Four days after the Heavenly Demon departed. Naturally, the Black Alliance was thrown into shock.
The reason they had been able to unite as one was ultimately the Lord of the Black Alliance. It was his skill and strength that had drawn them together one by one.
And that very Lord of the Black Alliance had been thoroughly trounced by the Heavenly Demon.
Internal chaos and distrust were inevitable.
…And soon, that would spread to the entire martial world.
One could excuse Seomun Hwa-rin, who had no real affiliation, but even the Sword King—clan head of the Namgung Clan and one of the great pillars of the Orthodox Sects—had effectively been defeated by the Heavenly Demon.
What's more, even with those three attacking in concert, they hadn't managed to land a single meaningful blow. This was a rumor that couldn't be stopped even if one tried.
"Hoo."
I had intended to warn people of the Demonic Cult's danger and the Heavenly Demon's strength so they would be on guard in advance, but… I never imagined it would come to this.
As I kept letting out heavy sighs, Tang So-wol quietly approached and sat down beside me, patting my shoulder.
"Are you alright? Perhaps you should still be lying down…"
"Don't worry. I'm a bit tired, but it's nothing that serious."
As Tang So-wol said, I wasn't in a normal state right now. I had overexerted my Intent, and my internal energy had half-run wild.
Not to mention, I had even imitated someone else's technique and merged it into one.
Thanks to the body strengthened through Bone-Exchange Rebirth, only a few of my meridians were damaged, and even those had mostly healed by now.
But the Intent is the problem.
Unlike internal energy, its recovery speed is far too slow. Well, it was always on the slower side, but never to this extent.
It's likely that pushing myself too hard has slowed down the overall recovery.
Unlike internal energy, which has a clear standard in the amount of energy stored in the Dantian, Intent only requires concentration, a clear will, and a bit of sincerity to keep welling up from somewhere. I had wondered if there was no limit to it, only a difference in familiarity.
It turns out that very difference in familiarity was my limit.
After a few days of rest, the headache had subsided, but my head still felt foggy and dull.
Still, it's improving, however slowly, so given time, I should be fine.
Above all, once I've fully recovered, I'll be able to handle far more Intent than before.
"The sigh I just let out wasn't because of pain—it was because of the overwhelming sense of helplessness that came from reviewing the last battle."
"Ah."
The Heavenly Demon was strong even at this point in time. Too strong.
It hadn't even been five years since he reached the Ultimate Demon realm, and yet he already possessed such martial prowess.
Before the regression, I hadn't understood the nature of the Demonic Qi that blanketed the sky in that final moment. Now I do.
That Aura, created through the Heavenly Demon Divine Art… that colossal demonic form must have grown so vast that it dyed the heavens black.
Is that truly a martial level permitted to a human? In the first place, can a single person even harbor enough internal energy to condense it all into such an Aura?
It was a question that had plagued me every time I recalled the Heavenly Demon's martial level during my rest. But now, I think I finally understand the reason.
It might not be the case, but… there's a high probability that the Heavenly Demon also experienced a regression like mine, or something similar.
In the worst case, it might not have happened just once or twice. When I think about it that way, everything falls into place.
Overwhelming martial level?
Just as I grew quickly up to the Transcendent Peak as long as I had enough internal energy, perhaps the Heavenly Demon merely recovered his previous martial level at a rapid pace and then stepped beyond it.
The Demonic Cult's schemes, deeply rooted throughout the Central Plains?
How could the Demonic Cult, holed up in Xinjiang, obtain that kind of information and execute a perfect scheme without being discovered elsewhere? He must have prepared it knowing the answers because he'd experienced it once before.
Absorbing an opponent's martial art on first sight, developing it further, and turning it back on them?
Of course, talent plays a part. But even with the Heavenly Martial Body, something that insane is impossible.
But if it wasn't something he was seeing for the first time—if it was a martial art whose weaknesses he already knew from seeing and experiencing it several times, and he was simply bringing it out slowly so as not to arouse suspicion—then everything made sense.
The voice transmission he'd left me right before he departed.
"The heavens no longer watch over us, but their gifts and their shackles remain."
"Sword Demon. You and I are no different."
A whisper meant only for my ears. At first glance, it sounded like empty rambling, but… I understood.
When one wants to convey something without triggering the seal, this is the only way to speak.
It was absurd that even someone of the Heavenly Demon's caliber couldn't escape the seal, but when I considered what "heavens" he was referring to, it wasn't hard to accept.
Especially when I pieced together what I'd heard at the Shaolin Temple and the facts I'd learned at the Zhongnan Sect.
I could guess that phenomena similar to regression had been rare in the past, and that while they weren't openly announced, quite a few people knew of their existence.
Back then, I'd thought they were either the power left behind by immortals whose very existence was now uncertain, or something brought about by several great Taoists or sorcerers joining forces.
But since the Heavenly Demon directly mentioned the heavens, which of the two it was had become clear.
It was, as expected, the power left behind by divine beings akin to immortals or Buddhas.
The problem was that, according to the Heavenly Demon, they no longer watched over this land. Yet the power and restrictions they'd left behind remained.
In other words, there was no one who could undo the seal placed on me.
Since even the Heavenly Demon couldn't undo it, it probably wasn't the kind of seal that could be broken through sheer force.
My head was already aching from the Heavenly Demon's incomprehensible strength, but when my thoughts reached the possibility that he might be a regressor like me, and that perhaps the seal couldn't be undone at all, all I could do was sigh.
"Haah…"
"Hmm. He said it wasn't painful, but he still looks very tired."
"Oh dear. With Tang So-wol right here in front of me, have I really been sighing that much?"
"Hehe. You can show me your weak side as much as you like. No, actually, I prefer it that way. It's a side only I get to see."
"I'd rather show you only my impressive side."
"Oh my? You don't know anything, do you. I like the impressive young hero Cheon too, but… rather than someone who's only impressive, I actually prefer it when you show me this cute side of you sometimes."
"C-cute…?"
It wasn't the first time Tang So-wol had called me cute, but no matter how many times I heard it, it never stopped feeling strange.
Tang So-wol giggled, hiding her mouth behind her sleeve as she watched me make a bewildered face.
"This matter is certainly no ordinary affair. The Demonic Cult, desperate to devour martial artists, harboring such a monstrous master—that alone is a great matter. And though I don't know the exact circumstances, the one called Heavenly Demon seems to have some connection to young hero Cheon, and the face of the Orthodox Sects has been collectively humiliated—every one of these is a great matter, is it not?"
"That's right. It's going to get noisy for a while."
"But what's on young hero Cheon's mind right now isn't any of that complicated talk, is it? You're troubled because the gap between you and that Heavenly Demon fellow—whom you must one day defeat—seems so vast it's almost hopeless."
"Right."
"It's fine. From what I can see, young hero Cheon is no pushover either. Even if things are hard now, given time, young hero Cheon will surely grow stronger. That's why I'm not all that worried about the current situation."
"…"
It was a moment of unconditional trust that left me at a loss for words.
Still, I couldn't help but tilt my head slightly at what she said next.
"So how could the young hero Cheon, who's been moping around with his tail between his legs, not look adorable? If this is the only side of him I get to see, I have to drink it all in before I grow tired of it."
"…I've never moped."
All I did was stare blankly at the sky and let out a few sighs.
Slandering me as naturally as breathing. I pinched Tang So-wol's cheek and stretched it out for good measure.
"Heheh. You're welcome to touch a little more, you know?"
"…"
Tang So-wol offered her other cheek, still beaming from ear to ear.
In the end, I let go of her hands and gave both her cheeks a good squeeze before getting up from my seat. As always, I knew I could never beat Tang So-wol when it came to this sort of thing.
As I rose and began to lightly stretch my stiff body, Tang So-wol, who had been touching her own cheeks, asked.
"Heheh. Looks like you've got your energy back. Are you planning to stop by the training ground?"
"That's right. I should settle this matter with the Lord of the Black Alliance and the Sword King before I leave… but it seems the two of them are busy with the aftermath of this incident, so I'll have to stay a while longer. I can't just lie around the whole time."
"True enough. For us, it's enough to send a letter to Father, but the two of them are in positions of responsibility, so they must make some decisions now."
As Tang So-wol said, I could just pull myself together and be done with it, but the Lord of the Black Alliance and Namgung Dowi were the ones who had to decide how to lead the Black Alliance and the Namgung Clan with the monster called the Heavenly Demon before them.
As I nodded inwardly, Tang So-wol rose to follow and straightened my clothes, speaking in a soft voice.
"This time, I only watched young hero Cheon and Sister Hwa-rin fight… but next time, it will be different."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. To be honest, I wasn't just standing still during the last battle either. I tried to secretly apply various poisons, but I was caught every time, and all the poison energy was burned away by the Aura."
"That was a dangerous thing to do."
"Well, wasn't being there at all already dangerous? Just because my opponent is stronger than me doesn't mean I can stand there with my mouth hanging open."
No. Most Martial Artists did stand there with their mouths hanging open, merely watching the battle between Harmony Realm experts.
To be precise, they had no choice but to do so. The moment anyone tried to make even the slightest move, the Heavenly Demon's Aura—or sometimes the crushing pressure of the Heavenly Demon's Dominating Step—bore down on the entire surrounding area.
It wasn't that they did nothing; it was closer to saying they couldn't do anything at all.
Tang So-wol, at least, could attempt something since she only needed to release poison without having to approach and swing a weapon herself.
Tang So-wol, having neatly straightened my collar, patted the area around her collarbone with a satisfied expression.
"Demonic Qi really is a peculiar energy. The Aura forged from Demonic Qi goes without saying. …So, I'm currently researching a poison that disperses Demonic Qi, like the Scattered Energy Poison."
"Huh?"
"From what I can see, your close-combat skills are incredible, but your main strength seems to lie in the Force Qi Skill. If we could scatter that Demonic Qi, wouldn't it become much easier to deal with you?"
"That's…true."
"My current poison is something I created by reverse-absorbing the poison of the Poison Demon, which can poison even an absolute master of the Harmony Realm. It should work on the Heavenly Demon to some extent. Of course, that's not enough for me to take him down alone, so I'll need the young hero Cheon's help."
"…Right. I'm well aware of that as well."
That was also the reason why, before the regression, Tang So-hwal had survived to the very end and fought against the Heavenly Demon.
Her poison works even on the Heavenly Demon, whose martial level touches the heavens. That was why, on a battlefield where everyone else was dropping dead, Tang So-wol alone was kept alive and sent fleeing.
In fact, at the very last moment, the Heavenly Demon's hand that had deflected Tang So-wol's Intent poison was slowly eaten away by the poison energy.
Perhaps the reason the Demonic Cult had tried to kill Tang So-wol when she was merely a Murim Debut was… because they were wary that her poison could affect the Heavenly Demon himself.
Tang So-wol wore her characteristic sly smile, but deep within those dark green eyes burned a small flame.
I let out a hollow laugh at that flame, wondering why I hadn't seen it until now, and nodded.
"I believe you. Just as you trust me, Tang So-wol, I believe you'll pull it off."
"Oh my? Suddenly saying such sweet things. You said you were heading to the training ground, but are you trying to seduce me instead?"
"What the…"
"But it didn't work! I've already fallen completely under young hero Cheon's spell, so it had no effect at all!"
"…"
Tang So-wol was thoroughly enjoying herself, beating her own drum and dancing to her own tune. As if returning what I had given her, she grabbed both of my cheeks, stretched them out to the sides for a moment, then let go and spoke.
"Ah, even if it's after you've finished warming up at the training ground, would you please go visit Hwa-rin unni?"
"Hm?"
"It seems Hwa-rin unni was quite shaken too. Rather than my comfort, young hero Cheon's comfort would be more effective, wouldn't it?"
"I'm not particularly gifted at comforting others."
"Just sitting quietly by her side would be more than enough."
Tang So-wol stopped there and began patting my back, as if urging me to go.
"Now, now. For the sake of peace in the household, won't you put in a little more effort, young hero Cheon?"
"?"
I flinched at her unexpected choice of words, but pushed along by Tang So-wol's insistent pats, I ended up stepping outside without ever asking what she meant.
…What was that about, really.