The Return (4)
"A foolish question, Senior."
Cheon Woo-jin answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Just because they're Nascent Soul cultivators is no reason to hand over my body. I will absolutely fight back."
"Hmm?"
Mujeong Soma asked with a laugh.
"Shouldn't fighting back at least come with a chance of winning? I don't think you can count on things working out through sheer luck like last time."
Don't hope for another fluke like the one that brought down the Phantom-Winged Immortal Bat, Jang Si-woo.
Before Mujeong Soma, who spoke with that implication, Cheon Woo-jin replied with cool composure.
"There's something I once heard from a certain senior."
"Oh?"
"That luck is originally determined by heaven, but a single human act can change it."
It was something he'd heard from Gong U, the investigator born of the Qilin race.
"A single brave step taken without hesitation can steer one clear of a fated death... that was what the senior said."
"......."
"If I despair here and give everything up, then that's the end of it. But if I refuse to bend and stand and fight, then perhaps fortune will favor me."
What was needed to reach a higher realm was the will to forge one's own path and see one's own convictions through, no matter the danger.
Gong U's teaching resonated perfectly with what Cheon Woo-jin sought.
"Of course, I couldn't win in a head-on fight. Which means I'll have to find another way. That's what happens from here on."
"Heh heh..."
Mujeong Soma smiled.
The face Mujeong Soma wore without the mask was a false one, made for disguise.
Because his identity could be exposed by the habits of his facial muscles, he had even been trained to perform his expressions artificially.
And yet, to Cheon Woo-jin's eyes, Mujeong Soma appeared to be genuinely smiling.
"Then allow me to help as well."
"You too, Senior?"
"Have you forgotten? I promised I'd accompany you for a while and lend a hand."
The people around them were startled by Mujeong Soma's declaration.
That he would so readily offer to fight against Nascent Soul cultivators was something ordinary people's sensibilities found hard to grasp.
But that, too, was because they didn't know Mujeong Soma's true identity.
Mujeong Soma was a late-stage Nascent Soul demon lord—a master strong enough to hold his own quite comfortably against even the monsters of the 7th floor.
"Then what about you, Taoist Seo?"
Mujeong Soma's gaze turned to Seo Seol-ryeong.
"Do you share Taoist Cheon's thoughts, or do you think differently?"
"I have no particular desire to think the same as that man... but."
Seo Seol-ryeong spoke in an icy voice.
"I have a goal. I cannot abandon this body before that goal is achieved."
"Hmm?"
"So whatever they want from me, I have no intention of accepting. This body belongs to me and me alone."
Before the resolute Seo Seol-ryeong, Mujeong Soma nodded.
"Then you've both resolved to stand against them. In that case..."
"Now, hold on a moment."
It was then that Wi Ju-seon raised her voice.
"Standing and fighting—isn't that being a little too complacent? It may only be Gwak U and Bukgung Jeongmyeol who want the body-seizing, but if it's Bukgung Jeongmyeol, he could rally the other Nascent Soul cultivators to his side."
If it were Gwak U alone, Wi Ju-seon would not have said this.
The problem was Bukgung Jeongmyeol.
Bukgung Jeongmyeol hosted a gathering called the Ghost Bone Alliance.
An assembly of Nascent Soul cultivators who made the 7th floor their base of operations—and if it came to it, Bukgung Jeongmyeol could call on its members for aid.
Should the Nascent Soul cultivators come swarming out in a group, dealing with them would be all but impossible.
"Would it not be better to simply flee Ghost Head Castle?"
"Flee?"
"I mean the two of you running far away together. Use a transmission formation, and they won't be able to give chase."
Transmission formations were long-distance teleportation arrays hidden across the continent.
Step inside one, recall a place you knew, and it would send you straight there.
Cheon Woo-jin had used a transmission formation the first time he'd come to Ghost Head Castle as well.
There was no transmission formation inside Ghost Head Castle itself, but fly about five hundred li north and one waited deep in the mountains.
Using it, he could flee far away without leaving a single clue as to where he'd gone.
"That's not possible."
"That's not possible."
Cheon Woo-jin and Seo Seol-ryeong answered almost simultaneously.
"I have business to attend to in Ghost Head Castle."
"There are things I must do in Ghost Head Castle."
And after answering thus, Cheon Woo-jin and Seo Seol-ryeong exchanged awkward looks with each other.
Having accidentally sung a duet, they both found it rather embarrassing.
"Mm, if that's what the two of you have decided, I suppose there's nothing to be done..."
"Hm. A commendable resolve."
It was then that Shao Xiaofu spoke up.
"Then our Hundred Flowers Sect shall help as well."
"Sect Master, this matter is ours to..."
"Our Hundred Flowers Sect is a sect that cannot stand by and watch injustice. We cannot pretend not to see such wanton depravity."
To Cheon Woo-jin and Seo Seol-ryeong, it was a welcome offer.
Shao Xiaofu herself was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, a force more than capable of standing against the Nascent Soul experts of the 7th floor.
"And there's more... Tamran Guma has also headed for the 7th floor."
The Hundred Flowers Sect had originally come to Ghost Head Castle to capture Tamran Guma in the first place.
Now that Tamran Guma had ascended to the 7th floor, there was a high chance he would make contact with Bukgung Jeongmyeol.
If Tamran Guma ended up taking shelter under Bukgung Jeongmyeol's Ghost Bone Alliance, the Hundred Flowers Sect would have no choice but to fight him as well.
"If the Hundred Flowers Sect aids us, it's as if we've gained an army of heaven's own. But..."
"Seo Seol-ryeong, what's the problem?"
"To speak frankly, the Hundred Flowers Sect alone will not be enough."
Seo Seol-ryeong said in a level voice.
"We don't yet know just how desperately they covet us. But so long as Bukgung Jeongmyeol might call upon the Ghost Bone Alliance, we should secure the greatest force we possibly can."
"Ah, that's true."
Shao Xiaofu nodded.
"You mean to use your connections to gather more strength from within Ghost Head Castle."
"If we assemble sufficient force, the Ghost Bone Alliance's Nascent Soul cultivators may well think better of involving themselves. That would make resolving this matter considerably easier."
The Ghost Bone Alliance was not truly Bukgung Jeongmyeol's vassals.
It was nothing more than a loose confederation held together by its members' own self-interest.
If they judged the tide turning against them, there was a good chance they would disregard Bukgung Jeongmyeol and withdraw entirely.
"I'll take on that task myself. So..."
Seo Seol-ryeong turned her gaze to Cheon Woo-jin.
"Taoist Cheon, you are free to devote yourself entirely to preparing to face them."
"You read my mind completely."
"Well, of course I do."
Cheon Woo-jin had been thinking along exactly the same lines for some time now.
Seo Seol-ryeong would leverage her connections to rally their forces.
Meanwhile, he would begin his cultivation and acquire even greater power.
That way, their preparations would be flawless.
Whatever else might be said of them, the two of them thought remarkably alike.
"This reminds me of the battle for the Spirit-Summoning Banner..."
Wi Ju-seon groaned, arms crossed.
"Seo Seol-ryeong, to be honest, if late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators come down, my Corpse Ghost Extreme Jade Gate cannot commit our full strength. We currently don't have a single Nascent Soul cultivator among us..."
"I understand your circumstances. It's quite all right."
"Even so, I want to help however I can. I'll give you all the support I'm able, so if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."
With that, Wi Ju-seon looked at Shao Xiaofu.
"Sect Master, we will prepare lodgings for the Hundred Flowers Sect as well."
"Your consideration is appreciated, Sect Master Wi."
"Now that Seo Seol-ryeong and Cheon Woo-jin have returned, Byeokpung Valley will make its move before long. Simply remain on standby until then."
Just as Wi Ju-seon said, Byeokpung Valley would most likely take the lead at first.
They would threaten the pair into following along meekly, and if they refused, try to drag them away by force.
Their preparations had to be complete by the time that happened.
"It seems we have a rough plan, then."
Mujeong Soma, who had been listening, nodded.
"In that case, I'll spend some time making the rounds. I'd like to poke around here and there, too."
Mujeong Soma was, after all, the head of the White Face Pavilion, which handled intelligence and covert operations.
He would no doubt want to gather information by scoping the place out.
"Taoist Cheon, until we meet again."
"Understood. Take care, Senior."
After parting ways with Cheon Woo-jin, Mujeong Soma was the first to leave.
"Cheon Woo-jin, should we provide you with a training ground?"
"I have a cave dwelling I use. I'll train there, so don't trouble yourself."
After answering Wi Ju-seon, Cheon Woo-jin also moved to head outside.
It was then that Won Pil-so hurried after him.
"Taoist Cheon, one moment, please."
Won Pil-so drew an envelope from inside his robe and handed it over.
"What's this?"
"Talismans my senior brother made up, intending to give them to you when you returned."
The envelope was stuffed full of talismans crafted by Jang Ryang.
"He poured his heart into them, keeping in mind things you'd said before—'I wish I had a talisman like this.' I wore myself ragged running around gathering the materials he needed, too."
"......."
Cheon Woo-jin bit his lip.
At present, Jang Ryang lay recovering from grave injuries suffered in Byeokpung Valley's assault.
His heart wanted nothing more than to go to him in person and offer words of comfort—but showing up now would only mark him as Byeokpung Valley's target all over again.
What Cheon Woo-jin could do right now was one thing alone: make Byeokpung Valley pay the price for what they had done.
"Taoist Cheon, please..."
"Don't worry, Taoist Won."
Before Won Pil-so, whose voice trembled, Cheon Woo-jin slipped Jang Ryang's talismans into his robe.
"They will come to regret what they've done."
Very soon now, Byeokpung Valley would learn.
Just how foolish it was to harm the people around someone in order to intimidate him.
And to teach them that lesson, Cheon Woo-jin was prepared to become endlessly, limitlessly cruel.
Mujeong Soma emerged from the underground waterway.
His footsteps were lighter than usual.
So I've gotten tangled up in something entirely unforeseen.
Thanks to the tutelage of the previous White Face Pavilion Master, who had dragged him across every corner of the continent, Mujeong Soma had developed a temperament that savored every brush with incidents like this.
So at present, he was thoroughly energized.
I only meant to catch Tamran Guma, and now the elders of Byeokpung Valley and the heir of the Yin Soul Ghost Bone Palace are mixed in as well... how entertaining this has become.
As the White Face Pavilion Master, his first duty regarding this affair should have been reporting it to the Blood World Mara Sect.
But as the human Seong Mu-ryeong, he wanted above all to weather this storm alongside Cheon Woo-jin.
Handing Taoist Cheon over to the mere elders of Byeokpung Valley... such a thing must never come to pass.
Having left the waterway, Mujeong Soma decided to first look around the inside of Junggyeongjin.
He intended to gather information here before deciding on his next move.
"Hey, you. Hold it right there."
At that moment, sword cultivators dressed in blue robes surrounded Mujeong Soma.
"Senior, that's the one. The bastard who came up to the 6th floor with Cheon Woo-jin earlier."
"Hm. Definitely a face I haven't seen before. A lackey Cheon Woo-jin brought in from outside?"
They were disciples of Byeokpung Valley.
It seemed they had caught wind of Cheon Woo-jin's return to the 6th floor and were combing the area for him.
"Hey. Where's Cheon Woo-jin?"
"Answer politely, and you won't be harmed."
Not even knowing who stood before them,
they glowered and threatened Mujeong Soma.
Finding the whole thing deliciously novel, Mujeong Soma laughed, shoulders shaking.
When he wore his usual mask and operated as the White Face Pavilion Master, no one had ever picked a fight with him like this.
"Heh heh. I'm truly glad I came to Ghost Head Castle."
"What did you say?"
"What's that supposed to—"
The Byeokpung Valley disciples moved their hands to the hilts at their waists.
Even watching them do it, Mujeong Soma maintained his easy composure.
"Perfect timing, actually. I was just about to investigate Byeokpung Valley's movements."
"What's that supposed to—"
"My apologies, gentlemen."
Mujeong Soma raised his hand.
Even though he wore none of his usual white mask.
The mask of a cruel demonic cultivator settled over his strikingly handsome face.
"I'll be borrowing that face skin of yours, if you don't mind."