Chapter 513: Just Let Me Hold It Once. (20)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 513: Just Let Me Hold It Once. (20)
“Father?”
The word slipped out before I could stop it. I was so startled that I clapped a hand over my mouth.
Perhaps hearing my call, my father turned his head toward me.
Our eyes met.
His own widened in surprise.
Was he shocked by my sudden appearance? The thought crossed my mind, but…
Ah.
I soon realized that wasn’t it.
The reason for his reaction was probably…
Because of how I look right now.
My body had reverted to its original form after releasing the Qi Body Transformation Technique. While faint traces of my pre-transformation appearance remained, it was undeniable that I had changed significantly.
Just moments ago, I had told him I’d undergone a full-body transformation. For his son to suddenly appear like this, it was no wonder my father was stunned.
Besides…
What is this place?
I glanced around. Just how deep underground had this place been built? The descent through the hole had been quick, but judging by the time it took, it was constructed far beneath the surface.
The faint poisonous qi and the scent of blood lingering in the air were unsettling. The combat aura saturating the space, the heat mixed within it… Just sensing it all made the hairs on my body stand on end. It was that noxious, that suffocating.
What is this? What is this situation?
I frowned, looking ahead. Why was the Heavenly Venerable on his knees, bleeding? And why did the First Elder of the Tang Clan look like he had lost his mind?
I was planning to take care of that old man by tomorrow.
I had already tracked his movements. Knowing there was no point in waiting, I had even instructed Nahee to prepare a place where I could quietly… interrogate him.
This complicates things.
If this is how things stood, what should I do?
Did Father do this?
To the First Elder? He just left the room and caused all this?
Father…?
I couldn’t easily comprehend it. I was certain my father wasn’t the type to act recklessly. But for him to explode with such force…
Perhaps.
…Is it because of me?
Because I was nearly poisoned to death here in the Tang Clan. Was that why Father had suddenly appeared after a few days and created this scene?
…
I didn’t know. A normal father might have reacted this way if his son had suffered such an ordeal. But I had always thought my father was different.
No way.
The circumstances pointed to it, but the question of whether it was truly the case lingered. And how did Father know the First Elder was the one behind it? At most, he would have arrived in Sichuan yesterday. Did he grasp the entire situation in that short time and then act?
That’s impossible.
Even if he had figured it out, acting with such conviction was another matter entirely. Where did such certainty come from?
[Where else? A simple question, at least for a martial artist.]
…Elder Shin?
As if responding to the question in my mind, Elder Shin casually provided the answer.
[Martial Power. Do you think a martial artist needs anything more?]
The central pillar that allows one to act and resolve a matter once it’s known. In the end, for a martial artist, it was strength. A power so immense it could handle any consequence.
It might seem brutish, but it’s the simplest principle.
At least in the Central Plains, it was also the most important one.
Which meant…
…He just blew the whole thing wide open. Is that it?
I knew my father was strong. Though I didn't know exactly how strong. At the very least…
He’s stronger than me.
Stronger than my past self. And perhaps a little weaker than the Heavenly Demon. That had been my assessment.
But…
…If he’s the one who put the Heavenly Venerable in that state.
I studied the Heavenly Venerable, kneeling before my father. His white beard was stained with blood, and one of his shoulders looked unnaturally twisted, likely mangled from a blow. Circumstantially, the one who had done this had to be my father.
Even if it was a surprise attack, is that even possible?
In the past, during our assault on the Black Palace’s main headquarters, my father had once killed an Fusion Realm expert with a surprise attack. I wondered if this was similar, but…
To say that… the Heavenly Venerable is in too good of a shape.
Feeling the concentration of qi in the air, I could tell a battle had occurred very recently. That’s what made it even stranger.
Not much time has passed since Father left.
I had moved in a hurry, but in truth, less time than it takes for an incense stick to burn had elapsed.
In that short span, he reduced the Heavenly Venerable to this state?
Furthermore, my father looked exactly as he had when he left the room—not a hint of exhaustion, pristine and composed.
If there had been a fight…
He must have… crushed him, then?
It was safe to assume he had overwhelmingly defeated the Heavenly Venerable. One of the Heaven Beyond Heavens, one of the Three Venerables.
Gulp.
As the thought solidified, I swallowed dryly. No matter how I looked at it…
I should never, ever mess with Father.
I had suspected he was hiding his strength, but I never imagined it was to this extent. …I must never get cocky around him again. The resolution cemented itself in my mind.
Anyway, that aside.
I looked past the exhausted Heavenly Venerable and studied my father. His left hand, which he had brought out from behind his back as he slowly approached the Heavenly Venerable, was stained a blazing crimson. A faint heat haze rose from it, yet I felt no warmth. I could tell at a glance just how much qi was condensed in that palm. I swallowed my shock.
That’s…
I had seen it before. Just once, on the day I fought my father in my past life. It was the power I witnessed then.
…The ultimate form of the Gu Flame Wheel Art.
The final secret technique of the Gu Clan’s martial arts. The culminating art that could only be used after mastering the Gu Flame Wheel Art.
“Third Son.”
“…!”
My father’s voice made me flinch.
“I believe I told you to wait.”
“Ah, that is… I’m sorry…”
My father’s gaze shifted from me back to the Heavenly Venerable. The feeling was ominous.
Don’t tell me he’s going to kill him.
The Heavenly Venerable? Ah, no, he can’t.
What do I do?
It would be troublesome if the Heavenly Venerable died at my father’s hands here. It wasn’t hypocrisy. The reason was simple.
I haven’t found out anything yet.
I still lacked the information. The reason the Heavenly Venerable was in this strange space seemed connected to the First Elder, and also…
The Immortal Healer’s words are bothering me.
I remembered how the Immortal Healer had specifically warned me to be careful of the Heavenly Venerable.
Just as I was frantically searching for a solution…
“How did you find this place?” my father asked.
“Pardon…?”
“It should have been impossible as long as the Fire Wheel Star was maintained.”
Fire Wheel Star? His words made me think of the small sun floating in the sky. So that was its name. Which meant…
So I was right about why I couldn’t sense his presence.
My guess had been correct. The power of the mind that Elder Shin had mentioned. That was why I couldn’t sense any presence.
“How did you find this place?”
“…I burned the ring to create a resonance.”
Hearing my answer, a strange light flickered in my father’s eyes.
“Resonance… So there was such a method.”
Huh?
I flinched as I watched my father’s expression.
…Is he smiling?
For some reason, the corners of his lips seemed slightly upturned. My observation was brief.
“Well done.”
“…!”
My father suddenly praised me. The moment I felt a surge of pleasure…
Grasp—!
“Keuk…”
My father seized the Heavenly Venerable’s face.
Shit!
“Father…! Wait…!”
Fwoooosh—!
An immense calamity flame erupted, spewing blinding light. The Heavenly Venerable’s body was engulfed in the blaze. The flame was an incredibly deep, profound crimson—so deep I wondered if such a color could even exist.
I’m screwed.
I bit my lip as I watched. The Heavenly Venerable was finally burning to death. Engulfed in a flame of that magnitude, it was obvious not even his bones would remain.
As I panicked at the dizzying turn of events, my father’s gaze returned to me. His eyes met mine as I stood there with my mouth agape. Looking into my eyes, he said,
“Do not worry. I did not kill him.”
“…Pardon?”
My father’s words forced a bizarre expression onto my face. He was still engulfed in an unbelievable blaze, yet he wasn’t killed…?
He’ll die soon, but he’s still alive for now. Was that what he meant?
As a cold sweat began to trickle down my back at his grim tone…
“He was covered in something useless, so I merely burned it off,” my father added, as if to elaborate.
Something useless? I still had no idea what he was talking about.
“Ordinarily, I would have burned him to death. But I will let it slide, for your fiancée’s sake.”
“…Ah.”
His words finally made me remember. The Heavenly Venerable was a member of the Namgung Clan. Swept up in the situation, I had momentarily forgotten.
Right… For that reason, too, I shouldn’t have killed him.
I thought about it, but… even if I had remembered, would I have just let it be? My mind, cold and detached despite the circumstances, calmly offered a denial. I knew I wouldn’t have. I was always a bastard, but I felt I had become even less human after my transformation.
Pushing aside the nauseating feeling, I asked my father. “…Father.”
“Speak.”
“What happened with the Heavenly Venerable, and that old man…?” I pointed a hand at the First Elder. He was watching the burning Heavenly Venerable, unable to flee, holding back a groan.
“…”
My father’s eyes turned to the First Elder. Meeting that gaze, the First Elder’s body began to tremble violently.
“He said that man fed you poison.”
At his casual words, I had to clench my fists. His statement meant he had come because he truly believed I had been poisoned. An unfamiliar emotion rose within me, and I turned my head slightly.
“…How did you know it was him? You couldn’t have been here for long.”
This was something I hadn’t even told the Poison King yet. I had intended to tell him after I had captured the First Elder and extracted everything.
But how could my father have been so sure?
To that question, my father answered. “I did not know.”
“What?”
It was an answer I hadn't expected. “…What does that…?”
Just a moment ago, he said that old man had fed me poison, and now he was saying he didn’t know?
“That’s quite different from what you just said…?”
To this question of mine, my father explained a little more deeply. “What I was certain of was that the culprit was among the elders of the Tang Clan. Therefore.”
“…Therefore?”
“It was a simple matter of catching all the elders and checking them.”
“…”
Hearing my father’s words, my mind went blank. What did I just hear? So…
…He wasn’t sure who it was, so he was just going to catch all the elders and find out?
The words were dizzying in more ways than one.
As I tried to collect my scattered thoughts, my father continued, his eyes still on the First Elder. “It took half a day. That is the time it took to lock onto the presences of all the elders belonging to the Tang Clan.”
Just half a day. I finally understood where my father had gone when he suddenly left. The time had been spent memorizing the presences of all the elders within the vast Tang Clan estate.
“I simply came to find the most suspicious one among them, but Third Son, seeing your reaction, it seems I was correct.”
“…Yes.”
As I spoke, my father walked toward me. “I have sent a telepathic message to the Poison King. He will arrive shortly.”
When did he even send that?
“The Heavenly Venerable’s flames will die down before the Poison King arrives, so pay it no mind.” In other words, it was a warning not to touch him. Not that I had any intention, already intimidated by the flames.
My father walked slowly until he finally stood before me. His cool gaze swept over my body. I broke out in a cold sweat under his stare.
I had just made the excuse that I’d undergone a full-body transformation. How was I supposed to explain the state I was in now? Regret washed over me.
Damn it, I shouldn’t have come looking for him.
I should have just listened and waited quietly. I had made a useless move and was now about to get an earful. There was no excuse I could make.
My eyes, which had begun to take on a pale blue hue. My hair, tinged with blue; the traces of scales on my skin; and my larger frame. I might be able to pass off the larger frame as a result of the transformation, but… the rest was inexplicable.
As all sorts of desperate thoughts raced through my mind, trying to cook up a story…
“This is…”
At my father’s words, I squeezed my eyes shut. There was no way out. Just as I was preparing to be scolded…
“…I see.”
Hearing the change in his voice, I cautiously opened my eyes. The emotion in his tone was too clear. It was an emotion I had never felt from my father before. Within his voice, which sounded the same as always, I could clearly sense it.
“You are, after all…”
That emotion was, without a doubt…
“Truly your mother’s blood.”
Longing.