Absolute Regression

“It turns out you were right.”

These were the first words spoken by Gibangin as Yang Cheogi entered the main hall.

The Valley Lord had sent people to gather information about the situation at the time and discovered that a young man and a masked figure had indeed met at the Yellow River Inn that day. Yang Cheogi’s words were true.

“Why would I lie to the Valley Lord? I was simply telling the truth.”

“Then you’re saying that Geom Mugeuk’s martial arts were indeed strong enough to confront Odd Demon.”

“That’s correct.”

“It’s hard to believe, even if he is the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline.”

“I was just as surprised. I never imagined that Geom Mugeuk was such a formidable master.”

Yang Cheogi’s expression hardened, as if recalling the events of that day. Although he appeared sincere, the Valley Lord of Valley of Wicked was still suspicious of Yang Cheogi.

There was a clear possibility that Yang Cheogi had helped Geom Mugeuk kill all of his subordinates. In fact, the idea that Yang Cheogi had assisted Geom Mugeuk in defeating Odd Demon seemed more plausible than the notion that Geom Mugeuk had done it alone.

What if it was a plot by the Demon Cult to take over the Valley of Wicked?

What if they had used Yang Cheogi to eliminate all of his followers? What if the Heavenly Society was also a creation of the Demon Cult?

Considering that he had lost people as strong as himself, it was only natural for him to harbor such suspicions.

Of course, there were some perplexing aspects to this theory.

‘The Demon Cult has never shown any interest in Valley of Wicked before, so why would they suddenly target us?’

The Valley of Wicked had always been a thorn in the side of the Martial Alliance. Therefore, there was no reason for the Demon Cult to attack the Valley of Wicked. Moreover, if the Demon Cult were to directly manage the Valley of Wicked, they would face fierce resistance and protests from both the Martial Alliance and the Unorthodox Alliance. Why create such a problem? Especially when the villains here would never pledge loyalty to them. Why?

With his lack of trust in Yang Cheogi, Gibangin entertained all sorts of hypotheses. One thing was certain, though. The very sight of Yang Cheogi annoyed him.

‘If you have any other nefarious plans, you won’t leave the Valley of Wicked alive.’

At that moment, a subordinate hurried in to report.

“There are intruders. The group led by Gwak Soo at the village entrance has been completely wiped out.”

The Valley Lord finally felt like the inevitable had come.

Yang Cheogi, standing next to him, quickly asked.

“How many intruders are there?”

“There are five of them.”

Yang Cheogi tilted his head in confusion.

“If it’s Geom Mugeuk’s group, there should be at most three.”

“Why are you so sure it’s three? Geom Mugeuk could have brought more followers.”

“That’s true, but…”

Yang Cheogi’s reaction made the Valley Lord secretly suspicious.

‘Are they really not on the same side? Or is he just pretending not to know?’

Judging by his current response, it didn’t seem like they were conspiring together.

At that moment, another subordinate rushed in urgently.

“The group from the Cheon Family has also been taken down by the intruders.”

“Already?”

The Cheon Family’s group was known for their considerable martial skills and outstanding teamwork. And yet, they had already been defeated?

Before he could process this, yet another subordinate came running in.

“The ‘Bugs’ have all been killed.”

This time, the Valley Lord was even more shocked. The ‘Bugs’ referred to the Yangsu Gang, who lived in the forest. They were incredibly tricky to deal with, hiding in the woods and launching sneak attacks with hidden weapons.

Yang Cheogi and the Valley Lord exchanged glances. Yang Cheogi nodded and said, “It’s definitely them.”

Given who Geom Mugeuk and the Evil Smiling Demon had already killed, what could it mean for there to be five intruders now?

Before the surprise had fully settled in, yet another subordinate came rushing in, and this time Gibangin spoke tiredly first.

“Who got taken out this time?”

“The Yellow River Water Ghosts from the Seon-ak Sect.”

“What? The Water Ghosts too?”

The Valley Lord was stunned. They might not have been the strongest, but in the water, there was no one more formidable than the Water Ghosts.

Yes, it was possible for them to be killed. But the problem was the speed at which they were being wiped out. At this rate, it was like plucking flowers as you stroll along a path.

At that moment, the Valley Lord noticed it. The tremor in Yang Cheogi’s eyes—the fear that had taken hold of him.

“If you want to run, do it now.”

His intention was clear: if Yang Cheogi fled, he could shift all the blame onto him and find a way to survive.

“What about you, Valley Lord?”

“There’s no way I can leave this place. The moment I run, I’d be giving those who covet my position a reason to kill me.”

As it was, all of his trusted subordinates had been killed.

Yang Cheogi was conflicted. He had never imagined that Geom Mugeuk would actually invade this place. Nor did he think that Valley of Wicked would be breached so easily. If you didn’t know the way, you could easily spend days wandering around the entrance.

But if he fled now, the Valley of Wicked would never take him back. And considering that Gibangin already harbored the worst feelings toward him…

‘If I want to become the Valley Lord, I need to stop Geom Mugeuk’s group today. Only then will the people here recognize me as the new Valley Lord.’

And if the current Valley Lord died in the process, that would be even better.

At the height of this unfolding chaos, another subordinate entered the room.

“The Chung Kyung Five have all been killed.”

By this point, the Valley Lord was no longer surprised. If this wasn’t some elaborate prank by his subordinates to shock him, then it was a disaster sweeping in at a terrifying speed.

Hatred toward Yang Cheogi surged within him.

‘This is all your fault.’

If only Yang Cheogi hadn’t meddled with the Evil Smiling Demon in his quest for revenge, none of this would be happening.

‘No matter what, I’ll make sure you die by my hand.’

The Valley Lord knew well that harboring such deep resentment against someone would eventually bring him no good.

But he simply couldn’t forgive Yang Cheogi. Even if he regretted this decision later, he was determined to kill Yang Cheogi.

Gibangin spoke to a subordinate.

“Tell Seokno to exhaust their internal energy as much as possible.”

“Yes, sir!”

The subordinate ran off.

“Seokno is our last line of defense. If he falls, it’s just you and me.”

“Let’s hope he drains as much of their strength as possible.”

If Seokno fulfilled his role, there might still be a way out of this.

* * *

The courtyard was empty.

I looked around and spoke.

“It feels eerie, doesn’t it?”

Indeed, my feeling was spot on.

As we walked across the courtyard toward the building with the main hall…

Swish, swish, swish.

The surroundings changed.

Suddenly, we were in a new space, surrounded by hundreds of statues. These statues resembled warriors, holding swords, sabers, and spears. 5

“It’s an illusion!”

At my shout, the Demon Supremes tensed. Without knowing how to break through an illusion, it’s incredibly tricky to deal with. This was why the Murim Alliance feared the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme the most.

“Everyone, be cautious.”

At Gu Cheonpa’s warning, we stood back-to-back in a circle.

The statues began to move. Although they were made of stone, which should have made them sluggish, they were surprisingly fast. The sight of something that should have been slow suddenly charging at us was both bizarre and terrifying.

Bang!

The battle began with the Evil Smiling Demon shattering a charging statue with his Frantic Demonic Palm.

The One-Slash Sword Supreme sliced through a statue with her sword aura. She couldn’t afford to simply hack at the stone statues to conserve her internal energy. Her sword was a famous blade, so she could deal with a few statues that way, but facing so many would risk damaging the sword. Thus, she had no choice but to use her sword aura.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon found himself in a similar situation. Although his large blade was more durable than a typical sword, he couldn’t bring himself to smash the statues with his precious Heaven-Extinguishing Saber. In the end, he also resorted to using his blade aura and blade wind to destroy the statues.

The same was true for Soma. The Blood Disaster Finger could only create holes in the statues, leaving them still able to move. He had no choice but to use the more energy-consuming Frantic Demonic Palm to shatter them completely.

Song Sa-hyuk also couldn’t rely on his Blood Tears to break the statues, so he resorted to using his palm techniques to deal with them.

These statues were opponents that consumed an enormous amount of internal energy, and they kept coming relentlessly.

We couldn’t afford to keep wasting our energy like this, so I began to dodge the statues’ attacks while scanning the surroundings. With the Blood Eye Essence and the New Eye Technique, I was certain I would be able to see the method to break this illusion.

But no matter where I looked, there wasn’t a trace of the bluish light that would indicate a method to break the illusion.

‘It has to be here, somewhere.’

There’s never been an illusion without a way to break it.

I darted quickly between the statues using Dark Shadow Step and Divine Lightning Step, searching for the solution.

And then, at a certain moment as I was weaving through the statues—

‘Found it!’

A faint bluish light glowed on the back of one of the statues toward the rear.

It was a well-concealed illusion, hidden among the hundreds of attacking statues.

Screeeeech!

Without hesitation, I slashed through the bluish light with my Black Demon Sword, tearing it apart.

Beyond the light, an old man stood, his face frozen in shock.

Thud!

As my sword pierced the old man’s heart, the illusion shattered.

When the illusion dissipated, we found ourselves back in the courtyard we had entered earlier. The old man collapsed, impaled by my sword, and the Demon Supremes realized that I had found and destroyed the illusion’s weak point.

Song Sa-hyuk began to praise me excessively, calling me the best, while So Yeonrang looked deeply surprised.

On the other hand, Gu Cheonpa, fully convinced that I had killed Yasuo, didn’t seem particularly astonished and had a sarcastic smirk.

Finally, Soma gave me a meaningful smile and said, “Young Master, you’ve reached the realm of an unshakable mind.”

He didn’t directly mention the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme because the other Demon Supremes were present, but if it had just been the two of us, he would have said, *You’re truly shameless, Young Master. Do you still deny killing the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme?*

I walked briskly toward the building.

“Let’s go in.”

I smashed open the doors to the main hall with a kick and entered with the Demon Supremes following closely behind. 2

* * *

Boom!

As the doors to the main hall were shattered and the intruders entered, the Valley Lord thought the Heavenly Demon himself had come.

How else could Seokno’s illusion have been broken so quickly? Even he had to endure until Seokno’s internal energy was exhausted to escape the illusion.

But it wasn’t the Heavenly Demon who had stormed in. Just as Yang Cheogi had said, it was a young man, Geom Mugeuk, who led the way into the hall.

Geom Mugeuk glanced at Yang Cheogi and said, “Given the situation, the only place you can safely hide is the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Ah, but that won’t work either. After all, you did cross us.”

Yang Cheogi remained silent, offering no response.

Geom Mugeuk then turned his gaze to Gibangin.

“Are you the Valley Lord of the Valley of Wicked?”

“Yes, himself.”

“I am Geom Mugeuk, Second Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”

“I have heard of your reputation.”

The Valley Lord tried to maintain a calm facade, but the pressure of the situation, as if Death itself was approaching him step by step, was eating away at him inside.

His eyes drifted to the four silent Demon Supremes standing behind Geom Mugeuk.

“It is an honor to have such esteemed guests from the Divine Cult visit us. Welcome.”

Feigning composure, Gibangin clasped his hands together and bowed, as if greeting invited guests.

However, the four Demon Supremes simply stared at him coldly.

The Valley Lord then turned back to Geom Mugeuk, speaking in a softer tone.

“I heard that some of my madmen caused great offense to the Young Master?”

“They tried to drain my internal energy and bash my skull in with chains. If you had called that a minor offense, then I would have needed to return the favor today.”

“As someone destined to be the supreme leader of the martial world, I urge you not to stoop to the level of these pitiful fools.”

The Valley Lord was desperately trying to win Geom Mugeuk’s favor.

But now, with Geom Mugeuk and the Demon Supremes lined up before him, he didn’t even have the will to fight. Facing these five was impossible, especially with just Yang Cheogi by his side. If the likes of Odd Demon, Cheol Soeja, the Three Blood-Red Armies, the Blood Wolf Blade, the Enchantress of Extreme Bliss, and the Lord of Hell were all still alive, it might be different. But now…

Geom Mugeuk stared at the Valley Lord and asked, “Why did you do it?”

Gibangin, in an attempt to distance himself from responsibility, looked at Yang Cheogi as if it had never been his idea in the first place and echoed the question. 3

“Why did you do it?”

Yang Cheogi looked at him in disbelief.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“It was your doing, so you should explain yourself.”

The Valley Lord’s desperate attempt to survive had begun with shifting all the blame onto Yang Cheogi, trying to separate himself from the situation.

When Geom Mugeuk and his group entered, Yang Cheogi’s reaction clearly showed that he wasn’t on their side. The Valley Lord realized that his only option was to abandon Yang Cheogi. After all, they had come to kill Yang Cheogi.

Yang Cheogi scoffed.

“Do you really think they’ll spare you just because you try to pull a trick like this?”

Before Gibangin could respond, Geom Mugeuk answered.

“We’ll spare him. We know that this entire situation was orchestrated by Yang Cheogi. If the Valley Lord cooperates with us in capturing the leader of the Heavenly Society, we have no reason to harm him.”

The hope of survival made the Valley Lord’s heart race.

‘So they really aren’t on the same side!’

Seeing the Valley Lord waver, Yang Cheogi shouted desperately.

“Don’t believe them! They’re just trying to divide us!”

Yang Cheogi was frantic, but Geom Mugeuk remained calm.

“Why would we need to divide you when we could just kill you both? Four of the Eight Demon Supremes of our Cult have come here in person. Does this look like a joke to you?”

The Valley Lord didn’t hesitate.

“I’ll help. I know a clue that could lead us to the leader of the Heavenly Society!”

If cooperation meant survival, there was no reason to hesitate.

Yang Cheogi realized that the Valley Lord had already turned against him, and a cold clarity settled over his mind.

The moment the Valley Lord betrayed him, Yang Cheogi knew he wouldn’t be leaving this place alive.

“Pathetic fool! That’s why you’re stuck in this filthy place!”

“Shut up! This is all happening because of you. I don’t even want to hear your excuses, so just go to hell quietly!”

As the Valley Lord spat out his cold words, Yang Cheogi sighed in resignation. Even if he provided information about the leader of the Heavenly Society, it wouldn’t matter—he knew that surviving after what he had done to try and kill Geom Mugeuk and the Evil Smiling Demon was nearly impossible.

‘In the end, I have no choice but to use this.’

Yang Cheogi began to gather his internal energy for a technique he had never used before—one he had hoped never to use. The atmosphere around him darkened as a red aura began to glow in his eyes.

Seeing this, the Evil Smiling Demon shouted a warning.

“Everyone, be careful! He’s about to use the forbidden technique of our cult—the Mutual Destruction Technique.”

Indeed, as the Evil Smiling Demon had said, the martial art that Yang Cheogi was about to use was the Heavenly Light Instant Kill Technique, a Mutual Destruction Technique that would ensure the death of at least one target while also claiming his own life. It was the ultimate secret technique, reserved for taking down a single person with absolute certainty in a final act of sacrifice.

“If your internal energy is weaker than his, you won’t be able to stop it!”

Yang Cheogi’s gaze, sharp with the intensity of his internal energy, swept over each person present.

Who would he take down with him? The Evil Smiling Demon, the root cause of all this trouble? The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who appeared late that day and ruined everything? Geom Mugeuk, who had caused his quest for revenge to fail in the first place? Or that idiot, the Valley Lord?

If he could, he would have taken all four with him. But the Heavenly Light Instant Kill Technique* could only target one.

Yang Cheogi’s eyes turned blood-red, as if they might burst at any moment, and he bellowed with a voice that echoed throughout the hall.

“Who will join me in death?”

In the heavy silence that followed…

Geom Mugeuk suddenly raised his hand.

“Me!” he declared with cheerful eagerness. 4

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1 : Who else got a flashback of the Terra-Cotta Warriors of Emperor Qin ?

2 : Gangsta style

3 : Lol, ‘it’s not my problem, it’s yours’

4 : LOL, all the others have IRL questions marks above their heads XDXDXD

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