Chapter 630: This Fight Is Not Our Fight

TL: FoodieMonster007

"The person behind them was the Heaven's Edge Hermit, Hwa Yulcheong."

Sama Myeong's words brought a forgotten name back to Geom Mugeuk's mind. He was the Heaven's Edge Hermit, the closest friend of the Murim Alliance's leader.

In his previous life, the man had never stepped into the spotlight. He had remained hidden from the world even during the era when the Twelve Zodiac Kings ruled the murim.

Geom Mugeuk had never heard any news about the Heaven's Edge Hermit after the Chairman's death. There were no rumors of him seeking revenge for the Chairman, nor were there any sightings of him. Looking back, it was as if he had simply vanished from the murim.

The close friend of the Murim Alliance's leader had held no significance in Geom Mugeuk's life before his return. He had forgotten the man's existence entirely, only to hear his name again today.

The single-character flag also held a unique meaning specifically for Geom Mugeuk.

Come to think of it, this man's surname was Hwa, too.

Sama Myeong stared at the flag alongside him and spoke with a concerned tone.

"There are quite a few masters from the orthodox sects who follow the Heaven's Edge Hermit. If he's really the one behind this, this fight won't be easy."

This was the worst-case scenario. They might have to kill him without being able to prove to the world that he was a villain. That would mean the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had murdered a respected elder of the orthodox sects and the close friend of the Murim Alliance's leader.

If that happened, the martial artists of the orthodox sects would rise up like a wildfire. The flames would only be extinguished after countless people had already burned to death.

As the Head Strategist, Sama Myeong naturally knew the Heaven's Edge Hermit well.

"He's a man who has been friends with the Chairman since they were young. I just can't believe someone like him was recruited by those bastards."

Sama Myeong even considered that the information might be wrong. The truth was just that hard for him to believe.

Geom Mugeuk, however, was suspicious of this man who had suddenly reappeared in his life.

"Perhaps he wasn't recruited."

Sama Myeong understood the implication of Geom Mugeuk's words. It meant the man might not have been recruited but could be the mastermind behind the entire conspiracy.

"Don't tell me you're saying he approached the Chairman with malicious intent from the very beginning?"

He couldn't hide his shock. Such words implied that this conspiracy had been planned for decades.

"We've already confirmed that the masterminds we're facing have been preparing for a very long time, haven't we? Maybe the starting point of their preparations was the seat right next to the Chairman."

Sama Myeong's expression turned grave at Geom Mugeuk's words. If that was really the case, this fight would be far more than just 'not easy'.

Of all times, for this to happen when the Cult Leader isn't here!

For a moment, the two men silently watched the bustling operations command room. Sama Myeong was the first to finally break the silence.

"Do you want to go to Wuhan?"

Geom Mugeuk never thought he would find himself saying these words.

"Yes, I want to go to my brother."

He wanted to run there right this instant.

"Will you send me?"

Sama Myeong knew exactly how Geom Mugeuk felt, but he still refused firmly.

"I can't. I'll send more of the Demon Supremes instead."

The danger of the situation only strengthened Sama Myeong's resolve not to send Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk understood his reasoning. But separate from that understanding, Geom Mugeuk also felt a signal of fate. This news had arrived on the same day his Nine Calamities Demonic Art reached the ninth stage.

"I have a reason I must go."

"What is the reason?"

"I believe my brother can be protected with just the Poison King and the Demonic Buddha there."

"Then why do you insist on going?"

Just as the reason not to send him was clear, his reason for going was just as definite.

"If the Heaven's Edge Hermit is the mastermind, he'll undoubtedly try to move the leader of the Murim Alliance. If the Chairman moves, the Murim Alliance will move. And then the entire orthodox murim will move with them."

It might seem like a leap in logic.

"But I think he might have lured us in, aiming for exactly that outcome."

After all, they did use a craftsman from the Murim Alliance's own smithy to create the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's hidden weapons.

"They'll probably try to make things complicated."

How could Sama Myeong not know this? In a situation like this, the person who could handle it with the most flexibility was Geom Mugeuk. Furthermore, the Young Cult Leader shared a deep friendship with Jin Paecheon, the leader of the Murim Alliance.

Even so, Sama Myeong couldn't make a decision easily. His gaze fell upon the two flags on the strategic map.

Jeong (正) and Hwa (華).

A dozen or so flags representing masters from the orthodox sects surrounded them.

There were only about a dozen for now, but the moment the leader of the Murim Alliance raised his banner, dozens, even hundreds of flags from across the Central Plains would gather to protect the orthodox murim.

He already wanted to recall the First Young Lord, and now he was supposed to send Geom Mugeuk out too?

As the two men remained in a tense standoff, a messenger pigeon arrived from Wuhan.

"It's a messenger pigeon from the First Young Lord."

The pigeon was handed to Sama Myeong. After he read its contents, he looked at Geom Mugeuk with a surprised expression.

"The First Young Lord has requested support from the Demonic Buddha."

He had requested the Demonic Buddha's help from Headquarters, not yet knowing that both the Poison King and the Demonic Buddha were already in Wuhan.

"You know my brother's personality, don't you?"

A man who would sooner break than bend had asked for help, like a bamboo stalk finally swaying in the wind. The brother he once was would have rather died than ask for anyone's help.

But his brother had changed. He had become a man who could control his emotions for the greater good. Geom Mugeuk had heard he called for Jin Hagun first, and perhaps that action also stemmed from this new mindset.

"For someone with his personality to request support, it means he's certain the Heaven's Edge Hermit is the mastermind. It also means the pressure he's feeling on the ground must be immense."

After a moment of deep contemplation, Sama Myeong finally made his decision.

"Very well. You can go. But there's a condition."

"What is it?"

"Take two more Demon Supremes with you."

This proposal was imbued with Sama Myeong's determination. He would not let Geom Mugeuk die, even if tensions with the orthodox sects reached their absolute peak.

"Me, my brother, and four Demon Supremes. We could have a game of Mahjong."

Sama Myeong, however, took Geom Mugeuk's joke seriously.

"Even if a war breaks out, you, as the Acting Cult Leader, must return safely."

A war could be managed. Geom Mugeuk's death could not.

Geom Mugeuk, however, declined Sama Myeong's offer.

"I'll go alone."

"Acting Cult Leader!"

"The people already there are enough to provoke the Murim Alliance. If more Demon Supremes go, it will only create problems we don't need to face."

Sama Myeong had to admit he was in a position where he had no choice but to trust Geom Mugeuk. Just as Geom Mugeuk said, sending more Demon Supremes would only create greater danger. This was a matter that only Geom Mugeuk could resolve.

"Then please, remember this one point."

Sama Myeong walked over to the strategic map.

"Acting Cult Leader, you aren't going there to fight them. In my judgment, this conflict must not become a battle of pure strength."

Sama Myeong picked up the Heaven's Edge Hermit's flag from where it sat beside the other and moved it outside the Murim Alliance's designated area.

"This is why you are going."

His meaning was clear. Geom Mugeuk was to make the leader of the Murim Alliance learn the truth.

"And the ones who eliminate them must be the Murim Alliance."

He was saying that the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult should not be at the center of this fight.

"You must persuade the leader of the Murim Alliance and the First Young Lord to make it so. This fight is the Murim Alliance's fight, not ours. This is even more crucial because the Chairman and Hwa Yulcheong were old friends."

Geom Mugeuk could see what Sama Myeong was worried about. He was concerned that if things went wrong, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would be misunderstood for killing the friend of the Murim Alliance's leader.

A long friendship can sometimes blind a person's eyes, making them turn away from a painful truth.

"Acting Cult Leader, you'll be there, but at the same time, you'll be in our Cult's Heavenly Demon Archives."

It was Sama Myeong's plea for him to stay hidden and safe before returning. After hearing everything, Geom Mugeuk replied politely.

"I'll move according to the Head Strategist's plan."

Geom Mugeuk's expression may have relaxed a little, but Sama Myeong did not let his guard down.

"I'll advance the Demonic Army as far as I can and tell the Demon Supremes not to leave the Cult. If you need help, send word immediately."

Geom Mugeuk nodded obediently, though he believed it wouldn't come to that. If a situation arose where he needed to ask for help even after going himself, it would mean war had already broken out.

"I'll be back."

"Please, return safely."

Even as he left, Geom Mugeuk didn't forget to make one last joke.

"I'm definitely not going because the Acting Cult Leader's job is too much work!"

The moment Geom Mugeuk left, Sama Myeong immediately spoke to an attendant Strategist beside him.

"From this moment on, raise the All-Knowing Hall's alert level to its highest!"

It was past noon when the Cold Moon Warrior awoke in a physician's room. He hadn't been able to sleep for the past two days because of an unbearable itch. The fact that he could only now recognize it as a physician's room was a testament to how much he had suffered.

The itch had been maddening, enough to make him wish for death, but it was completely gone when he opened his eyes. The hives that had covered his body had also vanished as if they were never there.

What on earth was the cause?

Then, the words of the old fortune teller suddenly came to mind.

[You came to chase away a demon, but ended up possessed by one.]

That crazy old man. It was just an upset stomach from eating something bad.

He felt sorry for the person who had summoned him to Wuhan. He had already broken his promise twice, and he wasn't such an unreliable person. He couldn't very well say he couldn't go because of an upset stomach, and he certainly couldn't admit it was because of an itch.

The only way to repay them is by annihilating those bastards from the Demonic Cult.

That was the only way he could make up for this.

The Cold Moon Warrior rose from his spot and opened the door to go outside. Someone was standing right in front of the door.

"……"

The Cold Moon Warrior flinched and stepped back as he recognized the person.

Who could possibly make him step back? The Cold Moon Warrior stared at the person, his eyes filled with fear.

He had no choice. The man standing before him was someone who had died a long time ago.

"…You are?"

The Cold Moon Warrior's voice trembled as he spoke.

The man simply stared back at him with an impassive gaze.

"What bastard is playing tricks on me!"

The Cold Moon Warrior roared and unleashed a palm strike.

SHWAAAAK.

KWAANG.

The hallway wall behind the figure shattered, but the person remained standing right where he was. The Cold Moon Warrior saw it then. His palm technique had passed right through the man. He was an illusion.

A ghost?

A ghost in broad daylight? It was hard to believe, but it was real. And that wasn't all.

SSSSSS.

Another person appeared behind the man. This time it was a woman.

The Cold Moon Warrior knew this woman too. She was the wife of the man who had appeared first. The woman's eyes were fixed on the Cold Moon Warrior, filled with resentment.

The Cold Moon Warrior sighed as he recalled a day from his past. After demonic practitioners killed his family, he had wandered the jianghu like a madman, killing them in turn.

A bastard known as the Lascivious Ghost, who was committing evil deeds at the time, was also a demonic practitioner. The Cold Moon Warrior finally found him after a chase that lasted for several months.

On that day, the bastard was in the middle of assaulting a woman. He thought he could easily kill a lecherous fiend like that, but the bastard was stronger than he had expected.

In the moment he finally killed the bastard after a life-or-death struggle!

Someone rushed into the room from behind him. The Cold Moon Warrior instinctively swung his sword, cutting down the person who had rushed in. A line of blood appeared on the man's neck, and he collapsed while spewing blood.

That man was the woman's husband.

To cut someone down without identifying them first was an absurd mistake, thinking about it now. But that was how things were back then.

In that small room, he had fought for dozens of exchanges, using all his concentration to make sure the woman wasn't killed. He had that much skill, so why did it happen? He still didn't know why he had done it.

Even after decades, he had never forgotten the man's face, nor the sight of the woman screaming as she watched.

For a moment, the Cold Moon Warrior felt his stomach churn as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Just then, a line of blood appeared on the neck of the man standing at the door, and blood began to trickle from the wound.

The Cold Moon Warrior frantically unleashed his palm techniques.

SHWAAK! SHWAAAAK!

KWANG! KWAANG!

The surrounding walls collapsed under the continuous barrage of his palm techniques. The fortune teller's words echoed in his mind.

[Leave the land of Wuhan at once, before you suffer a greater disaster.]

The surrounding walls were completely destroyed. The collapsing ceiling also turned to dust and scattered away.

The figures of the ghosts were obscured by the dust and dirt. When the dust settled again, the Cold Moon Warrior was left standing blankly in the middle of the ruined room. Instead of ghosts, a different scene now lay before his eyes.

The people who worked at the physician's office were staring at him with shocked faces. Among them, a young physician had fallen on his backside and was sitting on the ground by a collapsed wall.

His heart sank at the sight. In his fit of unleashing palm techniques just a moment ago, he had nearly killed the young man.

Why had he done it back then? He was still making mistakes like this even now.

"……"

The Cold Moon Warrior let out a deep sigh. He then took out all the bank notes he had and placed them on the floor.

"Sorry for destroying the house."

Then, he staggered out of the physician's office. He left Wuhan without a single look back.

Far away, two people watched him from atop a giant tree. It was the Poison King and the Demonic Buddha.

"How on earth did you do that?"

"That man was poisoned with a toxin made from a mushroom called the Hallucinating Lingzhi Mushroom."

"What kind of hallucination did he see?"

"I don't know. Different people see different things."

What the Cold Moon Warrior saw was not a ghost, but the guilt he had buried deep in his heart for his entire life.

The Demonic Buddha looked at the Poison King with a new sense of wonder. He himself had fought a difficult battle just to send the Blue Mountain Swordsman away, but the Poison King had managed it without even fighting.

Only the Poison King's poison could send the Cold Moon Warrior away like this. Ah, but there was one more thing. The Young Cult Leader's mouth.

"Would you like to try it once? To see what kind of hallucination you'd see?"

The Demonic Buddha shook his head when the Poison King asked him seriously.

"I'll pass. It's not like I have anything that good buried inside me."

Just then, Sangseon flew to the giant tree where they were perched and landed.

"The First Young Lord has contacted Headquarters."

For the Demonic Buddha, this news was more surprising than it was for anyone else.

"The First Young Lord has asked for the Demonic Buddha's help."

The Demonic Buddha was startled the moment he heard those words. It was truly unexpected. His usually calm eyes wavered.

The First Young Lord had chosen him. Out of so many people, he had asked for his help.

One could say it was natural, since he was once the closest Demon Supreme to him. But considering the disappointment he would have felt if the First Young Lord had chosen someone else, this joy was indescribable. Besides, wasn't he already here in Wuhan for his sake?

The Demonic Buddha tried hard to suppress his urge to rush over immediately, but he couldn't stop a subtle radiance of joy from leaking out.

"Tell him I'm on my way."