I stopped walking.
It was not because of the sandstorm blowing in. The question I had asked him in the past was extremely important to me.
“When I asked whether it was possible to make time flow more slowly within the Space-Time Transposition Art, this was how you answered. ‘You brat, does that even make any sense!’”
I remembered his exact words.
“You also said that you and the previous cult leaders had actually tried it, but that it was impossible.”
“You have a good memory.”
After a brief pause, the Fengcheon Cult Leader spoke.
“That statement is both true and false.”
“What do you mean?”
“In truth, no matter how much we researched and trained, it was impossible. I still feel the same way. You brat, does that even make any sense!”
“Then what part was false?”
“I told you it was nonsense, but in fact, there was a secret art passed down quietly among the cult leaders. It is called the Shitian Secret Art (時天祕術).”
The moment I heard those words, my heart surged. Reading my emotions, the Fengcheon Cult Leader quickly said,
“Do not get your hopes up too much. No cult leader has ever truly mastered the Shitian Secret Art. No matter how much they studied and trained, it was nothing but a waste of time. I am even doubtful whether it is a proper secret art at all.”
Even so, I was filled with emotion. That was how important this matter was to me.
The Fengcheon Cult Leader continued his explanation.
“According to the records left behind, the Shitian Secret Art was created two hundred years ago by the cult leader at the time, Yan Mingde, after he stepped down from his position and lived in seclusion. He succeeded in making the time inside and outside the Space-Time Transposition Art flow differently. They say that one shichen passed inside, but when he came out, not even half a shichen had gone by.”
The Fengcheon Cult Leader emphasized once more that this was an impossible feat.
“But after Cult Leader Yan, no one else ever accomplished it. And it was only natural. Cult Leader Yan possessed the deepest internal energy in the history of the Fengcheon Cult, and he was born with the Heavenly Martial Body, so his realm in martial arts was beyond description. That is why ordinary people could not understand the secret art he left behind. Or else the secret art he left behind was nonsense.”
“But why are you telling me this?”
His gaze and mine tangled in midair.
“Before that, let me ask you first. Why are you interested in this impossible matter? Ah, of course anyone would dream of such a space, but you seem to have a reason beyond vague desire.”
There was a reason. It was because of the Nine Flames Demonic Art.
If I inherited the Nine Flames Demonic Art, I had to achieve great completion without fail. Moreover, my goal was not great completion at the tenth star, but great completion at the twelfth star.
But I lacked absolute time. If it were any other martial art, perhaps not, but the twelfth-star great completion of the Nine Flames Demonic Art was by no means a simple matter.
“There is someone I want to train to my heart’s content and beat to a pulp.”
“You want to add even more training to your current ability and beat him? Whoever it is, he has picked the wrong opponent.”
Yes, just as the cult leader said, he had picked the wrong opponent. Whether it was Hwa Mugi or me. One of the two of us had truly picked wrong.
“When you first asked me that, I never imagined a moment like this would come.”
Soon after, astonishing words flowed from his mouth.
“I will pass the Shitian Secret Art on to you.”
Our gazes tangled in midair. Though it was a secret technique no one had achieved, it was certainly not the kind of secret technique one would ever want to hand over to another.
“Though I did not succeed… perhaps you might.”
At the trembling look in my eyes that asked why he was showing me such favor, the Fengcheon Cult Leader boldly revealed his feelings.
“Did you not say so? That inside this place, you would take me as your master.”
“!”
“Is it not only natural for a master to pass a secret art on to his disciple?”
I was sincerely moved. I knew, to some extent, what kind of person he was. As human as he was, he was also full of desire, and he had regretted everything he had given me thus far.
And yet he was trying to give me more. He was trying to hand over yet another secret technique he possessed.
“Are you planning to regret it again later?”
“If I regret it, then I regret it. Am I not someone with considerable experience when it comes to regret?”
The moment I heard those words, my heart swelled. He was truly giving everything he had for my sake. Seo Daeryong had said this to me before: that I was someone who returned ten for one. That was what I should have said to the Fengcheon Cult Leader. I had given him one, and he was repaying me with ten.
I dropped flat on the spot and bowed to him.
“Be as spiteful as you like and make as much of a show of it as you like. I will accept it all for the rest of my life. Truly, thank you.”
Instead, the Fengcheon Cult Leader raised me to my feet with reddened eyes.
“I do not even know whether this is something to be thanked for or not. Rather, I am worried I may steal your mental strength and time by passing on a secret technique that even I could not succeed in.”
“Please leave what comes after to me.”
“Now, listen carefully from this point on.”
The Fengcheon Cult Leader transmitted the mnemonic formula of the Shitian Secret Art to me. He checked several times to make sure I had memorized it properly.
“If this is possible, then the degree to which time slows would differ depending on the person, would it not?”
“I suppose so.”
“Then perhaps one day, if the realm of the Shitian Secret Art reaches its extreme, it might even be possible to make time stop there.”
“You cannot even crawl yet, and already you dream of flying?”
“I am quite greedy when it comes to martial arts.”
We looked at each other and laughed.
“That would be a matter beyond human ability.”
“I will try surpassing it.”
“Even as I think it will not be possible, because it is you, I find myself looking forward to it in some measure. To just how much you will astonish me with this.”
He probably did not know. Just how grateful I was at this moment. I would surely refine and temper the Shitian Secret Art and make him gape in shock.
* * *
I opened a space alone with the Space-Time Transposition Art, and within it, I used the Shitian Secret Art once more.
Whoooooosh.
The sound of the wind circling around me sounded mysterious. I had yet to move beyond the introductory stage of the mnemonic formula, but already the internal energy it demanded was tremendous. I could understand why everyone had failed to achieve this and given up.
The difficulty of the secret art was a problem, but the amount of internal energy required was simply too great. In that case, even if one succeeded in the secret art, the time one could remain here would become so short that the art itself would have felt meaningless.
Moreover, if one were to train in martial arts here, additional internal energy would be required, so it would have seemed even more unthinkable.
But to me, it had meaning.
Because my internal energy was so pure and vast that it could not be compared to anyone else’s in this martial world.
In addition, I had a firm belief. Just like other top-tier martial arts, the higher the realm of the Shitian Secret Art rose, the more rapidly its efficiency in using internal energy would improve. The Wind God Four Steps had been the same. The higher the realm climbed, the faster the speed became, while the internal energy required decreased.
I learned the Shitian Secret Art with the certainty that I would absolutely succeed. I believed in myself. I, too, possessed the Heavenly Martial Body, and I was confident that my current level in martial arts was higher than Yan Mingde’s level had been when he created this secret art.
* * *
The next day, I ran into Gowol in the yard.
“Has something good happened?”
At Gowol’s question, my gaze turned toward the Fengcheon Cult Leader standing beside me.
“Something good did happen.”
Quick-witted Gowol realized it had something to do with the Fengcheon Cult Leader.
“You always say you dislike the Second Young Master, and yet what have you given him this time?”
At Gowol’s question, the Fengcheon Cult Leader looked off into the distance and played innocent.
Smiling, I asked Gowol,
“How about you?”
“I think I need a little more time. Right now, it is not the time to use my head, but my eyes.”
It meant he was watching and observing the enemy. He was trying to find a weakness in Yelü Han’s daily life.
He was busy all day. Receiving and sending letters, meeting and returning from those who conveyed information. Of course, since the Fengcheon Cult Leader was with him, I was not worried.
“It does not matter how much time it takes. Handle it carefully.”
“Yes!”
“I will bring back something delicious, so let us eat dinner together.”
Tonight, I intended to feed them something truly special.
* * *
That day, I sold a portion of the night pearls I had entrusted to the money house and bought four roots of thousand-year snow ginseng (千年雪蔘).
Having traveled all over the Central Plains before my regression and experienced all manner of things, I knew well of a black-market dealer near the main headquarters of the Evil Dao Alliance who sold spiritual medicines.
Since he dealt in goods that were hard to obtain, the prices were extremely high, but I did not spare money in buying them.
After buying the thousand-year snow ginseng and returning to the safe house, I called Geugak Soma, Gowol, and the Fengcheon Cult Leader. I placed the thousand-year snow ginseng before them and spoke firmly, as though driving in a nail.
“Now, from this moment on, each of us takes one root. Refusal is refused. You must take it in front of me right now, no matter what.”
As I had said when sharing spiritual medicine with Geugak Soma, I was not someone who shared spiritual medicine with others. Even so, I wanted to share this spiritual medicine with them.
It was encouragement for Geugak Soma, who was facing a fight; a gift for the Fengcheon Cult Leader, who had even given me his final secret technique; and a tonic for Gowol, who had suffered until now.
The Fengcheon Cult Leader joked.
“Why would anyone refuse something this good? Anyone who wants to refuse may give theirs to me!”
Gowol, more than anyone, had his thoughts written plainly on his face: I do not need it, so please take it yourself, young master. But he knew. The words telling them not to refuse had been meant for him.
Gowol bowed his head, and Geugak Soma expressed his gratitude with his eyes.
And so the four of us took the thousand-year snow ginseng together.
My internal energy was so deep that, by now, one could say even a thousand-year snow ginseng would barely make a ripple in me, but for the other three, it was still a spiritual medicine that would be of considerable help. Especially for Gowol, who had the least internal energy, it would have the greatest effect not only on his internal energy but also in restoring the vitality of his exhausted body.
—Take good care of your health, Strategist Go.
I even sent him a sound transmission especially.
Gowol conveyed his gratitude to me with deepened eyes.
* * *
At last, Gowol found a method.
“During this time, I conducted extensive investigations into Yelü Han. His residence is in the inner compound of the Evil Dao Alliance. He wakes up in the morning, trains, eats, spends his day as the commander of the Extreme Blade Corps, and if he is summoned by the Alliance Leader’s Hall, he goes in. He spent all his time inside the Evil Dao Alliance. After the deaths of Jisaeng and Aecha, he never once went outside.”
Having misunderstood that the Evil Dao Alliance Leader was targeting him, Yelü Han had been thoroughly lying low, and thanks to that, finding an opportunity to strike him was no easy matter.
“It will not be easy.”
“No. Striking him while he is in the alliance is several times more difficult.”
Even if it were not difficult, killing him inside the Evil Dao Alliance was something that had to be avoided. Since Bisa-in had permitted this matter, we ought to maintain courtesy toward the Evil Dao Alliance.
“I was curious. Would the Five Thunder Divine Sword and the Blood Wheel Calamity also be living inside the Evil Dao Alliance like Yelü Han?”
Gowol looked at me and asked for my opinion.
“They would not.”
“What is your reason for thinking so?”
“Because both of them are public enemies of the martial world. There is an agreement made between the Martial Alliance and the Evil Dao Alliance. An agreement that those branded public enemies of the martial world must never be hidden.”
The Fengcheon Cult Leader cut in and said,
“Would those unorthodox bastards keep such an agreement?”
“The one who would want to keep this agreement is probably Yelü Han.”
“Why would that bastard?”
“Because he would not want the Evil Dao Alliance Leader to gain a weakness over him. If the Evil Dao Alliance Leader were to attack him, there would be no better pretext than this.”
The Fengcheon Cult Leader nodded with an expression that said he had not thought that far.
Gowol stepped forward again.
“You have grasped it precisely. That is correct. The Five Thunder Divine Sword and the Blood Wheel Calamity are not living inside the Evil Dao Alliance. So I tried to find out where the two of them were living.”
“They must have a residence near the main headquarters.”
“Yes. But it was hidden so tightly that it was not easy to find. So I changed methods. I watched someone who might visit that place.”
“Who? Yelü Han?”
“No. Cha Hwan.”
Cha Hwan, the last survivor of the Four.
“He is serving as Yelü Han’s right hand. Surely someone must entertain and assist an old master like the Five Thunder Divine Sword, and they would not entrust that to just anyone.”
I judged that to be the proper approach. As expected, Gowol had judged it intelligently.
“While watching Cha Hwan, I discovered one peculiar fact. I found out that, without fail, he buys Shanxi Fenjiu once a month.”
Gowol added with a meaningful look in his eyes.
“The Five Thunder Divine Sword’s hometown is Shanxi. According to the information sent from the Tongtian Pavilion, the liquor he liked most was Fenjiu.”
“He is taking that liquor to the Five Thunder Divine Sword.”
“That is correct. Based on that, I tailed Cha Hwan and identified the residence of the Five Thunder Divine Sword.”
“Well done!”
“The problem is Yelü Han. Because of this incident, he is refraining entirely from going outside, and at the same time, he is not meeting with the Five Thunder Divine Sword either. But while looking through the materials sent from the Tongtian Pavilion, I discovered this. Please look.”
As I looked over the materials he handed me, I stared at Gowol with a meaningful glint in my eyes.
“It will soon be the Five Thunder Divine Sword’s birthday!”
“And his ninetieth birthday, at that. I do not know about any other day, but on this day, Yelü Han and the Blood Wheel Calamity will go to congratulate him.”
Gowol’s eyes sparkled.
“We will deal with them that day. There is no need to take the risk of disposing of them all at once. We will eliminate them one by one, with time between each. First, kill the Five Thunder Divine Sword, then remove everyone who visits that place in order. One by one, in sequence.”
I gave Gowol’s shoulder a firm pat.
“You truly worked hard to find this out.”
“It is thanks to the thousand-year snow ginseng.”
He smiled, but Gowol’s expression was still worried.
I looked at Geugak Soma and said,
“It is the old man’s birthday. We should go congratulate him too, should we not?”
The two eyes within Geugak Soma’s eye sockets began to burn with blue flames.
“From now on, leave it to us!”