Tell the Sect Leader I’m Sorry
Gwangmyeong said with a sour expression, “It’s usually just called a sacred object, but how did you know it was called Cheonok?”
“Did I just run away for three days and nights? I ate, relieved myself, recited a few poems, tortured your subordinates, and even went boating. I had quite a fulfilling time.”
Gwangmyeong suddenly glared at the subordinates waiting behind him. “You couldn’t even endure a little torture?”
“They need to know what this is. They didn’t know exactly. I need to know what this is before I die.”
Gwangmyeong replied in a low tone, “... Gwangma, that is a special elixir made for the Sect Leader alone. If anyone else takes it, their limbs will melt away, so don’t even dream of it. It was hard to make, so it must be retrieved.”
“Don’t lie with that open mouth. Do I look like a naive young lady from the Namgung family? Do I look like a woman from the Baekri family who only brightens men’s faces? You perverted bastard.”
“You can’t believe the truth, can you? It’s called a sacred object because the Sect Leader will take it. Believe me.”
“Strange. If this is an elixir, shouldn’t the old Sect Leader take it before entering closed-door training?”
“There are circumstances in the world. The Sect Leader’s martial arts training has its own order.”
“How was it made? It doesn’t seem like a naturally occurring elixir but rather something manufactured with demonic energy.”
“Will you give it to me if I tell you?”
I observed Gwangmyeong’s gaze instead of answering.
“No.”
Knowing the evil deeds committed by the Demonic Sect, I could roughly guess how it was made.
Moreover, the color of Cheonok was constantly changing.
It looked as if the energies of extreme yang and extreme yin were mixed inside, changing colors with the surrounding temperature and sunlight.
If I had to describe it, it resembled the Taiji symbol.
In the Demonic Sect’s terms, it would be the reverse Taiji.
Since the elixir contained the Taiji, it meant it was not an ordinary elixir.
I thought that if this fell into the Sect Leader’s hands, it wouldn’t be strange for the martial world to perish.
‘Damn it...
The Martial Alliance should really give me a hero award.
Those bastards.’
I revealed my expectations. “Ah, I understand. I must be a genius. Let me guess. The reason you frequently ambushed sects and engaged in local wars with organizations like the Martial Alliance is because of this. I don’t know how, but you extracted the essence of living martial artists and contained it in this. It must not have been easy for you to create this either, since you had to evenly extract the energies of extreme yang and extreme yin.”
While speaking, I realized the Sect Leader’s intentions. “The one who consumes it must be a body of yin and yang, or they must take it while balancing their dantian with the internal energies of extreme yang and extreme yin for it to be more effective. Ah, so that’s why you went into closed-door training? Am I wrong? Or did the old Sect Leader intend to use it to change his body?”
It would be more effective to consume the elixir in a new body.
Gwangmyeong smiled as he listened to me. “I thought you were just a foolish madman.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Think what you want. Even if you know the truth, it won’t be more precious than your life.”
“That may be true.”
“You’re not a body of yin and yang, so hand it over.”
“If the Sect Leader consumes this, he will have no rivals in the world. He’s already strong enough to be displeased, how much stronger does he want to be? I can’t give it to you. That’s the lonely path I walk as a hero.”
It was meant to be a joke, but Gwangmyeong didn’t laugh at all.
“...”
This is why the Demonic Sect and I don’t match.
Gwangmyeong continued to glare at me.
It seemed he was genuinely afraid that if we fought, I would soon fall into a state of complete disability.
In truth, I also found the thought of falling into complete disability bothersome.
Who in the world would like a cliff? Unless some opportunity awaited below.
In that case, the best course of action in this situation would be for Gwangmyeong to take the most infuriating action.
Already severely injured, I swallowed Cheonok without deep contemplation.
As the Cheonok slid down my esophagus with a gulp, Gwangmyeong’s face turned pale.
I savored the taste of Cheonok. “Unexpectedly sweet. It has a soft peach flavor with a very refreshing aftertaste. Did the old Sect Leader mix in peaches to make it easier to consume? Hahaha.”
Gwangmyeong and his subordinates’ eyes widened in shock.
To exaggerate a bit, everyone looked like they were about to faint.
Gwangmyeong pointed at me, stuttering slightly. “You ate that?”
I straightened my expression slightly. “You said it was an elixir, you crazy bastard. Elixirs are good for the body. I hope the old Sect Leader’s wrath falls upon you. Don’t worry. My subordinates will report what they saw. Or you can kill everyone here with your own hands.”
Gwangmyeong stomped his feet in anger. “You crazy bastard! That!”
I pretended to be foolish. “Should I have saved it for the Sect Leader? But it has already disappeared into my belly. Gulp...”
As Cheonok entered my stomach, I felt a bit strange.
It wasn’t a joke; it actually tasted like a large peach.
However, my body also felt strange.
I frowned and touched my dantian.
In an instant, it felt like my dantian was forcibly split into two.
In the eyes of the Demonic Sect members, my face was growing paler.
I was experiencing a bizarre sensation where half of me was set to yang and the other half to yin.
However, since it wasn’t a painful process, I thought that a sacred object was indeed a sacred object.
Gwangmyeong gritted his teeth and said, “Kill him! No, capture him alive. I need to grind him up and present him to the Sect Leader.”
“Zhongming!” I reached out, frowning as if I were about to say something.
“Wait! You’re talking nonsense. I have something to say. I feel really nauseous. Wait a moment. I think I need to spit this out.”
I looked at Gwangmyeong with the most serious expression in the world.
At my words about spitting it out, Gwangmyeong raised his hand to signal his subordinates to stand by.
“Stand by!”
Gwangmyeong held his breath.
I continued speaking with a serious expression. “My dantian...”
“What about your dantian?”
“It’s hot and cold, fluctuating. It seems I’m about to have diarrhea. This elixir doesn’t suit my constitution.”
In reality, as a thunderous fart erupted, the Demonic Sect members frowned or covered their noses.
“...”
Gwangmyeong also covered his nose and said, “Spit it out quickly.”
I also covered my nose with one hand and said, “Don’t whine like a child. And I didn’t say I would spit it out with my mouth. I’ll just take a moment to relieve myself... You all go down first. I’m a man who knows manners, so I can’t show you my business.”
“What?” As I watched Gwangmyeong’s face grow increasingly pale, I said in a calm tone, “Tell the Sect Leader I’m sorry. Come back later and take a look at my poop. There might be an answer to becoming a demonic god in that poop. Ah, a legendary Sect Leader of the Demonic Sect will be born, crowned as the number one in the world through poop. Finally, Gwangma has produced the greatest poop in history. How legendary.”
Gwangmyeong, who had been listening to me seriously, finally lost his composure and unleashed his energy toward me.
‘No way!’
I had no choice but to counter Gwangmyeong’s energy with the Jin Guiso Yao Gong.
The massive palm-shaped energy collided in mid-air.
Kwahhhhh!
Gwangmyeong was pushed back at an incredible speed, and I too was pushed back several steps into the vast emptiness of complete disability.
In that moment, I realized for the first time that Gwangmyeong had mastered an extremely cold martial art.
‘This bastard has learned ice techniques.’
Though Gwangmyeong was pushed back a bit further, my pride was greatly hurt.
It must have been because my injuries were deep.
Falling off a cliff was not part of my plan, so I was truly flustered.
The world doesn’t always go as planned.
Even while falling, as I looked at the Demonic Sect growing further away, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Wahaha!”
My laughter echoed against the cliffs of complete disability, filling the space between heaven and earth.
Perhaps it was the peach-flavored Cheonok that made my laughter louder.
Anyway, the cliff was indeed deep.
I laughed loudly for quite a while, yet I was still falling.
My legs were fine, and the strange energy of Cheonok was wriggling in my dantian, so despite being tired, I felt quite energetic.
In any case, this was not part of my plan.
Just before hitting the ground, I used the technique of Crazy Wind One Laugh to offset the force of my fall, rotating my body about three and a half times before landing lightly on my feet.
It was nearly a perfect landing.
“Hehehe.”
Suddenly looking up at the sky, I saw not only Gwangmyeong but also the lowly subordinates of the Demonic Sect, who would surely die if they fell, jumping down without hesitation toward the bottom of complete disability, which was me.
Though they were enemies, the sight of them jumping down as a group at a single command was so admirable that I couldn’t help but applaud.
“Wow... crazy bastards.”
The Demonic Sect truly was the Demonic Sect.
They were the kind of people who lived and died by a single command.
No wonder the Martial Alliance couldn’t strike at the Demonic Sect’s main base.
“However, half of them will probably die from full-body fractures.”
In reality, screams filled the bottom of complete disability.
Many were dying instantly from hitting cliffs or protruding rocks.
As I watched the hopelessly dying ones, I understood Gwangmyeong’s words that no one in the martial world feared the Sect Leader.
The Demonic Sect was truly a terrifying organization.
Of course, they called themselves the Heavenly Demon Sect.
At that moment, the Demonic Sect members, who had filled the sky, suddenly disappeared without a trace, and the blue sky turned completely white.
“Hmm?”
What in the world is this? Everything visible to the eye was dyed pure white.
From that place, a man with an indistinct face, illuminated by a brilliant light, floated in the air, looking down at me.
Incredible, I never thought I would be so surprised.
What is that guy?
In an instant, I sensed that my life and death were in that man’s hands.
Surprisingly, I could no longer hear the sound of the wind.
In the stillness, as if the world had stopped for a moment, the mysterious man slowly descended to the ground.
Damn, what kind of martial art is that? It’s astonishing that a man can fall from such a height with his hands behind his back.
I quickly looked around, and the bottom of complete disability had turned completely white.
Then, the man, exuding an overwhelming presence, approached me with his hands behind his back and said, “You’re quite the fool to eat an object containing souls so easily.”
The moment I heard the man’s voice, I shivered.
It felt like he had seen through the world’s affairs, mixed with the unique confidence, boldness, and dignity of a martial artist.
This man was on a different level.
I asked, “It’s true that I’m a fool, but who are you?”
Only then could I see the mysterious man clearly.
He wore the same attire as a martial artist from the martial world, but it was a style that had long fallen out of fashion.
He had the aura of an absolute master who had jumped out of an ancient painting.
Even the greatest masters of my time would struggle to maintain their composure in front of this man’s overwhelming presence.
I knew quite a bit about the strong figures in the martial world, but this man was truly a mystery.
I couldn’t think of anyone who resembled him.
I spoke my mind. “You are truly an incredible man.”
I had never given such praise to anyone before.
It was not just his martial arts; it was also astonishing that there was someone in the martial world whom I did not know.
The man replied with a nonchalant expression, “I am somewhat remarkable. You’re holding up well in front of me. Impressive. By the way, why did you swallow Cheonok? That Cheonok contains the souls of many masters. They are in a state of not being able to ascend or descend. Do you understand this much?”
“Do you think I’m a fool?”
The man stroked his chin for a moment, contemplating, then continued, “Now, your soul will be covered in the souls that cannot ascend or descend.”
“Hmm?”
“If you sleep, the souls will awaken you, and if you eat, they will share the essence contained in the food. The souls will also cling to anyone you touch. Your internal energy will run rampant to the point of being unmanageable.”
Even amidst this, I only focused on the good parts of his words.
‘Oh, my internal energy sounds promising.’
The man continued, “You are now a living Cheonok, and at the same time, you have become half a ghost. There’s no chance you can live normally anymore.”
“I’ve never lived normally to begin with.”
“You do seem that way. You’ve experienced the state of being possessed multiple times.”
“How did you know?”
“Take some time to look in the mirror. Your eyes may not be normal... The state of being possessed also accompanies mental illness.”
“Hmm, what would have happened if the Sect Leader had eaten this Cheonok instead? I didn’t eat this because I wanted to; I prioritized preventing the Sect Leader from consuming it.”
The man smiled faintly. “So you ate it out of your own goodwill?”
“Indeed.”
It was the truth.
Somehow, this man seemed to have the ability to see through lies.
Therefore, he would know that my words were not false.
The man sighed and continued, “That’s true. Cheonok is an object that goes against the natural order. If the Sect Leader had taken it, I would have had to bear the punishment for directly interfering with the human world after eliminating the Sect Leader. However, the affairs of the world do not proceed as expected.”
The world is indeed frightening.
Even this remarkable man could not foresee what would happen.
The man continued, “Nevertheless, those souls must ascend or descend. Only then can they be judged for their past mistakes and divided into the afterlife. Many who lived quite remarkable lives are trapped, so it must be done.”
“What should I do? It sounds like you’re telling me to die while I’m still alive. I can’t do that. Rather, take me to the Sect Leader. I think I can die peacefully if I die together with that old bastard. After killing the Sect Leader, I will willingly end my own life.”
The man chuckled and replied, “Don’t be clever.”
“Caught me? You’re quite perceptive.”
“By the way, do you hate the Sect Leader that much?”
“What’s there to say?”
“Why?”
“Why? The Sect Leader doesn’t see people as people. My lifelong wish has been to beat the Sect Leader to death. If the Sect Leader were to ask me why, I would only say one thing.”
I raised a finger.
However, the man seemed to already know the answer I was about to give.
He responded, “Doesn’t see people as people?”
I nodded, maintaining eye contact with the man.
“That’s it. And that’s the entirety of my reason for wanting to kill the Sect Leader.”
The man crossed his arms and smiled faintly. “That’s a good reason.”
“A good reason?” I looked at the man with curiosity.
Strangely, he was someone I could communicate with on a deeper level.
Though I didn’t trust him immediately, I felt that he was somehow a being close to a deity.
The man uncrossed his arms and sighed as if he had resigned himself, then pointed at me with his finger and said, “This is the last lifeline...”
My eyes widened. ‘He knows my name?’
The man continued, “Do not swallow Cheonok again. This will be the last time. After this, I will also be punished and will not be able to help you. Regardless of the outcome, I will treat you with goodwill. This is the best choice I can give you, and it will be the greatest gift. I bless you.”
The man reached out a hand toward me.
In the midst of this, I wondered if I would die from the man’s energy.
Circumstantially, it seemed unlikely.
Then what the hell was this nonsense? As I pondered, the moment I was enveloped in the light emanating from the man’s hand, my senses vanished in an instant.
‘Huh?’
It seemed my consciousness was about to fade...
Had I died?
It felt like my entire body was shattering, yet there was no pain.
Just before my consciousness cut off, my soul whispered.
I didn’t want to die yet.
Oh, I...
I still hadn’t even been with a beautiful woman once...
Damn it...!