Chapter 77: An Unexpected Side Quest

Suddenly, the nearby thicket rustled violently, and a figure was sent flying out from the dense undergrowth, landing right before everyone.
“Is this one of yours?” a loud voice shouted from the trees.
“A Long!”
“It’s A Long! I was wondering why he hadn’t shown up!”
Upon witnessing their companion’s body hurled out before them, the disciples of the Xiang clan were clearly unsettled, terrified that they might face the same fate.
“Who’s there? Show yourself!” At this moment, Shaoyu abandoned his pursuit of Sikong Xu, his gaze fixed on the thicket as he searched for the enemy’s form.
A booming laugh erupted, and in an instant, a gigantic brute leapt out from behind the group, charging straight for the Xiang clan’s disciples.
“Watch out! The enemy is behind us!”
With a heavy thud, the burly man slammed to the ground, his muscular arms sending two Xiang clan disciples flying with a single sweep.
Now, everyone finally saw the brute’s true face.
He stood bare-chested, an iron chain slung across his back, iron rings clamped around his wrists and ankles. His face was twisted and fierce, his entire body bulging with muscle. His thick arms were as wide as a grown man’s waist, making real-world bodybuilding champions pale in comparison.
He was none other than the ruthless warrior of the Quicksand Organization: the Unrivaled Demon!
“Who are you?” Shaoyu confronted the Unrivaled Demon, who towered over three meters tall. At his young age, Shaoyu only reached the giant’s waist, making him appear minuscule, yet his presence did not falter in the face of the monstrous figure.
“Hmph.” The Unrivaled Demon merely snorted at Shaoyu’s question, offering no reply. Though massive, his mind was simple. He knew only that he’d been sent to kill a man wielding the Abyssal Rainbow Sword. The rest were of no concern to him.
His head tilted as he finally spotted his target: Gai Nie, resting against a tree.
“Gai Nie! Come and meet your death!” roared the Unrivaled Demon, charging at Gai Nie. Unbothered by the Xiang clan disciples blocking his path, he barreled straight through them.
“How dare you harm the Xiang clan’s disciples!”
Seeing his kinsmen felled one by one, Shaoyu’s rage flared. Though still young, his courage was formidable. Facing the monstrous bulk of the Unrivaled Demon, Shaoyu rushed forward, swinging his iron fists squarely into the demon’s abdomen.
“Little one, are you trying to tickle me?” The Unrivaled Demon grinned hideously, mocking Shaoyu as he felt the faint pain in his stomach.
“Tickle you? Hmph—” Instead of anger, Shaoyu smiled at the mockery. He drew a deep breath, raised his fists, and struck again.
This time, Shaoyu unleashed every ounce of his strength. The force of his punch whipped up a fierce wind, a sonic boom cracking through the air—a testament to its sheer power.
With a resounding bang, Shaoyu’s powerful blow struck the Unrivaled Demon squarely, contorting the brute’s face and forcing him back several steps. No longer did he dare scoff at the boy’s might.
“You brat… you’re courting death!”
To be driven back by a boy not even fully grown—this was an unheard-of humiliation for the man hailed as “Korea’s Strongest.”
“How dare you challenge me, the Unrivaled Demon! I’ll show you what real strength is!” With that, the giant raised his massive, basin-sized fist and swung it at Shaoyu.
“Unrivaled Demon!” At the self-introduction, Shaoyu’s brow furrowed deeply. He’d heard tales of this giant—a man born with monstrous strength, his skin as hard as armor, standing more than three meters tall, once known as “Korea’s Strongest,” and one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Quicksand.
“Hmph, today I’ll see for myself how terrifying the Unrivaled Demon’s strength truly is!” Shaoyu met the challenge head-on. Since childhood, he too had been known for his prodigious strength. Now, faced with another born with such power, his fighting spirit blazed.
With a thunderous clash, large and small fists collided in midair, the impact sending a shockwave through the surrounding air, stirring up wild gusts.
“Haha, again!” Shaoyu shouted, unleashing punch after punch. Still in the midst of growing, his strength had yet to reach its peak. Against the fully matured Unrivaled Demon, Shaoyu was outmatched, but the future hegemon of Western Chu was not one to be cowed.
Blow after blow rained down, the force of their strikes whipping the bystanders’ hair into disarray. At last, youth proved no match for experience—exhaustion took its toll, and Shaoyu was struck by a final blow that sent him flying. If not for Sikong Xu’s quick reflexes in catching him, who knows how badly Shaoyu might have been hurt.
“Gai Nie, meet your end!” Having dealt with Shaoyu, the Unrivaled Demon charged toward Gai Nie again. The battle with Shaoyu had been exhilarating, but his objective remained unchanged: to kill Gai Nie.
“Big brute, don’t you dare lay a finger on my uncle!” Suddenly, a small figure stood between Gai Nie and the charging giant—it was Tianming!

“Tianming, get back!” Seeing Tianming shielding him, Gai Nie’s heart lurched. He tried to rise to save the boy, but the effort only reopened the wound in his abdomen.
“Tianming, run!” Unable to move due to his injuries, Gai Nie panicked. In a flash, the Abyssal Rainbow leapt from its scabbard in his hand. Since he couldn’t rescue Tianming in person, he would use the “Hundred Paces Flying Sword” technique!
But before he could act, a tall, slender figure appeared at the Unrivaled Demon’s side—Sikong Xu!
“Big guy, get lost!”
Without time to marvel at the giant’s towering frame, Sikong Xu, desperate to save Tianming, lashed out with a fierce kick, channeling his inner energy into true qi to empower the blow.
With a dull thud, the massive body of the Unrivaled Demon was sent flying by Sikong Xu’s kick, landing in a heap to the astonishment of all.
“Phew… I made it just in time…” With the threat finally removed from Tianming’s side, Sikong Xu breathed a sigh of relief.
He truly worried that Tianming’s reckless antics would get him killed, ruining his own main quest. Fortunately, he’d arrived in time.
At that moment, a cold voice echoed within Sikong Xu’s mind.
“Side quest detected: [Quicksand’s Nightmare]. Accept?”
“Quest difficulty: Four and a half stars.”
“Objective: Scatter Quicksand, life and death unknown… Defeat the Four Heavenly Kings and the leader Wei Zhuang, by any means.”
“Reward: Ghost Valley Vertical Swordplay—Hundred Paces Flying Sword; Ghost Valley Horizontal Swordplay—Sweeping All Directions.”
“Penalty for failure: None.”