Chapter 523: Return of the Demon Sect Leader
He had lived his entire life as the second-in-command.
His desires and ambitions were sky-high, yet every time he thought he was close to the top, someone else was already there, waiting.
It was as if fate was playing a cruel joke on him.
Mocking him, as if to say, “Do you really think you can be number one?”
But wasn’t there a saying that sincerity moves heaven?
One day, he realized an opportunity had come his way.
It was as if the heavens were lending him a hand.
Through the Hao Moon, he discovered certain artifacts.
He thought these artifacts might grant him immense power.
So, he began collecting them one by one, waiting for the right moment.
For the day he would sit on the throne and look down upon all!
Yet, another trial began.
Sabi River…!
Just the name sent shivers down his spine!
At first, he thought this person was another opportunity sent by the heavens.
He believed this person would become his sword.
But he was wrong.
He was the sword, and Sabi River was its master.
He became the leader, but not the true leader.
There was always someone standing in his path.
No, there were many.
Even the head of the Justice Alliance looked down on him.
There was no greater humiliation.
He ascended the throne, but it was merely the floor closest to the heavens.
The true rulers were still above him.
At that moment, he made a decision.
If he couldn’t wield the sword, he would discard it.
Instead, he would find a sword that suited him.
That was Ong Gi-seung.
Using a scroll that allowed teleportation, he kidnapped Ong Gi-seung and cast a spell on him. Everything was going according to plan.
But then… then…!
“You traitors!”
Chu Hui-ryong gritted his teeth and shouted.
Il Gwi smirked.
“Let’s not call it betrayal. Let’s say we used you.”
“You scoundrel!”
“Silence!”
Finally, Sa Gwi sliced through the air and descended upon Chu Hui-ryong.
Already bleeding from a deep wound, Chu Hui-ryong had no strength to fend off the attack.
As he glared at the descending blade with wide eyes,
“Watch out, youngest!”
Wham!
Suddenly, I Gwi flew in, pushing Sa Gwi away.
At the same time, he swung his sword, deflecting the incoming blade.
Clang!
Sa Gwi turned in surprise.
“Who is that…?”
To everyone’s shock, a demon knight appeared from around the corner.
Two more demon knights followed.
In an instant, the demon knights charged at the Blood Path Demons.
“Kill them with the Blood Silk Formation!”
Il Gwi shouted, and the Blood Path Demons quickly took their positions.
The Blood Silk Formation was a tactic where four people simultaneously trapped their enemies within a unique formation.
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew as the demon knights and the Blood Path Demons clashed fiercely.
Though each Blood Path Demon was a master in their own right, the demon knights’ unique combat style was unfamiliar and difficult to counter.
Clang!
Finally, with a sharp metallic sound, Sam Gwi was pushed back.
The Blood Silk Formation required restraint.
But the demon knights’ relentless attacks made Sam Gwi feel overwhelmed, and his pride got the better of him.
As he retreated several steps, a gap opened in the formation.
The demon knights instinctively exploited this gap.
Swish!
“Argh!”
Blood spurted from I Gwi’s shoulder.
“Second brother!”
Il Gwi shouted just as a demon knight appeared before him as if by magic.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Il Gwi swung his sword, but the demon knight met him head-on.
Clang!
The metallic sound was deafening, forcing Il Gwi back several steps.
His entire body tingled.
At that moment, another demon knight charged at him like a black wind.
“Ugh!”
Il Gwi was caught off guard.
His body wouldn’t move as he wanted.
‘What kind of trick is this?’
In truth, when he clashed with the demon knight earlier, the opponent’s mana had suppressed his energy.
If he had pure internal energy, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but having practiced dark arts, he struggled against the mana’s influence.
“Leader!”
In a critical moment!
A shadow appeared before Il Gwi,
Whoosh!
Clang!
With a sound like the wind being sliced, a loud friction noise erupted.
Il Gwi opened his eyes wide to see a young man turning to him.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. But who are you…?”
“Oh, I’m Choo Ryang, the chief disciple of the Demon Palace Lord Sabi River. I recently completed my secluded training and returned to the world.”
“I see. Thank you.”
“Let’s save the formalities for later! Banmyo!”
With that, a cat leaped from his arms,
And with a mighty roar, it grew to the size of a tiger.
“Let’s go!”
In the next moment, Banmyo and Choo Ryang charged at the demon knights.
Choo Ryang’s movements were extraordinary.
Not only was the invisible sword growing from the back of his hand astonishing, but his footwork was also unique.
It was a special technique Sabi River had developed to combat demons.
With Banmyo’s support, Choo Ryang moved like a tiger with wings, freely weaving through the enemies.
When he first sliced through a demon knight’s neck, the opponent vanished in a puff of black smoke.
It was a clone.
Seeing this, Sam Gwi quickly sent a message to Il Gwi.
[Leader! Let’s escape while we can!]
Il Gwi nodded and turned away.
It was regrettable not to finish off Chu Hui-ryong, but there was no choice.
[Let’s go!]
As soon as he sent the message, he kicked off the ground and started running.
The Blood Path Demons followed.
Choo Ryang, absorbed in his battle with the demon knights, didn’t notice their escape.
Chu Hui-ryong, gravely injured, couldn’t inform Choo Ryang either.
He struggled to keep his eyes open, blaming himself.
‘My biggest mistake was… thinking I was using them.’
A sigh escaped him.
He had always thought he was using others.
But looking back, he realized he was the one being used.
By Sabi River, by the Blood Path Demons.
‘Damn it…!’
Meanwhile, the fight between Choo Ryang and the demon knights reached its peak.
As two demon knights attacked Choo Ryang simultaneously,
“Haaah!”
Instead of raising a mana shield, Choo Ryang thrust his mana sword forward and let out a battle cry.
At the same time,
Banmyo roared,
Crack!
The shattered fragments of the mana sword scattered in two directions.
Thud! Thud!
The demon knights, unable to withstand the mana sword, fell like porcupines pierced by sharp fragments.
Thud!
Moments later, both vanished like smoke.
‘Che! They were clones too?’
Regardless, Choo Ryang, having dispatched them both, turned with a triumphant smile.
“Now, you can rest easy. I’ve dealt with them… huh? Where did everyone go?”
Choo Ryang looked around in confusion.
Chu Hui-ryong managed a bitter smile and spoke with difficulty.
“You… were deceived.”
“Ah, Lord! Are you alright?”
“I’m fine… go after them!”
“Them…?”
“The Blood Path Demons! They took something important!”
“Could it be… the teleportation… I mean, the demonic artifact?”
Choo Ryang had heard about the teleportation scroll from Sabi River.
He guessed, and Chu Hui-ryong’s expression confirmed it.
Finally, Chu Hui-ryong, looking surprised, seemed to give up hiding it and asked,
“How did you know?”
“My master told me.”
“I see…”
“Is it really the demonic artifact?”
“Yes. Since it’s come to this, I’ll tell you everything. Come closer.”
“Please, go on.”
As Choo Ryang approached,
Zap!
Suddenly, Chu Hui-ryong, using all his remaining energy, moved like lightning.
Choo Ryang, caught off guard, tried to pull away,
Zap!
“Ugh!”
Choo Ryang felt a jolt coursing through his body.
It was as if lightning was flowing from his head to his toes.
“I need your strength!”
“Ugh!”
Choo Ryang gritted his teeth, swallowing the pain.
As the electric current flowed between them, Choo Ryang’s energy was rapidly absorbed into Chu Hui-ryong’s body.
‘Damn…!’
Choo Ryang’s vision darkened.
‘Could it be the Thunder Absorption Technique…?’
He had heard from Sabi River that the one who mastered this technique was the former Blood Sect Leader, Heo Mu-geuk.
But for Chu Hui-ryong to use the Thunder Absorption Technique…!
If it truly was the Thunder Absorption Technique, he was doomed.
Then, amidst the paralyzing electric current, he felt a surge of energy.
‘Banmyo!’
As expected, the moment the panther’s fur bristled, it amplified the mana coursing through Churyang’s entire body.
Fortunately, unlike internal energy, mana wasn’t affected by the Thunder Devouring Art, giving him a chance to fight back.
Churyang summoned every ounce of strength he had, pushing back against the lightning that threatened to invade his body.
Boom!
A deafening sound echoed in his mind, as if an explosion had gone off inside him.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
Both men groaned simultaneously, staggering backward.
“Gasp, gasp, gasp…!”
Barely escaping from Chuhuiryong’s clutches, Churyang panted heavily, struggling to stay on his feet.
Though he had saved his life, a significant amount of his internal energy had been drained, and the lightning had left him with severe internal injuries.
“Ugh!”
Finally, he collapsed to his knees, coughing up blood.
Meanwhile, Chuhuiryong, now invigorated, lunged at Churyang once more.
In that instant,
The panther intervened, letting out a fierce roar.
“Get out of my way!”
Whoosh!
As Chuhuiryong swung his arm, the panther swiftly dodged and lunged at his side, jaws open to bite.
“Tch!”
Chuhuiryong quickly stepped back, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Luckily, the panther didn’t attack Churyang as long as he wasn’t threatened.
‘No choice, then.’
It would have been better to drain more of Churyang’s energy, but with that beast around, continuing the Thunder Devouring Art was impossible.
“Blood Demon Sect, you reckless bastards!”
Chuhuiryong’s face twisted in anger.
He spun around and started running in the direction the Blood Demon Sect had fled.