Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Metamorphosis and the Convergence of Five Energies
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Mu-heun stopped by the Red Demon Pavilion—no, what would from now on be called the Dragon Demon Pavilion.
“Indeed, it's quite large...”
The grounds of the Dragon Demon Pavilion were even more expansive than he had thought. A vast estate. In a manner of speaking, it was the size of two or three small villages.
Assessing the wealth he had just acquired, Mu-heun realized that the Cult Leader had indeed bestowed upon him an immense reward.
The size of the estate and the fortune left behind by the Red Demon Pavilion.
‘Truly an astonishing amount.’
Due to the barren terrain of the Heavenly Mountains, there was more wasteland than arable land. Therefore, it wasn't an issue for a single Pavilion Lord to utilize such a vast area.
However, one thing was unsettling: the acrid smell of blood that stung his nostrils.
Traces of the Blade Leaf Demon and the four Elders' judgment upon the Red Demon Pavilion from the previous night were visible everywhere. It seemed they had caused quite a commotion. Fortunately, various craftsmen had been brought in and were rapidly restoring the place.
Between the Heavenly Dance Family and the Red Demon Pavilion stood a small mountain; just over it was the family estate. In his past memories, it had felt quite far, but that was from the perspective of a Baek Mu-heun who knew no martial arts.
Now that he had reached the Transcendent Demon stage, it felt like it was just a stone's throw away.
“Was the Heavenly Dance Family always this close to the Red Demon Pavilion?”
Since there was little interaction between the Red Demon Pavilion and the Heavenly Dance Family, the roundabout path around the small mountain hadn't been much of an inconvenience. But things were different now.
‘If I clear that small mountain and carve a path through it, it will connect directly to the Heavenly Dance Family.’
Mu-heun quickly formulated a plan to connect the main family estate and the Dragon Demon Pavilion. Creating a straight path from the pavilion to the estate would make communication much smoother.
Next, he conveyed his plans for the Dragon Demon Pavilion to the craftsmen.
“Please build a garden in the front, and a training ground behind it. Also, before the training ground is finished, I need to inscribe reinforcement patterns, so please call for me. Ah, and behind my quarters, please erect pillars and a roof, but make it a structure with nothing on the floor. And next to the pillars, build a sturdy birdhouse.”
“Yes! Understood!”
“Gather the wealth left by the Red Demon Pavilion over here, and please build a few detached annexes besides my living quarters. The number of family members who will come here will increase in the future.”
“Yes!”
After relaying his plans to the craftsmen, he also requested lodging for Cheon-hyang. After meticulously designing the Dragon Demon Pavilion according to its various purposes, he ascended the mountain that lay between it and the Heavenly Dance Family estate.
There was only one reason for climbing the mountain.
The twisted demonic energy he had absorbed from the deceased Red Demon Pavilion Lord, Hwang Cheol-ung, seemed to be urging him on from his dantian.
He reached a secluded spot on the mountainside. First, he cleared the ground, then summoned the Heavenly Demonic Corpse and Cheon-hyang with Myriad Fragrance.
“Cheon-hyang, watch for anyone approaching from above. Heavenly Demonic Corpse, stand guard.”
*Screech!*
[Do I get a reward if I do this too?]
“Of course.”
*Screech!*
Cheon-hyang chirped happily and ascended, circling in the air with its form concealed. An owl that could change its color to blend with the sky and hide itself was truly a spiritual creature.
The Heavenly Demonic Corpse stood guard, surveying Mu-heun's surroundings, while Mu-heun sat down in a cross-legged position.
On the day the Red Demon Pavilion Lord, Hwang Cheol-ung, died, the Heavenly Demonic Energy had absorbed all of his twisted demonic arts. Mu-heun sat still, refining all the energy that had settled in his dantian.
It seemed he could now surpass the Transcendent Demon stage. The foundation in his dantian was complete, and the twisted demonic energy was also ready.
Hwang Cheol-ung had indeed been the head of one of the Cult's five pavilions. The amount of twisted demonic energy he had created by wringing out his innate true energy and even his life force was beyond imagination.
A war erupted in his dantian. It was a battle between a vast, crimson sea of blood and twin dragons. The dragons, manifestations of the Heavenly Demonic Energy, seized the sea of blood, biting, fighting, and tearing it apart, refining it into a form easy to absorb.
Among the five elements, the energies of fire, wood, and earth assisted, while the energy of water was busy absorbing the sea of blood.
‘Focus, focus... Absorbing the energy of the Blood Heaven Demonic Arts isn't the most important part. The moment I lose balance, I'll fall into qi deviation. I must concentrate and surpass my limits.’
As Mu-heun sat cross-legged, his dantian filled with a certain amount of energy, and he finally felt that the time had come to leap to a higher realm.
Having absorbed the entire sea of blood, the Heavenly Demonic Energy finally harmonized yin and yang while governing the five elements.
Of course, fire energy was the most suitable for the Heavenly Demonic Energy, but he would be able to use other energies when necessary.
Furthermore, his current realm was the supreme state that all martial artists dreamed of, the domain of an absolute master—called the Supreme Demon in the Divine Cult, and the Profound Realm in the Central Plains.
At that moment.
Mu-heun's skin began to crack.
*Crack, crack.*
A five-colored light began to emanate from his cracked skin.
Then, the five-colored light enveloped his entire body, and he levitated into the air while still in his cross-legged position. His whole body cracked, his skin peeled off, and the light shone repeatedly. Soon, Mu-heun's bones and meridians twisted and reconfigured.
In an instant, his skeleton was reformed, his meridians thickened, and like a caterpillar undergoing metamorphosis to become a butterfly, he was being reborn into a new body.
Five rings formed above Mu-heun's head. The rings, layered with the energies of yin, yang, and the five elements, spun and emitted a brilliant light... The sight was reminiscent of a divine immortal.
Watching from the air, Cheon-hyang cried out in surprise.
*Screech!*
[W-what is that!]
Cheon-hyang was terrified by the sight, something it had never seen before, while the Heavenly Demonic Corpse resonated with Mu-heun's energy and began to glow.
As the five rings above his head overlapped and shone, his metamorphosis was completed. His body was completely reconstructed, and all the energy in his dantian merged into one, emitting a sublime vibration.
The Bone Rebirth and Body Shedding and the Convergence of Five Energies to the Origin, phenomena said to occur in masters who reach the Profound Realm, had taken place. When the entire process was finished and his energy stabilized, Mu-heun opened his eyes. His clothes were in tatters, but his body was completely different from before.
After some time had passed, Mu-heun moved his levitating body and landed on his feet. The light emanating from him gradually subsided.
Mu-heun extended a hand and clenched it into a tight fist, gauging his strength.
As expected, his entire body overflowed with power. The seething energy throughout him pulsed as if alive, and with no blockages in his eight extraordinary meridians, the speed at which he could circulate his internal energy was incomparably faster than before.
The wavelength of his energy had also changed.
The same energy could become matter, a wave, fire, or water depending on how it vibrated, and the powerful explosion of energy had returned all its properties to a wave state.
Mu-heun steadied his breath and spoke.
“Supreme Demon... In other words, I've reached the Profound Realm.”
Had anyone ever reached this realm so quickly? Could even his master, the Heavenly Demon, have grown this strong so fast? No, it was impossible.
First, it was possible because he had experienced it once before.
Second, because the Heavenly Demonic Energy generated in Baek Mu-heun's body had a predatory nature.
Finally, the knowledge of the Divine Doctor and various fortuitous encounters had played a significant role.
However...
“Now, I'm on equal footing with the original five disciples.”
The way Mu-heun had reached the Supreme Demon stage wasn't a simple progression from Transcendent Demon; therefore, he was confident he wouldn't lose even if he fought the Flame Demon or the Ice Demon right now.
It was a leap that ignored the distinct gap between realms. He hadn't just barely reached it; it was the result of explosive growth according to the principles of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, leading him to the Supreme Demon stage.
That was the nature of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon. It might take ten or twenty years to gain the enlightenment needed to reach the next realm, but once enlightenment was achieved, explosive growth was possible.
And he had already gained that enlightenment on the border between life and death.
“Even so, I still don't know how I'd fare against the Sword Demon, the Mad Demon, and the Blood Demon.”
Those three were certainly at the peak of the Supreme Demon stage, so even the current Mu-heun couldn't guarantee victory. But it didn't matter. As long as he mastered the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, his opponent wouldn't matter.
‘Am I at the eighth stage of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon now...?’
Looking now, the Heavenly Demonic Corpse had also changed somehow. Its body had been slightly reconfigured along with Mu-heun's, and its internal energy had become vastly stronger.
‘Is it following my progress...? At this rate, it's as if we're one body.’
Heavenly Demonic Corpse.
It was certainly an incredible technique. Even searching through the memories of his past life, creating such a corpse was a feat rarely seen in the long history of the Central Plains. Perhaps only his master, the Heavenly Demon, and he had succeeded.
But one thing bothered him.
He couldn't keep calling it the Heavenly Demonic Corpse.
“I suppose I should give it a name.”
It had started with the body of the Golden Fang Poison Claw, but now, after replacing parts with various techniques, little of the original body remained.
Aside from the poisonous energy in its dantian, everything from its physique to its face was different, so it could no longer be called the Golden Fang Poison Claw.
Moreover, Mu-heun despised the name Golden Fang Poison Claw and had no desire to call it that.
Yet, simply calling it the Heavenly Demonic Corpse wasn't a name he could use publicly...
He had to come up with a new name.
A name...
After some thought, Mu-heun came up with a single-character name.
“Yes, good. From now on, you are Hyeok.”
Baek Jung-hyeok, one of the three great Divine Doctors of the Central Plains in his past life.
He named it after the last character of that name.
‘The Heavenly Demonic Corpse is fundamentally connected to me in every way. In a sense, you could call it my alter ego. In that case, I can lend it a piece of my past life's name.’
And so, the Heavenly Demonic Corpse became Hyeok.
*Screeeeech*
[Master! Aren't you going to give me my reward!]
After Hyeok was named, Cheon-hyang spoke up.
“Right, I have to give you a reward. Yes, what kind of fragrance should I let you taste?”
[Yay-! Let me taste a good fragrance!]
Mu-heun thought for a moment before deciding.
From his fingertips, the scent of charcoal billowed out and reached Cheon-hyang. The charcoal scent soon changed to the smell of fire, and on top of that, the aroma of a cauldron arose.
A feast of fragrances, so real it felt tangible. It even created the illusion of being at a scene where a fire was being made with charcoal, with a cauldron placed on top.
Oil was poured into the cauldron, and gradually, the sensation of boiling oil emerged. Various spices, garlic, and chili peppers were sprinkled in, and their individual spicy scents met the fire, creating a spicy yet savory aroma.
Placed on top was a giant shrimp, and the hint of mala spice on it added a numbing tingle. The numbing, spicy seasoning and the shrimp were grilled in the cauldron while simultaneously being fried in the oil.
He picked up the crisply fried shrimp, and the shell peeled off with a crunch. Inside, the plump shrimp meat was revealed, bursting with juices. The deep mala flavor infused in the shrimp meat created the illusion of an explosion in the mouth.
[Kyaaaaaah!]
After tasting the mala shrimp created by Myriad Fragrance, Cheon-hyang lost its mind and shrieked. It was a scream of pure ecstasy.
He let it savor the taste for a while, then gave it various fruit fragrances for dessert. Cheon-hyang fainted this way and that.
*Screech!*
[Master! I pledge my eternal loyalty to you for the rest of my life!]
After receiving its pledge of loyalty and finishing his adjustments on the Heavenly Demonic Corpse, Hyeok, time passed, and the sun began to set.
Mu-heun suddenly felt incredibly hungry.
Part of it was his body being reconstructed upon reaching the Supreme Demon stage, and part of it was the immense consumption of internal and mental energy, but...
...after letting Cheon-hyang experience the delicious fragrance, Mu-heun's own mouth had started to water.
‘I should head back now.’
Mu-heun's steps were both infinitely light and infinitely heavy.
Because all preparations to head for the Sichuan Tang Clan were complete.
Dang Baek-ho, the Family Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan. He was an absolute master renowned as the Poison King, and Mu-heun pictured himself gripping the man's throat.