Chapter 98. Just enjoy it.

“Of course I want to know.”

“Then I will tell you. The Righteous Heavenly Alliance needed a target to shift the blame for what they suffered at our cult’s hands, and that just happened to be the Seven Absolutes Sword Sect.”

“What do you mean by that…….”

“You must have at least heard the rumors about the recent prisoner negotiations between our cult and the Righteous Heavenly Alliance?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Then you must have also heard that the Righteous Heavenly Alliance was soundly beaten.”

“What does that incident have to do with the Righteous Heavenly Alliance attacking our sect…….”

“It is related.”

Jincheon said curtly.

“From the Righteous Heavenly Alliance’s perspective, they didn’t want to give the impression to the public that they were just being beaten.”

“……?”

“They fabricated a spy that didn’t exist. They intended to blame it on the Seven Absolutes Sword Sect, saying that things turned out that way because they sold information to our cult.”

“Then why did your esteemed cult help our sect?”

“Because the intentions of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance were so obvious.”

“……!”

“It was simply displeasing. We couldn’t just stand by and watch things go according to the Righteous Heavenly Alliance’s intentions. So if you want to blame someone, blame the Righteous Heavenly Alliance. Strictly speaking, our cult has nothing to do with this matter.”

“How could such a thing…….”

Sim Il-bang muttered to himself as if he couldn’t believe it.

It seemed he was in too much shock after hearing the truth.

Well, having lost his family and his sect ruined overnight, it would have been stranger if he were in his right mind.

Jincheon didn’t say anything further to Sim Il-bang, nor did he console him.

He just left him to act as he saw, heard, and felt…….

But what needed to be done, had to be done.

“I’ll give you a choice.”

“What kind of choice are you asking me to make?”

“Weren’t you Sect Leader Sim’s son?”

“That is correct.”

“What are you going to do with the surviving disciples and family members?”

“I… I don’t know.”

Sim Il-bang slumped down and said like a madman.

“All of this feels like a nightmare… In a situation like this, how can I make a decision…….”

“Get a grip.”

Jincheon grabbed Sim Il-bang by the collar and pulled him up.

“It may sound harsh, but right now, you are the only one who can take care of the family members and disciples of the Seven Absolutes Sword Sect.”

“But… but…….”

“Decide by tomorrow morning. Whether you will go to our cult, or scatter and fend for yourselves.”

“I… understand.”

Sim Il-bang answered with difficulty.

‘This is the best I can do for him.’

Jincheon thought so and left Sim Il-bang and the survivors of the Seven Absolutes Sword Sect behind.

The next morning.

“I will defect to the Demonic Cult… no, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”

Sim Il-bang came to Jincheon and said.

He looked as if he hadn’t slept a wink last night, his eyes were so sunken they looked like those of a dead person.

“Good. But there is something you must keep in mind.”

“What is it.”

“Do not try to use our cult for your revenge.”

“……That is.”

“Our cult is not a place that accepts vengeful ghosts.”

Jincheon’s words were not only directed at Sim Il-bang but also at himself.

Revenge?

Of course, he planned to take it.

But the safety and revival of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult came first.

Hadn’t even the Iron-Blooded Demonic God told Jincheon that they do not accept vengeful ghosts?

“If you are confident you can live thoroughly as a disciple of our cult, I will permit your defection. If not, it would be better for you to find your own way to live.”

“……”

Hearing Jincheon’s words, Sim Il-bang hesitated slightly.

“If you try to use our cult for your revenge, you will die by my hand. Of course…….”

Jincheon added.

“If you stick with our cult, an opportunity to take revenge on the Righteous Heavenly Alliance bastards might come. Though I don’t know when that will be. So, what do you plan to do?”

“My decision remains unchanged.”

Sim Il-bang answered, clenching his teeth.

“I will defect to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult along with the disciples and family members.”

In any case, Sim Il-bang had no other choice.

Having been firmly branded as a spy for the Demonic Cult, it was impossible for the survivors of the Seven Absolutes Sword Sect to set foot and live in the Central Plains.

If they were to be spotted by the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, they would be framed as spies for the Demonic Cult and publicly executed without a doubt.

“When we return, I will speak to the External Affairs Manager and arrange for your initiation application.”

“I thank the Young Master for his consideration.”

“There’s no need for thanks. I hope you can compose your heart.”

Jincheon said that and rose from his seat.

***

Meanwhile, Dang Cheon-wi, who had barely managed to escape thanks to the grace Jincheon had shown him, stayed at the Righteous Heavenly Alliance’s Hezuo County branch office.

Needless to say, the internal atmosphere was the absolute worst.

Not only had they been repeatedly bested since the prisoner negotiations, but they had also suffered a great defeat in this battle, so it was only natural for the atmosphere to be grim and mournful.

Moreover, the number of Righteous Heavenly Alliance martial artists who died in this battle easily exceeded one hundred and fifty, and the number of injured was even greater.

“Ugh, ughhh!”

“What are the physicians doing! Come here and see to this right away! Hurry!”

Groans from the injured echoed from all sides, and the sound of people moving urgently seemed to represent the current situation of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance.

That was not only the case at the Righteous Heavenly Alliance branch office located here in Hezuo County.

Right now, the entire Gansu Province was seething with angry Righteous Heavenly Alliance martial artists, and it seemed as if a war with the Demonic Cult would break out at any moment.

Although there had never been a time in history when the Righteous Heavenly Alliance had invaded the Demonic Cult’s headquarters, the Ten Thousand Great Mountains…….

‘Once the situation calms down a bit, I should quickly return to Sichuan.’

Dang Cheon-wi wanted to leave this Gansu Province as soon as possible and return to his home.

Now, he was beyond skeptical; the mere mention of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance made his skin crawl.

The prisoner negotiations in Xining already reeked of corruption, and the incident at the Seven Absolutes Sword Sect was even worse.

Yes, even if he were to concede a hundred times that the Seven Absolutes Sword Sect had colluded with the Demonic Cult, trying to kill even a sniveling child without a second thought was an evil act that he couldn’t just watch with his eyes open, wasn’t it?

It was said that a true hero shows mercy even to an unparalleled villain, but to think that the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, which claimed to represent the righteous path, would commit an indiscriminate massacre…….

‘This is not the chivalry I had imagined. The Righteous Heavenly Alliance… is already as corrupt as it can be. More so than I had thought.’

He had vaguely felt since his days at the Heavenly Martial Academy that the Nine Sects One Gang were rotten to the core.

Dang Cheon-wi was also well aware that they were pathologically obsessed with background and origin, and that they practiced discrimination and contempt as if it were a daily meal.

But back then, he had thought it was just because they were immature, hot-blooded prodigies of the same age.

But now he saw that it wasn’t.

That was the true face of the Nine Sects One Gang, and by extension, the Righteous Heavenly Alliance.

The process of treating the injured was a prime example.

Even at this very moment, discrimination was being openly practiced.

“Move! The disciples of the Kongtong Sect are the priority!”

“B-But…….”

“Didn’t I tell you to wait your turn!”

The Righteous Heavenly Alliance prioritized background even when treating the severely injured.

Even though a martial artist from a minor sect was dying right in front of them, they were insistently taking care of the martial artist from the Nine Sects One Gang first.

‘How did it come to this… This is not the Righteous Heavenly Alliance I saw and heard about since I was young.’

Dang Cheon-wi thought so, took out the tools needed for medical treatment from his bosom, and moved his feet.

The place Dang Cheon-wi headed to was where the injured from the minor sects were gathered.

“I am Dang Cheon-wi of the Tang Clan. I will take a look at you.”

“Th-Thank you. Krrghk.”

Dang Cheon-wi provided medical treatment to the injured who had been neglected by the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, stopping their bleeding, stitching their wounds, and treating their internal injuries.

As the martial artists of the Sichuan Tang Clan dealt with poison, they were more knowledgeable in medicine than most physicians, so they were perfectly suited to be active in a situation where there were injured people like this.

‘Yes, I must take care of them.’

Dang Cheon-wi continued to provide medical treatment, taking care of the injured, again and again.

A few hours passed like that.

“Hey.”

“Ah, yes.”

Dang Cheon-wi was startled to see Ho Jong-ak suddenly come looking for him.

“I greet the Demon Extermination Squad Leader.”

“Yes, you’ve worked hard. Thanks to you, many of our brothers have been saved.”

“Not at all… I just did what I had to do. But, why did you come looking for me.”

“I have something to talk about for a moment, so follow me.”

“Understood.”

Although Dang Cheon-wi was curious about the reason Ho Jong-ak had come to find him, he followed him without a word.

And rightly so, the other party was the Heavenly Sword Ho Jong-ak, who was said to be the right-hand man of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance Leader.

As the Demon Extermination Squad Leader, he was a person who enjoyed more power and authority than most sect leaders of the Nine Sects One Gang, so no matter how much of a direct blood relative of the Sichuan Tang Clan he was, he could not defy his command.

“I have something to ask you, which is why I called you out separately.”

“Please ask.”

“Have you ever contacted Jin Yeong-in, no, I should say Jincheon now. Since he has become the Seventh Young Master of the Demonic Cult. Anyway, have you ever been in contact with him separately?”

“I swear I have never.”

Dang Cheon-wi’s expression crumpled.

Being asked such a question was indescribably unpleasant.

Let alone contact, they had never even made eye contact, so what was this nonsense?

“Why does the Demon Extermination Squad Leader ask me such a question?”

“Isn’t it a reasonable question?”

“Pardon……?”

“Hasn’t our Alliance been soundly beaten by the Demonic Cult bastards recently? Coincidentally, you were there every time. And on the Demonic Cult’s side, there was the Seventh Young Master Jincheon.”

“Are you suspecting me right now?”

“Isn’t it reasonable to? You are the only one who has a connection with the Seventh Young Master of the Demonic Cult, aren’t you? And they say that relationship was very special. Even during the incident five years ago…….”

“Nonsense!”

Dang Cheon-wi shouted.

“Why would I, a direct blood relative of the great Sichuan Tang Clan, collude with the Seventh Young Master of the Demonic Cult!”

“Is that so?”

“Contacting him! Absurd! If I did that, not only me but my family would be in danger, am I an idiot to do such a thing?”

“Of course, that’s true. But there is always a ‘what if’.”

“……?”

“I think I need to do some investigation. To just let it pass, you are too much of a person of interest.”

As soon as Ho Jong-ak’s words ended, the members of the Demon Extermination Squad appeared one by one and surrounded Dang Cheon-wi.

“Kek.”

A twisted smile appeared on Dang Cheon-wi’s lips.

Now, he was about to be dragged away for the sole reason of being at the scene of the incident, so it was only natural for Dang Cheon-wi to give a cynical smile.

“Yes, go ahead and suspect me for a hundred days, a thousand days. I swear to the heavens that I am innocent.”

“We’ll find that out after the investigation.”

Ho Jong-ak glared at Dang Cheon-wi with cold eyes.

“Take him away. But, since he is a direct blood relative of the Sichuan Tang Clan, don’t treat him too harshly.”

“Yes.”

In the end, Dang Cheon-wi was dragged away somewhere by the members of the Demon Extermination Squad.

For the sole reason of having a special relationship with Jincheon, he was suspected once again, and as if that wasn’t enough, he was dragged away by the Demon Extermination Squad for the second time.

***

A huge crowd of welcomers was waiting for Jincheon’s party, who had arrived at the sacred city of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Divine Land.

“Long live the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult!”

“Long live!”

The cult members of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, who had come out to the entrance of the Divine Land, sent a truly fiery support towards Jincheon’s party.

As rumors of the recent prisoner negotiations and the Seven Absolutes Sword Sect incident spread, the story of Jincheon’s party’s exploits spread throughout the cult.

“Hmm.”

Jincheon, who had suddenly become a triumphant general, did not know what to do with the unfamiliar reaction.

This was the first time he had received cheers from a crowd of nearly tens of thousands of people, so he couldn’t get used to it at all.

“My Lord.”

Danmok Cheong whispered in Jincheon’s ear.

“Just enjoy it.”

“……Enjoy it?”

“How many times in a lifetime does one get to receive such cheers?”

“Hmm.”

“Besides, this is a military achievement against the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, not some other hostile force. It’s not unreasonable for the cult members to react like this. So, you should show a demeanor befitting the Seventh Young Master of our cult. If you act so timidly, who will look up to my Lord?”

“Sh-Should I.”

Following Danmok Cheong’s advice, Jincheon relaxed his stiff expression and corrected his awkward posture.

Then, with a confident gait, he raised one hand high.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

A thunderous roar erupted from the mouths of the cult members who had come out to greet them.

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