Chapter 160
“You’ve worked hard.”
Bae Cho-jin approached Jin So-baek, who had just emerged from the Five Great Families’ Family Head Meeting.
But then,
“...Huh? Oh. Right.”
*Huh?*
For some reason, Jin So-baek looked completely dazed.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“Did something happen? Yes, it did. I just heard something absolutely incredible.”
“Huh? Incredible?”
Jin So-baek nodded.
He still wore a look of disbelief, unable to easily shake off the shock.
“Crazy, it’s crazy. To think I was exchanging jokes with a man like that.”
“No, what on earth did you hear to make you like this?”
“Curious?”
“You make someone this curious and then say something like that?”
*Is he playing games?*
Bae Cho-jin furrowed her brow and pressed him again.
“So tell me quickly. What is it?”
“Well, you see...”
Jin So-baek then recounted exactly what he had heard from Peng Mugang at the Five Great Families’ meeting.
At that,
“Wha...?”
Bae Cho-jin’s mouth fell open.
“N-no, it’s a joke, right?”
“Seriously...? Is he really the Martial God’s...?”
“Shh! It’s a secret.”
It was a story that would eventually become known, but for now, they had promised to keep it quiet until then.
Jin So-baek had only told Bae Cho-jin because she was his right-hand woman.
“My heavens...”
No wonder he was impossibly strong.
*To think he was the Successor of the Martial God.*
Only then did she understand Yeo Un-hwi’s absurd strength.
In fact, she wasn’t the only one.
Everyone who witnessed it must have thought the same thing the moment Yeo Un-hwi defeated the Mysterious Man, the Demonic Cult’s secret weapon, with his Mind Sword.
He had seemed like a god descended from the heavens in human form.
That scene would undoubtedly be the most intense memory of their lives, one they would never forget.
Her prediction had been correct.
The prediction that the Murim world would revolve around Yeo Un-hwi from now on.
Jin So-baek then spoke to Bae Cho-jin.
“This is an opportunity.”
“An opportunity?”
“Yes.”
Jin So-baek had already decided to follow him, but now his resolve was even firmer.
Jin So-baek decided to stake everything on Yeo Un-hwi.
With him, the dream Jin So-baek truly wished to achieve would not be a pipe dream.
His heart was already pounding.
“But then,”
Bae Cho-jin suddenly spoke with a worried expression.
“That kind of person went to the Demonic Cult alone, didn’t he? He’ll return safely, right?”
“Well. Shouldn’t the real worry be for *them* instead?”
To be honest, Jin So-baek couldn’t imagine how much trouble Yeo Un-hwi would stir up.
But amusingly, he wasn’t worried in the slightest.
Who is worrying about whom right now?
*Isn’t this truly amusing?*
One would think they should be worrying about the vast majority within the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, not the one who went there.
In the deep darkness.
A man was walking along a path.
He was Gwak Cheon-hu, the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Emperor, Cult Leader of the Demonic Heavenly Cult.
He trudged along the path without the slightest fear, even in the dense darkness.
But soon, he stopped.
A sound had reached him from ahead.
*Grrr.*
At that sound, similar to a beast’s growl, Gwak Cheon-hu felt his stomach churn for some reason.
“Who’s there! Show yourself!”
Whether it would work or not, he infused his Internal Qi into his voice and shouted.
And what soon appeared was,
“Ugh!”
Enormous golden eyes revealed themselves in the darkness.
They were clearly not human.
It was as if,
*Grrrrrr.*
A low growl echoed from the darkness once more, and then it revealed itself.
“Gasp!”
It was a colossal Golden Dragon.
Gwak Cheon-hu’s entire body froze instantly.
Then, without realizing it, he began to tremble with fear.
A dragon. What on earth is this?
Without another moment to think, the Golden Dragon opened its maw wide.
Then, a massive flame erupted from its mouth, engulfing him.
“Aaaargh!”
Gwak Cheon-hu screamed and woke up.
“Hah. Hah.”
It was a dream.
His entire body was drenched in sweat.
But even after waking from the dream, he was still trembling.
He spread his hand.
It was soaked with sweat.
This had never happened before.
To feel such fear after being named among the Twelve Venerables.
*Grind.*
And that fear soon turned into rage.
“Damn it!”
*CRASH!*
He irritably swung his hand, and one side of the wall completely shattered.
Lately, all his plans have been going awry.
Four of the Ten Great Demon Stars sent to the Peng Family in Hebei had been defeated.
He had lost half of the Ten Great Demon Stars, including the Black Demon.
But he still didn’t know why.
Something felt ominous.
So, before making another move, he had tried to ascend to the position of Heavenly Demon, but the damned Divine Maiden wasn’t listening to him.
He had waited this long because the stubborn Former Divine Maiden had died after fulfilling her destiny, and the succeeding Divine Maiden gained true qualification only after completing her final trial for five years in a deep cave within the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
But he never expected her to be so disobedient.
That cursed Heavenly Road wouldn’t light up no matter what he did.
It was clearly a trick devised by the former Heavenly Demons to elevate their own names.
He had to become the Heavenly Demon quickly and acquire “those things” prepared only for the Heavenly Demon.
Becoming the Zenith and unifying the Murim world wouldn’t be a dream then.
*Grind.*
He felt he could no longer delay.
He would settle this today, without fail.
Thus, Gwak Cheon-hu headed somewhere as soon as day broke.
“...Again?”
This was the Fengshan Palace of the Demonic Heavenly Cult.
It was the place where the Demonic Heavenly Cult performed its rituals, and where the Divine Maiden and the Shamanesses who assisted her resided.
There, Divine Maiden Wi Seollin was frowning as she gazed down at something.
It was a large water basin filled with water.
Yet, in this place devoid of wind or any disturbance, the water in the basin rippled, shimmered with a golden light, and then vanished, repeating the cycle.
“What on earth is this?”
Wi Seollin’s hand swept through the water filling the large jar.
*Splash.*
Wi Seollin’s eyes, watching the droplets fall from her fingertips, were utterly solemn.
Recently, these strange omens had begun to appear repeatedly.
For a moment, her heart swelled with the thought that it might be the revelation she had so earnestly awaited, but she soon abandoned that hope.
It was practically an impossible story.
This was because the current Cult Leader and the prospective Successors were all unsuitable.
A father who only knew himself, and children who were worse than their father, would commit any act without hesitation if it meant gaining his favor.
Looking at the current Demonic Heavenly Cult, the prospect of her fulfilling that mission in her generation seemed distant.
So what exactly did these omens mean?
What could it be that unsettled people’s hearts so much?
“Hmph. I really don’t know.”
No matter how much she thought, no clear answer came to mind.
Wi Seollin could only let out a deep sigh.
But that wasn’t her only concern.
There was a more serious one.
It concerned Gwak Cheon-hu, the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Emperor and current Cult Leader of the Demonic Heavenly Cult.
As with any organization, the atmosphere of the Demonic Heavenly Cult varied greatly depending on who the Cult Leader was at the time.
If a moderate who didn’t desire war became Cult Leader, it would be a relatively peaceful era, but if a bloodthirsty madman became Cult Leader, many would die both internally and externally.
Amusingly, when the Cult Leader was a moderate, there were often more complaints from below.
After all, it was the nature of Demonic Faction members not to abandon their bloodthirsty tendencies.
Nevertheless, all past Cult Leaders had always valued and strictly upheld the traditions and rules passed down through generations of the Demonic Heavenly Cult.
For a Demonic Faction member, that was only natural.
But this Cult Leader was different.
With a cruel disposition that loved to see blood more than that of any previous Cult Leader, Gwak Cheon-hu was even completely disregarding the laws and traditions of the Demonic Heavenly Cult.
He’s a dangerous man.
Wi Seollin then recalled Gwak Cheon-hu’s eyes.
They were eyes that seemed poised to commit some atrocity at any moment.
I can only hope it won’t come to that.
Wi Seollin’s gaze soon turned to the ceiling.
In the center of the ceiling was a mysterious lamp, intricately carved with ornate patterns.
That was the Heavenly Road.
Since ancient times, whoever could light the Heavenly Road was recognized as the new Heavenly Demon.
However, throughout the long history of the Demonic Heavenly Cult, the Heavenly Road had only lit up twice, excluding the Founding Heavenly Demon.
And the Heavenly Demon, proclaimed by the Divine Maiden, gained absolute power to control everything within the Demonic Heavenly Cult.
Even the Divine Maiden, whom the Cult Leader could not freely command, had to absolutely obey the Heavenly Demon’s orders.
To that extent, the Heavenly Demon was the Demonic Heavenly Cult itself, its very essence.
Thus, in every era, the Cult Leader of the time invariably desired to become the Heavenly Demon.
It was only natural.
For it meant becoming the true Absolute of the Demonic Heavenly Cult.
And not just them.
Divine Maidens also earnestly wished for the Heavenly Demon to reappear in their generation.
Because it was tantamount to fulfilling their mission.
Conversely, she absolutely did not want to lie.
Therefore, the Cult Leader’s demand that she disregard tradition and proclaim him Heavenly Demon was no different from denying her own life and the lives of all previous Divine Maidens.
Furthermore, she could not allow the unqualified Gwak Cheon-hu to possess “those things” prepared only for the Heavenly Demon.
But there wasn’t much she could do.
She could only endure and endure, protecting her assigned mission to the very end.
Even if it meant losing her life.
Just then.
The sound of a commotion outside reached her ears.
And then,
*CRASH!*
A man tumbled inside.
Soon, a middle-aged man clicked his tongue and slowly stepped inside.
“What do you mean, “wait a moment”? Do you dare make *This Venerable One*, the Cult Leader of this sect, out to be so laughable? Tsk.”
“Cult Leader. This is a sacred place for rituals. You shouldn’t do this.”
A Shamaness next to Wi Seollin cautiously spoke, but...
*Slice.*
In an instant, the Shamaness’s head fell to the floor.
Lustful Demon, one of the Ten Great Demon Stars who had burst in with Gwak Cheon-hu, had drawn his Sword.
“Kyaaaah!”
The Shamanesses standing behind Wi Seollin screamed.
Wi Seollin’s eyes had grown cold.
Gwak Cheon-hu smirked, raising the corner of his lips at Wi Seollin.
“Isn’t the weather truly splendid? It’s the perfect weather for a new Heavenly Demon to be born. Don’t you agree, Divine Maiden?”
At Gwak Cheon-hu’s words, Wi Seollin’s face hardened coldly.
*At the same time.*
A golden Divine Form descended somewhere near the peaks of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
“Hmph. This is it.”
Yeo Un-hwi slowly gazed at the Demonic Heavenly Cult’s Main Headquarters, a massive fortress-like structure.
An ordinary person would have been overwhelmed by the sight, but Yeo Un-hwi was smiling instead.
With eyes that seemed to be looking at a delicious feast.
*Hmm.*
Yeo Un-hwi pondered for a moment.
*What now?*
Sneaking in, finding the Cult Leader’s location, and launching a surprise attack would certainly be easier.
But for some reason, he didn’t want to.
I came here to cause a ruckus anyway.
“Alright. I’ve decided.”
To smash everything from the entrance onwards.
Yeo Un-hwi then strode towards the entrance of the Demonic Heavenly Cult’s Main Headquarters.
From now on, he intends to properly demonstrate the difference in power.
And do it very loudly and flashily.