Chapter 970: Lost Soul.

The look in his eyes, like he’d figured it out, was pretty damn awful.

The way his lips curled up as he chuckled, and the expression on his face as he looked at me, were exactly that.

I really wanted to punch that obnoxious face of his.

But right now, I couldn’t fault that damned face.

“Even the incident with the Bottomless Pit was Mother’s plan…?”

The Volcanic Divine Tree.

The Bottomless Pit that existed beneath it. No, that bastard Kkureungi.

Noyya said he was a great being, a Master-class entity, so it was a mystery why such a guy was at Noyya’s volcano.

‘That too was Mother’s request?’

Shin Noyya said all of this was because of Mother.

That Noyya had been active as a general.

That he betrayed them, took the Divine Tree, and disappeared.

The problems that arose in the Myriad Realms because of it.

And even the great upheaval caused by the disappearance of the Bottomless Pit, if all that was also something Mother orchestrated…

“…What on earth was it all for?”

What was the reason she had to go this far?

What was Mother’s objective, and what did Noyya help her achieve it for?

I asked, unable to comprehend it.

Setting aside the fact that Mother created this entire situation, it was because I didn’t know why she did it.

Hearing this, Noyya looked at me with somewhat indifferent eyes and said.

“Well. I don’t truly know your mother’s intentions either…”

Noyya paused briefly, and after a few seconds of silence, continued speaking to me.

“If I had to recall, the first would be the arrangements she needed to make for you; the second is…”

Noyya pointed his fingertip towards the air again.

“Perhaps she wished for the end of the Myriad Realms. That’s what I think.”

“…!”

I had to grimace upon hearing that.

“…The end of the Myriad Realms?”

What could that possibly mean? The end of the Myriad Realms, out of the blue?

“She often said something. And the reason she pursued this situation… it’s also the conclusion of your mother’s desires.”

“I don’t understand what you mean. Please explain in more detail.”

“Earlier, I mentioned that when a problem occurred with just one Divine Tree, anomalies arose throughout the Myriad Realms, didn’t I?”

“Yes.”

He said that because of it, the concentration of energy in the air had surged.

“If a problem with just one tree caused that, what would happen if problems arose with more Divine Trees?”

“…”

“It would likely cause a huge catastrophe. Moreover.”

Noyya tilted his head back, gazing up at the empty air. The place his hand was pointing.

“If a problem were to occur even with the Master’s Divine Tree up there…. I can’t be certain, but wouldn’t that cause a massive disaster?”

Upon hearing that, I immediately said to Noyya.

“…Is that what you call the end of the Myriad Realms? And that’s what Mother wished for?”

Noyya and the Bottomless Pit moved for this purpose, but.

The current Master doesn’t know about it?

What reason could Mother possibly have had for wanting that?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand.

Furthermore.

“That it was for my sake… I cannot accept that.”

Arrangements for me?

“…I received nothing here.”

How could there have been? I gained nothing.

What’s more, the Mother I desperately wanted to see doesn’t even remember me.

What connection could the situation Mother created here possibly have with me?

“…”

Noyya said nothing in response to my words, which were filled with such emotion.

He just kept looking at me quietly, and the complexity in his gaze bothered me.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

Why was he looking at me with those eyes?

“Originally, you see.”

“Yes.”

“I wanted to tell you everything, as if I knew it all. But now, I can’t do that anymore.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Not only can I not know all your mother’s thoughts, but something unexpected happened that I didn’t know about either.”

“…Something you didn’t know?”

“Was it called the Divine Sword? I’m talking about Yarang.”

“…!”

Noyya mentioned the Divine Sword. Hearing that, I had to fall silent for a moment.

“I’ve never heard of that child.”

Noyya’s voice, as he said this, carried a faint but distinct trace of bewilderment.

Normally, I might have just accepted it, but.

Things are different now.

I had heard that Mother and Shin Noyya were connected to some extent.

Moreover, it didn’t seem like a simple connection.

In this situation, the existence of Yarang seemed to pose a certain problem for Noyya.

“Given that, I don’t know exactly what your mother intends to do.”

He himself couldn’t be sure. Just as I was about to bite my lip upon hearing that,

“However. Remember one thing.”

Noyya looked at me with serious eyes.

“Whatever it may be. Your mother is doing this for you.”

“…How can you be so sure of that?”

“What parent in the world would do something harmful to their child?”

“…”

Well.

Honestly, I couldn’t agree with that statement.

I’d seen plenty of cases where that wasn’t true, and my own family wasn’t exactly on the best terms.

Perhaps because my expression was somewhat displeased due to that,

Noyya chuckled sheepishly upon seeing it.

“Of course, I wouldn’t know, being an orphan myself. Kkuh-kuh-kuh.”

“…”

Even now, how was I supposed to respond when he said something like that?

He was truly a petty old man.

Haa.

After letting out a deep sigh, I turned my head to look at the setting sun and said.

“…So, is there no way to see Mother right now?”

Even if I met her directly, I knew the current Master wasn’t Mother.

However, Noyya said he had met Mother, so perhaps he had a way too?

That’s what I asked, thinking along those lines.

“I don’t really know.”

Annoyingly, Noyya gave me an answer I didn’t like.

“As I said earlier, I can’t be certain. However…”

He trailed off, then quickly added.

“Wouldn’t you know if you did what she intended to do?”

“…”

What Mother intended to do.

“You mean destroying the Divine Trees?”

She said to destroy all the Divine Trees in the Myriad Realms and bring about the end, didn’t she?

If I did that, maybe I could see Mother?

What kind of nonsensical connection is that? I thought,

“…It’s killing two birds with one stone, I guess.”

Hearing that, I first got to my feet.

After all, I was already doing things for the Volcano Sect, and I had planned to see Mother.

Finding and destroying the Divine Trees.

If you think about it, it was related to this.

Could I really see Mother if I did that?

‘Who knows.’

If even Noyya, who said he didn’t know, couldn’t be sure, how could I possibly know?

But.

‘…There’s no proper method anyway.’

There wasn’t anything else either.

This was the most likely course of action among everything I’d done so far.

As I stood up, I took something out of my robes.

“Noyya.”

“…Yeah.”

“I’m asking just in case.”

Click. I slowly put the mask on my face.

[Did you follow me today just to tell me this?]

My voice changed as I spoke.

Noyya looked at me as if somewhat intrigued.

I asked because I wondered if he’d bothered to follow me all the way to Yawal just to tell me the explanations I’d just heard.

“No. As I said earlier, I originally had business here.”

[Meeting Yusa?]

“That’s right.”

Yusa was the conversation with Noyya….

It was more like half coercion than a conversation, and he disappeared just as it ended.

Noyya could have easily caught him, but he didn’t.

When I asked if it wasn’t dangerous, he said it would be fine.

He said that guy would definitely follow as intended.

It made me slightly uneasy, but I trusted Noyya when he said it would be fine.

It’s funny. I’m someone who always lives suspiciously, yet how easily I believed that old man’s words that it would be fine.

‘Well, how much have I really seen?’

In terms of years, it’s only been a few. If you consider my entire life, it wouldn’t even be ten percent.

It was truly strange.

Kkudeudeuk.

My body transformed.

My body grew larger, and my hair grew longer.

After entering the Cheonma state, I circulated my breath and said to Noyya.

[Just in case you’re mistaken, I’m telling you, the conversation isn’t over yet.]

There was more to hear.

The clear reason why the Bottomless Pit was at the volcano.

And things Noyya knew but hadn’t told me, from my perspective.

The reason I wasn’t listening right away, despite knowing all this,

was partly due to the flimsy excuse that I trusted Noyya, but

the biggest reason was.

[Night is coming.]

The sunset had passed, and night was approaching.

[I’ll hear the rest after I get back.]

There was something I had to do during the night of the Moon Chase.

As I watched the setting sun, turning my body completely,

“Need a hand?”

I snorted at Noyya’s words.

[No thanks. Just…]

Whoosh.

I drew up my demonic energy and soared into the air.

[Just watch for a bit. I’ll be back soon.]

Saying that, I disappeared into the encroaching night.

****************

Right after Gu Yangcheon disappeared like that.

Shincheol quietly stared in the direction the black flames had faded.

“…That guy.”

His application of energy had improved considerably.

It felt much better than when he’d arrogantly provoked me during the sparring match and taken his frustration out on me.

‘Did he realize something in the meantime?’

I didn’t think there was anything specific that would lead to that. If he did realize something, what was it?

Shincheol couldn’t bring himself to recall that Gu Yangcheon had gained something while I was beating up Yusa.

He merely thought it was fortunate if Gu Yangcheon had realized something.

So, just as he was about to manage a slight smile,

“Cough…”

Suddenly, Shincheol closed his mouth and knelt on one knee.

“Sect Leader…!”

Seeing that, Gu Bong, who was standing at a distance, rushed over in surprise.

“Are you alright…!”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“No, sir. Let’s hurry back to the Volcano Sect…!”

“Go back? It’s already night, where are we going?”

Given the situation, we had to stay until morning.

Besides.

“What if we pretend not to know and leave, and that guy causes trouble? Kkuh-kuh-kuh….”

“Sect Leader….”

“That’s enough. I just got a little tired.”

As if he were truly fine, Shincheol pushed Gu Bong’s hand away and straightened his posture.

He was trying hard to act normal, but in reality, he felt unwell.

Hiding even the slight tremor in his fingertips, Shincheol gave a dry laugh.

‘Oh no.’

This isn’t good.

This feels like…

‘My time is running out.’

The miracle bestowed upon me.

It seemed to be nearing its end.