Absolute Regression

Chapter 652: For the Sake of the Alliance Leader

The Martial Alliance Leader Jin Paecheon stood in the pavilion of the Azure Cloud Forest with his hands clasped behind his back.

As he gazed at the mist drifting through the bamboo grove, Geom Mugeuk walked up to the pavilion.

“Alliance Leader.”

“Come in.”

Geom Mugeuk had sent word that he had something to report, so they had arranged to meet here in secret.

The two stood silently for a while, watching the flowing mist. It was Jin Paecheon who spoke first.

“That matter keeps weighing on my mind.”

The Hermit of Heaven and Earth he had met was no different than usual.

However, what troubled him was something he had newly realized—that throughout all the years, not once had that man ever gotten angry with him. He had never expressed his emotions honestly.

It was difficult to attribute that entirely to personality, or to Jin Paecheon’s own status. The years they had spent together were simply too many.

“But that alone doesn’t prove he’s a villain.”

Geom Mugeuk calmly responded to that.

“I don’t think knowing someone for a long time means you truly know them. What matters is whether you made the effort to see them clearly. But between friends, you don’t make that effort. You don’t need to, because you’re friends. And that’s exactly why he’s the worst kind of person.”

Jin Paecheon looked over at Geom Mugeuk. He was still convinced the Hermit of Heaven and Earth was a villain.

“What happened to the martial artists who defied the Forbidden Demon Order?”

At Jin Paecheon’s question, Geom Mugeuk blinked and asked back.

“The Forbidden Demon Order, sir?”

Jin Paecheon stared at him. It was Geom Mugeuk himself who had brought him that information.

“There are no martial artists in this cult who have defied the Forbidden Demon Order.”

Then he smiled. That mischievous smile was enough to tell. All the old demons who had defied the order were already dead.

Of course, saying there were none who disobeyed the Forbidden Demon Order was just a joke. Geom Mugeuk then recounted the facts exactly as they had happened.

“They appeared at the Clearheart Clinic.”

In fact, Jin Paecheon had already received that intel. That after So Jeongrak met those two old martial artists, he had vacated the clinic. That those old masters were demonic practitioners who had broken the Forbidden Demon Order.

“They died in the secret chamber beneath the Clearheart Clinic.”

Geom Mugeuk made a point of emphasizing the fact that there was a secret chamber underground.

“Did you handle it yourself?”

“Yes.”

Even after killing them, Geom Mugeuk was completely unscathed, without so much as a scratch. This young acting Cult Leader was growing stronger every time they met.

“Did Physician So die as well?”

Was So Jeongrak truly a villain? He had worked so long for the people of Wuhan.

“Yes, he also died.”

Geom Mugeuk answered without hesitation and then gave his reasoning.

“So Jeongrak tried to remove their seals.”

And then came the decisive statement.

“He was practicing poison arts in a secret chamber beneath his residence. He selected patients with the right constitution for experimentation and killed them there through poison testing.”

Jin Paecheon's eyes glinted with a cold fury. If those words were true, then the man in question was truly someone unforgivable.

That is, if everything Geom Mugeuk said was indeed the truth.

Jin Paecheon stared at Geom Mugeuk. At this moment, if he didn’t trust the words of the man before him, then all of this could be interpreted as a scheme devised by the Demonic Cult.

“Trust your instincts, Alliance Leader.”

“If what you say is true, then shouldn't I be doubting my instincts even more? I didn't even realize an old friend was the enemy.”

“He deliberately approached you from a young age. No one could have known, not just you, Alliance Leader.”

His instincts told him to trust Geom Mugeuk. Even so, Jin Paecheon remained cautious. This incident didn't just concern himself—it involved the safety of the entire orthodox world of the martial realm.

“Let's assume you're right. But was it really necessary to prepare for this over such a long period? If it were me, I would’ve overturned it several times already.”

“That’s exactly why.”

“Exactly why?”

“If it were you, Alliance Leader, then surely the outcome would’ve been far better than this.”

After a brief pause, Geom Mugeuk spoke again, almost as if posing a rhetorical question.

“But they are not you, are they?”

“!”

“To go up against someone like you, Alliance Leader—it wouldn’t have been easy. Not even decades of preparation would have been enough.”

Jin Paecheon could feel it. Just how highly Geom Mugeuk regarded him.

“Honestly, I thought perhaps the one they were targeting wasn't Hagun or Haryeong, but rather the Hermit of Heaven and Earth himself.”

For a moment, Jin Paecheon was visibly startled. That meant they had tried to ignite the Grand Demon War by sacrificing their own lives.

“Why didn’t you say that at the time?”

“I thought it might make your judgment regarding your friend even more difficult, Alliance Leader. But now that I think about it, I should’ve told you then.”

Geom Mugeuk lowered his head in apology.

“My apologies. I said I would tell you everything, but I made a unilateral decision.”

Jin Paecheon didn’t think it was something he needed to apologize for. The Young Cult Leader said he would tell him everything, yet Jin Paecheon still didn’t fully trust him. He had no intention of telling the young man everything either.

There was still a part of him that remained cautious toward Geom Mugeuk. He trusted him, yet remained on guard. He was once again reminded of just how difficult it was to completely trust another person.

“Did you find out who their real targets were?”

“Yes. So Jeongrak said it himself.”

Geom Mugeuk added softly.

“Their targets were me and Hagun.”

The moment he heard those words, Jin Paecheon felt an uncontrollable killing intent he hadn't felt in a very long time.

The fury he had felt when he only suspected his grandchildren might be targeted was nothing compared to the rage that now consumed him, knowing it as a confirmed truth.

It wasn't mere anger. It was an overwhelming bloodlust—a searing desire to destroy those behind the incident in the most brutal way possible, to inflict unbearable pain upon them and tear them apart limb from limb.

In moments like this, Jin Paecheon truly felt that the position of Martial Alliance Leader was a burden. He wanted to grab a sword and rush out immediately, screaming just one thing:

So where are they? Who are they?

He had always been that kind of person. Becoming the Martial Alliance Leader had forced him to suppress that nature again and again, gradually altering his temperament.

But this incident was dragging his original self back to the surface.

“If you think about it, their real target might have been my father. They must’ve analyzed that if I were to die, he’d start a war. That only proves how little they understand my father.”

Jin Paecheon stared hard at Geom Mugeuk and spoke.

“Or maybe they understood him perfectly.”

“Sir?”

It wasn’t something he said to console Geom Mugeuk. The Three-Way Summit had shown him that Geom Woojin had not lost his ambition. Whether he used his son's death as a justification, or was truly driven by grief, it was entirely possible Geom Woojin would start a war.

Yes—perhaps the real targets this time weren’t the Young Cult Leader or the grandson, but the Cult Leader and himself.

“There’s more I learned while dealing with this matter.”

The most important reason he had come to meet the Alliance Leader today was to deliver this piece of information.

“There’s a master of Soul Reaping Art behind this incident.”

At the words Soul Reaping Art, Jin Paecheon's expression hardened. Among all martial arts, the orthodox world hated poison arts and Soul Reaping Art the most.

So Jeongrak had used poison, and now the one behind it all practiced Soul Reaping Art. They had deployed the most troublesome kind of opponent possible.

“Please prepare countermeasures. I’ve already sent word about Soul Reaping Art to Division Leader Jin.”

The Martial Alliance surely had countermeasures prepared for Soul Reaping Art and poison arts. After all, they would have needed to prepare for facing the cult in any confrontation.

“I understand.”

“As you can see, Alliance Leader, the person they fear the most… is you.”

With that, Geom Mugeuk gave him strength once more. What mattered most now was for Jin Paecheon to remain steadfast and unshaken.

“One last thing I must tell you.”

“What is it?”

Geom Mugeuk spoke cautiously. Anyone else could be left in the dark, but not this man—he had to be told in advance.

“I plan to meet the Hermit of Heaven and Earth myself.”

Jin Paecheon flinched for a moment. He had known this moment would come eventually.

“If you were in my position… what would you do?”

After a moment’s thought, Geom Mugeuk answered calmly.

“If I were in your place, I’d first ask myself this—What are you most afraid of right now?”

“!”

Jin Paecheon asked himself that very question.

Is it the fear of discovering that a friend is a villain?

Or is it the fear of realizing he’s lived his entire life deceived?

“Are you going to kill him?”

Jin Paecheon asked heavily, and Geom Mugeuk responded with honest intent.

“At first, I thought it had to be you, Alliance Leader, who killed him. It was for your sake. But now, I believe it's fine if I’m the one to do it. It’s still for your sake.”

Geom Mugeuk did not explain the reason.

He simply bowed politely and stepped down from the pavilion.

“First, I’ll find the proof that he’s behind it all.”

999

When Geom Mugeuk opened the door and entered, the Hermit of Heaven and Earth asked in surprise.

“Who’s there?”

Geom Mugeuk had quietly slipped inside, avoiding the eyes of the martial artists stationed outside.

“You already know, don’t you?”

The Hermit of Heaven and Earth soon nodded.

“The Alliance Leader told me about you.”

Then, with an expression of genuine surprise, he added,

“I didn’t expect you to come looking for me.”

It was clear to Geom Mugeuk why the Alliance Leader was so conflicted. This man didn’t give off even the faintest impression of being a villain hiding his true identity.

“If I shout, the ones outside will all rush in.”

“Are you going to have them all killed? Ah, but that was your original plan, wasn’t it? To have the martial artists of Wuhan slaughtered by my hand.”

The Hermit of Heaven and Earth stood up and opened the same door Geom Mugeuk had come through, stepping outside.

The martial artists standing guard in the corridor looked toward him. No one was dead. No one had been subdued by blood point or pressure point strikes.

Through the window, the courtyard was visible, full of more martial artists. Geom Mugeuk had entered the room unnoticed by any of them. What mattered most was that he had entered without subduing a single person.

“Do you need anything?”

“No.”

The Hermit of Heaven and Earth shook his head at the question from one of the guards and came back inside, closing the door behind him.

During that time, Geom Mugeuk had been scanning the interior of the room.

“You really do live modestly, just like the rumors say.”

It looked like he was casually glancing around, but his eyes were sharply inspecting every corner of the room—searching for an emergency escape route, or perhaps a trap mechanism that could be used to launch a surprise attack.

You might think, Could someone who has hidden himself so thoroughly really have something like that? But one can never be sure. Just as he had told So Jeongrak, at first, even that man had seemed perfect. But was he still completely without flaws now?

There must be something. A hole no bigger than a fingertip that could bring down the entire dam.

“Maybe somewhere in this room, there’s a secret passage that leads to a luxurious mansion? One with a lavish feast prepared and beautiful women waiting on a bed.”

He said it as a joke, but the Hermit of Heaven and Earth didn’t laugh.

“Does your place have such a secret passage?”

It was the kind of question that implied, “Why are you saying that to me when you don’t have such a place yourself?”

“We from the Demonic Cult probably live in such houses without hiding it, don’t you think?”

After surveying the room, Geom Mugeuk sat down on a chair next to the tea table and opened the teapot lid.

“You even use the cheapest tea. You should treat yourself to better tea.”

“My palate isn’t that refined.”

Though Geom Mugeuk moved casually, all his senses were focused on the Hermit of Heaven and Earth. He never let down his guard. After all, this man was at the very center of everything.

Trickle.

Geom Mugeuk poured tea into a cup and took a sip.

“Truth is, I can drink just about anything too.”

The Hermit of Heaven and Earth silently watched Geom Mugeuk behave as if the room were his own.

“Hasn’t it been exhausting, living in hiding all this time? Why don’t we speak openly, just between the two of us? It’s not like the Alliance Leader or the orthodox martial artists would believe anything I say anyway.”

Surely, a part of him must have wanted to reveal himself. He would want to boast of everything he had endured and accomplished until now. Do you know how I held it in and how far I’ve come?

But the Hermit of Heaven and Earth showed no such inclination.

“What is your true objective in all of this? What do you gain from defaming me?”

His eyes sharpened.

“Are you aiming for the Alliance Leader?”

To his surprise, Geom Mugeuk nodded in confirmation.

“Yes. The Alliance Leader is my target.”

As the Hermit of Heaven and Earth flinched in shock, Geom Mugeuk added,

“My goal is to protect him from you.”

Realizing he had been mocked, the Hermit of Heaven and Earth’s expression hardened.

“The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult came to protect the Martial Alliance Leader? Absurd.”

“The world’s full of absurdities. Like how the Alliance Leader’s oldest friend might also be his most dangerous enemy.”

Geom Mugeuk smiled, but the other man did not.

“Why did you come to see me?”

“There’s an honest answer and a dishonest one. Which would you prefer?”

“I’d like the honest one.”

Geom Mugeuk stated his reason without pretense.

“To find proof that you’ve been hiding your true identity.”

To drag out the man named Hwa Yulcheong, hidden within the name Hermit of Heaven and Earth. For that moment when he would rip apart the shell known as Hermit of Heaven and Earth completely!

“You’re being so honest, it’s making me curious about the dishonest answer too.”

“Would you like to hear it?”

When the Hermit of Heaven and Earth nodded, Geom Mugeuk’s demeanor shifted entirely. With a gaze as cold as one staring into the abyss of evil, he spoke in a low voice.

“I came to kill you.”

Whether he had expected it or not, the Hermit of Heaven and Earth didn’t show the slightest reaction.

"Cleaning up after killing you. Not a bad method when dealing with someone as dangerous as you."

The Hermit of Heaven and Earth asked calmly,

"This answer actually sounds more honest, doesn’t it?"

At that, Geom Mugeuk relaxed his cold expression.

"You’re right. Truthfully, this is what I honestly wish for."

"Then why not kill me?"

Geom Mugeuk stood from his seat and approached him.

The two now stood face-to-face—close enough that a single stroke of the sword could sever a neck.

"Because there’s something I want to propose to you."

As he extended his hand, Geom Mugeuk made a truly unexpected offer.

"Join hands with me."