Chapter 728: Now, You Must Not Lose to Anyone

TL: FoodieMonster007

Geom Mugeuk stepped into the Heavenly Demon Hall. After descending from the Great Sky Peak, he had come straight to the Heavenly Demon Hall without even unpacking his belongings.

It was the longest he had been away from Headquarters since his regression, but Geom Mugeuk wasn't worried. The current Cult was not the same as the Cult of the past.

His father and the Demon Supremes had all changed. Without that trust, he wouldn't have been able to endure the indefinite training deep within the Great Sky Peak, cut off from the world.

Indeed, nothing had changed. The resounding greetings of the guards at the main gate of the Divine Cult were the same as ever. The martial artists coming and going in the outer court looked no different than usual, and the sharp vigilance of the inner court also remained unchanged.

The doors slowly opened, and Geom Mugeuk stepped inside. Beyond the red carpet, he could see the grand chair in the distance. His father was sitting on the grand chair, looking the same as ever.

Geom Mugeuk used the Divine Eye Technique to get a closer look at his father's expression. The emotions on his father's face were joy and delight.

Was it because he had been away for so long? Or was there another reason? He was truly happy that his son had returned.

It was an expression he could never see up close, so Geom Mugeuk stood there for a moment, savoring it.

"Father!"

After calling out to his father from the entrance, Geom Mugeuk walked down the Path of Blood. The unique scent of the Heavenly Demon Hall, the plush feel of the carpet under his feet, the demon statues placed everywhere. He had missed it all.

I'm back!

Walking the Path of Blood, Geom Mugeuk felt an unparalleled sense of comfort and relief. It was like coming home after a long journey. No, it felt like a triumphant return. Since this was his first time entering the Heavenly Demon Hall after achieving complete mastery of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, this moment was incredibly precious.

He reached the foot of the grand chair and stood before his father.

Instead of a greeting, Geom Mugeuk expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, Father!"

For always protecting this place, remaining just as you are.

Geom Woojin stared at his son, silently asking why he was being thanked.

Geom Mugeuk smiled and said, "For not invading the Murim Alliance while I was gone."

A sneer formed on his father's lips.

Only after seeing that sneer did Geom Mugeuk offer his real greeting. "I have returned safely from the mountain, Father."

He had spent such a long time alone on the mountain in silence that he could not resist being a little playful.

"Isn't our Cult running a little too well without me? Everyone I saw on the way in had this look on their face. 'Oh, right. Our Young Cult Leader was away, wasn't he?'"

Geom Woojin, who had been looking down at his son in silence, rose from his seat. He slowly walked down the steps and stood before Geom Mugeuk, recognizing his son's achievement.

"You've achieved complete mastery."

"Ah! As expected, you recognized it at a glance, Father. I was trying my best to hide my energy to give you a surprise."

Unexpectedly, Geom Woojin shook his head. "I did not say that because I recognized it."

"You didn't know?"

Surprising words came from Geom Woojin's mouth. "Who could possibly see through the Nine Calamities Demonic Art once one has reached complete mastery?"

"!" Geom Mugeuk asked in surprise, "But Father, haven't you achieved the Twelth Star complete mastery?"

"Even so, is it not the same level of complete mastery?"

Finally, he understood. This was how special the complete mastery of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art was. The moment one achieved it, one entered an entirely different realm.

He finally, truly realized it. He had genuinely achieved complete mastery of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.

"Then how did you know?"

After a brief pause, Geom Woojin answered. "Because you would not have come home before achieving complete mastery."

Geom Mugeuk stared at his father without a word. There was an inexpressible joy that came when someone recognized your true worth.

"I almost couldn't come down at all. I nearly ended up doing my brother a huge favor."

Yes, his father had seen right through him. He had intended not to descend if he could not achieve complete mastery.

"What took me seven years, you have done in a little over one."

Seven years was the time it took Geom Woojin to go from the ninth star to complete mastery. He had thought it would take his son at least five years, no matter how brilliant he was. Once again, his son had surpassed his expectations.

"You have accomplished the feat of achieving complete mastery of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art faster than any Cult Leader in history."

And he had done it not as a Cult Leader, but from the position of Young Cult Leader.

At that moment, Geom Mugeuk thought to himself. I probably took a longer time any Cult Leader in history.

He smiled brightly and said, "It's all thanks to you, Father."

"Thanks to me?"

As his father looked at him with a gaze that asked for a reason, Geom Mugeuk set down the leather backpack he was carrying. "No matter how I think about it, I believe this played a big role in my achieving complete mastery."

He took out the Go board wrapped in tiger skin that had been fastened to the backpack, and the container of Go stones from inside the backpack.

"It's a Go board I made to give to you, Father. Here are the Go stones as well."

Geom Woojin extended his hand, and the heavy Go board floated into the air.

He examined the lines drawn on the Go board closely. They were drawn without a single fraction of an inch of error.

"Did you draw them in a single stroke?"

"Yes."

Geom Woojin nodded with a satisfied expression, as if he could tell from the lines alone what state of mind and what level of skill had gone into drawing them.

This time, the Go stone container opened by itself, and the stones inside all floated into the air at once.

RATTLE.

Every Go stone moved independently. Geom Woojin was displaying the divine skill of moving each one individually with telekinesis.

"Ah, this gift is a failure. You don't need a Go board, do you, Father?!"

Geom Mugeuk meant that his father could just use the air as a Go board with his telekinesis.

As if to say that was not the case, Geom Woojin said, "Go is all about the feel of the stones in your hand."

He then examined the Go stones floating in the air. They were all of identical size and thickness. They looked so well-made that one would believe they were crafted by a master artisan of Go stones.

"Did you make them yourself?"

"I carved every single one with the Black Demon Sword. From now on, please call me the filial son who carves Go stones at the Great Sky Peak!"

One corner of Geom Woojin's mouth lifted, but the finished product was indeed something to be proud of. "You made them well."

The Go stones were made with such care that it would be difficult to find a flaw even if one tried.

RATTLE.

The Go stones floating in the air all returned to their container.

"But why do you say it's thanks to me?"

"Coincidentally, I achieved complete mastery of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art on the very day I finished the last Go stone. I think the practice of finely controlling my sword qi and enhanced qi must have helped. I had never done that kind of training before."

Geom Woojin nodded silently.

Geom Mugeuk stared intently at his father and said, "If you hadn't told me to play a game of Go with you when I came down, I wouldn't have made the board and stones. If so, I might still be training on the Great Sky Peak. Did you perhaps break that torreya tree knowing this would happen?"

"How is that thanks to me? It is thanks to your own decision and effort to carve the Go stones."

From his father's expression and words, it was impossible to tell whether that was truly the case.

"Now that you have achieved complete mastery of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, you must abide by this one rule."

With such great power came great responsibility. Added to that was the pride of Geom Woojin and all the past Heavenly Demons.

"From now on, you must not lose to anyone."

Geom Mugeuk promised his father. "I will never lose."

Geom Woojin turned around. The Go board, with the container of stones on top, floated in the air and followed him. "Follow me."

Geom Mugeuk walked behind his father. He assumed they were naturally going to his father's quarters to play Go. However, his father led him to the Cult Leader's private training ground.

Geom Woojin set the Go board down in the middle of the training ground.

"We're playing here?"

Geom Woojin nodded.

Geom Mugeuk looked around. Seeing the various weapons in the training ground, he said, "You're trying to intimidate me with the atmosphere, are you not? I'm not the same pushover son I used to be. I'm a son who now has a strategist who's good at Go."

Of course, his father would not have brought him here for such a reason. He surely had something else in mind.

The two sat facing each other across the Go board. Geom Mugeuk, holding the black stones, made the first move.

"……"

A pleasant sound echoed out. The feeling of placing the stone was good, and the sound was truly wonderful.

"You're right, Go is all about the feel of the stones!"

Next, his father made a move.

"……"

A clear, pure sound rang out. The moment he heard that pleasant sound, he felt as if all his past hardships in carving the stones had been rewarded.

Move after move was exchanged with pleasant sounds. It felt wonderful to play Go with his father after so long, but today, Geom Mugeuk's mind was elsewhere.

As the opening phase of the game was ending, Geom Mugeuk asked casually, "There's something I'd like to ask you about the Heavenly Demon Soul."

Geom Woojin nodded, his eyes still on the Go board.

"Have you ever had a conversation with the Heavenly Demon Soul?"

Geom Woojin shook his head. Then again, even if it were possible, his father's personality was not one to converse with the Heavenly Demon Soul.

This time, Geom Woojin asked abruptly. "Do you want to chatter with the Heavenly Demon Soul as well?"

Geom Mugeuk smiled and admitted it. "Aren't you curious? It's a being created from my own mind, I want to know what it's thinking."

Geom Woojin's hand, which was about to place a stone, paused in mid-air. "You're curious about that?"

"Aren't you curious about it, Father?"

"Not at all."

A few more moves passed. As he placed a Go stone, Geom Woojin shared a piece of information. "The records show that there was a Heavenly Demon who conversed with the Heavenly Demon Soul. It was a very long time ago."

Geom Mugeuk's eyes lit up. Just as I thought! The Heavenly Demon Soul is a being with a will of its own.

Seeing the flash of joy on his son's face, Geom Woojin warned him. "The Heavenly Demon Soul is a dangerous being. If it happens to go berserk, it cannot be stopped. Do you still want to chatter with it?"

After a brief pause, Geom Mugeuk answered. "Yes. If it's that kind of being, then I should get even closer to it."

Geom Woojin nodded silently. "Yes, I knew you would say that."

Geom Mugeuk gazed at his father and asked. "Would you like to see my Heavenly Demon Soul?"

He had thought that might be why his father had brought him to the training ground.

"It probably will not descend in front of me."

Geom Mugeuk looked at his father with a surprised expression. "May I check?"

Geom Woojin nodded.

Geom Mugeuk called forth the Heavenly Demon Soul. Surprisingly, just as his father had said, the Heavenly Demon Soul did not descend.

"How did you know?"

"It was just a feeling."

Geom Woojin's eyes deepened as he spoke about the Heavenly Demon Soul. "The Heavenly Demon Soul is a being that refuses to lose to anyone."

"Ah! So you're saying it will not appear because it cannot defeat you."

As if to say that was not it, Geom Woojin shook his head. "The Heavenly Demon Soul does not fear humans."

"Then it must be because it fears your Heavenly Demon Soul," Geom Mugeuk said, nodding. He had thought that was the obvious reason.

However, Geom Woojin shook his head. "That is not something one can know for sure…"

If it were any other Heavenly Demon Soul, he would have said that was definitely the reason. However, this was his son, the son he had watched until now, the son who had achieved complete mastery in such a short time.

"…Because it is your Heavenly Demon Soul."

It meant he could not easily determine the reason.

After saying that, Geom Woojin made a decisive move.

"……"

"I's my win."

"Ah! When was my large group captured?"

"It was not captured by me. It was captured by your Heavenly Demon Soul."

Geom Mugeuk knew his father meant that he had been focusing on the Heavenly Demon Soul instead of the game.

"I'm sorry."

His father replied with an expression that said it was fine. "It's fine. I was the same."

The reason Geom Woojin had brought him to the training ground, a place only he could enter, was not to play Go, nor was it to see Geom Mugeuk's Heavenly Demon Soul. It was for this reason.

"From now on, I will teach the Seventh Technique of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art to you."

"!"

The Nine Calamities Demonic Art Seventh Technique, Demonic Soul Realm Creation. From the Seventh to the Ninth Technique, these were martial arts used by the Heavenly Demon Soul. One had to master all three of those techniques to be considered a perfect master of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.

"Can I learn the Seventh Technique even if the Heavenly Demon Soul refuses to manifest?"

"You're the one who learns the Seventh Technique."

Geom Woojin revealed a new fact about the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon Soul. "The Heavenly Demon Soul is connected to you. The power of the martial arts wielded by the Heavenly Demon Soul is determined by how well you understand the oral formula."

"So the stronger I become, the stronger the Heavenly Demon Soul becomes."

Geom Woojin nodded. "Now, listen carefully to what I am about to say."

Geom Woojin began to teach the oral formula. "When the Demonic Soul descends and swallows chaos, a new world shall arrive. The origin of inner qi begins at the Shimen Acupoint. The inner qi that circulates through the Girdling Vessel must be as fast as lightning…"

Geom Mugeuk first repeated the oral formula his father recited several times to memorize it. It was the most difficult of all the martial arts oral formulas he had ever learned.

Geom Mugeuk could understand why. The martial arts system used by the Heavenly Demon Soul was very different from that used by humans, making the oral formula much harder to comprehend.

Whenever there was a part he did not understand, he immediately asked his father. His father explained it with all his heart. In fact, even in this moment, Geom Mugeuk was having a miraculous encounter.

Normally, it would have been his father at the Tenth Star of complete mastery teaching the oral formula. But now, it was his father who had achieved the Twelth Star of complete mastery who was teaching him.

The level of enlightenment was different, so the teaching was different as well. There were parts that were so advanced they were difficult to grasp, but who was the one learning?

If there was anything Geom Mugeuk did not understand in the slightest, he immediately asked his father. He would state his own thoughts, his father would reinterpret them, and Geom Mugeuk would ask another question based on that.

There had been several teachings from his father before, but as the martial learning of the two grew higher, the enlightenments they gained also became unspeakably precious. It is said that a good disciple makes a good teacher, and in the end, today's lesson became the highest level of teaching in the history of teaching the final three techniques.

And so, after a few hours, the transmission of the Seventh Technique was complete.

Geom Mugeuk, who had closed his eyes to organize the technique, slowly opened them.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, I think I understand it to some extent."

Geom Mugeuk bowed deeply to his father in gratitude. It was a teaching so great that it truly deserved a deep bow.

"The Heavenly Demon Soul will be pleased."

Geom Mugeuk was curious. What difference would there be in the Heavenly Demon Soul before and after he learned the Seventh Technique? How would the Heavenly Demon Soul react to him learning its Seventh Technique? Would it be grateful? Or would it remain as stoic as ever?

"When you have completely mastered the Seventh Technique, I will teach you the Eighth Technique."

Geom Woojin, who was walking out of the training ground first, paused for a moment. Then, he said the words he had not said before.

"Congratulations on achieving complete mastery."

His father had not forgotten to congratulate him.