Jeong Il-ryong chuckled softly.
"Hold hands if they're allies, crush them if they're enemies? That's quite a refreshing statement."
"......"
"Hey, Leader Oh."
Oh Kyung-hwa's eyes were still wide open. His face, marked with distrust, no longer showed any goodwill towards the other. Jeong Il-ryong's smile deepened.
"One must first properly identify who is an ally and who is an enemy before deciding to hold hands or fight. If you recklessly charge without knowing, you'll end up with your head on the wrong person's hands, just like now."
He swung his hand carelessly.
Thud! Crack.
Oh Kyung-hwa's severed head rolled around and stopped at Yul-rang's feet.
"Are you going to feed that to the kids too?"
"It's fine. The kids are picky about what they eat."
"Haha, I suppose so."
Thump!
Oh Kyung-hwa's head flew and crashed into a distant rock. Jeong Il-ryong turned his head.
"Whew, the appetite of the wolves you brought is truly impressive."
"Everything they eat becomes nourishment through the Beast King Technique."
"Did you say it's almost over?"
"Yes."
"Hah! To think there are beasts that can gain the upper hand even against the martial artists of the martial world, truly impressive."
The place they were looking at had turned into a sea of blood. It was the blood spilled by the fifty Iron Guard members Oh Kyung-hwa had brought. Almost all the corpses were severely mutilated as if they had been devoured by beasts. And among those gruesome corpses, thirty wolves were lying down, licking each other's fur.
The beasts Oh Kyung-hwa mentioned were not a metaphor but reality. The forces of the Beast Palace that Yul-rang brought were not humans but actual wolves. However, they were not ordinary wolves. Each one was the size of a calf. Their fur was as red as blood, not because it was stained, but because it was naturally that color.
These were not naturally grown wolves. The presence each one exuded was as formidable as any top martial artist. Jeong Il-ryong shook his head.
"They say there are countless strange arts and sorceries in the world, and indeed."
"The Beast King Technique is not some sorcery. It's like forcing beasts to cultivate internal energy through a mental technique, just as humans do."
"Is the control good?"
"Of course."
Yul-rang gestured to one of the wolves. It was the smallest among the red wolves, though it was still as big as a decent-sized tiger.
Swoosh.
The wolf stood up and approached Yul-rang, rubbing its head against his thigh. Jeong Il-ryong was impressed.
"It understands with just a gesture?"
"Yes. It's connected with the spirit of the Upper Dan, so even delicate commands are possible."
"...... To think it was possible to use beasts as a force, I was skeptical, but seeing this, I'm envious."
The reason it's difficult to use even strong beasts as a force is simple: they can't be controlled. Even if they can be controlled, it's impossible for them to understand like humans with reason. Where would you find beasts that understand complex tactics or strategies and jump into the battlefield at the right time?
But these wolves can do that.
If these creatures, as strong as top martial artists and with skin and teeth harder than steel, were to attack a small or medium sect, it wouldn't take half a shichen to annihilate them.
"What about the demon's blood?"
"I've made sure they've consumed enough."
"Is there any effect?"
"I don't know yet. There are no demons nearby. But if there are those with demonic energy within a ten-li radius, they should be able to detect it."
Jeong Il-ryong nodded.
"In many ways, they're better than humans. I'm envious."
"......"
"And I want to thank you. For joining hands with me instead of the Iron Blood Castle."
Yul-rang gave a faint smile. The smile on his face, devoid of eyebrows and beard, was somehow eerie.
"It's only natural to join hands with those who treat us well. They've always seen us as mere beasts."
"Haha."
"But..."
Yul-rang glanced to the side.
There was a middle-aged man panting heavily in front of a broken tree stump far away. His entire body was covered in blood, but fortunately, he seemed to be alive. He was none other than Gwak Sa, the deputy leader of the Iron Guard.
"Why did you leave that one alive?"
"I plan to take him."
"Do you know him?"
"No. But he seemed out of place among the resisting Iron Guard. His swordsmanship was clumsy. When I asked, they said he was imprisoned in the Iron Blood Castle's dungeon and recently became the deputy leader."
"Does that matter in killing him?"
"It doesn't matter, but aren't you curious? How a felon imprisoned in the dungeon became the deputy leader."
"......"
"Haha, that's one reason. When you've been in politics as long as I have, you get a sense just by looking. I bet that guy knows something about the Iron Blood Castle."
Yul-rang nodded. At the same time, he seemed to have another question, tilting his head.
"What about the golden pouch he handed over?"
"Hmm? Ah, you mean the Transformation Jewel?"
"Yes."
"You don't need to know. Just know this: it's a treasure that will be useful for achieving our great cause."
For a moment, a bright light shone in Yul-rang's eyes.
"Are you planning to use it on the Heavenly Alliance Leader?"
Jeong Il-ryong smiled and placed his index finger in front of his lips. Yul-rang nodded. Even though they were in an empty mountain, it was a reminder to be cautious of any words leaking out.
"What about the Palace Lord?"
"Fortunately, there's improvement. It seems she'll be able to get up soon."
"That's a relief."
"The medicine you brought was effective... Hmm?"
Yul-rang's ears twitched.
"What's wrong?"
"Wait a moment."
He looked towards the southwest.
At the same time, the wolves, who had been leisurely lying down and licking their fur, all stood up, their eyes shining fiercely. When they were lying down, they seemed somewhat docile, but when they stood up and exuded killing intent, they were truly terrifying.
Swoosh.
The smallest wolf, the Blood Wolf Leader, raised its head to the sky.
Awooo!!
As the Blood Wolf Leader howled, the other twenty-nine wolves also howled in their own ways.
The cries of the wolves, each the size of a calf, echoed over the blood-soaked ground, reminiscent of hell. The wind blowing from all directions seemed to stimulate the wolves' ferocity, making their howls grow louder.
Yul-rang raised his hand.
At the same time, all the wolves, led by the Blood Wolf Leader, stopped howling.
"Demons."
"Demons?"
"Yes. I don't know the exact number, but it seems to be just under a hundred."
"Oh. It seems you've tasted the blood of demons too."
"No. The Blood Wolf Leader informed me."
A wicked smile spread across Jeong Il-ryong's face.
"Whatever it is, it's truly a remarkable ability. So, what about their level? Compared to the fifty Iron Guards, I mean."
"Not just the numbers... there are quite a few formidable ones among them."
"How do they compare to the wolves' strength?"
Yul-rang looked back at Jeong Il-ryong. In his blue eyes, there was a strong confidence. Jeong Il-ryong clasped his hands behind his back.
"Shall we show them properly? This time, let's not participate, you or I."
"Is the time okay?"
"It doesn't matter if it goes past tonight."
Yul-rang turned his body again.
Sssss.
A powerful energy wave flowed from his body.
"It will be over before the sun sets."
Ma Dong-pil's eyes wavered.
"Impressive."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The footwork of Ju-hwa, who was charging forward, was amazing.
The speed wasn't extraordinary. She had only recovered about a third of her strength.
What was truly impressive was the recovery.
"She said she had just escaped from the inner demon. But that movement..."
The person who had shown the highest level of footwork he had seen was the Guardian Temple Master Mu-dam, and the person who had shown the most extraordinary footwork was Seo-ryang. Ju-hwa's footwork was completely different from theirs. Of course, it was at a high level, but it couldn't be compared to the Guardian Temple Master, and there was a clear difference from the skill shown by Seo-ryang.
But it was beautiful.
The delicate and perfect movements created by the tip of her feet were dazzling.
The movement that steadily and surely covered the distance was exemplary of footwork.
It's not something that can be shown just because one's martial arts level is high.
It showed traces of having diligently honed the basics without ever taking shortcuts while learning martial arts over the years.
Even Ma Dong-pil, who had learned orthodox demonic arts in the traditional way, wasn't confident he could show such clean movements.
Swoosh!
Ma Dong-pil caught up beside Ju-hwa.
Sweat was beading on Ju-hwa's forehead.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"It seems your skills are recovering by the moment. But if you push too hard, it could be dangerous at a critical moment."
"I'm fine."
"I won't suggest resting in the carriage. How about riding a horse?"
"I'm really fine. If I get tired, I'll rest on my own."
Even while displaying footwork, she conversed leisurely. This meant that although it was tiring, she was really okay.
However, that was Ma Dong-pil's misunderstanding.
Ju-hwa was not just okay. As time passed, just like her increasingly beautiful footwork, she was regaining her martial arts at a terrifying speed.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Strength was added to the beautiful movements. Ju-hwa's speed increased, and now she was ahead of even the three Guardian Temple members riding famous horses.
"This is it."
A subtle joy was in Ju-hwa's eyes.
"This is how it's done."
The speed at which she was regaining her martial arts was truly terrifying.
It was because her talent harmonized well with the Moon Yin Demonic Art, and it also proved her efforts had been tremendous.
But that alone couldn't explain the recovery.
There was another reason she could recover so quickly.
"The Third Young Master's demonic energy."
The concentrated demonic energy of Seo-ryang contained the essence of the Dark Shadow True Demonic Art.
The Dark Shadow True Demonic Art is a demonic art that burns, destroys, and advances endlessly. Since it seeks change at every moment, it naturally focuses more on movement than stillness.
If running was burdensome to the point of exhaustion, it would be different, but if one could move, it was better to move. Naturally, the Moon Yin Demonic Art also resonated with it, showing a fiery recovery.
Swoosh.
The sweat on her forehead froze white and shattered, flying away. The Moon Yin Demonic Energy naturally arose, trying to remove even the slightest impurities.
"It's working."
From a third to a half.
"It's working!"
From a half to two-thirds.
It was a miraculous recovery achieved while covering a fifty-li distance. Both the demonic energy in her dantian and her ability to utilize it had recovered to over seventy percent.
Ju-hwa's face was flushed with excitement.
"At this rate, soon...!"
At that moment.
Awooo!!
Ju-hwa and Ma Dong-pil's eyes flashed.
"Everyone, stop!"
Both the horses and people were moving so fast. The group gradually slowed down and could only stop after moving nearly a hundred and fifty jang further.
Ma Dong-pil approached Ju-hwa.
"Did you feel it?"
"Yes. It's not demonic energy."
"Yes, it's not demonic energy, but..."
"It's very ferocious."
Swoosh.
The two raised their heads.
Far away on a hill, a massive man was looking down at them.
The man, Yul-rang, spoke.
"Tear them apart."
Swoosh!
As soon as he finished speaking, huge shadows rushed in from both sides.
Ma Dong-pil shouted.
"Scatter!"
Clang!
The three Guardian Temple members, each drawing their weapons, attacked the shadows.
"......!"
Seo-ryang's face hardened.
"This is?"
The top of the mountain was a sea of blood.
Corpses, severely mutilated, were scattered everywhere.
Whatever beasts had devoured them, more than half of the flesh was gone, with only chewed bones visible.
Even the rampant demonic energy seemed to cool down. The demonic energy urged him to become more frenzied by the smell of blood, but his reason strongly suppressed it.
But soon, he read traces that aligned his reason and emotions.
"It hasn't been long. Probably two ke before... Hmm?"
Swoosh!
Demonic energy and killing intent surged up.
Swoosh.
As he swept down a low rock, traces of divine energy were read.
Just as the master of the Four Arts, Bi-yo Wang, had read traces of the Nine Schools martial arts in his dark shadow energy.
Just as Lee Cheon-sang, who had reached the pinnacle of demonic arts, had detected traces of Buddhist martial arts in his demonic arts.
Seo-ryang could also read it. The distinct energy of orthodox martial arts in the fading traces.
The traces of Jeong Il-ryong, a supreme master praised by all, known as the Beautiful Sword Immortal.
Crackle!
As the day slowly waned, under the sky dyed red like blood, crimson lightning mercilessly spewed out murderous intent.
Swoosh.
The hair on his entire body stood on end. The demonic energy, which had cooled down, surged more violently than before.
It was as if someone was whispering in his ear.
"Kill."
Boom!
A massive red lightning bolt descended the mountain at terrifying speed.
Swoosh!
A subtle golden light followed closely behind.