Hyeon-jung's Entrance
Hyeon-jung followed Hye-yul to the Repentance Cave, located at the shady foot of the rugged Mount Song. “Master, I will open the door.”
Hyeon-jung nodded instead of answering. The moment the small side door blocking the cave entrance swung open, a nauseating stench rushed out. Frowning, Hyeon-jung stepped inside after his disciple.
It’s been a while.
The Repentance Cave had never truly been built to imprison criminals. The very name was camouflage meant to hide its real purpose. Would anyone spend a fortune to create the Vision Manifestation Array, one of the world’s most precious treasures, just to lock up a few mere demons? Its true objective had never been confining the wicked or amplifying martial arts. Only a handful of people in Shaolin—including Hyeon-jung himself—knew the array’s original function. Naturally, the demons locked inside had no idea where they were truly imprisoned.
Of course. How could these devils possibly know about this secret formation?
Even Hyeon-jung had been deeply shocked the first time his own master revealed the array’s true purpose. While he was momentarily lost in thought, Hye-yul stopped in front of a cell near the entrance.
“Master, this is the Blood Demon Witch I told you about—the one who looks beautiful.”
The way he said it, like a child pointing out his favorite girl to his parents, made Hyeon-jung’s brow furrow.
Tsk tsk. This brat has been studying the scriptures so diligently lately, yet his condition is this bad?
Clicking his tongue inwardly, Hyeon-jung strode toward the cell Hye-yul had indicated. Seventeen? Eighteen? It would be more accurate to call her young rather than merely youthful. The little villainess was sprawled in a slouched, crooked posture.
“At first glance she’s nothing but an ugly wench. Let’s see if she looks different up close.”
Hyeon-jung focused power into his eyes and stared intently at the Blood Demon Witch. The Delusion-Breaker Eye could be controlled. More precisely, only Hyeon-jung himself could control it. He had created an entirely new mental technique just to regulate this troublesome ability. Normally he kept the exhausting function of the Delusion-Breaker Eye turned off, but he could maximize its power whenever needed. The existence of the Delusion-Breaker Eye was known to almost no one in the world, and it had taken him merely three days to create a mental method that could freely adjust its function. Turning the impossible into reality was exactly what the greatest under heaven, Hyeon-jung, did best.
The moment he activated the technique and raised the Delusion-Breaker Eye’s power, the Blood Demon Witch’s true appearance was finally revealed.
“Hoh… She truly possesses unmatched beauty under heaven!”
Even with her disheveled hair covering her eyes and her filthy, unwashed appearance, the Delusion-Breaker Eye pierced through every illusion. Large, clear eyes like mountain lakes. The slightly raised outer corners carried seductive charm despite her young age, yet her even larger black pupils neutralized that allure and made her look innocently pure. A straight, elegant nose, refined lips, and a delicate jawline. Above all, her spotless snow-white skin would captivate any man who saw it. Even while sitting like a beggar in a crude manner, her overall aura remained calm and graceful. It was truly strange.
Disguise technique?
Before coming to the Repentance Cave, Hyeon-jung had met his junior brother—the one known in the Murim as the Small Buddha Master—who had captured the Blood Demon Witch, and asked about her movements. According to his junior brother, the Murim knew her more for her “hideous appearance” than for the evil deeds she had committed over the past three years. That meant this wicked girl had been hiding her true face since at least three years ago, even inside this inescapable Repentance Cave.
What a bizarre and sinister child.
Hyeon-jung concentrated even harder. The true power of the Delusion-Breaker Eye lay in perceiving the essence of things. It could read a person’s nature, and even their thoughts, which was why it inspired such terror. Those who knew of it either tried to recruit its wielder or, failing that, attempted to kill them.
A person’s nature could be seen through the aura floating around them. The more evil they were, the darker the color; the more virtuous, the closer to white. Hyeon-jung focused his gaze to read the Blood Demon Witch’s true nature.
…Green? No, blue? …Red?
The aura around the Blood Demon Witch kept shifting every second, making it impossible to pin down. Instead of black, gray, or white, every natural color swirled together. There was no way to determine her true heart.
I cannot read it…?
“Disciple. Open the cell door.”
Hye-yul was visibly flustered by his master’s command. “Master! According to Shaolin’s rules… once a door to the Repentance Cave’s cells is closed, it must never be opened again!”
“It is fine. If I wish it, Shaolin will permit it.”
It was an incredibly arrogant statement, yet Hyeon-jung spoke only the truth. Hye-yul hesitated for a moment before taking the key from his waist and unlocking the cell. Hyeon-jung strode forward, flung the iron door wide open, then stepped inside, grabbed the slouching Blood Demon Witch by the collar, and dragged her out.
“Ugh!”
Hyeon-jung lifted her by the collar without letting go. He stood nearly seven feet tall, so the slender Blood Demon Witch’s legs dangled helplessly in the air. The moment their eyes met, Hyeon-jung felt a surge of disbelief. Even though a Profound Realm expert was glaring at her, the Blood Demon Witch’s gaze showed no sign of agitation. Instead of fear, her eyes looked utterly indifferent.
“Ha! Look at this wench!”
The gaze of a Profound Realm master was a weapon in itself. Even Murim experts would die or be consumed by terror beneath his stare, yet this girl whose dantian had been destroyed faced it calmly. At this sudden turn of events, every demon in the Repentance Cave rose as one and began to scream.
“You bastard Hyeon-jung! What the hell are you doing!”
“Let go of her right now, you crazy monk!”
“Madwoman! To lay hands on a child—Shaolin has truly gone insane!”
The demons clung to their iron bars, shouting desperately. Hyeon-jung merely snorted at their frenzy.
“Hmph. Since when did you demons wearing human masks ever have a sense of loyalty!”
A vast surge of energy erupted.
The entire Repentance Cave was crushed beneath an enormous gravitational force. The qi wave of the greatest under heaven was no mere pressure—it carried physical killing intent!
“Guh…!”
“Gah…!”
The demons couldn’t even stand. They collapsed to the floor, trembling violently. The terror of death seemed to brand itself into every cell of their bodies. For decades they had been nothing but living corpses, waiting for death in this dark and silent cave. Then a “hideous but insanely lively” young girl had appeared. Even while being tormented, she spouted ridiculous words and fearlessly argued with the legendary demons. She had breathed life back into people who had only waited for death. Her actions were both annoying and endearing, and before they knew it, affection had taken root. That was why they deliberately spoke harsher words and teased her more. The demons, starved for human warmth, had given her even more affection in return.
It had been barely over a month since the Blood Demon Witch entered the Repentance Cave, yet the demons already treated her like their own granddaughter. When she first claimed she possessed incredible martial arts, they had half-played along with the crazy girl while secretly harboring a faint sliver of hope. But fearing that hope would turn into despair, they had been too afraid to throw themselves fully into training, always doubting whether escape was truly possible.
“Why would I spare trash like you out of pity! Crawl on the ground like insects and play dead!”
Hyeon-jung roared with a lion’s roar. Yet the crushed demons refused to give up. Spitting blood, they still forced out their voices.
“…Let… her… go… you damned monk…”
“…Don’t… touch… the madwoman…”
Ignoring the insects’ final resistance, Hyeon-jung fixed his gaze on the Blood Demon Witch once more. His Delusion-Breaker Eye blazed. The gaze of a Profound Realm expert could destroy an opponent’s mind by itself. Yet the Blood Demon Witch’s reaction remained strange. She was clearly dangling in the air by her throat, but instead of shock or terror, her calm eyes seemed to say…
What the hell is this crazy bastard doing now?
They looked extremely annoyed and fed up. And then, finally, those small lips opened.
“Hey!”
“…?”
“Why are you crushing our demons’ spirits!”
Hyeon-jung doubted his own ears. This ‘peerless beauty’ of a villainess, dangling in the air by her collar, had just called the greatest under heaven “Hey.” The instant Hyeon-jung’s disbelief turned to shock, I snorted inwardly.
…So what?
From the way this guy is acting, it looks like he’s trying to scare me. Should I at least pretend to be scared? This is the same guy who wouldn’t have been able to meet my eyes if it was my original body.
He’s a total thug. Is this really Shaolin Temple?
I’d have to actually feel fear before I could pretend to be afraid. In my previous world, I fought monsters, demons, and traitors far stronger than this oversized bald monk on a daily basis. A single roar from a world-ending monster could burst thousands of people into pieces. And I don’t even need to go that far. Right now, the ‘black Pepsi Man’ waiting to massacre me in my dreams is much stronger than this guy. To someone who dies countless times every night even in dreams, is this bald giant’s little act supposed to be threatening?
…He’s gripping my collar too hard. It’s getting hard to breathe.
“And let go! Who do you think you are?”
Hyeon-jung burst into a hollow laugh, looking dumbfounded. “Ha! You’re even more sinister than I thought. You don’t even feel fear.”
“I’d have to feel fear before I could be scared. Let go of this and we can ta—urk!”
This crazy bastard twisted his grip even tighter and hoisted me high above his head.
“Guh… guh…!”
“Do you want to die? Even if you die here, no one would know.”
“Master! Please stop! You’ll really kill her!”
While I struggled for breath in agony, I saw the fake monk (Hye-yul) trying to restrain his master.
Oh. So you do have a good side.
“Master! If you pull on her clothes like that, the Blood Demon Witch’s undergarments will be completely exposed!”
At his disciple’s sudden cry, the giant monk (Hyeon-jung) looked utterly bewildered. “What’s the big deal if a little skin shows?”
“No, that’s not—her breasts… her breasts are about to be visible! Release her collar and grab somewhere else!”
“Then where exactly am I supposed to grab, you idiot!”
“Um… right, her hair! Grab her by the hair!”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
The giant monk and I simultaneously stared at the fake monk with identical dumbfounded expressions. Even the giant monk seemed at a loss; I could feel the strength leaving the hand gripping me.
This guy… is completely insane.
While I was distracted, a large, powerful hand seized my hair.
“I don’t know what scheme you’re plotting, but I’ll watch for now. If you try anything foolish, you will witness a monk killing a person.”
The brute roughly released my hair, threw me back into the cell, and locked the door. Then he took the fake monk with him and left through the side door.
Fuck… what a shitty mood.
I sat down on the floor and looked at the demons who had collapsed after receiving internal injuries from Hyeon-jung’s qi wave.
…Wait. Why did the demons go so far as to bark at him like that even while suffering so badly?
What the hell? Don’t tell me… they did it for me?
No way. Who is the weak one to worry about whom? Why did he have to mess with our weak demons? They’re old, useless, lack persistence, and have terrible personalities, but… why did you have to touch my people!
Watching the demons tend to their bodies with pitiful expressions, I thought:
Fuck, did I somehow grow attached in such a short time?
I stood up, brushed off my clothes, and checked on the demons.
“Everyone, circulate the Heaven-Shattering Divine Power Art. If it can reattach severed meridians, it should be able to heal wounds like these.”
After seeing what they had shown me, I figured it might be okay to trust them just once. I made up my mind.
The Heaven-Shattering Divine Power Art consisted of three gates in total. Until now, I had only revealed the first gate to the demons. The first gate accumulated energy in the muscles, the second in the brain, and the final gate—which no one in my original world had ever mastered—accumulated energy in the soul. I was thinking of attempting the second gate that accumulated energy in the brain. In wuxia novels, isn’t the brain the upper dantian? In any case, it’s still a dantian.
Fusing the Dark Underworld Reversal Scripture with the Heaven-Shattering Divine Power Art… It’s worth trying.
I decided to pass on the second gate of the Heaven-Shattering Divine Power Art to the demons as well.
Let’s trust them. Let’s try believing in them. No matter how much they used to be former demon heads, if they’re willing to go this far for me, how could I turn my back on them?