Chapter 82
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Ambush of the Sword Demon
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They headed straight for Nanchang.
If the Sword Demon and Sword King were there, there was no need to worry about the Healing Immortal Sect. With the Sword King, one of the Ten Great Experts, and the Sword Demon, a master who stood his equal, what was there to fear?
Dan Hyeong-u knew that all decision-making authority had now passed to him. It was time for him to make some judgments of his own. A faint smile tugged at the corners of Dan Hyeong-u's mouth. This was a fresh experience in its own way.
Without a word, Dan Hyeong-u seized Ma Yeom-gi by the throat and hoisted him up.
“Gahk!”
Ma Yeom-gi snapped awake in that instant. The intense energy flowing from Dan Hyeong-u's hand had shattered the Sword King's qi blocking his acupoints.
Thanks to the powerful shock, Ma Yeom-gi regained his senses only to tremble in despair at the sight of Dan Hyeong-u gripping his throat.
“To Hyangsan.”
With those words, Dan Hyeong-u started walking. The rest of the group watched his retreating back and exchanged knowing smiles.
The Sword Demon pushed his movement technique to its utmost limits. Arriving at the same time as—or even slightly before—the Sword King would mean nothing otherwise. Those black warriors they had faced today were strange. They seemed human, yet lacked a certain vitality. Still, they weren't ghouls.
If such beings were attacking the Healing Immortal Sect, no telling how many had been mobilized—but the Sword King alone couldn't handle them all. On top of that, they had mastered the Joint Formation Array.
He had departed shortly after the Sword King, so if he pushed just a little harder, he could catch up soon enough. Demonic energy surged fiercely from the Sword Demon's dantian.
Whoosh!
His speed increased dramatically. Ignoring his internal injuries, he channeled an excessive amount of inner energy into his legs. Running like this would aggravate his wounds and strain his legs terribly—but his speed became indescribably swift.
He decided to maintain this pace only until he caught up with the Sword King. Yet even after running for quite some time, he couldn't spot him easily.
The Sword King was clearly pushing himself equally hard. The thought made the Sword Demon frown slightly.
What good was arriving at the Healing Immortal Sect exhausted? Even for the Sword King, who ranked at the pinnacle of the Ten Great Experts.
The Sword Demon resolved to push even further. Demonic energy welled up from his dantian and surged toward his legs. And in that moment, something came flying at him.
Swoosh!
The Sword Demon twisted his body, dodging whatever had aimed for his face. He landed lightly on the ground.
He had been so focused on running that he hadn't noticed—but about fifty jang away, he sensed presences. The attack had come from there.
He turned his head to eye what had just targeted him. An arrow was deeply embedded in a tree.
Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!
Dozens of arrows rained down. The Sword Demon casually drew his sword and deflected them.
Boom-boom-boom!
Surprisingly, each arrow brimmed with qi. Of course, to the Sword Demon, it was hardly impressive. Compared to the Formless Demon Bow in the Heavenly Demon Fortress, it was child's play.
A dozen warriors appeared. Closing fifty jang in a breath marked them as considerable experts. But they fell short against the Sword Demon.
“The Martial Alliance?”
One of the men nodded gravely at the Sword Demon's question.
“Indeed. We've come to send you back to the Heavenly Demon Fortress.”
“Send me back? Doesn't look that way to me. Aren't you here to kill me?”
“What we're sending back is your corpse.”
The Sword Demon grinned.
“Is that so? We'll see about that.”
“It will be.”
The Sword Demon scanned the warriors encircling him. Faint auras emanated from their dark-clad forms. They were warriors of impressive caliber.
But he couldn't fathom their confidence. There were only about ten of them. Even fifty would struggle— what could ten hope to do?
As he surveyed the Black Tortoise Unit warriors, his eyes gleamed.
“Ah, there was one more. Still not enough, though.”
The Sword Demon glanced to one side, where a man in yellow robes emerged, looking remarkably composed. Even as he studied the man, the Sword Demon tilted his head in puzzlement.
“Can't make sense of it. Do you really think you can beat me?”
The yellow-robed man stepped forward with a retort.
“Of course. Against a demon like you, victory is assured.”
A strange expression crossed the Sword Demon's face. Victory because he was a demon? Did that mean they had mastered the Golden Demon Art?
“Hmph, you've figured it out, have you? Fine, I admit it—I’ve mastered the Golden Demon Art.”
The yellow-robed man drew up his inner energy. A thick haze of qi spread from him, bursting outward like dust from dry earth.
Fwoosh!
To avoid being engulfed by the Golden Demon Art's qi, the Sword Demon leaped away. But the Black Tortoise Unit warriors weren't about to let him escape. In an instant, the area was shrouded in sword qi.
Slash-slash-slash!
Clang!
The Sword Demon's blade moved with lethal precision. Then the Golden Demon Art's qi enveloped him.
“Tch!”
He flipped lightly and landed. The surroundings were already blanketed in the Golden Demon Art's qi. Rashly summoning his demonic energy now would turn him into a cripple.
“Rough day.”
Muttering to himself, he eyed the Black Tortoise Unit warriors surrounding him. As long as he refrained from using inner energy, he was fine. But without it, dealing with these warriors would be tough. They weren't weak enough to fell without inner energy.
“Now, time to claim that head.”
One warrior spoke, and ten streams of sword qi hurtled toward the Sword Demon.
Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!
The Sword Demon swung his sword, nimbly twisting his body this way and that.
Clang!
Inevitably aimed strikes, he deflected with his blade. But parrying sword qi bare with his sword naturally strained it.
Fine cracks began spiderwebbing across the Sword Demon's sword.
The Black Tortoise Unit warriors pressed their assault even fiercer.
The Golden Demon Art forces him to fight without inner energy, yet he still gives us this much trouble. As expected of the Sword Demon.
With grim faces, the Black Tortoise Unit warriors channeled their inner energy to the maximum. Their only way to face the Sword Demon was with overwhelming inner force. Swords alone couldn't touch him. His blade mastery was that profound.
“Hah!”
One Black Tortoise Unit warrior shouted and charged, his sword humming violently as a sword qi over a jang long erupted forth.
Swoosh!
The Sword Demon sidestepped slightly to evade. But the remaining nine unleashed their sword qi in unison and rushed him. Even the unparalleled Sword Demon couldn't escape unscathed.
Unconsciously, he activated his dantian. Demonic energy dormant within surged to his limbs in a flash.
Clang-clang-clang!
His sword became cloaked in demonic qi, utterly shattering the Black Tortoise Unit's sword qi.
“Kuh!”
“Cough!”
“Gah! H-how...!”
The dozen Black Tortoise Unit warriors flew back simultaneously, unable to withstand the Sword Demon's overwhelming power. Not just them—the yellow-robed man from the Demon Extermination Squad was too stunned to speak. The Golden Demon Art had been perfect. Yet the Sword Demon had unleashed his demonic arts unscathed.
But the most shocked of all was the Sword Demon himself. No one knew the terror of the Golden Demon Art better than he, one of the few demons who had endured it firsthand.
He alone had survived its ravages and reclaimed his martial prowess.
He knew its horrors intimately—the agony of his demonic energy dispersing. And he was certain the yellow-robed man's technique was the Golden Demon Art.
Yet he was unharmed.
In a daze, the Sword Demon stared at the fallen Black Tortoise Unit warriors and the yellow-robed man's shocked face. The man had forgotten to maintain the Golden Demon Art in his astonishment.
Confusion gripped the Sword Demon momentarily. Had he been able to use demonic energy because the Golden Demon Art was dispelled? Or had his shock at unleashing it caused the art to falter?
He soon concluded the latter. Unless his memory failed him, he had ignited his demonic energy amid the Golden Demon Art's sticky qi.
He wanted confirmation.
“Unleash the Golden Demon Art again.”
Startled, the yellow-robed man hastily reactivated it, unaware he had let it drop.
A milky haze rose, swiftly consuming the surroundings—including the Sword Demon.
As the Golden Demon Art flared, the Black Tortoise Unit warriors cautiously rose. Doubts plagued them too. But they dared not charge again, retreating hesitantly instead.
The Sword Demon watched them impassively. He felt no urge to kill them. No, unraveling why the Golden Demon Art failed against him mattered far more.
Faint demonic qi seeped from his body, instantly repelling the Golden Demon Art and dominating the area.
Both the Sword Demon and the yellow-robed man were stunned.
“He truly overcame the Golden Demon Art. Unbelievable.”
The Sword Demon murmured. Then the Black Tortoise Unit warriors fled in unison.
He watched their retreating figures without pursuit. He could kill them if he wished, but now wasn't the time. His gaze shifted to the yellow-robed man.
Trembling uncontrollably, the man couldn't even flee. Fear had devoured his will entirely.
The Sword Demon regarded him silently, inwardly conflicted. The impulse to kill warred briefly with restraint—an uncharacteristic hesitation.
“Get lost.”
The words jolted the yellow-robed man. He had resigned himself to death by the Sword Demon's blade.
He hesitated, suspicion lingering. What if it was a trick to strike from behind?
Irritation flickered across the Sword Demon's face.
“It's a promise to the Bureau Chief. Scram.”
Still baffled, the man turned and fled. Though versed only in the Golden Demon Art and lacking full combat prowess, his basic martial skills sufficed for escape. His figure vanished swiftly.
The Sword Demon gave a wry smile at his back.
Truth be told, it wasn't solely Jo Seol-yeon's promise that stayed his hand. The Black Tortoise Unit had fled anyway—sparing one more changed little.
Even if the man wielded the deadly Golden Demon Art. Still, Jo Seol-yeon's influence wasn't nothing. Her face and words had indeed flashed in his mind.
“An escort... Not a bad idea.”
The bitter smile on the Sword Demon's face turned to a grin. Then he launched himself forward.
He raced toward Nanchang.
Breath came in ragged gasps. Consciousness faded. A sweet, sickly scent filled their mouths. This was the plight of everyone following Dan Hyeong-u's back.
Dan Hyeong-u strolled leisurely with Ma Yeom-gi gripped by the throat. Yet his pace was anything but leisurely—each step propelled him far ahead, and losing sight for a moment meant being left behind.
Among his followers, Tang Ho-gwan boasted the highest martial prowess, followed by the Spirit Envoy. Even they struggled, each carrying a person over their shoulders.
The sun had long set. At this rate, they'd reach Hyangsan without a single break.
“Hahk, hahk... D-Dan young hero. C-can we rest... just a bit?”
Jegal Rin, the weakest in martial arts among them, was the first to cry uncle.
Dan Hyeong-u halted abruptly at his words. Everyone collapsed where they stood. No one was unscathed.
Dan Hyeong-u nodded at his panting companions.
“I hadn't considered that.”
Absurdity dawned on their faces. Curses flitted through minds, but none voiced them.
Dan Hyeong-u casually tossed Ma Yeom-gi aside.
Thud.
Ma Yeom-gi rolled ignobly across the ground. Caught off guard after being immobile, he couldn't react.
“Urk.”
With a pained groan, he pushed himself up. Escape was a distant dream.
No method would evade recapture. And being hauled by the throat while moving at such speed drained stamina immensely. Replenishing it was now paramount.
As he caught his breath, Ma Yeom-gi glanced toward Tang Ho-gwan and the Spirit Envoy. Two "comrades"—hardly friends—lay there, acupoints sealed, eyes filled with resignation.
They were Demonic Alliance and Green Forest warriors who had refused to become black warriors. Ma Yeom-gi didn't know how black warriors were made; he only commanded them. They mimicked ordinary people but couldn't move without a nearby commander like him.
Without becoming black warriors—or serving as commanders—no one could approach the Demonic Alliance's core. Even then, information was scarce.
Either way, those two held no value to the Demonic Alliance or the Martial Alliance. Only Ma Yeom-gi mattered now.