Chapter 372: Ambush (3)

Even someone like Old Han would struggle to face two masters of the Transcendent Demon Realm at once.

No, if they were their original selves, he might have found a way to overcome them.

But now, they possessed power that even he couldn’t afford to take lightly—power resting on the very edge of the Transcendent Demon Realm.

Chwarurureuk!

Old Han’s body was helplessly pushed back by the Sword Intent blades they unleashed.

“Heavenly Demonic Divine Art, is it…”

The power they exuded was undoubtedly vicious and ominous.

But to him, the one who inherited the lineage of Yujeon, the first disciple of the Heavenly Demon Founder, it was nothing more than a cheap imitation, made to seem convincing.

Old Han wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and muttered softly.

“Laughable.”

Whether he heard or not, Cheon Juchun scowled.

“What’s so laughable?”

“I understand the idea behind calling that the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art.”

The Heavenly Demonic Divine Art was not something that could be built through ordinary qi accumulation.

“The origin of the Founder’s power. Those who battled on the ancient lands from the distant past. You must’ve dabbled with their power, molded it into something crude.”

“……”

Cheon Juchun stayed silent, but that silence itself was proof of agreement.

A sneer curved Old Han’s lips.

“But you’re wrong. If using the same ingredients always resulted in the same outcome, there’d be no such thing as a master craftsman in this world.”

“…Second Heavenly Lord, your words are mistaken.”

“What part is mistaken?”

Cheon Juchun spoke with conviction.

“The Heavenly Demonic Divine Art doesn’t refer to a specific martial arts formula. I’ve verified this several times, and the Grand Heavenly Lord said the same.”

Sseuk!

A murky black aura flowed from Cheon Juchun’s hand.

“The fusion of Heavenly Evil’s and Earth Saint’s powers—what emerged from that union was a third force. The Heavenly Demon Founder merely gave it the name Heavenly Demonic Divine Art. It doesn’t matter how the power was shaped.”

Surprisingly, Cheon Juchun knew the origin of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art in detail.

“And I am the one and only supreme craftsman in the world. My method is flawless.”

“No, it’s flawed.”

Even so—

Old Han denied Cheon Juchun’s claim.

“Just because both use demonic energy, can you say Minor Demonic Arts and Solar Demonic Arts are the same? The Heavenly Demonic Divine Art is a title that only those who inherit the Founder’s will may claim. What you’ve created is not the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art.”

A sneer returned to Old Han’s lips.

“It’s merely an imitation falsely bearing the name of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art. Don’t twist the Founder’s words about creating one’s own Heavenly Demonic Divine Art like that.”

Old Han, once entangled in the matters of a previous disciple, had personally met the Heavenly Demon Founder.

And though briefly, he had been taught by him, inheriting his spirit.

Kkaddeudeuk!

Cheon Juchun’s face began to turn red and blue in turns.

It meant Old Han’s words were gnawing at his insides.

“Fuuuu…”

Cheon Juchun, trying to quell his rage alone, had bloodshot eyes.

“Fine. If you want it that badly…”

Kwaang!

“I’ll capture you alive, dissect you, and turn you into a puppet greater than the Sword Demon!”

After a brief silence, the Sword Demon and Cheon Jumun once again rushed toward Old Han.

At that moment—

“If you want to see what the real Heavenly Demonic Divine Art is…”

“……!”

At the familiar voice coming from nearby, Old Han’s expression brightened slightly.

“I’ll show you.”

Heukchit!

Cheon Juchun’s eyes immediately darted toward the source of the voice.

A massive, pure-black slash.

Heaven-Piercing Annihilation flew straight toward the spot where Cheon Juchun stood.

“…J-Jumun! Protect me!”

With no time to dodge, Cheon Juchun urgently called out to Cheon Jumun.

Kwa-gwagwang!

And in an instant, Heaven-Piercing Annihilation obliterated the spot where Cheon Juchun had stood.

That was close.

To think not only the Sword Demon but even the missing Cheon Jumun was present!

“Are you all right, Master?”

I rushed to Master and checked his condition.

Thankfully, he only seemed slightly weakened—no major injuries.

“You arrived sooner than expected.”

“Fortunately, I was able to obtain what I needed.”

I gazed through the thick, spreading dust.

Having caught his breath thanks to his disciple’s intervention, Old Han let out a faint chuckle.

“Well, at least there’s one relief.”

Old Han also looked toward where Cheon Juchun had been.

“The vessel of your arch-enemy is far more lacking than expected.”

“…Indeed.”

I immediately understood what my master meant.

“Huff! Huff!”

The destructive power of Heaven-Piercing Annihilation, fueled by Sword Intent, was not something even a top-level master of the Extreme Demon Realm could withstand.

Yet Cheon Juchun had taken that strike—and survived.

“Damn bastard. That gave me a real scare!”

Before him, Cheon Jumun now stood firm like a mountain.

“……”

But across Cheon Jumun’s upper body, the massive mark of the slash was clearly carved in.

I mocked the one hiding behind Cheon Jumun.

“Even with a body like that, you still fear death? How curious.”

“A body like that?”

At those words, Cheon Juchun’s expression stiffened.

“You… you know something, don’t you?”

“……”

That question alone revealed several things to me.

‘So the memories from the North haven’t been transferred to this version of him.’

Whether due to his own limitations or the nature of the technique, there was clearly a degree of restriction.

“I know plenty. But before that, I’ve got a question of my own.”

I stared at Cheon Jumun with a blank expression.

“How did you brainwash him? I could understand if it was Sword Demon using Cheon Jumun, but attacking Cheon Jumun itself should be impossible with your abilities, no? Even if you had used an Awakened Body.”

Even though I had reached a conclusion, this part remained puzzling to me.

How could he possibly target Cheon Jumun located deep inside the Ten Thousand Mountains?

“Ha, was that what you were curious about?”

Cheon Juchun sneered at my question.

“Well, fine. There’s no reason not to tell you.”

He raised his hand.

“Come out.”

Ssseuseuseuk!

The moment he finished speaking, more than a hundred presences suddenly appeared behind Cheon Juchun and Cheon Jumun.

It was as if the Demon Qi Parasite Technique had just been lifted, and their presence surged out all at once.

“…Those bastards.”

That familiar aura—one I had encountered numerous times—was unmistakable.

They were the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad, subordinates of Cheon Jumun!

‘I can’t understand this. Even if they were technically his private soldiers, to obey like that after their master was taken down…’

My question answered itself when one person appeared in front of Cheon Juchun.

“It’s been a while, Grand Duke.”

A man entirely wrapped in pure white cloth from head to toe.

It was none other than Jeolyeong, the vice-leader of the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad.

“So that’s it.”

Only then did I realize the truth.

“You were the traitor, weren’t you?”

“‘Traitor’ isn’t quite the right word.”

Hee-juk!

A twisted grin split across his lips—an expression that had never once shown true emotion until now.

“I’ve been serving the Society from the very beginning.”

“……”

Truly.

That single statement explained far more than I ever expected.

“Ha….”

I sighed, covering my mouth.

“So the mastermind behind the purge of the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad in the past was you?”

More than ten years ago, the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad had been purged entirely by Cheon Jumun and Cheon Jumyeong due to a traitor in their midst.

And the only one to survive that purge—was the very man now standing before me.

I glared at Jeolyeong, standing before Cheon Jumun.

“You were the true source of Gu Chil’s grudge, weren’t you?”

“I won’t deny it. I was rather desperate back then too.”

“Right. The vice-leader stabbed the leader in the back, so it makes sense that Cheon Jumun fell so easily.”

Of course, Jeolyeong, who barely reached the Peak Master Level at best, had a near-zero chance of success raiding Cheon Jumun alone.

But—

“You used Heavenly-Slaying Poison, didn’t you? I can see it plain as day.”

“……!”

A flicker of surprise flashed in the eyes of both Jeolyeong and Cheon Juchun.

I looked around at the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad stationed beyond.

“Those inducted into the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad were said to each bear a unique solitude within them. If you’re the vice-leader, manipulating that solitude wouldn’t be out of reach.”

“……”

“So if you simply subdued Cheon Jumun, the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad would fall under your control? You played it well.”

“Even if that’s true, what can you do about it?”

Jeolyeong sneered at me.

Sure. At this point, what could I do?

But.

There was one mistake they made—acting too quickly.

“I wanted to settle things peacefully with you if possible, but I suppose this is how it ends.”

Gritting my teeth, I shouted to the sky.

“Gu Chil!”

“……!”

My roar echoed through Eunru Valley.

At the same moment, a group of people equal in number to the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad appeared behind me.

Jeolyeong cast a mocking glance at the group now behind me.

“The Underworld King Unit… Do you think that half-baked bunch can stand against us?”

“Well, you won’t know until you try, will you?”

Though their training had lasted less than five years,

I could swear on it—I had invested enough into the Underworld King Unit to turn the Thirty-Four Demon Squads into Thirty-Five.

From atop the cliff, Gu Chil, leading the Underworld King Unit, let out a ferocious roar.

“Jeolyeooooooong!”

Even I felt a sting on my skin from Gu Chil’s murderous energy.

It was the first time I had seen him this enraged.

“Byeok Cheon-un.”

“So it was you!? You were the one behind that massacre!”

“……”

“I’ll rip you to shreds and offer your remains to console the spirits of my fallen brothers!”

“Kukuk! Try it if you can.”

Jeolyeong mocked Gu Chil, who had erupted in rage.

Meanwhile, Cheon Juchun stepped forward and clapped his hands.

“The Demonic Ghost Execution Squad and the Underworld King Unit. And the masters of the Transcendent Demon Realm. This will be quite the bloody spectacle!”

“……”

“Go on then—shed your blood to your heart’s content!”

The reason Cheon Juchun so eagerly provoked a fight was simple.

This was nothing more than self-sabotage.

What I sought was not carnage—but suppression.

To use the method of breaking brainwashing that Priestess Han Yeong had taught me, I had to subdue them first.

Instead of giving Gu Chil the order to charge, I glanced toward the entrance of Eunru Valley.

‘They should be arriving any moment now….’

Even with Hwan Clan’s involvement, the balance of power wouldn’t tip easily.

To subdue them… those people needed to arrive.

–Uwaaaaah!

Just then, countless presences surged from the entrance of Eunru Valley.

“…What is this?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected turn, Cheon Juchun’s eyes twitched.

The energy flowing from beyond was far too immense to ignore.

Each one was a proper elite of the Cult.

Cheon Juchun scowled at me.

“Jin Yeomyung, was this your doing?”

I shook my head.

“No, I didn’t do much of anything.”

“Then…”

“There’s one person you forgot about, isn’t there?”

“……!”

“Normally, he would’ve let you do as you pleased… but targeting Cheon Jumun was clearly over the line.”

“No way…”

Even though Eunru Valley lay on the outskirts, it was still a place where vigilance was required.

Any disturbance here could easily reach the ears of the higher-ups of the Cult.

“I didn’t need to do anything elaborate. The one who was tracking Cheon Jumun’s movements would surely have picked up on it.”

“……”

Cheon Juchun couldn’t possibly be unaware of who I meant.

And sure enough—

Someone who shared Cheon Juchun’s aura, resembling a Confucian scholar, descended onto the battlefield.

“Jumyeong….”

It was Cheon Jumyeong, the Demon Gentleman, who had been absent from the Heavenly Thunder Corps for a while, now glaring at Cheon Juchun with an unprecedentedly grim expression.

“At last I’ve found you, you damned brother.”

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