Chapter 280: Heart to Heart (3)
"The preparations for the ritual are nearly complete, my Lord."
"You’ve all done well."
Originally, Yoo Family's Sacred Mountain had only a quiet shrine halfway up the mountain. But with the wealth and manpower of the Baekga Trading Guild, it had been completely transformed into something beyond recognition, as splendid as could be.
Not only had the paths been meticulously paved, but stairs had also been laid from the entrance all the way to the peak.
In places where there had once been nothing but mountain trails, expensive sacred artifacts imbued with religious meaning had been placed here and there.
Lord Baek Cheong turned to her close aides and spoke.
"In this ritual, we shall pray for the empire’s stability and the peace of the people."
Everyone already knew this much, so there were no particular reactions.
"The ritual will be conducted in three days. Do not let your guard down until then."
"Yes, my Lord!"
The aides all responded in unison with a loud voice.
As they were about to begin the final touches for the ritual preparations, a voice transmission suddenly echoed in her mind.
—Seventh Heavenly Lord, we have a serious problem.
"……!"
Lord Baek Cheong’s expression stiffened.
Whenever Ilho addressed her as Seventh Heavenly Lord, it was always related to matters of the Society.
And when such a report came out of nowhere with that title, it usually carried an ominous sign.
—What’s the matter, Ilho?
—Third Heavenly Lord and his subordinates are on their way here.
—……What?
Feeling the gravity of the situation, she quickly questioned further.
—Was there any prior notice?
—None.
—Did you receive any word from Grand Heavenly Lord, Sixth Heavenly Lord, or anyone else?
—Had there been, I would have reported immediately, my Lord.
—…….
It might have been one thing if it were anyone else, but the arrival of Third Heavenly Lord here was never a good sign.
He was, by nature, a recluse uninterested in external affairs.
He only appeared when he had received a direct order from Grand Heavenly Lord.
'Or, when he comes to eliminate someone.'
The title of Imperial Lord meant nothing to Third Heavenly Lord.
Lord Baek Cheong bit her lower lip slightly.
'Why? Why is he targeting me? Is this Grand Heavenly Lord’s order?'
Over the past decade, she had served at Grand Heavenly Lord’s side as something of a secretary and had come to understand his tendencies.
If he had disapproved of this ritual, he would have given her a separate warning.
A sudden purge like this did not align with Grand Heavenly Lord’s character.
He showed no mercy to traitors, but if it wasn’t treason, he was the kind to leave even someone like the Colorful Flower Lord alone, who completely ignored summons.
'Grand Heavenly Lord isn’t behind this. Then who moved Third Heavenly Lord?'
It couldn’t be any of the newly appointed members of the Ten Heavenly Lords. It definitely wasn’t Second Heavenly Lord, Old Han.
That left only one possible suspect through process of elimination.
'…Sixth Heavenly Lord?'
Sixth Heavenly Lord Sangdo.
An elder of the Hainan Sect, a cultist who once corrupted Hainan Island, and the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Cult.
Yet beyond that, his hidden identity was that of the highest elder of the Baekga Trading Guild and the Imperial Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor.
'But why? Why would he…?'
After all, he was the one who had recommended her to the Heaven-Defying Society.
—Seventh Heavenly Lord, regardless of the reason, you must take action.
—…….
—The fact that Third Heavenly Lord is coming here is by no means a good omen. He has always been extremely indifferent to the Society’s matters.
Ilho, who had been by her side for a long time, knew well the basic tendencies of the Ten Heavenly Lords.
—Take action, you say…
A few possible options crossed her mind, but they were all meaningless. Her expression darkened at once.
It was then that Ilho made an unexpected suggestion.
—Abandon the Bongseon Ritual. Buy as much time as possible by fleeing, and in the meantime, seek help from Second Heavenly Lord.
—What? How do you know his whereabouts?
—I apologize. When he once infiltrated the Trading Guid, I secretly sent a few subordinates to track him.
—…….
Normally, she would have been furious at Ilho for tracking that person without permission.
But with her life on the line, she couldn’t afford to argue right now.
—Where is he now?
—He is in [……].
Gasp!
The place Ilho mentioned wasn’t too far from here.
But precisely because of that, she felt an even colder chill run through her.
—So, he has already found a clue.
Lord Baek Cheong sighed softly and murmured.
—It can’t be helped. Seek his assistance. But fleeing from here is not a wise choice.
Lord Baek Cheong was a wise leader.
Third Heavenly Lord’s movement was not a simple purge but something carried out under someone’s persuasion.
She judged that uncovering the reason behind this was the key to survival.
—The Bongseon Ritual is something I received Grand Heavenly Lord’s approval for. Even Third Heavenly Lord cannot kill me without a valid justification.
—You mean…
—The ritual will proceed as planned. Mobilize the Trading Guid’s forces to prepare for Third Heavenly Lord’s arrival. Also, gather the warriors and make thorough preparations for a surprise attack.
"Y-Yes, my Lord."
Once the decision was made, no objections were allowed.
That was the leadership style of Lord Baek Cheong.
However, there was still one more thing she needed to confirm.
—Seventh Heavenly Lord.
—What is it now?
—What about the ‘guests’?
Her expression faltered, as if she hadn’t considered that.
Inside her, the positions of Seventh Heavenly Lord Baek Ryeo and Lord Baek Cheong Ju Baek Ryeo collided.
After a brief moment of contemplation, she made her decision.
—Inform them of the situation and advise them to escape. Above all, Young Master Jin has fought Third Heavenly Lord before; he should know well how terrifying he is.
—Understood.
It was a considerable decision for Lord Baek Cheong.
Because he cherished that disciple, she wanted to let them leave alive if possible.
However.
Jin Yeomyung still showed no signs of waking.
Ilho had visited several times, but each time, Gu Chil had only come out with an apologetic expression, shaking his head.
In the end, Lord Baek Cheong had no choice but to give up on Jin Yeomyung’s escape.
She could conceal their identity for now, but what followed depended entirely on their own luck.
"Welcome, Third Heavenly Lord. It is an honor to have you join the Bongseon Ritual."
"Indeed, Seventh Heavenly Lord. It’s been a long time."
Just as she had expected, Gam Unbi did not immediately try to harm her upon seeing her.
"Still, this is unexpected. I thought you’d have run away by now. Hehehe…."
Even at such blunt words, her expression did not waver.
"I trust in Third Heavenly Lord’s character. Above all, you’re not the type to harm an innocent colleague without reason."
At those words, Gam Unbi rubbed his chin with a curious smile.
"Hmm, an innocent colleague, you say."
"……."
"Whether you’re innocent or not, someone else will decide that."
Twitch!
"By someone else… do you mean Sixth Heavenly Lord?"
"Who knows…."
Lord Baek Cheong felt an ominous chill from the strange smile on Gam Unbi’s face as he looked down at her.
"You’ll find out soon enough."
She realized something off about Gam Unbi’s actions.
"This isn’t like you, Third Heavenly Lord."
"What do you mean by that?"
"My awakened form cannot offer you any amusement. It isn’t designed for combat, after all."
Gam Unbi nodded without hesitation.
"I know. There’s no fun in fighting your petty illusion techniques or soul manipulation arts. It’d be like twisting a child’s neck."
"Then, why have you come here?"
"That Sixth Heavenly Lord fellow said something rather amusing."
"Something amusing?"
"He asked if I’d like to fight Heavenly Evil."
"……!?"
"To be precise, he promised I’d get to fight someone on the same level as Heavenly Evil. If I cooperated with his plans, that is."
"Is that… to purge me?"
Gam Unbi shook his head.
"No. My role is nothing more than the cleanup. Without Grand Heavenly Lord’s order, there’s no way I’d lay a hand on you, Seventh Heavenly Lord."
"Then…"
"But it seems Sixth Heavenly Lord holds quite a grudge against you."
As soon as those words fell—
Clang! Clang!
The two captains of the Golden Guards, who had been guarding her all this time, suddenly turned their swords on Lord Baek Cheong.
"…You two?"
"Forgive us, my Lord."
And it wasn’t just them.
The Golden Guards, who had loyally followed her until now, all turned on her at once, surrounding her.
For a moment, Lord Baek Cheong was left speechless at the betrayal of those she had trusted.
"M-My Lord!"
"My Lord!"
Belatedly, the warriors of the Trading Guid and her own guards drew their swords to defend her, but—
"Stand down!"
"Do you dare defy the Imperial Order?!"
The Golden Guards shouted in unison, invoking the authority of the Emperor.
Naturally, the others had no choice but to falter and step back at the mention of the Emperor’s decree.
A few, including Ilho and some of her personal warriors, ignored the command and charged forward, but—
"Ilho! No!"
Still far from their peak, they couldn’t withstand the attack from the other captains hidden among the Golden Guards and were quickly subdued.
"I-Ilho!"
She shouted toward the captains.
"What do you mean, Imperial Order?!"
"Exactly as it sounds, my Lord."
"Nonsense!"
She roared in anger at the captain’s words.
"You dare claim His Majesty ordered my death? Show me proof before you dare speak such lies!"
It was then.
"I shall explain it myself, my Lord."
A familiar but unwelcome voice.
"This voice… Master!"
Sixth Heavenly Lord revealed himself from among Gam Unbi’s disciples, who had been hiding his presence.
"Master! How could you do this to me?!"
Looking at her trembling body, Sixth Heavenly Lord let out a dry chuckle.
"My Lord, His Majesty still favors you deeply."
"Don’t tell me you’ve dared to twist the Emperor’s will…!"
"But such favoritism may bring discomfort to others."
Her mouth fell shut.
"W-What do you mean…?"
"For example, His Highness the Crown Prince."
She hadn’t expected the Crown Prince’s name to come up here.
"His Highness doesn’t particularly appreciate the existence of a Lord who receives unnecessary favoritism from His Majesty."
"……."
"More importantly, the Baekga Trading Guild, founded with Imperial capital, should not be led by someone outside the Crown Prince’s inner circle, don’t you think?"
As the Crown Prince’s Grand Mentor, it wasn’t strange for him to speak on the Crown Prince’s behalf.
However—
'Something is wrong!'
The current Emperor, who had taken the throne through a blood-soaked political struggle.
Naturally, he had no desire to repeat the same path, so he had long since appointed and supported a successor.
The Crown Prince’s authority was virtually untouchable.
And yet, he would go so far as to check someone like her?
Lord Baek Cheong bit her lip.
She had never imagined he would dare use the Crown Prince’s name to pressure her.
'But right now, I have no choice but to escape.'
Surprisingly, Gam Unbi didn’t seem particularly interested in whether she lived or died.
If so, there was still a chance!
Resolving herself, a strange energy began to gather in Lord Baek Cheong’s eyes.
"It’s the Evil Eye!"
"The Lord is using Soul Manipulation Art! Everyone, be on guard!"
Even though she held the title of Imperial Lord, the condition for joining the Heaven-Defying Society was to carry the bloodline of the Mythic Era.
From just above her tailbone, three translucent tails sprouted, and near her temples, equally translucent beast-like ears appeared.
Watching that transformation, Gam Unbi twisted his lips.
"Already at Three-Tail form, huh? Your talent isn’t all that bad."
"What shall we do, my Lord?"
His subordinates were poised to strike immediately, but Gam Unbi shook his head.
"Leave her be."
Even though chaos was breaking out in front of him, he stood there, staring blankly up at the sky as he muttered to himself.
"I’m in a good mood today. I have a feeling I might finally get to face a true opponent."
"……."
There was no solid reason behind his words, but such intuitions from Gam Unbi had rarely ever been wrong.
"Still, that Sixth Heavenly Lord bastard… he prepared the perfect excuse."
To him, all the talk about the Crown Prince and such was nothing more than a pretext.
But with that single excuse, Seventh Heavenly Lord had been trapped, branded a traitor, and was now under attack by the Golden Guards.
"Seize her!"
"She has defied the Imperial Order and is a traitor! Do not be deceived by her title as Lord—capture her!"
The Golden Guards’ assault was fierce, yet curiously, one side of their formation was left somewhat open.
Lord Baek Cheong immediately noticed the weakness and broke through in that direction, sprinting away.
The place she fled to was none other than the entrance of Yoo Family's Sacred Mountain.
Seeing this, Gam Unbi muttered softly.
"Hmm, in the end, it’s going exactly as Sixth Heavenly Lord planned."
Sixth Heavenly Lord had never intended to kill her in the first place.
The ritual he had planned for the Phoenix Ascension required a living, breathing sacrifice—not a corpse.
If they could capture her, that would be ideal. If not, they would drive her toward the ritual altar instead!
"Hah, this is exciting. Even if it’s flawed, I wonder just how far I can go against something that was once called a god…"
Suddenly.
Gam Unbi’s words stopped short.
His subordinates looked puzzled at their lord falling silent all of a sudden.
But the moment they turned their heads to where he was staring—
They widened their eyes in shock at the unexpected arrival of someone entirely unforeseen.
"I leave for a short while to pick a few flowers, and I come back to this mess. What in the world is going on here?"
"Hahaha…."
Gam Unbi’s expression lit up brightly.