Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: The Overturned Sky
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"Strategist."
"...Yes."
The man responded to the call.
The surroundings were silent. Not a single sign of life anywhere.
As if it had always been that way. As if he alone could manifest the end of the world...
In the profound silence, everything was enveloped by a sea of stillness.
No noise. No light.
Yet he could see. And hear at the same time.
The natural order ceased to be natural.
Reason ceased to be reason.
It wasn't due to some unusual terrain. Nor was it innate.
It was simply because the man before him stood there...
Everything that should have been normal was overturned.
The inverted sky. Endless meaninglessness.
A landscape created by a single warrior who had tried to grasp the heavens with his hands.
It had been years since they met. Decades of serving at his side.
Yet he still trembled. In his presence, he couldn't dare harbor any other thoughts.
That was how a rabbit felt before a lion.
To him, all humans were no different from cockroaches.
-Thud.
The man before him turned his head. He posed a question.
Transcending human limits.
Even surpassing the limits of a transcendent being.
The sea of silence that had descended as if to become a god shattered in an instant.
The scenery collapsed, and everything returned to normal. The qi, compressed as if being sucked in, flowed through his hand and vanished completely.
Light returned. Sound returned.
The strategist exhaled a heavy breath belatedly and struggled to steady his trembling legs.
"How are things with Sado-ryun and Cheonryonghoe?"
"...They're continuing an endless battle, just as planned."
"And Murim Alliance and the Demonic Cult?"
"Preparing for war. On the Demonic Cult's side."
"Did the warning sink in properly?"
"Yes."
"Good. Better late than never that they came to their senses. Losing only a part is better than everything. It seems she's not entirely foolish."
The man donned his martial robes. He swept back his hair and stood before him.
A god in human flesh.
The strategist immediately lowered his gaze. He crouched down like a cockroach, pouring all his strength into it.
"Lord of Reverse Heaven. Do you have any further commands?"
"None. I just wanted to confirm that the Cycle of Sin is proceeding properly."
"......"
"The key is balance. A balance that lets blood flow endlessly. That lineage was once severed, but we'll reconnect it this time. With even more blood. But... I'm a bit worried this time. What if the righteous factions win overwhelmingly?"
"You needn't worry about that."
"Why not?"
"Shaolin has collapsed from within. The heads of Janggyeonggak and Nahanjeon clashed while confronting Buljon Gongbaek, uprooting Shaolin's very pillars. The spies we planted were also killed in the process. With one of the Nine Great Sects broken, the righteous factions' accumulated power has naturally weakened."
"...Buljon? Who's that?"
"Buljon Gongbaek. The one called Cheonhyang Hermit."
"Someone you made contact with?"
"We saw no value in it, so no contact was made."
"The strategist made a mistake."
His breath caught. The strategist trembled violently and slammed his forehead into the ground.
-Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Kill me, my lord!"
Blood flowed from his split forehead. The man shook his head.
"Enough. I never expected anything from you anyway."
"......"
"Is the dead one someone I know?"
"Just a low-level operative. No need to concern yourself."
"Died in an internal power struggle... You planted a mediocre one, then. What are the Reverse Stars doing?"
"All but one are in contact with the Five Outer Palaces, as always."
"Meaning they're slacking off."
"......"
"Tell the Reverse Stars to be ready to move at any time."
"You mean..."
"The current Heavenly Demon has inherited that guy's blood thicker than any I've seen. She takes after him. Greatly. Which means... there's a high chance she won't follow my intentions. Her current actions might even be a ruse."
The Lord of Reverse Heaven nodded slightly.
"If need be, I'll bring all the Reverse Stars and clean up the Central Plains once. If things go astray, it might be faster to start over."
A restart of the current murim.
The strategist trembled as he replied to the one who uttered such a monumental statement so casually.
"I... obey your command."
Because that man had more than enough power to do it.
...
Lamps ignited. Shrine maidens with faces veiled by inscribed silk moved on silent feet.
The forbidden chamber that none but the Heavenly Demon could enter.
The Heavenly Maidens circled the area in silence. They polished statues, tended the surroundings, and chanted prayers softly.
The Demonic Cult's long history. The deepest place that had existed since its origins.
Sacred Fire Secret Cave.
The elongated shadows bizarrely mismatched their circular forms. As if whispering of illusions blending with reality, strange, sourceless tones echoed from all directions.
The Second Demon spoke. He scanned the surroundings and asked quietly.
"...Lord. This place is..."
"The Sacred Fire Secret Cave. Why? Does it feel awkward entering before becoming Cult Leader?"
He nodded.
The Heavenly Demon chuckled softly.
"You're right, Little Cult Leader. This is a place only the Cult Leader may enter. But things are different now. You have the right to enter. You're receiving successor training, and the position hasn't changed hands yet... You're no different from the Heavenly Demon already, are you?"
"I'm grateful you see it that way."
"Enough. I should be the grateful one. You showed mercy by sparing the lives of Black Snake Sect Leader and Raksha Sect Leader for my sake... I was quite pleased you looked after my junior colleagues."
The Second Demon halted.
"...Di-did I do well?"
"Of course. It was unexpected. I assumed you'd prioritize tradition and eliminate those defeated in the successor battle. Since you didn't, praise is in order."
"I consider it a poor judgment. It was no different from forcibly sparing threats. Even on the eve of war, the choice itself wasn't good for me."
"Then why didn't you kill them?"
"...I endured because I thought you'd be pleased, Master."
The Heavenly Demon stopped. She turned back.
She stared at the Second Demon. Then burst into a soft laugh.
"You're the same as ever. Like a child in my presence-who would dare call you Little Cult Leader now?"
"Can't you see me as a man, not a child?"
"Our positions make that impossible."
"It doesn't matter, Master. If I can have you by my side, I have the confidence to give up everything."
The Second Demon placed a hand on his chest.
He asked earnestly.
"I've proven myself your finest disciple. Now I can say I'm stronger than anyone. Don't I... match your ideal the most?"
"If this is a joke, it's starting to wear thin, so please stop."
"You know it's not a joke."
"That's why I'm calling it one."
The Heavenly Demon sighed.
"...Mukyeol. You're my disciple. The official Little Cult Leader preparing to ascend to Heavenly Demon. So fold it away. You have much to do. Don't get swayed by mere romance."
"...Is that your answer? Nothing's changed from ten years ago."
"Because you're still in the same place."
"I've changed."
"You think you've changed, but nothing has."
The Heavenly Demon turned away again.
"Don't you know it yourself?"
"...I won't give up."
"Give up. I'll choose my own partner. I left no room ten years ago-why do you cling like this?"
"Because I swore to dedicate my life."
"Words unfit for master and disciple."
"I'll change that relationship itself."
"Men who cling too much lose their appeal. Besides, I prefer those who don't compromise."
"......."
"Didn't you compromise? I'm not blind."
"I had to inherit it. To lead All Demons Sect, I had no choice but to embrace that shadow."
"Picking at right and wrong will drag this conversation on. That's not why I brought you here. Second Demon. Put your heart aside. Your emotions too. What stands before me now must be the Little Cult Leader. Given your sharp mind, I trust you've understood."
"......."
The Second Demon nodded.
The form of address had changed back.
"Lord. Why did you bring me here?"
"To show you where the improved Heavenly Tribulation buried in your heart came from. And there's a story I must tell you as well."
"What story..."
-Thud.
The Heavenly Demon's foot stopped. She nodded toward the end of the towering altar she had been gazing at.
The shrine maidens shook bells. Amid the eerie music and rituals, flames ignited on the altar spontaneously.
Black flames bloomed darkly.
Within them, the Heavenly Demon asked.
"Can you believe it?"
"What..."
"The existence of a warrior who has lived over three hundred years."
...
The master of Heavenly Martial Academy, Mo Yonghwi, gazed out the window.
He saw children. Intermediate class. But even among them, only a few received special attention from the instructors.
Though most were from influential families in the intermediate class, there were always those with even more standout backgrounds. And so...
Differences were inevitable.
Differences between the haves, even among themselves, and the have-nots.
"......."
Really...
Isn't this just utter bullshit?
Mo Yonghwi held his tongue. Instead, he turned and sipped bitter tea.
He had to endure even if he hated it. Only by following that man here could his grandson survive.
"......."
He had to endure and endure again.
Even when unpleasant sights came into view, pretend not to see and look away.
But then an unexpected event occurred.
The one he'd asked to watch over had done what he himself would have had to do someday.
"...What?"
Mo Yonghwi twitched his eyebrows upon receiving the report.
That Red Cloud fellow...
Was gathering untaught students and holding extra classes after hours?
Curious, Mo Yonghwi went to see for himself. He hid among the bushes and observed.
The report was accurate. Despite gaining nothing from it, he was taking extra time to teach the children.
Surprisingly, his teaching was the real deal, packed with essentials. He emphasized the importance of foundations and built direction upon them.
There was no guidance on heart methods. But Mo Yonghwi actually preferred that.
Building internal energy was important, of course. But piling it up before the body was ready wasn't advisable.
The vessel needed to be sufficiently formed before it could hold internal energy...
Doing it backward slowed physical growth. Naturally leading to half-baked warriors dependent on a single technique.
And in these times...
Such warriors overflowed.
"......."
Mo Yonghwi closely examined Red Cloud's sword.
As the Murim Alliance Leader had mentioned beforehand, he was an external arts master. No signs of internal energy or true qi movement, but his sharply defined muscles and body carried immense power with every downward strike.
A properly trained warrior. No, calling it 'trained' properly was a stretch.
Better to say he had tempered himself by endlessly hammering down a lump of heavy iron.
He was a sturdy man. And in the nonstop instruction, he also refined his own body.
Loosening unused muscles and pushing his physical vessel to the limit.
"......."
Among current warriors, finding a body as perfect as his would be truly rare.
Impressive. If such a body were paired with fitting internal energy...
Between the Four Venerables and Five Saints.
Between the Seven Swords and Nine Dragons...
Another star would have been added.
"...What a shame."
Mo Yonghwi snapped to attention at his own inadvertent mutter.
A shame?
Wasn't this the man the Murim Alliance Leader had personally ordered him to monitor? He must not develop feelings.
Better to withdraw for now. Note that his actions were unusual, and observe more over time...
"Grandfather."
He flinched.
Mo Yonghwi whipped his head around. A frail boy, sweating, was looking at him.
A shout escaped Mo Yonghwi's lips unbidden.
"S-San-a?! Why are you here?! Weren't you in the special care wing?! What is this?!"