Chapter 268: Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect (3)
"Good, that saves me the trouble of going to find him."
The Sect Leader of the Hainan Sect was, for all intents and purposes, the supreme ruler of this island, Hainan Island.
Naturally, if I wanted to meet him face-to-face, it would require navigating through countless obstacles.
But since he had come here himself, it was rather fortunate. If I could demonstrate our strength, perhaps we could negotiate without either side suffering great losses.
However—
"Wait."
Cheon Yujeong blocked me just as I was about to step outside.
"What is it?"
"Sorry, but I don't think you’ll be able to communicate with him right now."
I widened my eyes.
"Why not?"
She let out a bitter smile as she spoke.
"You’ll understand once you see it."
---
Wave Sword Lord Bae Ilsong had brought five elders and forty first and second-generation disciples to the outskirts of the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect’s base.
"Haa… what the hell is going on…"
Bae Ilsong rubbed his forehead, sighing repeatedly.
A middle-aged elder tried to console him.
"Sect Leader Senior Brother, who could have predicted that those demonic cultists would suddenly increase their numbers like this?"
Demonic cultists.
That was the most accurate term to describe the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect.
"Exactly. If they had been real demonic cultists, I would have at least felt less troubled."
"……."
Of course, if they had truly been from a demonic cult, the sect's very existence might have been in jeopardy.
But at least they could have drawn their swords without hesitation.
"Their true nature is nothing more than commoners. How goes the search for their Cult Leader and his inner circle who have been misleading them?"
"I-I'm sorry. They are so elusive that we haven’t been able to track them down."
"Be fully aware that unless we deal with them, this problem will never be fundamentally resolved."
"Of course, Sect Leader!"
Bae Ilsong drew his sword with a grim expression.
"Subdue them with as few casualties as possible. Do you all understand?"
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
"Like always, they start quietly and go into a frenzy as time passes, so from the start, maximize—"
His words didn’t get to finish.
"The Holy Son has commanded us!"
"Destroy the Hainan Sect!"
Suddenly, an overwhelming roar echoed from afar, and the previously quiet base of the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect erupted into chaos.
"The Holy Son?"
"What the hell…"
While the disciples of the Hainan Sect looked at each other in confusion, wondering what that meant—
From the distance, countless cultists with bloodshot eyes began to swarm toward them like a tidal wave.
"Th-that!"
"Have they already been caught in the Soul Devouring Technique?!"
Soul Devouring Technique.
The root cause of the festering corruption within Hainan Island.
It had only recently been identified, but already countless commoners had fallen victim to it and become cultists.
"S-Sect Leader!"
The disciples all turned to Bae Ilsong with anxious eyes.
"Nothing has changed! Subdue them all!"
"Yes!"
The disciples of the Hainan Sect charged at the cultists with great momentum.
Though they numbered a thousand to fifty, that thousand was not an army.
Most of them carried farming tools or fishing gear instead of proper weapons.
However—
They hardly looked like feeble commoners. All of them bore well-fed, bronzed muscles, clear evidence that they had been living quite comfortably.
Moreover, they charged in, completely consumed by madness, without a trace of fear.
Even the first-generation disciples, not to mention the second-generation, started to falter under the sheer force of their onslaught.
But no matter how fierce their charge, the overwhelming gap in real power could not be denied.
"Do not fall back!"
"This time, we will uproot their base once and for all!"
When the Sect Leader, who had reached the Transformation Realm, and the elders, who had reached the Peak Master Level, joined the fight, enemies began to fall one after another, four or five at a time, quickly turning the tide.
More importantly…
"You crazy fanatics! Listen to me already!"
A young man, frantically flailing about in what seemed to be the cult’s base camp, caught everyone's attention.
Every time that young man swung his sword, the cultists collapsed as if they had fallen asleep.
"…What is that?"
"I-I don't know either…"
"He’s definitely hitting them with the flat of his blade, not the edge…"
While the disciples of the Hainan Sect stood dumbfounded, watching the bizarre spectacle—
Bae Ilsong raised his voice sternly.
"This is beyond what the disciples can handle. All of you, fall back!"
"……!"
"Quickly!"
"U-understood, Sect Leader!"
The disciples who had been struggling against the cultists hurriedly retreated at the Sect Leader's command.
As soon as he confirmed their withdrawal, Bae Ilsong tightened his grip on his sword and watched the young man intently.
"He’s no ordinary expert…"
At a glance, it seemed like the young man was wildly swinging his sword, but each strike showed delicate control and a clear sword path.
"No matter how I look at it, he seems like a Peak Master Level. Isn’t this an overreaction…"
One elder expressed doubt, but Bae Ilsong was firm.
"Don’t judge by appearances. At the very least, that young man is beyond me."
"What?"
"W-what are you saying?!"
The people nearby gasped in shock.
In a region like this, a Transformation Realm expert was revered almost like a god.
Especially here in Hainan Island, Bae Ilsong's status even surpassed that of the island’s governor.
"H-Holy Son!"
"W-why are you doing this to us…"
"Silence!"
The young man, referred to as the Holy Son by the cultists, knocked out most of them and finally approached the Hainan Sect’s formation.
"Huff! Nice to meet you."
The way he greeted us now was unexpectedly polite, completely different from how he had been just moments ago, yelling and beating down the cultists.
"Y-yeah..."
"I greet the Sect Leader of Hainan. I am Jin Yeomyung of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan of the Heavenly Demon Cult."
For a very brief moment—
A chilling breeze seemed to sweep through the crowd.
"...Who did you say you were?"
"I said I am Jin Yeomyung of the Heavenly Demon Cult."
"...Demonic Cult?"
"That is what they call us from the outside."
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
As soon as they snapped out of their daze, the elders of the Hainan Sect all drew their swords at once.
---
It was some time later that I managed to persuade Bae Ilsong and the Hainan Sect.
Honestly, if you understood what the Demonic Cult represented to ordinary martial artists, their reaction had been quite typical.
Fortunately, Bae Ilsong had remained wary of my strength to the very end and had chosen to at least hear me out.
"Our sect expresses deep regret over what has happened here in Hainan."
Of course, that was a lie.
Far from regret, I doubted my sect even knew something like this was happening.
However—
The status I held in the cult, combined with my martial prowess, gave me the power to present that lie as the truth.
"Hmm… Your sect’s intelligence network is impressive. To think you’re even aware of events happening way down here in the south."
Sitting across from me at a square table, Bae Ilsong let out a low hum.
"It is not the way of our sect to deceive commoners and incite rebellion. Though we do not refuse those who wish to join us, we do not use sorcery to manipulate the people and expand our power."
"Hmm…"
Many around us shot me doubtful glances at those words.
After all, when people thought of sorcery, the first thing that came to mind was the Demonic Cult.
…And to be honest, there were plenty of practitioners of sorcery in the cult, so I couldn’t really deny it outright.
Carefully sidestepping that part, I pushed the negotiation forward.
"Our sect is willing to actively cooperate in resolving the crisis that has befallen Hainan."
Though 'our sect' was really just Gu Chil and me.
"Cooperate, you say…"
"The greatest threat is the leader of the cultists who are eating away at Hainan, isn’t it?"
"That is true, but…"
"Fortunately, I am capable of breaking the mental restraints on those cultists."
"Is that true?!"
Thud!
Bae Ilsong shot to his feet and raised his voice.
Indeed.
I unintentionally possessed a way to break the Soul Devouring Technique that had ensnared the cultists.
That method was the True Star Sword, one of the Three Great Treasures of the Illusion Clan.
The True Star Sword, said to distinguish true nature, had the surprising ability to dispel basic sorcery simply through the sword itself.
That was why every time I struck the cultists, their eyes had cleared and they had collapsed.
I smirked and extended my hand to Bae Ilsong.
"Let us return the cultists to their normal lives and then track down and eliminate the mastermind. After that, we shall leave Hainan without asking for anything in return."
"Haha…"
Bae Ilsong let out a hollow laugh at my audacious proposal but eventually took my hand.
"With an offer like that, I have no choice. I’ll be counting on you."
And so, the deal with the Hainan Sect was sealed.
---
After that, Bae Ilsong decided to withdraw the sect’s disciples and return to Hainan Island.
The plan was for me to first dismantle the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect from the inside. Then, the Hainan Sect would step in again to resolve things peacefully.
After the Hainan Sect and Bae Ilsong withdrew—
"Your skills are quite impressive. I’m honestly impressed."
"You are…"
An old man dressed in white and blue robes came to me once again.
He had been one of the elders accompanying Bae Ilsong.
"Do you still have unfinished business?"
"Of course I do. Would I have come otherwise?"
The old man smirked and suddenly revealed his identity.
"I am Sangdo, the Sixth Heavenly Lord of the Heaven-Defying Society. I have come with a proposal for you."
Swish!
The moment he spoke those words, my hand moved toward the True Star Sword.
---
Sixth Heavenly Lord of the Heaven-Defying Society.
Elder of the Hainan Sect.
And the leader of the cultists, the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect.
It was truly rare for one person to hold so many different identities.
'I let my guard down a little.'
I should have raised my vigilance even more after the power of the Second Heavenly Demon disappeared.
I readied myself to strike at any moment and spoke.
"I didn’t expect an elder of Hainan to be the one behind all this."
The Sixth Heavenly Lord let out a dark laugh.
"Kuhuhu, I was originally a disciple of Hainan. It wasn’t too hard to orchestrate all this without the sect’s knowledge."
Since Hainan did not have any subordinate clans, it often dispatched its disciples outside the sect to manage the island.
That was why only about fifty people had been mobilized for the cultist suppression force.
Well, regardless of his circumstances…
"Why are you revealing your identity so openly?"
"Isn’t it obvious? Because I wish to negotiate."
"Negotiate?"
"I desire a quiet life…"
The Sixth Heavenly Lord stroked his white beard and gazed at me with serene eyes.
At a glance, he looked like a Daoist sage, but knowing the true nature of Cheon Yujeong and the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect, I was not easily fooled.
"Though I am following the Grand Heavenly Lord’s direct orders, I’ll be blunt. I have no intention of using that girl as a sacrifice in some ritual."
"...You don’t?"
The Sixth Heavenly Lord let out a long sigh.
“It’s a ritual bound to fail from the start. As a result, Hainan will become hell. As someone who has lived their whole life in Hainan Province, I can’t say that’s an ending I particularly desire.”
“Why are you so certain it’ll fail?”
Sixth Heavenly Lord countered as if it were the most obvious thing.
“Do you even know what the Bongseon Ritual actually is?”
There was a Lord definition known about the Bongseon Ritual, but the version led by the Heaven-Defying Society was something that couldn’t be properly defined.
“Before that, where was the Bongseon Ritual originally performed?”
I could answer this part clearly.
“Mount Tai.”
Among the Five Great Peaks of the Central Plains, Mount Tai was the Eastern Peak.
It was there that Emperor Qin Shi Huang held the very first Bongseon Ritual, and since then, it had been performed several times under the leadership of the imperial family.
“That’s right. Mount Tai.”
Sixth Heavenly Lord nodded.
“Even though they’ve already missed two of the three elements—Heaven, Earth, and Man—from the very beginning, do you really think the ritual can succeed?”
“Two, you say?”
“Man. That child with diluted blood of the Demonic God cannot complete the ritual. That child is a failure from the start.”
“……”
“Yet, knowing this, the Grand Heavenly Lord is still planning to sacrifice Hainan with this mock ritual.”
I gave Sixth Heavenly Lord a curious look.
“I find it hard to believe that the Grand Heavenly Lord would sacrifice the Ten Heavenly Lords.”
“Kuhuhuhu! You really know nothing, do you?”
Sixth Heavenly Lord instead looked at me with a pitiful gaze.
His expression hardened slightly.
“To the Grand Heavenly Lord, the Ten Heavenly Lords mean absolutely nothing. They’re nothing more than spare parts or replaceable tools that can be swapped out at any time.”
“……What?”
“The Grand Heavenly Lord is a monster who has lived for nearly a thousand years. How many Ten Heavenly Lords do you think have already been purged by him throughout the history of the Heaven-Defying Society?”
“That’s…”
“At the very least, the number is in double digits. And I doubt the first digit is even a one.”
Knowing nothing of the truth, I chose to remain silent.
“To the Grand Heavenly Lord, the Ten Heavenly Lords are nothing but tools to control Murim until the right time comes. Except for one or two rare exceptions, most of them have simply filled positions of power in the Central Plains.”