Soul-Draining Ghost Demon.
As his alias suggested, he was a man who had mastered the Soul-Draining Great Art.
He was one of the few Transcendent Peak martial artists in the Demonic Cult… and while he might not have been the strongest, he was known as the most troublesome opponent.
The reason was simple.
What I had experienced before my regression was a 'war' against the Demonic Cult.
It wasn't a duel between one or two people—it was a war where as few as a dozen, and as many as several hundred, martial artists killed and were killed.
Naturally, due to the nature of the martial art he had mastered, the Soul-Draining Ghost Demon, who could keep rampaging without tiring, was a figure to keep a close eye on.
Absorbing Energy Grand Art.
It was the Soul-Draining Ghost Demon's true martial art, and a Forbidden Art prohibited by both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Sects alike.
A martial art that absorbed the opponent's internal energy and made it one's own. Originally, it had begun as a supplementary Grand Ritual to perform the Body-Striking Art more stably.
But at some point, it was simplified and began to be abused, eventually becoming the martial art it was now—one that forcibly drained the opponent's internal energy, and in severe cases, even their Innate True Qi.
In truth, the history of the Absorbing Energy Grand Art didn't matter. What mattered was that, at first glance, it seemed like a martial art good enough to rival a divine art.
Weakening the opponent while easily growing stronger oneself—what a more ideal martial art could there be?
However, once one actually began to employ the Absorbing Energy Grand Art, one would discover that unexpected problems started to arise.
The purity or turbidity of internal energy was determined by how many impurities were mixed into it.
If the nature of the energy does not match, then no matter how well-refined the energy is, it is nothing more than an impurity.
Moreover, internal energy that has become turbid affects the Mental Cultivation Method and the practice of governing the mind, making one more susceptible to falling into Qi Deviation.
Even this alone would be a fatal side effect, but it does not end here.
The amount of internal energy.
Being able to rapidly increase one's internal energy is a good thing, but unlike the internal energy that grows in this way, the size of the Dantian itself does not expand along with it.
Normally, one would gradually expand the size of the Dantian through long-term training or enlightenment, or sometimes all at once in a single leap.
The amount of internal energy is also determined by the size of this Dantian.
But the Absorbing Energy Grand Art is a martial art that takes already-refined internal energy from outside and crams it directly into the Dantian, is it not?
If the increase is slight, the Dantian might expand to accommodate the added internal energy… but once it exceeds a certain threshold, it can no longer hold and shatters.
Having lost the vessel that is the Dantian, the rampaging internal energy would churn through the body like a bomb, inflicting deep internal injuries.
Even if one were lucky enough to survive, with the Dantian destroyed, one's life as a Martial Artist would be all but over.
A martial art that carries dangers as severe as its outstanding merits.
No one in their right mind would even consider learning it… but.
It is the way of every era. There are always those who fall into the baseless confidence of "I can do it! If it's me!"
Several arrogant individuals laid their hands on the Absorbing Energy Grand Art, but in the end, every single one of them went mad, triggered a Blood Calamity, and died miserably—only after this cycle repeated itself to the point of nausea did both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Sects finally acknowledge it as a Forbidden Art.
And so, the Murim Alliance and the Black Alliance joined forces to erase all traces of the Absorbing Energy Grand Art, and by persuading those who sought to learn it through various means, they managed to block it.
In the end, the Absorbing Energy Grand Art faded into obscurity amidst the attention of martial artists.
That was the case until an exception appeared—the Absorbing Energy Demon.
She brought out the Absorbing Energy Grand Art, which should have been forgotten, and even overcame its side effects in her own way.
Qi Deviation?
She was already a Demonic Cultist crazed with revenge. A mad person going mad once more doesn't produce any dramatic change.
A Dantian that might explode at any moment?
Whether it was the result of the Demonic Cult's Grand Ritual or the Absorbing Energy Demon's innate Constitution, her Meridians were abnormally sturdy.
Sturdy enough that she could pull off the insane act of absorbing and releasing internal energy simultaneously without a scratch.
If possible, I had to kill her right here.
With that intent in mind, I opened my mouth.
"That woman. Do you know she's a Demonic Cultist?"
"Oh my? What a nice man. Did you come all the way here just to tell me that?"
"Damn it."
Her Seductive Aura-laden gaze swept over me, and before I knew it, my hand had moved to my sword.
But the Lust Demon merely laughed it off as if she were used to such reactions and continued speaking.
"But I already know that much. I know, and yet I still let myself be fooled by the child of the Demonic Cult."
"…What?"
Something was off.
The Lust Demon let out a giggle at my flustered reaction, then slowly began to stroke the woman who had lost consciousness in her arms—the Soul-Devouring Demonic Maiden.
"I'm well aware that Danyul approached me from the start to bring me to the Demonic Cult."
"Then why… Surely you didn't actually believe the Demonic Cult could revive your yang essence?"
"Of course not. You're a Harmony Realm martial artist, so you should know well. Why a body that has undergone Bone-Exchange Rebirth has come to take its current form."
"Well. That's true enough."
I had emptied everything within me while fighting the Poison Demon. And so, a well had been bored through the center of my chest. I could see all the way to its bottom.
Tang So-wol planted the sweetest poison in the world into my empty well.
That is the reason my body, having undergone Bone-Exchange Rebirth, possesses Immunity to All Poisons.
Other Harmony Realm martial artists must also have their own reasons for being reborn into their current forms.
This may be difficult to explain in words, but it is not something one can fail to know about oneself.
After all, ascending to the Harmony Realm requires a process of fully facing and accepting oneself.
"I don't know what Grand Ritual the Demonic Cult is preparing, but it won't be able to bring my belongings back to life."
"If you know that, then why on earth…?"
"It's simple. I wasn't swayed by the Demonic Cult's proposal. I was merely pretending to be tempted in order to keep this child by my side."
"…"
I understood what he meant.
Unlike his reputation, the Lust Demon was said to favor women.
And while he continued to search for a way to bring his belongings back to life, he was well aware that it was realistically impossible.
Perhaps the Soul-Devouring Demon—no, the woman still called Danyul—was the reason he was circling around her like a fool, pretending to be deceived.
"So that courtesan is precious to you."
"It's a bit complicated to explain, but yes, something like that."
"And what if I said I must cut that woman down?"
"Not unless you get through my corpse first."
"Then I suppose there's no helping it."
The Lust Demon radiated a faint killing intent toward me. I shrugged at the sight of him and plopped right down on the ground.
"Hm?"
"Do you know why I came here?"
"Unless you're here to tell me that Yul is already a spy for the Demonic Cult… I haven't the faintest idea."
"Listen carefully. Soon, war will break out between the Demonic Cult and the Central Plains."
"I'd have thought the Demonic Cult always considered itself at war."
"Just as it's been all along, this won't be a matter of a few skirmishes before being driven off. The Central Plains martial world could be wiped out entirely, and even then, victory wouldn't be guaranteed."
"Aren't you exaggerating a bit too much?"
"It's no exaggeration. From what I can tell, you're not on the level of the Beggars' Sect or Haomun, but you seem to have some confidence in your information. Do you know that the Murim Alliance and the Black Alliance have recently been trying to join hands?"
"…So it was true?"
"Since you seem to have a rough idea, this will be quick."
I gave the Lust Demon a brief explanation of the Righteous-Unorthodox Alliance, the Heavenly Demon, and the reason I was going around on sparring matches.
The Lust Demon, who had been listening to my story blankly, let out a hollow laugh and nodded.
"That's absurd."
"But it's the truth."
"I suppose. It all matches the information I've gathered. …Why would you tell me all this for free?"
"There are two reasons."
"Hmm."
"First, because I was going to tell you everything anyway."
"True. After all, the goal is to make me more loyal to the Black Alliance, so I won't betray it when the time comes… or rather, so I can't. That makes sense."
"Correct. Second… because no matter how strong I am, this is something I can't solve with force."
"Tsk. That's not a very manly way of thinking. You might as well give it a try once—what's there to lose?"
"No. If I draw my sword, I will not only cut you down, Lust Demon, but I will also slay that woman, Danyul. I have no intention of leaving a Demonic Cultist alive… So tell me—will you still follow me, fearing death even after this?"
"…"
The Lust Demon stared at me in silence.
That's right. The core of this sparring match is taking the opponent's life as a hostage.
Most people value their own lives above all else, so they would willingly accept my proposal. Just like the One-Blade Asura.
But occasionally, there are those who hold something else more precious than their own lives.
Just as Tang So-wol, Seol Ri-hyang, and Seomun Hwa-rin are to me.
"For people like that, threatening their lives holds no meaning at all."
"…I did show that I took a liking to this child, but I don't recall ever saying she was more precious than my life."
"There's a way to know everything."
Before the regression. The war against the Demonic Cult was in full swing.
It was around the time word was slowly spreading about how the Heavenly Demon was an absurd monster, and how everyone who had defected to the Demonic Cult to survive had died.
The Lust Demon had crossed over to the Demonic Cult and died a meaningless death.
Until then, people had assumed he'd made the leap thinking that if the Heavenly Demon was such a formidable being, he might also know a way to cure him.
But the Lust Demon had already known full well that Dan-yul was a spy for the Demonic Cult, and that neither the cult nor anyone else could cure him.
The frantic search for a cure after reaching the Harmony Realm had been nothing more than desperate flailing.
Then why would he choose to defect to the Demonic Cult, where he could gain nothing he wanted and only risk death?
Nine times out of ten, it must have been because of Dan-yul.
There's no trace of the Life-Draining Art on the current Dan-yul.
That means Dan-yul managed to reach the Transcendent Peak within just ten years, and became so proficient in the Life-Draining Art that even the Demonic Cult considered him one of their most troublesome opponents.
The timing of when the Life-Draining Ghost Demon first appeared on the front lines. And when I consider the relationship between the Lust Demon and Dan-yul, I can form a reasonable guess.
The Lust Demon, persuaded by Dan-yul, walked into enemy territory claiming he would defect to the Demonic Cult.
And then he had all his internal energy drained by Dan-yul's Life-Draining Art, and died.
Isn't that a fairly plausible guess?
It stirs a complicated feeling I can't quite put into words, knowing that the Lust Demon—who had seduced countless men and ruined families, earning himself that very title—would ultimately lose his life because he was bewitched by a single woman.
But if he's truly so thoroughly bewitched that he'd give up his life for her, then nothing I say or threaten will make any difference.
That's why the Lust Demon's case is a problem that can't be solved with force.
"But if it's not just force—if it's the power of love—then that's different."
"What are you talking about…"
Perhaps sensing something, the Lust Demon pulled Dan-yul, who was cradled in his arms, even closer. It probably meant nothing.
"If you value Dan-yul's life, then cooperate with me."
"…?"
"I'll keep you locked up nice and safe, and once everything is over, I'll return him to you in one piece."
"…"
The Lust Demon mulled over my words for a moment before his expression twisted into a deep scowl.
"So in the end, it's a threat!"
"I haven't drawn my sword yet, so it's a negotiation."
I'm just that gentle of a person.