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“What the heck is this?”

Master Hyuncheon and I didn’t enter the village through the main gate. Instead, we snuck into a shabby building at the back. Master Hyuncheon ventured deeper inside and before I knew it, we were standing in front of a well. He opened the lid, revealing a ladder that led down below. It was definitely man-made, so I shot him a puzzled look.

“What is this?”

“This village probably used to belong to some noble bloodline. They likely made this underground passage as an escape route. I stumbled upon this secret passage while keeping tabs on the village.”

“Where does it lead?”

“To some gentry’s mansion. Mind you, it’s now a den of fanatics.”

“……”

I could imagine what had become of the noble family. They probably got ambushed by fanatics before even getting a chance to use the escape route. Anyway, Master Hyuncheon and I climbed down and lit a torch using some oil before we started walking. The underground passage stretched for about two miles, and eventually, we spotted a ladder rising upward.

Clunk!

As we climbed up, a scene of eerie desolation greeted us.

‘Wow, the smell of blood is overwhelming.’

This was the well in a huge kitchen on the outskirts of the mansion. Blood smeared all over the place and chunks of flesh hinted at the kind of massacre that had taken place here. I looked around, hoping for something valuable, and spotted a new statue made of gold, slipping it into my bag discreetly.

“This isn’t the time to collect trinkets. We need to hurry before we get spotted by the fanatics.”

“Can’t we take out a few of them?”

“No way! The demon beasts’ strength is way too strong for that. We must not get detected until we execute our plan.”

Hiss!

Master Hyuncheon and I used our Qi sense to scout our surroundings and exited the kitchen. Inside the mansion, several fanatics lay dead with their heads smashed, seemingly taken down the last time Master Hyuncheon used this passage. It was clearly the work of Wudang techniques, and when I glanced at Hyuncheon, he cleared his throat.

“There were too many fanatics around here. If we want to use it again without hassle, we need to remove them first.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Thud!

As soon as Master Hyuncheon spotted two fanatic males blocking our path, he effortlessly took their heads off with a shockwave palm strike. There was no hesitation; he’d clearly concluded that there were no normal people left in this village. With just a simple offensive display, he sent their heads soaring, demonstrating his exceptional skills.

“Let’s get moving. The smell of blood here is awful.”

“……”

As we made our way out of the mansion, I saw a few villagers who looked like fanatics aimlessly wandering while clutching plows and large knives. We quickly hid before they noticed us, but my heart raced at the sight.

‘What’s wrong with those guys? Why are they parading around with heads?’

I finally understood what Master Hyuncheon meant by madness. One man clutched a little girl’s head to his chest like a prized jewel, while another dragged the head of a middle-aged man, who looked terrified and lifeless, around his waist. This was a sight that no normal human—or anyone with ethics from the outside world—could imagine.

With every step they took, blood dripped from the severed heads. The vacant expressions of the fanatics searching for prey were downright chilling.

I felt a wave of nausea building up, but that was all. Since I’d dealt with quite a bit of carnage myself, this wasn’t enough to shake my composure. While I was watching the fanatics intently, Master Hyuncheon spoke again.

“Those guys still have their minds, but they’re completely brainwashed. They operate solely on the orders to kill outsiders. If we encounter them, eliminate them without hesitation.”

“Understood.”

“By the way, strangely enough, they don’t seem to feel pain, so it’s better to disable their limbs and target their heads first.”

“……”

I couldn’t hide my shock. Master Hyuncheon, the renowned peak expert of the orthodox sect, was dismissing limbs and decapitations so casually. Yet, there was sincerity in his words, and I gradually began to accept that this place was indeed a living hell.

This village was quite bustling, with many alleys snaking between the buildings, making it easy to move swiftly. Occasionally, I’d come across crazed individuals feasting on human flesh, and each time, I quickly stamped their heads to burst them open. I’d heard that when a fanatic saw an enemy, they’d scream in a bizarre manner, so if things got tough, I’d just swing my sword and shatter a few heads.

The village was awash in blood-red hues.

Hiss!

“This is quite a challenge.”

I complained as I ducked into a second floor of a bookstore. Here, I figured I could avoid the attention of the fanatics for a little while. Following me closely, Master Hyuncheon slipped a small bottle from his pocket and handed it to me.

“Here’s some medicinal brew to help you recover your mental strength if things get tough.”

“No thanks. By the way, I can see the altar is coming up.”

The altar was about a mile away from where we were hiding in the bookstore district. It was a large stone structure in the village center modeled after a totem, and directly below it was the altar where human sacrifices were made. They mentioned that the Sorcerer Flute Phantom would show up there.

‘The strength of the fanatics is truly remarkable. Even I would be torn apart if I let my guard down.’

The fanatics didn’t practice any martial arts; they simply screamed and swung their limbs or weapons to attack. But the raw power they had was tremendous. A moment ago, when I had a rare opportunity to catch hold of a fanatic’s arm while bursting their head open, it required a slight tension in my muscles, even though I was using my internal power.

Each one of them was as strong as a legendary warrior!

With such strength, tearing apart a living human body would be a piece of cake.

That’s why even experts like us shouldn’t give them a chance to approach.

Master Hyuncheon narrowed his sharp gaze at the altar.

“Remember this. If a demon appears, don’t even think about fighting; just run. It’s not something humans should face.”

“I plan to.”

I sat against the wall to rest and asked, “What if we fail to kill the phantom today?”

“Well… I’ll definitely make a run for it, but afterward, I’ll have to leave it totally to the authorities. If I mobilize all my influence, the imperial army would eventually take action.”

“Then why not just wait for them from the start? Why take such a risky endeavor?”

Master Hyuncheon sighed bitterly.

“Sure, the army could tackle the fanatics, but not a single villager would survive.”

“Are you suggesting that if we just kill the Sorcerer Flute Phantom, the villagers will revert back to normal?”

“Exactly. They’re victims. Falling into this nightmare is unfortunate, but it doesn’t justify their deaths. We must save as many lives as possible.”

“……”

I fell silent. ‘Isn’t that the same thing?’

I had directly witnessed the madness consuming this village. They’d already performed numerous human sacrifices, and parents would have killed their children, brothers would have slaughtered each other, and lovers would have devoured one another. Even if those who turned into fanatics were released from the Phantom’s control, would they be able to resume normal lives?

Being alive might just become a living nightmare, maybe even worse than being controlled without will.

Yet, I didn’t bring up this thought to Master Hyuncheon. Right now, we were on the verge of a dangerous plan that could fail at any moment. Engaging in a pointless debate would only cloud our focus.

Master Hyuncheon spoke again.

“The sun is about to reach its peak.”

“Shouldn’t we get a bit closer?”

“Hmm… Let’s get as close as thirty zhang.”

“Sounds good.”

Boom!

We dashed swiftly from pavilion to pavilion. The deeper we got into the village, the more pavilions there were, making infiltration easier. Of course, every now and then, fanatics would jump out from their hiding spots wielding axes or knives, but if we could get this far, we wouldn’t fall victim to such minor ambushes. I simply dispatched them one by one as we pressed forward.

Finally, as we approached within thirty zhang, the altar came into clear view from above the pavilion. I scrutinized the altar’s shape and frowned.

“It’s horrifying… It’s completely drenched in red.”

“Those devilish bastards.”

Master Hyuncheon shivered in disgust. There must have been so much human sacrifice that the once white stone structure had turned crimson. All around the altar, fanatics roamed with dazed expressions, their numbers steadily increasing. It seemed that by noon, the fanatics scattered throughout the village would slowly gather here.

I felt a wave of concern.

“I wish we could get even closer.”

“That might be risky.”

As Master Hyuncheon said, this was as close as we could get. Just stepping outside the building would lead us into a crowd of fanatics. Once the plan began, we would have to attempt to assassinate the Phantom from this position.

And then it happened.

Kiing—

A bizarre sound echoed through the air. Simultaneously, all the villagers crowded around the square fixed their gazes in unison toward one spot: the very center of the altar.

Amidst the stares of hundreds, the target finally appeared.

‘Is that the one?’

The Sorcerer Flute Phantom!

Coming from the back and walking up to the altar was someone completely cloaked in brown robes. The attire concealed their face and nearly all their limbs, making it hard to tell their gender. They pulled out a black flute from their robe and began to play.

Kiing— Kiing—

“……”

The tune struck me as strange. It wasn’t in any particular melody; rather, it was a high-pitched sound that felt like it was gnawing at my ears. This sound wave was controlling and turning people into fanatics.

Of course, I felt the influence of its power, but right now, it was merely bothersome. As I scratched my ear, Master Hyuncheon whispered,

“That’s sound manipulation targeting the mind. If you fuel your Qi, you won’t fall under its illusion.”

“Got it.”

“Soon, when they draw their knife to offer a sacrifice, that’s when you should move.”

It was paradoxical that the moment they draw the knife would be weaker than when they played the flute.

That’s when we had to act.

Master Hyuncheon knew that while the phantom played the flute, the gathered fanatics became even fiercer and more nimble. The flute sound not only controlled them but also enhanced their speed and aggression. Master Hyuncheon and I focused all our attention on every move of the towering figure.

Before long, a few fanatics brought offerings and climbed onto the altar, lying on it like dead fish, motionless. The Sorcerer Flute Phantom seemed to think the preparations were ready as they stopped playing the flute and slowly began to pull out a dagger towards the offerings.

‘Now’s the time!’

Bang!

We leapt from the pavilion, launching ourselves forward like arrows. Using my light body technique, I sliced through the air with springy lightness, landing before Master Hyuncheon. In that instant, I directed all my internal energy into my ground-impact technique.

Boom!

My ground-impact technique smashed into the ground, causing it to crack open below my feet, and the shockwave knocked back the surrounding fanatics like bowling pins. Once they started to tumble, it created a domino effect, sending dozens of them sprawling as a clear path opened up toward the altar.

Master Hyuncheon transmitted a message to me.

[Thanks! I’ll definitely take that bastard’s head!]

He genuinely looked appreciative, and it made sense. No matter how skilled Master Hyuncheon was, breaking through such a horde of fanatics was extremely dangerous, but my formidable ground-impact technique had given us a significant boost.

Whiz!

Hyuncheon’s peerless light body technique, Heavenly Cloud Sect Technique, launched forward, gliding effortlessly through the air. In less than three seconds, he closed the distance, standing right in front of the Sorcerer Flute Phantom, who had just stopped to turn and look behind.

Simultaneously, Master Hyuncheon unleashed his strongest attack, the renowned Wudang sword qi aimed straight at the Phantom. While I was sending ten fanatics flying with my thunder spirit technique, my eyes widened when I saw his sword qi.

It was undulating.

Glowing with azure hues, it was!

‘Sword Flame!’

Master Hyuncheon was an expert who had surpassed mere peak abilities to manipulate sword qi like flames!

In that instant, Hyuncheon’s sword qi was aimed to pierce through the Phantom’s back with his guard completely down!

Even the Elder of the Iron Blood Gate wouldn’t be able to escape a fatal blow from that position. Just when I was feeling overly confident in our victory, a shocking scene unfolded.

Swish!

Kiiing—!

“……!!”

I witnessed something utterly unbelievable at that moment.

Out of nowhere, two men in black emerged beside the Sorcerer Flute Phantom and, in a split second, clashed their swords to block Hyuncheon’s sword qi.

“Ugh.”

“As expected.”

Despite being outnumbered, the two men were taken by surprise and one of them stumbled back, blood trickling from the corner of their mouth. They backed off three steps before regaining their footing, but by then, one of them had pushed the Phantom behind their back.

“What?!”

Master Hyuncheon exclaimed in shock.

Though he had the upper hand, that wasn’t the main issue.

Just two of them had managed to withstand Hyuncheon’s fully powered strike!

This indicated the martial prowess of the two men in black far exceeded that of first-class experts. Moreover, the technique they used to block the sword flame was none other than the famed joint-attack technique I had only heard about!

Combining their powers, they effectively countered an opponent stronger than themselves! This legendary technique, typically passed down amongst the esteemed sects of Jianghu, was now right before my eyes.

The man on the right wiped the blood from his face and spoke, “So you really came, Master Hyuncheon. I was wondering what was happening when the dispatch order came down, but to think a peak expert within the top ten of the Wudang Sect arrived!”

“Who are you?”

The man on the left answered that question, “It’s unfortunate we crossed paths under these circumstances. There’s no way you’ll leave here alive.”

Grrrrr—

WWWWAAAAH—!!

In the midst of the chaos, the fanatics I had been deterring slowly began to twitch and writhe in madness. The moment the flute’s effects faded, they stood there like loose strings, but suddenly, the Phantom behind those two men started to play the flute again. If this continued, we’d have to contend with even more powerful fanatics!

That was a fight against a group of thousand lunatics!

‘What the hell!!!’

I silently screamed inside.

Of course, I wouldn’t be killed so easily by the crazy people, but the real issue lay farther ahead.

Creak…

Shh…

[^@#^&!*$!&^$^&!$^&…]

Along with the incomprehensible eerie sounds, something shapeless started rising nearby.

More than just the two men in black facing Master Hyuncheon, a monstrous creature was creeping closer. It had a grotesque form resembling a liquid with two massive bodies, its skin covered in hundreds of eyes and tentacles, radiating an ominous aura as it moved.

“Damn it! We need to get out of here!!”

I shouted desperately to Master Hyuncheon. He didn’t need to think twice and jumped toward me. The man in black sneered, “Did you really think we would only send two when we recognized Master Hyuncheon?”

Swish!

Ka-POW!

As Master Hyuncheon and I jumped to a high pavilion to regroup, suddenly, men in black appeared, swinging their swords at us. There were eight of them, and among them was someone wielding a Qimen weapon.

Just from their stances, I could tell.

These were martial artists trained to elite standards over many years!

Master Hyuncheon erupted.

“Those vile bastards!!”

Simultaneously, the sword flames unleashed from his weapons. The energy surged like a storm, swiftly dispatching the heads of two of them, and one of his palm strikes sent another flying.

In an instant, Master Hyuncheon had killed three, but just as quickly, three skilled opponents joined forces to counter him, preventing any forward advancement. Amazingly, those three were managing to trade blows evenly with Master Hyuncheon.

Clash! Bang!

The shocking sight left me dumbfounded.

‘What… what is happening? Where did these strong opponents come from?’

This was unbelievable! Among the three men in black facing Master Hyuncheon was one using sword energy. This was an unparalleled peak expert boldly attacking alongside other first-class martial artists against him!

“Cough.”

“We’ll take you down ourselves!”

Meanwhile, two men in black approached me and encircled me. I couldn’t estimate their skill levels, but I glared fiercely at them and gripped my sword. One of them threw their Qimen weapon, aiming for my head, but I quickly drew out my dagger to entangle the chain with it.

“What?”

Thwack!

“Do you think I’m an easy target?!”

Seizing the moment of their shock, I lunged forward and crushed the chest of the other one with a powerful kick. Then, I charged straight for the guy wielding the Qimen weapon, delivering a fierce slash. Honestly, after being beaten down so often, I was anxious that this would fail and I would get hurt again.

Bang!

“Aaaaah!!”

But my worries were unfounded. The guy wielding the Qimen weapon took my attack head-on, only to be blasted by my thunder spirit technique! His upper body splattered into chunks, and a dying scream erupted from his mouth. From the looks of it, he was an expert at the second-class level, but my rapid strike left him completely unable to retaliate.

One down, one more!

With two eliminated, the expressions of the three who had been dealing with Master Hyuncheon turned alarmed.

“No, wait…”

“What’s going on with that guy?!”

I knew that this wasn’t the time to reveal myself or brag about my identity. It wasn’t a place for martial artists to show off at a moment like this, so I charged forward like a wolf, relentlessly swinging my sword.

‘DIE, YOU BASTARDS!’

Clash! Bang!

The sound of clashing metals rang aloud as Master Hyuncheon and I battled against three of them. The balance of power had shifted in our favor. The black-clad men seemed to be flustered by the unexpected turn of events, unable to fully utilize their strength.

“Hup!”

Shick!

“Ugh.”

Seizing the opportunity, Master Hyuncheon unleashed a wave of sword flames at the weakest of the opponents, taking him down immediately.

“Damn it…”

The peak expert using sword qi seemed to lose his nerve, grabbing his subordinates and retreating beneath the pavilion.

Boom… Boom…

Just as the monstrous entities seemed to realize our presence, they began moving their heavy frames toward us. With hundreds of eyes and tentacles shifting around, their agile mobility looked terrifying.

Master Hyuncheon hastily warned, “Those creatures are suddenly speeding up! We need to flee!”

“Damn it all!!”

I hollered in despair, jumping down from the pavilion alongside Master Hyuncheon. With a resounding crash, the six-story building collapsed in an instant from the creature’s body slam. Riding the wave of destruction, Master Hyuncheon rebounded off the air once more and stretched his hand toward me.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

We could hear the thunderous footsteps of three monstrous creatures behind us, demolishing everything in their path—be it humans or buildings. It felt like we were pushing all our strength into flight. The fanatics wandering around were stomped and crushed beneath the creatures, vanishing without a trace. Truly, we were in the company of destructive demons!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

“AAAH!”

I experienced a level of fear I had never known before. From the very start, I had a bad feeling, but I never expected it would twist into something like this! Now I understood why Master Hyuncheon had said humans had no chance against these monsters.

Boom!

Once again, a massive building collapsed under the weight of a monster’s body slam.

A cloud of dust enveloped the village.

“Ugh, nooo!!”

I let out my last wail.

……

My final memory was of my body being torn apart by a monster’s body slam in an instant.

I felt no pain as consciousness slipped away incredibly fast.

That was my fourth death.

 

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