“Uncomfortable.”
“Ah, I adjusted it so that there’d be no issues aside from the part about your organs melting… Maybe it wasn’t enough. Where exactly is it uncomfortable???”
When One-Saber Asura, having swallowed the poison, slightly frowned, Tang Sowol tilted her head with genuine concern in her voice.
Her sincere worry only made One-Saber Asura sigh in disbelief.
“Hoo… The one who poisoned me is saying that?”
“If it was before you drank it, that’d be different. But once you’ve already drunk it, you’re now one of Brother Cheon’s people, aren’t you? As his betrothed, of course I should care.”
She puffed out her chest proudly.
Watching her for a moment, One-Saber Asura sighed again.
“White Moon Sword Lord. You’ve found a very good match. Treat her well.”
“I already am, so don’t worry. More importantly, I’d like you to tell me where it’s uncomfortable.”
“It’s nothing big. Since it’s a Yang-type poison, I just feel some heat in my body.”
“Heat…”
“Oh! If that’s it, it’s only temporary. It’s probably the poison and your internal energy clashing… The Yang energy is just excessively stimulated. Once your body adapts, it’ll be fine. Actually—your health might even improve.”
“Yang… good for the body… hmm.”
I had no idea what he was imagining, but One-Saber Asura muttered to himself before nodding.
“If it’ll settle down later, then it’s nothing.”
“Well, the Master is older now, so—”
“Shut it! That’s not it!”
One-Saber Asura exploded at a disciple’s comment behind him.
Tang Sowol leaned slightly toward me and whispered:
“Brother Cheon, Brother Cheon.”
“For the record, I’ve never lacked Yang energy.”
“Oh come now, that’s not what I meant.”
“Then what?”
“I meant… isn’t the atmosphere surprisingly decent despite his defeat? His sect basically changed hands, but he seems too relaxed, no? Not that I’m complaining…”
“Ah, so that bothered you. It’s simple. No one died. I’m not taking their money. I’m not treating them like dogs. All they have to do is risk their lives once. From their perspective, paying with only that? They consider it cheap.”
“…Truly, the unorthodox world is unfathomable.”
Well, for Tang Sowol, that was only natural.
In the righteous sects, even small factions would bet their lives if their reputation was tarnished.
Unorthodox sects valued face too, but survival and practical gain mattered more.
Tang Sowol shook her head. Her hair swayed temptingly, and I briefly debated whether to reach out and touch it.
Before I decided, One-Saber Asura, having finished talking to his people, scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he approached.
“So… about this war you mentioned? The imperial court doesn’t seem troubled enough to need the martial world’s strength. Can you tell me the details?”
“Of course. But I’ll say in advance: it’s not about the imperial court. It’s a martial world matter. If it explodes properly, even the court won’t be able to handle it.”
“What does that—no, let’s hear the rest first. Come inside for now.”
He winced at the shattered gate and plaque, then dropped his shoulders in resignation.
“…Should’ve fought a little farther from the entrance.”
***
There were limits to human imagination.
It depended on upbringing, experience, and how much one’s nature could accept the absurd.
None of this was inherently good or bad—just the way things were.
With that made clear, I could assert this much:
One-Saber Asura had a narrow imagination.
“No, but how is that possible? This Heavenly Demon guy being that strong? And releasing such martial arts into the Demonic Cult just like that?”
“You’ve heard the rumor, haven’t you? When the Black Lotus Sect was attacked, even Sect Lord, Sword King, and Seorin senior attacked together yet couldn’t leave a scratch.”
“I thought that was just the Sect Lord exaggerating because he couldn’t win.”
Typical of the Black Lotus Sect Lord.
If he couldn’t win, he’d praise the opponent.
In its own way, an extremely unorthodox approach.
“Even if Heavenly Demon is absurdly strong, and even if the Demonic Cult’s average strength rose, and even if they joined hands with Potala Palace, wouldn’t it stay within the martial world?”
“Hm.”
“Sure, the Murim Alliance may collapse since the Demonic Cult is in Xinjiang. The righteous sects may be crushed. But Zhejiang here will be different.”
“Hmmm.”
“After fighting the Murim Alliance, the cultists will be weakened. Then the Black Lotus Sect can handle them. If even that fails, you can just run to Hebei. Martial artists look down on imperial soldiers—me too—but that’s only individually. As a group, the imperial army is strong.”
“Hoooh.”
“There have always been exceptional warriors. None achieved their ambition, that’s all. An individual cannot defeat the world.”
“…I see. I understand well.”
Now I understood clearly what level of “strongest warrior imaginable” One-Saber Asura envisioned—and why the world fell to the Demonic Cult before regression.
His reasoning was logical.
But Heavenly Demon was a monster beyond understanding.
Even before regression, none truly grasped him.
Who could imagine someone turning back time repeatedly, accumulating martial arts and future knowledge to systematically destroy the Central Plains?
At least I expected this much.
Which was why I didn’t simply rely on force to subdue these people recklessly.
“If you want to keep living with that poisoned life, do as you’re told.”
“…Fine. As you said, I’ll train the under-Peak warriors in formations, and I’ll train with the guardians against hardened aura.”
“Good.”
Honestly. They always needed things spelled out.
While I shook my head, Twin-Ghost Killing Sword asked quietly:
“White Moon Sword Lord. Since matters here are resolved, what will you do next?”
“I’ll rest here for a day, then depart immediately.”
“Who is your next target?”
“Well… the closest should be Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon.”
“Yes. After that, visiting Golden Ghost Wolf King and Illusory Illusion Witch in that order would be the cleanest route.”
“Then we’ll go that way.”
While discussing future plans with Twin-Ghost Killing Sword, One-Saber Asura jumped into the conversation, horrified.
“W–Wait! I’m not the last?! You plan to make the others your subordinates with this same insane method?!”
“Is that a problem?”
“T-Then…!”
His face turned pale.
“That means I might have to fight alongside that Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon!”
“That could happen.”
“…Do we have to bring him?”
“Don’t worry. He has no interest in you whatsoever. I don’t know his personal life in detail, but he’s… living fully, isn’t he?”
“Well, true, but still…”
Tang Sowol looked between us.
“Um… Brother Cheon? What kind of person is Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon? I heard he’s the most harmless among the lust demons…”
“He is the most harmless. For women.”
Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon.
Those who practiced seductive arts rose quickly in strength, but reaching the Flowering Stage was rare.
Because their martial arts—whether absorbing Yin or absorbing Yang—relied on stealing other people’s internal energy.
Turbid internal energy made it difficult to contain one’s willpower, thus nearly impossible to unify mind, energy, and spirit.
Hence, their path to Flowering Stage was effectively blocked.
Before regression, while researching ways to treat Seol Lihyang, I learned that seductive arts originally had no such side effects.
Seductive arts had once been a form of health cultivation, not a method for accumulating power.
Modifying it forcibly to extract power created problems.
In short, seductive arts had inherent issues now.
Thus, throughout all martial history, Flowering Stage practitioners who mainly used seductive arts were extremely rare—Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon was one of those few.
And a eunuch at that—making him even rarer.
“…A eunuch is a lust demon?”
“Cutting off one’s Yang root doesn’t erase desire. And Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon is a… special case.”
“A special case? Oh! Did he secretly avoid castration? Or maybe only half—”
“You think cutting only half would work? That’s not what I meant.”
Tang Sowol couldn’t know the details—it was an old and infamous unorthodox tale.
Poor families often sold children.
Usually as servants, temple novices… or to governmental institutions.
Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon had been sold to the authorities—the most stable option in Zhejiang, where unorthodox sects dominated.
He had exceptional talent—so exceptional he was selected for the palace’s eunuch training.
All without his consent.
When he was forcibly castrated, he bore deep resentment—
and he also possessed the talent recognized by the imperial court.
He beat a eunuch instructor with only foundation training and even stole the jar containing his removed Yang root, intended to be buried with him after death.
But no genius could reattach a severed part.
Thus, he dug into seductive arts with one obsession:
reach Flowering Stage and revive his Yang root.
The problem was—current seductive arts depended on Yin-Yang absorption, which didn’t work well on eunuchs.
His Yin overwhelmed his few remaining Yang, weakening him further.
He also couldn’t achieve true union, making Yin absorption inefficient.
So he changed his approach.
If all problems came from lacking Yang…then he needed to acquire it.
If he couldn’t produce it himself, he would take it.
Thus, he seduced men.
His androgynous looks made it easy.
“W-Wait, Brother Cheon! So Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon is… just a male seducer?!”
“No. He likes women. He wants his Yang root restored.
But for his goal, he seduces and… overpowers men.”
“That sounds like exactly a male seducer to me.”
“I also think so, but don’t say that in front of him. It’s his scale-covered reverse scale.”
Despite targeting men, his methods were relatively peaceful.
He wanted pure, powerful Yang—so he avoided aphrodisiacs or soul-stealing techniques that harmed internal energy.
Using only his natural charm, he ensnared countless warriors.
As long as they didn’t try to kill him first, he didn’t harm them.
But the aftermath was the problem.
Men who experienced a night with him became love-sick, destroying their households.
After ruining countless families, he was branded a lust demon and began life as a fugitive.
“I… I understand. But why ‘Brahma Heavenly’? Did he provoke royalty or something?”
“It’s not Heavenly. It’s Brahma.”
“Huh? Brahma… like Buddhist terms… don’t tell me—?!”
“Yes. He set his sights on Shaolin’s warrior monks.”
While fleeing, he hit a wall—he could neither reach Flowering Stage nor fend off his pursuers.
So he wanted purer Yang.
Not strong warriors with vigorous Yang, but warriors who had never touched a woman.
Like Shaolin’s warrior monks.
Tang Sowol’s eyes widened.
“It’s… true?!”
I nodded, suppressing a laugh.
Just as female Orthodox practitioners often became targets of lust demons, Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon targeted Shaolin monks.
Tempting a monk—especially a master-level one with exceptional mental cultivation—was nearly impossible.
Yet he succeeded.
“How he gained enlightenment afterward, no one knows, but he reached Flowering Stage.”
“…And the monk?”
“He returned him to Shaolin himself—dazed and empty. That’s when the title ‘Brahma Heavenly’ stuck.”
Tang Sowol made a face that said she didn’t know what to say.
Honestly, the story wasn’t that strange. The world was vast and full of the bizarre.
“The problem came after. Even after reaching Flowering Stage, his Yang root still didn’t return.”
“Even after rebirth?”
“The body was restored, yes. But the function never returned.”
“A…ah?”
“Rebirth creates a body suited for martial arts. Considering his cultivation path, it makes sense.”
Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon became even more beautiful,
radiating charm that could rival seductive women—but as a man, he was disqualified.
“He’s no longer ruining households, but he keeps causing trouble wherever he goes searching for a cure.”
“So that’s why he defies Black Lotus Sect orders too…”
“Yes. He entered the Black Lotus Sect seeking treatment. When nothing was found, he had no reason to obey them.”
He went to the Demonic Cult for the same reason—he heard there was a cure.
One-Saber Asura betrayed for survival.
Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon defected for his missing Yang root.
But within the Demonic Cult were men he’d ruined—and Heavenly Demon naturally sided with them.
The news that a Flowering Stage warrior died so easily…
I remembered that day clearly.
I almost sighed—
“Hoo.”
Tang Sowol beat me to it.
She spoke in a serious tone:
“Brother Cheon… do you really need Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon?”
“If there’s a force I can use, I will. And as I said, he’s harmless to women. Don’t worry—”
“No, I’m worried about you.”
“…?”
“What if Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon takes an interest in you?!”
“…That was useless to worry about.”
I chuckled lightly.
“If he tries anything, I’ll win.”
“That’s a very you-like answer, but…?”
“Then I’ll say it differently—why would I ever look at a man, when I have you, Tang Sowol?”
“Mm… that’s true… It should be true… but… hmm…”
Somehow, her uneasy expression didn’t fade.
She sure worried a lot.
***
Surprisingly, the Demonic Cult had already contacted Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon.
So I informed him of it.
“Oh my? A fine man indeed.”
“…Damn it.”
His seductive gaze swept over me, and my hand instinctively reached for my sword.
But Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon only smiled knowingly, as if used to such reactions.
“But I know that much already. I’m letting that Demonic Cult brat deceive me on purpose.”
“…What?”
Something was definitely wrong.
