Chapter 116: Just Because Part 1

Rotting flesh and the sinister energy of the demonic spirits clung to her body.

Her once clear eyes had turned white, with red veins bulging from the corners, and her once beautiful face had become grotesque.

The time when the world bowed down before her had long passed.

The one who had once sacrificed everything for the world had been cast aside like a worn-out shoe.

Even though the demonic spirits still swarmed the outskirts of the imperial capital, regardless of which Heavenly Maiden took the position, those who had expelled Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun didn’t bother to think deeply about it.

As long as they had someone to blame for the miserable reality, that was all that mattered. And if it was the will of the people, Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun had decided she would no longer live for the world.

No, instead, she would seek revenge on it.

What did it matter if it was the will of the Plague Demonic Spirit that would devour the world? In Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun’s eyes, this world held no worth to protect.

Ungrateful wretches, foolish and ignorant beings.

A world filled with such imbeciles could only continue to produce more misery and sorrow. Surely, if it were reduced to ashes, it would look far more beautiful in the eyes of the Emperor of Heaven.

So, let us all escape from the meaningless cycle of life.

Let us acknowledge our ignorance and relinquish this life filled with nothing but suffering.

Let the world to come be left to the demonic spirits, and cast aside this meaningless, worthless life entirely.

That’s how White Demonic Spirit Ah Hyun, who was consumed by emptiness and madness, walked down the halls of the White Tiger Palace.

– ♪ ♬ ♩

She hummed a tune, one she had rarely sung during her days as the Heavenly Maiden.

She brushed the elegant and old-fashioned sleeves of her Heavenly Dragon robe and trudged through the corridors, weaving her way past the maids.

The maids of the White Tiger Palace didn’t even attempt to stop the monster. Just meeting her eyes was enough to paralyze them, and their bodies were frozen by the illusion spell that coiled around her.

White Demonic Spirit Ah Hyun, the final special demonic spirit of the Plague Demonic Spirit.

Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun of the first cycle.

The demonic spirit of the past who had even accepted the energy of the Plague Demonic Spirit now wielded the powers of the crown princess consorts of the Four Palaces from their prime.

Throughout countless cycles, each master of the palaces had experienced a peak period where their abilities were at their strongest.

All of those abilities were engraved in the eyes of the Plague Demonic Spirit. And with the memories of those times fused together, the monster was able to create its greatest masterpiece. This White Demonic Spirit.

The Azure Princess in her prime had mastered the arts of Taoist magic and illusion; the Vermilion Princess had perfected swordsmanship with the Vermilion Sword, archery, and riding; the Black Princess in her prime had shown mastery of movement technique and perfect memory; the White Princess had honed the profound techniques of the art of heart reading.

And now, the White Demonic Spirit even controlled the energy of the Heavenly Dragon, a power said to be granted only to the mistress of the Heavenly Dragon Hall. Even if the most renowned Taoist masters lined up, there was no guarantee any of them could display their strength in front of her.

A level of power that could only be reached by fully harnessing the power of the Plague Demonic Spirit. She was at a level where even renowned Taoist masters like the late White Immortal Lee Cheol Woon couldn’t match.

If a Taoist priest were twisted by demonic energy, would they appear like this?

Fwoosh!

The hem of the White Demonic Spirit’s sleeve fluttered once.

With a single gesture, the maids guarding the White Tiger Palace lost consciousness and collapsed at the same time.

Thud, thud, thud.

In one corner of the tea room in the White Tiger Palace, White Princess Ha Wol sat alone.

She had even sent away her loyal Headmaid Ye Rim. She was simply gazing at the steam rising from the teacup placed on the small tea table.

Is the sun setting soon?

After swallowing such a thought, she flicked her fingertips and lit the lantern.

Thud, thud, thud.

Footsteps echoed louder as someone approached from the corridor outside the tea room.

Creak.

When the door to the tea room finally opened, there stood an unusual looking demonic spirit.

And beyond it in the hallway, numerous maids lay unconscious across the floor.

***

“General Seol has headed to White Tiger Palace. It seems there’s an issue with the warding talismans blocking the area around the White Tiger Palace, so he deemed inspecting them more urgent.”

“…….”

The Vermilion Princess who had been waiting for Seol Tae Pyeong at the entrance of the Vermilion Bird Palace had a darkened expression on her face.

Her face, which always appeared lofty and graceful, was now filled with unease. The worry clouding her heart was so unlike her usual self.

“I… must go see General Seol myself.”

“Vermilion Princess….”

The White Demonic Spirit Ah Hyun was a demonic spirit capable of gripping a person’s mind and manipulating it at will.

It was difficult for anyone with an average level of mental strength to easily resist its illusion arts.

In the end, without even remembering that she had been attacked by the White Demonic Spirit, the Vermilion Princess had to endure the growing unease that festered inside her.

The White Demonic Spirit’s Taoist magic preyed on the unstable emotions of the heart.

Desires for possession, guilt, anxiety, uncertainty, self-denial, fear…. All those negative emotions that corrode a person’s mind were twisted and shaken by the demonic spirit as it pleased.

Once someone fell into its grasp, there was no way to resist. Eventually, they would be played by the will of the demonic spirit before slowly losing self-control and being driven by instinct.

The Vermilion Princess was not the only one who had fallen into that trap.

The White Demonic Spirit spread its influence as it roamed the shadows of the inner palace.

The Black Princess, the mistress of the Black Tortoise Palace, also sat in her tea room and was nervously biting her nails.

Believing that she couldn’t allow her dear friend Seol Tae Pyeong to remain in danger, she was driven by a twisted protective instinct and grew determined to capture and keep him at all costs.

As a mistress of the inner palace, it didn’t take long for her to learn that Seol Tae Pyeong had headed to White Tiger Palace.

Likewise, Jin Cheong Lang who had changed into the clothing of the Azure Dragon Palace, trembled with anxiety the moment she heard the report that her escort Seol Tae Pyeong had disappeared.

She was already driven by an obsessive desire to possess him, so she was ready to search for Seol Tae Pyeong and go to the White Tiger Palace.

And then there was the one who was the origin of the White Demonic Spirit Ah Hyun.

She was the former Heavenly Maiden, the woman at the center of this endless cycle of reincarnation, the woman who observed the twists and turns of the world.

Yeon Ri, the senior maid of Hwalseong District.

“Today, the laundry came out really well!”

She wiped the sweat from her forehead with a satisfied expression on her face. She hung up a large amount of laundry in the backyard of the vice general’s mansion.

Since she had found a certain joy in doing housework, a sense of fulfillment often welled up inside her as she looked at the neatly lined-up bed covers.

“The weather’s nice too… it’ll dry quickly.”

Her expression was so content as if even the world ending tomorrow wouldn’t be much of a problem… It was hard to believe that this girl was on a journey to kill the Plague Demonic Spirit.

Nevertheless, Yeon Ri let out a peaceful smile as she glanced toward the main palace.

“It’s about time… I should start heading to the inner palace.”

As if she had been waiting for something, the girl rolled up her sleeves and left the Hwalseong District mansion.

She borrowed a horse from the Vice General’s stable and quietly made her way through the forest.

As a maid serving the vice general, she wasn’t allowed to leave designated areas without her master’s permission.

When she thought about it, this was her first time leaving the Hwalseong District in quite a while.

***

“Lower demonic spirits look pretty twisted and grotesque … but once they become a special demonic spirit, it’s almost impossible to tell them apart from humans at a glance.”

Even with a special demonic spirit right in front of her, White Princess Ha Wol kept her calm and just smiled calmly under the flickering lantern light.

White Demonic Spirit Ah Hyun felt a sense of unease as it observed the White Princess’s demeanor.

Azure Princess Jin Cheong Lang had been startled and her eyes opened wide the moment she saw it sitting in Heavenly Jade Pavilion.

Black Princess Po Hwa Ryeong had taken a few large steps back before showing open hostility when she spotted it on the tiled roof.

Vermilion Princess In Ha Yeon had reached for her sword the instant she saw it appear before her courtyard.

Whether it was shock, hostility, or fear, these were the typical reactions of humans when faced with a demonic spirit.

However, the White Princess was none of those things. She merely addressed the situation in a calm tone, as if what was happening was nothing out of the ordinary.

In the quiet tea room, the White Princess didn’t stand, nor did she move.

Its sharp gaze gleamed behind the occasionally flickering lantern light.

“But judging by the rotten flesh and blood-filled eyes… it’s clear you are no longer human.”

[The stench of decay reeks in your heart as well.]

At this point, no matter what, her eyes had to harden for a moment.

The White Princess flinched and opened her eyes wide.

The demonic spirit spoke.

It could communicate.

She had heard that a Higher Demonic Spirit, who absorbed extreme amounts of demonic energy, could seize or deceive a person’s mind.

However, she had never imagined it could communicate so directly like this.

[White Princess Ha Wol. Do you think I do not know you?]

The sharp voice carried a hint of hostility.

The White Demonic Spirit contained the lingering thoughts of Ah Hyun, the former Heavenly Maiden.

Long ago, before she had gone through countless cycles of reincarnation,

It was the trace of that fierce woman who had once cursed the world, hated the foolish masses, and gritted her teeth in rage against Cheongdo, the nation that had abandoned her.

Of course, the White Princess at this moment had no way of knowing such stories of Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun’s past, but the chilling air that enveloped her body made it clear that this was no ordinary presence.

[The Inbong clan is just a pack of hunting dogs drunk on the sweetness of power who would always put Cheongdo’s safety aside. You Inbong clansmen are all the same; people who are foolish enough to think that you can bask in wealth and glory for a lifetime by playing your little power games.]

Though the tone was formal, the inflection of the voice was twisted.

Even though she tried her best to speak with a throat that was rotting away, only strange and terrifying sounds came out as blood gurgled from here and there.

“Those words are true. I live by power and will die by power.”

The White Princess did not deny those words.

The stench of decay that lingered in her heart was only natural, considering the life of the Heavenly Maiden who had spent her entire life devoted to the Heavenly Dragon Palace.

White Princess Ha Wol had never once concerned herself with the cause of Cheongdo.

She had never once been interested in the life of a woman who was loyal to the emperor, worried about the people, tended to her husband, and remained dutifully in her place.

“We are alike, you and I. Your flesh has rotted, and my heart has rotted. But at least on the outside, I seem to be more beautiful.”

With those words, the White Princess let out a seductive laugh.

Though rumors spread that her appearance was like that of a fairy descending from the White Immortal Mountain, when she sharpened her gaze and laughed like that, she looked no different from an evil woman.

The White Demonic Spirit raised its hand without showing any sign of concern.

Spiritual energy was gathered in that hand, which was wrinkled and covered in folds. No matter how imposing the White Princess’s presence was, in front of the White Demonic Spirit, she was nothing more than a woman without a single guard.

Like the other princess consorts, the White Princess was merely a pawn to be used in the game to kill Seol Tae Pyeong.

If she became useless, she would simply disappear in the execution ground along with Seol Tae Pyeong.

Just as the White Demonic Spirit was about to overpower the White Princess in one swift move, the latter suddenly kicked over the tea table and sprang to her feet.

Crash!

The table flipped and then flew toward the White Demonic Spirit.

However, the White Demonic Spirit didn’t even assume a defensive stance.

Bang! Crack!

The tea table didn’t even touch the White Demonic Spirit before shattering completely and rolling across the floor.

Could this even be called resistance? It wasn’t even worth considering.

Just as the White Demonic Spirit was about to pounce on her, the White Princess shoved the paper door as if she were about to break it. Shen then fell out into the corridor and rolled across the wooden floor.

Crash! Bang!

It was the same situation when the White Tiger Palace burned and when the Sun Demonic Spirit caused havoc.

In urgent situations, the White Princess was accustomed to throwing aside her dignity and throwing her body into action.

She had rolled across a muddy floor that was covered in blood and ashes and had once even shoved someone into a burning pile of firewood.

For someone who had clawed her way up from the bottom, there was a ferocity about her that someone born into nobility could never possess.

She hadn’t been raised as a distinguished noblewoman like the Vermilion Princess.

Nor was she blessed with the favor of the heavens like the Azure Princess or the Black Princess who went through the divine fever.

The White Princess had nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Her physical abilities were ordinary, her talent for Taoist magic was average, and although her birth status was somewhat noble, it had been more of a disadvantage since she had been used by others. What did it matter that she had been born into a wealthy family? She could barely remember a time in her childhood when she had eaten her fill, and whenever the opportunity arose, she had been beaten. She hadn’t even had her coming-of-age ceremony before she was thrown into solitary confinement and told to fend for herself.

Only those who come from such humble beginnings can truly scramble for survival when they face a crisis.

Even in the midst of this chaotic situation where the White Demonic Spirit was almost on her doorstep, the White Princess showed no sign of panic. Instead, she cast a Taoist spell that set fire to the area around the paper door.

Smoke began to rise and it threatened to obscure the view, but in an instant, the White Demonic Spirit closed the distance with a teleportation technique and arrived right in front of the White Princess.

[Trying to escape with such petty tricks…]

The White Demonic Spirit didn’t even finish speaking.

The White Princess was already rolling across the floor.

Looking down at her expression, a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

Crash!

Slash!

At that moment, Seol Tae Pyeong burst through the opposite paper door and sliced through one of the White Demonic Spirit’s arms which was filled with spiritual energy.

Blood spurted out along the White Demonic Spirit’s arm.