Chapter 114

The Mad Demon, the Slaughterer’s Escape

Clang— Following the sound, a small rectangular opening appeared at the top of the iron door. Through the gap in the thick iron door, Cheonma called out to the Madman.

“Mad Demon.”

A moment later, the Demon’s eyes appeared through the hole. Despite his nickname being “Demon,” he possessed clear eyes, small and devoid of any bloodshot, which seemed incongruous.

“Who’s there? Those eyes look sly.”

“It’s me. Wizichen.”

CRASH!

The moment Madman heard the name Weizhichuan, he slammed his head against the iron door. The Celestial Demon chuckled in disbelief.

“You crazy bastard.”

The Mad Demon asked in an unpleasant tone.

“What the hell are you doing here? Did you get hired as a guard? You one-eyed bastard. I remember one of your eyes was red, but why is it normal now? Did you get stronger?”

“You’ve always been a chatterbox, haven’t you? Should I help you escape?”

At Cheonma’s question, Gwangma narrowed his eyes and retorted.

“What scheme are you hatching now? Is your iron-clad lackey by your side?”

“Why is Sword Demon my lackey? And since Sword Demon is blind now, refrain from such talk. He’s become a sensitive man.”

“Heh heh heh heh, Sword Demon’s gone blind?”

“He was defeated by the apprentice.”

“And the apprentice?”

“Of course he’s dead.”

The Madman blinked his eyes.

“Impressive. No. It couldn’t have been that impressive. You must have used another trick. You scheming bastard, I’d tear you to pieces and still feel unsatisfied. If I let you escape, I’ll tear you to pieces first. Is that okay with you?”

Cheonma replied in a calm tone.

“You don’t have the strength to do that now, so let’s put that off until later.”

“Why? Why wouldn’t I have the strength?”

Cheonma smiled with his eyes as he spoke to Gwangma.

“I heard rumors you got beaten by a cat and brought here. Seems you’re the one bringing shame to our kind, Mad Demon.”

“Who said that? Did that perverted bastard, the young master, say that? You lunatic, it’s not a cat—it’s a guardian tiger spirit. What do you know?”

“So, will you fight the revenge battle or not? If you’ve been caught, you’ve lost.”

“You wouldn’t be doing this just to see me fight for revenge. Tell me what you want. If it suits me, I’ll help you escape.”

Cheonma retorted immediately.

“What could I possibly want? I intend to kill some of my comrades. The young princess also catches my eye.”

Kwangma said.

“Open the door.”

As the Mad Demon spoke, the Heavenly Demon lifted a thick, spear-like iron pillar and rammed it into the iron door. Then, infusing it with his inner energy, he spun it. The lock barring the door shot upward vertically.

Then, the Madman pushed the rectangular iron door open with both hands. Even if the door was opened, if one’s internal energy or martial arts level was too low, it was impossible to escape in the first place. That’s because one had to push the heavy iron door all the way open.

After the Madman pushed the iron door open completely and stepped out, the Heavenly Demon took a step back.

The Madman’s stature towered over the Heavenly Demon by a full head.

His build was nearly twice as large.

His long, unkempt hair had a grayish tint, as if stained with grime. He was a man who had turned white-haired after mastering demonic arts. Even without those arts, his innate strength and monstrously massive physique suggested he could tear apart most masters with his bare hands.

Thus, he was a man for whom no nickname suited him better than ‘Mad Demon’.

That Mad Demon glanced at the Heavenly Demon for a moment and spoke.

“Weizhichuan, you’ve grown stronger.”

Cheonma replied with a calm smile.

“You flatter me.”

The Madman watched the hallway for a moment.

The guards who had occasionally watched over them while taking shifts with the food-givers were all dead bodies.

The Madman asked.

“Did you kill them all?”

“No way. Anyway, I’ll pin the blame on you for killing them.”

The Madman sniffed disdainfully, as if he couldn’t care less.

“By the way, I smell rat… and musty bandages too. Are you carrying an assassin around?”

When the Mad Demon mentioned Woo-sa, the Heavenly Demon retorted.

“He’s my subordinate. No need to concern yourself.”

Cheonma thought Gwangma was a strange fellow. After all, even his own master hadn’t grasped the secrets of his concealment technique. He was less human and more like a wild beast. That’s why his martial arts style was vastly different from Cheonma’s.

Gwangma spat on the floor as he spoke.

“Well, you’re certainly capable of all sorts of vile deeds. You’ve even raised that little rat well. I suppose I should eat first.”

Cheonma said.

“Run away immediately.”

The Mad Demon chuckled and retorted.

“Why should I take orders from you? Wei Zhichuan, you moron. When this Madman says it’s time to eat, you eat first. It’s all about eating together—you still don’t get what’s important. You idiot, even after all this time, you’re still such a pain. You’re a consistent bastard. Heh heh heh…”

Cheonma, hands clasped behind his back, stared at the back of the Mad Demon as he pursued him.

“Mad Demon, keep this up and the Palace Master or the Grand Masters might come out.”

“You’re messing around. What time is it now?”

“It must be midnight by now.”

The princess is rolling around with her maids, and the grand masters still have time to read their books. No one should disturb the daily lives of these madmen. Therefore, I shall eat my meal.

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The Mad Swordmaster was eating his meal with obvious relish.

Across from him, the Sword Demon was holding his forehead. He had taken off his eye patch to look at the Mad Demon, but upon seeing something strange, he put the patch back on.

Anyway, he’d decided to let him escape, but now he’d come to his own quarters to eat, so the Sword Demon was in a bind. The Heavenly Demon seemed to have given up too, just waiting for him to finish eating.

The Madman glanced at Lee Eon, who was serving him while he ate.

“Sword Demon, is that the woman you touched?”

When the Sword Demon nodded, the Mad Demon said.

“Then I don’t care.”

As Sword Demon let out a long sigh, Mad Demon asked again.

“What’s with that eye patch? I heard you went blind. Do blind people even wear patches like that?”

Sword Demon poked his head out and replied in a subdued tone.

“Shut up and eat your food.”

The Madman held out the empty bowl to Yi-eon.

“Alright. Bring more.”

“Yes.”

This time, Cheonma and Geomma sighed simultaneously.

The Mad Demon spoke.

“The Palace Lord won’t even bother with this commotion anyway. The Grand Masters? As if they care about kids’ squabbles. This isn’t some martial arts alliance. When the time comes, prisoners escape, get caught, get killed, and comrades fight each other—that’s how it’s always been at the Ten Thousand Horses Palace. It’s a place where ten thousand horses gather—what’s the point of worrying about etiquette? You idiotic brats.”

Mad Horse continued speaking as he received his rice bowl.

Yeon Jahun, you too have lost your sight for playing with this schemer. What will vanish next? Ah… since you’re immune to blades, nothing will disappear. After your eyes are gouged out, you’ll just die. Isn’t that right? Anyway, you two are a legendary pair, a pair of fools playing together. I’m curious myself which one will die first.

Cheonma asked.

“So, who do you think will die first?”

The Mad Demon picked up the soup bowl with one hand and dumped all the broth and the vegetables inside into his mouth.

Chewing noisily, he swallowed the greens and said.

“I don’t know. Wee Jichun, you’re always sadistic toward your own fate, and Yeon Jahyun… you still have plenty of room to grow. The way I see it, both of you will end up getting torn apart by the Three Gods for acting so cocky. Wei Zhichuan, just like your father. That’s the fate of your kind. Living high and mighty, only to die torn limb from limb. You pathetic bastards should be grateful to each other. At least you’re stuck together as friends, you worthless scum.”

At the Madman’s tirade, the Sword Demon muttered.

“Prophet, my ass. Go be a fortune-teller. Why did you even bother learning martial arts? You crazy bastard.”

The madman grinned.

“You kids, waiting for the Three Gods to die must be driving you crazy, right? That’s why you’re doing this nonsense? Fighting isn’t all about internal power. You’re just a bunch of mosquito-like brats, always coveting others’ power.”

The Heavenly Demon replied in a calm tone.

“I heard every word from that pathetic fool who was captured by the Young Palace Master.”

The Mad Demon looked at the Heavenly Demon.

“You fool, if you’ve got the guts, let’s settle this right here. Why aren’t you saying anything? Isn’t it obvious? Of course it is. You only fight when you’re sure you’ll win. You always hold back. In that respect, even the blind man here is more manly than you.”

After finishing his meal, the Madman slammed his massive hands down on the table and spoke.

“Cheonma, Geomma. You two greenhorns, listen well.”

When the madman suddenly spoke in a solemn voice, not only Cheonma and Geomma, but even Yi Eon stared at Gwangma. His voice carried the power to command the attention of everyone present.

The Demon King spoke.

“It’s been over twenty years since the Demon Sect’s defeat. If the Demon Sect continues like this, the Ten Thousand Horses Palace might step in personally. Of course, when they appear in the outside world, they’ll abandon the name ‘Ten Thousand Horses Palace’ and instead use ridiculous names like the Demon Cult or the Heavenly Demon Cult. Names are just names. The problem lies with the Three Sages. Even if the Ten Thousand Demons Palace steps forward, those great masters will never move. So then, who will face the Three Sages… That is the problem. In my view, the Lord of the Ten Thousand Demons Palace will personally confront one of them. Most likely, the Sword Sage.”

The Madman continued.

“The remaining one will be dealt with by that white cat. But the last one is the biggest problem. If that fanatic, that man, is still around. Therefore, until a true master capable of facing that fanatic definitively appears, all of this is merely the Manma Palace Lord’s game. That’s also why it doesn’t matter how much trouble I, or you, cause. The Manma Palace is waiting for that one person. Who will it be?”

Mad Demon said as he rose from the table.

“I too am curious about that. However, I have no intention of being played like a puppet in the Manma Palace Lord’s game, so I shall depart for a while. If you’re still alive, we’ll meet again. You idiots. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

After the Mad Demon spoke with solemn earnestness and departed, the Heavenly Demon looked at the Sword Demon and said.

“That earnest madness remains unchanged.”

The Sword Demon nodded in agreement.

“He wouldn’t be the Mad Demon otherwise.”

Suddenly, Sword Demon removed his eye patch and gazed at the receding figure of Madman.

This time too, the Madman looked strange.

In his memory, he was a giant with an overwhelming physique, but when viewed through the Abyss Gaze, a scholar dressed as a literati was walking away.

The frustrated Sword Demon asked the disciple Yi Eon.

“What is the Madman’s attire like now? Is he dressed as a scholar?”

The attendant replied.

“No.”

“Then?”

“He’s just wearing some rather shabby clothes.”

“Understood.”

Cheonma told him the truth.

“Dirty, you say… He’s wearing rags that aren’t even fit to be used as mops.”

Lee Eon retorted.

“That’s true.”

When Cheonma looked at Lee Eon, Lee Eon quickly bowed his head.

“I apologize.”

At that moment, a prolonged scream echoed from where the Mad Demon had been facing. The night’s stillness shattered, and the surrounding area grew increasingly chaotic.

It was the sound of the Mad Demon leaving the Palace of Ten Thousand Demons.

In response, someone was blowing a long, loud horn to signal that something major had happened.

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As soon as he escaped the Ten Thousand Horses Palace, the Madman stole clothes from a peasant’s house. However, most didn’t fit him, so he robbed a peddler and bought a robe that barely fit this time. Most people were so terrified they nearly fainted upon seeing the Madman that he didn’t even need to use violence; the money kept piling up.

As soon as he had enough travel funds, the Madman continued eastward.

Whether the chase had begun, or whether the Heavenly Demon and Sword Demon had killed their comrades during the pursuit, he hadn’t cared from the start.

This man was only interested in food and women.

Food and women.

Once these were satisfied, he was a man of conflict, a fighter.

Naturally, he caused trouble wherever he went.

After leaving Manmagung, the wild horse headed east through Juksan, Banghyeong, and Yangyang. Upon spotting the Martial Alliance forces nearby, it veered far south before turning east again.

Here too, he moved while accumulating all manner of sins and crimes.

He entered large and small sects, carrying out massacres. Among his victims were the Pyo Agency and merchant guilds belonging to the Merchant Guild Association, so reports soon reached Dan Woo-seong, the head of the Merchant Guild Association.

Kwangma had planned to travel as far as Zhejiang or Fujian, though there was no particular reason.

He simply wanted to see the sea he’d only heard about.

No one could fathom why a madman would yearn to see the sea.

He simply wanted to see the sea, and so he was on the move.

Kwangma’s worry was the senior disciples.

They were also the masters of the Heavenly Demon, the Sword Demon, and the Mad Demon, yet they were the only ones the Mad Demon truly feared. The root of that fear stemmed from an inability to understand the masters. The Mad Demon could comprehend the Heavenly Demon and the Sword Demon, could read their thoughts, but he sensed that the Grandmasters were fundamentally different from humans. Therefore, the Mad Demon intended to train for a long time in a place where neither the Palace of Ten Thousand Demons nor the Martial Alliance existed.

Eating, sleeping, and killing.

After returning, Kwon Wang, who had been staying at the Galaxy Trading Guild, immediately set out southward alone upon receiving the report from the Merchant Council. The accounts of the perpetrator’s movements, both in the report and from informants, were largely consistent.

“They are heading east from Hubei.”

Danwoo Seong, who had also headed south, moved eastward in pursuit of the Madman’s trail.