Chapter 15: Nightmare (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15: Nightmare (2)
Why were the Demonic Arts considered so dangerous?
It was because they could integrate seamlessly with any other martial art.
Including my Gu Flame Wheel Art.
The Qi required for flame-based martial arts was inherently dangerous, flowing through the body with violent intensity. It granted explosive power, but at the cost of damaging the user’s own body. In its base form, it was an art that slowly chipped away at one’s lifespan.
Of course, with sufficient understanding and training, that self-inflicted harm could be prevented. Nevertheless, it remained a perilous path.
Attempting to fuse different disciplines—say, merging Mount Hua’s Plum Blossom arts with the Gu Flame Wheel Art—would cause the two styles to violently conflict, shattering the practitioner’s body from within. It was the martial equivalent of biting off more than you could chew and choking to death. At the very least, one would be left half-crippled.
But the Demonic Arts carried no such penalty.
This was the reason why, after the emergence of the Demonic Cult, traitors arose from both the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions alike.
Wudang’s water Qi would become razor-sharp and corrosive. Mount Hua’s elegant Plum Blossom arts would be stained with a lethal black. Pure, unadulterated destruction would be woven into the Shaolin Temple’s already formidable techniques.
The Demonic Arts allowed practitioners to grasp power they could never have attained otherwise.
All of this was thanks to the Heavenly Demon. Its followers didn’t even need to learn the Demonic Arts; they simply understood them upon joining the cult and swearing their lives to the Demon.
This was the blessing—and the curse—the Heavenly Demon bestowed upon its servants.
“Damn it… How is this possible?”
In my previous life, the Heavenly Demon had granted me only one art: Demonic Absorption.
It was bestowed because of my singular, overriding desire: to become stronger. This art allowed me to draw power directly from demonic stones, and it was the sole reason I had survived against more talented martial artists back then.
But that was my last life.
In this life, I had no involvement with the Demonic Arts whatsoever. The Demonic Cult hadn't even appeared, let alone the Heavenly Demon.
Then why is this happening…?
When I applied a bit of pressure to the now-depleted demonic stone, it crumbled easily in my hand. I had absorbed all of its energy using Demonic Absorption, and I could feel that a little more Qi had been added to my reserves.
The increase was slight, but my Qi had definitely grown.
Under normal circumstances, increasing my Qi reserves by any means would be a good thing. But demonic humans were called that not because they practiced Demonic Arts, but because they were saturated with Demonic Qi. This Demonic Qi was what turned their energy black, regardless of its original color.
The fundamental problem was the damage Demonic Qi inflicted on the user’s body. I knew better than anyone what eventually happened to a martial artist fully possessed by it.
“But then how…?”
Demonic stones contained Demonic Qi. ‘Demonic Absorption’ drew that Qi from the stone into my body. It meant Demonic Qi was entering me.
I quickly circulated my flame Qi throughout my body, searching for the invasive energy.
“…Why isn’t it here?”
Alarmingly, I felt nothing.
It should have been blatantly obvious the moment it entered my system. There was no way I could miss the insidious, corrosive sensation of that Qi. Yet, even after absorbing the entire stone, I could detect no trace of Demonic Qi within me.
Is it because the demonic stone was so weak?
It was only a green-grade stone, containing a minuscule amount of Qi.
Muyeon rushed over to me as I stood there dazed. “Are you alright, Young Master? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine. Not a scratch.”
“I told you to stay in the carriage, yet you recklessly fought out here! What would you have done if you’d been injured!”
“Sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.” My stubbornness had made his job as an escort difficult. I apologized sincerely.
I walked over to the corpse of the first green-horned hound Muyeon had killed, identified by the clean cut at the base of its horn.
“Young Master?”
Like before, I concentrated Fire Qi into my arm, stabbed into the beast’s body, and pulled out its demonic stone.
I have to check, no matter how horrible it feels.
I wanted to ignore what had just happened. But once Demonic Qi enters someone’s body, it begins to possess them—no matter how small the initial amount. If it had truly entered me, it was already too late.
I felt the same static sensation in my palm as before. The green demonic stone lost its color, turning clear as its Qi flowed into me. The quantity was the same as last time.
Everything was identical… but now that I was paying close attention, I sensed something different. A feeling I hated.
“Damn it…”
It was definitely Demonic Qi. Unmistakable. The wisp of Demonic Qi that entered my body writhed, trying to corrupt my own Qi.
Then, something unexpected happened.
-Fwoosh.
Instead of darkening, my Fire Qi flared up violently and devoured the Demonic Qi.
“What the…?”
Now I understood why I hadn’t felt it the first time.
It assimilated the Demonic Qi?
Was “assimilate” even the right word? What I felt was my Fire Qi aggressively consuming the invasive energy.
This was something that had never happened in my previous life. I had only ever seen Demonic Qi consume a martial artist’s Qi, never the reverse. Even the most powerful Qi would eventually be possessed. So why was this happening?
I had no idea. I didn’t know why I was experiencing things that should be impossible. Was it because I had already changed the timeline?
Regardless, it was a relief to confirm that no Demonic Qi remained in my body. This suggested I might be able to purify Demonic Qi and absorb it to strengthen my own reserves.
But the core problem remained.
Why can I still use an art bestowed by the Heavenly Demon?
I couldn’t comprehend it. Was this power cursed to be chained to me, even beyond death? I had just escaped that nightmare; I couldn’t afford to be dragged back in.
…I should just be grateful I’m not infected.
I decided to shelve the mystery for later. I had more immediate matters to attend to.
“Young Master…!”
Wi Seol-Ah burst from the carriage and ran to me, grabbing my hand. “Oh no… it’s all a mess…”
The bandages she had meticulously wrapped around my hand had come completely undone during the fight.
“Are you alright, Young Master…? Are you hurt anywhere…?”
“As you can see…”
“So you’re seriously hurt!”
“…No, I’m saying I’m fine. What part of me looks hurt?”
“Your face…!”
“What did you say?” Are you insulting my face? Just because you’re pretty, you think you can call me ugly?
Wi Seol-Ah carefully touched my cheek. “Young Master, you look so tired. Like my grandpa.”
“Do I really look that old?”
“The Young Master looks scary, but you’re not an old man!”
“Be honest… you’re just teasing me, aren’t you?”
The servants, who had emerged from the carriage a moment later, were shocked to see Wi Seol-Ah touching me and hurried over to pull her away. “Seol-Ah! You can’t just touch the Young Master’s face like that!”
Wi Seol-Ah let out a small “ah!” as she was dragged back.
“Young Master.”
Muyeon called out to me once the servants had taken her away. When I turned, I saw the corpses of the green-horned hounds piled together. Their hides and bones were valuable, so it was beneficial to process them.
“The Gu swordsmen have arrived.”
“Huh? Already?”
Less than two hours had passed since the incident began. How could they have gotten here so quickly?
Looking at them, I saw familiar faces—swordsmen who had attended the Nine Dragons Day ceremony.
“I am Hyuk Jooyum, Deputy of the Fourth Swordsmen Squad. Greetings, Young Master.”
It was one of the squadron deputies from the ceremony.
“The Second Elder sent us. We came as fast as we could, but we were still too late… I apologize. The fault is mine.”
“The Second Elder?”
That was unexpected. I thought he had already returned to the clan.
Hyuk Jooyum looked confused by my bewildered expression. “Did you not hear? That the Second Elder would be setting off with you…”
“What are you talking about? The Second Elder didn’t come with us…?” What has that old man done now? Did he secretly follow us? Why?
And if he had, why didn’t he help us with the Gate of Demons? It would have made things much easier.
Another swordsman approached. “Deputy, sir, all the hound corpses are intact. Nothing needs to be discarded. What should we do?”
“All eleven corpses are clean?”
“Two have holes punctured through their ribs, but it’s not severe.”
…He was talking about the ones I had stabbed. I decided to keep quiet.
“We can’t move everything. Just salvage the hides and bones.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And the rest…” Hyuk Jooyum trailed off, his eyes meeting Muyeon’s behind me.
Muyeon bowed his head respectfully. Hyuk Jooyum let out a small sigh. “I expected you to be at home, resting. Yet here you are, sword in hand.”
They knew each other?
Muyeon remained silent in response. Hyuk Jooyum didn’t seem to expect an answer anyway. “Come back when some time has passed. The squad leader also said it wasn’t your fault.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Having finished with Muyeon, Hyuk Jooyum turned back to me. “We will handle the rest. Please rest easy, Young Master.”
After Hyuk Jooyum left, I glanced at Muyeon. He wore an uneasy expression, so I left him alone and returned to the carriage. I was curious, but I figured he would tell me if it became necessary.
The moment I stepped inside, Wi Seol-Ah tried to rush at me with fresh bandages. I had another servant hold her back and settled into my seat.
It felt like problems were piling up faster than I could handle them. Dealing with just one was hard enough.
“It’s quite difficult to live a good, normal life, huh.”
Perhaps because of the nightmare I’d had earlier, I had a feeling I wouldn’t be getting much sleep for the next few days.
* * *
Gu Yangcheon’s residence.
The Second Elder and the Sword Venerable stood within. The Sword Venerable held a broom, a sight that was becoming customary.
“Thank you, Gu Ryoon,” the Sword Venerable said, idly sweeping the floor.
The Second Elder let out a faint, dismissive cough. “Ahem… I didn’t really do anything.”
“Still, you acted for my granddaughter’s sake.”
Elders of the clan typically didn’t involve themselves in such matters. They weren’t even required to participate in events like the Nine Dragons Day. The Second Elder had gotten involved this time due to a request from the Sword Venerable.
“All I did was take a small stroll to see the younger generation.”
The Sword Venerable’s granddaughter, Wi Seol-Ah, was the main reason the Second Elder had involved himself in the Nine Dragons Day arrangements, primarily out of curiosity about her.
“I already have much to thank you for. This is nothing.”
It was surprising enough that the Sword Venerable was residing with the Gu Clan. But then both the Sword Venerable and Lord Gu himself had asked him to ensure Wi Seol-Ah’s safety.
The Second Elder had initially suggested she simply not go, or that Lord Gu accompany them personally, but he had retracted the suggestion after seeing the look on the Sword Venerable’s face. It was an expression the Second Elder had never seen before, even when the Sword Venerable was in his prime.
Even the almighty Sword Venerable has his vulnerabilities, huh.
Having been active in the same era, it was a little sad for the Second Elder to see him like this.
Well, it’s not the biggest problem.
His thoughts then turned to Gu Yangcheon.
Gu Yangcheon was a descendant who lacked in many areas. He bore the Gu name, but he was lazy, toxic, and always ran away from the Second Elder. The Second Elder himself had thought the boy lacked both the skill and the grit for martial arts.
He was a child everyone would have given up on, had he not been the Lord’s only son. Even the Second Elder had begun to think it might be time to abandon hope.
But the Gu Yangcheon he had seen this time was completely different.
It wasn’t particularly impressive that he had reached the Second Star of the Gu Flame Wheel Art; Gu Yeonseo had already achieved the Third Star by that point.
But the efficiency of his Qi was different.
The Qi within Gu Yeonseo’s body was still scattered and unruly. A flame martial artist’s Qi needed to circulate constantly, even when not actively in use. Gu Yeonseo’s Qi circulation was still unstable, its flow inconsistent—sometimes too strong, sometimes too weak. This meant her Gu Flame Wheel Art was easily shaken by her emotions.
This wasn’t to say Gu Yeonseo was lacking. She was quite talented for her age.
But her opponent was Gu Yangcheon.
Though the amount of Qi in his body was small, his control over it was on a completely different level. The Second Elder had been shocked when he saw the newly transformed Gu Yangcheon.
The flame Qi within him flowed with a rock-steady consistency. Even when enraged by Gu Yeonseo’s words, he had maintained that impeccable stability. It demonstrated an exceptional understanding and mastery of Qi.
Watching their duel, the Second Elder had come to a realization.
That child is hiding his strength.
He didn’t know the reason, but he was certain of it.
The Sword Venerable’s voice broke his reverie. “Anyway, Gu Ryoon.”
“Hmm?”
“I heard you nearly killed a kid from the Peng Clan and used your juniors as entertainment for the crowd. Will that be alright?”
“I think the rumors are exaggerated. I didn’t nearly kill him.”
“…So you half-killed him. Will you be fine?”
“Fine from what, sir?”
“It seems Lord Gu is looking for you.”
“…”
The Second Elder quickly made himself scarce.
He planned to avoid the Clan Lord for a few days.