Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Meeting with the Heavenly Demon and Heavenly Demon Fortress
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Although he now belonged to the Henan Escort Bureau and had no intention of returning to the Heavenly Demon Fortress, the Heavenly Demon was once the lord the Sword Demon had served. And he was still someone he respected.
As the Sword Demon's aura turned ferocious, Jin Guok-ho unwittingly took a step back. He glared at the Sword Demon with a hardened expression.
Jin Guok-ho examined the Sword Demon closely. The aura was menacing, but there was no direct pressure bearing down on him.
This was because the Sword Demon was suppressing his demonic arts. While living with Dan Hyeong-u, the Sword Demon had made an effort to restrain his demonic arts as much as possible. Thanks to that, no matter how excited he got, the demonic qi never leaked out.
Jin Guok-ho was forty-two this year. The Sword Demon appeared to be around the same age. Moreover, he didn't look particularly strong. For such a man to suddenly step forward and speak rudely to him—it was hardly going to sit well.
"Did I say something wrong? I merely stated the facts as they are."
The Sword Demon scoffed at Jin Guok-ho's words.
"Hmph. You lot taking on the Heavenly Demon? Even a stray dog passing by would laugh at that."
Jin Guok-ho's anger surged. He had been trying to hold back because of the five beautiful women, but he could no longer contain it.
"What did you say? Have you said all you wanted?"
The situation was on the verge of exploding. A chilling light began to flicker in the Sword Demon's eyes. If a fight broke out, the Martial Alliance members would be slaughtered without mercy.
That was when Jo Seol-yeon stepped forward.
"Please wait a moment."
The timing of Jo Seol-yeon's intervention was exquisitely precise, creating a gap before their auras could clash.
The Sword Demon's eyes gleamed as he reined in his aura. Everyone in the group knew there was nothing to gain by antagonizing her.
Jin Guok-ho also calmed his anger upon hearing Jo Seol-yeon's words. Her serene tone carried a strange compelling power.
"Do you really think you can take on the Heavenly Demon with just the people here? From what I know, the Heavenly Demon is the closest to being the world's greatest expert."
Strictly speaking, he wasn't the world's greatest expert. Those who practiced demonic arts called the Heavenly Demon that, while others called the Martial Emperor the world's greatest expert—but to Jo Seol-yeon, Dan Hyeong-u was the true world's greatest expert.
And since the Heavenly Demon was right below him, wasn't he the closest to that title?
Jin Guok-ho smiled faintly at Jo Seol-yeon's question.
"You needn't worry, miss. We possess the supreme art known as the Golden Demon Art. No matter how strong the Heavenly Demon is, he's a demonic practitioner. As long as he is one, there's no escaping the Golden Demon Art."
"Ah, I see."
Jo Seol-yeon nodded in agreement. It meant that the Martial Alliance Leader wasn't the only one who had mastered the Golden Demon Art.
The Sword Demon already knew this fact, but he hadn't anticipated that they would step forward with it.
Now that he listened and looked around, he spotted men in attire similar to those he had encountered before, interspersed among the Black Tortoise Unit. They must be the ones who had mastered the Golden Demon Art.
The Sword Demon's expression grew increasingly grave. Even the Heavenly Demon couldn't possibly win against those who had mastered the Golden Demon Art.
As if sensing the Sword Demon's worry, Jo Seol-yeon glanced at him cautiously and asked,
"Do you want to leave the Escort Bureau?"
The Sword Demon flinched at Jo Seol-yeon's question. But he soon let out a sigh and shook his head.
"No. Where would I go if I left the Escort Bureau? I'm content with things as they are now."
The Sword Demon took a step back as he said this.
Jo Seol-yeon nodded, then turned back to Jin Guok-ho.
"Thank you for the valuable information. Now, let's each go about our business. We'll be on our way."
As Jo Seol-yeon spoke, the women who had descended from the carriage climbed back aboard. With each beautiful woman disappearing into the carriage one by one, the Black Tortoise Unit warriors' regrets grew ever larger.
"Ahem, it's truly a shame, but if you refuse, there's nothing to be done."
Jin Guok-ho said this, then glared at the Sword Demon once more. The Sword Demon met his gaze with impassive eyes. Only then did Jin Guok-ho feel a bit satisfied. If the other man had glared back, he might have started a real brawl—but now there was no need to exert himself.
Jin Guok-ho turned with a swish of his robes.
"Let's go."
Jin Guok-ho and the Black Tortoise Unit deployed their lightness skills and vanished in an instant.
"What a rowdy bunch."
The Sword Demon muttered as he climbed onto the carriage. The hesitation in his eyes had already vanished.
Chapter 9: Meeting with the Heavenly Demon and Heavenly Demon Fortress
The gathering of the Five Great Clans concluded smoothly.
Mo Yong-gwak, the elder who had represented the Mo Yong Clan, let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, thanks to Mo Yong-seol's accompaniment, they had managed to end the gathering without anyone discovering the series of incidents that had befallen their clan.
The formal meeting was over, but time for camaraderie remained. They would typically spend three to four days eating, drinking, and bonding.
Of course, leaving early was fine. The Mo Yong Clan had rarely stayed until the end in the past.
Mo Yong-gwak smiled faintly, thinking everything was finally settled.
"You did well, Seol-ah."
At Mo Yong-gwak's words, Mo Yong-seol shook her head with a serious expression.
"Not yet, Uncle."
"What do you mean?"
"I think we need to stay a few more days. Something feels off about just heading back like this."
"Is something wrong?"
"It seems the Jegal Clan has caught on."
Mo Yong-gwak's face paled dramatically at Mo Yong-seol's words.
"W-what do you mean? Caught on to what?"
"You can tell from how the Jegal Clan has been acting at this gathering. At a glance, they seem oblivious, but they're meticulously withdrawing from any interests tied to us—without anyone noticing. They toss aside the trivial matters like favors, but pull out of the truly important ones. No matter how you look at it, they must have caught on."
Mo Yong-gwak wore a troubled expression at Mo Yong-seol's explanation.
"Then what should we do?"
"It's still fine for now. The Jegal Clan doesn't seem inclined to carelessly spread this information. In fact, isn't this an opportunity? They can weaken the other clans while rising above them alone."
The Mo Yong Clan was in dire straits. The blow from Dan Hyeong-u had been so devastating that they needed enormous sums of money, a large pool of talent, and time to reorganize their commercial networks—which they lacked.
Anyone dealing with the Mo Yong Clan right now was likely to suffer losses themselves. The Jegal Clan had cleverly extricated itself from that risk.
You couldn't do that without prior knowledge of the Mo Yong Clan's plight. After all, they were one of the top clans among the Five Great Clans in strength and wealth.
"Then there's no need to worry further. Wouldn't it be better to hurry back and handle at least one matter?"
"We have to stop them from pulling any other moves."
Mo Yong-gwak nodded helplessly at Mo Yong-seol's words. Amid the camaraderie, countless political maneuvers were at play.
They had never needed to engage in such things before, but this time they did—especially if the Jegal Clan knew about the Mo Yong Clan's affairs.
"No helping it. I trust you'll handle it well."
Mo Yong-seol smiled faintly.
"Don't worry, Uncle. Nothing else will happen from now on."
Mo Yong-gwak desperately wanted to believe his niece's words. And with them came a fresh wave of fear toward Dan Hyeong-u, who had reduced the Mo Yong Clan to this state. Having witnessed that overwhelming spectacle, he couldn't even muster anger—only dread.
"Haah... I wonder when we'll escape this shadow..."
Mo Yong-gwak's feeble murmur echoed in Mo Yong-seol's ears. She let out an involuntary internal sigh.
With the elders in this state, she thought, it would be quite difficult for the Mo Yong Clan to return to its former glory.
After parting ways with the Martial Alliance's Black Tortoise Unit, the group set off toward Henan once more. Nothing had changed on the surface, but the atmosphere was different.
"The Heavenly Demon wouldn't have come here alone... What on earth is going on? Has something happened at the Heavenly Demon Fortress?"
The Sword King muttered. The Sword Demon couldn't ignore his words. He had pondered it himself and reached one conclusion.
"It's because of me."
The Sword King's eyes widened at the Sword Demon's words.
"Does the name 'Sword Demon' hold such a lofty position at the Heavenly Demon Fortress?"
For the Heavenly Demon to appear personally in search of him meant they valued the Sword Demon greatly. But if so, he should have come with hordes of demonic practitioners. Of course, that would immediately spark a righteous-demonic war.
In the current situation, such a war would be disastrous for both the demonic practitioners and the Martial Alliance—a path to mutual destruction.
"I've escaped the Golden Demon Art."
The Sword King's eyes widened further at the Sword Demon's words. The Golden Demon Art was like a heavenly curse that no demonic practitioner could avoid. To have escaped it was unbelievable.
"Is that true? How is that possible?"
To the Sword King's question, the Sword Demon merely glanced at Dan Hyeong-u. The Sword King's gaze followed to Dan Hyeong-u as well.
He couldn't quite believe it, but if it was Dan Hyeong-u, he had no choice but to nod. If it was anyone else, even the Golden Demon Art's progenitor wouldn't matter—but Dan Hyeong-u was different.
Moreover, the martial arts Dan Hyeong-u practiced might even be rooted in demonic arts, for all he knew.
The Sword King still couldn't forget the staggering sword dance Dan Hyeong-u had performed in Shenyang. No, not just him—everyone who had been there would never forget that sight.
Dan Hyeong-u had reached a realm impossible for a human. He possessed both extreme yin and extreme yang simultaneously, fusing them to create lightning. And he held both extreme demonic and extreme righteous energies—how could that be a human realm?
The demonic qi that had emanated from Dan Hyeong-u's body back then was something that could only be forged through decades of profound demonic cultivation. At least, that's how it felt to the Sword King.
If so, it meant Dan Hyeong-u had practiced demonic arts. Yet no one could imagine him falling to the Golden Demon Art.
What kind of man was Dan Hyeong-u to be felled by something like the Golden Demon Art? That meant he knew a way to escape it.
"Ahem, isn't that a bit of a leap?"
The Sword King muttered, but he believed it anyway. He had no choice. After all, there stood a man who had escaped the Golden Demon Art right before his eyes. The Sword Demon wasn't one to joke or lie about such things.
"So you're saying the Heavenly Demon is coming to us to find out how to escape the Golden Demon Art..."
The Sword King muttered, sneaking a glance at Dan Hyeong-u. No matter how he thought about it, Dan Hyeong-u didn't seem likely to teach the Heavenly Demon such a method. No—he might cleave him in two on the spot for trying any tricks.
"Heh, this should be entertaining."
The Sword King brushed it off lightly, but the Sword Demon couldn't take it so simply. The Heavenly Demon had come this far because of the message he had sent.
Escaping the Golden Demon Art was a dream—and the future—for demonic practitioners.
The Sword Demon gazed worriedly into the distance. Everything felt chaotic now. It might be better not to meet the Heavenly Demon at all. But leaving him as is would mean his death.
He had already made up his mind, but the Heavenly Demon dying wasn't a pleasant thought. He was someone he had once served, after all.
"What will you do if the Heavenly Demon shows up?"
The Sword King's question carried many implications. The Sword Demon couldn't answer easily.
"Things are fine for now, but the Martial Alliance isn't so lenient as to let demonic practitioners roam freely. They'll reach out eventually. Why not return with the Heavenly Demon?"
The Sword Demon looked at the Sword King in surprise. The Sword King was giving sincere advice for his sake.
The Sword King turned his head slightly aside with an embarrassed expression.
"What're you staring at me like that for? I'm just saying. Decide for yourself."
The Sword Demon shook his head at the Sword King's somewhat gruff words.
"I've already made up my mind. I like it here. And if I become a burden, I'm ready to leave at any time, so don't worry."
The Sword King frowned at the Sword Demon's response.
"Worrying over nothing. With me here, who would dare touch you? Even if the Martial Emperor came, do you think he'd break me easily?"
The Sword Demon smiled faintly at the Sword King's words. It was a far warmer and more heartfelt smile than the one he'd forced because of Jo Seol-yeon last time.
No more words were needed. Confirming the Sword King's resolve was enough.
"Hm? Who's that coming now?"
At the Sword King's mutter, the Sword Demon looked ahead. It was so far that only someone of their caliber could even make it out. But they saw it clearly.
"Two of them."
The Sword Demon muttered with a furrowed brow. His certainty grew. An unprecedented, colossal demonic qi was approaching. In this world, only the Heavenly Demon possessed such qi.
"What was bound to come has arrived."
Since parting with the Martial Alliance group, he'd thought he might encounter the Heavenly Demon. No, it was more than a thought—it was near certainty.
That's why he'd reaffirmed his resolve. But now, seeing the Heavenly Demon approach right before his eyes, his heart wavered once more.
As the Sword Demon predicted, the two were the Heavenly Demon and the Blood Path Wanderer.
The carriage had come to a stop before he knew it. The Heavenly Demon and the Blood Path Wanderer stood before it, radiating immense presences.
The Sword Demon gazed at the Heavenly Demon with complex eyes.
The Heavenly Demon and the Sword Demon's eyes met.