Karmic Retribution

"This is impossible. Can she hear our voices?"

"Nonsense. How could a mortal devoid of sorcery perceive us? It must be a coincidence."

"Coincidence, my ass. I hear you loud and clear, so shut your traps already."

When Ryeong drove the point home, glaring right at the specters, they fell dead silent before the sheer absurdity of it. Until now, let alone conversing, not a single person had even been able to lay eyes upon them. It was no different for renowned necromancers or shamans; at most, they might vaguely sense that something lingered, but looking them in the eye and talking was utterly out of the question.

Yet Ryeong was different. Her gaze was locked squarely onto the empty space where the spirits were murmuring. Wondering if she merely sensed their presence, they waved their ethereal arms and muttered insults behind her back, only to be cut off immediately.

"Say one more word and I'll obliterate you for good, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so shut it."

"Absurd... Can you truly see our forms with mere mortal eyes?"

"What are you, some old geezer? Quit dragging it out and get to the point. What the hell are you things?"

Ryeong was primed to strike at a moment's notice. If this was the first trial on the path to the World of Chaos Palace, countless martial artists must have met their ruin here. These spectral remnants preyed upon foul human desires, coaxing intruders into madness. Had Ryeong not possessed the Celestial Immortal Divine Art, she too would have been bewitched ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in some fashion, turning this into a grueling ordeal.

"We are those who gathered to subjugate the Ghost Command King, only to perish and be buried in this earth."

"The palace is structured so that the more people gather to destroy it, the stronger it grows."

"Everything went awry from that very first failed subjugation."

"The more souls meet their deaths here, the harder it becomes for anyone to even pass this threshold."

"Then can I just go through?"

Ryeong smirked and pointed ahead. Ever since realizing they could actually converse with her, the ghosts had ceased their insidious muttering. Perhaps they understood that such trickery was useless against her.

"A short while ago, we sensed three newcomers dissipate in Hubei. Were you involved in that?"

"Can't say I wasn't. They were the ones who told me to head to Hebei in the first place."

"In that case, we shall grant you our strength."

The spirit that appeared to be the eldest among them reached a translucent hand toward Ryeong. Sensing no malice, she held her ground, only to feel a faint stream of internal energy gather within her lower dantian. The energy of the Heaven-Killing Art surged. The spectral death qi borne by the spirits resonated harmoniously with the Heaven-Killing Art.

As the elder ghost dissolved into nothingness after extending his hand, the others seemed to make up their minds, each offering their lingering power to Ryeong. Though each fragment was meager, hundreds of souls had gathered in the passage. As wisp after wisp merged into her, they swelled into a torrential wave, warming her lower dantian. The death qi assimilated by the Heaven-Killing Art began expanding the capacity of her lower dantian.

"So this is what they meant by lending me a hand."

The three ghosts who had directed Ryeong to Hebei had promised that a reward awaited her here. If this was it, she had received an unexpectedly lavish gift.

If a mortal harboring both death qi and immortal qi in a single vessel truly exists, could there be a purer embodiment of the Taiji?

Fortunately, death qi and immortal qi did not clash. As if respecting their designated domains, the death qi nestled quietly in her lower dantian while the sacred immortal qi dwelled within her middle dantian. Even when awakened simultaneously, neither attempted to encroach upon the other. While the net gain in cultivation was modest, it felt as though she had been gifted a rare Dokcheon Pill. If the entrance offered such spoils, what kind of treasures awaited inside the main citadel?

Before she even realized it, the World of Chaos Palace had been downgraded in her eyes to nothing more than a giant treasure chest.

Meanwhile, at the heart of the World of Chaos Palace, Ghost Command King Mu Geon sat listlessly upon his throne. He snapped his eyes open as he felt a sudden shift in the spiritual currents.

"The wretches at the first gate dared to betray me. Has someone capable of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seeing spirits finally arrived?"

The Ghost Command King held absolute dominion over the spirits. Yet he had refrained from exercising it solely to verify one thing: when someone capable of witnessing souls with their own eyes would reach the World of Chaos Palace. The very purpose behind building the palace was on the verge of being realized. A being born with sight to perceive the dead without sorcery—if only he could assimilate such an existence...

"Then this body shall finally be reborn as the Heavenly Demon. Heheh."

The Heavenly Demon. A title that once belonged to the supreme sovereign of the demonic path, the Heavenly Demon Cult, yet an epithet that had vanished after their defeat against the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance. Ghost Command King Mu Geon, the Third Demon Lord, had served as the Left Guardian of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Following their crushing defeat in the war, he rallied the surviving zealots and established a nascent faction: the Demon Blood Divine Cult.

Yet the current leader presiding over the Demon Blood Divine Cult was completely unworthy of the title of Heavenly Demon. Though he had attained the realm of Demonic Transcendence by inheriting the internal energy of the previous cult leader, Mu Geon refused to acknowledge him. Mu Geon believed that had he received that cultivation instead, he too would have transcended. Under the pretext of conquering the Central Plains, he had set foot in Hebei, searching for the ideal vessel from whom to siphon energy to break through into Demonic Transcendence himself.

One born with a physique capable of observing souls. If he could only seize such a person, ascending to Demonic Transcendence would be effortless. To top it off, this person had the sheer audacity to march into the World of Chaos Palace all alone. The Ghost Command King could hardly wipe the grin from his face.

"Come, fated one. Step into my domain."

I shall claim you and proclaim the advent of a new Heavenly Demon across the Central Plains!

"Nothing but small fry."

Having absorbed the energy from the spirits, Ryeong closed the distance to the World of Chaos Palace at blinding speed. The jiangshi and sinister hexes she encountered along the way posed zero threat to her, as the pure energy of the Celestial Immortal Divine Art naturally acted as an impenetrable barrier. Breaching the perimeter was proving far simpler than anticipated. She had even wondered why the Ghost Command King had yet to react, but as more time passed, the truth dawned on her.

The bastard was waiting for her. The toothless attacks and the lax traps all pointed to the same conclusion: he wanted her to reach him. If that was his intention, she had no problem obliging. Unfurling her fiery wings, Ryeong shot forward in a straight line. All manner of wicked sorceries attempted to ensnare her, but she cut through them without breaking stride.

"Get lost!"

With a few swift slashes of her blade, the obstacles crumbled. Soon after, she arrived before a colossal, grotesque citadel. The massive iron gates stood wide open, a gesture so blatantly welcoming that even a fool could read the invitation.

"Welcome, fated one. The benefactor destined to fulfill my deepest desire has finally arrived."

"Was your desire to drop dead? Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not letting you die easily. I have a lot of information to wring out of you."

"Hahahaha! If you believe this will be as effortless as your journey here, you are sorely mistaken."

With the sharp snap of his fingers, malevolent flames erupted around Ryeong from every direction. An ancient formation came roaring to life.

In the blink of an eye, Ryeong was hemmed in by the boundary. Mu Geon watched with an unceasing sneer, eager to see how she would struggle. Yet as the moments stretched on, the sealing array remained unbroken. Not a single fissure appeared across its surface, leaving Mu Geon bewildered. Could she be such an amateur that she can't even break an array like this?

A sudden wave of disappointment washed over him. If this woman was not the catalyst he had envisioned... if devouring her would not elevate him to Demonic Transcendence... Recalling his long years of bitter waiting, the corner of Mu Geon's mouth twitched violently. He couldn't be wrong. The wench had to be putting on an act. How could she fail to break free from the simplest of formations?

"Are you mocking this venerable one...?"

Blood dripped from Mu Geon's clenched fist. Even after waiting half an incense stick of time, the barrier showed no sign of wavering. At long last, his patience snapped entirely.

"What on earth are you—!"

"Dumbass."

The instant the Four Ghosts Sealing Formation was dispelled, Ryeong revealed herself. Pure white qi erupted from her figure, painting a colossal silhouette in the air as a sacred, divine presence enveloped the heart of the World of Chaos Palace.

"...?!"

ROAAAR!

A deafening roar shattered the air. It was a majestic bellow that stirred the primal dread of mortal flesh, freezing Mu Geon's movements for a split second. Indeed, Ryeong had deliberately refrained from breaking the array, waiting for him to dispel it on his own—all to unleash her ultimate technique directly into his face.

"Guess one of the Four Great Evils isn't all that special."

"You insolent bitttchhh!!"

"True Sword of the White Tiger, Secret Art."

A beam of pure white sword gang stormed toward Mu Geon with terrifying majesty and velocity in an entirely different league. The Ghost Command King, who had been hurriedly weaving a spell, was forced to abort his casting and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pour everything into his protective body gangqi.

"Kuaaaargh!"

Unable to withstand the charge of the Tiger King, Mu Geon's right arm was brutally torn away. Yet, snatching his severed limb out of midair, the Ghost Command King pressed it back against the bleeding stump. With a sickening squelch, the necrotic flesh reattached and knit whole. His eyes were ringed in frantic crimson, completely crazed with fury.

Of course, Ryeong was never one to pin all her hopes on a single technique. Accelerating with her fiery wings the moment Opening of the Tiger King was unleashed, she closed the distance right before Mu Geon's eyes.

"Hup!"

She drove a fist straight into his solar plexus. The strike, wreathed in Vermilion Bird Fire Qi, injected sacred immortal qi directly into his anatomy. To someone steeped in demonic energy, it was a lethal, agonizing poison.

"Cough!"

Vomiting a mouthful of dark blood, Mu Geon stumbled backward. Ryeong did not let the opening slip.

"This is payback for the dead."

Coating her Evil-Slaying Dagger in immortal qi, she drove the blade clean through his skull.