Chapter 75: Chapter 75
“That all those prodigies failed, yet you, with the limitation of the Nine-Orifice Body, succeeded. How should I take this?”
The manifestation of Black Fire meant he’d crossed the first high, steep threshold of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
It was tantamount to finding the heavenly successor he’d awaited for so long.
But Jin U-gwang’s expression wasn’t joy. It was bitter, thick with regret.
“At best, you’ve sealed one of nine holes. You’ve risen past first-rate to the threshold of the absolute realm, but… nothing beyond.”
This was it.
The reason he couldn’t simply rejoice despite the appearance of someone with the qualifications of a successor. The reason regret seeped deep into his expression.
The congenital limitation of the Nine-Orifice Body.
Unless the remaining eight holes were sealed, internal energy could never accumulate beyond a certain point. The divine realm would remain forever out of reach.
This was the limit of the heavenly punishment.
Therefore,
“I cannot entrust my legacy or the welfare of all demons to you. So serve faithfully, awaiting the successor who will someday appear. That is the reason I’ll spare your existence, which by all rights should not be.”
A declaration of perpetual servitude. Never to be a master.
Cruel words, perhaps. But from the Heavenly Demon, this was tremendous mercy.
Because he’d stood alone for too long.
Because he didn’t want to let go of Jang I-seo, who had crawled even slightly closer to him.
That was why this generous decision.
After all, having someone who wasn’t the Heavenly Demon yet possessed the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was an impossibility.
“However, you are also someone who has set foot, however slightly, in the Heavenly Demon’s domain. Because in spirit, you were my first successor. I shall bestow the greatest gift of all.”
From no one less than the Heavenly Demon’s lips came the bold declaration of the greatest gift of all.
And when Jang I-seo, having successfully completed his qi circulation through the new pathway, slowly opened his eyes.
“Feel it clearly. I will transmit this to you only once.”
Behind him, the Heavenly Demon Jin U-gwang sat cross-legged, both hands resting on his back.
“Gah!”
An overwhelming presence seeped into his mind like water soaking through sand.
His eyes flew open. As if his soul had left his body, a vision of the Heavenly Demon materialized before him that defied ordinary sight.
Dark flames, black as pitch, slowly taking shape above his shoulders, as if transmitting a mnemonic verse.
‘Th-that’s…!’
Jang I-seo swallowed a soundless exclamation, trembling with awe.
He didn’t know the circumstances, but he instantly guessed what was happening.
‘The Heavenly Demon Divine Art…!’
Yes. Jin U-gwang was transmitting a portion of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to him.
And even if it was but a fragment of the whole, the enlightenment from the greatest martial art in history was beyond comparison with anything else.
‘At the pinnacle of the sword, one becomes the sword itself. Just so… he shapes his released demonic aura into a single form through intention alone…’
Jang I-seo forgot his own circumstances and visualized the Heavenly Demon’s figure like a man possessed.
Seated cross-legged atop the cosmos, channeling earth-shattering demonic aura above his shoulders to form a shape.
And finally.
KYUAAAA-
A resonance like a beast’s scream. Above Jin U-gwang’s shoulders, a massive and absolute presence took form.
A demon that shed sparks of blazing Black Fire.
A virulently dark, terrifyingly overwhelming aura.
“This is the Heavenly Demon Ghost.”
Ah… Jang I-seo trembled, feeling both terror and splendor simultaneously from the Heavenly Demon’s voice.
“And this is my gift of congratulations and consolation to you, who has forged a new path yet reached a dead end.”
FWOOSH!
As he finished speaking, the Heavenly Demon Ghost ascended like sparks and vanished. The sky and earth flipped. A sensation of falling. Then his vision returned to normal.
“Gah!”
Blood erupted from his mouth. Simultaneously, an unimaginable fiery energy surged into his heart.
FWOOSH!
Unbearable, virulent agony.
“KRAAAAGH!”
Unable to endure, Jang I-seo screamed. It felt as if the Heavenly Demon’s brand was being seared into his heart.
After a moment that felt like an eternity, the pain vanished as if it had never been. His mind cleared as if doused in cold water.
And he realized.
‘The Gudok… is gone?’
The Gudok that had resided in his heart like a shackle had disappeared.
What had happened?
Jang I-seo turned in panic to look behind him. But the Heavenly Demon had already risen and stood with hands clasped behind his back.
A thousand questions flooded his mind.
What had he done to him? What was that demon? Why had a flame been branded into his heart?
He wanted to confirm everything.
But the Heavenly Demon’s kindness ended here.
“When your Heavenly Demon Ghost awakens someday, verify it yourself. If you can, that is.”
At his piercing words, Jang I-seo finally gathered himself and focused.
He rose silently, sincerely, and clasped his hands in genuine gratitude.
“My sincerest thanks for the teaching.”
The Heavenly Demon tilted an eyebrow and spoke as if it were nothing.
“Though a fragment, your body now harbors the same qi as mine, the Heavenly Demon’s. Do you understand what this means?”
He did. He was thoroughly entangled. But that wasn’t the answer the man sought.
Jang I-seo dropped to one knee, bowed his head, and declared.
“Supreme Heavenly Demon! All demons bow! I swear loyalty for the peace of this cult.”
Provided that the path to peace meant the Central Plains’ welfare. That was the caveat he kept to himself.
At Jang I-seo’s answer, the Heavenly Demon nodded with satisfaction, small but approving.
Loyalty for the cult. That was enough.
“You have now risen past first-rate to the absolute realm.”
Jang I-seo swallowed hard. He’d momentarily forgotten, but from the instant he’d opened his eyes, he’d felt it.
The wall to the absolute realm that would never have opened in a lifetime had crumbled.
And this meant a great deal.
He could accumulate more internal energy than before. Emission and qi circulation would be faster and more powerful.
In short, even without activating the Thunder Circulation Method, he was considerably stronger than before.
‘Perhaps I can even open the Demon Wall now.’
A smile touched his lips at the exciting prospect.
But perhaps it came too soon. For immediately after, the Heavenly Demon delivered a bolt from the blue.
“However, that is your limit.”
“What do you mean?”
“The internal energy in your body cannot open another new path. The more powerful the qi, the more stubbornly it clings to its established memory.”
A memory surfaced in Jang I-seo’s mind, one he’d been too distracted to recall.
‘A gift of congratulations and consolation to you, who has forged a new path yet reached a dead end.’
A new path, and a dead end.
“Then…”
“From now on, the demonic aura within you will only follow the established path.”
Jang I-seo’s brow furrowed faintly.
True.
The Heavenly Demon’s qi was one. Splitting it into two was impossible.
In other words, the first hole was sealed, but the second was out of reach.
“Is it despairing?”
The Heavenly Demon asked. Jang I-seo shook his head evenly.
“No. I’ve already achieved a realm I could never have hoped for.”
“Then are you satisfied?”
Again, Jang I-seo shook his head.
“Nor that. Someday, I will find the answer. It simply won’t be today.”
“Heh heh. Dull and tenacious. The makings of a long-lived fate.”
The Heavenly Demon smiled broadly. But things wouldn’t go as wished. That, too, was a reason to keep Jang I-seo alive.
He spoke in a more intimate tone.
“You’re an excellent adjutant.”
Sudden praise. But something felt wrong. As expected, the follow-up carried thorns.
“But will others see you the same way?”
“What do you mean…”
“You’ve done your duty excellently as an adjutant. And the same holds for Mao. Seeing him again today, I was reminded. In terms of raw potential alone, he was more outstanding than anyone. The sprout has finally emerged. Therefore.”
A smile formed on the Heavenly Demon’s lips, eerie enough to seem cruel.
He looked directly at Jang I-seo and spoke.
“I have granted Mao the Hundred Commander’s Seal. The boy didn’t seem to understand its value, but you will. What does this mean?”
The Hundred Commander’s Seal?!
Jang I-seo’s eyes blazed.
The Cult Leader’s seven children couldn’t form factions.
They could appoint only an adjutant.
Because other heirs might block the Young Cult Leader’s path, this was a strict prohibition.
But there was one exception.
The Commander’s Seal.
The number preceding it determined how large a force could be officially organized.
‘And the Heavenly Demon has bestowed the Commander’s Seal on only three people.’
First Young Master Cheon Mu-gi. Second Young Master Mu Han-seong. And Third Young Lady Sa Hae-ryeong.
These three had accumulated numerous merits over long years before obtaining theirs.
Cheon Mu-gi and Mu Han-seong each held the Hundred Commander’s Seal. Sa Hae-ryeong held the Ten Commander’s Seal. Each had built their faction accordingly.
But to grant Mao the Hundred Commander’s Seal, which even Sa Hae-ryeong hadn’t obtained? An unexplainable privilege.
It was tantamount to the Cult Leader openly favoring Mao.
And that would mean…
‘Everyone will focus on Mao. And it won’t be with kind eyes.’
Seeing Jang I-seo’s grave expression, the Heavenly Demon grinned and continued.
“Why do you think you two, a bastard and a former Seventh Grade Ghost, could sit where you are and remain unharmed?”
Jang I-seo’s eyebrow twitched. The days hadn’t been peaceful. The Slaughterhouse had attacked. He’d fought a death match with One Hundred Demon Stars member Sa Do-cheol and won.
But…
“Because no one paid you any attention.”
The Heavenly Demon Jin U-gwang pointed out a brutal reality with cruelty.
True.
The real competition for Young Cult Leader wasn’t against a mere assassin syndicate like the Slaughterhouse or the Ma family’s internal feud.
The real players were the seven heirs, the Elder Council surrounding them, the Five Dragon Halls, and the cult’s countless extraordinary figures.
And they’d remained silent until now because the Seventh Young Master had been laughable. Not worth their attention.
But would that continue?
Absolutely not.
The moment the Hundred Commander’s Seal was granted, indifference would become attention. And attention would become scorching pressure.
“Does the approaching crisis frighten you?”
The Heavenly Demon’s tone turned gentle again, like a storm that had passed.
Only then did Jang I-seo realize.
“No.”
That the man was assigning him new homework.
“No? From the moment you leave this place, you will become targets to be eliminated.”
“I know.”
Creating a crisis, then turning it into an opportunity. That was his method.
“Then what will you do? Will you simply take it?”
Jang I-seo answered as if possessed.
“I’ll grow our forces. I’ll show everyone that the Seventh Small Palace isn’t a sprout to be trampled, but a towering tree that cannot be looked down upon.”
Many would try to crush them. No one would willingly join. But despite all that, he would accomplish it.
Because he was Jang I-seo, the Hidden Pavilion’s finest operative.
Seeing Jang I-seo’s flushed face, the Heavenly Demon smiled with satisfaction and spoke low.
“You must. For that will be what protects your fate.”
“I will engrave it in my heart.”
“Go now.”
The Heavenly Demon waved his hand. Jang I-seo’s prostrated body rose on its own.
Jang I-seo understood.
This was the last unofficial meeting with the Heavenly Demon.
To the man who was his enemy, yet impossible not to acknowledge, Jang I-seo offered a sincere fist-and-palm salute before turning away.
His task was set.
The Hundred Commander’s Seal was both crisis and opportunity.
The true competition for Young Cult Leader began now.
Walking the Heavenly Demon Palace corridor with a heavy heart, he reached the end.
“Jang I-seo!”
At the entrance, a tall, masculine young man with red hair waved with a bright smile.
Mao.
Seeing the boy’s innocent face, the furrows in Jang I-seo’s brow eased.
“You’re alive?”
“I’m a genius, obviously. What about you?”
“You’re the genius adjutant, aren’t you?”
Pfft! Mao laughed. Jang I-seo’s lips curved upward as well.
“Let’s go home.”
The second breakfast with the Cult Leader had concluded.