Chapter 364

I had a very long dream. A dream of walking through a hundred years of time.

A vagrant child who had wandered the continent begging for scraps met a master, learned martial arts, and made his name known throughout the world. Then one day, he saw his former self in a young beggar stuffing a dirt-covered dumpling into his mouth.

“What’s your name?”

“……I don’t know.”

“Jangcheon. From now on, your name is Jangcheon.”

They were dark, cold memories. On a day when heavy rain poured from the sky, the disciple who had been like his own flesh and blood left, while his master was left behind.

It was only after a very long time that he returned to the world.

And then…

“You’re an interesting fellow. Who did you say you were?”

“Jin Taekyung. Jin Taekyung of the Jin Family of Taiyuan.”

He met someone.

A young brat with an irreverent manner and a rebellious gaze he couldn’t hide. Jeok Cheongang hadn’t liked him.

But why had that been?

Whenever he looked around, the brat was always there beside him. Somehow, he kept catching Jeok Cheongang’s eye.

Perhaps that was when his heart had begun to change.

“This old man is already afflicted with the infirmities of old age. Do you truly believe you can learn martial arts from someone like me?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll say this again…”

“I believe in you, Old Master. That’s enough for me.”

Light and warmth seeped into memories that had once been dark and cold.

He never regretted the decision he made that day. Not even when he performed the Dance of the Fire God and Demon for what would be the last time in his life.

“How was it? The Dance of the Fire God and Demon. Pretty incredible, right?”

“Yes. It was incredible.”

Those few words were enough. He wanted nothing more. He had avenged his friend and saved his one and only Disciple.

But the enemy rose again, impossible though it seemed, and that was where his memories ended.

In the darkness where everything had vanished, he wondered.

Am I dead? Where is this place, where neither Yama¹ nor the dead can be found?

Could I be doomed to wander the underworld?

The question soon faded.

At some point, he lost all sense of time. He even forgot who he was and how he had lived.

No—it was just as he was beginning to forget.

“Old Master. Did you know?”

Someone’s voice echoed faintly in the distance. A voice he had heard somewhere before, speaking words he had never heard that person say.

“I always wanted to call you Master.”

He understood.

At the same time, he remembered the person he had briefly forgotten. The sturdy dam holding back his memories collapsed, and they swallowed him whole.

“I felt the same.”

Fwoosh.

Flames bloomed.

His hands, wreathed in Blazing Flame, tore through the air. The darkness surrounding him in every direction cracked apart, and light seeped through.

The passage was narrow, as though warning him that he was not yet ready to awaken. But without hesitation, he stepped toward the light.

He’s calling me.

Fwoosh!

A blinding white light filled his vision, and the Fire King, Jeok Cheongang, opened his eyes.

“Do not touch a single hair on his head.”

His voice was hoarse from long disuse. But when the Western Heaven Demon Lord turned to face him, he felt it.

The heat contained within that small old man’s body.

The flames burning in his eyes.

“Take your hands off what belongs to this old man.”

“Fire King…!”

The Western Heaven Demon Lord let out a low groan.

Of all times, the old monster from Mount Jiuhua had to awaken now.

Under normal circumstances, this might have been manageable. But one of the Demon Lord’s ankles had already been crushed, and he had expended a considerable amount of strength.

His opponent, meanwhile, was a Supreme Peak master hailed as the greatest of the Ten Kings.

This is bad. Very bad.

At this rate, he might have to brace himself for a fight that would leave them both gravely wounded.

The Western Heaven Demon Lord had no intention of dying here after failing the mission personally entrusted to him by the Lord of Heaven.

I have no choice.

It wounded his pride as a martial artist, but he would have to settle this by the easiest means available.

The Western Heaven Demon Lord bit his lip and extended a hand. Jin Taekyung’s limp body, barely clinging to consciousness, flew into his grasp like iron drawn to a magnet.

He seized Jin Taekyung by the throat and shook him for Jeok Cheongang to see.

“You would do well to stop there, if you want your one and only Disciple to live.”

Step.

Jeok Cheongang’s approaching footsteps stopped dead.

He stared at the Western Heaven Demon Lord, then slowly parted his lips.

“Have you ever seen such a motherless, fatherless, fucking son of a bitch…?”

“……!”

“Did you listen to this old man through your asshole? I told you not to touch a single hair on his head.”

The torrent of profanity left the Western Heaven Demon Lord momentarily stunned.

Then a sneer spread across his lips.

“Oh, did you?”

A stifled groan escaped Jin Taekyung’s lips as the Western Heaven Demon Lord tightened his grip.

Crunch.

The faint sound of bones shifting out of place echoed through the underground prison.

Jeok Cheongang’s eyes darkened.

“You dare…”

“I have many eyes and ears. They all told me the same thing—that the great Fire King cherishes his Disciple as though he were his own flesh and blood.”

“……What do you want?”

The Western Heaven Demon Lord answered without hesitation.

“If you don’t want to lose your Disciple, kill yourself.”

“Kill myself?”

Jeok Cheongang let out a hollow laugh and opened his mouth.

“You’ve got quite a bark. Did you learn it from some marketplace mongrel?”

“They say a master and Disciple grow alike. You sound exactly like him.”

The Western Heaven Demon Lord clicked his tongue softly and tightened his grip.

Crack-crack!

With a louder, sharper crunch, Jin Taekyung’s limp feet thrashed in the air.

Deep furrows appeared between Jeok Cheongang’s brows.

“You bastard!”

“This is my final offer. Accept it, and you can save your Disciple and preserve your martial lineage. Refuse…”

The Western Heaven Demon Lord continued in a chilling voice.

“And I will break this fellow’s neck right now, then fight you in a life-and-death duel. You will most likely be the first to fall.”

This was no empty bluff.

The Western Heaven Demon Lord knew Jeok Cheongang was not in perfect condition either.

That was only natural. He had hovered between life and death for more than a month after fighting the Blood Lord and had only just awakened.

“What will you do?”

Jeok Cheongang’s eyelids trembled.

The old master regarded his Disciple, trapped in the enemy’s grasp, with an indescribable look before opening his mouth.

“Promise me… you will keep your word.”

“Of course.”

It was, of course, a lie.

The Western Heaven Demon Lord had no intention of leaving a single person alive.

Not the Sichuan Tang Clan. Not the Fire King, Jeok Cheongang. Not the Divine Physician, who lay unconscious behind them in the aftermath of the battle. And…

The Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi, Jin Taekyung. He, especially, cannot be allowed to live.

The Sword Saint’s successor was dangerous enough, but Jin Taekyung was particularly dangerous.

If they had fought for another half a shichen²—no, even another fifteen minutes—the brat might have attained enlightenment and broken through the wall of the Supreme Peak realm.

It was a great stroke of fortune that the Demon Lord had defeated him before his enlightenment could deepen.

The Lord of Heaven is aiding me.

The Western Heaven Demon Lord barely suppressed the corners of his mouth as they tried to curl upward.

Jeok Cheongang, who had been staring at him, abruptly spoke.

“Is that enough now?”

The unexpected question made the Western Heaven Demon Lord frown.

“What are you talking about?”

“You sly bastard. You’ve become even more of a monster since I last saw you.”

“What nonsense are you—”

But the Western Heaven Demon Lord could not finish.

No, he was unable to.

Grab.

Crack-crack-crack!

Fiery pain erupted from his wrist.

The next moment, reflected in the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s widened eyes were his wrist, twisted as though a giant had wrung it, and a young man whose hand clamped around it like a hook.

“Jin Taekyuuung!”

How?

A roar filled with pain, disbelief, and shock thundered through the underground prison.

But Jin Taekyung did not hear him. Could not hear him.

His eyes were hazy, as though he were drunk, and he moved on instinct alone.

Krrrk!

Irresistible strength tore the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s wrist free as easily as uprooting a weed.

Blood fountained into the air amid searing pain.

For an instant, the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s vision went white.

Then a streak of flame bloomed before him.

“I told you.”

The old master, wreathed from head to toe in blazing hellfire, spat out each word.

“Do not touch my Disciple. Not even a hair.”

KABOOOOOM!

A massive pillar of fire surged upward.

I felt dazed.

As though I might fall asleep at any moment. Or as though I had only just woken up.

Everything felt blurred and distant.

This has to be a dream.

It definitely was.

The fact that I was alive even though I should have died long ago. The fact that Jeok Cheongang had awakened even though he should have needed several more days before he was ready to wake up.

But…

Is this a dream too?

Ding.

System

• Jeok Cheongang has awakened from a long sleep!
• You have successfully completed all related chain Quests. Your noble devotion and sacrifice will be rewarded!
• Level Up!
• Level Up!
• Level Up!
• Stamina, Strength, Agility, and Internal Energy have been restored!
• A total of three Level Ups has partially healed your physical injuries!

Ding. Ding. Ding.

The bright chime of bells echoed around me.

At the same time, an energy like warm sunlight spread throughout my body.

Broken bones fused together, and torn flesh healed. My damaged organs and shredded acupoints began to mend and settle back into place.

Slowly.

But steadily.

Crack.

My toes stepped on empty air.

Before I knew it, the Western Heaven Demon Lord was holding me by the throat.

My ruptured eardrums should have healed by now, but the conversation between the two men still sounded distant.

What is this feeling?

Hummm. Hummm.

A strange noise beyond description circled inside my head.

Then, in the next moment, Jeok Cheongang’s voice pierced clearly into my ears.

“How long do you intend to hang there?”

I don’t really know, Old Master. I just… I just can’t summon any strength. I don’t even know if this is a dream or reality.

I wanted to answer that familiar face, but no voice came out.

The hand pressing against my throat suddenly felt uncomfortable.

Then… I should get it off me.

By the time the thought crossed my mind, my hand had already moved.

It shot out so quickly that even I didn’t realize it had moved and seized the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s wrist.

Crack-crack-crack!

Hard bones crumpled, and a scream burst forth.

Without hesitation, I twisted and yanked.

Something tore, and blood fountained into the air. Before a single drop could strike the floor, a streak of flame swept past me.

“It’s been a while, you reckless little brat.”

The voice stretched out, carrying a hint of laughter.

Hellfire flickered from Jeok Cheongang’s palm as it passed by me.

The Flame Divine Palm, mastered to its utmost limit, slammed into the chest of the Western Heaven Demon Lord as he writhed in agony.

KABOOOOOM!

A massive pillar of fire surged upward, scorching the ceiling.

The flames seemed as though they would burn forever—until ink-black Sword Force extinguished them.

Ssssssssh!

“Die!”

Black clouds shrouded the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s entire body.

His lips were drenched in blood, and every vessel in his eyes had burst, staining them crimson.

He looked like a madman, but the power contained within his sword seemed capable of cleaving the heavens.

Whoooooosh!

Darkness erupted from his blade, splitting the pillar of fire as it shot forward.

“Ugh.”

A small groan escaped Jeok Cheongang’s lips as he tried to draw up his Scorching Yang Qi.

I felt the qi crouched within his still-unrecovered body waver.

I watched it all with vacant eyes.

The darkness rushing toward me through my hazy vision.

Jeok Cheongang’s swaying body.

And then—

“Ah.”

A single exclamation escaped my lips.

I was here, yet at the same time, I was not.

I could feel and see everything.

Everything surrounding me felt vivid and clear.

So that was it. That was what this meant.

A blinding flash pierced my entire body, from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes.

Everything that had blocked my path until now cracked and collapsed.

The world that had looked hazy, as though I were drunk, cleared up. My dazed mind became as clear as a summer sky.

At the end of it all shone a light called enlightenment.

Ding.

System

• Congratulations. You have finally crossed the wall and stepped into a great realm!
• You have reached the Supreme Peak realm!

Ding. Ding. Ding.

The bells rang louder and clearer than ever before.

I took a step.

Space vanished, and the natural qi within it surged.

I drew White Flame into my grasp with Seizing an Object Through Empty Space, and a fire dragon roared from its spearhead.

KRAAOOOOOO!