Chapter 6: If I Become the Heavenly Demon

TL: FoodieMonster007

I woke up early and packed my things, then spoke to Father. "You should be heading back now."

"Go back where? I'm the Heavenly Demon, out on a hunt. I have to at least catch a tiger before I go."

Is that really the reason?

It meant his time with me hadn't been so bad.

"That's a relief."

"What is?"

"I don't have to prepare a dagger for my brother."

"Stop talking nonsense and lead the way."

"……"

Father and I ventured deeper into the forest.

After we had walked for some time, my father spoke to me again.

"Close your eyes again."

"……"

"The target is three hundred meters out to the right."

Farther than last time.

"This time, feel the wind."

"I can feel it."

He once again said something I had never heard in my entire life.

"Place your qi on the wind."

Since I began learning martial arts, I had never thought to place my qi on the wind. No one had ever told me such a thing, and no martial arts manual had ever written of it. A thrilling shiver from this new lesson shot through my body.

Of course, knowing something and putting it into practice were two different matters.

"First, release your qi."

I carefully emitted my qi, just as I had when searching for the boar yesterday.

"If you're this slow and cautious, it'll never be more than a cheap trick. To use it in a real fight, you must extend your qi to that point as quickly as possible."

However, placing my qi on the wind was not easy. I could feel the wind, and I could feel my qi.

How am I supposed to combine these two separate things?

The wind my father spoke of was not a gusting gale. He meant the flow of the air around us. I had to find the current flowing straight ahead among the various flows and place my qi upon it.

I struggled for a long time, but my father said nothing. He didn't rush me. He simply stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at a distant mountain.

Why is it that people see a person's life in their back?

From my father's back, I should have felt the strength of an absolute ruler, yet what I felt was loneliness and solitude.

"Not bad."

"……"

In that moment, the qi I had released abruptly stopped three hundred meters out to the right.

Huh! When did my qi get all the way out there?

It seemed I had unconsciously placed my qi on the wind while staring blankly at my father's back. The insights I gained before returning were not insignificant, so I accomplished even difficult tasks with ease.

"I did it without realizing."

Father stared at me with a stirred expression. Whether by chance or luck, it was not something that should have been accomplished so easily.

He soon spoke as if it were nothing special.

"It doesn't matter. That beast has already fled far away."

As the sun began to set and create long shadows, we encountered the beast we had missed earlier.

"It's the same one from before!"

I took my father's word for it, since I couldn't tell myself. I couldn't even see it. I was simply amazed that my father could accurately grasp the size and energy of something so far away.

"It's one hundred and fifty jang out. Find it by riding the wind."

I released my qi again and tried to place it on the wind.

Considering I had succeeded unconsciously, it shouldn't have been that difficult at my level. In the end, it was a matter of the mind. I tried this way and that.

Then, I suddenly realized the problem. I had only been trying to place my qi on the wind. The act of intentionally placing it was wrong.

I sent my qi along the wind's path instead. I released it as if playing and mingling with the wind, like walking side-by-side with a friend.

It flew as a separate energy at first, but soon the wind and my qi began to harmonize. They were like two dragons entwining as they soared.

Ah! This is it!

I understood. Riding the wind was not like a person mounting a horse, but about making them entwine.

SHHHHHHH.

My qi rode the wind, reaching one hundred and fifty jang away in an instant.

The moment I identified the beast, a thunderous tiger's roar erupted from the distance. I flinched in surprise, and the qi that had extended so far was abruptly cut off.

"It really was a tiger!"

I was surprised by the tiger, and my father was surprised by me. He seemed not to have expected me to master his teachings so quickly.

Father, this is just the beginning. I wish I could stroll leisurely by a lake with you, but we must ride the currents. We must ride the rapids and plunge down the waterfall. The enemy we must face might be, at this very moment, fighting through a typhoon alone in the middle of a distant sea. Father, please send me to that sea.

"Do not be lazy in your training to release qi. Your lifespan will increase by as much as the number of strands you can create."

"Yes, I will keep that in mind."

I will create a greater number than you, Father. Because I absolutely must.

"This time, close your eyes and feel my qi."

I closed my eyes and released my qi to feel my father's. Just as my qi had found the tiger, I now felt his.

Slowly. Very slowly.

I meticulously examined the qi spread around my father, one strand at a time. My mouth slowly fell open.

"Father? What in the world is this?"

Father stood in the center of a spider's web. Dozens of threads extended from him, spreading in all directions. These strands of qi stretched too far for me to even begin to trace.

For anyone to approach my father stealthily, they would have to avoid that web, which was absolutely impossible.

Hwa Mugi defeated a father who had reached such a state? How in the world?

I really didn't want to, but I couldn't help but be amazed by that bastard once again.

"My trump card is this."

That night, I took out my father's favorite alcohol from my leather pouch. I then unwrapped a clean cup and filled it.

"This is good."

"It's too strong for me."

In truth, I liked alcohol and could drink well. Throughout my life searching for the materials for the great technique, I would sip a cup whenever things got tough, and my tolerance had grown considerably. I just said it was strong because I had no intention of boasting about my drinking capacity to my father. If we drank all night, my father would be the first to collapse.

"There's no member of the cult who whines about alcohol being too strong."

"What does it matter if I can't drink well? A poisonous heart is more important than strong liquor."

"A poisonous heart?" Father sneered. "Could you kill me if you had the killing intent?"

After a brief pause, I answered. "No. How could a son kill his own father?"

Honestly, that was also a lie. If there was a good enough reason, I could kill my father. Today was the first time we'd had a proper conversation, so how could he be more precious than my own life?

This time, I asked, "Could you kill me, Father?"

"If that even becomes a point of hesitation, you shouldn't carelessly speak of a 'poisonous heart'."

I could feel it in my father's eyes. He could kill me without a single moment of hesitation.

"Then I suppose I should just learn to drink strong liquor."

Father watched me with a strange expression as I drank the alcohol and grimaced.

Later that night, I sat alone, practicing the qi emission technique my father had taught me.

This is fun.

I could now place my qi on the wind and send it far away quite quickly. My qi roamed, exploring the pitch-black darkness. This act was incredibly exciting.

This is a tree, and there's a rock beneath it… I could even feel a small insect crawling there.

I sent my qi to another place. The more I trained, the faster my qi moved.

My rapidly exploring qi flinched to a halt. It had passed through something that felt foreign.

What was that?

I pulled my qi back and passed it through that spot again, but the foreign energy was gone.

I opened my eyes and stared at the spot. I couldn't sense any presence in the darkness.

What in the world was that? I'm sure something was there.

Just then, I saw my father, who had been lying down, looking at me.

"You weren't asleep?"

"Why were you staring over there?"

"I felt something over there, but I'm not sure what it was."

Father looked at me with a startled expression before turning to face the other way.

"Let's get some sleep."

"……"

I lay down, the campfire between my father and me.

What could that have been? Judging by my father's reaction, he definitely knew something…

"!"

In that moment, I knew.

Hwi! It's Hwi!

I had sensed the stealth of my father's bodyguard. The second time I tried to sense him, he had already moved away. A thrill ran through my entire body.

I had detected his presence, something I absolutely could not have done two days ago. Of course, Hwi wasn't desperately trying to hide, but just noticing his basic stealth was a huge improvement.

If I continue to train and become able to release dozens of strands of qi simultaneously like my father, any stealth technique will be neutralized. The process of searching would be omitted. It would just be here, there, over there. They would simply be found.

Perhaps because I had drunk clumsily, I couldn't fall asleep easily.

When I grew tired from searching for the materials for the great technique, I would drink and gaze at the stars. The same stars that had shared my loneliness back then were shining just as brightly tonight.

Father couldn't sleep either. I couldn't know his inner thoughts, but perhaps he felt a surge of emotion at my talent for absorbing martial arts like blotting paper.

"Father, among the Demon Supremes, who do you trust the most?"

I wasn't expecting an answer, but my father responded.

"Why do you ask?"

Because on the day our family was annihilated, Hwa Mugi ravaged the Heavenly Demon Hall.

The Heavenly Demon Hall is a place guarded like an iron fortress by three mystical formations, six mechanical traps, and carefully selected cult members.

Furthermore, centered around the Heavenly Demon Hall, the Eight Demon Supremes and their subordinates protect the Heavenly Demon from eight different directions. To the north, the demonic swords of the Northern Heaven Sword Sect, led by the Flower Sword Supreme. To the south, the blade fiends of the Southern Blade Sect, led by the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. To the east, the iron fists of the Eastern Fist Garrison, led by the Undefeated Fist Demon. To the west, the shamans of the Western Illusion Sanctum, led by the Chaos Demon. To the northeast, the Faceless Warriors, who wish to be like the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. To the southeast, the drinkers who are intoxicated with the Great Drunken Demon. To the southwest, the poison fangs who research all kinds of poisons with the Poison King. To the northwest, the mad monks who are fanatical about the Demonic Buddha's deceptions that delude the people.

At the time, I thought an enemy had broken through from the outside. However, that wasn't it.

Looking back, the outer defenses were never breached. It was certain that one of the Eight Demon Supremes had let Hwa Mugi into the inner palace where the Heavenly Demon Hall was located.

The traitor could have been one, or perhaps more. It was never revealed who the traitor was, but it doesn't matter.

Because I consider all of the Eight Demon Supremes to be traitors.

After my father's death, their choice was not revenge, but to be closed-off. Not a single one of them stepped forward to seek vengeance. If even one of them had stepped up, I wouldn't have felt this sense of betrayal.

Yes, I understand. Faced with Hwa Mugi's overwhelming martial prowess as he stood over the Heavenly Demon's corpse, they probably didn't dare think of revenge.

You are all human too, so I understand. I really do.

So, you all should understand as well.

In the future, even if I use you as I please, even if I treat you like disposable pawns, I hope you will understand too. Wouldn't that be fair?

"If I become the Heavenly Demon, I will seize control of the Eight Demon Supremes and tighten the leashes around their necks."

"What?"

Father shot to his feet. His powerful aura made the flattened grass around us stand up straight. I quickly got up as well.

"The reason?"

Because they are much further away than you think, Father. You know exactly where the tiger hiding a hundred jang away is, but you don't know how distant the hearts of those smiling in front of you are.

I couldn't bring myself to say that, so I gave another reason. "There is severe corruption related to them. Not just the individuals, but also those who act under their authority."

Father listened without a word, so I continued.

"Of course, their authority must be acknowledged to run the cult smoothly. However, they have crossed the line."

Even at this time, various incidents and accidents were related to the Eight Demon Supremes.

"Isn't it time to properly establish discipline?"

Father said nothing, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. From his attitude, I could guess his inner thoughts.

He sympathized. He clearly had complaints about the Eight Demon Supremes. If he didn't, he would have already roared at me for my arrogance.

"Acting on needless greed is a good way to get yourself torn apart."

"Haha, I have a long future ahead of me, I can't have that happen. I'll walk slowly and eat little."

He called it greed, not nonsense or a wild remark. I guessed his inner thoughts again. His yet-undrawn blade pointed in the same direction as mine.

Don't worry, Father. I know them better than anyone.

I returned to our Cult to obtain the final ingredient, the Secret Demon Soul, and spent many long years there. Because this was all in the distant future from now, I know everything about the Eight Demon Supremes. What kind of lives they lived, and what kind of end they met.

I will put them properly in line.

And so, the night, filled with as many thoughts as there were stars, passed by.