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I had to return to the Tang Clan with heavy steps after fleeing the two demonic practitioners.
My body had been light when I vaulted the wall, but my mind was heavy. I had no idea how to explain this situation to Lee Si-a.
First, Thunder Demon.
As one of the Earth Qilin Three Demons, Lee Si-a would have welcomed her with open arms, just as she had when Flame Demon was brought to our side.
The reason Thunder Demon sided with the Eldest Prince instead of the Little Princess was purely because the Eldest Prince was the legitimate male heir of the Heavenly Demon Cult and a man.
She was a woman desperate to see the chosen successor of the Heavenly Demon Cult—the one with the most talent—care for the Heavenly Demon's grandchildren.
As the wet nurse of a family with superior seed, she would flaunt her worth as both the Thunder Demon and the Demon Brain (魔腦).
And I had gone and proven my own masculinity to her.
I proved to her firsthand just how superior a demon like me was, even compared to the Eldest Prince.
If I existed purely as a cultist and not on Lee Si-a's side, she would have sworn loyalty to me and advocated for a dynastic revolution within the Heavenly Demon Cult.
-My lord! Please, give the Little Princess a son! Grant me the glory of caring for your child!!
Thus, Thunder Demon now held the mindset that she would become my ally the moment I gave my consent.
And then there was the Demonic Sword Consort.
'Honestly, she's a woman who wouldn't be out of place if she were still active as the Sword Demon today.'
The background of her passing the Sword Demon title to her successor was practically a 'retirement.' From what I heard from Lee Si-a, she had taught the sword to Boksu-gwi, one of the many men in the cult who showed a talent for it, at the Sword Pavilion.
When Wang So-hyeon stepped down as the Sword Demon and became the Demonic Sword Consort, the vacant title was inherited by her disciple.
The disciple's skill did not match the master's, but her will for vengeance and wild beauty were apparently more than enough to inherit the seat of the Sword Demon.
But that Sword Demon died in Hubei.
Therefore, the current Ten Demons became Nine Demons, and one seat remains vacant.
Unless the Heavenly Demon deliberately leaves the position empty, the best swordsman in the Demonic Cult should rightfully succeed the Sword Demon.
I am already the Lust Demon and occupying the position of No Demon, so it would not be strange at all for the Demonic Sword Consort to become the Sword Demon. It is common in the Murim for a retired master to come out of retirement and step forward again due to the loss of their successor.
"...Both are women who would give Lee Si-a wings."
Thunder Demon possessed the history of the Demonic Cult.
Moreover, drawing one of the Earth Qilin Three Demons directly to our side was effectively cutting off another limb from the Eldest Prince, who had already lost Flame Demon and Ice Demon—two of his four limbs were gone.
The Demonic Sword Consort possessed the Sword Pavilion.
A beautiful middle-aged woman who had reached the Harmony Realm. If it were not for her obsessive desire to consummate a martial marriage with me, I was perfectly willing to become 'lust friends' with her, just as I was with the Lust-Exorcising Abbess, Ryu Seo-si.
"They're both too old for me to marry."
Thunder Demon isn't even worth discussing.
The Demonic Sword Consort possessed all the good conditions, but her current physical age meant childbirth would be at an advanced maternal age (老産), which could be detrimental to the child.
Even giving her every concession, I could only see Thunder Demon as a lady-in-waiting for Jin Family Manor at best.
And the Demonic Sword Consort was a woman with zero flaws, provided she achieved Rejuvenation and eliminated her obsessive fixation on sparring.
'I like that they're similar to the women I would take in the future.'
Smack!
"You're insane. Get a grip."
As I gradually began rationalizing it, I slapped my own cheek to clear my head. I had nearly been on the verge of bringing Thunder Demon and the Demonic Sword Consort to Jin Family Manor.
"No. Get a grip, Lust Demon. Have you forgotten the vow you made that day to only prey on the spirit realm?"
"What are you muttering to yourself about?"
"......!"
I was genuinely startled. Before I knew it, Lee Si-a was waiting for me, dressed in the Moon Woman attire.
I hadn't noticed her approach at all. She had been moving faster than usual.
"...No way?"
"Heh."
Lee Si-a's red eyes flashed as she smiled. Her pupils, channeling the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, seemed to burn with a flame.
"It seems like a trigger was needed, but I guess I've barely 'reached' it, in terms of inner energy."
"My sincere congratulations, Si-a."
"What for? It's just the level of getting a finger on it, not even a proper grasp."
"The number of people who live their whole lives in despair because they can't even reach that level is greater than the fish in the Yangtze River."
I scrutinized her body from head to toe. All she had done since coming to Sichuan was sightseeing and indulging in the pleasures of the Heavenly Demon, but enlightenment could bloom from the smallest of things.
"Really? I feel a little sorry for those people then. That I get to taste the air up here so absurdly."
"Everyone walks a different path."
For her, simply stepping out of the Cheon family estate and getting some fresh air had been the trigger.
...It was a far more constructive and healthy enlightenment than breaking through one's limits because one was violated by a man.
"Si-a."
"What?"
"I violated Thunder Demon and the Demonic Sword Consort, and they both came charging at me demanding marriage, so I fled."
I told her everything exactly as it happened. Inside, a part of me was furious, asking why I was spilling all of that, but I couldn't bring myself to lie to Lee Si-a as she looked at me with innocent eyes.
"...Care to elaborate?"
Lee Si-a furrowed her elegant brows and demanded a concrete explanation. I revealed the truth without omitting a single detail.
"Hmm, so..."
Lee Si-a came right up to me and grabbed both of my hands.
"My man is so amazing that two demonic practitioners fell for you. Is that what you're saying?"
"It's a little embarrassing when you sum it up in one line like that."
"But it's not wrong, is it? Whether it's your martial arts, your strategy, or your cock, the Demonic Sword Consort and Thunder Demon are hooked and throwing themselves at you to get married right now. Though Thunder Demon's case is a little different."
What Lee Si-a said was not wrong.
"Hmm... the Demonic Sword Consort and Thunder Demon..."
"One is among the Earth Qilin Three Demons, and she is the master of the Sword Pavilion. If they side with the Little Princess, they will certainly become your power."
"I don't want them."
"...Huh?"
For a moment, I thought I had misheard Lee Si-a.
"I said I don't want them. I'm not particularly interested in taking either the Demonic Sword Consort or Thunder Demon as my subordinates."
"...That's unexpected. In terms of military strength within the Demonic Cult, the Demonic Sword Consort and the Sword Pavilion would account for about ten percent, wouldn't they?"
"Since you seem to need logical reasons, I'll tell you. One, they'd be swearing loyalty to you, not me. Unlike Flame Demon and Ice Demon. Two, the Demonic Cult I'm going to build will be one that leads a new era. No matter how capable they are, I don't want to bring in and overwork the people from the previous era."
Lee Si-a wanted to create a new Demonic Cult.
She wanted to demolish the existing structure and change the very nature of the Demonic Cult under the rule of Lee Si-a, the Heavenly Demon.
In that context, elders who had served the previous Heavenly Demon, like the former Sword Demon and Thunder Demon, were a lower priority.
"And there's one biggest reason. Honestly, putting everything else aside, this is the biggest one."
"What is it?"
"Because it seems like you don't really want them?"
"......."
Lee Si-a nestled into my arms and looked up at me.
"I have no intention of accepting any woman my man doesn't want."
"You have the order reversed. I said I was willing to accept them if you wanted to."
"But that's like me forcing you to mix flesh with those two demons, isn't it? No. I can't accept it for that reason."
Lee Si-a drew a firm line.
"If you ever get the urge that you absolutely must keep a woman like the Demonic Sword Consort or Thunder Demon at your side and violate her over and over again, then I'll take her in as my handmaid. So, do you want to keep the Demonic Sword Consort and Thunder Demon at your side and violate them now?"
"...Not to that extent. I did just violate them a moment ago, but they were too heavy a burden for light pleasure."
Not my body, but my mind.
"The Lust Demon cannot embrace those who try to chain his ankles when he flies into the sky."
"Right, that's how the Sky-Soaring Lust Demon should be."
I interlaced my fingers with Lee Si-a's.
"If I have time to violate them, I will find other young, beautiful, and strong women to absorb their yin to nourish my yang. I have already eaten my fill of both of their inner energy. There is no need to take on the risk."
"Right? I think so too. So, what we need to do now is simple."
Lee Si-a pointed down below the mountain, where the sun was glinting.
"The Demonic Sword Consort and Thunder Demon are chasing us? Then let's hurry up and run away from Sichuan."
"Avoid their pursuit?"
"Of course. It's an elopement."
Lee Si-a didn't so much as change her expression and winked at me.
"I don't know about the Demonic Sword Consort, but we'll have to move quite fast to avoid and escape Thunder Demon. Considering her location... it'll be difficult to return directly to Hubei. What do you want to do?"
"......Let's go back."
Since the two women would be coming down from the north, we had to go south, not north.
"Through Yunnan, then Guangxi, Hunan, ...and then Hubei."
"That's a good idea. Then before we leave..."
Squeeze.
Lee Si-a gripped my manhood. I felt a moment of worry at her grabbing and pulling my penis when we needed to be leaving, but the instant I saw where she was guiding me, I erased the option of escape from my mind.
"Master Lust Demon...?"
Dang Seo-hee, dressed in modest attire almost like she was about to perform a wedding ceremony, was kneeling before me, waiting. Beside her lay another beautiful middle-aged woman, unconscious.
"Huh. What's this?"
"The former Poison Demon. They say she married out of the Tang Clan. A married woman."
"Strictly speaking, she's my aunt... but..."
Flump.
I pulled my pants down. I did think about how Thunder Demon and the Demonic Sword Consort might attack, but how could a sparrow ever leave the mill?
"If the two of them come... I'll try to hold them off. I'm stronger than both of them now."
"Dang Seo-hee."
I pulled Dang Seo-hee close and stole a kiss from her.
"That's a good mindset. From now on, as the Flying Heaven Flame Demon, strive for even greater self-purification."
"......."
Dang Seo-hee covered her face with one hand, while with the other, she lifted the Poison Demon's skirt.
"Si-a, you know I truly like you, right?"
"Of course. You know that, so I'm doing this for you."
Lee Si-a sat opposite Dang Seo-hee and grabbed my hand.
"I will draw out all of the Poison Demon's inner energy and give it to you."
I pushed my penis inside the Poison Demon and kissed the back of Lee Si-a's hand.
* * *
Caw, caw.
A massive black eagle soared through the sky, flapping its wings and crying out.
"...Here! An accident definitely happened here!!"
Martial artists came running up, panting, and inspected the scene. They could barely advance, confronted by traces as if a beast as large as a mountain had clawed and raked through the area.
"Just what in the world...?"
"Dammit, there have been too many strange phenomena happening in Sichuan lately!"
Caw.
The eagle nodded and flew off into the distance. Having finished its reconnaissance, the eagle landed on a cliff with the grace of a crane.
Whoosh.
Black mist flowed from the eagle's body, and it transformed into the form of a black-haired woman.
Suma (Beast Demon).
One of the Ten Demons who had mastered Taoist magic allowing her to transform into beasts, a transformation art that no one could detect. Like Thunder Demon, she was one of the Earth Qilin Three Demons. From the high cliff, she looked down upon the scarred forest that had been upended.
"...Do you see, my Heavenly Demon?"
"Ah. I see it."
It seemed as if Suma was talking to herself, but the answer that came was not in her soft feminine voice—it was a deep, dignified man's voice.
"Traces of the Supreme Demonic Phantom Person unleashing his Taoist arts. He didn't even leave a scratch on Thunder Demon or the Demonic Sword Consort, but put on a display of force to prevent them from pursuing."
"Magnificent. As expected of the man who will be my son-in-law."
Suma smiled bitterly at the Heavenly Demon's words. The fight for succession had already become a thing of the past.
Grand Duke Ju-ji was about to hand the Heavenly Demon's seat over to the Little Princess without even putting up a fight. With no other variables, simply for the single reason that the Lust Demon was 'Bi-cheon.'
"But it's still a little regrettable. He's far from being 'ripe' yet."
"...Are you saying he can still grow more?"
"His mind and soul have already reached their peak. It's merely his body that hasn't caught up, thanks to the flow of time. Truly... I look forward to it. The day he becomes my match."
"......Excuse me, I ask this purely out of curiosity..."
The Heavenly Demon was in an extremely good mood. Sensing the moment, Suma asked her question.
"Can that man really defeat you, Heavenly Demon?"
"Heh heh, he must. If he can't, it simply won't do."
Suma, as if possessed by the Heavenly Demon himself, turned her glowing red eyes to the west.
"He must defeat me, or how else could he defeat the Mysterious Maiden (玄女) in Kunlun?"