Nokyo stared at Seo-jun standing atop the heavens, her mouth hanging open.
“New… new dad?”
Her gaze fixated on the horns sprouting from Seo-jun’s head. Then, she gently patted her own, now doubled to two pairs.
Nokyo, with four horns, and Seo-jun, with two.
After thinking deeply, she suddenly nodded as if she had reached a profound realization.
“Now that I think about it, I must be the stepmom?”
Before Nokyo could continue, Nok So-pyeong scooped her up and hugged her, gazing at Seo-jun with burning eyes.
“As expected….”
Their eyes met for a moment. Seo-jun took a single step forward, and space folded, bringing him face-to-face with Nok So-pyeong in an instant.
“What do you mean, ‘as expected’?”
“That you really are the Seed of the Demonic Lord of Ten Thousand Calamities.”
Seo-jun’s eyes narrowed. Nok So-pyeong licked her dry lips under his sharp gaze.
Seo-jun spoke.
“You make it sound like you’ve known all along.”
“Of course. I knew the moment I saw you.”
“How?”
Nok So-pyeong let out a light laugh.
“Because you’re openly brimming with such pure demonic energy. Not even a priestess can possess something so untainted.”
“…Damn.”
Seo-jun hadn’t thought of that. As he furrowed his brows, Nok So-pyeong suddenly leaned in closer.
“Did you know?”
Seo-jun took a step back.
“…Know what?”
“The Priestess is looking for you. A divine revelation has descended—declaring that the Seed of the Demonic Lord has stepped onto the land of Tian Shan.”
It was a continuation of their earlier conversation, but mentioning the Priestess specifically—and even invoking divine revelation—made this something entirely different.
“What are you planning? This sounds dangerously close to heresy.”
“You told me to spill everything I’ve been hiding, didn’t you?”
“How considerate.”
Seo-jun scoffed, while Nok So-pyeong responded with an enigmatic smile.
“Even a mere beast knows gratitude. How could I, a spiritual being, fail to recognize it?”
“It’s precisely because beasts are simple that they understand gratitude. The smarter you are, the more complicated things get.”
“Then let’s just say I’m a beast who knows gratitude.”
“……”
Seo-jun fell silent, and Nok So-pyeong’s large eyes crinkled as she grinned.
“Now that I think about it, didn’t I say I wasn’t interested in humans?”
“……”
“But looking at you now, you don’t seem all that human, do you? How about me as your reward? I’m quite a capable deer, you know.”
“I refuse.”
“Oh, what a shame.”
Nok So-pyeong pretended to wipe away tears as Seo-jun stepped back, putting more distance between them.
“So, is the reason you’ve been stalling me this whole time because you recognized me as the Seed of the Demonic Lord?”
“That’s right. More accurately, I was debating what to do. After all, you did save Nokyo.”
For someone affiliated with the Demonic Cult, ignoring the Priestess’s divine revelation wasn’t an easy matter.
But the command to find the Seed of the Demonic Lord was ultimately the Priestess’s will—not something that held much sway over Nok So-pyeong.
“And… that Inner Core of yours.”
Nok So-pyeong gestured vaguely toward Seo-jun’s chest.
“When you crossed that threshold earlier, I caught a glimpse of it. Despite being human, you have an Inner Core. That’s probably why I felt such a strange sense of kinship with you.”
In truth, that was the biggest reason.
“Aren’t you curious? Why I felt that way? That’s why I held you here.”
Nok So-pyeong chuckled softly and continued.
“And the result? A massive success. My insight paid off.”
“Just luck.”
“Luck is a skill, too.”
Seo-jun raised an eyebrow at her response and asked,
“Anyway, is Nokyo fine now? The connection with the Purification Tree should still be intact.”
“There’s no problem. In fact, the divine ability she inherited from the tree will help her grow healthier. As she matures, she’ll also learn to manage the connection herself.”
That was enough.
Now that the nagging worry about Nokyo had been resolved, Seo-jun felt free to leave.
As he turned to go, Nok So-pyeong grabbed his arm.
“Wait a moment.”
“What now?”
“It doesn’t sit right with me to just take and not give back.”
She suddenly snapped off one of her horns. Seo-jun’s eyes widened.
“They say breaking a horn can kill you.”
“Oh, Nokyo? That’s true when they’re young.”
Nok So-pyeong laughed.
“But once we’re fully grown, it’s a different story. It’ll take a while to regrow, sure, but it’s not life-threatening.”
She handed the horn to Seo-jun. He stroked it gently—it was smooth, warm, and slightly soft.
This was no ordinary horn. It was the upper danjeon (energy center) of that colossal deer form. The demonic energy condensed within it was enough to make even Seo-jun shiver.
“What’s this for?”
“It’s good for your health when boiled. Especially for women—it’s great for the skin and womb. It’s also the finest elixir in the Central Plains.”
Seo-jun figured Chun-bong and Soo-ah could use it. If he purified the demonic energy inside, it could become a medicine far surpassing even the Grand Elixir Pills.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“It’s nothing.”
Seo-jun tucked the horn into his belongings and then ruffled Nokyo’s hair roughly.
“Take care.”
“You’re leaving?”
“Yeah.”
“Got it.”
Nokyo waved her short arms.
“See you again!”
Nok So-pyeong followed suit, waving her hand as well.
“Come visit us again.”
Seo-jun smirked as he turned away.
“If I come back, I’ll stop by.”
***
Seo-jun left Deer Wilds Mountain and spent several days leisurely traveling with light footwork. The horns that had sprouted when he entered the Demon Transformation Realm were now completely gone.
Back when he used to enter Demonization, he hadn’t realized it, but after reaching Demon Transformation, he discovered he could retract the horns into his body.
Not having to cut them off each time was extremely satisfying—especially the fact that he no longer had to deal with unsightly stubs afterward.
As he rubbed the spot where the horns had been, Seo-jun mulled things over.
‘The Priestess knows I’m here?’
The Seed of the Demonic Lord of Ten Thousand Calamities—even the name hinted at ties to the Demonic Cult.
Roughly translated, it meant someone who would stand above all demonic beings. If he were the Priestess, he’d want to track down someone like that too.
‘Now that I think about it, this is ridiculous.’
That woman he saw back in the modern world—he suspected she was the one who threw him into this martial realm.
But what the hell was she thinking, dropping him somewhere in the middle of Shaanxi Province?
If he was such a rare character with a grandiose title like Seed of the Demonic Lord, shouldn’t she have dropped him right in her own backyard?
There was no way she was part of the righteous sects.
‘If she was, though… that’d be fun.’
If they ever met again, he’d crack her skull six times. And if she still didn’t die, he’d just keep breaking it a few more times.
“Well, for now…”
Seo-jun came to a halt, considering his options.
‘Going back is the safest move.’
The Demonic Cult was looking for him. If he wasn’t careful, he might end up being chased by several Extreme Demonic Masters.
Or worse, the Heavenly Demon might personally come after him.
Seo-jun enjoyed some danger, but he wasn’t suicidal. The Heavenly Demon was out of his league.
“Ssshh… Going back makes the most sense.”
Still, it felt like a shame. After traveling so far, turning back without doing much felt like a waste.
Had someone sensed his hesitation?
Right then, a man on horseback approached.
Thud, thud, thud—!
Seo-jun stared at the rider. It was the first time he’d seen a martial artist riding a horse.
‘Interesting.’
The man and the horse’s internal energies were connected, allowing the horse to move at an almost unnatural speed.
In an instant, the rider was in front of Seo-jun and reined in his horse.
“Whoa.”
Snort!
The horse pawed at the ground and stared at Seo-jun. Seo-jun met its gaze and stared back.
Ptoo!
The horse spat. Seo-jun dodged the saliva, looking at it incredulously.
“What an ill-mannered beast.”
“Ah, So-cheong’s a bit wild.”
“So-cheong? That’s its name?”
“Yeah. He’s my companion.”
A companion? Seo-jun pursed his lips, barely resisting the urge to ask if the man had some weird fixation on horses.
The rider dismounted, giving Seo-jun a strange look as he unstrapped a saber from the saddle and cradled it in his arms.
“Have you heard of the Violet Thunder Demon?”
“I have.”
“What did you think of him?”
“A crazy pedophile.”
“Pedophile? That doesn’t sound like the kind of man he was.”
Seo-jun gave the man a curious look.
“You knew him?”
“We were drinking buddies.”
“Unfortunate.”
“Well, his time came. He lived long enough, so there’s no one to blame.”
The man tied his saber to his waist and lifted his bamboo hat, revealing sharp eyes.
Then, sliding one foot back, he assumed a stance.
“But as his friend, I can’t ignore the need to avenge him.”
“You’ll regret this.”
A few days ago, it might have been different. But now, Seo-jun had reached Demon Transformation. The man didn’t stand a chance.
“We’ll see about that.”
The man smirked confidently.
He wasn’t an idiot. He had a vague sense of Seo-jun’s level—likely nearing the peak of Supreme Mastery.
If that was the case, he just had to break through to Extreme Demonic Mastery mid-battle.
He had faith in his talent.
The man gripped the handle of his saber, and it felt perfect in his hand.
“I’m Hwan Chi-seong, the Wandering Blade.”
“Seo-jun.”
Click—
Hwan Chi-seong pushed the saber slightly out of its sheath with his thumb.
Hwoooosh—!
A gust of sand blew past as the blade reflected the sunlight, splitting the air.
Flash—!
It was a strike at the peak of speed and precision.
Seo-jun stepped back slightly, feeling a faint breeze brush his neck.
‘Not bad.’
Nodding, Seo-jun prepared to charge—only for Hwan Chi-seong to slide the saber back into its sheath.
Click.
Seo-jun stopped mid-step and let out a laugh.
“What the hell was that?”
Why would he draw his saber only to sheath it again?
Unless…
‘Oh.’
This was Tian Shan—the land of Reversal Arts. Techniques that defied reason.
Maybe converting friction into kinetic energy wasn’t so far-fetched here after all.
Reversal Arts—where the logic was simply, “It works because I said so.”
“Interesting. Then how about this?”
Seo-jun raised both hands and unleashed Reversal Sun and Moon Arts.
Shaaah—!
Hwan Chi-seong drew his saber once more, the blade slicing through the incoming energy.
Clash—!
The impact sent Hwan Chi-seong skidding backward.
“Urgh…!”
Seo-jun grinned, charging up another blast of Reversal Sun and Moon Arts in each hand.
‘Let’s see what you can do against ranged attacks.’
He smirked.
If Hwan Chi-seong wanted to ascend to Extreme Demonic Mastery mid-fight, Seo-jun was more than willing to entertain him.
Watching someone breakthrough right in front of him? That was an opportunity too good to pass up.
And if he could collect multiple cultivation realms—why not?
‘Not bad at all.’
Seo-jun grinned wider.