Chapter 5: My Descendant
A chill ran down my spine at the shocking realization. I couldn't move a muscle.
It felt as if I'd been cleaved in two, just like when Blade King Cheoksan's blade struck me.
'Sword Heaven Demon Yong Bijeong.'
The greatest swordsman in the entire history of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, spanning hundreds of years.
Even the mere traces he left on the sword hilt seemed capable of shredding a man to pieces.
[We haven't even begun. Prepare yourself.]
'Where the hell is this?'
I stood there dumbfounded, gripping the Asura Sword.
I'd merely closed and opened my eyes, and suddenly I was in a space of pure white.
Bongmareung's voice echoed from all directions.
[This is the Realm of Deep Contemplation. Those who reach the Transcendent Human Realm can open this space freely and train through visualization alone. These days, it has become the exclusive domain of the Heavenly Demons.]
A kind of illusory space.
Detached from real time—that was the added explanation.
[Focus your mind. Last time, when this spirit absorbed the pure demonic energy in your stead, its use was predetermined. And it wasn't particularly profound either. That is why it was no trouble at all.]
He was referring to when I'd absorbed pure demonic energy from Yong Baekheon and the other demons to heal my body.
[But this time is different. The key is to accumulate as much power as possible and convert it into your own qi. It is akin to taming a wild beast and stabling it in the corral.]
"Taming a wild horse into the stable...?"
[Subdue that power! Even if it bucks wildly, do not let it escape. The point is to force its submission as quickly as possible!]
In that instant, the Asura Sword flickered white.
Then it began to scatter into fine particles.
The charred lump of metal, like a blackened tree branch, transformed into fine golden powder, soon swirling into a vortex that rose up around me.
Just as Bongmareung had said, it snorted like a beast and prowled about.
No—it was slyly backing away.
[What are you doing? Grab it! Make it yours right now!]
I charged forward.
I had no idea which part of this sand-sculpture-like thing to grab...
Just seize whatever I could for now—that was the plan.
But the power whipped its head around and flung me away.
"Gah!"
[Tch. No chance at all.]
Bongmareung clicked his tongue.
He smacked his lips in disappointment and explained further.
[The greater the innate qi, the harder it is to control. With no other choice, bide your time and wait for an opening.]
"Wait for it to weaken?"
[Indeed. There will be some loss, but it is unavoidable.]
The later I absorbed it, the more I'd lose.
I bit my lip.
"I hate taking a loss."
[Then charge again. This spirit wouldn't mind seeing you get tossed once more.]
What a spiteful bastard.
I assumed my stance again.
The key was to prevent the power from escaping while forcing its submission as swiftly as possible.
In that case...
"It's do or die! Get over here, you bastard!"
[Huh? No, you fool! If you get hurt, it is all for naught! And you with no energy left to spare!]
I lunged and wrapped both arms around the beast of qi.
Then I yanked it downward with all my strength.
The beast thrashed its head, trying to shake me off, just like in a contest of raw power.
But that was a feint.
My real target was elsewhere.
"Now!"
The moment it paused its legs to snort with its head.
I released my arms and leaped like lightning.
Mounting it, I jammed the lump right between my thighs.
[You mad bastard...!]
"Shut up and cheer me on!"
[To the side! Lower your stance! Pull! Harder, damn it!]
"No! You're distracting me—be quiet!"
As soon as I was astride its back, the beast bucked wildly.
But I clung on stubbornly.
"Keep it up—try me!"
My upper body whipped around like a shield on a broken strap.
But my legs clamped the beast tight.
By swiftly shifting my center of gravity, I managed to hold on.
Bongmareung let out a gasp of admiration.
[Remarkable! How are you enduring so well? What is your trick?]
A trick? Sure, there was one.
As a back-alley kid, I was skilled in wall-clinging and desperate grapples. But more importantly, it was instinct.
I sensed its next move a step ahead and countered preemptively.
'And rather than forcibly controlling its rampage, letting it tire itself out makes taming easier, right?'
That was something I'd overheard from old men at the brothels while picking their pockets.
Ranchers said the secret was luring beasts to exhaust themselves.
That's exactly what I was doing.
[Oh ho. So it is experience, instinct, and trivia—the perfect trio. This is entertaining.]
"You've turned into a full spectator! Anyway, how long have I held on?"
[About half an incense stick's time.]
"What?"
Only that long?
It felt like a full meal's worth.
[Time is relative, after all.]
"Damn it!"
Still, the longer I endured, the more adept I became.
And the qi beast gradually calmed.
Moments later, it halted abruptly.
Then, like a crumbling sandcastle, it poured down and turned into white vapor.
Bongmareung bellowed.
[Now! Open your whole body and take in the power!]
"Huh? How do I do that?"
[Open your mouth and nose wide and suck it all in!]
"Huuup!"
I hastily inhaled.
My mouth burned like fire.
The power flowed down my throat in gulps, seeping into the depths of my chest.
It coiled there as if it were home, then spread warmth throughout my body.
"Haaah..."
A sigh escaped me naturally.
Strength filled my limbs solidly, and stability returned.
I could clearly feel my depleted innate qi restored.
Oddly, Bongmareung's boisterous voice fell silent.
Right then.
『Follow me.』
An unfamiliar man's voice rang out.
My vision spun.
Like plunging into a dream within a dream, a new scene unfolded.
* * *
Snow whipped furiously.
The jagged peak was blanketed in eternal white snow.
I stood at the summit of the snow mountain.
'White Dragon Peak!'
The pinnacle of the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
A holy site permitted only to the Grand Cult Leader, a realm of extreme cold and demonic peril no ordinary human could endure for a moment.
I'd been there once, impersonating the Young Cult Leader, all the way to the shrine below.
The layered peaks I'd seen from there now sprawled beneath my feet.
I wasn't alone.
An elder stared at me intently from the cliff's edge.
"Who are you, old man!"
I had to squeeze my throat to shout through the raging snow.
But his response was completely different.
His response shook White Dragon Peak with majestic resonance the moment he spoke.
『You are my descendant.』
"...!"
Words failed me.
Just hearing the voice squeezed my soul.
I intuited his identity.
'Sword Heaven Demon Yong Bijeong!'
Not even the real person, yet this pressure.
This White Dragon Peak was a virtual space crafted by Yong Bijeong's lingering will.
With a faint smile, he drew his sword from his waist.
I flinched, but the blade pointed skyward.
『Watch closely. This is the White Dragon Soaring Sword.』
"Pardon? What suddenly—?"
The elder simply moved.
Fluid yet steady, curving yet seamless sword forms.
The rhythm was so uniform it felt inhuman.
Bizarre, intricate motions unfolded ceaselessly before my eyes.
And they imprinted vividly in my mind, like a brand.
What the hell is this?
『Heavenly Flow Unceasing, Abyss Clear Captures Reflection.
No need to explain this incantation, surely?』
"...?"
No, I'm clueless—please explain.
Unlike Yong Baekheon, my training was brief; I had no idea what those eight characters meant.
But the ancient Heavenly Demon's will vanished.
Leaving only final words.
『Heir of the Yong Clan, lift your eyes and look ahead. The path lies there.』
"Wait, sir..."
Not even a true Yong Clan heir, I could only gape.
Consciousness soared once more.
I was back in the Young Cult Leader's armory.
* * *
The Asura Sword was snapped in half.
Bongmareung's voice returned.
[You met him! Right?]
'...'
[Why so quiet? Didn't you meet the Sword Heaven Demon's lingering will?]
'Lingering will?'
[Those who reach the pinnacle can leave a brief soul imprint on their possessions. That is a lingering will.]
I see.
The White Dragon Peak illusion was Yong Bijeong's lingering will, left to pass his enlightenment to posterity.
'Can I get these from other demons' items too?'
[Rarely, yes. But beware.]
'Why?'
[You never know what kind of will lingers. Think: the Sword Heaven Demon, a virtuous ancestor of the Yong Demon Clan, left sublime teachings. But what if it were a demon who rebelled against the Yong Clan? What then?]
'Ah...'
A trap disguised as teachings?
To strike down Yong heirs?
[Plunging a young warrior into qi deviation is no great feat.]
'Got it. I understand.'
Non-Yong items needed caution before absorption.
Finishing his explanation, Bongmareung cut to the chase.
[Now, tell me! What did the Sword Heaven Demon say? What did he teach?]
'Well...'
[No teasing—out with it!]
Scratching my head, I recounted the White Dragon Soaring Sword and the eight-character incantation.
I'd heard something profound, but admitting I didn't understand was mortifying.
Turned out, no need.
[White Dragon Soaring Sword? It was known as unfinished among the Sword Heaven Demon's creations...]
Unfinished sword art?
Yet the forms in my mind were complete.
Yong Bijeong's will had transmitted it flawlessly, without gaps.
Then what of the incantation?
['Rivers flow without cease; only a clear abyss reflects the depths.' It means this.]
'Huh? How do rivers and ponds relate to swordsmanship?'
[Even this spirit doesn't know the incantation's deeper meaning. The Chronicles of the Sealed Demon only recorded the initial forms of the White Dragon Soaring Sword, with no incantation at all.]
Yong Bijeong's entry predated the art's completion.
After a pause, Bongmareung nodded at me.
[Show me, then.]
'Show what?'
[What he taught you.]
Could I?
The motions were etched perfectly in my mind, like a hot iron brand.
'But executing them is a whole other matter, right?'
Who knows.
With that thought, I picked a longsword from the armory racks.
The instant I drew it—
"Ah!"
I realized my doubt was pointless.
In the dim armory center, pale sword light scattered everywhere.
Just like the white snowflakes on White Dragon Peak...
I had perfectly replicated Yong Bijeong's swordsmanship.
I couldn't vouch for power, but the forms were identical.
[Enough. That's it.]
As I slowly halted, Bongmareung's voice trembled faintly.
[It is undoubtedly the Sword Heaven Demon's White Dragon Soaring Sword. For its unfinished forms to hide in the Asura Sword... and reveal themselves now. Truly bizarre...]