“Ugh.”
I rubbed my head.
Really, it just keeps getting worse until the end.
The reason I stubbornly chased after Jeong Cheol on a Bicheongmacha, despite being a mess after the duel, is simple.
Regardless of the true intentions, Jeong Cheol is now someone who has retired from the Martial World, leaving behind all the resentment he built up as a ‘Sacheon Outcast.’
Well, it was a clever play on words.
Those who only know Jeong Cheol as a Sacheon Outcast would interpret his expression of letting go of all resentment as him laying down everything he built up as a martial artist… But for me, who knows Jeong Cheol’s other identity, it felt like he was expressing that he wouldn’t relinquish his position as a collaborator of the Demon Sect.
But then, why did I chase him on the Bicheongmacha without seeking anyone else’s help, even though I had grasped that truth?
The Sacheon sects decided to clear all resentments through a duel with Jeong Cheol.
Once Jeong Cheol was defeated, all those resentments would be settled, and thus the moment the Sacheon sects pursued the defeated Jeong Cheol, the cycle of new grudges would begin again.
It was the same even if the others left me, an injured person, behind to chase Jeong Cheol.
Even if others were peak stage masters and might be a bit uneasy, if Hyeok Gi-rin, the Hwa-gyeong practitioner, were to chase Jeong Cheol alone, they probably could have taken him down on any road leading to Xin Gang.
However, Hyeok Gi-rin and the Jeomchang Faction ended up becoming a sect that speaks with two mouths and now bears a great burden.
If they intended to use such methods to pursue Jeong Cheol, they would have dealt with him earlier.
There were countless ways to resolve things through ‘unclean’ methods without needing to spend such long years dealing with Jeong Cheol.
What if the peak stage masters of Sacheon had gathered to ambush Jeong Cheol at Sadoryeon?
Or what if the Tang Clan truly poisoned Jeong Cheol?
If not that, what if they purposefully increased the number of exchanges in their communications with Jeong Cheol to pinpoint his location and take him out?
That would create new problems and another cycle of resentment, but still, it would have resolved the original issue.
However, the solution that the Tang Clan and the Sacheon sects wanted was not that.
The Sacheon Outcast, me, stopping Jeong Cheol, also a Sacheon Outcast, to end the wheels of all resentments.
That was what the Sacheon sects, who had patiently waited for a long time to give me the opportunity to handle Jeong Cheol, desired, and it was also what I wished for.
So I, who had become nothing more than a mere outsider, should have dealt with Jeong Cheol—not as any sect member or Sacheon Outcast, but as ‘Outcast Ho Cheon-an.’
Things just won’t go smoothly until the very end.
The Black Cat asked Wi Seoryeon.
“So how will the Demon Sect treat Jeong Cheol?”
“Huh.”
Wi Seoryeon looked at the Black Cat with a troubled expression and then at me.
“…Do you perhaps know what it means to inherit the ‘Heavenly Demon Arts’?”
Did I seem a bit too calm in this situation?
I briefly considered shaking my head but eventually nodded. Wi Seoryeon’s eyes seemed to fill with surprise, and then they let out a long sigh.
“Huh… I don’t know where the information leaked, but it’s strange for you not to know when even Jeong Cheol does… No, where on earth is the information of the sect leaking so freely…”
At Wi Seoryeon’s grumbling, the Black Cat, who knew all my past, wore a subtle expression.
“Both of you. Promise me that you won’t divulge this to anyone outside. Not even to the companions sharing the cart with us.”
As we both nodded, Wi Seoryeon spoke.
“To understand the current situation, we need to start with the origins of the Heavenly Demon Arts. So, let’s talk about the first Heavenly Demon.”
This is the tale of how the current Heavenly Demon Sect was founded and the long story of how the Heavenly Demon acquired powers that even surpassed the realm of Black Dragon Qi.
I knew well the conclusion of that story and the deductions that would arise from it.
The Heavenly Demon Arts is a cursed martial art.
And Jeong Cheol would die unable to overcome that curse.
* *
Wi Ji-cheon looked down at Jeong Cheol, who was seated in the lotus position.
Was it the effect of various medicinal herbs, blood recovery pills, or bone setting medications? In just a day, Jeong Cheol’s right arm had healed, and his wounds had improved significantly; there was color returning to his pale complexion.
Upon confirming Jeong Cheol’s condition, Wi Ji-cheon judged that he had recovered to a minimal extent and opened his mouth.
“You demanded the inheritance of the Heavenly Demon Arts.”
“Yes.”
“I, ‘Heavenly Demon’ Wi Ji-cheon, have deemed you worthy to request the inheritance of the Heavenly Demon Arts and accept that request. Thus, the ceremony to inherit the Heavenly Demon Arts was supposed to take three days, but given your condition, I have decided to skip one day and proceed.”
Jeong Cheol silently nodded.
He wanted to challenge the Heavenly Demon Arts in perfect condition, but there was no way Wi Ji-cheon would allow that.
After all, Wi Ji-cheon only accepted Jeong Cheol as the heir to fulfill his duties as the Heavenly Demon, and it was certainly not out of kindness.
It was fortunate that he was treating him without expressing any emotions, so he had no choice but to follow along as directed.
“Have you heard about the history of the Heavenly Demon Sect and the origins of the Heavenly Demon Arts?”
“I’ve heard what others know, but I don’t know the details.”
Jeong Cheol answered honestly while Wi Ji-cheon nodded.
“Then let me tell you.”
The secret history of the Demon Sect that can discuss martial arts, known as the strongest in the world, the Heavenly Demon Arts.
That secret flowed from Wi Ji-cheon’s mouth.
* *
Long, long ago, before written characters existed.
In an era where knowledge was simply passed down through words.
A young man and woman living in a land that would later be called Xin Gang stealthily climbed the mountains.
“What are you trying to do? Let’s go down the mountain before it’s too late!”
“If you want to go, then go!”
The woman, filled with determination, shot back at the scared young man.
In an age where martial arts as a discipline, which now exists as a given, had yet to blossom.
Humans were not masters of the world.
No.
They were not even masters, but the weak.
People could hardly protect themselves from the common beasts that appeared in the mountains and fields.
“If we get caught by the Black Dragon, it won’t be just us who suffer; the whole village will suffer!”
“…Anyway, we’ll starve to death this way!”
The woman glared at the sky with resentful eyes.
It was fine to stare confidently at the sky, but the moment the girl envisioned the massive body of the Black Dragon, she trembled.
The engrained fear.
Every time the fierce roar of the Black Dragon echoed, blood splattered, homes were destroyed, and people died.
Just looking at the sky revived the fear of the Black Dragon.
“Every week, livestock are sacrificed, and yet he still eats people who come up the mountain? Hmph! That monster knows that if people don’t come to the mountains, he’ll starve to death! He’s just doing this because he wants to eat people!”
“You! What if the Black Dragon actually gets angry? Do you even know what happened to the village that summoned practitioners to vanquish the Black Dragon?”
“Anyway, if we keep going like this, we’re all going to starve to death!”
“Still…”
Seeing the hesitant young man, the woman raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t you understand yet?”
“What do you mean…?”
“What I mean is that the filthy Black Dragon is trying to eat all humans in this area!”
At the woman’s words, the young man fell silent.
“The distant village called practitioners, and they all ended up being eaten! But why did the nearby village perish too? Why did the village by the stream in the mountain also disappear? How can we stay here in peace when villages are rapidly vanishing around us?”
“….”
“We have to run away. We must flee before we’re all eaten! For that, we need plenty of food! Have you thought about why the Black Dragon eats people who come up the mountain?”
“It’s because the sky is the Black Dragon’s domain. He won’t forgive those who dare to approach it.”
“You fool! While it’s not wrong for the arrogant Black Dragon to see the sky as his, we must also think about why his behavior has changed recently! He’s controlling access to the mountain to prevent people from stockpiling food! He’s trying to prevent us from leaving this place!”
The young man replied with a dark expression.
“That might be true. But then, where do we go? Can we run far enough to escape the Black Dragon’s wings?”
This time, the woman fell silent.
For them, the Black Dragon in the sky was the greatest threat, but it wasn’t the only danger. If they embarked on a long journey, they would undoubtedly encounter countless dangerous beasts and entities.
Even if they set off on their journey, no one could assure them they would find a suitable place to settle.
The woman, too, had no sharp solutions on how to survive and overcome such dangers.
“Well… still, this is the best option. We can’t just sit here and die of starvation.”
The woman gathered food into her basket as she went along—fruits, mushrooms, herbs. The young man also filled his basket with food.
Their faces brightened at the abundance of food.
“If we can gather this much food every time we climb the mountain, escaping will no longer be a dream!”
“We can finally eat our fill with the village folks after a long time.”
The happiness of the two, smiling at each other, didn’t last long.
Kyaaaaaaak!!
A cry echoed from the sky.
The roar of the Black Dragon made their legs tremble and their minds dizzy. The faces of the two turned pale.
At a very far distance.
A giant Black Dragon flying in the sky appeared so small, akin to a mere palm-sized creature, yet the young man and the woman could see the Red eyes of the Black Dragon locking onto them.
“Run!”
The young man and woman rushed down the mountain slope, but they couldn’t escape the pursuit of the Black Dragon.
Kyaaaaaaaak!!
Crash!!
“Argh!”
“Aaaaah!!”
The Black Dragon, whose body was as long as several people combined, tore through the ground with its arms and wings. The two were caught in a frenzy of destruction as the mountain shook and trees snapped like matchsticks, rolling down the mountain slope.
Kyaaaaaaaak!!
The Black Dragon’s roar, loud enough to shake the heavens and earth, struck their eardrums. The young man, scrambling to his feet, helped the woman up, and just as they tried to run away again—
Kyaaaaaaak!!
“Ahhh!”
“Ugh!”
Another onslaught from the Black Dragon. The force of its powerful wings knocked the two down again.
As they struggled to rise, a single kick from the rampaging Black Dragon knocked them over once more.
“Ah…”
The woman looked up at the ascending Black Dragon with a numb expression.
In the eyes of the Black Dragon, which seemed to be mocking her, the woman sensed its intentions.
Surviving the Black Dragon’s attack was not mere luck.
It was a warning.
To create a ruckus, stretching out time, and to show others what happens to those who invade the mountains.
“Aah…”
Is this where it all ends?
The young man seemed to have hit his head during the tumbling and couldn’t compose himself, while the woman realized that no matter what she did, she couldn’t escape the clutches of the Black Dragon and sat down despondently.
Kukakak!!
Did the Black Dragon realize the woman had given up? Its roar seemed to burst forth in mockery as it began to descend.
A massive shadow loomed over the woman, and the pressure from the descent became overwhelming, making it hard to even open her eyes.
As the enormous body of the Black Dragon continuously filled her view, the young woman thought blankly.
So this is how I die.
Please let the village be safe.
As those thoughts crossed her mind, just as she was about to close her eyes—
She saw starlight.
Something radiating light as if it were daytime was falling from the mountain above.
‘…A person?’
As the woman gazed blankly at the scene, a rumor arose in her mind.
Beings possessing strength like entities.
The tales of practitioners who could smash rocks with their fists, leap through the sky, and summon stars with a flick of their hands.
The woman realized that the rumors were indeed true.
For there, descending like a shooting star, was a person wielding starlight.
Kyaaaar!!
The Black Dragon, belatedly realizing the approach, frantically cried out, trying to shift its direction of descent, but it was already too late.
Boom!!!!
In the future, this strike would be known as the “Heavenly Slash,” and it smashed into the Black Dragon’s face, driving it into the ground.
