Chapter 96:The Bloom of Calamity

Stone beneath her feet cracked.

The suffocating pressure made breathing almost impossible.

The Murim Alliance Leader stood before them, his expression colder than winter itself.

"So..."

"You finally came."

Sue slowly stepped forward.

"...Father."

The old man's gaze shifted toward her.

There was no warmth.

No affection.

Only resolve.

"I knew Lucifer's women would come."

"And I knew exactly what you came for."

His eyes landed on the ancient wooden box hanging from his waist.

"So..."

"You came for this."

Daxia narrowed her eyes.

"He knows."

Yu Ming drew both blades.

"Then there's no point hiding it anymore."

The Alliance Leader slowly unsheathed his sword.

Its edge hummed like a dragon awakening.

"I'll ask one last time."

"Leave."

"Or die here."

No one moved.

Sue slowly raised her sword.

"...Forgive me, Father."

The old man sighed.

"I already have."

The Battle Begins

BOOOOM!!

The underground corridor exploded.

Sue was the first to move.

Her sword flashed like crimson lightning.

Thousands of sword images rained toward the old man.

Yet—

The Murim Alliance Leader simply lifted one finger.

CLANG!

Every sword image shattered.

"So much talent..."

"...yet your heart still hesitates."

Sue gritted her teeth.

"...Because you're my father."

The old man smiled sadly.

"And because of that..."

"You'll lose."

He disappeared.

Sue's instincts screamed.

She barely crossed her blades—

BOOM!!

She was blasted across the corridor.

Stone walls crumbled behind her.

Blood escaped her lips.

"...Too slow."

Yu Ming appeared above him.

Twin blades descended like twin moons.

"Dragon Severing Cross!"

The Alliance Leader finally swung.

One slash.

Nothing more.

The enormous cross-shaped blade aura shattered instantly.

Yu Ming's arms went numb.

"...Impossible..."

He countered with the back of his hand.

BANG!!

She crashed into the ceiling before falling beside Sue.

"You've become stronger."

The old man admitted.

"But not enough."

Poison mist suddenly filled the underground passage.

Tang Ock appeared from within the poisonous fog.

Thousands of hidden needles erupted from every direction.

Every needle carried enough poison to kill an army.

The Murim Alliance Leader closed his eyes.

"...Poison Queen."

"I taught your clan never to rely on quantity."

He swung once.

A sword wind erased every hidden weapon.

Even the poisonous mist split apart.

Ock clicked her tongue.

"...Still a monster."

Heat exploded throughout the tunnel.

Golden flames ignited.

A phoenix cried.

Daxia stepped forward.

Her aura illuminated the darkness.

"Phoenix Divine Art."

Solar Descent.

A golden phoenix crashed toward the Alliance Leader.

For the first time—

He became serious.

Dragon Qi erupted around him.

The phoenix and dragon collided.

The entire mountain trembled.

The hidden corridor collapsed.

Dust covered everything.

The four women stood together.

Breathing heavily.

The Alliance Leader slowly walked out of the smoke.

His robe was torn.

A trace of blood slid down his cheek.

"...Good."

"You finally made me bleed."

Daxia smiled.

"So you're not invincible."

The old man answered calmly.

"No."

"I simply haven't needed to fight seriously."

He disappeared again.

This time—

All four attacked together.

Sword.

Poison.

Hidden weapons.

Phoenix flames.

The underground became a battlefield of legends.

Stone melted.

Mountains shook.

Every exchange created earthquakes above the city.

Yet—

No matter how perfectly they coordinated—

The Alliance Leader always stood.

Always countered.

Always pushed them back.

While everyone focused on him—

Ock quietly disappeared.

No one noticed.

Not even him.

Outside the Murim Alliance

BOOOOOOM!!

War drums echoed across the heavens.

Black banners appeared beyond the city walls.

An endless sea of soldiers stretched toward the horizon.

The Demonic Cult...

...had arrived.

Millions of black-armored disciples surrounded the capital like an endless ocean.

Fear spread through the Murim Alliance.

"The Demonic Army!!"

"They're here!"

"They've come!"

The final war...

...had begun.

Back Underground

Sue could barely remain standing.

"...Father..."

"Please stop."

The old man looked at her.

"...I can't."

"You still don't understand."

Yu Ming shouted.

"What are you talking about?!"

Instead of answering—

His eyes widened.

"...No."

He suddenly turned around.

"Ock!!"

She was already behind him.

The ancient wooden box rested in her hands.

She smiled.

"...Sorry."

"This was our real objective."

The Murim Alliance Leader lunged.

"STOP!!"

His calm finally broke.

For the first time...

Pure panic appeared on his face.

Ock frowned.

"...Why?"

Without another thought—

She tore away every sealing talisman.

The lid slowly opened.

At the exact same moment—

Far above the battlefield...

The Heavenly Demon stood atop his flying dragon.

The identical wooden box rested before him.

He smiled.

"...Finally."

He removed the final talisman.

Both boxes opened.

At the exact same instant.

Silence.

Nothing happened.

Then—

A single crimson seed floated out from each box.

The two seeds trembled.

As if recognizing each other.

Then—

They shot toward the heavens.

Across hundreds of kilometers.

Ignoring mountains.

Ignoring distance.

Ignoring reality itself.

The two seeds collided.

"..."

"..."

A heartbeat later—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!

The heavens split apart.

The earth screamed.

Every living creature looked toward the sky.

The two seeds fused into one.

A tiny crimson sprout appeared.

It grew.

And grew.

And grew.

Within seconds—

A gigantic blood-red rose pierced through the clouds.

Its petals covered the sky itself.

Its stem stretched beyond sight.

Its roots spread beneath the earth like countless serpents.

Then—

The roots moved.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!"

A disciple screamed.

A root pierced through his chest.

His blood disappeared instantly.

The corpse withered.

Another root struck.

Then another.

Then hundreds.

Thousands.

Millions.

The roots ignored sides.

Murim Alliance.

Demonic Cult.

Civilians.

Children.

Everyone.

Everyone became nourishment.

The blood-red rose drank without discrimination.

Panic erupted.

"RUN!!"

"It's sucking our blood!!"

"HELP!!"

The roots chased every living creature.

Wherever blood existed...

They followed.

The Heavenly Demon slowly floated upward.

A massive throne formed atop the highest blossom.

He sat down.

Looking over the entire world.

Then...

He laughed.

"Hahahahahaha..."

"Hahahahahaha!!"

"So many years..."

"So many sacrifices..."

"At last..."

"The Blood Genesis Rose has bloomed."

Everyone looked toward him.

Even Daxia froze.

"...Blood Genesis Rose..."

Her face turned pale.

"...Impossible..."

The Heavenly Demon spread his arms.

"There was never any dream of unifying Murim."

"I merely needed enough blood."

He looked lovingly at the gigantic flower.

"The Blood Genesis Rose bears only one fruit."

"A fruit capable of breaking the shackles of this world."

"A fruit..."

"...that allows one to transcend beyond the God Realm."

He smiled.

"Everything."

"The war."

"The hatred."

"The centuries of conflict."

"The rise of the Demonic Cult."

"The fall of the Murim Alliance."

"It all existed..."

"...to feed this flower."

Daxia's pupils shook.

"...You..."

"...planned this..."

"...for centuries."

The Heavenly Demon nodded.

"I simply inherited Chunma's will."

"My founder failed."

"So..."

"I completed it."

The Murim Alliance Leader stared silently at the rose.

"...So..."

"...this is what you were protecting..."

Ock looked at him in disbelief.

"...You knew?"

He slowly nodded.

"I couldn't destroy the seeds."

"So..."

"I sealed them."

"I spent my entire life making sure..."

"...they never reunited."

Sue's breathing stopped.

"...Father..."

A massive root suddenly burst from beneath the earth.

Straight toward Ock.

She couldn't move.

Another root targeted Yu Ming.

Another targeted Daxia.

Another targeted Sue.

There was no escape.

The Murim Alliance Leader smiled.

"...Looks like..."

"...my duty ends here."

He stepped forward.

Dragon Qi exploded.

He spread both arms.

"No!!"

Sue screamed.

The roots pierced through him instead.

One.

Two.

Ten.

Hundreds.

His body became a shield.

Every root drank only his blood.

The women remained untouched.

"...Father!!"

Sue caught him before he collapsed.

Blood stained her hands.

The old man smiled weakly.

"...I'm sorry..."

"...I couldn't be..."

"...a good father."

Tears streamed down Sue's face.

"No..."

"No..."

"Don't leave me..."

He gently touched her cheek.

"...Live."

Then...

His hand fell.

The Dragon of the Murim Alliance...

Breathed his last.

Above the heavens—

The Heavenly Demon watched without emotion.

The Blood Genesis Rose continued growing.

Its petals eclipsed the sun.

At its very center...

A single golden bud slowly began to form.

The fruit...

...had begun to ripen.

And it hungered for more blood.