It's because it can mix with any heart method, which is why it's scary.
Even compared to the Nine Flames Wheel Technique I learned, it's the same.
The inner energy of the Nine Flames Wheel Technique is a violent heart method that turns the whole body upside down.
It endows the body with explosive physical abilities and destructive power by wrapping it in inner energy, but ultimately, the human body is consumptive.
In the end, it's a martial art that accelerates and explodes the destruction of the body.
Of course, as understanding of the martial art deepens and proficiency increases, changes can occur, but at the very least, it remains a violent and destructive martial art.
If, for example, one were to learn the Tai Chi of Wudang or the Plum Heart Method of Huashan alongside it, the heart methods of the Nine Flames Wheel Technique and the Daoist techniques would clash, damaging the meridians.
This would ultimately lead to demonic possession.
In extreme cases, it means becoming half-paralyzed.
But black magic doesn't have that problem.
This is why, after the Demon Sect appeared in the Central Plains, traitors sprang up like mushrooms, regardless of whether they were from the righteous or the evil factions.
Wudang's Yi Tian Technique adds sharpness to its calm inner energy.
Huashan's Plum adds brilliance as it turns black.
Shaolin's One Step Divine Fist gains destructive power in its firmness and strength.
Black magic can so easily fill the shortcomings of martial arts that one had to give up on.
This is all due to the power of the Heavenly Demon. There's no need to learn or practice black magic.
It's something naturally obtained by becoming a Demon Sect member.
This is both a blessing and a curse bestowed by the Heavenly Demon.
“Damn... What the hell is going on?”
The black magic I obtained from the Heavenly Demon is just one: the Demon Dao Spring Absorption Technique.
A black magic technique I acquired through my ugly desire to become stronger.
It's a black magic technique that absorbs the inner energy of a spirit stone like the inner core or spirit core of a spirit beast.
This black magic is the reason I, with less than mediocre talent, could survive among the strong.
However, that's a story from my previous life.
In this life, I didn't even get close to the 'Demon' of the Demon Sect, and now, before the Heavenly Demon or any demons have even appeared in the Central Plains.
‘Then what is the current situation...’
When I applied a little force to the transparent spirit stone, it crumbled easily.
This is a characteristic of a spirit stone that has been drained of its power by the Demon Dao Spring Absorption Technique. The inner energy stored inside is also a factor.
It's a very small amount, but it has clearly increased.
One might say that it's good that my inner energy has increased, regardless of its connection to the Demon Sect.
However, the reason demons are called demons is not because they learn black magic, but because they possess demonic energy.
The reason why the inner energy of Wudang's Tai Chi or Huashan's Plum turns black is also due to this.
The problem is the effect demonic energy has on the body.
I know better than anyone what happens to a human body when it is invaded by demonic energy.
“But how...”
The energy contained in the spirit stone is demonic energy. The Demon Dao Spring Absorption Technique absorbs it and brings it into the body.
This means that demonic energy is now circulating in my body.
I immediately circulated the Nine Flames Wheel Technique to check my inner energy. I hurriedly checked every corner to find the demonic energy.
“...Why isn't it there?”
Surprisingly, I couldn't feel the demonic energy.
Demonic energy that has taken root in the body should be noticeable.
It's impossible to miss such a foreign energy.
However, I couldn't feel the demonic energy I absorbed from the spirit stone. Even when I checked again, I couldn't feel it in my body.
‘Is it because the demonic energy is too shallow?’
At best, it's a green spirit stone, and the amount of inner energy, if any, wouldn't even be half a year's worth.
As I stood there with a blank expression, Wu Lian approached urgently.
“Master, are you alright? Are you hurt!?”
“I'm fine, I'm not hurt at all.”
“How can you just run out when I told you to stay in the carriage? What if you get hurt?”
“Sorry, I'll be more careful next time.”
It was a very difficult action for Wu Lian, who was my bodyguard. Since I was half forcing it, I apologized.
I approached the other green-horned beast that was dead. The one with the neatly cut horn was the one Wu Lian dealt with initially.
“Master?”
I wrapped the Nine Flames Wheel Technique around my arm again and stabbed the beast to extract the spirit stone.
‘Even if it’s a mess, I have to check it out.’
I wanted to pass it off as good luck or that there was no demonic energy in the spirit stone.
However, once demonic energy enters the body, no matter how small the amount, it will eventually slowly erode the body.
If demonic energy has already entered the body, it means it's too late.
A tingling sensation was felt in my hand.
The same sensation as before. The green spirit stone in my hand faded in color and eventually turned transparent. The amount of inner energy in my body also increased as before.
Up to this point, everything was fine. Up to this point, it was good.
However, this time, I felt a foreign sensation. The energy I never wanted to feel again was there.
“Shit...”
This was definitely demonic energy. There was no mistaking it. The small amount of demonic energy gradually swelled and moved to devour the inner energy in my body.
However, the demonic energy, which seemed to be hungry, began to devour the inner energy, but then something unexpected happened.
-Whoosh.
The Nine Flames Wheel Technique in my dantian absorbed the demonic energy instead.
“What is this...?”
This explained why I didn't feel the demonic energy from the first spirit stone I absorbed.
‘Did it purify the demonic energy?’
Is 'purify' the right word?
What I felt was the Nine Flames Wheel Technique voraciously absorbing the demonic energy.
It was definitely something that never happened in my previous life.
If the demonic energy absorbed it, it absorbed it; I had never seen it being absorbed in return.
Even the heart methods of Daoism and Shaolin were often overwhelmed and devoured by demonic energy. Why?
“I don't understand what's happening.”
I don't understand why unexpected things keep happening. Maybe it's because things have been twisted from the start.
At least it's a good thing that there's no demonic energy in my body.
Perhaps I can purify the demonic energy in the spirit stone and only take the inner energy.
The problem is...
‘Why can I still use the Heavenly Demon's black magic now?’
This is the most incomprehensible thing.
If it's bound to me even after death, it's definitely a curse.
I can't be entangled in such a ridiculous situation again just when I thought I had escaped.
‘...Let's be satisfied that there's no demonic energy in my body for now.’
I need to figure out the important things later. For now, I need to deal with the situation.
“Master...!”
The carriage door opened, and Weixuea rushed out and grabbed my hand.
“What do I do... It's a mess...”
The hand that Weixuea had carefully bandaged yesterday was completely undone and ruined by the intense movements.
“Is Master alright...? Are you hurt...?”
“See for yourself.”
“So you're saying you're seriously hurt!”
“...No, I mean I'm fine. Where do you see any injuries?”
“Your face...!”
“What the hell?”
Is she criticizing my face now? Is she criticizing me because she's pretty?
Weixuea gently touched my cheek.
“Master, you look really tired, just like our grandfather.”
“Am I that old?”
“Master looks scary, but not old!”
“Be honest... Are you just criticizing me?”
A servant who had just come out of the carriage was startled and pulled Weixuea away.
“Xuea! You can't touch Master's face like that!”
Weixuea fell with a 'thud'.
It hurts a little when she falls so startled like that.
“Master.”
As Weixuea was being dragged away by another servant, Wu Lian called me after a short while.
Looking behind, I saw the piled-up corpses of the green-horned beasts.
The skin and bones of monsters are worth some money, so after the Demon Gate is closed, it's common to take the corpses if possible.
“The Sword Team of the Gou Family has arrived.”
“What? They're already here?”
The incident happened less than an hour ago. No matter how fast, could they have arrived already?
Checking the new presence, I recognized the faces. They were the Sword Team members who appeared at the Nine Dragons Assembly.
“I am He Zuyan, Deputy Leader of the Four Sword Team. Greetings, Master Gou.”
The man who attended the Nine Dragons Assembly as the representative of the Four Sword Team.
“Elder Li sent me. I rushed here, but I was too late... I apologize. It's my fault.”
“Elder Li?”
An unexpected person appeared. I thought he had already set out. What's he talking about?
As I expressed my confusion, He Zuyan was flustered.
“Didn't you hear? Elder Li said he would set out with you...”
“What do you mean? Elder Li didn't come with us...”
What did this old man do to make the situation like this again?
‘Did he secretly follow us? Why?’
If he was going to do that, why didn't he help when the Demon Gate opened? Why use such a troublesome method?
A Sword Team member approached from a distance.
“Deputy Leader, the green-horned beasts are all in good condition. There's nothing to discard. What should we do?”
“All eleven are in good condition?”
“Two had their sides pierced, but there's no serious damage.”
...That's what I did, so I kept my mouth shut.
“We can't take all of them, so we'll just take the skin and bones.”
“Understood.”
“And the rest...”
He Zuyan stopped speaking, meeting Wu Lian's gaze behind me.
Wu Lian bowed slightly to He Zuyan. He Zuyan sighed briefly and continued.
“I thought you would be at home, buried in sleep, but it seems you're still cutting things up?”
Do you know each other?
Wu Lian didn't answer. He Zuyan didn't seem to care much either.
“Do your best and come back. The Leader said it wasn't your fault.”
“...Understood.”
After saying what he needed to say, He Zuyan turned to me again.
“We'll take care of the rest. Master, you should rest now.”
After He Zuyan left, I looked at Wu Lian. Since Wu Lian had a troubled expression, I ignored him and returned to the carriage.
I was a bit curious, but if there was something to say, he would have said it.
As soon as I entered the carriage, Weixuea tried to rush at me with a cloth, so I ordered the servant to hold her firmly and leaned back in the chair.
It felt like even bigger problems had been added to the already complicated and difficult thoughts.
“Living a proper life is really hard.”
Maybe it's because of the nightmare I had. I think I'll have trouble sleeping for a few days.
******************
Gou Yangqian's quarters.
Inside the quarters were Sword Venerable and Elder Li. Sword Venerable held a familiar broom in his hand.
Sword Venerable, who was slowly sweeping the courtyard, said to Elder Li.
“Thank you, Gou Lun.”
“Hmm...”
Elder Li coughed at Sword Venerable's words. He looked quite embarrassed.
“I didn't do much.”
“Regardless, you moved for our family.”
Usually, once someone reaches the Elder level, they don't move for the family. There was no need for an Elder to handle something like the Nine Dragons Assembly.
Elder Li moved because of Sword Venerable's request.
“It was just a walk to see our children.”
Elder Li answered, looking embarrassed.
Sword Venerable's granddaughter, Weixuea.
Elder Li attended the Nine Dragons Assembly mainly for Weixuea.
Since he was curious about Sword Venerable's granddaughter, he went with a half-hearted intention to see her.
“I owe a lot to my senior, so this is nothing.”
It was surprising that Sword Venerable was even in the Gou Family.
When the family head and Sword Venerable first entrusted Weixuea's safety to him,
Elder Li suggested that Sword Venerable go himself or not send her to the Nine Dragons Assembly at all.
However, he changed his mind because of Sword Venerable's expression at the time.
It was a look of endless weariness, something that couldn't be seen even when Sword Venerable roamed the Central Plains with the honor of the righteous factions.
‘Even the Venerable of the Sword World can be possessed by heart demons.’
Having been active in the same era as Sword Venerable, he felt very sorry for him.
‘It wasn't a completely troublesome task, though.’
Elder Li thought of Gou Yangqian, who was behind Sword Venerable.
Gou Yangqian was the family head's sore thumb and a child to be pitied in many ways.
He inherited the Gou Family name but was lazy and often ran away from him, and his martial talent was far from sufficient in Elder Li's eyes.
If he wasn't the Gou Family's only son, he would have given up on him long ago.
Just when he thought it was time to let go of Gou Yangqian,
He saw that Gou Yangqian had changed.
It wasn't unusual for the Nine Flames Wheel Technique to reach a certain level of clarity.
Just Gou Lianxu alone was a three-star.
‘But the concentration of the heart method was different.’
Gou Lianxu's heart method was still a mess inside her body.
The Nine Flames Wheel Technique should continuously rotate inside the body, even without wrapping the body.
Gou Lianxu's rotation was clumsy, with inconsistent speed, sometimes rough, and sometimes weak.
In an immature state, it's natural to be swayed by emotions.
It wasn't that Gou Lianxu was lacking. She was clearly superior to her peers.
The problem was the comparison to Gou Yangqian.
The energy in his body was extremely shallow.
However, the level at which he handled that shallow energy was clearly different from Gou Lianxu.
When they met again at the Nine Dragons Assembly after a long time, how surprised he was inside.
The ring of the Nine Flames Wheel Technique in Gou Yangqian's dantian always maintained a constant speed.
Even when Gou Yangqian was angry due to overstepping remarks during the Nine Dragons Hall sparring, the ring inside his body maintained a constant speed and shape.
This meant he had a clear understanding and proficiency.
It was an enlightenment that even the family head and himself, as an Elder, only obtained after reaching a certain level.
After that, Elder Li gained confidence from Gou Yangqian and Gou Lianxu's sparring.
‘That child is hiding something.’
He didn't know the reason, but Elder Li was certain.
While Elder Li was organizing his thoughts, Sword Venerable spoke.
“By the way, Gou Lun.”
“Hmm?”
“I heard you nearly killed the Pang family's child and made your children a spectacle. Is that okay?”
“It seems the rumors were exaggerated. I didn't nearly kill him.”
“...The latter part is true, right? Is it okay?”
“What do you mean, senior?”
“It seems the family head is looking for you.”
“...”
Elder Li quickly left.
He planned to avoid the family head for a few days.