Chapter 417 : Deung Hwaun and Hong Ayul (2)

Chapter 417: Deung Hwaun and Hong Ayul (2)

At that moment, as Deung Hwaun turned her body as if to flee, Third Young Master had already closed in from behind.

Just then, Deung Hwaun spun and shot forward, not backward.

All three of them let out exclamations, as if surprised.

“Not bad.”

Deung Hwaun was, in her own right, a martial artist who had achieved a solid level of skill.

There was no way she would be defeated without even resisting.

‘Brother Seok said he had set up a formation. If I can just get there—’

Knowing that Demonic Master Seok Jamyung was skilled in formation setup, Deung Hwaun pinned her hopes on it.

However, the moment she escaped the manor, she was caught by Third Young Master.

Whoosh!

Third Young Master, who had somehow gotten ahead of her, extended his rain cloak.

To avoid it, Deung Hwaun twisted her body, changing direction mid-spin.

But there, First Young Master was already waiting, having taken position.

“Let’s start by taking off one of your arms. You don’t need both to roll in the sheets, after all.”

As First Young Master grinned slyly and spoke, Deung Hwaun felt chills run down her spine.

That’s when it happened.

Swaaasshhh!

A hidden weapon launched by Demonic Master and a wave of energy from Jong Seok’s Black Death God Light Poison Technique struck at First and Third Young Masters.

They didn’t consider the two’s attacks something they could simply shrug off—they met them head-on.

Clang! Boom!

After deflecting the hidden weapon and blocking Jong Seok’s poisonous qi, Third Young Master let out a spontaneous exclamation.

“Oh! It’s the Black Death God Light Poison Technique!”

“Haven’t seen such a potent poison art in a long time!”

First and Third Young Masters stared at Demonic Master and Jong Seok.

“Who are you, to know this poison technique?”

Long ago, Jade Three Elders had clashed with the leader of the Hidden Saint Cult. Back then, they’d suffered greatly under this very Black Death God Light Poison Technique.

Though they barely managed to escape with their lives, it was this technique that had left them with a humiliating defeat.

“If you want to know, ask the King of the Underworld yourself.”

Jong Seok gathered his full inner force and unleashed the poison technique.

A surge of black energy gathered in his palm and shot toward First and Third Young Masters.

“An eight-star poison art like yours won’t do a thing to us!”

Hearing that, Jong Seok realized that they even knew his cultivation stage—this battle wouldn’t be an easy one.

Thwack!

Several exchanges followed, but the situation didn’t improve. At least Third Young Master, wary of the poison, was fighting cautiously and not overwhelming them just yet.

Still, Jong Seok knew it was only a matter of time before Third Young Master overcame them.

Demonic Master and Deung Hwaun fought First Young Master as if they had long-trained together.

Their coordinated attacks successfully blocked First Young Master’s advances.

However, it was clear that the balance would inevitably tip toward First Young Master.

After all, neither First nor Third Young Master were fighting with their full strength—they were holding back.

Demonic Master had not yet comprehended the Boundary of the Upper World, so he couldn’t stand toe-to-toe with Third Young Master, who had already reached it.

In her previous life, Demonic Master had only reached the Four Demonic Heavens in his middle age and joined the Six Demonic Clans in his fifties.

Compared to Third Young Master, who had joined the Six Demonic Clans and already retired long ago, he was no match.

—I’ll hold them off here. You two must escape.

Jong Seok quickly sent a telepathic message, worried that all three of them would soon be subdued by Third Young Master.

But neither Demonic Master nor Deung Hwaun replied.

The two would rather die than escape and leave Yong Hwarin’s sworn sibling behind.

More than that, Deung Hwaun could not abandon her own child and flee.

They fought with a resolve to die together if necessary, and only then were they able to match First Young Master evenly.

Demonic Master knew this wouldn't last long, so he racked his brain for another plan even as he fought.

‘But where is Lady Hong? …Don’t tell me she’s in the infirmary?’

As he suspected, Hong Ayul had snuck into the infirmary while First and Third Young Masters fought the others.

She passed through the room where the physician had died and entered the patient’s quarters—there lay her younger sibling, lying as if asleep.

“Iyu.”

Hong Ayul approached her younger sister, Iyu.

At that moment, a shadow appeared behind her like a ghost.

“Lady Hong.”

Startled, Hong Ayul turned around.

There stood First Young Master, grinning smugly. She had no idea how long he had been there, and cold sweat ran down her back.

“Grandfather Il wishes for your death, my lady.”

“Since you’ve come personally, I suppose I can’t stop you. Please… spare my sister in exchange for my life.”

Hong Ayul pleaded as if it were her final wish.

“Grandfather Il wants both of your lives.”

At First Young Master’s emotionless response, Hong Ayul realized she could no longer run.

‘Dying like this feels unjust… but at least I’ll be free from all suffering.’

Seeing that Hong Ayul, still worthy of being Grandfather Il’s prized disciple, calmly accepted her death, First Young Master inwardly admired her and raised his hand.

“Stop right there!”

Shhhh!

At that moment, someone suddenly descended from the roof and attacked First Young Master.

As a sharp force rushed in, even First Young Master couldn't afford to be careless. He circulated his qi and unleashed it toward the falling figure.

Puh-puhng!

In the span of a single second, the two exchanged blows and now stood glaring at each other.

First Young Master's lips twitched, especially when he looked at the man who had suddenly appeared and attacked him.

“How unexpected. You came here? How did you get out of the prison? There’s no way the Lord would’ve released you.”

Dong-o replied, radiating cold light.

“I walked out on my own.”

“You think the Lord would forgive someone who’s betrayed him twice? I don’t understand why you're doing this.”

“Do you even understand what affection is, when you're so consumed by demonic arts like you?”

Dong-o looked at First Young Master with a gaze filled with pity. Since childhood, the ones who trained in demonic arts and knew not even a sliver of affection toward others—those were the Jade Three Elders.

First Young Master's lips twisted.

“Let’s see if you can still prattle on about ‘affection’ after I take your head.”

For a long time, First Young Master had wanted to test his skills against Dong-o, the strongest of the Hwa Chung Guards.

However, Lord Il had strongly opposed it, so they had never once fought.

Now, he wanted to take this opportunity to prove that they were the Lord’s true bodyguards.

“Go ahead and show off that Flowing Lotus Eight Forms of yours. I’ll slice your lotus petals to shreds with my Yama Demonic Blade.”

What especially stoked First Young Master’s fighting spirit toward Dong-o was the rumor that Dong-o was the Heavenly Demon Sect’s greatest bladesman.

Having cultivated the Yama Demonic Blade, a supreme demonic blade art, First Young Master believed his martial arts surpassed the Flowing Lotus Eight Forms.

“Yula, take Yooa and leave now.”

Hong A-yul burst into tears as she looked at Dong-o, who had devoted everything for her sake.

“Grandpa Dong...”

When she couldn't move, Dong-o clicked his tongue.

“Go! Obey your grandfather!”

At Dong-o’s heartfelt command, Hong A-yul slung her younger sibling over her shoulder and bolted out of the medical room.

As First Young Master drew the blade from his back, a storm of demonic qi whipped through the air.

Just by unsheathing the blade, the demonic qi was this volatile—it meant his Yama Demonic Blade had reached its peak.

Dong-o could feel it at that moment.

That his own Flowing Lotus Eight Forms’ level of refinement was beneath First Young Master's.

But he couldn’t reveal that.

Because the moment he did, he would lose. From the very start, Dong-o formed three lotus blossoms with his qi.

Seeing that, First Young Master exhaled dark blade qi from his blade.

As the blade qi burst forth, an overwhelming evil aura surged through the surroundings, enough to raise one’s hackles.

‘So it really is the Yama Demonic Blade.’

The Yama Demonic Blade was ranked among the top three demonic blade techniques.

However, despite its immense power, even the Demonic Cult tended to avoid it—because mastering it would corrupt the bone marrow with demonic qi and turn one into a demonic being.

Wooooooong!

Along with the surge of demonic qi, a sharp blade cry echoed from First Young Master's blade.

Yet Dong-o didn't shrink back in the least and instead confronted First Young Master's pressure head-on.

He pushed back by gradually increasing the number of lotus blossoms, all to buy time for Hong A-yul and her sibling to escape.

After conjuring four lotus blossoms and preparing to attack, Dong-o saw First Young Master smirking.

“You’ll need to summon every bit of qi you’ve got.”

Long ago, when Dong-o had fought Yong Hwarin, he could manifest five lotus blossoms.

After a recent battle with Yong Hwarin, he’d made some progress and broken through to six blossoms—but that was his limit.

Without being able to bloom all eight, the Flowing Lotus Eight Forms was ultimately an incomplete martial art.

From Dong-o’s blade, blade qi shimmered and gleamed.

Then suddenly, he charged forward and swung his blade.

As he slashed, six lotus blossoms bloomed and flew toward First Young Master.

“You sure talk big, huh.”

Each lotus carried a force that couldn’t be taken lightly, and the qi from all six directions created an immense pressure.

First Young Master concentrated his entire inner force into his blade and activated his heart technique—his blade turned into something resembling a black club.

It was the effect of the blade qi wrapping around the weapon.

This was the true form of the Yama Demonic Blade that First Young Master took pride in.

Though it looked like a mere club, that black club was wrapped in nascent qi, its destructive power tremendous.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Each time the lotus qi struck First Young Master’s black club, it shattered like breaking ice.

The massive nascent qi-clad club was smashing through the lotus energy.

As each lotus disappeared, the nascent qi dissipated as well, and the blade’s black color gradually faded.

By the time the sixth lotus had been destroyed, the black club had grown thin.

But the fact that even a shred of nascent qi remained showed that First Young Master's mastery surpassed Dong-o’s Flowing Lotus Eight Forms.

“If you had perfected the Flowing Lotus Eight Forms, I would have lost. But this is a completed Yama Demonic Blade. I wouldn’t be able to withstand two more of your lotuses. But since you couldn’t finish your technique, it seems your death has been decided.”

The cost of blooming six lotus blossoms with all his qi was severe.

Dong-o now couldn’t even respond to First Young Master's words, so great was the depletion of his energy.

‘I overdid it… my dantian is completely drained. I couldn’t block another attack even if I wanted to.’

It was the limit of an incomplete martial art.

Dong-o steeled himself for death and prepared for mutual destruction.

He raised his blade and took a lower stance.

Even knowing what that meant, First Young Master sneered. He believed Dong-o’s desperate final stand, after having exhausted all his power, was meaningless.

Even as First Young Master approached, Dong-o’s eyes never left his blade.

As the blade closed in toward his chest, Dong-o couldn’t dodge—it was all over.

Just as he imagined his chest being ripped apart and blood spurting from the wound, something flew in and deflected First Young Master's blade.

Kaang! Jiiiiing!

The sheer force that knocked away his blade caused First Young Master’s joints to scream in agony.

“Who’s there?!”

Enraged by the repeated interruptions, First Young Master growled.

A masked man in black had appeared beside Dong-o, holding a sword.

Sensing that the masked figure who blocked his blade was no ordinary man, First Young Master didn’t lower his guard.

When the masked man didn’t answer, First Young Master immediately swung his blade to attack.

He wasn’t the type to ask questions.

He was the type to kill first and confirm identities later.

But to his surprise, the masked man was casually parrying his attacks.