The Corpse-Seeking Dog's Choice
When Hak Yeong-chung first heard that the Young Heavenly Demon, Baek Hwaryeong, had appeared in the Murim, the emotion that filled him was neither fear nor hatred. It was curiosity.
Back when the Heavenly Demon Cult was being eradicated, Hak Yeong-chung had still been a mere disciple and thus could not participate in the campaign. Because of that, he had never witnessed the true might of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art with his own eyes, only hearing about it through stories. For someone whose life’s goal was to observe and master every martial art in existence, that regret had always lingered.
He had believed the Cult was finished and that he would never again see anyone capable of using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Yet here was this opportunity. The appearance of the Young Heavenly Demon meant he might finally witness it in person.
That very day, Hak Yeong-chung mobilized every connection he had to locate Baek Hwaryeong. Fortunately, the Young Heavenly Demon made no effort to hide her whereabouts. On the contrary, she moved with open confidence, as if daring anyone to come find her. Knowing he could meet her at any time, Hak Yeong-chung set out without hesitation, even after his informants warned him of the danger.
At the time, he had been confident. No matter how strong his opponent might be, he believed he could at least preserve his own life. After all, he was the unparalleled genius once hailed by Mount Hua. Even as a child, he had defeated several of the sect’s elders. He had been called the greatest among the rising stars of the righteous path and was expected to one day become the next sect leader of Mount Hua.
In contrast, what was his opponent? A girl whose family had been destroyed before she could even make a name for herself. She had never received proper training and had spent her life fleeing the pursuit of the righteous sects. How strong could the Young Heavenly Demon possibly be?
That belief had been nothing but arrogance. There is always a higher sky above the sky.
Hak Yeong-chung, who had provoked her solely to witness the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, could not endure even five exchanges before he was sent flying. It wasn’t a matter of technique. The difference was simply that she existed on an entirely different level.
As he lay on the ground, staring up at the Young Heavenly Demon standing proudly above him, Hak Yeong-chung instinctively knew he was about to die. If he did nothing, that merciless hand would take his head. So he desperately pleaded his usefulness, hoping she would find him interesting, praying she would spare his pathetic life even for a moment longer.
He still could not forget those eyes that had looked down at him then, calmly measuring his worth.
The eyes of the woman now staring at him were exactly the same.
When Hak Yeong-chung remained silent, simply gazing back at her, the woman dressed in black martial robes slightly lowered her brows.
“Have you lost your mind?”
From behind her, a young girl holding a cane stepped forward, examined him, and spoke.
“No way. This guy should be a fairly skilled martial artist.”
“Weren’t the ones crawling around outside skilled?”
“Those were just a bunch of trash.”
Watching the two converse so casually, Hak Yeong-chung realized something was different. The woman standing before him was not Baek Hwaryeong. Their appearances differed—her neat black robes, her long, perfectly arranged hair. Even her physical realm seemed low, perhaps only at the middle stage of first-class. But most of all, the atmosphere was different.
Unlike Baek Hwaryeong, whose blade-like presence always left those nearby in constant fear of being cut down, this woman radiated a relaxed aura. It was clear. She resembled that crazy bitch in some ways, but she was someone else. She seemed connected to the Heavenly Demon Cult, but that was all. She didn’t appear to bear him any particular hostility. She was someone he could talk to.
Having reached that conclusion, Hak Yeong-chung took a deep breath and spoke.
“What martial art have you come looking for?”
“That’s right.”
“Just tell me. I am the martial arts researcher Hak Yeong-chung. There are very few techniques in the current Murim that I do not know.”
“I am looking for the Purple Mist Divine Art.”
Hak Yeong-chung froze for an instant at her words. So she already knew. She hadn’t asked for just any sect’s technique—she had specifically named Mount Hua’s exclusive art. That meant she was certain he had been expelled from the sect. Since this was a situation where his life could be forfeit at any moment, instead of making jokes, Hak Yeong-chung simply nodded.
“Yes, of course the Purple Mist Divine Art is available. However, since it is a technique based on the Daoist path, it should be fundamentally incompatible with the Heavenly Demon Divine Art that you practice, guest.”
“I am not trying to learn it myself. I intend to teach it to others.”
“...The Purple Mist Divine Art?”
She had said “others,” plural. She was planning to spread Mount Hua’s exclusive supreme technique—not to one person, but to many.
“As you know, in order to learn the Purple Mist Divine Art, one must first become familiar with Mount Hua’s other martial arts. Attempting to learn it with an unprepared body would be nothing but a waste of effort.”
“I know that as well.”
“Then, if I may be so bold as to ask—now that Mount Hua has been destroyed, exactly who do you intend to teach the Purple Mist Divine Art to?”
“Although Mount Hua has fallen, the outsiders who once stayed there remain.”
The woman said she planned to gather those who had once believed in Mount Hua but had been abandoned by it. She intended to teach the Purple Mist Divine Art to those who still clung to the name of Mount Hua.
Upon hearing the plan, Hak Yeong-chung unknowingly let out a laugh. Even though he received a sharp glare from the woman, he couldn’t help it. It was an absurd story. Outsiders learning the Purple Mist Divine Art?
“How could people who don’t even understand the principles contained within Mount Hua’s martial arts possibly master the Purple Mist Divine Art?”
This was an undeniable truth. The Purple Mist Divine Art was a realm one could only reach after completely mastering all the foundational arts of Mount Hua. Yet a bunch of fools who found even pursuing those principles too difficult and chose to compromise instead now wanted to study the Purple Mist Divine Art? That was impossible. They might be able to learn it by force, but achieving true mastery was out of the question. A divine art was not called divine for nothing.
“You are correct.”
The woman did not deny the words he had spoken. There was no way someone who wielded one of the world’s supreme arts, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, would be unaware of this fact.
“That is why we must rebuild the foundation from the very bottom.”
“Are you saying that you, who wield the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, will teach the principles of Mount Hua to its people?”
“Indeed. I intend to teach the principles to Mount Hua’s people. However, I have no intention of doing it personally.”
“There is no suitable person for the task.”
Mount Hua had been destroyed. That was an irreversible fact. As far as Hak Yeong-chung knew, there was no one left in the current righteous path capable of teaching Mount Hua’s martial arts.
“What nonsense are you saying? Are you not here?”
“...Pardon?”
Hearing the woman’s words, Hak Yeong-chung could only stupidly ask again. This was something he had not considered even for a second. It was only natural. He was one of the public enemies of the Murim. He was the one who had clung to the Heavenly Demon’s side and plundered martial arts from countless sects. The survivors of the righteous path who had endured the catastrophe caused by the Heavenly Demon were usually desperate to capture and punish him.
He had survived this long by making a secret agreement with the Zhuge Clan, but the moment he stepped into the open, he would surely be killed by the current righteous Murim.
“I cannot accept that request.”
If he was going to die either way, Hak Yeong-chung decided he would rather treat the woman before him as an enemy. The moment he accepted her request, he would be doomed, but at least if he opposed her, there might be some chance of escape.
At his answer, the woman slightly narrowed her eyes and smiled.
"It seems you are mistaken, so let me correct you."
"I am not making a request."
"I am giving you an order."
A thick killing intent poured out from the woman. Every hair on his body stood on end. His reason screamed at him. If he didn’t run away right now, he would be killed by the woman before him. His emotions screamed. Run. I don’t want to die. I can’t die here. Finally, his body screamed. He was so terrified that he couldn’t move even a single finger.
Hak Yeong-chung hurriedly circulated the Purple Mist Divine Art to push back the pressure of her killing intent and gasped for breath. Only then did he realize that until a moment ago, he had even forgotten the natural act of breathing.
Crazy. Could someone who had only reached the first-class realm really do something like this? Just how high did this person stand to be capable of such absurd behavior?
Whether she knew he was looking at her in terror or not, the woman leisurely moved her hand and pulled a book from within her robes.
“And I have also prepared compensation for following my command.”
“...What is that?”
“The Plum Blossom Swordplay. I don’t know who created it, but I hear it is a supreme technique that can only be used after mastering the Purple Mist Divine Art.”
Plum Blossom Swordplay?
Hak Yeong-chung, who had stayed at Mount Hua and prided himself on knowing nearly all the martial arts there, had never heard of a technique called the Plum Blossom Swordplay. And now she was saying this unknown martial art could only be learned after mastering the Purple Mist Divine Art?
If it was a new technique, the possibility that it was a lie meant to lure him—someone who would rush at any new martial art he saw—was very high.
When Hak Yeong-chung showed a doubtful expression, the woman drew the sword from her waist.
Fuck?!
Since he wouldn’t listen to words, was she going to threaten him? Starting with his fingers? Or his toes? He didn’t know which, but did she think he would go down easily?!
As Hak Yeong-chung hurriedly took a stance, the woman let out a soft laugh and waved her hand.
“I have no intention of cutting you down. Not yet.”
Having said that, the woman began performing swordplay in the empty air. As her blade flowed through the space, her inner energy followed the path, taking shape and leaving traces behind. The form was clearly that of flower petals, but because of the influence of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, they took on the dark red color of blood.
This was… an entirely new sword art he had never seen before.
It was an illusionary sword at the pinnacle. A wondrous and beautiful sword technique that could captivate even the greatest martial artists, making them lose themselves in the drifting petals. The woman’s words had not been false. This was truly worthy of being called a supreme technique.
The dark crimson petals danced in the air, each one a perfect illusion born from transcendent inner energy. Their scent seemed to bloom even in this dim space, carrying with it an overwhelming beauty and lethal grace.
“Unfortunately, since what I have learned is the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, I cannot display the complete form of this technique. But you would be different. As a user of the Purple Mist Divine Art.”
“If I follow your command, will you give this to me as compensation?”
“Of course. I swear it upon the Heavenly Demon Divine Art that I possess.”
Hesitation? There was no need for such a thing. If Hak Yeong-chung had been capable of rational judgment, he would never have earned the nickname Corpse-Seeking Dog in the first place.
The moment his heart was stolen by the martial art he had just witnessed, and knowing that a supreme technique only a user of the Purple Mist Divine Art could learn was now before his eyes, there was only one choice left for him.
“Very well. Command me as you wish.”
So this meant the groundwork for establishing the building’s foundation had succeeded.
Hmm. Now that I think about it, that makes sense. I had planned to use Mount Hua’s martial arts to explain the importance of principles. If things proceeded as I thought, people who used Mount Hua’s techniques would naturally gather in one place, and a new Mount Hua Sect would be established on its own.
Building a new Mount Hua with my own hands on top of the one I destroyed with my own hands? From Mount Hua’s perspective, it would be an incredibly insulting act. And that somehow makes it even more interesting.