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He asked if anyone knew anyone to fill the position if he were to resign right away.
Based on our brief encounter, Dang Hyeok-jae tends to find most aspects of daily life bothersome.
Just look at how he applied to the Murim Alliance to meet me right away, only to settle down as the Akyang Branch Manager. ‘Are all geniuses this strange?’ Seeing how normal Jeon Cheon-gi—the greatest genius in my opinion—seems to be, it doesn’t seem like everyone is like that, but it is certain that every single one of them has a slightly peculiar side. ‘As expected, there is no one quite like my younger brother, Jeon Cheon-gi.’ Anyway, although I received such a request from Dang Hyeok-jae, I also had no one I could recommend right now.
It’s not like any of the Taeeul Sect’s members reside in the Murim Alliance, and the connections I know are mostly people who are hostile to me or who, according to the distribution of power in the martial arts world, cannot rise to the position of branch manager.
Then, what came to mind was Haomun.
Of course, even Haomun would not have personnel planted in the Murim Alliance.
After all, it is a barrier for those living at the bottom of society.
However, there were a few people who had close ties with Haomun.
Those who have weaknesses held by Haomun, or those who share interests with Haomun.
Haeryeong said she would select someone among them who could exert influence, and I agreed.
In any case, if someone who can back Haomun takes the position of Akyang Branch Manager, it is only natural that Haomun’s standing within Akyang will grow even stronger.
I finished talking there and was about to leave when Haeryeong grabbed me again.
“How about this? I will give you five fen of the profits from the tavern or inn of the Haomun that is newly opening in Akyang.”
I tilted my head at Haeryeong’s sudden suggestion.
“Suddenly?”
“The position of Akyang Branch Manager and the interests of Akyang—after all, weren’t they obtained thanks to you, Master? We owe nothing to the ‘guests.’”
Before I could even say anything, Haeryeong said she would do so and left the room.
“Thanks to you, I won’t have to worry about money for a while.”
Even if it is a figure of five pun, considering that it is the profit of the shop run by Haomun in Akyang, it will probably be more than I can imagine.
So you guys are next.
I picked up the Blood Jade first among the Nine Spirit Divine Herb and Blood Jade placed on the table.
I see you again here.
Blood Jade.
Ten designated by the Murim Alliance
One of the major metalworkers.
It is named as such because both hands turn red like red pearls.
Unlike its beautiful appearance, the martial art itself unleashes terrifying destructive power.
Blood Jade Water converts the internal energy possessed by the caster into a unique internal energy called Blood Jade Energy.
And the Danjeon transformed into the Blood Jade Gong will naturally accumulate internal energy without any practice.
This strange internal energy steals the user’s reason when entering the Samhwachwijeong stage, the period when the three Danjeon are integrated, turning them into a demon who craves only blood.
Two hundred years ago, the Blood Jade Demon Emperor killed ten thousand people in Shaanxi Province by himself, and one hundred and fifty years ago, the Blood Hand Killer killed fifteen thousand people in Jiangxi Province, after which he was designated as a Golden Art of the Martial Arts Alliance and sealed in Shaolin Temple.
“And then showed up in an unexpected place.”
It is the Great War of the Righteous and Demonic.
The moment the Demonic Cult’s Blood Demon Sword Brigade assembled to reduce Shaolin to ashes, a single martial monk from Shaolin stood in their way.
The Blood Demon Sword Brigade, which had already turned hundreds of monks into corpses, charged at the warrior monk with contempt.
On that day, half of the infamous Blood Demon Sword Brigade became ghosts in the grasp of Mu-seung.
The true identity of that monk is a so-called disciple and a member of the faction that competed with me for the top position.
And the martial art that Ilgak used at that time was the Sealed Blood Jade.
At the time, the Jianghu vehemently protested against the fact that Ilgak used the Blood Jade Hand despite the critical situation.
However, Shaolin remained unwavering despite public criticism.
The Blood Jade will be purified by the grace of the Buddha and become a shield protecting justice.
At these audacious words, many were determined to strike Shaolin the moment Ilgak lost his reason, but Ilgak did not lose his reason even after reaching the pinnacle of his skill.
Rather, the Blood Jade Hand that Ilgak mastered is demon control.
Its effectiveness was excellent, making it effective against the demons.
Although many wondered how he managed to master demonic arts without losing his intelligence, Shaolin ultimately reached the North Sea safely without revealing the secret.
“Haeryeong must have given this to be used as a weapon.”
The Blood Jade Secret Manual is practically a ‘trump card’ that can frame an opponent for demonic arts.
However, it is a weapon that is not used by those with great power, such as the Nine Great Sects or the Hundred and Eight Peaks, in the first place.
“And just like Ilgak, I will not lose my reason even while using the Blood Jade.”
I read the blood jade quickly without hesitation.
And he began to move his internal energy following the Blood Jade Technique.
Then, his hand began to glow red and set fire to the Blood Jade Secret Manual he held.
Whoosh.
A figure emitting yellow flames close to gold, rather than red flames like those of a blood jade.
The Holy Fire Demon-Exterminating Hand, newly named by Shaolin in the past
It was the very appearance of…
“It’s fascinating. To think that the demonic Blood Jade Water would possess the effect of exorcism.”
The secret lay in a higher form of energy, such as Diamond Power.
The Wudang’s Taegeuk Spirit and the Samcheong Power of the Samcheong Musang Sword. The Geumgang Power allows the use of Blood Jade Water without side effects.
With a single wave of the hand, the light in the room, which was as bright as midday, vanishes in an instant.
Even when I touched the hand that had boasted heat intense enough to burn paper to ash, I couldn’t feel any sensation of heat.
“There was certainly a reason why Shaolin tried to keep the secret, even at the risk of misunderstanding.”
I don’t know what will happen in the future, but practically speaking, as of now, I am the only person who can use Blood Jade without being suspected.
“But the internal energy drain is definitely heavy.”
Convert the internal energy of the Danjeon into Jade Pure Heavenly Power and use it again as Blood Jade Water.
A method that one could not even dream of unless they possessed considerable inner strength.
I then turned my gaze to the spirit tree.
Here, there was another opportunity to compensate for the lack of inner strength.
But it’s hard to say it’s particularly good.
The Nine Spirit Herb is a powerful elixir containing great spiritual energy. In Taoism, it was also called the Nine Immortal Herb, with each of its nine stems named after a deity.
The unique thing is that this spirit herb must be absorbed whole.
If you consume the stems separately, the spiritual energy is disrupted and the efficacy disappears.
A finicky herb that even ordinary lawmakers wouldn’t dare think of using carelessly.
In short, it means that you must consume it all at once, and it is also a poisonous herb that will kill you if you cannot suppress its energy.
Herein lay the reason why Yuwolmunju, a martial artist, had originally intended to offer it as a bribe to Jeomchang instead of consuming it himself.
It says in the records not to eat it.
It is written in the Book of Jianghu Elixirs that the Sun Sword Emperor, who once raced through the Jianghu, turned into a handful of blood after eating the Nine Spirit Divine Herb.
Considering that the Sun Sword Emperor’s internal energy at that time was known to be four cycles of sixty years, the Nine Spirit Divine Herb might actually have been closer to poison than a miraculous elixir.
I harbored another hope and also looked up the Manchoborok of the God of Life and Death, where the God of Life and Death had written about the Nine Spirit Herbs.
If you find the Nine Spirit Herb, put it in a brazier and use it as firewood. Then you will be able to make a fire that does not go out for half a year.
It sounds quite elegant, but in short, it means don’t carelessly shove just anything into your mouth.
I looked at Guryeongsincho with a bitter expression.
How many people have I saved and how many times have I received help thanks to the God of Life and Death?
“If it is the words of the Master of Life and Death, I must listen.”
My internal energy is currently a little over three cycles.
Considering that Yong So-ah has reached the age of three cycles of sixty years, I am slightly ahead.
If she were to absorb the Nine Spirit Herbs as well, it was tantamount to saying that she could surpass the internal energy of the current Yong So-ah, not just the Yong So-ah of the past.
I really should listen to that teacher…
After a moment of deliberation, I made a decision.
“……
I’m sorry, Master. I think I’ve lost a few screws from dealing with so many demons in the past.
I took the Nine Spirit Herb with a heart full of apology to the God of Life and Death.
I have thought of some countermeasures.
If eating isn’t possible, absorbing is the solution; and hadn’t I mastered the Star Absorption Technique, which is classified as one of the Four Great Demonic Techniques among the Ten Forbidden Techniques designated by the Murim Alliance?
“With the Blue Dragon Pill, you will surely be able to cut it in the middle. I am counting on you, Divine Artifact of the Demonic Cult.”
I reached out and activated the Blue Dragon Ring.
A turquoise light emitted from the wrist area, and a dragon pattern appeared.
Then, the energy of the Blue Dragon Pill sensed the energy of the Nine Spirit Herb and began to slowly draw in spiritual power.
I slowed down my speed because I had to throw the Nine-Star Spirit at any moment.
but.
“Oh.”
Contrary to my will, the Blue Dragon Orb began to draw in spiritual power like crazy, as if it had found delicious prey.
At the same time, the withered Guryeongsincho began to regain its vitality.
It was an incredibly wondrous sight, like a dead tree coming back to life, but before I could even be surprised, I was unable to regain my senses as the vital energy filled my Danjeon. ‘Damn it.’ No matter how much I rotated the Small Circular Cycle or the Great Circular Cycle, the amount of vital energy showed no signs of diminishing.
It was completely beyond my ability to handle, like trying to force the lake of Dongting into a fixed-size leather bucket. ‘I have to pull it off.’ But for some reason, my whole body was stiff.
With desperate determination, I spread my fingers.
Crunch, crunch.
I was startled again when I forcibly straightened my fingers, which had been stiff like hard branches. ‘What the hell is this!’ The Nine Spirit Herb began to float into the air on its own.
At the same time, spiritual power continues to be supplied.
“It’s driving me crazy. Damn it!” My dantian was filled with vital energy as if it were about to burst, and my blood vessels began to swell with the excessive energy.
His hands and feet grew grotesquely thick, and his blood vessels bulged out in a bizarre manner. ‘I am dying…’ Although the spiritual power from the Blue Dragon Orb had been purified one step further, the sheer amount was still too much.
I had intended to absorb the Nine Spirit Herb with the Blue Dragon Pill to prevent this situation in the first place, but that damn elixir wouldn’t even allow that. ‘If only there were someone who could execute the Dual True Qi, we could prevent the worst-case scenario.’ However, my body and muscles, stiffened by the spiritual power of the Nine Spirit Herb, prevented me from uttering even a single sound.
Clunk.
“capital punishment!”
Just then, Geumpyo, like a ray of light, burst in with a face flushed bright red.
Good to see you, as expected of my… … .
“Hiccup. We’re having a banquet, so what on earth are you doing all alone?” “Is this bastard drunk…?” Geumpyo, holding a bottle of liquor in one hand, looked around the room with his eyes half-closed, then spotted me and snapped open. “Alright! Go get the people!” I said, looking at Geumpyo with a desperate gaze, and he nodded as if he had read my eyes.
“I see you were devoted to your training even at this hour. I apologize for disturbing you, Senior Brother.”
Th-that’s not it!
“It is truly a mysterious sight. This priest cannot help but feel reverence for the death penalty day after day. I will strictly warn others not to approach under any circumstances.”
Th-that’s not it!!!
I shouted with all my might, “Call someone, you bastard!!” But Geumpyo misunderstood my desperate voice, gave me a thumbs-up, closed the door, and walked out.
It’s over.
At this rate, it will not end in mere qi deviation.
It was clear that I would turn into a handful of blood, just as the Sun Sword Emperor had. ‘To die after drinking an elixir—what a disgrace.’ I desperately racked my brain, not wanting to be forever called ‘the guy who died after drinking an elixir he was told not to.’
What is needed right now is to drain the vital energy filling the body.
However, I cannot move my body.
In that case, you must extract vital energy while remaining still.
And fortunately, I cooked the Blood Jade before eating the Nine Spirit Herbs.
Woong.
After converting my True Energy into Jade Blue Heavenly Power, I desperately unleashed the Holy Fire Demon Slayer Hand.
“Golden flames rose from his right hand, beginning to burn the vital energy absorbed by the Blue Dragon Ring.” “Phew.” As he unleashed the Holy Fire Demon Slayer Hand with all his might, he could feel the vital energy filling his body slowly draining away.
I thought I wouldn’t be able to use it as often as the Gwangcheon God because it’s so inefficient.
This Holy Fire Demon Slayer was saving my life right now.
But that relief was short-lived. ‘What the hell.’ Now, the Nine Spirit Herb began to absorb the heat energy of the Holy Fire Demon Slayer.
The Blue Dragon Pill absorbs the energy of the Nine Spirit Herb, which had absorbed the energy of the Holy Fire Demon Slayer.
A hollow laugh escapes me at this preposterous and absurd situation. ‘What the…’ Moreover, for some reason, the vital energy flowing in through the Blue Dragon Ring is scorching hot, as if it has absorbed the energy of the Holy Fire Demon Slayer Hand.
Just as my body felt like it was about to explode from the accumulation of vital energy, unbearable heat began to engulf me. ‘Ah, the Sun Sword Emperor has died like this.’ I learned the inside story of the Sun Sword Emperor’s death, which had been unknown to the world, but I was not happy at all.
Because now it’s my turn to die like that.
Just as I was hoping that my facial features would remain so that I could hold a funeral, a change began to occur within my body. ‘Huh?’ An unbearable heat, threatening to melt my entire body, circulated through my blood vessels and began to devour my blocked vital energy.
The heat that had grown the body in this way began to devour, one by one, the residue remaining in the blood vessels, dormant vessels, and peripheral vessels.
As the blocked vital energy and impure energy begin to be cleared, the vital energy that follows moves smoothly.
The vital energy began to seep into the wounded skin and muscles, exceeding the volume limit.
Crack, crack, crack.
Even though the sounds of bones grinding and muscles tearing echoed incessantly, I could not let out a single groan.
No, I didn’t have time to pay attention to that. If the heat flowing through my body went even slightly off, I would either go insane or burn up all my internal organs. ‘Maybe I can survive!’ I began to focus all my attention on the heat, regardless of whether my body shattered.
This is a moment requiring the precise adjustment of True Energy, incomparable to when controlling the Flying Dragon Bird.
Even though I had burned off all the residue of the Ren and Du meridians, the heat did not subside, and eventually I sent the heat through the meridians to the sparse meridians.
Pain in minute places that I wouldn’t normally even notice overwhelms me.
The pain continues as if eighty-four thousand pores are being pricked one by one with needles and nerves are being burned with fire.
“eww…….”
The pain was so severe that even groans escaped, which had not come out when I screamed desperately.
pop.
The sound of something inside my body exploding echoed in my head.
Before I could even realize the source of the sound, a series of popping sounds followed.
Puff p
And with the sound of air bursting, the pain that had gripped every pore and every nerve vanished, and a refreshing sensation began to be felt.
“ha…….”
White smoke billowing from the mouth along with a long sigh.
At the same time, steam began to emanate from the entire body through the pores.
Hissing.
As the water boils, the sound from the pot rings out and the body floats up.
Even though I was experiencing this strange phenomenon, I was simply completely immersed in this comfortable state.
The pressure that had constricted my entire body, the burning heat that had gnawed at my nerves, and even the pain that had pricked my pores had all vanished.
The energy that had been violently circulating through the blood vessels begins to be gathered in the Danjeon, and the impure energy remaining after cleansing the body sprays out in all directions toward the opened pores.
Bwaak.
The bets that spread like a gentle breeze enveloped me, embraced me like flower buds, and then vanished into pieces.
“Ah… is this the stage of jade and gold flowers?”
Five Dragon Peaks
Although it has not been long since the stage of [it] was achieved, the union of the sun and moon
Skip the stage of Okye Geumhwa
It has reached the stage of [that].
“…….”
Try clenching and unclenching your fist.
Repeat rotating the arms and slightly lifting and lowering the legs.
My body feels light, as if a huge weight has been removed.
I raise my sword and try casting Sword Energy.
The sword energy I learned just a few days ago lingers in my hand like an old habit.
Moreover, the Danjeon is filled with an absurd amount of internal energy equivalent to four cycles of the sexagenary cycle.
Still not as good as Bang Du-chil, but at a level that has surpassed Yong So-ah.
The amount of internal energy is not the absolute measure of power, but still, it is something that I managed to defeat that monstrous Yong So-ah with just one bit of internal energy.
“It’s a fortuitous encounter…….”
A feeling of gladness surged from deep within my heart.
“God of Life and Death, I think I’ve been hit this time. Hahaha.”
For some reason, I feel like if the God of Life and Death saw me right now, he would frown and give me a middle finger, but anyway, isn’t the result good?
I, too, was planning to enjoy a splurge boat ride on Dongting Lake from now on.
Of course, the guy(?) who needs to be dealt with before that.
There was one.
“How dare you drink alcohol while Senior Brother is devoting himself to training?”
I am not saying this because you went through a life-threatening situation without realizing it.
If I were at the level of the Forbidden Mark, it would be natural not to know whether my state is a moment of danger or a situation of training.
But isn’t it wrong to show a drunken face next to Senior Brother while he is devoting himself to training like crazy?
This is absolutely not a lingering resentment.
As the senior disciple of the prestigious Taeeulmun, it is merely my earnest wish for my fellow disciples to follow the right path.
“You’re dead!”
