You want to live differently?
“What kind of dogshit nonsense is this?”
To Jinhyu, these words didn't register at all.
“So? Are you satisfied living a life where you abandoned the Cult Leader’s position to run errands for the Little Cult Leader?”
He would have wanted to see a reaction saying no, but he was absolutely certain that wasn't the case.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader answered with a bright smile.
“I am truly satisfied. Heaven has gifted this to me.”
Jinhyu could tell that the Pungcheon Cult Leader truly thought this way. How could such soaring joy possibly be faked?
“Why are you saying such things to me? Are you telling me to live like a crippled bastard too?”
He had thought that this Pungcheon Cult Leader, whether senile or drunk on belated sentimentality, would somehow tell him to live like that. But cold words flowed from the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s mouth.
“What nonsense? You're going to die by my hands today.”
“Then why did you say it?”
“Why else? I was boasting.”
Curse words burst automatically from Jinhyu’s mouth.
“You crazy fat bastard, really.”
“Call me fatty one more time and you'll regret it. Ah, wait.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader, standing at the bow, turned around.
The Demon Annihilation Squad warriors were fighting desperately against tentacles bursting out from everywhere, and one of them was in crisis.
A tentacle coiled around the warrior was trying to tear his leg off raw, and there was no one nearby to help him.
*Boom!*
The tentacle trying to tear off the warrior’s leg exploded from the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s palm strike. Since it vanished without a trace, no blood splattered on the warrior. After bowing his head in gratitude, the warrior staggered and swung his sword again.
Without turning back, the Pungcheon Cult Leader spoke in a low voice.
“Don't be impatient, old man. You're dying today anyway.”
A dense killing intent that seemed ready to strike at any moment flew toward the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s turned back.
“If you die today too, my disciple’s era will finally begin.”
Experts of the Soul-Devouring Art like Jinhyu were perhaps only one or two in the entire present era.
Of course, Jinhyu sneered coldly. He intended to kill the two of them today and become the supreme master of the Soul-Devouring Art.
“If you die, my era will begin.”
“If that happens, the Soul-Devouring Art will likely be lost for a very long time.”
At Jinhyu’s questioning gaze, the Pungcheon Cult Leader mentioned one person.
“Because you will die by the Little Cult Leader’s hand.”
“You couldn't kill me, but the Little Cult Leader will? Have you fallen victim to his Soul-Devouring Art or something?”
A strange smile formed at the Pungcheon Cult Leader's lips.
“It's because you haven't experienced it. Yes, our impoverished imaginations could never know. I was the same.”
“You speak such words even after sending your disciple to the jaws of death.”
Then the Pungcheon Cult Leader shook his head.
“He won't die.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“You saw it earlier. The young ones jumping into that water without hesitation, one after another. Can you do that? Neither can I.”
“That’s just how the world is—fools like that die first.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader quietly nodded.
“But this is my world, isn't it?”
To say such shameless words in a world he himself created.
“You insane fatty! This is my world!”
“I warned you clearly, yet you do it again.”
Jinhyu furrowed his brow. He was the one spewing curses, yet strangely, he felt worse. He disliked that gaze, as if the other had realized something.
It was at that moment.
*Boom! Boom! Boom boom!*
Tentacles began exploding from all directions. They were things that regenerated endlessly no matter how many were killed, but just as the water demons had burst into droplets, these too exploded, creating beautiful clusters of light.
Just as the warriors on the ship were finally catching their breaths in relief!
*Fwaaah.*
The Soul-Devouring Demon Venerable revealed herself from the water. Soon after, Lord Jinha emerged exhaling, and the Demon Annihilation Squad warriors also came out. Some were injured, but fortunately, none had suffered fatal wounds.
“We have broken it.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader smiled proudly and praised her.
“Well done, my disciple.”
The Soul-Devouring Demon Venerable smiled brightly. She felt happiest when recognized by her master.
She looked at Lord Jinha floating beside her.
“Lord Jin’s help was significant.”
When the Pungcheon Cult Leader looked at Lord Jinha, he shook his head.
“The disciple did everything. We merely played a supporting role.”
Though he said that, if it hadn't been for Lord Jinha, they would have broken through much more difficultly.
They leaped up onto the ship.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader spoke to Jinhyu.
“See, in my world, no one dies.”
Jinhyu didn't say “my world” anymore. If they had died, he could have shut that annoying mouth.
Jinhyu raised his internal energy. Not only his body, but now even blue energy began bursting from his two eyes.
*Swoooooosh!*
The waves began to rise suddenly.
Jinhyu, standing atop them, looked small.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader looked up at him and shouted.
“Hey you, if you overexert yourself like that at your age, you'll collapse!”
The raging waves grew even higher.
Lord Jinha and the Demon Annihilation Squad warriors looked up at the towering waves.
If those waves crashed down, there seemed to be nothing this large ship could do. It was a situation where they didn't know what would attack them if they fell into the water.
“My disciple, what must you do at a time like this?”
“I think we must avoid it first.”
At the Soul-Devouring Demon Venerable's answer, the Pungcheon Cult Leader shook his head.
“Waves are not to be avoided, but to be crossed.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader stomped his foot while standing.
*Boom!*
A shockwave spread in all directions from his foot.
*Crack! Snap!*
The ship's deck shattered and flew up from everywhere.
What fell were wooden planks that seemed just the right size for one person to stand upon.
“Now, everyone disembark!”
The moment his words ended.
*Swoosh!*
The large ship they had been riding on vanished in an instant.
On the surging sea, everyone stood atop the wooden pieces created by the Pungcheon Cult Leader. Lord Jinha took care of Gwakju, who knew no martial arts.
“Now, when a wave comes, you must ride it.”
*Whoosh!*
The wind and waves created by the Pungcheon Cult Leader pushed everyone standing on the planks into the surging water.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader took the lead and headed toward the incoming wave. His excited laughter rang out thunderously.
*Swoooooosh.*
Everyone following behind saw it. The sight of the Pungcheon Cult Leader climbing the massive wave diagonally, cutting through it.
The Soul-Devouring Demon Venerable, Lord Jinha, and the Demon Annihilation Squad warriors stood on their planks and rode the wave together. The wind raised by the Pungcheon Cult Leader pushed them vigorously from behind.
They had never imagined they would be riding waves inside the world of the Soul-Devouring Art.
Rather than feeling fear, Lord Jinha’s heart pounded. Gwakju, clinging tightly to him, was certain this would be a moment he would never forget. Though of course, no one would believe it.
*Fwaaaah.*
And everyone saw. The Pungcheon Cult Leader climbing to the crest of the great wave.
The sight of him kicking off that crest and soaring into the sky together with Jinhyu.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s red energy and Jinhyu’s blue energy clashed in mid-air. It looked as if two immortals were facing off in the heavens.
*Kwaaang!*
Two colors spreading across the clear sky like ink on paper—that red light and blue light adorned the heavens.
The moment of their first clash, this was the thought that crossed Jinhyu’s mind.
*‘He’s strong!’*
Those frivolous words of his might have made him seem weak. But with just a single exchange, he could tell. That he was astonishingly strong.
As the two clashed in mid-air, the waves subsided like a lie.
Everyone stood on their wooden planks and watched their battle. Especially the Soul-Devouring Demon Venerable, who didn't miss a single movement of her master.
*Swoooosh!*
Jinhyu’s body instantly split apart and created clones. They instantly surrounded the Pungcheon Cult Leader in a circle.
True Soul Clone Technique.
They weren't just clones that looked the same. They were clones that actually attacked with one-third of Jinhyu’s power. Truly one of Jinhyu’s secret techniques.
But they couldn't attack anyone.
*Slash, slash, slash, slash!*
Jinhyu’s split bodies were cut into dozens of pieces.
Dozens of lines were already spread across the air.
Formless blades created by the Pungcheon Cult Leader were spread all around like spiderwebs.
Liquid flowed as the clones were cut by those lines.
Among it was real blood.
Jinhyu, looking at the Pungcheon Cult Leader with a shocked face while leaning his head far back, had blood pooling on his shoulder. If he had raised his protective qi barrier even a moment later, if he had leaned his head back even a moment later, it wouldn't have been his shoulder but his neck that would have been severed.
“Formless Qi?”
It was the Pungcheon Cult Leader's martial art that used invisible qi as weapons.
The Formless Qi he had demonstrated when fighting the Phantom King in the past was being displayed again.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s cold gaze looking at him.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader who had spoken below and the one now were completely different people.
The next moment.
*Whoooom.*
The surrounding space began to spin and distort.
Those standing on the sea felt dizzy and fell from their planks. It was a dizziness that couldn't be blocked by mental strength.
But they didn't fall into the water.
Before they knew it, they were in a new space.
Looking around, it was a space filled with mirrors on all sides.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s figure was reflected in those mirrors.
A mirror floated in front of the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader stared blankly at that mirror, which emitted a strange energy.
It was the manifestation of the Soul Demon Mirror, Jinhyu’s unique martial art.
The ultimate martial art that dominates the opponent.
The moment one falls into the Soul Demon Mirror, they unconditionally follow the opponent's commands.
The Soul-Devouring Demon Venerable, judging the situation to be serious, tried to find her master immediately, but all sides were filled with mirrors. The Demon Annihilation Squad warriors appeared and disappeared in the mirrors, and she couldn't tell where her master was. This place was a labyrinth of mirrors.
‘......Master!’
Now Jinhyu’s figure was visible in the mirrors.
“The deep darkness in your heart shall lead you to a new world; now, obey my command!”
Jinhyu’s incantation echoed there. Jinhyu wore a satisfied expression.
“Kill everyone here and then kill yourself!”
At that command, the Soul-Devouring Demon Venerable, Lord Jinha, and the Demon Annihilation Squad warriors were all shocked. If the Pungcheon Cult Leader followed his words? No one here would survive.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader, having received the command, slowly opened his mouth. Normally he should have spoken while looking at Jinhyu, but his gaze was still directed at the mirror.
“When did I grow so many white hairs? It's all because of the Little Cult Leader.”
At that moment, Jinhyu was shocked and his eyes widened. His expression contorted.
*‘It didn't work even though he looked at the Soul Demon Mirror?’*
He couldn't believe it.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader beyond the mirror glanced at Jinhyu.
At that moment, Jinhyu felt as though he were standing before a massive cliff.
He had thought it was a fight worth trying against the Pungcheon Cult Leader, but the actual Pungcheon Cult Leader was far stronger than he had imagined.
*‘I can't win like this!’*
Only one method remained.
The next moment!
*Sssssss.*
Cracks began to form on the mirrors in all directions, and the surroundings began to change.
And they were all standing in that great hall from the beginning.
Now Jinhyu’s eyes changed. Where killing intent had filled, an indescribable grim resolve took hold.
“In the end, it comes to this.”
As Jinhyu chanted a spell, the surrounding objects began to move.
The frame hanging on the wall tilted, and the flowers blooming in the vase withered. The window opened on its own, and incense rose.
“The Mad Soul Art has activated.”
The Mad Soul Art was a technique that exhibited far greater power than the Heaven-Destroying Soul Art used earlier.
But there was a fatal problem. If he used the Mad Soul Art, he himself could not survive. Moreover, it wasn't just a simple death. He would die after experiencing truly horrific pain.
“Damn it! I haven't endured until now to end like this. Fuck!”
Jinhyu shouted as if wronged. But if the Soul Demon Mirror didn't work, there was no other way.
“Damned Little Cult Leader bastard!”
He thought this was all because of Geom Mugik. He was the one who had sent them here.
Then the Pungcheon Cult Leader thunderously shouted.
“Shut up! Someone like you is not fit to speak of him!”
At the thunderous roar, both the Soul-Devouring Demon Venerable and Lord Jinha were inwardly surprised. This was the Pungcheon Cult Leader who always found fault with the Little Cult Leader.
Jinhyu raised all his power with the Mad Soul Art. He had intended to detonate all his strength in one blow to drag them down with him in mutual destruction.
Jin Hyu’s expression hardened. The Mad Soul Art had not taken effect.
He was shocked and flustered. He stirred up the energy of the Mad Soul again, but the Mad Soul Art did not activate at all.
Which meant?
“You broke the Mad Soul Art? How on earth?”
He had not interfered at all when Jin Hyu used the Mad Soul Art, had he?
Cult Leader Pungcheon slowly walked toward him.
“If it had been the old me, I would have made the same choice. Even if I were to die in excruciating pain, I would never have wanted to die alone. That’s what we are. Selfish things who think only of ourselves.”
“Shut up!”
Just as Jin Hyu tried to invoke the Mad Soul Art once more.
Gush.
Blood burst from his mouth.
Jin Hyu slowly looked down at his chest.
Something invisible was lodged in his chest, which had been punched clean through.
“The Formless Spear?”
He had been too agitated by the thought that the Mad Soul Art had been broken. To let his guard down like this in front of a master who could take his life if he so much as breathed wrong?
“……What happened?”
In response to Jin Hyu’s question, Cult Leader Pungcheon flicked his finger.
Snap!
Then their surroundings began to change.
Astonishingly, it was the space where the mirror had been.
The one most shocked was Jin Hyu, who was dying. This was the place he himself had opened earlier. He had not opened it again.
“Why is this place……?”
With an incomprehending expression, he looked at Cult Leader Pungcheon, who was silently gazing at him.
At that very moment, a thought flashed through his mind.
“Don’t tell me!”
Jin Hyu realized it. The great hall they had returned to earlier had not been his original space.
“That’s right. The place earlier was one I opened.”
Cult Leader Pungcheon had used the Space-Time Transposition Art to open a place identical to the great hall outside.
It looked exactly the same on the surface, but it was an entirely different space.
That was why, no matter how he moved the objects there, the Mad Soul Art had not taken effect.
And because the Mad Soul Art had not taken effect, his shock and confusion had kept him from giving his all in the final battle. If only he had kept his wits about him, he could at least have killed the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable, whose inner force had run dry, or those bastards of the Demon-Extermination Squad.
Blood gushed and gurgled from Jin Hyu’s mouth. Even after suffering it himself, he could not believe it.
“……You noticed that the Mad Soul Art had been prepared, and even calculated this situation?”
“I told you beforehand, didn’t I? This is my world.”
“!”
Had he been planning this moment since then?
Only at the moment of his death did Jin Hyu realize that this was an opponent he could never defeat.
His dying eyes filled with anger and regret.
“……Some other life, my ass. You’ve lived your whole life inside an illusion!”
He wanted to insult Cult Leader Pungcheon, but it had no effect.
“That illusion was my world. It still is.”
Then he said something unexpected.
“Do you want to know why I became this strong?”
Cult Leader Pungcheon’s gaze turned not to Jin Hyu, but to the Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable. He passed his realization on to his disciple.
“Because I tried to live differently, my world within the Soul-Capturing Art became stronger.”
The Soul-Capturing Demon Venerable’s eyes trembled. It was the moment his master set a milestone on the path he himself had to walk.
By contrast, Jin Hyu’s eyes shook with rage. He was even angrier because he could feel that those words were sincere.
Even at the very end, this nonsense about another life. He did not want to hear that sort of thing in his dying moments. He truly hated it.
“……Bullshit to the end.”
No, this was bullshit.
Cult Leader Pungcheon forcibly opened Jin Hyu’s eyelids as they slowly fell shut. The last thing Jin Hyu saw and heard before his breath was cut off was this.
Cult Leader Pungcheon stroked his own belly fat and asked cheerfully.
“I should lose a bit of this belly fat, shouldn’t I?”
Absolute Regression, Chapter 663