Chapter 129: Demonic Energy Absorption Art (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 129: Demonic Energy Absorption Art (2)
Seok Jun stood frozen, utterly aghast.
It meant that Sect Leader Song Jeong had bestowed a spiritual treasure upon him—one so rare it was effectively priceless—for the sole purpose of killing the Sect Leader’s own daughter should the need arise.
For Seok Jun, who harbored deep feelings for his junior sister Yeon-hui, these words were nothing short of horrifying.
“B-but Father! This is too sudden. Why would the Sect Leader…?”
“When a martial artist suffers Qi Deviation and transforms into a Giant Demon, their internal energy runs rampant, unleashing a violent and overwhelming power. You remember the monsters that invaded us recently, don’t you?”
“Yes… I remember.”
“If Yeon-hui or Seok Jin were to become like that, what would you do? Would you let them go out of some misplaced sense of fellowship?”
“……”
For a moment, the image of the monsters from the last raid flashed through Seok Jun’s mind. They were hideous, blood-stained creatures that had lost all reason, driven by nothing but a blind instinct for slaughter.
Monsters.
“You cannot answer. If the Qingcheng Sect fails to deal with them and they escape into the world, what do you think they will do?”
“…They will slaughter everyone.”
A monster that has lost its reason does not distinguish between martial artists and commoners. That is why a Giant Demon is considered a public enemy of the Martial World and the highest priority for extermination.
However, no matter how great a leader he was, Song Jeong was still human. It would be nearly impossible for him to strike down his only daughter with his own hands.
“That is why, if the worst comes to pass, I must be the one to dirty my hands. These ten stalks of Stone Fragrance are the price for that request.”
“Then what about the Eldest Disciple?”
“Seok Myeong?”
Song Hak’s face suddenly contorted with displeasure. Seok Jun nodded cautiously.
“The Eldest Disciple has experience dealing with those terrible monsters. And his sense of responsibility is so strong…”
“It is too strong; that is the problem. Do you think that boy could cut down Yeon-hui? Or even Seok Jin, who follows him so loyally? No, we would be lucky if he didn’t interfere by insisting he could somehow cure them.”
Seok Jun fell silent.
If it were the Seok Myeong he knew, he would certainly do exactly that. He was the type of man who would throw away his own life if he thought he could bring his fellow disciples back to normal.
“But can such a thing be accomplished through zeal alone? Even the heart methods of the Orthodox sects can lead to Qi Deviation if one suffers a great shock. Do you really think a mere derivative heart method, based on the Demonic Energy Absorption Art, could succeed? More importantly, he is quiet for now, but what do you think would happen if Seok Myeong himself became a Giant Demon?”
“……”
Seok Jun’s mouth hung open.
It was a thought too horrific to even imagine. Seok Myeong already possessed martial prowess on par with a Qingcheng elder. If such a man were to lose control and become a Giant Demon…
“He would become a bomb that even the Sect Leader could not handle. That is why I have actively opposed him and warned that he is dangerous.”
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
As Song Hak clicked his tongue, Seok Jun shook his head slowly.
“Father… it seems you are certain that Senior Brother Seok Myeong will fail. Aren’t you being too pessimistic?”
“Pessimistic? Ha! I am looking at reality. Seok Myeong has failed time and again! No, it would be more accurate to say the Azure Cloud lineage has failed time and again! You don’t know the history, so you might speak that way, but…”
Song Hak began to shout in anger, only to let out a long, heavy sigh.
“I was young once, too.”
“…Pardon?”
“I am talking about the Azure Cloud lineage, Jun. Have you ever wondered why I dislike Seok Myeong so much?”
Seok Jun thought for a moment and repeated the words Song Hak usually said.
“Because he wastes years on useless things and practices dangerous martial arts that could tarnish the name of Qingcheng…”
He faltered. Seok Jun stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening. The phrase Song Hak had used—‘I was young once, too’—suddenly brought a chilling thought to mind.
“Has a Giant Demon ever emerged from our sect before?”
“Yes.”
“My god… was it perhaps from the Azure Cloud lineage?”
“It was.”
“Haa…”
Seok Jun exhaled deeply. Now he finally understood why his father showed such an unusual level of hostility toward Seok Myeong.
His father didn’t hate Seok Myeong as a person. He believed the Azure Cloud lineage Seok Myeong belonged to was inherently dangerous. No, he didn’t just believe it; he had witnessed the tragedy firsthand.
“When I was a young novice disciple, a great calamity befell our sect. It was a Giant Demon. Fortunately, it was suppressed before things got completely out of hand, but it was a tragic affair that claimed the lives of five Qingcheng swordsmen and even the Sect Leader of that generation.”
“Gasp…”
“Do you think that was all? There were those who didn’t become Giant Demons but withered away and died from mysterious illnesses. Seok Myeong’s mentor, Song Hye, was one, and the Sect Leader’s senior brother, Song Hyu, was another. Even their master, True Person Hyeonhu of the Hyeon generation, suffered the same fate.”
Song Hak wiped his face, letting out a sigh filled with deep-seated resentment.
Every single one of them was from the Azure Cloud lineage. Azure Cloud. Azure Cloud. And they were all people who loved Qingcheng more than anyone and possessed extraordinary talent.
“I hate the Azure Cloud lineage. I hate it so much. Look at Seok Myeong. How outstanding is he, really? Even though you are my son, Jun, I consider his sincerity, diligence, and upright spirit to be superior to yours.”
“……”
Seok Jun’s face flushed red.
“But he is of the Azure Cloud. He laid hands on something that should never be touched. That was the end of it. I sometimes imagine… what if he weren’t part of that lineage? If he hadn’t wasted his time on such useless things and had simply followed the proven sword paths of our sect… Jun, do not take this the wrong way. He would have already been designated as the next Sect Leader. He would be the greatest swordsman of Qingcheng, one you could never hope to catch no matter how hard you tried.”
“……”
Seok Jun’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. He clenched his teeth. The inferiority complex he had tried to suppress—the sense of victimhood—flared back to life with a vengeance.
‘Even my own father…’
Seok Myeong, who received more trust from his father than his own flesh and blood. Seok Myeong, who received the expectations and affection of both the Sect Leader and Yeon-hui.
He had tried to acknowledge and accept it once, but now the suppressed wounds burst open with several times the force, eating away at his heart.
“If something bad happens to Yeon-hui or Seok Jin, I will be the one to execute them. As for Seok Myeong… the Sect Leader will likely stop him. Setting aside his martial prowess, the boy’s nature is gentle and obedient. He would follow the Sect Leader’s command even if it were an order to die.”
“……”
“Of course, that is only while he is in his right mind. If he becomes a Giant Demon… the catastrophe of two generations ago will repeat itself. Not just the Sect Leader, but I, and everyone in our Song generation, would have to use the Explosion Technique to take him down.”
Whirrr. Whirrr.
Song Hak’s words half-registered in Seok Jun’s ears and half-drifted away. Shock, anger, and horror rose up like black smoke alongside his hatred.
“Therefore, we must prepare for the future. Jun, you will take on that role. If you prepare the vessel of your internal energy with the Latent Form Divine Art, you will eventually be able to establish yourself as a master, no matter how long it takes. Even if you aren’t quite as great as Seok Myeong…”
Seok Myeong. Seok Myeong. Seok Myeong.
It was always that damn Seok Myeong until the very end. It felt as if a large spike had been driven into his blackened, fracturing heart.
Song Hak cleared his throat, perhaps interpreting Seok Jun’s stone-cold expression in his own way.
“I have talked for too long. Take off your top and show me your Gate of Life Acupoint.”
“…Yes.”
Seok Jun removed his Azure Sutra Robe and turned his back to Song Hak.
Rustle. Rustle.
The petals of the Stone Fragrance were placed upon his twelve great acupoints. Simultaneously, a powerful shock—Thump!—slammed into him from behind.
“Urgh!”
“Do not make a sound!” Song Hak’s stern command rang out. Along with it, a massive amount of True Qi poured into his Gate of Life Acupoint.
It was Song Hak’s own immense internal energy.
‘Father…?’
“At this point, there is nothing to hide. The vessel of your internal energy will be expanded by the Stone Fragrance, but you lack the power to utilize it immediately. I shall fill that void myself.”
Crack! Crackle!
A sound like firecrackers exploding erupted from the fine meridians and bones throughout his body. Seok Jun gradually began to understand the nature of the Latent Form Divine Art Song Hak had mentioned.
‘My internal energy…’
The delicate scent of the Stone Fragrance seemed to melt into him through the twelve great acupoints. By whatever mysterious principle it worked, the fragrance was forcing his meridians open and compelling his internal energy to circulate. His blood vessels swelled as if they were about to burst.
Following that, Song Hak’s internal energy slammed into him like a battering ram. Thump! Thump!
At some point, Seok Jun felt something snap at the back of his head.
“Good! You have pierced the Life-Death Barrier! Keep concentrating!”
“……”
His head throbbed.
The Life-Death Barrier. In other words, the Ren and Du meridians. It was the essential gateway to move beyond the Small Heavenly Circuit and reach the Great Heavenly Circuit. Once passed, one’s internal strength would flow like an endless river.
Whoosh!
Stimulating that flow even further was his father’s internal strength.
Ssssss.
The twelve Stone Fragrance petals completely dissolved into Seok Jun’s body, releasing a thick aroma. The Latent Form Divine Art was a heart method that further amplified the energy within the body.
Because it was different from the Demonic Energy Absorption Art, which absorbed external qi, it was impossible to make the increased internal energy his own without artificial effort. Consequently, he had to endure the accompanying pain.
“Agh!”
Before long, Seok Jun let out a groan. It was a pain that felt as if his blood vessels were being torn to shreds. He coughed up a mouthful of blood from the agonizing sensation of heated spikes being driven into his limbs.
“Endure it!”
But the stern command fell without a hint of hesitation. Song Hak was also bleeding from the corner of his mouth as he pushed Seok Jun relentlessly. Their energies were highly compatible. Feeling that he could achieve a Great Success beyond his original goal right here and now, he poured in even more internal energy.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
An hour passed, and Seok Jun’s face turned deathly pale. His body went limp as if he had lost consciousness. However, his pupils remained focused.
In his mind’s eye, he saw the mocking face of Seok Myeong and Yeon-hui refusing to listen to him.
‘Eldest Disciple…’
It was pure resentment.
Seok Jun remembered the Black Ink Energy he had seen during their last spar. That power had unleashed enough force to pulverize his own Sword Bullet. It was the same on the day the monsters invaded.
‘I will… surpass you! I must!’
Seok Jun’s heart burned black with longing and jealousy. He gritted his teeth, determined to drive the Latent Form Divine Art deep into his very soul.