Chapter 367: Fracture (1)

“I have no doubt that the Cult Leader’s talents and rule shall shine.”

Fourth Elder began with those words.

“However, one who should have focused solely on supporting the Cult Leader from behind has, since the early days of Your rule, grown far too close to power, blinding Your eyes and ears.”

“……”

“Therefore, before it is too late, I humbly request that the seat of the Demonic Faction Lord be replaced with someone more suitable to assist Your rule.”

Silence filled the hall for a while.

Cheon Yura was glaring at Fourth Elder as if she would kill him, and Fourth Elder, though his lips trembled slightly under her pressure, received her fury calmly.

A hellish silence continued.

“Absolutely not.”

Her refusal, laced with killing intent, rang out.

“To begin with, the Lord’s competence was already proven in front of all. Now you want to replace him with someone else?”

“It is precisely that overwhelming competence that is the problem.”

“What did you say?”

“He has thoroughly used that competence for selfish gains. Throughout history, when the in-laws of power have run wild, it has never ended well.”

Cheon Yura shot a look at Fourth Elder.

“Absurd. And what selfish gains has the Lord pursued?”

As if he had been waiting for that question, Fourth Elder lifted his head and raised his voice.

“This is it.”

Fourth Elder handed a document, densely filled with writing, to Cheon Yura.

“What is this?”

“This is a petition detailing how the Lord’s original clan, the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan, has rapidly expanded its influence since the Lord’s ascension.”

“……”

I closed my eyes and cursed Jin Gun-ak, who wasn’t even present.

He did seem unusually busy lately—was he doing this behind my back?

Originally, the reason he had pushed me forward was to make the Jin Clan the foremost among the Six Great Demonic Clans. So it wasn’t too surprising that his true colors were now showing…

‘Still, he should’ve been more careful with how he went about it.’

It was unlike Jin Gun-ak to be this clumsy and get caught like this!

Then—

As Cheon Yura thoroughly examined the document submitted by Fourth Elder, she let out a brief laugh and shook her head.

“This is far from acceptable as evidence.”

“…Why is that?”

She cast a cold gaze at Fourth Elder, who now wore a contorted expression.

“It’s true that the Jin Clan has launched several ventures, but it’s hard to agree that it’s enough to break the balance among the Six Clans. Even the Sa Clan often carries out operations of this scale.”

Having grown up closely with Sa Biyeon, she had developed a basic eye for business matters.

“But if they continue to expand so blatantly from the start, the balance among the Six Clans will eventually crumble…!”

“Then you can bring it up again when that time comes.”

“……”

“For countless years, the Six Clans have risen and fallen, constantly checking one another. If this happens to be a period where the Jin Clan is a bit ahead, that’s not particularly problematic.”

That was unexpected.

Given how emotional she could get, it wouldn’t have been strange if she had tried to kill Fourth Elder on the spot.

Yet she was speaking so calmly, protecting me in the process.

‘This is… honestly moving.’

“Khhh…!”

Fourth Elder’s face began to twist with anger at her blatant favoritism.

“Do you truly intend to reject our proposal!?”

“You’re the ones who first made a preposterous proposal.”

Bang!

Fourth Elder and the other members of the Seven Elders shot to their feet.

“Very well! If the Cult Leader’s will is that firm, then our Cheon Clan can do nothing more. We shall take our leave!”

The elders of the Cheon Clan, led by Fourth Elder, exited the audience hall like a receding tide.

Cheon Yura looked at me with concern.

“So they’re aiming for you, not me.”

“Well, that was to be expected.”

Last night, Cheon Rain had suddenly sent a messenger to notify me.

They had momentarily altered the plan to support Cheon Jumyeong due to some unexpected obstacle.

However, something about that situation didn’t sit right with me.

‘Cheon Jumyeong showed no reaction? Why?’

There was no reason for Cheon Jumyeong to refuse.

Since the previous Cult Leader—his power base—had disappeared, Cheon Jumyeong had been left floating politically. The Cheon Clan’s support would’ve been like rain in a drought.

‘He must be distracted by something else.’

That was Cheon Rain’s assessment after seeing Cheon Jumyeong during his visit to the Heavenly Thunder Corps with Fourth Elder.

At any rate, since the Seven Elders had failed to receive confirmation from Cheon Jumyeong, they now seemed eager to extract some form of compensation from the Cult Leader.

And that compensation was—me.

“Jin Yeomyung. What do you think the Cheon Clan will do next?”

“Well…”

In truth, aside from Fourth Elder, whose face was full of rage, the other Seven Elders didn’t show much change in expression.

That meant this proposal was likely just for show.

“There are too many possibilities to guess.”

With the Cheon Clan’s power, they could orchestrate any number of schemes.

They could attempt my assassination right away, or try to weaken the influence of the Jin Clan, my original family.

They could even agitate those close to me or Cheon Yura to shake our composure.

But—

The next move the Cheon Clan made went far beyond what either of us had expected.

“The Cheon Clan has made its move.”

The first report did not come from the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad or the Guardian Hall, but from none other than the Golden Demon Hall.

“Over half the stores within the Eight Great Demon Seals, including Miok Fortress, have closed!”

“Merchants who used to supply goods to our Cult, including the Black Gold Trading Company, have all simultaneously refused to make deliveries!”

“Merchants are refusing to open their warehouses!”

Reports flooded in from all directions.

“Jin Yeomyung, what is this…”

Cheon Yura looked at me, her expression hardened.

I also frowned, clearly not expecting the Cheon Clan to use such a ruthless tactic.

“They’ve paralyzed the Cult’s logistics.”

***

All financial matters of the Heavenly Demon Cult were originally managed by the Golden Demon Hall, one of the Five Great Halls.

The head of the Golden Demon Hall, the Black Gold Demon Lord Sa Muyong, was the younger brother of Sa Myeongnin, and also served as the head of the Black Gold Trading Company, a member of the Five Great Trading Companies.

At a glance, it might have seemed that all logistics and finances of the Cult were under the control of the Black Gold Sa Clan, but the truth was far more complicated.

“Cheon Clan unilaterally informed us. They’ll be controlling the internal flow of supplies in the Cult for a while, so we should be aware of that.”

The situation was serious enough that Sa Muyong, the Lord of the Golden Demon Pavilion, came to me to complain.

“Many of the business operators are associated with the Cheon Clan. There’s no way around it.”

While the Sa Clan dominated the Black Gold Trading Company, if one looked more closely inside, the Cheon Clan and other of the Six Great Demonic Clans each had their own stake in it.

It was only natural that money—such an immense power—could not be given entirely to the Sa Clan.

The problem was the staggering influence the Cheon Clan had secretly and overtly accumulated over time.

“…Did the Grand Duke know about this? That’s unexpected.”

A glimmer of goodwill appeared in the eyes of the Lord of the Golden Demon Pavilion.

Typically, members of the Six Great Demonic Clans with noble bloodlines wouldn’t be aware of the workings of ‘merchants’.

Even if I asked my younger brother, he’d probably retort, asking what I was even talking about.

“Of course, not everyone follows the Cheon Clan’s orders.”

“That’s true. If we bring in the Sa Clan’s influence, we can stabilize things temporarily.”

“But in the end, it’s like pouring water into a bottomless pot. If this continues, within three months, the Cult’s blood will be blocked and necrotize. We need to find a fundamental solution.”

“What is the most serious issue right now?”

It was Sa Biyeon, attending as the leader of the So Clan, who answered.

“It’s the flow of funds between the Trading Company and the battlefield. Especially the battlefield—its dependence on the Cheon Clan is absolute. If this keeps up… we might face difficulties in paying the warriors’ salaries.”

“……”

Of course, the warriors of the Cult received proper salaries.

Especially if one passed the mid-level warrior test, they could earn enough pay to support a family. That was why officials of the Thousand Day Pass pushed themselves so hard to graduate.

“These goddamned sons of bitches not even worth chewing up and spitting out…!”

Just then, Cheon Yura, who had been silent, gritted her teeth and stood up.

“How dare they… how dare they take the lives of our believers hostage?!”

She was angrier than ever before.

So much so that the Heavenly Demon Pavilion shook from the backlash of her fury.

Sa Biyeon, whose martial arts were relatively weaker, turned pale.

Still, she didn’t appear to have lost her reason completely to anger.

For now, we had to come up with countermeasures for the immediate situation.

‘I didn’t think those Cheon bastards would play this dirty…’

I thought that as the top family in the Cult, they’d settle things cleanly, whether by assassination or otherwise.

In my previous life, they had exhausted their power early on due to internal civil war, and thus didn’t hold such overwhelming influence.

This, too, must be a butterfly effect of my past life.

‘There is a way. A way to overturn everything at once.’

Near the residence of the Underworld King Unit, vast treasures exceeding several years of the Cult’s budget were lying dormant.

These were the relics that Senior Brother Sa Gumhui had left me.

The moment I liquidate that money, the Cheon Clan’s scheme would be shattered instantly.

However.

‘That money was prepared for Yura’s reign—intended as her royal private treasury.’

I looked up at the ceiling of the meeting hall, slightly frowning.

‘If I suggest using it, Yura will give it all away without hesitation.’

But it was such a waste.

It was maddeningly wasteful.

I had wanted those treasures to be used solely for Yura’s personal desires.

‘Then… is there another way?’

Currently, the Ma Clan and the Pa Clan were sitting on the sidelines.

With only the influence of the Jin Clan, turning the situation around was impossible.

Solving this within the Cult was impossible.

Unless we started a war and destroyed the Cheon Clan entirely.

‘In the end, we’ll have to bring in a solution from the outside.’

The Great Elder, Cheon Yeongha, bowed to Yura with a downcast expression.

“My apologies, Cult Leader. It seems the Council of the Seven Elders has decided to openly rebel.”

“It is not the Great Elder’s fault.”

Cheon Yura spoke firmly, but Cheon Yeongha’s expression remained clouded.

“I have no idea what First Elder is doing right now. Maybe he’s retired… he hasn’t been seen at all these past few days.”

“……”

The fact that First Elder was being confined could not be revealed hastily.

That was something to be used at the final, most crucial moment.

“Grand Duke, is there any way?”

Even Sa Biyeon, for all her standing, had no counter to the Cheon Clan’s full-blown offensive.

“For now, we have no choice but to respond properly to the Cheon Clan’s damn tricks.”

There was no sharp solution that even I could come up with at the moment.

Maybe with more time.

The Lord of the Golden Demon Pavilion let out a soft sigh.

“We might be able to handle the merchants living within the Cult with a decree from the Cult Leader, but when it comes to matters involving the battlefield, it’s completely hopeless. If we can’t solve this part, there’s no answer.”

If we had the Heavenly Demon’s Decree, everything would be resolved in one blow, but at present, Yura did not have the authority to proclaim it.

“Hmmmm…”

Wrinkles formed on Cheon Yura’s brow.

I patted her shoulder and said,

“For now, let’s do everything we can. And if that still doesn’t work, we’ll have to take a more drastic measure.”

At the words “drastic measure,” some of those around us seemed a little more hopeful.

Even if it’s extreme, a solution is a solution.

Right now, it was time to respond properly rather than reach for anything unusual.

At least until the Cult members realized clearly who was behind this madness.

That night—

“Gu Chil, there’s somewhere you need to go.”

I called for Gu Chil and quietly handed him a sealed letter.

Anyone else would’ve grumbled by now, being used so much.

But Gu Chil instead grinned and pounded his chest.

“Wherever you command. Southern Barbarians, Northern Sea Ice Palace, Western Tibet—I’ll go wherever you want.”

Using someone of Gu Chil’s caliber merely as a courier did feel a little wasteful.

But at this moment, only Gu Chil could carry out this task.

In a hushed voice, I told him where the person he needed to find was staying.

“Prince’s Residence in Beijing. Most likely, he’s staying there now.”

***

And three months later—

Near the Ten Thousand Mountains, hundreds of heavily armored cavalrymen appeared.

These heavy cavalrymen were guarding a single carriage with impenetrable security.

On the banner attached to the carriage were the imperial insignia of the Empire and the names:

Lord Baek Cheong, Ju Baek Ryeo.

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