C168
"Raon. I need to see what's going on."
Cale got up from his seat and opened the door.
He could see the red earth of a vast plain, trampled here and there.
Of course, this was also barely visible under the moonlight.
"Allow me to show you the place."
"Human, follow me!"
Cale followed Choi Han and Raon to the place where they had seen so many Jiangshis.
-------
The place wasn't far.
It was on the outskirts, farther from the walls, and it looked like an ordinary, everyday field.
"Now that I'm closer, I can see it for sure."
The walls in the distance and the landscape in front of him were completely fake. There was no other option. Cale had discreetly come here using invisibility magic and speed magic. Despite that, he observed the surrounding landscape even in the late hours of the night.
"It was crushed."
The farmland responsible for the food supplies of the people of Yunnan Province had been crushed. However, the landscape in front of him showed no traces of damage. It was clearly a fake landscape.
"Human, this way!"
The invisibility magic in front of Raon's front paws faded, and Cale approached the spot Raon was pointing to. But what he saw remained the same.
"Wait a moment!"
The black mana assimilated into the night flourished. It soon permeated the air.
"I've studied a lot about Magic* Formations! The grand me now understands Magic Formations well!" (Note: Array Formation, changed to Magic Formation)
Ssssss...
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, as if a hole had opened.
"Eh?"
It was a harsh and sticky wind.
It was a heavy and sticky wind. It was an uncomfortable and breath-stealing air. Cale cautiously looked inside the hole. With caution.
-Oh, so it's this.
The Fire of Destruction. Cheapskate sighed. Cale also tightly closed his eyes. He understood why Raon and Choi Jung Soo had returned so astonished.
"They're insane!"
The view inside the hole wasn't much. Even the hole was made so that the interior could only be vaguely seen. Despite that, what he saw exceeded his imagination.
"Sigh~"
Under the moonlight. Although there were flickering lights in various places, there were obviously people walking, but he couldn't feel the presence of those people.
That was true.
Because they were corpses.
They were different from the Jiangshis he had seen in Xiaolen. They should have used Dead Mana to make Jiangshis, but there were no black traces on their appearance. Instead, they emitted a soft blue glow under the moonlight.
The Blue Blood Family.
True to their name, blue blood seemed to flow from their cuts.
Blood Cult.
The name evoked the color red, but from that day on, Cale would only think of blue blood when he thought of the Blood Cult.
The Jiangshis stared at them without blinking. They looked like statues. But their appearance was entirely human. Living corpses. That was the appropriate expression.
-Cale, these Jiangshis are different.
As Cheapskate said, all the Jiangshis were properly armed. It seemed that the Blood Cult had invested all the profits they had accumulated through the Silver Blue Commercial Guild to prepare for the future. The result of that investment seemed to be a large number of fully armed Jiangshis.
-And it looks like there are more than 10,000 of them.
Cheapskate's words made Cale bite his lip. The Jiangshis formed dense rows that occupied a space of about one kilometer around Yunnan. However, none of the rows were exactly one kilometer. Some were shorter than that, and others were around 1.3 kilometers.
It was at that moment...
Step~
A sound came from behind him.
"...!"
Cale noticed that all the eyes of the Jiangshis around him were moving in his direction, toward where the sound was coming from.
Their gazes were directed at him simultaneously.
-Human, I'll close it!
Raon's judgment was accurate.
Cale moved back immediately.
And the space closed.
During that brief moment it closed, he could see that the gangshi were still looking at him and that someone was approaching from within the formation.
-Let's get away!
Raon was right; they had to flee. Of course, he first grabbed the arm of the guy who had suddenly appeared.
"!"
That person seemed surprised that someone had grabbed his arm out of nowhere.
But he obediently followed.
-Human, I'll also do invisibility magic for the Heavenly Demon!
The first person to arrive was the Heavenly Demon, who had arrived much faster than expected.
--------------
Dawn was breaking. Although daylight was gradually filtering into the surroundings, it didn't seem like the sun had risen. Instead, as the surroundings brightened, only a dark and oppressive landscape could be seen.
Inside Yunnan Province, Dokgo Ryeong, the Young Leader of the Dokgo Family who had a reputation as an intermediate-level expert within the Justice Faction, raised her head. (Note: I previously referred to this character as male, but he is actually female, haha, Korean friends confusing you by not using pronouns)
Ashen clouds became visible in the sky. Thanks to those clouds, the entire landscape looked gloomy.
Dokgo Ryeong's gaze filled with anger.
It was at that moment...
Boom!
"Ugh!"
Dokgo Ryeong staggered and knelt on both knees.
Then, she lifted her head.
There were two people looking at her.
"Hmm. Dokgo Family? Aren't they a known family in Yunnan Province?"
"That's right."
"But they say she's the Young Leader of that family. Why is she so weak?"
"Well, Oraboni, considering this girl's age, she's quite strong." (Note: Oraboni means Older Brother, but with much more respect than Hyung)
"What about us? Aren't we young as well?"
Dokgo Ryeong's eyes widened as she watched the man and the woman chatting about her.
'Blue-'
They had blue hair.
The woman's hair was the color of the sky, and the man's was a deep blue, like the ocean.
She had never seen anyone with hair like that in all her years in the Central Plains.
'They are the candidates for the Blood Demon Successor...'
There were some things she had picked up along the way.
"Mmm. Still, your eyes look powerful."
The man smiled as he looked at Dokgo Ryeong.
Although his smile was mixed with innocence, there was something unsettling about it that made Dokgo Ryeong feel quite the opposite.
"It's a waste to turn her into a Jiangshi. Let's make her a Living Jiangshi."
...What?
Dokgo Ryeong could understand why these two people's gazes were uncomfortable.
They didn't see her as a human being. They saw her as an object.
"Agreed."
The woman responded indifferently and gestured to her subordinate beside her.
"Did you hear that? Take her away."
"Yes."
The subordinates approached Dokgo Ryeong.
She looked at them with an angry gaze, but at this moment, with her hands bound and unable to express her will clearly, there wasn't much she could do.
'Should I try to escape?'
Or, at least, even a little...?
"You better not think about rebelling or running away."
The innocent-looking man with blue hair brushed his glossy blue hair.
"I think you'll find the answer by looking around you."
Tears welled up in Dokgo Ryeong's eyes.
She saw around her those who had died, dyed in red or torn apart, including the Elders of her family and the fellow people from Yunnan she had interacted with.
They were all stronger than her.
She remembered the words of the Elder of her family.
"They are strong! Especially those guys called Little Blood Demons, they are at least in the Profound Realm! Ryeong'er, you have to endure it! Even if we can't, you must!"
He added.
"Since the Family Head has fallen, you must survive!"
That's right.
My father fell while fighting the Blood Cult.
Poisoned by a horrifying dark energy.
"If you stay safe and if Chang'er can gather people, there's a chance!"
During her father's attack on the Blood Cult, Dokgo Ryeong's uncle, Dokgo Chang, escaped. It was possible thanks to other members of Yunnan who helped at that time.
They know it too.
In Yunnan, the only person with the ability to escape the Blood Cult was the Family Head of the Dokgo Family and Dokgo Chang.
And the bet paid off.
My uncle escaped.
"Tsk, tsk. You must be disgusted."
Dokgo Ryeong could only feel powerless at these words. She showed no sign of resistance. With her head bowed, she followed the subordinates as tears fell all over her body.
Watching Dokgo Ryeong follow her subordinates, the woman nodded her head.
"I think it would be good to turn her into a Living Jiangshi. We can use her to keep track of the situation."
"Really? Yun-ah, do you trust my judgment?"
"After all the trouble I've been through because of Hoya Oraboni, are you asking me to trust you?"
Their voices intertwined with affection, making them seem more like brother and sister than two Blood Demon Successor candidates.
They appeared to be a simple-looking young man and his younger sister, a cold-looking beauty, cementing their friendship.
Meanwhile, Dokgo Ryeong walked with her head bowed, and tear after tear fell to the ground.
'It's okay.'
But there was no despair or resignation in Dokgo Ryeong's eyes.
'I just have to hold on a little longer.'
Not long ago, a letter arrived at the Dokgo Family. The letter sent to the family contained content that she never would have expected.
<As I promised, I will pass by this way. I have some matters to ask for your cooperation, would you mind helping me?>
The sender was Young Master Kim Haeil.
After parting ways with him, the Dokgo Family returned to Yunnan, and they had heard through rumors that Young Master Kim's status was growing day by day, so they also thought that Young Master Kim would no longer attach much importance to the promise made in the past.
However, Young Master Kim Haeil had not set a specific date for his arrival, but had sent a message saying he would pass by this way.
'If Young Master Kim could help...!'
That my uncle has the chance to meet with Young Master Kim.
Or even that he can find help from other members or sects.
Dokgo Ryeong fervently wished for it.
And the look in her teary eyes, as she remembered that wish, showed no resignation or surrender. Rather, she carefully surveyed her surroundings, seeking any way to survive.
'For now, I'll resist as much as I can before becoming a Jiangshi.'
But.
'Is that even possible?'
There was a trace of despair in Dokgo Ryeong's eyes. The Blood Cult had divided all the residents of Yunnan into Jiangshi and Living Jiangshi. She didn't know what a Living Jiangshi was, but once classified as Jiangshi, they would be turned into Jiangshi one by one starting from tonight.
'What can I do if Young Master Kim doesn't arrive in time...?'
Furthermore, the fortified walls had become stronger thanks to the Blood Cult's repairs. Even just thinking about the numerous Jiangshi on the other side of the walls was suffocating.
'It will be difficult for Young Master Kim to purify all those Jiangshi...'
It would be challenging to fight them.
And beyond the Jiangshis, there was still a barrier.
The walls of Yunnan Province and the elite of the Blood Cult that remained intact within them.
"Each of them is at the peak of their skill."
The Blood Cult was full of great masters who would be treated with great respect in the Murim.
"Moreover, the Blood Demon Successor candidates are phenomenal."
Two of them had reached the Profound Realm.
Additionally, they seemed to possess special powers.
"Even if Young Master Kim is an expert in the Nature Realm..."
Can he handle all of this alone?
'If only the Jiangshis weren't here, if only the city walls had collapsed!'
In that case, it would be easier for allies outside Yunnan to deal with the Blood Cult.
But who could have guessed that the Lord of Yunnan Province was a member of the Blood Cult, and that he would open the doors to welcome the Blood Cult?
'...And that on top of this, the Blood Cult would kill him.'
The severed head of the Lord of Yunnan hung in front of the Lord's mansion gate.
This was the true nature of the Blood Cult.
'These people should not be allowed to rule the Central Plains!'
Dokgo Ryeong somehow managed to calm herself. Waiting for the slightest opportunity to change the situation.
--------------
A small farm.
Inside it, a few people had gathered.
"These guys are crazy."
The Pinnacle Demon sighed.
"Hmph."
Tang Yu, the Tang Family Leader of Sichuan, snorted.
"Gulp, gulp."
Sima Pyeong's daughter, Sima Dan. As the atmosphere became increasingly oppressive, she continued to drink. No one stopped her.
Instead, she even extended the liquor bottle to the Beggar Band Elder, Ho Songyi, who was next to her.
"Do you want some?"
"...No, thank you."
And then she wiped her face with both hands.
"They said there are more than ten thousand Jiangshis. Moreover, the Magic Formation they deployed in and around Yunnan is..."
"It's beyond imagination."
The Thunder Demon of the Demon Cult spoke calmly.
The Three Factions.
Key members of various factions discussed around the table map in a manner that would have amazed the Murim.
"...In this situation, even if we bring the forces that are waiting, the outcome of the battle is uncertain."
Everyone silently expressed their agreement with Tang Yu, the Tang Family Leader's words.
Currently, although they hadn't been able to bring a large number of troops with them due to their hasty arrival, there were quite a few martial artists, grouped into factions, and secretly lying in ambush.
Of course, they couldn't approach the Magic Formation, so they kept a considerable distance away, but if they wanted, they could gather up to the outer limit of the Magic Formation.
"They outnumber us."
As Elder Ho stated, the Blood Cult still outnumbered them.
"It seems we need more forces from the various factions to attack Yunnan."
No one argued against what Sima Dan, whose breath reeked of alcohol, said.
Because that's how they saw it.
Murim Alliance.
Evil Alliance.
Demon Cult.
While the Imperial Family was in charge of the Jiangshis that appeared all over the Central Plains, the Three Factions had decided to take care of the Blood Cult. Therefore, the main forces of each faction were gathering in Yunnan.
The problem was that there were only a few.
"Furthermore, are there Blood Demon Successor candidates?"
"Yes."
When Sima Dan answered the Pinnacle Demon's question, she sighed deeply, ignoring Byuk Sun, who looked at her with distrust.
"But if we were to think about it among ourselves, what would we do?"
Just as she said that...
Step, step, step, step.
The door opened, and four people entered.
The Heavenly Demon.
He was the first to arrive, bringing the Thunder Demon and the Demon Law Battalion with him, and had finished assessing the situation.
The next to arrive was the Sword Saint from the Namgung Family. He had come leading the Blue Sky Guardians, never letting go of his sword.
Lastly, Sima Gong. He entered with dice in hand and made eye contact with the Brain Demon.
Smile~
The moment Sima Gong smiled, the Brain Demon looked at the person in the center.
"So, Young Master. What do you think?"
Cale.
He winked at Sima Gong.
Sima Gong took a step forward and opened his mouth.
"It was just as the Great Dragon and the Brain Demon said."
The first to arrive was the Brain Demon, who, along with Jegal Miryeo, had no rivals in terms of intelligence.
The Brain Demon examined the Formation with Raon and noticed one thing.
And after verifying it, he entrusted it to the brightest young member of the Sima Family, Sima Gong, for final confirmation.
Raon, the Brain Demon, and Sima Gong.
When all three confirmed it, words flowed from Sima Gong's mouth.
"The central axis of the Magic Formation is the wall."
Magic Formation. Naturally, the skill of the one deploying it was important, but the better the materials used, the more effective it would be.
Yunnan.
After enduring the ravages of time for so many years, it would surely have the accumulated energy of history. Its wisdom would have been a great help in maintaining a powerful Formation.
"So, two Magic Formations were deployed around the walls, and the walls were kept in perfect condition."
In response to Sima Gong's words, the Pinnacle Demon sighed.
"Does that mean that if we bring down the walls, the Formations will also fall?"
"Yes. If the central axis collapses, the Formation will probably crumble anyway."
Sima Gong felt stimulated. The tension he felt was completely different from when he played dice, making him feel like his whole body was tensing up.
He looked at Cale with eyes full of anticipation.
At that moment, the Brain Demon asked with a serious expression.
"Young Master, are you going to carry out that plan?"
"Yes."
Cale responded casually.
"Plan? What plan?"
When the Pinnacle Demon was puzzled, and others expressed their doubts, Cale spoke calmly.
"I'll just give you the general context."
They said they would create the Jiangshis at night.
There was nothing more to do until then.
"The plan will start at noon."
Moving when the sun was high and bright.
"First, we will touch the Magic Formation outside the wall to temporarily remove the illusions."
Then we could see the gangsters clearly and what was outside the wall.
"Second, we will push the Jiangshis outside the wall and hit the wall until it collapses."
What?
Elder Ho Songyi asked in shock, but Cale pretended not to hear.
"Third, when the wall collapses and the inner Formation wavers, we will enter the city and suppress the Blood Cultists."
Tang Yu, the Tang Family Leader of Sichuan, stuttered and asked.
"How... how do you plan to push the Jiangshis and bring down the walls...?"
Cale smiled kindly, after all, he had already managed to extract the poison techniques, or rather, he would soon receive the poison techniques from her as a gift.
"Oh, I'll take care of that. My companions and I will handle it, but please prepare for when we enter the city later."
People fell silent for a moment.
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And then noon arrived.
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