Episode 354: Return to the Demonic Sect
Lee Hyo, the master of the Honcheon Hall, glared at Chu Hee-ryong with eyes wide open, his gaze turbulent with emotion.
He glanced down at the sword piercing his core, then grabbed Chu Hee-ryong’s hand, which held the weapon.
He squeezed so hard that the veins on the back of his hand looked ready to burst.
“Chu… Master Chu! Why are you doing this…?”
“I’m sorry. It’s nothing personal,” Chu Hee-ryong replied with a somber expression.
Lee Hyo, blood staining his lips, shouted, “Master Chu! Why betray our sect? Why would you do this?”
Chu Hee-ryong frowned slightly. “Betrayal, you say…”
With a firm pull, he withdrew the sword from Lee Hyo’s core.
“Aaaargh!”
Lee Hyo screamed, collapsing to his knees.
Chu Hee-ryong wiped the bloodied blade on Lee Hyo’s head.
“This isn’t betrayal. It’s renewal.”
Satisfied with the gleaming blade, Chu Hee-ryong sheathed it.
Lee Hyo coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground.
With his core shattered, even if he survived, he would never wield martial arts again.
Understanding this better than anyone, Lee Hyo cast one last murderous glare at Chu Hee-ryong before severing his own life force, choosing death.
Chu Hee-ryong turned his gaze to the distance.
He saw a figure, the Green-Faced Man, collapsing.
Unable to withstand the Heavenly Destruction Squad’s techniques, he was falling.
‘Is that the organization that Sabikang trained within the Justice Alliance? Are they planning to capture the Green-Faced Man alive?’
The Heavenly Destruction Squad is stronger than I thought.
With these thoughts, Chu Hee-ryong surveyed the Honcheon Hall warriors before him.
Those who had followed Lee Hyo flinched and retreated.
Chu Hee-ryong pointed towards the Western Plains.
“If you have eyes, you can see it. The moment of death. Our sect has already lost this war. Even the leader can no longer intervene. Decide now. Will you rot here as fertilizer for renewal, or will you sprout anew?”
As Chu Hee-ryong took a step forward, the warriors stumbled back.
Finally, one of them dropped his sword.
Clang.
He raised his hand.
“I will follow you, Master Chu.”
Chu Hee-ryong nodded with a faint smile.
“Good. You are reborn with me now.”
One by one, others dropped their swords and declared their surrender.
In an instant, dozens of warriors surrendered, and Chu Hee-ryong approached them with a pleased smile.
But then…
“Gasp!”
Suddenly, they turned pale and backed away.
Chu Hee-ryong tried to reassure them.
“Don’t worry. I don’t harm those who surrender…”
He trailed off, realizing something was amiss.
Their eyes were fixed not on him, but on something behind him.
Turning slightly, Chu Hee-ryong saw Sabikang approaching.
“Oh, Instructor Sabikang!”
Chu Hee-ryong greeted him warmly.
But Sabikang, upon seeing Chu Hee-ryong, spoke coldly.
“Where is the leader?”
‘Speaking so informally…’
Chu Hee-ryong frowned slightly.
But Sabikang’s eyes were too fierce, like those of a starving beast, to argue over such matters.
As Chu Hee-ryong hesitated, unsure of how to respond, one of his subordinates, oblivious to the tension, stepped forward and shouted.
“How dare you be rude to Master Chu! Show some respect…”
Thud!
“Ugh!”
With a single punch from Sabikang, the subordinate flew back, tumbling to the ground.
“Ugh…”
Chu Hee-ryong, feeling uneasy, could do nothing more.
‘Damn, now that our sect has lost, there’s nothing to hold back.’
Though he was displeased, he had no choice.
His fate, having betrayed the Blood Demon Sect, now lay in Sabikang’s hands.
“Where is the leader?”
Sabikang asked again, irritation in his voice.
Chu Hee-ryong, not wanting to delay any longer, answered.
“On that hill over there.”
He pointed to the southeastern hill, where the Western Plains began.
Sabikang nodded, and Chu Hee-ryong added.
“I plan to find General Ryu. I value his abilities and intend to make good use of him…”
Chu Hee-ryong couldn’t finish his sentence.
Sabikang had already walked past him, heading away.
**
Dawn was breaking.
The shadow of the leader stretched long as he watched the battlefield from the hill.
His eyes were calm.
The war that raged through the night felt like a dream.
When he led the forces from the Demon Sect, he was confident of victory.
He thought dealing with the Demon Sect would be a challenge.
But the outcome was the opposite.
The mysterious creatures were all defeated by the undead summoned by Sabikang, and the remaining forces were overwhelmed by the Justice Alliance warriors, signaling defeat.
Moreover…
“Master Chu…”
Chu Hee-ryong had betrayed them.
His actions were not impulsive.
He must have been planning this for a long time.
Where did it all go wrong?
‘Is that… Sabikang?’
He saw a man approaching from a distance.
It was Sabikang.
Perhaps everything started to go awry when he brought Sabikang into the Blood Demon Sect.
When he tried to extract the innate demonic energy from Ong Gi-seung, wasn’t Sabikang at the Black Cloud Castle?
Why didn’t he realize it then?
Failing to secure the innate demonic energy wasn’t due to the demonic aura, but because of Sabikang!
No, seeing his unbelievable actions today, it must have been Sabikang’s influence.
‘The Heavenly Outsider…’
A faint sigh escaped Heomuguk’s lips.
Judging by Chu Hee-ryong’s reaction, he had already aligned himself with Sabikang.
“Leader… perhaps we should move…”
Heuk-hyo, who had appeared beside him, suggested quietly.
But Heomuguk shook his head.
Sabikang’s presence, approaching step by step, was overwhelming.
He knew.
Even if he tried to escape now, he couldn’t get away from Sabikang.
Already, countless warriors stood in Sabikang’s path, but they couldn’t last even a second.
With a single wave of his hand, Sabikang sent those blocking him flying like fallen leaves.
‘Is this the end…?’
It felt like just yesterday he had ambitions to dominate the martial world.
Looking back, wasn’t it all too short and futile?
What had he been striving for all this time?
Yet, he had no regrets.
He only lamented the unfulfilled dream.
Even if he survived, how long would it take to build such power again?
But one thing was certain.
He wouldn’t die here.
He had a trump card.
He would survive, no matter what.
As he took a deep breath, he saw others running towards him from afar.
One was a man, the other a woman.
It was Churyang and…
‘Hongmyo…?’
Heomuguk squinted, enhancing his vision to confirm.
It was indeed Hongmyo.
‘So she survived.’
A mix of relief and frustration washed over him.
Heomuguk turned one last time to look at the southern hill.
Where Ryu Yeo-jung was.
The mastermind behind all these plans.
It was thanks to him that the Blood Demon Sect had come this far.
Ryu Yeo-jung stood up and bowed towards Heomuguk.
A gesture of apology for the defeat.
But Heomuguk knew.
It wasn’t the general’s fault.
The course and outcome of today’s battle were beyond even the foresight of the legendary genius, Gu Yun.
If anyone had anticipated it…
‘It would be Sabikang, and him alone.’
Sabikang had now reached the base of the hill.
Over a hundred warriors still stood in his way.
Sabikang’s voice rang out.
[Isn’t it time you stepped forward yourself?]
Sound Transmission.
While transmitting voice through energy was one thing, Sound Transmission involved vibrating the energy itself to convey sound.
It was a much more advanced technique in energy manipulation.
Heomuguk chuckled and looked at Heuk-hyo.
“Heuk-hyo.”
“Yes, Leader!”
Heuk-hyo responded with a determined expression.
He was resolved to fight to the death by his master’s side.
Understanding his loyalty, Heomuguk patted his shoulder.
“I will never forget your loyalty, even in death.”
“Please don’t say such things… Ugh!”
Heuk-hyo couldn’t finish his sentence.
Suddenly, a powerful electric current surged through his body.
Unable to even scream, he convulsed violently.
Simultaneously, his body began to char and wither, his skin clinging to his bones.
In contrast, the veins on Heomuguk’s hand, which gripped Heuk-hyo’s shoulder, bulged as if they might burst.
He was absorbing all of Heuk-hyo’s internal energy.
Thunderous Absorption Technique!
In his final moments, Heukhyo, who had once trusted his master, collapsed like a withered old tree, his eyes wide open in disbelief.
Thud!
“Haaah!”
Heomugeuk absorbed the energy he had taken in, circulating it through his body until it was fully assimilated.
Meanwhile, his subordinates, who had witnessed the process, hesitated and stepped back. They had pledged their lives for their leader, but they didn’t want to be used like that.
But as soon as Heomugeuk spread his arms wide,
“Gasp!”
“Ahhh!”
The warriors around him were drawn to his hands like metal to a magnet.
Crackle!
“Aaargh!”
Snap!
“Screams echoed as each warrior fell, turning into withered husks.
Heomugeuk continued to absorb their energy without hesitation. Once he had drained the life force from all the nearby subordinates, he exhaled, a dark aura swirling around him.
“Haaah!”
A strange energy emanated from his entire body like a shimmering haze. His shirt, scorched black from using the Thunder Devouring Technique repeatedly, revealed his now larger, more muscular physique.
By then, Sabigang had approached, leaving only a few paces between them.
Sabigang chuckled.
“Seems like I’ve seen a lot of monsters devouring their own kind today.”
“Sabigang… I underestimated you.”
“So, do you respect me a little now?”
“Still spouting nonsense, I see.”
“That’s my charm.”
Heomugeuk let out a small laugh and slowly drew his sword. His entire body seemed to darken, swelling as a fierce aura radiated outward.
Whoooosh!
The oppressive energy caused even the hardy winter plants to wither.
A dark energy gathered on the blade of Heomugeuk’s sword. He exhaled a white breath and spoke.
“This will be a long fight.”
“That’s what you think.”
Sabigang shrugged, not even bothering to draw his sword.
Heomugeuk wasn’t provoked. If his opponent was careless, he saw no need to warn him. Nor was he afraid. He had absorbed the energy of his most loyal subordinate, Heukhyo, and more. He had killed and drained the energy of the warriors who had guarded him and those who had stood against Sabigang.
In other words, Heomugeuk was stronger than ever.
“Face my blade!”
Heomugeuk shouted, launching himself forward. There was no reason to hold back the first strike, especially with his wariness of Sabigang.
But then…
Thunk!
“What…?”
Heomugeuk stared at Sabigang, eyes wide in disbelief. He couldn’t comprehend what had happened. He had charged at Sabigang, sword ready to strike…
Yet his sword pierced only air, while Sabigang’s blade had somehow found its way deep into his chest.
Sabigang’s breath brushed against him.
“I told you, that’s just what you think. Long fights aren’t much fun, as it turns out.”