An Ominous Dawn
Time: 5 days after Jin-ho's awakening, 3:17 AM
Pitch-black darkness shrouded the back mountains. Even the moon was hidden behind clouds, creating the worst possible night. However, it was precisely this darkness that allowed the Heavenly Sword Sect's group to move stealthily.
"Huff..."
Jin-ho exhaled roughly and paused for a moment. His body had recovered significantly over the past five days, but it still wasn't completely healed. The aftereffects of his awakening were lasting longer than expected.
"Are you okay?"
Hyeon-su asked worriedly. Jin-ho's face looked pale.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little dizzy."
Jin-ho forced a smile in response. But in reality, something strange was happening inside his body. The presence of the Blood Heaven Emperor seemed to be becoming clearer.
『Blood Heaven Emperor Awakening Rate: 18%』『Next Awakening on Standby』『Host Status: Stable but Caution Required』
The system message echoed in his mind, but Jin-ho no longer panicked. Instead, he accepted it with cold composure.
"Master, are we really going the right way?"
Hyeon-su looked around and asked. What they were walking on wasn't an ordinary mountain path, but a secret passage known only to the Heavenly Sword Sect. However, it was so treacherous that it was rarely used under normal circumstances.
"Correct. This way, we can reach Heaven Sword Mountain in two days."
Han Mu-jin answered with confidence. He had used this path to reach Heaven Sword Mountain thirty years ago as well. Back then, it wasn't to find Kang Cheon-hyeol's tomb, but for a different reason.
'I didn't know then... that Jin-ho would have such a constitution...'
Han Mu-jin wore a complex expression. Thirty years ago, his reason for going to Heaven Sword Mountain was to investigate ancient artifacts related to the Blood Heaven Emperor. It had been a mission for the Thousand Hands Society.
Many things had happened over the past five days. After Jin-ho experienced Kang Cheon-hyeol's memories, the entire Heavenly Sword Sect had entered emergency status.
Day One: Stabilizing Jin-ho's condition Han Mu-jin and the physicians were mobilized to examine Jin-ho's physical state. Fortunately, the awakening aftereffects weren't serious, but the flow of his blood energy had completely changed from before.
Day Two: Discovery of Blood Flame Cult scouts Blood Flame Cult scouts were discovered around the Heavenly Sword Sect. They were searching for Jin-ho's whereabouts. It must have been on Flame King's orders.
Day Three: Establishing evacuation plans Han Mu-jin held meetings with the elders to devise evacuation plans. Regular disciples would scatter and hide separately, while Jin-ho and key figures would move as a separate group.
Day Four: Contact with the Thousand Hands Society Han Mu-jin secretly contacted the Thousand Hands Society. It was a communication network he hadn't used in a long time. The Thousand Hands Society recognized the severity of the situation and promised support.
Day Five: Departure At dawn, Jin-ho, Han Mu-jin, Hyeon-su, and several trusted disciples departed through the secret passage.
"Master..."
Jin-ho suddenly stopped walking. Tension crossed his face.
"What's wrong?"
"Behind us... something's following us."
Jin-ho's senses had become much sharper than before. It was one of the side effects of his awakening. He didn't miss even small sounds from far away.
Han Mu-jin listened carefully. At first, he couldn't hear anything, but soon he too could notice it.
Thud-thud-thud...
It was the sound of hoofbeats. Multiple horses, at that.
"We need to hide quickly!"
Han Mu-jin urgently instructed. The group hid behind nearby rocks.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The sound of hoofbeats grew closer. Soon, red torches cut through the darkness as they passed by.
"Blood Flame Cult..."
Hyeon-su muttered in a small voice.
Red-robed riders on horseback were passing by. There appeared to be at least twenty of them. All were armed, and the one leading emanated particularly strong energy.
"Are they looking for us?"
"They must be. They would have received orders from Flame King."
Han Mu-jin bit his lip. The situation was more serious than expected.
After the riders passed, the group cautiously resumed their movement. But their hearts weren't at ease.
"Something's strange."
Jin-ho muttered. Even while walking, he kept looking back.
"What's strange?"
"It feels like we're being watched. Not direct pursuit, but... someone is observing us."
Jin-ho's instincts were correct. They were indeed being monitored. Blood Flame Cult scouts were tracking their movements from a distance.
One Hour Later
"Master, they're following us from behind!"
Hyeon-su looked back and urgently shouted. Now they were close enough that hiding was impossible.
Red dots danced in the darkness. The blood energy of the Blood Flame Cult pursuit team. Like demon fires risen from hell, they were rapidly approaching across the mountains.
"How far behind are they?"
Han Mu-jin asked while running with Jin-ho.
"Two li... no, one and a half li!"
Hyeon-su checked behind again and shouted.
The distance was rapidly shrinking. The opponents were pursuing at full speed, while their side couldn't move fast due to injured members and baggage.
Swoosh!
Blood energy flew from behind. The red energy that grazed over Jin-ho's group's heads struck a tree ahead.
Bang!
The tree bark that the blood energy grazed turned black and burned. All life force completely disappeared from that spot. The leaves instantly withered and fell.
"Aaah!"
One of the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples traveling with them from behind screamed. The blood energy had grazed his back. The wound wasn't deep, but if touched by the Blood Flame Cult's demonic energy, poison would spread.
"Dae-sung!"
Hyeon-su supported him.
"I'm okay... I'm fine..."
The disciple named Dae-sung gritted his teeth and spoke. But his face was growing increasingly pale.
"Master... this is all because of me..."
Jin-ho spoke with a voice full of guilt. He felt that everything was his fault.
"What are you talking about! This is all of our fight!"
Han Mu-jin encouraged Jin-ho. But his shoulders were trembling. There were limits to his aging body, and the opponents were too strong.
'At this rate... everyone will be in danger.'
Thud-thud-thud!
The sound of hoofbeats also came from ahead. The Blood Flame Cult was executing a pincer movement.
"They're in front too!"
Hyeon-su cried out in despair.
"Was it a trap..."
Han Mu-jin gritted his teeth. They had fallen into the Blood Flame Cult's meticulous plan.
Both left and right were blocked. Steep cliffs blocked both sides, making it impossible to escape by other routes.
"We're completely surrounded."
Jin-ho coldly assessed the situation. His judgment had become much sharper after his awakening.
"What do we do?"
Dae-sung asked anxiously.
"Hahaha! Where do you think you're running!"
Laughter echoed from behind. A different voice from Flame King's—more wild and rough. It was a chilling sound, like a beast laughing.
Red blood energy cut through the darkness as it approached. Just that aura alone made small animals in the vicinity begin to flee. They instinctively sensed danger.
The man who emerged through the darkness was short and lean. However, his eyes glowed like a real wolf's, and every movement revealed a predator's instincts.
"Wolf hunting is... my specialty."
He said while lifting the corners of his mouth. His canine teeth were unusually long and sharp.
Blood Wolf, one of the Four Great Elders of the Blood Flame Cult. Though weaker than Flame King, he was still a first-rate master counted among the best in the Central Plains martial world. Especially in night combat and tracking, no one could match him.
"The prey moves quite fast. But..."
Blood Wolf sniffed the air. His sense of smell was ten times more sensitive than an ordinary person's. It was a characteristic of his beast transformation bloodline.
"Following the scent of blood leads to the end. Especially that 'special' scent coming from that boy... I can't miss it."
Blood Wolf's gaze fixed on Jin-ho. It was the look of a predator discovering premium meat. He had detected the unique blood energy emanating from the Death Blood Constitution.
"How did you find us?"
Han Mu-jin asked warily. It was strange that they had found them so easily despite using a secret passage.
"Hehe, Lord Flame King gave special instructions. 'Don't let that child escape under any circumstances.'"
Blood Wolf flicked his tongue. His tongue was longer than an ordinary person's and forked.
"Besides, did you think you could fool my nose? I can smell the Death Blood Constitution from a thousand li away."
Blood Wolf took a step toward Jin-ho. At that moment, Jin-ho felt overwhelming killing intent.
'This person... is strong. There's a different kind of danger from Flame King.'
"Just hand over that child and I'll spare the rest. How about it? I think it's quite a generous offer."
Blood Wolf made the offer leisurely. But it was obvious from his eyes that he planned to kill everyone anyway.
"Dream on!"
Han Mu-jin drew his sword. But he had to fight while protecting Jin-ho. Moreover, there was an injured person.
"Stubborn. Fine... then I'll kill everyone and take him."
A cruel smile appeared on Blood Wolf's lips.
Changes began in Blood Wolf's body. His fingernails started growing long, and his muscles swelled. They weren't human fingernails but real wolf claws.
Crack, crack...
With a chilling sound, his bones began restructuring. His height increased slightly, and his shoulders broadened. His face also subtly transformed to resemble a wolf.
"Beast transformation, first stage..."
Han Mu-jin was horrified. He had heard about Blood Wolf's constitution.
『Blood Wolf's Special Constitution: Beast Transformation Bloodline』『Hybrid of human and wolf』『Specialties: Tracking, night combat, transformation techniques』『Danger Level: A-rank』
Information floated up in Jin-ho's mind. It was the result of the Blood Demon Awakening System analyzing the opponent.
'A-rank... It'll be hard to endure with my current abilities.'
Jin-ho coolly assessed. He had become much stronger after his second awakening, but there was still a gap compared to first-rate masters.
"Beast transformation bloodline... quite a rare constitution. But not as much as your Death Blood Constitution."
Blood Wolf glared at Jin-ho. His pupils had turned golden.
"Are you ready? The real hunt begins!"
Blood Wolf roared and charged. His speed exceeded ordinary human limits. He was as fast as a beast running on four legs.
Next: The full-scale battle with Blood Wolf begins, and unexpected help appears...