Chapter 694. Assembling (4)

Vrooooom...!

The van sped down the road.

Zhu Gang constantly peeked in the rearview mirror while driving the vehicle. His attention kept getting drawn to Kang Jin-Ho.

'On the surface, he really does look so... ordinary.'

Zhu Gang didn't expect the demon emperor to resemble a three-headed, six-armed monstrosity. However, he did expect a person with a bit more... dignified presence befitting the grandiose-sounding title of the demon emperor.

Of course, that didn't mean he was thoroughly disappointed by Kang Jin-Ho's appearance. Zhu Gang now knew that the true power and majesty of the demon emperor weren't as superficial as his external appearance.

What would happen if this noble being finally stepped foot inside Beijing? Just thinking about it made Zhu Gang's heart pound away like crazy!

He used to think of himself as a fairly cynical man among the demonic cultivators. When nicely put, he was pragmatic. When not-so-charitably put, he was a selfish bastard who couldn't be arsed to care much about anything.

However, even someone like that was this excited. So, what would happen if all those demonic cultivators with a much fierier temper than him finally clapped their eyes on the demon emperor?

'It's going to be pandemonium.'

Zhu Gang wagered that more than a handful of people would clamor to serve the demon emperor at the cost of... Well, everything else, really.

Gulp!

Zhu Gang ended up taking another peek in the rearview mirror. The demon emperor was leaning against the seat, his eyes closed and his arms crossed before his chest. Zhu Gang grew tense at this sight.

He could tell that the demon emperor wasn't asleep. Absolute powerhouses didn't need a lot of sleep, after all.

Simply circulating qi for a little while was enough for them to recover from fatigue. Yes, some sleep was still required to deal with the mental fatigue, but it wasn't to the extent of requiring a quick nap during car rides. Just a couple of hours of bedtime at night should suffice.

Even then, Zhu Gang drove the van as gently and carefully as possible. In fact, today must be at his most careful self in his entire life! He worked extra hard to avoid even the smallest potholes in these poorly-maintained roads.

The old codgers ordered Zhu Gang to guide the demon emperor to Beijing as quickly as possible, but he had forgotten about that a long time ago. For the time being, he was solely focused on succeeding in perhaps the most important mission in his life... Not disturbing the demon emperor's peaceful meditation!

“However, to think...” Vator broke this stillness by voicing his opinion. “...You'd rally and gather the demonic cultivators. You sure have cooked up something ambitious, master.”

Kang Jin-Ho opened his eyes. “Is there something wrong with that idea?”

“No. Not at all. You're also a demonic cultivator, after all. What I'm wondering about is if... Doing so would help us in any way.”

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Kang Jin-Ho didn't respond and maintained his silence.

Vator wasn't expecting a reply, either, and continued to speak away. “Master, you are a demonic cultivator. And you're strong. Funnily enough, there is no one else in this world meeting those two conditions. You're the only one. All the other demonic cultivators are weak.”

“No. Incorrect.”

“Mm?”

A sly smirk floated up on Kang Jin-Ho's lips. “There are at least two. One of them is me, and the other is Chang Min.”

“Chang Min? Is that the old man you called earlier?”

“That's right.”

“Hoh-oh?” Vator's expression became unreadable as he stared at Kang Jin-Ho.

Kang Jin-Ho undoubtedly had a rather benevolent soul. To Vator's evaluation, these demonic cultivators were trash, yet his master still saw their individual worth. Even so, Kang Jin-Ho was quite strict in one category of evaluation: martial prowess.

Vator had never witnessed Kang Jin-Ho acknowledge someone else for their strength. Even Vator himself had failed to earn a 'proper' acknowledgment from Kang Jin-Ho.

Even though the Crimson King had acknowledged Vator's strength!

So, for Kang Jin-Ho to acknowledge someone for their strength?

Vator muttered quietly. “It seems that that old expert is someone remarkable, then?”

“More like an old monster. He's been alive for at least one hundred and eighty years, after all.”

“...Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Chang Min has been alive for a hundred and eighty years.”

Vator grew slightly dazed at that revelation. “W-wait. Can a human being even live for that long?”

Kang Jin-Ho casually shrugged his shoulders. “Well, he's a martial artist, so it’s possible.”

“Even if he's a martial artist, isn't that still... Mm...”

Martial artists indeed boasted a bit longer lifespan than average humans. It was common to see an old expert over a hundred years old. However, almost none had managed to live past one hundred and fifty years.

Vator cocked an eyebrow. “A hundred and eighty years? Doesn't that mean the old man is from the Qing dynasty era?”

“Yes.”

“Hah. So, he's like a living fossil, then. Yet, he's strong?”

“What do you think?”

“...Indeed, he should be strong,” Vator muttered while nodding slowly away.

That old man, Chang Min, had lived three sexagenary cycles worth of years. So, his cultivation time must've been...[1]

'Well, I can't even imagine it.'

Vator focused his cultivation on external arts. That didn't mean he sneered in contempt at the power of the internal arts, though. Whether it was done internally or externally, accumulated strength was still strength.

The more one accumulated qi, the stronger they would get. The norm in the martial world was for an expert to be over sixty years old before receiving the full acknowledgment. That was because one required that much qi reserve first before using powerful techniques.

Even Vator had to reach the age of fifty before growing confident enough in his martial arts.

'I'd be troubled fighting against old monsters over a hundred years old, so...'

So, how incredible would the qi reserve of a monster almost two centuries old be?

“Hmm. I'm getting genuinely curious now.” Vator slowly licked his lips.

Finding a worthy opponent was always an enjoyable feeling. If what Kang Jin-Ho said was true, this old monster named Chang Min should grant Vator a never-before-seen experience!

Vator turned his head and roared at the driver. “We're moving as slowly as tortoises! Hurry and step on it, demonic cultivator!”

“...”

“Mm? You dare not answer me!”

Despite the threatening roar reverberating within the van, Zhu Gang didn't display much of a reaction.

Naturally, Vator's brows quivered. “You dare?”

Zhu Gang finally responded when the big man's voice grew in decibels. However, he still remained unperturbed. “Please stop trying to intimidate me, sir.”

“What was that?”

Zhu Gang's gaze remained locked on the road ahead. “I'm sure you view me as an insignificant nobody. Maybe an insect you can squash to death at any second. Here's the deal, though. You are making a mistake if you think I'm trembling in fear, sir. Funnily enough, I know I'm no better than an insect, so the prospect of death doesn't really faze me.”

“Hoh-oh?” Vator's expression became weirder and weirder.

“If you wish to kill me, go ahead, sir. However, you will never see me bowing my head and acting subservient to...”

Kang Jin-Ho grunted loudly. “Let's get a move on, shall we?”

“Yessir! My liege!”

The van suddenly gained a lot of forward momentum. Vator frowned slightly in dissatisfaction as the sensation of his body pushing down on the van's seat was transmitted to his brain. He didn't mind the demonic cultivator obeying Kang Jin-Ho's orders, but did mind that brat's brash refusal to heed him so openly like this. “At least he's loyal to you, master.”

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders again. “Well, he's a demonic cultivator.”

“Are you implying that all demonic cultivators are loyal to you?”

“I am.”

“...You're not kidding? Seriously?”

Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded.

Vator grew incredulous again. “How is that possible? What kind of principle is that technique based on? Wait... Is it the same situation as me?”

“Don't compare yourself to them, Vator.”

“Mm?”

“You can't make someone truly respect you by controlling their mind. Your behavior is a good demonstration of that. Even if you stick to the restrictions of obeying my orders, you still have not changed your ways. Which makes our relationship somewhat unique.”

“That's true.”

“However, that story doesn't apply to the demonic cultivators. They can't resist or oppose superior demonic cultivators. It's not the case of finding it hard to fight back. No, they instinctively submit to another demonic cultivator overwhelmingly stronger than them. Or someone with a superior demonic cultivation technique.”

“Huh? Is that even possible?”

“I also don't know the principle behind it. Since the demon cult was a type of religious organization, maybe it has instilled obedience-type disposition in its believers to make them easier to rule.”

“Hmm... I thought you had reached the absolute zenith of the demonic arts? That you had reached the end of the path itself?”

“No, there's no such thing as an end in the road of cultivation, Vator. And, even if I had reached the absolute pinnacle, I still wouldn't know everything there is to know about martial arts.”

Vator tilted his head. “I don't get it. In the end, the ultimate aim of martial arts is to 'understand', isn’t it? Or am I missing something?”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. How should he go about explaining this? “Mm... Vator, have you fired a gun before?”

“You're asking the obvious.”

“Really? Why would you need a gun, though? You throwing a stone would be stronger than a bullet, no?”

“...Wouldn't any hot-blooded man want to fire a gun at least once in his lifetime?”

“...Mm,” Kang Jin-Ho was unable to retort to that. He didn't want to agree with Vator here, but how could he not? “...In any case. Since you've fired a gun before, you should know, then. Let's say you're the world's number one marksman.”

“Okay. So?”

“Does that make you more knowledgeable about your gun than the person who actually designed it and manufactured it?”

“...I see. I get what you're saying now.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “I might be stronger than the creator of the cultivation technique I use. Maybe I really am. However, mastering a cultivation technique does not necessarily mean I have figured out every mystery of said technique. That is what demonic cultivation is to me.”

“Hmm...” Vator alternated his gaze between Kang Jin-Ho and Zhu Gang while making a mystified expression. “Does that mean that brat will always be loyal to you regardless of his own will?”

“Technically, it's not loyalty. Let's call it acknowledgment. Maybe even submission. It's not like everyone suddenly has become intensely loyal to me.”

“Isn't that the same thing?”

“Not exactly. In any case... That brat would've said the same thing to me as he did to you if I was not a demonic cultivator. This is a luxury only granted to me because of my status as a demonic cultivator.”

“Kek... Are you telling me to envy a demonic cultivator? You're quite rotten, aren't you?” Vator chuckled before looking at Zhu Gang in a renewed light.

'That means that man's boldness isn't for show, then?'

When Vator thought that way, he realized he actually approved of the driver's attitude. After all, hadn't he always favored people with strong pride and a lack of fear of death?

Vator's physique was a threat, even to strong martial artists. Which wasn't surprising since he could crush most martial artists without relying on qi. He only needed his pure strength to do that. So, for a demonic cultivator to remain proud and unyielding like that?

Such a backbone didn't deserve to be called weak, now did it?

'I heard that all demonic cultivators were hard as nails. It seems that assertion might be true...'

Vator slowly nodded in approval. “I understand now that you can easily acquire many loyal subordinates. However, master. I don't know what the demonic cultivators were like during your era in the past, but... They are so much weaker than you think in the current era. I'm sure you can guess that by the strength of our driver.”

“Yes, it is quite poor.”

Kang Jin-Ho didn't try to deny it. He had already recognized this unfortunate truth to some degree. The only martial artists walking the path of demonic arts that he had run into so far were Chang Min and the Fallen. And it was a bit too early to call Lee Seong-Hwi a demonic cultivator as his attainment wasn't deep enough yet.

Kang Jin-Ho didn't expect other demonic cultivators to be as strong as Chang Min. However, at the very least, he hoped they would be on the level of the Fallen, but... Zhu Gang didn't even reach that level.

'When I think about it... It's obvious why.'

If the demonic arts the Fallen and the Chinese demonic cultivators mastered were practically the same... Higher attainment would lead to an accelerated loss of one's humanity. This meant the demonic cultivators would have no choice but to stop cultivating once their demonic qi reserve hit a certain level. Not doing so would lead to them going insane, after all!

In conclusion, these people had to accept the fate of becoming more violent and vicious in return for acquiring strength that was only a little higher than the average human's.

Since they had grown more impatient and short-tempered, living in society among the rest of the populace should be out of the question. That meant they had no choice but to eke out a living as the lowest-class citizens. They mastered the demonic arts in the hopes of improving their lives, yet their choice only led them deeper into the traps of life's hardships. How ironic was that?

Kang Jin-Ho tutted. “However, that doesn't matter.”

“Mm? Do you believe even trash still has its uses? Indeed, thinking that way does suit you.”

“Watch what you say, Vator,” Kang Jin-Ho growled menacingly.

Vator instantly shrunk back after sensing the rage bubbling within Kang Jin-Ho's voice. “It seems I had a momentary slip of my tongue. My apologies.”

“Yes, these people are weak. However, that doesn't mean they deserve to be treated as trash. Besides...” Kang Jin-Ho's growling deepened. “They won't be weak for long, anyway. Because I will make them stronger. We don't need a lot of time for that, either. Since they are demonic cultivators already familiar with handling demonic qi, all I need to do is help them out a little. That should be enough for them to experience a rebirth as a true demonic cultivator in the blink of an eye. When that happens, you will realize something. You will realize what it means for the demon cult to revive in the modern era!”

“...” Vator couldn't say anything and maintained his silence.

However, Zhu Gang was here to respond for the big man instead. Of course, he did that not with words, but through his body! Adrenaline flooded his heart and mind at the notion of the demon cult's revival as well as becoming the 'true' demonic cultivator.

Unable to rein in his excitement, Zhu Gang stomped on the accelerator. He had to get there as soon as possible!

He must guide this noble being to Beijing even one second faster!

With only those thoughts burning in his head, Zhu Gang whipped the van to go faster and faster. Unfortunately...

1. The sexagenary cycle is, according to Wikipedia: also known as the Stems-and-Branches or ganzhi, is a cycle of sixty terms, each corresponding to one year, thus a total of sixty years for one cycle, historically used for recording time in China and the rest of the East Asian cultural sphere. ☜