“Almost nothing? At this point he’s not going to shed tears repenting for chewing up children’s intestines, and just that Heavenly Commander Yeo’s body moves differently from ours?”
“You mean his martial arts are unique?”
“Mmm, rather than that, maybe we should say half-human half-beast? There’s no trace of beast transformation, but parts of his body were modified somehow.”
Tak.
Cheon Woo deliberately set down the bowl with a sound.
That was clearly a warning.
A warning to Sama Hyeon not to discuss complicated matters when eldest brother was struggling.
As expected of the sharp-witted Sama Hyeon, he immediately caught on and nodded slightly.
Cheon Woo changed the subject.
“Brother, do any parts of your body feel hurt?”
“Master sealed my pressure points so I can’t feel anything below my neck.”
Without mentioning unsealing brother’s points or pleading with Divine Doctor White Dragon, Cheon Woo said, “We’ll take turns unsealing points. I’m worried since you need to recover quickly.”
Quite subtly stubborn, this guy.
***
Master kept exactly to what he said.
Five days.
Having to stay with sealed points unable to move at all.
Wow. In this world, how can this be so boring?
If he could move his arms, he could pass time reading books, but even that was impossible.
Or at least if he could circulate internal energy, he could spend time improving his internal energy even by an ant’s toenail’s worth, but that too was impossible.
Eventually, when Cheon Woo, Sama Hyeon, and Master came became Jin Cheonhee’s most enjoyable times.
However…
The eldest brother’s dignity has run away.
It was sad.
The scene Jin Cheonhee had imagined was showing his siblings martial prowess they could never achieve while facing the final boss, and defeating the enemy.
There would be some recovery time after, but it would be a lonely martial artist’s life where he’d recite some plausible lines like “These too are glorious wounds. Sigh… is the path of a martial artist this difficult?”
Something rarely seen in modern martial arts novels, but igniting fire in an old man’s heart!
He’d imagined such a lone wolf image.
However, reality was…
“Brother, I’ll turn you over. One, two… I’ll unseal points on your back, so tell me if you feel anything.”
“So you can seal them again if I tell you?”
“Hahaha, I wouldn’t do that, brother. I’ll keep it secret.”
I can see the future where you’ll seal them, Cheon Woo.
This isn’t even caring for stroke patients!
Being nursed for, is his reality now.
No, in martial arts novels one application of internal injury medicine or golden wound medicine heals everything like game character HP! No, why can’t I do that!
Reality was a battle with various compound fractures, inflammation, and wounds.
Of course, his recovery and durability were far beyond normal people, but that was the limit.
When the body received impacts it couldn’t endure, it got injured all the same.
“This is unfair. Something… something is wrong. This is really wrong. Cheon Woo, I really feel wronged.”
Rain was falling steadily in Jin Cheonhee’s heart.
However, Cheon Woo smiled brightly while unsealing points on his brother’s back.
Being under point sealing for so long, they had to regularly unseal points to release the meridians like this.
“Master Divine Doctor White Dragon said you’ll recover soon.”
“No… I feel wronged.”
He’d tried coaxing and wheedling Cheon Woo, who he thought would be most reasonable, even acting pitiful.
However, Cheon Woo was stubborn.
Though he responded politely and gently, he never fell for brother’s persuasion or unsealed the points.
“Haa, fine.”
“Instead, I’ll get you anything you want to eat, brother.”
Just then, swoosh, the door opened.
Though he couldn’t see the face well from his angle, it seemed a Martial Righteous Alliance warrior delivered a letter.
After reading it through, Cheon Woo said.
“Brother. Today’s the last day. He’ll unseal your points tomorrow!”
“Hurrayyy!”
Finally this ordeal ends!
***
The day all of Jin Cheonhee’s treatment ended, all the Dragon Phoenix Gathering’s aftermath also concluded.
While Jin Cheonhee lay receiving treatment, even the remaining sects left one by one until the Martial Righteous Alliance became sparse.
Of course, that was just on the surface.
News was that each sect’s core members remained at the Alliance discussing the Blood Immortal Sect hunt.
Regardless.
Once their precious disciple recovered, the White Dragon Medical Pavilion was busy preparing to withdraw.
“Place all those materials in one spot. The Martial Righteous Alliance says they’ll take over some.”
Surprised by the familiar voice, he raised his head to find Yoo Ho naturally mixed among the workers.
“Oh, Yoo Ho? You came all the way here?”
“I left immediately upon hearing young master had collapsed.”
“What? Then you arrived here in almost five days?”
“Six days exactly.”
Yoo Ho, were you using teleportation?
Considering the distance from White Dragon Medical Pavilion to the Martial Righteous Alliance, even running with lightness skills would be tight on time.
Is this guy really a master of teleportation… or something?
He was strange to begin with, but gets stranger the more you look.
“Well, I could at least see how renowned young master has become.”
“Hahaha, really?”
“Setting aside the Little White Dragon title, there’s no one who doesn’t know about capturing one of the Blood Immortal Sect’s ten executives.”
“Hehehe, I didn’t do it alone.”
“When can you use that arm?”
Ah yes.
Though minor wounds and pressure points were healed, one arm was still in a cast.
The arm Heavenly Commander Yeo had grabbed.
Inside the cast, the discolored arm was still slow to recover.
When this arm is resolved, Jin Cheonhee’s Five Elements Mutual Conquest will reach the realm of immunity to thousand poisons.
“I’m recovering it with Five Elements True Energy but it seems it’ll take long.”
“Serves you right.”
“That’s too harsh.”
Though Jin Cheonhee said this, his expression didn’t seem particularly upset.
Rather, he felt relieved inside that Yoo Ho had come.
That’s because Yoo Ho quickly began helping with tasks Jin Cheonhee had to direct and review one by one.
I shouldn’t mention the Dalgi relic.
He still remembered what Master had casually mentioned.
Though he didn’t know what relationship Dalgi and Yoo Ho had, he had no intention of carelessly bringing it up.
After all, it’s unclear whether he’s even human.
“About that arm.”
“Hmm?”
“I brought an internal pill good for snake poison, it should heal quickly if you take it.”
“What?”
Yoo Ho made an irritated expression.
“Thinking about you dumping work on me because your arm hurts makes me want to vomit.”
“Ooh! Seems like our Yoo Ho is worried about me.”
“Tsk, can’t help it since Master will worry.”
Yoo Ho answered Jin Cheonhee’s words in an emotionless grayscale.
That inorganic appearance was even more alien with no trace of his previous irritation.
“Your loyalty is impressive.”
Yoo Ho, Zhuge Rin’s confidant. No trace after Zhuge Rin’s death.
An insignificant character never properly covered in Supreme Heavenly Demon.
Jin Cheonhee was already well aware he was no ordinary person.
However, where did that loyalty bordering on madness occasionally shown come from?
Though such questions swirled in his mouth, Jin Cheonhee never asked them aloud.
He was old enough to know some things in the world are better left unasked.
“For that reason. I’m quite grateful to young master.”
“The sun isn’t rising from the west tomorrow, is it?”
Grateful!
Yoo Ho stared at Jin Cheonhee’s surprised expression before turning away.
“Because Master moved healthily after so long. That’s certainly thanks to young master. Well then. I’ll go handle the work.”
With those words, Yoo Ho walked away.
Before they knew it, departure preparations were complete.
“Then we depart!”
Perhaps because he couldn’t use one arm.
This time a carriage was prepared instead of horses.
Entering the large carriage, Jin Cheonhee thought.
Wow… it was truly an incredible Dragon Phoenix Gathering.
Still, there were more good memories than bad.
Though he couldn’t do it twice.
***
In a pitch-black cave.
Someone was beside a pond made of blood.
“Is Heavenly Commander Yeo dead?”
“Dead or not, same condition isn’t it?”
“Possibility of leaking secrets?”
“Impossible with the forbidden seal anyway, so the Martial Righteous Alliance is just wasting effort.”
Barely recognizable as human in the extreme darkness.
“Wasn’t he the weakest of the Blood Immortal Ten Heavenly Commanders anyway? We can just pick a new Heavenly Commander to replace him.”
Laughter rang out despite their comrade’s death.
“If only he’d focused on either martial arts or sorcery… he was half-baked.”
“To retreat after being mauled by four puppies…”
Low laughter scraped across the floor.
It was strange how the breath was more beast-like than human, with killing intent filling the air even amid the mockery.
“Everyone quiet.”
That single word instantly stopped everyone’s laughter.
“Ooh… Blood Immortal Sect Leader.”
“Blood Immortal Sect Leader!”
Among the fanatics’ fervor, the one called Blood Immortal Sect Leader continued speaking calmly.
“The Blood Immortals has given revelation.”
“Revelation?”
“Commands to make the Seed of the Half-Immortal one of the Blood Immortal Ten Heavenly Commanders.”
The revelation changed.
Originally, the Blood Immortals wanted the Seed of the Half-Immortal offered as sacrifice.
But now make him one of the Blood Immortal Ten Heavenly Commanders?
Using the mysterious knowledge received from the Blood Immortals, brainwashing by scrambling the brain wouldn’t be so difficult even for martial world masters.
One or two years wasn’t urgent time for them.
They were ones who’d waited 10 years, 20 years, even 100 years.
No matter how iron-fortress-like someone’s mind, with time and effort grinding people down, it would eventually be possible.
The biggest problem was this.
Capture.
“We’ll need to capture him securely then?”
“The spiritual beasts around him are all troublesome, even approaching isn’t easy…”
“Of all things, a dog and hawk. With good noses and eyes, normal plans won’t work.”
The Sect Leader answered.
“However, the Blood Immortals set no time limit. So our immediate goal is going into hiding. With the world’s attention on us now, we must completely hide for at least three years. Three years to watch for opportunities.”
Fortunate if fortunate.
The Blood Immortal Sect’s name had become too exposed to the martial world anyway.
Humans forget easily, so even the execution order must loosen after three years.
“Let’s do that.”
“Let’s do so.”
“We shall do that.”
The remaining Blood Immortal Ten Heavenly Commanders each agreed.
The Sect Leader spoke.
“Glory to the Blood Immortals!”
Everyone responded simultaneously to those words.
“Glory to the Blood Immortals!”
“Glory to the Blood Immortals!”