Chapter 91 : Chapter 91
Chapter 091. You Truly Resemble My Master
“To think that the Heavenly Demon and the Martial Sovereign are gathered in one place. If someone were to see this, they might think you were plotting treason.”
Hearing Dark Heaven’s words, the Blood Death Lord chuckled and spoke.
“……”
However, the General, who looked as though she might explode in anger at any moment, remained silent with a grave expression.
The pinnacle of the Eight Sovereigns of Murim, and the two beings closest to being unrivaled under heaven.
Each of them possessed power enough to annihilate a small country singlehandedly.
Thus, despite overturning the world almost daily in their youth, once they had inherited the Ming Cult and the Martial Sovereign Castle respectively, they restrained their movements to an extreme degree.
So much so that even at the Monster Slaying Association, where masters of the Entering Transformation Realm gathered to discuss the great affairs of the Central Plains, they would sit on opposite sides and maintain silence.
If such two figures had gathered in one place, then something on the scale of treason truly must have occurred.
At the very least, it would be something far more dangerous than the Black Dragon’s attempted Falling from Heaven that had nearly taken place in the North.
The General could not speak of him lightly, unlike the Blood Death Lord.
“How dull.”
The Blood Death Lord clicked his tongue in complaint.
“Enough. You are merely a ruffian whose mouth is as light as a feather.”
Unable to endure any longer, the General snapped irritably.
She had known the Blood Death Lord for more than a full cycle of sixty years. That old monster had been close friends with her father, the emperor two generations prior.
Thus, she knew well why the Blood Death Lord kept provoking her.
The current emperor was attempting to boil her away, for her influence over both the imperial family and the military had grown far too great.
Though the General knew this, she took no action.
If His Majesty desired this paltry life of hers, she was willing to offer it gladly.
Perhaps the Blood Death Lord found that displeasing, but matters of loyalty to the imperial house were something even he could not compromise on.
“……Still, for two ruffian chieftains to collude like this, something truly unusual must have happened. Brat, do you know anything?”
Swallowing her complicated feelings, she continued speaking. The one she pointed to was none other than the Northern Heaven Sword Venerable.
“I do not know either. Our Castle Lord is not the sort to inform subordinates of his whereabouts. Still, I believe I understand why he said he would watch quietly and then send a magic message.”
The Northern Heaven Sword Venerable spoke with a bright smile, as though deeply pleased by something.
“Surely not……?”
The General’s eyebrows twitched as she looked at Dam Jeok-san, who was cradled in the Sword Venerable’s arms.
“That is correct. Our Castle Lord cherishes his disciples quite a bit.”
Of course, it was not human affection. If it were, he would not have stood by and watched Woo Seo-gwang die.
What Man Su-geuk felt toward his disciples was closer to interest in potential replacements. He was a man closer to an emotionless object, with scant traces of the seven emotions and six desires, yet he faithfully upheld his duty as Castle Lord to protect the Central Plains.
‘That must be your own form of atonement for the senior brothers you killed with your own hands.’
Still, Un Wol-hyang could not forgive Man Su-geuk. Yet she could not simply hate him either.
In any case, Man Su-geuk could not remain in that position forever. Someone would eventually have to inherit the heavy throne of Martial Sovereign Castle Lord.
And Dam Jeok-san had splendidly proven that he possessed the qualifications to inherit it by stopping the Black Dragon’s Falling from Heaven.
But if one were to ask whether that meant he was ready to be appointed as the Young Castle Lord, then… well.
‘He is still far from it.’
While Dam Jeok-san had wandered, the Eldest Young Master had steadily expanded his influence through consistent achievements. Catching up to that in an instant was impossible.
Yet from the moment Dam Jeok-san recovered his dantian to now, only a few months had passed at most.
And in that short time, he had saved the Young Family Head of the Namgung Clan, reached the Ultra-Peak realm, and even prevented the Black Dragon’s Falling from Heaven. Moreover, he had earned the acknowledgment of the notoriously exacting Northern General.
He had filled a gap of nearly five years at an absurd speed.
Un Wol-hyang was certain.
Even if Dam Jeok-san were given another five years, no, even just three, the gap between them would become nearly meaningless.
“Either way, it would be best to receive the magic message. It does not seem as though there will be any major issue…….”
As Un Wol-hyang finished organizing her thoughts and spoke—
“Wait! The Ming Cult Leader……? Do you have any idea why he would send a magic message?”
The Sword Addict asked urgently. Astonishingly, fear clung to his solemn face.
In his youth, the Ming Cult Leader had ascended Mount Hua alone and utterly destroyed the Nine Palaces Heavenly Flower Formation deployed by thirty-two Plum Blossom Swordsmen. At the center of that formation had been the Plum Blossom Swordsman known as the Sword Addict himself.
That memory remained like a horrific brand even now that he was an old man. Thus, he wanted to avoid entanglement with the Ming Cult Leader at all costs, yet now he was sending a magic message personally……!
Even if demonic monsters had rained down from a clear sky, he would not have been this flustered. Even now, he remained in place only to preserve his dignity as an elder of the righteous sects. In truth, he wanted nothing more than to flee immediately.
“……It seems the Ming Cult Leader has taken an interest in my martial nephew as well. If he has eyes, he would have seen those accomplishments.”
Un Wol-hyang replied indifferently, and the Sword Addict fumbled for words. He could never allow himself to voice that he feared the Ming Cult Leader.
And then—
“Very well.”
Upon hearing Un Wol-hyang’s consent, Dark Heaven lightly snapped his fingers.
Caw— Caw—
From the high heavens came the sound of a crow.
At the same time, a single crow descended at terrifying speed, almost as though plummeting straight down.
“……!”
At a glance, the crow radiated an extraordinary aura. From its glossy, obsidian-black feathers, to its pair of graceful wings shaped like finely honed curved blades, to its crimson eyes that looked as though they held congealed blood.
One could easily believe it to be a demonic monster of immense power.
The crow stopped at an appropriate altitude, its red eyes gleaming.
[Greetings to you all. This seat is Bukgung Dantian. At present, I hold the position of Cult Leader of the Ming Cult.]
……It greeted them politely.
***
Twitch—!
The moment a voice flowed from the crow’s beak, the shoulders of several masters present trembled slightly.
That was because the voice of the crow—no, of Bukgung Dantian—carried a strange power that shook the soul.
The higher one’s realm, the sharper one’s senses, the more intense the effect.
In particular, the Entering Transformation Realm masters, led by the Sword Addict, went so far as to place their hands on their weapons and assume a defensive posture.
And this was merely a voice, transmitted not even by the true body, but through a crow.
At that moment, everyone present realized something.
Claims such as the Sword King’s realm being close to that of the Eight Sovereigns, or that the Northern Heaven Sword Venerable would surely join the Eight Sovereigns next—
All such flattering talk was utterly meaningless.
If Bukgung Dantian were to manifest here in person, even if all the masters present joined forces, victory could not be guaranteed.
A true member of the Eight Sovereigns was, quite literally, Heaven beyond Heaven.
And as they brushed against the power of that Heaven beyond Heaven—
“Hm…….”
Dam Jeok-san, who had been reduced to rags and fallen unconscious, regained his senses.
It was the result of an instinct buried deep within his subconscious.
He will die. If he remains unfocused, he will surely die. His unconscious mind reached that conclusion.
And so Dam Jeok-san awakened immediately. A sense for danger that could only be obtained through relentless training and real combat.
No, even that alone would not have been enough.
Perhaps inheriting fragments of what he had achieved in his previous life had helped as well. Seo Woo-joo had been a solitary existence who walked alone through a ruined world.
Upon awakening, Dam Jeok-san realized that someone was holding him, and he frowned in confusion.
A soft sensation felt between firm muscles.
A faint feminine scent that rose through the stench of blood.
Could it be…….
“Martial Aunt?”
Dam Jeok-san called to her in a voice utterly devoid of awareness of the situation.
“Eh……? You are already awake? That should not be possible.”
Un Wol-hyang leaned her face in close, startled.
She had judged it to be simple exhaustion, and being from the North, where the Northern Heaven Sword Venerable had seen countless grievously injured people, she had not thought much of it.
But Dam Jeok-san’s condition was quite severe. Had a skilled physician examined him, they would have been horrified, asking just how much he had abused his body.
Before Dam Jeok-san could even speak—
Un Wol-hyang suddenly placed her forehead lightly against the crown of his head.
“……!”
Having his vital point instantly suppressed, Dam Jeok-san panicked and tried to struggle, but he did not even have the strength for that.
“Mm. At least the upper dantian is not damaged. That is a relief.”
If the upper dantian, the vessel that houses the spirit of essence, qi, and spirit, were damaged, the mind would fail to properly assess the state of the body and would allow reckless actions to continue unchecked.
For example, one might draw upon power at the level of a dying flash of brilliance even in a situation where failing to collapse from exhaustion would mean death.
Fortunately, Dam Jeok-san did not seem to be such a case.
“……Could you please move back a little?”
Dam Jeok-san spoke with obvious embarrassment. Having confirmed her martial nephew’s stability, Un Wol-hyang obediently stepped back.
“I felt something ominous. Something vast and sinister enough that I could sense it clearly, even while unconscious…….”
At those words, surprise surfaced on Un Wol-hyang’s face. The presence the Ming Cult Leader had emitted was something fundamentally different from the ordinary.
It was something only those with extremely developed spiritual perception and upper dantian could properly sense. At Dam Jeok-san’s realm, he should not have been able to feel it so acutely.
[Ha…… How interesting.]
At that moment.
The crow listening to their exchange—no, Bukgung Dantian—interjected in a languid tone.
[It does not seem that he is lying.]
He spoke as his crimson eyes shimmered eerily. Within those pupils was a fragment of the True Demon Eye possessed by Bukgung Dantian’s true body.
Thus, discerning the truth or falsehood of words spoken by a mere Ultra-Peak master was exceedingly easy.
[And yet…… it may truly be the truth.]
Surprisingly, Bukgung Dantian let his words trail off ambiguously.
Even if this was not his true body, for something to evade his True Demon Eye— it was as though some incomprehensible existence had taken residence within Dam Jeok-san’s mind.
And that sensation was, in a way, deeply familiar.
A close friend who had acted more like the Heavenly Demon than himself, even before inheriting the Ming Cult.
A rival like Mount Tai, whom he had challenged endlessly, yet never defeated even once—
[You truly resemble my master.]
Martial Sovereign Castle Lord Man Su-geuk.
The Heavenly Demon saw him in Dam Jeok-san.
It was the highest praise the Heavenly Demon could offer.
***
“Did you truly mean that?”
Man Su-geuk asked the Heavenly Demon, who sat cross-legged and was sending a magic message toward the distant North.
You truly resemble my master. For the Martial Sovereign, who had spent his entire life searching for someone capable of replacing himself, those words carried great weight.
[Have you ever seen this mouth speak falsehoods?]
The words of a sorcerer carry tremendous power. For a sorcerer of the Ming Cult Leader’s caliber, it was said that they could even warp reality itself.
Thus, one could not speak falsehoods lightly. To do so would invite the price of defying providence.
“I have.”
Yet the Martial Sovereign replied calmly. At times, the Ming Cult Leader spoke false words, prepared to bear the backlash of providence.
And with his transcendent power, he twisted the world, turning falsehood into truth.
[One cannot forge a sword to replace you with nothing more than three inches of tongue.]
Bukgung Dantian replied indifferently to Man Su-geuk’s needless provocation.
[Dam Jeok-san, was it? He has potential. He is different from the first.]
The Ming Cult Leader, Bukgung Dantian, continued casually.
By the first, he meant none other than Man Su-geuk’s eldest disciple. Nearly thirty years of age, an Ultra-Peak master moving beyond maturity toward extremity.
Yet the Ming Cult Leader shook his head without hesitation upon seeing him.
He would surely one day stand shoulder to shoulder with the Eight Sovereigns of Murim.
But he could never replace you.
[I should send the Young Cult Leader in Shaanxi to the North. It is about time that child experienced a painful defeat. You are fine with that, yes?]
“A defeat, you say. You value my disciple more highly than I do. Do as you see fit.”
The Martial Sovereign Castle Lord replied, frowning slightly. He too had confirmed Dam Jeok-san’s achievements using the power of the True Demon Eye. They were indeed unfathomable.
Still, it was not a level capable of overwhelming the Ming Cult’s Young Cult Leader, who had surpassed the Ultra-Peak in both sorcery and martial arts.
[My thanks.]
“Then would you convey a message of mine as well?”
[Very well.]
“Cultivate diligently. Tell him that.”
[……Is that all?]
“Is that insufficient?”
To have only that to say to a disciple who had surpassed his former realm in less than half a year after reclaiming his dantian, and to a junior martial sister he had not seen in over five years.
[You are truly no small measure of dull yourself.]
Bukgung Dantian, who was himself little different from Man Su-geuk as a cult leader, had no room to criticize.
Just as he was about to relay the message through the crow—
“Wait. Convey this as well.”
Man Su-geuk opened his mouth.