Chapter 47: The Gates of Hell Open (1)

‘Damn! Damn!’

I must be crazy. I was such an idiot to let my guard down, thinking we had become quite close after the venting.

Xulang, who had been shot at an incredible speed, quickly stopped and looked around.

In the center stood a giant statue of a demon, with roads leading out in all directions. This was the central square, the heart of the inner palace.

Xulang closed his eyes and expanded his senses.

But...

“Damn! How am I supposed to know with this?”

The width of the inner palace was as large as three or four small villages combined. No matter how rapidly his martial arts had improved, it was impossible to find Weihonglian in such a vast area using only his senses.

‘Should I go directly to the Demon Master? If so, it would be impossible alone. They must have sent out the kids, right?’

Should I go to the Demon Army first? Wait, but where is the Demon Army?

‘No! That damn troublemaker probably wanted to have a showdown and went out to look for her himself, without even thinking of sending the kids.’

If that’s the case, I should head to the Demon Master’s side. She would have started causing trouble there first.

‘...No. If she had caused trouble there, I would have felt a faint aura of battle qi.’

It’s not just one or two people; it’s a group of over two hundred. If they had collectively released their demonic qi, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed.

‘Should I start by interrogating the Demon Army members? Surely...’

Xulang bit his lip.

‘...In such a state of excitement, she wouldn’t be at the tavern, right?’

At that moment, Madongphi came running from a distance.

“Pant, pant! Young Master!”

It took him this long to catch up with Xulang’s incredible speed. Even with the steel-like endurance he had honed in Gaozhulín, he was out of breath.

Xulang shouted.

“Dongphi! Where is the Demon Army?!”

“T-the Demon Army, you say? If you go northeast, you’ll see the inner palace’s unit assembly mark. Read the sign there...”

“I’m going to the Demon Army. You, search the nearby taverns!”

“Huh?!”

“Shut up and move quickly!”

“A, yes!”

Whoosh!

Xulang’s face was contorted with urgency as he moved before Madongphi.

‘You bitch! If you were really fishing at the tavern, I’ll break your legs!’

Still, one thing was certain: it wouldn’t be Zamilu. If she had any sense, she wouldn’t go there to fish again.

“Dongphi! Leave Zamilu and start with the other taverns! Got it?!”

“Yes, sir!”

* * *

“Seeing you one-on-one like this is quite a rare occurrence, isn’t it?”

Clank!

The swords clashed, producing a strange friction sound. The two blades, refusing to yield even an inch, trembled faintly.

Song Jing growled.

“Wei. Hong. Lian.”

“Your foul breath is as bad as ever.”

Boom!

Wei Honglian took a few steps back. Song Jing did the same.

Rumble!

A powerful demonic qi surged through Song Jing’s long sword.

It seemed he was going all out from the start, as the sword trembled mercilessly. The demonic qi that burst forth in an instant spread in all directions, creating a menacing atmosphere.

Wei Honglian smiled.

“How did you hold back in that money-grubbing position? You must have wanted to kill me so much.”

“Shut up!”

Boom!

He launched a full-speed attack from that short distance.

It was a mad, all-or-nothing charge, a berserk attack that was uncharacteristic of Song Jing, who valued living a long and peaceful life. This showed how much he wanted to kill Wei Honglian.

“Hmph!”

With a short laugh, Wei Honglian charged forward as well.

Boom!

The two swords collided, creating a deafening explosion.

Generally, a woman’s martial arts are more delicate and exquisite than a man’s.

This was no different in the demonic martial arts world. The difference was due to the physical and social characteristics of men and women.

In this regard, Wei Honglian was undoubtedly unique.

Her sword technique shattered the conventional wisdom about women’s martial arts, being even more fierce and brutal than Song Jing’s. It was a martial art suited for both direct combat and chaotic battles, befitting the Demon Army’s leader.

Song Jing’s face contorted.

Clang! Clang!

The swords clashed in the air dozens of times.

The flashing light was as intense as the sun. The shockwaves from the collision of the two swords caused cracks to appear in the alley walls and sent stone fragments flying from the ground.

Rumble.

Wei Honglian’s pupils turned blue.

The true release of the Qingxian Demonic Art. A deep blue luster emanated from her unique weapon, the Paoya Sword.

She swung her sword and shouted.

“Take this, you brat!”

Boom!

The overwhelming sword qi attack forced Song Jing to retreat uncontrollably.

It was a qigong sword technique that combined several layers of sword qi. Instead of cutting or piercing, it relied solely on destructive power to obliterate the target, known as the Great Beast Sword Technique.

Song Jing smiled.

“Good! You have to do this much!”

“Don’t act tough, brat! Your legs are shaking!”

Boom!

This time, Wei Honglian was the one who stumbled back.

The Great Beast Sword Technique following the Qingxian Demonic Art, and the Snow Mountain Ghost Sword following the Frost Heaven Demonic Power.

Wei Honglian’s martial arts and sword techniques were the result of intense practice in actual combat, while Song Jing’s Frost Heaven Martial Arts were renowned for their orthodox demonic arts.

Frost Heaven Martial Arts were superior in purity, while Qingxian and Great Beast were superior in versatility and lethality. Given their similar levels of mastery, the battle naturally turned into a prolonged one.

And both of them knew this better than anyone.

“Just die already!”

“Die yourself, you damn brat!”

Boom! Clang!

As time passed, their sword techniques became more and more violent.

There was no dodging or parrying. In this chaotic battle, there was only wild, relentless attacks. The battle itself was a testament to the accumulated anger between them. Even much weaker martial artists would not engage in such reckless fights, knowing the consequences.

Drip.

Blood trickled from the corner of Wei Honglian’s mouth. Song Jing was also bleeding from the nose.

It wasn’t due to external injuries from the attacks but internal injuries from the powerful shockwaves.

However, neither of them had any intention of retreating. They didn’t even realize how badly they were injured.

Their minds were focused on one thing: the complete annihilation of their opponent.

Boom!

External injuries followed the internal ones. A long sword wound appeared on Song Jing’s chest.

Song Jing’s eyes turned bloodshot.

Snap!

Wei Honglian’s head snapped to the side. Song Jing had kicked her in the face.

Boom!

Their fists, aimed at each other, collided in mid-air. Both of them were forced back three steps.

“Pant! Pant!”

“Huff! Huff!”

Their breathing grew more intense, and their qi was unsteady.

However, their killing intent and madness only grew stronger with time. The demons, who had been watching the intense battle, began to peek out one by one.

“What, what’s happening?”

“Y-Yeah, be careful!”

Crack!

A stone fragment flew out and embedded itself in a building wall.

“Gah! I almost died!”

“What kind of crazy bastards are fighting at this hour...!”

At that moment, Wei Honglian and Song Jing’s eyes flashed.

Boom!

Half of a building’s roof was blown away. The two of them had launched their sword qi in unison.

“Shut up, you bastards!”

“If you don’t want to die, keep your heads down!”

The demons’ faces contorted.

“Where did those guys come from...”

“Hey! Shh! Shut up! Come here!”

“What? Why?”

“T-the Demon Army Chief and the Demon Master!”

“Gasp!”

Realizing their identities, the demons hastily retreated.

While watching a fight might be the most entertaining thing in the world, it’s not worth risking your life.

If you’re lucky, you might die quickly, but if you get caught by these two, you’ll end up as fish food while still alive.

The demons, who had gathered out of curiosity, scattered like cockroaches.

Wei Honglian wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth roughly and smiled.

“Can you keep going?”

“I’m asking you!”

“But can I ask one thing before the next round?”

“Why? Are you already out of breath?”

“Is your remaining testicle still intact?”

“You bitch!!”

Boom!

Wei Honglian spat out a mouthful of blood. The blow was incredibly powerful, and she couldn’t dissipate most of the impact.

Thud!

However, Song Jing, who had launched the attack, couldn’t follow up. His left middle finger had been dislocated.

The sharp pain made his anger falter. In that split second, Wei Honglian’s reflexes, which had blocked the follow-up attack, were worthy of praise.

Crack!

Wei Honglian’s eyes narrowed. Song Jing was grinning as he reset his dislocated finger.

She knew how much pain that caused. His hatred for her was so intense that the pain didn’t matter.

Crack!

With a brutal charge, the two of them crashed through the building’s outer wall. Unfortunately, it was the first floor of Zamilu, which was under renovation.

At least no one was there, which was a stroke of luck.

“Die! Die! Dieee!!”

Gripping each other’s collars, they stabbed wildly with their swords. Wei Honglian managed to dodge all of them, her reflexes almost supernatural.

A look of ecstasy appeared in Song Jing’s eyes.

‘It’s over!’

He hadn’t landed a proper blow, but he was definitely pushing her back. He had a slight advantage.

‘Finally! Finally, this day has come!’

Sugong had clearly ordered to bring Wei Honglian to the Criminal Law Hall, implying that she should be kept alive.

However, Song Jing had no intention of following that order. He planned to tear her apart and throw her to the fish.

“I’ll make you into jerky and feed you to the fish...!”

At that moment.

He didn’t sense any aura or killing intent, but a chill ran down Song Jing’s spine.

An extremely unpleasant sense of danger and fear.

‘Her eyes...’

Even while being pushed back, there was a hint of ease in her eyes.

No, it was more like she was rejoicing, as if this was exactly what she wanted.

‘Those eyes... I’ve seen them once before...’

...Ah?

“Gasp!”

Boom!

Song Jing suddenly retreated. He moved so quickly that several tables and chairs on the first floor were shattered.

“Too bad.”

Wei Honglian wiggled her toes. Her leg, which had been stretched out, was now up to Song Jing’s head.

“I was going to break your remaining one, but it doesn’t seem to match.”

“...”

The terrifying words, spoken calmly by Wei Honglian, made any man, regardless of age, shudder. She looked like a demonic illusion from the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Sizzle!

A blue light emanated from Wei Honglian’s fist. The inner energy consumption was significant, but it wasn’t enough to hinder her life-or-death struggle.

“Shall we start again?”

Swoosh.

Song Jing, who had risen from the broken table pieces, had no white in his eyes.

“You will die today.”

His anger had reached its peak, and he was now calm.

Wei Honglian smiled coldly.

“I’ll finish you off.”

A moment of silence.

Boom!

The two of them charged at each other again.

In an even more brutal atmosphere than before, the confrontation between the two leaders of the combat units was reaching its climax.