The Demonic Supreme Sword Novel - Chapter 89

Chapter 89
## Chapter: 89

## Chapter Title: Night Stained with Blood (1)

—

Sima Geon sprinted forward with desperate speed, cradling Manchu against his chest while his mind raced with panic. Although the road connecting Uga Village to the Clear Heart Clinic was relatively short, every step felt like a mile in his current state of agitation.

‘Please let her be okay.’

Sima Geon sent a silent, frantic plea for Sima Jin’s safety. It had been less than a month since she had suffered the trauma of being abducted by the Hongik Room, and the thought of her facing that kind of terror and agony again was unbearable to him.

Moments after bursting from his home, Sima Geon reached the Clear Heart Clinic like a localized hurricane. Despite the lateness of the hour, work on the facility was still in progress. Sima Geon scanned the area with a gaze like ice. Torches flickered throughout the site as laborers moved about, clustering together at the commands of their overseers as they neared the completion of the project.

Sima Geon bypassed the construction and went straight for the small villa situated behind the clinic. This property was originally part of the holdings of the Water Dragon Merchant Association, the massive trade guild of Hangzhou. However, it now displayed the emblem of the Clear Heart Clinic. Because of the friendship shared with the merchant leader, Hwang Jeong, they had been permitted to use the manor as a temporary headquarters until the new clinic was finished.

‘Am I already too late?’

Sima Geon’s jaw tightened as he observed a group of people entering the villa. There were about thirty individuals in total, and even disregarding the steel in their hands, the murderous intent radiating from them suggested they were seasoned killers. Taking a sharp breath, Sima Geon walked toward the entrance.

“Hold it right there, kid.”

The sentries posted at the front gate stepped into his path, blocking the way.

“Looks like you’re carrying a patient. Just cool your heels for a second. We have some private business to conclude inside first. We’ll let you see the medic in a bit, so just stay put.”

The guard glanced at the wounded Manchu in Sima Geon’s arms, his tone dripping with fake generosity.

“I appreciate the offer. But I don’t have time to wait.”

The moment Sima Geon took a step forward, the guard’s mask of politeness shattered. He whipped out a sharpened blade.

“You’re asking for a grave, you little—urgh!”

The threat died in the man’s throat as he slumped to the ground with a muffled gasp. His eyes were wide with shock, and a small, circular puncture in his forehead began to leak a gruesome mixture of brain matter and blood.

“What—what just happened?”

“How did he fall?”

The other guards were baffled. Sima Geon hadn’t even adjusted his grip on Manchu, yet their comrade was dead on the floor.

*Whish.*

With a faint whistling sound in the air, five more men collapsed simultaneously. There were no screams of pain. Just like the first man, they had been struck with lethal precision through the skull, the neck, or the heart, ending their lives instantly.

Thunderclap Finger.

This was the legendary piercing technique of the Great Power Demon Lord, a skill said to be the equal of the Heavenly Demon Mark, the signature art of the Heavenly Demon himself. Without a moment’s pause, Sima Geon continued his advance, having wiped out the gate guards in a heartbeat.

“Who goes—aargh!”

He cut down another opponent the second he crossed the threshold. However, that final cry was enough to alert the rest of the invaders.

“What is the meaning of—”

Go Yeom started to shout, but he had to jerk his body away mid-sentence. Blood sprayed into the air. As he stumbled back with a shattered cheekbone, Sima Geon was already on top of him, driving his foot down into Go Yeom’s shoulder.

‘I have to move!’

Go Yeom’s mind screamed to retreat, but his reflexes were far too slow.

*Crack!*

A sickening sound of snapping bone filled the air as Go Yeom’s shoulder was pulverized. The force was so great that his shinbone buckled and tore through the flesh of his leg.

“Brother!”

Go Cho Woong, seeing his sibling mangled, let out a cry of pure horror. Before his brother could even draw a breath to scream, he was finished. Blinded by a white-hot rage, Go Cho Woong threw himself forward, while the rest of the group launched a coordinated assault from all directions.

“B-brother…”

At that moment, Manchu drifted back into consciousness, his voice thin and shaking.

“Are you awake?”

Manchu gave a faint, weak nod.

“Hold on just a little longer. It’s going to be a rough ride.”

Sima Geon adjusted Manchu so he was held securely by his left arm alone. With a face as cold as stone, he reached out, and Go Yeom’s discarded blade flew into his right hand. The atmosphere around Sima Geon shifted violently. A predatory, suffocating pressure exploded from him, far more intense than anything he had shown previously. It was a presence colder than a winter gale, heavier than a mountain, and more chaotic than a typhoon.

The sword, now infused with that terrifying energy, lashed out. A brilliant arc of sword qi tore through the air, cleaving through the front line of attackers in a single motion.

“Aaaaaagh!”

Go Cho Woong, who had been charging to avenge his brother, fell to the ground screaming in agony. The men on either side of him were killed instantly, silenced before they could even realize they were hit. Those further back, who had been a second slower to join the fray, stood paralyzed by a sudden, primal fear. Their survival instincts screamed at them to flee.

Sima Geon didn’t even look at them. He leaped past the survivors, moving toward the inner hall of the manor before they could even think to turn around.

—

“What became of that old drunk, Ju Yu Geolgoe?”

A calm voice broke through the thick tension of the hall, where a fight seemed ready to spark at any moment.

“The old drunk Ju Yu Geolgoe?”

Feng Tianlei looked at Ha Hu Gok with a confused expression before breaking into a mocking grin.

“Oh, you mean that ancient beggar. Is that what people call that old wreck?”

Even though they hadn’t met before, Feng Tianlei clearly knew of the legendary beggar’s reputation.

“He had some tricks up his sleeve, I’ll give him that much,” he added with a sneer.

“I asked you: what happened to him?” Ha Hu Gok repeated, his voice low.

The atmosphere told him the answer was likely grim, but he held onto a sliver of hope. Feng Tianlei laughed at the older man’s persistence. They had caught Ju Yu Geolgoe, but because of a momentary lapse, the young boy who was his pupil had managed to escape. While people were hunting the kid, he doubted they’d find him, and he saw no reason to keep a corpse around. However, he saw an opportunity to twist the knife.

“Well, whether it was to spite us or to give that little brat a head start, the old man tried to fight back. So I ripped his limbs off and left him for the stray dogs to eat.”

Ha Hu Gok closed his eyes tightly. The thought of the great Ju Yu Geolgoe ending as animal feed was a physical blow. His trembling eyelids and the small smear of blood on his lip from biting it back showed the depth of his grief and fury over his friend’s fate.

‘I’m not following you! I just took an interest in those youngsters and wanted to see how they develop. That’s all!’

‘The kid’s got talent, but he’s better than I thought. Found a good one to pass my legacy to in my twilight years. Haha! To be honest, it’s the first time I’ve met a kid who can out-drink me. His blood is basically pure wine at this point!’

Ha Hu Gok’s heart twisted. The memory of Ju Yu Geolgoe insisting on coming to Soheung, happily waving his flask, was painfully clear.

‘My old friend. You still had so much life left. Why did you have to go first?’

When Ha Hu Gok opened his eyes again, the grief had been replaced by a cold, hard resolve. The friend who should have been laughing beside him was gone, replaced by the smiling trash who had murdered him.

Ha Hu Gok’s freezing gaze locked onto Feng Tianlei.

“He was a stubborn old goat, obsessed with his wine, and far too proud for his own good. That was his nature. But that man…”

Ha Hu Gok slowly lifted his blade.

“…was someone that filth like you didn’t even have the right to look at. He deserved better than to die at your hands.”

A suffocating aura of death and a storm of energy erupted from Ha Hu Gok.

“I promise you, not a single person in this room is walking out alive.”

As Ha Hu Gok pushed the Heaven Earth Fierce Flame Divine Art to its absolute limit, visible heat shimmered around his body.

“Hah! Such intense yang energy. It reminds me of a certain someone.”

Before Feng Tianlei could react, the leader of the Red Flame Clan stepped forward.

“Let me take him.”

Ma So Gwan had fully activated his Red Yang Art, and his flaming aura was almost a mirror image of Ha Hu Gok’s.

“Ma So Gwan? I thought you died years ago,” Cheol Woo remarked, looking surprised.

“How could I die while the bastards who slaughtered my family are still breathing? I dragged myself back from the brink of death just to take your heads.”

“What a load of crap. If you survived, you should have stayed in your hole. Coming here just means you’ll die twice.”

Ma So Gwan ignored Cheol Woo’s taunt and focused on his burning rage. “What about the men who went after the young beggar?”

“Oh, them? Those Red Flame Clan idiots? They ran like frightened rabbits the moment they saw us. Pathetic.”

Cheol Woo gestured toward the far wall.

“I threw their bodies over there somewhere. Go find them. Better yet, I’ll snap your neck and toss you right on top of them. You can all go see the Underworld together.”

“Shut your damn mouth!”

Unable to contain himself, Ma So Gwan lunged.

“Fool.”

Cheol Woo, wearing a confident smirk, threw his massive frame toward Ma So Gwan.

As Ma So Gwan’s fist crashed against Cheol Woo’s, Ha Hu Gok suddenly vanished, leaping high into the air using Cheol Woo’s bulk as a visual screen. Those watching the primary clash didn’t see him move. By the time Feng Tianlei and the others realized what was happening, Ha Hu Gok had already used Cheol Woo’s bent shoulder as a platform to launch himself toward the ceiling.

Ha Hu Gok wasn’t aiming for the masters in the front; he was targeting the weaker subordinates at the back. When Ma So Gwan had first stepped up, Ha Hu Gok had been annoyed by Cheol Woo’s interference. But then he received a silent message from Cheol Woo: *Thin out the numbers before the real fight starts.*

He realized then that Cheol Woo’s cold pragmatism was a result of his own grief over their friend. It forced Ha Hu Gok to steady his own heart. His boiling rage condensed into a sharp, icy focus.

*Swish!*

Nine streaks of lethal sword qi descended like lightning bolts. This was the pinnacle of the Nine Dragon Sword Art, which had been elevated to the Twelfth Star realm with Sima Geon’s guidance: the Nine Dragons Strike. Coupled with the Heaven Earth Fierce Flame Divine Art, the power was cataclysmic.

“Watch out!”

“Move!”

Feng Tianlei and So Myeon Sal shouted warnings, but they were too late. Il Geom Tal Myeong tried to parry with his sword, but he couldn’t gather enough strength in time. Even at his best, it was unlikely he could have stopped the blow.

*Boom!*

“Aaargh!”

“Help!”

The sound of explosions was followed by the screams of the dying. The men in the back, caught completely off guard, were obliterated. As Ha Hu Gok prepared to strike again, Il Geom Tal Myeong moved to intercept him, his face pale and a line of blood running down his chin from the shockwave.

With So Myeon Sal also moving in to assist, Ha Hu Gok strategically retreated.

“Damn it all!”

While his two lieutenants held the line, Feng Tianlei looked back at his forces in horror. A single attack had wiped out nearly a third of his men. It was a heavy price for his arrogance.

Hearing the chaos behind him, Ma So Gwan instinctively looked back, worried for his remaining clan members. Having traded blows and created distance, he thought he was safe for a moment—but against someone as deceptively quick as Cheol Woo, that was a fatal error.

“Where are you looking?”

Cheol Woo was already in his face. Panicked, Ma So Gwan tried to punch his way out while retreating. Cheol Woo took the hit directly to his chest, refusing to budge, and slammed his left shoulder into Ma So Gwan’s solar plexus.

“Gah!”

Ma So Gwan was sent flying, coughing up blood. He managed to cross his arms at the last second to absorb the worst of the impact, saving his life, but he was severely injured.

“Trying to ignore me while I’m standing right here. You’ve either got a death wish or you’re just senile. What do you think, old man? Am I right?”

Cheol Woo grinned at Feng Tianlei, who was now approaching with a look of pure murder on his face.