CHAPTER 513: EPILOGUE EARTH DEMON (10)

The cool breeze that had been blowing suddenly stopped as if it were a lie.

Around the pavilion in the garden, a stillness settled, not even a leaf stirred.

Ssssss.

And breaking that silence, a qi slowly rose from the empty air.

The intangible qi, sharp like the breath of a wild beast, intertwined with the fighting spirit of the Four Extreme Demonic Arts, Fire, pressing down on the surroundings.

“Was that talk just now meant for me?”

The End Demon’s qi tightened around him.

Any ordinary martial artist would have struggled to even breathe properly.

It was an overwhelming qi that only those who reached the Supreme Demon realm could wield.

However, his misfortune was that his opponent was Seol-Hwi.

“Of course it’s you. Who else could it be?”

“…!”

Only now did Demon Lord and Ah Ryeong’s faces harden as they realized his words were true.

Their gazes shifted between him and the End Demon, carefully watching the situation.

“Heh heh.”

A chilling smile spread across the End Demon’s lips.

It seemed he needed time to accept this situation.

Then, at some moment.

Pii—at!

The End Demon lunged at him at lightning speed, grabbing his collar.

“You truly… want to die, don’t you?”

He glared at him with eyes flashing with murderous intent.

But to him, it looked like nothing more than a child’s bluff.

“Hey, End Demon.”

Seol-Hwi looked at his face and spoke calmly.

“Don’t get too cocky or I will give you the death sentence.”

“…What?!”

His pupils dilated at his attitude.

At that moment, Demon Lord shouted like a scream.

“Dodge!”

As he spoke, a storm of qi was created.

The End Demon stomped the ground with his foot.

Kwak kwak kwak kwang!

When the End Demon struck the ground, it trembled as if howling.

In an instant, the pavilion shattered into pieces and everything within ten steps was devastated.

Wood splinters and stone fragments flew like a storm.

Sssssss.

Afterwards, grains of sand shot into the air and poured down like tears of blood.

On his face, confusion was etched deeper than anger.

“Are you truly insane? Can’t you grasp who stands before you now?”

As expected, even after all this time, the End Demon was still the End Demon. He had intimidated him in a similar way before.

Seol-Hwi stared at him directly and said,

“That sounds like a question I should be asking.”

“…?”

“End Demon, who do you think I am?”

Tap. Tap-tap. Tap. Tap.

Before his eyes, Seol-Hwi slowly but with deadly precision pressed acupuncture points.

By the time Seol-Hwi pressed the fifth point, the color drained from the End Demon’s face.

He clearly realized now that Seol-Hwi was trying to awaken the Heavenly Killing Star using the Blood Point Activation Technique.

Tap.Tap.

At the seventh point, he released his grip on his collar.

For the first time, genuine fear blossomed on his face.

“End Demon. By now, you should know what I’m about to do, right?”

“…”

“The Heart Supreme Point. The last of the eight points. Three inches above the left side of the heart. Once I press here, the qi meridians throughout my body will go into overdrive.” ŗаℕȪꞖƐ𝒮

In the silence, the End Demon’s breathing grew rough.

“If that happens, I can easily kill someone like you. Not just you, I can also take Demon Lord’s head here without trouble.”

Seol-Hwi took a step closer to him.

At a distance almost touching him, he looked straight into his eyes and continued,

“If you’re confident, press it.”

“Y-You…”

“Why, are you hesitating? Now that I’m showing it right in front of you, are you scared?”

The End Demon trembled, but he still did not answer.

So Seol-Hwi provoked him even more.

“You never know. Everyone’s talking about the Heavenly Killing Star like it’s amazing, but honestly, it’s hard to believe. You have confidence in your Supreme Demon martial arts, so you think you can handle it if it comes to a fight. Isn’t that right?”

“Y-Y-Yeah…”

The End Demon’s face flushed red with anger, but he did not lose control.

He was eccentric and hot-tempered, but also a natural-born warrior.

He was not someone to make reckless gambles.

“Want to try pressing it? Or should I?”

But pride made it hard for him to step forward or back down easily.

Then at that moment.

“Hey, sajae, if you’re upset, let’s talk it out.”

Demon Lord cut through the tense air and intervened. He had been watching silently but finally stepped in.

“Think about it. Will the war end if one of us dies? No. The most important thing in this fight is the subordinates under us.”

He skillfully inserted himself between them, creating distance.

The tense standoff between the End Demon and him began to ease little by little.

“In the end, you have to gain recognition from the cult’s subordinates to become the true successor. So there’s no need to waste the Heavenly Killing Star on such meaningless matters, right?”

‘Just as expected of Demon Lord.’

Seol-Hwi kept a cold expression without revealing his true feelings.

“I agree. That’s enough.”

Even Ah Ryeong stepped in, leaving no reason to provoke the End Demon further.

Seol-Hwi was also about to withdraw, so it was a good excuse.

“Haha. Did I go a bit too far?”

Seol-Hwi gave an awkward smile, but the cold atmosphere did not dissipate easily.

Still, Seol-Hwi had something to say.

“I apologize for my rashness. But please don’t criticize me too much. I checked on the way here, and the Great Sahyung had implanted ‘Go Eun’ on my side. Maybe that’s why I got pushed to the edge.”

“…!”

“…Is that so, Great Sahyung?”

Demon Lord was surprised by that, and Ah Ryeong asked a sharp question.

Meanwhile, the End Demon’s anger slightly subsided, but he still did not speak.

It was inevitable.

This situation must have been a shock to him in many ways.

Demon Lord once again took the role of mediator.

“Let’s talk again when emotions have cooled down. We are enemies, but…”

He glanced around with a meaningful look.

“We are also sworn sahyung-sajaes.”

A heavy silence fell, and all eyes turned to the End Demon.

The words that came from him were cold.

“There will surely be a day to repay this debt today.”

With those words, the End Demon disappeared.

His departure was filled with an unyielding sense of humiliation.

“Our sajae has quite a temper, unlike the rumors.”

“…How did the rumors spread?”

“I’ll tell you next time. It’s better to part ways for today.”

Demon Lord also left. Ah Ryeong, the last remaining, approached him.

Her voice was soft like a whisper.

“Why did you have to go that far?”

“I wanted to prove it.”

“What?”

“Because you still don’t trust me, I wanted to show you even if it meant pushing myself a little, Lord.”

“You could have died if things went wrong.”

“Without that kind of courage, how could I dream of a grand plan with you?”

“You speak well.”

Her reaction was aloof, but Seol-Hwi knew.

Though indifferent outwardly, she was deeply satisfied inside.

Her nature craved recognition.

Since Seol-Hwi was fulfilling that desire perfectly, she couldn’t help but be pleased.

“You know? The Great Sahyung won’t stay still.”

“Of course.”

“You really have an amazing resolve.”

For the first time, human emotion was heard in her voice.

She slowly reached out her hand to him.

“…What is this?”

“Follow me. There’s a place we need to go together.”

Seol-Hwi looked at her with curiosity, and she turned around, extending her hand once more.

“You’ve never seen them before—My subordinates.”

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Deep within a majestic mountain range shrouded in clouds.

Pavilions built of white jade stones shimmered faintly as if floating in the sky.

Intricately carved stone walls and flowers blooming through the mist created a breathtaking scene.

“This place is…”

Seol-Hwi couldn’t close his mouth.

Even when Seol-Hwi entered the body of the former Cult Leader, Seol-Hwi had never seen such a beautiful space.

Especially impressive was the milky white spring water flowing from the mountainside into stone bathtubs.

“This is the Jade Maiden Hall. Those women over there are the Jade Maidens.”

Looking where she pointed, Seol-Hwi saw them faintly through the mist.

Several women were bathing in water emitting a subtle medicinal fragrance.

“It’s a somewhat secret place.”

As she said, this place boasted noble and beautiful architecture.

Seol-Hwi knew little about this place. Honestly, Seol-Hwi hadn’t felt the need to investigate Ah Ryeong closely.

“There are about two thousand. By the way, most women in the Demonic Cult have either been here or come from the Jade Maiden Hall.”

Ah Ryeong continued as she walked slowly.

“Most are from Central Plains. They select those with stories, those who have been tormented, and wronged women to bring here. Most women brought to the main cult are handled by us, including trainees.”

The number of women Seol-Hwi had encountered at the main sect was countable on one hand.

The gender ratio was about ten men to one or two women.

That was apparently the reason.

Judging by the size of the pavilion, most indeed stayed here as Ah Ryeong said.

“Then, what is the difference between these women and the girls who enter the training center?”

“The conditions differ. The training center is for those who fail the Jade Maiden Hall’s screening.”

She stopped walking and looked at him. Her voice rang clear in the air filled with subtle medicinal fragrance.

“By the way, to enter the Jade Maiden Hall, you must be beautiful and have martial talent. As for night duties…”

A smile appeared on her lips.

“It doesn’t matter if you can’t. We teach it.”

The women here naturally form ties with the main Cult’s leadership.

Sometimes they share beds, and sometimes become their lovers and leave.

‘I understand now how Ah Ryeong grew close to the elders of the main sect and drew the recluse warriors to her side.’

Even those who devoted themselves only to martial arts awaken desires again after retirement.

Ah Ryeong cleverly exploited their instincts.

Though the sect leader helped, the reason recluse warriors cooperated with her was that.

“Men ultimately give their hearts to women. That’s instinct. I just use that.”

This was the secret to her holding the successor position.

If necessary, is there a more perfect way than using a beauty trap to eliminate someone?

“I have one question.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you say that you brought most of the women from Central Plains?”

“That’s right.”

“Then finding one person shouldn’t be difficult.”

Ah Ryeong’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“What do you mean?”

Though not here now, it was something to prepare for in advance.

Judging by the circumstances, Seo Ryeong must also be from here.