Episode 669: Return of the Demon Cult
Thud!
“Gah!”
Adler’s eyes widened in shock.
Slowly, he looked down at the sword piercing his heart, wielded by Bertas.
The blade shimmered between a dark crimson and a silvery hue, as if drinking in his blood.
“Ugh…! Aaaah!”
Adler staggered back, screaming in agony.
Blood and black smoke poured from the gaping wound in his chest.
“Ugh!”
He fell to one knee, gasping for breath.
“You wretched… woman!”
Swoosh!
Sabiran gave him no chance to finish.
Slice!
In a swift, merciless motion, Bertas severed Adler’s head.
Thud, roll…!
The head tumbled down, eventually disappearing over the cliff’s edge.
Sabiran looked down coldly at Adler’s lifeless body and muttered, “Even your words were as filthy as your face.”
With a steely expression, she turned to gaze over the cliff.
The battlefield was a chaotic mess of screams and shouts.
Raising Bertas high, she shouted, “The demon is dead!”
A cheer erupted from the warriors fighting near the demonic tree.
“Yeahhh!”
Meanwhile, the enemy forces, who had been fighting with reckless abandon, began to crumble as if a spell had been broken.
The corpses that had been animated fell lifelessly, and the living lost their strength, quickly cut down by the warriors of the Demon-Slaying Palace.
Sabiran, too, leapt off the cliff, Bertas in hand, to sweep through the remaining foes with ruthless efficiency.
Shing! Slash!
“Aaagh!”
The tide of battle turned in an instant.
It was clear that Adler’s presence had been a source of power for them.
Once the situation was somewhat under control, Murang appeared from the forest with his guards.
“Sabiran, fall back. We need to deal with that demonic tree first.”
“Yes, Grandfather!”
Sabiran addressed Murang as she always did, calling him ‘Grandfather.’
Murang and his disciples began to move swiftly.
Meanwhile, the warriors of the White Flower Sect and the Demon-Slaying Palace continued to deal with the remaining enemies.
Once a rough formation was established, Murang began chanting a spell.
Such a catastrophe must never be allowed to happen again.
The Murang Temple sorcerers chanted, sweat pouring down their faces.
How much time passed like this?
Suddenly, Murang’s eyes snapped open, and he launched himself at the demonic tree, striking it with both palms.
Boom!
With a thunderous sound, the tree shook violently.
As if in pain, it writhed and twisted.
Then, from the middle of the trunk, a branch sprouted, wrapping around Murang’s hands.
“Ugh!”
Veins bulged on Murang’s forehead.
He let out another shout of exertion.
“Hyaah!”
Creak! Crack!
The demonic tree writhed again.
And then, all at once—
Roar!
The tree let out a bizarre scream, and a demonic face emerged from the trunk like a grotesque relief.
Murang shouted urgently, “Sabiran! Now! Pierce it with Bertas!”
“Yes, Grandfather!”
With a swift leap, Sabiran hurled herself at the tree, thrusting Bertas forward.
“Haaah!”
Crunch!
Screech!
The demonic tree convulsed, letting out another scream.
The sound was so intense that several warriors, who had been gathering their inner strength, collapsed, coughing up blood.
Whoosh…!
The energy that had been surging up the tree’s trunk visibly weakened.
The demonic face, half-formed, began to crumble and wither.
Yet, the beam of light shooting into the sky did not completely vanish.
Though weakened, it still threatened to pierce the heavens with its crimson glow.
Landing softly on the ground, Sabiran turned to Murang.
“Is it over?”
But Murang’s expression was far from relieved.
“No. The power has weakened, but if we leave it like this, the gate will open.”
“Then what do we do?”
“We need to stop that light somehow…”
“Can Bertas block it?”
Murang’s response was doubtful.
“Bertas absorbs blood, not mana. The demonic tree draws its power from mana. That’s why they gathered so many magic stones. With a sacrifice added, the dimensional gate would open in an instant.”
“So, are we just supposed to wait helplessly until the gate opens?”
At that moment, a woman’s voice cut through the air.
“I’ll try to stop it.”
Sabiran and Murang turned to see Ong Suryong standing there, hands clasped tightly.
Murang recognized her immediately.
He had helped heal her with Jinbaek before.
“Aren’t you Ong Giseung’s daughter?”
“Yes, sir. Do you think… I could stop it?”
“How do you plan to do that?”
“I’ll try to absorb it with my body. You said it yourself, sir. I need to absorb mana throughout my life. But if I can take in all that energy now…”
“No! Your body won’t withstand it.”
“Are you sure?”
Ong Suryong looked Murang straight in the eye.
Murang sighed deeply before answering.
“I’m not certain. Your constitution might allow your inner strength to continuously absorb the mana. If that happens, it could trigger a transformation, a chance for rebirth. But there’s always a risk. If things go wrong…”
“If we only think of the negatives, we’ll never do anything. And the worst outcome right now is…”
Ong Suryong’s gaze turned skyward.
“The sky falling down on us.”
Her words left everyone silent.
With renewed determination, Ong Suryong spoke again.
“I can do it. I’ll endure. Besides, there are no more magic stones, right? Even if I survive, it will be a life of continuous pain. Who knows how long I have left? So… I want to face this opportunity head-on.”
Murang looked at Ong Suryong, who spoke with such clarity and resolve.
Finally, he let out a small laugh.
“My, how you’ve grown. You’re just like your parents.”
Time flies, indeed.
It feels like just yesterday you were toddling around, calling for your grandfather with your little voice…
“Are you sure you can handle it?”
Though he knew it was a pointless question, Murang asked once more for confirmation.
“Yes, I’ll try to stop it.”
Sabiran looked at Murang.
Murang nodded at her.
“Let’s do as Suryong suggests.”
“What should we do?”
“Exactly as she said, block that light with Suryong’s body.”
Sabiran turned to Ong Suryong.
“Can you use lightness skills?”
“I’m sorry, no.”
Ong Suryong shook her head, looking a bit embarrassed.
“It’s okay. I’ll help you. Musung!”
At her call, Gok Musung rushed over.
“You called, Leader!”
“Can you do what you did before, one more time?”
“Of course.”
‘What they did before’ referred to when Gok Musung had thrown Sabiran up the cliff.
Sabiran nodded and wrapped her arms around Ong Suryong’s waist.
“Hold on tight. We’re about to fly.”
“Yes!”
Ong Suryong clung tightly to Sabiran’s arm.
“Here we go!”
With that, Sabiran began to run, using her lightness skills to gain momentum.
“Ready!”
Gok Musung shouted robustly.
Finally, as Sabiran stepped onto Gok Musung’s hands—
“Up you go!”
With a powerful shout, Gok Musung launched the two women into the air.
Whoosh!
Sabiran soared, using both flight magic and her lightness skills to propel them to the top of the demonic tree.
At the peak, she released Ong Suryong’s hand.
In that brief moment, their eyes met in the air, exchanging a deep, unspoken understanding.
‘Endure this, and let’s wander the martial world together.’
‘Yes, sister!’
Finally, Ong Suryong’s entire body was engulfed by the crimson beam.
Whoosh!
Absorbing the light with her whole being, Ong Suryong floated in midair.
Meanwhile, Sabiran descended gracefully to the ground.
Swish, thud!
Now, all eyes were on the sky.
The crimson beam from the demonic tree and Ong Suryong, absorbing it with her entire body.
The light was so intense that it was impossible to see what was happening to Ong Suryong.
The sound of the light was so loud that no one could tell if she was screaming or groaning.
Yet, the scene before them was breathtakingly beautiful, almost incongruous with the dire situation.
The beam, striking Ong Suryong, could no longer extend further.
Instead, the fierce energy spread around, creating an effect like a deep, fiery sunset.
Whoosh!
How much time passed like this?
The crimson beam, which seemed it would rise forever, began to lose its strength.
The dark clouds that had gathered heavily in the sky were slowly dispersing.
Everyone, including Sabiran and the other warriors, could feel it.
The power of the Demon Tree was waning.
Finally, when the last beam of light shot forth.
Crackle! Crackle!
A disturbance erupted at the top of the Demon Tree, causing the pillar of light to flicker and break repeatedly.
Joy spread across the faces of the people.
“Did we… did we stop it?”
“Look! Over there!”
Someone pointed to the sky.
There, as the light faded, Ong Suryung appeared.
She began to fall.
“Suryung!”
Sabiran quickly leaped into the air, using her light-footed technique.
She caught Ong Suryung gently and landed on the ground.
Ong Suryung was naked.
Her once jet-black hair had turned white.
Yet her skin was as pale as white jade.
Just then, Gok Museong rushed over and draped his robe over Ong Suryung’s body.
Murang also hurried over to check her pulse.
Everyone watched his lips intently.
‘Please, let him say she’s okay.’
‘Let him say everything turned out well!’
Finally.
“Thank goodness. It seems the outcome is favorable.”
“Ah!”
Sabiran was the first to let out a sigh of relief.
All the warriors around erupted in cheers.
Gok Museong, tears welling up in his eyes despite his burly frame, spoke.
“Miss Ong! You’ve truly endured. Thank you. This time, it’s as if you’ve saved the martial world.”
Ong Suryung managed to open her eyes and gave a faint smile.
“This time, I guess I was the one who found a way out.”
“Of course! Of course!”
Murang asked, “How do you feel?”
“A bit tired, but… my body feels much lighter.”
“That’s a relief. It seems your constitution has improved.”
“Really? My parents and uncle… they’ll be so happy…”
With those words, Ong Suryung drifted into a peaceful sleep.
Murang gently stroked her white hair, smiling faintly.
“Even now, she thinks of her parents and uncle first?”
Meanwhile, the towering Demon Tree began to crumble like ashes, slowly scattering.
The dark energy that had stained the ground was also gradually dissipating.
The dying grass began to regain its vitality, and the once-parched ancient trees started to absorb moisture again.
The forest was slowly transforming.
But the black pool atop the cliff remained unchanged.
Soon, a strange change occurred in the black pool.
Something emerged from its surface.
Amazingly, it began to take on a human form—Adler.
Though he appeared somewhat gaunt, it was unmistakably him.
He glanced down the cliff and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk… a failure, huh? Well, there’s no need to rush. There’s plenty of time.”
As he muttered indifferently and started to move.
“It’s been a while.”
A familiar voice.
Adler flinched and looked up.
There stood a middle-aged man with his arms crossed.
A man with a neat appearance and a dignified face.
Adler recognized him instantly.
“Sabi Kang…!”
“I figured you’d still be alive. You’re not one to die easily.”
For the first time, fear flickered across Adler’s face.
But he quickly forced a sly smile and said, “Then you should know better. Unless it’s the Demon Realm, you can’t kill me. I’m blessed by the immortal evil god. You know I created the Demon King.”
“Of course. That’s why I don’t plan to kill you.”
“What? Then…”
Sabi Kang slowly raised his hand.
“There was an old hag like you long ago. No matter how many times I killed her, she kept coming back. So I gave up on killing her. Instead, I decided to imprison her.”
“What…!”
“Go meet her and fight forever. I’m curious to see who will win.”
With those words, Sabi Kang waved his hand.
In that moment.
Shhhhhh!
The space shattered into dozens of pieces.
It was as if the space itself was slashed and crumbled.
But the space remained intact.
Instead, Adler’s entire body was sliced into pieces.
“Ah…!”
Adler couldn’t even scream properly.
He could only look down at his fragmented body in disbelief.
And he realized, too late, the terrifying power of the realm known as the Boundary of All Things.
Sabi Kang took out a pouch from his robe and opened its mouth.
In the next moment, the fragments of Adler’s body flew into the pouch.
Sealing the pouch, Sabi Kang spoke in a nonchalant voice.
“Did you really think you could harm my wife and daughter and get away with it? Not a chance.”
With that, he tucked the pouch back into his robe and walked to the edge of the cliff, looking down.
The forest, once transformed into a hellish landscape, was regaining its spring.
And within that spring, his daughter and cherished ones were gathered.
Sabi Kang looked up at the sky and murmured.
“At least one thing I must acknowledge. Thanks to you, we’ve realized the value of everyday life.”