Chapter 430: Civil War within the Divine Cult (1)

At the very peak of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains stood the Soaring Demon Peak, one of the Eight Demon Peaks known to be the highest.

The blade-like wind blowing from the summit was so harsh that even seasoned martial artists could barely endure it.

Amidst that wind, I, Cheon Jumyeong, the Demon Gentleman, stood and gazed down at the view below.

“……”

A strategist’s mind must always be burdened with thoughts of what comes next.

Yet, at this moment, I was thinking of absolutely nothing—strangely so.

If anyone had looked into my eyes, they would have described them as utterly hollow.

How much time had passed like that?

“…I have returned, My Lord.”

At some point, a quiet female voice sounded behind me.

The light returned to my eyes that had been blank to the point of appearing vacant.

“You’ve done well, Ryeong-ah.”

“……”

“It must have been a difficult task. You did well.”

Cheon Eunryeong placed a hand over her chest and lowered her head.

“If it is your command… this girl is ready to do anything.”

What Cheon Eunryeong had accomplished this time was no minor feat.

During the chaos of the Grand Heavenly Lord’s assault, she had extracted none other than the Young Master of the Black Gold Sa Clan.

“How fares the Heavenly Thunder Corps?”

“They are still awaiting the right time to fulfill their mission.”

Pfft.

At those words, I suddenly let out a laugh.

“…My Lord?”

Startled by my unexpected laughter, Cheon Eunryeong widened her eyes.

“No, it’s nothing.”

The reason for my laughter wasn’t anything grand.

If the Heaven-Defying Society hadn’t orchestrated this event—if that Demonic Faction Lord hadn’t existed—

Perhaps the Heavenly Thunder Corps might have become a wicked faction secretly ruling the Cult from the shadows.

That thought had suddenly crossed my mind.

But that was all just a “what if.”

History has no use for such things.

“Then I’ll leave it to you, as before.”

Cheon Eunryeong’s expression suddenly darkened.

“My Lord. I… I wish to remain by your side until the very end!”

Her voice was desperate enough to sound like a plea.

However—

“I once lost the one I loved… and now, I have lost every brother with whom I shared blood.”

“……”

“I do not wish to lose you as well.”

My resolve was firm.

“Even so…!”

“Please.”

With just that one word, Cheon Eunryeong had no choice but to hold her tongue.

It wasn’t simple kindness—it was the unmistakable wall of someone unwilling to share his end with another.

She bowed her head, dejected.

“As you command…”

I watched her for a moment with pity, then changed the subject.

“Where is he now?”

“He should be nearing Eunru Valley by now.”

A sneer curled at the corner of my lips.

“Though he bears the name of the Supreme Demon Palace, I thought he would gather more force before advancing… still as overconfident as ever.”

No matter how formidable a master of the Transcendent Demon Realm he may be, he cannot handle everything alone.

Does he have a secret move capable of overturning this situation?

Or is he prepared to set the Divine Cult aflame, heedless of sacrifice?

If that were truly the case, I would be gravely disappointed in Jin Yeomyung…

“He may seem reckless, but he’s not one to act without thought… Let’s head to the Elders’ Hall first.”

“Yes.”

By the time I arrived at the Elders’ Hall, many had already gathered upon hearing news of Jin Yeomyung.

On the right stood figures starting with Sa Bihwan, the acting Clan Head of the Black Gold Sa Clan.

Then came others like Gu Eumhyeoljyo Wang Garak, Gwang Rahi Yeo Jin, White-Faced Demon General Jang Gil-san, and Blood Flow Spear Yang So-byeong—lesser elders.

On the opposite side were the new Ten Heavenly Lords from the Heaven-Defying Society.

As I appeared in the Elders’ Hall, they all paid their respects in one form or another.

“We greet the Cult Leader.”

“We greet the Cult Leader.”

The members of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult maintained decorum, but the newly joined Ten Heavenly Lords only gave the slightest nods.

As I scanned the hall, I turned to someone showing clear discomfort in the distance and asked:

“Lord of the Golden Demon Hall. Where are the Inspectors?”

Flinch!

Heuk Goomyeong, known as the Thunder-Smiting Demonic Sword, who had been appointed as the new Lord of the Golden Demon Hall to replace the previous Lord purged alongside Sa Myeongnin, slightly trembled at the shoulders.

“Th-that is…”

This meeting was not just a regular one—it was a full summit at the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, attended not only by the Elders but all top leadership.

Naturally, the Internal and External Inspectors, who oversee both internal and external affairs, were also supposed to be present.

However, at this very moment, neither the Internal nor External Inspector could be seen.

The new Lord of the Golden Demon Hall clenched his eyes shut and spoke in a voice as low as a mouse.

“B-both Inspectors… have deserted the Golden Demon Hall and defected to the Demonic Faction Lord.”

“What?”

“Ha ha ha…”

“They’ve gone mad.”

Some cast looks of disbelief. Others laughed in sheer absurdity.

And still others hurled insults at the Lord of the Golden Demon Hall for failing to manage his direct subordinates.

At that moment, White-Faced Demon General Jang Gil-san furrowed his brow and shouted.

“I can understand that bastard External Inspector, but wasn’t the Internal Inspector on our side? Just how did you manage your men?”

“I-I have no excuse, even if I had ten mouths.”

The defection of two Inspectors was no trivial matter.

Though their personal forces were not great, the issue lay in their authority as Inspectors.

If that authority was wielded effectively, there was a high chance that many currently neutral factions would be swayed.

“I-I swear, the External Inspector was being watched without any gaps. Unless there’s a traitor from the inside, there’s no way he could’ve slipped out of the Golden Demon Hall…”

“Is that what you call an explanation?!”

“You useless fool!”

I, Cheon Jumyeong, raised a hand to quell the rising fury directed at the Lord of the Golden Demon Hall.

“What’s done is done. We’ll assign blame later.”

“……”

Only then did the Elders settle back down, their fury subsiding.

My gaze shifted toward Gwang Rahi Yeo Jin.

“Gwang Rahi.”

“Yes, Cult Leader.”

Ever since Cheon Yura had been ousted, Gwang Rahi—who had supported the Heaven-Defying Society from the start—now stood as the effective second-in-command among the Elders.

“How many of the Thirty-Four Demon Squads can we mobilize?”

After finishing her calculations, she answered.

“Including those currently guarding the outer perimeter, we have a total of twenty-five squads ready.”

My eyes then turned toward a graying middle-aged man.

“Seventh Elder.”

“…Yes, Cult Leader.”

The last surviving member of the Council of the Seven Elders, the youngest Seventh Elder responded.

“What’s the movement from the Jin Clan?”

“They looked ready to charge, but suddenly went quiet. No doubt they’ve heard of that damn Faction Lord.”

“There’s no need to commit full force. Just block them from linking up.”

“…Understood.”

Though the Seventh Elder couldn’t fully comprehend my reasoning, he accepted it nonetheless.

“There’s no need to concentrate our power. It’s already been proven that numbers mean little against him.”

Everyone present knew well what price the Cheon Clan had paid trying to overwhelm him with numbers.

“As long as the other Six Great Demonic Clans don’t move, we still have superiority in both quantity and quality. We’ll spread our forces wide, deploy the awakened bodies and divine beasts of the Heaven-Defying Society, and exhaust his strength methodically.”

Just as this plan was settling in—

“That is a mistake.”

A faint, weary voice came from the Heaven-Defying Society’s side.

“Sixth Heavenly Lord, is it?”

“Yes.”

Sangdo, the Sixth Heavenly Lord—an Elder of the Hae Nam Sect, a Grand Advisor of the imperial family, and the Priest of Heavenly Evil.

Thought to have perished during the Yoo Family’s Sacred Mountain incident, he had now returned and appeared within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

“Numbers are not meaningless. Rather, we should grind all of our forces to push with overwhelming volume.”

His expression betrayed undeniable hostility and wariness.

“He is the one who killed even a former entity awakened as Heavenly Evil, albeit incomplete. Do not hold back.”

“Do not hold back our strength?”

“You speak far too lightly for someone commanding no subordinates of his own.”

At once, discomfort rippled through the Cult’s side.

If they fought that way, the Cult would lose its capacity for self-sustainability, leaving only a crumbling foundation behind.

“Might as well throw that pale monster who captured the Cult Leader into the fray.”

At those words, the Sixth Heavenly Lord quickly shook his head.

“Apologies, but one of the Four Atrocities, Chaos, is seriously injured and cannot move. We must buy time for recovery.”

“……”

Just as the Elders from our side were about to erupt in fury at his evasion—

“We’re spreading the line precisely to buy that time.”

My words cut through their anger.

“And this decision is not about conserving our forces.”

“…Then what is it?”

“I don’t know why, but his way of thinking is closer to the orthodox sects than a demonic practitioner.”

This was something I had confirmed multiple times—it was an undeniable truth.

“Closer to the orthodox sects?”

“He can’t coldly sacrifice his subordinates like we do. Like those hypocrites from the orthodox sects, he’s unnecessarily sentimental.”

“……”

“Especially when he’s at a disadvantage in overall strength.”

“But if we expand the front line carelessly and he breaks through one point…”

“Breaks through? With what objective?”

“…Hm?”

The man’s expression momentarily showed confusion.

“The Heavenly Demon Pavilion? Even if he occupies that wrecked ruin, what difference does it make? The former Cult Leader? How would he even know where she is?”

“……”

“Or is he going to aim for the Grand Heavenly Lord, whose whereabouts we don’t even know?”

The Sixth Heavenly Lord was at a loss for words.

“If we stop fighting and pull back, what exactly can he do?”

…Indeed?

Innermost depths of Eunru Valley.

Once the secret spiritual herb farm of the Heavenly Illusion Clan, it was now the residence of the Three Elder Army.

As the master of the residence, the Three Elder Army was curled in a corner, trembling.

I sat across a table facing the External Inspector, Cheon Myeosaeng, also known as Neung Jahyeon.

“Your performance was quite convincing.”

“I’m grateful to hear that.”

The desperation in his demeanor had vanished completely, replaced with the composure and ease of a scholar.

True to the title of Thousand-Faced Scholar, Neung Jahyeon was not only skilled in disguise techniques but could also perfectly control his emotional expressions.

He unfolded his fan and spoke playfully.

“Well, that fool Lord of the Golden Demon Hall did smother me with surveillance, but it wasn’t anything too difficult.”

“But abducting the Internal Inspector would have been impossible.”

“……”

“Did Cheon Jumyeong help you? No—more accurately…”

I tilted my head slightly.

“It must have been the Heavenly Thunder Corps. Or, to be even more precise, the agents who had not returned to the Heavenly Thunder Corps but were lying low in the Golden Demon Hall.”

A hint of surprise flashed across his face.

“…Impressive. How did you know?”

“If you know that Cheon Jumyeong, the so-called leader of the enemy, isn’t truly the mastermind, then it’s an easy guess.”

“In that case, we can move quickly.”

He pulled out a map from his inner robes.

It roughly depicted the terrain of the vast Ten Thousand Great Mountains, spanning over a thousand li in all directions.

“He said he would spread his forces wide and go for a long-term war.”

The map showed the Thirty-Four Demon Squads and numerous other units of the Cheon Clan meticulously deployed.

I looked at the map and admired it inwardly.

‘As expected of Cheon Jumyeong.’

He had completely blocked off all routes to the Eight Demon Peaks to prevent my union with the other Six Great Demonic Clans, and cleverly placed elites to chip away at our strength.

Had I charged in without seeing this map, we surely would have suffered heavy losses.

Neung Jahyeon cautiously studied my reaction and spoke.

“The answer sheet is before us, but the answer itself is hard to find.”

That paradox summed up the current situation perfectly.

“How will you move?”

“How I move is already decided.”

I tapped my finger on the edge of the map.

“Take out the enemy’s key forces one by one.”

My finger slowly moved northward across the map.

Tap!

It stopped on a precise point.

“I will head to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.”

“……”

Neung Jahyeon’s face showed clear distress.

“But the Heavenly Demon Pavilion is currently…”

“The pavilion itself isn’t the goal.”

At those words, Neung Jahyeon’s eyes widened in shock.

“I intend to seize the Heavenly Demon’s Decree, which slumbers beneath the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.”

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