Chapter 349: Evil Refining Sect (2)
While the Evil Refining Sect was indulging in their grand festival of blood and depravity.
"Stop right there, you bastards!"
A thunderous roar struck their eardrums like a hammer.
"W-What the hell?"
The priests of the Evil Refining Sect, who had been basking in their wicked pleasure, frowned at the sudden roar.
The High Priest standing at the center recognized the intruder and rose from his seat.
"Well, if it isn’t Mad Annihilation Monk?"
Clearly intoxicated with alcohol and drugs, the High Priest curled his lips into a smirk as he stared at Cheon Gokchu with unfocused eyes.
"High Priest! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!"
"What do you mean what? We are merely holding a ritual for our god, are we not?"
Cheon Gokchu knew all too well how a so-called Evil Refining Sect-style ritual was conducted.
After all, he had learned the sect’s martial arts despite knowing exactly what they were.
But even so.
"Do you think the Cult will stand by and do nothing after you’ve drenched hundreds of li with blood?!"
He had tracked the traces of the Evil Refining Sect only to discover a massive massacre near Qinghai.
The sight of that hellish slaughter of the innocent made Cheon Gokchu feel as though he was about to lose his mind.
"Heh, one might think you were a hero from the righteous sects. What does it matter to you what we do?"
At those words, Cheon Gokchu's face turned red with fury.
"There is a boundary to everything, a code that even the wicked should not cross! Do you truly believe it’s acceptable to spill this much blood among civilians?!"
In the past, while the Evil Refining Sect had harmed civilians, their targets were usually merchants or martial sects.
With a look of annoyance, the High Priest waved his hand dismissively.
"How laughable, seeing you—a fellow cultist trained in the Evil Refining Sect’s martial arts—fuming like that. Besides, I heard you’re preparing for your Golden Farewell. Wouldn’t it be better to retire quietly and enjoy your remaining years?"
"Shut your mouth! I will not stand by and watch the Evil Refining Sect—where I once spent my youth—fall into such depravity!"
Clap!
As Cheon Gokchu pressed his palms together, an immense wave of violet qi unique to the Evil Refining Sect began to radiate from his body.
Mad Demon Annihilation Technique
Violet Demon Qi
Though he had not reached the Extreme Demon Realm, Cheon Gokchu's experience and mastery allowed him to contend even with those on that level.
The High Priest clicked his tongue as he witnessed it.
"Tsk! I had intended to send you off peacefully out of respect for you being the former Cult Leader’s disciple… but here you are, begging for punishment."
Those words made Cheon Gokchu's expression harden.
"What? Did something happen to the Cult Leader… to my brother?!"
"Isn’t it obvious? Holding onto the Cult Leader’s seat at that age… isn’t that just pure greed?"
"You bastard! Just how much filth have you dragged into the Sect?!"
Cheon Gokchu launched his massive Violet Demon Qi toward the High Priest.
"Hmph!"
The High Priest was one of the twenty peak masters who supported the Evil Refining Sect.
Even so, he wasn’t someone who could be taken down in a single strike.
Boom!
"Kugh!"
However, the difference in raw strength was undeniable. Blood trickled down from the High Priest’s lips after receiving the blow.
"Kill him!"
The priests, who had come to their senses too late, all charged at Cheon Gokchu in unison.
But.
"Ha ha ha! Do you fools really think you can lay a finger on me with that pathetic level of skill?!"
The priests, too drunk on their ritual, were far from being in a proper state, whether mentally or physically.
"Aaargh!"
"P-Please spare me!"
One after another, the priests fell victim to Cheon Gokchu’s devastating qi, their bodies piling up in carnage. Watching the massacre unfold, the Mister clicked his tongue softly.
"Tsk tsk!"
At this rate, he was about to lose everything without even recovering his initial investment.
The Mister raised his hand and murmured quietly.
"Kill him."
The moment those words fell.
Two gigantic shadows loomed over Cheon Gokchu.
***
Three years had passed.
The entire Heavenly Demon Cult remained restless in the wake of Cheon Yura’s public declaration.
As the Demonic Faction Lord, I had remained busier than ever.
As usual, I was in my office within the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, buried in paperwork, when I received an unexpected guest.
"Lady Baek?! What brings you here?"
Although the Guardian Lions had notified me in advance, seeing her in person still left me stunned.
She, the Master of the Black Lotus Union, who should have been as busy as I was, had come all the way here?
"What else? I’m here to capture that runaway Master So Cheon."
"……Pardon?"
"Well, that’s just an excuse."
She gave me a complicated glare before letting out a heavy sigh.
"First of all, congratulations on your marriage."
"Ah… Thank you, Lady."
I knew all too well how Baek Sang-ah felt about me.
But my heart had always been set in a single direction, and I had no intention of wavering.
I had consistently rejected her feelings, and she had seemed to accept it in her own way.
Regrettable as it was, all I could do was hope that she had finally moved on for good.
With a serious expression, she continued.
"I came here, first, to congratulate Lady Cheon on becoming the Cult Leader, and second, to discuss the future of the Black Lotus Union."
"Hmm…."
To be honest, the Black Lotus Union had been something I had practically forced onto her.
Since she had been saddled with that troublesome organization so suddenly, she would have been justified in throwing it all away and returning to the Namcheon Pa Clan.
"As you know, the Black Lotus Union has now firmly established itself in the Central Plains. But…."
Her expression grew heavy.
"I can’t remain as its Master forever. And Grandfather Saber King even more so."
"……."
Currently, the three core figures leading the Black Lotus Union all hailed from prestigious righteous sects.
"Though Eun doesn’t hold much status in her family and seems content with her current life, it’s different for Grandfather Saber King."
"…That’s true."
"Especially after the Clan Leader of the Bukcheon Geom Clan was ambushed, Grandfather Saber King still hasn’t been able to return to his clan."
Naturally, they couldn’t keep Saber King bound to the Black Lotus Union forever.
"Lady, do you wish to step down as the Master of the Black Lotus Union?"
“Hmm….”
Her expression turned somewhat ambiguous.
After a brief silence, she spoke again.
"It’s not that I’m dissatisfied with how things are. But if I step down someday without securing a proper successor, the Black Lotus Union will quickly slip out of the Cult’s influence."
It was different from the past when their power was still clumsily gathered.
Now, the Black Lotus Union had firmly established its structure, and in just a few more years, it would boast organizational strength comparable to Sapaecheon or Sadosung.
By then, the Black Lotus Union could easily free itself from the shadow of the Cult.
"……."
I quietly observed Baek Sang-ah's face.
For some reason, she looked somewhat weary.
Taking charge of the Black Lotus Union had been a result of both her sense of duty to oppose the Heaven-Defying Society and her feelings for me.
But now that one of those reasons had disappeared… she naturally had less motivation to continue bearing that burden.
Indeed, I could not keep demanding such sacrifices from her forever.
I nodded solemnly.
"I understand."
"……."
"I will do my best to find your successor as soon as possible."
I stood up and bowed deeply toward her.
"I am always grateful to you, Lady, for accepting this unreasonable burden I pushed onto you."
She gazed silently at me for a moment before murmuring quietly.
"…That’s not really the answer I wanted…."
"Sorry?"
"It’s nothing."
Whoosh!
She abruptly turned around.
"See you next time."
Leaving those words behind, she walked straight out of my office.
"……."
Even after she left, I kept staring at the door with a complicated expression on my face.
"Haa…."
Baek Sang-ah sat on the mountainside near the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, her head hanging low.
"What the hell was I whining about… to someone who’s already so busy…."
It was true that watching Jin Yeomyung and Cheon Yura’s wedding had left her drained.
It was also true that it had dulled her motivation.
Part of her just wanted to throw everything away and retreat to her family’s estate for a few years.
But then, she recalled that moment when the world seemed on the brink of collapse at the final battle on Yoo Family's Sacred Mountain.
Back then, Jin Yeomyung had borne all the burden alone and returned in tatters.
Thinking of that, she knew she couldn’t afford to be whining like this.
Above all, hadn’t she already foreseen the great upheaval about to sweep across the Central Plains with the change of leadership in Sapaecheon?
"God, I’m such an idiot…."
"Who is?"
"Who do you think? It’s me—ah!"
Baek Sang-ah flinched at the voice that came without a trace of presence.
Flash!
Her instincts, honed under Salma’s brutal training, drove her hand straight toward the intruder’s neck.
Sssssss!
Her hand was coated with a dark sword qi.
King-Slaying Blade
Moon Soul Strike
A technique developed by So Cheon himself, designed to bypass defensive qi!
But her strike only barely grazed the intruder’s neck.
"…Yo, Young Master So Cheon?!"
So Cheon casually brushed his collar where the fine line had appeared, pouting as he grumbled.
"You realize that if it wasn’t me, anyone else would be dead by now, right?"
Realizing she had nearly killed him, Baek Sang-ah shamelessly covered her face with her hand.
"Young Master So Cheon! Where on earth have you been?"
"Where do you think?"
His expression turned even more sour.
"You seriously have the nerve to ask me where I’ve been, after you ditched me to go drinking with someone else?"
Flinch!
Feeling guilty, Baek Sang-ah couldn’t come up with any excuse.
"I mean seriously! Do you know how much I suffered in the back alleys of Miok Fortress without being able to go anywhere?!"
"Uh… I-I’m sorry?"
She knew there was no excuse for forgetting about So Cheon while binge drinking for days with Sa Biyeon.
Then, So Cheon suddenly said something unexpected.
"Alright, if you’re sorry, buy me a drink."
"Drink? It’s still daylight."
"So what? I’m sure there are plenty of taverns open during the day in Miok Fortress."
"……."
For some reason, Baek Sang-ah felt like So Cheon was trying to cheer her up.
Heh!
She let out a soft laugh and smiled faintly.
"Sure."
She really did feel like drinking would go down especially well in her current mood.
As she started descending the mountain with So Cheon, a thought crossed her mind.
"By the way, what exactly did you go through in those back alleys?"
To be honest, with So Cheon’s martial prowess, there was no way he could have suffered anywhere.
In fact, he could have easily stormed into a small sect or clan and taken over, and no one would have dared to stop him.
"……."
"Young Master So Cheon? Why are you avoiding my gaze?"
So Cheon sealed his lips tight.
Even after she pressed him several times, he never gave her an answer.
After all, he could never admit that he had spent that time living like a gigolo, eating and drinking whatever the courtesans brought him in some brothel.
***
"Cult Leader, there is something you must see immediately."
"What is it?"
As Cheon Yura was tending to her duties as usual, she frowned at the sudden report from the Left Guardian.
"The Evil Refining Sect has sent an envoy, but… um…."
"That doesn’t sound like you, Left Guardian. Speak clearly."
At Cheon Yura’s stern command, Wang Cheongeol, the Left Guardian, quickly bowed his head.
"My apologies! It is simply such a dreadful matter…."
Another Guardian Lion soon appeared, carrying a letter and a wooden box about the size of a human torso.
A faint stench of blood and metal drifted from the box, making Cheon Yura wrinkle her nose in disgust.
"What is that?"
With a grim face, Wang Cheongeol replied.
"It is the head of Mad Annihilation Monk Cheon Gokchu, one of the Elders of the Cheon Clan who was scheduled to retire."
"…What?"
Cheon Yura’s eyes twisted with fury in an instant.
"The Evil Refining Sect has declared war on the Cult."