“Kiiing!”

The sound of the flute was low and deep, sweeping over the village like the moan of a creature lost in despair. It felt eerily like a melody from the netherworld, and as someone who learned Qimen Dunjia, I couldn’t help but think this flute sound was some kind of sorcery.

I focused intently, searching for the source of this low-frequency wave. No matter how deep the sound was, it had to come from somewhere. Following the direction where the sound grew louder, I glanced at the passersby on the rooftops. The closer I got to the source, the more they writhed in agony.

‘This way!’

Smash!

Leaping between rooftops, I seemed to soar with each jump, as if gliding through the air. While regular martial artists would soon tire from such feats, my internal power was nearly infinite. I could keep this up for hours! Plus, with my training at the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, I had great confidence in executing this technique.

But aside from the technique, my mind was a battlefield of confusion.

This was due to the formidable power of that flute sound.

‘Is it really possible for just one sorcery to have this much range and destructive capability? This defies the laws of nature!’

While Qimen Dunjia may seem like a jack-of-all-trades tool, it was far from it. Even a master like Mangnyang would only be able to use basic techniques like alteration or dark cloud techniques without divine ability. And even if someone had divine ability, calling forth winds or rain freely was impossible; considerable time and effort were required to harness such power, a price that had to be paid first.

Thus, unleashing a massive brainwashing wave, strong enough to reach for dozens of miles without prior warning, was clearly against the norms of sorcery. Thanks to my overwhelming internal energy, I could easily nullify this brainwave, but an ordinary person with less than three years of power would lose consciousness in no time and fall victim to this low-frequency onslaught. I’ve never heard of someone casting such a powerful magic merely with a flute!

What kind of Great Sorcerer was behind this?

Before long, I arrived at the epicenter of this sorcery. Right at the village’s heart, I descended and opened my eyes wide.

“……!!”

Hell’s Map!

Thump! The humans surrounding the Flute Phantom were either clutching their own throats and collapsing, blood splattering everywhere, or hacking at each other with axes in a wild frenzy. Some seemed completely mad, laughing uncontrollably, while others were brutally assaulting the opposite gender for no apparent reason. There were even individuals preparing for self-disembowelment, as if it was some sick performance. And yes, there was even a cannibal munching on a child’s corpse.

The streets were flowing with blood.

What a gruesome sight! It felt as if there was a crowd of humans who didn’t care about their own pain, amidst a euphoria that was utterly disturbing! While elsewhere, the victims merely fainted, here in the center, the effects were terrifyingly magnified.

“… Ugh.”

I felt a sudden buzz in my head, and I was taken aback. Just a moment of distraction had allowed those low frequencies to penetrate my defenses and give me a headache. I realized that staying here too long would unleash a nonsensical wave upon me.

‘Hmph, fine. I’ll take my time dealing with you.’

I stayed atop the roof, gathering my strength carefully. Whether the Great Sorcerer Flute Phantom noticed me was unclear as it continued to play its flute. With a chilling smile on my face, I kicked two tiles off the roof.

Crack! One hit the Phantom’s shoulder, the other struck its thigh. The moment those energy-infused roof tiles struck, the Phantom stumbled, dropping to one knee. While it didn’t drop the flute, the mad melody paused momentarily.

Instantly, the mania swirling around started to dissipate. The residents, released from brainwashing, began to come back to their senses, horrified at the atrocities they had committed.

“Aaaah!”

“Gwaaaaaah!!”

They saw the horrible deeds they’d inflicted upon each other, and their mental fortitude was shattered. Just a moment of music had turned a festival of insanity into a massacre of humanity. I didn’t have the luxury to care for them, so I rushed down to confront the Flute Phantom.

It looked just the same—clad in ragged brown robes that obscured its gender, griping a dark flute in one hand. I approached the huddled figure and asked, “What’s your name?”

It remained silent. Frustrated, I yanked off the yellow cloth that covered its face, and my jaw dropped.

“Ugh…!”

This was beyond grotesque.

It was a true monster!

Its head was flattened and covered in bulging veins, its minuscule eyes filled with nothing but the whites. It had no ears, and where a nose and mouth should be, there were writhing tentacles that seemed alive, with an oval-shaped maw at the tip, munching on who knows what. Looking at its hand, it had webbing between the fingers, just like a frog’s paw.

To call this a human was a stretch. It was undoubtedly a monstrous aberration. No wonder someone like Liu Cheong-ho was horrified by its very sight.

But that was that. I swiftly snatched the black flute from its hand. It didn’t protest, merely rolling its pale eyes at me. I figured I’d give it a taste of violence.

Whack! Smack! Thump!

I unleashed a flurry of punches, knee strikes, and kicks infused with internal power. After landing about ten strikes, it squirmed in agony but didn’t faint. I noticed its extraordinary durability, thinking, ‘This thing is really tough. Didn’t it even remotely train in martial arts?’

Its body felt as fortified as a seasoned martial artist who mastered the external disciplines.

But spending too much time here wasn’t wise. Unsure if my blood tap technique would even work on it, I decided to finish strong with a really fierce kick.

Boom!

[ @&$&@$….]

Finally, it uttered a pained noise, a sound that no human vocal cords could produce, sending chills down my spine. This thing may have a humanoid shape but was absolutely not human. As it spat out blue blood, it finally lost consciousness, allowing me to grab its neck and fly away.

Waaah!

‘What have I done? This got out of hand.’

I couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly as I flew off. I intended to wait and see it conduct a human sacrifice, but thoughts of the girl I encountered days earlier in the forest invaded my mind, pushing my limit. The thought of innocent humans falling victim to the horrors of the village center gnawed at my insides.

Time was of the essence. For now, I needed to hide and gather as much information from this creature as possible. After that, I’d decide if I should go against the Golden Eagle Guards or assassinate them outright.

After running for a while, I left the village and headed towards the northwestern cliff. I grabbed the Phantom’s neck and soared over the cliff with just a few leaps. I scoured the downhill, eventually discovering a natural cave. It was stretched out enough, at least 20 miles away, so the Golden Eagle Guards couldn’t catch up for a while.

Crash!

I hurled it roughly to the cave floor. For any average human, this would’ve sent them tumbling and left them dead, but as the Phantom quivered and spat out blue blood, it appeared to have no major injuries. This being’s race was innately hardened.

Waving the black flute, I asked, “Is this your magical artifact? Without this, you seem pretty useless. You don’t even know martial arts at all.”

[ &@*#%…]

Its white eyes widened in anger. For some odd reason, it seemed to comprehend me, but I couldn’t understand its strange tongue at all, which just annoyed me. I kicked it again out of spite.

Bam!

[ (!(#%(@#*….!!]

“What was that? Speak up, you monster!”

Boom!

[ ……!!]

Seeing it writhe in pain on the cave floor somehow filled me with satisfaction. This creature must have taken thousands of lives, and its suffering felt insignificant in comparison to that anguish. If I had the luxury, I’d engage it leisurely, but I had no such time, so I stared down at it and spoke.

Just how long did I keep this up?

Suddenly, it raised its palm covered in webbing and waved. In that moment, I heard a sound echoing in my head.

[ Stop! This will only lead to your demise.]

Telepathy?

But I didn’t buy it. I had learned how to use telepathy through training at the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, but this felt entirely different. Telepathy involved mingling one’s will into the winds to whisper, reverberating softly in one’s ears. But what this thing had done was more like the fabled Heart’s Whispers that transcended language, implanting understanding straight into my mind.

I couldn’t help but chuckle dryly. “Is this part of your sorcery? Why are you performing human sacrifices and summoning demon beasts?”

[ ……]