Chapter 150
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Casting Off the Name of the King of Assassins (4)
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“Cult Leader. The Head of the Hall of Punishments requests an audience.”
“Let him enter.”
*Rumble!*
The doors to the grand hall opened, and Go Gu stepped inside.
Lee Cheonsang was not seated in his usual grand chair, but at a small tea table by the window.
Though it was a tea table, the cup was for wine. Steam rose from it, suggesting it had been heated.
Go Gu bowed.
“The Head of the Hall of Punishments pays his respects to the Cult Leader.”
“Come closer.”
Rising to his feet, Go Gu approached Lee Cheonsang's side.
Lee Cheonsang took out another cup and placed it opposite him.
“Have a drink.”
“…Yes.”
Go Gu sat down cautiously.
As he filled his cup, Lee Cheonsang spoke.
“Do you have anything further to report?”
“I requested this audience to provide a more detailed report.”
“Go on.”
Go Gu recounted in detail the scene he had witnessed, the flow of events.
Lee Cheonsang's eyes gleamed.
“And?”
“…”
“That doesn't seem to be all.”
After a moment of silence, Go Gu finally spoke.
“And… the Third Young Master, Seo Ryang, has reached the Supreme Demonic Realm.”
“Just as I thought.”
Go Gu's eyes wavered.
*‘Just as he thought?’*
Did the Cult Leader already suspect this?
Lee Cheonsang said calmly.
“Ten days ago, the Demonic Spirit Well called to me.”
“...!”
Go Gu's fists clenched involuntarily. A cold sweat beaded on his whitened knuckles.
“Thanks to that, I knew. I knew he was ready to ascend to the Supreme Demonic Realm.”
“…I see.”
Lee Cheonsang tapped his own heart.
“The Artifact Spirit Diagram told me.”
*Thump.*
“It performs well.”
*Thump, thump.*
“Is his craftsmanship still as good as ever?”
Go Gu couldn't answer. Though he was obligated to respond to the Cult Leader's questions, he failed to do so.
Emptying his cup, Lee Cheonsang continued.
“I once visited the prison in the Hall of Punishments. The basement was fortified like a fortress.”
“It is merely a humble skill of mine.”
Lee Cheonsang shook his head.
“You make excellent use of your talents. That is why I value you.”
A thick vein bulged on Go Gu's jaw.
But it was only for a moment.
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Drink.”
Go Gu drained his cup.
Lee Cheonsang leaned back in his chair.
“You may go now.”
Go Gu rose, bowed his head deeply, and left the grand hall.
Lee Cheonsang turned his head to the window. The sky outside was incredibly dark. Storm clouds rolling in from the north were approaching the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
“Do not lament what your talents cannot reach.”
The corner of Lee Cheonsang's mouth lifted slightly.
“My disciple.”
* * *
In the backyard of the Yeonju branch, there was a small bamboo grove.
It wasn't quite suitable for a training ground, but there was no better place to clear one's head. While it lacked the pristine elegance of the Solitary Bamboo Forest, this grove had its own charm.
In the middle of that grove.
Seo Ryang stood with his eyes closed, his hand extended forward.
*Grip.*
Seo Ryang opened his eyes. The Dragon Scale Saber was now in his hand.
“Hmm.”
He slowly released his grip. Yet, the Dragon Scale Saber remained floating in mid-air.
Seo Ryang nodded.
“This is enough.”
*Swoosh.*
As if held by an unseen hand, the Dragon Scale Saber slowly spun once before plunging into the ground.
*‘The check on my demonic arts is complete.’*
After reaching the Supreme Demonic Realm, the Nine Hells Demonic Art had been completely transformed.
The original five Gates of Hell had now been reduced to three.
The previous Ghost Gate and Earth Gate were merely paths toward the supreme demonic state; having reached the destination, there would be no need to open them again.
*‘It's the next one.’*
The start of a new Gate of Hell. The third gate in the Nine Hells Demonic Art's Opening of Hell.
Only when I fully open that gate will I finally be able to reach the level I had in my past life.
Just because one has reached the Supreme Demonic Realm, or the Realm of Harmony, doesn't mean all the masters within it are of similar skill.
Just as there are differences in level among peak masters, there are also differences among transcendent masters. The deeper the realm, the wider the gap becomes.
In his past life, Seo Ryang—that is, Cheon Hajin—was undoubtedly the world's greatest assassin, but in terms of pure martial arts, he was in the lower tier among the Ten Great Masters, or the lower-middle tier at best.
It was only because the techniques he used were so exceptional that he could narrow the gap even slightly.
In other words, even though the current Seo Ryang has reached the Supreme Demonic Realm, he would still struggle against the Ten Great Masters. Likewise, there is a gap between him and the Nine Demonic Sovereigns.
*‘It won't be too late. If I continue to train steadily like this.’*
*Grip.*
Clenching his fist, Seo Ryang's gaze deepened.
*‘The problem is...’*
*Fwoosh!*
A punch thrown into the air.
Even without imbuing it with internal energy, an immense wind pressure was generated. The bamboo leaves scattered on the ground rose high into the air, swirling beyond his outstretched fist.
Rippling muscles. A powerful force pulsed within them.
Seo Ryang grumbled as if deflated.
“Where has all the subtlety gone?”
The current Nine Hells Demonic Art was perfected with Lee Cheonsang's help after converting the Shadow Qi Art into a demonic art.
Divine arts and demonic arts pursue different things. Naturally, the nature of the external martial arts that channel their power is also different.
However, the flow of external arts also changes depending on the internal energy cultivation method, as well as the personality, habits, and experience of the practitioner.
The once subtle and stealthy Heaven-Lifting Technique had become destructive and ferocious after he learned demonic arts.
But thanks to his accumulated experience, a certain fluid flow still existed amidst its newfound destructive power.
But now, it's different.
“It's too forceful.”
He could tell just by throwing a single punch. It was clear that the Heaven-Lifting Technique, which he could once use in a continuous chain of attacks despite its individual moves, would now feel disjointed.
*‘Is this going to be okay?’*
The demonic art urges it. A new change.
This was different from when he lived as the King of Slaughter. It wasn't his experience-hardened mind, but the demonic art itself telling him to change his martial principles.
*Ssk.*
A foot stepped forward.
Seo Ryang's body moved.
*Fwoosh!*
In the blink of an eye, Seo Ryang had tapped dozens of bamboo trees and returned.
His speed was truly divine. The power of the Nine Heavens Earth-Shrinking Godly Step was as potent as ever.
“It's as potent as ever, but this too...”
Seo Ryang's face crumpled like a piece of paper.
“What in the world is going on?”
If he used it according to the footwork's incantations, his speed was no different than before. No, with his demonic energy having reached the innate stage, he could run even faster if he put his mind to it.
But the demonic energy and the incantations clashed.
Even the muscles of his entire body were rejecting the movement. He had to spend a fraction of a second longer to overcome that resistance, causing a half-beat delay in execution.
He could still perform it, but it didn't suit his body. The rejection was far more severe than with the Heaven-Lifting Technique.
*‘Is it inevitable?’*
Whether stealthy or destructive, the Heaven-Lifting Technique was an assassination art created to kill opponents. That's why even when executed with demonic arts, the energy and the incantations didn't clash.
But the Nine Heavens Earth-Shrinking Godly Step was different.
The martial intent of the Earth-Shrinking Godly Step was in swift infiltration and escape. It was only Seo Ryang's creativity that allowed him to use it for combat; it was never a footwork technique suited for direct confrontation.
The combination of the Heaven-Lifting Technique and the Earth-Shrinking Godly Step.
It was the ultimate martial art for an assassin, but not for a demonic practitioner. To be precise, it was not suited for 'Seo Ryang, who had become a demonic practitioner.'
“Dammit. Do I have to start completely from scratch?”
If the lower body is the center of the body, then the footwork performed with it can be called the center of one's martial arts.
The reason Seo Ryang's stamina hadn't depleted despite his rampages was because his lower body was solid.
His proficiency in fluid, continuous techniques was also due to his good endurance, which in turn was based on his strong lower body.
*Ssk.*
Seo Ryang touched his own thigh.
The muscles, redefined upon reaching the supreme demonic state. His thick, long thighs were honed to unleash both explosive power and great endurance.
*‘This body is different from before.’*
Seo Ryang's expression hardened.
*‘Will it really be okay? To abandon these martial arts?’*
These were martial arts that had been with him for decades. The thought of abandoning them to gain something new filled him with sudden worry.
And along with that worry, there was one fact he couldn't help but acknowledge.
*‘I'm so anxious, so why does my body crave a new martial art...’*
In that moment, Seo Ryang gasped.
“I've been looking at this all wrong.”
Martial arts specialized for an assassin, experience as an assassin, a body trained as an assassin.
The reason he could naturally use the Shadow Qi Art, the Heaven-Lifting Technique, and the Earth-Shrinking Godly Step even after breaking through to the Realm of Harmony was because his life itself had been tailored to assassination and survival.
Now, it's different.
He now possessed a demonic art that could be called the greatest in the demonic martial world, combined with the techniques he learned as an assassin. His experience as an assassin was plentiful, but so was his experience in direct confrontations.
Moreover, his current body was not that of an assassin, but of a demonic practitioner skilled in powerful strikes.
*‘Essence, Qi, and Spirit are one. Mind, Body, and Qi are also one.’*
Seo Ryang's eyes deepened.
“For the body to want it means that, in the end, my mind wants it too.”
Body, mind, and qi are one.
Furthermore, his martial arts had become one with his body. And the reason his body and his demonic art had transformed this way was because a destructive instinct was growing in the depths of his mind.
*‘A destructive instinct... The moment I realized what I truly desire, my mind and body became one.’*
A cycle of growth. Each part fostering the other until they became one. The entity that integrated all of these things was the person named Seo Ryang.
*Wooooong.*
A dense demonic energy spread from his body.
In that moment of gentle, permeating enlightenment, he completely erased the incantations of the Earth-Shrinking Godly Step from his mind.
Furthermore, he also erased the incantations of the Heaven-Lifting Technique, save for three or four necessary moves like the Mountain-Shattering Force.
*‘Forget.’*
*Sssshhh.*
A whitish smoke rose from his head.
When will arises, qi arises. When qi arises, the mind expands. The moment he thought to forget, he had already completely forgotten the incantations of the Earth-Shrinking Godly Step.
As if he had never encountered it before.
*‘I have no choice.’*
It was clear that the incantations of these two martial arts would one day become a detriment to him. If so, they would produce a result worse than having nothing at all.
Still, Seo Ryang felt a sense of loss.
“I'm bidding farewell to my past.”
The Heaven-Lifting Technique, the Nine Heavens Earth-Shrinking Godly Step.
The powerful weapons that had guaranteed his survival and taken the lives of his enemies until now.
The Shadow Qi Art had also transformed into the Nine Hells Demonic Art. The only thing left was the Nine Hells Calamity Saber Art, but he had never used the Calamity Saber Art while working as an assassin.
He had only used it a couple of times, at best, when a Heavenly Net was cast or when he needed to buy time to escape.
Moreover, the Nine Hells Calamity Saber Art was a technique inherently aimed at destruction. Its very origin was different from the other three martial arts.
In other words, all the martial arts that had made him the King of Assassins had now left his grasp.
“It's a shame, but...”
At the same time, I'm looking forward to it.
The assassination art and footwork that have vanished. I will have to fill those two voids with something new.
Something stronger, more ferocious.
I must fill them with a new, high-level martial study worthy of who I am now.
Seo Ryang looked to the south.
Toward a distant place invisible to the eye, toward the Hundred Thousand Mountains where the demonic dragon known as the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon was coiled.
“I'll have to take care of one thing and then head back.”
Only now, having reached the Supreme Demonic Realm, could he finally part ways completely with his past as the King of Assassins.
* * *
“Young Master.”
“I know.”
A familiar presence approaching from a great distance.
Seo Ryang stood up.
“I thought only that bandit woman would show up, but it seems an unexpected person is coming with her.”