Chapter 93 – Let’s Do It. Marriage. Settled.
The drinking session with Cheol Muguk ended anticlimactically.
He made it sound like a grand banquet, but there was no alcohol to be found on Island of Restless Souls.
This wasn’t a place that operated year-round, after all. It only opened temporarily during the Six Families Meeting.
The so-called “residence” wasn’t some grand estate—it was just a small space that looked barely good enough for a few nights’ stay.
Three creaky cots and a single table. That was the Cheol Clan’s lodging.
Since the space was tight, Tak Horak decided to wait outside.
“If I’d known it’d be like this, I would’ve brought a few more bottles.”
“You’d have died if you did.”
“Watch your tone. Ugh, sitting on a wooden chair instead of a steel one really hurts the back.”
“That’s not the chair’s fault. It’s your posture. Sit properly.”
Cheol Muguk grumbled, ‘You really have no manners,’ but I’d long since figured out that this was just his own twisted way of showing affection.
He let out a long sigh.
“I wish my son had even half of your spirit.”
Was he getting sentimental after just a sip?
“You’re drunk after one bottle? No way, not after using Rejuvenation Elixir.”
“Idiot. With Flame Jade’s properties, I can burn off any trace of drunkenness. I’m sober.”
“Then you’re having foolish thoughts with a sober mind.”
“Foolish?”
Cheol Muguk clicked his tongue and spoke.
“That boy’s not ready to be a clan head yet.”
“And what are you basing that on?”
“He needs to be able to speak confidently in front of others like you do, but he can’t. Even in front of me, he can’t say a word. Just sits there, all muscle and no voice.”
He must’ve been referring to what happened earlier at the Martial Soul wall. Honestly, if anyone looked crazy there, it was me—not Cheol Sopyeong.
Besides—
“You really don’t get it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You treat your son like a child. That’s why he stays quiet.”
Maybe it’s because I grew up without parents, but I can see this sort of thing more clearly. Kids like me, raised in an orphanage, grow up fast. We have to—we’re thrown into the world with nothing.
But it’s different for those with parents. They grow up slowly, safely, within a fence. Sometimes, though, that fence becomes a shackle—and some parents don’t even realize it.
Cheol Muguk just stared at me, silent.
“Anyway, your son’s already grown up. Probably so much so that he sees your protection as chains. Look at the size of him—don’t you think he’s frustrated?”
“I should get going. It’s getting late.”
I left the Cheol Clan’s residence.
And then—
“…What are you doing?”
“Sniff… sniff. Nothing at all!”
Tak Horak was secretly wiping his tear-stained eyes.
…Did he cry over what I just said? Why? What part of that got to him?
Looking embarrassed, he shouted, “I shall escort you!” and quickly marched ahead.
[That was a rather shocking thing to say, from the perspective of a cultist.]
“Was it?”
True.
Cheol Muguk was actually an incredibly kind father. Just look at the Hyuk Clan—they’re the opposite. Slap their own children in public over something as small as losing face.
Even in the Sado Clan, things weren’t much better. The father-daughter relationship in the Gwak Clan was the real outlier.
[Anyway, I believe I’ve fully understood the concept now.]
“That was fast.”
[It was simpler than Supreme Reign, after all. Controlling the energy is a bit more delicate, but…Had I not achieved even a partial Three Flowers Gather at the Summit, it would’ve been impossible.]
“Because it’s the First Heavenly Demon’s martial intent?”
[It’s not that simple.]
Skybreaker continued.
[If used correctly, Ultrasonic Vibration can be powerful enough to cleanly cut through Cloud Demon Iron—or even cause an earthquake. Of course, theoretically speaking, you’d need an immense amount of energy for that.]
“Like the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, maybe?”
[Precisely.]
If I could fully unlock the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, maybe I could become just as overwhelming as the First Heavenly Demon.
But at the same time, I couldn’t help but think: with my lack of martial talent, I might die before I get there if I got reckless.
While talking to Skybreaker, I arrived at the Sado Clan’s residence.
“…It’s certainly more luxurious than the Cheol Clan’s.”
“It’s called the dignity of a noble house.”
“Ha ha, indeed!”
Unlike the collapsing Cheol Clan quarters, the Sado Clan residence was a clean, one-story pavilion.
It must’ve been built specifically for this temporary opening of Island of Restless Souls.
Which meant someone used up one of their three allowed party members to bring a builder. No wonder the Sado Clan had been looked down on—they’d built up bad blood in more ways than one.
No surprise if they got snubbed.
There were even top-grade Pill of Sustenance rations in the storage, unlike the dusty junk most people brought. These tasted savory and sweet.
Thanks to Sado Muyul’s spending in the wrong places, I was reaping the rewards.
—Or so I was thinking, as I lay down on my cot.
Blink. Blink.
[…]
My eyes met someone clinging to the ceiling, looking down at me.
“…Hello.”
My heart nearly jumped out of my mouth, but I quickly masked my reaction and raised the energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Keeping a calm expression, I spoke.
“…What are you doing here, Jin Yeongryeong?”
It was none other than Jin Yeongryeong, head of the Shadow Blood Jin Clan.
Her hair dangled down due to gravity, making her look like something straight out of a horror movie.
The Jin Clan was known for being cryptic, but hanging from someone else’s ceiling like this? Even by their standards, this was beyond weird.
“To attack you.”
“…Why?”
“You smell tasty.”
“You’re insane.”
“No.”
“Get down from there.”
“Okay.”
Jin Yeongryeong dropped down to the cot without hesitation.
“Not there. Over to the table.”
“Mm.”
Thankfully, she was at least following instructions. She walked over to the table. Still, I couldn’t be too careful.
“Tak, Squad Leader.”
“Yes—wait, you!?”
Tak Horak jumped in shock when he noticed Jin Yeongryeong. He reached for his spear.
“Stop fussing. We have a guest—serve some tea.”
—And while you're at it, discreetly summon Saweol.
“Yes? Ah, yes, understood.”
As I spoke aloud, I also used the Puppet Flute’s power to send a telepathic message.
Fortunately, Tak Horak understood and exited naturally, not revealing anything.
Now, I just had to buy time.
I looked at Jin Yeongryeong.
This was the first time I’d looked at her straight on.
Even from a distance, she looked like Jin Yeongryeong. Her hair and eyes were red. No, more accurately, the color of blood.
The dark circles under her eyes were so bad they nearly reached her chin. Was it the side effect of her blood arts?
She was so small and fragile, like a middle schooler. On appearance alone, she didn’t look like a martial artist at all.
But in the martial world, you always had to be wary of old people, women, and children.
Jin Yeongryeong was both a woman and childlike—so doubly dangerous.
“So what brings you here?”
“I told you. To attack.”
How many cult experts were actually sane? Even among them, Jin Yeongryeong was… something else. She didn’t even speak in full sentences—just fragments.
“Frustrating.”
“That’s my line.”
“Reason. You. Blood. Tasty smell.”
“…You came here to attack me because my blood smells good?”
Nod nod.
Her answer was so clear, I nearly slapped my forehead. The Shadow Blood Jin Clan uses blood-based martial arts—no wonder she was sensitive to it. She’d been watching me ever since I bled during the oath.
[You must eject her immediately.]
I agreed. Who knows what she might do if I let this continue.
But how? She’s not just any Transcendent Peak master—she’s the head of one of the Six Demon Families.
Still, she was surprisingly obedient so far. I had to stall until Tak brought Saweol.
“As obvious as it is, no. You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Blood isn’t something you can just take.”
“In our clan, we can.”
“This isn’t your clan. And I’m a man of the Sado Clan—I follow our laws, not yours.”
“Then make me part of Sado.”
“I’m the Sado Clan Head.”
Her gaze deepened.
“Let’s do it. Marriage. Settled.”
…She’s insane.
“No.”
“Crazy people don’t know they’re crazy.”
“You say I’m crazy? They all die.”
So she’s saying she kills anyone who calls her crazy. Good to know.
“You. I like you. Marriage.”
“I refuse.”
“Why? You. Me. Both unmarried.”
“I’m married to my clan.”
“You crazy?”
If this went on, I was going to go crazy. Normal conversation wasn’t possible.
“One bottle. No—one sip. Enough.”
“Denied.”
From what I’d seen, my blood was saturated with Heavenly Demon Divine Art energy.
If Jin Yeongryeong drank that, who knows what would happen.
She might go berserk trying to get more. Or something even worse.
“Frustrating. Frustrating.”
She began gnawing on her fingernail.
“Frustrating. Frustrating. Frustrating.”
“You’re being annoying.”
“I’ll take it, then?”
She was about to drop the act. She’d seemed obedient, but this woman was never truly docile.
My lips were dry. From here on, it was a game of timing.
As she gnawed furiously—suddenly, she stopped.
“…Take it?”
A glint of madness appeared in her eyes.
Thud!
Before I even registered what happened, I instinctively cut my palm and activated the Guardian Armring.
Boom!
Like a bell being struck, a deafening ring echoed out—Jin Yeongryeong’s fist had smashed into the barrier. The shockwave knocked over furniture in the room.
“Curious. Cheol Muguk’s technique?”
I didn’t answer.
Instead, I used Blink Orb to escape the room.
The Guardian Armring returned to its place on my wrist.
“Spatial Shift? Strong?”
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Your stance. Weak. Why?”
I drew the Skybreaker Sword.
Can you use Supreme Reign?
[Not at that speed.]
Damn it.
A Transcendent Peak master in motion is a completely different beast from one standing still.
I had Supreme Reign, Whirlflow, Ultrasonic Vibration—but hitting her was the real issue.
And she’s not even serious yet.
She wasn’t even fully using her blood arts. She’d just thrown a casual jab.
A twisted grin stretched across her lips.
“Fun—”
And then—she suddenly tilted her head to the side.
Like she tore through space itself—Saweol appeared. Her dagger slashed across where Jin Yeongryeong’s face had just been.
No—
It hit.
Just barely.
Drip—
Jin Yeongryeong wiped the trickle of blood from her cheek with her hand.
And then she said:
“This is boring now.”
In the next moment—
Whoooom—
The entire world turned blood red.