Chapter 1205: Scorched World

Hudududuk-.

The wall crumbled, fragments scattering like dust. They bounced off the ground with a tuk-tuk.

“Cough……”

Do-cheol, trapped inside, let out a pained groan.

“Cough……”

His painful, dry cough was mixed with blood. Immediately after, Do-cheol barely managed to break free, but…

Teolseok-!

His body gave out, and Do-cheol collapsed onto the ground.

“Keuhok…… Heo-eok……”

He gasped for breath, spitting out groans that showed how utterly exhausted he was.

Beyond his weary expression, Do-cheol looked ahead. The one who had reduced him to this state stood there.

“You are……”

A being who shouldn’t be here. A hulking figure clad in dark robes, hands clasped behind his back.

A monster with a shaggy beard, dense muscles, and an overwhelming presence.

One of the three Heaven Beyond Heaven experts existing in the Central Plains.

“……Pae-jon……”

“Oh my.”

At the words, the old man, Pae-jon, smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through his hair.

“My apologies. It wasn’t intentional, but things just turned out this way.”

Everyone was taken aback by Pae-jon, who had burst through the wall.

And among them, I was the most flustered.

“……Eoreusin?”

“Oh.”

Pae-jon’s gaze shifted towards me at my call. Seeing me, he lifted the corners of his mouth.

“So you were here. I had trouble finding you.”

“How did you…?”

How did Pae-jon end up here? He had disappeared, saying he had an engagement. I never imagined I’d see him here suddenly.

Moreover…

“You came looking for me?”

“Yes. Why don’t you stay put where you belong? Why are you wandering around so much? Thanks to you, this old man had to run around. Tsk tsk.”

“……How did you find me?”

Never mind finding me, how did you find this place? I asked, puzzled, and Pae-jon glanced somewhere.

There stood my father, clad in flames.

“I found him.”

“……?”

My father, pointed out, narrowed his eyes.

“I couldn’t sense your energy, but I could feel him emitting heat. Isn’t that strange?”

Tuk-tuk.

Pae-jon tapped the floor with his toes.

“Feeling heat in a place where there should be nothing. That’s why I came.”

“By breaking through the wall…?”

“What else am I supposed to do if there’s no entrance?”

Don’t people usually just not enter if there’s no entrance? The fact that he thought of digging through the floor and breaking down the wall because the entrance was invisible was absurd.

“Anyway.”

Pae-jon, who had been stretching, shifted his gaze. Towards Do-cheol, who was slowly getting up.

“What is that fellow?”

“Are you asking me?”

“You or him. Anyone answer.”

“……He’s the Head of the Do-ga.”

“Do-ga?”

Pae-jon mulled over the words. Do-ga… Do-ga…

“……Does such a place exist?”

He didn’t seem to know. That made sense. I didn’t know about it either.

“……Hoo-ooo……”

Do-cheol rose completely, watching Pae-jon. His face contorted in pain, suggesting the recent blow hurt quite a bit.

“A distinguished guest has arrived……”

Do-cheol wiped the blood from his lips and spoke to Pae-jon.

“I heard you were in Shanxi, but I never expected to meet you like this.”

“Are you the master of this place?”

“That’s correct. I am Do-cheol, the Head of the Do-ga.”

“Hmmph.”

Pae-jon scanned Do-cheol. I could sense it from his expression. A sense of strangeness. It seemed he sensed something peculiar about Do-cheol.

“What a peculiar body.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Something like that. I’m not easily surprised, but you’re quite unique.”

Tuduk.

Pae-jon casually stretched his fingers.

“So. What are you doing here with my useless disciple?”

“……Disciple. Was that rumor true?”

News of Pae-jon taking in a disciple had spread from Henan. It seemed Do-cheol had heard it too.

“It turned out that way somehow.”

“……Ha.”

Do-cheol’s eyes turned to me. His expression clearly showed slight awkwardness.

“Well, that aside……”

Tuk.

Pae-jon stopped flexing his fist.

“Emitting killing intent like that means you intend to fight, doesn’t it?”

He spoke with a smile. At that moment…

“……!”

My father and Do-cheol took a step back. They seemed to feel something chilling.

Killing intent? Do-cheol was emitting killing intent towards Pae-jon.

Even with demonic energy, how could he do that against someone like that?

As I pondered this question…

“……Heaven Beyond Heaven……”

Do-cheol murmured softly.

“There were times I dreamed of reaching your level.”

His voice was strangely delicate, as if recalling a distant past.

“When I realized my life couldn’t be like that, I was more heartbroken than anyone. But now, even that doesn’t matter anymore.”

Swoooooosh.

Demonic energy once again coiled around his body.

“We will reclaim our freedom. So, please, do not interfere.”

“……Interfere……”

Pae-jon tilted his head at Do-cheol’s words.

“I’m quite detached from such things. I’ll ask for now, but…”

Swoosh.

Pae-jon took a step forward.

“Does my useless disciple happen to be involved in this ‘freedom’ you seek?”

“……Are you perhaps referring to me as ‘useless’?”

“……”

“Why aren’t you answering, Mister? At least deny it.”

Instead of denying the term ‘useless’, Do-cheol wore an annoyed expression. That’s practically an admission, you idiot!

Pfft.

Seeing the reaction, Pae-jon chuckled.

“Freedom. Sounds good. I’m not the type to care about what others do, so I don’t mind if you happen to be from an unorthodox sect.”

Those are terrifying words. Even so, shouldn’t one be concerned if someone from a righteous sect turns out to be from an unorthodox one? I would have killed every last one of them if they were from an unorthodox sect.

“But.”

Swish. Pae-jon casually extended his fist.

“If that guy is involved in whatever ‘that’ is, then it’s a different story. Even though he’s not exactly someone I’m close to, he’s rather necessary from my perspective.”

“……So. You’re saying you can’t just let this go?”

“Would you just let it go if it were you?”

Pae-jon asked.

Do-cheol paused, then responded.

“I suppose not.”

That was the turning point.

Kwawagagagag–!!!

Black thorns sprouted from Do-cheol’s body. In countless numbers, no less. The thorns shot from Do-cheol’s body towards Pae-jon.

Kwaaaaaaa–!!

Such speed. With my current senses, it was too fast to track. This meant he had likely far surpassed Hwa-gyeong.

‘…Surpassing Hwa-gyeong…’

I thought it might pose a slight crisis for Pae-jon.

The difference in cultivation levels is like an overwhelming indicator, but…

‘…it’s different when one possesses demonic energy.’

Demonic energy has the property of weakening a martial artist’s body and blocking internal energy.

In a pinch, a Peak could face a Perfected Peak. And a Perfected Peak could face a Hwa-gyeong expert.

‘…In fact, a Peak could kill a Hwa-gyeong expert.’

In my past life, there were even anecdotes of Peak-level demonic cultivators killing Hwa-gyeong martial artists.

As such, demonic energy was a fatal poison to martial artists.

And yet, Pae-jon facing a demonic cultivator who far surpassed Hwa-gyeong?

‘This is dangerous?’

Isn’t that slightly dangerous? Such a worry crossed my mind.

So, I tried to call out to warn him about the danger of demonic energy, but…

“Eoreusin. That energy is dangerous…!”

Kwadeuk.

“……Isn’t it?”

Seeing what happened next, I had to shut my mouth.

Pae-jon shattered the demonic thorns with his fist. He broke them as easily as crushing tofu. They shouldn’t break that easily, should they?

Even though contact with skin should start weakening him. Pae-jon seemed completely unfazed.

What is this?

‘No way.’

I narrowed my eyes. Though I couldn’t see or feel it, I knew the move Pae-jon used.

‘Is it Mind’s Image?’

Mind’s Image Power.

The realm of Mind’s Image.

A supreme power that martial artists at Hwa-gyeong or higher could master.

It’s an energy based on the soul, enveloping the body like translucent Ki-force, used for offense and defense.

‘…Did he wrap his fist in Mind’s Image strength to defend?’

It seemed he blocked it not with internal energy, but by applying Mind’s Image itself. Even if it wasn’t perfectly effective…

…it was said that the power of Mind’s Image could counter demonic cultivators.

‘I see.’

I worried for nothing.

Mind’s Image could only be used by the very few among Hwa-gyeong+ experts who attained enlightenment.

And among them, Pae-jon was someone I didn’t need to worry about.

I forgot.

‘Pae-jon was the one who crushed so many demonic cultivators in my past life.’

The one who eliminated the most demonic cultivators.

While the Divine Sword killed the Heavenly Demon, it was Pae-jon who executed demonic cultivators.

His feats of collapsing mountains with a single step were still vivid in my memory.

But.

‘Now, he’s apparently even stronger than that.’

Pae-jon before his reversal of aging.

I couldn’t even guess how strong he was.

‘Moreover… it’s amazing that he instinctively realized and used this.’

I couldn’t even warn him it was dangerous, yet he defended with Mind’s Image before even hearing me. It’s absurd.

“……!”

Do-cheol also showed surprise. He tried to react belatedly, but…

…it was already too late.

“What a shame.”

Pae-jon surged right in front of Do-cheol. Even sound couldn’t possibly keep up with him.

Even when Do-cheol, realizing this, tried to move quickly…

…the domain was already in Pae-jon’s hands.

“This isn’t even worth playing with.”

Accompanied by his indifferent voice.

Pang-!!!

His fist burrowed into Do-cheol’s abdomen.

“Kkeo-……!”

Before the groan could even fully escape.

Kwareureureung–!!!

Do-cheol’s body burrowed into the wall again. The impact was entirely different from before.

Do-cheol, crashing through the wall, went limp.

“Hmph.”

Pae-jon snorted, looking at him.

“Are you alright?”

“……Ah, yes.”

I nodded at his question, looking at him. He really seemed like a crazy old man.