The situation was becoming clearer.
The expedition team that ascended the Great Mountain had undoubtedly been annihilated.
However, among the demons guarding the mountain, there must have been survivors.
The Ten Thousand Great Mountains were practically their stronghold.
Thus, it would not be strange if someone witnessed Cheongmyeong beheading the Heavenly Demon there.
"Damn it!"
Cheongmyeong threw the paper he had been holding.
The ones he needed to know about were all dead, and those he should not have seen had witnessed it.
What kind of ridiculous situation was this!
Jogul flinched and stepped back.
"Why are you suddenly angry…"
"Ugh."
Cheongmyeong rubbed his face. 'Calm down.' It was not the time to be angry in front of Jogul.
Anger could be expressed later.
"So the demon sect came in and wiped out the volcano?"
"It seems the damage wasn't too severe. They must have consumed a lot of energy coming through Sichuan to Shaanxi. But I heard that many of the pavilions were burned down. And a lot of martial arts techniques were lost as well."
That made sense.
No matter how poorly the news was conveyed, if there had been secret techniques, this kind of situation would not have occurred.
Even if it was hellishly difficult to learn martial arts without the guidance of a master, it was still a hundred times better than having nothing.
If even those secret techniques were lost, then the rapid downfall of the volcano could be explained.
"It makes sense, but…"
Why did it feel so unsatisfying and infuriating despite the clear explanation?
"Ugh. I get it for now."
Cheongmyeong staggered to his feet.
"Where are you going?"
"…For a walk. I need to clear my head for a bit."
"Sasook will come to check soon. If you get scolded, it's not my fault."
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks."
Jogul shook his head as he watched Cheongmyeong leave, as if he couldn't understand. 'He's such a strange guy.'
"Crazy."
Anger boiled inside him.
Damn it, how could this happen! He risked his life, literally putting everything on the line to behead the Heavenly Demon, only for others to reap the benefits while the volcano was destroyed? What kind of ridiculous outcome was this? Was there no such thing as karma in this world?
The more he thought about it, the more his insides twisted.
"Hah…"
Now, even seeing the pitiful state of these people made it hard to get truly angry.
After all, it was all because of Cheongmyeong; what could he say?
"No. What kind of loyalty do demons have!"
If the Heavenly Demon was dead, they should just cower in a corner and live quietly.
Instead, they came all the way to Shaanxi seeking revenge.
If the volcano had been closer to Sichuan, it would have been completely uprooted.
"This can't be called fortunate."
Only his precious hair had been pulled out in frustration.
"Hah."
Still, sitting alone on the eaves and watching the darkening sky, he felt a bit of his heart relax. 'That's how the world works.'
The real reason Cheongmyeong was so annoyed was not that his actions harmed the volcano.
He was angry because the consequences of his actions were being borne entirely by those who came after him.
If Cheongmyeong had to endure the aftermath of his actions while alive, he would have gladly accepted it.
But he was dead, and his innocent young disciples were the ones suffering the consequences.
Thinking of the current state of the volcano as the price for that made it hard to calm his boiling anger.
"Tsk. What can I do?"
No one could blame Cheongmyeong.
Although the volcano faced dire consequences because he killed the Heavenly Demon, if he hadn’t done so, not just the volcano but the entire Central Plains would have collapsed.
Cheongmyeong had no choice.
Even if he could go back to that moment, he would unhesitatingly behead the Heavenly Demon again.
But…
"It feels oddly uncomfortable."
Cheongmyeong let out a deep sigh.
"Ah, there's nothing I can do about the past. If it has fallen, I just need to rebuild it!"
Whether he was responsible or not didn’t matter.
Regardless, his task remained the same, didn’t it? He just needed to revive the volcano.
"Thinking about it won’t change anything. As long as the outcome is good, that’s all that matters!"
If he could restore it to an even greater strength than before, that would suffice.
It might be impossible for others, but it was possible for Cheongmyeong.
A bit difficult, yes.
No, perhaps much more difficult.
In terms of difficulty, it might even be harder than beheading the Heavenly Demon, but what mattered was that it was possible.
'I'm feeling anxious.'
For someone training, impatience is poison.
There is a difference between moving quickly and trying to rush forward.
One must reflect on oneself and advance without haste.
"Alright, first, I need to calm my mind."
First, aside from the lost martial arts, he needed to find out what else had been destroyed.
To do that, it was best to ask someone.
"Where's the sect leader! Come out now!"
Yes.
First, the sect leader… No, wait, did I just say that? Cheongmyeong widened his eyes and turned his head toward the sound.
'The main gate?'
From the distant main gate came a ruckus. 'At this hour?' The sun was setting.
But visitors at this time? No, what did I just say?
"Sect leader, come out!"
Ah, right.
Sect leader…
"Sect leader?"
Cheongmyeong rubbed his ears in disbelief.
"What did I just hear?"
The sect leader is coming out? 'No, who the hell is this madman?' Who dares to barge into the volcano and call for the sect leader so arrogantly? In the past, this would have been unimaginable.
Before such brazen words could be uttered, a fist would have been shoved into their mouth.
But it seemed the ones at the door had no awareness of the gravity of their actions.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The loud knocking on the door echoed.
At the same time, the door, barely holding its shape, began to rattle as if it would break.
"Wh-what?"
Kuuung!
The main door finally let out a loud noise and fell backward.
The door collapsed to the ground, shattering into pieces and sending dust flying everywhere.
Cheongmyeong stared blankly at the scene. 'They broke the door?' The main door of the volcano? What on earth was happening?
"Let’s go in!"
A dozen people who had broken the door rushed inside.
Then, they all dashed straight toward the sect leader's residence in a straight line.
Their synchronized movements suggested they had done this many times before.
The commotion startled the disciples, who rushed out in alarm.
"Wait a moment!"
"You can't do this!"
But the intruders were relentless.
"Get out of the way! Are you not moving?"
"Call the sect leader out!"
"Huh? Did you just touch me?"
Cheongmyeong's eyes widened. 'What is going on here?' He felt no martial arts energy from those who had barged in.
Yet, the disciples seemed to struggle to block their path.
Every time a large man pushed forward, the disciples were sent flying as if hit by cannon fire.
It wasn’t that they were weak.
Absolutely not! There was a resolute will not to clash with these intruders, no matter what.
"Uh…"
Before Cheongmyeong could grasp the situation, the intruders pushed past the disciples and reached the sect leader's residence.
"Sect leader! Come out now!"
"Don't run away, come out!"
"We know you're in there! We won't leave without you today, so come out immediately."
Cheongmyeong felt dizzy. 'Is what I'm seeing real?' Where was this? No matter how much it had fallen, this was the Great Volcano Sect! Yet, they were causing such a ruckus right in front of the sect leader's residence.
"Ugh!"
Veins bulged on his forehead.
But Cheongmyeong could not release this boiling anger.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh?"
One of the disciples trying to stop them looked up at Cheongmyeong with wide eyes.
"Get back! Why is the third disciple wandering around at this hour?"
"…Oh."
Cheongmyeong looked around.
Now that he thought about it, no one else had come out aside from him.
Given the commotion, many should have heard it, yet no one was appearing.
'Was this a common occurrence?'
If a commotion broke out, it was human nature to peek out.
Yet, the fact that no one was coming out meant that there was already a protocol established for how to respond to such situations.
Cheongmyeong, who had only recently arrived, had no way of knowing.
"What are you doing!"
No, even if that were the case, shouldn't I do something about these guys first?
"Sect leader! Come out now!"
"We won't leave today! Hiding won't help, so come out quickly!"
"Have you no shame!"
Regardless of whether the disciples scolded Cheongmyeong or not, those who had gathered in front of the residence continued to shout without pause.
Cheongmyeong's neck stiffened.
At that moment, a creaking sound echoed.
The door opened with a slight noise that was somewhat grating to the ears.
And the sect leader of the volcano, Hyun Jong, slowly walked out.
As he emerged, the disciples who had been trying to stop the intruders all bowed in unison.
The sect leader waved his hand slightly to dismiss them and then spoke.
"What brings you here at this late hour?"
Indeed.
Even with blood rushing to his head, Cheongmyeong couldn't help but admire.
Even if they were descendants, they must have lived long enough.
Just because they were born later and had a lower status didn’t mean their worth as a person was diminished.
Each movement and tone seemed to exude an aura of immortality.
Thanks to that, Cheongmyeong felt his excitement calm down a bit.
Truly…
"Stop with the nonsense and come down!"
"Get down here now!"
"Why are you acting so relaxed!"
Right, he was acting relaxed… Ah, no, that’s not it!
Hyun Jong descended with a slightly stiff expression.
Then he let out a low sigh.
"I am neither running away nor hiding. If I leave the volcano, where would I go? So everyone, please calm down…"
"Calm down? What nonsense is that!"
Cheongmyeong's eyes bulged.
Even as Hyun Jong spoke with such an aura, those madmen were ignoring him.
What was strange was that despite this, Hyun Jong was unable to say anything and seemed flustered instead.
What crime had he committed?
It was as if he was…
'Huh?'
A word popped into Cheongmyeong's mind.
"Sect leader!"
The representative of the group shouted, pointing a finger.
"We have waited long enough! We can’t wait any longer!"
"…"
Hyun Jong's aura faded from his face. 'No way…'
When will you repay the debt? The repayment date has long passed! We can’t hold on any longer!"
Cheongmyeong stared blankly at Hyun Jong. The once imposing figure now looked like a debtor in a precarious position, awkwardly opening his mouth.
"If you could just give me a little more time…"
Cheongmyeong grabbed the back of his neck and leaned back. 'Ugh.'
You have debts? Is there a debt in a sect that is crumbling to the ground?
Seriously.
Tears welled in Cheongmyeong's eyes.
The sky turned hazy.
'This is too much.
These madmen are really something.'