Chapter 334 : The Hidden Past of Deung Hwaun (1)

Chapter 334: The Hidden Past of Deung Hwaun (1)

An oppressive aura began to permeate the medical room of the Sky Ocean Merchant Union. The Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect, who had been standing guard, withdrew about five jang from the room, fearing they might disturb that aura and inadvertently harm Yong Hwarin and Hae Cheollyeong.

“Endure it, no matter how painful it is. To form the Tai Chi Dantian, you must overcome agony akin to death.”

Hae Cheollyeong’s body trembled like an aspen tree.

According to the formula of the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra, forming the Tai Chi Dantian required creating another dantian at the Saman Point, and the process was excruciatingly painful.

The Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra consisted of three stages in total: the Yin-Yang Realm as the first, the Inner-Outer Realm as the second, and the Life and Death Realm as the third. Yong Hwarin explained these stages while channeling true qi into him.

When Yong Hwarin had trained in the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra, he had first mastered the Dual-Mind Inner Art before forming the Tai Chi Dantian.

Only after mastering the Dual-Mind Inner Art—splitting the mind to operate the qi channels on the left and right independently—could one form the Tai Chi Dantian.

To achieve that, Yong Hwarin had once obtained Chouhui’s Golden Token and challenged the Five Gates Hall.

But now, there was no leisure to slowly master the Dual-Mind Inner Art before creating the Tai Chi Dantian.

Seeing Hae Cheollyeong in such unbearable pain, Yong Hwarin spoke through telepathy.

—Cheollyeong, listen carefully. I’ll start infusing the Self-Revolving Inner Qi into your Saman Point now. Once it settles there, do not lose consciousness. Focus on circulating your qi around the Saman Point.

The Self-Revolving Inner Qi he spoke of was the autonomous qi that, once embedded in the body, would never dissipate, making it ideal for forming a dantian at the Saman Point.

After reaching the Qi-Vision Realm, Yong Hwarin no longer felt the pain of the Self-Revolving Inner Qi.

On the contrary, he had mastered it and refined it into the power of Hoi Eulshin’s Dongyeoraejin formation.

Jong Seok, on the other hand, had been forced into seclusion to purge the Self-Revolving Inner Qi.

Ultimately, only after perfecting the Black Death God Light Poison Technique to the eighth level could Jong Munhye remove Jong Munhye’s Self-Revolving Inner Qi.

Hae Cheollyeong, however, was still far from being able to control it, so he would have to endure many painful days ahead.

This pained Yong Hwarin.

It distressed him that his disciple would have to suffer until he could master the Self-Revolving Inner Qi.

But now, enduring pain wasn’t the priority—eradicating the Corpse Rot Yin Qi was urgent—so the side effects of the Self-Revolving Inner Qi would have to wait.

“Guhk!”

A groan escaped Hae Cheollyeong’s lips, his body beginning to shake violently.

‘This is the critical point. If he fails to endure, the Corpse Rot Yin Qi’s poison will eventually rot his dantian and meridians beyond repair.’

At the moment, the Realm of Self-Existence’s true qi was barely suppressing the Corpse Rot Yin Qi, but even that had limits.

It wasn’t Hae Cheollyeong’s own true qi of the Realm of Self-Existence, but qi Yong Hwarin had injected into him, so it lacked the power to keep the Corpse Rot Yin Qi fully subdued.

Hae Cheollyeong, drenched in sweat and looking like a drowned rat, still did not faint and endured.

‘Good boy. Just a little longer.’

As the Self-Revolving Inner Qi coiled and settled at the Saman Point, Yong Hwarin urgently sent another telepathic message.

—From now on, you must absorb the Self-Revolving Inner Qi using the formula.

Hae Cheollyeong recited the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra’s formula, trying to control the blazing mass swirling inside his abdomen.

In truth, such control was impossible for him alone.

It was only possible because Yong Hwarin, who had already formed the Tai Chi Dantian, had injected the Self-Revolving Inner Qi and was keeping it suppressed in the Saman Point.

Hae Cheollyeong managed to form the Tai Chi Dantian in less than one-hundredth the time it had taken Yong Hwarin.

Feeling the Yin Dantian form in the Saman Point, Yong Hwarin thought to himself,

‘Hae Cheollyeong will one day become the greatest master under heaven through the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra… It seems the future hasn’t changed after all. Forming the Tai Chi Dantian this easily, no less.’

In some ways, it left him feeling empty.

The days of hardship he had endured to form his own Tai Chi Dantian flashed before his eyes.

Hae Cheollyeong’s face, once twisted in agony, gradually began to relax.

Once the Yin Dantian had formed, Yong Hwarin sent another telepathic instruction.

—Cheollyeong, this is where it matters most. Force all the Corpse Rot Yin Qi in your body into the Yin Dantian. The Yin Dantian readily absorbs poison, so it won’t be difficult. Then, by exchanging qi with the Yang Dantian at the Qi Sea, you will gradually erase the Corpse Rot Yin Qi.

Since the Corpse Rot Yin Qi could not be expelled through circulation, the plan was to eliminate it entirely within the Yin Dantian.

If fortune favored, it could even be transformed into cultivation energy.

Yong Hwarin himself had once felt his own power increase slightly through such a method.

Lifting his hand from Hae Cheollyeong’s Mingmen Acupoint, Yong Hwarin finally let out a sigh of relief.

‘I was more nervous than when I formed my own Tai Chi Dantian.’

A smile spread across his face.

It had exceeded his expectations.

Hae Cheollyeong possessed far greater hidden potential than his outward appearance suggested.

To instantly comprehend the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra’s formula and follow it to form the Yin Dantian was no feat for ordinary talent.

‘In that respect, he surpasses me. No wonder he became a supreme master in his past life after comprehending the Profound Heavenly Sutra on his own.’

Pleased at the thought of guiding Hae Cheollyeong to become a pillar of the martial world, Yong Hwarin felt a deep sense of fulfillment.

Though he had no children, it was as if he were looking at his own son.

‘Is this what a parent feels like?’

He felt an urge to boast wherever he went.

At that moment, his father, Yong Biyang, came to mind.

When the Heavenly Sword Hero Yong Hwarin had proudly proclaimed him as his son, he had felt embarrassed.

But now, he understood that was the heart of a parent.

As Yong Hwarin stepped out of the medical room, Ha Deokgong and the Demonic Master were waiting anxiously.

“Young Master Yong, how did it go?”

In response to Ha Deokgong’s question, Yong Hwarin smiled.

“Fortunately, we were able to drive out the Corpse Rot Yin Qi. He is circulating his qi right now, so we must not disturb him. You will have to wait until Cheollyeong awakens from his qi circulation.”

At that moment, Dang Duhwa, who had been standing behind Ha Deokgong, rushed forward and spoke.

“Young Master Yong, Cheollyeong is all right, isn’t he?”

“Yes, Miss Dang.”

Tears welled up in Dang Duhwa’s large eyes.

“I was so worried, thinking he might die.”

“Hahaha, whose disciple do you think Cheollyeong is?”

Dang Duhwa wiped her tears with her sleeve and said,

“I knew that the disciple of the Heavenly Sword Hero wouldn’t die easily, but I still worried.”

“This is all thanks to you, Miss Dang.”

When he smiled and lowered his head, Dang Duhwa’s face turned red.

“Please take good care of Cheollyeong. He’s pure-hearted and may be a bit naïve. I’d like you to look after him well.”

“Well, he does have that tendency. Don’t worry.”

At first, Yong Hwarin had been a little wary of Dang Duhwa because she was from the Tang Clan.

Even in his previous life, he had not gotten along well with Tang Clan members and disliked their eccentric personalities.

But Dang Duhwa, eccentric or not, was still a warm-hearted girl.

He thought she could become a good friend to Hae Cheollyeong.

A childhood spent without friends often led to a narrow disposition, so Yong Hwarin tried not to place too many restrictions on Cheollyeong making friends.

In his past life, having lived alone without friends, Yong Hwarin had become self-righteous, causing those around him to suffer.

It had been an act of self-imposed isolation.

He never wanted to live like that again, nor pass such a life down to his disciple.

“But how did Cheollyeong end up in this state in the first place?”

At Yong Hwarin’s words, the Demonic Master explained the circumstances of the incident.

“The Red-Haired Demon Empress Lee Myeongja…”

It was a name Yong Hwarin had never heard before.

“If she is the mother of the Third Taegong Lee Gangmin, then we will have to be on guard from now on. Since I killed her child, she will surely seek revenge.”

“No doubt. We will be careful as well when going out in the future.”

The Demonic Master nodded.

One question lingered in Yong Hwarin’s mind.

“But I hear that Madam Deung threw herself in to save Cheollyeong. I don’t know why.”

The Demonic Master stroked his chin.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect Madam Deung to care for Cheollyeong to that extent either.”

“I can’t understand her actions. To risk her life for my disciple…”

The words carried the implication that there might be some ulterior motive.

But the Demonic Master shook his head.

“I don’t think it was that. She protected him almost instinctively. If she had any scheme in mind, she couldn’t have moved like that.”

In any case, Yong Hwarin intended to meet Deung Hwaun, who had played a major role in saving Hae Cheollyeong, and express his thanks.

Although they had first met as enemies, much of that hostility had now faded.

Living alongside the Demonic Master and mingling with people of the Heavenly Central Sect, the scent of the demonic path was gradually wearing off.

“Squad Leader Mu, above all, please keep watch over Cheollyeong. I don’t know when his qi circulation will end, but guard him until then.”

“Do not worry.”

Yong Hwarin instructed the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect to maintain strict vigilance, then headed to Deung Hwaun’s quarters.

When Deung Hwaun saw Yong Hwarin enter, she tried to rise.

Barely managing to sit up, she urgently asked after Hae Cheollyeong.

“When it was just the two of us, I called him Cheollyeong, but in front of his master Yong Hwarin, I couldn’t call his name carelessly, so I called him Young Master Hae instead.”

“Fortunately, we were able to remove the Corpse Rot Yin Qi. It’s all thanks to you, Madam Deung.”

At those words, Deung Hwaun lowered her head.

“May I take your pulse for a moment?”

Knowing that Yong Hwarin was offering to examine her internal injuries out of kindness, Deung Hwaun obediently held out her hand.

After briefly observing her condition, Yong Hwarin was surprised.

“Amazing. The Corpse Rot Yin Qi is not something easily removed from the body, but it has completely vanished.”

“It was thanks to Miss Dang’s Reviving Pill. When I began circulating my qi, the pill’s energy gathered the Corpse Rot Yin Qi and led it to my dantian. It had the effect of removing the poisonous energy.”

The Demonic Master spoke up.

“As expected, a Tang Clan spiritual pill is something else. Not just a simple tonic, but one that can even remove poison.”

“Having used something so precious, Dang Duhwa is probably in agony about it right now.”

Joking lightly, Yong Hwarin infused Deung Hwaun’s body with the true qi of the Realm of Self-Existence, even though her internal injuries were not yet healed.

Deung Hwaun felt her insides cool and refreshed, like the scent of mint.

“Thank you.”

“This Yong Mo is all the more grateful to Madam Deung for saving Cheollyeong. You are no longer an outsider, so please be at ease.”

“Thank you.”

Lifting his hand from her wrist, Yong Hwarin quietly asked,

“But there is still something I don’t understand.”

“Speak. I will clear your doubts.”