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Chapter 106: A Teacher Exists (3)

The moon hung at an angle, adorned with a purple light.

The surrounding starlight was vivid, yet that ominous moon seemed ready to devour everything.

Drip—

The only sound that echoed in the thick darkness was the sound of water dripping.

Clack-!

At the same time as the sound of a teacup falling, a voice emerged from beyond the darkness.

[You’re late.]

Surely, there wasn’t even a hint of blame in that voice, yet my heart tightened at the light inquiry.

Those glowing purple eyes remained chilling, even over time.

[…I greet the heavens of our school.]

The man approached him and knelt on one knee without hesitation.

He knew well that he couldn’t hold his head up high in front of such an absurd existence.

Heavenly Demon.

The master of thousands looked down upon the man. The Heavenly Demon whispered.

[I’ve heard the news. The Demon Sword Queen has died.]

The sudden mention of her name made the man’s back shudder.

[Do you resent it?]

The man’s thoughts spun around the question.

Who was the resentment aimed at? Myself? Or my reluctance?

Or was it perhaps a question of daring to blame the Heavenly Demon? In the end, the man said nothing in response.

Cough, cough…

Perhaps feeling something from the man’s reaction, the Heavenly Demon stifled a laugh.

[You deny nothing.]

Roll…

A small cup rolled forward. The man cautiously picked it up.

[Drink.]

At the command of the Heavenly Demon, the man lifted the cup. Drip, the cup filled with alcohol.

Holding the cup filled with drink, he tilted his head up, his eyes landing on the black martial robe worn by the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon’s robe was pristine.

Not a speck of dust tarnished the black robe, causing him to swallow hard.

The body, unmarred by any wounds, was the same.

The Heavenly Lord was dead, and the Master of the Martial World had also been killed by the Heavenly Demon today.

Though it was said that the Martial Alliance as well as the Sword Sovereign joined forces against him, there was no scratch on the Heavenly Demon’s body.

Just looking at the results was enough to confirm that.

The Master of the Martial World had his heart ripped out and died, and while the Sword Sovereign had survived, he was in no condition to fight.

Even with two out of the three Eminent Beings joining forces against the Heavenly Demon, not even a thread of his robe was disturbed.

If the Heavenly Lord hadn’t died, and all three had joined forces, would there have been a different outcome?

That was a story no one could be sure of.

[I upheld the pact. Sword Sovereign, I’ve saved that old monster twice now; that should be sufficient.]

[…]

[This is how much grace I’ve shown to the Great Lord.]

[…Thank you.]

So, did that mean he wasn’t supposed to place any significance on the Demon Sword Queen’s death?

He downed the drink poured by the Heavenly Demon. No matter how bitter the alcohol, his body had become immune to such feelings, yet the liquid still burned.

[Cheong Yu-rang, you seem to think that I will entrust the So Sword Sect to the Great Lord; what are your thoughts on this?]

[…]

[Though I can’t see your face, I know well enough.]

The alias of Wi Seol-Ah touched the lips of the Heavenly Demon. A heavy sigh seemed ready to escape as the heavy rhythm ran down his back.

Drip—

Once again, the Heavenly Demon filled the cup with golden wine. The man drank it all down in one go, just like before.

[No more mischievous words; I have not forgotten the pact.]

As soon as the Heavenly Demon finished speaking, countless cracks appeared behind him.

Zzzzt-! Grrrrr…

The chilling sound was a natural accompaniment. The purple light of the cracks began to expand.

As the multiple openings opened, they devoured one another and soon merged into a single crack.

The man understood. This horrifying sight was all due to the Heavenly Demon’s doing.

Grrrrrrr… grrrr…!

Through the cracks, the sounds of beasts crying echoed. They, feeling the Heavenly Demon, expressed their fear while hiding their resentment toward the world.

Despite feeling a dense resentment, the Heavenly Demon casually continued speaking.

[Do you know how much I expect from you, Great Lord?]

[Yes.]

[I spared a girl at your request, and since you desired strength, I granted it.]

—Grrrr!

Before long, massive beasts began to emerge from beyond the cracks, one by one.

The energy they emitted was broad enough to shake the surroundings.

[Not blaming the unilateral actions taken in Sichuan is also a testament to this. Do you understand why I did so?]

As the flow from the holy wine bottle ceased, the wine bottle in the Heavenly Demon’s hand instantly shattered and was carried off by the breeze.

[As I said, according to the pact with you, I will not touch the So Sword Sect for now. However,]

The Heavenly Demon’s purple gaze bore down on the man.

[You should remember that this will soon be the last time.]

[…Thank you for your deep grace.]

Having completed his words, the Heavenly Demon rose. The aura of Demon Energy naturally radiated from him as his black robe fluttered.

Approaching the open Demonic Gate, the Heavenly Demon pulled a ring from his hand and threw it at the man.

The man grasped the ring thrown by the Heavenly Demon. Just holding it made his head buzz with the potent Demon Energy he could feel.

[This is the command. Bring me the head of the clan leader.]

The man didn’t respond to the Heavenly Demon’s command but simply slipped the ring onto his finger.

That was his answer.

The Heavenly Demon confirmed this and set his feet into the crack.

[The time frame is three days. That should be enough.]

The demon beasts followed the Heavenly Demon back into the crack, which soon closed and vanished.

Though the Heavenly Demon had disappeared, the man couldn’t lift his bowed head.

He couldn’t quite grasp what emotion he was feeling now.

Was the boiling inside him anger at himself or resentment toward someone else?

The man recognized the futility of blaming anyone, knowing there was no one but himself to hold accountable.

Everything was the conclusion of his own karmic actions.

He quickly washed away any unnecessary emotions.

He was neither qualified to blame himself nor did he have time to hesitate.

The man rose and stepped into the black fog.

Shin Noya asked what the Heavenly Demon was. He pondered the intent behind the question.

It was not a question of who he was.

He was asking what it was.

Shin Noya may not have seen how far back my memories went, but it was indeed a discomforting inquiry for me.

[There were many things I could not see, but among those, the one concerning the Heavenly Demon appeared shrouded in fog.]

[However, even from the things I could faintly perceive, I cannot shake off my doubts about whether he is human.]

“…”

[Once again, I will ask. Young one, what is he?]

At Shin Noya’s words, I thought hard about the Heavenly Demon.

An absurd existence that tried to stand alone in the heavens.

A being who commands countless demons, and aside from that power, the strength that reached the sky.

Shin Noya understood that just because the Heavenly Demon’s power was exceptional, it did not mean his existence itself was in question.

Yet I always harbored doubts about whether he was truly human, even with just that.

After a moment of contemplation, I spoke to Shin Noya.

“…I don’t know much about the Heavenly Demon.”

[What?]

Noya replied incredulously, but this was the truth.

Not just me, but there was no information about where the Heavenly Demon came from or how he lived till then.

All I knew was that one day…

The Demonic Gate, which hadn’t opened for centuries within the Martial Alliance, suddenly flared to life.

It was a surprising turn of events, yet many did not panic.

At that time, the Martial Alliance was hosting martial arts battles against countless late-stage talents.

Outstanding late-stage talents were gathered around, as well as key figures from various clans who had come to witness this.

Martial artists of the Martial Alliance, along with clan leaders such as Nangong Se-gah and those from the four main clans, had all gathered.

If it were any other time, such a situation would have felt like a calamity; however, as things stood now, nobody considered it particularly dangerous.

However, contrary to everyone’s expectations, that day marked the beginning of a disaster.

Rather than dozens of demon beasts roaring forth, only one person stepped out leisurely from the Demonic Gate.

Aside from his pale skin, there was blackness from head to toe.

Everyone pointed their swords at the mysterious figure who emerged from the Demonic Gate, but he simply wore a relaxed expression.

—Who is this guy?

At the question posed by the clan leader, he merely chuckled.

—Pleasure to meet you.

That was the beginning of the calamity.

—I am the Heavenly Demon.

There was no peaceful dialogue.

He killed nearly half of the martial artists present and devastated the surroundings before walking away as if nothing had happened.

The moment the name “Heavenly Demon” was etched into the entire Central Plains.

Many late-stage talents and high-ranking masters lost their lives that day.

In an instant, the Heavenly Demon’s name became legendary, yet in the face of his absurdity, such acts felt meaningless.

His strength was itself captivating, and many began to willingly come under his wing, enchanted by it.

The Heavenly Demon did not refuse those who came.

If one wished to become a demon, he would grant that. They might lose their freedom in the face of the golden binding, yet they could soar from the Heavenly Demon’s embrace, thus the number of demons steadily grew.

What did the Heavenly Demon desire?

Why did he reveal himself to the world, and what did he dream of?

Even though so many demons surrounded him, little could be understood about him.

All that was clear was that he was indeed the Heavenly Demon.

He wished to stand above the heavens, and with his power, he had qualified to do so; therefore, he needed no reason or explanation.

That was what everyone believed. Ridiculously, even I, as well.

[…You mean to say he emerged from the cracks?]

Shin Noya trailed off at my response. Noya neither questioned why I had gone against time nor why I had become a demon.

He didn’t even ask why I had become a demon, perhaps because he already knew, but instead he seemed to focus on the part about the Heavenly Demon emerging from the cracks.

[…Why?]

A brief silence fell as if he was lost in thought.

I was a bit flustered since the questions I had been preparing to ask didn’t come out, and I had expected to hear about Hwasan Sect first.

However, Noya’s interest lay solely in the Heavenly Demon.

“Noya.”

[Speak.]

“I’m well aware that I did something terrible to the Hwasan Sect in my past life.”

I had been telling myself to keep my mouth shut, yet the words spilled out.

It was a delayed confession, yet now that I had come this far, there was no running away.

[I know.]

Noya replied calmly. I widened my eyes at his answer.

“…Then why don’t you blame me?”

[Do you wish for me to?]

“ ”

[Even if I am an immortal, it does not mean that I don’t harbor anger for the past.]

Noya was a former hero who fought his entire life to protect the Hwasan sect and bloomed flowers of blood.

As the sect leader, it was impossible for him not to be affectionate toward the Hwasan Sect.

[However, if there is to be any resentment, that is for the ones living in the present to handle.]

Noya paused, took a breath, then continued.

[You are not the only one whose anger I witnessed. It wasn’t just the sight of the plum blossom burning that I saw.]

“…Noya.”

[Do not mistake this. It is not forgiveness. It is merely watching with endurance.]

“ ”

[So do not hesitate. The reasons, you know them better than anyone.]

As Noya spoke, I squeezed my eyes shut. The weight of the karma I had to bear felt excessively heavy.

[Young one.]

“Yes…?”

[What do you intend to do from now onwards?]

Noya’s question was remarkably clear. Would I stop the Heavenly Demon or not?

Though my tightly closed mouth refused to open, Noya persisted when he saw my hesitation.

[I know the reason for your hesitation. Yet I also know you have made up your mind inside. So speak it with your mouth.]

“Why are you suddenly like this?”

[You realized as you pondered your memories. You seem to have faintly grasped why I remain in this land.]

“What does that even mean?”

[Didn’t you already know? Is it that hard to say it out loud?]

Noya’s prompting caused me slight fluster, but since what he said was undeniably true, I steadied my mind for a moment.

‘…Originally, I hadn’t intended to think like this.’

I thought I would merely live a smooth life.

Having been given another chance, I only wished to live suitably without doing anything.

I thought even that could change many things, but upon reflecting now, I had probably known all along.

I simply wanted to pretend that I didn’t.

After taking a deep breath, I spoke to Noya.

“Yes, I intend to stop the Heavenly Demon.”

Whether I would succeed or how I would manage were mere uncertainties I dared not confront.

But I had made my resolve. It wasn’t a desire to become a hero.

It was simply a reason to bear the karma I originally had to.

Though it was a worthless resolution and determination, it contained my sincerity.

[Hoo… Hoo….]

At my response, Noya let out a sigh. What on earth was he thinking? Though he sensed part of my inner turmoil.

Conversely, I couldn’t read his thoughts, making it quite awkward.

Suddenly, Noya spoke.

[Good, that is sufficient.]

With that simplistic remark, Noya ceased to speak for a while.

Was that truly it regarding the Heavenly Demon?

‘Is this enough?’

I found myself questioning why I wasn’t asking further questions.

The noon was approaching, and I planned to meet Maehwa Seon soon.

I still needed to wrap up discussions regarding the spirit pills I had promised and the Taoist Qi that resided in my body.

As I returned along the mountain path to the lodging, Shin Noya was alone, organizing his thoughts.

The phenomenon of the Heavenly Demon, who emerged from the crack.

The unknown, absurd power felt strangely familiar.

[This cannot be the case….]

Thus, there should be more reason for Shin Noya to harbor anxiety and doubt.

The history remaining for future generations told a tale.

That he had perished.

Surely we had managed to stop him, and the disaster had ended at our hands.

[But why…?]

Why did he find himself adorning the form of the Blood Demon beneath the presence of the Heavenly Demon?

Shin Noya could not shake off the intense feeling of unease.

Not long after Gu Yangcheong’s departure, a man wearing the uniform of the Martial Alliance stood in the underground chamber of a branch.

The man was examining the corpses littered around.

…

He tilted his head while inspecting the walls and floor.

There were hardly any traces of battle.

It seemed as though there hadn’t been a fierce clash.

Thud-!

The man kicked one of the corpses lying on the ground, and it rolled over.

The corpse, clad in black clothing and a grim mask, was clearly saying, “I’m an assassin.”

The deceased had been a Nachal, pierced through the heart.

‘One arm was severed, and all the tendons had been cut.’

Was it done to prevent escape? It would be hard to picture someone accomplishing such cleanliness in the heat of battle.

It seemed more plausible that he was restrained and then bound afterward.

The absence of any signs of a fierce struggle indicated he had been taken down unilaterally, and the fact that the severed arm showed neat cuts signified the attacker was a proficient Sword Master.

‘A Sword Master… did they notice something while at Hwasan?’

Yet too much remained uncertain about this whole affair.

First of all, how did they get in without the heaven-given doors being opened?

‘Without the Taoist Qi, they shouldn’t have been able to enter.’

There was no way someone like a Nachal would leave the door open unattended.

Could it be that there was a traitor within the Main Palace? It was hard to see it happening otherwise…

“Tch…”

The man casually discarded the Nachal’s corpse and approached the blood puddle.

There should have been flowers that should have grown there. It seemed like they had been taken away.

‘This is a problem.’

The Nachal’s failure was wholly unpredicted.

Surely the Demon Lord would also think the same.

It was an unexpected failure, as it wouldn’t be usual for Maehwa Seon to report anything less than her realization.

‘…To think I couldn’t retrieve the essence of Hwasan.’

While it might not matter too much, it was not negligible enough to overlook.

Moreover, how could the task have been handled with such finesse that hardly any traces remained?

“Considering Gu Clan’s involvement… what should I report to the Main Palace?”

The man had recently heard news of the Gu Clan’s young master slaying the Blood Demon.

Could this incident perhaps be related to that?

It was said that the young master of the Gu Clan was an adept in fire techniques.

Yet looking at the corpse before him, there were no signs of such techniques left behind.

Then where had the involvement occurred?

There had been tales of Hao Gate frequenting nearby branches lately; perhaps it was related to them.

Thanks to that, there was now more to investigate.

Tch-!

The man held his throbbing head in his hands.

When things go awry, they always get extremely complicated.

“Great Lord.”

From behind, another person approached and spoke to the man.

Instantly, the man organized his expression and turned around.

“Did you find something?”

“It seems we’ll need an expert to figure out the mechanism that creates secret doors.”

“Right, make sure to note that down.”

“Yes… then what shall we do about this?”

“What are we to do about what?”

“Shouldn’t we contact Hwasan?”

Looking at the dead bodies with blood drained from them, the member of the Alliance frowned.

Seeing the pool of blood in the center, he would likely not be able to eat for a while.

Suppressing his gag reflex, the member spoke.

“What on earth could they have planned?”

“Do we know what goes on in the minds of those in the Demonic Faction? Don’t try to understand it.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

The man laughed softly at the member’s words. He was beginning to grow weary of this role.

At least he expected to carry on in this dark work for another year.

The lummox that died—Ya Hyeoljeok—had taken a seat, and yet he was spending his time here cleaning up the mess.

Enduring his twisted insides, the man spoke.

“I’ll also report to upper management about Hwasan; so don’t worry about it.”

“Yeah? Ah, understood.”

“Any matters regarding this will go through me, so if you see or hear anything, just bring it up.”

“Understood!”

“Thanks for your hard work.”

After sending the member off, the man opened his senses and began to fiddle with the Nachal’s corpse. He needed to erase any lingering traces before they became evident.

“What is this?”

As he touched the Nachal’s body, he sensed something unusual.

Since they had only recently died, there was still some of their qi lingering.

Though a lot had dissipated, there should still have been remnants of it…

‘Not even a grain of the Taoist Qi remains?’

Something felt significant was absent.

The heavenly energy that one could only attain upon receiving the acknowledgment of the Demon Lord was nowhere to be felt.

Though the man had this residual energy just like the Nachal, he should have been able to sense it.

However, astonishingly, he felt nothing at all. It seemed too soon after death for it to have completely dispersed.

Moreover, his lower dantian hadn’t been shattered, meaning some energy should definitely remain.

The idea that not a single hint of it remained was beyond confusing.

It shouldn’t be possible, but it felt as if someone had deliberately extracted it away.

‘…I’ll need to add another line to the report.’

One more line would be tacked onto the report headed for the main palace in his mind.

He was convinced that this part would become the most crucial detail.

 

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