Episode 512: Return to the Demon Sect
Sabikang pulled a scroll from his robe and tossed it to Maeseollan.
Catching it mid-air, Maeseollan unfurled the scroll, revealing a script written in the indecipherable language of the demon realm. He had seen something similar before and had a rough idea of its purpose.
“This is… one of those scrolls that lets you use magic when you tear it, right?”
“Exactly. We call it a ‘magic scroll.’”
“A magic scroll…”
“When you tear a magic scroll, the spell inscribed on it activates automatically. We’ve been collecting and storing most of the magic scrolls sent by the demons.”
“Ah! So, does that mean there’s a teleportation scroll too?”
Maeseollan’s eyes lit up with realization, and Sabikang nodded.
“Yes, there is a teleportation scroll. However, teleportation is a high-circle spell, so the scroll is extremely rare.”
Maeseollan exclaimed with excitement, “Then we can use the teleportation scroll!”
“That’s the plan.”
“Oh, thank goodness. That solves our problem for now.”
But Sabikang shook his head.
“The problem is, we don’t have that scroll.”
“What? I thought you said you were collecting most of the scrolls.”
“Yes, but…”
Sabikang’s expression grew serious, and Maeseollan, noticing the change, asked with a somber look, “So, the teleportation scroll is missing?”
“Correct. We haven’t found a single teleportation scroll yet.”
Even with his past life’s memories, Sabikang had no information on where the demons might have sent the teleportation scrolls. They had searched everywhere but to no avail.
Maeseollan, sensing Sabikang’s unease, asked cautiously, “Could someone else have taken it?”
“Possibly.”
“Who could it be? So far, only you, the Hao Clan, and the Demon Sect have been collecting magical artifacts. Could the Demon Sect have found it?”
“Unlikely. If they had, they would have been much more aggressive.”
In his past life, the Demon Sect had been unpredictable, striking from all directions. This time, however, they were advancing methodically from the west, clearly avoiding unnecessary risks.
Maeseollan pondered, resting his chin on his hand. “Could the Hao Clan have kept some scrolls for themselves, including the teleportation scroll?”
“That doesn’t make sense either. The Hao Clan leader and Jeong Ryugwang have been very cooperative. They know the demons are a threat to them too. They allied with me to avoid being wiped out by the Demon Sect. Why would they risk hiding something so dangerous?”
“Just speculation, then.”
“But… there is one more person.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone else who was collecting artifacts.”
“Who?”
Sabikang was about to answer when the door suddenly burst open with a loud crash.
In the darkness, a shadowy figure silently descended, standing with its back to Sabikang and Maeseollan. They turned in surprise to see a man staggering through the doorway.
“Gu… Gangryong?”
Gasping for breath, Gu Gangryong stumbled forward and collapsed to his knees. His hair was matted with blood, his clothes torn, and his body covered in cuts. His arms trembled, and his breathing was ragged.
He managed to speak to the three astonished people before him. “Seung-ah… Gi-seung is… alive!”
With those final words, he closed his eyes and fell to the ground, as if his task was finally complete.
Maeseollan rushed to check his pulse. “He’s still alive!”
Sabikang quickly retrieved a healing potion and poured it into Gu Gangryong’s mouth, then applied the rest to his wounds.
**
In a dimly lit room, moonlight streamed through a crack, partially illuminating a man’s face. Though only his lower face was visible, the air was thick with his anger.
Before him, a warrior knelt, trembling slightly. Behind him, five more warriors lay prostrate.
The foremost warrior shouted, “I’m sorry! It seems he entered the Demon Palace!”
Bang!
The man slammed his fist on the table, shattering it. The kneeling warrior flinched and bowed his head even lower.
“You couldn’t even handle that?” the man roared.
“I’ll take responsibility with my life!”
Suddenly, the warrior sprang up, drew a dagger from his robe, and plunged it into his own neck.
Thud!
As he pulled the dagger out, blood spurted like a fountain.
Swoosh!
The other warriors followed suit, drawing their daggers and shouting, “We’ll take responsibility with our lives!”
Thud, thud, thud…!
Swoosh!
In an instant, the six warriors had taken their own lives, leaving the room reeking of blood.
The man’s face twisted in disgust. “Pathetic fools! Can’t even distinguish between responsibility and cowardice! Damn it!”
He walked over to a wall, donned a bamboo hat, and rummaged through his robe, pulling out a pristine scroll.
In the next moment,
Rip!
He tore the scroll, and astonishingly, his figure vanished from the room.
**
In a decrepit shrine deep in the mountains, the atmosphere was eerie, as if it might collapse at any moment. The place was deserted, overgrown with weeds and vines.
Yet, something strange was happening inside the shrine.
Whoosh…!
A faint breeze seemed to blow, and suddenly, a figure appeared in the center of the shrine.
The man, wearing a bamboo hat, glanced around and murmured, “Nothing unusual?”
Though no one was visible, a voice answered from the void, “Aside from that incident, nothing yet.”
The man clicked his tongue in irritation, clearly referring to Gu Gangryong’s escape.
He walked to the shrine’s wall and tapped it with his fist. The wall spun around, revealing a dark passageway with stairs leading down.
Though it seemed like a simple tap, the wall’s rotation was triggered by a precise mechanism, activated only by a specific amount of force.
Descending the stairs, he reached a heavy iron door. Opening it, he entered a spacious cavern.
In the center lay a man, Ong Gi-seung, while an elderly man with a pockmarked face busily inserted acupuncture needles into various points on Ong Gi-seung’s body.
So focused was the old man that he didn’t notice the newcomer’s arrival.
“Ahem!”
The man cleared his throat, and the old man flinched, turning around.
“You’re here?”
The old man quickly bowed and approached.
The man bypassed him and walked over to Ong Gi-seung.
“Is it not done yet?”
“I’m sorry. I’m doing my best, but the demon soul refuses to move.”
The old man bowed his head, and the man looked down at Ong Gi-seung in silence.
The tattoos covering Ong Gi-seung’s body writhed continuously, as if they were living creatures.
The old man explained further, “The tattoos change with the demon soul’s energy. Once the demon soul is extracted, the tattoos will disappear.”
“And it won’t leave his body?”
“Correct. I’m making continuous attempts, so I expect results soon.”
“And there’s no chance of him waking up before then?”
“None. Even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to expel the demon soul in his current state.”
The man nodded. “We need to hurry.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“But we need to relocate first.”
The old man looked up at him. “Relocate? Where to?”
“This place has been compromised. We can’t continue here.”
“Then where…?”
The man paused in thought before speaking. “Somewhere I can reach quickly in an emergency. Better to be safe than sorry.”
He turned and left through the iron door, the old man bowing respectfully as he departed.
Once alone, the old man turned back to Ong Gi-seung, whose tattoos continued their restless dance.
After a moment, the old man tilted his head back, his eyes rolling white, and began chanting an incantation in an incomprehensible language.
**
Yet, something strange was happening inside the shrine.
Whoosh…!
A gentle breeze seemed to stir, and then, as if by magic, a figure appeared in the center of the shrine.
A man with a deeply pulled-down bamboo hat.
He glanced around and murmured softly, “Nothing unusual happened?”
Who was he speaking to?
Though there was no sign of anyone else, a voice emerged from the void.
“Nothing, except for that incident.”
The man in the bamboo hat clicked his tongue in irritation. The “incident” likely referred to Gu Gangryong.
He walked over to the shrine’s wall and gave it a light punch. To his surprise, the wall spun around, revealing a dark space with a staircase leading down.
Though it seemed like a casual punch, the wall’s rotation was triggered by a highly intricate mechanism, activated only by a precise amount of force.
Descending the stairs, he encountered a heavy iron door. Opening it, he stepped into a spacious cavern.
In the center lay a man, Ong Gi-seung, quietly resting. Beside him, an elderly man with a pockmarked face was busily inserting acupuncture needles into various parts of Ong Gi-seung’s body, so focused that he didn’t notice the newcomer’s arrival.
“Ahem!” The man in the bamboo hat cleared his throat, causing the old man to flinch and turn around.
“You’re here?”
The old man quickly bowed and shuffled over. The man in the bamboo hat bypassed him and approached Ong Gi-seung.
“Is it still not working?”
“I’m sorry. I’m doing my best, but the spirit refuses to budge,” the old man replied, bowing his head. The man in the bamboo hat sighed and looked down at Ong Gi-seung.
The tattoos covering Ong Gi-seung’s body writhed and shifted incessantly, as if they were living creatures parasitizing his skin.
The old man added, “The tattoos change with the spirit’s energy. Once the spirit is extracted, the tattoos will disappear.”
“And it won’t leave his body?”
“Correct. We’re continuing our efforts, and I expect results soon.”
“And the chances of him waking up before then?”
“None. Even if he does, he won’t be able to expel the spirit in his current state.”
The man in the bamboo hat nodded. “We need to hurry.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“We should relocate before that.”
The old man looked up at him. “Relocate, you say…?”
“This place has been compromised. We can’t continue here.”
“Then where…?”
After a long silence, the man in the bamboo hat spoke. “Somewhere I can reach quickly if needed. Better that than being unable to act.”
He turned and exited through the iron door. The old man bowed respectfully to his retreating figure.
Once the man was gone, the old man slowly turned back to Ong Gi-seung. The tattoos on Ong Gi-seung’s body continued their chaotic dance.
After a moment, the old man tilted his head back, his eyes rolling white, and began to chant an incomprehensible incantation.