Chapter 192
Chapter 192
- The Demonic Sect's Pursuit
The desolate night forest shook its leaves, swallowing the screams of the Demonic Cultists.
The clouds obscured the starlight, deepening the darkness, yet the visibility became clearer.
I wiped the blood from my face, catching my ragged breath.
Three Demonic Cultists had their windpipes severed in an instant. Two Demonic Cultists would soon die, their Four limbs and meridians torn apart.
And…
One Demonic Cultist nonchalantly tearing off the poisoned flesh of his arm.
"The poisonous toads of Sichuan never die, they just keep spawning. Step aside."
The Demonic Cultist muttered, his eyes gleaming eerily as he tossed his blackened flesh to the ground.
It was the emotionless gaze of a Murderous demon.
The Qi emanating from him was different from the Demonic Cultists sprawled on the ground. He was undoubtedly the leader.
"I don't want to."
I retorted casually, trying not to be intimidated, and stood in front of Yeon-ryang.
However, the Demonic Cultist didn't even glance at me. He treated me as if I were invisible and spoke to Yeon-ryang.
"So the rumors of you becoming a traitor were true, Mang-ryang."
"I don't know. Why not call me a non-believer? I never believed in the first place."
"He is looking for you."
"That old geezer still hasn't kicked the bucket? He's got a long lifeline."
The two exchanged sharp words, seeming like they had known each other for a long time.
I gauged the direction of the wind, tensing my toes to be ready to spring away at any moment.
"Keeik……."
Ju-ryeong, nestled in Yeon-ryang's arms, also let out a small, wary cry.
"Hiding in the Poison mist is only a temporary solution. If you don't come with me now, He will come himself. Wouldn't you rather return on your own two feet than be dragged like a beast?"
At the threatening tone, Yeon-ryang sneered and clenched his fist.
"You've grown a lot, Number 17. You couldn't even meet my eyes before, and now you're holding your head high."
"There's no need to fear a defective product with a rotting body."
The Demonic Cultist replied, scanning Yeon-ryang with his emotionless eyes.
"You still refuse to absorb essence, I see? I can't understand why you're suffering. All you have to do is take this woman and it will be resolved."
"Doesn't it occur to you that you owe your life to that? Be grateful that my body is a mess. Otherwise, your head would already be rolling on the ground."
Yeon-ryang retorted sharply, and a faint flicker of fear crossed the Demonic Cultist's eyes. He unconsciously took a step back and muttered.
"Well, it's not my concern. As long as the offering is still breathing, that's all that matters."
Yeon-ryang scoffed at his cowardly demeanor.
"The old geezer must be quite frustrated. To send a half-wit like you to the Central Plains, how useless must the others be?"
I felt uneasy at Yeon-ryang's uncharacteristically cold voice.
I gripped the Poison Needles, my eyes wide. I had to finish this before Yeon-ryang got worked up.
The Demonic Cultist glanced at me with a disdainful look and switched the sword to his left hand.
"Dang Sojeo. I know you're skilled, but step aside here. If you interfere with the Sect's affairs any further, I will have no choice but to cut you down."
"That's what I wanted to say. Mister, if you don't want to experience the pain of your limbs festering and rotting, just leave. Or would you like to take a tour of Bukmang Mountain? I hear the burial plots there are quite nice."
The Demonic Cultist's face twisted as I tilted my head and retorted.
"You…! You're all talk."
"I don't know. Unlike some people, I don't pretend to be strong after losing my right arm because I couldn't gauge my opponent's strength. I wonder who's all talk."
The Demonic Cultist's face flushed red and purple at my retort. He gripped his sword tightly, as if trying to suppress his anger.
"…You're traveling with a woman who's just like me, Mang-ryang."
"My sister is a bit special."
Only then did a faint smile mix into Yeon-ryang's voice. He seemed a little less agitated.
"But my sister doesn't bluff, Number 17. Prepare to say goodbye to the world. Since we have some history, I'll personally pick out your burial plot."
The Demonic Cultist's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard at the chilling, even oppressive tone.
I didn't know for sure, but he didn't seem to be in a position to treat Yeon-ryang carelessly.
Or perhaps Yeon-ryang held a much higher position than I had guessed.
'I wonder how the guys who respect you would react if they saw you like this. Number 71 thinks of you as a god.'
The words of the Demonic Cultist I had encountered before flashed through my mind, making me gasp, but either way, it wasn't the important issue.
What was important now was to deal with that Demonic Cultist cleanly so that he couldn't reveal Yeon-ryang's whereabouts.
As murderous intent flickered in my eyes, the Demonic Cultist grimaced unpleasantly.
"How impudent. Woman. That Poison is nothing that can't be cured with an Antidote pill……."
"Stop calling me woman, you bastard. It's so annoying, seriously."
As I snapped and threw the Flying Dagger, the Demonic Cultist's body fell backward with the sound of a watermelon exploding.
Thud!
The hand holding the Hidden Weapons to be thrown in succession became awkward at the anticlimactic death, and I rolled my eyes.
……What? He died without even dodging that? He was pretending to be strong?
As I showed a flustered expression at the Demonic Cultist's headless corpse, Yeon-ryang chuckled.
"He was originally just a loudmouth with nothing to show for it. Seeing that they entrusted him with reconnaissance, there must be more than a few of them out in the Central Plains. We need to be careful."
Yeon-ryang, holding Ju-ryeong, busily looked around, as if trying to erase the traces of Demonic Energy.
As I quietly watched Yeon-ryang's actions, I frowned at the Qi I felt in the distance.
It was someone with a blue Qi, a Martial Artist of the Orthodox Faction that anyone could recognize, approaching quickly.
I couldn't let an Orthodox Faction Martial Artist encounter Yeon-ryang in this carnage.
"Brother. Someone's coming. Let's go for now. Get on my back."
"Demonic Energy remains. I have to erase the traces and then……."
"Jang Mi-ryeo will take care of it somehow. That Young Miss is smart. We have to go straight to the Safehouse. There's no time to hesitate, come here, Brother. You can't use Light Footwork."
I interrupted Yeon-ryang and went to wrap my arms around him.
Yeon-ryang, who obediently entrusted his body to me, joked as if he were enjoying it.
"Wow, I never thought the day would come when I'd be carried on my sister's back again. But when are you going to grow taller? My legs are dragging."
"I don't think I'm going to grow anymore. If that's the case, Brother will have to shorten his leg length, I guess. Should I cut them off now?"
"……."
"I'm kidding, Brother. Shall we go?"
"……I don't think you're kidding. At this rate, you'll personally cut off your brother's head."
Yeon-ryang, who had spoken to himself, rested his cheek on my shoulder.
Perhaps because his emotions had been heightened by encountering the Demonic Cultist, his body was as hot as a furnace.
Once we hid in the Safehouse, I had to give him a medicinal decoction to calm his Qi.
I bit my lip, held Yeon-ryang tightly, and started running out of the forest.
\ \ *
The trail that Namgung Hwi and Jeokroe had been following ended at the entrance of a forest so dense that the sky was not visible.
Jeokroe's eyes turned serious at the ominous Qi emanating from within.
"Young Patriarch. I will scout ahead."
"You know we don't have time for that. Let's go in together."
"Then please take an Antidote pill first. The Demonic Energy is unusual, Dang Sojeo probably didn't use ordinary Poison."
The two shared an Antidote pill, covered their noses and mouths tightly, and walked into the forest filled with Poison mist.
The tension was taut as the slightest lapse in attention could lead to poisoning.
Here and there, there were marks of sharp blades deeply embedded in the tree trunks, but it didn't seem that Dang So-hye and the Demonic Cultist had exchanged blows for long, as there weren't many sword marks.
As they guarded their surroundings and chased the source of the Demonic Energy, the two stopped at an unpleasant sight.
Several corpses, their bodies grotesquely disfigured by Poison, were scattered around.
Jeokroe approached and flipped over a corpse with the sheath of his sword, then stepped back.
[They're all Demonic Cultists. What is going on in the middle of Yueyang? We must report this to the Alliance immediately, Young Patriarch.]
[Wait.]
[Six Demonic Cultist corpses have been found. This is not something to be taken lightly. The Demonic Sect has never moved so openly.]
[You don't know what situation So-hye is in. Wait if I tell you to wait.]
[If Dang Sojeo is the target, we should inform the Tang Clan as well. After all, she is a Martial Artist of the Tang Clan. Officially, she is a member of the Tang Clan under their protection.]
Jeokroe, who had been sending a Telepathic transmission, waved his hand as if to say what are you talking about, but Namgung Hwi shook his head calmly.
[Look at the footprints, Jeokroe. She's not alone right now.]
Jeokroe's gaze followed Namgung Hwi's fingertip.
[She erased the traces in a hurry, but the shape of a man's foot remains faintly. She has a companion.]
Jeokroe, who carefully examined the ground, also frowned. As his master said, there were footprints that had not been completely erased.
Namgung Hwi narrowed his eyes as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.
[I wondered why her whereabouts had been unclear all along…… I understand now. There's a problem with her companion's identity.]
[Yes?]
[She has a reason why she can't openly say she's being chased by the Demonic Sect and ask for help. Either her companion is related to the Demonic Sect, or they have an identity that shouldn't be encountered by the Alliance's people. Anyway, they must have something to hide, so they keep hiding. Is it her brother who was investigated together at the Alliance? Damn it, why didn't I notice it sooner like a fool? It's so obvious.]
Namgung Hwi, annoyed with himself, stared silently at the Demonic Cultist's corpse. Judging from the Poison Needles marks that accurately pierced the fatal points, it was Dang So-hye's handiwork.
The sophistication that didn't feel like the same person as the girl who clumsily threw coins darkened Namgung Hwi's expression.
Because that gap seemed to tell him what kind of time Dang So-hye had spent.
Namgung Hwi, feeling complicated, rubbed his eyes and said.
[Don't tell the Alliance. Pretend you don't know. It will make things difficult for her.]
[Then what are you going to do?]
[Of course, I have to go and help her myself. Jeokroe, I'll chase after her right away, so secretly release a search party. Take care of this. I'm going first.]
Namgung Hwi replied nonchalantly and disappeared like an arrow before Jeokroe could say anything.
A sense of helplessness appeared on Jeokroe's face, who was suddenly left with six corpses.
'……Should I just retire?'
He sighed as he looked at the sky, then took out his gloves and put them on, reaching out to the Demonic Cultist's corpse soaked in Poison.
