The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 166

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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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Red Dragon Martial Emperor, Episode 166

Chapter 166 — Heirs of the Blood Demon

The gap widened with each moment that passed.
No matter how exceptional one’s Lightness Technique, pursuit of Yi Hwan was never a simple task.
Papa was no different.
There was therefore no fear of being caught. Yet Yi Hwan wished to confirm their identities.
[Toward the dense forest!]
[Yes!]
At Yi Hwan’s direction, Papa altered course. A short distance further, a forest thick as jungle appeared before them.
Yi Hwan deliberately slowed his pace.
In an instant, the distance to the Blood Ghost Disciples narrowed to within twenty paces.
Crack!
As they entered the forest, branches made proper running impossible, so Yi Hwan and Papa leapt above the canopy. The Blood Ghost Disciples followed them up into the treetops.
Yi Hwan surveyed the terrain ahead.
Not far off lay an extremely narrow, deep gorge.
[We enter the gorge. Maximum speed, Papa!]
[Yes!]
Moments later, Yi Hwan and Papa passed into the gorge.
[To the left cliff wall!]
Pine trees jutted from the cliff face on the left, their roots breaking through stone. Undergrowth scattered the area, making it ideal for concealment.
Just after Yi Hwan and Papa climbed to that vantage, the Blood Ghost Disciples entered the gorge below — a hairsbreadth of separation. They did not rush blindly inward but began to scan their surroundings with sharp attention.
Yi Hwan and Papa watched from their hiding place, breathing without sound. Papa spoke.
[Shall we attack?]
[Wait until I give the order.]
[Be cautious. Their true abilities are entirely unknown. The odds are very high that what we see is not all they possess.]
[Understood.]
Then it happened.
One of the Blood Ghost Disciples fixed his gaze upon the place where the two were hiding. In that moment, Yi Hwan caught sight of the crimson aura swirling within the disciple’s eyes.
‘If that is Blood Demon Energy…’
They must surely be heirs of the Blood Demon. To confirm it with certainty, however, he would have to see their martial arts in action. He had witnessed Blood Demon Energy before.
That time it had been identifiable by sight alone, yet these Blood Ghost Disciples possessed something similar yet different. Seven orbs of light coalesced at Yi Hwan’s fingertips. He contained them there, hidden from the enemy’s view.
“Spread out and check the perimeter!”
“Yes.”
Another Blood Ghost Disciple leapt toward Yi Hwan and Papa’s position. Simultaneously, seven points of light shot forth from Yi Hwan’s fingertips.
As the Blood Ghost Disciple rocketed upward, crimson radiance erupted around him. A barrier?
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
The seven projectiles struck the crimson barrier and dissolved.
“Here!”
The Blood Ghost Disciple cried out urgently.
But his words did not continue. Papa’s blade pierced straight through his chest.
Thud!
“Gah!”
Any ordinary master would have died instantly. Yet the Blood Ghost Disciple, even as he fell, delivered one final stroke toward Papa.
Papa twisted her body in midair and returned to her position. Remarkably, fresh blood now stained her forearm — the Blood Ghost Disciple’s parting attack had grazed her.
Thump!
Those who had scattered now returned.
Before them lay the Blood Ghost Disciple, brought down by Papa’s blade. His body convulsed once, then went limp. The crimson light filling the eyes of the remaining Blood Ghost Disciples deepened.
One of them spoke in a cold murmur.
“So the poison master also had some skill with the blade.”
At those words, Papa’s eyes flashed with inner light. Relief dawned in her gaze. She had been anxious about her true nature being revealed.
Papa turned to look at Yi Hwan. Then she stiffened. The aura emanating from him as he gazed down upon the Blood Ghost Disciples was far from ordinary.
[What troubles you, Grand Prince?]
[Have you heard of the Blood Demon?]
[If you speak of the Blood Demon from two centuries past, I have certainly heard of him.]
[These are his heirs.]
“……!”
Yi Hwan knew for certain that the Blood Demon Energy existed the moment the Blood Ghost Disciple unleashed that final strike toward Papa. No matter how time and space might shift, he could never forget the martial techniques of the Blood Demon.
Unbidden, the face of Seo Nam Wang Zhao Yun surfaced in his mind.
‘How many disciples has that man gathered to continue the Blood Demon’s legacy?’
It was then.
“Let’s see how long you can hold out from there.”
One of the Blood Ghost Disciples called out coldly.
Moments later, another disciple behind him released a carrier pigeon skyward.
[They’re calling for reinforcements. If we delay much longer, we’ll be in danger, Grand Prince.]
Papa’s voice carried an edge of urgency.
[Stay calm, Papa.]
Yi Hwan glanced upward. Though the angle was nearly vertical, jagged rocks protruded at intervals—enough to make the climb feasible.
[We’re going up. First, steady your breathing.]
[There’s no time to waste.]
[Don’t worry. They see us as culprits in a poison assassination case. They won’t risk climbing up, at least not recklessly—not with poison at stake.]
[……I understand.]
Papa began to control his breathing, all the while marveling at Yi Hwan’s composure and clarity of mind.
‘You continue to astound me.’
Wheeee!
Wind swept fiercely through the gorge, tearing viciously at the air around both men.
Shhh!
As pines and underbrush thrashed and the two figures swayed with them, Yi Hwan withdrew a bottle of liquor from his robes and drank. Then he hurled it toward the Blood Ghost Disciples.
Crack!
One of the disciples swept his hand through the air, and a wave of energy shattered the bottle to fragments.
Yi Hwan sprang onto the undergrowth.
The face mask he wore meant his identity would not be revealed. And since his face had been exposed during the chase, he would have no choice but to wear a different face mask going forward.
“Quite skilled for a youngster.”
“Since when does poison care about age?”
“What purpose did you have for harming so many people?”
“Your master disgusts me.”
“Reckless whelp. We’ll see if that mouth of yours still moves so freely very soon.”
“Go and tell your master this: from tomorrow onward, he’d better watch every drop of water he drinks, every breath of air he takes.”
“……!”
“Until next time, then.”
Yi Hwan surged up the cliff face, and Papa raced after him.
“They’re fleeing!”
The other Blood Ghost Disciples moved to surge upward but were held back. Their commander, his expression grim, shook his head.
“Have you forgotten the poison? If we climb, we’ll be the ones to suffer.”
“But…….”
“I’ll take responsibility for what happens next. Now obey.”
“……Yes.”
Having settled his subordinates, the commander gazed upward at Yi Hwan and Papa, now climbing to a dizzying height, and slowly bit his lip.
‘Did he calculate all of this from the start? Did he plan to scale that cliff even in such a desperate moment?’
Now he understood.
The height was impossible for any ordinary man to reach, yet the jutting rocks scattered across the face made the impossible possible. Still, he could not give chase.
The poison was one concern, but Papa’s martial prowess—evident in how he had killed one of their own—was not something to dismiss. If that figure were to employ Poison Technique from such heights, the likelihood of losing his life to Papa’s blade while attempting to dodge was extremely high.
“If we return empty-handed, there’s no avoiding the Crown Prince’s censure. Can you accept that?”
“He altered direction twice while suspended in midair. With a master of such caliber covering his retreat, if we attempt to pursue using poison to slow their movements, could we possibly hope to handle it?”
“…….”
The commander turned around.
“We’ll pursue them from another direction.”

* * *

Yi Hwan and Papa emerged from the gorge and plunged into the forest, their exhausted bodies struggling to move.
No matter how profound a master’s inner strength, depletion brings labored breath and fatigue—no different from any ordinary warrior.
“Apply the Gold Wound Medicine first.”
“It’s just a graze. I’m fine.”
“Tend to your body. For the Crown Prince’s sake, if nothing else.”
“……Understood.”
Papa sat down, removed his upper garment, and applied the Gold Wound Medicine to the wound. Then he tore a strip of cloth into a long, thin bandage and bound it tightly.
“May I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“How did you know they were descendants of the Blood Demon?”
“I take some interest in such matters.”
“Could Seo Nam Wang be involved as well?”
“He is also a descendant of the Blood Demon. In fact, I’d say there’s a very high chance he’s the leader.”
“……!”
Papa’s eyes widened in shock.
Yi Hwan continued calmly.
“Your Crown Prince was unlucky. To have an uncle fierce as a tiger, and for that uncle to be a Blood Demon descendant of all things—no one else could have withstood it.”
Yi Hwan narrowed his brow as he pressed on.
“You sensed nothing suspicious all this time?”
“Seo Nam Wang never ventured north of Kunlun Region until he revealed his true nature. Moreover, he has paid tribute faithfully every year and offered greater support than anyone whenever the kingdom faced celebrations or sorrows. Thus neither the Imperial Household nor the Court suspected his loyalty. As for his martial arts, we believed he had simply learned the Imperial Palace Martial Arts like other princes—we could never have imagined he inherited the true lineage of the Blood Demon.”
“The Emperor didn’t know either?”
“No, Your Highness. Had His Majesty known, he would have eliminated Seo Nam Wang long ago.”
Yi Hwan had a fairly clear sense of it now.
‘He must have spent his years perfecting the Blood Demon’s martial arts in the western lands, keeping himself deliberately obscure.’
What remained unclear was how Zhao Yun had inherited the Blood Demon’s true lineage in the first place.
If he had been descended from the Blood Demon line all along, the Emperor—sharing the same bloodline—should have had some connection to it as well.
A soft chuckle escaped him.
‘Unless he was also reincarnated, like me.’
The thought brought an involuntary smile to his lips.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s nothing.”
Yi Hwan’s gaze fell on Papa’s arm. Though bound tightly with cloth, blood had already seeped through, staining the surroundings crimson.
‘That was a magnificent move. Changing direction twice in mid-air is no small feat—’
He found himself thinking that Papa might well be a master of a higher realm than he’d witnessed so far.
“We should head into the city now.”
“Change your face mask first.”
A short time later, Yi Hwan and Papa, having switched to a fresh face mask, descended from the forest into the marketplace district. They purchased new clothes there and changed, then set out for the Imperial Capital of Zhao Kingdom, where the Martial Arts Tournament would take place.

* * *

Bamboo Forest—a village ringed on three sides by dense groves. Yang Chan emerged from it with a low sigh.
“Sigh…….”
He had escorted the village elder back and reunited with the townspeople. They all lived lives worse than slaves, and that reunion had been agonizing for Yang Chan.
Anger welled up inside him.
The compensation money promised when he was exiled to Bamboo Forest had never arrived—that was the root of their destitute condition.
Yang Chan made a resolve.
He would bring back several times what they were owed. And he would make those responsible for their suffering pay the price. That was why he was now heading toward the Imperial Capital.
Whoooosh!
The wind began to pick up.
Once Yang Chan had left the villagers’ sight, he unfurled his Lightness Technique.

* * *

A twitching of muscles.
“You’re saying they slipped through right before your eyes?”
Zhao Yun’s eyebrows slanted in anger. Cold sweat trickled down the back of the man reporting to him.
“The criminals’ martial power is beyond imagination, Your Highness. We dared not intercept them and were requesting reinforcements when they escaped down the cliff face.”
“Did they employ poison?”
“They did not use poison, it seems.”
“Of course not—they didn’t even try to fight. There’d be no reason for them to resort to poison. Still, two criminals and both of them masters of unimaginable skill…….”
Zhao Yun’s gaze grew distant and dark.
Silence hung for a moment. It was the middle-aged official, who had been watching quietly, who finally spoke.
“Shall I dispatch additional masters, Your Highness?”
“Before that, there’s something else I need you to do.”
“What would that be?”
“Spread word that the criminals number not two, but dozens—and that every last one of them is a master. Make sure the court ministers hear of it as quickly as possible. Do it now!”
“May I ask your reason, Your Highness?”
“I’ll explain later. Move now.”
“Understood.”
The middle-aged official left with the warrior who had delivered the report.
A meaningful smile played at the corners of Zhao Yun’s mouth.
‘Why didn’t I think of this sooner?’

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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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