Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 64

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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 64
The Crimson Flame Pill traversed my throat and dissolved within my stomach.
The spiritual essence swiftly transformed into scorching heat, radiating throughout my entire body, and the surging thermal sensation felt decidedly unpleasant.
‘Interesting.’
Had I lacked resistance to heat, the intensity of this energy would have inflicted internal injuries without question.
Naturally, anticipation kindled within me. Such potency signified the pill contained an immense reservoir of yang essence.
‘I must concentrate.’
Whoooosh!
I sharpened my focus, determined not to waste a single spark scattered by the Crimson Flame Pill.
I recited the incantations of the Shadowless Divine Art, circulating my inner force repeatedly, and drew the spiritual essence into my dantian through controlled breathing.
Layer upon layer, I carefully stacked my energy atop the foundation I had painstakingly fortified until now.
The sensation of accumulating power felt far better than anticipated. While it could not compare to the Demon Ring Altar, it was undoubtedly a superior spiritual medicine.
Whoooosh! Whoooosh!
As I continued to build my inner force, I judged myself approaching the final stages.
Crack!
‘…!’
Suddenly, a sound like something shattering echoed through me.
‘What is happening?!’
Having never encountered such a phenomenon before, I could not discern whether this was an auspicious or ominous sign.
Hastily withdrawing my Shadowless Qi to examine my body, Cheon So-hyun realized the problem had erupted from an unexpected location.
‘Damn it… what now?’
Strangely, my dantian had become grotesquely distended, swollen as though it could accept nothing more.
‘Curse it!!’
The limitation of my incomplete dantian had revealed itself at precisely this moment.
There was no time for deliberation. Even now, the Crimson Flame Pill’s spiritual essence continued spreading from my stomach.
If this continued, my dantian would rupture, my abdomen would burst, and everything would shatter.
‘There is no choice.’
Unable to halt the process, I immediately began the heavenly circulation technique.
Whoooosh!
I expelled the Shadowless Qi occupying my dantian and replaced it with the spiritual essence from the Crimson Flame Pill.
After repeating this action several times, the distended dantian subsided, granting me a brief moment to catch my breath.
In that instant as I contemplated my next course of action.
CRASH!!
A crushing blow struck my solar plexus as though hammered by a sledge. The Shadowless Qi that had ascended to my crown descended like lightning back into my dantian, as if to correct my misunderstanding.
The Shadowless Qi burrowed into my dantian with the insistence of an unwelcome guest, intermingling with the spiritual essence and doubling the strain upon my dantian.
Crack! Pop!
Ominous sounds erupted repeatedly from my dantian.
‘Faster…! I must circulate my energy faster!’
I sharpened my focus and concentrated on my breathing technique.
I expelled the energy entrenched like an old resident and, without even a moment to welcome the returning Shadowless Qi, cast it out again.
‘Grrrraaaaahhh!!’
The meridians throughout my body blazed with searing heat, and a scorching pain as if my organs were being roasted alive began to surge.
Gag!
Bitter blood welled up in my throat, but I clenched my teeth and endured.
Thump! Thump!!
‘Damn it, this won’t work…!!’
Yet my dantian was now truly at its limit, releasing a precarious death rattle. Sensing it could rupture at any moment, I desperately forced my mind to settle.
‘Amitabha Buddha! Amitabha Buddha!’
The dantian showed no signs of calming whatsoever. This approach wouldn’t work. It was time to change methods.
‘To break through this crisis….’
The circulation of vital energy must never cease for even an instant, flowing in an unbroken, seamless loop like a ring.
It was a method I had never attempted, yet there was still a path forward. I knew the Buddhist internal cultivation technique suited for this.
‘Even if mastery is impossible, if I can only replicate its operational method….’
With no room to be selective, I decided to attempt it immediately.
From what I had confirmed thus far, the Spiritless Energy had no significant restrictions when applied in different forms.
The very fact that I could execute Buddhist martial techniques was thanks to this, after all.
Hoping this would work as well, I altered the pathway and circulated the Spiritless Energy.
應無所住 而生其心
Let the mind arise without dwelling anywhere.
It was the core mantra of Prajna’s great power—an ancient Buddhist teaching that one should not cling to any single place or attachment. I judged there was no more fitting intention than this.
I drew forth the Spiritless Energy and repeated the circulation, confirming as expected that there were no problems with its operation.
That was when it happened.
Boom!!
My heartbeat thundered like a drum, shaking my entire body. The blood flow changed explosively in proportion to that tremendous sound.
‘…!’
The circulation of my inner force accelerated, and the nature of my vital energy began to transform.
Absorbing spiritual essence and rotating upon rotation, the density of the Spiritless Energy grew ever denser. As it condensed through circulation, the quality of my energy was rising.
Finding a breakthrough, a path forward and an opportunity, I clenched my teeth so hard my gums ached.
‘Faster! Even faster!’
Crash! Bang!
The circulated energy plunged into my dantian, colliding repeatedly as it rotated within.
The impact was violent enough to make my consciousness reel, but I endured by reinforcing my body with the Gwangak Gyeol.
As a result, the energy soon traced a single circle, repeating its circulation with tremendous force.
And then, an unexpected transformation occurred.
Crack!
I heard something shatter and break free from within my dantian!
“…!”
This was different from the previous precarious sensation. Not from without, but from deeper within—a crack had formed in the wall of my dantian that had felt so solid and impenetrable.
Meanwhile.
‘W-what’s going wrong?!’
Kang Hyun gazed at Cheon So-hyun with eyes brimming with concern.
The young master, who had maintained a rigid expression while circulating his inner force, now bled profusely from his mouth, eyes, ears, and nose alike.
Fearing he would die from excessive hemorrhage before achieving his breakthrough, Kang Hyun turned his head away.
“M-Master, this is too much….”
But Yi Ma-je, standing across from him, shook his head firmly.
The Third Prince was experiencing a moment of supreme importance as a warrior.
The oppressive atmosphere and flowing blood revealed he was enduring an ordeal akin to death itself, yet he could not stop.
If he missed this opportunity, there was no guarantee when—or if—another would come.
Trusting his warrior’s instinct and waiting patiently, pristine white heat shimmer soon bloomed abundantly around Cheon So-hyun.
“…!”
Yi Ma-je and Kang Hyun immediately drew upon their inner force to shield their entire bodies against the scorching heat that seemed capable of melting flesh.
A flicker of surprise crossed Yi Ma-je’s eyes.
‘He has achieved the breakthrough.’
The heat emanating from the human body was almost unbelievable. It far exceeded the level the Third Prince normally displayed.
Soon the pristine white heat shimmer gradually darkened, eventually transforming into a pitch-black radiance.
‘The nature of his inner force has completely changed.’
At that same moment, Cheon So-hyun’s body convulsed violently.
Crack! Crunch!!
From his shoulders to his elbows, from his wrists to his fingers, and further still—his entire upper and lower body trembled continuously.
As if seized by convulsions, his entire frame shook while the sounds of bones dislocating and realigning echoed loudly throughout.
“What?!”
Kang Hyun’s eyes widened in shock.
“Isn’t his body gradually growing larger?”
“He is reshaping his vessel to match the nature of his inner force.”
The Third Prince’s inner force, which had been roiling like a volcano, had now settled into a tranquil lake. His body transformed and developed to withstand that radical change.
While it fell short of a complete metamorphosis, it was undoubtedly a remarkable achievement.
Flash!
Cheon So-hyun’s eyes snapped open, blazing with fierce light.
“Gasp! Huff! I thought I was dying….”
“Y-Young master! Are you alright?”
“Whoa! You startled me.”
As Kang Hyun approached, the startled Cheon So-hyun raised his hand defensively. His heightened senses had mistaken the shout beside his ear for something else, causing his hand to lash out reflexively.
“Huh? Why, why did you do that?”
“Phew, never mind.”
Cheon So-hyun exhaled hot breath as he rose to his feet.
He realized it would take considerable time to adapt to his heightened senses, so different from before.
Yi Ma-je smiled with satisfaction.
“It seems you have achieved a breakthrough after overcoming the ordeal. Your inner force has become far more refined.”
“Indeed. The Crimson Flame Pill’s effects are far superior to expected. I was beginning to wonder if gamblers were just boasting about it.”
“No matter how exceptional a spiritual elixir may be, it is difficult to see results without a body prepared to receive it. Your achievement was possible only because your regular training provided the foundation.”
It wasn’t an incorrect assessment, so Cheon So-hyun nodded. He glanced down at his own body.
Lifting his garments, I could see a frame that had grown noticeably thicker. It wasn’t merely muscle—the skeletal structure itself had transformed, expanding my physique.
Not only had the wounds left by Yu Baek’s assassin’s blade vanished, but even the miscellaneous sword scars had disappeared, and my height seemed to have increased by nearly an inch as well.
“Hehehehe.”
A natural laugh escaped me at the exhilarating thrill of such profound growth.
Seeing me laugh while blood stained my lips, Kang Hyun asked cautiously.
“Y-Your Highness… why do you look so frightening? You’re truly all right, aren’t you?”
“Of course. I’m fine. More than fine. Absolutely splendid.”
Just as I was smiling with satisfaction, a stench as foul as hell itself assaulted my nostrils. My entire body was marinated in blood, sweat, tears, and waste, while my yellowed garments hung in tatters.
As Yi Ma-je coughed dryly, Kang Hyun gestured toward the back.
“I’ve already prepared water. Let’s go wash up.”
* * *
“Ahhhh, now I feel like I’m truly alive again.”
After washing thoroughly, Cheon So-hyun drew up the Muyeong Qi.
The crimson flames dancing in my palm now bore a dark hue. The realm of the Muyeong Divine Art had transcended one hundred, finally reaching the Second Black stage.
Boom!
The sensation of Jin Gak striking the ground felt different from before, and the sonic boom of my thrust fist rang out with such intensity it assaulted the ears.
Yet despite the overall elevation of my martial prowess, Cheon So-hyun’s expression remained troubled.
“What is this?”
His face bore not achievement or satisfaction, but a deep and perplexing doubt.
Whoooooosh!
A crack had undoubtedly formed in the dantian during the absorption of the Demon Pill, yet the inner barrier remained steadfast. Despite all that turmoil, I had failed to resolve the flaw.
“Sigh… there’s no helping it.”
Cheon So-hyun exhaled deeply and shook his head.
It was an obstacle that absolutely had to be overcome, yet obsessing or agonizing over it would yield no solution. In any case, I had discovered changes and achieved growth, so I resolved to view it favorably.
Besides, there was a more pressing matter at hand.
‘What is this?’
The intricate and wondrous movements of the Muyeong Qi, the sensations that arose when encompassing the meridians, the flow that achieved perfect adaptability through circulation upon circulation—all of it felt familiar.
In other words, the Muyeong Qi was moving exactly like the meditation technique I had cultivated countless times in my past life.
‘The Buddhist meditation technique… and it’s even compatible with operating it alongside the Prajna Great Ability.’
The Prajna Great Ability.
The supreme technique of Shaolin Temple. At its pinnacle, it is said to drench the Realm in golden light and topple all that is wicked, yet it is a doctrine as obscure as its meaning.
It required considerable attainment, necessitating mastery from Shaolin’s foundational meditation methods to the martial arts of the elder’s distribution. Yet mysteriously, I could operate the Muyeong Divine Art in precisely such a manner.
‘Why?’
Boom!
Cheon So-hyun took a step forward and unfolded the Yeon Dae Gu Pum.
This technique required profound dharmic power, so previously a searing pain had risen from the lower body’s meridians as if they were burning away.
Boom!
But not now. The Yeon Dae Gu Pum unfolded smoothly, without pain.
Cheon So-hyun’s brow furrowed deeply. It was not merely similar—I had completely embodied even the essence of the Prajna Great Ability itself.
Was it mere coincidence, or had the sacred techniques of Shaolin somehow leaked into the Demonic Sect?
‘Enough.’
Wracking my brain alone would solve nothing. There was no need to ponder who held the answers.
Cheon So-hyun exhaled deeply and clenched his fists.
* * *
The next day, Cheon So-hyun lifted his head while wiping away sweat.
‘I never thought I’d return to this place.’
A colossal structure reminiscent of a sacred temple sprawled before me.
Its overwhelming scale, the mystical aura that permeated it, and the dozens of masters circling the grounds all testified that this was the Demonic Sect’s most secretive sanctuary.
The Cult Leader’s Hall.
“The Heavenly Demon descends! Ten Demons bow in reverence! We greet the Third Prince of the Divine Sect!”
“We greet the Third Prince!”
The guards stationed at the entrance cried out in unison and bowed deeply. By now the response had become routine, so Cheon So-hyun simply nodded perfunctorily.
Two attendants then grasped the handles of the massive iron doors and pulled them open.
CREAK!
The verdant iron doors scraped against the floor with an unpleasant screech, and Cheon So-hyun stepped into the silent, oppressive darkness.
Tap, tap.
As I advanced slowly across the crimson carpet and my gaze rose along the long staircase, I beheld the absolute sovereign of the Demonic Martial World—the Cult Leader, reclining upon the Throne Dais.
“You have come.”
His soft voice made my ears ring. I could instantly perceive that he had reached a realm where his inner force naturally infused every utterance.
Cheon So-hyun smiled with practiced ease and spoke.
“Yes, Father. Have you been well all this time?”

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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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