MTLNOVEL Ch. 44
Chapter 44: The Woman in the Bamboo Grove
Venomous energy and sharp aura flared at her fingertips. With both hands curled like the talons of a raptor, Tang Yeo-hye launched a ferocious assault.
She clawed, twisted, and tore at him with her Ferocious Jade Claw like a storm, but Soul-Stealing Demon Lord deployed his tyrannical Nine Nether Demonic Palm, neutralizing every one of her techniques.
Papapat!
A chaotic tangle of claw techniques and palm strikes filled the air. Each time the four hands collided, powerful qi waves swept the surroundings.
The sound of air ripping—the sonic crack—rang out. Attacks rained down wildly, aimed solely at each other.
The hands and feet of Soul-Stealing Demon Lord, tainted with demonic qi, tore apart the space before him. His strange-angled strikes targeted Tang Yeo-hye’s acupoints.
She aimed to suppress him, for his latent energy would scatter upon death. But Tang Yeo-hye exploited that weakness, pushing forward with wave-like offense.
Yet, despite how much life force he had absorbed, and despite continuously unleashing internal energy, Soul-Stealing Demon Lord showed not the slightest sign of fatigue.
Papap! Pak!
Everyone held their breath as the clash unfolded. After roughly thirty exchanges, Tang Yeo-hye realized that her once pale hands had been stained red.
“Hahh… Haaah…”
Despite mustering her qi control, her fingers were in tatters, shredded by the destructive demonic qi.
Then, reading her momentary hesitation, Soul-Stealing Demon Lord curled his fist and instantly launched a strike like a Lightning Sword.
Paaang!
Tang Yeo-hye crossed her arms to block the incoming fist technique, barely managing to defend against it. But the sheer force sent her skidding back nearly a jang.
“Kuheuk!”
She spat out a mouthful of dark red blood. Her arms throbbed as if they’d been shattered.
But the greater danger was the sinister demonic qi that had invaded her body through her hands and wrists.
Wracked by the alien and violent energy rampaging within her, Tang Yeo-hye bit down on her bloodied lips.
“That was the Skyward Demon Fist. Even if you wrap yourself in qi, the demonic qi will burrow into your body like a drill. So? Do you like it?”
Soul-Stealing Demon Lord toyed with his blackened palm as he spoke.
With a twisted smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, he already looked certain of victory.
“Hmph. That musty, gloomy crap of a technique suits dried-up old fossils like you!”
Tang Yeo-hye snapped back in a sharp voice, unwilling to concede.
Chuckling at her venomous defiance, Soul-Stealing Demon Lord once again assumed the stance for Skyward Demon Fist.
‘…Shit, what do I do?’
Outwardly, she bluffed, but the internal damage felt serious—and her opponent was at least a Peak Master Level fighter.
She should’ve listened to her father, Tang Yangcheon, and stayed put in the family estate.
His warnings echoed anew—that her headstrong nature would one day get her into deep trouble.
‘Should I run now?’
The thought weighed heavily.
But even that young brat had staked his life in battle—how could Venom Valley’s Tang Yeo-hye tuck tail in front of children?
Resolving herself, she raised her clawed hands once more.
‘Come to think of it… how did that kid dodge the old monster’s attacks earlier?’
Even with her unpredictable Ferocious Jade Claw, she’d barely blocked his strikes. But that brat, Dan Mujin, had dodged those punches several times.
Thanks to him, she’d even considered she might hold out until Hwang Geolgae arrived.
“If you had stayed quiet, I would’ve drained your life force last. But you chose punishment!”
With a shout calling her a fool chasing death, Soul-Stealing Demon Lord lunged forward.
He unleashed a flurry of Skyward Demon Fist strikes, each imbued with thick, dark demonic qi.
Paaang! Paaang!
Terrifyingly intense fist pressure whipped through the air. The black qi waves shook the earth. Each exchange imbued her body with more vicious demonic qi.
In the end, Tang Yeo-hye couldn’t endure it and vomited another mouthful of blood.
Her acupoints twisted, and her innards churned. She released poison powder and performed Ferocious Jade Claw while retreating swiftly.
But Soul-Stealing Demon Lord chased her relentlessly, determined to crush her will completely with his ferocious assault.
“Damn it…!”
The taste of blood lingered in her harsh breaths.
A moment’s lapse would result in fists smashing flesh and crushing bone. They came at her from all directions.
Pushed entirely on the defensive, Tang Yeo-hye couldn’t even think of countering—just barely managing to block.
Finally, a bizarrely angled palm strike hit her flank.
“Keuk!”
With a scream, she was sent flying. Agonizing pain surged through her organs.
Unable to even scream, she gasped and choked on her breath.
The sight of her sprawled miserably on the ground made the hunched old man sneer as he slowly approached.
She tried desperately to get up, but her body, with qi and blood in disarray due to the demonic qi, refused to move.
Her limbs were limp, her body as heavy as if weighted down by stone, and her vision began to blur.
‘Me, Tang Yeo-hye, dying like this……?’
Geolwang never showed up in the end.
Meanwhile, the hundred-year-old demon who sucked away human life force stood right before her.
He approached with both hands wrapped in an evil demonic art that stole the source of life itself.
“Ha.”
Seeing that, she thought of the low-class wanderer who had withered and died earlier, just like a mummy.
She had stepped into the murim prepared for death, but never imagined she’d meet such a miserable end.
“All that about Orabeoni and whatnot, it’s all meaningless……”
As she lamented her own pitiful state and tried to shut her eyes tight—
Pung-!
A familiar explosion rang in her ears.
Things were not going well.
The enemy was a former demonic practitioner infamous for the Star-Sucking Great Technique.
With the Eight Slashing Formation and escort warriors already neutralized, if Tang Yeo-hye fell too, we were truly finished.
“Ilhong!”
I urgently pushed off the ground and called Ilhong’s name.
Perhaps our minds had connected, for she had already drawn her cylindrical hidden weapon to save Tang Yeo-hye.
Pung-!
The Black Powder ignited, and sharp Bi Chim burst forth with flames.
Soul-Stealing Demon Lord, sensing this, swung his left hand and struck the air. The erupting palm force turned into a storm, sweeping away the incoming Bi Chim in a roar.
Taat!
I took advantage of the moment his balance and focus were drawn to one side and struck in from the opposite flank.
With the unparalleled movement technique Whirlwind Steps, the three-jang distance closed in a flash as I reached out toward Tang Yeo-hye in danger.
But the moment Soul-Stealing Demon Lord flicked his right hand, a fist brimming with killing intent appeared right before me.
If not for the Heaven-Slaying Star, I would’ve been hit with an “Oh!”—an unavoidable blow. Sensing the red arc aiming for my forehead, I desperately jerked my head back.
It was a near miss. My face got grazed by the fist pressure, ripping the skin and spraying some blood, but I endured it.
Tuk!
I safely pushed away Tang Yeo-hye, who was trembling like a newborn deer, and stood before Soul-Stealing Demon Lord.
“……Hm? I’m sure I broke your shoulder.”
Seeing my face and intact body, the old demonic practitioner looked dumbfounded.
“Ah, you mean that?”
I exaggeratedly rolled both shoulders in circles, loosening my body.
That bright red energy earlier had soaked in chaotically and fully restored the bones.
Seems like he cherishes this body he plans to devour someday.
“So, you anticipated this one’s strike earlier, and now this… Quite the strange one, aren’t you?”
“Strange? Or maybe you’re just getting weak because you’re at death’s door, old man?”
At my provocation, the eyes of Soul-Stealing Demon Lord gleamed coldly.
“Then I’ll slice off all your limbs clean this time!”
With a roar, he layered a sharp qi edge on his hand and lunged forward.
Taat!
Soul-Stealing Demon Lord appeared before me like lightning and swung his gleaming hand blade.
Puhak!
Blood spurted from my shoulder. But in that fleeting moment, I twisted my upper body back just enough to avoid a complete severing.
“There it is again. The eyes read it, and the body follows after!”
He couldn’t comprehend how someone not even at the Peak Master Level, barely First or Second Rate, was slipping past lethal blows like an eel.
I flooded my entire meridians with internal energy and pushed Whirlwind Steps to the extreme.
Shweek—!
His sharp fingertips sliced a straight line across my abdomen. Blood burst out, but thanks to pulling my waist back, I protected the peritoneum—no organ spilling today.
“Kugh!”
The sound of tearing air rang out as attacks poured down chaotically.
Hwang Geolgae once said: for a master, a single breath of rest was enough to recover some strength.
So I had to buy time—for the person behind me, even just a little more.
My body could be torn apart and still recover, so I focused solely on avoiding fatal wounds while taking on the attacks of a supreme master head-on.
The one fortunate thing—facing this life-or-death crisis, the Heaven-Slaying Star went berserk, and I started instinctively reading his attacks.
Shwick! Shwick! Shwick!
But once he realized I could read his strikes, Soul-Stealing Demon Lord began lowering the power of each move and unleashed a barrage my body couldn’t keep up with.
His hands and feet sprayed sharp Qi Waves, flying at me from all directions.
Long, red gashes etched across my body. My earlobe was sliced off, and my severed hair strands filled the air like bloodied petals.
Seogeok!
One strike cut deep into my forearm.
“Kugh!”
A wound so deep that the white of the bone peeked through.
My whole body was already a wreck, drenched in blood. I had lost so much blood that the world spun, and then Soul-Stealing Demon Lord charged again.
Just as the thought crossed my mind—‘I might really die like this’—
“Hey! Brat!”
Tang Yeo-hye, who seemed to have recovered a bit of her strength, flung hidden weapons and poison powder as she pulled me back.
A move clearly made with the knowledge that I was resistant to poison.
“Why the hell did you come back!”
She was scolding me for not running away earlier when she had saved me.
“This isn’t some forbidden place, and besides, didn’t you come back too?”
If left alone, Tang Yeo-hye would have had her life force drained, and the rest of us would’ve been wiped out. At least I stepped in and bought us some time.
“Even a brat like you is fighting, so how the hell could I run in shame?”
“Brat this, brat that. Cut it out, will you? I’m taller than you, you know.”
I had grown like a weed all winter to the point of getting growing pains.
“……Shut it, or I’ll kill you.”
Even with a face that looked moments from death, she instantly snapped at the jab about her height. She really had a trigger button.
Anyway, just as hope began to rise that we might hold out until Hwang Geolgae arrived if we teamed up—
A cold voice echoed through the thick dark green mist.
“You’re starting to annoy me.”
A flash of jet-black gleam. Soul-Stealing Demon Lord, who had pushed through the poison powder, dashed in like lightning and unleashed Nine Nether Demonic Palm with both hands.
Puk!
The subtle principle of Rapid Halberd Strike—too fast to even react. A lethal technique from a supreme master slammed into Tang Yeo-hye’s chest.
I flew through the air, not even able to cry out. My body crashed hard, flung away.
The pain that racked my body made me feel like I was breaking apart. My consciousness wavered.
“……Enhanced Qi!”
Tang Yeo-hye coughed up blood as she shouted at the intense energy gathered in the old man’s hand.
It was that Enhanced Qi, said to only be momentarily drawn out when one had reached a consummate level among even supreme masters.
“Now that the meddler’s gone, let’s finish what I started.”
Soul-Stealing Demon Lord slowly approached Tang Yeo-hye, who had been shoved back in a blood-soaked heap.
I wanted to rise immediately, but my qi and blood were completely twisted from internal injuries.
I had drawn out every last drop of strength I had—yet this was the result.
I couldn’t help resenting Hwang Geolgae, who had chased off after the Nangabong Monster like he was possessed and still hadn’t returned.
“Seemed like you had a glimmer of hope earlier. If you’re thinking of begging for your life, now’s the time.”
Soul-Stealing Demon Lord asked mockingly.
“……Fuck off.”
“Heh, a feisty bitch to the end. You must have a fine reservoir of internal energy. I’ll make it special and drain every last drop of latent energy from your entire meridians.”
He was treating a person like a living jar of internal energy.
But as he said he’d scour the entire body, a certain old man nearly killed by latent energy injection—and a tiny trick—flashed through my mind.
“Ugh.”
Soul-Stealing Demon Lord pressed his thumb against Tang Yeo-hye’s Eomcheon Acupoint and lifted her by the neck.
“Soul-Stealing Demon Lord! Stop! I have a proposal!”
I shouted loudly, and the bastard turned toward me with a surprised look.
“……What? How are you still alive? That was a Rapid Halberd Strike at full force.”
It had not been a feint, but a real lethal technique—so my breathing baffled him.
Soul-Stealing Demon Lord wore a face of disbelief.
“Probably thanks to a spiritual beast I consumed before.”
“Hm? A spiritual beast? Which one?”
“The Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp. I foolishly ate it in a cave, and it turned into a miraculous encounter. That’s how I could read your attacks like prophecy, and survive that last blow.”
I answered him sincerely while he still held Tang Yeo-hye by the throat.
Of course, it was total bullshit. I had never seen a spiritual beast in my life.
“In fact, I still haven’t fully digested the overflowing Yang Energy, and over thirty years’ worth of cultivation remains dormant in my entire meridians.”
But spiritual elixirs and spiritual beasts were things most people had never consumed—just shrouded in rumors and myths, enough to dazzle the gullible.
“Hm. Then why tell me all this so readily?”
Naturally, Soul-Stealing Demon Lord first suspected trickery.
“Take me instead, and let her go.”
At my words, Tang Yeo-hye’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Hey, cut the bullshit and you run—mmph!”
Soul-Stealing Demon Lord, annoyed by the noise, jabbed her acupoint.
“Interesting story. But if I just take both of you, why should I bother?”
I picked up one of the poisoned needles he had blown away earlier and brought it to my own neck.
No matter how many years of internal energy might be inside me, if I die, I’m just a hunk of meat. It’s all pointless.
“……Huh, must be a special relationship. That a righteous lady of the orthodox faction would fall for such a young brat.”
It seemed he had misunderstood my risking my life to save her.
In truth, I was gambling to kill this bastard.
“Well, fine, maybe I’ll just let this girl go…… huh!”
Pretending to release Tang Yeo-hye, Soul-Stealing Demon Lord flew like a bolt and snatched the poisoned needle, then jabbed my acupoint.
He smirked coldly, then brought his index and middle finger to my Eomcheon Acupoint just like before.
“Heh heh, truly, the internal energy you’ve built at such a young age is extraordinary.”
A strange latent energy coursed through me, racing from Myeongmun Point through Chungchu Point and to every corner of my body.
Soul-Stealing Demon Lord hadn’t discovered it all, but seemed convinced that at least part of my story was true, wearing a satisfied grin.
“Very well, I’ll suck out your internal energy first. Girl from the Tang Clan, watch as your young husband withers to death like a mummy. Heh heh.”
A vile energy gathered at his fingertips. Just as he was about to drain everything from me using the Star-Sucking Great Technique—
Something within me awakened in response to the vile demonic qi rampaging through my body like occupying forces.
“Urgh?!”
The crimson aura of the Heaven-Slaying Star flared up across my body.
The killing karma of eons surged backward along the latent energy that had flowed into me and poured into him in an instant.
When I turned my gaze, I saw his face flushing crimson, as if about to burst.
“Whatever it was you saw—pass along my regards for me.”
“Uuuuwegh─!”
Within just seconds, Soul-Stealing Demon Lord vomited blood. The internal injury must have been grave.
He flung me away and staggered backward with all his strength.
“Kuaaaagh! You son of a bitch……!”
In a fit of rage, his eyes seethed with killing intent as he glared at me.
“What the hell was that?! What did you show me—! Ughhh!”
More blood poured out. Not just from his mouth—streams of blood flowed from his ears, nose, and eyes as he shrieked in agony.
From the looks of it, he must be bleeding from his lower abdomen too. So this was the infamous Seven Apertures Bloodletting.
Hwang Geolgae had once said that he survived only because he cultivated the Starfall Heart Cultivation Method—anyone else would’ve gone straight to the afterlife.
Seems it was true after all.
“I’ll rip you apart—!”
But the bastard didn’t die right away, likely due to his vast reservoir of internal energy.
Suppressing the raging energy in his body like a blazing fire, Soul-Stealing Demon Lord came charging at me.
“A mutual death, huh? Well, it’s still better than dying alone, I guess.”
My final gamble seemed to have half succeeded.
Still, preparing for one last desperate strike, I clutched the poisoned needle and tried to gather my strength—
Chaeng—!
A long, straight, oriental-style sword suddenly flew in and struck away Soul-Stealing Demon Lord’s Enhanced Qi-coated fist with force.
And then, with a flutter of martial robes, a slender female master landed beside me.
“I heard everything from afar, little master. Impressive spirit.”
She spoke while gently lifting her bamboo hat.
She was a woman who had the word Demon-Slaying engraved on her scabbard.