Chapter 273: Yoo Family’s Sacred Mountain (1)
Before I knew it, a dozen massive pavilions stood right in the center of Luoyang.
Some guarded these buildings, while others busily moved in and out of them.
Many people carried out their assigned tasks with perfect discipline.
There was military order.
Their duties were well-defined.
Their faces brimmed with pride for the group they belonged to.
Who could possibly call these people mere lowly scum of the demonic faction?
This was the main base of Black Lotus Union in Luoyang.
In just under a year, Black Lotus Union had risen to become truly worthy of the title as one of the Three Great Powers of the demonic faction.
Normally, building a faction required many elements.
But for a faction like Black Lotus Union, what it needed above all else was “reputation”.
And not long ago, Black Lotus Union had successfully made its name known throughout all of the Central Plains through a single incident.
At the most important office in the Black Lotus Union headquarters, the Demon Sword Pavilion.
At the highest floor of the Demon Sword Pavilion, which was considered the brain of the Black Lotus Union, Jegal Eun, the Black Lotus Strategist, was reporting to the Lotus Lord.
“As of yesterday, the number of warriors officially registered under Black Lotus Union has surpassed ten thousand, Lotus Lord.”
“……”
“That means in just half a year since our foundation, our force has doubled!”
Indeed, the Black Lotus Union had started with a force of only about five thousand.
But after the incident in Nanchang, when Demon Sword Flower personally led the army southward and blocked the assault of the Evil Path Castle targeting the Heavenly Demon Cult’s delegation—
The briefly stagnant Black Lotus Union had started to grow explosively again as more demonic factions sought to join.
“The number ten thousand is quite a milestone. After all, even Evil Overlords of Heaven of Qinghai took over ten years after its founding to surpass that number.”
Jegal Eun presented a report with eyes gleaming with excitement.
“More importantly, the Hao Sect coming under our wing is extremely encouraging.”
After enduring hardship together during the Nanchang incident, the White-Faced Scholar, Sect Leader of the Hao Sect, had pledged their forces to Black Lotus Union once the dust had settled.
“On top of that, thanks to the Hao Sect Leader’s persuasion, the Green Forest and the Waterway Thieves have also requested to join Black Lotus Union.”
“……”
“If we’re counting sheer numbers, we might already be the largest faction in the demonic world!”
The ten thousand figure for Black Lotus Union didn’t even include the headcounts of the Hao Sect, the Green Forest, and the Waterway Thieves.
If those were added as well?
The total number of Black Lotus Union members might easily surpass one hundred thousand.
And the master of such a colossal force, the Lotus Lord of Black Lotus Union, Demon Sword Flower—
Was looking at her beaming younger sister with a rather bitter expression.
“Uh, Eun-ah?”
“Yes, Lotus Lord!”
She placed her hand on her forehead and spoke.
“Didn’t you say that if Black Lotus Union ever seemed like a threat to the righteous sects, you’d dismantle it with your own hands?”
Wasn’t that the very condition under which she had taken the position as military strategist of Black Lotus Union?
But the Jegal Eun standing before her now… looked exactly like a schemer who had grown addicted to expanding her power.
Jegal Eun smiled brightly and shot back.
“Oh my, did I really say that?”
At those words, Baek Sang-ah shut her eyes tightly.
“I am, after all, the Black Lotus Strategist of Black Lotus Union. Not some random Jegal from somewhere else.”
“Uh, Eun-ah?”
“More importantly…”
Jegal Eun’s smiling face suddenly darkened.
“Looking back after coming this far, I feel like my authority now might not even be lower than the main family of the Jegal Clan…”
“……”
“With this much power, don’t you think it’s about time I spit in the faces of those bastards who treated me like dirt?”
She sincerely hoped that those bastards weren’t her actual blood relatives.
“Fufu, fufufufu…”
“……”
Currently, while Black Lotus Union had gathered under the demonic charm of Demon Sword Flower, the one who actually kept them moving was Jegal Eun.
It wasn’t a joke— even the Jegal Clan, one of the Five Great Clans, couldn’t help but tread carefully before the might of the current Black Lotus Strategist!
After a moment of ominous laughter, Jegal Eun brightened her expression again.
“Well, I’m just kidding!”
“…It doesn’t sound like a joke at all.”
“But I still hold true to the line I’ve drawn in my heart.”
Jegal Eun turned her head slightly and muttered quietly.
“…Though I can’t say when I might cross it…”
“……”
Baek Sang-ah wondered if she needed to personally punish this wicked schemer for the sake of peace in the Central Plains.
She looked worriedly at her younger sister, who seemed to be getting drunk on the taste of power.
At that moment—
“…I brought the documents.”
A dying voice came from outside the Lotus Lord’s office.
Jegal Eun clapped her hands with a bright smile.
“Ah, Third Strategist-nim. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Who are you calling the Third Strategist…”
The one who entered the Lotus Lord’s office was a handsome young man with dark shadows under his eyes.
It was So Cheon.
He placed a stack of documents thicker than the torso of an average adult on the desk and let out a groan.
“Please… just let me go back to the cult already…”
So Cheon had originally joined Black Lotus Union as Baek Sang-ah’s bodyguard.
But at some point, he had caught Jegal Eun’s eye and ended up being dragged into administrative work as a scribe.
Jegal Eun shook her head.
“No can do. You must stay in Black Lotus Union for a while longer to serve as the bridge between us and the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
“Then at least let me have some freedom.”
“As a blood member of the Jegal Clan, I can’t allow talent to go to waste.”
So Cheon sent a desperate look toward Baek Sang-ah, pleading for salvation.
But she slyly avoided his gaze and instead asked Jegal Eun,
“Is Young Master So Cheon really that capable?”
“Hmm, he’s the textbook example of a lazy genius.”
Ironically, the reason things had turned out like this was because of So Cheon’s own mouth.
When he had first joined Black Lotus Union, he had happily lazed around, clinging to Baek Sang-ah under the pretense of being her bodyguard.
But then, by sheer coincidence, he had carelessly pointed out an error in one of Jegal Eun’s reports.
While Black Lotus Union had more than enough military strength as one of the Three Great Powers, they were desperately lacking in administrative talent.
In that sense, it might have been inevitable that Jegal Eun would latch onto So Cheon.
“There’s even a report that the snacks and alcohol reserved exclusively for the Lotus Lord have been steadily disappearing.”
“…I apologize.”
So Cheon, feeling guilty about too many things, quickly bowed his head.
“There have been continuous complaints coming in from somewhere about expensive weapons and armor being stolen.”
“…I’ll work harder.”
Unable to fix his bad habits, So Cheon had no choice but to yield to Jegal Eun.
Seeing him look so pitiful, Baek Sang-ah cut in to change the subject.
“So, is that the end of your report?”
“Ah, not quite.”
Jegal Eun’s expression turned serious.
“We’ve received intel about the movements of the Evil Path Castle.”
The moment the words were spoken, Baek Sang-ah’s face and presence instantly turned cold.
She already knew the general situation.
She knew who the Evil Path Castle Leader had fought near Ak-yang while trying to capture Cheon Yura.
Jegal Eun and even So Cheon swallowed nervously under the weight of her icy presence.
“What kind of information?”
“According to the agent we planted in the Evil Path Castle, the Sect Leader, Conqueror King, is preparing to leave with only a small elite force.”
“……”
“They didn’t specify the exact destination, but they said it seems to be toward the south.”
The Evil Path Castle Leader was one of the confirmed key players involved in what happened back then.
And more importantly…
“If we capture that man, we might learn the whereabouts of Young Master Jin.”
Normally, suggesting something like this would be unacceptable for a strategist.
Sending one’s lord directly into enemy territory, risking danger, was not something a proper strategist should ever do.
However…
Jegal Eun still vividly remembered how Baek Sang-ah had lost control and spiraled into despair after Jin Yeomyung had gone missing, though her condition had improved somewhat now.
If So Cheon and Saber King hadn’t desperately intervened, Baek Sang-ah would surely have fallen into Qi Deviation and been ruined.
“When are they departing?”
“Based on the time the report was written, it’s in seven days. Considering the time that’s already passed, it’ll be in three days from now.”
“Summon Old Han.”
Baek Sang-ah’s decision was swift.
“And select ten experts who are at least peak-level or higher.”
Originally, it would have been difficult to find even a few peak-level experts in Black Lotus Union, but things had changed.
Countless talents had flocked to this rising force, seeking fame and fortune, including two individuals known as part of the Ten Talents, who had joined Black Lotus Union.
“So, Conqueror King, huh? Excellent. I’m going to tear that damned bastard apart this time.”
Chchchch!
In response to her fury, a black aura of will materialized and spread around her.
The magnitude of that energy was clear.
It had clearly surpassed the boundary of the Extreme Demon Realm.
Overwhelmed by the sight, Jegal Eun almost forgot the last part of her report.
“Ah, a-and one more thing…”
“What else?”
Jegal Eun stammered as she spoke.
“I heard… the Heavenly Demon Cult is sending two people here through an unofficial channel.”
“Two?”
“They say they are people from Young Master Jin’s side. One is Myeong-oh. And the other…”
“……”
“…is someone named So Soryu. It’s not a particularly famous name.”
Shiver!
At that moment, So Cheon, who had been listening casually, suddenly shot to his feet.
* * *
In the end, I permitted Cheon Yujeong to accompany me.
Logically speaking, it would have been best to subdue her and send her to Ten Thousand Mountain to keep the situation under control.
But I was prepared to let Cheon Yujeong betray me once— just once.
Of course, if she tried anything, I was fully prepared to deliver punishment immediately.
More than anything, I wanted to see for myself what she was plotting, so confident that she could surpass Cheon Yura.
The day after I agreed to cooperate with Lord Baek Cheong’s plan—
As the ship preparing to head to the Central Plains was getting ready to depart, Gu Chil approached me.
“Are you sure about this?”
“I’m not, but what choice do I have?”
I let out a small laugh and shook my head.
“Cheon Yujeong aside, I personally need to witness that Bongseon Ritual with my own eyes.”
“See it with your own eyes?”
“If I see it once, it’ll be easier to stop it the next time a proper ritual is performed.”
“…!”
Gu Chil flinched at the cold determination he sensed from me.
“So… you’ve decided to ignore the aftermath?”
“That’s right.”
I looked beyond the sea and sneered.
“The ancestor who once saved me told me this— if the Bongseon Ritual succeeds, the world will suffer a great calamity.”
The Second Heavenly Demon must have witnessed that ritual firsthand and felt the magnitude of its power.
“That’s why, in exchange for saving my life, they asked me to stop that ritual.”
And they also asked me to save the pitiful bloodline trapped by fate.
“Didn’t you already accept that request?”
“That’s why you and I are still alive.”
I let out a short snort.
“But more important than my life… is Yura’s safety.”
Peace in the Central Plains? The safety of the world?
It’d be nice to protect them, but right now, they aren’t my top priority.
“I don’t intend to break my promise. But I don’t intend to actively intervene either.”
If Lord Baek Cheong’s Bongseon Ritual succeeded without issue, that would be ideal.
However, if the ritual were disrupted by external interference or for any other reason—
“I’ll help with the cleanup, but I have no intention of taking responsibility for the consequences.”
Gu Chil scratched the back of his short-cropped head.
“Well, this matter doesn’t really concern the cult anyway.”
On the surface, it looked like the Heaven-Defying Society was pursuing one of their long-standing goals.
But the essence of this matter was clearly an internal power struggle within the Heaven-Defying Society.
“On that note, there’s something I need you to do, Gu Chil.”
“Whatever it is, just give the word.”
Gu Chil nodded firmly with a serious expression.
* * *
I opened my eyes.
For some reason, I was on a familiar shoreline.
And the person squatting right in front of me was also someone I recognized.
“…Ancestor Ma?”
“Call me Sister, you brat.”
Whack!
My head shook from Ma Seoyeon’s spicy punch.