Chapter 56 : Experts of the Blood Demon Castle (4)

Chapter 56: Experts of the Blood Demon Castle (4)

Yong Hwarin moved through the bamboo forest, shifting the stalks with his left hand while swinging his sword with his right.

Whenever both of his feet landed on a bamboo stalk, two enemies would fall simultaneously.

His movements, attacking without ever setting foot on the ground, gliding through the bamboo like a beast on the hunt, resembled a predator darting between stalks in pursuit of its prey.

I remembered the Sect Leader once saying that if one could properly perform the Bamboo Forest Soaring Dragon Steps, it would look just like that.

Mo Biyoung had focused more on sword techniques and had been negligent in her study of footwork.

That was why, more than anyone else, she found Yong Hwarin's footwork breathtakingly beautiful.

The way Yong Hwarin performed the Bamboo Forest Soaring Dragon Steps truly looked like a dragon frolicking through a bamboo grove.

However, to the others, fighting in the bamboo forest was an unfamiliar and awkward experience.

They struggled to attack or defend properly.

The warriors of the Pang Clan, finding the bamboo too obstructive, began cutting down the stalks as they fought.

The martial artists of the demonic path dared not charge in recklessly.

The warriors of the Shangguan and Seomun Clans also attacked, but when the demonic path martial artists slipped away between the bamboo, they cursed in frustration.

To them, the bamboo was an insufferable nuisance.

Even so, they couldn’t help but be amazed as they watched Yong Hwarin moving like a fish in water, effortlessly taking down demonic experts.

Perhaps feeling that his own performance paled in comparison, Pang Giyok drew upon all the internal energy in his body and focused it into his saber.

With each swing, five bamboo stalks were cleaved, and the enemies caught between them were sliced down in an instant.

*

“Shall we begin?”

About a hundred jang away, on a hill overlooking the bamboo grove, ten middle-aged men observed the battle below. One of them turned and asked the golden-robed man watching with composed poise.

“But those ones weren’t part of our plan. Who are they?”

“They were the ones who assisted the Jaegal Clan when we attacked the inn.”

“Then we can leave them be.”

“Yes. Just because a fly gets caught in a spider’s web doesn’t mean it was the intended prey.”

“Then let’s begin. This should be entertaining.”

Embroidered across the golden-robed man’s chest was the elegant red insignia: ‘Blood Demon’.

On each shoulder were the characters for ‘Guard’ and ‘Law’ .

In the current martial world, the only organization that would shamelessly use the blood-soaked name ‘Blood Demon’ was none other than the Blood Demon Castle.

Even demonic practitioners wouldn’t typically refer to themselves as demons. The terms ‘demonic practitioner’ or ‘demonic path’ were labels given by orthodox factions.

Thus, demonic groups rarely used the word ‘demon’ in their names.

In the orthodox martial world, the Holy Heaven Cult of the Three Demonic Heavens was called the Demon Sect, and Dark Bright Valley was known as the Demonic Valley.

But the Blood Demon Castle had declared themselves openly as demonic, using the terms ‘Blood’ and ‘Demon’ in their name, boldly defining themselves as such.

They claimed this was an assertion of their identity.

Over time, the Blood Demon Castle became a symbol of pride for demonic practitioners.

The Blood Demon Castle was structured into Two Courts, Three Assemblies, Four Pavilions, Five Factions, and Six Divisions.

This organizational system was adopted by the other factions of the Three Demonic Heavens to mirror its framework.

Demonic practitioners preferred simple, clearly organized structures over complex hierarchies.

The ten or so middle-aged men gathered here belonged to the Guardian Assembly, one of the Three Assemblies.

Among the Three Assemblies, aside from the Council of Elders, the Guardian Assembly had the most experts.

“Prepare the Blood Dragon Division.”

“By your command!”

At those words, over two hundred warriors revealed themselves behind them. A dense, chilling killing intent rose like a heat haze.

*

Yong Hwarin cut down two enemies and advanced, only for his steps to halt on their own.

A familiar, overwhelming energy—an aura that reacted instinctively with the Demonic Master’s energy—was emanating from the hill.

‘What is this?’

Yong Hwarin had never before sensed such a massive and searing presence. Fear gripped him.

As he realized that the energy wasn’t just from one source but was a single massive mass, his mind reeled. For a moment, he pondered what this force could be, then came to a grim realization.

‘Why is something like that on the hill? Just what kind of aura is that?’

The Demonic Master’s aura quickly processed the sensation in his mind.

When he recognized the enormous energy as pure killing intent, Yong Hwarin spoke aloud the thought he could no longer contain.

“It’s a trap. This is a trap.”

He looked around, but everyone was too absorbed in fighting the demonic practitioners to notice the sinister aura wafting down from the hill.

“Why set a trap? Who’s behind this?”

Muttering to himself, Yong Hwarin was struck by a sudden realization that made his skin crawl.

‘Now I see it. They weren’t just targeting Jaegal Byeok. He was the bait. They figured if they cornered him, the Shangguan Clan, Pang Clan, and Seomun Clan would come to his aid. And they expected the young masters of each clan to accompany them. These bastards came to capture the young masters of the Three Great Noble Clans… or maybe even to slaughter them all.’

As his thoughts unraveled, one question finally made sense.

‘In the future, the organization called the Alliance of the Three Clans never existed. Only rumors of an attempt at its formation remained. That must mean the alliance failed. Could it be that this incident is what caused the clans to suffer a blow and abandon the idea entirely?’

Even knowing that, Yong Hwarin couldn’t figure out how to escape this situation.

If things went wrong, they could all die here.

‘I didn’t come back to die a dog's death.’

Despite the rapidly escalating battle, Yong Hwarin focused on devising a plan. But with no intel on this battle, nothing came to mind.

If those masses of killing intent from the hill descended into the fray, none of the clans gathered in the bamboo grove would survive.

And that included himself and his companions.

The more he thought, the more the outcome looked grim.

Then, he realized there was only one possible move.

If the killing aura on the hill joined the chaos, there would be no more chances.

Yong Hwarin ran to Pang Giyok and asked bluntly,

“Lord Pang! Do you trust me?”

Pang Giyok wiped the blood from his face and replied,

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here, would I?”

“How far does that trust go?”

It was a difficult question. But Pang Giyok could feel the weight behind it.

There was no hint of jest in Yong Hwarin’s face, only a desperate resolve.

“I can entrust you with my back.”

To a warrior, that was the highest praise.

To entrust someone with your back was to say you would trust them, even unto death.

“Thank you, Lord Pang. Truly, thank you for thinking of me that way.”

Though I was truly grateful, there was something I had to do before getting emotional.

“Then listen to me. Right now—gather the Pang Clan’s warriors in that clearing up ahead! Immediately!”

Pang Giyok sensed the urgency in Yong Hwarin’s voice.

And he didn’t hesitate.

“All Pang Clan warriors, gather in that clearing!”

Once the Pang Clan warriors began to move, it was easier to coordinate the others. As they moved, they approached the Jaegal Clan warriors and told them to gather where the Pang Clan was assembling.

And they followed Yong Hwarin’s instructions without a single objection.

Since they had come to rescue Jaegal Byeok and the others, they didn’t question anything and simply obeyed.

Lastly, Yong Hwarin approached Seomun Yuwon and Shangguan Joyoung.

But they just stared at him with expressions that clearly asked, “Why should we listen to you?”

Grinding his teeth at these frustrating fools, Yong Hwarin still spoke politely.

“Please, just this once, listen to me. If not, we will be completely annihilated here.”

At his words, the two looked around the bamboo grove.

The demonic practitioners had already been nearly subdued by the warriors of the noble clans, and those who still resisted were sure to be dead soon.

So Yong Hwarin’s words seemed too disconnected from the current situation—they couldn’t help but be suspicious of his motives.

“We’ll stay here.”

Their refusal to comply out of pure spite ignited Yong Hwarin’s fury.

From their perspective, following Yong Hwarin’s lead was a blow to their pride.

“You stupid bastards! So full of pride and nothing else. Now I get it! You’re the reason this all went wrong!”

Maybe the Three Demonic Heavens had dealt them a heavy blow, but there was no way the Alliance of the Three Clans could have formed with guys like these in charge.

Fools obsessed with pride would never be able to unite with others.

“You bastard! You’ve really lost your mind, haven’t you, you arrogant little mutt!”

At that, Seomun Yuwon glared and drew his blade.

Already annoyed by Yong Hwarin’s very presence, he now intended to kill him on the spot for provoking him.

“Fine! Come at me, you sons of bitches! But if you so much as twitch that blade, I’ll cut you down where you stand!”

A tremendous killing intent exploded from Yong Hwarin’s body, and Shangguan Joyoung and Seomun Yuwon froze on the spot.

‘What? How can he have such presence…?’

This was the kind of pressure they’d only ever felt from their fathers.

Enraged, Yong Hwarin had drawn upon the Demonic Master’s power and released it all at once.

Even the slightest movement, and he was ready to behead them.

The power of the Demonic Master surged with killing intent, choking the two like a vice.

“Come on, then!”

At Yong Hwarin’s cold and fearsome shout, Seomun Yuwon hesitated.

He was torn between fear—the instinct that he would truly die if he made a move—and the humiliation that would haunt him if he backed down.

That’s when Shangguan Joyoung stepped in to mediate.

“Senior Seomun, if the Pang Clan and Jaegal Clan are both gathering in that clearing, then there must be something important happening. Let’s go there first and see. If it turns out to be nothing, then it won’t be too late to punish him.”

He was truly a fitting heir to the Shangguan Clan, with both wisdom and martial talent.

Shangguan Joyoung had calculated that attacking Yong Hwarin now would mean their deaths. After a moment of hesitation, even Seomun Yuwon grudgingly nodded and pretended to go along.

“Fine. But if this turns out to be nonsense, you’ll pay dearly for this humiliation!”

He sheathed his blade and turned toward the clearing.

As Shangguan Joyoung followed, he whispered to Yong Hwarin.

“I’ll remember this disgrace.”

Yong Hwarin let out a scoff as he looked at the two brats.

‘One day, you’ll thank me and kneel at my feet for what happened today.’

Once Yong Hwarin’s group had gathered in the clearing, the demonic practitioners who had been attacking them stopped advancing and instead surrounded them cautiously, hesitant to strike.