Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 497.4 – Side Story 1 Part 4

Samadhi’s True Flame (4)

Thud

Geon Mun-ja, the Grandmaster of the Zhongnan Sect, knelt on one knee and paid his respects.

It was something no one had expected.

It wasn’t just anyone, but Geon Mun-ja, the Grandmaster symbolizing Zhongnan, who showed such respect by kneeling, not even in the Three Purities Hall.

The words that came out of his mouth were enough to shock everyone.

“Geon Mun-ja of Zhongnan pays his respects to the Heavenly Demon Cult Leader, the Greatest Under Heaven.”

In an instant, silence fell over the Hwayangjeong restaurant.

They doubted their own ears for a moment.

What did the their Grandmaster just say?

The Heavenly Demon Cult Leader?

-Shiver!

A chill ran down their spines.

Is he talking about that being who is undisputedly called the sole pinnacle of the current martial arts world?

Geon Mun-ja swallowed dryly, his mouth parched, as he saw them frozen in shock at this unimaginable identity

A chill ran down their spines.

Is he talking about that being who is undisputedly called the sole pinnacle of the current martial arts world?

Geon Mun-ja swallowed dryly, his mouth parched, as he saw them frozen in shock at this unimaginable identity.

The strange sensation he felt outside just moments ago.

It felt as if the inside of the restaurant was being cut off from the outside.

This wasn’t something that even a supreme master who had surpassed the barrier could do.

He had hurriedly entered, and he thought his heart would stop.

Geon Mun-ja had participated in the great war between the righteous and unorthodox sects a year ago, so he was one of those who had witnessed that tremendous might with his own eyes.

-Slash!

For the first time in his life, he saw heaven and earth split.

He thought that if there was a martial god descended to the mortal world, it would be him.

It wasn’t just him; all the masters of the Righteous Alliance who participated in that war would have felt the same.

That’s why they avoided confrontation with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and acknowledged him as the Greatest Under Heaven.

‘Haa. These foolish ones.’

Given this, although he didn’t know what had transpired earlier, Geon Mun-ja couldn’t help but be bewildered by all of this.

Even though the Taoists of the Sun lineage were guarding the Zhongnan Sect’s headquarters at the time, he never thought they wouldn’t recognize the Heavenly Demon Cult Leader.

‘How did they end up clashing with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s leader?’

In fact, it was even more incomprehensible that the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s leader was in the imperial capital without his subordinates to assist him.

Why would someone of his caliber come to the imperial capital in the first place?

At that moment, Sun-moon, who had been flustered after hearing his identity, spoke up.

“G-Grandmaster… The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s leader is so young…”

“Pay your respects to the Cult Leader immediately!”

Geon Mun-ja cut him off and urged.

“B-but he’s from the demonic path…”

“Hush!”

Geon Mun-ja glared at him fiercely, as if exasperated.

The Taoists of the Sun lineage who hadn’t directly witnessed the Heavenly Demon’s might might not fully grasp the situation, but if that person decided to, everyone here would die without even realizing they were dead.

Regardless of right or wrong, they had messed with someone who should absolutely not be provoked.

Geon Mun-ja urged once more.

“Pay your respects!”

At his command, Geon Hyeon-ja, his disciple, and the other Taoists of the Sun lineage hurriedly knelt on one knee and paid their respects.

This included Sun-moon as well.

However, in this situation, there was one person who couldn’t bring himself to kneel.

It was Jin Jong-hyeon, the Thousand-man Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Geon Mun-ja’s disciple.

‘Mok Gyeong-un?’

Jin Jong-hyeon was bewildered by this situation for a different reason.

He knew the Heavenly Demon.

This was because they had taken the Embroidered Uniform Guard test together at the Archery Department.

‘Mok Gyeong-un is the Heavenly Demon?’

Having remained in the Embroidered Uniform Guard at the imperial palace, he wasn’t well-informed about the rumors in the martial arts world.

However, even he knew that the system of the Six Heavens, which had been at the peak of the current martial arts world, had collapsed, and a true peerless master had emerged.

But he couldn’t believe that this peerless master was Mok Gyeong-un.

‘…This can’t be.’

There were two people who had cracked his pride as a so-called genius.

They were Joo Woonhyang and Mok Gyeong-un.

However, both then and now, Jin Jong-hyeon still believed there wasn’t much difference between them and himself.

But seeing even his master kneeling like this, his mind was in utter confusion.

At that moment, Geon Mun-ja spoke in a whisper.

“Jong-hyeon. Not now. Pay your respects.”

Geon Mun-ja thought that his disciple, Jin Jong-hyeon, wasn’t kneeling because of his pride as an official.

“Master… That person…”

“Jong-hyeon!”

Clench!

Jin Jong-hyeon, who had been clenching his fist, couldn’t resist his master’s insistence and was about to kneel on the floor.

He had his pride as a Thousand-man Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but he thought there must be a reason for even his master to show such a humiliating posture.

However, he suddenly remembered something.

‘Wait a minute?’

Didn’t Mok Gyeong-un die in an unfortunate accident while in the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s medical ward after being injured by So Yerin, who was a Six Offices Commander at the time, during the Archery Department test?

Then why is he alive?

Come to think of it, the imperial palace had been turned upside down due to Prince Gyeongjin’s death and the incident where a prisoner escaped from the underground golden prison.

Later, the test applicants who belonged to the Heaven and Earth Society all disappeared and were strongly suspected as the culprits, but the matter was eventually swept under the rug due to the Imperial Consort Seo’s intervention.

‘Now that I think about it, Prince Jeong has been constantly looking for a pretext to pressure the Imperial Consort Seo. If so, couldn’t we use this to mobilize forces under the Southern Pacification Commissioner and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, claiming to protect Her and the imperial court, and subdue this guy?’

Southern Pacification Commissioner Gu Seong-baek.

His other title as the emperor’s bodyguard was the Northern Sect Blade King, the highest martial artist in the imperial palace who had reached the Profound Realm.

Gu Seong-baek was still frustrated about letting the culprits escape during the underground golden prison breakout incident.

If played right, he might be willing to act.

‘No matter how great a master he is, he can’t withstand a combined attack from a peerless expert close to his level and the elite of the Embroidered Uniform Guard alone.’

As they say, a blessing in disguise.

This is perfect.

This could be an opportunity to suppress the Imperial Consort Seo’s faction and gain Prince Jeong’s trust.

-Snap!

“I’ll kneel for now. But you’ll soon regret coming to this imperial capital…”

Suddenly, Jin Jong-hyeon’s expression hardened.

‘What did I just do?’

Why am I saying out loud what I was thinking inside?

As he was bewildered, he saw Geon Mun-ja, the Grandmaster of the Zhongnan Sect, sigh and bow his head.

‘Did he use some kind of sorcery?’

Realizing something was wrong, Jin Jong-hyeon’s mind raced with a thousand thoughts in an instant.

However, knowing he couldn’t take back the words he had uttered, he shouted:

“This just now was my personal… Kugh!”

Before he could finish his words.

Jin Jong-hyeon, feeling as if someone had gripped his throat, couldn’t breathe properly.

‘W-what is this?’

Then he heard a clear voice.

“For the sake of prenatal education, how long do you think it would take me to make everyone here draw their last breath without shedding blood?”

Kugh kugh…

Is this monster?

How could he block his airway just by moving his energy without even lifting a finger?

It was chilling to witness such an impossible feat.

Then the voice continued.

Kugh kugh…

He was reading all of his thoughts even though he hadn’t spoken them.

But what followed was even more outrageous.

“If it interferes with my prenatal education pilgrimage, I might have to erase the imperial Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Zhongnan Sect from this world to avoid any hassle.”

-Shiver!

At that moment, Jin Jong-hyeon felt not just his breath being blocked, but his mind growing dizzy from the tremendous pressure bearing down on him.

He had never felt such intimidation even when facing Southern Pacification Commissioner Gu Seong-baek.

Jin Jong-hyeon’s face turned not just pale but was drenched in sweat.

If someone else had said it, it might have sounded like an empty threat, but with this current aura, it sounded like he really would do it.

No, it felt like he could actually do it.

It was no longer just humiliation or disgrace.

He sincerely felt that the situation he had brought about was nothing short of a disaster.

It was at that moment.

Shing!

Before his words could finish.

Geon Mun-ja drew his sword and immediately grabbed the tip with his other hand, bringing the blade to the back of his neck.

Then Geon Mun-ja spoke in a pleading voice:

“My disciple, in his ignorance, has committed a grave offense against the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s leader. This may not easily appease your anger, but I beg you to show a shred of mercy to Zhongnan and my disciple with this old man’s life.”

“M-master!”

“Grandmaster!”

“Master!”

All the Zhongnan Sect Taoists, including his disciple Geon Hyeon-ja, were at a loss seeing Grandmaster Geon Mun-ja’s earnest gesture, which even disregarded shame.

Had there ever been such humiliation since the founding of the Zhongnan Sect?

It was enough to make them feel self-loathing.

However, they had no choice but to submit to the current situation.

Their opponent was the Greatest Under Heaven, a monster who could take their lives without even moving a finger.

Even if someone stepped forward now, no one could salvage the situation.

At that moment, the young man, no, the Heavenly Demon, smirked and then said nonchalantly:

“Be grateful that you can keep your lives thanks to your master’s cool judgment and noble sacrifice.”

‘What?’

-Snap!

At that moment, with the sound of snapping fingers, all the Zhongnan Sect Taoists collapsed as if fainting on the spot.

-Thud! Thud! Thud!

This was no exception for anyone.

Even Geon Mun-ja, who could be considered the highest martial artist of the Zhongnan Sect, had been poised to commit suicide, but his eyes slowly closed and he collapsed.

The only ones who didn’t collapse were the staff of Hwayangjeong.

They were so shocked by this sight that they couldn’t close their mouths.

The Heavenly Demon calmly said to them:

“They’ll wake up after a day, so leave them be. Today’s reservation is canceled, so may we finish our meal and leave?”

At these words, the senior staff member of Hwayangjeong nodded frantically and replied:

“How could we refuse? We’ll serve you to the utmost!”

The real customers they needed to be mindful of weren’t the Zhongnan Sect Taoists.

As the staff, including the senior member, moved busily while being attentive, Cheong-ryeong caressed her protruding belly and spoke:

“Our little one should know that daddy is suppressing his old temper a lot for the baby in mommy’s belly.”

It was possible that just a year and a few months ago, not just one person, but everyone here might have lost their lives.

At Cheong-ryeong’s words, the Heavenly Demon gave a gentle smile, shrugged lightly, and reached for the wine bottle.

-Flinch!

But as he was reaching for it, the Heavenly Demon paused and raised one eyebrow.

“What’s wrong?”

As Cheong-ryeong asked curiously, the Heavenly Demon spoke in a subdued voice:

“…The connection with the demonic beast Alyu has been severed.”