Chapter 267: Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect (2)

Because I had received the fragment of the Heavenly Demon Founder not from anyone else but from the Venerable Buddha himself, I  could be certain of it.

There was no doubt that his relic existed here.

However, in that moment, a question remained.

I gently brushed the empty socket with my fingertip as I thought.

‘No matter how strong the lingering Qi is, there’s no way it would remain for hundreds of years.’

Normally, even the lingering trace of Qi would disappear within half a day at most.

Unless the Qi contained a special kind of venomous energy, or had been deliberately refined to last longer….

‘Even considering that, it shouldn’t last beyond a few years.’

At that point, it could no longer even be called Qi.

The conclusion was that the relic that had been enshrined here had disappeared only recently.

While I was deep in thought, trying to figure out where it might have gone—

“Hey.”

Cheon Yujeong glared at me with a displeased expression.

“I don’t know what you’re looking for so intently, but how about you come down first?”

“…Alright.”

I obediently climbed down from the statue and observed Cheon Yujeong.

‘That woman is definitely hiding something from me.’

I didn’t know exactly what it was, but I had a strong feeling it wasn’t anything good for me.

Whether she noticed my suspicion or not, Cheon Yujeong pointed around the statue and spoke.

“Here, look over there.”

“…!”

Regardless of my suspicion toward her, there was no denying that this place was fascinating.

Behind the statue, an old but massive mural had been carved, depicting several figures.

Six men, one woman, and one figure so heavily wrapped that it was impossible to guess the gender.

In total, eight figures.

‘Could they be…?’

I quickly realized that the appearances of several people I had recently encountered closely resembled the figures in this mural.

No, even if that wasn’t the case, anyone from the Cult could easily make the same assumption.

“It must be the Heavenly Demon Founder and his disciples.”

She, too, seemed certain about who the mural depicted.

“Seeing even the traitor included here, the one who painted this mural must have been deeply knowledgeable about the inner affairs of the Cult.”

“…That makes sense.”

As she said, the man presumed to be the First Disciple, Yoo Jeon, was drawn a little apart from the Heavenly Demon Founder and the Six Great Demonic Deities.

No one unfamiliar with the circumstances of that time would have depicted it this way.

“Do you understand now? The Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect, called the Evil Cult here on Hainan Island, are those who have guarded this ruin and maintained their lineage since ancient times.”

“……”

“Are you still going to insist that they’re not a branch of the Cult?”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure.

Even if they worshipped the same god, there were countless cases where teachings or values diverged completely, leading to entirely different paths.

Even if they shared the same root, could we really consider them to stand on the same ground after a thousand years?

However…

That aside, I could understand Cheon Yujeong’s point.

And I didn’t intend to start an argument over it.

“For now, I’ll accept that.”

I turned my gaze toward her.

“So? What’s the second reason?”

Since the first reason she gave was an emotional one, I figured the next would be a more practical one.

Sure enough—

“Obviously, it’s the restriction placed on my body.”

“Restriction? You mean you’re under a sealing technique?”

“Exactly.”

“By whom?”

“Who else? That damned Cult Leader of this wretched sect, of course.”

“……”

…A wretched sect, she says.

Wasn’t she just speaking as if she had to cherish these people like they were lambs in need of protection?

No, aside from that—

“Why would the Cult Leader here…?”

She didn’t answer my question but grew even more furious.

“You know what’s even more ridiculous? That so-called Cult Leader is actually the Sixth Heavenly Lord of the Heaven-Defying Society.”

“……”

“……”

“Regardless of how pure the believers here might be, that bastard is a true fraud. He even proclaims himself as the reincarnation of the Heavenly Demon in front of the believers.”

At that moment, I realized that when people are truly dumbfounded, they tend to fall silent instead of reacting.

“Anyway, thanks to that bastard, I’ve been stuck here, unable to leave, just waiting nervously for the Hainan Sect bastards to come storming in.”

Suddenly, her face transformed into that of a fox who had lived for a thousand years.

“It’s really lucky you came.”

She clung to me like a drowning ghost with a bright smile, causing me to back away in disgust.

Smiling even wider, she spoke again.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t you come to save me?”

“Let’s keep our distance, please.”

She looked so much like Yura when she acted like that, I couldn’t bear it.

Cheon Yujeong clicked her tongue at my firm response.

“Hmph, I bet you’d be grinning like an idiot if Cheon Yura acted like this.”

“Of course I would.”

“……”

“Anyway, where is that Sixth Heavenly Lord now? If what you’re saying is true, we should deal with him first.”

I still didn’t understand why the Sixth Heavenly Lord of the Heaven-Defying Society was acting as the Cult Leader of some backwater sect like this.

But regardless, that bastard likely had the true relic of the Heavenly Demon Founder that had been enshrined here.

Cheon Yujeong frowned and shook her head.

“I don’t know. He hasn’t shown himself since the first day.”

“The first day…?”

“It’s already been over three months. He’s left things unattended for so long that it’s starting to get uncomfortable for me too.”

I fell into serious thought.

According to the words of the Second Heavenly Demon, Cheon Yujeong’s role was to serve as a sacrificial offering.

But why would they leave such a precious offering unattended like this?

Even if they had placed a sealing technique on her, if I were the Sixth Heavenly Lord, I would have completely restrained her in mind and body.

“For him to be gone for over three months… that must mean something significant happened… No, wait.”

No, before that.

I stared blankly, lifting my head to look directly at Cheon Yujeong.

“What… what did you just say…?”

“…? About what?”

With a trembling voice, I asked her again.

“Did you just say… months had passed…?”

“Three months. I already told you I was wondering why you were so late, didn’t I?”

“……!!”

So we… had woken up three whole months after that incident?!

“…We’re doomed.”

Gu Chil muttered blankly, staring up at the sky.

I had no choice but to agree with him.

If three months had passed without any contact after all that chaos had erupted…

It wouldn’t be strange if the Heavenly Demon Cult was already preparing for war against the Central Plains by now.

It felt like all my plans and thoughts had been completely blown away.

‘Calm down.’

If that much time had already passed, there was nothing I could do about spilled water.

‘I still have time. I just need to somehow get word to the Cult about me and Cheon Yujeong’s situation.’

Starting a war in this situation would only benefit the Heaven-Defying Society.

Especially now that I knew how the so-called Ceremony of Sealing the Heavens would proceed, as told by the Second Heavenly Demon.

‘Three months means they’re probably still in the stage of external investigations. It’ll take at least another couple of months before they produce results and start preparing for war.’

Before that happened, I had to resolve this conflict as quickly as possible and settle the issue with Cheon Yujeong.

‘The Second Heavenly Demon’s second request—to stop the Ceremony of Sealing the Heavens, which requires the blood of the Divine Demon as an offering.’

It was the same ritual that had taken place four hundred years ago, the secret event that he and Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden Yoo Soo had risked their lives to stop.

‘Even if it’s not as large-scale as it was back then, he said that even a simplified version of the ceremony would cause serious trouble if it succeeded.’

Normally, to perform a grand ritual of this scale, four elements were required.

The celestial timing when the stars aligned correctly (Heaven).

A spiritually significant location suitable for the ritual (Earth).

A person whose bloodline matched the purpose of the ritual (Man).

And lastly, an enormous amount of resources to support the ritual (Wealth).

If even one of these were missing, the ritual would fail or its effects would be greatly diminished.

However, even those diminished effects could still prove catastrophic for the world… so I had no choice but to stop it.

“Since things have turned out this way, let’s find that bastard Sixth Heavenly Lord as quickly as possible and head back to the Central Plains.”

Cheon Yujeong curled her lips into a sly grin as if she had been waiting for me to say that.

“Good. I’ll be counting on you, the new Holy Son of the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect.”

“…Why am I a Holy Son now?”

“Didn’t you intend to negotiate with the Hainan Sect to resolve this smoothly?”

“…….”

As expected, unlike Cheon Yura, Cheon Yujeong had a strategic perspective.

She had completely seen through my nature and my thoughts.

“In order to do that, it’s much easier to negotiate as the leader of the heretics than as just another follower of the Cult. More importantly—”

She glanced briefly at the believers of the Heavenly Demon Manifestation Sect standing guard nearby.

“To meet the Cult Leader, it’s far better to be considered a fellow believer than an outsider.”

“…Ugh.”

I let out a soft groan.

I didn’t particularly like the idea of being called a Holy Son… but her advice was undeniably reasonable.

“Fine, I’ll accept it.”

“Let’s work together until we make it back to the main Cult.”

She reached out and forcibly grabbed my hand.

“Do you remember the proposal I made earlier?”

“…You said you’d make me the second-in-command of the Heavenly Demon Cult.”

Cheon Yujeong nodded.

“That offer still stands.”

“…….”

“I’ll prove to you that I’m better than Cheon Yura, starting with this opportunity.”

“My lady, but…”

“Shh.”

She pressed her finger to my lips.

Smiling faintly but with an unreadable expression, she said this:

“I can guess what you’re about to say. That no matter my personal abilities or political standing, I can never hope to match Cheon Yura right now. Something along those lines, right?”

I hadn’t intended to say it so bluntly and hurtfully, but… it was more or less true.

Cheon Yujeong nodded.

“I know just how strong that woman has become. I’m well aware that she’s already surpassing the Extreme Demon Realm and looking toward the Transcendent Demon Realm.”

Right now, Cheon Yura was not just a genius.

She was a monster whose talent could be matched by only three people in the Cult’s thousand-year history.

“And even so, you’re still saying this?”

“Because I have confidence.”

“……?”

“I will surpass Cheon Yura. No matter what.”

There was something indescribably unsettling about the conviction in her voice.

It felt less like confidence and more like delusion.

What could possibly make her so certain?

She let go of my hand and turned away.

“I won’t just talk big without backing it up. Very soon, I’ll show you with your own eyes that I have the power and qualification to surpass Cheon Yura.”

With her back turned, she tilted her head slightly to look at me.

“And when that time comes, I’ll extend my hand to you again. I hope you’ll consider my proposal more seriously then.”

“…….”

Why did it feel this way?

That seemingly innocent smile…

Somehow, it felt laced with something dark and twisted, something sticky and sinister.

Though that malice wasn’t directed at me, I could feel it clearly.

‘Her tone might have changed a little, but nothing else has.’

Even though I had briefly held her hand, Cheon Yujeong was fundamentally different from Cheon Yura.

The suspicion I had nearly let go of reignited in full force with her last words.

It was then—

“Young Master.”

Gu Chil, who had been scouting outside for a while, rushed toward me urgently.

“The Hainan Sect forces have arrived nearby.”

“……!”

They were probably the suppression unit sent by the Lord of Hainan Province.

“How many?”

“About fifty. But there’s a clear master among them who has surpassed the barrier. I believe…”

If we were talking about a peak-level master from the Hainan Sect, there was only one.

“The Wave Sword Lord?”

“That’s likely.”

One of the Eight Seats, the Sect Leader of the Hainan Sect, and the best swordsman in Hainan—Wave Sword Lord Bae Ilsong.

He had come in person.

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