Chapter 132: A Heart Method that Absorbs Demonic Qi (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 132: A Heart Method that Absorbs Demonic Qi (2)
The atmosphere in the Grand Purity Hall was grave.
Grim expressions were etched onto every face—from the elders who had clung to a glimmer of hope, to those who had argued from the start that this was impossible, and even Sect Leader Song Jeong, who had been the one to grant Seok Myeong this final chance.
Seok Jin looked like a walking corpse, blood seeping from his orifices, while Yeon-hui showed no outward change at all.
In the end, the consensus was shifting toward a single, bitter conclusion: a "Qingcheng Heart Method" derived from the Demonic Energy Absorption Art was a fantasy.
Regardless of whether Seok Myeong had acted with malice, the reality was starkly different from his confident assertions.
"Sect Leader. Execute the sentence immediately," Song Hak said the moment Seok Myeong entered.
He didn't rant and rave as he usually did. Instead, he was eerily calm. That made him even more chilling; the sight of a Qingcheng elder whose murderous intent had fully hardened was like a blade honed to a razor edge.
"First Generation Disciple Seok Myeong."
Sect Leader Song Jeong spoke, his expression heavy with disappointment.
"It appears your claims were contrary to the truth. I find this matter deeply regrettable. You have left a great stain on the venerable name of the Qingcheng Sect, dragged countless people into this affair, and ultimately caused great harm."
"..."
Seok Myeong’s face darkened with every word the Sect Leader spoke.
"Do you have any excuses?"
"...I wish to know the condition of Junior Brother Seok Jin."
That was his primary concern. He needed to know Seok Jin's current state before he could offer an explanation or confess his guilt.
"Songgang. What is Seok Jin’s condition?"
"It is not good."
At Song Jeong’s prompt, an old man with a balding head but piercing, clear eyes bowed. This was Taoist Songgang, Seok Jin’s master—a man who had once made a name for himself across the Central Plains with his heterodox sword techniques.
"Blood is seeping from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. A sticky fluid is oozing from the skin across his entire body. While a scorching energy surges through his meridians, his lips are blue and beaded with sweat as if coated in frost. In my sixty years of life, I have never seen such symptoms."
His final words were a lament.
The elders in the room began to murmur at Songgang’s report. None of them had ever heard of a condition where scorching and freezing energies coexisted so violently.
"It is demonic qi," Song Hak said with sharp finality. "Seok Jin has been eroded by demonic qi. As you all know, demonic qi is a volatile mixture of hot and cold energies."
"Mmm..."
Several elders nodded in agreement.
Orthodox martial arts generally emphasize harmony. What use is it for a practitioner to seek only strength, only to lose their health and eventually their life? Only through proper cultivation and a harmonious mind can one reach the highest realms and sustain them.
This is why the great prestigious sects—the Shaolin of Buddhism, and the Wudang, Qingcheng, and Mount Hua of Taoism—are places where ideology and philosophy have reached their peak.
In contrast, evil or demonic arts prioritize power and destruction above all else, sacrificing everything in the process. As a result, the mind and body suffer irreparable damage. The practitioner’s spirit becomes twisted, turning them into a violent asura or a cold-blooded killer without a shred of humanity. Even if they do not transform into a Giant Demon, this is why those who practice demonic arts are treated as heretics.
No matter how strong one's martial arts are, one must first be a human being.
"What do you think?" Song Jeong asked Seok Myeong again. He was curious about the disciple's perspective.
"In my opinion..." Seok Myeong hesitated before forcing the words out. "It seems to be proceeding correctly."
"What!"
"Ha! Unbelievable!"
"Still spouting nonsense even at this point!"
Several elders erupted. While some had always viewed him unfavorably, even the neutral elders now poured out harsh protests. To them, it looked as though Seok Myeong was stubbornly denying the truth even when the evidence was right before his eyes.
After a long moment of clamor, accusations, and insults, Sect Leader Song Jeong let out a loud, sharp cough.
"Everyone, be quiet! We must hear him out first."
"..."
"First Generation Disciple Seok Myeong. State your reasoning."
Once the commotion died down, Song Jeong gave Seok Myeong a chance to explain. His face was momentarily filled with pity.
Seok Myeong took a long breath and explained his conclusion.
"First, the Heavenly Scripture Energy Absorption Art, which is the core of this Qingcheng Heart Method, is the martial art of Azure Cloud Taoist. It can no longer be called the Demonic Cult's Demonic Energy Absorption Art. It has undergone sufficient transformation through countless attempts."
"Hmph. And how many lives were sacrificed in those attempts?" Song Hak sneered.
Seok Myeong’s face twitched slightly, but he continued.
"With all due respect, if this were truly the Demonic Energy Absorption Art—if this were its side effect—Junior Brother Seok Jin’s condition would not be like this. As many of the elders fear, he would have become a Giant Demon or a mindless asura, rampaging madly against anyone in sight."
"...Hmm."
"Seok Jin looks precarious right now, but he is showing no such aggression. It may look like he is being eroded by demonic qi, but in reality, he is taming it. No, it should be seen as a process of achieving harmony."
"You call vomiting blood and oozing fluid from the skin 'harmony'?"
"Yes. Because demonic qi is also an energy of nature." Seok Myeong put strength into his voice. "The same water becomes milk when a cow drinks it, but poison when a snake drinks it. If all things in heaven and earth are like this, would demonic qi alone be different? Its origin is certainly the Demonic Energy Absorption Art, but it is already in a state that cannot be called a demonic art. The Heavenly Scripture Energy Absorption Art... it is demonic qi with its fangs removed. If I had to name it, I would call it 'gentle demonic qi.'"
"..."
The crowd murmured. The same water becomes milk when a cow drinks it, but poison when a snake drinks it.
This was one of the core teachings of Taoism. And Qingcheng was a sect built upon those very principles. No one could deny the logic of Seok Myeong’s point.
"Gentle demonic qi..."
"Is such a thing even possible?"
"Seok Jin’s body is currently harmonizing with the new, gentle demonic qi," Seok Myeong continued. "It is an energy that has never existed before. Just as it is natural for a child’s knees or back to ache during a growth spurt, his body is reacting to this rapid change. Once this passes, Seok Jin will surely gain power that is several levels more advanced than his previous martial arts."
The room buzzed with excitement. Seok Myeong’s words were imbued with a clear and resolute conviction.
Seeing the elders whispering, the Sect Leader asked, "Fine. Then explain what happened to Yeon-hui."
"Junior Sister Yeon-hui is..."
Seok Myeong looked up to find Yeon-hui. She was sitting at the back of the Grand Purity Hall, practically held in place by two elders. Her usually beautiful face was clouded with worry.
"Whew..." Seok Myeong let out a long sigh.
He felt both grateful and apologetic toward Yeon-hui, who had taken on his burden and put herself in danger, yet still looked at him with eyes full of concern.
"...To be honest, there was something I failed to consider. Seok Jin and I are men; we have bodies of Yang. When the extremes meet, they reverse. The excessive influx of gentle demonic qi stimulates the body to the extreme, pushing out the turbid energy of the meridians and the impurities in the pores. However, Junior Sister Yeon-hui has the body of a woman. Her constitution is different from mine or Seok Jin’s. The gentle demonic qi settled in her body as well, but the impurities must have flowed out elsewhere."
"Flowed out? The impurities? Where to?"
"That is..."
Seok Myeong faltered mid-sentence. At that, Song Hak’s eyebrows shot up.
"Why do you stop? Do you not know either?"
"N-no. I have a suspicion. However..."
"A suspicion? A suspicion! You! In the end, you are admitting that this heart method is flawed! You replaced the Azure Origin Heart Method, the tradition of Qingcheng, with some nonsensical Azure Wind Warm Origin Heart Method! And as if that wasn't enough, you dragged in demonic qi to turn it into some bizarre technique, and now you only have a 'suspicion'?"
Song Hak’s rage flared even higher.
However, in the midst of this, the faces of the elders who had daughters, as well as Sect Leader Song Jeong, began to change drastically.
"E-Elder Song Hak."
"Elder!"
"Are you trying to lecture me even in this situation? Fine. Tell me your suspicion! What is it! What change is occurring in Yeon-hui’s body—"
"Th-That’s enough!"
Suddenly, a high-pitched shout, like a bell shattering, rang out. Song Hak turned his head in surprise.
In the back, Yeon-hui was stomping her feet, her face completely flushed beet-red.
"Yeon-hui? What are you saying? Stop? This is a grave matter concerning your body—"
"I said I know what the change is! So please, just stop! Elder Song Hak!"
"..."
"Sigh... Song Hak." The Sect Leader tapped his chair to call for silence. Song Hak looked around with dazed eyes, feeling bewildered.
"Tsk tsk..."
"Good grief..."
The atmosphere had shifted completely. He had clearly made a reasonable demand for a precise explanation, yet the Sect Leader and several elders were looking at him as if he were pathetic.
"What... what is this?"
"You've never had a daughter, have you?" It was Song Ji who spoke.
Song Hak nodded reflexively.
"Then what about a wife? Don't you remember your wife being in pain occasionally? Good heavens, man, how can you be so dense..."
"..."
Song Hak was stunned, and only then did the realization hit him. Oh, no! What have I said...
Song Hak’s face burned with embarrassment. Yeon-hui was like a niece to him and the Sect Leader’s daughter. He had forgotten because she was usually so modest, or sometimes like a tomboy. She was a healthy young woman. Naturally, there were certain physiological events she experienced periodically.
"Ahem! Hrrr-hem!"
The surrounding elders coughed awkwardly, and the previously solemn atmosphere turned into a shambles. Seeing Seok Myeong, Yeon-hui, and even his own son Seok Jun hanging their heads with bright red faces, Song Hak roared to cover his shame.
"Th-Then what about Seok Jin! When will that boy be able to get up!"
"In... in Junior Brother Seok Jin’s case..."
"What about his case!"
At Song Hak’s continued shouting, Seok Myeong gritted his teeth. This was the one thing he couldn't guarantee yet. At the moment of the imaginary point—when the internal and external qi merged with the demonic qi—Seok Myeong himself had lost consciousness.
He trusted in Seok Jin’s condition. But he didn't know exactly when that feverish body would recover. In truth, other than Seok Myeong himself, this was the first attempt; it was a question that could only be answered after many more cases.
"P-perhaps within three days..."
Just as he was speaking to buy some time, a man rushed into the Grand Purity Hall and knelt before Song Jeong.
"What is it!"
When Song Jeong asked for the reason, the man said urgently, "Seok Jin...!"
Everyone’s attention snapped to him at his first word. The man continued breathlessly.
"Seok Jin has stopped breathing!"