Chapter 64: Come When Called, Go When Told
Chapter 64: Come When Called, Go When Told
After the Pungcheon Cult Leader departed, I attempted the Space-Time Displacement Technique for the first time. I was curious to see how quickly I could manifest a space of my own.
Since I had no intention of spending decades honing this single martial art, I could only hope that my first attempt at creation would be as swift as possible.
Fortunately, having listened to the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s explanation of the oral formulas, I had already grasped the profound principles of the technique. I circulated my true qi and executed the formulas as skillfully as someone who had practiced the art for a lifetime.
How much time had passed?
A clear, resonant chime echoed in my ears, and suddenly, I was standing in a new space.
It was a success!
It had taken exactly two sijin. He had mentioned that even the most talented individuals took several days, meaning I had created a new space in an incomparably shorter amount of time.
I was certain of it. Even my father wouldn't have been able to manifest a space this quickly.
Two sijin.
The day would surely come when I could whittle this time down further and further, eventually using the technique as freely as the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord or the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
Learning a new martial art always brought a sense of excitement, but the thrill provided by the Space-Time Displacement Technique was of an entirely different nature.
I walked slowly, inspecting the area. This first space I had created was empty.
Just as the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord had created a cliff and the Pungcheon Cult Leader had fashioned a wasteland, I, too, would eventually be able to create whatever environment I desired.
But even now, it wasn't bad.
Perhaps it was because it was a space completely severed from the world, where I could exist entirely alone. Surprisingly, I felt a sense of comfort in this empty void that I had never experienced before.
A place where I could step away from the responsibilities I carried, the constant effort, the succession struggle, Hwa Mu-gi, human relationships, and everything else in the world—a place to have time to myself without a single thought. I liked it for that reason. I finally had a space of my own.
Unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy this freedom for long. Perhaps because it was my first time, the consumption of internal energy was immense.
As my mastery of the technique improved, the required energy would decrease, but at my current level, my internal energy was draining away like water poured into a bottomless pot.
Dissolving the space was easy. As I recited the formula, the same cheerful chime rang out, and the space slowly began to vanish.
Returning to the real world, I sat down and began to circulate my qi.
To earn that brief moment of freedom, I had to replenish my internal energy through my mental method and invest two sijin of time, but I did not hesitate.
Once my energy was restored, I performed the Space-Time Displacement Technique again. It took nearly two sijin once more, but it felt slightly faster than the first time. Yes, keep shrinking. Eventually, I would be able to create this space in an instant.
I continued to manifest the space, dissolve it, and manifest it again.
Until dawn broke, I was completely absorbed in creating my personal sanctuary. The time it took to create was decreasing by the smallest of margins.
Heavens! To think such a fascinating martial art existed! This was my honest sentiment.
*
While Geom Mu-geuk was preoccupied with the Space-Time Displacement Technique, the Pungcheon Cult Leader and the Demon Buddha were creating a rather heavy atmosphere.
The Demon Buddha had paid an unannounced late-night visit to the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s quarters.
Before sitting at the tea table, the Demon Buddha trotted over to stand before the shackled man. Because the Demon Buddha was short, his eyes were nearly level with the seated man.
The shackled man’s head was bowed, his face hidden.
The Demon Buddha leaned over, trying to catch a glimpse of the man's features, but the long, matted hair cascading down made it impossible.
The Demon Buddha hesitated, his small hands twitching as he debated whether or not to lift the man's hair.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader watched this with a look of displeasure. He didn't appreciate the Demon Buddha treating the shackled man like a sideshow attraction.
However, he didn't tell him to stop disrespecting his subordinate. If he did, the Demon Buddha would surely snap back with something like, "Who was the one who shackled him and stopped treating him like a human in the first place?"
Suddenly, the Demon Buddha turned around and asked abruptly, "I heard you met the Second Young Master."
A yellow, probing gaze flew toward him, but the Pungcheon Cult Leader remained unfazed.
"He might become the Cult Leader one day, so I had to meet him."
"The First Young Master will be the Cult Leader."
Even without such a blunt answer, the Pungcheon Cult Leader already knew. He knew the Demon Buddha was actively supporting the First Young Master. If the Second Young Master had the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, the First Young Master had the Demon Buddha.
"The way things are going, that might not necessarily be the case."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Hasn't the Second Young Master risen to the position of Huangquan Pavilion Master? To anyone's eyes, it looks like the Heavenly Demon is training his successor."
"Ho-ho, my friend. You've stayed in the Outer Regions too long; your insight has dulled."
The Demon Buddha insulted his counterpart's intuition—a comment he didn't need to make—before continuing.
"I see it the opposite way. Since the First Young Master is intended to be the successor, the Heavenly Demon gave the Second Young Master a different position. A way of saying, 'Be satisfied with this.'"
"That is a possibility. It's a shame I have to return from my rare trip to the Central Plains without seeing the First Young Master."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader never revealed his true thoughts to the Demon Buddha.
"Why do you support the First Young Master?"
"Because he will be the successor. Why ask such an obvious question?"
"And what makes you so certain?"
"It's just my intuition."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader knew better. The Demon Buddha was not a man who decided such weighty matters based on mere intuition. He simply didn't want to share anything related to the First Young Master.
And this is why we can never truly be friends.
But the feeling was mutual. He had no intention of sharing anything important regarding the Second Young Master either.
"Listen here, Cult Leader."
"What is it?"
"Don't think of doing anything useless. There are many eyes on this side watching you."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Why haven't you left yet?"
"Are you telling me to piss off now that my business is done?"
"I didn't mean it like that."
Though the content of their words was sharp, their tones remained soft and calm.
"Then leave it be. I'm enjoying my rare trip to the Central Plains. Why? Do you need to collect rent?"
"When you visit someone else's house, you should stay quiet and then leave. You shouldn't go shitting in the master bedroom, should you?"
"Haha. It seems some other bastard's dog left a mess and you're mistaking it for mine."
"I'm giving you advice as a friend. Don't cause unnecessary trouble and just go back to the Pungcheon Cult."
To be honest, the Pungcheon Cult Leader was inwardly flustered. He hadn't expected the Demon Buddha to come and tell him to leave so bluntly. Regardless of their true feelings, they had always maintained a facade of polite friendship.
"Am I the kind of being who comes when called and goes when told?"
His tone was still calm, but the meaning behind his words was as sharp as a cold blade.
"Were you not?"
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s expression hardened, and the surrounding air turned cold in an instant.
At that, the Demon Buddha broke into a wide grin.
"It's a joke, a joke! My goodness, getting all serious over a little prank. You really have lost your edge staying in the Outer Regions. Stay and play as much as you like. Let's play here together for the rest of our lives. Hahaha!"
As if he had never been angry, the Pungcheon Cult Leader laughed along.
"I suppose so. I've breathed in the desolate desert winds for so long that even my personality has become desolate. That's just how the Outer Regions are."
"I'll buy you a drink at a place with a good atmosphere. A place with beauties who can melt away our Cult Leader's desolation like snow."
"Is it alright for a monk to frequent such places? Won't your Buddha scold you?"
"The Buddha I serve sometimes manifests as a Buddha of Carnal Desires."
"Splendid."
The two men laughed as they faced each other.
"Well then, let's set a date soon!"
"Very well."
The Demon Buddha left the room with a boisterous laugh.
Once he was gone, the smile vanished from the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s face. He turned to the shackled man.
"What do you think?"
"He's anxious. It seems he's noticed that you're trying to join hands with the Second Young Master."
"Is that something to be so anxious about?"
"It means he's wary of the Second Young Master to that extent. He's seeing things clearly."
"What should I do now?"
"Think for yourself. Don't make a habit of constantly asking me."
"The survival of myself and my cult is at stake right now. Don't play hard to get."
The man turned toward him, his shackles rattling.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader looked reluctant, but he eventually opened a new space.
Looking out at the green fields, the man’s face brightened as if he were about to fly.
As the Pungcheon Cult Leader used the key around his neck to unlock the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron shackles, he asked, "Why do you like this place so much?"
For a fleeting moment, a certain tenderness flickered in the man's eyes. But the emotion vanished so quickly that the Pungcheon Cult Leader, who was bent over unlocking the shackles, didn't see it.
"Try being tied up in shackles all day yourself, Cult Leader. Let's swap roles for just one day."
"I'll pass."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader gave the man a moment to enjoy his freedom.
The man's emotions were particularly calm today. Perhaps that was why he offered the necessary advice immediately while staring at the fields.
"The Demon Buddha will do whatever it takes to make you go back. He'll likely use his own Cult Leader to do it."
But the Pungcheon Cult Leader had no intention of returning quietly. He was determined to use this opportunity to establish a bridgehead for his advance into the Central Plains.
"What do I do?"
"Go to the Second Young Master and ask him for a way to stay here. He will surely give you an answer."
"Is it a method you already know as well?"
"Even if I know it, you must receive it as a gift from the Second Young Master."
"I don't understand. Why must I cling to the Second Young Master like this?"
"Then who else are you going to cling to?"
The Pungcheon Cult Leader was momentarily speechless. The Heavenly Demon disliked him, and the First Young Master was supported by the Demon Buddha and the other Demon Lords.
Only the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had officially joined hands with the Second Young Master; the other Demon Lords were either neutral or believed the First Young Master would be the successor. He was in a position where he truly had nowhere else to turn.
"If you don't want to cling to him, then crawl back to the Outer Regions and come when you're called and go when you're told. You'll be able to live a long, comfortable life that way."
If the man had said it with insults, the Cult Leader might have been less angry, but the polite delivery made him even more furious.
"Don't try to provoke my pride with such words!"
But the man did not care for the Cult Leader’s feelings.
"The way to win this fight is simple. Choose well and trust until the end. Simple, right? It's so simple that it's actually difficult to put into practice. Losers never realize it until the end—that victory depended on whether or not they followed these simple principles."
"Enough with the nagging! Enough with the lectures!"
"If you can't follow this principle, then we should go back, just as the Demon Buddha said."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader, who was about to explode and tell him to shut up, calmed himself.
The man was several times more irritating than the Demon Buddha, but everything he said was correct. So, instead of getting angry, the Pungcheon Cult Leader revealed his inner thoughts.
"I just don't want to keep giving things to the Second Young Master. Honestly, it's a waste. It's such a waste. I'm still regretting giving him the Space-Time Displacement Technique. I couldn't sleep a wink last night because I kept thinking I shouldn't have given it to him."
No one would ever know that the Supreme Master of the Outer Regions had such a personality. Or that he lived his life listening to such rebukes.
"It's because you're narrow-minded and greedy."
When he heard things like this, the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s anger would reach the top of his head, but at the same time, he felt a strange sense of catharsis.
He had lived his life hiding his true nature better than anyone, yet there was one person who knew exactly who he was. It was a sense of kinship.
"But what can I do if I feel it's a waste? And yet you're telling me to give more?"
"If you've made your choice, you trust him. Give it to him. Give him everything."
"It's a waste! I don't want to give him a single thing!"
In any other situation, a string of curses would have erupted from the shackled man's mouth. But today, the man remained calm until the end.
"Then let's just go back, wipe the dust off your sacred relics, and spend our lives ringing bells. That's exactly what fits a man of your caliber."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader bit his lip hard.
"I'm going to break out of this. I'm doing this to shatter this soy-sauce-dish-sized heart of mine and break free! I will definitely establish the Pungcheon Cult's headquarters in the Central Plains. I will achieve with my own hands what my ancestors could not."
The shackled man didn't even bother to curse; he simply let out a sigh.
"...It probably won't happen."
After that, the Pungcheon Cult Leader remained silent, lost in thought for a long time. It was a day when he was terribly angry, yet the imaginary space lasted until his internal energy was completely depleted.