Chapter [NaN] |
Though Tang Jincheon grumbled along the way as if the world were being unfair to him, he didn’t outright object to my proposal.
“I agree with what you're trying to do, son-in-law, but if you go directly, it'll just look like you're threatening the Alliance Leader.”
“Don’t worry. I only said it was worth trying, not that I was confident in winning. So I wouldn’t go completely overboard—just to a reasonable extent...”
“That’s why I’ll go and speak with him. Inevitably, I’ll have to bring up your mental seal, but once we ask to borrow the Strategist’s formation, they’ll figure it out anyway.”
“Oh, is that doable?”
“Well, it’ll require some assurances, but it shouldn't be a problem.”
“Just to be clear, if it’s something that could harm the Tang Clan because of me, you really don’t need to do it.”
“Oh? Ah, so that’s why you said something about demolishing the Alliance Leader’s office? It’s fine. It's complicated to explain in detail, but they won’t reject it because of political reasons or the Murim Alliance’s reputation. In the end, thanks to you, a potentially serious situation was resolved early.”
Tang Jincheon reassured me, saying that while the Murim Alliance Leader might be wary of me for other reasons, he wasn’t an unreasonable person.
It’s the same reason I left all complicated matters to Tang Sowol.
No—Tang Jincheon, who has worked directly as Clan Head for over thirty years, would naturally be more proficient than Sowol, who only received formal education as a direct heir.
“Understood. Then I’ll leave it to you and wait in peace.”
“Good. I really need to retire soon and dump everything on Cheong. I heard from Shaolin recently that the Sword King already passed down most of his duties.”
“Hmm. Maybe it’s just my prejudice, but… was Sword King ever someone who actually did his duties properly?”
“Ah!”
Wasn’t he always the kind of person who’d drop everything and come running at a moment’s notice?
“I’m more surprised that Namgung Hyung is obediently receiving heir training.”
“That’s because of something I know. He recently consumed the Heavenly Tiger Pill, so he’s focusing on inner energy cultivation for a while.”
Ah, so he’s in a situation where he has no choice but to sit quietly and work.
Either way, it must be hard for these men born with sword-etched fates to also shoulder responsibility.
In that sense, the son-in-law who gets to shove off all those annoying political burdens might actually be living in the best cultivation environment.
I nodded slightly, and soon Tang Jincheon stood up and gathered the belongings he had left nearby.
“Well then, I’ve confirmed my son-in-law is awake and we’ve set the direction for the time being, so I’ll be off.”
“Already?”
“There’s no point sitting around here. My only daughter keeps shooting me looks. And if I’m going to negotiate, there’s a lot I need to organize in advance.”
Above all, he needed to report today’s story to the Alliance Leader tomorrow.
“I’m not in any condition to go far right now. Please take care on your way.”
“There’s nothing scarier than a Flowering Stage martial artist who can’t control their strength. Don’t move around until you’ve adapted. And please, we’re just outside—what’s with this ‘take care’ nonsense?”
Tang Jincheon, looking slightly awkward, still wore a faint smile as he waved a hand and left the room.
I stared at the closed door for a moment, then turned to Tang Sowol with a look that said, “Aren’t you leaving too?”
For some reason, she nodded with a solemn expression.
“You’re envious of the Sword Dragon, aren’t you? I’ll find you a restorative tonic. Something that boosts yang energy rather than inner strength…”
“That’s not what I meant when I looked at you. And I don’t think I need a tonic.”
“Are you sure?”
“…Probably?”
It’s not that I’m uncertain. I’m just not fully certain.
Isn’t it common knowledge that as one’s martial realm increases, so does physical stamina?
After a moment of hesitation, I reversed what I just said.
“Still, I suppose taking one wouldn’t hurt.”
“Hehe. If only you didn’t have immunity to all poisons, this would’ve been easier. No—actually, maybe it will still work even now.”
“Why are you smiling so suspiciously while talking about feeding me something?”
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s a Tang Clan secret tonic.”
So there’s even a secret recipe for that?
“It’s why Tang couples generally have good marital harmony.”
Tang Sowol shrugged with a statement that I couldn’t tell was a joke or not.
After that, we all shared light banter for a while, and only when the night grew deep did we finally return to our respective rooms.
***
Afterward, everything proceeded smoothly without any particular problems.
Tang Jincheon succeeded in getting the Murim Alliance Leader to lend them Strategist Zhuge Bu, and also managed to retrieve ownership of the sealed Demon Bell, just in case.
In return—perhaps—the incident of the Diamond Arhat going berserk was, just like before my regression, hushed up and framed as an unfortunate accident.
Having experienced it firsthand, I now understood: even if a problem is solved properly, sometimes it’s better for all parties involved if it's buried.
If Blood Demon’s existence became widely known, just like the Orthodox–Unorthodox Alliance in my previous life, many would begin to view Buddhist sects with suspicion.
On the flip side, others might take interest in immortality through twisted means.
Why divide ourselves in the face of the threat that is the Heavenly Demon?
Around the time I was adjusting to the lingering sense of dissonance in my current body—
Venerable Jeonghyeon rushed in from Shaolin Temple and arrived at the Murim Alliance.
Almost at the same time, Venerable Gakjeong, who should’ve been at Jeomchang Sect, also arrived.
It was welcome news, as he was more proficient in esoteric Buddhist techniques than Jeonghyeon. But there was a problem.
He had arrived without being summoned, and his pale complexion had been constant.
It wasn’t long before I found out why.
“…The Heaven-Slaughter Star has been stolen.”
“…What??”
Declaring it an urgent matter, Venerable Gakjeong summoned not only us but also his own disciple Jeonghyeon and even the Murim Alliance Leader. And those were his first words.
“Surely… you're not saying someone from Jeomchang Sect was kidnapped? I heard there were suspicious people lurking around, so we dispatched martial artists.”
The Murim Alliance Leader asked, glancing at me for some reason, but Gakjeong shook his head.
“No. The current Heaven-Slaughter Star is fine, and so is the one who suppresses her murderous qi. None of the Murim warriors were killed either—though some were injured.”
“Then what do you mean it was stolen?”
“The ones lurking around Jeomchang were agents of the Demonic Cult. The Heavenly Demon appeared, accompanied by one of his Demon Generals.”
“What?! The Heavenly Demon?!”
His sudden appearance stunned me. Venerable Gakjeong slowly nodded, his face paler than ever, as if recalling the moment.
“That being… was a monster. No one died, perhaps because… you, White Moon Sword Lord, performed better than he expected.”
“…Why am I suddenly involved in this…”
Venerable Gakjeong, trembling, continued his explanation.
According to him, just as Murim warriors dispatched from the Alliance were about to apprehend the suspicious figures near Jeomchang Sect, the sky turned black, and the Heavenly Demon descended.
With only a few Sub-Perfection level experts at Jeomchang and a handful of Murim warriors, there was no way to mount proper resistance—they were overwhelmed by sheer presence.
The Heavenly Demon walked through Jeomchang as if it were his own home, and then he found Heo Soye, the Heaven-Slaughter Star.
She was standing protectively with Jang Inam, trembling as they blocked his path.
Though her murderous qi had been subdued, it hadn't disappeared.
When Jang Inam’s life was endangered, Heo Soye’s murderous qi exploded again, and the Heavenly Demon welcomed it gladly—bringing forward the martial artist who accompanied him.
A face none of them had seen before, but one so distinct it was easy to identify:
Ouyang Pai, the Azure-Eyed Blood Demon.
That old man received Heo Soye’s murderous qi head-on. Or rather, absorbed it—that would be more accurate.
Ouyang Pai. His entire body was covered with strange characters like tattoos, turning his skin crimson-black, with only his eyes retaining their original, piercing blue color.
Like the Bloodflame Fist Demon, he was a senior master of the Demonic Cult—a rare Sub-Perfection martial artist with blood from the Western Regions.
Before my regression, he was a threatening but manageable opponent—old and unable to show his full strength.
He wasn’t someone who should’ve been able to handle the Heaven-Slaughter Star’s murderous qi head-on.
“But strangely, the moment the qi touched Ouyang Pai, the characters covering his body wriggled and absorbed it. Soon after, he began emitting a similar murderous qi to Heo Soye’s. He collapsed after the Heavenly Demon subdued his qi, though.”
“Does that even make sense?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen such a thing before, even after a lifetime studying the Heaven-Slaughter Star. But what happened, happened.”
The Heavenly Demon, with the unconscious Blood Demon slung over his shoulder, then spoke to Venerable Gakjeong, who was barely holding onto his sanity.
He said that the reason no one died today was because I had taught him something he didn’t know.
And with that, he wrote something on the spot with brush and paper and handed it over to Gakjeong before vanishing without a trace.
Just like when he appeared at Black Lotus Sect alongside the Sword Demon.
Once again, he forcibly reminded me—who had been celebrating my victory over Blood Demon—that I was still far from the top.
“Are Heo Soye and Jang Inam safe?”
“They suffered greatly from the overflowing murderous qi after the Heavenly Demon left, but… it wasn’t the first time. The suppression was successfully re-established.”
“That’s a relief. Then, when you said the Heaven-Slaughter Star was stolen, you meant… Ouyang Pai?”
“Correct. The Heaven-Slaughter Star incites fear and ostracism, but her talent is undeniable. There have always been those who tried to become one through artificial means. They all failed… until now.”
The moment he said “someone trying to become the Heaven-Slaughter Star,” I understood what had happened.
When I learned that Jeomchang Sect had a Heaven-Slaughter Star, I tried to stop her awakening. If necessary, I would’ve even killed Heo Soye.
Because I couldn’t afford to lose Jeomchang—a symbol of the Orthodox Sect.
What would the Heavenly Demon do once he found out about the Heaven-Slaughter Star?
Just as I tried to suppress that power, he would have sought to claim it.
Perhaps, in a past regression cycle, there had been a version of events where the Blood Demon absorbed the Heaven-Slaughter Star’s power—and that’s why he could do so now.
As for why the Heavenly Demon doesn’t use that power himself… perhaps there are side effects, or maybe he simply considers his own martial arts superior now.
I doubt the reason Gakjeong and the others survived was just because the Heavenly Demon was in a good mood.
If someone was suppressing the Heaven-Slaughter Star’s power in a way he didn’t know, then of course he’d be curious—especially someone who had lived through multiple regressions.
But what bothers me the most is that he let Ouyang Pai absorb that power…
The reason is probably the same as it was for the Sword Ghost.
To forcibly push him to the Flowering Stage—so he could use him as a trial for me.
“Sigh…”
Since my encounter with the Heavenly Demon, one question hasn’t left my mind.
Why is he trying to make me grow stronger?
Unable to find an answer, I let out a long sigh. At that moment, Venerable Gakjeong pulled out a letter from his robes.
“From the Heavenly Demon?”
“Yes.”
I opened the letter with a complicated feeling.
Inside was a detailed outline of a method to bypass the mental seal using Demon Bell.
As if he had seen right through what I was planning.
Or as if he were retracing a path he had already walked.
Suddenly, I was curious.
The world is full of people who regret their lives and wish to turn back time.
So what makes me and the Heavenly Demon different—why were we granted regression?
And why does he insist on calling himself a Demon?
One who dares to insult the heavens, claiming to be the ruler of all demons and the executor of divine punishment.
Heavenly Demon.
Even now, I still don’t understand the meaning behind that title.
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