Absolute Regression Chapter 727

Episode 727: Your Master and Friend

The sight of darkness opening its eyes felt like a new world opening.
Those two eyes gazed down at Geommugeuk. Their pupils were as deep and dark as an abyss, resembling Geommugeuk’s prayer.

Geommu-geuk had seen these eyes before. They had appeared before him many times, in dreams and visions, but these were the only eyes he had seen clearly. Yes, these were the eyes.

Realizing what kind of being his opponent was, Geommugeuk’s entire body trembled from head to toe.

‘It’s the spirit of heaven!’

It was the moment when his own Heavenly Demon Soul descended into this world for the first time. And it was to save his own life.

Cheonmahon slowly rose to his feet. His eyes, which had been so close, drifted away.

Kuung!

The large rock on Cheonmahon’s back fell.
Geommugeuk knew it. At the critical moment of crisis, Cheonmahon had descended and blocked the rock with his body.

‘The spirit of the heavenly horse saved me.’

What was even more surprising was this.

‘He came down even though I didn’t call him!’

The moment the rock fell on him, Geommugeuk thought of those who remained. Those who would mourn his death.

Did he read his heart and save his master? Or was it to save his own fate, which would be to disappear from the world as soon as he was born?

The Cheonmahon revealed its majestic form under the moonlight,
revealing a truly overwhelming presence.

An absolute being who rules over all the devils and demons of the world.
The pinnacle of the Nine-Hwa Demonic Arts and the ultimate form of all magic arts.

The face of the Heavenly Demon Spirit, revealed under the moonlight, is truly terrifying. Is this what it looks like when it first appears in the world? What if it grows and acquires martial arts skills?

‘We’ll have to make a new stone statue for our school, Father.’

Near the Cheonmajeon Hall stood a gigantic demon statue, modeled after the Cheonma spirit. Seeing it in person, it was incomparably more terrifying than any stone statue. In particular, the cold, oppressive gaze radiated something that could not be expressed through a stone statue.

But perhaps because it was his own Heavenly Demon Soul?
Geommu-geuk found this terrifying face handsome.
It was both menacing and handsome, and most of all, looking into those haughty eyes, he could sense that he wasn’t just some murderous weapon doing as he was told.

It was much more wonderful than I had imagined dozens or hundreds of times.

‘You! I like you!’

What should I say first?
But then it happened. The Cheonmahon’s gaze seemed to turn to Geommugeuk, then he began to disappear without a sound.

‘no!’

Because he manifested himself while his internal energy of the Sword Dance was completely depleted, he could not stay long and returned.

My father said that summoning the Heavenly Demon Spirit required only willpower, not internal energy. However, to bring the Heavenly Demon Spirit into existence and unleash its martial arts, internal energy was necessary.

The regret was fleeting, and joy filled Geommugeuk’s face.

“……I have finally achieved great success.”

The kaleidoscope wasn’t just a flash of light at the moment of death. It was a flash of countless events I’d experienced along the way.
My life’s purpose was to stop the fire and save everyone. It was the moment I achieved the most crucial thing to achieve that goal.

Geommugeuk laughed loudly. He laughed like a madman. His laughter echoed throughout the mountains.

I was truly delighted. I’ve achieved many feats of martial arts, but have I ever felt this happy?
Even if I acquired some secret martial art, or some precious elixir, could I ever be happier than this? No, I wouldn’t.

I really wanted to dance. What could I not dance? I could just dance the dance I used to do with Visain. I’d dance alone on a moonlit night.

The moment Geommugeuk, who was leaning against the cliff, tried to get up.

“Ugh!”

Geommugeuk frowned and slumped back down. His physical condition was not normal. His previous time-space transfer technique had been destroyed, and he had been ricocheted off the cliff, causing his entire body to ache as if he’d been beaten. This was because he’d struck with his bare body, without any internal energy.

Just a moment ago, when I saw the Thousand Horse Spirit, I didn’t feel any pain. But as soon as I relaxed, the pain came rushing back.

The swordsman checked his condition. Fortunately, he only had severe bruises, no broken bones, and no internal injuries.

I grimaced at the pain that surged through me, yet grinned like a madman. It was okay to be in pain. So what if it hurt? I’d achieved the greatness of my dreams: the Nine-Hwa Demonic Arts.

Now I understood. Why the time-space teleportation technique had been destroyed during the last training session.
The Nine Fire Demonic Arts had achieved great success, and the Heavenly Demonic Sect had torn the time-space teleportation technique apart. This meant that the Heavenly Demonic Sect,
having achieved great success, could destroy the time-space teleportation technique. While this would have been a bad outcome, destroying the time-space teleportation technique, this was something to be happy about. It meant that the Nine Fire Demonic Arts was that great.

“I did it!”

Geommugeuk’s cries echoed through the mountains.
Geommugeuk leaned against the cliff for a moment, gazing up at the night sky. How could such a feat have been accomplished through his own efforts?

“thank you.”

After expressing his gratitude to the heavens, Geommu-geuk began to recover his internal energy.
With his eyes closed, he chanted. He sent his true energy around the heavens, one circle, two circles, three circles.
When his dantian was fully saturated with internal energy, he was able to manage the pain in his body.

Having recovered his inner strength, Geommu-geuk’s gaze turned to the cave. A large rock blocked the entrance. It didn’t matter if it hurt, and it wasn’t embarrassing to dance. But there was one thing! Something absolutely unacceptable.

‘Please, at least the Go board!’

If the inside of the cave had collapsed, the Go board and stones wouldn’t be safe either. Oh, I really didn’t want to think about it.

Geommugeuk approached the cave entrance and pushed aside the boulder blocking it. The large boulder was easily removed, like a ball rolling away.

Fortunately, the cave didn’t collapse.
Geommu-geuk hurried inside. The Go board and stones had been covered with tiger skin, so they weren’t even scratched by the falling debris.

Finally, Geommugeuk breathed a sigh of relief.
He stroked the Go board with his hand. It was precious not only because it was a gift for his father.
He could sense it. The process of creating this Go board and stones had undoubtedly contributed to his great success.

If that’s true, then the person I should be truly grateful to is my father. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have even thought about making a Go board.

‘You didn’t really expect this outcome when you decided to play Go, did you?’

It’s a truly absurd speculation, but it’s my father, of all people, who makes me think like this.
I’d love to pack my bags and head down immediately, but I had work to do in the morning.

Geommu-geuk spent his last night on Daecheonsan Mountain in a cave.
He couldn’t sleep because he was so happy.
He was afraid that if he woke up, it would all be a dream.

* * *

The next morning, Geommu-geuk emerged from the cave.
Thankfully, it wasn’t a dream. The area in front of the cave was filled with fallen rocks and stones.

Geommu-geuk stretched happily.
He felt his martial arts skills had advanced to a new level. Whether he was unleashing the Bicheon Sword Technique or the Byeokryuk Shura Kwon, he would be able to perform them even better.

This was the first time I felt so certain that I had become stronger.

Geommu-geuk washed himself clean beneath the waterfall and changed into the new martial arts uniform he had kept deep in his leather pouch. This was the one he had brought to wear when he achieved great success. The baduk box was placed in the leather pouch, and the baduk board, wrapped in tiger skin, was then firmly secured to the pouch.

After finishing preparing to descend like that, Geommugeuk drew his sword.

The first form of the Nine-Hundred-Fire Demon Sect’s Destruction Form.

With a single, human-sized rock in the center, the four evil spirits appeared in the four cardinal directions: east, west, south, and north.
If the Heavenly Demon Spirit was what I most wanted to see when I achieved the Great Mastery of the Nine-Handed Demon, then these were the ones I wanted to see next. How had they changed?

Your demon sword flashed!

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

Their attacks were far faster and more powerful than before.
The power of the formation and the power of the Great Fortress were completely different. The difference between the formations in the Palseong and the Great Fortress was incomparable. If they were to be torn apart by the demons in the midst of it, no one would be able to withstand it.

It wasn’t just the power that had changed.
The four demons who had shattered the rock looked at him. Their appearances had also changed. They revealed their faces, as if this were my true form.

They became scarier, more handsome, more intelligent, and more mysterious. Unique patterns had appeared on their faces and bodies.

I’d seen my father’s demons before. They were clearly different in appearance and feel from my current demons. I suspected their appearance and prayers were clearly related to someone demonstrating martial arts.

“Nice to meet you, Donggwi, Seogwi, Namgwi, and Bukgwi.”

The sword dance called their names. Of course, the demons didn’t respond, saying they had achieved great success.
But they sensed it. The gazes they were looking at were different than before. There was definitely some emotion in their eyes.

The four evil spirits of the East, West, South, and North only looked at him with deeper eyes, but Geommugeuk interpreted those eyes as he pleased.

“Our names, were those the best we could do?
” “There’s nothing we can do about them, since they were given to us by our father.”

Of course, there was no way he would actually ask such a thing, so it was a question and answer created by the mind of the swordsman.

After achieving greatness, something else changed.
I was able to maintain the four demons of the Indestructible Ceremony.
However, the internal energy required to maintain them doubled, tripled, quadrupled over time, becoming unmanageable.

From this, I could guess. The longer the Heavenly Demon Spirit remained in existence, the more internal energy it consumed. Of course, that terrifying being couldn’t possibly remain in existence forever.

Sadly, the Sword Dance Theater has bid farewell to your demons.

“See you next time.”

Your demons are gone and this time you have unleashed the Great Annihilation Technique.

Ssssssss.

A terrifying-looking demon appeared.
As we saw before, it was even more terrifying than before, and the magical energy flowing from it had also become much more powerful.
The number of demons, which had previously been divided into twenty-six, now numbered forty-four.

Kwak …

As the Great Annihilation Sect unleashed, they swept forward, sweeping away everything in their path.
The empty space, once a mess of fallen rocks and debris, was now clear. The Great Annihilation Sect swept away everything, leaving nothing behind. Naturally, its power was greater, and they could be manipulated with greater precision.

Just as it had been when the Geommu Theater first settled here, the place was now a clean, empty lot.
After clearing the area, I carried my Hyuknang and walked along the path I’d always walked.

After climbing Daecheonsan Mountain, two seasons passed and the third season arrived. During that time, I went for a walk every single day after my training.

I thought that this walk, just as much as the daily arduous training and the process of making Go stones, must have contributed to the great success of Guhwamagong. Good ideas always come when you’re moving.

There’s one more thing.
Geommu-geuk tried to loosen up his tightly packed life while taking a walk. He had lived a life of saving every moment, but he tried to find some leisure during this walk.

In fact, the sword dance drama was more difficult. While the painstaking effort was possible through willpower, having leisure in life required wisdom.

After completing their final walk, Geommugeuk ascended to the summit of Daecheonsan Mountain.
A gust of wind blew, fluttering the hem of Geommugeuk’s clothes.

Then, I heard a tiger’s roar from afar. I thought it might be the tiger I’d saved when I came with my father and brother.

Geommugeuk fully enjoyed the mystical energy of Daecheonsan Mountain. Father’s words were right. Daecheonsan Mountain had helped him achieve greatness.

Geommugeuk stood there for a moment, gazing at the scenery from the summit.
Then he turned around and summoned the Heavenly Horse Spirit again.

Yesterday, I met you in a state of injury and no internal energy, so I wanted to greet you properly.
I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to summon you since you’d just achieved greatness. Yesterday, my life was at stake, so I descended on my own.

But it was a mistake. With a whoosh, the Thousand Horse Spirit suddenly stood before my eyes.

The feeling of seeing the Heavenly Horse Spirit under moonlight was different from seeing it under bright sunlight.
It seemed mysterious that such a pure, pitch-black being could exist in this bright world.

Swoosh.

The new form of the Sword Dance Theater rose into the air and reached the Heavenly Demon’s face.
He met its gaze. It was his own creation, so he could see it so closely. It radiated a powerful magical energy and a glare so intense that no master could dare look at it.

Geommugeuk introduced himself to Cheonmahon.

“I am the leader of the Cheonma Sect, Geommu Geuk.”

Cheonmahon showed no reaction.

“I am your master and your friend.”

Sometimes it seemed like it had thoughts, and other times it seemed like it was a being that just followed orders without thinking.

But Geommu-geuk believed. The Heavenly Demon Spirit was clearly a rational being.
Even when it had appeared in dreams and visions before, and even when it had saved him yesterday, there was definitely some emotion in its gaze.

“Thank you for saving me yesterday.”

The fact that he hasn’t shown any emotion yet may be because he hasn’t accepted himself as his true master. Now, he must show this Cheonmahon who he really is.

The Sword Dancer wanted to become the true master and connect emotionally with the Heavenly Demon Spirit. He wanted to converse with the Heavenly Demon Spirit.

So, I wanted to lie down on the beach in the time-space transference technique and converse with the Heavenly Demon Spirit. Of course, that would require a larger island and an incredibly large, sturdy chair.

Geommu-geuk turned away, no longer looking at Cheonma-hon.
They gazed down at Daecheonsan Mountain from the summit.
They stood there in silence until their internal energy was completely exhausted.
Just before Cheonma-hon vanished, Geommu-geuk conveyed this message to him:
from his life before his return to his life after his return.

“I’ve wanted to see you for a really long time.”