Chapter: 418
I can see cold sweat running down his face. His pupils are trembling, and his hands are clutching his lower abdomen.
The sight of the giant body slowly collapsing in a colorless manner indicated that my plan was working effectively.
‘It really works.’
I was worried about what I would do if it didn’t pan out. It feels like the versatility of magic is broader than I initially thought.
As I examined the fallen Dangdeok, I recalled why he had ended up like this.
His subordinate, whose name I can’t even remember anymore. Was it Julbok or Jungbok?
While corrupting his subordinates into demonic beings, I had established one objective.
If he were to go back and die at Dangdeok’s hands, I wanted the magic he held to spread throughout the surroundings.
It was an application of the principle that when a demonic being dies, the magic it possesses disseminates to the area.
I slowly approached him, checking on my own condition. Unlike how smoothly my plan was going, there was one slight issue.
‘This is a bit tough.’
Using the magic energy planted in Dangdeok was proving to be quite a challenge.
As I felt during the Black Dragon Sword episode, the higher the opponent’s level, the harder it was to use magic to impose restrictions on them.
Of course, it would be much better than the pressure Dangdeok was feeling right now.
I forced a nonchalant expression as I drew nearer.
“Nice to meet you.”
“…”
Dangdeok looked at me with trembling eyes.
It appeared he was being quite baffled as the magic gradually tightened its grasp on his body.
“… What did you do to me…?”
“Do you like the gift?”
“This little brat…!”
Dangdeok shouted at me with a grotesque expression.
“Did you poison me?!”
He seemed to think I had poisoned him.
Well, if you think about it, I guess it could be considered poison.
‘Oh, he’s really angry.’
Feeling Dangdeok’s anger, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
To him, poison is akin to a dagger.
The fact that his body is entirely incapable of developing any tolerance to poison only intensifies the situation.
It was a sense of entitlement stemming from his surname.
Looking at him, I let out a hearty laugh and said, “Then what will you do?”
“You bastard!”
Kuuung—! Fighting spirit radiated from Dangdeok’s body.
While his body was bound by magic, he still exuded considerable energy.
If we compare momentum alone, I’d say it’s only slightly inferior to the Black Dragon Sword.
At this point, it was evident that he was also a martial artist who had reached the state of Hwagyeong.
As I was slowly gathering information about him, Dangdeok growled and posed a question to me.
“Have you teamed up with the Poison King…?!”
I had to tilt my head at this somewhat unexpected remark.
“Why do you think that?”
In response to my question, Dangdeok pouted and replied, “The only family that could use this kind of poison is that damn family.”
“That’s a bit harsh. Calling them a shitty family. Aren’t you from that family too?”
“This brat…! How dare you associate me with that kind of place…!”
“Well, I guess you’re right… They probably forgot about you ages ago after casting you aside.”
“…!”
Dangdeok bit down hard at my words.
“How much do you really know…?”
“I don’t exactly know much…”
If you’re asking how far my knowledge goes, I would say,
“The plan to create the Heavenly Body.”
“…!”
“That’s about it.”
Upon hearing my reply, Dangdeok’s eyes widened and he began to tremble.
It seems he didn’t think I would know this much.
‘It’s not like I particularly wanted to know.’
The Heavenly Body Creation Plan.
Just from the name, you might wonder what it’s about.
But if you dig deeper, it’s filled with quite sordid and ugly details.
This was the title of an experiment planned by the master of the Tang clan, who was called the Poison King and regarded as a master of the previous generation.
Dokgun Dang Bi-seong was someone who loved the Tang family more than anyone else.
He valued the status of the Tang clan highly and hoped for them to rise to the highest position.
What was the quickest way to achieve that? This was something Dang Bi-seong always pondered.
The answer was remarkably simple.
In a way, it’s just common sense.
The fastest way for the Tang clan to rise to the top is to simply possess the strongest warrior in the Central Plains.
The reason none of the so-called Four Great Houses, while enjoying a good status and fame, can be called the best is due to that.
The absence of an absolute figure.
Although we are now witnessing the rise of the three lords and the dawn of the righteous sect, it is also an era where characters that had existed in every age have vanished.
The best in the world.
The Sword Lord, the Defector Lord, and the Celestial Lord.
There’s always talk about who among them is the strongest.
No one has managed to provide a concrete answer regarding who truly holds the title of the best in the world.
They are masters in their own respective realms, and there hasn’t been a movement to settle this dispute.
It’s simply called the era of the Three Lords, and peace is being achieved.
In some ways, it could be considered the most balanced era.
However, the Poison King was not pleased.
At that time, the Poison King must have thought:
In such an opportunity, the Tang clan’s individual should seize the top spot.
He believed it was impossible for himself.
The Poison King clearly understood his limitations and chose to wait for a future opportunity.
That is the starting point of the Heavenly Body Creation Plan.
When we mention the Heavenly Body, we refer to a being endowed with a body and talents by heaven.
He possesses the most ideal physique perfectly suited for martial arts training.
Alongside that, he also has the best understanding of martial arts and a massive Dantian ideal for accumulating energy.
The ideal being to become a martial artist.
That’s the Heavenly Body.
The Poison King hoped to nurture such a heavenly being within the Tang clan.
Thus, he aimed for that individual to become the best in the world and to have the Tang family recognized as the greatest clan.
That was Dang Bi-seong’s ambition.
These plans, much like inflated ambitions, took on a rather cruel form.
Heavenly bodies aren’t something you can acquire simply by wishing for them.
It’s not without reason they say talents like this might only come once in a millennium.
Dang Bi-seong sought to artificially create a heavenly body, banking on that slim chance.
An artificial heavenly body.
What a contradictory notion.
I thought that at first.
Just as I assumed my thoughts were not incorrect, the experimental methods were astonishing enough to make even me feel horrified.
Initially, Dang Bi-seong kidnapped nameless orphans from throughout the Central Plains, locked them underground, and granted them the surname Dang.
After that.
‘He injected them with monster blood.’
He forcibly infused monster blood into those children.
It might sound bizarre, but records confirm that this really happened.
Ordinary humans simply couldn’t compete with the resilience and strength of these beings.
Among those, the blood of the monster that resembled humans the most, the primate monster, was injected.
What were the results, you ask?
What do you mean, what were they? They all perished.
It was an expected outcome. Monsters are entirely different creatures from humans.
Even the color of their blood is different.
If one were to receive large quantities of it forcibly,
Humans would eventually be unable to tolerate the monster blood, leading to seizures and death.
This information was uncovered when I discovered the underground of the Sacheon Tang Clan in my previous life.
It was something I could confirm at quite deep points.
Thousands of records detailing this information were found.
If we factor in the missing journals, the number might be even higher than this.
So how many lives were lost, ensnared in the ambitions of the Tang clan?
Even the youngest recorded was merely five years old, or at the most, ten.
Are you suggesting that those children truly died because of the ambitions of the Tang clan?
That aspect eludes my understanding.
The Dangdeok before me was a victim of such an experiment.
Moreover, I recalled a particular segment among those thousands of journals.
In a scenario where everyone perishing would have been the natural result, there was only one individual who succeeded in merging with the monster’s blood.
According to my rational thinking, that makes no sense.
How could a human survive after being injected with monster blood? It’s hard to fathom.
Yet the records state so clearly.
Success in Blood Fusion.
Alongside an increase in skin toughness, there was a drastic boost in strength… That’s roughly how it was noted.
I’m not sure of the methods employed, but the experiment of Dang Bi-seong succeeded.
According to the records, it’s likely he obtained a body akin to the Heavenly Body he so desired.
Yet in the end, it was recorded that this experiment was a failure.
If you were to ask how it could be dubbed a failure after countless experiments, the answer is none other than this:
‘The Subtext of Poison Resistance.’
That interpretation encapsulates the aim of this experiment.
Dang Bi-seong wished for someone to emerge as the best in the world under the name of the Tang Clan.
Consequently, what he deemed paramount was not solely the physical body, but the ability to cultivate Poison Arts.
In that regard, this test subject was indeed a failure.
The conclusion reached was that developing resistance to poison was impossible.
How could such superb physicality end up yielding such an outcome?
But that was the reality, and hence Dang Bi-seong may have judged it a failure.
Of course, due to the excellence of this body, countless experiments were carried out later on to cultivate resistance to poison.
The results were all failures, leading to the record stating that this test subject was eventually disposed of.
Yet, I held an unwavering conviction.
The central figure of the experiment we’ve been discussing is none other than the Dangdeok standing right in front of me.
‘It’s written in the records as Dangdeok, of course!’
There are certainly not just one or two Dangdeoks, and I haven’t examined all the records, but just by considering their traits, one can glean the answer.
His name is Dangdeok.
A possessor of ludicrous strength and a body closest to being indestructible.
A body incapable of developing toxicity.
An indignant fury toward the Tang Clan.
These facets are rather readily apparent, wouldn’t you agree?
“A failure unable to become a heavenly body. Is that you?”
“… You… What exactly are you?!”
“Identity?”
After hearing Dangdeok’s question, I pondered for a moment.
Your face… What should I say? It’s somewhat troubling.
Then, without warning, I muttered a word that sprang to my mind.
“Heavenly Demon.”
“… What?”
“Oh, let that just slide. It’s merely something that popped into my head.”
I couldn’t quite grasp why I suddenly thought of the Heavenly Demon.
That phrase escaped my lips unknowingly, yet inexplicably, Dangdeok nodded slightly.
“A demon sent from heaven… What an apt description.”
“This kid…?”
I couldn’t comprehend why he’d criticize me like that when he hadn’t seen me much.
Suddenly, irritation surged, but for now, I had to suppress it.
Creak—
This was because Dangdeok was rising while still gripping his spear.
“Furthermore… I realized that you’re connected to the Poison King.”
“…”
Not that it was exactly like that; I saw no need to deny it outright.
Even if I tried to refute it here, I had little faith it would convince him.
And…
‘Whether or not it works doesn’t matter.’
What’s key isn’t that.
Dangdeok rose up and aimed the tip of his spear at me as he spoke.
“You will die here by my hands.”
Even as he struggled against the magic, his spirit did not wither.
It echoed in my mind the feeling I had when I had my eyes gouged out in my previous life.
“The descendants of the Poison King—that damned old man—will also die by my hand.”
A bitter fury directed at the Tang Clan filled the air.
Well, how could he not feel that way? Had I been treated in such a manner, I’d likely have lived solely for vengeance.
What of the bandits gathered beneath him?
‘They all must be humans harboring anger toward the Tang Clan.’
While they wore the guise of bandits, at their core, they were likely vengeful spirits united to seek retribution.
Whether they too were victims of the experiment remained unknown.
That detail wasn’t of my concern.
I didn’t believe the Tang Clan had done the right thing.
It was a despicable act, one perhaps deserving of condemnation and revenge.
‘But I’m not concerned.’
Unfortunately, I wasn’t particularly invested in that aspect—neither in the vengeance Dangdeok expressed.
I comprehended his thirst for vengeance entirely.
‘But that’s not significant to me.’
Ironically, there was something that mattered even more to me.
Even if it appeared cruel, or felt selfish and ugly,
I don’t mind.
For me, I merely had to maintain what I needed to protect.
Dangdeok was just a pawn for that purpose.
As I contemplated this, Dangdeok continued speaking.
“Also, the Poison King’s daughter—she’s said to be there too?”
I frowned when Dangdeok mentioned Dang So-yeol.
“That girl was in my hands…”
“Hey.”
When I called out to Dangdeok, he looked at me with a peculiar expression.
“Stop there.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have to keep you alive to use you…”
I fought against the emotions boiling within.
At that moment, I felt the urge to rush over and snap his neck.
But I had to hold back.
“If you say any more, I’ll just have to kill you. Just shut up and do whatever you want. Are you going to attack or not?”
“…”
Ha—
At my words, Dangdeok let out a brief sigh and tightened his grip on the spear, gradually radiating his fighting spirit.
Even though I had infused magic into it, his fighting intent was still substantial…
I couldn’t shake the feeling that the magic I had infused wasn’t being fully manifested in him.
Could it be…
‘Is it the blood of the monster he has that’s causing the issue?’
That might just be it. Before magic, it’s an energy possessed by the Heavenly Demon.
Since it’s the energy found in monster’s magic stones, it’s plausible that his blood may have a resistance to magic.
Would this lead to a challenging fight against Dangdeok, who isn’t properly affected by my magic?
I quietly observed him and reached a conclusion in my mind.
‘You won’t know until you try.’
If you don’t try, you won’t know.
That’s my conclusion.
In this life, I haven’t engaged in many battles with martial artists who reached the state of Hwagyeong.
At most, I’ve had bouts against the Black Dragon Sword and the White Heaven Sword, or possibly my father.
That’s about it.
Compared to that, a fight with him felt quite comfortable.
Just after reaching the Hwagyeong, I wanted a genuine fight.
‘I don’t mind if I have to kill you.’
Just that one notion was significantly liberating.
Of course, I wouldn’t kill him since I intended to use him, yet it reduced the pressure.
“This time, I won’t touch your eyes.”
“…?”
Dangdeok looked at me with a puzzled expression after my words.
“Just thought your eyes looked kinda appealing.”
“… This kid really.”
Believing it to be a provocation, Dangdeok immediately lunged at me with his massive body. As I watched, a smirk crept across my lips, and I capitalized on my magic energy to its fullest.
Thud thud—!
I felt magic surging through my entire body, releasing it all from within.
First, I thought—
‘Black Heaven.’
I obliterated all the stars from the sky.
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