Chapter 259
Chapter 259
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 259
Chapter Title: The Supreme Patriarch's Return
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After Hyeok Mulin's curt reply, silence once again seeped into the inn.
Both of them stood motionless, as if time itself had frozen—not uttering a word, not even twitching.
No sweat dripped down their faces, and even their breaths seemed to have halted. The air grew razor-sharp, utterly devoid of sound.
"......Heh."
A chuckle escaped Cheon Sumyeong's lips.
"Heh heh heh heh!"
After laughing alone for a good while, Cheon Sumyeong pulled up the corners of his wrinkled mouth and spoke.
"Sorry for laughing out of the blue. It's been so long since someone turned me down, the feeling's all too unfamiliar."
Ever since becoming the Ancient Martial Sovereign—not to mention even before that—Cheon Sumyeong had rarely faced rejection.
The direct descendant of the Cheon Clan.
The Patriarch of the Cheon Clan.
The Supreme Patriarch of the Cheon Clan.
The Sword Sovereign and now the Ancient Martial Sovereign.
As a top-tier demon and transcendent master who had forged an impeccable path, who could possibly defy him?
Cheon Sumyeong rarely made demands or proposals to others in the first place. But whenever he did open his mouth, he always received unconditional acceptance.
'Yes, everyone always bowed their heads and accepted my proposals without hesitation.'
That ironclad rule had just been shattered in this moment.
By a mere blood-clot of a man, no less.
'Interesting. Most intriguing.'
This utterly novel experience of rejection didn't spark anger in Cheon Sumyeong—instead, it drew forth laughter.
"There won't be a third proposal. No regrets?"
"Alliance with the Cheon Clan sounds good. I just disagree with the method."
In truth, Hyeok Mulin harbored no real ill will toward Cheon Seohee.
Even in his previous life, their interactions had been purely businesslike—nothing to warrant deep resentment.
But Hyeok Mulin knew better.
Now wasn't the time to keep anyone close.
He would've given the same answer about marriage regardless of whether the partner was Cheon Seohee or not.
"You sure? My cult could use the Cheon Clan's power."
"The Cheon Clan needs my cult's backing too, doesn't it?"
"Heh heh. So that's how you see it."
Thud.
Cheon Sumyeong rose slowly from his seat.
With hands clasped behind his back, he strolled through the inn toward the door.
Pausing at the threshold, he delivered his final words without turning back to face Hyeok Mulin.
"I'll be watching to see how long you can hold onto that confidence."
With that, he stepped outside, and soon his presence vanished completely.
After he left, a brief moment passed before Jeok Mugeon and Jeok Igum returned to the inn.
As they gazed at Hyeok Mulin with worried expressions, he picked up his chopsticks and spoke in a flat tone.
"Sit. Let's finish eating."
Exchanging glances, they hesitated before taking their seats.
Unlike them, who kept stealing uneasy glances, Hyeok Mulin calmly picked at his noodles and dumplings as if nothing had happened.
"Still warm enough."
The stiff noodle broth had gone cold, but the dumplings retained enough heat to make them palatable.
They watched Hyeok Mulin with eyes tinged with concern.
They hadn't heard the conversation while waiting outside, so they had no idea what had transpired.
But the atmosphere alone told them the talk between the Cult Leader and Cheon Sumyeong was far from harmonious.
"...Cult Leader, are you alright?"
They harbored no doubts or dissatisfaction about following Hyeok Mulin.
But now, the foe he faced was none other than the Ancient Martial Sovereign—the towering mountain of their own cult.
The moment they had confronted Cheon Sumyeong as a martial artist, their bodies had frozen solid, control entirely seized.
Though they voiced their worries, Hyeok Mulin continued his meal with the nonchalance of everyday life.
And in a level tone, he parted his lips.
"I've done all I can up to now. Time for you to trust."
All he had built so far, both as Cult Leader and as Hyeok Mulin.
Returning leisurely to Heavenly Mountain, Cheon Sumyeong headed straight for the Cheon Clan estate.
There, in the front courtyard, he spotted Cheon Seohee waiting for him.
Noticing him in turn, she approached cautiously and bowed her head.
"Grandfather, I'm sorry."
From the Supreme Patriarch's perspective, Cheon Seohee— who had told Hyeok Mulin to steer clear of Cheon Sumyeong himself—could hardly look good.
Yet Cheon Sumyeong placed a hand on his granddaughter's head and stroked it, as if understanding her heart.
"It's fine. You just went to make sure this old man's hands wouldn't get bloody, didn't you?"
At his words, which put her actions in the best light, Cheon Seohee felt both gratitude and remorse.
Glance.
'He seems a bit less angry...'
Unable to detect any overt fury on Cheon Sumyeong's face, she grew curious about how his talk with Hyeok Mulin had gone.
But she couldn't bring herself to ask outright and fidgeted awkwardly until Cheon Sumyeong spoke.
"You're wondering how my conversation with the Cult Leader ended, aren't you?"
"......Yes."
She really couldn't hide anything from Grandfather.
Her thoughts pierced through, Cheon Seohee nodded past her embarrassment.
Cheon Sumyeong gave a faint smile as he answered her unspoken question.
Though it wasn't the response she had hoped for.
"He rejected my proposal."
"......!"
Cheon Seohee's eyes widened in shock at his words.
She knew he was no ordinary man, but to reject Grandfather's proposal right to his face?
Did such a person really exist?
Even hearing it with her own ears, it was hard to believe, so she immediately pressed.
"Then why are you smiling, Grandfather...?"
"Thinking of what's to come in the cult, nothing could delight me more."
Gulp.
In that instant, for the first time in her life, Cheon Seohee found her grandfather's smile chilling.
She could grasp the meaning behind his words.
"Where's your father?"
"I believe he's in the training grounds behind the patriarch's quarters."
"Good. Thank you. Get some rest now."
Turning on his heel, Cheon Sumyeong left the bowing Cheon Seohee behind and set off to find Cheon Jungak.
As she had said, he was practicing his swordsmanship in the training grounds.
Cheon Sumyeong stood at the entrance, silently observing him.
About two ke passed like that, and Cheon Jungak paused his sword forms, wiping sweat from his brow as he regulated his breathing.
At that moment.
"Su-Supreme Patriarch!"
Finally spotting Cheon Sumyeong, Cheon Jungak hurriedly sheathed his sword.
The instant he noticed him, Cheon Jungak's body stiffened rigidly, his voice laced with tension.
Rumored to be a cold-blooded man without blood or tears, even he had someone he feared.
To him, Cheon Sumyeong was a figure too daunting to casually call "father."
'No presence at all... How long has he been watching?'
Suppressing his goosebumps, Cheon Jungak finished wrapping up his training. Only then did Cheon Sumyeong approach.
Swipe—
Taking in the numerous wooden dummies in the training grounds and the sword marks left on them, Cheon Sumyeong spoke.
"You've improved a great deal."
At those words, Cheon Jungak's heart pounded wildly, unable to hide his surprise.
It was a first.
The first time in his life he'd heard such praise from his father.
Cheon Sumyeong held the strictest standards for swordsmanship of anyone.
Even as a child—and despite showing superior skill compared to those around him as he grew— he'd never once received praise.
Now, in middle age, he had finally earned that rare commendation for the first time.
Emotions swirling, Cheon Jungak responded to the praise with a deep, resonant voice, explaining at length.
"Lately, I've shifted away from an overpowering sword style overly focused on force, integrating various techniques instead. Alongside that, I'm working on foundational training to enhance wrist flexibility and strength..."
If anyone else had seen Cheon Jungak now, they might not have recognized him—even if he denied it.
He wasn't one for many words usually.
Yet oblivious to how out of character he was being, he simply reveled in his father's first acknowledgment, detailing his regimen meticulously.
"Heh heh."
Watching with a pleased expression, Cheon Sumyeong interjected midway.
"So, the Cult Leader is the driving force behind your growth."
"......!"
At that, Cheon Jungak clamped his mouth shut like a clam.
Frankly, he was right.
After losing to Hyeok Mulin in their duel, he'd emptied his mind and finally confronted his own shortcomings.
But true or not, he didn't want to admit it.
That Hyeok Mulin had been the greatest influence on his progress.
Yet silence was as good as assent.
Cheon Sumyeong could read his son's thoughts plainly.
"Even here, the Cult Leader wields immense influence."
At first, it had been a connection formed to place an easy-to-use pawn on the Heavenly Demon's throne and exploit him.
But it soured into enmity, only to shift directions again—now impacting Cheon Jungak and Cheon Seohee in profoundly different ways.
Truly, ties between people were inscrutable.
Before they knew it, the Cheon Clan had forged deep bonds with Hyeok Mulin, wittingly or not.
Turning to the silent Cheon Jungak, Cheon Sumyeong rephrased his question.
"Let me put it another way. Was the Cult Leader strong?"
The one who had clashed with him at full power.
Only Cheon Jungak in the entire Cheon Clan could answer that question. He parted his lips measuredly.
"......Yes."
"I see."
A satisfied smile crossed Cheon Sumyeong's face at the reply.
It had taken a moment to draw it out, but this was the first time Cheon Jungak had ever acknowledged another's strength.
At last, he had set aside his pride.
This would be great nourishment for his growth.
'The Cult Leader has my profound thanks.'
Others might see it as the words of the Cheon Clan's esteemed figurehead.
A subtle curve touched Cheon Sumyeong's lips as he thought of Hyeok Mulin.
But soon, that smile faded.
And as time passed, his face turned utterly expressionless, devoid of all emotion. Then, he spoke to his son.
"However, this body cannot forgive the Cult Leader."
"......?"
An unease bubbled up in Cheon Jungak at the tone.
And Cheon Sumyeong's next words confirmed his foreboding intuition.
"The Cheon Clan has come too far to stand alongside the Cult Leader under the same sky."
The price for tarnishing the Cheon Clan's prestige.
And for rejecting Cheon Sumyeong's proposal—it had to be paid.
"Proclaim my return to the world."
Rumble!
Thunder boomed across the clear sky.
As every demon on Heavenly Mountain trembled at the reverberation, Cheon Sumyeong's eyes gleamed with light, hands still clasped behind his back.
"This seat shall personally proclaim the Cheon Clan's supremacy to the world."