Chapter 55
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Chapter 2: The Demons of Heavenly Demon Castle
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Jo Seol-yeon’s legs buckled under the strain of tension. She sank quietly to the ground, struggling to steady her shaking body.
Only then did the reality sink in—she had survived. Nowhere on her trembling form, now slumped in place, was there any trace of the bold girl who had just moments ago tried to talk down the men intent on killing her. All that remained was a seventeen-year-old girl, simply relieved to be alive.
Dan Hyeong-u gazed quietly at the quivering Jo Seol-yeon. He placed a hand lightly on the crown of her head. Startled, she looked up at him.
Jo Seol-yeon’s mind grew hazy.
A surge of pure qi flooded into her through the top of her head, sweeping cleanly through her body before exiting through the soles of her feet.
“Ah...!”
With a soft gasp of admiration, Jo Seol-yeon came back to herself. Another wave of qi poured in, this time seeping into every corner of her being. It filled her with vitality and confidence.
“Thank you.”
She murmured the words almost in a whisper. Thinking back, she had only ever received help from Dan Hyeong-u. She wanted to do something for him in return, but it pained her that she couldn’t.
“Let’s head back.”
At Dan Hyeong-u’s words, Jo Seol-yeon nodded. Whatever happened now, he was here. They could weather any storm.
Forcing a bright smile, Jo Seol-yeon took the lead. Dan Hyeong-u followed behind her, with Hyeong Pyo and the escort guards trailing slowly after them.
The spot they were in lay deep within Mount Cheonjung. In their blind flight, it was inevitable they’d ended up so far in. And right now, the mountain crawled with people besides their group.
“There are too many people that way. Better to circle around.”
At Jo Seol-yeon’s suggestion, the group changed direction. The others nodded in agreement. Mount Cheonjung had become a true den of demons.
Not only the orthodox sects centered around the Martial Alliance, but even the fading unorthodox factions had drawn massive crowds. Every one of them was a master, none without a fearsome reputation.
Avoiding clusters of people was the smart move, especially for those uninterested in the Heavenly Qi Master’s secret abode.
The Henan Escort Bureau group veered away from signs of life, picking a new path.
Then came a thunderous roar.
Kwaaang!
With the blast, dirt and rocks exploded outward. A fierce gale whipped up as if someone had detonated a fire bomb, its shockwave reaching even Jo Seol-yeon’s position.
Huge boulders hurtled through the air. Jo Seol-yeon couldn’t dodge them in time. But she didn’t take a single hit. Dan Hyeong-u stood at her side.
Pa-pa-pa-pa!
Dan Hyeong-u blocked her path in an instant, swatting away the flying stones with his hands. Those that struck his palms crumbled to dust and scattered.
A thick cloud of dust choked the air.
“What in the world was that?”
As the dust settled, Jo Seol-yeon muttered in confusion. Hyeong Pyo focused his inner energy toward the crowd, peering intently.
“Two factions facing off. Looks like a fight’s about to break out.”
Jo Seol-yeon’s face clouded with unease at his words.
“We can’t get caught up in that. Let’s hurry down the mountain.”
“Agreed.”
Jo Seol-yeon and Hyeong Pyo quickened their pace. They had to reach the escort bureau safely. Funds weren’t an issue—the Golden Lotus commission had brought in a hefty sum, now tucked securely in Jo Seol-yeon’s bosom. Given time, rebuilding the bureau would be child’s play.
As they tried to slip away, another explosion rocked the air.
Kwaaang!
This one was far louder and fiercer than before. And mixed in the gale this time weren’t mere stones or dust, but far deadlier things.
“Gasp! Gang qi!”
Riding the wind was gang qi itself. Unlike mere sword or saber qi, this was on another level—potent enough to slice and shatter anything it touched, a true harbinger of destruction.
Shards of that terrifying gang qi bore down on the Henan Escort Bureau group amid the blast.
Once again, Dan Hyeong-u moved.
Chiiijijijik!
A series of sharp cracking sounds rang out—like something shattering. It came each time Dan Hyeong-u deflected the gang qi fragments with his hands.
The gang qi burst apart like fireworks against his palms, glittering motes scattering on the wind.
The escort group, having brushed death so closely, fought to calm their pounding hearts. For most, even seeing gang qi was a first. If Hyeong Pyo hadn’t called it out, they might not have known.
Hyeong Pyo stared tensely toward the crowd. Two men stood glaring at each other, as if they’d just clashed. Each gripped a sword and saber, both wreathed in blinding gang qi.
Behind them, their respective factions unleashed waves of murderous intent. Hyeong Pyo’s instincts screamed danger.
“We need to move fast. Lingering here invites disaster.”
Jo Seol-yeon nodded at Hyeong Pyo’s warning, and the group started off again. But once more, they were halted.
【Where do you rats think you’re scurrying off to?】
The voice seemed to echo from everywhere. Yet it was a single speaker. Tension etched Hyeong Pyo’s face—that had been a true master.
【Anyone who moves loses their head.】
The escort group froze. Eyes darting warily, they scanned the surroundings. No one nearby.
Jo Seol-yeon glanced cautiously at Dan Hyeong-u.
“Brother, do you know where that voice is coming from?”
Dan Hyeong-u peered ahead without answering. His gaze fixed on one of the two men facing off—the one wielding the saber.
Neither man looked particularly old, both in their mid-thirties at most.
Noticing where Dan Hyeong-u looked, Jo Seol-yeon murmured in bewilderment.
“No way...”
Dan Hyeong-u nodded. Jo Seol-yeon stared at the saber-wielder in shock.
“Hmph, sharp one, aren’t you? Doesn’t change a thing. Move, and you die.”
The man spoke, and Jo Seol-yeon replied calmly.
“Is there any reason we can’t move?”
The saber-wielder barked a laugh.
“Kahaha! Of course there is. When the Blood Saber Guest wants something, does it need more reason than that? Kahaha!”
At “Blood Saber Guest,” everyone’s faces paled—including Jo Seol-yeon’s. The Blood Saber Guest hailed from the demonic path.
Rumors pegged him as a top-ten master in strength, infamous for his savagery matching his title.
“Heavenly Demon Castle...”
Hyeong Pyo muttered blankly. The Blood Saber Guest terrified because he belonged to Heavenly Demon Castle.
Demonic path figures were each grotesquely eccentric, cruel, bloodthirsty. Imagining them forming a group was unthinkable.
Yet Heavenly Demon Castle shattered that notion. Its lord, the Heavenly Demon, had gathered such fiends one by one, forging the castle.
Dozens of monstrously powerful, ruthless demons united—its fame was inevitable.
The Blood Saber Guest was one of them. Crossing him risked rousing the entire castle.
Hyeong Pyo’s eyes shifted to the sword-wielder. Someone matching the Blood Saber Guest, armed with a sword—only the Sword King came to mind.
“N-No way, the Sword King?”
The swordsman scowled at Hyeong Pyo’s words.
“Sword King? You dare utter that name before me?”
His head turned slowly toward Hyeong Pyo, eyes flashing blood-red. No orthodox master like the Sword King would exude such sinister energy.
“Hmph, eyes wandering with the Blood Saber Guest right here? Is the title Sword Demon that impressive?”
Hyeong Pyo’s face drained of color. The Sword Demon too belonged to Heavenly Demon Castle. Why these castle mates fought was a mystery, but the danger had doubled.
Kwaang!
The Blood Saber Guest’s saber clashed with the Sword Demon’s sword. A sneak attack—but the Sword Demon parried without even looking.
“Kahaha! Indeed, Sword Demon! Let’s have some fun!”
The Blood Saber Guest laughed wildly, cladding his saber in gang qi. It swelled to double its size, blazing with power.
Kwaaakwaang!
The Sword Demon could no longer afford distractions. Saber-gang and sword-gang collided relentlessly.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
Gang qi shards flew everywhere. None veered toward the fighters’ backs—they all hurtled straight at Dan Hyeong-u’s position.
Dan Hyeong-u waved them off casually, reducing them to sparkling dust.
The duel halted abruptly. Both men’s eyes gleamed with curiosity, predatory as beasts sighting prey, fixed on Dan Hyeong-u.
“Interesting fellow. So it was you blocking those earlier.”
The Blood Saber Guest muttered, loosening up by swinging his saber loosely. The Sword Demon glared at Dan Hyeong-u with eyes like smoldering infernos. Blood-red flashes still flickered chillingly from them.
Dan Hyeong-u met the Sword Demon’s gaze, his own eyes sharpening slightly. That bloody light felt oddly familiar.
Dan Hyeong-u took a single step forward.
The Sword Demon and Blood Saber Guest both flinched. Just one step, yet it felt like a razor-sharp blade hurtling toward them.
“Hoo, more impressive than I thought.”
Deeper curiosity lit the Blood Saber Guest’s face. He lowered his saber slightly, muscles coiling as if ready to spring.
“Enough.”
As the Blood Saber Guest tensed to lunge, the Sword Demon spoke lowly. His voice dripped with eerie chill. The Blood Saber Guest frowned but sheathed his saber.
“Tch, spoilsport.”
He grumbled softly. But the curiosity in his eyes lingered. It shifted back to Dan Hyeong-u.
“Not like contests are the only fun.”
His gaze drifted to Jo Seol-yeon, lewd hunger quickly filling his eyes.
“Hoo, looking closer, she’s quite the catch too.”
The Blood Saber Guest glanced at the Sword Demon, who still glared at Dan Hyeong-u with bloody flashes.
“We attack together.”
The Sword Demon spoke. The Blood Saber Guest grimaced but nodded. He loathed teaming up on a nobody, but what came after made it tolerable.
His eyes raked over Jo Seol-yeon once more.
“Kekekeke. Fine, I’ll go first.”
Before the Sword Demon could respond, the Blood Saber Guest launched himself. Blinding saber-gang flared along his redrawn blade.
As if expecting it, the Sword Demon leaped alongside. He drew his sword, forming sword-gang—this time a vivid blood-red, unlike his earlier clash with the Blood Saber Guest.
Dan Hyeong-u swung his sword lightly at the charging pair.
Flash!
Chiiieeng!
“Kuhuk!”
Clang!
The Blood Saber Guest gaped at Dan Hyeong-u in shock. Beside him, the Sword Demon struggled to block with his sword, face flushed crimson.
“Th-This can’t be...”
The Blood Saber Guest stared at his broken saber. In one exchange—one instant—his saber-gang had shattered, the blade snapping.
Chiiijijik!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the Sword Demon’s sword. It couldn’t withstand Dan Hyeong-u’s power.
The bloody flashes from the Sword Demon’s eyes intensified. His face reddened further.
But nothing changed.
Chiiijeng!
His sword exploded into fragments.
“Cough!”
The Sword Demon spat blood and staggered back. The hilt in his hand held only dust—no blade remained.
His eyes, now dulled, fixed on Dan Hyeong-u. Only then did he realize—Dan Hyeong-u hadn’t even used his full strength.
“Why didn’t you kill me?”
The Sword Demon rasped with his dying breath.