novelraw Chapter 137 : The Blood Danjeon (2)
Chapter 137 : The Blood Danjeon (2)
- We're heading to the right.
Gu Ja-beom's telepathic message continued, and we quickly headed for the innermost part.
The unorthodox faction member we had dealt with earlier was hidden in a corner of the building and covered with a simple concealment formation.
However, a hastily made formation couldn't cover all the smell of blood. Since the maintenance time wouldn't be long either, we would eventually be caught.
‘From now on, it’s a race against time.’
In the middle of the quiet dawn, only silent footsteps continued.
- We're almost at our destination.
After sending a telepathic message to the party, I climbed over the wall.
The target was the large garden in the middle of the buildings that were scattered along the mountainous terrain.
I found the entrance on the map in the garden, which was like a small forest.
‘This is it.’
An old tree with its roots soaring upwards and spreading in all directions, and a large rock, just as Go Won-tae had said before.
I put my hand into a detailed spot in the crevice between them.
As Go Won-tae had said, there was a groove that a finger could fit into.
While pushing it with my index finger, I simultaneously looked for a small hole that a needle could fit into with my other hand.
And so, I found a small hole in the shape of the Big Dipper, and following the instructions I had received in advance, I stuck a needle in, observing the correct order.
Gugugugung-
Then, in an instant, a device was activated, and the rock was lifted up, revealing a small staircase beyond it.
- From now on, I will go alone.
I sent a telepathic message to my comrades and gripped the Daoist Scholar's Fan.
From here on, I had to enter alone.
Because from now on, it was a task that only I could do.
Moreover, since someone had to guard the only entrance, it was better for two to remain.
Ppuuuu-
Just then, a trumpet sound and a commotion arose from a distance. Gu Ja-beom's telepathic message was heard immediately.
- We can't hold out for long. If we're caught, at worst, we'll only be able to respond for about a quarter of an hour (15 minutes).
- I'll hurry as much as I can.
I nodded my head and headed for the basement.
As I went down the stairs, avoiding the various mechanisms that Go Won-tae had told me about, the laboratory that the Divine Doctor had prepared in the past finally revealed itself.
A large room in the basement. In the center of it was a mass of fluid in the shape of a red eyeball, trapped in a glass bottle.
‘That’s the Blood Danjeon.’
After decades, I was facing the Blood Danjeon, the legacy of the previous Blood Demon.
‘To think they conceived of such equipment in the medieval era.’
I looked around and let out a faint admiration.
It seemed the Divine Doctor had done various work here, as there were things like flasks, and it had the feel of a laboratory.
I removed all the maintenance devices made of various instruments and picked up the glass bottle containing the Blood Danjeon.
I could feel the Blood Danjeon, which contained the dantian of the previous Blood Demon, pulsating as if it was conscious of me.
I felt an instinctive revulsion, but I soon steeled my resolve.
‘I can do it.’
Since it was a dantian that had been dead for decades, it was definitely weakened.
Moreover, I had also become quite strong, having reached the 4th circle and the pinnacle of the peak level, and with secondary achievements such as the Hundred-Poison-Immunity.
I opened the glass bottle and gripped the Blood Danjeon.
And then I ate it in one gulp.
Thump-
As soon as it went down my throat, the Blood Danjeon melted as if to take over my heart and various blood points.
My heart was pounding, and my breathing gradually became faster.
What was most surprising was the ominous sense of omnipotence that filled my whole body. Power overflowed as if it wasn't my own body.
‘Don’t tell me, it’s this much.’
It was dangerous.
My body was being rapidly eroded. The sensation of my blood vessels and dantian being swallowed by hot blood.
Just then, I heard a mad laugh in my head.
- Kuhahahaha!! Foolish one.
It was the lingering thought of the previous Blood Demon.
The powerful lingering thought that was trying to take over the body by dominating the opponent's mind revealed its true colors.
- You should be honored to be a sacrifice for this one’s resurrection ritual!
A creepy voice that rang in my head.
To have this much power even after being dead for decades.
Originally, it should have disappeared long ago, but…
The previous Blood Demon was too strong for that. Because he was a Profound level master.
Go Won-tae, who had revealed the identity of the Blood Danjeon, hadn't told me wrong. He had just overlooked the danger.
Soon, the excited voice of the previous Blood Demon, who had thoroughly examined my body, was heard.
- To be this much at that age, you’re quite something!
Not stopping there, the Blood Demon, who was observing me as if appraising me, even let out a cry of astonished admiration.
- No, what on earth is this in your heart?! It’s full of things I’ve never seen before. To have such subtlety and understanding at that age… amazing! Kuhahaha! The heavens are helping me. I will make good use of your absurd talent!
And then my head was shaken violently. The lingering thought of the previous Blood Demon was finally trying to interfere with my soul.
“Keuk!”
With the shock, my consciousness gradually faded.
And then it became clear.
- H-how? Is this one’s mental domination being blocked?
In an instant, the flustered voice of the previous Blood Demon echoed. He must be flustered because his sorcery didn't work.
This was the reason I had confidently eaten the Blood Danjeon earlier.
Because I was immune to mental attacks due to [Extreme Will].
I had a memory of seeing it in the Blood Demon succession route, which was mentioned only once as if passing by in the strategy guide.
‘You’re not even at your peak level, and you’re trying to take over my body with a mental domination like this. You’re far from it.’
- Impossible! With just this level of realm, you shouldn’t be able to do anything to me?!
The previous Blood Demon, who still hadn't grasped the situation and was making his own misunderstanding. I said a word to him.
“Then I guess I’m not at that level.”
- Y-you insolent! …Then I will remain in your body and torment you whenever! When you train, and when you sleep, constantly! The day you become weak will be the day this one is resurrected! Kuhahaha!
The opponent, who had suddenly declared a long-term war. Since a head-on fight didn't work, he was grandly saying that he would switch to a guerrilla war.
Seeing the previous Blood Demon so happy, I also felt proud.
To respond to his expectations, I sat cross-legged and began to circulate my qi using the Heaven-Defying Heart Art.
Then, the adaptability of [Indestructible Body] and [Transcendent Growth] began to quickly absorb the Blood Danjeon that had spread throughout my body.
- What? This one is! Being swallowed in reverse?!
The result of adding two legendary talents to the absolute dominance peculiar to the Heaven-Defying Heart Art was explosive.
- Impossible! Impossible…
But the more he denied it, the fainter his voice became.
Before I knew it, I had fallen into a state of selflessness and was absorbing the immense internal energy and constitution of the Blood Danjeon.
- N-no! How did I endure in this bottle for that long!
The desperate cry of the previous Blood Demon grew more distant. It was being absorbed and disappearing along with the lingering thought in my body.
- …How resentful!! Heaven-Shattering Demon! If I had known you were… I would never have opposed you, but the heavens are heartless!
“What did you say?”
The previous Blood Demon, who had muttered something important at the last moment.
I asked back to hear it more clearly, but the Blood Demon's lingering thought had already vanished.
‘What on earth was that?’
Putting the question aside, I managed the energy in my body.
As soon as I finished the great circulation, I felt a great energy from my whole body. The feeling of my whole body being filled with innate true qi.
‘In terms of internal energy, did I achieve about two sixty-year cycles of internal energy with this?’
As expected of the previous Blood Demon. Even after decades had passed, turning into a Blood Danjeon, its class was still the same.
I let out a breath and slowly examined my body.
The sensation of my blood points and dantian having become stronger. In addition, the quality of my demonic blood had also risen.
Perhaps because I had absorbed the blood containing the essence of the previous Blood Demon, I could feel that I had grown in all areas, including internal energy and physique.
Above all, the biggest change was that the profundity of my mind had become much deeper.
I felt my clear mind and was convinced.
‘I’ve finally achieved it!’
I had stepped into the realm of the super-peak.
My whole body felt light.
‘Then shall we get going?’
I rushed towards the exit and burned the entire interior with fire magic.
It was better to destroy it than to let the unorthodox faction bastards use this facility later.
The remaining research materials had already been taken away and disposed of by Go Won-tae, and since only the equipment was left, I had no regrets.
And so, I quickly ran the way I had come.
The moment I climbed the stairs and reached the ground, I heard the sound of clashing swords from a distance.
Instead of the musty air peculiar to the basement, fresh air rushed in, and the surrounding view changed.
I had finally escaped the basement.
And what I faced was dozens of unorthodox faction martial artists surrounding us.
***
- You’re late!
- Half a shichen has passed!
As soon as I came out, Gu Ja-beom and Baek Hasin each expressed their complaints via telepathy.
I buried their demands deep in my heart and conveyed what I had to say.
- Then let’s break through.
- I’ll take the lead.
At those words, I glanced at Gu Ja-beom.
He was drenched in sweat from struggling in the middle of the enemy's main camp. He must be tired from enduring the enemies rushing in from all directions.
- No, I’ll do it. I’ve also gotten quite strong.
With the declaration, I stood at the head of the triangular formation and rushed forward.
If I had my way, I would have wanted to fly into the sky right away, but as a result of examining the surroundings with my super-senses, it wasn't good to use psychokinesis or a shield to escape yet.
Instead, I broke through a path by identifying a route with few encirclements and easy to escape.
Hwa-reuk-
Five spears of flame lightning pierced the hearts of the unorthodox faction martial artists who were rushing in.
“Keo-heok!”
As the assassins fell in an instant, urgent shouts followed from the surroundings.
“What on earth is that?!”
“It’s the Great Mage!! It’s Zhuge Cheonwu!”
“Zhuge Cheonwu?! The one who was active in the righteous war?”
One of the guys who was well-informed or had good eyesight recognized my identity.
As a reward for getting the right answer, I flew a spear of flame lightning and blew off his head.
‘I’ve been found out.’
It can't be helped. It was something I had been prepared for since before coming here.
If I could become a super-peak level master in exchange for being on bad terms with the Heretic Alliance, it was a sufficiently profitable business.
Kwaaaang!
When I swept away the guys who were trying to form a clumsy sword formation with magic in one go, a path was opened.
The guys who were flustered by the magic flying instead of a sword and were swept away. In that gap, we attempted to escape.
Although a few masters were mixed in between the buildings and counterattacked, they were just cut down by the swords of the super-masters, including me.
‘We’re almost at the outskirts of the headquarters. From there, we can shake them off with our mobility.’
And so, as we were about to break through the remaining encirclement and head for the outer wall.
With a gruesome intuition, a loud noise arose from the center of the triangular formation we were in.
When the dust cloud that had risen from the impact cleared, in the center of it was a bear-like man with an axe, facing Gu Ja-beom.
The reason I hadn't flown into the sky with psychokinesis or a shield and escaped earlier.
It was because that beast had been watching for this side's opening.
Seo Chae-gang, the Thousand-Jin-Strength Bear.
A Transformation master, one of the top masters in the Heretic Alliance, blocked our path.
“To stand by and watch while sending your subordinates forward. Aren’t you ashamed?”
“It won’t matter if there are no witnesses. You will die, and my subordinates will keep their mouths shut.”
Seo Chae-gang raised his axe and pointed at Gu Ja-beom, who had been pushed back.
“If I just kill you, the rest won’t be difficult.”
With his fishy smile, unorthodox faction martial artists with an unusual aura approached from all directions.
It seemed the real assassin troops had been kept separate.
It seemed the real crisis was from now on.
The gradually narrowing enemies. And before we were annihilated... we kicked off the ground and leaped.
Three people soaring into the air as if stepping on invisible stairs.
“What?!”
In an instant, Seo Chae-gang rushed in, but the Flame Lightning First Blade Spear that had been prepared in advance shot a ray of light and struck him down from the air.
A power that even a Transformation master could not ignore. Moreover, since the powerful qi shot by Gu Ja-beom and Baek Hasin rushed in succession, even he could not catch us.
“Chase them!”
Seo Chae-gang, who was falling to the ground, shouted urgently.
However, we were already stepping on shields and jumping higher.
We rushed high into the air, planting spears of flame lightning into the guys who were rushing from below.
Before we knew it, we had risen to an altitude of 30m.
A perfect escape.
‘This is a special operation.’
Below, only the muttering of Seo Chae-gang, who was gaping with a dumbfounded expression, echoed.
“…What is that?”
(End of Chapter)