Episode 648: Return to the Demon Sect
The man in the black hat frowned.
“Who are these people?”
“They’re from the Baekhwa Group of the Demon Palace,” Sabiran replied, causing the man to flinch.
‘Could it be…?’
Was this a trap set by the Baekhwa Group?
Meanwhile, upon recognizing Sabiran, Yeon Woo-kyung and Mok Dan-hwa’s faces lit up as they called out.
“Sabiran!”
“It’s been a while, Master.”
Sabiran smiled warmly.
“How did you end up here…?”
Yeon Woo-kyung asked, his expression a mix of joy and confusion.
Sabiran fixed her gaze on the man in the black hat, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
“I happened to get some information through the Ghost Shadow Group.”
“Information…?”
“These people kidnapped your children to use them as hostages, aiming to steal the martial arts stones from both families.”
“What…!”
Yeon Woo-kyung exclaimed in a voice filled with anger, while Mok Dan-hwa quickly approached.
“Then, what about our Yeon-ah? Is she safe?”
“Yes, she’s safe.”
“Oh, thank goodness. You saved the children!”
“I didn’t do much. Seok So-hyup told me where Seol-yeon was being held, and his martial arts were a great help in getting them out.”
Sabiran lied smoothly, her tone light.
Seok Geom-young, hearing this for the first time, stood there, bewildered.
Mok Dan-hwa turned to Seok Geom-young with a slightly awkward expression.
“Thank you for helping my daughter.”
“Oh, it was nothing.”
Seok Geom-young replied awkwardly, knowing full well that if Sabiran hadn’t signaled him to play along, he would have denied it all.
“Anyway, let’s save the detailed stories for later. We need to deal with them first.”
“Let’s do that!”
Yeon Woo-kyung swung his sword, the Cheongbing Sword, with a flourish.
“But be careful. That man has reached the pinnacle of martial arts. His skills are extraordinary.”
“Yes, Master.”
If Yeon Woo-kyung was warning them, the opponent was indeed formidable.
Sabiran slowly gathered her energy.
Meanwhile, the man in the black hat was struggling to comprehend the situation.
Kidnapping and rescuing?
No one should know about their hideout.
And what was this talk of kidnapping?
The man in the black hat ground his teeth and growled.
“Baekhwa Group… What are you plotting?”
“That’s what I should be asking you. What are you planning, gathering all these martial arts stones?”
“It seems neither of us is willing to answer.”
“Then I suppose we’ll have to create an atmosphere conducive to conversation.”
With that, Sabiran assumed a stance, her presence radiating an intimidating aura.
There was no opening, not even a needle could slip through.
‘Impressive for someone so young.’
The man in the black hat was genuinely impressed.
Sabiran spoke.
“Shall we begin?”
But he had a different thought.
“Regrettably, since neither of us is willing to answer, let’s end our meeting here.”
“Not on your life!”
With a swift kick off the ground, Sabiran shot forward like an arrow.
Simultaneously, the man in the black hat leaped back, striking the ground with his Moonlight Blade.
“Haah!”
Rumble!
Suddenly, a massive wall erupted from the ground.
It was another spell.
Boom!
Sabiran crashed through the wall, shattering it to pieces.
Rumble!
As the wall crumbled, a cloud of dust rose, revealing the man in the black hat retreating into the distance, surrounded by other masked figures.
“Until we meet again.”
Snap!
The man in the black hat snapped his fingers.
Then, something astonishing happened.
Creak…! Creak!
The warriors who had been struck down began to rise, their bodies moving with a jerky motion.
Their eyes rolled back, they exuded a terrifying aura as they slowly took their stances.
All the corpses, except those decapitated or completely destroyed, were moving again.
“Ugh…!”
The masked figures exhaled harsh breaths, white mist escaping their lips.
“What in the world…?”
Yeon Woo-kyung looked around in shock.
It had been a long time since he had witnessed such a bizarre sight.
“Enjoy.”
With those words, the man in the black hat turned and fled with the other masked figures.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Mok Dan-hwa leaped to pursue them.
“Raaagh!”
The corpses let out ghastly screams as they lunged at her.
“My lady!”
Yeon Woo-kyung shouted, rushing forward to strike one of the corpses on the neck.
Clang!
‘Damn! What are these bodies made of…?’
Though he struck the neck, a tremendous vibration traveled up his sword.
Had he not protected his body with internal energy, he might have suffered internal injuries.
The corpses were as hard as steel, their speed rivaling that of a master.
They were faster and tougher than they had been in life.
‘Incredible. Is this some kind of dark magic?’
It seemed the Demon Sect might have been resurrected.
“Let’s leave this to the Baekhwa Group and pursue that man!”
“Agreed!”
As soon as Sabiran spoke, the warriors of the Baekhwa Group surged forward like a wave, engaging the reanimated corpses.
Shing! Shing!
Clang! Clang!
The corpses’ martial prowess was formidable, but the Baekhwa Group’s coordination was equally impressive.
The forest quickly descended into chaos.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Sabiran, Yeon Woo-kyung, Mok Dan-hwa, and Seok Geom-young began their pursuit of the man in the black hat.
**
“Ugh!”
Seok Tan-gang groaned as he staggered back.
Thud!
The masked figures pressed their attack relentlessly.
Swish! Swish!
Clang! Clang!
The masked figures attacked without pause.
Swish! Thud!
A chain sickle danced through the air.
But Seok Tan-gang was beginning to feel his limits.
He had been chasing a masked figure carrying a box of martial arts stones, only to find another group lying in ambush near the valley.
Among them were a few masters of the highest caliber, while the rest were all top-tier warriors.
Where had such an organization suddenly appeared from?
A group of this size was certainly not a small sect.
Moreover, their martial arts were bizarre.
Unlike anything seen in the martial world.
They even mixed in spells.
Since the Great Demon War, the number of warriors using magic had increased.
But it was difficult to master, and more academic than physical, so it was gradually falling out of practice.
Yet these people wielded magic with ease.
‘These aren’t ordinary foes!’
At some point, a red-masked figure shouted.
“Form the Blood Barrier!”
The masked figures quickly formed a formation, surrounding Yoo Song-ryeong.
Sensing the danger, Yoo Song-ryeong tried to break through their encirclement.
But at that moment, the red-masked figure lunged, slashing with his sword.
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew as sword and blade clashed.
Unable to break free, Yoo Song-ryeong landed back in place, while the red-masked figure retreated with a shout.
“Now!”
In that instant, the masked figures surrounding Yoo Song-ryeong changed their stance.
“Honey!”
Seok Tan-gang shouted, hurling his chain sickle.
Swish! Thud!
The chain sickle sliced through the air, embedding itself in front of Yoo Song-ryeong.
Swish!
Seok Tan-gang pulled the chain, his body springing forward to shield Yoo Song-ryeong.
The next moment.
Swish! Swish! Clang!
The masked figures, encircling them, swung their swords, unleashing hundreds of sharp beams of light.
“Tch!”
Seok Tan-gang clicked his tongue, spinning his chain sickle.
Clang! Clang!
The chain sickle deflected the beams, wrapping tightly around the two of them.
Like a snake coiling around its eggs.
Clang!
The chain sickle glowed red-hot, clearly different from ordinary sword or blade energy.
It was as if…
‘They’ve combined magic with sword energy?’
Seok Tan-gang had imagined it once.
But he had never tried it himself.
It wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
Many might have thought of it.
Yet no such martial art had emerged because all attempts had failed.
But the fierce energy now assaulting them was not pure martial arts.
It was infused with the energy of mana.
Indeed.
It was like a magic arrow wrapped in sword energy.
Creating an effect similar to strong energy.
‘Who are these people…!’
Having blocked the last of the beams, Seok Tan-gang unwrapped the chain sickle and looked at Yoo Song-ryeong.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m… I’m fine.”
Yoo Song-ryeong, still a bit shaken, glared at the enemies with a hardened expression.
Seok Tan-gang ground his teeth, growling.
“You bastards…!”
Whoosh!
His form vanished like a ghost.
In the next moment, he appeared right in front of the red-masked figure, swinging his sickle down vertically.
“Die!”
Slash!
Two long beams of light sliced the red-masked figure vertically.
The figure in the red mask vanished like smoke.
“Watch out! Behind you!”
Yusongryong shouted, lunging forward with her sword in a wide arc.
Swish!
Her blade cut through the air like a wave.
Slash!
The masked assailant, who had been poised to strike Seoktangang from behind, fell with his side nearly cleaved in two.
“Aaargh!”
In that moment, a flash of light flickered beside her.
Instinctively, she retreated.
Clang!
“Agh!”
Yusongryong cried out, stumbling back.
Thud, thud, thud!
She executed a nimble retreat across the rocky terrain, her feet barely touching the ground.
“Songryong!”
Seoktangang tried to rush to her aid, but the masked attackers had him completely surrounded.
“You scoundrels! Out of my way!”
Clang, clang, clang!
His chain sickle danced through the air, but there were too many of them to fend off.
These enemies were far stronger than he had anticipated.
What was even more astonishing was how they moved as if uninjured, despite their wounds.
Meanwhile, Yusongryong leapt onto a boulder in the middle of the gorge, raising her sword high.
Boom!
Her blade clashed with another, the impact echoing like an explosion.
“Ugh!”
Yusongryong gritted her teeth.
The red-masked figure narrowed his eyes.
“Impressive.”
His voice was rough, and then—
Whoosh!
He spun like a top, launching himself at her.
‘He’s fast!’
Yusongryong realized she couldn’t avoid a strike to her side. All she could do was muster her inner strength to minimize the damage.
Just then—
“Stop!”
A sharp voice rang out.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
A spray of water erupted, each droplet turning into a dagger aimed at the masked man.
“What the—!”
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
He deftly deflected the water daggers with his sword, his movements a blur.
Then, a shadow flew straight at the red-masked man’s chest.
Swoosh!
Clang!
Their swords clashed, forcing them apart.
Splash!
The shadow landed gracefully, standing firm at the edge of the water.
“Who are you…?”
Yusongryong narrowed her eyes.
Bathed in moonlight, the figure stood tall—it was none other than Yeon Seolyeon.
“It’s been a while,” she said, bowing respectfully.