Chapter 14
Nightmare (1)
It was dark all around.
It wasn’t exactly nighttime, but it felt disorientingly contradictory to say it wasn’t. I tried to check if the moon was hanging up there.
But I couldn’t see a thing.
Surely there had to be clouds and a sky, but not a single one existed.
‘Where am I?’
All the trees surrounding me were ablaze, and where buildings should have stood was nothing but a pile of ashes.
Slowly, my body started to move. However, it wasn’t by my own will. I desperately sought to reclaim control over my body, but my attempts bore no fruit.
As I lifted a foot to step forward, I felt someone grab my ankle. When I turned around, I saw a blood-soaked man.
Dressed in white clothing adorned with a plum blossom pattern. This was the attire of a well-known sect.
Mount Hua Sect.
Ah, so this is Mount Hua.
The beautifully blooming plum blossoms had all been devoured by flames, turning an illustrious sect that had stood strong for centuries into mere embers.
All of that history was now reduced to ash.
Only then did I realize.
This was a dream.
A horrifying nightmare.
“What have you done…!”
The man spoke to me. His face was etched with injustice and resentment.
He clung to my ankle with his remaining left arm, leaving his severed right arm behind, almost as a sad trophy.
His bloodshot eyes looked as if they were weeping tears of blood.
“What wrongs did we commit…!! Why are you doing this to us!!”
His voice rang out, as loud as it was furious. All around me lay the corpses of others dressed in the same white garb.
Everyone, from innocent children to frail elders, lay lifeless on the ground.
They looked as if they had been mercilessly torn apart by beasts.
“Are you truly human…? How can you don the mask of a human and commit such atrocities!”
The silence that had gripped my body broke as I spoke. Even this wasn’t something I could control.
“It’s gone quiet.”
“What…?”
“It means that the Celestial Plum Blossom, whom you revered above all, has met his end at the hands of our leader.”
“Nonsense! Our leader would never fall to a lowly demon like that…!”
“The Mount Hua you cherished has turned to ash! Can you still not see?”
“Please, just shut up… Just shut your mouth.”
“You can do nothing. It’s disgusting to even think of your name bearing the weight of a venerable sect.”
I slowly bent my knees to stare into his eyes. I felt another emotion reflected there.
It was fear.
“Look, all those whom you cherished are dead by my hand, the same with those who held you dear.”
I caressed the man’s cheek with my blood-stained hand, which was a ghastly souvenir from the blood of his companions.
Crack.
I caught a sound of something breaking from his mouth. He seemed to have bitten his teeth so hard that some shattered.
“The reason Mount Hua is now ash, and why you find yourself in this state, is simply because of your frailty—You, your Mount Hua Sect, and the Celestial Blossom.”
“Shut your mouth, demon…! Do not utter that name from your filthy lips, you who betrayed the righteous path…!”
With no need for further chatter, I grasped and readily twisted his neck.
Thus ended the last denizen of the Mount Hua Sect.
Splash.
I could feel a presence amid this pool of crimson in Mount Hua. I knelt to pay my respects to the figure emerging from it.
I couldn’t dare to gaze directly.
It felt as if just the aura was distorting the surrounding space.
Mount Hua, like Mount Tai, concealed their existence when sensing the chilling presence lurking ahead.
Even the proximity sent all my senses into alarm.
“Heavenly Demon.”
That’s how they referred to themselves.
“Not bad.”
Despite hearing those words, I struggled to discern their gender.
Their voice was deep yet carried a faint femininity.
The Heavenly Demon threw something in my direction.
It was the neck of an old man that had been violently torn apart.
This was none other than the Celestial Plum Blossom, the lord of Mount Hua.
“Though he didn’t satisfy me, I did find a temporary amusement.”
He wasn’t a heavenly venerable, yet held power that could rival them.
Yet, his end came effortlessly.
The Heavenly Demon scanned the area, seemingly void of conflict, and strolled closer to me.
“Looks like a beast has gone berserk.”
Now they stood right before me.
I could hardly breathe. Not a muscle would budge.
“I believe I need to give you a name.”
I yearned to wake up. I wanted to escape this nightmare at once. Why was my mind displaying such brutal visions?
“You are….”
I sensed the Heavenly Demon was uttering something, but couldn’t catch the complete words.
“—Young Master…!”
“—from now on.”
“Sir!”
At the sound of Wi Seol-Ah’s voice, I jolted awake.
*
I was on my way back home after wrapping up my duties from the Nine Dragons Ceremony.
Bleurrgghhh!
As soon as I regained consciousness, I hastily forced the carriage to a stop and jumped out.
I couldn’t hold back any longer. I collapsed to the ground, expelling the contents of my stomach.
Despite having eaten nothing today, the vomiting didn’t cease.
“Urgh… Damn it!”
My body trembled. Why did I suddenly plunge into such a nightmare?
It was something I had desperately attempted to bury—something I wanted to tear from my mind and toss away entirely.
I felt a hand on my back. I whirled around and clutched it.
The trembling hand belonged to Wi Seol-Ah.
She looked at me with wide-eyed astonishment. Her fear-laden gaze mirrored the very terror I witnessed in that man’s eyes.
What kind of expression am I even making right now?
I didn’t need to look in a mirror to know. It was likely a complete wreck.
I couldn’t maintain a straight face.
Gradually, I released the hand I had held. Wi Seol-Ah, stifling her fear, gently patted my back again.
Muyeon, who had been riding in the carriage, rushed over.
“Young Master! Are you okay…? Quickly, fetch a medic—”
“I’m fine, just calm down… How can we find a medic here?”
We were in the middle of the mountains. There was no way a medic could reach us in this barren stretch.
I strained to calm my breath, but serenity eluded me.
Memories of the Mount Hua Sect’s annihilation at the hands of the Demonic Cult flooded back.
When the Ten-Sect Alliance fell apart in a day.
It was an episode I had wished to forget, but it stung painfully when I only faced it in my dreams.
‘…That’s all in the past, it’s something that won’t happen again.’
I kept repeating this mantra over and over, perhaps hundreds of times a day. Anytime I walked, ate, or even while I was subconsciously breathing, I would mutter it.
“…Damn it.”
They say humans are creatures that easily forget.
But then why do I find it impossible to forget the sins committed, even after tasting death?
As time stubbornly dragged on without a sense of peace, I finally resolved to invoke my Qi to forcibly restore my calm.
It wasn’t the most advisable course of action, but I saw no other option. We had to depart soon.
Circulating Flame Qi warmed my body.
I realized I barely had much Qi to spare, let alone using it to calm myself after such a horrid nightmare.
It was a feeling that defied explanation.
“I feel really miserable…”
I slowly rose to my feet after managing to settle my nerves. Wi Seol-Ah offered to help me up, but I gently brushed her away, insisting I was fine.
Why did I dream of that?
Is it because I’m afraid that even with my return to the past, the future will still turn out the same?
‘It’s just a nightmare. Let’s not dwell on it.’
After getting it out of my system, I found a slight clarity returning.
Feeling sick was something I could remedy through Qi or just resting for a while, so it didn’t present much of a problem.
Then, I noticed something through my sharpened senses, and it triggered an unpleasant feeling that made me let out a hollow laugh.
‘What rotten luck.’
My nightmare was already dreadful, and now this had to happen.
I turned towards Muyeon, who was anxiously restless, and spoke.
“Muyeon.”
“Yes, Young Master…! Should I try to locate a physician after all?”
“Don’t speak nonsense. Check the status of the demonic charm.”
Muyeon, sensing the seriousness behind my tone, swiftly pulled out a charm from his pocket.
The demonic charm was a device developed by the exorcists that signaled when the nearby gates to the demonic realm would appear, and it simply required the infusion of a bit of Qi.
When he extracted the charm, it showed no signal or reaction at all.
Muyeon released a sigh of relief, returning the charm to his pocket.
“Phew… Young Master, your sudden seriousness startled me. Thank goodness nothing….”
As he spoke, the charm unexpectedly flashed bright red before being engulfed in flames.
There was no hesitation at that moment. Muyeon yelled at the other escorts surrounding us.
“A gate has appeared! Everyone, prepare for battle!”
No sooner had Muyeon finished shouting than the escorts drew their swords instantly, heightening the atmosphere with palpable tension.
And of course, trouble had to strike us as we were making our way back home. The rapid disintegration of the charm indicated that a gate was alarmingly close.
If it had only been a little farther away, we might have been able to evade combat altogether.
It was all my fault for stopping the carriage.
In a rush, Muyeon grabbed my shoulder.
“Young Master, it’s dangerous, you need to get back inside the carriage!”
At his insistence, I hurriedly ushered Wi Seol-Ah and the other attendants back into the carriage.
Then I closed the door and stood beside Muyeon.
“Young Master, you must get inside as well. This situation is very dangerous…”
Under normal circumstances, I’d have simply stayed inside the carriage until it blew over, but it wasn’t the same this time. I considered it my fault we were facing this danger.
If it were an accidental situation, it would be different, but I had made a vow to rectify the mistakes of my past life wherever possible.
That was the only way to ensure that the calamities of my previous life wouldn’t repeat.
“Youn—!”
“Muyeon, spare me the lecture. Just look in front of you. It’s coming.”
At my warning, he fixated his gaze ahead, and the air seemed to warp as if it was waiting in anticipation.
Out of that distorted space, a gate emitting a green light emerged.
“Green…”
Muyeon murmured softly.
Green, blue, red, black—that indicated the degree of threat posed by the demonic gates. Thankfully, a gate glowing green represented the lowest threat level among them.
Growwwl…
The low growl of a beast echoed.
Emerging through the portal was a gigantic wild dog. To be precise, a monster that had taken the form of such a creature.
It was an odd sight indeed—a hound with horn protruding from its head.
“This one is going to be a bit of a nuisance.”
Green-horned dog.
A demonic creature known for its quick movements and the sturdy fangs capable of gnawing through rock. It had also been a candidate for the Murim Alliance’s failed attempt to train it as a pet in the past.
Naturally, the experiment didn’t end well.
‘A few more than ten, huh?’
Considering the number of monsters emerging from the gate, it was right at average.
Demons, unlike humans, lacked intelligence. They had no reservations either.
The green-horned hounds had spotted us and charged forward without a moment’s hesitation.
Muyeon leapt into action too, dodging their attacks. His sword sliced clean through one of their horns.
The force of the strike proved he was indeed a first-rate martial artist.
The green-horned hound that had its horn severed crumpled to the ground. For them, the horn was a critical weak point.
Soon, the other guards joined the fray, battling against the monsters.
Amid the conflict that centered around the carriage, I picked up some dirt from the ground.
Growl…
As Muyeon engaged another hound, one sprang toward me.
It drooled, evidently thinking it had spotted an easy meal.
I appeared younger and weaker than the guards, making me an attractive target.
Roar!
The green-horned hound lunged at me. I quickened my Flame Qi movements, spinning it around my body.
The warmth enveloped me.
Emboldened by the Qi, my body became quicker, allowing me to evade the attack just in time.
I swiftly hurled the dirt I had gathered at the hound.
Roar!
Temporarily blinded, the beast swung aimlessly in the air.
Despite its blindness, given its size, it was still a menacing presence.
I picked up a rock and tossed it near it, using the sound to attract its attention.
Harnessing all my Flame Qi, I prepared for my next move.
‘Dawdle and I’ll die.’
Seizing the moment while it was distracted, I leaped and jabbed my arm into its ribcage.
Stab!
Though it felt like its horn was its weakness, demons possessed another shared vulnerability besides their horns.
Within their bodies lay the demonic stone.
In the absence of proper hearts, these creatures regarded the demonic stone as their very hearts.
With this body lagging behind as I wasn’t a skilled swordsman, I couldn’t break their horn. Thus, I simply plunged my fortified arm into its body to extract its demonic stone.
I could feel something slightly resisting, but my Qi-wrapped arm easily pierced through, enabling me to reach for the stone.
The tug!
As I pulled my hand back, vividly blue blood erupted from its wound, marking it as demon blood.
Grrhh!
The green-horned hound collapsed, as if its horn had been cut.
Turning, I noticed another green-horned hound barreling toward me.
Roar!
“Oh, this isn’t good…!”
I aimed to redirect my Flame Qi to my whole body again, but there wasn’t enough time.
Just as the beast’s fangs were poised to tear into me, a flash of light streaked past, slicing its horn—Muyeon’s sword.
“Young Master! Are you al—”
Muyeon fell silent upon noticing the stricken hound lying beside me with a gaping wound in its ribs.
“Thanks, I thought I was going to buy the farm.”
“Right… Good thing it turned out okay.”
I felt his peculiar gaze upon me. The same one he had bestowed on me since my first day of regression.
What kind of look is that…
The demon hunt wrapped up quite swiftly.
Given their training, the Gu family members weren’t about to struggle with a lower-tier Gate.
They had experienced numerous encounters with demon gates while traveling before.
In a world accustomed to the presence of these gates, this was merely an unfortunate accident.
All the monsters were slain, and the portal dissipated into the air with their departure, though the corpses of the demons stayed behind.
“Well, now we just have to report to Gu—”
I halted mid-sentence, feeling a prickling sensation manifest in my palm.
It was that same familiar feeling—that which I’d encountered countless times in my former life. There was no mistaking it.
“What’s wrong, Young Master?”
I glanced at the hand that gripped the demonic stone.
The stone’s green hue faded and turned clear.
Simultaneously, a subtle influx of Qi began accumulating within my body.
My lips trembled. I had endured this phenomenon too many times before.
This was an art of siphoning power from demonic stones.
“Damn it, what sort of twisted sorcery is this…!”
This was undoubtedly a technique of the Heavenly Demons.
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