Chapter 269: Awaiting You (1)
It was true.
Aside from my Master and the Colorful Flower Lord, the confirmed members of the Ten Heavenly Lords all held considerable status.
The Sixth Heavenly Lord looked at me with meaningful eyes.
"Well? Have you finally decided to take my offer seriously?"
"...I’ll at least hear you out."
Whether it was deceit or sincerity, I couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity to gather information in the current situation.
"Good. Let me start by stating what I want. I wish to maintain the secular power I currently hold."
"...Didn’t you just say you wanted a quiet life?"
"That’s true as well. Have you ever heard this saying?"
The Sixth Heavenly Lord grinned and raised a finger.
"'I wish to have power, even if no one knows who I am.'"
"..."
I was pretty sure the saying used a different word than 'power,' but it sounded similar to something I had heard before.
But putting that aside...
"You wish to become the ruler from the shadows?"
The Sixth Heavenly Lord smiled meaningfully.
"I have no choice but to take care of the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Cult, but aside from that, this is exactly the position I desire."
At those words, I sensed something.
'He must have another hidden identity.'
Being just an Elder of the Hainan Sect was hardly enough to claim 'secular power.'
There had to be some other hidden identity.
He was the first among the Ten Heavenly Lords I had met who seemed to hold multiple positions like this.
"Anyway, the power I desire will become utterly meaningless if the world the Grand Heavenly Lord envisions comes to pass."
"...That’s true."
As I nodded quietly, a strange light appeared in the Sixth Heavenly Lord’s eyes.
"Oh? You understand?"
"I’ve experienced a glimpse of what that world is like."
Heaven of Sacred Spirits.
A transcendent demonic realm that even most skilled masters failed to adapt to and ended up destroying themselves, rejecting human existence altogether.
"That makes things easier to explain."
The Sixth Heavenly Lord dramatically spread his arms wide and declared.
"The return of the world to the past means the revival of the era of the gods, not the era of humans!"
The era of the gods.
"The source of the Ten Heavenly Lords’ powers. The origin of blood! In other words, the monsters of the Classic of Mountains and Seas will return to this world as well!"
"..."
"When they appear again? The nations and order built by mankind will all become meaningless. Humanity, the so-called rulers of all creation, will be reduced to nothing more than slaves!"
His eyes widened, and his voice dropped into a low growl.
"That applies to us, the Ten Heavenly Lords, as well."
Honestly.
If such an era really returned, the Ten Heavenly Lords would likely be treated as founding heroes and live in luxury.
They wouldn’t be treated as slaves, not by a long shot.
However.
"Even now, you can live as a ruler in the human world. Why would you lower yourself to the status of an insect?"
His argument sounded fairly convincing.
If I had discovered the truth from his position, I might have had similar thoughts.
"So, what do you want?"
As if he had been waiting for that question, the Sixth Heavenly Lord glared fiercely and took a step closer to me.
"It’s very simple! All you have to do is ruin the Grand Heavenly Lord’s ritual with your own hands!"
For some reason, a strange madness flickered in his eyes.
"...How?"
"I’m not the only one acting on the Grand Heavenly Lord’s orders. The Seventh Heavenly Lord is involved as well. In fact, most of the stake in this plan belongs to her, not me!"
That was when I finally realized what he was asking for.
"You want me to kill this so-called Seventh Heavenly Lord?"
"Exactly!"
*Clap, clap, clap!*
He even clapped his hands, praising my quick comprehension.
"Do you really think you can easily expand your influence just by casting soul-binding techniques on ordinary people? No! Without capital, no matter what you do, any organization can only grow so much."
In other words, this so-called Seventh Heavenly Lord was the financier behind this entire scheme.
I decided to probe a little further, just in case.
"So? Who exactly is this Seventh Heavenly Lord you want me to kill while you stand by and watch?"
I had felt a strange hatred directed toward her, so I had my suspicions.
The Sixth Heavenly Lord surprisingly revealed the identity without any resistance.
"Baek Ryeo, the Leader of the Baekga Merchant Guild, Mang Geumhee."
"...!"
My guess that she belonged to another major sect had missed the mark.
But in another sense, the identity of the Seventh Heavenly Lord was even more troublesome.
"The leader of the greatest merchant guild in the Central Plains…"
People often referred to the five great merchant guilds of the world as equals.
However, the Baekga Merchant Guild, which dominated the logistics of the southern Central Plains, stood on an entirely different level from the other four.
There were even rumors that they had ties with the imperial palace.
"She’s nothing more than a brat sitting in a seat far beyond her capabilities. What do you say? If you wish, I can open the path for you."
"..."
I slowly studied the Sixth Heavenly Lord’s expression.
Jealousy, hatred, and a deep sense of inferiority.
I could clearly feel a flood of negative emotions radiating from him.
"What happens after I kill that Seventh Heavenly Lord?"
"If you wish, I could offer you a share of the merchant guild. Even you, a direct descendant of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan, would find it hard to touch such an enormous fortune."
A share of the Baekga Merchant Guild.
Even a single fraction would amount to tens or hundreds of thousands in value.
It was indeed tempting… but that wasn’t the important part right now.
"That’s not what I’m asking about, is it?"
"Not interested in wealth? Then I can offer another form of reward—"
"Stop deflecting. What I’m asking is, after killing her, can you handle the aftermath?"
"Hmm…"
The Sixth Heavenly Lord let out a low hum and fell silent for a moment.
But soon enough, he opened his mouth again.
"Without a doubt."
"..."
The moment I heard those words, I was certain.
'He’s lying.'
The Sixth Heavenly Lord harbored a sense of inferiority, or perhaps jealousy, toward Baek Ryeo, the leader of the Baekga Merchant Guild.
But somehow, I realized that the true cause wasn’t the Baekga Merchant Guild itself.
There was something more.
Something he was hiding...
The moment I recognized that, I no longer felt the need to continue this conversation.
"As I thought, you’re hiding far too much."
"...And if I am?"
"The negotiation is over."
Flash!
Without hesitation, I launched a surprise attack on the Sixth Heavenly Lord.
Like a lightning strike, my sword thrust straight toward his forehead.
"What a pity. My offer was sincere."
Clicking his tongue softly, the figure of the Sixth Heavenly Lord began to shimmer violently.
‘As I thought, he’s not at the peak level.’
Right in front of me, the Sea Wind Treasure, one of the secret movement techniques of the Hainan Sect, unfolded.
He easily dodged my thrust with speed clearly surpassing the Hwagyeong level.
But then.
‘Huh?’
I noticed something odd in the Sixth Heavenly Lord’s movement—traces of martial arts that didn’t belong to the Hainan Sect.
It felt like a hodgepodge combination of various techniques.
Though the level was undoubtedly high, there was no clear foundation to identify.
‘Why?’
It felt off.
I had heard of martial arts that gave off such a feeling existing somewhere in the Central Plains...
While I was trying to trace the origin of his martial arts—
—My apologies, but you have no right to refuse.
Concealed once again, he sent me his thoughts through Six Harmonies Transmissions.
—I plan to reveal your whereabouts to the Seventh Heavenly Lord.
That bastard!
His posture made it clear—he was willing to use any means necessary to achieve his goal.
It felt less like a merchant and more like a politician.
—For some reason, the Seventh Heavenly Lord seems to bear a personal grudge against you.
"...?"
—Her wrath is something you alone will never be able to endure. So, I’ll ask one last time—will you take my hand?
My answer had already been decided.
"There is no compromise with someone who tries to deceive me."
—...
He was hiding many things from me.
Not just about himself, but also the true identity of the Seventh Heavenly Lord.
And most importantly…
‘The fragment of the Heavenly Demon Statue!’
He likely had no idea that I knew about the existence of the fragment enshrined in that statue.
I could have pressed him on that point, but I deliberately chose not to.
There was no need to reveal a card that could put me at a disadvantage against someone I no longer trusted.
‘Sixth Heavenly Lord, Seventh Heavenly Lord, and Cheon Yujeong…’
Based on all the clues so far.
It was clear that during the three months I had lost consciousness, there had been conflicts or negotiations between the three of them.
And as proof of that—
—What a shame. It seems I have no choice but to pressure you.
Even after my repeated refusals, he clung to me until the end.
—Now that it’s come to this, let me share one truth with you.
The Sixth Heavenly Lord chuckled wickedly and dropped a bombshell.
—The leader of the Baekga Merchant Guild, the Seventh Heavenly Lord Baek Ryeo, isn’t actually a Baek by surname.
She was the head of the Baekga (White Family) Merchant Guild, yet not a Baek?
—Baek Ryeo is just a name. Her real surname… is Ju (朱).
"..."
The moment I realized the trap this bastard had laid, I let out a curse under my breath.
"You son of a bitch…"
***
Deep within the Heavenly Demon Hall.
Cheon Taejong, the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult and the one worshiped as a god, had, for some time now, relinquished almost all direct management of the cult’s affairs.
The pavilion at Mysterious Elegance Peak, where he used to handle those duties, had started gathering dust.
Affairs that required the Cult Leader’s approval no longer reached the Heavenly Demon Hall and were instead temporarily being handled by the Elders’ Hall and the Heavenly Thunder Corps.
Though many found his behavior suspicious, none dared to openly question it.
A god’s actions could not be questioned by believers.
Seated in a lotus position deep within the Heavenly Demon Hall, Cheon Taejong isolated himself from all contact.
Tap.
In that place where no one—not even the temple guards or guardian priests—was permitted to enter, a young boy appeared without any warning.
"It’s been a while."
The boy waved his hand toward the Cult Leader as he spoke.
Swoosh.
The Cult Leader’s closed eyes slowly opened.
"Indeed, it has been a while, Grand Heavenly Lord."
The leader of the Heaven-Defying Society, the Grand Heavenly Lord, had appeared before the Cult Leader.
Looking at the Cult Leader’s appearance, he sneered.
"Seems you and I now look no different on the outside."
"..."
As he said, the Cult Leader’s current appearance could no longer be called that of a youth.
He now looked like a boy in his mid-teens—younger even than his daughter, Cheon Yura.
Clicking his tongue, the Grand Heavenly Lord spoke.
"I was thoroughly fooled by your bravado all this time."
The Cult Leader let out a low chuckle.
"Hahaha… Bravado, you say…"
"I realized it too late. It wasn’t that you never came out of the Ten Thousand Mountain Range…"
For a brief moment, the Grand Heavenly Lord’s expression twisted menacingly.
"...It’s that you couldn’t."
"Hahahaha!"
The Cult Leader’s laughter grew louder.
"You are correct."
"..."
"Using the spiritual veins of the Ten Thousand Mountain Range, I delayed my ascension, anchoring my existence to the mortal realm."
The Cult Leader slowly rose to his feet.
"I alone possess the ability to bind my form by existence alone."
And more importantly—
"If I ascended too soon, I knew exactly what you’d try to do to Yura."
It was true.
The Cult Leader, having surpassed even the Supreme Demon Realm, should not exist in this world.
"I thought I could endure for a few more years, but Yura has been growing far faster than I expected. It’s quite encouraging that she’s reached a level where she could take my place."
"...Then why are you still lingering here in such a pathetic state?"
"I’m waiting."
The Cult Leader’s eyes locked onto the Grand Heavenly Lord.
"Since the fall of the Earth Sage and the assimilation of the Heavenly Evil into humanity’s cycle of reincarnation, the world has not tolerated more than one Absolute Being per generation."
Such beings typically appeared only once every few generations.
Bodhidharma, the Sword Immortal, Gunbo, the Heavenly Demon.
That was the way of the world, no longer the age of myths but the age of humanity.
"However, an exception to this rule has found its way into our cult’s embrace."
"..."
The Grand Heavenly Lord’s expression twisted further.
"You had no choice but to kill the little brother at any cost."
"You bastard…"
The Cult Leader was certain.
"Isn’t that why you crawled all the way here, grinding your teeth, just to confirm my condition for yourself?"