Chapter 817: If My Heart Burned Hot, I Would Have Died Alongside You All

TL: FoodieMonster007

"Taking a hit really wakes me up."

Hwa Mugi caressed his unscratched face. It was a blatant exaggeration, a clear provocation.

The Fist Demon, however, didn't even blink. His gaze was on Hwa Mugi, but his mind was focused on the Cult Leader.

The Cult Leader never lost his composure, no matter the situation. Now, however, he seemed concerned about something else.

What on earth is going on?

He must have realized something by ordering the attack on Hwa Mugi.

Just then, a telepathic message from Geom Woojin reached the Fist Demon.

[He's not acting. There are multiple souls inside his body.]

Geom Woojin shared what he had noticed first. It had always been this way between them, even from their youth. He always informed the Fist Demon of important matters first.

The next message surprised the Fist Demon even more.

[It seems the soul of a past Demonic Cult Leader is inside his body too.]

"!" The Fist Demon finally understood Geom Woojin's seriousness. If a Demonic Cult Leader was inside Hwa Mugi, this was the worst possible situation.

[Do you know who it is?]

[I have a rough guess.]

Whenever his son returned from outside the cult, he would share every detail of what had happened. He would talk about who he caught, what might be behind certain events, and what to be careful of in the future.

Geom Woojin listened to all of his son's chatter. That time wasn't for hearing reports, but for being with his son. It was a conversation shared between them.

That time finally paid off. If he had only read the All-Knowing Hall's report, he would never have made the connection so quickly.

It's the bastards from three hundred years ago!

He already knew the Dark Palace, the mastermind behind this conspiracy, originated from the conflict between the Heavenly Fate Palace and the Murim Alliance three hundred years ago.

The orthodox sects master who spoke to Jin Paecheon earlier had shown deep regret for associating with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Evil Alliance. What did it mean that he could speak so strongly, even to the Murim Alliance Chairman?

He's the Divine Sword Martial Emperor from three hundred years ago!

The Divine Sword Martial Emperor was the most famous of the past Murim Alliance Chairmen, a figure even Geom Woojin recognized.

Then, if the two he saw were the Murim Alliance Chairman and the Demonic Cult Leader, then the soul of the unorthodox master he hadn't seen must be the Evil Alliance Chairman from that same era.

Now Geom Woojin understood Hwa Mugi's strength. Judging by how he had taken the Fist Demon's punch without any effect, it wasn't just souls residing within him.

Their power has all been combined in him!

If so, this would not be an easy fight. Having greater numbers didn't mean their strength combined proportionally.

The more skilled the masters, the easier and yet harder a combined attack became. They knew better than anyone when and how to intervene. Conversely, interrupting another master's ultimate martial arts was an incredibly difficult task.

What if the guy tried to defeat them one by one with his overwhelming martial prowess? Aside from himself and the two Chairmen, the others would be defeated in an instant.

The best method was to kill him in a single, decisive strike.

The first thing that came to mind was the Heavenly Demon Destroys the World. It could kill Hwa Mugi cleanly and surely, but others might get swept up and die.

The bigger problem was that Hwa Mugi might also be able to use the technique.

In the fleeting moment the Heavenly Demon Destroys the World is unleashed, one must erect the Impenetrable Demonic Wall. Then, as the wall melts away, one unleashes their own Heavenly Demon Destroys the World.

That was how he would respond if his opponent used the technique. It meant he wouldn't just die, at the very least.

But what if Hwa Mugi made the same choice? No one here would survive.

The next method he considered was using the Heavenly Demon Soul. The Heavenly Demon Destroys the World could not be used if the Heavenly Demon Soul manifested. The Soul was an absolute existence born from the pinnacle of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art after its complete mastery, so the art itself could not contend with it.

The problem was that Heavenly Demon Souls inherently refused to fight each other. If one manifested, the other likely would not appear, making it impossible to know whose would emerge.

Geom Woojin conveyed his discoveries to the two Chairmen via telepathy. If Hwa Mugi used the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, he would likely target them, so they needed to be warned.

Jin Paecheon was inwardly tense, more so than ever before. The fact that his opponent could use the Nine Calamities Demonic Art was terrifying, but something else bothered him even more.

The Divine Sword Martial Emperor is in that guy's body?

Among all past Chairmen, he respected the Divine Sword Martial Emperor the most. The legacy he left in the orthodox murim was truly great.

If it was really him, as Geom Woojin claimed, why was he residing inside the body of the Celestial Killer Star? Did this mean another dark secret was hidden behind his noble history?

Baek Jagang, on the other hand, wasn't interested in which Evil Alliance Chairman resided in the body.

So that guy uses the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, too?

A competitive spirit rose to match his fear. Perhaps today he would finally face the Nine Calamities Demonic Art in person.

While they exchanged telepathic messages, Hwa Mugi turned his attention to provoking someone new. "Our Poison King is quite silent."

Everyone was surprised. As far as they knew, Hwa Mugi was the first person to ever provoke the Poison King after learning his identity.

"Aren't you curious? Whether I have Myriad Poison Immunity or not."

The Poison King sat in the corner, staring at him quietly. His gaze was deep, belying his youthful face. "You absolutely don't have Myriad Poison Immunity."

Excluding his conversation with Geom Woojin, this was the first time he had spoken in the Alluring Inn.

"Why are you so sure I don't have Myriad Poison Immunity?"

The Poison King's reasoning was simple. "Because such a noble and miraculous gift would never have been given to you."

To most poison users, Myriad Poison Immunity was a natural disaster, something beyond a mere natural enemy. To him, however, it was a noble gift. Because he truly loved poison, he held no hostility even for Myriad Poison Immunity.

And he believed Geom Mugeuk had received that precious gift because of his own noble character.

Hwa Mugi laughed instead of getting angry at the dismissive remark. Unless another personality emerged, he rarely fell for provocations. He was the type to express even anger with a laugh.

"True, I don't have Myriad Poison Immunity. Instead, I have about Nine-Thousand-Nine-Hundred-Ninety-Nine Poison Immunity. Can you really find the one poison that works on me? The moment you try, I'll kill you first."

He meant that while not perfect, he was prepared for almost any poison.

Hwa Mugi slowly stepped toward the Poison King. As he moved, the very air around him seemed to change, carrying a different kind of tension than when he had approached Baek Jagang.

"Or should I just kill you now?"

The red energy in Hwa Mugi's gaze intensified. He looked ready to rush forward and sever the Poison King's head at any moment.

Still, even in this crisis, the Poison King remained seated.

"Why aren't you using poison? Are you afraid of me?" Hwa Mugi taunted.

However, the Poison King wasn't defenseless out of fear. "The Cult Leader hasn't given me the order to move."

"!"

It was the Poison King's will to only use poison on Geom Woojin's command. In other words, he would rather die than act without an order.

"You ask how I'll find a poison that works on you?" A green light seemed to seep from the Poison King's eyes. "I won't look for it. Because if the order is given, I will unleash ten thousand types of poison on you."

"!"

It was a truly arrogant statement. How could one person carry ten thousand poisons? Coming from the Poison King, however, the words carried a different weight.

A look of mad euphoria crossed Hwa Mugi's face as he stared at the Poison King. "I really want to cut off your head." He turned back toward Geom Woojin. "And I'll bring it to him. I want to see how that Cult Leader of yours reacts to your death!"

He was clearly sincere. Though it didn't show on the surface, Hwa Mugi's killing intent had been escalating since he arrived.

SWISH!

Just as Hwa Mugi took another step toward the Poison King, however, a silently drawn sword blocked his path.

Surprisingly, the sword belonged to the Sword King.

All eyes turned to the Sword King, as no one had expected him to step forward for the Poison King.

Even the Poison King himself looked surprised. In truth, the Sword King had positioned himself nearby from the start, intending to protect him.

"You dare draw a sword in front of me?"

It was an arrogant thing to say to the Sword King. Still, it wasn't surprising coming from someone who had threatened to annihilate the orthodox, unorthodox, and demonic factions.

The Sword King answered calmly, "Understand this. My sword is the only thing I have to offer."

Nevertheless, this sword was far too powerful to be called 'only' that. With the White Flower Sword in his hand, the Sword King's aura felt like a castle wall hundreds of meters high blocking the path.

The red energy flowing from Hwa Mugi's body froze midair as it met the cold chill emanating from the blade. The White Flower Sword blocked the waves of red energy like a breakwater.

"So you're a cold man? I thought you had a burning heart, since you betrayed us to join the Young Cult Leader."

The Sword King replied calmly, "If my heart burned hot, I would have already died alongside you all."

A new euphoria filled Hwa Mugi's face. His expression seemed to say, Isn't this interesting?

"I'll kill you second."

He tried to move past the blade to close in on the Sword King.

CLASH!

The Sword King's sword cleaved the air with lightning speed. The blade's tip struck upward at a sharp angle, narrowly grazing Hwa Mugi's chin. The attack was so fast it seemed impossible to dodge, yet Hwa Mugi had evaded it.

With his head still tilted back, Hwa Mugi looked down at the Sword King arrogantly. "Is it because you want to be first?"

The Sword King was making it clear: Hwa Mugi could not reach the Poison King without cutting him down first.

The Sword King recalled the past, his gaze calm. "The Darkness Palace Lord always told me that we were following the Will of Heaven," he said tonelessly.

"Traitor. You didn't follow the Will of Heaven in the end, did you?"

"I did. The Will of Heaven was just not with you."

Hwa Mugi's eyes shone intensely for a moment. "Then where is this Will of Heaven? Is it here? I don't see it anywhere."

After a brief pause, the Sword King said something surprising. "The Will of Heaven lies with the Young Cult Leader."

Geom Woojin, Jin Paecheon, Baek Jagang, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, the Fist Demon, and the Poison King all listened in silence.

At that moment, the look in Hwa Mugi's eyes changed. A new personality had emerged. "How dare a traitor speak of the Will of Heaven!"

Geom Woojin knew instantly. This was a new soul that hadn't appeared until now.

Is it the soul of the Evil Alliance Chairman?

No. Not with that violent reaction to the mention of the Will of Heaven.

It's the Heavenly Fate Palace Lord!

With this, Geom Woojin was certain. The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Evil Alliance had intervened in the war back then, and something must have happened. The souls trapped at that time had been passed down to the present day.

Souls that were passed down across three hundred years. One might wonder if such a thing was possible, but he was witnessing it with his own eyes.

Hwa Mugi asked with a cold gaze, "Do you even know what the Will of Heaven is?"

The answer came from the Sword King, the man who had dreamed of freedom.

"I don't know the Will of Heaven, but I know what the sky is. It's where birds live, clouds live, the wind lives, and the sun lives."

He thought of the one person who always came to mind when he looked at the sky. The person he missed most, even now.

"While you all harped on about the Will of Heaven, the Young Cult Leader told us to look up at the sky. There was no grand meaning to it. He just wanted us to straighten our backs and look up for once."

At those words, Geom Woojin thought of his son and smiled faintly.

It was the same for Jin Paecheon and Baek Jagang. If not for Geom Mugeuk, none of them would be standing here together.

The Sword King honestly revealed the thoughts he had kept in his heart. "I learned from watching the Young Cult Leader. The Will of Heaven isn't something granted with some grand meaning. It isn't something bestowed, but something shouldered. It's the act of willingly taking on the burden placed before the one who can bear its weight."

It was the first time he had revealed his thoughts on the Will of Heaven to anyone.

The Sword King looked into Hwa Mugi's eyes and asked one final question. "Do you see the burden placed before you? Or have you spent your entire life pretending not to see it while you chase only the Will of Heaven?"

Until now, the souls within Hwa Mugi had never lost control, no matter how angry they became.

This time was different. Hearing from the traitor himself that the Will of Heaven did not exist pushed their rage beyond its limit.

SHIIING!

Hwa Mugi drew his sword with the speed of light. It was a unique weapon, a black sword with a pitch-black blade.

CLANG!

The Sword King blocked the strike but was instantly pushed back.

SWISH!

A second attack, even faster than the first, flew toward him.

SQUELCH!

A tearing sound filled the air.

The black sword, however, had merely pierced a soft, human-shaped doll. For a moment, the doll seemed to grin at Hwa Mugi.

POOF!

But almost immediately after, it vanished like smoke.

Behind it stood the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader and the Sword King. Hwa Mugi's attack had been so powerful that the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had been forced to intervene. He had not delayed, knowing the strike could have been instantly fatal.

"I still haven't decided on a name for the tavern," the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader joked.

The Sword King replied while rubbing his wrist, which had nearly broken from the tremendous inner qi in Hwa Mugi's attack. "Just give it any name."

"I refuse. I'll give it a magnificent name."

Judging by his earlier momentum, Hwa Mugi should have charged again, but instead, he was laughing at the two of them. He had returned to his original self.

He stretched widely, as if he found the situation incredibly amusing. As he stretched, his drawn black sword pointed toward the sky.

"Now, shall we fight in earnest?"

Hwa Mugi's gaze shifted between the Sword King, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, and the Poison King.

"Who should I kill first? Or should I kill all three of you at once?"

He paid no mind to the other four people behind him. His demeanor suggested they were welcome to intervene whenever they pleased.

Just then, a calm voice called out from behind him.

"Come here."

The speaker was Geom Woojin.

Hwa Mugi looked back at Geom Woojin and grinned. "Our Cult Leader is calling me himself, but what should I do? I'm a bit busy here. Wait, I'll reduce their numbers a bit and then come over."

Geom Woojin shook his head. "Not you."

"!"

Frigid demonic qi flowed from his eyes as he hurled a provocation that no one expected, aimed directly at the souls within Hwa Mugi's body.

"Stop hiding inside there like fucking cripples and haul your sorry asses out here, all of you."

Translator's Note: There are only 4 chapters this week because the author does not work on Christmas. He's probably taking New Year's Day off next week too.