Chapter 387: Greater Self (4)
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“It was like watching an entertaining play. I was deeply impressed.”
Someone emerged from the rain. I had already noticed to some extent.
From there, the Heavenly Demon of the Blood Cult walked out with a smile. Unlike me, who was completely drenched in rain after fighting with all my might, the Heavenly Demon of the Blood Cult was immaculate. It was because the rain was actively avoiding him.
“It has been a while, Heavenly Demon.”
“Are you not also the Heavenly Demon?”
The Heavenly Demon of the Blood Cult laughed. That was true. In truth, my past life had indeed been the First Heavenly Demon. Not that the Heavenly Demon of the Blood Cult said it knowing that, of course.
“That is true. But I am a bit different from you. You are not a true Heavenly Demon.”
In truth, Heavenly Demon was the title of a god. Yet that man was attaching the name Heavenly Demon simply because he was the leader of a Demonic Cult branch, making him effectively a fake Heavenly Demon.
“How about changing your title to Blood Demon? That doesn’t seem half bad either.”
“I shall consider it.”
The Heavenly Demon of the Blood Cult wore a smile on his lips.
“So, did you come seizing the opportunity while I am weakened?”
“I am not so despicable. I transcended such petty emotions long ago. Surely you must know by now as well?”
The Heavenly Demon said, looking at me. He seemed to know my realm to some degree. Having watched since I fought the Palace Lord of the Palace of Heavenly Worship, he would have been able to gauge it sufficiently.
“Then why did you appear here?”
“Ah. I came because I had something to tell you.”
“Something to tell me?”
“First of all, finding the Emperor will not be easy. Because the old fogies of the Immortal Realm took him away.”
I had indeed been searching for the Emperor. For I needed the Emperor’s head to purchase the last remaining Martial God Talent.
That the Emperor had fled was something I had anticipated to some extent. Having fought such a tumultuous battle with the Palace Lord of the Palace of Heavenly Worship, it would be stranger if he had not fled.
Yet that was not what I was curious about.
“Why are you telling me that?”
“It is merely a small courtesy. You could call it camaraderie between fellow seekers of the Dao.”
“Fellow seekers of the Dao, is it? That sounds rather unpleasant.”
“Are you not also seeking the Dao through affirmation, negation, and integration? I am doing the same. Even if our directions differ, you must not deny that I am a seeker of the Dao. Because that is not the truth.”
“Your recognition isn’t all that important to me, but let’s move on.”
“No. Your recognition will serve as quite a large motivation for me. Because you are the opponent I respect the most in this Central Plains.”
“I don’t particularly feel that way.”
“That is unimportant. What matters is that I respect you.”
I had felt it from before, but the Heavenly Demon of the Blood Cult was truly a man who did whatever he pleased. Of course, though I denied it in words, the Heavenly Demon was unmistakably a seeker of the Dao. It was simply that the world he aspired toward was not the world I aspired toward. The reverse would likely apply as well.
“Is that thing you wanted to tell me the fact that the Emperor is gone?”
I asked. That was truly a very small courtesy just as the Heavenly Demon said. Because verifying it by entering the Forbidden City myself would not take much time anyway. Of course, thanks to the Heavenly Demon’s words I might save about fifteen minutes, but how long of a time was that really?
“Then would you not be disappointed? I am not so frivolous.”
The Heavenly Demon said.
“What I truly wish to tell you is that the Hebei Peng Clan is in a precarious situation, like a candle before the wind.”
At those words, my eyes narrowed. The Hebei Peng Clan. Need I say more? It was Peng Chae-hyang’s clan. And the place where Peng Chae-hyang was currently located.
Entering Hebei, the Hebei Peng Clan was naturally something I kept in mind. It was merely that striking the Emperor took higher priority, so I had come to the Forbidden City first.
That did not mean the Hebei Peng Clan was unimportant to me either. To me, who had departed from the human sphere to some extent, Peng Chae-hyang was a precious person, just like Myeong-gyeong.
“Like a candle before the wind, you say?”
“Yes. Young Lady Peng, who loves you, might be torn to shreds. Because a truly ferocious fellow has gone there.”
The Heavenly Demon chuckled. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this situation.
“Somehow it sounds like you sent that ferocious fellow?”
“Ooh. An accurate deduction. That is correct, I sent him.”
The Heavenly Demon readily admitted it. Because the Heavenly Demon had also reached a realm similar to mine, his emotions could not be seen with the Heavenly Eye.
“Just what are you thinking?”
Thus, I could not fathom the Heavenly Demon’s thoughts in the slightest.
If he wanted to wipe out the Hebei Peng Clan entirely, he would not have told me, and if not, there was no reason to send such a ferocious fellow in the first place.
“In the first place, how did you know Chae-hyang and I shared such a relationship?”
“That was a simple deduction. I received information that Young Lady Peng left the Hebei Peng Clan to stay at the New Justice Association. It was an exceedingly irrational action, you see. Normally, to be that irrational, it must be accompanied by an irrational emotion. And among such emotions, the absolute peak is undeniably love.”
“…Thinking about it, that is unimportant. I am simply more curious about what you were thinking when you pulled such a stunt.”
“Ah. Words are imperfect. If I explain it in words, you likely will not understand. Do you not know as well? That among means of communication, nothing is as imperfect as words.”
“I know. Then why not send me your intent through the Wisdom Light Heart Language?”
“Then there would be no fun in it. Would it not be more enjoyable for you to find out for yourself?”
“Did you send that ferocious bastard to the Hebei Peng Clan just for that fun?”
“Well, you could see it that way.”
Since I could not see his emotions, there was a possibility this too was a lie. However, since the Hebei Peng Clan’s manor was close to Beijing, there was no reason not to check.
“I have no more time to talk with you.”
Just before boarding the wind, I looked at the Heavenly Demon.
“If Chae-hyang comes to harm because of you, you will die by my hands. Before you can achieve that grand ascension to immortality of yours.”
“Ooh. I shall look forward to it.”
The Heavenly Demon laughed mockingly. I immediately took off into the air. The Heavenly Demon did not pursue me.
* * *
The Hebei Peng Clan had been maintaining a marvelous balance between the Imperial Court and the New Justice Association. What Peng Chae-hyang had learned at the New Justice Association was not martial arts, but the dynamics between factions and political movements.
That was entirely Peng Chae-hyang’s achievement. In truth, by the time Peng Chae-hyang returned to the Hebei Peng Clan, the Hebei Peng Clan was already suffering immense pressure from the imperial palace. They were being pressured to quickly take the imperial palace’s side.
However, Peng Gyeong-seung stalled for time as much as possible. Joining the Palace of Heavenly Worship went against a martial artist’s conscience, yet fully siding with the New Justice Association was dangerous because the imperial palace was right on their doorstep.
“Father, please leave this matter to me.”
Returning at that time, Peng Chae-hyang took charge of the dialogue between the Hebei Peng Clan and the imperial palace. Having stayed at the Palace of Heavenly Worship alongside Muk Hui-yeong and Zhuge Yan, Peng Chae-hyang had learned much about what it meant to represent a faction and how a representative should negotiate.
Peng Chae-hyang did not believe that maintaining an arithmetic middle ground was the right answer here. Judging that the threat of the imperial palace was greater due to its immediate proximity, she had consistently acted as if she were going to take the imperial palace’s side.
That was precisely the Middle Way Peng Chae-hyang had learned at the New Justice Association.
Peng Chae-hyang acted as if she were about to side with the imperial palace without ever fully committing. Constantly stalling for time.
And that strategy worked quite well. Thus, until the civil uprisings erupted, the Hebei Peng Clan was able to remain a neutral family in the end. Once the civil uprisings actually broke out, the pressure from the imperial palace decreased, granting the Hebei Peng Clan greater room to maneuver.
From then on, Peng Chae-hyang awaited the movements of the New Justice Association. The Hebei Peng Clan was safe now. Or so she thought. Before a bizarre monster suddenly shattered the main gate of the Hebei Peng Clan, that is.
“Aaaaargh!”
Accompanied by the screams of the Hebei Peng Clan’s warriors, the main gate blew apart with a bang. At that time, Peng Chae-hyang was discussing future plans alongside the Clan Head, Peng Gyeong-seung.
The moment the explosive sound rang from outside, Peng Gyeong-seung and Peng Chae-hyang grabbed their sabers and dashed outside.
Naturally, the martial artists inside the Hebei Peng Clan did the same. They all rushed out to eliminate the monster that had suddenly invaded.
The monster’s form was bizarre. Though shaped like a human, it appeared like a person enveloped in black flames. The sight of a human-shaped black flame approaching was grotesque.
The monster even possessed nonsensical power. Both Peng Chae-hyang and Peng Gyeong-seung had seen countless martial artists, but it was their first time seeing someone wield martial arts that so completely defied common logic.
Whenever the Peng Clan’s martial artists charged with their sabers, with a single careless flick of its hand, the monster exploded their bodies. It was not just bodies. Everything that touched its hands exploded. Be it sabers, bodies, or hidden weapons. It was not merely breaking, but shattering completely into thousands of pieces.
The sight of a human being turned into thousands of fragments fluttering through the air was gruesome. The cleanly kept manor of the Hebei Peng Clan was desecrated with minced flesh and blood.
Enveloped in black flames, the monster walked slowly, roaming through the Hebei Peng Clan.
“C-Clan Head, please flee! That thing is not human!”
The martial artists intuited it immediately. That no matter how much the Peng Clan Head was recognized as a master in the jianghu, he could never defeat that monster.
That monster was simply not human. It merely possessed the form of a human. When everyone asked who it was, the black flame did not answer, merely letting out the groans of a beast.
Just then, the black flame turned its body toward Peng Chae-hyang. The black flame, which had seemed to roam aimlessly, paused momentarily upon seeing Peng Chae-hyang, and soon began walking in her direction. Of course, exploding everything that touched its hands along the way.
“Protect the Young Lady!”
“Young Lady, flee!”
The martial artists of the Hebei Peng Clan immediately blocked the path before Peng Chae-hyang. The black flame exploded them all.
Looking at it, Peng Chae-hyang felt as though a natural disaster, not a human, was approaching. At the same time, the energy radiating from its body gave off a grotesqueness and revulsion that she had never felt from nature.
That overwhelming terror and revulsion froze Peng Chae-hyang’s legs. Though she knew she had to run away, her feet simply would not move.
Just then, Peng Gyeong-seung tucked Peng Chae-hyang under his arm and immediately deployed his lightness arts. Peng Chae-hyang was stunned. In her memory, her father, Peng Gyeong-seung, had never once turned his back and fled with an enemy right before his eyes. Even when the clan’s martial artists were throwing away their lives like that.
Had even her father felt the destructive power and bizarre nature radiating from that black flame? When Peng Chae-hyang raised her head to look at Peng Gyeong-seung, sorrow and urgency were laid bare across his face.
“…Father, the clan’s martial artists are…”
“If we do not flee, we make the sacrifice of the clan’s martial artists entirely in vain.”
Peng Gyeong-seung cut her off. Peng Chae-hyang knew that as well. However, the sight of the clan’s martial artists she had grown up with since childhood exploding from a single hand gesture was beyond shocking, leaving her completely dazed.
“And I, too, wish to fight. For there is no Clan Head who abandons his family and flees.”
Peng Gyeong-seung said.
“The reason I am running is because of you. Even if I die, that is one thing, but you are the future of the Hebei Peng Clan. You, at least, must survive.”
Right then, an immense energy began to be felt from behind. It was so intense that both Peng Gyeong-seung and Peng Chae-hyang looked back without realizing it.
There, the black flame, which had been moving slowly until now, was flying swiftly across roofs and walls. For whatever reason, the black flame was definitely targeting Peng Chae-hyang.
Peng Gyeong-seung set Peng Chae-hyang down and tried to face it himself. It was a move to let Peng Chae-hyang escape while buying time. However, the black flame possessed a speed that far exceeded Peng Gyeong-seung’s expectations.
By the time Peng Gyeong-seung put Peng Chae-hyang down, the black flame was already standing before the father and daughter.
“Krrrgh…”
Along with the groans of an unknown beast, the black flame began approaching once more. As the black flame drew nearer, Peng Chae-hyang felt as if her heart were being squeezed. In this desperate crisis of life and death, only one person came to mind.