nashuaworldcup Chapter 261
Chapter 261
Chapter 261 – Beast Blood Ritual (4)
“Bring the County Princess to me.”
“The blood of the County Princess will serve as the elixir to revive the Heavenly Demon that resides in the Emperor’s blood.”
That was the command given by Yi-ryong.
Among the Seven Great Immortals, the ones tasked with this mission were Chu Yeong-ho and Jeok-woong.
Heuk Seok-gye and Wi Mi-hyeon were to assist Yi-ryong in conducting the ritual, while the youngest, Ye-song, was in no condition to move.
Therefore, those who should have been guarding Huangtian Palace had stepped forward.
-Jeok-woong.
-Yes, brother.
They concealed themselves as they moved through the Forbidden City. This was possible thanks to Chu Yeong-ho’s exceptional stealth spell.
When they first found the Honorable County Princess, she was holding a bow, aiming at a rabbit.
As she pulled the bowstring tight, her hand trembled slightly.
Indeed, aiming at a living creature required courage. Even more so if the person was a young girl.
Her heavily painted face, far too mature for her age, parted slightly with her bright red lips.
Jeok-woong made his move.
His enormous body grew even larger. His upper garment swelled as though it would tear apart, and the fur-covered arm lengthened in a flash.
With the majesty of a red bear, he struck the head of the horse that the Honorable County Princess was riding.
Puh-uck!
The horse died instantly, its skull shattered without even a whimper.
The Honorable County Princess let out a sharp scream as she fell off the horse.
Chu Yeong-ho swiftly grabbed her.
When the Honorable County Princess saw Chu Yeong-ho’s distorted face up close, she screamed once again.
“Shut up!”
Chu Yeong-ho felt the murderous intent rise within him.
“If you keep making noise, I’ll kill you!”
As he tightly grabbed the Honorable County Princess by the throat, tears welled up in her eyes.
Seeing her like that, guilt suddenly surged in him.
“Brother!”
Jeok-woong called out after taking care of the Honorable County Princess’s bodyguards.
Only then did Chu Yeong-ho regain his senses.
“You are the Honorable County Princess, right?”
Unable to speak due to her tightly squeezed throat, she nodded frantically.
The Honorable County Princess had the same appearance as the Crown Prince.
To ensure there was no confusion, Chu Yeong-ho inspected the other items.
The belongings and the horse, all matched what they had heard about Honorable County Princess’s possessions.
“Kehk...”
Her face turned bright red, and she made a choking sound as if she were about to pass out. Chu Yeong-ho quickly released his grip from her neck.
The Honorable County Princess coughed harshly, then glared sharply at Chu Yeong-ho as she lost consciousness.
“It’s commendable that you didn’t scream.”
Chu Yeong-ho said this as he checked her pulse. With her now unconscious, Jeok-woong lifted her limp body onto his back.
They immediately headed toward the Emperor’s garden.
Although only two of the Seven Great Immortals, Jeok-woong and Chu Yeong-ho, were sent, their power was immense.
Their skills were at the level of Peak masters, comparable to an Embroidered Uniform Guard colonel or an Eastern Depot section chief, but they also possessed the added power of sorcery and dark magic.
The return journey was not as difficult as expected, much like their arrival.
They had thoroughly grasped the patrol routines of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and managed to avoid all of them.
The most heavily guarded place was the Shenwu Gate in the northern part of the Forbidden City, leading to the Emperor’s garden.
However, through the Embroidered Uniform Guard Governor, they had arranged for the Shenwu Gate to be temporarily vacant.
After passing through the Shenwu Gate and entering the garden, the atmosphere was more unsettling than ever.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard was on high alert, and even for Jeok-woong and Chu Yeong-ho, breaking through their defense seemed nearly impossible.
As they arrived at the designated location, the Embroidered Uniform Guard commander there pretended not to notice and allowed them to pass.
-It seems the mission was a success.
-It appears so.
The area around the Emperor’s Longevity Hall was even more chaotic.
The pavilion known as the Emperor’s Longevity Hall was originally open on all sides.
However, now it was different. Bright red silk draped down like a shroud.
It was blocking the view of the inside of the Emperor’s Longevity Hall.
Carrying the Honorable County Princess, they climbed the steps to the Emperor’s Longevity Hall.
Wi Mi-hyeon received the Honorable County Princess, and Yi-ryong greeted them.
“You’ve done well.”
“Yes, Eldest Brother.”
Chu Yeong-ho glanced over at the Emperor.
Two imperial physicians were examining the Emperor’s condition.
The Emperor was unconscious.
His plump, flabby body was exposed, as his clothes were loosened, and an arrow was lodged in his right shoulder.
Blood was still trickling down from the wound.
“If you fail to save him, you will surely die.”
“Y-yes.”
Heuk Seok-gye was threatening the imperial physicians.
The imperial physicians, who had been suddenly summoned, were sweating profusely.
Even so, they did not stop their hands.
If the Emperor truly died, the imperial physicians who failed to save him would undoubtedly be executed.
When struck by an arrow, the muscle gripped the arrowhead tightly, making it difficult to remove.
Using a sharp scalpel, they made a small incision around the wound where the arrow was lodged. Then, they carefully extracted the arrowhead.
Pyoouk!
Yi-ryong drew out a pitch-black blade.
It was a special sacrificial blade used for the ritual.
“Well then.”
He placed the blade against the Honorable County Princess’s neck.
With just a bit more pressure, the Honorable County Princess would spill blood, and the ritual would begin.
The remaining members of the Seven Great Immortals were preparing to activate the barrier.
However, Yi-ryong remained still.
The hand holding the blade trembled slightly, and his eyes widened.
Soon, his face twisted in fury.
“Chu Yeong-ho! Jeok-woong!”
“...Yes, Eldest Brother!”
“Damn it!”
Yi-ryong’s body shook with rage and shock.
“What kind of mess have you made?!”
“W-what do you mean...?”
“This is not the Honorable County Princess!”
What caught Yi-ryong’s eye was a barely protruding Adam’s apple.
For some reason, the one pretending to be the Honorable County Princess did not speak, or rather...
“This isn’t the Honorable County Princess! This is the Crown Prince!”
“T-that can’t be!”
Yi-ryong didn’t respond but instead gripped the person’s neck tightly and lifted them up.
With a rough yank of the collar, a flat chest was revealed.
Only then did Chu Yeong-ho and Jeok-woong realize the problem.
“They switched places... Damn it!”
It was strange from the beginning, how the captive had complied without much resistance.
Although they couldn’t understand why, the Crown Prince had been pretending to be the Honorable County Princess from the start.
“Ha, haha...”
Just like how his sister once imitated him to protect her younger brother, this time the Crown Prince had stepped forward for his sister.
“Ptoo!”
The Crown Prince spat in Yi-ryong’s face.
“Insolent and lawless scum.”
“...”
“I’ve heard enough of your mad ravings. You’ll never get what you want!”
Even with a trembling voice full of fear, the Crown Prince spat out his words.
Yi-ryong roughly threw the Crown Prince aside.
“Kraaak!”
The Crown Prince tumbled harshly across the floor, his body shaking.
“Chu Yeong-ho! Jeok-woong! Take responsibility and bring back the Honorable County Princess!”
“Yes!”
Chu Yeong-ho and Jeok-woong, their faces pale as ghosts, left the Emperor’s Longevity Hall once again.
Yi-ryong then ordered Wi Mi-hyeon and Heuk Seok-gye, “You two will stay and check the ritual process with me. If all else fails, we will proceed with the grand spell using that boy.”
By now, there was no turning back.
Yi-ryong’s face twisted into a demonic expression.
The Guardian still stood on the beams, oblivious to everything.
Jeok-woong and Heuk Seok-gye ran with all their might.
The guilt of potentially ruining everything was etched on their faces.
-Jeok-woong, this is our last chance.
-Even without us, can the grand spell still proceed?
-Yes. It will.
They were not essential personnel for the grand spell.
Compared to the other brothers, the weight of their roles was light.
Even so, the fact that they had failed to carry out such a simple task made them feel ashamed.
They passed through the Shenwu Gate once again and re-entered the Forbidden City.
Jeok-woong carefully sent a message through sound transmission.
-By now, the security around the Honorable County Princess may have tightened.
-...I see.
-If the situation gets dire, I will sacrifice myself to draw attention. You should return to Eldest Brother.
Among the martial artists of the Demon Cult, there was a technique called the Explosive Blood Art, where they forcefully expelled their body’s latent energy.
Jeok-woong had made up his mind to do just that.
-...Understood.
Knowing his younger brother’s resolve, Chu Yeong-ho nodded in agreement.
However, if possible, he would ensure that it wouldn’t come to that.
-Wait.
Sensing a presence, Chu Yeong-ho stopped Jeok-woong in his tracks.
In a stationary state, Chu Yeong-ho possessed a stealth technique that could hide him even from the eyes of a supreme martial artist.
-By sacred law, hurry forth!
Upon uttering the incantation, their figures vanished completely.
Someone passed by them.
It seemed to be a sharp-eyed guard from the Eastern Depot.
“...Hmm.”
He stopped abruptly.
The shadows under his eyes made him look extremely fatigued.
Disguised as a guard from the Eastern Depot, Dam Hyun tilted his head.
Then, he looked directly at the spot where Chu Yeong-ho and Jeok-woong were hiding.
“You there. Who are you?”