Chapter 432: The New Cult Civil War (3)
“I hear you know Yura’s whereabouts?!”
I was surprised enough by So Soryu’s sudden appearance.
Even more astonishing was the information she had brought.
Neung Jahyeon and I sprang to our feet and stared at her intently.
Then So Soryu suddenly blushed and averted her gaze.
“Well, O Great Duke, this is a… delicate matter, you see?”
“Is this the time for jokes?!”
“No, I’m serious.”
And So Soryu truly was.
“I’ve been forcing my senses into heightened awareness for a long while to avoid detection by the spiderlings.”
“...Spider?”
“It’s a bit of a long story… but, could you make it smaller? They’re huge, and it’s a bit overwhelming to look at them.”
…..
Her choice of words was irritating in a subtle way, but I understood what she was trying to convey.
I sighed and concealed my presence as much as possible.
Her expression eased noticeably, and Gu Chil seated her in front of me.
“Don’t leave out a single detail.”
Though her sudden arrival had made me miss some details, So Soryu shouldn’t have been in a place like this in the first place.
Judging by Gu Chil’s stiff expression and the current situation within the New Cult, they must have faced some serious turmoil.
I listened calmly as she recounted what had happened.
“Myeong-oh was kidnapped, and the Underworld King’s Unit collapsed….”
“Thanks to that witch going along willingly, the body count wasn’t too high.”
“Where is the Underworld King’s Unit now?”
“At House of Slaughter.”
House of Slaughter was originally part of the So Clan under sealing, so hiding anything there was a grave violation of the law.
But given the current situation, few places were as secure as House of Slaughter.
“We tracked her behind the scenes without ever revealing ourselves. Honestly, there were several times it got dangerous.”
Gu Chil quietly stroked her head as though urging praise.
So Soryu, relaxing like a cat in its owner’s arms, let the touch linger for a moment before regaining awareness and speaking again.
“Our cult leader is near the location where that witch is being held.”
“Where exactly is that?”
The location So Soryu revealed for Yura was an extremely difficult place to access now.
“The northernmost tip of One Hundred Thousand Great Mountain, near Eternal Peak.”
“Have you tried rescuing her?”
At the question, So Soryu lifted the corners of her mouth in a wry smile.
“Absolutely impossible. The baby spiders that the spider monstrosity released have spread like a complex formation, sharing their senses. If we so much as touched one, our position would be exposed immediately. And even if rescue succeeded… escape would be impossible.”
I sensed a faint terror in her expression.
Though So Soryu was one of the more emotional members of So Clan, she wasn’t the sort to easily show fear.
Yet her reaction said otherwise….
“That place... is already uninhabitable by humans.”
……
……
According to her, the area around Eternal Peak on One Hundred Thousand Great Mountain had become not just infested with monsters, but transformed into an entirely different ecosystem from the human realm.
“We now know where the cult leader is… but this is going to be more troublesome than we expected.”
Neung Jahyeon knitted his brows.
Indeed, to rescue Yura we would have to pass through the heart of the New Cult, which had effectively become enemy territory.
If not that, we’d have to detour via Cheonghae.
“In the end, it’ll be a matter of timing the operation with extreme precision.”
I changed the subject to organize my tangled thoughts.
“Neung Jahyeon, if rescuing Yura before acquiring the Heavenly Demon Seal is our first priority, what’s the second?”
“The second is somewhat easier.”
But the words from his mouth only muddled my thoughts further.
“It’s the death of the pretended head of this crisis: Clan Leader of the Cheon Clan Cheon Jumyeong.”
Neung Jahyeon added that in a meaningful tone.
“He is anticipating it as well.”
Within Eunru Valley proper, the fortification had begun in earnest.
Perhaps due to its proximity to the Central Plains, the area around Eunru Valley saw comparatively few monster appearances.
Ma Chulsoo and ‘Pa Yeongyeong led their subordinates in purging the surroundings while maintaining constant communication with their main clan.
Thanks to ‘Pa Yeongyeong’s still-functioning communication network, he was able to exchange letters with his younger brother Pa Seol‑yeong.
“The situation is unfavorable.”
“How unfavorable?”
“Since the return of the Great Duke, the Black Gold Clan has begun to cut off their funding in earnest.”
“……”
It was certainly unwelcome news.
Originally, even if a family like Sa acted up in such a way, it wouldn’t have caused major issues.
While the Demonic Cult did rely heavily on the Black Gold Sa Clan for economic matters, it had never been absolute.
But with the physical distribution network now paralyzed, the Sa Clan’s actions became immense pressure on the other families.
“…It truly is serious.”
Given the situation, even Baekga Trading Company stationed within the Demonic Cult could do nothing.
With logistics across the Central Plains crippled, even the greatest of the Five Great Trading Companies was beginning to wither.
“They said it’d be difficult to last more than a month with the number of dependents they’re responsible for. The other families likely aren’t faring any better.”
“A month…”
If the relatively wealthy Pa Clan was in such a state, it was obvious how the rest were doing.
Before long, they would face a full-scale food crisis.
If one family after another surrendered to the Heaven-Defying Society under such pressure, all plans could collapse without a proper fight.
“In the end, the first move we must make is clear.”
Neung Jahyeon nodded beside me.
“Yes. To resolve the current crisis, we must prioritize an assault on Geumroemabong, where the main house of the Black Gold Sa Clan is located.”
Coincidentally, Geumroemabong was the closest of the Eight Demon Peaks to this location.
Most importantly, capturing Geumroemabong would make connecting to the other Eight Demon Peaks much easier.
Neung Jahyeon stroked his chin with a grave expression.
“The problem is… they likely know that too. And we don’t know what they’ve prepared for it.”
Even with intelligence networks linked to the Heavenly Thunder Corps, it was impossible to know every detail inside the Six Great Demonic Clans.
“With the Sa Clan’s usual strength, it would be a doable target… but that’s unlikely to be all.”
It would be reckless to assume that the current Black Gold Sa Clan was made up of just ‘humans’.
After a moment of deliberation, I made my decision.
“I’ll go alone.”
“Your Grace, that’s…”
Neung Jahyeon frowned.
“I know. Just as I’m capable of slaughtering them, they could massacre this place in my absence.”
Especially the Four Atrocities Chaos who had captured Yura.
If that bastard attacked this place, I would be the only one capable of stopping him.
However—
“With the opening move, we can still catch them off guard.”
The longer the war dragged on, the more restricted we would become. But at this early stage of war, surprise attacks were still possible.
“…That’s true, but…”
It was then—
“Your Grace.”
I heard the chilling voice of a woman behind me, both dreary and cold.
“Please… take me with you.”
I turned toward the woman who had made the request with a somewhat troubled expression.
“Lady Sa…”
Gone was the composed but warm aura from before.
Now, she was cloaked in an ominous air, brimming with murderous intent.
Naturally, this change came from—
“I want to take Sa Bihwan’s head with my own hands.”
“……”
I hesitated briefly, unsure how to respond.
Of course, taking her to the current Black Gold Sa Clan carried immense risks.
Though the miraculous encounter at Eastern Sea Fortress had elevated her to the Peak Master Level, she was still ‘only’ at that level.
Even just a couple of the Sa Clan’s armed troops or Awakened Bodies could easily endanger her life.
But Sa Biyeon was resolute.
“If I become a burden to you during this grand endeavor, feel free to abandon me. Even if I’m used as a human shield, I won’t resent it.”
“Lady Sa…”
Thud!
Before I noticed, Sa Biyeon had prostrated herself before me.
“I know I’m being unreasonable. But please… grant this wretched woman a chance.”
“……”
She had lost her mother, the head of her clan, to the hands of her own blood.
She had even lost her position as head of the So Clan, failing to protect her own liege.
Throughout the journey from Luoyang to this place, she had all but wasted away in despair and powerlessness.
If I didn’t allow her, she looked ready to cling to me and never let go.
After a short silence, I let out a sigh and nodded.
“Very well.”
“……!”
“But we’ll need to add a few more people.”
Since the mission was practically a stealth operation from the start, our group could not exceed five.
I chose three.
“Gu Chil, So Soryu. And Ma Chulsoo.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Yes, O Great Duke.”
Gu Chil responded with a solemn expression, So Soryu with a slightly annoyed one, and lastly, Ma Chulsoo with a rather surprised look.
“You’ll go with Lady Sa. If an enemy beyond your strength appears, work together and retreat.”
“By your command.”
All three bowed their heads at once.
In truth, Sa Biyeon wasn’t a martial artist so young that she needed my protection.
If she were to fall in battle, her death should be honored as that of a proud demonic practitioner.
The reason I assigned those three to accompany her… was a final courtesy to the one who had been Yura’s sole attendant and one of my few true friends.
Golden Flow Demon Emperor, Sa Bihwan.
In my previous life, there had been rumors that he monopolized all of the Demonic Cult’s gold. Even in this life, the moment he became the head of the Black Gold Sa Clan, he began calling himself the Golden Flow Demon Emperor.
Of course, unlike in the previous life, almost no one acknowledged that title now.
Even if he was of the main line of the Six Great Demonic Clans, no one could recognize someone merely at the entry of the Peak Master Level as a Demon Emperor.
If he had followed behind Thunder Commander and endured a decade or more of bitter cultivation before reaching the Extreme Demon Realm, perhaps he would have earned that title.
But after being defeated by his youngest sibling Sa Biyeon in the internal struggle and suffering the humiliation of being imprisoned, no such chance came to this life’s Sa Bihwan.
The only reason he was now able to control the Black Gold Sa Clan—
“Kuahaha! It’s been a while since I’ve had a human body. Wouldn’t it be a great waste not to enjoy it?”
“Indeed, Elder!”
Sa Bihwan groveled with desperation before someone.
“The Elder’s cup is empty! Why aren’t you pouring properly?!”
“Y-yes, Clan Head!”
At Sa Bihwan’s scolding, the Sa Clan servants seated on either side of the ‘Elder’ quickly refilled his cup with terrified eyes.
Any delay and they’d end up like the other servants lying as corpses nearby.
The ‘Elder,’ whose build was more massive than expected, chuckled and toyed with the servants before downing his drink.
“In any case, I’m somewhat grateful to the Grand Heavenly Lord. I never thought I’d get such a fine body so soon after my resurrection.”
...Gulp!
Sa Bihwan instinctively swallowed.
He could bluff and shout in the Elder Council all he wanted, but if he did so before this being, his head would be ripped off in an instant.
The opponent wore a human body, but it was not human in essence.
This entity had taken possession of the body of a martial master once called the Underworld King.
Originally, he was a demonic beast known as one of the Four Atrocities, Do‑ol.