Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 33

“Are you really thinking of surrendering?” Ga Cheon-ryong asked, sounding surprised.

“Surrender is surrender. However, whether it will be you or I who surrenders is something we’ll have to see!” Sect Leader An replied calmly.

“What do you mean by that?” Ga Cheon-ryong gestured, and suddenly, his iron guards surged from behind him, forming a semicircle around Sect Leader An.

They were poised to draw their crossbows and fire at his command.

“Did you think I didn’t foresee this day when I moved the main sect to Nakil Peak? Did you think I wouldn’t expect enemies to attack?” Sect Leader An said, his voice laced with menace, as if the crossbows were invisible. Ga Cheon-ryong felt a sense of unease but didn’t interrupt him.

“When the Seven Mysteries Sect moved here, the 7th Sect Leader was not only skilled in martial arts but also had a unique talent for civil engineering and mechanics.”

Sect Leader An paused to take a breath and continued, “There were two reasons why he chose Nakil Peak as the main base. First, the mountain’s terrain made it difficult to attack and easy to defend. Second, there was a huge natural limestone cave inside the mountain, about two-thirds the size of Nakil Peak’s area.

Seeing this magnificent sight, the Sect Leader planned to turn the entire mountain into a giant trap using the limestone cave’s topography. If someone activated the pre-installed mechanism, the entire mountain would collapse, burying everyone inside.”

After finishing his speech, Sect Leader An closed his mouth tightly and scanned the dark crowd with cold eyes. Ga Cheon-ryong was speechless, unsure how to respond to the threat.

The crowd was flustered by Sect Leader An’s words, milling about in confusion. Some were whispering among themselves, while others were preparing to rush towards the entrance.

“Silence! Anyone who acts recklessly or causes a disturbance will be killed!” Ga Cheon-ryong, regaining his composure, was furious that his people were confused by the opponent’s words. If he couldn’t control them, the situation would clearly turn against him.

Ga Cheon-ryong’s subordinates didn’t hesitate to swing their swords at those trying to flee. The commotion quickly subsided. However, if he couldn’t quickly prove the opponent’s words false, everyone would run away.

“Do you think we’ll believe you just by listening to your words!” Ga Cheon-ryong said, suppressing his rising anger.

“Of course not. There is proof you can see for yourselves. But remember, if anyone tries to escape after seeing this proof or continues to advance, I will activate all the mechanisms, and we will all perish together.”

The killing intent and threat in Sect Leader An’s words were palpable.

He tried to find a flaw in the opponent’s expression, but he couldn’t sense anything unusual. Even Ga Cheon-ryong’s heart was pounding, wondering if he was telling the truth and was really planning such an extreme measure.

“Activate, Mechanism Two!” Sect Leader An suddenly turned his head and shouted towards the Seven Mysteries Hall. Then, he stared intently at a small stone pillar. Ga Cheon-ryong was enraged by Sect Leader An’s disregard for him, but he suppressed his anger, determined to make Sect Leader An a target if the evidence turned out to be false.

However, Sect Leader An’s strange behavior of staring at the stone pillar certainly caught the attention of the Arang Clan, and people were watching to see what would happen there.

While people were restless, two people dressed in Dansu Sect attire were whispering with their heads bowed on the outer edge of the dark crowd.

“Is what the Sect Leader saying true? Is it possible that the inside of Nakil Peak is empty? I’ve been here a few times before, but I didn’t notice anything strange. Is Sect Leader An trying to deceive them to buy time? Or…”

They were none other than Lü Bìyǔ and Han Li.

* * *

Fearing that the Dansu Sect disciples might escape and inform the enemies, Han Li had no choice but to take action himself.

He used the Rapid Shadow Step and Wind Riding Technique simultaneously, killing all the enemies in an instant. Lü Bìyǔ was so shocked that his mouth fell open, and he finally realized Han Li’s true strength. Regaining his senses, Lü Bìyǔ assumed that Han Li’s skills were all thanks to his training in the Blinking Sword Technique.

The enemies all died before Han Li’s mysterious movement technique, and even high-ranking experts were no exception. With Han Li displaying his power, the two easily reached Elder Lee’s residence. There, they met Ma Young and learned that Elder Lee and Jang Sua had already left for Nakil Peak.

Lü Bìyǔ’s face turned pale at this terrible news. Going there now was like going to their deaths. After thinking it over, Han Li and Lü Bìyǔ decided to leave Elder Lee’s residence and head to Nakil Peak.

Then, Sect Leader An’s confidant threatened them with a command token. He said that if they didn’t follow his orders, they would be dealt with according to the sect rules. Lü Bìyǔ, worried about Jang Sua’s safety, didn’t care about the sect rules. He immediately knocked out the fat man, ordered his subordinates to guard the place, and hurriedly left.

Arriving near Nakil Peak, Han Li and Lü Bìyǔ were shocked by the sheer number of enemies. They knocked out two Dansu Sect disciples, changed into their clothes, and naturally headed towards Nakil Peak, following the crowd. That’s how they came to hear Sect Leader An’s words. However, they had to hide the Soul-Devouring Flag below the mountain because it would attract attention.

Lü Bìyǔ’s mind was complicated by the fact that such a mechanism was installed in Nakil Peak, and he questioned Han Li.

“Whether his words are true or not, it doesn’t matter. We need to go to the Seven Mysteries Hall now and get the person out. There’s no time to waste. This place is too dangerous,” Han Li concluded in a low voice.

“But how do we get in with so many people watching?” Lü Bìyǔ asked, looking dejected.

“We have to wait. An opportunity will come soon,” Han Li said, equally helpless.

Suddenly, they felt a vibration beneath their feet. The vibration, which was initially subtle, grew more intense, and pieces of rock began to fall from the mountain. People started to panic and become agitated, and soon, people began to collapse to the ground one by one.

“Damn it, the mountain is collapsing!” Hearing this, people were even more terrified. Some even ignored Sect Leader An’s warning and hurried to descend the mountain.

‘Kwa-gwa-gwang!’

A tremendous roar shook the ground violently.

Everyone despaired, thinking that the mountain was collapsing due to the enormous sound. It was too late to escape now. Ga Cheon-ryong was surrounded by loyal iron guards, but they were just as helpless. Ga Cheon-ryong suppressed his rising anger and turned his gaze to the Golden Light Merchant, but he also looked visibly flustered.

Seeing this, Ga Cheon-ryong’s respect for him was cut in half in an instant.

“Haha! I thought the Arang Clan were brave men who didn’t fear death. But today, I see that you are just a disorganized rabble!” Suddenly, Sect Leader An’s voice echoed clearly in everyone’s ears, piercing through the mountain. As soon as he finished speaking, the shaking ground miraculously stopped moving. It was as if the mountain, which had been raging like fire, had calmed down and regained its composure.

People soon discovered that the stone pillar Sect Leader An had been staring at had disappeared in the midst of the commotion. Several pits had appeared in its place, and the inside was filled with endless, pitch-black darkness of unfathomable depth.

“Clan Leader Ga, can you believe my words now?” Sect Leader An asked coldly. Ga Cheon-ryong, his face pale, couldn’t answer immediately and looked around. His own clan members, as well as those from other small and medium-sized sects, and even the iron guards protecting him, were all in a state of panic.

Seeing this, Ga Cheon-ryong realized that his plan to destroy the Seven Mysteries Sect tonight had failed.

“What are your conditions? And remember! We are only at a stalemate right now!” Ga Cheon-ryong turned his head and spoke to his opponent, forced to eat his words. He was so angry that he was grinding his teeth inside.

“The conditions are simple. There are only two,” Sect Leader An replied in an emotionless voice.

“First, you will withdraw from the Seven Mysteries Sect’s sphere of influence. This withdrawal will be done in groups, supervised by the disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect.”

His tone was very firm.

“Agreed,” Ga Cheon-ryong accepted his condition without delay.

Sect Leader An sneered at his opponent’s quick response. Then, he presented something that would surprise his opponent as the next condition.

“Second, you will engage in a Death Pact Blood Duel with us here. Only after that can you leave.”

“A Death Pact Blood Duel!”

“Is he serious?”

“Has that guy gone mad!” A commotion immediately broke out among the people at An Jeol-cho’s words. The reactions of the people who heard these words varied, with most of them looking pale with shock, while some were very excited and eager for the duel.

Ga Cheon-ryong’s face changed for a moment before returning to normal.

“I must have misheard. You want us to make a death pact and have a blood duel where only one side can leave the arena alive?” He laughed loudly, testing his opponent’s intentions as if it were nothing.

“That’s right. It’s something we must do to repay the debts of Sect Leader Oh and the other disciples. Especially you and I must participate in this duel,” Sect Leader An said, placing his hand on his sword and staring intently at Ga Cheon-ryong.

Ga Cheon-ryong only laughed and didn’t immediately respond to this condition. It seemed he needed to think carefully about a duel that could cost him his life.

Everyone gathered here had different opinions about this Death Pact Blood Duel, and Han Li couldn’t help but look at Lü Bìyǔ and ask,

“What is a Death Pact Blood Duel? It sounds like something serious!”

“What? You don’t know what a Death Pact Blood Duel is? It’s famous as the most bloody way for martial artists to resolve disputes!”

“How is it different from other methods?”

“A Death Pact Blood Duel is when two parties with deep grudges write a life-and-death contract before the duel, agreeing that only one side can leave the arena alive. If the opponent runs away during the duel, they lose their honor and are scorned by others, and the fact is known throughout the martial world, leading to their death. It usually occurs in large-scale conflicts and often ends brutally and tragically,” Lü Bìyǔ explained in detail. Hearing his words, Han Li thought that Sect Leader An, who proposed such a duel, was strange.

* * *

“Alright, I agree. Let’s have a Death Pact Blood Duel,” Ga Cheon-ryong decided after careful consideration. If the opponent was planning to kill him through this opportunity, then it was a good opportunity for him to completely eliminate the Seven Mysteries Sect. Sect Leader An was clearly planning to overcome this difficulty by relying on his three martial uncles.

However, now that he had a cultivator who used flying swords by his side, he had nothing to fear. He could safely say that his chances of winning this Death Pact Blood Duel were over 90%.

If he could kill Sect Leader An and the rest of the Seven Mysteries Sect’s experts during this Death Pact Blood Duel, it wouldn’t matter at all even if this plan failed.

Because raising experts is not something that can be done in a year or two.”