Chapter 519 - Let Me Hold It Just Once.
A memory from who knows when.
An unusually red light pervaded. Damp humidity filled the air, and his body was cold enough to freeze.
His violently trembling flesh and rigid breath enveloped his entire body.
Amidst those uncomfortable sensations.
-Not bad.
A voice was heard.
A cold voice mixed with an unknown laughter.
A bloody scent lingered within it. He wanted to check what on earth was happening, but his deeply bowed head showed no intention of lifting.
It felt as though he absolutely could not look upon that face.
While his body remained frozen in that state, staring only at the ground.
Once more, a voice was heard.
-Yes, you'll do. Child of Noecheon.
He felt fingers against his throat.
-From now on, you are my servant. Rejoice.
Tsk, tsk.
Along with the sound of cold laughter, his barely maintained consciousness snapped.
And.
His closed eyes opened.
"...!...."
He jolted up.
The moment the frail old man came to his senses, he raised his body.
He hastily rose, swaying, and surveyed his surroundings.
"...Where is this...?"
He flinched.
The moment he began to panic at the unfamiliar space, he clutched his head against the surging pain.
What is this?
Why did his head hurt so much?
He forcibly suppressed a groan, but even that was not easy.
"Ngh...."
As the old man endured the pain, those around him finally reacted.
"Lord Cheonjon has awakened...!"
"...I shall report to the Family Head!"
"Physician! Summon a physician!"
It was noisy.
The old man broke into a cold sweat as he looked at the clamoring surroundings.
Under normal circumstances, it would not have been such a loud noise.
Yet for some reason, it felt unusually loud.
"Huff... huff...."
He panted.
The pain remained.
Within the situation where his head felt as though it would split, Cheonjon could not help but harbor questions.
Where is this place?
Why is he here?
He could not know anything.
Cheonjon clutched his head and closed his eyes.
He could feel emptiness in his memory, as if it had been riddled with holes in places.
What on earth had happened?
While Cheonjon was harboring questions along with the pain.
"You have awakened."
A familiar voice was heard.
Cheonjon barely raised his head at the voice and looked up.
"To think you would put on such unsightly theatrics. Tsk tsk. You are in quite a state."
"...You."
Another old man looking down at the struggling Cheonjon with pitiful eyes.
That was precisely.
Sinui.
**************
Immediately after making Nahi realize she had no choice.
Leaving her trembling, he walked once more.
He wanted to feed her the gemstone then and there, if he could.
'The situation is a bit unfavorable right now.'
He had simply informed her of the situation. That she should be aware. That she had work to do.
'Because it would be a waste to just throw her away.'
Dangdeok's role was already set.
For now, he was focusing on keeping him by his side and taming him, but later, the boy too had work to do.
Compared to this, Nahi was rather useless.
As an information source, she could be used, but if the Dang Clan had fallen to this state, there was no need to go out of his way to use her.
Then where should he use her?
'There is no need to use her anywhere.'
She was not particularly necessary.
Level? Nahi's realm was the Peak. She was a step away from the Consummate Peak, but that level was common throughout the Central Plains.
'Not exactly common, but there are many of them.'
If she was used as an assassin, she could be somewhat better, but.
Even if he were to find some use for her, nothing came to mind immediately.
'I already have someone in mind to use for that purpose.'
Since there was someone he had in mind even without Nahi, there was no need to keep her as well.
As such, originally....
'I planned to use her moderately and dispose of her.'
He had not planned to keep Nahi alive for long.
He had intended to discard her once his affairs at the Dang Clan were finished.
Even if he did not kill her himself, it meant he had no intention of giving her a large role.
'But with this, she is useful in her own way.'
The gemstone still rattling in his hand.
A subject to experiment on using this.
'If it goes well, good; if it fails, it can't be helped.'
If Nahi successfully absorbs this gem with his help, and if it gives her utility, it would be a good thing.
Even if the experiment failed. It was of no concern.
That was Nahi's current position.
'Even if she succeeds, I must see what happens afterward.'
If her realm rises, how high would it rise?
If her body transforms, how much would it change? He had to see that.
'Now that I'm doing it, it's a bit annoying.'
The situation of having to check these things one by one. It was quite bothersome.
Should he just eat it himself?
If his energy increased, he would have more to manage, but he could just cut back on rest.
He really wanted to do just that.
"Ah, it's really annoying."
The fact that he could not do so bothered him.
There was a reason he was doing this.
"Why did I have to discover such a thing."
There was one more cumbersome thing besides the gem in his embrace.
Another object obtained from interrogating the First Elder with demonic qi.
Rustle.
He reached into his embrace and pulled out a sheet of paper.
It was an old letter, neither large nor thick.
The contents within it were the problem.
"...Hmm."
The Birth Plan of the Heavenly Martial Body. The dozens of years spent on it, the most suitable materials and ratios found.
Even the usage methods for entering the refined essence.
The secret manual containing all those explanations was now in his hand.
[Do you intend to use that?]
In Noya's voice asking the question, for some reason, a sharp emotion seeped through.
He knew the meaning behind that voice.
"Have you gone mad...? Me, use this."
Noya was afraid that he might use this.
Based on what was written here, this letter was an object far too cruel for a human to use.
To begin with, gathering the materials was difficult.
Setting aside gathering demonic beasts with poison.
'You have to gather over a hundred humans.'
And only humans who had not yet reached adulthood.
What was written was a method to cause changes to the vessel and body by refining and purifying that.
The important ingredients were their blood, flesh, and Innate True Qi.
The very act of extracting this was wondrous, but refining it and mixing it again with the blood, flesh tainted by demonic beast venom?
It was truly a mad method.
He furrowed his brow, looking at the gem clutched in his hand.
"Those orthodox bastards, to create this sort of thing."
While he said "this sort of thing," inwardly, he thought differently.
An elixir that could grant one the Heavenly Martial Body just by eating it.
This was certainly an object of high value even historically.
Only, the production method was far removed from human ethics.
'...If this secret manual were simply spread to the world, it would be enough to cause chaos.'
In this world, there were many humans who had thrown such ethics to the dogs.
Knowing that all too well, this was not something that could be easily released to the world.
[Is that truly the only reason?]
'...As if.'
He shook his head at Noya's words laced with scorn.
Of course, that was not the only reason.
Since when had he possessed such chivalrous spirit that he would care about such things?
There was one reason he was concerned about this.
If, no matter what, an ordinary person's body could be transformed into the absurd body known as the Heavenly Martial Body, this was of immense value.
Hence.
'If it can be used, I want to use it.'
Rather than giving it to another or burning it, he wanted to find a way to use it himself.
[...Brat.]
'I know.'
He smiled involuntarily at Noya's deep, dark voice.
'Don't worry. I have no intention of doing what Noya worries about.'
Noya was likely worried that he might use the method written in this secret manual.
He felt somewhat strange wondering if he appeared that much of trash, but.
From Noya's position, it was a matter worth worrying about, so he decided not to say much.
In fact....
'It is not as though I have not considered it.'
He had thought that if he made several of these and fed them to trustworthy people to raise them, it would help in the war to come, but.
'That crosses the line.'
He did not want to go that far.
That was an act that crossed the 'line' he had set. He must not go that far.
That line was what allowed him to recognize that he was still human.
'Even if my flesh is no longer so.'
Even if his body changed, even if his situation changed.
The line he could barely consider human, this act was a deed that crossed that line.
'So, I must try to find another way.'
He could not use the secret manual exactly as written.
To begin with, the reason the toxic energy was added to the medicine was solely for the sake of the Dang Clan's bloodline, so excluding that.
If the premise was that there was something to replace human blood, flesh, and Innate True Qi.
'...It might be usable in a slightly different way.'
Even if the power the elixir originally possessed would decrease.
It might be possible to create something with a similar effect.
It was these thoughts that troubled him.
If he could achieve it, this would certainly be of help against the Blood Calamity in the future.
[That is a dangerous thought.]
'Yes, I know that as well.'
He nodded at Noya's warning.
He knew. How dangerous a thought this was.
Still.
'Is it not worth trying?'
[...]
'I think it is better than not trying. Is it not better to try until it does not work, and then give up?'
[Yes.... That conviction is both your flaw and your merit.]
To try until it did not work, then let go.
It was a conviction he had determined to adopt in this life, having been unable to do so in his previous life.
'It is not that I am going to try this immediately.'
Even excluding gathering humans and excluding finding demonic beasts.
There were considerable other materials.
There was also an abundance of medicinal herbs that would be quite costly.
Gathering all of this would likely take some time.
'Even gathering the herbs, refining them would be a given....'
He needed a material to replace humans and demonic beasts. Rather than herbs, he would first have to find out if such a thing existed.
'Though I do not know if such a thing exists.'
If he could only find it, it would be of considerable advantage to his plans going forward.
'Because it would be an object superior to the elixirs of Shaolin or Mount Hua.'
If he could only make it, it would be something surpassing the Daehwandan, Jasodan, or even the Dokcheondan.
Because it was an object that altered the human body itself and expanded the vessel, it would be an immense thing.
And.
'...Though it is merely a guess.'
He did not know about human blood and flesh, but for an object to replace Innate True Qi.
Something came to mind.
Though he did not know if it would work.
'First, I shall deal with Nahi.'
After checking whether this elixir truly works, and if so, what state it results in.
If he judged it usable, he planned to begin work then.
'...Before I come of age, I must set my path.'
Time was not plentiful.
He had three years until he came of age.
Within that time, he had to establish the direction he would move forward and fix his plans firmly.
This too was connected to that.
"Hoo...."
Walking while lost in complicated thoughts, before he knew it, he had arrived at his quarters.
His father was probably handling the Poison King's request, and the entire Dang Clan was in a noisy state, so.
His quarters would be relatively quiet.
'Then, the things to do inside.'
The tasks for today.
'...What to do with the Noea.'
The Noea he had shoved into a drawer because it was noisy. The person presumed to be Namgungmyeong within it.
Since he had not yet finished the conversation regarding this.
He thought he should finish that as well before his father arrived.
The moment he entered his quarters thinking so.
"...Hm?"
He felt the presence of people within the quarters that should be quiet.
-No! You crazy bastard!
Along with that, a loud voice rang out without reserve.
This clear voice was...?
'Is it Baekryeongeom?'
It was the voice of that Baekryeongeom woman.
...Why would that woman be making noise in his quarters?
'What is she up to now?'
He was already afraid.
Every time that woman came here, she uttered strange remarks, so he was endlessly uneasy.
"Sigh...."
After letting out a deep sigh, he entered the quarters.
And sure enough, at the unexpected words that reached his ears this time as well, he had to gasp in shock.
"...What did you say?"
The problem was that the one who uttered those unexpected words was not Baekryeongeom.
"Where did you say you are going...?"
"..."
To his question, asked with widened eyes, the woman before him answered.
"...The North Sea...."
Long blue-white hair.
A woman with beautiful, fair skin.
His fiancée, and the one who had died for him in his previous life.
Namgungbia looked at him and spoke once more.
"...I am going to the North Sea...."
Saying she would go to the North Sea.