Chapter 180
Chapter 180
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: A Spar with the Demon Emperor
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It wasn't the least bit appealing, but he couldn't exactly say "no" right to the Green Forest Demon Emperor's face.
Still, he couldn't help the sour expression creeping across his face.
"You don't like it?"
The Green Forest Demon Emperor didn't miss the momentary look on Wi Seongcheon's face. He stopped mid-stride, glaring at Wi Seongcheon with eyes wide open.
It was just a gaze without any overt pressure, but its sharpness made Wi Seongcheon shrink back involuntarily.
"Well... it's just that I'm a lowly junior compared to you, Lord Green Forest Demon Emperor. It's only natural I'd feel burdened by you offering to spar with me."
"I get that. It can't be helped."
The Green Forest Demon Emperor withdrew his gaze and nodded.
"But don't worry too much. I said it's just for fun. Let's have a good time with it."
"Do you really need to spar with me? If you wanted, there'd be plenty of others who'd love to go a round with you."
"I want to spar with you."
The Green Forest Demon Emperor grinned as he spoke. Before Wi Seongcheon could respond, the man vanished.
A sudden weight landed on his shoulder, startling Wi Seongcheon into whipping his head around.
The Green Forest Demon Emperor had sidled up beside him, draping an arm chummily over his shoulder.
"Don't run off. Enjoy it. It'll be fun for you too."
The subtle pressure on his shoulder and the piercing stare made Wi Seongcheon give up any protests.
He nodded glumly, and the Green Forest Demon Emperor burst into hearty laughter, clapping him hard on the back.
* * *
"You're one lucky junior."
"Want to join in, senior?"
"Nah, I'm good."
Woo Ha-yeon giggled teasingly. She was stroking the plaque inscribed with the Infinite Lotus Sword Technique like it was something precious.
"You planning to learn it?"
"I didn't get permission from the sect, but this is Mount Hua Sect martial arts to begin with, and I'm a disciple of Mount Hua Sect. I'll read it first and decide whether to practice it after."
A martial art lost to history for centuries.
The swordsmanship commonly known as Plum Blossom Sword Technique was Mount Hua's famed style, but it wasn't the only one.
The Heavenly Stream Plum Blossom Sword that Woo Ha-yeon practiced was a branch of Mount Hua's Plum Blossom swordsmanship, developed with softness in mind and more suited to women than men.
The Infinite Lotus Sword Technique was the pinnacle of that very branch—the ultimate supreme art.
For the hundreds of years since the Infinite Lotus Sword Technique fell out of use, Mount Hua Sect masters had tried in their own ways to reconstruct it, and those efforts had advanced the Heavenly Stream Plum Blossom Sword.
Even so, the fact remained that the Infinite Lotus Sword Technique was the supreme pinnacle of the Heavenly Stream Plum Blossom Sword.
'I'll get even stronger.'
It was Woo Ha-yeon, a genius with the sword, holding that sword plaque. How much stronger would she become if she mastered the Infinite Lotus Sword Technique?
Since it was from the same lineage, it likely wouldn't take her long to grasp its essence.
She wasn't the only one who'd gained the chance to advance her martial arts in this treasure hunt.
Tae Huiming had also obtained Wudang Sect's lost technique, the Tenfold Gold.
It wasn't a sword art, nor was it a fist or staff technique. The Tenfold Gold could be integrated into any Wudang martial art.
"You gonna learn that one?"
"I'd love to return it to its owner, but he's long dead. From what I know, he had no known disciples or family. So no one's gonna complain if I practice it."
Hwangbo Seongwoo answered straightforwardly.
Overlord Extermination Fist (霸王絶命拳).
It was the martial art of the Fist King, who had once dominated with his fists.
Why the Fist King's art ended up among the Black Snake Union's unmarked graves was a mystery, but Hwangbo Seongwoo didn't dwell on it.
"There were plenty of good weapons and stuff besides martial arts manuals and elixirs."
"I don't need martial arts manuals or spirit herbs."
"You don't need weapons to begin with, do you?"
Wi Seongcheon tilted his head at Paeng Yeonhwa. Her lips puffed out in a pout.
"It's not that I don't need them."
Wi Seongcheon couldn't fully grasp what she meant. Her martial art was Taoist sorcery, but weapons were only necessary when she hadn't invoked her transformation.
Once transformed, Paeng Yeonhwa didn't need separate weapons. Her entire body became one.
The Fierce Tiger Sky-Cleaving Blade she practiced only revealed its true power in her transformed state.
"...I think your transformed form is cool too."
"What're you saying out of nowhere?"
"Just saying."
He'd wondered if she wanted a weapon for her human form because she disliked transforming, but the incredulous look she shot him suggested otherwise.
Still, she seemed pleased by the "cool" comment—her tail swished back and forth.
'...Why "cool" of all things?'
If he was going to compliment her, why not say pretty or cute?
That was his thought, but Paeng Yeonhwa didn't complain. She knew her transformed self wasn't pretty or cute, even to her own eyes.
"You're quite sociable, young hero."
"What're you talking about all of a sudden?"
"Just what I said. Watching you, it seems like you have more friends around you than enemies."
"I have plenty of enemies too."
"From what I see, there are more friends than foes here for you."
Ha Ji-eun said that while staring intently at Paeng Yeonhwa's swishing tail.
Like most people, she felt a powerful urge to grab it.
Unlike most, though, Ha Ji-eun didn't suppress the impulse with reason.
"Eek!"
Paeng Yeonhwa's ears and fur bristled straight up as her tail was seized.
She whipped her head around, baring her teeth in a hiss at Ha Ji-eun, but the woman just smiled brightly, unfazed.
"I like cats."
"Let go!"
"There were a lot of cats coming and going at the North Sea Ice Palace, and quite a few palace ladies kept them. They'd nibble daintily at leftover fish I tossed them—it was adorable. Sometimes they'd roll over belly-up in front of me, playing and rubbing their faces against my hands and feet. So lovable."
"I said let go!"
"If you like fish, come to my place sometime. I just hung them up without eating them, but if you want, I could give you half a fish or so."
Ha Ji-eun's face didn't look like she was joking in the slightest.
Woo Ha-yeon imagined Ha Ji-eun eating dried fish at mealtime while Paeng Yeonhwa crouched beneath, flailing fists at it.
'I wanna see that...'
She honestly wanted to witness it.
As Paeng Yeonhwa hissed again, Ha Ji-eun finally released the tail.
Paeng Yeonhwa kept glaring murderously, though.
Fortunately, the mood didn't sour further. They'd exited the forest and reached the city gates.
Wondering what to do next, they spotted a few underworld bailiffs already waiting at the gate.
"This way."
Their faces showed no emotion, their tones flat and monotone. Without waiting for a reply, they turned and led the way.
They were brought to a warehouse near the gate. The underworld bailiffs stood before it and extended hands toward the students and saints.
Everyone understood the silent gesture. Wi Seongcheon handed over his five plaques.
"...That's a lot."
The bailiff who took them from Wi Seongcheon glanced at him in surprise.
He entered the warehouse, then emerged moments later with three bundled packages, handing them to Wi Seongcheon.
"Urk."
He peeked inside one to check the contents, only to flinch as a blast of cold air hit his face.
Now he understood why they'd been divided into three. The one he'd opened held the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng; another would have the Ultimate Blood Leopard, and the last the Azure Stone Oil, Doll-shaped Cinnabar Mushroom, and Azure Mist Pill.
Wi Seongcheon, who received his bundles first, bowed to the other students and saints before departing.
Jeokgeon Gwangbu, who hadn't won a single treasure, stared at the leaving Wi Seongcheon before silently walking away.
'What the hell is his deal?'
Who'd have thought he'd really pass up the treasures. Wi Seongcheon had been willing to yield a few twin stones if Jeokgeon Gwangbu wanted them.
Better to half-ally with an unknown than keep him as an enemy, he'd thought.
'Doesn't seem to hold any grudge against me.'
Even during the blood escort, Jeokgeon Gwangbu hadn't attacked him.
If he came at me, I'd kill him—that threat probably wasn't it.
'Doesn't seem as savage as I thought.'
Jeokgeon Gwangbu had massacred the Wuzhong Black Escort gang. That's why Wi Seongcheon had pegged him as the biggest unknown variable in this treasure hunt.
A lone wolf whose actions were unpredictable. Yet Jeokgeon Gwangbu had done nothing throughout.
He'd had plenty of chances. He'd even exited the gate with Wi Seongcheon and could've struck then if he wanted.
But he hadn't. For three straight days, Jeokgeon Gwangbu hadn't fought anyone or even hunted twin stones.
That made it even harder to figure out what he wanted.
"You're here."
Wi Seongcheon halted at the voice from above. He looked up at the Blood Palace's main gate with a grin.
The White Horse Witch stood atop it, just like their first meeting.
"The Ultimate Blood Leopard?"
"Got it."
"Obviously. With that Jade Qilin half-crippled coming out of the forest, no one else was gunning for it but you. Fail to get it? Then you're just a cripple, kid."
The White Horse Witch smirked. To Wi Seongcheon, it felt like an out-of-left-field insult.
Was it an insult?
For a split second, he wasn't sure. Fail to get it, and you're a cripple—but if he had...
"Lucky me. Not a cripple, then."
Wi Seongcheon chuckled and nodded.
"Hmph."
The White Horse Witch snorted and leaped down from the gate. She stood with hands behind her back, scanning him head to toe.
"Heard you crushed one of Jade Qilin's balls."
"Yeah."
"Why not both?"
"Felt a bit too pitiful..."
"Showing mercy 'cause he's a fellow man, huh."
"Crushing both would've made it irreconcilable."
She snorted again at his response.
"That why you let the Nine-Stone Monk go? Didn't wanna burn that bridge?"
"I let him live, but he hates my guts. And Jade Qilin will hate the one-armed Nine-Stone Monk even more than me with my one-ball-crusher."
"Planning to team up with Jade Qilin?"
"Who said anything about teaming up? I just want them at each other's throats."
"What a rotten personality."
The White Horse Witch chuckled and turned.
"Well, better than being a spineless goody-two-shoes. Good job."
The praise at the end was barely audible.
The gate swung open without a touch.
Wi Seongcheon followed her into the Blood Palace, a bit surprised.
The weed-choked garden had been neatly tidied.
"You wouldn't have...?"
"You think I'm insane?"
It wasn't just the garden. The dusty corridors gleamed as if freshly waxed.
As Wi Seongcheon stepped onto the corridor, he froze at the sight of a pert rear in the distance.
Black Swallow Baek Rihyang. She was scrubbing the floor on hands and knees.
Wi Seongcheon stealthily brushed the dirt from his shoe with his hand.
The White Horse Witch, however, strode on heedlessly, leaving footprints without removing her shoes.
"No reason to delay. Let's start right away."
"How?"
"Simple. Swallow the Ultimate Blood Leopard, then eat the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng."
"...That's it?"
"If you're lucky, the Ultimate Blood Leopard's yang energy gets properly neutralized by the Snow Ginseng's yin energy. If not, you burn to death or freeze solid. If it's so-so, the clash triggers qi deviation and turns you into a cripple."
Wi Seongcheon's face fell at the grim words.
"Don't freak out too much. I'll guide your qi flow a bit while watching. With your weird body and good Ghost Soul Escape Technique, the worst outcome—death—shouldn't happen."
"But I could still end up a cripple?"
"If your luck's truly rotten, yeah. Your job's to rely on heaven's will and use skill to control the yang and yin energies where luck falls short. Kid, you didn't seriously think swallowing both was all there was to it?"
"...I figured having both meant no danger."
"The world's not that easy."
The White Horse Witch sneered.
"Worried? I can give some friendly advice."
"Why not sooner?"
"Didn't need to before since it wasn't my problem. But that old coot's interested for some reason."
Wi Seongcheon blinked wide-eyed at the abrupt statement.
"Here's the advice: Beg that old coot to help you."
The White Horse Witch smirked and pointed behind him.
Turning, Wi Seongcheon saw a man in white robes standing blankly at the end of the corridor.