Chapter 426: Heavenly Timing (5)
"How did you find out?"
Cheon Juchun’s expression hardened.
Regardless of the trust he felt toward the other party, the location of his true body had been perfectly hidden from everyone.
There was only one person who knew where it was.
"As expected."
Cheon Jumyeong closed his eyes.
For a moment, memories from the past flashed before his eyes like a lantern carousel.
Indeed, just as he said, there was a time when he had vowed to surpass even the Heavenly Brain Clan and become the real power behind the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
However, that vow had been crushed—not by anyone else, but by Cheon Juchun’s betrayal.
"You asked how I knew?"
"……."
The strange dissonance that emanated from Cheon Jumyeong created wariness on Cheon Juchun’s face.
"Because someone told me."
"Who was it?"
Cheon Juchun’s expression began to show signs of agitation.
"Brother."
Instead of answering, Cheon Jumyeong called out to Cheon Juchun.
A self-deprecating smile formed on his lips.
"Just as you dedicated your life to the pursuit of knowledge, I too gave mine to someone."
"Absurd."
Cheon Juchun knew very well who that "someone" Cheon Jumyeong referred to was.
"Still holding onto a woman who’s already dead and belonged to someone else?"
"But what can I do?"
Pop!
Cheon Jumyeong’s fan snapped open.
"Her face still vividly appears before my eyes, refusing to fade."
Cheon Juchun couldn’t see Cheon Jumyeong’s face hidden behind the fan.
But he could clearly feel the emotions.
Regret, pity, and a thirst for revenge.
"I swore I would get revenge on the one who used the Heart-Demon Soul Repression Art on her. It’s a very old vow."
"So now you’re saying you’ll take that revenge on me? Me, who made you the Cult Leader?"
Cult Leader.
A title that might have held meaning over a decade ago, but now was utterly worthless and devoid of any appeal.
"Before all this happened, that person secretly came to me without your knowledge."
"……."
"He said your true body… is hidden beneath the mansion where we once lived together."
"…Grand Heavenly Lord! How dare he!!"
Cheon Juchun roared, filled with fury.
It was a location hidden even within the Cheon Clan’s domain, a place now in ruins, where not a single soul ever tread.
"A place that left wounds on us all. I too avoided remembering it, even subconsciously. That’s why I was so surprised. That you had hidden your true body there."
"Jumyeong!"
Revealing the location of his true body—something that must never be discovered—was no small matter.
It was a declaration of intent from the Grand Heavenly Lord to purge him.
"That person said… your purpose was to be a sacrifice."
"……!!!"
"The Heavenly Timing approached faster than expected, and you must now be sacrificed. He suggested that I take your place, as your seat would soon be vacant."
And the fact that Cheon Jumyeong brought up those words now—
Meant he had reached his conclusion.
Papapapap!
Suddenly, something like black bandages shot out from Cheon Juchun’s shadow and began to bind his entire body.
"Ju…myeong!"
"Sorry, but it wasn’t me."
As he said, Cheon Jumyeong wasn’t the one who had cast the spell.
From the beginning, Cheon Jumyeong’s skill in spell arts leaned heavily toward theory, not practical execution of high-level sorcery like this.
At that moment—
From the elongated shadow beneath Cheon Juchun, an elderly hunchbacked man emerged—so old it was impossible to guess his age.
Recognizing the old man’s identity, Cheon Juchun was struck with horror.
"Y-You… Patriarch?!"
The previous head of the Heavenly Brain Clan and the current Lord of the Supreme Demon Palace.
Heavenly Researcher Cheon Mujae.
"It’s been a while, Cheona."
Cheon Juchun, bound by shadows, screamed with venom in his voice.
"When the Cult was being torn apart, I didn’t see a trace of you. I thought you were dead… but you were alive all along?!"
Since the enthronement ceremony of Cult Leader Cheon Yura, he hadn’t shown himself once at the Supreme Demon Palace, his jurisdiction.
His aged, wrinkled face showed deep worry.
"I had feared this might happen… and now it has."
"This? Nonsense! With the shackles of the former Cult Leader removed, you’re no different from me now, are you?!"
"Well, that’s true."
Now that Cheon Taejong had ascended, there was no one left who could restrain him.
"But that has nothing to do with you becoming a sacrifice right now."
"……!"
"I… want to see the true fruit of the Divine Demonic Physique, into which I once poured the passion of my youth. But at the same time, I do not wish to stop the tragedy it may bring."
Cheon Juchun frowned at the ambiguous response.
"What are you planning to do?"
"The scales are now evenly balanced on both sides. So, I plan to see it through to the end."
Chwaruruk!
A few more tendrils burst forth from the shadows, completely binding Cheon Juchun’s entire body.
"Oh, and even if you try to send another avatar, it won’t be easy to overcome. It seems First Order holds quite the grudge against you."
"……!"
"The fate of the world is drawing to its final act. In that great chaos, there will be no role left for you."
"Patr…!"
"Quietly become the sacrifice for the resurrection of the Four Atrocities."
Heavenly Researcher Cheon Mujae slammed Cheon Juchun straight into the shadows.
For the one who had seized control of the Cheon Clan from the darkness and defiled the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult with wicked schemes, it was an absurdly anticlimactic end.
After Cheon Juchun disappeared—
Cheon Mujae looked up at the sky and sighed.
"The sky… has turned completely red."
"……."
The complete resurrection of the Four Atrocities did not simply mean that four powerful beings would emerge.
It meant that all things long dormant in the world would begin to awaken and turn the world into hell.
"So, what will you do now? Obediently follow the Grand Heavenly Lord’s orders?"
Cheon Jumyeong stared intently at Cheon Mujae.
"You already know what kind of choice I’ll make, don’t you?"
Cheon Mujae let out a small scoff.
"…True. You’re just as crazy as ever."
***
Heaven’s Clear Illumination.
It was the answer I arrived at in my own way within the endless dream.
I cannot become complete on my own.
No matter how much I pondered and struggled, the answer never changed.
I live for Yura.
So Yura must exist for my life to be complete.
The same goes for martial arts.
A life where martial arts has become a part of me—my martial arts, too, could not avoid her influence.
Kugugugu!
As the dust that swept across the ground settled—
Thud!
Suddenly, the ground where Gunggi stood cracked open, and his true form shot toward me.
"Impressive!"
Bang!
Gunggi’s fist flew directly toward my head, trying to crush it.
I drew a circular motion with both hands.
"Sun and Moon Radiance Circle."
Then, something resembling a halo appeared before me and effortlessly deflected Gunggi’s punch.
Paaaaang!
A massive shockwave scraped past my head and split the clouds above.
‘What incredible strength.’
If I took that head-on, I wasn’t sure even my limbs would remain intact.
Was this the true form of Gunggi, the strongest martial artist among the Four Atrocities?
"Th-that! That’s my Ten Thousand Phase Tai Chi!"
From down below, that brat So Cheon pointed his finger this way.
Well, I guess it was surprising. While the structure differed slightly from the Ten Thousand Phase Tai Chi he used, the fundamental principle was the same.
"You’ve changed a lot in such a short time."
Gunggi didn’t launch his next attack and simply stared at me.
"Rather than saying you’ve grown stronger… it’s more accurate to say you’ve recovered. This is confusing."
"Either way doesn’t matter."
I slowly drew the Ten Heavenly Record Immortal Sword.
"Today, I’ll make sure you retire forever."
"I like that confident tone of yours."
He wore a vicious smile.
A battle large enough to turn the world upside down was about to erupt.
I still couldn’t grasp the difference between our current abilities… but I had no intention of dragging it out.
I needed to finish him quickly and go rescue Yura.
But then—
"……."
For some reason, I couldn't sense the usual fighting spirit from him.
Instead, with arms crossed, he calmly looked my way.
"What are you doing right now?"
"I'm thinking."
"Thinking?"
"The original plan was to massacre all of you here and then head north to regroup."
Gunggi pointed a sharp finger somewhere on the ground.
"To do that, I sacrificed every person I’d gathered up until now for this event."
There lay the corpses of the Southern Murim Alliance masters who had committed suicide.
Each one of them was capable of leading the core of any sect.
But—
Gunggi grinned.
"Just a little more patience… and the stage will be perfect."
Indeed.
This place was far too small to be called the kind of stage he referred to.
"Didn’t you appear here to carry out the Grand Heavenly Lord’s order to eliminate me?"
"I did. But there’s no reason to obey orders from an unawakened fragment."
‘That bastard sure acts on his own whim.’
Everything that the Heaven-Defying Society had gathered and smuggled so far—people and resources alike—was embodied in him.
Yet he had no intention of obeying the Society’s control.
"Your blood must be boiling to fight me too, right? So, what will it be?"
After some hesitation, he left the decision to me.
But if he had no intention of fighting, there was only one choice for me.
"Leave."
"……Hm?"
"When we meet again, I’ll kill you for sure."
Gunggi’s expression twisted slightly at those words.
"You’ve got something more important than our fight, don’t you?"
I didn’t bother denying it.
Right now, my highest priority was Cheon Yura’s safety.
Rather than wasting time clashing with him, avoiding the fight was the better option if possible.
"Buzzkill. But fine."
Gunggi spread his wings.
"I’ll be waiting at the place where I met my avatar."
If it was the place where I met his avatar… that would be Bokryongsan.
No, that was a name for Taesan.
"Whatever happens to you going forward, it’ll all come to an end there."
All conclusions, huh…
"Try not to die in vain at the hands of the other brothers before you get there. Kuhuhu…"
His laughter sounded like mockery toward the hardship I’d face ahead.
With that, Gunggi vanished.
I stared for a while at the place where he had disappeared.
I’d only met him twice, but somehow I had the feeling we were bound by a persistent connection.
"Pa Yeongyeong, Ma Chulsoo Vice-Captain."
"Yes, Lord."
The moment I used the term ‘Vice-Captain’, the two bowed respectfully.
"A rebellion has occurred in Our Cult."
"……!"
"……!!"
"There’s no concrete evidence, but… you can take it as certain."
"In that case…"
"The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s second battalion will now return to Our Cult."
Naturally.
Though the situation in the Central Plains was complicated, nothing could take precedence over Our Cult.
Just then—
"Wait, Young Master Jin. No, Demonic Faction Lord."
Baek Sang-ah raised her hand and spoke.
"I don’t know exactly how the rebellion occurred in Our Cult, but if we retreat recklessly, we might suffer great losses. We must gather accurate intel first."
"Sorry, but—"
"If a rebellion truly has occurred in Our Cult, we don’t have the luxury to worry about such losses."
Immediately, Pa Yeongyeong and Ma Chulsoo objected.
Their eyes clearly showed the determination to eliminate anyone who got in their way.
But Baek Sang-ah wasn’t backing down either.
"While you and the two of them might be able to handle danger, most of the people you’ve brought are all post-prodigy-level disciples of Our Cult. If anything goes wrong, it could deal a fatal blow to the future of the Cult!"
"……."
"……."
Moved by the force of Baek Sang-ah’s argument, the two looked at each other with strange expressions.
Her point wasn’t entirely wrong, but for someone from an orthodox faction to say "Our Cult" like that with genuine concern—it was…
As they were wrapped in such an odd feeling, a familiar voice called out from afar.
"What, is the fight already over?"
"M-Master!"
"Elder Dao Zun?!"
Just in case something happened, Dao Zun Jin Ryeong, who had stayed behind in Luoyang, had suddenly flown over here.
Dao Zun landed and spoke to me immediately.
"Not even two hours after you left, hundreds of old demons swarmed into Luoyang. I saw a few familiar ones… all looking for you, brat."
"Old demons?"
Not just demonic practitioners, but old demons.
Which meant, regardless of where they belonged, their individual power levels were not something I could ignore.
"The one who seemed to be the leader introduced himself as the Vice Lord of the Supreme Demon Palace."