Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 101
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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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Third-rate Martial Arts Family, Greatest Under Heaven – Episode 101
Pitch-black darkness, and a pair of crimson eyes gleamed.
Simultaneously, a coarse and turbid voice tore through the silence.
“Hogyodaejoo.”
A figure emerged, cutting through the darkness.
Though obscured by shadow, I could discern a form grotesquely inhuman in shape.
“Your Eminence.”
“How proceeds the preparation to offer greater blood for the grand cause of our glorious sect?”
The grotesquely-shaped figure known as Hogyodaejoo knelt on one knee.
“I have eliminated the source of the rumors and dispersed false information through our disciples. None shall approach Baek Su-san any longer.”
The pair of crimson eyes narrowed, as if smiling with them.
“You said over a thousand souls were trapped within the tomb?”
“Indeed, Your Eminence.”
“Hehehehe. Excellent.”
The crimson eyes flickered, as though blinking.
“All shall be offered to our sect… the great Blood God Blood Cult.”
The Blood God Blood Cult—one of the three heretical sects that would later trigger the great calamity of heterodoxy.
The Sixth Bishop, Hyeolanra, felt a satisfaction he had not known in ages.
The Blood God Blood Cult possessed forbidden techniques to strengthen the spiritual power of its disciples through human blood, flesh, and souls.
By offering a thousand sacrifices trapped within the tomb, the sect’s grand design would draw ever closer to fruition.
Moreover…
‘The Blood God shall surely favor this wretched servant all the more.’
Mere imagination sent a thrill akin to carnal pleasure coursing through my entire being.
‘If only the great one would permit this insignificant creature to lick his feet.’
A thousand sacrifices. All of them martial artists trained in the martial arts.
Their souls would become demons, their blood essence would nourish the dantian, and their corpses would be fashioned into hopping corpses.
Thus, all would be offered to that great one.
“Hogyodaejoo. Tell me the precise date.”
“Yes. Your Eminence need only arrive approximately seven weeks hence.”
The time the sacrifices had been trapped within the tomb. The duration needed for them to exhaust all provisions and lose their strength to hunger and despair.
Seven weeks hence was the perfect moment, considering all factors.
“In my judgment, it would be prudent to allow somewhat more time for safety’s sake…”
“Should we do so, the quality of the sacrifices would deteriorate severely.”
“Indeed, Your Eminence.”
At times like these, I lamented the absence of the Ghost Slave who had vanished years ago.
Had that creature, blessed with an innate constitution to freely command demons, still been present, the work could have been completed far more swiftly.
“Good. Exercise caution. Do not neglect surveillance.”
“I obey. Save for the brief period when I departed to handle the rumors, constant watch has been maintained.”
Hyeolanra slowly closed both eyes and interlaced her hands.
Nails long and sharp as to seem inhuman drew blood from her own fingers.
The sensation of blood droplets forming slowly and flowing down.
A droplet suddenly flew upward and floated through the air, landing on Hyeolanra’s tongue.
“Mmm.”
It had been so long since I tasted blood. I could drink my fill and satisfy my hunger.
‘The Bishop has been waiting far too long.’
A lowly creature like me could never presume to understand the will of such a great one, yet the wait had been interminable.
So much so that I dared to act independently, interpreting his intentions in my own way.
So much so that I failed to notice my own rationalizations, telling myself that everything was for his sake.
Savoring a single drop of blood for an eternity, Hyeolanra fell asleep once more.
Seven days and nights passed thus.
“Bishop.”
The Sixth Bishop, Hyeolanra, opened his eyes. It was not the voice of the Hogyodaejoo that awakened him, but the vital essence contained within it that made his body respond.
“Has the time come already?”
“Yes, it has.”
Upon opening his eyes, a crimson light flashed.
Hyeolanra exhaled slowly.
Strangely, his breath carried such a vivid redness that it was clearly visible even in the darkness.
“Awaken, my servants.”
The crimson breath rippled outward through the darkness.
With each wave, eyes gleamed and the silent space filled with the sound of breathing.
“Let us go.”
“We shall follow.”
Hyeolanra rose to his feet.
His first venture outside in thirty years.
He stepped forward.
His robes, crimson as blood, billowed behind him.
Ten fingernails, each over a foot long, gleamed menacingly.
“….”
“….”
Hundreds of martial artists followed in his wake.
Or could they even be called martial artists?
Their complexions were as pale as corpses, their eyes dead and black.
Some bore wounds that should have been fatal, yet instead of bleeding, black ichor clung to them like scabs.
“Bishop. We shall arrive shortly.”
The distance from Hyeolanra’s, the Sixth Bishop of the Blood Divine Sect’s, hidden chamber to Jie-shou and Baek Su-san was not far.
In fact, it was precisely because of this proximity that today’s operation could be planned.
“Hmm. There it is.”
As a rough and turbid voice echoed forth, the martial artists following behind came to an abrupt halt in unison.
They had responded to the spiritual essence contained within that voice.
Hyeolanra gazed fixedly at the circular opening, a hollow void through which the bottom could not be seen.
“The scent of blood… truly exquisite.”
Below, there are sacrifices waiting.
Prey so exhausted that they need not even be prepared—I can simply devour them as they are.
“Come now, let us descend.”
“Yes, Bishop!”
Led by the Hogyodaejoo, all the Blood Sect disciples plunged downward without a moment’s hesitation through the gaping opening.
Hyeolanra also lifted her body with unhurried grace.
Whoooosh!
The ground rushed closer with the sound of wind.
In that instant, Hyeolanra sensed something amiss.
“Bishop! Something is terribly wrong!”
Even without the Hogyodaejoo’s cry, I could discern it.
With eyes to see, one could not help but perceive what lay within.
“What? It was real?”
“We did well to trust the letter’s contents.”
“We thought they’d starve to death, but since we threw them provisions, we had no choice but to believe.”
“So these horse bastards are the ones who set this trap for us?”
Hyeolanra descended slowly, her long crimson silk robes fluttering, her distinctive blood-red eyes sweeping across her surroundings.
The sacrifices.
Rather than lying in a state of hunger and exhaustion ripe for consumption, they stood vigorous and alive, forming an encirclement.
“….”
The corners of Hyeolanra’s mouth curved upward.
“How amusing.”
* * *
The Bishop was the Bishop, but I could not abandon the chance to make fools of the Namgung Family Members.
So I proceeded with the original plan as intended.
In other words, I threw a wrench into the plans of the Namgung Family and the Shaman.
“Food is falling from the sky!”
“You idiot! It’s not the sky—it’s the ceiling!”
“Anyway, dried meat is raining down instead of water!”
“Are you seeing things because you’re so hungry…?”
“No! I can taste it!”
Baek Do, waiting for the Black Faction to grow hungry and exhausted.
The Black Faction, needing to strike Baek Do before their strength completely failed and seize the provisions.
When the standoff between the two reached its critical point, I scattered dried meat and rations I had prepared in advance from above to below.
“Hehehehe, I was just waiting for those Black Faction bastards to tire out, but now it’s all for nothing? Hehehehe, how delicious, you bastards!”
The faces of the Namgung Family Members, especially Namgung Cheon-hu, filled with bewilderment—I could picture them clearly.
It’s a shame I can’t see that sight up close.
“Chu Dal. Isn’t it fun just imagining it? We keep pouring supplies to maintain the standoff, and meanwhile we slip away with the treasures of Geomwang Tomb.”
“Well, it does sound entertaining. But isn’t it all pointless now?”
“Still, thinking about those Namgung bastards getting furious gets me excited.”
“Elder Brother, you seem to hate the Namgung Family with unusual intensity.”
You’d understand if your neck got cut off in a past life, you fool.
No, wait. It was your neck that got cut off.
“Anyway. Let’s start mixing letters with the provisions and scatter them.”
The letters contained a brief explanation of the situation.
[The Demonic Faction set a trap using false information about Geomwang Tomb as bait.]
[When the trapped Martial Artists grow weary from hunger and their strength fails, the Demonic Faction will emerge and slaughter them all.]
[With righteous hearts, I risked my life to bring provisions, so do not fight each other, and when the Demonic Faction enters, seek your revenge instead.]
That was roughly the content.
“I actually expected them not to believe it.”
“And they’re not believing it?”
“There’s no particular commotion, and they don’t seem agitated about it.”
“They’re making rational judgments. Look—they’re just digging the ground earnestly.”
Now that they’re aware of a third force’s existence, they understand that fighting each other is a loss.
So they dig away either to escape, or despite the false information that Geomwang Tomb is a trap, they cannot abandon their greed for treasure.
‘By the way, Elder Dang is… still the same.’
I approached Dang-gun.
“Elder Dang.”
“Ah, Younger Brother Hwi.”
“Do you still think you should have revealed yourself directly and given a strong warning about the Demon’s attacks?”
“…Yes. I think that would have been the right path.”
But if I had, calamity would have befallen both the Tang Family and the Baek Family Estate.
I’m not sure which of the three sects it is, but the hidden forces’ power is at least strong enough to suppress rumors throughout the nearby region in one fell swoop.
In other words, the moment my identity is revealed, I could become a target of the heretical sects.
I must move quietly in the shadows and extract maximum benefit and advantage.
While righteousness mattered, my first priority had always been the Main Residence.
“I’m sorry. But I’d appreciate it if Elder Dang would yield on this matter.”
“I understand that your judgment is correct, Younger Brother Hwi. It’s just… my heart is troubled.”
Chu Dal looked at Yang Hwi with surprised eyes.
‘The greatest elder brother under heaven… apologizing over something so trivial?’
Just as he inexplicably despised the Namgung Family Members, Yang Hwi showed an oddly weak side toward Dang-gun.
“Anyway, Younger Brother. Looking at the direction those bastards are digging, it seems they’ll find the corridor soon.”
“Yes. We should resume our exploration of Geomwang Tomb as well.”
To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, instead of moving together, they decided to leave one person behind to watch the cave entrance.
Of course, Adu was excluded from the surveillance duty.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
After descending through the opening and landing in the corridor.
They began moving eastward instead of westward where the iron poison-soaked robes were located.
Thanks to their thorough vigilance, they could detect the trap the moment it appeared.
“A kind of poison corridor.”
A hallway slightly wider than the passage, teeming with snakes and insects everywhere—all of them venomous creatures carrying poison.
Dang-gun and Dang-yeon caught one snake and one insect each alive as a test.
“Hmm. Their condition is excellent.”
“Elder Brother, I want to take all of these creatures back to the Main Residence. After spending hundreds of years eating each other and breeding, their toxicity is no joke.”
I gazed at the hallway.
Based on the number of venomous creatures and the length of the corridor, it seemed impossible to pass through without being bitten even once.
“Elder Dang. If we do get bitten, would an antidote be possible?”
“I’ll have to ask Yeon-yeon about that. Her mastery of poison techniques surpasses mine.”
Dang-yeon’s expression brimmed with confidence.
“What do you take the Tang Family’s antidote techniques for? With my dantian’s poison core and poison technique application, plus the medicinal herbs I brought, it should be entirely possible to detoxify. Of course, I’ll need sufficient time.”
Dang-yeon promptly retrieved the antidote herbs she’d brought from the luggage and began combining them in various ways.
In any case, it was possible.
So then, using the cave entrance as the reference point, the first gate was the iron poison-soaked robes, and the second gate was the poison corridor.
What was the significance?
I was thinking such thoughts for a moment.
Thunk, thud-thud, thunk.
The sound of stones falling from very far away.
By the rhythm, it was definitely a signal from Chu Dal, whom we’d left behind.
“Return immediately!”
Without hesitation, everyone simultaneously launched themselves back toward Chu Dal.
Shortly after, all six of us lined up and poked our heads through the rock crevice.
“Huh? A demon!”
Adu’s face twisted into a menacing scowl as he forced his massive frame through the narrow crevice, producing sharp cracking sounds that echoed through the space.
“Hey, hey!”
“Keep quiet! And stay still.”
“Damn it…!”
“Alright. I’ll let you beat them all later. So just hold on for now.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I like beating up Madu too.”
After barely calming Adu down, I fixed my gaze downward once more.
A bow and quiver adorned in crimson silk, draping long across the wearer’s robes.
And not merely human—nails that gleamed like crimson awls.
The moment I identified the grotesquely-shaped Hogyodaejoo standing beside them, I grasped their true identity.
‘Hyeolanra.’
The bastard leading the sixth faction among those blood-crazed beasts.
“Haha.”
“Younger brother. Why do you laugh?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
There was a reason for my laughter, though.
Simply one I couldn’t speak aloud.
The reason was simple.
‘So you’ve come seeking death of your own accord again, you bastard.’
Because.
The blood cultists of the sixth faction led by Hyeolanra were those very bastards who had already died by my hand in my previous life.
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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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