Chapter 332 : Red-Haired Demon Empress Lee Myeongja (2)

Chapter 332: Red-Haired Demon Empress Lee Myeongja (2)

Geum Yujin thought that if he could just block this one move, it would be enough, so he drew upon his entire inner power and cast off the Profound Heaven Falling Soul.

In an instant, black light enveloped Geum Yujin’s body, and it surged through his sword toward the Red-Haired Demon Empress.

The Red-Haired Demon Empress frowned as she saw her Form and Shadow as One technique dissipate, blocked by Geum Yujin’s strange energy.

Clearly, his inner power was lower than hers, and his realm was inferior, yet her attacks kept failing to land.

It was all because of that strange energy the brat had mastered.

“But this is as far as you go.”

Even strange energy was useless before overwhelming inner power.

She raised her Form and Shadow as One to the Three Gaps stage.

The Profound Heaven Falling Soul shattered and dispersed.

As Geum Yujin realized that because of his foolishness he might die here, his past flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.

‘Father, I’m sorry.’

Unable to restore the Geum Family Manor, unable to perfect the Black Tortoise Great Yin Art, and now, at the brink of death, he regretted more than anything the day he abandoned his father and fled.

At that moment, a mighty aura came crashing in from behind the Red-Haired Demon Empress.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

The Red-Haired Demon Empress was forced to recall the sword force she was about to use to split Geum Yujin, leaping into the air to evade the oncoming force.

Piiing!

Sword qi slammed into the wall.

Puh-puhk!

As the wall split apart with a jagged crack, she became inwardly more cautious.

The Red-Haired Demon Empress fixed her eyes on the middle-aged man standing atop the wall.

“If you’ve attacked, shouldn’t you state your origin and background?”

Demonic Master looked at the Red-Haired Demon Empress as he spoke.

“This junior is called Demonic Master.”

Since the Red-Haired Demon Empress seemed older than him in seniority, Demonic Master lowered himself and called himself a junior.

“Ah, Demonic Master. One of the Four Demonic Heavens, I hear.”

He already knew because he had obtained information about Yong Hwarin’s close associates from Myeong Gujeong.

“I don’t know why a demonic practitioner is with that brat, but because you are of the demonic path, I’ll let you live this once. Begone.”

“And you, senior, who might you be?”

From appearance alone, Demonic Master couldn’t recall a name.

“My fellow demons have given me the name Red-Haired Demon Empress.”

“Red-Haired Demon Empress Lee Myeongja.”

When Demonic Master spoke her name, the Red-Haired Demon Empress smiled.

Demonic Master, sensing this opponent was no pushover, gave a warning to Deung Hwaun.

— The Red-Haired Demon Empress is someone the two of us together could barely hold off.

— Why is the Red-Haired Demon Empress targeting us?

— Lee Myeongja is the mother of the Third Young Master Lee Kangmin. Lady Deung, I’ll hold her here, so take the children and head to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.

— You can’t handle her alone. I’ll stay as well. Lady Seok can lead the children.

Demonic Master shot Deung Hwaun a glare, knowing she never listened to his words, but realized that if he died, she would die too, so perhaps staying together was better.

Demonic Master glanced at Geum Yujin, barely standing while leaning against the wall.

“Why were you fighting the Red-Haired Demon Empress?”

While Demonic Master stalled for time, Deung Hwaun sent a telepathic message to Seok Unjeong, telling her to take the children back to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.

“I am Geum Yujin of the Geum Family Manor.”

“You?”

Demonic Master knew the Jeong Family Manor had people out searching for Geum Yujin.

“How did you end up here?”

“On my way to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union, I saw an old woman tailing Young Master Yong’s disciple and pursued her.”

Demonic Master nodded.

‘It’s good we found Young Master Geum, but how do we shake off the Red-Haired Demon Empress?’

Demonic Master was planning to fight her just enough to create a chance to flee. But that plan was ruined by the stubborn Ha Cheolryeong.

“No. I can’t just leave Grandpa Demonic Master and Grandma Deung behind. Even if I die, I’ll fight with you.”

Though she had suddenly become a “grandma,” Deung Hwaun looked at Ha Cheolryeong with approval for refusing to leave her.

‘Like master, like disciple.’

Instead of running away, he came to stand by Demonic Master’s side, making Demonic Master click his tongue.

“Ha Gong, you should be taking your grandson away. Why bring him here?”

“Don’t blame me too much. Long ago, when my grandson and I were on the run, we made a promise: never to leave a comrade behind, even in death. If I start teaching him to abandon comrades now, what will he grow up learning?”

Ha Deokgong drew his sword as he spoke.

“If the three of us attack together, maybe we can hold out.”

Demonic Master shook his head.

“The Red-Haired Demon Empress was already a master who once ranked among the Six Demonic Clans. She’s surely even stronger now.”

“Even so, when you get old, your bones still decay. Her inner power may have increased, but her bones will be brittle.”

Ha Deokgong’s joke was met by Dang Duhwa.

“I’ll smash those brittle bones with my hidden weapons.”

As Dang Duhwa pulled out her hidden weapons, the group was dumbfounded.

‘The children haven’t experienced bloody real combat yet, so they don’t know the fear of battle.’

Demonic Master spoke to Seok Unjeong.

“Unjeong, you take care of Young Master Geum.”

“Yes, Father.”

Seok Unjeong examined Geum Yujin’s condition and stopped his bleeding.

During her time learning martial arts from the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect, she had honed her skills enough to perform acupoint sealing.

Geum Yujin couldn’t lift his head to look at them.

He had said they should run since the opponent couldn’t be handled by words, but in truth, he had fled, leaving his father behind, because he valued his own life.

Hearing the younger Ha Cheolryeong say that he couldn’t run away alone felt like a red-hot iron skewer stabbing into his chest.

The Red-Haired Demon Empress Lee Myeongja, watching the scene, spoke coldly.

“Now that you’ve all left your last words, you can die without regrets. I’ll wrap your heads nicely and send them to Yong Hwarin, so don’t worry too much.”

At that, Demonic Master kicked off the wall and retorted.

“You’d better take care of your own head, senior!”

When Demonic Master charged, Deung Hwaun followed behind.

Demonic Master and Deung Hwaun moved as if they had long practiced together, their coordinated techniques flawless.

Ha Deokgong moved to target the Red-Haired Demon Empress’s rear.

“That’s right! Come at me! I’ll kill you all at once!”

The Red-Haired Demon Empress shouted with murderous intent.

When Demonic Master and Deung Hwaun attacked from three sides, she leapt into the air. Splitting her sword qi into three streams, she sought the chance to turn the tide.

Just then, Dang Duhwa seized the moment and hurled three Flying Leaf Daggers in succession.

The three daggers flew with unpredictable trajectories, aiming for her chest, abdomen, and neck. This robbed the Red-Haired Demon Empress of the chance to launch her offense.

Even if thrown by a child, if it was from the Tang Clan, it couldn’t be taken lightly.

The joint assault of Demonic Master, Deung Hwaun, and Ha Deokgong was sharper than expected, preventing her from easily gaining the upper hand and causing her fury to boil over.

“Uwaaaaaah!”

It was a type of Lion’s Roar, forcing Demonic Master’s group to retreat mid-attack.

“Ugh! You old hag! You almost burst my eardrums! What the hell are you screaming for!”

In her anger, Dang Duhwa unleashed the cursing instinct she had kept in check until now. Having been cursed at by someone young enough to be her granddaughter, the Red-Haired Demon Empress glared at her as if to kill her.

“Young brat, your mouth is sharp indeed. I’ll smash your jaw and rip out your tongue to feed it to the dogs.”

Despite the chilling threat, Dang Duhwa didn’t back down.

Instead, she provoked her even more.

Sticking out her tongue, she said,

“Here’s the tongue, try pulling it out! You wrinkled old hag!”

Even famous figures of the demonic path like Demonic Master and Deung Hwaun didn’t dare curse at the Red-Haired Demon Empress, but Dang Duhwa’s brazen insults left them dumbfounded.

“You little brat!”

When the Red-Haired Demon Empress lunged to kill Dang Duhwa, Demonic Master, Deung Hwaun, and Ha Deokgong seized the moment to attack from her rear again.

Since the skills of Demonic Master, Deung Hwaun, and Ha Deokgong were no joke, even the Red-Haired Demon Empress couldn’t easily subdue them.

Contrary to her expectations, they were genuine experts.

Though she was a master who had stepped into the Extreme Realm, Demonic Master and Deung Hwaun were also masters at the peak.

Taking on their combined attacks didn’t go as smoothly as she had anticipated.

The Red-Haired Demon Empress swallowed a pill, raising herself to the level of the Transcendence Realm at the Three Gaps stage.

The Peak Achievement Pill was an elixir made from spiritual medicine that, when taken, instantly stimulated innate qi, raising inner power by half a gapja to nearly one gapja.

The problem was that because it drew on innate qi, taking the Peak Achievement Pill shortened one’s lifespan by nearly a year.

In an instant, the Red-Haired Demon Empress’s inner power surged, her aura pressing down on the surroundings.

“This is dangerous. Everyone, fall back.”

As Demonic Master retreated, the Red-Haired Demon Empress decided to focus her attacks on Ha Cheolryeong above all others.

Having resolved to kill Ha Cheolryeong no matter what, she charged toward him as he retreated.

“Block her!”

When she attacked Ha Cheolryeong, Demonic Master, Deung Hwaun, and Ha Deokgong all hurled themselves toward her.

Demonic Master and Deung Hwaun’s attacks were blocked by the protective energy of the Red-Haired Demon Empress, who had reached the Transcendence Realm.

Ha Deokgong intercepted her head-on, unleashing his full inner power.

It was to suppress her momentum.

Thud!

From the Red-Haired Demon Empress’s strike, Ha Deokgong staggered backward as if yanked by someone, slamming into the wall.

Keugh!

When Ha Deokgong coughed up blood, Ha Cheolryeong clenched his teeth and responded with a technique from Severing the Tide.

“Pathetic!”

With a sweep of her sword, the Red-Haired Demon Empress shredded Ha Cheolryeong’s Severing the Tide, since he hadn’t even reached the level of a first-rate martial artist.

“Kuugh!”

As Ha Cheolryeong flew back like a leaf in the wind, the Red-Haired Demon Empress landed on the ground and then leapt up again.

Whiik!

She soared through the air, intent on piercing Ha Cheolryeong’s chest.

“Damn it!”

Demonic Master gritted his teeth and hurled himself toward her back.