Chapter 795: A Troublesome Task, Even Now

TL: FoodieMonster007

Geom Mugeuk followed the growing dark energy. His Body Reformation had awakened more than just his five senses. His sixth sense and survival instincts were now far sharper. The thick, dark fog could not slow his steps.

SWOOSH!

A sword suddenly shot from the floor, aiming to pierce the sole of his foot, but he instinctively dodged and leaped over it.

Just then, swords shot out from both walls as well.

SWOOOSH, SWISH!

He lightly dodged again and retreated.

It was not just blades that emerged. Arms holding the swords came out with them, and there were not just one or two.

Arms filled the corridor, shooting out from the walls, ceiling, and floor. It was a bizarre corridor filled with sword-wielding limbs.

WHOOOSH!

Geom Mugeuk threw a light palm strike to test their reaction, and the sword-wielding arms instantly vanished into the walls. Once the palm technique passed though, the arms reappeared as if they were living limbs.

He could tell this was no simple mechanism.

This is the work of a master of the Pitch Black Demonic Art's Dark Summoning Arts.

The sight alone was enough to give one goosebumps, but he was rather pleased.

"Seeing how they're trying to block me like this, I must be on the right path."

Geom Mugeuk charged forward recklessly, seemingly with no plan to deal with the countless arms. Why would he need to think when skill would suffice?

SWISH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWISH! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

An arm was severed every time his sword flashed.

Still, the sword-wielding arms were no ordinary foe. The swords flew in, stabbing at Geom Mugeuk from truly bizarre angles. The attacks came from directions one would rarely experience in a fight against a person. Their movements seemed guided by the minds of several clever masters.

Nevertheless, they had met the wrong opponent.

THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK!

Geom Mugeuk broke through head-on and reached the end of the corridor in an instant.. The Black Demon Sword moved so fast that only its gleam flashed through the fog as severed arms flew in all directions.

THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.

The corridor floor was littered with severed arms.

POOF! POOF! POOF! POOFPOOFPOOF!

The arms vanished, turning into black smoke. Amazingly, they had not managed to tear even a single hem of Geom Mugeuk's clothing. It was truly overwhelming martial prowess.

KACHAK!

The door at the very end of the corridor opened. A gambling game was in full swing inside the room.

Geom Mugeuk peered inside. Despite the commotion outside, the room was still filled with gamblers engrossed in their games. The fervor was even more intense than when he first arrived on the ship.

The Greedy Annihilation Art is draining all of their energy.

Among the gamblers, some squatted in corners with their heads buried between their knees. Others had collapsed and lost consciousness. Those with weaker bodies were the first to be affected by the life-draining.

They only had one thing in common—they were so lost in their gambling that they did not even notice Geom Mugeuk watching them.

Suddenly, one person caught Geom Mugeuk's eye. An old man watching the gamblers was, surprisingly, the Darkness Palace Lord.

Just like before, Geom Mugeuk could tell it was an illusion. The gamblers, however, did not even realize the spectator beside them was fake.

The Darkness Palace Lord looked at Geom Mugeuk. "How about it? Won't you test your luck?"

"I have no interest in gambling, but I do know one secret."

"What secret is that?"

"The surefire way to win at gambling."

The Darkness Palace Lord waited with a curious gaze for Geom Mugeuk's answer.

"The only way to win at gambling is to not step through the door of this gambling den."

Geom Mugeuk slammed the door shut and went on his way. His voice then came from outside the door. "I win."

The Darkness Palace Lord's illusion looked dumbfounded at this action, but the door was already shut. Truly, Geom Mugeuk never moved as he expected.

As Geom Mugeuk walked swiftly down the corridor, the illusion of the Darkness Palace Lord appeared before him again. "What will you do if I get angry and kill them all? Why just leave?"

"So, did you kill them all?"

"……" The Darkness Palace Lord gave no answer.

"Right, I thought so. You're maintaining this grand technique by tapping into those people's desires, so you can't just kill them recklessly. Every single one is precious, aren't they?"

"I can go back right now and kill everyone in that room."

Geom Mugeuk called his bluff, "Then go ahead, do it."

The Darkness Palace Lord sent a piercing gaze to discern his true intentions, but he still could not read the Young Cult Leader's heart.

"Why? Did you think I'd be desperate to save these gamblers just because I protect the people of the Demon Village as my own? If I were that kind of person, do you think I could have come this far?"

Geom Mugeuk strode forward until he was right in front of the illusion of the Darkness Palace Lord. It was he who was delving into the truth beyond the illusion.

"Shall I guess why you've appeared before me again?" he asked, staring intently into the eyes of the Darkness Palace Lord. "Things outside the ship didn't go well, did they? You tried to take Lee Ahn hostage or kill her, but you failed, right?"

"……" For a moment, the face of the Darkness Palace Lord twitched.

"So you came to see if you could use those gamblers as hostages instead, to test if that would work on me, didn't you?"

"……" The Darkness Palace Lord neither confirmed nor denied it.

"Or are you trying to stall for time by appearing like this? Am I perhaps approaching you faster than you expected? Why? Do you still need more time to prepare whatever you've planned?"

The Darkness Palace Lord sighed inwardly. From the moment Geom Mugeuk first boarded this Ship of Fortune, his actions had been completely unpredictable.

"I'm going to run from now on."

Geom Mugeuk passed through the illusion and really began to run.

When the illusion turned to look back, he had already disappeared around a corner at the end of the corridor.

Geom Mugeuk continued sprinting through the ship. If the Darkness Palace Lord was trying to delay his arrival as he suspected, then reaching him even a moment sooner would grant him an absolute advantage.

As he sprinted through the fog, he came to a halt. Something was filling the corridor up ahead.

Red eyes glowed in the darkness.

Geom Mugeuk knew by instinct. The things in front of him had human forms, but they were beasts summoned by the Pitch Black Demonic Art.

There were not just one or two. They completely filled the corridor. The dark energy they emitted was enough to paralyze a person with fear.

These are the beasts summoned by that master of Dark Summoning Arts from before.

Judging by their aura, he could tell they were stronger summons than the sword-wielding arms.

"KRAAAAAH!" The beast at the front let out a monstrous roar and charged at Geom Mugeuk.

SWOOOOSH! SLICE!

Like a bolt of lightning, the Black Demon Sword drew a diagonal line, and the beast's body split along with it.

That was when the beast's attack truly began.

SSSSZZZZZ…

The splattering black blood melted the floor and walls. The creature's blood had the same effect as the Bone Dissolving Acid used in the jianghu to melt corpses.

That was not all. Even though its body was sliced in two, the creature did not fall and continued its charge.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The Black Demon Sword moved as fast as lightning, dicing it into pieces. Only then did the beast disappear into black smoke.

SSSSZZZZZ…

Noxious fumes rose from the Bone Dissolving Acid splattered everywhere.

The beasts that sprayed Bone Dissolving Acid packed the narrow corridor. After one died, the others did not charge but waited.

The situation would make one worry about how to break through, but Geom Mugeuk did not hold back his martial arts.

"If you're going to come at me like this, then I have no choice."

SHHH!

Two reliable figures appeared before Geom Mugeuk's eyes. This was the Second Technique of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, Great Annihilation Stance. It was a smaller than the usual the Great Annihilation Stance, with only two friends.

However, its power was undiminished. The two demons that filled the corridor pushed straight ahead.

KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-CRACK!

The beasts charged, trying to withstand it, but they were no match for the demons. Their bodies exploded.

POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! SSSSZZZZZ…

Bone Dissolving Acid splattered everywhere, but to the demons of the Great Annihilation Stance, it was no different from being caught in the rain.

When the two demons pushed all the way to the end of the corridor, a scream erupted from the end.

"Uwaaaaaaah!"

The demons stopped just before sweeping away the screamer.

The person, stunned to the point of fainting, was none other than Captain Yang Dong. He had been catering to the VIPs when he heard a strange noise, opened the door, and came face to face with the demons.

Yang Dong fell right on his backside, and the terrifying demons looked down at him coldly. "Please spare me!" he begged.

SSSHHH…

As the demons slowly faded, Geom Mugeuk's words followed. "Don't be afraid. For today, they are the guardian deities who will protect you."

Bi Sayin leaped onto the largest giant wolf statue in the inner court where the Evil Alliance Chairman Baek Jagang was standing. From there, one could see a clear view of the entire Evil Alliance.

"I heard news that the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had lit the Demonic Flames. Is that true?" he asked. He had been conducting an operation outside when he heard the news and rushed back, and could not describe how shocked he was by the report.

Baek Jagang silently nodded. "The fact that they lit the Demonic Flames is not what's important. What's important is that Geom Woojin allowed it."

What Baek Jagang focused on was this. The Geom Woojin that Baek Jagang knew was not a man who would ever light the Demonic Flames. He knew well how proud that man was. If such a man had sealed the Demonic Cult Headquarters, then there were only two possibilities.

"Either it's a trick to kill us all…" Baek Jagang's eyes glinted sharply. "…Or something truly dangerous is heading their way."

Bi Sayin's expression hardened. It would not be a trick to kill the orthodox and unorthodox sects. This happened after Geom Mugeuk had left with numerous Demon Supremes. If they intended to start a war, it would mean Geom Mugeuk was involved, which was impossible.

For that reason, Bi Sayin worried about Geom Mugeuk.

"If they were truly targeting us, they wouldn't have lit the Demonic Flames. Is it because of the Celestial Killer Star?"

The Evil Alliance knew what the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Murim Alliance knew. They had also been on high alert for the appearance of the Celestial Killer Star.

"It must be. Because of this, the Murim Alliance has activated their wartime procedure as well."

"How will you respond?"

"We'll have to watch both sides and then make our move," Baek Jagang said nonchalantly, even though it could have hurt his pride.

Bi Sayin respected and admired this about his master. His master was prouder than anyone to walk the path of evil and had great pride as the Evil Alliance Chairman, yet he never belittled his opponents or exaggerated the Evil Alliance's strength.

"What would you do?" Baek Jagang asked his disciple.

"First, our Alliance should strengthen our defenses to a minimum level."

"No, not that. What would you have done if you were me?"

"Are you asking under the assumption that Geom Mugeuk is the Demonic Cult Leader?"

Baek Jagang nodded.

Bi Sayin answered honestly, "If Mugeuk had lit the Demonic Flames, I would have gone to help him."

"What if they invade our Alliance? Are you saying it's okay for the entire Unorthodox Alliance to be destroyed because of your friendship?"

Bi Sayin lowered his head. "This disciple made a foolish judgment, letting personal feelings cloud the greater cause."

However, it seemed Baek Jagang had not said it to reprimand him. A hint of regret flickered in his eyes. "I envy you. In all my life, I've never had a friend like that."

Bi Sayin looked at his master in surprise. He had never said such a thing before. "That's because you've dedicated your entire life to the alliance."

Baek Jagang shook his head. No, it was for another reason. The ability to know when someone was lying was a curse, at least when it came to making friends.

In addition to his distrust of people, though, there was another reason.

"Because it's a hassle."

"Pardon?"

"Even you are conflicted, aren't you? He's your friend, but should you go save him or not? I hated even the thought of it." Baek Jagang had not said this because he wanted his disciple to also desire such killing intent. It was quite the opposite. His gentle gaze turned to his disciple. "It's comfortable to keep the door closed, but then you're trapped inside as well."

Bi Sayin understood. It meant that he should cherish his friendship with Geom Mugeuk. Finally, his master acknowledged his friendship with the Young Cult Leader. "I won't find it a hassle."

Baek Jagang read the purity dwelling within his disciple's fearsome face.

Another surprising decision flowed from his lips.

"I've avoided it my whole life, so maybe I'll try a troublesome task for once, even now?"

"!" Bi Sayin was startled. He knew those words meant his master was going to help the Demonic Cult Leader.

"Why? Are you surprised that I'm going to help someone who isn't even my friend?"

Baek Jagang seemed like an emotional person, but he was not someone who made decisions based on emotion. That was why Bi Sayin was so curious about his master's decision.

"May I ask the reason?"

"If the Demonic Cult Leader dies, then I can't get my revenge on the Demonic Cult Leader, can I?"

He can't get revenge on the Demonic Cult Leader, not the Celestial Killer Star?

Bi Sayin wondered what that meant, but the reason was something he had never expected.

"During the tripartite meeting, didn't the Demonic Cult Leader and that old fogey from the Murim Alliance boast endlessly about having two children each? I have to show them that one well-raised child can beat two."

At the word 'child', a surge of emotion swept through Bi Sayin's chest. Nothing moved him more than when his master treated him as a son, not just a disciple.

"If that proud man lit the Demonic Flames, then this is something I must go to. It's no different from him lighting a fire to call for me."

Furthermore, he was not worried about leaving his post and not protecting the Evil Alliance.

"What if that the Celestial Killer Star bastard is strong enough to kill the Demonic Cult Leader?"

Baek Jagang had a feeling based on seeing countless villains from the unorthodox sects. If it was that kind of absolute villain?

"That guy won't attack the Alliance if I'm not here, so we'll leave the gates wide open to announce my departure."

Bi Sayin could not hide the overwhelming emotion. Respect for his master naturally welled up in his heart. "Master, you're the coolest. I want to become an Evil Alliance Chairman just like you!"

Baek Jagang smiled. Throughout his conversation with his disciple today, he did not feel a single chill run down his spine. If he had met someone like this when he was younger, perhaps he might have had at least one friend.

"I'll be back."

"Yes, Master." Instead of telling his master to be careful, Bi Sayin added, "By the way, about that revenge match against the Demonic Cult Leader or the Murim Alliance Chairman…"

He did not want to lose the revenge match concerning the raising of a child, even if only for his master's sake.

"Go and boast loudly. I'll take responsibility!"