Chapter 305. Passage to Luoyang (3)
Despite encountering several more traps along the way, Ma Hye-ryang had to swallow his bitter pill each time.
By the narrowest of margins, things went awry every time.
But the more he failed, the stronger his conviction grew.
Next time. Next time for sure…
He would undoubtedly succeed.
The opponent appeared so stupid, naive, and seemingly ignorant.
Now, only a singular determination to succeed and the evil accumulated from within remained.
“Grrr…”
“Are you alright? I don’t know how scary your boss is, but looking at your condition, it seems you’d be better off taking a beating than this.”
Better to have your legs broken.
Just a bit more, and you’d lose your life.
“I’m… fine. Just don’t talk and keep moving.”
“You don’t look fine. No matter how weak you are, this seems way too much. Can you even beg properly in this state? If you want, I could use you as a porter under me. Just say the word anytime.”
“Argh! Aaaagh!”
Ma Hye-ryang banged his head against the wall.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Alright, alright. We’ll go. It’s ridiculous that you’re throwing a fit even when I’m worried you might die. Right?”
“Yeah, anyone who sees him would think he’s a corpse. The name ‘Foolish Corpse’ fits him perfectly!”
“Shh, lower your voice. He can hear us.”
“I’m saying it so he hears it.”
Jinhyuk and Alice chuckled.
They got along well at times like this.
From Ma Hye-ryang’s perspective, it was infuriating to the point where he was foaming at the mouth.
‘I’ll kill them. I’ll definitely kill them. I’ll feed them the Parasite and make them my slaves for life.’
Ma Hye-ryang swallowed his thirst for revenge.
Finally, they reached the seventh checkpoint.
The last trap before reaching Luoyang, and the most dangerous one they had encountered so far.
Buzz!
A faint energy flowed from the talismans on the walls.
The grand technique was already in place.
…Now!
Ma Hye-ryang bit his lip.
As blood seeped into his mouth, a red aura surged everywhere except where Ma Hye-ryang stood.
Rumble!
[Formation ‘Red Viper’ activates!]
With the activation of the grand technique, binding threads appeared, forcibly restraining the intruders.
Snap!
In the blink of an eye, Jinhyuk and Alice were bound.
“What is this…”
Jinhyuk put on a performance of being extremely tense.
His expression hardened, and his movements conveyed panic.
A perfect score of 98 out of 100.
“Wow… I’m… so… surprised. I can’t move. What… should… we… do?”
Alice, too, wobbled her arms as if reading from a textbook.
If someone else had been brought along, he would be tearing up at her horrendous acting skills.
“Kuhuhu… Kahahaha! Finally, I’ve got you!”
Ma Hye-ryang burst into mad laughter.
“What is this… Did you do this? We were getting along fine. So why…!?”
“Yeah. I… had no clue. We’re… completely… caught… off guard.”
“Alice.”
“Yeah?”
“If you don’t shut up, I’ll shove wasabi up your nose. I’m starting to get a bit annoyed.”
“I’ll be quiet. I’m really good at being quiet. Look.”
Alice tightly sealed her lips.
“This is absurd. Even in this situation, you’re still joking around. I suppose you can afford to be so relaxed because you don’t know what’s about to happen.”
Ma Hye-ryang pulled out a grotesque-looking insect from his sleeve.
The Parasite.
“Kiiii…”
The Parasite wiggled its legs, eager to burrow into a body.
“Once this thing lodges inside you, you’ll be forced to obey my commands. Hahaha! I’ll repay you tenfold for the humiliation I’ve suffered.”
“How many people have you backstabbed like this? Some must have died unable to withstand the Parasite, right?”
“Not my concern. If they chose the wrong side and died, it’s their fault. Besides, if their wretched lives were used for the greater cause, they should be grateful.”
Ma Hye-ryang approached with a wide grin.
‘Damn it…’
Even though it was part of the plan, swallowing that thing was revolting.
The Parasite was an incredibly troublesome creature.
But to make Ma Hye-ryang believe everything was going according to his plan, there was no other choice.
Jinhyuk closed his eyes tightly.
Gulp!
Something horrible slid down his throat.
[You have been afflicted with a status condition!]
[If you do not obey the target’s commands, you will sustain permanent severe injuries.]
The red status window appeared in quick succession.
He could already feel a throbbing pain in his brain.
“Give up. The more you resist, the more you’ll suffer.”
Yeah, normally that would be true.
However…
[5-Star Barrier ‘Partial Severance’ activates!]
Knowing that the enemy’s plan involved the Parasite, he had made preparations.
Before entering the passage, he had set up a barrier.
And almost simultaneously…
[Unique Ability ‘Blood Demon Qi’ activates!]
[Unique Ability ‘Black Heaven Demon Emperor Art’ activates!]
Dark energy began to creep up from within his body.
The specific demonic energy was the Parasite’s favorite.
And the barrier ensured that all the demonic energy flowed to the most optimized location.
“Kiiii?”
The parasite, which had been agitated, now purred contentedly.
The pain quickly subsided.
‘Good.’
Naturally, he didn’t let his expression show anything.
The key was to maintain a pained look while showing that he never fully submitted.
Ma Hye-ryang, unaware of the situation, was bewildered.
‘What is this?’
As time passed, Ma Hye-ryang’s previously confident face grew increasingly grim.
He had never heard of anyone withstanding the Parasite.
Even the high monks of Shaolin succumbed to it.
Yet…
“Ugh!”
The opponent’s eyes still sparkled with vitality.
Unbelievable as it seemed, the guy was resisting the Parasite.
“There was a reason the Grand Master was interested in you.”
He couldn’t even fathom the mental strength of this man.
However, admiration alone wouldn’t suffice.
Leaving him alone might turn him into a mindless shell, failing the mission.
“No choice.”
Ma Hye-ryang pulled out a sword and placed it at Alice’s throat.
If Jinhyuk continued to resist, he’d slit her throat.
“Kyaaa!”
“No matter how strong you are, you wouldn’t just watch your fiancée die, would you?”
“Right, right. Surely you won’t just let me die?”
Alice acted like a damsel in distress, feigning weakness.
I’ll deal with you later.
“Wait… I understand. I won’t resist. I won’t.”
Jinhyuk bit his lip.
“But let me ask one thing. I’m so curious that I can’t stand it.”
“You’ve got a lot of nerve. Fine, ask.”
“Where is the Heavenly Demon now? I didn’t see him when I went to the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
“…”
Not an easy question.
Ma Hye-ryang’s mind raced.
He had a hostage and his opponent was using all his strength to resist the Parasite.
No variables.
Besides, he wouldn’t answer any other question but this…
Should he protect the fool who injured himself fighting those from the 50th floor?
Completing the mission and satisfying a bit of curiosity.
The decision didn’t take long.
“Of course, you wouldn’t have seen him. That idiot is here in Luoyang.”
“What? The Heavenly Demon… is here in the heart of the Martial Alliance?”
“Yes. He fled, abandoning the cult, searching for some yellow stone. Thanks to that, the Grand General and the Left Guardian have taken all the power.”
“Yellow… stone…”
Jinhyuk’s lips curled into a smile.
Now it all made sense.
“Did that satisfy your curiosity? Once you become my puppet, you’ll naturally learn more.”
“Yeah. Thanks to you, I’m completely satisfied.”
“Then now… huh?”
Ma Hye-ryang’s eyes widened in shock.
Jinhyuk, who should have been securely bound, was moving freely.
Clang!
The sword pressed against Alice’s throat spun harmlessly in the air.
“The formation…”
“I told you. I’m quite knowledgeable about these things. Now that you’ve run out of cards, what will you do?”
“Don’t be mistaken! Did you think I came here without any preparations?”
Ma Hye-ryang yelled, stepping back.
At that moment.
Boom!
Thud!
Three crimson blood zombies sprang from the ground.
“Graaah!”
“Roaaar!”
“Screeeech!”
They were several times stronger than the ones that had ravaged Cheonghae Fortress.
These were elite zombies from the Heavenly Demon Cult, designed to fight masters of the highest level.
“Kill the woman and bring the man to his knees before me!”
But.
Ma Hye-ryang’s confident smile didn’t last long.
Pop!
“Huh?”
A strange sound echoed.
The zombie holding Alice’s neck had its head ripped off.
“How dare a mere corpse touch my body.”
Alice casually tossed the head aside.
Crack!
Crunch!
The remaining two zombies were folded in half and thrown to the ground.
“This… this can’t be… Isn’t she just an ordinary girl…?”
Far from ordinary.
Though she looked fragile, she had the strength of a true progenitor vampire, stronger than even an ogre.
“You seem to be under a big misunderstanding…”
Jinhyuk laughed softly.
“No matter what you prepare or plan, it’s useless. I’m always one step ahead of you.”
“D-Damn it…”
Realizing the severity of the situation, Ma Hye-ryang attempted to flee.
Of course, these types always try to escape when things go south.
Thud!
In an instant, Jinhyuk closed the distance and kicked Ma Hye-ryang in the back.
“Argh!”
Already battered and exhausted, Ma Hye-ryang couldn’t even avoid a simple attack.
Now, how should he deal with him?
The first thought was, of course, to use Balmung…
‘But that would be a waste. I can’t let this filth stain my precious sword.’
Balmung, a weapon he had painstakingly waited for, wasn’t meant for trash like Ma Hye-ryang. It deserved a more fitting opponent for its first swing.
Jinhyuk retrieved a new weapon from his dimensional inventory.
[The symbol of the Levishita family welcomes its new owner!]
The Scythe of the Spectral Tree that Abigail had used.
A crescent-shaped scythe that drew ominous curves and emitted a chilling glow from the embedded eye.
Simultaneously.
[You have obtained three fortuitous encounters and information!]
[You have subjugated the Parasite.]
[You have obtained information about the Heavenly Demon.]
[You have obtained information about the location of the Moonstone!]
[Copying the skill ‘Human Skin Mask’!]
[Human Skin Mask]
Acquisition Difficulty: A
Description: Allows the user to mimic the appearance of a desired target. The level of completion increases with martial arts achievements.
The skill copy was successful.
He had extracted all the useful information.
“Thanks for the info. I didn’t expect you to be this helpful.”
Though, considering the past, he should have made Ma Hye-ryang suffer much more…
No, there was no way he would let him off easily.
Because of Ma Hye-ryang, countless people became slaves, betrayed their families and brothers, and even more met a gruesome death.
Thinking about the crimes he had committed and would commit in the future, Jinhyuk had to give him a taste of real suffering.
“I have something perfect for you. You’ll enjoy it.”
Jinhyuk struck the ground with the scythe.
Immediately.
[Special Skill ‘Tree of Wraiths’ activates!]
Rumble!
Purple tree roots sprouted from the ground.
“What… What are you planning?”
What else?
“I’m granting you immortality.”
The Spectral Tree absorbs the bodily fluids and mana of its host.
Simultaneously, it ensures the host remains alive for a very long time.
So, the life you’ve clung to by betraying your comrades and becoming a traitor…
Let’s see how long you can hold on to it.
Gurgle! Gurgle!
The roots wrapped around Ma Hye-ryang’s body, starting to drain his fluids.
“Arghhh!”
Ma Hye-ryang’s screams echoed through the passage.
He would remain in this passage for at least a thousand years…
Unable to die, no matter how much he wanted to.