Crunch.
A chewing sound was heard—as if something were being bitten into and swallowed.
A force had taken shape and was munching down on the blood demon's energy.
"What is this…?"
The red energy that had started from the ring enveloped his whole body, but the purple energy began to wrap around it from the outside, as if intending to consume all of the blood demon's energy.
'What the…?'
He looked at the energy with puzzled eyes.
Why was it acting like this all of a sudden?
This energy was definitely said to be the blood demon's…
Why would a divine being's energy harm its master?
Just as he was wondering—
Crunch—!!!
The energy continued to devour the blood demon's aura.
And when the red energy was completely gone—
Ssshhhh—!
"…..!"
His mind suddenly cleared, and he snapped to full awareness.
"…Ugh."
He staggered and grabbed his forehead.
"Damn…"
A wave of pain surged into his head, but at the same time, it felt like dark clouds were clearing, leaving him with a sharp mind.
And then—
"This bastard."
Rage surged.
"Hey."
He spoke to the lingering traces of red energy.
"What the hell did you do to me?"
"Hehehe…"
When he growled the question, the blood demon let out a low laugh.
"Ah, how unfortunate. It was a fine opportunity to obtain a good vessel…"
"You crazy bastard. I asked what you did to me."
As his mind cleared, his thoughts quickened.
Only then did he realize what had been wrong—
Or rather, why he hadn't realized something was wrong until now.
'Why did I come here?'
He had noticed something suspicious about the Taoist family, and yet he had still come.
Even if he had asked his father for arrangements, this was odd.
If he had known something was off, he wouldn't have come in this manner.
He wouldn't have been imprisoned underground in the first place.
A body no different from an ordinary human, unable to use his full power—
Knowing that, his decision to move made no sense.
And also—
Even if he set aside everything else, his obsession with the Taoist family's affairs had been bizarre.
He hadn't focused on the damaged state of his own body.
Even worse—
He had ignored Namgung Bia's situation.
He had focused solely on this matter, without even reacting to her appearance.
That was insane.
This was like—
Like he'd been brainwashed.
His thoughts had been consumed by an unnatural compulsion.
And what's more—he had an idea what this sensation was.
"It was you."
It was the blood demon's doing.
"You did something to me, didn't you?"
He asked, looking at the ring.
Another mocking laugh echoed.
"Hehehe… Ah… what a shame."
His brow furrowed at the voice.
"Because the vessel wasn't yet complete, it was such a rare opportunity… yet now, it's all ruined."
"When did you do this to me?"
Even as he asked, he already knew the answer.
"Was it when you gave me the ring?"
This suspicious ring…
Even though it was given by the blood demon, he had carried it without any suspicion.
Now that he thought about it—how could anything be more suspicious than that?
"More than anything, although your body was complete, you had only just awakened your divine level. It was a fragile vessel, easy to infiltrate."
So it was when he gave the ring.
"And then, by luck, Taechun acted recklessly, allowing you to enter the divine level…
but now you're interfering with me.
What have you done?"
Crunch—!
The purple energy that had been devouring the blood demon's aura seemed to growl at his words.
"This can't be. My pawns couldn't have failed."
The blood demon murmured, full of doubt—
But he didn't believe him.
Because he knew what kind of monster the blood demon was.
"If that's the case, I can't trust that egg either."
Whatever his true intentions were, the egg was clearly related to the blood demon.
Then—
Crack—!
The ring gave off a sound.
A thick crack appeared on its surface.
"So, time's already up?"
The blood demon clicked his tongue, staring at the ring.
"Until next time, then.
It won't be too long."
"You son of a—!"
Snap—!
Before he could even finish cursing, the blood demon's ring shattered completely and fell to the ground.
It broke as if it were nothing.
Grinding his teeth—
'Damn it.'
All this madness, it had been the blood demon's doing all along.
From the moment he received the ring.
Even though he had obtained divinity, he hadn't fully awakened, making him unstable.
That's when the blood demon invaded.
Even after he ascended, the gap wasn't fully closed, so it lingered.
A similar thing had happened in his previous life.
Back then, his grandfather had burned the blood demon's tricks to ash.
His body had been sealed, too—
Which meant the blood demon had found ideal conditions to act.
But even so—
Crunch.
He stomped on the broken ring's fragments.
The fact he had been played infuriated him more than anything.
'Damn it.'
Swallowing curses, he turned his gaze elsewhere.
Toward the energy coiling around his body—
Toward the purple egg.
"What the hell are you?"
It had devoured all the corrupted energy.
And now, it seemed to be absorbing its own power back—
Thump—thump—
He could hear the sound of a heartbeat in his ears.
What was that?
That reaction it had shown to the blood demon—what was that?
'He said it was the blood demon's energy.'
If the body and energy had been separated, then that must be the energy.
The source of his divinity.
Just like the blood demon left his heart in the North Sea, this must be similar.
He said that was the blood demon's power.
But—he felt the energy of Cheonma from it.
He had seen Cheonma raised by the Dark Night Palace Lord.
And that Dark Night Palace Lord—
Was the same as Do-cheol, the current head of the Taoist family.
Then—
That egg containing Cheonma's energy…
Could it be—
'Is Cheonma inside it?'
Cheonma. Could she be inside that egg?
You might say a human can't exist in an egg.
But Cheonma isn't human.
She isn't human.
Even in the Ten Thousand Realms, they had said—
Cheonma is a dragon.
'Considering how it reacted to my "Greed"…'
The ability to nullify and consume the power of dragons—
His Greed had attacked Cheonma, and she had reacted to it.
Then—
It wasn't because she was a dragon—
But because she was the power itself.
If the power had taken human form—
Then it made sense.
You might ask how a power could take human form.
But if you didn't think too hard about it, everything added up.
And that Dark Night Palace Lord…
Was the same as Do-cheol.
Then—
That egg that held Cheonma's energy…
Could she be in there?
He bit his lip at the thought.
Could it be—
Cheonma is inside?
You'd think a person can't be in an egg, but—
Cheonma isn't a person.
She's not human.
They said she's a dragon in the Ten Thousand Realms.
'And judging by how my Greed reacted to her…'
It tried to consume her and was repelled.
Then—
It wasn't because she was a dragon—
But because she was power itself.
Power in human form.
That made sense.
"…Cheonma is the blood demon's energy."
That's probably why they resonated.
'Then that egg is Cheonma's origin?'
She's going to be born from that?
Nurtured by the Taoists' power?
Then…
If the energy is Cheonma—
If the blood demon's power is Cheonma…
Then what about the body?
The body that once held that power?
The blood demon's physical form?
"…"
His gaze trembled as someone crossed his mind.
"No…"
He wanted to deny it.
"Damn it."
But the conclusion was forming, whether he liked it or not.
If Cheonma was the blood demon's energy—
Then he already knew what the body was.
A woman who looked exactly like Cheonma.
A monstrous physical talent.
A woman who had become the strongest in the world in an instant.
"…The Divine Sword."
Wi Seol-Ah.
The blood demon's body was Wi Seol-Ah.
"…"
His eyes halted, staring at his own trembling hand.
"…Ha."
This was real?
That Cheonma and Wi Seol-Ah were the blood demon's energy and body?
Then—
Is that why he called them daughters?
Not as a metaphor, but literally—
Because they were his vessels.
Split and divided vessels.
That's why he called Cheonma and Wi Seol-Ah his daughters.
"Hoo…"
Cold sweat ran down his back.
It felt like he had learned a truth he never wanted to know.
How could this be?
Why did it have to be Wi Seol-Ah?
The reason he had struggled so much—
To give her a better life than in their past one.
To create a world where she could smile.
Even if he had to be broken to make it happen.
He had wanted a different life this time.
But fate hadn't changed.
"…"
What a cruel world.
He was thirsty.
Parched.
His knees gave out and touched the ground.
"Ahh…"
He had to get a grip.
Put this truth aside for now.
Escape this place.
Think about what to do next—
That's what he told himself.
Logically, that made sense.
But—
"F**k."
Crack!
He ground his teeth.
Logic? What a joke.
Even in a situation like this, he had to be rational?
"Don't give me that bulls**t."
Smack!
He slammed his fist into the ground.
He was too angry to do anything.
Heat rose from his breath as he exhaled.
"Haa… ha…"
He had to get up somehow.
Even in rage, he had to act.
His rationality and his damned emotions were at war.
He struggled to maintain control.
Then—
Crack—crack—!!!
"…..!"
A loud sound came from beside him.
"What the…?"
He turned in surprise—
To the purple egg.
Then—
Crack! Crack—!!
"What…?"
The egg stopped emitting its heartbeat and began to break apart.
Tap!
Cracks rapidly spread all over it.
And from it—
Something emerged.
'…A hand?'
A pure white hand.
Undeniably human.