Chapter 306 : What kind of Demon Supreme believes in superstitions? |
Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis
Murim Term Consultant: Kopke
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What kind of Demon Supreme believes in superstitions?
After leaving the Thousand Poisons Forest, I headed to the Great Drunken Forest.
As always, the third drunkard of the trio, Lyu Bin, guided me to the Great Drunken Demon.
While crossing the lake by boat, I asked her,
“Is Brother Sa-hyuk still drinking a lot these days?”
“He cut back for a while, but lately he’s been drinking heavily again.”
Eventually, we reached the island and went up to the Tower of Drunken Dreams.
Song Sa-hyuk was already drunk.
“No matter what, how could you show up dead last? Am I really the last of the Demon Supremes you visited? This can’t be happening.”
He didn’t hide his disappointment.
“It’s more relaxing to drink when I meet you last.”
“Nice excuse.”
“Come on, give me a break. It’s been a long day.”
I stretched out my legs and sat comfortably in front of him.
“You don’t know? I feel most at ease when I’m with you.”
“You mean I’m easy to deal with!”
“Is that so?”
Shaking his head as if he couldn’t win, the Great Drunken Demon poured me a drink. Before I knew it, his expression had softened. Sometimes, a simple ‘Is that so?’ works better than any long-winded excuse.
We drank together.
The strong liquor burned as it went down my throat, setting my insides ablaze. It was even stronger than what he used to drink in the past.
“You said you cut back, but you’re drinking something even stronger now.”
“If it’s too strong, try this one.”
Song Sa-hyuk grabbed another bottle stacked in the pavilion and poured it for me. Then he returned to drinking the original strong liquor.
What was troubling him?
I was curious, but I didn’t ask right away. When it came to drunkards, there were only two ways to get the truth: sober them up, or get them drunker. 2
“Come on, one more!”
Whatever was on his mind, it felt good to share a drink with him again after so long.
“This atmosphere is amazing.”
Tonight, the dense mist over the lake, the faintly glowing moon within the clouds and the few stars sparkling through them made the night even more poetic.
“Even when I’m away, whenever I think of drinking, this place always comes to mind. I wonder, is he drinking right now? Or is he drifting on the lake?”
“It’s too cold now. I don’t go in the water much anymore.”
“Time really flies.”
It felt like spring just yesterday, and now it was already cold. We both fell into our own thoughts, quietly sipping our drinks. The Great Drunken Demon was definitely drinking more than usual.
“That female martial artist’s been worried about how much you’re drinking.”
“Lyu Bin’s always worrying.”
“Appreciate it while you can. Don’t live to regret it later.”
“Regret?”
Song Sa-hyuk gave me a look as if asking, ‘What do you mean by regret?’, but I didn’t answer. Why ask when he already knew? He might seem like someone who only drinks all the time, but the Great Drunken Demon was a sensitive and perceptive person. There was no way he didn’t know Lyu Bin had feelings for him as a man. He was simply pretending not to know.
Come to think of it, none of the Demon Supremes had managed to form a family. The Fist Demon King was the exception, having recently had a daughter. But the rest of them lived alone like this.
Was it, like the Blood Heaven Blade Demon always said, because family becomes your enemy? Or perhaps because family was a weakness? 3
“Come with me. There’s somewhere I want to take you.”
The Great Drunken Demon brought me onto a boat.
He rowed across to the opposite shore of the lake from the entrance. Once we landed, he walked into the forest. I had always only come to the Tower of Drunken Dreams, but the Great Drunken Forest was an expansive place.
After walking for quite a while, mist thickened all around us. Something felt off, and when I looked closely, I realized it wasn’t mist. It was liquor qi.
It was the first time I’d ever seen liquor qi spread out like a fog.
“If you’re exposed to this area, you’ll get drunk and pass out. And it’s not the kind of liquor qi you can expel with inner power, so no ordinary person could make it through. Stay close behind me.”
As Song Sa-hyuk walked, the liquor qi parted to form a path.
Like something alive, it split as we passed and then closed back up behind us, erasing the trail.
There was no way to dash through with light footwork. The liquor qi blanketed everything like mist, making it impossible to see ahead, and the path twisted like a maze. In the end, this was a forbidden zone in the Great Drunken Forest, a place only the Great Drunken Demon could traverse.
Once we escaped the maze, the liquor qi finally cleared.
In front of us stood a single building.
“This is where the Great Drunken Demons of each generation brewed and drank their liquor.”
I followed him inside. It was arranged like a brewery. The equipment looked old and worn, but every piece had an extraordinary aura to it. Inside display cases along the walls were the favorite liquors of former Great Drunken Demons.
“As for me, I like drinking a variety of liquors, so I don’t drink much of what’s here. I’ve got a knack for drinking, but not so much for brewing. So I just come here now and then to rest.”
At the center of the brewery sat an unusually shaped wine cup.
Staring down at it, the Great Drunken Demon spoke with a serious expression.
“The essence of the liquor went bad recently.”
Sure enough, a sour smell lingered in the air.
“Since I became a Demon Supreme, this has never happened before.”
His expression darkened as he added,
“It’s an ill omen.” 4
Now, I finally understood. This was what had been weighing on the Great Drunken Demon’s mind.
“Am I… maybe going to die?”
“Sounds like you don’t want to.”
“There’s still so much liquor I haven’t tasted.”
“Don’t worry. If you die, I’ll buy every bottle of liquor in the Central Plains and pour them over your grave. Your grave will turn into an alcohol swamp.”
The Great Drunken Demon let out a long sigh. It was like that moment before an earthquake when birds scatter and animals flee in packs—clearly, something had stirred his instincts. I never imagined he was so seriously troubled because of something like this.
“What kind of Demon Supreme believes in superstitions?”
“My master once said that if the liquor essence goes bad, something terrible will happen. Either something happens to the Great Drunken Demon, or to the Cult itself. I never really believed it…”
Now that the liquor essence had actually gone bad, it seemed to weigh on him more than he expected.
“If it bothers you that much, tell my father.”
“No way! I only just cleared up the misunderstanding with the Cult Leader.”
Song Sa-hyuk had always misunderstood, thinking my father hated him. But he realized and had confirmed recently that the resentment was toward his master, not him, and that finally resolved things.
“I even gave the Cult Leader a liquor gift. We’ve been getting along. But if he hears that the liquor essence went bad, wouldn’t that leave a bad taste in his mouth? ‘Of course,’ he’d say, ‘Like master, like disciple. Nothing but cursed drunkards.’”
You’d think he didn’t need to worry about such things, but that’s just who the Great Drunken Demon was. At least when it came to my father, he was unusually delicate.
“My father would just laugh it off as superstition and drink it anyway. That’s the kind of man he is.”
I examined the wine cup that had held the liquor essence and asked,
“So, how do we clean this up? Just don’t hit me with something like, ‘Oops, you broke it, and now you’ve ruined a thousand-year-old treasure of the Great Drunken Forest.’”
“Why? You’re going to clean it now? Forget it. I’ll handle it later.”
“What do you mean, ‘later’? You’re just going to sit here alone, brooding and thinking dark thoughts while cleaning it up. Do it while I’m still here to lighten the mood.”
Together, the Great Drunken Demon and I emptied the spoiled liquor from the cup.
While I fetched water to clean the cup, he prepared a new batch to refill it.
As I washed the cup, I told him,
“It’s not because of you. There’s someone stirring up trouble in the Cult lately. That bastard’s bad karma is probably what ruined the liquor essence.” 5
“You don’t have to make something up just to comfort me.”
“I’m not making it up. We’ve already mobilized the Underworld Pavilion and the Heavenly Communication Pavilion to investigate.”
“There really is someone like that?”
“There is. You shouldn’t sell yourself short. Look at you, picking up on all this.” 6
Even so, his expression didn’t ease. But I wasn’t going to just sit back and watch one of my Demon Supremes be consumed by superstition.
“Do you think a person’s future is already determined?”
“To some extent.”
“I don’t think so. The very fact that whatever I say to you right now can change the nature of our relationship—how can you say anything is predetermined? I think the liquor essence going bad was fate’s way of leading you to bring me here. If that hadn’t happened, I would’ve never known this place existed. Who knows what the world has in store? Maybe someday I’ll be in danger and have to run here to hide. This isn’t a cursed omen—it’s a great sign from fate, saving a younger brother’s life.” 7
“You really know how to twist things around, don’t you?”
He laughed, half in disbelief, but it seemed like the ominous feeling had mostly cleared up. The Great Drunken Demon’s expression visibly brightened.
“This is the kind of thing you were hoping to hear when you waited for me, wasn’t it?”
Song Sa-hyuk admitted it without protest.
“It was more than I expected.”
“Please use our service again in the future, honored guest!”
I placed the freshly washed wine cup back where it belonged.
“All it costs is a drink for my superstitious big brother.”
* * *
When I returned to my quarters, the night guards greeted me warmly.
“You look exhausted.”
Ever since coming back from Jiangxi Branch, I hadn’t really rested. And it wasn’t like I’d been meeting ordinary people, either.
“I’m resting from now on, so don’t bother me please.”
I entered the room as if I’d collapse into bed at any moment, but instead of sleeping, I activated the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique.
My approach to dealing with ominous signs? Training, training and more training.
If something bad is coming, I’ll wipe it out. I’ll become someone even misfortune can’t touch nor approach. If I’m working this hard to hold my ground, then bad luck—what can you really do?
Inside the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique, I activated the Heavenly Time Secret Art once more, altering the flow of time.
Thanks to all my blood-and-sweat efforts, I had gained access to twice the amount of time compared to the outside world. I wasn’t aiming for infinite time—just a tenfold time difference. That was the final goal of the Heavenly Time Secret Art. Just enough time to achieve the Twelve Star Greatness of the Nine Calamities Demon Art. Just that, please. 8
Today’s training was focused on the Nine Calamities Demon Art. Until now, I had only been practicing the First Form repeatedly, but now I instinctively knew it was time to move on to the Second Form. Such was the state of my martial realm, having reached the level of ultimate understanding.
Second Form of the Nine Calamities Demon Art,
Great Annihilation Form.
While the First Form, Human Annihilation Form, was a single-target technique, the Second Form, Great Annihilation Form, was a technique that targeted multiple enemies. 9
As I executed the Second Form, one of the Demonic Fiends appeared silently with its back turned to me.
Among the Four Demonic Fiends that appeared in the First Form, it was the one with the most terrifying appearance.
For a moment, its body seemed to tremble ever so slightly.
Sssrrk.
The Demonic Fiend split apart. The number of fragments: three.
Kwak! Kwak! Kwak! Kwak! Kwak! Kwak! Kwak!
The three ghosts slashed forward, sweeping through everything in their path.
Nothing was left behind where they passed. It was an attack that wiped out anything in its trajectory.
The higher one’s mastery of the Second Form, the more the Demonic Fiends would divide.
Eventually, they would split into dozens, becoming a technique that eradicated everything in sight.
Of course, the amount of internal energy consumed would also increase in proportion to the number of divisions.
How many could my father split into?
I would surpass the number he could create.
Just how far could I go? 10
The image of the Demonic Fiends sweeping through everything in front of me stirred my chest with excitement.
That image alone kept me from sleeping.
I trained the Second Form relentlessly until morning. By the time the sun rose, I was nearly exhausted.
Now, it was truly time to rest.
I deactivated the Heavenly Time Secret Art and activated the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique again. My most cherished space unfolded.
The blazing sun, the blue sea, pure white sands, and a comfortable chair beneath a broad-leafed tree.
It had been such a long time. I had purposely saved it—for a day like this.
I dropped myself onto the chair with a thud, almost collapsing into it.
Looking at the sea and sky as blue as my sword energy, I finally felt at peace.
Whether the liquor essence had gone bad, whether Sa Woojong was stirring up trouble, whether there was someone behind it all—at this moment, I let it all go and rested.
I took the sealed case from my chest and placed it beside me. I had drawn eyes and a smiling mouth on it, like a person with a cheerful expression. 11
I said that I would tell it every day, Open up, open up, insisting I’d open it no matter what. But ever since I obtained the sealed case, I’d never actually said open.
“You rest too. After all those years, people must’ve constantly urged you to open—how exhausting that must’ve been. Let’s both rest now.”
Drowsiness washed over me. The tide of sleep led me to a being I hadn’t seen in a long time.
In my dream, I was standing in the sky.
Over an ocean that mirrored the sky—it was within my spiritual realm, my Intent.
Then a shadow cast over the world, darkening everything. When I turned, something massive was blocking the sun. At first, I thought it was a tsunami as high as a fortress wall, but it wasn’t.
Heavenly Demon Spirit[a].
The entity that had appeared before me several times—this time, it appeared in my dream. The Heavenly Demon Spirit stood with its arms crossed, gazing down at me.
With the sun at its back, I couldn’t make out its face clearly.
But I instinctively knew—this was my Heavenly Demon Spirit.
I stared intently at the Heavenly Demon Spirit, wanting to see its face.
But not even the New Eye Technique worked at that moment.
‘Do you also want me to reach you sooner?’
The Heavenly Demon Spirit said nothing, only looked down at me in silence.
* * *
Three days later, I received the first report in Seo Daeryong’s office.
“Even after thoroughly investigating Sa Woojong’s financial status, we didn’t find anything suspicious.”
“No signs of money changing hands either?”
“No. Based on an analysis of his saving and spending habits, he doesn’t seem to have much interest in money.”
Seo Daeryong asked cautiously.
“Could it be that he really intended to die at the hands of the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme?”
I shook my head.
“That would actually be worse. If he wasn’t moved by money, then it means he acted for some other reason, right? If he were a righteous swordsman, he might’ve acted on principle—but he’s certainly not that kind of person.”
“You believe there’s someone behind him, Young Cult Leader.”
“I’m considering all possibilities.”
When you think of someone like Baek Cheongyeong from the Wooden Heaven Family infiltrating the Martial Alliance, you can’t confidently say there’s no such figure in our cult. From now on, I have to assume there could be someone working in the shadows behind every incident. 12
“This is the record of Sa Woojong’s daily routine.”
I calmly reviewed the schedule written on the paper. Nothing stood out from his day-to-day life as a martial artist—except for one thing.
“What’s this garden?”
“He’s been going there often lately. Apparently, he just sits there blankly for a while before leaving. Since he used to help the One-Slash Sword Supreme with gardening, it wouldn’t be strange for him to visit.”
“No, it’s strange. If it were me, I’d hate even the sight of flowers. If he randomly started learning the zither or something, I wouldn’t find it suspicious. But he’s going somewhere that no one would normally question, and he’s going there regularly?”
“Now that you mention it, it does seem suspicious. Ah… It’s a good thing you’re not one of my academy peers, Young Cult Leader. I would’ve never entered as the top student.”
I laughed at his banter and stood up from my seat.
Seo Daeryong, already guessing where I was headed, looked at a flower pot by the window and said,
“Second-in-line Iinja[b][c], looks like you’re about to make a new friend.”
1 : Romantically I mean. So Yeonrang likes and cares for him too, but as her best friend.
2 : He’s definitely a drunker type.
3 : Maybe the step Dan Woo gang had the courage to take will allow the others to find the same courage within them.
4 : Maybe it’s a strange form of divination, and it’s predicting the storm Hwa Moogi and co are trying to unleash. Because the timing is much too ‘coincidental’ for it to just be a red herring.
5 : Actually it’s a b*tch. I’ll even say that it’s a Thot. *supreme insult*
6 : Yeah, quite good instincts. It started with the divination but he did give it the attention it deserved.
7 : *Foreshadowing spotted, waiting for flag waving to start the operation*
8 : I mean, on one hand, having infinite time would be cool, but on the other it also means he would exhaust his lifespan quicker inside rather than outside. That wouldn’t be nice at all for an ending so let’s discard that future.
9 : Nice, nice, that seems like a flag to me, so train it well.
10 : One man army, a thousand shadows burning under the sun, a sea of blades dancing on the wind, no steps on the grass.
11 : Lol, like Wilson, the volleyball companion in the movie Castaway XDXDXD
12 : That also means there could be a 3rd Zodiac King in the Unorthodox Alliance !!! Good, good, we’re slowly going back their trail, at one point they will be forced to launch their plans early and fully appear in the light hehehehe
[a]Heavenly should be more accurate, and the raw is different from Secret Demonic Soul
[b]Third boss or something...?
[c]Here’s the raw 삼인자