The Heavenly Demon Wants a Quiet Life - Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Is There Nothing More?

As Byeok Taesan pushed open the door and stepped inside, his expression immediately hardened.

“Why are there so many half-dead fools here?”

The first thing that caught Byeok Taesan’s eye was a man radiating an explosive force of inner energy.

At a glance, it was clear that this individual was the most dangerous. Among the masked figures in black within, he was the only one still fully alive.

Byeok Taesan strode towards the man without hesitation.

The masked figures in black surged toward him in unison.

However, they collapsed before even laying a hand on Byeok Taesan.

The moment they got near him, they lost all strength, falling limp to the ground and unable to rise again.

Witnessing this, the mouths of the Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master fell agape.

The sight of enemies, whom they had struggled against with such difficulty, falling so effortlessly was astonishing.

Before long, Byeok Taesan stood directly before the man bursting with inner energy.

“Graaaah!”

The man let out a beastly roar, swinging his sword at Byeok Taesan. It was a lightning-fast and powerful strike.

But Byeok Taesan evaded it with ease, leaning slightly backward to let the blade narrowly pass by.

As the tip of the sword brushed past his nose, Byeok Taesan sprang forward, closing the distance instantly.

He lightly flicked his hand, striking the man in the solar plexus.

Thunk.

“Kueek!”

The man spewed a torrent of dark blood from his mouth.

Byeok Taesan stepped back smoothly, unwilling to let the splattering blood soil him.

The man staggered backward, his gaze darting around in desperation.

Realizing he was no match for Byeok Taesan, he frantically tried to think of a way to escape.

But he had no time to consider his options. Byeok Taesan was already advancing once again.

He had moved so fast that it seemed like he had simply appeared before the man in the blink of an eye.

The man’s shock was evident as he reflexively swung his sword, only for Byeok Taesan to firmly press down on the hand gripping the weapon.

As the man froze mid-swing, Byeok Taesan’s knuckles grazed the man’s chin with a subtle motion.

Thud.

The man collapsed forward onto his knees, sprawled out on the ground.

Byeok Taesan stepped lightly on his back.

Crunch.

The man was now incapable of moving further.

Byeok Taesan surveyed his surroundings.

The Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master were holding their ground, surrounded by members of the Hubei Martial Alliance, fending off the black-masked attackers.

They seemed to be managing well enough without his help, as they fought with noticeable skill and coordination.

Next, Byeok Taesan turned his attention to Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon.

The two unleashed relentless and ferocious attacks, as if venting some deeply rooted frustrations.

With each swing of their swords, the black-masked figures fell like autumn leaves swept by the wind.

“Impressive.”

Compared to when he had first seen them, the two had undergone a transformation akin to children growing into adults.

Their seamless coordination was remarkable, giving the impression that not just two, but three or four fighters were engaged in the battle.

There was no need to worry about them, either.

Byeok Taesan decided to deal with the group attacking the physicians first.

He approached the black-masked figures targeting the healers. The moment he drew near, they collapsed without fail.

With the immediate threat neutralized, the Hubei Martial Alliance warriors scattered to hunt down the remaining attackers.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master no longer needed to fight.

Byeok Taesan gestured with his chin toward one of the fallen black-masked men. It was the man who had previously unleashed his explosive inner energy.

“Can you save him?”

At Byeok Taesan’s question, a smirk spread across the faces of the Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master.

“Why ask the obvious? If you want him alive, he’ll live.”

The two promptly approached the unconscious man.

The first thing they did was remove his mask.

“Look at those wrinkles.”

The man appeared significantly older than his voice had suggested earlier.

The pair began treating him immediately.

Since he had exploded with inner energy, they had to prevent his meridians from tearing apart further. They also worked to stop the uncontrolled leaking of innate energy.

With both of them working in tandem, the treatment was completed in no time.

“Strange, though. This guy looks younger than he seems.”

“His body might appear over seventy, but judging by his teeth and bone structure, he’s not even thirty.”

“Exploding with inner energy shouldn’t age someone this drastically.”

Had they left him untreated, his body might have deteriorated to this state eventually. However, they had intervened in time.

This meant that his body had already been in poor condition even before he unleashed his inner energy.

“It’s not as if someone drained his vitality…”

“Let’s just ask him when he wakes up. No need to waste our energy guessing.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer turned his gaze toward Byeok Taesan.

Byeok Taesan was now strolling through the manor, systematically incapacitating the remaining black-masked figures.

Curiously, despite the dire situation, the masked attackers made no attempt to flee.

It was as if they were mindlessly following preordained commands, throwing themselves into battle without concern for survival.

“This is definitely odd. Oh, by the way, what did you mean earlier?”

“About what?”

“When you said they’re half-dead. You know something, don’t you? You also called them Jiangshi earlier.”

“If you heard that much, you already know. Why ask?”

“Speculating and hearing it from someone who knows are different things. Explain it.”

“It’s exactly as I said. These people are halfway to becoming Jiangshi.”

“Halfway to becoming Jiangshi? Is that even possible?”

“They have two opposing energies flowing within them.”

“Right.”

“Someone injected them with corpse energy. It devours their life force while expanding its domain, gradually turning them into Jiangshi.”

“That’s monstrous.”

“Of course, it’s not as simple as injecting it. It requires a specific ritual and a rare poison.”

“A poison?”

“The poison used during the infusion of corpse energy. It’s similar to corpse poison, but far more complex to make.”

The Needle Master narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the Heavenly Divine Healer.

“You… seem to know an awful lot about this.”

The Heavenly Divine Healer gave a wry smile.

“My master researched this.”

“What?”

“He stumbled upon the recipe for the poison by chance, and it ignited his curiosity.”

“And he turned living people into Jiangshi?”

Even by the standards of the Demonic Cult, such acts seemed too cruel to be justified.

Heavenly Divine Healer shook his head.

“Oh, no way. Even if we create Jiangshi, we use dead people, not the living. We just tested it on a few animals and discarded it.”

“Is that so?”

“The weakness I mentioned earlier. The more ‘poison’ is used, the more weaknesses it creates.”

The Needle Master tilted his head.

“That’s strange. The ones earlier had only one weakness.”

“That means they succeeded in their research. Well… honestly, it doesn’t seem very useful. Don’t you think so?”

When Heavenly Divine Healer glanced at Byeok Taesan, the Needle Master could only nod in agreement.

If they all collapsed so easily, they were indeed worthless.

Then again, who other than Byeok Taesan could achieve something like that?

In truth, if they didn’t collapse so easily and could eliminate their weaknesses, these creatures would possess considerable power.

While the two physicians exchanged words, the fight ended.

Corpses covered the area.

The warriors of the Hubei Martial Alliance were busily gathering the fallen corpses scattered throughout the manor.

Fortunately, none of the Hubei Martial Alliance warriors had died. Some had sustained severe injuries, but they survived.

Even the wounded were treated cleanly by Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master.

The two physicians could reattach severed limbs as if nothing had happened. No matter how severe the injury, as long as the person was alive, they could be treated.

Heavenly Divine Healer was especially remarkable when it came to external injuries.

Meanwhile, the Needle Master excelled in treating internal injuries.

As the two physicians examined the gathered corpses one by one, they spoke quietly.

“These creatures are bound to appear more often in the future. It’s better to investigate them thoroughly now to prepare for what’s to come.”

For now, they intended to perform a quick check while resting and later transport the bodies to the Hubei Martial Alliance for a detailed investigation.

“Did you find anything?” Byeok Taesan asked.

The Hubei Martial Alliance warriors, busy organizing the manor, perked up their ears.

Since the manor had suffered heavy damage, the warriors were restoring order while the physicians examined the bodies.

However, their full attention was focused on Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master.

“These creatures were just ordinary people.”

“Ordinary people? Do you mean they hadn’t trained in martial arts?”

“That’s correct.”

The Hubei Martial Alliance warriors froze in shock, staring at Heavenly Divine Healer, the Needle Master, and the pile of corpses.

They had just heard something unbelievable.

Fighting these creatures had been a tremendous ordeal. While their swordsmanship was mediocre, their strength and speed were incredible.

That level of power typically signified a strong internal energy foundation.

But now they were being told these creatures hadn’t trained in martial arts? And worse, this conclusion was drawn just by examining their bodies?

“Their muscles suggest they might have engaged in light training, but… there’s almost no trace of internal energy,” Heavenly Divine Healer remarked.

The Needle Master added, “In other words, these creatures were inherently short-lived.”

“Short-lived?”

“It’s similar to the effect of mixing special poisons into their innate Qi to unleash latent power.”

“That allows for immense strength and greater endurance compared to using innate Qi alone.”

“But because they use innate Qi mixed with poison, their lifespan is drastically shortened.”

“How short are we talking?”

Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master stroked their chins thoughtfully.

“Hmm… We’d need to test it to know for sure. Judging by the state of the corpses, though, I’d estimate around two years? Maybe less if they exert themselves too much.”

Before long, everyone had stopped what they were doing and focused entirely on the physicians’ conversation.

If what they said was true, this was both astonishing and deeply threatening.

If ordinary people could be turned into such powerful beings, usable for up to two years, what couldn’t be accomplished?

Byeok Taesan nodded indifferently.

“Hmm, I see. Well, let’s wrap this up and head back. It’s late, and we need some rest.”

At his words, the group dispersed and resumed their tasks.

There was one question lingering in everyone’s minds, but no one dared to ask it.

What they truly wanted to know was how Byeok Taesan had defeated those creatures.

For some reason, though, no one could bring themselves to ask him.

Thus, the night deepened.

Byeok Taesan was alone in his room.

Tonight, he allowed no one to enter. There was no need for it, and frankly, no way anyone could.

Earlier, when he had gone to save Heavenly Divine Healer and the Needle Master, the half-dead creatures had collapsed, releasing a massive amount of energy into the surroundings.

Their collapse was due to the Soul Augmenting Demonic Art.

When Byeok Taesan activated it, the deathly energy fueling their bodies was burned away, disrupting the delicate balance that maintained their physical strength.

Ironically, they required deathly energy to survive. The Soul Augmenting Demonic Art disrupted that critical balance.

As their equilibrium shattered, all the spiritual energy within their souls spilled out into the environment, saturating the manor with its presence.

Byeok Taesan hadn’t tried to absorb it. Absorbing such chaotically released energy recklessly would be dangerous.

He simply allowed the energy to flow naturally into his body.

That way, he only absorbed energy that aligned perfectly with him.

It was crucial to avoid taking in energy that wasn’t obtained directly through the Soul Augmenting Demonic Art.

Even so, there was so much energy that what he naturally absorbed was still significant in quantity.

Tonight, he needed to process that energy.

The energy was of surprisingly high quality. Because it had been refined and filtered by the Soul Augmenting Demonic Art, its purity was unmatched.

The effect far exceeded Byeok Taesan’s expectations, almost as if he had consumed a spiritual elixir made of pure energy.

After fully absorbing it, Byeok Taesan transitioned into meditation.

The day’s events had given him a small fragment of enlightenment—on balance, harmony, and the natural order.

While this fragment was minor, such insights accumulated over time, eventually leading to monumental breakthroughs.

After organizing his thoughts, Byeok Taesan naturally began contemplating ways to counter those creatures more effectively.

Lost in thought, he noticed dawn approaching.

Byeok Taesan muttered softly, “Are there more of them out there?”