Chapter 136 Star of the Grasslands (4)
With a surprised expression, Thousand Households Commander Ma staggered. To catch his breath, he tried to step back slightly, but Jaun's sword was already touching his body.
─ SLASH
Once again, blood gushed from his thigh, and,
─ TING
Subsequently, half of the spearhead was cut off.
The sword of Jaun, charging with a fierce montum, continued to inflict wounds on Commander Ma's body. As ti passed, the speed at which wounds appeared on Commander Ma's body increased.
With a hardened face, Commander Ma extended his spear toward the martial artist standing right next to him.
"Keuk!"
A mber of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, struck by the spear that ca from a completely unexpected path, coughed up blood and knelt. At the sa ti, the blood that gushed from the martial artist turned into smoke and began to heal Commander Ma's body.
A martial artist who had learned the Wuji Red Blood Art could utilize soone's blood in this way as long as it was nearby.
Therefore, even if they lacked absolute power compared to their opponent, they could eventually find a favorable flow for themselves in the long run.
This was the reason why Prince Yeomseong and his group had chosen the Red Blood Art as their thod to confront the Emperor.
'They will surely sprinkle blood on the battlefield through a large-scale ambush, and then use that blood to maximize the effectiveness of the Red Blood Art.'
The strategy the Blood Demon had chosen when confronting Wi Jeong-cheon to swallow the Demonic Cult was just that, so the strategy Prince Yeomseong would use to swallow the Imperial Court would be no different.
'Blood Demon. Do you think you brought down the Divine Cult using this martial art?'
Jaun clenched his fist tightly.
'Not a chance. I will soon go and prove that that was not the truth.'
As Jaun exchanged spear blows with Commander Ma, a conversation he had with Wi Jeong-cheon in the past flowed through his mind.
***
"Did you say defeat? Heh heh."
Wi Jeong-cheon raised his wine cup and wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.
"It is rely his delusion. I was the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was . No matter how much he may have mastered sothing like the Wuji Red Blood Art, how could he possibly surpass , the Supre Ruler of Ten Thousand Demons?"
Wi Jeong-cheon looked up at the stars scattered across the dark night sky.
"The day those I once thought of as family and comrades drew their swords at my back. The reason I did not destroy the entire Divine Cult was because I pitied them, and the reason I left the Divine Cult was because I had no lingering attachnts left there."
With a bitter expression, Wi Jeong-cheon brought the wine cup to his lips again.
"I, who was the Supre Ruler of Ten Thousand Demons, left nothing behind there, so how could they carry on the lineage of the Divine Art? They were simply abandoned in the place where the Divine Cult had been."
With a clink, Wi Jeong-cheon's cup was placed on the small table. With deep eyes of unfathomable depth, Wi Jeong-cheon looked at Jaun.
"It was due to my own shortcomings that I had no choice but to abandon them in the end. I saw the pinnacle of martial arts from a distance, but in the end, I could not take that final step. The Great Completion of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. That wall was not a realm permitted to ."
Wi Jeong-cheon lowered his head and looked at his own wine cup.
"My choice, after accepting the fact that I could never overco that wall, was not the hollow Divine Cult, but you. I thought that you would be able to see the end of this martial art, and as long as the Divine Art remained whole, a place like the Ten Thousand Great Mountains was of no importance."
Wi Jeong-cheon's thick hand slowly reached out and covered Jaun's hand.
"Now, the Divine Art has been fully planted in you. You are the proof of the Divine Cult. You are the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and the na 'the demon that fills the sky' has co to refer to you. Continue to strive until the end, achieve the Great Completion of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, and re-establish the will of the Divine Cult in this land."
Wi Jeong-cheon's hand once again gripped Jaun's hand firmly.
***
'Father.'
─ SWOOSH!
Jaun's sword, having broken free from his reminiscence, deeply cut across Commander Ma's chest.
'Your son will set everything right.'
Jaun's sword pierced through Ma Cheon-ho's waist, and,
'I will fill the sky with the complete demon and prove to everyone that the lineage of the Divine Cult still continues.'
Jaun's sword, on which a deep darkness had settled, finally grazed Commander Ma's neck.
─ SPLAT
The gushing blood splattered Jaun's body, and its energy was absorbed into Jaun's sword.
"Haaaaaap!"
The demonic energy around Jaun was dyed black. Then, it was as if the ground was trembling.
The tribespeople looked at Jaun with faces full of surprise, and the martial artists of the Embroidered Uniform Guard trembled with horrified expressions.
Jaun's body perford a splendid sword dance.
Each ti the sword cut through the air, a massive force spread out in all directions, and soon, a darkness that seed to suck everything into Jaun's sword descended.
Jaun's endless dance montarily stopped.
Then, the jet-black demonic energy that had been filling the area around Jaun gathered at the tip of his sword.
The mont the sword turned red-hot and began to tremble, Jaun's stopped arm drew a large arc.
[Heavenly Killing Demon Sword, Eighth Form. Dark Fragrance Extinction Cut]
A flashing glint erupted from within the jet-black demonic energy.
─ SWOOOOOSH
The sword energy that extended from Jaun's sword cut straight through the bodies of the Embroidered Uniform Guard mbers, including Commander Ma.
***
Night on the great grasslands.
In front of a crackling bonfire, Jaun looked at the naked corpse of Thousand Households Commander Ma lying on the ground.
'Is it the flow of Jeonjeong, Sangseong, Baekhoe, Danjung, Geogwol, Sangwan, Singwol, Gihae, and Hoe-eum?'
Jaun, who had been examining the traces of energy remaining on Commander Ma's corpse, then examined his face and body.
'The distance between the eyes is three chi, the arms are abnormally long, and he has thick legs.'
So-hyang slowly approached Jaun, who was ticulously examining Commander Ma's bone structure.
"Great Hero."
As Jaun turned his head, So-hyang greeted him with an elegant gesture and sat down next to him.
"You have achieved everything you desired, haven't you?"
"Since we have annihilated all of this subjugation squad, I have achieved my primary goal. I also seem to have obtained a good material."
Jaun nudged Commander Ma's corpse with the tip of his foot.
"Chun-wol sends her deep gratitude."
At So-hyang's words, Jaun turned his head and looked at Chun-wol, who was mingling with the tribespeople.
When Chun-wol felt Jaun's gaze, she stood up from her seat and bowed her waist politely.
"We just happened to want the sa thing."
"Still, you must have had quite a bit of difficulty annihilating the last group, yet you did your best until the end. How can we repay this kindness?"
Jaun chuckled and looked up at the sky.
"It seems you are not speaking as a mber of the Hao Gate?"
"Yes, right now I stand here as a friend of the child nad Chun-wol."
Jaun, who was looking at So-hyang, whose eyes were shining with genuine gratitude, turned his eyes back to the bonfire.
"I am glad that the result was satisfactory for Miss Chun-wol as well. Since things have been wrapped up to so extent, I was thinking of returning to the Central Plains tomorrow."
So-hyang looked at Jaun with troubled eyes for a mont and then scratched her head.
"...The tribespeople are adamant that they must host and entertain the Great Hero sohow."
"I don't have ti. It's right to go back before the Imperial Court finds out what happened here."
"Then, how about spending so ti with the tribe's warriors tonight at least..."
"I would like to do that too, but... I can't help it. There's sothing I must do."
Jaun looked at the fallen corpse of Commander Ma again.
"How could I possibly fathom the Great Hero's deep intentions? I will not say any more and will follow you."
So-hyang bowed deeply and took out a pouch of wine she had brought from her bosom.
"However... the warriors who were with you hold deep gratitude toward you, Young Hero Jaun. This wine is a token of that, so please have a sip of it here."
Jaun, who was looking at the pouch filled with strongly aged mare's milk wine, smiled and accepted the pouch.
No-seok, who was watching Jaun from afar, saw the scene and stood up. Then, he walked with steady steps toward where Jaun was and looked down at him.
When Jaun turned his head and t No-seok's eyes, No-seok slowly knelt on one knee and bowed his head deeply.
"On behalf of the Root Tribe and the Rock Tribe, I offer my thanks to the one who commands the darkness and the wind."
"You don't have to do this."
"I cannot do that. You are like a savior of our lives."
No-seok pulled off the bone necklace around his neck, placed the necklace on both hands, and extended it to Jaun.
"I understand that you have urgent matters. However, whenever you can, I implore you to visit here again. I swear to the stars of the grasslands that we will properly express our gratitude with everything the tribe has."
Jaun, who had been lost in thought for a mont, accepted the bone necklace and offered the horn bow he had tied to his waist to No-seok.
"Then I will visit when ti permits. This horn bow..."
"Please keep that as well. You can bring it to us when you co to us next ti."
"I cannot do that. This has an important aning..."
"That is why we are entrusting it to soone we respect. Otherwise, we do not know when you will visit again."
No-seok grinned and took out a wine pouch from his bosom.
"It was an honor to be with you. May the desires of the ruler of darkness and wind ultimately be fulfilled."
No-seok raised the pouch once and held it forward, and Jaun also held his own wine pouch forward.
"May the path I walk from now on be the sa as the will of the grasslands until the end."
No-seok, who had expressed his gratitude with a deep bow, raised the pouch and poured the mare's milk wine into his mouth. Jaun also raised the pouch, took a sip of the mare's milk wine, t No-seok's eyes, and nodded.
"It was a good mory and a good experience. Thanks to it, I was able to learn how to handle the energy of nature."
"That was rely us awakening a ability that our benefactor already possessed. Please do not forget and visit us again. Next ti, please share the secrets of nature with us as well."
No-seok smiled brightly, bowed his waist deeply again, and turned around.
Jaun, who was watching the departing No-seok, shrugged his shoulders once, then turned his gaze to Commander Ma's corpse and began to concentrate.
***
"Ooh, my head."
On the swaying horse, the bearded man pounded his throbbing head.
"Why did you drink so much of a wine that doesn't even agree with you?"
"As a man to a man, how can one refuse the offered wine?"
The bearded man answered with difficulty, dry heaving as if his stomach was churning.
"Still, it was helpful coming here, wasn't it?"
"You don't have to say it. I learned many things that I could never have known if I had been cooped up in the mountains alone. The path to the end of martial arts was not just one."
The bearded man tapped the hand axe tied to his waist.
"When I return to the mountain, I'll have a lot more to report. Perhaps I've even found a way for the real Green Forest to co down from the mountains."
The bearded man's serious eyes looked at Jaun.
"So, did you have a good, intimate ti with that corpse last night?"
"Yes. I have engraved all the traces of the man nad Thousand Households Commander Ma in my mind. The minute features remaining in his muscles and skeleton. The traces of his energy. I was also able to roughly guess what kind of expressions and actions he had made."
"Tsk. Anyway, when I'm with you, Little Brother, I feel so small. I can't even imagine how you ca up with such an unimaginable thod."
"I thought anyone with blood qi would be fine, but I never thought I would encounter such good material here. Thanks to that, things should get a little easier."
"Then, is it ti for us to part ways?"
"Yes. Please tell Miss Pan and Wol-i well. Those two will find a way to reach the Emperor in their own way, and I will try to approach the Emperor in my own way as well."
"...Be careful. I keenly felt it through this incident. The only person in this Central Plains who can stand against the Demonic Cult is you."
"Don't worry. You be careful too, Brother. Please take good care of Miss Pan and Wol-i."
"I understand. I'll sohow manage things on that side with the two young ladies, so you just focus on what you have to do."
The bearded man sent a smile, then slowly stopped his horse and handed Jaun a rolled-up bundle of cloth.
When Jaun unwrapped the bundle of cloth that the bearded man had handed him, the blood-stained and torn clothes of Thousand Households Commander Ma were revealed.
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