Chapter 63

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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**

It was a time when the darkness deepened past midnight.

Three people gathered in the largest room of the inn where the Ado Branch of the Hao Sect was located. They were all leaders of each mobile unit dispatched to rescue the missing Group Jia.

“I did not expect you to resolve the matter so quickly on your own.”

The owner of the voice, which boomed like a temple bell, was Goeng-mu, the Luohan Hall Master of the Shaolin Temple, who had come here leading Group Ding.

His words were meant to praise the achievements of Hye-won and Group Bing.

“However, if we wrap up the matter like this and withdraw the mobile units, it will ultimately be no different from handing this region back to the Dawn Sky Blood Cult. The Murim Alliance is scheduled to officially establish a branch here soon.”

“An alliance branch?”

At Hye-won’s question, a clean-looking middle-aged man sitting next to Goeng-mu nodded. He was Immortal Hyeon-ryo, an elder of the Mount Hua Sect who led Group Geng.

“Indeed. Xining is a strategic point that can be used as a foothold when the Dawn Sky Blood Cult in Mount Tianshan advances into the Central Plains. As such, the consensus of the renowned masters at this Murim Alliance meeting was that management of this place is necessary, and as a result of the meeting, it was decided to dispatch some experts from our Mount Hua Sect, the Shaolin Temple, the Kongtong Sect of Gansu, and the Tang Clan of Sichuan to establish a branch here.”

Among the sects involved in establishing the branch, the Kongtong Sect and the Tang Clan, excluding Mount Hua and Shaolin, were relatively close geographically to Xining.

It was a fully understandable lineup. However, what was strangely irritating was Immortal Hyeon-ryo’s attitude.

‘Is there no place for our Wudang Sect to join?’

Hye-won’s reaction was quickly noticed by Goeng-mu, who rapidly continued speaking.

“Furthermore, the Group Ding and Group Geng we brought are scheduled to clean up Xining first prior to the official establishment of the branch. As Taoist Nun Hye-won has worked hard to rescue Group Jia by arriving first, the message is for you to lead the wounded and return to Shaolin.”

What Goeng-mu meant was this.

‘Both Mount Hua and Shaolin have agreed to check the Wudang Sect from expanding its influence.’

In reality, the Three Sects of Xining had been rendered half-vegetative by Hye-won and the members of Group Bing. In such a situation, it was as if those who arrived late were going to snatch the credit.

Yet she nodded.

“I understand. As soon as day breaks tomorrow, I will return with Group Jia.”

At Hye-won’s compliant response, both the Mount Hua Sect Elder Hyeon-ryo and Goeng-mu, who had been watching her reaction, showed a slightly surprised look. Then, as if not wanting to give her a chance to change her mind, they nodded immediately.

“Then let us first make a plan for the return journey. And Great Master Goeng-mu, please discuss with me separately how we will clean up Xining and where we will establish the branch building.”

The rapidly proceeding discussion strongly felt like an attempt to quickly exclude the Wudang Sect from this matter. The influence of the Mount Hua Sect had probably played a strong part in it.

However, she did not mind.

It was only right to follow what was decided at the Murim Alliance meeting anyway. Above all, because her senior brother, Immortal Gangwon, had been at that meeting.

‘If the decision turned out like this, it means this was the will of senior brother.’

She deciphered her senior brother’s intention.

In a situation where the Dawn Sky Blood Cult was not the only one of the Six Great Evils.

It meant that Wudang Sect should leave the matters of the distant Blood Cult to other sects and focus on strengthening their own internal stability.

What came to mind along with the word ‘internal stability’ was.

‘The Bringer of Chaos.’

It was the face of her rapidly growing young nephew disciple.

Although no one could be sure of the future, she was certain of this one thing. If Yeon Baek-jung continued to grow like this, he would easily reach the level of the Nine Swords of Wudang before he reached the age of twenty.

What if she added a bit more expectation?

He might even reach the level of the Eight Disciples of Sanfeng, which included Hye-won’s own master.

If it was Yeon Baek-jung, it would be entirely possible.

In addition, as an elder of the sect, she felt that she too must play a role in helping the young nephew disciple grow.

‘Once we return this time, I should hold onto him properly and teach him.’

Even while busy with missions, there were quite a few leaders of the True Martial Pavilion who had their eyes on Yeon Baek-jung.

While she took her mind off the affairs of Xining and was thinking about what martial arts she should teach Yeon Baek-jung.

“Enemy!”

The voice of her young nephew disciple echoed loudly through the entire inn.

The eyes of Goeng-mu and Hyeon-ryo, who were discussing the matters, also changed completely.

“An enemy raid?”

“A presence…?”

Even to Hye-won’s senses, who had mastered the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition, no presence of an incoming attack from the outside could be felt.

However, without a single doubt, she immediately kicked open the window and dashed out.

“Greedy Wolf Squad Leader!”

Leaving Goeng-mu’s shout behind, she headed straight toward the back garden where the voice had echoed. Meanwhile.

Swish-!

A sound tearing through the quiet night air rang in her ears, and three blurry figures rushed to surround her.

Even though they were visible to the eyes, their presence felt through energy perception was faint.

‘This is?!’

They were the blood ghouls of the Dawn Sky Blood Cult’s main headquarters.

**

The structure of the Dawn Sky Blood Cult was complex.

It was a cult in which non-human things and humans who worshiped those non-human entities were tangled up in a chaotic mess.

That was the reality of the cult called the Dawn Sky Blood Cult, and the non-human entities that comprised the Blood Cult, the blood ghouls, were divided into ten lineages based on their bloodlines.

It was already well known that they possessed different bloodline abilities depending on their respective lineage.

Among such bloodlines, the bloodline ability that could hide one’s presence to this extent was?

‘The Dark Shadow Bloodline!’

It was the general term for a group of blood ghouls who, hiding their own forms and presences to the point of being named after dark shadows, raided commoners at night to take their blood.

Therefore, had she not felt the energy waves like sound transmission exchanged between the blood ghouls?

Clang-!

She would not have been able to deflect the opponent’s strike with the flat of her sword.

However, she was not able to deflect it perfectly.

The force contained in the opponent’s strike was too strong for that.

In the end, only after retreating five steps was she able to dissipate the opponent’s residual force.

Only then did it enter her sight.

The opponent’s weapon.

In reality, it was not a weapon.

‘Claws?!’

The fingernails, grown long as if kept by noblewomen for vanity, possessed steel-like solidness along with blade-like sharpness.

“You blocked it?”

A strange light flickered in the eyes of the blood ghoul, who tilted its head.

The voice of the blood ghoul expressing the question was thin and high.

It was a female blood ghoul with a young and beautiful face that did not match a ferocious assassin.

However, her rising intuition, as her mastery of the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition deepened, told her.

‘She is much older than she looks.’

Since blood ghouls were known to live long lives, she did not know what her age was among them.

But one thing was certain.

This blood ghoul before her eyes was strong.

Stronger than the Young Spirit Slayer.

She felt she would be at least as strong as the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas, who had worn the Flood Dragon mask of the Chaotic Heaven Green Forest.

She felt this way even though the energy waves of a typical expert were not felt. It was an instinctive sensation manifested through the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition.

In other words, it meant she could not dare to face her alone.

Fortunately, I was not alone.

“A blood ghoul!”

A man stood beside me while drawing his sword.

It was the Affectionate Swordsman of the Namgung Clan, who had been practicing the sword with me.

In addition.

“Ugh.”

Someone revealed their presence from the shadow in the corner of the back garden.

It was Taoist Su-gyo of the Qingcheng Sect, who had been hiding himself even more stealthily and contemplating his solitary time.

“Three facing one? The Nine Sects and One Association, and the Seven Great Families, have truly fallen.”

At the words of the blood ghoul letting out a sneer, my upper and middle dantians churned. It felt as if the world was warping and my perception was turning faint.

I immediately put on the precious mantle of the Triple Brocade force and pushed away the energy clouding my upper dantian according to the formulas of the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition.

A strange light settled in the blood ghoul’s eyes at my appearance.

“The young Taoist is quite something.”

With those words, the opponent’s figure vanished with a whoosh.

Simultaneously, time stretched out following the alarm bell rung by the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition.

Within that stretched sense of time, the fragmented figure of the opponent entered my eyes.

‘Fast.’

A swiftness exceeding even that of the Young Spirit Slayer, the fastest expert I had ever met, was being manifested by the non-human body of the blood ghoul.

The reaching hand was stealthy and dangerous.

Ten long-extended claws aimed at my throat without making even the sound of wind.

What was the best move to counter a thrusting strike?

‘A thrust is parried.’

It was the most standard response to a thrust.

Pressing down from above to block, or parrying upward from below.

I chose the latter.

A defense considering the area aimed at by the opponent and the distance between the opponent’s body and mine. It was one of the five formulas of the Tai Chi Sword Manual.

It was the formula of lifting (Je) to deflect.

However, that alone was not enough to block the blood ghoul’s lethal strike.

Screech-!

Along with the sound of the blade grinding, the impact was transmitted through the sword blade. The force possessed by the opponent was immense.

Except for one thing.

‘Something is not comfortable.’

It felt as though the opponent’s strength was not whole.

It felt as if she was unable to display all the power she possessed.

That was why I could receive it.

I immediately exercised quick-witted adaptability.

It was an application of the Tai Chi Sword Manual’s formula of Adapting and Transforming with the Force.

‘Minimize the coefficient of friction. Adjust the angle.’

While operating the Jin release formula that reduces the coefficient of friction of the Flowing Cloud Movement Skill on the sword blade, I tilted the angle of the blade using my thumb and ring finger just as I had learned from Namgung Hyo-sin.

The blood ghoul’s lethal strike slid past above my temple.

However, since the blood ghoul possessed two hands just like a human.

As her right hand was blocked, she swung her left hand.

‘Too close.’

Yet I was not alone.

Clang!

The one who raised his sword and blocked the blood ghoul’s left hand was the Affectionate Swordsman.

Beside him, blue and red sword qi tangled mysteriously, aiming at the blood ghoul’s flank.

It was the ultimate stance of the Qingcheng Sect’s once-lost Sword of Clear Clouds and Red Sunset (Qingyun Chixia-geom).

“Hah!”

A bit of embarrassment washed over the blood ghoul’s face as she retracted her blocked right hand to ward off Taoist Su-gyo’s sword.

Her face looked as though things were not going as planned.

She was not skilled at hiding her thoughts.

This was the case despite her considerable age felt through the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition. I wondered if all blood ghouls were like this, but my sample size was small.

At that moment, the opponent’s lips parted slightly, and the true qi around her mouth vibrated.

Just as I had eavesdropped on the sound transmission of the Sichuan Tang Clan’s third young master before, I aligned my frequency to synchronize with the vibration of the true qi spreading from her mouth.

[To the back garden!]

Along with that sound transmission.

Stealthy footsteps began to head toward the back garden.

**

Hye-won drove the palm force of the Wudang Sect’s Cloud-Dispelling Divine Palm into the chest of an oncoming blood ghoul.

Boom-!

Along with the sound of a leather drum bursting, a blood ghoul sprayed blood and crashed onto the floor. However, Hye-won could tell.

‘It is not dead.’

It was due to the detestable regenerative ability.

Furthermore, the current time was past the Hour of the Ox.

It was the time of day when Yang energy dissipated and Yin energy was at its peak.

The recovery speed of the blood ghouls was abnormally fast.

Therefore, she had to completely kill the neutralized blood ghouls, but she did not have the luxury of time to do so.

“Die!”

“Let us drink the Taoists’ blood!”

The number of rushing blood ghouls was too large.

How could such a large number move so secretly?

There was only one answer to the question.

‘A Blood Master of the Blood Cult has come!’

The blood ghouls of the Blood Cult possessed different bloodline abilities depending on their lineage. And they bore different names according to those abilities.

The ability to deceive even the eyes and ears of a high-level expert like Hye-won and move so stealthily.

It was only the bloodline ability of the Dark Shadow Bloodline’s Blood Master.

‘Though the Blood Master of the Dark Shadow Bloodline was known to have died not long ago.’

The fact that the head of the Ouyang Clan had severed the neck of the Dark Shadow Blood Master, who had secretly infiltrated the Central Plains, was secret information passed down only within the Sea Fog Pavilion.

Yet they showed the ability of a Blood Master?

‘It is a young Blood Master.’

One who had not been in the position of Blood Master for very long.

That was the case when calculating the physical time.

While striking down the blood ghouls, Hye-won continued her train of thought.

‘Utilizing a bloodline ability to erase the presence of such a large number of people? Either the young Blood Master’s talent surpassed the predecessor’s, or they overexerted themselves.’

However, why would a Blood Master capable of surpassing the predecessor only now rise to the position of Blood Master?

In the end, at the moment she concluded that the latter possibility was highly likely.

The momentum of the suddenly charging blood ghouls decreased as they began to buzz. Soon, some of the charging blood ghouls turned their backs and headed somewhere. And that direction was the exact direction Hye-won was heading. It was the direction heading toward the back garden.

‘How dare they!’

An intuition struck her.

An insidious intention to break the Wudang Sect’s present and future in the back garden was read.

At that moment, a golden brilliance flashed from Hye-won’s flank and a roaring sound arose. It was the Shaolin Arhat Divine Fist.

“Kyaaaack!”

A blood ghoul fell down with a large hole pierced in its body. Hye-won immediately struck the neck of the fallen blood ghoul with her hand sword of the Supreme Clarity Free Hand.

It was a move executed because blood ghouls with regenerative abilities had to have their necks severed to be killed for sure.

The decapitated body of the blood ghoul squirmed.

The hole in the chest that was being repaired gradually stopped recovering, and the neckless torso also ceased its movements.

At the same time, a magnificent energy as if pushing away space stood beside Hye-won.

“Are you alright!”

It was a voice like a booming temple bell.

It was Goeng-mu, the Luohan Hall Master of the Shaolin Temple, and the young elites of Group Ding he led.

“Of course.”

Though the blood was pooling around her, none of it was hers. Not a single hem of her clothes was soaked in the blood. It was thanks to her mastery of telekinetic power to the point where telekinesis was possible.

However, the only reason they could have a brief moment of breathing room was one thing. It was because the number of charging blood ghouls had decreased.

And since that was synonymous with her young nephew disciple being in danger.

“Please take care of the other unit members!”

Along with the words, she immediately headed for the back garden.

Striking down the blood ghouls blocking her path step by step, she passed through as if flying through the air.

**

Namgung Hyo-sin was growing exhausted from the ever-increasing number of blood ghouls, he was astonished by the sight of Yeon Baek-jung suddenly throwing away his sword.

This was because a swordsman letting go of his sword was equivalent to saying he would die.

However, there was one thing he overlooked.

“Hah!”

It was that the martial art Yeon Baek-jung had trained in for a long time was fist and palm close combat.

Furthermore, he had only recalled the young younger siblings of his family from the sight of Yeon Baek-jung with a youthful face practicing the sword with sparkling eyes, and did not know what kind of person Yeon Baek-jung was when facing an enemy.

Because he did not know, he was surprised.

Crack-squelch-!

Namgung Hyo-sin had no choice but to be astonished once more at the water-like fluid movement of breaking, twisting, and pulling out.