The Double Agent of the Heavenly Demon Sect

I looked at the woman walking ahead of me. 

Her steps made no sound, and from behind, she seemed almost like a faint shadow.

I recognized the technique. It was something I couldn’t do yet since I couldn’t use internal energy. 

It was the footwork of the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art—Ghostly Step.

To keep up with her light steps, I had to give it my all.

“Where are we headed?”

“To your quarters.”

“My quarters?”

“Your place to stay.”

She answered all my questions. Though her voice was cool, reminiscent of the First Demon. 

Yet, her manner was entirely different. 

While the First Demon might be curt yet attentive, this woman seemed to have erected an impassable wall, giving off the distinct impression that she had zero interest in me.

“Here.”

Below a rocky crevice lay a so-called ‘quarters.’ The only furnishing was a piece of cloth—its source unknown. It lay on the ground.

She extinguished the torch and crawled into the cloth. Aside from that, the surroundings were desolate.

“In Devil’s Valley, there’s only one time per day when sunlight enters. It’s when we check for survivors, so make sure you’re in your quarters then. Skipping one day is fine, but if you miss two consecutive days, you’ll be marked as deceased. Even if you’re alive, someone else will be assigned here, and your place won’t exist. You’ll be trapped here forever.”

“And during the rest of the day…”

“That’s all I’ll tell you—your quarters’ location and roll call time. Don’t use torches. Light is prohibited here. It was granted to you just this once, but personal use is forbidden. And don’t try to leave Devil’s Valley. They’ll kill you.”

Her gaze left me.

“Rest. You’re on your own.”

Settling herself, she fell asleep where she sat. Under the soft sound of her breathing, I rose, fiddling with my sword.

The Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art. I’d heard that one must master the first form to learn the Blood Art. 

Right now, this sword was merely decoration; my only true asset was hand-to-hand combat.

My stomach growled. I had brought nothing with me and had been thrown into Devil’s Valley completely unarmed.

For a moment, I thought about waking her, but dismissed it. Her presence itself was intimidating, and the thought crossed my mind that touching her might leave my arm shattered.

It probably wouldn’t be wise to wake her, nor was there any guarantee she would teach me anything even if she did. 

I’d already heard that most deaths here came from ‘allies.’

First things first: find the essentials—water and food. 

I couldn’t survive without those.

———

Devil’s Valley.

Inside this dark valley, light barely reached, leaving most of it unseen. Yet it wasn’t entirely shrouded in darkness. 

Dimly glowing stones lined parts of the path, barely lighting the way back to quarters.

The rest was obscured.

I sensed the presence of others nearby. 

Occasionally, figures in black clothing would pass by, exchanging glances but no words. 

The bloodlust was palpable, so strong it could be felt through their garments.

I kept silent, sensing that any casual greeting would likely end with a hand cut off. 

Even without being particularly perceptive, I could feel it.

They saw each other as competitors.

Why, though?

Then sunlight shone in, briefly illuminating the entire valley and revealing the shapes of everything. 

I watched as the light brushed past me in my quarters.

“Number Twenty-Nine, Number Thirty. Survival confirmed.”

Someone brushed past, noting something on a piece of paper. I was Thirty, so the woman beside me must be Twenty-Nine.

The numbers on our backs were the only markers that divided us. She rubbed her eyes and got up. Just as I was about to speak to her, she vanished with a swift motion.

The Ghostly Step was elusive, making it look as if she simply disappeared from where she stood. 

Perhaps the darkness amplified the effect, making her movement seem even more surreal.

Holding my empty stomach, I rose as well. Since she had moved, it was likely safe for me to do the same.

One day.

I had no intention of wasting the day that was given to me.

The moment the roll call ended, I followed the others who dashed into the darkness. 

Although I couldn’t see much, I could vaguely make out shapes, and occasionally, something brushed against my fingertips.

My first priority was to adapt to the darkness. 

I strained my eyes, trying to pierce through it. When that failed, I resorted to relying on the sensations at my fingertips.

As I fumbled my way forward, I heard mocking laughter directed at me.

“Pathetic creature.”

“He can’t use internal energy, can’t even see in the dark.”

“He’ll starve to death in three days.”

Following their taunts, I attempted to summon my inner energy. But I failed immediately, as the resistance from the Endless Tribulation sent a wave of agonizing pain through me.

I choked on a scream but quickly got back up.

That’s fine. I’d confirmed what I couldn’t do, so there was no need to make the same mistake again.

I heard someone passing by and turned toward the sound, cautiously feeling my way forward. Something brushed my forehead, and I flinched. 

After a moment, I realized it was a plant leaf.

“… Is anyone there?”

I sensed hesitation nearby, as if someone was glaring at me, then moving away. 

Several similar encounters followed, some even threatening me.

“This is mine. Come closer, and I’ll kill you.”

“… What’s there?”

“I don’t warn twice.”

No one gave a clear answer. In the end, I had to survive on my own.

I felt around the ground. My hand brushed against something damp, which I took back to the faintly glowing stones to examine. It was moss.

My meal on the first night was this strange moss. It tasted odd and smelled rancid, but I had no other choice.

Chewing on the moss, I thought of the Heavenly Demon.

How long would I need to stay here to become like her?

I encouraged myself. I’d found one thing today; tomorrow, I could aim to find two.

I would keep moving forward, avoiding despair.

This was different from merely enduring day by day. Now, I was living by my own will.

———-

Number Twenty-Nine pulled her cloth around her.

A piece of fabric that provided minimal warmth; it wasn’t particularly useful, but it was better than nothing. 

It didn’t just keep out the cold—having something wrapped around her could suppress the memories that rose from deep within.

Once she got out of here, she would cover herself with a warmer blanket, one that would chase away all the cold.

Twenty-Nine glanced to the side. The other half of the sleeping area was empty. 

Roll call would be soon, yet Number Thirty hadn’t returned.

He was weak from the beginning. She hadn’t sensed any internal energy from him, and his steps had been unsteady.

Perhaps, unable to bear the hunger, he had ventured deep into Devil’s Valley. 

That area was a living hell for beginners. He was likely poisoned or feverish, possibly even dead by now.

Twenty-Nine turned away, unconcerned with his fate. 

In Devil’s Valley, where the Blood Demon Corps resided, no one paid attention to others. It was hard enough to take care of oneself.

To survive, one had to grow stronger, which meant venturing deeper into the valley.

The only way to break this wretched cycle was to consume stronger prey and grow stronger.

“…”

If there is a living hell, surely it would be this place. 

Number Twenty-Nine fiddled with her wrist, wishing for the next mission to arrive quickly. 

Only then could she escape this wretched place, if only for a short while.

Take care of one thing, then the next, one by one. If she continued to persevere, she might eventually reach the end. 

Perhaps, one day, she could rise beyond the Blood Demon Corps to a place of comfort beyond this forsaken valley. A warm place where she wouldn’t have to eat raw snakes or beasts.

“…”

A light briefly flashed across her face. The person who recorded their survival status murmured in a monotone.

“Number Twenty-Nine, survival confirmed. Number Thirty, survival uncertain.”

After the roll call, Number Twenty-Nine got up. She had to train with her sword while also finding food and water. 

To drink, she had to search for small pools, and after a day, the hunted beasts would reek. 

With no proper ‘resources’ here, survival meant constant movement.

She ventured deeper to hunt beasts, knowing that as the eerie, dark atmosphere thickened, the creatures of Devil’s Valley grew stronger.

When all the beasts in Devil’s Valley that she could hunt for food disappeared… Maybe then she could escape.

Escape from this hell.

———-

After spending a full day in the darkness, I was able to grasp a few things.

There was a pool wherever I could hear water. Though I couldn’t confirm the quality, it allowed me to quench my thirst.

These pools seemed to have a constant flow, but there weren’t many. The pools closer to the shelters were mostly claimed by others. 

To survive, I would have to venture further inward, where strange presences brushed past me, whispering in the darkness.

There was something deeper in.

Instinctively, I chose to stay away from those sounds.

My sustenance consisted only of moss and water. Occasionally, I would hear the sounds of others eating nearby, but whenever I approached, I was only met with threatening voices.

There was limited food here, and it seemed insufficient to feed everyone. That was likely why everyone seemed on edge.

After wandering through the valley for a day, I realized I wasn’t the only one eating moss. 

Surprisingly, moss held enough nutrients. Though it was filled with impurities, it was digestible.

And then, there was the Endless Tribulation.

The moss seemed to trigger a reaction from the Endless Tribulation embedded in my body. It stirred, responding to the moss in my blood, filtering out impurities and expelling toxins.

The Endless Tribulation brought me pain but was also useful. While others groaned in pain after eating the moss, I felt no discomfort, as if it refused to tolerate any poison weaker than itself.

Realizing I could consume large amounts of moss without any ill effects, I focused on one thing while inside Devil’s Valley: training the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art.

In a secluded area, I practiced my punches, kicked against trees and leaped up occasionally. 

I also steadily practiced the Ghostly Step technique, and I never missed the daily roll call.

Number Twenty-Nine looked at me with an odd expression, as if she was seeing a dead man return to life.

But I paid no attention, focusing solely on what I could do.

I began to feel the power building in my punches, and I grew more accustomed to the searing pain that wracked my body. 

Even though I hadn’t cultivated my internal energy, I didn’t give up. I hung from branches, training my senses to adapt to the darkness around me.

Bit by bit, the shapes within Devil’s Valley became clearer. Even without internal energy, my vision adapted to penetrate the shadows, providing me with more information.

Two months passed.

A short time, yet long enough.

As usual, I was hanging from a tree branch, training my abdominal muscles, when I suddenly felt a terrible pain deep inside my body. 

After falling from the branch and rolling for a while, I was finally able to let out a sigh of relief from the lingering pain.

What was that?

I wondered briefly.

I was able to see something black, undulating within me.

“… Ah!”

The Endless Tribulation.

It had finally taken root deep within my body. Like black tree roots, it spread through my entire blood vessels, causing me excruciating pain while also giving me a gift.

A small, undulating lump of blood.

It took more than two months since reaching Devil’s Valley, but through the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art, I was finally able to accumulate my internal energy.