I slowly walked into Mansa Cave.
Because the Evil Dao Alliance had made it into a holy site, the interior was well maintained. The air circulated well, and thanks to the night pearls embedded here and there, it was bright inside.
After walking in for some time, I came upon a wide space. This was Mansa Cave. On the newly built walls, the life of Patriarch Mansa had been recorded in writing and pictures.
From his birth, to his unfortunate childhood, to the days he devoted himself to arduous martial training, the heroic tales of his youth, and the chronicle of how he later became a great master of the Evil Path—all of it was written there.
But that was all. There was nothing else. This was why Bisain had allowed me inside. After all, it was nothing more than a place where the life story of an Evil Path master, once called a legend three hundred years ago, had been recorded.
The pinnacle of his life was his battle against the Heavenly Demon.
Though he had not won, the fact that he survived that battle was what made him a figure still spoken of to this day.
According to the records written on the wall, he treated his injuries and stayed here for ten days before leaving. It said he was fortunate there was water here, which allowed him to endure.
After that, it was written that he went into seclusion and never appeared in the murim again.
There was no mention of the fact that, before he died, he had left behind a discourse on his martial learning here.
Then how did that become known?
Ten years from now, an earthquake would strike this place, the wall would collapse, and a new space would be discovered.
I drew the Black Demon Sword.
Ziiing.
Sky-blue sword force settled over the Black Demon Sword.
I drove the sword clad in sword force into the lower part of the western wall. Following the boundary line at the bottom of the wall that had been built for the writing and paintings, I cut out a neat opening large enough for one person to pass through.
The wall that had collapsed was precisely this western wall. It was not very thick, so after cutting deep enough to pierce through it, I used my internal energy to push the stone slab inward, and it slid in.
I crawled inside. This inner space was where Patriarch Mansa had left behind his thoughts on his martial learning before his death.
On the wall was written the discourse on martial learning he had left behind. Judging by how he had hidden it separately in a secret space, it seemed he had not wanted someone without the proper fate to see its contents.
I slowly read it.
It was a discourse on martial learning as a whole, based on the enlightenment he had gained through his battle with the Heavenly Demon.
Patriarch Mansa’s martial learning was immensely lofty and profound. To ordinary masters, it was nothing but grasping at clouds, something they could read a hundred times to no avail. But I was no ordinary master.
I read it again and again. It was the principle left behind by the greatest master of the Evil Dao in the past three hundred years. There was no need to memorize it. It belonged to the realm of understanding.
At first, I gained enlightenment from the differences. A new lesson granted by Evil Path martial arts utterly unlike the demonic arts of our cult.
But the more I read it over and over, the more I came to understand that, in the end, all martial arts began from a single root, and I gained enlightenment from their sameness.
They were alike, yet different. Which parts were different, and which parts were the same? Knowing the profundity granted by that subtle difference was what separated an unparalleled master from those who were not.
I drew my sword and swung it, then read the words again, then once more performed forms like a madman. This experience was fresh and intense.
If I had only learned demonic arts, or if I had only learned the martial arts of the Evil Path, then perhaps his teachings would not have struck me so deeply.
But though my foundation lay in demonic arts, I had lived my whole life transcending factions. That was why Patriarch Mansa’s final enlightenment resonated so greatly with me.
Then, at some point while I was performing the forms of the Flying Heaven Sword Art, I realized it.
Before I knew it, I had achieved grand completion of the twelfth stage of the Flying Heaven Sword Art.
Like water naturally flowing downward, Patriarch Mansa’s teachings had led me to the next stage.
Grand completion of the tenth stage and grand completion of the twelfth stage were realms on entirely different levels. One martial art had reached its ultimate realm and finally been perfected.
“Ah!”
I was delighted. Even in my previous life, I had never achieved grand completion of the twelfth stage in any martial art. Now that I had reached grand completion of the twelfth stage in a profound martial art like the Flying Heaven Sword Art, I was so happy I felt as if I might fly.
I prostrated myself on the spot and bowed. Though he had been a great master of the Evil Path, I offered my sincere gratitude.
“Thank you truly for leaving behind such a great teaching. Though a person of the Evil Dao did not receive this precious fate, someone who intends to help your descendant has received it, so please do not be too disappointed.”
Just as I bowed and was about to rise, something caught my eye.
Something was hidden in a place that could only be seen while prostrating oneself. When I went closer and looked, it was a letter. A letter left behind by Patriarch Mansa. Among its contents, the final passage entered my eyes.
“…I realized that even if I consumed this Ten-Thousand-Year Black Lingzhi, I would not be able to kill the Heavenly Demon. Therefore, I do not take it and instead leave it to later generations. May the one fated for it cherish this affinity.”
“Ten-Thousand-Year Black Lingzhi?”
Startled, I searched the area around where the letter had been placed. Behind the letter was a small hole. When I looked inside, a Ten-Thousand-Year Black Lingzhi was truly growing there.
When I infused a little internal energy and pushed, the earthen wall collapsed, revealing a small space.
Astonishingly, what was growing there was indeed a Ten-Thousand-Year Black Lingzhi. It was a spiritual medicine more effective than any elixir I had consumed until now.
Had I not bowed to Patriarch Mansa out of gratitude, I would not have discovered the letter, nor would I have discovered the Ten-Thousand-Year Black Lingzhi. Whether Patriarch Mansa had intended it or whether it was coincidence, I had obtained a second fortuitous encounter.
‘Thank you once again.’
I carefully harvested the Ten-Thousand-Year Black Lingzhi. The Ten-Thousand-Year Black Lingzhi was actually smaller than an ordinary lingzhi. The wondrous energy accumulated over long ages was contained within this small mushroom.
I consumed the Ten-Thousand-Year Black Lingzhi on the spot.
An immense energy spread throughout my entire body. It was such a vast amount of energy that if someone unable to withstand it consumed it, their meridians might burst instead.
But with meridians strengthened by the Heavenly Meridian Reinforcement Art, and with the pure internal energy accumulated through the elixirs I had already taken, I was able to dissolve the Ten-Thousand-Year Black Lingzhi without any side effects.
I circulated my true qi once, twice, and three times, focusing wholeheartedly on dissolving its energy. After storing that energy in my dantian, I opened my eyes.
I could not know how deep the internal energy of my father, the Martial Alliance Leader, or the Evil Dao Alliance Leader was, but if one considered internal energy alone, I could now confidently say I was not inferior to the three of them.
I left the letter and Patriarch Mansa’s teachings on the wall as they were. When the earthquake came and the wall collapsed, most of it would be damaged anyway, so there was no need for me to erase Patriarch Mansa’s teachings with my own hands.
I crawled out of that place and put the stone slab I had cut out back where it had been.
Since there was still time left before the promised two hours, I read the section about the final battle between the Heavenly Demon and Patriarch Mansa.
In the battle between Patriarch Mansa and the Heavenly Demon, the Heavenly Demon Soul had manifested. Since the painting had been drawn by people of the Evil Path, they had depicted the Heavenly Demon Soul like a demon.
I stared closely at the Heavenly Demon Soul.
If one achieved grand completion of the Nine Flames Demonic Art, one could manifest the Heavenly Demon Soul.
Would I, too, one day be able to create a Heavenly Demon Soul? What form would my Heavenly Demon Soul take when it manifested? Would it appear in a smaller form instead of such a gigantic one?
Just thinking about it made my heart pound.
It was then.
Swoosh. For a moment, I had the illusion that the Heavenly Demon Soul in the painting was looking at me.
Startled, I looked at the Heavenly Demon Soul again, but it remained exactly as it was within the painting.
In truth, this was the second time I had experienced something like this.
Long ago, when my father had pressured me with demonic energy, I had once felt as if something enormous in the abyss was looking at me.
This felt exactly like that.
Was I seeing illusions because of my desperate longing for the Nine Flames Demonic Art?
“Next time, let us meet not as a painting, but when I manifest you myself.”
After saying farewell to the Heavenly Demon Soul like that, I left Mansa Cave.
Bisain was waiting outside. He examined me with eyes full of curiosity. But with his level, he could not discern any change.
“I read it well. It truly is a place worthy of being called a holy site. Patriarch Mansa was an extraordinary man.”
“Do not think of coming here ever again.”
“It may be a holy site to you people, but to me it is only a suffocating underground cave. Seeing it once was enough. Now, let us leave.”
We went outside through the same pond by which we had entered.
Emerging beneath the waterfall, we soared up the cliff. Unlike me, who rose in a single bound, he kicked off the cliff once midway before reaching the top.
We began running toward the main headquarters of the Evil Dao Alliance.
After running without rest like that, we decided to stop for a short break. As we sat side by side on a hill and rested, Bisain spoke worriedly.
“By now, there must be quite an uproar. The successor of the Evil Dao Alliance has gone missing, after all. And together with the child of the Heavenly Demon, no less.”
“There may be less trouble than you think.”
At that, Bisain looked at me and asked,
“Why do you think so?”
“Soma will have hinted something to First Wolf. He will have told him that nothing dangerous would happen, so there is no need to make a fuss.”
“Did you instruct the Extreme Evil Soma to do that?”
I shook my head.
“Sometimes there are things one can understand without being told, are there not?”
“Since becoming successor, this is the first time I have been separated from the Evil Dao Thirteen Wolves. And yet I cannot predict at all how they will move.”
He could not hide his bitter expression. Since I had induced their division, I felt a little sorry toward him.
“How does it feel to be alone?”
“I do not know yet. I thought it would be very uncomfortable, but I do not feel particularly uncomfortable or anxious.”
“That is because you are with me. I have a charm that puts people at ease.”
At my shameless words, Bisain wore a look of disbelief. After spending time with him, I could read the subtle changes in his expression. At first, every expression had seemed like the same distorted face, but when one looked closely, there were differences.
“I can read your expressions now, Young Master Bi.”
When I brought up his expression, he flinched. Just as a mask was a reverse scale to the Extreme Evil Soma, Bisain’s facial scars were like a reverse scale to him. But I did not hesitate to touch on that point.
“Later, when you gain a subordinate you can trust, show that person your expressions in detail. Only then will he be able to read your emotions. In fact, the closer the relationship, the more that person respects you, the less likely they may be able to read your expression. Do not make that mistake.”
“Why are you giving me such advice?”
“Because I hope the Evil Dao Alliance runs well. Because I hope our cult, your alliance, and the Martial Alliance maintain balance. If that balance collapses… you know, do you not? What will happen.”
“Is that truly all?”
“Do you think I was ever taught to trust people? Even so, when I must trust, I do.”
“I simply cannot understand why you would take such risks.”
“The reason is simple. He tried to kill us. He tried to use Lord Soma. That is reason enough to kill him. But do not believe I will help you to the very end. We are not greenhorns fresh to the jianghu and mad with vengeance. If the situation looks wrong, we will immediately pull out. This matter is, in the end, your problem, Young Master Bi.”
Bisain seemed troubled.
“What I should do… To be honest, I am somewhat confused.”
The Bisain I had first met and the Bisain now were clearly different. Wounded pride tends to blind a person. But the current Bisain clearly had a stronger will to overcome reality than to cling to his pride.
“Is it not simple?”
“What do you mean?”
“You only need to repay them exactly as they did to you. He tried to kill you, so you kill him as well. He did not try to seize power by killing the Evil Dao Alliance Leader, but tried to kill you, the successor, so you likewise kill his grandson. Cast aside your fear and awe of Seok Gwanchu. He is nothing but an ugly old man coveting power. Evidence or whatever else—throw it all away and simply kill him.”
Bisain nodded firmly.
“You are right. This problem was truly simple.”
It seemed something that had been tightly blocked inside him had opened.
“I will kill them all. I will kill everyone who stands in my way as well.”
“Of course you should. Do not make a simple problem complicated.”
After looking at me for a moment, Bisain asked,
“Can you still read my expression?”
“I can.”
“How is it?”
“You are happy.”
“So I truly did have expressions.”
“You did not know?”
“I did not. Everyone was too busy avoiding my face.”
“Not everyone. You were. Stop breaking mirrors now.”
A deeper smile formed on the face that normally would have flared up in anger. I stared at that face for a while, then rose first.
“Now then, let us run!”