KAGAGAGAK....

The ground caved in deeply under the oppressive force of the Wolf-Fang Mace.

Unable to divert the force, Cheongun received the full weight of it, veins bulging across his forehead.

“Kh....”

A heaviness like holding up a thousand-jin weight.

PING– PIIING–

“Clan Lord Namgoong!!”

KA, KAANG–! TAT–

The moment he heard the sound of hidden weapons flying in, Yu Pyo shouted.

Forcing out everything he had left, Cheongun deflected the Wolf-Fang Mace and kicked off the ground, springing upward.

PING– PIIING–

Not missing that instant, more hidden weapons flew in.

KAKAKAKANG–!

He could only predict their direction—he had no way of knowing how many there were.

Cheongun swung his sword repeatedly, cutting down the hidden weapons until no more sound came, and retreated backward in midair.

PUDD—!

“Ghhk—!”

One hidden weapon, having missed Cheongun, buried itself into the thigh of a Black Dragon Unit member.

Seeing the man collapse while clutching his leg, Cheongun’s expression twisted sharply.

What in the world...!

Why was there still no signal!

He had already stated the enemy’s position—surely they had moved by now?

What on earth were they doing...!

At that moment—

TAK.

The instant Cheongun’s feet touched the ground—

“KYAAAAH!!”

“AAAGH!”

“!”

Agonized screams erupted from the direction of the cave.

Cheongun, Yu Pyo, and even the Blood Cult warriors who had been fighting them turned their eyes toward the cave.

A heartbeat later, two figures were hurled out from the cave entrance.

SWOOSH— THUD! THUUM—!

Cheongun’s eyes shook when he saw who they were.

They were two of the Eastern Depot eunuchs—those wearing the robes of palace attendants—who had been responsible for providing support from the rear.

The very ones who had been waiting for Cheongun’s move only moments ago.

“Clan Lord Namgoong! Their condition!”

Reading the flow instantly, Yu Pyo took over the two wielding the Wolf-Fang Mace and the Thin Saber.

Cheongun hurried toward the fallen Eastern Depot attendants.

“Eunuch Seo...!”

“Kh... gghh...!”

Cheongun’s gaze trembled violently as he checked Eunuch Seo’s condition.

Tiny specks, like scattered grains, were spread across his entire body—each one turning black as if burning away.

Poison?

Poison. And not just any—this was a lethal toxin that killed with mere contact.

Is this the doing of the one who fired the hidden weapons?

What kind of poison could this be...?

That instant, Eunuch Seo suddenly grabbed Cheongun’s wrist—CLUTCH!

His reddened eyes widened, and he forced out a strained whisper.

“Severed-Soul... Sand....”

Those were Eunuch Seo’s final words.

His body slumped, and he never opened his eyes again.

...Severed-Soul Sand...?

Cheongun’s face was washed in shock.

Severed-Soul Sand.

Sand that severs the soul—an assassination tool: poisoned sand.

In battle, it could be flung at an opponent; in interrogation, limbs were submerged in it to wrench out confessions.

However—

Severed-Soul Sand is the Tang Clan’s hidden weapon... isn’t it?

Even Cheongun had only heard of it, never seen it.

But he knew this: Severed-Soul Sand was one of the Tang Clan’s Eight Deadly Weapons.

Why would a Tang Clan weapon...?

At that moment—

KWAANG–!!

“Clan Lord Namgoong! They’re fleeing!”

“!”

The two Blood Cult warriors Yu Pyo had been engaging suddenly turned and ran toward the cave.

As Yu Pyo tried to give chase, Cheongun stopped him.

“Division Lord! Halt!”

Yu Pyo looked back, anxious and unwilling.

But at Cheongun’s command, he did not pursue.

Soon, two more figures emerged from the cave.

The remaining Eastern Depot attendants.

“Clan Lord Namgoong...!”

One of them was Eunuch Dang, who had been leading the group. His face was ashen as he approached Cheongun.

“T-there’s a... a monster inside...!”

“Was it Severed-Soul Sand? The sand—was the weapon really sand?”

Cheongun grabbed Eunuch Dang’s collar, shaking him as he asked.

Eunuch Dang nodded repeatedly.

“More importantly... the Devouring-Qi Technique.... Yes! Someone in there is using the Devouring-Qi Technique! Eunuch Baek was drained!”

“...!”

The Devouring-Qi Skill!

He remembered hearing of it from Seolhwa.

Originally, it was used by the Sixth Blood Lord among the Blood Cult’s six Blood Lords—but that man had been killed by Namgoong years ago.

Meaning the technique might have passed to unknown hands—thus they had been warned to be cautious.

It seems the Explosives really are here.

Cheongun’s gaze sharpened toward the cave.

A powerful foe in place meant something crucial lay within.

“All of you—withdraw!”

Against an enemy who used the Devouring-Qi Technique, numbers would only feed him strength.

“Only I, the Vermilion Bird Division Lord, the ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Black Dragon Unit Lord, and you two will go.”

“But—!”

“I and the Vermilion Bird Division Lord will handle the one using the Devouring-Qi Technique. The three of you will handle the ones using the Wolf-Fang Mace and the Thin Saber.”

Fear still lingered in Eunuch Dang’s eyes.

But retrieving the Explosives was an imperial mission.

He gripped his spear tightly and nodded with grim resolve.

****

STEP. STEP. STEP.

The cave entrance was massive.

Its height matched that of the guard post standing at the entrance of the mountain stronghold.

And because the cave itself was so large, a wide open area spread out before it.

“You’re late.”

The moment Cheongun saw the woman waiting for them at the cave’s mouth, he knew she was the one who had used the hidden weapons, the Severed-Soul Sand, and the Devouring-Qi Technique.

Behind the woman stood the two warriors who had wielded the Wolf-Fang Mace and the Thin Saber. Surrounding them were corpses—so emaciated they looked as though every drop of moisture had been drained from their bodies.

Among them were bodies dressed in eunuch robes.

“You devoured your own subordinates?”

“Well. That’s what they were there for. Either way, you should thank me—I reduced the number of enemies you need to deal with.”

The woman lightly brushed her red lips with a slender finger, giggling.

Something glinted through the slight gap of her open sleeve.

A hidden weapon.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“Are you... of the Tang Clan?”

Hidden weapons and poison.

And one of the Tang Clan’s Eight Deadly Weapons—Severed-Soul Sand.

Suspicion was unavoidable.

The woman’s smiling expression gradually hardened at Cheongun’s question.

She stared at him, silent—for a brief moment.

“I am of the Great Blood Cult. A loyal servant of the Blood Demon, Lord of the Blood Heaven, and the mistress of the Sixth Moon Plaque—Guiyue.”

“...Guiyue?”

“As you can see, I am a noble woman. So I decided to call myself Guiyue—Noble Moon.”

A Moon-Plaque Holder.

He had heard of them from Seolhwa as well.

Aside from the six Blood Lords, they were the Blood Demon’s strongest lieutenants.

The Blood Demon bestowed twelve Moon Plaques—those who bore them were the Moon-Plaque Holders.

“For reference, this one is Eighth Moon, Liang. And that one is Tenth Moon, Yao.”

The one with the Wolf-Fang Mace was Liang-Moon; the one with the Thin Saber was Yao-Moon.

Meaning—three Moon-Plaque Holders stood here.

“So it really is the Explosives inside.”

“Correct. You must’ve worked hard running around all this time. Impressive that you found this place.”

She knew Cheongun had investigated seven other sites before arriving here.

Cheongun lifted his sword toward her.

“Since I’ve finally found it, that effort was not wasted.” 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

“Well now—can you truly claim you’ve found it, if you can’t take it?”

Further conversation was meaningless.

TAT–!

Cheongun charged straight at Guiyue.

TAT– TADAT!

Yu Pyo, Namgoong Hyeok, and the two Eastern Depot attendants moved right after him.

KAKANG–! CHWAZAZAZANG— BOOM— KAANG!

Liang-Moon and Yao-Moon leapt forward simultaneously, intercepting from both sides.

Swords and sabers, maces and spears wrapped in Blood-qi, all clashed in an instant.

Cheongun rushed straight toward Guiyue, sword sweeping.

Namgoong Clan exclusive art — Heaven-Wind Sword Art.

Fifth Form, Flowing Dragon.

KWAAAAAA—

A different power from when he had faced the Wolf-Fang Mace wielder earlier—an overwhelming Namgoong sword.

A blue dragon, like a surging torrent, spiraled around Cheongun.

At that moment, Guiyue’s lips curled faintly.

PIIING–!

From her sleeve shot a thin, razor-fine hidden weapon.

Cheongun saw the weapon—and a shimmering thread connecting it to her sleeve.

String-Blade...!

It looked like a thin thread, yet it was a sword.

Sharp enough to slice flesh off bone with the slightest graze.

“Clan Lord Namgoong! It’s a String-Blade!”

Yu Pyo shouted, recognizing it as well.

The String-Blade Technique was—

One of the Tang Clan’s secret arts.

How could an assassin serving the Blood Demon know the Tang Clan’s poisons and secret arts?

The Tang Clan was far more closed off than any sect or clan.

Their arts were not taught to women who left the clan through marriage—that was how tightly they guarded their knowledge.

Which only made it harder for Cheongun to guess this woman’s true identity.

Then—

CHWAZAZAZAZANG—

A sharp, ear-splitting sound—unlike the Thin Saber—ripped through the air.

Guiyue was scraping the String-Blade, still attached to her hidden weapon, crossing and dragging it together. A type of Sound-Art.

“Kh...!”

“Urgh...!”

Those fighting around them froze for a moment, clutching their ears.

But Cheongun did not stop his sword.

Ninth Form — Heaven-Defying Mad Dragon!

KWAGWAGWAGWAGWA—!!

The blue dragon whirling around Cheongun surged upward as if defying the heavens, crashing down toward Guiyue.

TAT– PING– PIIING–!

Guiyue dodged his sword while firing two hidden weapons in succession.

But they were still within the arc of his strike.

Cheongun tilted his head lightly, avoiding the flying weapons, and swung his sword—

PING–!

The two hidden weapons that had passed him collided—twisting their trajectory midair.