Chapter 653: Murim Alliance, Step Forward! Demonic Cult, Step Forward!
Chapter 653: Murim Alliance, Step Forward! Demonic Cult, Step Forward!
A flicker of shock trembled in Heaven’s End Recluse’s eyes.
Surprised? You should be.
To anyone else, these would have been nothing more than the ravings of a madman—the delusions of the Demonic Cult’s Young Cult Leader. But to the true mastermind, they were something else entirely.
The question must have flashed through his mind: Is this Young Cult Leader truly suggesting we join forces?
Mu-geuk’s proposal was a calculated strike to rattle him. If he kept shaking the man’s composure, then Hwa Yul-cheong—the mastermind behind the conspiracy, not the Alliance Leader’s friend, Heaven’s End Recluse—would eventually be forced to the surface.
The first time is always the hardest; once the true self is revealed, it becomes much more difficult to hide again.
Heaven’s End Recluse stared at Geom Mu-geuk in silence.
Mu-geuk couldn't discern the man's thoughts just by looking at him. At the very least, the Recluse possessed the poise of an Alliance Leader when it came to concealing his emotions.
Then, Heaven’s End Recluse began to move. He walked past Mu-geuk toward the door.
Was he going to call in the guards?
He opened the door and stepped out. However, instead of bringing the warriors from the hallway inside, he led them away from the building entirely.
“Everyone, follow me.”
Dozens of warriors were gathered not only in the hallway but also in the courtyard and outside the building. These were men who ate their meals on the spot and replaced sleep with Qi circulation, sincerely respecting and following Heaven’s End Recluse.
The Recluse spoke to them.
“You may all return now.”
At that moment, someone shouted.
“Not yet, Recluse!”
It was Hyeok-in, the leader of the Jeongso Sect.
Previously, Heaven’s End Recluse had been injured while trying to save him. Since then, the warriors had been guarding his residence day and night. Hyeok-in, in particular, had not missed a single day of duty.
Heaven’s End Recluse approached Hyeok-in.
“My wounds have healed.”
“Recluse!”
“My strength has returned; who would dare try to kill me? Do you doubt my abilities?”
“Not at all, Recluse!”
Heaven’s End Recluse took the flustered Hyeok-in’s hand. He had taken this man's hand instead of Mu-geuk’s.
“I know your heart. But your presence has become a burden to me. Please, withdraw.”
Hyeok-in bowed his head, and the rest of the warriors followed suit.
“The Alliance Leader is also looking after me. Do not worry, and go.”
At the mention of the Murim Alliance Leader, their expressions softened. Indeed, how could the Alliance Leader not be concerned?
“If anything happens, please send word immediately.”
Heaven’s End Recluse offered a polite fist salute to the warriors.
“Thank you truly for protecting me all this time. I shall never forget this until the day I die. Now, return to your lives.”
The warriors, their eyes filled with respect, returned the salute in unison and gave a thunderous farewell.
“Recluse, please take care of yourself!”
After sending the warriors away, Heaven’s End Recluse returned to the room.
Geom Mu-geuk asked with a peculiar smile, “Are we finally going to see your true self?”
He hadn't actually expected the man to reveal his identity so easily. As it turned out, Mu-geuk’s intuition was correct.
Heaven’s End Recluse spoke words he hadn't anticipated.
“I sent them away because I felt that I might have to engage in a life-and-death struggle with you today.”
Without another word, Heaven’s End Recluse unleashed his aura.
Sssssssssss—
Mu-geuk looked around. The surroundings had transformed into a pure white snowy plain.
A raging blizzard erupted, making it difficult to even keep his eyes open. Anyone with weak internal energy would have collapsed, unable to breathe in this freezing gale, or been swept away by the wind.
Beyond that fierce blizzard, the Recluse stood alone and solitary. He looked like a single flower blooming amidst the snow.
This was the aura of Heaven’s End Recluse. It carried a faint, pleasant fragrance.
The Heaven’s End Recluse he felt now was different from the one he had encountered upon first entering the room.
Mu-geuk had succeeded in peeling back one layer, but beneath it was a great hero who had protected the Orthodox Murim. A hero who stood tall even before the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, willing to lay down his life.
Mu-geuk could tell. This aura was real.
He could also tell how many years of effort had gone into forging such a presence. The man was demonstrating exactly what kind of person a steadfast old master of the Orthodox Path was—one who would not succumb to provocation, threat, or enticement.
Beneath this aura, what does your true self look like?
Heaven’s End Recluse rebuked him in a low but stern tone, cold as an autumn chill.
“Who do you think you are, suggesting we join forces?”
Furthermore, the reason he had sent the warriors away was out of concern that they might be caught in the crossfire.
“Tell me. Who did I ask to join forces with? I do not know who you are.”
Heaven’s End Recluse spoke coldly.
“Do not try to delude me with nonsense. You should focus on achieving your true desire instead.”
Mu-geuk had said his true desire was to kill him. In other words, the Recluse was telling him to fight.
Mu-geuk was inwardly impressed. The man had the boldness to send away his shields—the warriors—and the accurate judgment to know that Mu-geuk wouldn't actually fight him here.
Mu-geuk had already dealt with Ma Yeom-gun, the White Bone Soul Demon, and even So Jeong-rak. The Recluse knew Mu-geuk didn't intend to engage in a life-and-death struggle alone against him right now.
He is indeed a formidable opponent. No wonder everyone was deceived.
Mu-geuk raised his hand, looking regretful.
“There isn't a hand better than this to hold. Do not regret this later.”
Of course, the atmosphere wasn't one where jokes would land. Heaven’s End Recluse’s expression remained icy, and a taut tension flowed between them.
“I have loathed the fact that your kind set foot in Wuhan from the very beginning. How dare you come here?”
Staring quietly into the Recluse’s eyes, Mu-geuk spoke in a soft tone. His voice was gentle, but the meaning behind it was sharp.
“It seems our Recluse has reached the ultimate realm of deception—deceiving even himself.”
“The one deceiving is you,” Heaven’s End Recluse countered with a scoff. “You said it yourself just a moment ago. That you would protect the Alliance Leader from me. And yet, you ask to join forces with me? Is that how your kind protects people?”
Then, Mu-geuk said something unexpected.
“This is all because of you.”
“Because of me?”
“As you know, I suspect you. But seeing you in person today, I found myself amazed. Even I couldn't find a single suspicious thing about you. To think I couldn't find anything even when I was looking with certainty? I suppose that’s how a person like you could hide their identity next to the Alliance Leader for decades.”
Normally, this was the point where the Recluse should have dismissed it as nonsense. If he were truly a hero, it would indeed be nonsense.
But he was waiting for Mu-geuk’s next words. Being human, he wanted to hear it. He wanted recognition for the greatness of his feat. If the person giving that recognition was the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult—their greatest enemy—the satisfaction would be even greater.
“I suddenly felt the desire to make you one of my people. That is why I reached out.”
Only after hearing everything did Heaven’s End Recluse react. He suppressed the sharp momentum he had been projecting.
“I would rather die than join the Demonic Cult.”
I have to peel back one more layer, somehow. I must strip away that thick mask of a hero and drag his true self out.
It wasn't just to show evidence to the Alliance Leader. To find out who was behind them, he had to force this man onto the stage as well—onto this stage called Wuhan, which they had been dragged into to trigger the Great Demonic-Orthodox War.
Mu-geuk suddenly said to him, “So Jeong-rak of the Myeong-sim Clinic is dead.”
What does this news mean to you? Is it grief over the death of a comrade you've been with for decades? Or is it anger that your plans have been interrupted?
Heaven’s End Recluse showed no emotion whatsoever. Mu-geuk did not miss this reaction.
“Ah! The Alliance Leader should have seen this.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“No one knows the news of his death yet, so why aren't you surprised? The most famous physician in Wuhan, a man who did nothing but good, is dead. Shouldn't you be shocked?”
And crucially:
“Shouldn't you be asking why we killed him? He was just a physician; wouldn't the normal reaction be to wonder why the Demonic Cult targeted him?”
For a split second, Mu-geuk saw the Recluse’s pupils tremble. It was a minute change that only someone like Mu-geuk, who had experienced countless such moments, could catch.
“The conclusion is that you already knew why So Jeong-rak died. Ah! What a shame I can't show this to the Alliance Leader! It’s regrettable that I can only tell him in words!”
Did the Recluse think that words delivered by the Young Cult Leader might be more vivid than seeing it for himself?
Heaven’s End Recluse didn't let it slide. “What kind of forced logic are you trying to push?”
“I’m not pushing logic; I’m asking why you aren't curious.”
After a brief pause, Heaven’s End Recluse answered. “Why? I shall tell you. It is because it was you.”
He threw Mu-geuk’s earlier words right back at him.
“Because of us?”
“Are you not the ones who kill all good people?”
Heaven’s End Recluse’s gaze was steady, as if he truly believed it rather than just saying it to mock him.
Of course, Mu-geuk wasn't one to just let that pass.
“So Jeong-rak wasn't a good person, was he? Just like you.”
Before the man could respond, Mu-geuk provoked him further.
“Come to think of it, So Jeong-rak was a truly pitiful man. Because of you.”
The blame shifted back to Heaven’s End Recluse.
“He spent decades by your side, struggling to play the role of a physician he hated just to protect you. Did you shed even a single tear for him? I doubt it. He’s probably resentful and cursing you even in hell.”
In a moment like this, a normal man would have snapped, What do you know! Do you know how much I cherished him! But Heaven’s End Recluse remained incredibly calm. Like a man who truly wouldn't shed a tear or even offer a word of mourning.
“You still haven't asked why I killed him.”
The faint, peculiar smile that touched the Recluse’s lips was so subtle that only Mu-geuk could perceive it. His emotions were leaking out, bit by bit.
Yes. If I keep searching, I will surely find the hole that will collapse this dam.
“So Jeong-rak is dead, and so are the two old men who violated the Forbidden Demonic Order.”
Naturally, Heaven’s End Recluse would know that. He would also know about the warning from the master of the Soul-Seizing Technique.
“Now only the one who uses the Soul-Seizing Technique remains. Can you pull it off with just that subordinate? Or perhaps... are you taking orders from that person?”
Mu-geuk subtly pricked his pride. He watched for a reaction, but Heaven’s End Recluse simply walked to the tea table and drank some tea. It looked like he was trying to hide his reaction, but in Mu-geuk’s eyes, even this was a response.
“Why don't you just frame me as the one using the Soul-Seizing Technique instead?”
At his answer, Mu-geuk also walked to the tea table.
“Because that’s clearly not the case. There’s no way the Alliance Leader wouldn't recognize someone who has mastered the Soul-Seizing Technique standing right next to him, right?”
Trickle.
Mu-geuk filled his own teacup.
“You aren't originally this kind of person, are you? You aren't some stuffy Orthodox old man, but a hot-blooded person, aren't you? That’s why you were chosen for this important role.”
In that moment, a minute tremor was felt from Heaven’s End Recluse. Yes, how could one forget such moments? Even if you can deceive everything else, there are moments that cannot be hidden.
“I want to talk to that hot-blooded person. I want to have a refreshing conversation, villain to villain.”
Heaven’s End Recluse simply stared at Mu-geuk indifferently, without any wavering.
“Deceiving, conspiring from the shadows, living in hiding... aren't you tired of it? Don't you want to drag everyone out and have a real go at it? 'Step forward, Murim Alliance! Step forward, Demonic Cult!' Isn't that who you really are?”
As if he didn't want to hear any more, Heaven’s End Recluse issued an order of expulsion.
“If you’ve finished your tea, leave.”
Their gazes locked in mid-air. Indeed, he wasn't someone who would be shaken by a single meeting. However, Mu-geuk had discovered several minute emotional changes in him today.
Mu-geuk bowed politely and bid him farewell.
“The tea was excellent. Until next time...”
Heaven’s End Recluse cut him off. “There will be no next time.”
Mu-geuk looked at him and said, “Yes, I hope so too. Instead of this boring hero, Heaven’s End Recluse, I want to meet the Avatar of Revenge next time.”
“!”
Leaving behind the man who stared at him with a shocked face, Mu-geuk strode toward the door.
“Let us meet next time as the Avatar of Revenge, Hwa Yul-cheong.”