Chapter 802: Don't Mistake It for Salt!

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Darkness Palace Lord stood in the center of the room. The Five Top Scholars lay dead around him, bleeding from their noses and mouths. Their life force had been completely drained.

Earlier, they formed hand seals, creating bizarre patterns and characters in the air. Each character was then engraved onto the glowing floor where the Darkness Palace Lord sat.

Now, those strange characters had transferred from the floor to him. Indecipherable script covered his body, hands, and even his face.

He exuded a presence far more intense than the one from the illusion. His eyes filled with unreadable elation and confidence.

"We finally meet, Young Cult Leader."

Ga Ye's eyes trembled at the sight. He succeeded in the grand ritual using the Five Top Scholars.

The Darkness Palace Lord had not told even her what kind of ritual it was, which meant it must have been incredibly dangerous and extraordinary.

Ga Ye glanced at Geom Mugeuk standing beside her. No matter how strong you are, can you handle that man?

Whether he knew her thoughts or not, Geom Mugeuk remained relaxed. "You even locked the door. How does someone so timid even think of taking over the murim?"

Even before his regression, the Darkness Palace Lord had pushed the Twelve Zodiac Kings to the forefront while he remained in the shadows. No one had known of his existence. He was the type of person who enjoyed controlling the world from the shadows.

However, the Darkness Palace Lord was just as composed as Geom Mugeuk. "You've cornered me this far. How could I not be afraid?"

Geom Mugeuk's gaze shifted to the dead men. "Just how many people must die for that old body of yours?"

"The path to a great cause is paved with corpses."

"I've never seen a man who speaks of sacrifice for a great cause ever sacrifice himself."

"They willingly met their deaths with joyous hearts to create a great future for everyone else."

Geom Mugeuk stared intently at the unknown characters etched onto his face. "But it says right there, 'This is unfair! I'm so frustrated! The Darkness Palace Lord is trash who used and discarded us!'"

The dark energy swirling around the Darkness Palace Lord's body roiled violently, revealing his mood. Maintaining composure in front of Geom Mugeuk was no easy feat.

Geom Mugeuk looked at Ga Ye. "Now, unleash the anger you couldn't resolve."

He knew she had entered with great vigor, planning to curse the Darkness Palace Lord the moment she saw him with words like, 'You villain who defies the will of the heavens!'

However, now that she was face to face with him, the words would not come out.

The Darkness Palace Lord spoke to her, his gaze gentle. "Don't misunderstand. I didn't open the door because I was certain the Young Cult Leader wouldn't kill you."

"Then why did you open it now?" she asked, even though the very act of doing so was proof that she was wavering.

"As you can see, the grand ritual has just ended."

"The Black Elder didn't try to save me."

"Is he not a man who looks out only for himself?"

The Darkness Palace Lord's excuses were seamless. Ga Ye could not readily refute him.

"Don't be deceived by the Young Cult Leader. You know well what kind of tongue he possesses, don't you?"

Ga Ye's gaze naturally turned to Geom Mugeuk.

As if expecting this, Geom Mugeuk asked calmly, "Do you know why you want to believe him? Right now, you want comfort more than you want the truth."

"!"

Her heart sank. He exposed a part of her heart that even she did not know. The Darkness Palace Lord's words had indeed comforted her.

I wanted to hear that he didn't abandon me.

Instead of reprimanding her, Geom Mugeuk offered consolation. "People become like that when they're exhausted. It's tiring even when you walk your own path. It's bound to be even more tiring when you walk a path that isn't yours. If you believe his words, you may go to his side."

He didn't try to persuade her any further.

Honestly, Ga Ye could not tell which of them was telling the truth.

As she struggled with her conflict, the Darkness Palace Lord extended a hand, beckoning her to come to him.

The moment she saw that hand reaching for her, she realized a new truth.

"From when I was young until now, you never once reached out your hand to me."

The hand the Darkness Palace Lord had extended twitched.

Ga Ye shuddered. Despite watching him for so long, she did not know the Darkness Palace Lord well. He never revealed his true self to her.

Still, even if she did not know him well, she was familiar with the dark smoke swirling around him like a living creature that always represented his emotions.

And right now, the black smoke was utterly sinister and anxious.

Come on, come on! I'll swallow you whole!

It lay in wait, like a predator eyeing its prey.

Finally, Ga Ye saw clearly. She knew which of the two men had deceived her, and realized she had been brainwashed for a very long time.

"Do you understand now? Why he keeps the Saintess Palace on such a tight leash."

Ga Ye was assaulted by a sense of injustice. Even when she was a child, the Darkness Palace Lord was an old man. The previous Saintess, who placed her in that position, had never dared to resist him either.

"But I had no power to resist."

"What are you talking about? You had the most power of all."

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't the heavens backing you?"

Ga Ye was speechless.

"You possessed the strongest power to sway the future. You just didn't recognize it, and there was no one beside you to tell you."

Ga Ye thought Geom Mugeuk was right. Instead of making excuses about being weak, she should have tried to change things.

If someone like Geom Mugeuk had been by my side, could I have changed things?

"The reason the Heavenly Fate Palace was annihilated three hundred years ago was because the Heavenly Fate Palace Lord didn't listen to his Saintess."

The Saintess back then had said the will of the heavens would arrive in three hundred years, but the Heavenly Fate Palace Lord ignored her.

"You speak as if you saw it yourself," the Darkness Palace Lord remarked.

Geom Mugeuk smiled, his eyes clear and deep. He exuded a composure that only someone who had truly seen the past could show, and the Darkness Palace Lord's heart grew cold.

Geom Mugeuk looked at Ga Ye. "Now, say what you want to say. If you don't say it now, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. There won't be a next time."

Ga Ye did not get angry at the Darkness Palace Lord. Instead, she spoke calmly, saying words she should have said long ago. "The way you've done things, which I've watched my whole life, was wrong."

It was the first time in her life she had ever said anything negative to him.

"You have to pay the price for your deeds, and so will I, who failed to stop you."

Tears streamed down Ga Ye's face. She had always thought it was natural to help the Darkness Palace Lord. She had often felt something was wrong but had deliberately ignored it.

Geom Mugeuk asked her, "Do you feel a little better?"

"……" Ga Ye kept her head down and did not answer.

"Still, you did well. When you look back on this later, you'll think you did the right thing by speaking up today."

Later? Would there even be a 'later' for me? Ga Ye felt like she would not last another two hours.

"Why are you doing all this for me?"

"I used you to open this door, and I want to get on your good side to hear the answer to the question I asked earlier."

Even though Geom Mugeuk said it so bluntly, Ga Ye did not feel any repulsion.

The Darkness Palace Lord interjected. "Young Cult Leader, you're truly remarkable. To change a person in such a short time."

"It's not that I'm remarkable, it's that the Saintess here is." Geom Mugeuk looked at Ga Ye. "The ship known as the Saintess Palace has been docked in the harbor until now. You, the captain, have lived without knowing the ship's original purpose. You should set sail for the sea now."

He was telling her to live as the true Saintess of the Saintess Palace.

"Haven't the heavens already abandoned me?"

"I believe you've never once properly looked at the heavens. You have to go out to sea to see the real sky. A lightning bolt might strike or a typhoon might rage, but you must go out anyway. Don't die by my hand, and don't die by his. If you must die, die in that sea."

A surge of passion swept through Ga Ye's heart. Even if she only had one day left, she wanted to live it as the true Saintess.

Having experienced it herself, she finally understood why Ak Gunhak and Cha Yiran followed the Young Cult Leader.

Finally, the answer to his earlier question flowed from her lips.

"Those six powers are called the Six Elements Origin Qi."

"……" The Darkness Palace Lord did not stop her, merely watching in silence.

"Why were you trying so hard to obtain it?"

"Because only that power can control him."

Geom Mugeuk was startled. He had assumed Hwa Mugi would use these six energies, but to control him? Just what kind of martial arts had Hwa Mugi learned that only the Six Elements Origin Qi could control him?

The Darkness Palace Lord, who had been silent, finally said, "The murim he will rule will be a completely different murim from the one that has existed until now. Evil, which has been treated as bad, will become good, and good will become bad. The weak will die and be mocked. The strong will be worshipped, and the one who has killed more people will be revered in this new murim. Just like the primordial murim."

An aura of darkness as deep as the abyss flowed from his body.

"Young Cult Leader, once you die, a new murim will unfold."

Silence fell over the room at the Poison King's words.

Geom Woojin stared wordlessly at him.

Having said his piece, the Poison King kept his head bowed and remained quiet.

Geom Woojin looked down at the floor below and called out. "Bring a bottle of wine up here!"

"I'll do it!" The Fist Demon grabbed a bottle and went up to the second floor.

Geom Woojin pushed a new, overturned cup across the table toward the Poison King, who respectfully accepted it.

GURGLE!

After filling the cup, Geom Woojin said, "Pour me a cup as well."

"Yes, Cult Leader." The Poison King filled Geom Woojin's cup. Though he was a man who had declared he would kill everyone, his hand trembled with nervousness.

"Let's have a drink."

Geom Woojin emptied his cup first, and the Poison King followed.

After drinking, Geom Woojin sent him back to his seat. "That's enough. Go and rest."

The Poison King bowed politely and returned to his spot. As if he had never been so talkative, he stared out the window and retreated into his own world.

The Fist Demon began to understand the Poison King a little better. He was a man who lived completely in his own world, which was why he could act that way.

Did he say the Young Cult Leader is the scariest? I think you're the scariest one here.

The Fist Demon felt a renewed sense of the Poison King's fearsomeness as he spoke to Geom Woojin, "Please wait a moment. I'll prepare a meal and bring it up shortly."

Anyone could see that Geom Woojin was in a good mood, even without noticing the subtle hint of a smile that only the Fist Demon could perceive.

The Poison King's answer was a pass. A pass with top honors, at that.

On the first floor, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader whispered to the Sword King, "You got out of that one nicely." He glanced up at the second floor. "If you hadn't, you would've had to fight those people. Do you think you could've handled them?"

Geom Woojin sitting silently, the Poison King staring out the window, and the Fist Demon quietly descending the stairs. There were only three of them, but the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader wanted no part in fighting them. They exuded immense pressure even without the monstrous Geom Mugeuk, and there were still more Demon Supremes.

"……" The Sword King continued wringing a cleaning cloth, seemingly uninterested.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader added, "The inn you mentioned earlier, please give it a name."

The Celestial Killer Star did not come, so the group continued to stay at the Alluring Inn, though they could have moved to another place with beds.

The reason was because Geom Woojin had decided to stay here, likely because this place held various meanings to him.

Geom Woojin, the two Demon Supremes, and the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader substituted sleep with qi circulation. As they were absolute masters, it posed no problem.

The Sword King slept on several chairs pushed together on the first floor.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader wanted to do the same, but could not because of his loud snoring. As fearless as he was, he was not brave enough to disturb the Heavenly Demon's sleep.

They cooked their own meals and laughed at the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's jokes.

Should we really be this relaxed when the Celestial Killer Star is on his way?

Days passed, filled with such thoughts.

And today, Geom Woojin rolled up his sleeves and entered the kitchen himself. "I'll prepare the meal."

The four masters were startled by his words. A meal prepared by the Heavenly Demon?

"How could I possibly digest a meal like that from the pressure? I'd rather do it myself," the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader said, trying to step in.

However, the Fist Demon stopped him. "Take this opportunity to witness the Cult Leader's skills."

He knew the Cult Leader's cooking skills were excellent, and it seemed he intended to show them off for the first time in a long while.

Just then, the Poison King, who had been sitting like a statue by the second-floor window, entered the kitchen. "I will help."

The Poison King offering to help was even more surprising than Geom Woojin announcing he would cook. Everyone could see that the relationship between the two had changed after the earlier questions and shared wine.

At the very least, the Poison King had changed.

Geom Woojin nodded. "Peel those onions over there."

"Okay."

The sight of Geom Woojin butchering meat while the Poison King peeled onions was an even rarer spectacle than the first day's scene of the Fist Demon sharpening the Blade Demon's sword and the Sword King wiping tables.

The Poison King, who handled deadly poisons with ease, had tears welling up in his eyes from the sting of the onions.

Watching him, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader shouted, "Don't get confused and mistake the salt for the powder in your pouch!"

Geom Woojin's lips curved into a smile at the worried joke, but in the next moment, his smile vanished. His calm, settled gaze turned toward the tavern entrance outside the kitchen.

Soon after, the other four people also naturally looked in that direction.

Someone was approaching.

Everyone's expression hardened. They could feel a presence walking down the street of the Demon Village, heading straight for them, and that person made no effort to conceal himself.

A moment later, a man in a light martial arts uniform stepped inside.

Surprisingly, it was the Evil Alliance Chairman, Baek Jagang. He had arrived at the Alluring Inn before the Celestial Killer Star.

A momentary silence fell over the tavern as everyone was stunned speechless.

Geom Woojin broke the silence. He poked his head out of the kitchen, holding a kitchen knife instead of the Heavenly Demon Sword. "Have you eaten yet?"