SERIES: Returning to the Dark Moon
Chapter 8. The Mastermind
I stared at the Traceless Divine Beggar, who was gripping my collar and radiating fury.
Geolshin? What was this about?
"Geolshin" was my title before I regressed. This meant the Traceless Divine Beggar was aware of my regression. Could he be a regressor too, like Baek Cheon?
‘Impossible.’
I used my internal energy to sober up. As my mind cleared, the suffocating, frustrating grip of my inner demon loosened slightly. Alcohol truly was humanity's enemy.
_A high-pitched ringing filled my ears._ My body was whispering to me that I wasn't completely free from my inner demon yet.
In my past life, I only returned to the past after being killed by the Guild Master. But the Traceless Divine Beggar was different. I had definitely killed him.
If the Traceless Divine Beggar had been a regressor, wouldn't time have turned back the moment he died?
In truth, regression was something close to impossible, so I couldn't know for sure.
Such a thing should be impossible without a martial art woven from the long life of a peerless master.
‘The power to cause unbelievable miracles, along with the Upper Dantian.’
The most likely cause of the regression was a martial art performed by someone. But who?
I had no way of knowing. It's not like I was from the Wudang Sect, how would I know something like that?
As the Traceless Divine Beggar glared at me, his lips moving incessantly, the moonlight peeked through and met my eyes.
It was also one of the causes of my Qi deviation. The Sun and Moon Heavenly Art grew stronger under the light of the moon and stars.
An inner demon like this arose not from a single factor, but from a complex web of reasons. That's why it was so difficult to resolve.
“…Your Qi deviation is severe. Were you like this in your past life...? I think not. Ah, so you changed after regressing. Oh. So regression truly does exist.”
As soon as the ringing stopped, the Traceless Divine Beggar's raspy, old voice filled my ears, spitting out chilling words.
He was probably mentioning regression directly because he was certain I was a regressor. It wasn't particularly surprising.
The world was full of all sorts of madmen. If someone's entire life was consumed by the delusion of the past, it was plausible that a martial art of regression could be born. That was a fact both I and the Traceless Divine Beggar knew.
Thwack!
It was the sound of the Traceless Divine Beggar letting go of the collar he'd been gripping.
*Cough, hack.* I coughed pathetically and looked up at the Traceless Divine Beggar. His face was clean, thanks to his Regression, but I kept seeing an overlay of the face from my past life, riddled with the sword scars I had carved into it.
“Ah, you're disgustingly ugly. You were ugly before you regressed, and you're still ugly now. The Traceless Divine Beggar, you worthless mutt. Why did you kill Baekhae? Wasn't he the child you cherished most?”
Was it correct to ask the current Traceless Divine Beggar this? The Traceless Divine Beggar I knew was like a plum blossom scattered on the wind. A faded memory that would never return.
The Great Elder of the Beggars' Sect just tilted his head detestably and spoke.
“You beggar, have you not noticed anything? You're the dullest under the heavens. Or are you deliberately choosing not to think too deeply?”
For a moment, I felt a sense of familiarity, yet also awkwardness. The only one who ever called me 'you beggar' was Baek Cheon.
Like Elder Un, the Traceless Divine Beggar stared at my shadow and scoffed. He stroked his own hair, which had lost its color and turned a murky gray due to the Chaos-Heaven Dragon Subduing Divine Art, and said.
“the Heavenly Palace, Peach Blossom Land, Dragon Palace. Does that not ring a bell?”
“Aren't those all just old rumors in the martial world? Timeless legends about masterminds and whatnot, stories made up by gossips who love to talk.”
At my words, the Traceless Divine Beggar began to laugh like a madman. Had he eaten something bad? The way he switched from anger to laughter, this whole damn circus, was rather ridiculous.
“Ah, Geolshin. *Hooo.* Young or old, that damn head of yours just doesn't work. I'll pray for your pitiful Upper Dantian.”
Then, he pointed to the western sky with a grime-caked finger.
“Peach Blossom Land is located on the Jade Capital Mountain, within Daluotian in the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi.”
“Wait.”
And then he pointed down, to the ground beneath his feet.
“The Dragon Palace sleeping in the depths of the Yangtze River that cuts across the Central Plains, and the the Heavenly Palace floating on the clouds above Tianzhu. Wangcho, do you truly know the martial world?”
He asked.
Do those places really exist? Impossible. I'd never been to Tianzhu, but I had trodden the lands of Shaanxi and the banks of the Yangtze countless times.
I had dug up every inch of ground in the Qinling Mountains, but I had never been to a mountain called Jade Capital Mountain. Was this a trick to drive me mad?
For a moment, a blue light flickered in the Traceless Divine Beggar's eyes.
‘The insight of the Upper Dantian.’
He must have read my thoughts. I hadn't yet learned a technique to shield my Upper Dantian.
The Traceless Divine Beggar smirked, as if he'd never been angry with me at all. Befitting his name, Sosoja.
“Of course. Did you think such sacred grounds would be left completely unguarded? There are barriers in place that would put the formations of the Zhuge Clan to shame.”
“Frankly, I find that hard to believe.”
“Then perhaps that is the limit of your vessel.”
I glanced around for a moment. The world had regained its proper colors. It no longer dizzied me with reds and whites.
The disciples of Elder Hwa, who had committed all sorts of vile deeds, lay dead for their own reasons. They say in Buddhism that the Immovable Wisdom King possesses an unshakable heart, but I am only human. Seeing the dead beggars▲, my heart wavered slightly.
Even though I was the one who had killed them.
The Traceless Divine Beggar, who had been clicking his tongue at the sight of me covered in blood, sat down on the stump of a tree felled by my Star-Moon Sword Qi. He pulled a bottle of liquor from his waist, took a drink, and spoke.
“Are you planning to kill Elder Hwa?”
“Of course. Elder Hwa didn't seem to know anything about the regression. Why is that?”
“Not many within our association know about the regression. A greedy old man like Elder Hwa would have no way of knowing. It's difficult to notice, anyway.”
Then who was causing the regression? Could it be Baek Cheon? I thought, but shook my head.
I had confirmed Baek Cheon's ultimate techniques several times. They had nothing to do with regression.
I let out a deep sigh and looked at the Traceless Divine Beggar. I, who prided myself on knowing the world inside and out, was just a frog in a well?
To think I was more pathetic than this beggar bastard. Then again, I was a beggar myself, so there was nothing to be ashamed of.
I found a beggar sprawled on the ground wearing relatively clean clothes and wiped my face with his sleeve.
Wiping away the sticky blood made me feel a little better. Separate from my eyelids, which kept trying to droop shut.
‘I haven't had enough rest.’
The energy of the Seolsam was truly incredible. I had definitely slept, but drowsiness was already creeping up on me again.
Why was my body so unruly? A martial artist who had reached the Transcendent level—the state of drawing out Forceful Energy—should be able to control even their bodily functions, yet I couldn't even manage my own sleepiness.
*Right. Even peerless masters have to sleep.
It was just the natural order of things. When a person gets sleepy, it's difficult to think straight.
As my mind wandered, a question suddenly occurred to me, and I asked the Traceless Divine Beggar.
“The Heavenly Palace, Peach Blossom Land, Dragon Palace. Which of the three does Baek Cheon belong to? And wasn't the Dark Moon Society the masterminds to begin with? Why is the Guild Master, this regressor, trying to destroy the world?”
The Traceless Divine Beggar just snorted at my question. Then, the murky energy waves unique to the Chaos-Heaven Dragon Subduing Divine Art began to flow from his body.
While still sitting on the tree stump, he struck the empty air with his palm.
He struck only air, but a deafening *KWAAANG!* Exploded forth. At the same time, a golden current of energy flashed for an instant before vanishing.
With that, the Traceless Divine Beggar let out an unpleasant laugh and spoke.
“Stay still. Have you gone senile in your old age? Ah, you were a fallen monk, weren't you? You can't kill me because of the Cheongungju anyway. Just stay put and watch.”
He spouted some nonsense, then looked at me and smiled again. These crazy bastards.
“We don't have much time, so I'll be brief. The Guild Master does not belong to any of them. As for why he burned the world? That has a very deep connection to you. That's all I can say. If I say more, my head will literally fly off.”
In the end, nothing was clearly resolved. I thought he'd know a lot, being Baek Cheon's confidant, but he was more like a mute who knew much but could say nothing. Useless bastard.
I barely managed to move my stiff arm and picked up my iron sword, not the Baekgeom. The energy that had flowed from the Traceless Divine Beggar when he grabbed my collar had shaken my insides, and I wasn't in good shape.
I gave the middle finger to the Traceless Divine Beggar, who was waving goodbye at me, and staggered out of the forest.
It seemed dealing with Elder Hwa would have to happen sooner than I thought.
The night sky, after Geolshin had departed.
Suddenly, a scene of a sea of clouds unfolded, and a monk, loosely clad in a yellow kasaya, landed in front of the Traceless Divine Beggar.
An old monk with long, disheveled hair and a bamboo hat. As if embarrassed by the Traceless Divine Beggar's gaze, he pressed his hat down firmly and smiled.
Celestial Officer of the Heavenly Palace. An old monster who had lived for a very long time.
“What a farce. I didn't think you'd actually come. This is the first time we've met in person, as I recall. To you, which number of the Traceless Divine Beggar am I?”
The Traceless Divine Beggar said. That was why he hadn't expected the monk to actually come to kill him.
However, Celestial Officer simply took out a bundle from his robes and took no other action. Why?
He took out a steaming dumpling, popped it into his mouth, and began to chew. He looked pleased.
“Aigoo, look at those juices flow. It's a meat dumpling, isn't it? You crazy, fallen monk bastard.”
The Celestial Officer's figure, which had been greedily devouring a dumpling, blurred for an instant before reaching the Traceless Divine Beggar's face, his right hand extending.
The Traceless Divine Beggar responded with the Beggars' Sect's Lotus Flower Palm.
The shockwave from the clash of the two supreme masters' energies decimated the forest they were in.
The black figure and the golden figure exchanged countless blows before the Celestial Officer suddenly stopped.
The Celestial Officer was without a single scratch, while the Traceless Divine Beggar was covered in blood. The difference in their levels was immense from the start.
So why did Celestial Officer stop? The answer could be found at night sky.
“Well, now. It seems I've come to the wrong place.”
At night sky where the stars and moon had fallen, where even the moonlight had vanished from the world, stood Baek Cheon, the Heavenly Emperor, wielding the Heavenly Sword and the Unforgettable Saber.
Lifting the brim of his bamboo hat, the Celestial Officer frowned.
“Darkness Under Heaven.”
With Baek Cheon's murmur, all the darkness in the world poured down upon the Celestial Officer.
I barely managed to raise my stiff body at the Beggars' Sect headquarters. Eung Sam had been trying to wake me the whole time.
Looking at me with my sleepy eyes, he pounded his chest in frustration and said.
“Senior Brother, you know that mountain behind the town we always go to? You know the one! The one you see when you leave the Cloud Flower Pavilion.”
“What about it?”
The bodies of Elder Hwa's disciples must have been discovered already.
But the words that spilled from his mouth were entirely different from what I'd expected.
“They say the mountain is gone! No, they say it's been completely flattened!”
Oh, what fresh bullshit.
I paid his nonsense no mind and went back to sleep.
While sitting at the base of a tree, he slammed his palm toward the empty air.
He had only struck the air, but a deafening *kwaang* ripped through it. At the same time, a golden current of energy flashed for a moment before vanishing.
With that, the Traceless Divine Beggar let out an unsettling laugh and spoke.
“Just stay still. Have you gone senile in your old age? Ah, that's right, you were a fallen monk. You can't kill me anyway because of the Lord of the Heavenly Palace. Just stay put and watch.”
After spouting that nonsense, he looked at me and smiled again. Crazy bastards.
“Anyway, I don't have much time, so I'll make it brief. The Master belongs to no faction. Why did he set the world ablaze? That has a very deep connection to you. That's all I can say. If I say any more, my head will really fly off.”
In the end, nothing was clearly resolved. I thought he'd know a lot, being Baek Cheon's confidant, but he was more like a mute who knew much but couldn't speak. Useless bastard.
I barely moved my aching arm to grab my iron sword, not the white one. When the Traceless Divine Beggar had grabbed me by the collar, the energy that flowed from him had ravaged my insides, so I wasn't in good shape.
I gave the middle finger to the Traceless Divine Beggar, who was waving goodbye to me, and staggered out of the forest.
It seemed I would have to deal with Elder Hwa sooner than I thought.
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