Chapter 79: The Three Demons of the Demonic Path (1)

Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword, Ninth Form. Heaven and Earth Return.

When I first learned this sword form, the nickname I gave it was none other than “Suicide Strike.”

A counter technique designed solely to respond to thrusting attacks.

Even when I used Sword Qi, I would constantly grumble, wondering where on earth I’d ever get a chance to use such a move.

But it was at the level of Qi Projection where this technique finally revealed its true value.

“Guh-aaaack!”

Like a carp ascending the Dragon Gate in ancient tales, the black Qi surged backward along my Qi-gong and struck the true body of the Yin-Yang Fist Demon directly.

The Heaven and Earth Return technique shredded through the upper body of the Yin-Yang Fist Demon, leaving behind wounds that would have killed any ordinary human instantly.

The Yin-Yang Fist Demon appeared to have taken a fatal blow this time, falling to his knees.

“Kegh! H-how can you wield such power…?!”

“What are you talking about?”

Clutching a massive diagonal slash across his chest, the Yin-Yang Fist Demon cried out in anguish.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know! The power of nullifying mysteries, the hallmark of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art! That’s the power you just used, wasn’t it?!”

“Heavenly Demonic Divine Art?”

Wang Cheongeol, standing behind, blinked in surprise.

I quickly shook my head. I couldn’t let even a hint of doubt take root.

“That’s your misunderstanding.”

“What?!”

“I did strike a blow to your Awakened Form, but the method wasn’t limited to the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art.”

I carefully controlled my expression, putting on a cold, detached demeanor.

“Do you really think the arrangement left behind by the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden would be that sloppy? She gave up even posthumous rest just to destroy you Ten Heaven Lord.”

“Th-that’s true…!”

The Yin-Yang Fist Demon, as if momentarily convinced by my argument, nodded without realizing it.

Seeing that I had deceived him to a reasonable extent, I got to the point.

“Yin-Yang Fist Demon, Jan Hyeol. You must be the one they call ‘Palgun’, correct? Or am I mistaken?”

“And you think I’d tell you that?”

“Ah, you don’t have to. Once I cripple your Dantian and drag you to the Heavenly Demon Hall, plenty of people will ask you about it themselves.”

And with those questions would come brutal violence and torture.

“Heh… heh-heh… I’ll give you credit for that lucky strike, but the fight’s not over yet!”

He forced himself upright, legs trembling violently as he fought to maintain control.

His Qi flow was unstable, but still, he thought it should be enough to deal with one brat.

However—

“No, the fight’s already over.”

With that indifferent remark, I sheathed the Jade Green Sword.

As if that were the signal—

Stumble!

The Yin-Yang Fist Demon’s legs gave out, and he collapsed in place.

“W-what, why?!”

The cold and heat that had enveloped his body began to dissipate like steam.

He tried desperately to summon his strength.

“What is this?! Why isn’t my strength gathering?!”

Watching him, I sneered.

“You’ve served as an Elder of the Cult for decades, and yet it seems you’ve never once truly fought in your Awakened Form.”

“…!”

Whether it was true or not, the Yin-Yang Fist Demon could not respond.

“You wasted nearly half a day trying and failing to kill Wang Cheongeol. Then you let me nullify your mystery. And now you think you can maintain your Awakened Form?”

“N-no! My internal energy… it’s dispersing!”

The internal energy he had accumulated for decades, which had always followed his every command without fail, was now ebbing away from his Dantian like the retreating tide on a sandy shore.

“Lord Wang Cheongeol. Please destroy his Dantian.”

Nod.

Wang Cheongeol slowly approached the Yin-Yang Fist Demon.

Though both his arms were wrecked, the old man now incapable of using internal energy was not a threat.

“S-stop it, Wang Cheongeol!”

Naturally, Wang Cheongeol wasn’t one to stop just because he was told to.

Thwack!

Wang Cheongeol’s knifehand strike drove straight into the Yin-Yang Fist Demon’s abdomen.

“Grk-aaaack!”

Agonizing pain exploded as his Dantian shattered.

His internal energy surged in reverse, crimson blood spurting from the Seven Orifices of his face.

Even so, he wouldn’t die from this alone.

The Yin-Yang Fist Demon, after all, was one of the top ten ranked experts in the Cult. He surely had a strong resistance to pain.

Eventually, the pain overwhelmed him, and he collapsed forward unconscious.

“Phew!”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Wang Cheongeol looked in my direction.

Sssch!

Then he clasped his fists together and bowed deeply.

“You have saved my life, Young Master of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan. I, Wang Cheongeol, will never forget this grace.”

I didn’t let those words slide by.

“You said you won’t forget the favor. I heard you loud and clear.”

“……”

“I’ll be sure to collect with interest someday, so be ready.”

For a brief moment, Wang Cheongeol’s expression betrayed a flicker of thought—“Does this brat not understand the concept of humility?”

“Don’t worry. If a man receives a life-saving grace and doesn’t repay it, he’s no better than an animal.”

“Exactly!”

“….”

Wang Cheongeol fell silent once again.

Well, even so, I didn’t really expect to get anything out of him.

By becoming a Guardian, he had practically stepped away from the core power of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Thanks to the authority of the Cult Leader and Young Cult Leader, no one would ignore him outright, but at the same time, his position didn’t allow him to act independently either.

‘Still, if I keep stacking these favors, maybe one day something useful will come of it.’

“Do you think you’re still able to fight?”

Wang Cheongeol looked down at his arms and shook his head bitterly.

“My arms are wrecked, and my internal energy is nearly gone. At best, I could serve as a meat shield for the Young Cult Leader.”

“…Just withdraw.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! How could I abandon her?!”

I shook my head at Wang Cheongeol’s stubborn resistance.

“In your condition, you’ll be more of a hindrance than help.”

“Hindrance, you say!”

“Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on this one, right? He’s still a top-tier expert of the Demonic Path.”

No matter what, I couldn’t leave someone like the Yin-Yang Fist Demon in the hands of a mere Guardian Enforcer.

“You must keep an eye on him constantly and prevent any suicide attempts. Instructor Jang Deuk-soo is at the entrance of the Thousand-Day Pass. Go with him and return to Eastern Sea Fortress. My subordinate should be there. Join up with them.”

“That bald-headed guy?”

Apparently, Wang Cheongeol recognized Gu Chil as well and gave a nod.

“You don’t need to worry. I’ll escort the Young Cult Leader myself.”

“Hmm!”

After some hesitation, Wang Cheongeol finally spoke with difficulty.

“Are you confident you can hold off the Colorful Flower Lord?”

Colorful Flower Lord Myeong Yuryang—suspected to be another of the Ten Heaven Lord, and a known ally of the Yin-Yang Fist Demon.

“Well, going up against such a senior in the industry is making me a little nervous.”

“Industry? Senior? What are you talking about?”

The ever-naive Wang Cheongeol couldn’t understand my meaning.

“Ah, it’s just a saying.”

In my previous life, I used to boastfully call myself the ‘Playboy Noble’, but there was no comparing myself to a true flower-chaser like him, especially when it was in his actual moniker.

‘He was pretty infamous in my past life too… a lunatic obsessed with women.’

The only lecher among the Ten Great Villains, and a top-tier master whose power ranked among the top three of the extreme-grade warriors.

At one point, he’d suddenly disappeared and gone off the grid, so I hadn’t paid much attention to him back then. I never imagined he was also part of the Heaven-Defying Society.

“Even if he is an extreme-level master, his personal martial strength doesn’t quite measure up to the Yin-Yang Fist Demon. Unless the Evil Overlords of Heaven stab me in the back, there’s really no reason for me to go.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“There are Guardian Enforcers over there too, aren’t there? Don’t worry too much.”

I urged Wang Cheongeol to retreat.

If he stayed like this, his arms would be ruined permanently, and even if he survived, retirement would be unavoidable.

For me, someone who still needed his presence, that was a future I had to avoid at all costs.

“…Alright. I’ll trust you.”

Wang Cheongeol slung the unconscious Yin-Yang Fist Demon over his shoulder and turned to me.

“To be honest, I’ve never really trusted you all that much.”

“Is that so?”

“But now… I think you’re the only one truly suited for the position of Demonic Faction Lord.”

“…?!”

“Take care of the Young Cult Leader. You… you might even be the one capable of bending the will of the Cult Leader.”

“Pardon? What do you mean by that…?”

“Forgive me. That was a slip of the tongue. I’ll take my leave now.”

As if he had just uttered something forbidden, Wang Cheongeol hurriedly left.

I stood there, blankly chewing over his final words.

‘What the hell did he mean by that?’

***

Two swords flashed like lightning.

The term “flash sword” had never felt more appropriate than now, as Baek Sang-ah’s twin blades danced in a flurry.

“Uaaaargh! You rat bitch!”

“And what does that make you, getting toyed with by this rat?”

Twin demonic swords, sharpened and imbued with deep demonic energy, lashed out with deadly precision.

The Heavenly Wolf Meteor Sword Form of the Namcheon Baek Clan, originally a defensive sword art designed for one blade and one defense, was now reborn in her hands as something entirely different.

“Not bad at all.”

From behind, Cheon Yura gave an approving nod as she observed.

Though the form hadn’t changed, the shift in the user’s mindset had turned the Heavenly Wolf Meteor Sword Form into a true killing technique.

It was fast, strong, and precise.

At least, with Han Muyeon’s level of the Second Order, he had no means to break through it.

“Guh! Ghhhak!”

Without even landing a single effective attack, Han Muyeon was completely overwhelmed in the span of just a moment.

She only stopped once his body was soaked in blood and he collapsed to his knees.

Han Muyeon glared up at Baek Sang-ah with eyes full of hate.

“W-when did you acquire such power?!”

“What if I told you this was always my true strength?”

“Liar! Your martial skill level was already assessed at the Thousand-Day Pass! If it weren’t for that thunder brat Jin Yeomyung, you’d have died at Dokjeol’s hands!”

“You’re not wrong.”

The assassin known as Dokjeol had been so dangerous that even she, who was barely at the beginning of the Master Level, couldn’t have escaped death.

Had Jin Yeomyung not kicked the man away mid-fight, she would have died despite being under the protection of other instructors.

But Baek Sang-ah looked utterly indifferent.

“But so what? You can’t stand against me now, can you?”

The only reason Han Muyeon could hold on this long was because he was in his Awakened Form. The original Han Muyeon wouldn’t have lasted thirty seconds before getting his throat slit.

“Y-you’ve completely turned into a witch!”

“I’m not even part of the Orthodox Faction, and coming from someone like you, those words don’t hurt at all.”

Swoosh!

Her twin swords once again sparked with lightning-like demonic energy.

“Time to die.”

“I—I’m not the Young Cult Leader! You think I’ll let myself be killed by the likes of you?!”

“Come to think of it, you were blabbering something about proving yourself last time.”

Recalling that moment, Baek Sang-ah exuded a chilling aura.

“I hate to say it, but someone like you could never prove yourself to the Young Cult Leader.”

“What?!”

Han Muyeon roared with insane fury.

Ever since taking on the Awakened Form, his ability to control his emotions had plummeted. Hearing something like that utterly snapped the last of his reason.

“Dieeee!”

Han Muyeon summoned the Sun and Moon Heaven-Shattering Demonic Art.

But in pouring too much power into it, his stance left an opening.

Baek Sang-ah didn’t miss that chance.

In the brief moment he gathered Qi, her body slipped cleanly into the gap.

“You’re the one who should die.”

With those cold words, the twin sword tips aimed for his throat.

Clang-clang-claaang!

Suddenly, a curved sabre flew in from the side and knocked her swords away, sparing Han Muyeon’s life at the last second.

“……”

Her ambush thwarted, Baek Sang-ah immediately retreated and assumed a defensive stance.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Her gaze landed on a towering figure with the look of a mountain bandit, now standing between her and Han Muyeon.

“Senior San Dojeon.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep