Episode 361: Return to the Demon Sect
Churyang, sporting a fresh bruise around his eye, pouted and grumbled, “This is just too much.”
“You brought it on yourself,” Sabikang retorted.
“I was only trying to help you, Master!”
“If you’d helped any more, you’d be a eunuch by now.”
“But… are you really okay?” Churyang’s gaze drifted to Sabikang’s nether regions.
Sabikang shot him a glare. “And if I’m not? You planning to nurse me back to health?”
“Sorry, I won’t ask again,” Churyang mumbled, nodding his head. Sabikang sighed and glanced around the street.
“Anyway, that guy really played us for fools.”
“That guy…?”
“That Taoist, Murang. We ended up like that for two weeks because of his sorcery, didn’t we?”
“Oh… right. But if even you fell for it, Master, he must be quite formidable.”
“According to Jeongryugwang, his mastery of the Qimen Dunjia is unparalleled.”
“Still, shouldn’t we eat something first? We haven’t had a proper meal in two weeks, and I’m starving.”
“How can you think of food at a time like this?” Sabikang snapped, though his own stomach growled in agreement.
The two of them headed to the nearest inn.
“Welcome!” The innkeeper greeted them warmly.
“What’s the best thing you’ve got here?”
“Noodles! The broth is made from a rich meat stock, and it’s to die for.”
“Two bowls, then.”
“Right away! I’ll bring you the best noodles you’ve ever had!”
Soon, the innkeeper returned with two steaming bowls of noodles. The aroma was mouthwatering, and without a word, both men dug in.
Slurp!
“Wow! These noodles are amazing!” Churyang exclaimed, nodding in approval.
“Maybe it’s just because I’m hungry, but they really are good.”
“The noodles feel like they’re dancing in my mouth.”
“They slide down so smoothly.”
They devoured the noodles, praising the taste with every bite. Before long, they ordered another round.
“I could eat ten bowls of these noodles a day,” Churyang declared, and Sabikang nodded in agreement.
Then, as if remembering something, Sabikang called the innkeeper over.
“By the way, do you know anything about a Taoist named Murang?”
The innkeeper frowned and shook his head. “Can’t say I do. Never heard of him.”
“Really? I heard he was staying around here.”
The innkeeper paused, then turned back with a chilling expression. “Why don’t you just go back?”
“What did you say?” Sabikang asked, his eyebrows twitching.
“Just go back. You’re being a nuisance.”
“What the…?”
Suddenly, Sabikang felt the world around him blur. When he came to, he and Churyang were sitting on a rock at the village’s edge.
Churyang jumped up, horrified. “What the…?!”
He looked at the bowl in his hands, which was no longer filled with noodles but writhing worms.
“Ugh! Blegh!” Churyang doubled over, retching violently as pieces of worm spilled from his mouth.
Sabikang steadied himself with his inner energy, gritting his teeth. “That worm of a man tricked us again!”
“Master… let’s just go back. It seems he has no intention of becoming our instructor.”
Churyang, tears and snot streaming down his face, pleaded. But Sabikang was not about to give up.
If Murang had simply refused them face-to-face, he might have let it go. But now…
“There’s no way I’m backing down after this.”
With renewed determination, Sabikang looked down at the village below.
Churyang, still shaken, asked, “Master… are you going back?”
“Of course. Let’s see who wins this time.”
“But what if you fall for his tricks again?”
“Then I’ll find him, even if I have to destroy the entire village.”
“Wait, Master!”
Ignoring Churyang’s protests, Sabikang strode forward. But he hadn’t gone far when he stopped in his tracks.
Churyang’s voice, filled with surprise, called out, “Lady Maesellan?”
Sabikang turned to see Maesellan standing before the rock, panting as if she’d run a great distance.
“Thank goodness you haven’t entered the village yet.”
“What do you mean? And why are you here, Maesellan?”
As Sabikang approached, confused, Maesellan rushed to him, embracing him tightly.
“I’m so relieved. You mustn’t enter that village!”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Taoist you’re looking for, Murang, appeared in my dream. He warned me that you mustn’t enter the village.”
“Murang did?”
“Yes. He said he’d reveal himself to you when the time is right.”
“Is that really what he said?”
“Yes. But he warned that if you enter the village now, you might lose your life. I was so worried…”
“Hmm. I see.”
As Sabikang nodded, Maesellan kissed him.
“I was afraid of losing you.”
“Don’t worry. I’m strong.”
“But nothing is ever certain.”
“Maesellan…”
Sabikang smiled gently and kissed her back.
“Uh… Master?”
”…”
“Master!”
“What is it?”
Sabikang stopped kissing and turned around, annoyed.
Churyang scratched his head, looking utterly baffled. “Why have you been hugging and licking that tree?”
“What?”
“Is the tree… tasty?”
Sabikang spun around, only to find Maesellan gone, replaced by a withered old tree.
“Ugh, ptooey! Damn it! Murang!”
“Uh, what are you talking about?”
“Murang! That damn Taoist is toying with me!”
“Murang…? Who’s that?”
Sabikang answered irritably, “I told you! The one we’re looking for is Murang the Taoist!”
“That’s news to me.”
“What?”
Churyang tilted his head, puzzled. “You suddenly started hugging and licking a tree… What are you talking about?”
Sabikang felt a chill run down his spine. “How long have we been here?”
“Not even half an hour, I think?”
“Half an hour…? Then do you remember going to Honghwa Pavilion and falling for his tricks?”
“Honghwa Pavilion? Did you sneak off to a brothel without me, Master? That’s not fair!”
“Forget it. What about eating worms instead of noodles?”
“Ugh? Why would I eat worms? I heard they’re good for you, but I don’t want to try them.”
Sabikang looked like he’d been hit over the head. He grabbed Churyang by the shoulders and shouted, “Are you sure? That we haven’t been here for more than half an hour?”
“Ow, that hurts. What are you talking about? We just got here and took a break, remember?”
“Damn it! Murang! Murang!”
Sabikang gritted his teeth and glared down at the village below.
The visit to Honghwa Pavilion, the worm noodles—it was all an illusion!
Murang must have thought it was enough to deceive just Sabikang.
“I was completely fooled.”
Murang’s skills were beyond imagination.
But…
“You picked the wrong opponent, Murang!”
Sabikang clenched his jaw.
“Uh… are you okay?”
“Would you be okay if you almost became a eunuch?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Never mind. I’m going to destroy that village.”
“What? Destroy the village? What are you saying…?”
As Churyang looked on, bewildered, Sabikang marched forward.
Soon, he cast a levitation spell and soared into the night sky.
Then, his voice boomed across the heavens, “Murang, hear me! If you don’t show yourself now, I’ll burn the entire village of Dohyang to the ground!”
His voice, filled with power, echoed through the night, startling Churyang and the villagers, who rushed out into the streets.
They looked up at Sabikang in the sky, terrified.
“Oh my god, what is that?”
“A deity?”
Churyang couldn’t understand why Sabikang was acting this way.
“Suddenly hugging a tree and licking it, then talking about turning everything into a sea of fire? Master, this is too much!”
I always thought my master was hard to understand, but I never imagined he’d go this far.
Still, a part of me wondered, “Surely, he doesn’t really intend to turn the village into a sea of flames, does he?”
But Sabigang was dead serious.
He spoke up, his voice booming.
“Murang! I’ll take that as permission to erase the village!”
With a thunderous shout, Sabigang extended his left hand.
A fiery aura gathered around it.
“Volcano!”
As his powerful voice echoed, the ground split open, triggering an earthquake.
Rumble! Crack!
“Ahhh! An earthquake!”
“Everyone, be careful! It’s dangerous!”
“Oh my god, what’s happening all of a sudden?”
The villagers of Dohyang began to panic and scream.
Churyang bit his lip hard.
“Master! What on earth are you doing? No matter the goal, this isn’t the way!”
But Sabigang paid no heed to Churyang’s protests.
Finally, lava erupted from the cracked earth.
Sizzle! Roar!
“Ahhh!”
“Get out of the way! Aaaah!”
“Help, someone save us!”
Screams and cries filled the village.
But the lava that surged through the main street was relentless.
In an instant, it flooded the streets, engulfing buildings and incinerating people.
Everything the lava touched melted away in seconds.
“Oh my god…”
Churyang collapsed to the ground.
The Volcano spell Sabigang cast was no mere trick.
It was stark reality.
Churyang felt the searing heat on his face, his body trembling uncontrollably.
**
The village, consumed by lava, vanished without a trace.
Sabigang walked over the hardened lava, his gaze heavy as he surveyed the surroundings.
There were no survivors in sight.
Trailing behind him, Churyang asked in a somber voice.
“Did it really have to be this way?”
“Yes.”
“How can you say that so casually…!”
“Don’t make a fuss. No one died.”
“What? But the villagers who were screaming…”
“They were all toys. Created by Murang.”
“What do you mean…”
“That’s the proof.”
Sabigang pointed with his staff, Veritas, at a distant hut.
Astonishingly, while the entire village was swallowed by lava, the hut on the hillside remained untouched, as if by a miracle.
“Why is that place…?”
“What you see isn’t what it seems.”
“What do you mean, it’s not what it seems…?”
“Let’s find out what it really is.”
With a twisted smile, Sabigang strode forward.