There had been some who barely escaped his attack back then—and those were exactly the Four Heavenly Demon Lords.
The shock of that battle drove Grandfather Jeok Mugun to polish his martial arts even further, and the technique he was now unleashing on me—One-Stroke Heavenly-Martial—was the completed form of that effort.
In that instant, Grandfather thought to himself,
Hold on. That brat doesn’t have any internal qi in the first place, does he?
Can I really catch him with just the aftershock?
That aftershock was no trivial thing.
It was an ultra-high-speed storm that raged hard enough to erase everything.
Anything inside it would be torn to shreds and ground down to dust.
But he had the sudden feeling that even that tremendous storm wouldn’t work on me—and that hunch hit the mark.
I brushed dust off my body like it was nothing and walked out, completely naked.
“Taecheon, bring me some clothes.”
“Yes, understood!”
Taecheon immediately pulled out clothes, ran over to me, and helped me put them on.
Once I was dressed, I spoke to Grandfather Jeok Mugun.
“You’ve used all three attacks now, right?”
“Y-yeah.”
He couldn’t believe it.
Someone had taken his full strength head-on and was perfectly fine.
Was he dreaming right now?
Or was it because of an illusory formation spread over Sorrow-Cloud Valley?
He stood there dazed, and I suddenly smiled and bowed to him.
What’s this now? What trick is he pulling?
“What are you doing?”
“I’m greeting my grandfather. Have you been well, Grandfather?”
“I see. That was what I was curious about, actually. Why on earth have you been calling me ‘Grandfather’ over and over since earlier?”
At ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ Grandfather Jeok Mugun’s question, I grinned wide.
“My father’s name is Jeok Rihyeon.”
“What?”
His pupils trembled violently.
“Then you are?”
“I am the eldest, Jeok Wigang.”
“Is your father really Jeok Rihyeon? Jeok Rihyeon, Sect Master of True Martial Sect?”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Insane.
He’d thought the second son was the prodigy and had planned to bring him back, but now that he saw clearly, the second wasn’t the problem.
The first was just a monster.
He, the Heavenly Martial Emperor, the strongest under heaven who had defeated the Four Heavenly Demon Lords, could not do anything about his own grandson.
If this kid became Lord of Heavenly Martial Castle?
No one would ever dare to set foot near it.
The only regret was that he had no dantian and could not cultivate internal qi.
It didn’t matter.
In Grandfather Jeok Mugun’s mind, there was no one anywhere in the Central Plains who could defeat this brat.
His worries vanished, too.
He had worried what would happen if this monster ever fell into corruption, but there was no need.
He was his grandson.
He would never fall.
A monster like none he had ever experienced before in his life was his grandson.
He started to laugh.
The sting to his pride flew far off into the distance.
“You said earlier you’d grant me anything, right?”
“Yes. Say whatever you want. If you ask for Heavenly Martial Castle, I’ll give it to you.”
“No. I don’t need it. I’m going to grow True Martial Sect strong.”
“Huh?”
He was offering Heavenly Martial Castle, and the kid said he didn’t need it.
He said he’d rather build up “some little” True Martial Sect.
It offended him.
But he couldn’t really say anything about it.
He was the one who was on the losing end here.
“Then what do you want?”
“Please acknowledge my father.”
“What?”
“To be honest, you know how it is. There’s me, whom even Grandfather can’t handle, and the second, who reached the Peak realm before even turning twenty. If he raised sons like that, isn’t it about time you acknowledged him?”
“W-well, that’s true.”
“Then please go to Father and formally acknowledge him.”
“A-all right.”
“Oh, and! Please keep my strength a secret from Father.”
“Why?”
“He doesn’t know about it.”
“He doesn’t?”
“No.”
“Then when are you going home?”
“After I take the Provincial Exam.”
“Provincial Exam? You mean the Civil Examinations?”
“Yes.”
“You’re going to sit the Civil Examinations?”
“Yes.”
“When you’ve got that kind of tremendous strength?”
“The Provincial Exam is just a pretext. I’m actually touring the Central Plains. Still, saying I’m taking the exam and then not doing it at all would be a lie, so I do plan on taking it.”
“I see. Then, can I come along with you?”
“Sorry?”
“You said you were going to wander around and then go home anyway. It’d be nice to go together.”
“Would you really?”
I’d thought he’d turn me down, but he was actually pleased.
“I’d like that. Traveling with Grandfather—it sounds nice.”
Well, would you look at this brat?
He’s got some cheek, too.
It was the first time he’d ever met this grandson today, but he liked him.
How long had it been since he laughed this comfortably?
“But why are you going this way? This is the direction toward Sorrow-Cloud Valley.”
“Oh, there’s something I need to find.”
“Something you need to find?”
“Yes. Traces of the Four Heavenly Demon Lords.”
“Why are you looking for that?”
“Oh, I... we need to find them.”
“Then let’s look together. This old man needs to find those bastards too.”
“Sounds good.”
****
We scoured Sorrow-Cloud Valley from end to end, but there were no traces of the Four Heavenly Demon Lords.
There were a few remnants of the group that had once served them, but even that was ancient.
Still, the place was decent enough to spend a night, so we unpacked there and decided to stay.
While Taecheon prepared dinner, Grandfather Jeok Mugun and I were having a sparring match.
WHUUM— WHOOSH WHOOSH—.
Grandfather was attacking with his full strength, but he couldn’t land a single hit.
“Are you really sure you don’t have internal qi?”
“You checked for yourself.”
“Then why are you this fast!”
“I’m moving slowly for Grandfather’s sake, you know.”
What a crazy monster.
In what world was this “moving slowly”?
No matter how hard he unfolded his Heavenly-Martial Lightning Steps at full power, he couldn’t even touch the edge of my sleeve.
“Don’t just dodge. Try attacking, too.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
At his words, I shifted into an attacking stance.
But it was a stance he’d seen many times before.
“You... don’t tell me, is that... the Three-Essences Fist?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Good grief.
This was a martial art you could practically buy off a street stall for two coppers.
No, calling it a martial art was generous—the movements were so crude.
It was on the level of exercise for health.
And I was saying I’d use that to fight him.
“Let’s go, Grandfather.”
“What?”
My body moved fast.
“Heaven-Charge Fist!”
Well, look at that.
Who’d have thought the day would come when he’d be crossing hands with the Three-Essences Fist.
But my movements were anything but ordinary.
“Guh!”
He barely dodged.
Even so, his side throbbed.
KUKWAKWAKWANG—.
The spot my fist passed by was blasted to scorched earth.
If that had hit him?
It wouldn’t have ended with “that hurt.”
My body twisted lightly, and I followed through with a kick.
“Wind-Erosion Kick!”
Why was the Three-Essences Fist this fast and terrifying?
KUKWAKWAKWANG—.
The spot where my leg came down caved in like crushed tofu.
It was the first time in his life Grandfather realized the Three-Essences Fist was a frightening martial art.
Above all, if you got hit by that technique, the pain was one thing—but it would also be crushing psychologically.
To think that of all things, you’d been hit by the Three-Essences Fist, and that you were so scared of it you were desperately trying to avoid it—that would deal a huge blow to anyone’s mind.
Truly, if this overwhelming body also had internal qi?
Maybe even the gods had a conscience, because they hadn’t given me a dantian.
No, that’s wrong.
They had no conscience.
If they did, they wouldn’t have sent a ridiculous body like this down to earth in the first place.
Most likely, not giving me a dantian was just a tiny shred of guilt.
While facing me, Grandfather Jeok Mugun came to understand something.
In the face of overwhelming strength, martial arts and all that crap didn’t matter.
A kind of futility washed over him.
What had he worked so hard learning martial arts for?
To someone who didn’t even know martial arts—
No, that’s wrong.
To someone spinning him in circles with something like the Three-Essences Fist.
His will to keep sparring evaporated.
“Let’s stop... I’m hungry.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
I wondered what kind of face he’d make if he found out I also had a mysterious art called magic.
The magic tome actually had magic related to defense as well.
There was a spell called Absolute Defense that, according to the text, could block every attack in the world.
I’d learned it, but that was to protect other people, not myself.
Why would I bother activating it when I could just take the hit?
It was true my clothes getting torn was a bit of a problem, but doing the math to deploy the formula was even more of a pain.
On top of that, once I used magic, I’d have to explain it again.
That was just one of a dozen annoying things.
The uses of magic were set very clearly.
As a replacement for sound transmission, for healing, and for making Spirit Pills and deploying formations—only then.
Ah! It was useful for reinforcing weapons, too.
I should make some Spirit Pills with magic later and help Grandfather nourish his body.
****
After dinner, I stepped outside.
I was in a good mood today.
I’d met Grandfather.
He seemed like a good person.
He had more affection than I’d expected.
Seeing how well he knew the news about True Martial Sect, he’d probably been pretending to hate Father on the surface while actually worrying about him more than anyone.
Having family members increase one by one like this made me incredibly happy.
I’d wished for family my entire life, and things were growing more and more perfect.
The Four Heavenly Demon Lords suddenly came to mind.
Where were they and what were they doing?
Even resentment builds feelings over time; I kind of wanted to see them.
I’d thought I might find a clue here.
When I turned my head, Grandfather was talking with Taecheon.
Listening closely, I realized he was giving Taecheon advice.
Taecheon didn’t know what to do with himself, receiving pointers from the strongest under heaven.
That advice would probably push Taecheon to grow even further.
but suddenly
Hm?
That was the smell of death.
People who gave off that kind of scent were usually assassins.
And judging from how thick the scent was, this was an assassin of considerable skill.
I shot my body straight toward where the smell was coming from.
****
A masked man was moving with cautious steps.
He was a man hailed as the greatest assassin under heaven, a follower of Slaughter-Ghost Demon Lord, one of the Four Heavenly Demon Lords.
The reason he had come here was because he’d heard a rumor that somewhere around here lay Slaughter-Ghost Demon Lord’s Secret Cave.
A rumor that everything of Slaughter-Ghost Demon Lord was stored in that Secret Cave.
Many had come to Sorrow-Cloud Valley seeking that Secret Cave, but no one had found anything, and the rumor had turned into nonsense and faded from people’s interest.
But this man believed it.
If it could be found that easily, would it be called a Secret Cave?
And this was the Secret Cave of Slaughter-Ghost Demon Lord, the man of legend among assassins.
It would be hidden with extreme thoroughness.
The man mobilized every shred of knowledge he had and searched every corner of Sorrow-Cloud Valley.
Then he saw a tree growing at the edge of a cliff.
To anyone’s eyes it was an ordinary tree.
The man leaped up onto the tree and examined the surroundings.
Then he found it.
A strangely shaped emblem.
He knew very well what that emblem meant.
It was the emblem that symbolized Slaughter-Ghost Demon Lord.
“Found it.”
The man immediately drew a dagger and sliced the tip of his finger to draw blood, then sprinkled it on the emblem.
As the emblem absorbed his blood, the faint lines sharpened and grew vivid.
That was it.
Nothing else happened.
But the man smiled.
“Now I only need to find one more.”
Did he know something?
The man immediately dropped down and ran toward the stream in the valley.
He stared down for a long time at the point where three streams met, then blocked the flow.
A hidden final emblem appeared.
When he sprinkled blood on that one as well, the emblem grew distinct.
The man took out an old piece of parchment and began checking it.
“Now I just have to find the Heavenly Demon statue.”
Soon he would be able to find Slaughter-Ghost Demon Lord’s Secret Cave.
Just as he tensed with excitement and was about to rise to search for the Heavenly Demon statue—
“Gah!”
He saw a young man standing right in front of him without a hint of presence.
“Heavenly Demon statue? And what happens once you find that?”
Damn it.
He’d heard everything.
Why did this kid have to butt into other people’s business and shorten his own lifespan?
He’d been in the middle of something important and had wanted to avoid killing if possible.
From the looks of it, the kid probably didn’t even know martial arts.
Well, I guess this is your fate.