Chapter 512: Because of the Affection I Held for Him
Chapter 512: Because of the Affection I Held for Him
The old man was none other than Gyo Cheon, the previous generation’s Blade Demon and the master of the current Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
He was a master the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had long believed to be dead. Truly, the thought that he might still be alive had never once crossed the disciple's mind. He was a man the Blade Demon expected to see only in the depths of hell—someone who had long since ceased to appear even in his dreams.
When he first received the summons to Chongqing, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was genuinely stunned. Had the message not contained details known only to the two of them, he would never have believed his master was alive.
“I did not know you were still living,” the Blood Heaven Blade Demon said.
Gyo Cheon replied in a low, rasping voice. “Had you known, you would have come to finish the job.”
Despite the frailty suggested by his age, the old man’s voice was sharp, piercing the ears and grating against the heart.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked up at him. The eyes and the jawline still held traces of his former face, but deep, weathered wrinkles had so thoroughly consumed his features that the Blade Demon felt he might have passed him on the street without a second glance.
Gyo Cheon likewise looked down at his disciple. The image of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon in his prime was nowhere to be found.
“You have grown quite old yourself.”
“That is simply the weight of the years that have passed.”
Standing before his master, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon felt as though he had been transported back to those distant days.
“Are you suffering from any ailments?”
A strange brilliance flickered within the eyes buried amidst those deep wrinkles. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon could sense that his master’s martial realm was far higher now than it had been when he was a Demon Lord. Though his physical body was aged and frail, his internal power had become indescribably profound; that gaze alone was enough to reveal it.
Could it be that he is confident he can defeat the Cult Leader?
Even with a lifetime of accumulated power added to his previous skill, could he truly withstand the Cult Leader’s Nine Calamities Demonic Art? Could he face the ultimate demonic art of the Supreme?
“If I were? Would you offer to rub my shoulders?”
It was a blunt, surly response, but the Blood Heaven Blade Demon knew better. The old man hadn't even begun. One could not even imagine what it would look like when the emotions he had suppressed for all those years finally erupted.
“If you wish it, I shall.”
At that respectful answer, Gyo Cheon beckoned him closer. It was a gesture intended to challenge him—to see if he truly dared to approach.
Surprisingly, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon began to walk toward him. Gyo Cheon did not tell him to stop, and the Blade Demon did not hesitate. As the distance between them closed, the tension grew taut.
Thirty paces, twenty, ten…
When he was exactly ten steps away, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon came to a halt.
Surely his master was not alone, yet he had sensed no other presence nearby as he approached. If someone was hiding, they were a master of incredible caliber; if his master had come alone, that was equally astonishing in its own right.
“Why do you stop? Do I frighten you?”
“I am afraid,” the Blood Heaven Blade Demon answered honestly. But his reason was unexpected. “Because I could never have endured for so long. I would not have lasted ten years before seeking my revenge.”
Yet his master had endured for over thirty years, suppressing his rage for this very moment.
“Why have you returned?”
His master’s reply was a low murmur. “Because I am alive.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon let out a long sigh. “If you survived, you should have just lived out your days.”
It wasn't a mockery. He was speaking from the heart.
“You should have enjoyed your twilight years somewhere with beautiful mountains and clear waters. If that proved too dull, you could have become a shadow behind the scenes, unrelated to the Cult, and sought power and wealth there.”
His master gave an unexpected answer. “I tried. Both.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon flinched.
“To forget. I went into the mountains to forget everything, and I tried every trade imaginable. But I could not forget what happened that day.” His voice was hoarse and cracked, yet every word was heavy with emotion. “I realized that revenge is the only meaning left in my life.”
Knowing that the fire burning in his master’s heart could never be extinguished, a heavy groan escaped the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s lips.
“Is that why you intend to borrow the strength of the Orthodox Path? Do you plan to start a war just to kill the Cult Leader? Do you truly believe he will die because of that?”
“Do those Orthodox bastards not seek the head of the Demonic Cult Leader above all else?”
Was he being sincere? The Blood Heaven Blade Demon doubted it. His master wouldn't have spent all those years just to play a simple game of sowing discord with the Orthodox Path. There was surely something else his master relied on—something intended to kill both the Cult Leader and himself. Something to mark the end of his long-awaited revenge.
Just what did you bring with you?
It was Gyo Cheon who broke the brief silence. “Do you feel sorry for what happened?”
Perhaps the memory had stirred his emotions; a slight tremor ran through his cracked voice. “Do you regret it?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon answered neither question, but Gyo Cheon continued. “If you feel sorry and regret the past, then shouldn't you help me now?”
Finally, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon spoke. “Help you how?”
Gyo Cheon stared at him as if trying to bore a hole through him. “Kill the Cult Leader with those hands.”
Then came the shocking addition. “With the same hands that killed me.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked down at his hands in silence. Though not as deep as his master’s, his own hands were now etched with the heavy traces of time, layer upon layer. As the wrinkles on those hands seemed to fade and turn young again, a day from long ago surfaced in his mind. That distant event felt as vivid as if it had happened yesterday.
*
“Master, did you call for me?”
The one who rushed into the residence was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon in his youth. Having become the official successor to the title of Blade Demon, he was training diligently after being initiated into the Heaven Extermination Demonic Blade Form.
He was entirely different then. His face was handsome, even possessing a certain boyish charm. Above all, he overflowed with the vitality of youth.
His master sat in the Grand Tutor’s Chair, looking down at him just as he did now.
“I called you because I have something to tell you.”
“Please, give your command.”
Gyo Cheon spoke as if making a grand proclamation. “As of today, our Southern Blade Sect officially supports the First Young Master.”
The young Blade Demon’s expression instantly stiffened.
“Go and inform all the Blade Ghosts of this fact.”
But instead of obeying the order, the disciple asked a question. “Why the First Young Master?”
This time, it was Gyo Cheon’s expression that hardened. “Because it is my decision.”
The disciple said something he shouldn't have. “Please give me a reason I can accept.”
He was a man who had never once disobeyed his master’s word. Yet even if it meant facing a furious rebuke, he had to hear the answer. That was how important this matter was to him.
As expected, Gyo Cheon’s anger flared. “Do you dare defy your master’s will now?”
“No. That is not it.”
“Then why do you ask for a reason? Why are you still standing there?”
Gyo Cheon’s violent demonic energy exploded toward the disciple. The young Blade Demon circulated his internal power to resist the overwhelming pressure, but he was naturally outmatched. He gritted his teeth, enduring the sensation of his body being torn apart. No matter the pain, he had to hear the answer.
Gyo Cheon strode forward and stood before him. He already knew the reason for the hesitation.
“I know you share a special bond with the Second Young Master. I also know that the cunning boy is trying to pull you in and use you.”
Even through the agony, the disciple voiced his thoughts. “The Second Young Master is not that kind of person.”
At the denial of his words, Gyo Cheon’s expression darkened further, and his demonic energy grew even more crushing.
“Ugh…!”
The disciple felt as if his very flesh was being stripped away. If he held out any longer, he would suffer severe internal injuries. Despite this, Gyo Cheon did not stop. He would not tolerate rebellion from the disciple who was to succeed him.
“Aaaargh!”
The demonic energy intensified, and the disciple’s scream grew louder. If he continued to refuse, Gyo Cheon was prepared to kill him then and there. He could afford to; there was a long line of people waiting for the chance to become the next Blade Demon.
Dying like this is a dog’s death.
Ultimately, the disciple broke. If he pushed any further, he would either be crippled for life or killed.
“…I will follow your will, Master.”
Only then did the crushing pressure subside. With a face full of fury, Gyo Cheon issued an expulsion order. “Begone.”
As the disciple turned to leave with slumped shoulders, Gyo Cheon spoke from behind him. “You asked for a reason you could accept?”
The disciple turned back.
“In this struggle for succession, the Second Young Master will surely die.”
In that moment, the disciple saw it—the resolve flashing in his master’s eyes.
Master intends to jump into the succession struggle himself.
He realized his master was prepared to kill the Second Young Master with his own hands. For the sake of the First Young Master, there was nothing this man wouldn't do.
“Do not associate with the Second Young Master any longer. Otherwise, you shall die with him.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
The disciple bowed politely and walked away. When he stepped out of the residence, his fists were clenched tight.
*
As wrinkles formed on those young fists, he returned to the present. The current Blood Heaven Blade Demon was clenching his fists just as he had back then. From that day on, he had been even more devoted to his master. He had worked harder to earn greater trust—all for the sake of finding out exactly when the strike would happen.
“I know. I know why you chose the First Young Master over the Second.” The Blood Heaven Blade Demon finally said the words he couldn't say back then. “It wasn't that the Second Young Master was cunning.”
After a brief pause, he continued. “It was that the Second Young Master saw through your cunning.”
Crack.
The armrest of the Grand Tutor’s Chair shattered under Gyo Cheon’s grip. The broken pieces were ground into fine dust within his palm and scattered. It was a display of just how profound his internal power had become.
Yet the Blood Heaven Blade Demon pressed on.
“Even in his youth, the Cult Leader was a man of clear likes and dislikes. He was honest about what he hated and what he loved. You knew, Master. You knew that you were someone he disliked.”
A low growl, like that of a wild beast, rumbled in Gyo Cheon’s throat.
“You knew that if the Second Young Master became the Cult Leader, you would be pushed to the very bottom of the Eight Demon Lords. That was something you could never endure.”
He hadn't known it then. Or rather, it would have been better if he hadn't. Had he said this back then in his youthful heat, his master would likely have killed him on the spot.
“You are as insolent and fearless now as you were when you were young.”
“Your hatred for me must have distorted your memory. When I was young, I was more respectful to you than anyone else.”
Gyo Cheon laughed. It was a laugh filled with both disbelief and deep-seated loathing. “You betrayed me. You betrayed the one who passed his martial arts down to you!”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon said nothing.
“I am cunning? Could I possibly be as cunning as you? You were the one who realized it. You knew that if the First Young Master became the Cult Leader, you could never become the next Blade Demon. Because the First Young Master would never have left someone so close to his rival alive.”
Perhaps his master was right. Back then, he had believed he was acting for the sake of the Cult Leader, but perhaps in the deepest recesses of his subconscious, he had been struggling for his own survival.
But his master, at least, had no right to say those words. Because he had given his disciple no choice. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s gaze deepened as he returned once more to a moment in the past.
*
The young Cult Leader stood before him. It was the Cult Leader from his days as the Second Young Master, when they had called each other brothers.
His aura, too, was different then. While nothing could be read from the current Cult Leader’s eyes, one could see his emotions in his youth.
The young Blade Demon had liked him. It wasn't simply because he was the man who would become the next Heavenly Demon. He just liked him—his actions, his words. Though he was the younger of the two, there was much to learn from him. He treated everyone with a haughty arrogance, but the young Blade Demon could feel that he carried something burning and passionate within his heart.
No, even those reasons weren't enough. He liked him enough to say the words that would change everyone’s fate forever.
“The First Young Master and my master have joined hands. They have a plan to kill you.”
The Geom Wu-jin of that time was different from the one today. For in the moment he heard those words, the young Blade Demon clearly saw his pupils tremble. He knew. He knew that Geom Wu-jin wanted to end the succession struggle without killing his own brother.
“The two of them will move during this hunt.”
*
Gyo Cheon’s shout brought the Blood Heaven Blade Demon back to reality.
“You betrayed your master and made a brother kill his own brother. That is the kind of human you are!”
If I hadn't, the Cult Leader would have died.
But he did not say those words to his master. To Gyo Cheon, the relationship between him and the Cult Leader would mean nothing. He didn't believe in such bonds. Indeed, telling him that he had betrayed him out of a pure affection for someone would only wound his master further. It was better for Gyo Cheon to believe he had betrayed him for the seat of the Blade Demon.
And so, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon nodded, admitting it freely.
“You are right. I am that kind of human. Selfish and wicked, and so…” The Blood Heaven Blade Demon added in a low, sunken voice, “Those who stand with me suffer great misfortune.”