Chapter 201 Shaolin (7)
Ten elixirs from Yakseon.
Inside a leather pouch unmistakably from the Red Dragon Revolution Family, the elixirs were contained in transparent glass vials the size of a pinky finger.
They looked just like the small vials nurses used for injections back in the modern world, and the liquid inside kept shifting colors.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't the medicine itself changing hue but reflecting the surrounding light, creating an ever-morphing shimmer.
Something glittery floated lazily within, adding to the mystical allure.
It's like gazing at the night sky. A galaxy swirling through it.
Even the usually impassive Pa Cheon couldn't hide his awe.
"So, eating these will fix the side effects of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art."
According to what the First Heavenly Demon had inscribed on the Muhonjibyeok, the art devoured its host's innate essence.
Maybe that's why Cheon Yu Hak, the Fourth Heavenly Demon, practiced the Heubseong Daebeop.
Perhaps he sought to replenish the stolen essence by absorbing it from others.
Sado Hwan's body is unusually resilient, though.
Depleting innate essence should cause rapid aging or worse, but nothing like that had happened.
Instead, he'd been cursed with blocked meridians.
Maybe it was possible because Sado Hwan wasn't born naturally but crafted through some grand technique into a near-perfect vessel?
Either way, these ten elixirs from Yakseon were undoubtedly the first step in treating blocked meridians—even in Murim's Return.
There was no specified order, so I picked up the one on the far left.
Pop!
With a clear sound, the lid came off.
The scent was faintly sweet.
I downed it in one gulp.
"Mm…."
The taste was like cheap candy stripped of any sweetness.
In a word, fucking awful.
A bitter tang lingered on my tongue.
Even if good medicine tastes bad, this was overkill.
And this was just the first one.
"Ugh. Can't I at least have some water?"
When consuming elixirs, the proper way is to take them without water. The moisture could disrupt the elixir's energy.
"I know, I know. But at Yakseon's level, that shouldn't matter, right?"
Don't even open your mouth. The energy will leak out.
Fussy bastard.
I knocked back the second and third in quick succession.
Taste buds should go numb after some exposure, but these elixirs refused to cooperate.
The bitterness intensified with each swallow, nearly turning my stomach.
For a split second, I wondered if they were poisoned. Hell, maybe someone had swapped them out for toxin.
But no.
Thump!
The dormant Heavenly Demon Divine Art energy in my dantian stirred to life.
——!
It sensed the elixir energy flowing into my gut and began writhing wildly.
Hold on.
At my command, it paused briefly.
But instinct told me this reprieve wouldn't last.
It was like a starving beast eyeing fresh prey, drooling uncontrollably.
No choice, then.
I popped the lids off the rest and dumped them all into my mouth at once.
And in that instant.
Ruuuumble—
I felt it.
An unprecedented force surging through my gut.
Cold as ice, hot as fire, prickling like thorns.
In short, it fucking hurt.
If that had been the end of it, great—but….
———!!
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art energy went berserk.
Hairs stood on end across my body.
No, it wasn't just a sensation.
My hair rose toward the sky, defying gravity, fluttering wildly.
My body began to lift off the ground.
"Fuck."
I'd been told not to open my mouth.
My vision went black.
[Monster!]
Pa Cheon stared at Dong Yun.
Dong Yun's head hung limply downward as he floated in midair. He'd passed out.
[Snap out of it, monster!]
Pa Cheon panicked.
One must never lose consciousness while consuming elixirs. In the worst case, the energies could backflow, turning you into a vegetable.
That's why martial manuals included mind techniques.
To calm the heart and control the energy.
But Dong Yun had no such method. His control relied solely on willpower.
[Damn it all!]
Pa Cheon acknowledged it.
Dong Yun whined endlessly, but his mental fortitude surpassed most martial artists.
You needed iron will just to contain the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
The problem was that the one meant to control it had blacked out.
Then.
Crack!
An ominous sound emanated from Dong Yun's body.
[!?]
It started at the shoulder joint.
A cracking noise like bones breaking, and the joint twisted a full rotation on its own.
Soon, joints throughout his body popped and contorted wildly.
It looked grotesque and brutal at first glance, but Pa Cheon recognized it.
[Hwan-gol-tal-tae…!]
What was hwan-gol-tal-tae?
The process where a martial artist reshapes their body into the optimal form for their arts.
[But monster, you don't even have arts to optimize for… Wait. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art.]
The art consumed innate essence.
Yakseon's elixirs blocked that. But how? It didn't say. Turns out, they forcibly triggered hwan-gol-tal-tae.
[Yakseon… No, First Heavenly Demon. What in the world…]
Inducing hwan-gol-tal-tae with elixirs was unheard of.
Elixirs were mere catalysts.
Like filling a cup to the brim, then adding that one drop to make it overflow.
That was their role.
Triggering full transformation like this? Not supposed to happen.
As Pa Cheon reeled in shock, something stranger unfolded.
[Heh.]
Dong Yun's body twisted violently. Naturally, his meridians tore open.
Then, energy leaked from the ruptured channels.
Thick gray qi began migrating toward his head.
Soon, it formed three flower buds.
[Three Flowers Gather at the Summit.]
Three Flowers Gather at the Summit.
The phenomenon Super Peak aspirants experienced.
Hummm!
One of the vibrating buds bloomed fully.
Then the second began to tremble.
As if an invisible tug-of-war raged—force to open versus force to close.
It vibrated endlessly until.
Shatter.
The bud failed to bloom and scattered.
The third naturally dispersed as well.
[Hah… hahaha…]
Pa Cheon let out a bemused laugh.
No true martial enlightenment meant no Super Peak.
So this wasn't surprising.
But.
[Essence succeeded, but qi and spirit fell short.]
Without the trinity of essence, qi, and spirit, Super Peak was impossible.
Pa Cheon found it absurd yet amusing.
[Monster. Looks like you and I make a perfect pair after all. This must be that 'sick body, genius mind' combo you mentioned.]
What a coincidence.
Both had achieved imperfect Three Flowers Gather at the Summit.
One lacked a body to cultivate.
The other lacked insight to cultivate.
As if fate demanded the flawed ones unite.
[Is this destiny?]
Pa Cheon watched Dong Yun quietly.
The cracking sounds ceased, and his body slowly descended.
It was his body.
Yet not quite.
[…Well, it'll work out somehow.]
Pa Cheon felt himself changing too, perhaps.
[Feels like with you, I could do anything.]
Pa Cheon stood vigil by Dong Yun's side.
A monster.
He was a monster.
"Is this how it's done?"
Looking up with an innocent face—but
"Not quite, Master?"
He was a monster.
Deep in a cave.
Dozens of charred corpses littered the ground.
His handiwork.
Flames from his blade tip had incinerated the prisoners.
Even starved and tortured, they were first-rate demonic adepts or better.
One had even reached Peak.
A Peak demonic adept whose eyes rolled back at the promise of life for victory.
Yet the boy handled him with ease.
Hawk-like eyes tracked movements, panther feet danced lightly, lion fangs from his blade savaged the foe.
"…Yes. That's the way."
"As expected, learning martial arts is pure joy."
"Is it?"
"Yes. Especially Master's arts—they're perfect."
"In what way?"
The boy beamed innocently.
"No bloodstains."
"Bloodstains?"
"Yeah. Blood's a pain to clean. And chemicals leave traces for tracking."
"How do you know that? About blood traces and chemicals."
His expression stiffened briefly, then he smiled brightly again.
"Grandpa was an herbalist. Taught me everything."
"I see."
"Master? You don't look well. Mornings and evenings are chilly, days scorching—hope you haven't caught a cold."
His face radiated genuine concern.
A hollow laugh escaped.
Asking a Super Peak master about a cold? Infuriatingly absurd.
"That's enough for today. I'll send someone to clear the bodies. Keep training."
"Yes, Master!"
The boy waved cheerfully as he exited and sealed the door.
All fake.
He was a monster.
A monster with demonic talent never before seen.
His hands trembled.
"Alliance Leader?"
A guard at the secret training cave approached.
"Are you alright? Your hands are shaking."
Alliance Leader.
Meng Wei Xue eyed the warrior.
As the man swallowed nervously under those clear eyes.
Grip.
Meng Wei Xue had seized his throat.
"Al… li… ance… Lea… der…?"
Meng Wei Xue hoisted him up with one arm. The warrior flailed futilely.
Throb!
Veins bulged on Meng Wei Xue's hand.
"Gurk! Urk!"
Black-red veins erupted across the warrior's body, writhing. His form convulsed violently.
Mere moments.
The warrior in his grasp withered like a deflated wineskin.
Still not enough. Pathetic.
The warrior was top first-rate, but the absorbed energy was a mere speck.
Not just negligible—it was worse than nothing. Like embracing filthy dust.
"Haa—."
Thinking of the boy, his hands still shook.
Meng Wei Xue ran trembling fingers through his hair.
His lips curled to his ears.
Fear?
No.
Excitement.
Maddening excitement.
The boy was a monster!
In a few years, he'd snap his leash and bare his fangs!
An uncontrollable monster!
That's why his hands shook.
He wanted to claim him now.
But not yet.
He needed to ripen more.
Until he believed he could break free, until he lunged with teeth bared.
Then harvest the fruit.
Snap!
Meng Wei Xue flicked his fingers.
The desiccated corpse burst into flames.
"Not bloodstains… but no traces at all. That's the rule."
Muttering unheard words, Meng Wei Xue left the cave.
Pretending to Be the Heavenly Demon