Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 116 : A Broken Hook is Sharper Than a Whole One

Clang!

"Die! You bastard!"

"Shit! Kraak!"

Once again, with the sound of metal, roars and screams swirled, making the surroundings noisy.

The two men in black, who had been leaving the martial artists who were constantly fighting behind, slowly headed for the main hall.

One was a middle-aged man in his mid-fifties with a sword slung over his shoulder, a sturdy build, and sharp eyes.

The other was a man with long black hair who appeared to be in his late twenties. With a sword hanging from his waist, he quietly passed the people who were fighting like evil spirits.

No one blocked their way until they passed the stairs leading up to the main hall.

"Where are you going?"

Swish!

As a low voice echoed, a man appeared next to the two who were walking like the wind.

He was a man in his mid-forties with a sword slung over his shoulder. He was tall and slender, with small eyes like slits and a long beard.

"I was wondering who it was, but it's the Thunder Flash of Diancang."

The man in black who recognized him had an unimpressed expression. But the man in his prime who was following him had a very surprised expression. He looked at the middle-aged man in white with a hardened expression.

There was only one person in Diancang who was called Thunder Flash, and that was the leader of the Diancang Sect, Thunder Flash Sword Lord Dan Ji-hyu.

He was one of the ten martial lords who had the next highest reputation after the ten great masters in the martial world, which was overflowing with numerous masters.

A person who could become one of the ten great masters at any time.

And he was known as the person with the fastest sword in the world.

"It's been nearly twenty years since I've seen you, Senior Dokgo."

"Has it been that long already?"

Dokgo Shin-wi stroked his beard at Dan Ji-hyu's words and recalled the time he had come to the esoteric sect in the past.

Certainly, Dan Ji-hyu was a young man at that time. He had become the leader ten years ago, and the current Diancang Sect was enjoying a great reputation.

"It's surprising that you're here. Are you that greedy for the martial arts of the Three Emperors?"

"I just came to watch. Yunnan is close from here. Besides, isn't it Senior Dokgo who is greedy, not me? It's just surprising that a retired old monster has appeared in the martial world again."

"I retired from the position of elder of the Demonic Cult, not from the martial world."

"Then that's a relief. I only heard it through rumors."

"Rumors originally catch people. If you're going to watch, watch and go back."

"I can't do that."

At Dan Ji-hyu's answer, Dokgo Shin-wi showed an annoyed expression. It was because he knew that Thunder Flash was a difficult person to deal with.

"I just came to retrieve the belongings of my family. If you interfere, I will cut you down."

"Since one of the Three Emperors is Dokgo Mu, it's natural for the Dokgo family to step in. I'll just follow."

At Dan Ji-hyu's words, Dokgo Shin-wi grabbed the hilt of his sword. As Dan Ji-hyu also grabbed the hilt of his sword, a tense tension lingered.

But the two simultaneously let go of their swords.

"Do as you please."

Whoosh!

As Dokgo Shin-wi moved quickly first, Dokgo Hyeon followed behind. Dan Ji-hyu, who was watching that, smiled and then moved, following them.

As they disappeared, a young man with a bald head, wearing plain common clothes, stood on the roof of the main hall.

It was Yeon-il of Shaolin.

He turned his head and looked up, and his eyes met Jo Geom-ok's, who was standing on the roof of another house.

Jo Geom-ok opened her eyes wide when she saw Yeon-il. Although she had met and greeted numerous men in the Martial Alliance, she had not forgotten Yeon-il.

He was the man who had suddenly grabbed her hand on the day they first met. Since his movements were so fast and nimble, she couldn't even dodge.

"Hmph! Young Lady Jo!"

Papapat!

The warriors of the Wind Blood Pavilion jumped at him, who had jumped into the empty air with a bright smile.

Yeon-il turned his body in the empty air, and then, kicking the faces of the warriors of the Wind Blood Pavilion who had jumped up, he jumped again.

Thump!

Yeon-il, who had landed on the roof, smiled at Jo Geom-ok.

"I didn't know I would see Young Lady Jo in a place like this. It's been a really long time. Actually, I even thought about leaving home because of Young Lady Jo. It's not too late even now, so please help me leave home. Marriage..."

"I don't want to."

At Jo Geom-ok's short word, Yeon-il closed his mouth.

Yeon-il's reckless rush was also burdensome for Jo Geom-ok. If his martial arts were weak, she would have threatened him, but Yeon-il was the strongest master among the later generation, and he was a person called a genius.

Strange Dragon Fist.

That was his nickname, and he was also the top master among the Yeon generation of Shaolin.

And there was another problem.

"You bastard!"

Papapat!

Woo Jeong-bong flew in with a loud shout.

"Attack! This time, we must block him!"

The warriors of the Wind Blood Pavilion who were below jumped at Woo Jeong-bong. In that instant, a sharp sword energy from Woo Jeong-bong's sword drew a large circle and stirred the empty air.

Thwack!

"Kraak!"

"Ack!"

As the warriors of the Wind Blood Pavilion fell to the ground, spewing blood, Woo Jeong-bong stood on the opposite side of Yeon-il.

"You bald bastard, how dare you aim for my sworn sister? You must be crazy."

"You were here too? Your presence was so faint that I didn't even know you were fighting."

"What did you say? You're still as insolent as ever."

Woo Jeong-bong trembled his shoulders and aimed his sword at Yeon-il.

Another problem was that the relationship between these two was bad.

One was a later generation of Wudang, and the other was a later generation of Shaolin.

Of course, the two had met often in the Martial Alliance, and they had also dueled often in Shaolin and Wudang.

And the result was always the same.

'My sworn brother has never defeated Yeon-il.'

Yeon-il's expression hardened when he saw Jo Geom-ok standing with Hyun Jin.

"You two seem to be too close."

"It's natural for sworn brothers to stick together."

"That's not wrong."

Yeon-il nodded and then discovered Son Ae-hwa. Her presence was also small, so he had just discovered her. That was strange.

'How peculiar.'

Yeon-il looked at Son Ae-hwa once and then, as his eyes met Jo Geom-ok's, he smiled brightly again.

"If I obtain the martial arts of the Three Emperors, I will definitely show them to Young Lady Jo. So just trust me and wait."

"I don't need it."

"Hahaha! There's no need to refuse. Then!"

Whoosh!

Yeon-il laughed heartily and jumped towards the main hall. Then Woo Jeong-bong shouted and chased after him.

"Where are you going!"

"Why are you following me, you bastard! Get lost."

"I'll interfere with whatever you do."

"You crazy bastard. One of the Three Emperors is an elder of our temple. Are you saying you'll interfere when I'm trying to retrieve the martial arts of our temple!"

"So what!"

As the two quickly moved away, Jo Geom-ok let out a sigh of relief. Son Ae-hwa asked.

"Is it okay for a monk to speak so rudely? And he seems very arrogant."

"Because he knows well that he is strong."

Jo Geom-ok spoke in a low voice and then jumped off the roof.

"Where are you going?"

"Let's go up."

As Jo Geom-ok went ahead and spoke, Son Ae-hwa had no choice but to follow her.

"I think I'm going to get scolded..."

Although her low voice reached Jo Geom-ok's ear, she did not care.

She was worried about Jin Sa-wol, who had gone up alone.

* * *

As he crossed the lake, he saw a desolate field. The collapsed cliffs and the dug-out pits stood out.

Jin Sa-wol, who had taken a few steps, stopped at a place where the ground was cracked. The length seemed to be over ten zhang, and the depth seemed to be half a zhang.

There would not be many martial arts with the power to crack the ground like this.

Jin Sa-wol, who turned his head at the sound of wind, looked around at the several cliffs that were standing like pillars.

He saw traces of water having filled up halfway. It was clear that it had been submerged in water in the past.

Jin Sa-wol, who raised his head, looked up at the man in blue standing on the cliff. He could not tell since when he had been there.

The man in blue, who had a sword at his waist, was watching Jin Sa-wol intently, without moving, as if he were a stone statue.

Although he had the face of a man in his early to mid-thirties, he did not move even when his eyes met Jin Sa-wol's.

"You're a previous guest."

At Jin Sa-wol's voice, the man in blue jumped off the cliff.

"Who are you?"

"Is it necessary to exchange names?"

As Jin Sa-wol asked back, a subtle killing intent brushed past the man in blue's face.

"Are you fearless? My name is Kang Hang. Have you heard of it?"

Jin Sa-wol looked at Kang Hang's face.

Kang Hang's face, which should have been over fifty, was in his early thirties. If he had not undergone a metamorphosis like him, it was because of his martial arts.

"It's the Five-Colored Blood Demon."

"I'm also called that."

Kang Hang showed interest in Jin Sa-wol, who showed no particular reaction even after hearing his name.

The Five-Colored Blood Demon, Kang Hang, was a master who was among the top ten in the Demonic Cult.

The master of the Il-yang Hall, which was the most famous among the seven halls, was Kang Hang. He was also the person that the Yin Immortal Palace Master wanted to kill so much.

Kang Hang was very carefully looking for Jin Sa-wol's opening, perhaps because his personality was usually cautious.

Jin Sa-wol recalled the memory that had brushed past Kang Hang's face, rather than his name. The young man who was laughing next to the esoteric sect master and the young man in front of him were the same person.

"It was the Rakshasa Ghost of the esoteric sect."

At Jin Sa-wol's words, Kang Hang's expression noticeably hardened.

"Who are you?"

"Steward Yang said as he died. The Rakshasa Ghost was not there when the esoteric sect was annihilated."

Kang Hang was inwardly flustered. He was surprised that a guy he had never seen before knew his past.

Jin Sa-wol understood that if the opponent was the Rakshasa Ghost, it was understandable that he was here before him. It was clear that there was a road that only he knew.

"I don't know who you are, but the treasures of the Three Emperors do not exist. Someone has already taken them a long time ago. You've made a wasted trip."

Kang Hang sneered. His smile was full of killing intent. He had no intention of sparing Jin Sa-wol.

Jin Sa-wol asked, not caring.

"Who took them?"

"It must be someone who created the rumor about the Sea Peak Spirit Map. The esoteric sect originally established its base here to obtain the Sea Peak Spirit Map. But the esoteric sect could not obtain it. Do the traces of this fight look like traces from hundreds of years ago? They don't. They are less than a hundred years old."

At Kang Hang's words, Jin Sa-wol looked around again. Kang Hang's words were not wrong.

"You seem to have a lot of regrets."

Jin Sa-wol nodded.

Since he had high expectations, his disappointment was great. In fact, he had thought that perhaps the Sea Peak Spirit Map was not far from the main headquarters of the esoteric sect.

'Was I relieved because it was a place I knew? A mistake?'

Jin Sa-wol suddenly felt as if he were caught in a trap.

There was no need to think hard. If the rumor about the Sea Peak Spirit Map had come from the Martial Alliance, he just had to think of a place that would use that rumor in reverse.

'The Demonic Cult.'

The Demonic Cult already knew that there was nothing in the Sea Peak Spirit Map. Perhaps the Demonic Cult had taken it first.

'I feel like my things have been taken.'

Jin Sa-wol's expression turned cold as if he were in a bad mood.

"The moment you came in here, you were a fish that had fallen into a pond."

"It's the best for bait."

"Who did you aim for?"

"The Martial Alliance."

Clang!

With the answer, Kang Hang drew his sword and held it in his hand.

Jin Sa-wol, who saw that, tilted his head. Kang Hang's martial arts were palm techniques. But since he was holding a sword, it was unfamiliar.

"I heard that the martial arts of the Five-Colored Blood Demon are a tyrannical palm technique, but a sword..."

"I've taken a liking to the sword these days. It's quite interesting."

Kang Hang smiled and held his sword in front of his chest. In that instant, a sharp light hit the sword.

Clang!

"Keuk!"

In that instant, the sword that was held in Kang Hang's hand flew back and rolled on the ground.

Clang!

Kang Hang's eyes widened.

Jin Sa-wol smiled and held his sword in his hand.

"It doesn't suit you."

(End of Chapter)