Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Taoist Hyuncheon and I did not enter the village through the main gate. Instead, we went into a dilapidated building at the back of the village. Taoist Hyuncheon led me further into the building to a well. When he opened the well cover, a ladder led down into it. Clearly, this was an artificially constructed area, so I looked at Taoist Hyuncheon.

“What’s this?”

“This village was probably inhabited by people of noble lineage. They would have created these underground passages for emergency escapes. I stumbled upon this secret tunnel while investigating the village’s affairs.”

“Where does this underground passage lead?”

“It leads to the mansion of a certain warrior family. Of course, that place is now a den for the fanatics.”

“……”

I could easily guess what happened to the noble family that created the tunnel. They probably never got the chance to use it and were killed in an attack by the fanatics. We descended the ladder and used a torch soaked in oil to light our way. The tunnel stretched for about two li, and after a while, another ladder appeared, leading upwards.

Thud

Climbing up, we found ourselves in a ruined, desolate indoor space.

‘The smell of blood is intense here.’

This was the well of a large kitchen in the mansion’s outskirts. Bloodstains and pieces of flesh scattered around the place suggested a gruesome slaughter had occurred. I looked around to see if there was anything valuable and slipped a gold bird statue into my bag.

“This isn’t the time for that. We should leave before the fanatics discover us.”

“If it’s just a couple of them, can’t we knock them out?”

“The monsters here are too powerful. We can’t risk being discovered before we execute our plan.”

Shiiik!

Taoist Hyuncheon and I cautiously exited the kitchen. Around the mansion were bodies of fanatics, whose heads had been blown off last, likely by Taoist Hyuncheon’s martial arts when he used this passage. When I glanced at him, he cleared his throat.

“There were too many of them last time. I had to eliminate them to make future passage less troublesome.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Boom!

Upon encountering two fanatic men blocking our way, Taoist Hyuncheon instantly killed them using his Distant Palm Strike. He showed no hesitation, apparently concluding that there were no innocent people left in this village. Judging by how effortlessly he destroyed their heads with simple force, his level of cultivation was notably high.

“Let’s move on. The stench of blood here is unbearable.”

“……”

As we left the mansion, we spotted two or three villagers who looked like fanatics wandering aimlessly, wielding hoes and large kitchen knives. We managed to hide before they could spot us, but my heart was pounding.

‘What’s with these guys? Why are they carrying human heads?’

It became clear what Taoist Hyuncheon had meant by “madness”. One man was tenderly holding a young girl’s head against his chest, while another was dangling a dead middle-aged man’s head from his belt. This was a scene unimaginable in the moral framework of the outside world.

Droplets of blood fell from the heads they were carrying, and their vacant expressions while searching for prey were chilling.

I felt a bit nauseous but that was it. I had experienced my fair share of hellish battlefields, so I wasn’t easily shaken. As I observed the fanatics, Taoist Hyuncheon spoke.

“These people may possess rationality, but they’ve been completely brainwashed. They operate solely on the command to kill outsiders. If you encounter them, don’t hesitate to eliminate them.”

“Understood.”

“Also, these people don’t seem to feel pain, so it’s better to target their limbs and heads first.”

“……”

I made a face of utter annoyance. This was because Taoist Hyuncheon, a high-ranking martial artist from a noble faction, was nonchalantly talking about severing limbs and heads. But his words were earnest, leading me to gradually accept that this place was a living hell.

This village had many alleys between buildings, making it quite a bustling place. It was suitable for moving quickly to avoid the fanatics and infiltrate the area. Between walls, there were occasionally madmen lying on the ground, eating human flesh. Each time, I quickly stomped on their heads and burst them open. If the fanatics detected an enemy, they were known to let out a strange scream, so if need be, I would swing my sword and cut their heads into several pieces.

The village was soaked in the color of blood.

*Shiik!*

“This is quite tough,” I muttered as I hid on the second floor of some bookstore. It seemed like I could relax here without worrying about the fanatics for a while. Following me with lightness skills, Taoist Hyuncheon pulled out a small bottle from his robe and offered it to me.

“This is a Heat-dispelling Dew. Drink some if you’re tired. It will help restore your energy.”

“It’s alright. More importantly, I can see the altar now.”

The altar was about one li away from where we were hiding in the bookstore. It was a large stone structure in the shape of a pillar at the central square of the village. Right below the pillar was an altar where humans were sacrificed. That was where the mysterious enemy was said to appear.

‘The fanatics are incredibly strong. Even I could be torn to pieces if I let my guard down.’

The fanatics weren’t particularly martial artists; they simply screamed and flailed their limbs or weapons around to attack. But they were incredibly strong. Earlier, when bursting open the head of a fanatic, I had a chance to briefly grab his arm. Even though I had elevated my internal energy, I still had to tense my muscles slightly.

Each one had strength comparable to a world-class martial artist!

At that level, ripping apart the human body alive would be nothing to them.

This was also the reason why, even if one was a master, they shouldn’t allow these creatures to approach.

Taoist Hyuncheon looked at the altar with sharp eyes and said,

“Remember this. If a monster appears, don’t think about fighting. Run. I have a feeling that it’s not something a human should deal with.”

“That’s the plan,” I said, leaning against the wall as I took a breather.

“What will you do if we fail to kill the monster today?”

“Hmm… I plan to run as well, but afterward, we’ll have to leave it entirely to the authorities. If I mobilize all my influence, the government troops will eventually take action.”

“Couldn’t you have waited for that from the start? Why are you taking such a risky approach?”

To this, Taoist Hyuncheon replied with bitterness.

“If the army is deployed, this village can certainly be subdued. However, not a single villager will survive.”

“Do you believe, Taioust, that if only the Flute Demon is killed, the villagers will return to normal from their state of fanaticism?”

“Indeed. They are victims. While it’s unfortunate that they got involved in this nightmare, it’s not a reason for them to die. We must save as many lives as possible.”

“……”

I remained silent.

‘Isn’t it the same?’

I had witnessed the madness of this village firsthand. They had already performed numerous human sacrifices, parents had killed their own children, siblings had killed each other, and lovers had cannibalized one another. If those who had become fanatics were to be freed from the influence of the flute, could they ever return to a normal life?

Rather, the very act of living could become a horrific hell. The current state, where they are mindlessly being controlled, might even be happier by comparison.

However, I didn’t voice these thoughts to Taoist Hyuncheon. We were on the verge of a risky plan that required our utmost focus. A pointless debate would be unhelpful.

Taoist Hyuncheon spoke.

“The sun will soon be overhead.”

“Shouldn’t we get closer?”

“Hmm… Try to get within thirty zhang of the altar.”

“Alright.”

Swoosh!

Taoist Hyuncheon and I swiftly moved from pavilion to pavilion. As we approached closer to the deeper parts of the village, the number of pavilions increased, making it easier to infiltrate. Of course, fanatics wielding axes or knives would occasionally spring from nowhere, but we couldn’t have come this far if we were going to be stopped by such attacks. We neutralized them one by one and moved forward.

Finally, we approached within thirty zhang of the altar, which now appeared clearly in our sight. Seeing its appearance, I scowled.

“How gruesome… it’s completely stained in red.”

“Devilish fiends.”

Taoist Hyuncheon shivered anew. The large altar, originally made of white marble, had turned entirely red due to the many human sacrifices. Fanatics were loitering around it with vacant eyes, and their numbers were steadily increasing. They would probably gather around the altar by noon.

I grew anxious.

“Wouldn’t it be better if we could get even closer?”

“That might be too risky.”

As Taoist Hyuncheon said, this seemed to be the closest we could get. Stepping even a foot outside of this building would put us in the midst of a sea of fanatics. Once the plan commenced, we would have to attempt to assassinate the Flute Demon from this spot.

Then, it happened.

Screech—

A strange noise echoed. Simultaneously, the eyes of the thronging crowd at the village square focused on one point. The point they were looking at was the altar in the very center.

Amid the gaze of hundreds, even thousands, our target finally appeared.

‘Is that him?’

The Flute Demon!

Emerging from behind, he climbed up the altar step by step. He was covered entirely in brown clothes, obscuring even his face and limbs to the point where it was impossible to determine his gender. He took a black flute out of his pocket and began to play.

Screech— Screech—

“……”

I felt the timbre of that flute was strange. It wasn’t a specific pitch, but rather a piercing, extremely thin qi sound. It was using this soundwave to turn people into fanatics and control them.

Of course, I could sense the influence of internal energy, but to me, it was merely uncomfortable at this point. As I was scratching my ears, Taoist Hyuncheon softly spoke.

“This is a sound technique designed to suppress the spirit. If you gather your internal energy, you won’t fall under its illusion.”

“I understand.”

“The bastard will soon draw his sword to perform a human sacrifice. Make your move then.”

A contradiction—drawing the sword is weaker than when playing the flute.

The reason why one should move at that moment was because Taoist Hyuncheon, through his experience, knew that while the Flute Demon was playing, the fanatics gathered in the plaza became more ferocious, faster, and brutal. The flute sound not only controlled the fanatics but also made them even more agile and strong.

Taoist Hyuncheon and I poured an immense focus on every move of the enemy. We readied our energies as if touching them would set them off.

Moments later, some fanatics carried the [sacrifice] to the altar, laying there like dead fish. The Flute Demon seemed ready, stopping his flute playing and slowly took out a short knife from his robes, approaching the sacrifices.

“Now’s the time!”

Whoosh!

Taoist Hyuncheon and I sprinted from the tower as if plummeting, using our lightness skills to cut through the wind. I hit the ground first, and at that moment, focused all my internal energy into a shaking leg technique.

Boom!

As my leg hit the ground, the earth beneath shattered, sending the nearby fanatics flying from the impact wave. Once they started falling, they piled up, creating a domino effect like a receding tide. The path to the altar was cleared with this single move.

Taoist Hyuncheon sent me a message.

[Thank you! I’ll definitely cut off that bastard’s head!]

It seemed he was truly grateful. After all, even with his peak-level martial arts, breaking through this crowd of fanatics was highly dangerous. Thanks to my unparalleled internal energy, he gained significant leeway.

Whoosh!

Taoist Hyuncheon used his unparalleled lightness skill, Cloudstream Pursuit, to shoot forward. In less than three seconds, he was in front of the Flute Demon, who just stopped his knife and turned around.

Simultaneously, Taoist Hyuncheon’s ultimate technique, Mysterious Heavenly Divine Sword Technique, shot out like a flash toward the Flute Demon’s back. I saw this while knocking out about ten fanatics with my Thunder Cloud Palm.

His Sword Qi was flickering.

It was shimmering with blue light.

‘Sword Flame!’

Taoist Hyuncheon was also a master who had transcended the initial peak stage, capable of making his Sword Qi ripple like fire.

In a completely vulnerable state, Taoist Hyuncheon’s Sword Qi was about to slice the Flute Demon through its back!

Even if one was an elder from the Iron Blood Gate, they couldn’t avoid a fatal wound in that situation. I was confident we had won.

Swoosh!

Screech!

“……!!”

In that instant, I saw an unbelievable sight.

Two men in black suddenly appeared next to the Flute Demon, swinging their swords at the last moment to block Taoist Hyuncheon’s Sword Qi.

“Ugh.”

“As expected.”

“However, it seemed like a rather unexpected attack for them as well. Despite being in a 2v1 situation, the two men in black robes staggered back, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths. Only after retreating three steps could they regain their balance. By that time, one of them had already hidden the flute-playing man behind his back.

“What?!”

Taoist Hyuncheon exclaimed in disbelief.

Though Taoist Hyuncheon had gained the upper hand, that wasn’t the problem.

The fact that just two men had fended off a full-powered attack from him!

It meant that the martial arts of these two men in black robes far surpassed that of a peak expert. Moreover, the technique they used to block his Sword Flame was the fabled Combined Attack Technique.

By combining their inner energy and capabilities, they effectively countered a much stronger opponent! It was a secret technique taught only within esteemed martial houses.

One of the men in black robes, who was standing on the right, wiped the blood from his mouth and spoke. Judging by the nosebleed, there seemed to be a significant skill gap between him and Taoist Hyuncheon.

“So it’s you, Taoist Hyuncheon. When the urgent dispatch orders came, I wondered what was happening. Never expected one of the top-ten experts from the Wudang Sect to come.”

“Who are you guys?”

The man standing on the left answered the question.

“It’s unfortunate that we meet under these circumstances. You won’t be leaving this place alive.”

Oooohhhh…

Aaaahhhhh…!!

The fanatics I had thrown into confusion started to go berserk. The effect of the flute had been severed and they were like broken puppets. The flutist hiding behind the men in black robes started playing again. At this rate, we’d have to fight against these enhanced fanatics to the death!

With thousands of these madmen!

‘Damn it!’

I cursed inwardly.

Though I wouldn’t easily be captured and killed by the fanatics, the real problem was right in front of me.

Squeeeek…

Shh, shh, shh…

[^@*#^*&!*$!&^$^&!$^&…..]

And then an indescribable grotesque noise emanated as formless demons rose. The demon had a body as big as two walls, looking like liquid but dotted with hundreds of eyes and tentacles, spreading an aura of darkness as it slithered.

“Damn it! Let’s go!!”

I yelled towards Taoist Hyuncheon, who didn’t hesitate and immediately rushed towards me. Then, the man in black robes sneered.

“You think just the two of us came to deal with Taoist Hyuncheon?”

Whoosh!

Clang!

As Taoist Hyuncheon and I tried to reorient ourselves by leaping onto a higher platform, eight more men in black robes suddenly appeared, wielding their swords. Among them were those armed with strange weapons.

Their stance alone was enough to tell.

They were martial artists trained for a long period as elites!

Taoist Hyuncheon was infuriated.

“These wicked men!”

As he spoke, his Sword Flame dispersed into the air. The materialized sword energy flew like a gust of wind, severing the throats of two men. In his fury, Taoist Hyuncheon struck the chest of another with a palm strike.

In the blink of an eye, he had killed three of them. However, in the next moment, when the remaining three attacked him, he hesitated and couldn’t move forward. Astonishingly, these three men were fighting equally against Taoist Hyuncheon.

Clang! Clang!

The scene was so shocking that I lost myself for a moment.

‘What… What is this? Where did these experts come from?’

It was truly surprising. Among the three men in black robes who were fighting against Taoist Hyuncheon, one was even using Sword Qi. They were expert-level fighters, formidable enough to stand on their own in any region, yet here they were, fighting alongside other elite fighters against Taoist Hyuncheon.

“Hmph.”

“You there, we’ll kill you.”

Two men dressed in black approached me and surrounded me. Although I couldn’t quite gauge their skill level, I glared at them menacingly and drew my sword. One of them threw an iron-copper weapon aiming for my head, but I took out my short dagger and wrapped it in chains.

“Huh?”

“Peu-eok”

“Do I look easy to you?!”

While one of them was bewildered, I charged and crushed the chest of the other with a front kick. Then I charged again at the one wielding the iron-copper weapon, and unleashed a sword strike.

To be honest, I had been taking a beating for a while, so I was worried about how effective this attack would be.

“Kwa-gwang”

“Aaaaaah!!”

My worry was unfounded. The man who was using the iron-copper weapon was hit head-on by my attack and exploded due to the thunder spirit-qi on my blade. His torso was torn into pieces and he let out a final scream. He seemed to be a first-rate expert in martial arts, but he couldn’t even withstand my attack.

One punch, one kill!

After I took down the two, the three who were fighting Taoist Hyuncheon looked shocked.

“Ah, no.”

“Who is that guy?”

I know this is not the place to make grand declarations. Taking the chance to escape is more important than showing off like a typical martial artist. So, I said nothing and charged like a wolf, unleashing a series of sword strikes.

‘Let these bastards die!’

“Ka-gang! Kkang!”

The sounds of metal clashing rang out. Taoist Hyuncheon and I were fighting three of them, but the balance of power was shifting to our side. The men in black seemed flustered by the unexpected situation and couldn’t display their true abilities.

“Ha-ap!”

Shwi-chek

“Keo-eok.”

Taoist Hyuncheon seized the opportunity to quickly unleash a sword flame at the weakest of them, causing instant death.

“This damned…”

The peak-level expert in black, who was using sword energy, seemed to decide it wasn’t working and retreated with his minions.

Ku-woong… Ku-woong…

At that moment, the monster seemed to notice us and began to approach. Hundreds of eyes and tentacles began to move, making the scene terrifying. Taoist Hyuncheon spoke urgently.

“They speed up all of a sudden! Run!”

“Damn it all!”

I screamed as I jumped off the platform with Taoist Hyuncheon. A building that was six stories high collapsed due to a body slam from one of the monsters.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

We heard the sound of three monsters chasing us, destroying everything in their path. I used all my strength to run. The fanatics scattered here and there were crushed by the monsters and utterly destroyed. They were like rampaging demons.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

“Uaaaaaaaah!!”

I felt like vomiting from the horror of this unprecedented escape. I had a bad feeling from the start, but I never expected things to get this twisted. I also began to understand why Taoist Hyuncheon said we couldn’t face ‘monsters’ with human strength.

Crash!

Another building collapsed due to a body slam from the monsters. A large dust storm enveloped the village.

“Uk, euk, noooo!”

I let out a final scream.

My last memory was of my body being torn apart by a body slam from one of the monsters. My consciousness faded away so quickly that I couldn’t even feel the pain.

That was my fourth death.