Chapter 140. Absolution

No sooner had he finished speaking than Namgung Jin swung his sword backward. The Blood Sect member who had rushed in was once again split in two.

"Go first. I will hold the rear."

"Thank you."

Knowing that she was a burden, So-hwa turned and ran without a word.

At the boundary, Namgung's martial artists stood. Tang So-hwa, who had been about to run, suddenly halted—Namgung Hyun was standing there.

Namgung Hyun fixed his gaze on her as if nothing around him could be seen.

At that strangeness, So-hwa momentarily forgot to flee.

It was strange that he alone was disheveled, and his expression was also hard to understand.

“What are you, spacing out for?!”

The Black Sky Demon shouted loudly and hoisted her onto his back.

Even while running, he did not forget to greet Namgung Jin.

"Well done."

"Go in peace. I will guard the rear."

Namgung Jin showed the arrogant smile unique to Namgung that Tang Min detested. But perhaps because he had lent a hand, Tang Min did not mock the Young Lord.

In an instant, they crossed the boundary.

The others were the same. The situation had been settled so quickly that the gate, which could last only half a quarter, was still open.

But the Alliance Leader had not crossed.

"Alliance Leader!"

Master Muso shouted, but the Alliance Leader did not even look at the gate.

He only rampaged with the momentum of slaughtering all the Blood Sect members.

Unlike the one who had said that fleeing to the Central Plains took precedence over fighting.

Sensing the strangeness, Master Muso shouted again.

"Alliance Leader, you must come!"

As the gate began to close, the Four Seasons Hall Lord tried to go inside. The Sword Saint, beside him, hastily grabbed him.

"Wait!"

In truth, the Sword Sovereign was also dismayed by the Alliance Leader's eccentricity, but he spoke calmly to stop the Hall Lord.

"Surely he has his own thought? Since he knows how to open the gate, he will soon come across."

When the Sword Saint finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.

A silence so profound followed that it made even the sound of breathing feel like a sin.

But contrary to the Sword Saint's reassurance, the gate did not open for a long time.

***

Ssshhhk.

The Alliance Leader straightened his stance after cutting down the last Blood Sect member.

The rustling of the grass loudly masked the presence of the approaching harbinger of death.

The Alliance Leader, as if familiar with this pressure, waited with a calm face.

Soon the wind stilled, and the surroundings grew quiet.

The sound of a drop of blood falling from a blade of grass felt loud.

Tuk.

Though it was an open plain where shadows should not fall, a long shadow stretched across the grass.

A man black as darkness curved his crimson lips.

"A precious one from the Central Plains has come seeking me."

The Blood Demon spoke as though he knew him, but the Alliance Leader was certain the man had never seen him before. It was only that the demon had memorized the Murim Alliance Leader's face from the grim habit of collecting the appearances of Central Plains martial artists.

At first, unaware of that fact, even he had once grown tense at such words.

Now, looking back, it all seemed laughable.

The Alliance Leader let out a sigh.

"You are no different now than when I saw you at Emei Mountain."

Seeing that face unmarred by the traces of time stirred an old helplessness within him.

The truth was clear before his eyes—that this absolute evil was an immortal monster.

"Emei Mountain? How do you know I went there?"

A strange light flickered in the Blood Demon's crimson eyes.

The Alliance Leader knew what the demon was thinking.

He also knew what the demon was hoping to hear.

But even though he saw through those thoughts, it brought him no sense of superiority.

He exhaled a long, weary breath.

"In this life, the sorcerer has changed, so  Red Pavilion must have been empty for a long time."

"Did you come seeking revenge, thinking I was the one who killed that sorcerer that day?"

At the Blood Demon's misunderstanding, the Alliance Leader gave a hollow laugh.

"No. On that matter, I have no right to condemn you. You were the one who claimed her as a sorcerer, but it was I who truly stole her life."

In his first life, Cheongga had despised this demon. But as time went on, that loathing spread into himself.

Instead of saving the girl imprisoned by the Blood Sect, he repeated his wrongs.

It could not be called a mistake.

Hundreds of chances had come, yet each time, he sacrificed her.

Not even the excuse of the greater good could justify it.

In the end, he abandoned the last life she had entrusted to him.

The Blood Demon, who had forgotten countless repeated battles, asked.

"Hm, I thought you were explaining the reason you came to find me before dying, but this is unexpected. I've seen many people like that until now."

To the Blood Demon, Cheongga was nothing special. He was merely one of the countless losers who had turned back time and still failed to kill him.

The Alliance Leader withdrew his sword.

"You think you lost the master of  Red Pavilion by mistake, but that was no mistake."

The Blood Demon drew closer and asked.

“Then why are you bringing up that day now?”

Ssshh.

The sound of his black robes rustling against the grass was bone-chilling.

The Blood Demon stopped and maintained his distance from the Alliance Leader. This was due to his curiosity about another person who knew the future.

With only a few words, he believed the man had turned back time.

For one who had lived in immortality, he must have met many who had slain the sorcerer, so discerning a sinner bound by punishment would be easy.

For the Alliance Leader, that was fortunate.

It increased the chance his proposal would be accepted.

Looking at the black figure that did not belong on the green plain, the Alliance Leader spoke.

"I know you well. That is why I thought you would not show yourself in the Central Plains."

In a deep voice, the Alliance Leader asked,

"But it seems a variable has appeared. Seeing you cross over to this place."

The Alliance Leader’s eyelids slowly lowered.

"What did Tang So-hwa give you that you resolved to show yourself in the Central Plains?"

The Blood Demon looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"You said you knew me well, and yet you cannot figure that out?"

"I, too, have guessed who the newly chosen sorcerer is. If you wish, I will find that person and send them to you in your stead. So return to Jin Yin Mountain."

The Blood Demon let out a laugh.

"Of course, it makes sense you'd think that way. The sorcerer is desired by all."

"......"

"You have no idea how many threw their bodies into torment seeking that one. Or perhaps... You do?"

Though the Blood Demon subtly provoked him, the Alliance Leader's face remained calm.

"But regrettably, that one is no longer the most important to me."

The Blood Demon looked at him, then parted his lips.

"The sorcerers call what you've gone through divine punishment, but to call it punishment is an exaggeration. Once you experience it, it's quite amusing, isn't it?"

At those words, which he could not agree with, the Alliance Leader's face turned cold. Yet the Blood Demon continued.

"Even when you return to the past, you cannot live the exact same time, can you? Something always changes, and you learn something new."

The Blood Demon's crimson lips tilted askew.

"It was a very long time ago, but I, too, remember the first time I experienced punishment. So I understand why you act as though you are a sage who knows everything. Ah, now that I think about it, this is rare indeed—to face someone both powerless and arrogant."

The Blood Demon raised his arm, revealing the hand hidden in his wide sleeve.

He held an empty wooden case. A small box, the sort that might hold a coin or a single pill.

Tak.

Closing the case, he spoke.

"Shall I relieve the boredom of a contradictory man? Today I'm in a very good mood, so I'll tell you something you have not discovered, Cheongga."

The Blood Demon lifted his head, gazing at the cloudless blue sky.

"They say the god of sorcerers looks down upon the earth from the heavens, and the chosen sorcerer, weaving his talents into the earth, is said to bask in divine favor. For that god, the flow of time is reckoned only by the measure of such a being’s existence."

Slowly, the blood-red pupils fell upon the grass soaked with blood.

“The time in which a being lives is called the present, and only when the god withdraws his favor does that time at last become the past.”

The Blood Demon spoke in a warm tone.

"Since time is cut and called the present according to the only one he loves, can you imagine how great that affection must be? Thus, he cares nothing for the past existence from whom his heart has turned away. Even those once loved are cast into the past and forgotten—how much less would he remember a sinner of the past?"

The Blood Demon let out a laugh.

"The god bestows punishment only upon the sinner of the present with utmost care."

The Blood Demon leaned close to the Alliance Leader.

"The sorcerers threaten people like us, claiming the sinners can never attain what they desire. But in truth, that is not so—there is a way to receive absolution."

He lowered his voice as though sharing a secret.

"When a new sorcerer appears, the punishment also shifts onto the new sinner."

The Alliance Leader's gaze slid aside.

The Blood Demon, lowering his head as though to brush his cheek, looked at him with a smile.

"Yes. Cheongga."

A voice as chilling as his grotesque appearance pierced his eardrums.

"Your punishment has ended. And so has mine."

The Blood Demon looked upon the Alliance Leader, now an old man, and laughed with joy.

"I do not know what you resented so greatly that you repeated countless lives, but it is truly pitiable. If you had not given up this life, you might have attained what you desired."

The reason the Blood Demon was enjoying himself was not because he was free from the punishment. As someone who knew the terms for absolution, there was no way he would be happy about it now

He was rejoicing at the sight of Cheongga as an old man—mocking one who wasted time without even knowing his punishment had ended. With great amusement.

The Alliance Leader did not grow angry at the Blood Demon's ridicule.

If what he said was true, the wasted lives were regrettable, but still, he did not draw his sword.

The Alliance Leader's heart was no longer whole. Loyalty, conviction, passion, and hope had been worn away, leaving it thin and frail like a withered branch.

Even if there had been an opportunity, he had no will left.

As the Alliance Leader surrendered so easily, the Blood Demon clicked his tongue.

"Tsk, tsk, you are truly a pitiful human. The hopes Tang So-hwa raised upon the Central Plains have been halved because of you."

In a deep voice, the Alliance Leader asked,

"So you mean you are willing to risk coming to the Central Plains because of Tang So-hwa?"

The Blood Demon narrowed his eyes and replied.

"Didn't you, Cheongga, say with your own mouth that you know me well? If there is someone I value above the sorcerer of  Red Pavilion on the other side of that passage, what do you think I would do?"

The Alliance Leader let out a deep sigh and said,

"There is no need for you to cross into the Central Plains. I will send Tang So-hwa to you myself."

"Oh? Since when was that child yours to give?"

The Blood Demon asked sarcastically, but his voice was full of laughter. He had grown interested in the Alliance Leader's proposal.

If he could receive Tang So-hwa quietly without going to the Central Plains, it would be perfect.

He would gain both a high-quality farm and the best chef to cook what it produced.

The Alliance Leader lifted his heavy eyelids and stared at the Blood Demon.

"I intended to close my eyes for the last time in this life. So I decided to make this final life strive to keep the false peace you made for as long as possible."

"You say you've given up fighting — you must never have beaten me once, huh? Your eyes are full of helplessness."

The Blood Demon straightened the bent posture he had held.

"I don't dislike someone like you. The world is full of others who would kneel before someone they can't defeat, so you're not special."

The Alliance Leader remained calm despite the Blood Demon's sneer.

He had reached his answer after a long time; words meant only to bruise pride could not shake him.

He made the Blood Demon an offer.

"If you don't pursue us, I will take responsibility and erase your existence from the Central Plains. And I will send Tang So-hwa to you."

The Blood Demon glanced at his wooden box and spoke as if uninterested.

"Well, you've already seen Jin Yin Mountain, so you know I exist, don't you? Do you plan to kill those outside that gate with your own hand and return to the headquarters?"

The Blood Demon frowned and raised his head.

"If you do, you'll become a public enemy of the Murim — how could you, busy with saving your own skin, help me then?"

"They will not remember Jin Yin Mountain."

The Alliance Leader added in an emotionless voice.

"Five Minerals Powder exists in the Central Plains as well. You're not the only ones who know how to rummage through heads."

The Blood Demon pretended to ponder and stalled for time, but the Alliance Leader did not play along.

"I don't know what Tang So-hwa has, but is it worth throwing away all the time you've invested in the Central Plains?"

The Blood Demon, bored with life, sought to savor the moment when he held the upper hand.

He would often spout absurd nonsense just to scrape at a man's patience, but the Alliance Leader had long grown used to such antics.

With a cold voice, he pointed out the reality.

"As you say, if we are annihilated, you too will find it hard to escape the pursuit of the Central Plains. Everyone will speak of you. Since you don't have enough Five Minerals Powder to poison the whole Central Plains, you won't be able to stop the spreading rumors."

The Alliance Leader gave a hollow laugh.

"It will be quite a sight if the Blood Demon becomes a public enemy of the Murim. Every strong one will come against you. Before you can even use your elaborate vessels to sate your greed, the Murim of the Central Plains will be wiped out."

Suppressing his wrath, the Alliance Leader calmly added,

"In the end, all you'll salvage will be vessels like that petty heir of the Zhuge Clan who bowed to you early. Yes... that's not so bad. Since your filthy delusion of filling your body with perfect qi will never be realized, it will serve as my own kind of revenge."

The Blood Demon did not seem displeased by the Alliance Leader's words.

On the contrary, he smiled.

"So it was true that you know me well."

"......"

"If you had begged me to believe you, I would have killed you without hesitation. Thankfully, you've even held down my reason for me."

The Blood Demon laughed as he praised him.

"Yes, it seems I was excited because today is the day my long-awaited desire has come true."

The Blood Demon laughed as if admitting his mistake.

Tak.

He tossed the empty wooden box he had been holding to the Alliance Leader.

As the Alliance Leader caught it, the Blood Demon spoke in a warm voice.

"Tell Tang So-hwa this: that I have forgiven everything until now. That I will give her not just the finest chamber but the whole  Red Pavilion. Tell her all she needs to do is come, and lure her well on my behalf."

The Blood Demon, with a most satisfied expression, gazed at the box before turning his body away.

The sounds that had vanished began to return, and the hidden Blood Sect members burst forth to cover his back. It seemed they had erected a barrier and blocked their own ears.

The Red Blood Hall Lord, who had been lined up on the hill, also stepped out between the Alliance Leader and the Blood Demon to form a defensive line.

But even though they had rushed out so quickly, the Alliance Leader made no move at all.

He simply stood there, staring at the sight of the Blood Sect members retreating for a long while.

Only when the Blood Demon's presence had completely disappeared and the Blood Sect members covering him were no longer in sight did the Alliance Leader finally turn his body toward the passage.

His steps were heavy.

He told himself that the sacrifice of a few was better than total annihilation, but the weight did not grow any lighter.

Ssshhk.

The stagnant pool of blood among the brush reflected his face.

A wrinkled visage filled his eyes.

The marks of wasted years were carved deep like a seal.

Chalak.

The old man who had sunk down upon the pool of blood wept quietly.

The sound, unheard by anyone, was drowned beneath the weeping of the grass.

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