Chapter 81: Chapter Seventeen – Enticed into the Trap (1)

– To lure someone into one’s own setup.

On a cliff not far from the Black Blood Fortress.

The Blood Demon Witch, Sa Hyeollin, crouched on the rocks, gazing downward.

The Bloodfang Whip coiled at her waist, writhing like a serpent, and her eyes gleamed with a crimson light.

“Kihihi… You’ve finally come out.”

A chilling smile spread across Sa Hyeollin’s lips.

Gu Gwi and his party were clearly visible as they exited through the secret passage of the Black Blood Fortress.

She had been waiting here for days.

Gu Gwi’s Spirit Flow Core—a shard of the Manifest Demon Emperor’s heart and the very source of power she so desperately coveted. Her defeat in Silver Moon Valley had merely been a fluke.

“This time will be different. I’ve prepared a flawless trap.”

As Sa Hyeollin raised her hand, black shadows emerged from the darkness.

They were her Spirit Union spirits.

Black Spirit, Dark Poison Smoke, Blood Bone Insects, and Deathly Tones surrounded their master, awaiting her command.

“Go. Complete the Poison Blood Forest.”

The four spirits scattered like the wind.

Sa Hyeollin licked her lips as she once again looked down at Gu Gwi’s party.

They were heading deeper into the mountain range.

It was still hard to believe they had escaped the Black Blood Fortress so easily. Had they not encountered Jin Geonmu, they’d still be embroiled in a blood-soaked battle.

“No pursuit?”

Yeon Sohye glanced back as she spoke.

“They won’t come. Ma Ungyeol wouldn’t bother with such a half-hearted chase. But I’m sure he’s already guessed where we’re headed.”

Jang Unhyeok also looked behind.

There were no pursuers. The distant Black Blood Fortress was eerily quiet, as if no disturbance had ever occurred.

“Why was the Red Spearman even there?”

Jang Unhyeok asked Jin Geonmu, casually using a shortened form of the Red Spearman’s title.

“I was on my way there at Sixth Army’s call, but the Eleventh Army showed up. I offered a little help, and got stabbed in return.”

Jin Geonmu rubbed his chest.

The wound from the spear had yet to heal. Even if the pain subsided and new flesh formed, the suffering would linger. Normally, such an injury would still render movement impossible.

“Sixth Army’s Jinhwa Seong? Haha! I already clashed with him. That bastard was fighting the Blue Blood Unit, then struck from behind. Shady bastard. He and Eleventh Army are cut from the same cloth.”

Jang Unhyeok laughed as he spoke.

“You beat Jinhwa Seong too?”

“Not quite beat… It was more of a draw. Hoho! Gu Gwi’s martial arts defy all common sense. Would you believe he hasn’t even trained in martial arts for a full year?”

Yeon Sohye looked at Gu Gwi as she spoke.

“A year? Seriously?”

“Good grief! Then what does that make me?”

Jang Unhyeok and Jin Geonmu exclaimed almost in unison.

The Red Spearman moved ahead along the mountain path, now shrouded in darkness.

“There’s a shortcut to the Hall of the Forgotten Souls.”

Jin Geonmu turned back to speak.

“Guys like us live freely, ignoring rules… I’ve been poking around this region for twenty years. Naturally, I discovered some secret routes. Want me to lead the way?”

His voice brimmed with confidence.

For over twenty years, he had been an outsider to the Heavenly Sound Cult. All Wandering Blades of the Ten Peaks were the same. The cult summoned them when needed and forgot them when not, not even caring if they were alive or dead.

He had wandered aimlessly through the Heavenly Sound Cult’s lands, so it was no surprise he knew all the hidden paths. Leading them out through a secret tunnel in the Black Blood Fortress had been part of the same pattern.

“If we’re being chased, this path will lose them for good. Even the Heavenly Sound Cult has forgotten this route.”

Gu Gwi looked back.

In the distance, faint torchlight flickered. It likely wasn’t Ma Ungyeol’s pursuit party, but it still put him on edge.

“Is this the way back?”

“It’s more of a shortcut across. We’ll save half a day at least. If we take this path… we should reach the Hall of the Forgotten Souls by tomorrow.”

Gu Gwi focused his senses on the Spirit Flow Core. A cold vibration ran through him, but no clear signs of danger emerged. Instead, the sound of horse hooves behind them posed a greater threat.

“Alright. Lead the way.”

Sa Hyeollin descended from the cliff and hid deep within the forest.

From her fingertips, the Spirit Union spirits emerged one by one.

“Black Spirit, block the eastern entrance.”

The black shadow vanished silently.

“Dark Poison Smoke, bury Blood Crystals among the western trees.”

The spirit, shaped like a woman exhaling poison, disappeared into the forest holding dark orbs in her hands.

“Blood Bone Insects, plant the venomous insects beneath the tree roots.”

The grotesque spirit spewed bugs from its mouth and burrowed into the ground.

“Deathly Tones, prepare the hallucination mist.”

The final spirit floated erratically, and black fog began to form.

The four Spirit Union spirits scattered to their respective positions.

The subjugation and manipulation of spirits—Spirit Subjugation—was a form of Soul-Summoning Arts more advanced than even the Dark Blood Formation or Earth Suppression Formation used by Sasaha of the Twelfth True Army. It allowed one to command Spirit Union Martial Artists like subordinates.

Sa Hyeollin gently stroked the Bloodfang Whip at her waist, a sinister smile on her face.

The cursed forest, Black Death Forest, where vengeful spirits had roamed for centuries.

If she could harness the energy of resentment pervading this place to complete the Poison Blood Forest, even the Spirit Flow Core could be completely suppressed. A Spirit Flow Core awakened over thirty percent might be too much, but Gu Gwi’s, still in its infancy, could certainly be caught.

“Kihihi… Come, Gu Gwi. This time, I’ll devour the Spirit Flow Core for sure. Kiki! I’ll be the one to control the summoning. Kikikiki!”

An hour later, Gu Gwi’s group stood before a strange forest shrouded in black mist.

“Ugh!”

Gu Gwi clutched his nose at the revolting stench.

The trees were twisted as if in agony, and the stench of blood and rot wafted in on the wind.

“What is this place?”

Yeon Sohye muttered, covering her nose.

Her Silver Spirit Technique began to sense poison. So Ryeonghwa’s spirit trembled uneasily. The aura of Blood Poison in the air was steadily intensifying.

“This smell… it’s the energy of Blood Poison.”

Yeon Sohye’s face turned pale.

It was the same scent as Sa Hyeollin’s poison arts, experienced previously in Silver Moon Valley.

Suddenly, Jang Unhyeok began to tremble. His hands shook violently, and he muttered with a pale face.

“This… this smell. It’s the same as back then!”

Terror flashed in his eyes. The memories of the night his son was kidnapped resurfaced. The same stench of blood, the same poison in the air, pricked his senses.

“No doubt about it… this is the scent of the one who took my son.”

Jang Unhyeok’s voice quivered.

The Red Spearman also gripped his spear tightly.

“Hmm! My lord, I apologize. It seems I’ve led us the wrong way. I’ve passed through here many times… but it never smelled like this before. Gloomy, yes, but not this strange….”

Gu Gwi immediately recognized the scent. It was the poison technique of the Heavenly Sound Cult, used by the Blood Demon Witch.

He placed a hand on Jang Unhyeok’s shoulder and said,

“The one who took your son may be Sa Hyeollin of the Seven Armies. This is the scent of her Blood Crystals. The fact that we’re smelling this means the encirclement is already complete.”

“Sa Hyeollin herself? But why?”

His son was a vessel for the Spirit Flow Core, a Minor Mastery Body. Such vessels were usually retrieved directly by the Sect, and someone from the Sect would come to collect them. But his son had been forcibly abducted.

“This has to be a trap. Should we turn back?”

Jin Geonmu asked.

Gu Gwi focused his awareness on the Spirit Flow Core.

A faint blue light spread out, scanning the surrounding spiritual energy. Yet, no clear danger signals appeared. Faint cries of spirits could be heard deeper within the forest….

Gu Gwi spoke.

“At this point… we’ll be attacked even if we retreat. The exposure of the Blood Crystals means preparations for assault are complete. Let’s proceed carefully. Stay alert.”

The Red Spearman furrowed his brow and raised his spear.

“If it’s Sa Hyeollin of the Seven Armies, we’re not dealing with someone easy. Be fully prepared.”

As the party stepped into the forest, the black mist began to thicken. The ground was covered in damp moss and pale fragments of bone, and every step echoed heavily.

Crack! Snap!

Bones shattered beneath their feet.

Yeon Sohye lifted her foot to see a human finger bone.

‘Finger bone? Could this be a Bone Formation? No way… Wait! Sa Hyeollin uses the Black Blood Chains like they’re nothing… If she’s mixed them with the Bone Formation….’

Suddenly, a wind howled through the forest like a wailing spirit. Amid that wind, faint whispers were carried.

“Revenge… revenge….”

“Kill us too….”

Bang!

Gu Gwi’s Spirit Flow Core responded.

It was the wailing of Stray Spirits trapped in this world. Spirits who had died in injustice, consumed by deep resentment.

“Wait.”

Gu Gwi raised a hand to halt the group.

“These spirits… something’s wrong. There are too many of them.”

From atop the cliff, Sa Hyeollin was watching.

Once Gu Gwi’s group had fully entered the forest, a chilling smile crept onto her lips.

“Kihihi… Now it begins.”

She swung the Bloodfang Whip through the air.

Drops of blood flew from the tip, carried by the wind and scattered throughout the forest.

The blood droplets fell like rain, landing on the ground.

At that moment, the Blood Crystals buried at the roots of trees began to glow red one by one.

“Black Spirit, begin!”

Black mist began to rise within the forest.

It pulled everything in the forest into darkness. The sight of everyone in the forest was completely obscured.

Everyone sensed something was wrong.

“This mist… it’s starting. Haah!”

Yeon Sohye summoned So Ryeonghwa and activated the Silver Spirit Technique. But—

“Ah!”

She immediately withdrew the technique. The silver mist, upon contact with the black fog, began to become corrupted. Instead of repelling the black mist, the silver mist was consumed by it.

“This is… Black Blood Sorcery! Sa Hyeollin’s poison is corrupting the mist! The finger bones underfoot are part of a Bone Formation. Each bone contains a grudge. This is a world of the dead!”

Yeon Sohye shouted.

At that moment—

The black mist suddenly whirled and completely consumed the group’s vision. Then… strange shapes began to flicker within the fog. They weren’t spirits…

“Ugh!”

Jang Unhyeok screamed.

“My son!”

An illusion of a child appeared before his eyes.

The image of the son abducted by the Heavenly Sound Cult. The child held out his hand, large tears dripping down his cheeks.

“Father… please help… I’m scared….”

The child’s face was smeared with dirt and tears, and rope marks were visible on his small wrists.

“Geunsoo!”

Jang Unhyeok rushed toward the illusion.

Gu Gwi swiftly activated the Spirit Flow Core, trying to blast the hallucination away with a burst of blue light. But the black mist only grew denser. The Spirit Flow Core couldn’t radiate outward from his Dantian.

“Ah! Dammit!”

Gu Gwi was stunned by this abnormal condition, where the core had effectively shut down.

He couldn’t enter the Realm of the Threshold through the Spirit Flow Core, nor could he emit its blue light.

Jang Unhyeok was already lost in the illusion, reaching out into empty air, tears flowing down his face.

The Red Spearman also swung his spear into the void.

“Eunhwa… I’m sorry… it’s my fault….”

An illusion appeared before his eyes as well.

His wife, Eunhwa, dripping with blood… her eyes filled with sorrow and resentment as she stared at him.

‘A hallucination! This is a hallucination!’

Gu Gwi tried to form a Spiritless Zone. He attempted to spread blue light in all directions to cut off Sa Hyeollin’s Spirit Union spirits. But the light couldn’t penetrate the corrupted mist.

“Everyone, stay calm! Don’t fall for the illusion! Gu Gwi! You’re in a hallucination too! Don’t be deceived!”

Yeon Sohye shouted like a thunderclap.

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