Sword God Reborn

Chapter 268 : Have you ever thought of trying it?

When Cheon Mubaeck returned to the mansion of the North Sword Society with the Ghost Demon, Zhuge Seol-ah, who had been tending to the injured, had her mouth fall open.

"No... Squad Leader, no, Young Master. Why are you with that person?"

Cheon Mubaeck, without caring, said.

"Ah, Young Lady. You've met this one before, right? He's the Ghost Demon of the Blood Demon Valley. He's a demonic path trash who had a hand in the Righteous-Demonic War. Well, he's a man who has been given a death sentence, so I brought him because I felt sorry for him."

"..."

Everyone is bound to be flustered when unexpected information comes in at once.

Everyone in the hall had a stunned face.

Cheon Mubaeck's words, which sometimes came out with all the context cut, were very difficult to understand.

But Zhuge Seol-ah, at least, could understand the general context.

"Did you spare that demonic master?"

"That's right, Young Lady. He begged me like crazy, crying that he would tell me everything he knew if I just spared his life. He was even about to lick my shoes, so I felt so sorry for him that I told him I would let him live until he told me everything he knew."

"When did I beg... Keok!"

The Ghost Demon's face turned bright red. In front of the young juniors who were as green as could be, wasn't it as if his terrifying evil reputation was being thrown into the trash can!

Crying and begging to be saved, and licking his shoes? What was this...!

Cheon Mubaeck immediately grabbed the Ghost Demon by the scruff of his neck and slapped him.

It was a satisfying slap, to the extent that Hwangbo Sung and Tang Su-gun, who had been lying down half-unconscious, flinched.

Just by hearing the cheerful sound of the slap, they could tell.

'Even Namgung Jincheon wouldn't be able to withstand that, right?'

'I think he'd get hit once and go have a cup of tea with King Yama right away.'

It was truly a slap filled with Cheon Mubaeck's sincerity. The shock was so great that even the great Ghost Demon staggered with his eyes half-closed.

But although he swayed, he stood firmly on his two feet and maintained his balance.

The crowd admired lowly.

'Crazy. That old man is also quite a monster.'

'He's standing on two feet, not to mention not fainting?'

Rather, the fact that he had endured that slap seemed more amazing than the fact that they had been miserably knocked down when they had fought.

The gaze, as if looking at a monster, spread to Cheon Mubaeck.

He was an opponent that everyone here had felt despair against, but he had slapped him?

What was this...

"Everyone, just rest for now."

Cheon Mubaeck said so to the surroundings and grabbed the Ghost Demon's shoulder.

"Let's talk while we walk."

The Ghost Demon bit his lip and his eyes flashed.

"You are truly an arrogant fellow. You didn't even press my pressure points to seal my internal energy. No matter how strong you are, do you think you can block a surprise attack that comes without you knowing?"

"If I seal it? Sealing it only works to a certain extent. You're confident you can break free, aren't you?"

"..."

"Even if you have your internal energy, you can't kill me."

"Do you really think so? Does a sword not enter your body?"

"Yes. It doesn't."

"..."

"I don't even remember when a sword has entered my skin."

"..."

"If you're confident, try it. But, I won't go easy on you then. I'm really thinking of killing you."

Cheon Mubaeck smiled. There was a saying that you can't spit on a smiling face. The same went for the Ghost Demon. But it was a slightly different meaning.

'If I spit on that smiling face, I'll really die.'

Although his mouth was smiling, his eyes were colder than ever.

A gaze that was not killing intent, or anything, but was empty and yet drew you in deeply.

Just looking at it made his whole body shiver. The Ghost Demon sighed and said.

"You probably know most things. You handle the Hanamun's leader like your own limbs, and as an influential person in the Righteous Alliance, you also handle the information power of the Beggars' Sect."

"What kind of guy is the Heavenly Demon?"

At the unexpected question, the Ghost Demon narrowed his brow.

"Do not call that noble person so lightly."

"Don't talk bullshit. Noble or whatever, that's only for you demonic path bastards."

In fact, it was not a difficult question. Where was the main base of the Blood Demon Valley, how large was its force, what martial arts did the demonic people practice. And what was their next plan, and who would they target.

It was not the same kind of secret.

He had expected such a sensitive question and had thought of the most plausible false information.

But to ask about the Heavenly Demon. There was some kind of scheme. The Ghost Demon thought for a moment.

'He's a guy who knows my moniker, my martial arts, my unique weapon, and even my fighting style. He unexpectedly has an information source on the influential figures of the demonic path. Then he would know to some extent about the leader. But to still ask...'

The Ghost Demon's eyes flashed.

'He's trying to test me. To see if I give out accurate information.'

So the Ghost Demon judged that it was better to readily hand over the information here and gain his trust. Because he thought Cheon Mubaeck was testing him.

It was a very pleasant misunderstanding for Cheon Mubaeck.

Because he was really curious about the Heavenly Demon.

"The leader is not human."

"Again, again with the bullshit. If he's not human, is he a son of a bitch? Well, thinking about it that way, it's not wrong."

"...He is a person who has already reached a realm beyond human."

"Beyond human?"

Cheon Mubaeck's brow narrowed.

His eyes turned pure white and he peeked at the Ghost Demon's emotions. His scheme was to check whether it was a lie or the truth.

But there was no wavering in his emotions. Rather, a strong sense of fear was exuded. A person of the Ghost Demon's level was filled with fear.

"Is it because he killed Gun Cheon-ak?"

"...He was strong even when he subdued the previous leader. But now I can say for sure. He has reached a realm beyond human."

"Hey. I'm not very knowledgeable about the martial world, but was there a realm called 'beyond human'?"

"Fledgling. You Orthodox path fledgling. Wasn't your Azure Sky Sword God that 'beyond human'?"

"..."

Cheon Mubaeck closed his mouth. There was no realm called 'beyond human'.

The divine realm and the absolute realm that was beyond it. The realms that were spoken of in the martial world ended here, and anything beyond was not confirmed. They just vaguely thought that the path of ascending to immortality was open.

But the Ghost Demon had said.

That the Azure Sky Sword God was of the 'beyond human' realm.

Cheon Mubaeck scratched his cheek.

"Did you guys just make that up?"

"The previous leader had also reached the absolute realm and had far surpassed it. Since he couldn't even inflict a single wound on him, how could you put them in the same realm? Although the Azure Sky Sword God was a truly fearsome enemy, as a martial artist who has also practiced martial arts, I deeply respect and admire him. He is not human. He is a master of a realm beyond human. It is a new realm created solely by the Azure Sky Sword God."

Not a single lie was felt.

Cheon Mubaeck felt a strange emotion. On the one hand, his fighting spirit soared.

'A person who has actually experienced the Righteous-Demonic War has evaluated the current Heavenly Demon as being in the same 'beyond human' realm?'

Then the current Heavenly Demon was seen as being similar to the martial prowess of the past Azure Sky Sword God.

Cheon Mubaeck was interested.

'Well, well. Is it because he's at that level that the demonic path has revived and gathered in just 40 years?'

At that time, the Ghost Demon said.

"In the demonic path, as much as they fear the Azure Sky Sword God, there are many who deeply admire him. If you, a descendant of the Azure Sky Sword God, were to come, everyone would welcome you fiercely."

"Oh? Are you proposing that I join the cult now?"

"You don't need to believe or follow the doctrines of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. What is the great cause you wish to achieve in the Orthodox path? Peace? Justice? Isn't it just for such ridiculous reasons?"

"If I enter the Demonic Cult?"

"The tiresome fights of the martial world will end."

"The fights will end?"

"The endlessly continuing grudges and favors will disappear. A world where all sorts of sects are rampant and fight, kill, and compete with each other like the Orthodox path will disappear. Everyone will unite under the name of the demonic path. Everyone will become one. Then what would be the problem? There would be no reason to fight, and no reason to compete with each other."

"Well, you're laying out some novel bullshit at length. Why would the grudges and favors disappear? The families of the martial artists you kill, their disciples, and their sects all hold grudges."

"You just have to kill all those who hold grudges."

"..."

"It is something that only the demonic path can do. You just have to kill all the people who will hold grudges. Then the grudges and favors will disappear."

As he said so, even a madness flashed in the Ghost Demon's eyes.

Cheon Mubaeck clicked his tongue.

If the martial world were to be dominated by the demonic path, would the world change?

Not at all.

The groups represented by the Seven Demonic Sects would each aim their swords at each other and shed blood again.

Cheon Mubaeck did not doubt it. It was something he had keenly felt through tens, hundreds of past lives.

"I know what you're worried about. Dictatorship inevitably runs rampant. There must be an appropriate check."

"Are you saying I can be a check on the Heavenly Demon?"

Cheon Mubaeck shook his head.

No matter how he heard it, it was bullshit. So he erased it all from his mind.

He just entered one thing into his mind, that the new Heavenly Demon was of a realm called 'beyond human'.

'It seems they've become crazier than in the Gun Cheon-ak era. I'd like to see that Heavenly Demon's face once.'

Somehow, at the thought that a stronger enemy had appeared, Cheon Mubaeck also became serious.

"I refuse."

"Are you planning to kill the leader?"

"Of course."

"Can you kill him?"

"It's not impossible. Even if he's 'beyond human', he's a human that a sword can enter."

"You are truly arrogant. I'll give you one warning. It would be better to kill me early. If you leave me alone to get a few more pieces of information, I'll look for a chance and kill you and run away at any time."

"Bullshit. If you were going to do that, you would have died fighting earlier. What guts does a guy who negotiated to somehow get out of the situation because he cherished his life have? You'd do that well."

As he had nothing to refute, the Ghost Demon closed his mouth.

Cheon Mubaeck took the Ghost Demon and sat in a pavilion inside the North Sword Society.

It was a pavilion with a quite open view.

"It would be nice to have a cup of tea."

"You have a good stomach. The corpses of the assassins are swarming nearby."

"A demonic path guy can't drink tea because there are corpses? Is this just plain water?"

Cheon Mubaeck said so and sat down with a plop.

The Ghost Demon sat opposite him with a strange face.

Cheon Mubaeck suddenly said.

"What is the reason you want a demonic path world? Is it because of the great doctrines of the Demonic Cult?"

"...What's the problem with pursuing hegemony as a martial artist?"

"Is that hegemony your hegemony? It's the Heavenly Demon's hegemony. You're just the Heavenly Demon's sword."

"..."

"If the Heavenly Demon achieves hegemony, do you think you've achieved it? A ridiculous story. No. It's not. Yes. You're just a well-used tool."

"..."

"You were born a man, are you going to be used as a mere tool and go like that?"

"...What are you trying to say?"

"I, I am not a person who is trying to destroy the demonic path."

"You said you would kill the leader?"

"What's the point of killing the leader? The demonic path will be reborn again."

"..."

"That's how the world works. Like other sects, the demonic path cannot be annihilated. Because it has left too much in the world. To be honest, you have to admit it. Although the demonic path is trash, it is also a clear Dao. Regardless of whether it is right or wrong, it has the power to attract many people. It has a spiritual power. It cannot disappear. The great Dao of the name of the demonic path."

"Then?"

"I will kill the Heavenly Demon. I will also kill the high-ranking executives. I will kill and kill again. But I will let the demonic path live."

The Ghost Demon's face became strange. He had seen through Cheon Mubaeck's intention.

"Are you planning to make the demonic path a mere martial world sect?"

"To be precise, it's not a mere sect. Are the North Sea Ice Palace or the South Man Beast Palace mere sects? They are foreign forces."

"How dare you compare the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to such foreign rabble?"

"I've given them a lot of credit. That's my goal. To kill the Heavenly Demon and weaken the power of the Demonic Cult and limit it to a foreign sect. They are good in their own territory, but they can't aim for an invasion of the martial world, just at that level. Do the North Sea or the South Man dare to attack, saying they will unify the martial world? They don't. Because they know they are lacking. I will make the Demonic Cult like that. As a foreign sect stuck in the Heavenly Mountains."

"......!"

"Then I can't kill them all, and at the very least, a person who can communicate with me has to lead the demonic path."

"..."

In an instant, the Ghost Demon's figure flinched as if struck by a thunderbolt.

A smile appeared on Cheon Mubaeck's lips.

"Well, there's a way to live. It's not the hegemony of the world, but have you ever thought of taking the hegemony of the demonic path at least?"

"...Me, you're telling me"

Cheon Mubaeck gave a thumbs up. Just like when he had told Neung-heo to take the position of the Lotus Pavilion's leader, a swaggering appearance came out.

"The head of the Demonic Cult. Have you ever thought of trying it? The head. This."

Looking at the Ghost Demon's agitated pupils, a smile spread on Cheon Mubaeck's lips.

(End of Chapter)