Chapter 115: Master of the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm (1)
Yong Hwarin had gone through numerous possibilities, and after much deliberation, he decided that becoming their hostage was the best way to break through this situation.
When Yong Hwarin said he would become a hostage, the Southern Heavenly King shouted loudly.
"I will not allow it! You dare ask for the ones I cherish to be taken as hostages before me? Do you think I would permit such a thing? If you came here to kill me, then be prepared to face the consequences!"
The Southern Heavenly King drew his sword and, like a bolt of lightning, swept through the masked men standing beside him.
"Dammit!"
It wounded the King's pride deeply to see the guests he had invited on the verge of being taken hostage by enemies.
The Southern Heavenly King had a nature closer to that of a warrior than a noble.
"Argh!"
As a masked man screamed and collapsed under the Southern Heavenly King's assault, the surrounding masked men turned to look at the middle-aged Demonic Master.
However, the Southern Heavenly King paid no heed and continued attacking the masked men.
"The Royal Guard is to secure His Majesty’s surroundings without leaving any gaps!"
As the guards encircled the King for protection, the King roared.
"Step aside. Today, I shall personally punish these traitors!"
The masked men only defended against the King’s attacks—they did not strike back.
This situation was something no one had anticipated.
Even Yong Hwarin hadn’t imagined that the Southern Heavenly King would personally get involved in the fight.
With the Southern Heavenly King upending the entire situation, killing intent exploded from the middle-aged Demonic Master’s eyes.
"You're kicking away your chance to live."
The middle-aged Demonic Master spoke to the masked men behind him.
"Proceed with the plan."
That was an order to harm Princess Gyeongseon.
The Demonic Master had resolved to at least sever one of the Southern Heavenly King's arms.
Since they had already begun an assault against the royal palace, he believed that only by going to that extent would they truly ignite the King’s fury.
As things began to go awry, Yong Hwarin turned his gaze to Yong Biyang.
Yong Biyang already knew what his son wanted to say.
He nodded and approached the Southern Heavenly King, intercepting the attacks from the masked men.
"Master Ho, Master Poong. Please protect His Majesty."
At Yong Hwarin’s request, they bit their lips and nodded. They understood that Yong Hwarin intended to face the leader alone.
"Great Master."
Even with just those words, Gak Yoo understood Yong Hwarin’s intent clearly.
"Donor Yong, do not worry."
Yong Hwarin felt reassured knowing the Shaolin Arhats were present.
With four Shaolin Arhats, he believed they could fully protect the Southern Heavenly King.
"Miss Jeong."
Yong Hwarin also intended to send the Three Chivalrous Sisters of the Jeong Clan to guard either the King or Princess Gyeongseon.
But the three stood behind Yong Hwarin and said,
"We’ll protect you, Young Master Yong."
"I’ll be fine."
Even as Yong Hwarin tried to dissuade them, they didn’t budge.
"We’re the ones who won’t be fine."
Jeong Suji replied coldly, glaring at the masked men.
It was certainly a headache, but knowing the three Jeong sisters stood behind him gave him confidence, as if the Twin Dragons Blades of Wrath were guarding his rear.
"Fine then. Here I go."
Yong Hwarin rushed toward the middle-aged Demonic Master.
Opening his Tongue-Nerve Technique to the fullest, Yong Hwarin shouted inwardly.
Never before had he so desperately sought out the Demonic Master. But now, the situation was different.
‘Elder, I need your strength now. Please come out quickly.’
The attacks of the middle-aged Demonic Master were unlike anything Yong Hwarin had ever experienced.
Through enlightenment and real battle, Yong Hwarin had rapidly advanced his martial arts, mastered the rare internal technique known as the Tai Chi Dantian, and solidified his internal energy. He had felt confident.
But the middle-aged Demonic Master pressured him relentlessly by distributing his strength perfectly according to each situation.
‘I made a mistake thinking he was just another Demonic Master like the Self-Revolving Blood Demon. He’s on an entirely different level! Or... has he been hiding his strength until now?’
It had seemed bold for Yong Hwarin to step forward and face the Demonic Master.
But as the battle continued, Yong Hwarin realized he had to unleash everything he had just to barely stand against the man.
‘I’ve been too careless. After achieving the Tai Chi Dantian, I became arrogant.’
That self-reproach lasted only a moment, as he was soon overwhelmed fending off the Demonic Master’s attacks.
After unleashing all of his energy, Yong Hwarin called out to the Demonic Master inside his mind.
‘Elder, why are you just sitting there? You need to come up with a solution!’
And then—
‘From now on, listen carefully to what I say. If you don’t, you’ll die at the hands of that younger version of me.’
The Demonic Master whispered from inside his head.
‘Back then, I was obsessed with the Jade Silk Blood Sword. The sword technique attacking you now is undoubtedly the Jade Silk Blood Sword. This sword technique is one of the unknown sword arts of the world, and was a martial art of the Iron-Blooded Hive, the overlords of the Demonic Path during the Martial Cloud Era.’
The Jade Silk Blood Sword was a technique in which the sword moved in unpredictable directions, like threads fluttering in the wind.
Because the sword strikes resembled the movements of a living serpent, Yong Hwarin couldn't properly unfold his Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword.
He had thought he would attack once he became accustomed to the changes, but the strikes came from such unpredictable angles that he couldn’t find an opportunity to counterattack.
As Yong Hwarin struggled against the middle-aged Demonic Master, the Three Jeong Sisters launched a coordinated attack.
Truthfully, Yong Hwarin had felt uneasy about fighting the middle-aged Demonic Master from the start, and that hesitation was what had put him at a disadvantage.
He had feared that killing the middle-aged Demonic Master might cause the Demonic Master parasitizing his own Upper Dantian to disappear as well. If that soul vanished, the three cycles’ worth of internal energy it provided might disappear too.
With such a subconscious concern, he couldn't help but flounder against an unfamiliar sword style.
He couldn’t just blindly attack someone whose condition and significance he didn’t fully understand.
"What do you think you're doing?! Is this a joke to you?!"
As expected, Jeong Suji sharply reproached him while attacking the middle-aged Demonic Master.
To the Three Chivalrous Sisters, it looked like Yong Hwarin lacked the will to fight, which is why they had stepped in.
At first, they had thought Yong Hwarin had some hidden plan. But as time passed, the fearless spirit he had once shown was nowhere to be seen.
Hearing those words, Yong Hwarin snapped back to his senses.
‘I’ve been deluded for a moment. Right now, survival must come first.’
As he regained his focus, the middle-aged Demonic Master, momentarily staggered by the sisters' assault, suddenly shifted his momentum.
‘That’s the Jade Silk Blood Sword’s ultimate move—Three-Directional Thread Gathering. The one on the right is in danger.’
As the middle-aged Demonic Master extended his sword, three strands of sword qi unfurled like silk threads and surged toward the three Jeong sisters from three directions.
"Gh!"
Jeong Suji and Jeong Daji deflected the sword qi and leapt into the air.
But two of the strands were feints; in truth, the bulk of the attack was concentrated on Jeong Minji.
The Demonic Master had instantly realized that among the Three Chivalrous Sisters, Jeong Minji had the sharpest swordplay.
Jeong Suji overwhelmed her enemies with a domineering aura, while Jeong Daji dug relentlessly into the openings her two older sisters exposed during their assaults.
In some ways, Jeong Daji was the most troublesome, but for the enemy, Jeong Minji—who saw through sword patterns with pinpoint accuracy—was the most dangerous.
Yong Hwarin, realizing that Jeong Minji would suffer grave internal injuries if she were hit by the Three-Directional Thread Gathering, threw himself forward and hurled his sword.
The sword that left his hand carried one full cycle of internal energy. That was enough to block the Demonic Master’s sword qi and retrieve the blade.
Though it looked like a random throw, the sword contained the principle of the Soaring Wind Hidden Blade from the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword technique.
Clang!
However, Yong Hwarin’s sword collided with the Demonic Master’s sword qi, spiraled out of control, and flew five chapters away before embedding itself into the ground.
Seeing this, Yong Hwarin flinched in shock.
The middle-aged Demonic Master's sword had carried nearly one and a half cycles of internal energy, enough to deflect Yong Hwarin’s blade.
Had the sword qi hit her directly, Jeong Minji wouldn’t have just suffered internal injuries—her body would have been pierced, and she’d be bleeding out.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Jeong Suji and Jeong Daji launched themselves at the Demonic Master the instant they hit the ground again.
They knew if the Demonic Master attacked again, their sister would be in grave danger. The Three Chivalrous Sisters’ ferocity was no less than that of the Pang Clan warriors.
But their attack came a few breaths too late.
By then, the middle-aged Demonic Master was already charging at Jeong Minji, determined to finish her off.
Yong Hwarin, having lost his sword, didn’t believe he could fend off the Demonic Master. His only thought was to grab Jeong Minji and flee the scene.
‘He’s fast!’
But the Demonic Master's speed far exceeded Yong Hwarin’s expectations.
‘That bastard is stronger than I thought. Something’s off.’
Though the Demonic Master's voice echoed in his head, Yong Hwarin paid it no mind.
If even the Demonic Master’s soul said that, then this current opponent was so powerful that even he couldn’t understand it.
Unable to escape while holding Jeong Minji in midair, Yong Hwarin decided to take her sword and drive back the Demonic Master with three cycles of energy.
Just as he reached to snatch her sword, he saw that Jeong Minji had already infused it with internal energy and was preparing to counter the Demonic Master.
If he forcibly took the sword, their energy would clash, and it might endanger Jeong Minji.
‘Then I’ll use Dragon-Fist Throw.’
As he resolved to use the Dragon-Fist Throw, he noticed something protruding between Jeong Minji’s chest.
‘The Black Silk Celestial Silkworm.’
Like a flash of memory, Yong Hwarin recalled fighting Bingajeong using the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm and, without thinking, plunged his hand into Jeong Minji’s chest.
Startled and unguarded, Jeong Minji jolted in shock as Yong Hwarin’s hand entered her chest.
‘What the hell is he doing at a time like this?!’
She couldn’t speak, only stare at Yong Hwarin.
And then, she realized—Yong Hwarin had drawn out the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm.
As the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm slipped from her chest, the warmth from his hand lingered where it had touched her, making her flinch.
For the first time in her life, a man had touched her chest with permission.
But there was no time for such thoughts—things were far too urgent.
Holding Jeong Minji with his left arm, Yong Hwarin hurled her toward Jeong Suji and then poured his internal energy into the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm.
He knew that the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm only functioned properly when infused with one cycle of internal energy.
He used one cycle of energy to block the Demonic Master’s sword.
Clang!
The middle-aged Demonic Master stared at Yong Hwarin in shock.
The fact that a piece of silk had blocked his one-cycle energy sword astonished him.
Though his face was hidden behind a mask, his eyes clearly showed his shaken disbelief.
“Black Silk Celestial Silkworm!”
The middle-aged Demonic Master muttered in surprise, unable to help himself.
He recognized the item immediately by its appearance, having heard descriptions before. But he had no idea what kind of power the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm actually possessed.
Even as a mystical object, he had never imagined it would absorb one cycle of his sword qi.