Chapter 82
The head of the Ami Sect, Jeolhan Satae, struck the Jeonghyeop Compound the very night after leaving the Gwaneum Hall.
Though she had arrived near the compound much earlier, she had learned that Jeonghyeop’s main forces were concentrated toward Guizhou Province. So she decided to wait until that night, when their main troops had all left, before making her move.
Her sworn sister, Jeolsang Satae, asked, “Sect Leader, how do you plan to get inside Jeonghyeop Compound? Should we look for a weak spot in the walls?”
Jeolhan scoffed. “Hmph! I am the head of the great Ami Sect—do you think I’d sneak in through some back wall? No, I’ll enter through the main gate! I’ll march in boldly and wash away every blood cult lackey with their own blood!”
It was a boast she could afford because Jeonghyeop Compound was empty.
But even if it weren’t, Jeolhan was confident.
Among the thirty or so followers she’d brought, over twenty were peak masters.
Though the Ami Sect no longer boasted over a hundred peak masters like in the past, there were still nearly forty in total—and more than half were her loyalists.
Moreover, Jeolhan herself hadn’t become sect leader through politics alone.
Her martial skill was at a level approaching the superlative, honed over ninety years of internal cultivation. Within the weakened Ami Sect, fewer than five could match her.
So calling her the strongest master in the current Ami Sect wasn’t an exaggeration.
With herself and over twenty peak masters at her side, Jeolhan was more than confident that tonight they could erase Jeonghyeop Compound from the map.
KRAAAASH!
In the still night, the main gate of Jeonghyeop Compound exploded into splinters.
Through the shattered gate strode Jeolhan, leading the Ami Sect masters with unshakable pride.
The gate guards had long since become nothing but restless spirits.
“What was that?! What’s going on?!”
“Intruders!”
“Enemies! The enemies have breached the main gate!”
Shouts of alarm echoed as the night sentries swarmed toward the gate.
Jeolhan waited coldly for the warriors to gather, then shouted, channeling her internal energy:
—I am Jeolhan of the great Ami Sect! I have come to punish the blood cult lackeys who have deceived the world under the name Jeonghyeop! Blood cult lackeys, kneel at once!
Her booming voice sent the Jeonghyeop warriors into confused murmurs.
“What nonsense is this? We’re not blood cult!”
“But that’s Jeolhan Satae, the Ami Sect leader!”
“What?!”
“W-what’s going on here?”
Jeolhan frowned at their reactions.
Their bewildered expressions didn’t seem feigned.
Only then did she recall that most of Jeonghyeop’s ordinary warriors were from Sichuan Province.
Apparently, aside from the leadership, the rank-and-file knew little of the true situation.
They had simply been deceived—not blood cult members.
Still, Jeolhan barked orders to her followers behind her.
“They’re all in league with the blood cult leaders anyway! Kill them all!”
“Yes, Sect Leader!”
Whether they were blood cult or not mattered little to Jeolhan.
What mattered was showing the world the destruction of Jeonghyeop Compound—and these weaklings were perfect targets.
The thirty or so Ami Sect warriors behind her spread out swiftly, slaughtering the Jeonghyeop fighters.
“Cut them down!”
“Leave no one alive!”
In the pitch-black night, the gleaming swords of over twenty peak masters lit up the surroundings like a scene from legend.
But up close, it was nothing but a massacre.
Jeonghyeop’s warriors, mostly second-rate and a few first-rate at best, stood no chance against the onslaught of so many peak masters.
Slash!
“AAARGH!”
“UAAAH!”
Whoosh!
“AAAH!”
“Spare me!”
Jeolhan herself had just sliced down three warriors standing before her in a single stroke. With a bitter smile, she strode deeper into the compound.
“Search inside the buildings! Rescue any captives! And if there are any remaining enemies, kill them all! If none remain, burn the buildings to the ground!”
“Yes, Sect Leader!”
As Jeolhan walked slowly, her warriors busied themselves killing Jeonghyeop fighters and setting fire to the buildings.
Though she ordered them to check inside, they seemed uninterested.
They killed only those who tried to escape and then set fires from outside.
Hidden near the rear wall, Sun Woojin, Bi Sayoung, and Hwa Youngbin watched the scene unfold.
Bi Sayoung murmured quietly, “This is strange. Killing ordinary warriors who aren’t blood cult is one thing, but only killing those who come outside and then immediately setting fires? That doesn’t seem right.”
Sun Woojin nodded. “Yeah. They don’t even seem to intend to check inside. From the start, they probably had no intention of rescuing anyone.”
Hwa Youngbin shook his head grimly. “How tragic. How did the Ami Sect’s leader come to this…”
As they watched from their hiding spot, the compound was slowly engulfed in flames, like ink spreading across white paper.
Jeolhan smiled with satisfaction.
Though some warriors still rushed out, they were all weaklings. At this rate, burning down the entire Jeonghyeop Compound wouldn’t be difficult.
Then she’d have the glory of destroying the blood cult’s nest. No one could accuse her of colluding with Jeonghyeop.
Of course, she’d lose her bribes going forward, which was a pity.
But that was why she planned to take everything at once by burning the compound today.
Better to use them up than let them vanish in flames.
Feeling everything was going according to plan, Jeolhan suddenly laughed aloud.
“Ohohohohoho!”
Then—
“AAAH!”
“AAAH!”
Suddenly, screams pierced the night.
But these weren’t the cries of Jeonghyeop warriors—they were women’s screams. The screams of Ami Sect disciples.
“Huh?”
Jeolhan turned toward the source with a puzzled expression.
Through the flames, she saw three Ami Sect masters brutally torn apart, their bodies mangled beyond recognition.
And a small, frail old man walking slowly forward, holding the neck of another Ami Sect disciple lightly in one hand.
The old man was smiling brightly, as if delighted.
Some of the surviving Jeonghyeop warriors who saw him shouted:
“It’s the Sect Master! The Sect Master has come!”
“He’s here to drive out the intruders!”
But most of the warriors didn’t recognize him, murmuring in confusion.
“The Sect Master?”
“That old man is our Sect Master?”
The old man then shouted, channeling his internal energy:
—Jeonghyeop warriors, fall back and guard the outer rear gate! I will deal with these intruders!
Hearing this, those who recognized him quickly called out:
“Everyone, fall back! The Sect Master will handle this!”
“Move to the rear gate and set up defenses!”
The remaining warriors, bewildered but obedient, retreated like a receding tide.
Now alone, the old man smiled contentedly as he looked at the Ami Sect disciple still held in his hand.
The woman was Jeoljin Satae, who had joined from Gwaneum Hall.
She was paralyzed as if struck by a pressure point, her eyes filled with terror as she pleaded toward Jeolhan.
“Se-Sect Leader, please save me…!”
CRACK!
But she never finished her plea.
The old man tightened his grip slightly, and her neck crushed like fruit, separating her head from her body.
“Ugh!”
“Jeoljin!”
“Sister!”
The gruesome sight forced the Ami Sect disciples to turn away, groaning.
Even seasoned martial artists, accustomed to bloodshed, found it unbearably cruel.
Enraged, several Ami Sect masters charged at the old man.
“You bastard! How dare you!”
“We’ll avenge Jeoljin!”
“Die!”
Their swords blazed with blue and yellow energy—peak masters all.
But the old man only smiled and muttered as he watched their attacks.
“To think I have to move myself because of such weaklings.”
With that, he took a step forward and casually stretched out his arm like a toy.
The arm of the Ami Sect master charging at the front was torn off, sword and all, in one swift motion.
Crack!
“AAAH!”
It looked easier than twisting off a child’s arm.
He was an incredible master.
But that was only the beginning.
As soon as he tore off the arm, the old man moved in front of a second warrior and reached out.
Her head was cleanly severed.
Shing!
Blood spurted like a fountain from her neck.
Splatter!
The last master, horrified, stopped his attack and hastily assumed a defensive stance.
The old man chuckled and muttered, “Tsk, too late.”
He casually tossed the severed arm behind him.
The sword still clutched in the hand embedded itself into the chest of its original owner, who writhed in pain.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
At the same moment, the old man extended his now empty hands and effortlessly grasped the head of the third master.
It was as simple a motion as picking up a stone from the roadside.
But such a move could never be ordinary when wielded by a master of his caliber.
The Amipa expert, unable to underestimate him, unleashed her full strength with the Jianchao technique.
It was the Amipa’s signature Nanpifeng Sword Style.
“Hah!”
Whoosh!
Her sword lashed out fiercely from all directions like a biting winter wind, relentlessly pressing the old man.
In response, the old man waved his hand lazily, as if annoyed.
A tiny movement—but from that trembling hand radiated immense experience, striking her sword back and forth with overwhelming force.
Clang! Clang!
“Ugh?!”
Under the weight of his mastery, she lost control of her sword completely. It writhed as if alive, struggling to break free from her grasp.
Thud!
While she barely held onto the sword trying to fly outward, the old man, as if pulling something from his pocket, swiftly tore the woman’s head off in an instant.
Her severed head, eyes wide with shock, seemed unable to even comprehend death.
Now, the old man walked forward slowly, holding the two severed heads in his hands.
Behind him, the headless bodies collapsed, blood spurting like fountains from their necks.
Thump!
His shabby appearance and frail frame belied the fact that to the Amipa warriors, he now looked like the Grim Reaper incarnate.
He chuckled darkly and said, “Since I’ve been stirred into action, no one here should even think about leaving.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the two heads in his hands burst like watermelons.
Splatter!
It was a gruesome sight.
Everyone present was left stunned, unable to look away from the old man.
Jiehan Satai muttered in disbelief, “An… an ultra-elite master?”
At that moment, Huayongbin, hiding behind the wall, whispered urgently with a shocked expression.
“With those snake-like slitted eyes, small stature, and supreme martial prowess—plus that smile—he must be Sanyuan Yang from the Somianma Army!”
“…What?!”
“Sanyuan Yang?!”
The surrounding buildings were ablaze, illuminating the scene clearly, and Huayongbin, who had extensively researched the Blood Sect, recognized him immediately.
“Sanyuan Yang…”
Sun Woojin bit his lip hard.
In truth, they had followed the Amipa precisely because they anticipated such a situation.
Even if the Zhengxie faction concentrated their forces toward Guizhou Province, some troops would remain at the main camp, and especially the Zhengxie leader, whose identity was unknown, would surely stay behind, Sun Woojin thought.
Their plan was to lure out the Zhengxie leader with the Amipa, then infiltrate the rear…
But now, Sun Woojin muttered with a helpless look, “Sanyuan Yang is far too formidable.”
Sanyuan Yang, an ultra-elite master, was said to possess strength comparable to the grand elders of the major sects.
So it was natural that he was in a completely different league from Jiehan Satai, the fallen Amipa elder.
Bisa Ying asked, “According to our plan, shouldn’t we be infiltrating inside now to find Zheng In Sojeo?”
“…”
Sun Woojin hesitated to answer.
Originally, they intended to slip in while the Amipa delayed the enemy, but facing Sanyuan Yang, he wasn’t sure if they could buy enough time.
If things went wrong, they might run into Sanyuan Yang returning after wiping out the others during the rescue.
And if that happened, it would be worse than not attempting the rescue at all.
Yet retreating wasn’t wise either. If they missed this moment when the Zhengxie main force was drawn out and the Amipa distracted them, they’d be stuck waiting helplessly for the Qingcheng Sect, whose arrival was uncertain.
After gathering his thoughts, Sun Woojin quickly whispered to Huayongbin, “Brother Hua, I have a favor to ask.”
He spoke quietly so others wouldn’t hear, and Huayongbin nodded gravely.
Meanwhile, Jiehan Satai, smiling brightly, shouted frantically at the approaching Sanyuan Yang.
“What are you all doing?! There’s only one of him! Attack that demon head immediately!”
“Yes, Elder!”
The Amipa warriors, momentarily stunned by Sanyuan Yang’s overwhelming presence, snapped back to attention at Jiehan Satai’s command and charged toward him.
“Die, demon head!”
“Hah!”
“Take this!”
A dozen masters flew in, their swords radiating dazzling, multicolored auras—a truly spectacular sight.
Jiehan Satai didn’t stand idle either.
She drew her sword, ready to leap in at the first opening.
But Sanyuan Yang merely smiled calmly as he watched it all unfold.
He muttered, “Flashing moths to the flame.”
In his hands, crimson spheres began to form naturally.
They were qi spheres.
At that moment, an Amipa master at the forefront swung his sword down at Sanyuan Yang.
“Hah!”
But with a flash of his slitted eyes, Sanyuan Yang unleashed the qi spheres from both hands like lightning bolts.
“Combine!”
Whoosh!
The speed was incredible.
The leading Amipa master and another charging beside him tried desperately to block the spheres with their sword auras.
But it was impossible.
Crack!
“Gah!”
“Ugh!”
The two qi spheres shattered the sword auras outright.
Not only that, the spheres easily pierced through their bodies.
Thud!
The Amipa warriors following behind suffered the same fate.
The qi spheres tore through their comrades at terrifying speed, leaving them no time to react.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
Jiehan Satai’s expression, ready to strike, turned to one of utter despair.
“This can’t be…”
With just two qi spheres, six top-tier masters were either killed or rendered combat-ineffective.
It was an unbelievable catastrophe.