Chapter 193: Betrayal (1)

How should I do it?

How can I gracefully decline Seo Hweol's proposal?

'Ordinary excuses won't work.'

This isn't the first time I've used Gyu-ryeon under the pretense of gaining her favor, and now Seo Hweol is leveraging her to pressure me. Making any flimsy excuse will be a betrayal not just to Seo Hweol but to Gyu-ryeon as well.

'But running away by force is also not an option.'

Even if I reveal all my abilities of the Heaven, Earth, and Heart Tribe, my power barely compares to the early Four-Axis stage.

Using the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace and the Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections might increase my strength, but only to a certain extent.

'It's impossible to shake off Seo Hweol and Gyu-ryeon.'

So, what should I do?

Tsk, tsk, tsk....

I accelerated my thoughts, frantically pondering in my head.

'If I agree to accept the blood, there's a high probability Seo Hweol will offer to assist in the process right here. With Gyu-ryeon in front of him, it's difficult for him to employ any schemes. Being at the Four-Axis stage, it will be difficult for him to employ any tricks through spells either.''

It's a dilemma.

In this situation, I'm being coerced into accepting Seo Hweol's blood, and I can't find any reason to refuse.

'Honestly, Seo Hweol's true blood is more troublesome than that of the Black Dragon.'

The Black Dragon's status is so high that it seems unlikely to do anything to me.

The problem is not knowing what Seo Hweol might have done with the droplet of blood he is offering.

'Stop playing tricks.'

I curse Seo Hweol in my head and finally make a decision.

"Thank you."

There is no answer.

Honestly, a few somewhat disgraceful methods did come to mind, but those are not only low and demeaning but also have a low chance of success.

'If it has come to this, I'll face it head-on.'

"Alright, then let's start the process right now."

'I knew that'd be the case.'

Since it's come to this, I'll just use the realm of Treading Heavens to swiftly cut off the blood entering my body!

'After all, through Baek Nyeong, Seo Hweol must already know that I am from the Heart Tribe.'

Yet he has not mentioned it until now, which means he must have deemed me useful in some way.

'Even if I fend off the droplets of blood using Treading Heavens...'

The words that come out of Seo Hweol are beyond imagination.

"Oh, by the way. The process will be assisted by Senior Gyu."

"...!?"

Tap, tap.

He pats my shoulder in a friendly manner and says,

"Compared to me, who is only at the early Four-Axis stage, it's more fitting for Senior Gyu, who is at the Grand Perfection of the Four-Axis stage, to assist you in the process. It's more suitable for a genius like you."

"Yes, yes. If I assist, it will surely be done properly...."

"...."

I am properly trapped.

In this situation, it's impossible to discreetly use Treading Heavens to eliminate Seo Hweol's true blood from within my body in front of Gyu-ryeon.

'Of course, it's much less troublesome than if Seo Hweol were to directly assist in the process....'

The troublesome part is Seo Hweol's blood itself.

"Now, take a seat. I will assist you."

"...Yes."

I hesitate for a moment before sitting cross-legged.

Gyu-ryeon spreads her fingers, and a spell formation similar to the one used last time for refining the Black Dragon's True Blood is engraved on the ground around us.

"Your body already flows with the Black Dragon's True Blood, and Lord Seo's blood also belongs to a branch of the Black Dragon's lineage, so no extensive preparation like last time is needed. It will also be easier than before."

"...Yes."

"Let's begin then."

I sigh inwardly, staring at the jade bottle in front of me for a moment, then close my eyes tight. I swallow Seo Hweol's True Blood contained in the bottle.

Gulp!

And then.

Zzzing!

As Seo Hweol's True Blood enters my body, I feel as if a gigantic sea dragon is engulfing me.

Wo-woong!

Gyu-ryeon summon a golden energy, guiding Seo Hweol's True Blood circulating within my body.

I grit my teeth, pondering how to suppress this True Blood.

It's during that moment.

Kurung, Kururung!

Inside my body, it feels as if dark clouds are gathering, and the dormant energy of the Black Dragon's True Blood begins to push out the Sea Dragon's True Blood.

However, Seo Hweol's blood, possibly due to being a branch lineage of the Black Dragon's True Blood, naturally tries to mix with it.

I hear Gyu-ryeon's voice in my ears.

"Do not forcibly mix the Black Dragon's True Blood with the Sea Dragon's True Blood. Just let them overlap naturally. Over time, they will slowly blend together, and forcing them could cause a rampage...."

Hearing her voice, I clench my teeth internally.

'That's it!'

Wo-woong!

Gyu-ryeon seems to guide the power of the bloodlines well with her golden energy, but I slyly attempted to forcibly unify the Sea Dragon and Black Dragon True Bloods.

At the same time, both True Bloods begin to rampage, causing the energy in my entire body to boil.

"Wait, Seo Eun-hyun! What are you doing, it's dangerous! Stop!"

Gyu-ryeon hastily places her hand on my back and infuses golden energy while shouting.

However, I ignore her and focus on pressing down to unify the two True Bloods.

My blood feels like it's boiling to the point of vaporization, but I don't care.

'Through this, I'll erase whatever trickery Seo Hweol has put into his blood!'

And just as I am forcefully integrating the two energies.

Chalak, Chalaralak!

The Black Dragon's True Blood begins to devour Seo Hweol's blood.

Perhaps because they are of the same main lineage,

As soon as the Black Dragon's True Blood touches Seo Hweol's blood, it feels like ink spreading in water, dyeing Seo Hweol's blood and erasing its influence.

'Good, let's keep going like this!'

However, I somehow feel the Black Dragon's True Blood that devoured Seo Hweol's blood becoming even stronger.

'What, why is the power continuously increasing....'

Bubble, bubble, bubble!

At the same time, I realize that the energy boiling throughout my body had been completely eroded by the power of the Black Dragon's True Blood.

Gush!

Blood bursts from my mouth, and tears of blood stream down from my seven orifices.

'Ah, this can't be happening....'

I'm going to die if it continues like this.

The amplifying power of the Black Dragon is too much for my body to handle, and I'm about to be crushed!

It's then I realize I had fallen into a trap of choosing between two evils that Seo Hweol had set.

'If I continue to let the Black Dragon's True Blood devour Seo Hweol's blood, I will die. If I stop, I can live by accepting Seo Hweol's blood into my body. But to keep blood that Seo Hweol might have tampered with inside me?'

It's no different than living with a knife swallowed in my stomach.

I ponder at the moment of choice.

The contemplation is brief.

'Even if it kills me, do you think I would willingly be manipulated by that filthy Seo Hweol?'

The danger of this bastard is beyond imagination.

There is a possibility that by accepting Seo Hweol's blood as it is, I might become his puppet without even realizing it.

I allow the Black Dragon's True Blood to consume Seo Hweol's blood completely.

The next moment, I feel the illusion of Seo Hweol within my mental world.

It's his remnant thoughts.

Seo Hweol's remnant thoughts are being devoured and crumbled by the Black Dragon's energy.

'As expected, he tampered with something.'

After all, it would have been more suspicious if he hadn't tampered with anything.

Kugugugu!

But perhaps as a consequence of feeding Seo Hweol's blood to the Black Dragon's blood,

The Black Dragon's blood exudes an enormous amount of Yin energy, and I clench my teeth, feeling like my body is on the verge of explosion.

'Although Gyu-ryeon is assisting my refinement and I can't use the techniques of the Heart Tribe, I can still use techniques unknown to her but known to Seo Hweol!'

Tsk, tsk, tsk!

I place my hand behind my back and begin to draw a 'circuit' within me, accepting Gyu-ryeon's golden energy trying to suppress the Black Dragon's power.

Crack, crunch, crunch!

Originally, the circuit was meant for a puppet, causing excruciating pain as if my body is being crushed, but I grit my teeth and continue to engrave the circuit.

Engraving circuits throughout my body is something I had done occasionally in my past life, temporarily creating circuits with the Formless Sword.

This time, I went a step further!

Whiii!

Above the 'Golden Core'.

On it, where the Starry Sky Map and Taiji are engraved, avoiding the already drawn constellations, a delicate circuit is engraved on the Golden Core.

Kigigigik!

"Krrrrrrgh!"

A cultivator above the Core Formation stage does not die unless their Golden Core is completely destroyed.

However, this also means that for those at the Core Formation stage, the Golden Core is their greatest weakness.

I am guiding the amplifying power of the Black Dragon into this weakness, into a circuit used for puppets, not the living.

Kugugugu!

The energy of Taiyin circulates through the Mad Lord's circuit.

But the power is so dominantly tyrannical that I tremble, feeling as though my Golden Core will shatter.

'No, for the original me, it definitely would have shattered.'

Currently, my Golden Core and Nascent Soul are larger, wider, and more robust than those of other cultivators, as they were fused with the methods of the Heaven and Earth Tribes.

Therefore, I can barely withstand the power of Taiyin coming through the Mad Lord's circuit and the energy it carries.

How much of that terrifying and immense energy of the Black Dragon have I absorbed?

Finally, somehow, I am able to control the expanding power of the Black Dragon that seemed about to explode my body.

"...Phew."

It's when I open my eyes, sweating coldly.

Slap!

A sharp palm strikes my cheek.

"You foolish thing! Didn't I tell you not to forcibly merge them!? Didn't you realize that just now, not only your Golden Core but also your newly condensed Nascent Soul were about to explode and kill you!?"

"...I'm sorry."

Gyu-ryeon looks down at me with an angry expression and says,

"Did you think you could do anything just because you're treated as a genius? Did you think you were so great that you could ignore the words of a Four-Axis stage senior?"

Kugugugu!

An immense pressure presses down on me.

She is truly angry.

Having only seen her kind and shy side until now, I had forgotten.

"Kkuk...!"

'This is a Four-Axis cultivator...'

She is on a completely different level from me, who has not even reached the Heavenly Being stage yet.

Just her anger makes the gravity intensify and crushes my body.

The spiritual energy and life force throughout my body feel like they are about to explode.

Just then.

"Let's stop here. I will apologize for Seo Eun-hyun's mistake."

"..."

Wo-woong....

Seo Hweol calms Gyu-ryeon down, easing her intensity.

"It seems you've managed to control the Black Dragon's power well by leveraging your genius. But still, it was too reckless. And to proceed ignoring the words of Senior Gyu, a Four-Axis stage senior...."

Seo Hweol approaches me with a gentle expression, places his hand on my shoulder, and looks me in the eye.

"The relationship between you, me, and Senior Gyu isn't so distant that we can't overlook this. However, paying attention to the words of a senior in the cultivation world is certainly necessary."

Ssshhh....

Looking into Seo Hweol's eyes, I feel a chill.

His eyes are slit vertically, glaring at me for the first time in a while.

Although his tone is gentle, I find Seo Hweol's smiling gaze more chilling than Gyu-ryeon's anger.

He is emitting a level of doubt towards me that has never been present before.

'Damn...'

Seo Hweol, glaring at me with his slit eyes, makes no effort to hide his suspicion.

'I've become openly suspicious now.'

Until now, even though my actions were suspicious, I hadn't directly acted against Seo Hweol's intentions.

However, completely devouring Seo Hweol's blood with the Black Dragon's True Blood and scattering Seo Hweol's remnant thoughts was a direct defiance of Seo Hweol's will.

Of course, he seems to prefer coaxing me gently in front of Gyu-ryeon rather than admitting he had tampered with his blood.

Reading the evident intent from Seo Hweol, I realize.

'To Seo Hweol, I am now a target to be completely eliminated.'

Seven years.

It all happened in just seven years.

'No, it's still okay.'

If it's Seo Hweol, he will try to use me to the fullest before eliminating me.

'At least until he returns from gathering materials for Axis Foundation Practice, my life won't end.'

And by then...

'I should be able to hastily prepare General Seo no matter what!'

It is sufficient time to find strength to stand against Seo Hweol!

Seo Hweol, looking at me with his vertical pupils, continues his lecture in a somewhat gentle voice.

I nod my head as if deeply moved by his words, showing a look of admiration towards Seo Hweol.

Seo Hweol, too, nods his head as if he finds me commendable in any case.

In front of Gyu-ryeon, we continue our uninteresting play, each harboring our own hidden blades.

"...Well, despite various unpleasant incidents, today's plan will proceed as scheduled."

Gyu-ryeon glances at us sharply and then flies up into the sky.

Seo Hweol rises into the air with her, saying,

"Come along."

"Excuse me? What's the occasion...?"

"Before departing on this journey, Senior Gyu suggested we deepen our friendship by going to the Immortal Demon Tower to enjoy a performance. You, among other key figures of the Sea Dragon Race, will also attend this farewell party of mine."

"Ah... Yes, I understand."

Hearing Seo Hweol's words, I fly up to follow them.

As we move towards the Immortal Demon Tower, Seo Hweol teaches me how to communicate through the blood in front of Gyu-ryeon. Even though it was devoured by the Black Dragon's True Blood, it seems communication through his blood is still possible.

'Fortunately, I managed to eliminate the residual thoughts Seo Hweol intended to implant in my body through his blood.'

The method of communication through shared bloodline is also known to Gyu-ryeon, so it seems there will be no problem.

Some elders and seniors from the Sea Dragon Race join us midway, and we head towards the Serving Command Ark, the heart of the True Dragon Alliance.

Soon after, we arrive at a place called the Immortal Demon Tower.

The Immortal Demon Tower serves as a tavern for the demon race, selling immortal wine. Like mortals in the lower realms visiting taverns, the demon race occasionally visits the Immortal Demon Tower to drink immortal wine.

However, the immortal liquor they drink has effects such as increasing cultivation or enhancing the connection with one's dharma treasure, similar to White-Red Wine, making the taverns in the Bright Cold Realm more akin to shops for magic artifacts, elixirs, or cultivation manuals than the mere taverns in the lower realms.

Of course, it is still a tavern for enjoying refined pleasures. Therefore, the taverns in the Bright Cold Realm prepare performances to delight the eyes and ears of the distinguished high-level cultivators who visit.

'This is the Immortal Demon Tower...'

The Immortal Demon Tower that Gyu-ryeon leads us to is a building made from the shell of a giant turtle.

It was said that a monkey demon with the bloodline of the Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape and a turtle demon with the bloodline of the Yin Ghost Black Turtle became friends, drinking and enjoying themselves. When the turtle demon died, the monkey demon, in sorrow, made a tavern out of its shell, naming it the Immortal Demon Tower.

'...A tavern made from the body of a dear friend.'

I can't quite grasp the sentiment of the monkey demon.

Nonetheless, I enter the tavern along with Gyu-ryeon without giving it much thought.

Apart from Gyu-ryeon and the members of the Sea Dragon Race, there is no one else in the tavern.

"I've rented out the entire Immortal Demon Tower for today to bid farewell to Grand Prince Seo, so everyone, please feel free to enjoy the immortal wine to your heart's content."

Gyu-ryeon leads Seo Hweol upstairs, leaving the Sea Dragon Race elders and seniors to disperse throughout the tavern.

Being tactful, I do not follow Gyu-ryeon but sit near the entrance of the tavern.

The Immortal Demon Tower has four floors, with Seo Hweol and Gyu-ryeon sitting alone on the fourth floor, the Sea Dragon Race Heavenly Being stage elders on the third floor, and the Nascent Soul stage elders, including myself, on the first and second floors.

In the center of the first floor is a large stage, where performers seem to be preparing to show something.

Everyone at the Immortal Demon Tower orders the immortal wine they wish from the attendants.

I myself ordered the familiar White-Red Wine.

As everyone placed their orders, the lights throughout the tavern suddenly goes out.

'The performance is starting, it seems.'

I sip my White-Red Wine and look up at the stage.

Wo-woong!

For some reason, a strong prohibition is activated throughout the Immortal Demon Tower, restricting our consciousness.

This causes a brief commotion among the Sea Dragon Race elders and seniors.

"Everyone, do not worry. It is customary for the Immortal Demon Tower to restrict consciousness before a performance to ensure its quality. Neither Grand Prince Seo nor I are extending our consciousness either, so please do not be alarmed."

With that, the commotion settles down, and soon after, the performance at the Immortal Demon Tower begins.

Flash!

Lights illuminate the center of the stage, and several beautiful dancers and musicians enter.

The dancers resemble humans, and the musicians have a variety of appearances.

A monkey musician holds a pipa,

A musician with a human upper body and spider lower half holds a zither,

A musician with a fish face but human lower body plays the flute, and a musician that looked like a clam with arms and legs holds a drum.

Shortly after, the dancers begin their performance, and the musicians play their instruments.

Honestly, I am quite surprised by the quality of the sound.

'Unexpectedly excellent.'

The monkey playing the pipa expresses emotions through his music with a solemn expression.

The spider woman creates beautiful tones on the zither without opening her eyes.

The fish demon continuously blows the flute without stopping for breath, showing remarkable skill.

And the clam... plays the drum well.

Possibly because they are all demon beasts, each infuses their spiritual energy into their music, creating even more beautiful waves.

Not just I but also the elders and seniors of the Sea Dragon Race are amazed by the symphonic vibrations created by the musicians' tones.

The vibrations harmonize with the flow of yin and yang, eliciting awe from everyone.

Truly, it's an incredible display of art.

The dancers, too, flutter their delicate garments in tune with the music, captivating everyone from the Sea Dragon Race who have visited the Immortal Demon Tower.

'The standard is remarkably high.'

I sincerely admire the musicians as I listen to the music.

Listening to the tones, I am able to somewhat calm the tension that had built up due to Seo Hweol.

Glancing up at the fourth floor where Seo Hweol and Gyu-ryeon are, I notice that Gyu-ryeon had done something to block not only consciousness but also the flow of spiritual energy from entering.

'...I don't need to worry about that. Whatever they do inside, it's between Gyu-ryeon and Seo Hweol.'

I focus solely on the music, tuning out everything else.

Listening to the music, I feel as though I can discern the skill levels among the musicians.

'The spider woman playing the zither with her eyes closed seems to be the most skilled.'

Following her is the monkey playing the pipa with a craftsman's expression, and then the fish-headed flutist.

The clam is... trying its best.

'The entire performance is harmonized to the sound of the zither.'

Gradually, the music centered around the zither heads towards its climax.

Finally, as the tones reach their peak and the emotions contained within explode,

Flash!

The lights in the tavern turn back on, and all the restrictions on consciousness are lifted.

"Ah...!"

As the oppressive restriction on consciousness is lifted, all members of the Sea Dragon Race let out a gasp.

'An excellent production.'

By lifting the restriction on consciousness right as the performance reaches its climax, it seems to double the impact of the relief felt.

Finally, the performance ends.

I feel an inexplicable drowsiness wash over me.

"An excellent performance indeed."

"It's clear why Senior Gyu suggested we come. Even if they are below the Qi Building stage, these musicians truly deserve to be called masters."

As the performance concludes, everyone appears somewhat drowsy, yawning and covering their mouths.

At the same time, they lavishly praise the performers on stage.

After the musicians and dancers exit the stage, the Immortal Demon Tower announces a break, turning on the lights and offering more immortal liquor.

However, I approach one of the monkey servers bringing White-Red Wine and ask,

"The performance was very impressive. How might one meet the musicians?"

The server, who appears to be below the Qi Refining stage, is flattered by my question and responds.

"Ah! The musicians are all resting in the dressing room on the third basement floor of the Immortal Demon Tower. If you wish, I can guide you there."

“Please do."

I hand a pouch of spirit stones to the monkey server, who then leads me to the third basement floor of the Immortal Demon Tower.

"Quite spacious."

Indeed, the basement of the Immortal Demon Tower is vast.

It seems space compression techniques were used, as the space seems to expand majestically the further we descend.

To my comment, the monkey server chuckles and explains,

"Ah, we sometimes hold auctions in the basement of the Immortal Demon Tower. Many of the demon guests who attend are quite large, so we've compressed space to accommodate them without discomfort."

"Interesting..."

"We've arrived. This is the musicians' dressing room."

"Thank you for guiding me."

After handing a pouch of spirit stones to the monkey demon, I enter the third basement floor.

"It's quite spacious."

The space is indeed vast. Given that auctions are also held here, various protective and isolating formations are laid out throughout the area.

Upon entering the musicians' dressing room, the musicians who were chatting stopped and greeted me in unison.

"Ah, what brings you here, senior?"

The pipa-playing monkey, who seems to be the leader, approaches me and asks. I smile and reply.

"Thank you for the wonderful performance. I wanted to personally show my gratitude, so I came to interrupt your rest."

"Ah...! It's an honor that a member of the Dragon Race thinks so highly of us..."

The monkey's expression is one of flattered delight, and I hand him a pouch filled with ten thousand spirit stones.

"I've put ten thousand spirit stones in here. Share it among yourselves."

"Thank you, senior...!"

"And..."

I look at the spider woman.

"Everyone else, please step outside for a moment. Your skill with the zither moved me greatly. I'd like a moment alone to talk with you..."

The monkey seems to understand my intention and nods.

"Understood! Everyone, please step outside! Yu Hwa (Oil Painting), you take good care of the Dragon Race senior!"

The monkey leads the other musicians outside.

Though not loud, the chatter of the musicians can be heard from outside.

"That Dragon Race senior has quite unique tastes..."

Flash!

I lay down the Mad Lord's circuit on the prohibition, isolating the inside of the dressing room from the outside.

The noise from outside is blocked, and any sound from inside will not carry outside either.

Wo-woong!

A barrier activated, isolating the interior from the exterior.

Simultaneously, I draw out my Formless Sword and charge at the spider woman, aiming for her throat.

The next moment.

Twang!

As she strums her zither, a crimson river appears before me, flowing and blocking my Formless Sword.

"As expected... it's you."

I smile wryly as I look at her.

"It's been a while, Heart Tribe noble."

I recognized her by her tone.

She's the one from the Heart Tribe who had manipulated the crimson river heart essence last time.

'Really... Kim Young-hoon has led me to develop some bad habits.'

Flash!

I distance myself from the surrounding crimson river and lift my Formless Sword.

'Seeing a master whose skill has reached the level of art makes one's blood boil….'

It's been too long since I properly dueled in martial arts.

I'm not even sure if what the Heart Tribe uses can be considered martial arts.

But upon facing a master of the same realm from the Heart Tribe.

Upon encountering someone who can infuse their music with both Qi and heart essence, elevating it to the realm of art.

I can't help but feel my blood boil uncontrollably.

"Let's have a match."

I raise my sword and take the Starting Form stance.

Thwug!

In the next moment,

She once again plucks the zither, the crimson river flowing and striking my body hard.

I am flung backward, landing with my upper body crashing onto the drum that the clam had been playing.