Chapter 25. Is that really so?

The Heavenly Demon.

The founder and leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

He was a part of all creation, an incarnation of the Demonic.

Therefore, the Heavenly Demon was an existence that lived an eternal life, and for the past several hundred years, he had led the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult through repeated reincarnations.

What this meant was that from the first Heavenly Demon to the previous one, all were the same person—this was the legend and faith passed down in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

That was the reason the Heavenly Demon was revered as a god, and the fact that it was not a legend but the truth would be revealed in about 15 years.

The First Righteous-Demonic War that had occurred in the past.

The 7th Heavenly Demon, who was the leader at the time, displayed an unprecedented madness in history, dyeing the world with blood, and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was no exception.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult of that time was an era where massacres and human sacrifices were incessant, and demonic practitioners who had completely lost their humanity held power.

And the one who grew weary of such a state of affairs was none other than the Iron-Blooded Demonic God.

The Iron-Blooded Demonic God started a rebellion with a few like-minded individuals, executed the Heavenly Demon at Mount Hua, and opened a new era.

However, the Heavenly Demon was not truly dead.

The Second Righteous-Demonic War that would occur later.

In the early stages of the war, when the fight between the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Righteous Heavenly Alliance was at its peak, the Heavenly Demon made a grand appearance, announcing his resurrection to the entire world.

In response, the Iron-Blooded Demonic God sought out the Heavenly Demon and engaged in a life-or-death battle, ultimately resulting in a mutual annihilation where both perished.

Afterward, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, having lost the Iron-Blooded Demonic God, could not withstand the offensive of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance and was eventually destroyed.

That was the most decisive reason for the fall of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which had seemed invincible.

‘Yes, if not for the resurrection of the Heavenly Demon.’

Jin Yeong-in recalled the martial prowess, no, the divine power, that the Iron-Blooded Demonic God had shown at the Yangtze River, and nodded inwardly.

The power shown by the Iron-Blooded Demonic God was already beyond the realm of mortals.

With a single word, she had caused the martial artists of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance to explode, and not content with making them kneel, she had opened a gate of darkness and traveled a distance of thousands of li in an instant, had she not?

As long as such an Iron-Blooded Demonic God stood firm, the fall of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was an unimaginable event.

‘I must prevent the resurrection of the Heavenly Demon.’

Now that he had successfully joined the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Jin Yeong-in’s top priority was to prevent the second coming of the Heavenly Demon.

Revenge against the Righteous Heavenly Alliance could be achieved gradually, but if he failed to stop the second coming of the Heavenly Demon, not only would the cult be destroyed, but Jin Yeong-in himself would be in danger.

Therefore, cooperation with the Blood Demon, no, the Blood Qilin, would be essential.

Jin Yeong-in had been trapped in the Demonic Prison, so he did not know the details of what would happen in the future.

All he knew were stories passed on from new inmates, so he was as good as blind to the events that would unfold within the cult.

On the other hand, the Blood Qilin would know how the cult’s history would unfold, so wouldn’t he be able to sufficiently anticipate and prepare for the things to come?

Of course, this would only be the case if the Blood Qilin was indeed another person who had returned to the past…….

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“It’s nothing.”

Jin Yeong-in shook his head at Yeom Bi’s question.

“Don’t worry too much. It won’t change anything.”

“Yes.”

“If I were to give you one piece of advice, whatever he does, try not to react and just brush it off calmly. That’s the best policy.”

“Are you saying I shouldn’t give him attention?”

“Yeah.”

Yeom Bi nodded his head.

“If he finds your reaction boring, he might get tired of it and give up.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

“So, when should we go for dinner? Is tonight okay?”

“……”

Jin Yeong-in was at a loss for words when he saw Yeom Bi’s face.

It was disconcerting to see a man with a blank expression, a monotonous voice and speech, have his eyes sparkle with greed for food.

* * *

Unfortunately, Yeom Bi’s visit could not happen.

The evening glow had already set in.

There was far too little time to prepare dinner right away.

Considering Yeom Bi’s appetite, it didn’t seem like an hour or two of preparation would be enough.

Jin Yeong-in, thinking of Baek A-rin who must have been exhausted from preparing the lunchbox, decided that treating him to dinner today was unreasonable.

“I’m sorry, but it doesn’t seem possible for today. I’ll have it ready within a few days.”

“Really? That’s a shame.”

Yeom Bi’s face showed his disappointment.

“Then, shall we take a stroll to aid digestion?”

“Alright.”

After that, Jin Yeong-in and Yeom Bi trained for about two more hours before concluding their day.

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Be careful on your way. And watch out for my junior brother.”

“Yes, Fourth Young Master. Please take care.”

On the way back home.

“Congratulations, Young Master Jin.”

“Pardon?”

“Didn’t you become even closer with the Fourth Young Master? Moreover, to receive a sword from the Demonic Armament Yeom Family as a gift, I can only be envious.”

“Haha.”

“It seems Ah-rin’s cooking played a significant role in winning the Fourth Young Master’s favor.”

“……I admit it.”

Jin Yeong-in was dumbfounded, but he didn’t deny the truth.

No matter what anyone said, the biggest reason he could befriend Yeom Bi was thanks to the food made by Baek A-rin.

“By the way, what kind of person is the Sixth Young Master?”

“Gasp!”

When Jin Yeong-in mentioned the Blood Qilin, Danmok Cheong gasped in fright.

“A-are you talking about the Sixth Young Master?”

“Yes.”

“The Sixth Young Master… is someone nobody can control. If I were to pick the most dangerous person in the cult, I too would pick the Sixth Young Master.”

“To what extent, that you would say such a thing?”

“Well, so….”

Stories about the Blood Qilin began to flow from Danmok Cheong’s mouth.

“Good heavens.”

Jin Yeong-in clicked his tongue.

According to Danmok Cheong, the Blood Qilin was nothing short of a complete hooligan.

Burning an elder’s beard or frolicking with multiple women at a brothel was just the tip of the iceberg.

If one were to list all the atrocities and evil deeds the Blood Qilin had committed so far, even ten mouths would not be enough.

How bad must it have been for him to fall out of favor not only with the current head of the Sacred Blood Clan but also with his master, the leader of the cult, the Iron-Blooded Demonic God?

Of course, if one only heard that much, he would seem like a simple troublemaking hooligan, but the problem was that the Blood Qilin was a peerless demonic practitioner.

“No one who has gotten into a fight with the Sixth Young Master within the cult has survived.”

“……”

“If things don’t go his way, the Sixth Young Master is someone who doesn’t hesitate to commit slaughter, no, massacre. Not only the experts of our cult, but he has also occasionally gone out to the Central Plains and carried out several massacres against the martial artists of the Central Plains Murim. For example, the Five Swords of Qingcheng incident was actually the work of the Sixth Young Master.”

“Are you saying the true culprit of that incident was the Sixth Young Master?”

The Five Swords of Qingcheng incident was a bloody affair so famous that even Jin Yeong-in remembered it.

Two years ago from now.

The Qingcheng Sect, one of the core pillars of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance and a major force in the Sichuan Murim.

The Five Swords of Qingcheng, who were mid-level experts of such a sect, were discovered one morning as shriveled corpses.

Naturally, the Righteous Heavenly Alliance was turned upside down, and the Demon Extermination Squad was dispatched to uncover the truth of the case.

The Righteous Heavenly Alliance identified the old demon of the previous generation, the Star-Sucking Demonic Monster, as the culprit, and the Demon Extermination Squad was dispatched to hunt him down, thus closing the case.

But to think that the real culprit of that incident was not the Star-Sucking Demonic Monster, but the Blood Qilin…….

“Yes, the Bat Squad had quite a hard time fabricating the real culprit.”

Danmok Cheong gave a bitter smile.

“For that incident, the Sixth Young Master was punished with one year of secluded training.”

“Haha…….”

Jin Yeong-in could only let out a hollow laugh.

As the youngest disciple of the Iron-Blooded Demonic God, he should be one of the candidates for the next young leader.

To think that such a person would cause a major incident that could potentially lead to an all-out war with the Righteous Heavenly Alliance.

– You don’t seem to know how mischievous I was in my younger days. Do you know how many guys begged me to just kill them? Heh heh heh!

Suddenly, the words of the future Blood Qilin, the Blood Demon, flashed through Jin Yeong-in’s mind.

‘This is beyond just a mischievous level.’

If he didn’t even hesitate to commit massacres, wasn’t it possible that he was half-mad with bloodlust?

Yeom Bi’s words that he could die if he approached recklessly were by no means an empty threat.

‘I should be careful for now.’

The conversation he had with the future Blood Qilin, the Blood Demon, wasn’t entirely pleasant.

– It may be futile, but I had a thought. If I could turn back time, if I knew you had the Heavenly Demon’s Physique. I thought I could have killed you to eliminate the root of the trouble.

If the Blood Qilin was also someone who had returned to the past, he might try to kill Jin Yeong-in.

If that happened, as the current Jin Yeong-in, he had no viable way to survive.

No matter if he had the Heavenly Demon’s Physique, for now, as a mere convert, it would be impossible to face the youngest disciple of the Iron-Blooded Demonic God and the eldest son of the Sacred Blood Clan.

* * *

While talking about various things on their way home, Jin Yeong-in and Danmok Cheong had to stop their steps due to three middle-aged men blocking their path.

“We greet the Three Fiends of Eastern Expanse seniors.”

Danmok Cheong quickly cupped his fist and bowed to them.

‘The Three Fiends of Eastern Expanse… ah.’

They were people Jin Yeong-in knew as well.

The Three Fiends of Eastern Expanse.

They were originally not three but five, known as the Five Fiends of Eastern Expanse, who committed evil acts in Eastern Expanse Province.

Then, two of them were killed by Jin Yeong-in’s master, Heavenly Hero of the Sky, and the remaining three promised to mend their ways and barely managed to keep their lives.

To think that those Three Fiends of Eastern Expanse were now part of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult…….

“Step aside, we have no business with you. Our business is solely with the disciple of that bastard, Jang Guk-pyeong.”

The man in the center said in a sharp tone.

“If you don’t want to die either, it would be wise for you to get lost.”

“Is there a need to get caught up in this and shed tears of blood?”

It went without saying, but Danmok Cheong was not one to back down.

“Young Master Jin here is a convert whose conversion was personally approved by that person. No matter if you are the seniors of the Three Fiends of Eastern Expanse, if you were to harm a convert who has just joined our cult and is in the process of adapting….”

“Shut up!”

The leader of the Three Fiends of Eastern Expanse, Pung Jong-u, shouted and cut off Danmok Cheong’s words.

“You have a glib tongue! There is no way that person would have approved the conversion of a mere brat! How dare you try to humiliate your seniors!”

“That is not true.”

Danmok Cheong explained again.

“My words are, I swear, the truth. I am just worried that you seniors might make the mistake of offending that person’s mood….”

“Kwahahaha!”

Pung Jong-u burst into a loud laugh that seemed to shake the heavens.

“It seems you don’t know us very well yet! Fine! Let’s say, as you claim, that person personally approved his conversion! Do you think we would back down because of that?”

“Are you saying you will go against that person’s will?”

“We lost two of our brothers to that bastard’s master!”

Pung Jong-u shouted, filled with malice.

“This is a golden opportunity to avenge our brothers. Do you think we would care for our own lives!”

“……!”

“Hehehe! Who would have thought this day would come? A grudge I thought I could never repay in my lifetime!”

Just then.

“You really don’t care about your lives?”

A young man who appeared out of nowhere took Pung Jong-u’s words.

His appearance was peculiar, to say the least.

He had radiant golden hair and wore a red robe embroidered with a golden qilin.

On his face, he wore spectacles like Gongson Chaek, the Life-Saving Demonic Daoist, but the lenses were not transparent but dark, hiding his eyes.

Furthermore, despite it being dusk, he insistently held a parasol, showing his intention not to be exposed to even a sliver of sunlight.

“True. It is a fact that your lives are worth less than that of a fly.”

A creepy smile appeared on the lips of the strangely dressed, golden-haired young man, the Blood Qilin.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep