Adverse Conditions
I happened to overhear it.
A story circulating among the Twelve Demon Emperors.
A man who never grew close to anyone, always keeping his distance.
One who controlled people's minds and earned the title of Demon Emperor through that power.
One personally appointed as one of the Twelve Demon Emperors by the Heavenly Demon himself.
That was Sa-an Gwi-gun.
After receiving the demonic arts from the Heavenly Demon, he headed straight for the place where he had grown up—the Zhushan Archipelago.
There, he witnessed every vile act committed by its people.
While guarding a secret.
And to protect that secret, he killed others without hesitation.
“I asked how much you know.”
Sa-an Gwi-gun stared into my eyes as he spoke. His gaze held no trace of emotion.
“About what happened in the Zhushan Archipelago?”
“You figured it out rather cleverly.”
“Thanks to you.”
Yes, it was because of Sa-an Gwi-gun that I had come to understand. Or perhaps he had deliberately left clues so that I would learn the truth.
“So? What changes now?”
“Well, I never had high expectations to begin with.”
Even if things changed, there was no guarantee the same tragedy would not repeat itself. When people lived together, the rules they created were never perfect.
“That is why I stepped in. I made sure those damned bastards could neither live nor die.”
“Ah, sorry. I already killed them all.”
The Soul-Destroyed. My father, myself, the Yellow Dragon Unit, and my uncle had moved to purge the islands completely. Only the people of Mueok Village and a handful of others remained.
Sa-an Gwi-gun had covered the entire archipelago with formations so thoroughly that nothing could escape.
“This is not just simple revenge for you.”
“……”
At my words, Sa-an Gwi-gun looked at me with eyes full of doubt, as if asking what I meant.
“It simply became amusing. The thrill of controlling people at will through that insane demonic art.”
“So? Is that wrong? I am a demonic practitioner. How the weak are treated depends solely on the strong’s whim.”
The law of the demonic path—survival of the fittest. Only the strong ruled everything. The demonic path taught that it was natural for the weak to be trampled beneath the strong.
“You are right. I have no intention of condemning it.”
Think whatever you like. What mattered was that I had no intention of letting such dangerous men live.
“You came for this, did you not? Rumors must have spread that the Myoak Merchant Guild was on the verge of collapse.”
I had captured Beom Jin in front of everyone. Naturally, the news had spread quickly through Nanchang. Once things reached that point, Sa-an Gwi-gun must have grown uneasy.
“This.”
I picked up the statue lying before me. Wherever Sa-an Gwi-gun went, such statues always appeared. They were also proof that he had set up large-scale formations.
“You tried to erase the traces, did you not?”
“Heh, quite sharp, are you not?”
In truth, Sa-an Gwi-gun had probably never intended to retrieve it. But the fact that the Myoak Merchant Guild had been raided by the Ju Family meant the events of the Zhushan Archipelago had been exposed. The Ju Family would surely uncover the connection between this place and the formations.
Moreover…
Sa-an Gwi-gun had made a fatal mistake.
“Your real name—Jin Yu-cheong.”
He had spoken his own name. Why had he revealed it? In my previous life, I had only heard it once, so it had not come to mind immediately. But the moment I heard the name Yu-cheong from Beom Jin, it had surfaced at once.
“Why reveal your name?”
Once the name was known, the Ju Family’s power would have been enough to trace his origins. Sa-an Gwi-gun must have realized this and come here to retrieve the statue and erase his traces.
“Heh, well. Try figuring that out as well.”
“No, there is no need. You are going to die here anyway.”
At those words, Sa-an Gwi-gun slowly rose from his seat. His movements were filled with leisure, as though he could escape whenever he wished.
“Do you compare me to someone like the Blood Hand Poison Emperor?”
Demonic energy slowly spread from his entire body.
“Of course not. I know exactly what level you are on.”
I remained calm. His Soul-Destroying Illusion Art would not work on me. Furthermore, I knew a sure way to capture him.
BOOM!
The floor cracked as I took a single step. I appeared directly in front of Sa-an Gwi-gun, and Muyoung burst through the window behind me.
That was not the end.
BOOM!
Ju Yu-ran, Chief of the Red Dragon Unit, had arrived. It had been a long time since I last saw her.
“A demonic practitioner!”
Her eyes gleamed with a subtle madness upon seeing the demon. From the very start, she charged at Sa-an Gwi-gun with full force. Having already experienced Do-gon, she would never underestimate an opponent again.
Muyoung took the rear, I took the front, and Ju Yu-ran used her mobility to relentlessly pressure the enemy.
“Kugh!”
Sa-an Gwi-gun was pushed back in a frenzy.
“My miscalculation.”
His serpentine eyes flashed with killing intent. His signature art, the Soul-Destroying Illusion Art, could not control Ju Yu-ran or Muyoung, who had taken the Detoxification Pill from the Medicine Immortal.
“It is useless.”
At my cold shout, Sa-an Gwi-gun smirked.
“That is not my only specialty.”
CRACK!
The floor split apart, and an enormous surge of demonic energy erupted from Sa-an Gwi-gun. Veins bulged across his skin in a grotesque pattern. He looked like a madman. Soon, a crimson glow flickered in his eyes, and an overwhelming pressure spread in all directions.
“Where are you looking?”
Ju Yu-ran’s sword strike arrived.
Flying Heaven Flame Sword Art.
A single slash released a highly condensed burst of yang energy like a volcanic eruption. A bizarre, three-strike technique accompanied by a piercing sound wave—a lethal killing sword—unfolded.
Sa-an Gwi-gun did not dodge. Instead, he tilted his left arm slightly back, angled the short sword he held, and received her strike head-on.
CLANG! BOOM! CRASH!
The sound of sword meeting sword was monotonous and low, yet within it were dozens of intertwined flows. Ju Yu-ran’s sword tip lifted for an instant. Sa-an Gwi-gun did not miss that fleeting opening.
WHOOSH!
He leaped lightly and drove his sword downward from above.
“Ghost Blood Descending Slash.”
A downward strike from above, thick with bloodlust and the stench of blood. Demonic energy that made the skin crawl gathered at the blade’s tip. Just as his sword was about to pierce Ju Yu-ran’s thigh—
Bone-Shattering Black Chain.
I swiftly struck his sword tip aside. It was the first form of the Black King Advance Strike Body. My intent was to twist his wrist, flatten the blade, and shatter both tendons and bones at once.
BOOM!
Yet Sa-an Gwi-gun truly deserved the title of one of the Twelve Demon Emperors.
“Is that all you have? Truly?”
A sneer curled his lips. Blood droplets formed at my fingertips. With a single move, he had repelled two opponents. Even so, there were more than two of us here.
In that moment, Muyoung stomped the ground and charged, tearing through the air. The Ju-wall Divine Art enveloped his body, and his energy surged outward, devouring the surroundings. It was proof of a Peak realm expert—energy manifesting visibly in all directions. Everything it touched splintered and shattered. Crimson flames shot forward in a straight line, and the pillars inside caught fire all at once.
“Kukukuk! You have surpassed Soul Flame and reached Imperial Flame!”
Sa-an Gwi-gun burst into loud laughter.
BOOM!
With a tremendous explosion, the crimson flames rose in the shape of a massive dragon. The Ju Family’s symbol was the dragon, and that trait was clearly reflected in their martial arts.
CLANG!
Yet Sa-an Gwi-gun’s sword was insidious and deadly.
“Ghost Spirit Chain Slash.”
The moment an opening appeared, Muyoung’s shoulder was shallowly cut. Had it gone any deeper, his neck would have been severed.
WHOOSH!
Muyoung quickly retreated and regained his stance.
CRUNCH!
Suddenly, Sa-an Gwi-gun bit down hard on his own hand. Blood flowed out, and he scattered it roughly across the floor—far more than one would expect without fatal blood loss.
“Kuhahahaha!”
He let out a mad laugh.
“Endless Blood Spirit Formation.”
At those words, I frantically looked around. When? How? I had thought Sa-an Gwi-gun was being pushed back helplessly—it had been an illusion. He had not been retreating. He had been drawing a formation on the floor all along. And he completed the formation with his own blood.
A blood-red glow rippled, and black smoke rose, taking the shape of skulls.
SCREEEEECH!
A piercing wail tore through the air, like thousands of vengeful spirits whispering curses into my ears. It was a horrifying hallucination.
“Kugh……”
Muyoung groaned and covered his ears. Crimson mist rose from the massive formation carved into the floor. The mist gradually coalesced into a skull twisted in agony, gazing down at us.
The Endless Blood Spirit Formation. The vicious demonic formation said to drag even the living into a living hell finally bared its fangs. The killing intent within the wails was too strong.
“You are full of tricks.”
I calmly assessed the situation and searched for a way out. The top priority was destroying the formation. To do that, I needed the formation core… huh? I was deeply confused. The short sword I had thought was the formation core was once again in Sa-an Gwi-gun’s hand. Yet the formation continued to hold. No, its power seemed to have doubled.
The core had been removed, yet the formation remained active? Everything I knew about formations collapsed in that instant.
“Surprised? This is the demonic path. Kukukuk!”
Sa-an Gwi-gun laughed even louder, clearly amused. The energy radiating from his body was utterly ferocious.
That bastard.
I knew Sa-an Gwi-gun. He cared nothing for his own life. Formations moved and their cores could be destroyed. Yet in exchange, the formation’s power grew stronger, and Sa-an Gwi-gun’s demonic energy intensified beyond before?
“Crazy bastard.”
He had become the formation core himself. He had offered everything he had to fuel the formation. It was proof of how desperate the situation had become.
Just what are these madmen……
It was chilling. What could possibly be worth protecting even in death? The sight of that madness transcending even the fear of death was terror itself.
“That is why he must die.”
I extended my hand.
“Muyoung.”
Muyoung placed his sword in my hand without a word. He no longer asked questions.
“I leave the rear to you.”
Muyoung nodded. I turned my back on him and stood before Sa-an Gwi-gun.
“Sa-an Gwi-gun.”
“It is too late to beg. I will kill you and……”
“No. Shut up and listen.”
I slowly ran my hand along the blade, focusing on the energy within the sword. It was a blade personally forged by the Tang Family—far sturdier than before.
“I have met you before.”
Quiet enough that Muyoung could not hear. Quiet enough that Ju Yu-ran could not hear. I confessed the truth to Sa-an Gwi-gun alone.
“What?”
“I wandered across the Central Plains to cut you down. But in the end, I failed to kill you.”
The moment I met his eyes, the bitter memories of the past flashed through my mind. Villages reduced to ash. The hordes of jiangshi floating above them. And the man smiling faintly behind them. The hellish days I spent roaming the Central Plains to sever his head gathered at the tip of my sword.
“That wretched thing you are creating underground.”
“Underground…… You know even that?”
Sa-an Gwi-gun’s eyes wavered for an instant. He was shaken.
“Yes. That thing you were making. The thing you were willing to sacrifice your life to create.”
That was the very reason the Heavenly Demon had made Sa-an Gwi-gun a Demon Emperor and taken him away.
“Jiangshi.”
In the future, Sa-an Gwi-gun would stand at the center of the countless jiangshi legions that would sweep across the land like a plague.
“Since you turned my world to ash, I intend to trample everything of yours in return. Your life, and every last one of those horrific jiangshi you cherish.”
Jade Heaven Descending Dragon Qi.
A massive vortex began to stir deep within my dantian. The moment my inner energy completed twelve great circulations throughout my body, the air around me screamed and twisted.
RUMBLE!
The ground shook, the ceiling cracked, and dust rained down. An ominous current erupted from my sword tip and coiled in the air. It was no longer ordinary sword qi. Gleaming eyes. Razor-sharp claws. Enormous scales that seemed ready to tear heaven and earth asunder!
ROOOOOAR!
The furious roar of a dragon that could rip the entire hall apart echoed through the air.
“Th-that is…… the youngest young master?”
Ju Yu-ran stared up at the colossal azure dragon descending before her eyes, unable even to breathe.
“Try blocking this.”
The blue dragon that shot forth from my sword tip swallowed the blood-soaked hell he had created in an instant.
“Th-this is……”
Crushed beneath the overwhelming aura, Sa-an Gwi-gun stumbled backward without realizing it.
BOOOOOOM!
With a deafening explosion, the roof of the hall was torn away like paper. In the wake of the devastating storm, neither his boasted demonic energy nor his physical body remained. Only the devastated earth and I, standing alone upon it, existed.