Chapter 646: Return of the Demon Sect
Chaos erupted.
The masked leader was caught off guard.
He had considered the possibility of a trap.
But he hadn’t expected them to be this prepared.
Or was it really perfect?
No, that wasn’t the right word.
It was more accurate to say he hadn’t expected them to be this bizarrely prepared.
He had seen the magic stones with his own eyes.
Yet, they performed no rituals.
Instead, two people were arguing, pointing fingers at each other over the stones.
That wasn’t the only surprising thing.
Those who had been fighting so earnestly suddenly united against him as soon as their subordinates appeared.
And children, of all things?
What was going on?
Moreover, when Mok Dan-hwa and Yoo Song-ryeong joined the fray, the area in front of the ancestral shrine turned into complete chaos.
“Die!”
“Aaaargh!”
“You scoundrels! I won’t forgive you!”
The air was filled with shouts, screams, the clash of metal, and the sound of breaking bones.
The masked leader gritted his teeth and shouted.
“Secure the magic stones at all costs!”
“Yes, sir!”
The objective was the magic stones.
There was no need to waste energy fighting them.
At his command, his subordinates lunged towards the table where the stones lay.
Whoosh!
But the four weren’t about to let that happen.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“You won’t take anything from here!”
Seok Tan-gang and Yeon Woo-gyeong leapt into action.
Seok Tan-gang swung his chain sickle.
Swish!
Clang!
Thud!
The chain sickle sliced through the air, severing the masked man’s sword in two before embedding itself in his chest.
As he fell, another masked figure charged forward.
“Not so fast!”
Yeon Woo-gyeong sprinted along the chain sickle.
With a flick of Seok Tan-gang’s wrist, Yeon Woo-gyeong was launched into the air like a spring.
Swoosh!
Slash!
Yeon Woo-gyeong descended like a meteor, cleaving the enemy from crown to crotch.
Blood sprayed like a fountain.
The masked man, split in two, died without a sound.
‘Damn it!’
The masked leader gritted his teeth and darted through his subordinates like the wind.
Whoosh!
He intended to retrieve the stones himself.
But then—
“Stop right there!”
A woman blocked his path.
It was Yoo Song-ryeong, with a massive sword slung over her shoulder.
“How dare you lay a hand on my son?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Don’t play dumb! I’ll show you what your insides look like!”
“You crazy woman!”
The masked leader gritted his teeth and charged.
Suddenly, a hot gust of wind blew from behind.
Whoosh!
“Gah!”
He stumbled, narrowly avoiding a blade that flashed past his chest.
But it wasn’t over.
The thin blade hummed as it twisted through the air.
The masked leader dodged it like a dancer.
Swish!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The blade, imbued with energy, pierced the air repeatedly.
The masked leader evaded it, but his nearby subordinates weren’t so lucky, falling one by one.
“Stop being a nuisance!”
He roared, spinning like a top and extending his arms.
Boom!
A shockwave burst forth, forcing Yoo Song-ryeong and Mok Dan-hwa to retreat.
In that moment, he lunged for the table.
A subordinate reached it first, kicking it over.
Bang!
The leader snatched the box containing the magic stones and shouted.
“Cover me!”
“Yes, sir!”
His subordinates rallied around him, fighting with their backs to him.
Meanwhile, the leader sprinted away.
“Stop, you scoundrel!”
But the masked men were willing to sacrifice themselves to block the pursuit.
The leader tossed the box to one of his men.
“Go!”
The masked man nodded and fled swiftly.
The area in front of the shrine remained a battlefield.
Yeon Woo-gyeong, Mok Dan-hwa, Seok Tan-gang, and Yoo Song-ryeong realized their opponents were more skilled than expected and gritted their teeth.
“This won’t do! You handle these guys! We’ll chase them!”
“Yes, sir!”
Yeon Woo-gyeong and Mok Dan-hwa took off after the masked leader.
When the masked men tried to interfere, the warriors of the Sword and Wood Clan shadowed them, providing cover.
“Let’s go that way!”
“Got it!”
Seok Tan-gang and Yoo Song-ryeong pursued the masked man with the box.
**
“This is a bit tricky, isn’t it?”
Standing on a tree branch, Deung Gahwi frowned as he watched from afar.
The fight continued in front of the shrine.
But the leaders of the two clans had split up, each chasing a different target.
For Sabi-ran, who hoped the two clans would unite in the face of crisis, this wasn’t ideal.
Though they were technically working together, the effect was diminished with the four masters fighting separately.
“This is troublesome.”
As Sabi-ran muttered, Dam Jin-woo, who was observing through a telescope, grinned.
“Not at all. This is actually better.”
“What do you mean?”
“It seems they have a plan.”
“A plan?”
“Judging by the direction they’re running, they’re not just fleeing randomly. They have a destination.”
“Which means…”
“Yes, it means there are more enemies waiting for those masked men.”
“They’ve prepared thoroughly, it seems.”
“They had to. They couldn’t blindly trust the information they received. I thought the initial attack on the shrine was too small.”
“But if the enemies are too strong, it could be dangerous for the masters…”
“That’s actually good. The greater the crisis, the stronger the unity. Let’s send the young ones.”
Dam Jin-woo lowered the telescope and looked at Seok Geom-yeong and Yeon Seol-yeon.
The two exchanged glances and nodded.
“Alright! Let’s go. We can’t ignore our parents in this situation!”
“No, you’re mistaken. You should go to the Sword and Wood Clan leader.”
”…?”
“And Miss Yeon should go to the Black Heaven Path leader.”
“Oh…! I understand!”
Yeon Seol-yeon nodded, understanding the implication.
Sabi-ran smirked and added.
“Alright, Seok Geom-yeong, you’re with me. Yeon Seol-yeon, go with Deputy Leader Deung!”
“Understood!”
“Yes!”
The two responded in unison.
As Sabi-ran prepared to move, Dam Jin-woo added a final word.
“Leader, make sure the fish takes the bait.”
“Of course.”
**
Rustle!
The masked leader dashed through the forest like the wind.
How long had he been running?
“How far do you think you can run?”
Mok Dan-hwa’s sharp voice rang out as she closed in, hurling her blade.
Swish!
The blade sang as it sliced through the air, aiming for the masked man’s back.
Thud!
“Aaaargh!”
The masked man screamed and fell forward.
Thud, thud, thud!
He rolled for a while before coming to a stop.
The box he carried tumbled roughly, finally halting against a tree root.
“Like a rat…!”
Mok Dan-hwa growled, her face twisted in anger.
Once known for her beauty and melodious voice, her current fierce demeanor was a stark contrast.
Swish, thud!
Yeon Woo-gyeong arrived, narrowing his eyes at the fallen masked leader.
“Where are you from? Where is my daughter?”
“Heh. I don’t know why you keep asking me about that girl.”
“What? Even after bringing the magic stones as you asked, you still deny it?”
“Enough with the nonsense!”
The masked leader lunged like lightning.
Whoosh!
His blade, charged with energy, slashed diagonally.
“Watch out!”
Yeon Woo-gyeong pushed Mok Dan-hwa aside and thrust his sword.
Clang!
The blades met with a resounding clash.
Crack!
A chill spread from the blade, coursing through the masked leader’s body.
“Ugh!”
He coughed up blood from the internal injury.
“Damn it!”
He cursed, retreating.
Yeon Woo-gyeong advanced steadily.
“Even if it’s not you, your subordinates will talk. If you won’t answer, then die.”
His eyes glinted with deadly intent.
Finally, he extended his sword.
Clang!
A flash deflected his blade.
In the next moment.
Swish, swish, swish!
Dark shadows descended in heaps around Yeon Woo-gyeong and Mok Dan-hwa, casting an ominous aura.
The energy emanating from their enemies was unsettling, to say the least.
“Is it the aura of a master or a grandmaster…?”
Coincidentally, the energy they exuded matched exactly what Jang Ryeo-shim had described.
Naturally, Yeon Woo-gyeong and Mok Dan-hwa’s anger flared up like wildfire.
“Even tearing them apart wouldn’t be enough…!”
Mok Dan-hwa spat out the words with a venomous expression.
Just then, one of the men, his face obscured by a deeply pulled-down black hat, reached for a box that had fallen to the ground.
With a swift, practiced motion, he snatched the box and handed it to his subordinate.
“Keep it safe.”
The subordinate took the box and started to walk away.
The man in the black hat spoke quietly.
“We bear no grudge against you. Hand over the magic stone, and this can all end peacefully.”
“Not until I get my daughter back.”
Yeon Woo-gyeong’s words made the man in the black hat tilt his head in confusion.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Then let me enlighten you.”
With a powerful surge, an intense energy radiated from Yeon Woo-gyeong and Mok Dan-hwa, spreading in all directions.