Chapter 69

Mingcheng (4)

A laugh burst from the lips of the Blood Flame Sect Master, and it did not stop.

The ecstasy that flowed out gradually grew stronger. It soon turned into a mad laugh.

The Blood Flame Sect Master pushed his white hair aside and began to laugh wildly.

In the midst of this, Jeong Yeonshin looked straight at Gao Zongxue. His complexion was very bad.

He stood awkwardly, unable to decide what to do.

"You're not following the order."

Jeong Yeonshin spoke quietly.

He slowly took a step toward the man, openly emitting the energy fluctuations of the Mara Blood Suction Technique.

No one could stop him. Jeong Yeonshin was now surrounded by an aura of authority. At least within the Blood Flame Sect, he was.

A grandmaster who had achieved a long-held ambition.

Above Jeong Yeonshin, who had personally manifested the technique, was only the Sect Master.

The laughter of the Blood Flame Sect Master, echoing in the silence, was proof of this.

Jeong Yeonshin, facing Gao Zongxue, glanced up at him.

"I gave an order."

"......"

"Submit the tribute."

Gao Zongxue could not answer. His hand, slowly tightening around his necklace, was trembling.

All the leaders of the sect watched this scene in silence.

It was the sight of the son of the Three Masters, one of the Blood Flame Sect's top Blood Demon Swordsmen, personally presenting a treasure to a lowly commoner of the Imperial City.

"Such a precious tribute."

Jeong Yeonshin clenched his hand.

The smooth touch of the jade wrapping around his knuckles was new. It was said that poison was more terrifying than any martial skill.

The value of the Blood Poison was immeasurable. He had obtained the most precious treasure of his life.

"Grandmaster!"

The Blood Flame Sect Master, his face full of laughter, called out. His voice was very hearty.

It was the first time he had seen this since being captured. It seemed the same for even the high-ranking experts of the Blood Flame Sect.

Amidst the confusion, Jeong Yeonshin's eyes met the Sect Master's.

The Sect Master's lips tore red on both sides.

"Come here! I grant you a place beside me!"

Gasps of disbelief erupted from all around. They were not people who maintained indifference through deep cultivation.

He continues to break norms. The power of the incantation Jeong Yeonshin revealed was immense.

"Such a strange event......"

"Indeed. Isn't it a rare occurrence?"

The attendant, who now had jet-black hair like a grandmaster, shared the attention with the grandmaster.

"......Alright."

Jeong Yeonshin ascended the thirty-six steps as the Blood Flame Sect's grandmaster.

During this time, attendants with red hair fluttering rushed to make room for him.

The same fervor seemed to permeate the faces of those who glanced at the grandmaster. They were the ones who desired black hair.

"Come quickly!"

The Blood Flame Sect Master, his mouth wide open with madness, gestured elegantly. He spread his arms wide.

"Play the music! Play the music!"

The atmosphere of the hall changed. It turned into a grand celebration of praise.

It was said that music, which strikes the spirit of people, is a very effective means of governance.

Even the Blood Flame Sect, which did not have a ceremony to worship the heavens, was no exception.

Musicians carrying various instruments, including bells and flutes, walked out.

"Take it."

The Blood Flame Sect Master, smiling, lifted the jade bottle of the Two Rivers. His touch was very delicate.

There was a sense of consideration amidst his wild demeanor.

He even smiled slightly when Jeong Yeonshin merely touched his own cup.

"You will now learn the doctrine. Teaching the grandmaster cannot be done in the usual manner. I must appoint an elder."

"......"

"However, since your head will carry the ideology of our sect, I want to tell you the first principle myself. Listen. The essence of the doctrine can be summed up in one word."

Jeong Yeonshin did not answer, but the Blood Flame Sect Master continued alone.

"Our sect burns away the turmoil and suffering of the world."

"Turmoil and suffering."

Jeong Yeonshin's murmur brought a satisfied expression to the Sect Master's face. His white hair tilted slightly with his smile.

"That's right. The monks of the Buddha call these two things 'turmoil and suffering.' These thirty-six steps have great significance."

The Sect Master kicked the floor of the steps. There was a lightness in his behavior that did not match his status as an absolute master of the martial world.

"They were built to transcend the thirty-six turmoils of the present world. The teachings of our sect are no different from the salvation of Maitreya."

"Is death salvation?"

Jeong Yeonshin suddenly asked. The smile on the Sect Master's lips deepened.

"Discussing the profound meaning could take several dawns and still be insufficient. Do you know that the Ming Dynasty was flawed from the start? The world is already in turmoil. The grandmaster must also be aware of the ominous signs spreading across the Central Plains recently."

The Sect Master's long fingers swept over the cup. It was a gesture as if drawing on the ground.

"An ominous year brings chaos. The martial world is not the realm of immortals; these are creatures that need to eat to survive, so it's clear what will happen. The ominous signs will lead to famine, and the strong will not endure hunger. Next will be plunder. The boundaries between the government and the martial world will begin to collapse."

There was a strange aura in the words of the leader of the evil sect.

He revealed insights worthy of a divine skill he had cultivated with great dedication.

Is this what all the leaders of the top sects in the world are like? Jeong Yeonshin slowly parted his lips.

"The time has come."

He felt the fading sunset. He gauged the moment.

The time given by the Imperial City Lord had passed. She could appear at any moment.

At that moment, a cry filled with indignation suddenly echoed.

"Omnipotent Sect Master!"

Looking down, Gao Zongxue was dragging a ragged-looking boy by the back of his neck. He recognized him immediately.

A commoner captured from outside. He seemed to have been beaten a lot. There was no unbruised spot on the boy's swollen face.

"The grandmaster has proven his remarkable qualities! The momentum of the Mara Blood Suction Technique he possesses is truly profound, yet he has not yet demonstrated the power of the Star Absorption Technique! As the Blood Demon Sword, I wish to have the honor of presenting tribute to the grandmaster, and I humbly seek your permission!"

"Hmm."

Interest seemed to fill the Sect Master's lips. He turned to look at Jeong Yeonshin.

"That is also what I know."

"......"

"Go down and add the weak power of that boy to your growth. You should understand the essence of the Star Absorption Technique, which is contained in the Blood Technique. Go and demonstrate it. You will step into a new world."

His voice, tinged with laughter, urged murder.

Star Absorption. It absorbs stars. It was said that fanatics often imbue their actions with sanctity.

The Star Absorption Technique was another term used by the Blood Flame Sect's martial artists for the technique of absorbing inner energy.

Jeong Yeonshin felt the time had come. A sensation he himself could not understand detected the gaze of the Imperial City Lord.

He slowly stood up and began to descend the thirty-six steps of turmoil.

Rumble.

He activated his inner energy.

He enveloped the power of the Demon Extermination Blue River Technique with the true energy of the Mara Blood Suction Technique. This place was the Demon Extermination Hall.

The main hall of the Blood Flame Sect, where demons are said to live. There were many supreme experts who could see through things immediately.

Regardless of the material for creating martial arts, the Blood Flame Sect Master and the Four Masters were like this.

The gaze of the Three Masters, who believed in bloodline, approached like a ghost.

Unlike those who were awed by the manifestation, the eyes of some supreme experts who believed in bloodline were not kind.

It was a den of madmen. The momentum to assassinate despite the Sect Master's wrath was felt everywhere.

'Now, let's return.'

He had accomplished enough. It was said that the final accounting of the Imperial City's General Administration was important in measuring his contributions.

He had been away from his base for too long. There were many things he needed to handle within the Imperial City, just as many missions had erupted one after another.

Thud.

He soon reached Gao Zongxue. He glanced at the boy lying beside him, his face swollen and looking up.

A strangely extraordinary child. He could sense a strong spirit in his eyes.

"Abominable, abominable, blood demons...... Father would not forgive......"

The boy mumbled with a slurred voice. His gaze, glaring at Jeong Yeonshin, was very strong.

Gao Zongxue did not hit him again. He just smiled and looked at Jeong Yeonshin.

"How about it? I brought a guy who ate a lot of elixirs for the grandmaster. If you start the Star Absorption Technique, I will gladly serve as the enforcer."

His face seemed to ask if Jeong Yeonshin could do it.

Jeong Yeonshin silently extended his hand. Irregular energy fluctuations characteristic of the Blood Technique spread from his fingertips.

The technique was not aimed at the boy. It reached Gao Zongxue's neck.

The man smiled and activated the Blood Technique's true energy.

A fairly solid protective qi rose as a red mist. He did not dodge.

It was an attitude as if dealing with a childish tantrum.

"Noble ones can set aside their beliefs for the greater good. Whether the grandmaster is also noble is another matter...... Choke!"

The essence of the technique was the Demon Extermination Blue River Technique. At this moment, Jeong Yeonshin realized the essence of the inner energy deception technique.

The layered true energy emitted a different power.

The Blood Technique and the Dharmic power. The opposing energies blended naturally through his innate sense. It was powerful.

It was enough to scatter Gao Zongxue's protective qi like mist and grab his neck.

The moment urgency appeared on the man's face and his energy rose, Jeong Yeonshin clenched his hand.

Crunch.

He felt it crush mercilessly. The sensation of the two carotid arteries and the neck bones, refined by true energy, collapsing was vivid.

He pushed the body away carelessly, like discarding a wooden stick. Gao Zongxue's corpse fell to the ground.

The boy, who had been sitting and glaring at Jeong Yeonshin, widened his eyes.

"What a terrible thing!"

"You scoundrel!"

The cognitive abilities of the Blood Flame Sect's experts were indeed lightning-fast. Even when something illogical happened, they reacted immediately.

They rushed over, creating a storm, and in an instant, it felt like a prison of killing intent was formed.

Jeong Yeonshin calmly stood in front of the innocent commoner.

'I want to rest for a moment.'

His journey in the martial world, starting from the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly, had been quite long. Calculating his contributions was a secondary matter.

The reward for the mission would be enormous, but that was a separate thought.

Would Hyunwon Chang be safe? Had the expedition team, including Ma Jin, suffered any losses at the Huangbao Family?

His mind was hot. The Baihui point was filling with warmth.

At that moment, the sudden sensation of the Upper Dantian drew the external layout of the Blood Flame Spirit Formation.

Hundreds of martial artists were lying in ambush, surrounding the area. Their momentum was not ordinary.

The highlight was the sky above the center of the formation.

The Imperial City Lord was floating, her green robe-like clothing fluttering in the air.

She stood on the wind, a complete image of an absolute master.

She calmly performed the technique of walking on air.

Her long legs moved. Her merciless foot stomped on the boundary of the formation.

Boom!

The atmosphere rippled instantly.

'Let's return.'

Jeong Yeonshin thought. It was time to return.