Chapter 18: The Reason for Escape (3)

"Burp! That was good."

"There's still a lot left. Shall I make it into jerky?"

"Sure."

"Rest now. I'll clean up."

"Hmm, should I? Can I ask you for a favor?"

Ma Dongphil, who had picked up the pot, glanced at Xuliang. Xuliang, who had already gotten up, was walking to the end of the yard.

'He's grown even taller.'

Xuliang was originally tall, but due to the aftermath of the demonic transformation, he used to give an impression of being rather frail.

That Xuliang was no more. His broad shoulders, well-honed body, and steady, unwavering gait were the epitome of a martial artist.

In fact, he had grown a bit taller. At the beginning of his life in Gaozhulín, he was almost the same height as Ma Dongphil, but now he had to slightly raise his head to look at him.

While some people grow late, the change in his physique was truly astonishing.

"Master, how did you heal the wound...?"

"It's fine. This much can be handled with qi cultivation."

"I understand."

Although he had more to say, Ma Dongphil first tidied up the surroundings.

Xuliang, who had walked to the end of the yard, opened the gate and stepped outside.

He took a deep breath.

"Indeed, the air here is excellent!"

It's a crazily dangerous place, though.

The air is good, and the stomach is full. Most importantly, he had defeated the green scorpion he had been hit by before.

It was a fulfilling day.

"My arm is a bit sore, though."

Xuliang frowned as he looked at his left arm, which had swollen from blocking the green scorpion's hind leg.

'Still, it's not too bad.'

Smiling at his arm, Xuliang suddenly scanned his body.

'Not bad at all.'

Eight months later, his body was almost perfect.

His chest muscles were well-developed, his abs were like compressed stones, and his limbs were flexible and well-defined. It was hard to imagine that his body had once been so emaciated that his ribs were visible.

'This place is truly amazing.'

The excessively concentrated spiritual energy not only created the bamboo and the demons but also transformed the bodies of those living here.

Of course, this was possible only with the support of tremendous effort. Since entering Gaozhulín, he had not slept more than two hours a day.

Even so, it was not something he could achieve in just eight months.

"That's why it's dangerous."

As the saying goes, "Too much of a good thing is bad." The bamboo and demons here had perfectly adapted to the environment, but humans could not.

If he continued at this rate, his body would show abnormalities within three months.

'I need to get everything I can before that happens.'

Xuliang sat in a cross-legged position.

Closing his eyes and observing his inner self, he felt the pulsating dantian.

Eight months ago, this kind of power was unimaginable. His surging inner energy seemed ready to burst out into the world at any moment.

'Come.'

The call of the master.

The powerful will in the soul's cry resonated with the dantian.

Rumble!

The swelling dantian burst, sending true qi through the entire body's meridians.

Hiss.

The aftermath of the hot force flowed out like smoke.

It was not evil, but it was fierce; it was not unsettling, but it was ominous. The aura was so toxic that it could plunge everyone within its range into a state of panic.

Demon Qi.

The demon qi he had always found unsettling now rose from his entire body.

Sssss!

Faint mist wavered over his shoulders and back. The internal injuries from the battle with the green scorpion were being healed.

Even considering the high concentration of spiritual energy, the speed was excessively fast.

A smile spread across Xuliang's lips. It was a bittersweet, yet satisfied smile.

'The quality is deepening.'

The quality of the demon qi had improved.

This was unrelated to the spiritual energy. It was possible solely because his enlightenment was on a different level from other experts.

The demon qi would continue to improve qualitatively day by day.

'Demon martial arts, so what? This level of martial arts cannot be learned anywhere in the world. I should consider myself lucky.'

Dark Shadow True Demon Art.

It was a martial art he had created by combining Dark Shadow Qi and True Demon Art.

Dark Shadow Qi, which inherited the strengths of Shaolin martial arts, surprisingly retained its invincible elements even when combined with demon arts. At the same time, it surpassed the Ten Great Demon Arts in terms of demonology.

The collaboration of the seemingly incompatible Demon Subduing Qi and Obedient Demon Qi.

The result was beyond imagination.

Crack! Crack!

His muscles rippled, and the sound of his joints cracking was heard.

His muscles and bones were gradually reassembling. Every time he practiced, his body subtly changed to better suit his martial arts. He was advancing towards a divine body that could simultaneously wield the grandeur of Buddhist martial arts and the explosive power of demon arts.

Flash!

Xuliang opened his eyes.

"Ha."

The pleasure of nirvana was unconsciously mixed in his exhaled breath.

At that moment, Ma Dongphil's voice came from the side.

"Are you done?"

"Hmm."

He had already tidied up the yard and stood guard. Even though he could stop practicing immediately if he sensed danger, he still seemed uneasy.

Ma Dongphil quietly called out to Xuliang.

"Master."

"Are you setting the mood to nag me again?"

"Didn't you promise not to enter dangerous areas alone?"

Xuliang scratched his head.

"What can I do? Time is short."

"Time?"

"Ah, you didn't know?"

"What...?"

"It's getting dangerous here. To be precise, it will become dangerous soon."

"What do you mean?"

Xuliang explained what he had sensed, and Ma Dongphil's expression immediately hardened.

"Three months at most?"

"Right."

"How can that be?"

"It's a place where the balance has been disrupted, so it's natural."

Balance? What does he mean by that?

Xuliang pointed to his left arm.

"Look. The arm I got from the green scorpion is already this healed? It will probably be completely healed by tomorrow morning."

"Fortunately...?"

"Do you think this is normal?"

"Ah... It's definitely not normal."

"If the skin is torn, the body heals the wound. But what happens if the healing speed becomes extremely fast? What happens if it keeps healing even after it's fully healed?"

"..."

Xuliang stretched out his fingers.

"It bursts."

"..."

"The environment of Gaozhulín is like that. It's good for growth up to a certain level, but once you reach a plateau, it becomes toxic."

"Then...?"

"Right. Within three months, or two months at the latest, we need to enter the deeper parts of Gaozhulín."

"I see."

"Once we kill a few more, the path to the deepest part, which no one has ever entered, will open. The best spiritual bamboo, which the sect's leaders seek, is there."

Xuliang smiled.

"I need to get it."

Ma Dongphil sighed.

"Master, I will go and meet the Sect Leader."

"Suddenly?"

"You said it would be a big problem if we can't leave here within three months, right?"

"Right."

"But if the Sect Leader doesn't give the order, you will have to stay here..."

Xuliang tilted his head.

"Have you ever met the Sect Leader without me?"

"..."

"When did the Sect Leader say that?"

Ma Dongphil's expression became puzzled.

"Isn't it obvious? Since you were sent here, you can't return to the residence without the Sect Leader's permission..."

"Ha! Did you really think I've been stuck here for eight months because of the Sect Leader?"

"Ah, no?"

Swish.

Xuliang stood up.

His tall stature and sturdy build. Just looking at his well-trained body, he was on par with any peak expert.

"The Sect Leader only told me to go to Gaozhulín, but never set a return date."

"!"

"I realized this after cultivating martial arts. The Sect Leader granted my request. It just happened to be Gaozhulín instead of the outer regions."

"That... interpretation..."

"Isn't it a suitable place for a walk? Well, it is. Anyway, I've become stronger because of it, right?"

Xuliang smiled.

The ease he had gained after obtaining power, or rather, after accepting reality.

"I plan to take everything I can get and leave. That's why I've been holding on. It's also beneficial to me."

"..."

Ma Dongphil answered, but he still seemed confused. He couldn't even attempt to interpret the intentions of the absolute ruler of the New Sect, or rather, the demon world.

Not only him, but most of the sect's inner demons would be the same.

"By the way, how did the favor I asked for go?"

"Ah, wait a moment."

Ma Dongphil brought out five bundles of herbs, tea leaves, and a long weapon wrapped in black cloth from the room.

Xuliang's eyes sparkled.

"You brought five bundles of Zhetucao?"

"Yes. I was given some for personal experiments."

Xuliang marveled.

"Indeed, you are impressive. How much money does it take to distribute Zhetucao even to individual doctors?"

"Yunnan Branch sends herbs every month. They say there are many such herbs in Ailao Mountain in Yunnan. Some have been successfully cultivated, so the supply is abundant."

"Ah!"

Although he had never been to Ailao Mountain, he had heard that it was one of the most treacherous mountains on the continent, filled with all kinds of poisons, fierce beasts, and magical herbs.

"But how about Zhetucao...?"

"There is such a thing. Is this Guisoncha?"

"Yes."

"Good. Well done."

Xuliang put the herb bundles and tea leaves in his arms, his satisfaction evident.

"Just in case, can you get more Zhetucao?"

"If it's through an unknown channel, I can't give a definite answer."

"Che. Really?"

"Yes. This month, they are studying the formula for a decoction called Zhanjiangtang, of which Zhetucao is the main ingredient. So, it will take at least two more months to get it again..."

"Wait."

Xuliang tilted his head.

"What did you just say? Zhanjiangtang?"

"Ah, yes. I heard it clearly."

"Zhetucao is an ingredient in Zhanjiangtang?"

"Yes."

Xuliang frowned.

Isn't Zhanjiangtang the decoction I drank intensely for three months after waking up?

"Zhetucao is the main ingredient in Zhanjiangtang? Are you sure?"

"I heard it clearly, but..."

It doesn't make sense.

Zhetucao, as its name suggests, is an herb that removes turbid qi. However, it also suppresses yang qi, so even a high-level expert's body can be damaged if taken unknowingly or in excess.

No matter how much processing it undergoes, the essence of its medicinal power does not change.

To give such a herb to a patient who was almost dead due to the aftermath of demonic transformation? And not just as a supporting ingredient, but as the main ingredient.

Considering that his body was still covered with traces of demon qi, it was even more bizarre.

Zhetucao's medicinal power is so strong that it even attacks demon qi. If the demon qi is vigorous, it might be fine, but it is fatal for a weakened body.

"How could they? Even a little knowledge of medicine would prevent such a prescription."

As the growing doubt clouded his mind, Xuliang, with his eyes lowered, recalled another prescription.

"Dongphil."

"Yes, Master."

"Do you know Jinjingzhen?"

He asked out of curiosity, but unexpectedly, Ma Dongphil nodded.

"Of course."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Technically, it's more of an acupuncture technique than a needle. It's used to slightly tense overly relaxed muscles to balance the body."

"How do you know that?"

"Before going on a mission, I tried it a few times on my body, which had been relaxed by cultivation. It wasn't a difficult technique. I remember it was quite good..."

Suddenly, Ma Dongphil stopped speaking.

The master's expressionless face was overshadowed by two eyes that floated with a unique cold menace.

'Applying Zhanjiangtang to an extremely weakened body and inserting Jinjingzhen into a body that was already stiff?'

And to the Sect Leader's disciple, no less?

'The doctor couldn't have done this independently.'

At least a high-ranking leader or a disciple of similar status would be required...

'Disciple?'

Suddenly, the memory of Hong Yulin flashed through his mind.

And the fact that she was the younger sister of a disciple like himself.

"Look at these guys..."