Episode 340: Return to the Demon Sect

Whoosh!

A gust of wind swept past, and an arm flew into the air.

Simultaneously, a scream pierced the sky.

“Aaargh!”

Thud!

Eun-hwi, the master of Cheongpung, swung his sword without a moment’s hesitation.

The Blood Lotus Sect warrior, his heart pierced, fell dead on the spot.

Swoosh!

Eun-hwi flicked the blood off his sword and lightly stroked his graying beard as he surveyed the chaos around him.

Despite his composed demeanor, the scene was utter pandemonium.

Screams erupted from all directions, blood splattered, and a murderous aura exploded like a storm.

As time passed, the bodies of the enemy piled up, but the casualties on their side were also mounting.

“Damn it!”

Despite his dignified appearance, curses spilled from his lips.

Just then, he dashed like the wind towards two more attackers.

In this battlefield, where madness and killing intent ran rampant, he had to block out the noise and focus solely on his own fight.

Whoosh!

His lifelong mastery of the Whirlwind Explosive Sword technique sent a radiant arc slicing through the enemy ranks.

Boom!

Even a mere brush of his sword path caused a whirlwind of energy to explode.

“Aaaargh!”

“Ugh!”

Two more fell with screams, collapsing to the side.

Eun-hwi halted and turned gracefully.

His movements were as elegant and natural as petals dancing in the breeze, despite his age and white beard.

Yet, wherever he passed, a trail of blood followed.

“Filthy worshippers of demons!”

He roared at the two who charged at him, then paused, frowning.

‘What are these things…?’

They were clearly wounded by his Whirlwind Explosive Sword, their sides and shoulders torn open.

Yet, they staggered to their feet, gripping their swords as if they felt no pain.

‘What kind of dark magic is this?’

The aura emanating from them was disturbingly strange.

‘Could they be demon soldiers?’

This was an unexpected turn of events.

Two hours ago, he had received a secret message from a warrior sent by the General Commander.

The warning was that the Blood Lotus Sect would betray their main alliance and join forces with the Demon Sect to stab them in the back.

Fortunately, the report came in time, allowing Eun-hwi to prepare as much as possible.

He informed his warriors and instructed them to be ready.

The news of the Blood Lotus Sect’s betrayal was surprising, but not overly concerning.

The General Commander had already sent a secret message to nearby allies for support.

He figured that if they could hold out until then, the Blood Lotus Sect and the Demon Sect would find themselves in a dire situation.

After all, he had confirmed that the Demon Sect’s forces were not as large as expected.

But then…

Whoosh, boom!

Once more, his Whirlwind Explosive Sword carved a graceful arc, followed by a series of explosions.

The two demon soldiers charging at him had their heads shattered, falling lifelessly.

‘Demon soldiers…! Where did these unheard-of scoundrels come from?’

Eun-hwi scowled and roared.

“Don’t be alarmed! They’re just minions under the influence of dark magic! There’s nothing to fear from their grotesque appearance!”

His words seemed to bolster the morale of the righteous alliance warriors, who shouted and swung their weapons with renewed vigor.

Listening to the clash of weapons echoing around him, Eun-hwi glanced into the distance.

‘Why haven’t they arrived yet?’

By now, the reinforcements should have been here!

**

“Just minions under the influence of dark magic… Is that really all they are?”

A man with a scarred face twisted his lips as he looked down from the hill.

His already sinister expression, marred by burns, appeared even more grotesque.

After a moment, he pulled something from his robe.

It was a bead, shimmering with a mysterious blue light.

Just then, a man with a green face approached him.

“You’re going to use that already?”

“There’s no need to hold back, is there?”

“Well, if you put it that way, I can’t argue.”

“Any other news?”

“It seems the warrior sent by the General Commander got suspicious, so I took care of him.”

“It was bound to be discovered eventually. So, the game of pretending to be a righteous sect leader is over.”

“It was getting tiresome anyway.”

The scarred man smiled coldly.

“They never suspected, did they? That the sect leader, who was so devoted to righteousness that even the Inspection Bureau didn’t doubt him, was actually with the Demon Sect.”

“But why pass the credit to me? I heard you insisted on leading this battle yourself.”

“Something more interesting came up.”

“Could it be…”

The green-faced man squinted, and the scarred man nodded.

“I’ve found a way to locate the Celestial Demon Physique.”

“I see.”

The scarred man turned and handed the bead, glowing with a blue aura, to the green-faced man.

“Then I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Don’t mess it up this time.”

The green-faced man smirked, and the scarred man replied with a cold glare.

“Make sure you don’t ruin it at the last moment.”

“No need to worry.”

“By the way, if the General Commander got suspicious, they might have contacted the nearby Nakseong branch.”

“Hwangmyeon is already on his way there.”

“I see.”

The scarred man nodded and looked back down the hill.

Eun-hwi, the master of Cheongpung, was still fighting valiantly across the battlefield.

But he didn’t know.

The reinforcements he awaited would never arrive.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

With those words, the scarred man leaped away.

The green-faced man glanced at him, then looked down the hill with a sly smile.

“Well, there’s nothing to leave to me, really.”

In the next moment, he crushed the bead in his hand.

Crack!

As the bead shattered, the dark blue energy trapped inside scattered into the air.

Soon after,

“Roar!”

“Graaaah!”

The demon soldiers, who had been charging at the righteous alliance warriors, let out fierce roars and swung their weapons with even greater ferocity.

Not only that, but their bodies began to grow larger.

“Such petty sorcery! Do not be swayed!”

Eun-hwi shouted, trying to reassure the righteous alliance warriors, but he alone was not enough.

The battlefield, already a scene of chaos, was sinking deeper into the abyss of despair.

**

“Mu-rin…”

Seorae-hyang quietly looked down at Jeok Mu-rin, who lay on the bed as if dead.

She had already heard in detail from others what had happened while she was unconscious.

And she knew that the reason Jeok Mu-rin was lying there was because of her.

“You’re such a fool.”

Seorae-hyang sighed softly.

The Soul-Destruction Poison.

She never imagined something like that was inside her.

And to think the gift of the Asura Elixir was merely a means to amplify the poison’s destructive power.

‘Lian Zhu… you…’

Her heart felt like it would burst.

Seorae-hyang bit her lower lip and sighed again.

“You’re not the only fool.”

Who could blame whom?

But she resolved not to be a fool any longer.

This incident had brought a change in her heart.

She looked down at Jeok Mu-rin with a determined expression.

“I won’t be fooled again. So don’t act like a fool either.”

As she turned to leave the room, she ran into Sabi-gang, who was just entering.

“There you are.”

“Let me thank you on behalf of Master Jeok.”

Seorae-hyang averted her gaze as she spoke.

Sabi-gang shrugged.

“It was a fair exchange.”

“I heard you went into the Myungri Pavilion. How are you still in one piece?”

“Somehow, I became immune to all poisons.”

Sabi-gang joked.

But Seorae-hyang knew he was telling the truth.

She practiced poison techniques, so she could sense that Sabi-gang’s energy was anything but ordinary.

“It’s really hard to kill you now.”

“There’s no need to kill me anymore.”

“What will you do now?”

“This morning, the leader left for Jaeryeong Mountain, and I plan to follow soon.”

“If… if you end up fighting Lian Zhu…”

“If I do?”

“Could you give me a chance to talk to him before you kill him?”

“No. I can’t.”

Sabi-gang shook his head without hesitation.

Seorae-hyang let out a small laugh.

‘This man was always like this.’

She had momentarily forgotten.

He was a man who never offered unnecessary kindness.

Seorae-hyang quickly composed herself and spoke.

“Then don’t hold back when you strike.”

“Of course, I won’t.”

Sabi-gang approached Jeok Mu-rin and placed a hand on his abdomen.

“His recovery is fast. He should wake up by tonight. Take good care of him.”

With that, Sabi-gang turned and walked away.

Seorae-hyang called out to him.

“Are you leaving right now?”

“I have to. There are some people who’ll be quite troubled without me.”

A mischievous smile played on Sabi-gang’s lips.

**

“Wow, this is really a headache!”

Baek Gong-bo scratched his head in frustration.

He sighed as he looked at the Demon Sect followers surrounding him.

It had only been a few days since they dealt with the shadowy figures sent by Ryeonju, and now they were facing the disciples of the Maeryeong Cult!

“How on earth did they find us so quickly?”

“That’s not what’s important right now. Stay focused.”

Maeng Gasuk gripped his staff tightly, glaring at the approaching enemies.

The cultists, clad in crimson robes, exuded a suffocating aura as they surrounded the Shinsaengjo.

Just then, a man emerged from their ranks.

Unlike the others, who hid their faces beneath wide-brimmed hats, this man showed his face openly, revealing a visage marred by severe burns.

It was Jeokmyeonin.

Twisting his scarred lips into a sneer, he spoke in a raspy voice.

“You’ve come a long way. I have some good news for you: we’re not interested in all of you. Just him.”

Jeokmyeonin pointed a finger at Ong Gi-seung.

“Leave him behind, and the rest of you can go.”

“Well, that’s quite the generous offer,” Maeng Gasuk said, relaxing his grip slightly as he glanced around at his comrades.

Then, fixing his gaze back on Jeokmyeonin, he added, “But I’ve got some bad news for you.”

“…?”

“We have no intention of leaving him behind.”

“Foolish and reckless, as expected.”

Jeokmyeonin smirked coldly, raising his hand abruptly as he gave the order.

“Take them down. Leave only the Seoncheon Maeryeong behind. Kill the rest, or if you can manage, keep them alive. They might make useful test subjects.”

“Yes, sir!”

The cultists in red robes charged at the Shinsaengjo in unison.