SYM 122
by Emerlyn“Is turning Eun-hyeon into an Undead to save him all you have to say?”
Jeong-hyeon nodded, a pleasant smile on his face despite Cheong-un’s sharp reaction.
“Yes, that’s right. If we leave Namgung Eun-hyeon as he is, how much longer do you think he’ll live? In my opinion… hmm, about a hundred days?”
“Ha! Don’t be ridiculous, Jeong-hyeon!”
Jeong-hyeon was unfazed by Cheong-un’s angry shout.
“Shall we make a bet? On how many days Namgung Eun-hyeon has left. I’ll wager a hundred days.”
Cheong-un felt sick with displeasure.
His Master had only a hundred days left?
He knew it was a ploy to shake him, but he couldn’t easily dismiss it.
“I can’t predict Namgung Eun-hyeon’s lifespan exactly, but it won’t be that far off. A hundred days or so. That’s all the time he has left.”
Cheong-un didn’t reply. It was clearly a trick to unsettle him.
“Cheonma, I have a way to change fate. Do you still see me as a villain? I’m not a villain to you at least. I’m closer to a savior.”
A savior who turns people into Undead. It was a deception.
But despite that, Jeong-hyeon’s words touched on Cheong-un’s greatest fear.
What if Master died again?
If he had the certainty that he would return, he wouldn’t mind waiting for years.
But how could he be sure that such luck would happen again?
Sending Inner energy into Eun-hyeon’s body was like pouring water into a bottomless pit. He would barely manage to raise his health and Inner energy a little, and then it would miraculously drain away again.
“…But that doesn’t mean turning Master into an Undead is the solution. Turning a living person into an Undead? I won’t hand my Master over for such a disgusting thing.”
“Oh, dear. How can you, as Cheonma, still have such frustrating thoughts? You saw Seo Eun-hyeon’s Undead, didn’t you? What did you think? Did it feel like a corpse? No. It wasn’t. It was more Seo Eun-hyeon than the Seo Eun-hyeon he was in life.”
“……”
“My Undead Manipulation isn’t so crude. It’s an Undead Manipulation perfected through the Hongbaek Sect’s teachings. I will personally fine-tune it. Eun-hyeon will become a work of art. That body he’s wearing now will be preserved in its most beautiful state forever. His free will as well. Wouldn’t you say I’m doing him a great favor?”
Cheong-un simply remained silent. But even so, Jeong-hyeon continued to speak without concern.
“Aren’t you the leader of the Demonic Sect? Open your mind a little. What I’m offering my disciple is something you should be begging me for.”
Jeong-hyeon, who had been speaking informally to Cheong-un, subtly switched to a more friendly tone.
Looking at Cheong-un’s expression, he thought he had won him over more than halfway.
“All I want is for my disciple to be healthy. But to do that, I need my disciple’s consent. I need you to persuade him.”
Cheong-un, lost in thought, looked at Jeong-hyeon.
“…So that’s the main point.”
“Yes. This can only proceed with my disciple’s consent. It’s not like making an Undead from a corpse; I’m making it while preserving my disciple’s consciousness. But my disciple keeps refusing. However, Cheong-un, you can persuade him, right?”
“Before that, I need to confirm something. How can you be so sure that Eun-hyeon’s lifespan is short? And in the first place, how did you know that Seo Eun-hyeon and Namgung Eun-hyeon are the same person?”
Even he himself found it difficult to be certain that Namgung Eun-hyeon was Master. He had suspicions, but no proof.
But how could Jeong-hyeon, who hadn’t even heard it directly from Eun-hyeon, be so sure?
And more than anything, what made him unable to trust Jeong-hyeon was that he couldn’t understand what benefit Jeong-hyeon would get from turning Eun-hyeon into an Undead.
“That can’t be the only reason you’re trying to turn Eun-hyeon into an Undead. There must be some benefit to you, that’s why you’re so desperate, isn’t it?”
Jeong-hyeon, who had been circling around Eun-hyeon, suddenly stopped and stepped back. The face that had looked like a black mass brightened slightly, and now a vague shape could be seen.
“If I don’t tell you this story, you suspicious bastard won’t just let it go. Yes, that’s right. I need Eun-hyeon. That’s why I’m trying to turn Eun-hyeon into an Undead.”
Jeong-hyeon let out a soft sigh. As the sigh spread, it felt like the air became even stickier.
“To put it simply, Namgung Eun-hyeon is not from this world.”
“What does that mean?”
“Exactly what it says. He’s not a soul from the world we live in, but from another world. Seo Eun-hyeon told me this when he was still young. At the time, I thought it was a child’s lie.”
A person from another world?
Cheong-un wanted to tell Jeong-hyeon not to talk nonsense, but a deep part of his heart stirred.
Could that be true? Was Eun-hyeon really not a being from this world?
Cheong-un thought for a moment and lightly shook his head. Even if that were the case, it wouldn’t change the fact that he loved Eun-hyeon, so nothing would change.
He clenched his fist tightly.
“How can I believe your words?”
“The Hongbaek Sect’s scriptures contain many secrets unknown to the world. For example, that there are other dimensions besides the world we live in.”
“…Other dimensions.”
“Sometimes, for unknown reasons, beings from other dimensions fall into other worlds. The first leader of the Hongbaek Sect was also such a being, which is why the Hongbaek Sect’s scriptures could contain the secrets of the world. I read the scriptures and became convinced that Eun-hyeon’s existence was from another world. And the important thing is not that. The reason why Eun-hyeon has no choice but to die is right here. The world we live in has a nature to eliminate foreign substances from other dimensions on its own.”
“Eliminate?”
“Because his very existence is Defying Heaven, rejecting the world. The first leader of the Hongbaek Sect also suffered from this for a long time and researched methods to turn himself into an Undead to deceive the world’s eyes.”
“………Defying Heaven.”
The moment Cheong-un heard the word Defying Heaven, he knew that Jeong-hyeon’s words were true.
Defying Heaven.
The strange sense of incongruity and unpleasant energies that Cheong-un had felt until now, all of that was the Reversing Heaven Energy.
For example, the black energy that Jeong-hyeon was constantly emitting, the strange energy felt only from the Hongbaek Sect members, the ominous feeling felt at the underground altar below Onghwagung, all of that was the Reversing Heaven Energy.
“Reversing Heaven Energy. Listening to you, I think I know what you mean. You’re talking about that dirty energy that I feel from you guys. But I’ve never felt Reversing Heaven Energy from Eun-hyeon.”
“Eun-hyeon’s body is from our world, so you can’t feel the Reversing Heaven Energy just like that.”
Cheong-un glared at Jeong-hyeon.
“Okay. Let’s assume everything you said is true. So what do you gain? Why are you so desperate for Eun-hyeon, making such a fuss? Even if you say all sorts of grand things, there’s something you ultimately want, isn’t there?”
It was a rough tone that revealed his uncomfortable feelings, but Jeong-hyeon smiled.
He had no choice but to turn his back on the imperial family, antagonizing the Third Prince, but he didn’t want to make enemies of the Demonic Sect here.
Especially Cheong-un, who was called the best in the world in terms of sheer force. Rather than fighting Cheong-un, Jeong-hyeon needed to appease him and make him his ally.
“What I want is for Eun-hyeon to share his energy with me. It’s no big deal for a healthy Eun-hyeon.”
“Eun-hyeon’s energy?”
“Yes. Eun-hyeon’s energy is Reversing Heaven Energy. Others may see it as just ominous, but the Hongbaek Sect has a way to use that Reversing Heaven Energy. It’s a power that has many uses for me.”
“Ah. Now I understand everything. So that’s why you’re so desperately looking for Eun-hyeon. And here I thought you were my rival in love.”
Jeong-hyeon’s face hardened at Cheong-un’s sarcasm.
“You bastard! Are you going to let Eun-hyeon die like this?”
“Don’t pretend to care about Eun-hyeon and talk nonsense! You’re planning to suck Eun-hyeon’s energy and use him, living like a parasite!”
A fiery shout burst from Cheong-un’s mouth.