Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

WOOOONG!

A wave of demonic qi rippled out from the sacred relic, and the darkness within the formation surged.

"Did the Blood Cult have a sacred relic like this?" Baek Suryong mumbled, tilting his head and examining the object closely.

The sacred relic was the length of a finger, but because it was surrounded by a veil of dark demonic qi, he couldn't see it clearly.

I don't remember the Cult having a sacred relic this size…?

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Cautiously approaching the altar, he activated the Blood Demon Eyes. Immediately, the true form of the sacred relic was revealed to him.

"…A finger?"

Baek Suryong furrowed his brows, bewildered. He had thought the relic was just an object about the length of a finger, but as it turned out, it was an actual finger. A faintly glowing, dark red finger that still pulsed with life as if it was freshly sliced off.

Suddenly, he recalled what the Bloody Spirit had said under interrogation.

"A sacred relic left by the former Cult Leader."

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"No way…"

If he wasn't misinterpreting the Bloody Spirit's words, then this was the finger of the former Blood Cult Leader, the Blood Demon, the world's undisputed strongest martial artist and most powerful sorcerer.

"That madman passed down a part of his body as the Blood Cult's sacred relic? Crazy bastards, all of them."

Then again, the idea wasn't completely unfathomable. The Blood Demon was so unimaginably powerful that the qi condensed in his body surpassed most miracle herbs. Just preserving his finger with drugs and sorcery was probably enough to create a demonic artifact.

While Baek Suryong was deep in thought, suddenly, the finger trembled as if it were alive.

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VOOOM!

Releasing a tremendous explosion of demonic qi, it shot toward Baek Suryong like an arrow, causing the plants and corpses of the ghouls to shrivel up and crumble into dust as it passed by.

Startled, Baek Suryong summoned his inner qi, intending to form a protective barrier, but then realized that he didn't sense any danger. The thick demonic qi within the formation annihilated all living things, except for him.

SIZZLE…

No, it wasn't just excluding him from harm. For some reason, the demonic qi coiling around him was filling him with vitality and augmenting his strength.

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The world gradually turned red as an uncontrollable power boiled up within him.

"Haaa…" Baek Suryong groaned, feeling a sense of ecstasy come over him. Lifting his head, he looked up at the night sky, feeling as if he could shred it into dozens of little pieces. ȒâɴỌBÊꞩ

"Hahaha!" Before he knew it, he was laughing so hard that his shoulders were shaking.

Grinning drunkenly, he began to walk toward the altar as if possessed, his pupils slightly dilated and his heart pounding with excitement.

BADUMP! BADUMP!

The will of the original owner of the finger, who had reached a more profound mastery of the Heaven Defying Divine Art than anyone else, resonated with his own, beckoning to him, tempting him.

"Come back again sometime."

The voice of the Blood Demon he had seen in his dream echoed in his mind.

Did the Blood Demon, with his powers of premonition, foresee that I would come here?

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As if in a trance, Baek Suryong arrived at the altar and grabbed the Blood Demon's finger.

The Blood Demon's voice whispered in his ear.

"Do you want to become stronger?"

Never before had he felt such a compelling temptation.

"Do you want to have the world at your feet, to reign as an absolute being, to grasp everything you desire?"

The voice was languid yet decadent, like a gentle yet persistent wind caressing his ears.

"You can achieve anything."

Baek Suryong stared blankly at the finger. If he embraced the tremendous power surging within him right now, couldn't he devour the demonic qi and will contained in the artifact at once?

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"If I absorb this… I can reach the next level of the Heaven Defying Divine Art… No, I can gain even more power than that…"

FWOOOSH!

The Heaven Defying Divine Art was calling to him. His red hair fluttered madly in the wind, and his crimson eyes blazed in the darkness.

I just have to think of it as a miracle herb. I'm strong enough to control it.

Deep down, his reason was fighting with his instincts, screaming at him.

No! The moment I absorb this, I will fall into qi deviation! I will lose myself!

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Baek Suryong felt torn. Normally, he would have suppressed his impulses with reason, but the combination of the Myriad Demons' Nightmare Formation and the resonance of the Heaven Defying Divine Art fanned the flames of his deepest, darkest desires.

"With this…"

Slowly, Baek Suryong brought the finger to his mouth. The thought of consuming the power left by the Blood Demon thrilled him to no end.

"I can have it all, all…"

Suddenly, the White Ice Bangles glowed faintly in the darkness.

"I just want to live happily with that person again."

Memories of Master Eun Yerin, the Ice Moon Goddess, permeated Baek Suryong's clouded mind. He remembered her spring flower-like smile when she spoke of her beloved, a smile that was both beautiful and sorrowful.

"……" He hesitated.

"If I could return to my family… I would beg them for forgiveness."

The last moments of Master Hyonwon Hu, the Crazy Demon, kneeling and bowing in the direction of the Hyonwon Clan, flashed vividly before his eyes as if he was seeing it all over again.

"I will transform the Green Forest Bandits into a great sect on par with the Nine Sects One Gang!"

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Master Maeng Ho'ak, the Bandit King, was always playful and simple-minded, but his ambition was pure and sincere.

"…I want to fulfill my fatherly duties to that child, even if it's too late."

Despite being the greatest swordsman, Master Moyong Hon, the Sword Saint, wanted nothing more than to be with his son.

Memories of the times he had spent with his four masters surfaced in Baek Suryong's mind, pulling him back from the abyss and bringing life back to his glazed eyes.

"…Thank you, Masters," Baek Suryong whispered.

HISSS…

Sensing that Baek Suryong had regained his senses, the demonic artifact immediately poured the vast demonic qi from the formation into him, trying to possess him yet again.

"Khh…!" Baek Suryong grit his teeth. Tremendous demonic qi boiled within him, threatening to take over his mind. Unable to stem in the influx of power, he swung his sword to expel the energy.

CRASH!

Everything within thirty meters of him was devastated, but power continued to flow into him, instantly replacing what was lost.

He swung his sword relentlessly, but the pattern endlessly repeated, as if forcing him to accept this power.

Still, Baek Suryong did not give in.

"How dare you. You're not even the Blood Demon, just a mere finger!" he growled.

Glaring at the finger, he clenched it tightly and gathered his inner qi. His body housed not only the Heaven Defying Divine Art, but also the martial arts of his four masters.

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The Bandit King's Eighteen Strikes of the Viridian Forest.

The Crazy Demon's Asura Blood Heaven Blade.

The Ice Moon Goddess' White Ice Divine Art.

The Sword Saint's Unlimited Sword.

The will of his four masters resided in their martial arts, and they were in no way inferior to the Blood Demon's evil will.

ROAAAAAR!

Empowered by the spirit of his four masters, Baek Suryong resisted the demonic artifact with all his might. A surge of energy erupted beneath him, swirling and spreading, rupturing the ground and rattling the air itself.

"Ugh…!"

Nevertheless, the battle was far from easy. The formation amplified the demonic qi within him, and the Blood Demon's will relentlessly assaulted his mind.

"Don't resist. Accept my power, the power to defy the heavens! I will set you free from your destiny."

"Shut up. I'll decide my own destiny," Baek Suryong snarled. Blood trickled from his teeth, and his mind almost went blank several times, but he held on.

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The voices of his students at the Azure Dragon Academy echoed in his mind.

"Mr. Baek! Go and show the Namgung Clan who's boss!"

"Don't forget to bring back souvenirs for us!"

Just as the masters from his previous life had pulled him from the brink of losing himself, the students of his present life were now giving him strength.

CRACK!

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Grinning, Baek Suryong crushed the finger. The bones shattered, and blood seeped out. Finally, the tables had turned.

"And my destiny…is to teach those stupid delinquent students!"

"…In the end, you will succumb. It's just a question of whether it happens sooner or later…"

The Blood Demon's voice faded away, and the demonic qi dissipated.

"Phew…" Baek Suryong let out a sigh of relief.

He placed the crushed finger in the wooden box that once contained the Demonic Soul Summoning Flute. Once the lid was closed, the demonic qi vanished, contained by the box's inherent sealing properties.

Baek Suryong looked at the box and shook his head, feeling drained. "…For a moment there, I seriously thought I was going to die."

The finger was a demonic artifact imbued with the Blood Demon's evil thoughts and demonic qi. He had suppressed it using brute force, but he hadn't completely tamed it. If he recklessly tried to absorb it now, he wouldn't be himself anymore.

I can't do it yet, but… if I can find a way to absorb this power without losing myself, I'd reach a new level of mastery in the Heaven Defying Divine Art.

"Well, I'll think about that later."

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Putting the box in his bosom, Baek Suryong looked around.

HISS…

As the Myriad Demons' Nightmare Formation waned, the darkness shrouding Mount Tianzhu and the ominous clouds over the Namgung Estate dispersed, revealing the ruined landscape.

"Phew… Can I relax now?" Baek Suryong sighed, watching the first light of dawn creep into the dimly lit sky. The battle against the demonic artifact had taken much longer than he had thought.

"I should get going soon," he muttered, turning to go down the mountain.

KABOOOM!

The mountain shook violently with a tremendous roar.

Baek Suryong looked around, thinking a landslide had occurred, but he soon realized the source of the noise wasn't natural.

BANG! CRASH! SLAM!

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Two ridiculously powerful energies clashed repeatedly, their aftereffects sending shivers down his spine even from afar.

"What the hell…? They're still fighting?" he groaned. Since only a handful of masters in the world could unleash such devastating power, there was no need to guess the identities of the combatants; it could only be the Blue Sky Sword King and the Night Emperor.

Concealing his presence, Baek Suryong used his movement arts to approach the warring titans.

BOOM! BAM! CLANG!

The closer he got, the more violent the tremors became, reshaping the very landscape around him.

Finally, he spotted two figures in the distance. Making sure to stay a safe distance away, he observed them closely.

Aren't both of them quite badly injured?

Baek Suryong grinned slyly. He was mentally exhausted from fighting the demonic artifact, but his body was still overflowing with demonic qi from the formation.

Since the snipe and the clam are fighting… shall I be the fisherman?1

Fingering the wooden box in his bosom, Baek Suryong patiently waited for his chance.

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Translator's Note: Bet you weren't expecting a Jujutsu Kaisen moment ;p Anyway, we will finish up this Namgung Clan arc this weekend.

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1. An idiom based on a Chinese folk tale: When the snipe (a type of wading bird) and the clam fight, the fisherman wins (鹬蚌相争, 渔翁得利). The story goes: While sunning itself on the sand, a clam was seized by a snipe, which tried to eat it, but the clam slammed its shell shut, refusing to let the snipe go. Then, a fisherman who happened to be passing by effortlessly caught both of them and ate them for dinner. ↩

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