Chapter 729: The Young Cult Leader Has Awakened Him
Chapter 729: The Young Cult Leader Has Awakened Him
“Careful, careful. There’s a rock there. Watch your step.”
Walking beside Dan-ah, Seo Dae-ryong was scanning the ground with terrifying intensity.
“I’m fine! Anyone watching would think I’m trying to navigate a deadly formation,” Dan-ah joked.
Her stomach was prominently rounded; she was only two or three months away from her due date.
“It must be exhausting. Let me carry you,” Seo Dae-ryong offered, completely indifferent to the gazes of passersby. As he actually started to crouch down in front of her, Dan-ah reached out and massaged his shoulders.
“I need to keep walking for exercise so the baby and I both stay healthy. I’ll head back now, so you should get going.”
“Let’s go home together. I’ll drop you off before I head out.”
“I’ll be fine, really. Please go—your master will be waiting.”
Dan-ah had come out specifically to see Seo Dae-ryong off as he headed for his training session.
“Can you really make it back alone?”
“Why? Are you worried enemies might be lying in ambush on the way to our front door?”
Seo Dae-ryong was making a massive fuss, but he had never been happier. He had been overjoyed when they married, but the news of the pregnancy had brought him true bliss. The moment he heard the words, he had stood dazed for a long time.
I’m going to be a father?
It was a feeling he couldn't put into words—a joy of an entirely different nature from being the top recruit of the Huangquan Pavilion or becoming the disciple of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. Because the happiness was so immense, there were moments when it still didn't feel real.
Of course, his worries were as mountain-high as his happiness. The baby must be born healthy. Dan-ah must be safe. The child must grow up well. He was already burdened by every possible concern for the future.
“Wait a moment.”
Seo Dae-ryong carefully placed his hand on Dan-ah’s belly as she turned to leave. “The little one is quiet today.”
Dan-ah looked at him with a soft smile. Was he really this happy?
“I’m going now,” she said.
“Go carefully. Don’t trip.”
“I’m a martial artist too, you know! Just because I’m pregnant doesn't mean my internal energy has vanished!”
After seeing her off, Seo Dae-ryong arrived at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s residence.
“I am late, Master.”
Seo Dae-ryong’s demeanor shifted instantly. When it came to training, he worked harder than anyone. As he greeted the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and prepared to head out to the yard, the Elder spoke.
“Take this with you when you leave.”
“What is this?” Seo Dae-ryong asked as the Blood Heaven Blade Demon handed him a bundle of medicinal herbs.
“The Demon Doctor sent someone to deliver it.”
“The Demon Doctor?”
“He said to make sure she takes it. It’s good for both the mother and the child.”
“Why would the Demon Doctor give this to me?”
“How should I know?” the Elder grunted.
They weren't close enough for the doctor to be sending such unsolicited gifts. Just then, a welcome voice spoke from behind him.
“Why else? He’s doing a favor for a friend.”
Seo Dae-ryong turned in surprise to see Geom Mu-geuk standing there.
“Young Cult Leader!” Seo Dae-ryong rushed toward him.
Standing by the window, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked even more surprised than his disciple.
“The person standing over there is the one who is friends with the Demon Doctor,” Mu-geuk added, gesturing toward the Elder.
“Ah!” Seo Dae-ryong looked back at his master with a startled expression. To think he was his disciple and hadn't even known?
In other words, his master was the one who had arranged for the medicine. Before Seo Dae-ryong could offer his thanks, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon vanished from the window, retreating into the room.
Geom Mu-geuk spoke up on the elder's behalf. “Elder, I specifically asked the Demon Doctor to prepare that. You’re allowed to take some credit for things like this!”
Seo Dae-ryong shouted, his face full of emotion, “Thank you, Master!”
There was no reply from inside.
Geom Mu-geuk turned back to Seo Dae-ryong with a smile. “You’re finally becoming a father.”
“I, who seemed the least likely to ever marry... I, who am the ugliest and most pathetic... I am actually becoming a father.” Seo Dae-ryong’s voice choked up, as if he might cry just thinking about it. “This is all thanks to you, Young Cult Leader, and my master.”
“I’ll give you a congratulatory gift later.”
“There’s no need. Your very existence is a gift, Young Cult Leader.”
“Is that so? And here I was planning to get you something incredibly expensive and high-quality.”
“...”
“...”
“Since my child doesn't know of your existence yet... a gift might be necessary after all,” Dae-ryong conceded.
Geom Mu-geuk laughed heartily, and Seo Dae-ryong laughed along with him. Then, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s voice drifted out from inside.
“If you’re here, stop chattering and come in.”
As Geom Mu-geuk headed inside, he teased Seo Dae-ryong one last time. “You’ll have to teach me your secret technique later—on how to raise a child.”
“Please, just have one first!”
With that, Geom Mu-geuk entered the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s room. As soon as he stepped inside, he took a deep breath, catching the scent of the chamber.
“Ah, the smell of these books! I’ve truly missed it.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon asked, his expression still one of lingering shock, “Did you truly achieve Great Achievement?”
“No, it was too hard, so I just came down,” Mu-geuk quipped.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon didn't believe a word of it. His eyes were filled with certainty as he looked at the youth. “You really did it.”
“What makes you think so?”
The elder’s thoughts mirrored those of Mu-geuk’s father. “Because you wouldn't have come down if you hadn't reached the peak.”
The playfulness vanished from Geom Mu-geuk’s face. He offered a formal fist salute and bowed deeply.
“Thanks to you showing me the right path, Elder, I have returned after reaching Great Achievement. Thank you, truly.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s gaze became profoundly respectful. He returned the fist salute.
“I congratulate you on reaching the Great Achievement of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.”
This greeting was a mark of respect not just for Geom Mu-geuk, but for the Nine Calamities Demonic Art itself. Even seeing the art performed normally commanded respect; how much more so for the art at its absolute pinnacle?
After exchanging greetings, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon watched Geom Mu-geuk in silence. Mu-geuk had surprised him many times before, but never as much as he did now. He had believed Mu-geuk would eventually reach Great Achievement, but he never imagined it would happen this quickly.
Even when Mu-geuk had said the pinnacle was within sight, the elder had assumed it would take at least several years. Even Geom Wu-jin, who was hailed as a peerless genius, had only reached Great Achievement much later in life than Mu-geuk’s current age.
“What do you plan to do now?”
At the question, Geom Mu-geuk pulled a book from the shelf, sat on the edge of the bed, and flipped it open.
“I’ve heard that the reason highly successful people fail is because they try to make sudden, massive changes to their lives. Even when things change, they should only change a little, but they try to change everything at once.”
Looking up from the book, Geom Mu-geuk met the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s eyes.
“Nothing will change. Even after returning from my training, I will still come to see you first, Elder. I will sit here and read. I will learn fist techniques from my master, spar with the Sword Venerable, and help the Poison King with his research.”
And with the strength of this unchanging life, I will reach the Twelve-Star Great Achievement.
*
Returning to his quarters, Geom Mu-geuk activated the Space-Time Displacement Technique.
A vast field unfolded before his eyes. There, he summoned the Heavenly Demon Soul. The soul, which hadn't appeared in front of his father earlier, manifested immediately now.
Why didn't you come out in front of Father?
Looking into the eyes of the Heavenly Demon Soul, he could tell the reason wasn't fear. His father had sensed that fact even without seeing the soul.
Geom Mu-geuk smiled brightly as he explained the location to the entity. “This is a space I created with the Space-Time Displacement Technique. When we meet, it will mostly be here.”
There wouldn't be many places in the outside world where he could comfortably manifest the Heavenly Demon Soul.
“So, even if you don't like it, don't break it. This is my most precious space.”
The Heavenly Demon Soul merely gazed at the world within the technique with a heavy, silent stare.
“It’s fine. I’m well-trained in talking to myself in front of taciturn people. If you were created from me, I suspect you aren't naturally silent either. So, it’s okay to show your true colors. I like talkative people—or rather, talkative Heavenly Demon Souls.”
He hoped for at least a smile, but the soul showed no reaction. Then, Geom Mu-geuk noticed the soul’s waist.
“You! You’ve changed!”
The Heavenly Demon Soul was now wearing a sword at its waist. Surprisingly, the weapon looked remarkably similar to the Black Demonic Sword. It was a change that had occurred after he mastered the Seventh Form of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.
And there was one more change. Looking closely, a faint pattern was etched onto the soul’s chest where there had been none before. Because its body was as dark as pitch, he had to look carefully to see the faint mark, and he couldn't yet discern the shape.
He realized he would likely only see the final form of the Heavenly Demon Soul once he mastered all nine forms.
Whoosh.
Geom Mu-geuk flew up to the level of the soul’s face and looked it in the eye. The light in his eyes and his aura shifted. He was no longer the bright, talkative youth of a moment ago, but his calm, silent self from before his regression. That gaze, filled with an unfathomable loneliness, conveyed his sincerity.
“I called you today because I wanted to congratulate you on learning your first martial art. Being congratulated felt quite good, you see.”
Geom Mu-geuk spoke quietly to the soul. “Congratulations.”
In that moment, Geom Mu-geuk saw it—a flicker of light in those dark, deep eyes. Not only did the soul understand his words—it definitely felt emotions.
*
An old man sat in the darkness.
His back was straight, and his hands were gathered in front of his dantian. His eyes, glowing in the gloom, seemed to dominate the shadows.
Ssssh.
A black circle formed on the floor in front of the old man, and a figure dressed in black rose from it. The man in black prostrated himself and reported.
“The Young Cult Leader has returned to the Cult.”
The old man’s eyes flashed intensely. “He has finally returned!”
His words sounded as if he had been waiting for the very moment Geom Mu-geuk descended from Daecheon Mountain. “Tell them to proceed with the plan.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
The moment the command was given, another voice interrupted. “Please, hold that order for a moment.”
The person who appeared was none other than the Divine Maiden Palace Master, Ga Ye. She was the one who had previously informed the old man that a bead containing red energy had appeared in the world. In this place where everything was black, she wore a snow-white martial robe.
“What brings you here?”
“Please, come with me for a moment.”
She was not one to seek him out unless it was urgent. The old man stood up. The man in black who had been reporting vanished back into the floor.
As the old man moved, something incredible happened. The darkness surrounding him followed him like a living creature. This darkness wasn't merely an aura of dark energy; true darkness was following him.
Ssssh.
The darkness shifted into various forms. It drifted around him like a cloud, covering his body, or changed shape to make him look like an evil ghost. Then, as if light were falling from the heavens, a pillar of darkness descended from the ceiling, enveloping him from head to toe. The darkness was alive, as if it possessed a soul.
The two arrived at the end of a corridor, where a door was marked with the symbols of a secret casket and six beads. Stepping inside, they entered the room where they had spoken once before. A large secret casket sat in the corner, and the ceiling was covered in depictions of constellations.
“What is it?”
Ga Ye looked up at the ceiling with trembling eyes. “Look there.”
The old man looked up. In that instant, a powerful light erupted from his eyes within the darkness. Among the stars drawn on the ceiling, the largest one in the center was glowing.
It meant only one thing.
“He has awakened.”
A silence of shock and amazement followed. Something truly unimaginable had happened.
“He awakened on his own?”
“Yes.”
“That is impossible!”
At the old man’s furious momentum, the darkness surrounding him scattered in all directions as if fleeing. His full appearance was finally revealed.
The marks of time were etched deep into his face. Wrinkles, layered like the rings of an ancient tree, made it impossible to even guess his age. His features were almost lost beneath the folds of his skin. Anyone seeing him would wonder: How can someone this old sit so straight, project such an intense gaze, and possess a voice with such deep resonance?
He was the current Dark Palace Master, Hwa Mu-gyeong.
Hwa Mu-gyeong, who usually maintained perfect composure, was visibly shaken. “How could this be possible?”
Ga Ye spoke a name. “He awakened on the day the Young Cult Leader descended the mountain.”
Hwa Mu-gyeong’s eyes blazed. “What does that mean? Are you saying the Young Cult Leader’s descent awakened him?”
Surprisingly, Ga Ye believed exactly that. “I believe the two of them are bound by a single destiny.” She spoke with absolute conviction. “The Young Cult Leader has undoubtedly awakened him.”
When the plan involving the Flying Blood Snake failed, Hwa Mu-gyeong had contemplated this very thing. Should I awaken him?
At the time, Ga Ye had stopped him, saying it would turn the Murim into a sea of blood. Hwa Mu-gyeong knew that awakening him was a final resort. He also knew there was a world of difference between him awakening the entity and the entity waking up on its own.
“Even if he has awakened, he cannot break the seals of his imprisonment.”
Right then—Flash.
One of the many stars on the ceiling lit up. The two watched with startled eyes.
Flash.
Another star nearby lit up.
Flash, flash!
This time, a star flickered on and then immediately went out. Then another star lit up. One star brightened and dimmed, then another brightened and dimmed. This repeated several times until—
Flash-flash-flash-flash.
A single constellation was completed. One among the countless constellations began to shine in its finished form. Both Hwa Mu-gyeong and Ga Ye knew exactly what this signified.
“He has begun to break the seals.”