Chapter 38: Heading Toward Sichuan
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: Heading Toward Sichuan
"She is going to die."
Sun-woo was thrown into a panic by the words of the Yin-Yang Demon.
A sense of numbness washed over him. He couldn't even begin to grasp what he should say.
His beloved Ok-ryeong was dying? What kind of nonsense was that?
Tremble.
His hands began to shake uncontrollably.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heart started racing at a frantic pace.
"W-What do you mean by that!?"
Forgetting for a moment that he was speaking to the Yin-Yang Demon, Sun-woo raised his voice in a desperate retort.
"You're going to blow my eardrums out, brat."
"Please, tell me!!"
"Her internal injuries are too severe. They've reached a point where it's difficult to even intervene."
"Can't you just infuse her with Yin-Yang Harmony Qi to heal her!?"
"Do you think Yin-Yang Harmony Qi is some kind of miracle substance? It activates recovery and maximizes natural healing; it's not an all-purpose panacea that just erases wounds."
"But didn't you heal me!?"
"That was only possible because you were already practicing the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art. If you hadn't, you would be in the exact same state as that girl."
"There must be a way. Surely!"
"It's useless. She's already a lost cause."
"That can't be true!!"
"Don't be stubborn. I have a connection to the girl as well, so I want to save her just as much as you do, but what's impossible is impossible."
Thud.
"Please, I beg of you. Try infusing her with Yin-Yang Harmony Qi one more time. I'm asking you, please."
Sun-woo slammed his head against the ground and began to plead.
"You fool. Her internal injuries have already spiraled out of control. Your case was different. Thanks to that armor, you avoided a fatal blow, and because you knew the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art, you could be treated. But this girl is different. Do you really think someone can take a direct hit from the secret technique of a martial artist at the peak of the Transcendent Realm with their bare body and be fine!?"
The Yin-Yang Demon raised his voice as he looked down at Sun-woo.
He truly did want to save her. Though he was a man known for having no blood, tears, or compassion, it would leave a bitter taste in his mouth if his daughter's only disciple died like this.
But there was no way.
The internal damage she had sustained was far too severe. Furthermore, the Sword Emperor's Supreme Purity Astral Qi remained inside her body, worsening the injuries.
He had tried to clear the Supreme Purity Astral Qi by infusing her with Yin-Yang Harmony Qi, but the backlash was so violent that he couldn't even attempt to neutralize it properly.
If he forced the issue, the Supreme Purity Astral Qi would go berserk and tear her entire body to shreds.
It was a different story from Sun-woo. In Sun-woo's case, the Overlord Ghost-Face Armor had deflected most of the Supreme Purity Astral Qi, and the Yin-Yang Harmony Qi had consumed the remaining remnants, allowing him to recover without much trouble.
Ok-ryeong was different. She had been exposed to the Sword Emperor's Supreme Purity Astral Qi with her bare body. It was no easy feat for her internal energy, which possessed the quality of 'Softness' (柔), to push out the Supreme Purity Astral Qi, which possessed the quality of 'Hardness' (强).
"Go find a good burial plot and give her a proper funeral."
The Yin-Yang Demon cut him off decisively. There was nothing more useless than clinging to the impossible.
Even though she was his daughter's only disciple, he was a man who had almost entirely transcended the Five Desires and Seven Emotions. He was relentless.
"I refuse."
"What!?"
"Heal Ok-ryeong."
"Do you think I'm some kind of Medical Immortal? I am Lee Ho-seon, the greatest demon under heaven. Healing isn't my specialty."
"If she dies, I will follow her in death."
Sun-woo spoke with the weight of a solemn vow.
"What kind of bullshit is that!?"
The Yin-Yang Demon let out a thunderous roar at Sun-woo's words.
Follow her in death? Why on earth would he die?
The world was full of women. To die just because one woman passed away—what an incredibly foolish thought.
"Don't make me laugh! You can't die until you've killed Lee Jae-won!!"
The Yin-Yang Demon raised his voice in agitation. Sun-woo was the perfect tool for his revenge against Lee Jae-won. Now, that tool was threatening to break itself.
"Then don't give up! Find a way to heal Ok-ryeong!!"
The boy was being utterly unreasonable. He had already said there was no way to treat her, yet the boy was demanding a solution. What kind of nonsense was this?
"You... do you want to die?"
The Yin-Yang Demon slowly began to release his Formless Qi. He intended to teach this insolent brat a lesson.
"Guh...!"
Exposed to the Formless Qi, Sun-woo's face turned pale. His breath hitched, and cold sweat began to pour down his body.
He had forgotten, but the old man before him was perhaps the strongest man in the world. He was a being so powerful that even the villainous Lee Jae-won would have been killed helplessly if not for his Plot Armor.
Being exposed to the Formless Qi emitted by such a man, there was no way Sun-woo could remain unaffected.
Chatter. Chatter. Chatter.
His teeth began to clatter incessantly.
Grit.
He clamped his jaw shut, putting all his strength into his molars.
"Please... save... Ok...ryeong..."
Sun-woo forced his mouth open, which was frozen shut by terror, and continued to speak.
The Yin-Yang Demon watched him silently.
"Is she the only woman in the world? Why would you stake your life on her?"
"I don't... want to... regret it."
"What?"
The Yin-Yang Demon immediately withdrew his Formless Qi.
Cough! Cough!
As the pressure vanished and his breath returned, Sun-woo coughed repeatedly. Then, he looked at the Yin-Yang Demon with hardened eyes.
"If I lose her now, I will live the rest of my life in regret. I would rather die with her than live in regret."
"Life and death are part of the natural order that humans cannot control. Why do you consider it your fault and wallow in regret?"
"If I hadn't come to White Flower Peak, if I hadn't deceived her, if I hadn't been chased by Lee Jae-won... she would be enjoying a peaceful life. But because I came here, her life is in danger. If I lose her like this, I will regret and loathe my past self for coming to White Flower Peak, and eventually, I will lose the will to live. I'd rather be dead."
Sun-woo quietly lowered his head, tears beginning to fall without end. The thought that he might lose her triggered his tear ducts.
"........."
The Yin-Yang Demon couldn't find any words to respond to Sun-woo. He could feel that the boy was being sincere.
It was a headache. He hated pathetic bastards like Lee Jae-won, but he also hated these overly emotional types. If the boy received his teachings, becoming the World's Greatest Martial Artist—no, the Greatest of All Time—wouldn't be a dream. So why was he ruining everything over some girl?
"Sigh, you piece of shit, seriously."
He let out a deep sigh, thinking that he would have to give the boy some character education eventually.
"There is one way."
Sun-woo, who had been crying with his head down, snapped his head up.
'Is this old bastard playing with me?'
He glared at him with an incredibly disrespectful look. If there was a way, he should have said so from the beginning. Why play games and torment someone like this?
"I've told you time and again, if you don't look at me properly, I'll gouge those eyes out."
Hearing the Yin-Yang Demon's words, Sun-woo quickly lowered his gaze. He was annoyed, but the man was still terrifying.
"I understand your frustration, but I said there was no way because it's a task that is nearly impossible."
"I'll do it, no matter what. Just tell me."
Having found a glimmer of hope, Sun-woo replied with a voice full of determination.
"What is needed to heal her is Poison Essence."
"Wait, why do you need Poison Essence for healing?"
"Medicine and poison are two sides of the same coin. If you neutralize the toxins in Poison Essence, only pure medicinal energy remains. That is what's required to heal that girl."
Sun-woo's jaw dropped at the Yin-Yang Demon's explanation.
'How the hell am I supposed to get that!?!?'
Sun-woo fell into despair once again.
Poison Essence. It was a treasure known as the quintessence of poison.
Poison Essence could only be created by mixing thousands of types of poisonous herbs and creatures, then letting them mature for decades in a Poison Zone filled with toxic energy.
Because the amount produced was so minuscule, it was a treasure so rare that even the Sichuan Tang Clan, known as the greatest poison family under heaven, rarely laid eyes on it.
The toxicity of Poison Essence was so potent that if someone practicing Poison Arts consumed it, they could gain enough poisonous power to kill even a Super-Peak master in a single strike. Thus, it was the ultimate treasure that any poison user would dream of, even in their sleep.
And now, the Yin-Yang Demon was telling him to go get such a treasure. It was absurd.
Creating Poison Essence required a massive amount of money. One had to collect countless varieties of poisonous herbs and creatures, create a dedicated Poison Zone, and maintain the personnel to guard it for decades.
Therefore, the only places capable of producing such a thing were the Sichuan Tang Clan or the Five Poison Sect in the Southern Barbarian Lands.
Sun-woo had to go to one of those two places and obtain the Poison Essence.
"........."
Sun-woo was speechless.
"See? Didn't I tell you it was impossible?"
The Yin-Yang Demon rebuked him. Indeed, his judgment had been correct. Obtaining Poison Essence was a task bordering on the impossible.
The Sichuan Tang Clan was the family of the Absolute Martial God Lee Jae-won's wife, and at the same time, the overlords who had ruled Sichuan for the past 300 years. They had over thirty strike forces composed entirely of first-class experts, and the leaders of each unit were at the Peak Realm.
Furthermore, the Council of Elders, the true power behind the clan, and the retired elders who still wielded immense power, were teeming with Super-Peak masters.
Moreover, the current Tang Clan Head, Poison King Tang Jin-cheol, was a master of the Transcendent Realm. It was no exaggeration to say that the Tang Clan was currently enjoying its greatest golden age.
And he was supposed to rob that place and take the Poison Essence? It would be faster to just bite his tongue and commit suicide. It was impossible for Sun-woo, who was merely a Super-Peak master, to break through that massive power alone.
But there was one other way.
"Can't you just go and steal it, Master?"
It was impossible for him, but it would be possible for the Yin-Yang Demon, the World's Greatest Martial Artist. Besides, since he claimed to have transcended the Five Desires and Seven Emotions, he wouldn't feel any shame, right?
"Tsk, tsk. You're insane."
The Yin-Yang Demon clicked his tongue at Sun-woo's idea. He thought the boy was just weak, but he had a surprisingly eccentric side.
"If I leave, who will maintain this girl's life?"
The Yin-Yang Demon pointed at Ok-ryeong as he spoke.
"If you teach me how, I'll stay and protect her."
"Do you know how to read a pulse?"
"I know the theory."
"Have you ever performed acupuncture?"
"I know the theory."
"Have you ever performed energy healing?"
"I know the theory."
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Shut up."
"Yes, sir."
Sun-woo slumped his shoulders.
"If her condition weren't so critical, I might leave her to you, but her state is too dire. If you touch her clumsily, she'll be crossing the Sanzu River in no time."
".........."
It was true. If the Yin-Yang Demon disappeared, Ok-ryeong wouldn't even be able to maintain her life. Sun-woo realized he had momentarily lost his mind, intimidated by the prestige of the Sichuan Tang Clan. He wasn't thinking rationally.
Slap! Slap!
Sun-woo raised both hands and slapped his own cheeks hard. It was to snap himself out of it.
Setting the Sichuan Tang Clan aside for a moment, Sun-woo thought about the Five Poison Sect. While the Tang Clan was at its peak, the Five Poison Sect had been pushed aside and was unable to exert its full power. They had earned the enmity of the Central Plains people by siding with the Demonic Cult during the Heavenly Demon Emperor's invasion, and they had lost too much of their strength during the Great War of Righteousness and Demons.
If he were to steal Poison Essence, it would be better to steal it from the Five Poison Sect.
"I will go to the Five Poison Sect."
Sun-woo spoke with resolve.
"You lunatic."
Contrary to Sun-woo's determination, the Yin-Yang Demon spat out a curse.
"Why?"
Sun-woo looked at him with questioning eyes.
"That place was ruined ages ago. What 'Five Poison Sect' are you talking about?"
Sun-woo looked bewildered. The Five Poison Sect was ruined? What did that mean? In Jang Sam's memories, the Five Poison Sect was declining, but it was still intact.
"When exactly did the Five Poison Sect fall!?"
"Six months ago."
Six months ago would have been when Sun-woo was in the middle of his martial arts training in the cave.
"But why?"
"Who knows? Go ask that bastard Lee Jae-won."
Sun-woo clutched his head. Why was this Lee Jae-won bastard not helpful in the slightest? Why would he suddenly destroy a sect that was living perfectly fine?
There was no other way. In the end, to obtain the Poison Essence, he had to go to the Sichuan Tang Clan.
He fell into deep thought. He wondered if he could actually survive this.
"The most time I can buy for this girl's life is six months. You must obtain the Poison Essence within six months, no matter what."
Sun-woo was startled by the six-month timeframe. It was far too short.
"Can't you extend the period a bit more?"
"You crazy brat, six months is the absolute maximum. I'm planning to force her into the Turtle Breathing Technique to put her life functions into a near-stasis state and then freeze her with the Yin Wind New Moon Art."
Sun-woo was shocked by his words. What kind of martial artist creates a frozen human?
"Then won't she freeze to death?"
"She'll die if you don't come back within six months."
The Yin-Yang Demon replied indifferently. He was helping because Sun-woo was being stubborn, but he wasn't happy about it.
"I will go to Sichuan."
Sun-woo spoke with firm resolve. He was afraid of the Sichuan Tang Clan, but he was even more afraid of losing Ok-ryeong.
And so, his journey to Sichuan was decided.