Chapter 222 : Great Demon, Bets
Chapter 222: Great Demon, Bets
A new voice was flowing from the Cult Leader’s Hall of the Asura Demon Sect.
“There are thirteen organizations suspected of joining hands with Young Master Yeo. Six of them belong to the Thirteen Great Asuras.”
It was a calm yet heavy voice.
However, distinguishing exactly where the sound was coming from was not easy. It seemed to come from the ceiling at times and from the floor at others, which meant the owner of the voice possessed outstanding stealth arts.
“I have started a secret audit of all organizations, prioritizing the suspected ones. Once betrayal is confirmed, I will immediately execute the leaders.”
Yao Hong was looking forward with deep eyes.
Because he knew well how great the ability of the voice's owner was, he did not ask about the specific handling of the work.
“By now, the Great Demon must have met Young Master Yeo.”
This matter regarding Yeo Su-in became a great stimulus for Yao Hong.
To keep a successor dreaming of rebellion by his side. Was such a thing even possible in his life, having established a new Demonic Cult by executing the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect?
“I haven't moved my body for too long.”
If a finger rots, it must be cut off. If left alone, the entire arm might have to be cut off.
However, this matter was one that would only end by cutting off arms and legs.
Even though it was a truly damnable situation, Yao Hong was calm.
It was because he knew it was not a time to be annoyed but a moment to change.
“Stagnant water is bound to rot.”
Because of a vague fear of that Heavenly Demon Soul that had not even appeared, he had focused only on self cultivation for too many years. He now realized that building strength in preparation for the Heavenly Demon Soul was a meaningless task.
“The cult is truly strong only when it goes out into the Jianghu and swings its blades.”
Yao Hong rose from his grand chair and slowly moved his steps along the red carpet. The massive demon statues lined up on the left and right of the carpet seemed to watch his movements.
He stopped in front of the massive door of the Cult Leader’s Hall.
He raised his hand to stop the subordinate who was trying to open the door for him.
Then he opened the door himself.
Creeeeeak.
The massive door opened and sunlight poured in.
Yao Hong looked down at the grounds with his hands behind his back. The panoramic view of the Asura Demon Sect unfolded at a glance below the ninety nine steps.
His back, looking down at the world with noble eyes, was telling one fact.
That the day the absolute who had been in seclusion for a long time would move in earnest was not far off.
* * *
Yeo Su-in was standing in the backyard, looking up at the sky.
It was a safe house of the Asura Demon Sect located in the outskirts far from the Murim Alliance.
Lee Jaseung had almost died in the Heaven and Earth Net and barely escaped. Yeo Su-in could not openly stay in the territory of the Murim Alliance in a situation where Lee Jaseung might hold a grudge and try to kill him.
The people of the Jianghu believed that the Murim Alliance was joining hands with the Demonic Cult to strike the Black Way Alliance.
However, the reality was that things entirely different from that were progressing. While the truth was hidden, hypocrisy and lies were rampant.
Yeo Su-in drew his sword as fast as lightning.
Slash!
A tree standing on one side was split into five pieces vertically and fell.
It was power exerted in a single move.
Yeo Su-in wore a rather regretful expression. If he had five more years, his modified Northern Sea Demonic Sword would have achieved great completion, and that tree would have fallen in fifteen pieces. If that had been the case, things would have been much easier.
It was regrettable, but there was nothing he could do.
It was then. The Asura Six Demons appeared there.
“A contact came from the main headquarters.”
The First Demon reported with a happy face.
“The Demon Lord Execution Order has been issued for Lee Jaseung.”
At those words, Yeo Su-in burst into laughter.
“Hahaha. It’s done!”
The Demon Lord Execution Order was an absolute command issued by the Cult Leader’s decree, and the organization receiving the command had to execute the target with priority over any other matter. Unless the command was withdrawn, the one who received it would live his entire life for that command.
The First Demon said with a smile.
“Now Lee Jaseung is dead.”
“Heh. He won't die easily, but... he will die eventually.”
“Since things have turned out this way, we shouldn't just stay still, should we? It would be a disaster if the main headquarters sent our people down.”
“I have already taken measures so they can pull themselves out. Even if they come, we just need to operate while minimizing their sacrifice.”
“Oh, you are indeed meticulous.”
Yeo Su-in laughed pleasantly at the First Demon’s praise.
The tree split into five branches caught his eye.
‘Yes, perhaps.’
He felt that heaven might have sent Lee Jaseung so that he could achieve his goal even before five years passed.
It was at that very moment.
Yeo Su-in’s eyes seemed to sharpen.
Slash!
Once again, the sword sliced through the air.
This time, the wall behind the tree split and collapsed.
A person was standing behind the collapsed area, and he was the Great Demon.
Yeo Su-in and the First Demon were surprised by his sudden appearance.
“What brings the Great Demon here?”
“The Cult Leader sent me. He said we should finish off Lee Jaseung together.”
“I see.”
Yeo Su-in welcomed him with a bright smile.
“Please wait a moment.”
Yeo Su-in took something from his robe and launched it into the air.
Whizz. Pop! Pop! Pop!
Red fireworks exploded in succession in the sky.
“What is that?”
“Is it not beautiful? It is a greeting to welcome the Great Demon.”
Because he knew well that could not be the case, the Great Demon said coldly.
“Is it a distress signal?”
“Why do you think so? It could be a signal calling the reaper to send the Great Demon to the underworld.”
The Great Demon smiled leisurely.
“Now, stop the jokes. The Cult Leader sent me. It is a command to help you and eliminate Lee Jaseung.”
Yeo Su-in, who had been staring quietly at the Great Demon, spoke with a chilling gaze.
“Cut the nonsense.”
With an equally cold expression, the Great Demon asked.
“How did you know?”
“You are not one to clean up after a failed operation. You would have avoided coming by any means. A vile opportunist, is that not who you are?”
Because there was a part he could not immediately deny, the Great Demon’s face distorted.
However, the Great Demon soon said loudly.
“That is not something I want to hear from the mouth of a traitor.”
“Do you think you could dare take my place if I were gone?”
“Since you are sitting in it, that position doesn't look all that great. I think it might be a bit different if I sat in it, no?”
A tense war of nerves broke out between the two. An immense invisible pressure clashed between them.
Although he had been getting pushed around like a punching bag lately, he was still the Great Demon, the Grand Elder of the Asura Demon Sect.
The energy the Great Demon emitted was truly immense. If the opponent had been an ordinary master of the Orthodox Faction instead of Yeo Su-in, they would have died while vomiting blood from their seven orifices, unable to endure that Demonic Qi.
“I am one who traversed the Jianghu before you were even born.”
The Great Demon’s words echoed loudly.
However, Yeo Su-in was not intimidated at all. Furthermore, the Great Demon could not match him in words.
“If that is the case, instead of just shouting like a shameless old man, you should bow to me and thank me for being born late.”
It was a mockery implying that if he had existed in the same era, the Great Demon would not have been able to traverse the Jianghu.
At that moment, a word came from behind the Great Demon.
“The arrogance of this young brat pierces the heavens.”
The owner of the voice was a middle aged man with a fierce impression, and three people followed behind him.
Yeo Su-in recognized who they were at once.
“Who do we have here? Is it not the Four Bastard Sons?”
At the remark of being four sons of a bitch, the expressions of the men turned cold.
They were actually the masters called the Four Great Sons. They were masters symbolizing Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo respectively, and were the subordinates the Great Demon cherished and trusted most.
The one who stepped forward and rebuked Yeo Su-in was Bamboo among the Four Great Sons. He was not one to care about others' opinions or mince his words.
“Because your actions were cute, we indulged you, and now you are acting as if you have become the Cult Leader.”
Bamboo’s words were picked up by the eldest, Plum.
“There is a limit to ingratitude. We fed, housed, and raised a bastard with no roots, and now he tries to bite his master? A bastard worse than a dog!”
Then, others appeared.
The Demonic Humans appearing from all directions reached three hundred, and those whose skill could be felt just by their standing posture were the Berserk Heaven Warriors. They were also practitioners of considerable skill.
The Four Great Sons and the Berserk Heaven Warriors were subordinates who could be called the right and left arms of the Great Demon.
He had expected their appearance to some extent from the moment the Great Demon showed himself.
“So the Demon Lord Execution Order was issued for me, not Lee Jaseung.”
As Yeo Su-in let out a light sigh, other Demonic Humans appeared. Yeo Su-in, who had not been greatly shaken by the appearance of the Four Great Sons or the Berserk Heaven Warriors, had a darkened expression this time.
“The Five Toxic Beings!”
Five people, young and old, dressed in green. An old man, a middle aged man, a young man and woman, and a small child. It was truly a mix of various ages.
They were the Five Toxic Hands, famous for their poison arts in the Demonic Cult. They were very difficult opponents to deal with because they used powerful poisons for which ordinary antidotes did not work at all and were very adept at surprise attacks.
He had known them to have no interaction with the Great Demon, but it seemed he had secretly made them his people.
Yeo Su-in let out a sigh and spoke to himself.
“I knew things were going too easily... .”
He sensed that things had gone properly wrong. He did not bother making excuses.
“How did you know?”
“The Cult Leader personally witnessed the conversation between you and Lee Jaseung.”
“How on earth?”
Yeo Su-in was shocked. When talking with Lee Jaseung, he had checked more carefully than ever to see if anyone was around. Furthermore, because the Asura Six Demons were also with them, it was impossible for someone to eavesdrop on that conversation.
At first, he thought he was just guessing, but that was not it.
“He also knows that the doodle on your face is a loathsome deception.”
At those words, Yeo Su-in could tell that the content of his conversation with Lee Jaseung had indeed reached Yao Hong.
Of course, he could not think that he had seen it personally through a crow. He assumed that a spy with truly great stealth arts, capable of deceiving all their eyes and ears, had overheard the conversation.
“The Four Bastards and the Five Toxic Beings. Plus the Berserk Heaven Warriors. They are quite decent in skill. But can they kill us with just them?”
If he were alone, it would be different, but the Asura Six Demons were with him.
There was still enough chance of winning.
At that moment, the preceding waves of the Long River pushed in.
Thirty or so elderly people newly revealed themselves.
Upon seeing them, a curse burst out from Yeo Su-in’s mouth.
“Damn it! Curses!”
The elderly people who appeared, not looking old and worn out but emitting an insidious and formidable pressure, were the veteran masters of the Elder's Council.
Yeo Su-in knew. How many wicked and poisonous methods were hidden in the thin and fragile arms of those old men who seemed to have trouble even standing.
The Great Demon originally held the status of the Grand Elder of the Asura Demon Sect. He was the figure with the greatest influence over the Elder's Council. The fundamental power that allowed him to endure the power struggle with the Vice Cult Leader earlier also lay with these elders.
Not just one or two of those great old men, but as many as thirty of them stepped forward. The Great Demon had truly made up his mind to see the end of it.
Yeo Su-in revealed his inner thoughts honestly.
“This is the worst.”
However, the worst situation did not end there.
A person he never wanted to see in this situation revealed himself.
It was the leader of the Demon Army, none other than the commander.
He spoke politely to the Great Demon.
“I have spread the Heaven and Earth Net in the surroundings. Now there is no place for the traitor to escape.”
The Heaven and Earth Net that had been spread for Lee Jaseung was now spread for Yeo Su-in.
The commander glared at Yeo Su-in and said.
“I heard it was you who let Lee Jaseung slip away. You damned bastard! And after doing that, what? Prepare to be reprimanded? You should be the one prepared, you undergrown baby turtle!”
The commander was acting furious on the outside, but he was laughing on the inside.
Since things turned out this way, his previous mistake became something caused by Yeo Su-in’s manipulation.
As those gathered simultaneously revealed their killing intent, a breath stifling killing aura swirled there.
The Great Demon spoke on behalf of everyone.
“Only death remains for you.”
The Great Demon’s eyes, having bet everything, shone brightly, while Yeo Su-in’s eyes sank coldly.
The Great Demon alone was very difficult to handle.
The Four Great Sons and the Five Toxic Hands. Plus three hundred Berserk Heaven Warriors. Plus thirty or so veteran masters of the Elder's Council. Finally, even the commander’s Heaven and Earth Net.
Even for him, who had learned the Cult Leader’s Northern Sea Demonic Sword, it was an uneasy situation.
He could not even hope for the distress signal he sent earlier.
That signal was sent by receiving and resending, and receiving and resending again. By sending the signal very far like that, a signal must be going somewhere even at this moment.
The person who could give help was at a distance where they could not arrive in time. Nevertheless, the reason Yeo Su-in fired the signal was to let them know there was someone to help on this side and make the Great Demon anxious.
His quick action based on intuition was good, but he did not know the Great Demon would bring such an enormous force.
The First Demon’s voice transmission arrived.
— We will stall for as much time as possible, so please escape this place first.
— The White Dragon and the Phoenix will come upon seeing the signal. Survive until then as best as you can.
— It was an honor to serve you. Please achieve the great cause.
The First Demon was sensing the end. He knew the White Dragon and the Phoenix were strong, but they were too far from here.
Even if a miracle happened and they arrived near here just in time, they would focus entirely on saving Yeo Su-in.
Either way, it was difficult for them to survive.
Yeo Su-in also sensed that the life or death of himself and the Asura Six Demons was closer to death than life.
How many years of effort had he put into creating the Asura Six Demons? How had he come this far?
Yeo Su-in spoke chillingly to the Great Demon.
“If I survive, I will chew and eat you up, leaving nothing even of your bones.”
Because hatred and madness flew at him directly, the Great Demon instinctively felt a chill.
The First Demon shouted loudly.
“You goddamn fools! All of you, die!”
Whizz!
The fight began with him releasing his Qi.
The Asura Six Demons flew forward all at once, and Yeo Su-in threw his body in the opposite direction.
The eyes of him leaving his subordinates behind and pulling himself out were smoldering with anger and hatred.
Fifteen minutes later.
No one remained there.
A man revealed himself in that place where they had fought like mad and then scattered in all directions.
Clear eyes that could not be hidden even by a mask. A person who could walk into the Demon Army's Heaven and Earth Net as if it were his own home. He was none other than Lee Jaseung.
Lee Jaseung threw his body lightly toward where Yeo Su-in had fled.
The fight was now entering a new phase.