Chapter 32: Mount Hua San Dojeon and Baek Sang-ah (1)
The Heavenly Demon Cult was forming its sphere of influence in the northwestern part of the Central Plains, centered around Gansu Province.
To be exact, only the northern part of Gansu Province and the adjacent areas of Qinghai, Shaanxi, and a portion of Xinjiang could truly be considered the domain of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
But in reality, the only region where the Cult’s influence was absolute was the northern area of Gansu Province, where the Ten Thousand Mountains were located.
Even now, in the southern part of Gansu, the Orthodox Sect “Gongdong Sect,” one of the Nine Great Sects, and the Northern Heaven Clan, one of the Twin Heavenly Clans of the Central Plains, held sway.
Below that, in Sichuan, there were Emei, Azure Star Sect, and the Tang Clan jointly supporting the Orthodox faction.
And that wasn’t all.
To the east in Shaanxi stood Mount Hua and Zhongnan, unwavering in their positions.
To the west in Qinghai, Evil Overlords of Heaven, the largest Unorthodox alliance, was in constant conflict with the Cult’s demonic sects.
In truth, with the exception of the largely ungoverned Inner Mongolia and the vast but desolate Xinjiang, the Cult was surrounded on all sides.
Although things had been relatively peaceful lately, the areas where the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions clashed still frequently resulted in deaths—making them dangerous and fierce battlefields.
“Th-The disputed areas outside… where exactly are we going?”
“Ah, let me explain that.”
At that moment, Jang Deuk-soo appeared before us without anyone noticing.
“Ah! Greetings, Instructor!”
“Mm.”
I tilted my head.
It was nice of him to explain, but why had he come all the way here himself?
“Ahem! As you all know, our Cult isn’t the only one walking the path of the Demonic Way.”
Just as he said, while the power and recognition of the Heavenly Demon Cult were overwhelming, there were several historic demonic sects in the western Central Plains that had existed since the Warring States era.
‘The main ones would be… the Evil Refining Sect, Blood Demon Alliance, and the Nine Moons Blade Hall.’
The Evil Refining Sect had taken root in the Qinghai desert, while the Blood Demon Alliance had survived in the treacherous southern regions of Sichuan. The Nine Moons Blade Hall had branched off from Sun and Moon Sect, the predecessor of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Most of the surviving demonic lineages now practiced secret or solo transmissions, but groups like these still maintained open spheres of influence.
Jang Deuk-soo glanced around at the team members and said,
“You will be dispatched to an area near Qinghai.”
“Qinghai, you say…”
“As you know, that’s the territory of Evil Overlords of Heaven, one of the greatest Unorthodox powers.”
Alongside Castle of the Demonic Way, which had its sphere near the south of the Yangtze, Evil Overlords of Heaven was one of the twin giants of the Unorthodox Faction within the Central Plains.
Unlike the reclusive Kunlun Sect, Evil Overlords of Heaven ruled like a king over the regions of Sichuan and Qinghai.
“Of course, you won’t be going up against the true elites of Evil Overlords of Heaven. You’ll be dealing with minor sect trash that only holds nominal affiliation.”
Even so, no matter how much they were called trash, they were formidable opponents for trainees with little experience.
“Still, better than facing those prissy Orthodox folks, eh? Kukuk!”
It was true that Qinghai was much closer than Sichuan or Shaanxi in terms of distance.
No matter how much we mocked the Orthodox factions as prudes or softies, the Cult’s greatest enemy had always been the Orthodox Sect, not the Unorthodox ones.
“All your seniors went through this too. If this makes you nervous, you might as well renounce your place in the Demonic Way, don’t you think?”
Just as he said, only one or two people among the team looked nervous.
The rest smirked instead, their fighting spirit ignited.
“In any case, what you need to focus on right now is mastering the pass formation. If you can’t even do that, you know what’ll happen before you’re ever deployed, right?”
Of course I knew.
This group battle had two phases.
First, each of the nine teams had to master the designated pass formation within a set period. Then, they would conduct mock battles against other teams.
Second, three teams would join forces to form a secondary pass formation.
In that formation, thirty-three members would fight as one, and the three allied teams would take turns fighting in two more rounds of mock battles.
Finally, the three teams with the lowest scores out of the nine would be…
‘Eliminated on the spot.’
It would suck to be eliminated after just three fights, but no one in the Heavenly Demon Cult ever complained that it was unfair.
In this place, luck was considered a part of one’s skill.
‘I can’t afford to let my guard down either.’
Even if I performed well alone, it wouldn’t mean a thing.
This was, after all, a team battle.
Even if I took down enemies solo, if the rest of the team didn’t manage a single swing of the blade, they’d score the lowest.
Which meant the entire team would be eliminated together.
‘In other words, the most important factor in this test isn’t the team members—it’s the team leader’s capabilities.’
My eyes turned toward Baek Sang-ah.
“Huaaah!”
She flailed about in confusion, not knowing what to do, and my gaze cooled.
‘…Can I really trust her?’
In that moment, I seriously began to consider what would happen if we got eliminated.
***
‘So, Evil Overlords of Heaven, huh.’
With this deployment looming, I found myself deep in thought.
‘I’d been meaning to investigate Evil Overlords of Heaven at some point anyway.’
Evil Overlords of Heaven was founded some thirty years ago by Gu Yomyeong, the so-called Prodigy of the Unorthodox Path and known as the King of Ten Thousand Evils.
Despite its short history, Evil Overlords of Heaven was considered one of the twin pillars of the Unorthodox faction alongside Castle of the Demonic Way, which had been around for over a century.
There were two reasons for this.
First was the sheer number of its followers.
Second was the presence of Gu Yomyeong, one of the Five Kings of the Central Plains.
‘That Gu Yomyeong is destined to die of illness ten years from now.’
He had been fifty when he founded Evil Overlords of Heaven.
Which meant he was now over eighty years old.
No matter how much of a supreme master he was, unless he underwent a full rejuvenation, he would have to consider retirement.
‘After Gu Yomyeong dies, Evil Overlords of Heaven falls into an internal conflict between his disciples.’
Gu Yomyeong had four disciples.
Strangely, he never named a successor before his death. As a result, Evil Overlords of Heaven plunged into civil war as soon as he passed.
Eventually, the youngest disciple—twenty-eight-year-old Cheong Museong, the Dark Cloud Sword—emerged victorious and became the new leader of Evil Overlords of Heaven.
Most had expected the eldest disciple, Gwi Hwanggun Geum Jeoksan, who commanded the largest faction, to win, so Cheong Museong’s rise came as a massive shock.
Up to that point, it had just seemed like typical unpredictable Murim drama.
But the real problem came afterward.
‘The real issue was how quickly relations between the Orthodox Sect and Evil Overlords of Heaven warmed.’
After the civil war ended, Evil Overlords of Heaven quickly signed a non-aggression pact with the Orthodox Faction.
The justification sounded reasonable enough.
They needed to recover from the losses suffered during the civil war, and the young new leader needed time to cultivate his martial arts.
So, to avoid unnecessary clashes, they should maintain friendly relations with the Orthodox.
More than a justification, it was the logical thing to do.
Five years later, Evil Overlords of Heaven would join forces with the Murim Alliance to establish the Orthodoxy-Unorthodox United Murim League.
‘On the surface, it seemed like a natural progression, but if you looked closer, there were all kinds of suspicious details.’
I had a strong feeling about this.
That the Heaven-Defying Society and the Demonic Faction Lord Han Mubaek had a significant hand in the founding of that alliance, whether directly or indirectly.
‘Still, that’s something to investigate only after getting outside.’
Right now, I needed to focus on mastering the pass formation—somehow—under that unreliable team leader.
The first gathering of the team leader and the members.
Baek Sang-ah still hadn’t found her composure.
“Th-Then, I’ll explain the details!”
Baek Sang-ah raised her hand and spoke.
“For the next month, you’ll be learning the Small Black Star Sword Formation.”
The Black Star Sword Formation was one of the Cult’s most basic formation techniques, where eleven people formed one unit to execute nine different formation structures.
“And after one month, three teams will merge and train for another month in the Great Black Star Formation!”
“I have a question, Team Leader.”
Then, a cold voice called out from the side as someone raised their hand.
And that someone was a person I knew well.
‘Ma Jinseong?’
“Ah, yes, go ahead!”
Ma Jinseong stood up, his expression oozing hostility as he spoke to Baek Sang-ah.
“Can we replace the team leader?”
“……!”
I let out a laugh inwardly.
‘Didn’t expect someone to openly challenge her from the start.’
Even if he didn’t outrank me, Ma Jinseong was still a blood relative of the Ma Clan.
If someone like that started causing trouble from the get-go, it would make team control extremely difficult.
Perhaps understanding that, Baek Sang-ah bit her lip slightly before replying.
“Sorry, but no. The team leaders were assigned by the instructors. We can’t change them arbitrarily.”
“Even if the leader isn’t reliable?”
I focused on the next words that would come from Baek Sang-ah’s mouth.
‘If she simply says "yes," this team is done for.’
Accept it just because it was assigned from above?
That might fly in the Orthodox Sect, but in the rebellious Heavenly Demon Cult, that wouldn’t cut it.
Responding that way would tear the team apart and completely destroy any hope of cooperation.
‘I could step in and mediate, but…’
Instead, I wanted to see how this team leader would respond.
And then.
“Got a problem with that?”
She responded with a boldness that completely defied my expectations.
“W-What?!”
Shrrrk!
Baek Sang-ah yanked her sword belt off her waist with a rough motion.
She drew her blade and pointed it straight at Ma Jinseong.
“My grandfather always said, if a man won’t listen, beat him every three days. That way, he’ll behave properly.”
“……”
“……”
Everyone, including me, blinked in stunned silence.
Her grandfather taught her that?
Just what kind of old man was he?
“Seems like you want me to prove my qualifications. Fine. Come at me. If you win—”
“If I win?”
“I’ll voluntarily withdraw from the Thousand-Day Pass and recommend you as team leader.”
Proving one’s worth through martial strength.
It was the simplest and clearest form of self-verification in the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Even if martial strength wasn’t the most important quality in this context—it still counted.
‘Wait, is this really the same girl who was bumbling just a moment ago?’
It wasn’t just a shift—it was like a total personality switch.
Or maybe… was that previous stammering all just an act to bait this situation?
But that didn’t add up. When she’d looked at me earlier, her expression had been truly filled with fear.
“Wooooooah!”
Anyway, the other team members, now getting to see a free fight, focused their eager eyes on Ma Jinseong.
And it wasn’t just our team—others nearby quickly picked up on the commotion and turned their attention our way.
“Y-You bitch!”
With Baek Sang-ah stepping forward like this, Ma Jinseong had no way out.
If he backed off now, it would not only disgrace the Ma Clan’s name but also force him to live like a ghost in the Thousand-Day Pass from here on out.
“You’d better not regret this, wench!”
“You look younger than me. Maybe try using prettier words?”
“Haaap!”
Ma Jinseong’s sword drew a graceful red arc.
It was the same Blood Flow Demonic Spirit Sword Art that Ma Cheolsoo had used previously.
Though it wasn’t quite at Ma Cheolsoo’s level, it was undoubtedly one of the best among the later-stage trainees in the Thousand-Day Pass.
“O-Ohhh!”
“That’s the sword technique of the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan!”
The watching trainees gasped in awe.
Among the Six Great Demonic Clans, the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan was unmatched in swordsmanship, so witnessing even a single form of their technique was a rare opportunity for many here.
Ma Jinseong called out the name of one of the sword forms from the Blood Flow Demonic Spirit Sword Art.
“Flying Blood Bombing Stance!”
He aimed a strike at her shoulder.
“Hmph!”
Baek Sang-ah calmly took a stance.
Then she struck at the flat side of his approaching blade with a fierce swing.
Kaang!
‘Oh?’
His precision thrust was dismantled in a single blow, exposing Ma Jinseong’s chest completely.
And Baek Sang-ah didn’t miss that opening.
“Haaap!”
Pow!
“Guaaaagh!”
Struck hard in the chest, Ma Jinseong’s body went flying, flung across the ground in a humiliating fashion.