Chapter 316: Because I Miss That Sandstorm

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Great Ritual was in its final stages.

Violet energy extended from the fingertips of the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's left hand.

The living energy moved to extract the Soul-Controlling Mark engraved on Hwan Yeo's back. The mark, etched like a tattoo, lifted from her body as if it were a nail being pulled.

Slowly, very slowly.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader focused his entire mind, tolerating no mistakes.

The moment the Soul-Controlling Mark was completely extracted, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader extended his right hand over the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme's head and cried out sharply.

A red energy shot from the crown of her head like a tree pulled up by its roots. It was the Cheokhon that had been embedded in her skull.

The Soul-Controlling Mark and the Cheokhon floated above his fingertips, then flared up in flames and vanished.

As if on cue, both women collapsed.

"Hooooo."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader caught his breath and slowly withdrew his hands. The violet energy that had bloomed on them was gone.

The Great Ritual had ended safely.

A moment later, the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme pushed herself up from the floor.

Welcome news awaited her.

"The Cheokhon in your body is gone."

"Ah! Thank you, Master."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's body was drenched in sweat. Such profuse sweating from a master of his caliber showed the immense mental exertion of the ritual.

"You've saved my life."

"I performed the Great Ritual, but the Young Cult Leader uncovered this plot. Don't forget that."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader gave the credit to Geom Mugeuk. The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme knew a closer bond between them was for the best, so she willingly pledged her loyalty.

"I'll pledge my loyalty to the Young Cult Leader, Master."

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme's gaze turned to Hwan Yeo. Anger flared, and she raised her hand, ready to smash the woman's skull.

"There's no need. She's already dead."

Hwan Yeo had died the moment the Soul-Controlling Mark was forcibly extracted.

"Cheong Seon."

"Yes, Master."

"As you live your life, you'll peer into the minds of countless people. You'll control countless people as you wish. Every time you do, there's something you must see."

"What is that?"

"The hole in your heart. The higher the level of your Soul-Stealing Art, the larger that hole will grow."

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme vaguely understood her Master's worry.

"Then what should I do?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader considered what to say. Don't look down on people. Don't look down on the world. He left the solution to his disciple.

"You must find how to fill that hole yourself. Don't forget that the hole exists, and look into it often. If you keep looking, you'll find your own way."

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme performed a deep bow. She felt grateful to have a Master who cared for her so deeply.

"If the day ever comes when this foolish disciple falls into that hole, please, Master, you must pull me out."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader smiled.

"That's a favor I should be asking of you. I've been cultivating it my whole life, so how large must my hole be?"

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme was inwardly moved by the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's frank words. A vague distance had always existed between her and her Master, but she felt they had grown closer through this incident.

"Go out and tell the Young Cult Leader to come in."

I spoke with Jang Ho for a long time, the first real conversation we'd had in a while.

Seeing me talk with him for so long surprised even the Demonic Army.

How could a conversation with the stoic Jang Ho be that interesting?

This was a display for the Demonic Army, to show them how much I trust and cherish Jang Ho.

After all, no one would converse for so long during the Great Ritual unless they truly liked the person. It was my effort for his sake.

Thanks to my efforts, I even learned that Jang Ho's childhood dream was to be a painter.

"I'm thinking of trying to paint when I retire."

Hearing that, I left for a moment.

"Wait here."

I vanished with the Swift Step and returned in a flash, holding paper, brushes, and paints. I had gone to the Demon Village and bought the very best.

"Don't put it off. Start today."

Jang Ho was flustered, not expecting me to have actually gone to buy him these things. The members of the Demonic Army behind him also looked surprised.

"Try painting tonight. Even for just fifteen minutes before you sleep. If you have nothing to paint, try painting those large subordinates of yours, or maybe that magnificent scar on your face."

I know. What's needed for something like this isn't time. When you find time, other things to do always come along with it.

What's needed isn't time, but a catalyst. For example, the Young Cult Leader forcing painting tools upon you.

Jang Ho lowered his head and politely accepted them.

"I'll try painting starting today."

"I wonder if I should've bought you a brush made of ten-thousand-year cold iron. It looks like your rough hands will break all of these."

Jang Ho laughed pleasantly at my banter. He was the third person whose smile I wanted to see, no matter what. Father, the Fist Demon, and Jang Ho.

I will keep making these stoic men, who have lived their lives without knowing laughter, smile.

Just then, the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme walked out of the residence.

I knew the result of the Great Ritual just by looking at her expression.

Only the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, Go Wol, and I remained in the residence.

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme had returned to her duties, and I had entrusted Hwan Yeo's body to the Demonic Army for burial. Her face looked peaceful, perhaps because she had left her final words with me.

Now it was time to plan our trip to the Heavenly Wind Cult.

"Strategist Go, what should we do?"

Go Wol had already been thinking about it while the Great Ritual was underway.

"I recommend you go to the Heavenly Wind Cult officially."

"As the former Cult Leader returning?"

"No. As an official visit from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Young Cult Leader."

I glanced at the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader. He would want to be the protagonist of his own return. Go Wol had already thought that far ahead.

"If you return with the Young Cult Leader, your prestige as Cult Leader will rise even higher. It will be you who made this visit happen."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's expression brightened at those words.

"They will have infiltrated the Heavenly Wind Cult's high command. That's why going officially will make it easier to operate. Now that you're the Young Cult Leader, you also have a justification for the visit."

He was right. Sneaking into the Heavenly Wind Cult and moving around would not be easy.

"Won't they soon know that Hwan Yeo has disappeared?"

"Ignore it."

"Ignore it?"

"Instead, if you act like you know nothing, they'll be uncertain. They'll wonder, 'They know we exist, yet they're making an official visit?' They will have doubts."

"What if he senses the danger and disappears?"

"If the woman from the flower garden invested years of effort, the other side did the same. Would they give up so easily?"

He was right. The Illusion King was a man whose pride pierced the heavens, and his abilities were just as outstanding.

Go Wol turned to the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

"He was there since you and I were there, Cult Leader. We left without ever knowing."

"!"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's expression hardened. He had not considered that possibility.

"He held his breath, waiting for an opportunity, and began to move in earnest when you left, Cult Leader."

I picked up where Go Wol left off.

"Just like how on this side, they moved when the young Cheong Seon became a Demon Supreme."

"Correct."

"Alright, I'll follow your words. We'll visit officially."

I followed Go Wol's will without a second thought.

Isn't the best way to empower a strategist to trust and follow him?

"I'll provide support from as close as possible while trying to get more out of the one being interrogated. Oh, and it's customary for a Demon Supreme to accompany the Young Cult Leader on an official visit. Considering our opponent, you must choose the Demon Supreme for this trip with care."

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

"It would have to be a Demon Supreme who is strong against illusion arts."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader knew exactly who that was.

"It's the Demonic Buddha. The Demonic Buddha is strong against illusion arts."

Accompanying the Demonic Buddha? It did not matter to me, but the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was the problem.

Originally, among the Eight Demon Supremes, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was closest to the Demonic Buddha. The Demonic Buddha had been the one to bring the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

However, I knew their relationship had since soured, and they were now on awkward terms.

For whatever reason, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader stepped forward.

"I'll go and speak to the Demonic Buddha myself."

Right, the one who tied the knot must be the one to untie it.

"Then I'll go get permission from Father first."

Since it was an official visit, I had to report to Father and receive his permission.

We each rose from our seats to handle our assigned tasks.

The Demonic Buddha was in the Great Buddha Hall.

A terrifying golden Buddha statue gazed down coldly. In that place, devoid of mercy, the Demonic Buddha chanted a sutra alone.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader entered and sat behind him. When the chant finished, the Demonic Buddha asked without turning around.

"What brings you here?"

It was awkward. In the past, they had always greeted each other with hearty laughter, regardless of their inner thoughts.

"Have you been well?"

"Could I have been well?"

Since the Demonic Buddha was famous for supporting the First Young Lord, there was no way he could have been well.

The Demonic Buddha turned around and looked at the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

"As you can see, I'm like a dog that was chasing a chicken."

"That dog looks to be in good shape."

It was not because the golden light from the Demonic Buddha's body was particularly bright. The Demonic Buddha's expression truly looked more at ease than before.

"What's the secret?"

"Wouldn't you know?"

The Demonic Buddha was asking. Don't you know? How peaceful one's mind becomes when one lets go of everything. Come to think of it, both men had let go of their greed for power.

An awkward silence flowed between them for a moment. Then, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader abruptly asked.

"Don't you think I've lost some weight?"

The Demonic Buddha looked at him in disbelief.

"Did you come here just to brag about that?"

"That's right. I came to tell you that I've become as comfortable as your face looks."

The Demonic Buddha could already feel it. The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had also changed a lot. He was not the man he used to be, someone who smiled on the outside but was full of schemes. Now, he somehow looked at ease.

"I came to ask a favor."

"Speak."

"Some vile bastards are playing tricks in the Heavenly Wind Cult. The Young Cult Leader will be going with me under the pretext of an official visit. Please come with us and help, giant dao."

"Why me?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader conveyed his honest feelings.

"A Demon Supreme must accompany us, and among them, you're the most comfortable one for me to be around."

The Demonic Buddha stared at the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, then refused with a single word.

"I refuse."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was at a loss for words at the immediate refusal.

"Then it can't be helped. Stay well."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader rose from his seat. As he was about to leave, he spoke, though one might have expected a venomous remark.

"I'm sorry for the harsh things I said to you back then."

When their relationship had soured, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had mocked him, treating him like golden dung.

"Why the sudden apology? It won't make me go with you."

"That's not why I'm apologizing."

"Then what is it for?"

"I've learned something while spending time with the Young Cult Leader and Go Wol. The most important thing between people is apologizing. That one apology is more important than a hundred nice words. I only realized that recently. I've lived my whole life without ever apologizing, so my apology is late. I'm sorry."

The Demonic Buddha was flustered. After all, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was not the only one who had spoken harshly back then.

After he finished, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader turned to leave, but the Demonic Buddha called out to him.

"Since you're here, have a drink of defeat before you go."

"You have alcohol in the Buddha hall?"

"Is alcohol the only thing here? There are demons, there's alcohol, and if you search around back there, you'll probably find a corpse too."

Indeed, the Demonic Buddha brought two bottles of alcohol and handed one over.

The two men drank straight from the bottles.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader sat down so he was not looking down on him.

The Demonic Buddha stared for a long while at a mural of demonic monks engaged in slaughter before revealing his inner thoughts.

"Back when I was striving to make the First Young Lord the Young Cult Leader, that was all I could see. When I looked at people, I only saw if they would be helpful in the succession struggle. Whatever I did, I only saw if it would be helpful. I was crazy about it."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader listened in silence.

"I thought everything would be resolved if the First Young Lord became the Young Cult Leader. I thought that if I visited later and apologized for my rudeness, they would understand. That's what I thought. Thinking about it now, if the First Young Lord had become the successor, I wouldn't have apologized to anyone."

And now that Geom Muyang had not become the successor, he too apologized to the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

"I was sorry back then, too."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader silently held out his bottle, and the Demonic Buddha drank after a light toast.

"Let's call this a drink of victory, not defeat. Well then, let's meet again next time."

As the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was about to exit, the Demonic Buddha asked from behind him.

"When do we depart?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader turned around in surprise. The Demonic Buddha added as if to himself.

"Because I miss that sandstorm, too."

Father was on the training grounds.

He stood alone in the midst of the heavy, settled demonic qi, holding the drawn Heavenly Demon Sword.

Just the sight of his back as he held the sword filled me with an unapproachable fear.

Father asked without turning around.

"How far have you mastered the Nine Calamities Demonic Art?"

"I have mastered up to the second form."

"Then try and block this."

Father turned swiftly toward me.

The moment he aimed his sword at me, a fiend appeared before him.

It was a fiend with a completely different appearance from my own. That creature, chilling just to look at, was the fiend Father had summoned.

I knew instinctively. Father was about to unleash the Great Annihilation Stance.

The only thing that can block the Nine Calamities Demonic Art is the Nine Calamities Demonic Art itself!

A fiend appeared before me as well. In terms of appearance, mine looked more terrifying. Mine was terrifying, Father's was ruthless.

Though born from the same martial arts, the fiends were merciless. They glared fiercely at each other with eyes that promised to annihilate their opponent.

SHHHHHHK!

The two fiends facing each other began to divide.

Mine stopped at four, but Father's fiends continued to multiply.

The divided fiends lined up before Father. He, who had completely mastered the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, had created forty-four in total. The sight was a truly bone-chilling spectacle.

Four versus forty-four.

However, Father was not one to go easy on me.

KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWA!

Could I really block this?

My four fiends charged powerfully toward the oncoming fiends that were sweeping everything away.