Chapter 282 : The Great Counterattack (1)
Chapter 282: The Great Counterattack (1)
A dense darkness lay draped over the land stained with blood.
At the Blood Cult’s stronghold in Shanxi, an ominous, cloying silence flowed, as though ferocious beasts were holding their breath.
“Phew.”
At that moment, a single sigh shattered the stillness.
The Blood Cult’s Vice Cult Leader, the Sword Demon Jo Yangpung, fixed his cold, gleaming gaze upon the map of the entire Central Plains spread out before him.
The black sword in his hand trembled faintly, as if speaking for his foul mood.
‘How did it come to this.’
The situation had veered far beyond every prediction.
He and the Elders had risked their lives to complete the grand design before their master’s descent.
Their intent had been to crush the resistance of the Central Plains’ martial world before the master even needed to move.
None among them, empowered by bestowed grace, had believed this plan could fail.
‘Everything has become tangled.’
Yet the reality—that they were being pushed back on every battlefield—was more than enough to shatter the Sword Demon’s arrogance.
Reports of defeat pouring in from all directions, along with unexpected successive notices of Elders’ deaths, sent Jo Yangpung’s fury boiling over.
“Tang Sewoon……!”
Each time the name of the Paetcheon Association Leader was mentioned amid the chaos, his sword howled all the more violently.
If his heart had its way, he would rush out at once and sever the bastard’s neck.
‘Before the Cult Leader arrives, I must prove my usefulness.’
For the Blood Demon to step in personally meant, in the end, that he himself had failed to handle matters properly.
And Jo Yangpung had seen all too clearly how those who lost their usefulness were discarded by their master.
Cold sweat trickled down the Sword Demon’s spine.
‘No matter what…….’
Even if it cost him his life, Jo Yangpung had to turn this battlefield into a victory.
And then, at that moment—
Bang!
Kwaaang!
Something of unknown origin suddenly came flying into his quarters.
“……!!”
Startled, Jo Yangpung stepped back.
Thinking it an enemy attack, he was about to swing his sword at once, when a familiar face caught his eye.
“Ghk, gghhh.”
“……Gui Yeongja?”
That was right.
Though his entire body was covered in blood and dust, looking like a dying wreck, the man was unmistakably Gui Yeongja, once a fellow Tenth Elder.
Why had someone who had gone to the battlefield with the Faint Silver Heavenly Demon, only to vanish without a trace, suddenly appeared here?
Step.
Tearing through the sticky silence, another heavy footstep rang out.
The sound was like that of a massive beast dragging its feet as it approached.
“Heh heh, did you really think going to the Vice Cult Leader would let you live?”
“Gghhh.”
The Blood Wheel Asura, an Allied Protector, mocked Gui Yeongja as he brushed blood from his soaked garments.
The very man who had declared Gui Yeongja a traitor after he fled when the Faint Silver Heavenly Demon died—it seemed he had captured him alive and returned.
“V-Vice Cult Leader. Please, cough! Take me to the master……. Th-There is something I must tell you……!”
Gui Yeongja’s face was twisted in terror, his eyes holding nothing but a desperate, pitiful longing to live.
“That one will…, that one will listen to my words! That man is dangerous! That man……!”
“To dare flee despite the grace bestowed by the master—traitorous scum!”
“Ghk—aaagh!!”
The Blood Wheel Asura seized Gui Yeongja by the throat.
Standing nearly nine feet tall, the Blood Wheel Asura lifted Gui Yeongja high into the air.
Gui Yeongja struggled in agony, but there was not the slightest sign that the Blood Wheel Asura intended to spare him.
Clinging to his final hope, Gui Yeongja looked toward the Sword Demon, but—
“Vermin.”
“……!!”
What came from Jo Yangpung’s mouth was the same death sentence pronounced by the Blood Wheel Asura.
Crunch!
The Blood Wheel Asura tore out Gui Yeongja’s throat on the spot.
With a horrific sound, Gui Yeongja’s body went limp as blood spurted forth.
Yet that was not the end.
Sssaaaaah!
From Gui Yeongja’s corpse, pitch-black demonic qi writhed and began to pour out.
A vivid light of greed rose in the eyes of the two men as they gazed upon that ferocious aura.
In truth, the reason the Blood Wheel Asura had pursued Gui Yeongja to the very end was not merely to purge a traitor.
‘The power of grace granted to this wretch is wasted! Taking it for myself will better serve the master’s will!’
He had also intended to seize the power the Blood Demon had bestowed upon Gui Yeongja.
Sssaaaaah!
The Blood Wheel Asura began absorbing the Reverse Heaven Qi erupting from Gui Yeongja’s body.
“Ah, aaah!”
At the same time, an overwhelming surge of energy exploded from the Blood Wheel Asura’s body.
Though the dreadful sounds of his body twisting and bones shattering echoed out, the Blood Wheel Asura instead wore a smile brimming with pleasure.
To Jo Yangpung’s eyes, the Blood Wheel Asura looked like a beast consumed by madness.
Sanmenxia in Henan.
Formed by three gorges carved into the middle reaches of the Yellow River, that naturally fortified strategic point had now become a colossal fortress where all the hopes of the Central Plains were gathered.
On the sole route leading to Shanxi—where the Blood Cult’s main headquarters and the Blood Demon himself were located—endless ranks of troops were stationed.
Yet the flags fluttering throughout the encampment were not of a single kind.
Martial, White, Unorthodox, Imperial.
Not only the Murim Alliance and the White Path Union, but also the Demonic Alliance and even the Imperial Army.
No fewer than four forces had all converged in one place.
And yet, despite the gathering of factions that could never coexist throughout the history of the martial world,
the morale of every force lay crushed upon the ground.
“Elder, do you really think we can win this battle?”
“I… don’t know either…….”
“How are we supposed to deal with the Jiangshi Legion……. There’s simply no answer. No matter how many we kill, they never end.”
Firstly, with each passing day, fear of the Blood Cult’s power—commanding horrific evil arts and aberrations—continued to deepen.
“And they say the Lord of the White Path Union died just a few days ago.”
“Ah… then among the Ten Great Experts of the World, only a handful remain…….”
“But rumors say that Namgung Myeong also fell to the Blood Demon…….”
Secondly, news of the death of Namgung Myeong, the Lord of the White Path Union, had spread.
The White Path Union had announced that he died from aftereffects sustained in Shaanxi, but the people of the martial world quickly sensed there was a hidden truth.
Rumors that Namgung Myeong had become a Demonic Practitioner and gone mad were already spreading in whispers throughout the jianghu.
If it had been earlier, such a thing would have been dismissed as nonsense, treated as nothing more than a baseless rumor.
But now, the situation was different.
This was because there were already countless cases of people who had either witnessed the Blood Demon firsthand on the battlefield or had been heavily exposed to demonic qi, transforming into Demonic Practitioners and attacking their own allies.
Martial artists would barely manage to fall asleep, only to endure the horrifying experience of the companion beside them suddenly becoming a Demonic Practitioner and turning on them.
“Just yesterday, the comrade next to me suddenly turned into a Demonic Practitioner and attacked us.”
“At this point, no one can be trusted.”
“The Blood Demon……. That thing is no longer within the realm of humans.”
Even without personally wielding Blood Water, the Blood Demon’s ability to drive countless people mad within their own minds left everyone in shock and terror.
The laments and worries of the martial artists poured out without end.
From their eyes, the will to fight gradually faded, replaced by rising despair.
And just as they were coming to fully realize how frail and powerless they were before the Blood Cult’s overwhelming strength and horrific sorcery—
“T-That, what is that?!”
“Aaaagh!”
A martial artist, his voice filled with terror, pointed toward the river flowing beneath the gorge.
His finger trembled like an aspen leaf.
Everyone’s gaze turned there at once, and screams erupted.
“A-Ah!”
“This can’t be! That is…!”
“B-Blood….”
The waters of the Yellow River flowing out from the enemy encampment turned crimson, taking on a horrifying blood-red hue.
Fear spread across the faces of the martial artists.
They instinctively sensed the dreadful massacre that had taken place in Shanxi.
It was as though the Blood Cult’s merciless slaughter was unfolding right before their eyes.
And the next ones in line would be them.
In the eyes of all who stared at the blood-stained river, it was as if hope itself had vanished, replaced by a deep, settling despair.
Inside a heavily guarded watch post.
At the entrance stood gate guards from three different factions, each maintaining watch.
Their sharp eyes constantly scanned the surroundings.
They remained on guard not only against external enemies, but also under the assumption that a clash could erupt at any moment with the martial artists of the other factions standing beside them.
Within such airtight security, the interior of the watch post held beings who, in the past, could never have stood together in the same place.
“Amitabha, the time has truly come for a decision to be made.”
A low Buddhist chant broke the heavy silence that had settled over the room.
Following Namgung Myeong’s death, Great Master Gakgong—newly elevated to the position of Head of the White Path Union—spoke first.
Beside him stood Namgung Baek, his face haggard and worn.
“I also agree with the Great Master. Morale continues to plummet without end. If we delay any further, we may lose before the battle even begins.”
Geum Hwa Satae, attending as the representative of the Murim Alliance, followed up on Great Master Gakgong’s words.
The gentle aura emanating from her eased the tension in the chamber, if only slightly.
Her disciple, Do Ha-yeong, remained silent, her expression solemn.
“But there is still no clear plan for infiltration. With no commander in place, attacking rashly could amount to nothing more than startling the snake by striking the grass.”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince is certainly correct, but the situation is moving far too quickly. This is a matter where even a single moment is critical…….”
“Hm, that is also true. Hoo, there truly is no clear answer…….”
Crown Prince Juyudo, who commanded the Imperial Army, shook his head from side to side.
On his face lingered the dignity of royalty, along with exhaustion from the battlefield that could not be concealed.
Despite the mortal danger, Juyudo had never once withdrawn to the rear. He had always continued fighting at the very front.
After being cured of an incurable illness with Sewoon’s help, he had undergone an extraordinary rise in realm through the teachings of the Eastern Depot Admiral, as well as the countless martial manuals and medicinal elixirs stored within the Imperial Palace. As a result, he had played a clearly significant role on the battlefield.
Moreover, the fact that members of the imperial clan and elite imperial forces were fighting together had greatly boosted troop morale in the early stages.
And then—
“There is no need to argue any further.”
“……!”
An old master, who had remained silent throughout the entire discussion, finally opened his mouth.
The atmosphere froze solid.
Everyone present held no trust whatsoever toward the figure before them.
Yet there was nothing to be done.
He, like them, had joined under the pretext of fighting the Blood Cult, but they possessed no information at all about who he truly was.
“What exactly do you mean by that, Lord of the Demonic Alliance?”
As Geum Hwa Satae spoke, Sama Seung—who had newly become the master of the Demonic Alliance—turned his gaze toward her.
His true identity was none other than the Great Protector of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Sky-Gazing Spear Demon Bukri Seung.
Under his new identity, Bukri Seung had carried out Sewoon’s orders, leading the Demonic Cult and successfully swallowing the Demonic Alliance whole.
“I mean exactly what I said. The one who can give us the answer has already arrived. What is the point of the insufficient continuing to argue?”
“What are you saying…?”
“Amitabha.”
As everyone tilted their heads at Bukri Seung’s words,
Great Master Gakgong alone sensed something and softly intoned a Buddhist chant.
Waaaaaah!
At the same time, the outside suddenly erupted into great commotion for reasons unknown.
While everyone except Great Master Gakgong and Bukri Seung stood dumbfounded—
“You are far too late.”
“!!”
A single voice rang out.
Upon confirming the visitor, a bright light spread across the faces of everyone present.