Chapter 167: Summoning of the Seven Elders Council (1)

As soon as we returned to the lodging prepared inside the House of Slaughter estate—

A rather grim atmosphere naturally settled within the room.

“So Cheon. If you don’t make your stance clear, I’ll have no choice but to kill you.”

At some point, Myeong-oh’s dagger was already glinting sharply against So Cheon’s carotid artery.

“Answer me. Whose side are you really on?”

I had overheard a brief exchange between So Cheon and Jeok Rua.

From that conversation, I realized that Jeok Rua desired something I possessed.

“What were you trying to steal from me, and what’s your ultimate goal?”

“W-Wait! Can’t you give me a moment to catch my breath?!”

“Oh, one more thing. That martial art you used back then—it looked way too much like something from the orthodox faction. Who gave it to you, and how did you learn it?”

A firm attitude that left no room for negotiation.

So Cheon’s expression twisted in panic.

“I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything! I won’t run, okay?! Just give me a second!”

“…….”

Watching So Cheon flail, I paused to consider.

“I’ll let you go if you answer one thing.”

Was it really right to ask this?

I hesitated briefly at the sudden conflict within me, but in the end, I firmly spoke the words.

“Are you… still my friend?”

So Cheon stopped at those words, then quietly nodded.

“…If that’s how you still see me.”

“I see.”

I sighed and waved my hand.

“Let him go.”

“Yes.”

Myeong-oh obediently withdrew the dagger at my command.

And just as So Cheon let out a breath of relief—

Whack!

I planted my fist directly into his cheek.

“Gwehheek!”

I hadn’t used internal energy, but since he had let his guard down, it must’ve hurt quite a bit.

“I’ll consider this punch enough to forgive you for hitting the back of my head at the Demonic Tower.”

So Cheon collapsed into a corner, groaning as he held his cheek.

“…Th-Thanks. I guess, for stabbing a friend in the back, I got off cheap.”

“At least you’re aware you stabbed me.”

I sighed and sat down in a chair.

“But I still haven’t cleared my doubts about you.”

“……”

“Tell me. What’s your real objective?”

So Cheon willingly revealed his purpose.

And it was far more critical than I expected.

“On my mother’s orders… I’m looking for something called the Key of Heaven of Sacred Spirits.”

“What did you just say?”

…My gaze stopped as I stared at So Cheon.

“In exchange, I was promised freedom…”

“W-Wait a second.”

“If I can find it and hand it over to the higher-ups, my mother said she could take the vacant seat among the Eight Thousand Generals. She also said she could finally avenge my younger sibling…”

“…Ha.”

Just as I thought, So Cheon had confessed the hidden truth.

The only problem was that he’d spilled it far too easily.

Yet even so—

That alone unraveled a great many mysteries.

“I see.”

Now I understood why Jeok Rua had so readily revealed her identity.

Reveal part of the truth and draw attention to it.

And then cleverly conceal the rest of the truth behind it.

“She declared herself the escort of the Blood Cult’s priestess so smoothly… Was it to hide the fact that she’s actually a lackey of the Heaven-Defying Society?”

“Th-That’s ridiculous!”

Myeong-oh, who stood nearby, turned pale.

Having once worked under the Yin-Yang Fist Demon and managed contact points for the Heaven-Defying Society, the shock of learning Jeok Rua’s true identity hit her hard.

So Cheon nodded, as if understanding her reaction.

“My mother only had ties with the Heaven-Defying Society. She never actively operated for them.”

“So now that the Ten Thousand Generals’ seat is empty, she’s finally making her move…”

This was a butterfly effect caused by the history I’d rewritten.

In my past life, the Yin-Yang Fist Demon had still been alive, so Jeok Rua would never have ventured out into the open.

“There are a few more things I want to ask, but first…”

I stared directly into So Cheon’s bitter eyes.

“The fact that you’re saying this so openly… can I take it as your declaration that you’re turning your back on your mother, Jeok Rua?”

So Cheon slowly nodded.

“That’s right. I… unlike Brother Byeok, I can’t break the So Clan’s mental seal on my own. I can’t get rid of the loneliness embedded inside me either.”

Anyone from the Hidden Shadow So Clan had one dream—freedom beyond the walls.

So Cheon didn’t crave immense power or ancient martial arts.

He simply wanted freedom.

“My mother promised me freedom, but I know. She’ll never… actually let me go.”

“I see.”

I quietly nodded.

So Cheon’s words were indeed filled with genuine determination.

His desire for freedom was definitely real.

But—

“Alright, next question.”

I let my expression turn cold and asked:

“Who is your current master—Cheon Jumyeong, or Cheon Jumun?”

Flinch!

So Cheon’s face stiffened.

Revealing part of the truth to conceal another—this trick wasn’t just used by Jeok Rua.

“You… how did you know…”

“Demonic Soul Supreme Sword.”

The moment I said that, So Cheon’s mouth shut.

“Cheon Jumun, known as the strongest in the Cheon Clan, is no ordinary man. No matter how skilled a thief you are, to aim for his sword is like tugging on the whiskers of a sleeping tiger.”

How had So Cheon come back alive?

The answer was simple.

“You failed to steal the Demonic Soul Supreme Sword and were instead recruited on the spot. That makes more sense when you think of the sequence of events.”

“……”

“There’s no way you would betray Jeok Rua without some kind of support. Especially when she practically holds your life in her hands.”

“That’s… impressive. Honestly, this time I’m surprised.”

So Cheon’s expression shifted into that subdued look I’d seen briefly back at the Demonic Tower.

“So, your answer?”

“Once all this is over, I’ve agreed to serve in the Ghost Command Unit for the next five years, fully freed from all restrictions. I’ve been assigned as squad leader of the Second Unit. Does that answer your question?”

“Are you not planning on giving me a straight answer?”

“Sorry, but this is a matter of life and death for me too. I can’t tell you everything beyond what’s necessary.”

“…Makes sense.”

The moment Jeok Rua found out about his betrayal, she’d detonate the implanted loneliness without hesitation, even if he were her own son.

Being part of the Heaven-Defying Society, any internal betrayal would mean annihilation.

Still…

‘Squad leader of the Second Unit in the Soul-Slaying Corps, huh…’

It left me with mixed feelings.

Of all people, my drinking buddy was now following in Gu Chil’s exact footsteps.

“Fine, I won’t pry further into your personal matters. But I can at least expect you to share the necessary information, right?”

The second-in-command of the Hidden Shadow So Clan was actually a traitor aiming to overthrow the system?

“If I were Cheon Jumyeong, I’d definitely side with you in this situation.”

Cheon Jumyeong wanted the power of the Cult.

But if the Cult was overturned from within, his ambitions would collapse too.

Nod.

So Cheon silently nodded his head.

***

“The ‘Demonic Soul Soldiers’ are specially trained warriors prepared to handle the heirlooms of the Illusion Clan.”

“And that has something to do with the current state of the House of Slaughter trainees?”

“That’s right. It’s been a few years now since the training regimen of the House of Slaughter suddenly changed.”

Among the Six Great Demonic Clans, the House of Slaughter was the most closed-off.

Even if their internal policies shifted, unless you entered personally, there was no way to know.

“Still, there’s no way the House of Slaughter Lord agreed to that mess…”

“A Demonic Soul Soldier who had trained for three years killed an externally-invited peak-level master. My mother used that result to persuade the Clan Lord.”

“…What?”

“What the main family needs right now isn’t assassins who can act independently, but raw, overwhelming force. In the end, the Clan Lord accepted my mother’s proposal.”

If they could be properly raised, that meant they could gain several forces equivalent to the top-ranked Thirty-Four Demon Squads.

Jeok Rua emphasized this point to sway Sal Ma.

‘Are the heirlooms of the Illusion Clan really that powerful?’

No, that couldn’t be it.

There must be a heavy price—perhaps a limit on usage, a toll on the martial artist’s life, or something equally costly.

‘But that’s not what matters right now.’

What mattered most at this moment was uncovering the truth of the Heaven-Defying Plan—and saving Gu Chil’s life.

“What exactly is the Heaven-Defying Plan?”

So Cheon shook his head cleanly.

“I don’t know.”

“This bastard—”

Thinking he might be joking again, I radiated a bit of killing intent, but So Cheon responded with surprising seriousness, none of his usual exaggeration.

“I really don’t know. Do you think even I would be privy to all of Mother’s plans?”

It was a fairly convincing answer.

“…Fair enough.”

“However, while I don’t know the details, I do know where it all starts.”

“Tell me.”

So Cheon exhaled and shared top-tier information with a serious face.

“Soon, the leader of the Murim Alliance, the Sword King, will be forced to step down.”

“……!”

“After that, a new leader will be chosen through the Martial World Assembly, and they’ll request a face-to-face dialogue with the Cult Leader.”

“…No way.”

The content of the conversation didn’t matter.

What mattered was the location.

Whether it was orthodox or unorthodox, neither side could afford to go into enemy territory, so they’d have to meet somewhere neutral.

Naturally, that meant the Cult Leader and all high-ranking officials would be absent from the main sect.

“It’s the perfect environment to start something.”

“……Exactly.”

So Cheon muttered with a bitter expression.

“The problem is that it’s too late to stop now. No—even if we had found out earlier, there’d be no way to stop it. How could our Cult interfere in the affairs of the orthodox faction?”

“That’s true.”

I rubbed my chin and fell into thought.

“Do you know roughly when that resignation is happening?”

“Probably in about two months? There’s going to be a Murim Alliance Elder Meeting around then, and that’s when the formal impeachment of the Alliance Leader will begin.”

“I see. Ha… so that’s your play, huh?”

I let out a hollow laugh and straightened my shoulders with a weird sense of relief.

So Cheon gave me a strange look.

“…You don’t look worried at all.”

“Yeah. I think I can prioritize rescuing Gu Chil for now.”

When that damn Record lit up and blinded me, I thought the heavens had abandoned me.

But now—

“Maybe the heavens are actually on my side?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“I think we might be able to shut down this ‘Heaven-Defying Plan’ before it even starts.”

So Cheon’s face grew even more perplexed.

***

The summoning of the Seven Elders Council.

Otherwise known as the Cheon Clan’s Grand Assembly/.

All those bearing the surname Cheon gathered in the Ten Thousand Mountains to discuss the future direction of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

At the lowest seat of the Seven Elders Council and currently presiding over the assembly, one of the Seven Elders, Cheon Ga-un, turned to his subordinates.

“How many have gathered?”

“At least over a thousand, sir.”

“…All those bastards who never cared about the main clan’s business are crawling out of the woodwork.”

“……”

His subordinate wisely held his tongue.

After all, those “bastards” Cheon Ga-un spoke of all held significant positions within the Cult, and at minimum, were Master-Level warriors or higher.

“Phew! Right… must be because of the Young Cult Leader. That child said she had something to announce during this assembly.”

Cheon Ga-un let out a sigh.

Then he muttered a curse under his breath.

“Damn O-ro… Why’d he have to provoke the Sword Demon?”

Technically, it wasn’t the Sword Demon himself that O-ro provoked—but the *Heaven-Slaying Star* he coveted.

To Cheon Ga-un, there was no real difference.

“At this point, almost no one sees Jin Yeomyung and the Young Cult Leader’s actions as separate anymore.”

They may have resigned from the exchange ceremony and baited the Six Great Demonic Clans…

But the aftermath of the incident at Geumma-dong solidified everything.

“That guy Jin Yeomyung is currently at the House of Slaughter, right? And in the meantime, the Young Cult Leader called for the Cheon Clan Assembly. Whatever those two are scheming, nothing said here is going to change anything.”

The First Elder had already switched sides, and the Third Elder still remained neutral.

Even so, the majority of the Seven Elders Council still supported Cheon Yujeong.

Unless they could sway the opinion of the entire Cheon Clan, nothing would change.

Cheon Ga-un was convinced of that.

But, just a few hours later—

“I, Young Cult Leader Cheon Yura, hereby declare the Heavenly Demon Cult’s advancement into the Central Plains, through the authority of the Heavenly Demon Command!”

“Uwooooooooh!”

With a thunderous roar that shook the very hall, the Cheon Clan Assembly erupted into chaos.

“Wh-What?!”

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