I was suffocating.

And my throat felt constricted.

“Father…”

“Yes, it’s your father. You wanted to see him so badly, didn’t you?”

“…”

“I don’t understand. You two never even got to see each other’s faces properly, right?”

And the one responsible for that was the Blood Deity in front of me.

“Let me tell you an interesting fact.”

The Blood Deity seemed to find the current situation intriguing.

“Nam Gung Hyun was a warrior renowned for his immense pride. It was only natural. He was the second young master of the Nam Gung Clan. He won the Chunha Competition and was revered by all.”

“…”

“Everyone thought the same thing. The pathetic elder brother, the outstanding younger brother. Of course the next clan leader of Nam Gung would be Nam Gung Hyun!”

His tone was exaggerated as if telling a comedy. He put the poison he was holding between his fingers back into the jar to continue the story.

“But even he fell in love. He met a woman and had a child.”

“…”

“He thought he could live happily, but alas. His brother became jealous and betrayed him.”

It was the story I had been suspecting.

Because I had already guessed that Nam Gung Hyun Jong would betray my father.

“His brother sold Nam Gung Hyun out to the evil factions of the world. Do you know what happened after that?”

“Shut up.”

“Nam Gung Hyun begged them to let him go.”

My eyes turned red.

“The great Nam Gung Hyun, the Azure Dragon Swordsman! He said he had to return to his little daughter!”

Ahaha, the Blood Deity burst into a gleeful laughter.

“Originally, rather than begging for his life…he was the type to choose death.”

My gaze turned to my father.

‘So that’s how it was.’

Father must have suffered for a very long time.

“Lin!”

I heard Ji Cheon Wu calling my name. I stared at him blankly. His eyes were focused on my fist.

Blood was dripping from my tightly clenched fist.

[I will kill him.]

The sword hanging from the Blood Deity’s waist began vibrating intensely.

I saw the Blood Deity’s gaze turning in that direction.

[That bastard insulted a warrior’s pride. He mocked a father’s heart and caused decades of pain.]

The Blood Deity smirked seeing my enraged expression.

“Are you angry? But what can you do? You are captured by me now and can’t do anything.”

“…”

“The ones next to you are the Blood Claw Granny of the Nine Great Evils. And the one next to her is the Black Thief Overlord.”

The Blood Deity approached us with the jar, saying those words.

“I will make you consume the poison. Even if someone doesn’t listen, they will obey well if you are in our hands, won’t they?”

Just as the Blood Deity was about to force Ji Cheon Wu’s mouth open.

[The insect is barking.]

With those words, my body moved.

I uppercutted the jaw of the large man holding me with lightning speed.

I saw the Blood Deity clicking his tongue at the sight.

“Didn’t I tell you not to let your guard down!”

The large man shouted at the Blood Deity with a wronged expression.

“I wasn’t careless…”

But his words couldn’t continue. This time, my foot struck his right cheek hard.

“Argh!”

I saw the man, several times larger than me, collapsing.

“Subdue her immediately!”

Clang!

As soon as the Blood Deity gave the order, the Blood Cult warriors watching drew their swords.

The old woman helped the large man and thrust her long nails towards me.

But I wasn’t alone here. Ji Cheon Wu subdued the Blood Cult warrior charging at him and snatched his sword.

Then, he strongly struck the old woman’s hand attacking me.

Clang!

A loud sound resonated as if metal had clashed.

The old woman gave Ji Cheon Wu a serpentine smile.

“Hoo, quite strong, aren’t you? No ordinary lad.”

In an instant, the cave turned into chaos. I looked at my father beside the Blood Deity.

Even amidst this mayhem, he maintained an expressionless face, staring straight ahead.

[This is the timeline separator]

The Blood Deity was astonished to see Nam Gung Lin and Ji Cheon Wu.

‘I knew Nam Gung Lin was strong. But isn’t this an abnormal level of strength?’

Nam Gung Lin now held a sword in her hand. It was a sword seized from the Blood Cult warriors.

The Changgung Infinite Sword Art, the ascending sword technique of the Nam Gung clan unfolding from Nam Gung Lin’s hands, was not just astonishing but beautiful to the point of admiration.

The distinctive blue sword energy of the Nam Gung illuminated the cave. Yes, sword energy.

It was definitely sword energy.

‘A girl barely an adult possessing sword energy?’

If he reported this sight to the cult, he might be reprimanded for making a false report.

A huge sword was swung towards Nam Gung Lin. A middle-aged man with a large build. The sword of the Black Thief Overlord, one of the Nine Great Evils of the world, was swung.

The fierce momentum contained in his sword was intimidating enough to make even the surrounding Blood Cult members flinch.

Such a sword of the Black Thief Overlord was blocked by Nam Gung Lin’s sword.

[You lowly bastards, I will show you what true teamwork is.]

Nam Gung Lin’s way of speaking seemed to have changed, but now was not the time to think about that.

The combined skill of Nam Gung Lin and the boy captured with her was astonishing. They fought as if they had been coordinating for decades, moving as one body.

When Nam Gung Lin was in danger, the boy appeared. And when the boy faced a perilous situation, Nam Gung Lin would appear and turn the tide like a specter.

“This is unbelievable. Those two young brats are winning against these many warriors…?”

His preparations had definitely been thorough.

The old woman and the large man he brought were those called the Nine Great Evils of the world. Although they belonged to the lower ranks, he could proudly say their skills and cruel nature were genuine.

‘Could it be that the incident that happened not long ago was also orchestrated by Nam Gung Lin?’

The death of the Viper Sword.

The Viper Sword was the lowest-ranked among the Nine Great Evils.

Even considering the huge gap between the upper and lower ranks of the Nine Great Evils, it was still hard to imagine.

‘A late-stage genius who hasn’t even reached adulthood defeated one of the Nine Great Evils?’

Seeing Nam Gung Lin’s martial prowess now, it seemed not impossible.

Nam Gung Lin was dominating them even with the combined attacks of the Black Thief Overlord and the Blood Claw Granny.

The Blood Deity finally realized why he had been unaware of Nam Gung Lin’s strength.

Slash!

Nam Gung Lin’s sword severed the Blood Claw Granny’s fingers. She was a master of techniques. Her fingers wouldn’t even get scratched by ordinary swords.

Yet Nam Gung Lin had cut off the fingers of the Blood Claw Granny!

The Blood Claw Granny staggered as if in shock. But Nam Gung Lin didn’t stop there.

“Die!”

The sword of the Black Thief Overlord was swung as if to split Nam Gung Lin’s skull.

Clang!

The thick arm of the Black Thief Overlord trembled.

It happened when Nam Gung Lin’s sword clashed with his.

Nam Gung Lin raised her left hand and struck the Black Thief Overlord’s abdomen.

“Ugh!”

The Black Thief Overlord collapsed backward. He had been hit by Nam Gung Lin’s internal heavy hand technique.

Seeing that, the Blood Deity realized one fact.

‘Those who encountered Nam Gung Lin all died!’

Those who met her had all been silenced through murder.

The remaining Blood Cult warriors were also subdued by Ji Cheon Wu’s hands.

In this absurd situation, the Blood Deity felt an empty laugh escaping him.

“Did you get caught on purpose?”

Nam Gung Lin didn’t answer his question. She grabbed the Blood Deity’s collar and lifted him up.

“Tell me the antidote for the poison.”

“Why would I?”

Saying that, the Blood Deity gave a sinister smile.

“Because if you don’t, I will kill you. I won’t kill you painlessly.”

“Hoo, are you going to torture me?”

The Blood Deity found this situation truly fascinating. His heart pounded with excitement.

His heart always raced when he saw young and outstanding masters. Of course, not in a good way.

‘It reminds me of when I was the happiest.’

His gaze turned to Nam Gung Hyun. The moment he was the happiest was undoubtedly when Nam Gung Hyun knelt before him.

When he trampled on his earnest request to let him go to his daughter, he had felt such a strong pleasure.

Thinking of that time, he spread his arms wide while Nam Gung Lin was choking him.

Despite being strangled, a bizarre pleasure consumed him.

“Nam Gung Lin, you are extraordinary. Your existence shouldn’t be possible.”

Nam Gung Hyun’s daughter had already grown up so much and come to find him.

Moreover, in a form stronger than her father in his prime.

Nam Gung Lin looked at him with cold eyes and said,

“You talk too much. Didn’t I tell you to give me the antidote?”

“Kekek, isn’t it funny? You possess power, but you won’t be able to kill me.”

Nam Gung Lin’s lips tightened.

This moment was indeed the most enjoyable.

“I am the master of the poison. Do you know what that means?”

Saying that, he pointed to Nam Gung Hyun. The man with empty eyes was staring at them.

“If you kill me, Nam Gung Hyun dies. Can you still kill me even so?”

The Blood Deity found this situation ridiculous. This monstrous girl possessed tremendous power, yet she couldn’t use it properly.

The situation where she couldn’t kill him because of her attachment to her father was utterly laughable.

“Isn’t it fun, this situation?”

Nam Gung Lin looked at him with ghastly eyes and muttered.

“You son of a bitch…”