CFZ

The pond’s visible size was only large enough to hold about five grown men, but that was merely what was apparent. The space beneath the surface was far larger.
A pond glowing with a golden hue. The moment I looked inside, my eyes widened.

The sheer hidden scale of the pond was astonishing, but what truly caught my attention was what it contained.
Something massive. So enormous that I couldn’t fully comprehend its size at first.
‘…That’s….’

It didn’t take long to recall what it was.
A colossal serpent.
A truly enormous snake.

And I’d seen it before.
‘…It looks like the snake from the Golden Stream Manor’s secret chamber.’
That was nearly a year after my regression, during the time when I had ventured to the secret chamber with Wi Seol-ah.
Back then, I had initially mistaken it for a demonic beast, and the sight of it had scared me out of my wits. When it spoke, I had nearly fainted.

‘Could it be the same snake from back then?’
If it was indeed the same creature, why was it here? Judging by its state, it seemed to have been dead for a long time.
‘…And besides that.’

As I observed the pond further, I noticed something else strange aside from the snake.
There were small, round objects floating in the water.
Each one was about the size of a thumbnail.

Using Spatial Manipulation, I pulled one out of the pond.
A white orb.
‘It’s identical to the one I consumed.’

The spiritual core I had taken from that unknown creature—this was the exact same thing.
Which meant this must be what the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master had consumed. The same thing that had caused the others to transform before they died.
‘Why are these orbs floating in this pond?’

And why was the serpent’s corpse embedded in the pond?
I didn’t know, but one thing was clear.
‘I need to find out.’

I decided to investigate further.
With a wave of my hand, I released the acupuncture points on the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master.
“Ugh!”

The bound man flew across the ground and tumbled.
The moment his acupuncture points were freed, he tried to say something, but I grabbed his throat before he could utter a word.
I was careful not to let him bite his tongue to commit suicide.
“There’s a lot I need to ask you.”

Thump!
My heart pounded in my chest.
“But I don’t have much time... and I have something I want to test.”

Sssss--!
“Guh…!”
Demonic energy surged from my palm.

“Let’s make this simple.”
I let the energy pour over the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master, engulfing him completely.

   ******************
   

Amid the stillness, a young man opened his eyes.
“Hmm.”
He stretched, letting out a soft groan.

“Hmmm.”
There was an inexplicable sense of delight in his voice as he repeatedly opened and closed his hands.
“Not bad. You’ve worked hard,” he said.

“It was nothing,” answered a woman kneeling before him.
Hearing her response, the Blood Demon slowly rose from his chair.
His appearance was vastly different from before.
Not long ago, his body had been mangled and barely recognizable as human. Yet now, it had returned to its unscathed, healthy form.

“This should suffice... for now,” the Blood Demon muttered with satisfaction.
The body that had previously failed to endure even a fraction of his true strength had been significantly improved, thanks to the excessive sacrifices he had utilized.

Now, this vessel could endure about half of his full power. Compared to his prime, it was still lacking, but it was an acceptable start.

With this thought, the Blood Demon took a step forward.
“How is the situation?”
“As you instructed, everything has been prepared,” the woman replied.

“I’m pleased,” he said with a faint smile.
“However…”
Her hesitation made him glance at her.

“What about the Star King? You haven’t given us specific instructions regarding him, so he’s currently being monitored.”
“The Star King? Ah, yes...”
The Blood Demon nodded as if only just remembering. So that was the name people had given him.

“Leave him be.”
“Excuse me?”
The woman’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Do not interfere with him. In fact, it’s better if he continues acting as he is.”
“But…”
“Hmm?”

The Blood Demon tilted his head slightly, prompting the woman to bow deeply.
“My apologies.”
“Heh.”

The Blood Demon chuckled and turned his gaze forward again.
He understood her concerns.
Unforeseen events had disrupted their plans. The sudden appearance of an unknown force had altered everything, creating outcomes far removed from what the Blood Demon had anticipated.

While the woman seemed worried about this development...
‘How delightful.’
The Blood Demon, on the contrary, was thoroughly enjoying it.

A series of anomalies that neither he nor the world could predict.
He had thought nothing could surprise him anymore.
Yet here they were.

Even now...
‘Something has changed.’
He could feel it in the air.

Something had shifted while his eyes had been closed.
What could it be?
He didn’t dwell on it for long.

‘It’s you again.’
That child.
The lingering thorn deliberately left behind amidst a thousand veils of defiance.
‘I wonder what kind of amusing chaos you’ve caused this time.’

What could they have done for the world to react so violently?
‘Is the world itself enraged?’
The Blood Demon covered his mouth with a faint smile, as if to stifle his amusement.

At the same time, he stopped walking and looked up at the ceiling. Despite the obstruction, as if peering through the layers of stone and distance, he knew what lay beyond.
“If it displeases you so much, why don’t you intervene yourself?”
A dry chuckle escaped his lips.

He resumed his stride, fully aware that no response would come.
But the change had already begun. It was irreversible now.
The Blood Demon could feel it, and his smile grew wider.

The time had come. Or perhaps it had already passed.
“Dancer.”
“Yes.”

“I should go see my precious daughters.”
“…!”
Dancer’s body trembled violently at his words. She understood all too well what he meant.

“…Which one do you plan to visit first?” she asked hesitantly.
“Hmm… Let me think.”
The Blood Demon paused briefly, then spoke.

“For now.”

His face twisted into a horrifying smile.
“I need to regain my strength. I’m starving.”

   ******************
   
The space remained unchanged from earlier. The same place, the same position.
Nothing had shifted.

Yet there I stood, staring intently at something with narrowed eyes.
The golden-hued pond from before.
I glanced to the side.

“…H-hngh…”
The Celestial Stream Sect’s Master, a frail and emaciated old man, was kneeling on the ground, shaking his head.
His expression was vacant, as if his mind had unraveled entirely.

His eyes had long since lost their light, and the hatred and despair he had once directed at me were nowhere to be seen.
It was as though he had lost not only his vitality but his very soul.
Watching him, I moved my hand.

Crack!
With a sickening sound, his skull shattered under my fist, and his body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Instant death.

I didn’t bother wiping the blood off my hand as I scowled.
I had already extracted all the information I needed—how the despicable Ilcheon Cult had come to exist, what they had been doing in this place, and the ultimate purpose behind their actions.
I had gotten my answers, yet...

“…This is maddening.”
Even after hearing everything, I couldn’t make sense of it.
The issue wasn’t the situation itself.

I understood all of that perfectly. What lingered was the last thing the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master had said.
I turned around to where the Shadow King stood.
Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah also wore shocked expressions. Was it a mistake to let them stay and hear everything? Or were /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ they shaken because they had witnessed me using demonic energy to torment the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master?

Either way, I had done it on purpose. I couldn’t keep hiding the truth about myself forever.
It was time for them to see what kind of person I truly was.
The problem was...

‘Something far bigger has surfaced.’
What they had heard was far more shocking than anything I had just done.
That was why.

‘The Shadow King…’
Even he wore an uncharacteristic look of disbelief.
It was clear why.

Everything about this place, the events that had transpired, and the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master’s final words—if I were in his position, I might have reacted even more strongly.
‘How is this possible?’
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand.

I kept replaying the words in my mind, but they made no sense.
Anyone would feel the same.
“Click.”

I clicked my tongue, furrowing my brow as I recalled my final conversation with the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master.
“So, who orchestrated all of this?” I had asked.
He hesitated, choking on his own breath before finally whispering a name.

“…Il.”
“What?”
The sound was too faint. I leaned closer to hear him.

Only then did his whisper become clear.
“…Yeon Ilcheon.”
“…!”

My expression twisted at his words.
What kind of nonsense was this?
“Why are you bringing up that person? He’s been dead for centuries.”

Bound by the truth of his dying words, the Celestial Stream Sect’s Master could only spew madness.
I scoffed and pressed further.
“What, are you trying to tell me he’s alive or something?”

His reply came slowly, each word dripping with gravity.
“…Yes.”
“What?”

“Yeon… Ilcheon… is alive.”
The weight of his answer froze everyone in the room.