Episode 337: Return of the Demon Instructor
Sssssss!
Hissss!
Every time the boiling water splashed, thick steam rose in the backyard, shrouding it in a misty haze.
Mae Seol-ran watched the steam rise like a fog and let out a soft sigh.
“Wake up already. As if nothing happened. That’s your specialty, isn’t it?”
Just then, Dang Yi-hyeop approached from the direction of the backyard.
“Why don’t you take a break now?”
“I’m fine. But what about Hong Myo?”
“They’ve headed to Yongmun Mountain with Jeok Mu-rin. By now, they should have dealt with the affair and taken care of the Soul-Destroying Poison.”
“Then… Jeok Mu-rin, he…”
“He’s dead.”
Dang Yi-hyeop declared without a hint of hesitation.
The Soul-Destroying Poison can’t be neutralized by ordinary means. The Elimination Poison Pill is potent enough to dissolve even that deadly poison. No ordinary poison can compare to it.
Mae Seol-ran nodded silently.
“What about the situation at Jaeryeong Mountain?”
“Gu Goon-sa sent a secret message. It seems the letter might have been exposed, so he sent someone swift directly.”
“Then, they should be arriving soon.”
“Yes. At the same time, he instructed people near the Jaeryeong Mountain base to prepare for any unforeseen events.”
“Unforeseen events… you mean…”
“To prepare for an attack from the Demon Sect and the Blood Alliance, I suppose.”
Mae Seol-ran nodded again in silence.
Indeed, with support from the base near Jaeryeong Mountain, they would have enough strength to hold off the Blood Alliance and the Demon Sect. If they could just hold out a little longer, reinforcements from other bases could be dispatched.
Now the problem is…
“It’s all up to you.”
Mae Seol-ran’s gaze returned to the backyard.
The Shadow Guards, drenched in sweat, continued to pour boiling water over the red-hot coals piled on the ground, making the air stiflingly hot and humid.
“We still have a few more days to go.”
Dang Yi-hyeop cautiously observed Mae Seol-ran’s expression as he spoke.
Mae Seol-ran knew it too. They were only halfway through.
“Why don’t you try to get some rest? You haven’t slept a wink in the past three days.”
Dang Yi-hyeop asked with genuine concern.
But Mae Seol-ran shook her head.
“Who could sleep at a time like this?”
Just then.
Rumble…!
The ground shook slightly, as if a minor tremor had occurred.
At the same time, a strange energy swept through the surroundings.
“What…?”
Mae Seol-ran and Dang Yi-hyeop both turned to look at the backyard with tense expressions.
Then,
Rumble…!
This time, the reaction was more pronounced.
The subtle vibration made the open windows rattle.
Mae Seol-ran and Dang Yi-hyeop exchanged glances.
The same thought crossed both their minds.
“Could it be…?”
Dang Yi-hyeop quickly urged the Shadow Guards.
“What are you doing? Keep pouring the water!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Shadow Guards, who had hesitated for a moment, resumed pouring the boiling water.
Sssssss!
Hissss!
But then, in the next moment,
Whoosh!
A red energy shot up like a pillar from the center of the backyard.
Roar!
The red pillar of light writhed and let out a tremendous sound, as if a red dragon were roaring.
This was the aura of a Red Dragon, though no one else knew it.
Soon after,
Whoosh!
A green pillar of light surged upward.
Roar!
The sound was so overwhelming it felt like the earth and sky were shaking, as if hearing the roar of an evil spirit.
The windows and roof tiles rattled with the sound.
“What on earth is happening…?”
Mae Seol-ran’s eyes widened, but there was no one to answer her.
In fact, this was the aura of Natas, who had cursed Cranion.
After the second aura joined, a final blue energy shot up.
Whoosh!
Unlike the first two, the blue energy made no sound.
This was the innate energy of Sa Bi-gang, along with his internal power.
The three colored energies tangled wildly in the air.
At first, it seemed like they were fighting to devour each other, but soon the three colors began to blend in a harmonious mix.
When the intertwined energies formed a complete sphere in the center of the backyard,
Boom!
The ground of the backyard bulged upward, and with a loud explosion, debris flew in all directions.
“Whoa!”
“Get down!”
The Shadow Guards threw themselves to the ground.
Dang Yi-hyeop and Mae Seol-ran also quickly retreated and lowered themselves.
The sudden explosion shattered several windows and part of the roof collapsed.
“What on earth is going on…?”
Even Dang Yi-hyeop was stunned, staring blankly.
“Wait! That’s poison mist…!”
Through the blurred vision, the green energy spread rapidly.
Sure enough, the Shadow Guards clutched their throats in agony.
“Ugh! I can’t breathe…!”
“Ugh…!”
The pain soon reached Mae Seol-ran and Dang Yi-hyeop as well.
Their faces turned pale, and their expressions twisted in pain.
“Ugh! The poison…!”
“What’s happening, Dang Leader…! Ugh!”
Mae Seol-ran staggered, barely managing to speak.
Meanwhile, a shadow emerged, stepping through the green mist.
At the same time,
Whoosh!
The poison mist, which had spread through the air, was absorbed by the shadow as if by magic.
Not only that, but the sphere of energy floating in the air was also quickly absorbed by the shadow.
The Shadow Guards, who had been on the brink of death, regained their color as the poison rapidly dissipated.
Whoosh!
Once all the poison was absorbed, the shadow’s form became clearer as it emerged through the white mist.
Mae Seol-ran and Dang Yi-hyeop looked at him with trembling eyes.
“You…!”
“My lord!”
Sa Bi-gang’s eyes briefly glowed green before returning to normal.
He looked at the two and asked,
“How far did the conversation go?”
**
“Ugh!”
Woo-gwang’s eyes snapped open as he convulsed violently.
He gasped for breath, looking around.
“Where… am I?”
A place he’d never seen before.
He realized he was tightly bound and stripped of his clothes.
“What happened?”
His head throbbed painfully.
He furrowed his brow and shook his head, taking deep breaths.
Right, he had been on his way to Myeongri Pavilion.
And when he turned around at someone’s call…
“I can’t remember. Damn it!”
Woo-gwang squeezed his eyes shut.
Someone must have struck his soul point at that moment.
“To have knocked me out and brought me here…”
A thought crossed his mind, but he quickly shook his head.
“No way… No one in their right mind would think of entering Myeongri Pavilion… No way…”
But he wasn’t sure anymore.
The martial world wasn’t just filled with sane people, after all.
In fact, weren’t there more madmen in the martial world?
And the fact that he was stripped…
“Damn it! What kind of lunatic would do this…!”
If his wild guess was correct, someone had locked him up here, changed clothes, and planned to infiltrate Myeongri Pavilion.
But where exactly was this place?
If they had moved him outside after knocking him out in Cheonsang Palace, the chances of being seen were high.
Yet, they succeeded in confining him here.
How?
Unless they were a master of stealth.
Even then, carrying an unconscious person wasn’t easy.
The martial artists in Cheonsang Palace weren’t blind.
Unless it was someone familiar…
”…!”
Woo-gwang’s eyes widened.
That’s right.
It must be someone familiar enough that the martial artists of Cheonsang Palace wouldn’t find it strange.
That’s why they called out to him in broad daylight at Cheonsang Palace.
Then…
“This must be inside Cheonsang Palace!”
Now he had a rough idea of the situation.
Meanwhile, Woo-gwang diligently worked to fray the rope against the edge of a pillar.
Fortunately, his internal energy had recovered significantly.
Judging by his weight loss, he must have been unconscious for quite some time.
“I need to get out of here!”
How long had he been working at the rope?
Snap, snap!
Finally, the rope binding his hands broke with a dull sound.
Woo-gwang quickly removed the gag from his mouth and untied the rope around his ankles.
Since they hadn’t used chains, it seemed they hadn’t intended to keep him confined for long.
“Fool. Whoever you are, you’ve picked the wrong place to infiltrate!”
Woo-gwang first felt his face.
He was worried they might have skinned his face to use as a disguise.
Fortunately, it seemed his face was untouched.
It was strange.
Did they really think they could just change clothes and easily enter Myeongri Pavilion?
Woo-gwang hurriedly left the storage-like space.
Looking around, the surroundings were familiar.
“This place…!”
Woo-gwang spun around, his brow furrowing deeply.
“It’s the Newborn Sect!”
That meant the one who trapped him here was either Sabi-gang or a member of the Newborn Sect. And if his hunch was correct, it was more likely Sabi-gang.
“First, I need to get to Myungri Pavilion!”
Without a moment to lose, Woo-gwang hurriedly made his way to Myungri Pavilion. He was stark naked, but there was no time to worry about that now. Understanding the situation was his top priority.
As he stumbled into the courtyard of Myungri Pavilion, the guards on duty glanced over at him. They were, of course, assassins from the Salmak, wearing their signature masks. But in his haste, Woo-gwang failed to notice this detail.
He rushed to the entrance and pulled the cord.
”…”
No response.
He pulled it again.
”…”
Still nothing.
“Could it be…?”
Had something happened? Now that he thought about it, it had been quite some time since he went missing. Wasn’t it strange how quiet Myungri Pavilion was?
“You there!”
Woo-gwang called out to one of the gatekeepers on his right. The gatekeeper turned with an awkward expression.
“What’s going on?”
“Has anything happened at Myungri Pavilion? And wait… there’s something odd about you…”
Thunk!
In the next instant, Woo-gwang stared blankly at the sword protruding from his chest.
“Ugh!”
A gush of blood spilled from his mouth. A chilling voice whispered in his ear.
“Indeed, it’s easier to kill someone when they’re not wearing anything.”
As the sword was withdrawn, blood sprayed, and Woo-gwang collapsed to the ground. The one who killed him was none other than Yi-sal of the Salmak.
Beside him, Il-sal quickly issued orders.
“Clean this up as fast as you can…”
But before he could finish his sentence,
“What is the meaning of this!”
A sharp voice rang out from the courtyard. The two turned to see a crowd of martial artists had gathered.
When Woo-gwang had run naked to Myungri Pavilion, one of the martial artists had found it suspicious and reported it to their superiors. Unaware of this, the Salmak assassins were momentarily taken aback. They were a group known for their meticulous planning and stealthy assassinations, not for fighting in open spaces like this.
The one who had shouted was Kang Yeo-gu, the leader of the Dark Soul Hall. He was the most powerful figure remaining in the Blood Alliance.
He spread his senses wide, then furrowed his brow and shouted,
“You’re not our martial artists! Where did you come from?”
As the situation escalated, Il-sal and Yi-sal leapt onto the roof. Meanwhile, the Dark Soul Hall’s martial artists quickly responded.
The deputy leader immediately ordered his subordinates to send a message to the leader at Jaeryeong Mountain. Some assassins tried to intercept, but Kang Yeo-gu blocked their path, roaring,
“Do you think you can ignore me?”
His voice was so loud that other martial artists within the Heavenly Palace rushed to Myungri Pavilion.
Yi-sal quickly sent a mental message to Il-sal.
[It’s over. We should retreat now.]
[We have no choice. Let’s return to the leader!]
As soon as Il-sal gave the order, the assassins turned and scattered into the air.
Kang Yeo-gu roared in anger, stomping the ground.
“Do you think I’ll let you leave so easily? What are you all standing around for? Capture them!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Dark Soul Hall martial artists responded and sprang into action.