As expected, Yeon Cheon Baek felt there was something about this arrow.Feeling the tingling run, he looked toward the archer loosing from the bow.There was a reason that fellow had dared send arrows straight at him.An ordinary martial artist would have lost his life to these shafts.But he was no ordinary martial artist.Proof: the archer’s face, now showing fluster.“One arrow is enough. I’ll return the rest.”FWIP—He flicked the arrow he’d caught straight back at the archer.SHRIEEEEK—The arrow flew faster and harder than when it had been shot from the bow.The archer tried to avoid it.Had the man who threw that shaft not been Yeon Cheon Baek, he might have managed it.The arrow curved in pursuit and buried itself in both of the archer’s thighs.THUD—“Ghhk!”FLOP—The archer collapsed where he stood, wracked with pain.FLAP—Yeon Cheon Baek, who had already flashed in and arrived before him, drifted down slowly.The archer looked as if he couldn’t properly muster strength.Even with arrows in the thighs, he should have been able to employ martial arts.Yet unlike moments ago, he looked drained of energy.Finding it odd, Yeon Cheon Baek looked closely. The arrows were wildly scrambling the archer’s qi.The shafts themselves seemed to have the ability to interfere with the flow of energy.Where had he gotten such things?They were too valuable to spend by firing as arrows.Could they be retrieved after shooting?Or did he simply have these in such quantity that expending them as arrows didn’t matter?Implements he’d never seen.Don’t tell me—Yeon Cheon Baek seized the archer who sat glaring at him, emptied of strength.“You’re… a ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) demon.”Once he had hold, the Magi was unmistakable.Then these arrows were things of the Demon Realm.If they forged swords and sabers and made arrows out of this and spread them everywhere—It would be dangerous.The Central Plains would turn into a road of hell in an instant.They wouldn’t even be able to mount a proper response.He’d come because that child’s voice left him uneasy, and now he was glad he had.Had he not known this, they would have suffered without understanding why.TRICKLE—Just then, black-red blood ran from the demon’s mouth.“Damn!”He had killed himself.It was because Yeon Cheon Baek had hesitated at discovering he was a demon.FLOP—Looking down at the demon who had fallen dead on the spot, Yeon Cheon Baek wore a hollow expression.He picked up the bow and arrows that had dropped to the ground.He decided he needed to get these to Yeon Woo Jin as quickly as possible.There was only one person who would research this and find a solution: Yeon Woo Jin.“Il Mu Yeong.”SHSHK—At Yeon Cheon Baek’s call, Il Mu Yeong appeared at once.He held out a hand—As if he already knew what Yeon Cheon Baek wanted.Passing the bow and arrows over, Yeon Cheon Baek said,“Take these to Woo Jin right now and report everything that happened here.”“Understood.”SHSHK—Watching Il Mu Yeong vanish the instant he answered, Yeon Cheon Baek turned his gaze back into the island.There was definitely something here.“Ahem.”A foul stench even reached him; he pinched his nose.Looking toward the source of the smell, he saw the body of the demon who had just killed himself was rotting in an instant.Watching the demon decay, Yeon Cheon Baek fell into thought.He looked as if he were guarding this island. What was he trying to protect?If he was trying to guard something, it wouldn’t be just the one.Yeon Cheon Baek started forward, deeper into the island. ****A manor came into view as Yeon Cheon Baek advanced.All over the grounds lay human bloodstains.It seemed they had killed those who had lived here and seized the place.He expanded his sense—and caught movement within.A feeling crept over him that those inside weren’t human.Damn demons. Brazenly strutting around like this?If he captured them and questioned them, would they reveal their base?No.Before that, he had the sense those things weren’t truly “alive.”He had to decide.Subdue?Or kill?Just then—The girl’s voice sounded again.“Please, send me home!”“Be quiet. If your father does as he’s told, we’ll send you home.”What was that supposed to mean?If her father obeyed, they’d send her back?It sounded like someone had kidnapped a man’s daughter to make him do something.Whatever that something was, it would not benefit the Central Plains.If they’d kidnapped a daughter, that meant the most precious thing to the target was his child.And the fact they were forcing the matter by resorting to kidnapping meant they were a fairly large force.What force of demons would go this far to make someone act?Save her first and find out.Yeon Cheon Baek widened his sense to count how many demons were inside.Six.Judging by the energy he felt, they were fairly strong.Just what sort of child was shut inside that demons of this level were set to guard her?If he freed the child trapped inside, he could learn what had led to this.Demons were strong—but only against ordinary martial artists.Yeon Cheon Baek moved.THUMP—A demon went down in a single blow.Before the body hit the ground, Yeon Cheon Baek’s figure had already shifted to the next demon.SPLIT—FLASH—SPLIT—FLASH—THUD—In an instant, Yeon Cheon Baek had put down four demons.THUMP— THUMP— THUMP—When he stopped, the four demons dropped flat.Only the two demons farther back remained; once he removed them, there would be no one left guarding the outside.Yeon Cheon Baek sprang into the air.Then he spotted the two on the far side.TING—Finger-force snapped from Yeon Cheon Baek’s fingertip and streaked toward the demons.THUD—Struck by the finger-force, the demons toppled to the floor.They were certainly the ones who had killed the people in the manor; there was no value in letting them live.Having cleared the demons outside, Yeon Cheon Baek hurled himself toward the hall where the voice had come from.FLASH—KRAAANG—He smashed the doors and stepped inside—and saw a young girl imprisoned.“What the—?”The demon guarding that place started, then tried to attack Yeon Cheon Baek.“Close your eyes.”At Yeon Cheon Baek’s words, the girl squeezed her eyes shut.SPLIT—The instant she did, the demon’s head burst apart.THUD-THUD—By the time the headless body hit the ground—CRACK—Yeon Cheon Baek chopped through the iron bars with a knife-hand and pulled the girl into his arms.“You’re safe now. I came to rescue you.”“R-really? D-did my father send you?”“Your father? Who is your father?”“Weren’t you sent by my father? Now that I look… you don’t seem like one of the palace people. Are you from the Central Plains?”“Yes. And what do you mean by ‘palace’? Where are you from?”The girl looked at Yeon Cheon Baek for a moment.Her eyes asked whether he could be trusted.Seeing his eyes, the girl spoke.“I am Maeng Hwa-yeon, the youngest of the Southern Wilds Beast Palace Lord.”Maeng Hwa-yeon introduced herself clearly, each word crisp.Hearing who she was, Yeon Cheon Baek’s face showed surprise.“You’re the youngest daughter that the Southern Wilds Beast Palace Lord cherishes most?”“Yes.”“Hoo. And how is it that you, who should be in the Southern Wilds, are here—and in a cage, at that?”“I was exploring the jungle and unknown people dragged me away.”“You don’t know who they are?”“No. I don’t. But I heard them talking.”“Oh? What did they say?”“They said the most certain way to drag our palace into this was me… and that if they weren’t going to repeat the mistakes of the past, they had to throw the Central Plains into the greatest possible chaos.”“Mistakes of the past…”It sounded like they were speaking of the Great War of Righteous and Demonic.It seemed they meant to spread as much chaos as possible before they came back into the world.But since there was no way to send the Southern Wilds Beast Palace into the Central Plains, they had used the one they treasured most—Maeng Hwa-yeon, the youngest the Palace Lord cherished most.The Southern Wilds Beast Palace Lord was the sort who would truly turn the Central Plains into a sea of fire to get Maeng Hwa-yeon back.Even if vengeance on the kidnappers came later, getting his daughter back came first.The daughter was now rescued.Which meant the Southern Wilds Beast Palace had lost its reason to invade the Central Plains.On the contrary, they would gain another ally.They would seethe with hatred for those who had kidnapped the girl.Yeon Cheon Baek let out a faint laugh.When things are meant to go well, they go this well, he thought.“I was on my way to meet your father. I’ll take you home.”“Thank you.”Maeng Hwa-yeon’s small body bowed with adult grace—so cute it hurt.No wonder the Southern Wilds Beast Palace was head-over-heels for this child.“Come. Hold on tight.”“Yes.”FWOOSH—Yeon Cheon Baek kicked into the open air and roared skyward. ****Two hours after Yeon Cheon Baek departed.A man came skimming over the lake’s surface and stepped onto the island.The moment he entered, he grimaced.The first thing to catch his eye was the archer who had guarded the watchtower and defended the island’s approaches.After confirming the archer’s body—completely decayed—he turned his head toward the manor’s hall.Sensing no presence there, the man’s face twisted as he spat a curse.“Damn it! Which bastard keeps interfering with our work!”RUMMMBLE—His rage poured out; the man’s force made the whole island shake.Shouting wouldn’t solve it.First he had to figure out how the demons guarding this place had been taken down.Every demon had been killed in a single blow.To kill the demons here in a single strike—you needed to stand in the Mythic Realm.Which meant a Mythic Realm martial artist had come through here.There were not many Mythic Realm experts in the Central Plains.The most famous among them was the One Martial God.“The One Martial God… Was it him?”He almost hoped it had been the One Martial God.At least then it would make sense.But for things like this to keep happening at such a critical moment—Nothing was going their way.An ill omen.Would they fail again this time?This was no time for such thoughts.He had to salvage this somehow.There was one sure method.At this point, we crush them with brute force and drive them into invading the Central Plains.A cold gleam rolled in the man’s eyes.A moment later, he vanished from the island. ****This place was a hive of activity, busy with preparations to invade the Central Plains.The Southern Wilds Beast Palace.Every face burned with anger.“What if something’s happened to the young lady?”“Don’t you dare say something so unlucky!”“I don’t know what bastard kidnapped our young lady, but we’re going to tear him limb from limb!”“Get in line. There’s a crowd here waiting to rip that bastard apart.”“Right. You’ve said your piece—go to the end of the line. Who knows, you might get a single foot to yourself.”“Quit the big talk and get back to work.”Just as they were about to focus on preparations again—A commotion rose at the main gate.“What now? Enemies?”They turned their heads toward the gate, curiosity piqued—And heard a familiar voice.“Did you just hear that?”“You heard it too? It—it was…”“Lady Hwa-yeon’s voice!”The instant those words left someone’s mouth, people sprinted for the gate.When they arrived, Maeng Hwa-yeon was truly standing there.“Young lady!”“Lady Hwa-yeon!”Cries choked with tears rose from all directions.“Is… is it really Lady Hwa-yeon?”“Yes! Uncle Tasareuk, have you been well?”At the sound of Maeng Hwa-yeon calling his name, Tasareuk burst into tears.“Snf! How could I be well when you were gone, young lady? I wasn’t!”“I’m back now. Don’t cry.”At Maeng Hwa-yeon’s words, Tasareuk hastily wiped his tears.“I won’t cry.”As Tasareuk tried to compose himself—“Hwa-yeon!”CLANG— CLANG—A thunderous shout boomed, making the entire palace tremble.Maeng Hwa-yeon clapped her hands over her ears in surprise; every member of the palace glared at the Palace Lord and cried out,“Palace Lord! You frightened the young lady!”At the word that Maeng Hwa-yeon had been startled, the Palace Lord, Maeng Jong, flinched and rushed over.“My daughter! A-are you all right? Did Father scare you?”“Mm. My ears hurt.”“I—I’m sorry.”As he apologized, Maeng Hwa-yeon flashed a bright smile, hugged him tight, and said,“Daddy. I’m home.”

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