Chapter 697: Heavenly Dragon Martial Arts Tournament (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 697: Heavenly Dragon Martial Arts Tournament (7)
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The moment the flames touched my skin, my heart began to hammer against my ribs.
The Gu Flame Wheel Art began to circulate of its own accord, my internal energy rampaging as if it were on the verge of exploding. My blood ran white-hot. Through ragged, shallow breaths, I stared into the heart of the fire.
“A truly perfect vessel.”
What was this flame that spoke to me? I didn’t have to wonder for long. To feel a resonance this powerful, it had to be the Gu Flame Wheel Art—and not just any version, but the power of a direct blood relative.
The scorching heat before me was the essence of the Gu Flame Wheel Art. The problem was, I had never seen this particular flame before.
Which meant…
A blood relative I don’t know.
That was the only explanation.
Then who could it be?
This, too, wasn’t worth overthinking. It might have been a mystery in the past, but now, only one person came to mind.
Crrrack.
I tried to move, but I was pinned. An unknown restraining force held me fast. I tried to speak, but my lips were sealed shut, refusing to budge.
Wooooong.
I focused entirely on my heart. Fortunately, I could still move my energy.
Giiiiing—!!!
I spun my core faster and faster, releasing my bound energy and compressing it with violent intensity.
Fwoosh.
I gathered the roaring flames into a single, infinitesimal point.
Pop!
Then, I let it explode.
KWAAAAAAA—!!!
Blue flames erupted from my body, spiraling outward in every direction. I spun like a localized typhoon, filling the surroundings with a vast, suffocating pressure.
Crrrack!
Using the flames as a focal point, I shattered the invisible shackles restraining my body.
“Hoo…”
Finally, my mouth was free. My acupoints and joints ached from the sudden, massive exertion of Qi, but I forced myself to move.
“Hoh.”
As I stretched my stiff limbs, a voice filled with genuine admiration reached me.
“Impressive.”
“...”
Frowning deeply, I glared at the flickering figure.
“First, let me ask you something.”
I spoke while pushing my senses to their absolute limit.
“Are you my grandfather?”
“Hmm.”
Was it my imagination? At my words, the flame seemed to chuckle. Its form was composed entirely of shifting fire, making it impossible to read an expression, but the sensation was unmistakable.
“How curious. Your father wouldn't have told you… How did you know?”
The flame’s reaction made me click my tongue. Just as I thought. This entity was indeed my grandfather. I let out a dry, hollow breath.
“How are you even alive?”
“Haha.”
Asking a man to his face why he wasn't dead was a shitty thing to do, but it was the only question that mattered.
“What a startling question.”
“If we’re talking about being startled, I think I win,” I countered.
How could I not be? A human-shaped flame had suddenly appeared, claiming to be the grandfather I was told was long dead. Furthermore…
He called me a non-human.
He had looked at me and asked how I had become something other than human. He had recognized my transformation instantly.
“What do you want?” I asked, my tone sharp with extreme wariness. “Why did you seek me out?”
The flame flickered as it spoke. “Is it so strange for a grandfather to visit his own grandson?”
It was a conventional, almost sentimental answer. I couldn't help but scoff.
“If that were the case, you wouldn't have waited until now to show your face.”
I had never seen him once in my entire life—not even in my past life. How was I supposed to react to a sudden appearance like this? Especially…
“With such an aggressive first meeting.”
“It was merely a sign of my delight.”
“Do that twice and you’ll kill someone.”
“Heh heh.”
Hearing his laughter, I rolled my eyes and scanned the area. Silence still reigned over the surroundings. I looked back at the flame.
Grandfather.
The previous Lord of the Gu Clan. I had never heard stories about him, nor did I know anything of his life. Perhaps that was why I felt nothing looking at him. To me, the First Elder was the only one who felt like a grandfather. This man felt distant, foreign, and dangerous.
“My boy,” the flame said. “The years we have been apart have been long, but it is good to see you have grown well.”
I frowned at the sudden compliment, wondering what his angle was.
“The flame you have bloomed is truly beautiful—a testament to your efforts. Your vessel is sturdy and your body is righteous; I need not worry about the next generation… However.”
The flame’s hand gripped my shoulder.
“With such potential, how did you become a non-human? That is what I wonder.”
“...”
Sizzle.
The hand on my shoulder was agonizingly hot. Feeling the swirling power within it, I stared back at the flame. It seemed changing the subject was out of the question.
“It just happened as I lived,” I replied.
I had struggled to survive, and this was the result. That was all I could say.
“Hmm…” The flame tilted its head. “As I thought. Perhaps I should have burned that wench. An impurity has mixed with the precious flame.”
My body went rigid. “Wench?”
I knew instinctively who he was talking about.
“I should have gotten rid of her the moment I saw her. It would have been better then.”
“...”
“A pity. The vessel is so clean, yet something hideous has mixed in, causing it to lose its luster… Hmm?” The flame paused, tilting its head again. “Why do you look at me with such eyes?”
I didn't need a mirror to know what my eyes looked like. They certainly weren't pleasant. How could they be?
“You speak so fucking horribly. How did you expect me to look?”
Even if he was my grandfather, I wasn't going to stand by while he treated my mother like an 'impurity.'
Crrrack.
I shifted my stance slightly, my voice turning cold. “From where I’m standing, you don’t look like a normal person either.”
I dropped the formal address. Trying to show respect to a stranger was a waste of time. Besides, his body was literally made of fire. He wasn't human; he had merely taken a human shape.
“The reason you cannot see me properly is simply because you lack the qualification,” the flame replied.
“Qualification…?”
Did he mean my cultivation level? Or something more literal?
“Are you saying it’s because I haven’t inherited the position of Young Lord yet?”
The flame smiled. “Correct.”
Because I hadn’t officially inherited the position, I couldn’t see his true form. If I became the Young Lord, would I see past the fire? I didn't know. Even though I had held that title in my past life, I had never encountered him.
“Why did you come?” I asked again. “Why now?”
“As I said, a grandfather seeing his grandson—”
“Stop with the affectionate act. Be straight with me.” I cut him off, unable to stomach the lies. “There isn't a shred of affection in your voice or your eyes, so why keep up the bullshit? Just be yourself. This is unbearably uncomfortable.”
“Hoh…”
I spat the words with pure irritation.
“Well now…”
The atmosphere shifted instantly. The faint trace of gentleness in his tone vanished, replaced by a hard, frigid edge. It was the same void of emotion I had felt from the Dark King.
“A pity. It was a method I put some thought into.”
“It doesn’t look like you even tried. What nonsense are you spouting?”
His gaze was different now. When I thought of a grandfather, I thought of the First Elder. This man didn't have the eyes of a relative; he had the eyes of a predator.
“What do you want from me?”
“Because the time has come,” the flame answered flatly. “I know you are ready. The extra time I granted your father has run out. And yet…”
Fwoosh.
The heat intensified, becoming a physical weight.
“My boy. You have not yet received the key.”
The key.
He had to be talking about the Gu Clan’s seal—the inheritance meant for the Young Lord.
“The time has come for you to inherit the duty. For that is what we must do.”
The words felt suffocating.
“Is that why you’re here? To tell me to hurry up?”
“No. I came purely because my curiosity was piqued.”
“Curiosity?”
“We, of all people, must despise and distance ourselves from the non-human. Yet you, the one who must inherit the next duty, have become a hideous existence.”
“…Ha.”
So he was here because I had become a dragon. Did my transformation interfere with the inheritance? And more importantly…
How did he even know?
He must have moved the moment he realized I was no longer human. As I pondered this, a sudden realization struck me.
“…By any chance, are you involved in what happened to the Lord?”
My father hadn't made it to Henan because of an emergency. Lady Mi had said it was something only the Young Lord could know. And now, my grandfather appears? It was too perfect to be a coincidence.
“Correct,” the flame affirmed.
“Why… What did you do to him?”
“It was done according to principle. Your father is guarding the ‘gate’ in my stead.”
Gate? What gate?
“It is a task your father should have undertaken long ago, and one that you will have to perform someday.”
“…You mean just guarding some door?”
“The duty exists for that very purpose. How could you call it ‘just’?”
A duty to guard a gate. Was this the hidden purpose of the Gu Clan? Something my father knew, but I didn't? A truth revealed only to the Lord?
“If my being a non-human is the problem,” I said, “doesn’t that mean I can’t do it anymore?”
“Yes, it is a problem. That is why I came.” The flame’s voice remained flat. “To burn away the impurity and return you to your original state. That is why I came myself.”
“…Tsk.”
I flared my energy. Burn it away? He meant to kill the part of me that was a dragon—or just kill me entirely.
Squeeze.
I focused on my heart and glared at him.
Fwooooosh—!!
Blue flames enveloped my body. I dropped into a stance, senses heightened, watching his every flicker.
“However,” the flame continued, hands clasped behind his back, “I made a deal with your father. I will grant you a little more time.”
“What did you say? A deal?”
“What does that—”
Before I could finish my shout, he acted.
Snap!
Fwoom!
“…!!”
With a simple snap of his fingers, the flames surrounding my body vanished. I tried to reignite them instantly, but…
Sizzle. Chk.
Only a faint crackle responded. The ring of the Gu Flame Wheel Art within me was deathly still. My energy was circulating, but the fire wouldn't rise.
“Therefore, for now, I shall take back your ember.”
My eyes widened. He had just… blocked my access to the Gu Flame Wheel Art. How was that even possible?
My grandfather raised his hand. A small, blue flame swirled in his palm. It was a familiar energy. My energy.
“This is why I sought you out today. If you wish to reclaim this…” He looked at me through the fire. “Come find me in ‘Xinjiang’.”
I sucked in a sharp breath.
Xinjiang?
That was more shocking than losing my flames. Xinjiang was the place Namgung Myung had mentioned while inhabiting Woo Hyuk’s body in the North. It was also the location of the Demonic Cult’s headquarters in my past life.
And my grandfather was there? It was too much to be a coincidence.
“I cannot give you much time. Your father mentioned a year, so I will take that into consideration.”
“Wait!” I barked.
He was trying to end this on his own terms. I couldn't let him just walk away after taking my power. Everyone in this damn family loved doing things their own way.
Thud!
I tried to force the flames, but they remained dormant. Frowning, I drew upon a different power. I didn't need fire to break him.
I twisted my waist and clenched my fist, imbuing my arm with Demonic Combat Qi.
Heaven Destruction Art.
KWAAANG!
Internal energy exploded from my knuckles, creating a localized shockwave.
“Hm.”
My grandfather moved his hand slightly.
FWOOOOOSH—!!!!
A wall of flame erupted from the ground, acting as a shield. The wind pressure from my strike slammed into the barrier and dissipated. I didn't stop. I swung again.
This time, it wasn't Heaven Destruction Art.
Heart Fist.
I unleashed my full might.
KWAAK!
The Heart Fist slammed into the barrier.
PAAAANG—!!
The wall of fire exploded, clearing the path. I was already moving, closing the distance in a blur. I reached out and snatched the ball of fire from his hand.
Grab!
As I crushed the flame in my palm, the heat flooded back into my heart.
Fwoooooosh!
My blue flames roared back to life.
“Hooo…”
It really was my ember. But even with my power returned, I couldn't relax. If he could take it once, he could take it again.
“Haha,” my grandfather laughed. “Good.”
Shudder!
A primal chill ran down my spine. My body went on high alert, and I swallowed hard. This feeling… it was sickening.
“Indeed. You’ll do.”
As my grandfather took a step forward, something shifted.
SHWIIIIIIK—!!!
KUUUUAAAAANG—!!
A dark bolt fell from the sky, slamming into the earth between us.
GUUUUUUUUU—!!!
A dense, aggressive black energy swirled around the impact site. I flinched at the sheer weight of the power. As the dust and energy subsided, I saw a small back standing before me.
Delicate shoulders. Long black hair with a violet sheen. A small-framed woman stood there, shielding me from my grandfather.
“You…”
At my voice, she turned her head. Our eyes met—violet pupils shimmering with cold authority.
The Heavenly Demon.
She was the one who had intervened.