Absolute Sword Sense Chapter 287

<Episode 94 He's Back (1)>

Hubei Province is famous for being a place where evil and black sects cannot operate, as there are many sects and factions of the Wudang faction, including the Wudang faction and the Jeongdo Martial Arts Federation.

But that doesn't mean it was entirely like that.

Songzi County (松滋縣), located in the southwest of Hubei Province, was close to Hunan Province and south of the Yangtze River, so it could be said to be relatively free from the control of the Zhengpa people.

In Songja-hyeon, there was a branch of the Blood Sect, the only one located in Hubei Province.

Of course, it is not openly operated as a branch, but rather as a main branch.

-Doesn't everyone think you're dead?

well.

Seven months can be a long time, if you think about it.

You could assume so, since I never contacted the school during that period.

Moreover, the leader's bodyguard and the left guardian deity have also gone to Nokrim and their whereabouts are unknown, so they may be taking my death as a fait accompli.

'Well…but Baek Hye-hyang is there.'

Vice-President Baek Hye-hyang.

Her leadership and natural talent are more than enough to lead the Blood Cult.

In the original history, she was destined to become the leader, so they believed in her and entrusted her with the role of vice leader.

Anyway, I need to go to the Song Ja-hyeon branch and find out the general situation.

I need to know what happened to the Martial Arts Federation and the Blood Cult while I was away.

The eastern entrance of Song Ja-hyeon.

There is a branch located slightly outside of town.

No one will recognize me, since I am disguised as an ordinary soldier seen at King Pyeong's tomb.

Of all the things I learned from the fuse, nothing was as easy as the art of transforming the body.

'hmm……'

But why are there so few people around here?

It was early evening so there would have been quite a few people around the main street, but it was quiet.

But soon I found out the reason.

-What? It's a total ruin.

As Sodamgeom said, the building that should have been bustling with people with the lights on had become a ruin.

Parts of the main building were destroyed, as if a fight had broken out.

What the hell happened?

-Didn't you tell your servant, Asong, to stay here?

That's right.

But I don't feel any sign of him.

The guy was a half-dead corpse who had been turned into a living being, so he had a different aura from normal people.

But inside that ruined tower, you can feel the energy of someone who has mastered internal energy.

Judging from his skills, he learned martial arts from the Jeongjong lineage.

And there are about twenty people lying in ambush in the bushes around.

'……I guess there's a problem.'

It seems certain that our school's branch has been caught.

If that was the case, it would have been right to just step down, but Asong's whereabouts were the problem.

If Asong had come here, he would have definitely encountered those lying in wait and would have inevitably clashed with them.

'It's a trap, but should I fall for it?'

There was no way.

I walked slowly into the ruined tower.

When I went inside, it was even more spectacular.

There were bloodstains that seemed to have been left there on purpose, and the interior was a mess.

“Phew.”

I sighed and looked up at the second floor railing of the main building.

Someone was sitting on the dark railing, looking down at me.

'the poor?'

Judging from his appearance, he was a middle-aged beggar.

Looking at the resolution being passed, it seems that he was a disciple of openness.

He is not an ordinary open disciple, but a person equivalent to the head of a clan who holds five resolutions.

-Why is the open door here?

Well, I don't know either.

But do you think they know why the Song Ja-hyeon branch became such a ruin?

-Isn't opening now Jo Seong-won's ark?

I wonder that too.

It's even more strange that the means of opening are guarding the branch of the main church since the guy is the ark.

Of course, the Open Ways didn't know that their new ark was a person from the main church, but at least if the guy's influence was there, I thought this wouldn't happen.

Then a middle-aged beggar sitting on the railing looked down at me and opened his mouth.

“This is definitely a branch of the Blood Cult. Judging by the fact that they keep coming here on their own.”

-Beep!

The guy pursed his lips and made a sound similar to a whistle with his mouth.

Then, those who had been lying in ambush in the bushes and trees near the tower came rushing in.

Those who were wearing the three-legged clothes were beggars of the level of Buntaju.

Seeing that they were all first-class experts, it seemed like they had gathered only the best.

“Open the rear line, and attack the front line!”

At the beggar's command, ten beggars linked arms to form a human wall blocking the entrance, and the beggars in the front row surrounded me with clubs in hand.

-widely!

The beggar jumped down from the railing and aimed his iron club at me, saying:

“Blood cult. Surrender and I will spare your life.”

“……Does coming here make you a blood cultist?”

At my words, the beggar Ohgyeol burst into laughter.

“Hahahahahaha. If you’re not a Blood Cultist, then why are you coming into this ruined place?”

“Simple logic.”

Of course, there's no way ordinary people would come into a ruined place.

I asked the guy.

“Who made this place like this?”

To my question, the beggar Ogyeol smiled and said.

“Do you think that the main group will not be able to find the base of your blood cult? Stop talking nonsense and surrender. If your main group collapses, the blood cult will be finished anyway. Even if you surrender, you won’t be able to save your lives.”

"what?"

I couldn't help but frown at what he said.

What do you mean, what if the main building collapses?

“Say that again.”

“You don’t seem to understand the situation. You chose to punish me. Subdue him now!”

"insect!"

At the beggar's command, ten beggars tried to betray me.

When you completely lose your energy, all sorts of people attack you without even knowing what you're doing.

I flicked my fingers lightly.

-Exactly!

-Thud! Thud!

Then, all the beggars who were about to rush at me had their eyes rolled back and fainted.

It was the same with the beggars who were standing in the back row with their arms crossed and forming a wall.

I collapsed without even being able to lift a hand.

“What, what the heck is this…..”

The beggar Ohgyeol couldn't hide his bewilderment at the sight of the beggars suddenly collapsing.

I could have knocked this guy out too, but I left him there on purpose.

As I approached, the confused guy took a step back.

“Yeah… who are you? You’re not just any ordinary blood cultist.”

-You're a disciple of a cult leader.

Sodamgeom laughed loudly.

Well, I don't really want to explain it in detail.

“Fuck!”

-Pot!

As he tried to run away, I used my true spirit to create a hollow space and pulled him towards me.

Even if he was the head of a clan, there was no way he could withstand my true energy.

The guy who was flying through the broken window stopped in midair and then flew towards me with a whoosh.

-thud!

“Ugh!”

The guy who had taken the butt kick looked up at me with a pale face.

I just thought of him as a mediocre blood cultist, but when I found out that he was a great master who could even perform Heogongseopmul, I was frightened all over again.

“Tell me what you just said again. What about the Blood Cult headquarters?”

The guy rolled his eyes here and there at my question.

It seems like he's looking for a hole to escape through.

If words don't work out, then you have no choice but to force them to open their mouths.

As I raised my hand, the guy shouted urgently.

“If you touch me, the lord of this room will not forgive you.”

'under!'

How would this guy react if he found out that that Ark guy was one of my subordinates?

How on earth did that guy Jo Seong-won manage the people below him to the point where he's leading the charge against the Blood Cult?

…….Is it possible that you cut ties with our school because you lost contact with me?

-You're saying I betrayed you?

If that's the case, it's quite a headache.

Jo Seong-won's personality is not so light that he would betray me so easily.

But that's only if I'm safe.

-So you think you're dead?

That could be the case.

The guy originally planned to meet me in Infinite City after he officially took office as the Ark of Openness.

But after seven months, there was no word from me.

Long enough to be convinced that he's dead.

The guy swore allegiance to the Blood Cult because of the existence of the country.

-If you're dead, you might think there's no need to follow the blood cult.

The original reason he entered the Blood Cult was to establish himself and solidify his position in the Cult.

But now he is the ark of openness.

Now that you have obtained the position you wanted, it is entirely possible to change your mind.

As I stared blankly, lost in thought for a moment, the guy seemed to think his threat had worked and started grumbling.

“The ark is not far away. If you want to save your life, you had better leave us and run away.”

At the guy's words, I raised the corners of my mouth and asked back.

“The ark is nearby?”

* * *

An empty house in the middle of Songjahyeon village.

There were dozens of beggars sitting there.

If you look at their appearance while they are voting, you can see that they are not ordinary beggars but a group of people who are trying to open up.

A young beggar approached someone sitting on the porch.

The man sitting alone on the chair, carrying a sack of rice, was none other than Jo Seong-won.

It was extremely clean just seven months ago, but since taking office as the Ark of Openness, it has become much more beggarly.

'hmm.'

Jo Seong-won was reading Jeonseo-gu.

There was very important information written inside the envelope.

'Have you reached Hyeongsan?'

In Hyeongsan, there is the Hyeongsan School, which can be said to be the best school in Honam Province.

Perhaps they will reorganize their military supplies there and then head south.

'Did you end up joining the Hyeongsan faction?'

As far as he knows, the Hyeongsan faction is the one that So Yeong-yeong, Jin Yun-hui's older sister, belongs to.

There are some people within the Blood Cult who know this fact, so the situation is turning out quite strangely.

The only fortunate thing is that So Young-young is in the Martial Arts Federation because of Bonghwangdang's business.

However, if the Hyungsan faction suffers a lot of damage in this war, it is questionable how she will view the Blood Cult.

“How far have you reached the ark?”

The elder doctor on the left asked if he was curious about the contents of the sermon.

To this, Jo Seong-won answered in a small voice.

“This is Hyeongsan.”

“Oh! It looks like the Hyeongsan faction has finally joined.”

“I think so.”

“Ark. If so, shouldn’t we join and help the Meng expeditionary force?”

The balding, white-bearded elder on the right side said.

He couldn't understand why Gaebong didn't participate in the large-scale blood cult suppression campaign of the Martial Arts Federation this time.

At this, Jo Seong-won shook his head.

“We lost many talented people in the Yangtze River incident seven months ago.”

“Even so…."

“I will order this matter under the authority of this ark. We, Gaebo, will not participate in this expedition.”

“Ahem.”

Elder Yangmunsaeng coughed violently, as if he was feeling uneasy.

In fact, there were many other elders and clan leaders who were dissatisfied with this decision.

However, as a member of the Jo Seong-won, he could not participate in the war.

It was not because of deep loyalty and duty to the blood sect.

'……If I participate and the Blood Cult informs them that I swore allegiance to them……'

This position that I barely got will end in the worst way.

Although they gained freedom after the death of their leader, Jin Yun-hui, they could not rest easy until the sect was completely destroyed.

That's why we should avoid openly helping either side.

It was very frustrating not being able to confide in anyone about these worries, but it was a fate I had to bear.

"ark."

At that time, a young man who had come up to the main hall called him.

At this, Jo Seong-won turned his gaze to him.

“Yeah. Did he open his mouth?”

"no."

“Aren’t you putting it to sleep?”

“They don’t let him sleep, and they don’t give him anything to eat or drink, yet he keeps his mouth shut. He really doesn’t seem human.”

"hmm."

There was a man who was arrested just two days ago.

When the cultists tried to catch them by entering the branch of the Blood Cult, they beat them up instead, seemingly without feeling any pain.

After receiving the report, the party leaders and Yangmunsaeng elders stepped forward and barely managed to catch him.

'If he's that strong, he's at least a Danju or Bu-Danju in the Blood Sect. But I've never seen a face like that.'

He was the one who knew the faces of all the people above the level of the leader of the Blood Cult.

However, this person's identity could not be determined.

What was even more bizarre was that it didn't seem human at all.

'My pulse barely beats and I don't have any menstrual symptoms. Are you really not human if you can function fine without sleeping?'

It reminded me of a zombie.

The young open-minded man who had been waiting for his orders spoke.

“Should I rather torture him?”

“How can you torture someone if they can’t feel pain?”

“But if my arms and legs are cut off, who knows if I will open my mouth?”

At those words, Jo Seong-won fell into thought.

They might be members of the Blood Cult, so I told them not to directly torture them, but if I continued to tell them not to do that, the suspicions of the Open Methods would deepen.

It was at that time.

Someone came running into the house.

He was the head of the household, Ha Hae-pyeong, who was on duty today.

The elder doctor asked in puzzlement at the sight of him running in with a thoughtful look on his face.

“Master Ha. What’s going on?”

Ha Hae-pyeong answered the question urgently, unable to catch his breath.

“Haa….haa….Ark, Elders, this is, uh, a big problem. What kind of monster is this……”

“What are you talking about? Calm down and then tell me.”

“Whew….Whew….The monster that suddenly appeared knocked down the guards in an instant.”

"what!"

At those words, all the open-minded people sitting in the yard of the house stood up.

If a great master had appeared, this would have been a serious matter.

Elder Yangmunsaeng asked him.

“What happened to the means?”

“It doesn’t seem to be dead yet. There’s still one there….”

Elder Yangmunsaeng urged him to speak while the rooms were still alive.

“Have you ever seen such a fool? So you abandoned them and ran away alone?”

“I thought I had to tell you right away…”

“Ark! I will go with the old man and the other lords.”

Because it was an urgent situation, Jo Seong-won nodded and gave his permission right away.

“Follow the Lords!”

"All right!"

Elder Yangmunsaeng came down from the main hall and dragged down about ten of the clan leaders.

They were the direct subordinates of Elder Yangmunsaeng and were experts who had also captured the unidentified person two days ago.

As they hurried out of the house, Jo Seong-won asked the head of Ha Hae-pyeong's household.

“Your Majesty, tell me more about that person.”

If you are a great master, you may have a hard time with just the Yangmunsaeng Elder.

We needed a criterion to decide whether to provide support.

The head of the Ha Hae-pyeong household spoke in a serious voice, his breathing somewhat calmed down.

“All he did was snap his fingers, and suddenly the walls collapsed.”

"what!"

Jo Seong-won, surprised, jumped up from his seat.

For a moment, an image of someone flashed through his mind.

The elder monk muttered as if he couldn't understand.

“What the hell are you talking about? Just snapping your fingers and all these healthy drones are going down…."

Before he could finish speaking.

The open door on the roof of the house shouted.

“Hey, look over there!”

The place he pointed to was the east direction where Elder Yangmunsaeng led the clansmen.

Then, Jo Seong-won and the elder of the medical team came out of the main hall, performed light exercises, and climbed up onto the roof.

As they climbed up onto the roof, they couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at the open path the hand was pointing to.

The village of Songjahyeon is still bright because it is early evening.

But the lights were disappearing along the eastern street.

“What the heck is this…..ah!”

A dark figure appeared on the street in the fading lights.

The heads of the clan, including Elder Yangmunsaeng, were seen running towards them, shouting something.

But their voices could no longer be heard as they entered the darkness.

It was as if I had been swallowed up in darkness for a moment.

“Elder Yangmunsaeng?”

I couldn't figure out what was going on.

A dark figure was seen walking into the light again.

Every time he walked a step closer, the lights in the village would go out, a phenomenon that was difficult to understand.

The eastern part of the village was gradually being engulfed in darkness.

“Fuck!”

The elder of the medical team, who felt ominous about this strange phenomenon, shouted urgently to the monks.

“Something is coming. Everyone, get out onto the East Avenue!”

"All right!"

At his shout, all the people in the yard ran out.

I saw them running down the street.

“Ark. Let us go too.”

The elder of the medical team said to Jo Seong-won.

However, Jo Seong-won was turning pale as he looked at the approaching darkness.

"ark?"

Nothing entered Jo Seong-won's ears.

His mind was completely blackened.

'That's it. He's back.'

ⓒ Hanjungwolya