The Demon God’s Trial (3)
First, I committed the incantations of the Demon God’s Wind Step to memory with absolute precision.
The beginning of mastering any martial art lies in memorizing its incantations accurately.
After ensuring I had them down pat, I examined the manual thoroughly. I checked for hidden sections or any secret writings that might appear under light.
But the manual of the Demon God’s Wind Step held no secrets.
There was no need to hide anything. The content itself was so cryptic that understanding it seemed impossible.
Perhaps it was because the martial art was on a higher level, or maybe it was simply different from the existing systems. Or perhaps it was both. I couldn’t even discern the reason.
Unfamiliar terms made the overall meaning ambiguous, and following my instincts often contradicted conventional wisdom.
Some parts were so baffling that I couldn’t even guess what they were instructing.
Yet, I persisted in studying the manual.
But as days turned into nights and nights into days, I found myself no closer to understanding than when I first opened the manual.
It would have been nice to leisurely study the manual while enjoying delicious meals, but I wasn’t in such a position.
In the end, I sent out a distress signal.
“Hey, you.”
The Heavenly Demon didn’t respond.
“Hey, why aren’t you answering? Are you asleep?”
Still, no response from the Heavenly Demon. It wasn’t like him to disconnect or sleep at such a crucial time.
“Hey, answer me! Are you dead? If you are, come back to life and answer me!”
“Ugh, you’re so loud I can’t stand it!”
“Then why didn’t you answer if you were awake?”
“I told you, you have to do this on your own. Didn’t you understand me?”
“I understood.”
“Then why?”
“I can’t do it alone.”
“What?”
“I said I can’t do it alone. I need your help.”
I could sense the Heavenly Demon’s disbelief.
“Good grief! What’s with this quick surrender?”
“Good grief is right. What kind of insane martial art is this? Where did it even come from? Why is it so difficult?”
“You fool, did you think it would be easy? If it were, would all the previous Heavenly Demons have failed?”
He was right. How could mastering the greatest martial art in the world be easy? And if the legend of becoming a Demon God were true, this trial was a test of becoming a god. It was naturally impossible.
“That’s why I need your help.”
“No!”
“Why not?”
“The trial of the Demon God’s Secret must be attempted alone.”
“Is there a rule that says you can’t solve it with the Heavenly Demon inside you?”
”…There’s no such rule.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
The difference in my trial of the Demon God’s Secret was that I had the Heavenly Demon within me. No matter how talented I was, there must have been geniuses among the previous Heavenly Demons who were more gifted than I. Yet, they all failed the trial.
Therefore, instead of clinging to pride or stubbornness, I needed to leverage my unique advantage.
“There’s no problem, but… you have to solve it alone.”
“I’m alone. You’re just a presence in my mind, right?”
“Still…”
Being in the Demon God’s Castle and undergoing the trial of the Demon God’s Secret made the Heavenly Demon tense and rigid in his thinking.
I remembered how Guangdu used to get like this. It happened when we booked a room at an inn or shared drinks.
Even though he was inside me now, the Heavenly Demon was still human, it seemed.
I continued to persuade him.
“Look, this trial is about becoming a Demon God. It’s not like a monk or a Taoist ascending to immortality. Isn’t it more fitting to use any means necessary to achieve it?”
“That’s sophistry.”
“The trial itself is sophistry, presenting such an absurd manual from the start.”
I sensed the Heavenly Demon wavering.
I delivered the decisive blow.
“If it were forbidden for you to assist in the trial, you wouldn’t even be able to talk to me. This place is that mysterious and extraordinary, isn’t it?”
With that, the Heavenly Demon relented. In truth, he probably wanted to help all along.
“Fine. Let’s solve it together.”
“Shall I create a Heavenly Qi Illusion so you can come out?”
“No! Just be grateful for what I’m allowing.”
“Grateful to whom?”
“To the one who will make us Demon Gods…”
“Who will make us?”
The Heavenly Demon didn’t answer. Perhaps he couldn’t. I was in the same boat.
Who could it be? Another Demon God? The King of Hell? Heaven? Fate?
In any case, I decided not to use the Heavenly Qi Illusion out of consideration for the Heavenly Demon.
“You’ve memorized the incantations too, right?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Any parts you understand?”
“It’s ridiculously difficult.”
“Right? You don’t get it either, do you?”
“I might have given up at this stage.”
It was curious that all memories related to the trial were erased. The delicious meals served at every meal and the neatly arranged bedding were the same.
“Still, maybe we can solve it if we work together.”
“Alright! Let’s give it a try.”
Instinctively, I knew that attempting to solve the Demon God’s Secret with him was the right choice. I hoped the outcome would reflect that.
“Ma Cheol-gun has successfully taken control of the Martial Alliance.”
Cheon So-seon frowned at the report from his subordinate.
“Faster than expected.”
“Yes. After Ju Cheol-ryong’s death and the Iron Cavalry falling into Ma Cheol-gun’s hands, the leaders of other organizations began to follow him one by one.”
“Spineless fools!”
Such was the nature of organizations within a large force like the Martial Alliance. They were sensitive to the tides and adept at reading the room. Moreover, while fleeing with his grandfather, he hadn’t been able to exert influence over them.
“Moreover, the Demon Spirits have declared their active support for Ma Cheol-gun.”
Cheon So-seon nodded. The combined forces of the Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Dao Sect were not to be underestimated.
“The Martial Alliance is using all its information networks, including the Three-Eyed Pavilion, to find us.”
“How long until they find us?”
“We’re doing our best to create confusion, but… we can’t hold out for long.”
“I understand.”
The subordinate left the room.
Cheon So-seon looked at Cheon Ran with a worried expression. When they first arrived at this hideout, he thought they only needed to hold out until the Great Law was completed.
But even after the time for the Great Law had passed, Cheon Ran remained sealed.
“Grandfather.”
His anxiety only grew as he wondered what was happening.
Forcing the seal open from the outside was not an option. Mishandling this mysterious mechanism would not yield good results. They had to wait, no matter how long it took, for it to open from within.
There was also a glimmer of hope.
The success rate of this Great Law was a mere one in ten thousand. If it had failed, the seal would have opened on time, revealing his grandfather’s corpse. Failure of the Great Law meant death.
But the fact that the seal hadn’t opened yet suggested some unforeseen variable had occurred.
If the Great Law succeeded?
With his grandfather perfectly reborn and himself inheriting all of his grandfather’s martial prowess, the martial world would be theirs.
Reclaiming the Martial Alliance would be just the beginning. They could exact revenge on the dark underworld that sought to eliminate his grandfather.
Cheon So-seon’s gaze returned to the seal.
“Grandfather, what on earth is happening inside?”
But the tightly shut seal gave no response.
Seven days had passed since entering the Demon God’s Castle.
Yet, the Heavenly Demon and I still couldn’t comprehend the Demon God’s Wind Step. As we silently stared at the manual, the Heavenly Demon cautiously asked.
“Are you mad?”
“No.”
“You are. You’ve been silent since morning.”
“I’m not mad!”
“You are.”
“Fine, I am! How can the Heavenly Demon not solve this?”
“Wow. Is this guy crazy? Is this my trial? Is it?”
“It’s our trial.”
“It’s your trial!”
I closed the manual and left the room. I could freely move between the trial room, the sleeping quarters, and the dining hall.
“Isn’t this an impossible trial?”
“What nonsense is that?”
“Instead of getting worked up, if even you and I can’t figure it out together, is there anyone who can?”
“That’s why it’s the legendary Demon God’s Secret.”
Indeed, the path to becoming a god was never meant to be easy. But at this rate, we would fail the trial of the Demon God’s Secret.
At that moment, the Heavenly Demon proposed a solution.
“I’ll teach you the Blood Thunder Transformation Art.”
“The Blood Thunder Transformation Art? Isn’t that your unique martial art?”
“Maybe if you learn it, you’ll understand the Demon God’s Wind Step.”
“Do you think so? But are you sure?”
“It doesn’t matter. At this point, what significance does my unique martial art hold?”
I knew better than anyone how much pride the Heavenly Demon took in his martial arts. For him to offer the Blood Thunder Transformation Art meant he was willing to give everything.
The Heavenly Demon was betting everything on obtaining the Demon God’s Secret.
“Alright. Let’s do it.”
We had to try everything.
I received the Blood Thunder Transformation Art from the Heavenly Demon. Having already learned the Blood Thunder Heart Method, the process wasn’t too difficult.
That was my level of martial prowess. Even the Heavenly Demon’s martial arts weren’t too challenging when taught directly by him.
“Let’s test it outside.”
“Outside?”
“Why? Can’t we go outside? You can’t exactly practice your martial arts here, can you?”
“That’s true, but… I never thought about leaving this building.”
At that moment, I was taken aback.
I, too, had never considered leaving the building.
After all, my basic needs were met here. The food was exquisite, and the sleeping arrangements were incredibly comfortable.
The same must have been true for the other Heavenly Demons. As Heavenly Demons, they had experienced everything and lacked nothing. There was no reason to wander elsewhere.
Could this be… some kind of test?
“I want to go outside.”
“No! If you do that…”
“If I do that, what?”
There was one more crucial reason we couldn’t just leave.
“What if we go out recklessly and the test gets canceled?”
Didn’t all the Heavenly Demons think this way? They were already so tense just because of the Demon God.
“If this test had to be taken inside, the door would have been locked. If leaving this place disqualifies us, then this test isn’t worth taking.”
“What? You little… Are you mocking the Demon God’s rules?”
“You’ve said it yourself many times, haven’t you? That I’m trapped in a mold. If that’s the case, isn’t this the same? It’s supposed to be a grand test to become a Demon God, yet we’re stuck in this narrow, stifling box.”
The Heavenly Demon couldn’t argue back.
I spoke in a more subdued tone.
“I believe your legends are greater than that. Don’t you?”
After a brief pause, the Heavenly Demon replied.
”…I believe so too.”
“Then let’s go.”
I strode confidently toward the door. Just like when we first arrived, it swung open as I approached.
Without hesitation, I stepped outside. Truth be told, I was a bit anxious, worried that this might disqualify me from the test. But nothing happened.
After walking about thirty paces from the building, I turned back.
The door, which had closed behind me, opened automatically once more.
I walked back inside. Everything was just as it had been. The secret manuals were still in the testing room, and the food in the living quarters and main hall remained untouched.
“See? We can go out.”
“You’re right.”
We both felt a bit exhilarated, like children who had just discovered something new.
Leaving this place was simple and easy, yet it wasn’t a choice anyone would make lightly.
I had long forgotten about testing the Heavenly Demon’s martial arts in practice.
Surrounding the vast training grounds were other buildings. Given the size of this fortress, how many more buildings must there be beyond the one where the test was held?
I headed toward a large building to the left of where we had emerged.
“Let’s check that place out.”