Chapter 64:The Devil and The Jade Butterfly

She wasn't a daughter.

She wasn't a friend.

She wasn't even a person.

She was the future matriarch of the Tang Clan.

A bridge for alliances.

A bargaining chip for power.

A treasure to be possessed.

When guests visited the Tang estate, they smiled at her warmly.

But those smiles were never meant for her.

They smiled because she was the daughter of the Poison Emperor.

Because one day she would inherit the Tang Clan.

Because marrying her meant influence.

Because standing beside her meant power.

No one cared whether Tang Ock was happy.

No one cared whether she was lonely.

As years passed, she learned to hide behind a mask.

A perfect smile.

A perfect posture.

A perfect leader.

The farther she climbed, the farther she drifted from everyone else.

Then came the day her father died.

The only person who truly understood her vanished from the world.

Overnight, she became the clan's pillar.

She was forced to grow up before she was ready.

Forced to lead.

Forced to endure.

Forced to smile.

Even when she wanted to cry.

The elders questioned her.

The alliance doubted her.

The Jianghu mocked her.

To them, she wasn't the Matriarch of the Tang Clan.

She was merely a beautiful woman sitting in a seat too large for her.

A jade flower waiting to be plucked.

Many sought her hand.

None sought her heart.

Eventually, Tang Ock stopped expecting anyone to understand her.

She convinced herself that she would walk alone forever.

That she would carry the burden of the Tang Clan until the day she died.

Yet now...

As she stood amidst a battlefield stained with blood...

As countless enemies surrounded her clan...

As death itself loomed before her...

There was a single thought she couldn't understand.

Why was she relieved?

Why was her heart calming down?

Why was she smiling?

Her gaze drifted toward the figure walking through the battlefield.

Black hair.

Crimson eyes.

A sword resting on his shoulder.

A devil feared by the entire Jianghu.

Lucifer Morningstar.

The man who denied heaven itself.

The man who stood against the Murim Alliance.

The man who should have abandoned her.

Yet he came back.

For her.

Tang Ock found herself confused for the first time in years.

"Good job holding out for so long."

Lucifer's voice echoed through the battlefield.

His lips curved upward.

"Now let me take care of this guy."

For a brief moment...

Tang Ock felt something she hadn't felt in years.

Safety.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"Never thought I'd be happy to see you."

"Same here."

The two exchanged a glance.

Then Lucifer stepped forward.

The atmosphere instantly changed.

The wind stopped.

The battlefield fell silent.

Even the soldiers subconsciously stepped backward.

Because standing before Lucifer was one of the Five Great Elders of the Murim Alliance.

Great Elder Snake.

A monster among monsters.

The man stared at Lucifer before laughing.

"I thought you ran away after stealing the Tang Clan's treasure."

His eyes narrowed.

"But instead you came here to die."

Lucifer remained silent.

The devil's gaze slowly shifted toward Ock.

Toward the bruise on her cheek.

Toward the blood staining her clothes.

Toward the hand Snake had nearly used to kill her.

A dangerous smile appeared on Lucifer's face.

"You touched something that belongs to me."

The battlefield suddenly became colder.

"So now you have to pay."

Snake laughed.

An Innate Realm cultivator threatening a Purple Realm master?

Ridiculous.

"Your arrogance truly knows no bounds."

Snake raised his dagger.

"Today it will become your downfall."

Lucifer slowly drew Chirin.

The crimson blade reflected the sunlight.

"Let's find out."

BOOM!

The moment they moved, the earth shattered beneath their feet.

Steel collided with steel.

A shockwave exploded across the battlefield.

For the first time since entering Jianghu...

Lucifer was pushed backward.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

The gap between realms was simply too large.

Snake smiled coldly.

"Already kneeling?"

"Perhaps the rumors were exaggerated."

Lucifer wiped the blood away.

Then smiled.

A smile that made even Snake uncomfortable.

"Are you done talking?"

The battle resumed.

Poison filled the air.

Sin of Sloth concealed Lucifer's presence.

Sin of Pride awakened.

And for the first time...

Snake saw something impossible.

His own technique.

Copied perfectly.

The elder's eyes widened.

His first dagger form.

His second.

His third.

Every technique he used was reflected back at him.

It was like fighting a mirror.

No.

Worse.

It was like fighting a superior version of himself.

"Impossible!"

Snake roared.

"How can you copy my techniques after seeing them once?!"

Lucifer's crimson eyes glowed.

"Because I'm the devil above heaven."

The elder's expression twisted.

He unleashed everything.

Years of experience.

Decades of mastery.

A lifetime of cultivation.

But every move was answered.

Every attack was perfected.

Every flaw was exposed.

Lucifer wasn't merely copying.

He was evolving.

Improving.

Transcending.

At last, Snake unleashed his greatest attack.

The Seventh Dagger Form.

The culmination of his life's work.

The battlefield trembled.

The sky darkened.

Everyone held their breath.

Then Lucifer smiled.

Sin of Pride.

Sin of Envy.

Activated simultaneously.

For an instant...

The incomplete technique became complete.

The true Seventh Form was born.

Chirin descended.

A single slash.

Silence.

The world froze.

Snake looked down.

His eyes widened.

Half his body was gone.

Blood painted the earth red.

The elder slowly dropped to one knee.

His dagger slipped from his fingers.

A bitter laugh escaped his lips.

"How ironic..."

His voice trembled.

"I spent my entire life chasing perfection..."

His gaze lifted toward Lucifer.

"Only to die to a perfected version of my own technique."

Lucifer stood silently.

The title notification echoed inside his mind.

[Title Acquired: King of Carnage]

The battle was over.

One of the pillars of the Murim Alliance had fallen.

And the devil remained standing.

As the battlefield settled, Tang Ock approached him.

The setting sun painted the horizon crimson.

"What now?"

Lucifer stared into the distance.

Then spoke quietly.

"Tell the world I took the Tang Clan hostage."

Ock blinked.

"What?"

"It will justify everything."

"You protected me."

"You sheltered me."

"This way the alliance won't blame your clan."

Tang Ock stared at him.

"You'll become the enemy of the entire world."

Lucifer laughed.

"I already am."

For a moment...

Neither spoke.

Then Ock asked softly,

"So you're carrying everything yourself again?"

Lucifer's smile weakened.

"From the very beginning."

For the first time...

Tang Ock saw a side of him no one else did.

Not the devil.

Not the monster.

Not the butcher feared by Jianghu.

Just a lonely man carrying burdens no one else could understand.

As she turned to leave—

Lucifer suddenly called out.

"Ock."

She looked back.

A mischievous grin appeared on his face.

"You're mine."

His eyes sparkled.

"So don't even think about marrying someone else."

For the first time in years...

Tang Ock blushed.

A genuine blush.

Not a political smile.

Not a noble's mask.

A real one.

Hidden nearby, Tang Ryeong nearly choked.

"I knew you were eavesdropping."

Lucifer didn't even turn around.

Ryeong jumped out.

"Like I'd listen to you!"

Lucifer grinned.

"Show some respect."

"I'm your brother-in-law now."

"Bleh!"

Ryeong stuck out her tongue.

"I'll find someone better for my sister."

Lucifer laughed.

The war was over.

But the storm was only beginning.

Days later, Tang Ock publicly announced the deaths of Great Elder Snake and the City Lord's son.

She declared that the Tang Clan had been forced into submission by Lucifer Morningstar.

The news exploded throughout Jianghu.

Sect leaders were horrified.

Clan heads were stunned.

The Murim Alliance descended into chaos.

The Devil had killed a Great Elder.

The Devil had subdued the Tang Clan.

The Devil had become a calamity.

Even the Heavenly Demon smiled upon hearing the report.

Meanwhile...

The man responsible for all of it was sleeping peacefully on a boat drifting down a river.

As if the world meant nothing to him.

As if another disaster wasn't already waiting beyond the horizon.