Chapter 78: Keep it Hidden (2)
[Keep in mind. He will surely return. The day when the Demon G.o.d comes… will be the day the Sky Demon Order will rise again.]
The last will of the past Great Guardian.
This will was kept in his heart for over 30 years.
No one knew about this other than the Great Guardian and a few more clans.
Shh!
Marayun looked at Chun Yeowun standing in front of him.
No one ever overpowered him, but Chun Yeowun was too fast for him.
However, the two had one similarity.
‘He learned Steps of the Wind G.o.d.’
Steps of the Wind G.o.d was the best light footwork method in the Sky Demon Order.
And it was spread down to those with the t.i.tle of Great Guardian.
‘I heard that the 2nd Chun Ma knew most of the martial arts which existed in the Cult. That legend has to be true.’
Even during the reign of Chun Yeowun, only a few knew of that.
After walking away from the burning restaurant, Chun Yeowun stopped.
Tak!
Marayun stopped.
Chun Yeowun said.
“Speak.”
Chun Yeowun changed the place at the request of Marayun, who asked for a conversation.
Others moved away to erase any trace left behind near the restaurant.
Pak!
Marayun fell flat on the ground.
Chun Yeowun waved his hand.
“Omit the unneeded formalities.”
Chun Yeowun only wondered about what Marayun said and how he recognized him.
All the members of the clans, even those of the Chun family, couldn’t recognize him.
Who could even accept that the 2nd Chun Ma who disappeared one thousand years ago has come back?
“Haaa…”
“Enough.”
“Understood.”
At Chun Yeowun’s absolute words, Marayun knelt.
And Chun Yeowun asked.
“How did you know it was me?”
“I was ignorant and didn’t recognize you right away…”
“Don’t sweat it.”
Marayun, who took a moment to breathe, continued.
“… the Great Guardian family shares down the secrets of the Lords. As Guardians, and holders of Order in the Cult.”
“I know that.”
It happened during the time of Marakim too, the Great Guardian during Chun Yeowun’s era.
He was a shadow to the Lord. The Lord’s alter ego.
“A thousand years ago. After the sudden disappearance of the Chun Ma, the Cult was in chaos.”
Natural outcome.
The Lord was missing. It was bound to happen.
Confusion rose
Chun Yeowun’s eyes grew heavy at that.
“At our Cult, and everywhere else, the entire Jianghu was searched to find Chun Ma. Years and years, but nothing was found out.”
The disappearance of the Lord of the Cult, who created the best era for the Sky Demon Order since the first Chun Ma.
Because of that, Cult members couldn’t stop worrying and crying.
“That is what is known to all.”
There is always another version.
And that was a secret that Great Guardians kept inheriting as information.
“After the disappearance of Chun Ma, Seong Mu-chun, who was a warrior in the Cult, made a prophecy.”
“Seong Mu-chun.”
Chun Yeowun frowned. It was his first time hearing that name.
Marayun continued.
“What I know is that he was a talented person selected by Lord Chun ma in the Liaoning province.”
“Me?”
Chun Yeowun had no memory of him choosing someone from Liaoning province.
Chun yeowun’s eyes pondered at the thought of who he was.
‘Seong Mu-chun… Seong Mu-chun… wait! Is it Chun Mu-seong?’
The descendant from the distant future.
The name written backwards.
He couldn’t return to his original time period, and Chun Yeowun rescued him from the TP who came for him and even taught him martial arts.
‘Did he stay in the Cult for a while?’
Chun Yeowun thought that the man would have gone back to his time once he disappeared.
“He made a prophecy?”
“Yes.”
The descendant was reluctant to talk about the future.
Prophecy meant he said information about the future.
But the time axis had changed, so how could he tell?
“And what was that prophecy?”
“It was said that Chun Ma attained enlightenment by fighting someone and went to the realm of heaven, and once a thousand years pa.s.s, he will return back to the present time.”
“He said I’d be back in a thousand years?”
Chun Yeowun’s eyes narrowed.
Even if the descendant came from the future, the time axis had changed, so it was questionable how he found Chun Yeowun’s whereabouts.
That was when Chun Yeowun remembered one thing.
‘AH!’
Chun Mu-seong had a tracker.
The tracker was made of Gatelinium metal which the Nano chip was made of. And that was in Chun Yeowun’s body.
‘So that’s how he found out.’
In order to find where he was, Chun Mu-seong must have used the terminal. But the location was a thousand years in the future, so he must have been confused.
“Ha!”
Chun Yeowun exclaimed.
Knowing that, he felt like the descendant did something good.
It would be impossible for the descendant to announce something like that.
[h.e.l.lo, I am a time traveller from the future. Ancestor has travelled to the future.]
No one of the past would have believed that.
So he spoke in a way the people of that era could understand.
“You and the Lord are the only ones who know of this?”
“Yes.”
Great Guardians, who firmly believed that, made it known to the following generations.
Marayun, who came to power, knew about Chun Yeowun, his skills, and his appearance. So he was able to identify Chun Yeowun the moment he saw him take control of the Air Swords and use Flame qi much stronger than the Left Guardian’s.
“I am sorry for not recognizing you right away.”
He would have noticed Chun Yeowun sooner if it wasn’t for the suit and the cut hair.
Even then, who could have ever recognized a person based on an oral description?
As Marayun was feeling guilty, Chun Yeowun said.
“Sorry…”
“Even though it was pa.s.sed down with each generation, you all continued to be loyal to me and never forgot about me. Do you think I will blame you for that?”
“Lord Chun Ma!”
Pak!
Marayun lowered his head, feeling emotional.
It was an honour to be told such soft words by Chun Ma, who had descended onto the current time.
Thud!
Marayun apologized by hitting his head hard enough to crack the mask.
“I have sinned! I wasn’t able to maintain the will of the Cult the way my predecessors did.”
“You keep saying will this and will that, but what the h.e.l.l is the will you keep talking about?”
“I thought that the Chun Ma had crossed over into the sacred realm.”
“What?”
People of the Sky Demon use the expression of sacred realm when the Lord dies.
It was meant to say that one was dead.
‘Hmm.’
Chun Mu-seong claimed to be a prophet and said that Chun yeowun would return back in a thousand years, but he didn’t give the exact time.
‘Why did he do that?’
It was questionable, but there was no way to confirm it as he was too far from them now.
Chun Yeowun asked Marayun, who was bowing his head.
“Why did you think I was dead?”
“That…”
Marayun hesitated.
“Go on.”
“It was because of the remains and relics of Chun Ma that Chun Woo-kyung, the younger brother of the current Lord, had discovered.”
“What?”
Chun Yeowun’s eyebrows rose.
“Please punish me!”
Thud!
Marayun banged his head.
He was hidden behind the mask, but his face was crossed with shame and guilt.
Chun Yeowun clicked his tongue.
“For a man like you to be played by him.Tch.”
“I am sorry!”
“Tell me in detail what happened.”
10 days ago.
As he wandered around to check the secret prison looking for the Lord of the Sky Demon Order, he sensed something.
During his 27 years of sincerity, the Sky Demon Order didn’t come out of dissolving.
All the Cult members were aware of the factions war.
“The Lord didn’t place anyone on the seat, and as Guardians, we couldn’t just point to anyone and take a side.”
However, the Guardians couldn’t just stand still.
If left as it was, it looked like the faction war would never end, and the Cult would only be completely destroyed.
“Unfortunately, I thought that we needed a new Lord.”
As the Great Guardian, he did have the authority to appoint a new Lord when a crisis struck.
“However, we couldn’t have an unqualified person become the Lord.”
Marayun decided to see the two factions in person and then decide.
“Two?”
“Chun Yu-seong and Chun Yu-jang.”
Not three, but two.
From Marayun’s standpoint, who served the current Lord, it wasn’t right to appoint Chun Woo-kyung, the younger brother of the Lord, as the new Lord.
It was because he was already pushed away from the compet.i.tion in the past.
Therefore, Marayun planned to select the most suitable person among the Lord’s kids.
“But I was wrong.”
The first person Marayun went for was Chun Woo-kyung.
“Why did you go to him?”
“It was to tell that one of the two kids will be the Lord.”
To declare the purpose.
Besides, he requested Chun Woo-kyung to help in the unification of the Cult by guiding the new Lord.
“How stupid.”
Chun Yeowun shook his head, and Marayun was embarra.s.sed.
“I took Chun Woo-kyung too lightly.”
He thought that Chun Woo-kyung would at least understand his reasons.
However, the visit provided an opportunity for Chun Woo-kyung.
Once Marayun revealed his intentions to the man...
“Chun Woo-kyung told me that he found the remains and weapons of Chun Ma.”
Marayun was genuinely shocked.
That was dangerous news for the Great Guardian, who was waiting for Chun Yeowun to actually appear.
“I thought that the man’s prophecy was wrong.”
Marayun believed the prophecy till the end.
However, Chun Yeowun who disappeared, only his remains were found after a thousand years.
Although he didn’t say it, that night, Marayun had wept.
“So, did he say that he would be the new Lord and the Chun Ma?”
“It wasn’t that.”
Director Chun Woo-kyung was an evil person.
He never revealed his true intentions because he knew that the Great Guardian was better in martial arts.
“Rather, that time, when the Sky Demon Sword appeared, someone said that a new Chun Ma needed to be created to re-establish the Sky Demon Order.”
Chun Woo-kyung never put himself first.
Rather, he even suggested to the Great Guardian to pick someone who was better qualified among the kids.
At that time, Marayun just accepted the words.
He, who was weakened with the constant war in factions, truly believed in the words of Chun Woo-kyung.
“… then I told him about it.”
“About what?”
“That…”
Mount Hangbaek, southeast of Huangshi city.
Although it was located inside the city, it was close to the wall, making people less visible.
The mountain wasn’t too steep, but once entered, people could see why it is called Hangbaek.
Frozen cliffs.
It had a winter-like appearance all around the year.
Drrr!
As people weren"t around, one didn’t know, but the icicles were shaking strong enough to fall.
It was an artificial vibration and not an earthquake.
At the innermost foot of the mountain, there was a place where the inside was covered with darkness.
Numerous lanterns were lit in the place where light would never come, and many workers in uniforms were dragging the icicles out of the cave.
“It"s not there. More ice over there!”
“Yes!”
At someone’s call, the others moved the cart.
Barracks of tents were encamped 200 meters away from the ice mining site.
And in one tent.
Tap! Tap!
A middle-aged man was nervously tapping the table inside the tent.
The man in grey padding was Chun Woo-kyung.
There was an old phone on the table, and he looked at it with irritated eyes.
‘d.a.m.n b.a.s.t.a.r.d!’
He sent an A-cla.s.s core as payment. However, no progress has been relayed.
‘Why is he not contacting me?’
By now, he should have mentioned if the a.s.sa.s.sination was successful or not.
However, contact was completely lost.
Chun Woo-kyung got up from his seat and pulled out a cigarette.
Chik!
As soon as he lit the fire, he took a deep breath and then exhaled.
‘Great. I didn’t expect much from them either.’
Push!
As he walked to the tent entrance, he looked at the place where the ice was being mined.
‘If only I can get the legacy of Chun Ma!’
Inside the cave lies the legacy left behind by the 24th Lord.
It wasn’t something like the Sky Demon Sword.
If the legend he knew was true, then it was the source of the Demon G.o.d’s power.
‘I should have coaxed the Great Guardian a bit more.’
In order to avoid suspicion as much as possible, only one place where the legacy was held was obtained.
He tried to hurry, but with ice settled in, it was hard to see any result despite the best equipment being used.
‘It will be in my hands soon. I need to finish this work quickly…’
It was then. Shouts came from outside.
Woong!
The sound was m.u.f.fled, making it hard to understand.
But one thing he knew was, it had to be found!
Phat!
Chun Woo-kyung rushed down to the cave with antic.i.p.ating eyes.
When he arrived, he saw someone shouting loudly.
“Lord Chun Ma!”
Pak!
When the person saw Chun Woo-kyung, he bowed down and greeted him.
The man was wearing the same winter clothes as the workers. He was a supporter of the Chun Woo-kyung faction.
Although the video had broken out, he still believed that Chun Woo-kyung was the real one.
“Did you find it?”
Chun Woo-kyung asked.
“That… you will have to head down there and see.”
“What happened?”
“While moving the ice…”
It was then.
Kwaang!
A huge roar from inside.
The moment they heard it, the cave shook too. This time, it was like an earthquake.
“Earthquake!”
“E-everyone out of the cave!”
Thinking the cave would collapse, the workers rushed outside. Ha Woo-chan, his supporter, spoke in a bewildered voice.
“There are several leaders inside!”
Phat!
Ha Woo-chan hurried into the cave.
“Ha Woo-chan!!”
It wasn’t just the workers, but the supporters of Chun Woo-kyung, who were down here as regular workers, could get hurt during this work.
Drrrr!
Chun Woo-kyung looked at the shaking cave.
Workers ran out, trembling in fear of dying.
It seemed like something was going on inside.
“s.h.i.t.”
Thinking, Chun Woo-kyung opened his eyes wide and looked at the cave.
As work continued for days, the cave was quite deep. Around 300 meters.
Jjjj!
“Uhm!”
A tremendous amount of heat was coming from inside the cave, enough to burn everyone.
‘What the h.e.l.l is this?’
Wheik!
Chun Woo-kyung noticed that flame was flickering inside the cave. But he wasn’t sure what it was.
To be as careful as possible, they didn’t even bring any explosives into the cave, which was why it seemed more strange.
It was then.
“Kuaaak!”
Screams came from within the cave.
Chun Woo-kyung hurried inside only to see a huge cavity.
Wheik!
The cave was overflowing with flames, flames which looked like h.e.l.l.
“This!”
Chun Woo-kyung raised his internal energy to protect himself.
Something screamed inside and ran towards him.
“Kuaaak! S-save me!”
It was Ha Woo-chan who went into the cave to save others.
He was naked with his skin burning.
Wheik!
Behind him, huge flames seemed to be coming to life.
Flames that moved like they had life in them.
“Kuaaak!”
“Euk!”
Chun Woo-kyung covered his ears.
The screams from the flame couldn’t be stopped.
Ha Woo-chan, who reached him, said covering his ears.
“L-Lord Chun Ma! We must run away!”
It was then.
“Chun Ma?”
A puzzled voice, the flame which wanted to burn everything subsided.
Step! Step!
An unknown person whose body was covered in flames stepped forward.
The flames wrapped around the body vanished, revealing the person.
‘A human?’
A naked man with long red hair like the flame, every hair on the body was red.
Goo!
The flame disappeared, but the naked man was giving out energy like a ferocious storm.
Thud!
The man got down on his knees and opened his mouth.
“Chun Ma…. Chun Ma… my… My Lord.”
Drrr!
The entire body trembled.
Chun Woo-kyung smiled at the excitement he felt.
‘This… this is the legacy of the Demon G.o.d!’