Chapter 457: Advancing into the Central Plains (3)
One month.
That was the deadline I gave to the Elders' Council to reorganize the Divine Cult.
In truth, even a year wouldn’t be enough to recover from the damage, let alone just one month.
But there was no choice.
As urgent as the external situation was, we couldn't afford any leisure on our side either.
The month I gave might amount to no more than applying salve and wrapping bandages, but at least it would serve to let the wounds settle a bit.
While watching the warriors and cultists busily moving outside from the top floor of the Supreme Demon Palace...
“The scale of the expeditionary force heading to the Central Plains has been roughly decided.”
“How much is it?”
“Thirty-Four Demon Units… no, it’s now Twenty-Four Demon Units. Fifteen of the Twenty-Four Demon Units will be mobilized.”
If that many were frontline combatants, then the number of subordinate units in charge of supplies would exceed twice that.
‘So around seven to ten thousand in total.’
At this scale, it was comparable to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s previous expeditions into the Central Plains.
Sa Biyeon held out a thick bundle of documents and answered.
“All of them require the Cult Leader’s seal.”
I took the documents with a bitter smile.
“Even if I’ve ascended to the position of Supreme One, the things I need to do haven’t changed.”
Just pressing on them showed they were thick as a thumb.
At least over a hundred sheets.
Even with most things getting filtered at the Elders' Council, it still amounted to this.
With Sa Biyeon's assistance, I went through stamping the documents.
While pointing out the contents of one, she suddenly spoke in a somber tone.
“Cult Leader… will the former Cult Leader be alright?”
“Yes, for now, she should be fine.”
I responded with some certainty.
There was a simple reason for my confidence.
‘Because the contract with Yorang hasn’t been severed.’
The contract between Yorang and me, bound by a Spirit Eater pact, was tethered under a transcendent vow.
Unless the realm itself changed, we could sense each other’s conditions regardless of distance.
“Next on the schedule is the funeral for the Great Elder and the fallen warriors, and… a meeting with the Thirteenth Elder.”
The one who had taken the lowest seat of the Elders' Council was none other than that Ak Cheon-ho.
‘The world must be ending.’
Of course, I was the one who approved Ak Cheon-ho’s position as an Elder, but I couldn’t help the bitter taste in my mouth.
How many years had it even been since an outsider became an Elder?
Even though Blood Flow Spear had publicly declared him as his successor, Ak Cheon-ho’s appointment only emphasized how much our Cult’s talent pool had diminished.
“What’s that Ak Cheon-ho bastard like? Is he doing well?”
“He’s moving with considerable enthusiasm. He’s popular among the younger prodigies of the Cult.”
“…Is that so?”
That guy? Popular?
“He has to be. As the official successor of Elder Blood Flow Spear and a Extreme Demon Realm expert from outside the Six Great Clans. A young blood with strength equal to even the next generation of Clan Heads. And with his defection from the orthodox sects kept secret, there’s no reason for him not to be popular.”
“……”
Receiving far more praise than expected, I realized I was starting to feel oddly annoyed.
That bastard, who dared call my Yura plain-looking, was being lauded like this?
‘Looks like I’ll have to step on him a bit during the meeting.’
“Ah, also…”
Whether she noticed my petty thoughts or not, Sa Biyeon suddenly bowed her head.
“My apologies. We ultimately could not recover ‘that one’s’ body as you instructed.”
“Is that so?”
“We deployed personnel to thoroughly comb the vicinity where the Great Elder’s body was found, but…”
As her voice trailed off, I waved my hand.
“Well, that’s fine. If that’s the case, then he probably escaped alive. Call off the search.”
“…Acknowledged.”
Even though I said that, I still felt a bit bitter.
The one I had been searching for was none other than First Order Han Mubek.
From the moment Grand Heavenly Lord successfully took over Yura’s body, the fact that the bastard was still alive became clear.
‘If he were dead, everything would have been resolved… how regrettable.’
But I couldn’t say that aloud.
It would be an insult to Cheon Yeongha, who had given everything to kill him.
The failure was only due to the intrusion of the extraordinary being Gunggi. If not for that, the bastard would have died at the hands of the Great Elder without question.
‘It can’t be helped. I have no choice but to treat his existence as a variable.’
His level was at most First Rate Peak.
Moreover, we had removed his ability to transform into an Awakened One for infiltration purposes, so if he showed himself, I could kill him on sight.
However—
The more I thought about him, the more an unshakable sense of unease crept over me.
The funeral for Great Elder Cheon Yeongha concluded without incident.
As the Heavenly Demon and Cult Leader, I personally burned and cremated her and the bodies of the fallen warriors.
Surprisingly, the atmosphere wasn't bad.
Rather than grieving, many even envied or blessed the deceased.
“Having received grace through the Sacred Flame.”
“May they enjoy eternal life in paradise….”
The Samadhi True Fire of the being known throughout history as the Heavenly Demon was considered sanctification, and it was passed down in legend that those cremated by this sanctification would ascend to a true paradise after death to enjoy eternal life.
And the overwhelming majority of cult members believed that legend to be true.
Not just the ordinary cult members, but even the top brass of the Seven Great Clans.
The Heavenly Demon was not merely an authoritative figure, but literally a living god.
Because it was that god who personally guided one to paradise.
I finished the funeral by scattering Cheon Yeongha’s ashes at the foot of the mountain.
‘I don't know if she really went to paradise, but I hope she did.’
At times she had been the warm-hearted grandmother next door, at others, the Asura of the Three Heads Six Arms. And at times, a reliable and wise advisor.
Another bond that had continued since the previous life had now come to an end.
Thus, the funeral concluded successfully.
And an unexpected person came to see me.
“Great Guardian?”
The Great Guardian—no, now the former Great Guardian—One-Thousand Kills a Day Mujeong suddenly appeared.
“I pay my respects to the Heavenly Demon.”
“You should still be recovering, shouldn't you?”
As I said, Mujeong had lost an arm and suffered serious injuries in his final battle with Master… Chaos.
He was even told he might have to accept the loss of his martial arts, so his arm wasn’t the real issue now.
“It’s fine. It’s a bit… hollow to retire like this, but I should have laid down my hands when that person ascended anyway.”
I knew those words were a lie.
If he truly had no lingering regrets, he wouldn’t have accepted the position of Great Guardian in the first place.
But I swallowed that truth and asked,
“So? What brings you all the way here?”
Then Mujeong said something unexpected.
“I would like to borrow Byeok Cheon-un for a while.”
“…Gu Chil?”
“Yes.”
After some thought, I asked,
“Don't tell me you plan to train Gu Chil yourself?”
“I’ve heard that the Sword Demon will succeed me. But he can’t remain in that position for decades. We must consider the next Great Guardian.”
He wasn’t wrong.
The Sword Demon only aimed for a duel with me, and in terms of status, he couldn’t remain as my bodyguard forever.
Of course, I had been considering Gu Chil as the next Great Guardian, but he was still in a position to lead the Myung Wangdae and wasn’t quite fit to be entrusted with the role of Great Guardian just yet.
“I heard that you have no intention of making Byeok Cheon-un into So Cheon-un.”
“…That’s correct.”
“Then allow me to take him under my wing. It’s quite different from what the So Clan offers, but I have confidence that I can raise him to the next level.”
These were the words of none other than the Cult’s greatest assassin.
‘As far as I know, Gu Chil inherited the style of Senior Brother So Jeong. But beyond that, he’s still far from being a top-class assassin.’
Still, I couldn’t send Gu Chil to the So Clan.
If I sent him recklessly to Murder Demon, who urgently needed an heir, Gu Chil might return with the surname So, or even engaged to So Soryu.
Having made up my mind, I nodded.
“If the Great Guardian is willing, that would be more than welcome.”
“Thank you, Your Eminence.”
“However, may I ask one thing? Why are you stepping forward yourself?”
Given Mujeong’s personality, it was hard to understand him volunteering to guide a junior.
Unlike Murder Demon, he didn’t seem particularly attached to the matter of succession.
At that moment—
A faint smile touched Mujeong’s lips as he heard my question.
“It’s a simple whim.”
“A whim?”
“I don’t know if Your Eminence is aware, but So Munyak and I… we used to compete in many ways in the past.”
“I’ve heard of it.”
That So Munyak had once been the bodyguard of Cheon Taejong.
If not for the existence of Jeok Rua, So Munyak might have ended up not as the Clan Head of the So Clan, but as one of the Left and Right Guardians.
“From martial arts to achievements for our lords, even petty things like appearance, So Munyak and I used to go at each other tooth and nail.”
I began to understand what Mujeong was getting at.
No, rather—
“Seeing that guy still flustered and anxious while the other Clan Heads are living leisurely, stirred up some old feelings.”
“……”
“I wasn’t originally greedy for succession, but I think I’ll allow myself a little ambition.”
…At that moment, I felt a deep sense of sympathy for Murder Demon.
***
Time continued to pass.
After about two weeks, it became difficult to find any more demonic beasts within the living areas of the cult members.
That alone allowed the Shingyo to swiftly regain its stability.
The subordinates dispatched from the Thousand Day Pass were surprised and somewhat awkward to see that I had become both the Cult Leader and the Heavenly Demon.
I placed the Three Attendants, San Dojeon, and even Ma Jinseong, who had come from the Thousand Day Pass, under the Hall of Guardians—more precisely, under the direct supervision of the temporary Great Guardian, the Sword Demon.
The subordinates who had silently endured within the Thousand Day Pass even while outer storms of Wind and Rain blew were now mostly at the entry level of Peak Master Level.
‘At this level, they’re more than qualified.’
On the first day the subordinates donned the attire of the Guardian Lions, Bu Il-hwa, who was practically a mother to the Three Attendants, burst into tears like a waterfall—but that’s a tale for another time….
When the one month I had mentioned at the Elders’ Hall was nearly over.
I was enjoying a rare moment of rest as, like a lie, all my work had diminished.
‘There are still no major issues with the contract with Yorang.’
In other words, things were progressing well without being exposed.
But I could feel it intuitively.
If things were delayed too long, something irreversible might happen.
As I sat alone in the Audience Hall of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, deep in thought—
“……”
I softly opened my mouth toward the empty space before me.
“Come out.”
“……”
There was no answer.
“Must I drag you out by force?”
I slowly rose to my feet and stared in the direction the uninvited guest was hiding.
“Hahaha! Your senses are far keener than I imagined!”
“…Hmm?”
For someone who had sneaked in like a rat, his voice was unexpectedly booming and hearty.
Soon, the space parted, and the intruder revealed himself.
“……!!”
Using a technique similar to that of the Heavenly Researcher, the one who emerged was a young man with golden hair.
Hair that couldn't be found in the Central Plains unless it was forcibly dyed.
But that appearance wasn’t the issue right now.
From this individual, I could feel a divine and mysterious energy that even I couldn’t easily ignore.
In that instant, I had a strong intuition.
‘This one… is not human.’
Though in human form, there was a distinctly inhuman quality about him—something I had only sensed from beings like Gunggi or Do-ol.
The man raised his voice cheerfully.
“I greet the king of humans in this era.”
The king of humans?
“And who are you?”
In response to my question, the man answered with overflowing confidence.
“An honor to meet you. I am the Dragon among the Four Divine Beasts—Lin, Feng, Gui, and Long.”