Chapter 157

With those words, the Blood Ghosts began to surge forward, kicking off the ground.

They crashed through the walls of the room, charging inward.

[Stop.]

At that moment, a beautiful voice echoed, and the bodies of the charging Blood Ghosts froze.

Simultaneously, their bodies swelled and began to burst apart.

Witnessing this, Jin Yong-nyeo’s eyebrow twitched.

Feeling a deeply unpleasant emotion, she stared intently at the Blood Ghosts scattered on the floor.

‘An ability using blood.’

Though she didn’t know exactly what it was, Jin Yong-nyeo sensed it was a special power from another dimension. She pulled out a few more needles from her sleeve.

“You won’t get away with this easily, will you?”

As soon as she spoke, the needles flew and embedded themselves into the Blood Ghosts.

The Blood Ghosts, their faces turning purple, rose again.

She was Jin Yong-nyeo, the Blood Mage, known as the Blood Demon.

If she couldn’t handle Blood Ghosts at this level, she, the leader of the Blood Sect, would be laughed at.

At that moment, a strong plum blossom scent reached her nose.

Jin Yong-nyeo looked up to see a wanderer with striking plum-colored hair standing there.

“Dohwa!”

Jin Yong-nyeo’s red eyes widened as she let out an enchanting smile.

“You should know how much I’ve been looking forward to meeting you!”

As she shouted, she extended her hand, and more Blood Ghosts surged forward.

Blood gushed from their bodies, but the Blood Ghosts didn’t stop.

Jin Yong-nyeo had already prepared for this.

“You’re using blood too, huh?”

At that moment, a girl with one eye closed appeared.

Nae-ki, who looked ordinary, smirked as she appeared.

“But I think I’m a step ahead?”

The Blood Ghosts charging forward suddenly stopped.

“Huh?”

As the Blood Ghosts turned back toward Jin Yong-nyeo, she began to panic.

Her fingers kept moving, but the Blood Ghosts showed no intention of stopping.

“What, how?!”

Jin Yong-nyeo screamed in shock.

Her hands moved frantically, but the Blood Ghosts kept charging.

Seeing this, Jin Yong-nyeo’s expression shifted from panic to determination.

She raised her hand and smashed one Blood Ghost’s head.

That wasn’t all.

She continued to move, obliterating the Blood Ghosts one by one.

In the blink of an eye, Nae-ki’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Those guys weren’t the real deal?”

“You underestimate people, don’t you?”

Jin Yong-nyeo said, flipping her hair.

Her red eyes, visible through her bangs, flashed.

In an instant, Jin Yong-nyeo destroyed the Blood Ghosts and relaxed her hands.

“Do you know why I’m called the Blood Demon?”

She said, slowly brushing back her fallen bangs.

“It’s because I hold the power of the Blood Sect’s leader.”

To Jin Yong-nyeo, other Blood Mages were merely extras.

She herself was already made up of Blood Ghosts.

“So, step aside while I’m being nice. I have other things on my mind right now.”

“Dohwa, you’re quite popular.”

Nae-ki sighed and drew a red spear.

“But what do we do? Dohwa isn’t here.”

“Dohwa isn’t here?”

Jin Yong-nyeo’s eyes shook.

The flower petals fluttering behind her began to disappear.

“Dohwa really didn’t want to meet you. She prepared some martial arts for you.”

“Haa?”

At that moment, Dohwa’s presence completely vanished.

Seeing this, Jin Yong-nyeo’s eyes twisted in anger.

“You think luring me here will achieve something?”

Her figure blurred.

With a burst of movement, she charged toward Nae-ki.

She was the Blood Demon.

She intended to break through any trap, kill Nae-ki, and escape immediately.

The blood-colored spear and red nails clashed wildly.

With each clash, walls and surroundings were destroyed.

The battle between Jin Yong-nyeo and Nae-ki continued.

But their skills seemed evenly matched, making it hard to determine a winner.

Nae-ki’s clothes tore, and blood splattered from Jin Yong-nyeo’s body.

The two, battered from the fight, clashed once more and were pushed back.

They caught their breath, glaring at each other.

Nae-ki, having caught her breath, spun her spear and smirked.

“You’re pretty good.”

“You too.”

Jin Yong-nyeo replied, tearing off her torn sleeve.

“I don’t plan to waste any more time.”

As she spoke, red needles burst from her body.

A red heat began to flow from Jin Yong-nyeo’s body.

The veins on her arm bulged as her arm swelled.

Her appearance, as if she had unleashed her limit, was bizarre compared to her slender frame.

Thud.

Jin Yong-nyeo, her fist clenched to the point of cracking bones, let out a cold smile.

“I didn’t want to show this, but I need to end this quickly.”

With that, she disappeared again.

‘Fast!’

Nae-ki hurriedly raised her spear, but Jin Yong-nyeo’s fist pierced through it.

Crash!

In that moment, Nae-ki’s spear shattered.

The fist that broke the spear struck Nae-ki directly.

Thud!

Nae-ki was sent flying, crashing through several walls before rolling on the ground.

Half-collapsed walls barely stopped her as she felt her head spinning and her stomach churning.

“Ugh.”

Gurgle.

Nae-ki spat out blood, her internal organs seemingly damaged.

She twisted her face and struggled to get up.

“Why are you getting up? A few bones must be broken.”

Jin Yong-nyeo questioned as Nae-ki spat blood and threw her broken spear.

“Right. I really hate stalkers.”

At that moment, Nae-ki’s closed eye slowly began to open.

“I just can’t stand by and watch.”

As Jin Yong-nyeo looked at Nae-ki in confusion, her body suddenly stiffened.

Nae-ki’s opened eye was empty.

Inside, a red light began to take hold, and seeing this, Jin Yong-nyeo’s eyes began to bleed.

“Let’s teach that stalker a lesson.”

Simultaneously, everything around them began to turn blood-red.

Whoosh.

In that instant, Jin Yong-nyeo realized.

She had encountered something she absolutely should not have faced.

Seeing even the walls turn blood-red, Jin Yong-nyeo immediately kicked off the ground and fled.

It was purely an animalistic instinct.

From the moment she realized that not escaping meant certain death, she ran with all her might.

But no matter how far she ran, she only saw a space filled with blood.

At the same time, the blood flowing from her eyes began to increase.

‘What, what is this?’

Having never experienced anything like this before, she felt all her senses breaking down.

She was going to die.

Death began to tighten its grip around her neck.

Her breath choked.

It felt as if all her hair was falling out at once.

Her vision turned black.

At that moment, something beyond comprehension began to strangle her.

“Gah!”

Her hair turned white from terror, and her face wrinkled as she realized she had collapsed on a beach.

At that moment, Jin Yong-nyeo realized she was rolling on the ground, only her legs moving.

As if her mind had flown away, she could only gasp for breath.

She realized all her senses had been shattered as she lay in a pool of blood.

Thud, thud.

The sound of shoe heels hitting the ground echoed.

Jin Yong-nyeo barely turned her eyes to see Nae-ki standing there.

“Our Dohwa, you should know what happens if you mess with her.”

Jin Yong-nyeo wanted to scream something, but no sound came out, and she closed her eyes.

“Cheon Hong-ryun!”

Yeopyeonggang burst through the red petals, his eyes wide as he looked around.

But the space was empty.

“Come out now!”

Yeopyeonggang’s voice echoed like a lion’s roar, shaking the walls.

“Haa, you’re really no different from a beast. You can’t even see what’s right in front of you.”

At that moment, Yeopyeonggang’s head snapped up at the voice in his ear.

A woman stood before him, her red hair like camellia blossoms, her beautiful face looking at him with arrogance.

Seeing Yeopyeonggang, Cheon Hong-ryun yawned in boredom.

“Did you really come to capture me with just that?”

“Are you serious?” Cheon Hong-ryun asked, and Yeopyeonggang bit his lip hard.

Even though he had trained endlessly to reach the pinnacle of the martial world since their last encounter.

He realized in that moment that he still couldn’t reach her.

But he had no intention of admitting that.

So, he drew more magical energy, opposing Cheon Hong-ryun.

A purple aura flared intensely around him.

But despite Yeopyeonggang’s burning determination, Cheon Hong-ryun remained indifferent.

‘Damn woman.’

Yeopyeonggang hated that expression.

That arrogant look always drove him mad.

‘I’ll make sure you never wear that expression again.’

He had a hidden card.

In his pocket was a needle designed by the Blood Demon to summon the True Heavenly Demon upon contact.

With this, she would be finished.

“You seem to have something up your sleeve.”

Cheon Hong-ryun looked at Yeopyeonggang with pity.

“I have no reason to face you directly.”

“Huh? Are you planning to turn your back on the Heavenly Demon now?”

“Who knows when that Heavenly Demon was.”

She mocked Yeopyeonggang.

“If you want to live in the past, go ahead. I have no intention of dealing with you.”

With that, she spun around, and plum blossom petals scattered.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Yeopyeonggang immediately charged at her.

Clang.

But just before he reached Cheon Hong-ryun, a sword blocked his path.

The one who appeared amidst the plum blossom petals was none other than Dohwa.

Seeing him block her attack with a single sword, Yeopyeonggang’s thick eyebrows twitched.

“Dohwa, are you in your right mind?”

“I’ve always been in my right mind.”

Yeopyeonggang’s eyes twisted fiercely.

Already struggling to fight Cheon Hong-ryun, he was now faced with fighting Dohwa, which infuriated him.

So, Yeopyeonggang unleashed even more purple magical energy from his arm.

“I don’t have time to waste on you! Get lost!”

Yeopyeonggang said, trying to push Dohwa away.

But in response, Dohwa’s plum blossoms bloomed even more.

Amidst the fluttering plum blossoms, Dohwa’s eyes met Yeopyeonggang’s.

“What started in the martial world should end in the martial world.”