Chapter 186
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: King of Beasts (6)
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Seo Ryang sat cross-legged, a look of relief on his face.
‘That’s more like it.’
The three dantians were now stable. His internal injuries were still severe, but with his dantians properly aligned, his recovery would be swift.
‘There's definitely a difference, even among those at the pinnacle of demonic arts.’
Had a practitioner of orthodox Demonic Arts sustained such severe internal and external injuries, their overwhelming regenerative power would have restored their body to normal in an instant.
But that wasn't necessarily the right way. Healing without considering the balance of the three dantians could inadvertently erect a wall, blocking the path to a higher realm.
Of course, if the situation had been truly dire, Seo Ryang would have done the same. But there's a difference between doing something out of necessity and doing it because it's the only option.
‘In that respect, the Nine Great Demonic Lords and Jin Gwan-yong are different from me.’
They trained in the orthodox Demonic Arts of the Divine Cult. Regardless of their martial prowess, their Demonic Arts were the pure essence of the demonic, with no impurities.
But Seo Ryang's Nine Hells Demonic Art was a martial art mixed with Buddhist techniques. It was a variation, so to speak, which allowed him to elevate its level to be comparable to the Cult Leader's Demonic Art, the Reign of the Demonic Emperor.
Its level was high, but its direction was different from other Demonic Arts. While the Divine Cult's orthodox Demonic Arts sought thorough destruction, Seo Ryang's Demonic Art pursued a more balanced martial path.
That's why it was more profound than any other Demonic Art, but the way it was wielded was similar to the divine arts of the righteous factions.
‘If I had trained in the orthodox Demonic Arts, I wouldn't have reached the pinnacle yet.’
He was accustomed to attaining enlightenment through seated meditation, constantly observing himself. With Buddhist martial arts mixed in, he could view the wall to the pinnacle of demonic arts with a more flexible perspective than practitioners of orthodox Demonic Arts.
‘If I ascend even higher, such differences will become meaningless. But not now.’
So, what did he have to do now?
‘To surpass the Earthly Foundation and Demonic Gateway, and open the third stage.’
The Earthly Foundation's Infernal Passage Form, which realizes the essence of the demonic through the body, and the Demonic Gateway's Heaven-Ascending Form, which pounds on the wall to the pinnacle with amplified demonic energy.
If he could then open the Gates of Hell, he would finally, completely reach the realm he had achieved in his past life.
‘Completely? No, it's more than that. I'd have to say it's an even higher realm.’
In his days as the King of Slaughter, his martial arts were formidable, yet ambiguous at the same time. This was because the arts he learned were fundamentally rooted in assassination techniques.
Higher than before.
In this young body, with the status of the Third Young Master of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon, he would obtain martial arts worthy of contesting the world.
A smile graced Seo Ryang's lips.
‘Is that when I'll light the beacon to advance?’
The Righteous Heaven Alliance and the Iron Blood Fortress.
Now that he had crushed the Beast Palace, there was bound to be some reaction from them.
‘I'm not sure about the Iron Blood Fortress. But the leader of the Righteous Heaven Alliance... what will that old man do?’
After a moment of thought, Seo Ryang shook his head.
‘I really don't know.’
He was an incredibly unpredictable man. Even if one understood him well, it wasn't easy to predict his next move.
But there were two things he was sure of.
‘He won't touch the Divine Cult.’
It was only natural. He had dragged in the Three Palaces to swallow the world, but one had lost its head and another had lost an arm.
Right now, he wouldn't dare to touch them.
And the other thing.
‘The moment he learns the Tang Clan's power has weakened, he'll try to absorb them.’
The leader of the Righteous Heaven Alliance was a greedy man. His greed was so immense that even the demonic practitioners, said to be masses of desire, couldn't compare.
"A sword you can't wield when you want is no sword at all." That's what the Alliance Leader always said.
‘Leaving the Tang Clan Lord alive was a good choice after all.’
Seo Ryang opened his eyes.
In the dark cave, a reddish glow shone eerily from his eyes.
‘That will become the mistake that costs you an arm.’
Just then, he sensed a presence outside the cave.
"Young Master."
"Mm, wait a moment."
Seo Ryang took a deep breath and stood up.
His limbs felt twisted from sitting cross-legged for so long. It seemed his body still wasn't back to normal.
"Damn it, I shouldn't use such a reckless method again."
If that bastard, the Lord of the Beast Palace, hadn't launched that palm strike, things wouldn't have gotten this bad.
Seo Ryang grumbled as he exited the cave.
*Chuff.*
Geumho approached happily and rubbed its head against Seo Ryang's chest.
"Whoa, look how full your belly is. Did you swallow a whole deer?"
Stroking Geumho's head, Seo Ryang looked at the Tiger King. At the same time, Geumho growled.
The Tiger King lowered its stance.
It was a posture difficult to interpret. What was certain was that it wasn't about to attack.
Seo Ryang frowned.
"Your killing intent was shaking the entire mountain. It was distracting, so I called for you."
Standing beside him, Ma Dongpil was inwardly puzzled. He hadn't felt the Tiger King's killing intent, let alone that of any other wild animal.
But if the Young Master said so, it must be true. Ma Dongpil listened attentively to Seo Ryang's words.
"Why do you keep loitering around here?"
Of course, he didn't expect an answer. Animals couldn't speak.
But surprisingly, after looking into the Tiger King's eyes, Seo Ryang nodded.
"I see, you're not after me."
*Can he understand it? How?*
"Revenge?"
Seo Ryang's eyes flashed.
"Do you still hate the Lord of the Beast Palace?"
*Grrr.*
The Tiger King rumbled in its throat.
Ma Dongpil's jaw dropped. Seo Ryang's words and actions, as if he could see right into the Tiger King's heart, were astonishing, but the Tiger King's reaction to his words was just as incredible.
"He's already dead. You saw it then, you know that."
*Thump!*
The Tiger King slammed its forepaw onto the ground. It was an extremely agitated reaction.
*Click.*
Ma Dongpil's thumb slightly unsheathed the Black King Sword. He was ready to draw his blade the instant the Tiger King attacked.
Seo Ryang said coldly.
"You were born the king of this mountain, so have the dignity befitting your birth. I know your anger hasn't subsided, but don't linger on prey that's already dead."
*Grrr. Grrrr.*
"The spell that bound you is broken. Now live nobly, as you were born to. That's all I have to say to you."
*Zzzzing.*
The glow in the Tiger King's eyes intensified, turning a deeper red.
Strangely, the Tiger King's gaze was very similar to Seo Ryang's. It wasn't just the red glow, but the aura of unfathomable, accumulated resentment that was remarkably alike.
Staring blankly at the Tiger King, Seo Ryang scratched his head.
"So what do you want me to do?"
*Grrrr!*
"Sorry, but I have no more business over there. My hunt ended the moment he died."
The Tiger King's eyes flashed.
*ROOOOAR!!*
A ferocious roar instantly erupted in all directions.
It was the true roar of a fierce tiger, one that could make mountains and rivers tremble. It was so powerful that even Ma Dongpil momentarily lost his balance.
Geumho moved to stand protectively in front of Seo Ryang. The brilliant five-colored glow in its eyes created a threatening atmosphere.
Gazing at the Tiger King, Seo Ryang grabbed Geumho's tail and shook it. Geumho then lay down on the spot.
Seo Ryang sat on Geumho's back and sighed.
"Dongpil."
"Yes? Ah, yes!"
"Where is Elder Jang right now?"
"He is currently resting and on guard at the foot of the mountain with the Berserk Demon Unit."
"Bring him here."
But Ma Dongpil didn't need to move. Having heard the Tiger King's terrifying roar, Jang Chu was already coming up, radiating a formidable aura.
"Huk?!"
Startled by the sight of the Tiger King, Jang Chu gripped the greatsword on his back.
Just then, Seo Ryang raised a hand to stop him.
"You don't need to draw it."
"B-but, Young Master."
"I have something to ask you."
"Yes?"
"The Palace Lord and two branch leaders are dead. They've also lost a fair number of elite soldiers. What's the state of the Beast Palace now?"
Jang Chu spoke respectfully, though his glare at the Tiger King remained.
"My apologies, but we don't know its exact condition at present. However, if you wish to know, I will contact the main cult immediately and order an investigation of the Beast Palace."
"That will be too late."
Seo Ryang looked at the Tiger King. It was still seething.
"You know it's difficult to wipe them out on your own. That's why you've been hanging around here."
*Grrr.*
"But we're busy too. To be more frank, I couldn't care less about your anger."
Seo Ryang's eyes glinted.
"So, how about we do this?"
The Tiger King lingered for a moment, then vanished.
Seo Ryang sighed.
"Damn it, there are already plenty of bastards making my life difficult, and now an animal joins the fray. What a life."
Ma Dongpil asked, looking amazed.
"Young Master."
"What?"
"Are you able to communicate with the Tiger King?"
"Communicate... Well, it's not like we're having a conversation, but I can understand it to some extent."
"How is that possible?"
"When you've spent a long time with Geumho, things like that become easy."
Seo Ryang chuckled.
"Of course, that's not all there is to it."
"Then...?"
"When I removed the spell power embedded in its head, some of my demonic energy was left behind."
"What?!"
"Of course, I didn't intend to control it like a puppet, as the Beast Palace Lord did. It flowed into it without me realizing."
Ma Dongpil was dumbfounded.
"Does that mean the Young Master's demonic energy is circulating in the Tiger King's head right now?"
"It won't disappear unless I remove it. That spell... it wasn't hard to break, but the vessel had been formed for too long. So my demonic energy pooled in the empty vessel."
Seo Ryang scratched the scruff of Geumho's neck. Geumho purred.
"You'll understand when you reach the pinnacle, but demonic energy that verges on the innate realm gains a spiritual nature. If Geumho's spiritual energy strengthened our bond, then this time, the spiritual nature within my demonic energy is what made communication with the Tiger King possible."
"...Incredible."
"It's not that amazing. It's just a matter of degree; anyone who handles ki can do it. They just don't know how."
Seo Ryang rolled his neck as if tired.
"Anyway, that aside, how are you?"
"Me?"
"You broke through your wall and ascended. Are you settling in well?"
A faint smile appeared on Ma Dongpil's face.
"Is there any need to settle in? It will adjust naturally."
"Oh? You're saying some plausible things now, huh?"
Seo Ryang smiled.
"Right, no need to rush it. For you now, who can melt even a single breath into martial arts, being too conscious of it could actually be a problem."
"It is all thanks to you, Young Master."
"Why is it thanks to me? You're the one who worked your ass off."
Of course, the help of ultimate techniques like the Diamond Yaksha Demonic Art and the Nine-Layered Demonic Sword Style was significant. But what Ma Dongpil was truly grateful to Seo Ryang for wasn't being given such high-level martial arts.
It was his posture. As Seo Ryang's escort warrior, Ma Dongpil had constantly observed him, and his own approach to the martial path had naturally become as effortless as Seo Ryang's.
"Anyway, your swordsmanship was incredible. I didn't expect you to split the Beast Palace Lord in two with a single strike."
On the verge of death, the Thousand Foxes' final attack on Seo Ryang was so fast it seemed unstoppable.
Just then, Ma Dongpil moved like lightning and split the Thousand Foxes' body vertically.
It was a strike he himself didn't know how he'd accomplished. But the moment he realized the qualitative improvement in his demonic energy brought on by that movement and sword art, he was able to break through his wall with utter naturalness.
"He was already a dying man."
"He was. A man so worn out he could move at a speed the Seven Elders couldn't even react to."
Ma Dongpil's expression became awkward.
Seo Ryang said in a sincere voice.
"Thank you. I survived because of you. It was a really close call."
"Protecting you is my duty, Young Master. I only did what was natural."
"You've grown so much, but your personality is still the same."
Seo Ryang chuckled and stood up.
Ma Dongpil took a waterskin from his waist.
"Have some water. You haven't had a single sip today."
"No, I'll drink later. More importantly, start getting ready."
"Sir?"
Seo Ryang turned around.
"We're leaving the mountain tomorrow. There's a lot to take care of."