Absolute Regression

The next day, the news that the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme had died hit the cult hard.

Many people had died recently, but the death of a Demon Supreme was a different matter altogether. An emergency was declared within the cult, and a full-scale investigation began.

It was our Underworld Pavilion that went out to investigate the incident. Given the gravity of the situation, all special investigators and twenty enforcement martial artists headed to the Western Illusion Formation.

In front of the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme’s residence, his disciples and spirit sorcerers were standing guard.

“You cannot enter.”

They absolutely refused to let us in. They were flustered and didn’t know how to handle the situation. Their plan was to block our entry until other Demon Supremes made a decision.

I chose not to clash with them.

“Very well. Then at least let the Demon Doctor in. The body needs to be treated to prevent decomposition, and the exact cause of death must be determined, right?”

The Demon Doctor was known to be politically neutral, and he was trusted and respected by all the cult’s members, so they didn’t refuse this suggestion.

After a long, thorough examination, the Demon Doctor came out and spoke to me and the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme’s disciples.

“It appears that he died from excessive energy emission, causing severe damage to his heart and entire blood vessels. There are no signs of intrusion or a fight, and he wasn’t poisoned by any extreme toxin, so it seems he died from energy deviation.”

At those words, the disciples sighed in relief, and I was secretly pleased.

With the word “energy deviation” coming from the Demon Doctor’s mouth, we could avoid the boring task of finding a culprit.

As we were leaving the Western Illusion Formation and heading to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion to report, Seo Daeryong cautiously asked,

“…Is it not?”

“What?”

“You know, that thing.”

Seo Daeryong couldn’t say it aloud and sent a voice transmission instead.

—Did the Pavilion Leader kill the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme?

—Why? Do you think I killed him?

—…You brought the child to me yesterday, didn’t you? The one who was about to be sacrificed for the Heart and Soul Reaping Technique.

Was that all? Two months ago, when I left, I had told him that I would turn the impossible into possible. Now, that impossibility had become a reality.

—Do you really want to know?

—No, I’d rather not! I’ll be heading back first.

Seo Daeryong turned and hurriedly walked towards the Underworld Pavilion.

In the distance, the Heavenly Demon Pavilion came into view.

How would Father react?

* * *

I slowly walked along the Path of Blood.

As always, my father sat in the Celestial Zenith’s Throne. Today, Sima Myung, the Startegist Advisor, was also present.

When I greeted the two of them, Sima Myung asked me.

“Second Young Master, how was your mission outside the Cult?”

“It was just an excuse to have fun. I had a good time.”

“You look even better.”

“Strategist, you should take a break sometimes, get some fresh air, and slack off a bit.”

“The one time I take a break in my life is usually when enemies attack.”

We smiled together at Sima Myung’s joke.

After exchanging light jokes, I reported the death of the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme.

“The Demon Doctor concluded it was due to a deviation in internal energy.”

My father and Sima Myung were silent for a moment at my words. I could sense it. They didn’t believe my conclusion. What are the odds that someone of the Demon Supreme’s caliber would suddenly succumb to an internal energy deviation?

So I spoke up first.

“It’s hard to believe that someone like the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme would fall to an internal energy deviation. There’s also the possibility that he was murdered.”

“That’s possible.”

“The Underworld Pavilion will investigate the incident.”

“This time, the Demon Supremes will investigate.”

“Not us?”

“For generations, the Heavenly Demon Pavilion has been forbidden from interfering in the death of a Demon Supreme. We can only observe.”

“Well, in that case, we won’t get involved. It’s more convenient for us anyway.”

After discussing a few things related to the incident, Sima Myung naturally excused himself.

Once Sima Myung had left, my father asked directly.

“How did you kill him?”

“What do you mean?”

“How did you kill the Soul Reaper?”

My father’s tone was curious, not angry. He was not one to have lingering feelings for the dead. He must be thinking something like this:

How did this brat manage to kill the Soul Reaper? And make it look like an internal energy deviation?

“I wish I could give you a cool answer. That I did this and that to kill him. But you’re overestimating me. No matter how talented I am, I’m not great enough to make the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme die from an internal energy deviation.”

In truth, I wanted to be honest with my father.

But there was no way to explain how I obtained the Blood Eye Essence. It was truly fortunate that the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme died from an internal energy deviation.

If it wasn’t a case of qi deviation but rather death from fighting,they would have thoroughly analyzed the cause of death to find out who killed him. In that case, I would have had to bury the body somewhere, and I would have been late for the snacks. Anyhow, it would have been more troublesome than now.

“I drank with the Elder Blade Demon all night yesterday. He can vouch for my whereabouts.”

But my father sneered.

“Did you two go and kill him together?”

“No, absolutely not. Father, this is divine retribution. The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme was a monster who dug out people’s hearts while they were still alive.”

My father believed that I was the one who killed him anyway.

Despite that, there was another reason why I didn’t tell the truth.

Because the truth would be a burden to my father. Knowing that I killed the Demon Supreme, he would have to turn a blind eye to it.

After silently looking down at me for a moment, my father suddenly spoke.

“Now that the Soul Reaper is dead, the other Demon Supremes who were keeping quiet will start to move.”

The Eight Demon Supremes are a life-and-death community. One person’s death is a threat to the whole. Just as my father suspected me, they might also suspect me.

I calmly looked at my father and spoke.

“I just hope no other monsters come out in the process.”

* * *

After leaving the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, the place I went to was the Northern Heavens Sword Family.

The person who greeted me was Sa Woojong.

“Welcome, young master.”

He greeted me with a brighter face than usual.

‘Sa Woojong, Sa Woojong. Do you know that, strictly speaking, you are the one who killed the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme?’

If he hadn’t brought the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme into this, I would never have known about the Heart and Soul Reaping Technique.

The most surprised and bewildered person in this situation would be this Sa Woojong. I was the one who was supposed to die, but the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme ended up dead.

After guiding me to the front of the hut, he politely bowed and left.

“Then please, have your conversation.”

He was certainly not a good person, but I couldn’t punish him just for bringing in the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme.

I pretended not to notice and kept an eye on him, planning to use him when the opportunity arose.

“Welcome, young master.”

The One-Slash Sword Supreme, who used to tend to the garden without looking back, now greeted me warmly.

“How have you been?”

“I heard you left the Cult. Did you have a good trip?”

“Yes. I just went out to get some fresh air.”

“You improve every time I see you, young master.”

“Do you think I have changed?”

Is it because of our three days of sparring? She was certainly sensitive to my changes.

“I’m tempted to challenge you to a sparring match right now.”

“Let’s set a date for it soon.”

“Good. Anytime is fine with me.”

I handed over the gift I had brought for her.

“This is a small present for you, senior.”

What I brought was a seed that was hard to find in this area.

“I heard it’s a fragrant flower, so I brought it.”

“Oh, it’s the first time I’ve received seeds as a gift.”

“It’s my first time giving them too.”

“Thank you, I will take good care of them. Come in, let’s have some tea.”

For the first time, I entered her house.

The place, decorated modestly, smelled pleasant.

“Your home is cozy and nice.”

“Nice? It’s just a place where an old woman lives alone, there’s nothing special about it.”

“Old? Walk with me through Hangzhou street. I bet men will try to chat you up for a drink every ten steps.”

“That’s nonsense!”

Even as she waved her hand dismissively, she couldn’t hide her smile. She was more susceptible to this kind of compliment than praise about her swordsmanship.

“Let’s go sometime. I’ll bring old man Blade along too.”

Her expression stiffened slightly at the mention of the Blade Demon. She was still not on good terms with him. She barely showed it because I was in the middle. It was still not easy to reconcile them.

She changed the subject naturally.

“Did you hear that the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme is dead?”

“Yes, I heard.”

“Were you involved in that death…?”

She stared intently at me.

At this moment, her gaze was cold. Despite her goodwill towards me, the death of the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme was something that alarmed the other Demon Supremes.

The principle of their survival, passed down for a very long time, was the awareness that if one fell, all could fall.

“It was concluded by the Demon Doctor that the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme died due to qi deviation.”

“No Demon Supreme will believe that.”

“Nonetheless, it wasn’t me.”

At my firm words, the One-Slash Sword Supreme withdrew her suspicious gaze, but it was unclear if she also withdrew her inner doubts.

“Why did you think it was me?”

It was probably because of our sparring match. She knew our skills were evenly matched.

“The ripple you created made the lake tremble. Ah, you said you prefer a stormy sea to a calm lake, didn’t you? The moment you stepped in, the once peaceful lake turned into a sea. The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme was the first to drown in that sea.”

“I am just a fisherman in that sea. I don’t drown people.”

“That sounds about right. You did catch Blade Demon after all.”

“Would it be difficult for you, senior?”

“If you release the fish you caught, it might be possible. I don’t want to get caught in the same net as the Blade Demon.”

I chuckled faintly, but she did not smile.

“One never knows with people. The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme was someone who took such great care of himself… Who would have thought he’d be the first to die.”

“The Western Illusion Formation will be in turmoil for quite a while.”

“A succession battle will ensue.”

When a Demon Supreme dies, a successor takes over. Among the remaining Seven Demon Supremes, if four acknowledge the successor, they become the new Demon Supreme.

The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme had five disciples. Since he died without formally naming a successor, the most outstanding among the five would take his place.

“Whom do you support?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Wouldn’t it be better if someone on our side took over?”

“Our side?”

“Yes, our side. Us sparring friends.”

I spoke before she could think of the Blade Demon.

She finally smiled faintly, finding the term ‘sparring friends’ amusing.

“I can align with sparring friends.”

After discussing various matters with her, I bid farewell.

“I’ll take my leave for today.”

“Thank you for visiting despite being busy.”

The One-Slash Sword Supreme followed me to the yard.

“Second Young master, when fishing, some fish are easily caught while others resist fiercely in the water. But be careful. Some fish might leap out and attack the fisherman, even capsizing the boat.”

In other words, she was warning me to be cautious of the other Seven Demon Supremes, excluding the Blade Demon and herself.

“Thank you for your concern.”

“And remember, I’m not caught yet.”

“The fact that you’re giving me such advice means you’re halfway caught, doesn’t it?”

The One-Slash Sword Supreme didn’t seem too displeased with the ‘half-caught’ remark. She might even be acknowledging it to that extent.

“Take care until we meet again.”

After leaving the hut and walking a bit, I looked back to see her planting the seeds I had given her in the soil. It felt like just yesterday she was glaring at me fiercely, and now we had this kind of relationship.

She was right. You never know with people.

As my father and the One-Slash Sword Supreme had warned, there was a meeting of the Seven Demon Supremes that very day.

It was a special meeting arranged because of the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme’s death. Since it was a meeting exclusively for the Demon Supremes, even my father didn’t know what they discussed.

That night, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon came to see me. His expression was grim.

“Do you have any liquor?”

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