Chapter 341
Northern Anhui Province.
The vast Huabei Plain was bisected by the mighty Hui River, which paused briefly in its flow at the northern edge of Anhui Province, as if taking a moment to rest.
At the shore of the enormous Hongtae Lake—formed by that very pause—Hai Qingyan and Gwayom, the Blood-Bound Demon of the Reverse Sky, stood gazing out at the endless horizon, as vast as the sea itself.
Though Gwayom had lived two full lives already—six hundred years ago and then a hundred years past—this was the first time she had ever seen Hongtae Lake with her own eyes.
In both previous lives, overwhelming enemies had blocked her path, preventing her from ever reaching this place in Anhui.
She let out a soft, wry chuckle and murmured to herself, “To see Hongtae Lake, which my own eyes never beheld, through someone else’s gaze… how strange.”
Reflecting on her past lives, she realized how terribly unlucky she had been.
Her first life had coincided with the rise of the Nine Great Sects, a time when they were ascending like the morning sun.
Back then, the martial artists of the nascent Nine Great Sects were fiercely pure-hearted.
They charged into battle like madmen, throwing their lives away for the sake of righteousness, without a thought for factional gain.
Individually, their skills weren’t especially threatening.
In that era, Gwayom’s own prowess was unmatched across the martial world; she could have taken on any sect warrior single-handedly.
But…
“Those bastards always attacked as one, the entire orthodox martial world united against me. Like cockroaches, relentless and disgusting…”
Faced with fanatical sect warriors who cared nothing for their own lives, and their ceaseless, overwhelming assaults, Gwayom had no choice but to abandon her dream of ruling the Blood Sect’s realm.
So she sealed herself away, giving up on that era to seek a better future.
Yet…
“The fools I met in my second life…”
She hadn’t expected to sleep for five centuries, but no matter when she awoke, Gwayom had never doubted she would be the strongest in that era.
But she had been completely wrong.
The first enemies she faced upon awakening in Yunnan Province were the Southern Heaven Martial King, Zijiang, and the Vermilion Bird Sword King, Ye Juechen.
Both were masters pushing the limits of their martial realms, formidable opponents.
Still, Gwayom had thought they were manageable.
By then, the orthodox sects had fractured, each pursuing their own interests.
She no longer had to fight the entire orthodox world alone, and that alone gave her some satisfaction.
The problem was, those two were not the strongest in that era.
Realizing this, Gwayom clenched her teeth and thought bitterly,
“To think there were monsters like the Thunder God and Sword God, both reaching the realm of Divine Martial Arts…”
Just recalling those nightmares made her body tremble.
Not one, but two monsters who had reached Divine Martial Arts. More precisely, there were four—two Demon Gods and two Martial Gods—making any hope of victory impossible.
To awaken in such a time…
But as these thoughts crossed her mind, Hai Qingyan shook her head sharply, as if to cast away those memories.
Those monsters were gone now.
She had even erased the last traces of the Sword God.
So this era belonged to her.
No—this era had to belong to her.
Absolutely.
Her eyes flashed with determination.
“Today, here, I will gauge the level of this era. To see if there’s anyone capable of standing in the way of the Blood Sect’s dominion…”
Just then, a man standing behind her spoke cautiously.
“Supreme One, wouldn’t it be better to wait for Jeon Mugwang’s return?”
The speaker was none other than Jegal Zhigang, a military officer of the Martial Alliance.
Thanks to Gwayom’s unique soul-binding technique—one the Blood Sect couldn’t use—he had become her unwavering follower.
Hai Qingyan turned her beautiful eyes to glare at him and asked,
“Why? Do you think I can’t manage without him?”
Startled, Jegal Zhigang quickly bowed his head and replied,
“N-no, Supreme One! I only worry that the traitor might bring a large force with him…”
Hai Qingyan regarded him with an inscrutable gaze for a moment, then turned her eyes back to the distant horizon.
“You don’t understand the mindset of martial artists who pride themselves as the strongest or seek to be. That bastard will never give up a one-on-one fight. And how do you know when Jeon Mugwang will return? Wasn’t it you who said that Seolpung knows of my existence and that we should deal with the Five Kings’ Alliance quickly?”
Jegal Zhigang lowered his head even further in apology.
“Please forgive me, Supreme One. I only wish to protect you.”
Hai Qingyan scoffed at his earnest words.
She knew he was desperate to win her favor, but to her, he was just a nuisance.
For a moment, she even considered killing him.
But she dismissed the thought.
At least until she fully took control of the Martial Alliance, she’d keep him alive.
Gazing toward the distant horizon, she muttered,
“He’s later than I expected. Does he not even suspect a trap?”
Hai Qingyan was waiting here, at the shore of Hongtae Lake, for the arrival of the Five Kings’ Alliance leader, Gwae Galhyeon.
He had accepted the challenge she sent in the name of the Martial Alliance leader, Moryong Geom.
The reason she challenged Gwae immediately after subduing Moryong Geom was Jegal Zhigang’s advice: to deal with the Five Kings’ Alliance first.
As the leader of a massive force rivaling the Martial Alliance, the Five Kings’ Alliance was the greatest obstacle to the Blood Sect’s dominion.
Moreover, Seon Woojin—whom she had failed to kill before—was a close friend of Seolpung, the successor to the Five Kings.
Leaving them be could cause trouble.
Though Gwae wouldn’t know she was the Reverse Sky Blood-Bound Demon, just the fact that the Five Kings learned of her existence could be a headache.
And there was another, even more important reason.
“If I can test the strength of the second most powerful man in this era, I can gauge the level of this time.”
This was crucial for her.
Having already lived through the era of the Thunder God and Sword God, she feared there might be other monsters lurking in this era.
She didn’t rule out the possibility that the Five Kings’ leader might be stronger than herself.
So she had prepared accordingly.
“I wish Jeon Mugwang were here too…”
At that time, Jeon Mugwang, the Blood Demon of the era, was undergoing a great transformation, turning himself into a Blood Demon to increase his power for the Blood Sect’s sake.
No one knew when he might reappear.
At first, she had scoffed at his decision.
“Calling it becoming a Blood Demon is just a fancy way of saying he’s turning himself into a flying corpse. How foolish.”
But after witnessing the power of the Blood Demons, Gyeol Heosa and Ma Wonwoong, she had changed her mind.
The effect was astonishing, even to someone like her who had lived for six centuries.
“To think those who were once only at the peak of the Supreme Realm could match the early stages of the Martial Realm just by becoming Blood Demons…”
It was truly incredible.
It meant they could produce absolute powerhouses in a single generation.
Now, she even found herself looking forward to seeing how strong Jeon Mugwang would become.
A sudden thought crossed her mind.
“Could he become stronger than me?”
Perhaps.
And if that happened, the golden seal on her heart would never be broken.
She would be forever bound to him.
That thought made her feel both uneasy and strangely excited.
She believed Jeon Mugwang’s desire to become a Blood Demon was partly driven by his wish to control her completely—and to possess her.
Hadn’t he looked at her with bloodshot eyes, wanting to violate her before?
Back then, she had only been able to stop him by using the golden seal.
If he became stronger than her, he would never give up.
A seductive smile curved her lips as she thought,
“To be forcibly taken by someone stronger than me… that’s something to look forward to.”
Her body tingled with anticipation as she licked her lips.
If that happened, at least her soul might be completely consumed.
Her still-pure self would be utterly shocked by the experience.
As she was lost in such thoughts, Jegal Zhigang suddenly shouted urgently,
“Supreme One! He’s coming!”
But his warning was unnecessary.
She was already watching.
Beyond the horizon of Hongtae Lake, a massive ship was approaching.
A crimson flag fluttered atop its mast, emblazoned with the grand black characters: “Five Kings’ Alliance.”
Hai Qingyan smiled beautifully and said,
“Welcome. Second strongest of this era.”
Standing at the bow, Gwae Galhyeon gazed at the group gathered on the lakeshore.
At their forefront stood Moryong Geom, the Martial Alliance leader who had sent the challenge.
But Gwae’s eyes were fixed on the beautiful woman behind him—Hai Qingyan.
A bitter smile crossed his lips as he thought,
“So this is the Reverse Sky Blood Demon.”
Now, with her hair swept back to reveal her face, her beauty was truly worthy of being called the most beautiful in the world.
Compared to her, the women he had once considered beauties no longer deserved the title.
She was the very definition of a national treasure.
Her beauty was such that no one’s heart could remain unmoved.
Yet the Demon King paid little mind to her appearance.
What truly piqued his interest was the formidable martial prowess she was said to have possessed for over six hundred years—the reputation of the strongest Blood Demon.
Without hesitation, the Demon King leapt into the air from the ship’s railing.
They were still far from the lakeshore.
As if unable to wait any longer, he hovered midair and began flying straight toward them.
This was the divine technique of the Mastery of Emptiness, perfected to the highest degree.
In an instant, he crossed the lake and descended sharply in front of Moyong Geom.
Thwack!
Moyong Geom’s eyes snapped wide open as he stared at the Demon King who had suddenly appeared before him.
Though he tried to maintain a confident posture, the enormous dilation of his pupils betrayed just how shocked he truly was.
He muttered through clenched teeth, “Gwae Gal-hyeon…”
The Demon King Gwae Gal-hyeon fixed him with an expressionless gaze for a moment, then spoke indifferently.
“I had a feeling… and sure enough. Moyong Geom, there’s no way someone like you would challenge me to a duel. Nor do you have the guts to assassinate me and start a war with the Demon King Alliance… So who is it? Who summoned me, the Demon King?”
He asked, but his eyes barely glanced at Moyong Geom. Instead, he slowly turned his head to scan the people standing behind him.
His gaze passed over Moyong Geom’s four elite bodyguards, each ranked among the top thirty-six masters in the world, then swept through the Xin Sword Guard—composed entirely of warriors with over eighty years of internal energy cultivation—and finally stopped on Hae Cheong-yeon, who stood with Jegal Ji-gang and two masked men and women.
The Demon King smiled faintly and asked her, “Could it be you, young lady?”
Hae Cheong-yeon narrowed her eyes and glared back.
She had intended to deal with him first, fearing that her close friend Seon Woo-jin might have already passed along some news. But it seemed he was already informed.
Of course, no one yet knew that she was the Reversed Heaven Blood Demon.
Still, it was dangerous for any information about her to leak.
If it became known that she was affiliated with the Blood Sect, it could jeopardize her control over the Martial Alliance.
In fact, even Moyong Geom’s guards here had no idea of her true identity—they only knew her as the daughter of the Sword Saint, Hae Un-baek.
With a graceful smile, Hae Cheong-yeon replied, “I don’t know what you mean. I am Hae Cheong-yeon, daughter of the Sword Saint. I, your junior, pay my respects to the Demon King.”
As she spoke, she bowed elegantly, but the Demon King’s cold gaze remained fixed on her.
It seemed the Reversed Heaven Blood Demon was still unwilling to reveal herself.
The Demon King pondered briefly on what to do next.
If it were Seon Woo-jin, he might have tried to exploit the situation, but unfortunately, the Demon King was not skilled in that kind of battle.
Instead, he decided to fight in the way he knew best—through sheer force.
A fierce smile spread across his face as he said, “Is that so?”
At the same time, the energy concentrated in his fist flared up, glowing red-hot.
In that moment, Hae Cheong-yeon urgently sent a secret message to Moyong Geom.
Moyong Geom was currently under a binding spell imposed by Hae Cheong-yeon.
It was the same kind of control the Blood Demon Jeon Mu-gwang had placed on her heart—a binding that could shatter the heart if orders were disobeyed.
Of course, it would have been better if Jegal Ji-gang could have used his soul-subjugation technique, but even the strongest Reversed Heaven Blood Demon couldn’t subdue a master of the Fire Realm.
Gritting his teeth, Moyong Geom shouted at the Demon King, who had turned his back on him, and drew his sword.
“Do you take me for a fool?!”
Swoosh!
His sword, glowing with brilliant white energy, sliced across the Demon King’s back as if made of pure light.
Caught off guard, the Demon King didn’t even raise a defense.
‘Got him!’
In that brief instant, Moyong Geom swung his sword all the way through, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.
He had thought that even the Demon King wouldn’t be able to withstand a surprise attack without using his protective energy.
But the next moment, Moyong Geom was horrified to see Gwae Gal-hyeon calmly turn his head and look at him with an expressionless face.
His eyes widened in shock.
The Demon King said casually, “You were there? My apologies. I had forgotten.”
Moyong Geom suddenly noticed that the Demon King’s clothes were completely unscathed and realized what had just happened.
‘Protective energy…’
It seemed the Demon King had released a very thin layer of protective energy in that split second.
Just enough to cover his clothes.
Yet that thin shield had effortlessly blocked Moyong Geom’s full-powered surprise strike.
Swallowing hard, Moyong Geom was forced to acknowledge once again that he was facing a terrifying monster.
With a pale expression, he retreated at his fastest speed.
Crack!
Regret filled Moyong Geom’s heart.
He shouldn’t have faced such a monster.
But even as he retreated at top speed, he realized with a pale face that the Demon King’s expressionless face hadn’t moved an inch away from him.
‘How?! Standing so firm like that?!’
Without moving his legs, the Demon King had effortlessly kept pace with Moyong Geom’s fastest retreat.
Then, raising the fist he had been holding since earlier, the energy concentrated there blazed fiercely.
Moyong Geom’s eyes locked onto the burning fist.
“Hmph!”
Without even shouting, the Demon King’s fist shot toward Moyong Geom.
It looked like an ordinary strike.
But Moyong Geom had to muster all his strength to swing his sword in defense.
“Haaah!”
Kraaaang!
“Ugh!”
The clash of the Demon King’s fist and Moyong Geom’s sword rang out like thunder, sending Moyong Geom’s form flying back like a flash of light.
“Grrrgh!”
Moyong Geom gritted his teeth.
With his vast experience, he felt like he was about to be sent tumbling to the ground.
He absolutely refused to show such a pitiful sight.
“Hyaah!”
Screeeech!
Planting his feet firmly, Moyong Geom finally managed to stop his backward slide.
The ground beneath him was deeply and lengthily gouged, leaving a scar right before his eyes.
But that wasn’t all.
He glanced down at his sword blade and was stunned into a daze.
As he relaxed his energy for a moment, the blade crumbled like sand, shattering into pieces.
Ssssss!
All of this had happened from just a single clash.
It was a vivid display of the overwhelming difference in power between the two.