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Chilling sword sounds flowed through the space as twenty sword lines zipped by. Plum Blossom Sword Masters, forming a Plum Blossom Sword Formation, unleashed their sword aura within an hour. I skillfully dodged their attacks using the Soul Removal Technique, but hesitated about whether to take them down and decided to retreat for now.

‘Something feels off here.’

I was aware there were many strange groups and sorcerers among the otherworldly races. I had no idea what might happen if I rashly eliminated them. It would be easy to take down the Plum Blossom Sword Masters before me, but I chose to observe my surroundings first.

Swish swish swoosh!

Even while dodging with the Soul Removal Technique, I felt the swordsmanship of the Plum Blossom Sword Masters was quite exquisite. They couldn’t even brush a hair on me, yet ordinarily, this would feel lethal. I quietly thought to myself how fortunate I was to have increased my martial arts.

‘Hmm… what’s that?’

As I scanned the area, I suddenly noticed something bizarre. While dodging the sword auras on the iron plank bridge, I became aware of more eggs hidden behind the darkness. However, these eggs didn’t seem as huge as they appeared under the Thunder Light, looking about the size of watermelons. I focused my energy into the Thunder Spirit Seal and sent it toward the eggs to get a better look.

Boom!

“What?!”

The result was unexpected. I was just trying to illuminate my view with the beam of the Thunder Spirit Seal, but all the Plum Blossom Sword Masters charging at me suddenly hurled themselves at it. Unsurprisingly, the Thunder Spirit Seal, reinforced with my internal power, unleashed tremendous force, tearing them apart upon contact. Blood and chunks of flesh were scattered into the air.

It seemed like six of them had just died at once.

Since there were no screams, they were likely either numb to pain or completely unconscious. But what was going on? I hadn’t even planned to attack, yet they willingly dashed into the Thunder Spirit Seal and perished. I was briefly flustered but soon realized the reason.

‘Were they trying to protect the eggs?!’

Could it be that the Plum Blossom Sword Masters were controlled by some sorcery, turning them into guardians for the eggs? They were devoid of pain or consciousness, driven solely by a sense of duty to protect the eggs. This meant that whoever had corrupted the Plum Blossom Sword Masters held those eggs in high regard.

This place was a Hatching Ground.

From a creepy ecological perspective, it could be considered the most important location for their clan. Realizing this, I clenched my fist tightly.

“No more hesitation!”

Such an important spot would definitely attract more guards from their clan. Although I was baffled by the situation, I had effectively poked the otherworldly races’ weak spot. Thus, destroying the Hatching Grounds as quickly as possible seemed to be the most beneficial course of action.

Boom!

I gathered all my power and continuously hurled the Thunder Spirit Seal at the eggs. The Plum Blossom Sword Masters, dominated by the otherworldly race, rushed at the Thunder Spirit Seal like moths to a flame, trying to block it with their bodies. However, once I was determined and packed my energy, a couple of human bodies couldn’t withstand the sheer force. In the end, all the twenty or so Plum Blossom Sword Masters were shredded apart, and the Thunder Spirit Seal shattered the enormous eggs effortlessly.

Ka-boom!

With a gruesome sound, blue liquid burst into the air. It reeked terribly, and as it dried on the floor, it melded into a sickly green. As the leathery surface tore, the writhing muscles beneath it looked horrifying. I caught a glimpse of something oozing out from inside the enormous egg.

“… A fly?”

It was quite large—roughly the size of a full-grown chicken that could fit in my arms. However, with its multiple arthropod legs and huge compound eyes, there was no other description but a fly. This giant fly had tentacles on its forehead and mouth. It must have still been alive, wriggling in the blue amniotic fluid.

As I considered what to do with it, I walked closer and crushed its legs with my foot. With a squelch, the giant fly’s body writhed violently, and soon it spewed out a grotesque sound from its mouth-tentacle.

[ @&$#@((!! ]

The giant fly, writhing painfully, tumbled about, splattering its blue bodily fluids everywhere. It began to speak in the language of the otherworldly races, and strangely enough, after a moment, I gradually started to understand it.

[ Ha%&@#ck!! You’re gonna regret this! You trivial human has crushed my legs!! I won’t forgive you!! ]

“……”

[ My transformation is almost complete! How could this happen to me!! ]

I could make sense of it—clearly enough that I could ignore a few muddled words. Listening to it, I realized that this giant fly race had destroyed Huashan Sect, and this particular fly intended to undergo some transformation in the egg to become stronger.

Grabbing a tentacle on its head, I asked, “Did you bring Huashan Sect to this state?”

The giant fly either understood or didn’t, as it rolled its massive compound eyes. I grimaced at its ugly appearance and concentrated my Thunder Light. With all that power built up, I prepared to unleash the Thunder Spirit Seal toward the egg pile.

“Answer me clearly, or I’ll shatter all your eggs!”

And just then…

“We… did it for the eggs! We need nourishment to preserve our clan! And we also needed servants to guard the eggs!”

The giant fly squawked in a rough, fragmented manner, surprisingly speaking human language. I was dumbfounded—it had a completely different vocal structure, yet could mimic human speech! I thought it might use some sort of sorcery, but never did I expect it had the ability to communicate like a human!

‘What a sly creature.’

Staring at it suspiciously, I asked, “Why did you do this?”

“We came from afar, needing sustenance to preserve our clan! And we needed servants to protect the eggs!”

“……”

Listening to its stammering human words made me ponder.

‘So you’re saying you wanted to gather human slaves for nourishment for the eggs and young! And you brainwashed the experts of Huashan Sect to use them for kidnapping and guarding duties.’

This race seemed to have a good head on its shoulders, well-informed about humans. Debating my next words, I asked, “Can you revert the experts of Huashan Sect back to normal?”

It replied with an air of smugness, “Only I can do that! So let me go now!”

“How do you plan to do that?”

“Just pull out the ones that have entered their brains!”

“Entered their brains? What do you mean?”

At my question, the giant fly rolled its eyes and said, “Let me show you!”

Suddenly, one of the Huashan Sect experts, who had been sitting vacantly in the darkness, staggered forward. The man looked to be in his mid-thirties, drooling as if in a daze. Then, something dark began to crawl out from his forehead.

Slurp!

What emerged from his forehead was another giant fly identical to the one I had captured! Bursting out, the newly emerged fly buzzed and flew away. I inspected the man’s condition and noticed there was no wound left behind even as the fly escaped from his forehead.

I instinctively grasped the capabilities of these flies.

‘So these creatures can penetrate physical interference and take control over the brains!’

This meant that even if the skilled experts of Huashan Sect were powerful, they wouldn’t stand a chance against them. If the flies crawled into the brain stealthily and began manipulating the spirit, they would be completely brainwashed. It was a simple yet terrifying ability!

Then the giant fly said, “You are a strong human! I won’t make a move against you today! Just go!”

“But where are the rest of the Huashan people? They can’t possibly all be here?”

“Inside, deeper, inside!!”

I continued to hold the giant fly and moved deeper into the darkness. I summoned my internal power to lift the Thunder Spirit Seal into the air, and its brightness far outshone any torch. While it seemed inefficient and wasteful, it was effective for establishing my visibility in this situation.

Once I went around thirty layers in deeper, I was met with a horrifying sight.

“Ugh…!!”

A hellish scene unfurled before me. Otherworldly beings, looking like giant flies, buzzed around, chattering in their language, while others had turned human necks into chalices filled with meat for decoration. In a display of hedonism, humans were intertwined in sexual acts while the otherworldly beings cackled in amusement.

Nearby, I spotted civilians hanging upside down, their entrails gaping out. Some were even seen sucking the living essence out of their entrails. Among them, a few humans appeared alive, but they had bled profusely, looking completely deranged from the ghastly torture.

A scene equivalent to hell manifested by the Nameless Ritual Book—or even worse!

Pure rage boiled inside me, and I could feel Yeodong-bin’s presence about to descend.

[ Yeon-ja, from my exorcism experience, these beings are extremely evil and sadistic. There’s no need for mercy. ]

[ Yeodong-bin, you don’t need to lend me your power. I’ll smash them all to bits myself. ]

Yeodong-bin warned me with concern.

[ They use powerful mental techniques. It could be dangerous. ]

[ Mental techniques? ]

[ Yes, they possess potent abilities, so be cautious. ]

I knew I had no choice but to rely on Yeodong-bin.

[ I’m counting on you. ]

Should I get controlled or faint, I’d have no chance to use my martial arts. While I knew I had strong mental strength, I wasn’t entirely sure, so I decided to ask for Yeodong-bin’s help. I had to avoid the misery of becoming a slave, neither dying nor able to escape suffering for a millennium.

Boom boom boom!

[ I’m here to eliminate the evil spirit!! ]

As the Six Intent Saintly Heaven Diagram swirled, it suddenly struck the giant flies without warning. The giant flies were taken by surprise by the totally unexpected attack as one by one they got swept up in the whirlwind of sword strength and blew apart. It seemed their physical prowess was nothing, as over half of the flies that had been inside were eliminated in the blink of an eye.

As thousands of sword auras cascaded down, a few of the flies with sorcerer abilities abruptly evaded. They seemed to have fled the scene.

Swish!

‘Instantaneous movement?!’

I gaped in disbelief as I thought about how they could pull off such high-level techniques while looking just like ordinary flies!

[ Hand over the brains!! ]

Then, some of the flies seemed to shift into their spiritual form, charging towards me, trying to possess my brain. It appeared that physical attacks didn’t harm their spiritual forms, even my sword energy couldn’t pierce through them.

But Yeodong-bin, with his exorcism experience, coldly stared down the otherworldly beings and raised his sword vertically.

[ Hah! ]

With that, the spiritualized flies were thrown out of the air, exploding into pieces. They seemed to panic, flailing as their spiritualized attacks failed, and one by one they were stabbed to death by the sword strength. When Yeodong-bin was almost done cleaning up the area, I asked out of curiosity.

[ How did you just do that? ]

[ They possess spiritual forms immune to energy. During such times, gathering your will to counterattack causes their brains to explode from failure to keep up with your energy. ]

[ I see. ]

It seemed that the will could nullify spiritual forms! Just thinking about how those creatures might invade my brain sent chills down my spine. As Yeodong-bin dashed out to catch the fleeing flies, I remarked, [ What should we do about the flies that are in the humans’ brains? ]

[ There’s probably a powerful sorcerer ruling over that race. If we take them down, the command to infest humans would be lifted. ]

[ How do you know that so well? ]

[ Even back in the Era of the Ten Thousand Lights, the otherworldly races poured out of Dark Heaven Village, causing chaos for humans. It was a dark and chaotic time… I’ve fought against this race about three times. ]

Yeodong-bin muttered bitterly. I felt a weight in my heart.

‘Compromise with these beings would be impossible.’

The hell I had just witnessed was truly horrifying. If I hadn’t grown accustomed to gruesome sights through years of adventure, I might have gone mad or depleted my mental strength. If these otherworldly races could routinely commit such cruel acts, they absolutely needed to be exterminated. I finally understood Yeodong-bin’s strong animosity and hatred towards them.

Thunder rumbled as we exited, and dark clouds swirled overhead. Yeodong-bin summoned his sword and soared into the sky, shouting:

[ Evil being! You thought you could toy with humans and live?! ]

The sky was filled with a swarm of flies. They mocked Yeodong-bin while releasing their hypnotic sentiments called Heart Words.

[ Heh heh… humans… a jealous race that receives love from their foolish and blind fathers! We had no need to come here, but you humans called us from Shagai to torment you. ]

[ Mad beings… So, you serve that ominous one… ]

[ Yeodong-bin, according to the clan’s memories, you were remembered as an exorcist from a thousand years ago. I’ll be ending this today! ]

Crack crack!

A massive amount of lightning gathered in the air. This unprecedented thunderous flow felt like that of an unimaginable force. If that struck, it would be impossible for a human to survive. I instinctively tensed up.

‘These flies are capable of such immense sorcery?!’

There was no way I could defend against that lightning.

I had no idea how to deal with it. The only option left was to eliminate them before the lightning struck, but even that wasn’t guaranteed. As Yeodong-bin focused his whole power and shouted,

[ Cry out, Divine Sword of the Fire Dragon! ]

Heavenly Escape Sword Technique!

Fire Dragon Sword!

Destruction of Light!

[ Evil being, return to your source! ]

With the Fire Dragon Sword, my body transformed into a gigantic orb of light, charging forward with the will of Sword Saint Yeodong-bin. This was the secret technique Yeodong-bin had used to defeat the progeny of the Evil God. The flies, as they gathered, cried out in protest:

[ Barrier! ]

Unlike before, these flies acted as a swarm, banding together to form a solid protective barrier in the air to withstand Yeodong-bin’s strike. Yet, unwavering, Yeodong-bin intensified the power of Destruction of Light and bellowed out of sheer anger,

[ Disappear!! ]

The barrier shattered under Yeodong-bin’s blade, a sound like glass breaking. In the next instant, the flies, unable to even scream, were engulfed by the Fire Dragon’s destruction and completely obliterated. They weren’t merely scorched; their entire bodies melted away, leaving no chance of survival.

Kaboom!

A great sound echoed in the air, as Yeodong-bin landed atop the Treasure Hall’s roof.

[ I have defeated the enemy! ]

As the explosions subsided, he quietly gazed down at his sword and said,

[ Yeon-ja, there is something we need to discuss. ]

[ What is it? ]

[ You and your companion have gained the right to the Offering Ceremony. It’s regarding that. ]

Until now, Yeodong-bin had never spoken such things to me. Perhaps because he belonged to the Celestial Realm, the Offering Ceremony was indeed weighing heavily on his mind. After hesitating for a moment, he continued,

[ After witnessing today’s turmoil, you’ll understand that the influence of the otherworldly races has infiltrated this realm. ]

[ Are you saying that the chaos arose because we sought the Offering Ceremony? ]

[ No, not exactly. Those flies seem to have come here at someone’s call. They’re using the otherworldly beings to achieve their own goals. ]

I agreed with Yeodong-bin’s assessment. Although the otherworldly races were chaotic, it was odd that they targeted Huashan Sect, turning them into sacrifices. It was likely someone orchestrated the attack on Huashan Sect through the otherworldly beings.

[ So… ]

[ I don’t know what you hope to gain from the Offering Ceremony, but I hope you assist in combating the dark forces operating in this world. They will undoubtedly attempt to intervene with your Offering Ceremony, seeking to wrest your rights. ]

[ What happens if they succeed in seizing our rights? ]

[ …… ]

After a moment of silence, Yeodong-bin finally spoke.

[ They will demand severity in the operation of the Constellation. That we must prevent at all costs… ]

[ The operation of the Constellation? ]

[ Ask your companion for details. He has recently acquired the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate from the Guang Chengzi and is under observation from the Immortal Realm. ]

Mangnyang had succeeded!

I felt a rush of joy, inwardly dancing, just as Yeodong-bin began to withdraw from my body.

[ We shall meet again soon… ]

After Yeodong-bin faded, I eliminated all the remaining flies within the building. There were a few that transformed and charged at me, but using the tactics Yeodong-bin had taught me made them much easier to handle. Once I shattered all the eggs, the demonic energy subsided significantly. After clearing out the remaining flies emerging from the survivors’ foreheads, it wouldn’t take long for the Huashan survivors to return to normal.

However, most of them had gone insane.

“Ugh… ugh… hh…”

“Hehe… heehee…”

I felt a pang of bitterness, realizing that among the Huashan Sect, once promising newcomers and female experts had been utterly ruined, reduced to conditions where some were likely to become egg-laying slaves. Restoring their bodies would require significant effort. Most of the nearby civilians were too weak, having perished as mere skeletons.

When I sorted through the few that were still intact, there were only about three or four. I spent a full day treating the injured and abused. Once the situation had been managed to some extent, I was able to converse with the representative of the survivors.

“The leader has passed.”

A young man in his twenties, identifying himself as Mo Jun-ki, the number one disciple of Huashan Sect, continued solemnly.

“The Huashan Sect has been exterminated… we cannot carry on the legacy of Huashan Sect anymore.”

“What about the outside disciples?”

“Not quite. But since our leader and elders, who knew the true techniques and ultimate arts, died after the tortures, we can no longer survive as a part of the Nine Great Sects, let alone the Middle and Small Sects.”

I was incredulous. “You expect me to believe that no one outside knows about all this?”

“Due to thorough brainwashing… the flies intervened in our brains, dominating our consciousness, so no one could alert the outside about the truth. Even our leader spread rumors of closed-room training, making no one suspect anything was amiss.”

“When did they invade?”

Mo Jun-ki pondered for a moment before responding.

“About a month ago.”

“A month…”

I suspected the timing was all too suspicious.

‘Could it be…?’

Could this extermination of Huashan Sect somehow be linked to our call for the Offering Ceremony?

But for now, I lacked any solid proof. I decided to head back to base and interrogate the flies I had captured, which I had placed within a wooden armor. Then, I turned to Mo Jun-ki, saying, “If it’s okay with you, how about you take refuge with the Han Clan in Luoyang?”

“The Han Clan…”

“I will inform them to send assistance and resources for the survivors.”

Mo Jun-ki shed thick tears, sighing, “Ah, what a nightmare… How could this happen…”

“……”

I shook my head and left Huashan Sect behind.

Next up, I had to visit Songshan.

 

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