Chapter 92 : Chapter 92
Chapter 092. You Truly Resemble My Master (2)
“If you require guidance, then contact me at any time and come seek me at the main castle.”
[Hooh.]
At the words of the Martial Sovereign Castle Lord, Bukgung Dantian let out a low murmur of admiration.
A master teaching his disciple. At first glance, it might sound like the most natural thing in the world.
However, when the ones involved were figures such as the Martial Sovereign Castle Lord and the Ming Cult Leader, the meaning changed entirely.
[Does that mean you intend to protect that child?]
“I merely hope that he does not wither before he has the chance to bloom.”
The Eldest Young Master’s faction was powerful enough that it could not be controlled unless the Martial Sovereign himself stepped in.
Moreover, he was the sort who had no concept of avoiding methods in political strife. If he were to employ assassinations or schemes to remove Dam Jeok-san, it would not be strange at all.
Man Su-geuk considered that, too, to be part of the competition. Still, he believed it would be fair to grant Dam Jeok-san a little more time.
Even after losing his dantian and being cast into the abyss, he had clawed his way back up through sheer effort.
Yes. That was all there was to it.
[Very well. I will pass it along.]
Watching the Martial Sovereign stubbornly refuse to admit that he favored his disciple, the Heavenly Demon let out a quiet chuckle.
‘How dishonest.’
***
[Your master was like that as well. He would turn what seemed utterly impossible into reality, then act as though he had done nothing extraordinary at all.]
The crow that carried the Heavenly Demon within it swept its crimson gaze across Dam Jeok-san as it spoke.
Bukgung Dantian had been observing Dam Jeok-san’s group while simultaneously suppressing the calamity in the Western Demonic Realm at an early stage and monitoring the Black Dragon’s Falling from Heaven.
If the Black Dragon had truly fallen, he had been prepared to intervene regardless of the cost.
However, because Dam Jeok-san repeatedly brought forth miracles, all of the Heavenly Demon’s preparations were rendered meaningless.
“…Those are words sweeter than anything I could ask for.”
Though his complexion was deathly pale, Dam Jeok-san replied with unconcealed astonishment.
To be likened to his master, the Martial Sovereign Castle Lord. A being who had ascended to a supreme position admired by all of Murim.
And to hear it from Bukgung Dantian, the Cult Leader of the Ming Cult, one of the few figures under heaven comparable to Man Su-geuk.
“Thank you.”
Dam Jeok-san rose from Un Wol-hyang’s grasp and bowed his head.
Praise from one who was qualified to give it could not possibly be unwelcome.
“However… I do not wish to become someone like my master.”
Even so.
Dam Jeok-san made his thoughts clear.
He spoke thus because he knew the Martial Sovereign Castle Lord was listening.
[Hooh.]
At those audacious words, an unusual glint appeared in the crow’s eyes.
If they were spoken out of ignorance, he would need to be harshly reprimanded.
But if they were spoken with understanding…
Then this child might become a talent capable of reshaping not only Murim, but the balance of the world itself.
[Then what is it that you wish to become?]
“Me.”
For a brief moment, Dam Jeok-san’s eyes shone vividly as he pointed toward his own chest.
“I wish to become wholly myself.”
The instant he heard that answer, a fleeting brilliance flickered through the crow’s pupils.
[How trite. The sort of thing the old men of the Nine Sects and One Gang mutter when they chase after empty clouds.]
“……”
At those words, the Sword Addict muttered under his breath, clearly displeased. ‘Nine Sects and One Gang’ and ‘old men’ both sounded suspiciously like they were aimed at him.
However, the moment the crow’s gaze brushed past him—
He flinched and averted his eyes.
This had never happened even before sect leaders. Facing the Heavenly Demon after so long, the fear still sent chills through his spine.
[But I can tell by your eyes.]
The Heavenly Demon continued, paying the Sword Addict no further attention.
[You are not merely reciting scriptures like they do.]
Wooooong!
As he spoke, the Heavenly Demon released the gleaming eye-light that shimmered within the crow’s gaze straight toward Dam Jeok-san.
Kugugugugu—
The crimson beam that burst from the crow’s eyes stopped only when it reached Dam Jeok-san’s pupils.
Despite being exhausted, Dam Jeok-san, an Ultra-Peak master, could not even react to its speed.
[There truly are things within you that are not you.]
Seo Woo-joo’s memories.
The moments when he had followed the Martial Sovereign Castle Lord blindly before losing his dantian.
And the ego of Wi Cheon-rak, which he had yet to fully digest.
Even the Heavenly Demon could not read all of it. He only sensed that Dam Jeok-san was trying to bind the storm raging within him into a single whole.
And on the day all of that became Dam Jeok-san’s history—
Another master who had reached the Entering Transformation Realm would be born into the world.
[I will pass on your master’s words. They should prove helpful.]
“My master… left words for me?”
Dam Jeok-san asked in surprise. That was not something his master usually did.
[Train diligently.]
“……”
Words as concise as could be. Truly fitting of the Martial Sovereign Castle Lord. Just as he was thinking that—
[There is one more.]
The crow continued, unable to hide its amusement.
[If you require guidance, contact him at any time and come seek him at the main castle… or so he said. It seems you may have reason to visit soon.]
Originally, he had assumed it was merely meant as a refuge should the succession struggle grow too fierce.
However, after hearing Dam Jeok-san’s words, his thoughts changed. That child would soon encounter a wall. Weaving a chaotic life into a single history was not easy for anyone.
In the Heavenly Demon’s view, the Martial Sovereign Castle Lord was one of the few people under heaven capable of providing guidance at that moment.
“Those who had only just reached the Entering Transformation Realm could not give answers to such profound inner anguish.”
But the Martial Sovereign Castle Lord was a true absolute, one who had surpassed even the Entering Transformation Realm.
[I envy your master.]
The Heavenly Demon murmured with genuine feeling.
Could the Young Cult Leader reach that realm before his own death? Judging by his rate of growth, it seemed possible, yet certainty was impossible.
He had believed that he had raised his own disciple better than the Martial Sovereign Castle Lord had.
It seemed that might not be entirely true.
“If I need guidance, I may contact him and seek him at the main castle. Is that truly so?”
Dam Jeok-san asked again, his expression filled with disbelief.
How long had it even been since he was exiled to the North, for such privilege to be granted?
The Martial Sovereign Castle Lord was unlike ordinary masters. Their relationship was closer to that of a sovereign and successor. Expecting boundless instruction had never been realistic.
Even before losing his dantian, this was one reason Dam Jeok-san had struggled in competition with his two senior brothers.
They had experts within their clans who could provide guidance whenever they wished. Especially the Eldest Young Master. His clan, near the pinnacle among the Five Great Families of the Martial Sovereign Castle, even had a master who had reached the Entering Transformation Realm.
Compared to them, Dam Jeok-san, who could only receive instruction directly from the Castle Lord, was bound to lag behind.
Moreover, Dam Jeok-san could clearly read the political implications hidden within those words.
“Is our Castle Lord nearing his end?”
The Northern Heaven Sword Venerable, who had been listening quietly, frowned as she spoke.
Yet there was a hint of expectation in her voice.
She knew. The Martial Sovereign Castle Lord’s actions were taken only after weighing gains and losses.
Dam Jeok-san was different from her other senior brothers. He had potential. The possibility of reaching the Limitless realm if he survived.
And thus, the possibility of replacing the Martial Sovereign Castle Lord.
Still, the thought that the Castle Lord had grown old and slightly more benevolent was not entirely unfounded.
[Hmm. You, too, are worthy of expectation. In perhaps ten years, you might truly reach the realm of the Eight Sovereigns.]
The crow said this as it swept its gaze over the Northern Heaven Sword Venerable, as though appraising her.
The phrase ‘next-generation Eight Sovereign’ was little more than illusion.
The gap between an ordinary Entering Transformation master and the Eight Sovereigns far exceeded what common folk imagined.
Yet even accounting for all of that, Un Wol-hyang’s achievements were outstanding.
If the Heavenly Demon were to manifest here in his true body, the only one present who could withstand ten breaths of his assault would be her.
The power possessed by the Martial Sovereign Castle was growing to an unnatural degree.
There was no such thing as unnecessary power in the world. When power emerged, so too would occasions to wield it. That was the providence as seen by Bukgung Dantian, a sorcerer.
In other words—
‘Before long, an age of chaos will arrive.’
It might begin with internal strife over the Martial Sovereign Castle’s throne, or with the resurrection of a long-forgotten Monster King.
One thing was certain. It was an unavoidable future.
‘Calamity does not arrive because the Martial Sovereign Castle has grown strong.’
Rather, in times when calamity approaches, talented children are born and raised. Even if they fail to fully bloom, the calamity prepared for the world does not disappear.
They must grow stronger, so that the world does not perish. Even if they are not of the Ming Cult.
Centuries ago, the ancestors had boldly proclaimed a world ruled by the Demonic Path and waged war upon the Central Plains…
But to Bukgung Dantian, born into an era where monsters ran rampant, the ambitions of his predecessors felt almost like indulgence.
[Having delivered the Castle Lord’s words, I should take my leave. Maintaining this sorcery is no easy task.]
The crow looked down at Dark Heaven as it spoke.
The white-haired woman’s face still held a trace of composure, yet her complexion was noticeably more haggard than before.
If his true body had been unharmed, he could have maintained such sorcery for days on end. In his current state, it was too much.
Whoosh!
With that, the crow’s eye-light turned black, and it shot high into the sky.
Caw— Caw—
With the cry of an ordinary bird, devoid of any presence, the Heavenly Demon vanished completely.
After that.
Silence enveloped the hall for a time.
The Blood Death Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance, the Northern General of the imperial family, the Mount Hua elder Sword Addict, and even the Northern Heaven Sword Venerable of the Martial Sovereign Castle and the Sword King of the Namgung Clan—
All were figures of note, yet they had been utterly overwhelmed by the Heavenly Demon chattering from within a crow.
The degree varied, but most were surely shocked by the fact.
Among them, Un Wol-hyang, who had faced the Martial Sovereign Castle Lord on many occasions, was the least shaken.
For the same reason,
Dam Jeok-san, too, was not greatly disturbed.
“We cannot simply send our guests away after they have come all this way… You must all be hungry. Let us dine together.”
Dam Jeok-san spoke as he looked around the room.
“Branch Manager, is that acceptable?”
Seeing Dam Jeok-san handle matters so smoothly, Un Wol-hyang nodded lightly.
At that single word, individuals who possessed power enough to move the world crossed the threshold of the Northern Branch of the Martial Sovereign Castle.
***
Shaanxi Province, Xi’an.
In ancient times, it had been known as Chang’an and had once served as the capital of the imperial court, a vast metropolis.
However, after monsters began to run rampant, Xi’an’s influence waned greatly compared to before.
Due to relentless monster attacks, the center of Shaanxi Province gradually shifted closer to Mount Hua and Zhongnan, the strongholds that contended for dominance among the Nine Sects and One Gang.
Thus, Xi’an was filled with places steeped in gloom—abandoned houses with crumbling signboards and cobwebs, and long-forgotten graves untouched by human feet.
A young man whose refined, delicate features were so beautiful that one might mistake him for a woman, were it not for his broad shoulders and tall frame.
The Young Cult Leader of the Ming Cult, Bukgung Wan.
The place he walked was one such desolate site.
Less than a hundred years ago, it had been a temple frequented by many worshippers, but after a monster attack that slaughtered the monks, it had become a complete ruin.
“Tch. It is thick with corruption.”
Seeing the half-rotted Buddha statue twist into a grotesque grin and stretch a hand toward him, Bukgung Wan clicked his tongue lightly.
Wooooong!
As he extended his palm toward the statue, dark-red demonic energy surged within his palm center.
KWAANG!!
The instant the statue’s hand collided with Bukgung Wan’s palm force.
The demonic energy surged up the statue’s body, incinerating its grotesque form in an instant.
At this level, it was still sufficiently purifiable. To burn away corruption with demonic energy itself. More orthodox than the so-called orthodox sects, a truly laughable Demonic Path.
Yet once the Cult Leader’s command had been given, he could not stand idle. Within the heart of the young Bukgung Wan still burned the flame of the world of the Demonic Path left behind by countless predecessors.
At the same time, Bukgung Wan also knew. At least for now, that world could not be realized.
Even so—
‘We are stronger than those who have lived like greenhouse flowers in the Central Plains.’
That fact alone could be proven.
Whether it was the Martial Sovereign Castle or the Five Great Families of the Nine Sects and One Gang—if he caught their attention upon entering the Central Plains, he would make them feel the difference in status.
Fwoooooosh!!
The fearful demonic flames extending from Bukgung Wan’s hand soon engulfed the entire temple. The dense demonic energy coiled around the grounds vanished under the secrets of the Demonic Path.
“Hah…!”
Bukgung Wan gasped, feeling a heavy wave of exhaustion.
Purification meant suppressing and burning demonic energy with demonic energy itself. It was not easy. Strength alone did not suffice.
Within the Ming Cult, only those who had mastered the supreme art passed down solely to the Cult Leader and Young Cult Leader—the Silent Devouring Demon Art—could purify lands tainted by demonic energy.
Even then, if the corruption had progressed to the level of a Demonic Realm or its vicinity, it would be utterly ineffective.
Still, if places like this temple were left polluted for too long, they risked mutating into environments close to a Demonic Realm.
Of course, the Murim of the Central Plains periodically swept through such areas as well…
‘But they cannot compare to us, who have mastered the Ming Cult’s sorcery.’
At least in this field, the Silent Devouring Divine Art was unrivaled throughout history.
Thinking so, the Cult Leader’s command made sense. There was no one in the Central Plains who could replace them.
At that moment—
[Northern Journey.]
A message of just three characters appeared unbidden upon his palm.
“What…?”
Only the Cult Leader in this world could perform such a feat. As doubt flickered through his mind—
[Defeat the Sword Dragon.]
The Cult Leader’s message continued.
[If you can.]
“Ha.”
At that final message, which was nothing short of provocation, Bukgung Wan’s face twisted sharply.