Chapter 112 : Judgment (4)

Chapter 112: Judgment (4)

Sewoon dove into the pit of blood and began swimming deeper inside.

The inside of the pit was far deeper than it looked.

‘The feeling is downright the worst.’

The water in the pit, which must have mixed with groundwater, was thick like blood.

A dreadful sensation he had never felt before covered his entire body.

He realized that the sorcery of the Blood Cult was entangled within.

Shiiik!

Shiiiiiik!

Then, a horrifying sound echoed in his ears.

As Qi gathered in his eyes, the murky water began to clear.

When his vision brightened, the larvae of the Gu wriggled toward Sewoon at a terrifying speed.

Anyone else would have panicked at that atrocious sight and rushed back up.

‘How dare mere insects act so arrogantly.’

Sewoon twisted the corner of his lips and drew up his Qi.

Until now, he had endured only because the Young Successors were present.

Saaaah!

Kwa-gaaa!

It was Reverse Heaven Qi.

The ferocious Qi created a massive ripple, as if a meteor had struck the sea.

The abominable creatures that belonged to the realm of monstrosities paid a terrible price for daring to resist the Reverse Heaven Qi.

Fwa-rook!

Chiiiik!

The larvae in the water began burning away without leaving a trace.

The Reverse Heaven Qi devoured the creatures that had dared defy him.

Like a plague spreading, the larvae were eradicated in an instant.

‘Now, the small fry are wiped out.’

With the nuisances gone, it was time to move toward the true purpose for which he had thrown himself in here.

Before diving in, Sewoon had already known at a glance.

That the pit concealed the very beginning and core of it all—a monstrosity.

‘Lucky. To think it hasn’t hatched yet.’

With that thought, Sewoon swam deeper.

Just as his limit for holding his breath approached—

“Phew!”

Sewoon broke through the bloody water.

At the end of the pit, a small underwater cavern connected to it.

It was so narrow that only one person could barely move inside, and just a few steps forward led to a blocked wall.

Thump!

Thump-thump!

A pounding beat rang in his ears.

A strange light flickered in Sewoon’s eyes.

‘Found it.’

He stepped toward the source of the sound in a single stride.

Swoosh!

A tiny puddle, no bigger than a palm, had gathered.

But the blood pooled within shone a crimson deeper than any other shade of red.

It was the place where the ‘Thousand Blood Gu’, possessing a force more dreadful than any Gu in the history of the Kangho, lay dormant.

And then—

Whoosh!

Splash!

Sewoon thrust his hand inside without hesitation.

The blood that cradled the Thousand Blood Gu brimmed with terrifying poison.

Even a Peak Master would meet death from a single drop of it.

But to Sewoon, that only meant one thing.

‘Too sweet.’

It was nothing less than a delicious meal.

Wuuuuuung!

Woooong!

With a deep resonance, all the poison within the blood began flowing into Sewoon’s body.

Since the poison and demonic energy were interwoven in exquisite harmony, both his Divine Poison Qi and Reverse Heaven Qi brightened as they gulped it down.

Three years’ worth of Divine Poison Qi and two years’ worth of Reverse Heaven Qi rose at once.

His internal energy increased far beyond that of consuming any pill or elixir.

Then it happened.

Perhaps sensing the intrusion upon its dwelling—

The Thousand Blood Gu finally opened its eyes.

Grrroooar!

At the same time, it shot toward Sewoon with lightning speed.

The situation was on the verge of explosion.

Unlike the larvae, this creature could easily pierce even the protective Qi of a Master at the peak of the Transformation Realm, burrowing into the heart or brain.

That was why the Blood Cult had spent so much effort to breed it.

In his previous life, only years later had their number miraculously increased to over ten.

Of course, that had caused both Orthodox and Unorthodox sides to suffer the tragic loss of many renowned masters.

But now—

‘For a mere insect to act up.’

This life’s Sewoon had nothing to fear.

Saaaah!

Chwaaa!

From Sewoon’s submerged hand radiated a brilliant golden light.

At some point, the Golden Threads of Heavenly Net had wrapped around his hand.

It was the Extinction Thread, newly obtained through the sarira of the New Monk, displaying its unique ability.

The power of Demon-Subduing.

Clench!

Instead, Sewoon grasped the Thousand Blood Gu that lunged with its fangs bared.

Woooong!

Woooooong!

Through the Heavenly Net, waves of Demon-Subduing power surged into the Thousand Blood Gu.

Naturally, it began to shriek in agony.

For the creature, it was the first time it had ever experienced such a reversal.

Until now, it had only ever inflicted suffering upon its enemies.

But Sewoon felt no sympathy for mere vermin.

With merciless, cold eyes, he stared into the crimson pool.

‘Submit.’

Crunch!

He simply poured strength into the hand that gripped the Gu.

The more it resisted his will, the more he twisted, as if ready to crush it.

No—Sewoon truly intended to destroy it if it refused to obey.

‘After all, I’ve already absorbed the poison, which was the main goal.’

Certainly, having the Thousand Blood Gu would prove useful for future endeavors.

But if it resisted to the end, he could just eliminate it so neither he nor the Blood Cult could use it.

Perhaps realizing Sewoon’s unwavering resolve—

The thrashing Thousand Blood Gu suddenly stilled, sinking quietly.

Noticing the change, Sewoon slowly offered a final proposal.

‘If you obey me, I’ll feed you Reverse Heaven Qi periodically. Otherwise, only death awaits you. Choose.’

Ssshh!

Ssshhhhh!

As soon as Sewoon’s intent was conveyed, the Thousand Blood Gu made its final transformation.

It lay defenselessly asleep within the Golden Threads of the Heavenly Net.

A symbol of surrender and submission, begging its new master for mercy.

Grin.

Only then did Sewoon flash a bright smile.

‘A means to enslave even a Transformation Realm peak master.’

It was undeniably an enticing weapon.

The blood in the puddle had all dried up, exposing the bottom.

Swoosh.

Sewoon placed the Thousand Blood Gu, sealed by the Golden Threads of Heavenly Net, inside his chest.

Now then, shall I return?

It seemed at least two quarters of an hour had passed since he entered the water.

Sewoon retraced his steps and threw himself back into the blood.

This time, however, he swam upward at a much faster speed.

Far swifter than when he had entered.

But then it happened.

Woooong!

Wooooooong!

‘……This is!’

A violent ripple of Qi was felt above the surface.

Sewoon furrowed his brow.

It wasn’t because of the larvae extermination he had ordered.

This was the resonance of an intense battle.

‘So he has come!’

The owner of this place, said to have gone outside, must have returned.

And if it was the owner of the Gu production site, there was only one person.

The aura of enemies he sensed numbered exactly six.

‘I’ll reduce their numbers first.’

As soon as he reached the surface, Sewoon grasped the axe-handle strapped to his back with one hand.

Kwa-gaa!

Jjeo-jeo-jeok!

Then, the extreme Yin-Cold Qi surged wildly from him.

Shweeeek!

Puu-ung!

With a tearing sound, a projectile he had hurled pierced the water and shot outside.

Swaaaah!

Chwaaaah!

A pillar of water erupted as Sewoon landed on the ground a step behind it.

And at that moment—

Boo-ung! Bung!

The Blood Axe, frozen blood-red like the water itself, returned to Sewoon’s hand after fulfilling its purpose in midair.

Thud.

Roll.

Along the path of the Blood Axe’s flight, four heads tumbled to the ground.

Now only two enemies remained.

‘Hm, it was cleanly handled as planned.’

But Sewoon’s expression was slightly ambiguous.

“The Great Lord has returned!”

“To think he felled four at once the moment he arrived…!”

The exhausted Young Successors could only voice their astonishment.

Though Sewoon thought it had only been two quarters of an hour, the hardships they had endured in that time must have been greater than imagined.

Even on the faces of Tang Serin and Ha Yeong, the two strongest in spirit among them, fatigue was etched.

“Heh, I knew there would be more than just blood-soaked lackeys. A proper leader had to be here.”

Sewoon frowned deeply.

A grotesque voice that could sour one’s mood just by hearing it.

‘As expected, Soundwave Lute Demon.’

Just as he suspected, the Sixth Elder of the Blood Cult—

Soundwave Lute Demon revealed himself.

Though four of his subordinates lay in halves around him from Sewoon’s earlier strike, he paid them no mind, fixing his gaze solely upon Sewoon.

He licked his lower lip with his tongue.

“Coveted. Coveted indeed. Truly, what a beautiful Qi you possess.”

His eyes gleamed with greed as he drooled.

The depraved pleasure of the Soundwave Lute Demon lay in forcing martial artists into Qi Deviation, watching them lose all their Qi and die miserably.

“I have decided! You shall be the first ingredient of my inspiration!”

“But before that.”

Tiriring!

Soundwave Lute Demon halted his words and plucked his lute.

The strange tones carrying eerie power vibrated through the air.

“First, I must make you submit.”

As he uttered incomprehensible words—

Clang!

An enemy standing before him like a bodyguard raised his sword.

‘So this is why they were being pushed back.’

At once, Sewoon understood the reason for the struggling battle.

The comrades cried out to the man.

“Yecheon! Please, wake up!”

“We are not your enemies!”

Indeed, the enemy standing at the Soundwave Lute Demon’s side was none other than Do Yecheon.

No matter how desperately his comrades shouted, Do Yecheon gave no reply.

His eyes were glazed over like a corpse.

It was the power of the Soundwave Lute Demon’s ultimate technique, the Soul-Returning Melody of the Pointing Finger.

Unlike other martial arts, Sound-based arts lacked destructive power, but they excelled in bewildering and ensnaring the minds of their foes.

Nameless sent Sewoon a voice transmission.

It seemed he had barely held out until Sewoon’s arrival.

‘Both Do Yecheon and Soundwave Lute Demon are Transformation Realm masters. Naturally, our side would be overpowered.’

If killing were permitted, the situation might have shifted, but alas, it could not be helped.

As Sewoon remained silent, calmly watching the situation, Soundwave Lute Demon smirked.

“Surely, you cannot kill your comrade? Throw down your weapon and come to me at once. If you do not obey—”

Tiriring!

Soundwave Lute Demon plucked the lute once more.

And suddenly, Do Yecheon changed his movement.

Shiiing!

His sword turned toward his own neck.

“Now, witness the amusing sight of this one driving his own blade into his throat—”

Flash!

Before he could even finish his words, a dazzling light flared in the darkness.

‘……What?’

Soundwave Lute Demon was taken aback.

For Sewoon, whom he had been staring at just a moment ago, had vanished.

But before he could even process his doubt—

Kwaaarrr!

Kwaaang!

With a massive crash, he was smashed into the wall.

Sewoon, moving like lightning, had struck the side of his head with the Blood Axe.

Krrr!

Krrrk!

So powerful was the blow that the interior shook as though an earthquake had struck.

Looking at his foe deeply embedded into the wall—

“How dare a worthless clown make a scene.”

Sewoon uttered coldly.