Chapter 47: Sama the Heretic 2

Hong Rakjang.

Strictly speaking, it was a mountain lodge situated halfway up a mountain that wasn’t particularly high. However, it was so well hidden within the surrounding landscape that one would never know a fairly large lodge existed here unless they found the entrance.

After the carriage entered, the massive iron gate slammed shut again, and a vine-like mechanism operated by a mechanical device quietly descended over it.

The facilities within the compound were quite luxurious.

To the west of the entrance lay the manor grounds, while to the northeast, connected in a pin shape, was an artificial hot spring. It was designed so three people could simultaneously practice the Purple Blood Dark Art.

Behind the artificial hot springs, on a hill, lay a slaughterhouse supplying blood to the Purple Blood Pool. Whenever the intermittent sound of something being struck echoed from there, blood flowed through the waterway connecting the slaughterhouse to the pool. This signaled that slaughter was still ongoing. The blood arriving at the Purple Blood Pool sizzled as it was heated to a searing temperature.

The one who created this horrific place was a truly wicked individual known as the Blood Demon of Wangsan. After he disappeared, his disciples took over and continued using it.

A man in his mid-thirties, Chun Yu Ming, walked toward that place.

Chun Yu Ming wore the same long robe as the man captured by Bai Wuzhen. When he removed the robe, his naked body was revealed. But that wasn’t the end of it. Chun Yu Ming raised his hand to his head, carefully plucked out his long hair, and placed it outside the Blood Pool.

While practicing the Blood-Draining Rock Technique, Chun Yu Ming had lost all his hair. Whenever he captured women with long hair, he would make wigs from their hair to use. This was a side effect of the Blood Demon of Mangshan, who had taught martial arts to the two men, disappearing without imparting all his knowledge.

As the man stepped into the hot blood-letting bath, his subordinate approached and whispered quietly.

“The carriage has arrived. Two people.”

Sun Wuming replied with his eyes closed.

“Why are you reporting this? The priest should be the one to inform me.”

“It seems they’ll be bringing one more man. Only the coachman has arrived.”

Sunwoo-myeong nodded and said.

“Understood.”

At that moment, a woman trying to escape from the slaughterhouse was caught and screamed. Sunwoo-myeong, who had been keeping his eyes closed, frowned in displeasure.

“Can’t you keep it down?”

“I’m sorry.”

His subordinate apologized on her behalf and hurriedly walked up toward the slaughterhouse.

At that moment, On Seo-gyu, who had arrived at the Hongrakjang, pounded on the iron gate with his fist and shouted loudly.

Bang bang bang!

“Waaaaaah!”

His tongue was still frozen solid, unable to form words.

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

2.

Baek Moo-jin, who had tracked down and killed everyone at the entrance, including the coachman, discovered two courtesans lying bound and helpless. As Baek Moo-jin approached and swung his sword, the ropes binding the courtesans snapped. At least their bodies seemed unharmed. Baek Moo-jin looked at the two and said.

“Can you two return? There’s no one left to chase you. They’ll all be dead.”

The freed women nodded repeatedly as they pulled the gag from their mouths and untangled the rope wrapped around it. Moments later, their faces pale, they spoke.

“Thank you.”

“Go quickly.”

Baek Moo-jin sighed.

‘How pitiful.’

Sun Woo-myeong couldn’t help but widen his eyes at the noise coming from the estate entrance.

“What the hell is all this fuss about?”

Sun Woo-myeong’s eyes were far redder than On Seo-gyu’s. Before he knew it, On Seo-gyu had come running, panting heavily, waving his hands wildly and shouting something. Then he pointed fervently at his own tongue.

But since On Seo-gyu was standing with his back to the torchlight, Sun Woo-myeong couldn’t make sense of his actions.

Sun Woo-myeong stuck out his tongue.

“What are you saying?”

At that moment, Sun Woo-myeong spoke to On Seo-gyu.

“Move aside. Who is that man?”

Behind On Seo-gyu, a young man clad in white robes, sword in hand, was pacing around Hong Rakjang.

Sun Woo-myeong said in a cold tone.

“What the hell is this idiot carrying?”

Sun Woo-myeong’s men had already spotted Baek Moo-jin and were charging at him, each wielding their weapons. Meanwhile, On Seo-gyu gestured urgently to his elder brother, as if urging him to come out, and let out a scream.

Only then did Sun Woo-myeong notice the priest’s tongue looked strange and asked.

“Why is his tongue like that? Is that that bastard’s doing?”

The moment Sunwoo-myeong asked, a long scream echoed. Those who had charged at Baek Moo-jin were collapsing to the ground, blood spurting from their bodies.

Watching the scene, Sun Woo-myeong scratched his completely bald head and said.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Why are you just standing there? You go too.”

On Seo-gyu suddenly plunged his head into the scalding blood bath, dipping his tongue into the hot blood and letting out a horrifying scream.

Sun Woo-myeong grimaced as if to say, What kind of horrific spectacle is this?

“This idiot really takes the cake.”

Won Seo-gyu spat out the blood he’d taken in with a gurgling sound and shouted.

“Brother… Brother… That guy is strong. Strong. Those things won’t be enough…”

At that moment, Baek Moo-jin slashed through On Seo-gyu’s throat as he spoke. On Seo-gyu’s head sank into the blood bath, bubbling and foaming.

Baek Moo-jin appeared, glanced at Sun Woo-myeong in the blood bath, then averted his gaze toward the slaughterhouse.

Sun Woo-myeong, showing no intention of moving from the blood bath, asked with a bewildered expression.

“Who the hell are you?”

But Baek Moo-jin walked right past Sun Woo-myeong, ascending toward the slaughterhouse as he said in a flat tone,

“Running away won’t help. Wait there.”

“Run? Wait?”

Sun Woo-myeong burst out laughing.

3.

Baek Moo-jin climbed up to the slaughterhouse and gazed at the channel where blood flowed out. Climbing a little further, he saw a burly man, his entire body strangely wrapped in leather straps, shoving someone’s corpse into a barrel covered in dark red blood. The blood flowing out of that barrel seemed to mix with the hot spring water.

Baek Moo-jin stood silently for a moment, closing his eyes.

Something felt like it was bursting in his head. He needed to cool his mind, even for just a moment.

No one had ever told him such horrific atrocities could occur somewhere in this world.

The shock young Baek Moo-jin felt was beyond words.

When Baek Moo-jin opened his eyes again, the slaughterhouse giant was stomping down toward him, his footsteps thudding loudly on the floor.

“What the hell are you doing?”

The giant’s entire body was splattered with bloodstains that looked like dried mud. Baek Moo-jin, reluctant to touch him, drew his sword and immediately sprang off his left foot, launching himself like a beam of light as he slashed out with a single strike.

Thud!

The moment Baek Moo-jin plunged his sword into the giant’s belly, he channeled a surge of cold energy into it. The giant screamed and grabbed the sword’s blade with both hands.

But the sword, the giant’s hands, and even his pierced belly froze solid white.

Baek Moo-jin lifted the giant with one hand and walked away with him still impaled. The giant’s horrifying screams echoed.

As soon as Baek Moo-jin unleashed his inner energy, he thrust the hulk, impaled on the sword tip, into the barrel. The motion was so light it seemed unreal. When the hulk inside the barrel tried to leap out, screaming, Baek Moo-jin leapt up and thrust his sword down repeatedly.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Sun Woo-myeong turned his head within the blood-letting chamber and shouted at Baek Moo-jin, who was killing the giant.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Baek Moo-jin descended back into the blood bath and retorted.

“What?”

“That bastard is filthy!”

Ignoring that mad outburst, Baek Moo-jin nodded and continued scanning the area, checking for any survivors.

As Baek Moo-jin shook the blood from his sword, it spilled onto the floor. Holding his sword near the blood pool, he briefly scanned the entire scene of Hong Rakjang. He strained his senses, detecting every sound and movement around him. He intended to immediately chase down and kill anyone fleeing with the footsteps of a warrior. Fortunately, the madman inside the blood pool showed no sign of fleeing even upon seeing Baek Moo-jin.

Baek Moo-jin muttered.

“It feels like a place where an evil god has descended.”

Was that why he had been so enraged? Because he had anticipated this?

The events he had endured since descending the mountain felt trivial in comparison, yet they had left a deep mark on Baek Moo-jin’s heart. At that moment, Sun Woo-myeong, who was soaking in the blood bath, called out to Baek Moo-jin.

“Come here.”

Baek Moo-jin shot lightly into the air. His figure whirled with a whoosh, then landed with a thud on the edge of the blood-purifying bath.

Looking down at Sun Woo-myeong, Baek Moo-jin said.

“What confidence made you not even try to escape?”

At those words, Sunwoo Myeong snorted, inhaling the scent of blood rising from the blood-soaked pool. It seemed as if the scent of blood flowed from his narrowed eyes. Sunwoo Myeong shuddered once and said.

“This is paradise… How could I possibly leave this place?”

Sun Woo-myeong was not thinking clearly, like someone addicted to a deadly poison.

Baek Moo-jin asked quietly.

“Did you create this place?”

Sun Woo-myeong chuckled and shook his head. Baek Moo-jin’s question followed immediately.

“Are you the leader?”

Once again, Sun Wuming shook his head before readily revealing his master.

“Have you heard of the Wasteland Blood Demon? He is my master.”

Baek Moo-jin asked the question as if engaging in everyday conversation.

“Where can I go to meet him?”

“He’s missing.”

Soonwoo-myeong spoke with a smile on his lips, slowly lowering his arms into the blood bath as he spoke.

“Who are you?”

Just as Baek Moo-jin opened his mouth to answer, Sun Woo-myeong coiled the force around his hands submerged in the blood pool, causing the rippling blood to surge upward like a wave with a roaring sound.

This was precisely why Sun Woo-myeong had chosen to meet Baek Moo-jin here. As the crimson blood poured down upon Baek Moo-jin, he drew his White Cloud Sword through the air with a light, fluid motion.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The blood that had been about to engulf Baek Moo-jin froze solid, frozen in the very shape of the wave.

As Sun Woo-myeong, now pale as death, finally tried to rise, Baek Moo-jin dipped the tip of his sword into the blood pool first.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud

Sun Woo-myeong, in an awkward position, froze solid from the waist down along with the blood pool.

Baek Moo-jin stepped onto that blood-red ice.

Before Sun Woo-myeong could muster his energy to escape, the crimson-stained tip of Baek Moo-jin’s sword had already reached the area near Sun Woo-myeong’s Adam’s apple.

Baek Moo-jin asked.

“Is there anyone you wish to avenge?”

“What?”

“Shouldn’t someone avenge you? I’ll tell you myself. Was it the Wangsan Blood Demon?”

Only upon hearing those words did Sun Woo-myeong realize his fate.

‘Who would avenge me? Even if I told my missing master, he wouldn’t care…’

Doubt flashed in Sun Woo-myeong’s crimson eyes as Baek Moo-jin nodded twice. Sun Woo-myeong looked up at Baek Moo-jin urgently and asked.

“Who will kill me…”

“Baek Moo-jin.”

Sun Woo-myeong repeated the name once more.

“Baek Moo-jin.”

It was the last words he uttered while alive. As Baek Moo-jin swung his sword, Sun Woo-myeong’s head fell onto the blood-red ice.

Baek Moo-jin wiped the blood from his sword once more and looked at Hong Rak-jang, recalling the words of Yi Mong-yeom, the Uisa of Seonghwagung.

‘It must be purified by fire.’

When he heard it from the attendant, it hadn’t been something he could immediately agree with. But now, gazing at the scenery of Hongrakjang, he finally understood the attendant’s words to some extent.

Baek Moo-jin gazed at Hong Rakjang for a moment, where a cool breeze blew, calming his mind. Though their martial prowess differed greatly, facing this evil felt more unsettling to Baek Moo-jin than any opponent he had ever encountered. Next time, no matter what evil he faced, he needed to be prepared for his heart not to waver.