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Reincarnated Sword Ghost
Chapter 156 : Variable · Oct 12, 2026
Chapter List (202)
Variable
The Blood Cult established its stronghold on a flat basin of Mount Gubong.
Originally, it was a dense forest filled with thick-trunked trees.
The abundant leaves barely let sunlight in, making the soil on the ground so moist it felt soft.
But the Blood Cult transformed this place into a land where it was hard to find even a single tree.
They didn’t just cut them down—they pulled every one out by the roots.
Though their cultivated power was known to be impure, the group consisted of thousands who could wield true ki.
What would have taken ordinary civilians a long time was accomplished in an instant by the martial artists’ unique strength and numbers as they rolled forward with brute force.
Thus, they built a main headquarters on a scale rivaling most major cities of the Central Plains.
Walls were erected, and gates were set in all four directions.
Kwaang—!
At that moment, the west gate was in utter chaos.
”Lotus Blossom Divine Sword! Stop rushing ahead!”
Yeom Baek shouted after the figure surging forward.
He was calling out to the woman known throughout the martial world as the Lotus Blossom Divine Sword, and the corps leader of the Red Dragon Corps of Heavenly Martial Hall.
Yet, even though Yeom Baek clearly yelled, she didn’t slow her pace at all.
Rather, the bursting energy from her steps seemed to serve as a wordless reply.
She pressed on and swung her sword without hesitation.
The blue bursting energy unleashed from the sword blade shattered into dozens of fragments and shot forward with a whoosh.
”Kugh!”
A group of Blood Cult rabble blocking the way crumbled to the ground.
It was the Lotus Blossom Sword Style, an independent martial art said to be passed down in a single lineage.
Her epithet, Lotus Blossom Divine Sword, also came from this art.
”Yun Soryeon!”
Seeing her show no sign of slowing, Yeom Baek called out again.
At that, the man running nearby, deploying his lightness skill alongside, opened his mouth.
He had a slender build and a look in his eyes so calm that one might mistake him for a scholar.
This was Zhang Chu-myung, corps leader of the White Tiger Corps of Heavenly Martial Hall.
”You should understand. Watch how the ki wave bursts and wavers beneath her steps. The Red Dragon Corps leader is just agitated because the plan’s gone off track.”
At Zhang Chu-myung’s words, Yeom Baek steadily watched Yun Soryeon racing ahead, then shook his head. He crushed the head of a Blood Cultist pouncing like a moth as he did so.
’Damn it.’
Yeom Baek knew Zhang Chu-myung’s words weren’t wrong. Right now, Yun Soryeon was simply anxious because the plan had gone astray.
The original plan had been for the other martial artists of Heavenly Martial Hall to create a commotion while noisily climbing the mountain’s outskirts, allowing their group to slip straight into the cult’s main base amid the chaos.
But somehow, four High Priests—each a formidable martial expert—had appeared out of nowhere instead.
These were adversaries not to be trifled with.
Fights between experts were nothing short of an unpredictable whirlwind.
The dynamics were on an entirely different level from simple duels.
It was basic to keep track of everyone’s movements and attack flows in a clash measured in instants.
Even when swinging a sword at the enemy before you, you had to guard your back.
Sword moves exploded from all sides, tearing apart any who got in their path, friend or foe alike.
In the end, the fight dragged on, and only now had they reached the entrance of the cult’s main headquarters, contrary to what had been expected.
At that moment, Black Snake Corps leader Tang Cheol-hwan spoke.
”It was strange, wasn’t it? There’s no way they could’ve known about our raid today.”
”.......”
It truly wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
To prevent leaks, even the martial artists were only notified of the exact date a few days prior to the operation.
And they had all been scattered at that. The odds that enemy scouts could have prepared in advance was extremely low.
So, while working with a few carefully selected martial artists to respond to various variables, the plan was to leave cult rabble to them and have the corps leaders press forward.
Yet, it was High Priests, not rabble, who appeared.
That forced even the few martial artists accompanying them to be sent elsewhere.
This was a clash with eight peerless experts tangled together. There was no way to spare attention to others’ safety.
Yeom Baek spoke.
”Is it possible there was a leak from inside?”
”From inside? Are you seriously suggesting there could be a spy within Heavenly Martial Hall?”
Tang Cheol-hwan sounded incredulous. Yeom Baek also snorted after he spoke.
The Heavenly Martial Hall probed every candidate’s background and origins, and for someone of the unorthodox faction to infiltrate unnoticed was unthinkable.
”It’s just that it’s so absurd. It’s not just one or two; it’s exactly four appearing as if by plan. What a coincidence—or too much of one.”
”I believe they truly knew and deliberately showed up.”
”What did you say?”
Yeom Baek’s eyes widened in response.
Tang Cheol-hwan was of collateral lineage of the Tang Clan.
Despite not being of the main branch, his martial arts talent was outstanding.
His house tried to seat him as the head of a martial force, but he flatly refused.
He had no intention of being a background supporter for others, which is what being collateral usually meant.
He left through the front gate and headed to the Heavenly Martial Hall, yet the knowledge from his upbringing did not fade.
Instead, it intertwined with the countless real-world experiences of the Hall, providing rich intuition and insight.
Among all corps leaders, Tang Cheol-hwan was especially known for his exceptional penetration and acumen.
”I suspect there’s a gate array set over the entire mountain.”
”A gate array? Is that even possible?”
”You’re questioning possibility? Weren’t you present when we experienced one yourself not long ago?”
”......”
Yeom Baek fell silent, knowing what Tang Cheol-hwan meant.
Yeom Baek had firsthand experience with the power of a masterfully crafted gate array.
It was the sort with a designated area that triggered an explosion when a certain number entered.
He’d even seen the ground collapse and refill with its own debris before his eyes.
’... Damn.’
This was a world where people could harness natural energy within their bodies for superhuman feats.
Even so, gate arrays were a domain of the unknown for Yeom Baek.
But it couldn’t be dismissed—he knew just how devastating its power could be.
Causing phenomena like thunder or fog was child’s play for such formation masters.
Then, naturally, a certain person came to mind.
Yu Jeong-un.
He had been swept into that array and trapped inside the Divine Physician’s tomb—and made it out alive.
Even after running into the Demonic Cult’s cult leader inside.
’He’s probably doing his job right now.’
Calling him merely a prodigy was an understatement.
His growth recently had been astonishing—he was many times stronger than when he first joined the Hall just a year ago.
’He’s a man who’ll figure things out if left alone.’
For this reason, he wasn’t selected for the specialized unit operating with the corps leaders.
The General Affairs Department judged that there ought to be at least one of the strongest experts among the martial artists drawing enemy attention.
Yeom Baek agreed.
While Yeom Baek’s thoughts drifted, Tang Cheol-hwan continued.
”A strange ki wraps around the whole mountain, if only faintly. It’s hidden by their filthy demonic energy, but it’s definitely there.”
”So you’re telling me there will be an explosion again?”
Yeom Baek asked, furrowing his brow, and Tang Cheol-hwan shook his head.
”It’s not that type of formation. If my hunch is correct, it’s a formation that expands someone’s ki sense.”
”Expand their ki sense?”
”In other words, this entire mountain could be in the palm of someone’s hand. If so, they can see all our movements.”
”What in the world...!”
Yeom Baek rebuffed, his face incredulous. Expanding ki sense on such a scale—he’d never even heard of such a thing.
Yet part of him felt uneasy.
Tang Cheol-hwan’s theory could explain the situation the corps leaders were facing.
If the cultists had known of their infiltration by way of the formation, then the sudden arrival of four High Priests, and the endless waves of cultists blocking their way, would all make sense.
At that moment—
”......!”
Beyond the endless rabble, a chilling and overwhelming burst of energy slowly approached.
”How dare you—do you know where this is...!”
Puhwak!
Yeom Baek swung his sword, smashing the neck of a fool who recklessly charged head-on, and turned his gaze that way.
The other corps leaders did the same.
”Something’s coming.”
”Lotus Blossom Divine Sword! Prepare yourself!”
”I know!”
In the distance, Yun Soryeon’s nervous voice called out. Next to her, Zhang Chu-myung smirked.
Despite how she looked, she got the job done. She always complained verbally but acted with cold calculation.
Becoming one of the top hundred martial artists under heaven, especially as a corps leader at Heavenly Martial Hall, was no easy feat.
”... Could it be their leader showing up?”
”I doubt it. Judging from the energy, it doesn’t seem at that level. Unless he’s hiding his true strength.”
Tang Cheol-hwan and Zhang Chu-myung whispered beside him.
They weren’t even inside the cult’s headquarters yet, but the wall of the main headquarters was now visible to the naked eye.
They were about to break through the gate.
Yeom Baek muttered,
”If they’re coming out to greet us, things may get easier.”
And then, finally, the figure revealed himself.
Like the other High Priests, he wore blood-red clothing.
In one hand, he held a red fan—an odd sight.
A chilling aura coiled around him, different from body-protecting enhanced ki; it was as if his killing intent had materialized as energy.
However, this man was definitely not the cult’s Blood Lord.
”Damn, not only did we fail to assassinate the leader with our surprise attack, we’ve already run into five of those eight subordinates.”
”Still, it’s just one now. Let’s deal with him quickly and move on.”
Tang Cheol-hwan responded to Yeom Baek.
As he subtly raised his hand, his sleeve flowed out—he was a master who had perfected the Soul-Chasing Butterfly technique.
Just then, the opponent snapped his fan open and swung it forward.
From its edge, razor-thin bursts of enhanced energy shot out like arrows.
Shushushuk!
But the direction was odd.
The attacks flew off toward unnecessary locations, ones not even worth bothering to defend.
In fact, they headed toward the High Priest’s own subordinates.
”Keurgh!”
”Kugh!”
Those needle-sharp energies pierced right through the cultists’ bodies and slammed into the ground.
Kugugugung─!
The earth exploded, dust and debris surging into the air.
* * *
With every step striking the earth, bursts of ki shot relentlessly from the Yongcheon acupoint.
The propulsion of Moonlight Swift Steps created phenomenal acceleration, launching the body forward with a whoosh.
Every stride covered meters in a flash.
They had built the cult’s main headquarters on such a massive scale it filled the vast basin.
He had to run for a good while with the wall at his right.
After bounding into the air, he reached another gate on the east side of the cult’s stronghold.
Taaang─!
He soared forward as if fired from a bow, cutting through the air.
The heads of the cultists pouring from the gate instantly filled his view.
His right hand gripped the sword guard as he stepped forward, piling all his cultivated power into the move.
True ki seeped into every muscle, bracing his body for the immense impact about to come.
As a powerful ki wave rushed in, the cultists whipped their heads aside in the split second before impact.
Kwaang─!
The ground split and shattered beneath the forceful stride.
He saw every individual face of the enemies amid the flying rocks.
Extending his sword upward, he struck down from above.
The recoil from the slash tensed around his wrist as he dove at tremendous speed from midair.
Kwaaaa!
With Jeok Cheong Subdues the Dragon, the bursting energy split the enemy before him from head to toe, plowed down into the earth, and blasted through those behind, shredding their bodies.
It was overwhelming swordsmanship.
The instant the sword slashed, the path ahead split completely open.
- Is this the place?
- Yes, here should be good for causing a disturbance.
Jeong-un turned his gaze toward another gate of the cult’s headquarters.
’Come.’
Here, he fully intended to lure out a High Priest.
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