Chapter 105

Chapter 105
## Chapter 105

Even in the heavy atmosphere of a desperate crisis, the remark was bound to cause sheer confusion.

A Great Foe? What kind of nonsense was this all of a sudden?

“The guidance of the Great One is beyond the reach of a lowly being like me, yet it has led me to accomplish two tasks at once.”

He used his sword as a makeshift crutch to drag himself back to his feet.

Though he had only managed to block a single blow before being sent flying, his battered internal organs were still vibrating with residual shock.

“You damned demon, have you completely lost your mind? What sort of crazy talk are you spouting?”

“Hmm, you really do not know?”

Blood-Eye shot him a look of genuine curiosity.

“With such an insignificant realm, you actually blocked a strike from this body.”

That particular fact had Baek Yang-hui baffled as well.

The Peak Realm represented the ultimate ceiling of mortal potential, an insurmountable barrier standing tall against all challengers.

Because of this law, no martial artist below the Peak could ever hope to triumph over a Peak master.

Well, strictly speaking, it was not entirely impossible, but…

Once a warrior awakened Sword Aura Manifestation, it generated a tangible mass of vital energy possessing near-absolute destructive force.

Regardless of how much energy an opponent poured into defense, the moment of impact should have resulted in a clean, brutal severance.

Yet he had successfully intercepted Blood-Eye’s claw qi.

It was likely thanks to his pure qi, meaning some hidden, undiscovered property must have activated at the crucial moment.

While these thoughts raced through his head, Adu charged forward at Blood-Eye once more.

“Demon! Receive purification!”

Boom!

Once again, Adu was flung backward through the air.

“Guh…!”

“Adu, are you alright?”

While keeping his cautious gaze locked on Blood-Eye, he quickly checked on Adu’s state.

Because tangible qi enveloped his entire body and complemented his naturally rugged physique, there were no visible external lacerations.

Naturally, he had suffered some internal trauma and heavy bruising from the impact.

At the very least, Adu can take the bastard’s hits. And Blood-Eye looks fairly exhausted just from forcing his way through the Absolute Realm.

As he frantically searched his mind for a way to break the deadlock—

“The sacred relic must be concealed within that iron door. I can sense that vile, nauseating aura as well… To think some foolish ignoramus dared to attempt a seal.”

This arrogant prick genuinely believes he holds all the cards.

He is just standing there, blabbing secrets left and right without a care.

Though, what on earth is this sacred relic nonsense he keeps mentioning?

“Hey, big shot of the Blood Cult.”

“Oh? How did you figure out that this body hails from the Blood Cult?”

“Who else reeks of rotting blood and stagnant filth the way you lot do?”

Blood-Eye’s lips curved into a sharp grin as razor-like claw qi lashed out viciously toward Baek Yang-hui’s throat.

“Kuh!”

Even with Harmonious Heaven qi circulating through every pathway in his body, he could not completely evade the attack.

Baek Yang-hui’s left shoulder ripped open, thick droplets of blood spilling outward.

“Tsk. Such a waste of precious blood.”

Normally, those droplets would have fallen straight down to the stone floor.

Instead, the crimson beads defied gravity, floating upward and streaming toward Blood-Eye.

“Let us see how this Great Foe tastes.”

The very second those slender threads of blood were drawn into Blood-Eye’s mouth—

“Mmph?! Urk…!”

Blood-Eye’s already bloodshot eyes bulged with swollen veins as he violently retched up thick, blackened gore.

What? This guy? Is he having an allergic rejection to my blood?

More accurately, he was reacting to the pure qi infused within it.

Without missing a beat, Baek Yang-hui kicked off the ground.

Shwick!

Even in the middle of vomiting, Blood-Eye whipped out five lethal strands of claw qi.

“Adu!”

“Hah!”

Baek Yang-hui was not the only one springing into motion.

“Block it!”

“Amitabha Buddha!”

A blinding flash of golden flames materialized to intercept the five incoming claw strikes.

Baek Yang-hui used Adu’s broad back—where the giant had stepped in to shield him—as a springboard to launch himself higher into the air.

Then.

Slash!

He deliberately sliced open his own forearm with his sword and swung downward.

“You insolent little pest!”

Blood-Eye ducked away as if the spraying blood were vile, toxic sludge.

That single reaction confirmed something crucial.

I can actively force the bastard to move and dodge using my own blood.

That realization provided a tiny flicker of hope—or at least enough of an edge to buy time while…

Crunch!

Before the thought could fully form, his breath caught as his throat constricted violently.

Blood-Eye had materialized directly in front of him, wrapping a hand tightly around his neck.

“Grk!”

“Insolent wretch. Even a Great Foe—no matter how green and unripe—dares to target this body?”

The grip strength was terrifying. It felt as though his neck bones might snap at any second.

He managed to endure only by channeling every remaining drop of Harmonious Heaven qi to resist the crushing pressure.

“Let go of Yang-hui!”

Adu launched a reckless, full-body tackle, sending Blood-Eye hurtling backward faster than he had advanced.

Ignoring Adu completely, Blood-Eye fixed his unblinking stare squarely into Baek Yang-hui’s eyes.

A sea of blood-red filled his vision.

“To encounter such a young, immature Great Foe… Is this also the predetermined will of the Great One?”

“Bull… shit…!”

Blood-Eye’s lips curved into a gentle, mocking smile.

“Amusing. Truly fascinating. I wonder… if it might actually be possible.”

Suddenly, a violent wave of goosebumps broke out across Baek Yang-hui’s skin.

He had just remembered the bastard’s most infamous trump card.

The Blood Soul Seizure Art…!

Blood-Eye’s true specialty was never conventional martial arts.

It was the Blood Spirit Soul-Stealing Art, the Blood Cult’s ultimate secret technique for soul domination and corpse puppetry.

Seizing control of a living soul and infusing it with blood qi to transform the victim into a half-human puppet—that was his true domain.

Damn it, I have to get away from him…

He bit down hard on his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva.

Rather than dodging, Blood-Eye simply closed his eyes and took the impact head-on.

“…Such a revolting, utterly repulsive aura, Great Foe. I will return this humiliation tenfold once I turn you into my obedient slave.”

“Damn… you…!”

Blood-Eye’s crimson eyes flared with a blinding, wicked light.

Simultaneously, a suffocating, sickening sense of binding oppression washed over him.

An evil, intangible energy radiating from Blood-Eye’s upper dantian began aggressively invading Baek Yang-hui’s mind.

“Great Foe, become my eternal slave. I shall make you my personal footstool for all eternity.”

Guuh, at this rate… this is bad…!

Blood-Eye’s gaze intensified.

How could human eyes possibly gleam with such unnatural brilliance? It defied reason.

Right at that exact moment.

Huh? Why… am I still fine?

The realization flashed through his mind, and he immediately went limp, shifting his sword into his left hand.

Dropping his gaze and letting his eyes glaze over, he stared back at Blood-Eye with a vacant, lifeless expression.

“You put up quite a fight. Even young and unripe, a Great Foe is still a Great Foe, it seems.”

“Yang-hui! No!”

Slam!

Instead of tossing Adu aside, Blood-Eye drove him straight down into the stone floor, planting a heavy boot squarely in the center of his back.

“Gaaah!”

Standing atop the writhing form of Adu—like a pinned insect—Blood-Eye barked a command down at Baek Yang-hui.

“Great Foe. State your name and identity. Explain how you came to harbor such a profane power.”

“I am…”

Blood continued to drip steadily from the wound he had carved into his forearm.

The crimson drops trickled down the length of the sword blade, staining Adu’s head red.

“I am… the one who consumed the Rebirth Pill…”

“What is wrong with your speech? Ah, I see. My control has not fully settled into your mind yet.”

Just as Blood-Eye’s gaze flashed with renewed intensity—

Stab!

“Grk… what?!”

Blood saturated with pure qi drenched the blade completely.

Blood-Eye staggered backward as the sword pierced straight through his chest.

His grip loosened. Baek Yang-hui snapped his fingers and scrambled out of reach.

Keep the momentum going!

“Adu! Get up!”

“Raaah!”

Adu forced his massive frame upright amidst a flare of golden flames.

Baek Yang-hui moved to execute a follow-up strike in perfect synchronization, but—

Damn it, the sword.

To press the attack, he needed to retrieve the weapon from the enemy’s chest.

However, the blade refused to budge an inch.

“You dare… Nicely played.”

Sensing a chilling aura, Baek Yang-hui released his hold on the hilt and kicked out with all his might against Blood-Eye’s abdomen.

Blood-Eye’s body flew back limply, crashing hard into the ground. He lay silent for a brief moment before shakily dragging himself back up.

“For the Blood Soul Seizure to fail completely… A Great Foe truly lives up to its legendary name.”

Blood-Eye glanced down at the blade still embedded in his flesh, then reached out and yanked it out with brutal, unyielding force.

Ordinarily, such a wound through the heart should have sent a fountain of fresh blood spraying everywhere.

Instead, a thick, dark, viscous sludge resembling rotting gore oozed out to coat the injury.

“I let my guard down while having a bit too much fun. Cough.”

His complexion was visibly worse than it had been before.

Even so, Blood-Eye remained an absolute, untouchable powerhouse.

His sword was lost, his body was compromised, and his final desperate gambit had failed.

As an abyss of profound despair threatened to swallow him whole—

Clunk, roll roll roll.

An iron orb tumbled out from his torn collar.

It was the legacy left behind by the Sword Sage Yeo Dong-bin, acquired all those years ago.

Catching sight of it instantly jogged his memory, reminding him of a crucial detail he had overlooked.

“Adu!”

“…Yeah!”

Adu staggered to his feet, blood staining his lips, yet his voice remained fierce.

“Buy me half a ke—no, a quarter of a ke! No matter what happens!”

“Got it! Demon! I’m going to purify you right now!”

Snatching up the iron orb, Baek Yang-hui turned toward the cavern wall as golden flames illuminated the dark space behind him.

The legacy of the Sword Sage Yeo Dong-bin.

The legacy left by the Sword Sage’s direct disciple: the Sword King.

And finally, the ultimate gate of the Sword King Mausoleum.

Thump!

If a key is required, this has to be it.

His eyes scanned the intricate, maze-like carvings etched across the surface of the iron door.

Sure enough, there was a circular indentation that matched the exact dimensions of the orb.

It rested in the dead center of the right leaf of the double doors.

Why on earth didn’t I realize this sooner?

There was no time left for regrets.

Right now, Adu was desperately risking his life to buy him precious seconds.

“Get off me, you filthy piece of trash.”

Blood-Eye’s expression grew twisted with deep disgust as he glared at the charging Adu.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Hands wreathed in lethal blood qi battered relentlessly against Adu’s skull, yet the giant refused to break his hold.

“I won’t let you pass! I won’t let you!”

“Do you truly care so little for your life that you wish to die first?”

Five fingernails sharp as razor blades converged into a single point of dark qi.

Blood-Eye thrust his hand directly toward Adu’s throat.

“Guhk!”

The golden flames parted as the razor-sharp tips embedded themselves deeply into Adu’s neck.

Blood-Eye wore the grim expression of an enraged demon as he pushed his hand further inward.

Inch by agonizing inch, the deadly nails burrowed deeper into flesh.

“Ami… ta… bha…!”

Adu, hold on just a little longer!

The heavy iron door did not open simply by slotting the orb into place.

Even so, Baek Yang-hui instinctively understood what additional step was necessary.

Reaching deep into his nearly depleted dantian, he sought out the core pellet of pure qi and began drawing it forth.

Ordinarily, this energy blended seamlessly into the flow of Harmonious Heaven qi during circulation.

This time, however, he concentrated every ounce of his willpower to isolate and extract pure qi alone.

Whoosh—

The iron orb, once merely holding the residual energy, began to glow fiercely as it filled to the brim with newly drawn pure qi.

Click!

Intricate lines of pure qi swirled across the surface of the orb, rapidly spreading outward to network across the entire face of the iron door.

A moment later.

Rumble, screeech.

It worked!

Baek Yang-hui’s gaze swept across the interior revealed behind the parting doors.

It was a relatively compact chamber, roughly three jang wide and tall.

At the very center of the room rested a resplendent golden coffin.

Suspended and sealed directly above it hovered a single sword—one far redder than fresh blood.

This sword…!

Why in the world is it locked away inside the Sword King Mausoleum? This blade is without a doubt—!

“The sacred relic!”

Blood-Eye’s shrill, piercing scream echoed from behind him.

At the same exact time, the sounds of violent, explosive impacts accelerated outside.

There was no time left to hesitate, think, or look back.

Right now, there was only one thing to do—

That blade was undoubtedly secured in place by the iron orbs.

A total of eight orbs were embedded into the surface of the coffin in a precise Eight Trigrams formation.

It was clearly designed to seal away a weapon that naturally radiated such a horrifying blood aura.

He rushed forward toward the coffin, reaching out to yank two of the eight orbs free—

Click! Click!

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION [Passing it on to the descendant!] A majestic voice—so overwhelmingly grand that it felt capable of shaking the entire sky—suddenly echoed deep within Baek Yang-hui’s mind.