Chapter 285 Bloodline

Chapter 285: Bloodline

The moment he saw the flashing crimson light, he thrust out his sword.

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted where I had been standing, and I sensed an aura of unparalleled wickedness.

And I had seen martial arts that emitted this kind of energy before.

“Blood Wheel Qi…”

The Blood Clan’s pride, their self-cultivation technique.

The moment I recognized it, a sense of danger enveloped my entire body.

Because that Blood Wheel Qi was a divine martial art only those who had attained the position of Elder could master.

‘This is the worst.’

In my current state of depleted stamina and inner strength, he’s an extremely dangerous opponent.

What’s more, he even knew who I was.

“The head of the Jeonryong Sect! This is a big fish I’ve hooked.”

The fact he treated me like a caught fish despite knowing who I was suggested he’d cultivated considerable martial prowess.

Needing a moment to catch my breath, I feigned nonchalance and addressed him.

“So, you know this is where you die, right?”

“In that sorry state?”

“At my level, internal energy is irrelevant.”

“You’re just bluffing.”

“You’ll find out soon enough if it’s bluffing or not.”

He pulled his foot back slightly and asked.

Sizzle.

“But I wonder how that old Blood Clan Master is doing. When I saw him at Jianchang Mountain, he looked like he was about to die.”

“He’s perfectly healthy, so don’t worry. In fact, he’s even stronger than before.”

From this conversation, I caught two pieces of information.

First, the Blood Clan Leader was indeed alive and well. Second, this guy was his closest confidant.

That’s not a bad thing.

Catching this guy would yield a lot of information.

My condition is the problem.

‘This bastard.’

I didn’t have much inner energy left to take on that bastard.

Crack.

Since a ki-based fight would have been certain defeat, I loosened my grip and approached the enemy.

To start the fight at the closest possible distance.

“…Would the Blood Clan Lord grieve if you died?”

“More than saddened… he’d be annoyed. But you needn’t worry about that.”

Thwack.

As he snapped his fingers, two Blood Men leapt out from his shadow.

“I didn’t come alone.”

“…….”

Damn it, this is…

* * *

Bang!

It began with the Thirteen-Fold Strike.

Thirteen punches, each carrying a lifetime of experience, swept across the front like a storm.

But the bastards weren’t just standing there either.

The two scum moved their blood swords like snakes, aiming for my vital points.

Flash. Whoosh.

A dense blood-red energy blade appeared in the elder’s hand, spinning at high speed.

“Die.”

“Bullshit.”

If it were the Dragon’s Breath Qi, I could block it easily, but with my current mana reserves, I have no room to unleash it.

Avoiding it was the best option.

Swoosh!

The moment the wheel formed from crimson energy flew toward me, I stepped on the Zhenwangbo.

Thud!

With a single step, I dodged the attack and simultaneously grabbed the left one’s shoulder, crushing it.

Crunch.

A true monster among monsters, enduring pain beyond imagination without uttering a single scream.

What can you do?

I’ll have to kill him.

POW!

The thirteenth strike of the Thirteen-Strike Sword completely shattered the bastard’s chest.

And then.

Thud! Thud!

The swords of the dead man and another man grazed my shoulder and side respectively.

Splash.

Had I not dodged, it would have been a fatal strike piercing my dantian and heart.

It was the moment I remembered the Dragon Scale Armor I had lent to Jihwa-ran.

“Guh.”

“You bastard!”

Seeing his subordinate fall, the elder unleashed another blood wheel.

Thud.

He tilted his head back just in time to dodge, but a lock of hair was severed.

The blood-stained blade struck, exploiting the moment his posture faltered.

But, as always, there was a way out.

Squish.

Jeonju-shi.

The legendary artifact embedded itself deep into the center of the sword, shattering it into pieces.

“……!”

Heh.

“Your weapon’s gone?”

A fist packed with experience flew toward the forehead of the startled creature, its eyes wide.

Thud! Crack.

His skull burst open, sending blood and brain matter spraying everywhere.

At the same moment, a sound echoed.

Whoosh!

The blood wheel he had just dodged changed direction, aiming for his waist.

“Tsk!”

This thing was remotely controllable?

‘What kind of sword is this…?’

The completely unexpected attack sent a chill down his spine.

“Hmph!”

If I couldn’t block it, this would surely be the end of me. There was no time to conserve my energy.

Kwaaah!

He immediately unleashed the Dragon’s Breath to block the Blood Wheel Qi, but the force was too sudden and his power fell short.

‘Damn it!’

Boom!

The moment I knew I couldn’t block it, I detonated the Dragon’s Breath. It was to buy time by unleashing maximum recoil force.

Simultaneously, he drew the final trump card coiled around his waist.

Heavenly Net Spread.

When I went to rescue Myosan, it was a new recruit obtained through the legitimate route of a duel.

Though I’d delayed using it because I wasn’t yet accustomed to it, there was no other way now.

Only this, hard enough to nullify a full-power Exploding Light Barrier, could block the Blood Wheel Qi now.

And my judgment proved spot on.

Whoosh!

The unfurled Heavenly Net completely devoured the Blood Wheel Qi.

“Ha!”

The Blood Clan elder gritted his teeth and tried to control the Blood Wheel, but the Heavenly Net only tightened further, unshaken.

And then.

Psssst…….

The moment he saw the Blood Wheel Qi rapidly vanishing, he slammed his fist into the ground.

Thud!

It was to deal with the remaining elder bastard.

“Yi-eok!”

The startled man desperately swung the blood-wheel energy he’d hastily generated to dodge.

Splatter.

I drained every last bit of my remaining energy to cast the Shifting Form Technique, catching him from behind.

And then.

Whoosh!

The Heavenly Net of Destruction wrapped around his body.

“Yikes!”

I smiled at the helpless creature.

Heh.

“Don’t you feel lonely?”

“You bastard!”

As he pulled on the chain mail net, the bastard braced his legs, refusing to be dragged along.

“What?”

In response, I unleashed a whirlwind that wrapped around his legs. My aim was to knock him off balance.

And so began the struggle.

In fact, objectively speaking, my strength is far too inadequate at present.

But, as the saying goes, no matter how abundant one’s strength may be, if the core collapses, one cannot wield that power.

This holds true even for martial artists who have mastered their skills.

“Guh.”

Before long, the bastard started staggering over, and I rewarded him with a soccer kick.

Thud!

“Gah!”

Blood spurted from his crushed nose, soaking the floor.

“Ugh…”

Swaaah!

The bastard tried to deploy his defensive energy in desperation, but it was useless.

Why?

Because before that, I swung my Heavenly Net and slammed him to the ground.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Gurgle!”

After hitting the floor about twenty times, the bastard coughed up dark red blood.

Even.

“Waaah!”

Even the loneliness that should have stayed inside his body.

Kiiii.

A tiny insect that died instantly upon touching sunlight.

“……Is this how it gets defeated?”

Staring dumbfounded at this unprecedented phenomenon, the creature suddenly began to scream.

“Kreeeeek!”

Probably, the loneliness it had shared its entire life suddenly leaving caused some nerve damage.

The creature that had been screaming suddenly began to beg.

“Just… just kill me…”

Thud.

“Krrr.”

He ended the fight by piercing the enemy’s vital point, sending him flying through Jeonju City.

I would have liked to leave him like this for a day and a half, but there were simply too many pursuers.

I picked up the enemy wrapped in the Heavenly Net and left the scene.

One hour later.

“Gaga!”

“Your Highness!”

When I returned to the secret chamber, Cheonghwaran and Bukgungchang came running out. They must have been waiting, quite worried.

Honestly, I wish they’d stop calling him ‘Your Dragon Majesty’.

Jihwa-ran, who had approached unnoticed, saw the blood on my clothes and started fussing.

“Blood! Blood! Take off your clothes! I need to see the wound.”

“What are you trying to do, peek at a man’s private parts…?”

“Does that matter right now?! I need to see the wound to apply some healing salve, don’t I!”

“Just ask the Black Dragon Guards to apply it for you.”

After stopping Jik Hwa-ran from forcibly stripping him, this time Bu Gung-chang made a fuss.

He knelt on the ground and banged his head.

Thud.

“You’re putting the Dragon Body in danger…”

“Keep that up and I’ll expel you.”

“…Yes.”

“This bastard here is a Bloodline Elder, right? And one of the Bloodline Lord’s closest confidants at that. Take him away for interrogation. Ah! If he gets up, he’ll be in excruciating pain, so just tell him you’ll put him out of his misery comfortably. He’ll spill everything then.”

“John!”

Upon hearing the tale of the blood clan, Bukgung Chang nodded with eyes blazing like fire.

Leaving him behind, she entered the cave.

Zhe Huolan followed, muttering something, but it was hard to make out.

‘I want to sleep.’

I was exhausted to death.

* * *

How many hours had passed?

When I came to, my top was off and I was covered in a blanket. And then.

“Mumble mumble… Huh? You’re awake?”

Jik Hwa-ran, who was eating something.

“What, what is this?! What did you do to me?!”

“I was just beside you. The Black Dragon members applied the healing ointment too.”

“…Really?”

“Oh my gosh, I’m not that kind of person, okay?!”

What kind of person is that, anyway?

Anyway, sleeping so soundly you didn’t even notice your clothes coming off.

All that forced marching must have really worn you out.

“So, what are you eating?”

“Ah, nothing at all.”

Watching her hurriedly cover her mouth, I thought.

Just like a pig-like girl.

“Go get me some Black Dragon Liquor, will you? And if you have any Yao Xiang Dan, share some with me first.”

“Here you go.”

Hearing my request, she handed me two pills.

“These are minor injury pills and Yoxiangdan.”

She readily gives away such a precious medicine, yet refuses to share food…

She truly is a pig of a woman.

After consuming that strange pill and completing one cycle of qi cultivation, my depleted internal energy surged back up to nearly eighty percent.

“Huuu…”

The effect made me recall the adage that proper rest is crucial for a true martial artist.

As I dressed and slung the Heavenly Net Cloak over my waist, North Palace Chang entered.

“Your Highness!”

“No.”

Cut it out.

“Have you discovered anything?”

“Yes.”

Bukgung Chang, possessed by the spirit of a top-tier tutor, began his explanation.

“First off, what exactly happened here is…”

A moment later.

‘They say reality is stranger than fiction….’

Goosebumps rose all over my body, and I shivered violently.

Everything I had predicted with the enemy had come true.

Except for one thing.

“So, you’re saying we’ll use the money we get from robbing this place to build a country? And in some godforsaken place where no one knows about it?”

That was it.

Their goal wasn’t to rebuild the Blood Cult, but to establish a nation from scratch.

“Yes.”

“Where, exactly?”

“If you cross the western desert and head south, there lies a land inhabited by dark-skinned people. It’s said to be teeming with people and bandits, making it an ideal place to establish a nation.”

It was India.

‘Smarter than I expected?’

It even seemed likely to succeed.

After all, the Blood Cult was a splinter group that broke away from Hinduism.

Otherwise, how could the god they worship be Asura?

“Hmm… How many of those Bloodline kids survived to pull off something like that?”

“They said just under three hundred.”

“They’re trying to establish a nation with just that many?”

“Though the number of warriors belonging to the Blood Clan is small, including the guards, it exceeds five thousand. They are all rushing here.”

“……”

“You needn’t worry too much. Not all five thousand are warriors. The number includes children and the elderly.”

“Well, I suppose…”

If they had five thousand warriors, they wouldn’t be the Five Great Warlords of the Realm to begin with—they’d be the Six Great Warlords.

“Well done.”

“Yes.”

After sending off North Palace Chang, I turned around.

“Well then, shall we see what’s here?”

Since things have come to this, shouldn’t we see what the ancestors of the lowly Bicheonho left behind?

It might yield something useful for this battle.

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