Star Instructor, Master Baek-Chapter 461: Indistinguishable

"Apostle."
The First Apostle stared blankly at the Blood Demon's jade throne, but when he heard a voice call him, he turned around.
An old man with stark white hair and a blood-red robe approached him. Despite his age, his physique was dignified and his eyes were sharp.
"Ads?" Ak Yeonho complains, his voice dripping with disbelief. "What ads?"
Among the elders, only the Night Emperor was bold enough to address an apostle in such a manner, but the elderly man before him was an exception. He had earned the right to speak equally to an apostle.
"Head Elder. What is it?"
"I heard the Third Apostle left to pursue the Black Snake Alliance Chairman. Is that true?"
"Yes."
The Head Elder's eyes darkened. Though there was no wind, his robe rippled. "It could be a trap! How could you permit this so carelessly?"
The First Apostle regarded the Head Elder of the Blood Cult with a steady gaze. The old man was also known as the Undying Supreme Demon. He possessed martial arts far more outstanding than any other elder, and he had experienced the last war alongside them. The turbulent times he lived through were different from those of the elders who had not seen war.
Furthermore, he had reached complete mastery over his Undying Demonic Art, placing him on equal standing with the Ten Supremes. For this reason, even the apostles respected him as an important member of the Blood Cult.
Still, he replied in a chilling tone, "...The apostles don't need to seek my permission. They simply dedicate themselves to the Cult in their own ways. Do you doubt that?"
The Head Elder snorted. "Deathshroud has been annihilated and Skykiller is dead. Don't you see that the followers are unsettled? If something were to happen to one of the apostles in this situation..."
"Who could kill the Third Apostle? The Black Snake Alliance Chairman?" the First Apostle asked, tilting his head as if he genuinely did not understand.
Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."
The Head Elder's eyebrows twitched. "Do you truly think you apostles are invincible? If that were true, our cult wouldn't have fallen fifty years ago, and we wouldn't have needed to hide in the shadows and build our strength until now."
"......"
The Head Elder's aura intensified. "I know you've mastered the world's most powerful martial arts, but unless the revered Blood Demon returns, no one can dominate the vast murim alone. If several masters at the level of the Ten Supremes set a trap for you, not a single one of you has a chance of survival!"
The martial artists guarding the Blood Demon Palace gulped nervously, their faces tense. A clash between the First Apostle and the Head Elder would result in bloodshed unlike anything since the Night Emperor's rebellion.
From the moment dawn cracked over the horizon, the air itself felt like punishment. The training grounds were still soaked in dew, but Demon Instructor Wiji Cheon stood there already, arms crossed, waiting like a specter of discipline. "You’re late, he said.
"There is some truth in your words." The First Apostle nodded placidly, showing no anger. With a voice completely devoid of emotion, he went on, "However, sufficient preparations have already been made, so there's no need to worry."
"Hmph... I'll be watching."
The Head Elder did not provoke the First Apostle any further. Despite his unrestrained words and actions, the century-old monster was careful not to cross the line.
"Is that all you came for?"
"We couldn't find any trace of the Unlimited Sword at the Moyong Clan. We searched every branch family, but it was all for nothing."
"......" After a moment of silence, the First Apostle asked, "What about Moyong Jun?"
"We have confirmed that he's alive and well within the Murim Alliance. They say he shows no signs of qi deviation at all."
"...He has learned the complete Unlimited Sword."
"There's no other explanation."
Some time ago, the First Apostle had personally visited the Moyong Clan and erased them from existence.
Mimi sniffled quietly, her round eyes glistening. "They said there were pop-ups," she whispered, her cute voice trembling. "But... we don’t have any!"
He had two reasons for doing so. One was to exact retribution on Moyong Jun for betraying the Blood Cult. The second was to search for traces of the Unlimited Sword, which the Sword Saint might have left behind.
In the end, he discovered that the Moyong Clan really didn't have it.
He muttered to himself, "...So it really was the Azure Dragon Hero."
He had thought that the Sword Saint might have hidden the Unlimited Sword's secret manual in the Moyong Estate, but the Moyong Clan had almost no records of the Sword Saint, let alone the Unlimited Sword.
Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”
Only one possibility remained. If the Azure Dragon Hero had passed the complete Unlimited Sword on to Moyong Jun, then everything fell into place. After all, Baek Suryong had proudly declared to the Murim Alliance that he had inherited the Unlimited Sword.
But how?
In fact, before the Azure Dragon Hero revealed he was the successor to the Unlimited Sword, he had believed himself to be its sole inheritor.
"Ads?" Ak Yeonho complains, his voice dripping with disbelief. "What ads?"
Even when he first heard the rumor about the Azure Dragon Hero, he remained skeptical. He thought that even if the Sword Saint's martial arts had truly been preserved somewhere, it would be far inferior to the techniques he learned.
However, today, upon hearing the Head Elder's confirmation that Moyong Jun's qi deviation had been cured, he was certain.
The Azure Dragon Hero knows the complete Unlimited Sword.
If that were not the case, Moyong Jun's blood vessels should have burst long ago, killing or driving him mad.
"...Is the Azure Dragon Hero still in school?"
The Head Elder shook his head. "His whereabouts have been unknown recently. There are all sorts of rumors, but most are baseless, so we can't trust any of them. The only thing we know for sure is that he's not in Nanchang."
"Hmm..."
The Azure Dragon Hero had annihilated Deathshroud and slain Skykiller. The Blood Cult's plans had been thwarted countless times because of him, and they had suffered immeasurable damage. In particular, the death of Skykiller, who had inherited the Blood Demon's sorcery, was a devastating loss for them.
"What a twisted karma," the First Apostle muttered quietly.
Mimi sniffled quietly, her round eyes glistening. "They said there were pop-ups," she whispered, her cute voice trembling. "But... we don’t have any!"
Twisted karma, huh?
For some reason, those words, spoken indifferently, created a strange resonance in his heart.
"One more thing. It seems there's a traitor within the Cult." The Head Elder stared directly at the First Apostle's face, but it was hidden beneath the black bamboo hat, making it impossible to read his thoughts. "Someone must have given the orthodox bastards information beforehand. Otherwise, there's no way the Deathshroud assassins could have been discovered so easily."
His eyes burned with anger, and a vicious killing intent filled the Blood Demon Palace.
From the moment dawn cracked over the horizon, the air itself felt like punishment. The training grounds were still soaked in dew, but Demon Instructor Wiji Cheon stood there already, arms crossed, waiting like a specter of discipline. "You’re late, he said.
However, it had no effect on the First Apostle. He simply commanded indifferently, "Find the traitor."
"Of course." Having said all he needed to, the Head Elder turned to leave. At the last moment, however, he paused. "Sometimes, I have no idea what you're thinking."
"......"
"I can't tell whether you truly desire the revival of our Cult and the unification of the murim... or if you have some other purpose."
The First Apostle remained impassive despite the obvious taunt. "Is that all you have to say?"
"Fuck... It would've been better if you'd just gotten angry."
Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”
The Head Elder clicked his tongue, whirled around, and strode out of the Blood Demon Palace.
When he was gone, the First Apostle left the Blood Demon Palace and headed for the underground prison.
STEP, STEP...
The deeper he went, the fewer phosphorescent pearls illuminated the passages, giving off the impression that he was slowly succumbing to the darkness.
A short while later, he arrived in front of a massive iron door. A grotesque image of a demon bleeding and gazing at the sky was carved into it.
He pushed the door open with both arms. With a heavy creak, it swung to the left and right.
CREAK... THUD!
He walked into the deepest, darkest part of the underground prison like he had done many times before. Soon, an inhuman blood-curdling screech rent the air.
"Grrraaaaagh...!"
A naked man knelt before him, tightly bound in ink-black chains as if he were caught in the coils of dozens of snakes.
Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."
"Fifth Elder," he greeted.
The Night Emperor whipped his head up and glowered at him. "Why, if it isn't the First Apostle? Kikiki!"
The whites of his eyes could no longer be seen. One of his eyes was pitch black, and the other was blood red. Gone was all trace of the stunningly handsome man, replaced by the hideous visage of a demon.
Moreover, crimson and pitch-black energies swirled around him, intertwining and struggling to devour each other.
The First Apostle sighed. "...You still haven't given up on merging the Heaven Defying Divine Art and the Black Night Demonic Art."
The chains wrapped tightly around the Night Emperor's body were not put there by him. The madman had bound himself.
"Even if you possess the greatest talent of all time, it's a near-impossible task, and even if you succeed in combining the two martial arts, there's no guarantee it'll be superior to the original Heaven Defying Divine Art," he advised.
However, the Night Emperor simply burst out laughing, reveling in his lunacy. "I'll manage my own martial arts. Just you wait. The day I make all of this mine..."
PWAAAK!
Crimson blood energy mixed with the vast expanse of darkness. The Night Emperor's hair turned red and shot up toward the sky. The chains, imbued with pitch-black darkness, shook wildly as if they would snap.
His power was incredibly destructive and unstable. There was no telling when it would explode. The First Apostle shook his head. If the Night Emperor perfected this power, he would certainly surpass the apostles, but for now, it was only eating away at him.
The Night Emperor licked his parched lips with a snake-like tongue. Even as his entire body trembled in pain, his lips curled into a faint arc.
"...You'll all have to kneel before me," he sneered.
From the moment dawn cracked over the horizon, the air itself felt like punishment. The training grounds were still soaked in dew, but Demon Instructor Wiji Cheon stood there already, arms crossed, waiting like a specter of discipline. "You’re late, he said.
"If you can truly complete the Heaven Defying Divine Art, I'll gladly do so."
The First Apostle threw the food he had brought to the beast, which the Night Emperor devoured with his bare hands.
Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."
The First Apostle watched the gruesome scene impassively. Although the Blood Cult had grown so powerful that its existence was difficult to hide, the Blood Demon Palace remained vacant.
However, his intuition told him that it would not remain that way for much longer.
"...It won't be long now."
He had a feeling that, in the not-too-distant future, the master of the Blood Cult would return. He could not guess what form he would take, but he was certain he would return.
Perhaps the Night Emperor could be his new vessel, or perhaps it could be another, unexpected being.
"I will return."
At that moment, he could have sworn he heard the Blood Demon's voice from the past once more.
Before the suicide squad of the orthodox sects invaded the Blood Cult, the Blood Demon had summoned him and his fellow apostles and delivered his final words.
"Until I return, you will prepare for what is to come."
His eyes glowed like crimson jewels, and his presence seemed to transcend the mortal world. Any word he uttered was more binding than any prohibition placed upon them by their old master or the Demonic Strategist.
Namgung Su’s back is turned to you, shoulders tense as he scrubs the already spotless pan. His voice is calm when he speaks, but it cuts like frost. "You fed a thief, he says. "With my food."
The Blood Demon was the reason for their existence and their reason for living.
"Wait for me."
They had engraved that one phrase onto their souls and waited for decades.
And yet...
Strangely, this time, his old master's voice was the one that sprang to mind.
"I'll promise you one thing."
He had recently had a strange dream about the time when he and his companions learned martial arts from their old master. That day, their master was completely drunk and unusually disheveled.
"Someday, I'll go see you, and..."
His old master stared at them with an expression he had never seen before, yet his memory of that expression was astonishingly vivid.
"I want to give you real names!"
From the moment dawn cracked over the horizon, the air itself felt like punishment. The training grounds were still soaked in dew, but Demon Instructor Wiji Cheon stood there already, arms crossed, waiting like a specter of discipline. "You’re late, he said.
His scarred face, hidden by the black bamboo hat, wrinkled subtly.
"I will return."
"Someday, I'll go see you, and..."
"Wait for me."
"I want to give you real names!"
Inside the First Apostle's head, the voices of the Blood Demon and his old master gradually blurred together.
Before long, they became indistinguishable.