Chapter 205
Chapter 205
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: The Gathering on Black Star
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The ship carried not only the Alliance Leader but also the sect leaders of the Nine Great Righteous Sects and the elders of the Murim Alliance. There was no harbor, so they couldn't properly moor the vessel, but that hardly mattered.
Wi Sungcheon watched from the deck as the Alliance Leader and the renowned figures of righteous Murim exchanged greetings with the Black Demon King after disembarking. A few who recognized Wi Sungcheon shot him puzzled glances, but none carried the old contempt. His reputation had grown too lofty for that.
"Where is Won Gwangbul?"
"He's a man like the wind. You know that."
"Alliance Leader, such words plant contempt for Won Gwangbul in this seat's heart. Even for a matter like 'this,' does he wish to live like the wind?"
"......That wasn't my intent. We couldn't inform Master Won Gwangbul of this. Had we more time, we would have sought him out, but as the League Leader emphasized, for a matter like 'this,' time was short."
Alliance Leader Baekgoon Gam Taejun slowly shook his head as he spoke. The Black Demon King nodded in understanding. Though the former Alliance Leader and highly respected figure of righteous Murim, Won Gwangbul, was absent, every sect leader of the Nine Great Righteous Sects and every family head of the Three Great Clans had come.
"You must be weary from the long journey. Shall I give you time to recover?"
"Your consideration is appreciated, but it's unnecessary. As you said, this is a grave matter, so we should discuss it right away—today if possible."
The Freakish Beggar spat the words, his eyes gleaming fiercely. It went without saying, but among the righteous masters who had come all this way at a unilateral summons, a few subtly revealed their displeasure toward the Black Demon King.
A grave matter? What nonsense. If it were truly so grave, they should have sent envoys from the underworld or had the Black Demon King come himself. Or met at a midpoint.
Knowing their thoughts, the Black Demon King smirked. It was obvious how they viewed this. They'd see it as the unorthodox using this major issue to assert superiority over the righteous. He had no intention of clearing up their misunderstanding. It was a trivial matter, unworthy of being a variable in the grand scheme.
"Then, as you say, let's talk as soon as the sun sets today."
"Not right now?"
"Freakish Beggar, don't rush. And grasp the situation."
"......What?"
"This seat is League Leader of the Black Blood Alliance before being Black Demon King, and as the supreme of unorthodox Murim, I arranged this summit. But what are you? Freakish Beggar of the Ten Heroes, former Beggar Clan Chief. That's you...... So tell me. Do you, the one urging haste for the summit, hold greater authority than the Murim Alliance Leader of righteous Murim?"
The Freakish Beggar's face twisted at the smiling question. With that, he pressed no further and stepped back.
"Delaying until night is to make a proposal first."
The Black Demon King said this and turned his gaze.
His smiling, curved eyes met Wi Sungcheon's.
* * *
The Black Demon King's proposal was exceedingly simple—and shocking to the rigid elders. He suggested including talented juniors in this summit as observers. The elders, aware of the matter's gravity, opposed it, but they had no choice but to acquiesce after his next words.
'Can our generation resolve this?'
Humiliating words. The sect leaders of the Nine Great Righteous Sects, the family heads of the Three Great Clans—these attendees were not the pinnacle of the era, but masters who had dominated it.
Yet they had to admit it. Everyone aged, and one day died. Passing unfinished tasks to the next generation—it was something they'd done for ages.
"......What in the world is this about?"
Wi Sungcheon stood on the Black Star's railing, looking down. He still didn't grasp the situation.
"Why rush to ask? You'll find out if you wait."
The White Flame Witch spat.
She sat on the railing near Wi Sungcheon, swirling her wine cup.
"It might be good to give a heads-up beforehand. The young ones might scream in shock—we should seal a few mouths."
The Green Forest Demon Emperor cackled. Wi Sungcheon turned to him with an even more baffled expression.
The Black Demon King was absent. He had gone to fetch his disciple, the Black Heaven Young Master. The Murim Alliance elders were gone too. They were below, discussing in earnest which juniors to include.
He had mountains of questions, but Wi Sungcheon swallowed them. As the White Flame Witch said, waiting would reveal all.
A bit more time passed, until the sun fully set and the moon rose.
On the highest peak of Black Forest, titans spanning Murim gathered. They sat in a circle at Black Star's center, while the summoned juniors sat on the periphery as observers.
The summoned juniors matched Wi Sungcheon's expectations. The full Black Tyrants crew, Baek Ri-hyang, and the Black Heaven Young Master. From righteous juniors, all those who had advanced to the central city were called. Thus, righteous juniors vastly outnumbered unorthodox ones.
It might have been laughable, but the righteous elders dared not. They felt awe and shock at the Black Heaven Young Master they finally saw 'in person.' His mere presence dominated the gathering with overwhelming intensity.
Wi Sungcheon glanced at the Black Heaven Young Master seated across.
The Black Heaven Young Master deliberately avoided looking Wi Sungcheon's way. While students from Heavenly Academy, summoned as well, greeted the elders, Wi Sungcheon sat alone in isolation.
"What the hell is going on?"
His solitude was brief. Paeng Yeonhwa quickly sat beside him. It had been months since they last met, but neither mentioned it.
"No idea. Got dragged here out of nowhere."
"You didn't hear anything?"
Paeng Yeonhwa tilted her head. Perhaps from intense training these months, dark shadows ringed her eyes.
"Agh!"
Before Wi Sungcheon could reply, a scream erupted from a corner. Glancing over, Bang Jun was getting his head smacked by the Freakish Beggar.
"You rotten punk! Half a year passed, and your progress is still this pathetic?!"
"W-Wait, let go first......!"
"And, ngh, you! You bathed! There it is—I see why your skills stagnate. Chasing skirts instead of training! Who caught your eye?!"
"What are you talking about?! I'm still a virgin!"
Bang Jun bellowed in injustice. Unwanted information forced upon them. Paeng Yeonhwa grimaced, her tail fur bristling.
Boom! A massive explosion roared next. Heads turned to see thick black smoke rising from the forest near Black Star.
"Save me!"
A thunderous lion's roar shook the heavens. For a plea for life, the power in that shout was immense. Yeo Myeongui, executing Heavenly Phase Steps and bounding through the sky, frantically dove behind the White Flame Witch to hide.
"I see what happened."
The White Flame Witch scowled. Unlike Yeo Myeongui's frantic dash, the Poison Mist Hou leisurely flew in and stood on Black Star's railing. Ignoring stares directed at her, she fixed on Yeo Myeongui hiding behind the White Flame Witch.
"Come out, True Worm."
"W-Why are you after me?"
"Aren't there too many reasons? True Worm, if you hadn't treated Baek Ri-mu back then, he'd be dead or crippled. Right?"
"It's natural for a physician to care for patients......"
"That's not all. When I was young, you taught me medicine and fed me Tang Clan secret poisons."
"You remember something from a hundred years ago......"
"And how could I forget? It was quite shocking for a child. Want more?"
The Poison Mist Hou glared coldly at Yeo Myeongui.
"Wouldn't it be better to forget such ancient grudges?"
"Is this repayment for treating him?"
The suddenly appearing Black Demon King intervened, drawing a sneer from the Poison Mist Hou. He shrugged and took his seat at the head.
"No repayment needed. Your poison was vicious, but not enough to harm this seat."
"Your escape was awfully desperate for that."
The Black Demon King bared his teeth in a grin at the Poison Mist Hou's jab. As he sat, the elders and Ten Heroes took their seats. The Poison Mist Hou glared at the Black Demon King a moment longer before turning away sharply.
Last to arrive were the Alliance Leader, the Heavenly Person, and Moo Yeonjun. Unlike other juniors, he didn't sit on the periphery but right beside the Alliance Leader. Moo Yeonjun was a Heavenly Person before being a junior. With all seated, the Black Demon King surveyed the assembly.
"True Worm, come here."
"......Ugh......"
Yeo Myeongui's face twisted in dread, but at the Black Demon King's beckoning, he shuffled forward reluctantly. The Black Demon King positioned Yeo Myeongui in the center and spoke.
"Tell them everything you saw in the Demonic Cult."
'The Demonic Cult?'
Wi Sungcheon's eyes widened. The Ten Heroes and elders, informed via letters, weren't surprised, but the juniors gaped at Yeo Myeongui in shock.
Even Yeo Myeongui of the Ten Heroes being here was startling, but 'what he saw in the Demonic Cult'? That meant he'd been there until recently.
'I didn't know?'
Wi Sungcheon turned to Baek Ri-hyang. She, who had been glaring at Paeng Yeonhwa beside Wi Sungcheon, met his eyes and shook her head innocently. Even she hadn't known Yeo Myeongui was in the Demonic Cult.
Among juniors, only Paeng Yeonhwa and Moo Yeonjun showed no shock. Paeng Yeonhwa had heard the gist from Yeo Myeongui already, and Moo Yeonjun had been briefed by the Alliance Leader beforehand. The info was given specifically to Moo Yeonjun out of concern he might react strongly or have a breakdown.
"Uh...... well...... where do I even start......"
"Just the facts. Not difficult."
"I'm no silver-tongued devil like you, Black Demon King. So...... yeah."
Yeo Myeongui took a deep breath first.
"......The Heavenly Demon Hyuk Wolun killed the Demon King."
He spat it out. Even the informed Alliance Leader and elders paled upon hearing it directly from Yeo Myeongui.
"......Amitabha."
Shaolin Abbot Myeongjin Grandmaster sighed deeply, fingering his prayer beads.
"Is that true?"
A thick voice posed the question. It was Hwangbo Myeong, head of the Hwangbo Clan.
"Why would I lie? I'd lie about not going to the Demonic Cult, not claim I went and spout crazy shit like the Heavenly Demon slaying the Demon King."
Yeo Myeongui snapped at Hwangbo Myeong like he'd hit a nerve. Hwangbo Myeong, uncharacteristically for his bulk, hunched his shoulders. No matter how much the Ten Heroes treated Yeo Myeongui like a punching bag, he was undeniably one of them.
"This seat vouches that True Worm's words are pure truth."
"......Black Demon King, no need for that......"
"Was it a lie, then?"
"No, not that. Just embarrassing......"
Yeo Myeongui cleared his throat awkwardly and continued. Naturally, he omitted some parts.
The reason he had to go to the Demonic Cult. That was the price for Chilheukyo's aid in 'creating' Baek Ri-hyang. He couldn't blab that, so he glossed over it.
"Chilheukyo......? What's that?"
Surprisingly, the righteous elders were ignorant of Chilheukyo.
"It's a fox spirit."
"Fox spirit......? An immortal?"
"Not an immortal rooted in humanity. A fox born with potent demonic qi, living centuries until becoming a Nine-Tailed Fox—that's Chilheukyo."
"What nonsense......"
"League Leader, are you joking?"
The elders murmured. Even Taiji Sword Lord, Poison Mist Hou, and Freakish Beggar were hearing of Chilheukyo for the first time.
'As expected. Only True Worm knew of Chilheukyo...... no, immortals.'
And that info had been shared only with the unorthodox Ten Heroes.
Crack! A wine cup shattering boomed like thunder. The source was the Freakish Beggar. Bloodshot eyes glared at Yeo Myeongui and the Black Demon King.
"The Beggar Clan has centuries of history, but no tales of a Nine-Tailed Fox called Chilheukyo."
"Of course. Chilheukyo isn't of the human world—she transcends it. She's dwelt deep in the Demon Realm for ages untold, never meddling in mortal affairs. Even the Beggar Clan, with eyes and ears everywhere, couldn't detect her coiled in the Demon Realm's depths."
"Then you? No, not just you. The White Flame Witch and that Green Forest Demon Emperor seem to know of her too. Why do they know what we don't?"
"Only True Worm knew of Chilheukyo, and I heard it directly from him. I've glimpsed her from afar once."
"Then why! Why not tell us of such a being until now......"
"Because you're righteous, and this seat is unorthodox."
The Black Demon King waved dismissively with a laugh.
"What's righteous Murim's ethos? Justice and chivalry. That's why you're the righteous factions. Suppose...... righteous Murim had known of Chilheukyo long ago. Would you have left her be?"
"......"
"You wouldn't have. You've sent punitive expeditions into the Demon Realm for centuries, piling meaningless corpses. Ignorant of Chilheukyo, but deeming her evil just for dwelling there and mingling with the Demonic Cult. I guarantee, had you sent forces to provoke her, half of righteous Murim would be souls beneath her claws."
"What nonsense......"
"......Does that mean Chilheukyo isn't evil?"
Taiji Sword Lord asked quietly. The Black Demon King burst into laughter.
"Why ask this seat? I don't know if she's evil or good. Don't care. Don't want to. There—the difference between this seat...... no, unorthodox and righteous."
As he spoke, the Black Demon King turned to Yeo Myeongui.
"Understanding that difference, True Worm shared much with this seat."
"......Watch your words. You threatened to kill me if I didn't talk......"
"No choice. Chilheukyo said to ask True Worm if we wanted to know about her."
The Black Demon King guffawed. Wi Sungcheon listened with ears perked, feeling intense dissonance.
Nine Great Righteous Sects.
Wudang, Qingcheng, Kunlun, Kongdong—four of nine rooted in Daoism. Yet none knew of Chilheukyo? Even Wudang's Taiji Sword Lord knew nothing of immortals.
Wudang's just a hollow Daoist shell, for sure.
We must discuss that child too. If he mastered practical immortal arts lost to Wudang—no, all Daoist sects worldwide, all the more.
The Black Demon King and Taiji Sword Lord's exchange echoed in his mind.
"If Chilheukyo truly is a fox immortal, and Master Yeo Myeongui knew of her."
The voice came abruptly from Kunlun Sect Leader Jincheon Daoist.
"Then is Master Yeo Myeongui an immortal?"
"......"
Yeo Myeongui, who had sharply rebuked Hwangbo Myeong, fell silent before Kunlun's sect leader, averting his eyes.
"Master Yeo Myeongui, please answer."
Jincheon Daoist pleaded desperately with Yeo Myeongui, then abruptly stood and knelt right there. The sudden act flustered surrounding elders, who turned to him.
"Master Yeo Myeongui knows of the Fengshen Platform......"
"Enough!"
Yeo Myeongui bellowed.