Chapter 99
Chapter 99
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Gu Min-chae
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Dang Hoseon spoke.
“I won’t meddle in whatever relationship you’ve got going with the Lion Gate Lord. You’re old enough now to handle your own affairs anyway.”
Uncle, if you’re gonna say stuff like that, at least try relaxing your face first.
Who’s gonna believe you when you say it with that scowl?
You’re walking around with “Just try making trouble for me. I’ll bury you in the back hills” written all over your face—what am I supposed to do?
He was seeing me now as nothing but a delinquent who went around causing nothing but problems.
「Well, that’s kinda true—」
「Ahem! You were already so famous in the Divine Cult—」
What are you idiots on about?
“But don’t you dare cause any disturbances. Sect relations can turn into far more sensitive issues than you might think.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll keep that firmly in mind. I’ll be extra careful to ensure no problems arise, always mindful of the Nine Dragons Branch Family’s honor in my conduct—always!”
“…That nonstop yapping mouth of yours. Wonder who you take after.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s not the Branch Leader, though?”
“Quiet, Jegal.”
“Yes, sir! I’ll be careful!”
……Having two headaches instead of one. One’s more than enough.
Dang Hoseon let out another sigh.
Gui Jegal was still grinning like an idiot, though.
Then Dang Hoseon turned to me with a serious expression.
“So, your take is that the Demonic Cult won’t be paying us a visit for the time being?”
“Yes. That’s right. All the spies they’d infiltrated into the branch have already been rooted out, haven’t they? I doubt they’ll force the issue.”
“Which means—”
“They’ll go for all-out war.”
“This just got even more of a headache.”
Tsk!
Dang Hoseon clicked his tongue lightly.
Naturally—he’d been planning to isolate and crush their forces one by one.
“But it’s not to our disadvantage either. Their schemes have already been fully exposed to the world, and if they slink back to Heavenly Mountain now, the North Sea Sect’s reputation will hit rock bottom.”
“Regroup, reorganize, then launch a full assault…… And the Clan Head has invited him to the branch.”
Dang Hoseon’s eyes flashed coldly.
“The Special Forces qualification exam. They’ll target that.”
“At this point, they’ll want a victory in front of everyone watching. I wouldn’t be surprised if they challenge the Clan Head to a one-on-one deathmatch.”
“A deathmatch……”
That was when Gui Jegal cut in.
“This works out perfectly. The Clan Head has never lost a single high-level duel, has he?”
Poison is potent.
Hidden weapons are insidious.
Combine the two?
Invincible.
Potent and insidious.
That’s why the Dark Lord had never suffered a defeat in any battle throughout history.
Not once.
Undefeated.
“You clashed with the North Sea Sect Leader?”
“Yes.”
“How’d it go?”
His voice had deepened—clearly, this was the real reason he’d come to see me from the start.
“He’s strong.”
“How strong?”
“Very.”
“That’s too vague.”
“Can’t be helped.”
The North Sea Sect Leader was a supreme expert even back when I was the Little Heavenly Demon—I couldn’t have guaranteed victory then.
And now, after gaining that fateful opportunity at the council?
No clue.
I couldn’t read him.
One thing was certain, though: he was probably on par with the Ten Great Masters of the Realm by now.
Maybe even starting to glimpse the Saint Realm?
“Then let me rephrase the question.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think the Clan Head can win?”
Gasp!
Dang Gon suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.
Gui Jegal stared at me with uncharacteristically solemn eyes.
Dang Hoseon’s gaze…… had sunk into deep shadows.
Ah, this question’s way too loaded.
No matter how I answer, it’s trouble.
Maybe I should hedge a bit.
“The Clan Head and the North Sea Sect Leader are both supreme experts whose skills I can’t even gauge. But the Clan Head has an undefeated record all these years, so some Demonic Cult thug like the North Sea Sect Leader should be—”
“Don’t play the falsely humble card. It doesn’t suit you.”
This guy just straight-up punches me in the face with it.
That hurts, you know.
“You’ve already seen everything. You’ve drawn your conclusions. Just say it.”
I ended up scratching the back of my head vigorously.
“About what I said earlier—to the outside—”
“No need.”
Dang Hoseon waved his hand dismissively.
Whoooosh!
The area around the White Hall was enveloped in a barrier of qi.
At this intensity, even the Dark Lord waiting in the Nanheo Hall wouldn’t hear a thing.
“I can’t say for sure.”
“Young Master!?”
“Hmm—”
Dang Gon was shocked. Gui Jegal, uncharacteristically, said nothing.
“What’s your basis?”
“None. Just a feeling.”
“A feeling—”
“And I suspect the Clan Head knows it too.”
“Why?”
“If the North Sea Sect Leader were an easy mark, you’d have taken him out right then and there.”
“…You’re right.”
The Dark Lord I’d seen prioritized efficiency above all—a rational man.
If a path achieved his goal, he’d take it no matter how unorthodox, as long as it was the fastest.
But he hadn’t.
Only one reason.
He’d feared mutual destruction.
Meaning the Dark Lord saw the North Sea Sect Leader as his equal, at minimum.
“If the Vice Branch Leader’s hunch is correct, we can’t slack on preparations. I’ll double down on defenses.”
“The Jeongpung Pavilion will assist as well. This is…… war now.”
Gui Jegal and Dang Gon each added their piece.
War.
The weight of that word was immense.
“You two focus on preparations. I’ll take responsibility for attending the Clan Head.”
“As you command.”
“As you command.”
“Whee, you’re all better now, so quit slacking and get out of that bed. We’ve got mountains of work.”
Dang Hoseon glared at me.
I felt wronged.
I’d been working like an ox all night!
Let me rest a bit!
Beds are the best thing in the world! Puuueeeng!
“You’d better get up before I toss that bed.”
Yes, sir. I’ll work hard.
* * *
Dang Hoseon cracked the whip again, ordering me to work like an ox, but apparently he agreed I needed some rest—he didn’t actually take the bed away or anything.
Good thing too, since I needed downtime to properly check out my improved condition.
But first, time to settle up on this mission.
「Newbie! Newbie! Neeeewbie!」
Number Fifteen was already bouncing off the walls.
Must still be bummed that Baek-san and the White Bone Net Formation ghost vanished like that.
With his eyes rolled back, drool flying as he rampaged, he looked just like some deranged vengeful spirit.
If I don’t give him a real newbie, this is gonna warp into something weird.
「But too many newbie mounts isn’t good for the baby, right?」
「True. More mounts mean stronger unity and power…… but they’re so easy to ignore and defy. Does the baby even get that?」
「Doesn’t seem like it.」
「In that case—」
「Just hide it.」
「Wise choice. Heh heh heh!」
「Puhahaha!」
The senior wraiths’ wicked scheme to keep exploiting Number Fifteen like always, despite the newbie mount that wouldn’t obey.
Ah, now that’s some true Demonic Cult politics right there.
“Open.”
Clank!
I yanked on the Golden Lock Chain in my hand.
From the ground, Gu Min-chae and the earth ghosts emerged one after another, bound tight in iron chains.
「Let me go! I said let go!!」
「Little Heavenly Demon! Little Heeaaavenly Deeeemon!」
All of them howling like mad.
The wraiths, meanwhile, were drooling.
「Oh ho, look at these fresh ones! All prime cuts, huh?」
「Perfect for some proper education. Yeah, heads gotta be stiff to snap satisfyingly.」
「Slurp! Newbies! Good for the body and tasty too!」
Terror stained the eyes of the struggling earth ghosts trying to shake off the Golden Lock Chain.
They’d heard the stories.
What happens when you get caught by me.
Even in death, no eternal rest, no returning to the god they longed for—just dragged along like this. Worst fate imaginable for them.
I stared straight at Gu Min-chae in the center.
Gone was the mad, monstrous frenzy from his living days. Now he just glared at me with hollow, sunken eyes.
The demonic energy that had corrupted his soul into a monster had been completely purged by the Black Dragon Qi.
Pure yin energy was great for this.
No matter how broken a wraith, it could be restored.
“Hey, Gu Min-chae.”
「……」
“We’re neighbors now, so let’s get along, yeah? What do you say?”
「……」
“You’re just gonna keep that trap shut forever?”
「……」
“Well, that’s fine too, but—”
I grinned.
I knew exactly why he was holding out like that.
Even in death, he refused to break.
Pride and all.
“Don’t you feel wronged?”
「……」
“You saw it yourself, right? That old man of yours only showed up after you kicked the bucket. What do you think that means?”
「……」
He hadn’t appeared early enough for the North Sea Sect Leader to uncover one thing.
My true identity.
He’d claimed it was to retrieve his son’s body…… but this soul knew better.
「Don’t listen, Young Master!!」
「It’s just the Little Heavenly Demon’s trick to tempt you—Guhk!」
「Don’t fall for his schemes—Keurgh!」
「You bastards! Shut your traps!!」
「How dare you interrupt while the Young Cult Leader is giving a pep talk!」
「Can’t have this! Ptui! Time to straighten your heads with my Justice Rod!」
「Newbie! Neeewbie! Re-education! Re-eeeeducatioooon!」
Hey, someone shut up those newbie birdbrains. They’re killing me with the noise.
“Even those Hui bastards. Ice Soul Demonic Art? They tossed you some fancy title, and look how you ended up.”
「…You. You knew about the Hui?」
Gu Min-chae finally spoke.
I flashed a toothy grin and continued.
“You just flipped out and turned into a monster, didn’t you? Turns out the Hui saw you as nothing but a pawn anyway. And you were one of the Ten Demonic Lords, no less. That all the respect you got?”
Gu Min-chae fell silent again.
But I wasn’t worried. His resolve was already cracking.
The betrayal of being discarded by the father he’d craved approval from would sting worse than his crushing defeat at my hands.
That craving for his father’s recognition was what sparked his inferiority complex toward me in the first place.
But the North Sea Sect Leader never acknowledged his own son.
Saw him as a tool, nothing more.
The North Sea Sect Leader had no idea.
How his selfish attitude would drag him and his sect to ruin.
“Go back underground and think it over calmly by yourself. Change your mind, let me know.”
No need for heated torture, so I started opening the abyss again—
「…What do I have to tell you?」
Gu Min-chae looked up halfway down.
My lips curled up.
「Young Master, no—Kraaak!」
「Don’t fall for the Little Heavenly Demon’s sly tongue—Keuheuk!」
The wraiths’ clubs came down on the earth ghosts’ mouths.
“The remaining formulas of the Ice Soul Demonic Art, North Sea Sect events from the last six years I don’t know about, details of your dealings with the Hui. And—”
With each item I listed, flames flickered in Gu Min-chae’s dying eyes.
I laughed wickedly.
“Everything. Right down to your old man’s secrets.”
Reincarnated Demon God Temple