Episode 25
“Ji Gwang-ok!”
With a burst of sinister energy, the elderly Seok Gyeong-dal suddenly launched an attack, and Ji Gwang-ok barely managed to deflect his twin palm strikes.
Thud!
Seeing him, the Bloodthirsty Demon Army’s Ji Gwang-ok shouted in surprise.
“Elder Seok?! So it really is you!”
“That’s right, it’s me! How have you been, Mugwang?!”
Ji Gwang-ok grinned fiercely like a wild beast and replied,
“The Blood Demon has always been well. He used to say that if only Elder Seok hadn’t left, the Blood Sect would have advanced at least ten years ahead by now.”
At Ji Gwang-ok’s words, Seok Gyeong-dal’s expression suddenly darkened.
“Ten years ahead, you say? So you’ve already restored the lost research materials.”
“Heh heh heh, it was quite difficult.”
Originally a martial scholar and physician, Seok Gyeong-dal’s role was less about direct combat and more about researching and improving the Blood Sect’s demonic arts.
In fact, more than eighty percent of the credit for refining the sect’s zombie techniques and creating the current living corpses and demonic beings belonged to him.
But when he left the Blood Sect, Seok Gyeong-dal had destroyed all his research.
He had assumed that the secret methods for creating higher-level demonic beings, including the ultimate Blood Demon, were lost forever…
Ji Gwang-ok said,
“The Blood Demon instructed me to let you pass peacefully if I ever met you.”
In other words, he was no longer needed. The destroyed research had all been restored.
Ji Gwang-ok burst into a wild laugh and charged at him.
“So, farewell, Elder Seok! Hahaha!”
Seok Gyeong-dal’s martial skill level was roughly equivalent to ninety years of internal energy cultivation.
He had always been more of a scholar than a warrior, and pushing his martial prowess further risked the corrosive effects of demonic energy on his body.
Yet now, with eyes blazing red, he was matching Ji Gwang-ok blow for blow.
“Ughh!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After colliding with Seok Gyeong-dal’s five organs, Ji Gwang-ok staggered back, wincing.
“You’ve taken the Blood Surge Pill!”
“Hahaha!”
The Blood Surge Pill was a dangerous elixir that temporarily boosted one’s martial power by flooding the body with energy.
It allowed a practitioner to perform beyond their limits for a short time but left them crippled afterward…
Even orthodox martial artists with pure internal energy had about an 80% chance of becoming disabled after taking it, so for those trained in demonic arts, it was practically poison.
Seok Gyeong-dal had taken exactly that pill.
Seol Poong, who had been catching his breath after Seok’s intervention, was horrified to hear this.
He suddenly understood why Seok had stepped in.
Gritting his teeth, Seol Poong charged back toward Ji Gwang-ok.
“Hah!”
He couldn’t waste the chance Seok had bought with his life.
While Seok Gyeong-dal engaged Ji Gwang-ok head-on, Seol Poong moved like a beast, aiming for Ji’s back.
Both the desperate frontal assault from Seok and the lightning-fast strike from Seol were formidable.
But Ji Gwang-ok hadn’t been using his full strength until now.
“You insignificant minnows!”
His twin palms, engulfed in crimson energy, began to lash out like a storm in all directions.
This was the Blood Sect’s signature technique optimized for fighting multiple enemies: the Thousand Phantom Demon Palm.
Pabababababat!
“Ugh!”
“Gah!”
The crimson shadows filled the space like a blood-red sunset, forcing Seok Gyeong-dal and Seol Poong to be blasted backward.
It was an incredibly powerful chain palm technique.
Moreover, unlike Seol Poong, who quickly regained his balance with animal-like agility, Seok Gyeong-dal staggered, unable to recover his footing.
Spotting this weakness, Ji Gwang-ok laughed wildly and charged at Seok.
“Hahaha! Farewell, Elder Seok!”
His palm, crackling with red lightning, unleashed the Blood Sect’s ultimate palm technique: the Thunderclap Blood Palm.
As the lightning-like force slammed into Seok’s exposed chest, Seol Poong, shocked, tried to leap forward.
“Elder!”
But before he could move, Sun Woo-jin, who had quietly approached, grabbed Seol’s arm and held him back.
Startled, Seol called out urgently.
“Jin?!”
But all he saw was Sun Woo-jin shaking his head with a somber expression.
Sensing something, Seol turned his gaze back just as Ji Gwang-ok’s palm struck Seok’s chest.
“Die!”
Boom!
Seok Gyeong-dal’s back exploded like fireworks.
Blood, spine, and internal organs burst outward.
Yet, the fierce grin on Ji Gwang-ok’s face froze the moment he saw Seok’s face—still smiling brightly despite the grievous wound.
Ji Gwang-ok sensed something was wrong and tried to retreat hastily.
But Seok’s hand suddenly gripped his arm tightly, refusing to let go.
At that moment, a radiant light burst from Seok’s eyes.
Simultaneously, his body erupted in a massive explosion.
Kraaaang!
This was the Blood Sect’s secret technique of self-destruction to take the enemy down with you: the Explosive Death Palm.
Seol Poong gasped in horror.
“Elder!”
Sun Woo-jin’s heavy expression suddenly recalled the old man’s words before leaving the prison.
“Even with the combined attack of me and young Seol Poong, it would be difficult to defeat Ji Gwang-ok after he took the Blood Surge Pill. So I will deliberately show him an opening and then self-destruct. At that moment, you must ensure Seol Poong and the child named Cheong-yeon retreat safely.”
When asked why he would go that far, the old man had smiled and said it was simply because he couldn’t bear to see it otherwise.
His smile had seemed so relieved.
Not knowing the exact blast radius, they had kept their distance, but it seemed Seok had even controlled the direction of his self-destruction.
His bones and flesh had exploded only toward Ji Gwang-ok.
But when the explosion settled, Sun Woo-jin and the others, staring grimly in that direction, had to widen their eyes in disbelief.
Ji Gwang-ok was still standing there, covered in bone fragments and flesh.
“Grrr, damn old man!”
His right arm, which Seok had grabbed, was completely gone, but the rest of his body looked intact.
Suddenly, everyone noticed the faint red aura enveloping Ji Gwang-ok’s body.
Seol Poong muttered in disbelief.
“Protective… aura?”
The Protective Aura was a technique that even top masters could only release from specific parts like weapons or limbs, enveloping the entire body in a defensive energy shield.
Its use and energy consumption were so extreme that only the absolute rulers of the martial world could achieve it—and Ji Gwang-ok was now showing a partial, imperfect version of it.
Still, it seemed beyond Ji Gwang-ok’s ability to both manifest the Protective Aura and withstand the Explosive Death Palm.
He coughed up blood.
“Cough!”
At that moment, Seol Poong’s eyes flashed.
This was their chance.
The last opportunity Elder Seok had created.
Seol Poong’s new technique shot out like a beam of light.
His eyes blazed red.
Paang!
“Hah!”
Like a fierce tiger, Seol Poong launched himself, channeling all his strength into a strike against Ji Gwang-ok.
His signature technique: Beast Fist.
Thwack!
“Grrk!”
Ji Gwang-ok blocked the blow with his remaining hand but was pushed back helplessly.
But this was only the beginning.
The terror of the Beast Fist was its relentless barrage, spinning through the air like a cat, hammering down on the opponent.
Brrrraaaak!
Ji Gwang-ok’s face turned as pale as paper as he was forced backward without a chance to counterattack.
“Grrk, you brat.”
Ji Gwang-ok blocked Seol Poong’s fierce right hook with his left arm.
But feigning a block, Seol Poong grabbed Ji’s arm, spun his body along it, and struck Ji’s temple with his opposite elbow.
Bam!
“Ugh!”
The first solid hit landed.
But it wasn’t over.
Seol Poong continued spinning fiercely, his knee smashing into Ji Gwang-ok’s ribs.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
With the sound of breaking ribs, Seol Poong’s foot shot high into the air.
Then, like lightning, he crashed down.
Kraaaang!
Ji Gwang-ok screamed as Seol Poong’s strike hit him directly, sending him tumbling across the ground.
The watching group clenched their fists and cheered.
“That’s it!”
“Finish him off, Captain!”
Seol Poong prepared to deliver the final blow to the completely sprawled Ji Gwang-ok.
But he couldn’t.
“Cough!”
Seol Poong suddenly dropped to his knees, coughing up blood.
The group gasped in shock.
“Captain!”
“Are you okay?!”
Only Sun Woo-jin sighed with regret, understanding the situation.
From memories of his past life, he knew that the technique Seol Poong had been using to push the superlative Ji Gwang-ok—who had over a hundred years of internal energy—was time-limited.
About a quarter of an hour, he thought.
And unfortunately, that time had just run out.
Or judging by the blood he was coughing up, Seol Poong had been forcing himself to continue beyond the limit.
Startled, Hae Cheong-yeon and Bi Sa-young rushed over to support Seol Poong, while Sun Woo-jin looked on with a pained expression, his eyes fixed on Ji Gwang-ok.
Despite staggering, Ji Gwang-ok was forcing himself back to his feet.
No matter how injured he was, the only person capable of matching this supreme master right now was Seol Poong.
The others, not having reached the pinnacle of mastery, simply couldn’t withstand his formidable energy.
If only there had been one more master at the peak level…
Suddenly, Sun Woo-jin’s gaze shifted to the bundles behind Ji Gwang-ok.
They were the supplies brought by the Blood Sect.
Seeing them, Sun Woo-jin’s eyes flashed sharply.
Without hesitation, he drew his sword and charged toward Ji Gwang-ok with a fierce, whirlwind-like assault, unleashing his secret technique with full force.
“Ji Gwang-ok!”
Ji Gwang-ok, still unsteady on his feet, looked at the young upstart charging at him and sneered coldly.
No matter his injuries, it was laughable that an unseasoned fighter who hadn’t even reached the pinnacle dared to attack him.
A crimson energy crackled from the explosive blood mark on his remaining left hand.
“Uaaah!”
But instead of lunging directly at Ji Gwang-ok, Sun Woo-jin let the momentum carry him forward and suddenly kicked the ground beneath his feet.
A cloud of dust and sand erupted violently, engulfing Ji Gwang-ok like a fierce dark mist.
It was clearly meant to blind him.
But such tricks were far more familiar to Ji Gwang-ok, a Blood Sect member, than to righteous fighters.
He simply raised his left arm to shield his eyes and prepared to counterattack, mocking Sun Woo-jin.
“Foolish move!”
Yet Sun Woo-jin never intended to charge straight through the dust.
Instead, he circled around Ji Gwang-ok, moving to his rear.
“Huh?”
Ji Gwang-ok’s eyes narrowed in confusion as he followed Sun Woo-jin’s movement—and then caught sight of a sly smile on his face.
Sun Woo-jin was lifting one of the bundles the Blood Sect had brought.
Realizing what was inside, Ji Gwang-ok gasped in shock.
“You bastard!”
In that instant, Sun Woo-jin hurled the bundle at Ji Gwang-ok and simultaneously lunged forward, swinging his sword.
Shing!
Freed from the ropes that had bound him, a black panther bared its teeth and lunged at Ji Gwang-ok.
“Gyaaah!”
The black panther, which had earlier glared at Ji Gwang-ok with murderous intent in Sun Woo-jin’s sight, had now been set free.
Having fought nearly evenly with Seol Poong before, the beast now attacked Ji Gwang-ok with ferocity.
As its claws raked across Ji Gwang-ok, he swung his remaining arm to strike it away.
Thwack!
Though he managed to repel the panther, the beast was no ordinary creature—it was as formidable as a master at the pinnacle of skill.
In midair, it twisted its body, aiming for an opening.
Ji Gwang-ok couldn’t take his eyes off the panther.
At that moment, Sun Woo-jin came running from behind the beast, kicking up dust to blind Ji Gwang-ok once more.
Pfft!
With only one arm left, Ji Gwang-ok had no choice but to raise it to shield his eyes.
Seizing the moment, the black panther charged again.
“Gyaaah!”
Ji Gwang-ok roared in fury.
“How dare you!”
As he swung his left arm to strike the panther, a sudden sharp pain shot through his right shoulder, forcing him to hesitate.
Though faint, the pain felt ominous.
Glancing down to check the source, he was horrified to see two snakes slithering like shadows, their venomous fangs sunk deep into the wound where his arm had been severed.
These were the Three-Color Poison Snakes—deadly vipers used by poison masters as shadow assassins. Their bite was instantly lethal.
Ji Gwang-ok’s eyes went blank with despair.
In his vision, he saw Sun Woo-jin grinning fiercely, holding out a leather pouch toward him.
“This can’t be happening…”
At that moment, the black panther’s attack overwhelmed Ji Gwang-ok.
“Gyaaah!”
Crack!
The sound of his neck breaking echoed sharply in Sun Woo-jin’s ears.
But the panther wasn’t satisfied with just breaking his neck.
It bit down, toppling Ji Gwang-ok, and tore his head clean off.
Sizzle!
Pfft!
Blood sprayed like a fountain from the severed neck.
No matter how supreme a master he was, no one could survive having their head torn off.
He was dead on the spot.
“Phew…”
Sun Woo-jin finally exhaled, his energy spent.
He looked down at Ji Gwang-ok’s lifeless body.
The black panther didn’t eat the severed head.
It spat it out and simply stared at Sun Woo-jin.
Sun Woo-jin met the beast’s yellow eyes.
This was a dangerous predator—its combat ability rivaling that of a master at the pinnacle.
With Seol Poong injured, if the panther attacked them, they might not be able to fend it off.
Yet, for some reason, Sun Woo-jin felt the beast wouldn’t turn on them.
He couldn’t explain why, but there was no hostility in its gaze.
After a moment, the black panther glanced toward the wounded Seol Poong and the others, then casually turned and slinked back into the poison forest, disappearing with an air of ease.
It was only a feeling, but Sun Woo-jin sensed a silent “thank you” from the beast.
Sun Woo-jin carefully placed the two Three-Color Poison Snakes back into the leather pouch still clinging to Ji Gwang-ok’s shoulder, then hurried toward Seol Poong.
It was truly time to leave now.