episode_0446

*** ***

A carriage heading to Jiangsu.

While Hyeok Gi-rin and Yeo Il-ye were away to meet Master Unjong, Dang Do-yeon opened her mouth.

“Something doesn’t feel right.”

“Well, that’s right.”

Party Soyeol also agreed.

“From our perspective, we knew that the inscriptions were hidden in a way that only people from the blood religion could find, so we can trust the information in the inscriptions to some extent. From the Murim Alliance’s perspective, it was just secret information hidden in the base. It would have been just that.”

Tang Xiaoyeol’s gaze returned to the black cat.

“Don’t you know anything?”

“It is true that the attitude of the Murim Alliance is careless.”

The black cat said something unexpected.

“However, regardless of such carelessness, it is certain that the headquarters of the Blood Cult that we are currently heading towards is a major facility, even if it is not the headquarters.”

“Hoo?”

“No matter how terrible the blood cult is, it still needs supplies. In particular, in order to build a proper base, you need a large amount of wood and metal.”

“Hmm. That’s right.”

“No matter how you obtain wood and other materials, metal has to be supplied from somewhere. Time was so tight that I couldn’t look into it in detail, but due to the flow of logistics, there were quite a few pieces of metal that disappeared from that area. If you add in the amount of smuggling for which information cannot be easily obtained, well, wouldn’t it be possible to make at least one fortress a breeze?”

Well, what was certain was that the Murim Alliance was doing everything it could to figure out the true identity of the blood religion.

Opening.

The number of doors in the world is second to none because the beggars of the open world were not even seen in the Murim Alliance investigation team.

Perhaps all the forces of openness are being mobilized to collect information.

It was already a place that was considered suspicious, but considering that I had placed secret documents of the blood religion on top of it, it may be difficult to criticize the Murim Alliance’s actions as hasty.

The real question was whether or not the blood religion expected that I would discover the secret space and secret documents.

The fact that my group and I were active in Botamun has already been widely spread for a long time. Didn’t you hear about it because it was a blood religion?

The Blood Cult must also have clearly realized that I am completely hostile to the Blood Cult.

In such a situation, I obviously put the information in a secret location in the base where I might find it.

This was enough to make one suspect that it was a decoy.

however…

“In the end, it is clear that it is the core base of blood religion.”

The comment about the Dokgo theory just now was the reason why the Murim Alliance investigation team had no choice but to take the risk and head to Jiangsu.

“For the current Murim Alliance, there will be no choice as they must achieve results unconditionally.”

“Hmm. Isn’t the current situation of the Murim Alliance that difficult?”

Tang So-yeol questioned him, but Dok-go Yi-seol shook his head.

“The Murim Alliance will not have much time.”

“Hmm?”

“Sojeo’s theory of Dokgo is correct.”

The black cat sighed and agreed with Dokgo Iseol’s words.

“What if the perception spreads that the Murim Alliance, to which all major factions belong, cannot properly deal with the religious faction? What if blood religions were active all over the world? Wouldn’t the enemies of the Murim Maeng faction naturally try to join hands with the blood religion?”

“Ha, I see.”

“I rather think that the very existence of the alliance will be shaken as time passes. Now that the Blood Cult is attacking the Murim Alliance’s factions, does the Murim Alliance have the means to protect each clan? Even if you are a political faction, you cannot rely on your sense of justice alone to determine the fate of your faction. Wouldn’t there be a series of sects leaving the Murim Alliance and declaring neutrality in order to preserve their sects?”

Dokgo Iseol snorted as if he was thinking of Sadyoryeon.

Although it may be difficult to place the current Murim League and the Apostolic Alliance on the same line, the prediction of the Dokgo conflict was also quite possible.

In the end, it was the factions belonging to the Murim Alliance that suffered damage in the current situation.

The clans that have suffered damage, as well as clans that are in a similar situation to the clans that have suffered, have no choice but to complain of anxiety, and the Murim Alliance has to console those clans.

If the dissatisfaction is not resolved in time, as Dokgo Iseol said, there will be factions that will leave the Murim Alliance.

And considering the current situation, there was a high possibility that the Murim Alliance could not properly console the members’ complaints.

When the inscription was discovered and the clan attack base near Gosangmun was attacked, there was a commotion as nearby warriors rushed into the clan base.

If that commotion hadn’t happened, would we have been able to face the hordes of blood cults? Probably couldn’t face it.

From the point of view of the blood religion, it is beneficial not to fight the Murim Alliance.

If the Blood Cult raids the formidable factions of the Murim Alliance as it does now and abandons its base and runs away, how will the position and reputation of the Murim Alliance change?

It is no exaggeration to say that the Murim Alliance has been in existence for quite some time, but its full-fledged activities began after the recent Blood Cult incident.

What sustains the reputation of the current Murim Alliance is not trust due to accumulated achievements, but the expectation that it will naturally exert great power due to the gathering of political factions, including the old faction and the five major families.

However, what if the Murim Alliance factions are hit by a surprise attack by the Blood Cult, and the Murim Alliance continues to be unable to even properly catch up with the Blood Cult?

The expectations that supported the Murim Alliance will disappear like bubbles.

As the Black Cat and Dokgo Yi Seol say, a phenomenon will actually appear where the factions of the Sa Sect that are at odds with the Murim Maeng sects will try to join hands with the Hyeolgyo, or the Murim Maeng sects will try to preserve the power of the sect by leaving the alliance that cannot protect them.

In the structure of the Murim Alliance versus the Blood Religion, it could be said that the Blood Religion had already gained the upper hand.

The Murim Alliance is in a position where it has to somehow hold on to the edge of the Blood Cult and assert the value of its existence, and the Blood Cult can continue to profit just by hitting the Clan factions and erasing their traces like it is doing now.

In such a situation, is there any reason to sell a trap by throwing the bait of secret documents in a secret space and revealing the main base where numerous resources have been invested?

if.

If there is a reason to set a trap, is it because of me?

I looked at Dokgo Iseol and the black cat. They both seemed to have reached the same conclusion as me, as they both glanced at me with their mouths closed.

It seems like he’s so worried about me that he can’t bring himself to mention that possibility.

After learning Ohseongjin, there are times when I feel like I know his inner thoughts even without having to talk to him.

He nodded to the two people, showing that he was fully considering the possibility.

Well, it wasn’t something that could be called a great measure, but everything that had to be done before joining the Murim Alliance was completed.

Black Cat turns his head with a slightly worried expression, and Dokgo Iseol nods with an expression that suggests he must have guessed.

They both expressed it differently, but was it trust or consideration that they were showing me by not asking me what I had prepared for?

The raincoat shook violently, disturbing my thoughts.

Squeak.

Seogong, who didn’t like the shaking of the rickety carriage, crawled slowly and settled on my lap.

As soon as I swept Seogong down from head to tail as he hesitated to get a seat, he immediately stretched out like a sticky rice cake. Although he has now become my absolute pet, I still don’t know why he follows me.

I just vaguely assume it’s because of my maternal blood.

The Blood Cult probably knows better than me why this guy is following me.

then.

Could it be that the secret space at the base was a trap for the blood cult that thought I would discover it?

It was something unknown.

It was only once that I communicated with a blood religion.

Because I just received a message from the blood superior in front of the Heavenly Demon.

So far, I have investigated the Blood Cult and even defeated its spiritual creatures.

I still don’t know anything about kinship and kinship.

Hyeoljon and Hyeolgyo probably don’t know much about me either.

Between me and the blood clan, there were only notifications and rejections asking me to become the successor to the blood religion, and there was never a proper conversation.

And yet, with this confrontation, it was truly a situation that made me laugh.

Will the fight continue in silence until one side collapses?

I didn’t know.

For some reason, my mind wasn’t organized.

Tap, tap, tap.

Regardless of my sentiments, the Bicheon carriage was simply heading towards Jiangsu.

*** ***

The investigation team that approached the base presumed to be the home of the Blood Cult joined forces with warriors who had departed from their home base instead of Meng, and the group multiplied several times.

The Mosan faction, which can be said to be the home of Jiangsu, was surprised to hear that there was a stronghold of a blood religion in Jiangsu and provided considerable military support.

Is it just that?

Masters of the Namgung family who came from Anhui for support, and finally, Jinbeopdae and Bipungsanhaedae of the Shandong music family, which had suffered a great blow with the promulgation of Hyeongyo, also joined.

The Murim Alliance’s troops were largely divided into two categories.

Entry team and encirclement team.

Originally, the investigation team’s troops were scheduled to enter the base of the blood religion, but…

“Please give our musicians a chance to regain their honor!”

At the request of Yue Xiaofeng, the representative of the Yue family, the Eighteen Arhats joined the siege group and the Bipungsan Marine Corps took their place.

The party was also divided into two categories.

“Have a nice trip.”

Squeak!

This time, since the situation was overflowing with warriors from the Murim Alliance, Dang Do-yeon and Dang So-yeol decided not to join and guard the Bicheonmacha.

After all battles were over, the troops of the Murim Alliance headed to the base of the blood religion.

An ordinary mountain that could be found anywhere in the central plains, except that there is a river flowing nearby.

“This is the place.”

A fairly large cave entrance.

The Hwagyeong masters entered first and detected danger, and the main force, the Bipungsan Haedae and my group, entered from the middle, escorted by Master Unjong and the remaining Hwagyeong masters.

When we opened the appropriately camouflaged stone door inside the cave, what awaited us was a passage leading down.

“The cave is quite deep.”

There was a sense of tension in the words someone muttered as they continued to walk through the cave.

The rock quality of the cave we are currently going down to is quite hard.

Ordinary people without internal strength would not have even dared to dig out such a rock wall, and digging down a rock wall with such strength meant that many experts were put into the work when digging this passage.

The passage that many experts had painstakingly dug continued underground with no end, so how much effort had been put into this passage alone?

This thought must have instinctively occurred in the minds of the Murim League warriors.

I don’t know, but if this is a base that took this much effort to hide, something unusual will be waiting at the end.

Although I was walking along a passageway with no enemies or traps, the tension among the Murim League warriors gradually increased.

When you’re passing through a long passage that makes you wonder where it leads.

Finally, the leader stopped.

Mo Yong-seo, who was in the lead, must have judged that there was no one there and lifted Ya Myeong-ju high in his arms. As the light spread, the iron gate completely blocking the passage naturally came into view.

“You don’t seem to be popular.”

“It looks like the entrance to the base, but there is no gatekeeper…”

The Hwagyeong masters who were at the forefront each muttered a word.

Could it be that he ran away again?

That was when those thoughts passed through my head.

“I think I came to the right place.”

Master Unjong stepped forward and opened his mouth.

“I feel a very strong blood inside.”

“Master, what do you mean…?”

“Yes, it means that there is a police officer inside that door.”

At Master Unjong’s assurance, a quiet sense of tension spread throughout the investigation team.

“At least, there is no sign of other blood people near this door.”

Hearing Master Unjong’s addition, the Hwagyeong masters exchanged glances and drew their weapons.

“Then I guess I’ll have to force it to open.”

Tsuzzz!!!

Mo Yongseo was the first to pull out his strength and thrust his sword into the door. Kang-gi slowly penetrates the iron gate. Mo Yong-seo frowned and moved his sword little by little, wondering if the iron gate was usually thick.

“Wouldn’t it be better to take turns working than to exert too much effort alone?”

“I do it.”

The fire fighters took turns taking turns, and soon a hole was made in the iron gate through which one person could easily enter and exit.

We began our entry with Master Unjong at the head.

If we were attacked during entry, it could be quite a difficult situation, so everyone was very nervous and prepared for defense, but instead of being attacked, the inside of the fortress was quiet.

The inside of the fortress was made of a simple structure.

I could see the open crossroads, as if they were part of a planned city, and the various spaces arranged along those crossroads.

The road that the Murim League members and I were walking on was full of traces of people coming and going and signs of life as if various goods were being transported at the same time, but there was not a single sign of popularity felt inside the base.

so that.

Everyone in the Murim Alliance was looking at the area that Ya Myeong-ju could not reveal, as if they had made a promise.

A subtle scent of blood that could not be felt from outside.

Because there was an unmanned smell coming from there that stimulated human instincts.

At the end of the invisible crossroads, is my maternal grandfather, my blood son, there?

My mind naturally became complicated, but I was not given time to control it.

“I will take the lead.”

Master Unjong, who drew his sword, began to walk forward with strides.

Following them, the members of the Murim Alliance formed a large formation and took out night wines one by one. As the distance got closer, I could vaguely see the end of the crossroads.

A huge cavity with an iron door that moves up and down.

Could it be that this cavity was a space to confine spirit creatures?

Ssss!!

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, the eerie sound of a snake echoed within the cavity.

At the sound, which was enough to make a person’s heart tremble, all the warriors of the Murim Alliance drew their weapons, and my companions and I also launched the Five Marches, and the Akga’s Jinbeopdae also activated the Jinbeop.

Master Unjong, who went through the unclosed door and confirmed that everyone in the Murim Alliance had finished their position, opened his mouth, looking toward the darkness that had not yet been revealed.

“My name is Unjong of the fortune-telling school. Yes, the smell of blood and blood stings your nose, so wouldn’t it be better to introduce yourself rather than hide yourself?”

Shishishishishishish!!

Deep in the cavity.

Suddenly, a split cavity characteristic of reptiles appeared and began to shine, reflecting the light of Ya Myeong-ju. Two bright yellow eye lights gradually rose higher without a sound.

“Umm…”

Seeing that scene, someone let out a sigh.

The two eyes that rose to a height close to the ceiling of this gigantic cavity, which seemed to be well over ten feet tall, indicated that the size and length of the snake were unusual.

“Kkeukkeuk! okay. You guys should know by whose hands you will die.”

Two pairs of eyes gradually approached us. After the flickering tongue swept through the space revealed by Ya Myeong-ju, the body of a huge black snake gradually appeared.

“Huh…!”

“Oh my!”

And when all of the snake’s heads were revealed, there were more than one warrior among the warriors of the Murim Alliance who burst into flames.

“My name is Hyeoljon Seogwanghoe, the head of the blood religion.”

The cause of the flagship was not the majesty of the giant snake’s head.

Ssss!!!

It must have been because of the blood spirit that took my breath away just by standing on top of the snake’s head and witnessing its force.

The intimidating force of the Blood Zone, which had red blood reminiscent of a strong force surrounding itself like a curtain, was clearly so great that Master Unjong could not hide his nervousness.

however.

Even this may not be the reason why the Murim Alliance’s warrior exploded the flagship.

I have always had doubts about Hyeoljon’s actions.

No matter how much I expected that the possibility of [Hocheonan] would be closed, why didn’t the Blood Zone become greedy for a person like me?

No matter how much power you gain to control spiritual creatures, as long as you are a warrior, you will still have a desire to gain enlightenment, so wouldn’t it be normal to at least make sure that your potential is completely closed?

However, after Hyeoljon found out about my existence, he only made a courtesy suggestion to become a successor, and he did not care about me at all after that.

And now that I have witnessed the appearance of Blood Jon, those doubts have been completely washed away.

“When you meet King Yeomra, tell him his name clearly.”

This was because where Blood Zone’s left arm and right leg should have been, there was a prosthetic leg and hand covered in blood.

Even if it was a blood religion with many amazing techniques, two of his limbs were completely damaged, so he would no longer be able to make progress as a warrior.

So, I didn’t have any lingering thoughts about my [possibility].

My maternal grandfather, Hyeoljon, stood on top of the snake’s head and looked down at the Murim League warriors, including me, and said with a chuckle.

“This place today will become your grave.”

As soon as those words were finished, the blood surrounding the blood vessel shot out like buckshot.

I wasn’t really expecting anything, though.

As expected, the reunion with my maternal grandfather was the worst.