Chapter 451: Crown Prince Nezha (3)

Dam Hyun took the Red Armillary Sash.

Everyone looked at him thinking he was about to show them something.

And Dam Hyun…

“U-ugh.”

He held the Red Armillary Sash and could not do anything.

When Nezha had summoned it, the Red Armillary Sash had fluttered as if alive, but now it only hung limp like ordinary silk.

“I, I’m really going to die.”

Dam Hyun let the arm he had lifted drop with a thunk.

Those who had been watching with high expectations gaped, mouths hanging open.

Of course, not everyone stayed still.

“You idiot!”

The Golden Needle Phantom was right there.

He rushed to Dam Hyun and tried to treat his wound.

It was Yu Jeong-shin who stopped him.

“Yi-gang! Hoist Dam Hyun on your back and carry him to the water.”

“To the water?”

“Yes.”

There was no time to listen to an explanation.

Yi-gang slung Dam Hyun, who was still clutching the Red Armillary Sash tightly, over his shoulder.

The water. If it was the water…

There was a ravine nearby.

Yi-gang quickly ran toward the ravine.

The disciples, still bewildered, followed after Yi-gang.

Following the sound of water, they came upon the ravine.

Since it was midwinter, thin ice had formed here and there.

The snow that had fallen not long ago still had not melted and lay piled on the rocks.

Yu Jeong-shin shouted to Yi-gang, who did not know what to do next.

“Put Dam Hyun into the water.”

He was telling him to put a man with a hole in his stomach into the icy ravine water.

Golden Needle Phantom opened his mouth soundlessly, but Yu Jeong-shin’s attitude was firm.

Seeing Dam Hyun nod, Yi-gang made up his mind.

He simply shoved Dam Hyun into the cold water.

“Gah!”

Seeing him scream, it seemed he still had some strength left.

It was then that the “use” of the Red Armillary Sash began to manifest.

Originally it was a red silk cord about seven feet long.

Even then, it had only been a little longer than a person’s height, but now it was clearly lengthening.

As if alive, it was increasing its size by itself in the water.

“Hun Tian…”

Someone murmured ‘Hun Tian’, the name of the Red Armillary Sash.

The red silk cord Nezha had possessed since birth bore a name that meant “to mix the heavens.”

Now they could seem to understand the meaning of that name.

The clear ravine water, which had reflected the sky as it was, became distorted.

The bright red Red Armillary Sash moved as if alive in the water and grew larger.

Rather than silk, it looked more like the blood Dam Hyun had shed.

And Dam Hyun opened his eyes.

The expression that had been filled with pain until a moment ago became calm.

He touched the wound on his stomach with his fingers.

When a hole is opened in the belly, the pressure in the abdominal cavity naturally forces the intestines out.

No matter how careful Yi-gang had been, that was unavoidable.

Throwing him into the ravine water in that state would be little different from hastening his death…yet his abdomen was smooth.

The wound had healed at once.

However, the use of the Red Armillary Sash did not end there.

It was said that Crown Prince Nezha had used this Red Armillary Sash to cause havoc at the Dragon Palace by himself.

They said that even the Great Sage Equal to Heaven could not handle Nezha in the water, so in truth the Red Armillary Sash was a treasure that governed water.

And this was the true original of that Red Armillary Sash.

It wasn’t an imitation that only borrowed its rank, but a genuine heavenly god’s treasure.

Dam Hyun began to handle the Red Armillary Sash with all of his abilities.

Cries of astonishment burst out from the disciples watching from outside the water.

The red Red Armillary Sash began to emit golden light.

The surface of the water quivered.

The Red Armillary Sash controlled water.

And the human body was mostly made up of water.

Dam Hyun, who had learned medicine from Golden Needle Phantom, knew that.

“This is the chance.”

He had not attached those terms to the oath with Nezha without thinking.

It was useless to merely drive Nezha away for the moment.

Dam Hyun had to become stronger, even if by borrowing power.

Dam Hyun could do almost anything, yet even that was not enough for him to overcome the ordeals ahead.

He had to be more, even more exceptional.

Forming a tie with Crown Prince Nezha, even if it was an ill-fated one, might be a stroke of luck.

“I was right on the verge of death.”

Dam Hyun observed the state of his own body.

In truth, what had been killing him was not the wound in his abdomen.

It was the forced possession that was the major cause.

Because of its aftereffects, Dam Hyun’s body had been in a state of constant collapse.

“If I survive, I will gain at least a bit of divinity.”

Yi-gang and Ha Jun had gained great advancement by Zhang Sanfeng and the Heavenly Demon possessing them for a long time.

Zhang Sanfeng and the Heavenly Demon were beings who had transcended humanity and attained divinity.

Since they had dwelled in the body and lavishly wielded their strength, divinity naturally accumulated in the body as well.

Then what about in Dam Hyun’s case.

Crown Prince Nezha was a being of incomparably high rank from the moment of his birth.

If he had truly made up his mind.

Or if there had been no issue of causality, if Taihao Fuxi had not been nearby.

The result might have been complete annihilation.

Whatever the suppositions, an amount of divinity that was hard to digest remained in Dam Hyun’s body.

By rights, the aftereffects were enough for him to have died dozens of times over.

Dam Hyun intended to digest it through the Red Armillary Sash.

The Red Armillary Sash wrapped itself around Dam Hyun’s body.

Color returned to his face, which had gone a dull dead hue.

As his joints bent, crunching sounds could be heard.

If it were Yi-gang, he would have endured this pain as it was, but Dam Hyun used a trick.

Crack.

With that chilling sound, he felt no sensation below his neck.

Dam Hyun’s body had already been ruined in many ways.

To repair that body properly, there was no other way besides body transformation.

That was why Dam Hyun intended to imitate such a transformation.

“If I fail, I will just die, that‘s all.”

His body moved of its own accord.

Bones and joints were rearranged. In the process, blood vessels burst on their own and blood flowed, and turbid energy was discharged.

The wounds that could not be endured were healed by the Red Armillary Sash.

Dam Hyun handled the Red Armillary Sash like his own hands and reassembled his body.

It was something a normal person could not even imagine doing.

Realizing what he was doing, Golden Needle Phantom muttered.

“…Crazy bastard.”

Yet Dam Hyun’s boldness was eventually rewarded.

In other words, it meant that he had saved his life, at any rate.

When that sound came from his neck once more, sensation returned to his whole body.

For a moment it felt as if his whole body were being hacked apart by blades.

Dam Hyun was able to spring to his feet.

“Done. Body Transformation”

“You brat. You call that Body Transformation?”

Golden Needle Phantom shouted in anger and touched Dam Hyun’s body all over.

“Your arm is out of joint.”

Then he suddenly twisted the crooked arm.

Only after that did Golden Needle Phantom let out a hollow laugh.

“You brat, so you really did manage to survive somehow.”

Dam Hyun had survived.

Moreover, he had turned the crisis into an opportunity in disguise.

The Red Armillary Sash fluttered around Dam Hyun as if alive.

Yi-gang also let out the breath he had been holding.

The disciples were relieved as well.

A disaster had nearly occurred in the middle of a very important ritual.

Soon the disciples dispersed, and only Yu Jeong-shin and Yi-gang remained to ask after Dam Hyun’s condition.

“I’m fine. I should have asked for something besides the Red Armillary Sash as well.”

“Your greed is boundless.”

“If we had the Universe Ring or the Nine-Dragon Holy Fire Cover, they would help when facing the Cardinals of the Evil Cult.”

While Dam Hyun was muttering like that.

Yi-gang’s ears caught someone’s exclamation.

For some reason it was a familiar voice.

Yi-gang immediately drew his sword and aimed to the side.

There, someone with the appearance of a child was standing. The skin had a pale bluish tint, so it was clearly not a human.

“Nezha.”

When Yi-gang shouted that, Yu Jeong-shin and the people around him also turned in surprise.

Yet no one could see Nezha’s figure.

Only Dam Hyun, startled, hugged the Red Armillary Sash to his chest as if he could not let it be taken.

Seeing that, Nezha snorted.

「Why are you so surprised? Did you not hear me say I would come again?」

“Did you think I would be glad to see you again?”

Dam Hyun responded with a growl.

Yu Jeong-shin and the other Daoists also realized that Nezha had appeared here and tensed up.

Some even brought their hands to their sword hilts.

「Humans like you spew empty promises from your stinking mouths, but I am different. An oath must be kept.」

Nezha showed his displeasure.

Dam Hyun clicked his tongue, still thinking of him as an obnoxious bastard.

「You asked me to lend you power and I came. Is there a problem?」

Nezha folded his arms and arrogantly lifted his chin.

Then three translucent pairs of arms emerged behind his back.

Dam Hyun also calmed his hostility.

“Tsk, do as you please.”

「Your words are curt. Make your tone polite. If you don’t, you’ll surely regret it.」

“Nonsense. Did you forget the promise? You promised to help me.”

When Dam Hyun spoke so triumphantly, Nezha sneered.

「That is different from merely lending you power. You, who do not even know your place, have obtained the Eight Trigrams Diagram from Taihao Fuxi. Did you think you ordinary humans could make proper use of it?」

Since Yu Jeong-shin could not understand the conversation, Yi-gang conveyed Nezha’s words.

“Crown Prince Nezha. We plan to reach the Evil Cult’s base while avoiding the eyes of its Cardinals, those ancient rulers.”

He asked in a tone far more polite than Dam Hyun’s.

“For that, we intend to conceal ourselves using the configuration of the Eight Trigrams’ northwest, the mystery of Xun, Kan, Gen, and Kun. Would that be correct?”

「It is insufficient. Fuxi’s Eight Trigrams have come down from ancient times. They must be interpreted by the standards of the primordial era, not of the present.」

When Yi-gang relayed that, Yu Jeong-shin glared sharply at Dam Hyun.

“Dam Hyun, make your tone polite.”

Dam Hyun had a weak spot when it came to his master.

“Yes, I’ll, I will speak politely.”

「Mm, good.」

Only then did Nezha show a satisfied expression.

「From what I have seen, your journey will be quite interesting. It looks like a meaningless struggle, though.」

He lifted his chin and spoke.

「I will watch to see how far you go.」

Then he suddenly turned to look at Yi-gang.

「You.」

The eyes that looked at him were filled with killing intent and savagery.

「You dared to stab me with a sword. I very much want to see how you will die.」

To Crown Prince Nezha, who smiled with sharp fangs bared, Yi-gang replied.

“Beating you up felt pretty nice in my hands.”

“I heard you got beaten quite a bit by the Great Sage Equal to Heaven too. Without your treasures you’re nothing.”

Nezha was dumbfounded.

He had only spoken from old legends, yet it seemed to have prodded one of Nezha’s sore spots.

「This brat. I told you to make your speech respectful…!」

As Nezha raged, he suddenly realized something and closed his mouth.

He had extracted the promise to speak respectfully only from Dam Hyun.

「Hey, human. Order that brat to speak respectfully as well.」

Nezha quickly addressed Yu Jeong-shin, but Yu Jeong-shin was preoccupied with the new method of interpreting the Eight Trigrams Diagram and was muttering to himself alone.

Besides, the problem was that only Yi-gang and Dam Hyun could hear Nezha’s voice.

With a flustered face, Nezha shouted to Dam Hyun.

「You. Quickly relay my words.」

“I do not want to.”

His wording was certainly respectful, but his face was grinning slyly.

“I look forward to your help from now on.”

Dam Hyun jeered.

Nezha snorted and puffed out red breath as he fumed.

“Good.”

Yu Jeong-shin sprang to his feet.

“All the preparations are now complete. We have no time to delay any longer.”

At last, Namman.

The time had come to depart for the place where the Evil Cult was.

“We leave at dawn tomorrow.”

“Aren’t the preparations not ready yet?”

Namman was not a place one could go to easily.

Even if they went on horseback, it would take several weeks.

And of course, horses had not been made ready.

The supplies needed for a long journey were the same.

“We have helpers.”

It was a fortunate thing.

The Azure Forest Sect was not the only group in this world resisting the Evil Cult.

“We will borrow their aid and take ship.”

They would go by ship.

It was the only way for this many people to move quickly and in secret.

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