Chapter 151
—
“This… What in the world is going on…?”
Jo Ha-seong was on the brink of losing his mind.
Suddenly, the entire world was bathed in a purple darkness, and thick fog enveloped everything.
And then, people began to collapse.
Among them was Yeongju.
“Father? I… I feel dizzy all of a sudden…”
While they were having tea and chatting, Yeongju suddenly lost her focus and collapsed.
“Yeongju!”
Jo Ha-seong quickly caught his daughter as she fell.
‘…What is this energy?’
An ominous feeling rushed in all of a sudden.
It felt as though the very air touching his skin carried hostility.
Without thinking, Jo Ha-seong activated his defensive energy.
In a panic, he checked Yeongju’s breath.
‘Is she… sleeping?’
Her breathing was faint, but she was still alive.
“Yeongju…”
Jo Ha-seong stared at his daughter, who was barely breathing, her chest rising and falling faintly.
She was the precious daughter left by his late wife.
He had raised her with care as if she might fly away with the wind or disappear if he held her too tightly.
But now…
‘Could it be that she might never wake up again?’
Fear gripped his heart, and it pounded uncontrollably.
“No, no…!”
Jo Ha-seong rushed out of the room, still holding Yeongju in his arms.
“Is anyone there?!”
As he raised his voice, Jo Ha-seong froze, his body going stiff.
Everyone in the post office was lying on the ground like puppets with their strings cut.
The workers, the soldiers, the postal officers—all of them had collapsed.
The scene was eerie.
And the purple darkness that blanketed the entire city of Hangzhou, along with this thick fog…
“…This can’t be happening.”
Jo Ha-seong gritted his teeth.
Given this strange scene, it seemed clear that a formation was at work.
The first place to discuss this situation should naturally be the Murim Alliance, but the problem was that there was no one to send to them.
Everyone had collapsed.
‘Should I go to the Murim Alliance, even while carrying Yeongju?’
Many conflicting thoughts raced through his mind.
‘But what if I run into enemies along the way?’
Jo Ha-seong glanced down at Yeongju’s pale face.
‘It’s one thing to protect myself, but it would be impossible to move and protect my daughter at the same time.’
And then…
“Lord Jo!”
Someone called out to him.
Instinctively on guard, Jo Ha-seong relaxed his stance when he recognized the voice.
“Commander Ju, what is going on here?”
Commander Ju had arrived, bringing along Murim Alliance members.
Although the Murim members were in poor shape, they appeared able to move around somewhat.
Commander Ju spoke, his emotions suppressed.
“The Blood Demon’s resurrection ritual is taking place.”
“What?”
Jo Ha-seong couldn’t believe his ears.
“The Blood Demon? Isn’t that just some wild legend of the Blood Sect?”
But Commander Ju’s expression was so serious that it was clear this wasn’t a joke.
“The Murim Alliance believes that this formation is specifically for the resurrection of the Blood Demon.”
“Then what is the Murim Alliance leader doing?”
Jo Ha-seong asked, his face filled with disbelief.
“What about the Murim Alliance leader…?”
Commander Ju’s voice caught in his throat.
“…The master has organized a death squad and left to stop the resurrection ritual.”
“A death squad?”
“Yes. Lord of the Ice Palace, Lady of the Ice Palace, and the Seolgum Brigade Commander are also with him.”
“…”
Jo Ha-seong fell silent.
Although it sounded like an absurd story, if the resurrection of the Blood Demon was really happening, then he could understand why Commander Ju looked so helpless.
‘If the Blood Demon really is the legendary absolute master…’
It would be almost like going to their deaths.
“Then why did you come to find me?”
If it were any other time, Commander Ju would never have strayed far from the Murim Alliance leader’s side.
At that suspicious question, Commander Ju bit his lip until it bled.
“The leader commanded us to protect the civilians.”
At the same time, Commander Ju bowed deeply.
“I’m ashamed to ask, but I request help from you, Lord Jo. With the Murim Alliance’s personnel and resources alone, we cannot take care of all the civilians.”
“…”
“Please, help us.”
Jo Ha-seong stared at Commander Ju in a daze.
After a moment, he spoke gravely.
“As a member of the righteous factions, and as a father who must watch his daughter collapse before his eyes…”
Jo Ha-seong’s voice was rough and strained as he suppressed his emotions.
“How can I refuse such a request?”
“Thank you so much!”
Commander Ju’s expression brightened.
Holding his daughter more carefully, Jo Ha-seong continued.
“This is my guess, but most civilians should be asleep. Is that right?”
“Yes. On my way here, I checked, and there were no signs of anyone awake.”
“Then let’s sort through the available martial artists, divide them into teams, and search through Hangzhou.”
Once Jo Ha-seong made up his mind, his actions were swift.
“There may be people who have been seriously injured while collapsing, and we must also be prepared for potential attacks from the Blood Sect.”
“Yes, I will do that.”
“We’ll open both the main office and branch of the Jo Yang Post. If there’s anyone in critical condition, move them there. What about the medical hall’s physicians?”
“… They are all asleep.”
Jo Ha-seong clicked his tongue in frustration.
“This is troublesome. Do we at least have any stockpiled medicinal herbs?”
“We have plenty. Please use them as you see fit.”
“Good. That’s a relief.”
Jo Ha-seong calculated the situation carefully in his mind.
The only consolation was that if the Blood Sect were truly behind this ritual, there would likely be few high-level masters capable of acting within the formation.
‘If they really are trying to resurrect the Blood Demon…’
Those high-level experts would focus on assisting with the ritual, not attacking civilians.
‘In that case… we’ll have to leave the ritual’s disruption to the death squad.’
With that thought, Jo Ha-seong lifted his head.
“Let’s move out.”
“Yes!”
Commander Ju nodded firmly.
The group quickly dispersed, moving into action.
—
Inside the Formation
Since all living beings inside the formation were asleep, riding horses was not an option.
The death squad moved swiftly, using their light-footed skills.
The true form of the Millennium Ice Crystal (Manyeon Bingjeong/Somi) was guiding the way.
– ‘This is the way!’
The death squad consisted of twelve people: Doyul, Yerin, the Seolgum Brigade Commander, the Murim Alliance leader, and others from the Murim Alliance who could maintain their internal energy and martial skills without difficulty.
In truth, assembling such a force was excessive, considering they still needed to support the civilians.
“Are you sure this is the right way?”
The Murim Alliance leader asked in a doubtful voice.
He had expected them to head toward the outskirts of Hangzhou, but instead, they had arrived at one of the most famous locations in the city.
The West Lake, Hangzhou’s renowned landmark, stretched out before them like a vast sea.
Manyeon Bingjeong, in a huff, answered:
– ‘Someone like you should know I wouldn’t lead you down the wrong path.’
“Cough.”
The Murim Alliance leader was caught off guard.
He cleared his throat and averted his gaze, clearly uncomfortable.
It was true that there was a strong sense of unease in the area, but Yerin could somewhat understand his feelings.
‘West Lake is one of Hangzhou’s top landmarks.’
The Murim Alliance leader likely didn’t want to believe that the Blood Sect had infiltrated even such a famous spot.
‘That said, it’s really wide.’
Yerin glanced at West Lake.
If they had seen it under clear skies, the lake would have been stunning. But now, in the current atmosphere, it looked almost as if some monstrous creature would emerge from its waters.
She increased her internal energy and scanned the area. Occasionally, she spotted small lakes created by embankments inside West Lake.
‘Sometimes the wealthy choose scenic spots like this to turn into private estates.’
These must be those private lands.
Yerin turned her head again, taking in the bustling street ahead.
Pavilions, inns, and shops lined the road along the edge of West Lake. The street exuded the feeling of a lively downtown area, but it was eerily full of people who appeared to be in a deep sleep as if they had fainted.
As they walked further in, Man-nyeon Bing-jeong pointed to a pavilion with red lanterns hanging outside.
– ‘This is it.’
The group eyed the pavilion warily.
At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary establishment, but there was one noticeable difference:
‘There’s no one collapsed here.’
The streets and shops were filled with unconscious people, but this pavilion was completely devoid of any fallen individuals.
However, it wasn’t entirely empty.
‘Someone is hiding inside.’
Yerin narrowed her eyes.
The Murim Alliance leader, sensing something, gestured toward the door of the pavilion.
The team members, receiving the signal, silently surrounded the entrance.
And then…
Crash!
One of the members kicked the door open with a powerful blow.
As they prepared to enter, they suddenly heard a high-pitched shriek.
From the darkness, a silver glint flashed through the air—needles finer than even the thinnest of threads.
At that moment, the Murim Alliance leader leaped forward, blocking the needles with a punch that sent them flying.
Whoosh!
The force of the blow changed the trajectory of the needles, causing them to hit the ground with a sickening sound.
The needles were now melted beyond recognition.
Even in such a dire situation, Yerin couldn’t help but briefly admire the leader’s strength.
‘Impressive.’
Despite having recently recovered from an illness, the Murim Alliance leader had managed to block the needles effortlessly with his bare fists without suffering any harm—even as the metal of the needles collided with his skin.
That alone proved the depth of his internal energy.
‘The Murim Alliance leader’s Sky-Chasing Palm has truly reached its peak.’
