Chapter 772: For Giving Birth to You and Creating Our Bond

TL: FoodieMonster007

After leaving the Ghost Shadow Squad, Geom Mugeuk returned to his quarters.

Cheokyeon, the head of the bodyguards, waited for him with twelve others in a line before the residence, dressed in formal uniform.

"Welcome back, Young Cult Leader!" they greeted in unison.

Their booming voices were warm. Their respect for the Young Cult Leader had deepened since he called each of them by name and shared a drink with them.

"Have you all been training hard?" Geom Mugeuk asked.

Cheokyeon answered confidently for everyone. "We've been training diligently for the day we can serve you, Young Cult Leader."

Geom Mugeuk observed them. A few bodyguards had already advanced their martial arts to the next level, and several others were on the verge of a breakthrough.

At the same time, he confirmed his own skills had improved, as he could now gauge their abilities with greater detail and accuracy.

Cheokyeon was the first of the bodyguards to notice the change in Geom Mugeuk. "Hmm, Young Cult Leader, you seem to have changed somehow."

Since he had mastered the Ghost Eye Art, an ability used to find those in hiding, it was no surprise he noticed Geom Mugeuk's change faster than anyone else.

"I guess my growth spurt isn't over yet. I keep getting taller," Geom Mugeuk joked.

Cheokyeon clearly felt the change despite the joke. Still, he did not suspect that Geom Mugeuk had undergone Body Reformation.

"It's been a while, so shall we see how much your skills have improved?"

Geom Mugeuk had them demonstrate their martial arts and corrected their flawed movements one by one. He pointed out just one thing for each subordinate, but it was an extraordinary point.

The bodyguards were moved once again by his teachings. The Young Cult Leader was not only the person they served but also their teacher.

After the individual lessons ended, Geom Mugeuk said to them, "Being a bodyguard is good, and training is good, but don't forget this. This is the most brilliant time of your lives. You'll be on guard duty until you're sick of it later, so for now, find hobbies, meet women, take vacations and travel. Live like that. I don't want you to spend your whole lives standing guard until you die."

They heard this every time, but they still could not neglect their training. They wanted to proudly serve the Young Cult Leader even a day sooner. The more they heard such words, the more they wanted to serve him quickly.

Geom Mugeuk took a bamboo container from his leather pouch. "I'm going to the Thousand Poisons Forest now. Prepare to go out."

He deliberately took the bodyguards with him. They were already waiting for him in their formal uniforms. Even if they could not accompany him outside the cult, they should at least be together at times like this.

Geom Mugeuk led the bodyguards through the cult grounds. Seeing the passing martial artists bow respectfully, the bodyguards' chests swelled with pride.

Then, for the first time, Geom Mugeuk even took the bodyguards inside the Thousand Poisons Forest.

"This is your first time in the Thousand Poisons Forest, isn't it?"

"……"

"If you get lost here, you should consider yourself as good as dead. It's vast and teeming with deadly poisonous creatures everywhere."

The bodyguards walked nervously, sticking close to Geom Mugeuk. Fortunately, Geom Mugeuk knew the complex paths of the Thousand Poisons Forest better than anyone.

As they walked, he spotted poisonous creatures he recognized and explained them to the bodyguards.

"See that snake wrapped around the branch over there? That's a venomous snake called the Willow Flower Viper. It's an essential ingredient for making flower poison. Cheokyeon! There's a poisonous insect on your shoulder!"

"Don't joke around… GAH!"

Geom Mugeuk flicked the poisonous insect off Cheokyeon's shoulder with a finger. Everyone huddled even closer around Geom Mugeuk.

They soon arrived at the Poison King's residence. Geom Mugeuk told his subordinates to wait and entered the dwelling. The Poison King was in the front yard of his laboratory, mixing poisons.

"Poison King! I'm here!"

The Poison King was so focused on his work that he did not even look up.

"I knew you'd be like this, so I prepared something. You have no idea how much I struggled to get this thing. Even while fighting a life-or-death battle with an enemy, I did my best to protect this poison container, thinking only of you. Poison King, are you listening to me?"

Of course, the Poison King paid him no mind. He was not pretending not to hear, he was truly lost in his task.

Geom Mugeuk slightly opened the stopper of the bamboo container.

RUSTLE, RUSTLE…

A smell like a rotting corpse wafted out.

The Poison King reacted, finally raising his head. "This smell? Could it be?"

He set down his work and rushed over to Geom Mugeuk. Peering inside the poison container, he saw a poisonous insect that looked like a centipede.

Geom Mugeuk had found the creature in the underground of Mount Tianmu and had not forgotten to catch it for the Poison King.

The Poison King's expression brightened. "It's the Venomous Corpse Blood Centipede!"

Geom Mugeuk could only shake his head at the sight. Our dear Poison King, who knows nothing but poison!

The Poison King used chopsticks to take out the Venomous Corpse Blood Centipede. It writhed between the chopsticks. The creature was grotesque and frightening, but he gazed at it with immense affection. "See the spot on its belly? The one with the round spot is the female. It's several times harder to find than the male."

A round spot was indeed visible on its belly.

Geom Mugeuk only knew because the Poison King had pointed it out. He would never have had a reason to look at the belly of such a frightening creature. "You've been neglecting me because the Demonic Buddha has been bringing you all the poison herbs, haven't you? Well, the era of the Demonic Buddha is over, and my era has begun."

Just then, a voice came from behind. "Why do you keep trying to send away someone who's right here?"

Geom Mugeuk turned to see the Demonic Buddha walking out of the warehouse, carrying a large poison container. "Why are you here? No, what's with that poison container? Is he making you move poison containers now, on top of gathering poison herbs? Were you tricked by the Poison King and being exploited for your labor again?"

The Demonic Buddha said something unexpected. "I'm learning poison arts."

"What?"

The Demonic Buddha repeated himself. "I said I'm learning poison arts from the Poison King."

"You, the Demonic Buddha?"

The Demonic Buddha nodded. "I became interested in poison arts while gathering poison herbs, so I'm learning from the basics."

Geom Mugeuk's jaw dropped. The idea of the Demonic Buddha learning poison arts was truly unimaginable.

"If you start using poison arts, Demonic Buddha, who can stop you?"

"I'm not learning to use it on others. I'm just studying it."

The Demonic Buddha placed the poison container beside the Poison King and went back into the warehouse.

Geom Mugeuk scurried in after him. "Isn't it difficult?"

"It's only difficult when it's my main occupation. What's so hard about a hobby I can quit at any time?"

The Demonic Buddha's expression was serene, like someone who had attained enlightenment.

However, Geom Mugeuk sensed a hidden torrent beneath that lake-like tranquility. Carving statues and learning poison arts. Could it be that something is boiling inside him, so much so that he has to strive this hard to find peace?

"This side of you is unfamiliar, Demonic Buddha."

The Demonic Buddha paused his work and hopped onto a container to sit. Geom Mugeuk also sat on a container next to him.

"Yes, these are things I wouldn't have done in the past."

"But why did you have a change of heart?"

After a brief pause, the Demonic Buddha brought up something Geom Mugeuk had said before.

"You told me not to just sit around carving statues. You told me to go among people, understand their hearts, persuade them with passion, and fight with all my might for my goals."

"Yes, I did."

"…but it didn't work out well. It felt as if the embers in my heart had died out. A life without a dream leaves only a habitual routine."

The Demonic Buddha looked at Geom Mugeuk and asked, "How can one revive extinguished embers?"

Indeed, how could a person change so easily? This was a man who used to run around several times more diligently than ordinary people on those short legs of his.

Geom Mugeuk pondered for a moment before speaking abruptly, "How can you revive extinguished embers? You must let go of your lingering attachment to the warmth left in the ashes."

"!" The Demonic Buddha's heart sank. He felt as if Geom Mugeuk had hit the nail on the head. Yes, he was still sifting through the ashes, searching for an ember.

"Now isn't the time to light a fire, but to gather firewood," Geom Mugeuk added. "Why don't you start anew by chopping wood?"

A flicker of passion crossed the Demonic Buddha's eyes. He had only thought of reviving his past ambitions, not of starting over from the beginning.

Geom Mugeuk grinned. "If you had ambitions for that time, then you must have ambitions fitting for this time as well, and it might not be that you have to burn that ambition fiercely to be great. There's a certain grace in having a full pile of firewood and choosing not to light it."

Finally, the Demonic Buddha saw the path he should take. As long as his heart remained with the First Young Lord, it was unrealistic for him to ever fiercely reignite his ambitions. Instead, he would just keep longing for those past ambitions.

However, Geom Mugeuk was now telling him not to think of the embers as extinguished, but to think of it as choosing not to light the fire. He had to change from a passive mindset to an active one.

The Demonic Buddha had a premonition that this small difference in thinking would greatly change his life. He turned his head and stared intently at Geom Mugeuk.

"Look? Didn't I change too?" Geom Mugeuk asked, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"Did you get a haircut?"

"No, please look more closely."

"I don't see anything." The Demonic Buddha's expression showed he was not joking. He genuinely did not know.

"No, how can someone who finds poison herbs like a ghost not notice my changes? Look at my skin. Smell me, too."

"Why would I look at another man's skin? That's disgusting." The Demonic Buddha got down again, picked up a poison container, and walked out.

"No, I'm telling you, just look once!"

Feeling ignored, Geom Mugeuk decided to ask the Poison King instead. Unfortunately, the Poison King was engrossed in extracting venom from the Venomous Corpse Blood Centipede. It seemed impossible to break his concentration unless his father appeared.

In the end, he retreated without getting to boast about his Body Reformation. "I'm busy today, so I'll just pay my respects and leave. I'll visit again."

After a deep bow, he left with his subordinates.

The Demonic Buddha looked up at the sky. "Body Reformation? The Young Cult Leader might truly be a man sent from the heavens," he remarked.

He had known all along but pretended not to.

Only then did the Poison King look up with a surprised expression. "The Young Cult Leader underwent Body Reformation?"

He had been so focused on the Venomous Corpse Blood Centipede that he had not noticed. Even if that were not the case, he was someone who had little interest in others anyway.

The Demonic Buddha set the poison container down beside him. "We might have to start preparing soon as well."

The Poison King gave him a questioning gaze.

The Demonic Buddha calmly replied, "The current Heavenly Demon Divine Cult possesses the greatest military strength of any era in its history. Do you really think the Cult Leader will let this opportunity pass?"

The Heavenly Demon who achieved Twelfth Star complete mastery and the Young Cult Leader who achieved Tenth Star complete mastery. Not to mention the Eight Demon Supremes, who had each broken through their own limits.

The Cult Leader was not the type of man to pile up firewood and not light it.

"The Cult Leader's dream is getting closer and closer to reality. I have a feeling that the more the Young Cult Leader tries to stop him, the more fate might push things in that direction."

After leaving the Thousand Poisons Forest, Geom Mugeuk visited the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's residence.

Seeing that he had brought all his bodyguards, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader asked, "What's this? Did you come to arrest me?"

"Would these men be enough for that? We'd have to mobilize all of our Cult's elites."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader laughed pleasantly before his expression hardened. It always started with such nice talk, but by the time he came to his senses, something had been taken from him. "What have you come to take from a penniless man like me this time?"

"Take from you? I came because I wanted to see you, Cult Leader."

"You probably came to check if I've acquired anything new." The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader eyed Geom Mugeuk suspiciously, then flinched in surprise.

Geom Mugeuk thought the man had recognized his Body Reformation.

"You've gained weight!" The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader burst out laughing. "If you don't manage yourself like I do, you'll also gain weight in no time."

Geom Mugeuk froze. Come to think of it, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader did look like he had lost a little weight, though it was just a tiny bit. "You've lost a lot of weight. You look much more handsome."

"Do I really look that way?" the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader asked, smiling contentedly. It had been a while since Geom Mugeuk's flattery skills had been put to use.

"Even now, when you walk through the cult grounds, don't you feel the stares?"

"Stares? What kind of stares?"

"The stares of women, I mean. They're being discreet because we're inside the cult, but if you were to go out to the Central Plains, women would be lining up to follow you."

"Hey, you don't have to go that far."

"Let's go to the Central Plains together sometime. I'll prove it to you."

"You always say that."

"No, let's the three of us go out for some fresh air with Strategist Go."

"That's a promise."

"Of course." Now that they had finished some small talk, Geom Mugeuk subtly revealed his true intentions. "In that spirit, may I ask you for a favor?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader wore an 'I knew it' expression. "Don't call it a favor, call it greed. So, what is it you want?"

"……" Geom Mugeuk hesitated, pretending to be troubled.

"For someone as shameless as you to hesitate like this, it must be a request I don't want to grant."

Geom Mugeuk sighed and revealed his request. "There's someone I wish to teach the Spacetime Manipulation Technique."

Surprisingly, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader knew who it was. "The Cult Leader?"

Geom Mugeuk's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know?"

"You held back for quite a while. I thought you would've come to ask sooner," the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader said, as if he had been expecting it all along.

"That's right. I've wanted to teach my father from the very beginning."

"But why didn't you ask until now?"

"Because it would be a troublesome request for you, Cult Leader."

"Then, what about now?"

"The situation has changed. It's now time for the enemy leader to emerge. As you know, he's no ordinary foe."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader nodded. Naturally, he also assumed that Geom Mugeuk was talking about the Darkness Palace Lord.

"That's why I want to teach my father a hidden trump card," Geom Mugeuk said, though he expected an absolute refusal.

For some reason, however, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader readily agreed. "Alright, go ahead."

"What? You'll allow it?"

"That's right."

Geom Mugeuk stared at the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader in shock. "May I ask why you're agreeing so readily?"

An unexpected answer came.

"Well, it's for your father."

Geom Mugeuk thought it was out of goodwill or respect for his father, but that was not it.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader continued, "He gave birth to you and allowed us to form a bond, so I suppose I can give him a gift of this magnitude."

Geom Mugeuk was genuinely moved. Could there be a more touching reason than this?

He exclaimed emotionally, "When it comes to the Spacetime Manipulation Technique, I'm your disciple, Cult Leader, am I not? Since my father will be learning from me, that makes you a Grandmaster. From now on, I'll call you Grandmaster! Spacetime Grandmaster!"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader stared at him with interest. "Still, will your father really agree to learn it so obediently?"

Considering Geom Woojin's pride, the man would never agree to learn it. Teaching him would not be easy either.

Geom Mugeuk grinned. "I do have one idea in mind."

"What is it?"

Framing it as a preparation for danger would only backfire. Suggesting a walk within the Spacetime Manipulation Technique would be met with ridicule. All complicated plans would fail.

However, there was one simple method to provoke his father…by stirring his competitive spirit.

"How long did you say it took you to master the Spacetime Manipulation Technique?"