Chapter 130. Just Imagining It is Horrifying.

“Elders, please travel safely.”

Jin Cheon gave a polite bow to the elders who were heading towards the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

“It’s a shame for our first trip to the martial world in a long time.”

“I was so excited to crush the Hegemon Fortress bastards, why is it so bland?”

The elders were very disappointed.

What they had wanted was to have a big fight with Hegemon Fortress and defeat them, not to just make a bland show of force like this and return.

“The elders made that Gal Mu-wi retreat, so I hope you won’t be too disappointed. If he wasn’t afraid of the elders, would Gal Mu-wi have retreated?”

When Jin Cheon spoke with a smile, the elders, though still disappointed, showed signs of agreement.

Certainly, it was an undeniable fact that Gal Mu-wi, the number one person in the unorthodox faction, did not dare to start a fight after seeing the elders.

Of course, from the perspective of the elders who had dragged their heavy buttocks all the way to the distant Zhejiang Province, it was inevitable that they would feel a bit let down.

“I will show you a good spectacle soon. It won’t take too long, so I would be grateful if you could wait a little.”

At Jin Cheon’s words, a sense of anticipation appeared on the elders’ faces.

Because the ‘good spectacle’ Jin Cheon was talking about was a one-on-one life-and-death duel with Gal Mu-wi.

“Don’t make us wait too long. These old men don’t know when they’ll kick the bucket.”

“Damn it, if it’s five years, I’ll try to stay alive.”

Thus, the elders turned their steps with a glimmer of anticipation.

“Please take care of yourself.”

The Senate Head, Go Geuk-seong, urged Jin Cheon with a gentle smile.

“Yes, Elder Head of the Senate. Please return safely, and I will see you next time in the Divine Land.”

“You too, Seventh Young Master, please complete your mission quickly and return.”

“I would like to do that as well.”

Jin Cheon said with a smile.

It had already been three months since he had left the Divine Land and come to the Central Plains, so it was inevitable that he was starting to miss home.

“However, now the Divine Land may not be a completely safe place for you, Seventh Young Master.”

“What do you mean by that.”

“There are too many rumors circulating about you, Seventh Young Master.”

“What kind of….”

“The rumor that the Seventh Young Master’s achievements and accomplishments might threaten the position of the Great Young Master.”

“Ah.”

Jin Cheon’s expression darkened slightly.

Such rumors circulating was by no means a good sign.

If things went wrong, a power struggle within the cult over the succession could break out.

Of course, as long as the Iron-Blooded Demonic God was in good health, such a thing was unlikely to happen, but Jin Cheon did not want to create a conflict with the Great Young Master Cheon U-jin for no reason.

What Jin Cheon wanted was revenge on the Righteous Heavenly Alliance and the revival of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, not something like the position of Cult Leader.

“Regarding that matter, I will do my best to conduct myself properly.”

“Conduct yourself properly, you say. What does that mean?”

“I am not interested in the position of Young Cult Leader.”

“Hoho.”

Go Geuk-seong let out a hollow laugh.

“How could that be something that goes according to your thoughts, Seventh Young Master?”

“Pardon?”

“The position of Young Cult Leader has little to do with the will of the individuals involved. Isn’t it a self-evident fact that the Great Young Master’s family, the Demonic Dao Heavenly Family, and the forces that support him will be hostile towards you, Young Master?”

“……That is.”

“No matter how strictly the Cult Leader forbids internal power struggles, things are bound to get tiresome if someone starts to dance with a sword, risking their life.”

Go Geuk-seong’s words had a point.

Despite the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s strict orders, if someone were to risk their life to eliminate Jin Cheon, it went without saying that the Great Young Master Cheon U-jin’s position would be further solidified.

If the Demonic Dao Heavenly Family were to set their minds to eliminating Jin Cheon, it was something that could very well happen.

“You are already receiving attention, Seventh Young Master. You must not forget that. If you are not careful and do not pay attention to the position of Young Cult Leader out of complacency, your life could be in danger.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Jin Cheon had no intention of letting Go Geuk-seong’s words go in one ear and out the other.

Go Geuk-seong, who was the Head of the Senate, would not have said such things for no reason.

It was clear that the atmosphere within the cult was somewhat strange, or that there were actual movements.

“I wonder if this old man has caused you concern, Seventh Young Master, by saying unnecessary things.”

“Not at all. Thank you for your good words. I will think about them deeply and take them to heart.”

Jin Cheon made a clasped-fist salute towards Go Geuk-seong.

***

As soon as Jin Cheon sent the elders back to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, he met with the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief and talked.

“Now let’s talk about our work.”

“Of course.”

The Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief’s face was brighter than ever.

Thanks to Jin Cheon and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, she had safely rescued her sister and niece, so for her, there could be no better result than this.

“As I said before, what you have to take on is the Qingcheng Sect. I’ll take care of Shaolin and the Mount Mao Sect, so you just need to steal the Wind and Cloud Trigram from the Qingcheng Sect.”

“How soon?”

“The sooner the better.”

“Hmm.”

The Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief thought for a moment, then said.

“I need at least a month. It’s not like I just barge in and steal things.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Thievery is like a short journey.”

“……?”

“From deciding on the object to steal, to where it is, who is guarding it, and even the infiltration route and escape route, there are so many things to consider. What should I say. Thievery is like a comprehensive art.”

“……I see.”

Jin Cheon felt a bit awkward at the pride that was dripping from the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief’s words about thievery, but he did not point it out.

Just as a martial artist feels pride in their martial arts, he didn’t want to criticize a thief for feeling pride in their thievery.

Moreover, for someone like the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief, the greatest thief under heaven, it would not be strange to have pride.

“Be careful. It’s no exaggeration to say that the Qingcheng Sect is a den of demons.”

“Don’t worry.”

The Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief shrugged her shoulders as if it were nothing.

“I might not be confident about the Mount Mao Sect, but I’m confident about the Qingcheng Sect.”

“Is that so?”

“First, after finishing the preliminary preparations, I’ll send a letter….”

“That won’t do.”

Jin Cheon said flatly.

“There will be no letters for this job. I decline a forewarned theft.”

“That won’t do.”

The Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief frowned.

“Sending a letter before a theft is not an option, but an obligation. The Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief must do so.”

“Listen.”

Jin Cheon said in a very serious, stern, and also resolute voice.

“This is not being done for my personal glory or for the benefit of Our Cult.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The great cause. It is being done for the peace of the world.”

“The Seventh Young Master of the Demonic Cult is instigating a theft for the sake of the world…?”

“I can’t tell you the details. Well, you’ll find out someday.”

“…….”

“There is no compromise. Just this once, don’t give a warning.”

“But….”

“We made a deal, and I kept my promise. Now it’s your turn.”

“……Alright.”

In the end, the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief yielded.

In fact, she had neither the justification nor the power to refuse Jin Cheon’s request.

She was already as good as in the palm of Jin Cheon’s hand, so how could she refuse his request now that he had safely rescued her sister and niece?

“The work must be carried out at roughly the same time. The Qingcheng Sect and the Mount Mao Sect. If one place is robbed, the other will move the trigram.”

“No matter how fast a letter is delivered from Sichuan to Zhejiang, it will take at least three days, so we just need to get it done within that time.”

“That should be right.”

“Alright. I’ll leave for Sichuan right away.”

“If you succeed in obtaining the trigram, come straight to the Yama Fortress in the waterways of Yunnan Province. We’ll rendezvous there.”

“Okay.”

As soon as her consultation with Jin Cheon ended, the Heavenly Evasion Divine Thief packed her things and left for Sichuan.

“Squad Leader Dan, we will also depart soon.”

“Where are we going?”

“Shaolin.”

“……!”

“I need to go and meet the Shaolin Abbot.”

“But….”

“We’ll be able to talk.”

“I obey your command.”

Danmok Cheong did not probe further and obediently followed Jin Cheon’s opinion.

He did not doubt that if Jin Cheon said so, there would be a sufficient reason….

“Let’s go to Shaolin first, then to the Mount Mao Sect.”

“Yes, Liege.”

Now that the destination was decided, there was no reason to delay the journey.

Jin Cheon’s party immediately headed north towards Shaolin.

To the temple that had been called the Mount Tai and the Big Dipper of the Murim since ancient times, boasting a history of a thousand years, and the place that could be called the origin of the internal martial arts of the Central Plains….

***

Recently, the Sword Saint’s mood had become very uncomfortable.

And for good reason, as recently the Righteous Heavenly Alliance had been facing disgrace day after day.

The prisoner exchange, the kidnapping of the Prince of Ningjing, the Yama Fortress incident, and even the death of the Diancang Sect’s Peng King Jin-in.

Belying the thirty years of peace, in just a few months, they had suffered enormous damage, and a large crack had formed in the reputation and prestige of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance.

The problem was that all of those incidents stemmed from a single group, and a single person belonging to it.

“Unrivaled New Demon, Unrivaled New Demon.”

The Sword Saint repeated the alias and suppressed his anger.

“I should have dealt with that bastard Jang Guk-pyeong from the start… why did I show mercy and nurture the root of this disaster.”

The Sword Saint trembled with rage as he thought of the Unrivaled New Demon’s master, the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior.

How much had he obstructed the path of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance during his lifetime?

For his disciple to have converted to the Demonic Cult, become the disciple of the Cult Leader, the Iron-Blooded Demonic God, and be attacking the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, it was an absurd situation for the Sword Saint.

If only he had eliminated the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior and his disciple early on, this would not have happened….

‘That bastard cannot be left alone. At this rate, won’t he become an even more terrifying master and threaten our alliance? Only by eliminating him now can we remove the root of future trouble.’

It was while the Sword Saint was deeply contemplating what to do about Jin Cheon.

“Alliance Leader, Young Master Yu requests an audience.”

“Let him in.”

The Sword Saint gladly met with Young Master Yu, that is, Yu Geon-myeong.

It was a very unusual occurrence.

No matter how high Yu Geon-myeong’s reputation was, he was still just a prodigy to have a private audience with the Righteous Heavenly Alliance Leader.

“You’ve come.”

“You seem to be deep in thought.”

Yu Geon-myeong said.

“The problem that’s been troubling your head recently, is it because of Jang Guk-pyeong’s disciple?”

Yu Geon-myeong’s attitude towards the Sword Saint was not just informal, but as if he were addressing a long-time friend.

And the Sword Saint did not take much issue with Yu Geon-myeong’s attitude either.

That also meant that the Sword Saint knew Yu Geon-myeong’s identity.

“It will be troublesome to let that bastard continue to run wild. How many times has it been already.”

“Yes, it’s understandable that you’re having a headache.”

Yu Geon-myeong, no, the Great Divine Physician of Immortals nodded his head as if he fully understood his feelings.

He had even met Jin Cheon in person during the prisoner exchange incident….

“Who would have thought that not only the Diancang Divine Sword but also Jeok Song-ja would die at his hands.”

“Indeed.”

“Certainly, that bastard is dangerous. To have reached such a realm in just five years after converting to the Demonic Cult, if more time passes….”

“Just imagining it is horrifying.”

The Sword Saint trembled with rage.

For someone with the aptitude to reach the realm of Extreme Demon at an age not even yet thirty, it went without saying that he would become an even more terrifying master in the future.

The Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, the Iron-Blooded Demonic God, was already overwhelming to the point where he did not dare to face her, and if Jin Cheon were to reach an even higher realm, it was a self-evident fact that the fate of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance would be in peril.

“Is there no way.”

“A way, you say. The most certain way would be for you or me to step forward personally.”

“Umm.”

The Sword Saint fell into thought, stroking his white beard.

“Of course, that would be the most certain way, but neither you nor I can just leave our posts, can we.”

“That is also true.”

The Great Divine Physician of Immortals nodded his head.

“Then, how about putting in a request to the Heavenly Killing Sect.”

“……!”

The Sword Saint flinched, startled.

He had not expected the Great Divine Physician of Immortals to mention the Heavenly Killing Sect.

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