Chapter 341 The Heaven-Defying Blood Demon vs. The Four Kings – Part 1

Chapter 341: The Heaven-Defying Blood Demon vs. The Four Kings – Part 1

Northern Anhui Province.

The mighty Hei River, traversing the vast North China Plain, paused its flow and lingered in northern Anhui Province.

Haecheongyeon, the Heaven-Defying Blood Demon Gwae-yeom, now stood gazing at the vast, ocean-like horizon from the shore of the enormous lake, Hongtaek Lake, created by that brief pause.

Six hundred years ago, and a hundred years ago.

Though Guoyan had already lived two lifetimes, this was his first time seeing Hongtaike Lake in person.

In both lives, the relentless pressure from overwhelming foes had prevented him from ever reaching Anhui Province.

She chuckled softly and murmured.

“To see Hongta Lake through another’s eyes, when I’ve never truly seen it with my own… How peculiar.”

Looking back, my past lives were excessively unlucky.

My first life happened to be during the period when the Nine Great Sects were just emerging and rising like the sun.

The martial artists of the Nine Great Sects back then were excessively pure.

Martial artists from all factions, seemingly madmen, threw themselves into the fray as if willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of cooperation alone, without a thought for their own faction’s interests.

Individually, their martial arts skills weren’t particularly threatening back then.

Among the martial artists of that era, Gwae-yeom’s skill was unmatched under heaven, and he could easily handle anyone from the righteous factions.

But…

‘Back then, those bastards would always attack with the entire righteous faction united as one. Those disgusting vermin, like cockroaches…’

Faced with the reckless, madmen-like righteous faction fighters who spared no regard for their own lives, and the relentless, endless onslaught of those vile creatures, the Heaven-Defying Blood Demon, Guo Yan, ultimately had no choice but to abandon his dream of the Blood Sect ruling the world.

So she abandoned that era and chose to seal herself away for a better future.

That was the plan…

‘Of all the bastards I’d meet in my second life…’

He never imagined he would sleep for five hundred years, but no matter what era he awoke to, Gwaeom never doubted for a moment that he would be the greatest under heaven in that age.

But…

Her belief was completely wrong.

The first adversaries she faced upon awakening in Yunnan Province were a man named Nan Tianwu Wang Zhi Jiang and another named Zhuo Pao Jian Wang Ye Ji Tian.

Both were masters advancing toward the pinnacle of martial arts, formidable opponents in their own right.

But Guoyan believed that two opponents like them were more than she could handle.

That era was one where even the righteous factions were divided and scattered, each pursuing their own interests.

At least he didn’t have to fight alone against all the righteous factions of the martial world, and that single fact alone gave Gu Yan sufficient satisfaction.

The problem was that those two were not the strongest in that era.

Having thought that far, Gu Yan unconsciously gritted his teeth and thought.

‘The Thunder God and the Sword God… To think there were two such monsters who had reached the realm of myth…’

Even now, thinking of them and that damned era made his body tremble slightly.

Not one but two monsters had reached the realm of myth. No, to be precise, there were four—including the Demon God and the God of War—making victory utterly impossible.

Of all times to awaken, it had to be in such an era…

But Hae Cheong-yeon, who had thought that far, shook her head violently, as if trying to shake off those memories.

Those monsters, once like nightmares, were gone now.

Hadn’t he himself completely erased even the last traces of the sword god?

Therefore, this era was his.

No, it had to be hers.

Absolutely….

Hae Cheong-yeon flashed his eyes and steeled his resolve.

Today, here, we gauge the standard of this era. Whether there exists a power capable of disrupting the Blood Oath Realm in this age…

It was at that moment, as she was thinking this.

A man standing behind her suddenly spoke cautiously.

“Your Highness, would it not be better to wait until Jeon Moo-kwang returns?”

The one who spoke was none other than Zhuge Zhijiang, a military officer of the Martial Alliance.

He had become her complete follower, bound by Gu Yanman’s soul-capturing technique, which the Blood Cultists of this era could not use.

Hae Cheong-yeon turned her beautiful eyes to glare at him and asked.

“Why? Do you think it won’t work without that guy?”

Startled by the question, Jegal Jigang hastily bowed his head and replied.

“How could that be! Absolutely not, Your Majesty! It’s just that I feared he might bring a large force with him…”

After staring at Zhuge Zhijiang with an inscrutable gaze for a moment, Hae Cheongyeon turned his eyes back to the distant horizon and replied.

You clearly don’t understand the mindset of martial artists who pride themselves on being the best in the world, or who aspire to be the best. That bastard will never give up on a one-on-one duel. And what, you think we can just wait around knowing when that bastard Jeon Mookwang will return? Wasn’t it you who said we had to quickly deal with the Four Kings Alliance first, since that bastard Seolpung would surely know of my existence?

At those words, Zhijian bowed his head as if to touch the ground, apologizing.

“Forgive me, Your Highness. My heart is solely devoted to serving you.”

Hae Cheong-yeon merely snorted at his earnest plea.

She knew he was desperate to impress her, but to her, it was just a nuisance.

For a moment, she even considered just killing him.

But Hae Cheong-yeon quickly dismissed that thought.

At least until she had fully taken over the Martial Arts Alliance, it seemed she had to keep him alive.

Haecheongyeon gazed toward the distant horizon and muttered to herself.

“He’s taking longer than expected. Does he not even suspect a trap?”

Haecheongyeon was currently waiting here, on the shore of Hongtaek Lake, for the Four Kings’ Gwaegalhyun to arrive.

It was because he had responded to the challenge she had sent in the name of Murong Jian, the leader of the Martial Alliance.

The reason she challenged the Four Kings’ Gui Gexian immediately after subduing Martial Alliance Leader Murong Jian was due to Zhuge Zhijiang’s advice that the Four Kings’ Alliance must be dealt with first.

As the master of the Four Kings Alliance, a power rivaling the Martial Alliance itself, he was the greatest obstacle to the Blood Sect’s dominance. Moreover, that bastard Xian Wuzhen, whom she had failed to kill then, was the Four Kings’ heir and a close friend of Shu Feng. Leaving him alive could lead to trouble later.

While the bastard couldn’t possibly know he was the Heaven-Defying Blood Demon Gu Yan, merely informing the Four Kings of his existence was enough to make things troublesome.

And one more thing.

She had another important reason besides that one.

‘If I can gauge the skill of this so-called second-best under heaven, I’ll be able to understand the level of this era.’

For her, this was nothing less than the most crucial matter.

Having already lived through the era of the Brain God and Sword God, she was anxious that another monster might exist in this age as well.

She did not dismiss the possibility that this so-called Four Kings might be stronger than herself.

Therefore, she had already prepared countermeasures against him.

‘If that bastard Jeon Moo-kwang had been here too, it would have been better…’

The Blood Demon of that era, Jeon Mookwang, was in the midst of performing the great technique to transform his own body into a Blood Demon, claiming he must elevate his own power for the sake of the Blood Sect’s supremacy.

Thus, it was impossible to know when he might reappear.

Truthfully, she had initially scoffed at Jeon Moo-kwang’s decision.

It sounded good to call it a Blood Demon, but the idea of essentially turning his own body into a blood vessel felt utterly foolish.

But now, having witnessed the martial prowess of Jie He and Ma Yuanweng after they became Blood Demons, she felt differently.

The effect was astonishing enough even to her, who had lived for six hundred years.

‘To think that merely transforming those who were at best at the peak of their abilities into Blood Fiends could make them equal to the very threshold of the Hwa Gyeong…’

That was nothing short of an incredible feat.

It meant he could mass-produce absolute powerhouses worthy of dominating an era.

Now, she even found herself slightly anticipating just how powerful Jeon Mookwang, now a Blood Demon, would become upon his return.

Suddenly, another thought crossed her mind.

‘Could he become stronger than me?’

It was possible.

And if that happened, it meant the seal placed on Hae Cheong-yeon’s heart would never be broken.

It meant she would be eternally enslaved to him.

Having that thought, she felt a strange mix of displeasure and a slight flutter of excitement.

She believed her own existence played a significant role in Jeon Mookwang’s desire to become a Blood Demon.

She imagined he desired to become stronger than her to fully control her, and also harbored a desire to violate Hae Cheong-yeon.

Hadn’t his eyes turned bloodshot last time, consumed by the desire to violate Hae Cheong-yeon’s body?

Back then, it seemed he had given up because he had no choice but to use the golden seal. But if he became stronger than her, he would absolutely never give up.

She suddenly smiled with a hint of mischief and thought.

‘Being forcibly taken by someone stronger than me… I’m actually looking forward to that?’

Feeling a strange heat rising within her body, she licked her lips with her tongue.

If it came to that, she might at least be able to completely devour Hae Cheong-yeon’s soul.

After all, she was still pure, and such a situation would shock her tremendously.

It was while she was deep in such thoughts.

Zhuge Zhijiang shouted urgently.

“Your Highness! He’s coming!”

But his voice was unnecessary.

She was already looking in that direction.

Beyond the horizon of the Hongtaekho, a massive ship was approaching.

A crimson flag fluttered atop its mast, bearing the majestic black characters ‘Sawangyeon’.

Haecheongyeon smiled beautifully and said,

“Welcome. You, the second-best man under heaven of this age.”

***

Sawang Gwaegalhyun stood at the bow, observing the group gathered on the lakeshore.

At the very front stood none other than the Martial Alliance leader, the King of All, Murong Jian, who had sent him the challenge.

But the Four Kings’ gaze was fixed on the beautiful woman behind him, Hae Cheong-yeon.

He let out a bitter laugh as he thought.

‘So that’s what the Heaven-Defying Blood Demon looks like.’

Now that she always swept her bangs back to reveal her face, her appearance truly deserved the title of the most beautiful woman in the world.

Compared to her, the women the Four Kings had ever called beauties seemed so pale in comparison that he doubted they even deserved the title of ‘beauty’ anymore.

Truly a beauty that could captivate a nation.

It was a beauty that could shake anyone’s heart.

But the Four Kings did not place much significance on her appearance.

He was solely curious about her martial prowess, which had been called the strongest Blood Demon for six hundred years.

The Four Kings leapt suddenly into the air above the deck.

The ship still had a long way to go before reaching the lakeshore.

As if unable to wait any longer, he began flying toward them while suspended in midair.

It was the divine technique of the Air-Piercing Void Path, mastered to perfection.

In an instant, crossing the lake, the Four Kings arrived above their heads and dove sharply toward Murong Jian.

Thud!

Murong Jian stared wide-eyed at the Four Kings who had appeared right before him.

He was trying hard to maintain a dignified demeanor, but his wide-eyed stare clearly showed how shocked he was.

He muttered, as if chewing the words out.

“Gao Jianxian…”

The Four Kings’ Gwaegalhyun stared at Murong Jian with a blank expression for a moment before speaking indifferently.

“I suspected as much. Of course. A mere Moryong Geom like you would never dare challenge me to a duel. Nor would you have the guts to assassinate me and start a war with the Four Kings Alliance…. Who is it? Who summoned me, the Four Kings?”

His gaze swept past the four bodyguards of Murong Jian, who stood behind him, and then slowly scanned the people standing behind them.

His gaze passed over each of Murong Jian’s Four Great Bodyguards—all thirty-six of them masters of the highest caliber—and brushed past the Divine Sword Corps, the Alliance Leader’s Guard composed entirely of masters with over eighty years of cultivation. Finally, it came to rest on Hai Qingyan, who stood behind him accompanied by Zhuge Zhijiang and two masked figures, one male and one female.

The Four Kings smiled faintly and asked her.

“Could it be you, young lady?”

Hae Cheong-yeon narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

Seolpung had intended to deal with it first, just in case he might receive any news from his close friend Seonwoojin, but it seemed he had already heard about it.

Of course, there was no way he could know yet that he was the Heaven-Defying Blood Demon.

Even so, it was still problematic for information about him to be leaked.

If word got out that he was part of the Blood Sect, it could complicate his plans to seize control of the Martial Alliance.

Indeed, even the guards accompanying Murong Jian here knew nothing of his true identity.

They only knew her as the daughter of Sword Saint Hae Un-baek.

Hae Cheong-yeon answered the Four Kings with a beautiful smile.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean. I am Hae Cheong-yeon, daughter of the Sword Saint. Junior disciple Hae Cheong-yeon greets you, Elder Four Kings.”

As she spoke, Hae Cheong-yeon bowed gracefully. The Four Kings watched her with a cold gaze.

It seemed the Heaven-Defying Blood Demon still did not wish to reveal himself.

The Four Kings pondered for a moment what to do.

Had it been Seonwoo Jin, he might have tried to exploit the situation to his advantage, but unfortunately, the Four Kings were not particularly skilled at that sort of battle.

Instead, he decided to fight the battle he was confident in.

A fight where we clash head-on with brute force.

He said with a fierce laugh.

“Is that so?”

Simultaneously, the concentrated energy in his fist began to glow red.

At that moment, Hae Cheong-yeon urgently sent a telepathic message to Murong Jian.

– What are you doing?! Attack him!

Murong Jian was currently under a禁制 imposed by Hae Cheong-yeon.

It was the same kind of restriction Xue Ma Zhenwuguang had placed on Hae Cheong-yeon’s heart—one that could burst his heart if he disobeyed the command.

Of course, it would have been better if he could have possessed a soul like Zhuge Zhijiang, but even the Blood Sect’s strongest, the Heaven-Defying Blood Demon, could not possess the soul of a master at the Fire Realm.

Then, clenching his teeth, Murong Jian drew his sword and shouted at the Four Kings who had turned their backs on him.

“Do you think I’m a joke?!”

Chuuuuaaah!

His sword, glowing white with intense energy as if made of light itself, slashed across the Four King’s back.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the Four Kings couldn’t even defend himself.

‘Got him!’

In that fleeting instant, Murong Jian swung his sword to its fullest extent and let out a triumphant laugh.

He had thought that even the Four Kings would be helpless if caught off guard without even being able to activate their protective aura.

But the next moment, Murong Jian was utterly shocked to see the Demon King Gui Jiexian casually turn his head and stare at him expressionlessly.

His eyes widened.

The Demon King spoke indifferently.

“You were there? My apologies. I had forgotten.”

Murong Jian suddenly noticed the flawless state of the Four Kings’ robes and realized what had just transpired.

‘Bodyguard Qi…’

It seemed the Four Kings had just released a very thin layer of his protective aura for that brief moment.

So thin it only covered his clothes.

But that thin defensive barrier had effortlessly blocked his full-power surprise attack.

Gulp!

Murong Jian was forced to acknowledge once again that he was a terrifying monster.

He retreated backward as fast as he could, his face twisted in disgust.

Thud!

Deep regret filled Murong Jian’s heart.

He should never have confronted such a monster.

But as Murong Jian retreated at top speed, he realized the expressionless face of the Four Kings hadn’t moved away from him at all. His face turned ashen.

‘How?! Standing so perfectly still like that?!’

Without moving his legs, the Four Kings, who had effortlessly matched Murong Jian’s top speed, slightly raised the fist he’d been clenching since earlier.

His fist, concentrated with martial energy and blazing fiercely, loomed large in Murong Jian’s eyes.

“Hmph!”

Without even a loud battle cry, the Four Kings’ fist shot toward Murong Jian.

An ordinary-looking strike.

Yet Murong Jian had to swing his sword with all his might just to block it.

“Haahh!”

CRASH!

“Guh!”

As the Four Kings’ fist collided with Murong Sword’s blade, a deafening roar erupted, sending Murong Sword’s figure flying back like a beam of light.

“Guh-guk!”

Murong Jian gritted his teeth.

With his immense experience, he felt he would be thrown to the ground if this continued.

He absolutely could not allow himself to look that pathetic.

“Gah!”

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Moyong Geom, his feet planted firmly against the ground, was pushed back for a long moment before he could barely halt his momentum.

The ground where his feet had dragged was now deeply gouged out before his eyes, leaving a long, deep scar.

And that wasn’t all.

Murong Jian suddenly glanced at his own sword blade, only to immediately become utterly stunned.

For when he briefly released his inner energy, his blade crumbled like sand and scattered into countless fragments.

Psssss!

All this had happened from a single clash.

It was a sight that starkly revealed the difference in martial prowess between the two men.