CHAPTER 395: GREAT ESCAPE (1)

Ha-jun’s breathing was rough.

A martial artist’s rough breathing is not a trivial matter, it means internal injuries or exhaustion of True Qi.

However, Ha-jun was neither of those.

Demonic energy was flowing throughout his body.

The unknown effect of the demonic energy was terrifying.

Being struck and having his neck twisted was definitely a fatal injury.

Yet, the wound that should have killed him healed on its own.

Does that mean it was a good situation?

After all, he became stronger at a moment when strength was needed, so isn’t that lucky?

He could not say that.

“Huff, huff.”

The air entering his lungs was hot.

It felt like his chest was burning.

For Ha-jun, who had mastered the Baek Family’s Immortal Divine Art, this demonic energy was like poison.

It felt as if instead of blood, corrosive acid flowed through the blood vessels of his entire body.

The demonic energy was corroding Ha-jun’s body in real time.

He didn’t know how long he could keep running.

‘Rather, if it comes to this…’

Ha-jun had an overwhelming desire to turn back.

When he risked death to escape.

When a tremendous strong figure broke through the ceiling and descended.

And when his older brother appeared to rescue him.

All these events happened suddenly.

Ha-jun felt this situation was unreal.

Naturally, he tried to help Yi-gang, but his brother told him to leave.

So he left.

He ran away together with Go Yo-ja.

Was this right? Maybe he should go back now and save his brother.

That huge demon was strong. Yi-gang might even be in danger.

That must not happen.

Just as Ha-jun’s feet were about to stop.

-Run faster.

A voice echoed in his ear.

The footsteps suddenly grew closer, and when he looked to the side, his brother was there.

“I’ve come to save you. Luckily, you seem… not exactly fine.”

Yi-gang matched his pace and ran alongside Ha-jun.

He glanced over the black marks and wounds spread across Ha-jun’s body.

“Looks like you’ve been through some hardship.”

“Once we’re out, let’s find a way to treat you.”

Ha-jun nodded.

They ran toward Ten Thousand Demon Hall.

The True Demon Cult Leader, Yo Dae-soon, headed toward the top floor of High Spirit Palace Palace at an astonishing speed.

Part of High Spirit Palace Palace was engulfed by ominous crimson flames.

The disciples diligently fetched water and poured it, sprinkled sand, but the fire wouldn’t easily extinguish. It was strange.

“Get out of the way!”

Yo Dae-soon pushed aside the disciples trying to put out the fire.

With a thunderous shout, he unleashed his palm technique.

The powerful palm energy swept through the air, creating a fierce gust.

Whoosh- whooosh-

Then, surprisingly, the karma fire blocking Yo Dae-soon’s path was extinguished.

The momentary vacuum created by the palm energy storm put out the fire.

Yo Dae-soon slipped his body through the gap.

The stairs upward were also blazing with karma fire, but he paid no mind.

With only his hair and beard slightly singed, he reached Demon Brain.

“Demon Brain!”

The place where Demon Brain was located was free from karma fire.

He was standing in front of a certain room’s door.

“Where is that bastard! How dare he touch our cult’s sacred relic!”

Yo Dae-soon trembled with anger as he shouted.

Meanwhile, Demon Brain responded coldly.

“He’s inside here.”

“Inside that room? Why aren’t you going in immediately!”

“Because he’s locked up.”

Demon Brain never lets anyone into High Spirit Palace Palace, especially his own quarters.

And this top floor was exactly Demon Brain’s residence.

“Locked up…?”

“That guy tried to steal the Heavenly Demon’s soul fragment but triggered the mechanism.”

Demon Brain explained.

Someone infiltrated the top floor, set the karma fire, and tried to steal the Heavenly Demon’s soul fragment.

But thanks to Demon Brain’s prior defenses, the mechanism was activated.

Therefore, the thief was surely trapped inside.

“If he infiltrated this far, he’s no ordinary person. Probably a strong warrior sent by the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance.”

“Huh!”

However, even Yo Dae-soon couldn’t detect the opponent’s presence properly.

“It’s not easy to dismantle the mechanism that forcibly locked him up. I’ll just break it down and enter to subdue him.”

Yo Dae-soon understood Demon Brain’s assessment.

Indeed, protecting the Heavenly Demon’s soul fragment was more important than killing the lowly scoundrels below.

Yo Dae-soon was satisfied with his choice to come up here.

“I’ll break it down.”

He didn’t expect to coordinate with Demon Brain.

Yo Dae-soon thrust his right fist forward, adopting the Tiger Strike Stance (Hogeokse).

“Hup…!”

He focused his mind.

Given the objective, using his Supreme Ultimate Technique was not excessive.

The blood covering his hand vanished in an instant.

His fist blurred.

Suddenly, it was already advanced forward.

Kwahng!

A loud roar and shockwave followed.

A hole was punched through the iron door.

The karma fire flickering around simultaneously died down.

It was an amazing technique, but Demon Brain was not surprised.

Without hesitation, he threw himself inside.

Yo Dae-soon thought Demon Brain would soon capture the intruder.

He slowly followed through the hole.

However…

“…What is this?”

Demon Brain stood dumbfounded.

There was no sign of the intruder at all.

Demon Brain stomped his foot.

He looked extremely enraged.

“How dare you mock me!!”

Yo Dae-soon also understood the situation.

The intruder was never inside from the start.

Moreover, when they looked up at the ceiling.

There was a big hole.

The small shoe that should contain the Heavenly Demon’s soul fragment was missing.

Yo Dae-soon and Demon Brain quickly jumped up to the broken ceiling.

“Oh, you’re here!”

Dam Hyun, waiting for Yi-gang at Ten Thousand Demon Hall, raised his hand.

“You were later than I thought, I was worried you’d have to escape alone.”

Yi-gang and his group looked disheveled.

The old man carried by Go Yo-ja especially looked no different from a corpse.

Yi-gang, who had clashed with Yo Dae-soon, was also torn here and there, with blood dripping from under his ear.

“Everyone looks like beggars.”

But Dam Hyun, who said that, looked fine.

He didn’t seem to sweat much and looked dry.

“Was it Senior Brother who set the fire? And the commotion too.”

“Yeah, that was me.”

“Well done.”

Thanks to Dam Hyun, Ha-jun and the others were able to escape.

“But why did you start earlier than promised?”

“It wasn’t on purpose, I was trying to buy time.”

Saying that, Dam Hyun glanced at High Spirit Palace Palace.

Dam Hyun ultimately succeeded in disabling Demon Brain’s defenses in time.

He also succeeded in extracting one shoe containing the Heavenly Demon’s soul fragment without triggering any mechanism.

As he was about to leave, Dam Hyun suddenly thought of a clever plan.

He thought that if the alarm mechanism activated after some time, it could delay the enemy.

And it ultimately succeeded.

Only after hearing Dam Hyun’s story did Yi-gang understand why the True Demon Cult Leader hadn’t pursued them.

“What is that thumb?”

“It means well done.”

Dam Hyun smiled and handed over the Heavenly Demon Plaque.

“Now, fusing the soul fragments is no longer difficult.”

He said the Heavenly Demon Plaque automatically attracted the soul fragments without any ritual.

This was probably because the soul fragments had grown larger.

Yi-gang received the Heavenly Demon Plaque from Dam Hyun.

Then, he suddenly flinched in surprise.

Because someone slipped out from the Heavenly Demon Plaque.

「Ugh! I-it works.」

It was Zhang Sanfeng.

Yi-gang felt great joy and looked at Jang Sanfeng.

「It seems I can come out briefly like this. Though I’m still bound.」

A white thread connected Jang Sanfeng’s spirit to the Heavenly Demon Plaque.

「Escape quickly! There’s no time to waste.」

Jang Sanfeng said this and returned to the Heavenly Demon Plaque.

Yi-gang also had no intention of wasting more time.

“Go inside.”

Now, with no one around, was the opportunity.

They opened the entrance to the passage beneath the Heavenly Demon statue, and the group disappeared inside in a line.

It was like rabbits fleeing into a rabbit hole.

“Go in first. I have to take care of the aftermath.”

Dam Hyun stayed at the very end until the last moment.

He found many interesting items in Demon Brain’s quarters.

Among them was one more astonishing item.

“I didn’t expect there to be explosives…”

Dam Hyun looked at the grandiose Heavenly Demon statue.

At the lower part beneath it, explosives wrapped in white paper were attached.

Dam Hyun rubbed the fuse with his hand.

Then the fuse caught fire.

Sizzle-

Dam Hyun quickly slipped into the passage.

Looking back, Dam Hyun met someone’s eyes.

A Demon Cult disciple had accidentally heard the commotion at Ten Thousand Demon Hall.

Screech!

He immediately blew a whistle.

Then he drew his sword and ran.

Dam Hyun smiled faintly and closed the passage entrance.

“Here! Here!”

The Demon Cult member swung his energy-infused sword, striking the sealed secret passage entrance.

But no matter what, the passage did not open.

Instead, the warrior realized he was daring to point his sword at the Heavenly Demon statue and flinched in surprise.

“What is this!”

“Is it the one who set the fire!”

Several warriors gathered beside the statue.

Just then, the fuse burned down to the end.

Sizzle, tick.

An explosion occurred.

The lower part of the statue burst from the inside.

The warriors nearby were thrown in all directions by the blast.

The statue with its lower part broken could not remain intact.

The huge Heavenly Demon’s neck snapped off.

Then with a roar, the statue collapsed, raising a cloud of dust.

The great statue at Ten Thousand Demon Hall had fallen.

It was the first humiliation the Demon Cult had suffered since settling in the Xinjiang region.

Since Ten Thousand Demon Hall was at the center of the main base.

The Heavenly Demon statue’s collapse could be seen from anywhere in Sky Shattering Island.

Even Yo Dae-soon and Demon Brain, who had climbed to High Spirit Palace Palace’s rooftop following Dam Hyun’s trail, saw it.

“Huh, huh…”

Yo Dae-soon stared wide-mouthed at Ten Thousand Demon Hall.

His eyes grew as big as marbles.

The broken Heavenly Demon’s head rolled and finally fell off the cliff.

It shattered on the ground like a watermelon bursting.

A roar burst from his open mouth.

“You baaaastards!”

“Ugh.”

Demon Brain also looked furious.

Of course, his reason for anger was somewhat different from Yo Dae-soon’s.

From the traces, the infiltrator was a sorcerer.

In other words, the Twin Demon Brain of the world was mocked by a single sorceror.

He could not endure that.

“I’ll tear him apart… Ugh!”

Demon Brain grimaced.

Pain surged through his body like a seizure.

His eyes and skin trembled, and his brain felt hot as if all blood rushed there.

He barely suppressed the seizure.

Yo Dae-soon watched Demon Brain.

“Is the internal injury you got from the Great Desert acting up again?”

“Enough. We must catch that thief, even if it means sealing off all of Sky Shattering Island…”

“We must shut down the Divine Demon Bridge.”

They must find those guys by any means.

If they lose the Divine Demon Disk and the last Heavenly Demon soul fragment, they will have no means to track the Heavenly Demon’s soul.

“I will summon the Heaven Sealing Blood Wolf Squad.”

Yo Dae-soon swiftly jumped down.

He would call his subordinates to seal off the Divine Demon Bridge and find those who hadn’t yet left Sky Shattering Island.

‘I must also call Yeon-bi.’

Such an incident happened at the main base, yet his son was still at the gambling den.

‘Well, he’ll bring him back somehow.’

But it didn’t matter much.

The smoke rising from the main base would be visible anywhere in Sky Shattering Island.

The warrior secretly assigned to Yeon-bi would have noticed the incident and gone to fetch him.

‘I told him to stay far away so Yeon-bi wouldn’t notice…’

Yeon-bi probably never imagined there was a warrior sent by his father nearby.

And at One Grab Thousand Gold Manor.

In the special room deepest inside the underground gambling den.

Yeon-bi, who was tied up, opened his eyes.