Chapter 203: Who the Hell Did You Mess With!

TL: FoodieMonster007

The moment Ilseon saw the Fist Demon, he knew things had gone terribly wrong.

His instincts screamed at him to run, but the Fist Demon's qi froze his entire body, paralyzing his will to fight or flee.

Just then, eight masters who had been hiding nearby revealed themselves. They surrounded the Fist Demon in a tight circle.

Seeing them, Ilseon's frozen heart thawed slightly.

The Eight Handed Phantom Sword.

They were a group that had once earned great infamy in the murim by moving as one. In murim battles, two people are not twice as strong, and a hundred people are not a hundred times stronger.

However, the Eight Handed Phantom Sword became eight times stronger. While not literally true, they gave that impression. Their coordinated attacks were that perfect.

That was why they could stand confidently against the terrifying qi emanating from the muscular man, completely unintimidated.

Strictly speaking, the Eight Handed Phantom Sword were not Ilseon's subordinates. They were fixers sent by his benefactor to ensure the job was done well.

So, while they were his bodyguards and henchmen who would carry out any order, they were also his watchers.

"Kill him!" Ilseon commanded.

The Eight Handed Phantom Sword shot forward without hesitation. They simultaneously stabbed at eight of the Fist Demon's vital points.

The moment they moved, the Fist Demon also threw a punch toward the member in front of him.

KWAKWANG! PWUUUUUK!

A sound like thunder erupted with the crunch of flesh and bone. One of the Eight Handed Phantom Sword flew backward, shattering a tree as he fell. It was the First Form of the Thunder Arhat Fist, the Black Cloud Asura.

One was sacrificed, but the remaining seven swords struck the Fist Demon's body.

KAAAAANG!

A metallic sound rang out as swords struck human flesh. The Fist Demon had activated the Fifth Form, the Vajra Asura, temporarily making his entire body as hard as steel.

The Eight Handed Phantom Sword froze in stunned horror.

PUPUPUPUPUPUK!

The Fist Demon unleashed the Second Form, the Thunder Asura. His fists moved so fast it looked like a multi-armed asura was throwing punches simultaneously.

With this one move, six members of the Eight Handed Phantom Sword flew in all directions. They died instantly as they crashed into trees and rocks, tumbling across the ground.

The last member of the Eight Handed Phantom Sword lunged, aiming for the Fist Demon's eyes.

The Fist Demon's large frame cut through the air at an incredible speed. He delivered a single, properly weighted blow.

KWAAANG!

The victim's flesh and bone twisted as if caught in a whirlwind.

Struck by the Third Form, the Heavenly Lightning Asura, the last of the Eight Handed Phantom Sword flew so far away he disappeared from sight.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

To the Immortals, it felt as if divine punishment had descended from the heavens. They heard thunder, saw a flash, and the Eight Handed Phantom Sword were left strewn about as corpses.

A heavy silence fell.

The scene was so surreal that Ilseon and the other three men wore dazed expressions.

Over the past few years, Ilseon had witnessed the skills of the Eight Handed Phantom Sword many times. When he ordered them to kill, they killed without discriminating. They had even slain renowned masters with their perfect coordinated attacks.

Watching them fight, Ilseon had established a principle for himself.

If four of them were to fall, he would flee without looking back.

He had judged that if their perfect coordination was broken, it was time to run, but what was he to do in this situation? They were all killed in an instant.

Geom Mugeuk could tell. The Fist Demon had deliberately shown him everything, from the First Form onward, for him to see.

It was certainly different from his own fist arts. It was more domineering and even more powerful. It was not a matter of having more or less inner arts. The qi imbued in the Fist Demon's fists was more vibrant and potent.

"Ah! That was truly magnificent."

Seeing it once like this is better than hearing about it a hundred times.

Hearing Geom Mugeuk's admiration, Ilseon thought the young man from the Justice Fist Sect was lying. How could it be magnificent when he could not even see the punches? Who on earth possessed such divine might? Huk!

It's the Fist Demon! You idiot! You're only realizing that now?

Those huge fists, those thick forearms that looked like they could pry open the gates of hell. If that man was not the Fist Demon, then who could be? Who else could have sent the Eight Handed Phantom Sword to the afterlife so easily?

"Please spare me, Fist Demon!"

Ilseon prostrated himself flat on the ground. At the words 'the Fist Demon', the remaining three men also fell to the ground in terror. Realizing their opponent was a Demon Supreme of the Demonic Cult, their entire bodies trembled.

While prostrated, Ilseon sent a telepathic message to the Third Immortal.

[Didn't that bastard successor of the Justice Fist Sect try to kill the Fist Demon?]

[That's right.]

[You stupid bastard! Do those two look like mortal enemies to you?]

[I'm not sure what happened either.]

[You fucking idiot!]

Ilseon really wanted to jump up and beat the Third Immortal half to death. However, he could not.

He had lived his entire life giving in to his temper, never once holding back his anger. He had even chased down and gouged out the eyes of someone who glared at him on the street. He never let anyone who provoked him get away with it. That anger was now being well-controlled.

"Please spare us!" the four men begged.

The Fist Demon slowly walked toward them.

"So these bastards believed those words without a shred of doubt?"

Behind the Fist Demon, Geom Mugeuk laughed.

"Yes, they're the type who live that kind of life, so they assume everyone else does too."

Geom Mugeuk cleared up the misunderstanding about the Fist Demon.

"All of you, raise your heads. Straighten your backs."

The men raised their heads while still kneeling.

"You bastards! The Fist Demon messing with the fiancée of a successor from a sect belonging to our Cult? Does that even make sense? I made it all up to lure you here. Do you understand?"

"Yes! Yes."

The Immortals bowed their heads, agreeing unconditionally.

Geom Mugeuk asked the Fist Demon, "How do you feel? A little relieved?"

The Fist Demon shook his head. Right, there was no way he would feel relieved.

Geom Mugeuk thought that the Fist Demon would not have overreacted like this for any other reason. He would not have even blinked at rumors of him killing or ignoring someone.

However, the Fist Demon was a man who utterly despised those who did such things to women. Thinking about it, it made sense. He was a man who would punch a cliff, a man who had never once caused trouble over a woman. That was the kind of man the Fist Demon was.

"You came out to slack off and ended up becoming a lecher for me. Thank you."

Geom Mugeuk was genuinely grateful.

"I know that given your personality, Master, you must have really hated this. Thank you for putting up with it."

He expressed his gratitude with words. At their level of closeness, would the Fist Demon not know without being told? No! It had to be said out loud for him to know. How could he know if it was not said?

What he was most grateful for was this. The Fist Demon did not hide his displeasure and let it fester, but expressed it all, giving Geom Mugeuk the chance to soothe his feelings.

"The lecher who secretly appeared and disappeared in the murim these past few days was probably the best fighter among all lechers in the history of the murim."

At Geom Mugeuk's joke, the Fist Demon finally laughed.

Their gazes met under the moonlight. Geom Mugeuk could feel his expression relax. The Fist Demon's anger was not resolved by revealing the truth, but by hearing the words 'thank you for enduring it' and 'I'm sorry'.

That was why he could hear such words from the Fist Demon.

"You said you're saving hundreds, thousands of young people with this, right? Then I guess it's not so bad to become a righteous immortal for once."

As if he had said something unnecessary, the Fist Demon looked up at the moon. His broad back looked even bigger and stronger than before.

Meanwhile, Ilseon sent a telepathic message to the Fourth Immortal.

[The Fist Demon will never let us live. Look for a chance and take that young bastard hostage! It's the only way we'll survive.]

Judging by the atmosphere, the two were clearly close. If they could just take him hostage, they could find a way to live.

Just then, Geom Mugeuk approached them.

As he walked past the Fourth Immortal toward Ilseon, the Fourth Immortal shot up like a thunderbolt and pressed his sword to Geom Mugeuk's neck.

"Move and this bastard dies!" Ilseon shouted.

"It worked!"

After glancing at the scene, the Fist Demon looked back up at the moon and said, "You should have taken me hostage instead."

The moment the Fist Demon's incomprehensible words ended, Geom Mugeuk was already facing the Fourth Immortal.

When did he turn?

It was a question the Fourth Immortal, who held the sword to his neck, should not have had to ask.

Geom Mugeuk's fist struck lightly. TUK. However, the result was not light.

PWUK!

The Fourth Immortal's head snapped back, then returned to its original position. A neck could not bend like that and be okay. It was not okay.

The Fourth Immortal collapsed forward and did not get up. His neck was broken, and he had died instantly.

Geom Mugeuk turned to the remaining three and said coldly, "I don't like the fact that you call yourselves Immortals in the first place."

Seeing this, Ilseon realized.

Ah! This man is not the successor of the Justice Fist Sect!

The young successor of the Justice Fist Sect could not have overpowered the Fourth Immortal so easily with a sword to his neck.

Damn it! Damn it!

Ilseon regretted it again and again.

He was usually a very cautious man. He would never have shown himself in a simple clash with demonic practitioners. However, he had no choice when he heard it was related to the Fist Demon. A single misstep could have destroyed the cooperative system he had worked so hard to build.

Get a grip! Get a grip!

He was already in the tiger's jaws. Fortunately, there were three prey, not just one. It was possible that one of them might be spared.

I will survive! I must survive.

He was making so much money right now. He was going to live the rest of his life in luxury. He could not die like this.

"Who's the worst one among you?"

The three men flinched in surprise at Geom Mugeuk's question.

"Why so surprised? You guys chose people too, didn't you? Who would be good to threaten? Who should we swindle? You get to choose, so why can't I?"

He pressured the three men as if he intended to return their sins right back to them.

"If you don't choose, all three of you die!"

At that, Ilseon and the Second Immortal looked at the Third Immortal as if on cue. They had often joked that he was the worst of them, so the decision was not difficult.

The Third Immortal shouted with an aggrieved expression, "No, I did the best deeds. I gave hope and dreams to the youth."

"I know that's not true. You said it earlier, didn't you? That it wasn't for my youth, but for your own?"

"Please, spare me!"

"When those young men begged you like this, did you ever spare them, even once?"

"……"

"I thought so."

PWUUUK!

The Third Immortal's face caved in from Geom Mugeuk's punch, and he died.

THUD.

Just as he had told him earlier that he would forget everything as of today, Geom Mugeuk casually tossed his corpse aside. He thought this level of treatment was exactly what they deserved. He might say he would spare them to extract information, but he had no intention of letting any of them live.

Ilseon decided to make his final choice. He would run without looking back. Even if he died from hidden weapons in his back, he would die trying to escape. There was a sliver of hope. He was confident in his movement arts.

Just as he was about to turn, someone wrapped an arm around his shoulder and stood beside him.

"You can't escape. I'm not joking, you'd be caught even with a two-hour head start. That person's greatest skill is running."

The middle-aged man who had come up beside him and was acting friendly was none other than the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

Ilseon could not collect his thoughts.

Who is this now?

How did he approach without a sound, and how did he know that he was about to run?

In the end, Ilseon could not hold it in and roared at the Second Immortal.

"You fucking idiot! Who the hell did you mess with!"

It was because choosing the targets was the Second Immortal's role.

At that, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader laughed and said, "That's right. I used to say that to myself a lot back in the day."

Soon after, Go Wol also appeared.

"I searched that bastard's safehouse and found the ledger."

The thick ledger contained the names of hundreds of people and the amounts of money they had borrowed.

"I will take care of this ledger properly."

Geom Mugeuk nodded readily, knowing that Go Wol would handle it wisely.

Ilseon's expression twisted. How on earth did they find his safehouse? He had been so careful, so very careful. He felt dizzy. This was a natural disaster.

Geom Mugeuk sealed Ilseon's and the Second Immortal's muting and paralyzing points.

"Only one of you two will live. The one who says something more helpful to me will survive, right? If you have something to say, blink."

At that, Ilseon blinked his eyes rapidly without hesitation.

Geom Mugeuk released his muting point.

"The remaining funds, eight hundred thousand taels, are in the Central Plains Bank. The seal is on my person, and I will also tell you the password needed to withdraw the money."

Ilseon told Go Wol the password.

Seeing this, the Second Immortal was flustered. Ilseon was giving up the money this easily? No, he could understand it. Their opponent was the Fist Demon, how could they possibly resist?

What shocked the Second Immortal was this. Ilseon said it so readily without even a single apologetic glance in his direction. He did not even pretend to hesitate before handing him a death sentence like this.

Geom Mugeuk said to the Second Immortal, "It's unfortunate for you, but it looks like our first Immortal is about to achieve Celestial Ascension, doesn't it?"

At that, the Second Immortal blinked his eyes rapidly.

Geom Mugeuk sealed Ilseon's muting point, then released the Second Immortal's. Since Ilseon had so callously chosen to save only himself, the Second Immortal had no reason to hesitate either.

"There's another ledger."

Ilseon's eyes widened, but with his muting and paralyzing points sealed, there was nothing he could do.

Geom Mugeuk spoke to the Second Immortal as if he had expected it.

"The benefactor's ledger."

They must have been paying a certain amount of money back to their financial backer each month. A ledger recording when and how much.

"The ledger is hidden inside Ilseon's belt."

When Go Wol untied Ilseon's belt and searched it, a rolled-up piece of paper came out from inside. The details of the payments were written on it. It was crucial evidence if they ever needed to officially go after the mastermind.

Geom Mugeuk looked at Ilseon and said, "Looks like you'll have to yield the Celestial Ascension to our second brother Immortal, hmm?"

At that, Ilseon began to blink faster than the speed of light.