Chapter 383: Schemes Run Rampant (2)

“Disciple, if the Great Young Master asks me for the Black Silk Centipede, what should I say? If he finds out it’s in my hands, he’ll demand it immediately.”

Eum Sajeok, after pondering for a moment, let his eyes gleam.

“Senior Brother, if the Great Young Master asks about the whereabouts of the Black Silk Centipede, put on a troubled face and say that it was taken by Yong Hwarin.”

“Hmm, if I say that, he’ll look down on me.”

“That isn’t what matters right now. And in a scheme, one must show a certain lack to deceive the opponent. After saying that, tell him you’ve been constantly pursuing Yong Hwarin to reclaim both the Black Silk Centipede and the Four Great Divine Items. Then, reveal where Yong Hwarin is.”

“Ah, so that’s how I can justify knowing Yong Hwarin’s location.”

“Exactly. Since you’ve been tracking him, it makes sense you’d know his whereabouts.”

“But what if he presses me on why I didn’t report that Yong Hwarin was nearby?”

“That’s simple. Just say you didn’t mention it because you intended to reclaim what was stolen with your own strength. The Great Young Master already knows we covet the successor’s seat. So rather than giving other excuses, frame it as if you kept it to yourself in order to pursue the successor’s seat. He will believe it.”

“I see, that makes sense.”

Yang Gwak marveled at Eum Sajeok, who laid out such meticulous plans.

He couldn’t understand how someone like him had been crushed by Yong Hwarin and left unable to recover.

“How could such a brilliant disciple have suffered so much at Yong Hwarin’s hands?”

Eum Sajeok let out a dry chuckle.

“To be honest, I tried to suppress Yong Hwarin with force, and that’s what happened. If I had battled with my head instead, like now, I would have cornered him. Then even now, I’d still be locked in a tense struggle with you over the successor’s position. Trying to recklessly overpower him with martial arts only leads to disaster.”

“That’s true. Out of all the prodigies in the Heavenly Demon Sect, we are the ones the Masters personally took in. Yet even we could do nothing but lose whenever we faced Yong Hwarin. Honestly, it’s no surprise the heirs of the Three Demonic Heavens were defeated by him. From what I’ve seen, that Yong fellow is exceptional in both martial arts and intelligence. I don’t believe the Great Young Master is stronger than the heirs of the Three Demonic Heavens. In that regard, the Great Young Master cannot match Yong Hwarin.”

“Which is why we must fight him with our minds.”

“You’re right, Disciple.”

After that, Eum Sajeok shared various schemes with Yang Gwak.

For now, they were in the same boat, and cooperation was necessary.

Who knew how long it would last, but for now, he had to appear as a reliable comrade.

When Jeong Minji and Bukri Sehee entered the Heavenly Central Sect, they were deeply moved by the warm reception they received.

Since the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect had already spoken of them as the Young Sect Leader’s women, the welcome reached its peak.

Every time the two women passed by, disciples bowed their heads in deep respect.

“No wonder they’re the Young Sect Leader’s women, they’re truly beautiful.”

“Their bearing overflows with grace.”

Hearing people’s praises wherever they went, the two women felt so flustered they could hardly raise their heads.

Yong Hwarin’s mother Gi Yooyeon, his younger brother Yong Kijoong, and Yong Seollan warmly welcomed the women who would become their daughters-in-law.

“Welcome. Hwarin already told us about you.”

Through multiple messenger pigeons, Yong Hwarin had already introduced them to his mother and Yong Kijoong, so the two women didn’t feel unfamiliar.

“Mother, we humbly greet you.”

Gi Yooyeon was overjoyed when the two lovely young ladies bowed and called her mother.

“I am Yong Kijoong, the Young Master’s younger brother.”

When Yong Kijoong greeted them politely, Jeong Minji replied,

“Lord said that because he had a younger brother in the Heavenly Central Sect, he could handle matters outside without worry. He always praised and boasted about you. Seeing you now, I know those praises were not exaggerated.”

“You flatter me.”

“No, it’s true. Whenever Lord spoke of you, he always did so with pride. He trusts and relies on you greatly.”

Even if he knew they were just being courteous, hearing that his elder brother cherished him so much filled Yong Kijoong with joy.

“So, you two are the fortunate women who have captured our elder brother’s heart.”

Yong Seollan ran up with a playful voice.

Gi Yooyeon smiled at her daughter’s bluntness.

“She’s still childish, so please don’t hold it against her.”

“Not at all. We also believe we are fortunate women.”

Yong Seollan stared at Jeong Minji and Bukri Sehee with sparkling eyes.

“I really wanted to see the sisters who won over our elder brother.”

As Yong Seollan chatted with the two women without reserve, Gi Yooyeon and Yong Kijoong simply smiled, choosing not to interrupt.

Gunwi and Gunyeom greeted Gi Yooyeon and the others, then returned to their quarters ahead of time.

Using poison as an excuse, they came back early, but in their hands was a pigeon, origin unknown.

Gunwi hastily wrote something and placed the letter in the pigeon’s tube tied to its leg.

Gunyeom stepped outside, confirmed that no one was around, and released the pigeon into the sky.

“Our mission is a success. We entered the Heavenly Central Sect with them.”

“The real mission begins now, so we must stay sharp.”

At Gunwi’s words, Gunyeom replied,

“To avoid mistakes, we hardly spoke at all. Right now, they have no reason to suspect us.”

“Even so, we’re in the tiger’s den. Keep your guard up.”

“You be the careful one, Brother.”

Gunwi and Gunyeom observed the situation outside and stepped out.

They intended to thoroughly examine the inside of the Heavenly Central Sect.

Since the atmosphere was one of welcoming, they wouldn’t raise suspicion even if they wandered around.

Eum Sajeok, in devising this plan, needed first to inform Yong Hwarin of his scheme.

If something happened to Yong Hwarin, the entire plan would become useless.

This plan was purely to sow discord between Yang Gwak and the Great Young Master and to deliver the Black Silk Centipede to Yong Hwarin.

However, if this ended up working against Yong Hwarin, then all the effort would be wasted.

And from the Demonic Master’s standpoint, if Eum Sajeok wanted to seize the Heavenly Demon Sect, it would be best if both Young Master Il, Yang Gwak, and the Great Young Master disappeared.

Thus, the first step was to gradually make the two compete.

And the very first move was the Black Silk Centipede.

Eum Sajeok tied a letter to the Azure Messenger Rat and sent it to Yong Hwarin.

Whatever happened next, it was an arrow already loosed from his hand.

‘Yong Hwarin, the success of this matter now rests with you. I trust you.’

The Demonic Master was absorbed in thought.

At present, he appeared to be siding with Yang Gwak in his confrontation with the Great Young Master. But once the Great Young Master revealed his true nature, he could be struck down at any time.

The Great Young Master had both the power and authority to remove Yang Gwak whenever he deemed him an obstacle.

To survive then, Eum Sajeok’s current strength was far from sufficient.

‘I must prepare some emergency means.’

As he thought, one method came to mind.

‘I have mastered every supreme martial art. But with Eum Sajeok’s internal strength, he cannot properly unleash them. The most urgent matter is to raise my cultivation.’

He began to consider ways to strengthen his internal strength.

Then the Demonic Master recalled the best method: the Dead Blood Essence Absorption Art.

The Dead Blood Essence Absorption Art was not much different in effect from common absorption arts.

But its foundation was different.

Normal absorption techniques drew in an opponent’s internal strength and made it one’s own. The Dead Blood Essence Absorption Art, however, absorbed only the opponent’s innate qi and converted it into internal strength.

For this reason, it was the purest among all absorption techniques.

Other absorption arts, in drawing in all kinds of mixed energy, were difficult to refine and required much time to assimilate even pure energy.

Furthermore, by continually absorbing miscellaneous energy, the practitioner’s dantian could not endure and often fell into qi deviation. Thus, few in the martial world ever practiced absorption arts.

It was precisely to overcome such drawbacks that the Dead Blood Essence Absorption Art had been created.

Since this art absorbed only the innate qi—the purest form of energy from a human—it could quickly be refined into one’s own strength.

Even those trained in demonic arts possessed innate qi of similar essence, so there was little risk of qi deviation.

But even this method met its limit.

Although innate qi was the purest form of energy within a person, because each person’s constitution and disposition varied, it could not be said to be absolutely pure.

Thus, though the side effects were fewer compared to common absorption arts, in the end, the conclusion was the same.

In his research, the Demonic Master discovered one thing.

Innate qi did not immediately leave a corpse, but lingered until the body rotted away.

Moreover, innate qi within a corpse had lost the imprint of the deceased’s nature, making it even purer than that of the living.

Long ago, he had succeeded in drawing innate qi from corpses to raise his cultivation.

In fact, it was thanks largely to the Dead Blood Essence Absorption Art that he rose from the Four Demonic Heavens to the Six Demonic Clans.

Through it, he was able to build over three gaps of cultivation.

However, this martial art was one he had created late in life, so he had not accumulated much before dying.

Had he developed it earlier, he might not have met his end being pursued by the warriors of the Three Demonic Heavens.

The Demonic Master called the innate qi taken from corpses the Yama True Qi.

Recently, he had heard that a plague was ravaging the region near Yeo-nam.

Had he not heard of the plague victims, he would never have thought to absorb Yama True Qi.

Absorbing from one or two corpses would be useless.

To obtain true strength, he needed to absorb large amounts of Yama True Qi at once and refine it into power.

While the Great Young Master and Young Master Il were resting at an inn, the Demonic Master soared toward the plague-ridden region.

When he arrived, the government troops were already restricting access, making it difficult to enter by the official road.

Slipping past their watchful eyes, he infiltrated the village and absorbed Yama True Qi from the plague dead.

Since the dead had no living blood vessels, their qi could not circulate.

Thus, the Demonic Master would pry open a corpse’s mouth, insert his hand, and draw the Yama True Qi through the esophagus.

After absorbing the Yama True Qi of over a hundred corpses in one sweep, he was greatly elated.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep