Chapter 176: The Person I Want to See Most

TL: FoodieMonster007

Have you ever seen a sword cry on its own?

The Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman's eyes widened at the sight. Jo Yibaek had also never seen a sword cry by itself.

In truth, the most surprised person was Geom Mugeuk.

It was the first time the Black Demon Sword had cried since he received it. A famed sword like the Heavenly Demon Sword or the Black Demon Sword would only cry on its own when it achieved perfect communion with its master.

Yes, I'll make them unable to laugh at us.

When Geom Mugeuk gripped the sword's hilt, the Black Demon Sword finally stopped crying.

The Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman looked at Jo Yibaek. In that moment, the two men thought the same thing.

Jo Yibaek spoke to the Four Gentlemen.

"Don't underestimate your opponent. You must fight with caution."

The Four Gentlemen tensed inwardly, as it was also their first time seeing a sword cry on its own.

Geom Mugeuk interrogated them.

"Setting those men aside, aren't you martial artists of the orthodox sects? Is it right for you to try and kill someone who has come under the orders of the Murim Alliance Chairman?"

However, not one of the Four Gentlemen felt a pang of conscience. There was not even a hint of hesitation or reluctance. This meant that until now, they had carried out all of the True Dragon Manor Master's orders without distinguishing between right and wrong.

Geom Mugeuk said to them, "That is an alias that doesn't suit you."

The moment he finished speaking, the Black Demon Sword flashed out like lightning.

"……"

A streak of sword light scattered, and the bamboo was sliced in two.

It was the Soaring Sky Sword Art Fifth Technique, the Blue Sky Strike. The attack was faster than before, and Bamboo of the Four Gentlemen could never block it. His body was already being cut apart in a flash, so how could he possibly defend?

Seeing Bamboo collapse beside him spraying blood, Plum launched himself forward.

SHWAAAAK! THWACK!

Plum saw his own lower body still in place while his severed upper body flew forward. The Soaring Sky Sword Art First Technique, the Equal Sky Strike, had cut him in two.

Orchid and Chrysanthemum rushed in from both sides at the same time. The instant deaths of two comrades made their movements less agile than usual.

The Black Demon Sword created twelve variations in the air.

It was the Soaring Sky Sword Art Second Technique, the Erratic Sky Strike.

The noble Orchid was uprooted at the sixth variation. The pure white Chrysanthemum's petals were torn away at the ninth.

Such was the power of the Soaring Sky Sword Art after reaching the Twelfth Star mastery.

Geom Mugeuk could clearly feel it. The Soaring Sky Sword Art, having reached the Twelfth Star, was maturing even more. Achieving the Myriad Poison Immunity Constitution and mastering the Four Strides of the Wind God also affected the Soaring Sky Sword Art, causing it to rise to a new level.

WOOOOOOONG!

Having cut down the Four Gentlemen, the Black Demon Sword cried again.

When facing multiple opponents, seizing the initiative is most important. You must plant fear in the hearts of those who attack relying only on their numbers. The fear that even with superior numbers, they could still die.

Now, only silence hung in the air. No one was laughing anymore.

Geom Mugeuk gave his opponents no chance to compose themselves.

Before the order to kill him could be given, Geom Mugeuk moved first.

In a flash, he cut down the masked man on his left.

After piercing the man's heart, he spun and swung his sword. The two masked men behind him simultaneously had their throats slit, spewing fountains of blood.

He leaped up and shattered the face of a masked man rushing from the side with his knee, then stabbed the masked men behind him in succession.

PUK. With the sound of tearing flesh, Geom Mugeuk had already cut down a masked man standing awkwardly on the opposite side. Considering his own skill, he should never have been defeated so easily, but in a flash, his neck was sliced and his vision went dark.

The masked men who leaped from the roof to launch a surprise attack were instead stabbed in mid-air. They scattered like falling autumn leaves.

Geom Mugeuk was just too fast.

In an instant, a dozen men became corpses. The Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman belatedly shouted.

"Use a joint attack! A joint attack!"

By the time he finished speaking, four more were dead.

Geom Mugeuk was a tiger that had leaped into a flock of sheep. Of course, the sheep were no ordinary sheep. They charged like madmen, swinging their swords. Even as they were mowed down, their swords struck Geom Mugeuk's body.

However, he allowed no direct hits, so the glancing blows could not penetrate the Top-Quality Heavenly Silk and the Ghost Armor.

"He's faster than the Chairman was in his prime."

The Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman said nothing to Jo Yibaek's words. In the time it took for him to speak, three more had fallen.

"As long as he's human, he'll get tired."

That was the only thing they could count on. As long as he was human, his inner arts would have a limit.

A dozen men charged, but Geom Mugeuk rushed forward instead. He ran, but it did not look like running. It was like gliding on ice. CHWAAAAAK.

In his wake, masked men fell to the left and right.

From all directions, hidden weapons rained down.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!

Geom Mugeuk's sword scattered light, embroidering the empty air and deflecting all the incoming hidden weapons. A few lodged in Geom Mugeuk's body, but his movements did not slow at all.

Geom Mugeuk shot upwards. The masked men who had thrown hidden weapons from the roof fell one after another as corpses.

They died if they charged, and they died if they turned their backs to flee. They died if they attacked alone, and they died if they used a joint attack. Even when they succeeded in stabbing him, Geom Mugeuk did not fall. When Geom Mugeuk had no choice but to allow an attack, he would offer up a spot protected by the Top-Quality Heavenly Silk and the Ghost Armor.

KWAK.

The corpse of a masked man flew through the air and shattered the table where the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman and Jo Yibaek sat.

"One can't fight like that just by being strong in martial arts. That man… he's someone who has killed countless people."

Watching Geom Mugeuk fight, the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman could tell. His opponent had a vast amount of combat experience. One could not fight like that without having crossed a river of blood. His opponent was a man who knew how to kill in the fastest and most efficient way.

"How can he be like that at such a young age?"

"Isn't this why we jumped into this murim? Because it's this much fun."

The Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman was not afraid. It was unclear if this was because he had something to rely on, or because he had resolved himself to die.

When more than half of the masked men were dead, the survivors lost their will to fight. From then on, their role was reduced from killing Geom Mugeuk to simply draining his strength.

And so, the last masked man fell.

"Hah, hah, hah!"

Only the sound of Geom Mugeuk's ragged breathing echoed in the area.

Of the three masters, the Demon Slaying Blade, the Tyrannical Monk, and the Great Poison Elder, the Tyrannical Monk Yorai moved first.

He charged, swinging his iron staff. He gave Geom Mugeuk no time to rest.

KAAAANG! KAANG! KANG!

The iron staff and the sword clashed repeatedly. Yorai pressed him with immense power.

Geom Mugeuk was pushed back, overpowered in strength.

Believing he had seized the advantage, Yorai infused his iron staff with qi. Confident in his inner arts, he tried to induce a battle of inner arts. He was confident in his own power, and his opponent was exhausted.

Yorai pushed forward with his inner arts. He believed he would surely win, but he was overlooking one fact. The reason Geom Mugeuk was so exhausted was precisely because he had fought while conserving his inner arts as much as possible.

No matter how vast Yorai's inner arts were, they could not compare to Geom Mugeuk's.

As the tide of Geom Mugeuk's power surged forward, Yorai's arm, which held the iron staff, trembled violently.

Just then, the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman, who had been watching, gave an order.

"The Great Poison Elder!"

As soon as he spoke, something flew from the Great Poison Elder's hand. Because they were locked in a confrontation of qi, neither Geom Mugeuk nor Yorai could avoid it.

POOF!

A cloud of black poison smoke billowed up, swallowing the two men.

"It's done!"

The Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman shot up from his seat.

Getting up as well, Jo Yibaek asked, "What kind of poison is it?"

"It's the most potent of the Great Poison Elder's poisons, the Extreme Yin Certain Death Poison! This is the end for him!"

"Ah!"

At the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman's conviction, Jo Yibaek was finally relieved. He had been desperately regretting that he might have made the wrong choice.

Someone staggered out of the black smoke. Poisoned in that short time, he bled from every orifice. He uttered some unintelligible words and then collapsed.

When the rising poisonous smoke settled, everyone was horrified.

Geom Mugeuk stood there, unharmed.

The Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman and Jo Yibaek shouted at the same time.

"Myriad Poison Immunity?"

"Myriad Poison Immunity Constitution!"

Though he was an enemy, they felt a sense of wonder. It was the first time they had seen the legendary Myriad Poison Immunity Constitution in person.

Enduring the poison was not the issue.

CHWARARARARARARARAK!

Things now floated in front of Geom Mugeuk's chest.

Sword-shaped sword qi he had already created were floating in the poisonous smoke. Their number had increased again, and now a full twenty of them hovered there.

It was the Soaring Sky Sword Art Seventh Technique, the Ominous Sky Strike.

SHWIK SHWIK SHWIK SHWIK SHWIK SHWIK SHWIK SHWIK!

Twenty streams of sword qi flew like rays of light and pierced the Great Poison Elder. He swung his palms, trying desperately to block them, but he could not stop the twenty streams of sword qi flying toward his entire body.

PUK! PUK! PUK! PUK! PUK! PUK! PUK!

A downpour of sword qi pierced through him.

As the Great Poison Elder fell, the Demon Slaying Blade was already swinging down at Geom Mugeuk's face.

Geom Mugeuk's sword was embedded in the wall behind the Great Poison Elder from launching the Ominous Sky Strike. The Demon Slaying Blade thought that if he missed this moment, he would be the one to die.

Geom Mugeuk narrowly dodged the attack. In the very instant their faces brushed past each other, mere inches apart!

"……"

Geom Mugeuk exhaled the smoke he had been holding in his mouth.

"Uwaaaaaaaak!"

He had held the poisonous smoke in his mouth and spat it at the Demon Slaying Blade. One mouthful was enough.

The Demon Slaying Blade clutched his face, screaming horribly as he rolled on the floor. Then he too died, bleeding from all seven orifices.

Now, only Geom Mugeuk, the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman, and Jo Yibaek were left.

Looking at the corpses scattered everywhere, Jo Yibaek felt like this was all a dream. However, he realized that if he did not wake up from this nightmare soon, he too would die in this dream.

Jo Yibaek shouted.

"Don't forget! I'm on your side, Chairman! I was the one who told you that the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman was coming here…."

HWARARARARAK!

"……"

Half of Jo Yibaek's face was blown away, the remaining part charred to ash as if burned. A powerful, hot yang qi had been unleashed.

Withdrawing the hand that had unleashed the palm technique, the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman picked up the wine cup in front of him and slowly drank.

"It's just my nature to feel satisfied only after I've done what I need to do."

It meant he had intended to kill him anyway.

When Geom Mugeuk extended his hand, the Black Demon Sword, which was embedded in the wall, returned to his grasp.

"I don't know if you think you're so great, but in my eyes, you're pathetic. If you want to live quietly, then live quietly. If you want to be a hero, then step forward with dignity. What in the world are you? Scheming from the shadows, sowing discord from behind, manipulating people without their knowledge. Recruiting a father and son separately without either knowing. Do you think that's cool? No, it's just cowardly and despicable."

The Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman laughed bitterly.

"What can I do? That's who I am. I find it so fun and happy when I'm plotting things from behind the scenes."

He should have kept doing that. However, as his influence and power grew, he naturally became careless. Something like today? It was unimaginable back when he had only two, or even ten, people protecting him. He used to hide, and hide again. Now that a hundred people were protecting him, he had acted arrogantly, as if he were invincible.

"I suppose I'll have to return to my roots and start over."

The Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman's body began to heat up intensely. At least his martial arts were not pathetic.

In an instant, the surrounding air became scorching hot.

In that moment, Geom Mugeuk could tell. The Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman was a user of martial arts of the extreme yang, even among the extreme yang.

Dangerous.

The Black Demon Sword, having read its master's mind, cried out longly once more.

His head grew dizzy and he felt suffocated. It was not an illusion but pure martial arts, so he could not counter it differently. He endured by raising his protective enhanced qi. It was the first time in his life he had felt such heat. It felt as if he had been thrown into lava.

Just as the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman was about to unleash a palm technique of extreme yang, filled with flames!

The surroundings changed, and the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman was startled.

HWIIIIIIING.

The surroundings had suddenly changed. He was standing on a snowy mountain where a blizzard raged.

The cold blizzard blowing against his face was real. Even the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman, who had been through all sorts of hardships, was shocked by this situation.

"What is this…."

Far ahead, Geom Mugeuk picked up snow from the ground and rubbed it on his face.

The Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman also touched the snow piled on the ground. It was real snow.

HWIIIIIIING. In the fierce blizzard and cold, the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman's extreme yang qi, which had been blazing like a flame, subsided. As the heat died down, his killing intent and fighting spirit also vanished.

The two men returned to their original location.

In the middle of the manor littered with corpses, the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman asked, "What martial art is that?"

"The Spacetime Manipulation Technique."

The moment he heard the answer, the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman was no longer there.

His final move was a concealment technique, a last, hidden trump card that allowed him to disappear from sight and escape the area.

His belief that he could survive any situation had now become the fate of prey caught in a spider's web.

PUUUUK!

The Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman opened his eyes and looked down at his chest.

Geom Mugeuk's sword, having found him through his concealment, had pierced his heart.

Qi emanated from Geom Mugeuk's body like a spider's web. It was the same qi emission he had learned from the Heavenly Demon while hunting, but now it spread out as densely as a spider's web, just as his father had done. There was no gap for the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman's concealment technique to slip through.

The Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman said, as if he had no regrets, "…With that martial art, the Spacetime Manipulation Technique, and being immune to poison and concealment techniques. Then I suppose I have to die."

Truly, in today's fight, Geom Mugeuk had used everything he had learned up to this point.

Before breathing his last, the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman left his final words.

"I… have met someone like you before."

For a moment, Geom Mugeuk was startled.

"Where? Where!"

However, with those as his final words, the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman had already passed away.

It's Hwa Mugi! This Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman must have met Hwa Mugi.

Of course, it could have been someone else, but Geom Mugeuk thought the person the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman mentioned was Hwa Mugi.

Hwa Mugi was alive somewhere. Growing strong, just like him, and walking toward their shared destiny.

Geom Mugeuk was no longer afraid of him. Because he too was living his life to the fullest.

Right, Hwa Mugi is Hwa Mugi. Now is the time to savor the joy of victory.

He had finally and safely completed the succession trial given to him by his father. It was especially significant that he had finished it alone, without the help of the Demon Supremes.

Geom Mugeuk left the manor. After he departed, the Murim Alliance Chairman would take care of the rest. He had already said his goodbyes to Jin Paecheon and Jin Haryong, so he could just leave.

Outside the manor, Seo Daeryong waited, sitting in the driver's seat of a carriage.

"This is a carriage driven by the winner of the Young Dragon Tournament. You should feel honored."

Contrary to his words, Seo Daeryong's eyes trembled.

Thank you for returning safely.

That fervent emotion filled his face.

"I've bought a new martial arts uniform and put it inside, so please change."

"Thank you."

Geom Mugeuk climbed into the carriage.

"Let's go. Home."

"Who do you want to see the most?"

Geom Mugeuk leaned back in the carriage and closed his eyes.

"The person I want to see the most is…."

The only one to hear the barely audible answer was the wind that brushed past Geom Mugeuk's hair.

"Who did you say?"

When Seo Daeryong looked back, Geom Mugeuk, who had poured all his mental and physical energy into the fight, had fallen asleep. The new martial arts uniform he had prepared was draped over his lap, not yet changed into.

You've truly worked hard, Director.

And so, the carriage began its journey toward the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.