Chapter 365: A Fatal Poison (4)
The promise he referred to was the secret pact that if he acted as a spy for the Council of Seven Elders, he would be elevated to the position of Great Elder.
However, given Cheon Rain’s indecisive nature, I expected he would try to delay the decision further…
I grasped Cheon Rain’s aged hand with a bright smile.
“Of course, Third Elder. The Cult Leader also said there was no one more suited to be the next Great Elder than you.”
“Oh! The Cult Leader said that?!”
Of course, Yura had never said such a thing even once.
But by deliberately mentioning Yura myself, it served as a political gesture indicating that even the Cult Leader supported him.
“Of course, Third Elder taking the position of Great Elder means…”
“That a major restructuring of the Council of Seven Elders will be necessary. I’m fully aware of that, of course.”
Twitch!
The moment Cheon Rain forcibly continued my sentence, I felt something was off.
The Cheon Rain I knew wasn’t the type to willingly take risks like this.
‘Something’s going on.’
There must have been a critical incident in the Council of Seven Elders that made Cheon Rain change his mind.
“Your Grace.”
Cheon Rain lowered his tone and spoke solemnly.
“There are unsettling movements occurring within the Council of Seven Elders.”
“Unsettling movements?”
“You may not know, coming from the Jin Clan, but in the Cheon Clan, there is one named Cheon Juchun… a figure whose grave past crime led to his record being erased.”
“…Who, did you say?”
At that moment, I had to exert immense effort just to maintain my smiling expression.
“Cheon Juchun. He’s of the same generation as the Commander of the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad and the Leader of the Heavenly Thunder Corps. A member of the Heavenly Brain Clan, a lineage treated with particular regard even within the Cheon Clan.”
“Please, continue.”
“Ahem! Originally, he had been branded a traitor by the Cult, but this time, he suddenly appeared at a Council of Seven Elders meeting.”
And the surprises didn’t end there.
Cheon Rain leaned in and whispered in a very low voice.
“He used the Heaven-Slaying Poison to incapacitate First Elder and has imprisoned him somewhere, effectively taking control of the Council of Seven Elders.”
“……”
“And he had the gall to bypass the hierarchy and entrusted the Council to that bastard, Fourth Elder.”
At that point, Cheon Rain expressed strong displeasure.
That was essentially the reason he had turned against the Council of Seven Elders, but to me, it didn’t strike as all that significant.
What mattered more was...
“You’re saying First Elder was imprisoned? Poisoned by the Heaven-Slaying Poison?”
“That’s right.”
Cheon Rain briefly explained what had happened at the time.
“It was likely the doing of Fourth Elder. During the meeting, he was the one closest to First Elder, and more importantly, he seemed to be secretly communicating with Cheon Juchun.”
“……”
If First Elder had truly been afflicted by the Heaven-Slaying Poison, then his life as a martial artist was effectively over.
At least he survived — I suppose we should consider that a relief.
‘So they crossed the line first. Now they’re daring us to do the same, is that it?’
Cheon Juchun of all people… so now the Heaven-Defying Society is being fully entangled in Cult affairs?
That lingering unease in my heart felt completely dispelled.
“So, what action does the Cheon Clan plan to take? Will you raise an army to strike the Heavenly Demon Pavilion?”
“Hmm, that won’t be the case.”
“It won’t?”
“A few people did argue for such action. But what that man proposed to us was…”
Cheon Rain began recalling what happened at the time.
“Mobilize all of the Thirty-Four Demon Squads and the Secret Division under the Cheon Clan! Before they can even react properly, wipe out the Guardian Hall dogs and drag that wench of a Cult Leader down!”
One of the younger elders, the Sixth Elder, aggressively insisted on open confrontation.
Cheon Juchun smiled and asked him,
“Do you intend to ruin everything?”
“W-what was that?!”
“You do realize that if you mobilize all your forces, the Cult Leader will immediately detect the movement, right?”
“But the Cult Leader is not in her right mind right now. There’s no way she can respond properly.”
The Sixth Elder’s argument wasn’t entirely without merit, but Cheon Juchun shook his head.
“The Cult Leader is not alone. ‘That man’ is by her side. It’s virtually impossible to move against the Cult Leader without first dealing with him.”
“……”
The room fell into silence.
A monstrous figure said to have reached the Transcendent Demon Realm in his twenties — an unprecedented realm.
Although it ended inconclusively due to the Cult Leader’s intervention, his duel with the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad commander was essentially a victory.
“But that man is currently outside…”
“And though his official activities have lessened, our dear Jumun is still in the Cult. Is there anyone here confident they can face him?”
“Mm!”
“Ahem!”
All the elders of the Council of Seven Elders coughed and averted their gazes.
Even Jin Yeomyung aside, the one who was more troublesome than the Sword Demon when it came to facing him head-on was none other than the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad commander, Cheon Jumun.
The number one of the Cheon Clan.
He had not earned that title for nothing.
“A direct confrontation with the Cult Leader? Do it if you want. I won’t stop you. But if you do, the Cheon Clan will be left as nothing but a shell and be devoured by the Six Great Demonic Clans.”
“……”
“……”
The elders’ expressions all contorted with discomfort.
Fourth Elder spoke on their behalf.
“Then what do you propose we do?”
“If we wish to move against the Cult Leader, we must first deal with those around her.”
“Around her?”
Cheon Juchun spread his fan and covered his mouth with a slight smirk.
“We must sever the connection between that man supporting the Cult Leader and the Six Great Demonic Clans that stand with him. Then politically isolate both the Cult Leader and that man completely. Until she cannot bear it and crosses the line herself once again.”
“Hmmm!”
“But how? Virtually the entire Six Great Demonic Clans are united around him…”
“And as you know, the Cheon Clan isn’t in a position to interfere directly with Cult affairs.”
We reign, but do not rule.
Not exactly the same, but that was the role the Cheon Clan had settled into over the past thousand years.
“There is a way.”
All eyes turned to Cheon Juchun.
“That is, to give all our strength to the one who will become our excellent hunting dog.”
“A hunting dog?”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Have you all forgotten? There’s only one person who, though born of the Cheon Clan, broke away and built immense influence outside.”
“……”
“……”
The elders fell silent once again.
Their expressions were all tinged with discomfort.
Fourth Elder furrowed his brow and spat out the name of the person in question.
“Cheon Jumyeong…”
Heavenly Thunder Corps Leader, Demonic Gentleman Cheon Jumyeong.
A figure who held one of the Five Great Halls of the cult, and possessed the authority to attend the Elders' Assembly.
Indeed, if it was him, he was undoubtedly the best card available at this point to keep the Cult Leader in check.
“But didn’t he become the Heavenly Thunder Corps Leader because he served as the Cult Leader’s nanny?”
“Supporting someone who’s effectively cut ties with the main family is a bit…”
What made the elders of the Cheon Clan hesitate was none other than this.
Cheon Jumyeong had secured a position of prestige outside, but within the Cheon Clan itself, he held almost no sway.
That was because he himself had deliberately distanced from the Cheon Clan.
Their relationship wasn’t hostile, but neither was it friendly—a vague and indifferent connection.
“There’s no need to worry about that.”
Cheon Juchun fanned himself lightly with a satisfied smile.
“The Jumyeong I saw again had become someone burning with ambition, quite unlike before.”
“…Ambition?”
“The ambition to reach the summit.”
“……!”
“Heh, that scholar who once wasted time stuck to his desk has turned into a full-fledged ambitious man… It was truly delightful.”
In truth, Cheon Juchun had gone to visit Cheon Jumyeong once.
Cheon Jumun had declared his intention to kill him outright, but Jumyeong hadn’t gone that far. Still, Juchun had braced himself for at least some confrontation.
But when they met again, Cheon Jumyeong didn’t show any particular hostility toward Cheon Juchun.
He simply told him to get lost before he summoned his troops.
Through the twisted conversation that followed, Cheon Juchun realized that Cheon Jumyeong had changed a bit from the past.
And in his eyes, there was something—an unfamiliar kind of ‘desire’—that hadn’t been there before.
Cheon Juchun interpreted that desire as ambition.
“In any case, Jumyeong lacks nothing when it comes to becoming the next Cult Leader.”
His martial skills were a bit lacking, but they were sufficient to stand against the Eight Armies of the Central Plains.
“Ahem! That is…”
“Oh, I know. I have no intention of interfering with which faction of the Cheon Clan will produce the next Cult Leader. I merely commented on his qualifications.”
Cheon Juchun looked around at the Cheon Clan elders and asked,
“So, does anyone object to my proposal?”
“……”
Of course, there wasn’t.
Not only was it no disadvantage to them—
The fact that First Elder, who had always seemed as immovable as Mount Tai, had collapsed so pathetically was enough to strike deep fear even in the hearts of elders of the Seven Elders' level.
“Cheon Jumyeong…”
After hearing everything from Cheon Rain, I sank into thought.
If the Cheon Clan truly allied with Cheon Jumyeong, it would result in the birth of the worst possible enemy.
‘If he has the backing of the Cheon Clan, Cheon Jumyeong won’t even need to wait for the Heavenly Thunder Corps to reach full strength.’
It would be only a matter of time before the nightmare from my past life repeated itself.
But Cheon Jumyeong wasn’t the only problem.
‘Cheon Juchun. He’s surely scheming in various parts of the cult.’
That creature, presumed to be a psychic swarm entity, wouldn’t be finished just because one terminal was destroyed.
I didn’t know how many units he could control at once, but the fact that he had infiltrated the Cheon Clan and produced results could not be ignored.
‘How amusing. So he’s planning to spread poison throughout the cult?’
Needless to say, I had no intention of turning a blind eye to such schemes.
“There’s something I urgently need you to do, Third Elder.”
“Hmph! Just speak. Since I’ve chosen to board this ship with you, I’ll help you to the end.”
That creature wouldn’t simply stop at empowering Cheon Jumyeong. He would undoubtedly try to reach out to many connected to me.
After hearing my request, Cheon Rain nodded.
But I didn’t stop there.
I summoned Gu Chil and the Guardian Lions to give them several additional instructions.
Thus began the battle of wits between me and Cheon Juchun.
***
Swaaah!
One of the Eight Great Demon Peaks, Blood Heaven Sword Peak.
Near this Blood Heaven Sword Peak, where the main house of the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan was located, there was a place where a long waterfall flowed.
However, it was a place even the warriors of the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan could not enter carelessly.
That was because it was the training ground of none other than the current Clan Leader of the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan, Sword Demon Ma Seonghwan.
“Who goes there.”
Ma Seonghwan, who had been meditating under the waterfall, slowly opened his eyes.
In his view appeared a young man—familiar, yet unfamiliar.
“It’s been a while, Ma Seonghwan.”
“…You.”
“Heh, I’m glad to see you’re doing well. I heard you restored Heaven-Slaying Star, but the outcome afterward wasn’t so great. That’s unfortunate.”
Twitch.
The corner of Ma Seonghwan’s eye twisted slightly.
“Did you come here to die, Heavenly Researcher?”
Chchchchch!
Responding to his will, the sword resting nearby floated up into the air.
Though he had lost one arm, a mere sorcerer barely reaching the edge of the Extreme Demon Realm could be taken down with sword control alone.
“Heh, please listen. I came today to offer you a proposal you cannot refuse. Just like ‘back then’.”
“Silence. Just die.”
As if tolerating no compromise, Ma Seonghwan’s sword drew a dark red line through the air and shot toward Cheon Juchun’s forehead.
At that moment—
“Do you not wish to see Martial Perfection?”
Fwit!
The instant those words were spoken, Ma Seonghwan’s sword stopped before Cheon Juchun’s forehead as if it were a lie.
“…What do you mean by that?”
"Exactly what I said. The realm you could never reach no matter how hard you tried your entire life—Heaven-Destroying Breakthrough. The realm of the Heavenly Demon."
Smirk.
An unfathomable sense of triumph flickered at the corner of Cheon Juchun’s lips.
“Do you not desire… to reach that realm?”