Tang Sowol, who had arrived a little late after hearing the news from Seorin, trembled at her fingertips.

“Brother Cheon?!”

She hurriedly cradled Cheon Hwi, who was lying on the ground, and quickly checked his condition.

His breathing, pulse, and qi circulation were all normal.

But for some reason, his eyes remained closed, as if in a deep sleep.

That made the situation even more serious.

It meant that Cheon Hwi’s unconscious state was beyond anything she could resolve.

Tang Sowol felt as if someone had grabbed her heart—her shock was that intense.

Then she noticed someone who had already been checking on Cheon Hwi before her.

A middle-aged man holding an iron fan, deep in thought.

It was Zhuge Bu, strategist of the Murim Alliance and younger brother of the Zhuge Clan Head.

Perhaps he too had rushed over from being with the Alliance Leader—his appearance, usually tidy, was now slightly disheveled.

Cheon Hwi, a Flowering-Stage master, was perfectly fine physically yet could not regain consciousness.

This wasn’t something that could be solved by medicine.

Considering the eerie energy exuded by Blood Demon even now, Tang Sowol concluded it must be sorcery—or something of equal severity—and opened her mouth to speak.

Hoping for even a single thread of hope.

“Strategist Zhuge… Is Brother Cheon alright? Just what is happening right now…?”

“I don’t know the details either. But what I do know for certain is that this elder did something to the White Moon Sword Lord. Fortunately, thanks to those three risking their lives to fight, we were at least able to retrieve his body.”

Tang Sowol gritted her teeth, forcing her emotions down.

But that alone wasn’t enough—she lifted her head high.

As if refusing to let a single tear fall from her eyes.

Maybe it was thanks to raising her head that she saw Seol Lihyang approaching at high speed using light footwork, having been cultivating apart due to her martial arts.

How was she supposed to explain the situation to Seol Lihyang?

That they were already too late?

That they didn’t even know what to do to save Cheon Hwi?

Grit.

The suffocating sense of helplessness struck her.

Tang Sowol bit her lip to suppress it, then looked in the opposite direction.

There stood Blood Demon, who was presumed to have caused Cheon Hwi’s condition, surrounded by the Murim Alliance Leader, Seorin, and Tang Jincheon, all attacking relentlessly.

No matter how skilled Tang Sowol was with poison that could bring down even a Flowering-Stage master, this was a battlefield she couldn’t hope to intervene in.

The Alliance Leader’s clothes were slightly tattered—unbecoming of his position—but his well-trained muscles swelled beneath.

As if expressing his sense of betrayal with his body.

“You were hiding your strength, Elder? Then why would you commit such a monstrous act?!”

“Amitabha, monstrous? That’s rather harsh, Alliance Leader.

I merely wish to help as many as possible reach the bliss of the Pure Land. The White Moon Sword Lord understood my intentions and volunteered with a joyful heart.”

“I see words are wasted on you.”

The Alliance Leader, wielding his aged cudgel like a storm, unleashed blows imbued with power enough to collapse a small pavilion with each strike.

As if to prove his title Righteous Sky Divine Staff, his relentless attacks swept through the surroundings.

As crude as it looked—like someone just beating a dog—it was the Begger Staff Style, and within its wildness lay an intricate mystery that left opponents unable to resist properly.

But Blood Demon, wearing the body of the Diamond Arhat, simply took it all.

He had been born with a superior physique, trained in Shaolin’s brutal external techniques his entire life, then further refined through Esoteric Buddhist methods.

The current Blood Demon possessed a body worthy of being called Diamond Vajra Body.

Due to that unnerving durability, Seorin didn’t use her usual striking-focused martial arts.

Instead, she used a grappling technique meant to entangle her opponent—Golden Binding Techniques.

This naturally led to close combat.

Unlike her usual self, Seorin’s expression was cold and emotionless as she pressed Blood Demon hard.

“Reveal how to awaken Cheon Hwi. That is your only chance for a peaceful death.”

“How can one call back someone who has already departed to Paradise? And is it truly right to pull someone from the Pure Land back into this impure world? Reflect once more, White-Haired Rakshasa.”

“I cast aside that name long ago. And whether you answer or not changes nothing. I’ll find out one way or another. Let’s see if you can say the same once every bone in your body is broken.”

Seorin’s blood-red eyes flashed sharply, and her limbs accelerated to several times their previous speed.

Thunder Heaven Divine Art.

A technique that burned everything at once with no thought for what came after—now expressed not through a sword, but her arms and legs.

In the blink of an eye, her fingers entangled and untangled six or seven times, her arms moving unpredictably in an effort to lock down her opponent.

She disrupted Blood Demon’s balance by pushing at key moments using palm strikes.

Though Blood Demon responded a beat slower, Seorin always maintained the upper hand.

He was already fending off the Murim Alliance Leader, and now Seorin too.

It was only natural that he was being overwhelmed.

No matter how perfect Blood Demon’s enlightenment and body were, even a Flowering-Stage master couldn’t easily handle two others of the same level simultaneously.

Yet, though he was constantly pushed back, Blood Demon didn’t fall.

That was due both to his hardened body and the fact that he repeatedly slipped free from Seorin’s grapples using bizarre, unorthodox movements.

It was a grotesque and exhausting battle destined to continue until one side collapsed.

But the delicate balance ended here.

Tang Jincheon, who had been wary of Blood Demon’s strangeness, finally began to move—using refined versions of the deadliest poisons, not just ordinary ones.

“You bastard! You dare lay a hand on a member of the Tang Clan?! You’ll learn firsthand what that means! Not even a scrap of your body will remain—you’ll be reduced to poisonous ash!”

From Tang Jincheon’s sleeve burst clouds of toxic mist in various hues.

It was shocking enough that he could release multiple poisons at once without mixing them.

Even more shocking was the identity of the poisons:

Formless Deadly Poison: Colorless, odorless, and tasteless, known for its subtle lethality.

Seven-Step Soul-Chasing Poison: A deadly toxin that kills before one can take seven steps.

Bone-Melting Powder: Doesn’t affect blood or organs, but melts flesh and skin.

Heaven-Slaying Immortal-Abolishing Poison: Said to shred the dantian into a thousand pieces.

Each of these was so rare and deadly that, under normal circumstances, they’d spark a bloodbath in the Murim if left unattended.

Yet now they floated casually in the air.

Blood Demon, unable to dodge due to fighting both the Alliance Leader and Seorin, was immediately enveloped and coughed blood.

“Kuhak! As expected of the Poison King. That’s quite the potent brew.”

“Tch. Still breathing even after all that? Fine. I’ll keep spraying it until you die.”

Tang Jincheon’s sleeves fluttered again.

Having achieved complete transformation into a poison master, he could recreate any poison from memory as long as he had inner energy.

And since he manipulated poison with willpower, there was no fear of harming allies.

The ideal form of a poison arts practitioner.

Though it took a bit of time to prepare, now that he had enough, the toxic mists spread continuously.

Blood Demon didn’t die instantly only because his martial arts were fundamentally Buddhist. And—

Jingle—

He was using the Demon Bell to periodically expel the poison aura.

Even so, he couldn’t completely free himself from the combined assault of three Flowering-Stage masters.

Despite his Diamond Vajra Body, his limbs were now fully bound, and he was slowly, but surely, being poisoned from within.

Blood Demon would die here.

That much was certain.

The only issue was how long it would take.

But for Blood Demon, that was enough.

The Diamond Arhat’s body was exceptional, but it couldn’t compare to Cheon Hwi’s, whose Heavenly Martial Body shone with talent.

“At this point, I’ll just hide my identity and start over. With the Tang Clan becoming the strongest in the world, I’m lucky. I’ll just claim memory loss from the side effects of sorcery.”

Once a person falls completely under the Demon Bell’s influence, they become a vessel for Blood Demon. Part of their memories are also transferred to him.

Thanks to this, he’d been able to hide while pretending to be the Diamond Arhat for quite some time. This time would be no different.

He just needed to stall for time.

No matter how special the new body was, as long as it was already at Peak Stage, he’d recover his power within a year.

Zhuge Bu began drawing a formation around Cheon Hwi, as if making a last-ditch effort.

Blood Demon sneered inwardly at what he considered a meaningless attempt.

The Demon Bell, forged with the previous owner’s entire being, wouldn’t be disrupted by such a makeshift formation.

“By now, he should’ve completely assimilated into the Pure Land that the bell shows… Well, it doesn’t matter. No matter how great a martial artist, no one can fully detach from their own desires. It won’t take long.”

His body, inside and out, continued melting and regenerating.

While his nerves were intact, every blow snapped bones and brought searing pain.

Yet, Blood Demon wore a faint smile, like a statue of Buddha.

He had long transcended the body.

This level of pain was entirely bearable.

***

Zhuge Bu, as if struck by an idea, began drawing a complex line with his iron fan around Cheon Hwi.

He glanced around, then poured out ominous-looking talismans and items from his pouch.

Looking to Tang Sowol and Seol Lihyang, who had just arrived, he spoke in a serious tone.

“Miss Sky-Winged Poison Phoenix. If you want to save your fiancé, could you help me? You as well, Miss Pure Sound-Frostflower—I’ve heard you’re close with the White Moon Sword Lord…”

“Of course! I’ll help however I can!”

“What do you need me to do?”

The moment they realized there was something they could do, Tang Sowol and Seol Lihyang snapped to attention.

Zhuge Bu pointed to the items he’d poured out.

“I need you to place these in specific locations. First, the jade qilin…”

While continuing to draw complex lines, he began listing off positions.

Tang Sowol and Seol Lihyang moved swiftly, anchoring each item in place.

Thanks to their coordination, the formation was completed quickly.

As the surrounding flow of energy shifted, Zhuge Bu let out a short sigh.

“Phew… I can’t wake him, but this is a formation that allows me to touch his heartscape. It might fail entirely. And even if it succeeds, all I can do is convey a few words…”

“Still, we have to try.”

“A fine answer. Then lastly, we need an item with a deep connection to the White Moon Sword Lord. As his fiancée, surely you have one?”

“An item… with deep ties…”

Tang Sowol thought for a moment.

Soon, a sweet pink liquid shimmered in her palm.

“That is…”

“It’s the poison I once used to save Brother Cheon. A toxin that must still remain somewhere in his body.”

“That will do nicely. Leave the rest to me. Place it on his chest.”

Tang Sowol silently nodded and placed her hand over Cheon Hwi’s chest.

Her affection seeped into his heart.

And then—

“Ah…”

A flood of rage, despair, hatred, regret, killing intent, and self-loathing surged back into her heart.

At that moment,

Tang Sowol truly touched Cheon Hwi’s hell.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep