Chapter 206
"General Zhuge. Please seal the prisoners' dantians, form an investigation team, and interrogate them. I will discuss the handling of the injured and the return to the main office with the leadership."
Besides So-ah, there were a considerable number of seriously injured people among the subjugation force.
Moreover, the situation in the Gansu cult branch was still chaotic as it had not yet been brought under control.
Therefore, the leadership, including Abbess Hongryeon and Zhuge Hyuk, had no choice but to focus on the aftermath of the victory.
"I will do so, Alliance Leader."
On the other hand.
A flush of color gradually returned to the face of So-ah, who had lost consciousness and was growing cold like a corpse.
"There is improvement!"
"It's a miracle. His qi and blood were twisted randomly, and the damage to his blood vessels was severe..."
"Young Hero Jin's resilience is unparalleled."
The people from the Tang Clan, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and Shaolin who were in charge of So-ah's treatment clicked their tongues.
It was understandable, as So-ah's condition was extremely critical.
His life was in danger just from the broken sternum, but So-ah also had considerable internal bleeding, and his blood vessels had burst in several places, so it would not have been strange if he had died immediately.
But Jeon Woo-chi and Baek In-hwa had maximized his vitality with the spell of the Three-Layered White Gate, and the effects of the Great Return Pill provided by Shaolin and the Three-Flower Ice Soul Pill of the North Sea Ice Palace were great, and So-ah's resilience was also astonishing, so a miracle was being created.
"But it's too early to be relieved. The first priority is to regain consciousness."
"When do you think he will regain consciousness?"
"We have taken all possible initial measures, so let's set up a sickroom and manage the details with decoctions for a while."
"That would be good."
The people who were treating So-ah wiped away their cold sweat and let out a sigh of relief.
At that, So-ah's friends, including Moyong Hwa, approached with worried eyes and asked.
"Seniors... Great Disciple. Is he okay? Right?"
"How is his progress?"
"Brother Jin... is he okay?"
His friends still couldn't believe it.
That the 'hell instructor' who always crushed the enemy's head with a smile was in a critical condition, hovering between life and death.
It seemed that if he closed and opened his eyes, So-ah would suddenly get up and smile mischievously.
But unfortunately, So-ah still had not regained consciousness.
Jeon Woo-chi, who fully understood their feelings, encouraged them.
"Don't worry too much. My master and I, and the deceased from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and Shaolin, have done everything we can. So-ah is a child blessed by heaven, so he will wake up safely.
As he said that, Jeon Woo-chi's face was filled with conviction.
'Definitely. So-ah will wake up.'
Only then did his friends nod and shake off their anguish and anxiety a little.
***
A few days later...
"Hmm..."
So-ah, who had been unconscious and receiving treatment in a temporary sickroom, let out a groan.
"So-ah!!!"
At the same time, Wang So-yeong, who had been busy nursing him by repeatedly giving him decoctions and wiping his sweat by his bedside, shouted So-ah's name with wide eyes.
"Hmm... hmm-hmm!"
So-ah shook his head from side to side and tossed and turned, then tried to get up with difficulty.
At that, Wang So-yeong stopped him.
"Just lie down. You can't overdo it yet!"
But So-ah was not one to break his stubbornness.
"Ugh..."
In the end, So-ah pushed away her restraint and raised his upper body, then asked with a confused look.
"So-yeong... what happened? The Blood Demon... that old man, the Blood Demon?!"
Even in the midst of that, So-ah's interest seemed to be only in the Blood Demon.
Seeing So-ah, who asked about the Blood Demon's whereabouts as soon as he regained consciousness, Wang So-yeong let out a deep sigh.
"You brat! Is the Blood Demon the problem now? You have to recover your body first!!"
Wang So-yeong scolded So-ah.
But,
"So-yeong..."
So-ah's expression was endlessly serious, and his two eyes were filled with feelings of worry, anxiety, and impatience.
'You can't stop him, really.'
...having no choice, Wang So-yeong shook her head and said.
"The Blood Demon, Tae-ho-gong, showed signs of qi deviation and disappeared from the battlefield. Young Leader Wi-ji brought you, who had fainted, to the Gansu cult branch."
"Ah..."
Whether it was due to disappointment.
...or whether it was due to a sense of relief.
...letting out an unknown short sigh, So-ah dropped his head and asked again.
"Where am I?"
"This is the Gansu cult branch."
"...Then?"
"Yes. The allied subjugation force won a great victory. The leadership of the White Lotus Cult is currently imprisoned with their dantians sealed, and all the spaces in the cult branch have been turned into sickrooms to treat the injured. For several days, all the famous doctors of Gansu have entered the mountain, and most of the injured, except for the seriously injured, have entered the recovery period. I hear that as soon as the situation is brought under control, all the members of the allied forces will return to the Martial Alliance headquarters and plan a second subjugation."
Only after hearing Wang So-yeong's explanation could So-ah roughly grasp how the situation was going.
Grin—
A small smile came out without him knowing.
'Still, we won!'
He had not thought that they would lose in the first place.
But when he thought that they had really finished the subjugation, he had mixed feelings.
'If we recapture Potala Palace, the White Lotus Cult will be erased from the world.'
The true divine power of the White Lotus Cult.
As long as they had occupied Go-hap-san, which could be called their main mountain.
The victory of the martial world alliance was as clear as day.
"You seem happy that we won even in the midst of this. Haha. You're amazing, really!!"
Seeing So-ah's smile, Wang So-yeong also seemed to be in a good mood and drew a smile.
"Because we won... because we won..."
But So-ah was consistently showing a more subdued appearance than usual and was savoring the joy of victory.
"By the way, So-yeong."
"Yes?"
"How many days was I unconscious?"
"Exactly seven days and nights..."
"Wow... I must have been out for a long time. Did you nurse me?"
"We took turns. Your junior sister, Young Lady Moyong Hwa, and Young Lady Myo-seon took turns nursing you. Ah! Was it Great Monk Gwangwon of Shaolin? He also came in and out all the time. You must be very close to him, right?"
"Aha... that old man must have been very anxious that I would die."
"Why a monk?!"
"He said he wanted to have a match with me someday."
"What?!"
In an instant, Wang So-yeong was so dumbfounded that she almost let out a hollow laugh.
From what she had heard, Great Monk Gwangwon was a person of the 'Gwang' generation of Shaolin and was a famous person who was on the same level as the current venerable of the Nine Great Sects and the distribution of the martial world.
Moreover, wasn't he a monk who had converted to Buddhism?
To think that such a person was so anxious that So-ah would die because he wanted to have a match.
...it was absurd just to imagine it.
"It seems there is another person like you in the world. Hoho!"
"What are you talking about. That old man is worse than me, worse."
***
"Younger brother!!! Do you know how worried I was?!"
"So-ah!"
"Great Disciple!"
"Brother Jin!!"
"So-ah..."
At the news that So-ah had regained consciousness, a procession of visitors, so many that the sickroom was full, continued.
His sworn brothers, the Green Forest King and the Waterway King, shouted so loudly that the sickroom seemed to shake and grabbed So-ah's hand, and his friends looked at So-ah with eyes full of complicated feelings, and the masters, such as the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, Baek In-hwa, and Abbess Hongryeon, looked at So-ah's complexion here and there with a heavy heart.
Above all, Wi-ji Chan, who had survived hell with So-ah, showed the most intense reaction and, patting his chest, patted So-ah's shoulder.
"Brother Chan. What do you think? The Blood Demon... that old man had completely transformed into a monster."
After hearing about the current situation of the subjugation force, the progress of the Gansu cult branch, and furthermore, his own physical condition for a long time, So-ah, on the pretext of being tired, gave the order to dismiss the guests and then had a chat with Wi-ji Chan.
"Hmm... first, if we gather the information we have obtained, it seems that the Blood Demon is trying to achieve something called the blood god transformation."
"Blood god transformation?"
"Yes. It means to draw out the power of the blood god into the present world and become a god himself."
So-ah's eyes widened like a lantern.
Through necromancy, even a living human could turn into a zombie or a wicked demonic beast.
But for a human to become a blood god!
It was something that was hard to accept with common sense.
"Is something like that possible?"
"There are countless things in the world that are beyond common sense. It was the same when my grandfather and Senior Moyong Cheon had a duel. Even after consuming all their innate qi, the two drank a cup of liquor... isn't the martial world a place where all sorts of things happen?"
"Indeed... the brats of the Blood Cult are brats who even create flood dragons that fly in the sky. Hah... really!"
So-ah shook his head with a fed-up expression.
"By the way, the blood god transformation... if he completes that, how much stronger will he become?"
"Even now, before he has completed it, he was strong enough to easily shake off our joint attack and kill us. If he achieves the blood god transformation, it will be natural for him to have no rival in the world. In fact... even now, he might surpass my grandfather and Senior God of War in their lifetime."
"Phew..."
A deep sigh flowed from So-ah's mouth.
'This is a real headache.'
He didn't want to admit it.
No!
He couldn't admit it.
Because in So-ah's heart, the strongest men were always the living Buddha grandfather, Moyong Cheon, and the Heavenly Demon, Wi-ji Woon.
But.
...while denying it in his heart, his head had already affirmed Wi-ji Chan's words.
'It makes sense. Even now, before he has achieved the blood god transformation. The Blood Demon will surpass my grandfather in his lifetime.'
It was inevitable...
The current So-ah had reached the Profound Realm and had come to be able to freely draw out the runaway state of 'awakening'.
Even the God of War or the Heavenly Demon in their lifetime would not have been able to easily subdue the current So-ah.
So-ah, who had been furrowing his brow, said seriously.
"Brother Chan."
"Yes?"
"Then there's only one answer, right?"
"What...?"
A sudden question with an unknown intention.
When Wi-ji Chan tilted his head,
"If he achieves something called the blood god transformation. We won't be able to catch that old man even if he dies and comes back to life, right?"
"Th-That's right?"
"Then what, the answer is out."
"..."
"Before he does the blood god transformation or whatever, let's kill him, brother."
At the heroic one sentence, Wi-ji Chan could not hide his astonishment.
'Is So-ah's heart made of steel?'
Wi-ji Chan still had the formidable spell and martial arts of the Blood Demon vividly in his mind.
If the heavens had not helped, not only himself, but also So-ah would have been killed by the Blood Demon's hands without being able to put up a proper resistance.
He was on the verge of his legs trembling just by thinking of the Blood Demon.
But since So-ah showed no such sign, Wi-ji Chan clicked his tongue at his courage.
"So-ah."
"Yes?"
"Aren't you scared?"
It was a question that would surely surprise others if they heard it.
Because it was no different from saying that the young leader of the great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was scared of a certain person.
But there was not a hint of shame or embarrassment on Wi-ji Chan's face.
"I'm scared too, brother."
"So-ah..."
"I'm scared, but. It's something that has to be done, right? Someone has to."
"...!"
In an instant, Wi-ji Chan was engulfed in a whirlwind of indescribable emotions.
'Yes...'
Someone has to.
...kill the Blood Demon.
"You're right."
"Brother Chan."
"If someone has to kill that person."
"We have to do it."
So-ah curled the corners of his lips.
Only then did Wi-ji Chan also smile.
Just then.
Knock, knock—
...with a sign of a person, someone knocked on the door of the sickroom.
"Come in."
At So-ah's words, the person immediately opened the door and entered the room...
"Brother Woo-chi!"
It was none other than Jeon Woo-chi.
"So-ah. Let's get going now."
"Huh? Where?"
"Qinghai, Manchu Pharmacopoeia."
"Huh?"
"Your blood vessels are not completely healed. Unless it's a divine doctor of the level of Lord Yeon, it can never be handled."
"Hmm... let's first take care of this place..."
"So-ah!"
Jeon Woo-chi mercilessly cut off So-ah's words and glared at him.
"This time, listen to your brother. No matter how stubborn you are, it's no use."
"Brother Woo-chi..."
"If you're stubborn again, I won't see you again, you brat!"
Jeon Woo-chi glared at So-ah with a very angry expression.
'What... this is burdensome...'
Although Jeon Woo-chi's behavior of acting like a mother was strange, So-ah was also inwardly pleased because he was not unaware of the heart of a brother who cared for his younger brother.
"Ah! I get it, I get it. Let's go for now. The body is the top priority."
"You thought well, you brat."
"But brother. The distance to the Manchu Pharmacopoeia is considerable. When will we arrive? Hah... it seems like it will take too long."
"Don't worry about that."
"Yes?"
"I've gotten a bit... stronger."
"What?"
"I can perform the carpet flying art five or six times faster than before, so don't worry about the time."
This old man is suddenly showing off when he didn't before.
Until then, So-ah had thought that Jeon Woo-chi was just showing off.
(End of Chapter)