Chapter 272: Seventh Heavenly Lord, Baek Ryeo (2)
The affairs of Evil Path Castle, known as the Greatest Sect of the Demonic Faction, were surprisingly quiet for something labeled as part of the demonic path.
Compared to the newly risen power Black Lotus Union that had settled in Luoyang or the Evil Overlords of Heaven in Seonyeong who thrived on active trade, Evil Path Castle carried an entirely different atmosphere.
There were two reasons for the way Evil Path Castle felt.
One was because, unlike other major sects located in bustling cities, they had settled in a remote corner much like Daoist sects.
And the other was because the master of Evil Path Castle, sitting at the top, simply didn’t like noise.
It was atop such a fortress that the Evil Path Castle Lord, Conqueror King Gam Unbi, who had been lazily lying down, suddenly received an unexpected guest.
“Oh… you’re here, Imperial Grand Tutor?”
At the word Imperial Grand Tutor, the old man with the striking white beard showed a faint smile.
“Imperial Grand Tutor, you say? That’s a title of the distant past. Please just call me Sixth Heavenly Lord, Third Heavenly Lord.”
“Hmm, should I?”
Gam Unbi slowly lifted his bear-like upper body and stretched with a drowsy expression.
“Your mood doesn’t seem to be too great.”
“Well, you’re right.”
“May I ask the reason?”
Gam Unbi exhaled through his nose and shook his head.
“I lost my prey. If I had known that big fish would actually wait, I would’ve held out just a little longer…”
Sixth Heavenly Lord nodded with a gentle smile.
“Ah, I heard about that. That a specter of the past showed up and killed Fourth Heavenly Lord…”
“Exactly. It’s not often one gets the chance to face the Heavenly Demon… tch, such a pity.”
Gam Unbi clicked his tongue and smacked his lips.
“If I could have it my way, I’d charge into Ten Thousand Mountain right now… but according to Grand Heavenly Lord, that person doesn’t have much time left, right?”
“That’s right. Thanks to that, the grand scheme is now just around the corner.”
Conqueror King Gam Unbi thirsted for battle with the strong.
It wasn’t some fake madness disguised as good anger management.
If he could, he truly would have dashed toward Ten Thousand Mountain to throw down a challenge to the Heavenly Demon.
But the only reason he held back was because of Grand Heavenly Lord’s restrictions.
“On a separate note, there are rising voices within the Cult itself that are calling for war. It seems we might get to face the strong of the Cult sometime soon.”
“…Really?”
Gam Unbi’s eyes sparkled.
“The newly appointed Eight Heavenly Lord, who succeeded the Yin-Yang Fist Demon, has passed on information. They say a decision for war may be made within a few months.”
“Hoo, now that’s not bad.”
Gam Unbi nodded in satisfaction.
While he loved duels with strong opponents, he equally enjoyed battlefields where blood was washed with blood.
“But surely, you didn’t come all the way here just to tell me that, did you?”
“Hahaha…”
“Is there something you want from me?”
Sixth Heavenly Lord stroked his beard and played along.
“I’ve long since retired from the frontlines. I’m not exactly someone with a busy schedule…”
“Cut the nonsense.”
“……”
At Gam Unbi’s snort, Sixth Heavenly Lord’s eyes narrowed.
Though he had been hiding his ambitions and moving cautiously, deceiving someone with such animal-like instincts wasn’t easy.
“If you have something you want, speak. Don’t bother hiding your intentions.”
“If you insist, Third Heavenly Lord…”
He bowed his head slightly before speaking directly.
“Are you aware that Seventh Heavenly Lord has recently taken the lead in conducting the Bongseon Ritual, following the will of the late Fourth Heavenly Lord?”
“I wasn’t aware.”
Despite that answer, Sixth Heavenly Lord’s expression remained unchanged.
“You’ll want to know. This upcoming Bongseon Ritual is going to be quite an interesting affair.”
“Interesting, you say?”
Sixth Heavenly Lord dropped a rather meaningful statement.
“By any chance, Third Heavenly Lord, don’t you wish to face Heavenly Evil, one of the final targets of the grand council?”
“……!!”
---
I stepped out of the guesthouse, feeling utterly drained.
‘Seriously, what a headache.’
What could possibly be so appealing about Master that a woman of imperial status would follow him around so eagerly?
I had given in to… no, been pressured… no, forced into a deal, where I revealed a few detailed pieces of information about Master that I had discovered in my previous life.
Since she viewed Master differently than I did, Lord Baek Cheong slightly frowned each time she heard new things about him.
‘Still, didn’t she say she was glad to learn a side of him she didn’t know before?’
In return, I had received a promissory note issued from the Baek Family War Market.
Seeing how the number at the end was in the tens of thousands range, with several more digits in front of it, the reward was certainly quite extravagant.
‘People have their tastes, and while I respect that, I honestly can’t understand it.’
Actually, Mr. Jin seemed to be missing one thing.
Every time he showered her lover with praise in front of others, the way they looked at her wasn’t much different from how Lord Baek Cheong looked at his master.
Well, not that Mr. Jin would ever realize that for the rest of his life.
***
‘The Bongseon Ritual, huh…’
It wasn’t a ritual offering Cheon Yujeong as a sacrifice, but rather a typical ceremonial rite.
After finishing the information exchange about Master, Lord Baek Cheong had provided me with the detailed plans on how the Bongseon Ritual would be conducted.
‘If it’s about Master, I do want to help out as much as I can.’
I heard that the usual Bongseon Ritual was a mystical ritual that granted the ruler’s right to govern from the heavens and blessed the land with spiritual fortune.
‘Still, something feels off.’
Especially Sixth Heavenly Lord…
While exchanging information, I had tried to probe her without making it obvious, but Lord Baek Cheong firmly believed him to be a trustworthy elder.
But considering what I had felt when I first saw him, there was no way that could be true.
“Greetings, Young Master Jin!”
Just then, a rather young voice called out from behind me.
No, it wasn’t just young—it was downright childish.
When I turned my head, a boy dressed in a navy martial robe was standing there, looking at me.
“You are…?”
The boy respectfully performed a martial salute toward me.
“I am Yoo Cheong, successor of the Yoo Family of Suncheon.”
With curly hair and cheeks that still seemed to carry baby fat, he had quite the adorable look.
With such a face, I imagined he was probably doted on quite a bit by adults, regardless of gender.
“I have succeeded the position of mountain keeper of the Yoo Family’s Sacred Mountain, from the former successor, Yoo Seunggwak.”
“……”
Despite his youthful face, I could feel that his body below the neck had been trained quite solidly.
“What is your relationship with my Master?”
Yoo Cheong answered in a loud, ringing voice.
“I am the successor of the family’s legacy, following the previous successor. But to put it in personal terms—he is my father!”
“……”
His son?
Was this solid-looking young man really my Master’s son?
No, more importantly…
‘Lord Baek Cheong?’
So she was keeping this boy by her side while knowing about his relationship with Master…?
Just how deep had she fallen…?
I let out a small groan without even realizing it.
“What a mess…”
“Pardon? What did you just say…?”
“Ah, nothing at all.”
I hurriedly waved my hand.
At this point, I could only hope that Yoo Cheong came from a single-parent household.
If not, I didn’t think my sanity could handle it.
“A-Anyway. You mentioned Yoo Family Sacred Mountain?”
Just as its name implied, Yoo Family Sacred Mountain was the Yoo Family’s sacred mountain. It was the place Lord Baek Cheong had chosen instead of Mount Tai for the Bongseon Ritual.
“That’s correct!”
“By any chance… is Yoo Family Sacred Mountain located in Dong’an?”
“Ah, yes, that’s right! Did the Lord tell you about it?!”
“……”
It was the place Yoo Soo had mentioned.
Dong’an County was about three hundred li west of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province.
Yoo Soo had said she had left her arrangements there.
‘Seeing how such a young boy is carrying the family’s legacy, there probably aren’t many blood relatives left…’
Of course, asking that directly would be rude, so I decided to look into it later.
“The previous successor was overjoyed to find someone who could inherit the family’s martial lineage.”
“Martial lineage, huh…”
Aside from his well-trained body, the young man named Yoo Cheong didn’t seem to possess particularly outstanding martial talent.
If he had the qualifications, Master wouldn’t have gone out of his way to seek a successor from outside.
“If I ever get to meet his disciple, I was told to serve him well!”
Hmm, did Master really say something like that?
“Would it be alright if I called you Hyung-nim?!”
“Y-Yeah…”
Unable to resist the way Yoo Cheong looked at me with sparkling eyes, I found myself nodding without realizing it.
Honestly, I had imagined meeting the Yoo Family’s descendants would go a bit differently.
Considering they had been ousted through rebellion and had stuck with the Heaven-Defying Society ever since, I naturally expected them to look like vengeful spirits.
However, there was no trace of hatred or a desire for revenge toward the Cult in Yoo Cheong’s bright, eager expression as he called me Hyung-nim.
As soon as I gave my permission, Yoo Cheong stuck close to me, chattering away.
“Hyung-nim, did you know?!”
“W-What is it?”
I did have a sibling myself, but somehow, this felt very different.
I guess compared to my muscle-bound sibling who was a head taller than me, this delicate-looking boy felt much more like a real little brother.
“There’s a shrine on Yoo Family Sacred Mountain that has been maintained for over a thousand years.”
“A shrine?”
“Yes! Inside that shrine are eight treasured orbs, each representing the Heavenly Demon Ancestor and his disciples! Isn’t that fascinating?!”
“Hmm… it certainly is…”
If it was a shrine managed by the Yoo Family, it must have been established after the First Disciple, Yoo Jeon, was ousted.
Even after all that happened, did Yoo Jeon long to remember Master and his fellow disciples?
At that moment, Yoo Cheong lowered his voice and leaned in, as if revealing a great secret.
“Actually, there’s a truth passed down through the generations. Those eight treasured orbs are said to serve as gates to somewhere!”
“…?!”
“But to enter those gates, it’s said you need some kind of key… though I heard that someone who attacked the main house four hundred years ago stole it. Such a shame.”
Upon hearing that, something came to mind.
‘No way…’
---
Afterward, I relayed Seventh Heavenly Lord’s proposal to Cheon Yujeong exactly as it was.
Cheon Yujeong crossed her arms and raised one corner of her mouth.
“From where I stand, it already sounds like you’ve made up your mind.”
“Indeed. If we can use the ceremony to pull Second Heavenly Lord of the Heaven-Defying Society away as a show of pretense, it would be a significant achievement.”
“That’s a relief. Seems like you’re not planning to offer me up as a sacrifice.”
“On that note, I have a suggestion.”
I advised Cheon Yujeong to return to Ten Thousand Mountain once we arrived on the mainland.
Cheon Yujeong’s face twisted in displeasure.
“…What did you say?”
“I’ll assign Gu Chil to accompany you, so you shouldn’t face any serious danger.”
Given the current situation, there was no need to bring Cheon Yujeong along and risk adding unpredictable variables.
If I could leave her behind here, even if they later wanted to use her as a sacrifice in the ceremony, they wouldn’t be able to.
However—
“I refuse.”
“…What?”
Cheon Yujeong spoke coldly, fixing me with a piercing stare.
“Have you considered the possibility that this Bongseon Ritual might actually be a trap set to target you?”
“…It’s not entirely impossible, but I believe I’m more than capable of handling that.”
Even if something similar to what happened in Namchang were to occur again, I was confident I could pull out safely.
After all, I was alone, with nothing to protect—there were always ways.
However, Cheon Yujeong countered without backing down.
“Sorry, but there’s no way a ceremony like that would end so easily.”
Narrowing my eyes at her response, I asked,
“Do you know something?”
“…Not really?”
Cheon Yujeong shrugged and averted her gaze.
“But I’m certain there will come a moment when you’ll need my help. That much, I can guarantee.”
“……”
She was definitely plotting something…
Maybe I should just knock her out and hand her over to Gu Chil?