Chapter 351

When Ha Cheong-yeon had appeared earlier, leading five Hwa-gyeong masters, Sun Woo-jin clenched his fist in delight—unlike the despairing Sword Saint Hae Un-baek.

“It’s done!”

The reason for his joy was simple: among those five Hwa-gyeong masters, the infamous Blood Demon Jeon Mu-gwang was nowhere to be seen.

If someone of Jeon Mu-gwang’s caliber—the one who had defeated the Sword Saint—were among those six, the situation would have been dire.

But as it stood, they weren’t that formidable.

After confirming the face of the Lone Poisonous Sword, Seo Il, among the six, Sun Woo-jin quickly sent a message to Yong Woo-shin, who was nearby.

“Master Yong! Who is that sinister-looking man with Seo Il?”

Yong Woo-shin replied immediately.

“That’s Gan Li, the Phantom Thief. He’s known as the ‘Phantom Fiend’ among the Five Great Fiends of the world.”

“Just as I thought!”

The five classified as the Five Great Fiends were known to be only at the early stages of Hwa-gyeong mastery.

Moreover, despite the title of ‘King of Assassins,’ Mo Yong-gum’s level wasn’t particularly high either, as they already knew.

Considering the two Blood Demons, based on the information from Sa Ma-yeo-ryang and their current aura, they seemed to be at a similar level.

“We can handle this! It’s more than manageable!”

That was Sun Woo-jin’s conclusion.

Objectively, they were still at a disadvantage.

But the reason Sun Woo-jin was so confident was because of the Wolha Hwan Sword Dance.

He had pondered how to increase their chances of victory and, during their journey from Hyeongsan to Zhejiang Province, had taught the Great Formation Heart Technique and the first form of the Wolha Hwan Sword Dance—the Flying Moon—to three people: the Enchantress Son Eun-sang, the Southern Sea Saintess Si Seo-woo, and the Dragon Clan Lord Yong Woo-shin.

The Wolha Hwan Sword Dance was an incredibly precious and dangerous martial art, not something to be handed out lightly.

Yet Sun Woo-jin had no hesitation in passing it on to Si Seo-woo and Yong Woo-shin.

If they could grow stronger through it, the world would only become a better place, never worse.

He was a bit uneasy about Son Eun-sang, though.

As someone caught in the middle of political factions, she wasn’t exactly a villain, but calling her a saint was questionable.

“But… given the circumstances, there’s no choice.”

After some hesitation, Sun Woo-jin made them swear never to misuse the Wolha Hwan Sword Dance or pass it on to others, then taught it to them.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to teach the Sword Saint they met in Zhejiang Province, but even in that short time, they had dramatically strengthened two Hwa-gyeong masters.

And now, that decision was paying off.

Son Eun-sang, though among the two weakest, was actually overwhelming the two absolute rulers of the current martial world.

With Mo Yong-gum joining, the enemy numbered three, but they balanced it by deploying the lowest-ranked Hwa-gyeong master, Cheong Gwang-jin.

It was an excellent outcome.

Sun Woo-jin then sent messages one by one to those who would face the remaining two Blood Demons.

“Please, I wish you luck.”

His voice was met with replies from Southern Sea Saintess Si Seo-woo, Dragon Clan Lord Yong Woo-shin, and Seol Poong.

“I’m the one asking. Please save her.”

“Leave it to me, Gongja!”

“Good luck, Jin!”

Though the two Blood Demons were only early-stage Hwa-gyeong masters, with the combined strength of the Six Harmonies Swordmaster Pa Cheon-jo, Mu-geuk Paedo Pyo Seo-geuk, and others, Sun Woo-jin judged they were more than a match.

Si Seo-woo, originally stronger than them, had been further empowered by the Wolha Hwan Sword Dance.

Yong Woo-shin and Seol Poong, who had also learned the technique, were formidable.

Seol Poong, due to the nature of his Red-Eyed Blood Attack, couldn’t learn the Wolha Hwan Sword Dance, but even so, he was a powerhouse Sun Woo-jin had rarely bested in the Dream Chaos Technique.

They would be more than enough against two early-stage Hwa-gyeong masters.

That left only one: the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon, Ha Cheong-yeon.

While everyone else held the line, she had to be dealt with—just the two of them, the Sword Saint and Sun Woo-jin.

“Cheong-yeon.”

At the Sword Saint’s sorrowful yet tender voice, Ha Cheong-yeon froze like stone for a moment.

But it was brief; she soon smirked and replied in a teasing tone.

“So that’s what you were thinking. No wonder the trap felt a bit weak. But… how unfortunate. Do you still see me as Ha Cheong-yeon?”

Hae Un-baek’s expression darkened.

That tone and unfamiliar look were things he had never heard or seen from his daughter.

She was definitely not Ha Cheong-yeon.

But it wasn’t Hae Un-baek who answered her.

“Yes. To me, you still look like Lady Cheong-yeon.”

It was Sun Woo-jin who spoke.

As he answered and slowly stepped out from the forest, Ha Cheong-yeon’s face hardened once more.

“You… are Sun Woo-jin?”

But Sun Woo-jin didn’t respond to her question.

Instead, as if speaking to Ha Cheong-yeon rather than the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon, he began calling out to her.

“Lady Cheong-yeon, I know you’re still in there. Please, come back now.”

Sun Woo-jin’s plan to deal with the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon wasn’t through force.

It was impossible to confront her physically at this point.

The Sword Demon Ban Jung-yang was trapped in possession and not the formidable fighter he was known to be.

The only master capable of facing her was the Four Kings’ Guigal-hyeon.

Or they could overwhelm her with a large number of Hwa-gyeong masters.

But both options were impossible now.

So the only hope lay in Ha Cheong-yeon’s body—the vessel of the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon—and her presence within.

Ha Cheong-yeon let out a bitter laugh at Sun Woo-jin’s words.

“You thought Cheong-yeon was smart, didn’t you? But now I see you’re utterly foolish. You risked your life on such a fragile hope?”

Sun Woo-jin smiled gently in response.

But his words weren’t meant for the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon.

“Thank you for saving me and Lady Jin last time. And also for sparing the White Crane Old Swordmaster Yang Moon-heon and the Wall Li-joong. I know well that Lady Jin’s efforts inside made that possible. I sincerely thank you.”

“What did you say?”

Previously, Ha Cheong-yeon had seriously wounded Jin So-eun but hadn’t killed her.

At the time, she said she was going to kill Dang Yeo-eun, as if testing Sun Woo-jin’s resolve.

But Muk-rang’s knowledge of the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon told a different story.

“It’s strange. The Reverse Heaven Blood Demon doesn’t spare those useless to her. She’s almost obsessive about killing anyone not on her side. Why would she save Lady Jin to test your choice? It would be simpler to just kill her.”

That made Sun Woo-jin suspicious.

Perhaps the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon hadn’t fully taken control of Ha Cheong-yeon’s body.

There was more evidence supporting this.

The Reverse Heaven Blood Demon had stopped when trying to kill him, muttering to herself as if soothing Ha Cheong-yeon.

Moreover, Ha Cheong-yeon, who said she was going to kill Dang Yeo-eun, hadn’t even harmed Dang Yeo-eun or her foster grandfather, White Crane Old Swordmaster Yang Moon-heon, nor the wandering swordsman Wall Li-joong.

Surprisingly, Yang Moon-heon was badly injured but alive, and Wall Li-joong was merely unconscious.

Of course, the sword-wielding protector of Dang Yeo-eun—probably Ma Yu-gyeom—was definitely dead.

But according to Hae Un-baek and Son Eun-sang, there had been a fierce battle between them.

Muk-rang said:

“That was probably me manifesting. Ma Yu-gyeom alone couldn’t have matched the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon. If that’s true, she wouldn’t have had the luxury to spare him and subdue him.”

Putting all these facts together, Sun Woo-jin finally reached a conclusion.

“Lady Cheong-yeon is still in there. Of course, she’s not someone who would let her body be taken and be driven away by anyone else.”

“Yes, it’s a slim chance, but given the circumstances, I think so too.”

With that conclusion, Sun Woo-jin found hope.

If Ha Cheong-yeon still existed inside the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon’s body, it might be possible to bring her back.

And if she remained strong enough to restrict the demon’s actions, they might even get her help.

“If only we can get her out from within.”

That was why the ones chosen to face Ha Cheong-yeon were the Sword Saint Hae Un-baek and Sun Woo-jin himself.

Not based on brute strength, but on who could influence her.

Feeling the familiar texture of the Red Lotus Sword in his hand, Sun Woo-jin spoke to her.

“Lady Cheong-yeon, even if only for a moment, if you can hold back the Reverse Heaven Blood Demon, I promise to return your body to you. Trust me.”

Ha Cheong-yeon’s expression twisted briefly.

But then she glanced toward the Blood Demons and Southern Sea Saintess Si Seo-woo, and with a bitter smile, replied.

“Trust me… what a shameless thing to say. The one who betrayed Cheong-yeon, who was taken away with her fate unknown, and played around with another woman—how can you ask me to trust you? Oh ho ho ho! What on earth do you expect me to see in you to trust you?”

Sun Woo-jin gritted his teeth.

Those words were deeply troubling.

Words that would naturally hurt Ha Cheong-yeon’s feelings.

For Sun Woo-jin, who hoped she would find strength, they were the hardest to refute.

He also clearly remembered that when Hae Cheong-yeon first appeared in the Hyeongsan Sect and he learned of her connection to Dang Yeo-eun, it was not her consciousness that surfaced, but that of the Yeokcheon Blood Demon.

So, to bring Hae Cheong-yeon’s true consciousness to the surface, he had to somehow refute those words.

Yet, despite everything, there was a silver lining.

On one hand, those words suggested there was still hope.

After observing the Yeokcheon Blood Demon’s reaction, Sun Woo-jin was certain.

“As expected, the Yeokcheon Blood Demon hasn’t fully taken control of her.”

Right now, the Blood Demon was deliberately trying to unsettle Hae Cheong-yeon with those words.

Sun Woo-jin took that as proof that the Blood Demon was uneasy about the arrival of the Sword Saint and himself.

The current battlefield, where the Blood Demon had yet to intervene, was generally favorable to Sun Woo-jin’s group.

Yeoryeong Seakma Son Eun-sang and Cheonggwang Jin-in were holding their own against three Hwakyeong masters, including Mo Yonggeom, and the Southern Sea Saintess Si Seo-woo, who had just begun fighting the Blood Demons, was also holding steady.

Seolpung, Yong Wooshin, and Yukhab Geomjin were putting up a strong fight against the Hwakyeong masters as well.

If the Blood Demon had fully possessed Hae Cheong-yeon’s body, it would have acted swiftly before the tide turned, not spoken so casually and leisurely.

Mukrang agreed.

“He doesn’t say a word about the Sword Saint, Hae So-jeo’s father. He only criticizes you.”

“Yes, I felt the same. Those words actually prove the Blood Demon hasn’t completely seized control of her body yet. It still has to watch out for So-jeo Cheong-yeon.”

“Then there’s only one task left.”

“Right. If we can get past the Blood Demon’s interference and call out So-jeo Cheong-yeon herself, that should be enough.”

Of course, that wouldn’t be easy.

To do so, they had to be able to refute the Blood Demon’s current accusations—that Sun Woo-jin had abandoned Hae Cheong-yeon in danger and instead dallied with another woman.

Grinding his teeth, Sun Woo-jin thought bitterly, “It’s so unfair. At the time, I wasn’t especially close to So-jeo Cheong-yeon, and I had no idea she felt that way about me.”

Mukrang chuckled softly in response.

“Don’t be so upset. Even if you had known her feelings, you wouldn’t have chosen her over Dang So-jeo, would you?”

“Well… no, I wouldn’t.”

Even if he could turn back time knowing all this, his choice wouldn’t change.

The woman he loved was Dang Yeo-eun, not Hae Cheong-yeon.

“But… it would be foolish to tell So-jeo Cheong-yeon that outright now, wouldn’t it?”

“…I’m no expert on women’s hearts, but that would be a really stupid move. At a time when you need to soothe her feelings, there’s no reason to provoke her further.”

That was true.

Right now, the priority was to calm Hae Cheong-yeon’s heart, no matter what.

The problem was, soothing a woman’s heart was one of Sun Woo-jin’s weakest points.

He sighed inwardly.

“If I’d known it would come to this, I would’ve tried harder in that area when I came back.”

“Yes, if there’s a next time, you should.”

But both knew there wouldn’t be a next time.

So Sun Woo-jin decided to try a different approach.

Instead of directly refuting the Blood Demon’s words, he would call upon the wisdom of their ancestors.

That method was to shoot the arrow, not the general.

Feigning a confident smile, he replied to her words.

“So, you’re trying to shake So-jeo Cheong-yeon with those words, but it seems you haven’t fully taken over her body yet, Yeokcheon Blood Demon. Well, So-jeo Cheong-yeon isn’t the kind of woman who’d easily lose herself to someone like you. The woman I know is the most beautiful and wise in the world.”

At that, Hae Cheong-yeon’s expression stiffened slightly.

Sun Woo-jin caught the subtle tremor in her eyes.

He continued.

“Isn’t that right? The reason you keep speaking only to me is probably because you don’t want to risk provoking So-jeo Cheong-yeon by talking to the Sword Saint.”

With that, Sun Woo-jin began to plead earnestly toward Hae Cheong-yeon.

“So-jeo, the Blood Demon has likely been trying to unsettle you like this all along. I don’t think a wise woman like you would fall for such words. You must be fighting a hard battle inside. But please, hold on a little longer. The Sword Saint and I desperately need your help.”

At that moment, the Sword Saint, who had been watching their exchange with shifting expressions, quickly added his voice.

“Yes, Cheong-yeon! Your father believes in you too! Please come back!”

Then, suddenly, Hae Cheong-yeon’s face twisted in pain.

“Ugh!”

She struggled to speak through the agony.

“Ah… Burji.”

Sun Woo-jin and the Sword Saint were stunned.

It was the first time they heard Hae Cheong-yeon speak—not the Blood Demon.