Бадамлянхуа (18)

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"Yes?"

At my words, Buk Hyang-hwa also opens her eyes, sensing that something is off in the atmosphere.

"There's a sudden stench of blood in the air."

I look up at the sky.

‘This is…’

Fate is ominously clouded.

Using demon senses, I observe that the surrounding spiritual energy is also ominously vibrating.

"Miss Hyang-hwa, it looks like the celestial energy is ominous. Please stay inside.""Orabeoni…"

After reading the celestial energy with me for a moment, she frowns.

"For now, I'll try to figure out what's happening."

Instead of trying to dissuade her, I focus more intently on locating the source of the smell.

And then, I realize that the smell is emanating from the city itself.

‘What? The entire city…’

I was bewildered when suddenly:

Whoosh!

A strong wind starts blowing from the east, from the direction of the Heaven-Treading Desert.

My eyes widened.

From the east of the Heaven-Treading Desert.

Something like a red cloud is crawling up from beyond the horizon.

Chills run down my spine!

My skin starts to prickle.

A thick evil presence is approaching.

And soon, others gather on top of the city walls.

Cheongmun Ryeong, Kim Young-hoon, Buk Joong-ho, and others.

"What is that?"

"More importantly, the spiritual energy in the city is writhing strangely!"

"Is Cultivator Cheongmun able to contact the Cheongmun Clan?"

Kim Young-hoon, with a vigilant expression, draws his saber, and Cheongmun Ryeong takes out a communication device to contact the Cheongmun Clan.

Buk Joong-ho sends messages to the entire city administration, issuing orders.

Rumble!

Looking at the blood-red cloud rolling in from afar, I think of one being.

'Bloodwood Practitioner, Yuan Li!'

Why is that person coming here?

Although I have questions, it isn’t the time for them.

I ask Buk Joong-ho.

"The being coming here is Bloodwood Practitioner Yuan Li, a devil path cultivator who has surpassed Core Formation. He takes pleasure in devouring humans, so it’s likely he’s coming here for similar reasons. Is there a way to evacuate the city residents immediately?"

"There are many cultivators in Cheon-saek City, so if we use their flying artifacts to carry the mortals…"

Just then.

Screech!

The smell of blood emanating from the city intensifies, spreading a blood mist in all directions.

"What...!"

The blood mist converges into six blood-red pillars, surrounding the city. A curtain of red light appears between the pillars, enclosing the entire city.

Rumble!

Simultaneously, the dragon vein beneath the city begins to boil.

"This is...!"

Simultaneously, as the dragon vein beneath the city stirs, the vital force (Qi) and blood in my body also begins to wriggle.

And then.

"Aaaaah!"

"My, my body...!"

"I can't move! Aaaah!"

"Sa, save me...!"

The city residents.

All the mortals among them are writhing in agony on the ground.

While the martial artists who have learned martial arts look a bit better off, they too have to continuously calm their boiling vital force and blood.

Kim Young-hoon also seems to have boiling vital force and blood, but thanks to his Inner Core, he quickly subdues it and regains his composure.

"This is a Blood Sacrifice Formation!"

Cheongmun Ryeong’s face turns pale.

"Blood Sacrifice?"

"A human sacrifice! A method used by devil path cultivators to offer a large number of lives to increase their vitality and cultivation!"

"…!"

As my face contorts, Kim Young-hoon strikes the blood wall with his Surpassing Radiant Saber.

Boom!

The golden radiance of the saber struck the blood wall, but the wall, being connected to the city's dragon vein, does not easily break.

"Damn, it's not budging."

"Daoist Seo. What do you know about this Bloodwood Practitioner Yuan Li? Do you know him?"

"That person is…"

Suddenly, I remember an incident from my past lives.

The Heaven-Treading Desert Massacre.

An incident where brutal massacres occurred in tribes and cities near the Heaven-Treading Desert.

That massacre agitated the spirits of many cultivator clan elders and clan heads, eventually leading to a great war 200 years later.

'No, something's strange!'

In my previous life.

When I met Buk Hyang-hwa, it was 40 years after my return.

But now, only 10 years have passed.

'Why has the incident been brought forward by decades?'

I grit my teeth and look around.

"Daoist Cheongmun, can you dismantle this Blood Sacrifice Formation?"

"...The dragon vein is indeed connected. I'll try, but it will take time."

"Then we will buy you time. Please dismantle the formation as quickly as possible in the meantime."

"...Understood."

Cheongmun Ryeong descends with a stern face, grab a formation artifact, and begins to work on something.

I speak to Kim Young-hoon and Buk Joong-ho.

"The one coming now is a devil path cultivator named Yuan Li, the Bloodwood Practitioner. His realm is likely at the Grand Perfection of Core Formation, or perhaps slightly beyond."

It’s indeed earlier than in my previous life when the massacre occurred.

'Even so, he couldn't have achieved Nascent Soul by now.'

The dharma treasure that is said to elevate his realm by one stage is the black castle-shaped dharma treasure I had seen, and he only increases his cultivation 'inside' it.

'Now that he's come out in the open. Perhaps...'

I look at Kim Young-hoon.

If Kim Young-hoon and I, both with Core Formation fighting capability, combine forces, perhaps we can hunt down Yuan Li.

"I and Kim Hyung are of Core Formation strength, so it's not impossible for us to hold him off. Meanwhile, Elder Buk and Miss Hyang-hwa, please protect Cheon-saek City from the fallout of the battle."

Buk Jung-ho nods, and Buk Hyang-hwa looks at me with worried eyes.

"Will you be alright, Orabeoni?"

I glance at the bee puppet.

"Miss Hyang-hwa, if you can escape with the bee puppet, please leave right now."

"But, Cheon-saek City is my..."

"Miss Hyang-hwa."

Thump.

I grab her shoulder and plead.

"Please, try."

"...Alright."

Soon after, Buk Hyang-hwa activates the teleportation array engraved on the bee puppet.

However, the bee puppet does not teleport through space, it just rushes hrough the void.

It simply bounced off the Blood Sacrifice Formation and was repelled.

"...This formation is also hindering space teleportation. We might be able to leave once the formation weakens a bit."

"Understood. Miss Hyang-hwa, promise me that when Daoist Cheongmun weakens the formation even slightly, you will immediately escape using the bee puppet."

"Orabeoni, but..."

"Promise me."

I match her eye level..

"It's alright if I die, but you must live."

"Buk Hyang-hwa, do as he says."

Buk Joong-ho also speaks to Buk Hyang-hwa with a serious face.

She seemed about to say something but then closes her mouth.

"...Alright."

"Then, may luck be with you."

Buk Joong-ho takes Buk Hyang-hwa to the base of the city walls and begins to deploy a protective formation to shield the civilians inside the city.

Kim Young-hoon and I draw our Formless Sword and Surpassing Radiant Saber respectively, eyeing the blood-red clouds flying towards us beyond the Blood Sacrifice Formation.

And then...

Whoosh!

The blood-red cloud envelops the entire Blood Sacrifice Formation.

Simultaneously, a figure in a blood-red robe slowly descends from within the cloud.

Whoosh!

He easily penetrates the blood-red curtain and enters.

The same blood-red robe.

And a translucent black mask.

It’s Yuan Li, the Boodwood Practitioner.

'Now, I must catch him...!'

I observe him.

The aura emanating from him is at best Grand Perfection of Core Formation.

At best, at Song Jin’s level.

And if he’s Song Jin’s level, I am confident enough to hunt him.

'Huh?'

Suddenly, I noticed something different about him compared to my past life.

'Wrinkles?'

Indeed.

In my past life, even though Yuan Li wore a mask, his skin was smooth, and his physique was youthful.

But now, Yuan Li's hands are wrinkly, his physique significantly smaller, and his hair not a lustrous black but ash-gray.

I shout at Yuan Li with the momentum of the Formless Sword.

"Bloodwood Practitioner Yuan Li! What brings you to Cheon-saek City?"

He looks at me upon hearing my words.

'Damn...'

I feel nauseous from the disgusting heart essence emanating from within him.

It’s still the same.

Although there is a slight difference in appearance, his inner heart essence is no different from before.

"Oh, you know my title?"

Yuan Li strokes his chin from inside his mask with a rough voice.

"Strange indeed. How do you know my title? Those who knew it have all perished, and those who could have known, I have tracked down and killed..."

"There's no need to know about such things. How long has it been since our Heavenly Being seniors ascended? Why would you start such a brutal act over a single city so soon?"

"Ha ha, what does a mere Qi Building cultivator need to know? Be quiet and just die."

Kuguguguguuu!

As Yuan Li forms a hand seal, the blood cloud he brought with him flows into the core of the Blood Sacrifice Formation.

Inside, there's an eerie echo of ghastly cries and the thick smell of blood.

I exchange a look with Kim Young-hoon and we both swing our Surpassing Radiant Saber and Formless Sword.

Kua Gwang Gwang Gwang!

Golden and colorless lights sweep through, dispersing the blood cloud.

Surprised by our momentum, Yuan Li looks down at us with a slightly startled expression.

"Ho, not Qi Building but Core Formation cultivators in hiding."

"Answer me! Even if it’s you, do you think you can safely face both of us?"

Kim Young-hoon and I have both reached the Core Formation level in the Path Beyond the Heavens. In my case, the combination of Qi Building and Path Beyond the Heavens have a synergistic effect, enabling me to exert the power of the highest level of Core Formation.

Moreover, I have honed my Formless Sword for over 200 years in the Path Beyond the Heavens.

If Yuan Li is only at this level, it wouldn't be impossible to hunt him down.

"Hmm... alright. You're not just Qi Building bugs, so you deserve an answer."

He strokes his chin as he speaks.

Chwaak!

Then, he runs his hand over his nape, revealing a certain 'handprint.'

'That is...?'

"Ten years ago, during the period when the Ascension Gate was open, and before all the Heavenly Being seniors ascended, I was attacked and almost killed by a Heavenly Being senior. Though I was spared thanks to the senior’s change of heart, this curse he left on me continued to eat away at my body."

"..."

'The butterfly effect of Mad Lord's actions...!'

The curse spread by the Mad Lord accelerated Yuan Li's actions by decades.

"In the end, I realized that to lift this curse, I needed to regain my Nascent Soul cultivation, so I decided to collect my Blood Soul a bit earlier than planned."

"Blood Soul?"

"You know my name, but not that, huh?"

Yuan Li chuckles, then extends his hands.

Wo-wooong!

Blood erupts from his hands, absorbed by the Blood Sacrifice Formation.

Simultaneously, the formation trembles, and my vital force and blood become even more restless.

Kim Young-hoon's complexion worsens.

Boom Bam Boom!

Among the mortals writhing inside the city, those with weaker bodies began to burst open.

Pop Pop Boom!

Their bodies exploded, and their vital force, blood, and life force emerged, rising towards the center of the Blood Sacrifice Formation.

"Stop it!"

Enraged, I charge at him with my Formless Sword.

Kim Young-hoon, seeing this, hardens his face and unfolds his Surpassing Radiant Saber, targeting Yuan Li.

But then.

"Tsk, tsk. How foolish. You seem to be mistaken about something."

Kiyaah!

Eerie ghostly wails echo from within his blood-colored robe.

"Indeed, at this moment, my cultivation is only at Core Formation Grand Perfection…"

He takes out a staff from his storage device.

The staff, stained with blood, has a crystal skull decoration at the top, and the wooden body is covered with small branches that resemble human hands.

Shoo-woo-woo!

Five translucent blood-colored banners extend around him.

As he speaks, four red pagoda-shaped dharma treasures emerge, lining up around him like guards. As he rummages through his bag, a gush of scarlet blood water surges out.

The blood water rises beside him, transforming into the shapes of two massive ghost kings wielding scythes.

"I was originally a Nascent Soul cultivator. In order not to be captured when they were about to ascend, I scattered my Nascent Soul into Blood Spirits and sprinkled them around the Heaven-Treading Desert, temporarily lowering my cultivation."

Chwaak Chwaak ChwaaK!

Even as he spoke, he continued to take things out from his storage device and throw them into the air.

Seven scrolls unfold beside him and in front of the ghost kings.

The scrolls depict sea creatures drawn in blood: seahorse, dragon, octopus, striped marlin, orca, coral reef, and clam.

"All the dharma treasures and magic artifacts I've collected since reaching Nascent Soul, as well as the powers I've developed, are intact. Although my cultivation is only at Core Formation Great Perfection, do you think you can oppose me?"

Chwaah!

Finally, he spits out seventeen bone daggers from his mouth.

The handles of the daggers are carved with weeping skulls.

"Come at me, Core Formation trash. I'll grind your Golden Cores into my Blood Spirits. Ahahaha...!"

Kim Young-hoon and I silently take our fighting stances.

Boom Boom Boooom@

Below us.

Buk Hyang-hwa and Buk Joong-ho, along with other cultivators, try to stop it, but the mortals’ bodies continue to explode.

Crack...

No words were needed to start the fight.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, First Move, Transcending Peaks!!

The opening technique cuts across Yuan Li horizontally.

Kiiiiing!

The red pagodas surrounding him connect, forming a red curtain.

My Formless Sword is blocked by the curtain, and inside, I see Yuan Li forming a hand seal.

"Go!"

Kiiyaaaa!

The two ghost kings made of blood water swing their scythes at Kim Young-hoon.

"Block them, I'll break through."

"Yes."

Kim Young-hoon gathers energy, and I step forward, unfolding my Formless Sword.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Joy of Mountains and Peaks

Hundreds of trajectories crisscross, blocking the ghost kings' scythes, and even engulfing their forms.

Paaat!

A golden explosion is felt from behind.

I dodge, and a dazzling ray of light shoots forward.

Severing Vein Saber Method, Mountain Wind, strikes the barrier surrounding Yuan Li.

Kwaang!

The barrier trembles and finally breaks.

But inside the barrier, Yuan Li calmly completes his hand seal.

"Release!"

Chwaak!

The scrolls unfold beside him.

Sea creatures drawn in blood leap from their scrolls.

"These are the demon souls refined by my Blood Sea Overwhelming Light. Let's see how you handle them...!"

'Each one is at Core Formation...!'

I stand beside Kim Young-hoon, gripping my Formless Sword.

"The energy from those demon souls are explosive, but they deplete quickly. I'll hold them off while you approach him. Be careful not to let your head touch the blood-colored banners around us."

"Understood."

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Landscape Painting!

I scatter my Formless Sword in all directions.

Core Formation level demon souls rush at me, radiating blood-colored brilliance.

The octopus’s tentacles trap me, and the striped marlin aims its sharp bill at me.

The coral reef extends like spikes from the inside, pressuring me.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Bouldered Cliff, Strange Rock!

My Formless Sword morphs into a mass with numerous bizarre changes, creating a defensive and offensive unity.

The striped marlin is repelled by the rotation of my Formless Sword, and all the tentacles and branches of the octopus and coral reef are cut off.

Kuooo!

The blood-colored orca charges at me with its mouth wide open.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Dragon Vein, Flowing Ridge.

My Formless Sword rapidly rotates in my hand, strengthening, and smoothly pierces into the mouth of the orca.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Qi Mountain Heart Heaven!

Inside the orca, my Formless Sword instantly expands and explodes the body of the demon.

The remnants of the orca’s soul is scattered in all directions, and in that gap, a blood-colored seahorse rushes at me, spewing bloody foam.

Bubbling...

Watching the numerous bubbles, I slash through them all with my Formless Sword.

But three bubbles that I failed to cut grow larger and fly at me, eventually merging into one and trapping me.

‘Ugh...!’

Kugugugugu!

Suddenly, my whole body feels heavy.

It’s hard to move.

However.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Mountain Echoes Valley Responds!

Tiing!

My Formless Sword vibrates, shedding a sword cry.

The self-generated vibration carrying its own aura of anticipation wildly swirls inside the bubble.

Thanks to the trajectory of the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship in my hand, my body is unharmed, not even a single scratch, and gradually, the bubble trembles and finally bursts

Paaang!

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Deep Mountain!

I quickly dive towards the seahorse about to release more bubbles, slashing upwards with my Formless Sword.

But, at that moment.

Chwaak!

A blood-colored clam quickly wedges itself between me and the seahorse.

Tiing!

My Formless Sword fails to pierce the clam’s shell, and the clam opens its mouth to swallow me.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Nine Mountains Eight Seas.

I rotate my Formless Sword over 90 times in place, then slice the clam in eight directions.

Chwaak!

The clam and the seahorse behind it are both cut into 16 pieces and scatters.

Kugugugugu!

Then, I see the blood dragon behind the seahorse and clam, gathering energy in its mouth.

‘That is…!’

Remembering the dragon's breath that Seo Ran had fired in dragon form, I raise my Formless Sword.

A direct hit will be fatal, even for someone at the top of Core Formation.

Flash!

The blood-colored energy surges towards me.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Echoing Valley!

I capture the blood-colored beam with my Formless Sword and spin around, throwing it towards the distant battlefield where golden and blood-colored lights are clashing.

The energy shot by the blood dragon flies towards Yuan Li, and the four pagodas moving around him form another barrier.

Kwaang!

But the barrier shatters instantly under the blood dragon's breath, and the four pagodas lose their light in an instant.

Kwua Guang Guang Guan!

The breath, weakened by the barrier, pours down on Kim Young-hoon and Yuan Li.

I rush towards the blood dragon, gathering strength, and raise my Formless Sword.

The blood dragon writhes its massive body towards me, lunging with its horn.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Secluded Valley.

I divert and nullify its power with a twist, then slash upwards with my Formless Sword.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Entering Mountain!

Chwaak!

My Formless Sword splits the blood dragon in half, scattering it into pieces.

Shoo-woo-woo!

Despite having scattered all seven demon souls, they start to slowly reassemble in the air, hinting at regeneration.

‘Thankfully, they regenerate slowly.’

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Layered Mountains.

Chuachachacha!

My Formless Sword extends in all directions like thorns, scattering the regenerating demon souls again.

I then kick off towards the battlefield of clashing gold and red.

Kugugugu!

A storm of blood presses against the golden radiance.

Yuan Li, using the Flying Escape Technique, matches Kim Young-hoon’s speed, launching seventeen dagger dharma treasures at him.

Occasionally, his Five Elements Blood Curse Banners would fly at Kim Young-hoon, distracting him.

The two ghost kings formed from the blood river looked to have regenerated, pressuring Kim Young-hoon from both sides, while Yuan Li bombards him with numerous spells.

Kim Young-hoon shouts upon seeing me join.

"Be careful of his spells with that staff! Every time a spell from that staff touches you, it absorbs vital force and blood, and he recovers his energy!"

Kim Young-hoon’s complexion is paler than before, probably having had his vital force sucked a few times by Yuan Li.

"Understood. Kim Hyung, deal with the demon kings and bone daggers. I'll target his main body."

I stand in front of Kim Young-hoon, who targets the bone daggers with 17 Mountain Wind thrusts, then pulls in the ghost ghosts kings to pressure them.

"Quite capable, you two. It would have been more interesting if I brought my special jiangshis."

Yuan Li chuckles, forming a hand seal.

His crystal skull staff's mouth opens.

Blood clouds forming blood hands spew out from the crystal skull by the hundreds and thousands, rushing at me.

‘If they touch me, they’ll drain vital force and blood, and Yuan Li will recover...’

Then, I just need to make sure none can touch me.

Kwaang!

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Bloudered Cliff!

The Formless Sword rotates around me, forming offensive and defensive unity.

Kuang Kuang Kuaaang!

I spin my Formless Sword, repelling all the blood hands, and charge at Yuan Li.

"Hmph!"

Kuuu!

A red pagoda strikes down on me from the sky.

Though it’s for defensive methods it looks like it can also be used offensively.

Toong!

I divert the pagoda’s power to my side with Secluded Valley and continue to charge at Yuan Li.

He relentlessly bombards me with spells.

A tidal wave of blood crashes down, and blood branches stretch in all directions.

Several blood rays target me and blood moths rush at me.

I repell every single spell, gradually approaching Yuan Li.

‘Stronger than Song Jin…!’

Though Song Jin is said to be a remnant soul of a Heavenly Being cultivator, he had to constantly resist the underworld's pull by relying on the ghostly energy of the Nether Crossing Ship without a physical body or dharma treasures. Yuan Li, showing his full strength at the peak of Core Formation and using numerous dharma treasures, is incomparable.

But.

‘Together with Kim Young-hoon, we can definitely catch him!’

Paaang, boom!

Kim Young-hoon bursts the blood-formed ghost kings behind me and shakes off Yuan Li’s dharma treasures, coming to join me.

I plunge into Yuan Li’s embrace, and our eyes meet.

‘Farewell…!’

And then.

Kwaak!

Yuan Li holds a translucent blood-colored banner in his hand.

"You’re caught."

Kwaak!

He thrusts the blood-colored banner into my head.

Twitch!

I stop in my tracks.

"I summon more than just five Five Elements Blood Curse Banners."

The previous five blood-colored banners have been chasing Kim Young-hoon.

As Yuan Li forms a hand seal, several more blood-colored banners begin to rise around him.

"If the source of the Five Elements Blood Curse Banner is properly placed in the upper dantian, I can summon as many as I want. Haha, performing so well before me, you two will be useful as my blood slaves…"

Chwaak!

I swing my Formless Sword at the chattering Yuan Li.

"Eh…?"

Yuan Li, with his upper body severed, looks at me bewilderedly.

"How…?"

"About that Five Elements Blood Curse Banner…"

I smirk, lifting my Formless Sword.

"It seems it doesn’t work on someone who has mastered the same curse."

"How did…you?"

Chwaaaak!

I slice his upper body into thousands of pieces and kick away the remaining lower half.

‘The Five Elements Blood Curse Banner he just  planted was absorbed by the Five Elements Blood Curse Banner I refined with the One Emotion Method...’

Because of that, the refining rate of my Five Elements Blood Curse Banner, which was 99%, dropped to around 95%, but it doesn’t really matter.

"Is it over already?"

"If he hadn’t used the Five Elements Blood Curse Banner just now, it would have been dangerous, but anyway, I finished him."

"That's a relief.Then…"

[Hmm, you seem like experienced fighters, but do you lack experience in battling Core Formation cultivators?]

Shiver!

I shiver and look back.

Yuan Li's lower half, despite the absence of the upper half, is still floating in the air.

Chwarak Chwa ra ra rak!

Blood surges from Yuan Li’s lower half, gradually regaining the shape of his upper half.

"Wh-what in the world…!"

As Kim Young-hoon exclaims in shock, Yuan Li’s consciousness echoes.

[Qi Building cultivators and above can survive for days even if several organs are torn due to the flow of Pure Spiritual Force in their meridians, and can regenerate if well-rested for a few months. But that’s it. Qi Building cultivators die if their neck is cut.]

I charge at him before he can fully revive while he is talking.

Kwaang!

However, the blood-colored clam suddenly blocks my way.

Chwaak!

The seven demon souls I had scattered earlier have completely regenerated.

[But you know, from Core Formation onwards, you don’t need a head or anything else. Core Formation cultivators from righteous sects practicing righteous path methods might need months of recuperation if their neck is cut or heart is plucked. However, devilish cultivators like myself, who practice the Blood Path, regenerate instantly unless their Golden Core is destroyed.]

"Kim Hyung!"

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Ultimate Move, Severing Mountain!

I pour all my strength at the seven demon souls to break through.

They struggle desperately to protect their master, but I initiate Endless Mountains Beyond Mountains, launching Severing Mountain again and again.

Meanwhile, Kim Young-hoon, seizing the opportunity while Yuan Li is babbling, flies towards him with the speed of light.

Chuaaarakk!

Yuan Li’s upper body regenerated over 90%.

Kim Young-hoon uses Surpassing Radiant Saber and Severing Vein Saber Method’s Ultimate Move, Saber Tomb, to attack him in that state.

Light flashes and Yuan Li, who has regenerated over 90%, is again torn to shreds.

Yuan Li’s upper and lower halves are scattered, with only a fist-sized Golden Core floating in the air.

Just as Kim Young-hoon is about to destroy the Golden Core...

[…Did I ever say my…]

Chwaak!

From inside the Golden Core, a blood-colored spear shoots out.

The spear aims straight for Kim Young-hoon's heart, who dodges back in surprise.

[Dharma treasures are limited to this...?]

Chiik!

Blood mist spews from the spear, forming another blood-colored ghost king.

"Damn it…! Is he even human?"

"You become completely different from humans starting from Qi Building, what are you saying!"

I shake off the demon souls and step towards the Golden Core, while Kim Young-hoon also faces the spear-wielding ghost king and moves towards the core.

Then, the remnants of Yuan Li begin to gather around the Golden Core, regenerating his body again.

‘Damn it!’

We must stop it!

Just then...

Puk-quak!

Boooom!

[Ah…?]

A bee puppet, appearing suddenly in the area, injected its Pure Spiritual Force sting into Yuan Li’s defenseless Golden Core.

It was Buk Hyang-hwa.

[How, how dare you...!]

Booom!

Chwaak!

The bee puppet injects several more stings into the Golden Core, which retaliates with spells, pushing the puppet back. But the core is already cracked and losing light.

[You…bastard!]

Yuan Li’s voice fades.

And the Golden Core falls straight down.

"Miss Hyang-hwa!"

Below, I see Buk Hyang-hwa with a determined expression, manipulating the puppet, her face filled with satisfaction.

Chwaak!

And then, something done by Cheongmun Ryeong seems to have an effect, as the Blood Sacrifice Formation starts to fade.

It doesn’t disappear completely, but it’s significantly weaker than before.

"Ha ha…"

I feel a release of tension.

Yes, this way, we have prevented the sudden Heaven-Treading Desert massacre from happening decades early due to a small butterfly effect from the Mad Lord.

That’s what I thought.

[Impressive.]

"…What?"

Wriggle, wriggle…

It isn’t Yuan Li’s Golden Core.

In the center of Cheon-saek City.

From the life force and essence blood of those who died due to the Blood Sacrifice Formation, a voice emerged.

"Hyung!"

"I know!"

Kim Young-hoon rushes towards it, but then...

Chwaak!

The blood cloud brought by Yuan Li.

The blood energy that covers the outside of the Blood Sacrifice Formation rushes inside.

Chwaak!

The blood cloud rushes at us, obstructing our way.

‘This is…!’

I sense from within the blood cloud, the life force and essence blood of tens of thousands, along with their grudges and pain.

‘This, this is…!’

Human.

Each droplet of this blood cloud is the life of a human.

Kugugugugu!

Yuan Li's blood cloud absorbs the shattered Golden Core, regenerating it.

The falling Golden Core rises again into the air.

Then, something begins to emerge from the central blood pillar in Cheon-saek City.

It’s a baby.

A baby in the form of a soul body, with dozens of eyes, mouths, and hands all over its grotesque body.

From its mouth emerges Yuan Li’s rumbling consciousness.

[Qi Building cultivators have a moderately strong regenerative power, and Core Formation cultivators don’t die easily unless their Golden Core is destroyed….]

The grotesque baby flicks its finger, and Yuan Li’s falling Golden Core flies towards it.

Kim Young-hoon and I try to stop it, but the blood cloud surrounds and obstructs us.

[From Nascent Soul onwards, as long as the Nascent Soul is intact, you don’t die even if the Golden Core is shattered. Normally, shattering the Golden Core would mean losing all cultivation. However, I am thoroughly prepared, so that won’t happen….

And, didn’t I tell you? I had already reached Nascent Soul but just scattered my Blood Spirits around the cities near the Heaven-Treading Desert to avoid the eyes of the Heavenly Being cultivators.]

Kugugugu!

The blood clouds are drawn into his Golden Core.

In an instant, Yuan Li regenerates his body and bursts out from the blood cloud.

Kuguguugugu!

The blood clouds scattered outside the Blood Sacrifice Formation are also sucked into Yuan Li's body.

His cultivation begins to skyrocket.

Surpassing Core Formation Grand Perfection.

Kim Young-hoon laughs hopelessly, looking at Yuan Li.

[Well played. Golden light, over there. I'll refine you into my blood slave… And you, I don’t know how you did it, but since you learned the Five Elements Blood Curse Banner, mental restraints won’t work on you. You’ll just have to die.]

Yuan Li, having absorbed all the blood clouds, exudes the power of an early Nascent Soul cultivator.

[Your city is not the first I visited. Instead, I first gathered all my Blood Spirits I had left in the Northern Grasslands, absorbed the nourishment there, and then came here to play for a while. It seems you were quite spirited. Anyway, it was impressive. Farewell.]

Whooosh!

The next moment, Yuan Li emits a burst of blood-colored radiance.