Chapter 513: I’ll Have to Instill Some Discipline
Chapter 513: I’ll Have to Instill Some Discipline
“If you don’t kill the First Young Master, you will die.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon still remembered those words vividly. He remembered Geom Wu-jin’s answer, and the exact expression on his face when he heard them.
“I don’t want to kill my brother.”
Those were words one would never hear from the current Cult Leader. It was impossible to even imagine the man hesitating to take a life now.
But yes, even the Cult Leader had once been like that.
“I know.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was one of the few who had felt the warmth that once resided in Geom Wu-jin’s heart.
Back then, Geom Wu-jin’s popularity within the Cult was unrivaled. The demonic practitioners adored him for his calm, aloof, and regal demeanor. He was handsome, intelligent, and above all, possessed a heaven-sent talent for the martial arts.
Equipped with every quality a demonic practitioner could admire, he was hailed as the most outstanding genius in the history of the Heavenly Demon’s lineage.
The only reason the First Young Master had conspired with the Master to kill Geom Wu-jin was that he knew he stood no chance of winning the succession fairly.
“Fine. Let’s try to resolve this without killing the First Young Master.”
At that, Geom Wu-jin had spoken firmly.
“Stay out of this, Brother. This is my fight.”
How could the Blood Heaven Blade Demon not know those words were spoken out of concern for his safety? He had simply shaken his head. Since the Master had already intervened...
“From the moment I told you about the First Young Master and the Master’s plan, this fight became mine as well.”
Their gazes had locked in the air—eyes filled with a youthful heat that could no longer be imitated.
“I want to live as a Demon Lord of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult that you lead.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon could still recall how his voice had trembled the moment he uttered those words.
He wanted to go back to that time. To those days of youth that were as sweltering as a midsummer night and as refreshing as an autumn breeze. To the days when he risked his life without expecting anything in return, and when he could still read the emotions on the Cult Leader’s face.
The person who pulled him back from the past was Gyo Cheon.
“Meeting you was the greatest misfortune of my life.”
At his Master’s words, the image of the young Geom Wu-jin vanished. In its place stood his furious Master.
Even if his Master hadn’t said it, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had lived his life with that weight. The words he had once said to Geom Mu-geuk—that he had lived his whole life alongside misfortune—were because of Gyo Cheon.
Though it was to save the Cult Leader, he could never escape the shackles of having ultimately betrayed his Master.
“Do you know why I came when you messaged me, Master?”
“You likely came to kill me,” Gyo Cheon replied derisively.
Despite the biting response, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon remained calm.
“If that were my intention, I would have contacted the Cult Leader.”
Instead, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had come to Chongqing quietly and alone. Gyo Cheon stared at him, his eyes demanding the true reason.
The answer was something Gyo Cheon never expected.
“I missed you, Master.”
“...!”
Gyo Cheon’s deep wrinkles twitched.
It was the sincere truth. Of course, it wasn't a sentiment born of ordinary longing. How could he even express this feeling? Was it like his younger self reaching out a hand to him as he stood in the twilight of his life?
Yes—it wasn't the Master before him who had called him here, but his own memories of his youth.
Gyo Cheon laughed. His mouth was so heavily wrinkled that it was difficult to discern his expression, but the sound was clearly one of ridicule.
“You spout such nonsense while knowing exactly why I’ve come?”
The ridicule soon turned into a blatant, hacking laugh. Was it due to his frailty, or had he contracted some disease? A metallic scraping sound echoed in his cracked voice, and the laughter soon dissolved into an unstoppable fit of coughing.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon waited patiently for the coughing to subside.
“You missed me?”
Gyo Cheon slowly stood up and pulled open his robes.
His body was shriveled—a frame so withered it made one wonder if he could even perform martial arts. For that very reason, it was a terrifying sight, considering the immense power that must be coiled within that meager frame.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s gaze fixed on the center of his chest. There was a massive scar there, far larger and deeper than any wound a simple sword thrust could leave.
“Now, look at this.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stared at the wound in silence. Then, he finally voiced the words he had held in his heart for a lifetime. They were words he had never said to anyone, not even once.
“I am sorry, Master.”
“...!”
He knew that even if it hadn't been him, the Master had been prepared to replace him with another disciple at any time. He knew the Master would have killed him if he had continued to disobey. Above all, he knew he had done it to save Geom Wu-jin.
Still, he felt a profound sorrow toward the man.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon bowed his head respectfully. A head that usually only bowed to Geom Wu-jin was lowered low.
A sharp radiance burst from Gyo Cheon’s eyes as he watched him, his fine wrinkles deepening.
“You... you were a hypocrite even when you were young.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon understood. Gyo Cheon was a man who would never believe that his disciple had genuinely cared for someone like Geom Wu-jin, nor would he ever accept an apology.
But it didn't matter. Ultimately, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had said those words for his own sake. He looked up at the sky.
‘Thank you for letting me say the words I intended to deliver only after going to hell.’
Gyo Cheon did not consider the apology sincere. Even if it were, what meaning did it have now?
“If you help me kill the Cult Leader, I will let you live.”
“What lingering attachment would I have to this old life?”
At that, Gyo Cheon shifted his threat toward Seo Dae-ryong.
“If you don’t listen to me, I will kill your disciple.”
“Is that why you called that child here as well?”
Of course, the threat failed.
“Then that boy’s life will also be one cursed with bad luck in masters.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s gaze toward his Master was a complex mixture of love and hate.
“You used to look at me with those same eyes in the past,” Gyo Cheon spat.
“That is also a misunderstanding. Since you hate the current me, you are distorting your memories of the past as well.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon had a premonition: this would only end with either his death or his Master’s. Therefore, there was nothing left to hide. If he had spoken of love before, what followed now was the hate.
“One would think that as people age, they become wiser, but that isn't the case. Judgment clouds, and only stubbornness grows. I’ve read books diligently to try and prevent that, but even then, it wasn't easy to stop my mind from going blank.”
After a brief pause, he continued.
“It is likely much worse for you, Master. When a stranger sees you, they probably think: ‘How great must that old master be? He must possess immense wisdom. He must be able to see through people’s hearts.’ They would imagine your insight to be incredible. But I know the truth. Your head, Master, is filled with nothing but a thick, hazy fog.”
Anger flared on Gyo Cheon’s twitching face.
“In that fog, only hatred shines brightly. Without that hate to guide you, you would have lost your way long ago.”
“Acting arrogant again, I see.”
“You are distorting things again. I have never once acted arrogant toward you. Tell me, then—have you ever thought of anything other than the Cult Leader, me, and the events of that day? Whether it be the history of the Murim or the simple affairs of life—have you even noticed that summer has passed and autumn is here?”
Gyo Cheon’s eyes grew even colder, but he could not offer a single rebuttal.
“In the past, I wouldn't have known either,” the Blood Heaven Blade Demon continued. “However, I’ve felt something recently through the Young Cult Leader. I realized I had been habitually walking through the fog all this time. Because it was such a familiar path and such a familiar fog, I simply walked without tripping, even as the mist grew thicker by the year.”
After meeting Geom Mu-geuk, his stagnant heart had begun to flow again. He practiced his martial arts more diligently, read more, took on a disciple, and his relationships with the other Demon Lords changed. He even tended to a flower garden. All of it was an effort to clear the fog, even if it didn't dissipate easily.
“That is why I am not afraid of you, Master.”
Thus, he did not speak his other truth—that he was, in fact, terrified of his Master.
If Geom Mu-geuk had met the Master a little earlier, could the old man’s heart have changed? He felt that perhaps it could have. If it were Geom Mu-geuk, that brilliant boy might have found a way to resolve this deep-seated grudge.
It was a regret that bit at him. This was the Master who remained a wound deep in his soul. It seemed too pitiful that they had to meet again like this, skipping straight to the final chapter without any middle ground.
“You arrogant brat!” Gyo Cheon roared. How could his entire life be dismissed with such words?
But he couldn't think of a rebuttal. Countless words swirled in his head, yet as if a thick fog had truly rolled in, he didn't know what to say. In that void, only the emotion of hatred burned brightly.
“What if I say I’ll kill that precious Young Cult Leader of yours?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon laughed. Go ahead and try; you’ll probably collapse clutching your neck before you even get the chance to speak to him.
“That sounds like a threat you should save for the Cult Leader.”
Threats no longer worked on him.
“But how exactly do you plan to kill the Cult Leader? He isn't someone you can kill just because you wish it.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was genuinely curious about what move the old man had prepared.
“The Cult Leader is also human. All humans are bound to die.”
With that, Gyo Cheon reached into his robes. A small box flew through the air via Telekinesis, landing in the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s hand. Inside was a single, small medicine bottle.
“Put that in the Cult Leader’s wine.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked down at the bottle. “What is this?”
“You don’t need to know. You only need to ensure he drinks it.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was dumbfounded. Did his Master really think such a clumsy method would work? Was he truly that lost in the fog?
“You’re right. He is someone who cannot be killed unless such methods are used. Sowing discord with the Orthodox Faction, threatening his disciple, and now poison. But did you really think I would do such a thing?”
“Did you not just say you were sorry to me?”
As if there were no more point in talking, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon moved to pour the contents of the bottle onto the floor. But the moment he reached for the stopper, he froze. He looked back at Gyo Cheon.
“You expected me to pour it out, didn't you?”
An ominous realization flashed through his mind.
“Could it be?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon hurled the bottle away as hard as he could.
Clink!
The moment it shattered, a thick poison mist billowed violently from the liquid. If he had poured it at his feet, the smoke would have enveloped him instantly.
“This was meant to kill me.”
Gyo Cheon’s eyes were filled with pure killing intent. “I couldn't possibly let you die peacefully.”
Judging by the reaction, it was no ordinary poison. It was a toxin designed to inflict extreme agony. He knew his Master intended to kill him, but seeing him use such a vicious trick made him feel a pang of disappointment.
He realized then that human relationships were such that one could feel disappointment even while trying to kill each other.
“Do you hate me that much?”
“Did you not say it yourself? That nothing but hatred remains in my head.”
Looking at his Master, he felt like he was facing a solid, unyielding wall. He had wanted to ease the old man’s heart—not for his own sake, but for his Master’s. Of course, Gyo Cheon would never believe him. He would only think it was a trick to avoid death.
‘Master, you aren't giving me a chance to choose anything else.’
Gyo Cheon slowly clapped his hands.
A door on the left wall opened, and a man walked out. Dressed in flaming red robes, he was an old man of similar age to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, carrying a massive great blade. One could tell just by his stride—he had practiced the Heaven Extermination Demonic Blade Form for decades.
He was clearly a new disciple the Master had raised to pass on his legacy.
He wasn't alone. A door on the opposite side opened, and another figure emerged. This time, it was an old man in blue robes. The pressure radiating from him was not at all inferior to the first.
The two possessed contrasting auras. If the first was like a raging fire, the second was like deep, still water.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon knew instinctively.
‘They have reached the Twelve-Star Great Achievement of the Heaven Extermination Demonic Blade Form.’
These were individuals with skills on par with a Demon Lord. Since they were weapons forged solely for the Master’s revenge, their lethality was guaranteed.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s eyes darkened. This would be an incredibly difficult fight.
Gyo Cheon looked at him and spoke coldly. “A betrayal suffered from a disciple must be repaid by a disciple.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon did not lose his composure.
“I’ll have to instill some discipline into these junior disciples, then.”
Gyo Cheon sneered. “Who are your junior disciples? You were expelled long ago.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon replied calmly. “That may be, but I never expelled you, Master.”
Gyo Cheon’s face twitched again. The Master would only see it as an insult, but it was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s final shred of lingering affection.
“My wish to see you again was sincere. My apology was sincere. My wish for you to withdraw and live out your days in peace is also sincere. And this...”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon spoke as he slowly drew his Blood Heaven Great Blade.
“...is also sincere. For his sake, I can kill again.”