A wind swept in.
Howling like a beast, the wind carried his fury.
His voice came, carried on the wind!
“This is my world!”
The fierce wind felt as though it would blow them all off the cliff at any moment.
Facing the wind, the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign spread her arms wide.
Whoooosh.
At that, all the wind rushed towards her.
She stood firm, facing the typhoon-like wind all by herself.
Jin Ha-gun and the Demon Slaying Branch warriors watched from the side.
It was then that Jin Ha-gun saw it.
The Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign laughing, a wide, mad grin on her face.
She was enjoying this moment of battle.
Whoooooooosh.
The wind blew even stronger.
The light from the whirlwind mark etched on her cheek grew more intense.
When the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign did not budge against the raging wind, it slowly began to die down.
Once the wind had completely stopped, the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign spoke to Jin Ha-gun and the Demon Slaying Branch warriors standing on the cliff.
“Enjoy the view. You will not see it again.”
At her words, everyone looked around.
They hadn’t been able to appreciate the scenery while the cliff was collapsing, but the view from the top, with clouds flowing below, was truly breathtaking.
A momentary gift from the martial art known as Soul-Devouring Art.
A moment later, the surrounding scenery began to change.
Shhhhh.
The space reverted back to the great hall they had been in.
His voice echoed from the empty air.
“I take back what I said about you being cute.”
The Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign smiled and said,
“Still, my heart fluttered a little. After only ever being called a bitch, it was nice to hear I was cute for a change.”
Jin Ha-gun chuckled in spite of himself.
He never imagined a Demon Sovereign would speak so freely.
Jin Ha-gun asked her,
“Is it possible to exist like this without a body?”
“He is using the Body-Swapping Art.”
The Body-Swapping Art was a type of Soul-Devouring Art, a supreme martial art that allowed one to move between people’s bodies.
“Unless we kill his true body, we cannot kill him.”
Meaning, the only way to break this space was to find and kill his true body.
“He can’t use the Body-Swapping Art if he’s far from his true body, so it must be in this space.”
“Here?”
Jin Ha-gun and the Demon Slaying Branch warriors looked around the great hall in surprise.
But there was no place where a physical body could be hidden.
Just then, a voice came from the empty air.
“You will not find my body.”
“What’s so great about your body that you’d hide it so carefully?”
The Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign’s lips moved as she chanted a formula, and a purple light flowed from her forehead.
Shaaaa.
And then, an astonishing sight unfolded.
Swoosh.
The closed eye drawn on her forehead slowly began to open.
Ghost Eye.
Emitting a purple glow, the Ghost Eye scanned the surroundings.
The moment its gaze stopped, her body flew into the air.
Riiiiip.
With her bare hands, she tore through space as if ripping cloth.
The empty air ripped open, revealing what lay beyond.
In that pitch-black space, an old man floated in the air with his eyes closed.
Swish.
Her palm strike, imbued with inner energy, flew towards the old man’s head.
She intended to kill him without a moment’s hesitation.
At that very instant, the old man’s eyes snapped open.
When her palm struck, the old man was no longer there.
Her fist had only struck the pitch-black darkness.
Thud!
The old man landed on the floor with a loud footstep.
With his back turned, he spoke in a low voice.
“To think you would actually use the Ghost Eye?”
He couldn’t believe it.
The Ghost Eye was not a simple technique for finding someone in stealth.
It was a supreme martial art that could find the hidden truth within the Soul-Devouring Art.
He had his doubts when he saw the closed eye on her forehead.
It was not a technique that could be drawn, and even if it were, it was not a martial art one could use so easily.
As the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign turned towards the old man, the torn space sealed itself, returning to its original state.
Her third eye slowly closed again and then vanished.
It was a Soul Painting she could only use once.
The old man turned to face her and the Demon Slaying Branch warriors.
An old man with the kind face of a good person.
An appearance one would never expect to encounter in a world of Soul-Devouring Art.
“You are?”
The first person to recognize the old man was Hwa Song.
At first, he thought he was mistaken.
This was not a person he should be meeting in a place like this.
But he was certain it was him.
“Master Jin!”
Jin Hyu.
He was one of the two Grand Masters who taught the Great Soul Reversal Technique.
He was someone Jin Ha-gun knew, and the Demon Slaying Branch warriors knew as well.
In other words, the person who had been trying to kill them all this time was this very Master Jin, known for his kindness.
Only then did Jin Ha-gun understand.
That with the Heavenly Wandering Hermit at the center, the poison user So Jeong-rak and the Soul-Devouring Art user Jin Hyu had deeply infiltrated the Martial Alliance.
No, it wasn’t infiltration.
They had lived alongside the Martial Alliance all this time.
What if their plot hadn’t been uncovered this time?
What if these three had planned a decisive conspiracy? They were deadly enough on their own, but what if they had brought in other enemies?
The chill running down Jin Ha-gun’s spine answered for him.
Jin Hyu’s eyes were colder than ever.
The presence of his own being, now inside his body, was incomparably more intense than before.
Jin Ha-gun was puzzled.
He felt so powerful that he wondered if the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign could even face him.
“Why didn’t you fight in your own body sooner?”
At that, Jin Hyu replied,
“Because I didn’t need my full power for the likes of you.”
He smiled with an air of leisure.
But the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign shattered that leisure.
“Bullshit.”
For a moment, Jin Hyu’s eyes twitched.
“It’s because you don’t want to die.”
At her words, Jin Ha-gun understood.
If he fought in his true body and died, he would truly die.
That was why he had pleaded so desperately to escape when he was caught in the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign’s Soul-Severing Chains earlier—because he didn’t want to die.
“A coward to the very end.”
At Jin Ha-gun’s words, Jin Hyu spoke coldly.
“Branch Master Jin, watch your mouth!”
Look who’s talking!
Jin Ha-gun was truly dumbfounded.
Since the only words that came to mind were curses, he quietly brought his finger to his lips, just as the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign had done.
Shhh.
That gesture, telling him to shut up, made Jin Hyu’s fury explode.
Swoosh.
In an instant, he rushed forward to viciously slap Jin Ha-gun’s cheek.
He never reached Jin Ha-gun.
Clank.
Jin Hyu looked down to see that chains had already wrapped around his body.
It was the Soul-Severing Chains, unleashed from the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign’s right hand.
Jin Hyu’s gaze slowly turned to her.
The Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign clanked the chains, wrapping them once around her wrist, and said,
“Trash like you should fight a bitch like me.”
Killing intent erupted from Jin Hyu’s eyes.
“Really, this pair of you!”
Jin Hyu grabbed the chains and pulled them toward himself.
Clank! Squeeeeze!
The chains were pulled taut.
Light poured out from the whirlwind mark on her face.
A blue light began to emanate from the surrounding space as well.
Seeing this, Hwa Song lamented.
‘The Blood Heaven Soul-Strengthening Art is showing its full power.’
In terms of enhancing the Soul-Devouring Art, the effect of this Blood Heaven Soul-Strengthening Art was incomparable to the Soul Painting.
It required much longer preparation, and the materials must have cost a fortune.
To think he had activated it himself, his feelings were beyond words.
Just as expected, the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign slowly began to be dragged forward.
The flame mark on the back of the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign’s left hand glowed.
Real flames erupted and spread along the chains toward Jin Hyu.
Bound by the chains, Jin Hyu could not avoid it.
Fwoooosh.
Flames engulfed Jin Hyu’s body.
The Demon Slaying Branch warriors watching were of one mind.
‘Burn to death!’
The next moment!
Shwaaaaa.
A blue energy burst from Jin Hyu’s body.
Clang!
The sound of something metal snapping rang out.
Clank! Clank!
The chains that had bound him had broken.
Engulfed in flames, Jin Hyu walked forward.
The blue light surrounding his body shone brighter, and then the fire slowly died down.
Jin Hyu brushed at his singed eyebrows.
“You crazy bitch! That was hot!”
Even though the situation had turned against her, the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign’s spirit was not crushed.
She was better at cursing.
“This piece of trash doesn’t burn well.”
With an intent to kill, Jin Hyu rushed towards her.
Just as the two got close enough to become a tangled mess,
Shriiiek!
Blade-like tentacles shot out from Jin Hyu’s back, flying towards her heart.
Squeeze.
The Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign caught it with her bare hand.
The tentacle squirmed, trying to escape her grasp.
Just as a second tentacle shot out from his back.
Swoosh.
A stream of Sword Qi swept over Jin Hyu.
With a thud, he was thrown back, blood streaming from his face.
Blood flowed from a long gash on his face.
It was Sword Qi from Jin Ha-gun.
“That trash is our trash. We'll be the ones to take it out.”
With Jin Ha-gun in the lead, the Demon Slaying Branch warriors charged towards him in unison.
Shwaaaaa.
An invisible barrier blocked their path.
Squish.
Jin Ha-gun, who had been thrown back, charged again and stabbed his sword into the barrier.
He tried to tear it apart by raising his inner energy to its limit.
The other Demon Slaying Branch warriors also rushed at the barrier.
Then, an unseen energy shot out from the barrier like a spike, piercing Jin Ha-gun.
It wasn’t just one.
Dozens shot out like a porcupine’s quills.
Jin Ha-gun raised his protective energy, but the spike-like energy brought excruciating pain.
But he did not give up on tearing the barrier.
Riiiiip.
As the barrier began to tear, Jin Hyu’s attention turned towards him.
Fwoosh!
The Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign seized the tentacle and ripped it out in one go.
She had not missed the momentary lapse in his strength.
Splaaaat!
Blood erupted from Jin Hyu’s back, and the roar of a monster could be heard.
“This crazy bitch!”
Just as Jin Hyu rushed in to grab and tear off her arm, the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign’s shadow rose and lunged at him.
Shwaaaak!
The Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign’s shadow, as if alive, wrapped around Jin Hyu’s face and choked him.
Not missing the opportunity, her fist flew toward Jin Hyu’s stomach.
Clang! Thud!
Her fists bounced off the blue light surrounding him with a metallic sound.
“Ughaaaaa!”
With extreme strength, Jin Hyu also tore the shadow apart with his bare hands.
The Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign was being overpowered.
In that time, Jin Ha-gun and the Demon Slaying Branch broke through the barrier.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swish!
Just as Sword Qi poured towards him.
The surroundings changed in an instant.
Splash!
Jin Ha-gun and the Demon Slaying Branch warriors all fell into the sea.
Swimming and looking around, they saw they were in the middle of the ocean.
Only the horizon was visible in the distance, a vast sea without a single small rocky island.
“Where is the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign?”
At Jin Ha-gun’s cry, someone spoke from behind him.
“I am here.”
He turned to see her standing on the water behind him.
He could see that she wasn’t floating with lightness arts, but simply standing as if on land because this was the world of the Soul-Devouring Art.
But the Demon Slaying Branch warriors could not do the same.
To them, this was real water.
“Ugh!”
Just then, one of the Demon Slaying Branch warriors was sucked down into the water.
He wasn’t the only one.
Other warriors were pulled down as well.
From the water, water monsters appeared, holding weapons.
They had human shapes, but their appearance was bizarre, with scales and gills.
An unknown force was dragging the Demon Slaying Branch warriors down one by one.
The Demon Slaying Branch warriors fought them, swinging their swords in the water.
But fighting in the water was an absolute disadvantage.
The consumption of inner energy was much greater, and the power was not as effective.
In contrast, their opponents’ attacks were much faster and more powerful.
Jin Ha-gun fought in the water, looking around.
The situation was not good.
An unknown force kept pulling them down, making it impossible to surface.
They fought while holding their breath, but they were gradually reaching their limits.
This time, the opposite happened.
Pulled by an unknown force, they all flew out of the water.
Shwaaaak.
The Demon Slaying Branch warriors and the water monsters all flew into the air.
“Now’s our chance! Kill them all!”
At Jin Ha-gun’s command, the Demon Slaying Branch warriors attacked in unison.
In the water, it might have been different, but in a fight outside the water, how could the water monsters stand against the Demon Slaying Branch?
The water monsters were all cut down by the Sword Qi of the Demon Slaying Branch warriors.
Splash! Splash!
The corpses and the Demon Slaying Branch warriors fell back into the water.
Everyone knew.
The Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign had pulled them out.
“Thank you.”
At Jin Ha-gun’s thanks, the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign smiled and said,
“This fight is a pain in the ass, isn’t it?”
Anyone else might have agreed that this damn Soul-Devouring Art was just that.
But he didn’t want to say that to the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign.
This fight with her didn’t feel that way.
“Not at all.”
She stared at Jin Ha-gun for a moment, then smiled and said,
“Our Branch Master Jin is too much of a gentleman.”
A compliment from the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign?
She was truly an unpredictable woman.
It was at that moment.
“Look over there.”
At the cry of a Demon Slaying Branch warrior, everyone’s gaze turned to the corpses of the water monsters.
Pop, pop, pop!
The corpses burst like bubbles.
And in their place, new water monsters were created.
The expressions of Jin Ha-gun and the Demon Slaying Branch hardened.
Against such an opponent, their own inner energy would be exhausted first.
The Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign showed no change in expression, as if she had already expected it.
That wasn’t all.
Shwaaaaaa.
A great wave was rolling in from the distance.
Atop that high wave stood Jin Hyu.
If they were swept away by that huge wave, they would all be scattered, and they would be attacked by the water monsters in the water.
His intention was to defeat them one by one.
In that desperate situation, Jin Ha-gun looked at the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign.
The marks on her face had all disappeared.
Only the flame mark on the back of her hand remained faintly, and her face was pale from the severe consumption of inner energy.
“Demon Sovereign, please escape first.”
He thought that someone of the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign’s caliber would surely have a secret plan to save herself.
He couldn’t let her die here as well.
“I suppose I should.”
When she readily agreed to leave, Jin Ha-gun felt relieved and cupped his fist respectfully.
“I will not forget the grace you have shown us.”
She looked at Jin Ha-gun and smiled.
“Leaving you all to die? That’s what a bitch would do, right?”
Jin Ha-gun smiled.
“She was the most magnificent bitch I have ever seen. I will see you in the next life.”
The Demon Slaying Branch warriors in the water also bowed their heads respectfully.
Not one of them feared death.
The Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign, who seemed about to leave, changed her mind.
“I would like to leave, but I can’t.”
“That friend of yours will understand.”
Geom Mugeuk, Your Majesty the Demon Sovereign did your best, so don’t be too hard on yourself.
But she gave an incomprehensible reason.
“It’s not because of the Young Cult Master. It’s because I’m still in training.”
Just as Jin Ha-gun and the Demon Slaying Branch warriors wore expressions of confusion,
A dark shadow fell over where the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign and Jin Ha-gun were standing.
Everyone turned around.
They were startled.
It wasn’t a cloud covering the sun.
Shwaaaaaa.
A huge ship was cutting through the water, heading towards them.
It was the biggest ship they had ever seen in their lives.
The wave Jin Hyu was riding looked like a mere ripple in front of that ship.
At the prow of that ship, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader stood with his arms crossed.