Chapter 837: Loved by All Martial Artists

TL: FoodieMonster007

NOTE: There was an error in the previous chapter. It is not 4 hours but 2 hours.

The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, Geom Mugeuk, stared intently at the Divine Sword Martial Emperor. He looked so vivid, like a truly living person.

"Excuse me, but may I touch you just once?" he asked.

The Divine Sword Martial Emperor was baffled. How could Geom Mugeuk be so relaxed after learning he was trapped here forever? Just as when they first met, the Young Cult Leader was a complete enigma. "This isn't the time for that. We only have two hours."

Unfortunately, the Divine Sword Martial Emperor didn't know the way out. He wondered if the Young Cult Leader could truly escape this hellish place.

Geom Mugeuk nodded. "Truly. I just never thought I'd meet you here."

In truth, he had intended for this meeting to happen. While fighting Hwa Mugi earlier, he had felt his soul repeatedly trying to leave his body. Throughout the fight, he had remained wary of Hwa Mugi using a hidden trump card.

He had sensed something was wrong and was about to retreat with the Vanishing Step, but just as he was about to evade, the mysterious energy within his body reacted.

It was the first time this had happened since he met Hwa Mugi, but in the end, getting trapped here had been his own instinctive choice.

Especially when he saw the Divine Sword Martial Emperor here, he felt he had made the right choice. The energy of the Six Elements Origin Qi was clearly related to their souls.

Geom Mugeuk added, "I believe it was fate that brought me here."

The Divine Sword Martial Emperor nodded. Indeed, how could meeting as souls inside the Celestial Killer Star's body not be fateful?

"Can you see or hear what's happening outside from in here?" Geom Mugeuk asked. When the souls had emerged by borrowing Hwa Mugi's body, they had been aware of the situation outside.

"There's a separate place where that's possible."

"Would you take me there?"

"Follow me." The Divine Sword Martial Emperor parted the fog and led the way.

Following behind, Geom Mugeuk asked, "Why are you helping me? I'm the successor to the Divine Cult."

Without looking back, the Divine Sword Martial Emperor replied, "Consider it a reward for your intention to treat me to a meal."

Though that's not the real reason.

"Chairman, your greed saved the murim."

Geom Mugeuk had said the words he had longed to hear from someone.

"Please, forgive yourself now."

At those words, the Divine Sword Martial Emperor had forgiven himself. Now, even if he were to die—though he was already as good as dead—he would have no regrets.

As they left the fog-filled area, the surrounding scenery began to appear.

The first thing that caught Geom Mugeuk's eye was the sky. He lifted his head and saw the sun and moon hanging in the sky at the same time. Mountains floated upside down, and a waterfall flowed upward from a cliff face. It was a scene one would only expect to see in a dream.

To the left was a swamp teeming with all sorts of poisonous creatures. If the Poison King had entered with him, he would have run straight for it.

Beyond the swamp, a large castle stood on a hill, giving off an eerie, haunted atmosphere.

On the opposite side, a field was filled with corpses. Smoke rose from a small village beyond it, which was the source of the reeking smell of blood.

There was also a maze-like area of walls and a forest of blades so overgrown it was impossible to enter. Skeletons were impaled on the spearheads lining the path.

"A strange place, isn't it?"

"Yes, I never imagined it would be like this."

He had thought the souls would be confined in a small, room-like space, but they were living in a world of their own.

"This place is constantly changing. It's completely different now from when I first arrived. Now that you're here, it will probably change again."

Geom Mugeuk nodded. He could tell the interior of this place changed according to Hwa Mugi's thoughts and emotions.

As they walked further, they came to a sheer cliff. Looking down, he couldn't see the bottom.

Crossing a rickety wooden bridge suspended between the cliffs, the Divine Sword Martial Emperor said, "It was hard to believe at first that such a place could exist within a person's mind. Sometimes I wonder what kind of places exist within my own mind."

Although he had found much peace through Geom Mugeuk, he was still afraid.

What if people came here and saw the real mind of the Murim Alliance Chairman and found things even more hideous and harsh than this?

Geom Mugeuk stated with conviction, "That won't be the case."

The Divine Sword Martial Emperor stopped in the middle of the bridge and looked back.

The wind blew, shaking the bridge, but Geom Mugeuk spoke to him calmly. "Because if you were the kind of person with such a landscape in your heart, you wouldn't have come to help me like this. So what if it's a bit more desolate than expected? You can just tell them, 'Hey, you bastards, it looks like this because I fought a war for the sake of the murim. My inner world became like this for your sake.'"

A smile formed on the Divine Sword Martial Emperor's lips. Geom Mugeuk's logic was so simple it was brilliant. "You have a talent for making people feel good."

Geom Mugeuk grinned. "Isn't it thanks to that talent that I'm receiving your help now, Divine Sword?"

The Divine Sword Martial Emperor once again took the lead and crossed the bridge. "Your heart must be filled with warm landscapes."

Following behind him, Geom Mugeuk's gaze deepened. I wonder about that.

After crossing the cliff, they arrived at a field where a large white circle was drawn on the ground, surrounded by unknown shapes and characters.

A mystical energy flowed around it. The place felt like a separate space from the areas they had passed through before.

"This place is called the Heart's Circle. From here, you can see and hear the outside world. However, Hwa Mugi has completely sealed it off. It seems he doesn't intend to open it until he has you completely trapped."

Geom Mugeuk didn't know for sure, but the outside world must be in an uproar. After all, he had suddenly collapsed in the middle of a fight.

Still, he wasn't worried. He was surrounded by trustworthy people and believed they would handle the situation well. For now, he had to focus on what was happening here.

"How do I talk to Hwa Mugi?" he asked.

"He can hear what we say from anywhere."

"Then he must be listening to our conversation right now."

The Divine Sword Martial Emperor nodded.

Geom Mugeuk looked up at the empty air. "I should say something to him."

The Divine Sword Martial Emperor expected Geom Mugeuk to say something like, 'You cowardly bastard! Trapping me like this is a disgrace to the name of the Celestial Killer Star!', but…

Geom Mugeuk shouted cheerfully, "Hey, Celestial Killer Star, I made it into your mind safe and sound! Thanks for showing me around! This is a first for me, an experience I probably wouldn't have had even if I lived to be a hundred! Thanks to you, I got to meet the Divine Sword Martial Emperor again! I'm so happy!"

The Divine Sword Martial Emperor stared blankly at Geom Mugeuk. The young man was genuinely happy. It wasn't sarcasm aimed at the Celestial Killer Star.

Geom Mugeuk added, "Don't forget your promise that we'd talk our hearts out after the fight!" He turned back to the Divine Sword Martial Emperor, "Does he ever answer?"

"Sometimes."

"What kind of bullshit is this?" someone approaching them from behind spoke.

There was only one soul here who would utter such words as their first.

Geom Mugeuk turned around. Indeed, the person who appeared was the Demonic Cult Leader Hyeok Docheon. He looked exactly as he had before being sucked into the Secret Box.

However, Hyeok Docheon's anger was directed not at Geom Mugeuk, but at the Divine Sword Martial Emperor. "Are you planning to escape by yourself?" he demanded.

The Divine Sword Martial Emperor was dumbfounded. "Accusing people with nonsense again."

This brief exchange revealed how the two had been getting along.

Geom Mugeuk greeted Hyeok Docheon. "Greetings, Cult Leader!"

Hyeok Docheon's gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk. This young man hadn't said a single good word about him. He had called him cruel and notorious, and even claimed the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's situation would have been worse if Hyeok Docheon hadn't been trapped. He had also provoked him by saying a true Heavenly Demon wouldn't have broken a cup like he did.

Despite all that, Hyeok Docheon welcomed Geom Mugeuk for one reason.

"You said you could get me out of here, didn't you?"

"I did."

Hyeok Docheon's eyes flashed expectantly. "Did you come here to get me out?"

Geom Mugeuk replied, "I wish that were the case, but I was captured and brought here too."

"You idiot!" Hyeok Docheon's expression crumpled.

If he can't get me out, there's no need to be nice.

He opened his mouth to shout, but Geom Mugeuk quickly added, "If we're lucky, I might be still able to get you out of here. It might even be easier to do it from the inside."

Hyeok Docheon's surging anger subsided. He would do anything to get out of this place. Having experienced what kind of person the Young Cult Leader was, he couldn't easily abandon the hope that he might be able to free him. "You said you don't want to conquer the murim, right?"

He had offered to help Geom Mugeuk conquer the murim if he was freed, but the Young Cult Leader had refused, so he had to think of something else.

"No, I don't."

"Why? You're destined to become the Demonic Cult Leader, yet you have no ambition to grasp the murim in your fist?"

"No, not at all."

Hyeok Docheon could tolerate other things, but this was hard to bear. "How did someone as soft as you become the Young Cult Leader of our Cult? The mere mention of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult should make everyone in the world tremble! That's the prestige and dignity of our Cult!"

"What are you afraid of?" Geom Mugeuk calmly asked.

"What?"

"Isn't the desire to be feared by others just a way to protect yourself? Something like 'I'm a scary person, so don't mess with me!'"

Thinking he was being treated like a coward, Hyeok Docheon roared, "It's not because I'm scared! It's because it has always been that way. That's what we of the Cult are!"

"In the long history of the murim, wouldn't it be alright to have at least one Demonic Cult Leader who is loved by all martial artists?"

"You crazy bastard!" Hyeok Docheon's anger boiled, but he forced himself to endure it. He still had to place his hopes on this Young Cult Leader. "Fine, enough with the nonsense. What is it that you want?"

What Geom Mugeuk wanted was nothing grand. "Just help me for two hours. I have to get out for you to get out, Cult Leader."

"Just say the word."

"First, please call everyone else here."

Another voice came from behind. "There's no need. We're all here."

The Heavenly Fate Palace Lord and the Evil Alliance Chairman Ju Gasin walked over. However, the final soul, Hyeok Docheon's Heavenly Demon Soul, did not appear. It seemed he had little interaction with the others, or perhaps he didn't appear when Hyeok Docheon was present.

The Heavenly Fate Palace Lord said to Geom Mugeuk, "You acted all high and mighty, but you're no different from the rest of us."

Despite his words, there was no great hostility in his eyes. This was because he had heard that Geom Mugeuk had personally closed the eyes of the Protection Palace Lord.

Geom Mugeuk readily acknowledged his words. "Aren't empty carts always the loudest? I'll need all of you to fill this cart for me."

Everyone stared at Geom Mugeuk, their expressions asking what he meant.

"As you all know, every evil art has a counter. If you all help me, I will try to get you out of here," Geom Mugeuk explained. He knew well that the more powerful the evil art, the easier its counter could sometimes be to find.

Everyone stared at Geom Mugeuk with shocked expressions. They hadn't believed him even when he told Hyeok Docheon he could get out, thinking he was just trying to provoke him. In fact, they still didn't believe him.

"How do you plan to get us out? Are you going to put us into someone else's body?" the Heavenly Fate Palace Lord asked.

Geom Mugeuk could have given them false hope by saying yes, but he didn't. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"It's just a premonition. If fate led me here, it must have been to lead you all out. If I succeed, I don't know whether you'll enter another's body, be reborn, or go to heaven or hell. Only the gods would know."

Hyeok Docheon's expression hardened. "I will undoubtedly go to hell. In that case, it might be better to remain in this body."

The same was true for the Heavenly Fate Palace Lord and Ju Gasin.

Geom Mugeuk smiled. "I believe that, at the very least, none of you will go to hell."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because you've already been trapped in hell for three hundred years."

"!" A heavy silence fell over the place.

Geom Mugeuk spoke again. "I can't presume to know what kind of lives you've lived for the past three hundred years, or what you're thinking now. I won't force anyone who doesn't want to go. If you choose to stay… you will either spend this life with the Celestial Killer Star, or you will die with him today."

He meant their fate would be decided by the outcome of this battle.

The Heavenly Fate Palace Lord asked suspiciously, "How can we believe you can pull this off?"

"There's no need to doubt or worry beforehand. After all, if I fail to get out…" Geom Mugeuk let out a light sigh. "…You'll be able to nag me for the rest of your lives!"

Everyone nodded. The person in the biggest hurry was Geom Mugeuk himself.

The one who remained most active in helping him was the Divine Sword Martial Emperor. "How can we help?" he asked.

Geom Mugeuk could feel it. The Divine Sword Martial Emperor wasn't helping because he wanted to leave this place. He was helping with the pure intention of enabling him to escape.

At first, he had considered using the Swift Step to run around and search for the counter, but finding it in this vast place within two hours would not be an easy task. So he instead asked for everyone to be gathered here.

If fate truly led me here, doesn't that mean I'm supposed to receive help from these souls? Yes, instead of trying to do it alone, I should accept their help.

"Is there any strange place inside here? A place that stands out, or has something special about it that you can't quite identify."

"As you saw on your way here, this whole place is full of strange things," the Divine Sword Martial Emperor answered.

Geom Mugeuk's eyes widened in realization. "Then I should ask the opposite. Is there any place that isn't special?"

Everyone tried to recall if such a place existed. Having been here for so long, it was surprisingly difficult to think of one.

Just then, the one person who hadn't said a single word since meeting Geom Mugeuk here, who rarely revealed his thoughts or feelings, making it impossible to know if he even wanted to leave this place—Ju Gasin calmly regarded Geom Mugeuk and said, "There is such a place. This place has been changing ever since we arrived, but… there is one place that has remained exactly the same from the very beginning."