Chapter 85: Hell’s Gate

“Huff, huff!”

His breath rose to his chin.

Because of the spilled blood, the inside of his leather shoes squelched, and his body felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton, but he clenched his teeth and forced himself to move.

At that moment, when Heo So-chang, his eyes bloodshot, glanced back—

Whoosh!

Bang!

“?!”

A large hole pierced through a tree trunk right beside his face.

Frightened out of his wits, Heo So-chang flailed before breaking into a run again.

‘D-damn it.’

The moment he stopped, a hole would be punched through his skull.

Turned into prey in the blink of an eye, Heo So-chang was dying of frustration.

‘Damn it, where the hell is he?!’

The shot came from far too great a distance to detect with qi sense.

Even if he focused his eyes and tried to predict the trajectory, the projectile wasn’t as large as an arrow, making it incredibly difficult to track.

But the truth was, even if he found the location, it would still be a problem.

He had no countermeasures, no means to fight back.

That was the price of placing blind faith in the Black Heaven Yacha Art.

Since it strengthened his body to nearly the level of Vajra Indestructibility, he had never once trained against long-range attacks.

As Heo So-chang poured out curses at his arrogant past self—

‘Target acquired.’

Sewoon was maintaining a flawless thirty-zhang distance from his enemy, preparing for the next strike.

Tap-tap!

Astonishingly, Sewoon was firing while running.

Normally, archery required the feet to be firmly planted and the body to stand upright and steady.

Even horse archery was only possible because the lower body was anchored to the saddle.

To shoot while running meant accuracy and power would drop to the worst possible levels.

But.

Sewoon was different.

Swish!

He chased his target with movement arts at full force, while maintaining an archer’s form close to perfection.

There was no bow, no arrow in his hands—yet he aimed with an entirely different projectile.

‘Twist.’

Clack!

Creak!

Several strands of black thread twisted and entwined into one.

The newly formed Heaven’s Net stretched taut in a straight line.

The pulling force transmitted to his twisted fingers was so strong it caused terrible pain.

Like a hawk in the sky, Sewoon’s cold eyes locked onto his target.

‘Release.’

Whoosh!

Thud-thud!

“Arghhh!!”

With a piercing sound, Heo So-chang screamed in agony.

He collapsed, rolling across the ground.

It was the long-range sniping technique—

‘Thread Flash Arrow’—fired after twisting and compressing Heaven’s Net to its extreme, then unleashing it with the power of Reverse Heaven Qi.

Thwack!

Confirming his enemy was neutralized, Sewoon quickly closed the distance.

It was also this very technique that had allowed him to fire a thread from the dock to the Tower Ship earlier.

The difference in power between this strike and the first one—which destroyed his opponent’s protective qi and blew off his hand—

Was that the first arrow had the Invisible Dagger attached at its tip.

But as seen, Thread Flash Arrow could be used to cross cliffs and rivers for movement, or as a deadly sniping tool.

Moreover, once used, it could be retrieved instantly, meaning there were no limitations on the number of shots like an archer’s arrows.

‘D-damn it. I was so close to the safehouse…’

Heo So-chang despaired.

Because of his enemy’s relentless interference, he had failed to reach his destination.

There was no ally to support him, while the enemy closed in on him.

The inevitable end was drawing near.

In the midst of crisis, Heo So-chang’s mind raced faster than ever in his life.

Now, the only thing left was—

“I know you’ve obtained the power of the Demonic Cult-!!”

A desperate gamble.

Heo So-chang screamed at the top of his lungs.

To stop that madman, even if it was hopeless, even if there was only a minuscule chance—it had to be tried.

He spoke frantically, almost convulsing.

“I’ve already sent word to headquarters!! If you kill me here, that fact will immediately reach the Murim Alliance!!”

Heo So-chang had guessed that the unknown power Sewoon wielded was the legacy of the Demonic Cult.

Nothing had yet been proven.

But on the brink of death, Heo So-chang staked everything on that guess.

Suppressing his trembling insides, he shouted with feigned confidence.

“Do you think the Murim Alliance will let you live?! No—your sister, the entire Sichuan Tang Clan you tried to protect—they’ll all be slaughtered!!”

It was a bluff.

There was no such message sent, nor would news reach the Alliance if he died.

But his enemy didn’t know that.

If Sewoon truly possessed the legacy of the Demonic Cult…

And if he feared its revelation to the orthodox sects—

Then his threat might hold great weight.

Please! Please work! Please!

As Heo So-chang prayed desperately—

Step.

The approaching footsteps stopped.

‘!!!’

Heo So-chang’s eyes widened to bursting.

His charging enemy had halted just one zhang away.

He realized instantly.

His last ploy had worked.

“Ugh!”

Suppressing his pain, Heo So-chang forced himself up.

Then, he raised a hand to point at the sky.

“Do you see it?! The heavens above Kaifeng stained with blood! That is the work of my master!!”

“……”

The sky above Kaifeng, dyed blood-red by the Blood Cult’s sorcery, still lingered.

For the first time, Sewoon’s eyes trembled violently at the sight.

Confirming his opponent’s shaken state, Heo So-chang pressed harder.

“Our power is on an entirely different level from what you imagine! Not the Murim Alliance, but enough to consume the entire jianghu!!”

“……”

“Now that my master has awakened, this world will drown in blood!!”

Of the countless lies pouring from Heo So-chang’s mouth, this final one was absolute truth.

Beginning with the Blood Massacre of Kaifeng, the martial world—orthodox and unorthodox alike—would plunge into inescapable chaos.

All at the hands of the Blood Cult and its master, the Blood Demon.

“Come, follow me to our master.”

“……”

“The power of the Demonic Cult cannot be hidden forever. One day your demonic art will be exposed, and those so-called allies will point their blades at your neck!”

“……”

“Surrender to us. If you bring the Demonic Cult’s legacy, your path will be paved with glory!”

“……”

“Will you be satisfied just to drag your clan back among the Seven Great Clans? If you follow my master, you can rise beyond the Hegemon of Sichuan—you could rule all Jiangnan! I will make it so!!”

Like the flickering tongue of a snake, Heo So-chang whispered temptations to Sewoon.

He was convinced of survival at last.

And then—

Ssssshh!

‘?!?!’

Suddenly, something went wrong.

The qi surrounding Sewoon’s entire body, which had been calm, suddenly began to ripple in chaos.

‘……What??’

Heo So-chang blinked in shock.

The unfamiliar gray light of Innate True Qi that had wrapped around Sewoon’s figure—

Ssshh!

Like a flower withering in a bitter frost, it was visibly weakening.

Only then did Heo So-chang realize his opponent was rapidly losing strength.

For a moment, he regretted not enduring a little longer, but—

‘……No. Who knows what other power that lunatic is hiding. I’ll stick to the original plan.’

He quickly corrected his thoughts.

The man before his eyes was someone he could never afford to relax against, not even for a heartbeat.

It was then.

“……I was wrong.”

“!!”

The man who had been silent finally muttered quietly.

Heo So-chang’s eyes gleamed slyly, like a jackal’s.

Wrong, he said.

Whatever followed, it likely wouldn’t be bad.

Forcing a smile, Heo So-chang spoke.

“Y-yeah. You were wrong. If only you had followed us instead of the Alliance—.”

“To dispel the darkness……”

‘Hm?’

Sewoon’s voice rang out, heavy with sorrow.

And then—

“……I should have stepped into the abyss first.”

“-!!!”

His eyes, filled with unbearable emptiness, turned toward Heo So-chang.

Chill.

A shiver ran down Heo So-chang’s spine.

A suffocating fear and dread, unlike anything he had ever known, coiled around his throat like a venomous snake.

Step.

Heo So-chang unknowingly stumbled back from Sewoon.

“……W-what do you mean?”

“To defeat evil, one must become a greater evil.”

“Sh-shit!! Get a hold of yourself!! If you kill me, your identity will be revealed to the Murim Alliance!!”

“To eradicate demons—”

“……!”

Sewoon’s final words struck Heo So-chang, who was trembling with fear.

“One must embrace a greater demon—.”

Ssshh!

Kwagagagak!!

The trembling gray Innate True Qi vanished in an instant.

In its place surged an unknown, savage energy.

As if the sun had been devoured by the moon.

A bottomless abyss of darkness.

A black radiance burst from Sewoon, so blinding it felt like it could scorch one’s eyes simply to behold it.

Graaaaah!

Kwagaga!

Heo So-chang’s complexion turned ghostly pale as he watched the sight.

His jaw clattered violently, like a man left naked on the snowfields of the North Sea.

But there was nothing he could do.

“H-how do you have that power? N-no, what… what is this?”

The qi pouring out before his eyes—

‘M-my master’s power… why does he have it?!’

The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons.

The ruler of all abominations and monstrosities.

It was the exact same as his master, the Blood Demon.

‘I-I’m dead.’

Crack!

Sensing his imminent end, Heo So-chang bit down on the Blood Pill hidden in his molars.

It was a final elixir that sacrificed life itself to explosively release all remaining strength, including Innate True Qi.

Boom!

“Dieee!!”

Kicking off the ground, Heo So-chang charged at Sewoon like a rabid beast.

But—

Sewoon assumed no defensive stance.

No—he couldn’t.

[Do you wish to protect?]

An unfamiliar voice echoed in his ears, erasing all sensation.

‘Yes.’

Sewoon answered.

[Do you wish to destroy?]

‘Yes.’

Sewoon answered again.

Crack!

Craack!

Golden Bridle Qi, Divine Poison Qi, Innate True Qi, Reverse Heaven Qi.

Sewoon’s inner balance began to twist.

Reverse Heaven Qi devoured everything.

[Offer everything.]

Kragaga!

Boom!

Reverse Heaven Qi broke through the third level.

At last, it reached the realm of the fourth.

[And you shall obtain it.]

Through his fading vision, Sewoon answered one last time.

At that moment—

Kwooooom!!

From the center of his Upper Dantian, the Gate of Demons—once called by the Blood Demon the Hell’s Gate of Blood Fiends—shattered every lock and chain, bursting wide open.

Fwoooosh!

The abyss seeped into Sewoon’s eyes.

The true—

Descent of a Demon.

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