Chapter 168: Hae-il (3)

"Raon. I'll need to look in the formation as well."

Cale got up and opened the door.

He could see the red dirt of the vast plains that had been trampled on.

Of course, this too was only faintly visible thanks to the moonlight.

"Right this way, Hae-il-nim."

"Human, follow me!"

Cale followed Choi Han and Raon to where they saw the numerous jiangshis.

* * *

It was not very far away.

It was at the outskirts farthest from the castle wall and looked like a regular plain.

'I can clearly tell now that I am up close.'

The castle wall in the distance and everything he was looking at were all lies.

It could not be helped.

They had used invisibility magic and speed magic to stealthily move here.

He could see around him despite it being the middle of the night.

'They were trampled on.'

The vast plain responsible for the food of the citizens of Yunnan was destroyed.

However, what he was looking at right now showed no signs of being trampled on.

It was clearly a lie.

– Human, over here!

Raon's front paw was no longer invisible and Cale walked toward where Raon was pointing.

However, he only saw the same thing.

– Wait a little bit!

Black mana that assimilated with the night started moving.

It then seeped into the air.

– I studied formations a lot! I am great and mighty and know formations very well now!

Sssssssssss—

There was a sudden gust of wind as if a blocked hole was opened.

'Hmm?'

It was a stiff and sticky breeze.

The type that would make someone feel suffocated.

Cale could see a hole the size of a palm starting to appear. He knew what he had to do.

He looked through the opening.

Very carefully.

– Oh, this.

The Fire of Destruction. The cheapskate gasped.

Cale clenched his eyes shut.

He could understand why Raon and Choi Jung Soo had returned with such shocked faces that he had not seen in a while.

– This is crazy.

He could not see much through that palm-sized opening.

Even that opening was just a crack, giving a faint view of the inside.

However, what Cale saw was beyond what he had expected.

'Ha.'

Underneath the moonlight…

Although he knew that nobody was walking around despite torches being lit around the walls…

There were so many corpses standing there that it was impossible to feel the light of those torches.

Yes, these were corpses.

They were different from the jiangshis he saw in Xiaolen.

Although he was certain that they had used dead mana to create these jiangshis, their appearances showed no signs of darkness.

In fact, a gentle blue light was sparkling on them from the moonlight.

The Blue Bloods household.

These jiangshis looked as if they would bleed blue to match that name.

The Blood Cult.

Just hearing that term would make Cale think of the color red, but starting today, he would only think about blue blood whenever he thought of the Blood Cult.

The jiangshis didn't even blink as they looked forward.

They looked like statues.

However, they looked completely human.

Living corpses.

That expression was quite an accurate assessment of them.

– Cale, each of them look like they would be difficult to handle.

As the Cheapskate mentioned, all of the jiangshis were properly equipped.

The Blood Cult seemed to have not saved the significant profits they had earned through the Pure Silver Merchant guild and instead invested for their future.

The results of that investment was this endless number of jiangshis all being fully equipped.

– There seem to be more than ten thousand of them.

Cale bit down on his lips after hearing the Cheapskate's comment.

The jiangshis were standing extremely tightly next to each other.

The formation with a radius of one kilometer that surrounded Yunnan Castle…

It was not an even circle with exactly one kilometer in all directions. Some areas were shorter than that while the place Cale was looking at was about 1.3 kilometers long.

At that moment…

Rustle.

They felt someone's presence behind them.

"!"

Cale saw the eyes of all of the jiangshis on the other side of the gap turning toward them, toward the direction of the sound.

As the gazes instantly headed toward them…

– Human, I'm closing it!

Raon's judgment was accurate.

Cale immediately moved back.

The opening was closed.

In the instant that the opening closed, the jiangshis were still looking toward them and he could see someone inside the formation approaching them.

– Let's run away!

They needed to run away as Raon mentioned.

Of course, he grabbed the arm of the individual who suddenly made the noise.

"!"

He seemed surprised that someone grabbed his arm when nothing seemed to be around him, but…

He followed without any opposition.

– Human, I'm going to turn the Heavenly Demon invisible as well!

The first to arrive here was the Heavenly Demon who had arrived much earlier than they had expected.

* * *

At dawn…

Their surroundings were slowly getting brighter but it didn't feel as if the sun was rising. In fact, all they could see was a somber sight that became more visible with the light.

From within Yunnan Castle…

Dokgo Ryeong, the young clan leader of the Dokgo Clan, a clan famous for their heavy blade in the Orthodox faction despite not being as famous as the Namgung Clan, raised her head.

She could see ash-colored clouds.

Those clouds made everything look so somber.

Rage filled Dokgo Ryeong's eyes.

It was at that moment.

Pow!

"Ugh!"

Dokgo Ryeong staggered and knelt down.

She then lifted her head.

There were two people looking down at her.

"Hmm. Isn't the Dokgo Clan a pretty famous clan in Yunnan?"

"That's right."

"And she's that clan's young clan leader? Why is she so weak?"

"Haaaa. Orabuni, she's pretty strong if you consider her age."

"But she's about our age?"

Dokgo Ryeong's eyes opened wide while looking at the man and woman chatting about her.

'Blue-'

They had blue hair.

The woman had sky-like blue hair while the man had darker blue hair like the ocean.

This was the first time she saw people with these hair colors in the Central Plains.

'They are the young Blood Demon candidates...!'

She had heard some things on her way here.

"Hmm. At least her gaze seems unwavering."

The man smiled while looking at Dokgo Ryeong.

As Dokgo Ryeong flinched at the innocent yet leery smile on the man's face…

"It would be a pity to turn her into a jiangshi. Let's turn her into a True Jiangshi."

'…What?'

Dokgo Ryeong could tell why their gazes felt so leery.

They did not see her as a person.

They saw her as an item.

"Okay."

The woman nonchalantly responded and motioned to a subordinate with her eyes.

"You heard that, right? Take her away."

"Yes ma'am."

The subordinates approached Dokgo Ryeong.

Dokgo Ryeong looked at them with an angry gaze. However, there was a gag in her mouth and her hands were bound behind her back, making it impossible for her to express her feelings.

'Should I run away?'

Or, maybe, even if it is not that effective –

"I suggest you don't try to fight us or run away."

The naïve looking man brushed back his luscious blue hair.

"I believe you'll have your answer if you look around."

Tears dripped down from Dokgo Ryeong's eyes.

She could see people whose bodies were dyed black before they died and others who were ripped to death.

Some of these corpses were the seniors of the Dokgo Clan as well as martial artists she had interacted with inside Yunnan Castle.

They were all stronger than her.

Dokgo Ryeong recalled something one of the clan's seniors had said.

'They are strong! Those young Blood Demon bastards are at least at the Profound Realm! Little Ryeong, you have to survive! At least you have to survive!'

He had also said the following.

'Now that the Patriarch-nim has fallen, you have to be safe!'

That was right.

Her father had fallen while fighting against the Blood Cult.

He had died while his body was poisoned by a black aura.

'If you are safe and little Chang manages to get reinforcements! Then there is a chance!'

Her uncle, Dokgo Chang, had escaped while her father, the Patriarch, was running wild against the Blood Cult. It was only possible because the other martial artists inside Yunnan Castle had helped them.

They knew as well.

They knew that the Dokgo Clan's patriarch and Dokgo Chang were the only ones within Yunnan Castle who were skilled enough to dodge the Blood Cult and escape.

Their gamble had paid off.

Her uncle had managed to escape.

"Tsk tsk. You must be full of resentment."

Dokgo Ryeong's body relaxed after hearing the man's pitying voice.

She then showed no signs of resisting.

The woman nodded her head while looking at Dokgo Ryeong follow the subordinate with her head down.

"Yes, it seems only right to turn her into a True Jiangshi. She's very good at assessing the situation. We will be able to put her to good use."

"Right? Yoon, I told you to trust my judgment."

"Hoya orabuni, do you know how much I've suffered because of you already? How can you ask me to trust you?"

The gently grumbling voices made it seem difficult to see them as the Blood Cult's young Blood Demon candidates.

In fact, the naïve-looking young man and his younger sister, the beauty with the cold gaze, looked as if they were just having a friendly banter.

Tears dripped down as Dokgo Ryeong's lowered face as she walked, wetting the ground.

'It's fine.'

However, her eyes were not full of despair and resignation.

'I just need to persist no matter what.'

The Dokgo Clan had recently received a message. The message that had come to Dokgo Ryeong had news that she had not expected at all.

< As discussed, I plan on stopping for a moment as I travel past. There is also something I would like to request your cooperation with as well. Would that be okay? >

Young master Kim Hae-il had been the one to send that message.

After splitting from his group, The Dokgo Clan had returned to Yunnan and had been hearing the stories of young master Kim's increasing fame and had not put much thought into this promise.

However, young master Kim Hae-il had sent a message that although no date had been set, he would still stop by. He personally sent a message to inform them about it.

'If young master Kim-nim helps us-!'

She prayed that her uncle had met young master Kim.

If not, that he could at least meet a martial artist or a member of the Orthodox faction to help them.

Dokgo Ryeong desperately hoped that was the case.

The tears wishing for that were falling but not full of resignation.

In fact, she was thoroughly looking around, trying to find any means to survive.

'For now, I will resist becoming a jiangshi for as long as possible.'

However…

'Is that possible?'

Despair filled her eyes just a bit.

The Blood Cult had split all of the martial artists inside Yunnan Castle into jiangshis or True Jiangshis. She had no idea what these True Jiangshis were, but the people who were designated to become jiangshis were supposedly being turned starting tonight.

How would they do that?

Although she could not imagine the process, she was certain that it would be dreadful.

Dokgo Ryeong raised her head.

She could see the castle walls that were even sturdier now that the Blood Cult fortified them.

Just thinking about the endless number of jiangshis beyond that wall made her feel suffocated.

'It would be difficult for young master Kim-nim to purify all of those jiangshis-'

It would also be difficult to fight against all of them as well.

Furthermore, there were other obstacles beyond these jiangshis as well.

They were the castle walls of Yunnan Castle as well as the core members of the Blood Cult who were safely inside the walls.

'Each and every one of them are Peak Realm experts.'

The Peak Realm experts who were treated as top tier experts in any other sect or clan were dime a dozen in the Blood Cult.

'And the young Blood Demon candidates are in the Profound Realm.'

There were two such people here.

Furthermore, they also seemed to have some special abilities.

'Even if young master Kim-nim is in the Nature Realm-'

Would he be able to handle all of this on his own?

'Only if the jiangshis were not here and the castle wall had fallen!'

In that case, their allies outside Yunnan Castle would have less difficulties fighting the Blood Cult.

However, the Castle Lord of Yunnan Castle was one of the Blood Cult's people. Who could have expected him to open the castle gates wide to welcome the Blood Cult?

'…The Blood Cult then killed that Castle Lord.'

The Castle Lord's beheaded head was dangling in front of his estate.

It was something that made them feel the true nature of these Blood Cult bastards.

'We can't let these bastards rule the Central Plains!'

Dokgo Ryeong firmed her resolve.

But for now, all she could do was wait for a small opportunity to turn this situation around.

* * *

In a small farmhouse…

A couple people were gathered inside.

"Wow. They are such crazy bastards."

The Pinnacle Demon gasped.

"Mm."

Tang Yu, the matriarch of the Tang Clan, groaned.

Gulp gulp.

As for the Divergent Coalition leader, Sima Pyeong's daughter… Sima Dan must be frustrated as she was gulping down alcohol. Nobody stopped her.

Sima Dan then offered her bottle to Elder Ho Song Yi of the Beggars' Gang who was next to her.

"Would you like some?"

"… I'm fine."

He then brushed his face with both hands.

"There are over ten thousand jiangshis. And the formation cast inside Yunnan Castle-"

"Is beyond our imaginations."

The Sage Demon calmly commented.

The Triumvirate…

The core members of each faction, a group that would make any martial artist gasp in astonishment if they were seen together, sat around a map on a table as they continued their conversation.

"…In such a situation, it is difficult to determine whether we can be victorious even if we bring all of the forces that are currently awaiting our instructions."

Tang Yu's comment was met with silence as the others agreed.

They had rushed over and had not been able to bring their forces with them, but a large group of martial artists were currently stealthily waiting with their respective factions.

Of course, they were quite far away as they could not come close to the formation, however, they would all quickly gather at the boundary of the formation if told to do so.

"It is not enough."

As Elder Ho mentioned, they still did not have enough.

"I think we will need to bring in more troops from our respective territories to attack Yunnan Castle."

Nobody disagreed with Sima Dan, who stank of alcohol as she spoke.

They all agreed.

The Martial Arts Alliance.

The Divergent Coalition.

The Demon Cult.

The three factions were going to take on the Blood Cult while the Imperial Palace handled the jiangshis all around the Central Plains.

That was why the core forces of each faction were gathering at Yunnan one by one.

However, the problem was that the number gathered right now was not enough.

"And there are young Blood Demon candidates?"

"Yes ma'am."

The moment Sima Dan answered the Pinnacle Demon's question, the Pinnacle Demon sighed.

She ignored the Cleave Saint, who was looking at her with discontent, and continued to speak.

"By the way, what is the point of us just worrying about it like this?"

The moment she said that…

Screeeeeeeech-

The door opened and four people walked in.

The Heavenly Demon.

He was the first to arrive with the Sage Demon and the Demon Laws Battalion and had assessed the situation.

After him was the Namgung Clan's Sword Saint.

He came with the Heavenly Guardians and had not released his sword from his hand since his arrival.

Finally, Sima Gong.

He walked in while rolling dice in his hand and made eye contact with the Sage Demon.

Smile.

The Sage Demon saw the person standing in the middle of those three people as soon as Sima Gong smiled.

"Young master-nim. How was it?"

Cale.

He motioned to Sima Gong with his eyes.

Sima Gong stepped forward and started speaking.

"It was as the great and mighty Dragon-nim and the Sage Demon said."

The Sage Demon and Zhuge Mi Ryeo were said to be the smartest people in the Central Plains.

The Sage Demon had inspected the formation with Raon and realized something.

After confirming this, he contacted the youngest of the House of Sima, Sima Gong, as their family was called the Unorthodox faction's Zhuge Clan. As the smartest of their House, he was tasked with the final verification.

Raon, the Sage Demon, and Sima Gong.

The thing that the three of them had confirmed…

Sima Gong started to explain.

"The core of the formation is the castle wall."

The formation. The abilities of the person casting the formation was important but the formation became more effective based on the quality of the materials used.

Yunnan Castle.

The long history of these castle walls would impact the level of aura embedded within them. It would definitely help a lot in maintaining the formation.

"That is why there are two formations with the castle wall at the center and the castle wall is maintained without any issues."

The Pinnacle Demon nonchalantly commented.

"Does that mean that destroying the castle walls will make the formation crumble?"

"Yes ma'am. It would definitely do something if the core of the formation was destroyed."

Sima Gong licked his lips. Tension that was incomparable to what he felt during gambling seemed to burn away at his body.

He looked at Cale with a gaze full of anticipation.

The Sage Demon asked with a stiff expression at that moment.

"Young master-nim, are you planning on going through with that plan?"

"Yes sir."

Cale calmly answered.

"Plan? What plan?"

The Pinnacle Demon asked in confusion, and as the others looked confused as well… Cale calmly answered.

"I will just share the big picture."

Since they were planning on creating jiangshis at night time…

Why wait until then?

"The plan starts at noon."

They might as well move efficiently while the sun was up.

"Step one. Mess with the formation outside the castle wall to temporarily get rid of the illusion."

Then they should clearly see the jiangshis as well as how it looks outside the castle walls.

"Step two. Push the jiangshis aside, attack the castle wall and destroy it."

"Excuse me?"

Elder Ho Song Yi blankly asked, but… Cale didn't even pretend to hear him.

"Step three, infiltrate the castle while the castle wall breaks and the formation is shaken. Suppress the Blood Cult."

Tang Yu stuttered as she asked.

"U, umm, how do we push the jiangshis aside and destroy the castle wall...?"

Cale thought about the poison he looted, no, was gifted from the Tang Clan, and happily answered.

He had a smile on his face.

"Ah, I will do that. My people and I will take care of that, so please just prepare to enter the castle."

Nobody could say anything.

* * *

Noon arrived.

—

Translator's Comments

Ah noon, the perfect time for a duel out in the wild wild west…

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]