Chapter 118: The Fist King Reads Their Moves
The Fist King Reads Their Moves
Chapter 118: The Fist King Reads Their Moves
The Sword Demon issued a warning to Young Palace Master.
"Young Palace Master, you're letting the Blood Lord manipulate you. Not that it matters much. But if a fight breaks out, I'll promise you one thing—you will die."
Young Palace Master shuddered under the blind man's gaze and quietly took a step to the side, as if trying to evade the Sword Demon's sight.
In response, the Sword Demon tilted his head slightly, his hollow eye sockets—pools of darkness—fixated on Young Palace Master.
"Young Palace Master," he continued, "relying on White Cat to act recklessly only works once or twice. None of the people here can break my Blade Immunity. Not even White Cat."
Young Palace Master frowned. "Lord Yeon, what exactly are you trying to say?"
The Sword Demon pointed a finger at him.
"Take White Cat and return to Ten Thousand Demon Palace. You're the Young Lord of Ten Thousand Demon Palace—it's best you stay out of any fight. Let me, Mad Demon, and the Blood Lord settle things with Phantom Demon. You just need to know the outcome, as is your role. Isn't that what you usually do?"
Young Palace Master stroked White Cat's fur, then glanced at the Blood Lord with an opportunistic tone.
"Blood Lord, are you truly fine with this? It's not really your fight."
The Blood Lord hesitated.
Mad Demon was difficult. The Sword Demon was difficult. And the fact that he had never seen Phantom Demon fight seriously was another problem.
He sighed.
"Young Palace Master, are we here to capture a criminal or to negotiate? Why did you even follow us this far? Don't let the Sword Demon manipulate you. If he and the Heavenly Demon grow stronger, even Ten Thousand Demon Palace won't survive. Do you not realize what kind of men they are? They wouldn't spare a single thought for Ten Thousand Demon Palace's kindness. That's the truth."
Phantom Demon finally spoke up, his voice echoing unnaturally.
"Young Palace Master, join us."
Young Palace Master gulped. Younger and less experienced than the others, he hesitated like an indecisive man.
The Sword Demon issued another warning.
"I've made myself clear. If a fight breaks out, Young Palace Master, you will die by my hand."
The Blood Lord pressed on.
"He'll do the same later. We're stopping it now while we have the chance. Opportunities like this are rare. If White Cat keeps Mad Demon occupied, the three of us can suppress the Sword Demon. Blade Immunity? It's nothing special. Every man dies one way or another—just like how the Sword Demon, with his Blade Immunity body, ended up blind."
At that moment, Mad Demon, displeased with the arguing, lunged at Phantom Demon first.
Phantom Demon leaped high into the air, stretching both hands outward. As the onlookers' gazes locked onto him, he unleashed the Phantom Battlefield—a forest of swords and blades erupting from the ground.
In an instant, the surroundings darkened as countless swords and blades shot up, surrounding everyone—including Young Palace Master—and trapping them within the battlefield. Even the air filled with floating weapons, sealing them inside.
They knew it was an illusion, yet none dared move recklessly.
Phantom Demon was not the type to rely on mere illusions for intimidation.
Mad Demon halted his advance and muttered, "What the hell is this? Crazy bastard."
At the same time, White Cat, perched on Young Palace Master's shoulder, let out a sharp, metallic screech—as if disgusted by the encircling weapons.
Young Palace Master soothed the cat. "It's fine. Just an illusion."
Phantom Demon vanished within his own Phantom Battlefield, his voice echoing as if spoken through ventriloquism.
"Young Palace Master, release White Cat first. As the Blood Lord said, Mad Demon and the Sword Demon don't listen to reason."
The Phantom Battlefield expanded, swallowing the landscape in an ocean of swords and blades.
In moments, the Blood Lord, Young Palace Master, the Sword Demon, and Mad Demon were trapped in a realm where nothing but weapons existed.
When Young Palace Master didn't respond, Phantom Demon threatened him.
"If you don't release White Cat, I have no choice. I'll let it rampage on its own."
The floating blades shifted direction, all aiming at Young Palace Master.
Amidst this, the Sword Demon remained eerily still.
'These pathetic fools...'
This Phantom Battlefield meant nothing to him.
With Abyssal Sight, he had already pinpointed Phantom Demon's location. Blind as he was, illusions held no power over him—he only sensed the spiderweb-like strands of energy draped everywhere.
Even now, he was calculating which of these masters to absorb first.
Young Palace Master spoke. "Phantom Demon, calm yourself. I'll release White Cat. But once it moves, whoever dies is not my fault."
He lifted White Cat from his shoulder and set it down. The white cat prowled through the Phantom Battlefield, its gaze immediately locking onto Mad Demon—their previous opponent.
Young Palace Master commanded, "Subdue Mad Demon. Killing him is fine."
At the same time, the Sword Demon finally drew his sword.
Swoosh—
The Blood Lord summoned thick, viscous blood-like energy in both hands, while Mad Demon bulked up his muscles in a defensive stance.
Mad Demon grinned at White Cat. "Come at me, you damn cat."
Phantom Demon's voice echoed again. "Young Palace Master, stay where you are. I'll extract you."
The countless blades within the Phantom Battlefield shifted direction, surging toward Mad Demon and the Sword Demon.
Whoooooosh—!
Mad Demon smashed his palms into the ground, unleashing a shockwave that sent hundreds of blades flying.
The Sword Demon allowed the weapons to strike his body, preparing his ultimate technique—Demon General's Sword Extremity.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
The energy-formed blades shattered harmlessly against him.
Gathering the technique's power at his sword's tip, he slashed at empty air.
CRACK!
A deafening explosion erupted as Phantom Demon—previously hidden—was sent flying, his arms crossed in defense.
The Phantom Battlefield shattered.
White Cat and Mad Demon clashed. The white cat transformed into a massive white tiger mid-leap, swiping Mad Demon away with a single paw.
THUD!
Mad Demon was sent sprawling—
The Blood Lord seized the moment, thrusting his hand toward the blind Sword Demon and unleashing Blood God's Finger.
The Sword Demon swung his blade, deflecting the blood-like strike as if scattering petals. The dispersed droplets sizzled, melting everything they touched.
White Cat toyed with Mad Demon like a mouse, overwhelming him with relentless swipes. But Mad Demon, having fought the cat before, dodged and weaved, searching for an opening.
His body was already torn apart by White Cat's claws, yet he regenerated each wound with the Ashen Dust Demon Art.
'Damnable cat!'
The Blood Lord drew a crimson longsword and engaged the Sword Demon.
Young Palace Master, frightened, retreated slightly and moved to check on Phantom Demon, who had been knocked down by the Sword Demon's technique.
Meanwhile, Dan Woo-sung dragged the Heavenly Demon's enforcer, Right Envoy, while keeping an eye on his surroundings.
In the distance, a man in violet robes—the Heavenly Demon himself—approached at terrifying speed.
'The Heavenly Demon...'
Right Envoy thrashed violently beneath him. Dan Woo-sung channeled lightning energy into his right hand before crushing the man's skull with his left foot.
Crunch.
The moment the Heavenly Demon arrived, Right Envoy's life was snuffed out.
Dan Woo-sung released the corpse's arm and studied the Heavenly Demon's expression. The man remained silent, observing Dan Woo-sung before glancing at his dead subordinate.
'Interesting.'
Dan Woo-sung waited to see how the Heavenly Demon would react.
The Sword Demon, being blind, would struggle to follow. Mad Demon would be busy with Ten Thousand Demon Palace's forces.
He had bought himself enough time to face the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon was deeply curious.
'Who the hell is this man?'
Killing him outright might not even be possible—not after witnessing him emerge unscathed against Mad Demon.
Dan Woo-sung spoke first. "You're the Heavenly Demon."
The man nodded. "The title 'Fist Demon' is new to me. You're not of the Demonic Path, are you?"
The two circled each other, speaking as if old friends reuniting.
The Heavenly Demon was sharp.
But no matter how much he tried to gauge Dan Woo-sung's strength, he found nothing. The atmosphere resembled conversing with the Ten Thousand Demon Palace Lord himself—meaning this was not an opponent to fight lightly. At the very least, Dan Woo-sung was his equal, if not superior.
After absorbing the Tyrant and countless others to build his power, the idea that this young man matched him was absurd.
The Heavenly Demon was cautious by nature—unlike Mad Demon, he had no intention of fighting recklessly.
Especially not when his allies were nearby.
He raised both hands in a placating gesture.
"Fist Demon, let's share a drink another time. Today isn't the day to settle things. The dead are already dead—nothing we can do."
Dan Woo-sung took a step forward.
"Who sent you?"
The Heavenly Demon retreated a step, smiling. "My, my. Impatient, aren't we?"
He continued backing away slowly, his expression unreadable.
Dan Woo-sung stared intently.
How can he remain so composed?
There had to be a reason.
In that instant, Dan Woo-sung decided to test the Heavenly Demon's methods.
He unleashed the Lightning Fist—deliberately holding back its power, focusing only on its flashy appearance.
A mere feint.
But the spectacle was overwhelming.
A colossal white fist surged toward the Heavenly Demon—
Startled, the man pushed off the ground with his left foot, swirling his hands in a reverse taiji motion.
Heaven-Reversing Mirror.
The Lightning Fist's momentum rebounded straight back at Dan Woo-sung.
CRACK!
Dan Woo-sung crossed his arms, summoning a Lightning Barrier to neutralize the reflected strike. Then he flicked his right hand, hurling a serpentine bolt of lightning.
ZZZAP!
The Heavenly Demon twisted away, but the lightning serpent pursued relentlessly.
'Damn brat.'
His trump card had been exposed—annoying, but unavoidable.
He kicked off the ground, flipping midair before unleashing the Sun-Moon Heavenly Palm Force—a fusion of Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang energies.
The massive, spinning sphere hurtled toward Dan Woo-sung with terrifying speed.
This attack carried the Heavenly Demon's full intent.
Dan Woo-sung wrapped himself in the Black Dog Rebound Technique and punched forward—not with lightning, but sheer destructive force.
His fist pierced the sphere's center, creating a gaping hole before the entire construct collapsed.
The resulting shockwave sent both men flying.
The Heavenly Demon twisted in midair, landed smoothly, and immediately fled using lightfoot techniques.
By the time Dan Woo-sung regained his footing, the landscape had been devastated—only the path beneath him remained intact, while crescent-shaped craters marred the surroundings.
He cracked his neck.
Then, silently, he moved toward the Demonic Path's infighting.
He would observe, kill a few more, and leave.
If that proved too difficult, he'd at least gather intel on their techniques and strength.