Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1368. Proving (3)

In a darkened room somewhere...

A man slowly opened his eyes.

“...”

He moved his head to confirm the state of his body, then sighed deeply enough for his soul to almost escape him.

Been a while, this feeling of reality hitting my face!

His whole body was drenched in sticky cold sweat.

This was not his first time experiencing ‘death’, but the shock of the ‘death’ this time was in another realm of intensity compared to all the ones before it.

No, wait...

To be more precise, the shock from the one who gifted him ‘death’ this time surpassed everything he had experienced until now. That should be the more correct assertion.

“To think he’d tear two Dark Jiangshis apart like paper, then obliterate a Blood Jiangshi like a toy, too...”

The man chuckled hollowly.

Kang Jin-Ho wasn’t even a superhero, so how could he do that?

The “Heavenly Beginning, Crimson End”; it meant all demonic cultivation began with the Heavenly Demon, only to end with the Crimson Demon.

The man never knew he’d get such a painful reminder of that antiquated saying. Now that he had personally fought the ‘Crimson Demon’, he could definitely say that his opponent was far stronger and more vicious than the legends passed down within the Blood Cult would have him believe.

Worse still, the biggest threat posed by the ‘Crimson Demon’ wasn’t even his strength. No, it was his intimate knowledge of the Blood Mara Cult!

Right. He definitely knows about Blood Jiangshis.

What the ‘Crimson Demon’ said at the end strongly suggested that he knew he wasn’t fighting the Blood Demon’s real body.

“I’ll find you. Be patient until then. Until your unavoidable death comes for you.”

The ‘real’ Blood Demon shuddered in dread.

That improbably powerful demonic cultivator was now his enemy. The Blood Demon suddenly understood what his Blood Cult ancestors had felt while trying to survive against the Kang Jin-Ho-led demon cult.

The Blood Demon grimaced while licking his lips.

“Damn. Talk about a terrible deal...”

His eyes flickered coldly.

Vrrrrr...

Vrrrrrrr...!

Before he could organize his thoughts, however, his phone began buzzing noisily. The Blood Demon confirmed the number on the screen and chewed his lips a little before answering the call.

“Sir.”

—So, you’ve failed.

The Blood Demon’s expression crumpled. “Sir... Our information was as wrong as it could possibly get. Since we’ve incorrectly analyzed the enemy’s combat capabilities, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we’d run into issues.”

—Indeed.

The caller was none other than Wang Long. His voice sounded eerily still on the phone. So much so that the Blood Demon was reminded of how talking to this guy would give him the creeps sometimes.

—However, let me ask you something. Do you know what we call someone who can only succeed when the situation is perfect and when they have all the information necessary?

“...”

Wang Lung didn’t wait for a reply.

—An incompetent fool.

A subtle smirk formed on the emotionless face of the Blood Demon just then. “Well, well. I can’t deny that. Sure. I was a bit incompetent this time.”

—Do you know why I trust you?

“Not sure, sir.”

—You’re quick to admit to your fault. And you remain resolutely objective about yourself, too. Also, you don’t resort to useless excuses, either.

“I see. Thank you for your kind evaluation.”

—No need to thank me. Because I prefer needlessly stubborn but competent people over objective but incompetent fools, after all.

“...”

—You’ve already disappointed me once. Do not forget that. Because I won’t.

“Don’t worry, I won’t forget. Sir.”

—I’ll handle Kang Jin-Ho’s matter now.

“Hold on, sir. I’m not going to deny that I’ve messed up this time. However, Kang Jin-Ho... No, the Demon King isn’t someone you can handle with the combat strength at your disposal.”

—I know. But it’s my job to do something about that. As long as I’m not an incompetent idiot, that is.

“...I see. Understood.”

—Return to base.

...And then, the line went dead. The Blood Demon stared at the phone in silence.

Crack!

The screen cracked like a spider web, starting from where his finger touched it.

Looks like I’m being underestimated here.

The Blood Demon sighed deeply.

He wasn’t cooperating with the military out of his boundless love and patriotism toward China.

In the current era, science had long surpassed martial arts. For martial artists to survive in such an era, they must cooperate with those who used science as weapons. At least, that was what he believed.

Right now, the Three Kings were on top of the world, which included the military. But this state wouldn’t last for long. There would come a day when the science-wielding folks surpassed the Three Kings and their goons in strength. By cooperating with the government before that happened, the Blood Mara Cult would gain the acknowledgment and the right to exist.

What a simple-minded calculation that was on my part. Still...

Becoming the country’s hounds was easier said than done. After all, he was dealing with greedy, nay, avaricious people here.

Humans would feed wolves to tame them like dogs. Once the wolves seemed tamed enough, the tasty treats and foods would get swapped out with sticks and punishments. Rather than wasting money on high-quality meats, the humans would resort to the cost-effective methods of beatings to control wolves that had transformed into obedient dogs.

“...And that’s exactly what I am, isn’t it? A blood dog.”

The Blood Demon ruefully licked his lips. Hints of murderous thoughts were evident in the twisted smirk of his crimson lips.

Of course, he was the one who willingly invited this treatment on himself. That was why he didn’t feel dissatisfied by it. Whether he was seen as a dog or a cat, he used to think everything was fine as long as he got to enjoy high-class foods and stayed in a safe home.

But that belief received a powerful shake-up this time.

The... Crimson Demon!

Kang Jin-Ho!

His strength was more than enough to shake up every belief the Blood Demon held. And then some!

That was an absolute, overwhelming power that could not be resisted. And the man wielding such power truly deserved to be called the avatar of all things demonic.

Could the combat strength of the Chinese military be enough to stop such power? The Blood Demon would’ve unhesitantly said yes if this was a day ago. But now? His thoughts had changed.

One’s victory or defeat weren’t wholly dependent on one’s strength. If that logic was true in every situation, the United States of America would never have tasted defeat in Vietnam. The actual determining factor was how much of one’s strength one could deploy in the battle.

In that regard, the martial artists still held a clear upper hand. Even if martial artists existed beyond the law of the country, the fact that they were still this country’s citizens didn’t change. Realistically speaking, just how much firepower could a country mobilize while taking out its own citizens minding their business?

Deploying five attack helicopters for a mission in the middle of a public road had already created a massive headache-inducing aftermath. That was the reality tying up the government’s hands right now. In that case...!

The Blood Demon tried to get up.

“...! Kkeuhk!”

All the pain and impact force the Blood Jiangshi suffered were transmitted in full to his body. His arm and both legs felt paralyzed as if they weren’t even there. And a murderous migraine continued to assault his head.

Attacks that not only injured the Blood Jiangshi, but even the Blood Demon’s spirit, too...?

The Blood Demon shuddered in dread again. The memories of Kang Jin-Ho’s icy glare as he trampled on the Blood Jiangshi’s head didn’t want to leave the Blood Demon alone. That was the true, undeniable terror. The power to completely oppress his opponents!

“Heavenly... Crimson Demon Emperor!”

The Blood Demon chewed on his lips, then forced his unwilling body to move. Flickers of bizarre light were visible in his eyes.

***

The first thing Wiggins did after reaching the Martial Assembly HQ was to get on top of the situation.

He asked one of the waiting subordinates in the office. “Has there been any suspicious individuals lurking around the Assembly’s surrounding areas?”

The subordinate was taken aback. “Sir? We haven’t noticed anyone like that.”

“I see. I want you to step up the Assembly’s security. And have our people search the surroundings, just in case. As stealthily as possible, too.”

“Understood, sir!”

Wiggins furrowed his brow while watching the subordinate leave the office. Surely, they wouldn’t monitor us via the obvious methods.

The government couldn’t be stupid enough to send its agents to monitor martial artists. Which meant cutting-edge surveillance technology had to be deployed here.

The odds of finding such things with naked eyes were low, but that didn’t mean Wiggins should just sit here and do nothing. There was also the need to make the Martial Assembly’s stance clear to anyone watching, too.

Wiggins turned his head slightly to glance at Bang Jin-Hun.

We need to calm this gent down, before he does something inadvisable...

Bang Jin-Hun was clearly trying his best to suppress his boiling anger. His expression alone suggested that he wanted to steal a bus or something and drive it straight through the presidential palace’s front gate!

“Mister Bang. I need you to calm down.”

“...Yes, I know!”

“I’ll say this again. Our priority is bringing the Assembly Master home. Safe and sound.”

“Blooming hell...! That’s why I keep saying we gotta send a rescue team to...”

“Have you forgotten? That South Korea is effectively an island? And there isn’t much we can do in the open sea. You have experienced this, too.”

“Urgh...!”

Wiggins quickly changed the subject. “So? Have we secured the safety of the Assembly Master’s family?”

“Yes, we have. I’ve people watching and protecting the family members as we speak. Even if an entire armored division shows up, our people will still be able to hold their ground for at least two hours.”

“I hope you didn’t make it too obvious.”

“No need to worry about that. We’re talking about our specialty, after all. You know, monitoring someone without getting found out.”

“That’s not something to be proud of, Mister Bang.”

“Mm? Why not...”

Before Bang Jin-Hun could finish his sentence...!

BANG! 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The office door literally exploded. Wiggins and Bang Jin-Hun urgently turned around while rousing up their internal energy. Was this an enemy raid?

They quickly realized that the one kicking the door down wasn’t an enemy, however. Unfortunately for them, though, sometimes an enemy was a more welcoming sight than that of a supposed ally.

“You...!”

The old man, responsible for kicking the door down, stood menacingly in the doorway, his hair rising and dancing in the air. And that was happening quite literally, too. Thanks to this old man, Chang Min, circulating his qi to an extreme degree, he had generated a massive gust of winds around him, causing his hair to dance madly in the air like that.

Just the visual of his bloodshot eyes and dancing hair was enough to shrivel the hearts of grown men.

“E-Elder Chang!”

“...!”

Wiggins and Bang Jin-Hun stared at Chang Min in sheer fluster.

Chang Min loudly gritted his teeth. “You goddamn bugs...! What did you say happened over the phone?”

“S-so, the thing is...”

“Did you say my liege is currently under attack in China?!”

“...”

“Yet, you insects dare sit here and do nothing?”

This intense murderous aura, one strong enough to tear through flesh and rip apart a person’s body, suddenly slammed into Bang Jin-Hun and Wiggins.

Both men amply understood that the furious Chang Min was very much a different beast from the normal Chang Min, but this level of murderous aura easily made a mockery of their understanding.

“E-Elder, please calm down and listen to us first.”

Wiggins nervously swallowed his saliva, then tried to pacify Chang Min. That didn’t mean Wiggins was calm himself, though.

Dealing with a religious zealot would always be difficult, since their mindset differed so much from a regular person’s.

If physical suppression had been an option here, Wiggins might have tried it, but Kang Jin-Ho and Vator weren’t around at the moment. Without those two around, who could possibly attempt to stop Chang Min’s rampage? If he wanted to, he wouldn’t even need one hour to destroy at least half of the Martial Assembly by himself.

“Calm down?!”

Chang Min clenched his fists. Crimson-tinged black demonic qi began gushing out from his figure.

“Did you just tell me to calm down?”

“...!”

Sparks began spitting out of Chang Min’s eyes. “I am perfectly calm. And rational.”

“E-Elder Chang, you don’t....”

“So, find a way for me to get to China. Right now. Or else I will personally end your useless lives, right here! I am going to China!”

“E-Elder...!”

“Right now!”

Just as more cold sweat threatened to cover Wiggins’ entire body, Bang Jin-Hun grunted loudly in irritation.

“Elder Chang! Didn’t the Assembly Master say you’ll only get in his way if you go to China?”

“What did you say?!”

Chang Min turned his head and glared straight into Bang Jin-Hun’s eyes.

The murderous aura gushing out from him had grown so intense that all the hairs on Wiggins’ body had risen up now. However, Bang Jin-Ho didn’t back down from all that intense murderous aura crushing down on him.

“Even if we go to China, it’ll be nothing more than increasing the headcount by a bit, you know? And it’s gonna make the Assembly Master’s escape that much trickier, too! In that case, isn’t it better to just shut the hell up and cooperate with everyone here?”

“You! How dare you...!”

“Why don’t you understand that your current behavior is making things worse for the Assembly Master?”

Even more sparks flew out from Chang Min’s eyes. However, Bang Jin-Hun still stood his ground and took on Chang Min’s aura.

“That’s why you gotta calm down, Elder! Before you put the Assembly Master in even more danger!”

Griiiit!

Chang Min’s eyes turned dark-crimson just then.