Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 61 : The Ten-Sword Ghosts (2)

Jin Sa-wol's story matched what Hyun Jin had said. There was no reason to lie.

After that, he said that he had met Sang Yu-rim and that he was glad that the two seemed to be getting along.

Murong Bao, who had judged that there was nothing special, stood up from his seat.

"Thank you for your time. Then."

"I can't go far."

"Don't come out."

Murong Bao waved his hand at Jin Sa-wol, who was trying to get up, and then went outside.

As he left, Jo Geom-ok, who was emitting a sharp prayer, also went out.

Jin Sa-wol stared at Jo Geom-ok's back.

Only after confirming the sound of them moving away did Jin Sa-wol get up as if nothing had happened and go into the kitchen to eat.

Murong Bao and Jo Geom-ok, who had left Jin Sa-wol's house, headed for the carriage with the warriors.

"How does it look?"

Murong Bao, who trusted Jo Geom-ok's sense more than his own, asked Jo Geom-ok as he got on the carriage.

Jo Geom-ok sat next to him and answered.

"He's a first-class master with rich experience in the martial world. He's a common martial artist."

"Really? Nothing strange?"

"No."

Jo Geom-ok said flatly.

There was nothing to know about Jin Sa-wol other than that he was an ordinary martial artist.

"If it really bothers you, shall I have him watched?"

"No. You should rest when you rest and work when you work. If you work day and night, your body won't be able to take it. Concentrate on the moment."

"Yes."

At Murong Bao's story, Jo Geom-ok answered and then closed his eyes. The carriage was slowly moving.

"Haven't the Ten Swords come yet?"

"They are scheduled to arrive in a few days."

Murong Bao showed a satisfied expression at Jo Geom-ok's answer.

* * *

A large brazier was emitting hot heat in the center of a wide hall full of darkness.

Swish!

The sound of rain from outside the door lingered in the hall.

Creak.

The middle-aged man who had opened the door of the hall and entered lit the lamps on the wall. As he lit all six pillars, six shadows were seen.

They were standing or sitting next to the pillars.

The middle-aged man who had lit the lamps went up to the seat of honor and said.

"The Cult Leader was very saddened by the death of Chung Pavilion Lord."

"The Cult Leader, who has never even shown his face is sad?"

Although a cool voice echoed in the hall, the middle-aged man, who was the steward of the Chung Pavilion, did not care.

"The Cult Leader, saddened by the death of the Chung Pavilion Lord, has bestowed a Demonic Essence Pill."

"Hmph."

"Good."

At the words 'Demonic Essence Pill', a hot heat lingered in the hall and then disappeared. The Demonic Essence Pill was a spiritual pill of the Demonic Cult that could give ten years of internal energy.

The steward went around the hall and gave each of the six a small jade bottle containing a Demonic Essence Pill, and then returned to his place.

Because of the Demonic Essence Pill, their dissatisfaction disappeared like melting snow.

"The Chung Pavilion Lord of the Chung Pavilion will be one of you."

"Hmph! Of course, it should be among us."

"How do we decide the Chung Pavilion Lord? Do we have a life-and-death battle, and the one who is left becomes the Chung Pavilion Lord?"

"Not bad."

At the words that they would decide the Chung Pavilion Lord, various voices flowed out from the hall.

The steward raised his hand to stop their mouths and then said.

"The Chung Pavilion Lord was killed by a guy named Jin Sa-wol. The Cult Leader wishes for revenge for the deceased Chung Pavilion Lord. The one among you who kills Jin Sa-wol first will become the Chung Pavilion Lord of the Chung Pavilion."

Whoosh!

As soon as the words were finished, two shadows disappeared.

The steward spoke again.

"The Cult Leader has promised to give the one who becomes the Chung Pavilion Lord the power befitting a Chung Pavilion Lord and one demonic art that he desires."

Whoosh! Whoosh!

As soon as those words were finished, two more disappeared. The remaining two were looking at the steward.

The steward also, as only one man and one woman were left, smiled. Only the expected figures were left.

The man on the left asked.

"If the reward is that high, it won't be just us who will step forward, right?"

"Yes. It doesn't matter who it is, as long as it's one of the nine great demonic pavilions. Any cultist with ambition will surely step forward."

"Even so, the Chung Pavilion is a place that even the cultists avoid. There won't be many in reality."

The woman on the right spoke and then walked out of the hall. As she left, what was left was the steward and the man on the left.

The steward asked.

"Aren't you going, Pavilion Master?"

"It doesn't matter to me who becomes the Chung Pavilion Lord. By the way, who is the steward helping?"

"No one."

At the answer that there was no one, the man rustled, retreated behind a pillar, and then disappeared. The steward frowned as the man disappeared.

'The great disciple and the one who should covet the position of the Chung Pavilion Lord the most has the least ambition... How strange.'

The steward soon put out the lamps and went out of the hall.

* * *

Ma Ryong of Ghost Spirit Valley was prostrated in front of Cheon Woo-rin, who was sitting in the seat of honor.

Originally, it was a place where he should have been sitting. But now, Cheon Woo-rin was sitting there.

It was also the day he had first visited Ghost Spirit Valley.

Cheon Woo-rin leaned deeply into his chair, rested his chin on his hand, and asked with his head half-bowed.

"Was it Number Ninety-nine? I don't even remember the name. Ah! That's right. Jin Sa-wol. It was Jin Sa-wol. It was definitely that. He's using the name Jin Sa-wol now? What happened to the Slaughter Ghosts who went to kill that guy? Did they kill him?"

"That... there's no contact yet."

"If there's no contact, they must be dead."

"We have to wait for about ten days."

Ma Ryong lowered his head and frowned. He slightly raised his head and looked at Cheon Woo-rin's feet.

"I went to the main hall today and heard a shocking story. Do you know what it is?"

"I don't."

"They say a guy named Jin Sa-wol killed the Loyal Ghost King. But the guy we're trying to kill is also Jin Sa-wol. I thought it was a different person with the same name, but it wasn't. It was the same person. What do you think?"

Ma Ryong's eyes widened.

Ma Ryong trembled his shoulders slightly without realizing it.

Cheon Woo-rin placed his two feet on Ma Ryong's shoulders and buried himself deeper into the chair.

"Do you know how surprised I was when I heard that? If the Slaughter Ghosts I sent to kill that guy succeed? Yes, the position of our Shadowless Pavilion will become even greater! Hahaha! Yes, everyone, see how great Ghost Spirit Valley is! That's right! I could have said that."

"Keuk!"

As Cheon Woo-rin's voice grew louder, strength also went into his feet.

Ma Ryong endured Cheon Woo-rin's feet, which were pressing on his shoulders, and lowered his head.

Cheon Woo-rin lowered his voice.

"He's a guy who killed the Loyal Ghost King, so can the Slaughter Ghosts kill him? They must all be dead."

Cheon Woo-rin stopped talking, and Ma Ryong closed his mouth.

Cheon Woo-rin looked down at Ma Ryong's head with a face full of annoyance. Although he wanted to kick and break it with his foot, he couldn't kill him.

"Since the position of the Chung Pavilion Lord of the Chung Pavilion is vacant, the Cult was contemplating who to seat, but the Cult Leader said that if they kill Jin Sa-wol, he will give them the position of the Chung Pavilion Lord of the Chung Pavilion. He will also give a Demonic Essence Pill and a demonic art manual, so be interested."

"Understood."

"Bring all the information about Number Ninety-nine. His family relationships, or even the guys he was close to in Ghost Spirit Valley."

"That was all burned five years ago, so there are no remaining materials."

"Damn it."

Cheon Woo-rin stood up, kicking the ground with a very angry face.

If he had known it would be like this, he should have preserved the building when he had annihilated Ghost Spirit Valley five years ago.

But no matter how much he regretted, the past did not return.

Cheon Woo-rin spoke to Ma Ryong with a voice full of disappointment.

"If Hyung-wook were alive, he would have presented a solution. Isn't that right?"

As he mentioned Hyung-wook, Ma Ryong showed a cold gaze, but Cheon Woo-rin could not see it.

Cheon Woo-rin's voice fell on the back of Ma Ryong's head.

"Kill him. Kill him and bring his head. Then the Chung Pavilion will be yours. The support for Ghost Spirit Valley will also increase."

"As you command."

At Ma Ryong's answer, Cheon Woo-rin stood up and went outside. Even after he left, Ma Ryong did not move.

After about half an hour, Ma Ryong, who had stood up from his seat, sat in the chair where Cheon Woo-rin had been sitting.

'Do you think I'm working hard to rebuild Ghost Spirit Valley just to become the Chung Pavilion Lord of the Chung Pavilion? You have to dream big. Isn't that right, Cheon Woo-rin.'

Ma Ryong spit on the floor, then drank wine, and then threw the wine bottle at the wall.

Thwack!

As the wine bottle broke and wine splattered, Ma Ryong suppressed his anger and gathered his subordinates.

* * *

Jin Sa-wol, who was practicing qi circulation with his top off, had the blue bruises turn red, then disappear, and then turn blue again every time he breathed in and out.

That color gradually faded over time.

Jin Sa-wol, while training in the True Blood Demonic Art, concentrated on the explosive burst.

As the internal energy of the True Blood Demonic Art accumulated, he felt his body become firm and his dantian also become thicker.

At that point, he tried to operate the explosive burst.

Operating the explosive burst during qi circulation was like a gamble. It was because a lot of internal energy would pour out of the whole body in an instant.

Jin Sa-wol thought simply.

He had used the explosive burst to deal with Mi-chung and the Blood Curtain Master. Thanks to experiencing it with his body, he had realized that the destructive power of the explosive burst was great.

He still couldn't forget the feeling of all his internal and external power exploding.

If the body is strengthened through the explosive burst?

Then wouldn't it be possible to accumulate internal energy even faster through the explosive burst?

That was the reason he was trying to take a risk now.

Generally, one could only obtain about a day's worth of internal energy by practicing qi circulation all day. One had to train in internal energy day and night for sixty years to obtain one sixty-year cycle of internal energy.

But demonic arts are different. If you train for half of that, thirty years, you can obtain one sixty-year cycle of internal energy.

That is the characteristic and advantage of demonic arts.

On the other hand, demonic arts are like a sand tower, and since the power is not pure, it easily scatters. And if the sand tower collapses, it is accompanied by qi deviation or serious internal injuries.

But the internal energy of the orthodox sects is like a stone tower that has been slowly built up, so it does not easily collapse.

On top of that, these days, even the orthodox sects are trying to identify and supplement their own shortcomings in order to check the demonic arts.

They sometimes open the Ren and Du meridians in advance through bone-marrow washing or transference, and they can accumulate half a sixty-year cycle of internal energy before becoming an adult through spiritual pills and great laws.

One of the results of such efforts is Hyun Jin.

Jin Sa-wol knew well that Hyun Jin's power was high for his age. That's why he concentrated on the explosive burst.

But the thought and the result were the opposite.

"Heo-eok."

Jin Sa-wol, who had let out a deep breath and opened his eyes, lay on the bed. His limp body was like a limp cloth.

As all the internal energy and physical strength drained from his whole body, a severe sense of emptiness rushed in.

"I feel like a dry piece of firewood."

Jin Sa-wol muttered and then raised his upper body again, sat cross-legged, and began to practice qi circulation.

An ordinary person would not have been able to move. Their whole body would be stiff, and above all, because of the mental fatigue, they would not even have thought of practicing qi circulation again.

In that state, it is human nature to think of filling one's stomach and resting first.

But Jin Sa-wol, even in a state where his dantian was empty, stubbornly operated the True Blood Demonic Art and gathered a little internal energy.

And when he felt the internal energy, he operated the explosive burst again.

Thump!

The sound of his dantian exploding echoed from inside and struck his whole body.

A severe pain as if his muscles were being torn rushed in. His body trembled.

But Jin Sa-wol stubbornly continued to practice qi circulation even in the extreme pain that made his head go blank.

How much time had passed like that?

The bruises that had covered his upper body turned reddish and then began to slowly disappear.

A short while later, Jin Sa-wol, who was limp like a powerless octopus, fell into a deep sleep.

In his dream, he saw Dokgo Shin-wi sitting.

"If you lose one, you gain one, and if you lose two, you gain two. But if you lose three, you gain six. If you lose six, you will gain sixty, and if you lose sixty, you will gain six hundred. That is the demonic art."

(End of Chapter)