Translator: FenrirTL
Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis
Murim Term Consultant: Kopke
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Chapter 327: You Already Saved Me
Corpses formed a mountain.
It wasn’t a metaphor—there were literally so many corpses of ghost souls that they filled the space. At the very top, the Demonic Buddha sat, eyes closed, chanting sacred scriptures.
Puk puk puk puk puk puk puk!
The ghost souls began to vanish in rapid succession, turning into black smoke. Because he had taken them down nearly all at once, they disappeared almost simultaneously.
As they all vanished, a door beyond them came into view.
Ma Bul quickly made his way toward it.
He hadn’t expected to be so worried—but he was genuinely concerned about the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.
Weren’t they friends? In the past, when they'd only shared idle laughter and shallow words, he would’ve never risked this kind of danger to save him.
But things were different now. When Jeong Dae first said he was stepping down, he'd thought, What kind of idiotic move is that? Yet now… he understood.
Was that why?
He didn’t want his friend to die in a place like this.
When he opened the door and stepped through, it was a wasteland.
Whoooooosh!
A sandstorm swept toward him, covering his body.
“Damn it.”
This blasted illusion art, this cursed sandstorm—it was all driving him crazy.
In this endless wasteland, how in the world was he supposed to find his way out?
That’s when something caught the Demonic Buddha’s eye.
A flower blooming between the cracks of a rock. He stood in front of it for a long while, gazing down.
Whoooooooooosh.
Then came an unsettling sound from behind, and suddenly, darkness fell as a massive shadow loomed over him.
When Ma Bul turned around, a monstrous demon, immense in size, was looking down at him. It was a creature formed entirely of sand. 1
A killer formation being!
Golden energy surged and spiraled from both of the Demonic Buddha’s palms.
Shwaaaaaak! Thud!
The energy blast struck the demon right in the chest.
And then—
Whirrrrrrrrrr.
Sand surged up from all around, immediately filling the hole.
Shwaaaaaaaaaak! Boom!
The second blast blew a hole in the demon’s face—but it was the same. The sand instantly sealed it shut.
Shhhhhh!
When the demon stretched out its hand, sand poured out in torrents.
But it wasn’t ordinary sand. Slicing winds infused with razor-sharp energy spiraled around it, vicious enough to tear flesh to shreds with a single touch.
MA Bul flung his body aside to dodge the attack.
Kwaaaang!
The ground where he had just been standing caved in with a loud crash, sending up a cloud of dust.
As the Demonic Buddha backed away, the massive demon slowly advanced, as if trying to crush him underfoot.
Quickly forming a seal with both hands, the Demonic Buddha shouted—
Demon-Palm Annihilation Seal!
In that instant!
A shadow loomed around the demon.
The creature turned its head to look behind.
And then, descending from above its head, was a colossal palm of a Buddha statue—far larger than the demon itself. From the palm radiated a golden brilliance. 2
KWAAAAAAAANG!
“Kueeeeeeeeeeek!”
The sand creature let out a scream sharp enough to tear through ears as it was blown away into a cloud that was carried away by the raging sandstorm.
As Ma Bul joined his palms and prayed, the golden palm faded into a radiant glow and disappeared into the swirling sandstorm.
All that remained on the ground where the massive demon had stood was a deep impression of a giant handprint.
Where the demon had vanished, a door appeared.
Just as the Demonic Buddha was about to approach it, he noticed something—the flower he had seen earlier was now lying on the ground.
He picked it up, stared at it for a moment, then tucked it into his waistband. 3
And with long, steady strides, he stepped through the next door.
* * *
When the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader summoned blue energy into both of his hands, the Illusion King hid behind So Baekta and spoke.
"Your opponent isn’t me."
Clang, clang.
Iron doors to the left and right of where Jeong Dae stood swung open, and from each, a master of illusion stepped into the space. 4
The Illusion King introduced them.
"These are the Blood Guardians, protectors of the Blood Cult."
The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader replied,
"Counterfeits, modeled after the real Blood Guardians. Don’t forget—the Blood Cult is already a thing of the past."
With those words, he extended a hand.
Whirrrrrrrrr!
With a gust of violent wind, one of the Blood Guardians was sucked straight into his grasp.
It was the same technique the Illusion King had used earlier to draw So Baekta in. The two used similar methods, but with distinct differences.
The man caught in his grip began to twist uncontrollably, unable to resist.
"Guuuuh..."
A sinister energy flowed from the Blood Guardian’s eyes—something far from human qi.
Crack crack crack crack.
His entire body twisted like wrung laundry and collapsed in death.
"How long has this place been in the making?"
Jeong Dae could tell—this painted-world space wasn’t something the Illusion King had created on his own.
It was a meticulously arranged domain prepared over centuries by those dreaming of reviving the Blood Cult, and it embodied the culmination of its illusion arts. 5
"It’s been here since the day I first joined this organization."
"So you cast aside all that long history... to chase your dream."
"You know it too, don’t you? That life can sometimes blow winds in directions we never expect."
The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader nodded, just about to reply, when the second Blood Guardian suddenly launched a surprise attack at him.
The attacker charged straight for the vital acupoint on his body.
Shiiik! Pooook!
With a piercing gust, something invisible tore through the attacker’s torso. The charging Blood Guardian collapsed instantly.
Jeong Dae mimed pulling something from the man's body. Though it wasn’t visible, the way he moved made it feel like it was a long spear.
"What do you think? Care for a match between your Formless Qi and mine?"
Both the Blood Cult and the Heavenly Wind Cult possessed techniques to shape invisible qi into weaponry.
Of course, the Illusion King refused. Had he been the type to accept such a proposal, he wouldn’t have taken So Baekta hostage in the first place.
"That wouldn’t be respectful to those waiting for you."
Clang, clang.
The iron doors to either side opened once more, and this time, two more Blood Guardians emerged from each.
"How many Blood Guardians were there again? I read about it a long time ago, but I can’t quite remember."
Just from the Illusion King’s calm smile, it was obvious—many more were ready. The reason they weren’t sent out all at once was to drain the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader’s internal energy over time.
"Isn’t it a waste to throw them away like this?"
"This organization was created for that very purpose."
The cold-hearted Illusion King had no reason to worry about the loss of the Blood Guardians.
And the Blood Guardians themselves charged forward without a trace of fear.
Shwaaaaak!
Invisible Formless Qi flew from the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader’s hand. 6
Puhk!
The Blood Guardian who had charged at the front was slammed into a wall. With no visible weapon piercing him, it looked as though he had died while suspended in mid-air.
The remaining three Blood Guardians let out a roar in unison and charged. The pressure of their palm strikes, filled with sinister energy, shot toward Jeong Dae.
The spot he had been standing in was destroyed in an instant—but he was no longer there.
The one coming from the front had his waist snapped backward. The one on the left took a palm strike to the chest. The last one had his throat pierced.
Clang.
The iron doors opened again, and this time, four more Blood Guardians emerged from each side. They showed no fear. These Blood Guardians, born of illusion, were nothing more than killing machines executing orders.
"I take back what I said earlier. That nonsense about the old Blood Cult being more bloodthirsty than now—I take it back. You're worse."
The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader’s mockery only drew a cold smirk from the Illusion King.
These eight new Blood Guardians fought differently than the ones before. They scattered in all directions, then simultaneously began chanting incantations.
From their fingertips, red lines shot out, forming a web-like structure all around.
It tightened and pressed in on the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, like an inescapable net.
"It’s dangerous, Master!"
So Baekta cried out in alarm, but there was no way out.
Slash.
Just as Jeong Dae was about to be torn into a dozen pieces—he was gone.
He reappeared behind one of the Blood Guardians who had attacked from the east.
Fwish—
Slice.
The blue energy in his hands became a long thread that cleanly severed the Blood Guardian’s neck.
Before the body could fall, the blue thread slashed through the air once more.
Thud!
The forehead of the Blood Guardian directly ahead was pierced, and he collapsed.
Fwhirrrrrrr—
Red threads and blue threads tangled in the air.
But the red threads couldn’t keep up. The blue threads wove their way through the complex web with ease.
Each time the blue thread tightened, a Blood Guardian's body was severed. The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's movements, utilizing threads of qi, were the very pinnacle of illusion-based martial arts.
The Illusion King remained composed, unshaken even as the Blood Guardians fell one by one. He had expected this level of resistance. More than anyone, he understood just how much internal energy each of the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's techniques consumed. No matter how deep his reservoir of qi, it was impossible to take on all of the Blood Guardians.
The iron doors opened once again, and this time, eight emerged from each side.
* * *
Flap, flap.
The moment a blue butterfly landed on a Blood Guardian's shoulder—
Srrrk—
The Blood Guardian collapsed and died without a sound.
With a soft pop, the butterfly that had defeated the final Blood Guardian vanished into thin air.
This marked the fall of the last of the thirty-two Blood Guardians who had emerged from both sides.
The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader remained as poised and serene as ever, hands clasped behind his back.
But So Baekta could hear it—the sound of his master’s breathing, which had gone unheard until now. His master was tired.
Jeong Dae was fighting an arduous battle. The Blood Guardians were deadly, but the real threat was the Illusion King. Throughout the battle, he had launched surprise attacks and exerted pressure, constantly disrupting his master. Every time his master tried to unleash a powerful illusion to sweep them all away, the Illusion King intervened.
...Master.
If not for himself, his master would’ve found a way to kill the Illusion King first.
Now, thirty-two Blood Guardians had emerged from each side—sixty-four in total.
A fierce battle broke out between the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader and the horde. They swarmed him like bees, and he responded by unleashing every martial and illusion technique in his arsenal.
With the power of his palm strikes, Blood Guardians were blasted away, reduced to mangled corpses.
He evaded their assaults with illusion arts. Every time he counterattacked, more fell, but his qi depletion worsened with each kill.
Boom! KWAANG!
As he blocked the barrage of palm strikes using Protective Energy, Jeong Dae was pushed back. The Blood Guardians’ attacks rained down—and on top of that came the cowardly ambushes of Hwan Wang.
Enduring the shock, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader swept both palms outward. A surge of blue qi roared through the space, crushing several more Blood Guardians.
Amid the chaos, a whisper of sound transmission reached So Baekta.
—Three, two...
No further words—just a countdown.
But even without being told, So Baekta knew exactly what his master meant.
—One.
So Baekta spun and aimed a ferocious headbutt at the Illusion King standing right behind him.
Hwan Wang, focused entirely on the fight against the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, was caught off guard. The blow nearly struck him straight in the face.
He dodged just in time, stepping back—
SHWAAAAAAAAAK!
At that very instant, So Baekta ducked—and a blast of blue qi swept through the space where he’d just been. 7
KWAAAAAAANG!
Jeong Dae charged straight through.
Because it was such a reckless charge, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader ended up taking several hits from the Blood Guardians. But he endured them with Protective Energy as he flew toward So Baekta.
Just as he was about to escape with So Baekta using the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique—
Whirrrrrrrrrrk.
An invisible thread yanked So Baekta away a split second earlier.
The Illusion King, who had retreated, was the one who had snatched him first.
The attempt to rescue So Baekta through a surprise move had failed, and attacks from the Blood Guardians rained down once more on the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.
BOOM! KWAANG! CRASH!
He focused again, diving back into the fight.
By the time the last of the Blood Guardians had been dealt with, his breathing was ragged, and blood trickled from the corner of his lips. He had overextended his inner force and suffered internal injuries.
A grim thought passed through Jeong Dae’s mind—he might very well die here. He had boldly claimed in front of Geom Mugeuk that this was his world. But everyone has a limit.
He wiped the blood from his lips and looked at So Baekta. He remembered when the boy was just a child, gazing up at him with those sharp, intelligent eyes.
"For some reason, I liked you. Out of all the disciples, you stood out. Baekta, if I could go back, I’d still choose you as my successor."
Tears that So Baekta had held back throughout the battle now began to fall. A sorrow he couldn't describe welled up inside him. I could do better now. If I could just live, I know I could do it right this time...
That’s when the Illusion King whispered to him.
"You were right. It’s time I focus on the fight."
He had decided it was time to step in fully.
When the final doors opened, sixty-four more Blood Guardians would emerge from both sides. With them in coordinated assault, it would be the end for the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader. 8
"Watch carefully. Watch how your master dies. Then I’ll destroy your dantian, sever your limbs and meridians, and cut out your tongue before throwing you into a dungeon. You’ll live the rest of your life reliving this day."
So Baekta was crushed. He didn’t care if he himself suffered—what he couldn’t bear was his master dying because of him. I’m sorry, Master. I’m so sorry.
Jeong Dae spoke to his disciple.
"Where have you seen a Heavenly Wind Cult Leader crying inside an illusion? Wipe your tears."
So Baekta wiped his face.
"And what did I teach you to say when you meet someone like that?"
So Baekta turned to Hwan Wang and shouted—
"You cowardly, gutless bastard! Why don’t you just piss off and die in a sewer already?!"
In his master’s eyes, he saw a hint of regret—regret that he couldn’t save him. How could he ever repay such a debt?
"Master, you’ve already saved me."
Because he had saved something more precious than life—his soul.
The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader beckoned to the Illusion King to come forth.
Hwan Wang slowly took a few steps forward and came to a halt.
"Still, I waited the longest. The least you could do is let me stretch my legs a bit, don’t you think?"
As always, he never took unnecessary risks. With sixty-four Blood Guardians still waiting behind each iron door, there was no need for him to act first.
He turned to the left door with a satisfied smile—
—just as a faint sound came from beyond it. 9
It was the sound of something crashing, vibrating, colliding.
The noise grew louder.
Thud! THUMP! THUD! CRACK! CRACKLE!
Screams began to mix with the gusting wind—then, silence.
And then—
Clang.
The door opened, and light spilled out.
Bathed in a golden glow, the one who stepped out was the Demonic Buddha. Behind him, the corpses of the Blood Guardians who had been waiting in ambush lay scattered across the floor.
The faces of the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader and So Baekta lit up at his arrival. In contrast, the Illusion King’s expression hardened, cold as steel.
Jeong Dae’s eyes were drawn to the flower tucked at Ma Bul’s waist. Yeah... "thank you" isn’t nearly enough. No amount of gratitude ever would be.
So instead, he grumbled habitually.
"You had time to pick a flower, huh? Meanwhile, your friend was out here fighting for his life."
The word friend came out naturally—and was accepted just as naturally.
"Still, I think I showed up earlier than the Young Cult Leader, didn’t I?"
"Geom Muguek is always late. He only rushes in like the wind when he needs something—demanding this, commanding that—makes you wanna blow your top."
The Demonic Budha nodded in agreement just as—
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!
A thunderous sweeping sound ripped through the air.
KWAAAAANG!
The door opposite the one Ma Bul had exited was shattered to pieces and went flying as something burst through.
They were the Six Demonic Fiends of the Great Annihilation Form.
Not even corpses remained in the hallway they'd emerged from.
Everyone fell silent at the sight of them. These were the fragmented incarnations of the most terrifying one among the Four Demonic Fiends—each one now standing in formation, overwhelming the room with their presence.
The Demonic Buddha joined his palms and bowed toward them—an expression of deep respect for the Nine Calamities Demon Art.
As the six Demonic Fiends gradually faded away, Geom Mugeuk emerged, dragging the Black Demon Sword behind him, still dripping blood.
His clothes were shredded, his body covered in wounds and soaked in blood. It was easy to imagine how brutal the trial before arriving here had been—how desperately he had fought his way through.
Geom Mugeuk and Jeong Dae locked eyes in midair. No words were needed.
"Honestly, our dear Cult Leader always has something bad to say about me the moment I’m not around." 10
1 : The Sandman from Spider Man !!! He started to take roles in other media than movies. It’s hard to find a good job when you’re made of sand, and he needs money in case his daughter's illness relapses.
2 : Lol it’s Wyzen now XDXDXD (Azura’s Wrath) I strongly suggest reading that part with the (iconic) Asura Unleashed track ^^ And the japanese version is clearly the superior one.
3 : I see 4 possibilities. 1, just a flower *Metal Gear ensues* ; 2, an important Chekhov gun/flower for later ; 3, one of the Poison King requests ; 4, just to give a reason for Jeong Dae to rant ^^
4 : The infamous ‘minion summon’ that every bad guy possesses by default !!!
5 : If he overrides its control, it might become a good emergency shelter for the future Cult Leaders.
6 : Consumption wise, making invisible threads and let the Blood Guardians turn themselves into sashimi by running into them headfirst is a better expense lol ^^
7 : Such silent trust and comprehension is proof of their strong link. It might have been muddled and twisted by Hwa Wang, but it’s still there.
8 : I want to say it’s cheating, but it’s not. Staking every advantages for you and using every means against your opponent is just common sense. So let’s say if a villain uses it, it’s cowardly, and if it’s a hero, it’s clever !!! Hypocritical, yes, but winners write history.
9 : Left door from his perspective, right door for Jeong Dae.
10 : That’s the quickest way to summon you after all XDXDXD