CHAPTER 507: EPILOGUE EARTH DEMON (4)

End Demon’s eyes were filled with anger, but Seol-Hwi knew it was merely a bluff.

Even if he lost his reason and attacked, Seol-Hwi could easily subdue him.

The gap in power between them was beyond words.

“If you continue to spout nonsense here, you’ll quickly realize your life isn’t long.”

Despite his threat as he sat down, Seol-Hwi remained composed.

His hot-tempered nature felt oddly familiar, like an old friend.

After seeing him sit down, Seol-Hwi spoke in a gentle tone.

“First, I apologize for the death of the Wu Tian Pavilion Lord. Although his death won’t greatly impact your faction, it was indeed inappropriate of me given he was under your command.”

When Seol-Hwi stood and bowed respectfully, End Demon cast a blatantly suspicious look.

He seemed to think there was a hidden motive behind his sudden apology.

“So, I take moral responsibility and apologize, and I will compensate for his death.”

“You should. Naturally.”

At the mention of responsibility, End Demon finally reacted. He looked at him sharply and asked.

“How do you plan to compensate?”

“I will provide information more valuable than his death.”

At his words, End Demon’s eyes narrowed.

It was only natural to be suspicious, offering information after killing his subordinate.

Yet, perhaps due to his confident demeanor, he seemed curious about what Seol-Hwi would say.

“Do you know of someone named Cho Ah-ran or Ack Bi?”

Seol-Hwi revealed another move Seol-Hwi had planned in this life.

Once, they were his mentors and companions, and in this life, Seol-Hwi longed to meet them again.

“Cho Ah-ran, Ack Bi…!?”

It seemed those names were unexpected by him.

He couldn’t hide his blatant bewilderment.

Gradually, his expression turned to displeasure.

He seemed suspicious of his sudden mention of legendary masters.

“They are renowned warriors of the utmost caliber. They declared seclusion for training and have since vanished from news ever since.”

“Why mention them? Could it be… you know their whereabouts?”

Seol-Hwi fully understood End Demon’s agitated reaction.

The opportunity to recruit two warriors of such caliber was right before him, how could he remain calm?

‘The two elders haven’t declared retirement from the cult just yet. So End Demon sees them as potential participants in the successor struggle.’

Cho Ah-ran and Ack Bi—These two were undoubtedly warriors of the highest order, and their skills were widely known within the cult.

However, they had long ceased to show themselves due to their training, so even the Heavenly Demon’s disciples didn’t seek them out.

If a successor could recruit them, it would cause a significant shift in the power dynamics.

It was no wonder End Demon couldn’t contain his excitement.

“Yes. I know their location.”

“…!”

End Demon’s mouth gaped open. He no longer even tried to hide his astonishment.

“In truth, I intended to invite them. But I had to know my limits. Could I possibly persuade them?”

Seol-Hwi let his words trail off to gauge his reaction.

End Demon immediately asked.

“…What if you’re lying?”

“I’ll hand over the Hidden Troops.”

“No, that’s not enough.”

End Demon stood up, speaking with a commanding tone.

“Join me.”

Seol-Hwi couldn’t help but chuckle at that. But, not wanting to undermine End Demon’s serious demeanor, Seol-Hwi nodded.

“Alright.”

End Demon quickly left after hearing where Ack Bi and Cho Ah-ran were, moving with unexpected urgency despite his earlier threats.

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Cho Ah-ran and Ack Bi.

Names that stirred nostalgia. Yet, thinking of them brought to mind someone even more missed.

‘Cheon Miryeo, does she truly exist in this world?’

Memories of endlessly searching for her, only to fail, resurfaced.

The countless deaths and repeated failures had slowly worn him down.

But now, having ended the battle with the Absolute Being.

A glimmer of hope, a lingering desire, emerged that perhaps Seol-Hwi might meet her.

‘Once Seol-Hwi restore order to this chaos, Seol-Hwi must see her again.’

In this life, Seol-Hwi set two goals.

The first is to help Seol-Hwi, Seo Ryeong, and Sa Yu-kang lead normal lives allowing them to blossom according to their talents on the soil that is ‘me.’ ɽ𝒶ΝÒΒΕꞩ

To achieve this, Seol-Hwi decided to absorb factions through dialogue and persuasion.

Drawing Yu Pae to his side was part of that plan.

The second is to live a life of his own.

Once the heir issue is resolved without major conflict, to quietly wander the Jianghu.

Leaving all matters of the Demonic Cult behind and finding a tranquil place.

When that time comes, Seol-Hwi plan to search for Cheon Miryeo.

‘I wonder if I’ll see her, and if so, what she will look like.’

For now, Seol-Hwi decided to put thoughts of her aside.

If Seol-Hwi went to meet her now and she wasn’t there, the sense of loss would be indescribably immense.

That feeling might render his current endeavors meaningless.

‘But, can End Demon really persuade Cho Ah-ran and Ack Bi…?’

Suddenly, Seol-Hwi wondered about that.

Those old men with their notoriously difficult personalities—would they really involve themselves in the successor battle?

Of course, their difficult nature might actually make it possible.

‘Whatever the outcome, it will end in vain for End Demon. Even if he somehow persuades them, I’ll bring them back to his side.’

Having spent a long time with them in his past life, Seol-Hwi knew exactly what they desired.

No matter what methods are used, the result would be the same.

“Well, let’s get going.”

Seol-Hwi turned towards the door that End Demon had exited.

To persuade Dam Cheon and the mysterious old men hiding in the Silver Demon Garden.

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On his way to the Silver Demon Garden, Seol-Hwi suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

Seol-Hwi remembered the time Seol-Hwi had to persuade an old man named Dam Cheon, and the outrageous proposal he made back then came to mind.

‘It was the neck of the Vice Cult Leader.’

An outrageous condition, but the reward was Simulation Lv3, so Seol-Hwi had no choice.

So, Seol-Hwi foolishly brought the Vice Cult Leader’s head.

‘Do Seol-Hwi have to do that again this time?’

Seol-Hwi considered quickly taking the Vice Cult Leader’s head again, but decided to meet him first.

Back then, Seol-Hwi wasn’t in the position of Earth Demon as Seol-Hwi am now, so perhaps there might be a change of heart this time.

Rustle.

Entering the Silver Demon Garden was not difficult for me.

And since it wasn’t a distant past but something Seol-Hwi experienced in a previous life, finding where Dam Cheon stayed wasn’t difficult either.

“Is anyone here?”

Seeing the building nestled among the trees and forest, Seol-Hwi immediately asked.

Hearing no response, Seol-Hwi listened carefully to see if anyone was inside.

“What? No one’s here.”

Seol-Hwi opened the door just in case, but Dam Cheon was not there.

However, from the signs of living inside, it seemed Seol-Hwi hadn’t come to the wrong place.

“Where did he go?”

Seol-Hwi sat on a chair sprawled in the yard to wait.

As a bit of time passed, Seol-Hwi realized Seol-Hwi had overlooked something important.

‘Ah! Come to think of it, Seol-Hwi missed something crucial.’

Originally, this place was found with the guidance of the elders, Gwi-gwi and Gwi-heo.

In other words, Seol-Hwi needed their guidance to meet Dam Cheon.

‘In the past, there was a mission. Only with these two elders leading him could Seol-Hwi discover Dam Cheon.’

Even in a world where the mission no longer existed, their desires and wants had disappeared.

This explained why Dam Cheon wasn’t here now.

Only with their guidance could Seol-Hwi know Dam Cheon’s location.

“Let’s find those two elders first.”

Seol-Hwi turned his steps to where Seol-Hwi first met Gwi-gwi and Gwo-heo.

In an instant, Seol-Hwi used his swift footwork technique to arrive there, but Seol-Hwi was left standing blankly again.

“Hold on. They’re not here?”

Thinking back, Gwi-gwi and Gwi-heo were figures Seol-Hwi met when infiltrating the Shadowless Twelve Guards.

Moreover, back then, they approached him on their own after discovering me.

“Ha, I guess I need to find those two elders first…”

It was truly a tangled mess.

In the past, Seol-Hwi met them through the activation conditions of a mission, but now it was different.

Seol-Hwi had to search each area and find them directly.

And even doing that wasn’t the end of it.

‘If they decide to hide their presence…’

They are nearly at the level of supreme warriors. If they wanted, they could easily evade his sight.

To put it extremely, if they dug a tunnel and hid underground, how could Seol-Hwi possibly find them unless Seol-Hwi were a god?

‘Wait, I am a god…’

The absurd thought crossed his mind, and Seol-Hwi shook his head in disbelief.

Such a ridiculous thought in a situation like this.

“What should Seol-Hwi do?”

Seol-Hwi decided to tackle this problem seriously.

The Supreme Pavilion was vast, and the terrain was rugged.

It would take at least a month to find them.

If they moved while Seol-Hwi was searching, Seol-Hwi could spend months looking for them.

Moreover, if the search was too loud, they might hide even deeper.

‘If they’re hard to find, I need to draw them out…’

Seol-Hwi pondered the best approach and muttered to myself.

“It would be great if there was someone who knows them. A reclusive warrior active in the Supreme Pavilion… Ah!”

Suddenly, a realization struck me.

There was one person who fit the description.

A reclusive warrior residing in the Supreme Pavilion.

The one Seol-Hwi encountered at the Supreme Pavilion’s Heavenly Library, seeking the secret martial arts book.

It was Wang Mo-rok.

“Yes, since he occasionally visits the Heavenly Library, the Supreme Pavilion Lord might know him!”

With that thought, Seol-Hwi moved swiftly. He also had something to discuss.

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“I know him. He occasionally visits the Heavenly Library.”

As expected, the Supreme Pavilion Lord was aware of him.

Of course. Even if Wang Mo-rok was a reclusive warrior, he wouldn’t enter the Heavenly Library unannounced, nor would he have any reason to.

“But why do you ask about him?”

“I have business with him. Just tell him where he operates and resides.”

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

The Supreme Pavilion Lord retrieved a scroll from the shelf and spread it out on the table.

‘Oh, Seol-Hwi didn’t know they had something like this. Truly fitting for a map collector.’

Seol-Hwi immediately recognized it as a map of the Supreme Pavilion.

“There are several locations where he usually operates and resides. Here are the points.”

The Supreme Pavilion Lord marked the locations with a brush.

“Thank you.”

“Not at all. But, my lord…”

“Why?”

Seol-Hwi asked as he rolled up the map.

“Regarding the First Disciple…”

“I handled it well.”

“Is that so?”

“Hmm.”

The Supreme Pavilion Lord seemed skeptical of his answer.

Well, considering Seol-Hwi had taken care of the Wu Tian Pavilion Lord at his discretion, he probably expected some trouble.

“More importantly… I have something to tell you.”

As Seol-Hwi was turning to leave, Seol-Hwi remembered something and called him back.

“Please, command me.”

“There’s someone to take over the role of the Heuk Bi.”

“What? Who…?”

“I’ll let you know later. It’ll be interesting.”

The Supreme Pavilion Lord looked puzzled, but Seol-Hwi didn’t bother to explain.

Seol-Hwi also didn’t plan to talk about Wang Mo-rok.

If they knew in advance, they’d probably dislike each other.