Chapter 827: Let's Use Words!

TL: FoodieMonster007

"You really are a crazy bastard," Hwa Mugi snarled, the words slipping out naturally.

Geom Mugeuk grinned like a madman. "Right. You have to say at least that much. You, me, and the people inside your body are all saying what we want. No one here will die with unspoken regrets today." He looked at the people sitting with him. "Father, if you have something to say too, please go ahead."

Geom Woojin made a rare joke. "You talk enough for our entire family."

Geom Mugeuk followed up cheerfully, "Okay! I'll speak as the representative of the Geom Family!"

Jin Paecheon's gaze softened as he watched Geom Mugeuk. His trust in the young man deepened as he saw him converse with the Divine Sword Martial Emperor.

He had spoken with the Divine Sword Martial Emperor first, trying his best, yet he had failed to move his predecessor's heart. Geom Mugeuk, however, had properly comforted him. He was a hundred times better than his old self.

Meanwhile, Baek Jagang admired Geom Mugeuk for a different reason. When the Young Cult Leader spoke, he never got goosebumps. Surprisingly, all of his crazy-sounding words came from the heart.

"Chairmen, please speak comfortably too!" Geom Mugeuk exclaimed, when the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's disapproving glare caught his eye.

"Why don't you tell me to speak comfortably too?" the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader asked.

Geom Mugeuk replied as if the answer were obvious, "You'd do it even if I told you not to."

"Well, that's true."

"I also need to thank you."

"For what?"

"You must have been the voice for our side while I was gone, right? How much did you suffer on behalf of these blunt, silent people?" Geom Mugeuk said as if he had witnessed everything himself.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader sighed, "You really don't miss a thing."

"I might miss other things, but how could I miss the Cult Leader's exploits?"

After giving the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader an emotional look, Geom Mugeuk turned back to Hwa Mugi. "I told you to say whatever you want."

Hwa Mugi remained silent, his eyes filled with ridicule, as if to ask if mere words could make him speak.

Of course, Geom Mugeuk had no such inhibitions. "Well…" he rambled on. "They say one can't perform when they're suddenly put on the spot. If I ask you to talk, any words you had would probably vanish. In that case, shall I break the ice? Hmm, just now, did you call me a crazy bastard? Even though you're even crazier than me."

Hwa Mugi was dumbfounded. Is this madman calling me crazy?!

He wanted to rage, but Geom Mugeuk's next words quickly calmed him down.

"You invaded this place alone, didn't you? You'll probably be the only person in murim history to fight the entire world by yourself. No one has before, and no one will after. You've set an unprecedented record," Geom Mugeuk praised.

Regardless, Hwa Mugi was not easily swayed. "Don't flatter me. I have nothing to say to you."

"I'm not flattering you. I'm just stating facts."

Hwa Mugi had no intention of talking, but Geom Mugeuk's words kept provoking him.

Geom Mugeuk continued talking. "There's one thing I'm curious about. Why did you invade our Cult?"

Hwa Mugi and the others expected him to ask why he attacked the Divine Cult first instead of the Murim or Evil Alliance, but as it turned out, that wasn't the point of Geom Mugeuk's question.

"You could have lived a different life, couldn't you? With your skills, you could have led an amazing life."

"……" Hwa Mugi couldn't answer. He had never considered living differently. He was the Celestial Killer Star. He devoured souls. He broke the seal. He thought he was naturally supposed to invade all the great murim factions, kill everyone, and take over the murim.

Geom Mugeuk pressed on. "Did you think you were simply following the destiny given by the heavens? Don't make me laugh. I'd never live according to their will!"

"The heavens gave me this great power," Hwa Mugi retorted. "Would they have given it to me just to live an ordinary life? If the heavens created someone like me, it's all because of you people."

Geom Mugeuk snorted. Hwa Mugi repeated the same words he had been saying since he arrived, but they had no effect on him. "Is that your own belief? Or is it something the Darkness Palace Lord or the souls inside you said?"

"……" Hwa Mugi couldn't claim the thought was his own.

Had Geom Mugeuk hit the nail on the head? His eyes grew cold.

"It's easy for you to talk since it's not your problem," he finally snarled.

Geom Mugeuk immediately apologized, "I'm sorry about that."

"This must be your goal. To confuse me with that three-inch tongue."

Geom Mugeuk gulped down the liquor in front of him. "Well, I have to be selfish, too. Did you think I suggested this talk for your sake? It's for me and for everyone else here. It's so we can understand you better and kill you more surely, so please understand if I seem a bit chatty."

Hwa Mugi thought he finally understood why everyone's attitude had changed when Geom Mugeuk arrived. In just a short time, this lunatic had made him feel good, then angry, then confused, putting him through a whirlwind of emotions. He had sworn not to talk, but now he found himself in a tense conversation.

His curiosity about Geom Mugeuk was now at an end. It was time to get up and draw his sword.

"Oh, right," Geom Mugeuk added. "I have to thank one of the people inside you."

Hwa Mugi assumed he meant the Demonic Cult Leader, but…

"Bring out the Evil Alliance Chairman for me."

Baek Jagang's jaw dropped in shock. He knew Geom Mugeuk had met the Divine Sword Martial Emperor three hundred years in the past, but what connection could he have with Ju Gasin?

Hwa Mugi asked, "Why?"

"You'll know if you watch."

Hwa Mugi hesitated. If Geom Mugeuk had asked for the Demonic Cult Leader, he would have refused, but he was curious why Geom Mugeuk wanted to thank the Evil Alliance Chairman.

"We agreed no one would die with unspoken regrets!" Geom Mugeuk reminded.

Sighing, Hwa Mugi granted the request.

Ju Gasin appeared, his gaze calm. He too had no idea why Geom Mugeuk had summoned him. "Why did you look for me?"

That was the question on everyone's mind.

Geom Mugeuk smiled. "Including today, this is the third time we've met."

Ju Gasin tilted his head in confusion. "Third time? We met three hundred years ago, and we're meeting now. That's the second time, isn't it?"

"I saw you at your tomb."

In an instant, Ju Gasin's eyes sharpened.

"You gave me a gift there."

Geom Mugeuk had obtained the last bead from Ju Gasin's corpse, but he didn't say what the gift was.

There was a reason he didn't mention the Six Elements Origin Qi, and it was because Hwa Mugi wouldn't know about it. The Darkness Palace Lord would never have told the Celestial Killer Star about the only power that could control him.

Until witnessing the events of that day, Geom Mugeuk had thought the leaders of the orthodox, unorthodox, and demonic factions had divided the Six Elements Origin Qi among themselves. He assumed some of it had flowed to the Ice Palace and the Heavenly Wind Cult for various reasons.

However, all of it had been absorbed into the Secret Box, trapped in transparent beads, and taken by the Darkness Palace Lord of that era.

Did the six beads emerge from the Secret Box after that? Or were they hidden elsewhere from the start? Since he had returned to his own time before seeing what happened, he couldn't know, but one thing was certain—someone other than the people present that day had placed the Six Elements Origin Qi in its various locations.

"So, Evil Alliance Chairman, please enjoy the meal the Divine Sword Martial Emperor couldn't."

"Do you know who I am, telling me to eat this?"

Geom Mugeuk didn't know much about him, but he guessed one thing. "Aren't you someone who still hasn't abandoned his dream?"

Ju Gasin narrowed his eyes. "Why do you think so?"

"The reason you intervened in the war three hundred years ago was because you dreamed of conquering the murim."

"!!" Baek Jagang was inwardly impressed. He knew Ju Gasin hadn't abandoned his dream because he had heard the proposal himself, yet Geom Mugeuk was reading the man's mind perfectly without hearing a single word of it.

Geom Mugeuk continued, "I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen. If you have anything left to say, say it all now. You won't get another chance."

It sounded as if he was telling Ju Gasin not to have any regrets before he killed Hwa Mugi.

Ju Gasin gazed at Geom Mugeuk for a moment before refusing flatly. "I have nothing to say to you."

Sensing that Ju Gasin was about to disappear, Geom Mugeuk mentioned someone unexpected. "Ah, right. I saw Jeokrang, the one who was always with you, at your tomb."

"!" At the mention of Jeokrang, emotion flickered in Ju Gasin's eyes for the first time. It was longing.

"Ah, of course, I didn't see him in person, but in a painting. He was really cool and handsome. I could tell you cherished him just by looking at the painting of you two together."

Ju Gasin nodded. "He's the only one…" he began, but quickly stopped himself.

The only one who understood me. Did I seriously almost say that?

Geom Mugeuk lifted his cup. "Let's toast to Jeokrang. He must have grieved your death a great deal."

Ju Gasin was a man who seemed as if he would never raise a cup for any other reason, but he raised his cup and then gestured toward Baek Jagang, inviting him to drink with them. He was still hoping Baek Jagang would accept his proposal to save him and live a life second only to one.

Baek Jagang lifted his cup and quietly toasted in the air.

Ju Gasin brought the cup to his lips.

CLANG!

To no one's surprise, the cup fell to the floor and shattered. Before anyone realized, his eyes had changed, but the person who appeared this time was not Hwa Mugi. It was none other than the Demonic Cult Leader, Hyeok Docheon.

"All you pathetic fools," Hyeok Docheon growled. "Orthodox or unorthodox, you're all the same. What's so great about dragging in some pathetic outside forces that you know are going to betray you? Why feel guilty about it for three hundred years? And you, you miss your measly dog at a time like this?"

Geom Mugeuk retorted, "Let's correct two things. They aren't 'pathetic outside forces,' they're the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Evil Alliance, and Chairman Ju wasn't toasting a 'measly dog' but a wolf. A very handsome wolf named Jeokrang."¹

Hyeok Docheon glared at Geom Mugeuk, his eyes burning. "Are you saying our Cult would have become worse if I hadn't been absorbed into the Secret Box?" He shifted his gaze to Geom Woojin, who he had disliked since the moment they met. "You are just as arrogant as your father."

Geom Mugeuk's eyes lit up. To him, this was the highest praise. "Oh my, saying I resemble Father is the best compliment you could give me. Thank you for the kind words."

Hyeok Docheon flinched, thinking he was being mocked. Demonic qi surged around him, thick with killing intent. "You dare insult a former Cult Leader?"

Geom Mugeuk chuckled calmly. "The Heavenly Demon I know wouldn't break a cup he's sharing with a descendant after three hundred years. I don't know who you are, but go back inside and tell the real Demonic Cult Leader to come out, you fake."

Hyeok Docheon glared at Geom Mugeuk. "You… are definitely your father's son! But… looking at you, a thought suddenly occurred to me."

There was a reason he had suppressed Ju Gasin and taken control. There was a matter far more important to him than guilt or some stupid dog or wolf whatever.

"I'll ask you directly," he said sternly. "Can you get me out of this body?"

Everyone was stunned by the question. They never expected Hyeok Docheon to appear so suddenly and ask such a question.

Geom Mugeuk tilted his head. "Why are you asking me?"

Hyeok Docheon's eyes burned intensely. "If the Secret Box took you to that time three hundred years ago, it must have considered you special. So tell me. Do you know a way to free me?"

Of course, the Secret Box wasn't the only reason he suspected Geom Mugeuk had special powers. The Darkness Palace Lord had said their whole scheme collapsed because of the Young Cult Leader. Seeing how Geom Mugeuk sat the Celestial Killer Star down at a table and handled him so easily also proved he was no ordinary man.

All eyes focused on Geom Mugeuk. Even knowing who he was, they wondered if he would actually say yes.

Geom Mugeuk didn't disappoint.

"I can probably get you out of that body," he replied.

Of course, it wouldn't be in the way Hyeok Docheon wanted.

Hyeok Docheon's eyes widened. The fact that Geom Mugeuk said "probably" instead of a definite "I can" made it sound more trustworthy.

The others were just as surprised. Hwa Mugi and the other souls must have been shocked as well, but Baek Jagang, who never got goosebumps from Geom Mugeuk, was the most surprised of all.

"Hahaha!" Hyeok Docheon burst into hearty laughter for a while, but stopped laughing abruptly and glared at Geom Mugeuk again. "Is that true? If you're lying, I'll tear you apart alive!"

Surprise, doubt, expectation, and excitement were all mixed in that single question.

Geom Mugeuk glanced at the shattered cup on the floor. "You should have asked that important question before you broke the cup."

Hyeok Docheon was still half-doubtful, but he made a proposal, clinging to the hope that it was real. "If you free me, I'll grant you anything you want! I'll help you achieve your dream of conquering the murim."

He was convinced he knew what Geom Mugeuk desired.

"PFFT! Hahaha!" Geom Mugeuk broke out in laughter.

Hyeok Docheon assumed it was a laugh of joy.

"Just stopping the conquering of the murim is hard enough for me," Geom Mugeuk choked between giggles. "Honestly, it's harder than dealing with you!"

Hyeok Docheon was thoroughly confused.

The others present, however, reacted differently. Some smiled faintly, while others looked slightly awkward. Only Geom Woojin's expression remained unchanged.

"If you free me…" Hyeok Docheon's voice trailed off.

Before anyone knew it, Hwa Mugi was back in control. He had allowed the other conversations, but he blocked this one.

"Just as I thought!" Hwa Mugi snapped. "You're trying to delude the Demonic Cult Leader with nonsense, aren't you? Claiming you can extract them from my body?"

Geom Mugeuk watched him quietly before asking abruptly, "Do you dislike them?"

"What?"

"I'm asking if you're okay with them being inside you. Reading your thoughts, feeling your emotions. Don't you hate that?"

Hwa Mugi's expression hardened. His relationship with the souls was too complex to be explained in a few words or easily concluded.

"What are they to you?" Geom Mugeuk asked.

Hwa Mugi didn't answer. He rose slowly, drew his black sword, and aimed it at Geom Mugeuk.

A powerful killing intent the likes of which Geom Mugeuk had never felt washed over him, but he remained relaxed.

"Right, fighting is another form of conversation," he acknowledged. "Still, I prefer to converse with words. There are still people inside you who haven't spoken."

Hwa Mugi's killing intent thickened. He had no intention of playing along with Geom Mugeuk's word games any longer.

Geom Mugeuk accepted the challenge. "Fine, let's fight. Maybe a good beating will make you talk, but please, let's just use words afterwards!"

Despite his words, though, he remained seated and looked at a certain person.

"Father, please beat that guy half to death and put him back in his seat for me!"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader assumed Geom Mugeuk was joking because he hadn't witnessed their opponent's true strength. He advised, "Young Cult Leader, that man is no ordinary foe! He recovered all his inner qi with a technique called the Heaven Defying Demonic Absorption Art!"

Geom Mugeuk nodded. "I know. That's why I asked Father to beat him up."

Absolute trust in his father shone in his eyes.

Geom Woojin, who had been watching his son quietly, slowly rose from his seat. "Now that we've eaten, shall we get some exercise to help with digestion?"

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