Chronicles of the Reincarnated Demon God - Chapter 21
Chapter 21 – Where Else?
Tssssst.
I released the Evil Ghost Battle Robe that had been enveloping me, and it disappeared in a blurry haze.
“Whew. That wasn’t easy.”
My first battle using both martial arts and the dark arts… I’d even had to take out the Evil Ghost Battle Robe.
Actual fights were very different from what I had imagined.
My inner energy from my lower dantian and my mystic power delivered from my upper dantian… wielding both of them simultaneously had not been easy at all.
It had turned out well because of the breadth of my innate consciousness. If not for that, the two energies would have fallen out of sync and I would have been in big trouble.
Of course, in the world of dark arts, I could be considered a genius among geniuses, the kind that might or might not be born every few hundred years. No, actually… I was a super genius who far surpassed other geniuses. I was that very same junior heavenly demon, Yeon Woon-hwi. Something like this was a piece of cake.
「There he goes again—」
「Looks like he’s absorbed in his narcissism again. When he’s like this, let’s pretend we don’t know him.」
I swallowed a ghost pill, and after calming my raging dantian, I turned my gaze to the unorthodox-class warrior and his bashed-in head.
Above the corpse was the unorthodox-class warrior’s ghost, which wore a stupefied expression.
「Wh-what happened? Don’t tell me I died—」
As was true of all ghosts, he did not seem to have fully accepted his death.
Cl-clank, cl-clank!
Since he’d died directly by my hand, his hands and neck were now shackled by my magic imprisonment chains.
「Fellas, let’s greet the new guy!」
「Kekeke! Normally, you’d be such a little squirt that you wouldn’t even be able to sit at the same table as us, but since you’re slaves like us, I’ll treat you really special!」
The ghosts circled the unorthodox-class warrior and began to tease him.
One characteristic of ghosts who were unable to pass on to the afterlife was that they enjoyed seeing someone else in the same position as them.
Eh, given their nasty temperaments, of course they couldn’t become anything except ghosts. People were supposed to have very gentle natures. Like me.
‘I should show these ghosts what a “gentle nature” looks like, for their sake.’
“Plant your head on the ground.”
「Wh-what—」
“Your movements are slow.”
「Yes, but what do you mea—」
「You bastarrrrrd! Can you not hear the junior lord’s strict orders?!」
「How dare a single ghost do this! Hurry and plant your head on the ground!」
The ghost of the unorthodox-class warrior was still bewildered as the other ghosts rained clubs down upon his head.
Bam, bam, bam!
「Ah! Ahhhh!」
The unorthodox-class warrior tried to cover his head with his hands, but what good would that do? There were plenty of other places for them to hit.
He tried to run away, but…
Cl-clank!
「What the hell are these chains?!」
He could not get very far and ended up sprawling on the ground.
「How dare a sinner try to run away from the junior lord!」
「Looks like you’re the kind who can’t even re-enter the cycle of samsara after dying!」
And so, naturally, the ghosts’ clubbing grew even fiercer.
They were all trying so hard to look good for me. Try hard, you all.
「S-stop! Please stop!」
Pow! Pow, pow, pow!
「I-I get it! I’ll do as you say, eesh—」
In the end, only when the unorthodox-class warrior got on his hands and knees and planted his head in the ground did he escape their clubbing.
The ghosts were disappointed, but they were chomping at the bit for the next opportunity.
They looked like tenacious beasts waiting for their prey to get separated from its group.
Shake, shake…
The unorthodox-class warrior somehow looked even paler as he trembled.
“Name.”
「Why do you need my—ahhh!」
「Shame on you! Hurry and answer him!」
Pow, pow, pow, pow!
「Yes! I’ll respond! Please just save me!」
After another round of clubbing, the unorthodox-class warrior’s face had taken on a military-disciplined expression.
There really was nothing like a good clubbing to make someone behave.
I squatted next to his head and glared at him.
“I won’t ask again. Name.”
「M-Mu Ga-il—」
“No. You’re not Mu Ga-il or Mu Ga-ii or whatever.”
「…Sorry?」
“You don’t understand what I’m saying?”
The ghosts next to him once again raised their clubs high.
「Y-yes, I do! You are correct! I-I am not Mu Ga-il!」
“That’s right. From now on, you’re just ‘Ghost No. 15.’ You understand?”
Exactly 14 other ghosts still remained.
「Y-yes, I understand. I am Ghost No. 15 from now on—」
“Don’t make your replies long. Keep them short and simple.”
「A-as you command!」
Look at that. Didn’t I say people need to be good natured? See how my sincerity was conveyed so quickly? It’s the perfect attitude for an interrogation.
I nodded to myself as if I had put in a lot of effort, and the club-wielding ghosts were visibly overjoyed.
It really was quite simple. Seeing them now, who would have thought they had previously been elders of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon?
“As you can see, you’re in a shitty state right now. If you want a chance to enter the cycle of samsara, you’ll need to obey me well.”
The expression on his face was one of complaint as I shook the chains attached to his neck like a pet’s leash.
「I-I will keep that in mind!」
“You’re from the Black Bone Ghost Valley, right?”
「Y-yes, that’s right. However—」
“Huh?”
「N-n-no! I mean, you are correct! That’s right!」
“From now on, don’t hesitate.”
「Yes, sir!!」
“You looked to be about class 3.”
「That’s right!」
“It looks like you came at the request of that bitch Namgung San-yeong. So that means there’s a branch of the Black Ghost Valley in this area, right?”
「That’s right!」
“What are the numbers there? And where is it located?”
Ghost No. 15, afraid he’d suffer from another round of clubbing, eagerly volunteered information I had not even asked for.
.
.
.
I heard quite a number of entertaining things.
“Hm! So you’re saying a total of five sorcerers were dispatched from the Ghost Valley, and among them is a captain, that old geezer Neglectful White Bone Wraith. Right?”
「That’s right!」
“Puhahaha! He used to complain that he was bored out of his mind in the Outer Regions and he wanted to go play around in the Central Plains. So he finally did it, huh?”
The Neglectful White Bone Wraith was one of the Twelve Dark Ghosts, the guardians of the Black Bone Ghost Valley.
He had his own take on the jiangshi arts, so I’d learned dark arts directly from him in the past.
However, I’d learned all there was to learn from him within a month and gone my own way afterward.
Furthermore, the Neglectful White Bone Wraith was a madman who enjoyed torturing people and conducting various experiments on them.
That wasn’t something I approved of, so I’d quickly kicked him to the curb.
However, that short month-long relationship could still be considered a master-disciple relationship.
I had not even dreamed that my old master would be found so close to me.
“And not only him but also the Fortunate Blue Bone Phantom, Wicked Crimson Specter, and Immortal Green Devil? If four of the Twelve Dark Ghosts have appeared, there must be some huge plot brewing, no?”
No matter how much the Nine Dragons Branch Family was boasted about in the Tang Clan, it was not enough for the Black Bone Ghost Valley to put that level of effort in.
They had to be aiming for something larger.
「Th-that—」
However, Number 15, who had been answering well until now, hesitated and his eyes rolled.
I grabbed the chain without saying anything, and he immediately planted his head in the ground again.
「I-it’s not that I don’t want to tell you! However, I have something I wish to ask you, so—」
“For your sake, it better not be something useless. I’m not feeling particularly patient.”
「A-are you r-really… the… junior lord?」
“Who else would I be?”
「C-clearly—」
“Ah, yes. Clearly, I died. Thanks to some damn bastards.”
The ghosts quickly turned their heads aside to avoid meeting my gaze.
“And the Black Bone Ghost Valley had its own share of fault in that, don’t you think?”
「…」
I had tossed that question out there just in case, but it seemed I was right.
The sorcerer slammed his head deeper into the ground.
I could clearly see the gears rapidly spinning in his mind.
He was definitely afraid. I’d managed to accomplish the long-standing wish of all sorcerers and been revived from the dead, so how could he not be afraid of me?
Fear of me, envy of my successful revival, concern at my proclamation that he might not be able to enter the cycle of samsara, loyalty to his evil clan, and so on… He probably had a lot on his mind.
However, I knew these kinds of guys all too well.
Deliberating meant they were hesitating.
Those who were really loyal to their clans would never even need to deliberate.
Sure enough…
「…The Ghost Valley is planning to assassinate the Dark Sovereign.」
As expected.
「What? Assassinate the Dark Sovereign?」
「They’re crazy! Who the hell do these Black Bone Ghost Valley guys think they are to try to assassinate one of the Ten Grand Masters Under Heaven?!」
The elder ghosts openly ridiculed them.
They believed that if the Nine Great Demon Sects could not do it, then it was pure nonsense.
No matter how elite the Twelve Dark Ghosts were, trying to take down such an absolute elite master with not even the full twelve but instead just four? It was akin to trying to move a mountain.
However, it was not necessarily unthinkable.
“And the support troops are expected soon?”
「That’s right!」
The eyes of the elder ghosts grew wide.
「The four Dark Ghosts are basically an advance guard. The main forces are expected to convene at a secret branch family location at midnight, in half a month’s time.」
My eyes sank deeply.
“Who is expected to come?”
「I don’t really know something like—」
Cl-clank!
「B-but I think I-I heard that s-someone from Tian Shan w-would be coming!」
“Tian Shan, huh.”
This wasn’t going to be a matter I could handle easily.
“Isn’t the Divine Cult in the midst of a civil war?”
「It’s been a while since I came from Tian Shan, so I don’t really know the details. However, the civil war was in the middle of wrapping up so that we could turn our attention to the Central Plains… That’s the extent of what I heard.」
“Indeed, that makes sense.”
「Th-that’s why the Fortunate Blue Bone Phantom, the Wicked Crimson Specter, and the Immortal Green Devil vacated their positions to meet the guest coming from Tian Shan.」
I nodded. “Seems like they’ve all but decided on their plan.”
If there was a sect or clique backing the Society, then putting an end to the rebellion would be an easy matter.
Thanks to this, I could be sure of one thing: The plot to assassinate the Dark Sovereign had something to do with the Society.
Whether they were intervening directly or just complicit, I could slowly drag that out of them.
On one hand, if it did have something to do with the Society, then the Nine Dragons Branch Family would soon be caught up in a bloodbath for sure. The Society would be fully prepared.
Namgung San-yeong was basically just being used, unaware of what was actually going on.
“After the assassination of the Dark Sovereign, they’ll probably shift all the blame to Namgung San-yeong, right? They’re plotting to pit the Tang Clan and the Namgung Noble Family against one another.”
「H-how did you know that—」
“Hm? Because that’s what I would do if I were them.”
「…」
「…」
「…」
“Why? What, do you have something to say?” As I narrowed my eyes dangerously, the ghosts shook their heads in unison.
「N-not at all!」
「I-I was just thinking that the junior lord is indeed amazing!」
「As expected of you, junior lord! Unlike us geezers, you really have an extraordinary mind!」
It had been a foregone conclusion that they would once more comment to themselves about my character, but I left them alone.
I was busy thinking of ways to take advantage of the truth I had learned.
Jaunting off to tell Tang Ho-san was one option, but I did not even give it the slightest thought.
Not only did I not have any way to prove this, but I also had doubts that anyone would even believe me.
If Namgung San-yeong were to claim that she had been tricked by the demonic cult bastards, would the grand matron be the one who got crushed, or would I?
And telling the Dark Sovereign seemed like the absolute worst plan.
On the other hand, hiding it could risk losing my advantage.
In the end, there was only one good option…
Counterattack before they learned that I had taken down their assassin.
I needed to find proof that confirmed Namgung San-yeong’s relationship with them and grasp her link to the Society.
However, if I had to point out a problem, it was that even if I tried to counterattack with all my strength, I would just be asking for my own head to go flying instead…
The strength of the Neglectful White Bone Wraith and the Dark Ghosts wasn’t to be taken lightly.
How could I apply enough pressure that rumors would spread of how well I crushed them?
While I was considering various options, I picked up the black sword that Ghost No. 15 had dropped. Checking on my loot was always a welcome task.
From what I knew, the Black Bone Ghost Valley’s magic tools were all made by the famous Iron Demonic Association, which refined demonic weapons.
The timing was perfect. I had been thinking of starting swordsmanship training soon, and this looked like it would be a rather useful sword.
“Mm?”
As I was about to take hold of the black sword, I suddenly felt a gaze watching me from somewhere, so I turned my head to the other side.
「What is wrong, Junior Lord?」
“No, nothing.” I let out a scoff. “Things are just proceeding a bit more preposterously than I imagined…”
From far in the distance…
I could feel the gaze of an elite master.
* * *
“You know, that child Woon-hwi… He has changed, but he’s changed quite a lot.”
“Yes, it seems so. He said his goal was to continue the Wild Wind Squad.”
Tang Gon had prostrated himself and lowered his head. He was reporting to his lord all that had transpired when he met with Tang Woon-hwi not that long ago.
He did not know why his lord was suddenly expressing interest in Woon-hwi.
It could be because of the duel, but it did not seem to be for so simple of a reason.
Perhaps his lord was checking on the status of his children ahead of the Dark Sovereign’s visit? Or maybe he was slowly setting up his successor?
Reading his lord’s intentions was as difficult as ever.
“I see. The Wild Wind Squad, you say…”
His lord’s gaze had been fixed outside the window the entire time. Had he hidden something out there?
“Come to think of it, the two of us were too busy this morning to really talk. I think we’ll be able to hold a deeper conversation, now.” His lord turned the other way and said, “Lead the way.”
“Sorry? Where to—”
“Where else?” The head of the Nine Dragons Branch Family, Tang Ho-san, said with his usual expressionless face, “To the White Pavilion.”