Episode 541: Return to the Demonic Sect
“Master?”
Chu Liang called out in confusion as Mu Rang suddenly appeared before him, looking visibly flustered and out of breath.
Mu Rang had never set foot inside the Blood Demon Sect’s main hall before. He had teleported to a familiar spot nearby and had rushed here without pause. Despite using his teleportation skills to save time, his age was catching up with him, leaving him exhausted.
“We have a problem. Where is Chief Mae?”
“Oh, the Chief is packing up. He’s about to leave…”
“Let’s go to him immediately!”
“Uh, yes, of course…”
Chu Liang quickly led the way, a sense of unease creeping in. He had never seen Mu Rang so agitated before.
As they entered the courtyard, they saw servants loading luggage onto a carriage, with Mae Seolran standing nearby.
“Master?”
Mae Seolran’s eyes widened in surprise upon recognizing Mu Rang.
Mu Rang approached her with urgency. “You need to come with me right now.”
“What? Where are we going all of a sudden?”
“The Lady of the Palace is in danger.”
“What happened?”
Mae Seolran’s expression turned grave. If Mu Rang had come in person, it was no trivial matter.
Mu Rang explained the situation, and Mae Seolran’s face shifted through a range of emotions as she listened.
When the explanation concluded, Chu Liang spoke first. “This is serious. I’ll handle things here, Chief. You should go.”
Mu Rang shook his head. “No, you must come too.”
“Me? Why?”
“You’re the best at handling mana, aren’t you?”
“Thanks to my secluded training, I’ve gained profound insights into the essence of mana…”
“Enough. That’s why you need to come. We don’t have time to waste.”
Mu Rang pulled scrolls from his robe and handed them out. “Have you been to Guiyang before?”
“Of course, it’s the capital of Gui Province.”
“I’ve been there too. I even know the general location of the Ilseong Sword Sect.”
Mu Rang nodded at Mae Seolran’s words. “Then we’ll meet in Guiyang. Chief Mae knows the location, so she’ll arrive quickly. Chu Liang, with your tracking skills, you’ll find the Ilseong Sword Sect in no time, right?”
“Leave it to me.”
“I’ve already spent too much time meeting you. We have less than a quarter of an hour left. Hurry to the Ilseong Sword Sect’s secluded training room.”
“Understood!”
Before they could fully respond, Mu Rang tore his scroll and vanished.
Mae Seolran and Chu Liang exchanged a nod and tore their scrolls as well. Soon, only the bustling servants remained.
**
Not long after Mu Rang teleported to the secluded training room, Mae Seolran and Chu Liang arrived, both panting heavily, having pushed themselves to their limits.
Mu Rang quickly prepared the ritual and warned them. “In the consciousness world, you’ll awaken as different people. But your current selves will remain intact.”
“So, we’ll just look different?” Chu Liang asked.
Mu Rang nodded. “Exactly. Your souls will possess them. You must think, act, and speak like them. If the others in the consciousness world sense something amiss…”
“What happens then?”
“The consciousness world will collapse. Even if the Lady of the Palace miraculously awakens, she’ll be driven mad.”
Chu Liang’s jaw dropped in shock.
Mu Rang continued with a serious expression. “Chief Mae, you’ll possess Aranius. I don’t know many demons, so that’s the best choice. And Liang, you’ll possess his confidant, Javelin.”
“What about this one?” Chu Liang gestured to the creature in his pocket.
Mu Rang shook his head. “It’s a creature of the demon realm, so it would adapt quickly, but I don’t plan to move it. Carrying it around would only cause misunderstandings.”
“Understood. Will we know their pasts once we possess them?”
“Not at all. Synchronizing with their consciousness would risk you losing your identity and becoming Aranius or Javelin permanently.”
“That would be… problematic.”
“We’re sending you in to prevent that very situation. I won’t synchronize your consciousnesses. I’ll cast a communication spell so you can understand each other.”
“So, we’ll only be active where the master is?”
“No, you’ll be somewhere in the abyss. It could be a scenario from the Lady’s imagination or a story she once heard. Your first task is to find her and make her realize it’s a false world.”
“Understood.”
Chu Liang replied with determination.
Mu Rang looked at them both. “Let’s begin.”
**
The sound of distant cheers echoed faintly.
Hmm. It sounds like a crowd cheering for something…
There were curses mixed in too…
Chu Liang slowly regained consciousness, feeling a strange lethargy in his body.
He started by moving his fingers, gradually becoming accustomed to the unfamiliar sensations.
Next, his toes.
‘No issues there.’
Suddenly, a loud voice boomed nearby.
“Get up, you idiot!”
His eyes snapped open, the urgency in the voice triggering his instincts.
In that instant, he saw a massive axe blade descending toward him.
Whoosh!
“Ahhh! What is this?!”
Startled, Chu Liang screamed and leapt to his feet.
Crash!
The axe blade, as large as a man’s torso, slammed into the spot where he had been lying, cracking the solid ground.
“What on earth is going on?”
Chu Liang muttered in disbelief.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, he quickly surveyed his surroundings.
‘Oh no! Where am I?!’
This was no ordinary place.
Of all the times to possess someone, why now?
Chu Liang found himself standing in an arena, surrounded by a throng of demons cheering wildly.
It seemed the demon realm had its own version of martial tournaments, much like the central plains.
But that earlier attack…
‘It was meant to kill. Is this a life-and-death duel?’
His guess was spot on.
Chu Liang had possessed Javelin during the demon realm’s festival period.
During this time, many demon warriors participated in a martial tournament, with the winner receiving a sword from the Demon King and a substantial prize.
Javelin, whom Chu Liang had possessed, was one of the participants.
He had been knocked down by his opponent when Chu Liang took over.
Scanning the arena, he spotted Aranius looking up at him from below.
‘Chief Mae!’
He called out to her in his mind, and Mae Seolran, in Aranius’s form, gave a faint nod.
Just then…
“Where do you think you’re looking?!”
His opponent, a hulking figure, leapt into the air, raising the massive axe for another strike.
“Gah!”
Chu Liang, startled, quickly drew his sword.
Clang!
The impact was deafening, the sound threatening to rupture his eardrums as it filled the arena.
Screech!
Chu Liang slid back, his feet carving deep grooves into the ground.
The opponent cracked his neck and grinned. “Too bad. I thought I’d send you off for good this time.”
The opponent’s helmet had two horns protruding, with a metal mask covering his face, leaving only his eyes and nose exposed.
His head was heavily armored, but his torso was bare, wrapped in chains.
‘What a bizarre appearance.’
The opponent clapped his hands together and said, “Alright, kid. Let’s end this.”
Chu Liang wrinkled his nose and glared at the opponent.
Already in a foul mood from the near-death experience, his patience was wearing thin.
“You won’t have it your way. I’m not the same as before. I’ve gotten much stronger.”
He declared boldly…
‘Wait, why is everyone looking at me like that?’
The spectators were frowning slightly, casting puzzled glances his way.
Even the opponent furrowed his brow and asked, “Why’s your tone suddenly like that? Is this some kind of trick?”
‘Damn…!’
He had forgotten he was supposed to be Javelin.
His panic had gotten the better of him.
Desperate to turn the situation around, Chu Liang launched himself forward, taking the offensive.
“Shut up!”
He shouted, extending his fist.
But then…
‘Why am I holding a sword?’
In his confusion, Chu Liang realized he wasn’t wearing the protective gear of the Cartel.
‘Damn it! I forgot I’m Javelin again!’
The original plan was to extend his mana sword and use his ultimate move to embed a mana shard into that hulking brute.
But instead of striking the air, he was practically waving his sword around aimlessly. How ridiculous must he have looked to that giant?
“What are you doing? Are you mocking me right now?”
The brute finally growled, his lips curling in irritation.
“You must have a death wish!”
Suddenly, the brute charged forward, each step shaking the ground beneath him.
The sheer weight of him made the arena tremble!
‘Damn it!’
Churyang squeezed his eyes shut.
To be summoned into this world only to die immediately!
He cursed Murang for bringing him to such a place.
‘They say if you die in the conscious world, it’s as good as dying for real…’
Just then, Churyang felt something stir within him.
Was it inner energy?
No, it couldn’t be. Javelin’s body wouldn’t have any inner energy.
What was it?
Something coursing powerfully through his veins… not quite like energy, but more like blood flow?
He felt a familiar sensation.
Wasn’t this similar to when he manifested the Cartel’s guardian power?
The brute was now right in front of him, raising his axe.
Every second counted!
“Ahhhhhhh!”
Churyang let out a battle cry, spreading his arms wide.
If he was destined to die, he might as well go down fighting.
Following his instincts, he manipulated the flow of blood, unleashing something from within.
And just as he thought the cold blade of the axe grazed his crown,
SPLASH!
Blood erupted from the brute’s entire body.
It was as if every pore on his skin had suddenly burst, releasing vaporized blood in an instant.
The brute, now enveloped in a crimson mist, foamed at the mouth and collapsed with a thud.
The arena fell silent.
Churyang blinked, staring at the fallen brute.
It seemed he was dead.
Then, all at once,
“What a bastard!”
“He desecrated the festival!”
“Look at that disgraceful wretch!”
“Die, you insolent fool!”
Almost every demon in the crowd hurled curses at him.
At that moment, a whistle blew.
TWEEEEET!
A figure who seemed to be the judge shouted from above.
“Javelin, disqualified!”
“BOOOOO!”
The demons jeered at Javelin.
Churyang stood there, bewildered, his eyes wide open.
‘What? But I won, didn’t I?’