Chapter 191
Chapter 191
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: The Green Forest Demon Emperor's Game
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The palm slapping flat against his back sent chills racing up his spine. He whipped his head around in shock, and there stood the Green Forest Demon Emperor, grinning wickedly.
“You hop around like a rabbit.”
“What are you doing all of a sudden?”
“Instead of greeting me first, you glare with those axe-like eyes and start complaining. If you're going to keep him around, shouldn't you at least teach him some manners?”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor clicked his tongue and glanced back. On the rear platform sat the White Flame Witch, legs crossed.
“I'm not his master, so why should I teach him manners?”
“Does teaching manners require being his master? You just need to give the brat a good scolding.”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor chuckled as he spoke. Wi Sungcheon rubbed his sore backside and straightened his posture.
“...Did you come all this way just to bully a lowly junior like me?”
“I'm not here to bully you. I was bored out of my mind with nothing to do, and your Leisure Token came to mind, so I dropped by.”
“Leisure Token...?”
He wondered what that was for a moment before it clicked. The token the Green Forest Demon Emperor had made on the spot in exchange for five Twin Stones. There wasn't much else he coveted besides spirit medicines, and he'd given up the stones to curry favor with one of the Ten Heroes...
The Green Forest Demon Emperor had handed him a token inscribed with "Leisure" as compensation.
“...I never said I was going to use it.”
Honestly, Wi Sungcheon had no idea how to use the Leisure Token or if it would even benefit him. Forming a connection with one of the Ten Heroes was something any junior would desperately desire and be grateful for, but he'd already forged bonds with many.
He had received guidance from the Tai Chi Sword Lord, garnered some attention from the Black Demon King, learned the profound immortal art known as the Supreme Purity Secret from Dawn, and even been taught Phantom Soul Escape from the White Flame Witch—albeit limited to absorbing qi.
He was likely the only one, aside from the divine warrior Mu Yeon-jun, to receive teachings from so many of the Ten Heroes. And now the Green Forest Demon Emperor too?
'No, I'm not even receiving proper instruction from the Green Forest Demon Emperor.'
Leisure.
In other words, play.
Just what kind of play? Wi Sungcheon knew little about the man. All he knew were the incidents the Green Forest Demon Emperor had stirred upon entering the martial world and his behavior during the Black Forest ordeal. Judging from that...
The Green Forest Demon Emperor was a brute who loved fighting. Getting involved with him meant one thing for sure.
'I'm going to get beaten half to death.'
“Whether you use it or not doesn't matter.”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor straightened his back as he declared. Wi Sungcheon grimaced and glanced at the White Flame Witch, but she showed no intention of intervening.
Given that they'd arrived together, unlike Dawn or the Black Demon King who barged into the Blood Palace on their own whims, it seemed the Green Forest Demon Emperor had politely obtained her permission first.
“I find you interesting, so I gave you a token to play with me. And right now, I'm itching to play, but I have no one to play with.”
“...How could a wretch like me possibly serve as a playmate for the great Green Forest Demon Emperor?”
“That depends on the game, doesn't it?”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor bared his teeth in a grin. He was every bit the unreasonable force Wi Sungcheon had imagined. Wi Sungcheon desperately looked to the White Flame Witch once more.
[Please help me out here.]
This time, he didn't just look—he sent a transmission. The White Flame Witch, twirling her hair, snorted and replied via transmission.
[Why should I? This looks fun.]
[I'm busy.]
[That's not my problem. And honestly, I'm not pleased.]
“...Pardon? What's not pleasing to you?”
Wi Sungcheon stared at her in bewilderment. The Green Forest Demon Emperor knew they were exchanging transmissions but didn't interrupt or show irritation. Instead, he cracked his neck side to side and loosened his wrists and ankles.
[You're diligently practicing the immortal art you learned from that old fart Dawn, but you're half-assing the Phantom Soul Escape I taught you. That's what bothers me.]
“......”
Wi Sungcheon's mouth fell open blankly. What nonsense was this?
Neglecting Phantom Soul Escape practice? He hadn't! Even before bed, he sat in his room reviewing its formulas and replaying the sensations from real combat. He never slacked.
[I've been practicing Phantom Soul Escape diligently too...]
“Yawn.”
The White Flame Witch yawned loudly.
Wi Sungcheon no longer had the luxury to send transmissions. A ferocious aura pressed in on him from all sides. He stiffened, resisting the encroaching pressure.
The Green Forest Demon Emperor, having finished warming up, stared straight at him. Wi Sungcheon wasn't short, but the Demon Emperor towered a full head taller. That gaze stabbed down from on high. No—even higher. Though only a few steps away, he loomed like a mountain.
“Alright then. What shall we play?”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor's eyes curved merrily as he spoke. Curses swirled in Wi Sungcheon's mouth but didn't escape. He barely managed to circulate his inner energy. But his mind wouldn't settle. If anything, as his qi sense sharpened with the flowing energy, the viciousness of the Demon Emperor's aura pinning him down became all too real.
“Both arms.”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor demonstratively raised both arms, then clasped them behind his back.
“Right leg.”
He then lifted his right leg and folded it behind him. Balancing effortlessly on his left leg alone, he pondered for a moment before nodding.
“I could close my eyes too, but that wouldn't make much difference. You know that, right?”
For a master attuned to qi sense, losing sight was no great hindrance.
“For now, let's play like this. If you make my right foot touch the ground, I'll call you big brother. And if you free one of my hands from my back, I'll call you father.”
“...Are you serious?”
“This much handicap is necessary for it to be a game. Honestly, even this might not be enough to get my blood pumping, but there's no reason not to give more.”
Instead. The Green Forest Demon Emperor continued in a laughing voice.
“I won't use energy projection arts. Not my specialty anyway. I'll stick strictly to external martial arts.”
Was that manageable?
Honestly, he had no clue. He ought to feel humiliated by such concessions... but he didn't. The overwhelming pressure from the Demon Emperor drowned out any surge of pride. Wi Sungcheon steadied his breathing.
Supreme Purity Secret.
He pushed the esoteric immortal art to the back of his subconscious.
“...If I can't become your big brother or father, but I manage to entertain you even a little...”
“I called it leisure.”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor giggled.
“This might be leisure for me, but torture for you. If you entertain me, I'll entertain you in my own way. Somehow.”
How was he supposed to take that?
Wi Sungcheon felt a question form but couldn't voice it. Normally, a senior would yield the first move to a junior. But the Green Forest Demon Emperor offered no such courtesy.
Wi Sungcheon leaped backward. The one-legged Demon Emperor closed the gap effortlessly, swinging his knee lightly just before his foot touched down, slicing through the space.
A plain kick, devoid of finesse or feints. Yet in that crude motion, Wi Sungcheon sensed death brushing perilously close. He twisted his body repeatedly, retreating.
“Ha ha!”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor hopped after him on one leg. It looked playful, like kids fighting cocks, but Wi Sungcheon's face drained white. He couldn't shake that single-legged pursuit.
Wi Sungcheon didn't just back away—he darted in all directions. His feet flashed brilliantly, stamping the ground. Each step birthed countless afterimages.
And then. The Demon Emperor's single hop scattered them all.
“Tag works too!”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor bellowed with laughter. Pure evasion was futile. Wi Sungcheon had no desire for tag. Resolving to attack required tremendous resolve. More than plunging into an unknown sea. Charging toward a tangible terror unlike the Heavenly Demon he'd never met—a fear standing right before him.
Better to act than hesitate. Wi Sungcheon dropped into a low stance and lunged at the Green Forest Demon Emperor. The man had only his left leg. Wi Sungcheon had no intention of becoming his brother or father, but with precise targeting...
'No good.'
Thankfully, instinct outpaced collision. Wi Sungcheon twisted away in alarm. The hulking Demon Emperor moved with improbable agility and flexibility. He spun in place, sweeping his left foot in a circle. No energy in the kick, yet it split the air and shook the space. Hair whipped across his vision, blurring it. His nose stung, head spun.
Wi Sungcheon hastily steadied himself and dragged his feet back. He naturally assumed the Supreme Purity Secret stance. Miraculously, the dizziness faded, vision cleared. Unbidden, his meridian twitched faintly.
But faintly. Nowhere near grasping it. A bit more, and he'd get the feel? For a moment, temptation seized him. He shook it off, tensed his knees, and adopted the Supreme Purity Secret stance as Dawn had taught—back straight, hands extended.
“Fool.”
The White Flame Witch, who'd been watching silently, clicked her tongue and shook her head.
The Green Forest Demon Emperor's face twisted ferociously.
“Damn it.”
He snarled savagely. Boom! His left foot slammed the ground. Up to that instant, Wi Sungcheon focused on his meridian, circulating the Supreme Purity Secret formula.
To feel that faint meridian 'movement' once more. To firmly grasp the upper dantian linked to it, the amassed immortal qi, and the knack of wielding innate qi.
“Father!”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor roared.
What? Wi Sungcheon, hands outstretched per the Supreme Purity Secret, blinked in confusion.
Crack! The Demon Emperor's swung fist buried into his side.
No scream escaped. Nothing visible. Even pain-hardened Wi Sungcheon gaped at the blow that didn't pierce but pulverized his body whole.
“Guh...!”
His body buckled. The Demon Emperor, still scowling, thrust out his hand. His massive palm seized Wi Sungcheon's head.
He had to do something. Wi Sungcheon frantically drew inner energy, trying to use Heavy Water Divine Position, but this brute violence defied resistance. The Green Forest Demon Emperor smashed his head into the ground.
Honestly, pain barely registered. That single impact flung his mind to the void. He'd fought countless times, endured varied agonies. But never like this.
Just grabbed the head and slammed it down. Yet so heavy. The 'force' didn't scatter—it hammered body and soul. Wi Sungcheon's body convulsed like gutted meat before slumping limp.
“Father!”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor bellowed again. Fury saturated his enraged shout. The ear-splitting cry yanked Wi Sungcheon's distant mind back. The Demon Emperor yanked his head from the ground, poised to slam again.
“Stop!”
The White Flame Witch shouted. She was no longer seated on the platform.
On her feet, she unleashed savage killing intent at the Green Forest Demon Emperor. He halted abruptly, head inches from the floor.
Wi Sungcheon peered through dizzy eyes. The ground was literally at his nose.
“Planning to kill him?”
“...As if. I respect the Black Demon King. He said not to kill, so I won't.”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor steadied his breath and spat. He released Wi Sungcheon's head.
Thud! His face hit the dirt.
“But a lesson is in order. Don't you agree?”
“...That's why I didn't stop you earlier.”
The White Flame Witch muttered, eyes narrowed.
...His head throbbed. Nose broken, teeth missing a few. Cheekbone cracked?
“A valuable lesson.”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor sneered. He glared at Wi Sungcheon, still facedown, gasping.
“Father.”
Still furious, he kicked Wi Sungcheon's side—the spot he'd punched. Wi Sungcheon swallowed a bursting scream. No internal injury.
Just clean, shattered bone.
“Get it? A lesson. Valuable one.”
“Guhk...”
“Using something useless takes guts. Impressive. Sometimes that bold resolve is key. With heavenly luck, it sparks great awakening.”
Crack. His foot struck the side again.
“With heavenly luck, that is. You think the world is that easy? That everything bends to your father's will, to please you? What, harboring hopes like this? That you might seize a chance to awaken that stubborn martial art?”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor bent down. He grabbed Wi Sungcheon's groaning head by the hair and lifted it.
“Don't get ahead of yourself. You'll die.”
Blood streamed from his split forehead, reddening his vision.
“True, some gain enlightenment in life-or-death struggles—but far more just die.”
The Green Forest Demon Emperor hauled him upright.
“The world isn't endlessly kind to you alone.”