Chapter 117

The Fist King Escapes

As the Mad Demon tried to grab Dan Woo-sung’s arms with both hands…

Dan Woo-sung grabbed the Mad King’s head, adjusted his stance, and struck the Mad King’s face with his knee.

Thwack!

Amidst the chaos, the Madman blocked Danwooseong’s kick with his hand, then flew through the air, rolled across the ground a couple of times, and sprang up to charge forward.

Thud!

Though the Madman seemed to be charging recklessly at first glance, he was actually waiting for an opening while taking Dan Wooseong’s blows, preparing to strike with a technique meant to wring his neck or tear his limbs apart.

Amidst this, Dan Wooseong’s fists landed three or four times, then he kicked the Madman’s shoulder, sending him flying again. Once more, the Madman rolled across the ground, then sprang up as if unscathed, letting out a laugh.

“Hehehehe… You’re holding back.”

Both men smiled simultaneously.

Their only commonality is that they both enjoy fighting.

As the Mad Demon waged an offensive battle, persistently trying to seize him, Dan Wooseong held back from injecting his brain energy to kill him instantly. He was still assessing the Mad Demon’s physique.

Dan Wooseong judged that the Madman’s body could withstand the lightning energy longer than the Sword Demon’s subordinates, and in that time, the Madman might counterattack, attempting mutual destruction.

It was essentially a preliminary skirmish, each gauging the other’s physical resilience.

In truth, the Mad Demon intended to withstand the brain qi with his regenerative power while grabbing Dan Wuseong’s body with both hands and tearing him apart. He was confident in his ability to endure pain. Moreover, the Demon-Quelling Fist was a martial art designed for precisely this kind of battle. Since he doubted he could defeat Dan Woosung outright, he planned to use a mutually destructive technique to leave him half-dead, then resurrect himself using his regenerative power.

If one were to spell out their actual nicknames, they would be Madness, Fist, Demon, and King.

In truth, Danwooseong’s temperament was so extreme that he was even called the Mad King. Aside from the proper duty he owed to those he was bound to protect, his nature was scarcely different from that of a mad beast.

Dan Woosung was a cruel and violent man.

Therefore, the two instantly recognized each other’s true nature.

The Mad Demon approached Dan Wooseong.

“Kwonma, you fight well for a young man. Hard to tell if it’s instinct or experience. Let’s fight for a day and night, starting now.”

Danwooseong replied indifferently.

“You overestimate yourself.”

The moment the madman approached, Danwooseong’s gaze suddenly shifted toward the madman’s back. Simultaneously, the madman halted his steps, turned his head, and watched intently behind him.

Someone was approaching, using lightness skills.

The Madman muttered.

“Damn it… Just when things were getting interesting.”

A man clad in a yellow robe descended to the ground in an instant and addressed the Madman.

“Who are you fighting?”

His voice was thin and sharp. A white cat balanced remarkably steady on the man’s shoulder.

Of course, it was the Young Master of the Ten Thousand Horses Palace.

Following him, the Blood Lord and the Demon Lord simultaneously descended behind the Young Master.

The Mad Demon asked, sounding utterly bewildered.

“How did you all manage to chase us this far?”

The young princess smiled faintly, petting Baekmyo before glancing curiously at Danwooseong.

Baekmyo had faced off against the Mad Demon before, and had even been beaten by him, so he could track the Mad Demon’s scent. After entering Anhui, the Mad Demon had been taking it easy, so he had been caught up.

Gwangma spoke to Hyeoljon and Hwanma with a sour expression.

“Hey, you idiots… Since when did you become my lackeys?”

Blood Lord snorted derisively, while Demon King answered with silence.

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Danwooseong crossed his arms and watched the newly arrived masters of the dark arts. He assumed they were all masters from the Ten Thousand Horse Palace.

But absurdly, the pursuers weren’t finished yet.

This time, as the Young Palace Master and his party turned their heads…

An utterly absurd spectacle unfolded in the air once more. The Heavenly Demon, Wei Zhichuan, carrying the Sword Demon, Yan Zaxin, on his back, descended using his lightness skill.

After the Sword Demon dismounted from the Heavenly Demon’s back, he removed his blindfold and stared intently ahead with his Abyssal Gaze.

The Heavenly Demon strolled with his hands behind his back, observing this intriguing standoff.

“So we all meet here.”

Cheonma followed Blood Lord and Hwanma intending to kill them, but whether they sensed it or not, they stayed glued to the young princess, never leaving her side. Moreover, with the problematic Baekmyo present, it was difficult to find an opportunity. He figured he’d have to wait until Madman got into a fight with someone before he could either kill Blood Lord or snatch Baekmyo away.

The moment Danwooseong saw the man in the purple robe, he recognized him as that bastard from his past life.

‘Damn…’

He also instantly recognized the man with the sunken eyes as the Sword Demon.

It was truly an unbelievable situation.

Fighting the Mad Demon had led him to be surrounded by masters of the Demon Path.

Cheonma Uijicheon gazed at Danwooseong before asking Geommma.

“Friend, can you sense the prayer?”

The Sword Demon, who had been observing Danwooseong through the Abyssal Gaze, was silent for a moment. The Heavenly Demon called his friend’s name again.

“Lord Yeon?”

He couldn’t use the alias Sword Demon in front of this unfamiliar man.

Sword Demon once more scanned Danwooseong’s appearance with his unseen eyes before speaking.

“He’s engulfed in white flames. Is he a young man? Or an old one?”

The Sword Demon was actually asking Cheonma about Danwooseong’s identity.

As the Sword Demon scanned with his Abyssal Gaze, a man engulfed in white flames was watching him. Somehow, the aura of that prayer was strikingly similar to the Sword King he had faced before. It was as if a blazing, extreme yang energy burned like flames on the surface of a sturdy physique.

The Heavenly Demon looked back at Danwoo Seong.

“He’s young.”

The blind Sword Demon, like a ghost, guessed Danwooseong’s true identity.

“He might be one of Kwonwang’s disciples.”

Only then did the Mad Demon step forward to correct the title.

“Not Kwonwang, but Kwonmada.”

Danwooseong kept his mouth shut, observing the gathered masters of the demonic path.

The Celestial Demon, the Sword Demon, the Mad Demon, the master clad in crimson robes, the silent man with only his eyes exposed, the master with a white cat perched on his shoulder… and nearby, he even sensed the presence of an assassin. To be precise, he had detected someone arriving late while deploying lightness skills, but they had already managed to completely erase their presence. Danwooseong judged the last to arrive must be a master assassin of the dark arts.

Assuming they all attacked together, only the Three Gods would stand a chance against them in the martial world.

Even with his past enemies standing before him, he was powerless to act.

Danwoo Seong was also stunned, so he stood with his arms crossed, watching the situation unfold. If they all attacked him, he planned to flee without hesitation. But that seemed unlikely. For one thing, the Madman didn’t appear inclined to join forces with them.

The Young Lady of the So Clan spoke.

“Lord Wei, Lord Yan. Let’s first work together to capture the prisoner, then return.”

Xue Zun retorted at the Young Palace Master’s words.

“We cannot spare that man either.”

Cheonma chimed in.

“Of course, since he saw us, there’s no reason to let him go.”

Kwangma said.

“You idiots… I have no intention of returning to prison. And I will kill Kwon Ma. I’ll start by killing anyone who gets in my way. Do you want to try your luck against me, relying on your numbers? I’m all for it.”

Cheonma grinned at Gwangma.

‘Oh, you crazy bastard.’

In an instant, all the masters began scheming.

Kwangma knew Cheonma intended to kill the Young Palace Master and her group.

The Young Palace Master was in a position where she had to recapture the Mad Demon.

Even amidst this, Xue Zun and Huan Ma remained intensely wary of the Heavenly Demon. They had already witnessed the absorption of the Overlord.

Amidst the chaos, the dark-hearted Sword Demon watched the situation unfold, intending to kill anyone with his demonic sword and absorb them. Blinded, the Sword Demon was the most anxious.

The young princess stepped back and said.

“Then, lords, you should first join forces to kill that stranger. It would be best for the prisoner to stay still. Or else, I’ll release the white cat first.”

The Heavenly Demon spoke.

“No need for that. Let the Mad Demon and the Fist Demon settle this first. Everyone else, stay out of it.”

At Cheonma’s words, Gwangma burst out laughing.

“You bastard… you just stand there watching. Cheonma, you moron. I’d rather kill myself than trust your words. A liar who’s lived nothing but lies—who do you think you’re fooling?”

Cheonma Wiji-cheon frowned when the Mad Demon mentioned his nickname.

‘That madman…’

As Weizhichuan’s expression hardened, the Mad Demon raised a finger amidst the standoff and deliberately introduced each person to Danwuseong.

“Listen up, Kwonma. That guy walking around with a cat is the Young Master of the Ten Thousand Horses Palace. Without that cat, he’s practically a corpse.”

Blood Lord nearly burst out laughing at Madman’s words, but quietly raised a hand to cover his mouth.

Then the Mad Demon introduced Blood Lord.

“That moronic red mosquito brat is Blood Lord. Next to him is that stuttering bastard, Demon Lord. That blind guy over there is Sword Lord, and that unlucky-looking bastard who keeps grinning is Heavenly Lord. What a gathering of idiots. Hahahahahaha…”

As the Mad Demon clutched his belly and burst into laughter, the ground shook and dust billowed up.

“Kwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

Not just the Heavenly Demon, but even the Young Palace Master and her group all let out sighs.

The Sword Demon shook his head and said.

“This is the pinnacle of a truly insane bastard. If you want to cause trouble, go mess with the Martial Alliance. Why live such a tiresome life? Mad Demon, you crazy bastard.”

Thanks to Madman, the true identities of the demonic arts masters were all exposed.

Dan Woo-sung crossed his arms and nodded.

“So you’re all from the Ten Thousand Demons Palace.”

Mad Demon chuckled.

“Wow, that’s some serious composure, isn’t it? Kwonma, you’re actually better than these guys.”

But the Mad Demon, too, intended to kill anyone caught in the chaos once the melee began.

Therefore, this place was now no different from the entrance to hell.

Despite all being highly skilled, the situation was so absurd and complex that no one moved easily.

Amidst it all, Cheonma alone wore a smile, as if in high spirits.

Because the Mad Demon hadn’t mentioned Woo-sa.

Cheonma gave a slight nod, as if sending a signal. To an outsider, it was an insignificant gesture, almost like a habit.

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With the Celestial Demon’s permission granted, Woo-sa, concealed by stealth, was approaching Danwoo-seong’s back.

Amidst all this, Dan Woo-sung was watching Cheonma. Because Cheonma was studying his expression.

Dan Woo-seong didn’t even twitch his lips, determined not to give away any emotion.

The moment the Mad Horse sniffed the air, as if catching a scent, Cheonma narrowed his eyes.

‘Usa, stop.’

It was already too late to utter the words.

Usa, maintaining his stealth, thrust a dagger at Dan Wooseong’s back.

At that moment, Dan Wooseong’s hand moved backward, seizing Woo Sa’s arm as he began to deploy his lightness skill. Immediately afterward, the crackling roar of thunder echoed along with his lightness skill as it receded, striking the ears of the demonic arts masters. Woo Sa, his wrist held by Dan Wooseong, let out a prolonged scream.

“Kyaaaaaah!”

Dan Wooseong waited as if unaware of Woo Sa’s ambush, then counterattacked while simultaneously activating his lightness skill to begin his escape.

Cheonma swiftly snatched the sword with one hand, then spoke while deploying his lightness skill.

“Young Master, deal with the Mad Demon. I’ll take care of that bastard.”

As Cheonma comically hoisted Geomma onto his back and set off to pursue Dan Wooseong…

The Mad Demon simultaneously unleashed both blades, aiming for the Sword Demon’s back. If the Sword Demon dodged, the Heavenly Demon would take the hit. It was a reckless attack, as if he wanted anyone to die.

At that moment, the Heavenly Demon turned around and, astonishingly, countered only with his left arm.

CRASH!

The clashing forces in midair simultaneously dissipated…

The Mad Demon suddenly bellowed.

“Sword Demon, your chance!”

The Sword Demon, who had been carried on the Heavenly Demon’s back with a dazed expression, stared at the back of the Heavenly Demon’s head with the Abyssal Gaze. A chill ran down the Heavenly Demon’s spine, and he flung the Sword Demon to the ground as if tossing him aside.

The atmosphere turned icy in an instant.

The Sword Demon gripped his sword with a displeased expression, regained his balance, and stood, slightly bowing his head.

“Cheonma, did you doubt me?”

At that moment, the young princess beamed.

‘Well done. Very good.’

Cheonma spoke curtly as he unleashed his lightness skill.

“I must go save Woo Sa first.”

As Cheonma vanished in an instant, chasing after Danwooseong, Gwangma let out a hearty laugh.

“Save him? What’s the point? He’s already dead. Sword Demon, it was your chance, what a pity. Should’ve just strangled him. Look at that. That’s the kind of bastard he is. Kwahahahaha…”

As Cheonma departed······.

Blood Lord walked out, grinning.

“Young Master, let’s kill the Sword Demon first. This bastard didn’t follow us to capture the Mad Demon—he targeted us from the start. He likely had his sights on you too. This is tantamount to rebellion. It’s only right to eliminate such an ungrateful piece of trash before he causes more trouble. Mad Demon, you join us.”

The Mad Demon chuckled again, as if he was about to die laughing.

“This is a complete mess. A total mess.”

Blood Lord extended the invitation to Madman as well.

“Kwangma, join us. Shouldn’t we kill this heartless Sword Demon first? You’re lonely now that your friend has left.”

Kwangma grinned.

“Bullshit. I’ve no interest in teamwork. Kill him yourself, you piece of trash. No. I can’t stand watching my blind friend fight alone. I’ll aid Sword Demon. Yeon Jahun, you blind bastard, come to my side. You won’t handle these alone.”

Then Sword Demon dragged his sword along the ground as he walked over and stood near Mad Demon.