As night fell, Seo-jun quietly slipped out of the alley.

With each step, his figure faded.

With one step, he blurred like a mist; with the next, he melted into the darkness; and by the final step, he vanished without a trace.

This was the stealth technique he’d practiced sporadically, inspired by the Shadow Arts of the Secret Assassination School, blending into his surroundings by using his own inner energy.

Thus, he escaped visual and sensory detection, masking his presence just as meticulously as the assassins of the Blood Crow Sect he’d observed countless times.

He named this technique Wolha-muyeong (Shadowless Under the Moon).

Without leaving even a shadow, Seo-jun leaped over the front gate of the Blood Crow Sect.

The guards were on duty, but they didn’t sense anything unusual. They maintained a relaxed vigilance, scanning their surroundings with a touch of complacency as usual.

Passing them by, Seo-jun casually strolled into the sect’s inner grounds, only to wrinkle his brow.

A faint smell of blood permeated the air, as if it had soaked into the very walls of the building.

Clicking his tongue softly, Seo-jun extended his senses.

With stealthy, precise energy waves, he swept through the Blood Crow Sect, drawing a mental map of its layout.

Only the Blood Crow Sect Leader warranted his attention.

After detecting an aura of top-level intensity in the central building, Seo-jun honed in on it.

‘Huh?’

There was another.

At the outskirts, opposite the front gate, he sensed yet another aura at the top level.

‘They said only the Sect Leader was at the top level.’

An unexpected situation.

Seo-jun stopped in his tracks.

Just then, three martial artists appeared, strolling leisurely as if patrolling in a group.

Seo-jun immediately fell in behind them.

Unaware of someone following, the martial artists continued their patrol without suspicion.

As he gauged the right moment, a secluded corner came into view, free of any other presences.

Peeking around the corner ahead of them, Seo-jun found it a suitable spot.

He waited there for the martial artists.

They, disciplined and silent, walked right up to the corner.

At that moment, Seo-jun reached out quickly.

His left hand, with his fore and middle fingers extended, sliced through the necks of two men, while his right hand gripped the face of the third.

“Gasp…!”

The man whose face was held widened his eyes in shock.

The other two, with their throats cut, collapsed as corpses.

Without delay, Seo-jun employed the Heabsorbing Technique.

“Ugh…!”

He blocked the man’s airway to stifle any sound, disrupted his innate energy, and poured in his own dark energy.

The man’s eyes soon went vacant, his body going limp.

Seo-jun asked,

“There are two top-level experts here. Who are they?”

“The… Se…ct…”

“And?”

“Rak… sha… Blade….”

Raksha Blade?

After a few more questions, Seo-jun gathered that Raksha Blade was an external master invited by the Sect Leader.

Having learned this, the man bled out from every orifice as he died.

“This method isn’t ideal for interrogation.”

It wasn’t easy to get long answers, and the lifespan was too short.

Clicking his tongue, Seo-jun gathered the corpses together.

Using the Heabsorbing Technique, he extracted any remaining energy from their bodies and used it to ignite his own energy, incinerating all traces.

“So it’s the Sect Leader and Raksha Blade.”

Could he handle both at once?

He wouldn’t know until he faced them. Judging by their aura, both seemed to be in the early to mid top-level range, but that alone wasn’t enough to gauge their full power.

Moreover, he couldn’t forget that this was Black Lotus territory. Causing a prolonged disturbance would be problematic.

Withdraw or proceed?

After some thought, he made his decision.

“Taking out one first should solve things.”

As he made his decision, he pushed off the ground.

Landing on a rooftop, he leaped again, repeating the process several times until he walked along the wall of a particularly tall building, scrutinizing the presences within.

“Found it.”

He circled around to an unguarded area and sliced through the wall with his energy.

After entering the building, he carefully replaced the wall piece, completing his infiltration.

Seo-jun returned to where he sensed the Sect Leader’s presence, waiting quietly for his chance.

Watching as the Sect Leader dismissed his subordinates, Seo-jun tailed him as he walked away.

His hand rested on the sword at his waist.

Carefully moving his energy, he cloaked his blade in the Reverse Heaven Sun and Moon Art.

His target: the neck.

He inhaled slowly and held his breath, gripping the hilt tightly.

Then, he drew his sword.

“Gasp…!”

The Sect Leader reacted skillfully, channeling energy into his hand to parry.

A mistake. He should have dodged.

Swish—

The Reverse Heaven Sun and Moon Art sliced through the Sect Leader’s hand. The upper part of his hand was severed, leaving only his thumb as blood spurted out.

“You…!”

His face twisted in pain and shock.

Seo-jun wiped off the dissipating Reverse Heaven Sun and Moon Art and re-enveloped his blade with the Ice Spirit Art.

“Jin Ki-jae-cheon! How did you get here?”

Would he believe him if he said he flew?

Seo-jun merely chuckled, raising his sword.

“Blocking that? Good instincts.”

“You… scum…!”

The Sect Leader hurled himself, not at Seo-jun, but toward the wall.

Bang!

The Sect Leader smashed through the wall, escaping the building. He pulled out his pipe as he fell to the ground.

Landing, he placed the pipe in his mouth, inhaled, and blew out a puff of smoke.

Boom!

A crimson cloud exploded from his mouth and nose.

Seo-jun, enveloped in the smoke, remained calm.

‘Poison?’

It was hard to tell, as his protective energy shielded him.

Ignoring it, Seo-jun swung his sword forcefully.

Crack!

Ice spread along the trajectory.

The Sect Leader hastily swung his hand to deflect the sword, landing on the ground and shaking off the frost that formed on his hand.

“Is that… the Ice Spirit Art?”

How did Jin Ki-jae-cheon know the Ice Spirit Art?

No, he was mistaken. This man wasn’t Jin Ki-jae-cheon.

“Why would Black Lotus…! No, is this your doing? No, wait… Could it be the Ice Palace? What do they want?”

Seo-jun scoffed inwardly.

“Die for a higher cause.”

“A higher cause? Speak more clearly…!”

It was just nonsense.

Seo-jun placed his hand on the ground.

Ice Domain.

Cr-cr-crack!

Around him, everything froze.

The world turned white.

The technique was reminiscent of one used by an Ice Palace warrior during the Green Forest suppression campaign.

Recognizing the Ice Domain, the Sect Leader roared in rage.

“You…! You’ll regret this…!”

The sect’s disciples gathered.

Seo-jun chuckled as he linked techniques.

Ice Crystal.

A white snowflake crystal formed in his grasp, followed by incantation.

Five Elements, Water, Spread.

As martial arts and magic intertwined, Seo-jun opened a new realm of power.

Seo-jun clenched his hand.

Crunch!

The crystal in his grip shattered.

Woosh—

A vast wave of Yin energy erupted, cloaking the world in white.

The nearby disciples froze to death instantly, while those farther away screamed as they too began to stiffen.

One hundred and eight ice pillars emerged from the frozen ground.

Seo-jun surveyed the white landscape with a detached gaze.

The Sect Leader exhaled frosty breath, his eyes flashing.

“You’re trapped…!”

When Seo-jun, confused, furrowed his brow,

Drip—

A trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

“It’s Blood-Stained Souls! Now that you’re poisoned, purging it won’t be easy.”

Poisoned? When?

No poison could penetrate his protective energy.

Protective energy didn’t just serve as armor; it filtered everything it didn’t permit, from toxins to heat, cold, light, and foul odors.

That’s why one could breathe underwater with protective energy, as it filtered water while allowing air.

No need to analyze how it worked.

This was simply how martial arts operated.

But the fact that it had been breached was undeniable.

“Cough…”

As Seo-jun spat blood, the Sect Leader smirked.

“The tables have turned.”

Blood Crow Sect disciples surrounded him.

There was no escape.

Moreover, Raksha Blade, sensing the disturbance, quickly arrived.

He surveyed the frosty scene and asked the Sect Leader.

“What’s going on?”

“What do you think? We have an intruder.”

“Do you need my help?”

“No need. It’s already over.”

The Sect Leader gestured to Seo-jun, who was hunched over.

“Let’s capture him and find out what’s going on.”

“Very well.”

Raksha Blade strode up to Seo-jun.

“I won’t need all your limbs, will I?”

“Do as you please.”

“With pleasure.”

Raksha Blade drew his sword. Seo-jun lifted his head.

His eyes glowed red, black veins visible on his skin.

The Sect Leader, watching from behind, frowned.

‘Blood-Stained Souls doesn’t produce those symptoms.’

Just then, Seo-jun formed a seal with one hand.

One Hundred and Eight Ice Demon Pillars Formation.

A deep hum resonated—

The 108 ice pillars that surrounded him turned pitch-black, bearing down with immense pressure.

“Guh…!”

Raksha Blade froze in place mid-swing. An overwhelming force pressed down on him.

Not only that, but an intense chill began spreading from deep within his body.

Even as a top-tier martial artist, Raksha Blade found himself unable to control his hardening body.

Barely able to keep his knees from buckling, he glared at Seo-jun with bloodshot eyes.

“What… have you done…?!”

Seo-jun spat out a darkened glob of saliva.

Sizzle—

The condensed toxin melted through the frost-coated ground.

“So, my protective energy had this kind of vulnerability. Didn’t expect that.”

It was due to a lack of experience.

Clicking his tongue, Seo-jun stretched his hand toward Raksha Blade.

Raksha Blade, barely able to move his stiffened body, tried to block him, but Seo-jun had already taken too much time.

Thud!

Seo-jun’s hand, wrapped in the Reverse Heaven Sun and Moon Art, pierced through Raksha Blade’s sword and straight into his abdomen.

“How… could…”

“Shh.”

He immediately activated the Heabsorbing Technique, draining all of Raksha Blade’s energy.

He dispelled the innate energy and absorbed the acquired energy, using it to heal his own injured body.

“Hoo…”

Indeed, the quality of energy from a top-tier master was on another level. He felt rejuvenated.

Seo-jun tossed aside Raksha Blade’s shriveled corpse.

“First things first… let’s clean up.”

Crack—

Seo-jun’s mouth opened wide, unnaturally, as if his jaw were unhinged, and a golden orb emerged from it.

The Sect Leader’s eyes widened in horror at the bizarre sight.

Seo-jun synchronized the internal core with the 108 ice pillars.

Reaching out, he tapped into a fragment of the far-off realm.

The pillars and core resonated, transforming the entire area into a single domain.

Pseudo-Domain: Eight Cold Hells.

Cr-cr-crack—

The freezing hell descended upon the mortal realm.