Chapter 320: The Wave That Follows Told Me So

TL: FoodieMonster007

The disciple felt unfamiliar. He spoke of unifying the murim and seemed like a completely different person.

This was the disciple the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had trusted to protect the Heavenly Wind Cult better than anyone. He had even passed down the position of Cult Leader to Jo Baekta.

Concerned, he checked if the man had fallen under a soul-controlling art, but that was not the case. Jo Baekta was not under the influence of any such technique.

What if it's a soul-controlling art I don't know about? If a technique like that existed, its user would already rule the murim.

Taking the first step toward unifying the murim? You crazy bastard! Do you have any idea what kind of path that is?

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader forcefully suppressed his urge to shout and treated Jo Baekta with the respect a Cult Leader deserved.

"How do you mean?"

It was a joke, Master. That was what the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader hoped to hear. Yes, let's just laugh it off.

However, Jo Baekta spoke calmly, his face completely serious.

"I must first unify the Outer Regions Murim."

The Heavenly Wind Cult was not the only power in the Outer Regions. Though not as numerous as in the Central Plains, many sects vied for supremacy there as well.

In the Outer Regions, the Heavenly Wind Cult held a position similar to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult in the Central Plains. Naturally, factions equivalent to the Murim Alliance and the Evil Alliance also existed.

"Surely you don't mean to start a war?" the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader asked.

"It'll be impossible to make them submit without shedding blood."

Jo Baekta then pushed even further.

"Please help me, Master. With your help, I can unify the Outer Regions more easily. Please, help for the sake of our Cult."

Finally, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's anger exploded.

"Silence! You insolent fool!"

A cold aura erupted from the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's body.

SWOOOOOSH!

Jo Baekta's expression did not change. He showed no fear, as if he had anticipated this reaction from the start.

"It is a foolish dream!" the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader shouted.

"Why is it a foolish dream? A martial artist dreams of unifying the murim, so why is that foolish?"

"Do you say that without knowing how many people a war will kill? Thousands, tens of thousands will die."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's voice grew louder, but Jo Baekta's tone became even calmer.

"Since when did you care so much about people's lives, Master?"

"!"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's expression hardened. His disciple was crossing the line. No, the moment Jo Baekta mentioned taking the first step, he had already crossed it.

"Why is that a dream only the Demonic Cult, the Murim Alliance, and the Evil Alliance can have? Is it a dream we aren't allowed to have? Since I was young, the thing I heard most from you and the Seniors was advancing into the Central Plains. If this was how it was going to be, why did you all say such things?"

Questioned so pointedly, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was at a loss for a response.

In that moment, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader remembered someone arrogant and clever. If it were him, the one who kept adults from sleeping at night, he would have said something sharp to bring this idiot to his senses. All the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader himself could manage was this.

"You're not in your right mind right now."

Jo Baekta, acting like a truly mad man, walked over to the Echoing Thunder Bell and struck it.

DONG! DOOONG!

The sound of the Echoing Thunder Bell resounded through the Cult Leader's hall. It was like a declaration that a new era had begun. To hear the sound of the Echoing Thunder Bell, which he had so longed to hear, in this way…

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader found the situation utterly surreal.

He felt as if the bell toll would signal people to rush out from behind the screen, shouting, "It's a surprise welcome party for the Cult Leader's return!"

Of course, no such thing happened. Jo Baekta's gaze was the most serious it had been since they had met.

"Did you leave the cult in your right mind, Master?"

Yes, just as the man said, he truly had not been in his right mind back then. He felt guilt for that. However, that guilt was for the Heavenly Wind Cult, not Jo Baekta. It was not something he should hear from the one who had inherited everything from him.

"Anyone else can say that, but shouldn't you be the one person who doesn't?"

"No, others may not be able to, but I can."

DOOONG!

The Echoing Thunder Bell rang out again.

The demon carved on the bell seemed to look at him and sneer. The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader clenched his fists. His anger had simmered enough and was now about to boil over.

Just then, Geom Mugeuk's words echoed in his mind.

"The answer does not lie with you, Cult Leader."

Ah, I'm getting worked up again and not seeing things clearly. I was fighting with my own heart again.

As the bell's sound faded, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader forced himself to calm his emotions.

"Fine. Let's say I acknowledge your dream, but you! You haven't even achieved complete mastery of the Great Calamity Demonic Art, so what makes you dream of unifying the murim?"

If Jo Baekta had at least reached the pinnacle of illusionary arts, it might be a different story. The allure of such power would be understandable.

However, it would take at least another ten years for Jo Baekta to achieve complete mastery of the Great Calamity Demonic Art.

Jo Baekta caressed the Echoing Thunder Bell and answered calmly.

"In a duel tournament, martial arts skill would be the most important thing. However, in the task of unifying the murim, other things will be more important."

"What other things?"

Jo Baekta did not answer. Instead, he walked toward the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

"You've seen the Echoing Thunder Bell, so you should return now. The Elders will be waiting for you, Master."

When Jo Baekta infused qi into the mechanism of the grandmaster's chair, a wall descended in front of the sacred object.

A wall also descended in front of the Echoing Thunder Bell. As the demon on the bell disappeared behind the wall, it seemed to say this.

You're a has-been. You can't beat the young ones. When the back waves of the Yangtze River push, you must be pushed away.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader pushed the negative thought away.

You demon bastard, the wave that follows told me so. He told me to please stop fighting these lonely battles in my heart. My back wave is one that tells me that until I'm sick of hearing it. Got it, you bastard!

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader calmed the storm raging in his heart and looked at Jo Baekta again. Right, I will only look at the you of this moment.

He read a powerful will in the eyes directed at him. This man was serious.

"You must have known I would try to stop you, so why did you tell me?"

He had expected to hear something like, You lost the right to stop me when you left the Heavenly Wind Cult. However, Jo Baekta revealed a reason he had not anticipated at all.

"No, I didn't know. How could I possibly know your heart, Master? You might have offered to help. You could have grown tired of your lot, just looking after the Young Cult Leader. Since there was a chance it could make achieving my dream several times easier, of course I had to tell you. Now, let's go."

Jo Baekta began to walk first.

Just a moment ago, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had been thinking this.

Who was it that turned his once-calm disciple into this?

But now, watching the back of the man walking away so confidently, he felt he no longer knew. Perhaps Jo Baekta had always been this kind of person, and he had simply failed to see it.

Perhaps he was only now paying the price for never once asking his disciple what his dream was.

"I just don't know."

Those were the first words the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader uttered upon returning to the guest hall.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader told Geom Mugeuk and the Demonic Buddha everything about the conversation he had with his disciple in the Cult Leader's hall.

His emotions were even more intense than before. He had held back a lot in front of his disciple while trying to control his heart. It all came bursting out now.

Geom Mugeuk and the Demonic Buddha were stunned after hearing the story. They had never imagined the new Heavenly Wind Cult Leader would be proceeding with such a plan.

"I wanted to handle it like you would, but it didn't work out so well. I feel like I was completely blindsided."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader did not put on a false front of pride before Geom Mugeuk. Seeing that he had no reservations in front of the Demonic Buddha either, it seemed worthwhile to have come together through the sandstorms.

"Don't tell me to be patient anymore! Don't tell me to look closely either! I'm just going to shout as I please, get angry as I please, and think as I please! Ugh, I should have just smacked that crazy bastard on the back of the head."

The Demonic Buddha, who was listening, nodded with an expression that said, 'That suits you.'

Geom Mugeuk smiled as he looked at the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader. He was grateful that the man was listening to his words and trying. You did well, Cult Leader. With the Illusion King in the background, we must be cautious, and then be cautious again.

"The fact that he revealed his plan to you, Cult Leader, probably means that preparations are already more or less complete."

A problem as serious as discovering where the Illusion King was hiding had arisen. Geom Mugeuk had no desire for the Heavenly Wind Cult to be embroiled in a war.

In any case, one question naturally arose.

"If the person behind this influenced this decision, what benefit is there in driving the Outer Regions into a war?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had been so focused on his disciple that he had not thought that far.

"What could it be for?"

"We'll have to find that out from now on."

What did the Illusion King want?

If his goal was to take control of the Heavenly Wind Cult, he wouldn't have guided things toward starting a war like this.

What exactly had happened between the Illusion King and Jo Baekta?

Before his regression, the Heavenly Wind Cult had not started a war in the Outer Regions. A change in people led to a change in events.

Geom Mugeuk asked the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

"Do you regret it? Placing that man in the Cult Leader's seat."

The word 'of course' was about to come out but got stuck in his throat. Did he truly regret it? If so, why was the answer not immediate?

Geom Mugeuk asked differently.

"If you went back to that time, would you choose someone else?"

After a moment of thought, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader answered.

"Even if I went back, I would still choose him."

No matter how he thought about it, Jo Baekta was the best choice at the time. However, if he could go back, he would ask the man his dream. Before that foolish dream could grow, he would plant a different one.

He would raise a disciple who could say, "Why are you poking at that, you bastard! Won't you get lost?" even if someone were to poke at the dark desires deep in his heart.

"Then that's all that matters. You can set your disciple straight now."

"……"

"That is an answer you must provide, Cult Leader. This is the Heavenly Wind Cult, after all. What will you do?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader rose from his seat and said.

"First, there's someone I need to meet."

There was no need to attract attention, so the Demonic Buddha and the bodyguards were left behind. The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader and Geom Mugeuk secretly left the guest hall.

The place Geom Mugeuk arrived at with the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was the home of the Star Elder, who had been the Chief Elder among the six Head Elders.

He was the person the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had cherished most during his time as Cult Leader.

"He is not a man who would break his promise to me."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader trusted him.

His house stood alone in a wasteland where sandstorms blew. It felt desolate, but it also had a certain atmosphere.

Moreover, being in a wide-open space had the advantage of being able to see anyone approaching.

The main gate was open.

"Elder Seong."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader called out from the courtyard, but no one came out.

Geom Mugeuk and the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader exchanged a look and entered the house together.

The house was empty.

"Judging by the accumulated dust, it seems the house has been empty for quite some time," Geom Mugeuk said.

At Geom Mugeuk's words, a look of concern crossed the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's face.

Given the circumstances, the Star Elder's absence felt ominous.

The two of them looked around inside. It was neat and tidy. One could tell his personality just by how organized the house was.

"Does he have a family?" Geom Mugeuk asked.

"He was always alone."

"Who was he closest to?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader thought for a moment, then let out a sigh.

He did not know who the Star Elder was close to, yet he called him the person he cherished most. His was a life lived caring only about how others treated him.

"I don't know what I was thinking, living like that."

"Don't blame yourself too much. Most people are similar."

"Aren't you different?"

I was the same. No, I was worse.

"I'm the Young Cult Leader, am I not?" Geom Mugeuk said.

"I was the Cult Leader!"

"Cult Leader!"

"Yes, Cult Leader."

"No, I mean, look at this."

Geom Mugeuk had discovered something.

Next to the desk, there was a piece of burnt paper.

"The house was so neatly organized, yet these ashes weren't cleaned up. It seems he saw this and rushed out in a hurry."

Unfortunately, only a burnt corner of the paper remained, and the contents were unknowable.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader carefully examined the paper by touching it, then said something surprising.

"Can you restore the contents of this?"

"No."

"I can."

Geom Mugeuk was startled by his words.

"Is there an illusionary art for that? Please teach me that too!"

"There is no such illusionary art."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader stood up, left the burnt ashes as they were, and went outside.

Geom Mugeuk followed him and asked.

"You said you could restore it?"

"I'm going to restore it now."

"Shouldn't you at least take the burnt ashes with you?"

"That paper is a secret missive treated with a special chemical. When heat is applied, the real message appears."

"How did you know that?"

Then, a surprising answer came from the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

"Because I chose it."

"Is it a secret missive used by the Heavenly Wind Cult?"

"No."

Then how did the Cult Leader know?

And he chose it himself? What did it mean that the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had chosen that paper?

"Go Wol nagged so much about how we had to choose something cheap and of good quality. Saying it was to save you money."

At those words, Geom Mugeuk understood.

The answer was already there in the words, "I chose it," and "I can restore the contents."

"It's the secret paper used by the Hidden Moon."