Chapter 131: The Heart Method that Absorbs Demonic Qi (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 131: The Heart Method that Absorbs Demonic Qi (1)
“What is the meaning of this?!”
Amidst the bustling commotion, a thunderous voice suddenly rang out as Song Hak appeared at the Central Yellow Hall.
Beside him, Song Mun and Song Ji rushed forward with grim expressions, their swords held at the ready.
“E-Elders! You cannot go in!”
Yeon-hui raised her hands, trying to block the elders’ path.
“Why not?” Song Hak demanded, furrowing his brows.
“That is… the Eldest Disciple said no one is to be allowed inside…”
“Seok Myeong?”
Song Hak turned his gaze to the side. Song Ji and Song Mun shook their heads; they, too, had only just rushed here after receiving word.
Whooooosh! Clatter, clatter!
Suddenly, the sound of a fierce wind echoed from within the room. It was loud enough to make the door frames rattle.
Song Hak’s complexion shifted instantly. Shing! He drew his sword.
“I must go in.”
“E-Elder!”
“By the time something happens, it will be too late! Move! Now!”
“Something… happens?”
Shing! Shing!
Following suit, Song Mun and Song Ji also drew their swords. As Yeon-hui stood there aghast, Song Hak’s thunderous roar fell upon her like a biting winter frost.
“The Heavenly Scripture Energy Absorption Art! Have you forgotten the true origin of the martial art you are practicing? It was originally the Demonic Energy Absorption Art! It is a demonic art!”
“Ah….”
At those words, Yeon-hui turned deathly pale.
Now that she thought about it, the art they were practicing was an absorption technique—a demonic art. And it wasn't just Seok Jin; she was practicing it as well.
Realizing this too late, she saw that it wasn't just Song Hak; Song Mun and Song Ji were also pointing their cold blades toward her. Toward Yeon-hui, the daughter of the Sect Leader.
“Ah… Ah….”
“Step aside. Every second is critical!”
She faltered, stepping back bit by bit. No matter how skilled a Qingcheng swordsman she had become, her opponents were the Song-generation elders, men of the same rank as her father.
Unable to hold her ground, Yeon-hui took a step back. Immediately, the elders kicked the door open, nearly shattering it.
Crash!
“W-What! Elders?”
Behind the fallen door, Seok Myeong stood up with a startled expression.
“Seok Myeong! Speak at once! What disaster has occurred here?!” Song Hak unleashed a furious roar.
Black blood was splattered all over the floor. On the bed, Seok Jin was visible, his body convulsing as if seized by a violent fit.
“…That… well….”
“You fool!”
When Seok Myeong failed to find his words, Song Hak pushed him aside with an even more enraged expression and grabbed Seok Jin’s pulse.
“Seok Jin! Jin-ah! Wake up… Gasp!”
Thump! Whoosh!
He recoiled in horror. A powerful rebound force had flung his hand away from Seok Jin’s body.
“What in the world….”
“You must not touch him. Seok Jin is currently fighting against the demonic qi,” Seok Myeong explained belatedly to the bewildered Song Hak. “The energy that entered from the outside and the internal energy Seok Jin originally possessed are colliding within his body. This is a symptom he must pass through. He must overcome this conflict to fully command the energy as his own.”
“A symptom he must pass through? Are you blind to what is happening right now?!”
Song Hak growled at Seok Myeong’s words. The blood Seok Jin had spat on the floor was as black as ink. It looked like poisonous blood, as if his internal organs had all melted away.
“T-This is a symptom of expelling the old energy from the body and realigning the physical form to the new energy. Therefore….”
“Then what about Yeon-hui?” Song Hak glared, cutting off Seok Myeong’s explanation. “Why is Yeon-hui perfectly fine? They clearly learned it at the same time, so she should be showing the same symptoms!”
“That….”
Seok Myeong hesitated. That was something even he didn't know.
They had both invited the demonic qi at the same time, but Seok Jin’s progress had become several times faster than he had anticipated.
“Yeon-hui is….”
On the other hand, Yeon-hui showed no symptoms at all. In a way, the reason Seok Myeong had been late to notice the change in Seok Jin was because of Yeon-hui. Since she was the Sect Leader’s daughter and a woman, he had been paying more attention to her first.
And yet, while Yeon-hui showed no change, only Seok Jin was exhibiting such a maddeningly rapid transformation.
“What about Yeon-hui?!”
“Song Hak, calm yourself.” Song Ji restrained Song Hak, whose face was as red as a madman’s. He then looked at Seok Myeong and spoke coldly. “What of Yeon-hui?”
“That is….”
Seok Myeong broke into a cold sweat. He hurriedly grabbed Yeon-hui’s pulse point, checking her meridians and the flow of her qi.
“…….”
However, to his surprise, Yeon-hui showed no symptoms whatsoever.
“Eldest Disciple?”
“…….”
The demonic qi gathered through the absorption art had strangely vanished, and only the pure energy of Qingcheng remained within her body.
‘How can this be? What happened?’
“Seok. Myeong.” Song Hak bared his teeth at Seok Myeong, whose face was turning rigid. “I warned you countless times that this would happen! This is utterly disastrous. Do you realize what you have done?”
“N-No, not yet. There must be some mistake….”
“A mistake? You call this a mistake! You lunatic! Are you planning to throw away your fellow disciple’s life over a ‘mistake’? You don’t even know what is happening right now! Am I wrong?!”
“…….”
Seok Myeong could say nothing. Just as Song Hak said, it was difficult for him to grasp the situation. They had learned the exact same martial art, yet one showed no change while the other’s symptoms had arrived far too quickly.
“Lock that fellow in the dungeon immediately! And move Seok Jin and Yeon-hui to the Medical Hall!”
“…….”
Unless he could explain this, the Qingcheng Heart Method would be buried forever. A heart method that could not be managed or controlled was, in the end, no different from a manual of demonic arts.
*
Clang.
“Get in!”
As the iron door opened with a stern voice, Seok Myeong bowed his head and stepped inside. Unlike before, this was no ordinary cave. It was the Dark Shadow Cave, a prison divided by iron bars.
“You will soon be summoned to the Grand Purity Hall. If you do not remain quiet until then, I will take your head immediately!”
The old man with the cold voice that matched his rugged appearance was Song Hyeok. He was the elder responsible for the Dark Shadow Cave and was known for rarely ever venturing outside.
“…….”
Seok Myeong sat down without a word. Both his hands were firmly secured behind his back—a punishment designed to prevent a prisoner from using their hands even inside the cave. That same punishment had been applied to Seok Myeong.
‘I am worried about Seok Jin.’
Even after entering the Dark Shadow Cave, Seok Myeong was immersed in a single thought: Seok Jin’s physical condition.
He was the first junior brother to whom Seok Myeong had applied his own cultivation method. If something went wrong with that junior, the very heart method he had created would vanish. That would also mean the lineage of Azure Cloud Taoist would be severed.
‘Why was Yeon-hui perfectly fine?’
He let out a sigh so deep it felt like the ground might give way.
Yeon-hui had been training the same way as Seok Jin. At first, her achievements were similar to Seok Jin’s, and the changes in her internal energy were the same as his. However, no special signs had appeared recently, and a few days ago, he had felt the demonic qi slowly disappearing.
And when he checked just moments ago, there was no change at all, as if she were someone who had never encountered demonic qi in the first place.
“External qi… internal qi… imaginary points… vomiting blood….”
Seok Myeong scraped together every memory of his own changes over the past two years.
The Flash Divine Sword. Hyeok-jin. The duel at the Golden Martial Association. Seok Jin and Lady Hye-jin.
‘Yin. Yang. Blood. And….’
Thinking back, countless things had happened. He had learned about the conversion of internal and external qi from Song Yeo-guk and had obtained spirit medicine at the Golden Martial Association. The Dark Heaven Bracelet had disappeared, completely absorbed into his body.
Artifacts and spirit medicines. Changes in internal and external arts. And numerous experiences in real combat.
He thought he had melted all of those into the heart method. He was certain he had identified every direction needed for control.
“Master….”
But it wasn't enough. Something was missing. It was his own inadequacy. Amidst a burning frustration that felt like it was scorching his insides, he shed thick tears.
*
Chirp, chirp.
“…….”
He snapped back to his senses at the sound of insects. It seemed he had fallen asleep while retracing his memories until his head felt like it would burst.
“…Whew.”
His body felt weary. The space before him was bright. Wondering if day had broken, he looked around, but it was still pitch black. Seok Myeong wondered why he had woken up, then suddenly tilted his head back.
Sshhhhhhh.
The sound of wind came from the cave ceiling. A bright light shone directly into his eyes. It was moonlight. Estimating the time, about half a shijin had passed. Seok Myeong smiled bitterly at the full moon, which illuminated the black night with a bluish glow.
“Wait… a full moon?”
Right then, something flashed through his mind.
Qi. The qi of nature. Yin and Yang.
The sun is called the Great Yang—the symbol of hot Yang qi. Conversely, the moon symbolizes Yin—the cold, tranquil energy of Yin.
“…….”
Drip.
The black blood on his fingertips caught his eye—the blood Seok Jin had vomited. Seok Myeong’s eyes slowly widened. He couldn't be certain, but nevertheless...
“Yin qi….”
There was one thing that came to mind. The full moon. Yin qi. The Hour of the Rat. It was the time when Yin energy was at its peak. Along with that realization, a shock like a lightning bolt struck his mind.
“Yin and Yang!”
And man and woman. The moon symbolizes woman, and the sun symbolizes man. And blood.
The source of demonic qi is the qi of nature. That qi is transformed through the human body to exert powerful force.
“Could it be… Junior Sister Yeon-hui?”
That demonic qi had not reacted strongly in Yeon-hui’s body. This meant it had not been transformed by her body.
What was the difference between her and Seok Jin? Seok Jin had vomited blood due to the extreme heat of the energy. On the other hand, Yeon-hui had been perfectly calm. This meant their natures were different.
When operating the Taiji Empty Heart through the Dual Flow Exchange Technique, Seok Jin and Yeon-hui showed completely different results. And that was because a woman…
“Yeon-hui is… Yin. There is a period when the properties of Yin and Yang return to their original state!”
It was a realization almost too basic to voice. But having found a reason, Seok Myeong saw a glimmer of hope. According to this logic, Yeon-hui’s reaction was normal.
Then, what happened to Seok Jin must also be considered a normal reaction.
Thinking back, it was only natural that it had taken two years for changes to occur in himself when he was learning the Heavenly Scripture Energy Absorption Art. Because at that time, Seok Myeong’s internal energy was weaker than Seok Jin’s. And above all…
‘The Five Elements Four Changes Formation!’
The acupuncture restraint Song Hak had placed on his body. That had scattered all his qi. That qi would have included a man’s Yang qi. Qi had slowly accumulated from the tips of his fine meridians, and because of that, he had been forced to pull in external qi to act in place of internal qi.
‘What if I hadn't been bound by the Five Elements Four Changes Formation back then?’
Seok Myeong, too, should have originally experienced those "growing pains" of vomiting blood. Looking at it that way, Seok Jin’s condition was perfectly normal. When internal and external qi collide toward the imaginary point, the Ren and Du meridians fly wide open. Therefore—
Rumble. Clang!
While he was organizing his thoughts, the iron door of the cave opened. It was Elder Song Hyeok, wearing a cold expression.
“Drag the prisoner out.”
“Yes!”
Two first-generation disciples entered and pulled Seok Myeong, who was bound in ropes, to his feet. In his urgency, Seok Myeong asked:
“Seok Jin. How is Junior Brother Seok Jin’s condition?”
“Hmph!”
At Seok Myeong’s desperate question, Song Hyeok glared at him, the whites of his eyes showing.
“Now that you’ve sent your fellow disciple to the gates of hell, are you finally feeling afraid? Shut your mouth. Drag him out at once!”
“…What?”
Sent to the gates of hell.
Seok Myeong’s heart sank once again. Did that mean Seok Jin was dead?