Chapter 5: The Demon's Descent
After snapping his fingers, the illusionary world dissolved, and Ryujin found himself back inside the prison, returned to his natural size. The eye demon, still tiny, remained in his palm, its entire body no larger than a human head. The sudden transition was disorienting, but Ryujin's expression remained calm, his eyes gleaming with a hint of satisfaction.
Without a word, Ryujin stomped his right foot on the floor, the sound echoing through the cold, damp corridors of the prison. He flung his right hand backward, assuming a baseball pitcher's stance, his movements fluid and deliberate. The eye demon, realizing its fate, begged for mercy in a pleading tone, "Please spare me, spare me, please!" Its voice was laced with desperation, but Ryujin remained unfazed, his expression unyielding.
With a swift motion, Ryujin threw his right hand forward, propelling the eye demon toward the wall with incredible speed. The demon hit the wall and bounced off, careening toward another wall, and another, its tiny body ricocheting off the cold stone with alarming velocity. The sound of the demon's impacts echoed through the prison, a cacophony of crashes and screams.
As the demon bounced back toward Ryujin, he closed his palms together and stretched them forward, preparing to deliver the final blow. The eye demon's eye was wide open, frozen in terror, as it hurtled toward Ryujin's outstretched hand. Time seemed to slow down, the moment stretching out like rubber, as the demon's fate hung in the balance.
The impact was brutal, with blood splattering everywhere, accompanied by the eye demon's deafening scream. The sound was like a knife cutting through the air, leaving a trail of pain and suffering in its wake. Ryujin then turned to leave the cell, his expression unreadable, his eyes gleaming with a hint of satisfaction.
"Since you gave me a new skill, I won't kill you," Ryujin said, his voice devoid of emotion, "but I'll be back." He closed the prison door behind him, leaving the eye demon to nurse its wounds, its tiny body broken and battered.
The eye demon, still reeling from the pain, whispered to itself in a voice barely audible, "You're coming back?" The words were laced with fear, the demon's mind reeling with the implications of Ryujin's threat.
Meanwhile, Ryujin sat in the cultivation library, immersed in a book about illusion techniques. The library was a vast, cavernous space, filled with rows upon rows of ancient tomes and dusty scrolls. The air was thick with the scent of old parchment and forgotten knowledge.
"So this is illusion technique," Ryujin murmured, his eyes scanning the pages with intense interest. His mind was racing with the possibilities, his thoughts spinning with the implications of his newfound power. He was a man on a mission, driven by a hunger for knowledge and a thirst for power.
The Eye Technique Illustration Vision had two primary functions: controlling others or creating illusions. The practitioner could manipulate the actions of their target, causing them to fall under their control. Alternatively, the target might become entranced by an illusion created by the practitioner. However, this technique had its drawbacks. The practitioner required direct eye contact with the target, and the target's spiritual power level couldn't exceed that of the practitioner, lest the effects be greatly diminished or rendered ineffective.
Ryujin's eyes sparkled with excitement as he read about the technique's strengths and weaknesses. "Great!! This is a technique that grows with me," he exclaimed, feeling a sense of satisfaction wash over him. He closed the book, returned it to the shelf, and left the library, his mind racing with the possibilities.
As he walked out, Ryujin thought to himself, "With my current spiritual powers, using the technique against a Qi Gathering Realm warrior shouldn't be a problem. But I'd say it's much better suited against an Internal Energy Realm warrior." He felt a surge of confidence, knowing that he had a powerful tool at his disposal.
Martial arts were divided into five major realms: Qi Gathering Realm, Internal Energy Realm, True Energy Realm, Pure Energy Realm, and Innate Realm (Grandmaster). These five levels corresponded to the five levels of the Demon Hunter Department: Demon Hunter, Profound-Rank Demon Hunter, Yellow-Rank Demon Hunter, Earth-Rank Demon Hunter, and Heavenly-Rank Demon Hunter.
Each major martial art realm or rank was further divided into nine minor realms. Each realm had nine minor realms to evolve, known as the First to Ninth Heavens. Nine was considered the peak of each level; after reaching the Ninth Heaven, one could break through to the next level. Ryujin's mind reeled as he thought about the vast expanse of martial arts knowledge, the intricacies of each realm, and the limitless possibilities.
Ryujin pondered his current abilities, "Fighting against someone in the Internal Energy Realm, I might not have a chance of winning, since I'm roughly at the 3rd stage of Qi Gathering Realm. But at the same time, I have a system that has made me invisible among my peers. If I could spend a few days getting stronger or clear all three floors of the Demon Prison..." His thoughts trailed off as he lost himself in contemplation.
Lost in thought, Ryujin didn't notice someone calling out to him until he heard the voice again, "Hey, young man, come over here!" The voice came from a nearby prison cell, the words echoing through the cold, damp corridors.
Ryujin walked up to the cell, curiosity getting the better of him. "Why are you so proactive?" he asked, peering into the cell, his eyes adjusting to the dim light within.
Inside the cell was an old man wearing a ragged green robe. He leaned on a wooden stick for support, his frail body a testament to his advanced age. His face was gaunt, with sunken cheeks and few teeth, giving him a somewhat skeletal appearance. The old man's eyes, however, sparkled with a hint of mischief, a glint of cunning that belied his frail appearance.
"Aren't you here to collect materials for talismans?" the old man asked, his eyes glinting with a hint of knowing. He opened the chest area of his robe, revealing a hidden compartment within. "It seems that your Demon Hunter Department has been in a tight battle recently," he continued, his voice laced with a hint of curiosity.
Ryujin's eyes widened in surprise as the old man rummaged through his robe, his right hand disappearing into the left side of his garment. The old man's face scrunched up in concentration, as if he was searching for something hidden deep within his own body.
"I remember the last time you guys came to get the material was half a month ago," the old man said, his voice dripping with a hint of nostalgia. "I didn't expect you guys to run out so soon."
Ryujin's eyes snapped back to the old man, his face twisted in disgust. "What are you doing with your body, you old pervert?" he exclaimed, taking a step back.
As he watched, Ryujin realized that the old man was actually retrieving a broken tree bark from within his own body. The old man's eyes sparkled with amusement as he handed the tree bark to Ryujin.
Ryujin's face contorted in confusion. "Oh, so you're taking materials from your own body?" he asked, his voice laced with skepticism.
Without hesitation, Ryujin stretched his hand through the cell bars to collect the material. The old man's eyes widened in surprise, his mind racing with the thought that this young Demon Hunter was either incredibly brave or utterly foolish.
"Sticking your hand directly into the cell of a imprisoned demon?" the old man thought, his eyes fixed on Ryujin's outstretched hand.
"Wasn't it a gift for me to take?" Ryujin replied, his voice tinged with a hint of annoyance. "Are you giving me the damn thing or not?"
The old man's face broke into a wide smile as he handed the material to Ryujin. "Hehehe, what a sturdy figure," he thought, his eyes glinting with amusement.
Ryujin raised the material to his face, his eyes scanning it intently. "Isn't this just a tree bark?" he thought, his mind racing with questions. "Wasn't that old man talking about talismans?"
He brought the tree bark closer to his face, inhaling deeply. "Smells like paper talismans," he thought, his eyes narrowing in understanding.
"I see," Ryujin thought, his mind piecing together the clues. "The smell of paper talismans is all over the prison. That's why the Demon Prison was established. I'm guessing that old man was a tree demon."
Ryujin's eyes snapped back to the old man, who was watching him with an amused expression. "It seems like they come to collect materials for talismans every few days," Ryujin thought, his mind racing with the implications.