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Chapter 47
“Kkeu-ga-gaaak—!”
‘I didn’t even use sword energy, so how did that evil spirit get vanquished…?’
The evil spirits summoned by Gwi-no Baekma could only be destroyed by sword energy.
And yet, a single stab—just one thrust of a blade—and the evil spirit vanished?
Maybe… because this is twenty-five years in the past, Gwi-no Baekma’s mastery is still shallow? …No, that can’t be it.
Vanquishing a bodiless evil spirit requires sword energy, not a certain level of mastery.
‘Then there’s only one possibility.’
It was then—
Kkeu-ga-ga-gak!
Kkeu-ga-ga-gak!
The air was filled with a piercing wail of spirits. At the same time, a dreary, bone-chilling voice stabbed into their eardrums.
“The one who severed my spirit… come forth.”
The voice wasn’t loud, but it echoed throughout the entire manor.
Naturally, Gu-Ak heard it too.
“Damn it.”
—Junior Brother, hide for now and come up with a plan. I’ll go out first.
‘Whoa, showing loyalty even in a situation like this? That’s kind of touching.’
He had been planning to find an opening to subdue Gwi-no Baekma and extract information.
But being exposed this early wasn’t part of the plan.
While briefly considering his next move, Yang-hwi made up his mind.
—Gu-Hyung, let’s just go together.
—Hm? Why do something that foolish?
—I’ve got a plan. Just follow me.
With a swaggering gait, Yang-hwi strode out first.
The summoned evil spirits followed in formation, creating a loose perimeter around them.
Not long after, they reached the front of the manor—and Yang-hwi frowned.
‘He’s already killed quite a few.’
It looked like nearly a third of the manor’s guards and martial artists had already been slaughtered.
And the rest had been thoroughly subdued.
‘It’s only been three days since I spread the rumor… I guess there were no top-tier martial artists here.’
As he was thinking that—
“Which one of you was it? Who killed my spirit?”
The voice sounded like it was oozing with mucus and rot.
Gu-Ak stepped forward.
“Isn’t it obvious? It was me.”
Gwi-no Baekma nodded.
Logically, it made no sense for a mere child to have destroyed an evil spirit.
“I see. Do it again.”
With a small flick of his finger, one of the floating spirits darted toward Gu-Ak.
Kkeu-ga-ga-gak!
“Kh!”
Gu-Ak swung one of his twin axes and slashed through the oncoming spirit.
The spirit split clean in half—but almost immediately reformed into its original shape.
“You’re not the one. You haven’t reached the peak realm. You lied.”
“……”
While the two were talking, Yang-hwi quietly assessed the situation.
‘There are about thirty evil spirits total.’
This was twenty-five years before his past encounter with Gwi-no Baekma, so of course his cultivation would’ve been lower. That explained the smaller number of spirits under his control.
‘He’d also need to conserve energy to keep the other martial artists subdued… So the number of spirits I’d need to fight at once is about ten.’
On top of that, the four mighty great spirits he had once commanded were nowhere to be seen.
Those terrifying beings, born from the corrupted souls of masters—tainted by demonic and death energy—weren’t present.
And if those weren’t here…
Then this might actually be doable.
—Gu-Hyung. On the count of three, we charge. I’ll take out all the spirits—just take that bastard down for me.
—W-what? Do you really think we can win this?
—We can. One… two… three!
Without a moment’s hesitation, Yang-hwi activated the Thousand Vessel Step.
As if anticipating the ambush, Gwi-no Baekma flicked his finger again.
Kkeu-ga-ga-gak!
The evil spirits surged forward, trailing thick, black miasma.
But—
The moment Yang-hwi’s blade, infused with pure internal energy, cut through the first spirit—
It vanished completely.
“Kkeu-ga-gaaak—!”
‘Just as I thought—it’s thanks to the sacred energy I’m using that the spirits can be destroyed.’
The sacred energy that had awakened after his regression had surged dramatically after he consumed the spirit elixir not long ago.
Because of its pure and noble nature, he had named it “sacred energy”—but he never expected it to have such a power.
Judging by how it worked… was this the power of the legendary Demon-Slaying Saint?
Could this be… actual, genuine sacred energy?
‘Well, whatever it is—it made things a whole lot easier.’
“So it was you!”
As Gwi-no Baekma reeled in shock, Yang-hwi had already closed nearly half the distance.
“Gu-Hyung!”
“Got it!”
Gu-Ak activated his footwork technique and instantly followed up behind him.
Yang-hwi swung his blade once more.
Heaven-Shrouding 108 Sword – Form Five.
Scattered Hawk Feathers – Fifth Variation.
With a flurry of strikes like feathers scattered in the wind, the technique unleashed dozens of slashes, cutting through nine of the evil spirits at once.
Kkeu-ga-gaak—!
Kkeu-ga-gaak—!
Kkeu-ga-gaak—!
The evil spirits that had been spewing foul, sinister energy vanished in an instant.
“What?! What is going on?!”
Gwi-no Baekma stood frozen in shock, unable to react.
And rightly so.
Until now, unless he encountered a master at the peak realm, not a single one of his evil spirits had ever been defeated.
But now, his precious minions—nurtured over years—were disappearing one after another like smoke.
“Gu-Hyung! Now!”
With a final thrust following the secret technique of Feather Shot Pierces Stone, Yang-hwi pierced through the last spirit.
Kkeu-ga-ga-gak!
Black energy exploded outward as the spirit dissolved.
Charging through the haze, Gu-Ak slammed his axe deep into Gwi-no Baekma’s shoulder.
“Graaaghhh!”
Before the scream could even finish, Yang-hwi followed up, slicing off both of the man’s hands.
“K-Kraaaaghh! My hands! My hands!”
“Shut up, you bastard.”
Gwi-no Baekma used hand signs to command his evil spirits.
Now that both hands were gone, he was essentially neutralized.
The man who, in a distant future, would become a nightmare to countless martial artists—a name synonymous with death—had just been subdued by the two of them alone.
‘This sacred energy… I don’t know what exactly it is, but—’
No time to dwell on it now.
Right now, Gwi-no Baekma was the priority.
“Hey, demon bastard. Line up all your remaining spirits in front of me.”
“Kgh… You think you can just command—KRAGHH!”
Gu-Ak’s axe struck his other shoulder mid-sentence, ripping another scream out of him.
“You gonna obey, or do you want me to turn you into rags?”
“……”
The evil spirits that had been suppressing the other martial artists slowly floated forward.
Yang-hwi slashed through them one by one, pouring sacred energy into every stroke.
Kkeu-ga-ga-gak!
Kkeu-ga-ga-gak!
Kkeu-ga-ga-gak!
And just like that, Gwi-no Baekma lost every means of resistance.
His power was terrifying only because of his dark sorcery—his physical strength was practically negligible.
“Gu-Hyung, well done.”
“Ahh… that was an excellent coordinated attack.”
—By the way, Junior Brother… how did you manage to destroy those evil spirits?
Yang-hwi didn’t feel like explaining the sacred energy just yet, so he made up a vague excuse.
—I’m not sure either. I think it might be due to some strange power from the spirit elixir I took recently.
—Hmm. That’s plausible.
Seeing Gu-Ak nod in agreement, Yang-hwi started checking the pulses of the martial artists nearby.
Most had only fainted due to the overwhelming aura of the spirits—nothing too serious.
‘That takes care of any potential mess until we leave.’
Next, he scanned the area, searching for someone.
A plump, middle-aged man with greedy features. Dressed in fine silks, practically screaming his identity.
The head of the Namgeum Merchant Guild.
“Are you the Guildmaster of Namgeum?”
“Y-Yes, I am! Thank you, young warrior!”
The thanks left him feeling oddly conflicted.
After all, the disaster that had befallen the merchant guild was partially his own doing.
‘Though… I don’t feel that guilty. The guy was just leeching off others to fatten himself.’
“I’d like to interrogate that demon bastard. Can you lend me a quiet and secluded space?”
“O-of course.”
‘Better to do the questioning alone.’
He intended to ask why the bastard was even here and what happened to the Blood Cult—but if Gu-Ak overheard, he’d definitely wonder how Yang-hwi knew any of that.
“Gu-Hyung, the others might wake up soon. Can I ask you to stay here and keep watch?”
“And the interrogation?”
“I’ll handle it alone.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“You saw me destroy those spirits. Even if he tries something, he’s no threat now.”
Yang-hwi grabbed Gwi-no Baekma by the collar and dragged him to the deepest part of the manor, then threw him to the ground.
Without delay, he got straight to the point.
“Why are you here, when you should be holed up in the Blood Cult’s lair?”
“W-What…?!”
Gwi-no Baekma let out a moan of agony as one of his eyeballs popped out slightly from its socket.
“H-How do you know that…?”
“Questions are the victor’s right. You? You just shut up and answer. I asked—why are you here?”
“……”
Gwi-no Baekma remained silent.
Seriously, why do bastards like this always make things more complicated?
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
Yang-hwi drove his blade into the man’s gut, severing the tendons in all his limbs.
“Kgh…!”
“Hurts, doesn’t it? But I’ll let you off easy if you talk. What do you say?”
“……”
Still silent.
At the very least, this one had more endurance than the assassins from Nameless Killing Valley.
Even using the infamous Bone-Tearing Tendon-Disrupting torture technique probably wouldn’t make a difference at this rate.
‘Man, if only I had someone from the Tang Clan here.’
Among the Tang Clan’s poisons were specialized torture toxins that could amplify pain to unbearable levels.
Even during the Sects of Evil Uprising in his past life, the only way to make prisoners talk was through those poisons.
‘Wait a second.’
Gwi-no Baekma—a sorcerer who manipulates evil spirits through dark arts.
Unlike typical martial arts, sorcery is based on the upper dantian.
He could see it clearly now—malignant and ominous energies swirling around two crucial acupuncture points: Baekhoe, the gate that connects to the heavens, and Indang, the vessel for spiritual energy.
That sinister energy wrapped around Gwi-no Baekma’s entire head.
‘Maybe… this might work.’
Yang-hwi extended his index and middle fingers and pressed them to the man’s forehead.
For the first time, Gwi-no Baekma, who had stayed silent all this time, finally opened his mouth.
“You bastard! What are you trying to do?!”
“You’ll find out soon enough!”
He stimulated the Celestial Core in his lower dantian.
Though he couldn’t channel all of the sacred energy absorbed from the spirit elixir, the portion he gathered now was several times denser than usual.
“KAAAAAARGH! AAAAAHHHH!”
A blood-curdling scream echoed through the room. The sacred energy, infused into his internal force, surged into the upper dantian and began to obliterate the evil, cursed aura inside.
“Hurts, doesn’t it? Promise to talk and I’ll stop.”
“GYAAAH! KKHH—KHUUHH!”
“Huh, you’re holding out longer than I thought.”
He knew full well that if he applied pressure to the Indang or Baekhoe incorrectly, the man could be left brain-dead.
But Yang-hwi didn’t care. He just kept pumping sacred energy into the man’s head.
Whether he went insane or not—who gave a damn?
This was probably the only way to make him talk.
“Stop! STOOOP! I’ll talk!”
“Oh?”
Yang-hwi removed his hand. Gwi-no Baekma gasped for air like a man half-drowned.
“I’ll ask again. Why are you out here when you should be holed up in your cult’s den?”
“…Because I received an order.”
This bastard still didn’t know his place.
“From now on, answer everything in detail.”
“W-Wait! I get it, I get—AAAAAGH!”
Yang-hwi twisted his sacred energy again inside the man’s skull before withdrawing his fingers.
“Alright, now speak properly.”
“The cult master gave me a command. To prepare for the future purification, I was to seek out or establish allied forces in advance.”
Ah. So these bastards had been embedding themselves in other groups all along.
No wonder during the Sects of Evil Uprising so many defeats had felt oddly hollow and unsatisfying.
“How many of you were sent out?”
“Dozens, including myself.”
“Any alliances successfully formed?”
“Not on my end. We’re operating in a cell-based structure for secrecy, so I don’t know how the others fared.”
Tch. This bastard doesn’t know anything useful, does he?
This was just turning into a colossal waste of time.
“What’s the current strength of the Blood Cult? What’s your cult master doing right now?”
“I don’t know.”
“Tch… You still haven’t come to your senses, huh.”
“I—I really don’t know! Before I left the cult, I underwent the Great Sealing Rite. My memories were erased. I can only retrieve them by returning to our base!”
This is exactly why the Blood Cult and other evil sects are so tricky.
With all their bizarre left-handed sorceries, they could pull off the most absurd, unpredictable stunts.
‘This interrogation… is basically useless now.’
Still, there was one last thing worth asking.
Maybe the most important thing of all.
“Do you know anything about the Divine Cult?”
The Divine Cult—more precisely, the Heaven-Defying Divine Cult.
Yang-hwi found himself recalling a distant memory from his previous life.
‘If I can uncover anything in advance… I must destroy them. At all costs.’
---The End Of The Chapter---
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