Chapter 187: Incomplete Heavenly Demon Art
Chapter 186
As I rode on horseback, I was able to reach Mount Kunlun faster than expected.
Normally, I would have looked for a way to resolve it quietly, even if it meant going a bit out of the way.
I probably would have chosen to leave Old Man Jong and the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard behind and climb Kunlun alone.
‘That would not do.’
However, right now, I was the Heavenly Demon, not the Young Heavenly Dragon.
I was not a free individual like a gust of wind, but someone who carried and led a group.
Those behind my back were not companions, but subordinates.
I intended to resolve things as amicably as possible, but even if there was a clash, I would not abandon my people.
“Azure Bird.”
*Peep?*
“Go fly a circle around Mount Kunlun and come back. As low as possible.”
*Peeeeep!*
Cheong-jo, who had been flying at a low altitude above my head, flapped its wings vigorously and soared upward in an instant.
Although I had a thought of wanting to ride on that back one day, that speed seemed a bit scary.
[Yes, you judged well.]
At that moment, Master Heavenly Demon’s voice was heard.
[Think of it as a rehearsal before entering the Divine Cult. If you intend to enter the Divine Cult with the name of the Heavenly Demon on the line, you must completely shake off any clumsy behavior here.]
“I don’t plan to change my personality just because I’m going to the Cult, though?”
[Foolish fellow! Who told you to make your personality trash? I am talking about your mindset! Make decisions quickly, and execute them like a blade! I mean, do not show a clueless state like you did in front of that girl!]
“Ugh… You are hitting a sore spot.”
This was a direct hit.
Having misunderstood the words to shake it off, I had argued back, only for him to bring up Sister Seol-ah and beat me with facts.
In fact, even if it was not for this matter, whenever a story about Sister Seol-ah coming up, I would suddenly find myself at a loss for words.
Maybe it was the karma of falling for the other person first.
Unless I shook off everything deep in my heart, the day this feeling disappeared would never come.
“What would you have done, Master?”
[What?]
“To the person you came to like.”
[I did not even worry, but was there any reason to worry about women’s issues?]
“…….”
This would not work.
I did not know if it was just my imagination, but the moment I heard those words, Aunt Han San-wol strangely came to mind.
“Well, look at this.”
In the midst of that, a bird suddenly landed on the head of the horse I was riding.
A highly wary wild bird landing on the head of a horse ridden by a human?
“Was this Cheong-jo’s doing?”
[It is the lord of Tianshan. Controlling a few animals is nothing to it.]
“Heh…”
Master Heavenly Demon spoke of it easily, but if Cheong-jo cooperated even a little, the things I could do would increase significantly.
The pure admiration ended there.
“Whoa! At this point, it is almost scary.”
Whether Cheong-jo’s command was excessive, not only did they begin to fill the space around me, but the nearby trees also became filled with birds.
It seemed as if every single bird in the vicinity had gathered.
As the birds gathered and chirped like that, it suddenly felt as if a concert was being held.
Even those who discussed inaction and nature in ancient times would never have seen such a spectacular sight.
The feast of birds came to an end as Cheong-jo returned.
And along with Cheong-jo, I saw people approaching.
“Hah?!”
The old man frowned the moment he saw us.
“I followed the Azure Bird, yet all I see are demonic practitioners.”
Just as Old Man Jong said, it seemed that the relationship between the Kunlun Sect and the Demonic Cult was very bad.
Perhaps because they had clashed with the Demonic Cult on the front lines, they recognized their roots at once.
‘If it were me, I would have paid more attention to the presence of the birds gathered here in such an abnormal manner…’
The sight of the gathered birds taking flight all at once was a spectacle in itself.
However, only we seemed to be visible in the old man’s eyes.
His hand moved cautiously toward the sword hanging from his waist.
‘That would not do.’
I raised my hand high before the old man could draw his sword.
*Peeeeeeep!*
Cheong-jo cried out loudly and landed on my hand.
At the sight of Cheong-jo meekly obeying me, the old man’s face stiffened even further.
“……Who are you?”
“You seem to know already, so is confirmation necessary?”
The old man called this fellow Cheong-jo.
Unlike Old Jong, who called it the divine bird of Tianshan, if he recognized it accurately as the Queen Mother of the West’s retainer, he would not be able to raise his sword against me.
Just as I expected, the hand that had been heading toward his waist stopped.
“That is why I am asking. The ‘owner of that name’ whom I know is older than you. Much older.”
I hesitated for a moment at the old man’s question seeking confirmation.
‘How should I answer…’
Although it was doubtful whether my alias had spread to this remote area, if I revealed my original name and identity, the relationship with this old man might be established more easily.
I could also shift the burden to Yi Gyeong-cheon.
Pushing forward Yi Gyeong-cheon, who had begun to learn the gentle Heavenly Demon Divine Art, to act might not be a bad idea either.
In fact, I had brought him along with that possibility in mind.
However, to do that, I would have to care about the eyes of others.
Even if it was just for appearance’s sake, I would have to instruct Yi Hwa and Old Jong to bow their heads to Yi Gyeong-cheon in front of others.
They would probably obey if it was my command.
But this would be a betrayal of those who followed me.
‘Master told me to shake off any clumsy behavior.’
I still had no intention of remaining in the Demonic Cult.
But I had no intention of denying this name either.
I made up my mind.
“The Heavenly Demon.”
“Haha! Two Heavenly Demons… You are the noble person, then?”
The old man seemed extremely interested.
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
The old man, Adept Cheon-won, the Sect Leader of the Kunlun Sect, made a suggestive offer.
***
Needless to say, just because Adept Cheon-won offered tea did not mean we could enter the inner areas of the Kunlun Sect.
This was because they could not let the master of the Demonic Cult, who could be called the archenemy of the Kunlun Sect, into their inner quarters.
Even so, since it was practically an invitation, they could not just leave us outside the mountain gate either.
In the end, a place was prepared on a flat rock about halfway up the mountain.
‘This is not an atmosphere for drinking tea…’
The gazes of the Kunlun Sect members were stinging.
To what extent? It was to the point of making me wonder if there was poison in the tea placed in front of me right now.
‘Did I bluff for no reason?’
I also felt a slight regret.
This was because things would have gone smoothly if I had temporarily set aside the people who followed me and put forward the alias of the Young Heavenly Dragon.
‘I cannot do that. Nor should I.’
But of all places, I could not deny Master Heavenly Demon in Qinghai.
“Do not worry. Nothing like poison has been added.”
Adept Cheon-won’s words pierced coldly.
Naturally, the gazes of Yi Hwa and Old Man Jong upon hearing those words were not pleasant.
‘Oh my. He is just blurting it out.’
As if he did not care about the surrounding atmosphere, Adept Cheon-won’s words continued.
“If I intended to kill you, I would have cut you down and killed you cleanly. In fact, I am still contemplating even now. Whether I should strike you down here.”
“Is that so?”
I replied calmly while drinking the tea.
“In fact, the moment I saw you, I resented the heavens. I think a fully grown version of you will be truly terrifying. At that age, your martial arts already appear to have reached a profound realm… If not for the fact that the Azure Bird follows you, and other reasons indicating that I must not strike you down, I would have taken action long ago.”
Adept Cheon-won’s words admitting that he feared my future were full of sincerity.
They were also words that somewhat softened the fierce gazes around me.
“The Kunlun Sect is a lonely place. In the Central Plains, they say we are one of the Nine Sects, but in reality, that is not something that feels real to us. Rather, the paradoxical situation where we are not lonely because we have our lifelong enemy, the Demonic Cult, is our reality.”
Adept Cheon-won looked up at the sky while drinking his tea.
“Everyone here has spent their whole life thinking of the Demonic Cult as the enemy. Yet, the one we thought was the noble person from the divination is someone harboring the demonic… Since the heavens bestowed a talent whose future is so terrifying upon the Demonic Cult, we cannot help but harbor resentment. When growing up in an environment where one cannot help but become narrow-minded, it is difficult to become flexible.”
Various emotions could be felt in Adept Cheon-won’s story.
In particular, there was a feeling that some resentment toward the Nine Sects was mixed in as well.
Though I did not know what he meant by the divination.
However, one thing I could say to Adept Cheon-won came to mind.
“The one who taught me the demonic spoke like this.”
“Haha! Are you about to discuss the demonic before me? In front of the Sect Leader of Kunlun?”
Although he accepted the words with a laugh, a subtle anger showed from Adept Cheon-won, who failed to receive my words flexibly, just as he had assessed himself.
I received that rising momentum head-on.
“Good and evil arise from the human heart. Ultimately, evil is the dregs born from human emotions.”
“……Dregs?”
“Sweep away trivial evil as the true demonic.”
“…….”
Adept Cheon-won closed his mouth.
The same was true for the other Kunlun Sect disciples, who showed their emotions wavering in a manner unsuited to the place that opened the beginning of the Tao of Immortals.
Perhaps it was only natural.
Although it took the demonic as its foundation, the profound truth contained within was the word of Master Heavenly Demon, who had reached the ultimate and ascended to the heavens.
‘At least he listened to my words.’
This was also a fortunate thing.
A person whose thinking was completely blocked only knew how to deny.
No matter how filled with profound truth the words were, if one was not ready to listen, it would be nothing more than empty prayers.
Yet, most of the Kunlun Sect disciples were chewing over my words while in shock.
This was proof that the Kunlun Sect had not yet lost its light as a temple that nurtured Taoists.
I struck it with a hammer once more.
“Where is the Tao of Kunlun?”
The Heavenly Demon discussed the Tao with Kunlun, the beginning of the Tao of Immortals.
However, no answer returned to my question.
No one could give an answer.
This was a sight that represented the current state of Kunlun.
While Adept Cheon-won and the Kunlun Sect disciples would not gain roots of goodness or obtain enlightenment to raise their realm of martial arts with just a few words, it seemed that at least an opportunity to move toward a straighter path had been established.
“……Yuanshi Tianzun.”
Only Adept Cheon-won’s quietly chanted Taoist name scattered around.
***
It was not just the Kunlun Sect disciples who were shocked by the conversation between Yeon Cheong-un and Adept Cheon-won.
It also delivered a strong shock to those who proudly considered themselves members of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
It came as a particularly great shock to Yi Gyeong-cheon.
However, what reached Yi Gyeong-cheon’s ears was not only Yeon Cheong-un’s words.
‘He resented the heavens.’
Adept Cheon-won’s lament sounded a bit different to Yi Gyeong-cheon.
‘To have a master who could deliver teachings filled with such profound truth…’
Just by speaking a single sentence, those stubborn Kunlun Sect disciples shut their mouths.
He must have been an incredible existence.
‘If I had such a master as well, would things have been different now?’
Although he thought of it unconsciously, Yi Gyeong-cheon soon shook his head vigorously as if to deny the very fact that he had harbored such a thought.
Although Yeon Cheong-un was young, he was an existence like a master who showed the way.
The thought he had just conceived was problematic in itself.
Yi Gyeong-cheon smiled bitterly to himself.
‘Not flexible…’
Those words of Adept Cheon-won felt as if they were directed at him.
Therefore, he chewed over Adept Cheon-won’s words one by one.
Having shifted from a leading position to one where he had to follow someone else’s will not long ago, his heart left a small whisper.
Like a small trace left by the bedside.
“…….”
Someone watched such an Yi Gyeong-cheon closely.