Overwhelming Firepower

Once they were done talking, Lucen was about to leave when the Heavenly Demon spoke to him again.

”This is a little extra for the information you gave me about the fate of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”

A book then appeared in the hands of the Heavenly Demon. The book was in the style you would see in those martial arts movies.

”This is a book I’ve personally written myself. It will teach you how to use one of my more famous techniques. The Unbound Demonic Strides is a movement technique that can be used on and off the battlefield. How much you learn from reading it is up to you.”

Upon receiving the book, Lucen had his left palm cover his right fist in front of his chest as he did a bow.

”Thank you for the gift, Heavenly Demon.”

”Hmph, it’s but a small matter.”

The Heavenly Demon clicked his tongue and looked at the other side. When Lucen saw this reaction, he couldn’t help but think of a word from his past life, Tsundere.

Unaware of his impudent thoughts, the Heavenly Demon went back to sitting down. Next was the Martial God, who approached Lucen.

”Since the Heavenly Demon has graced you with a gift, I too shall give one.” The Martial God then placed his finger on Lucen’s abdomen. ”Don’t move.”

That was the only thing the Martial God said before Lucen felt something going on inside his body. He felt a bit of pain here and there, as an unknown energy seemed to start to flow within him.

Lucen’s body stiffened instinctively, but he forced himself to remain still. The unknown energy flowed through his body almost along the same path as his mana flows.

Lucen’s brows furrowed slightly as the sensation spread through his body. At first, it was only discomfort, a dull ache that came and went without warning. But as the energy traveled deeper, that discomfort sharpened.

It began to burn; it was not a violent heat, but a steady, unrelenting pressure that scraped against something within him.

Tiny fragments, things he had never been aware of, were being peeled off from within his muscles, his veins, even the flow of his mana itself.

Each pass of that energy left behind a strange sense of clarity, but the process itself was far from gentle.

Lucen clenched his teeth as he tried not to move as the Martial God said. The Martial God, seeing Lucen standing steadily despite the force injection of his energy, was quite surprised.

’Sturdier than I expected.’ The Martial God thought to himself.

”Child, this next part will release all the toxins in your body. The toxins will come out all at once, and you will feel incredible pain, and it will also smell very foul. Be prepared.”

Before Lucen could even react to those words, something was happening to him from the inside that felt more intense than anything he had ever felt before.

It felt as if everything within his body that did not belong was suddenly being dragged out at once. A sharp pain exploded from his abdomen and spread through his entire body.

Lucen’s eyes widened slightly, but no sound escaped his mouth.

His muscles tightened instinctively, his breathing almost stopped for a brief moment, yet he did not move. The energy that had been flowing calmly before now surged violently.

It tore through his veins, scraped along the pathways of his mana, and forced everything impure forward.

Sweat poured from his body almost instantly. Then, a dark, sticky substance began to seep out from his pores.

It seeped from his skin, thick and foul-smelling. ’Yeah, this sh*t smells f*cking bad.’

The pain continued. It wasn’t overwhelming to the point of breaking him, but it was relentless.

The Heavenly Demon covered his nose and leaned back slightly. ”Tch, so much impurity, yet his body is quite strong. This brat is truly an abnormal one.”

The Martial God did not respond and simply continued what he was doing.

***

Time passed. Lucen did not know how long. It could be a few minutes, it could be a few hours. The pain he felt had subsided; not only that, but he felt better than he ever felt before.

”I finished, you can move now.”

When Lucen heard the Martial God’s voice, he looked at what he was stepping on. It was a black liquid that had a horrible stench.

Lucen, who had read many martial arts webtoons, knew that those were the impurities in his body.

The next thing Lucen looked at were his hands. They had become so much smoother than before; the callouses he had from swinging the sword disappeared.

Even though there was no mirror, Lucen knew from the knowledge he gained from various martial arts novels that he must look better than he was before.

’Well, not like I was ugly before, but now I should be along the lines of incredibly handsome like the male lead of a romance novel.’

His body had been reformed from his muscles to his bones. It had been changed to a better vessel to practice martial arts.

He could also feel the flow of his mana and aura glowing so much better than ever. He felt so much more powerful now.

Lucen then placed his left palm to cover his right fist in front of his chest as he did a bow. ”Thank you for the gift, Martial God.”

The Martial God nodded his head in approval. ”Go now, child, and walk the path that is for you.”

”I will return with the two.” After saying those words, Lucen was about to leave the temple, but the Heavenly Demon said something.

”Hey brat... Can you say the words those who followed me used to say?”

Lucen did not even need to ask what words the Heavenly Demon wanted to hear. Lucen then did a proper kowtow, and to make it feel more authentic, he used Acting Adept to act as the most loyal follower of the Heavenly Demon he had read.

”The Heavenly Demon Descends! Ten Thousand Demons Bow in Submission!”

Lucen’s voice was loud and clear, filled with conviction and longing. It was filled with adoration and worship; it was as if he truly turned into a person who was part of the demonic cult.

For a brief moment, the temple fell completely silent. The Heavenly Demon froze for a second.

The amused, almost lazy expression on his face disappeared. His eyes, which had always had the gaze of confidence, now sharpened as if looking far beyond Lucen, beyond the temple, beyond this world.

”Again,” the Heavenly Demon’s voice was soft, but it had the air of an absolute command.

Lucen, who was using acting adept to play the most loyal subordinate of the Heavenly Demon, did not hesitate and instead put more of his conviction into his voice. He lowered himself once more, his forehead smashing into the ground.

”The Heavenly Demon Descends! The Heavenly Demon is supreme! Ten Thousand Demons Bow in Submission!”

Lucen added a few more lines, and his acting was so great that the Heavenly Demon who heard him had his eyes wide open.

It was as if he were back in the central plains, back in the demonic sect. The people bowing their heads, worshipping him.

The Heavenly Demon covered his face as he did not want anyone to see what expression he was making, but the Martial God saw.

The Martial God saw his enemy, his rival, his friend, his equal, shedding tears. The Heavenly Demon had actually shed a tear, but that quickly disappeared.

The Heavenly Demon slowly lowered his hand. By the time his face was revealed again, the usual amused smile had already returned, as if nothing had happened.

”Heh, I guess there are still traces of it left... Hey brat, are you perhaps a part of the Demonic Cult?”

Lucen, who had stopped using acting adept, stood up and looked at the Heavenly Demon and answered. ”As I said, the Demonic Cult has long disappeared in the annals of history... But, stories about them, about you, still remain.”

The Heavenly Demon stared at Lucen for a few seconds longer, then a short laugh escaped him, though it lacked the same weight as before.

”So in the end, all that remains are stories.”

He leaned back again, returning to his usual relaxed posture, but something about him felt different.

The Martial God spoke. ”Stories may fade, names forgotten, in the end, only the path remains.”

The Heavenly Demon clicked his tongue. ”You and your boring philosophy.”

Despite saying those words, he did not refute them. Instead, the Heavenly Demon’s gaze returned to Lucen.

”Brat.” Lucen met the Heavenly Demon’s eyes. ”Thanks for that. It truly felt like I was there again.”

Lucen held the Heavenly Demon’s gaze for a brief moment before giving a small nod. ”I’m glad you were able to see it again.”

The Heavenly Demon scoffed lightly and waved his hand. ”Tch. Don’t misunderstand. It’s not like I needed it.”

Lucen smiled faintly. ’Yeah, definitely a tsundere.’

Lucen suppressed the urge to chuckle and instead gave one final bow, his posture respectful yet unrestrained.

”Then I’ll take my leave.” Without waiting for a reply, he turned and stepped out of the temple.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the suffocating presence vanished completely, as if everything that had just happened was nothing more than an illusion.

The quiet of the forest returned. Lucen let out a slow breath as he glanced at the book in his hand.

”That was worth the trip.” Then, without looking back, he walked into the darkness of the trees.