Soul Summoning Sword

Chapter 33: Swallowed by the Spinning Wind (3)

At the entrance of the valley, a ridge away from Silver Moon Valley.

Heuk Yeomjo sat on his knees.

The crushing failure of Soul Transformation weighed heavily on his chest. The scene of Gugwi absorbing over a hundred Living Spirits into the Realm of the Threshold in an instant still lingered in his mind.

“That bastard, he was supposed to be only at the First Stage of Spiritual Sensitivity.”

So Taeryeon’s report came to mind.

It had only been half a year since Gugwi had awakened, so it was certain his Soul-Summoning stage was low. But that power…

He pulled four Blood Crystals from his pack.

The orbs, condensed from victims’ blood and resentment, glowed with a dark red light.

Screeeech!

A faint scream echoed inside the Blood Crystals.

They contained the Living Spirits extracted from razed villages. A Blood Crystal was a prison of nearly a hundred souls. One Blood Crystal per village… close to four hundred people were trapped inside them.

He buried the first Blood Crystal at the valley entrance. The second at the midpoint of the path. The third and fourth he placed at the foot of each mountain slope.

“Poison Blood Forest, unfold!”

The Blood Crystals vibrated, radiating red light.

Toxic energy seeped from the ground, forming a mist. From afar, it was indistinguishable from the natural sound of wind.

Heuk Yeomjo manipulated the mist.

It slipped between the trees, weaving into a maze.

The Poison Blood Forest was a dual trap of spiritual and physical assault. The screams of the Living Spirits disoriented the mind, while poison darts incapacitated the body.

He drew out poison darts soaked in Hoe Yeonmu.

Hallucination, paralysis, spiritual confusion. Each was laced with a different toxin. He hid them one by one in rocks and trees.

Lastly, he extracted Gugwi’s scent from his clothes.

Amplifying the odor through Soul-Summoning Arts, he released it into the mist.

“With this much… Yun Seoha is cautious, but no matter how careful she is, she won’t be able to escape this.”

The trap was perfect.

It looked no different from natural valley mist, and the scent seemed like nothing more than wind-carried traces.

“They ordered Gugwi to be captured, so one way or another, I’ll take him.”

Step, step.

Gugwi walked along the mountain path, though his thoughts were elsewhere.

Yun Seoha’s warning echoed in his ears. To never use the Spirit Flow Core.

The reason was clear. The Spirit Flow Core was the key to reviving the King of Spirits. If the Heavenly Sound Cult discovered that Gugwi wielded such a power, they would never let him live.

Even when defeating Soul Transformation, it had been dangerously close.

At that time, Heuk Yeomjo had already witnessed Gugwi’s ability. Fortunately, he did not seem to suspect it was the Spirit Flow Core.

Step, step.

The three cautiously descended into the valley, testing each step as they went.

A faint mist rose from within the gorge.

“This fog is thick for evening mist, isn’t it?”

Yeon Sohye murmured, probing with So Ryeonghwa.

“You don’t sense any Soul-Summoning aura, do you?”

“No. But there’s no way the Black Blood Unit would retreat so easily….”

“Let’s descend slowly. Don’t loosen your guard.”

Yun Seoha read the wind with her Spirit Thread Technique. Nothing suspicious stood out. And then—

Thump!

Gugwi felt a jolt as if his heart had dropped. For a moment, the Spirit Flow Core’s pulse ceased.

The rhythm of the Spirit Flow Core and his heartbeat were as one.

“Something’s wrong. The Spirit Flow Core is reacting differently than usual.”

“How?”

“It feels like… a warning? As if it sensed something.”

At that instant—

“Poison!”

Yun Seoha shouted. But it was already too late.

The red mist enveloped the three in an instant. At the same time, the screams of the Living Spirits erupted from all directions. The ear-splitting wails of an asura threw their minds into chaos.

“Damn it! Poison Blood Forest!”

Yun Seoha muttered.

“If it’s the Poison Blood Forest… that means they used Blood Crystals? Those Black Blood Unit bastards, I knew they weren’t human, but this—”

Yeon Sohye ground her teeth.

Fwoosh!

Yeon Sohye immediately summoned So Ryeonghwa. Silver mist surged forth from her body.

“I’ll open a path!”

Shweeeeek!

Flowing Willow Storm unfolded. At the same time, silver sword qi split the red mist apart in a sweeping arc.

“There are poison darts inside the Blood Fog. They’ll rain from all directions soon. Be careful!”

Yun Seoha warned Gugwi.

Of the three, Gugwi alone knew nothing of the Poison Blood Forest. What Blood Crystals were, or from where the poison darts would emerge.

But Gugwi immediately executed Cloud Flow Step.

Once the technique unfolded, Un Serim performed Spirit Union. Gugwi could borrow his senses. His Dantian brimmed with spiritual energy passed down by the Nameless Martial Artist, enough to power any martial art.

Swish!

A poison dart shot from the rocks.

In that moment, Un Serim’s senses awakened. A sharp tension pricked through Gugwi’s body like raised hairs.

The dart’s direction, speed, and distance were instantly calculated.

He twisted his body just slightly.

Swoosh!

The dart grazed past his collar.

Even under sudden ambush, Gugwi did not rush.

It was the composure unique to Un Serim. To dodge such poison darts required no great movement.

It looked as if he had evaded by a hair’s breadth, but every motion was intentional. It was not Gugwi’s conscious judgment, but the instinctual reflex engraved in Un Serim’s body.

“The Poison Forest is a labyrinth that bewilders the spirit!”

Yun Seoha warned.

If only she had warned earlier. Twisting his body to evade the dart, Gugwi’s head grew heavy. The screams of the Living Spirits were vicious, as if showing the bottom of hell itself. They gnawed at his mind.

Attack the body when defending the spirit, attack the spirit when moving the body.

Yun Seoha summoned Baek Soryeong. With Spirit Thread Technique, she conjured a gale to scatter the Blood Mist. But the crimson fog refused to disperse. Instead, it seemed to spread faster, carried by the wind.

“Poison Blood Forest… how could anyone stomach this? To deploy it requires four Blood Crystals—so four hundred people. That means they must have razed at least four or five villages.”

Yun Seoha furrowed her brow deeply.

Tang! Clang!

Yeon Sohye deflected incoming darts with her dagger.

“The attacks don’t end. The path is gone too. We’re completely trapped. Ugh! Be quiet, will you!”

Yeon Sohye shouted back at the wailing spirits.

Thump!

Gugwi’s heart clenched once more.

A giant’s rough hand seemed to clutch his heart… in an instant, a sharp pain rippled through his entire body.

The Spirit Flow Core was throbbing violently. It felt as though it was reacting to danger. Or perhaps like a fighter who had met a worthy rival, itching to battle.

“Lord, may I use the Spirit Flow Core?”

“No! Absolutely not!”

Yun Seoha shouted firmly.

“But inside, this is—”

“I said no!”

The situation worsened. The mist thickened, the screams grew louder. Soon, the Living Spirits trapped within the orbs would break free, dragging the three of them outside the Gate.

Even so, Yun Seoha forbade the use of the Spirit Flow Core.

Ssshhh!

Heuk Yeomjo appeared within the mist.

Dark energy gathered in the air, forming a massive shape.

It was the Blood Poison Demon Spirit. A non-physical entity made from poison and resentment. Heuk Yeomjo’s most powerful Spirit Union phantom.

“Kyaaaaaah!”

When the Demon Spirit opened its mouth, dozens of poison darts poured out.

Its target was Yeon Sohye, attacking after precisely locating her hidden figure within the fog.

Yeon Sohye threw herself aside, but one dart grazed her arm, and black blood dripped.

“Ah!”

A faint groan escaped her lips.

Normally, she would not have fallen to such an attack. In direct confrontation, So Ryeonghwa and the Blood Poison Demon Spirit were evenly matched—both phantoms of peak martial masters.

The Demon Spirit appeared massive and menacing because of the difference in Spirit Contact methods. So Ryeonghwa’s Silver Spirit Technique was by no means inferior.

This time, Yeon Sohye was struck because the Poison Blood Forest had scattered her focus. The screams of the Living Spirits disrupted her spirit, and the Demon Spirit’s sudden assault overlapped with it.

Under normal conditions, she could have avoided it easily.

“Leave Gugwi behind! I’ll guarantee the lives of the other two!”

Ssssshhh!

Heuk Yeomjo controlled the Blood Crystals. The Blood Fog twisted into ropes, trying to bind Yeon Sohye and Yun Seoha.

Meanwhile, the Blood Poison Demon Spirit lunged at Gugwi.

Swaaash!

As its massive claws aimed for his chest, Gugwi swung the Cloud Flow Spear. The spear pierced the Demon Spirit, but its body dispersed like smoke.

“Using spear techniques on a phantom? What on earth have you learned?”

Heuk Yeomjo sneered.

In that instant, ropes of Blood Fog slithered along the ground and wrapped around Gugwi’s ankles. The Demon Spirit attacked from above while the fog bound him below. His body was immobilized.

“Caught you!”

Heuk Yeomjo grinned in satisfaction.

As Gugwi was restrained, Yeon Sohye charged with her Silver Spirit Sword.

“Futile trick!”

Her sword qi slashed the fog ropes. But though they seemed to be cut, they reformed immediately. The fog did not let go of Gugwi’s ankle. The Living Spirits that had burst free now clung to the fog, gripping him tightly.

“Heuk Yeomjo! If you don’t recall the Living Spirits, I’ll annihilate them all! This is your last warning! Even your Blood Poison Demon Spirit will be destroyed!”

Yun Seoha’s voice thundered.

Meanwhile, Yeon Sohye slashed at the fog ropes several more times. Each time they scattered, they recombined into thicker strands. The more she cut, the larger they became.

Ssshhh!

Heuk Yeomjo glided smoothly toward Gugwi.

“Once you’re caught in this, you can’t escape. The four Blood Crystals complement each other. The Living Spirits are protected within them. They’re difficult to create, but once made, their uses are endless.”

Swoosh!

Heuk Yeomjo raised his hand.

“Binding Formation!”

Gugwi realized what he intended.

He had never used it, but he had learned of it—the method of attaching Living Spirits directly onto the enemy’s body to restrain them. Six spirits clinging tight, leaving no room to move.

Gugwi clutched his chest.

Booom!

The Spirit Flow Core pulsed violently inside his heart.

Yun Seoha’s command not to use it flashed through his mind. But he had no other choice.

“I’m sorry, my Lord.”

Pressing hard against his heart, he broke the seal of the Spirit Flow Core. In that moment, a burst of blue light exploded outward.

Baaang!

The power of the Manifest Demon Emperor erupted.

Energy from the Spirit Flow Core spread in all directions, piercing through the crimson mist. The poison began to neutralize.

Kyaaaaaaaah!

The Blood Poison Demon Spirit shrieked in agony. When touched by the blue light, its body shattered into fragments.

“This… this is impossible!”

Heuk Yeomjo was horrified.

Gugwi infused the Spirit Flow Core’s energy into the Cloud Flow Spear. Blue light flashed at the spear’s tip. He hurled it toward the nearest Blood Crystal.

Crack!

The Blood Crystal shattered. Instantly, the Blood Fog began to dissipate.

Yeon Sohye seized the chance, pressing Heuk Yeomjo back. Blood dripped from her wounded arm, but she did not relent. She swung her Silver Spirit Sword furiously at him.

“This time, it’s my turn! Let’s see you block this!”

With Swift Wind Footwork, she moved behind Heuk Yeomjo, her sword aimed at his back.

Meanwhile, Gugwi carefully controlled the Spirit Flow Core. Blue light destroyed the remaining Blood Crystals one by one.

The Poison Blood Forest completely collapsed.

Heuk Yeomjo began to retreat.

“What a monster!”

He snatched the last remaining Blood Crystal and fled in haste.

So Taeryeon had watched everything unfold from afar.

Seeing even the Poison Blood Forest neutralized, he was stunned. He immediately released a carrier pigeon.

「Gugwi is far stronger than expected. He neutralizes all Soul-Summoning Arts. Requesting reinforcements from the Black Blood Unit and the strongest experts of the Heavenly Sound Cult.」

The bird flew swiftly into the sky.

Meanwhile, in the northern forest of Silver Moon Valley, martial artists of the Blue Blood Unit appeared.

On their way to the Cold Wolf Sect under Murim Alliance orders, they had detected traces of Soul-Summoning Arts.

The captain of the Blue Blood Unit gave the order.

“Confirm the Soul-Summoner and assess the threat level.”

The martial artists tightened their encirclement around Silver Moon Valley.

Gugwi’s group did not yet know. Both the Heavenly Sound Cult and the Murim Alliance had begun to watch them.

Yun Seoha glared coldly at Gugwi.

“I told you not to use the Spirit Flow Core!”

“There was no other way.”

Gugwi lowered his head.

Yun Seoha folded her fan with a sigh.

“Do you think I couldn’t break through this much? What I was weighing was whether to annihilate the four hundred Living Spirits. Why did you interfere!”

“I’m sorry.”

Gugwi apologized sincerely.

“Haah! Now we truly are cornered. The Heavenly Sound Cult will certainly hunt you… and the Blue Blood Unit won’t overlook this incident either. Enemies ahead and behind us.”

Yun Seoha exhaled a weary sigh.