Chapter 329

It was true.

The woman standing right before Sun Woo-jin’s eyes was unmistakably Cheong-yeon.

The very same Cheong-yeon who had been captured by the Blood Demon, her fate unknown, was now here—on this remote peak of Hyeongsan—right in front of him.

Sun Woo-jin couldn’t help but doubt his own eyes.

Then, with her signature expressionless face, Cheong-yeon spoke.

“At least you haven’t forgotten me.”

The moment Sun Woo-jin heard that voice, he knew.

That voice, that tone, that slightly sulky, blank expression—

She was definitely Hae Cheong-yeon.

There was no way it could be anyone else, no illusion or trick.

With a mixture of disbelief and overwhelming joy, Sun Woo-jin slowly stepped forward and asked,

“Are you really, truly Cheong-yeon? How did you come to be here—no, that’s not important! Are you alright? Are you really safe?”

Cheong-yeon’s lips curved into a faint smile as she looked at him for a moment.

“I’m fine. I escaped from the Blood Demon when the opportunity arose. Lately, rumors about Seolpung Jo-jang have been shaking the entire martial world, so I thought you might be here as well, Sun Woo-jin.”

“Ah!”

At those words, Sun Woo-jin grabbed her hand tightly and said,

“That’s wonderful! Truly wonderful! I’m so relieved, Cheong-yeon!”

Cheong-yeon stared blankly at his hands, which were clutching hers so tightly.

Why hadn’t she realized before how happy this felt?

Why hadn’t she thought to hold his hand as her own when they were together?

“I can’t tell you how worried I was, Cheong-yeon! I feared something might have happened to you…”

As Sun Woo-jin poured out his words with tear-filled eyes, Cheong-yeon smiled softly.

She couldn’t even remember the last time she had smiled so genuinely.

Suddenly, she spoke to him.

“I love you, Sun Woo-jin.”

“What? You’re saying that now, looking so healthy…?”

Sun Woo-jin, caught up in his joy, blurted out without thinking, only to be stunned by her sudden confession.

Cheong-yeon brushed her bangs aside, slowly revealing her face, and repeated,

“I love you. I have for a long time. I’ve loved you all along.”

As her face emerged from behind her hair, Jin So-eun, standing behind Sun Woo-jin and watching the scene with a bewildered expression, gasped in shock.

“Gasp!”

She clasped her hands over her mouth, unable to stop herself from staring.

Though the sun had already set in the western sky, it felt as if another sun had suddenly appeared before her eyes.

Even as a woman herself, she was blinded by Cheong-yeon’s radiance.

It was a beauty beyond human comprehension.

Not even the famed beauties like Yeon Tae-jin, Woo Nan-seol, or the renowned Myo Ah-ran could compare.

If the Moon Palace’s legendary Hang-a truly existed, she would look just like this.

At that moment, Sun Woo-jin was equally stunned.

Though he had seen Cheong-yeon’s beauty before, the long absence had left him unable to focus.

Her small, pale face, the perfectly balanced sharp nose, the vivid red lips, the large, beautiful eyes with slightly upturned corners—and above all, those mysterious eyes, one blue and one red—everything seemed unreal.

Then, a sudden urgent voice broke through.

“Get a grip, Jin! Something’s off about her eyes!”

“Huh?”

Sun Woo-jin snapped back to reality at Muk-rang’s voice.

And then it hit him.

“Red and blue eyes? Her eyes were definitely…”

There was no mistake in his memory.

Her eyes had been black and blue.

So why were they now glowing red?

As he pondered this, Cheong-yeon stepped closer and asked,

“Are you surprised that I said I love you?”

Swallowing hard, he stammered,

“Well, I mean…”

She smiled—a dangerously seductive smile that made his head spin.

“It’s understandable. Sorry for telling you so late. If I’d said it sooner, you wouldn’t have wandered elsewhere.”

With that, Cheong-yeon slowly leaned in, her lips just inches from his.

It was dizzying.

But Sun Woo-jin bit his lip to steady himself.

Then, grabbing her shoulders, he pushed her gently away and said,

“Cheong-yeon, it’s truly an honor that someone as beautiful and talented as you would hold feelings for me. And I do like you, of course. But… I’m already promised to another woman. So I can’t accept your feelings without her consent…”

At that moment, Cheong-yeon’s face froze cold as ice.

She turned to look expressionlessly at Jin So-eun behind Sun Woo-jin and asked,

“You’re the one he’s promised to… Jin So-eun?”

Sun Woo-jin quickly shook his head.

“No, not Jin So-eun…”

Cheong-yeon interrupted, speaking with certainty.

“Then it must be Dang Yeo-eun, Lady Dang.”

Sun Woo-jin’s eyes widened in shock.

She had guessed immediately who it was.

Cheong-yeon’s gaze, now crystal clear, locked onto him.

She didn’t need his answer.

A brief hesitation, the look in his eyes—it was all the response she needed.

Having observed him closely for months, she could read every expression.

With a cold, icy tone, Cheong-yeon spoke slowly.

“So it’s true. While I was captured by the Blood Demon, uncertain if I’d live or die, you were whispering love to her.”

At that moment, something began to well up in her glassy, emotionless eyes.

Seeing this, Sun Woo-jin hurried to stop her.

A strange, ominous chill ran down his spine.

“No, Cheong-yeon! That’s not—”

Suddenly, a wicked light exploded from her blue and red eyes.

“Whoosh!”

At the same time, Muk-rang shouted in his mind,

“Impossible! The Reverse Heavenly Blood Demon?!”

Sun Woo-jin felt his entire body freeze, then slowly lift off the ground.

“Gah!”

In the next instant, he was suspended in midair, unable to move a single finger.

He was completely bound.

“W-What is this?!”

Though panicked, Sun Woo-jin immediately recognized the sensation.

It was the same as when he’d been attacked by Jeong Myeong-gang at the Guang Sword Tomb, and by Mu-hwang at Mu-hwang’s Stronghold.

“Invisible Qi?!”

It was absurd.

Invisible Qi was a realm only attainable by absolute beings above the level of the Four Kings.

Yet Cheong-yeon was displaying it now.

Sun Woo-jin stared at her in horror.

And then he saw it.

A sultry, intoxicating smile he had never seen before.

She spoke in a voice he’d never heard.

“Hohoho! What a handsome boy. No wonder you stole our Cheong-yeon’s heart.”

Muk-rang screamed in his mind,

“So she really is the Reverse Heavenly Blood Demon! Could it be that the Reverse Heavenly Ghost Soul Technique succeeded?!”

But Cheong-yeon, oblivious to the inner turmoil, continued with that enchanting smile.

“But to think you hurt our Cheong-yeon’s heart with that face… Should I start by tearing off your skin?”

Though she spoke lightly, the chilling feeling on his face told Sun Woo-jin the words were deadly serious.

“Ugh!”

The eerie sensation made him swallow hard.

Cold sweat poured down his back.

He understood the situation from her muttering.

She frowned slightly, speaking to herself.

“Really, even now you tell me not to touch him? You’re something else. Fine, I’ll do as you wish. So, what now?”

Her eyes suddenly shifted to Jin So-eun, who was still frozen in confusion.

Since learning that the beautiful woman was acquainted with Sun Woo-jin, Jin So-eun had been overwhelmed by the unfolding chaos.

Then, she realized Cheong-yeon’s gaze was fixed on her.

And just like Sun Woo-jin, she felt her body freeze and lift into the air.

“!”

For some reason, Cheong-yeon’s angelic smile now felt as chilling as a serpent’s.

Cheong-yeon said,

“Tell me, Cheong-yeon, what crime has the man you adore committed? It’s those wicked women who’ve been scheming against him. Isn’t that right?”

At that moment, Sun Woo-jin understood what she was thinking.

He shouted urgently,

“No! Lady Jin! Run! Quickly!”

But Jin So-eun, bound by the Invisible Qi, couldn’t escape.

She looked at Sun Woo-jin with a panicked expression and said,

“M-Master, I can’t move…”

Then—

Ha Cheong-yeon’s hand, as pale and smooth as white jade, pierced gently through Jin So-eun’s abdomen.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

“Jin So-eun!”

Blood welled up uncontrollably from Jin So-eun’s mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief and horror.

But Ha Cheong-yeon smiled beautifully at her, slowly withdrawing her hand from the wound.

Ssshhhk!

Jin So-eun gasped again, writhing in excruciating pain.

Yet, all that came from her mouth were clots of blood, not screams.

“Gah!”

Ha Cheong-yeon watched her with a soft, almost amused smile.

Then, licking the blood off her fingers, she spoke.

“Well now, how do you feel, Cheong-yeon? Isn’t your heart a little lighter? Oh, that’s right. The real one to kill isn’t this girl. It’s that Dang Yeo-eun, isn’t it?”

With that, Ha Cheong-yeon beamed brightly at Sun Woo-jin.

Her beautiful yet wicked smile made Sun Woo-jin scream in anguish, thrashing helplessly.

“No! Jin So-eun! Dang Yeo-eun!”

But his struggles were utterly futile.

Suspended midair, bound by an invisible force, he couldn’t move a muscle—not even a finger.

Ha Cheong-yeon smiled seductively at him and said,

“Handsome boy, I’m about to go kill that Dang Yeo-eun for our Cheong-yeon. So, what will you do? Will you try to stop me? Or will you save that girl?”

At her question, Sun Woo-jin’s gaze flickered toward Jin So-eun.

She had collapsed to the ground, barely moving.

She was dying, but still alive.

Ha Cheong-yeon’s smile grew wider, clearly enjoying his torment.

“Oh ho ho ho! I’m so curious about your choice, boy. Will you try to stop me for your lover? But as you know, that’s impossible. So will you try to save the one who still has a chance? Though, who knows if that’s even possible. Ho ho ho ho ho!”

Laughing like that, Ha Cheong-yeon leapt off the peak.

At the same moment, Sun Woo-jin was released from his bonds and fell to the ground.

Thud!

He glanced up at her soaring like a bird against the darkening sky, then hurried toward Jin So-eun.

“Jin So-eun! Jin So-eun! Stay with me! So-eun!”

With fading eyes, Jin So-eun struggled to speak.

“Sun Woo… Gongja… I love… you…”

“No! Don’t say that! Jin So-eun! Jin So-eun!”

On the paradise-like peak rising above the clouds, Sun Woo-jin’s desperate cries echoed beyond the darkening sky.