Episode 476: Return of the Demon Sect Leader
“Leader?”
Sabi Kang furrowed his brow and called out softly to Neung Unpa.
The atmosphere in the hall was as tense as walking on thin ice.
Neung Unpa, who had been wearing a rigid expression, suddenly relaxed and let out a light sigh.
“My apologies. I was being overly sensitive.”
“Are you alright?”
Sabi Kang’s question elicited a faint smile from Neung Unpa.
“Everyone keeps asking if I’m okay. I’m fine, really. No need to worry.”
At this point, Uk Cheongpung spoke up again.
“You are the pillar of the martial world, Leader. Please don’t alarm this old man with unnecessary words.”
“Understood. Disregard what I said earlier.”
Neung Unpa pressed his temples with one hand, muttering, and Uk Cheongpung bowed slightly before stepping back.
Goo Yoon then spoke up.
“Do you have any ideas, Master Sabi Kang?”
Neung Unpa hesitated for a split second, but it was so brief that no one noticed.
Sabi Kang glanced around the hall before responding.
“In our current situation, where we couldn’t prevent the demons’ descent, our best course of action is to weaken their forces as much as possible.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“I’ve already taken appropriate measures.”
Sabi Kang’s response drew murmurs of admiration from the leaders present.
“Oh, as expected…”
“Truly the Demon-Slaying Hall.”
“What would we have done without Master Sabi Kang?”
Meanwhile, Uk Cheongpung discreetly observed the leader’s expression.
Though Neung Unpa maintained a stoic face, only Uk Cheongpung could sense the occasional chill in his gaze.
‘Leader…’
He felt a pang of sympathy but remained silent, knowing there was nothing he could do at the moment.
Sabi Kang continued.
“We’ve managed to recover many of the demonic tools they sent ahead. However, they’ll undoubtedly find other ways to expand their power.”
“Then what should our main sect do?”
“First, our hall will take the lead in countering the demons. Meanwhile, the main sect should continue to attack the summoning sites to weaken their strength. They won’t stop their terraforming. If it continues, the unchallenged summoning sites will become demonized.”
“Demonized… What does that mean?”
“Monsters that have only existed within the summoning sites will start pouring out.”
“What…!”
The hall buzzed with unease once more.
Uk Cheongpung asked with a worried expression.
“Does that mean the monsters from the summoning sites could attack civilian areas?”
“Yes.”
Sabi Kang’s words cast a heavy silence over the hall.
It was nothing short of a crisis for humanity.
Goo Yoon cautiously addressed Neung Unpa.
“Shouldn’t we inform the imperial palace when it gets to that point?”
Neung Unpa frowned slightly.
“Why? Do you think our sect alone can’t handle the demons?”
“That’s not what I meant. It’s just…”
“What could the imperial palace do? They’d likely blame us for failing to manage the martial world. They’re more accustomed to politics than heroics.”
Goo Yoon couldn’t argue with that.
The imperial palace would likely remain passive unless directly threatened, and might even hold the sect accountable.
Moreover, they might use this as an excuse to interfere in various ways.
The centuries-old non-aggression pact could be broken.
Not only the leader but many of the senior members opposed informing the palace.
They preferred waiting for the palace to request the sect’s cooperation.
After observing the atmosphere, Sabi Kang spoke up.
“First, I’ll establish a base for our hall in a suitable location…”
“Is that really necessary?”
Unexpectedly, it was Chang Shindan’s leader, Lee Jajun, who interrupted.
As all eyes turned to him, Lee Jajun continued calmly.
“With many of our warriors fallen, this vast estate is practically empty. Setting up the Demon-Slaying Hall elsewhere would be a waste. Besides, if the hall is isolated, communication with the main sect will be difficult. Wouldn’t it be better for the hall to remain here?”
His words were polite, but the implication was clear.
It was as if the hall had been acting independently of the main sect.
Neung Unpa nodded and said,
“Lee Jajun makes a valid point. Master Sabi Kang, it would be wise to stay here and reorganize your forces. Report to me if anything arises.”
Though his tone was gentle, it was clear he intended for the hall to remain under the main sect’s watchful eye.
Sabi Kang looked at Neung Unpa for a moment before nodding.
“Understood. I’ll stay with the main sect for now…”
“Not just for now, but indefinitely.”
Neung Unpa’s expression left no room for argument.
Sabi Kang nodded.
“Very well.”
**
In a forest near Toisan.
“Brother, at this rate, we’ll be rich in no time!”
A man with a gaunt face and a long scar on his cheek, Oh Yoguang, grinned widely.
He was counting the silver coins in his pocket.
Seventy-two taels in total.
A hefty sum indeed!
Oh Yoguang discreetly pocketed two taels for himself before turning to his companion.
“Seventy taels in total, brother.”
“Huff, huff, huff… Seventy? Did you say seventy? Huff! Huff!”
The man referred to as “brother,” Son Heojeong, panted heavily as he asked.
The gaunt man replied.
“Yes, seventy taels of silver. Hehe.”
“Damn! We’ve hit the jackpot! Huff, huff…”
Son Heojeong continued to pant as he assaulted a woman.
The woman seemed to have lost her mind, offering no resistance and staring blankly into space.
Beside her lay a man, presumably her husband, dead with his stomach slit open.
“Huff, huff, huff…!”
Son Heojeong, drenched in sweat, kept moving his hips.
The gaunt man, now anxious, looked around and spoke.
“Brother, hurry up. When’s it my turn?”
“Hold on, you little punk. I’ve been starving for this.”
“By the way, this spot is a goldmine. I heard the Black Twin Demons used to be here, but they’re nowhere to be seen now. We could settle here.”
“Huff, huff, we should! We’ll take over this place!”
“Let’s come up with a catchy nickname. The martial alliance is too busy dealing with monsters and whatnot to bother with us. Hehe.”
In the past, they would have been captured and interrogated by the martial alliance.
They were once martial artists working as escorts in a security bureau in Guangdong.
But after getting drunk and assaulting and killing a maid from the bureau, they had fled here.
Son Heojeong panted and muttered.
“A nickname…”
“What should it be?”
“You idiot, obviously the Black Twin Demons.”
“Huh?”
“With the real Black Twin Demons gone, we should take up their name!”
“Oh! You’re a genius, brother!”
“Hehehe. Huff, huff! You just now… Aagh!”
The man screamed and glared at the woman beneath him.
She had regained her senses and was glaring back fiercely, shouting.
“Just kill me, you bastards!”
“You crazy bitch…!”
In a fit of rage, Son Heojeong raised his fist and brought it down hard.
Thud!
The woman died instantly, unable to utter a single scream.
“Oh no… Brother! What about me?”
“Damn it. Sorry about that. The little bug dared to bite my shoulder…”
“Are you alright?”
Oh Yoguang asked, looking at Son Heojeong’s shoulder.
At some point, the woman had bitten him.
There were teeth marks and a bit of blood, but it didn’t seem too serious.
“It’s nothing. Just annoying.”
Son Heojeong grumbled as he adjusted his pants.
Oh Yoguang quickly climbed a tree to scout the area.
“Hey! Someone’s coming!”
“This place really is a goldmine. Do they look wealthy?”
“Hmm… Their attire is unique. But it’s clean, like expensive clothes.”
“How many?”
“Uh… Just one. What should we do? Ambush?”
“Of course.”
“Got it!”
Oh Yoguang leapt down from the tree.
The two men hid in the bushes, suppressing their presence as much as possible.
Finally, a man walked down the path.
He was quite tall, but didn’t seem to be a martial artist.
‘Indeed. He looks well-off. But… is he a Westerner?’
His appearance didn’t match that of a local.
And this wasn’t a region close to the West, so the two men were puzzled.
As the stranger approached,
“Stop right there!”
Son Heojeong and Oh Yoguang shouted sharply, blocking his path.
A man who appeared to be from the Western regions stopped abruptly, glancing back and forth between Son Heojeong and Oh Yoguang.
“Hey, I don’t know if you understand our language, but if you’ve got anything on you, leave it here. That’s the rule around these parts.”
“An interesting rule.”
To their surprise, the Westerner spoke the language of the Central Plains with perfect clarity.
Son Heojeong and Oh Yoguang’s eyes widened in shock, and the Westerner chuckled softly as he resumed walking.
“Don’t be so surprised. Just follow the rules, and you’ll be fine.”
“Hey, what the hell are you talking about? Where do you think you’re going without permission…?”
Son Heojeong reached out to grab the man’s shoulder.
Swoosh!
As the Westerner turned, his hand sliced through the air, leaving a trail of light in its wake.
Slash! Slash!
A chilling sound of flesh being cut.
Son Heojeong felt something trickling down his neck.
As he slowly raised his hand to touch it,
Thud, roll…!
His wide-eyed head hit the ground, and blood gushed from the severed neck like a fountain.
Beside him, Oh Yoguang screamed and tried to flee.
It was pure instinct.
But as he twisted his body,
Slip.
“Aaaah!”
He watched in horror as his upper body slid off his lower half.
Completely severed, he writhed in agony, screaming.
The Westerner turned his palm toward Oh Yoguang’s head.
In the next instant,
Whirr!
Thud, thud, thud!
A flurry of razor-sharp winds sliced through the air, shattering Oh Yoguang’s head into pieces.
The Westerner glanced at Son Heojeong’s head with disdain.
“How dare a mere insect touch my shoulder…”
He brushed off his shoulder with a flick of his hand and turned away.
“At least with the Demon King descending, it’s convenient to understand the human chatter.”
He continued walking, his footsteps echoing as he disappeared into the solid rock of the Toyisan cliff.
It was the very place where Sabigang had once obtained the Dragon Heart.
Navigating the complex cave system with ease, he moved along the cliff until he reached the spot where the peak had burst open.
In the clearing, a chest awaited him.
“Found it.”
With a smirk, he slowly lifted the lid of the chest, expecting to find the pulsating Dragon Heart within.
But then…
“Ugh…!”
His face turned pale as he quickly averted his gaze.
Stumbling back, he stared in disbelief at the contents of the chest.
“What… what is this…?”
Instead of the powerful, throbbing Dragon Heart, there lay something else, reeking and carefully preserved.
It was Sabigang’s dung.