Chapter 70: Heaven-Harmonizing Clan (2)
The Heaven-Defying Reversal Clan.
Now, hardly anyone remembered that name—a traitorous family that disappeared a thousand years ago.
They had abandoned even their surname, becoming known only as the "Ban Clan." Within the Heavenly Demon Cult, even mentioning them was practically a taboo.
“Blood Dragon Demonic Clan, Extreme Blade Pa Clan, Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan, Black Gold Sa Clan, Illusion Clan, Hidden Shadow So Clan. And….”
“Heaven-Harmonizing Yoo Clan.”
Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, Yoo So, recited the names one by one.
“Our ancestors once said that if they were to establish their own families, they would name them as such. And indeed, except for one, that’s exactly what happened.”
“This place… was a ruin created by a traitor? We entered something outrageous.”
Cheon Yura immediately showed killing intent and moved into a combat stance.
Yoo So cast a pitiful glance in her direction.
“Calm yourself. While your beloved is calmly assessing the situation, why are you acting so recklessly?”
“W-what?! Beloved?!”
“Beeeeloooved~!”
Cheon Yura and Baek Sang-ah widened their eyes as if struck by lightning.
Perhaps getting used to their exaggerated reactions, Yoo So ignored them and continued speaking.
“It seems your predecessors haven’t passed down the full truth to you yet. Is it because you're not ready to know?”
“I am the Young Cult Leader of the great Heavenly Demon Cult. And you say I’m not qualified?”
Yoo So tilted her head.
“Oh, you're the Young Cult Leader? Then you should know. Ah, you’re still young, aren’t you? You haven’t yet come of age.”
Indeed, even if she was the Young Cult Leader, she was still in her growth phase—far from the time when she’d shoulder the cult’s darkest truths.
“But how curious. If that’s the case, why does that child over there—who seems to be my descendant—appear to know some truth?”
Yoo So pointed her finger at me as she said that.
At those words, Sa Biyeon stepped forward and positioned herself between Yoo So and me.
“That’s quite the misunderstanding. Jin Yeomyung is a descendant of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan. He is not a descendant of the Ban Clan that committed treason, like you.”
Yoo So’s eyes scanned Sa Biyeon from head to toe.
“That dark, twisted shadow lurking in your heart… I see. You’re of the Sa Clan’s bloodline.”
Sa Biyeon flinched at how quickly her lineage had been exposed.
“But that child… is from the Jin Clan, you say?”
Yoo So tilted her head slightly, doubtful.
“He’s far too scrawny to be from the Jin Clan.”
“Ugh!”
“Ahem!”
Cheon Yura and Sa Biyeon coughed awkwardly at the sharp comment.
To be fair, descendants of the Jin Clan usually had an imposing stature, while I did look more like a pampered noble than a warrior.
“Besides, I don’t sense the distinctive tyrannical internal energy of the Jin Clan from him. Rather, I sense a strong presence of the Mystic Heaven Divine Art that I left behind.”
“What did you say?”
All three women’s expressions subtly shifted.
We had suspected it ever since we saw his sword techniques, not his fist or kicking arts—but for him to have not learned the inner cultivation method of the Jin Clan!
“Jin Yeomyung, what’s the meaning of this…?”
“I see now.”
After finishing my thoughts, I lifted my head.
“My Master’s surname being Yoo… it all makes sense now.”
“Oh? So you had a Master?”
“He was far too strong to just be a retired nameless warrior from the cult. But I never imagined the connection would be like this.”
It seemed the one who taught me both of those martial arts—Master Yoo—was a direct descendant of this Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden.
“Just one question.”
“Ask.”
“What is your relationship to the Second Heavenly Demon?”
The three women flinched at the words that escaped my lips.
Yoo So answered without hesitation.
“Beloved.”
“I was told you once challenged the Second Heavenly Demon.”
Yoo So’s eyes rounded in surprise.
“How do you know that? You know quite a bit, don’t you?”
“I heard it from someone in the Cheon Clan.”
Just who?
Those around me seemed to burn with curiosity at that question.
“Oho? Then do you also know how it ended?”
“I only know that you were defeated by the Second Heavenly Demon and disappeared.”
“Hehe… I suppose what happened afterward isn’t widely known. Well, that makes sense—after all, what happened next was between me and him, nothing to do with the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
It seemed the events after that were not passed down in the Cheon Clan’s history.
“Then… do you also know this?”
An earth-shattering truth left Yoo So’s lips.
“That I was actually one of the Three Heavens Lords of the Heaven-Defying Society.”
“……!!”
***
Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, Rangrang. Her real identity—Yoo So of the Heaven-Defying Reversal Clan.
Not only was she the infamous demonic figure who shook the world 400 years ago and challenged the Heavenly Demon, but she had also been part of the Heaven-Defying Society?
That was an unbearably heavy truth to accept right away.
“You saw the murals on your way in, didn’t you?”
“Yes. It was an interesting history lesson.”
“So you see it as history?”
Most people would dismiss the murals as mere fantasy tales or elaborate graffiti.
“Isn’t it?”
Yoo So gave a slight chuckle.
“No, you're right. Those murals depict events that happened before the Shang Dynasty—over half a millennium ago.”
From the ancient past thousands of years ago, all the way to events about a thousand years back.
“And those murals… they show how ‘they’ came to be.”
‘Monsters in human form!’
If she was telling the truth, then those must be the beings known as the Heaven-Defying Society.
Yoo So spread out all ten of her fingers.
“They are a group fundamentally composed of ten executives. Together, they are called the Ten Heavens Lords.”
…That was the first I’d heard of it.
Since the word Heaven-Defying Society*had left Cheon Yura’s mouth in my past life, this was the first detailed information I had learned about them.
“And among them, two are inside this ruin right now.”
“Wait, what did you say?”
“They seem to be fighting with other humans… but if it’s them, they might reach this place soon.”
Not just one, but two of them?
“There’s much I want to tell you all, but I, too, don’t have much time left.”
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoooosh!
Before we knew it, flames surged around the altar, brightening what had been a dim and shadowy space.
“This altar is a contingency that he and I prepared for future generations. It exists to counter the Great Heaven Lord and the Heavenly Evil who will be born one day.”
“Heavenly Evil?”
“It’s said to be the final goal of the Heaven-Defying Society, a being that will return this world to a state even before ancient times. To be honest, even I don’t fully understand what it is—I’ve never encountered it myself.”
The Great Heaven Lord and Heavenly Evil...
Perhaps those two were the final enemies I was meant to face in this life’s reincarnation.
“He… regretted that such a being wouldn’t appear in his time. Still, for the sake of the future, he and I built this arrangement here.”
Srrrng!
Suddenly, Yoo So drew her sword.
And as if by instinct, all four of us also drew our blades.
“Fufufu, you’re all quite sharp.”
“This arrangement... is it something that involves martial combat?”
“That’s right. But it’s no ordinary duel.”
Ssshhhzzz!
The density of demonic energy in the air suddenly began to grow more intense.
“Ugh!”
The sheer pressure was overwhelming—even I, who had surpassed the Master Level, found it difficult to endure.
But aside from the stifling pressure, the energy throughout my body began surging with strength.
“The Demonic Spirit Soul-Binding Qi Formation. For a demon, it’s the greatest opportunity of fortune—something no other lucky encounter could match.”
As soon as Yoo So finished speaking, a semi-spherical barrier appeared around the altar.
“But only if you survive until the end, that is.”
In other words, within this place… it was either survive or die—there was no third option.
This arrangement, created with the combined full effort of two of the most powerful demons across the ages, was sure to be beyond imagination in difficulty.
“The fact that the four of you appeared before me is no coincidence, but fate. There’s no need for further words.”
“W-wait! I’m not a demon…!”
“Well then, let’s begin.”
Yoo So ignored Baek Sang-ah’s protest and swung her sword.
And then—
KWA-GWAGWANG!
A massive gust of demonic sword energy swept across the altar, which held only the five of us.
As the sudden battle broke out atop the altar—
“T-this is bad!”
“Damn it, we shouldn’t have let only those few go in!”
The Guardian Lions, flustered, tried to charge up to the altar.
Though blocked by the semi-spherical barrier, they had no time to hesitate.
The Young Cult Leader, direct descendants of both the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan and the Black Gold Sa Clan, and the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Leader—
The noblest bloodlines in the entirety of the Central Plains were now in danger.
Just as the Lions were about to step onto the altar stairs—
“Do not come!”
Cheon Yura’s sharp voice struck their ears.
“The transparent wall on the right must have disappeared! Until this ritual is over, cooperate with the Evil Overlords of Heaven and eliminate the traitors of our cult! But if you judge the situation to be beyond your control, retreat immediately!”
“Y-yes, understood!”
“All judgment will be left to you!”
She hadn’t specified anyone in particular, but the massive figure with crimson-toned features, who had remained silent until now, bowed his head calmly.
“Understood.”
***
An hour had passed since the Yaksha Demon Blade Squad, led by Grand Disciple Geum Jeoksan, had begun their fierce battle against two supreme elites from the Heaven-Defying Society.
“Tch, what a bother!”
Yin-Yang Fist Demon and Colorful Flower Lord, who had assumed they’d easily annihilate the Evil Overlords of Heaven, were frustrated by how drawn out the fight had become under Geum Jeoksan’s precise command.
Colorful Flower Lord commented leisurely.
“They haven’t even awakened yet, so we still have plenty of strength left.”
Not just their stamina, but even their internal energy was still abundant.
On the other hand, Yin-Yang Fist Demon’s expression was grim.
“They’re being far too defensive. At this rate, things could go badly.”
An entire hour had passed, but the elite members of the Evil Overlords of Heaven they had managed to kill numbered only about twenty.
Considering the level of their opponents, that alone was a devastating blow—but by their calculations, they should have slaughtered half of them by now.
“Geum Jeoksan is directly forcing his way through the traps in the ruins, and he’s also thoroughly preparing countermeasures against us.”
“That’s certainly troublesome.”
“The traps in this ruin are a nuisance, but considering their power, they might break through in just a few days.”
Though the Nine Moons Blade Hall, led by Bang Manhu, had taken three years to conquer these ruins, the Yaksha Demon Blade Squad was different from the ground up in terms of tactics and strength.
The sheer level of force they wielded was on an entirely different scale. Ordinary traps or mechanisms could be neutralized head-on with brute strength.
“If what the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden left behind falls into their hands, that’ll be a serious problem.”
“No choice, then. Let’s call in the Second and Third Order elites we had held back and go all in.”
Yin-Yang Fist Demon and Colorful Flower Lord reached a natural agreement.
“By the way, Palgun, now that we’re on the topic, there’s something I’ve been wondering.”
“What is it?”
“I mean, I came because you summoned me, but you’re an elder, aren’t you? Is it really okay for you to run around like this, abandoning the cult? I can’t imagine there won’t be consequences.”
Yin-Yang Fist Demon didn’t answer right away—contrary to Colorful Flower Lord’s expectations.
“Hey, Palgun.”
“Don’t worry.”
Yin-Yang Fist Demon replied firmly, shaking his head.
“As long as we succeed in this mission, we can negotiate favorably with the Cheon Clan. Even the Cult Leader won’t be able to punish me as he pleases.”
“……”
Colorful Flower Lord stayed silent, but discontent was starting to show in his eyes.
Those words meant… problems had already arisen, didn’t they?
But to enter the Demonic Cult at all, Colorful Flower Lord needed Yin-Yang Fist Demon’s support—so he couldn’t press the matter further.
***
‘What’s going on? Why aren’t they attacking?’
Demonic Emperor Lord Geum Jeoksan grew more anxious as the intermittent ambushes ceased altogether.
‘We repelled a few of their strikes, but they definitely had energy left in them.’
But hours passed, and Colorful Flower Lord and Yin-Yang Fist Demon never reappeared.
Just in case, Geum Jeoksan gave an order to his vice-captain.
“Select five for a recon unit. Scout the surroundings.”
“A-are you sure, Grand Disciple?”
Sending a scouting party in the current situation was practically the same as declaring a death sentence.
“If my hunch is right, there will be no further ambushes. Just shut up and send them.”
“U-understood, Grand Disciple!”
Watching his vice-captain run off in a panic, Geum Jeoksan ground his teeth.
Already, dozens of members had been killed or severely wounded.
This had become one of the greatest disasters the Yaksha Demon Blade Squad had faced in the last decade.
‘If I return like this, I’ll lose everything. I can’t go down in disgrace like this!’
Regardless of how things turned out with the Demonic Cult, he needed at least those two enemies’ heads to maintain his honor.
Half an hour later, the vice-captain returned with a report.
“The scouting team has returned.”
“Any casualties?”
“N-none were attacked.”
“None?”
“Yes, none.”
“……”
Geum Jeoksan furrowed his brow and fell into thought.
His prediction was right—but that made it even more baffling.
‘Something must’ve come up for them. Or… it’s a trap.’
And if not that?
“Ah… I see. So that’s what this is.”
Only then did Geum Jeoksan grasp the reason behind the eerie silence.