Chapter 630: This Fight Is Not Our Fight
Chapter 630: This Fight Is Not Our Fight
“Heaven’s End Recluse Hwa Yul-cheong was behind them.”
At Sama Myeong’s words, Geom Mu-geuk recalled a man he had long since forgotten.
The Murim Alliance Leader’s closest friend—the Heaven’s End Recluse.
In his life before the regression, Hwa Yul-cheong was someone who never stepped into the spotlight. Even during the era when the Twelve Zodiac Kings ruled the Murim, he had never shown himself to the world.
Mu-geuk had never heard any news of the Recluse after the Alliance Leader’s death. There were no rumors of him seeking revenge, nor any sightings of him anywhere. Come to think of it, he had simply vanished from the Murim.
In Geom Mu-geuk’s previous life, the man who was the Alliance Leader’s dearest friend had held no significance. He had completely forgotten the man’s existence until he heard that name today.
Furthermore, the single character emblazoned on that flag held a special meaning for Geom Mu-geuk alone.
Now that I think about it, this man’s surname was also Hwa.
As they stared at the flag together, Sama Myeong spoke with visible concern.
“There are more than a few Orthodox masters who follow Heaven’s End Recluse. If he truly is the mastermind behind this, this fight will not be easy.”
The worst-case scenario was clear: killing him before his villainy was exposed to the world.
It would appear as though the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had murdered the Alliance Leader’s closest friend and a respected elder of the Orthodox faction. If that happened, the Orthodox warriors would rise like a wildfire, and the flames would only be extinguished after countless lives had been reduced to ash.
Naturally, as the Chief Strategist, Sama Myeong knew of Heaven’s End Recluse well.
“He is a man who has shared a friendship with the Alliance Leader since their youth. I find it hard to believe such a man was recruited by those bastards.”
Sama Myeong even considered the possibility that the information was incorrect. It was simply that difficult to believe.
On the other hand, Geom Mu-geuk was suspicious of this man who had suddenly burst back into his life.
“Perhaps he wasn’t recruited at all.”
Sama Myeong immediately understood the implication. He wasn’t a recruit; he might be the architect of the conspiracy itself.
“Are you suggesting he approached the Alliance Leader intentionally from the very beginning?”
Sama Myeong couldn’t hide his shock. That would mean this conspiracy had been planned decades ago.
“We’ve already confirmed that the masterminds we’ve faced so far have been preparing for a very long time, haven’t we? Perhaps the starting point of those preparations was the seat right next to the Alliance Leader.”
Sama Myeong’s expression turned grave. If that were true, this fight was more than just 'not easy.'
Of all times, this happens while the Cult Leader is away!
The two men silently watched the bustling activity of the strategy room for a moment. Eventually, Sama Myeong broke the silence.
“Do you wish to go to Wuhan?”
Geom Mu-geuk hadn’t expected the day would come when he would say these words, but he answered firmly.
“Yes. I want to go to my brother.”
He wanted to rush there this very instant.
“Will you let me go?”
Though he understood Geom Mu-geuk’s heart, Sama Myeong refused sternly.
“I cannot. Instead, I will send more Demon Lords.”
Because the situation was so volatile, Sama Myeong felt he couldn't risk letting Geom Mu-geuk leave the headquarters.
Geom Mu-geuk understood the logic. However, separate from that understanding, a signal of fate had been delivered to him. This news had arrived on the very day his Nine Calamities Demonic Art reached the Ninth Star.
“There is a reason I must go.”
“And what is that reason?”
“I believe that even with only the Poison King and the Demon Buddha there, they can protect my brother.”
“Then why do you insist on going?”
Just as the reason for keeping him was clear, the reason for going was equally distinct.
“If Heaven’s End Recluse is the mastermind, he will undoubtedly try to move the Murim Alliance Leader. If the Leader moves, the Murim Alliance moves, and then the entire Orthodox Murim will follow.”
It might be a leap in logic, but Mu-geuk continued.
“I even suspect they might have lured us in with that very intention.”
After all, they had used a blacksmith from the Murim Alliance’s own workshop to create the Cult’s Forbidden Hidden Weapons.
“They will likely try to make things complicated.”
How could Sama Myeong not know? Geom Mu-geuk was the one person who could handle such a situation with the most flexibility. Furthermore, the Young Cult Leader shared a deep bond with the Murim Alliance Leader, Jin Pae-cheon.
Despite this, Sama Myeong could not easily make a decision. His gaze drifted toward the two flags on the strategic map.
Orthodox (正) and Hwa (華).
Around them lay over a dozen flags representing Orthodox masters. Though there were only a dozen now, the moment the Murim Alliance Leader raised his banner, dozens or even hundreds of flags across the Central Plains would gather to defend the Orthodox Murim.
He was already considering recalling the First Young Master; how could he send Geom Mu-geuk out as well?
As the two stood their ground, a new missive arrived from Wuhan.
“A missive from the First Young Master.”
The message was handed to Sama Myeong. After checking the contents, he looked at Geom Mu-geuk with a surprised expression.
“The First Young Master has requested reinforcements from the Demon Buddha.”
Since he didn't know the Poison King and the Demon Buddha were already in Wuhan, he had sent a request to the main headquarters for the Demon Buddha’s aid.
“You know my brother’s personality, don’t you?”
A man who would rather break than bend had asked for help, like a bamboo finally swaying in the wind. The brother of the past would have chosen death over asking for anyone’s assistance.
But his brother had changed. He had become someone who could suppress his own pride for the sake of the greater good. Mu-geuk had heard his brother called for Jin Ha-gun first; perhaps that, too, had stemmed from this change of heart.
“Given my brother’s nature, the fact that he requested support means he is certain that Heaven’s End Recluse is the mastermind. It also means the pressure he feels on the ground is that immense.”
After deep deliberation, Sama Myeong finally made his decision.
“Very well. You may go. But there is a condition.”
“What is it?”
“Take two more Demon Lords with you.”
It was a proposal born of Sama Myeong’s determination to ensure Geom Mu-geuk’s safety, even if tensions with the Orthodox faction reached a breaking point.
“My brother and I, plus four Demon Lords... We could practically start a Great Demonic-Orthodox War.”
Sama Myeong took Geom Mu-geuk’s joke with deadly seriousness.
“Even if a war breaks out, the Acting Cult Leader must return safely.”
A war could be managed, but Geom Mu-geuk’s death could not.
However, Geom Mu-geuk declined the offer.
“I will go alone.”
“Acting Cult Leader!”
“The people already there are enough to provoke the Murim Alliance. If more Demon Lords go, it will create problems we don't need to face.”
Sama Myeong had to admit he had no choice but to trust Geom Mu-geuk. As Mu-geuk said, the more Demon Lords he sent, the greater the risk of escalation. This was a task only Geom Mu-geuk could resolve.
“Then please, remember this one thing.”
Sama Myeong walked toward the strategic map.
“You are not going there to fight them. In my judgment, this battle must not become a contest of strength.”
Sama Myeong picked up the flag of Heaven’s End Recluse from the two flags standing side by side and moved it outside the Murim Alliance’s territory.
“This is why you are going.”
He meant that the Murim Alliance Leader must be made to see the truth.
“And the ones to eliminate those bastards must be the Murim Alliance itself.”
He was telling Mu-geuk not to let the Demonic Cult stand at the center of the conflict.
“You must persuade the Alliance Leader and the First Young Master to make it so. This fight is the Murim Alliance’s fight, not ours. This is especially true because the Leader and Hwa Yul-cheong are old friends.”
Geom Mu-geuk understood Sama Myeong’s concern. He feared that if things went wrong, the Demonic Cult would be framed for murdering the Alliance Leader’s friend. Long friendships could sometimes blind one’s eyes and make them turn away from painful truths.
“You will be there in person, but at the same time, you must remain as if you were still within the Heavenly Demon Library of this Cult.”
It was Sama Myeong’s plea for him to stay hidden and return safely.
After listening to everything, Geom Mu-geuk replied respectfully.
“I will act according to the Chief Strategist’s plan.”
Though one might expect his expression to soften, Sama Myeong did not relax his guard.
“I will deploy the Demon Army as far forward as possible and notify the Demon Lords not to leave the headquarters. If you need help, send word immediately.”
Geom Mu-geuk nodded obediently, though he believed it wouldn't come to that. If a situation arose where he had to ask for help despite being there himself, it would mean war had already broken out.
“I’m off.”
“Please, return safely.”
Even as he left, Geom Mu-geuk didn't forget to crack a joke.
“I’m definitely not leaving just because the Acting Cult Leader has too much work!”
As soon as Geom Mu-geuk stepped out, Sama Myeong turned to the subordinate strategist beside him.
“From this moment on, raise the Tongcheon Pavilion’s emergency level to the highest rank!”
*
It was past noon when Hanwolgaek, who had been unable to sleep for the past two days due to an unbearable itch, woke up in the infirmary.
He had been in such agony that only now did he realize he was in a physician’s clinic. The itching had been deathly, yet when he opened his eyes, it was completely gone. The hives that had covered his body had vanished as if they were a lie.
What on earth caused that?
Then, the words of the old fortune teller suddenly came to mind.
— You came to hunt a demon, but you have become possessed by one yourself.
That crazy old man. It was just a stomach upset from bad food.
He felt sorry toward the person who had summoned him to Wuhan. He had already broken his promise twice. He wasn't usually such an unreliable person.
Still, he couldn't exactly say he missed the meetings because of an upset stomach, and he certainly couldn't say it was because of an itch.
I’ll just have to make up for it by exterminating those Demonic Cult bastards.
That was the only way to redeem himself.
Hanwolgaek stood up and opened the door to leave. Someone was standing right in front of his room.
“Gah!”
Startled, Hanwolgaek recoiled. Few would dare to make a man of his caliber stumble back in fright, but Hanwolgaek stared at the figure with eyes full of terror.
It was only natural. The man standing before him was someone who had died a long time ago.
“...You?”
Hanwolgaek’s voice trembled. The man merely looked at him with a hollow, indifferent gaze.
“What kind of bastard is playing tricks on me?!”
Hanwolgaek roared and thrust out a palm strike.
Swoosh!
BOOM!
The wall of the hallway behind the figure shattered, but the man remained standing right there. Hanwolgaek saw it—his palm force had passed right through the figure. It was an illusion.
A ghost?
A ghost in broad daylight? It was hard to believe, but it was real. And he wasn't alone.
Shhh.
Another figure appeared behind the man—this time, a woman. Hanwolgaek knew her as well. She was the wife of the man standing before her. Her eyes were filled with resentment directed at Hanwolgaek.
Hanwolgaek groaned as he recalled the past.
After his family was killed by demonic practitioners, he had wandered the Jianghu like a madman, hunting them down. At the time, a man known as the Lust Ghost was committing atrocities. After months of pursuit, Hanwolgaek had finally tracked him down.
That day, the villain was in the middle of raping a woman.
Hanwolgaek thought he could easily kill a mere petty criminal, but the man was stronger than expected. At the very moment he finally managed to kill the bastard after a life-and-death struggle—
Someone had rushed into the room from behind.
Instinctively, Hanwolgaek swung his sword and cut down the person charging at him. A blood thread appeared on the man’s neck, and he collapsed, spraying blood.
The man was the woman’s husband.
Cutting someone down without identifying them first was an unthinkable mistake in hindsight, but that was how it had happened back then. He had fought dozens of exchanges in that cramped room, focusing all his nerves on ensuring the woman didn't die. He had that much skill, so why? Even now, he didn't know why he had done it.
He had never been able to forget that man’s face, nor the sight of the woman screaming at the scene, even after decades had passed.
Suddenly, Hanwolgaek felt nauseous and dizzy. At that moment, a blood thread appeared on the neck of the man standing at the door, and blood began to pour out.
Hanwolgaek unleashed his palm techniques like a madman.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Boom! Crash!
The surrounding walls crumbled under the continuous barrage of palm force. The fortune teller’s words echoed in his mind like a ringing bell.
— Leave the land of Wuhan quickly before you meet an even greater calamity.
The walls were destroyed. The collapsing ceiling was ground into dust. The figures of the ghosts were hidden by the rising soil. When the dust finally settled, Hanwolgaek stood blankly in the middle of the ruined room.
Instead of ghosts, he saw something else.
The clinic staff were staring at him with terrified faces. Among them was a young physician sitting on the ground by a collapsed wall, having fallen on his backside.
Hanwolgaek’s heart sank. In his fit of madness, he had almost killed the young man with his palm force.
Why had he done that back then? And why was he still making such mistakes now?
“Sigh.”
After a deep, heavy sigh, Hanwolgaek pulled out all the banknotes he had and placed them on the floor.
“I am sorry for destroying your building.”
Then, he staggered out of the clinic. He left Wuhan without looking back.
From atop a distant giant tree, two men watched him leave. They were the Poison King and the Demon Buddha.
“How on earth did you do that?”
“That man was poisoned with a toxin made from the Heart-Illusion Spirit Reishi mushroom.”
“What kind of hallucination did he see?”
“I don’t know. It’s different for everyone.”
What Hanwolgaek had seen was not a ghost, but the guilt he had buried deep in his heart for a lifetime.
The Demon Buddha looked at the Poison King with a new sense of wonder. He himself had fought a hard battle to send the Byeoksan Sword away, but the Poison King had sent this man packing without even lifting a finger in combat. Only the Poison King’s toxins could turn away the Hanwol Sword like this. Ah, there was one other thing—the Young Cult Leader’s silver tongue.
“Would you like to experience it? To see what kind of hallucinations you’d have?”
When the Poison King asked seriously, the Demon Buddha shook his head.
“I’ll pass. I doubt there’s anything pleasant inside me.”
Just then, Sangseon flew over and landed on the tree branch beside them.
“The First Young Master has contacted the main headquarters.”
It was news that surprised the Demon Buddha more than anyone.
“The First Young Master has requested the Demon Buddha’s assistance.”
The moment he heard those words, the Demon Buddha was stunned. It was truly unexpected. His usually calm eyes wavered.
The First Young Master had chosen him. Out of all the people, he had asked for his help.
Since he was once the Demon Lord closest to him, one might say it was only natural. But considering the disappointment he would have felt if someone else had been chosen, this joy was beyond words. Moreover, was he not already here in Wuhan for the Young Master’s sake?
The Demon Buddha tried his best to suppress the urge to rush over immediately, but he couldn't stop the faint, radiant glow that began to emanate from him.
“Tell him I am coming.”