NOVEL NEXT Chapter 226
### Chapter 226: Young Dad – Illustration
[In my own way, I thoroughly concealed the deception, and while I successfully deceived the senses of the 65-year-old Yeomwang and the 51-year-old Geumhu, I could not fool the true master. Ahem. What do you say, Dad? My capabilities.]
The proud voice of Sosumahu echoed in my head.
Calling the 65-year-old Yeomwang and the 51-year-old Geumhu “young ones”?
The realization of Sosumahu being over a hundred years old hit me hard. But strangely, hearing her naturally add “Dad” at the end made her feel like a daughter.
It was confusing.
A daughter.
I had raised the Emperor like a daughter as well. The Emperor looked just like that at the same age as Sosumahu.
Going all the way to the Mosan Sect and taking risks was also because of the Emperor.
Thinking of the Emperor made my mood a little solemn.
As I was pondering about the Emperor, suddenly,
[Dad, what are you thinking about? You aren’t thinking of someone else while mom and I are right next to you, are you? Even someone like you can’t fool me.]
Sosumahu’s voice echoed again.
I felt a sting of guilt, but kept a straight face.
Apart from martial artists who missed details, there are people born with an innate sense, and it seemed Sosumahu was one of them.
[I wasn’t thinking about anything.]
[That’s suspicious, but I’ll let it slide this once.]
As we exchanged a brief message, Sosumahu looked towards Cheonhyo-rang-gun.
“Then, besides waiting, do we have any other tasks?”
“No, we need prior treatments since we have to weaken the restrictions before the Great Method is enacted.”
Cheonhyo-rang-gun replied with a hearty laugh.
[Prior treatment, are you sure that’s okay?]
[To properly deceive and trap them, the treatment must be genuine and not fake, so it should be fine. The Great Method may be fake, but retrieving the Upper Clear Secret seems genuine enough.]
Sosumahu answered my worries.
Well, there wasn’t a flaw in what Sosumahu said. I thought the same.
The Upper Clear Secret was a 100% genuine treasure, and it undoubtedly was real information that the Demon wanted to lure me with.
This meant that if I secured the Upper Clear Secret, there was a way to manage Sosumahu’s restrictions.
Though Mosan Sect was the leading faction, it didn’t mean that only this place had masters of strategies.
In my past life, while preparing the Rebirth Great Method, I studied strategy deeply and even invited a renowned strategist.
[I think so too. But isn’t there always a chance?]
I didn’t think the Demon would be that foolish, but given that Cheonhyo-rang-gun hid her deception even in front of Hyeongyeong’s Mastery, they might have faked the treatments to worsen the restrictions.
[If that occurs, I would notice first, even if in child form.]
Sosumahu replied confidently to my words.
Well, seeing as she had detected the hidden signs from Cheonhyo-rang-gun, I found her statement reliable.
[Still, feeling uneasy, I will also attend the treatment.]
I definitely needed to see it with my own eyes. Whether they tried to pull tricks or not would provide valuable information on its own.
The tone of Sosumahu slightly changed after hearing my words.
[Oh? Dad, were you worrying about me?]
[Yes.]
I replied to Sosumahu’s statement immediately.
What was there to hide? I was genuinely worried. Upon hearing my straightforward reply, Sosumahu seemed flustered. A slight blush appeared on her face.
[W-what?! Hmph! You, with your infant-like self, worrying about me is at least a hundred years too early!]
I let her strange words pass through one ear and out the other and replied.
“Then can I and Wi Soryeon also attend the treatment process?”
“Of course.”
Cheonhyo-rang-gun replied cheerfully to my words.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. I’ve heard that you two are playing the role of guardians for the esteemed Sosumahu. It’s only natural you attend.”
Cheonhyo-rang-gun spoke hesitantly after my gratitude.
Sosumahu’s facial expression became subtle upon hearing those words.
Although it was humiliating, it felt like she was at a loss for words.
I understood her feelings.
Being told that I was playing the role of her guardian!
Anyone would think it was like treating her like an elderly patient, but the fact that it wasn’t far from the truth was more painful.
As I looked at Sosumahu with pity, she suddenly murmured.
“Parental role…”
Sosumahu spoke with her head lowered, her voice unsettling.
It was clear I had struck a nerve with her.
Just then, still blushing with humiliation, she held my and Wi Soryeon’s hands and declared.
“Mom and Dad are my real mom and dad, not just some parental role!”
We were left speechless at Sosumahu’s words.
Is she in her right mind?
No matter how I checked, the current Sosumahu was indeed in her right mind.
After an awkward silence, Cheonhyo-rang-gun spoke first.
“Yes, understood, esteemed elder.”
“Hmph. Remember that, Ahae!”
“Yes.”
That sight of Sosumahu even giving advice was utterly ridiculous.
What in the world was happening? I just couldn’t fathom it.
After that, various conversations were exchanged, and I concluded our meeting, leaving with Wi Soryeon and Sosumahu from the Upper Clear Palace.
‘Two weeks.’
The preparation period for the Great Method, as mentioned by Cheonhyo-rang-gun, was two weeks.
In other words, the enemy had a two-week preparation time.
During this period, we had to be thoroughly prepared for their attacks.
Upon returning to the lodging, I disclosed to Jeoksawol and Geumhu the information I had obtained in detail, sharing what could be said aloud and what couldn’t through thoughts simultaneously.
“Two weeks, I see.”
Geumhu uttered with a gentle expression upon hearing my words.
Along with that, Geumhu’s thought echoed in my mind.
[If we secure the Upper Clear Secret, can we completely remove the restrictions from Sosumahu-senpai?]
[That’s correct. If we exorcise the Demon and secure the Upper Clear Secret, this Mosan Sect mission will be a complete success.]
[The Upper Clear Secret, right. Indeed, we needed such bait to draw three of Hyeongyeong’s Masters. Fine. I will also look into the whereabouts of the Upper Clear Secret.]
Just then, Jeoksawol’s thoughts chimed in.
She’s even looking for the Upper Clear Secret herself!
It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in Jeoksawol’s capabilities, but with the information we had, sneaking into the Mosan Sect, which guarded the Upper Clear Secret strictly, seemed difficult.
‘Looks like we’ll have to call Dongchang.’
Mosan Sect probably hadn’t noticed it yet, but there might already be agents from Dongchang positioned around like the Heavenly Net.
For a spy operation of this size, one of the top executives from Dongchang, such as left and right spies, would have been dispatched.
With their aid, stealing the Upper Clear Secret should be more than attainable.
I planned to visit the Dongchang hideout soon.
Having thought thus, I stood up.
“Well then, I’ll be heading for some personal training.”
Since the guest quarters and separate wings of the sect were mostly established for martial artists, of course, there were also personal training rooms available for guests.
Especially since this was a separate wing, there were more personal training rooms than the number of guests.
Being in enemy territory, I felt the need to reassess my martial arts.
With that in mind, after saying goodbye to Jeoksawol, Geumhu, and Sosumahu, I entered the personal training room.
As I opened the heavy door, the inside of the training room made of bluestone from floor to ceiling came into view.
Even though it was a guest training room, it had luxurious decorations presumably costing a fortune.
Thud.
I shut the door, assumed a meditative posture, and fell into deep contemplation.
Two years ago, after reclaiming all the joint arts from the Demon Sect.
Sahyeong restored and recreated the complete collection of Gongdongpa Mugong’s secrets through the qualities of the Grand Master and the Heavenly Body. I inherited the reestablished Gongdong Martial Arts just as it was.
Unlike two years ago, I now possessed the complete Gongdong Martial Arts.
Also, that wasn’t all.
‘Purple Lightning Demon Technique.’
The Supreme Demon Art, the Purple Lightning Demon Technique, that Cheonma had passed to me.
As the name implied, I began to harness the violet thunder energy contained in the technique.
The energy of the Purple Lightning Demon Technique surged through me, racing along the path of the Reverse Flow Blood Technique.
In that state, I awakened the Dharma Wheel Holy King Technique. The energy infused with anti-demon magic surged forth in a straightforward manner.
At the moment the opposing energies of god and demon, yin and yang were about to collide within me.
I operated the Primordial Unity Energy Technique. As the rising energy technique of Gongdong, I aimed to control both the anti-demon magic and the Purple Lightning Demon Technique simultaneously.
Ugh…
The anti-demon magic and Purple Lightning Demon Technique began to surge wildly, escaping my control. I forcefully gathered the turbulent opposing energies in both hands and unleashed them.
Kwah-BOOM!
Irregular gray energy shot out from my fingertips like a laser. The walls of the personal training room, built from bluestone, crumbled like sand.
‘Still can’t fully control it.’
I could manage the yin-yang energy perfectly.
But the anti-demon magic and Purple Lightning Demon Technique I couldn’t control just yet. In the last battle in the Demon Sect, I managed to implement the intricacies of the yin-yang reversal with the Reverse Flow Blood Technique’s reverse blood energy and anti-demon magic. However, even though the Reverse Flow Blood Technique resembled a demonic art, it wasn’t the true demonic martial art for harnessing magic energy.
But I still remembered the explosive power produced when reversing anti-demon magic and similar demonic magic.
That power was much stronger than the yin-yang energy.
Not only that.
The Primordial Sword Technique I inherited was not merely a martial art handling simple yin-yang energy. It was a martial art that manipulated all kinds of opposing energies, including both god and demon.
That’s why, with permission from the Grand Master, I attempted to forge a path to reach the Primordial Unity Diagram through the Purple Lightning Demon Technique.
However, the Purple Lightning Demon Technique was no low-tier demonic technique, and it was considered one of the top demonic martial arts, second only to the Heavenly Demon Technique within the Demon Sect. Thus, unlike the Reverse Flow Blood Technique, I couldn’t properly control the anti-demon magic with it.
‘How can I properly handle the anti-demon magic and Purple Lightning Demon Technique through the intricacies of yin-yang reversal?’
As I stared at the hole in the wall, I fell into deep thought.
This was the enlightenment fitting for a new life I had yet to reach.
Perhaps my breakthrough to penetrate the wall of Hyeongyeong that differs from my previous life lay in this realization; that’s how I thought.
At that moment…
“Eungong! Are you okay?”
I heard a familiar voice in my ear.
I looked up.
There she was.
A slim beauty with striking silver hair and silver eyes.
Geumhu Eun Seol-ran.
“I heard a loud noise and got worried if I had disturbed your training, Eun Gong?”
Geumhu’s face turned bright red as she met my gaze.
Glance.
She quickly hid behind the collapsed wall, peeking her head out, speaking in a small voice.
Geumhu.
Yeah, Geumhu.
I stood up and looked at Geumhu, saying.
“No, I’m fine, Geumhu-senpai. Can I ask you a favor?”
“Yes? Yes! Anything!”
Her face flushed as Geumhu shyly smiled upon hearing my words. I looked at Geumhu and said.
“I sincerely want to spar with you.”