Chapter 727: Your Master and Friend

TL: FoodieMonster007

When the darkness opened its eyes, Geom Mugeuk felt as if a new world was opening up in front of him.

Those two eyes gazed down at him with pupils were as deep and dark as an abyss, and they mirrored the aura that he himself possessed.

Geom Mugeuk had seen these eyes before. They had appeared to him many times in dreams and illusions, and they were the only feature he had ever seen with clarity. Yes, these were the very same eyes.

A shiver coursed through Geom Mugeuk's entire body, from his toes to the crown of his head, as he realized what this being was.

It's the Heavenly Demon Soul!

This was the moment his own Heavenly Demon Soul descended upon the world for the first time, and it had done so to save his life.

The Heavenly Demon Soul slowly began to raise its body. The two eyes that were once so close now moved farther away.

KUUUNG!

The massive boulder that had been resting on the Heavenly Demon Soul's back crashed to the ground.

Geom Mugeuk understood. At the most critical moment, the Heavenly Demon Soul had descended and used its own body to block the boulder.

The Heavenly Demon Soul saved me.

What was even more astonishing was this.

It descended even though I didn't call it!

In the instant the boulder fell towards him, Geom Mugeuk had thought of those he would leave behind, the people who would mourn him.

Did the Soul read his heart and come to save its master? Or was it trying to preserve its own fate, to avoid vanishing right after its birth without ever seeing the world?

Under the moonlight, the Heavenly Demon Soul revealed its magnificent form, radiating a truly overwhelming presence.

This was an absolute being that ruled over every demon and evil spirit in the world. The pinnacle of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art and the ultimate form of all demonic arts.

The face of the Heavenly Demon Soul, revealed in the moonlight, was genuinely terrifying.

This was its appearance just after manifesting? What would happen if it grew and even learned martial arts?

We'll have to make a new statue for our Cult, Father.

Near the Heavenly Demon Hall stood a giant demonic statue modeled after the Heavenly Demon Soul. Seeing the real thing, it was incomparably more terrifying than the statue.

The cold pressure from its gaze, in particular, was something no sculpture could ever express.

But maybe it was because this was his own Heavenly Demon Soul?

Geom Mugeuk found himself thinking that this terrifying face was handsome.

It was terrifying yet handsome. More than anything, looking into those haughty eyes, he could sense that it was not just a killing machine that followed orders.

It was far more magnificent than the image he had imagined dozens, even hundreds, of times.

You! I like you!

What should he say first?

Just then, as the Heavenly Demon Soul's gaze seemed to turn toward Geom Mugeuk, it began to disappear without a sound.

No!

It had manifested on its own while Geom Mugeuk's inner qi was completely drained, so it could not remain for long and was now returning.

His father had told him that only willpower was needed to summon the Heavenly Demon Soul, not inner qi. However, inner qi was essential to keep the Heavenly Demon Soul summoned and use its techniques.

The disappointment was brief.

Geom Mugeuk's face soon filled with ecstasy.

"I've finally achieved complete mastery."

A flashback of one's life did not only occur at the moment of death. The countless experiences from his journey so far flashed before his eyes.

His life's purpose was to stop Hwa Mugi and save everyone. This was the moment he had achieved the most crucial thing needed to fulfill that purpose.

Geom Mugeuk laughed out loud like a madman. His laughter echoed throughout the mountains.

He was truly happy. He had made many martial accomplishments, but had he ever felt this happy before?

Even if he acquired any martial arts manual in the world or the rarest miracle herb, could he be happier than this?

He could not.

He honestly felt like dancing… no, what was stopping him? He could just perform the dance he once shared with Bi Sayin. He would dance alone under the moonlight.

Geom Mugeuk, who was sitting against the cliff, tried to stand up.

"……"

He grimaced and sat back down. His body was not in a normal state. The impact from being slammed into the cliff when the Spacetime Manipulation Technique broke earlier made his entire body ache as if he had been beaten. He had crashed with his bare body, completely without inner arts.

A moment ago, while looking at the Heavenly Demon Soul, he hadn't felt any pain at all. However, the instant his tension eased, the pain washed over him.

Geom Mugeuk checked his body's condition. Fortunately, while the bruises were severe, no bones were broken, and he had no internal injuries.

He grimaced from the surging pain, yet he grinned like a madman. It was fine if it hurt. So what if it was painful? He had achieved the complete mastery of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art that he had dreamed of.

Now he understood. He knew why the Spacetime Manipulation Technique had broken during his final training.

As the Nine Calamities Demonic Art reached complete mastery, the Heavenly Demon Destroys the World had torn apart the Spacetime Manipulation Technique. This meant that the technique could be broken by the fully mastered Heavenly Demon Destroys the World.

Normally, the Spacetime Manipulation Technique being broken would be bad, but this was a reason to rejoice. It meant the Nine Calamities Demonic Art was just that incredible.

"I did it!"

Geom Mugeuk's shout echoed through the mountains.

He leaned against the cliff for a moment and looked up at the night sky. How could achieving such a great feat be possible with his effort alone?

"Thank you."

After offering his thanks to the heavens, Geom Mugeuk began to recover his inner qi.

He closed his eyes and circulated his energy. He completed one cycle, then two, then three.

When his qi center was filled with inner qi, he was also able to manage the pain in his body.

Finally recovered, he turned his attention to the cave. A large boulder was blocking the entrance. It was fine to be in pain, and he wouldn't be embarrassed to dance, but there was one thing he couldn't stand happening no matter what.

Please, just not the Go board!

If the inside of the cave had collapsed, the Go board and stones would not have survived. Ah, he really did not even want to think about it.

Geom Mugeuk went to the cave entrance and pushed the boulder blocking it. The large rock moved away as lightly as a rolling ball.

Fortunately, the cave had not collapsed.

He hurried inside. Fortunately, since the Go board and stones had been covered with a tiger pelt, they were not even scratched by the falling debris.

He let out a sigh of relief and caressed the Go board with his hand. It was so precious not just because it was a gift for his father.

He could feel it. The process of making this Go board and stones had definitely helped him achieve complete mastery.

If that was the case, the person he truly had to thank was his father. If not for his father, he would never have even thought of making a Go board.

He didn't really suggest we play Go because he predicted this outcome, did he?

It was a truly absurd guess, but he had such thoughts because it was his father and not someone else.

In any case, he wanted to pack his things and go down right away, but there was something he had to do in the morning.

Geom Mugeuk slept his last night at the Great Sky Peak in the cave.

He felt so good that sleep would not come. He was afraid that if he woke up, all of this might have been a dream.

The next morning, Geom Mugeuk came out of the cave.

Fortunately, it was not a dream. The area in front of the cave was full of collapsed rocks and stones.

Geom Mugeuk stretched pleasantly. He could feel that his martial arts realm had risen another level. Whether he used the Soaring Sky Sword Art or the Thunder Arhat Fist, he would be able to execute them better.

This was the first time he had ever felt so clearly that he had become stronger.

He washed himself clean under the waterfall and changed into a new martial arts uniform he had stored deep inside his leather pouch. This was the outfit he had brought to wear when he achieved complete mastery.

He put the Go stone containers in the pouch and, after wrapping the Go board in tiger skin, fastened it securely on top.

After finishing his preparations to descend the mountain, Geom Mugeuk drew his sword.

The Nine Calamities Demonic Art, First Technique, the Human Destroying Stance.

With a human-sized boulder at the center, the four demonic spirits of the east, west, south, and north appeared.

If the thing he wanted to see most after achieving complete mastery was the Heavenly Demon Soul, the next thing he wanted to see were these guys. How had they changed?

The swords of the four demonic spirits flashed!

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

Their attacks were much faster and stronger than before.

The power at the ninth star and the power at complete mastery were completely different. It was incomparable to the difference between the eighth and ninth stars. If someone were to be hacked to pieces by the demonic spirits in the middle of that, no one would be able to withstand it.

Furthermore, it was not just the power that had changed. The four demonic spirits that had shattered the boulder looked at him. Their appearances had also changed. They showed their faces as if to say, this is our true form.

They had become more terrifying, more handsome, looked smarter, and more mysterious. Unique patterns had appeared on their faces and bodies.

He had seen his father's demonic spirits before. Their appearance and the aura they gave off were clearly different from his own demonic spirits now. This made him think that their appearance and aura were definitely related to the person wielding the martial arts.

"Nice to see you, East, West, South and North."

Geom Mugeuk called out their names. Of course, the demonic spirits did not answer just because he had achieved complete mastery.

However, he felt it. The look in their eyes as they gazed at him was different from before. What was contained in their gaze was clearly some kind of emotion.

The four demonic spirits East, West, South and North only looked at him with deeper gazes, but Geom Mugeuk interpreted their looks as he pleased.

[Couldn't you have given us better names?]

[Father named you, so there's nothing I can do.]

Of course, they would not actually ask such a thing, so it was a question and answer created by Geom Mugeuk's own mind.

There was something else that had changed after achieving complete mastery. He could make the four demonic spirits of the Human Destroying Stance remain.

However, the inner arts required to maintain the demonic spirits doubled, tripled, and quadrupled over time, increasing to an unbearable amount.

From this, he could surmise that the longer the Heavenly Demon Soul remained manifested, the more immense the amount of inner qi it would consume. Then again, it was impossible for such a terrifying being to remain descended indefinitely.

Though it was a shame, Geom Mugeuk bid farewell to the four demonic spirits.

"Let's meet again."

The four demonic spirits disappeared, and this time he unleashed the Great Annihilation Stance.

SSSSSS.

A demonic spirit with a terrifying face appeared.

As seen before, it had become more terrifying, and the demonic qi flowing from it was also much more powerful.

And the number of demonic spirits, which had previously split into twenty-six, now split into forty-four.

RUMBLE!

When the Great Annihilation Stance was unleashed, they swept away everything in front of them as they advanced.

The clearing, which had been a mess of fallen rocks and debris, became clean. The Great Annihilation Stance swept past, leaving nothing behind. Naturally, its power was stronger, and he could control them with more precision.

The place became a clean clearing, just as it was when Geom Mugeuk first settled here.

After cleaning up the area, he shouldered his leather pouch and walked the path he took for his daily strolls.

Two seasons had passed since he came up the Great Sky Peak, and he was now in his third. During that time, he had taken a walk every single day without fail after finishing his training.

He felt that these walks, just as much as the arduous daily training and the process of making the Go stones, had surely helped him achieve complete mastery of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.

Good ideas, after all, always came to him when he was moving.

And one more thing.

While walking, Geom Mugeuk tried to loosen up his tightly-structured life. During these walks, he tried to afford himself some leisure in a life where he had cherished every single moment.

In truth, he found that more difficult. Strenuous effort was possible through his own will, but having leisure in life was something that required wisdom.

After finishing his last walk, he climbed to the summit of the Great Sky Peak.

The blowing wind fluttered the hem of his clothes.

Suddenly, he heard the roar of a tiger from afar. He thought it might be the same tiger he had saved when he came here with his father and brother.

Geom Mugeuk fully savored the mystical energy of the Great Sky Peak. His father had been right. This place, the Great Sky Peak, had helped him achieve complete mastery.

After standing there for a moment gazing at the summit's scenery, he turned around and called forth the Heavenly Demon Soul again.

Yesterday, he had met it in an injured state without any inner qi, so today, he intended to greet it properly.

He worried that he might not be able to summon it, having just achieved complete mastery. After all, yesterday, it had descended on its own in a life-or-death situation.

However, his fears were unfounded. With a whoosh, the Heavenly Demon Soul was suddenly standing before him.

The feeling of the Heavenly Demon Soul seen under the moonlight was different from seeing it under the bright sunlight.

It seemed mystical that such a purely jet-black being could exist in the bright world.

SWOOSH!

Geom Mugeuk's body floated into the air, rising until he was in front of the Heavenly Demon Soul's face.

He met its eyes. He could look at it from this close because he had created it, but it was emitting such intense demonic qi and a powerful glint in its eyes that no master would dare to face it.

He introduced himself to the Heavenly Demon Soul, "Hello! I am Geom Mugeuk, the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."

The Heavenly Demon Soul showed no reaction.

"I am your master and your friend!"

The Heavenly Demon Soul seemed as if it had thoughts, but it also seemed like a being that followed orders without any thought.

However, Geom Mugeuk believed that the Heavenly Demon Soul was surely a being with reason. When it had appeared in dreams or illusions before, and also when it saved him yesterday, there had clearly been some kind of emotion in its eyes.

"Thank you for saving me yesterday."

The fact that it was not showing any emotion yet might be because it had not accepted him as its true master. In other words, from now onwards, he would have to show this Heavenly Demon Soul what kind of person he was.

Geom Mugeuk wanted to become its true master and share an emotional connection with this Heavenly Demon Soul. He wanted to have a conversation with it.

That is why he wanted to lie down together on the beach within the Spacetime Manipulation Technique and talk with the Heavenly Demon Soul. Of course, to do that, he would need a bigger island and an incredibly large and sturdy chair.

Geom Mugeuk stopped looking at the Heavenly Demon Soul and turned around.

Together, they looked down from the summit at the world below the Great Sky Peak.

He stood there silently until his inner qi was completely depleted.

Just before the Heavenly Demon Soul disappeared, Geom Mugeuk told it something he had felt from his life before regression, and even in his life after.

"I've wanted to see you for a very long time."