Chapter 846: I Want to Achieve It Slowly

TL: FoodieMonster007

Geom Mugeuk unleashed his full power in the duel against his father. He had to, whether he wanted to or not.

SWOOOOSH!

His father's attacks were, without exaggeration, fiercer than Hwa Mugi's.

'Father, it's me, your son! I'm not the enemy, I'm not the Celestial Killer Star!' he wanted to yell, but he didn't have the luxury to joke. A moment's loss of focus meant certain death. Geom Woojin had reverted to the heartless father he once was, the same man who had fired a finger qi bullet at his son's face when they first went hiking.

Considering the purpose of this training, these deadly attacks were only natural. This duel was a form of training that demanded an extraordinary mindset beyond mere skill. It was a fight where lethal techniques were rampant, yet they could not harm each other. This required an extreme level of concentration and judgment that only Geom Woojin and Geom Mugeuk were capable of.

The exchange between father and son was a series of correct and incorrect answers. His father would attack as if to say, 'This is the answer,' and Geom Mugeuk would block it as if to say, 'That is the wrong answer.' Then another attack would come, as if asking, 'Then this must be the answer?' and Geom Mugeuk would desperately prove it wrong.

Of course, this was only between the two of them. To anyone else, every one of those moves was a correct attack.

Geom Mugeuk desperately dodged his father's attacks. He probably wouldn't die from an attack of this level, not unless he failed to meet the standard his father had set…

Actually, I might really die!

When their first duel inside the Spacetime Manipulation Technique ended, Geom Woojin noticed a change in his son. "You didn't just gain inner qi!"

His son's skills had clearly improved. Beyond Geom Mugeuk's mastery of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, which rose from the tenth to the eleventh star, his son's overall knowledge of martial theory and proficiency had grown.

Geom Mugeuk nodded. "I obtained not only the masters' life qi and inner qi, but also all the martial arts they had mastered."

It was a gift from the heavens. He had instantly received the mastery each of them had achieved in their lifetimes. He could even use their martial arts.

Normally, someone who learned a demonic art could not use the martial arts of the orthodox or unorthodox sects because the fundamental nature of their inner qi was different. However, as the many types of life qi and inner qi merged, he could now use all the martial arts he had obtained.

This meant that in the future, he could easily pose as a member of the orthodox or unorthodox when he went out into the murim.

Geom Woojin raised his sword again. "Come on, again!" he commanded, even as he wondered how many times he would have to say this before his son was ready to leave.

The two of them lunged at each other.

WHOOSH!

Their movements were as fast as light, yet outside, an insect flew even more slowly than a snail, heading for the lantern.

"Am I still drunk?" The Drunken Demon looked out the window and blinked in surprise. "Didn't you just say we were entering the Demon Village?"

The driver was just as surprised. His voice trembled as he looked around in bewilderment, but he answered the Drunken Demon's question. "That's right, this is the Demon Village."

"Stop the carriage."

When the Drunken Demon's carriage stopped, the others behind it also came to a halt. The Drunken Demon got out, followed by the Demonic Buddha and the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme. They were all equally astonished.

The three Demon Supremes exchanged glances. They had already heard from the All-Knowing Hall that the Celestial Killer Star had been defeated, but not that the Demon Village had been annihilated in the process.

Was the fight really this fierce?

Behind them, the Ghost Shadow Squad on horseback and the large carriages carrying the Demonic Army also stopped. Among them, the most shocked person was Lee Ahn. She knew better than anyone how important this place was to Geom Mugeuk.

Young Cult Leader!

Where the Demon Village had vanished, cultists and laborers were preparing for construction. They divided the area into zones, discussing what kind of buildings to erect and where.

The cultists and laborers recognized the Demon Supremes and bowed respectfully.

The First Young Lord, Geom Muyang walked out from their midst. Head Strategist Sama Myeong had appointed him to oversee the rebuilding of the Demon Village, as his meticulous nature made him better suited for such practical tasks than Geom Mugeuk.

"First Young Lord!" the Demonic Buddha greeted.

"Demonic Buddha!" Geom Muyang exchanged greetings with the three Demon Supremes. Lee Ahn and Jang Ho also came and greeted him.

Geom Muyang first checked on the Demon Supremes. "Are your injuries alright?"

"We're all fine."

"That's a relief."

The Demonic Buddha asked worriedly, "What happened here?"

"As you may have heard, the Cult Leader defeated the Celestial Killer Star here. Don't worry though, the Cult Leader and all the residents of the Demon Village are safe."

Lee Ahn then asked in a trembling voice, "What about the Young Cult Leader? Is he okay?"

While waiting for the answer. her heart pounded so hard she thought it might burst. If a situation had occurred where the entire Demon Village was about to be blown away, Geom Mugeuk would have tried to stop it no matter what. She was worried that he might have been injured in the process.

Fortunately, that was not the case.

"The Young Cult Leader is also safe."

"Phew!" Lee Ahn sighed in relief.

Geom Muyang delivered surprising news to the Demon Supremes. "Father and Mugeuk have entered joint seclusion training yesterday."

Everyone was startled by the words 'joint seclusion training'. They had never heard of a Cult Leader and a Young Cult Leader doing such a thing before.

"Could it be?" the Demonic Buddha asked cautiously, worried they were using 'joint seclusion training' as a cover for treating injuries.

Geom Muyang read the Demonic Buddha's concern and smiled. "It's not what you're thinking. There's nothing to worry about."

Only then did the Demonic Buddha and everyone else feel relieved.

"You must be tired from your long journey. Please, go and get some rest."

The Demonic Buddha boarded the carriage. "If it's only the second day, the cult will be quiet for a while!"

The Drunken Demon urged his driver, "Let's go. I can smell the liquor I stored in the Drunken Dream Palace all the way from here."

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme said nothing, but she wanted to see the Young Cult Leader more than ever. She had, after all, safely finished the battle as his first Demon Supreme.

And so, the carriages carrying the injured Demon Supreme trio sped toward Headquarters.

Lee Ahn stood for a moment, looking at the spot where the Alluring Inn used to be. A hint of regret crossed her face.

She felt immense relief that the Cult Leader and Geom Mugeuk were safe, but the Demon Village's destruction was a huge shame. The Alluring Inn, in particular, held many memories for her.

She remembered drinking with Geom Mugeuk. She had gotten drunk and he had carried her on his back. She also recalled the drinking gatherings with Seo Daeryong and Jang Ho. It had felt so good to drink at the very place where they had achieved the tripartite meeting.

She felt a pang of regret that she had not come more often. She had been too busy lately, and after Seo Daeryong got married, they had not been able to have any drinking gatherings at all.

Just then, Jang Ho came and stood beside her. "Commander Lee, don't be too disheartened."

Lee Ahn nodded. "When this place is rebuilt, shall we resume our drinking gatherings, General Jang?"

"Sounds good to me."

After promising to meet again, the large carriages belonging to the Demonic Army also departed.

Lee Ahn was about to tell her subordinates to leave when she saw Cha Yiran staring at something, so she walked over to her division captain's side. "What are you looking at?"

"I'm watching a scene that portrays me as the evil leader who stands in the way of love."

Lee Ahn followed Cha Yiran's gaze. The person Cha Yiran was watching was the Seventeenth Bridge, who was staring at a young man standing among the laborers. The look they shared was incredibly affectionate.

Of course, the man was the Crescent Moon Faceless Warrior. He had already taken off his mask and shown her his face. Having heard she had almost arrived, he had been waiting for her among the laborers. Since only a few close associates knew about their relationship, they were meeting secretly.

"These two are making me green with envy," Cha Yiran grumbled.

Lee Ahn smiled. "They say that even during a war, children are born and smoke rises from cooking rice, don't they?"

Cha Yiran sighed, "Commander, are you trying to annoy me too?"

"Look who's talking."

The two women looked at each other and smiled.

"It's really over now," Lee Ahn added, looking around. "Completely and utterly."

When thinking about the masterminds behind this incident, her first thought was of Geom Mugeuk. The first time he had left the cult, she was so worried that she focused solely on her martial arts training. It was to the point where one could say she had reached her current level of skill thanks to that.

She looked at Cha Yiran. "How do you feel?"

This fight's end must hold great significance for Cha Yiran, just as it did for her.

"Relieved," Cha Yiran replied. She felt as if she had cast off shackles she had worn for a long time. The darkness connected to her was completely severed, and her new life was just beginning. She said to her division members, "You're all dismissed. Get a good rest today!"

She dismissed them for the sake of the Seventeenth Bridge—a kind gesture that allowed the couple, who clearly wanted to be together, some extra time alone.

"How about a drink later, with just us leaders?"

Lee Ahn nodded. "Sounds good."

If life was something so fragile that it could vanish overnight like this… then she decided she wouldn't put things off anymore.

Two days had passed since father and son entered the Spacetime Manipulation Technique. A considerable amount of time had passed inside.

Geom Mugeuk's boast of leaving before morning crumbled in the face of the difficulty of reaching the twelfth star. How could something like that be so easy?

The training continued. Some days they sparred with the Nine Calamities Demonic Art; other days, with the Soaring Sky Sword Art; and still other days, with the most basic swordsmanship.

Whenever they grew accustomed to each other's sword styles, his father would unleash a powerful move. It was a terrifying attack, enough to make him think, I'm going to die at this rate!

Having survived another near-death experience, Geom Mugeuk announced, "Father, it's time to eat."

"Alright, let's eat."

SNAP!

Geom Mugeuk snapped his fingers, and a dining table appeared in a field overlooking a beautiful lakeside. For every meal, he created various beautiful locations for his father.

Geom Woojin sighed, "Don't waste your inner qi on pointless things!"

"I can't do that. Even if it means using one less technique later, you must have a proper meal."

Geom Mugeuk brought a few dishes from the pile of food stacked to one side and set the table. The person responsible for providing food from the outside was Hwi.

Earlier, he had briefly come out to grab a large amount of food and had asked Hwi to continuously bring provisions to the spot where the Spacetime Manipulation Technique was deployed. He could have taken several months' worth of meals inside at once, but then his father would have had to eat only dried foods like jerky.

That was why Geom Mugeuk had food from the Heavenly Demon Hall's cook continuously brought to this place. He had told Hwi the truth, that time flowed differently in the deployed space, so a lot of food was needed.

This, for two full days, Hwi had brought food as soon as the Heavenly Demon Hall's cook prepared it, and the food would disappear the moment it was placed there.

"Today's food is really delicious. Your cook really showed off his skills."

"That poor man must be going through a lot of trouble, cooking without rest."

"What choice is there? He'll just have to suffer for a few days."

"Can you even get out in a few days?"

"Seriously, how did you ever achieve something this difficult, Father?"

Food was not the only thing Geom Mugeuk was attentive to. He made time pass inside the Spacetime Manipulation Technique just as it did outside. The sun would rise and set, night would come, and dawn would break.

This too was for his father. He himself was young and could live hectically, but if his father lived like that for a long period, it would cause health problems. He made sure his father slept when it was time to sleep and kept to a precise meal schedule.

Geom Woojin knew that creating a nearly perfect day within this space was something only an absolute master like his son could do. He was inwardly moved by the brat's consideration, but he did not show it.

After they finished their meal, Geom Mugeuk clicked his fingers again and turned the surroundings into a walking path. Some days it was a beautiful bamboo forest, and on others, it was the trail on the Great Sky Peak. On still other days, it would become a snow-covered path no one had walked on but his past self. It was a path that had been so lonely when he walked it alone, but now he walked it with his father.

Geom Mugeuk loved this time with his father. In truth, he didn't care if he mastered the twelfth star of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art. This time with his father was simply too precious.

He knew better than anyone how quickly this time, which felt like it would last forever, could pass in an instant, and that one could only realize how brilliant a moment was after it had already passed.

After their walk, they would have their evening training. In the evenings, rather than practical training, they mostly discussed martial theory.

"Among the Heavenly Fate Palace Lord's martial arts, there is a technique called the Twelve Reincarnations. When this technique is performed, the movement of qi is different from other martial arts. This technique begins its qi from the Junggeuk acupoint…"

Geom Mugeuk hoped this precious time would not end with him just teaching his father. His father had reached the twelfth star, but the path of martial arts was endless. His father could still reach another realm.

That was why he discussed the various enlightenments he had gained from the martial arts of the Divine Sword Martial Emperor, Ju Gasin, and the Heavenly Fate Palace Lord with his father. He generously shared it all, confident that when that knowledge went to his father and returned, it came back imbued with an even deeper understanding of martial arts.

When the evening training was over, Geom Mugeuk would change the space to night. Moreover, to ensure Geom Woojin could sleep in the most comfortable and familiar place, he recreated his father's room exactly as it was.

Of course, he could not replicate it perfectly, but with his excellent memory, he made it roughly similar. He even put up the drawing of him with his brother and did not forget the doll on the display cabinet.

The only thing different was that next to his father's large bed, he placed a bed for himself.

The few words exchanged with his father just before falling asleep were also wonderful. He would ask about his father's days as the Young Cult Leader and about the Demon Supremes, though it was mostly him talking to himself without getting a response.

However, neither of them, not his father nor himself, brought up the topic of world domination.

"Go to sleep!"

"Goodnight, Father. Thank you for today as well." Geom Mugeuk snapped his fingers, and the surroundings grew dark.

Geom Woojin snorted. "Tomorrow will be even harder!"

Geom Mugeuk could tell his father had no intention of leaving until he mastered the twelfth star.

Please don't push me too hard. We're having such a great time together! I want to achieve the twelfth star slowly, even if it takes just one more day.