The Evil Heart Laughing Demon, who had flown a great distance, descended before Lee Ahn.
"Thank you for saving our lives."
Not only Lee Ahn, but all the martial artists behind her bowed their heads respectfully.
If the one wearing the Divine Mechanism Iron Armor had launched his hidden weapons, many would have died.
As if it were nothing, the Evil Heart Laughing Demon clasped his hands behind his back and gazed at the Ship of Fortune floating on the distant river.
The energy of darkness emanating from that place was growing stronger.
It was likely because of that dark energy that the Demon Buddha and the Drunken Demon had hastily broken through the barrier and entered.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon wanted to break through the barrier and board the ship at once.
He trusted the Young Cult Master more than anyone, but the Darkness Palace Master was unleashing everything he had in a final, desperate struggle.
After all, even here, an unexpected ambush had been waiting.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon spoke to Jang Ho and Lee Ahn.
“Leave only those who need to stay. Have the rest of your subordinates go to the safehouse and wait.”
“Yes, we will.”
This was enough practical combat experience for the subordinates on this mission.
Lee Ahn left Cha Iran and Blue Mask behind.
She kept Cha Iran because she would be a great help in this fight, and she kept Blue Mask for the Evil Heart Laughing Demon's sake.
She felt that Blue Mask would want to stay.
“Second Squad Leader and Fourth Squad Leader, take your subordinates to the safehouse and wait.”
“Yes, understood.”
“And make sure to gather all the hidden weapons. Especially that Divine Mechanism Iron Armor, secure it for certain."
Seo Jin and Jihan, along with their subordinates, collected all the hidden weapons left by the corpses.
Fortunately, since the Evil Heart Laughing Demon had killed the man by piercing his eye with a single move, they were able to obtain the Divine Mechanism Iron Armor intact.
These hidden weapons from the Iron Workshop would be of great help to the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect's own Iron Workshop in many ways.
Jang Ho sent all the Demon Army members back.
The military shields were reassembled into the walls of the carriage, but the gaping hole left by the broken shield seemed to speak of what could have happened if this fight had gone wrong.
Thus, all the subordinates left for the safehouse, and only Lee Ahn, Jang Ho, Cha Iran, and Blue Mask remained.
Lee Ahn sensed the Evil Heart Laughing Demon’s consideration.
He could have sent them all to the safehouse.
He could have said they had done enough.
Then he would be free from the responsibility of protecting them.
But the Evil Heart Laughing Demon was giving her another chance.
A chance to remain on the battlefield and gain more experience.
Fighting directly was one thing, but even just standing here, looking at the Ship of Fortune filled with the energy of darkness, there was surely something to be gained.
It was a consideration that only a truly strong person could show, and it was also a testament to how deep his relationship with Geom Mugeuk was.
‘Thank you, Laughing Demon Sovereign.’
Just then, Blue Mask approached the Evil Heart Laughing Demon.
During the journey from the sect to this place, he hadn't had a chance to speak with him separately.
Even if he had, he would have found it difficult to dare approach him.
But now, after he had watched over the Ghost Shadow Branch members from behind, he couldn't just stand by.
“Thank you for protecting us.”
At his words of gratitude, the Evil Heart Laughing Demon, still gazing at the Ship of Fortune, asked a single question he hadn't asked throughout their journey together.
“Have you been well?”
As the Evil Heart Laughing Demon asked after him, Blue Mask's heart swelled with emotion.
“Yes, I have been well.”
He had left to start a new life, but how could he not feel a longing for the Valley of the Wicked? And among all, the person he missed the most was the Evil Heart Laughing Demon.
Then, a surprising statement casually slipped from the Evil Heart Laughing Demon’s lips.
“If you wish to come back, you may return.”
"!"
Beneath his mask, Blue Mask's eyes widened.
He hadn't been this surprised even when the sudden ambusher in the previous fight had thrust a hidden weapon at his face.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon turned to look at Blue Mask.
His gaze seemed to ask a question.
You thought a new life would be wonderful, but now that it's your reality, it's not much different, is it?
Not knowing how to answer, Blue Mask silently bowed his head.
As much as he was satisfied with his current life, he also missed his days as a Faceless One.
Just then, the Evil Heart Laughing Demon said abruptly.
“Come out.”
Startled, Blue Mask lifted his head.
He had thought the words were directed at him, telling him to leave the Ghost Shadow Branch, but that was not the case.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon’s gaze was directed over Blue Mask’s shoulder, far behind him.
Swoosh.
In the distance, a black circle formed on the ground, and a person rose up from it.
It was Hwe, a subordinate of the Darkness Palace Master.
No emotion could be felt from him.
No hostility, no anger, no killing intent.
His indifferent eyes seemed all the more dangerous.
At Hwe’s appearance, the Evil Heart Laughing Demon understood one thing.
From their perspective, this was a time to concentrate their forces on the Ship of Fortune, where the Young Cult Master and several Demon Sovereigns had entered.
So, for this man to have come for him meant one thing.
“You are targeting Branch Master Lee.”
When Hwe gave no reply, Cha Iran looked at Lee Ahn and spoke in his stead.
“If he is an enemy, it is only natural to aim for the opponent's heart.”
To tease her with talk of hearts in a situation like this? Cha Iran was clearly more at ease than she was.
“The Young Cult Master shouldn’t have called me his heart.”
Though her words were a joke, Lee Ahn’s eyes shone with a sharp light.
“Still, thanks to that, my heart has become a little stronger.”
Having experienced a battle in a state of selflessness, she felt a newfound, inexplicable confidence.
And that confidence sparked a desire to fight more.
Hwe looked at Cha Iran.
“Wasn't that a heart you were supposed to be targeting?”
To his question chiding her betrayal, Cha Iran readily admitted it.
“Looking for loyalty in an assassin?”
Cha Iran did not know the Darkness Palace Master's direct subordinates well.
The twelve who would later become the Twelve Zodiac Kings were managed separately.
However, if there was one martial artist she did know, it was Hwe.
He was the one who relayed commands between the Darkness Palace Master and them.
The Darkness Palace Master’s most trusted subordinate.
He had come in person.
“It seems the situation is desperate enough for you to step forward yourself.”
Hwe neither confirmed nor denied it.
His gaze turned to the Evil Heart Laughing Demon.
“What you said earlier was wrong.”
He had not come because of Lee Ahn.
“I came because of you.”
The moment he finished speaking.
A black circle had already formed at the Evil Heart Laughing Demon’s feet.
Swoooosh.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon was instantly dragged into the darkness.
It was not a force that could be blocked by movement arts or inner energy.
To others, it looked as if he was falling, but to the Evil Heart Laughing Demon, the outside world flipped upside down, and in an instant, he was standing in a different place.
Darkness.
It was a pitch-black darkness, utterly devoid of a single ray of light.
Even the Evil Heart Laughing Demon’s white mask was consumed by the darkness, reflecting nothing.
Hwe’s voice echoed in the darkness.
“You will be trapped here for all of eternity.”
The Eternal Dark Prison, one of the most powerful signature demonic arts of the Darkness Palace, had been unleashed.
The Eternal Dark Prison was a demonic art that came with sacrifice and risk.
To imprison someone, the user had to be trapped there with them.
And only when the one he had trapped died could he escape this demonic art.
Of course, the opponent would try to find and kill him, but in this absolute darkness, finding him was impossible.
The darkness was his ally, and it was no ordinary darkness.
“In the end, they go mad from being unable to endure the darkness and solitude, and then they die.”
Despite those terrifying words, the Evil Heart Laughing Demon remained completely unfazed.
In fact, the eyes behind his mask were smiling.
This was the Evil Heart Laughing Demon, who had spent his entire life training while staring at nothing but a white wall.
His life had been a touch away from emptiness and nothingness.
And so, words that Hwe could never have imagined flowed from the Evil Heart Laughing Demon.
“It is peaceful here.”
The Drunken Demon and the Demon Buddha stood at the end of the corridor, watching the black energy slowly creeping toward them.
“That’s the energy unleashed by the Great Annihilation of Greed. Exposure to that energy prevents one from using their full power. Let’s turn back.”
At the Demon Buddha’s suggestion to go back, the Drunken Demon proposed a frontal assault.
“Let’s just break through.”
The Drunken Demon had a reason for making this choice.
“The Young Cult Master would not have avoided that energy.”
The Demon Buddha nodded.
Yes, Geom Mugeuk would have pierced through that dark energy to find the Darkness Palace Master.
“Alright, let’s break through.”
In truth, the Demon Buddha’s suggestion to turn back had also been out of consideration for the Drunken Demon.
“I can withstand that energy, but will you be alright?”
“I will endure it with intoxication.”
As the two walked into the black fog, a malevolent energy assailed them.
A golden radiance emanated from the Demon Buddha’s body, protecting him.
A powerful aura of wine, strong enough to make one pass out from the mere smell, enveloped the Drunken Demon’s body, protecting him.
Even though the nature of their martial arts gave them a strong advantage against the Dark Arts, they could not completely protect themselves.
“This is truly vicious.”
The dark energy penetrated his wine aura.
The Drunken Demon’s body grew heavy, as if he were suffering from a severe fever.
“This is the first time in my life I have encountered such powerful Dark Demonic Energy. Without the Cult Master’s Heavenly Demon Body-Protection Art, it would be impossible to fully withstand this energy.”
The golden light from the Demon Buddha’s body grew more intense, and the Drunken Demon’s wine aura also thickened.
“Conversely, the Dark Arts they unleash will be far more powerful than usual.”
As they walked on, they came to a fork in the path.
“Which way would it be?”
“The Young Cult Master would have surely headed in the direction where the energy grows stronger.”
The Drunken Demon was certain.
Had he only drunk wine with Geom Mugeuk? He knew well what kind of person Geom Mugeuk was and what choices he would make.
The Demon Buddha briefly sensed the energy within the fog.
“Then, it’s this way.”
The two of them moved in the direction where the energy was stronger.
Following the path, they reached a dead end where a large door stood.
The Drunken Demon and the Demon Buddha looked at each other and nodded.
After exchanging a glance that urged caution, they opened the door and stepped inside.
The place was incredibly spacious.
After moving through the narrow corridors of the ship's cabin, such a space was truly unexpected.
The ceiling was so high they had to crane their necks to see it.
It looked like a storage area on the ship, with a few large crates and nets lying about.
A door leading to the other side was visible ahead.
Fortunately, the fog had not yet invaded this storeroom.
“I can finally breathe. Let’s rest for a moment.”
The Demon Buddha, who had been tense the whole time, also let out a sigh of relief.
While resting and looking around, the Drunken Demon noticed something on one of the walls.
“Look over there, there’s a painting on the wall.”
It was a painting of a man standing with his eyes closed.
It naturally looked bizarre.
On that vast wall, only a single person was drawn.
“Somehow, it’s unsettling.”
The Demon Buddha was unnerved by the fact that there was a painting in such a space, but the Drunken Demon was unsettled in a more specific way.
“This bastard, his very appearance is unpleasant. Even closing his eyes seems arrogant.”
The Drunken Demon gathered his inner energy and walked toward the painting.
From behind, he heard the Demon Buddha's words.
“I don’t know who painted it, but they did a good job.”
Yes, it was so well-painted that it was this unsettling.
The figure in the painting was so vividly rendered it seemed as if it would move at any moment.
“A sailor couldn’t have drawn this well.”
“Perhaps a painter fell into gambling.”
“Somehow, I feel like this man is going to open his eyes.”
The Drunken Demon taunted the painting like a drunkard.
“You, just try and open your eyes. I’ll stab you right through.”
The Demon Buddha might have said something, but he remained silent.
Feeling an inexplicable sense of dread, the Drunken Demon whipped around.
"!"
In that moment, the Drunken Demon's expression hardened.
A scene that would instantly sober him up was unfolding.
The Demon Buddha had become a part of the painting on the wall and was looking around at his body and his surroundings in bewilderment.
“I must have had too much to drink. The Demon Buddha is inside the wall.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the Drunken Demon spun around with lightning speed and thrust his dagger at the painting of the man with his eyes closed.
Shhhk.
Thud!
The Drunken Demon’s dagger embedded itself in the painting.
The dagger was lodged in the chest of the man with his eyes closed.
Despite being stabbed, the painting did not move.
What stained the dagger was not blood, but paint.
‘It’s not this one?’
Not this one, indeed! At that moment, the man’s eyes snapped open.
Stab! Stab! Stab!
Without a moment's hesitation, the Drunken Demon stabbed repeatedly.
But the man in the painting just smiled at him, as if to say that stabbing him a hundred times would be useless.
“You bastard!”
The man moved within the wall.
The part of his chest where the dagger had been stuck had turned white.
Swish, swish, swish.
Then, as if an invisible brush were painting, color filled the space.
He was the Dark Painting Spirit, the secret weapon who had been with the Darkness Palace Master earlier.
“So I can’t kill you from the outside, is that it?”
The Dark Painting Spirit moved swiftly across the wall toward the Demon Buddha on the opposite side.
It was an incredibly fast movement.
“Be careful, Demon Buddha!”
The Demon Buddha looked at the Drunken Demon and said something.
But his lips only moved, and his voice could not be heard.
The Demon Buddha threw a palm strike at the Dark Painting Spirit rushing toward him.
The flying palm strike was also rendered as a painting.
Then, the Dark Painting Spirit also unleashed a palm strike.
The two painted palm strikes flew and met in the middle, exploding.
The explosion was also depicted as a painting.
From the outside, it looked utterly ridiculous, but the Drunken Demon knew.
If this was a dark art capable of instantly pulling in the Demon Buddha…
‘If he dies in there, the Demon Buddha will die too!’
The problem was that the space was overwhelmingly advantageous to that bastard.
The Drunken Demon pounded on the wall, trying to enter the painting himself, but he couldn't get in.
The wall was just a wall.
He wanted to smash the entire wall, but he couldn’t do so recklessly with the Demon Buddha inside.
“Kill that bastard and come out! I’m counting on you, Demon Buddha!”
Right now, all he could trust was the Demon Buddha’s skill.
And the Demon Buddha magnificently met his expectations.
Rushing at the enemy and engaging in close combat, the Demon Buddha seized an opportunity and completed his hand seal.
Great Golden Arhat Demon Art!
Radiant Killing Seal!
Golden force raged from the Demon Buddha’s hands.
The golden force, spreading like waves, looked magnificent even as a painting.
“He got him!”
The Drunken Demon, who was watching, cheered.
Having completed the hand seal in an instant at close range, there was no way the enemy could dodge.
But at that very moment, something unbelievable happened.
The Demon Buddha’s movements came to a dead stop.
The golden force he had unleashed also stopped in mid-air.
The Dark Painting Spirit, who had been trying to dodge, also froze.
They had all become a painting.
And then, something even more shocking followed.
Swish, swish, swish.
Something began to be drawn between the Demon Buddha and the Dark Painting Spirit.
“This is insane! That’s cheating!”
A pitch-black hole was drawn right in front of the flying force.
It looked like a passage leading to another place.
The Drunken Demon’s eyes widened in shock.
A wave of dread washed over him.
Just as the corner of the frozen Dark Painting Spirit's mouth curled up!
“Don’t tell me you’re going to…?”
The next moment, the painting began to move again.
The force unleashed by the Demon Buddha entered the dark passage drawn right in front of it.
Simultaneously, a pitch-black darkness appeared before the Drunken Demon.
Swaaaaaaaaaa!
The Radiant Killing Seal poured down upon the Drunken Demon.