Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

Just as I thought, he’s hot on my tail, Baek Suryong sighed, sensing the Bloody Ripper’s menacing aura closing in on him.

“You scoundrel! I’ll skin you alive, soak you in salt water, tear you limb from limb, and feed you to the dogs!” the Bloody Ripper roared, his qi-infused voice sending tremors through the underground tunnel.

An ordinary martial artist would have clapped his hands over his ears and staggered, but not Baek Suryong. Without using any inner qi, he glanced back and shouted, “Are you trying to cause a cave-in? If you want to be buried along with your precious treasure, go ahead, keep yelling like that!”

Alarmed, the Bloody Ripper instantly held back from roaring. Just as Baek Suryong had pointed out, there was a real risk of the tunnel collapsing. Instead, he snarled through gritted teeth, “You bastard! Even grinding your bones wouldn’t satisfy me!”

Baek Suryong continued to run. The passage sloped downward and stretched on endlessly. In an attempt to stall his pursuer, he randomly sent waves of sword qi flying behind him, conveniently also snuffing out every torch along the way.

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Soon, darkness enveloped the path completely.

“Do you think hiding in the dark will let you escape my eyes?” the Bloody Ripper’s mocking laughter echoed from behind.

“It’ll slow you down, at least,” Baek Suryong retorted, scattering nails that he’d hidden in his sleeve across the ground.

The Bloody Ripper stepped on them, but his feet, wrapped in inner qi, remained unscathed. At best, they were a minor nuisance. “Pathetic! Is this the best trick you’ve got?” he sneered.

Seeing the Bloody Ripper furiously smashing everything in his path, Baek Suryong clicked his tongue in frustration at the old man’s overwhelming qi.

When it comes to inner qi quantity, age is an unfair advantage. This geezer’s qi reserves are not only leagues above mine, it’s probably one of the highest even among the Ten Great Villains. Damn it, I can’t afford a prolonged fight.

Baek Suryong bit his lip. Even if he gave it his all, victory against a master like the Bloody Ripper was uncertain. To kill him, he would have to risk serious injury, and even if he managed to win like that, there was no way the other villains of the Valley of Evil would leave his heavily wounded self alone.

Just then, the Bloody Ripper shouted again, his voice sounding much closer this time. “Still remember what I told you about the Zhejiang Five Devils? What do you think has happened to your sworn brothers by now, eh? Think they’re still alive?”

Baek Suryong scoffed, “Stupid old fart. Did you actually believe they were my sworn brothers?”

“Kuhuhu. Whether that’s true or just bravado, I’ll find out myself later.”

Baek Suryong didn’t bother to answer, but deep down he couldn’t help but worry about the students he had left behind, even though he had warned them thoroughly before coming to the Valley of Evil, and they were skilled enough not to be easily defeated.

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I can only hope they’re handling things well. Just hold on a little longer, kids! I’ll finish this quickly and rush over.

Shrugging off his worries, he refocused on his own situation. Since this was where the Blood Cult had hidden their treasure, there would surely be mechanical traps and formations set up. Luckily for him, the former head instructor of the Blood Cult, avoiding or disarming these traps was as easy as taking a walk in his own backyard.

Wait, speaking of traps… Why don’t I use them to kill this bastard?

Baek Suryong grinned and kept running. Soon, a massive door came into view.

As he fixed his sights on the door, his Blood Demon’s eyes glowed even more sinisterly in the pitch black darkness.

Baek Suryong slashed at the looming door with his sword qi.

CLANG!

Unsurprisingly, not a single scratch appeared on it, confirming that not only was it made of Meteor Iron, it was at least several inches thick.

Even trying to break it with enhanced qi wouldn’t be easy, Baek Suryong mused. Sure, if he kept hammering at it, it might give way eventually, but forcing it open might cause a cave-in or set off explosives, killing them and destroying all the treasure.

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The Bloody Ripper howled, “Don’t you dare touch that door!”

Dashing forward, Baek Suryong quickly examined the intricate patterns all over the door. To the untrained eye, they might seem like mere decorations, but he easily discerned the hidden meanings.

Just as I thought! It’s designed so that only those who’ve learned the Heaven Defying Divine Art can enter. To open it, I must strike the carvings sequentially according to the Blood Heaven Dance (血天舞), the most fundamental yet most complex technique of the Heaven Defying Divine Art.

Kicking off the ground, Baek Suryong struck the iron door, infusing it with the inner qi of the Heaven Defying Divine Art and activating the lock mechanism.

JIIIIIING…! DRRRRK… CLACK! CLACK!

The door began to vibrate as the carved pieces moved, shifting and sliding to new positions.

I see. It’s not just about the sequence, the door also won’t open if I don’t get my rhythm right. I have to do it perfectly in one go.

The Blood Heaven Dance was a versatile technique, adaptable to any weapon or even bare hands, shifting based on the situation, the weapon in use, or the opponent faced. In essence, this door was designed to serve as an imaginary enemy, a gatekeeper to test his skills. If he couldn’t execute the technique correctly, the door would remain shut.

“Now this is what I call a test! Haaaap!” With a spirited shout, Baek Suryong attacked the door, striking the correct mechanisms in order as gracefully as a dragon soaring through the clouds.

Panicking and rushing to stop Baek Suryong, the Bloody Ripper roared, “You insolent brat! What are you doing? If you trigger the mechanism wrongly…!”

RUMMMBLE…!

The Bloody Ripper slid to a halt. The massive door, which hadn’t budged no matter what he’d tried over the years, slowly began to open on its own.

“I-It’s opening! The door is opening!” he exclaimed excitedly, eyes wide in astonishment.

Having perfectly executed the Blood Demon’s martial art, Baek Suryong sighed with relief. Seeing the gatekeeper who had guarded the Blood Cult’s treasure for so long granting him entry, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pride bubbling up within him.

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“It’s my first time actually using it… so this is how it feels,” he murmured, gazing dazedly at the passage beyond the open door. He’d practiced the Blood Heaven Dance alone before, but using it on something was a first.

I gained a lot of insight into the Heaven Defying Divine Art just by striking the door as directed… Could this be a device set up by one of the ancient Blood Demons for future generations?

Baek Suryong glanced back at the Bloody Ripper, a satisfied smile spreading across his lips. “I should thank you. Because of you, my martial arts skills have improved greatly.”

“What…?”

Without another word, Baek Suryong spun around and shot through the door like an arrow, using his movement arts to the limit.

“You insolent brat! Stop right there!” the Bloody Ripper roared, snapping out of his stupor and giving chase. He had spent decades preparing for this moment—transforming the Valley of Evil into an impregnable fortress, enslaving villains to dig tunnels, and killing anyone who knew the secret, even those he once called friends, all to ensure no one would uncover the true nature of this place.

“You think I’ll let it be taken away? No matter who you are, I won’t give up my treasure. Even if you are… the Blood Demon of this era!”

As crazy as he was, the Bloody Ripper was no fool. After witnessing such a formidable technique firsthand, he could no longer continue deceiving himself about Baek Suryong’s true identity.

So what if he’s the Blood Demon? He’s still weaker than me. This might be my only chance to kill him!

Blood vessels ruptured in the Bloody Ripper’s eyes, sending streams of crimson tears down his face as he shrieked, “Kuhuhu… The treasure is mine! All mine! You dare to claim what belongs to me? How dare you! I’ll leash you like a dog and drag you at my feet! Even if you beg for death, I’ll keep you alive by a thread!”

As the Bloody Ripper ran down the passage after Baek Suryong, the door began to close behind them.

CREAK… CLANG!

The heavy iron door slammed shut, heavy and silent as if it had never been opened.

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One hour after the two men entered the Blood Cult’s secret vault.

“Kuuaaaah! You damn brat! I’ll skin you alive!” the Bloody Ripper bellowed, flailing his claws in fury. His hair and beard were singed, his clothes were torn, and his body was riddled with cuts. Some of the wounds had even turned black from poison.

Up ahead, Baek Suryong glanced back, offering a friendly warning, “Watch your head!”

Contrary to his words, however, it wasn’t the ceiling that opened, but the left wall, releasing hundreds of long steel needles.

Deflecting the needles with his claws, the Bloody Ripper snarled, “Hah! Did you think I’ll be fooled again?”

No matter how deadly the hidden weapons were, injuring a master of his caliber was nearly impossible—unless someone else intervened.

THWACK!

A single needle, secretly thrown by Baek Suryong, embedded itself in the Bloody Ripper’s shoulder.

Eyes blazing from pain and rage, the Bloody Ripper unleashed his enhanced qi, shattering the entire trap and launching another wave of attacks toward Baek Suryong. “How long do you think you can keep running?!”

Unfortunately, Baek Suryong had already predicted his actions and dodged to the side. Pointing downward, he said plainly, “Watch your step.”

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“Kuuaaak! You fucking son of a bitch!”

Needles rained down, floors gave way, flames erupted, and rocks tumbled, but Baek Suryong skillfully maneuvered through the traps, leaving only the Bloody Ripper to endure the worst.

“I’ll catch you even if I become a ghost!” the Bloody Ripper roared.

“Oh my, how scary,” Baek Suryong quipped.

Furious, the Bloody Ripper destroyed every mechanism in his path, pouring out his inner qi without restraint. If he could just kill Baek Suryong, all the treasure would be his.

“Tsk, what a persistent old man,” Baek Suryong muttered, clicking his tongue. He’d used the Bloody Ripper to smash through all the traps along the path to the vault, covering in under an hour what should have taken half a day, but the old man was still lively and energetic.

Their cat-and-mouse game had stretched on for quite a while, yet every chase must eventually reach its conclusion, and at last, they found themselves at a dead end.

“Fuck…” Baek Suryong swore, leaning against the wall.

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The Bloody Ripper approached with a triumphant grin. “Kuhuhu… Now, once I kill you, it’s all over.”

The two men stood in a narrow chamber only a few meters wide. Despite his injuries and exhaustion, the Bloody Ripper still possessed the overwhelming weapon that was enhanced qi. In such a confined space, the outcome seemed obvious.

Nevertheless, Baek Suryong didn’t look worried at all. Instead, he grinned, saying, “Yeah. This should do. You’re too tired to run away now.”

“Me? Run away? What nonsense are you spouting…”

“Unlike you, I can’t use it for long,” Baek Suryong sighed, raising Moon Shadow.

At that moment, the sword qi surrounding his blade intensified, becoming denser and more vivid until it was a deeper, brighter crimson than even the Bloody Ripper’s.

“E-Enhanced Qi…!” the Bloody Ripper exclaimed, his mouth hanging open in shock and disbelief.

Pointing his sword at the old man, Baek Suryong smirked. “Why? Did you think only you could use it?”