Chapter 187: Hwasan (7)
Dantian.
Literally translated, it means "red field," and in the real world, the term is often used to refer to something like the core muscles.
But in the world of wuxia, the dantian holds an entirely different meaning.
The essence of a martial artist!
The dantian is where qi accumulates. That's why you need one to use internal energy, and if it's damaged or destroyed, you become a cripple.
To a martial artist, it's practically equivalent to their heart or their very life.
And he has two of them?
What the hell? Double-barreled dantians or something?
"So you're saying he contains two different energies in one body."
"Yes, that's correct. He harbors both the energy of the Hwasan Sect's internal arts and the energy of blood techniques."
With that, Gwang-yeon raised two different streams of energy from his palms.
The pure energy of the Hwasan Sect and the turbid, sinister energy of the Blood Cult unfolded simultaneously.
"When using blood techniques, residues remain in the meridians, but using the energy of the Plum Blossom Divine Art actually devours those residues, making it stronger while also reinforcing the meridians. As a result, even though I entered the sect relatively late for a Daoist school, I was able to rise quickly."
"How many years did it take?"
"I entered at seventeen, and it took fifteen years."
That was absurd.
Righteous faction martial arts are pure and stable, but they're correspondingly difficult and slow to cultivate.
That's why most righteous faction martial artists start learning basic arts at five or six, and begin proper training around seven or eight.
That's the steady, slow path of righteous faction cultivation—and the reason their supreme experts are all so old.
Gwang-yeon had transcended those limits. Starting ten years later than others, he'd reached the Peak realm thirty years ahead of schedule, saving at least forty years.
The blood technique residues and malice are purified by the Hwasan energy, tempering the meridians in the process. No wonder his foundation solidified so quickly.
In other words, he'd tempered his meridians like steel in a forge.
If that's true... the Blood Cult has no choice but to be the strongest force.
If it takes others a full cycle of sixty years to forge a Peak expert, the Blood Cult could mass-produce ones on the cusp of Super Peak in just twenty.
'That can't be right.'
If Pa Cheon's hypothesis held, the Blood Cult would've risen again no matter how gruesomely their cult leader died in Murim Returner.
However.
[It'd be useless for us anyway.]
The problem with this body—Sado Hwan's body—wasn't the dantian.
On the contrary, thanks to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, I was confident it was sturdier than anyone's.
The issue was only the blocked meridians that prevented energy from flowing outward.
'Still, there might be a hint here.'
For instance, if I passed this concept to Ma Ui? He might devise a new solution.
"There must be some drawbacks."
"Several issues exist. First, to create this result—me—Imajon had to exhaust all her resources and assets."
Jin So-cheong reacted to that.
"Indeed, Imajon's faction shrank dramatically at some point. She absorbed a merchant guild to recover, but it drew the Murim Alliance's attention—I remember it clearly. Oh, and she once demanded a massive quantity of medical texts from Ilmajon."
Even for the Blood Cult's Imajon, whose secret cult amassed immense wealth, pouring it all into one person.
Well, that was solvable, at least.
In this world, wealth stemmed from power anyway.
"Any other problems?"
"...Lifespan. According to Imajon, mine will be less than half of a normal person's."
There it is.
The dantian was a vessel for heaven and earth's natural qi—having two wasn't natural.
[Paying lifespan as the price for dual dantians. An effective method, indeed.
'......'
[What's wrong? Martial artists live each day as if it might be their last anyway. If death is inevitable, better to meet it as an expert than drag it out.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and Blood Cult shared the same roots, it seemed. One path led to survival of the strongest.
"Of course, this worthless life of mine is ready to be offered at any moment—no concerns there."
The other to fanaticism, like Gwang-yeon's.
'So you'd do it if I told you to?'
[Hell no.]
'Talk about it.'
Pa Cheon cherished his body far too much. Besides, once the blocked meridians healed, we'd have the supreme Heavenly Demon Divine Art—no need for double-barreled tricks.
Time for the final question.
"What was the Blood Tree for?"
"Because of the Blood God's remains in Mount Hwasan."
According to Gwang-yeon, it went like this.
They'd discovered that, just like other Blood God remains, one existed in Hwasan Sect too.
That's why he'd infiltrated as a disciple.
"I searched everywhere for the Blood God's remains afterward but found nothing. Not in the grounds, nor across the vast Hwasan territory."
Then time passed, and Gwang-yeon became a disciple leader.
"When I entered Josa-dong to report to heaven, earth, and the gods, I saw it. A remains larger than any other Blood God's, embedded in the cavern wall."
Josa-dong, as expected.
"But as I'm not a vessel for the Blood God, I lacked the qualification to view it directly. Nor could I bring outsiders into the grounds. So I was designing a special formation via the Blood Tree—one derived from the power in the Blood God's remains."
"To set it ablaze."
"H-how did you...?!"
"Who do you think I am? Do you still doubt that I am the true vessel of the Blood God?"
"F-forgive me!"
Shock and awe filled the eyes of Gwang-yeon and Jin So-cheong as they gazed at me.
It was written in Hangul anyway—more bizarre if they couldn't read it.
'So to access the Muhonjibyeok, I need to enter Josa-dong after all.'
Josa-dong wasn't a place outsiders could casually enter.
Unless you performed great merit or earned recognition and "paid respects"—with some smooth talking, maybe.
'And Gwang-yeon is on my side.'
Conclusion reached.
[Multiple presences approaching.]
'Hwasan?'
[No. Sinister auras—Blood Cult.]
While syncing stories with Gwang-yeon, time had truly run out.
Time to act fast.
I said to Gwang-yeon,
"Assemble the cultists immediately."
"Yes."
Gwang-yeon whistled. A special pitch—inaudible to my ears.
But in an instant, around thirty crimson-robed cultists appeared. True to the Blood Cult, even their masks were red.
By their auras, they seemed suspicious of me.
Makes sense—the Blood Yang Corps for nurturing the Blood Tree had dwindled, Gwang-yeon was battered.
The culprit was obviously me, yet here he was kneeling and praising me. No wonder they couldn't grasp the situation.
Didn't matter anyway.
Because.
"Gwang-yeon."
"Yes, Cult Leader."
"Slay them all."
They were all doomed anyway.
Villains to boot—no need for extra eyes.
Creating unreliable witnesses here just invites backstabs and cliché frustration.
Gwang-yeon offered no reply or question.
Plum blossoms bloomed in an instant, followed only by thuds of bodies.
"Mission accomplished."
This was fanaticism's power. No room for doubt in their actions.
Next.
"Mugyeok-i. Carry these two for a bit."
Piik!
Mugyeok-i strongly signaled refusal. Possessing purifying power, it naturally rejected the impure energies of the pair.
But when I glared and tskt, it relented with a reluctant kiing, hoisting them up and soaring high.
'Pa Cheon. You can do what I mentioned earlier, right?'
[Of course.]
'Erase the Blood Yang Corps, leaving just faint traces.'
[Got it.]
Red sparks crackled along Pa Cheon's blade. But unlike the purified energy from monk Gongjin, it felt turbid and sinister.
[Something like "Thunderbolt Blood Qi." It's based on the Blood Yang Corps' blood qi, overlaid with faint thunder qi. Being opposites, the repulsion is intense.
That explained it.
The power felt different from usual Thunder Shadow Sword.
Static made my hair stand on end, goosebumps rising.
'That level of force could match a Super Peak expert's strike.'
The issue was efficiency and time, though.
Simply put, a Super Peak's "normal attack" enhanced by sword gang and simsang matched Pa Cheon's current "technique."
Still, this was decent mimicry—not ba—
Wait.
"Huh?!"
The thunder qi making my hair stand meant it affected me too.
'Hold on—.'
KRAAACKOOM!
[Y-you monster!]
Lightning erupted from Pa Cheon, and I blacked out.
I opened my eyes.
An unfamiliar ceiling.
In cliché fashion, a servant would enter saying, "Young master, you've awakened," and I'd touch my face in a mirror, muttering, "What happened?"
Ah, genre destruction.
"Awake, are you?"
Fortune or misfortune?
The voice I heard upon opening my eyes belonged to Paeng Yu-gun.
Sitting up, I saw him clearly.
He.
Held Pa Cheon.
Pa Cheon was silent, for some reason.
"This sword... it's a demon blade that devours human energy."
Crisis.
Learning Pa Cheon's secret equated to uncovering my identity.
A "descendant of Yakseon" wielding an energy-devouring demon sword?
Paeng Yu-gun, estranged from books, might not know—but history buffs could identify it as the Pa Cheon Sword.
That would cast doubt on my Flying Sword pretense being innate.
Brain freeze.
If only Pa Cheon would say something!
"Eastern Sword Dragon, Kim Dong Yun."
Paeng Yu-gun rose and approached.
With each step, crisis surged—like the Blue-Red Ring in my ear activating.
'Tak Horak...!'
It must've alerted Tak Horak too, but he wasn't reacting—probably dismissed as nothing since he follows orders too well, per last time.
I had to handle this.
"...Elder. There seems to be a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding? After spilling everything?"
Spilled everything...?!
So Tak Horak wasn't just dumb—he'd already been caught by Paeng Yu-gun?
Sa Wol too?
Paeng Yu-gun grinned ferociously.
"The bastard. Said he had a secret lover—and it was Jin So-cheong?!"
"...Pardon?"
"Seongsu Bong spilled it all. Said you slipped out for a rendezvous and found Blood Cult traces."
"No, that's—"
"Tch! If you'd met Seongsu Bong first at the Tang Clan, a bit quicker and—!"
"Uh... pardon?"
This wasn't about Pa Cheon?
More importantly, me and Jin So-cheong were a thing now?
"What do you mean?"
"What else? Seongsu Bong blabbed, and now it's the talk of the town. Even sent letters by messenger bird."
...Screwed.
I'm dead.
Looks like the obsessive yandere Heavenly Demon is about to awaken.