“He said they approached him first.”
Seok-su, Gu Yong’s friend who handled the counterfeit hidden weapon deals for the Black Hand Sect, confessed everything he knew without being prompted.
Seok-su was in a state of terror.
He had never dreamed that a day would come when he would be dragged to the Demon Sect to be interrogated.
Gu Yong had been stabbed to death in a courtesan house, and the man who had tried to unleash a hidden weapon earlier had clearly been trying to kill him.
He couldn’t forget the sight of the man laughing like a madman, even after his arm had been severed.
“She asked if he was interested in buying some weapons from the Demon Sect.”
The person sitting before Seok-su was the Division Lord, Ho Myeong.
The matter was too important to be left to his subordinates, so he was conducting the interrogation himself.
Seok-su knew from what he had seen earlier that Ho Myeong held a high position, which made him even more nervous.
“To seal the deal, she even gave Gu Yong money.”
Ho Myeong, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke.
“How much?”
“He didn’t say the exact amount, but he seemed to have received several thousand Nyang. He was in such a good mood that he took us to the Flower Shadow Pavilion and bought a lavish round of drinks.”
Ho Myeong didn’t entirely believe him.
The most important task now was to discern if this man before him was fabricating nonsense just to save his own skin.
Did being terrified mean he wouldn’t lie? Not a chance.
Having lived his life as a demonic practitioner, he had seen many people.
Terrified people were also good liars.
He had seen a man, weeping profusely while pressing a hand to his stab wound, lie with a straight face.
One should not underestimate the human will to survive.
“Tell me about the person who gave him the money.”
“It wasn’t a man.”
“What?”
“He said it was a woman.”
This was unexpected for Ho Myeong.
A woman approached him?
“Tell me everything you know about this woman.”
“All I know is that it was a woman. That’s everything I know.”
Instantly, Ho Myeong’s voice turned chillingly low.
“Then why did you say you knew about this matter?”
Seok-su was flustered.
“I thought this much would be useful information.”
“A woman gave him a large sum of money? How am I supposed to find her with just that information?”
A coldness matching his voice flowed from Ho Myeong’s eyes.
“So you thought you could deceive us by just saying anything, didn’t you?”
“No, no!”
Waving his hands in denial, Seok-su looked innocent, as if he were about to burst into tears.
But Ho Myeong knew exactly what kind of people the Black Hand Sect were.
They were leeches who sucked the lifeblood out of people.
Ho Myeong took out a small bottle from his robes and placed it on the table.
“Drink.”
Seok-su asked, his face pale with fear.
“What is this?”
“A truth serum.”
Seok-su had heard of it.
A truth serum that made you groggy and answer any question asked.
And he also knew that truth serums had side effects.
If you were unlucky, you could go mad, and sometimes, even die.
“Please, spare me!”
Seok-su’s face turned white.
“If I force you to drink it, you will die even if you confess.”
With a trembling hand, Seok-su reached for the vial.
‘I have to remember.
Please.’
Seok-su desperately tried to recall what Gu Yong had said that day.
They had met and exchanged some lewd jokes, then went to the Flower Shadow Pavilion together.
Ah, right.
While drinking with the courtesans, he had mentioned a few more things about it.
What had he said then?
That desperation finally worked a miracle.
He put down the truth serum he was about to drink and shouted.
“Ah! That’s right! He said the woman had a burn scar on the back of her hand.”
He remembered Gu Yong saying that she had a pretty face and a great body, but it was a shame she had a burn scar on her hand.
He had said it while holding a courtesan’s hand.
“A burn scar?”
“Yes, he definitely said it was a burn scar. I’m sure of it.”
Seok-su looked at Ho Myeong with expectant eyes.
He thought that since he had remembered something important, he wouldn’t have to drink the truth serum.
Ho Myeong’s eyes and voice softened as he spoke to him.
“I know, so drink up.”
These damn Demon Sect bastards!
A quarter of an hour later, Ho Myeong came out of the interrogation room.
Behind him, Seok-su could be seen.
He was still sitting in the chair in a daze.
Ho Myeong headed to another interrogation room a short distance from where he had come.
There, the investigation of the assassin with the severed arm was in full swing.
The one-armed assassin was truly out of his mind, so a normal interrogation was impossible.
Since torture was also ineffective, the task was not to get the mastermind’s name from him, but to figure out what method was used to brainwash him.
Geom Muyang stood in the back with his arms crossed, watching the scene.
Ho Myeong cautiously approached and reported.
“The intermediary was a woman with a burn scar on the back of her hand. The testimony under the truth serum was the same, so it seems to be true. I will inform the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion of all we’ve heard and have them find that woman.”
It was like finding a needle in a haystack with just that, but at least it was a lead.
As he was about to turn and leave, Geom Muyang spoke abruptly.
“That woman might work at an Iron Workshop.”
Why would she work at an Iron Workshop? Ho Myeong was puzzled for a moment before he realized something.
“Ah! Because of the burn!”
Geom Muyang nodded at Ho Myeong’s words.
He had worked extensively with the Iron Workshop at the Main Sect.
Because of that, he had met many people who worked there.
For those who worked with iron and fire, burns were a common occurrence.
“I will pass on that she likely works at an Iron Workshop.”
Ho Myeong looked at Geom Muyang with a newfound expression.
Once heard, the connection seemed obvious, but it wasn't easy to link the two just by hearing about it.
“The number of women working in iron workshops is relatively small, and if she has a distinctive feature like a scar on her hand? Perhaps the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion can find her. If they do, it will be thanks to you, First Young Master.”
It wasn’t flattery, but genuine admiration.
Just what kind of person was the Second Young Master to have defeated a First Young Master like this and become the Young Cult Master?
Just then, the martial artist who had been examining the one-armed man’s body finished his investigation and turned to them.
He was an expert in such Great Arts among the Division martial artists mobilized this time.
“It appears to be a Great Art where a command is implanted in the subconscious, allowing the person to live normally until a specific condition is met, at which point they only carry out the command.”
This meant that the man, who had been kneeling, suddenly turned into a madman because the special condition of Seok-su about to reveal a secret had occurred.
“Furthermore, once the Great Art is activated, the person immediately loses their reason and is driven to suicide.”
This meant that if his paralyzing point hadn’t been quickly sealed after his arm was cut off, this man would have also killed himself.
“The skill of the one who planted this Great Art is not ordinary.”
The counterfeit hidden weapons were made to be nearly identical to the real ones, and now this kind of Great Art.
These were not people who were simply trying to make money by selling fakes.
“To find out exactly what kind of Great Art was used, we’ll have to escort him to the Main Sect for examination.”
Geom Muyang looked at the man smiling in the interrogation room.
“Is there any chance of him returning to normal?”
“For a Great Art of this level, the one who cast it must be the one to release it.”
“Then it can never be broken.”
The kind of person who would use a Great Art to control people like puppets and then make them commit suicide would not release it willingly.
Swoosh.
A single ray of sword light from Geom Muyang cut through the assailant’s heart, killing him instantly.
“We’ll be seeing plenty of those under the influence of Great Arts from now on. And…”
Geom Muyang said as he walked out of the room with cold eyes.
“I’ll hear what kind of Great Art it is from the caster himself.”
Geom Mugeuk opened the giant doors and stepped inside.
A plaza came into view.
Ninety-nine enormous bookshelves filled the space.
On those shelves were countless peerless secret manuals that would stir the hearts of any martial artist.
This was the Heavenly Demon Scripture Pavilion, the very place where he had once obtained the Four Divine Wind Steps.
“Father! I’ve come in here without your permission! I might just mess this place up. I might sit wherever I please and eat snacks. So, come out quickly!”
Upon becoming the Acting Cult Master, he could now freely enter places that required the Heavenly Demon’s permission.
The first of these places he entered was the Heavenly Demon Scripture Pavilion.
Geom Mugeuk walked between the bookshelves, pulling out books from here and there.
He wasn’t choosing carefully but picking out books that caught his eye.
There were books on the principles of martial arts, advice from masters for actual combat, the history of the Martial World, and the fundamentals of martial arts in general.
From secret manuals explaining energy and pressure points to methods for balancing the body, how a martial artist should use their body, and basic offense and defense.
How to predict an opponent's movements and find openings.
How to operate and apply true energy.
He chose some books because he liked the titles, others because he liked the calligraphy on the cover, and some just because he felt like reading them.
He ended up choosing over twenty books.
Flick!
With a snap of his fingers, the surroundings changed into a green field.
Rustle.
A large desk and chair appeared in the middle of the field.
With another flick of his hand, a cool, gentle breeze began to blow.
Geom Mugeuk had activated his Space-Time Displacement Art.
Now, Geom Mugeuk’s Space-Time Displacement Art granted him seven times the time of the outside world.
When he faced the Sword King, it was six times, but his mastery had grown since then.
Now, one shijin outside was seven shijin here.
‘I’m counting on you!’
Geom Mugeuk stacked the books on the desk and began to read.
Though they were of various kinds, one thing was certain.
These were all carefully selected books, worthy of being placed in the Heavenly Demon Scripture Pavilion.
Geom Mugeuk read them one by one.
The reason for this reading session was this.
Although Geom Mugeuk had told Sama Myeong he had anxiety, the greater source of his anxiety lay in the Nine Calamities Demon Art.
The Nine Calamities Demon Art, which had reached the Eighth Star.
His current achievement was faster than any previous Cult Master, but Geom Mugeuk was not satisfied.
‘The hurdle is from the Eighth Star to the Ninth Star.’
It felt like standing before a massive, insurmountable wall.
If he crossed this wall, there would be an even bigger one.
First, he had to get over this one.
Geom Mugeuk decided to overcome this wall by reading the books in the Heavenly Demon Scripture Pavilion.
Until now, he had overcome hurdles through relentless training, repeating the Nine Calamities Demon Art over and over.
At other times, he had overcome them through life-or-death battles.
And sometimes, through his father’s teachings.
This time, he intended to overcome it by diligently reading martial arts manuals here.
Why this method?
It was a pull of instinct.
If his father entering seclusion and him becoming the Acting Cult Master, allowing him free access to this place, was fate, then so be it.
There was one more reason.
After meeting the Sword King, he found himself thinking more about the fundamentals of martial arts.
The process of creating martial arts by applying the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique had a great influence on him.
Geom Mugeuk trusted his instincts.
Just as craving meat is a sign that the body needs the nutrients in it, if he felt an urge to read all sorts of books on martial arts, then now was the time he needed it.
Geom Mugeuk read at ease.
He didn't read with the intention of gaining something specific.
If a book was too boring, he would simply close it and move on to the next.
What could be difficult for someone of Geom Mugeuk's level? He read through every book smoothly, without any blockage.
One shijin, two shijin, three shijin…
Seven shijin.
How long had he been immersed in his reading? The voice of Jeok-yeon, the head of his guards, came from outside.
“A message has arrived from the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion.”
At that, the world around Geom Mugeuk began to change.
Swoosh.
The numerous bookshelves of the Heavenly Demon Scripture Pavilion reappeared around him.
Geom Mugeuk picked up the book he had brought out from the Space-Time Displacement Art and started walking.
Flick, swish, whoosh.
The secret manuals flew through the air in different directions.
The books returned to their original places.
It might have seemed like a simple trick, but simultaneously placing the books with just a thought was a Divine Might not found in any of the secret manuals in this place.
Geom Mugeuk stepped out of the Heavenly Demon Scripture Pavilion.
Jeok-yeon relayed the news from the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion.
“The First Young Master is said to be gathering the elite martial artists of Hunan.”
It was a report that the situation there was serious, but Geom Mugeuk smiled instead.
“It seems those bastards have really angered my brother.”
The fact that his brother was on high alert was actually reassuring.
At least he wouldn’t be careless.
“And he sent a message to the Martial Alliance and the Unorthodox Alliance, simply stating that the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect is in the middle of an operation.”
At that report, Geom Mugeuk laughed pleasantly.
“If Father were here, he would have loved this.”
Father, your favorite eldest son is turning the Martial World upside down.
If he teased his father about this, he would surely have looked at him with that characteristic smirk.
And he would have greatly enjoyed the news about his brother.
“My brother is my brother, but I’m too hungry to care. Since I’m out, I should eat something before going back in.”
Jeok-yeon looked at Geom Mugeuk with a strange expression.
Geom Mugeuk had eaten just one shijin ago before entering, yet he was hungry again.
Another good thing about being the Acting Cult Master.
He could eat the meals prepared by the Heavenly Demon Hall’s chef.
“The thing I envy most about Father isn’t the Heavenly Demon Treasury or the Heavenly Demon Scripture Pavilion, but you, Chef!”
And so, the bright smile of the Heavenly Demon Hall’s chef could be seen for the first time in a while.
Geom Mugeuk ate his fill and even packed some of the food the chef had made before heading back into the Heavenly Demon Scripture Pavilion.
Geom Mugeuk chose a book from a bookshelf.
This time too, he didn’t choose carefully.
He chose as his mood dictated.
It didn’t matter.
He planned to read every book in the Heavenly Demon Scripture Pavilion before he came out anyway.
‘Father, for now, I will leave this Martial World to my brother and enter seclusion training in the Heavenly Demon Scripture Pavilion.’