Chapter 232: Heavenly Demon Divine Art
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 232: Heavenly Demon Divine Art
Chomp, chomp, chomp.
The sound of a dog eating grass.
No, this is the sound of a lizard eating grass.
Chomp, chomp.
My main diet is meat, but that doesn't mean I can't eat plants. You could call me an omnivorous lizard. I'd pass on eating things like tree leaves, but I can swallow any grass a human can eat without much trouble.
I munched on the meal Chodo had prepared.
Seriously, just because she's a herbivore, she serves her guest grass? Now I get why the Durigaeraduns were always reeking of chlorophyll. I've already gotten used to it, and the taste isn't half bad, so I'll eat it, but still…
Chomp, chomp.
"Hmm, is it because you're a spirit beast that controls wood? You're eating better than I expected. It never suited my palate."
"Gek?"
You can't eat anymore, though.
I stopped myself before I could say it.
"Ah, that's right. If you have time later, stop by my territory. I'll treat you to the most delicious food."
A mountain of steel pretending to be a mountain of rock?
"Once you taste that giant rock, you'll never forget it."
"Gek gek."
I'll pass.
I'm not an earthworm, why would I eat rocks? Even an earthworm probably can't eat rocks.
Come to think of it, how should I manage that place? I left the Snow Mountain to Iron Head Dragon, but I can't just tell Gongbok, who's inside the fox marble, to rule it.
The only spirit beasts capable of managing the Dragon Gate are the Red Dragon and Baek Rang, but… the Red Dragon is busy, and Baek Rang needs to be with me. Even if the Red Dragon returns, I'm a bit hesitant to send her there alone. The other spirit beasts are still too inexperienced to rule the Dragon Gate. Argentavis and the Snake Queen also have their own territories, so they can't just come over.
Hmph…
Isn't there a spirit beast out there who's an ally, strong, and has nothing to do? Maybe an old geezer with a long snout and a dazed face, who dances and goes 'kek kek'...
I should try to persuade Old Man Compy when I see him next. As an old timer from the jungle, he'll probably refuse at first, but if I keep asking, he might move there. He'll probably try to poke me with his pointy face, but I can just picture him 'kek kek'-ing with joy once I take him there.
Unlike the Snake Queen or Argentavis, he doesn't occupy half the jungle. His flock is made up of small creatures, so their nest is tiny. So what if I gave the Dragon Gate to an old man like him? It'd be no different from a son-in-law gifting an apartment.
Of course, the power of the Dragon Gate itself is with Gongbok—or more accurately, it's been absorbed into the fox marble—but that's actually better. Old Man Compy might be fine, but the lizards under him would likely fall for the Dragon Gate's temptation. Even monsters like Magnosaurus lost their minds, so it's better if the Dragon Gate's power isn't there at all.
What's not to like about a good son-in-law? I can already see my father-in-law's face beaming.
...
Why am I automatically thinking of him as my father-in-law? I mean, I am technically married to the Snake Queen, Parsil, on paper...
Ah, whatever.
Chomp, chomp, chomp.
Anyway, these vegetables are surprisingly addictive. If only the seasoning were a bit better, they'd be even more delicious. Should I take some for the kids? Soyeong is human, maybe she could do something with them? She did a pretty good job with that Gomodo Oxtail Soup.
Then again, there are the Durigaeraduns. Even if I brought back an armful, they'd devour it in under a minute, so there's probably no point in cooking.
As I finished my meal with these thoughts, Chodo, looking much lighter, gave a slight bow.
"Hero, now that you have finished your meal, would you care to spend a moment with me?"
"Gek gek."
Spend a moment? We're just going to train.
"You baaastaaard..."
Your brother is getting the wrong idea.
"Choa."
Fwip!
The giant frog called Choa wrapped Gongbok in vines.
"Mmph... Mmph!"
"Gwoooong!"
My system shows her name as Chodo, so Choa must be a nickname of sorts.
The frog, having subdued Gongbok, placed the fox marble on its back.
Vmmm, vmmm.
Seeing the fox marble tremble slightly, it seemed the bead itself was enjoying the situation, regardless of Gongbok's will. It was vibrating like it was on an amusement park ride.
"Gwong."
As Choa lowered her head, Chodo climbed onto it naturally.
"You should get on too, Hero."
I tilted my head at her words.
Get on?
Sure, this frog is ridiculously huge. But I'm pretty big myself. I think I weighed around three tons at level one, so I must be even heavier now. It'd be a nuisance for me to climb on top of anyone.
...But I won't refuse.
"Kku-eong!"
Choa let out a resentful cry.
Choa, huh. That's a very feminine name.
"Gwoooong..."
Thud.
The ground trembled with every step Choa took. She must be at least ten times heavier than me, so it was probably a natural phenomenon.
Wait, come to think of it, I've never seen Chodo's true form. I thought the frog I was riding was Chodo, but it turns out she's more like a subordinate.
I wonder what she looks like. Her body doesn't seem that big.
"...Hero? What is with that look?"
Chodo, looking somehow relieved now that she was much lighter, tilted her head.
Her structure dictates that she must be small.
Lost in such silly thoughts while riding Choa, we arrived sooner than I expected. We were already inside Chodo's territory to begin with, and Choa's stride was immense.
"You did well, Choa."
Chodo stroked Choa's head. The frog rumbled and lowered its head to let Chodo dismount easily.
This was a different place from where we had trained before. It looked like another forest, overgrown with countless trees.
"Now, please come inside."
Fwip!
I thought the dense trees were blocking the path, but they parted naturally at Chodo's gesture. I marveled at the magnificent sight for a moment, then had a brief thought.
Seeing this, I should definitely avoid fighting a guardian within their Dragon Gate. Even if it's not a Dragon Gate, I should avoid entering the territory of a powerful spirit beast.
I don't have to look far; Gongbok's case is a perfect example. The fight went as it did because it was in my territory. If we had fought in his, I would have been pushed back helplessly. Of course, now that I've reached the Peak Realm, the outcome is uncertain, but I could tell the risk would be immense.
"Mmph... A place you haven't even shown your own brother. What on earth could be here?"
Gongbok, freed from his bonds at some point, didn't hide his displeasure.
"If you had asked to see it, Brother, I would have shown you. Of course, I would have only told you the location."
Of course, his mood brightened at Chodo's words.
"Khk, so your love for your brother runs this deep!"
...Is that what deep love is? It sounds more like she'd just tell him the location because it's a hassle.
From observing her during our training, I had figured out Chodo's personality.
A recluse. The type who despises leaving her home. But she didn't show that side to me. Why? Because I am a descendant of Gomodo. If not for that, she would have surely crawled into Choa's flower bud and slept soundly.
...Either that, or she's just pretending to be shy around Gongbok, which would just be too sad.
"This is the place. Hero, can you tell what this is?"
Chodo pointed to a giant rock. It was covered in vines and moss, as if it hadn't been tended to in a long time. At Chodo's gesture, the overgrown plants parted as if they'd never been there, revealing the giant rock's true form.
Unfamiliar characters.
And a drawing depicting the movements of a human figure.
Finally, a sword mark that reached the very top.
"They say it is a trace left by the Heavenly Demon."
A trace left by the Heavenly Demon!
"The humans living in the 100,000 Great Mountains call this the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. He never referred to himself as the Heavenly Demon, so it seems contradictory, but I suppose no name is more fitting."
My master called it the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, but the Heavenly Demon never called himself that. Therefore, it must have an original name, but it seemed even Chodo didn't know it. Only the Heavenly Demon himself, Jin-ryong, or the previous Gomodo would know.
"If you learn the Heavenly Demon's martial art, Hero, it might be fine for you to name it yourself."
Then it'd be the Gekgek Divine Art, I guess.
This wasn't the first time I had seen something left by the Heavenly Demon. I had seen the mural carved in the Silver Dragon Cave, and another in the cave of my dear friend, Utahraptor.
In the Silver Dragon Cave, I had only learned the Dragon's Claws, one of the Shaolin's martial arts. I was just a small lizard back then, so I didn't have the luxury of looking at anything else. Learning a martial art I could use immediately was what mattered.
In Utahraptor's cave, I learned a martial art created by the Heavenly Demon himself. Its name was the Ancient Dragon Leg Art, and the technique I used most was the Descending Dragon Tremor, a powerful stomp that made the earth tremble. Especially when combined with Uprooting Heavens and Overpowering the World, I could mimic the movements of an Earth Dragon crawling across the land. It was a great martial art to use in any situation, as long as my feet were on the ground.
But even this was said to be insufficient to be called the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. It was a martial art created by the Heavenly Demon, but one that did not receive his name. If that was its level of power, how strong must the real Heavenly Demon Divine Art be?
The martial art my master used when I was defeated by Tai Sui. A stomp with power incomparable to the Ancient Dragon Leg Art. If I were to name it, it would be the Heavenly Demon Sovereign Steps. My master said that even that wasn't complete, so I knew the martial art left by the Heavenly Demon was something incredible.
In the past, even when I looked at the murals, my realm was too low to comprehend them. If there was one I managed to interpret, it was the mural Old Man Compy showed me.
I Alone Am The Honored One.
I was always puzzled why the words of the Buddha were written there, but now that I know the Heavenly Demon wasn't an evil being, I think I can understand it to some extent. That enlightenment was so profound that, even while injured, I was able to land a significant blow on the one who had accepted Tai Sui's power.
I probably won't be able to interpret the entire mural even if I look at it. But I gained the Dragon's Claws first, the Ancient Dragon Leg Art second, and the enlightenment of I Alone Am The Honored One third. I was sure I could gain something from this. Besides, I now have not only enlightenment but also the Dragon Eye, so I should be able to see something.
I lifted my head and saw a truly bizarre shape.
It was carved so high up that I had to look up at it, yet its length was short. I have almost no knowledge of the sword, but I could tell that the sword mark before me was impossible to draw.
At first, I thought the Heavenly Demon might have been a being like a spirit beast. The sword mark I saw before was also in a place a human's arm could not reach. And the spirit beasts here speak and use martial arts as if it's the most natural thing in the world. So I thought he was a spirit beast, but I heard the Heavenly Demon was human.
Then what in the world is that mark?
The mark reached the top, yet it was far too short. Should I say it looked as if a giant had swung a human's dagger?
Even if I understood it, it wouldn't suit me well. My arms are on the long side. Ever since I was a small lizard, I've used swinging my arms as my main attack. Plus, I walked on two legs and moved my arms like a human whenever I could, so my arms couldn't possibly be short.
Such a movement doesn't fit me.
It's the same even if I were to swing a sword. I don't need to swing a sword unless it's a special situation. The reason I drew a sword when fighting Gongbok was to manifest Sword Flux. What my master briefly showed me was Sword Flux, and to imitate it, I needed a sword, not my claws.
My sword is my tail, and its length cannot be short.
Therefore, that sword mark doesn't suit me. My arms are long, and my sword is long. I probably don't need to learn such a movement.
But I couldn't tear my eyes away.
My heart is pounding.
What in the world is that sword mark that makes me feel so thrilled?
Even knowing it didn't suit me, I couldn't control my emotions.