Chapter 203. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (24)
Chapter 203. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (24)
It was only at this moment that Bloodrush Archdemon discovered Woo-Moon, immediately realizing that he was a member of the Righteous Faction and hiding behind him.
"I am Bloodrush Archdemon, the vice cult leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult! I regret my days of being a member of the cult, and I wish to return to the Righteous Faction! Please help me!"
However, Woo-Moon didn't pay any attention to Bloodrush Archdemon. He just looked at Hwi Ji-Gang.
“Hwi Ji-Gang, the Blood Heaven Asura Captain. It’s been a while.”
Hwi Ji-Gang looked at Woo-Moon in disbelief, then his face hardened.
“What a shame you’re still alive," he responded.
The relationship between the two of them hadn't been that bad while they were in the Heavenly Demon Mound. Woo-Moon had saved him once, and in return, Hwi Ji-Gang had saved Woo-Moon, opening the way for him to save Si-Hyeon.
But now, things were different.
Woo-Moon had a lot of hostility toward the Heavenly Demon Cult due to what had happened to his grandfather, his junior sister, and now Peng Tianhao. At the same time, Hwi Ji-Gang had grown wary and resentful of Woo-Moon after becoming Si-Hyeon's fiance.
'So that bastard is still alive... This is dangerous. The Lord could be shaken if she finds out.'
Since he was her fiance now, it was only natural for Hwi Ji-Gang to feel hostility.
Hearing that Woo-Moon had been in love with Si-Hyeon, the woman whom he loved and admired, his jealousy skyrocketed. Furthermore, it was even worse because Si-Hyeon still seemed to love Woo-Moon.
'I have to kill him here and now.'
While enduring hardships in the Heavenly Demon Cult, Hwi Ji-Gang had gained plenty of enlightenment. Thus, he had been able to reach the Absolute realm that most people only dreamed of.
That was the basis for his confidence, making him think that he could easily trample Woo-Moon. It was an understandable mistake, as Hwi Ji-Gang didn't know how much Woo-Moon had grown in the meantime.
However, the truth of the matter was that he still felt wary.
So he decided that he had to shake Woo-Moon's spirit first, and the best way to do this instantly came to mind.
"Did you know that the person you call junior sister is still alive?"
Boom!
A ripple rang through Woo-Moon's head.
It was as if he had been hit in the head by a heavy bat.
“Wh-what did you say?”
‘Junior sister... Junior sister Si-Hyeon is alive!’
It was a possibility he had never even considered. It was understandable that he would be shocked to hear something like that so suddenly.
Woosh!
Dashing forward as fast as he could, Hwi Ji-Gang swung his Asura Saber at Woo-Moon.
Boom!!!
His demonic, black saber aura coated the Asura Saber.
"Die!"
If he killed Woo-Moon, there was no one to steal his Lord’s heart from him. She would only see him from then on.
Hwi Ji-Gang had fallen into the classic emotional trap. It was understandable; after all, people live their lives deluding themselves, and people in love all the more so. However, just like underestimating Woo-Moon, this was a massive error on his part.
'Now that he's shaken, this is my chance!'
Woo-Moon only made his move and countered when Hwi Ji-Dang's saber aura was about to hit him. However, the power he put into his counter wasn't that great.
Hwi Ji-Gang thought that Woo-Moon was flustered.
'Hmph, so he won't fall easily. He must have reached the Absolute realm, too.'
Hwi Ji-Gang continued to swing his saber with complete faith and unstoppable force.
"Do you need me to continue? Your junior sister is alive. She's actually engaged to me now. We've promised to get married before year-end."
The shock of Hwi Ji-Gang's words was even greater now. Things had gotten to the point that even Ma-Ra, who had been watching while trusting Woo-Moon to handle things, was wondering if she had to step forward.
Rip!!!
Woo-Moon's clothes were torn here and there, and his neatly tied-up hair unraveled, becoming disheveled.
When Woo-Moon, whom he had thought of as his savior, began to be pushed back by that terribly persistent Hwi Ji-Gang, Bloodrush Archdemon backed away with a shit-eating expression. He was planning to run away when he had a chance.
However, at that moment, Woo-Moon's “support” arrived.
Catching sight of them, Bloodrush Archdemon hurriedly ran over.
"I am Bloodrush Archdemon, the vice leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult! I regret my days of being a member of the Demonic Path and I see the light now. Please take me to the Alliance of Good and Evil!"
The Beggar Gang was a force that used information as a weapon. If what Bloodrush Archdemon said was true, he could prove an invaluable asset in the fight against the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Heavenly Demon, and Dok Bi-Gae did not fail to realize that.
He quickly stepped in front of Bloodrush Archdemon.
"I am an Elder of the Beggar Gang, Dok Bi-Gae. Is what you're saying really the truth?"
"Of course it is! Please take me to the Alliance for Good and Evil immediately."
However, Dok Bi-Gae hesitated, knowing he couldn't just take anyone to the Alliance. Thus, Bloodrush Archdemon took it upon himself to grab Dok Bi-Gae's hand and place it on his acupoint.
"Is this enough? Take me there quickly!"
"Yes! Let's go! Follow me!"
Dok Bi-Gae did not doubt that taking Bloodrush Archdemon back would be a more significant opportunity to gain merit than becoming friends with Woo-Moon. The two quickly returned to the Alliance, while Yeo-Seol watched the showdown between Woo-Moon and Hwi Ji-Gang with a heavy heart.
"Why is he faltering...? Even though that man looks strong, it's not enough to make Gege struggle like this."
"It seems like he's been hit mentally. It’s not that he’s weak, but he's faltering," said Go Woo-Seong, the first of the Ten Swords of the North Sea and a pinnacle Transcendent expert.
Hearing Go Woo-Seong's explanation, Yeo-Seol overcame her shyness and shouted loudly.
"Gege, cheer up!"
She only hoped that her cheer would help Woo-Moon.
At the same time as Yeo-Seol spoke, Ma-Ra also sent a stinging voice transmission to Woo-Moon.
—Come to your senses. It could be a lie, made just to provoke you. Stop playing a fool.
Ma-Ra's words seemed plausible. Anger welled up inside Woo-Moon.
'You dare provoke me by using her name!'
His anger ballooned into a terrifying force.
Coming to his senses, Woo-Moon immediately dodged Hwi Ji-Gang's saber and severed the man's left arm.
Thud.
Hwi Ji-Gang's arm fell to the ground, flapping around a few times as if it were still attached before settling in place.
When Hwi Ji-Gang saw that, a sense of loss, frustration, and anger came to his eyes. And then... there was the pain.
“You dog bastard!"
Woo-Moon felt sorry for a moment because he felt like he had been too aggressive toward Hwi Ji-Gang, who had helped him in the past. However, he quickly forgot about that feeling due to the rage he felt over the man trying to provoke him by using Si-Hyeon's name.
Bleeugh!
Hwi Ji-Gang was hit in the stomach by Woo-Moon’s palm and flew backward with blood spraying from his mouth. Woo-Moon followed suit and raised his sword.
Hwi Ji-Gang glared at him.
"Yes, kill me! You want to kill me to cover up your misery. Hahahaha! Yeah, of course you’re miserable when your junior sister, whom you thought loved you, betrayed you and got engaged to me! Yes, it makes sense. That's why you want to kill me, because I took your junior sister!"
Woo-Moon’s hands were trembling.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Junior sister is dead.”
"She's not dead! She came back to life and became the Heavenly Demon of our Heavenly Demon Cult. Haven't you heard that a new Heavenly Demon has appeared in our cult? Your junior sister is that Heavenly Demon! She is my master... and my lover!"
Woo-Moon knew that a new Heavenly Demon had appeared in the Heavenly Demon Cult.
However, since no one other than the cultists of the Heavenly Demon Cult had actually seen the Heavenly Demon and survived, no one even knew whether the new Heavenly Demon was a man or a woman, much less the identity of this person.
However, as soon as Woo-Moon heard that Si-Hyeon was the new Heavenly Demon, it was as if he had found the missing piece of a thousand-piece puzzle.
'So that's what it was, the Heavenly Demon! Si-Hyeon was absorbing demonic qi at that time. The demonic qi of the Heavenly Demon Cult! That’s what made her so strong and allowed her to use those techniques, they’re definitely the techniques of the cult! And that’s what made her behave like that even though I was there!'
He remembered a story he had heard about the Heavenly Demon Cult: the Heavenly Demon would pass on all of their demonic qi to their successor before dying.
He didn’t know about the Heavenly Demon Orb; after all, that was not in any way public knowledge. However, Woo-Moon remembered that the previous Heavenly Demon had died without a successor and that there hadn't been a new Heavenly Demon since then. Connecting the dots, he could guess almost exactly what had happened to Si-Hyeon.
But it was still hard to believe. The new Heavenly Demon was Si-Hyeon! His junior sister!
Moreover, she was engaged to Hwi Ji-Gang!
“Prove what you’re saying. Prove that my junior sister, Si-Hyeon, is the Heavenly Demon! How can I believe you?”
“How the fuck should I do that? If you don’t want to believe me, that’s up to you.”
Hwi Ji-Gang logically didn't have a way to prove it, but... Woo-Moon could tell he wasn't lying. He had been able to read a person's breathing, heart rate, eye contact, and behavior to determine the truth of their words since long ago.
It was just that... he didn’t want to believe it.
He didn't want to believe that Si-Hyeon loved Hwi Ji-Gang and even got engaged to him!
"... I can't believe it. I refuse to believe it. Why would she get engaged to you?"
What Woo-Moon wanted to ask was actually Why did she abandon me and choose you?!'
However, he quickly realized the answer.
'That's right. She thinks I’m dead! That's why! So as long as she knows I'm alive...!'
However, Hwi Ji-Gang had already fallen deep into his delusion. His blind admiration, love, and obsession with Si-Hyeon made him believe that his own fantasies were the absolute truth.
“My lord never loved you from the beginning! She just acted as if he had feelings for you because you were by her side and treated her well. Because you liked her! Maybe it was because you had incredible cultivation or because you were the grandson of the Palm Emperor. She told me herself! The only person she ever truly loved throughout her life was me, Hwi Ji-Gang!"
The more he spoke, the more Hwi Ji-Gang was pleased with his own words.
Woo-Moon staggered. Then, he shouted, pretending to be angry while hiding his wounded heart, “Leave! Leave now before I kill you!”
Hwi Ji-Gang picked up his arm from the ground, and returned to the Heavenly Demon Cult. The mission to punish the traitor Bloodrush Archdemon was a failure.
Woo-Moon, in a daze, joined the group and headed to the Alliance for Good and Evil.
While Yeo-Seol tried to cheer him up by chatting and acting cute, Woo-Moon couldn't laugh. The only thing on his mind were Hwi Ji-Gang's words, which lingered in his head.
The Alliance for Good and Evil gave Woo-Moon a grand welcome. Many people called out his name and titles, rejoicing.
Woo-Moon simply nodded when the Alliance for Good and Evil said that they would offer him an advisory position.
People congratulated him, saying that the position of an advisor was directly under the alliance leader and that it was a great thing.
It was said that the grand battle with the Heavenly Demon Cult would commence in three days.
Woo-Moon returned to his quarters and lay down with his eyes closed.
He stayed still for a while before suddenly jumping up and heading to the place where Bloodrush Archdemon was being interrogated. The survivors of the Hebei Peng Family and those who were close to the Peng family were screaming in front of the prison, saying that they wanted to kill Bloodrush Archdemon.
After simply immobilizing the warriors who were guarding the prisoner by pressing their acupoints, Woo-Moon burst into the interrogation room and saw Bloodrush Archdemon.
“I have a few questions, and if you even think of lying to me, you’re dead.”
Squelch!
The blast of finger aura that shot out from Woo-Moon's hand pierced Bloodrush Archdemon's shoulder. Bloodrush Archdemon was an Absolute Master, yet he couldn't even think fast enough to avoid Woo-Moon’s attack.
"A-ask me anything."
"Is Yeon Si-Hyeon truly the new Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult? Is it truly Si-Hyeon, my junior sister and the Palm Martial Emperor's disciple?"
Bloodrush Archdemon nodded without a moment’s hesitation.
“Yes.”
Woo-Moon's head was spinning. Bloodrush Archdemon was undoubtedly telling the truth.
Palan Shin-Tong, who had been interrogating Bloodrush Archdemon, stepped forward and began to lead Woo-Moon outside.
“I understand how you feel, but this is an overstep of authority. Please leave.”
After leaving the interrogation room, another question that had been on his mind came to his lips. Not even realizing that he had already left the interrogation room, Woo-Moon asked in the midst of confusion.
“Was the destruction of the Hebei Peng Family something random, or was it Si-Hyeon’s direct order?”