NOVEL NEXT Chapter 34
Chapter 3: Fangs and Furies
In the dark of the night, under a cloudy sky where even the moon had vanished, the quiet hooting of an owl echoed eerily.
Three silhouettes swiftly crossed the shallow waters of Tang Jia He while stepping carefully on the sporadic rocks that broke the surface.
Clunk, clunk, clunk!
The three figures were men clad in black stealth suits and hoods.
Upon crossing the river, they swiftly took refuge behind a large stone by the edge of Tang Jia Mountain.
[Just to confirm once more, we absolutely cannot be discovered! This is the order entrusted to us, the finest in stealth from the main sect! Do you understand!?]
As soon as they hid behind the rock, the one who appeared to be the leader warned the other two, who promptly knelt in obedience.
[Blood Cult’s Resurrection! The World Shall Flow in Blood! Of course, Sub Commander!]
[Indeed!]
[According to the information we’ve obtained, neither the Clan Head nor Mandok God is present within the bounds of the Tang Clan. Today is the perfect opportunity; we must not fail!]
[Yes!]
[When you retrieve the script, proceed to the designated location by any means necessary. However, if you encounter difficulties while securing the Blood Water Poison Claw, bite your own poison and die for the greater cause.
In case of failure, you must never reveal your identity. We cannot afford to have the uninitiated swarm like bees!
Your blood will hasten the World Shall Flow in Blood!]
[The World Shall Flow in Blood! Understood!]
Timed with the shift of the Tang Clan’s guards, the trio slipped into the inner sanctum.
At first, they observed the empty clan hall but yielded no results, then proceeded to Mandok Hall only to find it completely inaccessible.
The prior intel that claimed access to Mandok Hall was a complete fabrication.
[Let’s head to Mandok God’s private quarters as a final resort!]
[Yes, Sub Commander!]
They stealthily ventured toward Mandok God’s chamber, hoping against hope.
[This is it!]
From the darkness, the masked men managed to seize a copy of the Blood Water Poison Claw.
It seemed that Mandok God had been examining martial arts, as the manuscript, riddled with sketches, lay abandoned on the nightstand beside his bed.
[A copy of the Blood Water Poison Claw!]
[We may not have obtained the original, but how fortunate to acquire a copy right from Mandok God’s quarters!]
[Heaven surely favors us! Let’s head to the rendezvous point!]
With gleeful hearts, they rushed out, making their way towards the mountains beyond Tang Jia Mountain.
They had initially timed their entrance with the guard changes, so exiting towards the river was no longer an option.
However, although their infiltration into the depths went well, now they found themselves venturing too deep as the outer defenses had grown alarmingly rigid.
[There are far too many guards compared to the intel we received.]
[Is it that the defenses have tightened in Lord Clan Head’s and Mandok God’s absence?]
The masked leader climbed atop the roof of Mandok God’s quarters, scanning the surroundings with a disgruntled expression.
Then, as clouds parted, a vast training field came into view.
To his surprise, the once-guarded training field at the heart of the Tang Clan was entirely devoid of guards.
‘What is going on?’
Before embedding himself in the Tang Clan, he had confirmed that at least four men were always stationed there, yet the lanterns were extinguished and not a single guard was to be found.
Though he found it odd, he had no other choice.
The three masked men swiftly leaped towards the training area.
And just as they stepped foot in the space…
A bizarre sound erupted from a gnarled tree at the edge of the training ground, echoing like thunder.
Wooooooooo!
[Is it… the Mechanized Formation!?]
Startled, the three men sprang from their places as they faced not a swarm of martial artists but a genuine swarm of wasps charging at them.
*
“Stop! You dare invade the Tang Clan!”
“Stop right there!”
Shouting from a distance, the guards rushed towards them.
Torches flickered in the mountains as they hurried, and soon, they found themselves in the special training ground reserved solely for clan members.
What had once been a beehive for Golden Hair Bees was now transformed, buzzing frantically.
“What on earth is happening!?”
At that moment, the Deputy Commander Gu Pae rushed forward after hearing the shout from his superior, the Poison Blood Team’s Sub Commander.
“Hua Eun! We have intruders! Two fled towards the mountains, and our Sub Commander is chasing them down. But one… is right there…”
Under the volley of Gu Pae’s urgent explanations and pointing fingers, a body lay sprawled in the moonlight.
He seemed unwilling to approach due to the Golden Hair Bees.
‘Why do my pets always end up biting people when trouble strikes? They really came into the Tang Clan just to cause chaos.’
Only I could pull that body out, so I offered a quiet apology to the swarming Golden Hair Bees and quickly dragged what appeared to be a corpse away with my eyes tightly shut.
Gu Pae examined the remains.
Feeling uneasy about the notion that, despite being a thief, my pets keep killing people, he came to an unexpected conclusion.
“This isn’t the work of the Golden Hair Bees. The thief has bitten down on poison and taken his own life, hasn’t he?”
“Poison?”
Grateful that the Golden Hair Bees hadn’t been the cause of death, I felt a sense of relief. But Gu Pae’s mention of a poison made Hua Eun’s expression turn icy.
She immediately commanded the remaining martial artists around her.
“If the thief committed suicide, it means he had much to hide. Ask my mother to take care of the clan. I’ll gather the chase party immediately, and we need to summon the elders!”
“Yes, Miss!”
At her command, the martial artists dispersed in every direction.
*
Crack! Tap tap tap!
As I was outstretching my body in lightness skill, the ground beneath me suddenly caved, sending me tumbling down with the dirt.
I was sure I hadn’t messed up my step.
“Arghhh!”
“Soo Ryong! Take my hand!”
As I screamed in shock, Gu Pae lunged forward to catch me just before I vanished into what looked like a collapsing pit.
I had been swallowed nearly up to my knees in that pit that had sprung from nowhere.
“Thanks, I thought I was in big trouble.”
“Are you hurt? If you are, the lady will be upset, so you must be careful.”
As I held onto Gu Pae, pulling myself from the pit, a chilling sound hissed beneath my feet.
Hssss!
Hiss!
Halted by the eerie sounds, I leaned back, scanning the inside of the pit.
This was definitely a creepy noise, yet it struck a nostalgic and fond chord within me.
“What is this!?”
The pit I nearly fell into sported an impressive height that would render scaling it alone impossible. And inside were masses of coiled snakes, writhing all around.
“It’s the Rat Cave!”
A hand touched my shoulder.
Gu Pae joined me in peering into the cave, deducing it was indeed the Rat Cave.
Given that snakes gathered here for hibernation or concealment, I recognized it instantly from my previous life.
However, something felt off.
Typically, a Rat Cave would merely be a crevice or hole filled with a swarm of snakes, but this pit felt strangely foreboding and exuded a dark aura.
Like something massive, lying in wait…
I wanted to avoid getting close, feeling a great sense of uneasiness creeping in.
Even the snakes seemed uncomfortably agitated.
Growl!
As if the sky agreed with my somber thoughts, thunder crashed and dark clouds began to gather far on the horizon.
“But something feels off.”
“Oh, sometimes when Yin energy accumulates in Blood Pisces, snakes will create a Rat Cave. The poison could be intense; be cautious.”
From learning martial arts, I was familiar with the concepts of Yin and Yang energy, but I had no clue what Blood Pisces was. I decided I’d ask later.
“I see. Certainly, the Hoban Yusa is not usually so fierce, but something is definitely amiss…”
The Hoban Yusa referred to is typically a harmless flower snake. The serpents in the cave, in reality, were mostly those flower snakes known for their docile behavior.
But given their hissing, it certainly felt like Gu Pae was right; they were agitated to the extreme.
When the time comes to catch some snakes, I figured I’d visit again.
“I’m sorry I made you all late. Looks like it’s going to rain soon; let’s move.”
“Yes, Soo Ryong. We should do that.”
After a minor mishap, I urged onward, spotting a storm cloud rolling in from the distance.
We had to catch that thief!
Having been out in the mountains these last two days, our mission was solely to capture the thief.
After one of the thieves had been caught in the middle of the night, he had chosen to bite down on poison and take his life upon capture, but the other two had escaped further into the mountains.
While I felt it was odd for me to have anything to do with a thief, my mother, lacking sufficient martial prowess, had been tasked with handling matters internal to the clan. My sister had taken it upon herself to lead the elders and warriors in pursuit of the thief.
I had promised my grandfather that I’d protect my sister and my mother, so I couldn’t just let my sister go alone.
The group had become separated while chasing after those guys, but still—
As I gracefully leaped forward in my lightness skill, I followed the remnants the earlier chase team left behind.
Not long after our renewed pursuit began, from up ahead came the shout of someone.
“There they are! Catch them!”
At the frantic call, Gu Pae and I, together with a team of ten formed in pursuit, promptly shot off in the direction of the noise.
“Over there!”
We arrived at an open space in front of a shallow cliff.
It wasn’t a cliff we couldn’t scale with our lightness skill, yet what came into view was the sight of Tang Clan warriors encircling two thieves, preventing them from leaping off the edge.
Ping! Ping!
“This escape ends here!”
“Tch!”
As the warriors leaped into the clearing, Gu Pae’s loud shout rang out, charging into the space with us.
The thieves, harried by the volleys, wore distraught expressions as they dashed behind scattered rocks at the cliff’s base.
“Close the encirclement and pounce all at once!”
All of us, now together with the ten warriors who were already pursuing the thieves—twenty in total—followed Gu Pae’s command.
Once the thieves closed in, a full-blown hunt suddenly commenced.
“Strike!”
At Gu Pae’s shout, every member of the Tang Clan leapt toward the scattered rocks.
Shimmering flying needles and daggers shot forth from the warriors’ fingertips.
Soon, one of the thieves was subdued and fell to the ground, but Gu Pae’s urgent voice rang out.
“Be careful! One of them is moving in an unsettling way!”
“Understood! Deputy Commander!”
Indeed, as Gu Pae warned, a masked man slipped through the encirclement with remarkable swiftness, dodging attacks with ease.
I watched helplessly as two less skilled Tang Clan warriors went down at the hands of the thief.
“Gah!”
Boom!
Thump, thump, thump.
Raindrops began to pour steadily down.
As the first droplets began to hit, the battle between the Tang Clan’s warriors and the thief turned chaotic.
But does skill even matter?
They say there’s no contest in a swarm.
The masked thief soon found himself driven back towards the cliff.
The moment the thief found his back to the cliff.
“Stand back! Three Phantom Killers!”
At Gu Pae’s shout, the Tang Clan warriors split apart in a flash.
As the flying daggers left Gu Pae’s hand, they flew straight for the masked man.
Clang! Clang!
“Ugh!”
Despite a single dagger being launched, as the thief swung a dagger in each hand, the two sounds of clashing caused him to scream.
The masked man clutched his shoulder and backpedaled against the cliff.
Right afterward, blood spilled from his shoulder, mingling with the rain.
“Good fortune be upon me. If only the rain hadn’t started, I could’ve subdued him with the paralysis poison from the dagger.”
Gu Pae’s words hinted that the rain had likely washed away the poison he had applied earlier.
But now that a wound had been inflicted, it was only a matter of time before the thief was fully subdued.
Boom!
Yet, just when we all believed the thrall to be an obvious victory, a thunderous crack split the air, illuminating the field.
Someone plunged into the fray between the Tang Clan warriors and the masked man with a wild laugh.
“Ha ha ha! Step aside, fools!”
Whoosh!
“Gah!”
Crimson blood erupted like mist before it could evaporate in the raindrops.
In a shocking instant, as a warrior fell to the ground, pierced through the chest by the assailant’s claws.
“Back off! It’s a Master!”
Dressed in crimson martial attire, the figure bore deep-set brows, hair pulled tightly back, eyes alight with malice.
Gu Pae urgently urged the other warriors to retreat.
“What kind of beast is that!?”
Yet, this man ignored our question, instead turning to the thief he had just tossed aside.
“Have you retrieved it?”
“Yes! Here. While we were not able to acquire the original, it seems to be a documented copy from the Tang Clan.”
“What a pity, but it can’t be helped. Good job regardless.”
Held aloft was a scroll wrapped in a red paper layered with yellow thread, a distinctly unusual appearance.
Gu Pae and the warriors exchanged looks of confusion.
I recognized that scroll well.
Mandok God had been researching this, glancing at it while instructing me in my practices.
“The Blood Water Poison Claw’s secret technique!?”
My exclamation caught everyone’s attention.
“Are you saying that’s the secret technique of the Blood Water Poison Claw!?”
Gu Pae, astonished, turned to me.
I could only nod, knowing I had seen Mandok God consult that very text.
It was something I had peeked at once, only to be scolded by my grandfather for being inquisitive and not meddling in affairs beyond my scope.
They had mentioned that all methods to use the Poison Claw would be found within these pages, although it might not contain the original contents.
“No formulas, just forms. What a cryptic way to phrase things,” I thought.
As Gu Pae’s expression darkened, he let out a bellow.
“How dare you lay your hand upon our Tang Clan, seeking to take that cursed art away!”
Recalling how the technique was said to require blood and marrow from Hainan Island, Gu Pae had constantly warned how intolerable such objects were.
Yet, the man did not respond, his gaze fixated instead upon the scroll that had captured his attention.
“Those cowardly followers of the sect fear the bugs, yet still, they have become a nuisance. With all these creatures flocking, it seems…”
“My apologies!” declared an underling.
“It’s alright, it works out in our favor. Other fools would make a ruckus, but this is a splendid opportunity to take revenge!
Let us not just leave with the Blood Water Poison Claw but instead unleash a reign of blood upon the Tang Clan! Use the Blood Cult’s martial arts! Leave no one alive!”
“Understood!”
‘Blood Cult?’
It was a word associated with a sinister sect.
As I pondered the meaning, I suddenly heard a voice coming from behind the red-robed man, who clutched an injured shoulder and reached for his fallen comrade.
Whoosh!
Blood spurted from the masked figure as it rose.
Strangely, this blood began to pull toward the thief’s fingertips and the wound on his shoulder, drawn in as if by some unseen force.
“That’s…”
‘What on earth? Is he a vampire? Wasn’t this supposed to be a martial arts fantasy—?!’
It appeared to be a scene straight out of a vampire movie I once watched in my previous life.
The look of glee on the masked man as he consumed blood froze Gu Pae.
“Th-the Blood Cult…”
‘Blood Cult? What does that mean?’
Gu Pae’s words brought back memories of before when I had shown the original Blood Water Poison Claw manuscript to several elders of the branch, their expressions shocked.
“This—this is written on the cover! Blood Cult! And these words are written in blood! This must surely be the Blood Water Poison Claw!”
“Certainly. It came from the Blood Cult, which makes perfect sense!”
Just when everyone’s thoughts converged, the man clad in crimson blood finally nodded with a smirk.
“Indeed, I am Blood Eagle Claw, the Elder of the Blood Cult! A sacrificial offering to announce the resurrection of our Blood Cult!”
“The Elder of the Blood Cult…”
Gu Pae’s expression soured.
But just as quickly, he regained his composure and shouted to me and the warriors.
“By executing the Five Poisons Extinction Formation! Soo Ryong! Signal with your dagger!”
“Understood!”
As Gu Pae barked at the Tang Clan warriors to form up quickly, I swiftly retrieved a dagger from my inner coat.
It was a signaling dagger meant for emergencies during clan missions.
Immediately, the Blood Cult Elder pointed at me, mocking, “Blood’s Pride, if you all rush in at once, it’ll be a pain! Hold them off! There’s nothing as valuable as the essence of a boy!”
“Stay back! Don’t let him come near the boy!”
“Come! Let’s see if you can stop me! Hahaha!”
Boom!
“Argh!”
As Gu Pae’s warriors quickly moved to intercept him, the Blood Cult Elder lunged toward me with blinding speed.
Before I could withdraw my dagger, he had already seized my wrist.
“Now, let’s have a little break! The Elder wishes to partake in your essence!”
“Soo Ryong!”
As I struggled against the Elder’s grasp, Gu Pae’s panicked voice echoed.
But as I dealt with the Blood Cult Elder, I found myself unable to call for help, feeling a pressure building as he lifted his arm toward my throat.
Crack!
The moment the sound broke through, he was no longer of this world.
My outstretched arm had encountered a fierce resistance as my insects—Ogong—attacked with a vengeance, tearing into his abdomen and weighing down his arms and neck.
“Cough…”
As I met his eyes, now losing their shine, I felt deep satisfaction.
The Ogong had evolved after previous encounters, meaning the poison was significantly more potent now than before; unlike before when a victim simply turned black upon death, the punishment here was brutally graphic.
His wounds were visibly melting away.
Thud!
The Blood Cult Elder crumpled, lifeless, now splayed like a corpse in a puddle forming from the pouring rain.
As swirls of toxic energy oozed from his body…
Boom!
Turning towards the thunderous noise, I found the man in crimson garb pushing back the Tang Clan warriors, casting a wild glance toward me.
“Spirits? Things are growing amusing, aren’t they?”
The look on his face suggested disbelief that the elderly Blood Cult leader had perished.
But disregarding his stunned stare, I hastily flung my dagger into the air as a signal.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Almost immediately, the men of the Tang Clan began to swarm from all corners in response to my call.
*
Whoosh!
“Yikes!”
The masked man, triumphant from a flurry of movements despite having lost some footing, turned his gaze to a wounded warrior.
One who had received a deep gash on his chest stumbled back as he clutched at his wound.
“Get back, everyone!”
“His power is astonishing! Don’t approach him!”
The remaining warriors worked feverishly among their comrades in an effort to staunch the bleeding from their injuries.
I felt desperate to assist in any way I could.
By now, only a handful of warriors lay scattered on the ground beside me.
And among the clan elders, there was an injured member as well.
Barely any time had passed since the signal was raised, yet everything seemed to be spiraling into chaos almost instantaneously.
Having sent the signal, I assumed we would secure our victory with the combined forces of the clan, but the masked man reacted quickly to the influx, crippling our last semblance of hope.
As he tore through the ranks, he sent warriors flying away left and right, rapidly diminishing their numbers.
The sky grew gray as I hesitated.
“Darn it! If only it weren’t raining now!”
One of the fallen elders cursed in frustration.
Their resentment was palpable; it was the rain.
With the heavy downpour obscuring visibility, several of the potent poisons slathered about had been washed away.
Even with a few protections in place, any idea of dishing out poisons would be rendered moot under the rain.
Consequently, the Five Poisons Extinction Formation and its enhanced version utilized when combat intensified would have no chance to operate correctly in this weather.
Thus, all that remained was a contest of raw power against the masked man—and he was steadily consuming energy.
“Cough! Aah!”
Turning to the screams—a warrior now caught in his grip found a way to resist.
Yet the warrior was overpowered, screaming as the thief drained him of blood.
‘Damnit, he’s been caught again.’
Whereas our side was faltering, the masked man continued to grow stronger.
Furthermore, the sounds of the flying daggers grew fainter against the drumming rain.
Not a single additional ally had come to our aid.
Only half of the clan had deployed from our basement, while those who had spent their strength on partying were not available for assistance.
“By all means, we cannot leave Soo Ryong behind!”
Among their ranks, I felt that familiar nickname echo as we continued to plunge into disarray.
The elder’s determined voice reached the younger warriors as we prepared for a last stand.
“Soo Ryong! Run!”
“No! I can’t leave my clan behind!”
“As if! The clan’s safety comes first! It must protect who it shelters!”
With the frenzy both outside and in, I found my resolve.
The masked figure continued its crazed rampage, grabbing hold of a warriors’ throat.
Determined screams rang out.
“Everyone! With everything left inside, listen for my call! The True Blood of Clan must be preserved!”
In the midst of the clash, though, I could only think of one thing.
So I leaped forth to intervene, bellowing again.
“Let that boy go! His blood belongs to the Tang Clan!”
At my shout, all eyes began to turn my way, as did the masked figure’s—to my utter disbelief.
“So, it is you? The boy I’ve longed to savor?”
Just when I thought they might listen, the masked man pivoted, dragging the boy closer with a smirk creeping onto his face.
“This tiny brat is far more precious than anything they could give.”
With a swift motion, he raised his claw intending to strike me down.
But far from that, a surge of empowerment flooded through my veins with an enthralling sensation.
If everyone endured this, there was no way I could let them perish!