Disciple of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 36

‘I’m the Heavenly Demon. And the Blood Demon too.’

After saying that, Lee Ro-woon checked his body condition, swinging his arms around and lightly jumping, as if asking what the problem was.

‘…….’

‘…….’

Those watching Lee Ro-woon stood with their mouths open, their faces indescribable.

‘I thought there was nothing more to be surprised about…’

Kang Han-cheol said, recalling his conversation with Jung Chi-soo just moments before.

‘It’s impossible not to be surprised.’

Kang Han-cheol’s eyes sharpened.

This wasn’t just a matter of being surprised.

It was more important than the merging of worlds.

‘Blood Demon Lord.’

Kang Han-cheol knelt and spoke.

It was an act of courtesy that Lee Ro-woon had told him not to do.

‘I, your subordinate Kang Han-cheol, dare to ask the Blood Demon Lord.’

At that sight, Lee Ro-woon stopped swinging his arms and looked at him.

‘Speak.’

‘Is it true that the Blood Demon Lord is also the Heavenly Demon?’

The Heavenly Demon Sect and the Blood Demon Sect.

For a long time, the two had been in an irreconcilable conflict.

The Heavenly Demon Sect had always desired the Blood Demon Sect, and when they couldn’t have them, they oppressed them with force.

The resentment that had accumulated between them over the years was impossible to erase.

Kang Han-cheol had heard that the Heavenly Demon Sect and the Blood Demon Sect had been shedding blood endlessly since before he was born.

‘That’s right. I think I mentioned it.’

At Lee Ro-woon’s words, Kang Han-cheol nodded.

Indeed, he had heard a similar story from Kang Eun-ha, the divine maiden.

-Are you from the Heavenly faction or the Blood faction?

-It doesn’t matter whether it’s the Heavenly Demon Sect or the Blood Demon Sect.

On the day of the Blood Demon’s arrival, he had also said to Blood Hand Baek.

-Are you from the Heavenly faction?

-I guess so. Then I won’t kill you. I need to find them too.

At that time, he didn’t know that this was what it meant.

He thought it was just to punish the Heavenly Demon Sect as the Blood Demon.

‘It’s said to be impossible, but such words don’t apply to the Blood Demon Lord, do they?’

What was the reason why the Heavenly Demon Sect so desired the Blood Demon Sect?

It was because of the Blood Demon Energy used by the Blood Demon Sect members.

Even so, the Heavenly Demon Sect had failed.

Those who practiced Blood Arts and wielded Blood Demon Energy could not learn the Heavenly Demon Arts and wield Heavenly Demon Energy.

Conversely, those who possessed Heavenly Demon Energy could not learn Blood Arts and wield Blood Demon Energy.

That was ultimately.

‘Explosion.’

The two incompatible energies would explode inside the body, destroying the dantian [energy center] and taking the life of the martial artist.

No research or new martial arts could connect the two.

It was something that the Heavenly Demon Sect had been unable to do even after stealing the Yang Eui Mind Technique from the Wudang Sect in the past.

‘Blood Hand Baek is the same.’

He knew that he was a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect thanks to Lee Ro-woon, and that he possessed Heavenly Demon Energy.

However, that was only a very small amount.

Only traces of having contained Heavenly Demon Energy remained.

Therefore, even though he could become a Blood Demon with Blood Demon Arts, he could not wield both Heavenly Demon Energy and Blood Demon Energy at the same time.

It wasn’t that he wanted to ask Lee Ro-woon how it was possible.

‘Which came first?’

That was what he wanted to ask.

‘Blood Demon Lord.’

Kang Han-cheol looked at Lee Ro-woon with his eyes wide open.

‘Are you the Heavenly Demon, or the Blood Demon?’

A question that was more important than anything else for a member of the Blood Demon Sect.

A question based on reality rather than ‘how?’

He wanted to ask him what was more important to him, and what he had started from.

‘That’s a pointless question.’

Lee Ro-woon’s reply was cold.

‘You shouldn’t have asked which came first.’

‘……I will listen respectfully.’

‘You should have asked how?’

The question that Kang Han-cheol had deemed meaningless and hadn’t asked, Lee Ro-woon was saying it.

‘From the beginning, the two are not different.’

‘……?’

‘The Blood Demon and the Heavenly Demon were originally one.’

They were only divided out of necessity.

Both were one.

A history that the Blood Demon Sect had forgotten, or a history that even Eun had probably lost.

‘The Divine Demon.’

‘……!’

‘Everything is one, it all originated from the Divine Demon.’

A forgotten history, but one that needed to be awakened.

‘So don’t ask about the order. Don’t doubt it.’

Because nothing will change.

Kang Han-cheol’s wavering eyes began to settle.

‘Understood.’

* * *

‘I was lucky.’

It wasn’t the originally planned method, but a different one.

It wasn’t something that could be called improvised.

‘The stability verification is complete.’

After completing the Blood Demon Divine Art, Lee Ro-woon had continued to research and experiment to find a method.

And when he was somewhat certain, he had gone to find a mage.

The method of converting Blood Demon Energy into Heavenly Demon Energy and forcefully injecting it.

Thud.

As a side effect, he had to undergo the final bone-marrow cleansing, which was excruciatingly painful.

Bone-marrow cleansing was originally meant to expel toxins accumulated in the body, widen the meridians [energy channels] to facilitate the circulation of energy, and strengthen the bones and muscles to make the body more suitable for martial arts.

However, there were no toxins left in his body after two previous bone-marrow cleansings.

His bones and muscles were also incomparable, having obtained the Dragon Bone Physique, a physique of the ages.

‘Damn it. I don’t even want to think about it.’

Even so, the final bone-marrow cleansing was terrible.

It was like hammering steel to make a sword.

He had become that steel.

In fact, it couldn’t even be called bone-marrow cleansing.

‘Still, it was less because of the Dragon Bone Physique.’

It was only because his bones held up due to the Dragon Bone Physique that the pain was somewhat less.

The only consolation was that there was a reward for enduring this pain.

‘The second gear.’

The teachings of his masters were like parts that were combined to complete something.

When another part was placed on top of one part, the two parts could temporarily become unbalanced and weaken.

However, as a result of building the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in a new way this time.

Clack!

Fortunately, it seemed that there would be no weakening.

The two gears meshed perfectly.

Tap tap!

Lee Ro-woon was moving his body on the training ground.

It was clear that there was a big difference from Lee Ro-woon’s movements, who had been unable to do anything but walk as if he was being suppressed.

Clack!

He tried jumping and throwing a punch.

He had finally escaped from that frustration.

‘Should I try a little more?’

Lee Ro-woon stopped still and took a stance.

His half-opened eyes turned sharp as he slowly pulled back his right arm.

‘………!’

Several members of the Blood Sword Guard who were guarding the training ground quickly turned their heads to look at Lee Ro-woon.

In an instant, the flow of air seemed to change.

Whoosh.

The air descended heavily.

In that air, Lee Ro-woon slowly extended his pulled-back arm.

Whoosh!

A light and refreshing sound.

It was the moment when the Blood Sword Guard members involuntarily exclaimed at the blow he unleashed.

‘Huh?’

A cry like a death rattle came from Lee Ro-woon’s mouth.

Boom boom boom!

Immediately after, the space where Lee Ro-woon had thrown his punch twisted and exploded.

The training ground was shattered, and fragments scattered, and at the end of where the punch had been thrown.

The wall of the Blood Demon Palace….

Rumble!

It collapsed completely.

It would have been fortunate if that was all.

Whoosh!

Flames rose from the broken wall.

The problem was that the walls of the Blood Demon Palace were made of stone, not wood.

‘……!’

The firepower that melted stone.

It was something that would only happen with Kang Han-cheol’s Flame King Fist.

Crack crack crack.

A chilling noise echoed from Lee Ro-woon’s right arm, which had created that scene.

‘L, Blood Demon Lord!’

‘Damn it.’

Lee Ro-woon’s right arm.

Crack crack!

It was a mess, as if it had been twisted and torn.

‘It’s still too much.’

Lee Ro-woon said, supporting his dangling right arm with his other arm.

* * *

Unlike the Blood Demon Divine Art, which was divided into four stages, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was divided into five stages.

A martial art that controls the body more finely and precisely while accelerating at the same time.

The muscles and skin endlessly repeat destruction and regeneration, and generate heat until the end.

That heat was the stage that divided the levels of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

‘First stage, Flame Flower.’

It was named so because flames would rise when someone who had trained in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art used martial arts, as they would generate red flames.

‘Second stage, Azure Flower.’

Lee Ro-woon was at this stage now.

He had skipped the Flame Flower stage because he had completed the Heavenly Demon Divine Art while enduring the side effects.

Thanks to this, he had reached the second stage, Azure Flower, but it wasn’t perfect.

‘What kind of martial art is this?’

Lee Ro-woon said irritably.

He knew how great his masters’ teachings were.

However, that was also the problem.

Tap.

It was okay to move his body moderately now, but.

Crack!

If he showed even the slightest sign of using martial arts, his body couldn’t withstand it and would break down.

‘…….’

Do Mu-seong, who was an elder but had been recognized for his loyalty and skill to the Blood Demon Sect, was at the stage of Talma [a high level of martial arts].

He was staring blankly at Lee Ro-woon with his mouth open.

‘I, I feel like I’m having an awakening.’

Do Mu-seong, who had confessed his sins to Lee Ro-woon and entered seclusion because of his past wrongdoings.

He had briefly emerged due to the Armo merger incident, but he had not yet returned to seclusion.

‘How can such a martial art… no, such a strain… it seems like this is the end of martial arts.’

Do Mu-seong spoke with sincerity, without a hint of falsehood.

‘He’s right.’

Do Mu-seong’s assessment was accurate.

Lee Ro-woon’s martial art was a kind of movement that couldn’t be called martial art.

He would extend his arm and throw a punch.

Such an ordinary movement.

However, the strain and martial arts contained within were something that no ordinary person could understand.

‘Because my masters created it.’

It was a martial art that contained all of his masters’ enlightenment.

One that hadn’t even been named.

‘Is it… the stage of no-form?’

There was no form.

That is, there was no shape.

Anything could become a deadly attack and at the same time, an absolute defense.

Therefore, it was something that only Lee Ro-woon could use right now, as it was impossible to even name it.

‘However, it seems that your body cannot withstand it.’

The reality was that his body could not keep up with his enlightenment.

‘Perhaps it would be better to use a lower-level martial art.’

Lee Ro-woon said, looking at Do Mu-seong, who was speaking cautiously.

‘I can’t.’

‘Yes?’

‘Does a 9mm bullet fire if you put it in the barrel of a tank?’

Do Mu-seong looked like he didn’t understand.

‘If you put a grain of rice in a cannon and light it, it won’t fire, will it?’

It was that kind of problem.

Too much enlightenment was engraved in his soul, and it was converting any martial art.

‘At least I think it will be possible when I reach blackening, no, whitening.’

In the end, he had succeeded in practicing the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, but he still couldn’t use proper martial arts.

It was the result of skipping all the stages and accepting only the essence of his masters.

However, if it wasn’t for that, it would have been impossible to learn the teachings of the kings of the world in just over a hundred years.

‘I have to get stronger.’

Some might say that he was strong enough now, but Lee Ro-woon was not.

He had seen the fragments of the world, so he knew that he couldn’t do anything at his current level.

Moreover, if he had to have a life-or-death battle with that unlucky Black Lion King, his chances of winning were not one hundred percent.

‘Masters.’

He had to have the power to prevent anyone from interfering with him, no matter what he did.

He had to find his masters when that time came.

Right now, he wouldn’t be able to stop even those who would interfere with him, let alone his masters.

‘Good.’

Lee Ro-woon strode towards Do Mu-seong and said.

‘Let’s spar a little.’

‘Y, yes…’

Do Mu-seong said, bowing deeply with trembling eyes.

‘It is an honor.’

It seemed that he had to speed up the completion of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

As quickly as possible.

To do that.

‘I should start going outside soon.’

There was nothing better than real combat.