Chapter 105

천마총 outside, it was already a dark night.

Qing stretched out happily.

“Phew, I thought I was gonna die trying to act all cool.”

To be honest, I had many urges to just run away down the stairs along the way, but hey, I managed to pull it off and survived.

As a wave of relief and joy of survival washed over me, I couldn’t help but get excited and danced the most successful dance in human history.

It was like Indiana Mas’ Moonlight Walk.

The principles unfolded by the Heavenly Demon were the most precious realization I had gained.

Just when I was celebrating victory with my dance…

“Ahem.”

Qing jumped in surprise at the sound of a cough.

“Whoa, Grandpa! You scared me. Why did you follow me?”

“I packed your stuff to give to you when you leave. Even if you’re going, you should still take your belongings. You scatterbrained!”

“Wow, really? You got everything?”

It wasn’t until I heard that I remembered my baggage.

Starting with my Jianggang pass, there were the guest passes my friends gave me and Sensei’s letter for the Amifa Grandmaster incident.

Thinking about it, Grandpa’s words were true.

With my personality completely changing, the attention I used to receive was also gone, and he even packed my things, so I figured he’d gladly send me off after opening the Magic Flute.

Qing hurriedly chased after Choi Riyong.

When I reached a cart, Choi Riyong came out with familiar bundles.

I happily grabbed the one I was most glad to see.

“You’re back! My Moonlight Sword!”

After a long time, I held the Moonlight Sword (No. 8) again, but the handle fit comfortably as if I had never let it go.

Qing beamed and belted the sword at my waist.

And when I was about to grab the rest of my stuff, Choi Riyong was hovering around, refusing to hand it over.

My eyes narrowed.

“What’s going on? Are the rest of them charged items?”

Just like old China, was business strategy a tradition too?

Do I have to pay to get back my own stuff?

But Choi Riyong, glancing around, said,

“Ahem. I’m getting old and who knows how long I’ve got left, so I’m just looking for a nice spot to die. Is that okay with you?”

“No, why would I permit you to look for your death spot? Whatever. Ugh.”

Qing let out a deep sigh.

Even pretending not to notice, it didn’t seem like the old man would back down easily.

Saying you’re looking for a spot to die wasn’t really just about making a cozy choice for a resting place.

It was a desperate wish to live out his remaining days nearby, even if he were to die next to me.

“Grandpa, just to be clear, I have no intention of treating you like a new dad. But I won’t care how you treat me. Just throw my stuff around, use the cart, and make me do all the chores you want.”

Though it sounded a bit out there, it was ultimately a permission.

Choi Riyong’s eyes got a bit misty.

“Thank you, thank you so much. That’s more than enough…”

If I could ensure the old man’s remaining days were peaceful by just following him around, then I wouldn’t mind that wish.

He had already suffered through enough in this life; he wasn’t the kind of old man to let the dead chain him down and torture himself anymore.

But if later on he comes at me saying I’m not his daughter anymore, that would turn good intentions into bad outcomes.

Can’t have that.

“But I’m not into the hobby of dragging the Great Demon Lord around while being pointed at by the world, you know? That Demonic Arts crap you’ll need to wipe away. What if one day I lose my mind and you come at me, saying ’where’s my daughter’?”

That was like saying to throw away something a martial artist cherishes more than life itself.

“I’ll make sure that happens. Right now, even.”

But still, there was no hesitation in Choi Riyong’s reply.

Qing let out another deep sigh.

“Let’s just get out of here and talk. If we linger, all the Demon Lords will come rushing at us.”

—-

Inside the Heavenly Demon Sect, elite masters from the Divine Sect gathered around Ji Seung-ju.

In the stronghold of the Divine Sect, an elite master essentially meant the same as the leadership of the sect.

“Hey, Magnae. Are you really planning to follow that chick?”

“She’s the Heavenly Demon of our times. Haven’t you already witnessed her Pachen Magi with your own eyes?”

“I get that, but she’s still just a young girl. Doesn’t the Divine Sect have a bit of dignity?”

“She’s young, so isn’t she even more brilliant? Think about the Muchen Sword Demon. Do you really think such a person would only be limited to the Zhengpai?”

“But isn’t she already no longer part of the Zhengpai?”

“Haven’t you seen the tricks she’s capable of? The Heavenly Demon will inevitably return to her sect.”

“Hmm…”

The masters murmured among themselves.

To poke someone’s eye out while they’re alive requires serious cunning.

It’s even more so if they’re grinning and suppressing their glee, like a kid playing with a toy.

“But to give up the lifelong wish they’ve chased for so long? Besides, making peace with the people of the Central Plain? Is that even possible?”

“It might actually be for the best. A strong person won’t be hit even if they go outside. Which force in the Central Plain would dare confront the Divine Sect?”

The Heavenly Demon Sect proved its strength through the four great battles of the righteous and demonic.

Sure, we lost every time, but we left a significant mark on the Martial World as well.

If the sect suddenly declared that it would settle its past and step into the bright side, would the Martial World just yell in defiance and start a war, causing themselves harm?

“Honestly, how long must the new world be held captive for? The losses piled up from repeated invasions are essentially the cause behind this.”

The Divine Sect was hidden within barren lands.

They didn’t have the capacity to support a large population.

The limited gold coins they acquired from various sects in the Central Plain were just about enough to sustain themselves.

That’s why the Divine Sect had no choice but to be strong.

The strength of the Divine Sect was a means to maintain the limited population while forming the most elite forces possible.

The natural enemy of an elite army was ironically a vast number of ordinary people.

Even if they ruthlessly ravaged them, each loss of a single soldier would be painful.

As the war dragged on, while the victories were overwhelming, the overall situation turned unfavorable, leading to eventual defeat and retreat.

Everyone here knew of the side effects of being strong.

Everyone had eaten people to get this far.

But knowing the consequences of being strong, what could they do?

Moreover, their achievements had been outstanding.

Qing kept saying we were fools who could do nothing right, but the truth was no other group within the Martial World was as solid and powerful as the Heavenly Demon Sect.

The masters wore sour expressions.

It made sense, though; most of them were after wealth since the liberation of the Central Plain.

But Ji Seung-ju, a talentless master, still received respect as a non-title holder and the Magnae.

With just enough time, he felt confident he could easily handle a stupid demon that only revered brute strength.

The Heavenly Demon Sect, situated along the Silk Road, could confidently claim territory. Mixing doctrine and morality with governance wasn’t that difficult either.

Ji Seung-ju silently bottled up his ambitions.

A long time ago, a general named Jagiwan from Taesaseong said, if you’re born a man, you ought to wear a seven-inch blade and climb the emperor’s steps.

Those who dare wear a sword and stand next to the emperor are the uppermost-ranking figures who strategize.

—-

The Supreme Being has no name.

They’ve never seen their father’s face and only received vivid hatred from their mother.

In other words, all they received were indifference and hatred.

They weren’t even granted a name.

But the Supreme Being wasn’t unhappy about that.

They didn’t need a name since they were simply the only Supreme Being.

If there’s one Supreme Being in the world, there’s no reason to use a name.

However, they also understood there was another reason for the lack of a name.

They were merely the physical form for the Heavenly Demon’s spirit to reside in.

There was no need to bestow something luxurious like a name.

When they realized that fact, the Supreme Being fell into despair.

But not anymore.

For the first time in their life, they felt the pain of being scolded.

And they also recognized the kind hand that gently stroked their head for the very first time.

They heard the mercy saying they would be forgiven.

The genuine smile that arose from deep within, the genuine joy that was directed toward them, was clear enough that even when they shut their eyes, they could vividly recall it.

It was just the love that parents bestow upon their children.

That’s right.

Just because someone irresponsibly created a body and dumped it into the world doesn’t make them a parent.

A parent’s qualification lay within that love.

Age, beauty, and even gender were irrelevant; a man was called a father, and a woman was called a mother.

But still, one thing was left.

The most precious gift a parent could give to a child.

One that the Supreme Being hadn’t yet acquired. A name.

Since they said to behave kindly, they would do so.

When they meet again, that promise would finally bring them a name.

The Supreme Being gazed upon the elites of the Divine Sect.

They were audacious enough to be blabbering away, forgetting the presence of the Supreme Being.

Anger boiled within the Supreme Being.

That anger became power, unleashing dark demon energy.

The Supreme Being was a martial artist, and all they did was self-impose a seal to suppress their abilities for the sake of the Heavenly Demon.

Now that the Dantian was broken, the seal lifted as well.

The entry into the realm of the Heavenly Demon.

With that understanding, despite the shattered Dantian, they managed to stick it back together as best as they could, resulting in a mere ragged patch job that somehow allowed them to preserve their abilities.

It was a body prepared for the Heavenly Demon.

The miraculous elixir they had guzzled instead of food since childhood still flowed through their veins.

As long as the shape of the Dantian was maintained, restoration would only take time but wouldn’t be impossible.

The Supreme Being calmed their anger.

It wasn’t that hard.

Just recalling the smile lodged in their heart was enough.

Their mind and body stabilized, and their lips naturally loosened up.

“I’ll be a good child, just as you said.”

“My beloved.”

“Mother.”

The Supreme Being, aged forty-seven this year.

—-

Sometimes, a person can become aware of the workings of heaven and earth unconsciously when the lower Dantian opens.

They called it intuition or premonition.

Qing trembled all over.

Suddenly, a very unpleasant premonition hit.

“What’s going on? I just got a cold shiver down my spine?”

But no matter how much they thought about it, there really was no particular reason.

Qing was just chewing on that uneasy feeling.

And how could it be otherwise?

How would anyone suspect the fact that a father, an older sister, and now a grown son had just appeared?

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