Chapter 152: This Is All Your Fault

TL: FoodieMonster007

"What you said was true." The Evil Valley Lord said this to Yang Cheogi as he entered the main hall.

The Evil Valley Lord had sent men to investigate. They confirmed that a young man and a masked figure had met at the Yellow River Inn that day. Yang Cheogi's words were true.

"Why would I lie to the Valley Leader? I told the truth."

"Then you're saying Geom Mugeuk's martial arts were truly enough to handle the Weird Demon."

"That's right."

"Even if he is of the Heavenly Demon's bloodline, it's still unbelievable."

"I felt the same way. I never imagined Geom Mugeuk would be such a master." Yang Cheogi's expression hardened as he recalled that day. He seemed truthful, but the Evil Valley Lord still suspected him.

There was a clear possibility that Yang Cheogi had helped Geom Mugeuk kill all his subordinates. That seemed more plausible than Geom Mugeuk killing the Weird Demon alone.

What if it was a conspiracy by the Demonic Cult to take over the Valley of Evil?

What if they used Yang Cheogi to cut off all my limbs? What if the Demonic Cult even created the Heavenly Enlightenment Society?

Losing so many powerful subordinates at once made such suspicions natural.

Of course, the theory had questionable parts.

Until now, the Demonic Cult has never shown any interest in the Valley of Evil. Why would they suddenly target our valley?

The Valley of Evil was a nuisance to the Murim Alliance. The Demonic Cult had no reason to strike it. If the Demonic Cult ran the Valley of Evil directly, they would face fierce backlash from both the Murim Alliance and the Evil Alliance. Why create trouble? The villains here would never pledge loyalty to them.

The Evil Valley Lord's lack of trust in Yang Cheogi led him to invent all sorts of hypotheses. One thing was certain. Just looking at Yang Cheogi was irritating.

If you have some other sinister motive, you will never leave the Valley of Evil alive.

Just then, a subordinate rushed in and reported urgently.

"There are intruders. The Gwapyo gang has been defeated at the village entrance."

The Evil Valley Lord felt the inevitable had finally arrived.

Yang Cheogi, standing beside him, quickly asked, "How many intruders are there in total?"

"They say there are five."

Yang Cheogi tilted his head. "If it's Geom Mugeuk's group, there should be three at most, right?"

"Why are you so sure there are three? Couldn't Geom Mugeuk have brought more demons with him?"

"Well, that's true, but."

The Evil Valley Lord was puzzled by Yang Cheogi's reaction.

Are they really not on the same side? Or is he just pretending not to know?

Judging by his reaction, it did not seem like they had planned this together.

Just then, another subordinate rushed in. "The Cheonga gang has also been defeated by the intruders."

"Already?" The Cheonga gang were skilled martial artists who excelled in coordinated attacks, yet they were already defeated.

Soon after, another subordinate ran in. "The insects are all dead."

This time, the Evil Valley Lord was even more surprised. The 'insects' were the Yangsu gang who lived in the forest. They were extremely tricky to deal with, hiding in the woods and throwing hidden weapons.

Yang Cheogi and the Evil Valley Lord's eyes met. Yang Cheogi nodded. "It's definitely them."

Considering Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon killed so many when it was just the two of them, what would happen now that five had come?

Before the shock could subside, another subordinate ran in. The Evil Valley Lord asked first this time. "Who was defeated this time?"

"At the Seonak Bridge, the Yellow River Water Ghosts have been defeated."

"What? The Water Ghosts?" The Evil Valley Lord was startled. They were not the strongest, but in the water, the Water Ghosts were stronger than anyone.

They could be killed, yes, but the problem was the intruders' speed. Their pace was like casually plucking flowers while taking a stroll.

At that moment, the Evil Valley Lord saw Yang Cheogi's eyes tremble with fear.

"If you want to run, then flee now." His intention was to pin all the blame on Yang Cheogi if he was gone and somehow find a way to survive.

"What will you do, Valley Leader?"

"I can't leave this place. The moment I flee, I'll give those who covet my position a reason to kill me." Besides, all of his trustworthy subordinates were already dead.

Yang Cheogi was conflicted. He never imagined Geom Mugeuk would invade this far, nor that the Valley of Evil could be breached so easily. It was a place where one could wander for days near the entrance without knowing the way.

If he fled now, however, the Evil Valley Lord would never take him back. His feelings toward him were already at their worst.

If I want to take the Evil Valley Lord's position, I must stop Geom Mugeuk's group today. Only then will the villains here acknowledge me as the Valley Leader. And if the Evil Valley Lord died in the process, all the better.

As they were lost in their different thoughts, another subordinate entered. "The Five Evils of Chongqing are all dead."

Now, the Evil Valley Lord was not even surprised. Unless this was all a prank by his subordinates, it was a disaster flying toward them at a terrifying speed.

Hatred for Yang Cheogi surged within his heart.

This is all your fault.

If Yang Cheogi had not provoked the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon in the first place, claiming he would get revenge, none of this would have happened.

No matter what it takes, I will kill you.

The Evil Valley Lord knew that holding such a deep grudge would ultimately bring him no good. He just could not tolerate Yang Cheogi. Even if he regretted this decision later, he vowed to kill Yang Cheogi without fail.

The Evil Valley Lord said to his subordinate, "Tell Seok-no to drain as much of their inner arts as possible."

"……" The subordinate ran out.

"Seok-no is the last bastion. If he is breached, it will be just you and me."

"Let's hope he drains their strength as much as possible." If Seok-no played his part, there might be a chance.

The courtyard was empty.

I looked around and said, "Something feels eerie, doesn't it?"

My feeling was correct. The moment we crossed the courtyard toward the main hall, our surroundings changed.

"……"

We suddenly found ourselves in a new space, surrounded by hundreds of stone statues. They were shaped like martial artists holding swords, daos, and spears.

"It's an illusion technique!" I shouted.

The Demon Supremes tensed. An illusion was tricky if you did not know how to break it. This was why the Murim Alliance feared the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme the most.

"Everyone, be careful," the Blood Heaven Blade Demon warned. We stood back-to-back in a circle.

The stone statues began to move. One would expect them to be sluggish, but they were faster than I thought. The sight of something that should be slow rushing at us was bizarre and terrifying.

"……"

The fight began. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon shattered a charging statue with his Extremely Savage Demonic Palm.

The Flower Sword Supreme sliced another statue apart with her sword qi. She could not bring her sword down on the stone lumps to conserve her inner arts. Her sword was a masterpiece, and while it could handle a few statues, facing so many would damage the blade. She had no choice but to use her sword qi.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was in a similar situation. His giant dao was better suited for this than a sword, but he could not just smash the statues with his precious Heaven Destroying Dao. He also generated dao qi and a wind from his dao to destroy the statues.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had to use the inner arts-consuming Extremely Savage Demonic Palm to shatter the statues. Using the Blood Calamity Finger only poked holes in them while they kept moving.

The Drunken Demon also could not strike them with his Blood Gourd, so he used palm techniques to deal with them.

They were opponents that consumed an enormous amount of inner arts, and they swarmed endlessly.

I could not just consume qi recklessly. I dodged the statues' attacks and scanned my surroundings. With my eyes enhanced by the Bloodeye Holy Water and the Divine Eye Technique, I was sure I could see the way to break the illusion.

However, I could not see the bluish light that indicated a weak point anywhere in this space.

It's here. It has to be here. An illusion technique without a way to break it did not exist.

I weaved quickly between the statues using the Shadow Step and the Vanishing Step, searching for the weak point.

At one point, while wandering among the statues, I found it.

Found it!

A bluish light glowed on the back of a statue far in the back. It was hidden among the hundreds of attacking statues. This illusion technique concealed its weak point well.

JIIIIIIIIK!

Without hesitation, I tore through the bluish light with the Black Demon Sword, splitting it in half.

Beyond the light, an old man stared in utter shock.

PUUK!

The moment my sword pierced the old man's heart, the illusion he had cast shattered.

Freed from the illusion, we stood in the same courtyard we had entered earlier. The Demon Supremes saw the old man I had stabbed collapse and realized I had found the way to break the illusion.

The Drunken Demon made a fuss, exclaiming that his little brother was the best.

The Flower Sword Supreme looked greatly surprised.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, however, was not that surprised. He knew I had killed the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme.

Finally, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon looked at me, smiled meaningfully, and said, "Second Young Lord, you have reached the state of Sagongbulchim."

He did not mention the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme because the other Demon Supremes were present. If it had been just the two of us, he would have said, 'Shameless Second Young Lord, are you still going to claim you didn't kill the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme?'

I strode toward the building. "Now, let's go in."

I shattered the doors to the main hall and entered with the Demon Supremes.

KWAAANG!

Watching them shatter the main hall doors and enter, the Evil Valley Lord thought the Heavenly Demon himself was invading. How else could Seok-no's illusion technique be broken so quickly? Even he would have to endure until Seok-no's inner arts were depleted to escape it.

The intruder, however, was not the Heavenly Demon. A young man, Geom Mugeuk, walked in at the forefront, proving Yang Cheogi's words true.

Geom Mugeuk looked at Yang Cheogi. "In this situation, the only place you could hide safely would be the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Ah, but that won't work. You messed with us."

Yang Cheogi did not answer.

Geom Mugeuk's gaze turned to the Evil Valley Lord. "Are you the Evil Valley Lord?"

"That's right. I am the Evil Valley Lord."

"I am Geom Mugeuk, Second Young Lord of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."

"I have heard much of your reputation." The Evil Valley Lord tried his best to act composed, but inside he was burning up. It felt like a grim reaper was walking toward him step by step.

The Evil Valley Lord's gaze shifted to the four Demon Supremes standing behind Geom Mugeuk. "The esteemed members of the Divine Cult have arrived. Welcome." He greeted them smoothly with a clasped hands greeting, as if they were invited guests.

The four Demon Supremes only stared at him coldly.

The Evil Valley Lord spoke gently to Geom Mugeuk again. "I hear the madmen of my valley were quite rude to you, Second Young Lord?"

"They tried to suck out my inner arts and smash my head with a chain. If you call that 'rude,' then I suppose I'll have to be a little rude today as well."

"You're destined to become a supreme ruler of the murim. Don't stoop to the level of the pathetic fools of my valley." The Evil Valley Lord tried his best to get on Geom Mugeuk's good side.

With Geom Mugeuk and the Demon Supremes standing before him, he lost all will to fight. If the deceased Weird Demon, the Chainman, the Bloody Road Trio, the Blood Wolf Blade, the Bewitching Nirvana Princess, and the Yama Sage were all here, it might be different, but for him and Yang Cheogi to face these five was impossible.

Geom Mugeuk stared at the Evil Valley Lord and asked, "Why did you do it?"

The Evil Valley Lord looked at Yang Cheogi as if it was never his intention and asked the same question. "Why did you do it?"

Yang Cheogi stared at him with a look of disbelief. "What are you doing right now?"

"You're the one who caused this, so you explain it." The Evil Valley Lord's struggle to survive began by distancing himself from Yang Cheogi.

When Geom Mugeuk's party entered, Yang Cheogi's reaction clearly showed he was not on their side. In that case, the Evil Valley Lord had only one option. He had to abandon Yang Cheogi. After all, they had come to kill Yang Cheogi.

Yang Cheogi scoffed. "Do you think they'll let you live just because you pull a stunt like this?"

Geom Mugeuk replied to Yang Cheogi. "I will let him live. I know that this incident was entirely the doing of Yang Cheogi over there. As long as the Valley Leader cooperates in capturing the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman, no harm will come to you."

The Evil Valley Lord's heart pounded with the hope that he could live.

So they really weren't on the same side!

Seeing the Evil Valley Lord waver, Yang Cheogi shouted, "Don't believe him! It's a trick to divide us!"

In contrast to the frantic Yang Cheogi, Geom Mugeuk was calm. "Why would I bother dividing you when I can kill you both? Four of our Cult's Eight Demon Supremes have come in person. Does this look like a joke to you?"

The Evil Valley Lord did not hesitate. "I'll help. I know a clue that can help find the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman!" He was told he would be spared if he cooperated. What was there to hesitate about?

Yang Cheogi's heart sank coldly. He knew the Evil Valley Lord had already turned. The moment the Evil Valley Lord turned his back on him, Yang Cheogi realized he would never get out of this place alive.

"You pathetic, foolish bastard! This is why you can never escape this filthy place!"

"Shut up! This is all your fault. I don't even want to hear your excuses, so just go to hell quietly!"

"Idiot," Yang Cheogi spat coldly and sighed. Even if he offered information about the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman, he would likely not survive. He had tried to kill Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

So, in the end, I have to use this.

Yang Cheogi began to draw upon his inner arts for a final secret technique he had never used before. No, it was a technique he could never use.

Seeing a red energy swirl in Yang Cheogi's eyes, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon warned, "Everyone, be careful! It's the forbidden secret technique of our school, a take you down with me art!"

The martial art Yang Cheogi was about to use was indeed the Heavenly Light Slaying Technique. It was a final secret technique to die with an opponent, ensuring the death of one person while dying alongside them.

"If your inner arts are weaker than his, you can't block it!"

Yang Cheogi's inner arts were second to none. He directed his gaze to each person in the room.

Who would he kill and die with? The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, the cause of this mess? The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who ruined everything by showing up late that day? Geom Mugeuk, who made his revenge fail? Or that pathetic fool, the Evil Valley Lord?

Honestly, he wanted to take all four of them with him. However, the Heavenly Light Slaying Technique could only be used on a single person.

Yang Cheogi's eyes turned so red they looked like they would burst as he roared, "Who will go with me!"

In that moment of heavy silence, Geom Mugeuk shot his hand up.

"Me!"