The Blood Ancestor’s Blood Bullet was fired in all directions.
I, too, was not exempt from being a target, so I countered the incoming Blood Bullets with my Great Sword infused with strong Qi.
Whoooosh!!
The Great Sword shivered under the immense power it received from the Blood Bullets.
“Ugh!”
“Uwaah!!”
Though not reaching the level of Hwan-gang, the moans inevitably escaped the Martial Artists exposed to the barrage of Blood Bullets that needed to be dealt with.
As the Blood Ancestor swung his intact right hand, the blood that swirled around him began to move vigorously.
If left alone, he would immediately unleash a second wave.
“Attack!”
It wasn’t just my judgment; Master Un-jong left a message and immediately charged in.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Master Un-jong closed the distance to the Blood Ancestor.
Swoosh!
The snake unleashed a roar, sweeping its tail towards Master Un-jong. Despite its huge size, the tail swept quickly, but it was not an attack that could work against the fully focused Hyeong-gyeong Martial Artist.
Instead, Master Un-jong used the snake’s tail as a springboard and shot towards its head in a flash.
Next came the initial move of the Four-Finger Saber Technique.
Though I had grown accustomed to the technique through Yeo Il-ye and Hyeok Gi-rin, perhaps it was still true that he was a master of Hyeong-gyeong.
Even knowing that it had penetrated deep into the solid rock layer, it felt as if he would pierce right through to the ground.
The Blood Ancestor also waved his hand in response to Master Un-jong’s assault.
Boom!
The Blood that had been scattered in droplets transformed once more.
I had seen the Blood Artists of the Blood Sect using Blood Techniques many times, but the Blood Ancestor’s method was truly on a different level.
The blood he manipulated moved with the freedom of energy while the strength contained in it was comparable to strong Qi.
The blood manipulated by the Blood Ancestor could be called blood energy, moving as though it was made of Qi.
The gathering of Blood Energy blocked Master Un-jong’s path.
Master Un-jong’s response to this barrier was simple.
“Hah!”
Boom!!
The force emitted from the sword clashed with the Blood Shield, scattering energy in all directions. The Blood Ancestor quickly attempted to gather the scattered energy to press forward again, but Master Un-jong’s new movement was slightly faster in escaping that space.
Boom!!
The clash of Master Un-jong’s sword and the Blood Ancestor’s Blood Energy produced a heavy sound of impact.
Swoosh!!
The huge Black Serpent was dissatisfied with Master Un-jong landing on its head, writhing and roaring, but it couldn’t twist its entire body to throw him off.
This was because I and my group were right in front of it.
Swish!
The serpent, judging us as a threat, opened its massive maw and contracted its body.
Without hesitation, we arranged ourselves into a formation.
“Charge!”
Swoosh!
The immense energy of the Array Formation enveloped the Black Cat’s body just as the Black Serpent’s maw approached in an instant. The group faced an attack head-on. Depending on the intention of the Black Cat to dodge half and take half, we too swiftly moved our bodies.
Boom!!
Darting out to the side, the Black Cat evaded an attack aimed at its flank. The Black Serpent seemed to adjust its gaze quickly, sensing that it was not an all-out attack.
“Cheh! How cunning!”
It seemed that the Black Cat was wary of the Beepungsan Hae-jin that was preparing to strike from behind.
I kept my eyes on the snake’s head.
Even though the Black Serpent was acting on its own, the two people on its head appeared unfazed, standing their ground as they engaged in exchanges atop the serpent.
The Blood Ancestor continued to unleash blood attacks from all directions at Master Un-jong, while Master Un-jong was busy slashing away the blood enclosing on him while also attacking the Blood Ancestor.
Kachak!
The artificial limbs made of blood that replaced the Blood Ancestor’s arms and legs looked distinctly unusual, yet they were no match for the physical strength of a martial artist who had reached the level of Hyeong-gyeong. Whenever the Blood Energy released from his artificial limbs clashed against the strong Qi radiating from Master Un-jong’s sword, it would scatter.
The Blood Tides from the intact right hand could sufficiently withstand Master Un-jong’s attacks, but it seemed that he could only control the surrounding Blood Energy with his right hand, making it difficult to swing in the air.
While Master Un-jong was busy parrying the Blood Energy that was shooting from all directions, he wasn’t in a position to launch strong counterattacks.
Swoosh!
However, the Blood Energy cut down by Master Un-jong’s sword turned into a handful of blood, dripping down.
Though neither side could deal a critical hit, the Blood Energy utilized by the Blood Ancestor was gradually diminishing, so if we determined who had the advantage, it was Master Un-jong.
As Master Un-jong gradually suppressed the Blood Ancestor, we were not idle either.
“Hah!!”
Boom!!
The Black Cat extended its paws, and the Nine Yin technique surged towards the Black Serpent.
“Wind Chain! Go!”
As the sharpened scales on the Black Serpent were momentarily distracted, the attacks of the Beepungsan Hae-jin struck its body. I heard that the Beepungsan Hae-jin was originally a formation of 25 members, but it had been reduced to 18 after being attacked by the Blood Sect and rebuilding.
Though the hastily reconstructed Array Formation seemed to waver in its Qi handling, the power of the attacks was still sufficient.
Six attackers charged in, unleashing a simultaneous concentrated attack typical of a joint formation under the lead of the head of the group, Aksopung.
Kachakachak!!
One after another, the six attacks poured forth under Aksopung’s leadership.
Swoosh!
Perhaps due to the significant impact, the Black Serpent began to thrash wildly.
Boom!!
With its enormous frame leading the way, the Black Serpent began its charge. Whether it was a headbutt or a dash was debatable, but if one were to be struck by the swiftly moving body of the Black Serpent, there was no question that they would not be safe.
“Get out of the way!”
The faces of the Beepungsan Hae-jin who had just scored a hit turned pale, while the Martial Artists of the Martial Forest Alliance, who were watching, hastily moved their bodies.
As the Black Serpent tore through the space amid the chaos, the formation of the Martial Forest Alliance was thrown into disarray.
Boom!
Amidst that mess, the Blood Ancestor’s Blood Bullets were launched as well.
Some Blood Bullets flew towards Oh Seong-jin, but the majority were targeting the Beepungsan Hae-jin.
To protect the Black Serpent, they had to eliminate the Array Formation team, and it was more efficient to target the Beepungsan Hae-jin, which couldn’t adapt as quickly as Oh Seong-jin.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
In an instant, the weapons flung by the Feng Ying Hall Master and Hwa-gyeong Martial Artist intercepted the Blood Bullets, but the number of Blood Bullets they could eliminate in that chaos was limited.
“Ugh!”
“Uack!”
Among the members of Aksopung who maintained the Beepungsan Hae-jin, one person collapsed, while a few sustained internal injuries.
“You are too careless!”
Master Un-jong who shouted angrily, instantly pierced his sword forward, but the Blood Ancestor splendidly formed a shield with his Blood Energy to protect himself from the attack.
Boom!!
Blood exploded, scattering. While the Master’s sword lost its strength against the shield of Blood Energy, Master Un-jong’s scheming did not end there.
Boom!!
From Master Un-jong’s left hand, a technique was unleashed. A sword technique displayed by the swordsman could lack power and depth, but could a master honed for long years in the venerable Nine Great Sects execute a poor technique?
While it surely couldn’t compare favorably to the Four-Finger Saber Technique, the technique unleashed had enough power to strike the air towards the Blood Ancestor.
Realizing the nature of the technique, the Blood Ancestor’s expression hardened as he lowered his stance and extended his left hand made of metal and flesh to counter.
Boom!
However, both the artificial limb and the artificial leg seemed insufficient to assist Hyeong-gyeong’s movements, rising weakly into the air.
Master Un-jong aimed his sword at the Blood Ancestor, who was now floating freely from the head of the serpent.
It resembled an archer drawing a bow, lining up the target.
“This time, don’t show your skills at the beast’s head, but on the ground!”
A surge of energy fired from the head of the Black Serpent, reaching for the heavens.
“You’re being too presumptuous.”
Along with the mutterings of the Blood Ancestor, the Blood Energy shifted instantly. Unlike before, all the energy enveloping the artificial limbs were gathered by his right hand. The three strands of Blood gathered in a spiral, swirling with an intensity unlike before.
Since he no longer needed to maintain his right leg while floating in the air and he didn’t have to preserve his left arm from Master Un-jong’s containment, he could focus all his power without the need to attack the Martial Artists of the Forest and worry about Master Un-jong.
Was this the true power of the Blood Ancestor?
The intensity and shape of the Blood in his right hand exceeded that of his previous techniques.
While I had no deep knowledge of Blood Techniques, I felt that even a drop of blood that formed his Blood Energy was moving in accordance with the principles of Blood Techniques.
At the moment the Blood Ancestor’s Blood Energy clashed with Master Un-jong’s sword arts.
An invisible shockwave seemed to ripple, shaking the atmosphere with an immense surge of energy.
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
Just being hit by the aftershock was enough to make one feel nauseous. The Martial Artists of the Forest Alliance groaned, and even that immense Black Serpent recoiled.
Was this the clash of Hyeong-gyeong?
Thinking this, I watched as both figures were ejected backward from the counterforce of the collision.
The two landing against the walls of the hall were also not free from the effects of the clash. The Blood Ancestor appeared to have used most of the energy that surrounded him, while the bright blood that had once glistened like a ruby had darkened and was now dripping to the ground; Master Un-jong’s sword had been battered at the tip.
A moment of temporary calm.
The Martial Artists of the Forest Alliance, their faces tense, pointed their weapons at the Blood Ancestor stuck to the wall.
Glancing at the Martial Artists, the Blood Ancestor sent a shard of energy toward the entrance.
Crack!
The sound of something breaking, whether a window or a door, was heard.
Did he have some stored-up energy hidden between the buildings at the crossroads?
Perhaps the high-level Martial Artists of the Forest Alliance thought so too, as they quickly kicked off the ground and shouted.
“Is there hidden Blood Energy?”
“We must stop it!”
Seeing that, the Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists hurriedly pursued the Blood Ancestor, while Master Un-jong kicked off the wall and glanced back at me.
“You all take down the Entity!”
Leaving those words, Master Un-jong shot straight toward the Blood Ancestor.
I felt Master Un-jong’s presence soaring directly towards the Blood Ancestor and turned my gaze back to the Black Serpent.
Beepungsan Hae-jin was busily reorganizing their formation, so we needed to bear the Black Serpent’s attack first.
Oh Seong-jin faced off against the Black Serpent, leading the Black Cat.
Swoooosh!
The Black Serpent raised its head threateningly.
Instead of attacking, it began to slither backwards.
And in that moment, I felt a sense of foreboding and turned around.
Such a seemingly deadly retreat, but at that moment, my instincts screamed that it was right to follow the Blood Ancestor’s actions.
The Blood Ancestor was exiting the hallway, now entering the crossroads, with Master Un-jong and five Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists in pursuit, and there was Blood Energy flying in from all directions.
Only one thought occupied my mind.
Why?
Why was the Blood Ancestor behaving that way?
The current situation was overwhelmingly unfavorable for both the Blood Ancestor and the Black Serpent.
Yet the Blood Ancestor had not been entirely devoid of chances.
The Black Serpent I confronted was a remarkable Entity.
After all, this Black Serpent possessed combat power that exceeded that of other Entities. It was more troublesome than the Saber Beast, not only due to its strength and size but also because of its caution—unlike the Saber Beast, it was smart.
If they could disrupt the Beepungsan Hae-jin, the only means to take down the Black Serpent, the Blood Ancestor could see a potential victory.
The Blood Ancestor, well aware of this fact, had been attacking the Beepungsan Hae-jin with Blood Bullets while engaging with Master Un-jong.
But why, despite the need to fight together with the Black Serpent, was it retreating?
No, could it be that the Blood Ancestor was distancing itself under the guise of the presence of Blood Energy?
Suddenly, I locked eyes with the Blood Ancestor.
In that shared gaze between me and my maternal grandfather, the face of the Blood Ancestor was graced with a smile.
“Jo…!”
I shouted a warning to be careful, but before I could finish, an incident erupted.
Boom!!
Crash!
The door over the entrance to the hall.
It fell, a door thicker than the iron gate we had seen when entering this place, and it appeared to be made of solid metal, with only a tiny hole just large enough for a head to pass through.
How heavy it must have been.
As the door dropped, the vibrations hinted at its weight.
Distracted by the two pairs of glaring eyes and the stench of blood flooding our senses, the now-ominous door suddenly fell.
Everyone struggled to mask their surprise while being engulfed in a feeling of confusion.
…Why?
If the entrance was sealed, it would benefit us.
The Blood Ancestor would have to face Master Un-jong along with Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists, leaving us free to unite our two Array combinations against the Black Serpent.
Unfathomably, the Blood Ancestor’s intentions remained a mystery.
“Hahahaha! You’ve fallen for it!”
However, the doubts over the present situation were swiftly resolved.
The laughter of the Blood Ancestor rang out, and right after, the bewildered cries of the Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists were heard.
Whoosh!
The moment their astonishment passed, blood that looked like the head of the Blood Ancestor spilled through the hole in the door.
“Gah!”
Shrieks of panic erupted from everyone, while the blood quickly reverted to the Blood Ancestor’s form.
“This devilish trick!”
Hwa-gyeong Martial Artist Namgung Seok rushed forth with his blade in hand, but even as the blood returned to its original shape, the Blood Ancestor adeptly deflected the attack with his Blood Energy. The other masters of the Martial Forest Alliance attempted to regain their composure and attack the Blood Ancestor but failed.
Swoosh!!
As if waiting for this moment, the Black Serpent slipped through and merged next to the Blood Ancestor.
With its head bowed low, the Black Serpent hoisted the Blood Ancestor atop its head.
Perhaps due to the Blood Art just deployed that transformed its entire body into blood, the Blood Ancestor’s momentum had greatly diminished. Having no strength to encircle himself with Blood Energy, even the energy coiling around his artificial limbs was notably weakened.
But at this point, the condition of the Blood Ancestor mattered little.
No matter how exhausted, a master of Hyeong-gyeong was still a master of Hyeong-gyeong; and it was key that Master Un-jong and the six Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists remained outside the entrance.
Confident in his superiority, the Blood Ancestor leisurely opened his mouth.
“Now, I can finally dispose of the rodents obstructing the grand ambitions of the Blood Sect.”
“It’s only by testing the length and shortness of the strategies that we may know the outcomes,” responded Moyong Seo, who had remained inside with a calm rebuttal.
“Though your tricks have divided our forces, do you really think the Martial Forest Alliance’s heroes remaining inside cannot handle you?”
“Infinity Buddha. True words. I had already resolved to offer my life when I stepped into this place.”
Following Moyong Seo and the Taoist forward, Aksopung also escalated his momentum.
“Today, I shall surely bring your head to my family’s tomb to offer incense!”
As the core masters of the Martial Forest Alliance rallied, the atmosphere within us swelled with renewed spirit.
Bang! Bam! Bang!!
“Just hold on a little longer! This door shall be breached quickly!”
The loud sounds and the exhortations from the outside Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists were relayed to us.
When the vague goal of winning transformed into a more realistic goal of just holding on, our morale skyrocketed further.
“The heroes of the Martial Forest Alliance never retreat!”
“Deal with the lackeys of the Blood Sect!”
In that uplifting moment, as I watched the revitalized heroes, what appeared on the Blood Ancestor’s face was a single emotion.
Ridicule.
A smirk appeared on the Blood Ancestor’s lips as whispers from those hiding in the depths of the Shengsu Faction echoed ominously.
Before that whisper even faded, the tail of the Black Serpent moved.
Our party and Beepungsan Hae-jin braced themselves, but the tail shot sharply not towards the Martial Forest Alliance members, nor toward the Array Formation team.
Boom!!
It struck the wall directly.
The tail of the serpent struck without hesitation, and with a repeated impact, the tail pierced the wall after hitting it a few times.
Crack!!
At that moment, something began to flow down along the Black Serpent’s tail.
Drip, drip.
…Water.
What fell along the serpent’s tail was undoubtedly water.
“Ha ha ha! Foolish children, did you really believe I only wanted to trap you here with such tricks?”
Accompanied by the Blood Ancestor’s laughter, the serpent’s tail was pulled out.
Boom!!
A torrent of water began to pour in through a hole created by the striking tail.
In an instant, the ground grew wet.
“Hahaha! Let’s see how you all drown before you can break through that door!”
As the Black Serpent’s long tongue encircled the Blood Ancestor, he settled into the serpent’s mouth.
“While I take care of those monks above! Uwahahaha!!”
The Black Serpent vanished into the hole, ejecting torrents of water. While even a skilled practitioner of water manipulation might be swept away in this fierce current, it was probably nothing but mere pressure for a giant Entity.
The Beepungsan Hae-jin, recovering their wits, desperately attempted to fight back, but the raging current obstructed their attacks, dealing no significant blows.
Even if we joined in with our thunderous strikes, the consequence would have been uncertain, as unleashing uncontrolled energy in this flooded environment could lead to unpredictable outcomes.
Ultimately, the Black Serpent, easily moving over ten spans, was drawn into the opening.
All gazes fixed upon that opening, all filled with despair.
Boom!!!
With Master Un-jong and six Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists as the exception, the remaining Martial Forest Alliance survey team was bracing for a watery fate in the depths of the Blood Sect’s stronghold.
