C184
"Kkahahaha! We've finally reached land!"
Thump.
With a sound that shook the earth, a massive figure leaped from the ship to the land. That person was Toonka.
Some of the crew members looked at him with disgusted faces. Toonka, approaching enemy ships as they neared, would leap over the enemy ship's deck, punch holes in their decks, and throw enemies into the sea. He was a man with tremendous strength who didn't flinch in the face of dozens of enemies rushing at him. Moreover, he laughed as if enjoying the madness of fighting so many enemies. Toonka looked like a madman.
Kwaaaang!
Kwaaang!
In the sea behind him, a fierce battle continued. But that was not his concern either.
"Stop them!"
"Ignore them and keep moving forward. If we advance a bit more, we'll reach Hainan Island!"
"Protect the Three Factions Alliance fleet! Sink all the Blood Cult ships!"
Blood Cult ships did their best to stop the Three Factions Alliance fleet. On the other hand, ships sent by the Lord of Hainan to help stop the Blood Cult were trying to break through to the island.
The sea was at war.
And amid that chaos, one by one, the Three Factions Alliance ships finally reached Hainan Island. Toonka was at the forefront.
"There they are."
He looked at a small city illuminated by flickering lights. Toonka's gaze as he looked at that place radiated fierce determination. His lips curved upward, showing no intention of lowering.
"Dukang Daehyup."
At that moment, a calm voice was heard from behind, but Toonka ignored it as if it were natural.
Thump!
With a light leap, he surged forward.
"Kkahahaha! The battlefield awaits me!"
"Dukang! I'm coming with you too! Uahahaha!"
"Pfufufu. Finally, a real battlefield!"
Behind him, famous fighters from the Evil Faction, such as Sima Jung and others, followed, jumping one after another. In particular, there was a high proportion of Nokrim experts.
Whether from the excitement of seeing enemies writhing in the sea or from the explosive laughter of those rushing forward, Jegal Miryeo, who had called Toonka while watching those warriors, sighed.
Then, looking at General Commander Jegal Miryeo, the Heavenly Demon spoke.
"We will also go."
Upon raising his head, Jegal Miryeo saw the Heavenly Demon and the rest of the Demon Cult people, the Justice Faction, as well as other individuals outside the factions.
Everyone seemed impatient, and she sighed in response. If she was going to enter the battle, then...
"Let's move as fast as possible. I suppose everyone knows their objectives."
There was no response.
Instead, the Heavenly Demon took a step.
Heavenly Demon Realm.
The Martial Arts considered a disaster in the Central Plains unleashed from the Heavenly Demon's toes.
Kuung...!
Every step he took felt like he was ruling the world, and the Martial Arts known for having that power grew larger with each step.
A dark red energy enveloped him.
The Demon Cultists following him began to accumulate their inner energy little by little. The Heavenly Demon's soft voice echoed in their ears.
"You took quite some time to get here."
Blood Cult members emerged from the surroundings to block the path.
All high-ranking members of the Blood Cult who had scattered throughout the Central Plains had gathered here for the first ceremony of the new Priestess.
Perhaps that's why many looked powerful.
"There are many tempting prey."
But the Heavenly Demon's gaze was fixed on the horizon.
In the center of the Blood Cult, a Black Yong and immense blue energy could be seen rising.
Crackle.
The Heavenly Demon unsheathed his sword.
"Remember."
The Demon Cultists also drew their weapons.
"Before the sun rises, the Blood Cult will fall."
Following his lead, the top Demon Cultists among those gathered behind the Heavenly Demon shouted.
"Blood Extermination (멸혈)!"
Their voices were filled with determination.
The Blood Cult had dared to infiltrate spies into the Demon Cult to destroy the Heavenly Demon, the Heaven of the Demon Cult.
The rage of the Demon Cultists towards the Blood Cult was fierce.
Finally, they had come to the right place to release that rage.
The battlefield was filled with an aggressive spirit.
The Heavenly Demon wielded his sword.
Swish!
Blood from the Blood Cultists sprayed into the air.
But the Blood Demon didn't give them a second look and accelerated.
Her destination was still far away.
'Kim Haeil.'
She was heading towards where he was.
Because that place would be the center of the battlefield.
Blood Demon.
And the Heavenly Demon wished to fight against opponents akin to him.
In contrast, members of the Demon Cult had infiltrated the blood-drenched battlefield.
Blood Cultists with white masks.
One of the Demon Cultists watching them shouted with enthusiasm.
"Let's dye those masks red!"
Unrestrained, the Demon Cultists began to run wildly.
And there was someone who watched them.
"Hmph. Demons (魔) are mad after all."
Elder Ho Sonji of the Beggar's Gang muttered quietly.
But in his hand, he already had a weapon that was a symbol of the Beggar's Gang: The Staff.
At that moment, the person at the front opened his mouth. It was the Sword Saint, the Leader of the Justice Faction.
"Let the others handle organizing this."
With those words, he directed the Blue Sky Guardians forward, moving faster and faster.
His destination was also in the same direction as the Heavenly Demon.
Woosh---!
A golden aura already emanated from the Sword Saint's body.
Accompanying him were high-ranking Blue Sky Guardians of the Namgung Family, also emitting fierce auras.
Elder Ho could see the Blood Cultists rushing towards the Sword Saint.
Despite the formidable strength of the opponent...
Kwoong!
The golden sword descended from top to bottom, heavier than ever, filled with the aura of an Emperor. Living up to the name of an Emperor.
"Hah~"
It was terrifying, truly terrifying.
Shaking his head, Elder Ho soon let out a sigh.
Thud!
The ground trembled.
The Blood Cult's Jiangshis, hundreds of them visible, advanced toward where Elder Ho stood in unison.
Among them were the Blood Cultists.
They weren't strong, but they seemed more than capable of putting up a resistance.
"...They're coming out one by one."
He murmured quietly and took out a small bottle from his robe.
"Do you all remember this?"
"Yes."
Dozens of Murim Alliance members responded to his question enthusiastically, holding the bottle in their hands.
"Remember, our mission is to clear up the mess and put the Jiangshis to sleep. Don't forget that and don't lose your composure!"
The combined army of the Three Factions split into vanguard and rearguard.
The vanguard's task was to face the strong Blood Cult members scattered everywhere, while the rearguard's task was to deal with the lower-ranked fighters of the Blood Sect and secure different areas.
'And put the Jiangshis to sleep.'
It was said that most of the Blood Cult's Jiangshis were in the outer areas to the south and north. However, since Hainan Island was the main headquarters, there was also a considerable number of Jiangshis here, including many Living Jiangshis and True Jiangshis.
Old Baek had taught them how to purify the Jiangshis, but the method was not simple. Therefore, Old Baek offered an alternative solution: put the Jiangshis to sleep.
'How do you plan to keep tens of thousands of Jiangshis awake? It would be more convenient to keep them in a state similar to deep sleep.'
While saying this, Old Baek handed over a bag of powder.
'If the Jiangshis inhale this smoke, they'll fall asleep.'
It was said that once they inhaled the smoke, they would fall into a state similar to deep sleep for about 4-5 hours. That would be more than enough. They had decided to clean up everything before sunrise.
"Let's begin!"
From Elder Ho to other places, the same cry was heard.
Whoosh...
Along with flames ignited by someone, the powder began to burn. And the moment the blue smoke began to rise...
Thud!
The Jiangshis stopped moving. Like disarticulated dolls, one by one, the Jiangshis fell to the ground.
"Darn it! Report this to the higher-ups! The Jiangshis are in a deep sleep!"
"How did they find out about this so quickly? Hurry!"
Confusion erupted in various places due to the fallen Jiangshis. Of course, the confusion of the Blood Cult turned out to be beneficial for the Three Factions Alliance.
"It's time! Let's all move forward!"
"Capture everyone from the Blood Cult!"
Crack.
General Commander Jegal Miryeo observed all of this while holding a unfolded fan in her hands. Her gaze turned to the south of Hainan Island, where a smoke signal rose again.
Piiiieeee...
"...the Evil Alliance and Chief Eunuch Wi have encountered each other."
The warriors of the Evil Faction and Hainan Island had gathered, and they were starting to press the Blood Cult from the south.
Jegal Miryeo looked at the map.
In the north, the Three Factions Alliance.
In the south, Hainan's allies and the Evil Faction.
It was a situation where the Blood Cult was being pressed from above and below.
'With the arrival of more reinforcements to Hainan, the battle situation will tilt in our favor.'
Although the Blood Cult was powerful and had its headquarters in Hainan, they couldn't compete in numbers with the combined forces of the Three Factions, even if it was their headquarters.
'But...'
Jegal Miryeo's eyes focused on the center of the map, in the heart of the Blood Cult.
"Finally, everything will be decided in the center."
Now that the Magic Formation had been neutralized, all that was left was to capture the Blood Demon. Her gaze shifted from the map to a distant place.
Kwaaaaaah...
A constant roar came from somewhere.
---------------------------------------
Choi Han slightly loosened his grip on the sword in his hand. His gaze did not waver from the direction in front of him, where an unusual sound was coming.
Swish...
The Blood Demon's white hair fluttered in the wind blowing from the night sea.
Crack, crack, crack.
Every time the Blood Demon's fingers moved rhythmically, the strange sound resonated even louder. At the same time, the blue energy writhing around her began to spread and infiltrate her surroundings.
'...she's strong.'
Choi Han thought as he looked at his enemy for the first time in a long while.
Blood Demon. She wasn't using Dead Mana at all. The base of the mysterious blue energy she unfolded was, instead, an exuberance of vitality. Like an ocean encompassing everything, within it, there was a vibrant vitality like that produced in the sea, where countless life forms coexisted. Despite the coldness and calmness of the energy, it was full of beauty.
Therefore, Choi Han could fight against the Blood Demon without worrying about being poisoned by Dead Mana, but he felt reluctant.
'...It's pure.'
The energy the Blood Demon was using was so pure and clean that it didn't seem like the power of someone turning people into Jiangshis and trying to take control of the Central Plains.
"Certainly, you are not Murim people."
It was the first time the Blood Demon opened her mouth. Her voice was cold but strangely soft, and the blue glow continued to surround her. Despite the previous clashes, the Blood Demon remained calm.
"You destroyed the Magic Formation, so I thought Apitoyu had betrayed me, but that's not true either."
Blood Demon and Choi Han were separated by a building and at a certain distance from each other, but the Blood Demon's voice sounded as if she were speaking directly into Choi Han's ear.
"I see the answer."
The Blood Demon spoke in a low voice.
"You are the ones who saved Xiaolen from the Black Blood Sect."
Choi Han did not respond, only staring at the Blood Demon, but inside, he felt quite complicated. The Blood Demon, with white hair and blue eyes, and her words about rescuing Xiaolen from the Black Blood Family, did not sound good.
'...Save Xiaolen?
Black Blood Family. The fact that the Blood Demon, the leader of the Blood Cult trying to destroy the Central Plains like the Huayans Family, told Choi Han that she had saved Xiaolen did not sound good at all.
That's why Choi Han responded to her words for the first time.
"That's right. We also came to rescue the Central Plains."
Choi Han finally responded, and in the distance, the Blood Demon seemed to smile slightly as if she had heard his words.
At that moment, Choi Han's brow furrowed slightly at her behavior.
"How strange."
The voice of Team Leader Sui Khan could be heard. Sui Khan, who seemed a bit tired before, suddenly stood up beside Choi Han as usual and spoke abruptly.
"The Blood Demon's energy is very pure."
Choi Han shifted his gaze to Sui Khan, who had expressed the same concerns. It already seemed strange to Choi Han. How could someone who controls Jiangshis have such pure energy?
'...Was this achieved through martial arts?'
The Blood Demon is clearly an ordinary human. Therefore, Choi Han admired her strength, despite being enemies.
Even though the Blood Demon was an enemy, Choi Han couldn't help but feel a slight admiration for the purity of her power. Despite being an enemy, the cleanliness and purity of the energy that the Blood Demon possessed had no equal.
To maintain that purity and use it to develop such impressive power would have required extreme effort and dedication. In that aspect, Choi Han had no choice but to admit, even if she was his enemy.
"Blood Demon."
Sui Khan took a step forward.
An ordinary iron sword was in his hand.
Swish~
As he spoke calmly, he released some of the blue energy surrounding him.
"By creating tens of thousands of Jiangshis, you must have generated an equal amount of Dead Mana. Then, you used that Dead Mana to create more Jiangshis."
He nodded as if he had come to a conclusion.
"That's right, Blood Demon, you have killed countless people."
Crackling~
Sui Khan looked at the blue aura spreading around him with a calm gaze.
"Your pure power is not yours. You have stolen it."
Choi Han remained silent for a moment as Sui Khan stared at the Blood Demon.
"The purest and cleanest energy that humans possess. Vitality. You have robbed it."
The vital energy that humans possess from birth is much purer and cleaner compared to the energies they accumulate throughout their lives. If one were to look for an analogy here in the style of the Central Plains, it could be called 'Innate Energy.'
"That's how you became more powerful."
The blue energy surrounding her was the result of absorbing and accumulating the vitality of tens of thousands of people turned into Jiangshis.
The Blue Blood Family.
It could refer to the blood that actually flowed in her veins, but it could also mean this blue energy, representing vitality.
At that moment, calls were heard from below.
"Mother!"
"Mother, we've come!"
It was Eun and Baek, the other two Demon Successor Candidates. They led the strongest members of the Blood Cult and came to aid the Blood Demon.
Jej~
Sui Khan couldn't help but hide a sneer at being called Mother.
"Mother, especially, you've stolen a lot of vitality from the children, haven't you?"
After all, the purest vitality would be found in children.
At that moment, a sigh was heard.
"Hah~"
Choi Jung Soo, who had returned unexpectedly, looked at the Blood Demon as he held his sword.
"It's garbage."
"That's right."
Nodding, Team Leader Sui Khan looked away.
Other warriors, including the Heavenly Demon, were approaching.
"All we have to do is take care of the Blood Demon."
His voice was calm.
"I will stop her."
Choi Han and Choi Jung Soo stood behind Sui Khan.
"You two, catch her."
The tip of a common sword headed towards the Blood Demon.
And as if nothing happened, she asked:
"What about over there?"
The moment Choi Jung Soo's mouth opened...
Kwaahh!
A roar echoed from Heavenward.
Choi Jung Soo looked at Choi Han and Team Leader and smirked mockingly.
"It seems they've caught the Priestess."
---------------------------------------------
"Ugh!"
In the instant Candidate Myung was hit by Raon's magic and thrown backward.
Cale spoke to Raon.
"Destroy it!"
"I got it!"
Kwaaaaang!
The wall of the room where the Priestess was made of collapsed.
It had been a constant day of destruction by Raon.
"Destroyed!"
Listening to Raon's cheerful voice, Cale crossed the collapsed wall and entered the room.
Then, he smiled.
"We found her."
They finally found the Priestess.
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