Chapter 77: Soul Alteration

Chapter 77: Soul Alteration

AAAAHH!

The moment I mentioned the Blood Cult, Cho Mak-Saeng let out a sudden, guttural scream and lunged at me. I had kept a firm hold on his neck to prevent any reckless moves like this, but he thrashed about violently as if he cared little about the consequences.

I cant let him die just yet. I quickly released him to prevent his neck from snapping and stepped back.

Grr Finally freed, Cho Mak-Saeng dropped to all fours like a wild animal, emitting low, menacing growls. The whites of his eyes were bathed in crimson, grotesque veins bulged across his face, saliva dribbled down from his gaping mouth, and his nails grew longer and sharpened into claws.

Narrowing my eyes, I carefully observed the gray qi swirling around his fingertips. Hey Whats the name of the martial art youre using? I asked.

Unfortunately, he was in no condition to answer me.

GrrGRAAAARGH! he roared, pouncing on me like a tiger. His long nails rent gray streaks across the night sky, and the force of his attacks shattered a nearby alley wall, sending debris tumbling.

I deftly evaded his attacks, then perched on top of the rubble and looked down at him. Im pretty sure thats the Black Blood Demonic Art. Do you know why people call it a demonic art?

GUAAAAH! SHUT UP! Cho Mak-Saeng yelled, launching into another wave of wild slashes.

Its because the Black Blood Demonic Art causes a drastic change in temperament. At first, the practitioner will only become more irritable, but as time goes by, they will eventually be robbed of their sanity, I continued, dodging his blows over and over again.

Shut up! Ill kill you!

If I stop talking, hell succumb to his madness and wont be able to give me any answers. For now, Ill just keep pressuring him and see whether he reveals anything useful.

If that isnt bad enough, the Black Blood Demonic Art also consumes the users life force instead of inner qi. You might think youre using sword qi, but thats not true sword qi

SWISH!

Why arent you reading this at ?

I narrowly evaded the claws aimed at my neck, then leaned close to his ear and whispered, The more you use it, the more your life force dwindles. Eventually, black blood will ooze out of your every pore until you shrivel up like a mummy and die. Thats why its called the Black Blood Demonic Art. Did your teacher inform you of this?

For a moment, Cho Mak-Saeng hesitated, but his madness soon returned as he flailed around wildly and screamed, Shut the hell up! Dont try to confuse me!ViiSiit novelbi/n(.)c/(o)m for latest novels

You should look at yourself in the mirror right now.

AAARGH!

You know, youre a terrible spy. What kind of spy is as reckless and thoughtless as you?

Keuaaak! Shut up! Get out of my head!

Hmm? Get out of my head? What a strange choice of words Anyway, its time I subdued him. Hes been making a lot of noise, and I wouldnt be surprised if someone heard the commotion and alerted the authorities.

With the precision of a surgeon, I swiftly jabbed his pressure points with my fingers and paralyzed him.

Muscles convulsing, he collapsed to the ground like a felled tree.

I stood over him, saying, Dont make me repeat myself. Tell me everything you know about the Black Blood Demonic Art, starting with who taught it to you

CRACK, CRACK!

To my horror, Cho Mak-Saengs joints suddenly bent unnaturally and he sprang to his feet with uncanny welcomes you.

What a lunatic Did you break the paralysis by force? I asked, stunned by the eerie sight.

Hehehe he giggled, even as several of the bulging veins on his face ruptured and painted a macabre tapestry of blood upon his visage. Like a puppet with disjointed limbs, he contorted his body grotesquely to meet my gaze.

My jaw dropped in shock and revulsion. If you keep this up, youre really going to die.

Hehe HAHAHA! POWER, OVERFLOWING POWER! With this strength, Ill kill them all! Those bastards who dared to ignore me because Im an orphan! Ill tear them apart and feed them to the dogs! Cho Mak-Saeng shrieked.

So youre telling me that you knew a martial art without being taught? Do you think that makes sense? I asked skeptically.

I-I didnt know it was Cough! A demonic art Cho Mak-Saengs voice trailed off weakly.

Why didnt you tell Namgoong Su about it? I probed further, trying to unravel the mystery.

B-because, like you, he would ask me where I learned it

Hmm No one, especially not a spy, would make such a foolish claim. Does this mean that hes telling the truth?

Suddenly, a certain memory resurfaced in my mind. It was a conversation I had with the Demonic Strategist in my previous life.

Read this at , or else.

Kukuku, this? This is the secret weapon that will enable us to conquer the world.

Within the Blood Cult, there was no one I hated more than the Demonic Strategist. Even now, I felt like I could hear his sinister laughter as he proudly showed off his latest inventions.

Look, isnt it beautiful?

The Demonic Strategists voice echoed, chillingly detached, amidst what could only be described as hell on earth. Countless children lay on stone beds, their skulls cruelly split open to reveal their brains, yet they were still alive.

Its a miracle. Through ancient techniques and the power of artifacts passed down through generations, weve implanted the teachings and martial arts of our Cult directly into their minds.

No, no It cant be I seized Cho Mak-Saeng by the hair and swiftly shaved it off with sword qi.

W-What are you doing? he protested.

Read this at , or else.

Stay still. I need to check Fuck.

Traces of surgery, barely visible, marred the skin of his head.

The children who survive the procedure will lose all of their memories. Thus, even if we send them to the orthodox sects, theyll just innocently work hard and rise through the ranks on their own volition. However

The depraved grin on the Demonic Strategists face whenever he boasted about his work still haunted me.

As the years pass, theyll eventually remember their true roots. Do you get it now? These young ghouls are the seeds that we will plant in the hearts of the orthodox sects! Kukuku! Oh, right. I still havent told you the name of this procedure. Im thinking of calling it Soul Alteration, and the modified children the Soulless. Doesnt that sound just perfect?

Soul Alteration. Just recalling the name of the technique sent shivers down my spine.

The day the Four Great Demons youre raising are completed and the Soulless are awakened, our Cult will turn the murim into a sea of blood. Kukuku KAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

At least that monster who abandoned his humanity died by my handsor did he?

I remember destroying his qi center and cutting off all his limbs, but the Blood Demon arrived before I could deliver the finishing blow

Doubt gnawed at me as I considered the possibility of the Demonic Strategists survival. What if he didnt die that day? What if someone inherited his twisted legacy?

Ugh, ugh, so cold! S-Save me, please

While I was lost in my thoughts, suddenly, Cho Mak-Saengs body began to convulse and swell up like a pufferfish. Cracks appeared all over his skin, and a faint light shone out from within. Its over, I thought, instinctively stepping back and bracing myself for the inevitable.

BOOM!

With a blinding flash, Cho Mak-Saeng exploded, leaving only the echoes of his torment in its wake.

Translators Note: The manhwa had to tone this scene down significantly to get it past the censors, but for some reason, I got all excited and ended up going all out on the vocabulary

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