The Cunning Treasure Hunter

Clang!

The dried spear shaft, soaked in saltwater and hardened, vibrated as Vera's Falling Blossom Sword left a deep scar on it before coming to a halt. Even that much had slowed her attack.

Had Valen not called out to stop her…

She wouldn't have withdrawn her internal energy from the sword. And the man who had appeared would have been cleaved in two.

"...Hah…"

The man, barely clinging to his life, collapsed onto the ground, trembling.

Vera gazed down at him. His attire, rough and durable, resembled a soldier's uniform rather than the martial robes of Suncrest Sect or Celestial Sword Sect.

"Are you from the Eastern Mountain Fiery Blade clan?"

"Y-yes… Hah… Hah…"

The man could barely believe what had just happened.

He had seen the sword glow with Sword energy, brimming with deadly intent. Acting on instinct, he had raised his spear to block the strike, fully expecting death.

But this child—this young girl—had withdrawn her energy with such speed and precision?

And that wasn't all.

What he had faced moments ago was an overwhelming killing intent. Almost demonic in nature.

That girl had genuinely intended to kill him.

"Compose yourself. What is going on?"

She spoke calmly, sliding her sword back into its scabbard and extending her small hand toward him as if nothing had happened.

A chill ran down the man's spine.

"I know him," said Valen, stepping forward.

The man sighed in relief, as though seeing a savior.

"I was on my way to meet you, Uncle."

"Then speak. What's the matter?"

Uncle?

Valen was this man's uncle?

Marcus, Ethan, and Vera blinked in surprise, glancing between the two. But whatever curiosity they had about Valen's family ties vanished with the man's next words.

"It's the Demonic Sect! There's a Demonic Sect member hiding within the branch family!"

The Legacy of the Demonic Sect

It had been fifty years since the Demonic Sect had been shattered and scattered.

To most, their horrors had become little more than old legends.

Young martial artists dismissed the tales as exaggerations, thinking the elders simply spoke such things to bolster their reputations or their egos.

And it was understandable.

The Demonic Sect, formally known as the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, wasn't just another martial sect or clan.

It was a true religion.

Many young warriors misunderstood this fact, equating it with ordinary martial organizations like the sects or clans. But the Demonic Sect was entirely different.

At its core stood a god—an actual deity.

And serving as the vessel and conduit for that god was the Heavenly Demon, the sect's supreme leader.

What kind of power did they derive from this mysterious deity?

No one truly knew—not even the Heavenly Demon's followers.

Even the deity's name could not be pronounced by a human tongue. Only the Heavenly Demon, born with the ability to vocalize the divine name, could speak it.

This was the requirement to become the Heavenly Demon.

Upon assuming the mantle, their body would forcibly transform into the Ten Thousand Demon Physique, granting the ability to freely wield all martial techniques rooted in Reverse Heaven Techniques.

The Nature of Reverse Heaven Techniques

Reverse Heaven Techniques was a technique that reversed the flow of internal energy, forcing it to circulate against the natural flow of the body's meridians.

For most, attempting this would result in insanity or death.

But the Demonic Sect's Demonic energy was fundamentally different from the Inner Energy used by righteous or unorthodox sects.

Where Inner Energy flowed naturally, Demonic energy thrived on its reverse flow.

And their cultivation didn't begin with training.

It started with a connection—by consuming a piece of the Heavenly Demon's body.

A single strand of hair, split into dozens of fragments, was enough. Once consumed, the connection to the god was established.

From there, the practitioner's core was directly filled with Demonic energy. While the quantity and quality of that energy could be improved through training, its origin was entirely separate from the natural world.

Unlike martial artists who gathered Natural energy to refine into Inner Energy, the Demonic Sect drew upon a fundamentally different power—one rooted in faith and fanaticism.

The Flames of Betrayal

In the distance, flames flickered against the night sky.

Valen clenched his teeth, fury burning in his eyes.

"That's my home," he growled.

The branch family of the Eastern Mountain Fiery Blade clan was under attack.

"I thought we had eradicated them all!"

Despite his anger, Valen couldn't outrun the man leading the way.

Behind him, Marcus, Ethan, and Vera followed closely, their movements swift and deliberate, adhering to the Hidden Fragrance Step technique.

But within their hearts, unease and anticipation mixed.

Their goal was to reach the main house of the Eastern Mountain Fiery Blade clan.

But could they simply ignore the danger facing the branch family? Experience new tales on My Virtual Library Empire

To do so would violate the very principles of their code.

Yet, the question lingered: did they have the strength to confront remnants of the Demonic Sect?

In that moment, Marcus couldn't bring himself to be certain.

Vera was strong.

But in prolonged battles, her stamina became a weakness.

Ethan was also strong—but only within the limits of his peers.

Even Vera was not entirely free from such constraints.

What if a mid-stage Supreme Martial Master from the Demonic Sect appeared?

And what if Valen was unable to assist them?

Marcus calculated countless possibilities in his mind, but no matter how he approached it, he arrived at the same grim conclusion.

There was no way to guarantee the safety of his junior brothers and sister.

Not when their opponents were from the Demonic Sect.

As they approached the source of the fire, an oppressive force tightened around their chests.

Though no one said a word, the young disciples of Suncrest Sect instinctively understood.

It was Demonic energy.

An energy not of this world.

"Raise your internal energy," commanded Valen. "As disciples of Suncrest Sect, your cultivation method itself will resist the Demonic energy."

Even as he spoke, he appeared to be circulating his own energy.

Marcus and Ethan drew forth their Clear Mind Technique, channeling its pure energy to counteract the suffocating Demonic energy mixed in the air.

The foul energy burned away as it entered their lungs, allowing them to breathe—but only just.

Vera, however, felt something different.

She could sense the heaviness of the Demonic energy, but it couldn't harm her.

The Black dragon of the Soul Harmony Realm Arts growled within her, reigning over her meridians and veins.

'It's dispersing the Demonic energy.'

That was exactly what was happening.

The energy of the Soul Harmony Realm Arts didn't counteract or neutralize the Demonic energy—it simply erased it.

Every trace of the foul energy that touched her veins disappeared without a sound, like ash in the wind.

"This way!"

The voice belonged to Alec, the son of the branch family leader of the Eastern Mountain Fiery Blade clan, and a master of the Blazing Dragon Sword Technique.

A man who had reached the pinnacle of his technique—if even he had to flee, what sort of nightmare awaited them ahead?

If the issue were merely one of strength, the arrival of Valen, who had entered the early stages of Flower Realm, would solve it.

But this was not a matter of strength alone.

The Horror Before Them

"The Demonic Sect will rise again! The Heavenly Demon shall return!"

The speaker's eyes gleamed with madness.

Her hair, disheveled and scorched by heat, framed her bloodshot eyes, which now wept tears of blood.

Even amidst the writhing flames, her grip was firm around the arm of a trembling young girl.

"S-save me… Please… save me…"

"Sylvia…?"

Valen's pupils shook violently.

The girl, his niece and the youngest daughter of his younger brother, was held hostage in the woman's grasp.

The curved edge of a sickle pressed tightly against her pale neck.

Her feet were bare, scraped and bruised, likely from being dragged around.

Her face, drained of all color, bore the marks of terror and despair.

Vera bit her lip as she saw the girl. The sight stirred memories of her own past.

"Uncle! Uncle!! Please save me!!!"

A hostage.

At that moment, Valen understood why his brother had been unable to act.

His younger brother, renowned as the Master of Heavenly Flames, was also the leader of the branch family.

But what could a father do when his daughter was held hostage?

"Where is Gavin?"

"Father… he…" Alec lowered his head, his voice trembling.

Valen clenched his teeth.

He was dead.

"How…? He had reached the mid-stages of Supreme Martial Master!"

"They took Mother hostage… and he…" Alec faltered, his voice breaking.

Vile and despicable monsters.

To kill a child's parents and set her home ablaze before her very eyes—such cruelty was beyond comprehension.

Madness in the Flames

"Do you want to save her?"

The woman sneered, her crazed eyes glinting as she cackled.

Flames of Demonic energy swirled around her, their oppressive heat warping the air.

Even Sylvia's fingertips had turned black from the corrupting energy.

"Why? Why are you doing this?"

"Why?"

The woman burst into hysterical laughter, her body trembling with mania.

Her words dripped with venom as waves of dense Demonic energy radiated from her.

"This is a prayer! A trumpet call! A declaration that the Demonic Sect shall never be extinguished! A beacon to rally our comrades!"

And then, in an instant, the woman raised the sickle high into the air.

Its blade arced downward, aimed at Sylvia's fragile neck.

"Receive this sacrifice! Receive it!!!"

The Strike of Falling Blossom

Valen knew he was too late.

But Vera was not.

She felt the intent to kill.

In that fleeting moment, she was certain: the woman intended to take the girl's life.

It was an instinct born from her Celestial Blade Star intuition—a sensitivity to death, murder, and blood.

Her internal energy surged to her feet, propelling her forward with such speed that her afterimage seemed to linger in place.

Amidst the blistering heat and swirling Flame Demonic energy, Vera's Falling Blossom Sword leapt from its sheath.

A dazzling radiance enveloped her blade, a manifestation of pure Sword energy.

It cleaved through the flames, cutting toward the woman with unmatched precision and force.