Surviving as a Rival in a Martial Arts Novel

Chapter 68 – Hope Remains in the Demon Cult (01)

The world does not wait for anyone.

Even while Yeon Cheong-ha was injured and was on the brink of death, the situation was rapidly changing.

When the 47th Cheonma was born, Somahu was no longer Cheonma’s successor but became the first elder and stepped down from power.

While Cheonmadae, which was directly under Cheonma, was being rebuilt, Mahoudae gave up further reconstruction.

Originally, Cheonmahu, who ascended to the position of Taesangmahu, proposed creating a personal guard under his direct command, but Somahu rejected it and was satisfied with the position of elder.

The supreme masters of the Demonic Cult, Taesangmahu and Heuksahyeolgyeom, both lost their original martial arts skills.

While Taesangmahu was paying homage to the soul of the Heavenly Demon while completely depriving himself of food and drink, the temple monuments were contaminated and he was affected by the Mara Heart Gong. In such an abnormal physical state, he was engaged in a decisive battle with the head of the Black Moon Temple and the Black Lion Sword. I suffered irreversible internal injuries.

The new Heavenly Demon used the Dawning she had learned to disperse the Marasimgong, but after the death of her rival and husband, the Heavenly Demon, Taesangmahu no longer practiced martial arts and her fighting spirit had long since diminished, so she was in danger of the Demon Cult. He did not show any regrets about protecting the field and losing his martial arts skills.

Heuksa Hyeol-gyeom, the commander of the Heavenly Demon, struggled despite being fatally wounded in the solar plexus by a blow from the Black Lion Sword, and made a remarkable feat of killing all the elders who betrayed the Demonic Cult except for one elder. However, no matter how strong a demon is, there are human limitations. You can’t surpass it.

After the battle, he took his place and swore allegiance to the Heavenly Demon, before dying while standing.

His death became an example to the demons, and the Paljangro he used was permanently revoked, meaning that he was the only one who maintained the demon religion even after death.

Anyway, it was meaningless since there was only one demon worthy of taking the position of elder.

Geomseong, who participated in the Demonic Cult’s civil war and defended the first elder of the Black Moon Party, was treated as an honored guest of the Demonic Cult and was transported to Jinju in a coffin inlaid with cold spirits.

Originally, the task of transporting Geomseong’s body was supposed to be his best disciple, Ok Seol-hwa, but she could not do it because she did not want to see her teacher again, and the neutral medical women of Yakgok were escorted by the demonic cultists. It was transported to Jinju in Hebei.

During the half a year that Yeon Cheong-ha was sleeping, the black-haired girl who guarded him was always there and did not respond even when others spoke to her, only remaining silent.

The Demon Cult was slowly getting used to the new Heavenly Demon’s reign, and the woman who was called Somahu was also getting used to her new nickname of First Elder… Or Geumseonmahu (昑旋魔后).

The man everyone had been waiting for opened her eyes.

* * *

“……”

She closes her eyes and opens them again to adjust to the blurry vision.

I shook off the awkward feeling as if it was not my body and instinctively used Cheongshim Glass Ball to make my frozen body moveable again.

‘My body… Wasn’t as stiff as I thought’

It is normal for the body to become stiff even after a long sleep, but my body was moving smoothly as if I had just woken up after a few hours of deep sleep.

‘How much time has passed?’

Because I had reached the state of invulnerability to cold and cold weather, my body did not shrivel or lose body temperature and shiver, but I was able to know for sure because I did not lose the sense of being cold.

I can feel the cool air. It wasn’t just that it was cold because it was night, it was a bone-chilling chill that felt like nature itself had cooled down.

When I participated in the Demonic Cult civil war with the Sword Saint, it was early summer, and now that it was so cold, it was scary to see how much time had passed.

There was no problem physically, but my mind was tired, so I took a deep breath while lying in bed and started preparing to be active again.

The room was filled with air so cold that it slightly stung my nose, and the room was so chilly that even when I was covered with a blanket, the part that touched my skin felt cold.

‘I hate the cold’

The memory of almost losing Samae in this cold, Yeoncheongha’s body was rejecting the cold day.

Even if you reach the state of invulnerability to cold and cold weather, even if your body is no longer affected by the natural cold, this body instinctively becomes sad and hardened.

Feeling such deep trauma that my body reacted even after my soul changed, I threw away the blanket and stood up.

Pick.

The gold needles that were loosening my body began to be pulled out by the inner energy moving around my body, and I checked my body one by one.

The right hand was completely fine. While holding the sword and using Dawning, my skin broke, but it was not a big problem as it was a minor injury that healed over time.

Although the bone in my left hand, which I used to strike the sword to forcefully activate Dawn, was misaligned, I guess it was treated by a skilled doctor, so I only felt a bit of stiffness, but there was no effect on my mobility or movements.

If you undergo rehabilitation treatment, it can be recovered in just a few days.

And the wound on my chest…

‘It’s a ridiculous slash…’

It was still attached except for a thin red line, as if it had been scratched by a sharp thorn.

Because it was such a clean and sharp slash, the cut on my chest was immediately glued back together with just a little bit of action. I don’t know how much time passed, but except for leaving a slight scar, it was as if I had never been slashed.

“The head of the Black Moon Party. Heo Wol.”

I have never heard of such a being.

The ending of the original work is about Yeon Cheong-ha stopping Oh Dang-ju, who was trying to kill Han So-so, while the Dark Lord of the Black Moon and Ban Gyu-seong were fighting for life, reusing the Cheongsim Glass Ball and winning.

The ending was for the Black Moon Party, which lost most of its leaders, to break its ambition to rule the martial forest and hide its identity.

However, because I changed this content, the first leader of the Black Moon Party, who was originally supposed to shut himself up and hide in the dark, ended up appearing.

“……”

Overwhelming slash. A black sword that can cut down all materials in the world.

I couldn’t understand the structure of the black sword, which was so pitch-black and non-three-dimensional, but I was certain that it could cut it down no matter what kind of armor I brought.

“I thought this was enough to defeat the Black Moon Party… But there’s still a long way to go.”

I fully woke up, feeling the cold air gradually warming up and the dawn coming through the closed window.

I no longer had time to sit and beat myself up.

I just have to struggle not to lose any more.

“My future goal is at least a sword level. Is it more than that?”

I burst out laughing at the goal, which was so unrealistic, but what can I do?

If you don’t do it, it’s over.

* * *

“You’re feeling much better.”

“I’m sorry for not being able to show you a dramatic resurrection.”

“You were unconscious for half a year, so that’s dramatic enough.”

Listening to Gyu Sojeo’s calm voice, I let her hold my wrist and do her pulse.

As her slender fingers move busily, tracing the veins of my colorful veins, I see her hand moving up along my wrist and forearm, pausing for a moment as it tries to touch my chest, so that she can find it properly. I held my hand near my heart.

At first, I waited vaguely because I didn’t know what he was going to do, but now that I knew the intention, I took the first step on behalf of Gyu Sojeo, who had trouble seeing.

‘Even though it’s been like this for almost 15 days… It can’t be helped that even the patient has an aversion to touching the body of a stranger.’

“Ah…”

Just as her doctor was listening to her heart with her stethoscope, she too was checking the sound with her own hand on her chest and her eyes closed.

Personally, I don’t think there is a problem with my body, but I stayed calm because a professional medical professional could have detected the problem.

“Yes. Are you okay? You can start working right away from today.”

“Is that so?”

Because I had already predicted this, I calmly changed into the top that was already provided.

‘I won’t be able to see your eyes anyway, so is there any need to look away…’

I think it’s probably because of the habit of seeing.

In fact, you can receive treatment from a doctor of the Demonic Religion, but since Sojeo Gyu has been treating my body as her doctor, it was best to get confirmation from her.

Because Sojeo Gyu is more trustworthy than a member of a demonic religion that I don’t even know.

‘In this day and age, it doesn’t seem like it’s a good idea for people of the opposite s*x to touch each other’s skin, no matter how much they are doctors…’

Since this is an urgent situation, I entrusted her body to Sojeo Gyu, but seeing her embarrassed makes me feel a little sorry.

“……”

For some reason, after finishing her treatment, her expression relaxes as if she is relieved to some extent when she reaches out her hand again to Gyu Sojeo, who is stroking her own hand in shame.

“Today is the day you receive the elixir from the Taesangmahujeon, right?”

“Ah… Right… Right…”

“I’ll take you there.”

“……”

Usually, Jinseonmahu guides Gyu Sojeo, but today, due to the issue of sending out the elixir, he was absent, so it seemed better for me to take him there myself.

“Please… Please.”

As I went out to take Gyu Sojeo to Taesangmahujeon, it seemed like today would be a good day for training as the weather was sunny.

‘But this gaze… I can’t get used to it.’

When I show up, the eyes of the demons are focused on me.

The law of strong self-respect, it is inevitable for demonic cultists to have admiration for me, who has proven to be more powerful than the current Heavenly Demon.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Demon has not been wary of me yet, but if I stayed in the Demon Cult like this, it could have become the seed that would divide my loyalty to the Heavenly Demon.

Of course, because Gyu Sojeo was blind, he couldn’t notice this situation, so I had to pretend like nothing was wrong and move with Gyu Sojeo.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

It might have been because it rained early yesterday morning, so there were puddles of water, so I lifted Sojeo Gyu’s body slightly, jumped over the puddles, and put him back down.

At first, she was embarrassed when I helped her like this, but now she seems to have gotten used to it. When I support her body, she naturally wraps her arms around my neck, and she is also getting used to the life where she cannot see what is in front of her. Is it true?

‘If I could fix it, I’d fix my eyes too…’

When Cheongsim glass balls are injected, vision temporarily returns, but it does not mean that the patient can see clearly, and only a special vision that allows the individual to distinguish between blood vessels is restored.

‘Now that I think about it, Somahu… No, Geumseon Mahu said that if you use the magic elixirs, she can heal your eyes…’

I don’t know if it’s possible, but if Gyu Sojeo regains her eyesight, it would be a good thing for her as a medical maid, and above all, it would be a good thing for an individual, Gyu Wolhyang.

“Please, I must hope that the magic elixir is effective.”

“Couldn’t it be used for something better than a lowly doctor like me…?”

“It might be better to use it on a doctor who can save lives rather than on a warrior who can only kill.”

“……”

I reassured myself by holding the hand of Gyu Sojeo, who was holding my hand tightly as if he was afraid, and we entered together into Taesang Mahoujeon’s medicine room where Geumseon Mahu was waiting.