Even so, as if his pride would not allow him to simply retreat, the black-clad figure left behind one last line before vanishing.“Soon… beings who will tear your limbs apart will arrive. Tremble in fear as you wait for that day.”At that, Yeon Woo Jin replied in a cold, mocking voice.“You’d better be the one careful. I’ll track you down before long and let you taste the same torment Ma Ryang endured.”A chill ran down the air—“Kuhuhu. My whole body shivers. I’ll be waiting.”Leaving those words behind, the black-clad figure disappeared.Once he was gone, Yeon Woo Jin immediately focused on Ma Ryang.Placing his hand against the man’s head, he began to search for the presence of the Exploding Worm the black-clad figure had mentioned.With deep concentration, he felt it faintly.An ominous energy.There it is.He had found it.The problem now was how to kill it and remove it without letting it explode.Looks like it’s time to put my imagination to work again.It was his ability—the power to make what he imagined become reality.Yeon Woo Jin immediately envisioned surrounding the Exploding Worm with layers of energy.At once, a thin film covered the worm.The moment the film settled, the Exploding Worm writhed,as though suffocating in agony.It thrashed violently, then suddenly emanated a powerful energy.And then, it exploded inside the barrier.Because he had sealed it in with multiple overlapping layers, the shock did not reach Ma Ryang’s ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) brain.Now only the remains had to be removed.Yeon Woo Jin imagined the Exploding Worm passing through Ma Ryang’s skull.He poured all his focus into it.By the time sweat was beading across his forehead, the worm began to pass slowly through the skull—as though slipping through empty space.Moments later, a black pellet the size of a bean emerged from the forehead.Yeon Woo Jin grimaced and cast it onto the ground without hesitation.Then, once again gripping Ma Ryang’s head, he channeled energy inside to examine his state.Ma Ryang’s brain was packed full of magi (demonic energy).The role of the magi was obvious—it was to manipulate his mind.The sheer density spread throughout shocked him.To think they can control a person’s mind to this extent with magi.Yeon Woo Jin absorbed the demonic energy one by one, memorizing the exact locations where each cluster had been.It was pure medical curiosity.Had he not just confirmed through Ma Ryang what happened when qi was infused into those loci?Meanwhile, No Seon Ryong—who had witnessed everything—lost strength in his legs and collapsed to the ground.He was shaken by Yeon Woo Jin’s overwhelming martial might—toying as he did with the Hell Darkness Emperor, a being of the Ninth Level of the Manifestation Realm.And then shaken again at the appearance of an existence even Yeon Woo Jin himself could not help but acknowledge.But what stunned him most was the word Demonic Race that had come from Yeon Woo Jin’s mouth.The Demonic Race? Could it be that the Demonic Cult has reemerged into the world? What in the world is happening?And then, to see Yeon Woo Jin extract the Exploding Worm from the Hell Darkness Emperor’s head as if it were nothing—he was utterly struck dumb by such divine skill.Piecing together the events so far, it was clear:for some reason, the Hell Darkness Emperor had lost his memory and been subjected to mental domination by the Demonic Race.And it was precisely at that point that Yeon Woo Jin had appeared.Holding the Hell Darkness Emperor’s head now was surely to undo that domination.And judging by what he had seen of Yeon Woo Jin, it would not be difficult for him to free Ma Ryang’s mind.If so, the control would soon be broken, and the truth of their relationship would come to light.As No Seon Ryong watched, Yeon Woo Jin steadily removed the magi from Ma Ryang’s head.How much time had passed like that?“Uugh…”Ma Ryang stirred and opened his eyes.The first thing he saw was Yeon Woo Jin.“Young Master?”Hearing himself addressed that way, Yeon Woo Jin broke into a bright smile.He had worried that something might have gone wrong and Ma Ryang would not recognize him,but thankfully it had turned out well.“You finally recognize me.”“Huh? What did I do? More importantly, where are we…?”Ma Ryang glanced around.“You remember nothing?”“Remember?”Ma Ryang fixed his gaze on Yeon Woo Jin’s face, lost in thought.After a long pause, he lowered his head.“I do not know. I do not even know why I am here, nor why Young Master stands before me. More than that… did I perhaps raise my blade against you?”“Why do you think that?”At Yeon Woo Jin’s question, Ma Ryang glanced down at the saber in his hand and surveyed the surroundings.“The traces of my martial arts are all over. There are only two people in the Central Plains who could have stopped me. The Lord… and you, Young Master.”At those words, Yeon Woo Jin smirked.“From now on, stay by my side. And steel your resolve.”“R-resolve?”“You’ve grown quite weak while I wasn’t looking. You know, I can’t stand to see that.”“W-what do you mean? I… I was not in my right mind, so I could not fully display my skill.”“Is that so? Then if you’re clear-headed now, shall we test it?”At Yeon Woo Jin’s remark, Ma Ryang averted his gaze and pretended to be in pain.“Ugh! M-my head… Young Master, I wish I could, but in my current state, I doubt I could fight at full strength.”The old Ma Ryang had returned.When Yeon Woo Jin smiled at him, Ma Ryang hung his head and said,“My apologies. It seems I have worried you.”“It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re alive.”“…I do recall something, faintly.”“What is it?”“The Demonic Cult… I fell to the hand of a subordinate of the Heavenly Demon.”“Where?”“That… I cannot recall.”Looking abashed as he sat, Ma Ryang received a firm pat on the shoulder from Yeon Woo Jin.“Then take your revenge yourself.”“Sir?”“I’ll give you the strength.”“Young Master…”“Steel yourself from now on. Training of an entirely different dimension awaits you.”“Sir?”“Why? You don’t want it? You need to avenge yourself personally.”“I… I understand.”“Work hard. You and I must sweep the Demonic Cult from this world.”“Young Master…”“I almost lost you, Uncle Ma Ryang.”Yeon Woo Jin’s voice brimmed with fury.“They’ll learn exactly what happens when they touch what is mine. I’ll erase them from existence.”Seeing Yeon Woo Jin truly enraged on his account, Ma Ryang was moved to the core.“Young Master…”“So become stronger. Do you understand?”“Yes! I will become strong—strong enough to obliterate every fiend who made you worry, without leaving a trace!”Seeing Ma Ryang speak as boldly as ever, Yeon Woo Jin finally allowed himself a look of relief. *****The people of Bukcheon Gate who had been freed—They all stared blankly, exchanging wary glances between Yeon Woo Jin and Ma Ryang.They could not hide their shock at what they had seen from the Hell Darkness Emperor.For he had treated Yeon Woo Jin with the bearing of a subordinate toward a master.Just who was this man, that even the Hell Darkness Emperor bowed before him?Ma Ryang stepped forward, cupped his fist, and bowed low to the people of Bukcheon Gate.“My apologies. Having fallen under the mental domination of the Demonic Cult, I committed grave wrongs against you.”The words left them reeling.Mind control?And worse—that the power which controlled him belonged to the Demonic Cult?What kind of madness is this? Why does the Demonic Cult appear here?Sa Se Hwang, Master of Bukcheon Gate, stepped forward in haste.“W-what do you mean? Are you saying you attacked us against your will, that you were under mental domination? And the Demonic Cult? Why in heaven’s name would the Demonic Cult appear?”“Everything I said is truth. It was not my will. I am sorry.”The Hell Darkness Emperor himself—bowing his head in apology.What sect could possibly refuse forgiveness when a figure of far higher standing lowered himself so?Sa Se Hwang glanced around.No one of Bukcheon had died.The wounded had already received proper treatment here.Turning back to Ma Ryang, he said,“I accept the Hell Darkness Emperor’s apology.”“Thank you.”When Bukcheon’s master accepted, Yeon Woo Jin stepped forward at last.“An apology alone will not suffice. On behalf of Martial Deity Heaven, I will provide compensation.”“You say you represent Martial Deity Heaven? Then may I ask who you are?”Before Yeon Woo Jin could answer, Ma Ryang spoke.“This man is the sole grandson of the Martial Deity Heaven Lord, and he is my master—I, the Hell Darkness Emperor Ma Ryang, serve under him.”“Wh—!”Not only Sa Se Hwang, but the entire Bukcheon Gate was aghast at the revelation.“Is… is that true?”“Yes, it is.”If that were true, then his claim to represent Martial Deity Heaven was no lie.Sa Se Hwang swallowed and asked,“Then… what form will this compensation take?”Yeon Woo Jin replied,“I will return the Heavenly North Divine Art (Cheonbuk Singong).”Sa Se Hwang’s eyes flew wide.The Heavenly North Divine Art was Bukcheon’s supreme technique—all but wrested from them by Martial Deity Heaven.He had thought they would never see it again.But now it was being returned.With it, Bukcheon could double its current strength.Their martial ways revolved around fighting by linking the qi of many together.The Heavenly North Divine Art amplified that combined qi, a technique that raised their abilities to new heights.With it restored, their power could double, even triple.“And,” Woo Jin continued, “I will also grant you the Linked Phantasmal Heaven Formation (Yeonhwan Hwanhyeong Cheonji Jin). You know, of course, that when used together with the Heavenly North Divine Art, its might rivals any supreme divine art.”“H-how… how do you…”The Linked Phantasmal Heaven Formation was the formation Sa Se Hwang had searched his entire life for.With it, Bukcheon could have risen again, despite losing the Heavenly North Divine Art.Now he was being given both.The compensation was excessive.So great, in fact, it was almost beyond reason to accept.And still, it was not all.“I will also give you the Inyeondan.”“T-the Inyeondan? There’s no need… This is more than enough.”“It’s fine. Don’t decline. After all, I am the one who created it.”“W-what?”The Inyeondan, the golden elixir that was the talk of the capital.Everyone had wanted to know who its creator was.And that creator turned out to be the grandson of the Martial Deity Heaven Lord.At that moment, Sa Se Hwang completely forgot the humiliation of being struck by the Hell Darkness Emperor.In fact, he felt grateful—for had they not been attacked, would such fortune ever have come?It was a perfect case of misfortune turned into blessing.“Thank you. I hereby declare that Bukcheon Gate bears no enmity whatsoever toward the Hell Darkness Emperor.”“Much appreciated.”“No—on the contrary, it is we who are grateful. Had the Hell Darkness Emperor not attacked, such opportunity would never have come to us.”So overwhelming was the recompense that even Sa Se Hwang himself spoke in thanks.None of Bukcheon’s disciples held the slightest complaint—for what grievance could remain when such boons had been bestowed?And from then on, a saying arose:If someone still harbored resentment, it must have been because the compensation they received had not been great enough. ****At the entrance to the Red Refining Gate.The allies waiting bore anxious expressions as they awaited Yeon Woo Jin.“Something must have happened. It has already been three days.”At Sa Gong Cheon’s words, Lee Hwa Un, Hwa Sogwang, and Yeo Hwarin all spoke with unconcern.“There’s no need to worry. Things must have been resolved well inside, which is why it is taking this long.”“My brother is right. If matters had not been settled, that place would already have been erased from existence.”At Hwa Sogwang’s remark, Yeo Hwarin laughed lightly.“I still sense only the aura of the Hell Darkness Emperor. Clearly, they are enjoying themselves in there.”Their trust in Yeon Woo Jin was absolute.Only Sa Gong Cheon, lacking in that faith, continued to glance nervously toward the cave entrance.

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