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Chapter 8: The Sudden Encounter

The space where the Divine Tree had vanished was surprisingly swallowed by darkness almost immediately.

I couldn’t even tell where the sunlight had been pouring from just moments ago; it disappeared in an instant.

The meadows and the lake were the same. By the time I noticed, everything had vanished as if it never existed.

Light had faded and darkness took its place.

I scanned the situation in the now dim space.

‘What the…?’

When did it change?

That radiant space had transformed into this in the blink of an eye.

It felt strange, yet somehow, it felt like it was supposed to be this way.

Where did this perception come from? It wasn’t information from my reasoning.

Without the Divine Tree, it should naturally be like this.

That unknown information was embedded in my mind.

It seemed like a change caused by the essence of the Divine Tree seeping in.

‘Naturally, it would turn out like this without the Divine Tree.’

Why? How? There were no answers to that. It was just an ingrained perception inside me.

Step by step.

I took a step forward, heading toward the entrance I came through. There was no need to open the door. Clearly, I must have closed it upon entering, yet here it was already open.

Before me was a staircase. A staircase that should’ve taken considerable time to descend. As I climbed up, I spotted the hole through which I had descended.

I pushed myself off the ground, leaping upwards.

With great speed, I shot back to where I had come from.

Upon returning, light was streaming through the window. It seemed the night had passed and day had arrived.

Feeling the flow of time, I heightened my Qi Perception to sense movements.

At that moment.

Ssssssssh—!!!

“…!”

I squinted at the overwhelming amount of information pouring in. Sounds and smells flooded my senses, to the point where I felt a headache coming on.

Quickly narrowing the range of my Qi Perception made it manageable.

“Phew…”

I sighed and rolled my eyes. What on earth was going on?

The range of Qi Perception had reached its peak.

While it might be because I had transcended, it seemed to surpass that level.

A slight widening allowed me to sense the presence and sounds from the entire Yawol area.

This is…

‘Could it be a result of absorbing the Divine Tree?’

Since I had absorbed the Divine Tree rooted in Yawol, I thought I was feeling the Qi and presences of the Yawol region.

Just like.

‘Just like Yusa did.’

Just as Yusa had mentioned, I seemed to grasp most of what was happening in Yawol.

Wasn’t what he could do now within my reach?

Thus, I pondered.

‘…It’s quite noisy.’

Just a slight increase in Qi Perception sent me into a whirlwind, making me understand Yusa’s peculiar nature.

If this was the state of things, even I would go insane.

Struggling to control my Qi Perception, I tiptoed. Sparks flew as I landed on the conference room’s ceiling.

“…”

Gazing at the scarlet sky, I chose my breath wisely.

Everything that had just happened felt like a dream.

The rebirth my mother left behind. The tales I heard there. They felt like the stuff of a one-night dream.

Or perhaps.

‘Maybe I’d rather it was a dream.’

What I mustered was closer to a thought that hoped this wasn’t reality.

It was only natural. To have overheard the truth about my birth’s secret and to wish otherwise.

It would be more normal to hope for it to be a mere illusion or dream.

“…Is it a calamity?”

I am the calamity of the Central Plains.

Or perhaps, I’m destined to become one.

The reason my mother, the Master of Mankye, bore me was to create a calamity in the Central Plains.

Thus, I came into existence.

How I might become that calamity was uncertain.

The meaning of my existence was just that.

“Ha ha.”

I laughed suddenly, interrupted by my thoughts.

I realized recently that unless a person is somewhat dog-like, dealing with this world like a dog only brings forth laughter rather than curses.

“Ha ha ha. Damn it all.”

Of course, curses came along with the laughter.

“—This sucks, seriously.”

Life.

No, I suppose I can’t even call it life anymore.

Not a dragon, not a beast. What on earth should I call myself?

Contemplating that led me to an answer.

‘Monster.’

A true monster.

I could no longer deny that fact.

If one were to express who I am, that word would be the most accurate.

“…”

Thinking of that, I looked at my palm. Since it was now daytime, I had reverted to the original form of the Moon Night Clan.

At just a glance, it looked no different from a human.

‘It’s just the appearance, though.’

What’s inside is far from just one or two things.

I truly realized I had strayed far from being human.

Initially, I thought I transcended for myself or made choices out of necessity.

But looking back now, I wonder if it was all part of a predestined fate.

‘Though born a human,’

As time passed, I became something other than human.

Wasn’t this supposed to be a predetermined fate?

Reflecting on it now, I suspect it might just be the case.

“…”

A sense of unease emerged over the shallow waters.

I suppressed it with everything I had.

Smack-!

I slapped my cheeks hard with both hands.

This was to snap myself back to reality.

The situation was lousy, and the feelings I harbored weren’t great either, but.

‘Right now, I need to stay focused.’

Somehow, I had to hold it together.

‘It’s not like I have no options.’

My mother spoke. She said she would do whatever it took. So I had to endure. Her words provided solace, abating my fears.

‘Even if that weren’t the case.’

Even if it wasn’t my mother’s saying, I couldn’t sit idle here.

‘Setting aside whether I’m destined to become a calamity,’

Right now, I was looking out for someone else.

‘Noya.’

I needed to save Noya.

That’s why I had come seeking the Divine Tree in Yawol.

I had to save Noya.

‘But then, did I gain anything from the Divine Tree?’

What did I retrieve from the Divine Tree in Yawol?

In order to obtain the Fruit of God and fulfill my mother’s arrangement, I acted, but.

Ultimately, the gains weren’t significant.

‘All I’ve got is the knowledge that I need to go to Spirit Mountain next.’

That and knowing each Divine Tree has something left behind by my mother.

If I manage this sequence correctly, completing one task after another.

‘Could I get the Fruit of God?’

Meeting the Master’s Divine Tree again, could I acquire the Fruit of God I had eaten?

I found that more significant than the brief conversation I had with my mother.

Whether my mother had come to give birth to a calamity,

Or that I was destined to become one.

Rather than pondering what my mother might be trying to do to prevent it.

I was focused on the possibility of rescuing Noya.

‘…Whatever it is,’

Ultimately, the conclusion remains the same.

‘I need to find the next Divine Tree.’

Whether to understand what my mother is preparing,

Or to save Noya.

What I must do, in the end, is to find the next Divine Tree.

And for that.

‘I need to head to Spirit Mountain.’

I made my decision and took a step forward.

Flame Burst-!

Sparks flew in broad daylight.

*

I returned to Hwasan Sect. I was curious to see how Yawol had changed since Yusa’s death, but I had no time to watch.

I wanted to head to Spirit Mountain immediately.

If it were up to me, I would have left right away; however, that wasn’t possible.

Because of what my mother said.

‘Find the Abyss.’

One of the two masters of Mankye and the Abyss who received my mother’s request.

From the past, it had been a creature that had stayed with me since I was in the Central Plains.

When I saw the Blood Demon’s reaction, I figured it was no ordinary entity.

But I never imagined it would be a being at the same level as my mother.

‘Actually, I was more surprised when I first saw it.’

It was that creature I encountered when I first arrived at Mankye. It hadn’t shown its true form, or so Noya said it had sent only a clone.

‘Nonetheless, that presence was unreal.’

It was an incomprehensible aura. Just looking at it made me feel a profound barrier.

Something utterly insurmountable, indeed.

Even more so.

‘…They said it was the source of demon beasts, right?’

The source of beings that emerge from the Demonic Gate.

The master of the Abyss that cleansed renounced souls.

They mentioned that the beings that emerged as cracks couldn’t be contained there were demon beasts.

And that the Abyss was the source of those demon beasts.

If so.

‘Is the source of Demon Energy the Abyss as well?’

The demon energy possessed by the demon beasts.

Or the demon energy that the Heavenly Demon used.

Since it shared the essence of the demon beasts, should we say the Heavenly Demon’s power is also that of the Abyss?

‘It’s a bit odd to think like that.’

If I were to reason, I would lean that way. So.

‘How is it?’

How does the Heavenly Demon wield Demon Energy?

It doesn’t seem entirely different to consider it that way.

There is something linking them.

Although I have no idea how, it clearly exists.

That’s what I thought.

With each step forward, I reached the end of the path.

In the distance, I caught sight of the Divine Tree of Hwasan Sect.

Even while observing that, I couldn’t take another step forward.

“Hmm…”

What a dilemma. To see the Abyss, I would need to go where that Divine Tree resides.

‘But I can’t go.’

I couldn’t approach the Divine Tree. Didn’t the turtle warn me? Noya had to stay near the Divine Tree, and I wasn’t supposed to approach that area.

‘What do I do?’

Contrary to what my mother instructed me to find the Abyss and ask questions, meeting the creature first was already a problem.

To ask, I need to get closer.

But I can’t get closer?

It was a fact I had overlooked.

“Ugh…”

What should I do? As I was pondering how to go see it.

-Grrrrrr.

“…!”

I heard a familiar growl.

From behind me.

Immediately I turned my head. There, stood.

-Grrrrr.

A familiar creature resembling a wolf stood on four legs, gazing at me.

That was fine, but the issue was.

“…What are you doing?”

On top of that creature.

“Hello.”

The Heavenly Demon waved at me with a nonchalant face.

In the most audacious manner possible.

 

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