Chapter 192: Extreme Demon (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 192: Extreme Demon (1)
Nok-yo’s jaw dropped as she stared up at Seo-jun, who was hovering in the sky.
"Is that... Step-daddy-dayo...?"
She stared intently at the horns sprouting from Seo-jun’s head. Then, she reached up and gently stroked her own horns—which had now grown into two pairs.
She had four horns. Step-daddy only had two.
After pondering this deeply, Nok-yo nodded as if reaching a profound realization.
"Does this mean I'm the Step-mommy-dayo?"
Finding the little girl utterly adorable, Nok So-pyeong scooped Nok-yo into her arms and gazed at Seo-jun with burning eyes.
"As I thought..."
Seo-jun met her gaze for a brief moment before taking a step. With that single, weightless stride, space itself seemed to fold, bringing him directly in front of her.
"What do you mean, 'as you thought'?"
"I mean that you truly are the sprout of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons."
Seo-jun’s eyes narrowed. Meeting his piercing glare, Nok So-pyeong licked her dry lips.
"Sounds like you’ve known for a while," Seo-jun said.
"Of course. I knew the moment I laid eyes on you."
"How?"
Nok So-pyeong giggled.
"How could I not, when you flaunt such pure Demonic Qi so openly? Not even the Divine Priestess possesses Demonic Qi of that purity."
"...Damn."
He hadn't considered that. As Seo-jun frowned, Nok So-pyeong suddenly leaned in close.
"Did you know?"
Seo-jun took a step back. "...Know what?"
"The Divine Priestess is looking for you. A divine name was handed down—decreeing that the sprout of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons has set foot on the lands of Tianshan."
It was an extension of her previous warning, but there was a massive difference between saying the Cult would take an interest in him, and specifically dropping the titles of the Divine Priestess and a divine name.
"What are you playing at? Spilling this to me borders on apostasy."
"Didn’t you tell me to be honest and lay bare everything I was hiding?"
"Well, thanks for that."
Seo-jun let out a hollow laugh, and Nok So-pyeong offered a mysterious smile in return.
"Even a mere beast knows gratitude. As a spiritual creature, I cannot afford to be ignorant of it."
"On the contrary, it’s because they are mere beasts that they understand pure gratitude. Once a mind opens up and gains sapience, thoughts tend to get complicated."
"Then let’s just say I know gratitude because I’m a beast."
"……"
When Seo-jun fell silent, Nok So-pyeong narrowed her large eyes into a crescent-shaped smile.
"Come to think of it, did I mention I had no intention of mating with a human?"
"……"
"But now that I see you aren’t exactly human, how about taking me as a reward? I’m quite a capable deer, you know."
"I'll pass."
"Oh, my. How disappointing."
Boohoo. Nok So-pyeong made a theatrical show of wiping away fake tears. Seo-jun took another step away from her and asked, "So, was the reason you kept making excuses to hold me back because you recognized me as the sprout of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons?"
"That’s right. To be precise, I was torn. After all, I owe you for saving Nok-yo."
As long as Nok So-pyeong belonged to the Demonic Cult, ignoring Mara’s divine name was no easy task.
However, the order to find the sprout of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons was, strictly speaking, the Divine Priestess’s command. And to Nok So-pyeong, the Divine Priestess’s orders didn’t hold much weight.
"And... that inner core of yours."
Nok So-pyeong pointed a delicate finger toward Seo-jun’s chest.
"I caught a glimpse of it when you broke through your realm earlier. Even though you are human, you possess an inner core. I suppose that’s why I felt a strange sense of kinship with you."
In truth, that was the biggest reason.
"I was curious, you see. Why on earth did I feel this way? So, I kept you around."
Nok So-pyeong giggled as she continued.
"The result was a grand success. My insight has truly shone through."
"You just got lucky."
"Luck is a skill in its own right."
Seo-jun raised an eyebrow at her retort and changed the subject. "Anyway. Is Nok-yo okay now? The connection with the Purification Tree must still remain."
"It’s not a problem. If anything, she’ll grow up even healthier by passively receiving the divine powers of the Purification Tree. As for the connection itself, Nok-yo will be able to control it on her own once she grows up."
Then that was that. With his lingering concerns resolved, he could leave with a light heart.
As Seo-jun turned to leave, Nok So-pyeong stopped him.
"Wait a moment."
"What now?"
"It doesn’t sit well with me to only be on the receiving end."
With a sharp snap, she broke off one of her own horns. Seo-jun’s eyes widened in shock.
"I heard that if your horn breaks, you die."
"Ah, you mean for Nok-yo?" Nok So-pyeong burst into laughter. "That’s true when we’re young, but it’s a different story once we’re fully grown. Of course, it’ll take some time to grow back... but it won’t hinder my life in any way."
With that, Nok So-pyeong handed the severed horn to Seo-jun. He quietly stroked the object in his hand. It was surprisingly soft and faintly warm.
Furthermore, this was a horn that served as the upper dantian for a massive spiritual deer. The Demonic Qi condensed inside was potent enough to send a chill down even Seo-jun's spine.
"Why are you giving me this?"
"It’s good for the body if you brew it into a tonic. It’s especially good for a woman’s skin and womb. As a spirit herb, I can guarantee it’s the absolute best in the Central Plains."
He didn’t know much about all that, but he figured he could give it to Chun-bong and Su-ah. If he converted the Demonic Qi inside into pure Qi, it would become a spirit herb of such caliber that it would make even a Great Restoration Pill look like a joke.
"I appreciate it."
"Don’t mention it. It’s nothing."
Seo-jun tucked Nok So-pyeong’s horn into his luggage and ruffled Nok-yo’s hair.
"Take care."
"Are you leaving-dayo?"
"Yeah."
"I understand-dayo."
Nok-yo waved her stubby little arms back and forth. "See you again-dayo."
Nok So-pyeong also waved her hand, mimicking her daughter. "See you again."
Seo-jun gave a short laugh and turned his back to them.
"If I'm ever out this way again, I’ll drop by."
* * *
After leaving Deer Field Mountain, Seo-jun traveled leisurely for a few days using his lightness skill. The horns that had sprouted when he reached the Fire Demon Realm had vanished without a trace.
He hadn’t known it back when he first underwent Demonification, but after stepping into the Fire Demon Realm, he realized he could freely retract the horns into his body.
He was incredibly satisfied that he didn't have to saw them off every time. He was especially, especially thrilled that he wouldn't have to deal with any more bald spots.
Seo-jun touched the smooth spot on his head where the horns had been and pondered.
The Divine Priestess knows I’m here?
The sprout of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons. Just from the title alone, anyone could deduce its deep ties to the Demonic Cult.
Roughly translated, didn’t it mean 'the one who stands above all demons'? He figured that if he were the Divine Priestess, he’d turn the world upside down trying to find him too.
Now that I think about it, it’s completely absurd.
That woman he had seen back in the modern world. He strongly suspected she was the one who had sent him to the Murim...
What on earth was she thinking, dropping him near Shaanxi?
If he was some ultra-rare character with a title as grandiose as the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, wouldn’t they usually drop him right in the Cult's front yard?
Surely that woman wasn’t someone from the Righteous Faction.
It would be hilarious if she were, though.
If they ever met again, he’d crack her skull about six times. If she still wasn’t dead after that, he’d just cave it in a few more times for good measure.
"Then, for now..."
Seo-jun stopped in his tracks for a moment, deep in thought.
It would be safer to just head back like this.
The Demonic Cult was actively hunting for him. If things went south, he might get to enjoy the precious experience of being chased down by several Extreme Demons.
Or worse, the Heavenly Demon himself might come knocking.
Seo-jun enjoyed a healthy amount of risk, but he had never developed a hobby for suicide. Honestly, dealing with the Heavenly Demon was a bit much right now.
"Sss... I should probably just go back, right?"
Still, it felt like a waste. He had come all this way, and returning without doing much felt like a massive loss.
Did the heavens realize their guest was trying to leave Tianshan early? Right on cue, a solicitor appeared.
Thud-thud-thud! Thud-thud-thud!
It was a man riding on horseback. Since it was his first time seeing a martial artist actually riding a horse in the Murim, Seo-jun stared at him intently.
Interesting.
The internal energy of the horse and the rider were perfectly linked. Thanks to that, the beast's speed was unnaturally fast.
The man closed the distance in an instant and pulled back on the reins right in front of Seo-jun.
"Whoa, whoa."
Snort! The horse huffed and stared down at Seo-jun. Seo-jun stared right back into its large, dark eyes.
Ptooey!
Seo-jun casually dodged the glob of spit the horse launched at him and looked at the animal with an utterly baffled expression.
"What an ill-mannered horse."
"So-cheong is a bit on the wild side," the man said.
"So-cheong? Is that the horse’s name?"
"Yes. You could call her my companion."
Companion? Seo-jun pursed his lips tightly. It took everything he had to hold back from asking if the man was a horse-fucker.
The man gave Seo-jun a strange look before dismounting.
Untying the blade strapped to his saddle and cradling it in his arms, he looked at Seo-jun and asked, "By any chance, do you know a fellow called the Purple Lightning Demon?"
"I do."
"What was he like?"
"He was a crazy pedo bastard."
"A follower of the Hegemonic Dao? He wasn't exactly the type of friend that the word 'hegemon' would suit."
Seo-jun looked at the man with a peculiar gaze.
"Were you friends?"
"Drinking buddies."
"That’s unfortunate."
"Well, his time had come. He lived a damn long life, so it’s not like I can blame anyone."
Ssh— The man tied the scabbard to his waist. He lifted his bamboo hat with his left hand, revealing a pair of sharp, predatory eyes. Then, he slightly pulled his left foot back and settled into a starting stance.
"However, as his friend, shouldn’t I at least avenge him?"
"You’ll regret it."
Maybe a few days ago it would have been a fight, but now, the man was no match for him. This fellow didn't know it yet, but Seo-jun had already broken through to the Fire Demon Realm.
"We’ll have to wait and see about that."
The man wore a refreshing smile. He had his own calculations.
He couldn't properly read his opponent’s realm. The boy had likely reached the pinnacle of the Super Peak Realm. If that was the case, the man just had to break through to the Extreme Demon realm himself to win.
He was confident. He believed in his own talent. In the crucible of this fight, he would ascend to the Extreme Demon realm.
The man gripped the hilt of his blade. The weapon felt absolutely perfect in his hand; his intuition was screaming that today was the day.
"I am Hwan Chi-seong, the Heavenly Wandering Blade."
"Cheon Seo-jun."
Click— Hwan Chi-seong popped the blade loose with his thumb.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of sandy wind blew past. In that exact moment, Hwan Chi-seong’s blade fully revealed itself, a silver flash slicing through the rays of sunlight.
Flash! ──────────
It was an unbelievably fast blade that had reached the absolute pinnacle of speed. A faint breeze brushed past Seo-jun’s neck as he casually took a single step back to evade it.
Not bad.
Nodding in approval, Seo-jun lunged forward. Or rather, he tried to.
Click—
Hwan Chi-seong smoothly sheathed his blade back into its scabbard. Seeing that, Seo-jun aborted his charge and let out a hollow laugh of disbelief.
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Why on earth would he sheathe a blade he had just drawn in the middle of a fight?
Unless he had discovered some legendary pseudo-physics law where the friction of drawing the blade converted into kinetic energy, it was nothing more than empty posturing—
Ah.
This was Tianshan, wasn't it? To be "Heaven-Defying" literally meant to go against the natural order of the world. Converting friction into kinetic energy wasn't entirely out of the question in a place like this.
Common sense dictated it was impossible, but that was just how the Principle of Heaven-Defying worked. It was a type of martial art that basically operated on the logic of, "I don't care about your rules, I'm right."
"Interesting. Then how will you handle this?"
Seo-jun fired off the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art with both hands.
Swaaaaaaak! ────────
Hwan Chi-seong’s blade revealed itself once more. Flash! However, Hwan Chi-seong’s figure was violently pushed back as his strike collided with the sheer force of the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art.
"Ugh...!"
Seo-jun smirked and immediately charged up the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art in both hands again.
What can you even do if I just blast you from a distance?
It was a classic "You Come to Me" tactic. It was a flawless strategy that made opponents die of sheer frustration, provided the distance was managed well.
If he played around like this for a bit, wouldn't the guy enter a Phase 2, or pop into the Extreme Demon realm or something?
If I can watch someone ascend to the Extreme Demon realm right before my eyes...
Previously, he hadn't felt the need to take the risk of entering the Extreme Demon realm himself. But if the process was demonstrated right in front of him, that was a completely different story.
He had already reached the Fire Demon Realm, but the Fire Demon Realm was a highly unique stage of cultivation. So, perhaps it might be possible to hold both.
A dual realm. Two classes at once!
Wouldn't it be nice to try being a Realm Collector for a change?
Not a bad idea at all.
Seo-jun smiled.