Chapter 648: You’ll Likely Live to a Hundred
Chapter 648: You’ll Likely Live to a Hundred
Silence fell over the chamber where so many words had just been exchanged.
As the auras of Ma Yeom-gun and the White Bone Soul Demon shifted, the very air in the room transformed. A suffocating pressure—the weight of a hundred, no, a hundred and fifty years of life—began to dominate the space.
Now that they were revealing their true power in anticipation of a life-or-death struggle, they were no longer the senile phantoms who had been rattled by Geom Mu-geuk’s words.
So Jeong-rak, pressed against the wall behind Geom Mu-geuk, felt a surge of primal terror for the first time.
‘These are monsters who wouldn’t die even if they were injected with the deadliest toxins.’
He felt as if he were facing beasts that would only draw their last breath after a blood-soaked rampage, turning everything around them into a crimson sea. It was precisely because they were such beings that the organization had recruited them.
So Jeong-rak’s gaze shifted to Geom Mu-geuk’s back.
‘Do you really think you can defeat them?’
From his position, he couldn’t see Geom Mu-geuk’s expression. Fear should have been the only natural reaction, yet the sight of Mu-geuk’s back, with the Black Demonic Sword hanging loosely at his side, remained unfathomably composed.
Ma Yeom-gun was the first to speak.
“Young Cult Leader. I see where your confidence lies.”
Blood-red killing intent wavered around his body. The internal energy surging from his dantian heated his entire frame like molten lava.
“The Nine Calamities Demonic Art. It truly is a terrifying martial art.”
He did not underestimate the technique.
“So you are aware that I have inherited that very art?” Mu-geuk asked.
Naturally, the old demons knew. However, they also held a certain conviction.
“No matter how great the Nine Calamities Demonic Art is, the achievements of a mere twenty-year-old can never defeat us.”
Geom Mu-geuk understood.
That was the very reason they believed they could kill him. Where did that certainty come from? Ah, it had to be that.
The weight of time.
The greatest strength they possessed.
Ma Yeom-gun was a hundred years old, and the White Bone Soul Demon had reached the age of a hundred and fifty. To them, a twenty-something seemed trivial. Their own youth was likely a past so distant they could no longer recall it.
Time was their greatest strength—and simultaneously, their greatest weakness.
“I’m sure you two spent your youth slaughtering your elders quite effectively,” Mu-geuk remarked. “Though, I suppose you’ve forgotten all about that.”
At those words, the White Bone Soul Demon’s eyes turned pitch black, and a dark essence began to seep from his body.
“Do not worry. I haven’t forgotten how to kill.”
Sssssssss.
A black mist emerged. Like a swarm of serpents, the dark shroud surged toward Geom Mu-geuk.
It was the Death Spirit Black Mist, one of the signature techniques of his unique martial art, the Soul Return Ghost Spirit Art.
Exposure to the Death Spirit Black Mist blocked one's vital energy and clouded the mind. Even a master at the peak of their strength would find their power halved within this dark veil. It was a demonic art that exerted its greatest lethality in a cramped, enclosed space like this underground secret room.
Ma Yeom-gun was certain of victory.
“I understand being full of yourself, but to act so relaxed in front of us...”
On the other hand, the White Bone Soul Demon unfolded his technique with extreme caution. Geom Mu-geuk’s indifferent gaze still lingered in his mind—like a brand that would never disappear until the boy became a corpse.
Ssssssssss!
It seemed impossible for a human to evade the encroaching mist, but in the next moment, the eyes of both Ma Yeom-gun and the White Bone Soul Demon widened.
The black mist could not pass beyond where Geom Mu-geuk stood.
An invisible wall blocked the path between them. The mist hovered in front of Geom Mu-geuk for a long time before slowly drifting upward. It tried to flow along the ceiling, but that path was blocked as well.
Sss-sss-sss-sss.
The black mist writhed like a decapitated snake, but it could find no way to reach Geom Mu-geuk.
Swish!
Ma Yeom-gun, watching the stalemate, threw a palm strike.
Boom!
The impact scattered the black mist, only for it to reform instantly. However, even his palm strike failed to dispel the wall blocking the way. Eventually, the Death Spirit Black Mist flowed back to the White Bone Soul Demon and was reabsorbed into his body.
Ma Yeom-gun took a cautious step forward. He walked until he reached the point where the mist had been halted. Indeed, there was a transparent wall there.
“Is this the Nine Calamities Demonic Art?”
“It is.”
Nine Calamities Demonic Art, Third Form: Great Demonic Wall.
The transparent barrier was the Great Demonic Wall. It was impressive enough that he had deployed it without his opponents noticing, but it was even more startling that the wall perfectly sealed off the entire front without a single gap.
Unless one had reached the Nine-Star stage, they could never have manifested it with such absolute precision.
Geom Mu-geuk asked Ma Yeom-gun, who stood on the other side of the wall.
“Have you ever seen the Nine Calamities Demonic Art before?”
“Never.”
“I thought as much.”
Ma Yeom-gun spoke coldly. “You are arrogant.”
“It’s called confidence. This is the martial art that has allowed the Cult to maintain order, even while commanding rough characters like yourselves.”
Despite seeing the Great Demonic Wall before his eyes, Ma Yeom-gun’s momentum did not falter. He raised his hand.
“I’ve always wanted to burn the Nine Calamities Demonic Art to ash with these hands.”
Vroooooom.
Ma Yeom-gun’s hand ignited with a crimson glow. He pressed that burning palm against the Great Demonic Wall.
Sizzle.
It was right in front of Geom Mu-geuk’s face. He was signaling his intent to burn through this wall and melt the boy’s face along with it.
Geom Mu-geuk looked at the glowing red palm through the wall and remarked, “Looking at your palm lines, Senior, your lifeline is quite long. I’d say you’ll likely live to a hundred.”
Ma Yeom-gun snorted and pushed his internal energy even further. His hand turned an even deeper shade of crimson.
Sizzle.
Smoke rose along with the intense heat.
How much time had passed?
Ma Yeom-gun flinched and pulled his hand away from the Great Demonic Wall. He looked down at his hand. His palm was torn, and blood was trickling down.
The wall made of Gang Qi had not been breached; instead, it had wounded his own palm.
At the sight of blood, a flicker of excitement crossed Ma Yeom-gun’s eyes. He immediately unleashed a double palm strike. If he couldn't melt it, he would smash it.
Boom! Bang!
Powerful shocks were delivered, but the Great Demonic Wall didn't budge. His blood smeared against the transparent barrier. But he did not stop his assault.
Crash! Boom!
His twin hands continued to batter the space in front of Geom Mu-geuk’s face. Each strike was imbued with the singular will to kill. On the surface, it looked like he was attacking haphazardly out of rage, but he had a plan.
To maintain a Great Demonic Wall while enduring such heavy impacts would require a massive amount of internal energy.
‘You dare to engage me in a contest of internal energy?’
Ma Yeom-gun struck the wall again, pushing his energy to the limit.
‘It’s just youthful blood and arrogance.’
This moment might look impressive, but if he consumed his energy like this, he wouldn't last long before being completely drained. Furthermore, the wall was blocking the entire front—it was no small feat to maintain.
“I shall watch in your stead as your father stains the Murim in blood!” Ma Yeom-gun provoked him. His intention was to wound Mu-geuk's pride and force him to keep up the energy duel until the end.
When Geom Mu-geuk feigned a yawn from behind the wall, Ma Yeom-gun inwardly cheered.
‘He fell for it!’
A faint smile also touched the lips of the White Bone Soul Demon, who was watching. He believed that Geom Mu-geuk’s choice to block the attacks with the Great Demonic Wall was a fatal mistake. He should have opted for a chaotic melee from the start.
‘I won’t even need to step in.’
Boom! Bang! Crash!
Clutching the leather pouch of herbs to his chest, So Jeong-rak rooted for Ma Yeom-gun.
‘Break it! Please, just break it!’
Bang! Boom!
Now, the only sound in the room was the twin palms battering the Great Demonic Wall.
‘He’s still holding on?’
As time passed, Ma Yeom-gun’s heart filled with disbelief. Beyond the wall, Geom Mu-geuk looked far too serene.
‘How can this be?’
Just then, the White Bone Soul Demon’s voice came from behind. “That’s enough. Come back.”
Boom! Bang! Crash!
Only after a few more spiteful strikes did Ma Yeom-gun stop his attack. His hands, which had been burning red, returned to their original color.
Geom Mu-geuk was staring at him with indifferent eyes. It would have felt better if the boy had mocked or ignored him. But that indifferent gaze made him feel one specific thing.
Though he had been the one pounding on the wall the entire time... in this moment, Ma Yeom-gun felt a real wall.
The White Bone Soul Demon spoke softly. “The Young Cult Leader is stronger than we anticipated.”
He immediately unleashed his most powerful technique.
Grrrk. Creak.
Following the mist flowing across the floor, the ground shook, and something began to rise from the earth.
To everyone's shock, they were skeletons. And not just any bones. They were the essence of the Soul Return Ghost Spirit Art, with black energy flickering in their eye sockets: Death Spirit’s Return Path.
Though it was an illusion, the skeletons physically existed before their eyes. The demonic energy emanating from the skeletons was so foul that even Ma Yeom-gun took another step back.
A single one of these creatures was a demonic beast capable of slaughtering most masters, yet he had now summoned every single one he could.
“These are the White Bone Ghosts. They are impervious to blades, and if you inhale even a handful of the demonic energy they emit, your meridians will twist and rupture.”
What was even more terrifying was that even if these things were smashed to pieces, the bones would reassemble and they would rise again. Unless the White Bone Soul Demon died or his internal energy was exhausted, the nightmare would not end.
The White Bone Soul Demon had truly played his strongest card immediately.
However, Geom Mu-geuk wasn't frightened at all. Instead, he spoke to them calmly.
“I understand you. Resenting only the Forbidden Demonic Order without thinking of the sins you’ve committed... I suppose that’s possible. That’s just the kind of people you are.”
Watching from behind, So Jeong-rak inwardly rejoiced.
‘You’re dead now!’
He thought Geom Mu-geuk, realizing he was at a disadvantage, had started wagging his tongue again to survive. But it wouldn't work this time. Those terrifying White Bone Ghosts weren't things that could be killed with a silver tongue.
Geom Mu-geuk continued.
“I understand that you don't care if a Great Demonic-Orthodox War breaks out as long as you can break your seals. Because that’s the kind of people you are. I understand you trying to kill me out of rage. I even understand your desire to overcome the Nine Calamities Demonic Art. Seniors, I understand it all.”
After speaking like a broad-minded man who understood everything, Geom Mu-geuk’s aura began to shift.
“So, please understand me for doing this, too.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the Great Demonic Wall vanished. Simultaneously, something else manifested in its place.
Sssssssssss!
A line of figures appeared in front of Geom Mu-geuk. Larger and far more terrifying, they were the evil ghosts of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art. The ghosts filled the space from wall to wall without leaving the slightest gap.
Nine Calamities Demonic Art, Second Form: Great Annihilation Form.
Everyone present was horrified. This wasn't the Nine Calamities Demonic Art they had imagined. They hadn't known such terrifying evil spirits could be manifested.
So Jeong-rak’s eyes widened. At first, the room had suddenly darkened as a massive wall appeared. But it wasn't a wall. One of the figures in the line slowly turned its head to look at him.
The moment he saw that evil ghost, So Jeong-rak’s entire body froze. It was the most terrifying face he had ever seen. It was incomparably scarier than the skeletons that had risen earlier. Those fearsome White Bone Ghosts now looked pathetic in comparison.
Geom Mu-geuk’s authoritative voice rang out like thunder through the chamber.
“Ma Yeom-gun and the White Bone Soul Demon. Not only did you violate the Forbidden Demonic Order, the supreme law of this Cult, but you also plotted a Great Demonic-Orthodox War. For these crimes, I sentence you to summary execution on this spot.”
The moment the death sentence was pronounced, the evil ghosts were merciless.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The ghosts surged forward, sweeping away everything in their path. The White Bone Ghosts blocking the way thrust their swords.
Crunch! Snap! Crackle!
The White Bone Ghosts, which could withstand even Sword Gang, were smashed into fragments and scattered. Before they could even begin to reassemble, the evil ghosts had already swarmed the White Bone Soul Demon.
The White Bone Soul Demon pushed his Body Protection Qi to its absolute limit.
‘I have to hold!’
But as he saw the terrifying spirits surging toward him, his body froze. He was like an old wolf trembling before a lion’s roar.
Crack!
The moment his Body Protection Qi shattered, the impact slammed into his entire body. In that final moment, he recalled the scene he had seen through his Dark Mind’s Eye—the image of himself looking up at Geom Mu-geuk from inside a pit. Indeed, what he had seen then was not Geom Mu-geuk, but his own fate.
Thud, thud, thud!
His body was torn apart and scattered. The White Bone Ghosts that were trying to rise again collapsed instantly, turning into smoke and vanishing.
Ma Yeom-gun was also giving his all. His Flaming Fire Palm, imbued with every ounce of his internal energy, carried a heat as intense as lava.
BOOM!
The moment his twin palms collided with the surging evil ghost, the glowing red handprints, which had pierced and incinerated every opponent until now, could not penetrate the ghost’s body. His hands cooled instantly, as if red-hot iron had been plunged into cold water.
The last thing he remembered was a moment long ago, when he had been told that no demonic art could ever defeat the Nine Calamities Demonic Art. In his youthful passion, he had inwardly denied it.
What’s so special about the Nine Calamities Demonic Art? One day, I’ll tear it apart with these hands!
Splat!
Ma Yeom-gun’s entire body was crushed and exploded.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The evil ghosts only vanished after they had pushed all the way to the far end of the secret room. When the dust settled, nothing remained. Not a corpse, not even a single root of a poisonous herb. Only the pools of blood soaking the floor testified to the fact that the White Bone Soul Demon and Ma Yeom-gun had ever existed.
In that empty space, only Geom Mu-geuk stood with his back turned.
‘It’s become stronger!’
The Nine Calamities Demonic Art was incomparably more powerful than it had been at the Eight-Star stage. Now that the Nine-Star Nine Calamities Demonic Art had been unleashed in actual combat, Geom Mu-geuk was overcome with a fierce desire to reach the stage of Great Achievement.
Watching that back, So Jeong-rak’s legs gave out, and he slumped to the floor.
Thud.
He truly never imagined that Ma Yeom-gun and the White Bone Soul Demon would be swept away and vanish without a trace in a single move.
‘They weren't even worth a single strike?’
His body trembled uncontrollably.
‘...So this is the martial art of the Heavenly Demon!’
Now he understood why Geom Mu-geuk had measured the width of this space with his footsteps when they first entered. He had been calculating how many of those evil ghosts he needed to summon.
‘He had already decided to kill them like this from that moment!’
Geom Mu-geuk walked back and sat down beside the terror-stricken So Jeong-rak.
So Jeong-rak looked at Geom Mu-geuk with trembling eyes. Even after tearing the two old demons to pieces, Mu-geuk's gaze didn't waver. That cold, heartless look felt so alien. He wondered if this was the same talkative Young Cult Leader from before. It felt like a nightmare.
Now, So Jeong-rak’s last hope was this: that Geom Mu-geuk was not actually immune to all poisons, but had simply taken an antidote provided by the Poison King beforehand.
So Jeong-rak attempted to administer an extreme poison one last time. This was the only way left. He prayed that the Poison King hadn't anticipated this!
Right then, Geom Mu-geuk reached out, plucked a poisonous herb poking out of the leather pouch So Jeong-rak was clutching, and began to chew on it as if it were a common snack.
So Jeong-rak, giving up on the poisoning, squeezed his eyes shut.
Because the poisonous herb Geom Mu-geuk was currently eating with such relish was the Heavenly Yin Ten-Thousand-Poison Herb, a plant that caused instant death the moment it touched the tongue.
He wished all of this were a dream, but Geom Mu-geuk’s vivid voice reached his ears.
“So Jeong-rak, let’s have a talk.”