Chapter 83: The Knot of Fire and the Return (1)
What? Who did you say?
I was quite flustered by the sudden appearance of the old man.
Clench!
Cheon Yura also seemed to consider the old man formidable, as she tightened her grip on her sword’s hilt and raised her guard.
At the same time—
“We pay our respects to the Cult Leader!”
“We pay our respects to the Cult Leader!”
A thunderous chorus echoed through the underground chamber, coming from the members of the Yaksha Heavenly Blade Unit.
One and all, they knelt on one knee and offered the utmost respect to the old man.
‘So it really is him!’
The Evil Overlord of Heaven, the King of Ten Thousand Evils, Gu Yomyeong!
It was curious that he had appeared without a single escort—but then again, it didn’t matter.
Each one of the people present here might as well have been his bodyguards!
“M-Master. What brings you to a place like this?”
“You fool.”
Flinch!
With just a word, Gu Yomyeong silenced Geum Jeoksan, then turned to face Cheon Yura.
He clasped his hands together and gave a polite bow.
“I greet the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult. I am Gu Yomyeong, a humble man who carries out small matters in Qinghai.”
“I have long heard of the infamous King of Ten Thousand Evils. It is an honor to meet you.”
Cheon Yura, showing an uncharacteristically formal and respectful demeanor, returned his greeting.
To her, those with strength deserved to be treated accordingly. That was her long-held belief.
“I apologize for the rudeness of my disciple. Things nearly ended poorly.”
“……”
Cheon Yura and I took a moment to ponder the meaning of that apology.
“There’s no need to think too hard on it. I intended to settle all grudges here.”
Gu Yomyeong waved his hand toward the outer corridor.
From the distance, a familiar middle-aged man cautiously peeked in.
“Huh? Instructor Jang?”
Jang Deuk-soo had clearly been stationed near the entrance to keep communication open in case of emergencies.
It seemed he had the misfortune of running into Gu Yomyeong.
Jang Deuk-soo quickly approached Cheon Yura and bowed his head.
“Young Cult Leader.”
“What is it?”
“The Cult Leader has ordered your immediate return.”
Cheon Yura’s expression shifted slightly.
“Furthermore, all members of the Thousand-Day Pass have been ordered to return with you.”
“Is there a reason?”
“T-That… even I do not know…”
Though Jang Deuk-soo had some influence among the instructors of the Thousand-Day Pass, in the grand scope of the Heavenly Demon Cult, he wasn’t worth a speck.
And yet, the reason was revealed not by him, but by Gu Yomyeong.
“It is likely for internal discipline.”
“By ‘internal discipline,’ you mean?”
“There has probably been a major purge within your cult.”
“……!”
Many widened their eyes in shock, but I found it plausible.
‘A purge…’
It wasn’t hard to imagine.
This wasn’t just about the Hidden Trace Manor incident; even the Seventh Elder, the Yin-Yang Fist Demon, had gotten involved in this event.
Above all, Cheon Yura had personally activated the Heavenly Demonic Command and sent a message to the main cult. If the message had been received, it wouldn’t be surprising if Ten Thousand Mountain was turned upside down.
“I as well… before coming here, had to spill quite a bit of blood myself.”
“M-Master?”
At Geum Jeoksan’s reaction, Gu Yomyeong shook his head.
It was clear he had no intention of speaking further on that topic here.
‘Could it be? Is that why he sent his senior disciple out with excessive force?’
Even if his youngest disciple had betrayed him, assigning him an entire guard unit to go outside was definitely overkill.
But if it was to secretly get him out before the internal purge…
Before I could finish the thought, Gu Yomyeong continued.
“All the treasures found here, as my disciple originally proposed, I shall concede to your cult. There were… considerable sacrifices made, but I know it wasn’t your cult that caused them.”
“We thank the senior of Murim for his understanding of the younger generation.”
Cheon Yura offered a quiet, respectful thanks.
There was no reason to refuse when he was cleaning up the matter and leaving quietly on his own.
Gu Yomyeong stared at Cheon Yura as he opened his mouth again.
“May I offer one piece of advice?”
“I am listening.”
“‘They’ have infiltrated far deeper into the Central Murim than you might think.”
I narrowed my eyes and studied Gu Yomyeong.
Even the Evil Overlord of Heaven knew of the Heaven-Defying Society?
‘But in my previous life, no purge occurred within the Evil Overlords of Heaven before his death.’
It didn’t seem like something he would have ignored if he had known.
Was there some other reason?
“In my covert investigations, I confirmed that their claws have even reached the Imperial Palace.”
“……!”
“And your cult as well—surely the ones involved in today’s incident aren’t the only ones.”
His words pierced us sharply and precisely.
“Be wary of the Cheon Clan. The source of your cult’s and your personal headaches may well lie within them.”
Cheon Yura’s brow twitched slightly.
“Thank you for your advice.”
With that, Gu Yomyeong finally turned his gaze to Geum Jeoksan.
“Let us go.”
“Y-Yes, Master.”
Geum Jeoksan, who had been on the verge of going all-out, withdrew and meekly followed behind Gu Yomyeong.
Thus, the elite members of the Evil Overlords of Heaven who had tightly surrounded us disappeared.
In the now empty cave, only my group remained.
“Jin Yeomyung, what do you think?”
“At the very least, I know one thing.”
I let out a faint snort.
“They’re also going through some serious internal problems right now.”
“Hm.”
“And the fact that he mentioned the Cheon Clan—rather than genuine advice, I think he was just being petty.”
“You don’t think it was genuine advice?”
“I already knew that part of the Cheon Clan was connected to the Yin-Yang Fist Demon. If he truly meant to offer counsel, he would’ve named someone specific from the clan.”
The man whose nickname was none other than the King of Ten Thousand Evils.
If not for this special situation, he might have become an opponent even more troublesome than Geum Jeoksan, and that wouldn't have been surprising.
“If things hadn’t happened within the Evil Overlords of Heaven, we truly might’ve been wiped out.”
“……That’s probably true.”
“I ask now, belatedly, but if you the Young Cult Leader had fought the King of Ten Thousand Evils back there, what do you think your chances were?”
Cheon Yura gave it serious thought before answering.
“About half.”
“Hm!”
If even after demonstrating such divine authority against the Colorful Flower Lord, the odds were only half, it proved just how immense the gap was, even among those considered Supreme masters.
No—more importantly...
‘To have a fighting chance against one of the Five Kings of Central Murim at such a young age…’
Now I could clearly understand why Geum Jeoksan was so desperate to stab us in the back.
“What do you plan to do next?”
“For now, I plan to gather everything we need and observe the situation. After all, I’m still a Thousand-Day Pass Trainee.”
“Hmph. Don’t you think that’s a bit too grand for something a mere trainee got involved in?”
Instead of answering, I just shrugged.
“Well, the matters of the cult are for those above me to decide.”
My gaze turned to behind Cheon Yura.
“Right now, there’s something more urgent.”
“Ah.”
Cheon Yura and Sa Biyeon’s eyes turned to Baek Sang-ah.
And Baek Sang-ah’s expression immediately crumpled with gloom.
“Have you seriously considered joining the cult?”
“No way!”
Baek Sang-ah firmly rejected the idea.
***
After the Evil Overlords of Heaven had left, we gathered all the treasures placed on the altar and returned to Eastern Sea City.
Surprisingly, Bang Manhu didn’t show his usual greed at the sight of the treasures. Instead, he kept sneaking glances at me with noticeable unease.
When I asked about it, Bang Manhu let out a long sigh and replied.
“That’s because you’re the successor of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden.”
“Successor?”
“To be blunt, we were trying to rob the tomb of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden. But now that you’ve officially inherited her legacy, we can’t claim ownership of those relics based on a mere verbal agreement.”
Apparently, this sort of thing held great significance in the world of sorcery.
If you recklessly interfered with another school’s inheritance, it wouldn’t be strange to suffer a terrible curse.
I wasn’t too thrilled about that.
‘By that logic, I’ve basically inherited the Confucian lineage, haven’t I?’
A descendant of Yoo Jeon, the Grand Disciple of the First Heavenly Demon—buried by history and branded as the ‘Heaven-Defying.’
Of course, the Cheon Clan didn’t seem to ban the learning of their martial arts, but still—walking around with a ticking time bomb inside wasn’t exactly pleasant.
“How are the Three Fools doing?”
“While you were away, your subordinates apparently completed the grand technique. Their internal energy has now reached a purity that could rival first-rate demonic practitioners.”
“That’s good.”
If they continued to diligently train in the advanced demonic art, the Tyrant King’s Art, they’d become competent enough for real combat in just a few more years.
“Thanks to those naive orthodox sect scions self-destructing on their own, our hall’s situation has improved significantly. It’s all thanks to you, Young Master.”
“Don’t you regret losing the relics?”
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. But I don’t have any big regrets either. Going thin and long has always been the tradition of the Nine Moons Blade Hall. Hahaha!”
…Really?
He might be acting all docile now, but I still hadn’t forgotten how arrogantly he behaved in my previous life.
Well, people change depending on their circumstances. Maybe in his past life, he was simply overcome by greed.
Now that the possibility was gone, I hoped he’d continue showing this modest demeanor.
***
*Shhhk!*
A crimson-tinged sword stream painted the air.
Sharp and well-trained sword energy. The one displaying it was still a young boy who hadn’t yet outgrown his youthful features.
“Haaaah!”
Blood Flow Demonic Spirit Sword Art – Eight-Path Dragon Chase.
A multi-directional thrust with eight forms of variation.
If one could materialize the sword qi within, it could become a fearsome killing strike capable of cutting down enemies.
Papapapap!
Wooden boards placed at eight points were simultaneously shattered.
Clap, clap, clap!
As the boy perfectly executed the Eight-Path Dragon Chase, applause came from nearby.
“For someone your age to wield the Spirit Blade—I'm proud of you, little brother.”
“Brother!”
The one who appeared was his second-eldest brother, Ma Chulsoo, the one he trusted and looked up to the most.
“I still have a long way to go.”
Despite Ma Jinyoon’s modesty, Ma Chulsoo shook his head.
“Very few have ever demonstrated the Spirit Blade at your age. You have every right to be proud.”
One of the six rising masters set to lead the next generation of the Demonic Path—
A man known as one of the Six Demonic Dragons. His words carried great weight.
However—
“Um, brother.”
Ma Jinyoon glanced around and asked cautiously.
“What is it?”
“Are your injuries all healed now?”
Flinch!
The massive injury that had derailed Ma Chulsoo’s future last year.
Because of that injury, he’d been forced into recovery for several months.
“Y-Yeah. Of course I’m fine.”
“……”
For a second there, his stride seemed oddly narrow… Was that just my imagination?
Ma Chulsoo let out a loud cough.
“Ahem! You don’t need to worry about me. Just focus on your own path. That reminds me—what’s happening with the Young Cult Leader?”
Ma Jinyoon’s expression immediately turned glum.
“I haven’t had the chance to meet her again since then.”
“Hm, that’s unfortunate.”
“But don’t worry! I’ll definitely defeat the Jin Clan’s Young Master and win her heart!”
As his younger brother clenched his fist with determination, Ma Chulsoo looked at him with a faintly pitiful expression.
And just then—
“Hahaha, rumors are flying that the Jin Clan’s Young Master has already won the Young Cult Leader’s heart. Do you think the youngest has a chance at overturning that?”
“B-Big Brother!”
“Hyungnim Jeongcheon?”
A young man in his late twenties, with a sharp, imposing look—
The eldest son of the Ma Clan, Ma Jeongcheon.