Chapter 190
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pat!
There is a clear limit to the speed of human movement.
Even a person with strong lower limbs cannot be faster than a beast, and even a beast is inevitably faced with the limit of stamina, so although it can run fast, it is the law of nature that it cannot maintain its speed.
But there is an exception.
The race of martial artists, who change the human body into something that transcends human through martial arts.
They, like the legends in myths, sometimes fly in the sky through the medium of martial arts, and sometimes run for three days and three nights without rest.
But.
...a martial artist is also just a human being in the end...
The Eight Great Dragon Steps of the Kunlun Sect, which was called the best lightness and footwork in the history of the martial world, and the Heavenly Demon's Reigning Steps of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
...if you compare them to the speed of the man who was crossing the mountains while wearing a red cloak, it would be a drop in the bucket...
The man's speed was truly reminiscent of light.
Moreover, his footwork was so peerless that he did not leave a footprint even when he stepped on the muddy ground, and the fact that he maintained such a secret of stepping on snow without a trace was a proof of an unimaginably profound internal energy.
The man was none other than the Cult Leader of the White Lotus Cult.
The Blood Demon, Tae-ho-gong.
'Kehkehkeh... you trashy brats! Wait. I will tear your skin to shreds, break your bones, and make you disappear!'
The two eyes of Tae-ho-gong, who was already wearing a red cloak, were dyed with a crimson light.
At a glance, the madness of a madman who had lost his mind to the intent to kill was rising thickly from his face.
In that moment.
"Keu-heuk...!"
Tae-ho-gong, who was heading to Gansu, stopped his feet and clutched his chest.
"Keu-heu-heu-heu-heuk...!"
At the same time, he let out a groan like the roar of a beast and caressed his chest with his hand.
He seemed to be feeling a severe pain in his chest.
"Of all times... why suddenly...!"
Tae-ho-gong's complexion turned pale blue.
Crimson blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, and because of that, his blue face and the red blood formed a strange contrast, and his appearance was bizarre.
'Blood... I need blood. Blood...'
Tae-ho-gong craved for blood.
In fact, until a year ago, he had been able to think normally, but now he had almost entered the initial stage of qi deviation.
In the first place, he was a person who should not have been alive.
In the old days, during the subjugation of the Blood Cult, Tae-ho-gong's heart had stopped due to Moyong Cheon's Ten-Second Invincible Arts.
But through all sorts of strange arts of the unorthodox path and the great art, and furthermore, through the secret of the Blood Cult, he had been given life once again.
And the price was great.
He had sold his soul to the Blood God, and now he had a body that could not live without sucking the blood of living creatures.
'Blood... I must drink blood!'
His survival instinct was stirring.
He activated all his senses to the maximum with all his strength and tried to detect a moving body.
Fortunately,
The footsteps of a living creature brushed past his eardrums.
Only after feeling all the information of the body's walking, breathing, and smell with his five senses did Tae-ho-gong realize that the living creature was not a beast, but a human.
Soon...
The will to live became the driving force and moved Tae-ho-gong's body once again.
Soon.
"H-Heo-heop!"
The sight of a middle-aged hunter, who was gasping in fear, caught Tae-ho-gong's attention.
"W-Who are you? Who are you to be wandering in these deep mountains?"
Cold sweat flowed down the hunter's back.
At a glance, it was because he had instinctively felt that Tae-ho-gong was an unusual person.
A physique much larger than an ordinary person and the bloodshot eyes.
Who could not feel fear after seeing his red robe and his pale blue face...
"Come... come here..."
"W-What are you talking about? If you keep talking nonsense, my axe will not forgive you!"
The hunter pulled out the axe that he had been holding at his waist.
But,
The fear that had already been deeply ingrained in his mind and heart made his legs tremble.
In that moment.
Tae-ho-gong's left hand grabbed the hunter's neck, and,
Just by slightly putting strength into his grip, the hunter's cervical vertebrae were shattered, and his neck was crushed like a crumbling autumn leaf.
Through the torn throat, the hunter's blood flowed down.
Thus, the man died a violent death without being able to let out a single scream.
"Heup... heu-heu-heup!"
Tae-ho-gong, as if he had been waiting, brought his mouth to his throat.
And then, he began to suck the dead hunter's blood like a beast that had been starving for a long time.
A little later...
"Keu-eu...!"
When the Blood Demon, Tae-ho-gong, had sucked all the blood of the dead.
The hunter's body was left on the cold dirt floor, terribly damaged.
'As soon as possible, the blood god transformation... I must become a god!'
Thus, the Blood Demon, as if nothing had happened, regained his composure and flew into the air again.
To him, the life of one hunter was no different from the life of a fly.
***
"Alliance Leader. Those with serious injuries have all been sent down the mountain, and those with minor injuries have been treated with the medical skills of the people of the Tang family and Sect Leader Baek, so we must continue the march."
As soon as the maintenance was over, Zhuge Hyuk said to Abbess Hongryeon.
"Let's do that."
Abbess Hongryeon also nodded and agreed.
Everyone's mindset was different from when they had first arrived in Gansu.
Now, in addition to the Martial Alliance, the three battalions of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the twelve monks of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Hall had gathered, the forces of the Emei Sect disciples had been added, and the King of the Green Forest and the King of the Waterway had brought over 1,000 martial artists, adding to their strength.
Since they had obtained a thousand troops and ten thousand horses, their hearts were burning hotter than ever.
"Everyone, reorganize your ranks! We will climb Go-hap-san, the headquarters of the enemies!"
Zhuge Hyuk, who was located in the very center of the front row, shouted to the crowd with the method of the Six Harmonies Telepathy.
At that,
"Waaaaah!"
"Let's conquer Go-hap-san!"
"Let's deal with the trashy brats!"
When the crowd, full of fighting spirit, was letting out a fiery shout.
"Alliance Leader. I would like to make a suggestion."
Wi-ji Chan, who was in a row with the monks behind Abbess Hongryeon, opened his mouth.
"What kind of suggestion do you mean, Young Leader Wi-ji?"
"I am trying to unfold a spell that will be helpful in maintaining the strength of our allies. It may not be a great strength to each individual, but when it becomes a group, it will be a considerable supplement to our strength."
"Do you mean that there is such a clever plan? Then there is no reason to refuse."
"Then!"
As soon as the acceptance was given, Wi-ji Chan lightly nodded his head to the monks of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Hall.
At that,
The twelve monks scattered to their respective directions and moved to the edge of the procession, and,
"[email protected]$%%^&*!"
They began to mutter a strange language that was hard to understand, and,
A strange thing unfolded where a ki wave that was sparkling like a meteor above the heads of the people gradually spread widely.
"It's an amazing spell."
A strange light appeared in Baek In-hwa's eyes.
The spell that the monks had unfolded was a spell that temporarily increased the internal energy of their allies, and at the same time, made their bodies light and their minds firm.
"Hah! That's really true. The moment the spell is unfolded, my body feels much lighter, which is unusual."
"We are repeatedly indebted to the elders of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
The leadership also had a similar reaction to Baek In-hwa.
Wi-ji Chan smiled brightly and showed humility.
"It is not a debt. We are allies who have to cooperate for a while anyway. Also, this spell is temporary, so we will have to cast it again in the middle."
Just then.
"Ahem, ahem! This old man has also prepared something."
Baek In-hwa let out a dry cough and said.
"?"
In an instant, the people had a puzzled expression, but they were soon able to grasp Baek In-hwa's intention.
"[email protected]$%%^&*”
The strange language flowed out again...
The strange language that came out of Baek In-hwa's mouth, not the monks of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Hall, turned into a green light that was enough to envelop the entire room, and,
It manifested a ki wave that was even more powerful than the spell that the twelve monks had unfolded and enveloped the entire body of the crowd, and,
"Oh...! What?"
"I feel like I'm welling up with strength."
"It's strange. So this is what they call sorcery, sorcery. I feel like my body is boiling with energy."
So-ah's friends, who were in the rear of the procession, expressed their surprise at the certain power that had suddenly begun to dwell in them.
"The spell of the monks of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Hall was amazing, right?!"
"Sect Leader Baek's blessing prayer was awesome, right?"
"Bring out the Cult Leader!"
"The zombies! Bring the zombies!"
But...
Han Baek, Seok Won, Eon Yeong-je, and Paeng Il-gi.
The top four idiots of the In unit were invariably crossing the line and being playful.
'Yes. What can I expect from you guys? You guys are like that...'
Their friends could only taste a bitter taste as they looked at the four idiots.
***
"Palace Lord!!"
"Kehkehkeh! Young Hero Jin!!"
"Our So-yeong is here too?"
"Where there's a needle, there's a thread. I have to take care of my father."
"Hahaha! Palace Lord. It's good that you came. And thank you. So-yeong, it's good that you came too. This oppa will buy you a lot of delicious things later, okay?"
"Kehahahaha!"
"Pfft...!"
No matter when, where, or how they met, there are people who are just happy and grateful to see.
To So-ah, the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, Wang Bang-tae, and Wang So-yeong were such people.
Just one thing.
"Our son-in-law! It seems your martial arts have become even stronger while I haven't seen you. Kehaha!"
...except when he suddenly came at him like that.
"Dad-a-a-a-a! Really?!"
"Ah... So-yeong-ah..."
In the end, the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace could not hide his true feelings and was once again scolded by his daughter in front of his subordinates.
'He's still the same, the North Sea father and daughter. Kekekek.'
Now, even such a sight came to So-ah as a sense of familiarity.
***
A connection is a connection.
How on earth did So-ah and the people of the North Sea side happen to meet on the way to Gansu?
But it was a happy thing for both sides.
But the funny thing was...
"Ah! Is the mining amount that much? Wow! That's great. Our miner uncles must have worked hard."
"Hoho! Young Hero Jin. The people of our Ice Palace have also helped with the smooth work of the miners."
"Hah...! I have to repay the Palace Lord's kindness. I just don't have a chance, no chance!"
"Are we strangers? Don't say such things. Kehkehkeh!"
"That's right! Are we strangers? Hehehe."
So-ah, even in the face of the important problem of 'the subjugation of the wicked group for the survival of the martial world', as soon as he met Wang Bang-tae, he brought up the business story first.
'Again... money... money... money... is there another person like that in the world...'
'So-ah, he's really carefree. He's talking about money even in this situation? Haha. It's amazing!'
Jeon Woo-chi and Wang So-yeong shook their heads as they looked at So-ah like that.
While thinking that So-ah must have been a 'great merchant' who had played with a thousand gold in his previous life.
In the midst of that.
"Palace Lord. You have brought many people with you. I never imagined that you would bring such a large force."
At a glance, the number of masters of the Ice Palace, who had come riding on cold-blooded horses that could not be seen in the Central Plains, was so great that it could not be counted one by one.
That's how much the North Sea side's determination was in this subjugation.
As expected,
"Young Hero Jin. It is something that should be done. Of course, the reason I have come is because of your request, but in a way, even if it wasn't for you, the North Sea would have to help with the subjugation."
"How...?"
"The predecessor of the White Lotus Cult is the Blood Cult, right? If those brats swallow the Central Plains, they will invade the North Sea next. Haven't the Potala Palace and the So-noeumsa Temple, which are the core of the Western Regions martial world, already fallen into their hands? Annihilating those brats is not just a matter for the Orthodox Path."
Wang Bang-tae's words were true.
Of course, from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which belonged to the Black Path, to the Eighteen Fortresses of the Green Forest, the Yangtze River Waterway Fortress, and even the North Sea Ice Palace, which was a foreign force.
They had all participated in the subjugation due to So-ah's persuasion and request, but even if it wasn't for So-ah, they would have helped in some way.
That's how much the White Lotus Cult was a public enemy, and for that reason, everyone could join forces regardless of the distinction between black, white, orthodox, and unorthodox.
"Still, it's not an easy decision. After this is over, the Martial Alliance will show its sincerity to the Ice Palace side. You should take a big share. Hahaha."
"No! I'm rich. My wealth is probably on par with the Martial Alliance headquarters."
"That's true..."
"So how about repaying the kindness with something else?"
"Just say the word! If it's the Palace Lord's command, I'll even dance in a pit of fire with a bundle of firewood."
"Hoho! You're quite a joker."
"It's not a joke..."
The moment So-ah was about to make a joke.
Wang Bang-tae's telepathic message came to his ears.
[Take care of my daughter, you indifferent person!]