The Heavenly Demon had been showing me goodwill, openly and subtly, all this time.
But that would all come to an end now. Everything the Heavenly Demon had done until now had all been for today.
Yet I had refused the hand he extended. If so, the only thing left was to cross swords.
The one saving grace was that the Heavenly Demon of now wasn't quite at his prime.
The Heavenly Demon's prime, as I had seen in his memories, was far more overwhelming than what I had witnessed before the regression.
"So, I need to take him down as quickly as possible."
"Yeah. We also need to report what we've learned about the Heavenly Demon's identity this time, so let's hurry back."
Seol Ri-hyang rose to her feet, dusting off her backside. Her final remark made me flinch without my meaning to.
At first, I had thought it was simply a means for the Heavenly Demon to show me his memories—using Seol Ri-hyang, the father who had lost contact with her long ago, as a vessel.
All to draw me in, since I had been reducing my external activities while preparing to march on the Demonic Cult.
But the Heavenly Demon had undergone far more regressions than I had imagined, and had faced far more unexpected situations.
He must have anticipated, to some degree, that I would refuse his offer.
…If so, wouldn't he naturally have prepared something of his own?
It was at that moment the thought reached me.
KWAANG!
The explosion was loud enough to be heard clearly even in the room where the Haomun sect leader had boasted about the soundproofing.
"…Cheon Hwi."
"Yeah. I think you're right about what's going on."
I nodded to Seol Ri-hyang, whose expression had hardened, and opened the door.
Perhaps because we were deep within the pavilion, nothing immediately caught the eye…
"It's the smell of blood."
"Does the smell of blood really carry this far?"
"It shouldn't. Either a lot of people died out there—enough for blood to rise to the ankles—or someone used a special martial art."
There are a few things I can guess. From what I saw before the regression, it wasn't this powerful, but…
The blood scent spreading far and wide, along with the loud noise from a moment ago, pointed to one answer.
"Blood Burst Art."
"You mean the Blood Surge Art? The one that forcibly detonates your internal energy to unleash power beyond your limits, but with severe side effects that destroy your meridians?"
"No. It's the Blood Burst Art. It's a bit of a play on words, and while it does have its roots in the Blood Surge Art, it doesn't ignite your internal energy—it detonates the blood itself."
"Huh? Is that even possible?"
"It is, apparently. Though I wish I hadn't learned that."
Modern martial arts were built on the premise that internal energy accumulates in a fictional organ called the Dantian, and that this energy flows through fictional pathways called meridians.
But this was before martial arts had fully developed. Before even the Three Calamity Mental Cultivation Method had been established, people stored energy directly in their bodies, just like spirit beasts do.
They built internal energy directly in the heart, and circulated it through blood vessels instead of meridians.
Just as it's easier to wrap a sword in energy than to project it into the air, and easier to release it through a fist than to wrap it around a sword.
This method was far more powerful and easier to master than using the Dantian and meridians… but the problem was that even the slightest mistake could lead to instant death.
It wasn't a matter of Qi Deviation or suffering some internal injury from a shock—your internal organs would genuinely be torn to shreds.
That's why only records of it remain, a method that was abandoned long ago…
"The Blood Explosion Art actually does this."
"Why?"
"That's because it's a martial art that lets you die. No, it's a martial art built on the premise of dying."
The Blood Explosion Art turns that very instability into a weapon.
The moment the energy dissolved in blood runs wild and boils over, a massive explosion erupts, shattering the user and everything around them into pieces.
"What the hell is that… It sounds like a martial art made for self-destruction."
"You saw right."
Before the regression, the Demonic Cult's overall strength—excluding the Heavenly Demon—wasn't all that impressive.
Even in this cycle, with the Heavenly Demon personally raising that level, at best it would amount to the power of one or two great sects.
Yet before the regression, the word "war" still held true. We fought the Demonic Cult, not the Heavenly Demon. How was that possible? The answer is simple.
"Because the madmen of the Demonic Cult are willing to throw away their own lives at any moment for the sake of revenge."
No matter how talentless, no matter how old and past the point where one could easily learn martial arts, anyone could still build up their internal energy through sheer, mindless accumulation.
And wasn't the Demonic Cult overflowing with methods to increase one's internal energy?
Whether it was grinding up beasts, grinding up people who chose to become Spiritual Medicine instead of dying, or becoming the inner core of a Spirit Beast that the Heavenly Demon had slaughtered in secret long ago.
They might not know how to fight, but when it came to simply building internal energy, it could be done one way or another.
And if they detonated that accumulated internal energy, they could bring down even an opponent they never could have defeated otherwise.
Even if the price was their own death, there were many in the Demonic Cult who would step forward willingly, declaring that if they could take their enemy down with them, they would gladly do so.
By detonating internal energy at the Second-Rate level, one could inflict serious injury on a Peak Realm master—and with luck, even death. What a profitable trade that was.
"So… that loud noise just now, surely not?"
"One of the Demonic Cultists must have used a Blood Explosion Art to kill himself in front of Haomun."
Before the regression, the Blood Explosion Art had been just as troublesome to the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance as Sorcery, so I had done some research on it.
Thanks to that, I knew about such things… but it was all meaningless.
There was no way to stop a madman charging in to die except to be careful.
Seol Ri-hyang raised her internal energy and strode toward the direction of the sound.
"This… you prepared for this in advance, didn't you? In case you refused, Cheon Hwi."
"Given the Heavenly Demon's nature, there's a high probability that's exactly what happened."
"Then you must have prepared well enough to actually harm me."
"At the very least, it will be difficult to block with Haomun's level of strength. They may have excellent intelligence, but they're severely lacking in martial power and loyalty."
"There's no choice then. First, let's find Bing Yerin, then go help them."
"Hm? You mean you're going to help Haomun?"
Of course, she wouldn't have planned to just let things go as they were. But while defeating the invading Demonic Cultists could be the primary goal, he never expected her to say she'd help Haomun.
And that made sense—Seol Ri-hyang only had memories of being wronged by Haomun.
The man who nearly twisted her young life was a Haomun branch head, and even this time, being stabbed in the back by Seol Du-ho was, in a way, due to the Haomun leader's calculated kindness.
Yet despite all that, Seol Ri-hyang was actively trying to help Haomun…
"You talked with the Haomun leader—looks like the Black Alliance has been pressuring him so much that he's trying to trade you away for a better deal."
"Something like that."
"Well, if you're my subordinate, that makes you my subordinate too."
Seol Ri-hyang shrugged as if it were nothing. Today, she seemed truly dependable.
"…Well, it's just that if you slip up, you might end up like the Heavenly Demon, right? So I should bank as much goodwill as I can."
With that, Seol Ri-hyang smirked and continued.
"That way, you'll like me in the next life, and the one after that too, won't you?"
"Heh."
Just as my mouth fell open at the unexpected words, Seol Ri-hyang's eyes sharpened in an instant, and she suddenly reached her hand toward the ceiling.
Kwaaaa-!
A wave of cold energy surged from her palm. In an instant, the temperature of the entire area dropped, and the ceiling directly hit froze over in white.
Then, a figure in black robes, covered in white frost, fell limply to the ground.
Of course, it wasn't the insufferable Slaughter King—just a first-rate assassin with a decent martial level.
He was far below me, and even Seol Ri-hyang could handle him easily. It seemed he hadn't infiltrated to assassinate us, but for some other purpose, and had just been unlucky enough to cross paths with us and was holding his breath in hiding… Unfortunately, his stealth skills weren't enough to escape our notice.
"Just as I expected. But this confirms it—this is the work of the Demonic Cult."
"So you arrived right on time, as I expected."
Just as Seol Ri-hyang said that and opened the door leading outside, the muffled noises that had been barely audible suddenly regained their liveliness.
"Be careful! Those madmen seem to have explosives strapped to their bodies! If they think they're going to die, they'll blow themselves up!"
"Sect Leader! Where is the Sect Leader?! Even if he retreats, he's not the type to go alone!"
"I don't know! He's probably busy fighting too! He was with the guest, after all!"
They said they'd even applied a formation—so the soundproofing really was effective.
If that was the case, the loud noise I'd heard earlier must have been no ordinary explosion.
Bing Yerin and the Haomun Sect Leader were both martial artists who had reached the Transcendent Peak, so they weren't the kind to be easily taken down anywhere… but I couldn't deny that I was a bit worried.
I narrowed my eyes and studied the battle unfolding right before me.
The Haomun martial artists were shouting at the top of their lungs, veins bulging in their necks as they fought, while the Demonic Cultists charged in silence, radiating Demonic Qi.
Every single one of them had bloodshot eyes and grotesquely swollen veins—a clear sign they had trained in a martial art that drove their internal energy into a frenzy.
If they were pushed to the brink like that, with no way out, they'd probably blow themselves up with the Blood Explosion Art without a moment's hesitation.
Surprisingly, half of them were first-rate, and the other half had at least crossed the threshold into the realm of experts, even if only by the skin of their teeth.
I'd heard they'd forcibly raised the Demonic Cultists' level, but I hadn't expected it to be to this extent.
Well, of course. This was the Haomun's main headquarters, so the martial artists stationed here were hardly weak—there had to be a reason they were struggling this badly.
Not that it posed much of a problem for me, of course.
I nodded inwardly, drew my sword, and swung it without hesitation. Unlike the Slaughter King, this opponent didn't require me to focus my Intent, so I kept it light.
Swick.
The invisible sword strike shot straight out and cleaved most of the Demonic Cultists in two in an instant.
The only survivors were those who'd been lucky enough to cling close to the Haomun martial artists.
The Demonic Cultists, who'd been charging with murderous Aura as if they held a grudge against Haomun, and the Haomun martial artists barely holding their ground—all froze for a moment.
This time, Seol Ri-hyang stepped forward and lightly stirred her internal energy toward the remaining enemies.
"Ah—."
The cold that spread on her hum froze the remaining Demonic Cultists from their feet up. Only then did those who grasped the situation quickly activate their Blood Explosion Art.
Skin glowing a vivid red. The body swells to nearly twice its size, as if someone had blown air into it. Then, as if tearing apart from within, it scattered its contents in a massive explosion.
Kuuung—!
"Oof."
Blocked by the ice Seol Ri-hyang had wrapped up to her chin just moments before, the blast force erupted upward instead of in all directions.
Thud, thud.
The contents rained down a beat late. Though they were far enough away to avoid contact, it was a rather gruesome sight.
"Ugh. Disgusting. …And stronger than I expected."
"No, I'm more surprised that you blocked it so easily, Seol Ri-hyang."
No matter how versatile Seol Ri-hyang's martial art was—closer to a Force Qi Skill that could be utilized in countless ways—and how her cold energy was so extremely pure that its power was doubled…
Thinking about how I and others had struggled against it before my regression, it was almost laughable.
Noticing my gaze, Seol Ri-hyang shrugged her shoulders and spoke.
"You saw the Heavenly Demon Divine Art briefly, didn't you? I managed to copy a few moves that I thought I could pull off."
"…"
In my memories, Qi Sense didn't work properly. In other words, she had purely stolen some of its mysteries with nothing but her eyes.
As I stared at her, dumbfounded, she giggled and continued.
"I'm not as talented as you, Cheon Hwi, but I'm a bit of a genius myself."
"So that's how it is."
A hollow laugh escaped me at her words, which sounded like she was throwing my own words back at me.
***
Not long after, I found Bing Yerin and the Haomun sect leader.
The Demonic Cultists cornering the two of them were using a martial art that looked familiar.
"Blood Flame Death Cultivation?"
The Blood Flame Fist Demon, whom Seol Ri-hyang and I had taken down together. His disciples were burning down Haomun.
With flames far more ferocious than their master's.