Absolute Regression Chapter 784

Episode 784 I already have countless stars

Even late at night, Eunwol’s operations room was bustling with activity.
The situation was urgent, and the soldiers were alert to even the smallest reports.

They meticulously monitored the movements of the Murim Alliance and the Sadomaeng, as well as those of each sect in the Central Plains. In particular, they monitored every movement along the Geommu Geuk’s route.

And finally, the long-awaited report arrived.

“The young cult leader has arrived safely at the appointed location.”

The flags of the cult leaders and demon lords were placed on Dongting Lake.

Small Heaven.

Tongcheon-gak had written “Soma” on the Geommu-geuk flag, but in Eunwol, it was “Socheon.” It was a name chosen by Gowol. For him, Geommu-geuk was like heaven.

‘You’ve finally arrived.’

Although the cult leader had been excommunicated countless times, Gowol had never been more nervous than this time. The constant anxiety that something terrible was about to happen irritated him. That’s why he went to see Sima Ming.

At that time, an unexpected person visited the place.

“The General has arrived.”
“Bring him in quickly.”

After a while, Sima Ming came in.

“Welcome, sir.”

I really didn’t know he would come here.

“It’s too late to come here sooner.”

Sima Ming’s hands were laden with food for the soldiers. It was truly unexpected and out of place. This made the Eunwol soldiers even more moved.
The commander of the Heavenly Demon Sect had personally brought them food.

“Thank you, sir.”

Sima Ming smiled as Gao Yue greeted the soldiers on their behalf.

“Let me show you around.”
“There’s probably not much to see here. This place is modeled after Tongcheon-gak. The Young Master has brought the most complete intelligence operations room in the entire martial arts world here.”

Sima Ming smiled pleasantly at Gowol’s praise. It wasn’t just verbal praise. The interior truly resembled the Tongcheon Pavilion, as if it had been moved.

Sima Ming’s gaze, as he surveyed the interior, turned to the flags on the Central Plains map. The flags had reached Dongting Lake. At Tongcheon Pavilion, they would likely be in the same position.

After guiding him inside, Goyul tried to lead Sima Ming to his office.

“Let’s go in.”
“The night air outside is nice. Let’s go outside and talk.”
“Yes, please.”

The two left the Eunwol building.
They walked through the inner courtyard of the Cheonmasingyo sect, breathing in the cool night air. After a while, Sima Ming was the first to speak.

“I won’t smoke the magic.”

Gowol wasn’t surprised, as he had expected it.

“I thought it wouldn’t be easy.”
“It’s not because of the leader’s pride.”

Sima Ming explained to Jianwujin why he refused to light the magic fire. After hearing the whole story, Goyue asked:

“Is this what you came to tell me?”
“Yes.”

Go-wol looked at Sima Ming with a puzzled look. It was something he could have sent someone to, or even something he could have known just by being there.

Sima Ming explained the reason.

“I don’t know about others, but you, at least, need to know exactly what the leader thinks of the sub-leader. I believe this is the most important thing for a general. Knowing exactly what kind of person you serve. A smart head? Cool judgment? That’s all for later.”

Gowol bowed his head respectfully.

“Thank you so much for your precious teachings.”

And I was grateful that he referred to me as “Generalissimo.” It meant he was acknowledging me as the next Generalissimo. It was a truly precious moment for me personally.

“Don’t just stay in the war room. Come out and get some fresh air. Come out and look up at the sky.”

Hearing the words “look at the sky,” Gowol thought of the Sword Dance Theater. “Is the young cult leader also looking at that night sky right now?”

It was then that the two men gazed up at the stars in the night sky.
Among the glittering constellations, one star stood out as exceptionally bright.
Sima Ming, gazing upon it, let out a single exclamation of surprise.

“Huh!”

To his surprise, Gowol asked.

“Why are you doing that?”

Sima Ming’s expression grew increasingly distrustful. He closed his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating from exhaustion, then opened them again.
But the starlight remained.

Sima Ming told the shocking truth in a trembling voice.

“The Heavenly Killer Star has appeared.”
“!”

Even Gowol was surprised.

Thousand-year-old star.

It was a great evil star known to shine when a great slaughter star appeared in the martial arts world. It wasn’t just ominous; it was known that when a great slaughter star appeared, the martial arts world would become a sea of ​​blood.

“Is that star the Thousand-Year Star?”

Goyul’s voice trembled.
Sima Ming couldn’t believe what he saw, so he couldn’t answer right away.
But it was certain. With his extensive knowledge of astronomy, he couldn’t have recognized Cheonsaeseong.

“That’s right. It’s definitely the Thousand-Salt Castle.”
“This is my first time seeing the Thousand-Salt Castle in person.”

Surprisingly, it was also Sima Ming’s first time seeing it in person.

“Me too.”

It was a Thousand-Sal-Seong, something he had only learned from books and heard about.
Sima Ming suddenly recalled his conversation with Go-Yeol the other day. Could it be that the danger the young sect leader was sensing was real?

“Is this what the young cult leader was worried about?”

Gowol felt as if the fog that had been so hazy until now was clearing.

“I think so.”

If that’s true? How on earth did the young cult leader know the Thousand-Salt Star would appear? This wasn’t simply a matter of astronomy. The young cult leader had read the heavens.

“I will inform the leader, so please convey this fact to the sub-leader immediately.”
“Yes, I understand.”

Suddenly, Sima Ming felt that Goyue had regained stability.

“Aren’t you worried?”
“On the contrary, I feel relieved.”

The reason was precisely because of the sword dance.

“Isn’t that exactly what you expected, Master?”

Because of my absolute faith in the sword dance, I was able to continue to talk.

“It suddenly occurred to me that a cult leader like that could possibly stop someone born with the Thousand-Salt Star.”

Sima Ming believed there were no such thing as a positive military. He was someone who always had to think about negative outcomes first.
But at least for this moment, he wanted to believe in Go Yue’s optimistic spirit.

But that’s just wishful thinking.
The reason I’ve maintained the Cheonma Shingyo up until now is because I’ve been thinking of the worst-case scenario first. Even without the magic fire.

“We need to empty Magachon right away.”

* * *

“We have arrived at Dongjeongho.”

In the distance, a vast lake stretched out like the ocean. Because it was night, the lights of the boats floating on the lake were beautiful.

“He told me to find a boat with a white flag here.”

The place where Cheonhwaruju was supposed to meet with the Shinnyeo Princess was one of the ships floating on Dongjeong Lake.

Geommugeuk called Cheonhwaruju, Majons, Ian, Jangho, and the leaders of the Guiyeongdae to his side.

“Today’s meeting will take place in two scenarios. Either the true Divine Princess has something secret to tell you and has summoned you, Lady Rouge. Or, she’s set a trap with the Dark Princess. If the Divine Princess herself requested the meeting, there’s no problem. We can just go for a boat ride on Dongting Lake and return.”

But Cheonhwaruju was worried about one thing.

“The Princess of the Palace told me to come alone. I won’t see anyone else if they come with me.”

At her concern, Geommugeuk smiled and said.

“Does that sound like you’re asking me to please bring them all?”

There was good reason for Geommugeuk to think that way.

“Even if the Princess Divine had acted unilaterally to inform Lady Rouge of something, I believe the Dark Princess would have known about it.”

In the underground tomb, we confirmed that the Dark Princess was a being who manipulated human psychology. She had used the Sword King’s mind to summon the souls of the twelve Zodiac Kings.

If he had been working with the Princess from the beginning, he would have known very well what kind of person she was, and there was no way he would have missed her escapades.

“The Dark Princess knows me well through our past battles. That means she’s also well aware of my relationship with Soma-sama.”

How could the Dark Princess not know? The fierce battles she fought with the Evil Soma. Perhaps the Demon Lord she hated the most was the Evil Soma.

“That’s why the Dark Princess and the Divine Princess both know that I will never send the Lord of Heavenly Flowers alone to this place. In other words, whether this place is a trap or not, the other party will never even think that the Lord of Heavenly Flowers would come alone.”

Those who were listening nodded.

“I’ll give you a hundred concessions, but it’s true that the Princess Divine requested the meeting independently. Even if the Dark Princess doesn’t know about this, there’s no need for her to go alone. The one who’s in trouble is the Princess Divine, who contacted you first. Even if you go with someone, she won’t be able to refuse the meeting.”

As always, Geommu-geuk saw through his opponent, and his conclusion was clear.
Cheonhwaruju asked Geommu-geuk.

“Then will only the young leader and I go there? Or?”
“No, I will go with one of the demons.”

Of course I thought you’d bring the evil Soma.

“Your Majesty, please come with me.”

The person who asked Geommu-geuk to go with him was the Demon Lord Seop-hon. It wasn’t just an emotional decision.

“Our opponents are those who use dark magic. The two strongest in that dark magic are me and the Demon Lord.”

Of course, Mabuldo was strong against dark magic, but he had work to do outside.

The Sub-Hon-Ma-Jon was delighted. He wasn’t just bringing her along; he was entrusting her with a crucial responsibility.

“Yes, I will go with you.”

The instructions for the sword dance continued.

“Your Majesty.”
“Yes, Lord Jang.”
“Your Majesty, please wait near the lakeside with your demonic forces. Act as if the enemy has already known the demonic forces are here.”

Jangho’s eyes shone sharply.

“all right.”

Because they were more reliable than anyone else, Jangho and the demons had no worries.

The sword dance then gave orders to Ian and the four captains.

“The ghost squad and escorts will disguise themselves as men and women paired off, or as small groups of three or five, on a night out. You are to look for signs of an ambush. If this is a trap, there will definitely be traces of them somewhere. If you spot any, immediately report them to the Demon Army and move in together.”
“Yes, I understand.”

And then he gave roles to the remaining three Amazons.

“How about going on a boat ride for the first time in a while, Mabulnim and Chwimanim?”

He asked me to come out on a boat and guard the area around the boat where today’s meeting would take place.
Chwima was excited at the thought of setting the boat adrift on the lake and having a drink.

“I knew this would happen, so I prepared some alcohol perfect for a boat ride.”

The sword dance drama ended with the role given to the evil Soma.

“Soma-sama, please command this operation.”

The most important role was that of the operational commander, who covered the entire situation from the outside and responded to variables.

“All right.”

The evil soma took this order as an order to take good care of the demon troopers and the demon army, saying that he would keep the order.

The sword dance was specifically addressed to the guards and the guards.

“Listen carefully. In my magic, there is no sacrifice of the individual for the good of the whole. Prioritize your own safety above all else. It doesn’t matter if you miss your enemies, or if you show cowardice. What I won’t forgive is injury or death. And above all, don’t worry about me.”

It was the honest feelings of the swordsman who was performing for his subordinates.
Then, Chwima intervened.

“Can we do that too?”

The swordsman said as he looked at the demons.

“No way. We Mazons, please prioritize missions over personal safety. Never let your enemies slip away. I’ll be teasing them for eternity. And above all, please worry about me! The leader’s safety comes before yours!”

The two eyes in the sockets of the evil soma smiled brightly, while the other three demons turned their heads as if they had not heard.

The swordsman looked around at everyone and spoke powerfully.

“Okay, let’s finish this job safely and go boating!”

Just as the operation was about to begin in earnest,
Cheonhwaruju, who had been looking up at the sky and praying for a safe completion of the day’s operation, shouted in surprise.

“That star!”

She was so shocked that her eyes widened. It was the first time she’d seen such surprise, so everyone looked up at the night sky in a state of tension.

“The Thousand-Year-Old Star has appeared!”

Everyone was startled by the mention of the “Cheonsalseong.” Everyone understood what the appearance of the Cheonsalseong meant. It signified the emergence of a great slaughter star that would drown the martial world in blood.

The problem was that the person the Thousand-Year-Old was referring to wasn’t the Dark Princess. She was already living in this era.

The emergence of a new villain.

The demons looked at each other with serious eyes, and the leaders of the ghost squad exchanged glances with Ian. Thanks to the sword dance, the atmosphere, which had been remarkably tender even before the operation, suddenly cooled.

Everyone’s gaze naturally turned to the sword dance.

Geommugeuk looked at Cheonsalseong in silence. Only Geommugeuk knew who Cheonsalseong meant.

It’s finally out.

I expected him to come out as late as possible. He
hadn’t yet achieved the Twelve Great Stars of the Nine Fire Demonic Arts, and hadn’t even mastered the final nine stages.

But Geommu-geuk wasn’t afraid.
He had given his all up until this moment, without regret. This is what it means to live with all your might. He didn’t tremble even in the face of such a formidable enemy.

The gaze of the swordsman who had been aiming at Cheon Sal-seong turned to those who were looking at him.

“Don’t worry, stars aren’t just in the sky. There are stars here too. There are smiling stars, drunken stars, shining stars, and strange stars. There are beautiful stars, and there are strong stars. That star is one, but we are many.”

At those words, Chwima smiled with drunken eyes and said:

“There is a star that shines the brightest among them.”

The evil Soma who was listening at that time suddenly spoke.

“The young sect leader is not a star.”

Everyone looked at him with a look of surprise.

“You are the sky itself that makes those stars shine.”

They were extremely evil somas who thought that if it weren’t for the sword dance, they wouldn’t have been able to become stars.

Even the Thousand Years’ Life couldn’t stop the drunken horse’s pranks.

“It’s not the sky, it’s darkness. Darkness. Because darkness illuminates the stars. The pitch-black darkness that comes late.”

Whether in the sky or in the darkness, no one could deny that the Sword Dance Theater had made everyone shine. Everyone had changed greatly because of the Sword Dance Theater, and these days, they shine like stars.

Geommugeuk didn’t miss this opportunity and showed off.

“As expected! Only our Soma-sama recognizes my true worth. So, in that spirit, I, the Heavenly One, would like to say a few words to the Thousand-Salt Saint.”

The gaze of the swordsman turned back to Cheon Sal-seong.

“I already have countless stars…….”

The two clear and deep eyes of the Sword Dancer shone more intensely than the Thousand-Sal Star.

“You may lose your light in my world.”