Reincarnation of the Blood Demon - Chapter 41

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Bloodfiend’s Transmigration
Chapter 41
What could you possibly do?
One of the Nine Great Sects: the Kongtong Sect.
An ancient school said to have descended from Guangshenji, the great sage of antiquity.
There exists a theory that during the Tang Dynasty, Bi Hong-ja unified and systematized the martial arts and Daoist cultivation methods of Kongtong Mountain to found the sect; but even so, its lineage traced back at least a thousand years, making it one of the most illustrious schools of all.
Long before the Blood Heavenly Demon Cult even existed, this orthodox faction had taken root in Gansu Province, and its leaders had spent centuries standing at the frontlines to suppress the Blood Cult.
Just as they were doing now.
“Hear me, you Blood Cult scoundrels! What is your purpose in extending your claws to Xinglong Mountain Fortress?”
“Come out and face us directly!”
A line of martial artists surrounded Xinglong Mountain, radiating a sharp and formidable presence.
Though not numerous, each one emanated a refined Qi Aura. Emblazoned on their chests was the inverted Taiji symbol.
‘The Kongtong Sect……!’
Through a crack in the wall, Ma Hyeoljin recognized them at once, releasing a silent gasp.
He had done everything possible to keep word of the assault on Xinglong Mountain Fortress from spreading, yet the Kongtong Sect’s intelligence network had apparently noticed the disturbance anyway.
Not that this encounter was entirely unexpected. His scouts had already detected their approach; indeed, the very boldness of their movements had left no room to conceal the path. If anything, that was what made him more anxious.
‘……There is no retreating now.’
If they were still some motley rabble holed up in Namhwa County, that might be one thing—but now they were the Jeok-un Group united under the Three Dukes, Jeok Un-hui.
The warriors of the great Blood Heavenly Demon Cult must not be seen fleeing from their enemies in fear.
It was not a matter of mere pride, but of standing.
If word spread through the Jianghu that the Blood Cult had turned tail and retreated before the Kongtong Sect, the other schools would no longer fear them.
‘And within the cult itself, the Jeok-un Group’s position would be utterly finished.’
For a faction so newly formed, such a display would be catastrophic.
That was why, knowing the Kongtong forces would come, they could not withdraw; and now that the enemy had reached Xinglong Mountain, retreat had become impossible even if they wished it.
‘Master, please arrive quickly. I’m begging you!’
Ma Hyeoljin swallowed hard and swept his gaze across the assembled warriors.
All wore similarly grave expressions. And every member of the Jeok-un Group was watching him—for with neither Jeok Un-hui nor Ju Yi-gyeom present, he stood as acting leader.
‘What a damnable situation……!’
He wanted to reach back into the past and strangle his own younger self, the one who had been so pleased about making a profitable investment.
But that feeling lasted only a moment.
“Have you lost your nerve?”
The taunt came from beyond the gate, loaded with emotion, and Ma Hyeoljin’s face twisted in response.
“These bastards think they can just…….”
How dared these self-righteous orthodox hypocrites attempt to pressure the Blood Cult?
Ma Hyeoljin was a Blood Cultist through and through, and his blood boiled. He gritted his teeth and spoke.
“Open the gates. I will face them directly.”
A Jeok-un Group member, his face set with resolve, threw open the fortress gates, and at last the warriors of the Kongtong Sect and the Jeok-un Group stood face to face.
“……!”
Among the men, their hands resting warily on their sword hilts, an elderly figure with hair white as snow stepped forward slowly.
“I wish I could say it’s a pleasure to meet you……but I fear I cannot be so dishonest.”
The old man’s Qi Aura was utterly unremarkable—if anything, the Kongtong warriors around him radiated a far sharper edge.
And therein lay the danger. For an elder commanding the elite of the Kongtong Sect to be ordinary was unthinkable.
Which meant only one thing.
‘He has achieved Return to Simplicity and Restore Truth.’
Return to Simplicity and Restore Truth.
The equilibrium of the triple dantian achieved such harmony that not even the slightest wisp of energy escaped outward.
In other words, proof that one had reached the Supreme Master realm.
“This humble Daoist is called Hyeon Won, disciple of Kongtong Mountain.”
The introduction, delivered with casual indifference, struck home.
Because Ma Hyeoljin already knew this name.
“……Cloud-Piercing Sword.”
Cloud-Piercing Sword—Hyeon Won.
An elder of the Kongtong Sect renowned for swift bladework, and a Supreme Master.
He possessed martial prowess that ranked among the very highest of the Kongtong Sect, and his appellation was known far and wide throughout the realm.
“Embarrassing as it is to bear such a title. And you are?”
At Hyeon Won’s inquiry, Ma Hyeoljin answered, struggling to conceal his nervousness.
“Acting leader of the Jeok-un Group, Ma Hyeoljin.”
“Jeok-un Group? I’ve never heard of it.”
Ma Hyeoljin offered no particular response, and Hyeon Won chuckled and nodded slightly.
“Well, I suppose that’s not the important matter. Let me ask again: why did you assault Xinglong Mountain Fortress?”
Hyeon Won’s piercing gaze fixed directly on Ma Hyeoljin.
The pressure emanating from him seemed negligible on the surface, yet something beyond mere appearance seized him in its grip.
He clenched his teeth and replied.
“It is a matter of our sect’s internal affairs. Bandits stirred up trouble, and we suppressed them.”
“Then why didn’t you simply withdraw?”
“This place is excellent for cultivation. We remained for that reason alone. There is nothing more to it.”
“Cultivation, I see…….”
Hyeon Won’s eyes, which had been observing Ma Hyeoljin with apparent interest, suddenly turned cold.
That alone was enough.
Rumble—!
The air grew heavy, and a crushing pressure swept across the surroundings.
“You expect me to believe that?”
……!
Ma Hyeoljin’s body trembled as he met the pressure head-on.
The members of the Jeok-un Group immediately reached for their weapons, but Ma Hyeoljin quickly raised his hand to stop them.
Thick tendons stood out along his clenched jaw as he endured the pressure.
‘Damn it, and I’ve been rolling around here for four months……!’
During the hellish training at Xinglong Mountain, Ju Yi-gyeom had initially seemed unremarkable, but now he revealed his true colors without warning.
It meant that not only ordinary members, but every captain of the Jeok-un Group—in other words, the sect masters of the minor branches—had to endure the same infernal training.
Whenever anyone dared object, he would invoke Jeok Un-hui’s name, leaving no room for protest.
Ma Hyeoljin especially, serving as acting group leader, had suffered even harsher treatment under the pretext that he needed to grow stronger.
‘If I can’t even overcome mere pressure, all that suffering means nothing!’
Ma Hyeoljin’s shoulders, which had begun to bow, straightened once more. Blood vessels strained across his eyes under the crushing weight, yet his gaze remained sharp.
“Hmm…….”
Hyeon Won regarded him with surprise, and Ma Hyeoljin, who had managed to hold firm, opened his mouth to speak.
“If you will not believe—”
At that moment.
Boom.
A single, heavy footfall shattered the entire flow of the encounter as someone burst through.
“If you will not believe.”
A fierce-looking man in a crimson robe swept aside the very Qi Aura that Kongtong Sect Elder Hyeon Won had unleashed, now standing before them all.
“What do you think you can do?”
Xinglong Mountain.
The master of the Jeok-un Group had arrived.
* * *
……!
The atmosphere shifted once again at this unexpected entrance.
The Kongtong Sect martial artists who had been surrounding Xinglong Mountain Fortress instinctively stepped backward, and into the space they created, Jeok Un-hui walked in with leisure.
“You are—”
“It’s been a while, everyone. Did you miss me?”
Jeok Un-hui cut off Hyeon Won’s question at once, and his gaze turned toward Ma Hyeoljin and the members of the Jeok-un Group.
An air that suggested he had no regard whatsoever for the elder of some second-rate sect.
He surveyed his people carefully.
‘Hmm.’
Compared to when he’d last seen them, the Qi Aura they emanated hadn’t changed dramatically.
This was natural, given how little time had passed. Besides, he had instructed them to focus on physical conditioning rather than inner cultivation.
What Jeok Un-hui took note of, then, was the attitude of the Jeok-un Group.
They stood without retreating even before an elder of a major sect, their determination visibly steeled. It was evidence that four months of hellish training had borne some fruit.
“Well, the fire in their eyes isn’t half bad.”
When a smile finally crossed Jeok Un-hui’s lips, the entire Jeok-un Group raised their fists in unison.
“We pay our respects to the Group Leader!”
Relief washed over their faces, which had grown rigid with tension. The submissiveness that had consumed them vanished, and their morale blazed anew.
The tide of battle had reversed with nothing more than the arrival of Jeok Un-hui himself.
A flicker of interest crossed Hyeon Won’s eyes as he observed.
“So you are the Group Leader?”
To outward appearance, he was yet a boy not even in his twenties.
How a man in his late teens had managed to captivate the ferocious warriors of the Blood Heavenly Demon Cult was a mystery.
“Might I ask your name?”
At Hyeon Won’s curious gaze, Jeok Un-hui answered briefly.
“Jeok Un-hui.”
Hyeon Won’s expression hardened in an instant. Among the Blood Cult’s warriors, only those of the Blood Demon’s blood could bear the Jeok surname.
‘Did a Duke involve himself directly? Is there truly something to this?’
The circumstances left no room for doubt.
‘The likelihood that it was merely a dispute, as we’ve heard, is low. If anything, territorial expansion? Yet Xinglong Mountain Fortress has long served as a breakwater between the main sect and the Blood Cult. There’s no reason to strike them outright….’
While Hyeon Won sank into contemplation beneath a mask of impassiveness, Jeok Un-hui twisted his lips into a sneer and laughed mockingly.
“Your thoughts seem quite tangled, it appears.”
“…….”
“There’s nothing difficult to understand here. Bandit vermin dared to make a move against our Cult, and they paid the price. What’s unclear about that? Didn’t Ma Hyeoljin explain?”
“But that──.”
“You can’t believe it. I understand.”
If the Blood Cult were truly playing some sinister game, it would be catastrophic.
And yet.
“Let me be clear.”
His gaze, cold and penetrating, flew toward Hyeon Won and pinned him in place.
“What can you do if we don’t believe you?”
“……!”
“What, will you wage war against our Cult? It matters nothing to us…… but to you?”
For the first time, Hyeon Won’s expression—previously composed throughout—hardened visibly. Because there was no flaw in what he said.
The Kongtong Sect was indeed counted among the foremost orthodox schools, but it was not strong enough to stand alone against the Blood Cult.
‘If we truly had confidence, we would’ve simply pressed ahead with our interrogation and to hell with the rest.’
The very fact that nine sects’ elite, accompanied by a Supreme Master, stood facing the Jeok-un Group proved it.
The pressure they’d applied was nothing but a battle of intimidation.
They could never strike at the Blood Cult first.
The moment they attacked the Blood Cultists here, war would erupt, and its only outcome would be the Kongtong Sect’s annihilation—they knew this.
Jeok Un-hui pressed on, his mockery unrelenting.
“Indeed, you ought to be thanking us for cleaning up those bandits. Why did you allow those thieving scoundrels to run rampant in the first place? Were you that frightened of the bandit chief? Where did the spirit of the orthodox sects go?”
“……Control your tongue. Your words overstep.”
Hyeon Won’s face had gone rigid, his voice sharp as a blade.
He could not strike the Jeok-un Group first, true—but if the other side provoked him this far, the calculus changed.
To hear such words from an elder of the distant generation and let them pass unchallenged would be as if the Kongtong Sect itself had fallen to shame.
His eyes grew cold as frost. His weathered hand moved toward the sword at his waist.
“Do I seem to you one who cannot draw his blade?”
A killing intent far removed from righteousness—sharp as a sword’s edge.
The Kongtong Sect’s distinctly practical Qi Aura.
Yet Jeok Un-hui had orchestrated this entire exchange.
“One piece of advice.”
Without hesitation, a blade as sharp as a wolf’s fang slid from its sheath.
“Warnings are only given between equals in power.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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