Rebirth of the Thunder God

[Blood Qilin...!]

"!!!"

Blood Qilin, wasn't that a name that seemed to come out of a side story?

Not only Namgung Hui, but also Gwon Cheong and the single-horned snake looked at the being that had appeared in front of them with extremely surprised expressions.

A creature with the appearance of a deer, its whole body adorned with colorful and vibrant colors.

The mostly red fur was reminiscent of blood.

To the point where the words 'Blood Qilin' came out naturally.

Perhaps because of that blood-red color, the ominous yet brilliant color was beautiful.

A very contradictory appearance.

The Blood Qilin arrogantly raised its head and said.

[Blue Tiger. You've grown a lot. How dare you utter my title so carelessly.]

[N-no, sir. Lord Qilin. But haven't you not come out of your abode for the past 100 years? What brings you to my territory...?]

[How can I stay still when you are making such a loud commotion? On top of that, I was drawn by a mysterious smell.]

At the words 'mysterious smell,' the scared Blue Tiger let out a sigh of relief.

Now, if it smelled the stinky tofu properly, the Blood Qilin would surely take the Blue Tiger's side.

[Lord Qilin. That human has made a strange object. Please be careful. Your sense of smell might be damaged.]

[Are you talking about that square object?]

[Yes. They call it stinky tofu, and that human says it's food. But how on earth can food have such a foul smell? It must be poison.]

[Then I'll just have to eat it.]

[No! Why would you...]

The Blue Tiger stopped talking and recalled the Blood Qilin's ability.

The reason its title was Blood Qilin was not just because of its appearance.

Its innate ability.

It could absorb any poison and even build it up as its own spirituality.

The reason the Blood Qilin's skin color had changed like that was because it had mastered countless poisons.

If so, even if the object called stinky tofu was poison, it would not inflict any damage on the Blood Qilin.

Rather, if it was a potent poison, it would be a boon to him, not a harm.

The Blue Tiger inwardly judged that this was not a bad thing.

Because it had hoped that the foul-smelling object would disappear as soon as possible.

The Blood Qilin floated in the empty air and flew towards the stinky tofu.

Since it was a spirit beast of a sublime position, there was no sense of incongruity in it floating in the air.

It put its nose to the ground, sniffed the stinky tofu, and then immediately opened its mouth and swallowed it whole.

Wajak. Wajak.

With the sound of the stinky tofu being crushed, Gwon Cheong's saliva was swallowed.

Of course, it was not the sound of drooling.

He was extremely nervous about how the Blood Qilin would evaluate the stinky tofu.

A little while later, the Blood Qilin, which had completely swallowed the stinky tofu, raised its head and asked.

[Are you the one who made this?]

"Yes. Lord Qilin."

[Lord is unnecessary. Just call me Qilin. Stinky tofu. I liked it very much. By any chance, can you tell me the recipe for this? I'm not asking you to tell me for free. That's right. There are plenty of spirit fruits in my abode, so I'll give you one of them. How about it? My proposal.]

"!!?"

Gwon Cheong looked at Namgung Hui with a dazed expression, as if he couldn't believe the Blood Qilin's evaluation.

It was as if he was asking if his ears were wrong.

"Mister. It sounds like a great praise to my ears too. Since your destination was Qilin Peak anyway, please tell the Qilin that you accept."

"Alright. Ahem. Lord Qilin. It's not difficult to tell you the recipe for stinky tofu. Instead, when I head to your abode, can I take my companions with me?"

[Companions, you mean the human next to you?]

"Ah. The single-horned snake here is also a companion."

[Oho. You've made a companion of a child that hasn't even ripened yet? It seems there was quite an interesting story. No matter how much, the Green-Horned Single-Horned Snake doesn't serve just anyone. Alright. I'll let your companions in. Then we'll leave right away.]

As soon as the Blood Qilin's words ended, the bodies of Namgung Hui's party floated up.

A sublime spiritual power that could even interfere with not just others, but also the single-horned snake and Namgung Hui.

Namgung Hui, while floating in the empty air, could not help but be impressed.

'He's a possessor of great spiritual power...! And is this what it feels like to fly in the sky?'

It was quite different from flying while performing the Wind God Steps.

It was like floating on water.

And extremely comfortable.

One would have to learn the Void-Treading Step or the Heavenly Ascent to even imitate this.

Since they were flying in the sky, it didn't take long to reach the mountain peak.

An hour? No, it didn't even seem to take that long.

When they arrived at the peak, flowers and trees that he had never seen before in his life were lined up.

It was like a different world?

The atmosphere was even dreamlike, as if he had entered the immortal world where immortals roamed.

Namgung Hui's party, who had landed on the ground, was engrossed in looking around.

Namgung Hui was not just admiring the surrounding scenery like Gwon Cheong, but was examining the transparent barrier spread around.

It seemed to be of a different class to be considered a simple formation.

Rather, an energy close to a high-level sorcery.

A complex formula that could not be explained by the principles of formations.

As if the Qilin was not a simple spirit beast, the barrier spread in its hideout was extremely mysterious.

[If you're done admiring, let's go in.]

As the Blood Qilin finished speaking, the transparent barrier in front of them disappeared.

Since the obstacle that was blocking them had disappeared, there was no reason to hesitate.

Gwon Cheong, with a curious gaze, was the first to enter the Blood Qilin's abode.

Namgung Hui, inwardly not letting go of his tension due to the Blood Qilin's pressure, stealthily set foot.

The single-horned snake also instinctively sensed the danger, and it was more cautious and careful than the attitude it had shown to Namgung Hui.

And so, with each in a different posture, they arrived at the center of the Blood Qilin's hideout.

As he had boasted, there were plenty of fruits he had never seen before here and there.

Not just fruits. Flower petals and plants that looked like medicinal herbs were also scattered in the fields.

The poisonous herbs were also so diverse that the people of the Sichuan Tang family would have their eyes pop out if they saw them.

Gwon Cheong was also an herb gatherer, so he examined the medicinal herbs and poisonous herbs with interest.

"Ooh! This is the Nine-Leaf Spirit Herb! No! This is the Crane Spirit Herb! This is the Heavenly Blood Herb!!!"

He repeatedly exclaimed in admiration, his eyes popping out as if they would fall out.

Then, as if he had discovered something different, this time he tilted his head and asked.

"Lord Qilin. This is a spirit herb I'm seeing for the first time, what is its name?"

In the direction Gwon Cheong was pointing, a root in the shape of a doll was placed.

It looked similar to the Doll Snow Ginseng, but the ki it possessed was different.

If the snow ginseng had yin ki, this had a mysterious ki close to poisonous ki.

[It's a plant called the Mandrake, and it's a plant I got from a friend who had been to the Western Regions a long time ago. The conditions for growing it are so difficult, that I'm having a hard time. Ah. If you make eye contact with that child...]

"Kereureuk...!"

As if it was already too late, Gwon Cheong foamed at the mouth and collapsed.

At the sudden unexpected situation, Namgung Hui looked at the Blood Qilin and asked.

"What should I do?"

[This is difficult. That's not a poison, but something close to hypnosis, so it needs to be dispelled, not detoxified.]

"Do you mean there's no way?"

[That's not it. I have a way, but I'm reluctant to do it.]

As Namgung Hui tilted his head, the Blood Qilin continued.

[If I perform the sorcery, I will unintentionally look into his memories. That's something neither that man nor I would want. Peeking into someone else's memories is not a very pleasant thing.]

If he only stole good memories, it would be one thing.

But if unwanted tragic memories also flowed in, it would surely not be a good experience.

On top of that, since the Blood Qilin was not a human, it would be difficult for it to empathize.

And the memories accumulated like that would not be as easy to forget as a human's.

In other words, it had to be seen as a mental demon that could not be detoxified, accumulating one by one.

Namgung Hui looked at Gwon Cheong, who was in agony for a moment, and thought.

'If I use my Purple Thunder Ki, I might be able to do something.'

Thunder ki contained the energy of dispelling evil and upholding justice.

To be precise, the Thunder God Divine Art created by the Blue Dragon contained such an energy, and perhaps because he was the Blue Dragon, one of the Four Divine Beasts, he was able to handle such an energy.

Since it was contained in the Thunder God Divine Art as it was, he was able to resolve not only poison but also the energy of the Demonic Essence Pill.

If it was just the hypnosis of a plant, there was no law that said he couldn't dispel it with the Purple Thunder Ki.

Namgung Hui, having made his decision, rolled up his sleeves and approached Gwon Cheong.

"I'll try to dispel it, so just watch."

[You? Is it possible? Although that thing is just a plant, it's a notorious thing in the Western Regions.]

"But I can't just stand by and watch, can I? He might become a fool or fall into qi deviation if this continues."

[Hmm... Alright. If it comes to it, I'll step in, so you try it.]

Namgung Hui nodded and immediately grabbed Gwon Cheong's wrist.

He closed his eyes, observed his interior, and tracked the energy of the Mandrake, which was the cause.

Gooooo...

As expected, the energy was located in the upper dantian, in his head.

As a plant of hypnosis, it was persistently attacking his head.

By taking control of the upper dantian, was it trying to control the human?

The ki he felt was quite sinister, and it felt ominous.

Namgung Hui, judging that he should not delay with such an energy, immediately began to send the Purple Thunder Ki to the upper dantian.

-Jijijik. Jijijijik.

The energy of the Mandrake repelled the thunder ki, and Gwon Cheong writhed in pain.

A pain that made his body tremble even in his unconscious state.

This, in its own way, was dangerous.

Because if he made a mistake, Gwon Cheong's brain could be damaged, and he could really become a fool.

Namgung Hui, with more caution, precisely controlled the thunder ki.

The Purple Thunder Divine Art, which had achieved great completion, moved according to Namgung Hui's will.

The thunder ki that moved exquisitely could not be followed by the energy of the Mandrake.

The Purple Thunder Ki stirred the fine vessels located in the upper dantian and began the purification process.

-Chareureuk...!

Like a master playing Go, it surrounded and annihilated the energy of the Mandrake.

It even found and exterminated the remaining dust-like energy.

The sinister and evil energy was extremely secretive, so if even a little was left, it would surely plot for a later day.

Namgung Hui, who had cleanly erased the energy, examined Gwon Cheong's body again and let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew...!"

Perhaps because he had consumed his mental energy for a change, a cold sweat that he rarely shed flowed.

As he wiped the sweat with his sleeve and stood up, Gwon Cheong also began to come to his senses.

"Keuung...! Why does my head hurt so much? I feel like I've been drinking heavily. Huh? Why am I lying down?"

Gwon Cheong looked up at Namgung Hui and asked a question.

Namgung Hui glanced at the Blood Qilin, planted the Mandrake plant in the ground, and answered.

"The thing that planted apparently put you under hypnosis."

"What? A plant hypnotized a person?"

"They say it's a strange plant from the Western Regions. Well, anyway, since you really lost consciousness and collapsed, it must be a being that harms humans. I'd like to burn it right away, but."

Namgung Hui looked at the Blood Qilin with a displeased expression and then continued calmly.

"Since it's not my property, that would be impossible. Anyway. Is there anything wrong with your body?"

"Rather, my mind has become clearer than before, as if I had a good night's sleep. By any chance, did Lord Qilin bestow a blessing on me?"

Namgung Hui smiled bitterly and said.

"That's not it. Anyway, I'm glad your mind is clear. Then let's go inside. Lord Qilin."

Perhaps because of Namgung Hui's sarcasm, the Blood Qilin's expression looked somewhat complicated.

[Yes. It would be better to go inside and talk. Now. Follow me.]

Perhaps because he felt sorry for Gwon Cheong, the Blood Qilin's voice felt slightly heavy.

Namgung Hui, thinking, 'At least the Blood Qilin has a conscience,' followed him and entered the splendid estate decorated as if an immortal lived there.

And the moment he entered that estate.

Namgung Hui had no choice but to unfold his protective aura with all his might.

Because the Blood Qilin had turned around and attacked him right away.

[You bastard! What is your relationship with the Blue Dragon!]

(End of Chapter)