The Lost Ones (8)
“Are you insane, you bastard?”
After the Guardian Ghost Kings departed, Yeon Wi glared at me, eyes blazing.
“What do you think you’re doing, suddenly declaring you won’t back down? Ah, don’t tell me you’re planning to use those Guardian Ghost Kings as bait so the rest of us can escape? That’s not a bad idea. A little wasteful, but rational enough. Please tell me that’s the plan!”
Tsutsuts—
I released my Ghost King transformation and returned to the form of Seo Eun-hyun.
“Do you know something, Elder Yeon Wi?”
“What?”
“The First Guardian Ghost King, Wishhon, and the Second Guardian Ghost King, Eumwa, have decided to marry.”
“So what?”
“The Palace Lord of the Palace of Emptiness has taken a disciple upon ascending to the Eleventh Guardian Ghost King. His face has been glowing lately.”
“…”
“The puppet instructor who joined recently reached Foundation Establishment and was overjoyed. I also saw a new cultist who earned merits and received a small eastern territory, looking genuinely happy. And…”
I continued, speaking slowly yet with certainty.
“This year alone, over forty thousand new cultists joined. Voices praising our cult are growing louder throughout the White Sound Domain. In fact, the cultists themselves are actively maintaining order, so malevolent ghosts no longer roam freely. This place needs our cult now.”
“You’ve completely lost yourself playing cult leader! Have you forgotten our true objective?”
“Yes, I remember. Accumulating the contraction. Finding the disciples of the Golden God Heavenly Thunder Sect. And returning home.”
“Exactly!!! We’ve already located the disciples of our main sect! We don’t have time to clean up after these cultists! We need to go rescue our disciples!”
“I’ve been thinking about this for a while.”
I rose from the cult leader’s seat and approached Yeon Wi.
“In the end, accumulating the contraction, finding the Heavenly Thunder Sect disciples, and returning to the Gwanghan Realm all share one common point. Do you know what it is?”
“It’s for our own benefit!”
“It’s to save our companions.”
Why go rescue the Golden God Heavenly Thunder Sect disciples?
Because they are our companions.
Why accumulate the contraction?
Because it is needed to open a side path for our return.
Why return to the Gwanghan Realm?
Because only by returning there can we find a clue to save Kang Min-hee.
I have no interest in those to whom I have given no affection.
I smile appropriately and remain appropriately cold.
But once I have given my heart to companions, I cannot simply ignore them.
“The Mugeuk Cult has already become our companions. Just like the Golden God Heavenly Thunder Sect.”
“What nonsense!!! How dare you equate the great Golden God Heavenly Thunder Sect founded by our ancestor with this heretical cult!!! Jeon Myeong-hoon! Elder Jeon Myeong-hoon! Seize this insolent wretch at once and hang him upside down!”
Yeon Wi’s face flushed crimson as she pointed at me in fury.
Equating the Golden God Heavenly Thunder Sect with the Mugeuk Cult had clearly struck a nerve in her pride.
Yet Jeon Myeong-hoon merely shrugged.
“If I fight that guy, I’ll be the one getting beaten. You know that.”
“You bastard! As the senior of the Golden God Heavenly Thunder Sect, how can you ignore this outrageous situation—Kek!”
Watching her outburst, Jeon Myeong-hoon sighed and transformed into crimson lightning, striking the back of her neck.
Possessing Yeon Jin’s body, she collapsed unconscious.
Wiing—
A Taiji symbol rose from Jeon Myeong-hoon’s hand and floated above Yeon Wi’s upper dantian.
“Soul separation, reversal.”
Paaaat!
Yeon Wi’s consciousness within Yeon Jin reversed and fell back into the Water Realm.
“Please cool your head inside the ancestral shrine of the Water Realm for a while, Ancestor.”
“Well done. She was getting a bit noisy.”
“That’s true. Still, after nearly two hundred years together, it’s natural we’ve grown attached to this place. We even promised to witness the Guardian Ghost Kings’ wedding.”
Jeon Myeong-hoon turned to me, his gaze cold.
“However, the ancestor’s words weren’t wrong either. What do you plan to do about the main sect’s disciples whose whereabouts we’ve recently learned? If we stay holed up here, we can’t go meet them. Yet if we try to go to them, the Three Great Powers will invade and destroy the cult. What do you intend to do about that?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Hong Beom. Kim Yeon.”
The two whose names I called stepped forward.
Hong Beom cleared his throat, spread something before Jeon Myeong-hoon, and began explaining.
Kim Yeon also explained that she had completed everything I had previously requested.
After listening, Jeon Myeong-hoon remained silent for a moment before bursting into hollow laughter.
“Ha, haha… You madman. You actually think this is possible.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“…If this works…”
Jeon Myeong-hoon chuckled.
“This cult will become the most famous force in the Myeonggwi Realm.”
“Well, isn’t that a good thing? Let’s become even more famous and spread the concept of better welfare throughout the entire Myeonggwi Realm.”
“Ha, well… fine.”
Jeon Myeong-hoon laughed for a moment, then turned away.
“Do as you please. If it goes as you say, then whether the Three Great Powers come or fifty Integration stage experts arrive, it won’t matter. Rescuing the main sect’s disciples will also become easier…”
Jeon Myeong-hoon carried the unconscious Yeon Jin out of the Mugeuk Cult Hall.
Only Kim Yeon, Oh Hyun-seok, Hong Beom, and I remained inside.
“Hyun-seok hyung-nim, is there anything you need lately?”
“Nothing in particular. Just secure some space when I reach the Four Pillars stage.”
“Understood. I’ll prepare it.”
“Thanks. Then I’ll go train.”
Oh Hyun-seok waved casually and left the basement.
Hong Beom slipped into the shadows as usual and began adjusting the personnel at Gongryeong-ji according to my orders.
I looked at Kim Yeon.
“And Yeon-ah.”
“Yes.”
“You said you destroyed the training ground again this time?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. Lately I’ve been having trouble controlling my strength…”
“Controlling your strength…”
I stared at Kim Yeon for a moment before asking.
“Do you still feel the same way about me?”
She nodded with clear eyes.
“Yes. Nothing has changed. That, at least, will never change!”
“…Understood. You may go.”
Kim Yeon smiled faintly and left the basement.
I sighed and sat back in the cult leader’s seat.
The Myeonggwi Realm, like the Gwanghan Realm, had inner and outer regions.
We were in the White Sound Domain at the southern edge, while the Golden God Heavenly Thunder Sect disciples were currently isolated in the northern outer region.
‘They’re currently recovering the remains of a beast that went berserk after being eroded by a Gaeyeol stage cultivator…’
Crunch—
The Black Ghost Bone Palace had assigned the Golden God Heavenly Thunder Sect disciples this task.
‘They forced them to investigate a place filled with something like radioactive material.’
The remains of a beast killed by Gaeyeol stage erosion were extremely dangerous yet highly valuable.
The Black Ghost Bone Palace wanted them but found it wasteful to send their own forces, so they had pushed the task onto the Golden God Heavenly Thunder Sect disciples.
‘I need to rescue them quickly.’
If I delay too long, something might happen.
‘Still, it won’t be long now.’
The Three Great Powers had designated me a public enemy and would soon come to subjugate us.
When that time came, I would shock and bewilder everyone while rescuing the Golden God Heavenly Thunder Sect disciples on the far side of the Myeonggwi Realm.
Yeon Wi thought I had acted impulsively, but this plan had been in motion since the moment I grew attached to the Mugeuk Cult.
‘Of course, in terms of secrecy it falls short of Yeon Wi’s plan and carries greater risk, so she would have fiercely opposed it even if I had told her in advance.’
Yes, up to this point there were no problems.
But watching Kim Yeon’s condition earlier, I narrowed my eyes.
“Hong Beom.”
“Yes, Master.”
“How is Yeon’s condition lately?”
“…Her symptoms have clearly worsened.”
Hong Beom spoke with a grave expression.
“I saw her destroy the training ground just now. She unleashed her power in a fit of madness, collapsing the entire structure.”
“Hmm…”
Kim Yeon had not been in a normal state recently.
She would spend days training martial arts in a dazed, dreamlike state, or sometimes go mad and force puppets to perform the Biikmu dance.
The problem was that she remembered none of it once she regained her senses.
Though no serious damage had occurred yet, I could sense a certain madness growing within her.
‘Goe-gun, that bastard…’
In this life, Goe-gun had remained relatively sane while conversing with me and had sent Kim Yeon away with her mind intact.
He had even personally crafted an artifact containing his enlightenment for her sake.
I had assumed the enlightenment within was the same as what the previous Goe-gun had placed in [Her] arm, so I hadn’t examined it deeply.
That had been a mistake.
‘Damn it, that bastard…’
At some point, Kim Yeon had begun showing an abnormal obsession with the Gimyoseongsimjeon.
With half-lidded eyes she would mutter things like “I need to find the final color. I need to give it a name,” and she would recite the Gimyoseongsimjeon’s verses like a madwoman.
This life’s Goe-gun had clearly embedded madness into the artifact along with the enlightenment.
When I asked Kim Yeon for the artifact to investigate it, she had already disassembled and destroyed it.
I heard it was structured so that disassembling the artifact would transfer the Gimyoseongsimjeon’s enlightenment, so there had been no choice.
Under normal circumstances, I would have used Bong-ryeong-hyu or Uihye Eunsan to seal her mind.
But when she confessed that her feelings for me remained unchanged, as she had just now—
—the madness completely vanished and her mind became clear.
Currently, the madness was present, yet both the mad and sane parts coexisted within Kim Yeon.
If I attempted to seal her mind recklessly, the sane Kim Yeon might be sealed away, leaving only the mad one behind.
‘I have no choice but to wait until the madness fully manifests before sealing her mind, or wait for Kim Yeon to overcome it herself.’
“…You said Kim Yeon destroyed the training ground with only martial arts while going berserk? The same training ground that Yeon Wi, Kim Yeon herself, and I reinforced together with a protective formation?”
“Yes. Even without drawing in heaven and earth spiritual energy through heavenly qi guidance, her power suddenly amplified greatly.”
“…”
I recalled the look in her eyes when she confessed her feelings.
Those incredibly clear eyes.
I remembered what lay beyond them.
For a brief instant, I had seen her mindscape unify.
‘Perhaps… if she overcomes this madness, she might reach Woldoipcheon.’
Though she aimed for Deungbongjogeuk, her mind-foot had already awakened implementation, so theoretically it was not impossible.
‘Overcome this, Yeon-ah.’
Kim Yeon was currently like a child left in the forest.
The forest was filled with bandits wielding knives, making the situation appear extremely dangerous.
Yet she held a K2 rifle in her hands, with full magazines and the selector set to automatic.
If the conditions were right, she could become incredibly reliable.
As long as she fired it, there would be no danger.
‘It’s already in your hands, Kim Yeon.’
Though I had been guiding her martial arts lately to draw out her power, I still felt uneasy.
But once she truly awakened her abilities, Kim Yeon would grow brilliantly.
“Still, I’ve confirmed all the formations Kim Yeon Daein installed throughout the White Sound Domain. They won’t interfere with the operation.”
“…Good. That’s enough.”
I leaned back in the cult leader’s seat and closed my eyes.
Within my vast consciousness domain, I sensed Wishhon and Eumwa preparing for their wedding in one corner of the Mugeuk Cult.
‘This brief peace is coming to an end. Soon, countless experts from the Three Great Powers will arrive.’
I felt no fear.
“Prepare so that ‘that’ can be activated at any time. Hong Beom.”
“Yes, Master.”
* * *
The White Sound Domain had been almost entirely swallowed by the Mugeuk Cult.
Branches of the Mugeuk Cult had been established throughout the domain, and over ninety percent of the soul creatures in the White Sound Domain were now cultists.
Through the relay techniques installed in the cult branches, news from the main headquarters spread across the entire Mugeuk Cult.
“Hey, did you hear?”
“The rumor that the First Guardian Ghost King is getting married?”
“Yeah. They say the Second Guardian Ghost King is the bride.”
“Well, those two were always destined for each other, even before the Mugeuk Cult. They couldn’t marry before because they had to lead their own sects, but now that they’re free of those responsibilities, they’re finally bearing fruit.”
“Haha, it warms the heart.”
It was the wedding of the Mugeuk Cult’s First Guardian Ghost King Wishhon and Second Guardian Ghost King Eumwa.
The entire White Sound Domain was abuzz with the news of two soul creatures finally uniting after hundreds of years.
At the Mugeuk Cult headquarters.
In front of the Mugeuk Cult Hall.
Two soul creatures were about to be joined in marriage.
Following the traditions of the White Sound Domain, Jeon Myeong-hoon covered his entire body in pitch-black ghost qi and presided over the ceremony with an eerie voice.
[Does the groom Wishhon swear not to devour the bride Eumwa, not to turn her into a puppet, and not to exorcise her?]
“I swear.”
Wishhon, who had compressed his body using puppet circuits and taken on a handsome appearance, stood in traditional attire and nodded with an excited face.
[Does the bride Eumwa swear to stay with the groom Wishhon even if he is purified, even if they face a great ghost, and even if they are dragged into the underworld?]
“I swear.”
Eumwa, wearing a beautiful puppet body and traditional attire, faced Wishhon with circuits flushing red on her face.
[Do the two ghosts swear to live together for a hundred years, a thousand years, ten thousand years, becoming each other’s Biikjo and Yeonriji?]
The two ghosts nodded simultaneously and shouted.
“We swear!”
[Good. Then I, the Great Protector of the Mugeuk Cult, the Six Extremes Ghost King Jeon Myeong-hoon, bless the two lovers’ union and declare that they now share the same fate.]
Kugugugugu!
Jeon Myeong-hoon scattered the curse techniques contained within the Six Extremes Yin Lightning God into the air.
An eerie ghost song echoed through the void, and the countless ghosts attending the wedding let out screams of joy.
[Kiyaaaaah! Long live the Guardian Ghost Kings!]
[Long live the Mugeuk Cult! Kiyaaaaah!]
[Long live the two’s union!]
Countless ghosts laughed or clattered inside curse dolls, and a ghost feast unfolded in front of the Mugeuk Cult Hall.
Because it was the wedding of two Guardian Ghost Kings who were executives of the Mugeuk Cult, Jeon Myeong-hoon, Oh Hyun-seok, Kim Yeon, and Yeon Jin also participated to offer congratulations.
Among them, Kim Yeon was tasked with recording the wedding using image techniques.
Wuung—
Kim Yeon recorded the scene onto a recording tablet, furrowing her brow.
‘Something’s wrong.’
Lately, her emotions had been excessively agitated, and strange feelings sometimes arose.
Yet there had been no major problems so far, and Seo Eun-hyun had encouraged her, saying that once she reached a higher realm through martial arts training, such phenomena would disappear.
But watching the two happy lovers marry, Kim Yeon felt something welling up in her chest.
Especially the ceremonial phrase Jeon Myeong-hoon recited, the one spoken in every dimension and every realm.
—Do you swear to become each other’s Biikjo and Yeonriji?
When she heard that phrase.
Kim Yeon felt a strange scene float before her eyes.
—Look, Yeon-ah. This is the Biikchang.
It was a strange scene.
A woman was dancing with short spears in both hands.
It was a dance extremely similar to the Biikmu that Seo Eun-hyun had taught her.
Jikkeun—
‘No…’
Kim Yeon felt as though her mind was synchronizing with “someone” who had been watching that scene and shook her head.
‘This isn’t me.’
Jikkeun, jikkeun….
She looked back on her own past and reaffirmed her identity.
Sometimes she felt as though she was becoming someone else, so she would recall her past and strengthen her sense of self.
‘I need to grow even faster.’
She became obsessed with the idea that she must master the Gimyoseongsimjeon even further, her eyes shining.
And so the wedding of Eumwa and Wishhon came to an end.
“We’re finally together, Eumwa.”
“It’s something I never even imagined before.”
Eumwa smiled lovingly at Wishhon.
“…It would have been nice if Baek Rin could have blessed us too.”
“…Yes. If I hadn’t helped Baek Rin escape back then, could we all have enjoyed happiness together?”
“Sigh, thinking of that guy always hurts. I want to share happiness with him too… Ah, thank you for recording, Gimyogwihwang-nim.”
Wishhon received the recording tablet from Kim Yeon and fell into thought.
Eumwa watched him with a bitter expression, then suddenly clapped her hands as if she had a good idea.
“Ah, I just thought of something nice.”
“What is it, Eumwa?”
“It’s…”
* * *
The Ghost Material Domain, territory of the Black Ghost Bone Palace.
A branch of the Black Ghost Bone Palace located there.
The mountain range beside the Seopmyeong Ship that emitted eerie ghost qi.
Within that mountain range stood someone’s eastern residence.
It was Baek Rin’s eastern residence.
[Finally…]
Kugugugu—
Inside the residence.
Baek Rin absorbed the ghost qi emanating from the Seopmyeong Ship, ghost flames flickering in his eye sockets.
[I’ve regained my former realm.]
Using the White Bone Detachment Realm, Baek Rin’s cultivation, which had fallen far behind, had returned.
He smiled with satisfaction.
[Now I at least have the minimum qualifications to negotiate with the Black Ghost Bone Palace. If I just ask them to invade the White Sound Domain, even if it takes time, once I explain the evil cult’s atrocities, they’ll help for the sake of the White Sound Domain’s peace.]
He clenched his fist with a hopeful voice.
[I will definitely save them…]
And just as he was steeling his resolve, Baek Rin turned his head toward something knocking on the barrier in front of his residence.
[What is it?]
Wuung—
He gestured and drew the object that had reached the barrier.
That day, a single recording tablet arrived before Baek Rin.