Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 727

“Ugh, I’m gonna die.”

There are moments in life when misfortune piles up.

For example, when a perfectly fine tire suddenly goes flat, and of all places, it happens in the middle of a highway.

And to make matters worse, the service center can’t be reached properly today.

Kong Wei-jian grimaced as he stared at the large nail embedded in his car’s front tire.

“Ugh, seriously! I’m so busy.”

If this had happened on any other day, he would have laughed it off.

It was just one of those misfortunes that happen in life. Annoying, yes, but he would have brushed it off with a laugh.

But today, Kong Wei-jian didn’t have that luxury.

‘This is a disaster. If the contract isn’t signed by today, everything will fall apart.’

He absolutely had to get to Tianjin today. He couldn’t afford to waste time here.

If he couldn’t get his car repaired, he would have to find another way. Even if it meant abandoning his car in the middle of the highway.

Kong Wei-jian turned his gaze to the road.

The problem was that there weren’t many cars passing by at this time. If there were at least a few cars, he could try hitchhiking, but how was he supposed to catch a ride on an empty road?

“Huh?”

Then, Kong Wei-jian spotted a car approaching in the distance.

‘Is that a van?’

It looked like a van, given its height. Unlike a sedan, a van wouldn’t have much trouble taking one extra passenger.

Kong Wei-jian stepped onto the road and raised his arm.

“Hey! Over here!”

The world was a dangerous place, so hitchhiking wouldn’t be easy, but he had to grasp at any straw. Fortunately, his car was parked on the shoulder, so they would probably realize that Kong Wei-jian was in a difficult situation.

If they had a little time to spare, they might give him a ride…

“Huh?”

Kong Wei-jian’s eyes widened.

Behind the black van, he could see a line of vehicles.

Normally, this wouldn’t be unusual. Roads were meant for cars, and unless it was a special vehicle that couldn’t travel freely, any car was allowed to use the road.

But this was a place where he hadn’t seen a single car until now. A line of vehicles packed together like that was a bit strange, wasn’t it?

‘What’s with this mess?’

The types of vehicles were all over the place.

Starting with the black van, sedans were flanking it on both sides, followed by buses, trucks, trailers carrying containers, and even delivery trucks.

‘What? Why is there an ambulance?’

It shouldn’t be, but it felt like one big mass. The most bizarre procession of vehicles in the world was rushing towards him.

“Eek!”

Kong Wei-jian quickly stepped back as he realized that the cars had no intention of stopping.

VRRROOOOM!

The loud noise from the various vehicles was deafening.

The cars were moving so fast that it felt like a huge storm was raging.

Kong Wei-jian stood there with his mouth agape, watching the scene.

‘What is this unnatural sight?’

If it weren’t for the fact that the vehicles were all strange, it would have looked like a group of reckless drivers having a joyride.

As the seemingly endless line of vehicles disappeared into the distance, silence returned to the road.

“…Did I just dream that?”

All that remained on the peaceful road was a cloud of dust.

“How long will it take?”

“We’ll arrive in about three or four hours, Master.”

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho stared at the road ahead.

It was a pleasant road, something unimaginable in Korea. There were some bumpy spots here and there, but the fact that there was no traffic made it acceptable.

‘It’s too quiet.’

It was strange that there had been no interference on the way here.

Kang Jin-ho didn’t underestimate the Hongwang faction [Hongwang is a powerful faction in the martial arts world].

Even though the current situation in China was different from the past, Kang Jin-ho knew better than anyone how significant it was to control a third of China’s vast land.

There was no way they could be incompetent.

If they didn’t know that they were moving, they would be utterly incompetent.

For those who were not incompetent to act incompetent?

That meant they were up to something.

“It looks like a perfect place for an ambush.”

“I agree.”

Bator nodded heavily.

“If something was going to happen, it should have happened already. It’s strangely quiet. It’s so quiet that it’s unsettling.”

“Bator.”

At Kang Jin-ho’s call, Bator looked up at him.

“Tell me about the Hongwang faction’s strength.”

“Hmm.”

Bator hummed.

“I can’t quite grasp the concept of strength that you’re referring to, Master.

What kind of strength are you talking about?”

“Forget the small fry. We already know they have as many numbers as an ant colony. What I want to know is how many of them are actually worth fighting.”

“That’s difficult.”

Bator scratched his head.

“Master, as you know… the Hongwang faction doesn’t have a perfect one-person control system like the Demonic Cult [a martial arts sect known for its centralized power structure], where you are in charge.

That’s a limitation of the Hongwang faction itself.”

“Why is that?”

“The abbot of Shaolin [a famous Buddhist temple and martial arts school] can’t control the entire Shaolin Temple, can he?”

Kang Jin-ho nodded. He understood what he meant.

The Demonic Cult was a perfect centralized system.

The cult leader’s word was law, and the cult leader decided everything. Someone might offer direct advice during the decision-making process, but whether or not their opinion was accepted was still the cult leader’s choice.

However, the orthodox sects didn’t follow such a system. Even the abbot of Shaolin or the head of Wudang [another famous martial arts school] couldn’t decide everything alone.

They had the most power, but important decisions had to be approved by the council of elders.

‘Democratic, huh?’

It didn’t fit with the current China, but the orthodox sects of the past had a fairly democratic process for their time.

It wasn’t because the orthodox sects were particularly enlightened. It was because of the difference in power. Even if a particularly outstanding disciple was chosen as the sect leader, the sect leader’s power alone couldn’t overwhelm all the other disciples of the same rank. In the end, they had to be mindful of their opinions.

But the Demonic Cult was different.

The Demonic Cult didn’t have a concept of seniority or discipleship. Moreover, the moment one rose to the position of cult leader, they were given the highest level of demonic arts. This allowed them to overwhelm all other demons.

Perhaps that powerful centralized system was the driving force behind the Demonic Cult’s ability to dominate the Central Plains [the heartland of China] with a small number of people.

‘Of course, countless people died and were purged in the process.’

“Of course, the Three Kings’ control is absolute. No one in the Hongwang faction would dare to disobey the Hongwang’s orders. But that doesn’t mean the Hongwang can use everyone like their own limbs.”

“The Hongwang faction has countless elders. And there are many unknown masters. One of the reasons why the Three Kings can’t settle things among themselves is that even they can’t fully grasp each other’s strength.”

“So, what’s the answer?”

Bator looked a bit uncomfortable.

“I’m not trying to change the subject. It’s just hard to explain. I was treated well in the Hongwang faction, but to be honest, there are countless people stronger than me in the Hongwang faction. The reason I could challenge the Hongwang was not because I was one of the strongest in the Hongwang faction, but because I was an outsider. If all the elders of the Hongwang faction were to come out…”

Bator trailed off.

But he didn’t need to hear the rest to know what he meant.

“Not a single ant would survive, is that it?”

“I believe you would survive, Master. But even I wouldn’t be able to.”

Kang Jin-ho closed his eyes quietly.

‘The Hongwang faction…’

The more he heard, the more overwhelming their power seemed.

He let out a hollow laugh.

‘If it were the old days, they wouldn’t even be a match.’

It wasn’t just the Hongwang faction.

Even if the Hongwang, Changwang, and even the Blackwang factions all joined forces, they couldn’t compare to the Demonic Cult of the past. Even if the Hongwang faction had ten times the power, the Demonic Cult led by Kang Jin-ho in the past could have unified the Central Plains in less than three days.

That was how overwhelming the Demonic Cult’s power was.

Enough to usher in the era of demonic rule, which had only existed once in the history of the martial world.

The Demonic Cult was so strong that the entire martial world, despite joining forces, was helplessly crushed.

But what about now?

‘What a pathetic sight.’

He was running away from those who wouldn’t even have been worth a sneer in the past. Both the Demonic Cult and Kang Jin-ho.

Something began to crawl up from within him.

Discomfort, and annoyance.

If he had to pinpoint another emotion, it would be anger.

To protect everyone, he needed the power of an organization.

But…

If Kang Jin-ho had regained his past martial prowess, would he have even needed to run away to Korea?

The choice might have been the same. But the method would have been different. While sending them to Korea, Kang Jin-ho alone could have crushed the Hongwang faction.

This current situation was a disgrace created by Kang Jin-ho’s weakness.

Others might not think so, but Kang Jin-ho knew it.

If it had been the Heavenly Demon Lord [the title of the Demonic Cult leader] instead of him, the Demonic Cult members wouldn’t be trembling in fear right now, but the Hongwang faction would be terrified.

Kang Jin-ho had evolved.

As a human, there was no comparison between the Heavenly Demon Lord and Kang Jin-ho.

The Heavenly Demon Lord, who was only focused on surviving and didn’t care about those around him, was worthless as a human.

But as a martial artist?

It was a dilemma.

Kang Jin-ho leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

He was certain. None of those with him now would want the Heavenly Demon Lord more than Kang Jin-ho.

But if the Heavenly Demon Lord, not Kang Jin-ho, had descended into this world, wouldn’t they have been safer?

‘It’s impossible to know.’

Even if he went back to the beginning, Kang Jin-ho would choose his current life without hesitation.

Life was a series of choices, and if there was something to be gained from a choice, there was also something to be lost.

Kang Jin-ho had regained something more precious than anything else, his humanity, but he had lost the absolute value of strength.

He was still growing stronger at a terrifying pace, but if he had retained the identity of the Heavenly Demon Lord, he would have been several times stronger by now.

The relationships he had with so many people were supporting his weakness.

Just as they relied on Kang Jin-ho, Kang Jin-ho was also relying on them.

In a way, it was an ideal relationship.

But…

But how should he express this incompleteness?

It was as uncomfortable as having a hot stone in his stomach.

“My Lord!”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes snapped open.

“What is it?”

“There are unidentified vehicles following us from behind.”

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho’s head turned to Bator. Bator was also wearing a meaningful smile, as if he had the same thought as Kang Jin-ho.