn’t obtain.
So… time was definitely limited.
Putting all these facts together, Hae Cheong-yeon’s conclusion was inevitable.
“I have to escape. As soon as possible.”
There was no other way.
Surprisingly, the moment Hae Cheong-yeon felt an opportunity to escape came just a few days after that dreadful grand ritual.
The watchful eyes that always followed her suddenly vanished.
This meant that Ji-gum, Gu Yoo-eumma’s subordinate, was nearby in person—not his usual underlings.
And Hae Cheong-yeon had already figured out when he was directly watching her.
“The Blood Demon has gone out again.”
She didn’t know why.
It could be because of the recently resurrected Gu Yoo-sang, or perhaps because Ji-gum had to fetch the “materials” from Je Gal Ji-gang.
If it was the latter, then this was undoubtedly her last chance.
“Phew.”
Taking a deep breath, Hae Cheong-yeon refocused her mind.
Still, she couldn’t sense Ji-gum’s presence.
Her skills weren’t yet enough to detect him.
Though she already knew this, it was still disappointing.
It seemed impossible to catch up to one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the Martial World in such a short time.
But outwardly, she showed no sign of frustration.
She simply drew her sword and stepped into the training hall.
Then she formed her Qi array.
Not the Seongra Sword Technique, but the Blood Thunder Sword Formation.
Crackle!
A crimson lightning began to spark from her blade.
The intensity of the lightning far surpassed when she had subdued the Choo-woong Three Demons before, a testament to her rapid progress.
She stood still for a moment, letting the lightning crackle and spread through the surrounding air.
Then, a faint smile tugged at the corners of her usually expressionless mouth.
She moved.
“Hup!”
But it wasn’t the sword in her right hand that moved.
It was her empty left hand.
Flames of ominous red energy engulfed it.
Focusing her strength briefly, she suddenly spun around and thrust her left hand forward.
From it, three dragon-shaped crimson energy beams shot out in different directions.
The Nine Heavens Blood Dragon Technique.
Roar!
The three beams flew at incredible speed, curving sharply to converge on a single point.
It was where Ji-gum was hiding.
She had just pinpointed his location.
Though she couldn’t sense his presence directly, she had used the lightning she scattered around to find him.
It was a method she had devised after much thought.
“!”
Ji-gum was shocked.
He couldn’t believe she had found his exact position.
But first, he had to deal with the charging Blood Dragons.
To maintain perfect invisibility, one had to nearly suspend their physical abilities.
Ji-gum knew well that in his current state, he couldn’t fully block those attacks.
So he had no choice but to dodge.
Crash!
Ji-gum broke his invisibility and leapt away in a hurry.
As expected, the Blood Dragons changed direction instantly, pursuing him.
The Blood Sect’s strongest martial arts were truly formidable.
This time, Ji-gum decided not to dodge.
Having broken invisibility and restored his body, he believed he could now block the attacks.
“Hup!”
He let out a mental shout and thrust his hand forward.
A massive shield of crimson energy erupted from his palm.
Flames of protective energy.
The three Blood Dragons howled as they slammed into the shield.
Crash!
The impact was tremendous.
Ji-gum was violently pushed back, groaning involuntarily.
He couldn’t even remember the last time he had groaned like that in decades.
Then—
Flash!
Suddenly, a dazzling cluster of light filled Ji-gum’s vision.
It was as if the Milky Way itself had descended before his eyes.
“What is that?!”
Ji-gum recalled seeing this once before—when the Sword Saint had fought the Blood Demon.
The sword technique Hae Cheong-yeon was now unleashing was the Eighteen Moves of the Seongra Sword Technique: Milky River Flow.
It was the strongest finishing move of the Sword Saint’s style, now wielded by his daughter.
Blue sword energy cascaded toward Ji-gum’s body, which had been caught off guard while blocking the Blood Dragon Technique.
“…”
Ji-gum, unable to prepare for this next attack, stared blankly at the Milky River Flow with a stunned expression.
Watching him, Hae Cheong-yeon was certain of her success.
By combining the strongest techniques she knew, she had truly caught Ji-gum—the top of the Thirty-Six Stars.
“It’s done!”
In truth, it was beyond her current ability to perform the Milky River Flow of the Seongra Sword Technique.
She could only unleash it now thanks to the Blood Sect’s martial arts, which allowed her to push her potential beyond limits, even at the cost of damaging her body.
She planned to deal with Ji-gum and then immediately escape from Jeomchang Mountain.
Her body would be in bad shape, but there would be no time to recover.
But just as her sharp mind was already planning the next steps—
Whoosh!
A massive energy ring flew in from somewhere, colliding with the Milky River Flow right before Ji-gum.
Boom!
A huge explosion erupted with a deafening roar.
The tremendous backlash sent Hae Cheong-yeon flying backward.
“Ugh?!”
She barely managed to land and stop herself from falling further when a voice reached her ears.
“Impressive. Truly remarkable talent.”
At that moment, Hae Cheong-yeon froze.
The voice, soft and praising, belonged to none other than the Blood Demon.
He was descending slowly from the air in front of her vacant gaze.
Her mind raced to grasp the situation.
And in an instant, she reached a conclusion.
“A trap.”
The Blood Demon had never actually gone out.
He had deliberately sent Ji-gum to provoke her into action.
That meant every time the Blood Demon went out, leaving Ji-gum to watch her, it was all part of this plan.
Showing her the grand ritual recently, proving that possession by the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon was possible—that too was part of the trap.
All of it was designed to make her impatient.
“To fall for such a simple trap…”
Hae Cheong-yeon blamed herself for not seeing through it, but at the same time, she sensed something strange.
No matter how cornered she was, it was odd that she had become so impatient as to miss even this trap.
“Could it be…”
Moments later, understanding dawned on her.
She sighed and asked the Blood Demon.
“You planted a suggestion in my mind—to make me impatient.”
There was no other explanation for the current situation.
When he showed her the grand ritual, he must have simultaneously implanted a suggestion to make her lose her composure.
In an instant, the Blood Demon’s expression shifted from one of surprise at the swift conclusion to a smile as he nodded.
“Indeed. As expected, Lady Hae, you are wise.”
Before he could even finish speaking, Hae Cheong-yeon struck with her sword like a flash of lightning.
But her target was not the Blood Demon.
It was her own chest.
She had resolved to die.
With all hope extinguished, taking her own life seemed the only viable choice.
If the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon were to possess her and be resurrected, it would surely bring great calamity upon the world.
Yet—
Even that failed.
“!”
Hae Cheong-yeon stared at her sword, frozen as if gripped by an invisible force, while the Blood Demon calmly reached out toward her.
Though he merely extended his hand into the air, she couldn’t move a single finger.
His intangible energy had bound her entire body tightly.
The difference in power was absurd.
Slowly, the Blood Demon approached and lightly pressed on one of her blood points, where she was exerting all her strength.
Crack!
Despair washed over Hae Cheong-yeon.
It was all over.
She couldn’t believe everything had ended so futilely.
And as she faced the harsh reality she refused to accept, another truth dawned on her.
The suggestion… it wasn’t just this time.
It must have been there from the very first moment they met.
Looking back, the reason he spared no support for her, the reason he let her roam freely—it all made sense now.
That suggestion he planted in her mind was ‘hope.’
…I’ve been completely outplayed.
Despair engulfed her.
The Blood Demon smiled gently and spoke.
“When Jigium spoke of your growth, I honestly didn’t believe it. No matter what, I thought it impossible to grow so much in such a short time. But even what Jigium saw was only thirty percent of the truth. Remarkable. You truly are worthy to be the vessel of the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon.”
The vessel of the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon.
Hae Cheong-yeon squeezed her eyes shut beneath her hair.
To the Blood Demon, she had been nothing more than that from the start.
The Blood Demon continued softly.
“Now, I have no choice but to restrain your freedom. All of this is because your growth was too rapid, so please do not resent me.”
His voice was gentle, almost like that of a noble hero from the righteous sect.
Then, suddenly, he reached out and brushed aside her bangs.
He had long wanted to see the eyes hidden beneath.
Following his hand, her sharp nose, her star-like pupils, and her prominent forehead were revealed one by one.
And the moment he saw her jewel-like, shimmering black-and-blue eyes, the Blood Demon froze.
“!”
He already knew that her eyes were heterochromatic—each a different color.
But seeing it with his own eyes was nothing like hearing about it.
They were beautiful.
No, they were mysterious.
A powerful beauty radiated from them, so intense it almost felt like magic.
Unconsciously, the Blood Demon swallowed hard.
He had only wanted to confirm the madness reflected in Hae Cheong-yeon’s eyes, but now, looking at her bare face, emotions he thought he had under control surged fiercely.
It was greed.
With eyes burning with desire, the Blood Demon gently caressed her cheek.
The terrible sensation made Hae Cheong-yeon recoil in disgust.