Chapter 169: Black Flame Demon Emperor (1)

༺ Black Flame Demon Emperor (1) ༻

The mountain, known as Mount Tai and home to the Wudang, was engulfed in flames.

The dark-hued flames devoured everything in their path.

-Ughh...

Amidst the inferno, a man knelt, blood pouring from his wounds.

The sight of the grievous injury on his chest alone conveyed the severity of the situation he was in.

-You... bitch...!

His words were accompanied by splatters of blood.

Before him stood a woman, enveloped in a golden aura.

The Young Sword Saint, Wi Seol-Ah, stared at the man with an icy gaze.

The cold corpses littered around her and the relentless flames, seemingly immune to the rain, all felt like a curse to her.

-You are just a mere girl... but you dare to...!

-Silence! How dare a loathsome demonic human like you speak!

Members of the Murim Alliance, standing behind Wi Seol-Ah, retorted vehemently.

The man, with a quick glance, could discern dozens of people behind her.

Which meant that there were still dozens of Murim Alliance insects left.

This fact filled him with disdain.

‘I could’ve annihilated them all.’

‘But my plans were ruined by that one little girl.’

-You pathetic insects, you wouldn’t even be able to make a sound if you were low in numbers... how dare you address this Sword Demon in such a...!

As the man prepared to raise his sword again, blood dripping down his mouth.

-Shut your mouth, Sword Demon.

Upon the ashen Mount Tai, a colossal presence descended.

Martial artists’ Qi quivered and their breaths caught.

Even the flames that had been consuming the mountain disappeared along with the owner’s voice.

-Cughh...

The Sword Demon couldn’t withstand the pressure that stomped him and proceeded to vomit blood once again.

After barely managing to regain his composure, the Sword Demon lifted his head up.

And upon looking up, he saw a man with eyes aglow in blue light, looking down on the Sword Demon, his gaze devoid of emotions.

The Sword Demon, trembling in fear, forced his frozen tongue to move.

-M-My Lord...

-Your tongue speaks too much for a loser. Will you be satisfied if I incinerate you with my own hands?

-N...No...

There were only two demonic humans.

And there were at the very least dozens of people from the Murim Alliance.

Just the difference in numbers should’ve been more than enough to kill the two demonic humans, yet the people of Murim Alliance couldn’t easily act.

Because the sheer presence of the man that stood near the Sword Demon was enough to hold back dozens of fighters.

-Sigh...

Wi Seol-Ah let out a sigh.

Her exhaustion was palpable from her battles with the demonic humans.

The primary reason for the Murim Alliance’s hesitation to attack was probably Wi Seol-Ah’s own fatigue.

-You must be tired. You should have let go of the ones you couldn’t save from the beginning.

-Don’t you dare to speak to Master, you mere demonic-!

As one man from the group prepared to shout, Wi Seol-Ah raised her hand to stop him.

Causing further conflict here was something they couldn’t afford, especially with her weakened state.

She didn’t know if she was capable of saving everyone here while fighting back against that man in her current state.

However, there was one thing she wanted to say.

Wi Seol-Ah asked the man with sharp eyes.

-...What will you do?

-Hmm?

-Just the fact that you spoke up implies you have a good reason.

-You’re overestimating me. I’m not some great person who needs a reason to speak.

The man took a step forward.

Blaze!

At his slight movement, the Murim Alliance drew their swords, ready to defend themselves.

Preparing themselves, so that just in case anything were to happen, they could at least ensure Wi Seol-Ah’s safe escape.

Upon seeing their touching determination, the man sneered.

-How amusing.

Along with a mocking tone, a sinister aura emanated from behind him.

Blaaze!

The flames, once on the verge of consuming everything, started to change,

It took on the same hue as the chilling energy within him.

A dark black hue.

As the flames grew even more, someone spoke out with a quivering voice.

-B-Black Flame Demon Emperor.

Had it heard the man?

The flames that were hovering in the air, suddenly charged towards the one who had spoken.

Simultaneously, Wi Seol-Ah’s sword screamed in golden light, slicing through the black flames and saving her crew member.

-A...Ahh!’

The man collapsed to his knees, letting out a pitiful cry.

Observing this, the man spoke apathetically.

-I personally detest that title quite a bit. Mention it again, and I’ll tear your throat out right here. So you might want to be cautious.

With a motion of the Black Flame Demon Emperor’s hand, the flames gathered.

The absurdly huge amount of Qi gathering into a single spot to form a sphere was horrifying to look at.

Because everyone knew what would happen if such a thing was aimed right at them.

Besides the Young Sword Saint, everyone would die.

Despite this situation, Wi Seol-Ah only continued to look at the man with the same eyes as before.

The man spoke when their eyes met.

-You still have the same boring expression.

-What do you want?

The man showed confusion after hearing Wi Seol-Ah’s question.

-What do you mean by that?

-What do I need to do for you to let them leave in peace.

-M-Master!

After hearing Wi Seol-Ah, members of the Alliance behind her, all looked at her with shocked expressions.

Because what the Young Sword Saint was doing, was basically begging for their lives to a demonic human.

Wi Seol-Ah knew instantly that this feeling was of her being shackled.

She felt the sensation of her heart being grabbed by the energy.

This energy could’ve been easily stopped if she had tried to, but Wi Seol-Ah didn’t reject it.

-Because you threw away your pride, I’ll keep my promise.

Only after Wi Seol-Ah felt the sensation of her heart being shackled, was she let go.

And because of how the man was grabbing her with a good amount of force, a red hand mark was left on her white neck.

After staring at that mark for a bit, the man turned away from Wi Seol-Ah.

-Next time we meet, I hope that you still look powerless like that. It’ll be easier for me to kill you in that state after all.

Right after he finished speaking, he disappeared after covering himself with flames.

The Sword Demon who had lost consciousness, also disappeared along with the man.

Wi Seol-Ah then suddenly lost her balance, so the members of Murim Alliance hurriedly ran towards her to support her.

-Master...! Are you feeling okay?

-Everyone, continue to stay on guard! There still may be an ambush.

-I’m sorry... If it weren’t for us, Master would’ve easily dealt with a demonic human like that...

She was able to hear the voices of her members, but inside her ears, only silence remained.

After the man had disappeared, the flames that were burning despite the rain, started to scatter away.

While embracing the endless rain, Wi Seol-Ah finally managed to barely get up.

-Let’s go back... They should be waiting for us.

-...Master... We shouldn’t leave ye-

-It’s okay... The Black Flame Demon Emperor is not someone that would lie.

While knowing that believing in a demonic human’s words was extremely stupid and absurd, Wi Seol-Ah had to say those words.

She was reminded of the word ‘Demon’ that was written on the backside of the man’s clothing.

The emotion she had felt after finally facing the man she had wanted to kill so badly seemed more like resentment rather than a desire to kill; moreover, it resembled a feeling of yearning rather than hatred.

She knew that this was extremely pathetic of her.

But she couldn’t help but agree with the man when he called her a foolish bitch.

-...Let us go down. The Meteor Sword must be very worried about us.

-...

Wi Seol-Ah clenched her teeth and frowned after hearing the name that was mentioned.

But as she had her head down, no one was able to see her expression.

The war between the Murim Alliance and the Sword Demon’s army on Wudang’s mountain ended in the defeat of the Orthodox Faction.

The survivors of Wudang had to feel the humiliation of running away to Hanam.

Three days after that day...

The Sword Venerable died at the hands of the Heavenly Demon.

******************

At a late hour, with the moon hanging high in the sky...

Wi Seol-Ah slowly opened her eyes.

She moved her body soundlessly, almost like a ghost.

With her soft, delicate hands, she brushed her fingertips over the two servants slumbering nearby, using acupuncture on them to ensure they wouldn’t wake easily.

“Phew...”

Wi Seol-Ah sighed softly and slipped out of the guesthouse.

Gu Yangcheon’s chambers were adjacent to the building, so she needed to be especially discreet to avoid detection.

Though his current martial skills might make it difficult for him to notice her, she erred on the side of caution.

In the dark night, the moonlight failed to reach the ground, but faint glimmers of light began to form around her.

It was because Wi Seol-Ah’s hair was changing its color.

‘Sorry, this is the last time.’

She whispered to herself, though there was no response.

Which was obvious, as the original owner of the body was most likely asleep.

Wi Seol-Ah started running, her steps light and swift.

Despite her graceful movement, her young body moved at the speed of the wind.

The surrounding buildings morphed in her wake, a testament to her incredible speed.

As she sped along, Wi Seol-Ah’s forehead furrowed.

‘There’s not much time left.’

The energy inside of her was running out.

This had been the agreement in the first place, so she already expected this moment.

‘A little more.’

Just a tiny bit more.

That was all Wi Seol-Ah wanted.

She wanted to help clear the path for him.

That was all she wanted if she was allowed to hope.

Tap-!

All of a sudden, Wi Seol-Ah halted abruptly, having reached her destination at breakneck speed.

Hanam, the residence of the Taeryung Clan that lay at the heart of the Murim Alliance, stood before her.

Many martial artists guarded the building, but none of them detected Wi Seol-Ah’s presence.

With her light footsteps, Wi Seol-Ah concealed herself within another building.

She didn’t need to search for her target.

As she could sense his energy way too well.

She only had a few more steps to reach her target.

It was a medical room reserved for the bloodline of the Alliance Leader, so there were a lot more guards than outside, but they all lost consciousness and fell to the floor as Wi Seol-Ah approached them.

Shortly thereafter, she arrived at her target, the place where Jang Seonyeon was located.

Wi Seol-Ah had waited a long time for this moment.

She slowly began to strengthen her grip.

There was no need for a sword.

After all, it had already been a very long time since she had reached a level where a sword was no longer required.

She continued forward, suppressing her killing intent.

This marked the conclusion of their ill-fated connection, as well as her final mission.

Since he obtained what he wanted in this place, she too had to fulfill her purpose.

She intended to leave no trace behind, erasing every remnant of his presence from this world.

With this determination, Wi Seol-Ah opened the door to confront the one she sought.

Sliide.

As she had expected, that bastard was in the silent room.

However...

“Welcome.”

Jang Seonyeon, instead of being asleep, greeted her with a smile.

“I was waiting for you.”

Upon hearing him, Wi Seol-Ah swung her hand without hesitation.

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