Chapter 220: Echoes of the Past (1)

Luoyang Incident.

A once-in-a-generation bloodbath between supreme experts near Luoyang City.

Right now, within Luoyang, word had spread like wildfire that the mysterious Transcendent-level martial artist known as “Blood Demon” had been driven away by a coalition of the Black Lotus Union Leader, the Murim Alliance Leader, and Sword Supreme Sage Gwan Hyun. It was becoming accepted as the prevailing truth.

Baek Sang-ah asked with a skeptical tone.

“…Does that even make sense?”

Jegal Eun and I nodded at the same time.

“‘Three men make a tiger,’ they say. If enough people share the same story, it becomes the truth.”

“Still, turning the revered Master Venerable Buddha into the Blood Demon… That’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

I retorted confidently, as if it were no big deal.

“Considering how he stabbed us in the back, calling him the Blood Demon is rather generous treatment.”

“Mm, well… if you put it like that.”

Baek Sang-ah kept glancing at my face for some reason.

“Um, Young Master Jin.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Did you, by chance, fight with Lady Cheon yesterday?”

“No? Why would you think that?”

She pointed to the area around my left eye and replied,

“Because one of your eyes looks like it got socked pretty good.”

Instead of feeling embarrassed at her comment, I puffed out my chest proudly.

“This is a sort of medal, one acknowledged by the Nanny.”

“Nanny? Medal?”

“Well, it’s a bit of an inside story.”

There was no reason to mention that I’d gotten thoroughly beaten down in a one-on-one duel with her all night long.

And I couldn’t exactly go all out against someone I owed a personal debt to.

More importantly, the fact that I got away with just a bruised eye could be considered a stroke of luck.

The real concern was whether she’d keep her mouth shut going forward.

Cheon Yura, seated at the head of the table, finally spoke up.

“Things took a detour due to the Black Lotus incident, but it’s time we return to our original goal.”

There were two original objectives for our sortie into the Central Plains.

“We’ve already returned the Jade Green Heavenly Net Divine Sword safely to the Sword King, so now it’s time to pay a formal visit to the Righteous Alliance and offer an explanation regarding our previous declaration of entry into the Central Plains.”

“Mm!”

“It won’t be too hard to explain. Something significant did occur within our cult, after all.”

The fall of one of the Six Great Demonic Clans, the Illusion Clan of Heavenly Reverence—something that had continued for over a thousand years.

Though the timeline had gotten a bit jumbled, the justification was more than sufficient.

‘History has definitely changed.’

The shock I’d felt when I first heard the news couldn’t be described in words.

Dealing with the Illusion Clan was something I had expected to tackle myself one day.

Who would’ve thought that the usually passive Cult Leader would move first and strike them down?

“Our stated purpose will be simple. We’ll say we’re pursuing the remnants of the Heavenly Reverence Illusion Clan.”

“Mm, but will they really buy that?” Bu Ilhwa asked.

Cheon Yura nodded.

“We won’t move with a large force. We’ll claim it’s a small, elite squad scouting the Central Plains. That should be a convincing enough excuse.”

I added to her explanation.

“Most importantly, both the Sword King and Sword Supreme Sage Gwan Hyun have agreed to coordinate their statements with ours. Just that alone is enough to suppress internal criticism within the Righteous Alliance.”

At that moment, Bu Ilhwa subtly glanced at her superior.

Despite the sudden interjection, there was no visible reaction from her, which meant she tacitly approved of this level of conversation.

“Well, if Young Master Jin says so…”

“The Righteous Alliance isn’t our concern right now. After that, our envoy will proceed even further south.”

This time, Cheon Yura continued from where I left off.

“From the Righteous Alliance, we will head straight to Nanchang in Jiangxi Province.”

“Nanchang…!”

Except for Bu Ilhwa, the expressions of the other envoys stiffened slightly.

They all knew very well who ruled Nanchang.

Thump! Thump!

“That’s right, the main household of this brat—The Namcheon Baek Clan.”

Cheon Yura pressed a finger into Baek Sang-ah’s cheek as she said it.

Baek Sang-ah turned her upper body away and protested.

“I’m not your plaything, you know?”

“What’s the big deal? We’re basically of one mind and body for the time being.”

“…You make it sound like you’re planning to monitor me openly. Am I imagining things?”

“You are imagining things.”

Ignoring Baek Sang-ah’s sharp glare, Cheon Yura turned her gaze toward the subordinates.

“We’ve been invited by the Sword King and will attend the Southern Martial Arts Tournament as representatives of the Heavenly Demon Cult.”

“I’ve heard rumors. Apparently the Namcheon Baek Clan are planning something grand.”

As vice leader of the Spirit Ghost Unit, Bu Ilhwa was always ahead of the curve on intel.

“That’s right.”

Swish!

Suddenly, Cheon Yura pulled me by the shoulder.

Flinch!

For a moment, Wang Cheongeol, who had been quietly kneeling nearby, flashed a sharp glint in his eyes.

As I met his gaze and gave a small shudder…

“This brat will handle everything related to the Namcheon Baek Clan. I’m giving him full authority over all matters in Nanchang.”

While I focused on matters involving the Namcheon Baek Clan…

“The rest of us will be handling our own tasks.”

Dark energy began to emanate from Cheon Yura.

Shiver!

It wasn’t ordinary killing intent, but a tangible type of symbolic murder Qi.

The fact that it was leaking out unconsciously meant she was seething with rage.

“I will massacre every last one of those illusion clan and Heaven-Defying Society bastards who dared to steal what’s mine. And I will take back what was taken from me.”

“Understood!”

“And while I’m at it, that idiotic relative too.”

‘Lady Biyeon…’

When I heard last night that Sa Biyeon had been kidnapped at the same time the Heavenly Reverence Illusion Clan was crushed…

The complex emotions I felt then were indescribable.

Other than Socheon, she was the first real friend I had made in this life.

But the problem was, neither Sa Biyeon nor Cheon Yujeong were what I needed to be focused on right now.

‘Nanchang, huh.’

After the meeting, I stepped into the garden within the inner quarters to clear my tangled thoughts.

Just as Cheon Yura had radiated her murderous intent through her symbolic killing Qi…

Before long, a similarly intense killing intent began to leak out from my entire body.

‘The reliability of the information… it’s probably solid. After all, it needs to earn the Cult Leader’s trust.’

Crack!

A name, filled with hatred, slipped from my lips.

“Han Mubaek…!”

The former IFirst Order of the Heaven-Defying Society who had defected to the Heavenly Demon Cult.

And the number one contributor to the incident involving the Illusion Clan.

“Every single one of his moves disgusts me. That damned bastard.”

I had known that the Illusion Clan was connected to the Heaven-Defying Society, but I hadn’t wanted to see the entire clan wiped out like this.

I had only hoped for a strong reformation, nothing more.

But thanks to Han Mubaek’s meddling, Heavenly Reverence’s Illusion Clan had been completely purged by the Heavenly Demon Cult.

‘Han Mubaek, I wonder what face you’re showing within our cult right now?’

My blurry eyes turned toward a distant point in the past.

* * *

The Five Great Halls, Golden Demon Hall.

“Hahaha! How have you been, Inner Adminstrator?!”

Han Mubaek, thoroughly drunk, pounded on the doors of the Golden Demon Hall.

“Huh? What brings you here at such a late hour, Faction Lord?”

“I came to deliver some great news to our dear Chief! Hahaha!”

Han Mubaek slapped my shoulder several times before plopping himself right down on the head seat.

It was rudeness beyond imagination, even for the Faction Lord of the Demonic Faction.

But I didn’t particularly care.

I didn’t cling to the position of Inner Adminstrator enough to bother reacting to every power play like this.

Swaying slightly from his drunkenness, Han Mubaek steadied himself and began to speak.

“I’ve succeeded in acquiring a portion of the Baekga Trading Company’s shares. About thirty percent!”

The Baekga Trading Company, the leading group among the current Five Great Trading Companys.

“The Baekga Trading Company, you say? That’s quite impressive.”

Thirty percent was indeed an accomplishment worth boasting about.

Considering the current Mysterious Gold Trading Company, led by Sa Bihwan, had already half broken away from the cult’s control, this news was even more significant.

‘The problem is, that bastard happens to have quite a close relationship with Sa Bihwan… but does it really matter?’

After all, the cult’s true power was already more than half seized by the Heavenly Thunder Corps.

“I’m sure the Cult Leader will be pleased. Well done.”

“Hahaha! Thank you, Chief.”

“So, did you come all the way here in the middle of the night just to brag about that?”

It was something worth bragging about, sure, but there was no reason for him to come all the way to the Golden Demon Hall at this hour, especially since we didn’t have any particular connection.

At my words, Han Mubaek’s expression stiffened slightly.

“That’s not it.”

“Then why don’t you get to the point? I’m tired and I’d like to sleep.”

Han Mubaek glared at me briefly, seemingly considering my words rude.

But the moment he saw the deep dark shadows under my eyes, he quickly averted his gaze.

Clasping his hands together, he spoke in a grave tone.

“Hmm, actually… don’t you think it’s about time our cult starts worrying about succession?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Both Han Mubaek and the Cult Leader were already well past their mid-thirties.

It wouldn’t be strange for them to have two or three children by now.

“But the Cult Leader still refuses to share the bed with me. At this rate, the Cheon bloodline might end with her.”

“You’re being overly dramatic. You are, after all, her one and only husband.”

“Only in name! Can you really call us husband and wife when we haven’t even shared the most basic of relationships?!”

Han Mubaek snapped at me in frustration.

It was too intense to dismiss as simple drunken rambling—I could clearly feel the hatred radiating from him.

“Hmm…”

His words were indeed somewhat pitiable, but that didn’t mean I had any obligation to involve myself in their personal affairs.

Realizing that he had gone too far, Han Mubaek hurriedly cleared his throat.

“Ahem! My apologies. I got a bit carried away.”

“It’s fine. So, what is it you want from me?”

“I’d like to ask for some advice.”

“…Advice?”

“You were the most promising candidate, weren’t you?”

The moment I heard that, my face twisted in disgust.

‘That bastard…’

There was no way I couldn’t understand what he meant by ‘candidate.’

“So what?”

“You were the last one remaining during the selection ritual. Surely you have some insight into the Cult Leader’s preferences, don’t you?”

The last one, huh…

Whether I was last or not didn’t really matter. I hadn’t lasted much longer than the others anyway.

“I don’t even expect to reach the point of sharing the bed. I just need some sort of opportunity to get close to the Cult Leader!”

“An opportunity, you say?”

“Yes. What happens after that is entirely up to my own abilities.”

“……”

I fell silent for a moment, thinking over his words.

The Cult Leader’s preferences… If we were talking about her tastes when she was younger, I did have a pretty good idea.

But honestly, even if I knew, I didn’t want to tell that bastard.

Even if those feelings had long since weathered and faded…

She… the Cult Leader had once been someone I harbored feelings for.

“I don’t really know.”

“…Are you seriously going to be like this?”

“What do you expect me to do if I don’t know? Please leave. I’ll make sure your accomplishments are properly highlighted at the Elders’ Council.”

For a moment, Han Mubaek’s cold gaze scanned my entire body.

“You do know something… but you refuse to speak.”

“……”

That look.

Whether he had some supernatural ability or not, Han Mubaek had an eerie knack for picking up on things.

Just seeing those eyes of his stirred a deep, almost instinctive disgust in me.

I considered tapping into my past-life abilities to dig deeper, but…

‘No, forget it.’

I decided to remain silent.

“…Fine, if you’re that unwilling to talk, I guess there’s nothing more to say. I’ll be going.”

Han Mubaek roughly brushed past me, slamming his shoulder into mine as he left.

The unexpected shove made a vein pop on my forehead, but I swallowed my anger with superhuman patience.

There was no point in picking a fight I couldn’t possibly win.

After that day, Han Mubaek’s attitude toward me grew noticeably colder.

And since I couldn’t align myself with either the Heavenly Thunder Corps or Han Mubaek’s faction, I ended up as nothing more than an outcast.

Looking back now, I could only feel relieved that I hadn’t told him anything.

Of course, Han Mubaek eventually managed to build up enough achievements to earn the right to meet the Cult Leader regularly.

‘I still remember the legendary incident when the corner of the Heavenly Demon Hall got smashed because that bastard tried to lay a hand on the Cult Leader…’

Whatever the case, it seemed that after that event, Han Mubaek stopped obsessing over sharing her bed.

However.

Even after that, Han Mubaek continued to meet with the Cult Leader periodically.

And later, I came to learn that through the Hangga Trading Company, which had come under his control, some very secretive items were being brought into the Heavenly Demon Hall.

That… was a story for another time.

“Hoo…”

I let out a deep sigh as I gazed up at the sky.

“If I had known that one of those items was the Heaven-Destroying Poison, would my future with her have changed?”

I asked myself that question for a moment, then shook my head.

No, probably not.

In fact, I likely would’ve been eliminated by Han Mubaek’s hand far earlier than originally scheduled.

The only reason I’d survived until the fall of the Heavenly Demon Cult was because, to them, I was a worthless grunt, not even worth noticing.

And her future, too, likely wouldn’t have changed much.

Once her reform failed, the Heavenly Demon Cult—rotten to its core—was always fated to collapse.

“Han Mubaek.”

I thought of that pampered, arrogant bastard who had continuously insulted me back when I was still the Internal Affairs Officer.

“I kept Gwan Hyun alive because he was useful. But you’re different.”

No matter what use that bastard might have.

No matter what benefits he might bring.

Even if his existence contributed to a brighter future for Cheon Yura’s reign—

“You, at least, I will kill with my own hands.”

I would endure any loss.

I would pay any price.

Because this was a deeply personal revenge, known only to me—someone who remembered the past life.

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