Meanwhile, inside the Black Viper sect, the leaders decided to use the three True Heavenly Thunderbolts they possessed in order to overcome the crisis. These explosive bombs had originally been created by the Thunder Sect. Compared to ordinary bombs they possessed far greater power and various uses, but they were extremely difficult to control. In fact, the Thunder Sect itself had eventually been destroyed by the flames caused by those very weapons. Even so, the Black Viper leader believed that by using the True Heavenly Thunderbolts he would be capable of destroying not only the Ak clan estate, but even the mighty Tang clan.
At that moment a guard came running in and reported that Danwal had returned. However, he was not exactly in one piece. In reality, he was being dragged by an unknown man. Danwal was completely terrified.
Then Dan Hyunwoo asked whether that place was truly the Black Viper sect. Danwal answered yes and begged to be released immediately, but Dan Hyunwoo commented that the entrance seemed rather troublesome. Desperate, Danwal explained that the path to the sect passed through a maze of countless connected houses, and only members of the organization knew the correct route. He said that he could guide him there if he wanted, but Dan Hyunwoo replied that there was no need for that.
Then he simply kicked Danwal's body around like a ball before launching him flying into the distance. The body smashed through multiple houses, destroying everything along the way and creating a direct route to the sect's gate. Right after that, with a single palm strike, Dan Hyunwoo sent the poor man crashing straight through the massive gates.
With the gates destroyed, he finally stood face to face with the sect leader and his guards. The leader was completely shocked. Dan Hyunwoo had smashed through dozens of layers of stone walls, some even reinforced with enchantments, using nothing but brute force.
Even so, the leader tried to keep his composure and said that no matter how strong he was, he could never fight everyone alone. But the answer came in the form of lightning. Several electric beams struck the sect guards and annihilated all of them instantly. It was like a violent storm of wind mixed with thunder. Not only did the attack kill the men, it also hurled their bodies away.
In the end, only the sect leader remained alive. Dan Hyunwoo then slowly walked toward him and asked if he was the one responsible for all this chaos. With no other way out, the leader activated the True Heavenly Thunderbolt.
The explosion was so monstrous that it blew apart the sect's own ruins. The man began laughing, saying that the power was truly incredible. If he had not controlled the direction of the blast, even he himself could have died. Then he declared that not even a martial god could survive such an attack.
But from within the flames a voice replied, asking if he had finished his last words. Then Dan Hyunwoo emerged from the fire, walking out completely unharmed. At the same time he summoned the earth dragon, which rushed forward and devoured the sect leader with a single bite.
And just like that, the Black Viper sect was completely wiped out. The few survivors fled in terror, calling him a demon. They said that man was the Gray-Robed Demon.
After the battle, Dan Hyunwoo also took the other two True Heavenly Thunderbolts that the sect leader had been carrying. Thanks to his actions, the escort agency now possessed two of those absurdly dangerous weapons.
After the Black Viper sect was exterminated, reports from the few survivors began to spread. Most of them were merely workers, or people who had been present during the massacre. All of them described the same thing. An unknown figure. A demon dressed in gray. The rumour spread throughout Sichuan in the blink of an eye.
Naturally, the news eventually reached the Tang clan. During a council meeting several members were in disbelief. They asked how it was even possible for the Black Viper sect to be wiped out in a single day. It simply made no sense.
Then Tang Cheol, leader of the Sichuan Tang clan, commented that they had spent so long preparing special bombs specifically to deal with the Black Viper sect. The appearance of someone capable of destroying the entire organization alone meant that a new powerful faction might have emerged in Sichuan, and that could become a new threat. Because of this, he ordered them to investigate everything immediately.
However, the messenger replied that there was no faction at all. It was only a single person who had destroyed the entire Black Viper sect. Tang Cheol asked how something like that could possibly be the work of one person. It was simply too ridiculous to believe. The messenger then answered that the information had been confirmed by one of the survivors.
After hearing this, Tang Hogwan commented that the rumour must be true. Then he said he knew exactly who that person was, and asked if by any chance the man had been dressed in gray. The messenger confirmed that he was. At that moment Tang Cheol asked his uncle if he already had someone in mind. And Tang Hogwan began telling the entire story.
After hearing everything, Tang Cheol said that if it was true, they absolutely could not let a man like that slip away. They needed to bring him to their side. He had to become part of the Tang clan. After all, a dragon and a phoenix had always been the perfect pair since ancient times. But Tang Hogwan found that strange and asked, "Pair?"
Later, Dan Hyunwoo simply returned calmly to the members of the escort agency.
Meanwhile, there was someone extremely pleased with the destruction of the Black Viper sect. The Blood Demon asked if they had really invested that much into that place, and ordered them to report exactly what had happened. The messenger explained that everything had been the work of that boy raised by Cheon Gija. The Blood Demon was incredulous, and asked if the entire sect had really been exterminated by a single brat.
The man replied that he was telling the truth, and that on top of that they had also discovered where he was staying. He was currently working as a porter at the Renan escort agency. The Blood Demon asked what else they had discovered, and the man explained that they had used three True Heavenly Thunderbolts, but that all of them had been taken by the boy. Right afterward he apologized for the failure.
The Blood Demon then ordered them to investigate that monster properly. In his mind, this really did seem like something Cheon Gija would do. In such a short amount of time, he had created something completely unexpected. But the time was coming. He swore that he would erase every trace of Cheon Gija, starting with that little monster he had created.