Chapter 119: The Fist King Strikes Back
The Fist King Strikes Back
Chapter 119: The Fist King Strikes Back
As Dan Woo-sung approached the battlefield where the Demonic Path forces clashed, he calmly sorted through his thoughts.
Heavenly Demon, Sword Demon, Mad Demon, Blood Lord, Phantom Demon, and even Young Palace Master of the Ten Thousand Demon Palace.
And he didn't forget the seemingly ordinary white cat, either.
Since Mad Demon had been branded a traitor, it was obvious they were tearing each other apart. Having fought Mad Demon before, Dan Woo-sung knew the mad warrior wouldn't be taken down easily.
Moreover, he was certain that either Sword Demon or Heavenly Demon would stab someone in the back mid-battle.
That was the crux of it.
So Dan Woo-sung approached with the intent to stab the backstabber in their back.
They were all enemies he needed to kill anyway.
While they were busy fighting among themselves, the sudden appearance of the Fist King—wreaking havoc and tearing through the battlefield—would prevent the Demonic Path from uniting under a single will.
That was the nature of the Demonic Path.
Until a true Demonic Path Supreme emerged, chaos was their greatest weakness.
The Fist King, who had retreated earlier, now returned to the battlefield.
***
Who was in the worst position here?
The Blood Lord.
He couldn't comprehend why he was struggling against a blind Sword Demon.
And how could he?
Sword Demon had obtained the Abyssal Void Art, making the Blood Lord's movements appear sluggish to his senses. No matter how brilliantly the Blood Lord attacked, Sword Demon simply blocked with his Blade Immunity physique. Each clash only put the Blood Lord in greater danger—because Sword Demon was using his own body as a weapon, trading blows recklessly.
The combination of blindness and Blade Immunity defied conventional martial logic, creating a battle unlike anything the Blood Lord had faced.
The only thing Sword Demon feared was the Blood God Energy corroding his flesh, but since his internal energy was deeper, he could repel most of it with sword energy.
The Blood Lord had no choice but to struggle.
"Heh heh heh."
Sword Demon sneered as he swung his blade.
Now that the fight was underway, the inconvenience of blindness no longer bothered him.
But everyone here shared one critical problem:
They were all fighting on borrowed time.
If White Cat subdued Mad Demon, Sword Demon would be in danger.
If Sword Demon took down the Blood Lord first, he could join forces with Mad Demon against White Cat.
Having already assessed the situation, Sword Demon pressed his assault while taunting:
"You little mosquito, seems like you don't have much time left."
He deliberately drew out his words while swinging the Demon Sword, flaunting his overwhelming advantage.
When the Blood Lord suddenly shifted to a defensive stance, Sword Demon mocked him:
"Trying to run? Not a chance. Just because I'm blind, you think you can escape? Dream on."
He charged forward, swinging his sword like an executioner's axe.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sheer brutality of his attacks was overwhelming.
Worse, since Sword Demon was already blind, the Blood Lord couldn't see any way to break his Blade Immunity.
As he desperately parried the relentless downward slashes with his own sword, the Blood Lord—gripped by the fear of death—suddenly roared:
"Phantom Demon! Young Palace Master!"
What the hell were these idiots doing?!
The moment he called for help—
Sword Demon burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha... So this is all the descendant of the Blood God amounts to? Pathetic."
***
Young Palace Master was examining Phantom Demon, who had been knocked down by Sword Demon's strike.
"Hey, Phantom Demon. No way you died from just one hit."
Phantom Demon lay still, eyes closed as if unconscious—until his ventriloquism whispered faintly into Young Palace Master's ear:
"Young Palace Master, stay near my clone for a while. Wi Ji-cheon will likely return for a sneak attack. He's not the type to care about dead subordinates. Him leaving in the first place was a ruse."
"Hmm."
Nodding, Young Palace Master kept his eyes fixed on Phantom Demon's clone. What seemed like a knockout was actually another trap—Phantom Demon was waiting for Heavenly Demon's return.
The whispers continued:
"I'll open a Life Gate in the direction my clone's crown points. When Heavenly Demon comes, retreat that way."
Heavenly Demon was already approaching silently, but Phantom Demon had laid out a Phantom Battlefield around his clone, making his movements plain as day.
Young Palace Master nodded obediently, as if he'd follow Phantom Demon's instructions without question.
Heavenly Demon paused the moment he spotted Young Palace Master's back from a distance. Phantom Demon lay motionless, seemingly unconscious—but Young Palace Master's awkward posture while checking on him was suspicious.
'A trap?'
Clasping his hands behind his back, Heavenly Demon approached and asked:
"Young Palace Master, is Phantom Demon dead?"
Young Palace Master turned, looked at him, then took a step back.
"Sword Demon took him down. Don't come any closer."
Heavenly Demon tilted his head and advanced.
"Dead? Phantom Demon? Impossible."
Sword Demon was strong, but Phantom Demon wouldn't fall so easily. After scanning the surroundings, Heavenly Demon suddenly closed the distance with Lightfoot Technique—intent on killing Young Palace Master first.
The Young Palace Master he knew was a weak-willed man who had gorged himself on elixirs funded by the Ten Thousand Demon Palace's vast wealth. His internal energy was absurdly deep, but his spirit was frail, devoid of any presence.
But then again, the same could be said of the Ten Thousand Demon Palace's leader.
The thought unsettled Heavenly Demon, reinforcing his urge to eliminate Young Palace Master quickly.
As Young Palace Master turned to flee—
Heavenly Demon stepped past Phantom Demon's clone and stomped down on its head.
CRUNCH!
Like a formation activating, the shattered clone dispersed into black smoke, spreading around Heavenly Demon.
The moment he unleashed a violet energy wave—
The surroundings plunged into darkness, and Phantom Demon's voice echoed:
"Wi Ji-cheon, let's settle this."
Heavenly Demon stared into the abyss with a bored expression.
"Ah... Now that's more like you. Do as you please."
"I will."
From the shadows, Phantom Demon's clones multiplied until they filled the entire area, all staring at Heavenly Demon.
Demonic Path versus Demonic Path.
Heavenly Demon knew the essence of Phantom Demon Art was instilling fear in the opponent.
But Heavenly Demon was a man who had never known fear—not in personality, temperament, or psyche. He had been raised without regard for death.
Spreading his arms, Heavenly Demon said:
"Phantom Demon, do you really think you're the first to play this clone game with me?"
***
As Dan Woo-sung moved, he passed by Mad Demon and White Cat locked in battle.
They were tearing into each other—mostly Mad Demon getting torn apart. It was a miracle he was still standing, battered and bleeding from head to toe.
White Cat, now monstrously enlarged, sent Mad Demon flying with each swipe of its paw.
'A monster.'
Even so, whenever Mad Demon unleashed his Twin Palms or external energy attacks, White Cat dodged with feline agility, leaping around like an oversized housecat.
Since White Cat didn't seem likely to lose, Dan Woo-sung left Mad Demon for now.
Picking up speed, he soon spotted Sword Demon chasing the bleeding Blood Lord and immediately pursued.
Just as Sword Demon hurled his Demon Sword with a furious roar—
SHIIING!
—and kicked off the ground to close the distance, the Blood Lord turned and swung his sword to deflect.
WHOOSH!
At that moment, Sword Demon read the Demon Sword's cursed intent, twisting its trajectory mid-air to narrowly evade the Blood Lord's blade—
—and plunge straight into his abdomen.
STAB!
The Blood Lord grabbed the half-buried sword with his left hand—
—only for Sword Demon to arrive instantly, gripping his own blade and driving it deeper.
At the same time, Sword Demon seized the Blood Lord's head and growled:
"Mosquito, find enlightenment in your next life. Hahahaha..."
The Blood Lord's bloodshot eyes glared before he stabbed his Blood God-infused fingers into Sword Demon's empty sockets—a panicked move, since Sword Demon had no eyes left.
But it still hurt. The wounds that had barely healed were being torn open again.
Then Sword Demon began draining the Blood Lord's life force with the Demon Sword.
Just as a horrific scream tore from the Blood Lord's throat—
"GAAAAAH!"
—Sword Demon's head snapped to the side.
"Huh?"
Dan Woo-sung, descending from above, lashed out with a whip of lightning that coiled around the Blood Lord's neck.
The screaming Blood Lord was yanked away, the Demon Sword ripping free from his gut with a sickening SCHLUCK!
Sword Demon couldn't stop it—his left hand was already being forced back by surging lightning energy.
ZZZZZT!
The Blood Lord's screams cut off abruptly.
Dan Woo-sung dragged the corpse a short distance before finishing it off with a lightning strike and retracting the whip.
It had been a razor-thin moment.
Sword Demon had barely absorbed a sliver of the Blood Lord's energy before his prey was stolen.
It was like having a single spoonful of food before some lunatic kicked over the entire table.
If he still had eyes, he would've blinked in disbelief.
All Sword Demon could do was stare hollowly at Dan Woo-sung.
Through the Abyssal Void Art, he couldn't see expressions—only the white threads of energy coiling around Dan Woo-sung as he glared back and spoke:
"What're you staring at, you eyeless freak? Weirdo. Using Mind's Eye or something?"
Sword Demon gripped his sword tighter and spat:
"You son of a bitch—of all times—!"
Words failed him.
He had been so intoxicated by the prospect of absorbing the Blood Lord's power that he'd let his guard down. Worse, focusing solely on the Blood Lord through the Abyssal Void Art had slowed his reaction time.
Dan Woo-sung wasn't comfortable fighting Sword Demon yet.
He still hadn't located Heavenly Demon. But turning his back on Sword Demon now would be just as dangerous.
Taking a few steps forward to gauge Sword Demon's strength—
A screaming Mad Demon suddenly crashed between them, rolling across the ground.
THUD!
"Goddamn it!" he cursed.
Seizing the opportunity, Dan Woo-sung stomped down with Lightning Foot—
BOOOOM!
—only for Mad Demon to slap the ground with Twin Palms, launching himself upward just in time.
Sword Demon, still viewing the world through the Abyssal Void Art, slashed at the airborne figure.
SHIIING!
Mad Demon twisted mid-air, blocking the sword energy with his palms.
Then White Cat arrived, unleashing a deafening Sound Attack with a roar:
"SCREEEEEECH!"
Dan Woo-sung, Mad Demon, and Sword Demon all covered their ears, resisting the sonic onslaught. The sheer force made their chests heave.
As White Cat swiped at Dan Woo-sung, he retreated with Lightfoot Technique—
—then watched as it sent Sword Demon flying into a tree, the impact sending him tumbling across the ground.
White Cat leaped after Mad Demon, resuming their battle.
Meanwhile, Sword Demon scrambled to his feet and stared at Dan Woo-sung through the Abyssal Void Art.
The memory of Dan Woo-sung's Lightning Foot resurfaced.
But now, the image in Sword Demon's mind was shifting—no longer just a figure wreathed in Extreme Yang haze, but a face becoming unmistakably clear.
Half-dazed, Sword Demon shouted:
"Fist King! How are you alive?!"
Of course, since only the Abyssal Void Art showed him this, it sounded like the ravings of a madman.
A side effect Grand Master had warned him about.
Sword Demon desperately wanted to open his eyes and confirm—but with Heavenly Demon absent, the frustration was unbearable.
Yet he knew—that man was the Fist King.
The problem was, no one would believe a blind man's words.