Chapter 110: Monster? Is that you?
It was the eye of a massive reptile, literally the size of an ox.
And in front of it sat what looked like an altar, as if offering tribute to the eye itself.
The vertically slit pupil and yellow sclera radiated a sinister aura. Red sparks crackled from the eye, seemingly threatening me—
'It's scared?'
Not threatening—shivering.
Floating in the air, it shook its gaze back and forth as it stared at me. Anyone could see it was trembling.
"Why? The Heavenly Demon Divine Art again?"
I tossed the question to Pa Cheon, but no answer came.
"Pa Cheon?"
Come to think of it, the Pa Cheon sword I had been gripping was gone—
"What the—?"
I looked down at my hand. It wasn't the callused palm of a martial artist.
I frantically touched my face. No. It wasn't that face! Even roughly patting it, I could tell the nose wasn't that sharply hooked one.
This was Kim Dong Yun's face.
Even the clothes were a suit—the exact one I'd worn to the audition, playing the spoiled chaebol heir.
"Monster? Is that you?"
The sudden voice made me whip around.
A face like a sculpture crafted by the gods themselves.
A fleeting cold aloofness and stubborn lips.
A man with bottomless eyes stood there.
"...Pa Cheon?"
"Monster?"
The man—Pa Cheon—rushed over and seized my hand.
"You're really the monster?"
"This is insane. Pa Cheon?"
"Since you're not in sword form, call me Sado Hwan."
"No way."
"Good to see you like this. So that was your true form."
His voice reached me not through the mind, but as flesh-and-blood sound. I was utterly confused.
"For a monster, you look pretty human. A disguise?"
Just as Sado Hwan had appeared in his own body, I was here in my real-world self.
"I told you from the start, I'm not a monster."
"I'd have to believe you first."
Sado Hwan smirked and said,
"Still, good to see you."
"...Yeah, it's awkward as hell, but same."
"Hah, a body. Breathing on my own feels this good."
Sado Hwan ran his hands over himself in rapture.
It made sense.
Locked in sword form for months out of nowhere.
For him to react this mildly meant his discipline had deepened immensely. If it were me, I'd be jumping around like a maniac.
"Anyway. What's going on here?"
"I have a rough idea."
I gestured toward the eye.
"Hyeok Mun kept yapping about the great Red Dragon."
"That's the Red Dragon?"
"Probably its spirit remnant."
That's why we'd returned to our original forms in this space.
"Even so, why's it cowering from us?"
Sado Hwan pondered my words, then said,
"The Heavenly Demon Divine Art, no doubt."
"Again with that."
"Among the First Heavenly Demon's titles is 'Hunter of Spirits'."
"Hunter... as in, beast hunter."
"They say the First hunted many spirit beasts and divine creatures. Maybe the Red Dragon knows of them?"
"So it senses that aura and cowers? Even as just a remnant?"
"If the Red Dragon Revolution Family's founders were followers of the First, it's not impossible."
I nodded at Sado Hwan's words. It rang true.
"Then what's this altar?"
"Probably the secret to their martial arts."
Sado Hwan explained his theory.
The Red Dragon Revolution Family all used nearly identical arts—even Super Peak experts. And the art was called Red Dragon Manifestation.
"So they sacrifice themselves on the altar to gain the art?"
"Survive it, become Super Peak. Fail, something lesser."
"That's less martial art, more sorcery."
"Forgot where we are? The Divine Cult. We'll do anything to grow stronger."
"Fair point."
One of the Six Demonic Families specialized in soul-seizing sorcery, after all—
"Hold up. Soul-seizing sorcery?"
"What?"
"Just had a wild thought pop up."
"What is it?"
Sado Hwan burst out laughing at my explanation, incredulous.
"It's just a wild theory."
"Not impossible."
"Not likely either. Reviving the Red Dragon?"
My scenario was the Red Dragon's revival.
"Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa is a direct descendant of the Vermilion Bird. Its trait? Eternal revival. Graft that onto the Red Dragon's remains? And... the family couldn't dream this up alone."
"You mean Chu Tae Su."
"Revival aside, if anyone's worth floating it to first, it's him."
"Hmm."
Sado Hwan stroked his chin.
"In all martial history, true revival never happened. Even the Little Ice Witch's was due to her ice crystal core."
"Not baseless. Remember that creepy guardian with Cheon Gi-ja? No life force."
"Yeah. Unsettling."
"Know what it was?"
Sado Hwan shook his head. No way he'd know yet.
"A jiangshi."
"...Jiangshi?"
"Yeah. Jiangshi."
Jiangshi.
The wuxia undead: reanimated corpses of dead warriors, grotesque. Typically, they wielded their living arts and obeyed masters blindly.
Chu Tae Su makes Sun-Moon Jiangshi later.
In the mid-to-late game of Murim Returner, during the war between the orthodox sects and the Cult, he unleashes a jiangshi legion as his ace.
Stabbing the Cult in the back while the Heavenly Demon leads the charge.
The legion's terror was the Sun-Moon Jiangshi: wielding extreme yang and yin, crushing even Super Peaks.
The yin comes from the Little Ice Witch's ice crystal.
She converts to the Cult, mouths off to the Heavenly Demon, shatters. Her crystal's fate? Later revealed in Chu Tae Su's hands.
Yang source never revealed... unless it's Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa's spirit core?
Nothing matches a divine beast's extreme yang qi.
Mu Jin never heard of firebirds upon joining the Cult, so plausible.
"Lure them with Red Dragon revival, then amp jiangshi instead."
"Possible, but... I'd prefer elixir. If so, how far ahead was Chu Tae Su planning? Sorcery on us was just the start."
"Gotta be that level for '0.7 Sado Gwang' rep."
"Then Hyeok Mun might be ensorcelled too."
"Likely. Even for them, this recklessness is off."
Calling the Heavenly Demon a 'wench'? Charging us with three Super Peaks? Insane.
Sorcery explained it. Super Peaks resisting mind arts? Rare, but Chu Tae Su might have a trick.
Time for Hyeok Mun to snap out like Mu Geuk.
"So, how do we escape?"
Sado Hwan scowled.
True enough.
We chatted casually, but moments ago I'd been fighting—and getting wrecked by—Hyeok Mun.
This eye-and-altar cave had no exit. Like the cave where I'd first met Pa Cheon.
No way out.
"Curious. Spirits can't use arts? Cliché's weak in reality, OP in mindscape."
"No idea what cliché means. Can't."
"Shame. Smashing out after powering up would've been juicy."
"You're definitely a monster. No spells, but baffling words."
"You wouldn't get it."
Scrap the mindscape-busting martial plan.
"Hints must be the eye and altar."
I approached the altar. As I stepped forward, the eye flinched back like retreating.
"Hm?"
A small booklet lay atop it.
[Red Dragon Scripture]
I read it. Grim stuff, wrinkling my nose.
Summary: One day, the great Red Dragon re-manifests, striking all but Hyeok clansmen and slaves with red lightning. Literal bolt from the blue.
No wonder Mu Geuk hated the dragon chant.
"Burn it?"
Lighter in my suit pocket, handy.
The eye shook its head frantically. It understood me.
I set the book down, dusted my hands.
Bad mood aside, poking might butterfly-effect disaster.
Eye sagged in relief.
Something felt off.
"Hey, Sado Hwan."
"What?"
"Isn't it... smaller?"
"Hmm... Not sure."
"Drew logos on CEO Kim's orders. My eye says it's shrunk."
"Hmm. Dunno."
"Maybe Pa Cheon's absorbing the dragon core."
We'd stabbed it in for that.
"Pass."
"Same."
Any other divine beast, fine. But world-lightning Red Dragon?
Pa Cheon could handle it, but still creepy.
"Puke it out once we're out."
Red lightning screamed Hyeok anyway—too conspicuous.
I sighed, pondering escape.
Suddenly, the cave shook. Cracks spidered the ceiling.
Then—
Piiik—!
Familiar bird cry.
I locked eyes with Sado Hwan.
"Monster."
"Yeah?"
"Time to switch back. Take good care of this body."
His face was calm. But behind it? Joy at his body, sorrow at leaving. Immense.
Sado Hwan had grown.
"You're human now."
"Sword now."
"Anyway."
Flames seeped through the cracks.
I snapped awake. Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa blasting Hyeok Mun with fire.
It'd woken me.
Like me, Hyeok Mun dazed from the flames. Mind clearing.
[Red Dragon qi entered the body. Gotta expel it.]
Pa Cheon, back as sword, muttered. Dragon core still embedded—perfect cover.
[Here goes.]
Monstrous red thunder erupted from Pa Cheon.
But the lightning didn't dissipate—it formed a shape.
"Red... Dragon?"
Instead of scattering, it bowed to me.
Hyeok Mun, stunned, stared then said,
"Manifestation?"
Another misunderstanding.
Pretending to be the Heavenly Demon