Chapter 95: Obtaining a New Treasure
In fact, one of the things I had been secretly worrying about was the treatment of the Demonic Cult, the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Since I had learned the martial arts of Master Heavenly Demon and had even taken on the Divine Maiden Yi Hwa, it was a relationship that could not be said to be unrelated.
Even so, I could not take the side of those crazy bastards either, but fortunately, Master Heavenly Demon cleared it up neatly.
Those who do not follow the law left by Master Heavenly Demon are bugs using his name to run wild as they please, so kill them all.
‘Neat.’
According to Yi Hwa’s explanation, the Demonic Cult was largely divided into four factions. Among them, if it was a faction that touched unorthodox methods, there was no problem in smashing them as much as I wanted.
It wasn’t just a matter of no problem, he even said it was something a disciple of the Heavenly Demon should naturally do.
‘When my martial arts reach a sufficient realm someday, it might not be a bad idea to visit the Demonic Cult.’
Once the problematic ones are all cleared out, the rest will follow on their own just by showing the power of Master Heavenly Demon.
As can be seen from the behavior Yi Hwa shows, if I just prove that I am the true successor of Master Heavenly Demon, I will somehow win half the battle.
If I crush them all like that, at least a hundred years will pass without any problems.
To make that happen, ultimately, I must succeed the position of the true Heavenly Demon…
“Whoa?!”
‘D-Did he plan this?’
Startled by the natural flow of thought that followed, I secretly glared at the sky.
‘Well, since it is a matter for later, let’s put that aside for now.’
First is the Seonhwa Sect.
Since their goal is to make the peace agreement between orthodox and unorthodox fall through, there is no good in dragging it out. It must be resolved urgently.
‘Since it is difficult to reveal the source of information, it will be hard to move together with other people.’
Given the circumstances, moving alone would be best, but Baek Mu-ho or Yi Hwa will surely try to accompany me.
“…Yi Hwa? Ah!”
While worrying about a reason to hide the source of information and move independently, the moment I recalled Yi Hwa’s name, a good idea came to mind.
“I should coordinate my story with Yi Hwa first.”
Thinking of Yi Hwa’s personality, it won’t be difficult.
***
“Seonhwa Sect?”
“Yes. She says one of her relatives is taking shelter there, and considering her family was attacked, she feels she must visit them once.”
“Hmm…”
The Myriad Poison Divine Lord, Tang Cheon-gi, searched his memory for a moment.
“I remember. The scale is small, so it’s not a place to pay much attention to, but… for a martial arts sect settled in Sichuan, it was quite an upright place.”
Though he couldn’t recall it immediately upon hearing the name, thinking differently, the mere fact that it remained in the memory of the Myriad Poison Divine Lord was quite something in its own way.
‘I think I know why those guys targeted it.’
The evaluation of the Seonhwa Sect that followed. It must be the reason Tang Cheon-gi remembered the Seonhwa Sect.
Because it was an upright sect, and because it was a place with a good reputation, it was targeted.
How unjust it must have been for those who wished to live uprightly all their lives to have their face skins torn off alive.
The cries of those who wept bitterly in the Underworld, their humiliation, and their pain felt as if they were ringing in my ears.
“The heart that worries about the child you decided to take in is commendable, but…”
Tang Cheon-gi, who was scanning my face, frowned.
“Why now of all times?”
“Yes.”
“When an agreement is about to be reached between orthodox and unorthodox?”
He questioned me closely, suddenly like a nagging mother-in-law.
‘That is why I am going.’
There was a reason, but it was a reason I couldn’t speak of. To explain the situation properly, there had to be a basis of information to back it up, but the source was the masters in heaven.
Ultimately, as someone who had to make up a reason, this answer was my best.
“There is nothing more for me to do there anyway, is there?”
“There is nothing to do. Instead, there is much to gain. What was the reason the Qingcheng Sect visited the Sichuan Tang Clan? Why did Adept Heo Do go to persuade the Emei Sect? Who was the one who cured me?”
Besides that, there were others, but Tang Cheon-gi only mentioned what he clearly knew.
To think that was only a part. I had done a lot of things in a short time.
“You played the biggest role in uniting the forces of Sichuan’s orthodox sects. Yet you are saying you will miss the place where all these fruits shine?”
‘Is that how the story goes?’
If my actions are revealed at the place where the peace agreement is made, it seems quite a stir will occur.
Will I be held up as if I did something amazing?
…It was somewhat embarrassing.
“It’s not like there is no one who knows, is there?”
“…”
“There is one right in front of me, too.”
“Hey, kid!”
“It is much better than having strangers praise me all day.”
“Sigh…”
“Well, that is how it is.”
As if shaking off a nuisance, I jumped up from my seat and cupped my fists.
“I wish you luck.”
“Tch!”
The Myriad Poison Divine Lord clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Anyway, it seemed he wouldn’t hold me back anymore.
However.
“Accept this.”
Instead, Tang Cheon-gi threw an object.
It was a green jade plaque with the character ‘Tang’ written on it.
“Since I promised to give you a divine weapon, I will give it to you. If you go to the warehouse, there will be useful things, so take whatever you want. Tch! If you had just picked and eaten on your own like your friend, I wouldn’t have to go through this trouble.”
“Ah… Hahaha…”
It seemed Baek Mu-ho did pick and eat various secret hidden weapons of the Tang Clan. And he had just stood by and watched while knowing it.
“Thank you.”
Laughing awkwardly, I cupped my fists once more and backed out of the room.
***
“Should I call him foolish, or should I call him admirable…”
Tang Cheon-gi rubbed his chest.
The blue righteous energy shown by the young blood made his heart flutter.
As if he hadn’t grown old yet, his heart thumped.
“Hero… a hero, indeed…”
Without forcibly suppressing his beating heart anymore, he accepted the boiling emotion as it was.
The writhing thing ran through his whole body along his veins.
“Fine, run wild as you please. I will watch your back.”
If there is something spilled, he just has to pick it up and contain it from behind.
That is the proper role of an adult.
A laugh carrying heat hung on Tang Cheon-gi’s face.
***
Following Tang Cheon-gi’s instructions, I headed to the warehouse.
Though I hadn’t requested it, Tang Cheon-gi’s action of giving me this and that first made me feel somewhat apologetic.
“He seemed to be misunderstanding something, didn’t he?”
[What?]
“Because he seems to think I have no greed.”
It was true that it was good if fame rose.
It was just that it wasn’t something I desperately wished for.
“Even though I am already greedy enough.”
If it was what I wished for, I had already received it in abundance.
I had received it so full that I couldn’t even control it.
“I have truly obtained and received so much from this trip to Sichuan.”
[Hmph! As if. The words you say are all embarrassing, it was a torment to listen to.]
This was Master Heavenly Demon.
[If you think so, it is fine not to take it.]
[What a lovely child.]
I didn’t know why the only one who looked at me favorably was that vein-loving lady.
When I arrived at the warehouse and showed the plaque I received from the Myriad Poison Divine Lord, I was immediately guided inside.
“Wow!”
Entering inside, I could feel the quality of the air change.
Perhaps because of steady maintenance, the sharp energy emitted by the weapons touched me coldly.
“Uh?”
Because of that, in a place full of sharp weapons, something sitting heavily alone caught my eye.
[Why is that here?]
In that instant, Master Heavenly Demon’s voice was heard.
“Are you talking about that?”
[Yes, that.]
It seemed what I was looking at was correct.
‘Is this such a great object? Enough for Master Heavenly Demon to notice?’
It was just an object my eyes went to. If asked why, I wouldn’t know how to answer.
It was just a dark-ish gauntlet with a worn look and nothing special in appearance.
[Try wearing it once.]
At Master Heavenly Demon’s active recommendation, I quickly put the gauntlet on my hand.
*Clank.*
With the sound of ringing metal, it was perfectly fixed.
“It’s… soft.”
It wasn’t unnatural to move my hand at all. It was an object made of hard metal, but the fit felt like wearing a snug leather glove.
But that was all. Although it was excellent as a piece of armor, I didn’t know if it was enough for Master Heavenly Demon to fuss over like that.
[Now operate the Heavenly Demon Kalpaless Hand.]
“Uh?”
In that instant, I could understand why Master Heavenly Demon was surprised to see this gauntlet.
“The energy…”
[It circulates, doesn’t it?]
As the energy of the Heavenly Demon Kalpaless Hand circulated, the energy naturally flowed into the gauntlet as well. Like a part of my body, it felt as if my blood was flowing inside this chunk of metal.
It absorbed the energy of the Heavenly Demon Kalpaless Hand.
It faithfully felt like sharing the burden I had to bear.
But there was one more surprising thing.
*Buzz!*
The Divine Jin Iron settled like an inner dantian in my chest.
A magic treasure Master Bodhidharma used when he was alive, which ended up as broken debris after bearing the energy of the Heavenly Demon Kalpaless Hand instead of me.
It wriggled, the thing I had swallowed because it was said to help increase the divine power of metal. Along with that, the divine power of metal connected with the gauntlet as if creating a new vein.
“This… is good.”
Not only did it lessen the burden that followed when unfolding the Heavenly Demon Kalpaless Hand, but it also helped to use greater power through the circulation created by exchanging energy.
On top of that, the divine power of metal reacted sensitively to it, even magnifying the power.
[Ha! Was that object a magic treasure?]
It wasn’t an object made by human hands.
An object touched by the breath of God.
A magic treasure.
[It is an object I used when I was immature. After reaching my realm, it had no great meaning, so I thought it was stuck somewhere, but to see it in a place like this.]
“Ah…”
Hearing that it was something Master Heavenly Demon used, I understood at once.
Though why such an object was in the warehouse of the Sichuan Tang Clan remained a question.
[You are lucky. Because it responds to my martial arts or divine power, it chooses its owner, but as long as you can use it, it is a weapon ranked among the best in the world.]
“That must be why it was stuck in a place like this.”
Those who use divine power on the current land are rare, and it was safe to say there was no one who had properly inherited Master Heavenly Demon’s martial arts besides me.
Although it was a good object, if it couldn’t be used properly, it would just be a common gauntlet.
“Will you take it?”
“Of course!”
If it was fame, I could abandon it anytime, but I had to be greedy for this kind of treasure.
I took the gauntlet with delight.
[Ho-ho-ho. So you like that kind of thing.]
The vein-loving lady laughed pleasantly.
In a mood like this, I felt like I could face her with a laugh too.
“I seem a bit materialistic, don’t I?”
[Using the expression materialistic seems to demean yourself too much. Pursuing what you wish for is the duty of an existing being.]
The duty of an existing being. It was a saying that made me think about it once more after hearing it.
There was depth in the words she naturally spoke.
If she had shown this kind of appearance from the beginning, I would have never attached a name like vein-lover to her.
‘Who is she? The masters also seem to implicitly respect her.’
The thought that if it was a name I was allowed to know, the masters would have introduced her first crossed my mind, so I was hesitant to ask her name.
[Anyway, it turned out well. I have a task to ask of you. If you avenge the dead children of the Seonhwa Sect who were related to me, I will give you something good.]
“Ah, yes.”
[Yes, let us meet again. Lovely child.]
With those words, her voice was no longer heard.
[You are lucky.]
Instead, Master Zhang Sanfeng’s voice was heard.
[Hmm! Is the accumulated karma showing some power after sending a few guys up?]
I didn’t know what that meant.
***
“Hmm!”
The Evil-Deed Gambling King, Gwak Dae-pyeong, let out a strange groan as he looked at the number of the dice he had just thrown.
“Interesting.”
The number of the dice Gwak Dae-pyeong was looking at was five.
It was an odd number.
Gwak Dae-pyeong rolls dice whenever there is something to choose. To such a Gwak Dae-pyeong, the result in front of his eyes was very interesting.
“The luck is really good.”
There are also kinds of gambling. Gambling that leaves everything purely to luck, and gambling that creates the desired number.
Gwak Dae-pyeong had thrown the dice twice with Yeon Cheong-un. And one of those times, he had certainly tried to create the desired number.
But he failed.
To Gwak Dae-pyeong, it was a rare event that would happen barely once in a hundred times.
“The option of stabbing him in the back is gone for now. I will have to do as he wants.”
Holding the dice in his hand, Gwak Dae-pyeong rolled them in his palm and put them carefully into his pocket.
“Because the will of the dice is absolute.”
To Gwak Dae-pyeong, it was a proposition more important than life.