Chapter 497.11
Chapter 497.11 – Side Story 3 Part 4
The Flame Mountain (4)
-Sizzle!
Heavenly Demon casually held Iron Fan Immortal's wrist, which was burning hot.
Feeling her pride wounded, Iron Fan Immortal tried to increase the heat even more to force him to let go.
The heat was so intense that the stone throne and surroundings began to melt, causing nearby lesser demons to retreat in panic.
Yet Heavenly Demon remained expressionless, seemingly unaffected by the heat.
'What the hell is this guy?'
Surprised by his unexpected reaction, Iron Fan Immortal stared at Heavenly Demon as he spoke.
"Are you Hong Hae-a[1]'s mother?"
"Who the hell are you? Why are you looking for my child?"
Like any parent, she fiercely loved her child. So when Heavenly Demon mentioned Hong Hae-a, her face twisted into a fierce expression befitting her name as a rakshasa woman.
Of course, Heavenly Demon didn't care about this at all.
"Where is Hong Hae-a?"
"You bastard!"
Iron Fan Immortal's anger rose at Heavenly Demon's arrogant attitude, completely ignoring her question and only asking about Hong Hae-a.
She no longer held back and revealed her true power.
"I'll kill you."
"Boom!"
As soon as she finished speaking, something erupted from the heated floor.
It was lava.
The lava that burst forth over ten jang wide swallowed them up in an instant, then pierced through the ceiling of the great hall and even through the cave of Plantain Leaf Peak as it rose.
"Boom boom boom boom!"
"This is bad!"
"Iron Fan Immortal has finally gone berserk!"
"Everyone evacuate the hall!"
The lesser demons fled the hall building in a panic at this sight.
Once Iron Fan Immortal, a Great Spirit Beast on par with the Six Demons, went berserk, the collapse of the hall and cave was all but certain.
If it just collapsed, it wouldn't be a big problem for the high-ranking lesser demons. But if she went berserk, the surrounding area would be covered in lava.
However,
"Whoosh!"
"!?"
The fleeing lesser demons stopped in their tracks.
The lava that they thought would surely consume the entire hall was suddenly subsiding. Then, as the lava settled, two figures emerged along with the smoke. They were Heavenly Demon and Iron Fan Immortal.
But the lesser demons couldn't hide their bewilderment at this sight.
This was because Iron Fan Immortal could be seen kneeling on one knee, her captured wrist bent painfully.
"Aaaargh!"
"Ugh!"
Black veins like tree roots were spreading from her hand that had been glowing red, due to the invasion of demonic energy.
It wasn't just demonic energy that had invaded internally.
A blade-like sword energy was cutting through each nerve, causing pain so severe that even Iron Fan Immortal, who had lived for thousands of years, could barely endure it.
Seeing her convulsing as if electrocuted, some of the lesser demons couldn't stand by and tried to rush in.
"Iron Fan Immortal!"
"Let go of her hand!"
But Iron Fan Immortal gestured for them not to come, so they had to stop midway.
"How!"
Iron Fan Immortal shook her head painfully at their anxious looks.
'No.'
If they had rushed in out of loyalty to help her, they would have been instantly annihilated by this man's hand.
Convulsing from the demonic energy and sword energy invading her body, she looked up at Heavenly Demon.
His eyes were still utterly indifferent.
"Gasp!"
That made her even more terrified.
Just what is this guy's identity?
No matter how she looked at him, he wasn't one of their kind.
'But he's too strong.'
As someone who had directly experienced the ancient immortals long ago, she knew most beings, but she had never seen anyone with this kind of power.
Even her husband couldn't easily subdue her when she went berserk without transforming into her true form or using the Great Demon-Subduing Treasure, the Plantain Leaf Fan. Yet this man was effortlessly suppressing her.
He didn't even seem to be using his full strength.
'It's like… looking at that stone monkey bastard.'
Overwhelming strength.
She had felt that from the Stone Monkey Sun Wukong.
A monster that even the Great Strength King, considered the strongest of the Six Demons, couldn't handle.
A being born from the convergence of all the energies of heaven and earth.
Though the nature of their power was different, this was the first time since then that she had felt such pressure from someone.
"Haa… haa… Just what are you? I've never heard of a being like you in thousands of years…"
For a moment, her eyes met Heavenly Demon's.
In that split second, something pierced her mind and she saw a huge avatar of black flames before her eyes.
Her whole body trembled at the dark flames that seemed deeper than the abyss.
What the hell is this?
How can something like this be inside a human form?
"I am Heavenly Demon. I rule over all ten thousand demons, and am the black flames darker than the abyss."
"You… just what are you?"
"This is my final act of mercy. If you bring Hong Hae-a and hand over what's mine, I'll spare your life and your child's."
'!?'
What does he want Hong Hae-a to hand over?
Could he be talking about Him who was said to be sealed by the killing stone?
Then does this guy have some connection to the White-Faced King?
"You. What's your relationship with the White-Faced King?"
"You don't have the right to ask me questions. If you don't accept the mercy given, you'll only suffer the consequences."
"Shut up! Who are you to tell me and my child what to do with Him?"
Heavenly Demon's eyes turned cold at her outburst.
He had tried to instill fear in her with overwhelming pressure to make her do as he wanted, but befitting someone who had lived for thousands of years, she had strong mental fortitude. Moreover, perhaps due to her maternal love for her child, she was fiercely resisting instead.
Though his child wasn't born yet, Heavenly Demon could somewhat understand her emotional turmoil as a parent with a child.
But then, her entire body except for the wrist directly invaded by his demonic energy began to glow red as heat surged.
"Sizzle!"
"Neither He nor my child can be touched!"
"Snap!"
With that cry, Iron Fan Immortal grabbed Heavenly Demon's legs and hugged him tightly.
'!?'
It wasn't just heat that was surging rapidly.
It was demonic power.
The fact that it was rising even higher than her original demonic power meant she was converting all of her life force into demonic power.
"Iron Fan Immortal, you can't!"
Realizing that Iron Fan Immortal was trying to sacrifice herself in a mutual destruction technique, one of the Three Heroes, the gray-haired spirit king Ash-Faced Demon[2], flew towards her to try and stop her.
"Whoosh!"
"Ah?"
But before he could approach, a curtain of red heat blocked him, preventing him from getting closer.
This was a wall created by Iron Fan Immortal.
Unlike when she went berserk, she was now only thinking of killing the opponent before her, so she made this choice to prevent her subordinate lesser demons from being harmed.
Of course, this was also to concentrate all the heat in one place to double its power.
Iron Fan Immortal spoke in a meaningful voice:
"Let's die together in heat hotter than lava."
"A sacrifice for your kin?"
"Even if the Heavenly Emperor came, he couldn't touch my child."
"Crack!"
Her skin, transformed like lava, split open and red light poured out.
It looked like it would burst at any moment.
But then,
"Snap!"
Heavenly Demon grabbed Iron Fan Immortal's face with his palm as she clung to his legs.
Iron Fan Immortal sneered and shouted:
"It's useless. This is heat from burning all of my demonic power. No one can extinguish—"
"Whoosh!"
Before she could finish speaking, the blazing heat from her surging demonic power began to be rapidly absorbed into Heavenly Demon's palm.
'No!'
Just as she was about to explode, the heat rapidly drained away, and she couldn't hide her bewilderment.
"No! Nooooo!"
Sensing something was wrong, she tried to force herself to explode in this state.
However,
"Whoosh!"
At that moment, her brain was severely shaken by the vibrations coming through Heavenly Demon's palm, and she lost consciousness.
Not missing this chance, Heavenly Demon absorbed all the heat from her body.
The absorbed heat was indeed beyond imagination.
'Hot.'
Since this wasn't heat that could be converted into energy within the body,
"Snap!"
He raised his hand and released all the heat.
"Boom!"
The lava-like heat erupting from Heavenly Demon's hand pierced through Plantain Leaf Peak, even destroying Cuiyun Mountain as it soared high into the sky.
Cheong-ryeong, watching this from a mountaintop not far from Cuiyun Mountain, smirked.
'So much for ending it quietly.'
"Boom boom boom boom!"
Seeing that red pillar of heat soaring into the sky after smashing a whole mountain, it seemed he was really making a mess.
He had some idea since she was said to be a Great Spirit Beast on par with the Six Demons.
That it wouldn't end quietly, that is.
It wasn't long before Iron Fan Immortal regained consciousness.
Having used up all her demonic power, her hair had turned white and her face was haggard as if weathered by time.
Of course, even so, she still looked like a noble lady.
But exhausted beyond measure, she was lost in a daze, staring at the sky visible through the gaping hole.
The hole was so large, spanning dozens of jang, that it was embarrassing to even call it a mountain anymore.
'Ah…'
But more than this, what made her feel truly dejected was Heavenly Demon's appearance.
She had tried to cause a mutual destruction by exploding thousands of years' worth of accumulated demonic power, but she hadn't even singed a hair on his head, let alone his clothes.
'This… is a being that even He couldn't handle if he came.'
Iron Fan Immortal had immense pride in her husband.
Wasn't he the one whom even the ancient immortals couldn't defeat and had to join forces to seal?
But this man's strength was truly transcendental.
Even if her husband transformed into his true form and used the Great Demon-Subduing Treasure, the Plantain Leaf Fan, could he really handle this monster?
No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't picture such a scenario.
But still,
"What wife, what mother would sell out her husband and child? Just… kill me instead."
She had no intention of surrendering.
She was simply worried about them facing this monster, more than she feared death.
"Step step!"
As Heavenly Demon approached, she took a deep breath, exhaled, and closed her eyes, resigned to death.
Then Heavenly Demon's hand touched her head.
Is this how I'll be annihilated?
But then,
"You keep your mouth shut well. I'll acknowledge that maternal love."
At these words from Heavenly Demon, she didn't budge.
She thought there was no way someone targeting her child would show mercy like this.
So she responded strongly.
"Then kill me without dishonoring me."
"No, I can't do that."
"What?"
She frowned and opened her eyes.
Heavenly Demon bent down and whispered in her ear.
"As it happens, there are many vacancies for spirit servants."
'!?'
What is this bastard saying now?
Spirit servants?
Is he talking about how diviners and Taoists form connections with and control our kind?
Is he saying he'll do to me what only lower-ranking demons suffer?
Realizing this, her eyes widened in shock, but Heavenly Demon formed a hand seal with his left hand and said with a smile full of malice:
"Let's see how well Hong Hae-a listens to her mother."
Chapter 497.12
Chapter 497.12 – Side Story 4 Part 1
Madman (1)
"Aaaaargh."
Heavenly Demon was secretly impressed by Iron Fan Immortal's resistance. Despite forming a connection, she was enduring like the Great Spirit Beast she was, having lived for thousands of years.
Not only had his power increased compared to a year ago, but his spell power had also grown to the point where it could be said to surpass that of a divine-level diviner.
Yet she was resisting his spell power with desperate will.
She was truly worthy of being a Great Spirit Beast comparable to the Six Demons.
Until now, only two of the six divine-level diviners had taken spirit beasts of king-level as spirit servants.
The will of spirit kings was on a completely different level from ordinary lesser demons.
However,
"Thud!"
Eventually, the exhausted Iron Fan Immortal collapsed to the floor, her eyes glazing over.
'It's done.'
At last, her will had shattered and she had submitted.
Heavenly Demon addressed Iron Fan Immortal, whose face was haggard and eyes unfocused.
"Iron Fan Immortal."
"Yes, master."
Though she couldn't properly raise her body due to exhausting her demonic power and mental strength to the extreme, Iron Fan Immortal tried to show proper etiquette towards Heavenly Demon, seemingly having developed a will to obey.
At this sight, the corners of Heavenly Demon's mouth turned up.
He hadn't particularly desired to take a spirit king as a spirit servant, but taking a Great Spirit Beast comparable to the Six Demons as a spirit servant would be shocking to diviners if they found out.
"Whoosh!"
Since he had completely made her his spirit servant, there was no need to keep her in an exhausted state, so Heavenly Demon returned some of her demonic power that he had left aside.
As he injected the demonic power, vitality gradually returned to her haggard face.
Once her breathing had somewhat stabilized, Heavenly Demon asked:
"Do you know where Hong Hae-a is?"
At this question, her complexion fluctuated between red and blue as her expression quickly twisted, but unable to overcome his dominance, her eyes soon glazed over and she opened her mouth.
"I know the child's former dwelling."
"Former dwelling?"
"Yes."
"Where is that?"
"It was in a cave called Hwa-un Cave in Gusonggan of Diamond Head Mountain."
"Was? So he's not there now?"
"Hwa-un Cave is not far from here, but in the past, the stone monkey destroyed the cave, so it no longer exists."
"Stone monkey. You mean Sun Wukong."
"That's right."
Heavenly Demon remembered what the diviner Yeo Surin had told him about the ancient texts.
She had said that in the past, that stone monkey Sun Wukong had opposed not only the Great Strength King, but Hong Hae-a as well.
Then it seemed Hwa-un Cave wasn't the lava cave.
"Do you know where the lava cave is?"
"Lava cave?"
"Hong Hae-a told the Golden Nine-Tailed Fox to bring him there. Don't you know where that is?"
At Heavenly Demon's question, Iron Fan Immortal frowned and hesitated for a moment.
Does she know something?
Heavenly Demon pressed her will strongly and asked:
"Is there somewhere you suspect the lava cave might be?"
"I'm not certain where the lava cave is, but… when that child returned, he spoke of an unquenchable flame."
Seeing her struggle to part her lips, Heavenly Demon clicked his tongue.
Maternal love was certainly something remarkable.
However, once a connection was formed, it was ultimately impossible to refuse.
"What's this unquenchable flame?"
"Nngh…"
"Answer me, Iron Fan Immortal."
"Deep underground in a hidden part of Mount Tian… there's an unquenchable flame. He said he might have obtained the primal energy of a flame surpassing Samadhi True Fire there."
"Mount Tian?"
A strange light flashed in Heavenly Demon's eyes.
Mount Tian in Xinjiang.
He remembered.
Not because he knew the geography well, but because it existed in his memories.
It was a place with amazing scenery where desert, lush forests, and eternal snow existed simultaneously.
A long-forgotten memory surfaced.
It was also the place where he had first descended to this world as the King of Demons.
Several hours had passed.
Something massive landed in the great hall of Plantain Leaf Peak, which had been blasted open.
"Thud!"
The being was a huge, bizarre monkey with a purple face covered in white fur.
The giant monkey, wearing armor decorated with snake patterns, swept the surroundings with trembling white eyes and gnashed its teeth.
"Grr!"
'What on earth happened here?'
He had come to protect her on the orders of his master, Hong Hae-a.
At first, the monkey had found the order strange.
Though not as much as the Great Strength King, Iron Fan Immortal was still a Great Spirit Beast who could easily match him.
Unless the ancient immortals came, there should be no one who could do anything to her, so he thought the order was just out of concern for that fox girl.
But this was an unexpected result.
The great hall of Plantain Leaf Peak had become a scene of carnage, and the stench of lesser demons' blood filled the air.
"Roooooar!"
The enraged giant monkey let out a roar.
With one roar, a storm-like pressure swept in all directions, threatening to collapse the already devastated great hall.
"Rumble rumble rumble!"
But someone stopped it.
"Please stop! White Ghost King!"
The giant monkey, no, the White Ghost King, unable to contain his anger, stopped roaring.
His eyes fell on someone lying in a pool of blood.
The one in human form was Ash-Faced Demon, the gray-haired spirit king who was one of Iron Fan Immortal's Three Heroes.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Recognizing him, the White Ghost King hurriedly ran over, lifted him up, and demanded:
"Tell me what happened here at once!"
***
Mount Tian in Xinjiang.
In a cave within the vast mountain range covered in eternal snow and bitterly cold.
A campfire crackled there, and someone sat in front of it, roasting jerky on a skewer.
As the jerky turned golden brown, the figure lifted the skewer and removed the mask he was wearing, setting it down.
The uniquely patterned mask, though made of hard material, was cracked and broken in several places.
The figure bit into the jerky from the skewer.
"Munch munch!"
Blue eyes, a high nose bridge, and quite an exotic face.
It was Ma Ra-hyeon, the Right Guardian of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Ma Ra-hyeon, hurriedly eating the jerky that steamed in the cold air, gulped down water from a leather pouch.
"Phew."
Having satisfied his hunger, Ma Ra-hyeon exhaled a long breath as if he'd survived, then sat in a meditative posture and began circulating his energy.
As he circulated his energy, he recalled the situation from several hours ago.
In his mind's eye, a middle-aged man with short grizzled beard unleashed a fierce saber technique towards him, and he countered it using defensive and sword techniques.
He had received teachings about the sword from First Elder Ou Cheon-mu and his lord Heavenly Demon for a year, gaining excellent swordsmanship skills.
However, the opponent's saber technique was beyond imagination, and he was defeated in just thirty seconds.
"Clench!"
His fist tightened as he circulated his energy.
Recalling their daily battles, he had been honing his sword techniques, but even after two weeks, he had never lasted more than thirty seconds.
Why was this happening when he was facing someone who wasn't even in their right mind?
Unable to focus on circulating his energy, Ma Ra-hyeon soon stopped and struck the ground with his fist.
"Thud!"
"Father…"
The reason he had come here was to avenge his father.
He had learned about his father's killer from the Holy Fire Priestess just a year ago.
Yet he had only acted now because he wanted to avenge his father without anyone's help.
[Right Guardian. Priest Mayera went to Mount Tian, the holy land of our sect—no, the Fire Faith Order—along with the elders to regroup the believers. But then…]
That's when the tragedy occurred.
His father had been brutally killed while evacuating believers due to the rampage of a madman who appeared in Mount Tian.
[Who is he?]
[A disciple skilled in martial arts called him the Ten Martial Arts Madman[1].]
Ten Martial Arts Madman, Cho Jin-geuk.
Was he the one who killed his father?
Ma Ra-hyeon was well aware of the Ten Martial Arts Madman.
There were three people known as the craziest in the martial arts world.
Martial artists called them the Three Madmen, and they were the Mad Monk Ja Geum-jeong, the Mad Swordsman Ji-oe (now known as the Sword Demon), and the Ten Martial Arts Madman Cho Jin-geuk.
The common point among the three was that they were all mad, but Ja Geum-jeong was mad with alcohol because he had seen something he shouldn't have, and the Mad Swordsman Ji-oe, now the Sword Demon, was mad with the sword.
But this Cho Jin-geuk was different from the others.
He was said to be truly insane.
Cho Jin-geuk, originally known to be from a renowned martial arts family, suddenly went mad one day and gained notoriety for senselessly killing hundreds of civilians and dozens of martial arts masters.
Those who barely survived encounters with Cho Jin-geuk all said the same thing consistently.
He was either properly insane or born with a killing nature, one of the two.
But at some point, he disappeared.
Come to think of it, that was around the time he had received news of his father's death.
[That man was a madman, but he was truly a monster. Why don't you ask the cult leader for help?]
[I can't do that.]
If he received help from his liege, the world's greatest martial artist, he could easily kill the opponent.
However, he couldn't entrust his father's killer to someone else's hands.
His pride as a martial artist wouldn't allow it.
So Ma Ra-hyeon had long been collecting information about Cho Jin-geuk and had gone through a year of preparation to face him.
After coming all the way to Mount Tian and finally finding him…
When he first saw him, he was literally half out of his mind.
Whether someone had confined him or he had done it himself, he was trapped in a cave, his legs shackled with specially made chains that even internal energy couldn't penetrate.
[Hehehe. I'm hungry.]
'To think my father was killed by someone like this.'
It didn't matter if he was mad or not.
With only the thought of avenging his father, Ma Ra-hyeon tried to kill him in one strike.
But the moment he thrust his sword, this madman suddenly blocked his attack with a long staff, displaying spear techniques, then slashed his chest with a saber technique from the other hand.
"Slash!"
"Ugh!"
Lightning-fast hand movements and techniques.
It could be called the skill of a peerless master.
He had heard that Cho Jin-geuk was a master of ten weapons, but he hadn't known he could switch between martial arts so freely.
'I mustn't let my guard down.'
No matter how mad he was, with skills like this, he could be in trouble if he was careless.
But even with this caution, a shocking result occurred.
Despite giving it his all, he was defeated in just seven moves.
'How could this happen.'
He had prepared for revenge for so long, yet he, at the pinnacle-stage of the Transformation Realm, couldn't last even ten moves against a mere madman.
Chapter 497.13
Chapter 497.13 – Side Story 4 Part 2
Madman (2)
Right Guardian Ma Ra-hyeon, subdued in just ten moves, was shocked beyond measure.
It was a kind of self-loathing.
He knew that the Ten Martial Arts Madman Cho Jin-geuk was notorious as one of the Three Madmen, but public opinion wasn't as high as for the Sword Demon Ji-oe, formerly known as the Mad Swordsman.
Even so, he had prepared assuming Cho's martial arts would have become formidable, considering the time since he was last seen.
However, the result was defeat in 7 moves.
The sword qi at his neck seemed about to pierce his flesh at any moment.
'Ah… Father.'
Was he to die here without even avenging his father?
As despair washed over him, Cho Jin-geuk, who had been laughing madly while facing him moments ago, suddenly had an utterly cold expression as if sobering up.
'What?'
As Ma Ra-hyeon wondered, Cho Jin-geuk spoke.
[Who are you to enter this place?]
Frowning at his completely different tone, Ma Ra-hyeon replied:
[Why do you think I came here?]
Cho Jin-geuk snorted and answered:
[You're a funny one. Answering a question with a question.]
[I find it even funnier that you ask such a question now after we were just fighting.]
[We were just fighting?]
At those words, Cho Jin-geuk rolled his eyes and looked around.
The traces of battle all around clearly showed they had been fighting fiercely just moments ago.
Confirming this, Cho Jin-geuk fell into thought briefly before speaking.
[Did you approach while I was seized by killing intent?]
[Killing intent?]
[Let's just say I was mad.]
[So you were really insane when you were acting like a madman?]
At Ma Ra-hyeon's words, a strange bitterness flashed in Cho Jin-geuk's eyes.
He gazed at the sunlight shining into the cave, then removed the sword qi from Ma Ra-hyeon's neck and said:
[Whoever you are, leave while I'm in my right mind.]
Ma Ra-hyeon's eyes trembled slightly at his attitude.
The battle was decided, yet he suddenly came to his senses and was letting him go unharmed?
Though it was a perfect chance to keep his life, anger welled up in Ma Ra-hyeon along with the rising self-loathing.
[Who are you to decide whether I stay or go?]
Feeling the killing intent in his voice, Cho Jin-geuk, who had removed his sword qi, raised his energy without releasing it.
Then he raised one eyebrow, tilted his head, and said:
[Did you come looking for me?]
[Do you think I came all this way for no reason?]
[Ha.]
At those words, Cho Jin-geuk sighed and licked his lips as if they were dry.
After staring at Ma Ra-hyeon for a while, Cho Jin-geuk finally spoke.
[I suppose I'm your enemy.]
[Don't talk as if it's someone else's business.]
[I never thought it was someone else's business. It's all my karma, something I brought upon myself.]
[You brought it upon yourself?]
[I don't know who you are, but judging by that level of killing intent, you must have lost family or someone precious while I was seized by killing intent. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come to such a remote place.]
At these words, Ma Ra-hyeon, still exuding killing intent, removed his mask.
Whoosh!
As the mask came off, revealing blue eyes and exotic features, Cho Jin-geuk's expression froze.
[You. You're a Westerner. No, a mixed-blood?]
[Do you remember nothing even seeing this face?]
[…]
Cho Jin-geuk gave no answer to Ma Ra-hyeon's question.
It was an affirmative response.
At his answer, Ma Ra-hyeon felt a pain in his chest beyond anger.
It was stranger for someone who indiscriminately killed people while mad to remember each person they killed, but he had hoped.
He thought Cho might remember his father, Priest Mayera, since he was a Westerner.
But his father wasn't in this bastard's memory.
Clench!
As Ma Ra-hyeon gripped his sword, energy began circulating through his eight extraordinary meridians.
Sensing this, sword qi materialized on Cho Jin-geuk's sword.
Taking a sword stance, Cho Jin-geuk said:
[I don't know who you are, but if you're related to those who died by my hand, I can apologize. That was an error caused by me.]
[You can apologize? You speak carelessly with that gaping mouth.]
Ma Ra-hyeon felt true hatred for this bastard.
He spoke as if bestowing some small kindness by saying he could apologize, but it wasn't the attitude of someone who truly considered it his karma.
Thud!
Ma Ra-hyeon stomped his foot and thrust his sword at Cho Jin-geuk.
A whirlwind arose from the sword tip.
It was the sword technique 'Chasing and Turning Sword' from the Luminous Star Sword Art, the unique martial art of his master Jin Ye-rin.
Though he hadn't had the chance to learn it directly from his mentor since becoming the Right Guardian of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult after the battle with Demons, his lord, the Leader of Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, had taught it to him when he said he was preparing for revenge.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Cho Jin-geuk's eyes widened as the sword energy came whirling in while he was in a stance.
He realized it wasn't an ordinary sword technique, but a peerless one.
'I have to end it here.'
Ma Ra-hyeon was putting everything into the Chasing and Turning Sword.
Since the technique itself was a trump card, and he hadn't been able to use it intentionally when the bastard wasn't in his right mind, he thought Cho wouldn't be able to counter it.
But right then,
Snap! Clang!
Though his range of motion was limited by the chains on his ankles, Cho Jin-geuk stepped back about five paces and extended his sword.
At that moment, something flew from the dark rear of the cave.
They were four weapons: a saber, a sword, a spear, and a wheel.
'Ten Martial Arts, Second Realm. Four Weapons Emerge!'
'!?'
Ma Ra-hyeon's eyes widened at the sight.
He had thought Cho wasn't an ordinary master since he defeated him in 7 moves, but could he be a Profound Realm master who had even surpassed the Wall of Walls?
Clang clang clang!
As Ma Ra-hyeon marveled, the four weapons harmonized in four directions through energy control, tracing exquisite trajectories to block the Chasing and Turning Sword.
Each of the four weapons moved differently, as if four different weapon masters were demonstrating excellent combined techniques.
'What is this?'
It was reminiscent enough of his mentor Jin Ye-rin's unique martial art Wind Shadow Eight Forms to perfectly utilize the strengths of four weapons, but unlike Wind Shadow Eight Forms which directly created afterimages, these were deployed through energy control, making the changes even more unpredictable. Moreover, each move seemed imbued with tremendous killing intent, as if the martial art was created solely to kill opponents.
Clang clang clang!
'Ugh!'
Though he tried to endure and push through somehow, the result was:
Claaang!
Ma Ra-hyeon's sword flew and lodged in the ceiling, while the four weapons floating through energy control aimed at his vital points.
They seemed ready to pierce his body if he moved even slightly.
In the end, Ma Ra-hyeon had to accept his defeat, sinking into despair despite using his trump card.
From the start, if his opponent was a Profound Realm master, there was bound to be a difference in their levels, so perhaps this was inevitable.
[Kill me.]
Ma Ra-hyeon spoke, taunting him.
Though frustrated at failing to take revenge, he had to accept the outcome of his defeat.
But then,
[You're no ordinary skilled fighter. With that level of martial arts, you must be one of the greatest masters of this age.]
[…]
[You may not accept it, but I'll apologize.]
[You bastard!]
[If I had completed the Blood Killing Qi Technique, I could have fully controlled the killing intent. But failing to overcome it was strictly my fault. That's what I'm apologizing for.]
[You speak as if you're apologizing for killing by mistake.]
[That's exactly how you understood it.]
[What?]
[From the start, choosing to live in the martial world means choosing a life where death can come at any time. Do you see a big difference between deaths with reasons and those without?]
Grr!
At his words, which were beyond absurd and utterly brazen, Ma Ra-hyeon wanted to tear that mouth apart right then.
But he had already been defeated, and he would die instantly if the bastard made even a small move.
Perhaps knowing this, Cho Jin-geuk continued:
[It's an era of survival of the fittest. Even if it was a mistake, I'm not weak-hearted enough to accept revenge for those who died because they were weak. No, it's even ridiculous to make excuses to the likes of you when I haven't even conquered the martial world yet.]
[Conquer the martial world?]
[Isn't it natural for a man born as a martial artist to dream of being the best under heaven? You too should have ambition instead of wasting time on revenge. Ah, I suppose that would be difficult too. Once I complete the Blood Killing Qi Technique and leave this place, even ambition will be meaningless.]
[Ha.]
Ma Ra-hyeon was dumbfounded.
Even when not insane, this man wasn't exactly a normal type of person.
He was simply furious that his father had been killed by such a bastard.
Then,
[But I've alleviated my boredom by meeting someone after a long time, so I'll show mercy as a reward for that. Leave.]
At his attitude of bestowing grace, Ma Ra-hyeon burst out in anger.
[You're insulting me now—]
Snap!
But before he could fully express his anger, he fell unconscious.
When he came to, he was covered in cold snow outside the cave, seeming to have been unconscious for quite some time.
'Damn it.'
For a while after waking, he was too consumed by humiliation and anger to do anything.
Only when he heard strange laughter from inside the cave, realizing the bastard had gone mad again, was he able to leave that place.
Realizing he couldn't do anything about Cho right away, Ma Ra-hyeon fell into deep thought for a while.
The bastard was a Profound Realm master, an enemy he couldn't handle with his current skills.
But he didn't know how long it would take to surpass the Wall of Walls by going back and honing his martial arts, and if the bastard completed his internal energy technique and left the cave as he said, there was no telling when or how they might meet again.
'I'll put aside my pride.'
In the end, Ma Ra-hyeon decided to give up on killing the bastard in a fair fight.
He thought the only answer was to target him when he was insane, since there was absolutely no chance of winning when he was lucid.
At least when insane, though he mixed various martial arts, he didn't use that peerless energy control technique he had shown when lucid.
So Ma Ra-hyeon made a cave not far from there his dwelling and began to recall the martial arts the bastard had used, searching for ways to break them.
Meanwhile, he went near the cave and calculated the times when the bastard was lucid and when he was insane.
'Three hours.'
After observing for several days, he found that Cho wasn't in his right mind from about 5 AM to 9 AM.
He could tell just from the laughter coming from outside the cave.
Ma Ra-hyeon decided to target those three hours.
After recalling the 7 moves and coming up with ways to counter them, he went to the cave in the middle of the 5-7 AM period and fought the insane Cho Jin-geuk.
However, he was defeated in just 10 moves.
'Damn it.'
No matter how many techniques the bastard had learned, their variety was so vast that even when insane, he didn't repeat techniques much.
To say how monstrous this was, it meant he had no habits or tells.
'Monster.'
This was the feeling Ma Ra-hyeon had after fighting the insane bastard every day for two weeks.
He had observed many talented individuals up close, but this was a completely different level of monster, no, genius.
"Haah."
Was there really no way to deal with this bastard?
Even after two weeks, he could only last about thirty moves. Could he bridge that gap just by mentally reviewing ways to break the techniques?
Finally, Ma Ra-hyeon stopped his energy circulation midway, overwhelmed by growing frustrations.
If he kept sinking into distracting thoughts, he might fall into qi deviation.
If he couldn't even match the bastard in his insane state, defeating him when lucid might be as impossible as facing his lord.
As Ma Ra-hyeon wallowed in self-loathing, he soon sat in meditation posture again and composed himself.
'No. I can't give up like this.'
No matter how strong the opponent, giving up meant giving up on avenging his father.
That would be the same as truly submitting to the bastard.
Even if it took time, if he could somehow grasp all of the bastard's techniques, there might be a chance.
Have patience.
As Ma Ra-hyeon was about to mentally review his battles with the bastard again,
Clang! Clang!
He opened his eyes at the sound of footsteps ringing in his ears.
'!?'
The eyes visible through the gaps in Ma Ra-hyeon's mask trembled.
He saw a figure silhouetted against the light at the cave entrance, and with each step, the chains on his ankles clashed against the ground, making a metallic sound.
It was none other than Cho Jin-geuk.
Clang! Clang!
As he approached, red light emanating from his eyes, he spoke:
"Your dedication in targeting only my insane times was truly admirable. So I decided I must show you first when I complete my internal energy technique."
The tremendous killing intent in his voice.
It was utterly ominous.
'He completed it?'
Feeling pressured by the bastard's approach with such a vicious aura, as if he had been waiting for this moment, Ma Ra-hyeon hurriedly tried to get to his feet.
But before he could, another voice echoed through the cave.
"So this is why your vacation was extended, Right Guardian."
It was coming from behind Cho Jin-geuk.
Cho Jin-geuk, who had been approaching Ma Ra-hyeon, shook his head and muttered:
"I see you had a companion. How unfortunate."
Before he could finish speaking,
Bang!
Cho Jin-geuk's body was slammed into the cave wall.
Chapter 497.14
Chapter 497.14 – Side Story 4 Part 3
Madman (3)
The Ten Martial Arts Madman, Cho Jin-geuk.
Though now stained with infamy, he was originally born in Gansu province and renowned as the "Ten Weapons Prodigy," the head of the prestigious martial arts family Cho of Jinchang.
While most martial arts families focused on unarmed combat and mastering a single weapon, their family had excelled in many weapons for generations.
The Jinchang Cho family, possessing excellent martial arts in saber, spear, sword, halberd, staff, fist, palm, leg, finger, and claw techniques, had firmly established their power to the point where they were known to have no rivals in Gansu province.
However, this renowned Jinchang Cho family never clashed or interacted with other sects, so as time passed, many martial artists in Gansu began to doubt their skills.
"They're said to be excellent, but has anyone actually seen them compete?"
"Isn't this just an exaggerated rumor?"
"Is it even possible to be proficient in ten weapons in the first place?"
"It could be possible. If they're all mediocre."
"Ah! That makes sense."
Such rumors began to be accepted as fact at some point.
The Jinchang Cho family was also aware of this.
However, they didn't make any big moves despite the outside skepticism and ridicule.
But someone appeared who couldn't stand it and broke this pattern.
That person was Cho Jin-geuk.
Generally, it takes a long time to master even one weapon, but most martial artists of the Jinchang Cho family were talented enough to master five or six.
Among them, Cho Jin-geuk was known as a genius who had mastered all the martial arts of the Jinchang Cho family in just over 200 years.
With his innate talent, he didn't stop there but developed the family's martial arts and even created new ones, showing qualities of a great grandmaster.
This outstanding talent led him to change even the long-standing rules of the family.
The retired patriarch Cho Moon-hyung asked:
[Do you really want to step forward even if it means changing the family rules?]
[Long ago, our ancestors established such rules because they couldn't control the killing nature. But haven't we overcome this with the Steadfast Mind Anchor now?]
[Though no major problems have occurred yet, it's not perfect.]
[Then how long do you intend to be bound by the family rules? Will you keep hearing that we can't fulfill our role as a martial arts family because of the innate tendency passed down for generations?]
[As men born, no, as martial artists who have cultivated martial arts, shouldn't we rule over the world?]
[Rule over the world…]
Thus, he persuaded the retired patriarch and family members, amended the family rules for the first time in hundreds of years, and declared their advancement to the outside world.
With great ambition, he subdued all the martial artists in Gansu province in just a month to claim the title of the world's strongest, then advanced to Sichuan province in the south. Before long, he achieved the feat of defeating and subjugating the strongest masters of over ten small and medium-sized sects.
Filled with confidence, his next targets were the major sects called Qingcheng Sect, Sichuan Tang Family, and Emei Sect.
These three groups could be called the major orthodox sects representing Sichuan and belonging to the Righteous Alliance.
If he could defeat them, it would prove that the Jinchang Cho family had become a force capable of subjugating even major sects.
'Should I choose the Qingcheng Swordsman[1] Jin Sok-ja, Qingcheng Sect's best swordsman, or Tang In-hae, the rising supermaster of the Tang family known as Thousand Poison Hand?'
After deliberation, he chose the Sichuan Tang Family, one of the Seven Great Families.
Despite being a prestigious martial arts family, the Jinchang Cho family wasn't included in the Seven Great Families, so he intended to show that this structure was wrong.
But here, a variable arose.
Before he could even reach the Sichuan Tang Family, his ambition was thwarted by an unknown being.
[Are you the Ten Weapons Prodigy?]
This person had a body developed to the extreme, more than any martial artist he had ever seen.
Feeling a strange competitive spirit towards him, from whom he couldn't sense any energy even with his qi sense, Cho Jin-geuk engaged in a fight, but
Bang bang bang bang!
'What the hell is this guy?'
Despite giving it his all for dozens of seconds, he couldn't inflict any damage on this monster.
He had never heard of or seen such a monster in Sichuan province.
It was a shock for him, who thought he had come infinitely close to being the world's strongest after mastering the supreme techniques of the Ten Weapons.
'Damn it.'
A technique is a method to subdue or kill an opponent most efficiently.
But if it doesn't work from the start, it's useless.
'I can't handle this monster with conventional methods. Then I need to pierce through that seemingly indestructible body, but…'
How can one wound a body that even internal energy can't affect?
Then it's only possible by refining the internal energy more minutely or exerting power beyond that.
Suddenly, something flashed through Cho Jin-geuk's mind.
'No. That's not it.'
The curse of the family passed down since the ancestors' time.
It was that their bloodline was born with a killing nature for generations.
This wasn't simply having strong killing intent.
Those seized by the killing nature could exert transcendent power through the killing intent inherent in their blood.
But there was a problem here.
Once seized by killing intent, they couldn't control it and had to kill someone to calm it down.
Because of this, their ancestors, seized by the killing nature, ended up killing many people, and believing they couldn't control it, they forbade their descendants from interacting or competing with other martial artists.
As time passed, the descendants of the Jinchang Cho family devised numerous methods to control the killing nature, and the Steadfast Mind Anchor[2], which almost perfectly suppressed it, was the result.
The Steadfast Mind Anchor was a mind technique that calmed the mind and suppressed the killing heart, allowing the descendants of the Jinchang Cho family to no longer be seized by killing intent.
However, Cho Jin-geuk, sensing the crisis of defeat, thought of a method he shouldn't have.
'If I could only control the power of the killing nature…'
He might be able to pierce through those thick muscles as hard as vajra.
As he was contemplating this choice he shouldn't make, his opponent approached, emitting steam-like vapor from his entire body.
Cho Jin-geuk shouted at him:
[Why have you blocked my way?]
[You're not asking because you don't know, right?]
[What?]
[You've stirred up quite a commotion in the Sichuan martial world. Do you want to conquer the world or something?]
At this question, Cho Jin-geuk snorted as if dumbfounded.
[Is that not allowed?]
[There's nothing that can't be done.]
[Then are you also trying to conquer the world?]
[No. I'm just trying to prevent a crisis for a certain family, following someone's will.]
[A certain family?]
What on earth is he talking about?
As Cho Jin-geuk wondered, the opponent approached him step by step and said:
[I was going to let you go since it didn't seem worth worrying about, but what's contained inside you can't be overlooked.]
What the opponent pointed to was Cho Jin-geuk's chest.
At these words, Cho Jin-geuk's eyes took on a strange light.
Could this person have sensed that inherent in his family's bloodline?
Cho Jin-geuk straightened his posture, took a stance, and asked:
[The world is truly vast. I thought no one could match me, but you're the first peerless master I've met. What's your name?]
[Is that important?]
[It is. I need to remember it.]
[Moo-jeok.]
Moo-jeok (Invincible)?
Is this really his name?
It was far too arrogant to be a name, and he had never heard it before.
He seemed to be a reclusive eccentric.
However, what mattered wasn't names or fame anyway.
Cho Jin-geuk, in his stance, slowly regulated his breathing and stopped the energy circulation method of the Steadfast Mind Anchor, which he had built as a foundation and always maintained.
Then,
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a dark red energy rose like a mirage from his body, and even his eyes became bloodshot.
At this ominous aura full of killing intent, the man who called himself Moo-jeok's eyes sharpened.
Thus, having released the killing nature he had suppressed for so long, he fought Moo-jeok again.
And when he came to his senses, he woke up in a doctor's place with all the bones in his body shattered and his muscles twisted.
Upon waking, he couldn't bear this first defeat he had ever experienced.
[Aaaaargh!]
Defeat and a terribly damaged body.
Everything made him despair.
His dantian was intact, but with all his muscles twisted and every bone in his body shattered into pieces, what could he do when he couldn't even move?
He was now practically crippled.
For nearly two weeks, he barely ate or drank, in shock and agony.
But then, something amazing happened.
[How is this possible?]
The doctor caring for him spoke the results of his pulse diagnosis as if he couldn't believe it.
In just two weeks, half of his shattered bones had reattached, and his twisted muscles were gradually returning to their original positions.
This was great news for him who had been unable to move, unable to even budge.
However, despite this good news, he was consumed by revenge rather than joy.
'Unforgivable.'
He was enraged that his ambition to rule the world with his superior martial arts had been shattered by an unknown eccentric whose name wasn't even known.
And that anger eventually led to endless killing intent.
The killing nature in his bloodline, which had been closed for a long time as he maintained the Steadfast Mind Anchor, had awakened.
Five days passed, and with his abnormal recovery ability, his bones had completely reattached and his twisted muscles had found their place, but
[W-why are you doing this? Please, just spare my life—ack!]
Seized by unstoppable killing intent during his energy circulation, he killed the doctor and all the patients there before leaving.
Initially, he hadn't intended to kill the doctor, but sensing that his killing nature had gone berserk from what he had done, he tried to control it by using the Steadfast Mind Anchor again.
However, once out of control, the killing intent could no longer be regulated at will with just the Steadfast Mind Anchor.
'No. At this rate, I'll just be dragged around by the killing nature.'
Knowing that if he couldn't control the killing nature, he would inevitably degenerate into a crazy murderer like his ancestors, he decided to use his outstanding talent to create a new internal energy technique to control it.
While his ancestors had only suppressed it until now,
'Let's sublimate the killing nature into martial arts.'
The killing nature inherent in their bloodline possessed transcendent power, so it was too precious to simply give up.
And to rule the world and face that man, he needed to make this power completely his own.
Despite this resolution, he didn't return to his family.
It was to avoid a situation where he might harm his family members if he went berserk, or be abandoned by them.
'Let's go somewhere with few people.'
The place he chose was Mount Tian, a remote area covered in snow all year round.
He thought that in this place full of cold, no one would live, so few would come looking, and he wouldn't clash with anyone.
Or so he thought.
However, contrary to his expectations, Mount Tian was a pilgrimage site for a religious group.
They were the Fire Faith Order believers.
Unfortunately, Cho Jin-geuk encountered them just as his killing nature was going berserk and indiscriminately killed the Fire Faith Order believers, and not content with that, he even killed all the people in a nearby village not far from Mount Tian.
Realizing that it was harder to control the killing nature just by avoiding people than he had expected, Cho Jin-geuk decided this wouldn't do.
So, believing that confining himself was the only answer, he found a strange mineral that wouldn't break even under internal energy and absorbed that energy, made chains from it, and restrained himself.
Thus, after a long time passed, he finally created a new internal energy technique to completely control the killing nature and utilize its power with his innate talent worthy of a great grandmaster.
That was the Blood Killing Qi Technique.
[Hahahahahahaha!]
After completing the technique, he was confident.
Having completed the supreme martial art Ten Martial Ways, which could handle ten weapons at once through energy control, and the Blood Killing Qi Technique, now no one could match him.
Now he just needed to return to the martial world, deal with the one who first defeated him long ago, and conquer the world.
Of course, there was something to resolve first.
'That mixed-blood bastard.'
He had shown mercy because the guy was related to his past mistakes, but the bastard had tried to kill him by targeting only when he was mad, seized by killing nature while cultivating his new technique.
Every time he came to his senses, he had been greatly annoyed by the remaining traces of battle from the bastard.
So he was going to kill him first before leaving, but
"I see you had a companion. How unfortunate."
Bang!
'!?'
Cho Jin-geuk, whose body was suddenly slammed into the cave wall, couldn't hide his bewilderment for a moment.
What on earth is going on?
He had just completed his technique, and his whole body's qi sense had become extremely sensitive.
Yet he hadn't even perceived someone approaching before being slammed into the wall by an overwhelming force.
Grr!
Whoever it was, he could tell clearly from this one strike.
This was no ordinary master.
'At least an equal, or even superior.'
If so, to widen the gap, he needed to use the Blood Killing Qi Technique in one go.
During his seclusion in the cave, he hadn't just spent time controlling the killing nature.
In the process of creating a martial art to harmonize the ten weapons, he had completed the Ten Martial Ways and surpassed the Wall of Walls.
He had reached the Profound Realm, a realm only the pinnacles of the martial world approached.
If the profound internal energy of the Profound Realm combined with the Blood Killing Qi Technique, that power could be called the world's strongest without exaggeration.
Boom boom boom boom!
Cho Jin-geuk, who had raised his power to the maximum in one breath, escaped from the wall.
As he emerged and used the Blood Killing Qi Technique, dark red energy surged from his entire body, dyeing the surroundings ominously.
Grooooowl!
'Whoever you are, you'll regret opposing me who has completed the Blood Killing Qi Technique!'
Cho Jin-geuk's eyebrow raised.
His killing intent-infused energy filled the entire cave and even pressed down on the air, but the opponent wasn't even showing wariness, let alone turning around.
Someone who had approached Ma Ra-hyeon with his hands behind his back opened his mouth.
"You look terrible."
"My lord."
Whoosh!
Ma Ra-hyeon clasped his hands together and knelt on one knee, showing respect towards him.
At their behavior,
Grr!
Cho Jin-geuk's expression twisted fiercely. How dare they not only turn their back to him but not even show wariness?
He would show them what a great price such arrogance would bring.
'Ten Martial Ways, Third Realm, Six Weapons Emerge!'
As Cho Jin-geuk swung his sword, raising the Blood Killing Energy that materialized his killing intent, six weapons covered in dark red internal energy flew in from outside the cave.
The weapons that flew in aimed at the target Cho Jin-geuk pointed his sword at.
That target was the someone standing with his hands behind his back.
But then,
Woong woong woong!
The six weapons that were flying with enough force to pierce through that someone in one go suddenly stopped in mid-air.
Cho Jin-geuk's expression, who had maximized his power by even raising the Blood Killing Energy, froze.
He tried to raise the Blood Killing Energy even more, attempting to move the weapons somehow to unleash the techniques of the Ten Martial Ways' energy control.
However,
Before he could, the weapons that had stopped in mid-air crumbled and scattered into dust.
'What on earth?'
As he was bewildered, Ma Ra-hyeon, who had been showing respect, raised his head and spoke.
"Cho Jin-geuk. You said you could conquer the martial world?"
When he had said that, Ma Ra-hyeon had inwardly sneered.
The reason was simple.
"You dreamed a dream that you can't achieve even in death."
"What?"
"The one you're looking at is my lord, the Heavenly Demon, the current pinnacle of the martial world."
"Pinnacle?"
This guy is the current pinnacle of the martial world?
For a moment, Cho Jin-geuk's expression went blank before his eyes sharpened.
And for good reason, as this was truly a fortuitous coincidence.
On the very day he overcame the curse of the killing nature and completed the Blood Killing Qi Technique, the one called the current pinnacle of the martial world appeared right before him.
This was an opportunity bestowed by heavenly fortune.
Without needing to defeat countless others, if he could subdue just this one person, it would be no different from conquering the world.
Groooowl!
Cho Jin-geuk, filled with fighting spirit, raised his Blood Killing Energy to the extreme in one go, something he had never done above 60% since completing his technique.
The surging dark red energy filled the cave and began to press down on all directions.
With tremendous wind pressure, even the walls began to crack from the aftermath.
Crack crack crack!
It was truly enormous power.
But then,
"How annoying."
With those words, Heavenly Demon raised his hand to shoulder height and made a gesture of clenching his fist.
At that very moment,
Rumble rumble rumble!
Suddenly, as if an earthquake had occurred, the entire cave shook violently.
Then, Cho Jin-geuk's field of view distorted, the space rippled, and
Whoosh!
All the dark red energy that had filled the entire cave converged to a single point, compressed into the form of a small sphere.
The sight was so astonishing that Cho Jin-geuk's mouth had fallen open before he knew it.
How did he do that to the materialized Blood Killing Energy?
Then Heavenly Demon slightly turned his head, lightly flicked his finger towards the sphere, and said:
"Take it back."
Boom!
It was the moment Heavenly Demon's finger touched it.
The compressed sphere split the air and pierced straight through the center of Cho Jin-geuk's chest.
Thud!
"Gah!"
With a dying scream, the staggering Cho Jin-geuk looked down at his pierced chest with eyes widened to the point of tearing.
Chapter 497.15
Chapter 497.15 – Side Story 4 Part 4
Madman (4)
"Ugh…"
A gaping hole in the center of his chest.
The condensed energy had precisely pierced through his heart.
Black blood suddenly gushed out from the hole that had momentarily been visible all the way through to the other side.
Whoosh!
The Ten Martial Arts Madman Cho Jin-geuk clutched the wound on his chest and staggered, then gritted his teeth and barely endured.
"Your endurance is quite impressive."
Grr!
At Heavenly Demon's voice ringing in his ears, Cho Jin-geuk, filled with rage beyond pain, raised his head and glared at his face.
'!?'
But upon seeing his face, Cho Jin-geuk's eyes wavered.
It was because of the beautiful, delicate face that looked to be barely twenty years old no matter how he looked at it.
'So young?'
He had thought that the current pinnacle of the martial world would be at least around his age or older.
But seeing Heavenly Demon's extremely youthful appearance, he couldn't help but be quite shocked.
If that face had become younger through some kind of body transformation technique, he could understand, but if not, it would be utterly dispiriting.
[Hahahahaha! Finally, a martial genius with the qualities of the world's strongest has been born in our Cho family!]
[Young Master's martial talent is beyond what any later generations could match!]
[You're saying the Family Head corrected all these many secret manuals? Ha! You truly were born with the qualities of a great grandmaster!]
Except for when he had confined himself to control his killing nature, he had lived his entire life hearing only extreme praise.
This wasn't just something said because blood is thicker than water.
His father, the retired family head, and the family retainers were all astonished every time they saw his martial talent.
He was truly a born genius. That's what he was.
'I am the heaven-ordained world's strongest.'
He had lived with such self-confidence.
But what on earth was this situation?
They say there's always someone better.
This monster-like guy is even stronger than that Mujeok bastard who gave him his first defeat ever, saying there's another sky beyond the sky.
It was impossible to even gauge his capabilities.
"Haa… haa… You bastard…"
He can barely speak.
Having already been utterly defeated by overwhelming power, even saying anything feels futile.
'Damn it.'
Everything feels so dispiriting.
He had sublimated his killing nature into martial arts even while confining himself, but that time has become meaningless.
What if he had returned to his family back then?
Would such an absurdly unfortunate event not have happened?
Amidst this, Cho Jin-geuk suddenly thought of his family and felt choked with regret.
Though he had been defeated, the Blood Killing Qi Technique not only brings their family back into the world but sublimates killing intent into martial arts.
Yet it felt bitter that he couldn't pass on this realization to his family before dying like this.
If this just disappeared, unless someone with great grandmaster qualities like himself appeared, the Jinchang Cho family might have to live suppressing their killing nature for dozens of generations, no, perhaps forever.
'That… would be more tragic than death.'
Throb throb!
Thud!
Unable to endure the pain in his heart, Cho Jin-geuk finally fell to his knees.
Kneeling thus, he kept his gaze on Heavenly Demon and said:
"I've lost. Haa… haa…"
To these words, Heavenly Demon replied in a dry voice:
"When did we ever compete?"
Clench!
Cho Jin-geuk's fist, clutching his chest, tightened.
With his heart pierced and death a certainty, he had tried to show an attitude of acknowledging defeat in his final moment.
However, the opponent hadn't even considered him a match from the start.
As someone with strong self-pride, he felt greatly insulted, but he couldn't refute this at all.
The gap in martial prowess was that large.
Clenching his fist and swallowing his anger, Cho Jin-geuk spoke with difficulty:
"What excuses could the loser make? But as a fellow martial artist…"
"Stop."
'!?'
At that moment, Heavenly Demon cut off his words.
Then, gesturing with his eyes towards the chains on Cho Jin-geuk's ankles, he said:
"Those. Where did you get them?"
"Cough cough…"
At Heavenly Demon's question, Cho Jin-geuk's eyes glinted.
As expected of a martial artist, did he recognize these?
The chains binding his ankles were something he had discovered in a deep cave in Mount Tian that he had entered by chance.
[How can this be?]
The highest grade iron that martial artists desire most could be said to be Ten-Thousand Cold Iron.
But this mineral surpasses even that.
Thinking that these peculiar iron chains that couldn't be cut even by internal energy and even absorbed qi could restrain him for a while, he had taken them and sought out the best blacksmith in Xinjiang.
As expected, the blacksmith was amazed by this strange iron.
The blacksmith boasted that if weapons were made with this, they could create the finest martial equipment in all of Central Plains.
But Cho Jin-geuk didn't have it made into weapons.
Rather than weapons, he needed chains that could restrain himself right then.
Anyway, once he completed his internal energy technique and was freed, it wouldn't be too late to make weapons then.
The only regrettable thing was that there wasn't enough of this strange iron to make all ten weapons for handling the Ten Martial Ways.
'It's a shame, but I could make a request in exchange for this.'
He wanted to give this to his family too, but not as much as the Blood Killing Qi Technique or Ten Martial Ways.
So Cho Jin-geuk spoke with difficulty:
"Cough cough. If I give you this, could you grant one request as a fellow martial artist?"
"Who said I needed that? Tell me where you got this from."
At Heavenly Demon's words, Cho Jin-geuk frowned.
He had thought Heavenly Demon coveted this special iron, but he was speaking as if that wasn't the case.
No, could it be that he thinks there's more of this iron?
If that's the case…
Then the sound of fingers snapping rang in his ears.
What is he doing?
But then,
"I found this iron in a deep underground altar in a cave where a group on a pilgrimage, saying their holy land was here, fled as I killed them while seized by killing intent."
'!?'
Wait, why did I answer that?
As he was bewildered, Ma Ra-hyeon rushed in and punched him in the face.
Whack!
"Ugh!"
Ma Ra-hyeon's eyes burned fiercely as he looked at Cho Jin-geuk, whose head had turned from the blow.
The group on a pilgrimage that Cho Jin-geuk mentioned.
They were the Fire Faith Order believers led by his father, Priest Mayera.
"You casually mention something you took after killing my father?"
"Father?"
"You son of a bitch!"
Filled with rage and killing intent, Ma Ra-hyeon didn't stop there but grabbed Cho Jin-geuk's collar and madly pummeled his face.
Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!
Though no internal energy was used, Ma Ra-hyeon's strength as a martial artist was different from ordinary people, so with each punch, Cho Jin-geuk's face was terribly mashed, his nose bone collapsing and teeth breaking.
Crunch!
He was striking so hard that even the eye socket broke and bone fragments pierced the eyeball, but Heavenly Demon stopped this.
"Stop for a moment."
Heavenly Demon's order was absolute, so no matter how consumed by revenge he was, Ma Ra-hyeon stopped immediately.
Ma Ra-hyeon's fists were completely stained with the bastard's blood.
Drip drip!
"Ugh…"
What was truly amazing was that despite being hit like this, since the blows weren't infused with internal energy, Cho Jin-geuk was still breathing.
It could be called a tenacious life force, to still be alive even with his heart pierced.
Heavenly Demon snapped his fingers again and asked Cho Jin-geuk, who was groaning with his face mangled:
"Where is that place?"
At this question, Cho Jin-geuk was so angry that he had not the slightest intention to answer. However, regardless of his will, his mouth was cruelly answering:
"Ugh… On the middle slopes of the second highest mountain range to the southwest… Haa… haa…"
As soon as he finished answering, Cho Jin-geuk screamed madly:
"What! What sorcery have you used?!"
"I heard your answer well."
At Heavenly Demon's reply, Cho Jin-geuk was dumbfounded.
Just what is this guy?
It seemed he had mastered not only martial arts but also strange sorcery.
How could there be such an absurd case of making someone speak their inner thoughts at will, disregarding the person's own will?
He had intended to ask for the Blood Killing Qi Technique and Ten Martial Ways' formula to be passed on to his family in exchange for the location of the iron he had found, but all of this had become useless.
Perhaps such a request would have been meaningless from the start.
'Damn that mixed-blood bastard.'
He considered Cho Jin-geuk his enemy, so even if he asked as a martial artist since he was going to die anyway, there was no way he would grant the request.
Realizing his own foolishness, Cho Jin-geuk closed his eyes, seemingly giving up on everything.
Perhaps it would have been better to hope that his family would discover the cave where he had confined himself to train.
Though he hadn't left the completed formula, he had engraved some records of the Blood Killing Qi Technique's breathing techniques and traces of the Ten Martial Ways on the cave walls.
'Please. Find that and repay this someday…'
Breathing heavily, he gradually lost consciousness.
But Heavenly Demon's voice reached his ears as he was dying:
"Does this person have family?"
"The Jinchang Cho family in Gansu province is his family, sir."
"Is that so? Then it's not over yet. Right Guardian, mobilize as much of our cult's forces as you want and wipe out their entire lineage."
'What!?'
Cho Jin-geuk was so shocked by Heavenly Demon's order that he opened his eyes despite having closed them.
However, what his eyes saw was the sole of Ma Ra-hyeon's foot.
"Watch from hell. I'll send them to you one by one."
"You bas—"
Whack! Crunch!
His face, which had been spewing anger, was crushed under Ma Ra-hyeon's foot.
Though he had wanted to accomplish it entirely with his own strength, Ma Ra-hyeon shed tears thinking of his father, perhaps feeling his grudge somewhat resolved by avenging him like this.
Drip!
Meanwhile, at the same time.
Someone landed from the sky in front of Cheong-ryeong, who had been waiting not far from the cave, wearing thick fur clothing.
Thud! Rumble rumble!
The landing was so massive that the surrounding ground shook.
The being was a huge monkey with a purple face and white fur, wearing armor decorated with snake patterns – the White Ghost King.
Grooowl!
At the appearance of this being exuding tremendous demonic power, Cheong-ryeong hurriedly drew the sword at her waist.
Shing!
But then, the White Ghost King prostrated himself before someone next to her with a great shout.
"Mistress! You're safe!"
She was none other than Iron Fan Immortal, the Great Spirit Beast of Plantain Leaf Peak.