Chapter 159
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: Return, and What Comes Next (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Seo Ryang recalled his conversation with Lee Cheonsang.
- Your constitution has changed in a peculiar way.
- Yes. My muscles were originally…
- You had great endurance. Your breathing was long and steady, making your body well-suited for executing linked forms.
- That's right. But it's different now. My body has become suited for cultivating short, explosive martial arts.
I can manage my stamina with demonic energy, but it's quite a confusing state.
- Was that why you didn't press on with a follow-up attack?
- Pardon?
- I'm talking about after your first strike was blocked. The you of before would have immediately prepared another attack.
- Ah, yes. I prepared to, but…
- Your feet wouldn't move, I imagine.
- You really know everything.
- …Something thunderous would suit you.
- Pardon?
- I will grant you access to the Demonic Scripture Pavilion. Go and pick out something suitable.
- The, the Demonic Scripture Pavilion?
- You withstood one of my moves, so you've earned the right to a gift.
Lee Cheonsang had said it. That something thunderous would suit me.
“Was this it?”
Heavenly Demon Thunderclap Fist.
It was one of the top three fist techniques in the Divine Cult, a supreme martial art.
Like the Blood Vigor Arts, this too was not a traditional demonic art of the Divine Cult.
Three hundred years ago, the Divine Fist Mak Hyo, known as the 'Greatest Fist Under Heaven,' pledged his allegiance to the Divine Cult.
The Heavenly Demon Thunderclap Fist was created by blending his ultimate technique, the Eighty-One Thunder Strikes, with demonic arts.
It was a fist art that received the title 'Heavenly Demon' despite not being a traditional demonic art. While it excelled in striking, it was correctly called a fist technique because it maximized destructive power by mixing with internal energy arts.
‘Unlike the Heaven-Lifting Technique, its internal energy consumption is severe. It's not fast or delicate, nor is it a martial art focused on linked forms. But…’
Seo Ryang licked his lips without realizing it.
‘Each and every strike is heavy and intense. It means it's so powerful that linked forms are unnecessary.’
Overwhelming the opponent with a single, powerful blow rather than striking multiple times in succession to bring them down.
‘If I mix in the Mountain-Shattering Force I gained from the Heaven-Lifting Technique, it should produce something quite formidable.’
Like a man starved for days facing a feast of delicacies, he ravenously memorized the incantations of the Thunderclap Fist.
The incantations for the Thunderclap Fist were nearly three times as long as those for the Blood Vigor Arts. Moreover, since its roots were not in demonic arts, each incantation held a profound meaning.
He could see why so few members of the Divine Cult had ever mastered the Thunderclap Fist. The incantations themselves were closer to divine arts than demonic arts, making them difficult to interpret.
Of course, this didn't mean the cultists were stupider than the martial artists of the righteous faction. It was simply a difference in disposition.
And so, after a full two hours had passed, he was finally able to memorize all the incantations for the Thunderclap Fist.
“Good.”
Vitality returned to Seo Ryang's slightly weary eyes.
“Now, shall I look for a way to run?”
* * *
“Young Master!”
Was it because he hadn't seen her in a while?
Aeng-hwa seemed a little taller than when he had left. Her chubby cheeks, once full of baby fat, had slimmed down, giving her the appearance of a young woman.
Aeng-hwa knelt with an emotional expression on her face.
“Aeng-hwa greets you, Young Master.”
“Have you been well?”
“Yeees.”
The corners of Aeng-hwa's eyes reddened. She was genuinely happy to see Seo Ryang.
Seo Ryang felt a pang in his chest.
‘Well, now.’
Before he left, he had thought he would never see Aeng-hwa again. That was why he had given her a decent internal arts manual, wishing her well.
‘You never know how a person's life will turn out.’
Seo Ryang spoke, pretending to be nonchalant.
“Oh? The internal energy I sense from you is considerable. You must have studied the manual quite diligently.”
“Yes! I trained every single day without fail.”
“Your hand.”
“Pardon?”
“Give me your hand.”
“Ah, yes!”
Seo Ryang took Aeng-hwa's wrist to check her pulse. Aeng-hwa's face flushed slightly.
A moment later, Seo Ryang released her wrist.
“You're quite something.”
Surprise flickered across Seo Ryang's face.
He had checked her pulse first to avoid idle chitchat, but the internal energy he felt was beyond his expectations.
She wasn't at the level of a first-rate master yet, but considering the time he'd been away, it was astonishing progress.
A proud smile graced Aeng-hwa's face.
“Twice a day, for four hours each time, I diligently practiced my circulation.”
“Four hours at a time? So you mean you spent eight hours a day on the internal arts?”
“Yes!”
Cultivating qi literally means accumulating energy.
But internal arts weren't just about accumulating qi. One also had to absorb the energy of heaven and earth to refine the blood vessels and circulate internal energy to purge impurities from the body.
This series of tasks could never be completed in a short time. That was why consistency was crucial when cultivating internal energy.
Even so, to repeat the process of accumulating and circulating energy for eight hours a day was something that couldn't be done without extraordinary concentration and patience.
“Well done.”
“Th-thank you.”
“I'm not just saying that. It's difficult for a beginner like you to stick with it so tenaciously.”
Aeng-hwa lowered her head.
“How could I neglect to train with the manual you gave me, Young Master?”
Seo Ryang scratched his head.
It was a grateful yet awkward sentiment. She had trained with the martial art he'd given as a farewell gift, eagerly awaiting his return.
“In any case, you've worked hard.”
He looked around.
“Hasn't Dongpil come here?”
“Ah, yes! He left a little while ago, saying he had somewhere to be.”
“Somewhere to be… Aha.”
He must have gone to the Hall of Protectors. He had mentioned in passing that Dongpil should stop by since his leave of absence had been long.
“Young Master. Aren't you hungry?”
“Hungry? Hmm…”
Seo Ryang rubbed his stomach and grinned.
“Right, I'm back after a long time, so I should have a taste of a home-cooked meal. Let's have a proper one.”
“Yes! Please wait just a moment!”
Aeng-hwa, who had been rushing off, paused.
“Ah, um, Young Master.”
“Hm?”
“By any chance…”
Aeng-hwa glanced around furtively.
“Where might Geumho be? Are you perhaps carrying him in your robes?”
Carrying Geumho in my robes? It'd be more likely for me to end up in his jaws. Is that even possible?
He was momentarily dumbfounded, but then he understood. Aeng-hwa hadn't seen how much Geumho had grown.
“He'll come on his own when he feels like it.”
“Pardon? H-how?”
“Somehow.”
His body, which had grown as large as a great tiger's, was one thing, but Geumho's abilities were comparable to those of a supreme master.
Besides, since he shared qi with Seo Ryang, he could pinpoint his location like a ghost.
Whether he jumps over the wall or digs a hole to get back, he'll find his own way here when he wants to.
Aeng-hwa's face fell a little.
“I need to feed him some boiled meat…”
*He doesn't eat boiled meat anymore.*
“Anyway, please wait just a moment!”
“Take your time.”
Aeng-hwa scurried away.
Seo Ryang stepped onto the training ground and looked around.
“It's tidy.”
He had returned after three months, yet the place was still spotless. It seemed Aeng-hwa had been cleaning diligently every day.
“And it still feels familiar.”
Seo Ryang smiled.
Soon, his expression hardened.
‘Is this where it begins?’
When he had left his residence, he had been consumed with thoughts of escaping the Divine Cult, but now that he was back, his mind was filled with the idea of crushing the Righteous Heaven Alliance and the Iron Blood Fortress.
‘First, I have to wait for a letter from the Vice-Lord of the Lower Five Gates.’
He was probably running himself ragged right about now.
‘Until then, what I need to do is decide where to attack first.’
Seo Ryang smiled coldly.
“It has to be the Righteous Heaven Alliance.”
Save the best for last?
What a joke. The greatest satisfaction comes from eating something the moment you decide you want it.
‘The Tang Clan… depending on the situation, they could be the greatest threat. Since I'm already entangled with that Poison Dragon Pavilion Master, it'd be easier to get them out of the way first.’
The martial arts of the Tang Clan are powerful.
They couldn't be counted among the Five Great Families simply for their skill with poison and their creation of extraordinary hidden weapons. In truth, their martial prowess is in no way inferior to the other families.
The Tang Clan is dangerous because they wield such formidable martial arts while also deploying poison and hidden weapons.
There was a reason they were called the kings of Sichuan, surpassing even the Qingcheng and Emei sects of the Nine Great Sects.
‘I'll crush them into a pulp.’
At the very least, I'll return what the Red Snake House suffered.
“I'll work out the detailed plan this evening.”
Seo Ryang's face filled with firm resolve as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
“First, let's try to get a feel for what I've brought back.”
He had obtained a total of five martial arts manuals from the Demonic Scripture Pavilion.
One of them was a sword art to be given to Ma Dongpil, and the other four were for himself.
However, even though he had memorized the incantations for one of the remaining four, it was a martial art he couldn't use right away.
In the end, there were three martial arts he needed to train in immediately.
The Heavenly Demon Thunderclap Fist, the Ten Thousand Li Soaring Art, and the Demonic Emperor's Dominion Steps.
Seo Ryang started with the Demonic Emperor's Dominion Steps.
“It's an incredible footwork technique. And it suits me right now.”
Seo Ryang licked his lips.
“But it feels a bit… unsettling.”
The Demonic Emperor's Dominion Steps was a footwork technique that Lee Cheonsang himself had recommended.
In fact, it was said that the only ones in the Divine Cult who had mastered this footwork were Lee Cheonsang, the First Young Master, and the Elder of the Council.
Now, with Seo Ryang, there would be four who had learned it, but only Lee Cheonsang had seen the ultimate essence of the Demonic Emperor's Dominion Steps.
It was a martial art with restricted access and was extremely difficult to master. According to Lee Cheonsang, even the Elder of the Council had yet to surpass seventy percent mastery.
If even the Elder of the Council, the leader of the Nine Great Demonic Elders, was still stuck at seventy percent, it had to be an exceptionally abstruse martial art.
‘If I master this too, will I truly be a member of the cult, with no turning back?’
Seo Ryang let out a wry laugh.
“Don't be ridiculous. You're already one of them. Let's not attach any unnecessary meaning to learning a good martial art.”
Tap. Tap.
Tapping the ground a few times with the tips of his toes, he drew upon the Nine Hells Demonic Art.
“No time to rest. Let's begin immediately.”
And so, he began to practice the footwork.
‘The first step seats the sky, the second step probes the heavens, the third step establishes might, and the fourth step seizes the initiative as the foundation. From there, the fifth step is a quiet turn, the sixth step is a soaring ascent, and it culminates with the seventh step, the dominion.’
Wooooong.
The bulging veins on his forearms emitted a faint, fluorescent glow.
In an instant, demonic energy filled his entire body. He didn't radiate an aura, but having distributed the Nine Hells Demonic Qi throughout his body, he had become the very image of a demon.
‘Let's go.’
Shhhk.
One step, two steps.
And within three steps, he was completely immersed in the footwork.
‘Here, and here. It's not just about moving my legs. I have to consciously distribute my strength…’
Seo Ryang's expression was more serious than ever.
He faltered several times, and at other times, he took five or six steps in a single breath. He paid meticulous attention to the twisting of his waist, the rotation of his ankles, and even each individual toe.
It was only a few movements, but beads of cold sweat had already formed on Seo Ryang's forehead. The mental exertion was that intense.
‘Incredible.’
Seo Ryang's face was filled with rapture.
‘To call it the greatest movement art of the demonic path is no exaggeration.’
A supreme demonic art said to make all masters within one's domain kneel with but a single step upon reaching its peak.
As an assassin, he was naturally skilled in killing techniques, but he was particularly exceptional at footwork and movement arts.
The very fact that he had adapted the Earth-Shrinking Divine Steps, which excelled in escape and infiltration, into an offensive form showed that his understanding of footwork was on a different level from other masters.
‘It's slower than the Earth-Shrinking Divine Steps. But it suits me far better.’
Strictly speaking, the Earth-Shrinking Divine Steps was closer to a movement art than footwork. If a comparison were to be made, it should be with the Ten Thousand Li Soaring Art, not the Demonic Emperor's Dominion Steps.
But he was certain. If he mastered the Demonic Emperor's Dominion Steps and the Ten Thousand Li Soaring Art, he would be able to display abilities far superior to the Earth-Shrinking Divine Steps, at least in combat.
‘I can trust this. With this, I can become stronger.’
How much time had passed like that?
Just as Aeng-hwa came waddling back with a large tray, Ma Dongpil also returned to the residence.
“Oh, you're back?”
“Are you in the middle of training?”
“I am.”
“How long will you be?”
“The meal is ready, so I was about to wrap up. Why?”
Ma Dongpil opened his mouth, his face somewhat troubled.
“I have something to report, Young Master.”