Chapter 761: Youngest, Where Are You?

TL: FoodieMonster007

"It seems the formations have been activated!" Ji Han shouted.

In an instant, Geom Mugeuk, the two Demon Supremes, and the master Geom Mugeuk had called Ak-hyung vanished before their eyes.

Fortunately, the enemies they faced also vanished. If only Geom Mugeuk's group had disappeared, it would have been the worst-case scenario.

Their disappearance was not surprising. In a battle where even dead souls were summoned, vanishing into a formation seemed almost normal. Everyone assumed someone had deployed one.

Ji Han turned to Tae Su. "If we're going to get out of this room, now's our chance."

If the masked man reappeared instead of Geom Mugeuk's group, everyone here would die.

"What about you?" Tae Su asked.

"I will wait here for the Young Cult Leader," Ji Han answered.

This was not a decision from obligation. He was resolved to share life and death with the Young Cult Leader.

Geom Mugeuk's words echoed in his mind. "You too are a sword that has fought alone for a long time, aren't you?"

No one else had ever said such words to him in his entire life.

Tae Su felt a sting of resentment at Ji Han's well-meaning suggestion. "I'll wait too."

Why is he telling me to leave when he's not going himself? What does he take me for!

He could not say these words aloud because he felt intimidated.

Until now, Tae Su had always considered himself the protagonist because he had the treasure map. He believed he had an important role, even if he was not the main character.

However, he was wrong. The young man carrying the luggage was the Demonic Cult's Young Cult Leader, and the old man and woman with him were Demon Supremes. The martial artist named Pung was sent by the Evil Alliance Chairman. The other man was the Patriarch of the clan that managed the tombs of past Evil Alliance Chairmen.

Only Ji Han seemed approachable, but he had already earned Geom Mugeuk's trust.

Tae Su knew a higher status meant more danger in this situation, but he still felt an inexplicable sense of alienation.

He suddenly recalled Geom Mugeuk's words.

"You have tremendous pride."

Tae Su now understood why he had said such hurtful things to his father. He wanted to live in the spotlight, to be the protagonist. He wanted a life where no one would tell him to run away at the first chance. That was a life he could never have as a thief.

Ji Han was not the only one suggesting escape.

Pung, the Evil Alliance martial artist, urged Dan Sojin, the head of the Hundred Graves Clan. "Patriarch, you should leave now."

Pung had to protect the Patriarch of the clan that managed the tombs of past Evil Alliance Chairmen.

Still, Dan Sojin did not move. "I'm fine."

He knew he could not avoid this situation just by running. If Geom Mugeuk did not emerge from the formations, he would die eventually, even if he escaped now.

The die had been cast. He could only hope that his gamble, made at the cost of exposing himself, would pay off.

An unknown amount of time passed, and the agonizing wait finally came to an end. Just as suddenly as the people had vanished, they reappeared.

"Ah!" Ji Han cried out.

Geom Mugeuk, the Sword King, and the two Demon Supremes had returned safely, completely unharmed. A wave of relief washed over everyone.

"You've returned?" Ji Han greeted Geom Mugeuk, overjoyed.

Tae Su, Pung, and Dan Sojin were also greatly pleased.

Dan Sojin was the most relieved of all. Not just his life, but the fate of his entire clan had been at stake.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon said to Geom Mugeuk, "First, recover your inner qi."

"Yes, Elder."

Geom Mugeuk sat cross-legged and began to circulate his qi. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, the Flower Sword Supreme, and the Sword King surrounded him, standing guard.

The scene truly solidified Geom Mugeuk's status as the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

The three guardians recalled the battle inside the Spacetime Manipulation Technique. They could never forget that fight.

They remembered Geom Mugeuk evading the attacks of all Twelve Zodiac Kings. If Tae Su or Ji Han had seen it, they might have thought the opponents were weak because of how easily Geom Mugeuk dodged.

However, the three of them knew the truth. They knew how difficult it was to evade even one of those moves, yet Geom Mugeuk had faced all those threatening attacks at once.

And then there was that one, unforgettable move. The final attack that annihilated everything was a scene they would remember until the day they died.

Geom Mugeuk finished circulating his qi and opened his eyes. Seeing the three guardians, he joked loudly, "If there's anyone in the murim who's been guarded by more incredible people than this, tell them to step forward!"

He stood up to continue chatting.

However, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon started walking off. "First, let's get out of this unpleasant place."

The Iron King was dead, but the surrounding traps were still active. There was no reason to stay.

The group left the room and then the tomb itself. They swam through the entrance passage and emerged into a large, lake-like pond.

The fresh air felt refreshing after the stuffy underground.

"Now I feel like I can finally live!" Geom Mugeuk shouted cheerfully.

It was not just a feeling. They had all truly survived.

Everyone's gaze focused on him. Seeing their relieved faces, Geom Mugeuk finally felt the battle was over.

He looked up at the sky. The Sword King, the two Demon Supremes, and the other four followed his gaze.

After a long moment, Geom Mugeuk turned to Tae Su. "Are you okay?"

Tae Su had been feeling like the most useless person there. His heart swelled with emotion when Geom Mugeuk checked on him first. "Yes, I'm okay," he replied.

"I have an idea of what you want to say to me," Geom Mugeuk said. "Do you still feel the same way?"

Tae Su had considered living as Geom Mugeuk's subordinate, but he answered honestly, "I'm not sure."

Geom Mugeuk nodded. "Go meet your father, think it over carefully, and then decide slowly."

Before his regression, he had formed a connection with Tae Su's father, Tae Gon, and owed him a debt. That was why he wanted to give Tae Su a chance.

"You can come after a year, or you can come after ten years."

"Is that really okay?" Tae Su asked, his voice trembling.

Geom Mugeuk nodded. "But you need to know this. I can accept you into our Cult because of my connection with you, but once you join, you'll have to live your own life, separate from me. It might be difficult to even see my face. It's the same for Ji Han. I'm just the catalyst. You're the one who has to live the changed life. Don't forget, if you don't change, nothing will be different, even if your environment does."

"……" Tae Su stared silently at Geom Mugeuk.

"Come find me when you're ready to take responsibility for your own life."

"Thank you, Young Cult Leader. First, though, I must see my father."

Tae Su thought he should first apologize for the hurtful things he had said to his father. He bowed politely to Geom Mugeuk and the others, then left.

It was impossible to know if he would join the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult or simply cherish this day as a memory.

Geom Mugeuk thought it would be fine either way. It would be good to have at least one thief who stole from the wicked to help the poor.

He approached Dan Sojin and Pung of the Evil Alliance. "Martial Artist Pung, you should return directly to the Alliance and report what happened."

Pung's mission was to report this incident, so all that remained was for him to do so.

"And please have the Evil Alliance take care of the traps in the Grave of Swords."

Though it was not a real tomb, it was known as the resting place of the unorthodox's strongest swordsman, Ju Gasin. Geom Mugeuk felt it was right for them to handle it.

"Yes, we will take care of it." Pung started to walk away, but he turned back to Geom Mugeuk. "Thank you. If you hadn't been here, Young Cult Leader, I wouldn't have returned alive."

He had not played an active role, but witnessing everything was his contribution.

"If I hadn't been here, they wouldn't have been here either," Geom Mugeuk replied. "So, I should be the one apologizing. I'm glad you're safe, martial Artist Pung."

Pung stared at Geom Mugeuk for a moment, then gave a polite clasped-hands greeting and disappeared.

Only Dan Sojin remained.

"Thank you for saving my life," Dan Sojin said, treating Geom Mugeuk with the utmost respect.

It was not just because Geom Mugeuk had saved his life. The way he treated Ji Han and Tae Su showed what kind of person he was. He was a man worthy of respect.

"I know they're trying to find something in the tomb," he added. "By any chance, Young Cult Leader, do you know what it is?"

"I do," Geom Mugeuk replied, but could not tell him the whole truth. "It's something that's useless to anyone else but them and me."

Judging by the enemies they had faced, Dan Sojin guessed the item was incredibly important.

If he could, he would have taken Geom Mugeuk to find it himself. Geom Mugeuk had saved not only his life but his entire clan.

"Do you remember promising me one favor if I helped you, Patriarch Dan?" Geom Mugeuk asked.

"I said I would grant it if I could fulfill it."

Dan Sojin anticipated the request. It had to be about entering the tomb. What else could the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult possibly ask of him?

However, that was the judgment of someone who did not yet know Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk's request was completely unexpected. "When the Evil Alliance Chairman passes away, please take good care of him."

"!" Dan Sojin was inwardly stunned. "Was that the favor you really intended to ask, Young Cult Leader?"

"It is. Please take extra special care of him."

The Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was worried about the Evil Alliance Chairman's afterlife?

"Didn't you want to enter the tombs of the past Evil Alliance Chairmen?" Dan Sojin asked.

"Of course I want to enter."

"Then why don't you ask for that?"

Geom Mugeuk smiled. He had already read Dan Sojin's resolve. "You have no intention of revealing the tomb's location, even if it costs you your life, do you?"

Dan Sojin had intended exactly that. He would have granted any other request but refused only that one. "That's correct. It's a matter of long-standing family law, so I can't decide on my own."

"I thought so," Geom Mugeuk nodded. "I couldn't possibly waste this precious favor on someone like that, could I?"

No matter how important the orb was, he could not pressure Dan Sojin for the location.

"Instead, I'll look for the tomb's location my own way. It's a very important item to me, and finding it will also be for the sake of your Hundred Graves Clan. If I don't take it, those bastards will keep targeting it."

He had obtained the previous five orbs through fate, not by greed or force.

"If it's fated to be mine, I will obtain it."

Dan Sojin found himself hoping Geom Mugeuk would discover the tomb.

Still, not even you will find it easily, Young Cult Leader.

Even if Geom Mugeuk found it, the tomb was not a place one could easily enter.

Unaware of this sentiment, Geom Mugeuk chuckled casually, "Oh, and please take good care of my friend Sain later. Sain will probably be the next Chairman, right? When you meet him, please tell him I asked."

Dan Sojin could tell the request was sincere. The Young Cult Leader was not the person he had imagined. Perhaps the die he had cast had unexpected numbers on it.

"Seeing you, Young Cult Leader, I feel you are like the wind. I hope you continue to live a wonderful life, entrusting yourself to it." Dan Sojin bowed his head politely in farewell and departed.

Geom Mugeuk turned to the Sword King and the Demon Supremes. His eyes met the Sword King's, and he said first, "Don't even dream of running away, Ak-hyung. This time, you must come with me to our Cult, where a woman is waiting desperately for you!"

"……" The Sword King hesitated to answer.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon interjected. "Let's go together."

The Sword King looked at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who said nothing more. After a moment, he readily agreed. "Yes, I will."

Geom Mugeuk naturally complained. "What? You didn't even answer when I asked you to come!"

"It's different with you."

"No way, you can't come anymore! Bare feet, ponytails, and sword-wielding riffraff are all forbidden from entering the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."

A thought suddenly occurred to Geom Mugeuk. The Sword King had clearly earned major points with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon for his willingness to sacrifice himself. The free-spirited Sword King and the book-loving Blood Heaven Blade Demon might get along surprisingly well.

"Sword Supreme," he said, turning to the Flower Sword Supreme.

"What is it?"

"How about we lay your maternal uncle to rest here on Mount Tianmu?" Geom Mugeuk suggested. The remains were still inside his leather backpack.

The Flower Sword Supreme did not deliberate for long. Her uncle had wandered the jianghu his entire life. She thought it was fitting to lay him to rest on Mount Tianmu, the site of his final adventure. "Let's do that. That's a good idea."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon remarked to Geom Mugeuk, "You never seem to forget anything."

He himself had forgotten they had recovered the body from the Grave of Swords.

"A time will come when I too will forget and miss things," Geom Mugeuk said, looking at Ji Han. "When that happens, you'll have to look after me."

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind," Ji Han answered energetically, though he worried internally. I'm older than the Young Cult Leader, so won't I be even more scatterbrained by then?

He decided he would have to live younger and with a sharper mind for Geom Mugeuk's sake.

They buried the body on a pleasant hill on Mount Tianmu and made a grave.

"Please go down first," Geom Mugeuk said. "I'll look around here for a bit before I come down."

The Sword King asked, "Do you think the tomb of the Evil Alliance Chairman is here?"

"Yes, I believe it's somewhere on this mountain. I might need a few days to find it, so please rest comfortably."

Geom Mugeuk suspected that Dan Sojin had stepped forward and asked for help previously because of the enemy's pressure, but that also meant that the thing he was looking for was really here.

"I'll go down first," the Blood Heaven Blade Demon said.

He turned, and the Flower Sword Supreme and the Sword King followed him. The three of them felt no need to protect Geom Mugeuk, at least not today.

Geom Mugeuk told Ji Han, "Take good care of those three."

"……"

And so, Geom Mugeuk was left alone on Mount Tianmu.

He looked at the various peaks. It would not be an easy search, but he possessed things the masterminds behind this did not. He had the Secret Box, and the five energies within his body.

Geom Mugeuk's shout echoed toward the last remaining pearl, "Youngest, where are you? Your brothers are here."