[TS] Became a Peach Saint – Chapter 279

*Click!*

*Screaaaam—!*

The agonized screams of the Heavenly Blood Members, drenched in pain, echoed clearly.

“Daeju, can we really not go home yet?”

Even though they were way past the age to throw tantrums, the members’ persistent whining made Daeju seriously consider whether they should just head back.

“Not yet. Our secret mission is to protect Han So-jeo when she’s in danger. Don’t forget that.”

“Shouldn’t we be protecting others *from* Han So-jeo?”

“Enough.”

Daeju, almost nodding without realizing it, turned around to look back.

What he saw were the members, all covering their groins.

‘Well, our first meeting *was* quite intense…’

“If I had known the young lady used such terrifying sorcery, I would’ve protected myself with my inner energy.”

“Terrifying? Sorcery? While you’re at it, protect your balls too.”

“Gasp!”

“Try it. Divine alcohol.”

“Se, se, se…!”

*Gasp!*

After spacing out for a moment, Daeju suddenly took a deep breath, making the members look at him strangely.

“What’s wrong, Daeju?”

“Ah, nothing. I just remembered Han So-jeo’s… forceful divine alcohol technique.”

Hearing this, the Heavenly Blood Members covered their groins even more meticulously.

They, too, had suffered during their first encounter.

***

“Disgusting creature! Can’t you just rot away?!”

*Clang!*

The warrior guarding Hyeonryeong swung his sword, and sparks flew in the darkness.

He had struck so hard that his palm was torn, and blood dripped between his fingers gripping the sword.

*Clatter.*

*Thud! Thud!*

As if responding to his words, the pitch-black skeleton’s hollow eye sockets ignited with a crimson glow.

“Ahhh!!”

The warrior screamed, overwhelmed by terror.

Human skin is fragile—even a graze from a sharp blade can cut through it.

But the monster before him was different.

With just one strike, his beloved sword was ruined.

Ordinary weapons would break after cutting through human bones a few times, but his sword was a masterpiece, personally bestowed by Hyeonryeong, who now lay trembling on the ground.

He had thought his well-forged sword was of such high quality that it could cut through human bones countless times.

“But… why…?”

The warrior stared at his ruined sword in despair.

The blade was chipped, as if it had been smashed against a solid lump of iron on purpose.

He wasn’t a blacksmith who got angry at failed weapons.

*Clatter!*

As the warrior stared hopelessly at his sword, the sound of bones clattering near his ear made him hastily step back.

“You fool! What are you doing instead of protecting me?!”

“My lord… the blade just won’t cut through it…”

The only remaining torchlight flickered, as if even the light was being sucked into the darkness.

The blackened Black Skull revealed itself, repeatedly hiding and reappearing.

In the darkness where even an inch ahead was hard to discern, the only thing visible was the Black Skull’s eerie, deep pupils.

*Clatter.*

“Eek, eek!”

At the sound of bones rattling again, Hyeonryeong flailed on the ground, scrambling backward in a pitiful manner.

“You fool! If you’ve taken the bribe, do your job quickly! Protect me, damn it!”

The trembling Hyeonryeong beside him was clearly no good person. Even he, who had been by his side for a long time, could see that.

Hyeonryeong was a coward with no martial skills, but his political abilities were exceptional.

Thanks to his talent, Gaebong, which had been facing off against the Murim Alliance, had turned into a den of heretics filled with Black Dao factions in just a few years.

That alone showed how well he could manipulate people’s emotions.

‘It’s still a long way before the reinforcements from the Eumsoo Sect and the Black Snake Sect arrive. I need to buy more time…’

The warrior tightened his grip on the sword hilt, steadying his resolve.

Among the major Black Dao sects using Gaebong as a forward base, the Eumsoo Sect and the Black Snake Sect were the most prominent.

Thanks to that, the branches of these two sects were openly established in Gaebong.

But the warrior couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

The county office had been preparing for such situations by taking in disciples from the Eumsoo Sect and the Black Snake Sect as guests.

Even if the reinforcements weren’t rushing in after receiving the message, at the very least, the county’s guests should have arrived by now.

“Huff… Huff…”

Just looking at the Black Skull made the warrior sweat profusely.

Where flesh should have been, there was only a skeleton with hollow eye sockets, and within them, a deep, malevolent glow.

The appearance of the Black Skull was stirring primal fear in the warrior.

*Clatter.*

Even though the blade had already struck the Black Skull once, it merely tilted its head grotesquely, observing as if studying.

‘Why isn’t it moving…?’

The warrior’s eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, and the surrounding carnage finally came into view.

Apart from him and Hyeonryeong, there was no one left breathing.

The Black Skull had torn people apart like paper with its bare hands.

*Snap! Snap!*

“Eek!”

As the Black Skull clicked its teeth, Hyeonryeong screamed again, crawling backward.

‘He’s useless…’

Just as the standoff with the Black Skull continued…

*Bang!*

The door burst open, and a group of martial artists rushed in.

“Finally!”

“Phew! Is the magistrate unharmed?”

“Yes, as you can see, no wounds.”

The warrior, with blood dripping from his hand, firmly held his sword, never taking his eyes off the Black Skull.

Because of that, the gazes of the martial artists also turned toward the Black Skull.

“Damn necromancer. It’s here too!”

*Swoosh!*

Upon spotting the Black Skull, the martial artists simultaneously drew their swords with force.

“Tch! Damn it.”

“I’ll check the burial site again.”

“Do you know what that is?”

“I understand. A moving Black Skull. If I’ve seen that thing twice, this place is no longer the living world.”

The Black Skull Gate warrior glanced at the sword of the warrior standing next to him, then looked back at his own sword.

“Damn it…”

The large chunk missing from his sword was identical to the other warrior’s. Naturally, curses spilled from the Black Skull Gate warrior’s mouth.

At least he had managed to strike the back of the Black Skull’s head while it was tearing apart his comrade and then fled, which was fortunate. The other comrades had already been torn limb from limb and died.

“That Black Skull is as hard as iron.”

“I know that well.”

The warrior, who had been keeping his eyes fixed on the Black Skull, finally glanced at the Black Skull Gate warrior’s sword and was startled.

The warrior had only learned basic military training and the breathing techniques commonly used in the army, but the Black Skull Gate warrior was a true martial artist who had honed his martial arts skills.

And yet, such a warrior’s sword was deeply dented.

“We’ve sent messengers to the Yin Gate and Black Skull Gate branches, so reinforcements should arrive soon.”

“That’s at least some good news.”

*Clink.*

At that moment, the sound made the already tense warriors flinch.

Amidst the conversation, the Black Skull, which had remained motionless, suddenly moved.

“Still, it’s just one of them. We’ll manage somehow.”

The Black Skull Gate warrior bit his lip, his pride shattered.

Even after throwing fellow disciples as bait to the Black Skull and hastily gathering the remaining survivors, they had only managed to take a pitiful defensive stance.

‘If it were up to me, I’d abandon them all and leave, but if I did that, the sect leader would have my head…’

The Black Skull Gate sect leader was not the type to spare the lives of disciples who had lost their usefulness.

As he pondered, the Black Skull began to move.

The Black Skull had always fought bare-handed.

But now, unlike before, it pulled out its own rib and plunged it into the ground.

*Crunch! Crunch!*

“Ugh!”

The ground shook, and a crimson skeleton emerged, tearing through the earth.

“Huh, the Black Skull is summoning the Red Skull…”

*Clack. Clack. Clack.*

The Black Skull, seeing their panicked expressions, clattered its teeth as if amused.

But the Black Skull’s antics were a disaster for them.

“Damn it!”

The Black Skull Gate warrior, unable to bear the thought of being looked down upon by a mere creature, was about to charge forward.

*Tap. Tap.*

Except for the sound of sparks from the bonfire, the place was eerily quiet, but now the sound of shoes scraping against the floor echoed.

Hearing that small sound, cold sweat dripped down the Black Skull Gate warrior’s spine.

It was intuition, the driving force that had kept him alive in the treacherous world of martial arts.

*Creak—*

The wooden door, worn down from the commotion, made an unpleasant sound.

“Ah, it’s noisy. I told you to handle it bare-handed.”

*Tap. Tap.*

A melodious, almost singing voice feigned anger.

“Shut up,” he spat out.

“…”

“We were being quiet,” they muttered.

They couldn’t hear the ringing noise in the newcomer’s head, so they had no idea what was going on.

*Ding!*

《A portion of guilt has been erased.》

*Ding!*

《A portion of guilt has been erased.》

*Ding!*

《A portion of guilt has been erased.》

*Ding!*

《A portion of guilt has been erased.》

“Who on earth are you…?” the martial artist from the Black Death Sect asked, his voice trembling but firm.

Even in this chaos, his instincts were screaming at him.

“I am…” the woman, who had been quietly fuming, removed the mask covering her face.

“The Heavenly Peach… and…”

*Thud.*

《The Inherited Piece of Demon begins to react.》

“The Princess of the Demon Heaven… and…”

*Dramatic pause.*

“Your eternal nightmare.”

《Self-awareness begins to awaken.》

***

“Why won’t the cart move?” Changma asked, but the cart remained stubbornly still.

The people in the cart exchanged glances, but none of them had any idea how to solve the problem.

Suddenly, in the silence, Grim Sword realized what the issue was.

“We came here by ourselves,” he said.

Finally, the others in the cart understood the problem.

“Changma, didn’t you drive a cart when you were younger?” someone asked.

“I was a coachman once, but you expect me to drive a cart at this age?” Changma retorted.

“What else can we do? The Grand Elder is waiting,” another chimed in.

“Ugh…” Changma groaned.

Grand Elder Hyanghyang, watching their conversation, simply smiled.

Seeing this, Changma reluctantly stepped out and sat down in the coachman’s seat.

“Yah!” he shouted, shaking the reins.

The cart slowly began to move.

“Coachman, hurry up!” someone yelled from inside.

“Shut up, you old fool! I’m not a coachman!” Changma snapped.

Though he had no choice but to hold the reins, Dokma kept needling him from behind.

Changma was tempted to stab Dokma in the forehead with his spear.

“Ugh, you’re making me feel like I’m going to lose my mind in my old age,” Changma grumbled.

“Whatever, just hurry up! Our Ga-eul is waiting!” Dokma shot back.

*Grind.*

The cart creaked forward, and the bickering continued.