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chapter 94
When Sun Wukong had first come looking for her, the Roc Demon King had felt both joy and unease.
She worried that if he came to rescue her, misfortune might also befall him.
She knew better than anyone how relentlessly the divine factions—including the Celestial Sect—were hunting Sun Wukong.
But Wukong had simply said, as if brushing aside her concerns:
– That guy is the one I chose. Have you ever seen me make a wrong choice?
Sha Wujing had also laughed in his booming voice:
– Kah kah kah! I understand Lady’s anxious heart. But once you’ve seen our Lord in action, you’ll know soon enough why we’re so confident. Kah kah kah kah!
And now, seeing how things turned out, she finally understood.
Why even the notoriously suspicious and hard-to-please Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing were so utterly taken with him.
‘Then I, too…’
A smile formed on the Roc Demon King’s lips—her first untroubled smile since her fall from Heaven.
Fwoooosh!
The absorption of the Fire Essence was complete.
[The Roc Demon King’s damaged rank has been largely restored. Her unstable state has stabilized.]
[The Logos identity is preserved.]
[A portion of her Myth has been recovered.]
…
[Insufficient rank to fully reclaim the Divine Name.]
[Gather the scattered Myths to restore the broken Divine Name ■■■■ ■■■.]
[The Roc Demon King opens her eyes!]
As her eyes opened, a warm breeze blew across the now-empty volcanic crater, where all the magma had vanished.
The breeze carried the scent of flowers, easing every bit of Lee Hyun’s exhaustion.
An aroma buff—the natural fragrance that symbolized the Roc Demon King had returned.
Though still far from the stature of a deity in Heaven, it was enough for her to manifest her will.
Sun Wukong sighed in relief, while Sha Wujing looked on with satisfaction.
Flutter!
The Roc Demon King folded her wings gracefully and landed before Lee Hyun.
“Seeing you restored like this is truly a sight. Congratulations, Great Sage Heaven’s Equal.”
Each feather of her wings had turned into a shimmering, translucent flame.
A smile curved her lips.
“Thank you, truly. I live because of you.”
“I only offered a little help.”
“Hoho. You really are just like him… so humble.”
Her eyes softened into crescent moons.
“And you even saved a child I cherished.”
Her gaze drifted toward his inventory.
Lee Hyun drew out the Infernal Blade of Scorching Flames.
Bzzzzzt!
The blade quivered, as though overcome with emotion.
[The narrative of <Saheun> sheds tears upon reuniting with its teacher after so long.]
[The narrative of <Saheun> expresses its gratitude to you.]
“These bonds were only restored because I met you. No matter how many times I say it, I cannot thank you enough. So then—”
The Roc Demon King’s wings flared with clear flames.
“I shall grant you what you desire.”
Whooosh!
Flames spread outward, enfolding Lee Hyun like a blessing.
[The Roc Demon King wishes to appoint you as her temporary Apostle.]
A smile tugged at Lee Hyun’s lips.
Ding! Ding!
Some of the flames seeped into the Infernal Blade, dyeing the sword a deep crimson, while the rest flowed into Lee Hyun, deepening his affinity with the flame attribute.
[‘Sacred Relic: Ember of Rebirth’ has been absorbed into the Infernal Blade. The Infernal Blade has been elevated to a Sacred Relic.]
[The Sacred Relic is bound by its original master’s will.]
[Congratulations! You have been appointed the Roc Demon King’s temporary Apostle. Her legacy is heavily bestowed upon you.]
[You may now use all unique functions of the Sacred Relic!]
[Infernal Blade of Scorching Flames]
A weapon once wielded by a Demon King who had attained a unique name.
Now reborn as a Sacred Relic after absorbing the ‘Ember of Rebirth’ left behind by the great Yoma King of Gandharva descent.
The hellfire emanating from this colossal blade could at times turn the land into a sea of fire, and at other times rain firestorms upon the heavens.
-
Type: Sacred Relic, Two-handed Weapon
-
Origin: Myth Journey to the West
This was the third appointment of a temporary Apostle after Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing.
Each time it happened, Lee Hyun was overwhelmed by the same euphoric exaltation. His senses sharpened immensely—so much so that he could even catch snatches of Wukong and Wujing’s banter nearby.
「Kah kah kah! As expected, it ends this way. Senior Brother, aren’t you going to jump up and claim what’s yours?」
Sha Wujing grinned down at Sun Wukong.
Wukong scowled.
“…Quiet. I’m already agitated.”
「So you hold back only because the patient is weak? Or maybe because she’s your Lady? Marital property is shared, isn’t it?」
“Luo and I are no longer anything to each other.”
「Hah? Could’ve fooled me, seeing how tender you were with her.」
“You must have misseen.”
「Oh? Then what was it I saw? ‘I missed you, Luo. You were looking for me?’」
Sha Wujing mimicked Wukong’s exact posture.
Wukong glared daggers at him, face crumpled. But Wujing didn’t care.
「‘You were looking for me?’, ‘I missed you.’ And what was the last one? Oh right—hugging her, saying ‘It’s been a long time since we embraced like this.’ Kah! I nearly shriveled up from secondhand embarrassment.」
“Die, you bastard!!”
「Kah kah kah! You’ve given me too much ammunition to tease you with—why would I die? Kah kah kah!!」
Wukong, face flushed red, began chasing Sha Wujing around.
‘…Those two really haven’t changed. I hope they always stay that way.’
Meanwhile, the Apostle appointment ceremony neared its completion.
[Your perception range expands and senses become more precise.]
[Your understanding of flame attributes deepens.]
[The Sacred Relic’s diverse flame properties may now merge with your existing skills and powers.]
…
[Remarkable achievement accomplished. As a reward, all stats increase by 5.]
[The narrative of <Saheun> has strengthened, completing the ‘Beginning’ portion.]
Fwoooosh!
When Lee Hyun opened his eyes, a crimson glow shone in his pupils.
“From here on, I entrust myself to you, Apostle.”
“And I to your guidance. Though truth be told, being taught by that one was… very grueling.”
He shot Wukong a sidelong glance.
The Roc Demon King chuckled knowingly.
“He does lack a certain honesty.”
Just then—
[You have successfully cleared all Dungeon Quests. Reward: ‘Three-legged Crow’s Feather’ obtained.]
[Your contribution share is 88%. Achieving overwhelming 1st place grants an additional reward: ‘Three-legged Crow’s Beak.’]
The system message of dungeon clearance appeared.
Rumble…!
The dungeon trembled, a black curtain slowly descending from the sky.
“Rather than dishonest, perhaps he’s just oblivious?”
“That’s true as well.”
“Which means I’ll probably be very busy mediating from now on.”
“Hm?”
The Roc Demon King tilted her head.
[Dungeon collapse initiated. All participants, retreat to the safe zone.]
[10]
[9]
“Even now he’s frustrating. Do you think he’d be any different in love?”
“…!?”
[7]
[6]
“If he keeps causing you headaches, you can always come to me. I’m very good at gossiping behind people’s backs, you know.”
Lee Hyun winked mischievously.
The Roc Demon King let out a disbelieving laugh—
[3]
—then shook her head as she watched Wukong still bickering with Wujing.
“Yes. I suspect I’ll need your help from time to time.”
“See? I thought so.”
“When will he ever learn to grow up…? At his age, still squabbling with the youngest disciple…”
She pressed her fingers against her temple.
Lee Hyun couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed he had just gained a new friend to share Wukong-related complaints with.
[1]
[0]
[Countdown ended.]
[Dungeon closed.]
Fwoooosh!!
The dungeon vanished completely.
Reality returned.
Thup-thup-thup—
Rescue helicopters buzzed overhead, and reinforcements rushed in.
They had responded belatedly to the SOS signal.
The Baekya unit, who had evacuated to the safe zone with Cheongroe, looked visibly relieved.
Finally, Lee Hyun felt it was truly over, and let out a long, weary breath.
“Captain!”
At that moment, Kim Min-jung and the other Cheongroe unit members came running.
Heh. Clearly they weren’t ones to stay still—almost as if they reacted the very moment he thought of them.
Lee Hyun chuckled helplessly and walked toward them.
Meanwhile, Xu Changyou opened his eyes.
Flash!
A ferocious gleam cut through space itself.
And then—
Drip—
Blood tears streamed from his left eye.
Burst capillaries left it bloodshot and red.
“Sir!”
Zheng Yijie, who had been guarding nearby, rushed forward in alarm.
Her original name was Zheng Yijie, once of Cheongroe, who had defected with Zhang Baiyan to follow Xu Changyou into China.
She was both the deputy leader of Phoenix and a strategist.
When Xu Changyou, who had been attempting possession through Zhang Baiyan, suddenly suffered an injury, her face stiffened in shock.
But then—
“Ahahaha!”
He looked up at the ceiling and laughed.
His laughter froze her steps. It was chilling.
“Hahahahahaha!!”
“……”
The ringing laughter echoed, and madness glinted in Xu Changyou’s eyes.
“Yes. Only after four years we finally meet again. Now this is a fight worth having.”
Zheng Yijie was speechless.
Since coming to China, she had never once seen Xu Changyou smile with such genuine delight.
“I’d been suffocated lately, with nothing going right. But meeting him again… maybe this is the breakthrough I needed.”
Gulp.
Zheng Yijie swallowed dryly.
‘Captain… no, Jet has returned.’
When she had first heard news of Lee Hyun, she had prayed the intel was wrong.
But clearly, her hope had been in vain.
‘Which means… our mission on Ulleungdo has failed. Baiyan is likely dead. And with this, no fewer than five Rankers have perished?’
Just counting those that came to mind: Ma Long, Qing Xiao, the Twin Talents siblings, and Zhang Baiyan…
There might be more, and adding the regular Hunters deployed in support—
The scale of the losses was unimaginable.
It was the worst possible outcome.
Practically half-ruined.
In other words, Phoenix had suffered nearly half its strength destroyed.
‘…And I’ve heard the Committee’s safehouses and facilities abroad were mostly struck as well. Just how extensive is the damage?’
This wasn’t merely Phoenix’s problem.
The Central Hero Committee itself had suffered grievously. Who knew what orders would come down from above?
And at the heart of all this chaos—was Lee Hyun.
‘What do we do now…?’
Overwhelmed, Zheng Yijie closed her eyes tightly. She could not imagine how far Jet would run rampant from here.
“That’s your problem, Yijie.”
Almost as if reading her thoughts, Xu Changyou chuckled lightly and looked at her.
His bloodshot eyes burned with a demonic intensity.
“…Sir.”
“You worry too much. Always brooding over things that haven’t even happened yet. But none of it changes anything.”
“I apologize.”
Zheng Yijie bowed low.
Xu waved it off.
“I’m not reproaching you. As a strategist, that’s the right attitude. But me? I think this has worked out perfectly.”
He smirked.
“All that noise about being a top Ranker had cluttered my head. But meeting Lee Hyun cleared it all away.”
“What exactly did he say—”
“He said he’d be coming for me soon.”
“…!”
A cold smile twisted Xu’s lips.
“This time, he thinks he’s the hunter, that I’m the prey. Let’s show him just how foolish that is.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll make preparations.”
Zheng Yijie bowed again.
Crack—
The blood tears trailing his face froze solid, then crumbled away.
“It’s been a long time since a friend came to visit. What would make a good welcome gift, I wonder?”
Then his gaze shifted toward the door.
Zheng Yijie also turned. A secretary cautiously entered.
“Sir, Chairman Peng has been waiting in the reception room for over an hour. He asks to meet you as soon as you are free…”
“There you have it. Even the old man’s itching to bring gifts. Must be burning with impatience, eh? Haha.”
Xu Changyou accepted the coat Zheng offered respectfully, draped it over his shoulders, and stood.
“Let’s go. I’ve something to say as well.”
Where his feet had trod, deep icy footprints remained.
