The palm force that came hurtling in collided with the great saber held upright.
Despite the thunderous boom and the shock, the great saber did not break.
“Do not be afraid! The moment you fear, you die!”
The one who shouted was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, and the one who had raised the great saber like a shield to block the palm force was Seo Daeryong. The great saber he used was the one the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had given him as a gift. The very saber he had used in his youth.
“Now, here it comes again!”
An even more powerful palm force burst from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s hand.
Seo Daeryong infused internal energy into the great saber and raised it before him once more.
Kwa-kwaang!
It was stronger than before, but this time too, he held his ground.
Behind the raised blade, Seo Daeryong was feeling fear. Even this attack felt as if it might tear his arms off. If an even stronger strike came flying at him, he might die. What if his master was overestimating him too much? Should he say now that he could not block any more?
Then Seo Daeryong’s eyes caught sight of the characters engraved on the blade.
Peerless (無雙).
They were the characters the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had carved in his youth. He could feel what kind of heart his master must have trained with back then. The will to lose to no one was contained in those two characters.
‘That’s right. I’ll endure it! Even if my arms break, I’ll endure it!’
The moment he drew up his internal energy and clenched his teeth, an even stronger palm force came flying in.
Shaaaaaak!
The merciless palm force came with greater power and collided with Seo Daeryong’s will.
A short while later.
Tap, tap.
At the sound of someone tapping the blade, Seo Daeryong came to his senses and raised his head. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was standing beside the blade, looking at him. Had he lost consciousness while still standing?
“Are you alive?”
“It seems so.”
Seo Daeryong’s face was pale, and his arms were trembling.
“Did I block it?”
“You did.”
He was so happy that he tried to throw both hands into the air, only to scream. Not only his arms, but his entire body hurt so badly he could not move. It hurt so much he thought he might die.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon pressed down on the hilt of the saber that had been blocking the front. The great saber sank straight into the ground.
Then he seated Seo Daeryong against the great saber and infused internal energy into his chest to treat his injuries. If he had blocked one more strike, he truly would have died.
“You were afraid the blade would break, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
Seo Daeryong answered honestly.
“It is natural to be afraid. But you must believe. You must have faith that you can block any attack with your blade. The Heaven-Destroying Demon Blade Form is a martial art that begins with that faith and ends with that faith.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon took a pill from his robes and held it out to Seo Daeryong.
“Take it.”
“What is this?”
“It is a Demon Essence Pill.”
At the words Demon Essence Pill, Seo Daeryong was startled. The Demon Essence Pill was one of the spirit medicines that represented the Demon Cult. The spirit medicine Geom Mugeuk had obtained in Socheondong was precisely this.
“I asked the Cult Leader and specially obtained one.”
“Something this precious! I cannot accept it.”
At that, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon glared at Seo Daeryong and said coldly,
“Then is my chief disciple not precious?”
In that instant, Seo Daeryong flinched in surprise.
“That is not true!”
“Then take it.”
Though startled and flustered, Seo Daeryong could refuse no longer, so he took the Demon Essence Pill. He circulated his heart method and dissolved the medicinal effects of the pill.
The energy of the Demon Essence Pill coursed through his blood vessels, became vast internal power, and was stored in his dantian.
Seo Daeryong slowly opened his eyes, and their gaze had deepened. A majestic internal power incomparable to before stirred in his dantian. Seo Daeryong was so moved he could hardly tell whether this was a dream or reality. He had thought he would never be able to take a spirit medicine like the Demon Essence Pill until the day he died.
Seo Daeryong rose on the spot and gave the Blood Heaven Blade Demon a deep bow.
“I will never forget the grace you have bestowed upon me, even until the day I die.”
He had given him the blade he had used in his youth, and now he had even given him a Demon Essence Pill. He truly regarded him completely as his successor. This was the result of drunkenly clinging to his trouser leg at the Pungryu Tavern. He would never let go of that hand until the day he died.
“You need at least this level of internal power to handle the latter half of the Heaven-Destroying Demon Blade Form. And your training from now on will be far more difficult and arduous.”
“I will absolutely accomplish it.”
Knowing well that his disciple was working hard even while cutting down on his duties as Pavilion Lord of Hwangcheon Pavilion and on his sleep, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon nodded with a look of pride. Once he overcame this hurdle, Seo Daeryong would truly join the ranks of the masters.
The two left the training ground.
As the two men, both carrying great sabers on their backs, walked side by side, they exuded an utterly overwhelming atmosphere.
“Has there still been no news from the Young Cult Leader?”
“I received word that he is on his way back, but I do not know exactly when he will arrive.”
Seo Daeryong missed Geom Mugeuk terribly. He missed him so much that a few days earlier, he had even appeared in his dreams. He had to meet him quickly and boast that his master had bestowed a Demon Essence Pill on him.
Just then, Dogwi of the Southern Blade Sect came and reported to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“They say the Young Cult Leader has arrived.”
Seo Daeryong’s face lit up brightly.
“Go.”
“Yes.”
Wanting at least to see his face before he entered the Cult Leader’s Hall, Seo Daeryong ran off like the wind.
In his haste, he failed to notice that a joy no less than his own had risen on the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s face.
Right now, all he wanted was to see Geom Mugeuk.
* * *
“Why have you suddenly gone wild at your age?”
At the Drunken Demon’s question, the One Blossom Sword Venerable emptied her cup instead of answering.
“It’s nice to drink after so long.”
The two of them were drinking at the Drunken Dream Pavilion in the Great Drunken Forest.
“I asked what’s with the martial arts training. Is the Martial Alliance invading? Or is there some sword-wielding scoundrel you need to impress?”
Even if there had not been rumors that the One Blossom Sword Venerable had fallen into a trance of martial arts training, one could tell from her appearance, which would have been unimaginable in the past.
She had no makeup on in front of the Drunken Demon, and though she had always gone about wearing only pure white martial robes, she was now wearing gray robes stained with dirt. She had been training in martial arts right up until just before coming here.
“I am called a Sword Venerable, after all. I should see the end of the sword.”
“So why? Why all of a sudden?”
The One Blossom Sword Venerable poured wine into her own cup.
“What is so extraordinary about a martial artist training in martial arts that you are making such a fuss?”
The words “Because I was ashamed” rose to her throat, but she could not bring herself to say them. That Drunken Demon would pry into every little detail, and she could not answer him with that.
She was ashamed of the matter involving Sa Ujong, and ashamed of the way she had cared about her outward appearance. Looking back, the same was true of the days when she had been at odds with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“Still, it’s good to see.”
At the Drunken Demon’s single remark, the One Blossom Sword Venerable felt better.
“I hear you’ve also been drinking less and training these days?”
The Drunken Demon, too, was not simply a drunkard who did nothing but drink. The gaze of the Drunken Demon, who had begun controlling his drinking, was different from before. He was not the sort of person who could watch everyone else changing while he alone sat around drinking.
“This is all because of the Young Cult Leader.”
The One Blossom Sword Venerable smiled faintly. He was right. The fact that she herself, as well as the Demon Venerables, had changed was because of the Young Cult Leader.
“It’s about time he arrived, isn’t it?”
“He’ll come when it’s time.”
The One Blossom Sword Venerable could guess why the Drunken Demon was feeling spiteful.
When Geom Mugeuk left the cult this time, he had taken the Demon Buddha with him. The Drunken Demon must have secretly hoped that he would ask him to come along instead. Moreover, wasn’t the Demon Buddha someone who had supported the Eldest Young Master? She could see his disappointment dripping into his wine cup. He often talked nonsense when drunk, but he had not been someone who revealed his feelings like this.
‘Young Cult Leader, it seems this really is because of you.’
The One Blossom Sword Venerable emptied her final cup and rose from her seat.
“Why? You’re leaving already?”
“I have to train.”
“No! You came after so long, so stay and have more fun.”
“Next time. Today’s training is important.”
At those words, the Drunken Demon emptied another cup.
“The Young Cult Leader abandoned me, and now my friend abandons me too. Fine, my only friend is wine.”
The One Blossom Sword Venerable looked at Yeobin of the Three Great Drunkards, who was walking toward them, and said,
“I wonder if that is really true.”
The Drunken Demon understood what she meant, but he did not take his eyes off his wine cup.
Yeobin came to the two of them and reported respectfully,
“They say the Young Cult Leader has returned.”
The Drunken Demon sprang up from his seat.
“Where are you going?”
“My little brother went all the way beyond the frontier and came back. I should go see him.”
To the One Blossom Sword Venerable, those words sounded like this: Let’s see just how well you did after leaving me behind!
“Don’t go and make a drunken scene!”
“Am I a child, that I would cause a drunken scene there?”
The Drunken Demon lightly launched himself into the air and crossed the lake with the Water-Treading Step.
True, everyone else had taken turns leaving the cult with Geom Mugeuk. Though they called each other brothers, he had never once gone with him, so it was understandable that he felt disappointed.
The One Blossom Sword Venerable boarded a ferry with Yeobin.
“He must be a handful, isn’t he?”
Knowing she was speaking of the Drunken Demon, Yeobin, who was rowing, smiled faintly.
The One Blossom Sword Venerable had never usually said anything to her, but today there was something she wanted to say. As a fellow woman, and out of affection for the Drunken Demon.
“I regret the person I was in the past. I hope you will not do the same.”
Many details were omitted from those words, but Yeobin understood what she meant.
The boat carrying the One Blossom Sword Venerable quietly crossed the misty lake.
* * *
Poison smoke rose from all over the Thousand Poison Forest.
Today was a day of special training for the poison practitioners of the Thousand Poison Forest.
Most of those participating in the training wore between one and three poison pouches at their waists.
Due to the nature of poison arts, training that involved releasing poison externally like this could not be done often. There was no being as dangerous as a poison practitioner with half-baked skill. Thus, when they trained, they did so under the strict control of their seniors.
When they released poison, seniors with at least five poison pouches immediately neutralized that poison. If the poison smoke were carried outside by the wind, something terrible could happen. Detoxifying was always harder than poisoning.
A little distance away, there was training in which practitioners entered a space where poison had been released, combined the various medicinal herbs prepared there, neutralized the poison, and came back out. It was perilous training in which a delay could cost them their lives. This area was personally instructed and managed by seniors with seven or more poison pouches.
Elsewhere, training in throwing hidden weapons coated with poison was in full swing. Before one could freely use poison, hidden weapon arts were essential to master. The senior instructing them was explaining the reason poison practitioners died most often. The number one cause of death among poison practitioners was being killed by their own poison!
After one round of training ended like that, all the poison practitioners gathered in one place.
The Poison King stepped forward before them.
“When martial artists face us in actual combat, their reactions are of two kinds. Either they run away without looking back, or they charge at us fiercely. They think only of killing us before we can release our poison. Because they attack while holding their breath, most are defeated before they can even use their poison properly. At best, it ends in mutual destruction.”
The Poison King standing before the poison practitioners was completely different from his usual self. At least in this moment, he had come out of his own world and was instructing his subordinates.
The rookies, if anything, did not truly know what the twelve poison pouches at his waist meant. As the number of pouches they carried increased, their respect for him would grow all the more.
“The most important martial art for a poison practitioner is neither poison-releasing techniques nor hidden weapon arts. It is footwork and lightness skill. If they chase you, you must release poison while fleeing, and if they flee, you must be able to pursue them faster than they can run. You must avoid opponents who swing their swords while holding their breath. Your lives depend on that battle of time. Do you understand?”
The poison practitioners’ thunderous answer rang out.
“Now then, begin training.”
At that, the senior poison practitioners stepped forward and began footwork and lightness skill training.
The Poison King stood silently and watched them train.
Just then, Sangseon came and reported.
“The Young Cult Leader has retur……”
Before the words were even finished, the Poison King was no longer there. It was the moment everyone saw for themselves what the Poison King’s lightness skill was like.
* * *
Standing in place, I took a deep breath.
The main cult has a unique scent. When I return after leaving the cult and smell this scent, I feel the relief of finally being back.
The first person to welcome us was Seo Daeryong.
“Young Cult Leader!”
If it had been just the two of us, he would have charged in and hugged me without restraint.
Seo Daeryong came over with a composed face and greeted me.
“Did you have a safe trip?”
“Have you been well too, Pavilion Lord?”
His true feelings came flying to me through sound transmission.
—I missed you! Next time, please take me with you too!
—Then who will guard Hwangcheon Pavilion?
—It runs perfectly well even without me! I’m going to follow you no matter what! I definitely told you!
—Fine, let’s go. Cross a room filled with the Blood-Poison Great Python and thousands of venomous snakes, pass through a place where a colossal evil spirit tries to stomp you until you burst. You should enjoy the thrill of your own shadow springing up and trying to kill you, too.
—…….
—…….
—Regrettably, I have to protect Hwangcheongak. What kind of organization is this, that it won’t function without me?
How could I not know? His desire to go out with me. How much he must miss that time we went to Soryongjeon together. So hurry up and grow stronger, my right-hand man!
If Seo Daeryong had been the first to welcome me back, then the first to welcome the Demon Buddha was the Poison King.
He came running like the wind and landed before us. He asked the Demon Buddha urgently.
“My poisonous herbs! Did you dig up the herbs?”
I stepped in front of the Poison King and said,
“I’m back. I made it safely back from the life-or-death lands beyond the border!”
The Poison King shoved me aside and looked only at the Demon Buddha.
The Demon Buddha’s eyes, as he faced him, were also full of life. Hadn’t the Demon Buddha gone through all that hardship for this very moment?
“Here they are.”
The Demon Buddha set down the box he had been carrying himself. The Poison King crouched before it, and Seo Daeryong and I crouched with him to watch.
When he slowly opened the box, the poisonous herbs were lined up inside.
“Oh! You dug up this many? Handokcho (寒毒草), and even Yeongbulcho (英佛草)! This Sodokcho (小毒草) is truly hard to find. Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
The Poison King was overjoyed, practically ready to leap into the air. It wasn’t some show of happiness just because the herbs had been gathered for him. He was genuinely delighted that the poisonous herbs had been obtained.
With that being the case, how could the Demon Buddha ever have been careless in digging up poisonous herbs?
“You truly have a gift from the heavens.”
“I was fortunate.”
Only then did the Poison King glance at me.
“And what did you dig up?”
With those eyes that clearly expected nothing at all, I would have liked to answer, I dug up even more, but—
I pointed to one of the poisonous herbs the Demon Buddha had dug up and said,
“When that one was being dug up, I’m the one who said we should dig on that mountain. If it weren’t for me……”
Without even listening to the rest of my sorry excuse, the Poison King gathered up the box and said to the Demon Buddha,
“Come eat with me later!”
“Let’s do that.”
The Poison King and the Demon Buddha’s gazes tangled in midair. From between them, I shouted,
“I’m going too!”
But the Poison King left without even answering me.
On the Demon Buddha’s face as he watched the Poison King’s retreating back, there was no trace of all the toil he had endured digging up those poisonous herbs.
“I knew this would happen. You should have given me just one root. How heartless you are, Lord Demon Buddha!”
Just then, someone spoke from behind us.
“Then next time, go out with someone affectionate.”
I turned around to find the Drunken Demon walking toward us.
At that, the Demon Buddha looked at me meaningfully and said,
“Now it’s your turn to make yourself look good.”
Absolute Regression, Chapter 332