Chapter 179: The Disciple of the Heaven-and-Earth Dragon Fist, the 'Dark Emperor' (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 179: The Disciple of the Heaven-and-Earth Dragon Fist, the 'Dark Emperor' (1)
The calamity of the Murim that stained everything under heaven with blood...
People called him the 'Heavenly Demon'.
And there were two pillars that supported the main beam of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
One of them was the Right Dharma Protector of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the 'Dark Emperor', who held the title of the 'Heaven-and-Earth Dragon Fist'.
Though it was a fact known only to a select few even within the Black Wind Society, the group was originally rooted in the Dark Emperor.
In a way, it was only natural that Yang Ho-myung's jaw was trembling.
"The lineage... was not severed?"
Rather than the fact that the opponent wearing the strange helmet was Jinhyuk, it was far more baffling that the martial arts he used were the very ones the Dark Emperor had wielded during his lifetime.
For a Player from outside the Tower to inherit the martial arts of the Dark Emperor—something even Murim residents would struggle to encounter in their entire lives...
Even though he was seeing it with his own eyes, he simply couldn't believe it.
Therefore,
"Strike."
Yang Ho-myung had to verify whether this was real or fake.
"Understood!"
At Yang Ho-myung's command, the members of the Black Wind Society lunged forward in unison.
Or rather, they tried to.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, the distance between Jinhyuk and Yang Ho-myung closed in an instant.
Just a single step.
A distance where either could slit the other's throat.
"Gasp!"
Inhaling sharply, Yang Ho-myung channeled his internal energy.
In an instant, a dark energy gathered around both of his fists.
As expected of a society leader, he didn't just panic.
Of course, no matter how desperately Yang Ho-myung struggled, a river could never flow backward.
A mere ripple could never overcome the waves of the great ocean.
['Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art']
An indescribable energy surged from Jinhyuk's fist.
In that instant, Yang Ho-myung's Black Heaven Art wavered violently, as if losing its light.
[First Form...!]
It was being sucked in.
The weaker energy, drawn toward that colossal power.
And at that moment,
['Black-Wheel Dark-Shattering Fist'!]
The light condensed in his fist was released all at once.
Rumbleeeee!
What tore through the air was a massive storm.
The fist, narrowly grazing Yang Ho-myung's head, slammed into the cave wall.
Crash!
Boom!
The sight of the rock shattering into countless fragments created a surreal spectacle.
A single punch.
With just one punch, a hole was blown straight through Haeun Cave, which had stood for thousands of years.
Through the gaping hole, the dazzling night sky was revealed.
"I think that's enough of your clumsy testing..."
Jinhyuk spoke slowly.
Then, he casually added a line.
A line that, from their perspective, was absolutely impossible to reject.
"The Dark Emperor did say something like this might happen, but don't push your luck. I'd rather not harm members of the same cult when he is about to end his secluded meditation and make his grand appearance."
At Jinhyuk's words, everyone froze in place.
Some were so shocked they didn't even realize their masks had slipped halfway off.
"T-The Dark Emperor... said such a thing... No, how could such an unbelievable thing..."
Yang Ho-myung's tone of voice shifted instantly.
The overbearing, condescending attitude had vanished without a trace.
In its place was a mixture of awe and curiosity toward Jinhyuk.
Of course, because there were still a few suspicious points, he hadn't let his guard down completely.
However, even this much made things significantly easier to handle.
The fact that none of them knew anything about the Tower's system would give him a massive advantage in designing the situation to his favor.
Ahem!
Jinhyuk cleared his throat and composed his expression.
Keep it in mind.
The character concept of the person I need to act as, and the tone of voice that person would naturally use.
"On the very first day the Tower appeared, I was chosen by him. Since then, I have been active not as a Player, but as a member of the Heavenly Demon Cult. In other words... you and I are not enemies. Rather, it would be more accurate to say we are fellow disciples of the Cult."
It was an open secret that residents of the Murim had ventured outside the Tower when it first appeared.
In fact, they had moved to recruit promising individuals around the world, including Yu Cheon-yeong in Korea.
Yang Ho-myung's mind raced.
It is hard to believe the Dark Emperor would take an outsider as his direct disciple, but looking at that insane talent, it isn't entirely absurd.
While other factions often valued lineage over skill, the Heavenly Demon Cult strictly followed the law of the jungle.
Even a child begging on the streets would be immediately granted entry into the Cult if they were judged to possess the bones of a heavenly genius.
His mastery of the martial arts just now is at least past the third stage.
To have mastered the Dark Emperor's signature martial arts to this level in such a short time...
Jinhyuk must undoubtedly possess talent that transcends imagination.
Even if they brought all the rising stars of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Clans, they wouldn't even be able to touch the heels of what Jinhyuk had achieved.
There was no room for doubt.
His hesitation did not last long.
Thud!
Yang Ho-myung prostrated himself on the spot.
"I pay my respects to the direct disciple of the Dark Emperor!"
With a solemn, lowered voice, he showed the utmost respect he could muster.
At that, the rest of the Black Wind Society members also knelt on the spot and clasped their hands in a martial salute.
"We pay our respects to the direct disciple of the Dark Emperor!"
"The Heavenly Demon descends, and blood rules the world!"
"Ten thousand demons bow, and darkness reigns supreme!"
Their unified voices echoed loudly through the cavern.
* * *
This went even better than expected.
Jinhyuk swallowed the cheer that threatened to burst from his throat.
He had wanted to paint a picture like this from the moment he first saw Yang Ho-myung.
A masterpiece of the century: selling the name of an absolute master that no outsider could possibly know, and completely reeling in all the forces that followed him.
Although there were many conditions to meet, Jinhyuk had once again perfectly assembled the precarious puzzle pieces.
And this was the result.
Hundreds of Murim warriors prostrated, awaiting his orders.
Damn. No wonder division commanders go on patrols to each unit whenever they're bored.
The primal pleasure that power provided was incomparable to anything else.
"I see you believe my words now."
"Yes. However, may I ask why you chose such a difficult path? If you had disclosed the truth to me, you wouldn't have had to go through such troublesome matters."
"If I had just said it, would you have actually believed me?"
"That is..."
Yang Ho-myung trailed off.
It would have been impossible.
If he had suddenly brought up such a story, they wouldn't have even pretended to listen.
With his doubts resolved, Yang Ho-myung asked another question.
"Was casting the bait regarding the Soul-Chasing Sword through Unknown also part of your plan, Lord Jinhyuk?"
As expected. He's asking about this too.
But he had already fully prepared the backstory regarding Unknown.
Jinhyuk once again casually tossed out a story that would shock anyone, as if talking about the weather.
"That guy is the disciple of the Soul-Chasing Shadow. To be precise, he obtained an artifact containing the soul of the Soul-Chasing Shadow. Since he learned directly from the Sword Saint who created the Soul-Chasing Sword, wouldn't he naturally know the final form of the Soul-Chasing Sword?"
"..."
Yang Ho-myung's face had turned completely pale, as if he had entirely forgotten how to speak.
Man, close your mouth. A fly's going to fly in at this rate.
"I-Indeed... Everything was planned. Then, what is it that the Dark Emperor desires?"
How should I know?
Whether it was the Heavenly Demon or the Dark Emperor, they were probably holed up somewhere in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains right now.
To be honest, nobody knew what those guys were plotting.
Well, thanks to that, he could make up whatever stories he wanted.
"Soon, the Heavenly Demon himself will end his secluded meditation and emerge. When that day comes, the balance of the middle floors will be completely shattered."
"O-Of course. No matter how powerful the Empire or the Spirit Realm's forces are, they will be no match for the Heavenly Demon, who has mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to its absolute peak."
"Yes. So, until that day comes, we just need to diligently expand our forces. To be precise, you just need to follow my instructions, as I have been commanded by the Dark Emperor."
"Just say the word. We will obey whatever it is."
Hearing him say that felt reassuring.
"Then, first, guard me while I absorb the 'Innate True Qi Nourishing Pill'. I assume you know that no one must disturb me during the Circulation of Qi?"
"Do not worry at all, and take your time absorbing the elixir."
Yang Ho-myung bowed his head once more.
With the stage set, Jinhyuk tossed the pill into his mouth under their ironclad protection.
Gulp!
The fingernail-sized pill slid down his throat.
Hummmmm!
It was at that moment that an immense Yang energy surged.
Now!
Jinhyuk absorbed the 'Frozen Tear' he was holding in his other hand.
The crystal of mana, which possessed extreme cold, could only have its chill mitigated through special methods.
And the 'Innate True Qi Nourishing Pill' was one of those few methods.
"Ugh!"
A thick vein bulged on his forehead.
Indeed, as the process progressed, the cold radiating from the Frozen Tear was no joke.
On top of that, having to absorb the Yang energy of the elixir made the burden on his body grow exponentially.
Sizzle...!
It felt as though his blood vessels were burning up, but if he lost consciousness here, he would suffer a Qi deviation.
Calmly.
At the same time, he had to composedly regulate the Yin and Yang energies spreading to every corner of his body to overcome this crisis.
"Whew."
Regulating his breathing, Jinhyuk focused his entire mind.
It was a task that required such extreme control that an ordinary person wouldn't even dare to attempt it, but Jinhyuk began to break through the immense difficulty with astonishing momentum.
By accumulating internal energy around his Qihai Point, circulating the mana from his Baihui Point to his Yongquan Point, and then returning it to his dantian at the Qihai Point to complete a full cosmic orbit.
* * *
As expected... he is a monster.
Yang Ho-myung, who was watching, swallowed hard.
It was already astonishing enough that he was absorbing the 'Innate True Qi Nourishing Pill'—notorious for being difficult to handle—without any trouble.
But to handle an elixir with such terrible cold at the same time...
Could it be a Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng?
No, even a Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng wouldn't possess such a heavy energy.
It was at least two grades above that.
Yes. It was undoubtedly a divine treasure of that caliber.
No wonder the Dark Emperor set his eyes on him. A genius of this caliber will surely play a monumental role in writing a new history for the Cult.
How many hours had passed like that?
Sssss...
The wildly raging energy finally subsided.
At the same time, Jinhyuk stopped circulating his mana.
He had finally succeeded in absorbing both energies.
[Your Mana has increased by 60.]
...I did it!
This was the exact reason why he had gone to such lengths, even risking danger.
A hidden benefit that could only be obtained by absorbing conflicting energies simultaneously.
He was able to instantly boost his mana by an amount that would normally require leveling up about 20 times.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Jinhyuk's heart pounded uncontrollably.
The mana he had gathered with all his might up until now was 121, but with this single event, he had obtained half of that amount.
"Congratulations on increasing your internal energy."
"Yes. Thank you."
"Then, what do you plan to do next?"
At Yang Ho-myung's question, Jinhyuk answered immediately.
The important thing here was to command, not request.
If there was a virtue a direct disciple of the Dark Emperor must possess, it was arrogance.
"I will borrow the Black Wind Society."
"T-The Black Wind Society? For what..."
"From now on, we will clean up all the minor factions on the lower floors."
The Black Wind Society, which belonged to the 20th floor, would easily be able to handle the 8th and 9th floors.
Of course, he needed a justification.
"And there, we will re-establish the name of the Heavenly Demon."
The justification of the complete resurrection of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
In other words, if he just threw them a plausible excuse, he could turn all these guys into obedient little puppies.