Chapter 266: Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect (1)
The appearance of cultists was completely unexpected.
‘Have cultists ever run rampant in Hainan before?’
At least in all of my memories from my past life, there had never been such a thing.
‘No wonder I hadn’t seen any martial artists of the Hainan Sect within the city…’
The Hainan Sect wore martial robes in the symbolic colors of blue and white, representing the waves.
However, inside this city, which was unmistakably under Hainan’s jurisdiction, there was not a single person dressed in such robes.
“Is there really no way to secure passage by ship?”
At my question, the merchant let out a mocking snort.
“If you want to get yourself caught by salt smugglers or slave traders and be shipped off to Da Yue or Tianzhu, I won’t stop you. But if you’re dreaming of sailing directly to the Central Plains, you’d best forget it.”
“……”
Da Yue, huh.
If there truly was no other way, I might have to resort to that.
But going to Da Yue would mean taking an unnecessarily long detour just to reach Guangdong, my actual destination.
All I needed was to travel about a hundred li by sea. Why would I circle around thousands of li instead?
‘At this point, my best option might be to quickly subjugate the cultists and restore Hainan to normal.’
If I could conceal my identity and build merit with the authorities as a wandering martial artist, that would be ideal.
Having made up my mind, I asked the merchant another question.
“By any chance, could I hear some information about the cultists?”
First, I needed to gather information.
However, the merchant, who had been answering me quite readily until now, suddenly twisted his lips into a scornful expression.
“You look decent enough, but you’re trying to get something for nothing, aren’t you?”
‘Damn!’
I realized immediately that I had made a mistake.
If I got on their bad side here, it would become difficult to gather information anywhere else.
In places like this, their sense of community was likely to be very strong.
Just then, Gu Chil stepped in front of me with a sheepish grin.
“Aigoo, sir, why the long face? Here, here.”
The shiny silver ingot in Gu Chil’s hand slipped like lightning into the merchant’s chest pocket.
‘Huh? When did he…?’
I was certain we had entered the city with empty pockets, completely broke.
“Ahem! A young man who knows how to show sincerity, I see.”
Gu Chil chuckled foolishly.
“Come on, now. Our Young Master will take good care of you, so don’t worry so much! Why don’t you sit with us, have a drink, and tell us more about these cultists?”
At the mention of alcohol, the merchant’s throat bobbed noticeably.
“Ahem! Well, shall I?”
And so, thanks to Gu Chil’s quick thinking and resourcefulness, we managed to avoid the crisis.
I had no idea where he had managed to get his hands on silver in such a short time.
We and the merchant sat face-to-face at a table in a nearby inn.
The merchant downed the white liquor in one gulp before opening his mouth.
“Kehh! Those cultists call themselves the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect.”
“…What did you say?”
Both Gu Chil and I were left dumbfounded.
To put it more accurately, we were utterly speechless.
“Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect?”
“That’s right.”
“Are you talking about *that* infamous Demonic Cult?”
I decided to play the role of a righteous sect martial artist and cast out some bait.
Unexpectedly, the merchant tilted his head and replied ambiguously.
“The Demonic Cult… Well, who knows?”
“What do you mean, ‘who knows’? Aren’t those evil Demonic Cultists the ones causing chaos in Hainan?”
The merchant replied with a grumpy expression.
“Maybe the higher-ups are like that, but they aren’t particularly evil, you know.”
“……”
“……”
What kind of nonsense was this?
To be honest, even as a member of the Demonic Cult, I knew full well that when the Cult had ruled other regions, we had done so quite ruthlessly.
It wasn’t like the righteous sects called us the Demonic Cult without any basis.
The merchant clicked his tongue slightly.
“Their name sounds impressive, but honestly, they’re just a group of commoners who got swept up by propaganda. A few friends of mine even joined them a few years ago and have risen to become officials.”
What the hell was this?
“Honestly, I’ve even thought about joining them myself once I give up this business.”
“…Why is that?”
“Because they’ve got money.”
“……?”
The merchant sighed and spun his liquor cup around.
“There’s no place poorer than Hainan, you know. Sure, merchants from outside don’t realize it, but us locals are desperate, living hand-to-mouth every day.”
Frankly, this wasn’t unique to Hainan. Most of the Central Plains was the same.
“Well, you’ll see for yourself, but those folks eat and dress surprisingly well. It’s hard not to notice.”
“…I see.”
Then the merchant dropped the most absurd piece of information yet.
“Apparently, they were originally a very old, local sect that only a few people knew about. Their numbers were tiny. Maybe a hundred or two at most?”
He was claiming that the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect was a native religion of Hainan?
Gu Chil and I were left speechless, our jaws hanging open.
But the merchant continued his explanation.
“But just recently, they didn’t seem like a few hundred anymore. I saw thousands of them gathering like a swarm.”
“Ugh!”
“I don’t know who’s pouring money into a backwater place like this or what they’re planning, but since they provide food, all sorts of riffraff have flocked to them.”
It was hard to believe, but to sum it up, this so-called Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect, originally a minor local faith, had rapidly expanded over the past few years with the backing of outside capital.
If their numbers had reached the thousands, it could already be considered a full-scale rebellion.
It wouldn’t be strange if a report had already been sent to the central authorities.
“I heard they’re supposedly a branch of that Heavenly Demon Cult up north.”
Gu Chil and I spoke in unison, our minds in sync.
“…Does that even make sense?”
“Hm? Well, I don’t really know. I’m just repeating what they say.”
“……”
“Hmm, what did my friend say again? [In preparation for the return of the Heavenly Demon who will save us in the future, we must turn Hainan into the stronghold of the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect!] or something like that?”
Apparently, despite preaching such a doctrine, they had never actually taken action in the past.
But now that their influence had expanded, the situation had changed drastically.
I let out a deep sigh and rubbed my forehead.
“…It’s even more annoying because their doctrine sounds suspiciously similar.”
“…Yeah, exactly.”
Gu Chil also nodded fiercely in agreement with my words.
After that, I continued digging for more information about this cult group called the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect.
One thing I learned was that their financial backers existed outside Hainan.
And another, the existence of a so-called “Cult Leader” and a “Holy Maiden.”
While it seemed the Holy Maiden had only appeared recently, the Cult Leader seemed far more suspicious.
They said he had held the position for decades, yet only in recent years had he started to make such sudden and aggressive moves, which was clearly strange.
I made my decision.
“Looks like I’ll have to step in and resolve this myself.”
After the merchant, who had thoroughly enjoyed the free drinks, left, Gu Chil and I discussed what to do next.
With cold eyes, I grabbed the hilt of the True Star Sword.
“Whoever the bastard is that dares to use our Cult’s name to pull a scam, as a disciple of the Heavenly Demon Cult, I can’t just let this slide.”
Gu Chil also unsheathed his Nine Heavens Sword and replied in a chilling tone.
“You’re right. At the very least, we need to capture and punish all those in their leadership.”
Our opinions were perfectly aligned.
“I heard the Hainan Sect’s subjugation squad headed west, so let’s go there first.”
Even if their size had grown suddenly, according to the merchant, most of them were just commoners swept up in it.
If we took down a few of their leaders, the rest would likely disperse on their own. It shouldn’t be too difficult.
With determined eyes, Gu Chil and I left Haegu City and headed west.
Two days passed as we tracked the traces of the Hainan Sect.
“Why are you so late?”
“……”
“……”
And that was when we saw her—Cheon Yujeong, the woman revered by the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect as their Holy Maiden.
Gu Chil and I both closed our eyes tightly in disbelief.
* * *
Cheon Yujeong.
The very woman who had been kidnapped by the Heaven-Defying Society after being betrayed by someone close during the purge of the Illusion Clan from the Cult.
Later, she had betrayed Sa Biyeon while staying with the Namgung Clan, trying to escape on her own, only to be captured by Gu Cheon-gun of the Heaven-Defying Society and then vanished without a trace.
‘I thought she might be undergoing human experimentation somewhere in Guangdong…’
What kind of twisted karma had brought her to live here, being worshiped like this?
Honestly, it saved me the trouble of searching for her… but still, it felt strangely anticlimactic.
‘This is turning into such a ridiculous situation.’
Surrounded by dozens of burly, bronze-skinned men glaring at us.
I looked up at the woman sitting on the palanquin and asked.
“Why in the world are you here, Lady?”
She averted my gaze slightly and muttered softly.
“I don’t know either.”
“……”
As Gu Chil and I stared at her coldly.
“I’m telling the truth! I just woke up and found myself here! You have to believe me!”
Her tone suddenly shifted, sounding like someone her own age.
‘Is she serious?’
It was hard to outright call it a lie since, to be honest, Gu Chil and I had experienced something similar, making it difficult to dismiss her so easily.
Letting out a sigh that felt like it came from the bottom of hell, I spoke.
“Fine. Let’s just say that’s true for now. But if you’ve come to your senses, shouldn’t you be thinking about returning to the Cult? Why are you playing Holy Maiden here?”
Cheon Yujeong frowned at my words.
“…It’s not like I *want* to be here.”
“Then why?”
“There are a few reasons…”
And then she dropped a bombshell.
“One of them is that these people really are descendants who carry the bloodline of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Specifically, some in the leadership are direct blood descendants.”
“…?”
Gu Chil and I tilted our heads in unison.
Of all people, why would *she*, a descendant of the Cheon Clan, say such a thing?
She gave a bitter laugh and shook her head.
“Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t believe it. I could hardly believe it myself when I first saw it.”
Stepping down from the palanquin, she gestured for me to follow.
“Come. You’re a descendant of the Jin Clan. You have the right to see it too.”
* * *
Gu Chil and I followed Cheon Yujeong into a cave.
Sensing the heavy security surrounding us, I asked her.
“Is this the Heavenly Demon Manifest… ah, damn it, the base of those bastard cultists?”
As a proud disciple of the Heavenly Demon Cult, I couldn’t bring myself to say their name properly.
“Yes.”
Cheon Yujeong nodded slightly.
Then, as she led the way ahead of me, she suddenly called my name.
“Jin Yeomyung.”
“…Yes.”
I responded, showing my clear displeasure.
Hearing her voice, so similar to Cheon Yura’s, and seeing her face that resembled hers, made me extremely uncomfortable.
She asked me.
“Do you think the Cult ever reached Hainan?”
“As far as I know, never.”
In the Cult’s history spanning over a thousand years, our influence had never stretched this far to Hainan.
At best, it had reached as far as Hunan and Jiangxi.
Hearing my reply, she nodded as if she had expected it.
“No, there was one time. The Cult’s influence did reach here once.”
“…When was that?”
“A thousand years ago.”
“……!”
That meant back when the First Heavenly Demon was still alive, at the very birth of the Heavenly Demon Cult, there had been disciples here in Hainan?
Just as I was about to ask more.
A cool breeze flowed out from deeper inside the cave, rustling my hair.
‘Wind?’
I could sense that there was a much larger space up ahead than I had expected.
And, sure enough.
“We’re here. You’ll recognize it when you see it.”
“…What!?”
A massive, nearly five-zhang-tall, three-headed, six-armed Asura statue.
Seeing it, I couldn’t help but let out a breath of astonishment.
Without a doubt.
That worn Asura statue in front of me looked almost identical to the one enshrined in our Cult.
And then.
‘Hmm?’
As I examined the statue, I noticed something carved into its lower abdomen, around the dantian area.
And from that crevice, I could faintly sense a familiar lingering energy.
‘…No way.’
Trusting my instincts, I used light footwork to quickly approach the hollow in the statue.
“…Jin Yeomyung?”
“Young Master?!”
Cheon Yujeong and Gu Chil blinked in surprise at my sudden movement.
But I had no time to worry about their reactions.
I carefully traced my fingers around the hollow for a moment before I became certain.
‘No doubt about it.’
Though the traces had mostly faded, leaving only the barest hint of residual energy.
There had definitely once been the True Relic of the First Heavenly Demon enshrined in this very spot.