Chapter 1093

KWA-A-A-ANG!

The deafening boom left Jeok Cheongang’s ears ringing. Then a tremor ran through the ground. He turned to look behind him and finally let out a sigh of relief.

The old hag’s joined the fight.

Flashes of light were still streaking through the cloud of dust.

Once he saw that the Bow Saint was helping Jin Taekyung, part of him could finally relax. With her there, his Disciple would be safe.

At least for the brief time Jeok Cheongang needed to accomplish his goal.

I was worried sick… Maybe I didn’t need to be.

In Jeok Cheongang’s judgment, Jin Taekyung still wasn’t a match for the Blood Lord. That was why he hadn’t been able to hide his unease, even after hearing the Sound Transmission that had reached his ear moments ago.

“I’ll draw out the Blood Lord and buy us time. You two should target their main force.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry. You know my life motto, right?”

Of course he did.

However thick or thin his life might be, Taekyung meant to survive and make it last.

But if everything in the world went according to one’s wishes, every martial artist in the land would be a Supreme Peak master, and the common people would live long, healthy lives.

So Jeok Cheongang had firmly opposed the idea.

No—he’d meant to oppose it.

Before he could respond to that carefree answer, Jin Taekyung had charged out without hesitation to face the Blood Lord.

You idiot. Don’t you know your life is worth protecting?

Yet despite the thought, a smile had found its way onto Jeok Cheongang’s lips. It was plain enough that the Slaughter Saint, who was stirring up a bloodstorm not far away, couldn’t hold back a comment.

“I know you adore your one and only Disciple, but are you really so eager to die that you—”

He stopped mid-sentence and caught his breath, twisting aside.

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!

Three streaks of sword light carved through the air, missing him by inches. At the same time, a flash glinted from the Slaughter Saint’s sleeve as he spun in midair.

KLANG! Thud!

Two sparks—and the sickening sound of a blade piercing flesh.

Three black-robed men clad head to toe in pitch-black armor had charged at him like bolts of lightning. They faltered and stepped back.

Or rather, two of them did.

Thump.

The third fell like a rotting tree. A dagger the Slaughter Saint had just thrown was buried deep between the eyeholes of his helmet, which sat so low that his face was completely hidden.

“One down.”

The Slaughter Saint landed smoothly, as if nothing had happened. Jeok Cheongang, who had just swept away dozens of enemies with a flaming punch, shook his head.

“I don’t think so.”

“…What do you mean?”

“What do you think?”

Jeok Cheongang jerked his chin toward the fallen man.

“That.”

At that very moment—

Thrust.

The man they’d thought dead moved his arm and pulled the dagger from his helmet. Then he staggered to his feet and raised his sword.

As if he’d only been stung by a bee.

“…!”

The Slaughter Saint blinked in silence. Jeok Cheongang shook his head again, remembering the first time he’d seen one of those loathsome monsters.

“Didn’t that brat Taekyung tell you? There are damned things that openly defy the natural order set by Heaven.”

Only then did the Slaughter Saint realize who stood before them. He let out a low groan.

“…Black Ghosts.”

He’d already heard what had happened in Gansu. There were monsters that got back up no matter how many times they were killed, and every one of them had once been a fiend who dominated the Demonic Cult.

“I heard they were like the legendary living jiangshi. So it was true.”

“Worse bastards than living jiangshi. You can tell just by watching them move, can’t you?”

Jeok Cheongang stood beside the Slaughter Saint and gathered his internal energy once more. The Black Ghosts, now six in number, were closing in from all sides.

“How do we take them down?”

“I’ve heard there are only two ways. First, keep killing them until they die.”

Fwoosh.

White flames rolled over Jeok Cheongang’s hands. They lit the strangely dark space, revealing the Black Ghosts approaching with their eerie noises and the enemy forces packed tightly around them.

They also revealed other figures, hidden deep within that vast encirclement, controlling them.

“Second, cut off their heads and disable their arms and legs.”

And at that moment—

BOOM!

Jeok Cheongang thrust out both palms with all his might. Waves of flame scattered in every direction as he kicked off the ground and shot forward.

“Defend!”

—GRAAAAAH!

The shouts of humans and monsters mingled.

A path of fire opened through the enemies surrounding them. The Black Ghosts held their ground before Jeok Cheongang, but a sharp gust swept past their angled legs.

Whoosh. Slice!

The sword swinging toward Jeok Cheongang flew into the air. The Slaughter Saint had severed the arm of the first Black Ghost to charge.

“Go!”

The shout was brief, but its meaning was clear. Jeok Cheongang gave a small nod and advanced without slowing, clenching his fist.

Rrrrrk.

At the heart of the shimmering heat, white flame gathered around the Flame-Extinguishing Divine Fist, brought to the utmost limit of its power.

Even the monster standing nearly thirty feet tall and the Dark Heaven faithful packed into a defensive line widened their eyes at the heat.

And in that instant, when time itself seemed to stop—

“I am the—”

Jeok Cheongang’s fist shot forward, crushing the wind.

“Fire King!”

KWA-A-A-A-A!

Space warped. The ground sank.

Horrific heat melted the flesh and bones of everything in its path. A flash of white so brilliant it hardly seemed possible for flame blotted out his view.

Fwoosh—KRRRUMBLE!

The light faded as quickly as it had come. Jeok Cheongang saw what lay before him and finally released the breath he’d been holding.

Huu.

Heat poured between his trembling lips like flame from a weary fire dragon.

He had poured out all his strength, but the joy of accomplishing what he’d set out to do was greater than the exhaustion.

Sizzle. Szzzz.

The green ground was gone. All that remained was a hellscape spread between the scorched earth, black as a volcanic region, and a pale haze of steam.

Fsssh.

A hot wind blew from somewhere, and the bodies that had barely held their shape crumbled.

Monsters and humans alike. Even one unlucky Black Ghost who had stood directly in Jeok Cheongang’s path.

With a single strike, hundreds of enemies had turned to ash and scattered. The same had happened beyond the thick veil of steam, which now spread dozens of yards in every direction.

At least, that was what Jeok Cheongang thought.

Then his senses caught something wrong.

Ssshhh.

An unseen current of qi crept through the ground and air. The moment he felt it, Jeok Cheongang realized what was amiss.

…This is.

Perhaps pouring out all his strength had left him too exhausted to notice at first.

Looking back, it had been strange from the start. How had such a dense, vast cloud of steam formed?

And why had the enemies beyond it shown no reaction at all?

Cold qi.

As the two words pierced his mind, Jeok Cheongang stamped down on the ground, which was slowly freezing over. He had already forgotten the horrifying heat from moments ago.

Crack.

A chill ran through his toes. At the same time, someone’s face came to mind.

Jeok Cheongang looked at the steam with a sunken gaze and parted his lips.

“Anyone with the slightest bit of manners would greet an elder properly. You’ve got less respect than an eyelash, you little brat.”

At that moment—

KRRRACK!

The steam blocking his way split apart.

No—it shattered in midair.

Beyond the bone-chilling cold stood an immense wall of ice. And with it, the person Jeok Cheongang had just thought of.

“You noticed. That’s just like you.”

At the Grand Sorceress’s reply, Jeok Cheongang spat out a wad of phlegm.

“Yeah. I knew it was you.”

That had been a strike delivered with all his strength—more than enough to turn even the sorcerers hidden among the countless enemies to ash in an instant.

Even a Supreme Peak master on his level would have found it nearly impossible to block the damage completely.

Unless they had the strange dark arts Jin Taekyung called Magic.

“So the brat was right. You managed to stay alive.”

“An old man who should’ve died and returned to the earth long ago is still walking around. Why should this be such a surprise?”

The Grand Sorceress continued with a sneer.

“At your age, you should be resting in a back room, watching your grandchildren play. Why come all this way to play with fire?”

“If my one and only Disciple is putting on a show for me, I can play with fire a hundred times over. A thousand, even.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. Think of your age.”

“Don’t worry. Old as I am, I can still kill you.”

For an instant, the Grand Sorceress’s eyes darkened behind her veil. She heard the certainty in his words.

Sizzle.

The ice wall was still melting, little by little, unable to withstand the heat of the Flame-Extinguishing Divine Fist. It bore out his claim.

…Jeok Cheongang, the Fire King. So his reputation isn’t empty.

Just as the Grand Sorceress thought this to herself and cautiously gathered her energy, Jeok Cheongang, who had been watching her and the three Black Ghosts guarding her with a sunken gaze, suddenly spoke.

“But today isn’t our only chance.”

In truth, he was just as pressed for time.

The Slaughter Saint was fighting desperately, surrounded by the six—no, now five—Black Ghosts. And his Disciple, who must not die, was fighting the Blood Lord.

Their agreed time was up. Though Jeok Cheongang had hoped for more, they had accomplished enough.

“Clear the way. Before I burn you all to ashes.”

Across the distance of dozens of yards, Jeok Cheongang’s reddish-hot gaze met the Grand Sorceress’s ice-cold one.

After a brief but long silence, the Grand Sorceress’s quiet voice rang out.

“For that person’s sake, I’ll kill you. Even if it isn’t today.”

“Got any more bullshit to say?”

Jeok Cheongang gave a quiet laugh at the Grand Sorceress’s silence, then swiftly turned around.