So Baek-ta could not make a decision right away.
Instead, he asked for some time alone with his Master.
That was what Geom Mugeuk had wanted.
After Geom Mugeuk and the Demon Buddha went outside, only the Wind Heaven Sect Leader and So Baek-ta remained.
It was So Baek-ta who broke the long silence.
“If you truly were to go back, would you still make me the next Cult Master?”
“Yes.”
“Even me, who dreams of unifying the Martial World?”
“Yes, even so, I would make you the next Cult Master.”
Despite the Wind Heaven Sect Leader's firm answer, So Baek-ta was still suspicious.
“Why would you do that?”
“Because I believe you would protect the Wind Heaven Sect better than anyone.”
“Is starting a war what you call protecting it?”
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader conveyed to his disciple the remorse and regret he had felt.
“If I were to go back, I would have asked you. What is your dream? And if by chance you answered that it was to advance into the Central Plains, I would have told you this."
"That dream is not our dream, but a dream someone from a past generation once had."
"Then, I would walk with you through the wastelands and show you just how wonderful The Outlands are, and how strong the people who live amidst these sandstorms are. Because I believe that you, more than anyone, could protect and nurture these Outlands.”
So Baek-ta was angry.
“You’re only telling me this now? If you hadn’t returned like this, isn’t this something you would never have told me?”
“Because I would have believed you were doing well. Because I wouldn't have known this was what was in your heart. If I had known, I would have come running long ago.”
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader said as he gazed at his disciple.
“That’s why I said I was sorry. I will keep saying it until your heart is at ease.”
Their gazes intertwined in the air.
Beyond the window behind them, a sandstorm was blowing.
*
Geom Mugeuk and the Demon Buddha stood side by side in the courtyard, looking up at the sky.
It felt like just yesterday that he was lying on a rock with him, looking up at the sky, and now they had come all the way to these distant Outlands to look at the sky together.
The Demon Buddha spoke abruptly.
“That friend's fate will also change today.”
He must have meant So Baek-ta, but his fate would also greatly affect the Wind Heaven Sect Leader.
For that reason, Geom Mugeuk hoped that their relationship would conclude well, one way or another.
“I'm worried about the Cult Master.”
At that, the Demon Buddha, still looking up at the sky, said.
“Young Cult Master, don't be cheeky! That kind of worry is for an adult to have for you.”
Geom Mugeuk smiled faintly.
“Like how you worry about me, Demon Buddha?”
“I only worry about your brother.”
The cold words were, in a way, more comforting.
He was still taking good care of his brother, unchangingly.
“Did you say my brother brought me up during a drinking session?”
The Demon Buddha nodded at Geom Mugeuk's question.
“I did.”
“Doesn’t he worry about how to take back the Young Cult Master position?”
“I found myself wishing that were the case.”
The Demon Buddha's eyes, now on Geom Mugeuk, were filled with concern.
“When a person suddenly loses their goal, their life is bound to be shaken."
"He may act composed on the outside, but it must be very difficult for him. So, don't you get arrogant and worry about your elders. Just take good care of your brother.”
“As expected, Demon Buddha, you are my little giant.”
“More nonsense!”
The Demon Buddha looked away with a slightly embarrassed expression, but Geom Mugeuk knew he liked being called a little giant the most.
The giant of the past had risen through flattery, but now, the words were sincere.
To Geom Mugeuk, the Demon Buddha was a little giant.
He could feel that the man who had emerged from the cave had now begun to build his own house.
Laying the foundation by taking care of his brother, raising the pillars by agreeing to go to The Outlands with him, and covering the roof by promising to gather herbs.
In this way, he was building his own house.
He hoped that once the house was complete, he would invite his brother, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader, the Poison King, and even himself for a small feast.
He sincerely wished for him to live a golden life.
Geom Mugeuk's gaze followed the Demon Buddha's back to the sky.
Just then, Jeok-yeon and the other guards approached and expressed their gratitude.
“Thank you for the gift of the swords!”
“Why are you thanking me?”
“We heard the Young Cult Master gave them to us as a gift.”
At that, Geom Mugeuk shook his head.
“The Wind Heaven Sect Leader bought them for you.”
“Ah! The Cult Master said you bought them for us, Young Cult Master.”
“He probably didn't want to take credit. Be sure to thank him when you see him later!”
As they withdrew, the Demon Buddha laughed.
“Why are you laughing?”
“That Wind Heaven fellow may have paid for them, but you were the one who wanted to buy them, weren't you?”
As expected, the Demon Buddha was incredibly sharp.
“Why do you think that?”
“Because he's not the type of person to look after your guards. Even if he's changed a lot, a person doesn't change that much all at once. He probably paid while grumbling.”
Just as Geom Mugeuk was smiling, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader and So Baek-ta walked out.
So Baek-ta walked up to Geom Mugeuk and said.
“I think it’s time to find out whether I am a fool to the very end or not.”
Geom Mugeuk released the inner energy he had suppressed and said.
“Since you have only ever seen him as an ally, for today at least, try to see him as an enemy.”
*
The Illusion King was painting a picture.
A spitting image of the Illusion Maiden, he was tall with a manly and magnanimous appearance.
But the picture he was painting did not suit his appearance at all.
It was a dark and bizarre painting, filled with the aura of death.
There was a gate reminiscent of the Gates of Hell, and around it were depicted horrifically dead bodies and beasts.
But the grotesqueness was just beginning.
The painting moved.
A man depicted in the painting walked out from a small path next to the gate, looked this way, and spoke.
—All preparations are complete.
His voice was audible only to the Illusion King.
—However, they say we should not touch the Young Cult Master yet.
—Any other remarks?
—None.
They only mentioned the Young Cult Master.
—Are you certain that Wind Heaven was the one who killed the Illusion Maiden?
—The circumstances suggest so.
As the Illusion King nodded, the man who had finished his report disappeared back down the path he had come from.
Just then, a presence was felt outside, and So Baek-ta entered.
“Master.”
He was calling the Illusion King his master.
The Illusion King rose from his seat and showed So Baek-ta courteous respect.
“Welcome, Cult Master.”
“What kind of picture were you painting today?”
The Illusion King showed him the painting.
Upon seeing it, So Baek-ta was startled.
“This is a different style from your usual work.”
Usually, he painted the beautiful landscapes of The Outlands.
He painted smiling people, and he painted dogs and cats.
But today’s painting was completely different.
“Even I sometimes feel the urge to paint something like this.”
Of all days, was he painting this on the day he came to visit?
“Where does this gate lead?”
“It is the gate leading to my hell.”
At the meaningful reply, So Baek-ta looked at the Illusion King.
But only the painting was different; the Illusion King, with his good-natured smile, served him tea as usual.
So Baek-ta fiddled with his teacup, recalling what Geom Mugeuk had said.
—If he offers you tea or wine, there will likely be some kind of substance in it.
This was one of the few things Geom Mugeuk had told him before he came here.
Thinking back, he was always served tea when he visited this place.
At first, his guards would check for poison, but after he began learning martial arts from him, that step was omitted.
In the end, he had been drinking it all this time without any suspicion of what might be in it.
What if he thought of his opponent as an enemy, just as Geom Mugeuk had said? A chill ran down his spine.
“Please, drink. A new tea has arrived, and it tastes excellent.”
“The aroma is very nice.”
So Baek-ta only savored the aroma, then set the tea down and continued speaking.
“Earlier, the Young Cult Master of the Demon Sect came to see me alone, so I told him to permit the unification of The Outlands.”
“And what did he say?”
“He told me to show him my abilities. He said he would see if I was worthy. So I unleashed the Heaven-Gazing Blood Spirit Technique to show him my power.”
At that, the Illusion King's expression hardened.
“Did I not tell you to refrain from using the Heaven-Gazing Blood Spirit Technique as much as possible?”
“I had no choice.”
So Baek-ta mimicked what Geom Mugeuk had said.
“‘The Main Sect does not permit it. So go wash your face and come back.’ That arrogant Young Cult Master!”
So Baek-ta, unable to contain his anger, slammed his hand on the table where the tea was placed.
The table shattered, and the tea spilled.
“If I ever get to strike the Central Plains, I want to wipe out the Demon Sect first.”
The Illusion King calmly wiped the area and cleaned up before brewing tea again.
In the past, he would have felt sorry and grateful, but now, So Baek-ta’s feelings were different.
Seeing him as an enemy, just as Geom Mugeuk had said…
‘Is he trying to make me drink the tea no matter what?’
The action was the same, but the feeling he got from it was completely different.
Placing the tea on a new table, the Illusion King asked.
His persistence, without overt force, was even more frightening.
“So what happened?”
“The Young Cult Master countered my Heaven-Gazing Blood Spirit Technique.”
“That cannot be.”
“I experienced it myself.”
“Then you must have fallen for one of his tricks.”
At the Illusion King’s assertion, So Baek-ta asked pointedly.
“Why are you so confident? It’s not as if you’ve experienced the Nine Calamities Demon Art yourself.”
For a moment, the Illusion King's expression stiffened.
He had always shown discomfort whenever the Nine Calamities Demon Art was mentioned, but today his face was angrier than usual.
So Baek-ta quickly apologized to him.
“I’m sorry, Master. I acted rudely and sensitively because the Heaven-Gazing Blood Spirit Technique didn't work.”
His expression still stiff, the Illusion King asked.
“Why do you think the Young Cult Master has come to The Outlands?”
“I don't really know his intentions.”
Of course, that was a lie.
He had heard that he had come to capture the very person standing before him.
Just then, the Illusion King caught him off guard.
“He has come to capture me.”
So Baek-ta was startled.
He had revealed the information himself, something So Baek-ta thought he could conceal.
“How does he know of your existence, Master?”
“I planted one of my people in the Demon Sect. But he was recently captured, and my existence was revealed.”
“Why did you plant someone in the Demon Sect?”
“Do you know why I am so sensitive about the Nine Calamities Demon Art? It is because the Blood Sect fell to that very art."
"The Main Sect and the Demon Sect are mortal enemies. No reconciliation can wash away that blood. How could I, the last descendant of the Blood Sect, simply stand by and watch them?”
The ingredient for a perfect lie is nine parts truth.
Hearing him mix in so much truth, So Baek-ta felt a wave of confusion.
Could it be that this side was right and the other was wrong? So Baek-ta tried his best to find out the truth.
“I will never give up.”
“You mustn't. The Cult Master will surely achieve his great ambition.”
“But there is a problem. I have carelessly revealed that I have learned another martial art, and given my master's personality, he will not let me be. Master, please help me.”
The Illusion King, who had been staring at So Baek-ta, took out a small vial, smaller than his little finger, from his sleeve.
“Give this medicine to your master! It is colorless and odorless, so if you mix it in his wine, he will never notice.”
So Baek-ta was shocked.
He didn't need to ask to know.
It was a poison to kill his master.
“It does not take effect immediately. The poison will activate after three days, so he will not suspect that you were the one who poisoned him.”
He never imagined he would be told to poison his master to death.
“It is said that a man who is not ruthless is no hero. If you do not kill him, you will be the one who suffers.”
In that moment, So Baek-ta’s heart turned cold as ice.
What could be more cowardly than poisoning an enemy's wine to kill them?
Had he truly respected and liked such a person?
The Illusion King read his thoughts exactly.
“Are you disappointed in me?”
So Baek-ta answered honestly.
“I didn't expect you to tell me to put poison in his wine.”
“To face him, you must fight a battle of life and death. If you, Cult Master, poison him, it’s a fight you will win unconditionally. In that case, shouldn't you do it? Is there anything more precious than your life?”
After a brief pause, So Baek-ta asked with cold eyes.
“Is this for my sake? Or to save yourself, Master?”
“We are already in the same boat. Is there a difference between the two?”
“You’re right. Then the boat will not sink. Instead, I will become the one who poisoned his master at a drinking party.”
There was no need for further comparison.
Just as the veil of the Ten-Thousand-Mile Transmission Wall had been torn, it was the moment the blinders were removed from So Baek-ta's eyes.
Yet, the Illusion King remained composed.
“I knew they had already planted a seed of doubt in our Cult Master’s heart.”
“It was a seed I should have planted and nurtured myself from the start.”
The Illusion King's eyes grew cold.
His face, devoid of politeness and smiles, was as unfamiliar as a stranger’s.
“I knew you would fall for them. But I didn't think you'd fall this easily.”
He had already guessed So Baek-ta's motive for visiting.
Telling him to use poison had been the Illusion King’s test.
A test to see if So Baek-ta had been turned by the Young Cult Master.
So Baek-ta lamented his past foolishness.
“So you really did approach me with intent.”
He had wanted to escape the difficulties he faced upon becoming the Cult Master.
The man before him had served as an excellent escape.
He had badmouthed his master with him.
He had brainwashed him, saying his master was a coward but he would become a great Cult Master.
There was nothing more comforting to a weak heart than someone who joins in despising a person you dislike.
That place had not been a sanctuary.
It was a hell disguised as a sanctuary.
‘Master!’
The person who came to So Baek-ta's mind now was the Wind Heaven Sect Leader.
‘I’m sorry.’
So Baek-ta secretly raised his inner energy.
He knew the Illusion King was stronger than him, but he felt no fear.
The excitement born of regret dominated him.
But the Illusion King’s Illusion Arts overwhelmed him.
Whoooosh!
With a deep resonance, the surroundings changed.
The place where the two stood was no longer the Illusion King’s residence.
Corpses were strewn about, and beasts that looked like they came out of a painting were growling from all directions.
And the large gate in front of them.
‘That gate is…?’
It was the very gate the Illusion King had said led to his hell.
To his surprise, they were inside the painting the Illusion King had drawn.
“What are you trying to do?”
“What were you trying to do? Did you test me, believing those people would protect you?”
At those words, So Baek-ta hastily turned his head.
Far away in the sky, a giant Geom Mugeuk and the Wind Heaven Sect Leader, and beyond the horizon, a truly gigantic Demon Buddha, were looking at him.
So Baek-ta could tell.
The three who had entered the residence were looking into the painting.
He and the Illusion King had not moved to this place; they had truly entered the world of the painting.
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader was not looking at the Illusion King, but at him.
His eyes were filled with worry.
The moment he saw that gaze, he felt something that had been knotted in his heart completely melt away.
‘…Master!’
He was so sorry to his master.
He had taken for granted the gratitude of being given the Cult Master position and had only complained like a child, making a mess of things.
And yet, his master had apologized to him over and over again.
‘I ruined everything.
Master, I’m sorry.’
As if this were the result of that foolishness, the gate began to open.
In front of the open gate, the Illusion King spoke.
“Your master will know. How dangerous this place is. It is a place where even the Wind Heaven Sect Leader must risk his life.”
He stretched out his hand, and So Baek-ta was helplessly pulled towards him as if sucked in.
From beyond the closing gate, the Illusion King's voice could be heard.
“Will your master truly open these Gates of Hell to save you?”
As his words ended, So Baek-ta's desperate cry flowed out from between the closing gates.
“Don't come, Master! You must not c—”
The gate that had swallowed the two slammed shut with a thunderous noise.