It had been truly long for Geom Ujin.
Had he ever enjoyed such a pleasant, comfortable rest?
Of course, he had rested countless times until now.
But this moment felt more precious and more delightful than any rest he had ever taken.
The reason was probably—
Geom Ujin quietly turned his head and looked at the son seated beside him.
Even now, his son was diligently flicking his fingers beneath the chair, trying to improve his mood. And those attempts had not ended with seagulls and crawling crabs.
Swaaaaaash!
From the sea ahead, a snow-white stream of water shot up into the sky.
Puuuuung.
A huge whale appeared above the surface. Geom Ujin could not hide his surprise. He truly had not expected a whale to appear.
“Have you ever seen a whale?”
“Only in pictures in books.”
“And yet you made it so lifelike.”
Living as a martial artist in the Central Plains, seeing a real whale was no easy thing. Geom Ujin had only seen them a few times because, in his youth, he had wandered the Central Plains with the Fist Demon. Even then, after becoming the Cult Leader, it seemed today was the first time he had seen a whale with his own eyes.
Geom Mugeuk, too, had seen whales several times in his life before regression, but most of them had only passed by in fleeting glimpses.
There had been exactly one time when he saw a truly unforgettable whale. He was now recreating that intense memory exactly as it had been.
Woooooo.
The whale let out a low, deep cry.
Geom Ujin looked at his son again. He had never heard one himself, but it truly seemed like a whale would make such a sound. It sounded as though the sea were yearning for the sky.
“There is a trick to this.”
Geom Mugeuk explained to his father how he could freely unfold the imagery in his mind within the Time-Space Illusion Art.
How to circulate the incantation, and how to set his mind and heart.
Geom Mugeuk hoped, by any means, that his father would take a greater interest in this Time-Space Illusion Art. Only then would his father use the Time-Space Illusion Art in an emergency.
Listening to his son, Geom Ujin watched the whale swimming across the sea.
“The whale looks lonely.”
No sooner had those words fallen—
Puuung!
Another stream of water burst upward, and another whale rose to the surface. Two whales swam together, and around them, small dolphins leapt into the air.
Watching the scene, Geom Ujin smiled without realizing it. Truly, this was the first time in his life he had ever seen such a sight.
Geom Ujin was not the only one feeling happiness.
Geom Mugeuk had been happiest when he was alone in this space. But now, he felt even more joy and happiness than when he was alone. To think he would feel such emotions here, of all places. His father was not the only one changing.
The whales swam off somewhere, and the surface of the sea grew calm again.
Geom Ujin silently gazed at the ocean. In the past, he would already have said, “Let us leave now.” But those words did not come.
He sat there thinking they should stay just a little longer, and before he knew it, Geom Ujin drifted off to sleep. And he dreamed.
It was a dream of his younger days. That time before he had even become the Young Cult Leader.
And as though he were having a lucid dream, Geom Ujin saw himself objectively. Had I ever laughed that brightly? Had I ever been that fiery with anger? Had I ever expressed my emotions so well?
How long had he slept like that?
When he opened his eyes, Geom Mugeuk was asleep beside him as well.
Geom Ujin was inwardly surprised. No matter that they were within the Time-Space Illusion Art, and no matter that he was with his son.
It was the first time in his life he had ever taken a nap without even realizing he had fallen asleep.
The warm sunlight and cool breeze were still there.
‘So he can maintain the Time-Space Illusion Art even while sleeping.’
Geom Ujin could tell that the level of the Time-Space Illusion Art his son wielded was truly high.
Naturally, this illusion art must have been created to kill people. It had been an illusion art of the Blood Cult, after all.
It must have been made to draw the opponent in, startle them, confuse them, and kill them with ease.
And yet his son was using that fearsome martial art as a space for rest. He was creating whales.
“When did you wake up?”
Geom Mugeuk belatedly woke from sleep, yawning.
Geom Ujin spoke with feigned sternness. It was not something he had any right to say, since he had slept as well.
“Can a martial artist be this careless?”
“If an enemy comes, Father will stop them.”
His son had clearly seen him fall asleep first and then fallen asleep after him, yet he spoke as if he himself had been asleep first.
“Let us get up now.”
“Yes, Father.”
Before leaving the Time-Space Illusion Art, Geom Mugeuk spoke to his father one last time.
“Father, today was wonderful.”
Ordinarily, he would have merely nodded once, or perhaps not reacted at all.
But today, unlike usual, his father nodded as well and conveyed his own feelings about this place.
“It was good for me too.”
At his father’s words, Geom Mugeuk was moved. More than anyone, he knew that his father was not the sort to say such a thing if he had not truly meant it.
Seeing how genuinely delighted his son was by his words, Geom Ujin suddenly recalled the youth he had seen in his dream. Those days when he could say things like this as much as he wished.
His son had taught him something he had forgotten.
Perhaps what he had learned from his son all this time was how to reveal and express these emotions.
“I will leave first.”
Just as he was about to flick his finger, his father stopped him.
“Wait.”
Today’s time together was not over yet. When he said they should get up, he had not meant they should leave this place.
“Since I have learned a good martial art, I should teach you one technique in return, shouldn’t I?”
His father was never one to simply receive something without giving back.
Geom Mugeuk waited for his next words, wondering if it could possibly be what he thought.
“I will transmit to you the Eighth Form of the Guhwa Demonic Art.”
Geom Mugeuk’s eyes trembled. No words could shake his heart like the transmission of the Guhwa Demonic Art.
“Isn’t it too soon?”
From the Seventh Form to the Ninth Form of the Guhwa Demonic Art, they were martial arts used by the Heavenly Demon Soul.
Before he had left the cult, his father had transmitted the Seventh Form, Demon Soul Creation, to him. And now he was already going to transmit the next technique.
“Is that not the way your fate is flowing?”
At those words, Geom Mugeuk understood. It was because he had undergone rebirth that his father was transmitting it to him sooner. Indeed, Geom Mugeuk’s guess was correct.
“Since you have achieved rebirth, you will be able to understand the incantation more easily.”
Geom Ujin looked at his son and spoke calmly.
“From now on, I will transmit the Eighth Form of the Guhwa Demonic Art.”
Geom Mugeuk respectfully gave a formal bow, then knelt and listened attentively.
“Stand up.”
Geom Ujin had his son rise, then gave him an unexpected instruction.
“Make a walking path. A path with many changes along the way.”
Geom Mugeuk pondered for a moment, then flicked his finger.
Snap.
A small trail appeared before the two of them. Once one passed through the trail, there was a stream; beyond it, after crossing a small field, there was a bamboo grove. Beyond the bamboo grove, there was even a waterfall.
“Let us walk together.”
Amazingly, his father transmitted the incantation while they strolled.
The Eighth Form of the Guhwa Demonic Art: Demon Soul Rush.
The second demonic art used by the Heavenly Demon Soul.
“The Demon Soul rushes through a new world, and all bow in reverence and praise. The beginning of true qi starts from the Cheonchu point. The first departure of true qi must be light and powerful; after passing through the Jungwan point, it must become heavy and composed; upon reaching the Daeju point…”
An incantation was originally something one had to memorize with intense concentration. Memorizing an already difficult incantation while walking like this was by no means easy.
Moreover, the Eighth Form’s incantation was more complex and difficult than that of the Seventh Form. The Seventh Form itself had already been more complex and difficult than any incantation he had learned until then, but the Eighth Form was even more difficult than that.
That was why, if it were transmitted while sitting still, he would have had to memorize the whole thing as it was. Its system and progression were completely different from existing martial arts, and there were many parts that defied common sense, so it was not easy to memorize.
But now it was different. His father was transmitting the incantation in a new way.
“When true qi arrives at the Baekhae point, a blue energy will swirl before your eyes…”
When transmitting this part, he plucked a green leaf from a tree and sent it flying toward Geom Mugeuk as though throwing a hidden weapon.
“Turn the true qi in reverse again, but maintain a gentle energy.”
When the true qi had to be reversed, his father turned around and touched the leaves of flowers blooming along the path behind them.
When he transmitted the part where one had to skip across the blood vessels, he spoke the incantation while crossing stepping stones.
“…When true qi passes through the Myeongmun point, that energy must be drawn in as though forming a vortex.”
At that moment, he spun his hand in circles, and palm force whirled from his hand toward Geom Mugeuk’s Myeongmun point.
Swaaaak.
Even as Geom Mugeuk threw himself aside to dodge, he memorized the incantation precisely. Rather, it became easier to memorize.
“…It must move coldly, like autumn frost.”
When reciting this phrase, his father dipped his hand into the stream.
For the part where the true qi had to be carried on gently yet strongly, he bent a bamboo stalk greatly and released it; when it was time to extend a powerful, firm energy, he sat on a rock and transmitted the teaching.
If there was anything connected to the incantation, he made sure to use it.
When that difficult incantation harmonized with his father’s actions and the surrounding environment, it became easy to memorize. No, it was not merely easy; it felt as though he would never forget it, even if years passed.
And into this special act of memorization, his father’s heart for his son was engraved as well.
That precious teaching came to an end when their long walk concluded and they returned to the place where they had begun.
“I think I have memorized the entire incantation.”
To confirm it, Geom Ujin asked him various questions about the incantation. After carefully asking whether he had properly memorized the difficult parts, Geom Ujin wore a satisfied expression. His father’s expression said it clearly. His memorization was perfect.
“No, Father. How did you know this secret method of transmitting an incantation while walking? It was much easier to memorize.”
“Since I was young, whenever I had to memorize something difficult, I memorized it that way. I used other objects around me to memorize it.”
“Thanks to that method, I memorized it all.”
“Even using that method, memorizing such a difficult incantation in so short a time should be impossible. I expected we would have to take this walk three times.”
Of course, memorizing the incantation and manifesting it within the body were different matters.
Because he had to move his internal energy in an entirely new way, Geom Mugeuk asked his father about the parts he did not understand. As always, his father answered his questions with sincerity.
Recently, whenever the two of them discussed martial learning, one of them would attain a deep accomplishment in martial studies.
That was why the contents of their conversation were even more profound, and even if they spoke about the same subject as last time, there was always some new enlightenment and learning.
Once the exchange of questions and answers with his father ended, Geom Mugeuk understood the incantation without obstruction. His memory had certainly improved, and so had his comprehension.
The effects of rebirth were clearly there. Originally, it would have taken several times longer, but he had instead learned it faster than he had learned the Seventh Form.
He did not ask his father how long it had taken him to learn the Eighth Form. He did not want to scratch the pride of his father, who was needlessly competitive.
But it seemed this was not something that wounded his father’s pride, but something that made him proud.
“Among all the past leaders of the Demonic Cult, you are likely the one who learned the Eighth Form the fastest. In both how far you have come, and how long it took you to learn this Eighth Form.”
The emotion clearly visible on his father’s face was closer to pride than astonishment.
Geom Mugeuk gave the credit to his father.
“Among all the past leaders of the Demonic Cult, Father is likely the one who made the Eighth Form easiest to memorize and understand.”
Geom Mugeuk was truly happy. The Guhwa Demonic Art nearing completion meant that he, too, was nearing completion—both as a martial artist and as the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“As I have said before, the power of the Heavenly Demon Soul is determined by how well you understand the incantation. So whenever you have time, you must never neglect understanding and training in the incantation.”
At least for the final three techniques, there was no need to separately summon the Heavenly Demon Soul and train. Everything depended on how deeply he understood.
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Now, let us leave.”
Geom Mugeuk flicked his finger first.
Snap.
Then the world within the Time-Space Illusion Art that his father had created appeared. They had created another and another within the Time-Space Illusion Art.
Snap.
This time, when Geom Ujin flicked his finger, they finally returned to reality. It was his father’s private training ground, where Geom Mugeuk had first come looking for him.
The two left the training ground and walked through the inner palace.
“Father, I have two goals regarding the Heavenly Demon Soul.”
“What are they?”
“I told you before, but the first is to speak with the Heavenly Demon Soul.”
Last time, his father had told him that among the Heavenly Demon Souls of the past, there had been some that spoke.
“The second goal is to make the Heavenly Demon Soul’s size smaller. About the size of a person.”
“And after you make it so?”
“I will go around with it like a friend.”
Because he had never once imagined such a thing, Geom Ujin shook his head with an expression of disbelief.
“Yes. Perhaps if it is you.”
In the past, he would have called it madness, but now he had a premonition that he might see even that absurd sight one day.
“But where are you going now?”
“To take care of the work that has piled up.”
“Just play hooky for the rest of the day. The cult will still run just fine.”
His father answered as he walked ahead.
“And why do you think it runs just fine?”
Leaving unspoken the fact that it was because of such efforts as these, his father headed toward the Heavenly Demon Hall.
Geom Mugeuk stood there watching his father’s back, then spoke loudly.
“Father, since your already clever son has now learned such a precious memorization method, I will soar even higher from now on. Thank you very much!”
His father stopped walking for a moment and answered without looking back.
“Let us say it is repayment for letting me see whales.”
Yes. Among the many unforgettable things from today, that moment when he had watched whales together with his father would never be forgotten.
“Just say the word anytime. I will have those fellows on standby.”
His father resumed walking toward the Heavenly Demon Hall. Geom Mugeuk could not see his face, but perhaps he was smiling.
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned toward the sky.
At last, he had learned the Eighth Form of the Guhwa Demonic Art.
Now only the final Ninth Form remained.