Chapter 515: The Reason They Were Summoned
Chapter 515: The Reason They Were Summoned
In the wake of that day, the distance between him and the Cult Leader had only widened.
One might have expected that surviving such an ordeal together would forge a deeper bond and lead to more frequent meetings, but reality proved otherwise.
Perhaps it was because of the weight of the memory; seeing one another’s faces inevitably brought back the ghosts of that day. Both he and Geom Wu-jin may have subconsciously sought to avoid that pain.
Practicality also played its part.
Following the incident, Geom Wu-jin became consumed by his new responsibilities. Having officially been named the successor of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, he was rarely seen, plunging himself entirely into the mastery of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.
Are we truly destined to drift apart like this?
One day, while those thoughts were swirling in his mind, Geom Wu-jin came to find the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
The moment their eyes met, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon knew. Wu-jin felt the same way he did. He had missed his friend. Even then, emotions were still visible on Geom Wu-jin’s face.
However, the formalities of their station had shifted. Geom Wu-jin was now the Young Cult Leader, and he himself had risen to the rank of Demon Lord.
“Have you been well, Young Cult Leader?”
“I have, thanks to the Demon Lord’s concern.”
They had become men who could no longer call each other "brother." That incident had been the definitive turning point in their relationship.
Geom Wu-jin held out a box he had brought with him.
“What is this, Young Cult Leader?”
“A gift for the Demon Lord.”
Upon opening the box, he found a single pill radiating a faint blue light. To his shock, it was a Heavenly Outer Divine Pill.
“It is my gift to you,” the Young Cult Leader repeated.
Having ascended to the rank of Demon Lord at such a young age, a spirit medicine as potent as the Heavenly Outer Divine Pill was exactly what he needed to solidify his foundation.
“I am fine. You should take it yourself, Young Cult Leader.”
At that moment, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon saw it—the look in Geom Wu-jin’s eyes. It might have been his imagination, but in that brief second, Geom Wu-jin’s gaze seemed to plead:
Brother, please take it.
As brothers. He remembered that look as the last of its kind.
In the end, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon never consumed the Heavenly Outer Divine Pill. He felt that if he simply swallowed it, everything he and Geom Wu-jin had shared that day would truly be over.
Though it was a day he desperately wanted to forget, it was also a day he could never let go of—the day he had supported the Second Young Master and helped him become the Young Cult Leader.
And so, he had kept the Heavenly Outer Divine Pill all those years before eventually passing it to Geom Mu-geuk. It had reached Geom Mu-geuk’s hands as if guided by fate.
Later, when Geom Wu-jin traveled across the Central Plains fighting alongside the Fist Demon, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had secretly yearned to be at their side.
He was only human; how could he not feel that longing?
But he never voiced those feelings to Geom Wu-jin.
Even so, his loyalty and affection for the Cult Leader never wavered.
And now, at this very moment.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon felt a pang of regret—a realization that had only dawned on him while building a deep bond with Geom Mu-geuk.
He should have spoken to Geom Wu-jin.
Just as Geom Mu-geuk came to him to discuss everything from trivial stories to matters of life and death, he should have opened his heart to Geom Wu-jin.
They should have talked about that day over and over again. Instead of burying such a deep wound in their hearts, they should have faced it together.
If Geom Wu-jin hadn't thought to do it, then he, as the older brother, should have led the way.
Had he done so, his relationship with Geom Wu-jin would be different now. The scars in their hearts would have faded, rather than festering in silence.
Returning to the present, the two men—Geom Wu-jin and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon—stared at one another.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon decided then and there to tell Geom Wu-jin about the regret he had just recalled. He intended never to let silence breed regret again.
“Are you alright?”
“I apologize, Cult Leader. I acted on my own without sending word in advance.”
“Was this not an unofficial matter? I was merely passing by as well.”
That was true. He had ordered his carriage to turn around while returning to the Main Headquarters.
“I did not know Master was still alive.”
“We never found a body that day.”
Gyo Cheon had plummeted from the cliffs of the Ten Thousand Holes Cave with his chest pierced. They had searched for the corpse later, but it had been swept away by the currents. Given the severity of the wound, they had assumed he was dead. Yet here he was, standing before them.
As he watched the two of them converse, Gyo Cheon’s temper flared once more.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon had his back turned to him entirely, focusing solely on Geom Wu-jin. He felt utterly dismissed.
His mood had been foul ever since encountering his former disciple, and their blatant disregard was the final straw. His disciple had always been difficult, but the one who truly incensed him was Geom Wu-jin.
Shouldn't the boy have greeted him first? Being ignored while they chatted amongst themselves felt more insulting than a direct curse.
Finally, unable to contain his rage, he screamed.
“Geom Wu-jin!”
His voice thundered through the clearing.
Only then did Geom Wu-jin’s gaze shift toward Gyo Cheon.
The moment their eyes met, Gyo Cheon was swept by a surge of emotion even more violent than when he had seen the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
In the end, the reason he had "died" was because of this Cult Leader. Because the previous leader had chosen the Second Young Master over him.
But soon, his anger twisted into a dark delight.
“We finally meet!”
He had lived only for this day. Now that he was actually facing his enemy, Gyo Cheon’s heart pounded with manic excitement. He let out a bizarre, solitary laugh.
He looked like a complete madman, but Geom Wu-jin remained stoic, his expression unreadable.
Seeing that lack of reaction made Gyo Cheon laugh even louder.
A thought suddenly occurred to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
Because we couldn't properly mourn that day, the three of us who couldn't escape its shadow have met again.
Yes, that was it. Himself, the Cult Leader, and his master, who was currently laughing like a lunatic. None of them had mourned properly—not the death of the First Young Master, nor the violent collision of their fates.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon spoke to his master.
“The Cult Leader has arrived. Come down from there at once.”
It was a command: Do not dare look down on us.
Gyo Cheon’s eyes twitched. He couldn't very well ask, "Is the Cult Leader more important than your Master?" because he had already proudly declared that he had expelled the man.
Then, Geom Wu-jin spoke.
“It is fine.”
It wasn't because Gyo Cheon was a man destined to die. Geom Wu-jin had a different reason for his indifference.
“On this journey, I have stepped down from the Grand Tutor’s Chair. There is no need to cling to status.”
In the past, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would have wondered what on earth that meant, but now he understood immediately. He knew Geom Mu-geuk had said those very words to the Cult Leader. It was a very Geom Mu-geuk-like sentiment.
Geom Wu-jin looked up at Gyo Cheon once more and remarked, “So, this is what it feels like to look up at someone.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon chuckled. He never thought he would hear the stoic Cult Leader crack a joke in his entire life.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon then turned to Gyo Cheon. “Weren't you planning to draw the Cult Leader into your scheme as well? Now, show us what you have prepared.”
Gyo Cheon sneered mockingly.
“Just a moment ago, you were hiding like a coward behind that pathetic blade, unable to even show your face. Now you find your courage?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon smiled, accepting the provocation.
“Because the one person the Demon Lords can truly rely on has arrived.”
A faint, ghost of a smile played on Geom Wu-jin’s lips as well.
The atmosphere had relaxed slightly with the Cult Leader’s appearance, but the Blood Heaven Blade Demon remained vigilant. His master would surely have a hidden trump card.
However, he did not send a voice transmission to warn the Cult Leader.
The Cult Leader was not a perfect man; he could make mistakes and poor judgments. That was why the Chief Strategist existed, and why the Demon Lords served him.
However, there was one exceptional moment when the Cult Leader became absolute. In such a moment, there was no need for counsel. The Cult Leader knew best.
It was the moment of killing and being killed.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon believed that in the heart of the battlefield, the Cult Leader became perfect.
And where they stood now was a battlefield.
Gyo Cheon had not yet realized the true extent of Geom Wu-jin’s growth. Normally, he should have felt an overwhelming, crushing presence like that of the former Cult Leader. But Geom Wu-jin’s aura was impossibly difficult to read. That meant only one thing.
He is stronger than I anticipated.
Gyo Cheon had conducted extensive investigations into the Cult Leader and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. He had spent a fortune in time and gold to uncover the depths of their martial arts.
However, seeing them in person defied all his research. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was stronger than he thought—and Geom Wu-jin was an enigma.
How did they become this powerful?
He knew the Young Cult Leader had brought a new era to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but he couldn't believe that alone had pushed them to such heights.
Finally, Geom Wu-jin spoke his first words to Gyo Cheon.
“Will you step forward yourself?”
He didn't ask how he had survived, nor did he engage in any pleasantries.
Gyo Cheon’s expression hardened instantly. The first thing the boy asked was whether he would fight personally?
“You insult me.”
Gyo Cheon spat the words with displeasure, but Geom Wu-jin said no more.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon understood the Cult Leader’s heart.
In the past, this man had tried to kill Geom Wu-jin by backing the First Young Master. Now, he had orchestrated the annihilation of clans, dragging the reputation of the Cult through the mud.
The Cult Leader was furious. The only reason he hadn't struck him down immediately was likely out of respect for the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. Because Gyo Cheon had been his master. He was giving his subordinate a chance to settle his lingering grudges.
“You are as arrogant now as you were in your youth,” Gyo Cheon hissed.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon could see that his master’s memories were distorted once again. The way the Cult Leader looked at him now was worlds apart from how he had looked at him as a boy. Time and bitterness had consumed his master.
“Fine. I shall grant your wish.”
Gyo Cheon clapped his hands.
The door opened, and an old man walked in. Though his face was aged, his body was sturdy and his back was straight as a spear. He possessed a well-defined, muscular physique that, from the neck down, could pass for a man in his twenties.
Geom Wu-jin and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon did not recognize him, but that was to be expected.
The Black Emperor.
He wasn't even a master of the previous generation; he was a legend from two generations ago within the Unorthodox Faction. He was a figure who had gained infamy across the Murim for his cruelty and peerless martial arts. In his prime, he was hailed as the Greatest Master of the Unorthodox Path.
He had been named a Public Enemy of the Murim for his countless slaughters, yet no one had ever been able to claim his head. Since he was well over a hundred years old, the world assumed he was dead. Yet here he stood.
From the same door, another figure emerged.
It was a young woman wearing heavy, striking makeup. Her red lips were as seductive as a siren's.
The Giryeon Demoness.
Despite her youthful appearance, she was also a master from two generations ago, a contemporary of the Black Emperor.
She was known by another title: The Queen of Succubi.
For over a century, she had drained the essence and internal energy of countless men, reaching a point where she was considered a monster rather than a mere temptress. What set her apart was her discipline; she didn't absorb energy merely to maintain her beauty, but to reach the pinnacle of power. The result was her standing as an equal to the Black Emperor.
Her martial arts were so formidable that even the Black Emperor treated her with wary respect.
Gyo Cheon spoke with pride. “These are seniors even to me.”
Even though the two old masters knew their opponent was the Demonic Cult Leader, they showed no fear. They weren't careless, either; they watched Geom Wu-jin with deep, calculating eyes. They knew the weight the name "Heavenly Demon" carried.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked at Geom Wu-jin. The Cult Leader observed the two with an expressionless face, his thoughts a total mystery.
He’ll probably tell them both to attack at once, won't he?
Knowing the Cult Leader’s personality, that was the most likely outcome.
However, while the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s guess was close, it wasn't quite right.
Geom Wu-jin raised a hand toward the side. No palm force seemed to leave his hand.
Suddenly, a sound like a low, vibrating hum erupted from the wall.
Voom!
Immediately after, the entire wall where the door was located crumbled into dust.
It didn't shatter or explode into fragments. Incredibly, the stone simply turned to powder and collapsed where it stood.
As a cloud of dust billowed upward, the space behind the wall was revealed.
There were people waiting there. They were sitting in various spots, as if waiting for their turn to enter. The sight was bizarre and chilling.
Terrifying light emanated from eyes within the dust. That gaze alone told the story: they possessed auras no less formidable than the Black Emperor or the Giryeon Demoness.
One could tell just by looking at the first man to step forward.
The Mad Heaven Killer.
The insane master who had slaughtered a thousand experts—the god of slaughter, the legendary butcher of the previous generation.
The Mad Heaven Killer stared at them, radiating a cold, suffocating killing intent.
And he wasn't alone. The eyes gleaming behind him belonged to those who were in no way inferior to him. There were about ten of them in total. Some were familiar faces from history; others were unknown shadows.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon realized the truth. These were the fruits of his master’s single-minded pursuit of revenge over the past decades.
The pressure they emitted filled the room. These were the masters of the previous generation and the one before it.
Gyo Cheon stared at Geom Wu-jin, his expression asking what kind of madness this was. It was a situation where even facing two of them was enough to make a man pray for a miracle.
Yet Geom Wu-jin had summoned them all to the battlefield at once. He had sensed every aura hidden behind that door. His reason for destroying the wall was clear.
Demonic energy began to rise from Geom Wu-jin’s body, flickering around him like dark, ethereal flames.
“All of you,” he said, his voice cold and absolute. “Come at once.”