Chronicles of the Reincarnated Demon God

Chapter 3: My Lunch

Namgung Sanyeong crossed her legs and looked down coldly at Hyeong-sam, who was lying flat in front of her.

“Is this really all?”

“Y-yes, it is…!”

Hyeong-sam trembled under Namgung Sanyeong’s icy gaze, even though he had delivered everything Un-hwi had asked for. How much more fear did he have to endure today?

The task Un-hwi had assigned him was quite simple.

‘Bring me everything you have on the current state of the martial world. Especially things that focus beyond the Great Wall.’

“He never shown interest in the martial arts world, let alone the affairs of the Tang family. Why suddenly now?”

Namgung Sanyeong still vividly remembered Un-hwi’s behavior from earlier, when he had been in the middle of a beating and started spouting nonsense about her being an old hag and having bad breath.

Had he taken the wrong medicine overnight? Or had he suffered a head injury? He was like a completely different person.

Usually, he would have been crying and begging for forgiveness by now, but he was far too quiet today. Even the errand he had asked the butler to run was strangely out of character.

What was he planning to do with these scraps of paper? He wasn’t going to eat them, was he?

‘Could it be that he’s preparing to bare his teeth at the upcoming Clan Leader’s visit…?’

A certain assumption flashed through Namgung Sanyeong’s mind, but she quickly dismissed it.

No matter how much Un-hwi had changed, there were limits. The Un-hwi she had observed for the past sixteen years wasn’t cunning enough to come up with such a plan. He was so naive and foolish that even his father had given up on him long ago.

So, there must be something else going on.

‘Perhaps he’s found a new backer?’

Even in a branch family, factional disputes were inevitable.

There were quite a few family members who wanted to use Un-hwi in the race for the next Branch Clan Leader position.

“Um, Madam… What should I… do with these?”

Hyeong-sam watched Namgung Sanyeong’s expression carefully as he gathered up the documents and scrolls scattered on the floor.

‘There’s less than an hour left…!’

While facing Namgung Sanyeong, he was reminded of how terrifying she was, but the fear of Un-hwi that was ingrained in his heart hadn’t diminished at all—if anything, it had grown stronger.

“Stop making a fuss and take them with you. Try your best to win Un-hwi’s favor. However, as I strictly ordered, absolutely no food is to be brought in until he shows genuine signs of remorse.”

“Y-yes, I understand! I will follow your orders!”

Fearing that the orders might change, Hyeong-sam quickly gathered the documents and scurried out.

Namgung Sanyeong silently glared at his retreating back.

“Just in case… it might be good to throw out some bait. If someone is really trying to use Un-hwi for their schemes, they’ll take it immediately.”

Namgung Sanyeong had no intention of forgiving Un-hwi until he was clinging to her feet, crying and begging for his life.

* * *

In this household that I disliked in every way, there was only one thing I could look forward to.

The Dantian.

The Qihai acupoint. Something that didn’t exist in my original self.

“It’s small, but… properly cultivated.”

My trembling voice betrayed my excitement.

That’s how moved I was.

It was something I had only dreamed of.

—I want to learn Master’s sword.

That was the only wish I had ever held!

There’s something called the Divine Nine Celestial Sword Demon Techniques.

It refers to the absolute secret technique that combines nine sword skills that Master collected while wandering the world or created based on his enlightenment.

People often refer to it simply as the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon. It is so renowned that some even compare it to the Cult’s secret technique, the Asura’s Sky Shattering Dance.

I desperately wanted to master it with my own hands. I yearned to stand alongside my master, seeing the same world he did.

But the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon was ultimately a martial art based on the lower dantian.

Ultimately, it was a mere fantasy for me—a wish that could never come true.

“…but now it’s different.”

Although the Lower Dantian was very small and the meridians weren’t properly cultivated, such drawbacks could be overcome.

Being able to wield a sword.

Being able to train in the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon—was what mattered most to me.

…And.

“What if I add my original abilities to this?”

Martial arts and sorcery.

The possibility that I might be able to integrate these two worlds, which had been completely separate until now, was exhilarating.

It also meant the birth of a ‘Complete Being,’ (전인(全人)) which had only been passed down as a legend in the martial arts world.

In fact, I believed this was the only way I could face the hidden mastermind who had defeated Master and me.

No, I was certain of it.

They had been moving insidiously, deceiving the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the martial world for so long.

I couldn’t even imagine how many schemes were hidden.

Surely, there must be some kind of existence that surpassed even the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which was said to be at its peak in its thousand-year history.

However, there was one problem. The Tang Family’s Qi Tempering Technique ingrained in this body was ultimately a martial art of orthodox path, deeply incompatible with the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon.

As such, I needed a bridge to connect them.

“Let’s give it a try.”

I sat in a cross-legged position and closed my eyes.

As I sank my consciousness deep into my mind, an endless library of books appeared.

Whoosh!

—Demonic Sky Repository.

From a young age, my extremely developed Upper Dantian gave me perfect memory, allowing me to allocate specific areas within my mind as virtual spaces.

One of these spaces was this very archive, which only the Cult Leader and his successor were allowed to enter in the sect.

It was the ultimate repository of tens of thousands of secret manuals that the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had collected for over a thousand years, spanning both the Central Plains and beyond the Great Wall.

“Well, that’s a relief. There doesn’t seem to be as much lost as I thought… and most of what’s gone are things I didn’t use anyway. Phew!”

I had worried that a significant portion of my memories might have vanished during the Kalpa of the Primordial Spirit’s Wheel of Reincarnation, but fortunately, the damage seemed minimal.

As I scanned through the books, my eyes fixed on one.

Grin!

“Found it.”

—The Poison Dragon Heart Technique.

As I pulled out the book, a characteristic foul odor stung my nostrils. The poisonous scent left by the original owner on the book.

“Honestly, there’s no need to recreate this part. It’s inconvenient having to remember the ‘entire’ form.”

Of course, it’s just an illusion, so I could simply ignore it.

Ignoring the tingling sensation in my fingertips, I opened the book, and forgotten knowledge resurfaced naturally.

This was a fusion of poison technique and demonic art created by a poison master who had to flee from the Sichuan Tang Family to the Tianshan Mountain Range after being falsely accused.

This could certainly serve as the perfect bridge.

—Based on the Sichuan Tang Family’s pride, the Three Yang Return to Origin Technique, and incorporating the Hundred Poison Killing Steps of the Five Poison Sect and the Myriad Lily Demonic Art of the Beast Forest, the Poison Dragon Heart Technique was created solely to break through poisons and hidden weapons.

One could boldly claim it to be the ultimate technique for all poison masters.

“If I use this as a foundation to recultivate my body and prepare a base for learning the Heavenly Demonic Unrestrained Heart Method… it should be sufficient.”

The Poison Dragon Heart Technique doesn’t directly handle demonic energy but poison energy.

This means it can be practiced within the Tang Family without any issues.

Moreover, it’s also a demonic art with a high synergy. Who could resist that?

—However, cultivating the Poison Dragon Heart Technique is no easy feat. One must view their body not as flesh and blood but as a mere vessel for poison. This path is paved with thorns of agony.

Naturally, the convenience it offers comes at the cost of immense suffering.

Suffering so intense that it would make your teeth chatter.

But when have I ever feared such things?

The sooner I regained my past life’s strength, the better.

The sooner I can rush to Master’s side.

Thud!

After carefully examining the contents, I quietly closed the book. The knowledge and understanding remained vividly imprinted in my mind.

At the same time…

Throb!

My Lower Dantian throbbed, and for the first time, my internal energy moved.

It was an unfamiliar yet pleasant sensation for me.

* * *

The foundation of the Poison Dragon Heart Technique lies in body modification.

By regularly ingesting especially refined, extremely poisonous pills, the practitioner induced a state of constant poisoning in their body, and overcoming this state results in the strengthening of muscles and bones.

The ultimate goal of the Poison Dragon Heart Technique was to achieve the Poison Physique and Ten Thousand Poison Immunity.

“The problem is that I don’t have the materials to make the extreme poison pills.”

I couldn’t even leave this White Pavilion, and it was clear that Namgung Sanyeong wouldn’t provide any support.

However, this was a blessing in disguise.

For me, confinement was equivalent to closed-door training, and I could artificially create the extreme poison pills myself.

There was a shortcut to creating poison pills even more potent than any other, right before my eyes.

“How long are you going to glare at me like that, Martial Uncle? Your eyeballs might pop out at this rate.”

Across from the bed where I sat, Cheon Ha-jin was pointing at me with his eyes burning red.

「You truly have gone mad! How dare you…! Do you think you’ll be safe after putting me, the Vice Sect Leader of the great Heavenly Demon Sect, in this state?!」

Of course, if Cheon Hajin is here, he wouldn’t be the only one upset.

「Release us, Young Lord!」

「Are you not afraid of our grudge?」

「Do you really think that you will remain safe after doing such a thing to the Demonic Dragon Sword? The First Heavenly Demon won’t stand for this!」

The elders and executives who had been swept away along with the Spirit Explosion Hellfire Ritual with me are clinging to me as vengeful spirits.

This started happening after I opened the Purple Demonic Eyes, which forced the Upper Dantian of “Tang Un-hwi” open, making these spirits visible to me.

This meant that the Eyes of the Dead had properly settled into this body.

「Young Lord!」

「Young Looorrrrrd!!」

They kept clamoring, these noisy old men. It was driving me crazy.

Thud!

As I lightly tapped the floor with my hand, their voices disappeared as if it were a lie.

I had crushed them all with a surge of spiritual power.

“If you were planning to kill me, you should have been prepared for this, shouldn’t you?”

I smiled coldly as I pulled my right hand inward.

The space blurred, and a mass of iron chains appeared.

Cheon Ha-jin and the elders were all dragged in helplessly, rolling pathetically on the floor.

Some of them were even on their knees, lamenting their wretched situation.

I was the Ghost King, to whom all lost souls and ghosts wandering the nine heavens respected and feared.

In other words, anyone who dies by my hand, regardless of whether they’re righteous or evil, is destined to become my slave.

“Do you want to be free?”

Clang, clang—

Every time I shook the chains, the old men’s gazes swayed in the same direction.

This is more amusing than I thought.

“If you stay like this, you’ll have to remain as ghosts forever without being able to reincarnate. You must be anxious, right?”

The elders pressed their lips into a thin line.

「How much longer are we going to let this insolent brat babble on? Before he tempts us again with his devilish tongue… Gaaaaah!!」

Cheon Ha-jin’s rambling was cut short as I yanked on the chains, dragging him to my feet.

Clang, clang—

「Let go! Let go of meee!」

No matter how much you struggle, it’s useless.

This chain, made from divine steel that I and my master painstakingly forged over three years, was called the Soul Sealing Chain.

As it was a spiritual artifact and a form of sorcery, it was bound to my soul, allowing me to use it anytime like this.

In life, they might have been respected and revered, but what could they do now that they were all dead?

「 I don’t know what you’re planning to do with me, but don’t think I’ll cooperate so easily-」

“No need. You don’t have to.”

「…What?」

With a gentle smile, I placed my hand on Cheon Ha-jin’s head and applied pressure.

Crack!

His head exploded.

There was no scream. Only the wailing of his soul remained.

Screech!

Crack, crack.

Without taking my eyes off the other elders, I crushed Cheon Ha-jin’s soul in my hand.

It took only a moment for the tall figure over six feet to shrink to the size of a fist.

「!!」

「!!」

「!!」

“Do you know what this is, gentlemen?”

I presented what used to be Cheon Ha-jin to the shocked elders.

“It’s called a Dead Soul Pill. It’s filled with the resentment and grudges of the dead, making it far more potent than most extreme poisons. Just a bite is enough to drive someone mad. But now-”

I swallowed it in one gulp.

Crunch, crunch!

Gulp!

“It’s my lunch.”

「!!」

「!!」

「!!」

What better poison could there be to train with the Poison Dragon’s Heart Technique?

Looking at the faces of the elders, which had grown even paler despite already being dead, I thought that conversing with them would be much easier than expected.

I’ve secured a good source of medicinal ingredients and made negotiations smoother.

Killing two birds with one stone? Not bad.