Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: An Old Friend Has Returned
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Suspended in mid-air, Pae-seon couldn’t even twitch a finger from the neck down. His entire body was paralyzed by some unknown phenomenon, and he began to fall helplessly from the sky.
Death started to close in on him. A black dragon, its maw menacingly open, was approaching.
“What is this!”
Pae-seon shouted, completely unable to comprehend the situation. Mu-heun kindly answered him.
“It’s a new formation I created. It works on a similar principle to the Myriad Fragrance Grand Restoration Formation, but instead of healing or curing, it focuses solely on enhancing the property of paralysis.”
“That, that’s…”
He had more questions, but Pae-seon couldn’t ask them. The black dragon was now right in front of his falling body.
*Is this… the end? Am I to be defeated and killed by this young member of the Demonic Cult? Still, a paralysis formation… he prepared it well.*
In the next moment, the black dragon’s jaws completely swallowed him.
*Jung-hyeok… I’m coming to join you.*
The end for a man who had lived for so many years. It was, frankly, an absurd situation. But perhaps, he thought, this too was fate.
Mu-heun’s words had shaken his emotions and his heart, but because of them, he was able to think of his old friend, the Divine Doctor.
But with his death, what fate would befall Kunlun…?
*…Huh?*
He felt no pain, no death. Instead, he felt someone catch him in mid-air and gently lower him to the ground.
When Pae-seon opened his eyes, he saw Mu-heun. The black dragon had simply passed by his side.
“This might be the first and last time, but it was quite enjoyable. By the way, I emphasized that I was Baek Jung-hyeok, yet you still used such a killing move. You really are a reckless one. How have you managed to survive all this time?”
“You, you really are…”
Mu-heun laid Gu Pae-seon on the ground, then sat down himself. He looked at the bewildered Pae-seon and continued.
“You must be curious. No matter how exquisitely crafted a paralysis formation is, it could never deceive you. But, there’s always a way. Do you remember the Bamboo Leaf Green you drank earlier?”
“That, that can’t be. If it contained poison, there’s no way I wouldn’t have known.”
“It’s not poison. It’s a fragrance. I released a paralytic mist with the same scent as the Bamboo Leaf Green. The mist would have entered through your skin and nose, and once a certain amount was absorbed, it linked with the Myriad Fragrance Paralysis Formation to paralyze your body.”
“Such a…”
“I know I can’t trick you more than once. I won’t be able to use this again.”
“…”
“Still, if you’ve calmed down a bit, listen to my story. Well, you’re paralyzed, so you have no choice but to listen. Hehehehe.”
Mu-heun looked at the prone Pae-seon and spoke with a serious tone.
“Pae-seon. Twenty-four years ago, just before your mother passed away, you always carried the letter she left you in your bosom. But when I asked what you would do if the letter got damaged and suggested you hide it in your secret sanctuary on Kunlun Mountain that no one else knew about, you showed me that sanctuary. Do you remember?”
“…!”
“Hehe, there, you and I drank Bamboo Leaf Green, lamenting the state of the current martial world late into the night. We talked until we lost track of the dawn, snacking on Jagwidan pills.”
“…”
“We had times like that… But the man known as Baek Jung-hyeok is now dead. I was killed by the Golden Fang Poison Claw and possessed the body of a Demonic Cult member named Baek Mu-heun.”
Pae-seon struggled to process the unbelievable situation.
“Are you… really… Jung-hyeok?”
“I cast that name aside the moment I died at the hands of the Sichuan Tang Clan’s Golden Fang Poison Claw.”
“What…”
“I told you earlier. They plan to betray me and alter the formation. I heard they’re capturing children and turning them into Poison Blood Demons.”
Pae-seon couldn’t believe this absurd situation. He had already heard the news of the Divine Doctor’s death. Although the Sichuan Tang Clan was trying to cover it up, he had investigated on his own when he lost contact for a long time.
He thought he would never see him again…
Baek Jung-hyeok had returned as Baek Mu-heun? His mind refused to comprehend it.
But…
Human emotions, the heart, were strange things. His eyes, his ears, and his heart told him something different from his mind.
An old friend had returned…
***
Mu-heun candidly shared his story with Pae-seon.
“I had accepted a hollow death, but what do you know, I met the old Heavenly Demon himself. The founder of the Demonic Cult, that very same Heavenly Demon.”
“What… what are you…”
Pae-seon had no idea what this crazy old man… no, this young man was talking about.
“The old man said the martial world of the Central Plains can’t keep fighting amongst itself like this. He said the day when beings from beyond the heavens will threaten the Central Plains is not far off. So he told me he’d bring me back to life and that I had to set everything right.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“My friend, you already believe it, don’t you? Just look at the fact that I’ve returned. Anyway, I have to prepare according to my master, the Heavenly Demon’s, words. Of course, before that, I must sever my ill-fated connection with the Sichuan Tang Clan. So, I need you to help me.”
“…”
Mu-heun spoke calmly, while Pae-seon listened, a jumble of bewilderment. The two men looked upon the years they had lived. They had spent the same amount of time, but their perspectives were now so different.
The differently projected futures began to show them what they had to do.
“If I wanted to make you believe, I could talk all night. But I think this should be enough for you to understand…?”
“It really… it really is you, Mad Doctor.”
*Thwack!*
The moment the words “Mad Doctor” left Pae-seon’s lips, Mu-heun smacked him on the head. At a glance, it was a scene of a young man in his prime hitting an old man on the head.
“Why am I the Mad Doctor? Just because I spoke some truth to those who deserved to be scolded, they treat me like a crazy physician. They don’t even know how to be grateful. Tsk tsk.”
“Hahahahahahahahaha!”
Mu-heun clicked his tongue and lamented, but Pae-seon, on the contrary, burst into loud laughter.
“It really is you, Jung-hyeok. Whatever happened, I’m glad you’re alive.”
“Well, nothing to be that grateful for.”
“More importantly, undo this paralysis now.”
“Ah. I didn’t think about how to undo it.”
“You crazy bastard!”
“Hehehehe!”
***
It took a full quarter of an hour for Pae-seon’s paralysis to wear off.
“Hehehehe.”
“Stop laughing. It makes me want to beat you up.”
“My, my… for a Taoist.”
“Better than a Mad Doctor.”
The two exchanged conversation like old times. It was laced with some profanity, but that was proof of how close they were.
“So, you’re saying you’re going to annihilate the Sichuan Tang Clan?”
“Not annihilate. I’m going to drag Dang Baek-ho down and have a proper person inherit the position of Family Head.”
“No matter how strong you are, you can’t fight the entire Sichuan Tang Clan. You know that, right?”
“Of course, I know. Besides, the moment the Kunlun, Qingcheng, and Emei Sects come to the Tang Clan’s aid, my chances are as good as none.”
“Knowing you, you wouldn’t have come without a plan. What is it?”
“First, I intend to change the minds of the sects that might support the Tang Clan.”
“How?”
“I already have a method in mind for the Qingcheng and Emei Sects. The problem is Gongtong… Isn’t the Gongtong Sect one that actively follows Kunlun? I’ll help Kunlun, so you persuade the Gongtong Sect.”
“I’m sorry, but I cut ties with the main sect and have been living in seclusion for a long time. For someone like me to suddenly appear and try to persuade them to betray Sichuan and help the Demonic Cult? Even if I did, no one would listen to me.”
“But there are two people, aren’t there? Two who listen to your every word.”
“…!”
Gu Pae-seon, the reclusive Cloud Dragon known as the Light-Splitting Immortal. Only two people still followed him with utmost respect.
Kunlun’s greatest assets and absolute masters: Clear Cool Immortal Ok Cheon-u, and Wind and Cloud Immortal Yeo Wi-cheon.
“However, those two are not in a state to talk right now. The reason we can’t betray the Sichuan Tang Clan is probably because of them…”
“Pae-seon, who am I?”
“…Could it be that the help you’re talking about is?!”
“Right now, there is no one in the Sichuan Tang Clan who can completely detoxify the poison afflicting those two. The only ones who might are my disciples, but they still can’t surpass me. You’re not unaware that the Tang Clan is holding Kunlun by the throat, using the two Cloud Dragons’ lives as leverage, are you?”
“Hmm… indeed. If you were to treat those two, persuading the others might not be entirely impossible.”
“First, I need to examine them for treatment. Tell me where they are.”
“To see them, you have to pass through several of Kunlun’s barriers. Even if you accompany me, it won’t be easy for an outsider to get to them.”
“Is there no way?”
“…I have an idea.”
Jung-hyeok and Pae-seon, reunited after a long time, discussed the events to come. They also agreed that unless they were alone, Mu-heun would speak formally to him.
***
Un-pyo and Pa-sun waited for a long time, staring at the thick fog covering the cliff. Not a sound could be heard, not a presence could be felt.
It was as if the world within the fog and the world they were in were completely separate.
Pa-sun couldn’t understand this phenomenon, but Un-pyo realized what the foggy cliff before them was.
“It must be a world created by a Qi Gate Formation.”
“Sir Un-pyo, do you know something?”
“No, not exactly, but I’ve felt this before. Back when I followed the Blade Leaf Demon, the Orthodox Sect bastards once activated a Qi Gate Formation and dragged us into a strange space.”
“In that case… the master is.”
“He will be fine.”
“He will be fine, right?”
“Of course. The master is not someone we can easily judge.”
Just then.
The thick fog began to clear, revealing two figures.
“I’ve made you wait a long time. Let me introduce you. This is the reclusive master of Kunlun, the Light-Splitting Immortal, Gu Pae-seon.”
At that, Un-pyo and Pa-sun performed a fist-and-palm salute and spoke.
“We greet the Cloud Dragon of Kunlun.”
Pae-seon looked at them with some satisfaction and said.
“Yes, even if their master has no manners, his subordinates are polite. Very well-trained. How unexpected.”
Mu-heun was slightly annoyed by Pae-seon’s sarcasm, but since it was a compliment to his subordinates, he accepted it gracefully.
“We thank the Light-Splitting Immortal for his praise.”
“Alright, from now on, you have a place to go with me. We need to find someone.”
“F-find someone?”
“Yes, we need to put on a play for Kunlun to see, and a play always needs a counterpart.”
“Ah, I understand.”
“And from now on, you will learn martial arts from me, and you will learn how to control your energy. You will go to Kunlun under the guise of my hidden disciples, and for that, you must hide your ominous and unrefined energy.”
“Pardon?”
“When you fight for the sake of the play, you’ll have to reveal a part of your energy, so you must master the art of mimicking the aura of the Orthodox Sects to hide your origins.”
“Ah…”
Mu-heun looked at Un-pyo and Pa-sun and nodded. After confirming Mu-heun’s approval, Un-pyo and Pa-sun shouted loudly.
“Yes!”
Thus, Mu-heun, Un-pyo, and Pa-sun learned martial arts from the Light-Splitting Immortal, Gu Pae-seon. They learned how to reduce their menacing demonic energy, how to fight like the Orthodox Sects of the Central Plains, and the fundamentals of martial arts.
Pae-seon taught Mu-heun, Pa-sun, and Un-pyo the basics of Orthodox Sect martial arts and how to gently control their energy.
“Well, one is a blockhead but learns quickly, and the other hasn’t built up much to begin with, so he’s easy to teach.”
“Haha, my subordinates are quite exceptional.”
“The problem is you. The aura I feel from you is so ominous that anyone would know you’re from the Demonic Cult just by looking. Do you have any way to deal with it?”
“Do not worry. I can refine my energy and wrap it with Demon-Sealing Paper.”
The most conspicuous demonic energy, more so than Un-pyo’s and Pa-sun’s, was of course Mu-heun’s. The moment even a fraction of his Heavenly Demonic energy revealed itself, it was obvious that even someone with no discerning eye would recognize it as the energy of the Demonic Cult.
“Hmm… alright. You should avoid fighting as much as possible. I’ll introduce you as a hidden disciple of the Divine Doctor of Sichuan.”
“As you wish!”