"When will the preparations be finished?" Ak Bi asked impatiently.
The Undying Supreme Demon stopped eating and looked up. Chuckling, he licked his lips, which were smeared with bright red blood. "You seem to be in a hurry. I'll be done soon, so just wait."
A blood-drained figure, more mummy than human, lay on the ground beside him. The sight of Ak Bi, who resembled an orthodox hero from stories with his muscular physique and immaculate martial arts uniform, prompted the shivering, emaciated being to extend a hand toward him. "Save me... Master..." he pleaded despairingly.
"Get rid of it," Ak Bi muttered, frowning as he sent out a formless wave of qi and slapped the withered hand away.
SQUELCH!
The mummy's breath caught. Slowly, it slumped to the side, its expression a twisted blend of pain and anger.
All of them had rugged appearances with faint scrapes and bruises on their faces and bodies.
The Undying Supreme Demon clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk. Pitiful thing. You clung to false hope, thinking an orthodox hero had appeared, only to die in even greater agony. Couldn't you assess your situation even after seeing us together?"
"Enough with the useless chatter." Ak Bi glared at the Undying Supreme Demon, his eyes narrowed in displeasure, but he took no further action. Behind his loathing gaze was an extreme wariness of the Blood Cult's Head Elder.
What a monstrous old man...
The Undying Supreme Demon had mastered the Undying Demonic Art, a technique that allowed him to steal an opponent's inner qi and life force by drinking their blood. This granted him regenerative abilities and immense power worthy of the name 'Undying'. Furthermore, he had been an infamous master of the Blood Cult since before Ak Bi was born.
"Be patient and wait. There are still people who haven't arrived," the Undying Supreme Demon remarked offhandedly, placating Ak Bi as if he were a subordinate.
The bodyguards of the Shandong Ak Clan immediately radiated killing intent, but the Undying Supreme Demon merely chuckled, finding them pathetic. "They're all so loyal. You've trained them well from a young age."
"This is not your place. Stand down." Ak Bi dismissed his bodyguards and sat facing the Undying Supreme Demon.
Neither man unleashed his aura, but the air around them grew heavy with tension.
Ak Bi broke the silence, "The promised time has passed. If I don't return soon, people will suspect that something is amiss. You shouldn't be so relaxed, either."
"Now it finally looks like you've got a proper lineup," he remarked haughtily.
"Kekeke! The current Ak Patriarch is rather impatient. Didn't I tell you that you could leave first if you were worried?"
"That's nonsense. I told you I wouldn't accept the offer until I've confirmed the Blood Cult's full strength with my own eyes."
"Tsk, tsk. So little trust... You were the one who arrived late, but did this old man get angry?"
"That's the only reason I'm holding back my anger now. However, my patience is wearing thin."
"Kekeke. What do you think? Are there still not enough masters?"
SLAM!
Scowling, Ak Bi struck the table with his palm, sending a shockwave exploding outward. The Undying Supreme Demon took the brunt of the blast head-on, his beard and robes fluttering violently. Still, although the shockwave left a light scratch on his cheek, the wound healed in the blink of an eye.
"Kekeke! One of the Ten Supremes is angry! I suppose these men aren't enough to satisfy you." The Undying Supreme Demon calmly glanced at the men in dark red robes and black bamboo hats standing silently in formation behind him.
The leader bowed in a disciplined manner, saying, "If you permit it, we will prove our abilities to the Spear King."
They were the Blood Cult's elites, the likes of which the now-peaceful murim had never experienced. In particular, they were part of the Combat Legion, thought to have been annihilated decades ago in the orthodox murim's all-out attack.
Ak Bi sized up the men lined up behind the Undying Supreme Demon.
Every single one of them... is no weaker than my bodyguards.
Their skills were admirable and in no way inferior to his own bodyguards, whom he had spent a fortune training. Nevertheless, they were not enough to take on the forces gathered at the Ak Clan Branch Estate.
The Azure Dragon Hero, the Fire King, the Mad Dog Noh Goonsang, and the third son of the Namgung Clan who managed to cut my lip. These four are the problematic ones.
"...The number of masters is ridiculously insufficient. Surely you don't expect me to personally lend a hand," Ak Bi said.
He had no intention of staking the Ak Clan's future on this fight. The Blood Cult had to be the ones to shed blood. Therefore, he planned for his own forces and the Ak Clan to step in only at the very end, because only then could he achieve everything he desired. However, if the Blood Cult's forces were weaker than he thought...
"I've waited long enough. Let's just pretend I never heard your offer."
Ak Bi taunted, "The strongest? If these are your strongest forces, I am sorely disappointed."
He rose from his seat and glared coldly at the Undying Supreme Demon.
His whole body tensed.
He didn't consider himself a hero. 'Roughneck' was a more fitting term. As long as he could elevate the Ak Clan to the world's greatest martial family, nothing else mattered. Rather than take such a risk, he decided it was better to act as if none of this had ever happened.
Right as he was about to turn away, however, the Undying Supreme Demon spoke.
"Kekeke! Of course, this isn't enough. We know that better than anyone." He took a sip of tea to cleanse his palate, then continued, "As you know, our Cult has suffered an obscene amount of damage because of the Azure Dragon Hero."
"......" Ak Bi said nothing, waiting for the Undying Supreme Demon to finish his pitch.
The Undying Supreme Demon sighed. So far, the Azure Dragon Hero had killed three of the Blood Cult's elders. Even the Skykiller operation, which they were certain would succeed, had failed.
Many other plans had also gone awry because of him. They failed to burn down the Namgung Clan to announce the cult's revival. Their long-cultivated spy in the Murim Alliance had been exposed, ruining all their plans. Even the dying Beggars' Gang Chief was saved, preventing them from disrupting the orthodox's information network.
Also suspicious was their failure to annex the North Sea Ice Palace during a time when the Azure Dragon Hero's whereabouts were unknown. Likewise, the Azure Dragon Hero was possibly involved with the Third Apostle's severe injuries and the Fourth Apostle's disappearance.
"...We've been humiliated several times," he growled, unconsciously revealing his killing intent. "Moreover, that bastard's identity is also very suspicious."