Chapter 172
Chapter 172
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: The Standard for Distinguishing Good and Evil
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Behind the façade of the Gwiwon Temple lay a space that mirrored it, yet was filled with a crimson-black energy. It was a place teeming with a malevolent aura that consumed souls.
Any ordinary human who set foot here would not escape death.
A rakshasa, crawling on its massive belly and chest, commanded the evil spirits. Leaning back on a grand throne set in the center of the temple, this being was once a glorious deity, but had now fallen to the point of commanding mere specters.
Mahoraga.
A rakshasa with the lower body of a giant serpent and a human-like upper body. It had five eyes and six arms: two resting on the throne, one propping up its chin, and two gripping a massive spear.
In its remaining hand, it held a large wheel. Inside the wheel, the souls of evil spirits were repeatedly torn apart and stitched back together, their screams echoing endlessly.
The Ghost Soul Dark Spirit Wheel.
A divine object that held the souls and spirits of lesser demons.
“Ugh. Once I take over this mortal world, will I be able to escape this cycle…?”
Mahoraga unclenched the hand supporting its chin, thinking of the evil gods who had reduced it to this state.
“Impossible… I suppose.”
But it didn't matter. Unlike 300 years ago, it had prepared so as not to be defeated this time. However, there were a few things that bothered it…
“Who killed the Mangryang?”
I sent the Mangryang to experiment using the Penghou and Mo, but they were all killed.
That wasn't all. It had personally moved to wipe out a martial arts family, then used the Painted Skin Demons to devour them. They were supposed to have infiltrated the Martial Alliance and reported back…
But they were all killed.
It was a failure.
The failure of the Painted Skin Demons itself wasn't a major problem. That place was a gathering of all the martial world's powers, so it had expected some variables.
However…
The souls of the dead Painted Skin Demons should have returned to the Ghost Soul Dark Spirit Wheel. A few had, but most had not.
“Could it be that those Painted Skin Demons broke the bindings engraved on their souls?”
Mahoraga twirled the tip of its serpent tail and let out a smirk.
“Impossible. Someone must have intervened.”
Mahoraga spoke with a sinister smile.
“I don't know who you are, but you're quite impressive for a human. Still, I wonder if you can find your way to this tedious temple.”
Mahoraga ordered the ghost spirits waiting in the space behind the temple to bring the corpses of the captured martial artists.
Then, it spoke to the evil spirits gathered in the Ghost Soul Dark Spirit Wheel.
“I shall give you new bodies. This time, fight with all your might.”
Soon, the only sound to be heard was the horrifying screams of the ghost spirits.
* * *
Un-pyo and Pa-sun, who had set out from Sichuan with the Cheonbu Merchant Guild's caravan. With two warriors who had reached the pinnacle of the transcendent realm guarding them, the journey was smooth. Occasionally, bandits from the green forests would appear on mountain paths, and river pirates would attack from their strongholds by the water…
But when Un-pyo and Pa-sun stepped forward, they were dealt with in an instant.
Each time, Cheon Hwi-san, the son of the Cheonbu Merchant Guild's leader, praised Un-pyo and Pa-sun's martial prowess endlessly.
“Phew! Great sirs! I can't help but admire your profound martial arts. Your spearmanship seems to reach the heavens, and your saber techniques split the earth. Wow! You'd be hard-pressed to find warriors of this caliber anywhere.”
However, the two waved their hands dismissively and said.
“No! Listen here! Compared to our lord, we are less than the dirt under his fingernails. Never praise our martial skills to others.”
“That's right. I'm embarrassed just hearing it. We still have a long way to go! A long way! Defeating some mountain bandits and river pirates means nothing!”
“Ah… yes, great sirs. In that case, I will prepare your meal.”
""Thank you.""
In truth, Cheon Hwi-san wasn't wrong. Un-pyo and Pa-sun had reached the peak of the transcendent realm. Their skills were on par with the leaders of most small to medium-sized sects or the heads of families.
But Un-pyo and Pa-sun relentlessly humbled themselves.
The reason was simple. When they thought of the companions they had traveled with, the enemies they had faced, and… their lord, they knew they still had an incredibly long way to go.
“Seeing that someone like Cheon Hwi-san thinks people like us are strong, his understanding of martial arts must be narrow.”
“Indeed. It's true we've gotten stronger compared to when we first started training, but we're still no match for the stronger members of the younger generation like Seol Ha-ryeong or Gu Yang-baek. We can't afford to get complacent.”
“You are absolutely right, Sir Un-pyo. In that case, how about a sparring match after our meal?”
“…Sounds good?”
As soon as they finished eating, Un-pyo and Pa-sun continued their training under the guise of sparring.
Watching them, Cheon Hwi-san couldn't help but be impressed.
*'Not all demonic practitioners are the same. At this rate, I'd believe them if they said they were from the Orthodox Sects.'*
Cheon Hwi-san himself was affiliated with the Tang Clan and had learned some third-rate martial arts. A clumsy martial art prepared by the Tang Clan.
That's why he could tell just how sublime Pa-sun and Un-pyo's martial arts were.
Seeing Un-pyo and Pa-sun striving forward without pause, he applauded them inwardly.
*'Perhaps choosing to trade with the Demonic Cult was a good decision.'*
* * *
A pavilion in the Martial Alliance's Heavenly Dragon Castle.
Mu-heun was eating the food prepared by the Soul-Stealing Immortal, engrossed in his research.
He had been repairing the Heavenly Demonic Corpse, Hyeok, in the quarters provided by the Soul-Stealing Immortal. But then, something unexpected happened.
Mu-heun swallowed dryly.
The reason was that the guest who had just arrived at his door was not a particularly welcome one.
*'First, I should put Hyeok away and greet him.'*
Hyeok, who had been stabbed by Dokgalgok. The repairs had just been completed.
Now that the Heavenly Demonic Corpse was back in the Ghost Spirit Talisman, the task was done.
It was the calm before the storm, just before a critical situation would arise, but it wasn't as if there was no time. No, in fact, the timing was perfect.
It was something that had to be done anyway.
The man currently standing at the door—if I could completely win him over, it would be a great advantage in all future events.
Normally, I would have been the one to seek him out first.
I took a moment to steady my breathing and prepare myself. I didn't know what he would say or how he would say it… but for me, there was no turning back.
Creeak.
I opened the door.
“Please, come in.”
“Thank you.”
The man had been standing perfectly still until I opened the door.
Plum Blossom Sword Venerable, Jin Hong.
He entered without any change in his expression.
I prepared a cup of green tea with a subtle aroma for him and offered it.
“Would you care for some tea?”
“I would.”
I carefully handed him the teacup filled with green tea. Jin Hong drank the hot tea at once without even blowing on it. It seemed the heat didn't bother him.
“Now then, may I ask why you've come to see me?”
Normally, I would have sought him out first, even if it meant revealing my identity, to win him over. But instead, the Plum Blossom Sword Venerable had come to me.
He must have a purpose.
His purpose was obvious. How could I, a scholar who had lived past seventy in my previous life, not discern it? Having heard stories about him from the Tang Clan's warrior, I knew. He was confused.
The situation where I, someone from the Demonic Cult, was closely cooperating with the core members of the Martial Alliance. The fact that a plan devised by me, a Pavilion Lord of the Demonic Cult, was being carried out by the leaders of the Orthodox Sects.
I understood. He probably hadn't come here with a major complaint against me.
He simply…
*'...wanted to confirm something.'*
The Plum Blossom Sword Venerable, Jin Hong, gazed at his empty teacup for a moment before speaking.
“What do you believe is good, and what do you believe is evil?”
*'Oh? Does he intend to engage in a philosophical debate?'*
It was a direct question, not a roundabout one. His intention was clear, but that made it a proper way to approach the matter.
A debate to distinguish good from evil. In my past life, I too had lived my entire life believing I was on the side of good. Naturally, I thought the Demonic Cult was evil and the Orthodox Sects were closer to good.
However, after experiencing death once, my standards regarding good and evil have changed a great deal.
For Jin Hong, known as the Sword Venerable of the Orthodox Sects, to discuss good and evil with me, someone from the Demonic Cult, might seem like he was trying to pick a fight. However, since I too have constantly pondered this matter, I had no reason to refuse.
“I am still considering it.”
“Considering it? You mean you haven't reached an answer yet?”
“That is correct. However.”
“However?”
Looking at Jin Hong's expression, I could tell he was deep in thought.
*'He must be conflicted.'*
If he were the type of man to slaughter anyone not from the Orthodox Sects—that is, the Unorthodox Sects and the Demonic Cult—on sight, I would have known from our first meeting.
Whether it was in front of the Sichuan Tang Clan Head's office or at the Martial Alliance headquarters, he would have drawn his sword without a second thought. But he didn't.
At the Tang Clan, he had suggested we talk, and even now, he was sitting across from me, sharing tea.
Perhaps he had gone through a not-insignificant period of wandering, which caused the foundations of his beliefs about good and evil to shake. The realization that not all in the Orthodox Sects are good, and not all in the Demonic Cult are evil.
No, perhaps it went beyond that. It was highly likely he was contemplating the very nature of good and evil.
That's why my answer was all the more resolute.
I am still considering it.
Because unless you are the god who created the heavens and the earth, no one can rashly pass judgment on good and evil. I was constantly contemplating it.
“However, I can share my thoughts on the matter with you.”
Jin Hong seemed to mull over my words. Then, his expression softened slightly as he spoke.
“I would like to hear them.”
In truth, my answer wasn't that strange from a common-sense perspective. Even though I was an old man who had lived past seventy in my previous life, I was now a young man who had not yet even reached thirty.
At this age, how many books could I have read, and how much of the world could I have seen? Furthermore, in the eyes of the Plum Blossom Sword Venerable, I was a martial artist raised in the Demonic Cult in Xinjiang... To him, I had just set foot in the Central Plains and encountered the wider world.
To be asked what I thought good and evil were. It would have been ridiculous to answer such a profound question with confidence.
“The ancient sages said that good sprouts from the Four Beginnings: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom. However, I have tried to interpret this in my own way.”
“Your own way?”
“Yes. Because scholarship, in the end, is nothing but an illusion if not applied to reality.”
“…Tell me.”
“There was once a Divine Doctor.”
“A Divine Doctor?”
“Yes. The world says that killing a person is evil, and saving a person is good. So, the Divine Doctor spent his entire life saving people.”
“You're speaking of the Divine Doctor of Sichuan.”
Jin Hong also knew, having heard that he was the disciple of Baek Mu-heun, the Divine Doctor of Sichuan who had fled to the Demonic Cult to escape Dang Baek-ho.
“That's right. He wanted to spread goodness in the world. He wanted to help those who were struggling, to save them. And then he found them: people suffering from disease and injury.”
“…”
Jin Hong was a little taken aback.
To suddenly start talking about his master…