Chapter 95
Chapter 95
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Extreme Peak Summit
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"I'll climb Geukja Peak alone. You two keep resting at the lodgings."
Mok Yangil and Ibiji exchanged wide-eyed glances at his words.
They soon turned their gazes forward again and spoke.
"Is that for real?"
"It is."
After training concluded, Hyeok Mulin decided to scale Geukja Peak by himself.
Originally, he'd planned to bring these two along because he didn't know Gwang Ui's full strength yet—preparing for the chance that persuasion might fail and he'd need to subdue him completely.
But now, having broken through to a new level of growth, Hyeok Mulin was confident he could overpower Gwang Ui without killing him, no matter what divine prowess the man displayed.
No matter how strong his martial arts, the reason Gwang Ui had made his name across the jianghu was fundamentally his medical skills.
"Huuuuh..."
Mok Yangil couldn't hide his delight, looking half-relieved and half-bewildered at this turn of events.
He'd clearly been terrified of climbing Geukja Peak, letting out a long sigh of relief.
But realizing he'd shown too much joy, he suddenly scowled, clutching his shoulder.
"My shoulder's been aching so bad I couldn't even lift my arm anyway. Thanks for understanding. You're the only one I can count on."
"Heh. Focus on recovering from your injuries."
"Got it."
After finishing with Mok Yangil, Hyeok Mulin turned to Ibiji.
Their eyes met, and Ibiji nodded lightly in agreement.
"Take care."
"I'll be back soon."
Ibiji showed no particular interest in climbing Geukja Peak either, so he accepted Hyeok Mulin's decision without issue.
His goal from the start had been avenging Paeryeokje's death.
With that revenge safely concluded, he showed no strong attachment or lingering will toward anything else—he didn't care what happened next.
Chin.
With their farewells done, Hyeok Mulin turned his back and set off.
He headed straight toward where Geukja Peak loomed, picking up speed with Shadow Swift Step.
His enlightenment into lightness skills remained the same, yet his movements were markedly faster than before.
In that way, he covered a distance that would take others at least two days in a mere two shichen.
"...So this is it."
The island's only towering peak, jutting up starkly across its entirety.
Standing at the base of Geukja Peak, Hyeok Mulin looked up at the summit.
Its tip was nowhere in sight.
His breath caught, but what could he do?
No other way—just climb.
Tadak.
But Hyeok Mulin didn't grab the cliff with his hands to climb.
Instead, he planted both feet perpendicular to the sheer wall and simply ran upward.
It felt like defying the downward rush of air, cascading like a waterfall.
Yet thanks to Shadowless Step, he never slipped, ascending all the way.
Finally reaching the summit, Hyeok Mulin glanced down at the dizzying drop below before turning his gaze forward.
A thick fog that made it hard to see even a step ahead.
And air sharply colder than below, enough to raise goosebumps.
Teobuk, teobuk.
As Hyeok Mulin walked forward, he soon spotted heavy objects scattered around.
'Those are...'
Hyeok Mulin's eyes narrowed slightly.
Scattered indiscriminately atop the peak.
They were countless human corpses.
Some had died fleeing in terror, eyes bulging wide; others lay with peaceful, closed eyes; still more gripped swords or daggers, slain mid-battle.
The bodies sprawled in all sorts of poses.
Yet one thing united them all.
Incredibly, not a single corpse showed any signs of decay.
These weren't numbers that could pile up in a day or two, yet they looked as if they'd died just a moment ago.
Hyeok Mulin glanced over them and kept walking.
Not long after, a cozy little cabin came into view.
He stared at it for a moment, then headed for the entrance.
Clunk.
Without warning, the door swung open.
The man who emerged locked eyes with Hyeok Mulin in midair.
Dressed in pristine white robes like the world's most noble physician, he was a middle-aged man of average height and build.
But his appearance was anything but ordinary.
One eye, the corner of his mouth, and patches on his forehead were crudely stitched with black thread. Just meeting his gaze revealed the unbridled madness within.
He stared intently at Hyeok Mulin, a faint exclamation slipping from his lips.
"Hoo..."
Simply facing him head-on, he'd already discerned that Hyeok Mulin hadn't lost his dantian.
And conversely...
'Found you.'
Hyeok Mulin realized it the instant he saw him.
The man who'd driven him to traverse the central plains, cross Dongjeong Lake, and enter Cheonnyeondo-ok.
"Gwang Ui. We've finally met."
Gwang Ui was right before his eyes.
The man tilted his head quizzically.
"You've come looking for me?"
"Yes."
"...Do you have some acquaintance who died by my hand?"
A normal physician might be sought for healing, but Gwang Ui was different.
He'd amassed countless grudges through his treatments over the years, so he first asked if Hyeok Mulin had come for revenge.
Hyeok Mulin shook his head calmly.
"No. I've come to borrow your medical skills."
It had been quite some time since someone approached him without drawing a weapon first, despite knowing he was a physician. It felt refreshingly novel.
Meeting Hyeok Mulin's gaze steadily, Gwang Ui turned.
"Come in. We'll talk details inside."
Following him into the cabin, Hyeok Mulin wrinkled his nose for a split second.
It looked tidy from outside, but inside reeked unmistakably of blood.
One wall held a rattling array of blades in bizarre, unknowable shapes and sizes.
As Hyeok Mulin eyed them curiously, Gwang Ui set tea on the table.
"Not much to offer. Have some of this, at least."
Hyeok Mulin sat and peered at the tea.
Steam rose thickly from it—nothing like the everyday brew people knew.
Large chunks floated inside, with a sour, fishy aroma lingering.
But Hyeok Mulin brought the cup to his lips without a change in expression.
Slurp.
Gwang Ui blinked in surprise at his unhesitating demeanor.
"How can you drink tea from a stranger without suspicion? What if I'd poisoned it?"
Hyeok Mulin set his cup down and shrugged.
"Would a physician serve something harmful? It wasn't scalding my throat, and surprisingly, it tastes fine."
"...Hah. No idea how long it's been since someone treated me like a real doctor."
He looked intrigued that Hyeok Mulin showed no fear, even knowing his identity.
Of course, it was a nourishing tonic with a whole serpent gallbladder for vitality restoration—a true elixir. Still, that utterly carefree face baffled him.
'What an odd fellow.'
A trace of suspicion flickered in Gwang Ui's eyes as he regarded the strangely atmospheric Hyeok Mulin.
He voiced it bluntly, without hiding.
"Who are you?"
"Heavenly Demon."
"...!"
The answer came even swifter than the question.
Gwang Ui's single eye widened as if it might burst, but he quickly composed himself and nodded in acceptance.
"I figured as much."
"Not all that surprised, are you?"
"How many in the world could reach that realm at your age? Heavenly Demon makes sense."
Gwang Ui was quick to accept reality as he saw it.
And even knowing Hyeok Mulin's identity, he didn't switch to honorifics.
"So the vacant cult leader position is finally filled."
Gwang Ui had entered Cheonnyeondo-ok before Hyeok Mulin's ascension, so he knew nothing of the current Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's operations.
To him, the old cult was one without a leader, amid the Seven Great Demon Clans' rising dominance.
A new cult leader born from that power struggle personally seeking him out here—clearly no ordinary matter.
"No one here knows you're Gwang Ui."
"Can't be helped."
Gwang Ui hadn't been dragged into Cheonnyeondo-ok—he'd walked in himself.
Just like Hyeok Mulin, evading the Martial Alliance's eyes.
Gwang Ui met Hyeok Mulin's gaze steadily, then spoke.
"So, you need my help?"
As he cut to the chase, Hyeok Mulin nodded.
"Yes."
Gwang Ui glanced at him sidelong.
"You don't look like a patient to me."
"Not me. The patient is in Singang."
"Singang?"
"Yes. Unfortunately, they can't move, so I came to fetch you myself."
Gwang Ui's brows twisted like wriggling worms.
"If it's Singang, just take them to Ma Ui. That guy's set up a big clinic there and planted himself."
"Ma Ui already tried and failed. He just shook his head."
"Then why not fetch Shin Ui?"
"Even Shin Ui couldn't heal them. I'm certain."
"Those two can't treat it?"
As Gwang Ui asked incredulously, Hyeok Mulin nodded.
"Yes. But you can."
Gwang Ui eyed him suspiciously.
"If you're telling the truth, what kind of patient is it that even Ma Ui and Shin Ui deem impossible?"
Hyeok Mulin grinned as if he'd been waiting.
"One you'll be familiar with."
"...?"
As Gwang Ui frowned one brow in confusion...
"A soul-erased vessel."
Hyeok Mulin stated his purpose clearly.
"The patient you must treat is one whose soul has been erased."
Gwang Ui froze for an instant.
Doubting his own ears, he fixed Hyeok Mulin with utmost gravity.
"Do you know what that means?"
"I know, that's why I sought you."
Answering as if it were obvious, Hyeok Mulin continued.
"I've come to borrow the Soul Severance Cult's sorcery."
"...!"
Gwang Ui's eye bulged wide.
Silent after Hyeok Mulin's words, he bristled with wariness before acknowledging.
"How did you...?"
But in stark contrast, Hyeok Mulin replied calmly.
"Nowhere in the world can escape my cult's eyes."
Soul Severance Cult.
They researched human souls, embedding insights into sorcery. Centuries ago, they'd nurtured thousands of followers—a colossal sect.
At their peak, their influence rivaled the Martial Alliance's Six Great Families single-handedly.
Then one day, disaster struck.
The imperial family's sole crown prince fell ill and suddenly stopped breathing.
The palace erupted in crisis over the succession. After frantic deliberations, the ministers proposed one solution.
—What if we summon the Soul Severance Cult?
The court recoiled uneasily.
The cult's sinister sorcery had long soured public perception.
But that hesitation didn't last.
—We regret to inform you... he has passed.
When the palace physicians all shook their heads, the desperate court grasped at straws and beseeched the cult.
—Can you save him?
The cult leader arrived at the palace in under a day. Glancing at the prince's corpse-like form, he smirked.
—Of course.
Dismissing the ministers, the leader chanted incantations at the prince's side.
Twelve shichen later...
The prince revived.
'Everyone was stunned.'
No one knew the method, but a man all believed dead rose on his own feet.
Paradoxically, that sparked the cult's downfall.
The court rejoiced briefly, then feared the secret sorcery shrouding it.
Declaring the cult practiced forbidden alchemy, the emperor allied with the Martial Alliance to persecute them.
The drastically diminished Soul Severance Cult couldn't withstand the pressure and walked the path of extinction.
'Yes, that's the public story.'
But no one in the world knew Gwang Ui tenuously upheld the cult's lineage.
Or rather, no one could know.
To conceal his status as hidden heir, he'd never used sorcery in others' presence—not once.
Yet here it was exposed.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult lived up to its fame.
Gwang Ui closed his eyes tightly, feeling it anew.
"You're right. I'm the last successor of the Soul Severance Cult."
But one thing he didn't know:
Hyeok Mulin knew his origins not from the cult's intelligence, but from past-life memories.
Gwang Ui fell silent a moment, then spoke.
"But I'm sorry. I can't grant your request."
He shook his head firmly, refusing.
Hyeok Mulin, who'd listened intently, replied.
"Because of the Triad Immortal Physicians' War?"
At those words, Gwang Ui's face hardened terrifyingly.