Chapter 583: To Kaifeng (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 583: To Kaifeng (2)
After hearing Yeo-hwa’s words, Kang Hyun-woo stroked his chin for a moment before speaking cautiously.
“…But is it really okay for me to learn this?”
His question carried two underlying meanings.
First, was it acceptable for him, a mere outsider, to learn a divine art bestowed by the god worshipped by the Heavenly Demonic Cult?
Normally, he wouldn't have given such a thing a second thought, but the problem was that Yeo-hwa was a member of the cult. Doing this felt like it might be the equivalent of insulting Jesus in front of a devout Christian girlfriend.
Second, no one besides the First Heavenly Demon had ever mastered the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art.
Is it really okay for me to learn something like that? What if there are side effects?
It was that kind of worry.
“Hmm? Ah, were you concerned about such things?”
Yeo-hwa gave a small laugh, approached Kang Hyun-woo, and naturally sat on his lap. She looked like a princess reclaiming her private throne.
“As I said before, the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art is the martial art of the Cheon family, who carry the blood of the Heavenly Demon Patriarch. And once you marry me, you will also become a member of the Cheon family.”
As she said, it was tradition for the Cheon family, who had held the position of Cult Leader for generations, to marry those with exceptional talent or constitutions regardless of gender to bolster the family bloodline.
“Of course, I have no intention of making you a matrilocal son-in-law, so rest easy. It is said that a hero deserves three wives and four concubines. Since you, my husband, seem to have no shortage of women to look after, how could I, as your main wife, possibly interfere with that?”
“…”
That one sentence, flowing out as naturally as water, pierced Kang Hyun-woo’s chest like a dagger.
Satisfied with his stunned silence, Yeo-hwa hid her mouth behind her sleeve and giggled.
“Fufu, it was a joke.”
“…Phew.”
“However, Hyun-woo, even I cannot rashly guarantee that you will be able to master the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art. After all, only those of the Cheon bloodline have ever been able to withstand its demonic energy.”
The Cheon bloodline was referred to as the Divine Blood, and they were the only ones capable of learning the refined version of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art. Even the current version, which was essentially a degraded imitation, was the essence of evil that ordinary people couldn't even begin to grasp.
“I felt a revolting sensation, as if insects were crawling inside my head, just by reading the oral formula of the manual. This is just a guess, but I believe being able to even lay eyes upon the formula is the minimum qualification. In that sense, I failed, but… Hyun-woo, if it’s you, it might be poss—”
“The oral formula? I already memorized it.”
“…Hmm?”
Yeo-hwa tilted her head at the words that reached her ears.
“It was a bit cringey, but I was bored while you were in seclusion, so I read it a few times and it just stuck.”
“…?”
“…???”
*
Memorizing the oral formula doesn't mean one automatically initiates into a martial art.
If it’s an internal cultivation method, you must circulate your energy according to the formula; if it’s a sword technique, you must swing a blade; and if it’s an external art, you must temper your body through grueling training.
In that sense, I realized that the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art was a type of martial art similar to the Formless Vajra Art.
Although they were polar opposites—one leaning toward the extreme of Orthodox and the other toward the Demonic—they shared the commonality of being closer to internal cultivation methods and acting as comprehensive records encompassing countless techniques.
“Phew…”
Sitting in the lotus position in the middle of the room, I closed my eyes and took a calm, deep breath.
I decided to initiate the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art while Yeo-hwa stood guard.
Yeo-hwa had expressed her concerns. Even if I could read the formula, there was no guarantee that problems wouldn't arise once I actually practiced it.
However, I didn't want to keep putting it off, only to find myself standing helplessly when I desperately needed power.
Faced with my stubbornness, Yeo-hwa eventually had to back down.
Feeling both grateful and apologetic, I recited the oral formula of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art in my mind.
The Demon God of Persia bestowed the Sacred Fire to burn my soul.
Bring that flame into the meridians and reverse the three cycles.
All laws return to nothingness.
Strength is the only principle, and weakness is a sin.
The brilliant light is but an illusion, and all meanings of All Creation lose their value.
Thus, only darkness remains.
In heaven and on earth, only the Demon is noble; if a sacrifice is offered with the blood of ten million, the Gate of the Black Sun shall open.
When the Demon descends upon the world, ten thousand miles shall become red earth; when the Celestial Dog swallows the sun, the land shall turn to ash.
Finally, sever the heavenly secrets, defy causality, and shatter reincarnation.
I am the darkness, and the darkness is me; even if heaven and earth are overturned, the Sacred Fire shall not be extinguished.
Fear not the pain.
For pain is the key that opens the door,
And madness is the hammer that breaks the wall.
•
•
•
While standing guard, Yeo-hwa sharpened her five senses to their limit, remaining vigilant of her surroundings.
Perhaps it was because she had broken through the wall that had been blocking her for so long. She felt like a completely different person compared to three days ago.
Furthermore, with her internal energy having surged thanks to the elixir, reaching the realm of the Extreme Demon was not far off. All she needed now was a small realization and the refinement of her martial arts through real combat.
Although the world viewed the Extreme Demon realm as half a step below the Flower Realm, she didn't care. She would simply surpass the Extreme Demon realm and reach the state of Demon Transcendence.
Of course, it was incredibly difficult for a demonic martial artist who reached the Extreme Demon realm through shortcuts to reach Demon Transcendence. As proof of this, in the entire Heavenly Demonic Cult, only one person had reached that state: the Cult Leader, known as the Demon Venerable among the Two Venerables.
But Yeo-hwa didn't mind. The Cult Leader hadn't been a monster who reached Demon Transcendence from birth.
Besides, it was only because there was a monster right next to her that she felt compared; the fact that she had reached the Transcendent Realm at such a young age was already nonsensical. There was a reason why not a single one of the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes—the rising stars representing the Orthodox Faction—had reached the Transcendent Realm.
It was truly a heaven-sent martial talent.
There was a good reason why, six months ago, the 1st Young Master had fed Yeo-hwa extreme poison, launched a surprise attack to dismantle her faction, framed her, and even sent an assassination squad after her when she fled to the Central Plains.
Above all, the reason she had remained in the Transcendent Realm until now wasn't simply a lack of talent. It was because there were too many things disturbing her mind.
The man she called father had set the stage for his children to kill one another under the guise of choosing a successor, and her most precious mother and wet nurse had lost their lives at the hands of her half-siblings.
But she didn't have the luxury to wallow in the pain of parting. At a young age, she had to learn how to kill others effectively, and every meal became training to build resistance against poison.
That wasn't all. To learn the Moon Spirit Demonic Art, she had once endured months in a cave filled with wicked yin and freezing chill. If she didn't want her frostbitten hands and feet to be cut off, she had to immerse herself in energy circulation even at the cost of sleep.
The power she gained by enduring those hellish days stripped away her warmth and colorful emotions. Only then did Yeo-hwa understand why the former Moon Spirit Witch, her master, always lived with alcohol. It was the only way to endure.
Fleeing to the distant Central Plains and slowly dying from poison, Yeo-hwa had also been losing her will to live, just like her master.
But everything changed when she met Kang Hyun-woo.
Having received the grace of her life being saved, she could dream of revenge, and as her mastery of the Moon Spirit Demonic Art grew, her fading emotions blossomed like magnolias in spring. The world, which had been entirely monochrome, became dazzlingly beautiful whenever she was by his side.
It was truly a miracle.
Her desire for revenge against the 1st Young Master deepened by the day, but an emotion dozens of times greater was growing toward Kang Hyun-woo.
Perhaps because of that, even the wall blocking her path now felt like a low fence she could hop over whenever she wished. Her perspective on the world had changed.
So, she did not doubt for a moment.
She believed that Kang Hyun-woo was the messenger of god crafted by Ahriman, and that as the Second Heavenly Demon, he would one day lead the Cult.
Boom—!!
At that moment, a shockwave erupted as if the entire inn were being shaken.
“W-What is it?!!”
“I-Is it an earthquake?!!”
“Get out if you don't want to be buried under the building!!”
“Damn it!! I still have twelve years left on my loan!!”
While guests, innkeepers, and the owner scrambled out of the building, Yeo-hwa knocked on the door with a faint smile.
She could feel the powerful waves of demonic energy piercing through the barrier. The reason the Heavenly Demon was called the progenitor of all things demonic was that every demonic art in the world was derived from the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art.
As if proving that fact, her Moon Spirit Demonic Energy was rejoicing at the return of its master.
Creeak—
As the door opened on its own, Yeo-hwa peeked her head inside.
“Ah…”
In that instant, her red eyes, which looked like beautifully crafted rubies, went hazy and unfocused.
Inside the room, Kang Hyun-woo was floating in the air, sitting in the lotus position with his eyes closed.
And around him, a sinister demonic energy—hardly of this world—and a demon-breaking energy imbued with Buddha’s mercy were clashing as if trying to repel each other.
What this signified was clear.
Kang Hyun-woo, Heavenly Demonic Divine Art, 1st Star.
*
Once I finished circulating my energy, my eyes opened of their own accord.
“Are you awake?”
The first thing that entered my vision was Yeo-hwa’s gorgeous face looking down at me. No wonder the back of my head felt so soft.
“So, how was it?”
“How was what?”
“The Heavenly Demonic Divine Art.”
“Hmm…”
I reached my hand toward the ceiling. At that moment—
Skreeeeeeee!!
A screeching sound that triggered a primal sense of revulsion, like nails scratching a chalkboard, echoed in all directions.
Simultaneously, an ominous black energy gathered at my fingertips.
Heaven-Shattering Demonic Energy—the demonic power that would one day tear down the high heavens.
“Well… it doesn't seem too bad…?”
“I don't mean that. Do you feel any chills, or is someone constantly talking to you inside your head? Anything like that?”
“Talking to me?”
I blinked at Yeo-hwa’s words. Was this martial art haunted or something?
“I do not know the details, but I heard that the will of Lord Ahriman dwells within the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art. There is even a legend that the first Cult Leader who tried to master it almost became a Mad Demon.”
“…Don't you think you should have told me that before I learned it?”
“…I am sorry. To be honest, I only just remembered.”
I could see guilt flickering in Yeo-hwa’s eyes. I gave a small laugh and caressed her cheek.
“Don't worry about it. My mental power is actually stronger than a devil's. More importantly, let’s get some sleep. I’m strangely drowsy.”
“Then I shall assist you with your bath.”
“Eh? Suddenly?”
“There is no need to decline.”
Yeo-hwa gave a seductive smile as she began to undress her husband, the future Heavenly Demon.
Although her faith wasn't particularly deep, to Yeo-hwa, who was strictly a member of the Cult, the Heavenly Demon was an object of worship and faith. Thus, it was only natural for her affection for Kang Hyun-woo to deepen even further.
Kang Hyun-woo, who had suddenly found himself in a position to become the head of a cult, looked bewildered, yet he surrendered himself to Yeo-hwa at the sweet, heart-fluttering offer of a bath service.
While the two spent a sweet moment together, the people who had fled the inn in the middle of the night were trembling in anxiety, wondering if the building was about to collapse.
