Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 7
>Chapter Title: The Adhesion Rite (1)
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The connected red thread.
It signified that their souls were linked.
Shikigami.
The existence of the Azure Spirit, reduced to a bizarre servant controlled by its master, was tearing at its hair in utter fury and injustice at this absurd situation, screaming its lungs out.
It had even lost control of its rage and tried to threaten Mok Kyung-un.
But then,
-Sizzle!
-Ugh! Damn it!
The Azure Spirit's existence had grabbed Mok Kyung-un by the throat, only to suddenly panic and let go.
Wondering why, Mok Kyung-un saw red handprints forming around the entity's pale neck.
'No way?'
Seeing this, Mok Kyung-un realized one fact.
Though he didn't know the exact reason, it seemed the shikigami shared harm inflicted on its master.
'So that's why.'
He now understood why the Demon Monk had black spots all over his body.
It was because the damages from the Azure Spirit's blood orb attacks had transferred to the Demon Monk as well.
'I see.'
He could now grasp why shikigami served their masters.
With souls linked and harm shared, they had no choice but to eliminate anything threatening their master.
This explained the Azure Spirit's reaction perfectly.
For such an arrogant entity to become little more than a slave shikigami—how infuriating it must be.
Even as a soul alone, it would surely be enraged.
But that was the end of it.
Mok Kyung-un didn't care if the Azure Spirit felt wronged or burst with anger.
On the contrary, he was satisfied with achieving his goal.
'High-grade Azure Spirit.'
In terms of rank, it was the fifth of seven stages, close to the pinnacle of vengeful spirits.
Unlike the Yellow Spirit-grade Demon Monk, an Azure Spirit-grade vengeful spirit that had lingered for over a century could affect things beyond living beings.
Mok Kyung-un wanted to verify this.
'But first...'
He spoke to the still-fuming Azure Spirit entity.
"Now that you're my shikigami, what should I call you?"
-......
"Isn't staying silent just a waste of time?"
-......
'Hmm.'
Mok Kyung-un sighed.
It huffed and refused to meet his eyes, so he shook his head.
"Then it doesn't matter if I call you whatever I want."
-......
"Even something like 'idiot'?"
-How dare you!
At those words, the Azure Spirit, which hadn't even glanced his way, whipped its head around.
Mok Kyung-un smirked and said,
"Looks like you hate that one."
One of the Azure Spirit's eyebrows twitched violently.
-Damn mortal, how dare you toy with this exalted one?
"If you don't want to be toyed with, just tell me a proper name."
"This lowly mortal doesn't deserve to know my title."
With that, the Azure Spirit whipped its head away again.
Watching this, Mok Kyung-un clicked his tongue inwardly.
Fortunately, it posed no threat to him, but controlling it might prove quite difficult.
"No choice, then. Since you won't tell me, I'll call you whatever."
-......
"Nothing comes to mind, so Azure Spirit it is."
He had chosen the rank denoting vengeful spirit grades as its name.
The Azure Spirit's brow furrowed slightly.
It seemed displeased.
But its pride wouldn't let it reveal its true name or title.
'I'll coax it out slowly.'
There was no point in obtaining a high-grade Azure Spirit if he couldn't use it.
Without showing this, Mok Kyung-un walked over to something.
It was a book whose human-skin cover had been torn off and lay on the cavern floor.
Picking up the book, Mok Kyung-un asked,
"You must know what's written inside, Azure Spirit."
-Who said I'm Azu—Hoo.
Suppressing its anger, it waved its hand dismissively, as if refusing to engage.
Then it reached out, picked up the fallen pipe from the floor, and puffed away on it.
It was quite the smoker.
Mok Kyung-un smacked his lips and flipped through the book.
'Hm?'
A glint entered Mok Kyung-un's eyes.
The text inside appeared to be written in blood.
'Interesting.'
Human skin for the cover, blood for the ink.
Most people would shrink from even touching such a book.
Of course, Mok Kyung-un didn't care about that at all.
But that wasn't the issue.
'What is this?'
The characters inside were jumbled in no discernible order.
So chaotically arranged that even interpreting them was difficult.
Mok Kyung-un frowned at the text.
'Why are they laid out so haphazardly?'
The words were far more abstract than ordinary language.
He had seen writing like this recently.
It was the Timber Transforming Heart Method.
It described breathing and energy circulation methods, but the core mantra was composed of highly abstract terms, like poetry.
'Similar. But more complex.'
There were thirty characters in total, scattered randomly.
Combining them produced meaningless sentences no matter how he connected them.
-Snicker!
At that moment, a mocking laugh rang out.
Looking over, he saw the Azure Spirit puffing on its pipe and shaking its head.
From its reaction, it seemed convinced he'd never figure it out, even in death.
Ignoring it, Mok Kyung-un stared intently at the characters.
"Hmm......."
After staring for a long while,
Mok Kyung-un finally spoke.
"'Nothing cuts off empty thoughts... form shifts to accommodate the heart...'"
-!?
At the two phrases, the mocking Azure Spirit's expression hardened.
From this reaction, Mok Kyung-un inferred the combination was correct.
But to avoid tipping it off, he kept a neutral face and continued deducing the next phrases.
"'No enlightenment atop the elephant... formless form shifts realms... '"
As he spoke, the Azure Spirit's frown deepened.
The latter phrases seemed correct too.
Connecting them in the most fitting way had worked.
With the remaining six words,
"'Demonic grasp rends the void... reverse the blood of utmost extremity.'"
-Crumch!
The moment the phrase ended,
A squeezing sensation gripped his solar plexus, and the book in his hand crumpled grotesquely.
'What the hell?'
Mok Kyung-un was baffled.
The book's crumpled form looked as if the paper had bunched toward his holding hand.
Almost like it was trying to adhere to his palm.
Then, the Azure Spirit's voice whispered in his ear.
-How do you know the Adhesion Rite?
"Pardon?"
When Mok Kyung-un looked up in askance, the Azure Spirit, face shocked, whipped its head away.
Its resolve not to engage seemed firm.
Gazing at it puzzled, Mok Kyung-un asked,
"What's the Adhesion Rite? Is it related to what happened to the book?"
-.....
"When the book crumpled, I felt a slight tension below my navel. Related to that?"
-Hah......
The Azure Spirit looked incredulous at his words.
It had long known Mok Kyung-un hadn't trained in any martial arts.
Thus, it was certain he could never comprehend this.
Understandably so—this was hard to even accept without reaching a high realm or gaining enlightenment.
Yet astonishingly, Mok Kyung-un had combined those thirty characters into the first mantra.
-......
The Azure Spirit glanced sidelong at Mok Kyung-un.
It didn't want to talk due to being made its shikigami, but curiosity gnawed at it.
Had he truly understood it properly?
After some hesitation, the Azure Spirit spoke.
-Hey, mortal.
"My name... no, it's Mok Kyung-un."
-What?
"Call me Mok Kyung-un."
The Azure Spirit scoffed.
-Mortal.
It had no intention of using his name even if told.
Not particularly caring, Mok Kyung-un shrugged.
As long as communication worked, the name didn't matter.
The Azure Spirit took a puff from its pipe, exhaled smoke, and said,
-Mortal. Do you remember that sensation from before?
"Sensation?"
-Yes.
"It's vague."
The Azure Spirit stared blankly before shaking its head.
-Well, it doesn't make sense for a lowly mortal to master the Adhesion Rite so simply...
-Crumch!
Before it finished,
The book in Mok Kyung-un's hand crumpled further, sticking to his palm.
A glint entered Mok Kyung-un's eyes as he watched.
'Ah.'
Recalling the sensation as the Azure Spirit described, he mentally recited the mantra and focused.
The paper crumpled and adhered to his palm again.
Truly wondrous.
Moreover, the area below his navel tensed once more.
Not stopping there, his arm's blood vessels swelled taut around his palm, like his abdomen.
Mok Kyung-un looked at the Azure Spirit and asked,
"What is this?"
The Azure Spirit stared at him, tongue clicking in disbelief as it muttered,
-......Never saw anything like this in life, only in death.
"Pardon?"
-......Nothing.
"What do you mean, nothing?"
-Mind your own business, mortal.
"We're bound by fate now—why not open up a bit?"
-Open up? Ha! This exalted one, your shikigami? As if I could—
"Hng!"
Before she finished, Mok Kyung-un clenched his fist.
Suddenly, veins bulged on his hand and wrist, ready to burst.
-Tremble!
-Tch!
The Azure Spirit's hand shook.
Thanks to the soul link, Mok Kyung-un's pain transmitted to her.
She shouted,
-Hey! Mortal! Stop breathing and empty your mind!
"Hng hng!"
-I said stop breathing!
At her cry, Mok Kyung-un forcibly held his breath.
He then tried thinking other thoughts to erase the mantra he'd unconsciously recited.
Watching him, the Azure Spirit's eyes narrowed.
Incredible concentration.
What had just happened was a loss of control over the Adhesion Rite.
Normally, one would get lost in the mantra and need help to escape.
Yet Mok Kyung-un was overcoming it alone with a single piece of advice.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't astonished.
"Haa."
Soon, steady breathing came from Mok Kyung-un.
The Azure Spirit clicked her tongue in awe.
Mok Kyung-un asked her,
"Why did that happen just now?"
-......You failed to properly control the Adhesion Rite.
She answered politely, contrary to his expectation of silence.
Mok Kyung-un smirked and said,
"Will you explain properly now?"
-Hmph! Just preventing you from harming me again with your nonsense.
At her curt tone, Mok Kyung-un narrowed his eyes.
Then he shrugged.
It didn't matter why.
As long as his curiosity was sated.
"What's the Adhesion Rite?"
-Exactly as it sounds. Pull and adhere.
"Adhere like just now?"
-Yes.
"But why did my abdomen hurt, and why did my blood vessels swell?"
-Because you pulled with nothing there.
"What does that mean?"
The Azure Spirit pointed her pipe at something while eyeing puzzled Mok Kyung-un.
It was Jo Il-sang, hanging limply, dead.
Hanged upside down and beheaded, all blood drained, his face was deathly pale.
"Try it there."
"On that?"
Mok Kyung-un approached the dead Jo Il-sang and poked him.
The Azure Spirit nodded.
"......"
Unsure why on a corpse, but without complaint, Mok Kyung-un placed his palm on it.
She snapped,
-No, not there.
"Pardon?"
-Dead, so energy dispersed. Do the dantian.
"Dantian—you mean below the navel in the abdomen?"
-Do I have to spell out everything?
"......I don't know much."
She snorted, puffed her pipe, and exhaled smoke.
Mok Kyung-un took a light breath and placed his palm on Jo Il-sang's dantian.
He recited the Adhesion Rite mantra in his mind.
'Nothing cuts off empty thoughts, form shifts to accommodate the heart. No enlightenment atop the elephant, formless form shifts realms. Demonic grasp rends the void, reverse the blood of utmost extremity.'
Recalling the sensation,
-Pak!
The skin around Jo Il-sang's dantian adhered to Mok Kyung-un's palm.
The tactile difference from the book was there, but nothing special.
Or so he thought.
Something burrowed into his palm.
A warm energy.
'This?'
He clearly felt the energy enter his palm, flow through his veins.
Eventually, the warm something flowing through his veins warmed his swollen abdomen too.
The cozy energy lifted his spirits.
As he basked in it, the Azure Spirit said triumphantly,
-Feel it? That's the wonder of the Adhesion Rite. It can pull and adhere anything. Even qi is no exception.
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