Chapter 118
Before the regression, the Bloodflame Fist Demon was a true demon befitting his name—both in strength and temperament.
My memory of seeing him for the first time was still vivid, which said it all.
A monstrous figure who burned all the reinforcements sent by the Orthodox Alliance and laughed maniacally atop the charred corpses.
When I found him, his flames had turned the night sky crimson, and the moment he noticed me, he swung his fist without hesitation.
It was a surprise attack, but since I hadn’t let my guard down either, I was able to block it without much difficulty.
The problem was the fist technique that followed, imbued with the nature of extreme yang.
It was a condensed internal energy that rippled like fire, called Qi Flame, and in his case, it was actual flame.
Where my killing intent constricted him and I aimed to slice his stiff neck with my sword, the Bloodflame Fist Demon repelled my blade and tried to incinerate me with heat so intense it was hard to even keep my eyes open.
There were no words exchanged. The moment our eyes met, we battled to kill one another.
The old man, whose eyes didn’t even seem properly focused—perhaps truly insane—kept laughing madly even as sword wounds etched themselves onto his arms. I hadn’t taken a direct hit, but the rising heat rapidly drained me, both physically and mentally.
I was certain that if it went on, I’d collapse first, so I overexerted myself to retreat and returned to Tang Sowol’s side.
The battles that followed after that encounter felt similar.
Because of all that, to me, the Bloodflame Fist Demon was a deranged arsonist, a cruel demon who found solace in burning people alive, and one of the few powerful foes I failed to surpass by the slimmest margin.
I had heard rumors—that he targeted only the weak and fled whenever necessary.
But regardless, to me, he was strong, tricky, and completely insane. And yet—
“Then I’ll go around.”
The Bloodflame Fist Demon twisted his body without a moment’s hesitation and leaped into the river.
His utter lack of pride made me flinch and react a beat too late.
He was far too different from the Bloodflame Fist Demon I had known before the regression.
Back then, he was a lunatic willing to burn everything before his eyes—even if it meant using his own body as fuel.
And now, the moment he realized Seo Mun-Hwarin was a Flowering Stage expert stronger than himself, he fled without hesitation.
Right. I already knew. That this was his true nature.
That the Bloodflame Fist Demon I remembered as a formidable foe only saw me back then as someone worth testing his strength against.
I knew. I knew, but still...
“And you call yourself an Elder of the Demonic Cult?!”
Splash!
Instead of a reply, came the sound of his body plunging into the river. So he hadn't gotten too far yet.
I dashed toward the direction of the sound using Lightning Thunder Steps.
Having taken a step into the Sub-Perfection realm, my body had become significantly stronger. Through Yongcheon Acupoint, I could now explosively release more internal energy, allowing for even faster movement.
Kkkraang!
A sound now resembling thunder accompanied my accelerating body. My vision stretched like molasses, and the distant river came rushing near.
The water's surface rippled gently. The river was wide—if he were swimming to escape, he’d still be in the middle of crossing.
Which meant he hadn’t crossed fully and was likely hiding somewhere.
Clicking my tongue, I released all the killing intent I had been restraining.
A thick wave of murderous intent blanketed the surroundings. Yet, nothing was caught—just a few moored boats swaying in place.
Though my qi perception, connected to that killing intent, could pick up fine details, its range was still average.
Left frowning by the riverbank, I soon noticed Seo Mun-Hwarin approaching. She had taken down or killed the remaining Demonic Cultists and assassins.
“Where did he go?”
“I’m not sure. I did hear him fall into the river, though.”
“Wait just a moment.”
Seo Mun-Hwarin closed her eyes and released her energy outward again, just like when she first detected the Bloodflame Fist Demon’s position.
Her expansive perception as a Flowering Stage expert easily covered an area the size of a small village. Even the Bloodflame Fist Demon couldn’t completely escape that.
But—
“This is troubling.”
She narrowed her eyes and stared toward the flowing river.
“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me...”
“It’s not that. Even the King of Assassins, the pinnacle of assassins, couldn’t completely hide from my perception. Naturally, I can still sense the Bloodflame Fist Demon’s location. But…”
With a helpless expression, Seo Mun-Hwarin sighed deeply and pointed downriver.
“Seems he’s learned water techniques. He’s submerged in the middle of the river and moving quickly away.”
“What?”
“I can still sense him now, but not for long. Chasing him... seems like it’s already too late.”
“Even with your speed, Senior?”
“If it were on land, I could easily catch up. But he’s hiding deep underwater.”
According to her explanation, running over water using Surface-Stepping or Air-Walking slows you down significantly.
She didn’t have the speed to catch someone like the Bloodflame Fist Demon, who was swimming downstream with the current while using Sugong.
And using fist force from land was also impractical due to the width of the river.
“Unless This One had trained in the Shaolin’s Hundred Steps Divine Fist, it’d be hard to land a blow.”
“Ah…”
Once you reach a certain level, it becomes possible to maintain the form of internal energy released outside the body.
When Tang Sowol reached Peak Stage, she could imbue her poison weapons with qi, and I had imbued my sword wind with qi to protect Seol Lihyang from the Bloodflame Fist Demon.
Though it varies by talent, anyone can do it by the time they reach first-class, or certainly by Peak Stage.
But still, since you’re releasing internal energy externally, the efficiency naturally drops.
No matter how powerful the qi, the speed of a projectile is relatively slow.
Unless you’ve trained in martial arts that specialize in external energy attacks—like Kanggi Arts, or something like the Shaolin’s Hundred Steps Divine Fist—you can’t overcome that issue.
In the end, as Seo Mun-Hwarin said, capturing the Bloodflame Fist Demon right now was impossible.
I sheathed my drawn sword and looked quietly at Seo Mun-Hwarin.
“W-why are you looking at This One like that?!”
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing, my foot! If you’ve something to say, speak without holding back!”
“I have nothing to say. I just thought something.”
“Eeh! Then tell This One what you were thinking, now!”
She stomped one foot with a pout. After watching her somewhat ridiculous gestures, I slowly spoke.
“Well… for someone who spoke so confidently, didn’t you produce rather underwhelming results?”
“Ggeaaahh!”
She clutched her flat chest and collapsed dramatically. It was a pitiful sight, so I patted her round shoulder.
“Don’t take it too hard. It’s not that you were useless, Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin. Just a bit unlucky this time.”
“Don’t look at This One with those eyes...!”
“It’s fine. I don’t blame you. Next time, you’ll do better.”
“Why can’t you say such commendable things all the time, not just now?!”
“We may have lost the Bloodflame Fist Demon, but you still captured a good number of Demonic Cultists. It’s a shame, sure—but still a solid outcome. Let’s interrogate them and pass them to the Peng and Yeon families. As for the Bloodflame Fist Demon... well, I’m sure we’ll get another chance.”
“Eeit! I will catch him next time! Remember that! Got it?!”
Seo Mun-Hwarin jumped in place, making angry noises, swinging her arms wildly like she wanted to smack me—but couldn’t.
Smiling faintly, I turned around.
“Of course I’ll remember. Now let’s head back. Everyone’s waiting.”
“Kuheum. Very well.”
With Seo Mun-Hwarin now somewhat composed, we returned to where the others were.
Some of the enemies had been killed by Seo Mun-Hwarin, but most had just been rendered unable to move, their limbs shattered.
Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye bound those squirming figures tightly to prevent them from committing suicide. Tang Sowol neutralized them with poison, and Seol Lihyang lined them up.
Watching the Demonic Cultists lying in a neat row, I smiled in satisfaction. Seol Lihyang frowned and asked in a half-annoyed voice:
“Cheon Hwi. Isn’t that a bit too much joy?”
“Think about what these guys did to the previous village. Of course I’m happy.”
I shrugged and brushed off her gaze, then squatted down in front of the nearest Demonic Cultist.
“Greetings.”
“Gguugh…!”
“Hmm. Interrogation won’t work if they can’t speak. Tang Sowol, can you free their mouths?”
“That’s simple.”
Tang Sowol drew a Feather Needle from her sleeve and stabbed the cultist’s face without hesitation.
Not to perform acupuncture, but to administer a mild dose of poison, as evidenced by the faint purple shimmer.
Soon after, the cultist finally regained the ability to speak.
“Uugh…”
The moment he opened his mouth, he tried to bite his tongue, so I quickly inserted a finger wrapped in internal energy to block him.
“Where do you think you’re going? From now on, even dying requires my permission.”
“Mmph! Mmphmph!”
He cursed with my finger in his mouth, though the foreign object made his words unintelligible—not that it mattered.
The cultist, weakened by the poison, squirmed weakly in resistance. I placed my palm on his chest.
Vhuung!
I injected internal energy and traced the meridians in the order I remembered.
It was a technique developed by the Orthodox Alliance before my regression to neutralize both the Mental Restrictions and Poison-Induced Pain implanted in Demonic Cultists.
The internal energy, far more refined than when I used it in front of Tang Jincheon, ransacked the cultist’s body. Then—
Puhak!
He suddenly coughed up blood and stared blankly into space as if his soul had fled.
He looked like a complete fool now, and if left alone, he’d become one for real.
But until then, he’d have no choice but to answer any question I asked truthfully.
Thankfully, we had plenty of captives. I’d extract as much information as possible, step by step.
“First question. What’s your purpose for sneaking into Hubei Province?”
“W-we… were targeting the Peng and Yeon families…”
He murmured weakly.
His sudden betrayal caused the surrounding Demonic Cultists to stir and seethe with rage.
But—
“Relax your eyes.”
You’re all next.