Absolute Regression

Chapter 648: It Seems You'll Live to Be a Hundred

Silence fell upon the place where words were being exchanged.

As the energy radiating from the Demon Flame Lord and the White-Bone Soul Demon changed, even the surrounding air transformed. The suffocating pressure, condensed from a century, from a hundred and fifty years, began to take control of the space.

Now that they were revealing their true energy before an actual battle, they were no longer old ghosts beguiled by Geom Mugeuk’s words.

So Jeongrak, who had been clinging to the wall behind Geom Mugeuk, felt fear toward them for the first time.

‘These are people who wouldn’t die even if they consumed extreme poisons.’

It felt as though he were facing monsters who would rampage under the madness of poison, turning everything around them into a sea of blood before finally drawing their last breath. Yes, it made sense that the organization had recruited such individuals.

This time, So Jeongrak's gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk’s back.

‘Do you truly believe you can defeat them?’

Because he was behind him, he couldn’t see Geom Mugeuk’s expression. It would’ve been natural for him to feel fear like himself, yet the way his Black Demon Sword hung lazily at his side still gave off an air of composure.

The first one to speak was the Demon Flame Lord.

“Acting Cult Leader. I know what you’re putting your faith in.”

A bloodthirsty killing intent rippled from his body. The internal energy spreading from his lower abdomen blazed like molten lava, heating his entire being.

“Nine Calamities Demon Art, it’s truly a terrifying martial art.”

He had never once underestimated the Nine Calamities Demon Art.

“You’re aware that I inherited the Nine Calamities Demon Art, aren’t you?”

Of course, the old demons knew that. But they also held another belief.

“No matter how formidable the Nine Calamities Demon Art may be, with mere achievements in your twenties, there's no way you could ever defeat us.”

Geom Mugeuk could tell easily.

That was precisely the reason they believed they could kill him.

Where did that certainty come from? Yes, it came from this.

The power of time.

The greatest strength they possessed.

The Demon Flame Lord was a hundred years old, and the White-Bone Soul Demon had reached the age of one hundred fifty.

It was only natural that someone in their twenties would seem insignificant to them. To them, their twenties were probably a past so distant they could hardly recall it.

Time was their greatest strength — and at the same time, their greatest weakness.

“Back when you two were young, I’m sure you went around killing older masters just fine. Then again, I suppose you’ve forgotten all that now.”

At that, the White-Bone Soul Demon’s eyes turned pitch black, and something began to seep from his body.

“Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten how to kill.”

Tsssss—

What flowed out was a black mist.

Like a swarm of snakes converging, the black mist surged toward where Geom Mugeuk stood.

It was one of the techniques from his deathly martial art, the Soul-Reverting Ghost Spirit Art — the Evil Spirit Black Mist — being unleashed.

Exposure to the Evil Spirit Black Mist would cause one's blood and qi to be blocked and cloud their mind. Even someone at full strength would find their power diminished to a fraction within that mist.

It was, without doubt, a demonic art that could exert its greatest effect in this tightly sealed underground chamber.

The Demon Flame Lord was certain of their victory.

“I understand your arrogance, but to act so relaxed in front of us?”

In contrast, the White-Bone Soul Demon was cautiously unfolding his martial arts. Still lingering in his mind were Geom Mugeuk’s eyes—eyes that had looked at him with such indifference. Like a brand that would never fade until that man became a corpse.

Tssssssss!

It seemed impossible for a person to evade the oncoming mist.

But in the next moment, the gazes of both the Demon Flame Lord and the White-Bone Soul Demon sharpened.

The black mist could not pass to where Geom Mugeuk stood.

Something—an invisible wall—was blocking the space between them and Geom Mugeuk.

The mist hesitated in front of Geom Mugeuk for some time, then began to rise slowly. It tried to crawl along the ceiling, but even there, it found itself blocked.

Tsstsstsstsstsstss—

Like a decapitated snake thrashing wildly, the black mist writhed violently, yet it could not find a way to reach Geom Mugeuk.

Slaaassh!

The watching Demon Flame Lord slashed his palm.

Boom!

The mist scattered, only to gather again.

However, even with that strike, the wall blocking the space remained intact.

In the end, the Evil Spirit Black Mist returned to the White-Bone Soul Demon and was reabsorbed into his body.

The Demon Flame Lord carefully stepped forward.

He walked until he reached the very point the Evil Spirit Black Mist could not pass. Indeed, there was a transparent wall.

“Is this the Nine Calamities Demon Art?”

“It is.”

Nine Calamities Demon Art, Third Form: Great Demon Wall.

That transparent wall was the Great Demon Wall.

The fact that he had activated the Great Demon Wall without his opponents even noticing was astonishing, but even more surprising was how perfectly it blocked the entire front without any gaps.

If he had not reached full mastery, there was no way he could deploy it so precisely.

From beyond the Great Demon Wall, Geom Mugeuk asked the Demon Flame Lord:

“Have you ever seen the Nine Calamities Demon Art, even once?”

“Never.”

“I thought so.”

The Demon Flame Lord responded coldly.

“Arrogant.”

“It’s called belief. It’s the martial art that allowed us to keep this cult intact, even while leading fierce individuals like you.”

Even with the Great Demon Wall right in front of him, the Demon Flame Lord showed no sign of being discouraged. He raised his hand.

“I’ve always wanted to burn the Nine Calamities Demon Art to ashes with this hand someday.”

Whooommm—

The Demon Flame Lord’s hand flared red.

He brought that blazing hand toward the Great Demon Wall.

Chiiiiik.

Right in front of Geom Mugeuk’s face. A silent message — that he would burn down this wall and melt that face too.

Looking at the burning red palm just beyond the Great Demon Wall, Geom Mugeuk spoke.

“Judging by your palm lines, it seems our senior’s life line is exceptionally long. You might actually live to be a hundred.”

The Demon Flame Lord scoffed and drew up even more internal energy. His hand turned an even fiercer shade of red.

Chiiiiik.

With the scorching heat, smoke began to rise.

How much time had passed?

The Demon Flame Lord flinched and pulled his hand away from the Great Demon Wall.

He looked down at his hand. His palm had torn open, and blood was trickling down.

The wall, formed entirely of qi, had not been breached—instead, it had wounded his own palm.

At the sight of his own blood, a flicker of excitement passed through the Demon Flame Lord’s eyes.

He immediately thrust both palms forward. If he couldn’t melt it, he would shatter it.

Boom! Bwaang!

A powerful shockwave followed, but the Great Demon Wall didn’t budge. His blood now stained the transparent wall.

Still, he did not stop.

Kwaaang! Kwang!

His twin fists kept slamming toward Geom Mugeuk’s face. It was an attack filled with the resolve to kill.

On the surface, it looked as though he was lashing out recklessly in rage, but there was calculation behind every strike.

Maintaining the Great Demon Wall under such intense impact would require an enormous amount of internal energy.

‘You dare to compete with me in an internal energy battle?’

The Demon Flame Lord channeled more energy and struck the Great Demon Wall.

‘Reckless youth and arrogance.’

This moment might look impressive, but at this rate, the consumption of internal energy would soon deplete him entirely. Besides, the wall completely blocked the front. It wasn’t small.

“I’ll bear witness in your father’s place to the moment the martial world is drenched in your blood!”

The Demon Flame Lord provoked Geom Mugeuk, intending to strike his pride and force him into a prolonged battle of internal strength.

When Geom Mugeuk pretended to yawn behind the wall, the Demon Flame Lord inwardly cheered.

‘Got him!’

A faint smile even touched the lips of the watching White-Bone Soul Demon.

He believed Geom Mugeuk had made a clear mistake by choosing to block with the Great Demon Wall. He should’ve opted for a chaotic skirmish from the start—then perhaps there could have been an opening.

‘I won’t even need to step in.’

KWAANG! KWANG! KWANG!

Clutching the medicine pouch full of herbs to his chest, So Jeongrak silently rooted for the Demon Flame Lord.

‘Break it! Please, just break it!’

BWAANG! KWAAANG!

Now, the only sound that filled the space was the repeated impact of twin palms crashing against the Great Demon Wall.

‘Still holding?’

As more time passed, the Demon Flame Lord’s heart grew full of disbelief and surprise. Beyond the wall, Geom Mugeuk remained composed and calm.

‘How can this be?’

Then a voice came from behind—White-Bone Soul Demon.

“That’s enough. Come back.”

BANG! BWANG! KWAANG!

After a few more erratic strikes full of irritation, the Demon Flame Lord finally stopped his assault.

The hands that had been burning red returned to their original color.

Geom Mugeuk looked at him with indifferent eyes. Had he been mocked or belittled, it might’ve felt better than this.

But those indifferent eyes evoked a single, unmistakable feeling.

He had been the one pounding on the wall all this time.

And now, at this moment, the Demon Flame Lord truly felt what a wall was.

The White-Bone Soul Demon spoke in a low voice.

“Young Cult Leader is stronger than we expected.”

Without hesitation, he unleashed the most powerful technique in his arsenal.

Krrrk. Krrrk.

As the mist spread along the ground, the earth trembled—and from it, something began to rise.

Shockingly, they were skeletal remains. But not mere bones. With dark energy flowing from their eye sockets, they were the very essence of the Soul-Reverting Ghost Spirit Art: Path of Returning Spirits.

Though an illusion technique, the skulls clearly existed before their eyes.

The demonic energy exuding from the line of skeletons was so vicious that even the Demon Flame Lord, who stood beside them, took a step back.

Just summoning one of them would be enough to massacre most high-level martial artists. And now, he had summoned every single one he could bring forth.

“These are the White-Bone Ghosts. Not even blades can pierce them. Just inhaling a wisp of their demonic energy will twist all your veins.”

Even more terrifying was that no matter how one destroyed them, they would reassemble and revive. Unless the White-Bone Soul Demon was killed or his internal energy depleted, this hell would not end.

He had, in truth, played his strongest card without delay.

But Geom Mugeuk showed not a hint of fear. On the contrary, he calmly addressed them.

“I get it. You don’t think about your own sins, only blame the Forbidden Demon Order. I can understand that. You were always that kind of people.”

Watching from behind, So Jeongrak cheered silently.

‘You’re dead now!’

He assumed that, having realized his disadvantage, Geom Mugeuk had started wagging his tongue again just to survive.

But it would no longer work. Those terrifying White-Bone Ghosts weren’t the kind of beings one could defeat with words.

Geom Mugeuk continued speaking.

“I understand. If breaking the seal is all it takes, you don’t care if the Grand Demon War breaks out again. You’re that kind of people. I get that you’d want to kill me in anger. I get that you want to challenge the Nine Calamities Demon Art. I understand you, seniors. I really do.”

Like someone who understood everything—like the most generous soul in the world—Geom Mugeuk spoke, and then his energy began to shift.

“So, please understand me, too.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Great Demon Wall vanished.

And in that very spot, something else formed.

Ssssssssst—

They lined up before Geom Mugeuk, one by one.

They had grown larger. They had grown more terrifying.

These were none other than the evil spirits of the Nine Calamities Demon Art.

From wall to wall, without a single gap, the evil spirits completely filled the chamber.

The Second Form: Great Annihilation Form of the Nine Calamities Demon Art had been unleashed.

At the sight of these evil spirits, everyone present recoiled in horror. This was not the Nine Calamities Demon Art they had imagined. They had never expected such horrifying evil spirits to physically manifest.

Even So Jeongrak, watching from behind, widened his eyes. At first, everything had gone dark, and a massive wall seemed to appear.

But it wasn’t a wall.

One of the lined-up beings slowly turned to look at him.

The moment So Jeongrak met its gaze, his entire body froze. Truly, it was the most terrifying face he had ever seen in his life.

Compared to this, the skeletons that had risen before were nothing. The once-dreadful White-Bone Ghosts now looked pitiful.

Geom Mugeuk’s stern voice thundered across the chamber.

“Demon Flame Lord and White-Bone Soul Demon, for violating the sacred rule of this cult, the Forbidden Demon Order, and for plotting the Grand Demon War—I sentence you to immediate execution here and now.”

The moment the death sentence was declared—

The evil spirits showed no mercy.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!

The evil spirits, which filled the entire underground chamber, surged forward, sweeping away everything in their path.

The White-Bone Ghosts, standing in front, raised their swords to block.

CRUNCH! CRRAACK! CCHRRRRACK!

Even they, known to withstand not just sword qi but even sword force, were shattered into pieces and scattered in every direction.

Before they could reassemble—

The evil spirits had already closed in on the White-Bone Soul Demon.

He raised his Protective Energy to its utmost limit.

‘I can endure this!’

But the moment he saw those terrifying evil spirits rushing toward him, his body locked up in fear. He was a lone, aged wolf trembling before the roar of a tiger.

PAPAPAPAK!

The instant his Protective Energy shattered, shockwaves slammed into his entire body. In that final moment, he recalled the vision he had once seen through the Dark Heart Eye.

Himself, staring up at Geom Mugeuk from within a pit.

What he had seen back then hadn’t been Geom Mugeuk, but his own fate.

PUHPUHPUHPUK!

His body exploded apart into fragments. The White-Bone Ghosts, who had tried to rise again, collapsed and vanished into smoke.

The Demon Flame Lord was also fighting with all his might.

The Flame Palm, into which he had poured every last drop of his internal energy, burned with the heat of molten lava.

KWA-AAAAANG!

At the moment his twin palms collided with the onrushing evil spirits—

The scorching hand that had always pierced and burned through every opponent failed to penetrate the evil spirit's body. Like red-hot iron dipped into cold water, his heat vanished in an instant.

The last thing he remembered—

Was from long ago, when someone had told him that no demonic art could ever defeat the Nine Calamities Demon Art.

In his youthful pride, he had silently disagreed.

What’s so special about the Nine Calamities Demon Art? Someday, I’ll rip it apart with my own hands!

PUHPUHPUHPUK!

The Demon Flame Lord’s entire body shattered and exploded.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!

Only after the evil spirits had driven forward to the very end of the sealed chamber did they finally vanish.

When the dust settled, nothing remained in that place. Not a single corpse, not even a single poisonous herb root.

Only the blood pooling on the ground testified that the White-Bone Soul Demon and the Demon Flame Lord had ever been there.

In that hollow space, only Geom Mugeuk stood with his back turned.

‘He’s become even stronger!’

The Nine Calamities Demon Art had grown far more powerful than it had been during the Eight Star stage. Now that the Nine-Star level Nine Calamities Demon Art had been unleashed in real battle, Geom Mugeuk was consumed by a fierce desire to achieve Twelve-Star Greatness.

Watching that back, So Jeongrak’s legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Thud.

He had never imagined that the Demon Flame Lord and the White-Bone Soul Demon would be swept away by a single technique, leaving not a trace behind.

‘They were defeated in a single exchange?’

His body trembled uncontrollably.

‘...So this is the martial art of the Heavenly Demon!’

Only now did he understand—why, when Geom Mugeuk had first entered, he had paced out the dimensions of the chamber with his steps. He had been measuring how many evil spirits he could summon into this space.

‘So from the very beginning... he intended to kill them like this!’

Geom Mugeuk stepped back and quietly sat down beside the terrified So Jeongrak.

So Jeongrak looked at him with trembling eyes. Even after utterly shattering the two old monsters, not a flicker of emotion could be found in Geom Mugeuk’s gaze. That cold, merciless look felt like something from a complete stranger.

He couldn’t believe this was the same talkative Young Cult Leader from before. It was as if he were dreaming.

Now, So Jeongrak clung to one final hope.

That Geom Mugeuk wasn’t truly immune to all poisons, but had only taken an antidote in advance from the Poison King. That all of this had come down to sheer luck.

So Jeongrak resolved to perform a final act of extreme poisoning. There was no other way. He prayed that even the Poison King hadn’t foreseen this.

Just then, Geom Mugeuk pulled out a poisonous herb protruding slightly from the medicine pouch clutched in So Jeongrak’s arms, and began chewing it like he was eating bellflower root.

So Jeongrak, abandoning the idea of poisoning, tightly shut his eyes.

Because the poisonous herb Geom Mugeuk was now casually chewing on was the Heavenly Yin Ten Thousand Poison Herb—a plant said to kill instantly with just a touch to the tongue.

If only this were a dream. But Geom Mugeuk’s clear voice rang out:

“So Jeongrak, let’s have a talk.”