Chapter 216
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 216
Chapter Title: Hefei, Hefei. (2)
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Although he couldn't read the heavenly principles because its foundation touched upon demons, he could at least confirm the ferocity of the Heavenly Killing Star right up close.
After that, Cheon Siu tracked the Heavenly Killing Star.
"Ri, Ri-yeona—lo, look here...!"
"What's so great about this stuff anyway."
He didn't know how she was suppressing the aura of the Heavenly Killing Star, but he—or rather, she—seemed to be living a fairly ordinary life.
He had no idea why she was disguising herself as a man, though.
At the very least, she appeared to have built a deep bond with the woman traveling with her, the daughter of the Sichuan Tang Family.
Honestly, Cheon Siu couldn't quite understand it.
Her clan hadn't been wiped out or anything?
How could she stroll through the streets so casually?
Even he himself had built up his power in the shadows, all based on the resolve to overturn this absurd world.
Even before learning the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
His martial arts had been those of a true demon, rooted in the Dark Blood Demonic Art.
When he had infiltrated the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult while hiding his identity, he had survived the infamous selection trials of the Ghost Slaughter Squad by devouring his comrades.
Even after establishing himself in the cult, he had wandered the outskirts, devouring countless minor sects to build his strength.
To Cheon Siu, life itself was an endless chain of struggles.
But what the hell was this?
"Ehehe, poison, poison...!"
"...Doesn't eating that stuff raw cause problems in your body or something?"
"Y-yeah...! Wanna try some...?"
"...Are you insane or what?"
Was the Heavenly Killing Star really allowed to live so softly like that?
He swallowed those doubts inwardly.
Sorry.
I think I'll be a bit late.
Without sensing anything off about the message sent by Yoma, who was whining pitifully as if someone were holding a knife to her side next to her.
Cheon Siu pondered.
If he incorporated the Heavenly Killing Star into his plans.
Though her foundational martial art now appeared to be orthodox, what if he taught her a demonic art that suited her perfectly?
Couldn't she fill the vacancy left by Mad Wind Master as a powerful force?
On top of that, as a woman of the Tang Family, she would naturally have learned medical arts.
If trained well, she could even fill the gap left by Poison Demon. Come to think of it, her eyes even resembled Poison Demon's a bit.
Of course, Cheon Siu had never coerced anyone into joining his forces.
Even when he left the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to establish the Blood Cult.
They hadn't followed him solely because they needed his power or a place to rely on. Though some had, of course.
Even amid the genuine madmen—including one lunatic who actually played the cult leader role—he had secured his position as Blood Lord because of.
A promise.
To Mad Demon, the chance to fight strong foes to his heart's content.
To Yoma, the warm affection she so desperately craved.
To Lust Demon, the clue to Jade Transformation Preservation he sought so fervently.
To Poison Demon, the fateful encounter that would grant him the power to avenge himself against the Tang Family.
By fully utilizing his unique mind-image, he fulfilled their unspoken wishes, and in return, they cooperated with his plans.
Of course, Illusion Demon had died screaming at Ghost Demon's hands before he could even keep his promise to her, and Ghost Demon...
"Hoo."
He shook off the throbbing headache with a sigh and organized his thoughts.
The Heavenly Killing Star surely harbored her own unspoken wish deep in her heart.
She was talent worth recruiting.
Even the most introverted person would want to step outside if thrown into a cheap, primitive inn room in ancient Central Plains with no entertainment whatsoever.
Of course, Tang Narin had no such issues.
Why go out? Time flies by just messing around on the gallery in the room.
But Baek Ri-yeon's case was a little different.
She had been tamed too long by the Azure Heaven Society's unofficial brainwashing method, which supposedly manipulated people's upper dantian through bizarre radio waves from smartphones, turning them into wretched people.
It might not be true, but what if it was?
To begin with, there wasn't a single normal person among those glued to their smartphones around her.
Senior Cheon Luri had been going "pikapika" last time she saw her.
And right in front of her eyes was Tang Narin, living proof.
Smartphones are definitely harmful!
With that conviction, Baek Ri-yeon was diligently practicing distancing herself from her smartphone.
So.
There was nothing to do.
Staying cooped up in the room all day was tough!
Training?
Thanks to her education that displaying training to others was a grave sin, she couldn't even do that freely.
Of course, that was all because of her master, Mad Wind Master Gu Yang-hwi, who wanted to avoid linking Heavenly Killing Star with Mount Hua.
Even back at Hundred Flowers Academy, she had only swung basic sword forms in class on purpose, then internalized her master's arts once alone in the training hall.
Thus, she felt bored.
So she had tried wandering around alone.
"M-me toooo...!"
"You said staying in the room was more fun."
"B-but... without Ri-yeon, I-I have no friends... "
"Sigh."
The Heavenly Killing Star, of all things.
Baek Ri-yeon didn't have the heart to coldly push away her same-sex friend, the only one who knew her true self and relied on her.
If anything, it was thanks to her master hammering Daoist martial arts into her brain.
Though the more decisive factor was Geum Sihyeon's Northern Bright True Qi that had unknowingly been imprinted deep in her mind as well.
.
.
.
And so, the footsteps of Baek Ri-yeon and Tang Narin led them to Lake Chao.
It might not be as famously renowned as Dongting Lake, Tai Lake, or Poyang Lake, but it was invariably one of the Five Great Lakes of the Central Plains.
Upon arriving at such a famous scenic spot, what the two did was.
"Yap."
While Baek Ri-yeon diligently pursued one of her unexpectedly enjoyable hobbies—fishing.
"F-found ittt...! Venom bug, hehe... "
True to being a Tang girl, Tang Narin rummaged through the grass, collecting bugs.
The non-venomous ones were promptly threaded onto Baek Ri-yeon's fishing hook as bait, forming a perfect symbiotic relationship.
Reeling in time, capturing time.
Two women bearing unfortunate pasts—though they hadn't yet confided those pasts to each other.
Their friendship-based companionship was steadily building up.
As the midday sun began to sink once more, scattering sunset hues tinged with reluctance everywhere.
Baek Ri-yeon reeled in her rod and stood.
Having caught plenty of hefty ones, she planned to sell some at the fish market and clean and grill a few good ones to eat.
"Care to talk for a moment, Heavenly Killing Star?"
A man had suddenly appeared beside Baek Ri-yeon out of nowhere.
"...Who?"
In her fluster, a prickly voice slipped out before she could smooth it over.
But the man smiled as if he didn't mind at all.
"Come with me. I can make everything you desire come true, I swear on my soul."
He was clearly a man she'd never seen before today.
Yet those words carried an irresistible demonic allure and persuasiveness.
A strange sensation that he could truly fulfill her deepest longing if she voiced it.
But.
Instead of answering, Baek Ri-yeon drew her sword.
"...How do you know about my fate star?"
Before Tang Narin returned.
She had to deal with this stranger.
The problem was.
She couldn't even gauge how strong he was.
Unless her master had tipped him off, he wasn't from the Azure Heaven Society, judging by the faint demonic aura emanating from him.
"Does that matter? Just remember I can grant any wish you have. Don't worry. What you'll need to give back in return will be very trivial."
"...What I want."
Her words caught for a moment, but soon Baek Ri-yeon leveled her sword fully at him and continued.
"I don't have any."
"That's a lie."
"—!"
The man's figure vanished in an instant, circling behind Baek Ri-yeon before she could react.
And then, the man's hand seized her head.
Cheon Siu's eyes widened slightly as he read her wish.
And then.
"Haha, hahahaha...!"
He burst into laughter.
How, why.
Could the Heavenly Killing Star's wish be so modest?
Seizing that brief opening she revealed.
"Kgh...!"
Baek Ri-yeon quickly regained her senses and escaped his grasp, putting distance between them.
From that movement just now, the gap between them was overwhelming.
"Why does a Heavenly Killing Star dream such modest dreams? It's as if someone castrated your instincts."
The moment that voice, like a devil's whisper, slithered into her ear.
She felt stagnant blood surging up unbidden.
A supremely evil energy enveloping her surroundings, a bizarre sensation as if the entire world around her had been severed from her.
"Rejecting the fate thrust upon you is admirable for a human, but doing so because of someone's seal is far too pitiful, isn't it?"
Without her able to twitch a finger.
As the energy softly cradling her heart and mind slowly dispersed.
Baek Ri-yeon's pupils began to contract bit by bit.
The demon she had suppressed, kept dormant all this time, began whispering in her ear.
Kill, it said. Kill him.
Kill first and think later.
Then you'll be happy too.
Definitely happier than now.
A single trickle of blood trailed from the corner of Baek Ri-yeon's mouth.
"Hoh."
The moment Cheon Siu's eyes gleamed with interest.
"What business do you have with my precious junior whom I've slathered with spit and raised with care?"
"...Six Harmonies Heavenly Star?"
At the bizarre voice that filled heaven and earth from somewhere, Cheon Siu's gaze hurriedly shifted while he continued pressuring Baek Ri-yeon with formless energy.
Soon, his eyes located the source.
There stood.
"Kyeng! Kyeng!"
A pitifully wailing fox...
Yoma, Ho Yeon-hwa, and.
A young man wearing a mask, smirking slightly as he lifted her by the scruff of her neck.
"That's one thing, but you should put a leash on your pet when you walk it."
"... "
His reunion with Yoma was the worst.