novelraw Chapter 125 : Hun Jiangshi
Chapter 125 : Hun Jiangshi
Chapter 125: Hun Jiangshi
At the most remote place of Mount Ailao lay Deep Fog Valley.
As its name implied, it was infamous for the thick mist so dense that one could not even see ahead, as if staring into an abyss.
Because of the terrifying fog mixed with poisonous vapors, the tribal chiefs had repeatedly warned young warriors not to enter.
But recently, the Palace Lord had personally declared it a Forbidden Land.
The reason was simple.
Over the past two years, too many people had either gone missing or been found dead near Deep Fog Valley.
The warriors of the Beast Palace whispered that it was haunted by spirits, but the truth was different.
This was no place where mere ghosts or evil spirits roamed.
“So, what happened at Muramdang?”
Chilho of the Jiangshi Sect, who had been keeping watch over Sewoon at Muramdang, was reporting to the Jiangshi Sect’s Vice Leader, Um Ji-myeong.
Indeed, the reason so many casualties occurred at Deep Fog Valley was because this was the hidden base secretly occupied by the Jiangshi Sect of the Blood Cult, under the command of the Demon of Prayers.
“Yes, sir! When a sudden explosion rang out, some fools thought it was volcanic activity and ran out in panic!”
“And among them was Pa Taeyun?”
“Yes, it’s certain! I watched until the very end, but he never returned.”
At Chilho’s words, Um Ji-myeong twisted the corner of his lips as if he had expected it.
“Ke-ke-ke. Listening only to Ta Sadon after his return from the battle with the Diancang Sect, one would think some Divine General (神將) had descended from the heavens. In the end, he turned out to be nothing special.”
“Yes, just as you say, Vice Leader.”
Chilho showed a vile smile, flattering his superior.
Um Ji-myeong, enjoying the display, spoke again.
“Hm. He only saw the martial arts of the first Palace Lord on the first day, which was nothing but a waste of time. Since he didn’t even return by today, there’s no need to pay him any further attention.”
“Yes, I agree!”
“Then let us proceed to the laboratory.”
“Yes, sir.”
Guided by Chilho, they moved deeper inward.
At the very depths of Deep Fog Valley, there was a cave leading underground.
As the two descended slowly, a horrific space unfolded before them, far worse than Pa-eum Bima’s experiments with Gu Poison.
Hundreds of warriors of the Beast Palace lay scattered across stone platforms.
Their skin had turned pale blue, void of vitality, and the dreadful stench of corpses rising from them confirmed that they were all long dead.
And yet, strangely, their bodies showed no signs of decay.
Instead, streams of Demonic Qi overflowed from their corpses, replacing the essence of life.
“Excellent. The state of the Hun Jiangshi is very stable. By the time the Heavenly Martial Festival ends, all of them will be perfected.”
“Yes, it was thanks to you securing the Beast Blood from the Palace Lord.”
Beast Blood. Among the Beast Palace, it was the most sacred relic, symbolizing the Beast Palace Lord himself.
Legend said the first Palace Lord, Chuk Yeoun, slew the great monster known as Taotie, one of the Four Fiends (四凶), and sealed its blood inside a flask.
For generations, each Palace Lord of the Beast Palace had taken a sip of that blood, inheriting the strength contained within.
But the Blood Cult had discovered another hidden use for the Beast Blood.
When consumed by humans, it awakened the martial potential of warriors.
“Who would have thought that when used on corpses, it would become the greatest ingredient in creating Hun Jiangshi.”
Thus, they schemed desperately to obtain it. But even when addicted with Gu Poison, the Beast Palace Lord, Umun Geol, had stubbornly refused to yield.
The one who finally broke him was none other than Um Ji-myeong.
“Ke-ke-ke. Remarkable, isn’t it? To think he hid the fact that he cherished his younger brother so deeply, right up until the end.”
Umun Geol’s younger brother, Umun Tak, was known as the disgrace of the Beast Palace.
He had been born frail, with weak bones, incapable of learning martial arts.
Outwardly, Umun Geol treated him the same as everyone else—belittling and ignoring him.
But in truth, it was all an act.
If he openly showed favoritism, the warriors of the palace would have turned against his brother all the more, so he secretly cared for him behind the scenes.
Unfortunately, Um Ji-myeong discovered the truth.
That very day, he used the Male and Female Gu Poison (雌雄蠱毒) from Pa-eum Bima on Umun Tak.
In the end, Umun Geol handed over the Beast Blood to the Blood Cult.
“Still, it’s a pity. If only we had obtained the Wildfire, we could have advanced these Hun Jiangshi to a higher level.”
“Umun Geol claimed he truly knew nothing of it, so what could we do? But it matters little. The cult has already half-abandoned the pursuit of Wildfire. The higher-ups are more than satisfied with the Beast Blood alone.”
“Ah, I see. I had no idea. As expected, Um Ji-myeong, you have earned the full trust of the higher-ups.”
“He-heh. One could say so.”
Um Ji-myeong’s eyes gleamed as he touched the Hun Jiangshi.
“To embed a master’s soul into a Jiangshi… Such genius, I’d never have believed it came from that wretch.”
Ordinarily, a Jiangshi could only be controlled if its necromancer was nearby.
Thus, the best method to deal with Jiangshi had always been to kill the necromancer controlling them.
But the Hun Jiangshi, devised by the Demon of Prayers, had no such flaw.
By embedding a fragment of the master’s soul into the Jiangshi, it could be controlled freely, even if the necromancer was as far away as a fortress city.
At that moment, Um Ji-myeong turned to Chilho with eyes burning with ambition.
“When these Jiangshi all awaken, I shall reveal to the Blood Demon that it was not the Demon of Prayers, but I, who played the greatest role in creating the ultimate Jiangshi!”
“……I see.”
“He-heh. Then that fool of a Demon of Prayers, wasting time in this place, will be expelled from his seat as Sect Leader of the Jiangshi Sect. And who do you think will take that seat then?”
“……”
Hmm?
It was then that Um Ji-myeong sensed something amiss.
The reply of Chilho, who had been flattering him until now, did not come.
Moreover, all the subordinates of the Jiangshi Sect, who had been busily working nearby, had stopped and were staring directly at him.
“Ho-hoh. So, you were indeed plotting treason.”
“…?!”
A grotesque laugh rang out, sending shivers down Um Ji-myeong’s spine.
Fear surged within him, freezing his body like a mouse before a snake.
Crack!
Crunch!
With hideous sounds, Chilho’s face crumpled like clay, reshaping itself.
From within, only a lizard-like long tongue flickered out.
“Go on, tell me more. What do you plan to do to the Blood Demon?”
It was the Demon of Prayers, using the Thousand Fiends Bone-Shrinking Technique, a martial art that allowed him to mimic any face or body without even a Human-Skin Mask.
“J-Jiangshi Sect Leader! No, it’s not what you think. I-I meant nothing of the sort—”
“Shhh. It’s fine.”
“—Guk!”
Slaaash!
Contrary to his reassuring words, the Demon of Prayers’ arm stretched like rubber, seizing Um Ji-myeong by the throat.
“Grk…! Grugh! Ghhk!”
Um Ji-myeong writhed in agony, unable to breathe.
That sight filled the Demon of Prayers with eyes brimming with madness, as he reveled in sheer delight.
“Death solves everything.”
With just those words—
Crack!
Um Ji-myeong’s neck snapped.
Without a shred of hesitation, the Demon of Prayers killed his subordinate and slowly stepped forward.
He lifted Um Ji-myeong’s corpse, still frozen in an expression of shock, and placed it upon the stone platform.
It was to be a new material for a Hun Jiangshi.
Those who died to the Demon of Prayers could not rest in peace, even in death.
“Ho-hoh, I look forward to the Heavenly Martial Festival.”
Crunch!
Crack!
The Demon of Prayers’ face once again crumpled into a new form.
At that same time—
“W-what did you just say?”
Umun Tak looked at Sewoon with a shocked expression.
They had gone together to the Wild Medicine Hall and were sharing a cup of tea, when Sewoon spoke something completely unimaginable.
“Perhaps you misheard. I said I know that both the Palace Lord and the Hall Leader of the Wild Medicine Hall are afflicted with Gu Poison.”
“……!!”
Umun Tak’s jaw dropped wide in shock.
…How could this man possibly know?
But he quickly covered his mouth with both hands and stammered.
“G-Gu Poison? What is that? I-I don’t… No, the Palace Lord doesn’t have such a thing either!”
Umun Tak denied it with all his strength.
For if the truth of the Gu Poison were to be spoken aloud—
there was no telling what horrors those demons would inflict upon his elder brother.
Yet Sewoon calmly watched his reaction and quietly replied.
“There’s no need to hide it from me.”
“……!!”
“I came here to save both of you.”
…Could it be true?
Could this man really be trusted?
Or was he perhaps a spy sent by them?
Sewoon could almost see the turmoil raging inside Umun Tak.
‘Of course he would feel that way.’
Because of him, his elder brother Umun Geol, the Beast Palace Lord, had become nothing more than a puppet of the Blood Cult.
For a warrior of the Beast Palace, whose entire life was to be lived with honor, there could be no greater humiliation and disgrace.
“H-hngh.”
In the end, Umun Tak could no longer hold back his tears.
Sewoon regarded him with a solemn expression.
Though Umun Tak before his eyes seemed foolish and timid, he was by no means contemptible.
In the past life, Umun Tak could not endure seeing Umun Geol disgraced because of him, and ultimately took his own life, giving his brother freedom.
Because of that sacrifice, the truth was revealed to all the warriors of the Beast Palace, and they united with Umun Geol in a desperate war against the Blood Cult.
That was until the betrayal of Meng Yung brought about a tragic end.
At that moment, Umun Tak grasped Sewoon’s wrist tightly and pleaded desperately.
“P-please… please save my elder brother.”
“Of course, Hall Leader. Let’s start by removing the Male and Female Gu Poison.”
At Sewoon’s words, Umun Tak nodded.
Sewoon guided him into a cross-legged position, then sat behind him, placing both hands upon his back.
“There’s no time. I’ll begin right away.”
“…Ugh!”
Shaaah!
Without any preparation, Sewoon immediately channeled Reverse Heaven Qi into Umun Tak’s body.
Feeling the ferocious aura for the first time, Umun Tak trembled in terror.
But the process was over in an instant.
Reverse Heaven Qi was the ruler of all twisted forces.
‘Come out.’
As Sewoon’s will imbued the Reverse Heaven Qi—
Pshhhk!
A Male and Female Gu Poison, no larger than a fingernail, burst out from Umun Tak’s thigh.
Ordinarily, it would have lodged in the heart, but Sewoon had deliberately guided it to a less fatal location before expelling it.
Screee!
Hisss!
The Gu, thrashing as if to find a new host, froze in terror before Sewoon’s Reverse Heaven Qi, falling into submission instantly.
Sewoon seized the subdued Gu and stored it away.
Then, after retrieving all traces of Reverse Heaven Qi, he used Golden Bridle Qi to heal the wound left behind.
Soon, Umun Tak slowly opened his eyes and blinked in disbelief.
“I… I really had Gu Poison inside me…!”
“I told you already. I came here to help both of you.”
“Pa Taeyun… w-who exactly are you?”
“That isn’t important right now.”
“W-what?”
“Hall Leader.”
“Y-yes?”
“You wish to help the Palace Lord, don’t you?”
“…!!”
“And you want to strike back at the ones who dared to poison you like this, don’t you?”
“!!”
Umun Tak’s eyes trembled violently, as if struck by an earthquake.
But only for a moment.
“Yes. I want to help my elder brother.”
This time, his voice did not falter.
Umun Tak spoke with firm resolve.
“Good. Then simply do as I say.”
Sewoon began explaining his plan.
There was something only Umun Tak could do.
For in truth, Umun Tak harbored an incredible secret.
In the previous life, what the Blood Cult most regretted losing was not only Mokhyeol.
‘Now that I have Mokhyeol, I see it clearly.’
In that moment, Sewoon could see inside Umun Tak with perfect clarity.
Fwoosh!
Golden flames blazed within his body.
‘Wildfire!’
The very Wildfire that Sewoon had come to the Beast Palace seeking—
was hidden inside Umun Tak himself.
A glimmer of excitement lit Sewoon’s eyes.
That flame would soon be the fire to burn the Blood Cult down.