Reincarnation of the Martial Emperor

Chapter 29: That place is the Black Way, and I am their King of the Underworld.

The Phoenix Martial Emperor Pavilion.

My mood was uncomfortable the whole time I looked at the plaque.

Why were they so obsessed with some bird that didn't even exist in the world?

The Old Man of Heavenly Wisdom and my father were stubborn until the end, and eventually, I had to compromise appropriately.

The Blood Demon, who was looking at the plaque with me, smiled eerily.

“If Jin Gang-cheon saw this, he would rise from his grave. I don’t know how long this martial hall will last, but in any case, his alias will be associated with the Orthodox Faction throughout that history.”

But what was with this bastard?

“Don’t cross the line. I’m not dead yet.”

The Blood Demon put his hands behind his back and twisted the corners of his mouth strangely.

“You’re as good as dead anyway, yet you still think of him as your master?”

What was this Blood Demon bastard doing, acting so out of character?

Did his personality suddenly brighten up after coming out into the world, after being so stern in the damp basement all this time?

“What is it? You’re not even being cautious anymore? Did you just decide to live recklessly? Don’t tell me you can’t see anything because of that mask?”

“You’re not even mixing in polite speech anymore. I’m still older than you……”

“Ha, age?”

No matter how much I was a person who didn't enjoy killing, I always made sure to kill those who deserved it.

Naturally, eighty percent of those who died like that were Demonic Cultists.

Why? Because the ones I killed were not human.

“Hey, listen carefully, Demonic Cultist. Regardless of whether your ancestor was a Jaegal, in my eyes, you are an unchanging Demonic Cultist.”

I glared at him as if to kill him.

“You people who split open the chests of children to offer their hearts to an altar, and use the bodies of common people for experiments when you’re bored, you dare to speak of seniority with those rotten mouths? Did your conscience run away with some movement art?”

“They are disciples who accepted the Demonic Blood and gladly embraced the Holy Fire. Their names have been recorded in the Record of the Holy Fire's Joy in the World, so their grace will resound for ten thousand generations—”

“Shut up, you damn religious fanatic. This is why I say you people are not human. What you split open and took out was not the Holy Fire, but a human heart. What you devoured to complete your demonic arts was not some spiritual elixir, but a person’s life force, you disgusting bastard.”

The reason the Demonic Cult was frightening was that all its followers held this twisted religious belief in their hearts.

In their eyes, a human who rejected the Holy, no, the Demonic Flower, was just a heretic.

The World of the Holy Soul they spoke of was a world where only such Demonic Flowers bloomed.

The reason the Demonic Cult sought to destroy the world was this ridiculously simple.

“Sigh, damn it. When did I ever associate with Demonic Cultists.”

I had experience clinking glasses with the Orthodox Faction, but I had no history of mingling with Demonic Cultists.

If I were at my original level, regardless of whether he was a Jaegal or not, I would have killed this man without a trace long ago.

“The more I see you, the more bizarre you are. There is no particular grudge between you and me. But why do you loathe me and my cult to such an extent?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“I do.”

The way to prove that Demonic Cultists were not normal was very simple.

“The Sword Saint is a son of a bitch.”

“Hmm?”

Soon, I shot a watery smirk at him.

“Try saying the Heavenly Demon is a son of a bitch.”

“……”

Hmm.

Was this too advantageous for me?

Anyway, as he remained silent with a dumbfounded face, I soon looked around and let out a cheerful laugh.

“Is the Heavenly Demon watching from the sky somewhere? Or is he sitting in your soul, listening to the voice of your heart? Why can’t you do it? Why did your mouth suddenly become useless?”

The number of Demonic Cultists I had tortured to hear them say the Heavenly Demon was a son of a bitch numbered in the hundreds.

But the Demonic Cultists, even with their fingernails pulled out and their skin peeled off, could never utter curses at the Heavenly Demon.

“Do you get it now? This is the distance between you and me. A person whose soul is not free is, to me, just, hmm, yes, a plague. Just like a dirty infectious disease.”

Even though only his eyes were visible through the mask, I could clearly see the dark clouds that had gathered on his face.

Well, as a candidate for the Five Great Bishops, he must have lived a life of luxury in the Demonic Cult, so when would he have ever been treated like this?

I finally understood his current shrunken appearance as well.

The time when this man received the True Origin Energy from the previous Blood Demon, whose life was nearing its end, was during the fierce war between the Orthodox and Demonic Factions.

After that, the Demonic Cult was utterly ruined, so in reality, this man had no Jianghu experience other than running away.

When you thought about the true divine might of the Blood Demon we knew, he was a man of a very different caliber, shall we say?

Honestly, he was a somewhat lacking Blood Demon.

“……”

Whether he was greatly shocked or simply lacked understanding, the Blood Demon soon turned his back and moved away.

Time flowed by helplessly, and at the promised time, Jaegal Yeong arrived.

“……I have posted all the notices.”

“You have? Good work.”

His expression was somehow deflated and limp.

The reason was obvious.

-For the time being, I will not teach the direct blood relatives. And I will limit the number of disciples to about seven.

-Huh? What kind of martial hall is that?

-Just because. There’s no particular reason. And as for limiting the number of disciples, let’s just say that’s the extent of my capabilities.

What should I say, I didn't feel like passing on my Martial Soul to the direct line of the Jaegal Clan just yet.

More than anything, I was naturally familiar with those who were on the fringes.

Those who couldn't come to the center and just circled around on the outside.

Those who were constantly intimidated by the scrutinizing gazes shot at them from all directions.

Those who struggled under the feet of the establishment, not part of it.

This Jaegal Clan was also a place where people lived, so there would surely be those who resembled the Black Way.

People mistakenly thought that the world was only the bright, warm, and exposed places.

But in reality, there were far more people enduring the desolate winds in the darkness.

That place was the Black Way, and I was their King of the Underworld.

“I could not control my trembling heart at the family’s order to close the Nine Phoenix Gates. I was happier than anyone to hear that you, brother, had gained a great enlightenment in the Nine Phoenix Gates and were opening a martial hall. But… why am I not allowed?”

Of course, there was another reason for my decision not to teach the direct line.

“Then let me ask.”

“Please ask.”

I spoke clearly, emphasizing each and every word.

“From a certain day, you can no longer recall the scholarship and strategies in your head. More than anything, you are in a situation where you cannot read or write anything. Are you truly a person who can endure this?” Content orıginally comes from Nove1Fire.net

The inertia of a person's life.

I already knew well enough that a person did not change easily.

Jaegal Yeong, being the intelligent man he was, quickly understood my meaning.

“I will split my time and split it again to train my body. I will pour all my enthusiasm into martial arts. And as for writing……”

“No. You cannot do that.”

This man would surely try to understand the movement of power and complex trajectories of his punches through numbers.

He would seek meaning even in simple, repetitive movements, and he would question the origin of even trivial theories.

That was a scholar, not a martial artist.

I had already vividly seen that characteristic of the Jaegal Clan through my father’s circulation formula.

People spoke carelessly of being skilled in both literary and martial arts, but such people appeared with extremely low probability even in the historical records that dealt with history.

The martial prowess of Lu Bu with the wisdom of Zhuge Liang?

Such a monster frequently appeared in the world?

I had lived through that hell with just the Heavenly Demon and the Sword Saint, ugh, it was horrifying. I didn't even want to imagine it.

“……Why do you only say that it cannot be done?”

I looked him straight in the eye.

“Then go ahead and try. From today, you cannot read or write. Also, no matter what situation you are in, do not try to understand it academically. Do not devise strategies and do not seek reasons. If you can live like that for a month and the desire for martial arts in your heart does not cool, then come back. At that time, this brother will test you.”

“Yes, I will do so.”

I laughed as I looked at the man who answered quite bravely.

Was it really as easy as it sounded?

That was the same as saying that this man, the Martial Emperor, had to not think about martial arts for a single moment.

Of course, I couldn't do it.

It was an impossible task.

If that had been possible, I wouldn't have lived as the head of the Great Murim Alliance in the first place.

Jaegal Yeong, who had been clenching his fists with firm resolve, soon showed worry in his eyes.

“But according to the notice I posted, the recruitment for the Phoenix Martial Emperor Pavilion is only for seven people? At that rate, in a month, it will quickly……”

Pfft.

“Don’t worry about that. I will be very picky in my selection.”

I didn't open the Phoenix Martial Emperor Pavilion just to become an instructor.

What I intended to select were not trainees, but disciples.

That was the reason for recruiting only seven, not dozens or hundreds.

I would carefully examine their qualities with all my insight.

Like the Orthodox Faction, I would raise my successors and, in the process, temper my own Martial Soul.

Perhaps this was my desperate struggle to approach the ultimate realm, the state of No End.

“You must definitely save a spot for me.”

“I really dislike people who are all talk.”

“Yes, I’m sure you do. Then, this younger brother will take his leave.”

Hmm, did I hurt his pride too much?

Well, we'll see.

I lay down on the bench and stared at the sky.

Hoo, it was clear.

My lungs, pickled in the damp air, had not yet fully recovered.

For a martial artist, the most important thing was breathing.

Opening the Nine Phoenix Gates in that damp basement was the worst decision the Jaegal Clan had made.

Huh?

Something dark was blocking my vision.

It was the Blood Demon’s mask.

“What are you doing? Move.”

“I have one question.”

Sigh, I had no choice but to get up with a sigh.

“What do you want me to do here? Let me say this in advance, I have no intention of playing along with your little games.”

“Is that so? Then let’s go our separate ways here.”

“What?”

The great Red Mist Demonic Art, its dense demonic ki, billowed in all directions.

“As expected, you were a man who had no intention of keeping his promise from the beginning!”

“Hey, hey! Damn it, my blood is boiling again? The Wuchang branch is right around the corner. Do you want to get stabbed by the Sword Saint?”

“H-how dare you!”

No matter how I thought about it, he was a man with no particular use.

At that age and with that level of skill, he surely wouldn't have been told he had no talent in his life.

But the heavens were fair, and they didn't grant him the talent for teaching.

Otherwise, would the Great Young Master Jaegal Cheon’s condition even make sense?

It probably wasn't that Jaegal Cheon's talent was lacking either.

Since he had been learning since he was young, he was at least an intelligent man, and such a Great Young Master’s insight was by no means ordinary.

To have brought a junior of such a prestigious family to that state, rather than being incompetent, this man simply had no talent for teaching.

Well, what could be done?

In that case, he would have to pay with his body.

“Just hang out with me sometimes.”

The Blood Demon’s pupils, behind the mask, trembled.

“Are you telling me to be your martial companion?”

“I need to confirm the results of my training too, don’t I?”

“You son of a bitch……!”

As I was laughing at him, I nonchalantly held up three fingers.

“Three nyang.”

“Hmm?”

“In gold, of course. That’s your monthly salary.”

“This crazy bastard……!”

“Six gold nyang.”

The Blood Demon’s trembling pupils quickly became clear.

The man, who had let out a few coughs, left a short remark and moved away.

“I will be resting in your quarters.”

There was nothing in the world that couldn't be done with money.

If it couldn't be done, it was simply because there wasn't enough money.