Chapter 278: Heart to Heart (1)

The final place prepared by the Heavenly Demon Founder.

There, the first disciple Yoo Jeon was steadying his mind while wiping his sword with oil-soaked cloth.

In that moment, Yoo Jeon sensed someone’s presence and turned his head.

“Master.”

“Yes.”

The Heavenly Demon Founder, Cheon Yuseong, approached Yoo Jeon.

He sat down beside Yoo Jeon with a thud and spoke.

“The end is finally upon us.”

“Yes, it is.”

Yoo Jeon bowed his head quietly.

Having cut ties with the world, they had spent a thousand years in a paradise of only eight.

That time was now drawing to an end with the arrival of the youngest disciple.

The Heavenly Demon Founder, looking toward the distant sea, spoke.

“After rebuilding the destroyed Cult, I feared being devoured by fate… that’s why I created this place with you all.”

Though he had grown a beard and now looked rather stern, Yoo Jeon saw that his master’s essence had remained unchanged through the years.

“…Do you regret it?”

The Heavenly Demon Founder gave a bitter smile.

“Not at all. If anything, I feel pity for the other me who couldn’t live this kind of life.”

A life severed from all lingering attachments and duties was unimaginably peaceful.

But even that life was now coming to an end.

“Heavenly Evil’s full revival isn’t far off.”

The Heavenly Demon Founder let out a faint sigh.

“Fate truly is cruel. No matter how desperately you try to resist it, it disregards all effort and closes in relentlessly.”

“The junior disciple will manage just fine.”

“I should hope so…”

In the distance, a great storm of qi raged.

There, the fourth disciple, Jin Gwanchun, was exchanging fierce blows with the youngest disciple.

As he watched the scene, the Heavenly Demon Founder suddenly turned to Yoo Jeon and asked,

“So you’ve finally decided not to accept Seoyeon’s feelings?”

The unexpected question struck Yoo Jeon off guard, leaving him speechless.

Only after a long pause did he open his mouth hesitantly.

“You know already, don’t you? The youngest… no, Seoyeon is—”

“She’s practically someone you raised yourself.”

Ma Seoyeon, having gone through an extremely harsh childhood, wasn’t the kind of child who needed much fussing over.

But the journey to the Central Plains had been grueling, and to the inexperienced Ma Seoyeon, Yoo Jeon’s presence had become indispensable.

Father and daughter.

That was how not just Yoo Jeon, but all the other disciples saw the two.

“Once a relationship is firmly established, it’s not easy to overturn it.”

“……”

“Unless something like what happened to us outside occurs.”

Truthfully, Yoo Jeon still didn’t understand it.

Just how drastic a shift in fate must have occurred for their counterparts in the outer world to become so estranged.

“But isn’t our ending something that would count as more than just a minor event?”

Yoo Jeon couldn’t say a word.

He couldn’t organize his thoughts enough to offer a reply to his master’s words.

“The youngest seems to be plotting something for you and Seoyeon.”

“That’s…”

“I know. That you don’t feel that way about Seoyeon.”

Yoo Jeon closed his mouth again.

As he patted the shoulder of his grand disciple, the Heavenly Demon Founder continued.

“But not all love in this world begins as mutual. In most cases, it starts with one person working hard to change the other’s heart.”

It was the same with Jin Yeomyung and Cheon Yura.

The same with Cheon Haseong and Yoo Soo.

And though they didn’t know it, a thousand years ago, it had been the same between Yoo Jeon and the Grand Heavenly Lord.

“I’m not telling you to offer pity. But at the very least, I want you to be prepared to face her feelings and give her an answer.”

“Mas…ter.”

“Of course, even if we talk like this now, it won’t change your mind. You’re surprisingly stubborn.”

Yoo Jeon didn’t deny it.

“So, at least listen to what the youngest has to say.”

“……!”

“Since he was a complete outsider to us, he might be able to give a little push from an objective place.”

***

A small village located beneath Yoo Family’s Sacred Mountain.

So remote that even the local authorities barely paid it attention, the place was in an uproar due to an unexpected visit from esteemed guests.

Though to be precise, the chaos was caused more by the swarm of people accompanying those guests.

“Quickly, get that up the mountain!”

“That one piece is worth more than your yearly salary! Handle it carefully!”

Hundreds of men carried all kinds of construction materials and ritual tools up the mountain day after day.

The Bongseon Ritual was one of the most complex and resource-consuming ceremonies handed down through ancient tradition.

It was nothing like simply placing a few food offerings and bowing.

While everyone busily moved through their duties,

One among the esteemed guests had remained locked away in their quarters without any movement.

“Has Young Master Jin still not emerged?”

“That’s correct.”

Lord Baek Cheong let out a soft sigh.

“It’s been three days… even if he’s cultivating, wouldn’t he at least take a break? If only he left a message…”

But Gu Chil, who stood blocking the entrance, remained firm.

“Once the young master awakens, of course I’ll relay the message. But he said he entered seclusion after attaining a sudden enlightenment—how could a mere attendant like me disturb him?”

“……”

Even to the eyes of Lord Baek Cheong, the atmosphere from within felt anything but ordinary, a vortex of ominous energy swirling inside.

She didn’t know why it was lying meditation instead of sitting, but either way—

Sighing again, she finally said in resignation,

“In three more days, all preparations for the ritual will be complete. Before then, he must learn at least the basic outline to participate.”

“Hmm…”

“This is, in fact, the most important part…”

Hearing her next words, Gu Chil’s face hardened.

“Just yesterday, the one called Cheon Yujeong, who was accompanying Young Master Jin, suddenly vanished.”

“…What did you say?”

“It’s not a kidnapping. Not a single guard from the Golden Guards assigned to surveillance was harmed.”

That meant…

“Considering that woman’s martial prowess, slipping away unnoticed wouldn’t have been difficult.”

Cheon Yujeong had now reached the peak of the Extreme Demon Realm.

Unless the Cheon Clan’s elite protectors, the Heavenly Tigers, personally intervened, it would have been nearly impossible to stop her if she intended to escape.

Gu Chil pressed a hand to his forehead.

“Damn it. I had a feeling something was brewing, but to think she’d really stir up trouble…”

He had already heard from Jin Yeomyung that Cheon Yujeong might be harboring other intentions.

But to act on it just a few days later?

“Just in case, strengthen the security around Young Master Jin. There’s a chance she might target him.”

“…Understood.”

After Lord Baek Cheong left—

“Sigh…”

Gu Chil let out a deep breath and opened the inner room of the quarters.

“Seriously, it’s not even poison. What on earth is happening to you, young master?”

There was no such thing as seclusion training taking place.

He had simply fallen asleep on the first day and hadn’t awakened since.

Gu Chil had tried all sorts of methods to uncover the cause, but even with all his knowledge, he couldn’t figure out why Jin Yeomyung remained unconscious.

Then it happened.

Buuuuung—

Suddenly, Jin Yeomyung’s body, which had been lying still, began floating into the air!

“…?!”

And then—

“W-What the hell is this?!”

Five radiant beams of light erupted from Jin Yeomyung’s body, and Gu Chil’s astonishment reached its peak.

***

I had spent ten whole days with Jin Gwanchun.

Surprisingly, even without much sparring, I ended up spending more time with him than with Ma Seoyeon—mostly because, as a fellow member of the Jin Clan, there was a lot of martial arts he could pass down to me.

After listening to the direct-line secret arts of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan, Jin Gwanchun stroked his chin.

“Hm, the overall framework hasn’t changed much. In fact, many parts have been refined over time.”

Jin Gwanchun showed a strong interest in the current martial arts of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan.

“But there’s also a lot that’s been lost. Especially the loss of the Heavenly Shadow Soft-Flowing Demonic Art is critical.”

The Heavenly Shadow Soft-Flowing Demonic Art he referred to was actually a higher-level technique derived from the foundational Baekryeon Demonic Camp Flow.

“If what you’re saying is true, then your younger brother, the Clain Heir, moves quite stiffly?”

“Yes. When I saw him about two years ago, he had improved quite a bit, but he’s still far from it.”

“Tsk! That technique was a demonic adaptation of the Indian Yoga Martial Art. A strong body must possess both hardness and flexibility. It was probably abandoned for not showing immediate destructive power. Typical short-sightedness, tsk!”

Jin Gwanchun grumbled as he cursed his descendants.

“Above all, to reach the fourth stage of the Asura Spirit, mastering the Heavenly Shadow Soft-Flowing Demonic Art is essential…”

“There’s a fourth stage of the Asura Spirit?”

“Why would I lie? You probably think the third stage, the Demonic Heavenly Body, is the last.”

I couldn’t deny it.

“Well, the name causes confusion, but the true final stage of the Asura Spirit is actually the Earth Saint Body.”

“Earth Saint Body…”

Suddenly, Jin Gwanchun scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin.

“Uh, to be honest, I myself haven’t entered the Earth Saint Body stage yet. I’ve only established the theory. I’d guess my main body has already mastered it.”

“……”

“Don’t give me that look, disciple. The truth is, the entry requirement for the Earth Saint Body is the mid-stage of the Transcendent Demon Realm. There’s no helping it.”

“…What?”

The mid-stage of the Transcendent Demon Realm?

If the requirement is that high, it’s almost inevitable that the Earth Saint Body would be forgotten entirely.

While I was still reeling in disbelief, Jin Gwanchun continued with a serious tone.

“You learned the Demon Sword from Junior Martial Sister Ma, right? Since it’s the ‘final’ technique, you needed to inherit its core essence.”

“…Yes.”

“Well, the Earth Saint Body is in the same vein. If Junior Martial Sister Ma sought to transcend the demon with her sword, I tried to surpass the limits of existence with this body itself.”

“…!”

In other words, the Earth Saint Body—the final stage of the Asura Spirit—was Jin Gwanchun’s alternative answer to reaching the Supreme Demon Realm?

“I’ll be honest. Your physique isn’t nearly qualified to fully master the Asura Spirit.”

I bowed my head gloomily at those words.

No matter how much I had inherited the swordsmanship and breakthroughs of others…

At the core, I was still of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan.

To hear such words from the very founder of that Jin Clan wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience.

“But at the very least, you can compare your direction. It’ll surely help you forge your path ahead.”

“I will humbly accept the transmission.”

Seeing my humble attitude, Jin Gwanchun nodded in satisfaction.

“And… I will seriously consider your suggestion, junior brother.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother.”

I, too, gave a soft smile and cupped my fists respectfully toward Jin Gwanchun.

Ten days passed like that.

After parting with Jin Gwanchun, I stepped into the third domain.

“Yo, junior brother! Looks like I’m the one in charge of the third this time.”

“S-Senior Brother.”

Among the seven senior disciples, the man whose appearance I found hardest to get used to—

Sa Gumhui was waiting for me.

He looked at me with an apologetic expression and said,

“To be honest, I’m probably the one who can pass on the least to you among the senior disciples. Especially when it comes to essence. Maybe just a few tricks or so.”

“I understand.”

What Sa Gumhui, the Golden Demon God, had cultivated was none other than Thunder Art.

Thunder Art was fundamentally of a different nature compared to ordinary martial arts.

Moreover, the method of cultivation was so difficult and time-consuming that in order for me to train in Thunder Art, I would have had to abandon the Hyuncheon Divine Art I was currently practicing.

At that moment—

“Hm, it really pains me that I’m the only one who can’t give you something. It’s not much of a replacement, but… should I tell you the locations of a few treasure vaults I hid during my life?”

“……!!!”

“It’s been a thousand years, but I hid them in some pretty deep places. If you’re lucky, there’s a lot worth recovering.”

“H-How much did you hide?”

At my question, Sa Gumhui tilted his head slightly.

“Uh… by the value back then… probably around ten thousand gwan in gold?”

He casually let out an absurd number.

“……”

I gaped in disbelief.

The sum was so astronomical I couldn’t even speak.

With that amount, even draining an entire country’s treasury wouldn’t be enough!

“Ah, it’s not all gold… there were lots of refined jewels, luminous pearls, valuable statues, secret scrolls, and divine weapons and artifacts. Still, I did stack gold bars like mountains.”

“W-Where in the world did you get that kind of wealth?”

“Well, you see…”

The words that followed from Sa Gumhui were truly shocking.

When the nation called Northern Zhou fell in the past, Sa Gumhui and his master, the Heavenly Demon Founder, had truly looted the royal treasury of that country!

On top of that, he had also plundered massive amounts from places across the outer lands and the Central Plains.

It had been a time when the world was in chaos—though that hardly excused it!

“Even though a portion of it was used to rebuild the fallen Sun and Moon Divine Sect, I’d collected so much that…”

“Senior Brother.”

“Y-Yes?”

“I respect you.”

I sincerely clasped Sa Gumhui’s hand.

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