Chapter 435: The One Who Awakened the Cult Leader's Dream

TL: FoodieMonster007

I had known for a while that my father dreamed of unifying the murim. The key question was simply when he would draw his sword, a matter of timing. If the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's speculation was true, the time was coming sooner than I thought.

"Haven't we failed to completely root out the hidden forces working within the various sects recently?"

He was thinking of war in a situation like this?

I knew my father well. He wasn't one to handle such a major affair emotionally. He was not the type to create another great enemy while already facing one. How could the Blood Heaven Blade Demon not know that?

Though they were distant now, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had been closer to my father than anyone in their youth. Because of that, he knew my father better than anyone. His reason for making such a guess, despite all that, was this.

"As you know, the murim has been peaceful for a very long time. There haven't been any real fights. But this time, while dealing with those hidden forces, the Demon Supremes have awakened."

He was right. All the Demon Supremes had taken turns participating in the battles. They had experienced true combat by facing powerful enemies. For masters of the Demon Supreme level, the chance to face an opponent of similar skill was a miraculous encounter they might only get a few times in their entire lives.

"By dealing with them, we naturally began to prepare for war in earnest."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon's truly surprising words began now.

"And most importantly, our Cult has gained a more powerful asset than any other."

"What do you mean?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked at me without a word.

"Surely you don't mean me?"

He nodded.

I knew he was right. My martial arts had grown the most in the process of dealing with the hidden forces.

"Because of you, the chances of our Cult achieving the unification of the murim have grown much greater."

That was also true. If I achieved complete mastery of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art and joined forces with my father, we could unify the murim more easily than he could alone.

Finally, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon added one last surprising remark.

"Perhaps the one who awakened the Cult Leader's dream… is you."

"!"

I couldn't refute his words. Whether it was true or not, what the Blood Heaven Blade Demon said was persuasive. After all, I was the one who had influenced my father the most recently.

"Of course, my speculation could be wrong."

Father had changed a lot recently, too. He might have been influenced by how I treated the Demon Supremes and simply thought he should get closer to them. That would be truly wonderful. If not that, it could just be a way to placate the Demon Supremes to root out the hidden forces. How great would it be if that was his intention?

Truly, there was nothing more difficult than reading my father's mind.

The final reason for the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's speculation lay in the distant past.

"The Cult Leader has dreamed of unifying the murim since he was young."

"Did you ever speak of it?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon's eyes deepened as he recalled the past.

"It was before the Cult Leader even ascended to the position of the Heavenly Demon. At the time, the Cult Leader traveled the Central Plains with the Fist Demon, fighting everywhere they went. Just like you now, the two of them wandered around without a single bodyguard. Then one day, the Cult Leader returned to the Cult and told me with a flushed face."

In those days when everyone was young, what could my father have said to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon?

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon relayed the exact words my father had said.

"This murim… I must have it."

The moment I heard those words, an image of my father in his youth came to mind. The image of that moment when he first held the dream of unifying the murim. What had prompted my father to dream of such a thing? Did he see the good side of the murim back then? Or its ugly underbelly?

"Since then, the Cult Leader has never once spoken of it again."

"It was probably the first and last time. Father isn't the type to go around revealing such dreams to just anyone."

When he wanted to tell someone about the passion boiling in his heart, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had been the only one.

Because of that past between them, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon could confidently say that my father, while he might give up on his two children, would never give up on himself.

My heart grew heavy. Could I make my father, who had held this dream for so long, give it up?

"What about you, Elder?"

"What about me?"

"What will you do if my father orders you to strike the Murim Alliance?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon's gaze dropped to his book. The signs of his inner conflict were obvious.

"Please speak freely. I'm prepared to be disappointed!"

I said it like a joke, but he did not take it as one.

"I'm not ready to disappoint anyone yet. Not you, and not your father."

His words told me exactly what was in his heart. No matter how close we had become, no matter how distant he had grown from my father, disobeying his father's command was by no means an easy thing. Putting aside all personal matters, their relationship was that of a Cult Leader and a Demon Supreme.

The very fact that he was agonizing over it like this showed how much he cared for me.

"I won't let you face a moment where you have to choose, Elder."

The same went for the other Demon Supremes. I would not let them fall into the dilemma of having to disobey my father's command for my sake. This was, in the end, a matter between my father and me.

"What do you plan to do?"

"You know what kind of demonic path I dream of, don't you? I have to persuade my father, one way or another."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon's gaze returned to his book. After staring blankly at it for a moment, he spoke softly.

"Not everyone can live the way they want."

I couldn't tell if he was speaking to me, to my father, or to himself.

I told him I would bring my pajamas and sleep over next time, then left the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's residence. I had a feeling he would want to be alone.

I decided to think about this matter positively.

This was an opportunity. It was a moment for my relationship with my father, and my relationships with the Demon Supremes, to advance to the next stage. Becoming friendly is easy. The problem always comes after that.

We were now standing on a new testing ground for our relationships.

When I returned to my residence, a man was training his martial arts in the courtyard.

He was bodyguard captain Cheokyeon. The news of my return must have already been delivered, so it seemed he had been waiting at my residence for my arrival.

I watched him without interrupting his training. His skills had improved noticeably since I last saw him. It meant he had undergone grueling training while I was in the North Sea.

When his martial arts session came to an end, I revealed myself.

"Your skills have improved a lot, haven't they?"

At my appearance, Cheokyeon bowed respectfully.

"Young Cult Leader! I have been eagerly awaiting your safe return."

His face was full of genuine delight.

"I heard you had returned and was waiting. I sent the other bodyguards back to their training, though they wanted to stay with me."

His words alone were enough for me to guess how diligently they had been training. They were trying not to let even a single day disrupt their set training regimen.

"Take off your blindfold first."

"It's fine."

"I always say this, but I'm not fine with it."

His eyes reminded me of Lee Ahn's Self-Petrification Art. Seeing the hearts of these bodyguards, who were willing to endure such pain to protect someone, made me want to free them from their suffering as soon as possible.

The moment he untied the blindfold, I was stunned.

His eyes had returned to normal.

"You've achieved complete mastery!"

As if he had intended to surprise me, Cheokyeon finally smiled.

"It's all thanks to you, Young Cult Leader. Perhaps because you touched my eyes from time to time, I was able to achieve rapid progress in my training of the Ghost Eye Art."

I knew that wasn't the reason. He must have endured great pain and trained relentlessly.

"But why are you still wearing the blindfold?"

"It feels awkward to suddenly take it off."

"Take it off. If you do, the female martial artists will start following you around."

"Then I should definitely keep it on. I'm going to be following you around, Young Cult Leader."

Was it because the pain in his eyes was gone? He seemed much brighter than before. Still, perhaps feeling awkward after making an uncharacteristic joke, he quickly bid me farewell.

"Please rest well."

"Cheokyeon."

"Yes, Young Cult Leader."

I couldn't just let him go like this after he had waited up so late to see me.

"You have to stay for a celebratory drink."

I drank with Cheokyeon and we talked about this and that.

Just as I had reported what happened with my father, Cheokyeon relayed everything that had happened in the Cult. It was information he had carefully gathered, just in case it might be of help to me.

He also told me that the bodyguards' skills had improved significantly. He spoke of how hard they were all working.

"Perhaps because of their desire to accompany you, Young Cult Leader, everyone is training as if their lives depend on it."

I always told them. If you want to travel with me, you have to become stronger.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was right. Our Cult's military strength was growing stronger on all fronts.

Especially those connected to me. They were all becoming stronger. Even the Flower Sword Supreme, who hadn't fought against the hidden forces, had grown stronger through her duel with me.

Maybe what he said was true after all.

Maybe it really was my fault that my father's dream had been reawakened.

The next day, I went to the Valley of Evil to meet the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

In the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's residence, both my bed and his were still there, just as I'd left them.

In addition, there was now a desk and chair that hadn't been there before.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon was peering at something at his desk.

"I've returned safely."

The two eyes behind the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's mask smiled brightly as he looked at me.

"You've come?"

He welcomed me, unchanged.

"You've got a desk."

Of course, the desk and chair were painted pure white.

"I find it's quite convenient."

He then lifted what he was looking at to show me. It was a ledger filled with numbers.

"I've been studying something new lately."

Seeing him like that reminded me of when I followed him to the Central Plains. Back then, Green Mask had relayed the ledger's contents through voice transmission, but now he was reading it himself. It seemed he had learned how to read a ledger in the meantime.

I thought it was a good sign. When masters of the Demon Supreme level ascended to the next realm, they sometimes received inspiration from completely unexpected places. That's what made them frightening. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon reading a book, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon looking at a ledger.

This was a change that had occurred after I brought him the bed. I could feel the sentiment behind the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon placing a desk here. In response to my wish for him to lie down and sleep comfortably, he was responding with an even greater change. He was showing me, 'I've changed like this because of you.'

"How was the North Sea?"

"It was a cool and beautiful place. You must have gone there often, right?"

Since the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon loved the color white, I thought he must have gone there very frequently.

"I've only been there once. I absolutely hate the cold."

I laughed out loud at the unexpected reason.

This time, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon asked a question.

"Then you must have visited the North Sea Ice Palace."

"Visited? I practically lived there for a while."

"It's known for not accepting outsiders. You truly are something else, Young Cult Leader."

I sat on the edge of my bed and told him in detail about what had happened in the North Sea. I especially made sure not to leave out anything regarding the Blood King and his subordinates.

Repeating the story could be tedious at times, but I didn't mind. I believed that a single piece of small information could later become a valuable tip that could save a life.

After relaying the story about the North Sea, I brought up the most important reason for my visit today.

"I heard you met with my father recently."

"Yes, I did."

"I'm curious about what you and my father discussed that day."

A flicker of puzzlement crossed the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's eyes behind the mask. I was asking about a conversation between the Heavenly Demon and a Demon Supreme. Even between close friends, it was not a topic to be asked about lightly.

"I know it's a rude question."

"You must have your reasons, of course."

I didn't hide anything about this matter from him.

"I'm worried that my father may have started to make his move to unify the murim."

At the words 'unify the murim', the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's eyes shone with an intense light.

"I got that impression yesterday when I saw him drinking with the Drunken Demon. I wondered if my father was finally drawing his sword in earnest."

Only then did the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's expression show that he understood why I had asked such a question.

"When he met with me, he didn't mention anything related to the unification of the murim. It was all just about matters within the Cult and everyday conversation. He mostly talked about you, Young Cult Leader."

"About me?"

"Yes, he asked me to take good care of you in the future."

Father meeting the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon just to ask him to look after me?

It was possible, given that my relationship with my father had improved recently.

Still, the feeling of unease did not go away.

"Are you worried?"

"Honestly, I am. Worried enough to come here and commit this rudeness."

Putting aside their relationships with me, what did the Demon Supremes think?

Since my regression, they had changed a great deal. My relationships with them had changed too.

But had their views and feelings toward the murim also changed? For instance, if I were to ask this question…

Would the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon truly prefer a peaceful murim? Or would he want to run wild on a battlefield, unleashing his demonic qi?

Could I be certain that he preferred peace? Was the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon before me that kind of person?

Just then, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon said something. It was as if he had read my mind.

"I can endure it."

I knew the heart with which he spoke those words. This was the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's feeling for me.

"I don't want to make you live a life where you have to endure, Smiling Demon."

His eyes asked, is there a way?

"We have to find one, starting now. I'll make it so that my father, and the Demon Supremes, say something other than 'endure'."

I still didn't know what words should replace 'endure'.

"Young Cult Leader."

"Yes, Smiling Demon."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon spoke softly, his eyes clear and deep.

"No matter what order is given, I will follow you, Young Cult Leader. Your demonic path is my demonic path."