Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 166

Chapter 166: S-rank Outbreak （10）

Peng Mujeong frowned.

As the figure approached with heavy footsteps, past memories gradually resurfaced.

“…Seo Munho. Is that bastard Seo Munho?”

More than ten years ago.

For some reason, he had massacred an entire village.

He felt that the image of the man who had begged for his life with his head bowed was somewhat similar to this one. It was a vague memory, so it wasn’t clear. And since the opponent’s appearance had changed significantly from the past, it was surprising that a Peng family martial artist could recognize him solely based on his physical description.

The problem was that he couldn’t understand this situation.

‘What can a mere nobody like you do?’

The opponent was an ordinary person.

Even if he had grown rapidly from then until now, it would never be enough to cross the threshold of the Peng family, one of the Five Great Clans. He didn’t feel even a hint of danger. To Peng Mujeong, who had severed the heads of countless villains to be recognized as the Clan Leader of the Peng family, the murderous aura emanating from Seo Munho couldn’t be perceived as fear.

Meanwhile.

A battle broke out with the martial artists trying to stop Seo Munho.

“How dare you come here!”

“Attack!”

Whoosh━

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

Murderous intent surged from all directions.

The domineering swordsmanship seemed indiscriminate at first glance, but like interlocking gears, it didn’t allow Seo Munho any room to escape. It was in front of the Clan Leader, after all. Especially now, with the festival in progress, they couldn’t show a disgraceful side to the guests. The Peng family’s martial artists were determined.

However.

Suddenly.

Thud━!

“?!”

The head of the martial artist leading the charge flew off.

As he widened his eyes in surprise, Seo Munho dug into the only opening amidst the intertwining murderous intent from all sides.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

“Argh!”

Screams erupted from everywhere.

The martial artists who had charged in with the certainty of victory were splattered with blood one after another, their limbs scattered on the ground, severed from their owners. Seo Munho didn’t stop there. When the opponent hesitated due to the unexpected situation, he closed the distance without hesitation and took off their heads. Each time the sword flashed, slicing through the air, a carefully built tower crumbled.

“…Hmm.”

Peng Mujeong looked intrigued.

He couldn’t laugh in amusement while his martial artists were being killed.

‘So you’ve been honing your martial arts all this time to get revenge on me, huh? Interesting, very interesting. To think that something like this, which I only heard about in rumors, would happen to me.’

But that was all.

The opponent was mistaken.

If a single individual could bring down an entire group, the Murim would have been conquered by someone long ago.

That was arrogance.

And a mistake stemming from ignorance.

Peng Mujeong, with his gaze fixed forward, signaled the martial artists lined up beside him.

“The guests are watching. Finish this quickly.”

“Your command will be obeyed.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Seo Munho’s world was stained with blood.

In the crimson-drenched world, the moment Seo Munho met a gaze filled with terror, he immediately closed the distance.

Thud.

Flash━!

Another head flew off.

This time, it seemed like the opponent had tried to react by raising his sword, but Seo Munho had sliced through both the weapon and the head. A fragrant smell wafted from all around. The stench of blood, which he had always smelled and been drenched in. As he was about to continue the slaughter without pause, a sudden surge of murderous intent exploded, engulfing him.

“Die━!”

Boom!

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

He was pushed back.

It was a tremendous shock.

They, clad in tiger-striped uniforms, sprang out from all directions in a chaotic manner, wielding their swords.

Boom!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He recognized them instantly.

They were the elite of the Hebei Peng family.

The Fierce Tigers of the Menghodan.

The group that had shaped the current Hebei Peng family, known for not allowing any living being to remain once an order was given. Especially Cheon Kang, the Mad Tiger at their forefront, was considered one of the strongest experts in the current Righteous Murim.

The swords moved in a dazzling display.

Seeing Seo Munho hold his own for a while, Cheon Kang chuckled in amusement.

“I don’t know where you learned some martial arts, you petty thief, but you should have known this is the Peng family!”

Flash.

Boom━!

It was a tremendous shock.

He thought he had clearly perceived the opponent’s attack, but if it weren’t for the warning of murderous intent, his head might have been taken off. Seo Munho was helplessly pushed back. Then, cheers erupted from all around. To them, Seo Munho was a villain, an existence that needed to be eliminated. Seeing the expert representing the righteous Murim gain the upper hand, they forgot their fear of the slaughter and were enjoying the situation.

‘What’s so amusing to you?’

He didn’t understand.

What kind of justice they pursued.

If the Righteous Murim was truly on the right path, why was Peng Mujeong the Clan Leader?

“I don’t get it. Why do you claim to represent justice?”

Clang━

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

He blocked the consecutive attacks.

Even while being pushed back repeatedly, Seo Munho didn’t lose sight of the opponent’s movements.

Murderous intent surged within him.

While massacring the fire-field farmers’ village, he had learned the essence of the Blood Demon Art, and finally, by plunging his sword into the old man’s heart, he had accepted everything. He knew it himself. To unleash the true power of the Blood Demon Art, he had to abandon his humanity and completely immerse himself in murderous intent. It was a path he might never return from. And that decision had been made the moment he first met the old man.

Whoosh.

“?!”

He dodged the attack.

It was a bizarre movement.

It wasn’t a typical evasion. He bent his waist back so far that it looked like it would snap, then swung his sword from that unstable posture.

“Priest━!”

Thud.

A head flew off.

Before Cheon Kang could even react, Seo Munho had eliminated one of them. From then on, he didn’t block the opponent’s attacks with his sword. He simply dodged. It was a movement beyond the limits of the human body. If he judged that he couldn’t reach, he wouldn’t dodge even if the sword grazed past him.

He was a madman.

He cut down anyone he encountered, gradually reducing their numbers with a face drenched in blood.

And then.

Boom!

Clank, clank, clank.

“Ugh.”

One clash.

This time, Cheon Kang was pushed back.

He was sure he had the upper hand at first, but as the crimson-stained sword absorbed blood several times, he felt its destructive power increasing. It wasn’t an illusion. Seo Munho, who had suddenly closed the distance, didn’t give him time to think, and his heart sank with each booming attack. A question that had been vaguely forming in his mind took shape, overlapping with the opponent’s figure.

‘Could it be?’

He had heard rumors.

The villain who killed Namgung Baek.

The ruthless being who had suddenly attacked the Geumho Merchant Guild, massacring its members and the pursuit squad.

It was said that the Blood Demon looked just like the figure before him.

This was bad.

He had to stop him.

He prepared a strike.

Even if it meant sacrificing himself, a powerful strike that would tear Seo Munho apart in an instant!

“Die━!”

He charged.

In that split second.

Cheon Kang witnessed it.

The overwhelming murderous intent that enveloped everything, instilling fear with just a glance.

“Blood Demon Sword Technique, Fifth Style: Annihilation.”

Cheon Kang’s final strike.

He saw his all-out attack crumble as it collided with the opponent.

Boom━!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Passss.

A cloud of dust rose.

With blood dripping from his sword, Seo Mun-ho wiped the blood flowing down his face as if washing it.

Cheon Kang was dead.

The absolute master representing the Hebei Peng family, and the Menghodan, were wiped out.

Seo Mun-ho’s gaze turned towards Peng Mujeong.

“Is it over?”

Silence filled the air.

Only then did they grasp the reality.

The opponent was a monster.

At the thought that his words might become reality, they began to back away hesitantly.

A series of events.

Peng Mujeong said with a stiff expression.

“You. Could it be, you’re the Blood Demon who caused the Namgung family tragedy?”

The opponent’s identity.

He couldn’t help but recognize it.

It was the incident where Namgung Baek, the current symbol of the Namgung family, was brutally murdered along with his daughter. The Namgung family had sent a pursuit squad, demonstrating their determination to kill the culprit, but the being who revealed himself as the Blood Demon killed everyone who chased him, including those from the Geumho Merchant Guild. People trembled in fear at the news. With the news that the Blood Demon, the object of fear, had reappeared, they declared him a public enemy of the Murim and expressed their determination to eliminate him.

The problem was.

Peng Mujeong didn’t know that Seo Mun-ho and the Blood Demon were the same person.

Although Seo Mun-ho had shown a stubborn side while escaping, it was too short a time for an ordinary person who was nothing to acquire such martial prowess. After the Namgung family incident, the Blood Demon’s physical description was widely known. Even after confirming it, they didn’t consider him to be the same person as Seo Mun-ho.

Because that was common sense.

But in this situation where the karma of the past had returned to reality, Peng Mujeong’s expression turned cold.

“It was you. The one who killed Great Hero Namgung Baek, who lived a righteous life. I don’t know why you came here, but you’ve made a very big mistake. Today is a celebration of the righteous Murim. Countless righteous people are heading to Hebei to congratulate the Peng family, and me.”

Cheon Kang’s death.

It was bitter.

Because of this, the Peng family’s power might decline a little, but it might be fortunate.

The evil that was the Blood Demon had grown unknowingly, and there was a possibility that his life might have been in danger someday.

He had to kill him here and now.

“And the righteous people will gladly draw their swords for us. Isn’t that right, Leader-nim?”

Following Peng Mujeong’s gaze.

People’s eyes turned towards the main gate.

There, Moyeongcheon, the Clan Leader of the Moyeong family and the current leader of the Murim Alliance, was observing his surroundings with a cold expression.

He spoke.

“I heard the main celebration hasn’t started yet, what is all this commotion?”

“That man is the Blood Demon.”

“Kill him here.”

Around Moyeongcheon.

There were representatives of the righteous Murim.

It was as Peng Mujeong had said.

He chose the wrong day.

Moyeongcheon drew his sword with an angry face.

“You evil spirit. On behalf of the righteous Murim, I will take your life here.”

Seo Mun-ho smirked.

An evil spirit?

Neither Peng Mujeong nor Moyeongcheon.

They didn’t have the right to say such things.

He carefully examined the faces of the gathered people.

Many of the people he had studied countless times while preparing for the Murim conquest were coincidentally gathered here.

“Good. I can finish them all today.”

He started walking.

As soon as he took a step, murderous intent exploded from all directions.

“Let’s start again.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Whoosh━

Memories flooded in.

Kang San clutched his head, swallowing a groan as he struggled to handle the overwhelming memories.

“Ugh.”

『Past life memories are seeping into your body.』

『Intangible senses are becoming clearer.』

『Blood Demon Art has risen to Six Stars.』

『Blood Demon Art has risen to Seven Stars.』

『Blood Demon Art has risen to Eight Stars.』

『You have acquired Blood Demon Sword Technique, Fifth Style: Annihilation.』

Messages flooded in all at once.

It was a strange feeling.

He had experienced it before, but this time, the cells in his body felt like they were changing even more explosively. He didn’t have the time to examine the changes in detail right now. The Dark Lord, sensing something ominous in Kang San’s transformation, immediately unleashed a burst of dark energy.

『Die.』

Fizzle.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The attack struck.

Every time the Dark Lord flicked his finger, tendrils of dark magic erupted, striking Kang San.

It was an unbearable attack.

He should have crumbled under the S-rank assault.

But.

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

“…How should I interpret this situation?”

It was overwhelming, yes.

But he didn’t collapse.

He had withstood all of the Dark Lord’s attacks, and Kang San clearly understood why this was possible.

Past life memories.

Seo Munho’s power had been imprinted on his cells.

He could be certain without even opening the system window.

He had surpassed A-rank and entered the realm of S-rank.

This didn’t mean he could defeat the opponent, but the situation had changed drastically from a moment ago.

He gave up on trying to understand.

However.

“It seems the heavens haven’t abandoned me.”

Kang San gripped his sword tightly.

The twenty-eighth trial wasn’t over yet.