Chapter 303
Chapter 303
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 303
>Chapter Title: Grasslands (3)
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning.
Having finished gathering information, proselytizing, and resting, Il-mok and his group prepared to leave the nomad settlement.
"You mentioned heading west?"
When the tribe chief approached and asked, Il-mok nodded, and the chief spoke with a worried expression.
"Be careful. Rumor has it there's a very brutal and massive tribe settled in the west."
"Don't worry. Maitreya will protect us, so there won't be any problems."
Il-mok responded to the chief's advice and set out from the settlement.
'Fierce bastards exist everywhere, no matter where you go.'
Just as with the Central Plains' underworld factions and the Huihui cultists he met in the Western Regions, it seemed this grassland had its own savage tribe.
Thinking once more that this was a world where fists mattered more than laws, he crossed back and forth between deserts and pastures for a long while.
As the sun began to set, they prepared camp for the night.
"Hmm."
With a light hum, Il-mok rose and stretched his body like one yawning off sleepiness before drawing his Soaring Heaven Sword.
Having ridden in the carriage all day, his body felt stiff, so he figured he'd loosen up with some light sword swings.
Now free from the constraints of fixed forms, Il-mok envisioned imaginary foes in his mind and moved his body like one dancing a sword dance.
Whoosh!
For a moment, the wind screamed in tune with the flow of Il-mok's swinging sword, forming a melody.
Before long, Il-mok raised his sword toward the empty air, and countless bundles of sword qi formed along its blade, scattering in all directions.
'As the saying goes, when intent moves, qi follows, and through intent, one can commune with the world.'
Having succeeded in Transcending Demon and entered the Profound Realm, Il-mok vaguely understood the meaning behind the Heavenly Demon's words.
Originally, a person's intent could only move their own fleshly body.
But martial artists who trained relentlessly could wield qi, and those who reached even higher realms could expel that qi from their bodies.
They could form sword qi or fist qi, even scatter it to strike distant enemies.
Yet these were methods with clear limitations.
Qi could only be placed where it touched the body, and once projected, it could no longer be controlled.
But now, that was no longer the case.
Whiiiing.
Dozens of strands of sword qi that had spread from Il-mok's Soaring Heaven Sword twisted and wove together, dancing this way and that.
Each individual strand of sword qi scattered in all directions felt as finely connected as if tied to Il-mok's fingers.
'It feels like new meridians have opened, ones that connect me to the world.'
Sensing he could perform even more varied feats, Il-mok soon withdrew the Heavenly Net Sword's qi and casually tossed the Soaring Heaven Sword away.
Before the arcing sword could hit the ground.
Pop!
Il-mok thrust out his right palm, expelling qi. The demonic qi flowing from his hand soon enveloped the Soaring Heaven Sword falling through the air.
Then, as Il-mok willed the qi to return, it seized the sword like a hand and sucked it back to his palm.
It was Void Grasping.
'Hmm. Then maybe that works too?'
Curiosity piqued, Il-mok enveloped the Soaring Heaven Sword with demonic qi once more. Manipulating the qi like fingers, he levitated the sword into the air.
The sword, wrapped in hazy gray qi, floated lightly in the void. Il-mok concentrated his mind and circulated the qi.
At his command, the floating sword began to dance a sword dance.
Ting.
But soon after, the sword lost power and dropped to the ground with a thud.
"Urgh."
Il-mok felt as if his brain were burning.
'Too early for this, huh.'
Simple movements like retrieving or pushing floating objects were easy enough, but swift, intense motions like swinging a sword with one's body were impossible.
Even so, he had gained some insight.
The Profound Realm was not an end, but a beginning.
'Manipulating Sword with Qi is another path one can aim for after reaching the Profound Realm.'
He could now commune with the world, but the degree of freedom in doing so was another matter entirely.
Having failed at sword manipulation with qi, Il-mok waited for his headache to subside before leaping into the air to test another idea that occurred to him.
Ignoring gravity through the power of qi and body, he soared upward for a moment.
Just as his body began to fall, defeated by gravity.
Il-mok expelled demonic qi from his body once more, forming a platform of qi beneath his feet.
Pop!
Kicking off that platform, he launched himself into the air again.
Successfully performing Void Stepping, Il-mok repeated the mid-air leaps several times.
As a light headache began to creep in, he landed on the ground and let out a soft sigh.
"Whew."
This would need more practice too. Even as that thought crossed his mind, a faint smile formed on Il-mok's lips.
What could it be called?
It felt like discovering a new toy as a child.
Anything he could imagine seemed possible if he used qi.
Having finished his simple stretches, Il-mok turned his head to find his companions gazing up at him in admiration.
All but one.
"It's getting late, so let's get some sleep."
With those words to the group staring fixedly at him, Il-mok belatedly sent a transmission to Jeong-hyeon.
- Is something troubling you?
When he looked back after finishing his training, unlike the others, she wore a dark expression.
Startled by the unexpected transmission, Jeong-hyeon stammered a reply.
- N-no, it's nothing, Y-Young Master.
Her attitude felt off somehow, so Il-mok pressed further.
- Did someone harass you, perhaps?
Given her usual personality and demeanor, it seemed a reasonable suspicion.
He didn't condone bullying, but her type was just the sort to attract it if she crossed the wrong person.
- H-harassment from y-you, Young Master...
Jeong-hyeon blurted out her inner thoughts before clapping a hand over her mouth in shock and adding,
- N-no, it's nothing.
- ...Are you suffering because of my harassment?
Il-mok asked with a puzzled expression. Had he bullied her without realizing it?
Sensing the conversation veering strangely, Jeong-hyeon despaired and confessed her true feelings.
- I just... wasn't sure if it was right for me to be your maidservant.
- Because of my harassment?
- N-no, that's not it. It's my own incompetence.
Il-mok stared at her, utterly baffled.
- Y-Young Master, serving you... S-Senior Ha-yeon handles it all on her own, and protecting you... e-even without me, it w-wouldn't make a difference, so I don't know if there's any need for me...
Only then did Il-mok understand why Jeong-hyeon's expression had soured.
After watching him train in martial arts, she must have felt a sense of inferiority.
Though she served as maidservant and guard, she probably doubted if her skills were up to the task of protecting him.
- Miss Jeong, you're a great help. You were in Gansu Province, and it's the same now.
- ...If you're talking about proselytizing or light sparring, w-wouldn't it be the same even without me as your maidservant?
Jeong-hyeon was digging herself deeper into a pit.
- M-my martial arts just don't help you, Young Master. I-I really shouldn't have learned archery as a Divine Cult warrior.
As she continued to berate herself, Il-mok pondered how to console her. Suddenly, he recalled the insight from his recent training.
- Miss Jeong, if I remember right, the higher the realm of the Phantom Spirit Divine Archery, the more one's senses expand and sharpen. Is my memory correct?
- Y-yes. Th-that's why I became scared of people approaching me.
Why bring up her own drawbacks?
She must be disappointed in herself. Just as Jeong-hyeon began digging another tunnel,
Il-mok's unexpected words arrived via transmission.
- The Phantom Spirit Divine Archery is an excellent art. If one Transcends Demon through it, it could well reach the Profound Realm—a truly outstanding demonic art.
Jeong-hyeon looked puzzled, so Il-mok continued the transmission.
- Words alone won't make it real, but after entering the Profound Realm and undergoing the shedding of bones and rebirth, my senses entered an entirely new domain. The Void Grasping and Void Stepping I just did? That's thanks to those senses. Even spaces detached from my body feel as detailed as if touching my hand.
"Ah...."
At Il-mok's explanation, Jeong-hyeon unwittingly let out an exclamation.
A sensation as if touching with her hand, even from afar.
It was a familiar feeling to her.
- So, my guess is the Phantom Spirit Divine Archery was created by someone who reached the Profound Realm. It guides disciples toward those senses to help them enter it too.
Most martial arts started with handling qi and gradually expanded its applications.
But the Phantom Spirit Divine Archery uniquely emphasized senses over qi.
And Il-mok vaguely understood why.
- Probably because of archery's nature. A bow shoots arrows far away, so without reaching the Profound Realm or close to it, maintaining qi on the arrow until the target is impossible.
In sword arts terms, it was like forming sword qi, then the next step being sword manipulation.
Jeong-hyeon, too, felt it resonate, her expression complex.
Training alongside Il-mok, whether at the Demonic Path Academy or in light spars, she had gained insights and advanced several times.
But each time, her senses only grew sharper and broader. She never felt exceptionally stronger.
That was why demonic obsession had begun to erode her, plummeting her self-esteem.
She felt she could never grow stronger with the Phantom Spirit Divine Archery.
But hearing Il-mok, a tiny hope of 'perhaps' flickered.
- Perhaps the Phantom Spirit Divine Archery is a late-bloomer type of demonic art. It might feel stifling now, but when those senses reach their peak, entering the Profound Realm isn't a dream.
- Does the Phantom Spirit Divine Archery really have that much p-potential?
To her question, Il-mok replied with an odd one of his own.
- Have you heard of the Kunlun Sect's ultimate technique, the one destroyed by our Divine Cult?
- ...The Kunlun Sect's ultimate? You mean the Cloud Dragon Great Eight Forms?
- Exactly. They say masters of the Cloud Dragon Great Eight Forms could perform Void Stepping. Perhaps it was created to lead disciples to the Profound Realm, much like your Phantom Spirit Divine Archery.
Even over a century after Kunlun's destruction, the Cloud Dragon Great Eight Forms remained one of the Central Plains' top lightness skills.
Hearing Il-mok—the Demonic Path's greatest prodigy—compare her art to it eased her heart somehow.
- Plus, I can sleep soundly thanks to you, Miss Jeong. With your keen senses, no need to worry about ambushes. Haha.
- ...Thank you, Young Master.
At Il-mok's final praise, Jeong-hyeon bowed her head shyly and retired to bed.
With her inner demon seemingly settled, Il-mok turned to gaze at the sky.
The great plain's night sky was cloudless, filled with countless stars.
'Even if senses lead to the Profound Realm, reaching Transcending Demon will take considerable time. That's the problem until then.'
Her skill wasn't the issue. He worried her self-esteem would shatter again, sending her back into a pit.
Pondering Jeong-hyeon briefly, Il-mok soon thought of a useful stopgap.
'First, I'll talk about it when we return to the branch or headquarters. Can't prepare it right now anyway.'
* * *
The next morning early, Il-mok and his group resumed their journey.
After days of travel, repeating proselytizing and intel gathering with new tribes, one day...
"It seems to be near that river."
They arrived at the marked location on the map.
But no one remained there.
"They must have moved elsewhere, Young Master."
At Jin Ha-yeon's words, Il-mok nodded regretfully.
Nomads moved regularly in cycles. As she said, their timing was off.
Il-mok was about to suggest returning to the main route and heading west, when Jeong-hyeon from behind hesitantly spoke up.
"Y-Young Master."
Turning at her call, he saw Jeong-hyeon pointing at the pasture.
"Th-there are traces left. They haven't been gone l-long."