[Chapter 6]
I woke up early in the morning, packed all my belongings, and spoke to my father.
"We should head back now."
"Where do you think I'm going? Since you came out to hunt with the Heavenly Demon, we should at least catch a tiger before we leave."
It wasn't just about that. It meant that he didn't find the time spent with me unpleasant.
"That's a relief."
"What is?"
"I made preparations for the second day as well."
"Stop talking nonsense and lead the way."
"Yes."
My father and I went deeper into the forest.
How long did we walk like that?
My father spoke to me again.
"Close your eyes again."
"Yes."
"The target is a hundred jang to the right."
It was farther than last time.
"This time, feel the wind."
"I can feel it."
Again, he told me something I had never heard in my entire life.
"Channel your energy into the wind."
Since I had started learning martial arts, I had never once thought about channeling my energy into the wind. No one had ever told me to do so. No martial arts manual had ever mentioned such a thing.
The thrill of new learning surged through my body.
Of course, knowing something and being able to execute it were completely different matters.
"First, emit your energy."
Cautiously, like when I was searching for the wild boar yesterday, I emitted my energy.
"If you're this slow and cautious, it's just a petty trick. To use it in real combat, you must extend your energy to the end as quickly as possible."
But it wasn't easy to channel my energy into the wind. I could feel both the wind and my energy, but how was I supposed to combine these two separate entities?
Moreover, the wind my father spoke of wasn't the gusty wind. He was referring to the flow of air around us. I had to find the air currents flowing directly in front of me and channel my energy into them.
Even after fumbling for a long time, my father said nothing. He neither gave me any guidance nor urged me to hurry. He just stood there with his hands behind his back, looking at the distant mountains.
Why do people see someone's life in their back? From my father's back, I should have felt the strength of an absolute being, but instead, I felt loneliness and desolation.
"Not bad."
"Pardon?"
At that moment, the energy I emitted suddenly cut off a hundred jang to the right.
'What! When did my energy reach that far?'
Staring blankly at my father's back, I must have subconsciously channeled my energy into the wind. Since I had gained considerable insight from my previous life, what seemed difficult was achieved effortlessly.
"I did it without realizing it."
My father stared at me with a somewhat agitated look. Whether it was coincidence or luck, it wasn't something that could happen so easily.
Soon, my father spoke as if it was no big deal.
"It doesn't matter. That bastard has run far away anyway."
As the sun began to create dusk, we encountered the guy we had missed earlier.
"It's that bastard from before!"
I had no idea, but it must have been so since my father said it. After all, I couldn't see him. It was amazing how my father could accurately identify the size and aura of something in the distance.
"He's 150 jang away. Use the wind to find him."
I tried again to send out my energy, attempting to carry it on the wind.
Given that I had succeeded thoughtlessly earlier, it wasn't too difficult for my level. Ultimately, it was a matter of the mind.
I tried this way and that way.
Then I suddenly realized.
I had only been trying to place my energy onto the wind. That was the problem. The act of trying to place it intentionally.
I sent my energy along with the wind. As if walking side by side with a friend, I sent my energy with the feeling of mingling with the wind.
Flying as separate energies, my energy and the wind's energy began to intertwine like two dragons wrapping around each other.
'Ah! This is it!'
I understood that carrying the energy on the wind was not like a person riding a horse, but rather intertwining with it.
Ssssssssst.
My energy, carried by the wind, swiftly reached 150 jang away.
The moment I confirmed what it was, a loud tiger's roar erupted from afar. I flinched, and the energy I had sent out was abruptly cut off.
"It really was a tiger!"
I was surprised by the tiger, and my father was surprised by me. Perhaps he hadn't expected me to master his teaching so quickly.
Father, this is just the beginning. I would like to stroll leisurely along the lakeside with you, but we must ride the current. We need to ride the rapids and plunge down the waterfall. The enemy we must face might, at this very moment, be braving a typhoon alone in the middle of a distant sea. Father, please send me to the sea.
"Do not neglect your training in sending out your energy. The more you increase the count, the longer your life will be."
"Yes, I will keep that in mind."
I will produce more than you, Father. I must do so.
"This time, close your eyes and feel my energy."
I closed my eyes and sent out my energy to feel my father's energy.
Just as my prayer found the tiger, I felt my father's prayer.
Slowly. Very slowly.
I carefully examined the energy spread around my father, one by one.
My mouth slowly opened.
"Father? What is this?"
My father stood in the middle of a spider's web. Dozens of threads extended from him in all directions. These energies stretched so far that I couldn't even begin to explore them.
If anyone tried to approach my father secretly, they would have to avoid that spider web, which was absolutely impossible.
That Hwa Moogi guy defeated a father who had reached this level? How on earth?
Although I didn't want to, I couldn't help but be amazed by him once again.
* * *
That night.
"This is my trump card."
What I took out from the pouch was liquor. It was my father's favorite liquor.
I took out a clean, well-packaged glass and filled it with the liquor.
"Good."
"It's too strong for me."
In fact, I liked and could handle alcohol well. Throughout my life, whenever I struggled to find materials for the Great Regression Technique, I had a drink, and it had become quite a habit. I had no intention of bragging about my drinking capacity to my father, so I simply said it was strong. If we drank all night, my father would be the first to collapse.
"No warrior complains about strong liquor."
"What does it matter if I can't handle alcohol? Better a poison in the heart than in the drink."
"Poison in the heart?"
My father asked with a sneer at the mention of 'poison in the heart.'
"Could you kill me to save yourself?"
After a brief pause, I answered.
"No. How could a child kill their parent?"
Honestly, this was also a lie. If there were sufficient reasons, I could kill my father. Today was the first time we had a proper conversation; how could he be more precious than my life?
This time, I asked.
"Could you kill me, Father?"
"If that becomes a question to ponder, you should never speak of poison in the heart."
I felt it in my father's eyes. He could kill me without a moment's hesitation.
"Then I should learn to handle the drink."
After drinking, my father looked at me with a strange expression as I grimaced from the strength of the liquor.
That night, I sat alone practicing the Qi projection my father had taught me.
'This is fun.'
Now I could quite quickly send my Qi riding the wind far away.
My energy roamed around, exploring the pitch-black darkness. This activity was immensely thrilling.
'This is a tree, and there is a rock below it….'
I even felt the movement of small insects crawling around.
I sent my energy to another place again. The more I trained, the faster the Qi moved.
As my Qi quickly scoured the surroundings, it suddenly stopped. It had passed through something unfamiliar.
'What is that?'
I pulled my Qi back and sent it through that area again.
But the strange energy from earlier was gone.
I opened my eyes and stared at that spot. In the darkness, I couldn't sense anything.
'What was that? There was definitely something there.'
At that moment, I noticed my father lying down and looking at me.
"Weren't you sleeping?"
"Why were you staring over there?"
"I felt something over there. I'm not sure what it was."
My father looked at me with startled eyes before turning to face the other way.
"Let's sleep."
"Yes."
I lay down with the campfire between us.
'What could that have been?'
Judging by my father's reaction, he seemed to know something….
"!"
Suddenly, I realized.
'Hui! It's Uncle Hui!'
I had sensed my father's bodyguard, Hui, in stealth. When I tried to feel it again the second time, he must have moved away.
Understanding this sent a thrill through my entire body.
Two days ago, I wouldn't have been able to detect his presence at all. Of course, Hui wasn't trying his hardest to hide, but just recognizing his basic stealth was a significant improvement.
If I continued my training and could emit dozens of strands of Qi simultaneously like my father, any stealth technique would become useless. There would be no need to search; I would simply detect everything here, there, and everywhere.
Maybe because I had been drinking clumsily, I couldn't fall asleep easily that night.
When I was tired from searching for Great Regression Technique materials, I would drink, often gazing at the stars in the night sky. The stars that had shared my loneliness were still shining unchangingly today.
My father also seemed unable to sleep.
I couldn't be sure of his thoughts, but perhaps he felt a surge of emotions seeing how quickly I absorbed martial arts, like paper absorbing water.
"Among the Demon Supremes, whom do you trust the most, Father?"
I didn't particularly expect an answer, but my father responded.
"Why do you ask?"
The day our family was annihilated.
Hwa Moogi ravaged Heavenly Demon Pavilion.
Heavenly Demon Pavilion.
A place guarded like a fortress by three formations of Qimen, six mechanical formations, and carefully selected warriors.
Surrounding Heavenly Demon Pavilion in eight directions, the Eight Demon Supremes and their followers protected the Heavenly Demon.
To the north, the demonic swords of the Northern Heavens Sword Family, led by the One-Slash Sword Supreme.
To the south, the blade ghosts of the Southern Heavens Blade Family, led by the Heavenly Blood Blade Demon.
To the east, the iron fists of the Eastern Fist Faction, led by the Unbeatable Fist Demon.
To the west, the ghost sorcerers of the Western Illusion Formation, led by the Soul-Stealing Demon.
To the northeast, the faceless swordsmen who aspired to be like the Evil Smiling Demon.
To the southeast, the drunkards reveling with the Great Drunken Demon.
To the southwest, the poison fangs researching all kinds of toxins with the Poison King.
To the northwest, the mad monks fanatically following the Demonic Buddha's beliefs of deluding the world.
At that time, I thought the enemy had broken in from the outside.
But that wasn't the case.
Later, I found out that the exterior had never been breached. It was certain that someone among the Eight Demon Supremes had brought Hwa Moogi into the inner sanctum where Heavenly Demon Pavilion was located.
The traitor could have been one or more. While it was never revealed who the traitor was, it didn't matter.
I considered all of the Eight Demon Supremes to be traitors.
After my father's death, the choice of the Eight Demon Supremes was to seal off the gates, not seek revenge. Not one of them stepped forward to avenge him. If even one of the eight had taken a stand, I wouldn't feel this sense of betrayal.
Yes, I understand. Seeing Hwa Moogi standing over the corpse of the Heavenly Demon with his overwhelming prowess, none of you dared to seek revenge.
I understand, I really do.
So, you should understand too.
If I use all of you to my heart's content in the future, treating you as disposable tools, you should understand. Wouldn't that be fair?
"If I become the Heavenly Demon, I will take control of the Eight Demon Supremes and tighten their leashes."
"What?"
My father sprang up. The force of his movement made the surrounding grass stand up in unison. I quickly got up as well.
"Why?"
Since they are much farther away than you think, Father. You may know exactly where the tiger hiding a hundred jang away is, but you don't know how distant the hearts of those laughing right in front of you truly are.
Because I couldn't say this outright, I gave another reason.
"There is severe corruption related to them. Not only the people involved, but also those who ride on their coattails."
Father listened silently to my words, so I continued.
"Of course, we need to acknowledge their authority to run the Cult smoothly. But they have crossed the line."
At that time, there were several incidents and accidents related to the Eight Demon Supremes.
"Isn't it time to properly establish discipline?"
Father didn't say anything in response.
From his demeanor, I could guess his true feelings.
He shared my sentiments. He clearly had complaints about the Eight Demon Supremes. If not, he would have already scolded me harshly for my insolence in suggesting that we need to discipline them.
"Greedy ambitions will only lead to your legs being torn apart and your stomach bursting open."
"Haha, with a future as long as mine, that can't happen. I'll walk slowly and eat sparingly."
He didn't call it nonsense or blasphemy, but ambition.
I guessed Father's true feelings. The yet unsheathed blade of Father's heart was aligned with mine.
Don't worry, Father. I know them better than anyone.
I spent a long time returning to the Cult to find the final ingredient, Secret Demonic Soul. Since it was something that would happen in the distant future, I knew everything about the Eight Demon Supremes. I knew what kind of lives they led and what their ends would be.
'I will set them straight.'
Thus, the night passed with many thoughts as numerous as the stars in the night sky.