The Taunt That Shattered the Demon
In any normal civilized culture, cannibalism was taboo. Even ancient China was no exception. That was why one of the cruelest punishments involved slaughtering a criminal and forcing their family to eat the flesh. Yet cultures that practiced cannibalism existed. When starvation grew unbearable and one had to choose between survival and dignity, some crossed that line. Still, it remained a shameful act—so shameful that people could scarcely speak of it.
Among them, however, was one who felt no shame at all. The Cannibal Demon Lord was precisely that sort of creature.
Among humans, there were always those who did what no one else dared, then used it to prove their own superiority. They ignored nutritious, delicious meals and instead devoured foul-smelling, tough human flesh. I do what you cannot. Therefore, I am superior. The Cannibal Demon Lord had reached the late stage of Transcendent realm through this twisted desire for recognition. To become even greater, he had even mastered a cursed demonic art.
Soon the world would face an even more vicious villain than the Cannibal Demon Lord—the Flame Demon. Yet someone had openly challenged the authority he had built through blood and resentment. And the voice belonged to a strikingly young girl. It was a blow that struck straight at his reverse scale.
The Cannibal Demon Lord lost his reason.
“Which bitch dares—!”
“My lord! You mustn’t! The ambush—”
His subordinates could not stop him in time. With his beard bristling red from demonic energy, he kicked off the ground and shot forward, leaving only a deep dent in the wooden floor. One subordinate weakly waved a hand in vain.
“The ambush… we prepared it…”
Memories of their recent hardships flashed through the subordinate’s mind—digging trenches, hiding jiangshi among the servants, practicing coordinated retreats and counterattacks by sector, all while chanting slogans of total annihilation in a single strike. The subordinate shook his head and gave the order.
“What are you all doing?! The Demon Lord has taken the lead!”
After the fierce landing, Bok Ha-un, who had been driving the water bandits toward the main building, also heard that depraved provocation. The insults were so vile that even an enemy would hesitate to utter them, but the real problem was the target.
The Cannibal Demon Lord? Why would the Cannibal Demon Lord appear here?
Before the question could even settle, the tightly shut gates of the main building exploded with a thunderous crash. The display of power was overwhelming. The water bandits’ advance faltered. A massive figure, broad both vertically and horizontally, revealed itself. Crimson energy rippled around him. His killing intent had materialized into something visible. It was the stage where inner energy moved of its own accord when the heart was stirred. There was no doubt who it was.
“The Cannibal Demon Lord!”
Bok Ha-un screamed as if crying out. It truly was closer to a scream. The late-stage Transcendent demonic leader was not someone one could simply brush off with “Why are you here?”
“Which bitch dares—! Dares—! I will not grant you a clean death! I will exterminate your nine clans, pickle their flesh, and feed it to you until your stomach bursts!”
“You really love eating, don’t you?! Stop stuffing yourself already! Your belly’s about to explode!”
With a burst of laughter, Cheong’s figure dropped between the water bandits and the Cannibal Demon Lord.
“Greetings, senior! This Murim’s most junior disciple, Seomun Cheong, offers her most enthusiastic respects!”
“Y-you…!”
“You’ll collapse from high blood pressure before we even fight! What are you waiting for?! Come at me! Let’s have a round!”
“Grah!”
The “Grah!” had appeared! So it wasn’t just something from comedy posts after all! Cheong swallowed her admiration. The Cannibal Demon Lord’s log-like leg shot upward. Cheong shouted.
“Wait just a—!”
The timing was so exquisitely unexpected that the Cannibal Demon Lord hesitated for a moment. That was when it happened.
Five light landing sounds echoed in succession. Five children appeared behind Cheong.
“Once more, here I go! Behold! My Wolgwang Sword!”
Emboldened, Cheong charged. The Cannibal Demon Lord, half fury and half bewilderment, rapidly closed the distance. The presences at her back felt reassuring. Cheong raised her sword in a grand arc. The inner energy the pseudo-Murim people had accumulated through shady means flowed into the blade in a steady stream. Wrapped in the vigorous force of the Juyang Sesimgyeong, her sunset-hued sword qi descended in a long vertical afterimage.
Mount Tai Pressing Down. The crushing pressure of Mount Tai itself. It was the single technique her master had somewhat praised for containing imagery. In plainer terms, it was just “downward strike, one-trick pony.”
The Cannibal Demon Lord’s hands flushed crimson. A mere late-stage Peak girl dared—?!
Sword qi and palm force collided. Clang! The sound was impossibly loud for a clash between sword qi and energy. Unable to overcome the difference in size, Cheong was sent flying through the air. The Cannibal Demon Lord’s massive body leapt after her trajectory. Cheong hurriedly flipped herself midair. The enormous fatty was right in front of her. A crimson hand descended. Cheong reached behind her waist. Yet the gap in realms was absolute. The demon’s arm began to fall first.
In that instant—clang! Three children sprang up and blocked the strike. Cheong had never relied solely on her own abilities from the start.
“I was counting on you!”
Cheong thrust her sword forward. A straightforward, full-powered stab carrying every ounce of her strength. The blade shot forward at the speed of light toward the demon’s heart—
In that moment, the demon’s hand snatched the sword blade.
“A pity, girl. Had it not been a divine art, it might have worked.”
By Murim custom, even demonic art practitioners never admitted to using demonic arts, even in death. When the Cannibal Demon Lord said “divine art,” he naturally meant the Flame Demon Art. Cheong knew nothing of such things, but the Flame Demon Art was originally derived from the Sosu Magong. Simplified, it was a reversed yin-yang variant, so its effects were similar—such as the refinement below the elbows. When the late-stage Transcendent realm was added to the Flame Demon Art’s eightfold achievement, a sword wrapped in qi was no better than a club. That was the terror of renowned demonic arts. It was also why people risked becoming public enemies of Murim to learn them.
“Ah. So that doesn’t work.”
The demon yanked Cheong’s sword. His other arm had already finished charging the Crimson Flame Palm. A swordsman never lets go of their sword, even in death! Cheong released the blade without hesitation. Well, guess I’m not a swordsman anymore.
The demon’s eyes flashed. He intended to deal with the annoying little brats first while the girl was momentarily pushed back. His hand, steeped in venomous demonic energy, struck one of the small figures without mercy. He expected the body to explode into scattered pieces.
Clang! With the sound of striking iron, the child bounced five times across the ground before tumbling far away. The Cannibal Demon Lord was startled. Jiangshi?! Why—?!
The demon’s eyes darted about, searching for Eon Yeonyeong’s face among the water bandits.
「What is the meaning of this?! Why are the jiangshi attacking me?!」
It was a technique used by true experts—transmitting a whisper protected by qi directly into the other’s ear. A method for secret conversations. It was called voice transmission.
Eon Yeonyeong’s voice transmission arrived.
「Strictly speaking, it isn’t an attack. The children are merely protecting Lady Seomun.」
「Does that make any sense?! Why would they protect that wretched girl who deserves to be torn apart?!」
「Ah. That would be a personal matter. We aren’t close enough to share personal affairs, are we?」
「Hah. Even if you’ve earned the Cult Leader’s favor with your jiangshi-making skills, do you think you’ll escape punishment for breaking the rules?」
「Who knows.」
Eon Yeonyeong merely offered a troubled smile. Replacing the Cult Leader would require little effort. She kept him around only because he was stupid and greedy, making him easy to manipulate. Concealing her sneer, she sent another transmission.
「Lady Seomun simply refuses to listen. Would you mind wearing her down until she’s suitably exhausted? You’re more than capable of that, aren’t you?」
「Nonsense, khh.」
The Cannibal Demon Lord, about to reply, hurriedly swung his hand aside. Cheong had charged again. Cheong, too, had realized something during their exchange. She had tried relying on connections like the common folk of the Central Plains, but this opponent was far from easy. Moreover, the jiangshi only defended. She had to land the killing blows herself, yet the realm gap made that difficult.
What would Master’s disciple do?
Cheong recalled her conversation with her master.
‘Master, what if the enemy is an ultra-ultra expert?’
‘Then you run away immediately. What else would you do?’
‘What if I can’t run?’
‘If it’s an opponent you must face… exhaust them. Once their dantian is empty, Transcendent realm or not, it means nothing. You must endure and force them to expend their energy.’
Of course, that was impossible in a one-on-one fight. A master’s inner energy was greater in quantity and far more efficient, so a master’s dantian would never empty first in a normal battle.
‘Then what?’
‘Isn’t there something you’re good at?’
‘Something I’m good at?’
‘Infuriating your master.’
Enrage your opponent. Your movement technique alone borders on a divine art unrivaled under heaven. If you can provoke them into losing their reason and survive by dodging, you may yet find victory.
That was indeed Cheong’s area of expertise. Yet deliberately doing so felt strangely embarrassing. She couldn’t quite bring herself to shout it while sober. Usually, even singing required a bit of alcohol to really belt out. Cheong’s trash-talk worked on the same principle. It flowed best when she was angry or dizzy—or when she was excited. Or when she was covered in blood, intestines dangling from her neck, and the satisfying crunch of breaking bones in her hands. Only then would the true voice rise from the depths of her dantian.
Right now, trying to shout only for victory while remaining clear-headed left her feeling oddly apologetic. It was also embarrassing with everyone listening. So Cheong spoke at a volume only the demon could hear. To outsiders, it looked like fearless courage—charging despite the realm gap. In reality, the words exchanged at close range during each clash and dodge were these:
“Hey, you pig bastard. If you’re the Cannibal Demon Lord, just how much have you eaten to end up looking like that? Be honest. Your chest looks bigger than mine.”
“……”
The Cannibal Demon Lord counted to ten in his mind. That jiangshi-making girl was a core figure in the Cult. Without jiangshi, their grand undertaking would be impossible. Since it was her request…
“Hey, if you’re eating people, don’t you boil, grill, and steam them? So when you bathe, do you drink all the bathwater too? The broth must be incredibly rich.”
“……”
“Wow, I’ll admit it honestly. If I were hearing this crap, I wouldn’t have stayed quiet either. Do you have some kind of hobby for being insulted? You’re not even getting mad when I’m scratching at you like this? At least throw some insults back.”
“……”
“Do you know the saying ‘like eats like’? If your eyes are bad, eat eye dishes; if your liver is bad, eat liver dishes. You eat people because you’re not human yourself, right?”
“……”
“Then from now on, you should eat plenty of old people. Since you don’t have parents, you ought to eat some parents—”
“AAAAAARGH!!! I’ll kill you!!! I’ll slaughter you!!!”
At last, the Cannibal Demon Lord exploded.