Chapter 374: Treason (2)
Heavenly Demon Cult, somewhere deep and treacherous in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, where no signs of life could be detected.
“Kwaaaaah!”
Inside a cave concealed with natural terrain and an intricate web of formations, a scream of agony echoed out.
“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!”
Something resembling a human continuously howled in pain.
But there was no one to hear that scream.
Because he was not a living being in a physical sense.
“How, how, how, how?”
The voice repeatedly denied something.
“That was definitely the Grand Heavenly Lord’s technique. Then how did he... don’t tell me, the Grand Heavenly Lord betrayed me?”
He, who had been mumbling to himself blankly for a while, raised his head.
“No, that can’t be. There’s no way he would abandon me.”
“He’s the one who understands me, the one who understands someone like me, born into this backwards world.”
“There’s no way he’d carry out the plan without me. It would be impossible without me.”
The one who had been muttering endlessly to himself.
At some point,
His tone suddenly shifted, becoming mechanical.
“The plan... proceeds as scheduled.”
He coldly assessed his situation.
“My dominance has weakened considerably.”
The undoing technique of Han Yeong that Jin Yeomyung had used on him dealt far more critical damage than Jin Yeomyung had anticipated.
To the extent that the personality prepared in case of emergency had forcibly emerged.
“Though ahead of schedule, I will use the Cheon Clan to shake the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
“Using the chaos within the Cult, I will instigate the Great Orthodox-Demonic War and the Empire’s civil strife.”
“Using the blood spilled through it as a sacrifice... I shall resurrect the ancient beings that slumber.”
***
In the end, Master succeeded in capturing the Sword Demon who had fled to the southwest.
“How is he, disciple?”
“The brainwashing has been undone without any issue. However...”
Checking the Sword Demon’s condition, I answered with a slightly grim voice.
“His body and mind are both terribly damaged. At this rate, we don’t know when he’ll regain consciousness.”
“Hmm…”
‘So much for the effort to rescue him.’
I clicked my tongue softly in frustration.
In that short span of time, whether he’d endured cruel torture or not, his body was cracked, and even his mind was damaged.
With this condition, no one could guarantee when he would awaken.
“Clan Leader!”
From afar, Ma Chulsoo and the warriors of the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan arrived, having received the delayed message.
I explained to Ma Chulsoo, who was checking the Sword Demon’s condition, a rough summary of what had happened.
“The Clan Leader... was struck down by the King of the Underworld?”
“……”
“I can’t believe it. No matter what, the Clan Leader…”
If the enemy had been Cheon Jumun, that would make sense—but there was no reason to speak it aloud and wound the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan’s pride.
To the still-confused Ma Chulsoo, I said,
“Ma Chulsoo.”
“What is it?”
“From now on, you need to keep your mind sharp.”
“……!”
“With the Sword Demon unconscious, you’re now acting Clan Leader of the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan.”
Thud.
Feeling the weight of that title, Ma Chulsoo clenched his fist tightly.
“What should I do?”
“Stabilize the core of the clan without fail.”
Given the Sword Demon’s current state, the Blood Dragon Demonic Clan would almost certainly fall into disarray.
“A storm of blood will soon blow through the Cult.”
“A storm of blood… you say?”
“Yes.”
“More blood will flow than when the former Cult Leader expelled the Heavenly Illusion Clan...”
“……!”
Ma Chulsoo’s face hardened.
As the one who had become the Demonic Faction Lord, I was not in a position to speak carelessly, even about small matters.
And precisely because of that, such words weighed heavily on those around me.
“What in the world are you trying to do?”
What else? The goal of what I was about to do was one and the same.
“The normalization of the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
***
Henan, Murim Alliance.
With the growing aggression of the demonic faction, the mood in the Murim Alliance had worsened to its lowest point.
“Damn it, this feels disgusting.”
One martial artist spat out a curse.
The elites, who normally should have long been out on the battlefield, were spending their days doing nothing within the Murim Alliance due to internal circumstances.
“I heard those Evil Overlords of Heaven bastards have pushed all the way into Shaanxi…”
“What the hell is the Alliance Leader doing?”
“It’s not the Alliance Leader, it’s the Military Advisor. That guy keeps blocking deployments using the demonic faction as an excuse.”
“No, the fact that the Alliance Leader can’t do anything about the Military Advisor means it is his problem.”
Complaints poured out from all corners.
And it wasn’t just them.
Most of the Murim Alliance’s warriors carried out their daily routines under an atmosphere of heavy gloom.
Despite the demonic factions pressing in from the south and west, the Murim Alliance was becoming embroiled in an outright factional dispute as the conflict between Alliance Leader Gwan Hyun and Military Advisor Jegal Cheon surfaced.
In truth, a mere Military Advisor had no grounds to challenge the Alliance Leader.
With even the faintest breath of the Alliance Leader, a Military Advisor would normally be swept away like dust in a storm.
Yet for some reason, things weren’t proceeding so easily this time.
Suddenly, a majority of the Nine Orthodox Sects turned their backs on the Alliance Leader and declared support for Jegal Cheon, flipping the situation entirely.
“Damn those orthodox sect bastards… what the hell are they thinking?”
Of the Nine Orthodox Sects, Azure Star Sect, Jeomchang Sect, Gongdong Sect, Jongnam Sect, and the Beggars’ Sect had declared support for Military Advisor Jegal Cheon.
Shaolin, the mountain of the martial world, remained neutral. Wudang, Gwan Hyun’s own sect, was excluded for obvious reasons.
Under these circumstances, the only ones supporting Gwan Hyun were the Emei Sect, Mount Hua Sect, and the Kunlun Sect.
The problem was that, aside from Mount Hua, both Emei and Kunlun were based in remote regions of the Central Plains—Sichuan and Qinghai Province.
There was no way they could provide significant support to the Alliance Leader in the current situation.
“How’s the atmosphere among the Five Great Clans?”
“It’s about the same. Namgung remains silent, the Tang Clan is busy defending its main base—as you know. Peng Clan is close with that Jegal bastard, so they’re going wild, backing him…”
The martial artist who answered let out a deep sigh.
“The outside world’s turning to chaos, and honestly, I’m not even sure we’ll get a chance to fight.”
“...Damn it.”
Every warrior clenched their teeth and sighed.
It had already been nearly four months since the rise of the Evil Overlords of Heaven.
Under the command of the newly appointed Lord of Luoyang, Lee Jaseong, the Evil Overlords of Heaven surged into Sichuan with unstoppable momentum, but they were unexpectedly met with fierce resistance from the Sichuan martial sects—Tang Clan, Emei Sect, and Azure Star Sect.
In particular, the Tang Clan used the advantage of their home territory to go completely on the defensive.
The Evil Overlords of Heaven suffered heavy losses from their poisons, hidden weapons, and mechanical formations, and were eventually forced to retreat.
After several clashes, the Blazing Heavenly King judged the defensive lines to be impenetrable and turned toward Shaanxi, blocking off Hanzhong, the entrance to Sichuan.
And the martial world of Shaanxi, still recovering from the last Great War with the Demonic Cult, was once again struck by the calamity of the Evil Overlords of Heaven.
“I heard Shaanxi has turned into a complete mess.”
“Gongdong Sect clashed with the demonic bastards before and nearly collapsed.”
“I also heard Mount Hua and Jongnam Sect aren’t doing well.”
“But the Jongnam bastards are siding with the Military Advisor who’s refusing deployment...”
“It’s the end times, I swear.”
All the warriors stared resentfully toward the Alliance Leader’s quarters, the heart of the Murim Alliance.
Even though none of this was necessarily the Alliance Leader’s fault, when an organization starts to break down, the blame naturally falls on the one at the top.
And just as dissatisfaction toward the Alliance Leader was building among the warriors—
An incident finally erupted in the Murim Alliance.
“The situation is dire, Alliance Leader.”
“……”
“We must remove him, even if it means facing fierce opposition.”
“As the Vice-Chief of Internal Affairs said, Jegal’s influence has grown dangerously overwhelming.”
Those known as the Alliance Leader’s faction all urged him to take action against Jegal Cheon.
But Gwan Hyun sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“That’s not something so easily done...”
As someone who knew Jegal Cheon’s true identity, Gwan Hyun was well aware of just how close to impossible removing him truly was.
“Damn it.”
Gwan Hyun ground his teeth inwardly.
Did he not want to rip that bastard apart hundreds, thousands of times over?
But with ‘hostages’ taken, there was no way to make a move.
Just then—
Murmur, murmur!
“…What’s that?”
Along with the noise rising outside—
Crash!
The meeting room door of the Alliance Leader’s quarters was shattered as dozens of martial artists stormed in.
“W-what is this?!”
“Y-you people!”
Every single one of them was at the elder level from the Nine Orthodox Sects and the Five Great Clans.
‘So it’s come at last.’
Gwan Hyun bit his lip.
And shortly after, among the intruders, Military Advisor Jegal Cheon appeared, escorted by disciples of the Wudang Sect.
“You’ve picked up quite a few neck tattoos since I last saw you, Military Advisor.”
Just as he said, unfamiliar spell markings were faintly visible along Jegal Cheon’s nape.
But Jegal Cheon ignored the remark and stared straight at Gwan Hyun.
“Alliance Leader Gwan Hyun. For negligence and dereliction of duty, I hereby strip you of your position as Murim Alliance Leader.”
“What nonsense is this?!”
“You people! What do you think you’re doing?!”
The elders from the Alliance Leader’s faction all drew their swords at once.
However—
“Well. You can resist if you want...”
Thump. Thump.
Jegal Cheon tapped the shoulder of a Wudang first-generation disciple beside him.
“Still, we ought to care for the safety of our disciples, don’t you think? Hm?”
“……”
There was no focus in the eyes of that Wudang first-generation disciple.
Grind—
The sound of Gwan Hyun’s teeth gritting escaped his lips.
Every one of Jegal Cheon’s escorts had secretly undergone the Awakened Body procedure.
True loyalists of Wudang, who bore personal disgrace without hesitation for the glory of their sect.
Yet for some reason, they had lost their reason and become puppets at Jegal Cheon’s command.
“You bastard, Military Advisor…”
“This all happened because you didn’t listen, Fifth Heavenly Lord.”
Jegal Cheon clicked his tongue softly.
“Take him away. If he resists…”
Grin.
A vile crescent-shaped smirk curved on Jegal Cheon’s lips.
“Have him take his own life—guilty of having such a disgrace for a Sect Leader.”
“……!!”
Gwan Hyun’s face twisted into a demonic grimace.
The Wudang first-generation disciples all began to approach Gwan Hyun at once.
“J-Jeon Hwi…”
“……”
Gwan Hyun’s lips trembled faintly.
The disciple at the very front was none other than Jeon Hwi, the one who had understood his intentions more than anyone.
He could have shaken them off if he wanted.
If he made up his mind, he could have fought them.
But in doing so, all his first-generation disciples—those more precious to him than life—would die.
In effect, the future of Wudang would be annihilated.
Sensing this, Gwan Hyun finally lowered his head.
“Take him away.”
Having given up resistance, Gwan Hyun was taken away by the Wudang first-generation disciples.
Once the Alliance Leader was subdued so easily, the rest of his faction's elders met a similar end.
Thus, Jegal Cheon, who had ousted the Alliance Leader in a single stroke, slouched into the chair he had once sat in.
“Any other special reports?”
To his question, Jeok Ho, an elder of Azure Star Sect, responded with a cautious glance.
“There is one among the Wudang first-generation disciples, a man named Jeon Seok. He has been missing for some time.”
“Jeon Seok? Ah, the one who didn’t undergo the Awakened Body procedure…”
After a moment of thought, Jegal Cheon shook his head.
“Well, one guy doesn’t matter. Send word to Wudang to eliminate him. He wouldn’t have run straight to Black Lotus Union or the Demonic Cult, would he?”
“Understood.”
“We’ll move slowly once Shaanxi is breached. No need to worry. The Evil Overlords of Heaven will end up as sacrifices for your glory.”
At those words, the faces of the Nine Orthodox Sect elders lit up.
Though things had gone poorly in Sichuan, considering the Evil Overlords of Heaven’s strength, Shaanxi would soon fall.
And they would become the righteous heroes who stood against the Evil Overlords of Heaven!
While the elders of the orthodox sects were filled with hope—
Jegal Cheon frowned and touched the spell markings on the back of his neck.
“Damn it, I need to find a way to restore the connection with the main body…”
Just then—
“M-Military Advisor! Urgent news!”
A messenger from the Silver Spy Unit, the Murim Alliance’s intelligence branch, burst into the room in a panic.
“What is it?”
Jegal Cheon’s face twisted at the messenger’s next words.
“It’s Black Lotus Union! Master of the Black Lotus Hall, Demonic Sword Flower, is personally leading an army toward Shaanxi!”