The Pungcheon Cult Leader and the Demon Buddha entered the Heavenly Demon Hall.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader, Ling Paisu, had a commanding presence and a healthy complexion, with an intense gaze that seemed capable of boring through walls. He was a man who had mastered the Calamitous Heaven Great Demonic Qi, known as the foremost art beyond the border, and he was the absolute ruler who governed the martial world of the Outer Territories.
There had once been a time when the Blood Cult stood shoulder to shoulder with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but now that it had become the Pungcheon Cult, its power had weakened considerably by comparison and could no longer be set against the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
This time, when he left the Pungcheon Cult, he brought with him the Ten Great Demons, the ten supreme masters who represented the cult, as well as one hundred elite soldiers of the Blood Na Army.
And that was not all. He had brought every sacred relic that had been under his authority, including the Yin Thunder Bell and the Blood Buddha. One might think it safer simply to lock them away inside a prison of ten-thousand-year cold iron and have the experts he had brought guard them, but he absolutely refused to be separated from the sacred relics.
The one who had guaranteed his safety within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was the Demon Buddha, Chu Luoban, who walked in beside him. He was a man of short stature, only about half the height of an ordinary adult.
But what made anyone in the world turn their head to look at him was not his height. It was the color of his skin.
His face and hands, and indeed his entire body, were golden. Thus he gave the impression of a small golden Buddha statue moving about like a child monk, and it was known to be because of the Golden Great Luo Demonic Art he had cultivated.
The two walked side by side along the Path of Blood and arrived below the grand chair.
First, the Pungcheon Cult Leader bowed respectfully in greeting.
“I greet the master of the Divine Cult and the sovereign of the martial world under heaven. Thank you for inviting me here.”
The Heavenly Demon, Geom Ujin, greeted him with a smile.
“Welcome. How many years has it been?”
It was a calm greeting, yet every word flew into the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s ears as though lodging there. Though no internal energy was imbued in it, the fact that it struck more powerfully than words that did carry internal energy was a clear indication of how lofty the Heavenly Demon’s realm was.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader was confident before anyone in the world, yet before the Heavenly Demon alone, he felt cowed.
“It seems it has been nearly ten years.”
“Have you been well?”
“Thanks to your concern, I have been without trouble.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader had resolved that if he met the Heavenly Demon, he absolutely must not be pushed back in the contest of wills. But at this moment, a thought came to him. A contest of wills—why bother with something so useless?
This time, Geom Ujin’s gaze turned toward the Demon Buddha.
“You’ve worked hard making such a long journey.”
“It was a pleasant journey to visit a friend.”
Just as the Demon Buddha was about to add something, showing off his friendship with the Pungcheon Cult Leader, Geom Ujin cut him off flatly.
“It is late, and you must be tired from coming all this way, so please go and rest for today. Let us meet again when it is light.”
“Yes. Then I shall withdraw.”
The greetings ended formally and briefly.
Originally, the Heavenly Demon and the Pungcheon Cult Leader were not close. That was because the Pungcheon Cult had, for generations, been close not to the Heavenly Demon Hall but to the Eight Demon Venerables.
It was only natural. Historically, there had been several wars between the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Blood Cult. Since they were not born to be friendly with each other, it was only expected that the Eight Demon Venerables, who stood opposed to the Heavenly Demon Hall, would join hands with the Pungcheon Cult.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader walked out of the Heavenly Demon Hall together with the Demon Buddha.
“Still, the supreme ruler of the Outer Territories has come all this way. The least he could have done was offer a cup of tea. How excessive.”
“It is late at night.”
“Then he should have treated you even better.”
At the Demon Buddha’s complaint, the Pungcheon Cult Leader spoke as though it were nothing.
“Even if you do not try to drive a wedge between us like that, I have no intention of becoming close with your cult leader. So stop.”
“Drive a wedge? This concerns your pride and honor.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader understood why the Heavenly Demon had cut off the Demon Buddha’s words. The Demon Buddha was good at saying things that touched people’s emotions from time to time. He had a nasty habit of saying things there was no need to say, turning the other person’s insides upside down.
“Let us go see the corpse first.”
“You will not see it tomorrow? You must be tired. Sleep first, and let us see it tomorrow.”
“We can sleep when we are dead.”
“Then let us do that. Why is everyone so stubborn?”
The Demon Buddha led him to the place where the corpse was kept. The body of the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable had been stored in a place as cold as an icehouse, with medicine applied to it so it would not decay.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader immediately examined the corpse.
The Demon Buddha watched from the side, his face filled with curiosity.
With practiced movements, the Pungcheon Cult Leader thoroughly inspected the inside of the corpse. He touched each of the organs and meridians with his hands, sniffed them, and even injected inner force into the cold corpse.
At last, after quite a long examination, he finished.
“The eight extraordinary meridians were damaged, and a great strain was placed on the heart. This happened while he was continuously unleashing soul-capturing arts.”
“Are you saying it was qi deviation? Or are you saying it was not?”
“The cause of death was indeed qi deviation. But it is certain that the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable died while fighting someone in the world he had opened.”
The Demon Buddha’s expression hardened.
“So he was indeed killed by someone’s hand.”
“I am certain. The problem is that he died despite using soul-capturing arts.”
The Demon Buddha shook his head.
“It is hard to believe. Who could be skilled enough to infiltrate Seohwanjin, kill Soul-Capturing, and escape?”
At that, the Pungcheon Cult Leader pointed to the sky with his finger. It was a question: had the Heavenly Demon killed him?
The Demon Buddha shook his head.
“We determined that was not the case. Soul-Capturing was one of our greatest assets when dealing with those orthodox faction bastards. The Cult Leader did not dislike Soul-Capturing in ordinary times either. There is no way the Cult Leader killed him.”
Compared to the cautious Pungcheon Cult Leader, the Demon Buddha mentioned the Cult Leader comfortably. It was because he was certain it was not him.
“Then is there someone else considered the culprit?”
“There is one person.”
“Who is it?”
“The Cult Leader’s second son.”
In that instant, the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s expression hardened. He had not imagined that they would suspect the Cult Leader’s son as the culprit.
But when he thought about it from another angle, he realized that precisely because it was the Cult Leader’s son, he might possess the ability to do such a thing.
He had not said a word about this the entire way here. Though anger boiled inside him at having been dragged into such a dangerous situation, the Pungcheon Cult Leader showed no change in emotion whatsoever.
For if someone tripped him, he was the kind of man who would pick up even a stone as he rose, and he was also the kind of man who would keep smiling until he smashed that stone into their head.
“Tomorrow, let us see the Second Young Master first.”
* * *
Seo Daeryong finished his morning report and was about to turn away when he spoke to me.
“Are you all right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Now even the Outer Territories are coming after you, Pavilion Master.”
“Tell them all to come at me.”
“I will. As long as I’m not there when that fight happens.”
“Sorry, but you’ll always be there. You’ll be called my right arm, after all.”
Seo Daeryong deliberately clutched his head and pretended to be distressed.
“You said you would grow gloomy if you learned martial arts, but you are still bright.”
“That is… I thought I would grow gloomy too, but to be honest, learning martial arts is enjoyable.”
“Are you sure it is not that you like the Blood Heaven Saber Demon, rather than liking martial arts?”
After a brief pause, Seo Daeryong said,
“…I do not dislike him. For now.”
“For now? That sounds like a warning that you will like him more and more.”
“If that happens… I think you will have to cut off your right arm and find one gloomy person to replace me.”
“Where would I find someone as gloomy, crooked, and amusing as you? Don’t even dream of running away from me.”
“I like that just fine, though.”
Just then, a subordinate of the Hwangcheon Pavilion reported.
“The Pungcheon Cult Leader has arrived.”
“Show him in.”
Seo Daeryong quickly left the office and said,
“Do not lose!”
“Stay with me.”
“In life, every man must fend for himself!”
“I’ve heard that somewhere before! Are you already starting to resemble me?”
Seo Daeryong left without even looking back.
A moment later, the Pungcheon Cult Leader entered.
“I greet the supreme ruler of the Outer Territories.”
When I greeted him respectfully, the Pungcheon Cult Leader smiled.
“Second Young Master, it has been a long time. I saw you when you were young, but now you have become an adult.”
“You remain as vigorous as ever, Cult Leader.”
Though he was smiling with a kindly face, the Pungcheon Cult Leader had been probing me from the moment he entered.
“I heard that you had arrived. Your schedule must be busy, so may I ask why you have come to see me?”
“Even from far away, I have ears that hear. Recently, word of the Second Young Master’s fame has reached our cult.”
“It is nothing but an undeserved reputation.”
“And humble as well.”
After exchanging such formal greetings, we sat facing one another.
“The Cult Leader seemed greatly saddened by the death of the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable.”
He lightly mentioned my father as he brought up the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable. He would be trying to discern something from every answer I gave.
“He was one of the Demon Venerables my father cherished most.”
“Who could have killed him?”
“Was he murdered? I heard he died after falling into qi deviation.”
At that very moment, a strand of energy flowed from the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s eyes. Normally, it would have been a hidden energy that left no trace, but to me, that energy was visible.
In that instant, I realized I had gained a special ability.
Formless energy was visible to my eyes. It was energy I would normally have only sensed, but now I could see it like a heat haze.
It was not only because of the Divine Eye Art, nor only because of the Blood-Eye Essence. As these two combined, a new ability had been born in me. Whether it worked only on Blood Cult martial arts or whether it would work on the energy of other martial artists as well, I did not yet know.
“Why are you smiling?”
“It feels good to see you after so long.”
“I feel good as well.”
Even in the midst of this, his energy examined every corner of my body. After inspecting every part of me, it finally examined my eyes. He was checking whether I had perhaps placed some divine substance like the Blood-Eye Essence into them.
But it was impossible for him to discover anything in my eyes, which had newly changed through the Divine Eye Art.
The energy he had released was drawn back into his eyes. Not feeling it, but seeing it, was truly an astonishing thing.
“I shall be going now.”
“What a shame. Please stay a little longer.”
“I have seen your face, so that is enough. I should not keep a busy man.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader rose from his seat.
“I will see you again next time. Thank you for visiting.”
Thank you for the ability I gained thanks to you.
From before my regression until now, the Pungcheon Cult Leader had been giving generously to me. Of course, he was not giving because he wanted to, but in any case, fate kept making me receive things from him. That was why I could not entirely dislike him.
* * *
The Demon Buddha was waiting for the Pungcheon Cult Leader as he left Geom Mugeuk’s office.
“How was it?”
“The Second Young Master had absolutely nothing to do with soul-capturing arts. To subdue him inside the space Soul-Capturing created, one would have to cultivate Buddhist or Daoist martial arts to the extreme, or cultivate sinister arts of a similar level, but there were no traces of that whatsoever.”
“Are you saying Geom Mugeuk is not the culprit?”
“That is correct.”
“Are you certain?”
“If you do not trust me, why did you call me all the way to this distant place?”
“It is an important matter, so I was confirming it again. Do not take offense.”
Though he said that, the Demon Buddha did not seem to believe him completely.
“I am certain.”
“Let us go. I will summon the Seven Demon Venerables, so please speak before them.”
“No. You go and convey my words. It is the same statement either way.”
“Will that be all right?”
“What would not be all right about it?”
The Demon Buddha knew that the Pungcheon Cult Leader had many complaints about this trip to the Central Plains. So he did not press him further.
“Then let us do that.”
The Demon Buddha bid him farewell and left.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s gaze as he watched his retreating back was not warm.
There was another reason he had not gone to the meeting of the Seven Demon Venerables. It was because he would have had to lie not before one Demon Buddha, but before seven people.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader looked back at the residence where Geom Mugeuk was and murmured quietly.
“Second Young Master, just how did you kill the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable?”
Astonishingly, he had realized the fact that Geom Mugeuk had killed the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable.
Yet for some reason, the Pungcheon Cult Leader had not spoken honestly to the Demon Buddha. It was a choice that clearly held another intention, one beyond merely thinking that if they had dragged along someone who did not want to come, they ought to endure at least this much.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader turned and walked in the opposite direction from where the Demon Buddha had disappeared.
* * *
That night, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon came to see me. He had sought me out directly after finishing the meeting of the Seven Demon Venerables.
“For now, you have escaped suspicion of killing the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable.”
He looked at me with a surprised expression.
“How on earth did you avoid the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s eyes?”
“Did I not drink with you all night that day, sir? It was not something I did.”
The Blood Heaven Saber Demon shook his head.
“Truly, you… you must have been born with the fate of a dragon ascending to the heavens. Otherwise, such things could not be possible.”
“A dragon is still far off. I have only gone from a loach to about a snake now.”
“Then what kind of dragon are you to become, if the snake is already this much?”
When I gave a faint laugh, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon spoke as if warning me.
“But it is too early to relax. Among the Seven Demon Venerables, there are some who do not believe the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s words. In particular, the Demon Buddha, who is said to be his closest friend, seemed the least convinced. He should not even call him a friend.”
“Sir.”
“What is it?”
“If, by any chance, you ever develop other thoughts like the Demon Buddha, please tell me.”
At that, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s expression stiffened slightly.
“Why do you say such a thing?”
“I was just thinking how painful it would be if we kept smiling with such good feelings, only for the moment to come when we point blades at each other. So if there is anything you dislike, or anything that seems wrong, please tell me right away. Do not endure it for no reason and let anger build up. From what you have seen so far, have I not handled the areas where I am lacking rather wisely? Please do not ever assume you know how I will respond. Be sure to tell me.”
After staring intently at me for a while, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon opened his mouth.
“Second Young Master.”
“Yes.”
Words I had never expected flowed from the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s mouth.
“What will you do if the opposite case arises? If, in your eyes, I seem too unsatisfactory and lacking? If I am not someone suited to that new demonic path of yours? If I seem fine and pleasing now, but the more you see me, the more I feel like someone old, obsolete, and tiresome? If, when that time comes, I have no charm left at all, what will you do then?”
With a burning gaze, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon added one more question.
“Will you remove me as well?”