Chapter 6: If I Become the Heavenly Demon
Chapter 6: If I Become the Heavenly Demon
I rose early in the morning, packed my belongings, and approached my father.
“We should head back now,” I said.
“Head back? Where to? I came out to hunt with the Heavenly Demon himself; I should at least bag a tiger before I leave.”
It wasn’t just about the hunt. It was his way of saying he hadn’t minded the time we spent together.
“That is a relief.”
“What is?”
“I’ve made preparations for a second day as well.”
“Stop talking nonsense and lead the way.”
“Yes, Father.”
My father and I ventured deeper into the forest. After walking for some time, he spoke to me again.
“Close your eyes once more.”
“Yes.”
“The target is a hundred jang to the right.”
It was further than before.
“This time, feel the wind.”
“I feel it.”
Once again, he spoke words I had never heard in all my previous lives.
“Load your aura onto the wind.”
Since I first began learning martial arts, I had never once thought of loading my aura onto the wind. No one had ever told me to do such a thing, and no martial arts manual had ever recorded it. The thrill of a new lesson surged through my body.
Of course, knowing what to do and actually doing it were two very different matters.
“First, emit your Qi.”
I carefully released my energy, just as I had when searching for the boar yesterday.
“Being this slow and cautious is nothing more than a parlor trick,” my father critiqued. “To use this in real combat, you must extend your energy to the target as fast as possible.”
However, loading energy onto the wind was no easy task. I could feel the wind, and I could feel my energy, but I didn't know how to merge these two separate entities.
Furthermore, the 'wind' my father spoke of wasn't a gusting gale. He was referring to the subtle flow of the air around us. I had to find the current flowing directly forward among the various drafts and load my energy onto it.
Even as I struggled, my father said nothing. He didn't urge me to hurry. He simply stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant mountains.
Why is it that people see a person’s life in the silhouette of their back? I should have felt the strength of an absolute master from my father’s silhouette, yet all I felt was loneliness and solitude.
“Impressive.”
“Pardon?”
In an instant, the energy I had emitted snapped into place a hundred jang away to the right.
Wait! When did my energy reach that far?
I must have absentmindedly loaded my energy onto the wind while staring blankly at my father’s back. Since the insights I gained from my life before the regression were significant, even tasks that seemed difficult were being accomplished with ease.
“It happened before I even realized it,” I muttered.
My father stared at me, his eyes slightly stirred. Whether it was a fluke or luck, it wasn't something that should have happened so easily. Soon, he spoke as if it were of no consequence.
“It matters not. The creature has already fled far away.”
*
As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the earth, we encountered the beast we had missed earlier.
“It’s the one from before!”
I took my father’s word for it, but I couldn't tell for myself. I couldn't even see it. It was simply astounding that my father could accurately grasp the size and energy of something so far away.
“It is a hundred and fifty jang away. Find it by riding the wind.”
I focused on emitting my energy again, trying to load it onto the wind. Judging by my accidental success earlier, it wasn't that difficult for someone of my level. In the end, it was a matter of mindset.
I tried this way and that. Then, it suddenly clicked.
I had only been trying to place my energy on top of the wind. That was the problem—the intentional act of trying to load it. Instead, I sent my energy along the path of the wind. As if walking side-by-side with a friend, I sent it out with the feeling of intertwining and playing with the breeze.
As they flew as separate energies, the wind and my aura suddenly began to harmonize, like two dragons spiraling around each other.
Ah! This is it!
Loading it onto the wind didn't mean mounting it like a horse; it meant making them entwine like this.
Sssssssst.
Riding the wind, my energy reached a hundred and fifty jang away in an instant. The moment I confirmed what it was, a thunderous tiger’s roar erupted from the distance. I flinched in surprise, and the long-extended thread of energy snapped.
“It really was a tiger!”
I was startled by the tiger, and my father was startled by me. He likely hadn't expected me to master his teaching so quickly.
Father, this is only the beginning. I want to stroll leisurely by the lakeshore with you, but we must ride the current. We must ride the rapids and plunge down the waterfall. Because the enemy we must face might be pushing through a typhoon alone in the middle of a distant sea at this very moment. Father, please send me to that sea.
“Do not neglect your training in Qi emission,” my father said. “Your lifespan will increase as much as the number of threads you can produce.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
I will create even more than you, Father. Because I must.
“This time, close your eyes and feel my aura.”
I closed my eyes and emitted my energy to sense my father’s presence. Just as my energy had found the tiger, I felt for my father’s aura. Slowly. Very slowly. I meticulously examined the energy spread around him.
My mouth slowly fell open.
“Father? What on earth is this?”
My father was standing in the center of a spiderweb. Dozens of strands of energy radiated in all directions with him at the center. They extended so far that I couldn't even find their ends. If someone wanted to approach him stealthily, they would have to avoid that web, which was an absolute impossibility.
That bastard Hwa Mu-gi defeated my father when he was at this level? How?
I truly didn't want to, but once again, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe toward that man.
*
That night.
“This is my hidden trump card.”
What I pulled out of my leather pouch was wine. It was my father’s favorite kind. I took out a clean, well-wrapped cup and filled it.
“This is good,” he remarked.
“It is too strong for me.”
In truth, I liked wine and could drink quite well. During my lifelong search for the materials for the Great Regression Art, I had developed a habit of sipping a glass whenever things got difficult, and my tolerance had grown quite high. I just said it was strong because I didn't feel the need to brag about my drinking capacity to my father. If we drank all night, he would likely be the first to collapse.
“There is no such thing as a demonic cultist who whines about wine being too strong,” he scoffed.
“What does it matter if I can't drink well? A poisonous heart is more important than poisonous wine.”
“A poisonous heart?” My father asked with a smirk. “Could you kill me to survive?”
After a brief pause, I answered.
“No. How could a child kill their parent?”
To be honest, this was also a lie. If there were a sufficient reason, I could kill him. Today was the first time we had ever had a proper conversation; how could he be more precious than my own life?
This time, I asked the question.
“Could you kill me, Father?”
“If that were even a matter of concern, one shouldn't speak of a poisonous heart so lightly.”
I felt it in his eyes. He could kill me without a single moment’s hesitation.
“Then I suppose I should just learn to drink strong wine.”
My father watched me with a strange look as I grimaced at the strength of the alcohol.
Later that night, I sat alone, practicing the Qi emission my father had taught me.
This is actually fun.
I could now load my Qi onto the wind and send it far away quite rapidly. My energy roamed through the pitch-black darkness, exploring. It was an incredibly exhilarating activity.
That’s a tree, and there’s a rock beneath it…
I could even feel the movement of a tiny insect crawling there. I sent my energy elsewhere. The more I practiced, the faster the Qi moved. As it scanned the surroundings rapidly, my energy suddenly jerked to a halt. It had passed through something that felt foreign.
What was that?
I pulled my energy back and passed it through that spot again. However, the foreign sensation from before had vanished. I opened my eyes and stared at the spot. I couldn't sense anything in the darkness.
What was it? There was definitely something there.
Just then, my father, who had been lying down, looked at me.
“Are you not sleeping?”
“Why were you staring over there?”
“I felt something over that way. I’m not quite sure what it was.”
My father looked at me with a startled expression before turning over to face the other way.
“Let’s get some sleep.”
“Yes, Father.”
I lay down with the campfire between my father and me.
What could it have been?
Judging by my father’s reaction, he clearly knew something…
!
In an instant, I realized.
Hwi! It’s Uncle Hwi!
I had sensed the stealth of my father’s personal bodyguard. When I tried to sense him a second time, he had moved to avoid detection. The realization sent shivers down my spine.
Just two days ago, I would never have been able to detect his presence. Of course, Hwi hadn't been desperately trying to hide, but even noticing his basic stealth was a massive improvement. If I continued my training and could emit dozens of strands of energy simultaneously like my father, any form of stealth would be rendered useless. The process of 'searching' would be bypassed; they would simply be found—here, there, and everywhere.
Perhaps it was because of the wine, but I couldn't fall asleep easily that night. Whenever I grew exhausted while searching for the ritual materials in my past life, I would drink and often stare at the stars in the night sky. The stars that had shared my loneliness back then were shining just as brightly tonight.
My father wasn't sleeping either. I couldn't know his exact thoughts, but wasn't he likely feeling a surge of emotion at my talent for absorbing martial arts like a sponge soaking up water?
“Father, which of the Eight Demon Lords do you trust the most?”
I hadn't necessarily expected an answer, but my father responded.
“Why do you ask that?”
I thought back to the day my clan was annihilated. Hwa Mu-gi had desecrated the Heavenly Demon Hall.
The Heavenly Demon Hall was a place guarded by three energy formations, six mechanical formations, and hand-picked demonic warriors. Furthermore, the Eight Demon Lords and their subordinates protected the Heavenly Demon from eight directions around the hall.
To the north, the Demon Swords of the Northern Heavenly Sword House, led by the One Flower Sword Venerable.
To the south, the Blade Ghosts of the Southern Blade Sect, led by the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
To the east, the Iron Fists of the Eastern Fist Sect, led by the Undefeated Fist Demon.
To the west, the Ghost Practitioners of the Seohwan Formation, led by the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord.
To the northeast, the Faceless Guests who aspired to be like the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon.
To the southeast, the Drinkers who were perpetually intoxicated with the Great Drunken Demon.
To the southwest, the Poison Fangs who researched all sorts of toxins with the Poison King.
To the northwest, the Mad Monks who were fanatical followers of the Demon Buddha’s delusions.
At the time, I thought an enemy had broken in from the outside. But I was wrong. I later learned that the perimeter had never been breached that day. It was certain that one of the Eight Demon Lords had let Hwa Mu-gi into the inner palace where the Heavenly Demon Hall was located.
There could have been one traitor, or perhaps more. While it was never revealed who the traitor was, it didn't matter. I considered all of the Eight Demon Lords to be traitors.
After my father’s death, the Eight Demon Lords chose to seal their gates rather than seek revenge. Not a single one of them stepped forward to avenge him. If even one of the eight had stood up, I wouldn't have felt this sense of betrayal.
Fine, I understand. Faced with the overwhelming martial prowess of Hwa Mu-gi, who stood over the Heavenly Demon’s corpse, they probably didn't dare to think of revenge.
You are only human, so I understand. I really do. So, I hope you understand as well. Even if I use you to my heart’s content from now on, even if I treat you as disposable tools to be used and discarded, I hope you understand. Wouldn't that be fair?
“If I become the Heavenly Demon, I will bring the Eight Demon Lords to heel and seize them by their throats.”
“What?”
My father bolted upright. The grass around him stood on end from the sheer force of his momentum. I quickly sat up as well.
“And your reason?”
Because they are much further away than you think, Father. You know exactly where a tiger is hiding a hundred jang away, but you don't realize how distant the hearts of those smiling right in front of you truly are.
I couldn't bring myself to say that, so I gave another reason.
“There is severe corruption involving them. Not just the lords themselves, but also those who act on their borrowed authority.”
My father listened to my story in silence, so I continued.
“Of course, their authority must be recognized to run the Cult smoothly. But they have crossed the line. Isn't it time to properly enforce discipline?”
My father said nothing, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. From that attitude, I could guess his inner thoughts. He, too, felt there was some truth to it. He clearly had his own grievances regarding the Demon Lords. If he hadn't, he would have already thundered at me for being arrogant the moment I mentioned disciplining them.
“If you harbor reckless greed, you will end up overextending yourself and meeting a miserable end,” he warned.
“Haha, I have a long future ahead of me; I can't let that happen. I will walk slowly and eat sparingly.”
He called it greed, not nonsense or a delusion. I sensed my father’s true feelings. The blade he had yet to draw was pointed in the same direction as mine.
Don't worry, Father. I know them better than anyone.
I had spent a long time back at the Main Cult to obtain the final material, the Secret Demon Soul. Since that was a time far in the future, I knew everything about the Eight Demon Lords—the lives they led and the ends they met.
I will make sure they fall in line.
And so, a night filled with as many thoughts as there were stars in the sky passed by.