Chapter 94 : Chapter 94
Chapter 094. The Lesser Heavenly Demon (2)
The reason Dark Heaven brought both the Black Panther Spear and Gyeong-won with her was none other than because Jang Woo-ryang himself had requested it.
Gyeong-won had encountered a wall blocking his path, one that she could help him confront.
Leaping over that wall, however, would ultimately be his own responsibility.
But the Black Panther Spear was different. Jang Woo-ryang was already a fully matured Peak master. There was no wall standing before him.
Instead, what lay ahead was a long, unending road that he would have to walk for the rest of his life.
“Listen carefully.”
Dark Heaven spoke in an indifferent tone as she looked at the Black Panther Spear.
“Ninety percent of Peak masters—no, more than that—end their lives without ever even glimpsing the threshold of the Ultra-Peak.”
She continued, her expression unchanged.
“The limit a mortal human can reach is the Peak. The Ultra-Peak is not a realm meant for ordinary people.”
Only when one possessed innate talent, fortune, and decades of relentless effort could one finally reach the Ultra-Peak.
Dam Jeok-san and the Eldest Young Master reaching that realm in their twenties were simply exceptions beyond the norm.
“You are Jang Woo-ryang, yes? You do have the potential to become an Ultra-Peak master. If you temper yourself for about twenty more years.”
“……”
That was as far as it went.
That was the furthest realm permitted to a man named Jang Woo-ryang.
“Your complexion looks terrible. This is not something you learned today, is it?”
Dark Heaven spoke while gazing at him with eyes as turbid as an abyss, as though testing him.
“Yes. I know. That the Ultra-Peak is an extreme point I would have to devote my entire life to reaching.”
Most third-rate wanderers roaming the streets could not even properly learn breathing exercises and ended up becoming fodder for monsters on the battlefield.
Only a tiny fraction among them learned inner arts and reached the second-rate realm, and only a tiny fraction beyond that reached the first-rate realm.
Seen from that perspective, Jang Woo-ryang was a blessed man. He had secured a position as a mid-ranking warrior in the Martial Sovereign Castle, the Number One Power under Heaven.
But he yearned for a far higher place still. To stand beside the lord he revered—Dam Jeok-san.
“Even knowing your limits, you still dream foolish dreams.”
Dark Heaven said with a bright, almost gentle smile.
The same was true for Gyeong-won, who was screaming and flailing within the curse she had unleashed.
But Gyeong-won was different from Jang Woo-ryang.
From a young age, he had cultivated ascending martial arts. Moreover, he had remained by Dam Jeok-san’s side, sharing in both his rise and his fall.
That long endurance had planted a seed within Gyeong-won’s heart. If he could overcome this trial, he would likely step into the realm of a fully matured Peak in a single leap.
‘That was something he already possessed. I am merely helping it bloom.’
But Jang Woo-ryang was different.
What he needed to become an Ultra-Peak master was not sudden enlightenment. What he needed was ceaseless training.
A life of endlessly honing his spear techniques, of practicing breathing exercises day after day. Only when such a life accumulated would he be able to advance to a new realm.
“But you want to shorten that time, do you not?”
Dark Heaven asked.
“Yes.”
Jang Woo-ryang answered. The reply came without a shred of hesitation.
“Even if it costs you your life?”
“Since the day I followed my lord, there has never been a moment when I did not stake my life. That said… I will not truly die. I promised my lord.”
“Your confidence is impressive.”
Dark Heaven let out her first note of admiration—not for Jang Woo-ryang himself, but for the shadow of Dam Jeok-san looming behind him.
Not a vow to die in his lord’s place, but a resolve to survive and stand together. She could not even imagine how he had been persuaded into such a mindset.
‘Yes. Only with that kind of resolve can one advance together.’
The saying “Those who seek death shall live, those who seek life shall die” was not always correct.
From what Dark Heaven had observed, those who lived prepared to die eventually did die.
But those who resolved to live and accomplish something often survived tenaciously and achieved their goal.
If Jang Woo-ryang’s goal was to survive and stand beside Dam Jeok-san, then perhaps—
He might truly live through it all and remain at his lord’s side.
‘Cunning, considering his age.’
No. That was incorrect. The art of using people was not learned through experience, but something one was born with.
Her own pitiful ability in that regard, despite living over a thousand years, proved as much.
Well, there were things that only a thousand-year-old serpent could do.
“I cannot teach you a shortcut. I cannot lessen the hardships you must endure. There is only one thing I can give you.”
Dark Heaven could not reduce the amount of suffering.
But reducing the time—was possible.
Of course, nine out of ten would fail to endure it and be destroyed—
“But you might succeed. Not because you are prepared to die, but because you are prepared to survive.”
“Anything is fine. Please—”
Jang Woo-ryang looked at Dark Heaven with desperate eyes.
“Very well. Then die.”
Dark Heaven snapped her fingers.
And Jang Woo-ryang’s consciousness was dragged straight into hell.
***
Dam Jeok-san learned of the Lesser Heavenly Demon’s visit roughly two double hours after arriving at the Northern Branch.
—I am Bukgung Wan, the Young Cult Leader of the Ming Cult. I wish to measure my martial path against Sword Dragon.
Bukgung Wan entered the main gate of the branch with dignified bearing, clasping his fists in a formal salute as he spoke.
Though he radiated a ferocity that made it seem as though he might tear the gatekeepers apart at any moment—
He did not strike first, and instead waited calmly for a response.
“A clever one.”
Dam Jeok-san frowned slightly as he listened to Baek Ri-gwan’s report.
A master who had reached a fully matured Ultra-Peak in both sorcery and martial arts. The Lesser Heavenly Demon, together with his eldest senior brother known as the Heavenly Dragon, was considered the pinnacle among the younger generation.
“Still, he is not at a level where he can forcibly break through this branch.”
An Ultra-Peak master?
Even Lee Myeong-gi, the Severing Sword Squad Leader, had reached only the early stages of the Ultra-Peak. Moreover, the Severing Sword Squad he had led his entire life was said to be capable of seeking mutual destruction even against an Entering Transformation Realm master.
“Yes. If he had used force, we would have either driven him off or detained him, but…”
“Right. We could not apply excessive force against a Ming Cult Young Cult Leader who claims he only wishes to face me in a fair contest.”
Dam Jeok-san said with a faint smile. The Heavenly Demon himself was slippery to the point of irritation, and it seemed his disciple was no different.
“So where is that Bukgung Wan fellow now?”
“He is staying in a temporary tent prepared for receiving guests.”
It was by order of the Northern Heaven Sword Venerable. There was no need to suppress or detain him, but neither was he to be granted entry.
“Understandable. Allowing a sorcerer of that level into the branch would be a risk.”
If Dark Heaven had been present, it might have been different, but she had shut herself away to train Dam Jeok-san’s subordinates.
“Hm… Vice-Squad Leader Baek Ri, should I meet him?”
Dam Jeok-san asked, rubbing his chin.
Normally, he would not have hesitated. He was not one to ignore challengers.
But for now, he was deliberately keeping his distance from martial arts, turning the pages of books he would not normally even glance at.
“Have you gained any results from this period of non-training?”
Baek Ri-gwan asked in return, knowing Dam Jeok-san well.
“It is hard to say that I have gained nothing.”
Dam Jeok-san tapped his sword—or rather, the book he now held—with his fingers.
Aside from restoring his damaged body and mind through daily breathing exercises, he had refrained from all martial activity.
As a result, the nature of his thoughts had changed.
From pondering how to kill monsters more efficiently, or how best to block blades, fists, spears, and sabers—
“To wondering how long I am supposed to keep doing this.”
“As I thought. You are itching.”
Baek Ri-gwan said with a knowing smile.
“Yes. I desperately want to swing my sword. I want to mull over the formulas of the Extreme Heaven Strange Sovereign Technique and the Prajna Heart Technique, and figure out how to operate them together. I want to train.”
Even so, there was a simple reason he did not immediately accept the Ming Cult Young Cult Leader’s challenge.
“I do not want to dance to his tune. I have not even met him yet, and he already irritates me.”
“……”
“Still, I should at least see his face. Tell him that my injuries from the last battle are severe and I cannot wield a sword, so we shall have tea instead.”
“Hooh. I will convey it exactly.”
A quiet note of admiration escaped Baek Ri-gwan’s lips.
With that single sentence, Dam Jeok-san had reclaimed the initiative stolen by the Lesser Heavenly Demon.
He had no intention of enjoying a peaceful tea ceremony with him. Most likely, they would bare their fangs at one another over teacups.
But the act of sharing tea itself held meaning.
It established that Dam Jeok-san was treating the impolite challenger as a guest.
No matter what happened afterward, it would not appear that Dam Jeok-san had been led around by the nose.
“I did not realize you were so adept at this sort of thing, Squad Leader.”
“Dealing with my senior brothers forced me to learn, whether I wanted to or not.”
Dam Jeok-san replied with a hint of lament. A street orphan could not possibly understand political struggle. These were lessons he had learned with his body, enduring humiliation and disgrace one by one.
“…My apologies.”
Baek Ri-gwan bowed his head with a remorseful look.
“That is enough. Just make sure you deliver the message clearly.”
Baek Ri-gwan nodded and left the hall.
And some time later—
He returned with news that the Young Cult Leader had accepted Dam Jeok-san’s proposal.
***
Outside the Northern Branch of the Martial Sovereign Castle, in the temporary tent.
Beneath a canopy woven from fine fabric, a black-lacquered wooden table and cushioned chairs of matching material had been prepared.
Everything that should be there was there.
The Ming Cult Young Cult Leader, Bukgung Wan, sat deep in his chair with his eyes closed.
What he was thinking about was—
‘What would have happened if I had fought the gatekeeper?’
The gatekeepers of the Northern Branch were typically Peak masters from the combat units under the Northern Wind Sword Corps, rotating through the position.
The reason Peak masters themselves served as gatekeepers was simple.
Aside from the Martial Sovereign Castle, countless forces from the righteous sects, unorthodox factions, and even the imperial family converged upon the North.
As a result, clashes of aura at the gate were nearly a daily occurrence.
‘I could subdue a mere gatekeeper before a single breath passes.’
Blinding them with illusion, then immediately sealing pressure points and demon points with finger techniques…
Against warriors of that level, even five—no, even ten at once would be manageable. The problem arose only when a master capable of matching him appeared.
The Northern Heaven Sword Venerable? If she appeared, defeat would be certain. To even consider victory, Bukgung Wan himself would need at least ten duplicates.
What he had truly been wary of were Ultra-Peak masters.
Dam Jeok-san, the Squad Leader of the Monster Repelling Squad, and Lee Myeong-gi, the Severing Sword Squad Leader. And perhaps others yet unseen. If they appeared leading their combat units, Bukgung Wan would struggle to protect himself without going all out.
‘If I unleashed an assassination move, I could escape with my life.’
With a technique like Crimson Smoke Without End, an indiscriminate killing art that spared neither friend nor foe, he could deal with dozens of Peak masters rushing him at once.
But there was no reason for Bukgung Wan to commit such madness against the Martial Sovereign Castle.
He had only intended to provoke Dam Jeok-san into attacking first.
‘It seems it will not be that easy.’
Fine. Such maneuvering was merely foreplay.
What truly mattered was who was stronger.
The Ming Cult worshiped the law of “the strong are respected” more fanatically than any other force under heaven.
‘Sword Dragon, if you cannot defeat me, then such shallow games are meaningless.’
The same held true in reverse. If he could not defeat Sword Dragon, no one would remember these petty stratagems.
Of course—
Separate from such rational thoughts, Bukgung Wan’s body was gradually heating up.
This kind of maneuvering was something he had not experienced since killing the Ming Cult Leader’s eldest son and former Young Cult Leader.