Episode 554: Return to the Demonic Sect
Jaunryong carried two steaming plates of dumplings as he made his way to Gyeonshingak.
Gyeonshingak was the place in Myeolmagung where various pieces of information were gathered and carrier pigeons were managed.
There was only one reason he was heading there.
Yujeong had recently started working there.
“I want to contribute, even if it’s just a little, to Myeolmagung.”
It was a sudden declaration she made one day when she visited Maeseollan.
Naturally, Jaunryong opposed the idea.
He didn’t want her to get hurt anymore.
She had already suffered enough.
Her physical wounds had healed, but the scars on her heart likely remained.
Moreover, after regaining her normal body, she hadn’t been able to learn any martial arts.
To make matters worse, Cho Hwandangju Jinbaek had said she wasn’t suited for martial arts.
She had once shown great potential.
But after her body was altered, her constitution had changed significantly.
Thus, there was little she could do in Myeolmagung.
Yet, Maeseollan had readily accepted her.
“Thank you so much. We actually needed help in a certain area.”
“Really? Where? I want to help!”
“Gyeonshingak. It’s where we manage the information coming from all over the central plains. We also take care of the carrier pigeons and hawks.”
“Then please send me there!”
Yujeong was overjoyed.
She was thrilled at the thought of being able to contribute, even in a small way.
Later, Jaunryong sought out Maeseollan to express his gratitude.
“Thank you. I realized I was just trying to shield Jeong-ah. Thanks to you, she seems much brighter.”
“Don’t mention it. I just placed her where she was truly needed.”
Maeseollan spoke nonchalantly, but Jaunryong understood her deeper intentions.
She knew Yujeong loved nature and animals, so she had deliberately assigned her to manage the carrier pigeons and hawks.
He was grateful.
He had been worried she might be given a dangerous task.
Just as he was about to enter Gyeonshingak, a shadow suddenly blocked his path.
Jaunryong stepped back slightly to see who it was.
“Ah, it’s you, Wi Danju.”
The person blocking his way was none other than Wigumjong.
He had originally been dispatched to Honam, but with Helmut’s submission to Myeolmagung, he had returned as well.
Jaunryong didn’t show it outwardly, but he felt uneasy.
Ever since it was revealed that he had been a spy for the Demonic Sect, Wigumjong had openly shown his disdain for him.
As Jaunryong nodded and tried to pass by, Wigumjong stepped in the same direction to block him.
Jaunryong looked up.
“Is there something you wish to say?”
“Let’s duel.”
“What?”
Jaunryong was taken aback by the unexpected challenge.
Wigumjong repeated with a stern expression.
“Let’s duel.”
“Why all of a sudden…?”
“Because I don’t like you.”
‘Wow, he’s being quite honest.’
Jaunryong felt a mix of exasperation and defiance.
“Is it because I was part of the Demonic Sect?”
“Yes.”
‘He’s really straightforward.’
He had expected some other excuse.
But he hadn’t anticipated such blunt honesty.
Jaunryong sighed softly and spoke.
“I may have been from the Demonic Sect, but I’m not anymore. In fact, I’ve cooperated with Maeseollan to help destroy the Demonic Sect, and now I want to defeat the demons more than anyone…”
“I don’t care about that. I hate the Demonic Sect more than the demons.”
This was unexpected.
He hated the Demonic Sect more than the demons?
Was there a story behind this?
But Wigumjong’s hostility was too intense to ask for details.
Jaunryong realized he couldn’t refuse the duel.
If he did, Wigumjong seemed ready to draw his sword right then and there.
“Fine. Let’s do it. When and where…?”
“Here and now.”
With that, Wigumjong suddenly drew his sword.
Shhh!
“Gah!”
Jaunryong swallowed hard and stepped back.
Clang!
The metallic sound echoed as the force of their clash spread in all directions.
Their hair whipped wildly before settling back into place.
The plates and dumplings lay scattered on the ground.
Jaunryong’s expression hardened.
The recent strike had been a genuine attempt to kill.
Had he reacted a moment later, Wigumjong’s blade would have struck his neck instead of his sword.
Cold sweat trickled down his spine.
Jaunryong asked in a restrained voice.
“Why are you doing this?”
But Wigumjong didn’t answer.
Instead, he seemed even angrier as he launched a rapid follow-up attack.
Clang! Clang!
Clatter!
A fierce exchange ensued between the two.
Their movements were so fast that an ordinary person would struggle to follow.
In an instant, dozens of exchanges passed.
No one could have predicted it.
That such a high-level battle would unfold in the quiet courtyard of Gyeonshingak!
Even Jaunryong hadn’t anticipated it.
As he desperately parried Wigumjong’s attacks, he couldn’t help but be impressed.
‘As expected, Wi Danju’s martial arts are extraordinary! Not something to be underestimated!’
Meanwhile, Wigumjong grew increasingly frustrated as time went on.
“Stop playing around and show me more! Your true self! Is this pathetic swordsmanship all the Demonic Sect has to offer?”
“What are you talking about? I’m doing my best to defend myself!”
“Rubbish!”
Wigumjong pressed Jaunryong even harder.
Jaunryong was truly at his wit’s end.
He was genuinely giving it his all, yet Wigumjong refused to acknowledge it.
The intense exchange continued for quite some time.
Neither side could claim superiority.
It was a true clash of titans.
But as time passed, the balance began to shift.
Unlike Jaunryong, who hadn’t experienced any real combat while staying in Myeolmagung, Wigumjong had been through numerous battles.
Moreover, the elixir he received from Sabigang had significantly enhanced his skills.
Eventually, after over three hundred exchanges, Jaunryong started to show openings, and by the three hundred ninety-seventh exchange,
Clang!
Whoosh, thud!
Jaunryong’s sword flew from his hand and embedded itself in a pillar of Gyeonshingak.
Thud!
Wigumjong’s sword tip rested against Jaunryong’s throat.
“I’ve lost…”
Jaunryong admitted defeat with a bitter expression.
But Wigumjong’s expression was even more hardened than before.
“Is this all… for our family…”
“What? What do you mean?”
Jaunryong looked puzzled, and Wigumjong glared at him with a fierce expression before withdrawing his sword.
He let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“The Sojuwi family. Once a renowned righteous sect in Soju. My father was the second son of the Sojuwi family. But… your revered Zonya brought ruin upon us. My father, who was young at the time, barely survived with the help of a bodyguard.”
“Ah… so that’s why you hate the Demonic Sect!”
Jaunryong sighed with a bitter expression.
The grudges and relationships in the martial world were indeed complex.
Now he understood why Wigumjong’s swordsmanship was so peculiar.
His energy seemed pure, yet his swordsmanship was extremely aggressive.
It was because Wigumjong’s roots were in a righteous sect, but the swordsmanship he learned was from a demonic one.
Wigumjong sheathed his sword and spoke.
“My father told me countless times until his death. That the Demonic Sect must be destroyed. That it was the only way to avenge our family.”
”…”
“But now, it all seems pointless. The destruction of our family is nothing compared to the impending end of the world.”
“Wi Danju…”
“Enough. I don’t want to hear any half-hearted comfort. In fact… when Sabigang returned recently, I heard about Zonya. About what happened to her. Why our family had to be destroyed.”
Wigumjong let out a small, bitter laugh.
“Come to think of it, our lord is truly terrifying. She even knew I was from the Sojuwi family. That’s why she must have sought me out to tell me those things.”
Wigumjong looked up at the sky.
The weather was incredibly clear.
A day that made one forget about demons.
A day that made one want to toss aside thoughts of revenge.
Could the Sojuwi family truly claim to have upheld righteousness?
To have done their duty as people?
Suddenly, he felt sorry for his father.
A man who lived his life burdened by a sense of victimhood.
If he were to relay the lord’s words to his father, what would his response be?
He probably wouldn’t believe it.
He’d likely dismiss it as a fabricated story.
Wigumjong turned to leave.
He threw out a parting remark.
“Perhaps even without the demons invading this world… we were already creating a hellish environment for ourselves.”
Jaunryong watched Wigumjong’s retreating figure with a blank expression.
He couldn’t understand a word of what Wigumjong had just said.
What was the Sojuwi family, and what was this talk of destruction?
And what about the story of Zonya?
All he could gather was that there had been some sort of conversation between the Princess of Sabigang and someone else.
And he found himself deeply resonating with the last words left behind.
“Yes, perhaps we’re already creating our own hell among humans…”
Hadn’t he been guilty of the same?
For some reason, he felt an overwhelming urge to see Yujeong today.
Just as he was about to turn away, someone came rushing out of the Gyeonsingak and collided with him.
“Ah!”
“Oh!”
Startled, he looked up to see Yujeong.
“Jung-ah?”
“Oh, Master! I’m so sorry! Something urgent has come up!”
Yujeong quickly bowed in apology and then dashed off somewhere in a hurry.
Jaunryong shook his head, unable to even exchange proper greetings.
“What on earth is so urgent for him?”
But the look on Yujeong’s face was undeniably urgent.
“Is something going on?”
**
Bang!
The door swung open with a loud crash.
Maeseollan, who had been in conversation with Sabigang, turned around in surprise.
Sabigang also furrowed his brow, looking at the suddenly appearing Yujeong.
“Huff, huff, huff…! I’m sorry for barging in like this. But it’s really urgent…!”
“What is it?”
Sabigang asked with a serious expression, and Yujeong, catching his breath, shouted.
“Daewoon Mountain! The Princess needs to go to Daewoon Mountain immediately!”
“Daewoon Mountain?”
“Yes! It seems something major is about to happen there! Salmakju sent a message through Manrieung!”
Yujeong hurriedly approached and handed over the message.
Sabigang quickly scanned the letter, his expression growing more serious by the second.
Finally, Sabigang stood up abruptly.
“I need to go right now.”
“To Daewoon Mountain? Have you been there before?”
“No. I’ll teleport to the nearest place and then rush there with Cheonhaesimbo.”
“Won’t it be too late?”
Even as she voiced her concern, Maeseollan realized it was pointless.
Speculating was useless.
What mattered was doing everything possible.
That’s how Sabigang always turned small miracles into big ones.
Maeseollan quickly corrected herself.
“Be careful. Don’t worry about things here.”
“Alright.”
Nodding, Sabigang pulled a teleportation scroll from his robe.