Chapter 380: One Who Stands Against Ten Thousand (1)

The sun had completely set, and the moon was high in the sky.

“Huff! Huff! This stubborn bastard….”

“Ah, you’re one to talk, Father….”

Jin Gun-ak and I collapsed onto the ground at the same time.

I had run out of stamina, and Jin Gun-ak had run out of internal energy.

Honestly, for masters like us, we could have fought for three days and nights. But since we’d fought so fiercely without holding back, we burned through our energy dozens of times faster than normal.

‘Damn, I thought I’d finally built up some decent stamina….’

Now, my body could recover just from a short rest of ten seconds.

The problem was that Jin Gun-ak hadn’t allowed me even those ten seconds.

And so, our spar ended in a draw.

No—honestly, if we had kept going, one of us would have won eventually.

If I had fully utilized the Transcendent Demon Realm, I probably would’ve gained the upper hand, but that would’ve been breaking my oath to fight with only my physical abilities.

And Jin Gun-ak seemed to be hiding a final trump card as well.

Jin Gun-ak’s pale complexion, caused by rapid internal energy depletion, had returned to normal.

“Pathetic. You’re huffing and puffing just from that little move. You’ve still got a long way to go!”

I snapped back without backing down.

“And what about you, Father? With internal energy that flimsy, how do you expect to manage? Should I go fetch you some potent elixir?”

“What?! You disrespectful brat?!”

Sure, elixirs were piled like mountains in the Martial Arts Repository of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan.

But for something that could actually help Jin Gun-ak now, it’d have to be something on par with Shaolin’s Great Rejuvenation Pill.

“I’m not old enough to be taken care of by the likes of you. I’ve got at least twenty years left in me!”

“……”

Well, realistically, not twenty. He’d probably retire in about ten.

“Are you really going to the Cheon Clan?”

“Have I ever picked a fight I couldn’t win?”

Despite everything I’d achieved so far, his response was unexpectedly negative.

“From the outside, it just looks like you’re recklessly charging in, doesn’t it?”

So, that’s how Jin Gun-ak saw me.

“When you butted into the matter with the Ma Clan back then, I really thought you’d die at the hands of that Sword Demon.”

“Mmm….”

To be honest, I had no excuse back then.

If the previous Cult Leader hadn’t intervened, the Sword Demon probably would’ve killed me.

“Urgh!”

Jin Gun-ak groaned as he struggled to stand.

“A bastard who only moves according to his own damn will isn’t going to listen no matter what I say. But just remember one thing.”

His face was hidden in shadow, so I couldn’t see his expression.

But for some reason, I could clearly feel the emotion in his eyes.

“The Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan is always behind you. Even if you fail and get kicked out, that won’t change.”

Whip!

He turned his body.

“Take care of yourself.”

“……”

That last line… was a very small mutter to himself.

“Mmm….”

It was different from earlier—brief, but genuinely concerned.

Especially the part about accepting me even if I failed. That sort of declaration from Jin Gun-ak was so unexpected, it didn’t even feel real.

Off in the distance, I heard comments like, “Did that Asura God mark on your face not fade yet?” “You wanna die, kid?” “Go buy us drinks for the entertainment,” and so on.

But I couldn’t focus on those words.

I felt both embarrassed and strangely moved, the emotions tangling together in my head.

“From all over Ten Thousand Mountain, forces are gathering toward the Cheon Clan.”

Since Cheon Yura entered closed-door training, Sa Biyeon had been acting as my secretary.

“Forces, you say?”

“They aren’t under the Six Great Demonic Clans. Hmm… these people….”

She made a troubled face.

“Most of them are those who were marginalized and left out under the previous Cult Leader’s regime.”

“Marginalized….”

It was only natural.

Even outside the Six Great Demonic Clans, there were many powerful families within the Cult.

Many of the lower Elders, for instance, were either clan leaders or top-tier masters from such lineages.

“Even aside from Elder positions, the key posts in the Five Great Halls and Nine Demon Halls are limited in number.”

“Right. And most of those spots were taken by people from the Six Clans.”

So now, those who had been sharpening their swords in frustration for decades had decided to side with the anti-Cheon Yura faction?

“Young Master Jin.”

Sa Biyeon spoke to me in a voice heavy with concern.

“Thankfully, the Six Clans and their subordinate forces remain quiet… but I’m still not sure if this is truly the right decision.”

Regarding this choice that others had called ‘suicidal’, Sa Biyeon didn’t seem to feel much differently.

“Lady Sa, in your judgment, if all anti-Cult Leader forces were to unite, what portion of the Cult’s full strength would that represent?”

“If you’re asking about a proportion….”

After a brief moment of thought, Sa Biyeon gave her answer.

“Seven-tenths. That seems like an appropriate estimate.”

“Seven-tenths….”

Surprisingly, it wasn’t as much as I expected.

She continued.

“Despite possessing the absolute power of the Heavenly Demon, the previous Cult Leader never wielded that power excessively. Compared to the leader before him, he actually distributed power more fairly and rationally, and as a result, the burden placed on the current Cult Leader has been significantly reduced.”

I smirked cynically.

“Still, I guess that man was useful at times.”

“……”

It was quite a rude way to refer to the former Cult Leader and the Heavenly Demon, but so what? The man was no longer among the living.

“Seven-tenths… it’s an ambiguous figure.”

“But it’s not one that can be ignored. Depending on how it goes, it could be enough to warrant an all-out war with one of the Six Great Demonic Clans.”

“Hmm….”

While it would be difficult to defeat one of the Six Clans, it was possible to produce a result that said, “They put up a remarkable fight depending on the strategy.”

Of course, that level of force was far too much for one individual to handle.

‘Everything’s going according to plan so far, but I can’t be sure if they’ll all move the way I expect when the time comes.’

For now, I had no choice but to trust them and wait until the time was right.

“Any other news?”

“That’s everything related to the Cheon Clan. However, troubling news has come from the Central Plains.”

“What is it?”

“Well….”

I stiffened at Sa Biyeon’s next report.

“You’re saying So Cheon and Lady Baek were seriously injured? After fighting some unidentified monster that appeared out of the sky?!”

“Flying Immortal Hall has submitted a report expressing significant doubt over the validity of the information… but.”

“There’s no way that’s false.”

There was a near certainty—almost nine out of ten—that the report was true.

Especially when considering the identity of the new Leader of the Evil Overlords of Heaven, Sa Paecheon.

‘There’s no way an ordinary Awakened Body could seriously injure both of them. Could it be one of the Ten Heavenly Lords?’

The problem was that there was no way to determine which of the Ten Heavenly Lords it was.

While the lowest among them, the Colorful Flower Lord, had been slain by Cheon Yura, who had just reached the Extreme Demon Realm, on the other hand, Gam Unbi of the Third Heavenly Lord rank was someone that even I would need to go all out against.

‘I have no idea.’

For now, I continued reading through the detailed report Sa Biyeon brought from Flying Immortal Hall.

When I reached a certain part, I frowned.

“A winged monster was fiercely attacking the two of them and then suddenly disappeared?”

Sa Biyeon, too, clicked her tongue softly as if puzzled by that part.

“We’ve already sent a letter to Black Lotus Union requesting a detailed statement, but given that the two are in critical condition, we’re not sure how long it’ll take.”

“……”

If they were too injured to even give a simple account… just how powerful was the entity they fought?

‘I just keep stacking up debts to those two.’

Even though I bossed So Cheon around harshly, I still felt somewhat guilty toward him.

In Baek Sang-ah’s case… wasn’t she talking about retiring just a few months ago?

Feeling a deep sense of guilt, I spoke.

“Inform the Medicine Hall to send the best medicinal herbs for both internal and external injuries.”

“Of course.”

“What’s the status of the battle?”

“After the winged monster disappeared, Sa Paecheon retreated without resistance. However, the orthodox sects in Shaanxi are in a dire state. Even with Black Lotus Union joining them, they may have to abandon Xi’an and retreat.”

While they likely weren’t lacking in manpower, having Yeonju, their central figure, critically injured was a serious issue.

And there was an even bigger problem.

“The betrayal of the Jongnam Sect….”

Namely, the Jongnam Sect had stabbed their ally, the Mount Hua Sect, in the back and sided with the Heaven-Defying Society.

They hadn’t openly joined Sa Paecheon yet, but currently, the Jongnam Sect had withdrawn all their forces and effectively shut themselves off in Mount Jongnam.

Whether they would reemerge shamelessly or strike openly in betrayal remained to be seen.

“An untrustworthy ally is as dangerous as any enemy. Especially since Xi’an and Mount Jongnam aren’t far apart….”

“What about the Murim Alliance’s response?”

“Still nothing. I have no idea what they’re thinking.”

“……”

‘Gwan Hyun… what are you thinking?’

He had effectively turned against the Heaven-Defying Society.

Naturally, he should’ve mobilized the orthodox sects to respond swiftly to this.

The fact that he hadn’t either meant he had changed his mind—

Or else…

‘Could something have happened to Gwan Hyun himself?’

The Murim Alliance was currently so locked down that it was nearly impossible to gather intel.

Especially when it came to the leadership core—like the Alliance Leader’s residence and the Elders’ Council—the flow of information was almost completely cut off.

“Continue monitoring the situation in the Central Plains. Even if our Cult can’t intervene right away, we must not let ourselves be in the dark about the developments.”

“Of course. I’ll make sure the Flying Immortal Hall Leader is fully aware as well.”

A winged monster…

The more I repeated those words to myself, the more a strange unease clawed at me.

***

Son Geon was one of the guard warriors stationed at the entrance of the Cheon Clan.

As an orphan, Son Geon had caught the eye of a branch Elder from the Cheon Clan early on and was recognized for his martial potential—he was considered quite lucky.

Even more so when you considered how many others with similar talent had fallen behind and been discarded.

But Son Geon’s greatest strength wasn’t martial talent. It was his quick wits and a strong sense of knowing his place.

While others taken in with him endured abuse from the elite Jin Blood Unit in hopes of climbing the social ladder,

Son Geon quickly maneuvered himself into the guard unit and avoided their tyranny altogether.

Even if the guards were looked down on, this was still the Cheon Clan. You could call it a royal household—or even direct royal service.

More than anything, the guards of the Cheon Clan were universally acknowledged as the best of the cushy jobs.

There were virtually no invasions from outside, and thanks to the Cheon Clan’s unique secrecy, there weren’t even many visitors to receive.

However—

“All right, all right! Anyone entering the outer residence must present your identification tokens, regardless of rank!”

That was how it had been… in the past.

“When the hell is our Amhon Daga going to be let in?!”

“Bring out the Outer Residence Lord right now!”

Truly, hundreds—no, thousands—of people were knocking at the gates of the Cheon Clan, flooding in.

Every single one of them possessed a level of martial arts far from ordinary.

What made it even more troublesome was that they hadn’t come of their own accord, but had been summoned by someone of high status within the Cheon Clan.

Because of that, even when they acted like thugs, there was no justifiable reason to restrain them.

‘Ah, damn it. Here we go again.’

Word had it that Lifeseizing Hall of the Seventeen Parties was stuck doing emotional labor dealing with people like this. Honestly, they couldn’t be more pitiful….

Just then—

“Ah, pardon me for a moment. I’ve come to meet the Lord of the Cheon Clan’s Outer Residence.”

“Spare me your manners. If you’re here, get in line over there. The Lord of the Outer Residence doesn’t see just anyone.”

Normally, Son Geon would’ve responded with some degree of politeness, but he was already on edge from having dealt with one troublemaker after another.

However, for some reason, the man in front of him didn’t follow his instruction.

He merely gave a faint smile and looked over at him.

Feeling slightly intimidated by the expression, Son Geon attempted a light threat.

“If you’re thinking of using force here….”

“According to the agreement between the Cheon Clan and the Six Great Demonic Clans, direct blood relatives of the Six Clans may enter the Cheon Clan’s Outer Residence without waiting.”

Flinch!

Indeed, that clause had been mentioned during his training before being stationed as a guard.

Though, up until now, he’d never seen it actually put into practice.

“I’ve heard of such a rule, but that only applies to direct bloodlines. Even if you’re from the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan, unless you’re direct… huh?”

Son Geon accidentally said the name of the clan after seeing the symbol engraved on the identification token and tilted his head.

“Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan?”

Wasn’t that the very clan that was opposing the Cheon Clan and had caused this entire mess?

‘If it’s a direct bloodline of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan….’

There were two known figures.

The slim and handsome Demonic Faction Lord, Jin Yeomyung.

And Jin Yeowoon, said to have inherited the physique of their Clan Leader—a massive, muscular body.

But no matter how he looked at it, the youth standing before him did not resemble Jin Yeowoon.

“C-c-could it be?!”

Quick-witted as ever, Son Geon realized the man’s identity immediately.

“Ji, Jin Myeoyoung! The Demonic Faction Lord Jin Yeomyung has appeared!!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep