Chapter 61
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Let the Operation Begin (1)
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“So, what is the Fourth’s condition?”
“He is in critical condition, Your Holiness. His dantian is shattered, and the poison core within his body has exploded, causing severe poisoning symptoms.
He is holding on by his sheer physical strength, but… even if he's lucky, he will barely escape partial paralysis.”
“Is that so.”
“Yes.”
“He was fortunate to have survived.”
“Indeed.”
Lee Cheonsang swirled his cup. The little remaining liquor spun smoothly along the rim.
“His chances of recovery?”
“The physicians of the Blood Soul Pavilion have judged them to be close to nil.
Even then, they say he will be bedridden for at least five or six years.
And even if his poisoning and internal injuries are treated, his dantian is so severely damaged… they say it will be difficult for him to recover to his original state.”
Mu Dam bowed his head.
“An immediate recovery seems impossible.”
An immediate recovery wasn't the issue. At this point, his life as a demonic practitioner was effectively over.
Gazing down at his cup, Lee Cheonsang nodded.
“You may leave.”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
After Mu Dam left, Lee Cheonsang drained his cup.
He placed the cup on the table and leaned back in the grand chair.
‘Incurable, is it?’
One of his disciples had fallen into critical condition before. Back then, the physicians of the Blood Soul Pavilion had given a diagnosis similar to the one they now gave for the Fourth.
They had said his chances of recovery were close to nil, and even if he was lucky enough to recover, he would become a madman or a cripple.
And that disciple was the Third, the very one who had put the Fourth in this state.
‘Interesting.’
A flicker of interest crossed Lee Cheonsang’s face.
‘I thought he would finish him off in one go, yet he left him breathing.’
His personality before he succumbed to demonic deviation had been that way, and based on how his personality had changed since, he had expected as much.
He might seem rather carefree on the surface, but the Third’s soul was dominated by the word ‘death.’ Meaning, once he decided to kill, he was the type to do it without a second thought.
That much was clear from the incident report sent by the Hall of Punishments. If the Third Captain of the Black Sun Guard and the Head of the Hall of Punishments hadn't intervened, the Fourth would have lost his head.
In that brief moment, why did the Third change his mind?
‘Did he want to inflict pain?’
He understood. Since the Fourth was the one who had put the Third in that state, he must have wanted to exact the same revenge.
However.
‘But if he simply wanted to do the same to him…’
For a moment, Lee Cheonsang shook his head.
Disappointment? No. The Third was no longer a man who could bring disappointment to anyone.
‘His private meeting with the Lord of the Garden of Joy, his fight with the Commander of the Berserk Demon Unit, and now this brawl at the Hall of Punishments.’
A truly spectacular series of events. In the past few days, he had caused several incidents that most people couldn't even dream of.
A mess you couldn't easily create even if you tried. The important thing was that while raising all that hell, he had decisively achieved his goals.
“Interesting.”
*Trickle.*
Liquor rose from a distant bottle, arcing through the air to fill his cup.
Lee Cheonsang raised his cup again.
“Is this how one pillar of the succession battle collapses?”
Hong Wi-mun.
Son of the current Lord of the Red Snake House, a child whose talent was second to none.
When did it start? His intelligence turned into cunning, and his bright personality became a mask.
The Fourth had become as venomous and sinister as the others who inherited the true blood of the Red Snake House.
That was fine. As long as he made his talent bloom, what did his personality matter?
The problem was that Hong Wi-mun hadn't cultivated his talent.
He did the minimum, but not the maximum. He was strong for his age, but that was as far as it went.
‘That is why he lost.’
The Third was different. He, too, was once similar to the Fourth, but after reawakening, he pursued the maximum, not the minimum.
That small but crucial difference had decided the outcome of the fight.
“Sigh… will this one incident sparked by the Third become the start of a war?”
* * *
“What?!”
“Huh? Weren't you looking after him?”
“I-I thought he went with you, Young Master…”
Seo Ryang’s expression went blank.
“What? Then where did this little guy go…”
Just then, a sharp *yap!* echoed from the bushes in the distance.
Seo Ryang clutched his chest in relief, while Aeng-hwa’s pale face looked on the verge of tears.
“Phew, there he is.”
*Patter, patter, patter.*
Spotting Seo Ryang, Geumho sprinted over and leaped into his arms.
“Whoa, look at you! You've gotten heavier.”
He wasn't exaggerating. The pup was still cute, but his body and legs had grown a bit longer, and his tail seemed fluffier than before.
Seo Ryang gently petted the bridge of Geumho’s nose.
Geumho let out a strange purring sound, seemingly pleased. He was still very cat-like.
“You little rascal. I was worried, but it looks like you've been eating well here and there.”
「Yip!」
“Oh? Your belly's a bit empty. Can't have that. Let's eat first.”
He had devoured so much food just a short while ago, yet he was already talking about eating again.
But Aeng-hwa, unaware of this, quickly bowed her head.
“I'll go prepare a meal!”
“Ah, just a little is fine. I had a bite on the way back.”
“Yes!”
As Aeng-hwa moved, Seo Ryang carried Geumho into the room.
“Aah, so comfortable!”
Flopping onto the bed was the most comfortable feeling in the world.
As Seo Ryang lay sprawled out, Geumho watched him, then curled up beside his face, tail wagging gently. His fur was consistently fine, even without being brushed.
Seo Ryang scratched under Geumho’s chin and said.
“You rascal. Don't go wandering off until you're fully grown. You don't know how scary people can be.”
*Purrrr.*
“By the way, are you really a fox? You're not a cat, are you?”
*Purrrr.*
“You're a strange one.”
Pleased, Geumho kept rubbing his head against Seo Ryang’s hand.
Lying on the familiar bed, leisurely scratching the fox’s chin, his body grew languid, and a yawn escaped him.
“Yaaawn…! So sleepy…”
His eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and his entire body felt as limp as a waterlogged sponge.
Seo Ryang’s eyes slowly fluttered shut.
*Hummm.*
A five-colored light flickered in Geumho’s eyes, and at the same time, a faint red haze rose from Seo Ryang’s body.
It was so faint one wouldn't notice with a casual glance. It wasn't the flamboyant, fiery, and intimidating aura characteristic of the Shadow Demon energy.
If someone had been in this room.
If a master with a Divine Eye, one who had broken through human limits into the realm of the transcendent, had been present, they would have been able to see it.
A thread-like, formless energy flowing from between Seo Ryang’s brows, connected to Geumho’s body.
*Vmmmmmm.*
The thread of formless energy instantly thickened and swelled.
*Fssssss.*
The residual impurities in Seo Ryang’s body dissipated into the air.
*Vmmmmmm.*
As the impurities were drawn out, the Unhindered Arts subtly manifested to its fullest extent. The air in the room instantly became pure.
Geumho let out another strange purring sound.
*Fwoosh.*
His fur emitted a faint glow. An incredibly auspicious energy radiated from his body, carried on that light.
A moment later.
The thread of formless energy snapped, and both Geumho’s auspicious aura and Seo Ryang’s red energy vanished.
*Clatter!*
“Young Master! I’ve brought your meal… oh?”
“Nnngh.”
Seo Ryang sat up, rubbing his eyes.
“Oh, you're back?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were sleeping…”
“No, it’s fine. I can’t believe I just passed out without even realizing it.”
Letting out a big yawn, Seo Ryang pulled the table over.
“Let’s eat.”
For the first time in a long while, a happy meal for two people and one beast began.
Geumho ate with real gusto. He had always eaten a lot for his size, but his appetite seemed to have grown in his absence; he appeared to be eating almost twice as much as before.
Seo Ryang muttered with a dubious expression.
“Foxes are carnivores, so a meat-only diet should be fine, right…?”
He ate so much it was starting to worry him. At this rate, he might end up so fat he’d just roll around.
After the storm of a meal ended, Seo Ryang fell back asleep.
A look of pity filled Aeng-hwa’s face.
‘He must have been exhausted.’
She wasn't deaf. She had heard from her peers in the Garden of Joy that the Young Master had gone through quite an ordeal these past few days.
She couldn't show it, but she had been incredibly worried.
‘I should give him some space for a while.’
And so, three days passed.
During that time, Seo Ryang became a complete slave to sleep.
He would sleep all day, wake up to eat the meals Aeng-hwa prepared, and then go right back to sleep. Wake up, eat again, and immediately fall back into slumber.
A life of such lethargy that even the worried Aeng-hwa began to wonder, ‘Is this really okay…?’
On the fourth day, Seo Ryang no longer succumbed to the temptation of sleep.
“Ughhh! Whoa, my back hurts.”
He had slept so much it felt like his body might shrivel up. Yet, his muscles were completely relaxed, giving him a very limp and loose feeling.
“Phew, was I that tense? I slept like the dead… huh?”
Seo Ryang blinked.
“What is this?”
He looked down at his own hands.
He was looking at his hands, but his consciousness was scanning every part of his body.
“Why does my body feel so vigorous?”
The several battles and irregular lifestyle had surely caused impurities to build up in his meridians.
It was an amount so small he would have to concentrate to even notice it, but it was enough to cause problems in his future training if ignored.
Not only had all those impurities vanished, but his body was in peak condition.
‘At this rate, I could probably skip cultivation for a few days, couldn't I?’
How strange.
Seo Ryang muttered with an amazed expression.
“Sleep really is the best medicine…”
…but not to this extent!
If eating and sleeping for three days could improve one's body, why would there be sick people in the world? Besides, it wasn't as if he had been severely drained of energy.
*Wooooong.*
When he lightly circulated the Shadow Demon True Arts, the demonic energy squirmed with such vigor it felt like it would leap out at any moment.
‘Is it because I opened the Art of the Infernal Jade Gate?’
The Art of the Infernal Jade Gate was the true opening of the Shadow Demon True Arts.
But that wasn't the end. The fully opened Shadow Demon True Arts created subsequent stages for opening more gates.
The Shadow Demon True Arts had a total of five gates.
With each gate he broke through, the depth of the demonic art would increase astonishingly.
Unlike the Art of the Infernal Jade Gate, which he could have opened anytime but had deliberately kept sealed, the keys to opening the remaining four gates had not yet been given.
The gates to each level would open naturally as his understanding and mastery of the demonic art deepened.
‘But opening a gate couldn't possibly cause such an incredible thing to happen…’
Just then, Geumho let out a big yawn.
Seo Ryang paused his thoughts and scratched Geumho’s chin. Seemingly pleased, Geumho stretched his body and purred.
“I need to check my body.”
Unexplained growth was more dangerous than unexplained decline. It was a martial truth he had learned after decades of hardship.
“Guess I’ll warm up a bit first.”
Seo Ryang walked to the training yard. Geumho, who had been lazily yawning and rolling around, trotted along behind him.
‘I won't need any special preparation.’
*Booooom!*
The moment he stepped into the training yard, Seo Ryang’s fist cut through the air.
The depth of power he felt in his fist was definitely different. His speed was a fraction of a beat faster, and his destructive power had increased.
Seo Ryang’s body spun.
*Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!*
A series of explosive sounds echoed. It wasn't a fist art that prioritized speed, yet it was as free as the wind and as fast as lightning.
The interval between the sonic booms was much shorter than before.
“Hoo.”
It was so fast and fierce that he had to put more effort into controlling it. It seemed it would take some time to get used to.
After breaking a sweat with a round of training, Seo Ryang scratched his head.
“This is really strange. I couldn't have gained some enlightenment just from scuffling with those half-wits.”
Whether it was Wi Hongryeon or Hong Wi-mun, they had cultivated remarkable martial arts for their age, but to Seo Ryang, they were nothing more than distant underlings.
It wasn't entirely impossible, but gaining enlightenment from fighting lesser opponents was a rare occurrence.
As Seo Ryang continued to ponder.
‘Hm?’
A familiar aura was emanating from the direction of the gate.
A strong yet flexible aura. The sluggishness of the energy suggested it had been a long time since they'd experienced real combat, but their inherent martial power was exceptional.
At least a combat unit commander. No, a martial skill that wouldn't be lacking even for the leader of an entire organization.
A moment later.
“It's been a while.”
Seo Ryang’s expression turned sour.
“What brings you here?”
So Yeonsim offered a gentle smile.
“I've come for a drink.”