I had indeed heard a brief explanation from Gun Hye-rin when we first met, about the Demonic Cult and the Blood Cult.

The Blood Cult had originally been those within the Demonic Cult who practiced Blood Arts, but once they found a way to create the being called Blood Demon, they rebelled.

Back then I’d also heard an additional piece of information: that the Blood Demon was the ruler of blood, a being said to be able to revive even from a single drop of blood, even if his body was destroyed.

That must have been why she spoke like that now. The princess, not knowing this, tilted her head and asked:

“What exactly is this Blood Demon? I heard the Blood Cult dreamed of his resurrection.”

It seemed she knew the rough story, but not the precise details of what the Blood Demon actually was.

『“I’ll explain it here.”』

At those words, Gun Hye-rin shifted the conversation into the group chat and began her explanation.

Apparently, this wasn’t something to be spoken aloud in front of others.

It felt like the sort of classified secret kept within the Demonic Cult itself.

『“The Blood Demon isn’t like the Heavenly Demon, whose title is passed down by succession. The Blood Demon refers to a single individual.

He was the progenitor of those who practiced Blood Arts, a man from over a hundred years ago.”

“So the Blood Cult resurrected someone from a hundred years ago?”

“That may be true, or it may not.”

“What do you mean?”』

We all tilted our heads at Gun Hye-rin’s answer.

It may or may not be true?

And then came her further explanation.

『“Blood Arts is a martial art that turns another person’s blood essence, and the qi dissolved within it, into one’s own. Because of this, like the Absorbing Star Great Technique or Dual Cultivation, it can never reach the Life-and-Death Stage.

But the one who created it thought—if only there is enough blood, one can rapidly rise all the way to the Heaven Stage. The vitality within blood could be used like inner energy.

And indeed, as he swiftly broke through the Fire Stage, he led his forces to betray the Demonic Cult and founded the Blood Cult.

It was because he had realized a new truth.

Even at the Fire Stage, he could regenerate severed limbs. So he thought, if he reached the Heaven Stage, he would become immortal.

In the end, before he could reach the Heaven Stage, the Heavenly Demon of that era captured him and burned him with Sammae Flame Purification until not a single hair remained. But even then, the Heavenly Demon said that if left unchecked, he would certainly have become half-immortal.

He even said that during battle, the man’s severed arm had regrown.

At any rate, even though the first Blood Demon was killed, the Blood Cult continued.

Later we learned that before his death, he had created something called Blood Crystal—his blood solidified—and left it with the Blood Cult’s shaman-woman.

The cult passes down that Blood Crystal to their shamans, dreaming of resurrecting the Blood Demon.

If a martial artist at the Fire Stage consumes it, he gains all the powers of the Blood Demon. And if he reaches the Heaven Stage, his will is completely usurped, and the original Blood Demon is reborn.

The reason I said ‘it may or may not be true’ is because even the first Blood Demon himself may not have known for certain if he could truly resurrect.

It’s a path no one has ever walked.”』

At Gun Hye-rin’s explanation, the princess gasped in shock.

『“If the Five Venoms Sect Master called himself Blood Demon, then that means he must have consumed this Blood Crystal!”

“Most likely. Yes. That fool definitely ate it.”』

Listening to Gun Hye-rin, I realized this was a matter of betrayal upon betrayal.

The Five Venoms had backstabbed the Blood Cult, absorbing them.

And then the Blood Cult had backstabbed them in turn by feeding the sect master the Blood Crystal.

Vile creatures, all of them stabbing each other in the back—that was how things had come to this point.

I asked Gun Hye-rin:

『“So when you told me I must reach the Ten-Poison Realm quickly, it was because the Five Venoms Sect Master, calling himself Blood Demon, must have eaten the Blood Crystal, and you feared he might have reached the Heaven Stage?”』

She nodded and answered.

『“Exactly. In the worst case, he may already be at the Heaven Stage, able to regenerate from even a single drop of blood. That’s why I said you must ascend quickly to a realm beyond Heaven.

Didn’t the prince say earlier that the man could control minds through blood? That’s proof of Blood Demon. Which means we must move quickly.”』

When Gun Hye-rin finished, the Dai Viet prince and his people were still glancing nervously around, not understanding Sister Jeokwol’s concealment abilities. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

I asked them:

“Do you have any other information that might be of use?”

We had heard much about the Blood Cult and the Blood Demon, but I wanted to know how they might act from here.

At that, the prince quickly spoke, as if waiting for the chance.

“The one who called himself Blood Demon said this before the battle: ‘If you surrender, in three months’ time you will be allowed to join the expedition to conquer the Central Plains.’”

“So he means to finish things here within three months, then march on the Central Plains?”

“As expected, their target is the Central Plains.”

It seemed their plan was to consolidate power here within three months, then invade the Central Plains.

Just then, Cheong-yu Sojeo’s voice followed in the group chat.

『—Shia. Shiii. (So-ryong, I’ve passed along everything we’ve heard so far—except the part about Blood Demon—to the others.

But the government troops are asking: can you secure the prince?)

“The prince?”』

It seemed she had been listening in and relaying the situation for us. But at the request to secure the prince, I tilted my head.

'Why secure the prince?'

He wasn’t the king, so why him? But the princess explained in a low voice.

『“It’s about legitimacy. Even now that we know Dai Viet’s situation, we can’t easily muster troops to cross the border.

Otherwise, the Emperor might be accused of launching an invasion on false pretenses, coveting another land. But if it’s at the prince’s request, it changes everything.”

“Ahh, I see what you mean.”』

It seemed the Imperial Army wanted to secure legitimacy before moving.

And honestly, if we waited until the Blood Cult marched into the Central Plains, the battlefield would be there—and the people would suffer. Far better to deal with them here in Dai Viet.

I turned to the prince, smiling, and asked:

“Would you perhaps need a safe place to stay?”

'Why not bring a gift for my father-in-law, the Emperor?'

***

There was no need to confirm what the king of Dai Viet was doing after ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) relocating his court to an island.

It was similar to what the Korean kingdom of Goryeo once did, moving its capital to Ganghwa Island during the Mongol invasions. But unlike back then, their opponent now was not an army of cavalry.

Goryeo’s relocation had been to guard against the unstoppable tide of mounted warriors.

But the Blood Cult and the Five Venoms were composed of martial experts. For them, landing on an island would be no obstacle.

All they had to do was board small boats under cover of night, land, and then the slaughter would begin.

And with all of Dai Viet’s territory except for that one island already occupied, there was no longer any point in further reconnaissance.

It was safe to say that Dai Viet had already fallen into the hands of the Blood Cult.

The prince tilted his head at my question.

“A safe place?”

“If you come to the Central Plains, I can escort you there swiftly and safely.”

I meant with the speed of spirit beasts—faster and safer than anyone else.

It would be nothing less than a revolution in transportation for this era.

The prince, catching my words, glanced at the princess.

“And this man is...?”

“He is my husband, my consort.”

“Y-your consort!?”

He must have been curious about my identity, standing so boldly beside the princess. When she introduced me as her consort, he abandoned any doubt and agreed to follow us.

At this point his country had fallen. Even if they became a tributary state, they would have no choice but to rely on the Emperor’s strength.

The prince’s retainers were told to stay hidden as best they could, and I brought the prince alone back to the Beast Palace. By then, half a month had passed.

“Well done, So-ryong.”

“It was nothing. I only did what I had to do.”

Back in the Beast Palace, my foster father commended me for my efforts.

I asked him what decision had been reached by the Murim Alliance and the Imperial Court.

They had been deliberating up until yesterday, based on the information we had provided. Today was supposed to be the day a resolution would be made.

“So, what has been decided?”

I asked with a grave face. His answer came immediately, as the decision had indeed been made.

“First, a general of the Imperial Iron Cavalry has already sent urgent dispatches to the throne. The Murim Alliance has ordered all sects of the Central Plains to gather. As soon as permission is granted, the plan is to strike.”

It seemed both the Alliance and the Court intended to attack as quickly as possible, before the enemy had time to consolidate their power.

Standing beside him, Elder Zhuge Hu added:

“So-ryong, I’ve already sent letters across the martial world, asking for traces of spirit beasts. If the Blood Demon truly is at the Heaven Stage, we’ll have to rely on you.”

At first I hadn’t told them everything. But with Gun Hye-rin’s permission, I had already passed on detailed information about the Blood Demon to the Murim Alliance.

I’d worried they might think it too dangerous, but I disguised the source as a Blood Cult warrior captured during reconnaissance.

It was to make them take the situation seriously.

After all, there was the possibility that the Five Venoms Sect Master had already ascended to the Heaven Stage, feasting on the blood of Dai Viet’s people to reach it.

That was why the conclusion was to stake their hopes on me.

From what I’d heard, aside from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of legend, there were no known Fire Stage masters in the world.

Naturally, there were no Heaven Stage masters either.

Which meant that if a battle against a Heaven Stage Blood Demon broke out, multiple Fire Stage masters would have to attack together. But if he could regenerate endlessly, reviving from even a single drop of blood, then the outcome of such a battle could not be guaranteed.

That was why they had chosen me as the great weapon to face him.

After all, I was the only one with a real chance of reaching the Heaven Stage—and beyond.

Giving Gun Hye-rin two marbles in advance was another way of aiming for the Heaven Stage. But she herself said that past the Heaven Stage, enlightenment was crucial, and it would not be so simple to ascend with just those two.

And besides, Gun Hye-rin was the final weapon.

Even if she reached the Heaven Stage, she could not reveal her full power.

Because to fight someone stronger than herself, she would have to unveil her demonic energy.

That was precisely why she had resolved to help me gather spirit beasts instead.

“I’m counting on you.”

“Thank you. You are the future of Murim.”

After exchanging farewells with the elders, I returned to my quarters and lay down on the bed.

It would still be another half month before I could accept Moji and Soji, so in the meantime I decided to think about the World-Destroying Golden Toad.

Rather than wandering aimlessly, I wanted to pinpoint where it might be found.

Information would surely arrive, but from that, I would need to select the most likely location.

Come to think of it, in the past I had only chosen terrains that matched general conditions on the map, which led to many wasted searches.

This time, I needed to narrow it down with more decisive criteria.

'Where exactly would the World-Destroying Golden Toad dwell?'

Ordinary frogs usually lived in wetlands or at the foot of mountains.

But if I left the classification that broad, there would be too many places to search.

What I needed was a definitive filter, something that narrowed the range.

'I’ll need to set a decisive criterion, something that sharply narrows the field.'

As I lay there on the bed thinking, Gun Hye-rin’s voice came.

“Master, what are you doing?”

Turning my head, I saw Gun Hye-rin sitting at the edge of the bed, her cheeks flushed as if she had just bathed.

“Ah, just thinking about something.”

She leaned toward me, and her fragrant body scent filled the air.

Pulling her into my arms, I said:

“Gun Hye-rin, you’ve managed to relax somewhat, but since nothing is certain, how about we move on to the next step?”

“The... next step?”

She tilted her head in confusion at the phrase.

I parted the collar of her robe with my fingers.

“Your hands have grown familiar enough. Next—your lips?”

Naturally, after hands came lips.

The moment I said it, Gun Hye-rin’s face flushed crimson.

“M-master, you are no child... that is something for a child to do.”

She didn’t know one important fact.

That anyone with “a” in front—both appa (father) and aga (child)—was entitled to “eat.”

I chuckled and drew her into my embrace, when suddenly—lightning struck my mind.

“That’s it! Food!”

At that instant, thanks to Gun Hye-rin’s words, I realized how to narrow the search for the World-Destroying Golden Toad.