Chapter 165: Placebo Enlightenment
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 165: Placebo Enlightenment
The demon’s limbs lay severed. As the creature writhed on the ground, the man from the Righteous Faction stared with trembling eyes, muttering blankly.
“The Heavenly Demon…?”
Controlling a demon with a single word? Who else but the Heavenly Demon could possibly be capable of such a feat?
At the man’s words, Cheon Seo-jun let out a short laugh.
“Not the Heavenly Demon.”
“Then…?”
“Maybe the future Heavenly Demon.”
The man’s eyes widened.
“The—the Lesser Heavenly Demon…!”
Seo-jun furrowed his brow.
“That’s a bit offensive. You’re calling me the Heavenly Demon’s lackey?”
“But if not that, then what—!”
“Enough.”
Thwack!
With a casual wave of Seo-jun’s hand, the man’s arms were ripped away.
“Aaaagh…! Why? Why…!”
“What do you mean, why? If you’re going to play the spy, you should have been prepared for this.”
“Urgh…! But aren’t you a member of the Demonic Cult yourself…!”
“Shh.”
Crunch! This time, the man’s legs were severed.
“Guaaaaagh…!”
Seo-jun struck the pressure points of the two writhing men to silence them. Then, grabbing them by their hair, he began to walk.
He exited the secret space, smashed right through the ceiling of the Sect Leader’s Hall, and soared onto the roof. Infusing his voice with Demonic Qi, he unleashed a Lion’s Roar.
“Listen well─────!!”
His voice thundered across the grounds. Every martial artist in the sect looked up at him in horror.
As he hoisted the two men in his hands, a wave of agitation ripped through the crowd.
“The—the Sect Leader…?”
“What on earth is that…?”
“What are you all doing?! Snap out of it! He’s an enemy! Draw your swords!”
One martial artist, quicker than the rest, drew his blade as his fighting spirit flared.
As if in response, the others followed suit, rapidly surrounding the Sect Leader’s Hall.
Ignoring them, Seo-jun continued.
“Your Sect Leader committed pathetic acts and defiled the name of the Divine Cult, so I have personally dealt with him.”
The Divine Cult…!
The disciples gnashed their teeth at the mention of the Demonic Cult’s alternative name.
“You bastard…!”
Unable to contain his boiling rage, one martial artist lunged at Seo-jun.
Seo-jun responded simply.
Zip, zip, zip!
He fired several Finger Pellets, striking the man’s pressure points. The martial artist froze mid-air and crashed heavily to the ground.
Clicking his tongue, Seo-jun spoke.
“There is a secret space beneath the Sect Leader’s Hall. Commoners are imprisoned there, so go tend to them.”
“Nonsense!”
“Your Sect Leader made a deal with a parasite clinging to the Divine Cult. I’ve done your job for you, so you should be grateful.”
“Shut up! You murderous villain…! I will take your head right now and avenge the Sect Leader!”
Despite his relatively kind explanation, the martial artists’ fury only intensified.
From the looks of it, these people had no connection to the Demonic Cult. Seo-jun had enough of a conscience to feel bad about wiping out an entire sect unprovoked. Instead, he released his momentum to suppress the area.
BOOOOOOOM──────────!!!
It was a martial art manifested through Demonic Qi, twisting the Emperor Sword Form into an unrecognizable shape.
In the past, this wouldn't have been very effective, but things were different now. Even setting aside his Transcendent Realm status, he could now borrow the functions of the Emperor Sword Form to exert a crushing amount of pressure.
If he had to give it a name, it would be the Heavenly Demon Ruling Step.
Most of the martial artists couldn't withstand the pressure and slammed face-first into the ground.
A few exceptional ones—those around the middle stage of the Peak Realm—barely managed to stay upright. Yet, they were still frozen in place, unable to move a single muscle.
“Urgh…!”
“H-how can this be…!”
Seo-jun looked down at them. Then, he impaled the Sect Leader and the demon onto the high ornamental spikes of the roof.
Thud!
The two fixed bodies swayed in the wind.
“I will say it again. There are commoners in the secret space beneath the Sect Leader’s Hall. Rescue them. I do not wish for the name of the Divine Cult to be tarnished by such trivial matters.”
Pop! Simultaneously, the heads of the Sect Leader and the demon exploded. Two headless corpses were now on display high above.
Seo-jun descended from the roof and walked through the crowd of martial artists.
His pace was leisurely, yet no one could stop him.
The disciples could only watch him, groaning under the crushing weight of the Heavenly Demon Ruling Step. They had no choice. The sounds of their struggling filled the sect grounds.
One martial artist screamed at Seo-jun as he passed.
“Why…! Why should we follow your will…?!”
“Because you have something to gain.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit! What could we possibly gain?!”
Seo-jun looked the man in the eye. The disciple's eyes, filled with rage, were burning with fighting spirit rather than breaking.
“My mercy.”
With those final words, Cheon Seo-jun vanished from the Righteous Profound Sect.
A new Great Demon had made his debut.
* * *
Concealing his presence, Seo-jun watched as the disciples of the Righteous Profound Sect rescued the people trapped in the secret space.
He had stayed behind to watch just in case, but fortunately, the people of the Righteous Profound Sect seemed to possess the average moral character expected of the Righteous Faction.
“Man, this feels weird.”
Seo-jun smacked his lips. Just moments ago, the killing intent they had directed at him had been palpable.
Did anyone know what it felt like to have countless people looking at you as if they wanted to tear you apart?
It felt incredibly strange, as if he had actually become a villain.
As a proud Murim master, he felt he could confidently boast that his character was in the top one percent of the martial world, simply because he hadn't killed them all in a single blow.
But why did he go out of his way to take on the persona of Cheon Seo-jun just to get cursed at?
There wasn't any grand reason.
It was just that if he acted as Lee Seo-jun, he’d have to explain way too many things. Why did he kill the Sect Leader? Why did he sneak into the Righteous Profound Sect? Why did he break into the Sect Leader’s Hall?
He could explain all of that, but it would be a massive hassle.
Even if he managed to brush this incident off, if he kept causing trouble, his enemies would only multiply, wouldn't they? He already had plenty of enemies. He didn't want to add more to the list here.
On the other hand, if he committed these acts as Cheon Seo-jun, he could enjoy the thrill without the burden of responsibility.
He hadn't even done anything bad; in fact, he’d done a good deed. It was a win-win for everyone.
‘Is this all I got?’
Seo-jun opened the wooden box in his hand. Inside sat an elixir pill that gave off a strangely sweet scent.
It was the item the Sect Leader of the Righteous Profound Sect had asked the demon about earlier.
Before silencing the demon, Seo-jun had interrogated it about the pill’s identity (the demon had been much more obedient after having its limbs chopped off).
As it turned out, it was an elixir made by refining human essence and blood. Its effects included a slight increase in lifespan and a boost in internal energy.
“Tsk.”
It felt entirely too disgusting to give to Chun-bong.
Seo-jun summoned Samadhi True Fire in his palm and incinerated the pill completely.
He had achieved most of his goals.
He still hadn't figured out the exact reason why he could forcibly command demons, but… that wasn't something he could solve immediately. He was satisfied just knowing the general conditions.
The reason he hadn't known about this ability until now was likely because he simply hadn't encountered a demon before, or perhaps his rising realm allowed him to do things he couldn't do previously.
It would have been nice to obtain a useful demonic art from the demon at the Righteous Profound Sect, but at a glance, the creature's techniques weren't much different from the ones he’d seen before. He hadn't even bothered asking.
‘Should I head back for now?’
After dealing with the remaining demons hiding within Gorang County, Seo-jun used the Primordial Unity Step to leave the area.
He felt a surge of pride once again for creating the Primordial Unity Step.
‘The Central Plains is one crazy place.’
It was just too damn big.
* * *
Ever since Seo-jun left, Hwangbo Hye-ji had spent almost the entire day punching a boulder.
Thud! Thud!
However, even after pounding the rock for several days, only minor scratches marred its surface.
‘Well, it’s only been a few days.’
She hadn't expected much to happen in such a short time. Hwangbo Hye-ji continued to strike the boulder silently.
BOOOOOM──────────!!
Suddenly, with a loud crash, someone landed in the villa of the Namgung Clan.
“A—an attack…!?”
Startled, Hwangbo Hye-ji hurriedly circulated her internal energy, but Namgung Su-ah, who had been training beside her, only giggled.
“Lady Namgung…?”
“Ah, sorry. It was just a little funny.”
Namgung Su-ah waved her hand with a bright smile. A breeze blew from her fingertips, clearing away the dust.
“You’re back, Seo-jun?”
“Oh, Sister.”
As the dust settled, Seo-jun was revealed, waving his hand with a glad expression.
Namgung Su-ah quickly approached and pulled him into a tight hug.
“You worked hard.”
“It was nothing.”
Seo-jun accepted the hug with a relaxed air and then greeted Hwangbo Hye-ji.
“Have you been doing well?”
“Yes, well… I haven't been able to break it yet, though….”
At her words, Seo-jun inspected the boulder. Faint marks left by Hwangbo Hye-ji’s fists remained on the surface.
‘Wait.’
Given Hwangbo Hye-ji’s level before he left, it should have been impossible for her to leave even a scratch. He had placed a sorcery on it specifically scaled to her level.
“Wow, you’ve been working hard, haven't you?”
Somehow, she had succeeded in carving marks into the rock.
Moreover, seeing her drenched in sweat, it was clear she hadn't neglected her training while he was gone.
She was the type who worked hard even without being told. If he had to give her a title, it would be something like "Model Student Hwangbo Hye-ji."
“I’m still far from enough….”
Hwangbo Hye-ji gave a bitter smile.
Seo-jun patted her shoulder lightly.
“No. You’re doing great. Keep at it for a few more days. I think you’re about to see results.”
The results might be a bit different from what she expected, but they would definitely come.
* * *
That night.
Thud! Thud!
It was a time when everyone else was asleep, but Hwangbo Hye-ji remained engrossed in her training.
After continuing her training through the night for the past few days, she had learned how to strike the boulder without making a loud noise.
“Can I… really do it…?”
Hwangbo Hye-ji leaned her head against the boulder, tracing the fist marks covering its surface. She relished the cold sensation against her forehead.
After a brief sigh, she steeled her resolve and pulled her fist back once more.
“Hah…!”
Thud! Her fist struck the rock. And then—
Crack—
A small hairline fracture appeared on the boulder.
“Huh…?”
Hwangbo Hye-ji’s eyes flew open. Calming her racing heart, she threw another punch.
Thud!
Cr-crack! Her fist sank into the rock as the crack grew larger.
As if possessed, she threw punch after punch at the boulder. Even then, the sound of her strikes wasn't loud.
It was something completely different from the Thunderbolt Fist of Mount Tai. The punches she was throwing now didn't contain the "thunderbolt."
Without the noisy roar of thunder, the sight of Hwangbo Hye-ji silently pounding the rock was almost reverent.
And finally—
CRACK──────────
The massive boulder split in half.
Standing before it, Hwangbo Hye-ji trembled with a burning sense of euphoria.
“Ah…!”
The pure sense of achievement made her scalp tingle. For a moment, she thought of Eun Wi-ryong. The sword of that pathetic man, who had displayed a completely different level of swordsmanship through a single change in mindset.
While it was still difficult to fully believe in herself as Senior Jin Gi-jae-cheon had advised, she felt as though she had found a small clue.
‘…I can do better. I just need to move forward, step by step.’
After silently venting her joy, Hwangbo Hye-ji headed back to her room with a beaming smile. Her footsteps felt unusually light today.
In the spot where she had disappeared, Seo-jun revealed himself.
“She succeeded?”
He glanced around and retrieved the talisman attached to the boulder.
The talisman, its energy completely depleted, was now just an ordinary scrap of paper.
The energy he had infused into it, which had been slowly consumed by Hwangbo Hye-ji’s repetitive punches, had finally run out today.
‘I put quite a bit of energy into it…. Just how hard did she work?’
In truth, Hwangbo Hye-ji’s punches hadn't improved significantly compared to before.
It was only natural. Gaining enlightenment in just a few days wasn't a normal occurrence. It was closer to a fateful encounter.
She seemed to have picked up the knack for reducing the sound of her strikes, but that didn't help much with her raw power.
The boulder broke simply because Hwangbo Hye-ji had hit it so many times. It was like emptying a bucket of water with a spoon.
Since the talisman was designed to consume its protective energy with every strike…
She probably thought she broke the rock because she had improved—but unfortunately, that was an illusion. It was the result of simple, brute-force effort, not a martial breakthrough.
But was it a mere illusion? Not quite.
Her final punch was definitely different.
That punch, thrown while immersed in absolute euphoria, was clearly a strike that had stepped one level beyond her previous limits.
By breaking the unbreakable rock, she had turned the illusion of moving forward into reality.
‘Is this placebo enlightenment?’
Seo-jun let out a short laugh.
Regardless, that enlightenment was only able to shine because of Hwangbo Hye-ji’s relentless effort.
If she had been lazy, she wouldn't have gained any enlightenment even if the rock had broken a few days later.
“Now I just really need to put her through the wringer.”
That tiny bit of confidence she had just grasped—Seo-jun’s goal was to nurture that confidence and turn her into a magnificent, unfilial daughter.