Volume 2 Chapter 13 – Demonic Path of the Underworld (5)

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Translated by Rain

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“You wenches…!”

Geum-ju staggered here and there, but the killing intent contained in her voice was enough to make one’s hair stand on end.

“Tell me the way to get out of this back alley right now! Otherwise…!”

“A back alley?”

Se-ah asked back before she knew it.

“Yes! This damn back alley! There’s simply no end to it! I must escape before that guy comes…”

Jeong-ah said to Se-ah, who wore a confused expression.

“She is out of her mind. Her entire body has already been eroded by Master’s energy.”

“Eroded by his energy?”

“Yes. She seems to perceive this place as a back alley somewhere.”

At the sight of the sisters exchanging dialogue, Geum-ju shouted fitfully,

“What the hell are you muttering among yourselves?!”

Although staggering, she began to stride toward the sisters.

As she drew closer, Se-ah’s expression distorted as she could see her appearance in detail.

Geum-ju’s disheveled hair was torn out along with her scalp, as if it had been plucked here and there.

One of her ears was torn, with blood flowing down, and all the capillaries in her eyeballs had burst, leaving them bloodshot red.

Her exposed skin was entirely stained black, like a corpse’s skin, over which veins bulged and wriggled.

“I will kill you all!”

A fierce momentum flowed out from her in streams.

Feeling that momentum, Se-ah realized they were now facing a martial artist.

It was not a momentum to the point of feeling inhuman like what she had seen before.

And her state also clearly did not seem normal.

But still, wasn’t she a martial artist who was no different from a superhuman compared to ordinary people?

“Step back, Sister.”

The one standing in front of Se-ah was Jeong-ah.

She took something out from her bosom and hurriedly put it on her hands.

“Jeong-ah, that is…?”

Jeong-ah held up what she had put on her hands.

They were gauntlets reinforced with leather, iron cores, and small iron plates.

“I borrowed them from the young lady I rescued from the barrier before meeting you, Sister.”

Jeong-ah explained calmly.

“No, this is not the time! Immediately from here…!”

Her words could not continue.

Because Geum-ju, wearing an expression like an evil spirit on her face, rushed at them.

There was no time to react.

The moment she thought she had temporarily lost sight of Geum-ju, Geum-ju was already attacking Jeong-ah’s rear.

“……!”

What Se-ah could see in the next instant was Jeong-ah grabbing Geum-ju’s arm, which protruded over her shoulder, with both hands.

“Hup!”

Even before the short, sharp shout could echo in the cave, Geum-ju’s body was slammed into the floor.

It was a textbook shoulder throw.

“Cough…!”

Dark red blood splattered from Geum-ju’s mouth.

“J-Jeong-ah, did you… internal energy…?”

Jeong-ah let go of Geum-ju’s arm that she was holding and stepped back.

“No.”

She looked down with cold eyes at Geum-ju, who was gasping and unable to breathe properly from the shock.

“I am merely drawing and using the power possessed by my eyes temporarily.”

Then she said to Geum-ju,

“How long do you intend to lie there?”

“Y-You bitch…!”

Geum-ju raised her internal force and rushed at Jeong-ah as if launched from the spot.

However, her hands stopped in mid-air before they could even touch Jeong-ah.

Jeong-ah’s elbow, which dug beneath those hands, was lodged precisely in Geum-ju’s solar plexus.

“Bleah…!”

At the heavy blow that seemed to pierce her organs, Geum-ju vomited blood.

Jeong-ah stared at Geum-ju without even blinking, even while receiving that pouring blood.

A golden light flashed in her eyes.

“Hup!”

Jeong-ah’s opposite elbow soared vertically, striking Geum-ju’s jaw.

With broken tooth fragments popping out of her mouth, she was blown back and crashed into the corner of the passage.

Crashed in the corner, Geum-ju did not seem to get up.

However, Jeong-ah only snorted at that sight.

“That you are still perfectly fine, I can see it all…”

Jeong-ah raised her gauntleted hands forward and assumed a stance.

“I would like you to not drag this out uselessly, as there is still a lot left to repay.”

At those words, Geum-ju, who had been lying face down preparing a surprise attack, staggered and stood up.

“You…!”

The sound of teeth grinding leaked from her mouth.

“I will kill you!”

Geum-ju’s left hand shot toward Jeong-ah like a living snake.

The usual martial art with an unpredictable trajectory was deployed.

However, Jeong-ah ‘saw’ that unpredictable trajectory.

Sparks flashed from the gauntlet, and Geum-ju’s attack was deflected.

Simultaneously, Jeong-ah’s opposite gauntlet was lodged in Geum-ju’s abdomen.

“Aaaargh!”

However, Geum-ju, who had protected her abdomen with internal force, unleashed consecutive strikes toward Jeong-ah.

Sparks flew in all directions, and sharp roars continuously echoed as echoes.

“Ugh…!”

It was Geum-ju who let out a groan of pain after exchanging dozens of clashes in an instant.

Extreme pain along with a question had risen on her face.

‘How…?!’

Through dozens of exchanges, the wench before her eyes had deflected all her attacks.

And simultaneously, she had accurately landed over a dozen fist strikes.

Though it could not be a fatal blow since it was an attack unladen with internal force.

‘For a mere maid…’

She could not believe it.

Surely, until just a few days ago, the opponent was merely an ordinary woman.

And yet…

“Aaaargh!”

Shouting a scream, she battered Jeong-ah once more.

However, it was of no use.

The opponent easily shed both the attacks that drew on all her power and the attacks that aimed for her blind spots from behind.

‘Those eyes…!’

The gaze of the eyes leaking ominous golden light felt as if it read everything she did.

It felt as if no attempt could escape that gaze.

“Ugh…!”

Having allowed another counter to her face, she widened the distance greatly in a breath.

Jeong-ah’s breathing became noticeably rougher, but she sent a sneer toward Geum-ju.

“Have you given up already?”

Gritting her teeth roughly, Geum-ju gnashed them.

The opponent’s weakness was undoubtedly the lack of internal force and the resulting lack of stamina.

If she took her time and pressed on like this, she was confident she would beat that unlucky face to death.

But if she did that, ‘that guy’ would…

“……Someday you will definitely kneel before me and beg for your life.”

Retracting right now was the correct answer.

“Someday, surely…!”

Barely drawing up her nearly depleted internal force, she kicked off the ground.

No, she had intended to kick off.

Had it not been for the numerous white hands grabbing her legs.

“Aaaargh!”

The hands climbing up her body pulled her to the floor.

“Let go of me!”

Geum-ju resisted violently.

The more wildly she moved her body, the more covered in wounds she became.

Her body quickly became covered in blood.

“Aaaargh!”

Because she was still alive, the hands only slammed and held her down to the floor, but could not drag her inside.

But that was enough.

Thud, thud, footsteps echoed in her ears, and Yeon So-hyeon in scholar’s attire revealed himself.

Jeong-ah bowed to him.

“Have you arrived, Master?”

Yeon So-hyeon smiled at her.

“Yes. Having tested your power, how was it?”

“It is still woefully insufficient.”

It was the appearance of master and servant calmly exchanging conversation.

It was the usual appearance of Yeon So-hyeon, without the ghost fire and without the characteristic demonic qi wrapped around him.

Se-ah let out a small sigh of relief and greeted Yeon So-hyeon.

“Eldest Young Master.”

Yeon So-hyeon nodded to her.

“You also went through a lot of trouble. Your subordinates are waiting nearby, so you can be at ease.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Se-ah felt this situation of conversing so peacefully was extremely strange.

There was too vast a gap between the appearance of the Dark Venerable and the current Yeon So-hyeon.

Besides, because it was in the midst of Geum-ju shouting screams while firmly detained on the floor beside them, that sense of discrepancy was even greater.

“Undo this right now! I’ll kill you! I’ll chew and eat all of you wretches!”

Yeon So-hyeon did not even pretend to hear, asking Se-ah,

“Coming all the way here with Jeong-ah must mean you have something to say to me, right?”

Se-ah managed to force herself to ignore Geum-ju’s voice.

“Yes, that is… so.”

Although she did not seem to have shown a particularly good appearance before him, she was also someone who had been through all kinds of trials and tribulations in this field.

Yeon So-hyeon wore a bitter smile at her tone.

“You do not need to force yourself to use unfamiliar high honorifics.”

With that, he turned around.

“But before we have our conversation…”

Geum-ju was now pleading.

“Please, please, spare me just this once. I will never even set foot in Luoyang again. From now on, I will only do good deeds in the world.”

Was it because she changed her mind upon seeing Yeon So-hyeon exchanging normal conversation, unlike the Dark Venerable who did not seem to be someone you could communicate with at all?

“I was wrong. Please spare my life.”

As Yeon So-hyeon approached, she begged even more earnestly.

“Is that so? You will only do good deeds in the world from now on?”

“Yes, yes. Of course. Naturally. You will know if you watch me. Oh, or! You can even use me as a slave. I will do whatever you order.”

Yeon So-hyeon burst into laughter.

He brought his face close to Geum-ju and asked in a low voice,

“Do you really think that if you speak like that, I will spare you?”

At his words, Geum-ju’s face distorted pitifully.

“You bastard!”

Her attitude changed instantly.

“You haven’t forgotten, have you?! I am the owner of the Sword Family Copper Plaque!”

Yeon So-hyeon squatted in front of her, propped his chin on his hand, and said,

“So?”

“If I die, the Sword Family will definitely launch an investigation! Because if the owner of a Sword Family Copper Plaque dies, they are bound to investigate unconditionally!”

“That is true.”

“With your influence, you won’t even be able to cover up that investigation! The Sword Family’s investigators and trackers will hunt you down!”

Yeon So-hyeon merely smirked without answering.

Geum-ju thought her words were starting to get through at that sight.

“You are receiving too much attention in a short period! If the Sword Family is added to this, how long do you think you can hold out without your identity being revealed?!”

Squeezing out all her remaining strength, she spoke passionately.

“The entire Sword Family will hunt you down! Your brothers, who look upon you as a bothers bothersome thorn, will hunt you down directly!”

The veins bulged to the limit began to burst one by one.

“You will have to face the entire Sword Family all by yourself!”

Yeon So-hyeon replied calmly,

“Tell them to do so.”

“What?”

Yeon So-hyeon smiled.

Beneath it, his hideous teeth revealed themselves.

“Whether someone hunts me down or not.”

Yeon So-hyeon’s face gradually drew closer in Geum-ju’s field of vision.

“All rotten things will eventually be devoured by me.”

His face drew even closer.

“Just like you.”

Red blood poured onto the floor like a fountain.

Geum-ju’s body bounced as if having a seizure.

The sound of devouring flesh followed.

The death cry she let out became an echo, continuously ringing along the cave.

Jeong-ah merely looked at the sight with a calm expression.

Se-ah’s complexion turned pale, but she did not turn her gaze away.

And at some point, all sounds ceased as if by magic.