Chapter 517: The Return of the Demon Sect Leader
The old man, drenched in cold sweat, finally managed to speak.
“Master, that’s exactly why I’m hesitating. If I make a mistake and you never wake up, I’ll be trapped here forever. We should proceed more cautiously…”
“I never waste time when I act. Stake something else. If you have nothing else, then stake your life.”
“Master…”
Chu Hui-ryong was unwavering.
This chamber was buried five levels deep beneath the rear garden of the Sect Leader’s Hall.
There was no entrance.
A fortune had been spent to make it soundproof and vibration-proof.
The secrecy was so absolute that only he, Ja-gwi, and the old man knew of this place.
Everyone involved in the construction and design had been eliminated.
If he were to die during the ritual, there would be no one to free the old man.
The frail old man, lacking martial skills, had no way to escape this place alone.
Well, there was one way.
But Chu Hui-ryong intended to eliminate even that last option.
He pulled out a teleportation scroll from his robe and spoke.
“Do you know what this is?”
“I-I don’t.”
“It’s a scroll that allows teleportation. Believe it or not, I only brought this one with me today. Your only way out is to use this, or for me to let you out.”
“Master, please…”
With a flicker, the teleportation scroll in Chu Hui-ryong’s hand burst into flames.
Using the technique of Sammae Jinwha, he incinerated the entire scroll.
Chu Hui-ryong smirked.
“Now there’s no way out. Of course, with my level of martial arts, I could break through these walls and dig my way to the surface. But you can’t. Choose. Will you implant the Demon Soul in me, or die by my hand here?”
A murderous aura emanated from Chu Hui-ryong.
He had no intention of delaying any longer.
“Master, please calm down…”
“So, you’ve chosen a glorious death. I’ll find another sorcerer.”
Chu Hui-ryong raised his hand.
At that moment!
BOOM! CRASH!
A thunderous noise shook the ground and ceiling as if an earthquake had struck.
Startled by the sudden commotion, Chu Hui-ryong looked around.
‘What is this?’
His gaze fell on the old man, who seemed oddly relieved.
“You! What is happening here?”
When Chu Hui-ryong shouted, sensing something amiss, the old man responded with an unusually cold smile.
“Why ask me about what’s happening in your own backyard?”
“What? Have you lost your mind, old man?”
Chu Hui-ryong yelled, thrusting his palm forward.
Even a skilled fighter would struggle to survive a direct hit from that strike.
But just before it landed on the old man’s face,
CLANG!
A translucent barrier appeared, and the old man leaped back.
A shield.
Seeing this, Chu Hui-ryong’s eyes widened in fury.
“You! You’re a Demon Sect follower!”
“Heh, you should have done a thorough investigation.”
“Hmph! I’ll kill you right here!”
Chu Hui-ryong lunged at the old man with incredible speed.
Startled by the unexpected swiftness, the old man dodged to the side.
“Ugh!”
CLANG!
Chu Hui-ryong’s sword clashed against the wall, sparking with a metallic sound.
‘He’s better than I thought!’
The old man retreated, adjusting his stance.
Seeing this, Chu Hui-ryong frowned.
‘He’s mastered the Demon Arts!’
The old man had been hiding his mastery of the Demon Arts all along.
Chu Hui-ryong, unfamiliar with the energy known as ‘mana,’ couldn’t gauge the old man’s martial prowess.
As the two sized each other up, the old man’s gaze flicked to Ong Gi-seung.
In a split second,
SWOOSH!
Chu Hui-ryong launched himself forward.
WHOOSH!
A streak of light shot toward the old man’s chest with terrifying speed.
“Shield!”
The old man shouted, and a translucent barrier appeared in front of him.
CRACK!
The shield shattered, and Chu Hui-ryong staggered back.
But he was still the leader of the Blood Demon Sect.
Chu Hui-ryong’s martial prowess was far greater than the old man had anticipated.
SWISH!
He quickly regained his balance and swung his sword.
WHOOSH!
Seeing the horizontal slash, the old man sensed death approaching.
‘Damn, I was careless!’
He had underestimated Chu Hui-ryong, who had taken over after the fall of Heo Mu-geuk.
Just as the streak of light was about to sever his neck,
BOOM!
Another deafening explosion shook the earth.
The streak of light faltered, its path disrupted.
The old man seized the moment.
He ducked low and thrust his palm forward, shouting.
“Flame Art!”
WHOOSH, BOOM!
“Ugh!”
Chu Hui-ryong gritted his teeth and retreated.
The hem of his robe was scorched to ashes.
“Damn it…!”
Chu Hui-ryong cursed, channeling his energy as a fierce aura enveloped him, burning away the tattered remains of his robe.
His muscular torso was exposed.
“Old man… you’re making me angry!”
At that moment,
“Then you’ve done your job well.”
A young girl’s voice suddenly came from behind him.
Chu Hui-ryong turned slightly, and the old man knelt, bowing his head.
“Greetings, Your Highness!”
“Well done, Elder Huang.”
The girl, addressed as ‘Your Highness,’ looked at Chu Hui-ryong with a calm gaze.
Chu Hui-ryong instinctively knew.
This opponent was not to be underestimated.
Moreover, behind the girl called ‘Your Highness’ stood knights in black armor and helmets, exuding an overwhelming presence.
“Are you the Blood Demon Sect Leader?”
**
Sabi-gang, alternating between Blink and Heavenly Heart Steps, shivered at the distant explosion.
‘What was that?’
The explosion was no ordinary sound.
Judging by the direction, it was definitely the Blood Demon Sect!
Something was happening.
SWOOSH!
Sabi-gang’s form vanished, reappearing far away in an instant.
He moved with the speed of an arrow, reaching the Blood Demon Sect’s main gate.
CLANG! CRASH! BOOM!
Inside the sect, the sounds of clashing weapons, shouts, and destruction echoed chaotically.
The guards at the gate were nowhere to be seen, likely having gone to assist.
Something serious was definitely happening.
It might even involve Ong Gi-seung, Sabi-gang thought, feeling anxious.
SWOOSH!
He leaped onto the roof of a pavilion.
Sure enough, he saw many sect members moving along the rooftops.
Someone spotted Sabi-gang and shouted.
“Hey! Who’s there?”
WHOOSH!
But instead of answering, Sabi-gang slipped past them using Heavenly Heart Steps.
WHOOSH!
All that remained in his wake was a gust of wind.
“Huh…?”
The sect members, seeing Sabi-gang vanish, looked around in bewilderment.
“What was that?”
It felt like they had seen a ghost.
Then, someone shouted from a distance.
“There! Over there!”
The sect members turned to see Sabi-gang heading straight for the Sect Leader’s Hall.
They were about to give chase when someone stopped them.
“Hold!”
The sect members turned to see Wolseom Hall Master So Cheon-ak, who spoke while watching Sabi-gang.
“That’s Lord Sabi-gang. He’s not an enemy, so there’s no need to pursue.”
Only then did the sect members relax.
Meanwhile, Sabi-gang reached the roof of the Sect Leader’s Hall in the blink of an eye.
Already, skilled archers were there, bows drawn, aiming at someone, while martial artists with hidden weapons stood ready to attack.
Among them, the leader of the Light Kill Squad, Hyeon Mu-ryong, recognized Sabi-gang and exclaimed in surprise.
“You…!”
[Shh. Just tell me what’s happening.]
Sabi-gang cautioned him with a whisper, and Hyeon Mu-ryong, calming down, reported back in a whisper.
[An unidentified girl has infiltrated the rear garden of the Sect Leader’s Hall.]
[A girl…?]
[Yes, accompanied by what appear to be demon knights. Judging by her martial prowess, she might be someone who has reversed her age.]
‘Could it be the Princess…?’
Sabi-gang peered through the archers to look down at the garden.
Indeed, many sect members lay sprawled, bloodied and motionless.
To the left stood ten demon knights, the girl, and the old man, while to the right was a somewhat weary-looking Chu Hui-ryong and his bodyguards.
And the person Chu Hui-ryong held hostage.
It was the unconscious Ong Gi-seung.
‘As expected…’
The ground on one side of the garden was freshly dug, as if they had just emerged from below.
‘Did the Princess dig that out?’
The deafening noise they heard on their way here must have been caused by that gaping hole.
Zonya stared intently at Chu Hui-ryong and spoke.
“Hand over the kid quietly, and we’ll leave without causing any trouble.”
“Why don’t you just leave quietly? Then I won’t have to do anything to this one.”
Zonya let out a small laugh.
“Do you really expect me to believe that?”
“I could ask you the same. Do you expect me to believe your words?”
“It seems we have no choice. If it’s a fight you want…”
Zonya raised a hand, signaling her men.
As the Black Knights began to step forward,
Clang!
Chu Hui-ryong drew his sword and pressed it close to Ong Gi-seung’s neck.
“Take one more step, and this one dies, and so do you.”
“Go ahead.”
Zonya shrugged, as if it didn’t matter at all.
A look of frustration crossed Chu Hui-ryong’s face.
‘These reckless fools…!’
As the Black Knights advanced, Hyun Mu-ryong quickly signaled his own men.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Hundreds of arrows rained down on the Black Knights like a sudden storm.
Whoosh!
In an instant, a translucent barrier formed around the Black Knights.
Ratatatatat!
The sound of arrows clattering against metal filled the air.
“Attack!”
At the command, the guards charged at the Black Knights.
Just then,
“Hold on!”
A sudden shout stopped everyone in their tracks, both the Blood Warriors and the Black Knights turning their heads.
The voice belonged to none other than Sabi-gang.
Standing at the edge of the roof, he grinned.
“Why are you all fighting over who gets to take my kid?”
Boom!
As he landed, the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Sabi-gang continued with a sly smile.
“Sorry, but I’ll be taking my kid with me.”