Everyone who had been in the cabins came up to the deck of the ship.
The dark mist that had enveloped the ship and the barrier on the lake around it were both gone.
After the long night, dawn was breaking.
Geom Mugeuk saw the boats in the distance, carrying the gamblers away.
Numerous small boats were ferrying the gamblers from the Ship of Fortune to the shore.
Members of the Ghost Shadow Branch were on the boats, and Geom Mugeuk waved toward the one carrying Lee Ahn.
"Lee Ahn!"
When Geom Mugeuk waved, Lee Ahn also cried out in joy.
"Young Cult Master!"
Seeing that Geom Mugeuk was safe, she jumped up and down with joy, despite her subordinates watching.
The Young Cult Master was more important than her dignity.
From the boats all around, shouts of joy and victory erupted at once.
Not just Geom Mugeuk, but all the Demon Sovereigns who had entered the ship had shown themselves on the deck.
Aboard the small boats were the four squad leaders of the Ghost Shadow Branch: Blue Mask, Cha Iran, Seo Jin, and Jihan.
They too looked on with delight at Geom Mugeuk and the Demon Sovereigns.
Blue Mask’s gaze, which had been on Geom Mugeuk, shifted to the Evil Heart Laughing Demon.
He remembered the words the Evil Heart Laughing Demon had said to him.
-You can come back if you want to.
Whether he returned or not, just hearing those words made this mission an incredibly meaningful one for Blue Mask.
I'm glad you are safe.
Though they were too far away to see, Blue Mask bowed his head respectfully to the two of them.
Cha Iran knew.
They had emerged safely from this final battle.
‘The Darkness Palace Master is dead.’
It was the moment the darkness that had followed her vanished forever.
'You really did it.’
Had she not chosen Geom Mugeuk, her name would have been on the list of victims.
Seo Jin and Jihan cheered, celebrating the safe and successful conclusion of the Ghost Shadow Branch's first mission.
"I was about to win that hand! Because of you people!"
Jihan smacked the back of the bloodshot-eyed gambler's head.
"You're alive because of us!"
They were alive now, but if they couldn't escape their gambling habits, they would eventually face ruin.
Yang Dong, the master of the Ship of Fortune, who was on another small boat, was inwardly astonished.
When he learned of the terrible conspiracy unfolding on his ship, he truly thought he would die.
But surprisingly, the demonic practitioners had spared them.
"I will be sure to tell the Unorthodox Alliance that you saved us."
Lee Ahn, who was on the same boat, nodded.
Well, even if she didn't say a word, there was someone who would boast endlessly to the Young Alliance Leader of the Unorthodox Alliance, so he would surely find out.
Lee Ahn’s gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk in the distance.
Even in a crowd, Geom Mugeuk shone brightly.
From afar, Geom Mugeuk’s shout could be heard.
"You've all worked hard!"
The cheers from the Ghost Shadow Branch warriors grew louder.
The resounding shouts of the Demon Army, who were waiting in the distance, could also be heard.
After boosting his subordinates' morale, Geom Mugeuk bid farewell to the Demon Sovereigns.
"I will head back to the Main Sect first."
The Demon Sovereigns nodded.
No one could keep up with Geom Mugeuk’s lightness arts, so he would arrive earliest if he ran alone.
"We will follow as quickly as we can."
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign, and the Evil Heart Laughing Demon decided to follow Geom Mugeuk using their lightness arts.
Due to their injuries, the Demon Buddha, the Soul-Devouring Demon Sovereign, and the Drunken Demon had to return by carriage.
They would go as fast as they could, but it would not compare to the speed of traveling with lightness arts.
Ga Ye sat on the deck, staring blankly at the lake.
She wasn't sad about the Darkness Palace Master’s death, nor did she feel a sense of triumph.
Her mind was in turmoil.
What would happen to her now?
'Is the Young Cult Master just going to leave?'
She had to ask and confirm before he left.
"Are you going to let me live?"
"I have already spared you."
Geom Mugeuk had given her a chance to leave before they entered the room where the Darkness Palace Master was.
"Without the Six Paths' Primal Energy, you cannot control him."
Geom Mugeuk nodded.
"I know."
"Aren't you worried? The Six Paths' Primal Energy is with you, Young Cult Master."
"Of course, I'm worried. Worried to the point of madness."
A look of confusion crossed Ga Ye’s face.
"Then do you have the leisure to be having this conversation with me?"
An unexpected answer came from Geom Mugeuk’s lips.
"Because my business with you is just as important."
"!"
A thought occurred to Ga Ye.
Yes, it must be because he is this kind of person that he has such strong bonds with the Demon Sovereigns.
She felt she now understood why the Darkness Palace Master could never defeat this Young Cult Master.
To defeat such a person… yes, he had become too much like a petrified fossil.
"Still, there is one thing I believe in. In the process of obtaining the Six Paths' Primal Energy, not only I, but my father and the Demon Sovereigns have all grown stronger. And they have all changed a great deal. I believe in the power of that change as much as I believe in the power of the Six Paths' Primal Energy."
Ga Ye felt as though it was her destiny to say these words.
"From now on, memorize the formula I am about to tell you. I don't know exactly how this formula works. It is a formula that has been passed down for generations in relation to the Six Paths' Primal Energy."
Perhaps what the Darkness Palace Master had feared most was her passing this formula to Geom Mugeuk.
Geom Mugeuk memorized the formula Ga Ye recited perfectly.
The formula was not very long, but he could instinctively tell that this was the very formula needed to control Hwa Mugi.
"Thank you very much."
The Heavenly Flower Pavilion Mistress, who was watching from the side, said to her.
"The heavens have not abandoned you."
A surprising statement came from the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Mistress's lips.
"This version of you was the prophecy I saw."
"!"
"I saw you giving the formula to the Young Cult Master."
She, who had foreseen the prophecy of the Evil Heart Laughing Demon stabbing Geom Mugeuk's heart, had this time seen this scene as a prophecy.
Ga Ye’s eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Mistress.
"So that's why you saved me."
The Heavenly Flower Pavilion Mistress shook her head.
It was true she had told the Demon Sovereigns to spare her, and it was also true that she had survived because of it, but.
"It wasn't I who saved you. I believe it was your destiny to live."
Feeling an inexplicable sense of being overwhelmed, Ga Ye gazed at the rising sun in the distance.
It occurred to her that perhaps the heavens had given her one last chance.
A test to see if she would give the formula to Geom Mugeuk.
She saw her own shadow in the sunlight.
Suddenly, she remembered what Geom Mugeuk had said to the Darkness Palace Master.
That only when one turns their back to the light can they truly see their own darkness.
Ga Ye's gaze then turned to the sky.
She looked up at the sky for the first time in a very long time.
She had only ever resented the heavens; it had been a long time since she had looked up like this.
Watching the light push away the darkness, this feeling arose naturally in her heart.
'I will live the rest of my life helping others with a heart of atonement.'
From the two women's conversation, Geom Mugeuk could tell just how important the Six Paths' Primal Energy was, enough to warrant a prophecy.
It was time to return.
Geom Mugeuk bowed to everyone.
"I will head to the Main Sect first. I will see you all later."
Leaping into the air, Geom Mugeuk instantly became a dot and disappeared.
"He's gotten faster."
At the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's exclamation, everyone shook their heads with looks of amazement.
It was truly a lightness art that would make even a Demon Sovereign’s jaw drop.
With his pure inner energy imbued with the mysterious power of the Six Paths' Primal Energy, and his body having undergone Rebirth and Reconstruction, Geom Mugeuk's Swift Step cleaved through the air at an extreme speed.
‘Father, I am coming!’
The day after the Martial Alliance Leader, Jin Pae-cheon, arrived at the Flowing Wine Tavern, he suddenly asked after breakfast.
"By the way, who does the dishes here?"
He hadn't thought about it yesterday in the midst of everything, but he suddenly became curious.
There was no one else here but them, so one of them had to be doing the dishes.
No matter how he looked, there was no one who seemed likely to do the dishes.
The Poison King? Judging by his appearance, it seemed natural that he should do them.
Or maybe the Fist Demon? Could he even wash dishes with those big hands? No, he would break all the plates.
Just then, the Sword King spoke to Jin Pae-cheon.
"As the youngest, I am in charge of the dishes."
"You are the youngest?"
"Yes, that is correct."
Jin Pae-cheon thought to himself that the Poison King truly did have a youthful face.
"I will help you today."
Everyone looked at Jin Pae-cheon with surprised faces.
The Martial Alliance Leader was going to do the dishes?
At their surprised gazes, Jin Pae-cheon looked around and said.
"It's an unwritten rule not to bother the eldest and the youngest."
For whatever reason, Jin Pae-cheon helped the Sword King, picking up the used dishes and heading to the back of the tavern.
Baek Ja-gang saw right through Jin Pae-cheon's intentions.
"Honestly, some people are so greedy. He's coveting Martial Artist Ak."
He meant that Jin Pae-cheon was doing this to get on Ak Gun-hak's good side.
He himself wanted to bring Ak Gun-hak to the Unorthodox Alliance.
How reassuring would it be to have such a supreme master by his side?
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader, looking at the back of the tavern visible through the open door, said.
"Do you think the Young Cult Master would give up that man, even if he gave up the Gentleman's Sword? Not a chance."
"You never know if Alliance Leader Jin puts in the effort."
At Baek Ja-gang's words, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader nodded.
"True, that man does seem to have a disposition closer to the Righteous Path."
Just then, Geom Woojin, the Heavenly Demon, spoke firmly.
"That will not happen."
He had already made a promise with Ak Gun-hak to protect Geom Mugeuk.
Realizing that the Demon Cult Master had already made his move, Baek Ja-gang shook his head.
"The truly greedy one was right here."
Their gazes turned back to Jin Pae-cheon, who was squatting next to the Sword King, washing dishes.
It was probably the first time in his entire life he had ever done such a thing.
"You can wash all the dishes in the world, Alliance Leader Jin, but it will be in vain."
At Baek Ja-gang's quiet words, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader said with a smile.
"Still, this is a sight we will never see again in the history of the martial world, so let's watch carefully."
Several days had passed since Jin Pae-cheon joined them at the Flowing Wine Tavern.
In that time, the Heaven Killing Star still had not come.
When Jin Pae-cheon first arrived, he never imagined he would be spending days on end in the same space with these people.
Since becoming the Martial Alliance Leader, had he ever lived in such a confined space with others?
And for those others to be the Demon Cult Master and the Unorthodox Alliance Leader?
Could there be anything more uncomfortable in the world?
He could fight alongside them! But eating, washing up, and sleeping in the same space with them was something he had considered a hundred times more difficult and uncomfortable.
Surprisingly, it was fine.
It really wasn't bad.
He thought he would never be able to adapt, but it was manageable.
The person you meet briefly and the person you spend several days with are certainly different.
To him, Geom Woojin had always felt incredibly cold and arrogant.
"You should sleep here. This spot has less of a draft."
Geom Woojin had offered him his own spot.
Did this man have such a side to him?
"I'm fine."
"Please, use this spot."
A draft was hardly a problem for someone of Jin Pae-cheon's martial arts mastery.
Nevertheless, it was a gesture of consideration from Geom Woojin for Jin Pae-cheon, who was the oldest.
"Thank you."
And Geom Woojin was more talkative than he had thought.
He had assumed he was a man of no words, but he conversed quite well, not only with him, but with the Unorthodox Alliance Leader, the two Demon Sovereigns, and the Sword King.
He wondered why he had the preconception that he was a silent man, and then he realized: he simply never spoke unnecessarily.
Because he only said what was absolutely necessary, he had seemed like a man of few words.
Next was Baek Ja-gang.
This man was serious about cooking.
"Is there any food you like?"
"I eat anything."
"Still, there must be something you enjoy. I will learn from Cult Master Geom and make it for you."
When Jin Pae-cheon first heard that, he wondered if he was planning to poison the food at a critical moment.
If the Poison King hadn't been here, he would have eaten every meal with that suspicion.
To think he had to worry about the Unorthodox Alliance Leader's poison instead of the Poison King's!
But after watching him for a few days, he saw that he enjoyed cooking.
"Do you find cooking fun?"
Today again, Baek Ja-gang was busy making something in the kitchen.
He was in the middle of making a stew he had learned from Geom Woojin.
"There is a certain fun in doing something I have never done before in my life. You should try learning too, Alliance Leader."
"I have no talent for cooking. I would rather do the dishes."
At that, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader, who was sitting at the counter, said.
"We could all open an inn together."
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader envisioned a hypothetical inn.
"Cult Master Geom and Alliance Leader Baek can take the kitchen, Martial Artist Ak and the Poison King can be the tavern boys, the Fist Demon can be in charge of dealing with rowdy drunks, and Alliance Leader Jin can handle the dishes."
When the Wind Heaven Sect Leader left himself out, Jin Pae-cheon asked.
"Then what will you be doing, Cult Master?"
The man who had assigned the Demon Cult Master and the Unorthodox Alliance Leader to the kitchen and the Martial Alliance Leader to dishwashing said shamelessly.
"Why, I should naturally sit at the counter. Judging by my physique, don't I look like the innkeeper?"
Everyone who was listening smiled.
In this dangerous gathering where a war could have broken out several times over, no one could deny that the good atmosphere was being maintained thanks to the Wind Heaven Sect Leader.
Of course, the two Alliance Leaders also kept their boundaries.
They didn't bring up unnecessarily serious topics, and tried to stick to light and enjoyable conversation.
For the time they were here, everyone temporarily set down the heavy burden of carrying the world on their shoulders.
It was likely because of what Geom Woojin had said.
-Let this fight end with our generation.
This was not a fight for their own honor, nor was it a fight for the peace of the martial world.
This was a fight for their children.
That cause was more powerful than any other, so at least here, in this place, they considered themselves on the same side.
They believed so.
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader took it a step further.
"Let's entrust the martial world to our smart and young successors, and all live as friends. How much longer do we have to live anyway? Let's stop glaring at each other."
Jin Pae-cheon looked at Geom Woojin and Baek Ja-gang.
In truth, he could somehow picture being friends with the Wind Heaven Sect Leader.
He was such a cheerful person who knew how to lift the mood.
But being friends with those two? Was such a thing even possible?
Then again, the fact that he was even imagining something he would not have even considered in the past showed that their relationship had indeed developed quite a lot.
The Fist Demon brought tea to where Geom Woojin and Jin Pae-cheon were sitting opposite each other.
Baek Ja-gang poked his head out from the kitchen and said.
"Have a cup of tea. The meal will be ready soon! Look forward to today's dish!"
The Fist Demon placed the teacups in front of the two men.
Geom Woojin's hand, which was about to pick up the teacup, stopped in mid-air.
A ripple formed on the surface of the tea.
A very faint ripple.
The next moment.
A larger ripple formed.
A third, a fourth, the ripples gradually grew larger.
Geom Woojin knew.
The identity of the ripples that appeared like a heartbeat.
Someone was walking this way.
The ripples were forming in time with their footsteps.
It wasn't a ripple caused by someone walking with heavy, forceful steps.
They were walking without a sound, but it was a ripple created by their very presence.
Jin Pae-cheon, sitting opposite him, and the Fist Demon, who had brought the tea, were also looking down at the ripples with somber eyes.
Had they ever felt such an intense presence in their lives?
The Sword King, who was wiping a table nearby, put down his cloth, and the sound of chopping from the kitchen stopped.
The Poison King's eyes, emerging from his own world, were deeper and colder than ever before.
Without hiding their presence at all.
Someone was walking towards this place.