The Path of the Demon and the Immortal

After Yeong-myeong was taken by the Murim Alliance, Seong-jin immediately began interrogating the scholar he had captured first.

"Did you intend to create an entire legion by turning field mice into replicas of Lady Byeok-ha? A handful of hair or fingernail clippings would barely produce a pathetic, low-grade imitation."

The scholar had attempted to frame Seong-jin by using a hastily crafted, fake Yeong-myeong. To achieve a perfect transformation, a vast amount of material was required. To replicate the internal energy of an absolute master using mere fingernails, one would need to collect a lifetime’s worth of growth—and even then, it would not be enough.

"Why are you so confident of victory? Even if you managed to create a fake Lady Byeok-ha, there are four other absolute masters in Hubei, are there not?"

"...?"

Believing he had already won, the scholar revealed his true intentions without hesitation.

"You intend to recreate the Heavenly Demon?"

The Heavenly Demon’s martial arts were human in origin; therefore, wreaking havoc with them did not violate the Sealing Covenant. It meant the immortals could not intervene.

The Murim Alliance had been formed to unite the righteous sects after the trauma inflicted by the Heavenly Demon. If that were the case, the Heavenly Demon’s power would be greater than the combined strength of the entire Alliance. Even a half-baked transformation would possess absolute power.

'If they manage to manifest the complete Heavenly Demon, not just a half-baked one...'

Then, truly, the scholar’s words might come to pass.

"So that was your scheme."

To overthrow the world using human power while evading the Sealing Covenant. If the power of the Heavenly Demon could be replicated through shapeshifting, it was not impossible. That was why the Bokma-jeon had been testing the performance of their shapeshifting arts at the Mount Hua Sect, even at the cost of some members suffering divine retribution for leaking heavenly secrets.

"I wondered why you were spilling your guts so easily. You must have had a lot bottled up, huh?"

To Seong-jin, who cared nothing for the grand cause of the Bokma-jeon, the agitated scholar was merely a convenient source of information.

"I will look into the Bokma-jeon and the Heavenly Demon’s Map later. For now, I must handle the situation at Mount Hua."

"Then I shall simply bring Lady Byeok-ha back to life."

The first place Seong-jin headed was the inn where the disciples of Mount Hua were staying.

"I have come to see the Sect Leader."

"If you are not here to pick a fight during these trying times, turn back. The Sect Leader will see no one."

Although Seong-jin had visited the inn as Yeong-myeong’s guest before, the disciples of Mount Hua did not recognize his face, likely because they had been quick to turn him away. Instead of returning to fetch Dan Mok-cheong or Shin Suran, Seong-jin began to recite the symptoms of the illness.

"Her sleep has increased, and even when she wakes, she is rarely lucid, remaining in a dreamlike state. Furthermore, her pulse is irregular; it becomes extremely weak in the morning but grows rapid and strong at night. Notably, the tip of her tongue has turned black, her energy channels are blocked around the Qihai and Mingmen points, and her vision is blurring. Yet, even if you check her pulse, you will find no known diagnosis."

He correctly identified every symptom without even seeing Lady Byeok-ha. The disciples of Mount Hua, who had initially listened as if he were a mere peddler, opened their eyes wide in astonishment halfway through.

"How does the young master know all this...?"

"These are symptoms of demonic energy poisoning. It is not an illness, but a curse; that is why medicine and acupuncture have been ineffective."

At this point, the disciples of Mount Hua, being members of a Taoist sect, began to treat Seong-jin as if he were a venerable Taoist master.

"Then, by any chance, do you know the cure?"

"There are two ways to cure demonic energy poisoning. The first is to absorb the demonic energy into one's own body, and the second is to transfer it into the body of another."

"We cannot ask the Sect Leader to absorb the demonic energy, so we must choose the second method. But what happens if one chooses the first?"

"A human who absorbs demonic energy will have their body, mind, and spirit twisted by that power. If they are lucky and the energy does not settle, they die; otherwise, they usually become a cripple."

"Is it lucky if the energy doesn't settle? Then what if it does...?"

"If they are unlucky and the demonic energy settles well, they transform from a human into a demon."

Death, becoming a cripple, or becoming a demon. An ordinary person might try it before dying, but for an absolute master like Lady Byeok-ha, it was a choice that must never be made. If a demon possessing the power of an absolute master were born, a massive bloodbath would ensue.

"Absolutely not! In that case, I will sacrifice myself, so transfer the demonic energy to me!"

"With Yeong-myeong already captured, you must not do that! Rather, transfer it to me...!"

Once it became known that only the second method existed, the disciples immediately began to clamor, volunteering to sacrifice themselves. Seong-jin shook his head at them.

"That will not do. If the amount of demonic energy is enough to poison an absolute master, everyone here combined would not be able to bear it."

"Hmm, the Sect Leader is indeed a powerhouse whose strength is difficult to fathom even if we all combined our powers, but..."

"Then what are we to do?"

As everyone looked at Seong-jin, craving an answer, he spoke calmly.

"I was born with the Nine-Yin Severed Pulse, so my energy channels are blocked from birth. Because they are blocked, even demonic energy cannot flow properly, allowing me to contain that power."

"Are you saying you will sacrifice ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠yourself!"

"Even the Sect Leader is on her sickbed just from containing that energy; how could you possibly withstand it?"

"It does not matter if I cannot withstand it. I am fated to die young due to the Nine-Yin Severed Pulse anyway, so living a few days less makes no difference."

Seong-jin could have dissolved the demon’s energy through his Taoist cultivation, but to avoid leaking heavenly secrets, he could not explain it in detail. To the others, it sounded exactly like Seong-jin was sacrificing himself alone, and they were all aghast.

"How can you, not even a disciple of Mount Hua, do such a thing..."

"In truth, I was fated to die much earlier than this, but I met a Taoist who practiced on Mount Hua in his youth, and thanks to him, I have been able to preserve my life until now."

It was not a lie. The anecdote of the Sword Immortal Yeo Dong-bin practicing the Tao on Mount Hua was famous.

"Although I am not a disciple of Mount Hua, it would be an honor if I could repay that grace in this way."

At Seong-jin’s words, the disciples of Mount Hua seemed deeply moved. Some even teared up, pitying his story, so he was able to meet Lady Byeok-ha without difficulty.

Lady Byeok-ha welcomed him while lying on her bed. It seemed difficult for her even to speak, so she communicated not with her voice, but through Jeon-eum (telepathic transmission).

"Yes, I am sincere."

Immediately after his reply, Seong-jin met the eyes of Lady Byeok-ha, who was staring at him. They were eyes as clear and transparent as a mirror, as if reflecting his own inner thoughts.

"Of course, I do not intend to just die either. I must find a way to survive somehow. I would like Lady Byeok-ha to join me in this."

"That is enough. Since my energy channels are blocked due to the Nine-Yin Severed Pulse, the side effects of the demonic energy will be minimal. Would it not be most effective for me to hold it?"

"However?"

Having finished his preparations, Seong-jin began the Jin-gi-do-in (energy-transferring technique). Half a shichen (one hour) later, the absolute master rose from her sickbed.

Seong-jin, having finished the Jin-gi-do-in, opened his eyes in Lady Byeok-ha’s arms.

It seemed he had fainted immediately after accepting the demonic energy. Seong-jin, who had been lying with his head on Lady Byeok-ha’s lap, tried to rise in a hurry, but a small hand restrained him. Since he had lost consciousness once during the Jin-gi-do-in, caring for his body was the priority. This time, Seong-jin observed his inner self while receiving Lady Byeok-ha’s Jin-gi-do-in.

His lower Dantian in the lower abdomen was empty, as it always was.

"The Nine-Yin Severed Pulse..."

Lady Byeok-ha, who was examining his interior along with Seong-jin while performing the Jin-gi-do-in, groaned at the precarious reality. If he were to store internal energy in a lower Dantian born with the Nine-Yin Severed Pulse, there was a risk of accelerating his early death. That was why Seong-jin had not even learned internal energy cultivation methods, so it was natural for his lower Dantian to be empty.

The problem was what came next: the upper Dantian in his head. A thunderstorm was raging in the upper Dantian, where the enlightenment of the Tao, having reached the Three Talents, resided.

Cheon-dun Sword Art. Yeo Dong-bin’s swordsmanship, which handled thunder energy, was a martial art that dragged the thunderstorm residing in the upper Dantian down to the realm of the lower Dantian to manifest it in reality. If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an ordinary person had filled their head with thunder, they would have long since become an idiot, but Seong-jin’s innate talent, born with the Nine-Yin Severed Pulse, could handle that thunder energy.

The reason he could use techniques like Kwon-gi (fist energy) without learning internal energy cultivation methods was all because he was dragging thunder energy from his upper Dantian. Of course, even if the energy was supplied from the upper Dantian, it was another matter whether his body, born with the Nine-Yin Severed Pulse, could withstand it, so Seong-jin was suffering internal injuries from his own energy every time he used martial arts.

'With only the upper Dantian opened while the lower Dantian is not fully consolidated, he is as precarious as if he were about to collapse at any moment.'

The training of orthodox martial arts is a method of building a tower starting from the lower Dantian, passing through the middle Dantian, and reaching the upper Dantian. Naturally, the lower Dantian, which must be the root, must be larger than the middle and upper Dantian combined to achieve balance. It was like how babies cannot hold up their heads and can suffocate just by falling over because they cannot support their heavy heads relative to their bodies.

'At this rate, the Dantian will try to collapse even if he stays still. Unless he is operating an internal energy cultivation method every waking moment...'

It was a body where it wouldn't be strange if he entered Qi Deviation the moment his concentration broke. He wouldn't be able to sleep for more than one shichen at a time, and he would have to wake up in between to correct the operation of his Qi. A body that could only barely survive if he struggled to survive even in the deep night when others were relieving their daily fatigue.

'And he put demonic energy into a body like this?'

He passed the demonic energy to a child like this just to save his own life? What on earth had she done?

While Lady Byeok-ha was unable to come to her senses from the shock, Seong-jin did not stop and moved on to the next step. The next was the middle Dantian of the heart. It was filled with the pitch-black demonic energy he had just absorbed.

If human martial arts are about training the lower Dantian and immortal Taoist arts are about training the upper Dantian, then demonic arts are about training the middle Dantian. The energy stored in the heart circulates through the entire body via blood vessels every moment, even without specially exerting internal energy cultivation methods or intent. That is why beasts that have lived for a long time in places like spiritual veins filled with heavenly spiritual energy often become spiritual creatures or demons without ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠specially honing their skills.

This is because when the energy accumulated in the heart exceeds a certain level, an Inner Core (Naedan) is formed, functioning as a Dantian. Focusing on this point, martial arts using the middle Dantian were created, and people called them Demonic Arts (Ma-gong).

Internal energy is a power that reacts to intent. If orthodox martial arts try to calm the mind and maintain a clear, mirror-like state to perfectly control this, Demonic Arts are the opposite method of whipping up internal energy by raising intense emotions. Strong intent exerts more powerful internal energy. Then, the same applies to powerful anger or sadness. If one maintains emotions pushed to the extreme, one can exert more powerful strength.

As much as internal energy is accumulated in the middle Dantian, the bonus is that the Great Heavenly Circulation (Dae-ju-cheon) is achieved as blood circulates at all times without needing to perform Wun-gi-jo-sik (circulating energy). One receives the effect of meditating every moment one eats and sleeps, and the exertion of internal energy is also much faster. This is why those who have learned Demonic Arts are stronger than orthodox martial artists of the same level.

As such, since the advantages are clear, there have been people in every era who have dabbled in Demonic Arts, but the lifespan of a Demonic Practitioner (Ma-in) was not very long. It is a natural sequence for a person to lose their mind if they are constantly maintaining an extreme emotional state. The reason those who have learned Demonic Arts are called Demonic Practitioners and are looked down upon is that they are ticking time bombs that could explode at any moment.

They are people prepared to cause a bloodbath at any time, caught up in their emotions, regardless of the person’s intentions or the situation. Thus, people treated Demonic Practitioners like wild beasts that had entered the village when they discovered them, so when one became a Demonic Practitioner, one usually went mad and died, and even if one survived, one was persecuted by people and a normal life was impossible.

In the end, that is why the Heavenly Demon Sect holed up in the uninhabited Heavenly Mountain Range and lived among themselves.

'Since demonic energy also uses the middle Dantian, one could say that demons are the same as Demonic Practitioners.'

Then, one could control demonic energy with the principles of Demonic Arts. Seong-jin began to weave the incantations of Demonic Arts from where he sat and began to control the demonic energy in his middle Dantian. Soon after, the controlled demonic energy began to gather into a single point and form a lump. The formation of an Inner Core like that of a spiritual creature. Demons, too, could overcome their innate demonic energy and become immortals if they accumulated cultivation. In the immortal realm, cases where humans achieved Ascension were commonly called Immortals (Seon-in), and cases where demons achieved Ascension were called Dragons.

'Using the principles of Demonic Arts to harden demonic energy into an Inner Core.'

Training the middle Dantian was about forging an Inner Core to create a Wish-Granting Orb (Yeouiju).