Chapter 249 - The Reason I Summoned You Today

I entered Heavenly Demon Hall with my brother. Father was there with Chief Strategist Sima Myeong.

It was time for him to be asleep. His presence here meant he had received a report that we had fought and were on our way to Heavenly Demon Hall.

My brother and I walked side by side through the hall, where a strange tension hung in the air. Father silently looked down at us as we approached.

"Father."

My brother, who had always addressed him as "Cult Leader," called him "Father." He had always struggled to look Father in the eye, but today he met his gaze directly.

Then came the hardest words my brother had ever spoken in his life.

"I will withdraw from the succession contest."

Father rarely showed emotion, but in this moment he revealed a quiet intensity—a mixture of joy and compassion.

"Will you not regret it?"

"No. I will not."

"Once you make this decision, there is no turning back."

My brother looked at me as he spoke.

"I want to see the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon under my younger brother's leadership."

Our gazes met. This moment would torment him for a very long time. He would regret it, over and over.

Thank you, Brother. I may not be able to spare you that regret, but I will make it the most precious feeling of your life.

My brother looked back at Father.

"This is my earnest request, Father."

I had not expected him to take such an active role. This was not the brother I had known before my regression.

Since I returned to the past, he too had changed through a series of emotional upheavals. He had grown. Now that he could meet Father's eyes like that, their relationship would change as well.

I sent Father a sound transmission.

—Didn't I bring you a truly admirable brother?

—He was always an admirable boy.

—Are you playing favorites because he's your eldest?

The corner of Father's mouth curled slightly as he looked at me. Father, I will keep joking for the rest of my life just to see that mocking smile. Please, never let it fade!

His gaze returned to my brother.

Father would know how difficult this decision had been for him.

And he accepted my brother's sincerity. Here and now.

Father gave Sima Myeong an order.

"Issue the Eight Demons Summons immediately."

The Eight Demons Summons.

It was a supreme decree summoning not only the Eight Demon Supremes, but every demonic martial artist under their command.

"Your command shall be obeyed."

An extraordinary order had been issued in the dead of night.

* * *

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon was teaching Seo Daeryong late into the night. He smiled in satisfaction at the move his disciple performed.

"Well done!"

Seo Daeryong felt as though he could fly at his master's praise. The feeling was all the more powerful because his master was so sparing with it.

"Thank you!"

Seo Daeryong might joke endlessly when he was with Geom Mugeuk, but with his master, he observed every courtesy. In his heart, his master was more precious than even the Heavenly Demon.

When their training ended, he held out a book.

"I asked an investigator working outside the Cult to find this for me."

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon was startled when he saw it. It was a book he had wanted to read.

"This cannot have been easy to find."

"I was lucky."

"Where would you get the money?"

It was a rare edition and must have cost a considerable sum.

"I'm still single, so I have my entire monthly salary left over."

"For the crime of wasting money, your hellish training starts again tomorrow."

"Ah! Today was supposed to be the last day!"

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon was being difficult for no reason, but inwardly he was deeply moved.

It happened just then.

DOOONG! DOONG!

A bell rang out.

"Why would a bell be ringing at this hour?"

This was no ordinary bell. Its clear, deep toll was unlike anything Seo Daeryong had ever heard.

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon answered his question.

"It announces the Eight Demons Summons."

Startled, Seo Daeryong asked,

"What could have happened this late at night?"

Looking toward Heavenly Demon Hall in the distance, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon spoke softly.

"Either war has broken out..."

At the mention of war, Seo Daeryong tensed.

"Or the moment has finally come."

Of course, war was unlikely to have broken out. It would be the latter.

"If that is the case, you will have to train even harder. If you want to remain his right-hand man."

The mention of a right-hand man told Seo Daeryong that this concerned Geom Mugeuk, but he still had no idea what had happened.

"Open the wardrobe at the very end and bring me my Blood Robe!"

Seo Daeryong went inside and opened the last wardrobe. A ceremonial robe, red as blood, hung within.

* * *

At that same moment, the Drunken Demon was drinking with the Single Flower Sword Supreme in Drunken Dream Pavilion.

Yeo Bin, one of the Three Great Drunken Warriors, had set down a plate of food and was about to turn away when the Sword Supreme spoke to her.

"Let me pour you a cup."

Yeo Bin politely accepted the drink and drank it. Then she poured one for the Sword Supreme before withdrawing.

Once she was well out of earshot, the Single Flower Sword Supreme spoke.

"Accept her feelings while she still likes you. Don't wait until you regret it."

The Drunken Demon drank the wine in his hand.

"A woman suffers if she ends up with a man who loves drinking."

"Isn't she one of the Three Great Drunken Warriors herself?"

"Exactly. If we're both drunkards, are we supposed to spend everything we earn on wine?"

The Single Flower Sword Supreme shook her head at his absurd excuse.

"You're my friend, but I truly cannot understand—"

DOOOONG!

At the tolling bell, the reclining Drunken Demon sat up. Already, the Single Flower Sword Supreme was flying across the lake, her white martial robes streaming behind her.

This time, he shook his head as he watched her.

"You'd leap into hell just as quickly if the Cult Leader ordered it, wouldn't you?"

Yeo Bin came running to Drunken Dream Pavilion.

Setting down his cup, the Drunken Demon said,

"Get everyone sobered up!"

* * *

The Poison King was concocting a poison.

It was called Seven Lives of Bliss, and its main ingredient was the seven-life grass the Demonic Buddha had found in the Thousand-Poison Forest. This mysterious poison made its victims feel pleasure for seven days, then killed them on the seventh and final day with pain that mirrored all the pleasure they had experienced.

He worked wearing the gloves of poison-repelling heavenly silkworm silk that Geom Mugeuk had given him.

DOOONG!

Whether the bell rang or not, the Poison King focused solely on his work.

Then Sang Seon entered carrying clothes. Without lifting his head, the Poison King said,

"Tell them I cannot come."

"If you refuse the Eight Demons Summons, will that poison be enough to handle the consequences?"

Sang Seon approached and held out the clothes.

Reluctantly accepting them, the Poison King complained,

"Once I get there, it probably won't even be anything important."

"Please get changed first. The Poison Fangs are preparing."

By the time Sang Seon brought over the poison pouches hanging on the wall, the Poison King was mixing poisons again. Sang Seon had to drag him away and make him dress.

Properly dressed, with twelve poison pouches fastened at his waist, the Poison King looked every inch a handsome, dashing young gentleman of Murim.

As he left his residence, the Poison King said,

"There goes having the Second Young Master do my cleaning."

He had correctly guessed the reason for today's summons. Spending time playing with him had been worthwhile.

* * *

The instant he heard the bell, the Demonic Buddha's hand stopped turning his prayer beads.

He knew the First Young Master had finally made his decision.

It was a moment he had been waiting for, yet also one he had wished and wished would never come.

'... First Young Master.'

Golden radiance poured from his body. As if reflecting his turbulent emotions, it shone more intensely than ever.

Only after praying for the First Young Master did the Demonic Buddha rise.

'First Young Master, let us see where destiny leads us.'

* * *

The Wicked Laughing Demon was engaged in qi-circulation meditation.

He had now recovered completely from his injuries, and the ten-thousand-year snow ginseng had made his internal energy deeper and mightier still. Restless, he wanted to run out that very instant and fight alongside Geom Mugeuk.

The mistress of Thousand Flowers Pavilion, seated beside him, spoke softly.

"I dreamed that you went on a nighttime outing, dear brother."

She could feel the winds of destiny blowing through the Divine Cult.

The Wicked Laughing Demon opened his eyes and rose.

"If that is what you dreamed, I had better prepare."

He opened a cupboard concealed in the white wall, its panel sliding smoothly aside.

A dozen or so masks hung within. Each carried a different meaning.

"Choose one for me."

"I think this will be a celebration. How about that one?"

The splendid, multicolored mask she indicated was the Revelry Demon Mask, worn at major Cult functions and banquets.

As she suggested, the Wicked Laughing Demon took it out.

The pavilion mistress turned away so she would not see him change masks. She was walking a path of destiny that had led her to love a man whose face she did not even know.

Only when he had put on the new mask did the bell begin to ring.

* * *

The bell rang out during the Late-Night Training Group's session.

The Fist Demon stopped training and spoke to Yi An.

"You will need to prepare a congratulatory gift."

Because the First Young Master had visited him, he had an idea of what this late-night summons meant.

Quick-witted Yi An understood him at once.

"At last!"

Tears welled in her eyes. Perhaps she had waited for this moment even more eagerly than the man himself.

"That is enough training for today."

Then he gave Cheon Sohui an order.

"Go ahead and get the Iron Fists ready!"

He had entrusted her with an order on such an important occasion. Deeply moved, she accepted it.

"Your command shall be obeyed."

She sprang away first and disappeared.

Before leaving, the Fist Demon offered Yi An a few words.

"The Second Young Master will want to see you. Go and get ready."

"Yes! Thank you."

Yi An sprang toward her residence. She had waited so long for this moment; she could not be late.

She would put on the clothes she had been saving and do her makeup. At this momentous occasion, she would congratulate Geom Mugeuk looking her very prettiest and finest.

* * *

Torches blazed on every side of the main training ground.

Geom Ujin sat atop the central dais, with Geom Mugeuk standing before him. Geom Muyang had stepped aside to stand beside Sima Myeong.

The Demon Army and the other elite demonic martial artists of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon formed an impenetrable cordon around the training ground.

Now the Eight Demon Supremes and their followers began to enter.

The first to arrive was the Blood Heaven Saber Demon, dressed in red.

With the enormous Heaven-Destroying Great Saber slung diagonally across his back, he entered the training ground, followed by the Southern Saber Sect's Saber Fiends.

THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD!

Famous though they were for their ferocity and roughness, at this moment they marched in perfectly ordered ranks.

Next came the Single Flower Sword Supreme, dressed in pure white martial robes.

The Northern Heaven Sword House's Demon Swords followed her. Ordinarily, whenever they met the Saber Fiends, they would squabble and exchange savage glares and curses. Today, not one of them so much as looked at their rivals. As if competing with the Saber Fiends, they formed perfectly ordered ranks behind the Single Flower Sword Supreme.

The Fist Demon arrived next.

Behind him came the Eastern Fist School's Iron Fists, who had entered Murim with nothing but their bare fists. Dressed with full formality, they wore wrist guards bearing the image of the evil demon that symbolized the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon. Barehanded though they were, they yielded nothing in the contest of wills. Whenever these followers gathered, their rivalry was even fiercer than that of the Demon Supremes.

Next came the Soul-Seizing Demon.

Though she was still young and her martial arts comparatively weak, the Western Illusion Formation's ghost sorcerers following her yielded to no other demonic martial artists in sheer force of presence. Even amid the demonic qi filling the training ground, their ghost qi eerily proclaimed who they were.

The procession continued.

The next Demon Supreme to enter was the Drunken Demon.

He walked with a gait that seemed drunken yet sober, followed by his fellow drinkers. Though intoxicated, they too maintained perfect order. The drunken air they exuded seemed to intoxicate even the demonic qi and ghost qi dominating the grounds.

Next came the Demonic Buddha.

His expression was calmer than ever.

The mad monks following him were another matter. Draped in golden monastic robes, they entered chanting prayers with madness in their eyes, and yet another kind of energy swept through the grounds.

This time, the Poison King entered.

The Poison Fangs following him looked more confident than any other demonic martial artists present. Their confidence went beyond assurance into outright arrogance. Their faces were filled with a certainty that said: If we choose, every one of you will die.

The last Demon Supreme to enter was the Wicked Laughing Demon.

An ardent heat shone in his eyes behind the Revelry Demon Mask.

The Faceless Wanderers followed, wearing white masks. Each mask bore red lines that looked as though they had been drawn in blood. With eyes as cold as their masks were chilling, they proclaimed who they were.

With the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon's elite demonic martial artists gathered in one place, the grounds seethed with a heat that seemed ready to explode.

There was one man who could cool that heat in an instant.

The Heavenly Demon, Geom Ujin, slowly rose and stepped forward. Even among this multitude, his presence remained utterly unique.

The demonic martial artists bowed in unison and shouted,

"The Heavenly Demon Reigns Supreme! The Divine Cult Is Invincible!"

The mighty cry truly shook heaven and earth.

Only when the repeated cries ended and silence fell did Geom Ujin speak.

"I have summoned you today to make one momentous announcement."

His low, weighty voice reached every ear as though lodging itself within.

Tension filled the grounds. Not even a breath could be heard.

"Mugeuk, hear me."

Geom Mugeuk paid his respects and answered loudly,

"I await your most solemn command."

In a voice mightier and more resonant than ever, Geom Ujin declared,

"From this moment forth, I designate Mugeuk as the next leader of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon."

It was the moment Geom Mugeuk officially became the successor.

He raised his head and looked at Father. There was so much he wanted to say to him, but now was the time to observe proper ceremony and obey the Heavenly Demon's decree.

"I will devote my body and heart to the Divine Cult's future and never bring dishonor upon its name."

Geom Ujin patted Geom Mugeuk's shoulder. The encouragement in his father's eyes and touch was sincere.

—Well done, my son.

The instant he heard that brief sound transmission, Geom Mugeuk felt rewarded for every hardship he had endured.

—Thank you, Father.

Geom Mugeuk slowly turned to face the assembled demonic martial artists.

Their gazes converged on him.

He released his qi presence. Hiding nothing, he laid its full extent bare.

Whether they knew him or not, everyone was overwhelmed by his presence and powerful qi. If his father was a blood-red dot in a black-and-white painting, Geom Mugeuk was a sky-blue dot. If his father was a large dot, Geom Mugeuk was a small one.

The eight Demon Supremes bowed in unison to pay their respects.

"We greet the young lord."

The demonic martial artists of the Eight Demons standing behind them, and those surrounding the grounds, all clasped fist to palm and bowed.

"We greet the young lord!"

Their thunderous shout rang through the grounds.

The gulf in status between Second Young Master and young lord was as vast as that between heaven and earth. Now, neither the Cult's demonic martial artists nor anyone else in Murim could treat Geom Mugeuk lightly.

"Waaaaaah!"

Cheers followed, shaking heaven and earth.

Geom Mugeuk's heart swelled.

He had striven all this time for this very moment. A new chapter in history was now opening, not only for him, but for the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon as well.

When the seemingly endless cheers subsided and silence returned, Geom Mugeuk slowly walked toward the Demon Supremes.

Toward his Demon Supremes.

These were his first steps as young lord.