Episode 334: The Return of the Demon Instructor

Seoraehyang was unstoppable.

The Dark Shadow Squad, who had tried to block her path, and even the Celestial Annihilation Squad, felt a chill run down their spines.

“Gasp, gasp, gasp…!”

“Damn it… My legs are shaking…?”

Yeom Jaryang gripped his black sword with both hands, a twisted smile on his lips.

If this place was breached, it was all over.

They had been holding the line for a full day now.

The night had long since fallen, and dawn was breaking once more.

They had tried everything.

Every spell, every trick, including sleep-inducing poisons, had been used.

But nothing worked.

Hongmyo, who had mastered poison arts, was resistant to most sleep toxins.

Moreover, the magic and spirits wielded by the Celestial Annihilation Squad were no match for Seoraehyang, who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts.

Trying to subdue a master of her caliber without killing her was a fool’s errand.

The Dark Shadow Squad and the Celestial Annihilation Squad were battered and exhausted, yet Seoraehyang’s breathing remained steady.

“Damn it…! If only we could use lethal force!”

If they had intended to kill her, the battle would have ended by now.

But they absolutely could not kill her.

If she died, the Dark Shadow Squad and the Celestial Annihilation Squad would likely be wiped out.

Thus, even the arrows shot by Dan Lijeong were aimed to avoid vital points.

While the Celestial Annihilation Squad caught their breath and maintained their defensive stance, Seoraehyang casually pulled out an arrow lodged in her left shoulder and tossed it aside.

She said nothing.

She simply gazed at the warriors surrounding her with a lifeless expression, like a doll.

Tension crackled in the air between the lone woman and the dozens of warriors encircling her.

The Celestial Annihilation Squad and the Dark Shadow Squad were at their limits.

They had tried every conceivable method.

Yeom Jaryang had used magic to block her, and Neung Sosu had summoned Silestine, the highest spirit of wind, to bind her feet.

But without killing her, they couldn’t hold her indefinitely.

Whoosh!

A winter wind swept through the courtyard.

Maeseollan paused to catch his breath and quickly issued orders.

“The Tang leader will focus on restraining her with the Dark Shadow Squad. Dan Lijeong!”

“Yes!”

Dan Lijeong, who had somehow landed on a nearby rooftop, responded.

“The Celestial Annihilation Squad will use the Wheel Technique to immobilize Hongmyo! We must buy time at all costs!”

“Understood!”

Tang Yi-hyeop and Dan Lijeong sprang into action.

Dan Lijeong began issuing orders to the Celestial Annihilation Squad through telepathy.

Meanwhile, Tang Yi-hyeop reorganized the Dark Shadow Squad into a fan shape and ordered them to throw their chain hooks.

Swish!

Yeon Woo-gyeong, Mok Dan-hwa, and Jo Mun-tak charged at Seoraehyang.

“Think we’ll let you pass?”

“You won’t take a single step towards the instructor!”

“This time, we’ll protect the instructor!”

The three shouted as they gathered their energy.

Swoosh! Swish! Swish!

Yeon Woo-gyeong’s Blue Ice Sword sliced through the air with a chilling force, while the Serpent Dagger weaved in like a dancing snake.

Finally, Jo Mun-tak’s ten daggers flew chaotically towards Seoraehyang.

But since they weren’t using lethal force, Seoraehyang’s life wasn’t truly in danger.

However, it was enough to make her hesitate.

Clang! Whoosh! Thud!

Seoraehyang moved with dizzying speed, leaving afterimages in her wake.

Even as she defended herself with advanced techniques, the watching warriors felt their spirits sink.

Especially Tang Yi-hyeop, who thought with his mouth agape, ‘Even after taking the Asura Elixir, she’s this strong…’

Indeed, asking them to restrain a master without killing her was like asking them to pluck a tiger’s whiskers without waking it.

Unbeknownst to Tang Yi-hyeop, the Soul-Destruction Poison was currently drawing on all of Hongmyo’s innate energy.

In other words, she was using every ounce of her potential power, making it difficult for even the most skilled masters to handle her.

But there was no time for admiration.

The top masters of the alliance were still focused solely on guarding the leader.

They considered Hongmyo’s diversion a mere ruse.

Even if it wasn’t, their priority was the leader’s safety.

So they remained stationed near the leader’s quarters.

‘We must hold her here!’

Tang Yi-hyeop shouted.

“Bind her!”

At his command, the Dark Shadow Squad, arranged in a fan shape, simultaneously hurled their chain hooks at Seoraehyang.

Clatter!

Crash! Bang!

Thanks to the Celestial Annihilation Squad’s Wheel Technique, the Dark Shadow Squad’s chain hooks successfully bound Seoraehyang’s hands and ankles.

Though some hooks missed and hit the ground, the ones that secured her limbs were enough.

“We’ve got her! Sever the chains!”

Tang Yi-hyeop ordered without hesitation.

The chain hooks used by the Dark Shadow Squad were no ordinary weapons.

When they pulled the rings at the end of the chains, blades would spring from the hooks, capable of inflicting severe injury.

In other words, pulling the rings would cause sharp blades to emerge, severing Seoraehyang’s wrists and ankles.

But then,

“Stop!”

A sudden shout came from behind, and a dark shadow leaped forward.

The shadow flew at the Dark Shadow Squad members binding Seoraehyang, striking them with powerful blows.

Thud! Thwack!

“Argh!”

“Oof!”

The Dark Shadow Squad members released their chain hooks and fell back.

Tang Yi-hyeop turned in shock to see that the shadow was Jeok Mu-rin, dispatched from the Blood Demon Sect.

Until now, he had silently watched the alliance warriors try to stop Seoraehyang.

The reason was simple: he sensed no killing intent from them.

Indeed, the alliance warriors hadn’t used lethal force.

For some reason, their sole purpose seemed to be to restrain her.

Later, overhearing conversations within the alliance, he pieced together the situation.

The Soul-Destruction Poison.

Something unimaginable was inside Seoraehyang.

Because the alliance wasn’t trying to kill her, he hadn’t intervened.

But now was different.

She was on the verge of becoming crippled.

He couldn’t stand by and watch that happen.

Tang Yi-hyeop was furious.

“You fool! What are you doing?”

“Hongmyo is only a victim of the Soul-Destruction Poison! You know that!”

“But because of her, many could die!”

“Does that justify maiming an innocent woman?”

“Get out of the way! We don’t have time to argue! If we leave her like this, this place will become a land of death!”

It wasn’t an exaggeration.

Though they desperately hoped it wouldn’t happen, it was a real possibility.

The issue wasn’t just a simple explosion anymore.

Seoraehyang had mastered poison arts.

If she self-destructed, the toxic energy condensed in her inner power would scatter everywhere.

If she had targeted the leader, it would have ended there.

But now the target had changed.

Sabi River was the new target.

And Sabi River was currently buried underground, battling all sorts of toxins.

If those toxins weren’t neutralized and Seoraehyang self-destructed there?

It would be a catastrophe in the heart of the alliance’s headquarters.

This wasn’t what the Blood Demon Sect leader had intended, but it was a far more severe problem than he had originally aimed for.

“Do you understand? If we leave her like this, this entire area will become a land of death! And she won’t survive either!”

Tang Yi-hyeop emphasized again, and Jeok Mu-rin bit his lip hard.

He had no words to refute.

But watching her live a life of disability seemed even more unbearable.

‘Damn it! Leader…! Leader…!’

Jeok Mu-rin clenched his fists, trembling.

Did it really have to come to this?

Hongmyo loved him.

The leader knew that well.

But he had used her.

That was all.

His eyes were bloodshot, but there was nothing he could do at this moment.

Even now, the Celestial Annihilation Squad was cursing as they tried to hold Seoraehyang back.

Then it happened.

“Leader!”

A subordinate came running with light footwork.

Tang Yi-hyeop turned, and before the subordinate even arrived, he shouted.

“We’ve found a way to remove the Soul-Destruction Poison!”

“What?”

Tang Yi-hyeop’s face lit up with joy.

Jeok Mu-rin also rushed over with a hopeful expression.

“Is that true?”

The subordinate glanced at the unexpected Jeok Mu-rin but continued the report, knowing the urgency of the situation.

The subordinate held out a box.

“This is an elixir sent from the main house through a messenger!”

“What is this…?”

“It’s the Antidote Elixir.”

“How do we use it?”

“Well…”

The subordinate hesitated, and Tang Yi-hyeop urged him.

“What are you doing? Can’t you see the urgency? Speak up!”

The Antidote Elixir was something Tang Yi-hyeop had never heard of.

This meant it wasn’t an existing antidote but a pill created by the Tang clan specifically to remove the Soul-Destruction Poison.

Because of this, Tang Yi-hyeop couldn’t help but be unaware of its usage.

Suha glanced at Jeok Mu-rin again before continuing.

“The Jemyeol Godokdan is like a seductive poison that lures the Sehon Pokmyeolgo. If someone who has taken the Jemyeol Godokdan engages with Hongmyeo, the Sehon Pokmyeolgo transfers to the other person’s body and begins to parasitize. Afterward, the Sehon Pokmyeolgo consumes the Jemyeol Godokdan remaining in the host’s body and eventually perishes.”

”…”

Tang Yi-hyeop’s expression twisted slightly.

He had expected that removing the Sehon Pokmyeolgo wouldn’t be easy, but this was far more complicated than he had imagined.

Jeok Mu-rin suddenly interjected with a question.

“So, what happens to the host once the Sehon Pokmyeolgo dies?”

“The host will also succumb to the poison and die. The Jemyeol Godokdan is potent enough to kill the Sehon Pokmyeolgo. As it dies, the poison spreads throughout the host’s body, and they will perish within half an hour.”

In short, someone must take the Jemyeol Godokdan and then engage with Hongmyeo.

At this point, the Sehon Pokmyeolgo is instinctively drawn to the Jemyeol Godokdan, so luring Hongmyeo is not an issue.

She would be in a state akin to having taken an aphrodisiac.

However, after the encounter, the Sehon Pokmyeolgo enters the body of the person who took the Jemyeol Godokdan, and they both die from the poison.

In other words, someone must be willing to die by taking the Jemyeol Godokdan.

“The best solution we could find…”

Tang Yi-hyeop sighed, when—

“I’ll take it.”

Jeok Mu-rin stepped forward abruptly.

Tang Yi-hyeop looked at him with wavering eyes.

“Are you serious? You know that taking the Jemyeol Godokdan means you’ll die from the poison too, right?”

“I know. But Hongmyeo will live, won’t she?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“I’ll take it.”

Jeok Mu-rin repeated firmly.

He couldn’t bear the thought of some unknown person being with Hongmyeo.

Moreover, if there was anyone who could save her, he wanted it to be him.

“Aren’t I your shadow?”

With a self-deprecating smile, Jeok Mu-rin extended his hand without hesitation.

“Give it to me.”

Tang Yi-hyeop looked at him, startled and confused. He hadn’t expected Jeok Mu-rin to so readily accept death.

“Is this the level of loyalty in the martial world?”

At that moment, Maeseollan, who had been standing nearby, took the small box from Tang Yi-hyeop’s hand.

She retrieved the pill from inside and handed it to Jeok Mu-rin.

“Take it. You’re not just trying to protect her out of loyalty.”

“Mind your own business.”

Jeok Mu-rin sneered and swallowed the Jemyeol Godokdan without a moment’s hesitation.

A foul taste spread in his mouth before sliding down his throat.

In the next instant,

Clang!

Seoraehyang, who had been fending off an attack, suddenly stopped and turned with a dazed expression.

Her gaze fixed directly on Jeok Mu-rin.

All the martial artists present swallowed nervously, watching the situation unfold.

“Will it work?”

Though only a brief moment passed, it felt like an eternity to those gathered.

Finally, Seoraehyang took a step forward.

Jeok Mu-rin instinctively stepped back.

Seoraehyang took another step.

This time, Jeok Mu-rin retreated ten steps.

Hongmyeo moved toward Jeok Mu-rin.

The same thought crossed everyone’s mind.

“It’s working!”

Jeok Mu-rin quickly turned and leaped away.

His plan was to get her as far from the main base of the Justice Alliance as possible.

It wasn’t for the sake of the Justice Alliance.

It was more out of defiance against the leader who intended to use Hongmyeo.

Hongmyeo began to follow Jeok Mu-rin as if drawn by a magnet.

As he glanced back, Jeok Mu-rin thought,

“When she wakes up, she should thank me, Instructor Sabigang.”

Yet somehow, he had a feeling that instead of gratitude, Sabigang would tease him for the rest of his life.

Not that it mattered; by then, he wouldn’t be around to care.