Chapter 57: We Can’t Be Free From It.

On the way home after the audience with the Iron-Blooded Demonic God.

Jin Cheon unintentionally drew the attention of countless people.

“Th-those are!”

“Good heavens.”

“Has the Cult Leader taken a new disciple?”

Among the cultists of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, there were none who did not know the uniforms of the New Demon Squad’s martial artists, and the fact that their duty was to escort the disciples of the Iron-Blooded Demonic God was known even to a three-year-old child.

Therefore, there was not a single person who did not recognize that Jin Cheon was the new disciple of the Iron-Blooded Demonic God.

“I-is this right? Brother Dan?”

“I am the Seventh Captain of the New Demon Squad, and your subordinate, Young Master.”

“Ah.”

As Danmok Cheong reminded him, Jin Cheon paused for a moment as if realizing his mistake, then opened his mouth again.

“Hmm. I think I’m standing out too much.”

“As long as you are His Holiness’ disciple, there is no way to avoid drawing attention, Young Master.”

“Ah, is that so.”

“Yes, from now on, all cultists will be watching your every move.”

“That’s a bit much.”

“Is it not unavoidable? You have no choice but to let it go and get used to it.”

Jin Cheon admitted that there was nothing wrong with Danmok Cheong’s words and nodded his head readily.

“We-we greet the Seventh Young Master!”

“We greet the Seventh Young Master!”

The cultists, regardless of age or gender, clasped their fists towards Jin Cheon, paying their respects to the seventh disciple of the Iron-Blooded Demonic God.

No matter how much this place was ruled by the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak, the status of being the Cult Leader’s disciple alone seemed to earn the reverence of all.

Of course, that was only the story for the ordinary cultists; it was clear that the renowned masters would not be so easygoing.

Even if he was the disciple of the Iron-Blooded Demonic God, if he could not prove his skill and worth through martial might, it went without saying that he would be thoroughly ignored and looked down upon.

“Anyway, everyone is going to be surprised.”

“Everyone?”

“Wouldn’t the Fourth Young Master and the Sixth Young Master be surprised? You, who were a defector, are now their sworn brother.”

“Ah.”

“Everyone is waiting. Let’s go.”

“Waiting? For me?”

“Yes, Young Master. Isn’t today the day you completed the Blood Wolf Corps training? Everyone is waiting to congratulate you.”

Danmok Cheong said with a smile.

***

Danmok Cheong’s words that everyone was waiting were by no means a lie.

From the handmaiden Baek A-rin to the Blood Qilin, Yeom Bi, and even the Ghost Soldier Corps Commander Gi Il-do, and even Namgung Sin, Dae-ho, and Go-bong who had followed Jin Cheon in the Blood Wolf Corps.

All of them had been waiting for Jin Cheon.

And, as Danmok Cheong had expected, they were on the verge of fainting from shock.

“Y-Young Master? Could it be that you’ve become His Holiness’ disciple……”

Baek A-rin, seeing Jin Cheon appear with the New Demon Squad, blinked her eyes in utter surprise, then fainted on the spot.

It was fortunate that the Fourth Young Master, Yeom Bi, hastily caught her; otherwise, she might have been seriously injured.

“What, what is this? Did you really become His Holiness’ disciple?”

Even the Blood Qilin seemed considerably surprised, asking Jin Cheon with wide, rabbit-like eyes.

“Yes, well. It just happened.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“We’ve become sworn brothers?”

“Yes.”

“No way.”

The Blood Qilin had a look on his face like he’d been hit.

“This is totally…… the heavens are helping me, aren’t they?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m the senior brother!”

The Blood Qilin said, pointing back and forth between himself and Jin Cheon.

“I’m the sixth, you’re the seventh.”

“Yes, that’s true, but.”

“So now you’re the youngest. Huhu.”

“So…… you’re just happy that you’ve escaped being the youngest?”

“Yep.”

Seeing the Blood Qilin nod his head readily, Jin Cheon gave up thinking.

He had realized that expecting a normal reaction from the Blood Qilin was a foolish act.

“Hmm. For you to become my junior brother.”

“Yes, well. It just happened somehow.”

“That’s good. Let’s get along well from now on.”

Yeom Bi also seemed quite surprised that Jin Cheon had become the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s disciple, but his reaction wasn’t bad.

“Senior Bro— no, greetings to the Seventh Young Master. Congratulations.”

“Greetings to the Seventh Young Master! Haha!”

“I will be loyal to you for the rest of my life!”

Namgung Sin, Dae-ho, and Go-bong were also greatly surprised, but they congratulated Jin Cheon on becoming the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s disciple.

“They say you never know what life will bring. Congratulations. And…… I apologize once again for the incident where my subordinates picked a fight with you. Hahaha……”

The Ghost Soldier Corps Commander Gi Il-do, sweating profusely, apologized to Jin Cheon once again.

Now that Jin Cheon had become the Seventh Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, not only the Ghost Soldier Corps but also Gi Il-do’s own neck could be on the line.

For him, there was nothing to do but prostrate himself before Jin Cheon.

“Thank you, everyone.”

Jin Cheon clasped his fist to the people who had gathered to congratulate him on completing his Blood Wolf Corps training and returned the greeting.

“Ah, and my name is no longer Jin Yeong-in, but Jin Cheon. It is a name bestowed upon me by His Holiness, so please call me that from now on.”

“……!”

Everyone was surprised by Jin Cheon’s words.

Not only had he become a disciple, but he had even been bestowed a name…….

“Wait a minute.”

The Blood Qilin narrowed his eyes and glared at Jin Cheon.

“You, what is that.”

“Pardon?”

“Isn’t that the Nine-headed Dragon Robe?”

“How do you know that?”

“You can tell just by looking, how could I not know? What madman would make a martial uniform embroidered with a nine-headed dragon? If they did, their limbs would be torn apart wherever they went. No, but does this even make sense? You were bestowed the Nine-headed Dragon Robe as well?!”

The Blood Qilin seemed more surprised by the fact that Jin Cheon had been bestowed the Nine-headed Dragon Robe than by him becoming the Iron-Blooded Demonic God’s disciple.

“Hmm. The Nine-headed Dragon Robe is a bit much. To bestow the Cult Leader’s divine object.”

Yeom Bi also showed the same reaction.

“I heard from the Cult Leader that it was a Dharma Treasure, is it that great?”

“It is.”

Yeom Bi frowned.

“That thing is greater than the Ten Great Treasures. It’s the greatest masterpiece our family ever created.”

“Ah.”

“And it’s the divine object of the Cult Leader. At least…… it was until today.”

Yeom Bi glanced at Jin Cheon and finished his sentence.

“Hmm. This is going to be a big problem.”

“What do you mean, a big problem?”

“That’s something even the Eldest Senior Brother didn’t receive. But since it went to you, the youngest, there will probably be a lot of talk.”

The Blood Qilin wore an unusually serious expression.

“The youngest who just came in inherited the Cult Leader’s divine object, what do you think everyone will think?”

“Don’t tell me.”

“That’s right.”

The Blood Qilin nodded as if to say that was exactly it.

“Everyone will think that His Holiness has chosen you as the Little Cult Leader, passing over the Eldest Senior Brother.”

“But this doesn’t mean that……”

“You’re not expecting the underlings to fathom His Holiness’ will, are you? Surely not?”

“Ah?”

“The absolute majority will interpret and act as they see fit, based on what’s visible to them.”

“Do you think the First Young Master…… no, the Eldest Senior Brother will also think so?”

At that, the Blood Qilin and Yeom Bi answered in unison.

“No.”

“No.”

Recalling that the Blood Qilin and Yeom Bi’s opinions had never coincided, it was an unusual response.

“The Eldest Senior Brother is such a saintly person that he’ll probably just let it be. He’ll assume His Holiness has some meaning behind it and move on.”

“He’s right.”

Yeom Bi agreed with the Blood Qilin’s words.

“The problem is the Cheon Family.”

The Demonic Dao Cheon Family.

It was the most prestigious family in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, boasting the largest and most overwhelming power among the Seven Demonic Families.

“The Cheon Family might not look upon you favorably. Because the solid succession structure might crack.”

“But I……”

“I told you earlier. It’s not like that. In fact, it’s the same for all of us.”

The Blood Qilin said with a self-deprecating, somewhat bitter expression.

“The dogfight that happens because of the succession structure has nothing to do with our will. You, Senior Brother Yeom, and I. We can’t be free from it.”

“……”

“It’s only quiet because the Eldest Senior Brother is so overwhelming; if not, we’d probably be killing each other by now.”

At the Blood Qilin’s words, Yeom Bi opened his mouth.

“With you, it would be enough……”

“Ah! The weather is nice!”

The Blood Qilin feigned ignorance, cutting off Yeom Bi’s words.

“Hey, junior brother. Let’s go. My treat, a big one.”

“Where are we going?”

“Where else! The Gisaeng house! Let’s go get wasted……”

It was the Blood Qilin, spouting nonsense as if he had never shown a serious side.

***

The Blood Qilin’s suggestion to go to a Gisaeng house was simply dismissed by the majority.

Although Dae-ho and Go-bong showed a slight interest, when Jin Cheon, the man of the hour, refused flat out, they could only smack their lips in disappointment.

Jin Cheon had a pleasant time eating and drinking with the people who visited his home.

Perhaps because he had been rolling around like a dog in the Blood Wolf Corps for the past hundred days and had not had a proper meal many times, all the food felt like it stuck to his mouth.

Of course, Baek A-rin’s excellent cooking skills also played a part…….

That night.

“The History of the Divine Cult.”

Jin Cheon, with considerable resolve, took out the official history book of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the History of the Divine Cult.

If one had to pick just one thing Jin Cheon had in common with his master, the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior, it was that he didn’t particularly enjoy reading books, with the exception of martial arts manuals.

However, now that the Iron-Blooded Demonic God had even hinted that he should read the History of the Divine Cult, he couldn’t show a shameful appearance in front of her again.

So he had taken out the History of the Divine Cult with the intention of reading at least for a moment before falling asleep.

“……To think that our cult did not start as a religious group.”

As Jin Cheon read the beginning of the History of the Divine Cult, he was quite surprised by the unexpected history.

According to the History of the Divine Cult, the origin of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was an assembly of merchants who were engaged in intermediary trade on the Silk Road, the trade route connecting the Central Plains and the Western Regions.

Hundreds of years ago.

As the Central Plains and the Western Regions began to trade through the Silk Road, there were those who took root in the Sky Mountain area.

The Silk Guild.

They were a kind of federation composed of merchants from the Central Plains, various ethnic minorities who had lived in Xinjiang since ancient times, and people from the Western Regions.

For a long time, the Silk Guild was caught up in the power struggles and intrigues of the Central Plains dynasties and various foreign tribes over the Silk Road, suffering all kinds of persecution, and seemed to be gradually disintegrating.

Then, a divine being appeared in the Sky Mountain area…….

He completely seized control of the Sky Mountain area with his world-shaking martial power, created scriptures, and became a religious founder himself, founding a new faith that had never existed before.

That faith spread like wildfire throughout the Sky Mountain area as well as the Silk Guild, and he soon became a being revered and worshipped as a god beyond a human.

The Silk Guild was completely absorbed into the religious group he created, and by the time a generation had passed, it had transformed into a religious group called the Divine Cult.

The name of the divine being who created the Divine Cult was considered so sacred that it could not be recorded, but the title by which he was called still remained, shaking not only the Central Plains but the entire world.

The First Heavenly Demon.

He was the religious founder and the first Cult Leader who transformed the Silk Guild into the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and the divine being who was first called by the title of Heavenly Demon.

“The First Heavenly Demon was…… a hero.”

That was how Jin Cheon evaluated the First Heavenly Demon.

His deeds of saving the Silk Guild, which was suffering all kinds of persecution from various forces, and uniting them by founding a new religion, were more than enough to be called a hero.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep