Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 28

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 28
“A condition?”
Yi Ma-je regarded me with transparent eyes.
“First, there’s something I need to clarify before that.”
“What is it?”
“I am an exceedingly independent person. Even if I were to align with your intentions, I have no intention of involving myself in the succession dispute. If you came here expecting that, you’d be better off leaving now.”
Since I had no interest in the succession dispute anyway, I answered readily.
“I harbor no such expectations. Please state your condition.”
“Bring me the Solitary Herb.”
“The Solitary Herb?”
As Yi Ma-je nodded, a vague sensation stirred in my memory—as though I’d heard of it before.
‘The Solitary Herb… where have I heard that name?’
At that moment, Kang Hyun interjected in an alarmed tone.
“M-Master! How could you possibly… isn’t that far too dangerous?”
“Well, if everything I’ve said so far is true, it shouldn’t be such a difficult condition.”
“But…”
“Hear me out. Stand up first.”
Yi Ma-je rose from his seat without hesitation.
I then turned my gaze toward Kang Hyun, who looked flustered.
“Why are you making such a fuss about the Solitary Herb?”
“Because it’s that dangerous. The Solitary Herb only grows in this region.”
“So why the concern about an herb? Is it difficult to find?”
Kang Hyun shook his head.
“I know where it grows. The real problem is the creature that lives near the Solitary Herb—something called the Dokgak Wang.”
“If it’s called ‘wang,’ does that mean it’s a serpent?”
Kang Hyun spoke with great alarm.
“It’s no ordinary snake. It’s about thirty feet long, and its body is thicker than a log. Moreover, its scales are so hard that they barely get scratched—it’s practically a legendary water serpent, a true water serpent.”
“A water serpent? You’ve seen it yourself?”
Kang Hyun nodded.
“I once accompanied Master when he went to harvest the Solitary Herb. He said we needed to drive it away from a distance, so I threw a blade at it, but the creature just writhed and deflected it.”
“It didn’t even embed itself? How is that possible for such a creature?”
“That’s precisely the problem. Without inner energy channeled through the blade, I couldn’t generate proper force.”
“Inner energy won’t channel? What do you mean by that?”
Kang Hyun continued his explanation.
“The area around the Dokgak Wang’s habitat is shrouded in a thick, murky mist. When the creature sleeps, poison seeps from its body. Inhaling it disrupts the circulation of inner energy. It’s not lethal enough to cause permanent damage, and the effects fade quickly, but… it’s an extremely dangerous creature regardless.”
I found myself momentarily speechless, utterly taken aback.
So he was asking me to deal with some legendary water serpent and retrieve an herb?
‘And without inner energy at that?’
I could potentially avoid confrontation and simply search for the Solitary Herb to take it, but naturally, finding the herb would require thorough searching in all directions.
Would it even be possible to conduct a search while ignoring the obstruction in a shroud of thick, murky mist?
‘Damn it, there’s no way that’s possible.’
Kang Hyun spoke carefully.
“Young Master, forgive my presumption, but… it seems Master has indirectly refused you.”
Given the circumstances, his words rang true.
‘Then why set conditions at all? He could have simply refused outright.’
Could he be trying to make a fool of me?
He didn’t seem like such a petty man, but if my boasting about external cultivation while sporting such a frail physique had offended him, then perhaps.
External cultivation naturally becomes more apparent the more one trains. Yet anyone could see my body remained soft and weak.
‘Heh.’
Though the Demon Ring Altar had improved my condition, to someone with expertise in external cultivation, I was still nothing but a pitiful anchovy.
Perhaps in Yi Ma-je’s eyes, I appeared as someone merely spouting honeyed words to recruit him.
‘He must have found it rather grating.’
I exhaled sharply before asking Kang Hyun, “So what happened after you encountered Dokgak Wang? Did you give up and come back down?”
“You still intend to try?”
“I have to attempt it. This isn’t the time to be picky about details.”
Even the slimmest possibility had to be pursued. Only then could I hope to stop the Great Sect.
Whether he’d indirectly refused or not, he had set conditions, and if I fulfilled them, Yi Ma-je would be bound by his word.
“It doesn’t seem like it will help much.”
“Tell me anyway.”
Kang Hyun spoke with an awkward expression.
“Master approached the creature and beat it down with his fists, then strangled it unconscious. After that, I gathered medicinal herbs and dug them up.”
“But you said you couldn’t use inner energy.”
“As you’ve seen, Master can subdue even skilled experts without inner energy.”
“….”
His words weren’t wrong.
Forearms as thick as a man’s thigh and the raw strength radiating from every muscle in his body—few masters could withstand such power.
I rose from my seat, gauging whether such a feat was possible at my current level.
‘Either way, I need to train external cultivation.’
Kang Hyun asked, “Will you head to the Training Ground?”
“Yes, I need to condition my body.”
Fortunately—or perhaps inevitably—the ideal environment for external cultivation training was already available.
‘I’ll prove my words were no empty boast.’
I steeled my resolve as I opened the Main Gate and stepped outside.
* * *
As the sun dipped low beneath a deep crimson sky.
“He still hasn’t come today?”
Sa Ma-ryang muttered while circling the vast Main Hall.
More than a fortnight had passed since the Third Prince departed in search of Yi Ma-je.
Sa Ma-ryang muttered to himself as he looked around the spacious Main Hall.
More than two weeks have already passed since the Third Prince set out to find Yi Ma-je.
Though I was not a weak person and harbored no anxiety about my own capabilities, I could not help but feel a surge of concern that something might have happened.
Just as I turned toward the interior of the Quarters to check if he might be there, a delicate voice reached my ears.
“Oh? Physician! You’ve come again today?”
Yeon Hong, broom in hand, approached with a pleased expression.
Sa Ma-ryang responded with a gentle smile.
“Yes, I came by thinking you might not be here today. And I am no longer the Physician.”
“Ah, that’s right. It’s become such a habit that I can’t seem to break it. How is the Military Council work suiting you?”
“Suiting me? I’m not entirely sure. My mind feels rather scattered, if I’m honest.”
Yeon Hong observed Sa Ma-ryang, whose eyes bore dark shadows, and asked with concern.
“You look quite exhausted these days. Shouldn’t you be retiring early to rest?”
“That does seem necessary. I stopped by to check if he had returned, but it appears he hasn’t come back today either.”
Yeon Hong laughed silently without answering.
There was an air about her suggesting something pleasant had occurred, and she suddenly withdrew a piece of paper from her bosom and thrust it toward Sa Ma-ryang.
“A letter arrived this morning, as it happens. Read it at once.”
“What? A letter addressed to me?”
Yeon Hong nodded.
“…!”
Few people within the sect knew that I frequently visited the Third Young Master’s Residence.
Sa Ma-ryang, filled with anticipation, immediately began reading the letter.
It is I. I thought it would be good to meet and speak in person, but that is not possible, so I send this letter instead. Forgive the terrible handwriting. I have been doing nothing but metalwork day and night. Even now my arms are trembling so badly I feel I might die from it.
‘It must be the Young Master!’
But what could “metalwork” mean?
In any case, I managed to meet with Yi Ma-je and have a conversation, and he demands that I obtain Solitary Herb as a condition for his help. He is certainly not an easy man to deal with.
Sa Ma-ryang’s pupils trembled.
‘…Solitary Herb?’
Having worked at the Medical Authority, my knowledge of medicinal herbs was not merely extensive but overflowing.
I knew precisely what effect each herb produced, what ailments could result from improper consumption, and what dangers lurked in the harvesting process….
Among them, Solitary Herb was particularly problematic—a poisonous plant indeed.
‘There would certainly be a Dokgak Wang lurking there.’
The Dokgak Wang was a spiritual creature that dispersed a toxic miasma similar to that of the Mountain Poison Spider, suppressing inner energy. A brief exposure would be manageable, but prolonged exposure to the miasma could leave lasting aftereffects.
Therefore, harvesting Solitary Herb typically required the mobilization of at least ten masters.
Yet he had set that as a condition?
‘It may be called a condition, but is it not more akin to an impossible demand?’
Just as lamentation began to wash over me, the next sentence caught my eye.
I mention this lest you make a fuss over nothing, but I already possess the Solitary Herb. So there is no need for concern.
“What?!”
At my inadvertent exclamation, Yeon Hong startled and interjected.
“Why, why are you like that? You frightened me suddenly. Is something the matter?!”
Sa Ma-ryang shook his head.
“No, no. I was merely taken aback for a moment….”
The Solitude Herb was a medicinal plant that had grown nourished by the toxic qi of Dokgak Wang.
It possessed an exceptional effect in suppressing vital energy, and because of its great value as a medicinal ingredient, it frequently drew masters to harvest it.
But how on earth had the Young Master obtained it? Or rather, for what reason did he possess it?
‘Could it be…!’
When I first heard of it, I didn’t realize, but thinking back carefully, the grass growing beneath the Demon Ring Altar had been Solitude Herb. I hadn’t consumed it then and left it behind, but I never imagined it would prove helpful in this way. Perhaps people truly must live without greed after all.
Sa Ma-ryang felt as though his soul might depart his body.
‘Then… he consumed the Demon Ring Altar without the Solitude Herb?’
It was nearly impossible. At the Medical Authority, the Demon Ring Altar was something that required the Sect Leader himself, along with executives from each department, to undergo the refinement process.
Because its yang qi was so vast, they suppressed it as much as possible during refinement, and even then, integration was only possible when consumed together with the Solitude Herb.
‘And there would need to be a master present to regulate the true qi as well…’
He naturally assumed the Gwangmyeong Left Envoy must have provided assistance, which made him all the more bewildered.
Sa Ma-ryang, his eyes wide with astonishment, read the final passage of the letter.
I’m not sure how to wrap this up. Anyway, I’m doing well, so don’t worry. The food here is good too. You continue with your duties. Send my regards to Yeon Hong as well.
Sa Ma-ryang folded the letter and tucked it into his robe.
‘…In any case, he’s safe.’
That was fortunate, but why didn’t he return immediately, now that he possessed the Solitude Herb?
The fact that he had sent a letter at all suggested he would be staying at Unam Peak for some time.
Sa Ma-ryang pondered briefly before dismissing his doubts.
‘He must have his reasons.’
Since a letter alone couldn’t reveal the full circumstances, it was right to fulfill his duties as the Young Master had instructed.
“It was from the Young Master, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, he says he’s doing well and safe.”
“Oh! That’s a relief. Did he mention when he might return?”
Sa Ma-ryang nodded.
“He made no such mention. It seems his journey abroad will be rather prolonged.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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