Chapter 91

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Translated by Seoulbound

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

A lightfoot art that mixed the Cloud-Climbing Step with the formulas for the flow of wind, which had been inspired by the wingbeats of a spiritual beast.

Around the time I approached the Yichang branch faster than expected through this lightfoot method, which I named Entrusting to the Wind and Roaming the Void.

Screech—!

At the end of my gaze, which turned toward the urgent cry of the spiritual messenger swallow, Seo-yeon, three figures came into my sight.

As the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition true qi resonated and the three figures rapidly expanded, I realized that one of the three was not a person.

The one who was not a person was threatening the two who were people.

And because those two were wearing the Taoist robes of Wudang Sect disciples.

While floating in the air, I immediately shouted to my Great-Martial Uncle and senior brothers.

“I will go ahead!”

Coinciding with my words, I rode the downdraft.

As the wind of the downdraft ruffled my long hair during the free fall, I felt the acceleration.

And finally, at the appropriate moment and in the appropriate position, I was able to arrive while maintaining the appropriate force.

As a result, I rescued my fellow disciple who was in danger.

In that split second, a shock intense enough to make my mind grow distant swept through my body, but unlike the moment in the past when I had turned the masked Green Forest bandits into soft humus in Juksan, this time, the only difference was that the blood ghoul targeting my fellow disciple lay beneath my feet.

Rumble.

“Oops.”

Pushing aside the pile of stones from the collapsed wall as I stood up, I examined the blood ghoul lying unconscious beneath my feet.

“Grrr.”

As expected, the blood ghoul did not die from just this.

‘Which lineage of blood ghoul is it?’

So far, I had encountered two types of blood ghouls.

The Phantom Shadow Bloodline was stealthy, and the Vajra Bloodline was sturdy.

On the other hand, the blood ghoul beneath my feet was neither stealthy nor sturdy.

Strictly speaking, it was at a similar level to the Blood Selling Cult’s blood ghouls in Wuchang.

‘Whatever it may be.’

Since it was a monster that coveted human blood.

Based on the concise movements ingrained in my body, I laid the blood ghoul beneath my feet to eternal rest.

Immediately after dealing with the blood ghoul, two people approached me with the burning Yichang branch building in the background. They were the ones who had almost lost their lives to the blood ghoul just now.

“Are you okay?”

Behind the unfamiliar Taoist nun who looked at me with eyes that seemed to say those were the words she should be asking, my eyes met with a boy of a similar age whom I seemed to have seen somewhere before.

“Yeon Baek-jung?”

“Yi Won-yu?”

The waiter whom I had rescued at the inn where we were attacked by assassins on the way to the Guizhou branch of the Murim Alliance was staring at me.

‘You were safe.’

However, that relief did not last long.

Whoosh!

Behind them, the branch building was burning and collapsing.

Moreover, a strange movement of true qi was also captured.

The yang energy of the flames and the yin energy of the true qi wind that boosted it were unnaturally mixing, adding to the fire.

It was not a naturally occurring wind.

Because an artificial wind raised by technique was boosting the fire.

“First, let’s avoid this place.”

“I know the way to the safe house.”

The Taoist nun said as she took the lead.

As I hoisted Yi Won-yu onto my back, our speed began to pick up.

“I am Myeong-ok of the Sea Fog Pavilion. You are Junior Brother Yeon Baek-jung of the True Martial Pavilion, correct?”

“Yes.”

“What about the others who were dispatched to the Guizhou branch?”

Through the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition qi sensation, I felt the fluctuating qi waves of my senior brothers.

And since the faint crying of swords could even be heard by my ears.

“They have arrived and are currently fighting the enemies.”

There was no need to worry about my senior brothers and martial uncles. Since evacuating Myeong-ok and Yi Won-yu was the priority for now, I ran quickly through the narrow alley.

However, our steps could not continue for long.

It was because obstructors wearing blood-red robes and emitting blood qi appeared.

A group mixed with blood ghouls and blood pouches blocked our way.

When I first descended, I had made a noisy appearance by utilizing a massive amount of potential energy. It would be stranger if the enemies did not know.

As I set Yi Won-yu down on the ground, I said.

“I will open the way.”

Myeong-ok and Yi Won-yu were quick-witted. They withdrew far away so as not to interfere with my deployment of martial arts. Although Myeong-ok was an expert, she had to protect Yi Won-yu, so she was completely leaving the fight to me, a disciple of the True Martial Pavilion.

Feeling trusted, I stepped forward while drawing my sword.

Seeing me like that, the blood ghouls wagged their tongues as if it were ridiculous.

“Black Pine Gate? He is a disciple of the True Martial Pavilion? At that age?”

“I heard that the pure blood of Wudang horse-noses is so sweet.”

Around them, the blood pouches also drew their respective weapons and boosted their blood qi.

Watching that scene, I could guess once again.

‘As expected, information is not being shared properly.’

I thought that there might not be any intelligence networks within the system of the evil cults.

‘Rather better.’

I immediately took a step forward.

As the muscles connecting my calves to my ankles contracted finely and my cultivation exploded.

Thud!

Instead of lifting my body, the foot that stomped vigorously propelled me forward. I wrapped my sleeves around my wrists to reduce friction and rode the wave of the rising true qi force, accelerating. Without even needing to utilize the heightened cognitive power of my upper dantian, I immediately thrust my sword.

“Keugh!”

Right after penetrating the neck of one blood pouch.

“As expected!”

“His cultivation is incredibly pure! His blood must be so clear!”

Above the hands of the two shouting blood ghouls, red blood qi rose like a haze, rubbing against and tangling with the external air, drawing a unique pattern.

Sizzz!

The moment something like sparks condensed above the blood ghouls’ hands, a future that had not yet occurred flashed in my mind.

A scene where the blood qi and the oxygen in the atmosphere underwent a violent chain reaction, causing an explosion of fire that swept away me, Senior Sister Myeong-ok, and even Yi Won-yu, turning us into black ashes.

Coinciding with the premonition, I thrust my sword and rapidly engraved the formulas of cultivation onto the blade.

In the path toward the unity of sword and body, a unique manipulation of cultivation—which mixed the subtleties of the returning force that I had repeatedly trained with the gravity-generating formula of the Four Symbols Flowing Sword—adsorbed the true qi, dyeing the blade blue, while forming an attractive force field of true qi around the blade.

Whoosh!

The bastards thrust both of their hands forward.

Along the path of the blood qi that erupted from their palms, a pillar of fire swept through the alley.

**

The holy fire of the Holy Fire Bloodline immortals was a power derived from blood. It was a noble flame that could not be extinguished by the power of a mere mortal.

However.

‘!’

Although the flames of the holy fire manifested from their palms should have rightfully swept through the narrow alley and turned the three mortals into lumps of charcoal, they could not stretch forward.

‘Why?’

Instead, they were sucked in.

Into the blade dyed blue.

Whoosh—!

The fire dragon born from the holy fire twisted its body here and there like an imugi that had failed to ascend, flickering and writhing on the blade, before soon dying down.

Instead, a purple haze flickered on the blue-glowing blade as the remnants of the holy fire completely permeated into the sword.

“How…!”

The moment one blood pouch voiced the thoughts of the blood ghouls.

The sword, glowing white-hot with a purple hue, moved.

Whoosh—! Slash—!

Flames erupted from the blade and swept over the blood pouches.

Because the kindling of the holy fire was the blood qi derived from pure blood.

“Aaaargh!”

“S-Spare me!”

The blood pouches became the most delicious kindling for the holy fire and withered away.

There was only one thought that rose in the minds of the blood ghouls who stood frozen within the flames.

‘We must run!’

For the first time in their lives, they felt the emotion of fear.

It was the first threat to their lives they had encountered since obtaining immortal bodies.

The shock of having their conviction—that no one would be able to harm their lives—shattered was immense.

Forgetting even their dignity, they began to run like mad.

The immortals who had lived only for today ran toward tomorrow.

However, tomorrow could not come for them.

Slash!

They floated into the air and, following their spinning vision, they saw their own headless bodies as they slowly closed their eyes.

Today.

It was the end of their long, long immortal lives.

**

Flame is the product of a combustion reaction.

No.

Since fire has no physical substance, to be more precise, it would be more accurate to call it a phenomenon that appears during the process of a combustion reaction.

Then, what is a combustion reaction?

To put it plainly, it is ‘a violent chemical reaction between oxygen and another substance.’

Therefore, no matter what kind of flame it is.

Even if it is manifested through a technique, three things are required to start a fire.

1. Oxygen.

2. A substance to react with oxygen.

3. And a high temperature to promote the chemical reaction.

‘They raised the temperature through friction with true qi while using blood qi as fuel.’

The result of that was the flames emitted from the blood ghouls’ hands.

What I did was just one thing.

I gathered the atmosphere containing oxygen and the blood qi emitted by the bastards around the blade.

By doing so, I restricted the combustion of the flame.

‘I am glad it worked well.’

If I had not been able to compress my sword qi to a sharpness capable of cutting through the skin of a Vajra Bloodline blood ghoul.

Or if I had not grasped the formulas of the Four Symbols Flowing Sword.

Without even one of those two realizations, it would have been a difficult task to accomplish.

I might have evaded it somehow, but Myeong-ok and Yi Won-yu would have turned to ashes.

‘I saved my fellow disciple.’

Suddenly, the mummy-like corpses excavated from the ground of the Blood Cult branch in Guizhou came to mind.

And the dream I had back then.

Feeling that the unpleasant memory of the dream where I lost the disciples of the main sect was drifting away, my heart, which had been heavy due to the disappearance of the Greedy Wolf Unit senior brothers, lightened up a little.

Just then, Myeong-ok, who was leading the way toward the safe house, looked back and asked.

“By any chance, did you know about those blood ghouls’ abilities beforehand?”

From the question of the Sea Fog Pavilion senior sister, I could deduce.

It seemed that even for the Sea Fog Pavilion, a blood ghoul that raised flames was a first.

If I knew something, she would want me to tell her as much as possible.

The problem was that it was also my first time seeing a blood ghoul that spewed fire.

“No.”

I had no choice but to answer that way.

Then, my senior sister, who had lost her words for a moment, asked back.

“Then how… did you defeat that heat-yang art?”

She probably asked that way because there was no other way to express it, but I wondered if the expression ‘heat-yang art’ was appropriate.

In addition, I hesitated to give an exact answer to my senior sister’s question.

It was because explaining it was troublesome.

‘It’s a bit much to explain the combustion reaction… while we are on the move.’

Therefore, I answered concisely, just as I had explained to my master in the past.

“I saw it and responded.”

“You saw it with your eyes and responded?”

“Yes.”

With those words as the end, Myeong-ok turned her head forward again.

‘Did I make a mistake?’

Not a single word of conversation continued until we arrived at the safe house.

**

—I saw it and responded.

At Yeon Baek-jung’s simple word, she only then realized it.

Why his nickname, Bringer of Chaos, was vibrating so much throughout the Hubei region.

‘A genius…’

Geniuses were usually like this.

They spoke of things that could not be natural as if they were natural.

Due to the nature of the Sea Fog Pavilion’s work, she had heard plenty of rumors about Yeon Baek-jung, but hearing rumors and seeing it with her own eyes were completely different.

She could not help but be filled with admiration and wonder.

Along with that, what she felt was pride.

With the pride that such a genius was her fellow disciple, she suppressed the laughter that was leaking out and headed toward the safe house.

The eyes of Yi Won-yu, who was carried on his back, were also sparkling.

It was not a common thing to owe one’s life to the same person twice.

After safely arriving at the safe house thanks to Yeon Baek-jung.

Myeong-ok immediately began to write a report.

It was about the ability of the new blood ghoul.

Meanwhile, Yeon Baek-jung, who had been looking over her shoulder at the report, hesitated before speaking cautiously.

“Um, by any chance, are there also blood ghouls whose abilities include raising wind?”

She said with her eyes fixed on the report.

“No. I have heard that there are bloodlines that scatter their bodies like fog, but I have never heard of any that raise wind.”

“I see.”

At her answer, Yeon Baek-jung gave a small smile.

Myeong-ok’s eyes naturally turned toward Yeon Baek-jung.

The smile on his face, which seemed to be somewhere between a boy and a young man, was quite pleasant to look at.

“Why is that, Junior Brother?”

At Myeong-ok’s gentler tone, Yeon Baek-jung, who had hesitated for a moment, continued.

“The wind that was boosting the flames in the branch building was unusual.”

Such were Yeon Baek-jung’s words.

It must be a question asking if there was a bloodline that controlled the wind.

“No such blood ghoul has been reported yet. However, although I know there are records from long ago about a bloodline that turns their bodies into fog to move like the wind.”

Myeong-ok paused for a moment.

It was because something crossed her mind as she was speaking.

“Wait, could you go to the scene with me for a moment?”

“To the scene? There might still be blood ghouls there.”

“It’s because I have something to look for.”

“Understood.”

Just as they were about to stand up like that.

“There is no need to go.”

Anga door opened and three people came in.

They were Myeong-hun, Myeong-jin, and Immortal Mang-won.

And Immortal Mang-won, who was at the very front and said ‘There is no need to go,’ tossed a small object onto the table with a thud.

It was a blood-soaked folding fan.

“As expected.”

Myeong-ok muttered in a low voice and examined the folding fan.

Just as she had guessed, a reclining dragon was drawn on the spread fan.

Seeing that, Immortal Mang-won spat out his words as if grinding his teeth.

“We discovered those Zhuge Clan fellows who were performing the Wind-Calling Art near the branch. They were stealthily hiding their bodies…”

The fan belonged to the Crouching Dragon Scholars of the Zhuge Clan.