Chapter 65: If You Refuse, You’ll Be Dragged to the Outer Regions
Chapter 65: If You Refuse, You’ll Be Dragged to the Outer Regions
After wrapping up business at the Ma Clan Village branch office, I stopped by the Pungryu Tavern.
As always, Jo Chun-bae greeted me warmly.
“Welcome, Pavilion Master.”
“I stopped by because I was feeling a bit peckish.”
“I’ll prepare your favorites right away, sir.”
Jo Chun-bae started toward the kitchen but suddenly paused to ask a question.
“Pavilion Master, may I ask you something?”
“Ask as much as you like.”
“A man of your status could visit much finer establishments. Why do you always come to our humble tavern?”
“You still haven’t figured that out?”
“Please, enlighten me.”
“The liquor is excellent, the food is delicious, the atmosphere is pleasant, and the owner knows exactly what I like without me having to say a word. Plus, the owner is quite handsome. Do I need more reasons than that?”
“That is more than enough. I shall prepare the meal with the utmost care.”
He hurried toward the kitchen with a bright smile and a light step.
He probably didn't realize how much I valued this place. This very village, the Ma Clan Village, was the foundation of the Demonic Path I intended to build.
Neither the Pungcheon Cult Leader, who was currently visiting, nor the Eight Demon Lords were as important as Jo Chun-bae and the residents here. The moment I forgot that, no matter how much I tried to dress it up, it would be hard to find any difference between me and the other Demon Lords.
A short while later, just as Jo Chun-bae was bringing out the food, a commotion broke out outside.
I walked to the window and looked down. A man was sprawled on the ground, and a brute of a man stood before him, fuming. It was obvious at a glance that the brute was heavily intoxicated.
“What are you glaring at, you brat?”
“I wasn’t glaring.”
“Yes, you were!”
The brute didn't hesitate to raise his hand.
“How dare this piece of trash lie to me!”
The man being beaten had been walking with his family. His wife stepped forward to stop the assault.
“Please, stop this!”
“Get lost! Where does a wench get off bringing me bad luck!”
The man showed no mercy just because she was a woman. He shoved her roughly, sending her tumbling to the ground. A child, about six or seven years old, rushed to her side.
“Mommy!”
Seeing both his father and mother being attacked, the child was terrified.
Despite the child's presence, the brute didn't stop. In fact, the child’s crying only seemed to irritate him further.
“Shut up, you little brat!”
Just as he raised his hand to strike the child—
Thwack!
The brute was sent flying backward.
The man who had been collapsed on the ground had suddenly sprung up and landed a solid blow on the brute.
The wife and child rushed to the man’s side. The woman looked at her husband in shock.
“How did you…?”
“I… I don’t know. My fist just moved on its own.”
The man who threw the punch looked just as bewildered.
“Let’s get out of here, quickly.”
“Right, let’s go.”
The family hurried away to escape the brute.
Only after they had left did the large man finally regain his senses and stagger to his feet.
“That bastard! Where did he go? I’ll find him and kill him—the bitch and the kid too! Does anyone know who that was? Speak up, now!”
He grabbed a bystander by the collar and began making a scene.
That was when a voice drifted down from the second floor.
“Is this really something worth going that far over?”
The brute looked up toward the source of the voice.
“Who’s the bastard that just spoke?”
It was me, waving my hand from the second-floor window.
The drunken man didn't recognize me. There were countless low-ranking martial artists who didn't know my face.
Jo Chun-bae, standing behind me, whispered that the man was a local thug who frequently caused trouble in the marketplace. Even without the warning, his behavior made his character clear. Several people in the crowd recognized me, yet none of them bothered to warn him.
“Just because your eyes met, was it really necessary to beat a father in front of his child?”
“Where does a green brat like you get off lecturing me? And hey, you bastard, I’m the one who got hit!”
Actually, that was my doing.
If I had stepped in directly to punish the man, the child would have lived the rest of his life remembering the sight of his parents being beaten.
So, I had used Telekinesis to move the man’s body as if I were moving an object, allowing him to land that punch. I wanted the child to remember his father as a brave man.
“You’re going to massacre a whole family because you got hit once? Is this really a situation that needs to escalate that far?”
“Come down here! You’re going to die in their place!”
“I was planning on coming down anyway.”
As I hopped down to the street, the brute took the opportunity to swing a fist at me.
I lightly dodged the incoming punch and grabbed his wrist, twisting it. Crrraaaack! In an instant, his arm was wrung like wet laundry.
“Aaaagh! It hurts! You bastard! You—!”
As he lunged at me like a madman, I didn't hesitate to grab his other arm and crush it as well.
“AAAAAAAGH!”
He screamed in agony. If he hadn't been so drunk, he would have fainted already, but the alcohol was keeping him conscious.
“See? This wasn't something that needed to go this far, was it? It wasn't worth hitting someone just because your eyes met, it wasn't worth killing a family because you got punched once, and it wasn't worth becoming a cripple just because you acted like a fool while drunk. So why on earth did you do it? All of this could have been avoided.”
Instead of begging for mercy, the man glared at me with murderous intent. A life spent hitting and tormenting others failed to produce even a single moment of wisdom, even at the very end. He would probably regret it later, blaming the alcohol.
“Die!”
When he lunged forward to headbutt me, I shattered his Dantian. Only then did he finally lose consciousness.
I ordered the patrolling Cult martial artists to transport the man to the Huangquan Pavilion. I intended to uncover every crime he had ever committed and lock him in the dungeon for the maximum possible sentence.
Despite the man's miserable state, the people who knew him had looks of immense satisfaction on their faces.
I addressed the crowd.
“There is no law anywhere in this Cult that says a Demonic Cultist is allowed to commit mindless evil. In the future, if any martial artist of our Cult acts like this…”
I pointed to the Huangquan Pavilion branch office across from the tavern.
“Report them there!”
Starting with Jo Chun-bae, everyone began to cheer and applaud. Without exaggeration, my popularity in the Ma Clan Village had surpassed even my father’s.
Jo Chun-bae approached me with a joyful expression.
“The meal is on me today, sir.”
Then, a voice spoke from behind.
“May I join you for a free meal as well?”
I turned around to find, surprisingly, the Pungcheon Cult Leader standing there.
I looked at Jo Chun-bae and said, “If you refuse, you’ll be dragged to the Outer Regions. After all, he is the Pungcheon Cult Leader.”
Jo Chun-bae’s eyes widened as if he were about to faint. He had served several high-profile guests recently because of me, but now even the Pungcheon Cult Leader had appeared as a customer.
I sat across from the Pungcheon Cult Leader at my usual spot on the second floor.
“Were you serious about what you said earlier? That a Demonic Cultist shouldn't take committing evil for granted?”
“Yes.”
“That doesn't sound like something that would come out of the mouth of the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
“I dislike being bound by stereotypes. This is how the younger generation is these days.”
“I suppose I really am old-fashioned, then.”
“Keep young people close to you. With an open mind. Thanks to that, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon has been looking much younger lately.”
“Is that so? Hahaha.”
I poured a drink for the laughing Pungcheon Cult Leader and spoke.
“It seems the rumors were wrong, however.”
“What rumors?”
“I heard that you never stray a single step from your Sacred Relics, yet I seem to run into you quite often outside.”
Between his visit last time and now, the Pungcheon Cult Leader was breaking his own rules.
“Perhaps it’s because I trust the Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult more than the Leader of the Pungcheon Cult?”
He meant he trusted my father. He said it like a joke, but he was likely serious. At the very least, he trusted that my father wouldn't stand by and let his Sacred Relics be stolen while he was within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s territory.
I smiled and picked up my chopsticks.
“Well then, please eat.”
I expected the food here might not suit the Pungcheon Cult Leader, who surely only ate the finest delicacies, but he cleared his plate. I realized he might be less formal than I thought.
“The taste is quite good.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
After the meal, we drank tea instead of liquor. He mentioned that he disliked drinking during a meal and always drank tea immediately afterward.
“Have you tried the Space-Time Displacement Technique?”
“Yes.”
“Don't take it to heart; everyone fails at first.”
He assumed I had failed to create the space. Since he had said the first attempt would take at least a few days, the fact that I was here now meant, in his mind, that I must have failed.
“I succeeded.”
“What?”
“The space was magnificent. I think I’m going to become quite absorbed in this martial art.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader was visibly startled.
“You’ve already manifested it?”
“Yes.”
“How long did it take you to manifest?”
“About two shijin.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader gasped, letting out a short, sharp breath of shock.
“Is that the truth?”
His expression was one of utter disbelief.
“It seems the technique suits my aptitude well.”
“To be honest, I find it hard to believe.”
“Why would I lie to you?”
“Unless you are a genius of martial arts, that’s… no, even for a genius, two shijin is impossible!”
I didn't push the point further and simply sipped my tea.
“Is it truly the truth?”
I nodded.
“Could you show me later?”
Normally, it would be rude to be so persistent and distrustful. However, since I understood his skepticism, I nodded readily.
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
As if his throat were parched from the shock, the Pungcheon Cult Leader downed his now-cooled tea in one gulp.
I waited for him to calm down before asking calmly, “So, why did you come to see me today?”
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“The Demon Buddha is trying to send me back to the Outer Regions.”
“And the reason?”
“Because of you.”
“Because of me?”
“He’s wary that you and I might join forces. So, I need you to create a justification for me to stay.”
I had a feeling that wasn't the only reason he had sought me out. How could he come to me without knowing whether I could even provide such a justification? This was an excuse to get closer to me. There was a way to confirm if that was the case.
“What will you give me in return?”
“You’re quite cold-hearted for someone I consider an acquaintance.”
“There isn't exactly a 'relationship' between us yet, is there? We’ve only had one transaction.”
I didn't give him an inch. I had to show a meticulous side to lead the deal in my favor. That was also why I told him I had mastered the Space-Time Displacement Technique in two shijin—to give him a reason to place absolute trust in me.
“What do you want?”
“May I choose one of the Sacred Relics you brought with you?”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s expression instantly hardened.
“Are you mad?”
I replied calmly, as if asking a question in return.
“Surely not as mad as a Cult Leader trying to advance into the Central Plains in the midst of this chaos following the death of a Demon Lord.”
*
I entered the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s residence with him.
He had accepted my proposal. As I expected, he intended to join hands with me, even at the cost of one of his precious Sacred Relics. This wasn't just payment for a favor; it was a gift.
Why was he going to such lengths to ally with me? There must have been some change in his heart.
In the room, a man in shackles sat with his back turned, staring at the Sound Thunder Bell.
When I had retrieved the Blood Eye Purifying Water in my past life, I had briefly thought about how I couldn't free him then. I assumed I wouldn't see him again in this life, yet here we were, meeting once more.
“Who is that man?”
When I asked the Pungcheon Cult Leader while feigning ignorance, I saw it—the look in the Cult Leader’s eyes as he watched the man. It wasn't the look one gave a subordinate or a slave.
The man also didn't offer any greeting even though the Cult Leader had entered. Usually, one would turn around to pay their respects.
I became certain that the relationship between them was not a typical master-servant one.
“He is a subordinate who guards the Sound Thunder Bell.”
“I see.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader looked over the Sacred Relics and said softly, “You must not ask for the Sound Thunder Bell or the Blood Buddha.”
“Understood. So that bell is the famous Sound Thunder Bell of the Pungcheon Cult.”
I walked toward the Sound Thunder Bell as if seeing it for the first time.
The moment I had brought this bell back in my life before the regression flashed before my eyes like a revolving lantern. The evil ghost engraved on the bell seemed to stare at me as if saying, “You again?”
“What do you think of it in person?”
“It’s magnificent.”
As I spoke, I stole a glance down at the shackled man. In truth, I was more interested in him than the bell. I had approached this side under a pretext just to see him up close.
At that moment, the man, who had been hanging his head, slightly lifted it and looked at me. Our eyes met through the strands of his long, unkempt hair. He was much younger than I had imagined, and his gaze was clear.
The man lowered his head again. It was a very brief encounter, but for some reason, his gaze was hard to forget.
“Now, make your choice.”
“Very well.”
I slowly scanned the display stand where the Sacred Relics were placed. Of course, I knew exactly what each of these relics was.
I pointed to one of them.
“I will take this one.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s expression froze instantly.
In that moment, I saw it.
Just as the Pungcheon Cult Leader was about to instinctively say no, he flinched and clamped his mouth shut.
I could feel it instinctively—a fact just as important as the relic I had chosen.
The shackled man had just sent a Voice Transmission to the Pungcheon Cult Leader!