Chapter 315: Such is the Life of One Who Carries a Sword

TL: FoodieMonster007

The fact that Hwan Yeo contacted someone in the Heavenly Wind Cult meant one thing.

The Illusion King was in the Heavenly Wind Cult.

The enraged Heavenly Wind Cult Leader shouted at Hwan Yeo, "If you don't tell me what you're plotting, I'll snap your neck."

Threats did not work on Hwan Yeo. Even with her inner arts suppressed, she was not the least bit intimidated. She glared at the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, her eyes saying, If you're going to kill me, then kill me.

GRIP.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's hand tightened on her neck. He had every reason to snap it right there. She had touched his disciple and plotted against the Heavenly Wind Cult.

"Cult Leader, for the sake of the Heavenly Wind Cult and the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme, you can't do this."

At my words, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader let out a long breath and slowly removed his hand from her neck.

I quickly sealed Hwan Yeo's muting acupoint to prevent her from biting her tongue and committing suicide.

"It seems she contacted them through that wall, so someone should appear soon."

If they discovered Hwan Yeo's capture, they would prepare countermeasures. We had to reveal her capture as late as possible.

"Can you control that woman with soul-stealing arts?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader shook his head.

"An illusion master of this caliber can't be controlled with soul-stealing arts."

Then there was no other choice.

"Let's get out of here for now."

If they looked over and saw no one, they would wait for contact again. They might think something urgent came up for Hwan Yeo. This was a problem to think about after we left.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader waved his hand with a SWISH.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, Hwan Yeo, and I were suddenly standing in the middle of the flower garden.

Hwan Yeo's already stiff expression contorted even more. She must have felt anger and shame seeing us enter and exit the space she created so easily.

Outside the flower garden, Jang Ho waited with the members of the Demonic Army.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded in response to his question.

Jang Ho was relieved to see us return safely. He must have been deeply worried, since Hwan Yeo and I had suddenly vanished, followed by the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader asked me, "What's the plan?"

"We need to go to the Heavenly Wind Cult and crush them all. Let's go, I'll help too!"

As if that was what he wanted to hear, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader spun around, his sleeves fluttering.

He strode toward the gate, then stopped and came back into the flower garden.

"What should we do first?"

He knew he could not just go right now. He had just shown how impatient he was.

"First, we have to undo the Yin Yang Reverse Soul Art cast on the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme. We also need to meet with Strategist Go and form a plan on how to return to the Heavenly Wind Cult, whether to infiltrate or return openly."

As we had already experienced, this was an enemy we had to be cautious with.

"As you've seen, our opponents are no ordinary people. This woman alone spent a long time hiding as a gardener to cast the Yin Yang Reverse Soul Art on the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme. The enemy in the Murim Alliance had been in hiding for ten years. It's likely the same for the Heavenly Wind Cult. If we move rashly, they'll disappear beneath the surface and become a lingering source of trouble."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader nodded. He too was a fiery old ginger who would be insulted to be called second-best, so he understood what I was saying.

"The matter of the Heavenly Wind Cult is my business as well."

At these words, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader calmed his excitement.

"Let's do what needs to be done first."

I feel that through this fight, my relationship with the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader has grown one step closer. I'm beginning to see things I hadn't seen before and feel emotions I hadn't felt before.

I released Hwan Yeo's muting acupoint.

I precisely pressed a blood dao in her jaw to prevent her from biting her tongue. She could speak, but she could not exert enough force to bite down.

"Do you want to save your brother?"

A sneer formed on Hwan Yeo's lips.

"I know you have no intention of letting me or my brother live. So stop wasting your effort and kill me."

"If you manage to stay alive somehow, maybe your backer will save you, right?"

Was it because she feared her backer? Or was it because her pride was wounded?

Hwan Yeo denied it. "I planned this alone. I don't take orders from anyone."

"If you don't have a backer, then what you're doing makes no sense."

"What do you mean?"

"You, an inheritor of the Blood Cult's illusion arts, are trying so hard to get the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme in your grasp? To the point of pretending to be a gardener for years? Why? Do you want to become a Demon Supreme? You can't become one by doing that. Or is it for money? Targeting Father? Why? Assuming you planned this alone, I just can't understand it."

Hwan Yeo just listened to my words in silence.

"But if we assume someone ordered you to do this, it becomes very easy to understand. Using you, an illusion master, to get the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme in their grasp. It makes sense, right? Who else but you could touch the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme? And using your brother, also an illusion master, to infiltrate the Heavenly Wind Cult. It makes perfect sense, doesn't it?"

She could not offer any rebuttal.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, who had been listening, chimed in. "At times like this, you seem smarter than Go Wol."

"What I know, Strategist Go also knows."

"No, no. You're different somehow."

Just then, Hwan Yeo spoke abruptly. "You're a monster."

She is the one who looked into my heart before my regression. Perhaps those feelings from back then are still hidden somewhere in my heart. Yes, the me from back then was a monster.

"How can a person catch a monster like you? It takes a monster to catch a monster."

Would she really cooperate in catching the Illusion King? Unlikely. No matter how jealous and competitive she was with her brother, she probably didn't hate him enough to want him dead. If she had, she wouldn't have lived that kind of life before my regression. One of them would have died fighting.

Even without Hwan Yeo, I had to find some kind of helpful clue. Dealing with the Illusion King would surely be harder than dealing with Hwan Yeo.

Just then, something caught my eye. Newly arrived flowerpots sat unorganized in a corner.

I immediately called for Jang Ho.

"There is someone you all need to capture."

Returning to the cult, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader met with Go Wol first.

When he learned there was a problem in the Heavenly Wind Cult, the first person he wanted to see was Go Wol.

Even though the incredibly reliable Geom Mugeuk was by his side, Go Wol came to his mind first.

Yes, perhaps it was because he wanted to hear these words.

"Those bastards must not know what the Heavenly Wind Cult means to you, Cult Leader. This time, make them understand properly, Cult Leader."

To that was added another moving phrase.

"It's a precious place to me, too. Cult Leader, don't forgive them."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader felt a surge of emotion. He was grateful and sorry that Go Wol would call that place, which brought to mind shackles, a precious place. As he was lost in thought with complex feelings, Go Wol doused his own rising anger.

"Cult Leader. Follow me and take a deep breath. Breathe."

"What are you doing?"

"Just follow me."

Go Wol took a loud, deep breath, and the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader reluctantly followed suit.

"Am I a child? Having to calm down by taking deep breaths."

"You are a child, aren't you? When it comes to the Heavenly Wind Cult, you're going to lose your mind, right? You're going to act like a child."

"I won't."

"All children say they won't. The fact that you do it anyway makes you a child."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader repeatedly took deep breaths, following Go Wol. It was not the deep breaths that calmed him, but the sentiment from Go Wol, who went this far for him.

"I'm afraid someone will see."

"They'll probably think you're practicing a peerless secret art from the Outer Regions."

"I just came back from performing so magnificently. You should have seen it!"

"I know without seeing. How well you must have done, Cult Leader."

"Even though you didn't see."

In truth, the person he most wanted to show his great performance to was Go Wol. He wished Geom Mugeuk would hurry up and tell him what happened.

"I know. Even if no one else in the world understands, I do. How magnificent you must have been inside the illusion. Since I know, entrust this matter to the Young Cult Leader and assist him from the side."

At that, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader roared.

"This is my business."

"That's why I'm saying it. You won't be able to see things objectively. You're already someone who sees the world as you please."

"Then come with me and help. If I act foolishly, nag me from the side. I need to go say hello to the evil spirits carved on the Echoing Thunder Bell."

Go Wol shook his head.

"If the enemies are users of illusion and soul-stealing arts, then people who can stand against them should go. I'll only be a hindrance. Give my regards to the evil spirits of the Echoing Thunder Bell for me."

"No! One madman who talks to a bell is enough!"

Go Wol looked out the window toward his distant homeland and said, "You're getting excited again. Breathe!"

At the same time the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader met with Go Wol, I was meeting with the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme.

I told her that she had been afflicted by the Yin Yang Reverse Soul Art when she killed Sa Woojong.

"I didn't know about it at the time either. I found out while chasing the mastermind."

I was careful not to hurt her feelings. No matter how young she was, Cheong Seon held the status of a Demon Supreme.

I was especially careful not to wound her pride. The fact that the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme had fallen for a soul-stealing art could be a great wound to her.

"If it were any other martial arts, it wouldn't have worked, but since it was a demonic art of the Blood Cult, it couldn't be helped."

Fortunately, she accepted it wisely.

"Can the soul-stealing art cast on me be broken?"

"Fortunately, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader said he can remove the Yin Yang Reverse Soul Art."

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme was relieved and delighted.

"Where is Master now?"

"He is waiting for you, Demon Supreme. Let's go together."

I took her to the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, who waited in another room.

In the room were the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, Go Wol, and Hwan Yeo, who was asleep with her demonic and sleep acupoints sealed.

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme gave a deep bow to express her gratitude.

"I will never forget this kindness, Master."

I decided to make her vague sense of being moved more concrete.

"Do you know what the Cult Leader said when he first learned of this?"

I imitated the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

"'How dare she touch my disciple? Take me to that bitch.'"

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme looked at the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader with a deeply moved expression. The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's shoulders puffed up to the sky again.

"It was nothing."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's eyes said to me, More, more!

"And that's not all! A master of ghost arts said this. 'Not even the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's grandfather could open that door.' Right at that moment! The Cult Leader opened the door and walked in. Ah! You should have seen the vision of hell unfolding behind the Cult Leader."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader waved his hands dismissively and said, "I told you it was nothing."

The fingertips of his hand, waving for me to stop, said to me, Just a little more!

"When the Cult Leader snaps those fingers, the world changes! I saw that world properly this time."

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme sent him a look of sincere respect. I was saying it half-jokingly, but for the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme, it was the future she dreamed of.

"Master, someday I too will unfold my own world."

She still has a long way to go. She has a sharp and selfish personality. However, we don't know what she will be like in ten years. I just hope she grows splendidly, like the other Demon Supremes.

"At least, I think you have the best fortune in the murim when it comes to having a Master. I hope you protect that fortune well."

At my sincere advice, the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme bowed her head in thanks. Beyond her, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader wore a satisfied expression. Beyond him, Go Wol was smiling again.

"Now, then, let's begin the grand ritual."

Since no preparations were needed other than the people involved, we decided to proceed with the grand ritual here.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader woke Hwan Yeo. Seeing the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme there, she seemed to foresee her own fate.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had the two women sit side by side.

A unique, unknown pattern was engraved on Hwan Yeo's back. This was the very Soul-Controlling Mark the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had spoken of.

He had said that if that was extracted, the Cheokhon sleeping in the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme's body would come out.

He had said it was a difficult and dangerous grand ritual, but I was not worried. It was a grand ritual performed by none other than the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

He'll handle it well on his own. Yes, he'll handle it well.

Trust isn't born from words, but from actions. Today, he clearly showed what kind of person he was.

Before the grand ritual began, Hwan Yeo spoke.

"I'd like to speak with the Young Cult Leader for a moment."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader looked at me, asking for my consent.

I nodded, and everyone else left, leaving the two of us alone.

"Just this morning, I didn't know. That my end would come so suddenly."

"Such is the life of one who carries a sword."

"I have a favor to ask."

She made an unexpected request.

"If you see my brother, tell him. Tell him I didn't betray him."

By the time I could deliver that message, he would also be fated to die. I don't know if this request has any meaning.

"Do you believe I'll keep my promise?"

"I do."

"Why do you believe me?"

"Because I saw inside your heart. Someone who has walked such a desperate path will keep their promise."

"And here I thought you called me a monster?"

"That's because you're my enemy. I'm dying because of you, can't I at least say that much?"

"You're not dying because of me. You're dying because you planted the Yin Yang Reverse Soul Art in the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme. You're dying because you erected a wall that could only be made by sacrificing thousands of people. Know the reason for your death before you die."

Hwan Yeo stared at me with a complex gaze. I could feel her anger, the desire to kill me, and also a desperate plea to save her. However, having looked into my heart, she would know that none of it would work on me.

Her final regret was this.

"…I should have lived my own life."

She must have been talking about a life of her own, not entangled with her brother or her backer.

She said nothing more and closed her eyes.

When I came outside after seeing the grand ritual begin, Jang Ho was waiting.

The man standing next to him, his demonic acupoints sealed, was none other than Hwan Yeo's subordinate.

The Demonic Army was the Demonic Army. With only the information that he supplied flowers and pots to the garden, Jang Ho had captured him in less than two hours.

"Take him and interrogate him thoroughly. Make him confess everything he knows."

"Understood."

In this situation, I had to find even the smallest clue that could help.

"And since an important grand ritual is in progress inside, have the Demonic Army stand warden."

Giant figures surrounded my residence where the grand ritual was taking place. It was the most reliable wall in the world.

For a while, I walked with Jang Ho along the wall of the Demonic Army. Just by walking with me, the Young Cult Leader, it would raise Jang Ho's prestige as their commander.

THUD! THUD!

As we passed, the members of the Demonic Army saluted in a disciplined manner.

I stopped for a moment and looked up at the sky.

When you're fighting frantically, you forget to look up at the sky. Even I, who tells myself to look up, to look up, forget.

"The woman we captured earlier was regretting things. Saying she should have lived her own life. What about you?"

To the question of whether he was living the life he wanted, Jang Ho answered confidently.

"The Young Cult Leader I serve is by my side, and the subordinates I lead are behind me. This is the very life I wished for."

I looked at Jang Ho. He stood beside me, looking more reliable than anyone.

"General Jang."

"Yes, Young Cult Leader."

"A great enemy is coming."

No other words were needed. He did not ask what kind of enemy it was. He just gave a silent nod at my words. He would prepare in his own way.

Jang Ho glanced back at the members of the Demonic Army standing behind him and added bluntly, "No matter how great they are, can they be greater than us?"