Chapter 329
The air is thick with the stench of burnt flesh.
The smoke rising slowly is sparse, but the smell is absolutely foul.
Crack, crack.
The sound of burning ashes reaches my ears.
It’s that distinct crackle one hears when wood is ablaze.
I whisper at the sight.
“It’s bland.”
Tap, tap.
When I brushed my hand against my clothes, something dark smudged onto them.
How unsettling.
Since the clothes are essentially useless now, I just wipe them off half-heartedly.
I nudged something lying on the floor with my toes.
After a struggle, the body eventually quieted down.
The voice that had been screaming in agony is no longer heard.
It was completely breathless.
“You seemed heavier-mouthed than I thought, but you couldn’t hold on for long.”
That was meant for someone else, of course.
But there would be no answer.
Now, staring at something that had morphed into mere traces of humanity, I snuffed out the flame.
Woosh!
As the flames extinguished, a charred human figure became visible.
If I poke it, it would crumble to dust.
I watch it with an odd sense of detachment.
I squatted low and stared quietly.
I had killed him, delivering the excruciating pain he had hoped for, leaving no trace of his form behind.
“I feel surprisingly numb.”
It was far blander than I had anticipated.
This was the very guy I had wanted dead so desperately.
The first purpose in life that popped into my head upon my return.
It had been something I yearned to do in my past life.
I wanted to see him scream.
I wanted to see him kneel at my feet in despair.
But actually doing it with my own two hands was different.
More than the ecstasy I had imagined, a profound emptiness filled me.
Tap.
As I tapped the foot of what had been Jang Seon-yeon, it crumbled apart.
His breath had long since stopped.
Contrary to what I had said about doing it in three gradual stages, by the time I got to the second, he had already breathed his last.
That’s a bit disappointing.
As I stood still, time passed and my insides slowly chilled.
“It was bland and much less entertaining than I thought.”
This was all the impact Jang Seon-yeon’s death had on me.
Why, I wonder?
Shouldn’t this be refreshing and thrilling?
This was one of the tasks I had desired above all else.
‘Is it because you aren’t the Meteor Sword anymore?’
The current Jang Seon-yeon isn’t the same as the Meteor Sword back then.
The Jang Seon-yeon with whom I had shared memories.
He’s a different person now.
Therefore, this death is ultimately the removal of an obstacle I should clear for the work I must undertake first.
Without any thought, I simply feel an unsettling sensation.
As that thought fleetingly crossed my mind, I had to click my tongue.
‘More importantly, I didn’t hear much information at all.’
I had plenty to ask Jang Seon-yeon.
But I didn’t learn as much as I’d hoped.
I assumed a gold seal would be in place, so there’s nothing to be done about that.
But it feels much more trivial than I expected.
Honestly, it might have been better to corrupt him into a demon and use him instead.
‘But that’s a bit revolting.’
Thinking about it, even Namgung Cheonjun felt prickly.
There’s no way I could do that with Jang Seon-yeon.
Regardless of his usefulness, I detested the idea that this guy shared the same air as me on this land.
‘If there’s something that’s bothering me.’
During the torturous torment of Jang Seon-yeon, something he said got under my skin.
– “Gaaaaaaaaaaaah…! Geeeeh!”
– “What were you thinking, trying to ambush me with all the instructors around?”
– “Hruuh!”
As I continued to bombard him with questions, it was time to start gradually burning him, beginning at his toes.
He failed to respond to most of the questions I had posed earlier.
I wasn’t really expecting an answer when I asked.
In an era where the realm of gold is so developed, getting someone to speak up was a tough task.
Certain clans or specific families are good at breaking seals and extracting information through torture, but that too is hardly foolproof.
When I was a demon, the gold seal on the other person would have vanished with just a flick of my finger.
The meaning differs slightly.
Ultimately, now, if I want to extract something from him, I have to either dismantle the seal or corrupt him into a demon.
But I’m struggling to apply the bet soft enough to lift the seal.
I haven’t mastered that kind of technique, you see.
And I had no intention of creating a demon.
So, this is simply a pretext for tormenting him.
– “Ugh… Huh… Huh…”
As Jang Seon-yeon burned and screamed, he mixed in a tiny laugh amidst the yells.
– “Are you insane? Why suddenly laugh and go wild?”
– “Hehe… Hehe… Why did you do that…?”
– “Oh, you want to tell me?”
– “Yes… Even if you escaped here by sheer luck and went back… it would already be too late. You’ve ended up achieving nothing… Gerk!”
Jang Seon-yeon spat out words like a curse. My eyes narrowed slightly.
It seems that actions performed thoughtlessly were not without consequence.
It looks like he had set up some kind of trap.
– “What have you done?”
– “Do I look like I’m going to die in a place like this…?”
– “What have you set up?”
As he blabbered nonsense, I squeezed the part that was ablaze and exerted force.
Crunch.
– “Uck…!”
His eyes widened as he again let out a stifled scream.
Hearing that, I retorted.
– “If you keep this up, your last words will be to beg for me to kill you. If you don’t want that, let’s hurry up.”
With those words, I reignited the flames, but unfortunately, I couldn’t quite keep my promise.
He screamed until the very moment he breathed his last, but he never uttered a word asking me to kill him.
If he had at least pleaded for his life, things might have been a bit different.
I wonder if his mouth is sealed due to the gold.
I can’t tell if he simply wouldn’t open his mouth for me, even in death.
Contemplating that, I rose to my feet again.
‘It appears he’s set something up.’
Unfortunately, there’s something the guy is unaware of.
I will return.
And regardless of what happens, I won’t be late.
If I disappear, it shouldn’t take more than a few days at most, right?
It was the same in my past life.
Even during the incident where hundreds vanished into the magical realm.
The Murim Alliance and the families and sects of the ones who were drawn in were thrown into chaos.
Hundreds returned mere days later, as if it were a tall tale.
They appeared exactly in the same spots from which they had vanished.
Even back then, I had said it.
They claimed there were no survivors aside from me inside the Demon Realm.
But the ones who returned were those who had vanished at that time.
Everyone had died.
Yet everyone came back alive.
The time I experienced there must have spanned several years at least.
Not a single person aged one bit.
In fact, no one returned with any recollection of that time.
If you ask how that’s even possible, it tied back to the name I had forged in this world.
A counterfeit world.
A faux reality.
That wraps up the explanation.
For reasons unknown, the time axis between this place and where I originally belonged was warped.
Not exactly clear, but…
Perhaps a few years here equate to just a day in the Central Plains.
Or maybe even longer than that.
How many years have passed?
From the rough point of around seven, when I quit keeping track of days here, I felt it was ultimately meaningless.
Even if there were many tales and thoughts, a fair share of memories—
Nothing is more dull and sorrowful than memories that are remembered alone. It’s a place I wish to forget.
The memories chained down like shackles.
Now, as I stand here, I feel I can’t lose anyone.
Underneath the sky stained crimson.
A gentle breeze wafts through.
That breeze carries a faint scent of blood.
A trait of this world.
What is seen.
What is heard.
Even the scents that can be smelled.
None of it is normal.
As I caught that rancid odor, I turned around.
“Since I’m here, I should at least do what I came for.”
There’s a reason I had to enter this world, even going so far as to use Jang Seon-yeon and Cheol Ji-seon.
While my motive included getting information and killing Jang Seon-yeon as well, that’s not the main focus.
That’s merely a step in the process.
The reason for my arrival?
It’s to confront that accursed tree, which drew the Heavenly Demon’s attention in my previous life.
‘You’re probably watching anyway. Why don’t you show yourself?’
From what I know, this is the world that creature created.
That’s what it claimed itself as well—though it could be a lie.
I’m sure that tree is monitoring me from afar.
But judging by its silence, it seems to be saying,
‘Come find me.’
It was like that back then too.
I watched unlimited reviewers meet their end being devoured by the beasts here.
Only when I was about to get eaten, used as a discarded piece, did it finally show up.
“This won’t show up easily, huh?”
Fine, let’s see who emerges victorious.
We both have plenty of time on our hands.
I brushed off the remaining ash.
Setting my direction, I began to walk.
Suddenly, I glanced over at Jang Seon-yeon’s position.
His remnants lay motionless on the ground.
Naturally.
I burned him until he was blackened.
That was all carefully controlled.
I had worked hard to ensure he didn’t go up in flames too easily.
Adjusting it somewhat thinly was still a challenge.
I gazed quietly at it, then turned my head away.
‘It was tough and filthy. I should avoid looking back.’
Meeting that guy is enough for two lives.
I sincerely hope this is truly over.
With that thought in mind, I pressed forward.
Step.
As I took a step, I glanced around.
It was to double-check where to go next.
I took a further step.
My energy coiled about me.
I was thinking of quickly leaping away.
Although demons rampant in the Demon Realm were irksome, I wasn’t particularly frightened.
Now, as I prepared to leap forward.
When I was about to take my last step.
Step.
A low hum resonated.
“…!”
An inexplicable sense of discomfort grew.
I swiftly turned around, feeling a compelling need to look there.
What I beheld was nothing but Jang Seon-yeon’s burnt remnants lying in place.
Why is that?
Hummm.
A distant sound reached my ears.
It felt alien and resonated oddly.
Should I even term this as a sound? It was a bit peculiar to label it as such.
Yet I perceived the vibrations seeping through.
From where exactly was it emanating?
It’s coming from my Dantian, deeper inside.
‘…Blood Qi?’
It was where my blood energy was stored. My blood surged, as if responding.
An energy I thought I couldn’t use after my arrival here started to resound on its own.
At that moment.
Flicker…
“… What?”
The body of Jang Seon-yeon, now charred black with form indistinguishable, began to move gradually.
Black ash trickled down with each motion.
Yet, it persisted in moving.
Rustle… rustle…
Its form was rising.
The flesh of Jang Seon-yeon, formerly so scorched it could no longer embody life, began to lift its torso.
How on earth is it able to move?
And what is this excrement that I’m feeling from it?
I’m seriously considering breaking it apart on the spot.
Jang Seon-yeon lifts himself up, turning his head side to side.
His face, burned to disfigurement, renders sight impossible.
It’s as if he’s assessing the surroundings.
With every slight motion, the creaking sound is anything but normal.
In that instant,
Jang Seon-yeon’s gaze flits towards me.
My body instinctively flinches.
His form lacks any distinguishing expression.
Yet strangely enough,
I felt as though he was smiling.
[Ah…]
A sound echoed.
It was more akin to a phoneme than an actual voice.
[You wondered why the connection was severed? It seems this was the issue.]
It’s a voice I’ve heard before.
Where had I encountered it?
A brief moment of confusion flitted through my mind, yet the answer quickly surfaced.
On the final day of the Friendship Martial Arts Event.
It was around the moment I was wrecking Jang Seon-yeon.
Even then, that voice spoke to me, riding upon Jang Seon-yeon’s form.
Jang Seon-yeon nods his head as he gazes at me.
No, that cannot be termed as Jang Seon-yeon.
It clearly bore another name.
[Long time no see. Do you remember me?]
Upon being questioned if I remembered,
I softly whispered his identity.
“Blood Demon.”
Chuckle, chuckle.
He seemed to relish my response, letting laughter escape.
[]
He is one of the five greatest swordsmen in the world.
Cheonghae Ilgeom, the head of the sect known as the Gupaeilbang.
He merely stood observing the bushes in front of the Shinryongwan’s main office.
“Hmmm…”
The Cheonghae Ilgeom lets out a sigh-like sound.
Glancing around aimlessly, he remains plagued with questions.
This was where Guyangcheon claimed he discovered a secret the other day.
Yet, as Cheonghae Ilgeom searched, he found no trace or energy.
The sleeping dragon had said that once the formation was solved, a door would emerge in the sky.
How could not a single trace remain?
“I can’t fathom it.”
If at any point, despite extending my energy, I still cannot find anything.
What Jamryong and Guyangcheon said must have been false.
It’s as if it vanished completely, as if it never existed.
The first inference seems to hold more weight.
Cheonghae Ilgeom did not believe those children would lie.
“Bigora… How could Bigora possibly have been in a place like this?”
For detailed answers, one must visit the Murim Alliance.
However, he doubted they would provide accurate information or explanations.
“Even if it did exist, would that child really be the one to uncover it?”
Goyangcheon has been the subject of Cheonghae Ilgeom’s thoughts lately.
It’s obvious he possesses exceptional talent.
But that wasn’t the sole reason.
‘Having heard the information from the open, is he also involved in this?’
That was just too hard to take at face value.
Cheonghae Ilgeom, who knew all about the Open Ark, found it even harder to swallow.
‘Then what about that matter with the ‘ill-tempered child’?’
He suspected there were many secrets surrounding the child.
The individuals entangled with him were no easy folk.
Like father, like son, it seems.
“…I must call them again later. I’ll have to clarify things then.”
Cheonghae Ilgeom sighed deeply, stroking his beard.
A sigh that never ceased even in his youth.
Feeling older as time went by.
It just so happens that all the trainees have gone out for their training period.
With the place now slightly quieter, wandering around wouldn’t hurt.
Longing for a little stroll to calm his overflowing thoughts,
Just then,
Grumble…!
“What was that…?”
Suddenly, Cheonghae Ilgeom felt a sensation rippling through the entirety of Shinryongwan.
Without delay, he wrapped his body in a shield and drew his sword.
It was an energy inducing a queasy feeling just by sensing its presence.
It bore the stench unique to the Saipain.
Sensing that, Cheonghae Ilgeom scoffed lightly.
“I guess I’ve truly aged.”
Here he was, Cheonghae Ilgeom, standing guard.
Yet shameless scoundrels dared to approach him with exposed fangs.
It’s something he could never have envisioned during his youth.
As that thought crossed his mind, just as he was about to leap in the direction from which the energy emanated,
“Pardon me.”
A voice called out from near Cheonghae Ilgeom.
“By any chance, are you the Cheonghae Ilgeom?”
In response to that casual inquiry, the sharp aura of Cheonghae Ilgeom expanded around him.
Yet, he hadn’t felt that energy until it encroached from behind him.
‘How could this be?’
His energy spread throughout Shinryongwan.
How could someone break through that much and approach so closely?
Cheonghae Ilgeom, raising his voice, questioned the owner of that voice.
“Who might you be?”
Cheonghae Ilgeom scrutinized the stranger.
The individual was quite the imposing figure.
Clad in dark-stained robes, wrapped in what appeared to be the hide of some unknown beast.
A deep, long scar adorned his neck.
Just gazing at it sent chills down his spine.
Cheonghae Ilgeom understood immediately.
This was an opponent with an unclear chance of victory.
‘Who on earth is this?’
A person of such caliber and yet, unknown identity.
Cold sweat trickled down Cheonghae Ilgeom’s spine.
Amidst the tension,
“Looks like you’ve got a lot on your mind, Cheonghae Ilgeom. Your gaze is wavering.”
“…!”
“Oh, thank goodness. That means I’m still a threat to you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Once again, who are you?”
“Me?”
The imposing figure chuckled as though he relished Cheonghae Ilgeom’s question.
“Oh, it’s been a while since I last spoke. How exhilarating.”
Whoa…!
Using the towering figure as a springboard, a wild aura erupted outward.
“I hope you remember me.”
As the energy began to engulf the surroundings.
The figure drew his enormous weapon and slammed it into the ground.
“I am the Black Dragon Sword.”
“…!”
“By the look on your face, it seems you do know me.”
Cheonghae Ilgeom’s eyes widened when he heard the giant’s moniker.
It was a name he had recognized before.
However, that individual had perished long ago.
Delighting in Cheonghae Ilgeom’s amazement, the giant emitted a hearty laugh before swiftly raising his weapon, aiming it at Cheonghae Ilgeom.
“Care to dance with me?”
The thought of engaging in swordplay after such a long absence thrilled the Black Dragon Sword.
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