The poison that struck the White Shadow was not of the Blood Cult.

The Blood Cult’s Power-Scattering Poison has not yet been perfected, and it dishevels qi so one cannot fully employ inner power.

By contrast, the White Shadow’s poison leaves inner power intact but disrupts the Blood Channels instead, preventing free control of qi.

In short, when surrounded by demonic beasts, one could suddenly find oneself unable to use qi.

“I did not fail to try. Yet every time, I could not cross the range. As time passed, the demonic beasts grew more numerous and stronger. By now, unless one is no less than a top master, one cannot cross the mountains.”

“I see.”

In truth, no one knew better than Seolhwa how dangerous the demonic beasts infesting the range toward the Hundred-Thousand Mountains were.

Because the source of those beasts was precisely the Blood Cult.

‘He said that one was the Fourth Blood Lord...’

The king of the barbarians of the Southern Wilds.

The Blood Lord who, half a year ago, killed the Beggar’s Union Head and tried to topple the Union.

His forces were not limited to barbarian troops and jiangshi.

The people of the Southern Wilds are adept in rites and poison, and their ability to handle predators is exceptional; from olden times they would appear leading packs of trained beasts.

The Fourth Blood Lord went a step further, capturing at will numinous beings of the Central Plains and the Outlands alike and controlling them with rites.

Predators driven by rites are threat enough; add to them beings called “numinous,” and what you get is a host of demonic beasts surpassing a single sect or clan.

‘And the place they were loosed was the border range between the Hundred-Thousand Mountains and the Central Plains.’

In her previous life, the Kunlun Sect was destroyed by that very host.

Right after the Blood Cult uprising began, the Fourth Blood Lord descended with the beast host, and Kunlun became the first sacrifice.

— Seolhwa, what do we do? (Voice Transmission)

Yu Gang asked Seolhwa by Voice Transmission.

Seolhwa looked at him.

Moist at the wrinkled corners of his eyes, his gaze made it plain—Yu Gang wanted to help the White Shadow.

At that transparent reaction, Seolhwa let out an involuntary, soft laugh.

‘How like you.’

A man who could never turn away when someone in front of him was in need.

If they refused the White Shadow’s request as things stood, he would surely carry it with him for a long time.

Each time he met and felled a ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) demonic beast, he would recall how he hadn’t granted the White Shadow’s plea, and his expression would darken—a man like that.

— Can you handle it? (Voice Transmission)

When Seolhwa asked back by Voice Transmission, Yu Gang blinked.

As if to say, ‘Handle it? Me?’

— He doesn’t know my realm. I intend to conceal my strength as much as possible. (Voice Transmission)

— Ah. (Voice Transmission)

Which meant that when they met demonic beasts, Yu Gang would have to face them alone.

Yu Gang’s expression brightened at once.

Without the slightest hesitation, he nodded.

— Leave it to me. (Voice Transmission)

Because it was exactly the response she expected, Seolhwa let out a light laugh.

Then she spoke to the White Shadow, who waited in silence.

“Very well. We’ll help you. As it happens, we too were on our way to the Demonic Sect.”

“Oh...! Thank you! Truly, thank you!”

“But there are conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“First, you must keep our identities secret.”

“That goes without saying.”

Even with Human-Skin Masks on, he could not know for certain who they were.

“Second, we have no intention of telling you why we are going to the Demonic Sect.”

The White Shadow nodded.

“I won’t ask. I’m a little curious, but if you say not to ask, I won’t.”

“And lastly...”

Seolhwa smiled faintly.

“Teach us the bow.”

Yu Gang looked at Seolhwa with slightly widened eyes.

The White Shadow was an archer counted among the Ten Masters under heaven.

It was surprising enough to name a price for helping; to demand instruction in martial arts, of all things?

The White Shadow likewise asked back in surprise.

“The bow... you say?”

“I’ve heard your archery is peerless under heaven. A chance to learn the bow from the world’s foremost archer is something that gold and silver cannot buy.”

Seolhwa rose and offered the White Shadow a clasped-fist salute.

Yu Gang hurried to her side, mirrored the salute, and bowed his head.

“Please teach us your archery. If that is difficult, merely permitting us to observe would be of great help.”

Seolhwa bowed formally to the White Shadow.

Even though they were the ones giving aid, she could not demand instruction unreasonably.

For a martial artist, martial skill is no different from his life.

“Please, don’t do this!”

Flustered, the White Shadow caught Seolhwa’s hands and straightened her.

“I’m the one receiving help; there’s no need for such ceremony. If I can only reach the Demonic Sect, I was prepared to pay any price.”

“Then...”

“My future benefactors—of course I can teach you the bow as much as you like.”

With the corners of his mouth curving faintly, the White Shadow returned a clasped-fist salute to the two.

“I look forward to your guidance.”

And so the three agreed to travel together as far as the Hundred-Thousand Mountains.

After preparing what they needed in Xining, the three set out at once.

Following the official road across Qinghai, they entered Xinjiang in less than a week.

The place they reached was the eastern edge of Xinjiang.

To reach the Heavenly Mountains where the Demonic Sect was said to reside, they would have to head west across Xinjiang.

“From here on, demonic beasts will appear. We must be careful.”

Rustle. Rustle.

At the White Shadow’s words, Seolhwa and Yu Gang heightened their qi-sense to the utmost as they moved.

From the moment he said beasts would appear, the air of the forest began slowly to change.

A humid, heavy air greeted them, like stepping into a swamp rather than a forest.

Splish—

Seolhwa looked down at her feet.

Before they knew it, the ground was soaked with water.

‘An array.’

Seolhwa read the currents running in the air.

She could tell because, on a previous hunt for the Ten-Thousand-League Divine Thief, she had stepped into arrays more than once.

The currents flowing through this space were not those of nature.

‘An array spanning a vast range.’

It might be that this entire forest lay within the domain of an array.

However, because it was not an array laid to harm people and because the flows were extremely faint, anyone with a dull qi-sense would find it hard even to realize they were inside an array.

‘An array to pen demonic beasts in?’

Because their numbers were so great that they could not control them all, they set an array and loosed them within a limited zone.

‘If I destroy even one pillar that forms the array, I can break it.’

But if she did that, the beasts would flood into the Central Plains and the Demonic Sect alike.

Kunlun would be annihilated before the Fourth Blood Lord even led them out.

‘For now, we can only watch...’

They were scanning their surroundings, moving gradually deeper into the forest, when—

Rustle.

“Shh.”

The White Shadow, who was moving in front, lowered his posture and hid himself in the brush.

Yu Gang and Seolhwa likewise concealed themselves in the surrounding undergrowth.

‘Something’s coming.’

All three fixed their gaze on the same point.

Because little sunlight reached this forest, the surroundings were dark; they had to keep their senses razor-edged.

Grrrrng...

From the darkness came the low growl of a demonic beast.

Shiiing—

Yu Gang drew his blade.

He had no intention of striking first, but it was to be ready for a sudden attack.

Squelch— Squelch—

The heavy footfalls of a beast treading on sodden ground drew closer and closer.

Because they were concealed, they still could not see it, but from the footsteps alone they could tell the beast was gigantic.

Grrrrrrng...

Again the beast’s growl reverberated around them.

The beast was clearly very near.

Yu Gang tightened his grip on the blade; the White Shadow hid himself even deeper.

“...”

At the very rear, reading the approaching presence, Seolhwa knit her brows.

‘Something’s off.’

What?

What’s wrong?

From the growl and the footfalls, this beast was a four-legged predator.

Then what was so grating?

In that instant, Seolhwa’s face, as she stared into the dark, went cold.

Tuk—

“?”

Feeling a hand catch his arm, Yu Gang looked back at Seolhwa.

— It isn’t alive. (Voice Transmission)

“...”

Yu Gang furrowed his brow.

He turned Seolhwa’s words over for a moment, then read the beast’s presence again.

— ...You’re right. (Voice Transmission)

In truth, like Seolhwa, Yu Gang had dimly felt something was wrong; thanks to her, he understood why.

The low growl and the ponderous gait—

In all of those sounds—

‘There’s no breathing.’

For so massive a beast, the brief instants when the growl and footfalls ceased were far, far too quiet.

Just as Seolhwa said, that thing was not alive.

— We have to take the head. (Voice Transmission)

Seolhwa’s voice came softly with advice.

Yu Gang nodded and moved with care.

He shifted to the best position to sever the beast’s neck.

Grrrrrrrrng...

Squelch— Squelch—

By now the beast had come within arm’s reach.

Strength gathered in Yu Gang’s hand around the blade.

‘One more step and I end it in a single stroke.’

Grrrrrrng...

Squelch— Squelch—

At last the beast’s form emerged from the dark.

As expected, it was a white tiger of enormous size.

Seolhwa’s face darkened the moment she confirmed what it was.

At that moment—

Crack—

“!”

The White Shadow stepped on a thick branch by mistake.

And at the same time—

“GRRRR!!”

The white tiger lunged straight toward the source of the sound—toward the White Shadow.

Swiish—!

Yu Gang swung his blade at the tiger’s neck as it sprang forward.

He had waited to sever the tiger’s neck; there was no hesitation in his strike.

Thud—!

With a single blow, Yu Gang’s blade split the white tiger’s neck.

And in that instant, Yu Gang realized the identity of the other, nagging sense of wrongness that had kept scratching at his nerves.