Chapter 162: Demon Soul Token – Volume 7

The frozen Demon Soul Sect Leader stared at Baek Moo-jin, who had begun freezing alongside him, looking both utterly bewildered and terrifyingly creepy.

‘Could it be… the technique of mutual destruction? In a duel like this?’

The White Flower Divine Art spread across both bodies like a judge. It wasn’t about expending energy; Baek Moo-jin’s very body was transforming into the icy solitude of the Four Great Elements. Extreme coldness was unfolding.

Since it was something learned in theory, even Baek Moo-jin couldn’t understand how the caster had broken Seol’s solitude on his own. That’s why it could be called the Four Great Arts that even Baek Moo-jin hesitated to use.

‘Who would have thought I’d end up using something like this…’

In that instant, Baek Moo-jin thought of Jin So-hye and unleashed the Snowy Solitude. Baek Moo-jin had intended to wait for Jin So-hye if he were to freeze completely. But the moment he thought of her, a ray of light had already pierced through his heart.

‘So there was already a bond to break this solitude.’

The ‘memory of solitude’ and the ‘memory of fate’ were crossing paths within Baek Moo-jin’s heart.

Baek Moo-jin’s arms had already frozen solid from the cold of the White Flower Divine Art. The sensation in his legs was slowly numbing. Yet the Demon Lord, freezing at a far faster pace than Baek Moo-jin, was unable to breathe, his uvula frozen within his mouth.

As Baek Moo-jin’s own eyes turned pure white from the snowy solitude, he thought of Jin So-hye.

Tsuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

With an ominous sound, Baek Moo-jin and the Demon King froze completely for a moment.

Dowaeng, Inengso, and Gwonaeng rushed out…

The Demon Clan’s forces, positioned farther away than them, began swarming like a pitch-black ant colony. Not knowing how the battle had ended, they intended to save the Demon Clan Leader.

That was when it happened.

A massive Heaven-Shattering Flame Ball fell before the charging horde of Demon Clan members.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!

Dozens of people were engulfed by the flame ball and violently hurled backward. Simultaneously, the entire area was enveloped in flames. Jin Sohye, who had dashed out faster than anyone else, spat out the flame ball mid-air and immediately fell beside Baek Mujin.

Baek Moo-jin froze, witnessing martial arts he had never seen before, his eyes already brimming with tears.

Amidst this, the Demon King’s sword unleashed a furious torrent of sword energy toward the Demon Clan horde charging once more, while the Fist King unleashed a storm of fierce fist winds like a raging tempest. Yi Neung-so plunged directly into the enemy ranks and began swinging his sword. Go Seon-woo and Dang Gwi-sun ran out with their masters and started cutting down the foes.

With their leaders fallen, it was safe to say there were almost no masters left capable of stopping the Sword King, the Fist King, and Lee Neung-so. If the battle continued like this, it would only turn into a massacre.

Dawang shouted, channeling his inner strength.

“Halt! How dare you intervene when the contest is not yet decided?”

Dowang’s words halted the entire Demon Clan.

‘The battle isn’t over?’

Jin Sohye looked at Baek Mujin.

She believed she could somehow reverse Baek Moo-jin’s condition.

Jin Sohye reached out her hand.

Rather than thinking about shattering the Demon King into pieces, Jin Sohye only wanted to save Baek Moo-jin, no matter what.

‘Is it okay to touch him?’

Jin Sohye’s hand stopped just inches from Baek Moo-jin’s body.

The moment Baek Moo-jin froze in the Solitary Snow’s Desolation…

…he felt the energy of the Yan Emperor stirring within his dantian. No, the opposing energies were so intense that to unleash the Snowy Solitude, he would first have to suppress the Yan Emperor’s energy.

The extreme cold of Solitude enveloped Baek Moo-jin’s entire body. Solitude had wrapped itself around him. Yet, the moment he thought of Jin So-hye, the energy of the Flame Emperor slowly began preparing its counterattack.

‘Ah…’

Baek Moo-jin was in a state of forced blindness.

He concentrated his mind in a state akin to the utter solitude of the Snowy Peak. His breathing had already ceased. In that instant, he detonated the energy of the Flame Emperor within his dantian and began the Great Heavenly Circuit.

Jin Sohye watched Baek Moo-jin and sensed a change in his body.

“Brother?”

Baek Moo-jin couldn’t hear Jin So-hye’s words. He couldn’t see anything either. Yet he was certain she was by his side. He continued to channel the energy of the Yan Emperor, gained through his connection with Jin So-hye, throughout his entire body, striking at the solitude of Seolui.

Let’s go…

Let us live.

Break free from the Snowy Peak.

Baek Moo-jin channeled the energy of the Yan Emperor through his body, frozen solid by the icy cold of the White Flower Divine Art. It was a time of agony. Yet it was also a time of hope. As he collided, froze, and collided again, Baek Moo-jin’s body writhed in excruciating pain.

If he froze like this…

The destiny of the Snow Mountain Hundred Families and the bond with Jin Sohye would all end.

The time of the Great Heavenly Cycle was rapidly shortening.

At that moment, the extreme yang of the Yan Emperor and the extreme yin of the White Flower Divine Art achieved perfect harmony from his dantian, forcibly transforming Baek Moo-jin’s body into a state of complete metamorphosis.

Baek Moo-jin unleashed the Great Heavenly Cycle with his immense, pure energy itself, erupting the coldness that had enveloped him in the solitude of snow from his entire body. As the metamorphosis occurred in such a short time, excruciating pain surged through Baek Moo-jin’s body.

Whoooooosh!

The coldness coiled around Baek Moo-jin’s body flew away…

As Baek Moo-jin staggered under the unbearable agony…

Jin Sohye, who had approached unnoticed, moved to catch Baek Moo-jin’s body.

With a thud, Baek Moo-jin’s knee hit the ground. Instantly, he reached out his hand to block Jin So-hye’s approach.

“…Not yet.”

“Brother!”

Baek Moo-jin, rising again, gazed at Jin So-hye for a moment with his sweat-drenched face.

Jin So-hye asked.

“Are you okay?”

Rough breath escaped Baek Moo-jin’s mouth. Looking around, he saw the King of Power and the King of Virtue facing off against a swarm of blackened Demon-Possessed Ones.

When Baek Moo-jin shattered the cold air without anyone’s help… the Demon Clan seemed frozen in place, staring blankly at him. Meanwhile, the Demon Clan leader remained completely motionless, his fighting spirit utterly crushed.

Regaining his composure, Baek Moo-jin calmly addressed the entire Demon Clan.

“This battle…”

Baek Moo-jin paused mid-sentence.

As everyone’s gaze converged on Baek Moo-jin…

Baek Moo-jin’s figure blurred, then reappeared as he unleashed a single punch toward the frozen Mahon Clan Leader.

CRASH!

The Demon Lord’s body flew over the group of demons it had been facing, shattering into countless fragments that scattered like snowflakes.

The Demon Lord looked up at the sky.

Thinking each pure white fragment was a piece of the Demon Lord’s body… it was unbelievable. The fragments reflecting the sunlight had become nothing short of beautiful snowflakes.

Who could have known?

That the Demon Lord would shatter into mere snowflakes.

The entire demon race, caught in the downpour of ice shards, began to kneel one by one. The fate of the Demon Lord and the demon race diverged.

Someone recited.

“We are here.”

“They are in the realm of the dead.”

Following someone’s lead, the entire Demon Clan echoed in unison.

The group gathered around Baek Moo-jin.

The demonic hybrids knelt without any thought of fleeing, repeating the same words like a prayer. If they fought Baek Moo-jin, Ilwol would simply step forward and kill them all. Yet the demonic hybrids remained where they were, like fanatics who had completely abandoned life.

Even the Sword King and the Martial King shook their heads with expressions of disgust.

Only then did Baek Moo-jin, unconcerned with the surrounding gazes, briefly embrace Jin So-hye and pat her back.

It was thanks to his connection with Jin Sohye that he could shatter the Snowy Solitude within Baek Moo-jin. By helping Jin Sohye, he had gathered the energy of the Yan Emperor within his body, allowing him to counterattack the Snowy Solitude from his dantian. It wasn’t something he could explain in detail. Baek Moo-jin glanced at Jin Sohye for a moment and smiled.

Though pain lingered throughout his body, it felt as light as if reborn.

2.

At that moment, an elder slowly stepped forward from the crowd of the Demon-Slaying Sect. Approaching Baek Moo-jin and his companions with a fearless expression, he spoke.

“I am Mokseon of the Demon Soul Sect.”

Behind Mukseon, other Demon Soul Sect members knelt in wait. Approaching, Mukseon stopped before Baek Moo-jin and held out the Demon Soul Token he carried in his hands. It was akin to a sect leader’s token.

Baek Moo-jin asked.

“What is this?”

“It is called the Demon Soul Token.”

“Why this?”

Mukseon knelt down on the spot and continued speaking.

“I bring word from the Lord.”

Baek Moo-jin’s expression instantly darkened. Despite winning the fight, his displeasure surged. He could roughly guess what was about to be said.

Moksun continued, presenting the Demon-Sealing Badge.

“Lord Baek commanded that if you won the contest, this Demon-Sealing Amulet should be delivered. It is the Demon Clan Leader’s token of trust. The entire Demon Clan will obey Lord Baek’s commands.”

Baek Mujin and his group all fell silent.

Could there be a more absurd proposal?

Yet this could be considered the Demon Clan Leader’s final attack.

Moksun suddenly shuddered violently once, then relayed the Demon Lord’s words in a cautious tone.

“If you refuse to accept the Demon Spirit Badge, he commands you to kill the entire Demon Clan right here. If you intend to use it without killing them, he commands you to accept the Demon Spirit Badge.”

So this was what the Demon Clan Leader ultimately wanted to say.

Killing the entire Demon Clan was ultimately demonic magic, and accepting them to command them was also demonic magic…

Whichever path you choose, Baek Moo-jin, you are a sorcerer. That was what he wanted to say.

The group looked at Baek Moo-jin.

The Demon Clan, still kneeling, looked at Baek Moo-jin.

Baek Moo-jin found the Demon Lord’s thoughts laughable.

‘You… are trying to test me to the very end.’

At that moment, Mokseon alone recalled the Demon Lord’s words.

[Mokseon, a lowly being has infiltrated the Demon Clan. I could purge it, but I intend to leave it be. Should I be defeated, deliver the Demon Clan Banner to Baek Moo-jin. I intend to make Baek Moo-jin fight the lowly ones. If I, myself, am defeated by Baek Moo-jin… then even the lowly ones will have to be on their guard. You, enjoy watching the battle that follows and report back to me later. Whether it be hell or the abyss, I shall be waiting for you…].

A chill ran through Mokseon’s body as he recalled Mahon Jongju’s words. He waited for Baek Moo-jin’s reply.

If Baek Moo-jin accepted the Demon Spirit Badge, he would become a clear enemy of Bicheon. And even if he refused, Mokseon would spread the news of the Demon Path Unification achieved by Baek Moo-jin throughout the martial world.

This was the extent of Mahon Jongju’s plan.

He harbored the hope that even if he himself were defeated, Bicheon would fall.

Baek Moo-jin snatched the Demon Spirit Badge from Mokseon’s hands.

Moksun lowered his hands and bowed his head.

At that moment, Baek Moo-jin spoke to Mokseon.

“I don’t need this damn spirit talisman.”

Baek Moo-jin twisted the Demon-Sealing Spirit Badge in his hand, then melted it away entirely with the power of the Yan Emperor.

A gasp escaped Mokseon’s lips.

“Ah… Are you planning to turn all these people into enemies?”

“Enemies?”

Baek Moo-jin looked at the demonic sect kneeling before him and said.

“Do you wish to become my enemy?”

No one could answer.

Baek Moo-jin declared.

“If anyone wishes to avenge the Sect Leader, step forward now.”

To step forward meant death. Who could possibly step forward? Only a heavy silence hung in the air. Baek Moo-jin spoke to Mokseon, who was kneeling.

“This is my answer. The Demon Lord likely expected a situation where I either killed you all or took you under my command.”

Mokseon listened to Baek Moo-jin’s words, his gaze fixed on the floor. It felt almost like he had heard the Demon Lord’s words alongside Baek Moo-jin.

Baek Moo-jin’s words continued, clear and deliberate.

“The Demon Clan no longer exists. I killed your leader, your clan head, your master. Those who seek revenge may come anytime. If you don’t want revenge, live on as you are. But if you gather under the Demon Clan’s name to form another demonic force, you will see me again.”

He spared them?

Could there be words more shocking than these?

Wasn’t it more fitting to make them his subordinates? That thought crossed their minds. Yet Baek Moo-jin gathered his long sword and was walking back with his group. To a ship where the boatmen who had cut their tongues to bring Baek Moo-jin were waiting…

Mukseon and Mahonjong watched Baek Moo-jin recede into the distance, utterly speechless. And among Mahonjong’s group, a spy from Bicheon had infiltrated, overhearing every word Baek Moo-jin had spoken.

Yet another man was present among them.

The commander of the Undercover Demon Corps, who had expected Baek Moo-jin to win, stood alone, wearing a peculiar smile.