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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon Secret Vault
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Heavenly Demon Secret Vault.
A peerless vault that only a Heavenly Demon or a demonic person who has rendered a great feat may enter.
The Heavenly Demon Secret Vault, where it was rumored that all of the world's divine weapons, elixirs, and divine arts were kept, was a world apart for not only demonic persons but also for the martial artists of the martial world.
Located deep within Snow-Capped Peak, it was largely divided into four sections.
First Floor. Armory.
Second Basement Floor. Elixir Vault.
Third Basement Floor. Martial Arts Library.
And the lowest floor, Heavenly Demon Cave.
The Armory, Elixir Vault, and Martial Arts Library were all places so difficult to enter that one couldn't even dream of stepping inside unless they had rendered a considerable feat.
It was a place packed with priceless treasures, peerless elixirs, and martial arts manuals that would make the eyes of martial artists who roamed the rivers and lakes pop out.
However, none of them could compare to the Heavenly Demon Cave on the lowest floor.
The criteria for entry were entirely different.
Heavenly Demon Cave.
Located on the lowest floor of the Heavenly Demon Secret Vault, this was a place that only the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult could enter.
Within that vast cavern, only nineteen martial arts manuals were arranged in a single line.
And their identities were none other than the famous ultimate techniques of the successive Heavenly Demons, the divine arts they had recorded one by one before their deaths.
Those who first laid eyes on that sight would all be swept up in excitement and hurriedly unfold the manuals.
However, they would soon stick out their tongues in dismay and close the books.
The reason they gave up was simple.
'It's extremely difficult to understand.'
A Heavenly Demon, by nature, is a peerless figure from ancient to modern times who can ascend to that position only under special circumstances.
Therefore, most of them possessed an unparalleled understanding of the martial arts and somewhat arrogant personalities.
They would never have sincerely left behind their martial arts for future generations, even if they were begged to record them.
They wouldn't even have dreamed of creating diagrams.
Moreover, not only did they scribble down the vital points with illegible scrawl, but they also laid out explanations that only they themselves could understand, making it difficult to decipher even if one read the manuals thoroughly.
Furthermore, those who managed to decipher the characters could never fully grasp the vast depths of each divine art.
"Well, all of that was none of my business anyway."
In his previous life, Hyeok Mu-rin had no other choice.
The only advantage he had was that he could freely enter the Heavenly Demon Secret Vault, so he spent most of his time in the Heavenly Demon Cave to comprehend the martial arts of the past Heavenly Demons.
Even so, he never fully mastered them, but he was able to understand a considerable number of the divine arts to a fairly deep degree.
"Among them, the one I need the most right now is...."
Hyeok Mu-rin's gaze turned to his hand.
[Purifying Soul Divine Demon Art]
The martial arts manual was covered in thick layers of dust, as if no human hand had touched it for hundreds of years.
"When I first saw it, I turned away from it too."
Setting aside its dilapidation, it was simply too thin.
It was so thin that it was less than a third, no, a ninth of the thickness of other martial arts manuals.
Could the profound mysteries of a supreme martial art really be contained in such a flimsy thickness?
It was only natural to be suspicious.
Furthermore, it was the only one among the nineteen Heavenly Demon's martial arts manuals that recorded a Heart Art.
A Heart Art is the center of a martial art, and unless something special happened, one would typically learn a single Heart Art in their youth and carry it with them until their death.
No one knew what side effects would occur if one operated more than two Heart Arts, so it was unlikely that Heavenly Demons who had already reached the highest realm would risk learning a new one.
'And most importantly, the identity of the Heavenly Demon who created this Heart Art was unclear.'
Since that was the only thing left behind, he had wondered who this person was and tried to find out.
However, after scouring through all the historical records like the Records of the Heavenly Demon or the Cult's True Records, he found nothing of substance.
How he became a Heavenly Demon, whether he was from one of the Seven Great Demonic Houses, or what martial arts he used.
Nothing was left.
The only things recorded were that he was the 11th Heavenly Demon and that he passed the position to the next Heavenly Demon just three days after his inauguration as the leader.
Whether he committed suicide, was assassinated, stepped down on his own, or went into seclusion, the circumstances were unknown.
'After checking that much, I myself wasn't too keen on it either.'
Was it necessary to read a Heart Art created by someone whose identity was unknown, and even risk danger for it?
He had his doubts, but sensing that his end was near, Hyeok Mu-rin, with the mindset of clutching at straws, unfolded the manual.
And the moment he fully understood the vital points written on the first page, Hyeok Mu-rin fell into a state of selflessness on the spot.
Samcheoncheonma.
He was a genius.
Not just a genius in the common sense of the word, but a true genius who could be counted on one's fingers even if you searched through all of history from ancient to modern times.
Purifying Soul Divine Demon Art.
What it meant was simple.
Empty the demonic energy.
And transform the body to contain the ultimate demon.
"This must be a Heart Art that only I, from the main教, can learn."
According to the teachings of the Purifying Soul Divine Demon Art, one had to empty all the demonic energy in their entire body.
It wasn't simply consuming it, but throwing it all away, as the name suggests, and the demonic energy emptied from the dantian could never be contained again.
It was an instruction to废废废废 all the demonic energy he had accumulated throughout his life.
It was a very simple content, but would there really be a demonic person who could carry out this order?
If it weren't for Hyeok Mu-rin, who was on the verge of death, not a single demonic person would be able to do such an act without going mad.
However, Hyeok Mu-rin, who had understood the Heart Art just before his death, knew.
The ultimate demon.
It had absolute value.
Enough value to be worth throwing away all the demonic energy he had built up over his lifetime.
"...."
Hyeok Mu-rin silently read the manual thoroughly.
Since he had already understood the Heart Art once, it didn't take long to read it again.
Soon after finishing it, he returned the manual to its place and turned his steps.
Since space was plentiful, he headed to a reasonably wide area and plopped down to sit in a lotus position.
Hyeok Mu-rin closed his eyes and focused his mind on his lower dantian.
He inhaled deeply into his lungs and then slowly exhaled a breath.
That exhaled breath was mixed with demonic energy.
"Hoo…."
It wasn't simply consuming the demonic energy, but draining it.
He breathed leisurely, like opening a water channel in a side path, and after focusing for an hour, he was able to expel all the demonic energy from his dantian without leaving a trace.
Having become a completely ordinary person's body with not a single drop of internal energy left, his body felt drastically heavier compared to before.
But he couldn't stop here.
Hyeok Mu-rin, who had condensed the demonic energy he had scattered around, purified the impure energy and gathered only the pure demonic energy, compressing it to the size of a grain of rice.
After the preparation was complete, he soon contemplated the meridians and eight pulses throughout his body and opened the Three Cavity Acupoints.
Having widely opened the Sea of Qi Acupoint, Central Dantian Acupoint, and Hundred Convergences Acupoint, he dispersed his mind to break through the blocked energy channels.
As he recited the vital points of the Purifying Soul Divine Demon Art while sweating cold sweat, the pulse twitched as if it would break through at any moment.
And in an instant, it felt as if all three points would break through simultaneously, as if fitting together like a puzzle.
However, that was all a phantom meant to deceive the Thousand Miles of Heaven and Earth.
Hyeok Mu-rin, who had been aiming for only one thing from the beginning, focused all his nerves on the Hundred Convergences Acupoint in an instant and thrust the condensed demonic energy in.
An agony that felt as if his head was tearing apart and his brain was being pierced rushed in.
That pain soon traveled downward, and a searing heat that felt as if his insides were burning flared up.
However, Hyeok Mu-rin, while trembling from the extreme pain, did not let his posture crumble in the slightest.
It was a critical juncture. If he stopped here, he would only die a dog's death.
All he had to do was trust himself and break through the Hundred Convergences Acupoint.
'Please… please, just let it break through once!'
Hyeok Mu-rin, gritting his teeth, poured in all his strength.
Then, at that moment, as black blood trickled down from his nose.
KWAAANG—!
Lightning struck, shaking the heavens and the earth.
Piercing the Sky.
It was a microscopic gap, smaller than the eye of a needle, but.
It was pierced.
As the energy of Defying Heaven pierced through Sky Spirit Opening and descended against the natural order.
Unlike other Heart Arts that build internal energy step by step from the lower dantian, the one that came from above passed through the upper dantian and headed for the middle dantian.
The formless energy that settled in the middle dantian soon melted into the dantian.
In an instant, a thick mist rose from Hyeok Mu-rin's body, which had reflected pure black for a moment.
"Hooo…."
Hyeok Mu-rin, who exhaled a faint breath, slowly opened his eyes.
He could feel it.
The activation of the Purifying Soul Divine Demon Art.
His body had transformed into the limbs of the ultimate demon.
Hyeok Mu-rin, observing himself, raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Once he left Snow-Capped Peak, Hyeok Mu-rin headed straight for the Heavenly Demon Palace.
As he was almost reaching the main palace, an old man entered his field of vision.
Blood Hand Strange Demon, Jang Wi.
The head of the New Source Jang Clan, which had served the Heavenly Demons for generations, and the current Left Guardian of the Heavenly Demon Cult, stood alone at the entrance of the Heavenly Demon Palace.
From the considerable amount of snow piled on his clothes, it seemed he had been waiting for quite some time.
"...."
Hyeok Mu-rin gazed at him with deep eyes for a moment before moving his steps.
"How much time has passed?"
In response to Hyeok Mu-rin's question as he approached, Jang Wi lowered his head.
"Fifteen days have passed since you gave the order."
Before heading to the Heavenly Demon Secret Vault.
Hyeok Mu-rin had given Jang Wi a task.
He had instructed him to stop by the Cheongcheonggeum Pavilion once a day and to find him if there was any important matter.
And currently, the fact that he was waiting at the entrance meant.
"It seems someone from the Cheon Clan has visited."
"Yes. Four days ago, I delivered a message to the Lord."
Jang Wi carefully pulled out a letter from his bosom.
As he offered it with both hands, Hyeok Mu-rin took it and untied the string.
He silently read the contents of the letter.
It was exactly what he had expected, so he didn't feel much excitement.
As he was checking the contents with a lukewarm expression, he felt Jang Wi's subtle gaze from the side.
"Are you curious about the contents?"
Hyeok Mu-rin asked bluntly, and Jang Wi, who had been silent for a moment, answered cautiously.
"Is it alright for me to know?"
"It's nothing special. They just want to see my face in their own front yard."
"Is that what the Elder said?"
"Yes."
At those words, Jang Wi nodded.
"I will prepare immediately. It has already been four days since I received the letter, so if I don't move quickly, the Elder's mind will be displeased…."
"There's no need for that."
Hyeok Mu-rin cut off Jang Wi's words abruptly.
And causing Three昧真火 to rise from his hand, he instantly turned the letter into a pile of ash.
"...!"
At the unbelievable sight, Jang Wi's eyes widened for a moment.
Hyeok Mu-rin, who flicked off the remaining ash in his hand, immediately turned his body.
"If there is business, they will come themselves."
After finishing his words, Hyeok Mu-rin impassively passed through the entrance and headed for the Heavenly Demon Palace.
There was not a trace of lingering attachment in his steps.
Having witnessed a scene he never expected in the slightest, all Jang Wi could do was stare blankly at the back of the Heavenly Demon.