Chapter 441

Chapter 441 – The Land and Rivers Are Stained with Blood (1)

"Eeek! Shut up."

Unable to contain his rage, someone burst into angry roars and charged forward. He was precisely Jin Mu-yeong the Peerless Sword, Wudang Sect's greatest prodigy and one of the Nine Martial Dragons.

After being miserably defeated by Dam Ho, Jin Mu-yeong had locked himself in seclusion practicing. His efforts during that time weren't in vain, achieving remarkable attainment.

Thinking he could now fight Dam Ho once, Jin Mu-yeong saw Wi Gang-hwi's appearance as a perfect opportunity to test his martial prowess.

Swish!

The air screamed as Jin Mu-yeong's sword cut through it. His blade instantly reached right in front of Wi Gang-hwi's face.

It was Taiji Sword, Wudang Sect's supreme sword technique.

After painstaking effort following his defeat to Dam Ho, Jin Mu-yeong's Taiji Sword reached a realm where he could contain tangible energy within his blade.

Never in Wudang's history had anyone at Jin Mu-yeong's age mastered Taiji Sword to this degree. Jin Mu-yeong didn't doubt this single move could inflict grave injury on Wi Gang-hwi.

Indeed, his sword pierced through Wi Gang-hwi's chest.

Delight appeared in Jin Mu-yeong's eyes.

'Got him.'

The sensation in his hand and blood spurting before his eyes gave him certainty.

Then it happened.

"Danger, Mu-yeong!"

"Behind you!"

Suddenly urgent voices from Wudang elders echoed through the hall.

Jin Mu-yeong's eyes widened. Wi Gang-hwi's form pierced by his sword was disappearing like a mirage.

'That was an illusion?'

In that moment, a chilling voice came from behind him.

"The youngster is quite brave. But you need to develop better judgment of opponents."

It was Wi Gang-hwi. He had suddenly appeared behind Jin Mu-yeong like a ghost.

Only then did Jin Mu-yeong recall Wi Gang-hwi's epithet was Phantom Demon Emperor.

Bang!

"Kurk!"

Then Jin Mu-yeong tumbled forward from a great impact to his back, allowing Wi Gang-hwi's palm strike. Though he hastily raised protective energy to shield his body, he couldn't avoid the shock that shook his internal organs.

"Are you alright, Mu-yeong?"

"How dare!"

Elders and first-generation disciples helped up Jin Mu-yeong tumbling shamefully on the floor while protecting him.

Master Cheong-heo's face looking at Wi Gang-hwi hardened like stone. While others were too enraged about Jin Mu-yeong's defeat to notice, he somewhat perceived what sophisticated technique Wi Gang-hwi used to get behind Jin Mu-yeong.

'Shape-shifting combined with principles of Immobile Divine Steps? Truly ghost-like.'

Actually, Wi Gang-hwi had deployed Phantom Shadowless Steps. Phantom Shadowless Steps, which occupied an opponent's back without presence in an eyeblink, even contained principles of ground-shrinking, making it closer to spatial displacement steps.

Master Cheong-heo sent telepathy to Yeon So-ha.

—Today seems likely to bring more harm than good. So-ha, when fighting breaks out, go outside and evacuate the young disciples.

—What? But…

—Do as I say.

—Understood.

Reluctantly Yeon So-ha answered. She slipped outside while everyone's attention focused on Wi Gang-hwi.

Right after Yeon So-ha left Zisao Palace, Master Gwangseong, one of the previous generation elders, stepped forward.

"The Demon Cult's lackey has gone mad. Daring to crawl into a pure Taoist sect on your own."

"'Pure Taoist sect' doesn't seem to suit Wudang."

"What?"

"What's pure about those who prioritize their sect over righteousness? Rather more faithful to desires than secular humans. If that's a pure Taoist sect, abandon it. The word 'pure' wasn't created to be used so cheaply."

Wi Gang-hwi's words became sharp daggers stabbing the Wudang Taoists' hearts. They never dreamed they'd receive such rebuke from a Demon Cult demon. That's why it hurt even more.

Then Wudang's sect leader Master Cheong-wol stepped forward.

"I can no longer listen to a demon's sophistry. Phantom Demon Emperor, you made a grave mistake."

"What would that be? I want to hear."

"Entering Wudang's heart alone. I acknowledge your courage and ability, but many Wudang masters are here. No matter how heaven-shaking your martial arts, you cannot face us all."

"Who said I'm alone?"

"What?"

At Wi Gang-hwi's answer, Master Cheong-wol felt his blood run cold.

Instantly dozens of old men suddenly appeared behind Wi Gang-hwi. At the appearance of these people each emanating extraordinary presence, Wudang elders involuntarily groaned.

At a glance, over dozens emanated presence comparable to Wi Gang-hwi. The fact that no one noticed until such people appeared at Wudang's heart was itself a great threat.

Those standing behind Wi Gang-hwi were precisely Cult Protection Division.

They were retired frontline survivors from the Demon Cult where the strong respect strength.

The eyes and postures of those who survived countless life-death boundaries still conveyed the bearing of the strong.

"It seems today Wudang's sky will be stained with blood."

Master Cheong-heo shook his head stepping forward. Though previous generation elders existed, Master Cheong-heo was still Wudang Sect's face.

Swoosh!

He drew his sword. Then admiration appeared in Wi Gang-hwi's eyes. Befitting a strong man who looked down on the world, he recognized Master Cheong-heo's strength.

"You are Master Cheong-heo."

"Thank you for recognizing me."

"Anyone would recognize Hubei's First Sword. Because you differ from the chaff gathered here."

Words disparaging all Wudang personnel except Master Cheong-heo. But no one easily objected. Because the Protection Division's presence behind Wi Gang-hwi was that intense.

Clang!

Then Master Cheong-heo discarded his scabbard. Instantly the Wudang martial artists' expressions in Zisao Palace hardened. Not one didn't know what Master Cheong-heo's action meant.

Discarding the scabbard meant not thinking of retreat.

The world's Hubei First Sword had stepped forward to fight risking his life. Only then could they understand with what mindset he stepped forward. Cold wind blew in their hearts.

"Chyaaat!"

That moment Master Cheong-heo charged at Wi Gang-hwi swinging his sword.

His attack signaled the clash between the Demon Cult's Protector Directors and Wudang Sect's leadership.

The moment the world's Wudang Sect was swept by the Demon Cult's fierce storm.

The damage Wudang Sect suffered that day was truly tremendous. Two-thirds of the elders died or were injured, and survivors bore wounds large and small making movement impossible.

Only because Master Cheong-heo fought heroically did it stop at that; otherwise more would have died. But as payment, Master Cheong-heo suffered grave wounds making movement impossible.

The damage wasn't all. Five previous generation elders lost their lives, and especially many first-generation disciples died. Martial artists attending Zisao Palace's meeting were prodigies Wudang Sect valued highly.

Such prodigies weren't common, and even if they existed, mastering Wudang techniques to the deceased first-generation disciples' level required at least decades.

For Wudang Sect, this was a great blow difficult to recover from easily.

The consolation was that Yeon So-ha evacuated young disciples avoiding the worst. Still, Wudang Sect inevitably entering decline for the time being was a fait accompli.

After turning Zisao Palace into ruins, the Cult Protection Division leisurely disappeared. Wudang Sect organized pursuit teams to hunt them but only suffered greater damage.

The problem didn't end there. With Wudang Sect suffering great damage, they missed the timing to support the Zhuge Family.

Not long after Wudang Sect suffered the Protector Directors' surprise attack led by Wi Gang-hwi, the Demon Cult's great forces arrived at the Zhuge Family.

Around the Zhuge Family, various mechanical formations were densely spread evoking an iron fortress. Mechanical formations spread over hundreds of years were extremely difficult to break.

Therefore the Zhuge Family judged they could endure sufficiently until support from the Martial Alliance and Wudang Sect arrived. They believed their ancestors' wisdom and overestimated their foundation. But this was the Zhuge Family's miscalculation.

They thought the Demon Cult would hesitate before mechanical formations. But the Demon Cult pushed through with overwhelming forces. Even though many died, they pushed and pushed without caring, destroying mechanical formations.

There's no defense against quantity offense, the Zhuge Family's mechanical formations were the same. Eventually, mechanical formations solid for hundreds of years were ruthlessly destroyed, and the Zhuge Family disappeared from the world.

Until right before annihilation, the Zhuge Family believed Martial Alliance and Wudang Sect support would come, but their faith never materialized.

The Martial Alliance was too distant, and Wudang Sect suffered great damage with no capacity to send support forces.

Meanwhile the Zhuge Family miserably collapsed receiving no one's help.

By inflicting great damage on Wudang Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, and completely erasing the Zhuge Family from the world, the Demon Cult once again displayed overwhelming power.

The world had to feel terror at the Demon Cult's fearsome might far exceeding expectations.

No one, no sect could stop the Demon Cult's northern advance. The Demon Cult thoroughly trampled everything blocking them while advancing north toward Songshan where the Martial Alliance was.

The land and rivers were stained red with blood.

Small and medium sects gave up daring to resist the Demon Cult, and major sects on the Demon Cult's path hurriedly retreated to the Martial Alliance.

No more sects or martial artists blocking the Demon Cult's advance existed. The Demon Cult crossed Hubei Province, which had become virtually ownerless, and entered Henan Province where the Martial Alliance and Shaolin Temple were.

***

At the moment the storm the Demon Cult brought swept the world, Dam Ho was advancing north. His destination was precisely Mount Song where the Martial Alliance and Shaolin Temple were.

Terrible rumors about the Demon Cult swept like plague to where Dam Ho was. People trembled in fear and avoided going out. Thanks to this, streets of villages or cities stopped along the way north were extremely empty.

The people who prospered were precisely merchants.

When the Martial Alliance and Demon Cult clashed, tremendous supplies would inevitably be consumed. Large merchant groups including Divine Flower Merchant Group mostly had a stake in this fight.

That Divine Flower Merchant Group supported the Demon Cult as an outer member was widely known across the world, and other merchant groups also connected with the Martial Alliance or Demon Cult according to their interests.

The Martial Alliance and Demon Cult's collision wasn't just martial artists' war. Merchants, and furthermore countless groups with entangled interests, had their fates hanging on this fight's outcome.

Truly the beginning of a world war.

Though far from the world war, Dam Ho could sense thick blood scent.

In the blowing wind, in people's whispering voices, fear's smell was thickly ingrained. Vitality disappeared from people's faces, and they extremely shrank their bodies.

Many sects that should uphold martial world order locked their doors turning away from the world's chaos.

For them, protecting their sect's safety took priority over resolving the world's chaos. Not wanting to stand forward and face the Demon Cult's storm first was their honest sentiment.

The scene Dam Ho saw while advancing north was that miserable. In the scenery he saw, no proper humans existed. No, martial artists didn't exist.

People were shaking in the mad storm the Demon Cult brought. And the world's chaos was rushing toward its peak. Bandits swarmed everywhere, and plunder ran rampant.

The strong trampled the weak. The powerless had possessions taken, and weak women were violated. Children lost homes and parents wandering the world.

The scenery unfolding before Bang Jin-bo's eyes was also a village swept away by that storm. Smoke still rose acridly from the village, and embers blazed everywhere.

Throughout the ruined village, villagers' miserable corpses were visible. Eyes wide unable to close even in death and pain-filled expressions vividly showed how great the terror they felt alive.

"Brother!"

Bang Jin-bo looked at Dam Ho with a face about to cry any moment. The Namgung brothers were the same.

Still young, the Namgung brothers were actually shedding tears.

"Huuk!"

Especially Namgung Seon-hwi sobbed unable to contain crying. The scene unfolding before their eyes was that horrifying and frightening.

Then it happened.

"Aaaah!"

A woman's tearing scream echoed through the ruined village sky. Bang Jin-bo and the Namgung brothers ran toward where the scream came from as if possessed.

At the well plaza in the village center, dozens of men sat gathered. With bloody weapons beside them, they laughed and chatted while molesting over ten women.

The women were all village women. Their upper garments torn or stripped, they exposed white breasts and fair skin.

"Kuhaha!"

"Excellent."

The men drank liquor plundered from the village while kneading the women's bodies like dough.

Tears flowed endlessly from the women's eyes, and shrill screams burst from their mouths. Women who lost husbands to bandits' attack in one moment could only scream in shame but couldn't bite their tongues to die. Because their children were held hostage by the bandits.

"Any bitch who kills herself, we'll tear her kid to pieces alive and throw them to dogs as feed. So grit your teeth and endure to the end."

The bandit leader shouted with a village woman on each side. Village people's blood still flowed not yet dry on his face.

Seeing that, Bang Jin-bo felt his head go blank. The Namgung brothers were the same.

Nearby, villagers' corpses whose body heat hadn't yet cooled lay scattered. In that midst, bandits were molesting women.

"H-how?"

"Who's there?"

Hearing Bang Jin-bo's voice, the bandit leader shouted. Instantly Bang Jin-bo's eyes rolled back.

"How can people do this to each other?"

Bang Jin-bo's enraged voice echoed through the ruined village.