Quick

 Chapter 365 - Be the Flame, Hu Bong Hweeeng! Ran-yeong was still engulfed in flames as she bowed her head. Chun Yeowun couldn’t understand the reason behind her sudden change in behaviour. A person considered to be the hidden power of the Imperial palace and the guardian of the treasure in the Royal Shrine, had suddenly revealed herself to be a member of the Demonic Cult. “… what the hell is this?” At Chun Yeowun’s words, she lifted her head and said : “Before that, aren’t there more urgent matters at hand?” Her eyes, which were burning in flames, looked over at Hu Bong, who was lying motionlessly on the floor. Yeowun sensed no hostility from her, but he couldn’t guess what she was planning. ‘What do I do?’ The right move would be to defeat her. However, checking on Hu Bong’s condition came before that. “Do a good job to get accepted.” “Please put your doubts aside.” As she felt the doubt in his words, she gathered the flames on her body. As the flames left her body, her naked body, covered in red scales was revealed. With no clothes covering her body, the only thing visible were the red scales that covered her body. Phat! She slowly gathered the alien energy emanating from her body, whilst Chun Yeowun quickly moved to Hu Bong’s side. “Hu Bong!” He gently turned Hu Bong’s body towards him. Hu Bong’s face was covered in the blood that flowed from his neck. Blood was gushing from his mouth, as his entire body convulsed. Like a person on the verge of death, his eyes were losing focus and his body was slowly growing cold. “No. Hu Bong.” “I… I… ugh…” Hu Bong wanted to speak with Chun Yeowun who was right in front of him, but with his neck being cut, he simply couldn’t. Placing his hand on the bloody throat, Chun Yeoun shouted. “Don’t speak!” “Haha…” His mouth was moving, and Chun Yeowun could understand what he wanted to say. ‘My… my… Lo… rd…’ Even though he was at death’s door, he was still calling for his Lord. He was Chun Yeowun’s first subordinate, and a man with whom Chun Yeowun had shared his difficulties and hardships. There was no way he could let that man die so vainly. “I can’t let this happen! I am never going to let you die!” Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! After pressing on the blood points to make sure that the bleeding stopped, he gathered internal energy onto his hand. His intention was to close the wound on Hu Bong’s throat by cauterizing it with heat. “Hold on!” Cheeeeeik! “Kuuuuuak!” As he touched his throat, Hu Bong released a stifled scream that was filled with pain. Although he had managed to heal the slashed skin, the dagger had gone too deep. Chun Yeowun asked Nano. ‘Nano. What is his condition…’ He was going to ask for Nano to scan, when someone appeared beside him. It was Ran-yeong. As she approached them with intense energy radiating from her body, Chun Yeowun warned her with a face filled with anger. “Don’t you dare come closer!” He was so enraged that he looked like he would cut her down if she took another step closer. Realizing that she would be pushing her luck, she hurriedly dropped onto one knee and spoke. “I know that you can’t suddenly get yourself to believe me. However, since a member of the Cult is in danger, can you please try to trust me?” Chun Yeowun was racking his brains as he looked at her. Even if Nano checked his condition right away, there was no guarantee that Hu Bong’s urgent situation could be treated. Chun Yeowun asked her. “What do you plan on doing?” “I will need help from my Lord.” “My help?” “We need to hurry, I’ll explain later.” Ran-yeong moved closer and hugged Hu Bong, who was clearly dying. If Hu Bong was in his normal condition, he would have gotten flustered at the feeling of a woman’s touch, but with him being almost dead, he showed no reaction at all. With his breath weakening, it seemed like he would stop breathing any moment. Phat! Holding Hu Bong, she headed towards the pond where a huge flame was burning. As she approached the boiling pond, the scorching heat could be seen visibly surrounding her. Hu Bong, who was on the verge of death, couldn’t even feel the scorching heat. Tak! Ran-yeong laid him down about eight steps away from the pond. “Please wait a moment.” She immediately ran to the pond, and without any hesitation, dipped her hands into it to gather the hot water. Maybe thanks to her fire resistance, the water didn’t burn her in the slightest. After gathering the water, she rushed over to where Hu Bong was. Chun Yeowun, who curiously watched all that, asked. “What is that?” “Diluted Qilin’s blood.” “Qilin’s Blood? That is the Blood of a Qilin?” He thought that it was simply a pond of boiling water. However, the entire pond was full of Blood of Qilin. How huge had the Qilin been that its blood could fill the entire pond? ‘Transparent?’ Normally, blood would be red, but the steaming liquid in the pond was transparent. “This Qilin Blood is too dangerous to be touched. The First Emperor of the Empire used 10,000-year-old snow from the North to cool it down, and this is what it turned into.” If the pond had Qilin’s Blood, which was diluted in 10,000-year-old-snow, then what was the huge flame in the middle of the pond? He was in doubt, but the priority now was saving Hu Bong. “What are you going to do with this?” “I noticed that Lord used extremely cold energy a while ago. I’d like you to use your cold energy on the Qilin’s Blood?” This is what she’d meant by needing his help. It was to cool the diluted Qilin’s Blood. “Even if the Qilin’s Blood is diluted, it’s still very effective at regenerating physical damage. However, the heat is too strong even after so much dilution, it would be difficult for any man to withstand this.” It was a side effect of the Qilin’s Blood. ‘If a man with strong yang energy consumed it, he wouldn’t be able to withstand the heat and would instead end up getting injured. As a result, only the court ladies had scales and flames.’ Chun Yeowun, who realized this, asked her in an angry voice. “Then, isn’t it dangerous for him?” “It is, but only when taken in huge quantities, and if cooled, such a small amount can be safely consumed.” Based on what she’d said, he realized that she hadn’t tried it before. Although he didn’t fully believe her, there was nothing else that Chun Yeowun could do. The water had to be cooled as shed requested. Tssshhh! Chun Yeowun extended his hand, whilst white frost slowly began forming on his hand. The cold energy was slowly spreading into the diluted Qilin’s Blood. As the steam rose, the blood gradually cooled little by little. ‘Ah! It’s cooling down.’ Ran-yeong’s eyes sparkled. She was worried about the consequences of the plan failing. Thankfully, the blood cooled successfully. The water that had been boiling until a moment ago, had grown lukewarm. “I’ll put it in my mouth.” Chun Yeowun silently nodded, and she immediately put the Qilin’s Blood into her mouth. ‘Huh?’ She then covered Hu Bong’s lips with her own as she transferred the Blood into his mouth and down his throat. With him being unconscious, Hu Bong couldn’t swallow on his own, leaving her with no choice but to deliver the blood directly through mouth to mouth. What if he woke in the middle of the process? His first kiss had ended up being with a woman whose body and face were covered in red scales. Gulp! Gulp! The Qilin’s Blood rushed into Hu Bong’s throat, and then gradually disappeared into his body. All they could do now was hope that the blood would have the desired regenerative effect. They didn’t have to wait long to know if it had worked. “Ah…” Chun Yeowun gasped. Hu Bong’s pale face, and his shallow breath had begun returning to normal. His body temperature began to rise as well. “Haaa… haaa… haaa” Even his breathing grew deeper and more stable. Looking down at his neck, the skin, which had been burnt by Chun Yeowun’s Qi, gradually started changing little by little. The effects were happening a lot quicker than they’d expected. ‘If this is how effective the diluted blood is, then how great would the real blood be?’ His gaze turned towards Ran-yeong, who was covered in scales. At that moment, Yeowun began wondering if she had consumed the real Qilin’s Blood. Ran-yeong suddenly called for Chun Yeowun’s attention. “Lord. Please step away from him for a moment.” “?” “The flames in his body will grow stronger now, I need to control it so that it doesn’t fade away.” The woman was well aware of the changes that the diluted Qilin’s Blood caused, and its effects, probably because she had witnessed it, when the court ladies had consumed it. That was clear when she asked Chun Yeowun for help to cool down the blood. He himself confirmed that Hu Bong was recovering, so he nodded his head and did as she requested. The doubt in his mind had slowly begun to subside. Tak! Ren-Yeong then made Hu Bong, who was recovering very quickly, sit cross legged with his hands behind his back. That was when something passed through Chun Yeowun’s mind. ‘The Qilin’s Blood can regenerate a damaged body?’ His eyes hastily turned towards the pond. The place he was looking at was the spot where the arms of Blood Master had been cut down, and her body had sunk into the pond. ‘Am I just worrying without a reason?’ Chun Yeowun’s eyes narrowed. No matter how strong the regenerative effect was, would the Qilin’s Blood be able to bring someone back from the dead? He was in a lot of doubt, but decided not to waste his time thinking about it. At the bottom of the pond… The body of Blood Master, whose arms had been cut off, lifelessly sank to the bottom. With the water so hot, her skin should have been burnt, but her body was completely fine except for her face that was full of red blisters. Bubble! Bubble! In a lifeless corpse that showed no signs of movement, a strange and sudden change began to occur. The wounds from the Air Sword began healing at a rapid pace. Red scales then also began forming on and surrounding the wounds. Sususususu! The change was happening very quickly. A short while, she slowly opened her eyes. She was in deep shock. ‘Didn’t I die?’ She had definitely suffered fatal injuries that she wouldn’t be able to recover from, and had been pushed into the pond by the Lord of the Demonic Cult. How was she alive!? ‘This is?’ She was curious about her current location. She was confident that she was in hot water, however she didn’t seem to need to breathe in it. Unexpectedly, the hot water was actually very comfortable to her, and she couldn’t feel any damage from the heat at all. ‘Ahhh! I found it! This is Qilin’s’ Blood!. Blood Master was absolutely convinced that she had found Qilin’s Blood. She had been blaming herself for dying so absurdly, but she was surprisingly still alive. She touched her face repetitively to make sure it was all real. ‘My inner energy seems to have improved.’ It wasn’t on a tremendous level, but it was higher and purer than before. Moreover, she also had fire like the woman Ran-yeong, the guardian of the place. But the most insanely shocking thing was. ‘My left arm?’ Her left arm, which had been severed, had unbelievably started to regenerate. Red scales had begun appearing all along her arm. She had by some miracle sunk to the same location as her arm, and the regeneration ability of the Qilin’s Blood had pulled it over and began restoring it. ‘If I try to approach the right arm, it might be possible to regenerate it as well.’ It was nothing but a hunch. As her left arm recovered, she swam to the surface in great anticipation. She wasn’t sure how long she had been inside, but a long time must have passed for the Blood to miraculously heal her fatal wounds. ‘Chun Yeowun! You thought that you killed me. But I survived. Huh! If I meet You again, I swear I’ll make you pay!’ Phut! As she reached the top, a big surprise greeted her. Dum! Dum! Dum! ‘Ah?’ Blood Master’s eyes widened seeing what was unfolding in front of her eyes.. Her eyes lost focus as she looked at 12 Air Swords floating in the air, pointing towards her, ready to end her life at any time. ‘Th-This can’t…this can’t be…’ That was when someone’s voice entered her ears. “My intuition did not disappoint me, so you are still alive.” “!?” There was no way her ears could ever forget that nightmarish voice. Chun Yeowun. Her face distorted as she turned to look in the direction of the voice. “I’ll make sure you die for eternity this time.” And the death penalty heartlessly fell. The 12 Air Swords slashed down at her all at once, as if they were waiting for that very moment. Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!! Slash!!! Chapter 366 - Be the Flame, Hu Bong Chapter 366 - Be the Flame, Hu Bong ‘Im-Impossible!’ She went pale as she realized that the regeneration process she’d just gone through had been useless . ‘Ch-Chun…Chun Yeowun! Shit!’ During the first battle, Blood Master hadn’t been able to escape the attacks of six Force Qi Air Swords attacking her simultaneously. She’d struggled until her last breath, but had easily gotten her arms torn off. And now, in such a defenceless state, she had to face twelve of those overpowered weapons, not to mention that she was missing one arm. Puhk! Puhk! Puhk! “Ughhhhhh!” Her entire body was slashed and stabbed in the most merciless way possible. Her injuries should be fatal as the number of swords had doubled. However, she frowned. ‘Why doesn’t it hurt?’ She was sure that her entire body had been stabbed by Air Swords, but strangely enough, she didn’t feel any kind of pain. However, because of the attacks, her flesh had been mutilated and her body had been paralyzed. ‘I, I need to re-enter the pond!’ Her instincts told her that heading back into the pond was the only way to survive. She struggled to move her numb legs, but in vain. “Didn’t you hear me? I said I’ll make sure you die!” Chun Yeowun extended his left hand and moved his hands as if pulling on something. Her body that had been pierced by multiple Air Swords, got pulled away from the pond’s outskirts. ‘Wh-what the…..?’ She tried her best to resist, but it was a futile effort. Although her internal energy had risen thanks to the Qilin’s Blood, Yeowun, who had reached the Perfect Supreme Master level, was vastly stronger of her. Puhk! She got pulled forward and was made to forcibly kneel in front of Chun Yeowun. The expression of Blood Master, one of the Blade God Six Martial clan leaders, was one of pure despair. Her eyes had fallen to the ground. ‘What is this ugly energy?’ Even before she had fallen into the pond, she had felt that energy, but she hadn’t considered seriously. However, now that she was so close to Chun Yeowun, the energy she felt made her feel like she was walking down the path of death. The energy seemed like a black haze. Both Blood Master’s instincts and the Qilin’s Blood had been warning her intensely. [We can’t deal with this. This is a superior predator. Run away!] ‘Fuck! I, a leader of the clan, knows that pretty well.’ Even if she wanted to run away, she wouldn’t be able to move with all the swords piercing her body. Blood Master had thought that she had become invincible after consuming the Qilin’s Blood. How would she react if she knew what she’d consumed was actually the diluted Qilin’s Blood? “Ch-Chun… Yeo… wun!!!” She couldn’t do anything but stare at him. His indifferent gaze told her that she was nothing more than an ant in his eyes, causing her to feel even more irritated. Seeing her enraged glare, Chun Yeowun spoke in a calm and sarcastic voice. “Let us behead you.” Hearing his words, her eyes went wide. “You, you bastar…” Slash! Something sharp made contact with her neck before she could even swear at Chun Yeowun. A sword made of black qi had slashed through her neck cutting her down. A red line had slowly appeared on her neck and her eyes remained wide open, before long, her head had fallen to the ground and rolled like a ball. “Huh!” When Chun Yeowun waved his left hand, the twelve Sword qi Air Swords immediately and mercilessly slashed her body into tiny bits. The swords didn’t stop until her entire body had turned into nothing but minced meat. Since she’d been beheaded, it was practically impossible for her to survive, but Chun Yeowun could still sense some energy coming from her, to be precise, from her head. Her head was still alive! “What the?” Crack! He stepped on her head and completely crushed her skull, finishing her for good. All her plans to seize the treasure of the Imperial Palace and to frame the Demonic Cult for it had failed miserably… At the same time, somewhere else. An enormous Yaksha statue had been built in Huangshan City, within Hangzhou, in the Zhejiang province. A man who was giving off an unusually eerie energy stood in front of the Yaksha statue, before turning around, and sitting. Behind him, an unidentified man, with a face covered in bandages, was holding a red box with its lid open. Keek! keek! Inside the box, there was a fist sized red worm making bizarre sounds. The man in bandages seemed uneasy about holding the box. Crack! After a long period of crying and trembling, the worm exploded. The man closed the lid of the wooden red box that held the remains of the dead worm. After carefully thinking, he opened his mouth. “… we failed.” On the lid of the red wooden box, the word ‘Blood’ was written. This worm in the box had been connected to the worm that had been implanted into Blood Master’s body. She was one of the six main seats and had been given the mission of entering the Imperial Palace. The man in bandages looked at the man in the shadows who was sitting cross-legged in front of the Yaksha statue. The tremendous and intimidating energy the seated man was emitting was the reason behind the other man’s nervousness. After a long period of silence, the man sitting in front of the Yaksha statue, silently touched the floor with his hand. Phut! “Kuak!” The man who was holding the red box, had been flung backwards like a sack of rice. After retreating ten steps, he began vomiting mouthfuls of blood as if he’d been injured. Thud! The man in the bandages had continued vomiting blood, before dropping to his knees and then smacking his head into the ground He’d done so because he knew well that ‘that person’ hated hearing excuses. The man in front of the Yaksha statue, finally opened his mouth. “Do Yeom, Do Kwang, Do Munju, call all three of them here.” It was a low, but terrifying voice. The man in bandages’ eyes widened at his words. Those three were the Martial Masters of the clan. “Huh? Are you talking about ‘that’ Do Munju?” “Change in plans. Send them to Tongho to support the others.” The man bandages’ was again shocked. There had never been more than two top ranking members of the same family in the Blade God Six Martial clan. However, in this case, half of the Martial Masters were from the same family. ‘Whew… Tongho will be drenched in blood.’ The seated man had shown his willingness to achieve the great world he wanted to create. “The Lord’s command shall be obeyed!” The underground hall, the last floor. Hu Bong’s wounds had completely healed, and his life, which had been on the verge of fading away, had been saved. His face, which had grown pale, had regained its previous ruddy complexion. Someone had placed their hand on his back, providing him with support. Ran-yeong. ‘Uhm’ The expression on her face, as she closed her eyes, was odd. Those who normally took in the Qilin’s Blood were likely to have strong flame qi run rampant in their bodies. Even women with strong yin energy, would end up losing their sense of pain as a side effect of the flame, and in some cases, the host would even die. If that was the case for women, then a man who was filled with yang energy shouldn’t be able to handle it. For nearly two hundred years, numerous men from the imperial palace had drunk the blood. The result had been nothing but death for them. ‘Is it because cold qi was mixed in with blood?’ Fortunately, the Qilin’s blood, whose flame had been neutralized by the cold energy, hadn’t caused any problems. Maybe that was why the flame qi in Hu Bong’s body hadn’t gone berserk. That was her guess. ‘Ah… this is weird. Why is it like this?’ No matter how well the Qilin’s Blood had been neutralized, there had to be certain changes. Nobody could hold onto their human form after drinking it. The proof was the red scales that were present on her body. ‘The body creates the scales to generate the flames, so why hasn’t his body undergone any changes?’ It was definitely odd. She checked his pressure points in hopes of finding an answer and finally subduing her curiosity. She wanted to make sure that the flame qi had been absorbed by Hu Bong’s body. However, ‘Ha? This is….?’ She found a foreign energy inside his core. It wasn’t the normal internal energy, but a very violent energy that resembled Chun Yeowun’s. ‘What is this black energy? Ah!’ It was an energy outside her field of understanding. The energy wasn’t that strong or overpowered, but shockingly, it had totally absorbed the flame qi of the Qilin’s Blood. The black energy seemed to have suppressed the flame qi which came from the diluted Qilin’s Blood, like a hungry and superior predator. ‘Have they consumed the blood of another Spirit Beast?’ As she’d guessed, Hu Bong had once drunk a black liquid. That black liquid had existed since the founding of the Demonic Cult. It was the blood of the black Imoogi (Korean dragon). The Blood of a Spirit Beast, a dragon, had been consumed in a small amount, and its energy had been silently sleeping inside Hu Bong. ‘I guess nothing can be done. I need to let it go.’ She’d thought that she would need to help him, by absorbing some of the Flame qi, but it seemed there was no need. There was another energy present in Hu Bong’s body preventing the invasion of anything else… However, something unexpected happened. ‘I, I can’t take my hands off!’ She had connected her Flame qi to Hu Bong’s internal energy core. However, she was now unable to break the connection. “Eiik!” Ran-yeong, who began feeling nervous, raised her energy and tried to cut off the connection. However, as she tried to do that, the ugly energy resting in Hu Bong’s core began absorbing it as if it had been starving for a long time. ‘This! My flame qi is running out!’ Ran-yeong couldn’t hide her embarrassment. At first, she’d noticed her energy being absorbed, she’d then tried to release even more energy in order to stop the connection, and now her flame qi was running out. This was something she had never experienced. In her attempt to solve the problem, she had eventually begun to emit flames from all over her body. Wheeng! She wanted Hu Bong’s core to feel overwhelmed by her energy. But instead of feeling threatened or overwhelmed, something absurd happened. “Fl-flames!’ Wheeng! The flames had started to move from her body towards Hu Bong, and slowly covered his body. Flustered, she decided to resort to a rough method. “Ehhhh!” Puhk! Ran-yeong placed her legs on Hu Bong;s back, and pushed him with all her might to free her hands from his back. The two hands which had been attached to Hu bong’s back became unstuck. However, Hu Bong had already absorbed half of her Flame qi. Wheeeng! “Wh-what am I supposed to do?” She removed her hands before her flames spread all over his body, but by the time she pushed him away, he was already wrapped in flames. Despite the absence of red scales on his body, Hu Bong’s body shockingly didn’t burn, rather, it resonated with the flames. The flames had begun to burn away the clothes that Hu Bong was wearing. ‘What on earth is this?’ She was slowly beginning to grow afraid as unexpected situations kept on unfolding It looked like she would have to ask Chun Yeowun for help to make sure that the Flame qi spreading throughout Hu Bong didn’t go berserk. She didn’t know if Hu Bong would be able to handle such strong energy. Ran-yeong turned her head and tried to call for Chun Yeowun. “Ugh! Lord!” She couldn’t find him in front of the pond. Her eyes shook as she looked around only to realize that Chun Yeowun had disappeared. ‘!?’ She saw a huge black energy resonating from the middle of the pond where the huge flames were supposed to be burning. “Lo-Lord!!!” Instinctively, she had realized that it was none other than Chun Yeowun. ‘How!’ The Qilin’s core had been placed in the middle of the pond, where huge flames kept on burning, and hadn’t been extinguished for nearly two hundred years. And now everything seemed to have suddenly disappeared. “No way!” In astonishment, she ran towards the middle of the pond where the flames had now ceased to exist. Chapter 367 - : The Trinity Chapter 367 - : The Trinity Woong Woong! A strange resonance could be heard from somewhere. Having completely eliminated Blood Master, Chun Yeowun’s gaze fixed onto one thing. The huge flame in the middle of the pond. ‘Did she say that it was diluted with 10,000 year old snow?’ Qilin, who were the embodiment of Flame Qi, generally overflowed with fire, and are often said to be born from flames. Therefore, even after their death, the flame that blossomed from the Qilin had remained for nearly two hundred years. However, the flames in the middle of the pond seemed different, toxic in a way. ‘Why is that?’ The demonic energy in Chun Yeowun’s body suddenly shuddered. After sensing the resonance, the black haze around Yeowun’s body thickened, as if he couldn’t control it anymore. ‘I’m losing control over my demonic energy.’ He had experienced such a phenomenon only once before. It was when he had accepted the cold energy from the woman in the past. At that time, Yeowun was only trying to create a balance with the energy in her body, but the greedy demonic energy in him had absorbed it, and he’d lost control.. ‘Is my greedy demonic energy coveting this flame too?’ Chun Yeowun had recognized what the fluctuations of his demonic energy meant as he clicked his tongue. As if the massive energy he had wasn’t enough, the demonic energy wanted to absorb another power. However, the energy he’d absorbed in the past was nothing compared to the one coming from the flame in the middle of the pond. ‘Aren’t you being too greedy? Demonic energy?’ Swallowing another energy wasn’t anything new. The capacity to store energy would increase as a martial artist grew stronger, but there was actually a limit to it too. Moreover, just like the demonic energy, that flame was extremely hard to absorb. Wooong! Unlike Chun Yeowun who’d been doubtful, the demonic energy in his body had been eagerly trying to move. Slowly, the black haze overflowing from his body began to grow thicker and so did the resonance from the flame, as if they were two opponents waiting impatiently for the moment they battled each other to the death. Wooong! “Ah! It’s going to explode?” It hadn’t, the huge flame had kept growing even bigger until it touched the ceiling above. The flame had released its energy as if it was rejecting the link with the demonic energy. It had refused the demonic energy getting any closer to it. Tch! The demonic energy responded violently to the flames’ refusal and Yeowun’s whole body got dominated by its overwhelmingly growing greed. The demonic energy showed no signs of backing away from the flames. ‘Don’t you think you are being too stubborn right now!. Phew.’ As both energies had reacted to the opponent’s actions, Chun Yeowun had given up and decided to approach the source of this alien energy inside the flame. When he arrived at the flame, he realised that the flame wanted to destroy anyone that touched it. It was a normal reaction, since the flame belonged to a Spirit Beast. ‘I’ll protect my body with the opposite energy.’ Chhhh! Along with the black haze, an intense chill began emanating from Chun Yeowun’s body. The coldness was so strong that the vapor around him began freezing. “Nice. Let’s take a look.” As he had wrapped his body in cold energy, Chun Yeowun walked over to the pond. The water in the pond was boiling, but when Yeowun’s foot touched it, a ripple occurred on its surface and surprisingly he didn’t sink. Pang! Pang! Pang! It was thanks to the Wind Steps. Chun YeoWun couldn’t walk on water, therefore he stepped on the air using this high level technique. Heeeeing! As Chun Yeowun walked above the pond, the huge flame began to soar higher, expressing it’s refusal of his daring approach. The more the flame rejected, the more greedy the demonic energy inside Chun Yeowun grew. ‘It is difficult to breathe. Ugh!’ As the heat increased, the air got thinner. As a result, Chun Yeowun took a deep breath and walked towards the flame. Wheeeing! Chhiiiiikkkk! The moment the flame and the cold energy made contact, a burst of vapor erupted above the pond, as a white haze spread in all directions. ‘Uhk!’ Even though he was protecting his body with cold energy, the flame was too hot for Yeowun’s body to handle. The intensity of the flame was so terrifying, that if Yeowun released the cold energy, it would engulf his entire body and scorch him. HWakkkkk! ‘Are you trying to scare me? That’s useless you know.’ Tak! The flame released tremendous heat in order to prevent Chun Yeowun from getting any closer. However, no matter how much heat the flame radiated, Chun Yeowun approached closer and closer, until he’d reached the centre of the huge flame. Shhhhhhhh! As he entered the centre of the flame, a bright light welcomed him into the centre. It was a light created by the strong heat. That’s why, he’d been unable to open his eyes and figure out what actually existed in the centre. ‘Nano.’ [Wide-field mode has been activated.] Nano’s voice echoed in his head and his pupils contracted. Before long, his eyes went dark and then immediately began to adapt to the light. ‘Now I can see.’ As his eyes adapted to the light, he saw a hot-red bead. This fist sized marble was radiating enough heat to kill any living thing. ‘What is this?’ The bead that Chun Yeowun was looking at, was at the epicentre of the flame. It was the source of all the spiritual energy of the Qilin, even after 2000 years, this bead had protected itself with the flame and preserved its spirit. Wooong! The core resonated. It was still refusing contact. The flame seemed to be afraid of the violent and greedy demonic energy that was flooding out of Yeowun’s body. ‘Can I really absorb this energy?’ The demonic energy would surely do it, but Chun Yeowun couldn’t stop himself from worrying. If he accepted this energy in addition to the cold energy and the demonic energy, Chun Yeowun would have three kinds of energies. ‘Well, I’ve already come over here, so…’ Chun Yeowun, who hesitated for a moment, reached out towards the core. Since the Blade God Six Martial clan had been aiming for it, then it would be better for Chun Yeowun to take it for himself. Tak! Chiiing! “Kuak!” His palms had been burnt because of the heat. Shockingly, his palm started burning. The heat from the flame had been fended off by the cold energy, but when he directly reached out and grabbed the core, the heat grew almost unbearable. It was like nothing he’d felt before. [High temperature of over 3000 degrees destroyed the user’s energy shield. The burned area is quickly self-healing.] Such tremendous energy. That explained why no one had been able to take this bead. However, Chun Yeowun who was supported by the cold energy and Nano’s regeneration speed was different. Goooo! When Chun Yeowun grabbed the bead with his hand, the demonic energy began to absorb the flame energy as if it had been waiting for that very moment. As the flame energy slowly got dragged into his body, Chun Yeowun experienced extreme pain. The Greedy demonic energy had begun absorbing it very quickly. Chiiiiing! “Kuakkk!” Steam began to rise from his body as the cold energy protecting his body came in contact with the flame energy. If he accepted this energy as it was, Chun Yeowun would instantly burn to ashes. ‘Da, damn it! This is just what I expected.’ As flame entered his body, three types of energy began colliding violently. The cold energy and demonic energy had been in a state of balance, but now that a third energy had joined them, everything quickly began to change. Bubble! The blood in his body began to heat up. The flame energy had begun taking over his body as he kept trying to control it. The Qilin’s spirit was strong, and it slightly exceeded the limit of energy that Chun Yeowun could absorb. Kung! “Kuaaaakkkkk!” While the energy was swelling up in his body, Chun Yeowun couldn’t stand the pain anymore and fell on his knees. The energy was so strong that even the top three ranked martial artists of Wulin would find it hard to control together. ‘This can’t be done. I need to stop the demonic energy and remove my hands from this thing.’ If this continued, the core in his body would burst and he would die. The problem wasn’t the flame anymore. Chun Yeowun, forced the demonic energy which had been absorbing the flame energy to sleep and tried to remove his hand from the core. However, something unexpected happened. Goooooo! ‘No! The demonic energy rose upwards?’ His Demonic energy, located in his dantian, had begun moving up to the centre of his chest. The stomach and chest were the vital parts for any human. ‘No way!’ As the demonic energy moved towards his upper body, the energy from the Qilin naturally moved to the demonic energy’s previous location.. In the meantime, the cold energy and Qilin’s Flame began creating a balance with each other in his dantian. ‘Ahhh! If things go well, a balance can be achieved.’ As the sense of crisis disappeared, Chun Yeowun closed his eyes and began focusing on establishing harmony between the energies. ** * ‘What the hell is happening?’ There was one person who’d witnessed this entire scene. She was Ran-yeong. She tried to move in and bring out Chun Yeowun who had entered the flame, but her body got rebounded by some unknown energy. Just the force of the energy had made her body shudder. ‘Ah! The fire is fading!’ She had been protecting the Qilin’s Flame in the underground cave for nearly two hundred years. The flame that had never moved was disappearing right in front of her eyes. Ran-yeong couldn’t take her eyes off it. ‘Ho-how did this happen…’ It was no wonder that she was dumbfounded. At the orders of the previous Emperors, she had previously tried to remove the core from the centre of the huge flame. However, even though her entire body had been reconstructed to be flame resistant, she was unable to go to the centre which had a different level of heat. ‘Is he absorbing the energy in there?’ If that wasn’t the case, the flames that protected the core would never subside. She couldn’t believe it. Even though his body harboured cold energy, he was absorbing an energy which was of the opposite nature. ‘Wouldn’t something happen then?’ This was a meeting she had been waiting for for two hundred years. Since the Lord seemed efficient, she trusted that he could absorb the flame energy, but for one person to have both flame and cold, that’s… ‘The two energies won’t stay still.’ Ran-yeong turned her head and looked at Hu Bong, whose body was covered in flames. At first, she’d thought that her flames had been transferred to him, but unexpectedly, Hu Bong was gradually generating his own flames. ‘I can do nothing but watch.’ It was the first time for Ran-yeong to witness both situations. She knew that she could do nothing but observe the two people who were undergoing tremendous changes. How much time had passed? Finally, there was some change. It started with Hu Bong. Woooooow! The flames which engulfed his body had slowly subsided. And then disappeared as if his body had absorbed it. That was when Hu Bong’s skin cracked! From one to many, the skin across his entire body continued cracking and an ash-like smoke slowly drifted off and away from his body. “Ah! Phantom Metamorphosis!” Ran-yeong gasped. As if the Qilin’s Blood was insufficient, he had taken half of her flame energy. She’d thought that something huge would happen, but for it to be a metamorphosis! Hu Bong’s entire physical structure changed, no, he looked a lot better now. He slowly opened his eyes. “Th-this must be a dream! My Goodness!” The first words he uttered were of shock at him being alive. From the moment he’d gotten engulfed in the flames, he had regained consciousness, but had decided to meditate in order to calm the energy in his body. When Hu Bong finally opened his eyes, he was able to recognize the changes that happened to his body. He couldn’t help but feel thrilled. That was when someone came up to him and said “Congratulations.” “Woah!” Hu Bong was shocked when Ran-yeong, whose entire body was covered with scales, approached him. Ran-yeong looked at him with furrowed brows. “Huh! The first words you say to the person who saved your life and made you change so much is ‘woah’?” “Ah! Then you must be the one with the flame…” Hu Bong had been confused as he was dying, but he was certain that he’d witnessed Ran-yeong who’d been covered in flames, kneeling and calling Chun Yeowun her Lord and Master. Ran-yeong glanced at his body from top to bottom and spoke with a smirk on her lips. “I guess the Phantom Metamorphosis was evenly done.” “!!!” Only after hearing those words did Hu Bong realize that he was butt naked. “Ugh!” A red faced Hu Bong, immediately looked for something to cover himself with, and in the direction of the entrance, he saw a bloody body with clothes on. In a hurry, he stretched out his hands in the direction of the dead body, and as the energy rose, the body got pulled towards him. Tak! Hu Bong looked at the man’s body, and couldn’t believe what he was witnessing. The amount of cruelty that the body had suffered could only have been done by one person, his Lord. “Oh oh oh! For me, he did it for me!” “You get shocked at everything.” She’d felt a little offended in the beginning, but couldn’t help but laugh at how innocent Hu Bong seemed. He was deeply loyal to the Lord and had been ready to throw away his life. There was something very important she needed to know. “Ah! Can you release flames from your body?” She was curious. Hu Bong had absorbed the flame without burning away or producing any red scales on his body. She had actually expected his body to burn to ashes. “Flames?” “Yes. You might be able to release flames. The sensation of how the fire entwines with your body… oh!” Crackle! Before she could complete her words, Hu Bong’s body produced flames. It was the same as when she covered her body with flames. “You-you can do it?” In just one try, he had managed to use the flames. Ran-yeong was surprised at Hu Bong’s ability to produce the flames without the red scales protecting his skin. ‘This is amazing! This guy has truly absorbed the Qilin’s Blood! Even the court ladies and other women could only display an incomplete form.’ It was a tremendous achievement. For the one who supports the Lord of the Demonic Cult to acquire the real Qilin’s Flame! Hu Bong was also shocked beyond belief, his eyes were wide open. ‘…cute.’ He looked a little naïve and cute to Ran-yeong. “I know that it is shocking to have flames…” “No… not that, over there…” Hu Bong pointed to something behind her with his finger. Wooh! At that very moment, an enormous energy exploded inside the room, causing Ran-yeong to turn her head. When she looked back, she saw Yeowun in the middle of the pond, floating in the air. Floating! Even more shocking were the black flames that moved like a whirlwind around Yeowun. It looked like the Dragon of Black flames was ascending. Koooooooo! “Wh-what happened?” They weren’t normal flames, but black flames! When she’d previously guessed that he had absorbed the Qilin’s Core, she knew that something would happen, but this was entirely unexpected. With a trembling voice, Hu Bong muttered. “The Black Dragon has descended for the Lord!” Chapter 368 - : The Trinity Chapter 368 - : The Trinity The “Perfect Supreme Master” level is still within the “Supreme Master” level. It’s just the peak of said level. sort of like the difference between a new grandmaster and an established grandmaster, mentioned in early chapters. Above that is the newly introduced “Heavenly Master Level” aka “The Ultimate Badass!” Hope this helps. Chapter 369 - Hand Crafted (1) Chapter 369 - Hand Crafted (1) Two hundred and ten years ago, The last Emperor of the Yeon Empire passed away, and the Empire was torn into ten small nations. Officials had started betraying each other left and right. The main cities were eventually occupied and the Empire… fell onto the path of extinction. It’s fate was drawn fast and brutally. Over the following ten decades, the Empire lived through a period of total Chaos and absolute disorder. The greed of those who’d thought of themselves as Kings, hadn’t ended in their favor. “During those decades, the land had continued to bleed and live in devastation. This outrageous Chaos soon casted its shadow on the Wulin.” Despite their attempts to remain uninvolved with each other’s matters, the Imperial family and Wulin, couldn’t help but feel affected by the changes occuring in the Empire. The endless war had brought about the total devastation of the Empire, and famine and new diseases reared their ugly heads. All field workers were conscripted as soldiers, whilst some others turned into bandits. The Empire had fallen into its dark age. “But then a hero had risen.” Amongst the existing ten nations, the Sun Dynasty had been the most influential and powerful. After King Zhu Won-soon of Sun Dynasty passed away, everything changed, as his son Zhu Won-myeong ascended the throne. Unlike Zhu Won-soon, who inherited the knowledge of the past generations, Zhu Won-myeong was an undefeated high-ranking general who had fought in the war against the barbarians of the North. Returning to his nation after the extinction of the barbarians, he lost interest in worldly affairs and wandered around his nation. “If it’s Zhu Won-myeong, then it’s the 1st Emperor’s name.” At the words of Chun Yeowun, Ran-yeong nodded. The Daemyeong Empire had been founded by the 1st Emperor. “Zhu Won-myeong was considered a hero. He had protected the nation from the barbarians of the North during the days of war. Even the people of Wulin admired him.” He was the only hero, who’d been capable of bringing extinction to the barbarians. He was recognized by both his people and Wulin’s martial artists, even the Lord of the Demonic Cult of that time had wanted to build a healthy relationship with him. He’d been a loyal man, and had always been willing to give up his titles for his nation’s welfare. However, during the next ten years, people had begun to suffer from the Western power’s invasion from the north. Defenses had been weakened and the spillage of blood had never ceased flowing. “The 1st Emperor was a hero, a high ranking General Commander with long experience, but at that time, the dynasty’s power alone hadn’t been strong enough to unify the ten divised nations against the invasion of a foreign power.” Despite being the General Commander and a genius strategist, he knew that developing the power to unify the nations wouldn’t easily happen in a short time. However, seeing the amount of suffering the people had been going through, he had decided to ask the warriors of Wulin for their help, using the good relationship he had built with them over the years. The Heavenly Order had asked him to wipe away the blood and tears of the suffering people, and to put an end to the kings’ and bandits’ Greed. The responsibility upon his shoulders had been as heavy as mountains. But, he had believed in his cause. Zhu Won-myeong, gathered everyone he could. The warriors from all across the nation gathered under his command, and quickly destroyed the enemy driving out the foreign invaders. In just 10 years, the 10 nations had been completely reunified once again. “The unified Sun Dynasty was named the Daemyeong Empire after the 1st Emperor.” As the nation had begun to stabilize, the warriors had been recognized for their war contributions, and were provided with leadership titles and land. At that time, it wasn’t just the people of Yulin who had helped the Emperor, but also the Demonic Cult. “They had helped in the war after receiving the emperor’s request, but once the nation had stabilized, they had turned into troublesome people for the Emperor and his officials.” One skilled warrior from the Cult could face dozens of soldiers. The existence of such warriors was considered to be a great threat. After having received help from the warriors of Wulin, namely those from Yulin and the Demonic cult, the Imperial Court had no choice but to pay up. “The Emperor had decided to provide them both with land, and wanted to sign a mutually inviolable contract between the Empire and the Martial Artists of Wulin.” At that time, the leader of Yulin and Shaman swordsman, Ji-hyeon asked the Empire to add Taosim as one of the Empire’s arts. It was to maintain the relationship with the Imperial family despite the proposed treaty. However, that in itself had been the catalyst for the problems that arose. “Even our Demonic Cult had asked our art to be recognized, but since those people had requested first, the Imperial palace and the Emperor could only agree to theirs.” In fact, such situations would happen quite often. The Demonic Cult and the Forces of Yulin had made the same amount of contributions towards the founding of the Empire. It was within the rights of the Demonic Cult, who had greatly contributed to the empire winning the war, to request their arts be recognized, but the Empire had chosen to go with, ‘first come first serve’. ‘They must’ve done it on purpose.’ Even at that time, the Demonic Cult had been far more feared than the Forces of Yulin. Even the officials under the Emperor had been scared, and assumed that it was the bureaucrats who had made the decision to favour the Yulin. “As the situation hadn’t been favourable, the Lord of The Demonic Cult had made a bold request.” There had existed a legend about the land. A Spirit Beast had appeared before the birth of the Empire. Shockingly, before the Empire could fully unify the land, the Qilin had appeared and burned down five entire villages. At that time, the great Lord of the Demonic Cult had fought, and succeeded in subduing the Spirit Beast after fighting for three days and three nights, along with hundreds of Masters including his Elders and Clan leaders. After the death of the Flame Qilin, the unquenchable flame on its body had blazed. That particular event had been regarded as an auspicious sign for the founding of the country. A huge tomb had been made where the Qilin had died, and it was declared that it would be where the capital would be built. [Then, Give us the Qilin’s core and Blood.] The Demonic Cult’s Great Lord had requested the Qilin’s Core and its Blood from the Emperor. Upon hearing the Lord’s daring request, the Empire’s officials and the Forces of Yulin’s members had grown furious. “They must have refused it.” “Exactly. My Lord!” The Forces of Yulin would do anything to stop the rise of the Demonic Cult’s power, and the Imperial Palace regarded the Qilin’s Blood as a treasure. They would never give it up. Expecting their Decline, the Great Lord of the Demonic Cult insisted. [It was earned by my people and my warriors at the expense of their precious lives. I am not asking for the whole body of the Qilin, only for the Blood and Core. It would be better for you not to oppose us!] At that time, neither the officials nor the Forces of Yulin could decide and had left the decision to the Emperor. The Emperor had struggled with the decision. He greatly wanted to appease the furious Great Lord of The Demonic Cult, and finally accepted the request. “However, there were conditions.” The condition stated that they could take it only if they could separate the core and the Blood from the Qilin’s body. “Waah, they acted so cheap!” Hu Bong, who’d been listening to the story, grumbled. Hundreds of Masters and even the Great Lord had tried their best to do it, but it had all been in vain. The problem was actually the core, and the Qilin’s Blood which burned with the flames of the Qilin’s body. The flames were so strong that they couldn’t be touched, there was no way that the Demonic Cult could separate them. “The Great Lord tried many ways to separate them, but there was no way to cool the blazing Qilin’s flame, the blood or its core.” Realizing that nothing else could be done, the Great Lord made a suggestion. Since the Qilin’s Blood was now owned by the Demonic Cult, he said that it had to be protected by them until they found a way to separate it. He had no intention of letting the Qilin’s Blood fall into the hands of the rest of Wulin. “He had thus succeeded in preventing the Core from falling into the others’ hands, but the Emperor had added another condition.” The Emperor stated that if warriors of Demonic Cult wanted to stay in the tomb of Qilin, they had to defend the Imperial Palace and pledge allegiance to the successive Emperors. “There were a total of 12 Cult masters, including me, who stayed behind in this tomb because of that condition.” Ran-yeong had come to the tomb along with 11 others. All of them had been high ranking warriors who had great positions in the Demonic Cult. “Hah?” Hu Bong’s eyes widened whilst looking at a nameplate she displayed. On it, a master’s name had been written. “Mun Ran-yeong, Clan head of the Dragon Fist Clan?” Hu Bong’s words had also attracted the attention of Chun Yeowun. It was unrecognizable since her use of energy was different, but Chun Yeowun couldn’t shake off the feeling that her moves had felt similar to the martial arts of the Dragon Fist Clan. “… Dragon Fist Clan?” If it was the Dragon Fist Clan, then she belonged to Mun Ku and Mun Yu’s clan. “Ugh! Well then, wouldn’t you be the great-grandmother of Mun Ku?” Whilst Hu Bong was surprised, Ran-yeong was puzzled. After leaving the cult to protect the Qilin’s Blood, she had lived in the Imperial palace for a hundred and ninety years, and had no understanding of the current situation of the clan. ‘Elder Mun and Mun Ku will be very surprised.’ Like Hu Bong had said, their ancestors had managed to survive for such a long time. Even though they were related, the relationship would be awkward in the beginning. “… what about the others?” “They turned into the ashes of sanctification.” In the Demonic Cult, those who died or were killed were said to turn into ashes of sanctification. It was the belief of the Demonic Cult, that those who returned to ashes, would be reborn as time passed. “At that time, by the orders of the Great Lord, we studied the Qilin’s Core and searched for ways to take away its Blood.” Since the Imperial Palace was interested in the Qilin as well, the both of them had joined forces and proceeded with the research, but no useful results had been found. There were those who’d taken in the blood, but had died after being unable to handle the flame energy. “My colleagues at the time had said that the flame energy was too dangerous for a female body to withstand, and they held me back from taking in even a small quantity of blood for testing.” As a result, Ran-yeong ended up being the only one who had survived after eighty years. Her voice trembled as she spoke about that time, and she took a deep breath before continuing. “Once my colleagues turned into ashes of sanctification… ha, I had such a terribly lonely time.” She had meditated and achieved peace, but as she grew old, she realized that there wasn’t much time left for her to live. It caused her to come up with an idea. Since she had already started counting her last breaths, she could now test the Qilin’s Blood and see for herself how it felt. “Since the Emperor was interested in the Qilin’s Blood as well, we were able to extinguish the flames to an extent with the use of ten thousand year old snow.” Testing out the Qilin’s Blood was her last resort. Surprisingly, she had actually succeeded in absorbing the fire for the first time. Consuming the Qilin’s Blood had caused her to regain her youthly beauty after undergoing metamorphosis. “As my body succeeded in absorbing the energy, I began looking for a way to utilize the Qilin’s Blood.” “The palace must have shown interest.” “Yes. But it didn’t just stop with showing interest.” All their attempts to use the Qilin’s Blood had failed. They couldn’t handle the flame energy even from the diluted Qilin’s Blood. “So you tested it on the women of the Imperial Palace?” “Right. But before that… I made up a lie.” “A Lie?” Ran-yeong had figured out that the diluted blood could be consumed by the female warriors, but to prevent the warriors from trying to hoard the blood, she had lied to the Emperor. “In order to absorb the Qilin’s Blood successfully the women couldn’t have any internal energy.” “Hoo!” The Emperor had no choice but to believe the words of the woman who had succeeded in absorbing the Qilin’s Blood. The Emperor had already lost a lot of skilled male warriors because of his greed. “There were a few martial arts users in the Imperial Palace who used internal energy, but a thousand court ladies who had no energy.” And like that the Imperial Palace’s Guardians had been made entirely of court ladies. Thud! Ran-yeong knelt and spoke. “I wanted to return back to the Ten Thousand Mountains before I ran out of breath. But I was the only one who could protect this.” Ran-yeong, who had survived alone, had wanted to inform the Demonic Cult of her findings. A way to increase the power of the Demonic Cult, even if the results weren’t accurate. However, there was no guarantee that the Emperor would let her go to the Demonic Cult, especially after she had successfully absorbed the Qilin’s Blood and knew information that no one else did. Ran-yeong was also worried that the Imperial Palace’s officials would try to seize the Blood and increase their power. “However, as the Lord of the Demonic Cult is now here in front me, I have no other wish than to turn into ashes of sanctification.” Drop! Seeing her cry made Yeowun feel uncomfortable. She was the only person left after all these years, steadfastly maintaining her role. If it was Chun Yeowun, he would have taken the power, given up on everything and escaped from the Imperial palace to spend the rest of his life in peace, but this woman had shown extreme loyalty. “I, I respect you! Sunbae!” Even Hu Bong had felt inspired by her. ‘She is a true member of the cult!’ Chun Yeowun, who was extremely impressed with her loyalty, made a decision. At first, he couldn’t help but treat her with suspicion after meeting her in the Royal Shrine, but he’d put that behind him. Cha! Cha! Cha! Cha! Cha! “Ah!” The wrist guard on Chun Yeowun’s hand transformed into a black sword. It couldn’t be seen from a distance, but a clear engraving called ‘Sky Demon Sword’ was written on the hilt of the black sword. ‘Why the black sword? Hol… hold on! No, the real Sky Demon Sword!’ Ran-yeong couldn’t hide her shock. At first, she hadn’t been able to recognize it because it was different from the Sky Demon Sword that she knew. However, if it was a black sword, then it must be the legendary Sky Demon Sword. ‘Unbelievable! He must be the reincarnation of Lord Chun Ma!’ Having the true sword instead of an imitation meant that he was most likely the reincarnation Lord Chun Ma. Her eyes trembled with excitement. Whilst still in shock and astonishment, Chun Yeowun spoke to her. “I, Chun Yeowun, the 24th Lord of the Demonic Cult and the descendant of the Great Lord Chun Ma, commends you as the Warrior who faithfully fulfilled the command for all these years.” “Uh!” Not being able to hold back anymore, Ran-yeong burst into tears. She hadn’t thought that someone would commend her hard work. She had only prayed every night to return back to the Ten Thousand Mountains one last time. However, Chun Yeowun’s words of appreciation had washed away her sorrow. But that wasn’t the end. “And in return for your marvelous efforts, the Lord grants you the position of the Clan’s Great Elder, of the Dragon Fist Clan!” “Gre-great Elder!” It was a position that didn’t exist in the current Demonic Cult. Chun Yeowun had created a new position to commend Ran-yeong for her contribution over the years. For nearly two hundred years, she had devoted herself to the Demonic Cult. Her martial arts were also at the same level as Great Guardian Marakim, and as such she was worthy of the title of Great Elder. “H-how can I take that position…” Ran-yeong was speechless. The position had been given to her because she had devoted her life to serving the Demonic cult, but she had never expected to be treated so well. Chun Yeowun smiled at her. “This is a position which suits you the best. No need to be so humble.” “Ahhh! I am grateful for the Lord’s considerations, Long live the Lord!” Thud! Thud! Thud! Not being able to hide her excitement, Ran-yeong’s head hit the ground every time she bowed to thank him. Starting off as a member of a clan to then become Great Elder, she had been greatly rewarded for all the time she had suffered in the underground of the Imperial Palace, unable to see the sunlight. Chapter 370 - Hand Crafted (2) Chapter 370 - Hand Crafted (2) Ran-yeong, Guardian of the Imperial Palace. Her true identity was Mun Ran-yeong, the clan elder of the Demonic Cult’s Dragon Fist Clan. Now, she had come under the command of Chun Yeowun, and had been rewarded with the new title of Great Elder. ‘I can’t believe we have recruited a peak leader from the Imperial palace.’ The excitement was plain to see on Hu Bong’s face After putting an end to its internal war and the clash between the six clans, The Demonic Cult’s Strength was rapidly increasing… Of course, in the case of Ran-yeong, it wasn’t just a simple recruiting, but her returning to her rightful place. “Sigh…” Shh! With reddened eyes, Ran-yeong wiped away the tears that flowed down her cheeks, using the back of her hand. Once she seemed to have regained her composure, Yeowun spoke again. “Normally, I would’ve taken you to the Cult right away, but there’s still Work left to do. I’ll finish up and then I’ll come to get you. until then, can you protect this place, Great Elder?” “No need to ask my Lord! Please just order me! I will definitely accept the task.” Ran-yeong spoke in a serious voice. She had spent two hundred years in the Imperial Palace’s underground. Waiting a little longer wouldn’t bother her. “Great. Then there’s something that, Great Elder has to do.” “Me?” Chun Yeowun told her what he’d been thinking of. After hearing the entire plan, her pale face brightened, as if she’d regained some of her long lost vigor. “I have received the command! I shall follow the order!” “Nice. Then, I guess I need to leave the Imperial Palace now.” It was already the end of the celebration. Before dawn, there was something he had to do before leaving the Imperial Palace. As he turned around to leave, Ran-yeong suddenly called for him. “W-wait a minute! Lord!” “Hmm?” “…hm, uhm, there are some extra clothes in the chamber for both of you, please wear them before heading out.” “!?” Right! They hadn’t noticed it, but Yeowun’s clothes had been burned by the black flames whilst he’d been in the pond, Chun Yeowun was nothing but naked. No matter how fast he moved, going around the Imperial Palace naked, would still be embarrassing. As morning came, chaos reigned in a certain place inside the Imperial Palace The corpses of the East Spear’s members and the court ladies, who were considered to be the Imperial palace’s Guardians, had been found in the Guest House, where the East Spear warriors rested. They had been found early in the morning, and the bad news made everyone within the palace upset. The Imperial Palace hadn’t discovered the incident earlier because the Guards who were supposed to be on duty had already been eliminated. “This is terrible!” An Imperial Guard, Lieutenant Lee-am, shook his head. He’d gotten an emergency alert from the council, and upon arriving, the sight of terribly mutilated corpses and the smell of blood welcomed him. ‘Such a massacre happened here and no one knew anything about it?’ What he was witnessing was so weird and illogical that it was hard to believe. The intruders had even made sure to kill those who’d been on watch duty. That’s maybe why no one heard about it. ‘Did they really block all the noise that would be made from such a large massacre?…No, I must have lost my mind!’ Even the Supreme Commander, one of the best Martial Artists in the Imperial palace, had come to realise after numerous attempts, that blocking the sound within such a large area with energy was utterly impossible. The first thing the lieutenant had to do was to collect the bodies and investigate them. “Listen to me everyone. Check every corpse…” Bang! Before he could even give the orders, the door to the main hall opened with a bang, and unwanted visitors appeared. Officials in blue uniforms rushed into the yard. ‘East Spear?’ Lee-am’s expression hardened. The East Spear were the last people he wanted to see at the moment. There was a man wearing a jade necklace in the middle standing at the front, that man was Elder Dang-du. Dang-du approached him arrogantly and opened his mouth. “Huhuhu, from this point on, this case will be investigated by East Spear.” At those words, lieutenant Lee-am spoke. “What is that supposed to mean? This murder took place inside the Imperial Palace, we, the Imperial Guards will…” “Where do you think this place is?” East House, Guest House. It was the domain of the East Spear. This meant that it was their responsibility to manage the case, but the Imperial Guards also had the right to investigate the incident since it happened within the Imperial palace. Furthermore, the only job the East Spear members were charged with was spying on people who might cause a rebellion within the Empire. “Dang-du, we don’t have the luxury to argue over rights at the moment. Dozens of court ladies and officers were killed.” Since arguing wouldn’t do them any good, Lee-am decided to cooperate. Licking his red painted lips, Dang-du responded. “huhuhu, I think you don’t realize the situation you’re in, Sir Imperial Guards’ lieutenant.” “!?” “This is a crime in which the Imperial Guards are also involved.” “Wh-what?” Those words caused anger to boil inside Lee-am’s stomach. He’d just received an order to head over to the site, but now that he was there, this man from the East Spear was claiming that the Guards were involved. ‘What bullshit is this eunuch spewing?’ Not caring about Lee-am’s confusion, the East Spear’s Elder ordered his subordinates. “Arrest all the Guards who were on duty in the Imperial palace last night! Arrest all the rebels!” Once the order fell, the eunuchs approached the Guards with ropes that had been prepared in advance. Lee-am, who’d been completely lost, shouted. “Arrest? What the hell do you think you’re doing! And who do you think you’re calling rebels!” Rebels? A term used to address traitors and rogues. At the crime scene, these Guards were being called rebels even though it was their first time at the scene. “Who the hell would accuse us, the Guards, of rebelling?” “The order has been given by the crown prince himself!” “Did you just say, Cr-Crown prince?” Upon hearing Dang-du’s words, Lee-am couldn’t hide how puzzled he was. The crown prince, Zhu Taiyoon. The man who was most likely to become the next Emperor. It was totally Incomprehensible! What had the East Spear told him so that he gave such orders? {At the same time, in the East Green Palace.} It was the palace in which Prince Zhu Taikhan resided. Over there, more than two hundred East Spear eunuchs had surrounded the entire palace. The entrance to the residence had been thoroughly blocked so that no one could escape. A pale young man with gorgeous white armor stood proudly at the entrance. Next to him, an old eunuch adorned with colorful ornaments in blue robes, and a middle aged man in the attire of a military officer served as his assistants. “You two are all fully prepared, right?” “Hohoho, we are, your Highness!” The young man in white armor was Zhu Taiyoon, the Crown prince. The one who responded with a feminine smile and didn’t act his age, was the East Spear’s Admiral Lim Cheong-hwa. Mostly called Admiral Lim, he was one of the three greatest warriors in the Imperial Palace along with Southern Commander Yon Namgun and the Supreme Commander. He had learned the eunuchs’ legendary martial art called ‘Sunflower Treasure Blade’. “With the help of some Yulin masters, a thorough investigation must have already been carried out inside the Palace. Hahaha.” At that, the crown prince nodded and asked the middle aged military officer next to him. “I hope you are ready.” “Don’t worry, Your Highness. I have already received a message, everything has been set.” The military officer replied as he glanced at the man standing behind him, whose face was covered with a veil. A feeling of satisfaction overwhelmed the Crown prince. “Nice. If this incident confirms his involvement, then the Emperor will start actively supporting the Blade God Six Martial clan.” “Everything will go as planned, your highness!” The military officer assured, bowing his head to the Crown prince. His true identity was a skilled warrior of the Blade God Six Martial Clan. He was the only one who hadn’t shown up the previous night because he’d been with Zhu Taiyoon the entire time. “Start it.” “Yes.” As the command fell from Zhu Taiyoon’s mouth, the East Spear’s Admiral spoke in a loud voice. “Your Highness, Prince Zhu Taikhan, come out of your palace and receive the Crown Prince’s command!” His voice was so loud that all the eunuchs surrounding the palace could hear it. Shortly after the Admiral shouted twice, the door of the palace opened and prince Zhu Taikhan appeared alongside Southern Commander Yon Namgun. “Brother Zhu Taikhan, I came to take you to His Majesty, the emperor.” Zhu Taikhan bowed his head to greet the Crown prince Zhu Taiyoon. Within the imperial palace, Taiyoon had a higher position. However, after greeting him, the Crown prince immediately spoke in a voice filled with displeasure. “…did you forget manners? Brother.” “It has been so long, Crown prince” Unlike Zhu Taikhan, who addressed him in a formal manner, Zhu Taiyoon only referred to Taikhan as Brother… Speaking as if he didn’t acknowledge Zhu Taikhan as a prince, but just as a brother, half-brother. “It has been long, but why are the eunuchs besieging my palace together with their admiral?” They treated him as if he had turned into a criminal overnight. It was Admiral Lim, who then answered Zhu Taikhan’s question. “Prince. A big problem arose in the palace last night. A group of rebels have invaded and killed dozens of court ladies and East Spear warriors.” “What?What nonsense are you spouting?” Zhu Taikhan was genuinely shocked by Admiral Lim’s words. Admiral Lim continued. “That’s not the end of the story, Prince. We actually have a Tip that these rebels have invaded the Royal Shrine and stolen the Emperor’s treasure.” “A Tip?” Zhu Taikhan’s eyebrows shot up at those words. Looking at Admiral Lim, Zhu Taikhan asked. “Ha! Admiral Lim. I wonder what kind of tip made you create such a fuss in the palace?” He wanted to know what this Tip was, he wanted to know why he was being considered as a criminal just because of some unverified tip. Hearing his question, Admiral Lim laughed before speaking. “Hohoho, don’t drag this out, Your Highness.” “H-How dare you?” “It seems that these rebels are from the Demonic Cult. They secretly entered the empire, hid themselves during the procession and infiltrated the Imperial palace. The East Spear warriors who discovered it last night tried to stop them, but sadly failed.” One of the Guards who was standing behind Zhu Taikhan, flinched at the words of Admiral Lim. Fortunately, Admiral Lim’s eyes were directly looking at Zhu Taikhan. With displeasure, Zhu Taikhan asked angrily. “Did they tell you that I brought them here? Are you trying to say that I, a prince, brought them here? Don’t you think you are letting your tongue wag a little too much? Can you take responsibility for your claims? Ha? ” Expecting such a reaction, Admiral Lim’s lips formed into a mischievous smile. “That is something I don’t know. The Emperor has asked for the truth behind this incident to be revealed and for the criminals to be arrested. If we continue our investigation, the truth will soon be unveiled. Ho ho ho.” “Investigate? Ha! You want me, the prince…” “Huh!” Zhu Taikhan was about to express his displeasure, when the crown prince Zhu Taiyoon interrupted him by releasing his threatening energy. “You bastard! You dare to mess with the Imperial Palace, but then act all confident in front of us! If you were involved with that group of rebels, your reputation should be the least of your worries!” The last drop of mutual respect between the two princes had faded. ‘I am the future emperor!’ Zhu Taiyoon had never considered his step brother to be his equal. He expected to one day see Zhu Taikhan kneeling with his head touching the ground before him. It was shameful for Zhu Taiyoon to compete for the Emperor’s title with a later wife’s kid. ‘I will definitely not miss this opportunity!’ Everything had been prepared for this very moment. Using this incident, Zhu Taiyoon had planned to drive out the Imperial Guards as they had never supported him. It would be difficult to implicate the prince, Zhu Taikhan, but completely destroying the Emperor’s trust and hopes in him would be more than enough. “Don’t act up anymore. Whether you are guilty or not will be revealed soon.” Zhu Taikhan, who had remained quiet whilst his brother spoke, opened his mouth and spoke with cold eyes. “To do this without any evidence…” “Hahahaha, you think we weren’t given proper evidence?” All the necessary measures had been taken in advance. All the corpses inside the Royal Shrine had been marked with the art of Demonic Cult. “Isn’t it easy to manipulate the evidence for such kinds of investigations?” “Do you think that the crown prince would have to go to such great lengths to overpower you? Now, not just the East Spear, even the members of the Guards and the Yulin ambassadors are confirming it.” It was to show that everything was being done fairly. Of course, even if they were saying how thoroughly the evidence had been gathered, there was no way someone could look so deeply into some random ‘tip’. If there was no official document with a jade bird stamp on it, Zhu Taikhan wouldn’t have to comply with them. “I won’t believe you until I see it.” “Huhuh! You bastard!” “Your Highness!” The crown prince was about to yell again, when Admiral Lim called out to him, calming him down. “What now? Admiral!” “Hohoho, your Highness, the prince won’t be easily convinced, so why don’t we show him some proof?” Admiral Lim predicted that prince Zhu Taikhan wouldn’t be convinced with simple words. If he took him directly to the corpses and showed him what the Demonic Cult had done, he would have no choice but to listen to them. The Crown prince, Zhu Taiyoon, had planned everything from the very beginning. “You think we would come here without proof?” As he said that, Zhu Taiyoon stared at Zhu Taikhan like a hawk aiming for its prey. Just a little more provocation and Zhu Taikhan would come out not wanting to lose this battle of words anymore. And the prediction was right. “Huh! Fine. If I see the proof, I will let myself be subject to investigation!” When the desired answer was heard, the eyes of the Blade God Six Martial Clan warrior, who was behind the crown prince shone. If the prince was to completely lose all trust and favor with the Emperor, then they could use Zhu Taiyoon to eliminate the entire Demonic Cult. ‘Huhu, everything is going as planned.’ Inside the huge shrine on the northwest side of the Imperial palace. Through the hidden passage in the altar, Zhu Taiyoon and Zhu Taikhan were on their way to confirm the proof. Behind them, East Spear’s Admiral Lim, the middle aged warrior from Blade God Six Martial Clan, the eunuchs of East Spear, four guards and Yong Namgun followed. ‘I will make sure you face your doom!’ Crown prince Zhu Taiyoon couldn’t hide his overflowing happiness. The results were set in stone The fact that Zhu Taikhan, who was a candidate for the throne, would get arrested for bringing rebels into the Palace and helping them steal the imperial treasure, would cause many officials in the palace to turn their backs on him. Woong! Woong! Loud noises resonated from the end of the passage. Numerous bodies were lined up on the first level of the underground passageway, with torches lighting the room. The corpses were being inspected by the ambassadors of the Yulin envoys and the Imperial palace officials. “We greet the Crown Prince! Our young king!” “We greet the Prince!” When the two princes appeared, they stopped working and greeted them. Crown prince Zhu Taiyoon raised his hand whilst looking at them, and turned towards Zhu Taikhan. ‘Huhhu, everything is going the way I planned. Nobody can save you from your fate now, Brother!’ Even the middle aged man from the Blade God Six Martial clan was satisfied. If all the Imperial palace’s Guardians inside the underground had been annihilated by the Demonic Cult’s warriors, then the Emperor was bound to be furious. ‘Those spear men and Blood Master must have worked hard to give us this priceless opportunity.’ He’d heard that the underground cave had several floors, and there were almost 90 corpses on the first level. It would have taken quite a lot of time for those five to use their skills and leave the marks of Demonic Cult on the bodies. ‘If the leaders from Yulin testify, the reports will be considered credible. Hehe. Those Demonic Cult bastards won’t even know why they are being persecuted!’ Over the past few years, the Blade God Six Martial clan had planned this. With just this one perfect plan, they would obtain the support of the next Emperor, take the Blood of the Spirit Beast, and most importantly, take down their sworn enemy, the Demonic Cult. The man was so immersed in his fantasies that Zhu Taiyoon’s shout made him panic. “Wh-what the hell is that supposed to mean? No! Impossible! Nonsense! That can’t be!” As the reaction was odd, the man frowned and tried to listen to what was happening. Zhu Taiyoon was unable to understand what was happening right in front of him. What had they told him to make him shout so loudly? The reason was soon revealed. “The traces on the corpses belong to the Blade God Six Martial Clan? What kind of bullshit is that???” ‘What!?’ Upon hearing those ambiguous words, the middle-aged man’s eyes went wide in perplexion. What the hell was this turn of events?