Absolute Regression Chapter 772 : Because He Gave Birth to You and Allowed Our F

Chapter 772: Because He Gave Birth to You and Allowed Our Fates to Intertwine

After parting ways with the Tenebrous Ghosts Corps, Geom Mugeuk returned to his quarters.

There, twelve guards led by Jeokyeon, the squad leader, were waiting for him, all dressed in their official uniforms.

“Young Cult Leader, welco back.”

Those who had been lined up in front of the house greeted him in unison. Their booming voices were filled with genuine delight—ever since the last ti they had shared drinks together while Geom Mugeuk personally called out their nas one by one, their respect and affection toward him had only deepened.

“Have you all been training diligently?”

Jeokyeon confidently answered on everyone’s behalf.

“We have been training hard in preparation for the day we will serve you, Young Cult Leader.”

Indeed, several among the guards had advanced to the next stage in their martial arts, while others were still in the midst of that transformation.

As Geom Mugeuk observed them, he realized that his own abilities had further sharpened. He could now discern their levels with greater precision and detail than before.

anwhile, the first among the guards to notice the change in Geom Mugeuk was Jeokyeon.

“Young Cult Leader, sothing about you seems… different.”

Jeokyeon, who had achieved mastery in the Ghost Eye Technique—an art that could detect the hidden—was naturally the quickest to perceive the change in him.

“It seems my growth phase still isn’t over. I keep getting taller.”

He said it half-jokingly, but Jeokyeon could feel the transformation was real. Even so, he didn’t realise it was to the extent of complete rebirth.

“It’s been a while since we last t. Let’s see how much your skills have improved, shall we?”

Geom Mugeuk had them demonstrate their martial arts one by one, personally correcting their mistakes.

He only pointed out a single flaw for each of them—but that one correction was by no ans trivial.

The guards were deeply moved once again by his instruction. The Young Cult Leader was not only the man they served, but also their teacher.

After giving each of them personal guidance, Geom Mugeuk spoke.

“Your duties as guards are important, and so is your training—but don’t forget this: this is the brightest ti of your lives. Later, you’ll be stuck guarding endlessly, so for now, find a hobby, et won, take a vacation, travel. Live your lives. I don’t want you to die after spending your entire lives standing watch.”

They had heard these words many tis before, yet none could afford to neglect their training. The more they heard him speak like that, the more eager they beca to serve him with pride.

Then Geom Mugeuk took a bamboo container from his belt pouch.

“I’ll be heading to the Heavenly Poison Forest. Get ready to go out.”

He deliberately decided to bring the guards along. They were already dressed in full uniform, waiting for him like this—if they couldn’t accompany him on official missions, then at least they could follow him now.

Geom Mugeuk walked through the school grounds with his guards following behind him.

The martial artists passing by greeted him respectfully as they went, and the guards couldn’t help but puff out their chests with pride.

He even took them all the way into the Heavenly Poison Forest.

“It’s your first ti here, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“If you get lost in here, you can pretty much consider yourself dead. It’s enormous, and deadly poisonous creatures are crawling everywhere.”

The guards walked close together, tense and alert, sticking tightly to Geom Mugeuk’s side.

Fortunately, Geom Mugeuk knew the complex paths of the Heavenly Poison Forest better than anyone else.

Whenever he ca across a poisonous creature he recognized, he explained it to the guards.

“See that snake wrapped around that branch? That’s a ‘Flower Willow Serpent’. It’s an essential ingredient for making ‘Flower Poison’. Jeokyeon! There’s a venomous insect on your shoulder!”

“Please don’t joke abou—Agh!”

Geom Mugeuk flicked the insect off Jeokyeon’s shoulder with his finger. Everyone imdiately huddled even closer around him.

Before long, they arrived at the Poison King’s residence. Geom Mugeuk told his subordinates to wait outside and stepped in alone.

The Poison King happened to be mixing poisons in the front yard of his laboratory.

“Poison King! I’m here!”

But the Poison King didn’t even lift his head, completely absorbed in his work.

“I knew you’d be like this, so I ca prepared. You have no idea how much I struggled to obtain this thing! Even while fighting enemies, I risked my life to protect this poison container—only thinking of you, Poison King. Are you even listening to ?”

Of course, the Poison King didn’t respond, not out of pretense, but simply because he was utterly engrossed in what he was doing.

Geom Mugeuk slightly opened the lid of the bamboo container.

Rustle, rustle.

As the stench of rotting flesh drifted out, the Poison King finally reacted. He lifted his head at last.

“That sll… could it be?”

The Poison King imdiately put down what he was holding and rushed toward Geom Mugeuk, peering into the poison container.

Inside was a centipede-like venomous creature. It was sothing Geom Mugeuk had caught beneath Heavenly Eye Mountain, promising at the ti to bring it back for the Poison King—and he had not forgotten.

“The Corpse-Blood Venom Centipede!”

The Poison King’s face lit up with delight. Geom Mugeuk shook his head at the sight.

‘Our Poison King really only knows poison!’

The Poison King took the Corpse-Blood Venom Centipede out with a pair of chopsticks. The creature writhed between the sticks—just watching it was horrifying, but the Poison King looked at it with a gaze full of affection.

“See the spots on its belly? The one with the round markings is the female. They’re several tis harder to find than the males.”

Indeed, there was a round mark visible on its underside. Had the Poison King not pointed it out, no one would have dared to examine that terrifying creature’s belly so closely.

“You’ve been neglecting ever since that Demonic Buddha fellow kept bringing you all those poisonous herbs, haven’t you, Poison King? Well, those days are over. The era of the Demonic Buddha has ended—now it’s my turn.”

Just then, a calm voice ca from behind.

“Why do you keep sending people away when they’re standing right here?”

When Geom Mugeuk turned around, the Demonic Buddha was walking out of the storage room, carrying a large poison container.

“What are you doing here? And what’s with that poison jar? Don’t tell he’s got you hauling poison now, after making you dig up herbs! Has the Poison King tricked you into forced labor again?”

But the Demonic Buddha said sothing completely unexpected.

“I’m learning the Poison Arts.”

“…What?”

“I said, I’m learning the Poison Arts from the Poison King.”

“You are?”

The Demonic Buddha nodded.

“After collecting poisonous herbs for a while, I found myself growing interested in poison techniques. So I’m learning from the basics.”

It was sothing Geom Mugeuk had never imagined—the thought of the Demonic Buddha studying the Poison Arts was astonishing.

“If you ever use poison techniques, who in the world could possibly stop you?”

“I’m not learning to use them on others,” the Demonic Buddha replied calmly. “I’m studying them for their own sake.”

He set the container he had been carrying beside the Poison King, then returned to the storage room. Geom Mugeuk quickly followed him inside.

“Isn’t it difficult?”

“It’s only hard when it’s your main occupation. When it’s sothing you can quit anyti, it isn’t difficult at all.”

The Demonic Buddha’s expression was tranquil—like that of one who had reached enlightennt.

But Geom Mugeuk sensed an undercurrent hidden beneath that calm, like a torrent beneath a still lake. Was this man struggling so hard to find peace because sothing within him was boiling over?

“This side of you feels unfamiliar, Demonic Buddha.”

The Demonic Buddha paused his work and sat down on top of one of the containers. Geom Mugeuk sat beside him.

“Yes. In the past, I would never have done sothing like this.”

“So what made you change your mind?”

After a brief silence, the Demonic Buddha spoke words that Geom Mugeuk himself had once said to him.

“You told not to spend my days just carving statues. You told to walk among people, to understand their hearts, to persuade them with passion, and to fight with all my strength for what I believe in.”

“Yes, I did.”

“…But it wasn’t easy. It felt as if the fla in my heart had gone out. When a dream disappears, only a chanical routine remains.”

Then, looking at Geom Mugeuk, he asked quietly,

“How does one reignite an extinguished fla?”

Of course—how could a person change so easily? This was the sa man who used to run tirelessly on those short legs, working harder than anyone else.

After a mont of thought, Geom Mugeuk suddenly replied,

“How do you rekindle a dead fla? You don’t. You must abandon your lingering attachnt to the warmth left in the ashes.”

“!”

In that mont, the Demonic Buddha felt his heart sink.

It was as if Geom Mugeuk’s words had pierced straight through him. Yes—he had indeed been sifting through the ashes, searching for the last remaining ember.

“It’s not the ti to rekindle the fire,” Geom Mugeuk said. “It’s the ti to gather wood. Start again from the beginning—with new logs.”

A flash of emotion crossed the Demonic Buddha’s eyes. He had been so focused on reviving his old ambitions that he’d never once considered starting anew.

“If back then you had ambitions suited for that ti,” Geom Mugeuk continued, “then now, there must be ambitions suited for this mont. And those ambitions don’t need to burn brightly to be beautiful. Sotis, there’s elegance in piling up the wood and simply not lighting the fla.”

In those words, the Demonic Buddha saw the path he was ant to take.

As long as his heart remained devoted to the Great Young Master, he knew he would never again ignite the sa burning ambition as before. Instead, he would continue to long for what had already passed.

But Geom Mugeuk was telling him sothing different—that he shouldn’t think of his fire as extinguished, but rather as one he simply chose not to light. To turn a passive resignation into an active choice.

The Demonic Buddha sensed that this small shift in perspective would bring about a great change in his life.

He turned his head and looked straight at Geom Mugeuk. Sensing the mont, Geom Mugeuk asked with a grin,

“Don’t you notice anything different about ?”

“…Did you shave your head?”

“No, take a closer look.”

“I can’t tell.”

He wasn’t teasing—he genuinely looked puzzled.

“What? The man who can spot poisonous herbs like a ghost can’t see how much I’ve changed? Look at my skin! Sll it if you have to!”

“Why in the world would I want to sll another man’s skin? That’s disgusting.”

The Demonic Buddha sighed and stepped down, picking up the poison container again.

“Just once! Take a proper look!”

But Geom Mugeuk, feeling ignored, gave up on him and turned to ask the Poison King instead.

Unfortunately, the Poison King was completely absorbed in extracting venom from the Corpse-Blood Venom Centipede that Geom Mugeuk had brought. Unless his father himself ca to interrupt, nothing could break that concentration now.

In the end, Geom Mugeuk had to leave without showing off his transformation.

“I’ll take my leave for today, Poison King. I’ll co visit again soon.”

After bowing politely, Geom Mugeuk left the place with his subordinates.

The Demonic Buddha looked up at the sky and murmured,

“Full Body Transformation, huh? Perhaps the Young Cult Leader truly is soone blessed by the heavens.”

He had known it all along—but had simply chosen to pretend otherwise.

Only then did the Poison King lift his head in surprise.

“The Young Cult Leader went through a complete transformation?”

He hadn’t noticed at all, too focused on the Corpse-Blood Venom Centipede—or perhaps, simply because he rarely paid attention to others.

The Demonic Buddha set down the poison container beside him and said quietly,

“It might be ti for us to start preparing as well.”

The Poison King looked at him questioningly, and the Demonic Buddha calmly replied—

“The current Heavenly Demon Divine Cult holds greater power than at any point in its history. Do you really think the Cult Leader will let this opportunity slip away?”

The Heavenly Demon who had attained the Twelve Star Greatness, the Young Cult Leader who had achieved Ten Star Greatness himself, and the Eight Demon Supres who had each broken through their own limits—

The Cult Leader was not the kind of man to stack up firewood and simply leave it unlit.

“The Cult Leader’s dream is drawing ever closer to reality. The more the Young Cult Leader tries to stop it, the more fate itself seems to move in that direction.”

* * *

After leaving the Heavenly Poison Forest, Geom Mugeuk’s next destination was the residence of the Leader of the Heavenly Wind Cult.

The Wind Cult Leader flinched when he saw that Geom Mugeuk had brought all his guards with him.

“What’s this? Are you here to arrest ?”

“If I wanted to do that, do you think I’d co with just these n? I’d need the entire elite force of the cult.”

The Cult Leader laughed heartily at that—then imdiately frowned. Every ti a conversation began pleasantly like this, he’d end up losing sothing before he realized it.

“So, what are you here to take from this ti? I don’t have a penny left.”

“Take sothing? No, I just ca to see you, Cult Leader.”

“More like to check if I’ve managed to get sothing new to take.”

The Cult Leader eyed him suspiciously—and then suddenly gasped.

“You—”

Had he noticed the rebirth?

“You’ve gained weight!”

He burst into loud laughter.

“I told you, if you don’t manage yourself, you’ll put on weight in no ti!”

Now that he ntioned it, it seed the Wind Cult Leader himself had lost a bit of weight—only slightly, but noticeably.

“You’ve slimd down quite a bit. You look radiant.”

“Do I really?”

He smiled in satisfaction at the complint. It had been a while since Geom Mugeuk’s art of flattery had worked so effectively.

“When you walk through the Cult grounds these days, don’t you feel the stares?”

“Stares? What kind of stares?”

“The won’s, of course. They’re just being discreet because we’re within the cult, but if you went out into the Central Plains, they’d follow you around everywhere.”

“Oh, co on, you’re exaggerating.”

“Then co with to the Central Plains once. I’ll prove it to you.”

“You always say that.”

“No, really—let’s go with Strategist Go. The three of us can get so fresh air.”

“It’s a promise, then.”

“Of course.”

Then Geom Mugeuk gently revealed his true purpose.

“On that note, may I ask a favor?”

The Cult Leader gave him a knowing look.

“Call it what it is—a selfish request, not a favor. So, what do you want this ti?”

Geom Mugeuk hesitated for a mont, unusually reluctant to speak.

“For soone as shaless as you to hesitate like this—it must be a request I’ll never agree to.”

With a sigh, Geom Mugeuk finally spoke.

“There’s soone I’d like to teach the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique.”

Surprisingly, the Cult Leader already knew who that soone was.

“The Cult Leader, isn’t it?”

Geom Mugeuk was taken aback.

“How did you know?”

“I’ve been wondering when you’d co to ask. Frankly, I thought you’d have done it long ago.”

He spoke as though he’d been expecting it all along.

“Yes. From the beginning, I wanted Father to learn it.”

“Then why didn’t you ask before?”

“Because it was a request that could beco a burden to the Cult Leader.”

“And now?”

“The situation has changed. It’s ti for their leader to make a move. As you know, he’s no ordinary man.”

Of course, the Leader of the Heavenly Wind Cult assud the opponent he referred to was the Dark Palace Master.

“That’s why I want to teach my father a secret technique—a trump card.”

He expected an imdiate refusal.

But, to his surprise, the Leader of the Heavenly Wind Cult readily agreed.

“Alright, go ahead.”

“…You’re really giving permission?”

“That’s right.”

Geom Mugeuk stared at him in astonishnt.

“May I ask why you’re agreeing so easily?”

The reply he received was entirely unexpected.

“It’s for your father’s sake.”

At first, Geom Mugeuk thought it was out of respect or fondness for his father—but that wasn’t it.

“He gave birth to you and brought you into our lives. That’s reason enough for to give him such a gift.”

Geom Mugeuk was genuinely moved. Was there any reason more touching than that?

“In matters of the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique, I’m your disciple, aren’t I? Since my father will be learning from , that makes you my grandmaster. From now on, I’ll address you as Grandmaster of Temporal and Spatial Transference! Temporal Grandmaster!”

The Leader of the Heavenly Wind Cult looked at him with an amused expression.

“But do you really think your father will willingly learn it?”

Considering Geom Woojin’s pride, he would never agree to it—and teaching him would be no easy task.

“I do have an idea, though.”

“What kind of idea?”

If it were a plan made for safety or precaution, it would only backfire.

If he were to say he wanted to “take a stroll through ti and space” with his father, Geom Woojin would surely scoff at him.

No matter how complex a plan he ca up with, it wouldn’t work.

There was only one way—simple, direct, and certain to provoke his father’s pride.

“How long did it take you to master the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique again?”