Chapter 391: The Prelude to War (2)

Someone was assassinated just now?

Cheon Yura also looked a little flustered as she asked again.

“Lee Jaseong, the Blazing Heavenly King… wasn’t he the one who killed the King of Ten Thousand Evils?”

“Yes, that is correct!”

“By whom?”

“We, we have not yet identified the assassin. However, the fact that the Evil Overlord was assassinated has been verified several times through cross-checking!”

Cheon Yura and I listened to the rest of the report with stunned expressions.

“A master at least at Peak Master Level… normally at the Transformation Realm… was assassinated not just anywhere, but right in the center of their own main camp?”

“Did some kind of legendary death god descend or something?”

Even for me, assuming this was an assassination, pulling off something like that would be difficult.

Unless I charged into enemy lines like a brute, the way lovers sometimes do in tales of romance and war, took his head as if pulling something out of a pocket, and casually returned, it would be nearly impossible.

The Flying Immortal Hall Master lowered his head and spoke.

“According to the reports from our agents, there were no signs of a struggle. When the Evil Overlord failed to appear by noon, his bodyguards went to check and… discovered him.”

“Discovered him?”

“His head… was gone…”

“……!”

From the combined reports so far, the Evil Overlord was almost certainly an Awakened Body from the Heaven-Defying Society.

Targeting normal human vital points was meaningless against an Awakened Body.

Like that assassin, severing both the head and body in one blow was the most definitive way to kill one.

‘Normal assassins don’t go around cutting off heads.’

Humans die easily if the heart, key blood points, or throat are pierced.

‘If someone knew the enemy was an Awakened Body in advance, and had stealth arts capable of reaching the Evil Overlord without being noticed, and their own martial arts were at a certain level…’

There was exactly one person in all of the Central Plains who matched that description.

But I erased the face of a certain So-something that popped up in my mind.

‘No way, it can’t be.’

Knowing So Cheon’s personality, he wasn’t someone who would bother with something as troublesome as assassination.

He was someone who avoided danger, avoided fighting, and always pursued a life of quiet peace. That name—So Cheon.

It was almost a kind of unshakable faith at this point.

‘Could it be Lady Baek? No, she doesn’t have the Myriad Form Grand Art, so infiltration would be difficult.’

The more I thought about it, the more lost I felt in the maze of thoughts.

‘Who in the world could it be…’

Just as I was drowning in that confusion.

Cheon Yura’s face suddenly appeared in the corner of my vision.

She had brought her face right up close to mine.

“Leaving me all alone, what are you thinking so deeply about?”

“Ah, sorry. I was just so curious…”

“About the identity of the assassin?”

I gave a small nod.

“But that’s not the most important thing right now, is it?”

“…Right.”

I let out a bitter smile and brushed the thought aside.

Cheon Yura turned her gaze to the Flying Immortal Hall Master.

“Flying Immortal Hall Master.”

“Yes, Cult Leader!”

“What do you think the Evil Overlords of Heaven will do next?”

Normally, a group that lost its leader would retreat and plan for another day.

Even our own ancestors who once launched the Great Demonic War always returned to the Ten Thousand Mountain when the Cult Leader fell.

But the Flying Immortal Hall Master hesitated a bit, then said something unexpected.

“They… will not retreat.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“Though the death of the Evil Overlord certainly deals a blow to enemy morale, he was long believed to be a puppet installed by the elders of the Evil Overlords of Heaven.”

That’s why even the death of the King of Ten Thousand Evils, Gu Yomyeong, was not seen as a meaningless defeat at the hands of an outsider, but as a purge carried out by internal rivals.

“So?”

“Precisely because of that, even if they appoint a new leader, the Evil Overlords of Heaven will not end the Eastern Campaign in such a hollow fashion. Especially now that the Jongnam Sect has shut its gates, they will try to secure at least the Shaanxi region by wiping out Gongdong and Mount Hua.”

Indeed.

If they retreated here, the Evil Overlords of Heaven would be left with nothing.

Especially after being blocked by the fierce resistance of the Sichuan martial world and forced to detour south through Gansu—and most of all, after handing over Hanzhong, the gate to Sichuan, to our Cult entirely.

If they withdrew now, the Evil Overlords of Heaven would never be able to cross into Sichuan again, and the path to the Central Plains would be completely cut off.

“Jin Yeomyung. Your thoughts?”

“The process may differ, but the outcome is the same.”

Just as the Flying Immortal Hall Master predicted, the Evil Overlords of Heaven would not retreat.

However, the reasoning was entirely different.

“They’ll send another puppet instead of that so-called Blazing Heavenly King.”

“Hmm.”

“More than anything, because of Black Lotus Union’s intervention, the blood that should have been spilled across the southern Central Plains has been dramatically reduced.

For the sake of more bloodshed alone, the Evil Overlords of Heaven will never stop.”

More importantly, now that the Murim Alliance had entered into negotiations with the Evil Overlords of Heaven, Black Lotus Union remained completely isolated.

In the worst case, the Evil Overlords of Heaven and the Murim Alliance could join forces and attack Black Lotus Union from both front and rear.

“Indeed, those hypocrites of the orthodox factions abandon their debts of gratitude far too easily. Your words ring true, Grand Duke!”

At those words, Cheon Yura wriggled her fingers slightly and said,

“Hmm, but couldn’t there still be some righteous reclusive experts who might intervene…?”

…That talk of reclusive experts. It had been a while since I last heard such nonsense.

However—

“That is absolutely impossible.”

“…Why is that?”

“All righteous martial artists of the orthodox sects died a long, long time ago. More importantly…”

“……”

“Even if any are still alive, they are the sort who see the world in black and white. There’s zero chance they would help Black Lotus Union, which belongs to the demonic path.”

“……”

I noticed Cheon Yura’s lips push out just a tiny bit.

The Flying Immortal Hall Master, who was bowing too low to dare look upon her, didn’t see that expression.

‘Why does it feel like she’s even angrier now than when I made that earlier mistake…’

She looked more upset now than she had when I first misspoke.

Of course, surely that couldn’t actually be the case.

“Fine. Now get lo… no, withdraw.”

“Y-yes, I obey…”

The Flying Immortal Hall Master seemed to have guessed the next word that was about to follow ‘get lo’ and left the Heavenly Demon Pavilion with a pale face.

“…Are you alright?”

“Hmph, I am perfectly fine.”

‘…She definitely doesn’t seem fine.’

Right now, she looked like a child who just realized that the red-bearded man appearing on the twenty-fifth night of the year’s end in their first life had actually been fictional all along.

“Anyway, we need to organize a force to rescue that group. Do you have any good ideas?”

“I do, actually.”

This time, all we had to do was save Black Lotus Union.

There was no need to clash directly with the Murim Alliance or other factions.

“I’m thinking of turning this into a loyalty contest.”

Thanks to the incident stirred up within the Cheon Clan, Cheon Yura and the Heavenly Demon Pavilion had gained significant authority.

So much so that previously neutral factions, which had remained on the fence since the death of the former Cult Leader, began to flock to her and pledge their loyalty.

But now was the time to test whether those vows were just words or would be proven through action.

In less than a day, the same notice was posted all across the Ten Thousand Mountain.

“A recruitment notice?”

“They say they’re recruiting martial artists for an expedition around Shaanxi to rescue our ally, Black Lotus Union.”

“And rather than mobilize the Thirty-Four Demon Squads under the Cult Leader’s command?”

Many questioned the purpose of this public recruitment, but those with sharper senses understood its true intent right away.

“So it’s a call to prove loyalty through action?”

Normally, such notices didn’t receive much support.

The intention to preserve core forces while recruiting fodder was often too blatant.

However—

As soon as the name of the commander of this expedition appeared at the bottom of the notice—

The atmosphere turned completely around.

“They say the Shaanxi expedition will be led personally by none other than the Demonic Faction Lord!”

“You mean the Cult Leader’s husband, the one who charged into the Cheon Clan all alone?”

“I heard his personal martial strength surpassed even the Extreme Demon Realm.”

“To receive even a single lesson from someone like him…”

With the Demonic Faction Lord, Jin Yeomyung, serving as the supreme commander, the troops would be led directly under his banner.

The moment that news spread, young followers of the Cult across the Six Great Demonic Clans and beyond began to stir with excitement.

“Maybe… I should volunteer too?”

That was how the stream of consciousness flowed and the number of applicants continued to grow.

Three days later—

“We already have over a thousand applicants,”

Sa Biyeon reported the progress to Cheon Yura and me.

“What’s more, over eighty percent of them are young martial artists below thirty. And… I’m seeing quite a few from the Six Great Demonic Clans as well.”

A subtle sense of admiration shimmered in her eyes.

“At this rate… reaching two thousand won’t be a problem.”

At least two thousand martial artists of Second Rate level and higher.

That was a force strong enough to call itself a great faction anywhere.

The moment I heard those words, I shrugged my shoulders toward Cheon Yura beside me.

“It’s a bit self-congratulatory, but I am a rather inspirational figure, aren’t I?”

At that, Cheon Yura gave me a sideways glance.

“I wouldn’t say your environment was all that difficult, though…”

Being inspirational usually implied rising to success from hardship.

Well, if someone like me, a Grand Duke of the Six Great Demonic Clans, claimed hardship, that would be the height of shamelessness.

But still—

“So what? The one sitting beside you as the final victor is none other than me.”

That alone gave life to the term inspirational figure.

Cheon Yura’s expression brightened instantly.

She tugged gently at my cheek as she smiled.

“What am I supposed to do with this sly tongue of yours?”

“What else? We spend time together as befits a newlywed—”

“Ahem!”

Just as the mood was about to carry me past the line, Sa Biyeon’s menacing cough broke the atmosphere.

“Jin Gong… no, Your Grace. Please maintain decorum in official settings.”

“……”

Yura was right beside me too, so why was I the only one being scolded…

I didn’t know where the once-apologetic woman who used to feel sorry for interrupting had gone—only a saboteur remained now.

“Your Grace?”

As if she had read my mind, she glared at me with dagger-like eyes.

“Ahem, I will focus, Military Advisor Sa.”

“Whether it’s sharing a bed or wandering thoughts, save those for after the mission is done.”

“……”

“……”

Cheon Yura and I both pouted slightly.

Ignoring our unspoken protest, she continued without pause.

“Still, is it alright to leave the Cult again like this? According to Young Master Jin, right now the Cult is…”

“A paradise for traitors. But I have something in mind.”

Now that I knew Cheon Juchun and the Grand Heavenly Lord were parasitizing the Ten Thousand Mountain, I couldn’t just leave Yura behind and depart the Cult recklessly.

However…

“For the time being, it’ll be fine. If my prediction is correct… they’re targeting me, not Yura.”

“T-then, Young Master Jin leaving the Cult is all the more…”

“That’s exactly why I must go.”

I nailed it down with certainty.

“By throwing myself out as bait, we’ll get a chance to grasp the enemy’s true strength.”

“……”

Sa Biyeon looked at me with uneasy eyes.

When I turned slightly to the side, I saw that Yura’s expression was much the same.

“I assure you, what happened in Akyang will never happen again.”

Back then, I barely managed to survive with the help of many people.

Even though I hadn’t let my guard down, the enemy had deployed strength that far exceeded my expectations. If I’d slipped up even slightly, I would’ve handed my neck over to that bastard Gam Unbi.

But now it was different.

No—this time, it will be different.

“If that’s the case, then I’m relieved, but…”

“Jin Yeomyung.”

Cheon Yura stood up and walked in front of me.

Then, she slowly reached out and caressed my cheek.

“This time… come back without being late.”

I gently held her hand and felt its warmth.

“Of course, my other half.”

When I called her my other half, I didn’t just mean it in the sense of a married couple.

Someday—

The two of us would become one—

And become the fourth Heavenly Demon.

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