Chapter 77
Chapter 77
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Shikigami
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Anyone using a demon sword? Just smeared a few drops of blood on it and quest choices popped up?
(Photo)
Get approval from the sword spirit, or shatter the mental image and send the grudge spirits to the afterlife. One of the two—what should I pick?
...
The mental image forming the foundation of the sword spirit.
No one would ever dream of shattering it with their own will.
How could any mere human dare smash through an image forged from the resentment, despair, madness, and killing intent of hundreds, thousands of sacrificed souls?
It was utter insanity.
A crisis the sword spirit could never have anticipated.
Originally, she planned to seize Cheongun's consciousness and forcibly melt it into the sword.
The demon sword itself was forged for that very purpose.
A blade that drove its wielder utterly mad—that was the demon sword's true nature.
Yet instead, the sword's mental image was devoured by Cheongun's consciousness.
—What!? How dare a puny human!!
The sword spirit screamed in fury.
She gestured to infuse intent and stir qi, but naturally, her will held no sway in Cheongun's mental world.
Cheongun casually glanced around. Confirming the sword spirit was unharmed, he began dismantling the mental image. More precisely, reverting his consciousness to normal.
It didn't take long.
"......"
The mental world faded away.
More accurately, it burned.
Flames started from the edges, spreading everywhere and consuming all.
The entire mental world ignited like a single sheet of paper, crumbling to ash and scattering.
Burning fragments dispersed from all sides and vanished, gradually revealing the dim room and Heukran's figure beyond.
Cheongun immediately looked down at the demon sword in his hand.
Intact. Unique trait? Still activating fine.
Meanwhile, Heukran, regaining her senses upon seeing Cheongun recovered, recoiled in horror and shouted.
"Are you insane!? What gave you the guts to dive into the demon sword's mental image without even hearing the details!"
Cheongun replied.
"Nearly lost my consciousness there."
"You okay now?"
Cheongun nodded.
"I won."
"...Glad to hear it."
"If I hadn't, you'd be dead too. So I saved you. Second time already. Repay this favor until the day you die."
"......"
Crazy bastard.
Heukran glared at Cheongun with exasperation.
Ignoring her, Cheongun slowly regulated his inner energy.
It had only been a mental world, not reality.
Just a temporary transcendence of limits by tricking his consciousness—but even so, his internal energy churned unnaturally.
But the strangest part was elsewhere.
'...What?'
Near Cheongun's navel, a thread-like thing protruded, connecting somewhere.
More like a faint afterimage of qi than a thread.
'A thread?'
Cheongun slowly traced it with his eyes.
He lifted his head to see where the thread from his navel led.
The mysterious thread connected to the sword spirit, standing there dazed.
'The sword spirit?'
Cheongun blinked.
What? How's the sword spirit out here?
He turned to look at Heukran.
Seated across from him, she stared back with indifferent eyes.
Not sparing a glance at the sword spirit right beside her—it seemed invisible to everyone but Cheongun.
Then.
—Wh-what!? Impossible!!
Noticing her own connection via the thread, the sword spirit wailed uncontrollably.
—A shikigami!? Don't joke!!
Shikigami (式神).
Here, "shi" means to command or control.
In other words, a shikigami is a commanded spirit.
Think of it as a pet, like a familiar.
Azure Wind Saga, being a game, had a pet system—but for a wuxia game, dragging around unrelated animals as pets wouldn't fly.
This sparked endless debates.
Ultimately, shikigami replaced pets.
China's ghost worship was no joke, from primitive society to the Warring States—ghosts got all the love.
Even a Ghost Festival as one of their major holidays.
Thus, commanding ghosts as shikigami fit the game's identity perfectly.
The sword spirit, meanwhile, was losing her mind.
Once the sword's master, now suddenly some human's pet spirit? The humiliation was unbearable.
—Release me now! Let go!
"Think that'll work?"
—You madman! How dare a human make me a shikigami!
Enraged, the sword spirit lunged at Cheongun.
But the moment she threatened him, the thread between them trembled violently, repelling her like a cannonball into the wall with a crash.
Of course. A pet can't attack its master.
A shikigami bond links souls—an unbreakable contract. The master's word is absolute. Can't even strike.
Hence her freakout.
Cheongun couldn't care less.
The reason?
His unique trait was still firing perfectly.
Activates on entering 'hostile' status with any demon, no questions asked.
That was Cheongun's unique trait.
And there's a way to maintain 'hostile' permanently: keep the demon's life under constant threat.
No need for actual enmity.
The key is the state where the demon can't escape your grasp.
A shikigami is such a contract.
If the master says die, it dies.
Thus, Cheongun could kill her anytime—perpetual hostility.
That was his theory.
And that wasn't all.
Neither Jeok Hwa-ryeon, So Ye-rin, Heukran, nor Wollyeong noticed the sword spirit.
They just sensed vague yin energy.
But Jin Mu-seong, a Profound Realm master, spotted her the instant he saw Cheongun.
Seemed like trouble if he didn't explain quick.
Jin Mu-seong clicked his tongue.
"...So the grudge spirit trapped in that sword is now stuck to you?"
"Yes."
"And you've made it your shikigami?"
"That's right."
"When'd you learn spirit-binding arts?"
"Never did."
"Then how'd you snag a shikigami?"
"Pinned it with force."
"Tch. What a lunatic."
Jin Mu-seong rubbed his throbbing temple.
Stunned by Cheongun's latest madness.
A heavy silence fell.
Like getting caught badmouthing a friend—itchy, unbearable awkwardness.
In that atmosphere, Jin Mu-seong sighed.
Fine, his disciple's antics weren't new. At least Cheongun valued his own life above all.
Not one for reckless bravado, nor one to listen anyway—nagging as master was pointless.
"Do as you like."
"Thanks."
"Your master needs rest. Off with you."
"Yes, then this clumsy disciple will take his leave."
Cheongun headed straight to Jeok Hwa-ryeon.
"Ryeon-ah."
"Yes, Clan Lord."
"Take this."
"Pardon? Wha—hey!"
Jeok Hwa-ryeon hurriedly clutched the manual Cheongun tossed her.
"The sequel manual."
Past gift to Jeok Hwa-ryeon: a partial manual for Pierce Veins Soul Art, cut off at 3rd of 10 stages.
Favor isn't dumped all at once.
In a world where folks mistake kindness for entitlement.
He hadn't fully trusted her then, so only part.
Even that front half would've taken her ages with her modest talent.
But she ate the Heavenly Spirit Pill he gave, rocketing past expectations to master 3rd stage.
Thus, the rest.
Jeok Hwa-ryeon blinked.
When she'd hinted for more, he'd played dumb—no point asking.
3 stages alone were god-tier for a demon.
Figured the clan lord had plans.
Forgotten it, but now this surprise gift.
Unexpected gifts hit harder than anticipated ones.
Jeok Hwa-ryeon beamed.
"Clan Lord."
"Yeah."
She approached with small steps.
Her neatly tied hair swayed; red blush spread from cheeks to ears.
Standing before him, she rose on tiptoes and shyly pressed her lips to his right cheek.
Grinning, she said.
"Thank you."
And so, now.
Cheongun left the conclave for Lake Dongting.
Ryeon stayed to train with the manual; So Ye-rin to tidy up.
Thus, Cheongun alone.
No—shikigami made two.
—Damn! Damn! Damn!
The sword spirit floated after him, cursing.
Her anxiety spiked; she grunted trying to yank the thread, then fled far—only to snap back like a leashed dog.
Sniffling, she asked.
—Master.
"Speak."
—Can't you let me go?
"Think that'll work?"
—Yeah, figured no.
"Pretty much."
The sword spirit muttered.
—Madman.
"I'm always mad."
—......
No reasoning with him.
Dazed, world-lost expression, she trailed Cheongun.
—Master. I'm stuffy.
"Shut up."
—......
The sword spirit swallowed her rage, staring ahead.
Post-death, spirits gain spirit eyes—heightened qi sense, read mental images.
Something pinged her senses.
Viscous, sticky black aura. Classic demonic arts mental image.
Sure enough—something burst from the brush.
A woman fleeing on all fours, clothes torn, sobbing, bare skin exposed.
Black mental image rippled around her; a red trajectory trailed from her.
Following it, the sword spirit saw a clump of massive qi—several people.
—Ha!
Obvious.
Lure a sucker with pity, gang-rape her.
Pure malice. No way her master missed it.
She glanced at Cheongun.
—......?
...Cheongun was already helping the woman up.
—Master?
"Hm?"
—Aren't you gonna kill her?
"Why?"
The sword spirit scoffed.
—Why? She's a demon, duh.
Then Cheongun said.
"The more demons, the better."
—...?