Your Body Shall Be Taken
What's going on? I wanted to calmly assess the situation, but my mind was a complete mess.
"Do you recognize me?"
"Look right here. How many fingers do you see?"
"Can't you hear us subordinates? Young Cult Leader!"
"His eyes have no focus. Could he have turned into an idiot?"
"……."
A middle-aged man waving his fingers right in front of my face, and young women whispering among themselves. They were the cult physicians from the medicine hall and Yong Baekheon's maids.
When my eyes met theirs, I instinctively did what needed to be done.
"Get out."
"Pardon?"
"Vanish from my sight, all of you! You damned scum!"
I immediately started acting as Yong Baekheon's body double.
They turned pale and backed away as I screamed like a madman.
"Young Cult Leader, this is your medicine……."
"I said get out now!"
"Forgive us!"
The best part of playing Yong Baekheon's double was that I could act however I wanted without any issues. No, I had to act that way. Yong Baekheon was originally arrogant and cruel, so showing any decorum or manners would have been suspicious.
Thanks to that, I easily cleared the room.
The place where I'd been lying was a bedroom in the Young Cult Leader's Palace.
Let's think this through again. What the hell happened?
I pressed my temples, trying to ease the throbbing headache. My head was a tangled mess of memories, and the back of my skull ached like it was splitting open. The dizziness was so bad I felt like vomiting.
That's when the mysterious voice spoke again.
Your headache means your innate true energy is running critically low. As I said before, start hunting soon.
Am I going crazy and hearing hallucinations? Or a ghost?
The voice chuckled.
I'm no ghost or hallucination. I'm the spirit of The Chronicles of the Sealed Demon you blew up like fireworks three days ago. Call me Bongmareung.
The spirit of The Chronicles of the Sealed Demon?
Suddenly, a blazing figure flared up in my mind. It was clearly an illusion, but so vivid—a humanoid shadow made of flickering characters.
Heh heh heh heh!
It laughed, flames of letters mimicking a human form. No, it was something inscrutable, far beyond human.
It's been ages. How long since I've faced a human like this…….
Our gazes locked, filled with blatant delight. In that instant, a flood of memories overwhelmed me, and I blacked out.
When I came to again, I could vividly recall what had happened.
The explosion—unusually massive and beautiful.
Crimson and white flames devoured Yong Baekheon, Blade King Cheoksan, and over a dozen low-ranking protectors. Naturally, I was caught in it too.
But suddenly, the blast condensed back into a single point, as if time reversed. Then it pierced straight through my chest and took root.
Bongmareung was there.
Young Cult Leaders who inherit The Chronicles of the Sealed Demon gain the predecessors' insights through a 'burnt offering.' And you performed quite the intriguing one—a living human sacrifice using yourself.
Burnt offering. A ritual burning sacrifices.
Human sacrifice meant burning a person alive.
This is ridiculous.
I sighed, understanding his words.
Bongmareung cackled.
Indeed, you burned yourself. A most commendable offering.
I'd unknowingly performed a massive ritual—self-immolation as a burnt offering. Paradoxically, I killed myself to come back to life.
The more precious the offering, the greater the reward. You burned yourself—the most valuable sacrifice imaginable. You more than qualify to inherit The Chronicles of the Sealed Demon.
Honestly, from my perspective, I never intended any ritual. But it happened anyway?
Something feels off.
Still, it wasn't bad. I'd crossed the Yellow Springs right up to King Yama's doorstep and barely made it back.
Of course, the crisis wasn't over. Lying here in the Young Cult Leader's Palace was dangerous in itself.
If they find out I'm not Yong Baekheon but his double, and that I tampered with The Chronicles of the Sealed Demon……?
I wouldn't die cleanly. At best, death by dismemberment.
I had to cover up Yong Baekheon's death and escape the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
Wasn't his body left behind?
That could make them suspicious of me. But Bongmareung crossed his arms and said something odd.
As I said earlier, I devoured them without a trace.
Devoured? Like cannibalism?
What filth. The perfect inheritor of The Chronicles of the Sealed Demon wields the Blood Spirit Demonic Binding Art—absorbing demonic energy from other fiends and making it your own. Perfect prey jumped in, so I absorbed them directly.
Like the Absorption Great Law?
As Yong Baekheon's double, I'd picked up superficial knowledge of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's martial arts.
The Absorption Great Law was infamous for sucking others' internal energy.
But Bongmareung gasped in shock.
Heavens! How dare you compare it to that trash? The Blood Spirit Demonic Binding Art absorbs and manipulates true origin demonic energy from foes!
I doubted my ears.
True origin demonic energy? That's possible?
Even I, ignorant of demonic arts, knew what true origin demonic energy was. It was a fiend's innate vital force—the source of their martial power. Like innate true energy, excessive depletion was irreversible.
A technique that absorbed that?
Master it, and you can devour foes whole, like I did. You can even absorb their knowledge or techniques as needed.
……!
By the way, it works on sacred artifacts' demonic energy too, though far less potent.
A indescribable feeling washed over me. Stunned by this massive stroke of fortune, yet chilled.
I fell silent in shock.
Hm? Why the uneasy look?
From this, I learned one thing: Bongmareung couldn't freely read my mind. I had to consciously project thoughts like speech for clear communication.
Does stealing others' vital energy to survive bother you? Feeling guilty? Disappointing if so.
He snickered mockingly—not very gentlemanly for a demonic spirit.
I let out a hollow laugh.
Guilt? Those bastards used me like a dog and planned to discard me like trash—why would I feel guilty for them? Do I look like Buddha to you?
Good.
The real reason for my unease was different.
I stared at Bongmareung.
So what price do I pay?
Price?
The cost of the Blood Spirit Demonic Binding Art. I've never learned martial arts, but I know nothing powerful comes free. Common sense.
There had to be a price. No such thing as a free lunch.
That was the source of my chill.
Hmm…….
Bongmareung silently stared at me. The quietly rippling shadow felt even more sinister.
An ominous voice emerged.
When you use the Blood Spirit Demonic Binding Art on the living, the grudge spirits of their true origin demonic energy owners will accumulate.
Grudge spirits accumulate? What happens then?
Exceed the threshold, and your body will be taken. The mass of grudge spirits will seize your flesh and rampage madly.
This is insane!
Body possession? So the Blood Spirit Demonic Binding Art wasn't free after all.
The more I use it, the riskier it gets?
At least, I shouldn't use it on healthy living people.
Yet Bongmareung had used it on Yong Baekheon and the others to repair my body.
So their grudge spirits are piled up in me now?
But I didn't feel any different…….
Bongmareung burst into laughter right then.
Worry not. There are ways to purge grudge spirits.
There are?
Of course. Do past Heavenly Demons seem like fools? No need to fret. We'll discuss this later.
It didn't sound like a lie.
The demonic spirit stared piercingly, revealing new interest.
You've clearly never trained in martial arts, yet where'd you learn such shrewdness? That suspicion, I mean.
Asking about the price had impressed him.
But as Yong Baekheon's double, such thinking was second nature.
Living in the Hundred Thousand Mountains had taught me that well.
Mister, do you know how average fiends live?
Average fiends……?
Yeah. The mountains aren't full of Heavenly Demons only.
The Hundred Thousand Mountains was the demonic path's heartland. But there were commoners like me, warriors forced into demonic arts, and plenty devoured by those arts.
I've seen countless fiends lose to their demonic arts and turn into monsters—losing reason, becoming little better than beasts.
That's the backlash of inferior demonic arts—being ruled by filthy bloodlust. Nothing for you to worry about.
No, I don't think that. Think about it—that's just how the world works.
Nothing comes free. You pay eventually.
That was my realization.
Better to die than become a blood-maddened yaksha.
That's why I'd doubted this sudden gift of the Blood Spirit Demonic Binding Art.
Amusing lad. A young one grasping heavenly principles alone.
Bongmareung chuckled lowly.
Wanting certainty, I pressed for details on purging grudge spirits.
But his next words left me speechless.
This'll be fun to teach. What should I instruct you in?
Teach me? Martial arts?
Exactly. That's my role. Every Heavenly Demon received my teachings and left their insights before death.
I know. But I'm not a Heavenly Demon heir.
Why not? You're 'Yong Baekheon' now. The Young Cult Leader.
The shadow laughed gleefully, but I stood stunned.
I've become Yong Baekheon?
Something itched oddly in my head at those words.
"Urk……!"
My vision flashed white. Stranger-than-life scenes and Yong Baekheon's arrogant voice flashed by like a panorama.
—There's a guy in the back alleys who looks just like me.
—Bring him. Unharmed, not a hair out of place.
—Good. Finally, some relief…….
I instinctively realized: the Blood Spirit Demonic Binding Art could absorb information too.
Some of the Young Cult Leader's memories flowed into me.
Not all, but Yong Baekheon's knowledge was mine now.
This was huge. Inheriting The Chronicles of the Sealed Demon was massive, but this felt equally fateful.
Bongmareung whipped his head around.
Someone's coming. Fast steps.
Who?
I heard nothing, but soon the outside grew noisy.
"How is the Young Cult Leader?"
"Fortunately, he's regained consciousness."
"A blessing indeed. Then why are you all standing outside instead of attending him?"
"The Young Cult Leader ordered us out……."
"Make way. I'll check on him."
A familiar voice.
Footsteps approached.
Play dead for now.
I quickly threw myself onto the bed and closed my eyes, feigning sleep.
The door creaked open quietly, a long shadow stretching across the room.
"Young Cult Leader, it's Ok Geumran, leader of the Phantom Fox Unit. Are you alright?"
I cracked my eyes at the woman's subtly trembling voice.