Chapter 158 – The Realm Beyond The Demon (5)

The time when the moon turned visible.

It looked like it would rain, so there were no stars in the sky.

The Earth Demon’s expression as he looked out the window looked serious.

Behind him after looking at him for a long time came a subordinate.

“They say everyone has arrived.”

“I will listen.”

The man left and three others came in.

The Earth Demon opened his mouth standing in front of the window.

“…How are the preparations going?”

Shh

The tallest of the three came ahead and spoke.

It was Seo Saeng.

“The captain is ready. He is used to the foundation and is familiar with the terrain and any possible variables. Also, since he earned a decent amount of time, he can carry out this mission at any time the order is given.”

“Is that true?”

The Earth Demon turned around and asked with a surprised face.

He too, hadn’t expected Seol-Hwi to rise in level in such a rapid manner.

“Yes, I do think so.”

The Earth Demon no longer doubted his words.

If they were the words of Seo Saeng, then he was sure of it. It was because he was the one in charge of staff roles and assessing their personnel.

“And…”

The Earth Demon turned to the side.

Baek Yu and Eun Geum bowed to him.

“A little underwhelming, but… I think they will be able to achieve the results somehow because they have things which work for them.”

“You all worked so hard.”

The Earth Demon bowed in gratitude and looked at the darkness outside the window.

He looked at it for a long while.

“If we look at this situation, we can carry it out as soon as possible, even as early as tomorrow. For now, you can head back and rest.”

“We understand.”

The three men bowed to him and turned around as they shut the door.

Clack!

The Earth Demon opened his mouth.

“…Have something to say?”

Unlike Baek Yu and Eun Geum, Seo Saeng didn’t leave.

“That is…”

The old man paused for a moment.

As the Earth Demon stared at him, he coughed as he said,

“It is about the Heavenly Events Order’s captain.”

“Did something go wrong?”

“Not wrong per se, but I thought it should be reported right away.”

“…?”

As he continued to stare, Seo Saeng opened his mouth.

“The captain has achieved enlightenment… it seems that the side he ended up on is the side of genuine martial arts.”

“What do you mean?”

His expression changed as the orthodox’s side was spoken of.

Seeing that reaction, Seo Saeng thought that he should speak of it slowly, and cautiously too.

“That… there is the martial arts taught in Hidden Truth Corps, the Unified Elimination Demonic Martial Arts?”

“Right… true.”

“The original form of the martial arts was on the side of justice, the orthodox side. The Earth Demon must know.”

“Right. I know. Although it is of a taoist sect they were known to be ferocious, so their martial arts were treated as a bad sign.”

“Yes, originally the martial art was taken and modified to what our sect could use, but the original belonged to their side. And it seems like our captain had a realization on their side.”

“Uh?”

The Earth Demon titled his head when he had to continue.

“Probably… the reason for this is he has infused the martial arts too thoroughly into his body.”

“Is that possible? Do you have any proof to say that this happened due to that?”

“This is the only explanation I could give. This afternoon, the captain achieved his own enlightenment.”

“…!”

Earth Demon’s eyes widened in surprise.

The peak of Unified Elimination Demonic Martial Arts can be reached when they crossed over the Super Master level.

And with the orthodox sect which devised the martial arts having been annihilated, there was no successor to it.

In the ruins of the sect, one person found the treasure, this martial art which was less than half of its original and then decided to use that as the martial arts within the demonic sect.

However, as it went through several rounds of modifications, its originality had disappeared. That way, one could never fully master it properly.

How should he accept this?

“A genius. Not the kind of person who comes out once in ten years but a genius who comes out once in a thousand years. Like you, Fourth Disciple.”

“…”

One cannot think of it in any other way.

There are many people who do not understand the principle of martial arts despite being taught it. This is why one needed a teacher who could correct them and guide them in the right way.

However, Seol-Hwi learned the martial art which had been changed many times over and somehow returned it to the ancient form which was actually originally practiced.

So there was no other way to explain this other than him being a genius.

“Hmm… it is amazing, but why are you reporting this to me?”

When the Earth Demon asked, Seo Saeng bowed his head.

“Because this feels so unreasonable. The captain who lacked anything to make him outstanding before, decided to immerse himself into one basic technique which is being taught and suddenly masters it to rise to a higher level.”

“Hmm.”

The paths of the Demonic Sect and Sects of Justice are different.

Depending on which side’s martial arts are learned, the nature and level of skills are different.

In particular, from the start of Super Master level, one needs to have a clear change in direction. In the case of the Demonic Sect, the first step to overcome it is right at the start of Peak Demon and then one paves the way to achieve Supreme Demon.

In the Forces of Justice, the Peak Demon is called the Initial God, and the Supreme Demon is called the Superior God.

“I know that the ones with demonic attributes cannot learn the martial arts of the orthodox side. So how did he manage to… maybe there is a secret hidden within the technique?”

In analogous terms, it is like putting in the blood of a beast into a weak person. The demonic attributes react violently in a person. The body it rejects kills the person or causes a strange change for them.

However, Seol-Hwi, who has grown to be a member of the Demonic Sect, has mastered a martial art of a sect of the orthodox side, an ancient one nonetheless.

“Ah, that is your misunderstanding. Because our Heavenly Events Order’s captain was never suitable for our demonic attribute.”

“Uh?!”

This time, Seo Saeng’s eyes widened.

A person in the Demonic Sect who was not used to the demonic attribute?

“I was a bit skeptical at first. With his constitution that didn’t accept our attribute he was learning martial arts of our sect. However, I agreed when he said he was a disciple to Cheon Miryo.”

“Cheon Miryo… She is his master?”

Seo Saeng couldn’t believe the new things he was only just finding out about now.

The history of the Demonic Sect.

Even if the body didn’t suit him, he had been dealing with and learning demonic martial arts.

One of them is the White Light Demonic Arts which deals with yin.

The properties of yin and yang, right and wrong colliding.

And until now, it was considered as a theory…

“Trainer Seo Saeng.”

“Yes.”

“The order will come, so make sure to have them ready by tomorrow.”

“Yes, lord.”

Seo Saeng bowed his head.

Eliminating Wu-Tian Pavilion’s people.

All the preparations were now complete. Now was the time for the order to be given.

“I see it now.”

The Earth Demon turned and stood in front of the window when the dark clouds passed by the yellow moon.

“Great sahyung might be a bit flustered.”

The First Disciple. Perhaps he will be furious and run around.

But that is good too.

He will turn the battlefield into a festive venue by inviting the other disciples as well.

The Fourth Disciple, he himself didn’t see himself as a competitor.

Seol-Hwi was in the room after a long time.

Recently, he had been away from the room for a few days as he was immersed in his thoughts, so he didn’t come, but the room was clean.

“Phew.”

Seol-Hwi, who came in after a bath, sat on the chair to rest for a moment.

He glanced around the room looking happy.

A clean and tidy room. It was the first time since he was born that such a good place was given to him. And he was someone who liked to bathe often.

However, when his skills were low, such luxuries like bathing were not allowed to him, and when they were, he had to run for survival.

Seol-Hwi, who was seated, got up and stood in front of the mirror.

Was it because the turn based system disappeared?

The phrase Coin 2 was no longer visible.

Two chances.

Even if he dies, he has one more chance, and that was comforting for Seol-Hwi.

Recently, he felt at ease as he hadn’t experienced death for a while.

Can I actually kill the Supreme Pavilion Lord?

If he took it into serious consideration, it did seem like it was possible.

He reached the level of Peak Demon beyond the mid stage.

Even if Seol-Hwi was a beginner to this level, if he used his skills with all his might, he might have a chance.

But is that all?

After killing the Supreme Pavilion Lord, what kind of opponent will come next? Who will he then have to face?

“Are you here?”

Just then came the familiar voice and Seol-Hwi asked them to come in.

The one who came through the door.

“Haha. Master, no, captain.”

It was Imugi.

He greeted Seol-Hwi with a bright face.

“Right, come sit down.”

Seol-Hwi pointed to the chair and started pouring a cup of tea.

“What brought you here in the middle of the night?”

“Well, I came here because I wanted to see the face of the captain. We haven’t seen each other in the last few days, right?”

“…I had work.”

“It seemed like it. But today, did you go up?”

“It looks like it… to be honest I am not sure. I do not feel any different than my body feeling a little lighter.”

“That much should be enough. If it is master, you can subdue the Supreme Pavilion Lord at once.”

After a couple of words, Seol-Hwi changed the topic.

“So what is it?”

“You see.”

Imugi opened his mouth with a serious expression,

“Nothing much. I have been thinking about this for the past few days… I thought I should head to the central plains and rest for a couple of months.”

“…?”

“Ah! Do not misunderstand this! A warrior also needs rest. To soothe the body, gain information, and have delicious food. After that I will diligently focus on the training…”

“It was you?”

“…Uh?”

Seol-Hwi clicked his tongue as he looked at Imugi.

“Recently there were rumors that weapons and medicine were missing from the warehouse. I was wondering who would sell it and turn that into money… So the culprit is you?”

Seol-Hwi’s eyes looked bitter which made Imugi look down.

“A-A little bit. It wasn’t much…”

“It happened. But that isn’t the problem.”

Seol-Hwi didn’t scold him as he knew his personality.

It was something else he was worried about.

“If you go to the central plains, I know you aren’t going to have delicious food. How many people are you going to kill?”

“Ah, I guess the captain didn’t hear it, I let go of such an obsession.”

“You did?”

“Yes, I use the martial arts which elder Baekhon gave me, and I can fully control the runaway of yang energy in my body.”

“…For real?”

“Yes! You should ask the others. They said I am good and very…”

Imugi who was talking went silent after looking at Seol-Hwi who was silently staring at him.

“So no?”

“Well, there is no need for that.”

“…You mean it?”

“Right, instead…”

He instead smiled as he said,

“To send you alone, I will add Jeok Song with you.”

“No! Going there with him is a bit weird.”

“Why?”

“Because he is no fun. I cannot speak and I feel like I will suffocate at this, more than anything…”

“…?”

Imugi hesitated for a moment like he had to say something, but in the end he could not stop himself.

“He is ugly.”

“…”

“Look at how he looks. Women will not come! If you want to stick me with someone, I’d rather have Yorim with…”

“So you didn’t give up on that habit either.”

“Ah, I didn’t mean it like…”

Seol-Hwi looked at him for a long time.

“Fine. I will think about it, go.”

“Yes, Captain! Please think in a positive manner!”

He spoke brightly as he disappeared with that same speed.

Seeing that, Seol-Hwi smiled unknowingly.

And–

Immediately got up as he looked at the ceiling.

It was because of this–

Because of combat method <Free>

“Now, shall I call him?”

The first thing he tried to do when he reached Peak Demon–

It was to meet the guy who had helped him come this far.

At the thought of meeting him again, Seol-Hwi’s heart raced loudly.