Absolute Regression

Chapter 506: If the Enemy is Clever, It’s to Our Advantage

“Are you saying that I’m deceiving you?”

It was true that my words could be easily misunderstood. I had implied that Father knew the answer yet chose not to tell me.

“That’s not what I meant, Father.”

“Then what do you mean by saying I know the answer?”

I paused for a moment before speaking.

“I meant that somewhere in your past lies a clue to this incident.”

There was a clear reason I believed that.

“They are definitely connected to Elder Blade Demon, either through a grudge or some shared history. You can tell just by how willingly Elder Blade Demon follows them.”

Father nodded in agreement.

“But is that really all?”

“What do you mean?”

“If they held a grudge against Elder Blade Demon, they would’ve found a way to kill him—poison, a trap, or some other method. But instead, they brutally annihilated a righteous sect and pinned the blame on us. There is no greater disgrace for our cult.”

Father’s eyes sharpened. He had assumed it was simply a matter related to Blade Demon, but now he saw the situation expanding beyond that.

“And that’s not all. They tried to kill Pavilion Leader Seo and murdered the Demon-Slaying Brigade leader, attempting to start a war with our cult. That’s too big a move just to resolve a grudge with Elder Blade Demon.”

Father slowly nodded again, seemingly of the same opinion.

“It’s not just a personal vendetta against Elder Blade Demon...”

This was the emotion my instincts had sensed.

“It’s a grudge directed at our cult itself.”

“!”

“It’s a deep hatred, not only toward Elder Blade Demon but toward the very foundation of our cult.”

I felt Father’s surprise. That reaction told me he hadn’t considered it to that extent.

“That’s why I said it, Father. Somewhere in Elder Blade Demon’s past, and in your past as well, is the person who orchestrated all of this. You might not remember now, but I believe they’re there.”

Silence passed between us. I worried that I might’ve spoken too confidently about something uncertain, so I added,

“Just keep it in mind. It’s merely a feeling, an intuition.”

“How accurate is that intuition?”

I scratched my head and replied with an awkward smile.

“Almost always right.”

Father rose from his seat and slowly walked toward the window. He stared out for a moment, then spoke softly.

“Then this is an even worse situation.”

Because it meant a new enemy had emerged, one we hadn’t accounted for before.

But I chose to see it positively.

“No, it might actually work in our favor.”

Father turned from the window to look at me. His gaze asked, why?

“Now that the forces behind all this have been weakened, this might be the perfect chance to deal with the new enemy.”

This was another reason I felt it was a personal grudge.

If it had been the original forces behind this, they would’ve been more cautious, watching for an opportunity. At a time like now—when Father and I were passing through Chongqing—they wouldn’t have gone so far as to seal off the entire city. They would’ve known how foolish it would be to confront us both at once. 𐍂ÅN𝖔𐌱Êŝ

But these people were different. There was emotion behind their actions.

“It feels like they’re saying this to us.”

I passed that feeling on to Father just as I sensed it.

“We’re back!”

At that moment, I saw it. A flicker of emotion passed across Father’s face. It was unmistakably cold ridicule.

“If they wanted to say that, they should’ve said it while walking through the gates of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.”

Because that’s exactly what Father would have done. He hated these cowardly tactics—false accusations, exploiting weaknesses. He truly despised that sort of thing.

Father, I don’t know who they are or why they’re doing this...

“Let’s send them back together.”

When I stepped out from Father’s quarters, Seo Daeryong was pacing the courtyard of the safehouse.

“You must be tired. Why aren’t you resting?”

“I tried lying down for a bit, but I couldn’t fall asleep.”

It was probably because he was worried about the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. No one knew better than I did just how deeply he had bonded with him during his martial arts training.

“When you were learning the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber, did you hear anything? Maybe someone else knew it?”

“No, the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber was said to be passed down only to the heir of the Blade Demon. It’s absolutely not a martial art that would be leaked to outsiders.”

Then who on earth had used the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber?

Was it a previous Blade Demon? But he was said to be long dead.

Or did Elder Blade Demon have another senior brother? If that were the case, there’s no way Father wouldn’t know.

“Young Cult Leader.”

Seo Daeryong spoke with a seriousness I hadn’t seen in him before.

“Just say the word if you need me. I don’t care how dangerous it is.”

Learning high-level martial arts doesn’t automatically make someone a warrior willing to sacrifice themselves for others. Seo Daeryong had always burned with a passionate gaze because he wanted to see change in the Divine Cult—for the sake of a wrongly slain senior.

“Elder Blade Demon would have liked hearing those words from you.”

“Then later, please take credit on my behalf, Young Cult Leader.”

As we exchanged smiles, a martial artist from the safehouse approached and handed me a thick stack of documents. The Heavenly Communication Pavilion had been sending information to the safehouse several times a day.

“What is this?”

“Data on the righteous sects of Chongqing. I requested it from the Heavenly Communication Pavilion. I’m trying to figure out what their next target might be.”

Seo Daeryong looked at me, astonished.

“Do you think they’ll commit another extermination?”

“They failed to kill you and the Demon-Slaying Brigade leader. Yes, I do think they’ll try again. Not just once—twice, three times—they’ll keep going until they get what they want. Even if they don’t, being thoroughly prepared isn’t a bad choice.”

Seo Daeryong’s expression darkened slightly. He was probably blaming himself, thinking that because he survived, someone else might die. That’s exactly the kind of person he was—and why I liked him.

“Someone quite clever is orchestrating this from the other side. That works in our favor.”

“If the enemy is clever, why is that to our advantage?”

“Because we have someone just as clever who can figure out what they’re thinking.”

“Who is that?”

“You.”

I handed the documents to Seo Daeryong.

“Smart people understand each other. Figure out what their next target is.”

“Then shouldn’t you be the one to do it, Young Cult Leader?”

I’m not like the Chief Strategist Sima, Gowol, or Seo Daeryong. If I seemed clever, it was only because of the insight that came from the experience of regression. I wasn’t even able to get into the Underworld Pavilion as the top student.

“What if I get it wrong?”

“If you get it wrong, then I would’ve gotten it wrong too. Daeryong, believe in your own intelligence.”

A new determination filled Seo Daeryong’s eyes. His master’s life was at stake in this, and so were the lives of innocent people. In the past, he might have run away from the pressure.

“Yes, I’ll give it a try.”

Seo Daeryong began spreading out the documents across the ground. Instead of using a room or a desk, the empty courtyard of the safehouse was better suited for reviewing all the material at once.

Thus, the information on dozens of sects in Chongqing was laid out across the courtyard.

Seo Daeryong immersed himself completely. He read quickly, pushed aside what wasn’t needed, darted back and forth—reading this, then running over to check that.

I didn’t interrupt. I just watched him silently. Just being there, I thought, might give him strength. The thought that I was watching would help him focus even more.

Fortunately, Seo Daeryong didn’t know—Father was watching us from the window.

If he had known, he would’ve been too tense, too nervous, and likely fallen over a few times instead of showing this frightening level of focus.

Hang in there, Daeryong. Let’s return to the cult with Elder Blade Demon.

*         *         *

Before an old fortune teller sat a man.

Resting a massive saber across his knees, saying nothing, simply staring at the old man—was none other than the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

The old man didn’t seem surprised at all, as if he had known Blood Heaven Blade Demon would come to him.

Was it because of those stubborn, unyielding eyes? Even though Blood Heaven Blade Demon didn’t reveal a single ounce of killing intent and merely sat there silently, he still exuded an overwhelming pressure.

“Where is it?”

“No matter how good a fortune teller I am, how am I supposed to answer when you ask like that without warning?”

“I won’t ask twice.”

Despite the clear threat, the old man showed no fear. And he knew exactly what Blood Heaven Blade Demon was asking.

“Were you always like this? The Blood Heaven Blade Demon I know didn’t care in the slightest whether righteous faction members lived or died.”

Blood Heaven Blade Demon calmly placed his hand on the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber resting on his knees. He still hadn’t shown the slightest bit of killing intent—not even a flicker of energy—but just laying a hand on the blade multiplied the pressure several times over.

“Can you really cut me down?”

At the old man’s defiant challenge, Blood Heaven Blade Demon responded in a languid tone.

“That’s the one thing I do best.”

A strange smile formed at the old man’s lips, and he reached for the divination tube.

“Well then, let’s draw a fortune—even if it ends in death. I wonder why our Demon Supreme is suddenly so eager to save righteous sect members.”

Even with the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber poised to sever his neck in one stroke, the old man calmly chose one of the bamboo sticks from the tube.

—A new tie overcomes the old one.

Looking down at the words etched into the fortune, the old man said,

“So it was because of the Young Cult Leader.”

Blood Heaven Blade Demon gripped the hilt of the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber. He still didn’t release killing intent, but the old man knew. He really was ready to cut him down.

This time, the old man offered the divination tube to Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

“Pick one.”

As Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked at the tube, one of the sticks rose into the air through Void Telekinesis.

—Those who tie the knot must untie it.

“You picked a good one. That’s right. The ones who tied the knot must be the ones to unravel it.”

The old man said to Blood Heaven Blade Demon,

“Three days from now, go to Phoenix Mountain Sword Gate.”

Blood Heaven Blade Demon knew. The old man hadn’t revealed that location because the fortune said so. He didn’t know how, but even this fortune had been one the old man intended from the start.

Maybe it was his will.

As Blood Heaven Blade Demon began to rise, the old man shook the divination tube once more.

“Now, let’s see what fortune I get.”

He drew a stick.

—Those fated to live will surely live. Those fated to die will surely die.

Blood Heaven Blade Demon glanced briefly at the fortune, then silently stood up.

“Why don’t you ask me which side I think you’re on?”

As he walked away into the distance, Blood Heaven Blade Demon replied,

“I already know which side you’re on.”

*         *         *

“We’ve narrowed it down to two.”

Only two sects remained on the ground.

Cloud River Sect.

Phoenix Mountain Sword Gate.

It was the result of Seo Daeryong’s thorough and exhaustive analysis. The documents from the eliminated sects were stacked neatly to the side.

“Among the righteous sects representing Chongqing, both are known for their upright sect leaders. Either could be a prime target. If word gets out that they too were struck by our cult, the righteous factions won’t stay silent.”

Geom Mugeuk examined the documents of the two remaining sects.

“I’m sure it’s one of the two, but I just can’t choose.”

It was understandable. The lives of many hung in the balance with this single decision.

“This is my limit. We need Strategist Sima or Strategist Gowol.”

Then Geom Mugeuk suddenly said something surprising.

“I think I know who it is.”

Seo Daeryong looked at him with wide, astonished eyes.

“You do? How?”

Seo Daeryong flinched and took a step back.

“It turns out the mastermind behind this entire conspiracy is—!”

Geom Mugeuk looked at Seo Daeryong with a sly gleam in his eyes.

“So you’ve finally uncovered my secret?”

Seo Daeryong, who had been staring at Geom Mugeuk, shook his head and sighed.

“I wouldn’t even call that a joke. Saying the Young Cult Leader is the enemy? That’s the fall of the entire martial world!”

“From my perspective, it’s the unification of the martial world.”

“Ugh, enough already!”

Seo Daeryong came to stand beside Geom Mugeuk and asked,

“So which sect is it?”

Geom Mugeuk picked up one of the two documents on the ground.

Phoenix Mountain Sword Gate.

“How did you know?”

The reason Geom Mugeuk chose Phoenix Mountain Sword Gate was something Seo Daeryong hadn’t even considered.

“I chose the one that had a bad relationship with the previously annihilated sects—Famed Name Manor and the Great Justice Warrior’s sect.”

The last candidate, Cloud River Sect, had a very close relationship with the Great Justice Warrior’s lord and was also on friendly terms with Famed Name Manor. In contrast, Phoenix Mountain Sword Gate had a competitive and even adversarial relationship with them, despite being part of the same righteous faction.

“Why?”

Seo Daeryong couldn’t understand at all. Then Geom Mugeuk gave an unexpected answer.

“Because that way, the maximum number of righteous factions will be enraged.”

“!”

Even among righteous factions, there were ties and divisions. The deeper the friendship, the greater the fury. Their intent was to provoke the fury of the opposing faction this time.

“Ah! That makes a lot of sense!”

Seo Daeryong’s voice trembled on its own.

At that moment, new information arrived from the Heavenly Communication Pavilion. A martial artist from the safehouse brought a message, which Geom Mugeuk opened and read.

“That confirms it.”

The message stated that in three days, the leaders of various sects in Chongqing would gather at Phoenix Mountain Sword Gate for a summit.

“That’s the day.”

Seo Daeryong, however, raised a question to Geom Mugeuk’s conviction.

“Isn’t it actually the opposite? Given the current atmosphere, if the leaders of those sects move, they’ll likely bring many of their top martial artists with them... Ah!”

At that moment, Seo Daeryong recalled a crucial detail.

When those bastards attacked the Central Plains Martial Alliance’s Chongqing Branch to kill him, the branch had been bustling with martial artists who had come to support from nearby branches and regional offices.

And that wasn’t all. These were the ones who tried to kill the Demon-Slaying Brigade leader and wipe out the entire brigade. These people had no boundaries.

“That’s right. They won’t miss the opportunity when multiple sects gather in one place.”

Geom Mugeuk patted Seo Daeryong on the shoulder.

“Good work. You’re the one who figured it out.”

But Seo Daeryong felt more anxiety and fear than joy.

“Will Master be there that day?”

“That I don’t know. What is certain is that someone capable of using the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber will appear.”

Seo Daeryong could feel it. Because he had learned the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber, he too was now standing on the extension of that destiny. The day he clung to his master’s pant leg in a drunken stupor—that was the first time he stepped onto this path.

And now, thinking back, he had been walking it all along.

When his Master made him his successor, one step. When he gifted him the saber he had used in his youth, another step. When he taught him martial arts, another. When he scolded him, another. And when he smiled at him, one more step.

So he had to keep walking.

“If Master really comes, then there’ll be three people who can use the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber gathered in one place.”