CHAPTER 503: EPILOGUE SA YU-KANG (3)

As his vision cleared, a familiar space came into view. It was the top floor of the Heavenly Library, where he first met Earth Demon.

‘The first world created by Jang Dal.’

He stood in front of the mirror on one side.

In the past, he lived under the name Seol-Hwi, and now even that had been shed, revealing the face of the Earth Demon.

‘It feels new.’

This world was created by the system, but the system’s intervention had vanished.

In a way, it might be a world isolated by the system, but that didn’t matter.

This was the world I chose after much contemplation.

Choosing the Earth Demon in this virtual world was also because it aligned with the most ideal life.

‘After all, I, too, must be one of the spirits, no matter where I came from.’

All players are like that.

Most of them lose their original selves and become a specific character in this world, gaining a new opportunity.

In other words, they live in a world created by Jang Dal’s hands.

Thus, the position of the Earth Demon, who was made a pillar of Jang Dal’s world and did not exist in the original world, suited me best.

Seol-Hwi must still be alive as well.

‘Well, having removed the restriction of Heavenly Killing Star’s activation, it should be a better life as the Earth Demon, right?’

Even without Heavenly Killing Star’s activation, I had already surpassed the realm of transcendence and reached somewhere unknown.

Anyway, in this new life, I felt at ease.

Here, not only the people I missed from the past, but everyone exists.

Not just Seo Ryeong and Cheon Miryeo.

‘Sa Yu-kang is here too.’

Before returning to the past, I calculated the appropriate time.

Three years before the time I met my end as Seol-Hwi.

As soon as I found out that Sa Yu-kang was alive, I examined the status and situation of the Earth Demon at that time.

[The time when Earth Demon was appointed is 3 years prior to Seol-Hwi’s death.]

[Would you like to revert the time to when Earth Demon was appointed?]

Coincidentally, it was not long after I became the Fourth Disciple, so I naturally chose this period.

However, during this process, a small issue arose.

[I will revert the time to the official appointment date.]

I had confused the unofficial appointment period with the official one.

It took 3 months for the unofficial appointment to be officially announced to everyone.

As a result, I had no choice but to move quickly.

Creak.

“Oh, you’ve arrived.”

A middle-aged man hurriedly opened the door and approached, bowing deeply.

I glanced down at him and said.

“Sorry for dropping by so suddenly.”

“No, not at all. I apologize for not coming sooner as I was in training.”

The man, bowing respectfully, was unfamiliar to me, but I knew he was the person in charge of Baek Seung-gwan.

“But, for what reason…?”

“I’m looking for someone.”

“Pardon?”

At the responsible man’s puzzled reaction, I pointed to the desk.

“Could you give me the list of trainees?”

He promptly retrieved the list from the office desk and handed it to me, allowing me to ascertain the total number, their ages, and the presence of Sa Yu-kang.

However.

“Where are the trainees?”

“Well…”

He soon explained that the trainees had scattered due to the final exam, and upon hearing this, I became anxious.

I quickly summoned the core warriors and secret warriors to investigate the children, and during the process of verifying each one, I discovered that some had left the sect.

Chasing after them led me to a familiar place.

----------------------------------------

“……”

“……”

My appearance seemed to have struck those gathered here with shock.

Especially the Supreme Pavilion Lord and Goo Jong-myung, who froze the moment they saw me.

Well, to them, my presence here would have been impossible under any circumstances.

“You all, take Sa Yu-kang to the river. There will be a masked figure waiting. Show them your wounds and receive treatment.”

Number 12 and Number 3 stood there, dumbfounded.

“Hurry!”

At my repeated urging, they finally seemed to realize what they needed to do.

Soon, the healthy Weekday carried Sa Yu-kang on his back and slowly left the place.

Even as they disappeared, everyone remained silent.

Such was the extent of fear my presence instilled in them.

“Hmm. I find it hard to believe what I’m seeing. A person of your rank meeting with an elder of the Mount Hua Sect. I’m very curious about the reason.”

Even when I spoke, the Supreme Pavilion Lord couldn’t readily respond to me.

Given the situation, he seemed more frozen than surprised at my presence there.

“Right now, your emotions must be very complex, right? It’s understandable. I haven’t been in my position long, and you’ve been caught in a dangerous situation that shouldn’t be seen.”

To speak of my own feelings, I found this situation intriguing.

Not only was it interesting to see familiar faces from the past, but I was also curious about their reactions.

“I, Supreme Pavilion Lord, greet you, the Fourth Disciple, Earth Demon.”

The Supreme Pavilion Lord finally seemed to regain his senses and knelt to pay his respects.

The unnamed middle-aged man and Heuk Bi followed suit.

Of course, Goo Jong-myung still didn’t change his stance.

“Please don’t misunderstand, and hear me out first.”

The Supreme Pavilion Lord began to speak.

“As you know, after the arrival of the Fourth Disciple, the real succession battle began to unfold. From our perspective, the involvement of prestigious sects was a concern. So, we arranged this meeting to ask the Mount Hua Sect to refrain from intervening until our matters got resolved. We plan to do the same with other prestigious sects in turn. There’s no other intention behind this.”

‘Is this really the best strategy he could come up with?’

Though many counterarguments came to mind, I merely nodded.

I wasn’t interested in pursuing that line of questioning now.

Instead, I saw it as an opportunity.

“I see.”

My brief response seemed to only add to their confusion.

Their subtly shifting expressions were telling.

“I’m not here to interrogate anyone. Nor am I here to exploit any weaknesses of our Cult members.”

I spoke gently to the Supreme Pavilion Lord.

“I simply wanted to verify something. Whether the Supreme Pavilion Lord has any intention of joining our side.”

“…!”

“…!”

Finally, a definite reaction emerged.

Though the sentiment leaned more toward the negative.

“I understand. No one would bet their fate on a successor disciple doomed by the Heavenly Killing Star’s constitution on their body. At the very least, you want a master with absolute power. That’s why you sided with the First Disciple, isn’t it?”

I now revealed my main point to the still bewildered person.

“But, hypothetically speaking, if I were not merely bound by the Heavenly Killing Star curse but could wield its power at will, what would you do then? Would you reconsider your stance?”

“How could I possibly believe that?”

At his retort, I pointed deliberately to one side.

“Look at Goo Jong-myung. Would you believe it if I killed him?”

“……”

Goo Jong-myung’s eyes widened in reaction.

It was only natural for him to react that way when the focus suddenly shifted to him.

‘Goo Jong-myung, unfortunately, this is where our journey ends this time.’

I decided to conclude my connection with Goo Jong-myung here.

Why kill him, you might ask?

As for the Supreme Pavilion Lord, I had killed him in the past, and he had killed me, but we never had a cooperative relationship.

Goo Jong-myung was different.

I had been killed by him and had also cooperated with him.

So in this life, I intended to eliminate him to prevent interference in the successor struggle.

He also had to pay for having killed Seol-Hwi before.

“Cluck, cluck, cluck…”

Goo Jong-myung clicked his tongue. Then he responded coldly.

“Now I see, these scoundrels plotted beforehand to kill me.”

Boom!

His qi resonated with the ground as a vortex formed beneath Goo Jong-myung’s feet.

The power he rapidly summoned to its extreme kicked up dust around him.

As the Supreme Pavilion Lord flinched and tried to dodge, Goo Jong-myung charged.

But I was faster.

I grabbed Goo Jong-myung’s wrist just as he reached the Supreme Pavilion Lord’s face.

“What are you doing to my subordinate?”

And with the leisurely tone of a superior, I spoke.

“Damn!”

With his hand caught, Goo Jong-myung recklessly headbutted straight at me.

It was a rather clever attempt, but to me, his movements were far too slow.

I easily dodged and kicked his abdomen.

Thud!

Goo Jong-myung’s body bent in half and flew, crashing through countless trees.

The qi contained in a simple kick seemed to have inflicted serious damage even on Goo Jong-myung, who had reached the level of a superhuman.

‘All my stats are…’

Even without seeing it, I knew they had nearly pierced the ceiling.

Not just Goo Jong-myung, but anyone in this world could be easily subdued.

“How dare you!”

Srrrng!

Goo Jong-myung quickly drew his sword.

His eyes had completely changed, indicating he was ready to go all out.

Ziiing.

The sword’s edge flared with qi as he reached an absolute state.

A realm far beyond that of ordinary mortals.

With this, the Supreme Pavilion Lord would surely realize the absolute power I possessed.

“Come at me when you’re ready.”

I clasped my hands behind my back, extending one hand leisurely.

“Fine. I will perish here with you!”

Goo Jong-myung still seemed to think of me as a person cursed with Heavenly Killing Star.

Thus, he seemed to be drawing upon all his qi without a second thought.

Boom!

The sword qi that sliced through the air suddenly split into a plum blossom shape.

Dozens of shining petals scattered in all directions, carrying the sword’s qi within them.

The death garden, as it was called, the ultimate sword dance created by Goo Jong-myung’s absolute sword qi technique.

It was an ultimate strike imbued with his life’s innate qi.

Rustle.

Yet, as those brilliant petals of death brushed past me, Goo Jong-myung’s eyes dimmed.

The enemy before me seemed like an illusion, effortlessly slipping through the dazzling sword dance, and as I passed by, I left him with a brief message.

“Rest in peace.”

Goo Jong-myung couldn’t collect his thoughts.

My touch struck his head, erasing all his thoughts.

“Ah, ah…”

Thud.

The Supreme Pavilion Lord collapsed.

This was a power akin to that of a god.

I ended the formidable Goo Jong-myung, who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, with a single touch.

Not just the movement, but the aura was beyond what a human could contain.

“Do you believe me now?”

I looked at him gently and kindly.

In this life, I wanted to design everything according to my own desires.

The cooperation of the Supreme Pavilion Lord was the first step.

“Why… choose me…”

Of course, from the Supreme Pavilion Lord’s perspective, fundamental doubts were inevitable.

The martial prowess just displayed was beyond the peak, reaching the realm of transcendence.

“I thought this approach would be good.”

“…?”

“By expanding my power and making them bow willingly, my subordinates will feel pride, won’t they?”

Sa Yu-kang, Seol-Hwi, and Seo Ryeong as well.

It wasn’t just about their safety and comfort.

Making them feel proud to be my subordinates.

That was what I saw as the true completion of this life.

“I will follow.”

Leaving the Supreme Pavilion Lord, who bowed his head briefly, behind me, I looked up at the sky.

I thought this wasn’t a bad start for the beginning of my final life.