Kuuuuu—!
After a massive wave of heat swept through.
The heat quickly subsided in the still-cold spring wind.
To be exact, I had drawn it back into my dantian before the heat could spread.
Crackle… crackle.
The sound of embers burning could be heard.
Traces of remaining flame were left on the ground, burning gently.
Calming my rampaging internal qi.
I checked my physical condition.
‘More than half remains.’
Unlike in the past, when using secret techniques left me completely drained.
Even after using Jeokcheon and firing off Yeomok in succession, more than half of my internal qi remained.
This was thanks to reaching the Transformation Realm, my upper dantian opening, and my vessel widening, making application far more efficient.
I surveyed my surroundings.
The black veil in the sky was still spread out.
The spots I had managed to pierce through using Jeokcheon had quickly filled the empty spaces, completely sealed without gaps.
‘Just what is that power?’
I examined it closely, but I couldn’t confirm it right away.
It was strange.
Too subtle to be called a formation, yet too bizarre to be called a martial art.
Could it be the power of a ghostly entity?
It was possible.
I shifted my gaze.
Crackle.
The Divine Dragon Hall building, which had been on the verge of cracking and collapsing.
Now half of it had been blown away, making it ambiguous to even treat it as a building.
Because it had been swept up in the explosion of the Great Yeomok.
‘…’
Cold sweat trickled down, wondering if I had overdone it.
They won’t ask for compensation later, right?
Crunch.
I stepped on charred branches and moved forward.
In the place where the explosion had passed.
It was full of dust.
I swung my hand, creating wind pressure.
Huuuk—!
As the dust flew away with the wind.
A giant crater full of traces of flames was visible.
I moved my steps toward it.
At the center of the crater.
Something in a black form was wriggling.
It was the martial artist of the Transformation Realm I had been fighting until just now.
‘He didn’t die.’
Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t died.
I hadn’t thrown it with the intention to kill from the start.
If I had made a slight mistake.
It was that I had used power immediately after raising my realm, so I couldn’t control it properly.
It would be troublesome if he died.
I hadn’t found out anything yet.
“Kuhak… heo… heoak….”
The old man kept vomiting blood.
Fortunately, he seemed to have avoided fatal blows.
Even though he had been surrounded by protective energy, he didn’t look normal after being swept up in the explosion.
“…Yo… you brat….”
The old man, whose face was half melted.
Looked at me with eyes brimming with killing intent.
If you asked if the old man was weak.
He was not.
The old man was a strong figure.
I doubted there were any weak ones among those who had reached the Transformation Realm.
He had reduced Qinghai Yijian to that state, and the moment I faced him, I could tell he was an extraordinary expert.
Just as there were many differences between those of the same realm.
Once one reached the Transformation Realm, that difference became extreme.
Thinking of the gap between the old man and me, there should have been a considerable difference.
Even so.
The reason I could reduce the old man to that state despite all that was, after all.
‘Demonic qi works even on a Transformation Realm martial artist.’
Because the demonic qi I had embedded in a corner of my dantian had eaten into him.
‘…I’m not completely fine either, though.’
During the battle with the dark assassin of the Hwangbo family last time.
That old man had also been someone who hadn’t been in the Transformation Realm for long.
So it hadn’t been terribly difficult for demonic qi to penetrate his dantian.
However, this time was a bit different.
‘That was close.’
I had to mix demonic qi without being noticed during battle.
Because this old man’s realm was so high, it hadn’t been easy for the demonic qi to infiltrate.
Not to mention.
If I hadn’t crossed the wall, the demonic qi wouldn’t have entered easily.
This meant.
‘Upon ascending to the Transformation Realm, my demonic qi was strengthened.’
The moment I crossed the wall, the demonic qi inside my body had also grown stronger.
Should I truly view this favorably?
‘No, it’s not something to be happy about.’
Thanks to it, I could secure victory in the fight.
But more than the realm I had established and advanced to.
The fact that I had won thanks to demonic qi’s help carried greater weight.
It was inevitable that discomfort remained.
Moreover, the aftermath of using demonic qi was surging through my body.
‘Though there are no internal injuries, a murky feeling remains.’
It hadn’t mixed with my energy, but it might encroach if I was careless.
Perhaps because I had ascended to the Transformation Realm.
The corrupting nature of the demonic qi felt unusually strong.
What had become of the Nine Flames Fire Wheel Art’s purification speed?
I’d have to check this separately later.
For now, I approached the old man.
“What are you?”
“Kuhak….”
I grabbed the old man’s hair and lifted his face.
There was no respect for the loser.
Especially if they were from the demonic sect.
In the first place, whether righteous path or demonic path, bastards were bastards, so I didn’t particularly discriminate.
“What did you come here for?”
“…You….”
I saw long scars lined up on the old man’s neck.
Sword scars? Seeing how dark they were.
They seemed to have been quite fatal.
And why would a martial artist of this level raid the Divine Dragon Hall?
“You won’t talk?”
At my question, the old man’s body trembled slightly.
Was it anger or fear?
From what I could see, it seemed to be the former rather than fear.
Not good.
This meant I’d have to torture him.
‘He wouldn’t have raided alone. I need to understand the situation.’
The point was that this wasn’t a situation leisurely enough for that.
Actually, I didn’t much care what happened to the others.
‘…But not the kids.’
I couldn’t do that to those entangled around me.
The reason I had desperately rolled around in the Demonic Realm, raising my realm, was for them.
It was for me.
And it was for them.
Since the situation had become chaotic.
I needed to find out what situation the kids were in.
Yet even as I thought that, I couldn’t help but frown.
‘Having so much to protect isn’t exactly good.’
Unlike what I had planned from the start.
The number of people I had to protect around me had increased.
While I viewed this life, which differed from my previous one, in a somewhat positive light.
When I thought of the future, I couldn’t help feeling somewhat suffocated.
Time was short.
‘Should I torture him?’
Since there was no time, torturing was dubious.
Above all, it was still difficult to control my strengthened power.
Especially, it was somewhat difficult to torture delicately.
Particularly someone who had been reduced to that state.
As I pondered what to do for a moment.
“…Kkeul… kkeul.”
The old man suddenly let out a laugh.
“Why are you laughing?”
Was he delirious from dying?
That wouldn’t do. He should talk before dying.
“…You have terrifying eyes.”
“What?”
“Eyes that are contemplating how to kill me… I have seen many brats with eyes like yours. Naturally so. They were all from the demonic sect.”
“So?”
Was he trying to launch a personal attack saying my eyes were fierce?
“Children with such eyes… were all buried in the ground by my hands. Now I have become the one in that state, tsk tsk….”
“So what? Feel sorry for you and spare you?”
Had he gone senile?
The old man was saying such trivial things.
Hwahk.
I wrapped flames around my hand.
Unlike when I was at the peak, the color and intensity showed a clear difference.
Looking at the flames wrapped around my hand, the old man spoke emptily.
“You… are you truly a brat of the righteous path?”
“Of course. Where is there a righteous path member as diligent as me?”
If I’m cleaning up these demonic sect bastards like this, who else is righteous if not me?
I pondered for a moment and organized my thoughts.
‘Kill him.’
!
….
I decided to kill him without torturing.
The situation wasn’t good, and he didn’t look like someone I’d gain anything from.
I judged it better to handle him cleanly rather than pointlessly wasting time holding onto him.
Even now, among countless energies caught by my senses, there was one pricking at the top of my head.
I reached out my hand.
“I, the Black Dragon Sword, am to be killed by a brat who isn’t even Lord Wi Hyo.”
‘Black Dragon Sword…?’
I almost paused at the words entering my ears, but I didn’t stop my hand.
Rather, I increased my speed.
My hand reached the old man’s face.
No, it was right before touching him.
‘It can’t be.’
Kugdeudeudeuk.
“…!”
I felt a change.
I withdrew my outstretched hand and created distance behind me.
I raised my protective energy to the extreme and heightened my tension.
My dantian reacted to an unknown energy caught by my senses.
[…Rrr… rrreung….]
“You…?”
My eyes widened at the growl that followed.
That guy who hadn’t shown himself even while rolling around in the Demonic Realm, let alone in the present world, had suddenly opened its eyes.
[Krrr….]
The growling sound was quite rough.
It was clearly baring its fangs at something.
And that something.
‘…Is it that?’
It was probably that old man who called himself the Black Dragon Sword.
“Black Dragon Sword?”
It sounded like a name I had vaguely heard somewhere, but I couldn’t recall it well.
If it were a famous epithet, I should have remembered it immediately.
A martial artist of that level having an epithet—I wondered how I didn’t know it.
But now wasn’t the time to worry about such things.
“What is that?”
A change was occurring in the old man’s body.
“Kuhu… heoooo….”
Starting from the scar on the back of his neck.
Something began to seep out.
Something writhing and moving, disgusting just to look at.
If I had to describe the feeling, it was like a giant earthworm.
Hwah-rah-rah-rahk—!
I drew up flames and imbued my fingertips.
If left alone, it looked dangerous at a glance, so I couldn’t stay still.
I felt the energy gathered in my dantian emptying in an instant.
Even as I executed my martial art, I observed the old man’s changes.
‘Just what is that…? A demonic creature?’
If it was a demonic creature, it was a form I had never seen before.
A demonic creature parasitizing a human?
I didn’t know what it was, but it didn’t look like a good situation.
Flames gathered in my palm.
To execute the Yeomok I had used just before once more.
I intended to burn it whole and annihilate it.
It was gradually taking shape, and its appearance was horrendous.
Even the energy it gave off felt somehow murky and dark.
Should I say it was slightly different from the demonic qi that demonic creatures possessed?
Hwahk—!
The preparation for Yeomok was complete.
I was about to take the posture to release it immediately.
[Kreung!]
Ttuk—!
“What—?”
At the same time as the cry from inside my body.
I felt the energy gathered in my hand disappear in an instant.
“Damn crazy little thing.”
The beastly brat had arbitrarily controlled and dispersed my energy.
Was such a thing even possible?
Could it interfere with the energy I was using?
More than that, I had to know why this guy was interfering so suddenly.
“Why did you suddenly wake up from sleeping and interfere—?!”
Just as I was about to ask reproachfully.
Kiaaaaaah—!
Together with an ear-splitting sound.
Something that was the old man spewed out giant tentacles toward me.
The speed was considerable.
I tried to raise my protective energy to respond.
‘…Huh?’
Suddenly, my energy felt tightly blocked and wouldn’t move. I wondered if my internal qi had dropped.
That couldn’t be.
Just a moment ago, I had confirmed that more than half remained.
Regardless of my bewilderment, the tentacles flew in quickly.
This was dangerous.
Just when I wondered if I should raise some other energy since my energy wasn’t working.
Pak—!
The tentacle that had flown right to the tip of my nose was instantly severed and fell to the ground with a thud.
The fallen tentacle disappeared as if melting away.
In a way, it seemed to be absorbed into the ground.
“What the….”
Just as I wondered what had happened.
A reaction was felt from the center of the crater.
I immediately sent my gaze in the direction of the monster.
‘Someone’s there.’
A person I was seeing for the first time was thrusting a sword into the monster.
It seemed this person was the one who had blocked the monster’s attack toward me just now.
‘I couldn’t sense them.’
Even if my energy was blocked.
My senses were spread to the surroundings.
If I still couldn’t detect that person.
The chances were high that they were an extraordinarily high expert.
‘Who is it?’
I couldn’t see well.
With a hazy presence, my recognition wasn’t working well.
This meant they were intentionally concealing their energy and presence.
In white martial robes.
With white hair matching them.
Kki… kiaaaak—!
As if the sword lodged in its torso pained it, the monster began to scream continuously.
Where did it even have a mouth to scream like that?
The figure presumed to be a man.
Moved his hand as if reacting to that scream.
Swahk—!
The sword lodged in the torso swung around, lightly cutting the monster apart.
The reason I involuntarily held my breath at such a movement was.
Even though I was watching his movements with my eyes, I couldn’t properly recognize them.
The white-haired man who had split the creature once.
Took advantage of the brief moment when the monster’s movements seemed pacified and reached out his hand to the monster’s flesh.
Even though there was an oily liquid that should have been unpleasant, the man didn’t hesitate.
Soon.
“…Huh?”
I saw not the man, but the man’s shadow moving.
The shadow that began to squirm and move jumped out and started to wrap around the monster.
—Kkiaak… arreureuk…
The not-small figure was completely bound by the shadow without gaps.
Though it thumped repeatedly as if struggling inside.
Those movements lasted only a moment, and it soon quieted down.
I couldn’t understand the situation that had transpired in an instant, so I could only stare at the man.
Just what the hell happened?
Perhaps feeling my gaze.
The white-haired man gradually turned his head this way.
His pupils were white, like his white hair.
His skin was also pure white.
To the point where I wondered if he was the same kind of human as me.
His appearance was somewhat mystical, so I momentarily stared blankly.
“Are you going to keep watching?”
The man asked me as he looked.
Contrary to expectation, his voice was much deeper. I should have been startled upon hearing it.
“…Who are you?”
It seemed he had saved me, but since I couldn’t know his identity, I raised my guard.
As if preparing to respond if needed.
As I asked with tension.
The man slowly opened his mouth while looking at me.
Just as the answer was about to come.
Oong….
“What?”
Feeling an energy from behind, I turned around without realizing.
It was the direction where Taishan would be.
My body trembled instinctively at the energy felt from there.
Not only that.
Beads of sweat formed on my forehead.
“…Why?”
Without taking back the words I had spat out.
Leaving the monster and the man behind, I drew up my internal qi and leaped.
It was a sudden impulsive act.
The white-haired man didn’t bother to stop me.
I quickly increased my speed.
The reason I moved so urgently was none other than this.
From somewhere on that high, high Taishan, something so familiar.
Yet something I never wanted to feel again, had begun to be felt.
‘No way… It can’t be.’
I wanted to deny it.
But the energy engraved in my body was already giving me a definite answer.
It was certain.
Far away on Taishan.
The demonic qi of the Heavenly Demon was being felt.