Episode 109: The Red Dragon Hyuk Clan
Beeeep!!
“That’s truly mysterious,” murmured Cheol Mugeuk, watching Mugeuk-i (Flame), who was now firmly recognized as the real Mugeuk-i.
And it was indeed something worth marveling at.
This wasn’t a metaphor—Mugeuk-i, who had been the size of a house, had now shrunk down to roughly the size of an average hawk.
He was sitting atop Cho Ryang’s head, yawning.
[According to the Doctrine of Dominion, objects certainly possess an inherent weight. That shouldn't change simply because their size decreases… But is this different because it's a divine beast?]
Skybreaker also found it fascinating, but truthfully, I found Skybreaker himself more fascinating.
Despite the Doctrine of Dominion dealing with gravity, he somehow had an inkling about the Law of Conservation of Mass—something that shouldn't even exist in this world’s framework.
Honestly, I wanted to show off a little, but I had to hide my shallow knowledge as a pure-blooded liberal arts student.
‘Just go with it. It’s a divine beast.’
[True. There are divine beasts that can summon hurricanes and thunderstorms—this isn’t too far-fetched.]
That didn’t mean the Infinite Heavenly Flame was inferior in any way.
It just happened that Cheol Mugeuk possessed the energy of Flame Jade and that we had the treasure Geummun Lock at hand—making it look easy to capture.
The "flame that purifies all negativity" was an incredible power. Thanks to it, I had been freed from sorcery.
Even if I couldn’t manage it every day, I was in a situation where I needed to bathe in that purifying flame at least once every few days.
[You know that’s just a temporary fix, right? You're the Ghost—you should know better.]
‘Of course.’
Just as Skybreaker said, that was merely a temporary measure. I needed to obtain a spiritual tonic to protect the mind from curses or poisons—or a treasure that acted as a mental barrier.
“The problem is, the ones I know of that protect the mind are mostly crafted by Daoist sects, which means they’re out there in the Jianghu.”
And if I did go out into the Jianghu, there weren’t many who practiced sorcery at the level of Chutae Sook, so it was a bit of a dilemma.
“Hey, Mugeuk-i. Even if you're Smaller now, you can still spare a feather or two, right?”
Beeeep!
“Mugeuk says no.”
“I’ll let you eat Heavenly Fire.”
Beeep!
“Mugeuk-i says he’ll consider it if you give him a lot.”
“Whose personality did you inherit to be so picky?”
Beeeeeeeep–!
“Mugeuk is asking if you’re insulting Suzaku, the Vermilion Bird of the Four Guardian Beasts?”
“Cho Ryang, you don’t have to keep repeating ‘Mugeuk-i this’ and ‘Mugeuk-i that.’”
“Yup!”
I really needed that mental barrier soon. Just listening to the conversation around me was enough to make my head spin.
“By the way, Sawol.”
“Yes, Clan Head.”
“It seems you’ve gained an insight.”
At my words, Sawol blushed and nodded shyly.
“Yes. It’s not perfect, but I tried to imitate your technique.”
The situation had been so urgent that I barely noticed, but Sawol had clearly used Two Will, One Sword to control the Geummun Lock. Well, since it was a chain, maybe I should call it Two Will, One Chain?
Even though Geummun Lock could target a specified opponent, it didn’t have the ability to return to the user.
In that critical moment, Sawol had redirected the end of the chain to fly back again.
“Impressive.”
“The impressive one is you, Clan Head,” Sawol replied calmly.
“If strong qi is the proof of the transcendent realm, then Two Will, One Sword is its symbol. It’s a familiar phrase to martial artists.”
That was why I could pretend to be a peak master.
“I tried to imitate it with my meager skills and realized something. Two Will, One Sword is about imposing one’s righteousness upon the world through one’s qi. That’s what makes it the symbol of the transcendent.”
In other words, a transcendent master was someone who could impose their will upon the world.
That’s why they needed a firm will. It could turn out twisted, like Do Ilgwang’s, but still…
‘The transcendent of Hyuk Clan is a truly strange one.’
Though Shadow Blood Jin Clan used bizarre martial arts like Shadow Blood Jincheonmu, they still had their own unique doctrines.
But the Red Dragon Hyuk Clan was different. The Hyuk Clan…
“Multiple presences approaching.”
Like they say, speak of the devil—the Hyuk Clan showed up just in time.
Led by Hyuk Mun, the Clan Head, and Hyuk Gon, the Young Clan Head, dozens of Hyuk Clan warriors surged forward and blocked our path.
Honestly, it would've been stranger if they didn’t appear.
[Ghost. Don’t provoke them unless you have to. The internal energy stored in my main body is only enough for minor tasks right now.]
‘That’s… troubling.’
Skybreaker only stored the energy drained from others’ life force. Which meant their original attributes remained intact.
When I absorbed Muryongsoo or Dok Songgong, I had to use their exact qi with all its unique traits.
If a dangerous situation forced me to absorb the Hyuk Clan warriors’ internal energy, it would be utter chaos.
To keep my secret, I’d have no choice but to annihilate every last one of them—and I wasn’t alone here. My companions were with me.
‘They’re probably after Mugeuk-i.’
Just as that thought crossed my mind, another possible last-resort idea came to me.
I stepped forward.
“Hyuk Mun.”
In the past, I might’ve used polite language, but our relationship had already gone sour long ago. Calling his name directly wasn’t strange. If anything, acting formally now would make it seem like the Demonic Cult had lost the upper hand.
“How dare you step into the Red Dragon Territory of our Great Red Dragon Hyuk Clan without so much as a word? Do you call this manners?”
“I’m carrying out a task assigned by the Supreme One. You’d best choose your words carefully.”
“That firebird on that child’s head—is that not the Infinite Heavenly Flame?”
Greed flickered in Hyuk Mun’s eyes.
“So?”
“Hand over the bird. Do that, and we’ll let you go unharmed.”
“Gal!”
Cheol Mugeuk, who’d been standing behind me, stormed out with an enraged expression.
I had to hold back laughter at the “Gal!” but Cheol Mugeuk looked deadly serious.
He spoke.
“As the head of one of the Six Demon Clans, you're acting worse than a common bandit. Hyuk Mun, are you saying the task assigned by the Supreme One is that trivial to you?”
“Huhu. I couldn’t care less about some wench as long as I get that Infinite Heavenly Flame.”
That was clearly crossing a line—and that’s what made it strange.
“The Hyuk Clan I knew was arrogant, sure, but never this reckless…”
At that moment, Sawol shouted.
“I shall cut down anyone who dares insult the Supreme One!”
Swish!
She couldn’t hold back and charged.
To Sawol, Heavenly Demon Lee Seryeong was not only her rightful Supreme One, but also the savior who had kept her alive—an idol in every sense.
Her body blurred like a ghost and reappeared behind Hyuk Mun. It was her signature move, targeting the enemy’s blind spot.
“You little rats really think I’m that easy? Daring to mock me…”
But—
BOOM—!
Hyuk Mun stomped the ground. A crimson lightning bolt crashed down in a circular formation around him.
Even Sawol didn’t dare ignore it and leapt back.
Crackle!
Red sparks flared in Hyuk Mun’s eyes. But this time, the pressure felt different.
The red dragon embroidered on his robe whipped violently in the wind, and I saw what he was holding in his hand.
A bone?
It was a sharp bone from some creature—but I wasn’t the only one who noticed it.
Beeeep!
Mugeuk, who’d been on Cho Ryang’s head, rose into the air and returned to his original massive size.
“Heh heh heh. Even a mere beast recognizes it—the power of the great Red Dragon.”
Hyuk Mun grinned triumphantly.
“What is martial arts, really? At its core, it’s something frail humans created by mimicking animals.”
“This isn’t the place for philosophical musings on martial arts.”
“Even something mimicking a lowly insect, like a mantis, is called ‘Tanglang Fist.’ Now, what do you think would happen if someone mimicked not just an ordinary beast, but a sacred creature—or even a divine beast?”
The crimson lightning swirling around Hyuk Mun intensified. His red hair flew wildly.
“Our Hyuk Clan’s martial art—Red Dragon Divine Manifestation Art—was created by mimicking the power of the great Red Dragon. And this…”
Rooooaar—
A strange sound emanated from the bone in Hyuk Mun’s hand—as if something was howling from a faraway abyss.
“This is a part of the great Red Dragon. With his dragon claw, I surpass the transcendent realm.”
That’s why the Hyuk Clan’s “transcendence” felt strange.
True transcendent masters imprint their will upon the world—but Hyuk Mun was different.
His martial intent didn’t contain the philosophy or life of a warrior. It merely sought to replicate the power of the great Red Dragon.
Which was why the Hyuk Clan grew stronger the more unified they were. They didn’t fight with individual realizations—they fought with a singular intent.
It was like—
‘A military force.’
Despite their arrogance and brutality, the Hyuk Clan was still one of the Six Demon Clans because their collective power only grew stronger the more they gathered.
It was happening even now.
As Hyuk Mun revealed his full power, the other Hyuk warriors began emanating the same red sparks.
Even if they all trained in the same martial art, it should manifest differently in each individual—but here, they were identical.
Hyuk Gon, the Young Clan Head, was merely a smaller version of Hyuk Mun—his energy had the exact same shape and flow.
Their collective aura intertwined and amplified, growing into an even more formidable force.
[The energy flow is restructuring around the dragon claw. This is dangerous.]
Hyuk Mun’s aura was powerful enough to make the air tingle. Immense internal energy was gathering.
[But it seems there’s a limit. The dragon claw appears to be wearing down.]
Focusing my enhanced vision, I saw it too—the tip of the dragon claw was disintegrating like dust, as if only that part was rapidly weathering.
To buy time, I asked a question.
“Even with the power of the great Red Dragon, why are you after the Infinite Heavenly Flame?”
“That’s—”
Hyuk Mun smirked.
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine. My hair stood on end.
“Ask me in hell.”
[Ghost!]
With Skybreaker’s piercing shout, time slowed to a crawl.
Hyuk Mun was suddenly right in front of me, descending with a lightning bolt.
Even though time was nearly frozen, the bolt was approaching at incredible speed—like a normal martial artist swinging a sword. It was terrifyingly fast.
If I hadn’t obtained the Timewheel Jade, I’d have been shredded by that strike.
[No time to think. You’ve only got half a second!]
‘Skybreaker. The energy you absorb—it’s from martial artists, right?’
[Correct.]
‘Then…’
I raised Skybreaker and said,
‘Aren’t you curious what’ll happen if I stab the dragon claw?’
[You’re insane.]
Skybreaker replied.
[No time. Do it!]
I slashed at the dragon claw Hyuk Mun held.
And at that moment—
Darkness swallowed my mind.
And in that darkness, I saw—
“An eye?”
A massive eye.