Chapter 455: Advancing into the Central Plains (1)

I examined the newly appointed Elders.

The position of the First Elder remained vacant as it had yet to be filled, but the notable point was that Jin Yeowoon, who had recently completed his secluded training at the Thousand Day Pass, had taken the seat in place of Jin Gun-ak.

“…….”

I inwardly clicked my tongue at the sight of Jin Yeowoon constantly gauging my reaction.

‘He’s scared, that guy.’

The guy had broken through the Peak Master Level at the Thousand Day Pass and had developed the Asura God technique to this extent.

He had now grown to a level where he wouldn’t be easily pushed back even against experts of the Extreme Demon Realm, and had displayed confidence befitting that growth, but…

‘Hmm…’

In a recent match against me, his pride had been utterly shattered—so thoroughly that no shred of dignity remained.

‘It’s not that he lacks talent…’

No, considering the history of the Machunjin Family, Jin Yeowoon’s talent would undoubtedly be ranked among the top.

He had broken through the Peak Master Level in his early to mid-twenties and had already reached a level where he could stand alongside experts of the Extreme Demon Realm.

‘But that doesn’t mean I can go easy on you, little brother.’

At my level, allowing even a single blow from Jin Yeowoon would be a disgrace beyond measure.

It would be grounds to abandon martial arts entirely.

That lunatic Cheon Taejong would laugh like a maniac and point fingers at me.

Of course, as the elder brother in our fraternal relationship, asserting my authority was equally important, so there was no such thing as leniency.

Well, the matter of his shattered self-esteem would be resolved over time, so I decided to let it pass for now.

“Take your seats, for now.”

“At your command!”

The Elders responded powerfully in unison and sat down all at once.

I promptly got to the main point.

“First, we’ll address the reorganization of the Thirty-Four Demon Squads.”

Among the three matters publicly announced by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult that sent shockwaves through the world, this was the final one.

It was the full-scale reorganization of the Thirty-Four Demon Squads, which had symbolized the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

“As you all know, our Cult has lost numerous experts due to the many incidents in recent times.”

“…….”

“…….”

The atmosphere turned heavy immediately.

With various misfortunes compounded, more than half of the Thirty-Four Demon Squads had either been annihilated or collapsed to the point they could no longer function.

In particular, the damage to the direct units of the Cheon Clan had been especially severe, and half of the units being reorganized were those affiliated with the Cheon Clan.

“The Thirty-Four Demon Squads will be reorganized into the Twenty-Four Demon Squads. Furthermore—”

I swept my gaze over the assembly and declared,

“The five squads that were directly under the Cheon Clan will now be placed directly under the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.”

It was a subtle move to strengthen the power of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, but no one objected.

In any case, the numbers meant little when my individual power was absolute, and taking in those squads essentially meant stripping the Cheon Clan of its strength.

At that moment, Pa Yeongyeong, seated at the highest position, raised her hand.

“I have a question.”

“Granted.”

All eyes turned to Pa Yeongyeong.

She gave a slight cough before speaking.

“Judging by the budget allocated from the Golden Demon Hall, the funds dedicated to the Cult’s reconstruction are far less than expected. Is there a reason for this?”

It was a far sharper question than anticipated.

“There’s a reason, of course.”

“Though the casualties are severe, it shouldn’t be due to a lack of funds. Is the money being allocated elsewhere?”

As she said, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had amassed a tremendous fortune until now.

Even during the conflict with the Cheon Clan, though the distribution network was blocked, there had never been a shortage of wealth.

However, there was a very clear reason why the budget for this recovery effort was so limited.

“Preparations for war.”

Gasp!

“Again…?”

For Pa Yeongyeong, who had suffered through her last expedition to the Central Plains, the idea of being deployed again was distressing.

Though she was obsessed with martial arts, she wasn’t a battle maniac. Naturally, aversion was only to be expected.

Instead of replying, I called upon a woman seated in a corner.

“Divine Ghost Unit Captain.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Bu Il-hwa, who had recently been promoted to Divine Ghost Unit Captain, handed me a letter.

I raised the letter before the Elders and spoke.

“This arrived just yesterday from the Central Plains.”

“……?”

“I’ve just learned that the Southern Murim Alliance has been completely annihilated.”

“……?!”

The annihilation of the Southern Murim Alliance. Though they had lost in their battle against the Northern Murim Alliance, their power had remained formidable.

Especially after their involvement with the Heaven-Defying Society, they had even gained the ability to deploy Demonic Beasts.

“If I may ask, does this mean they were annihilated by the Northern Murim Alliance?”

“No.”

If it had simply been due to their battle with the Northern Murim Alliance, I would not have urgently ordered preparations for war.

“They were wiped out by thousands of Demonic Beasts and Monstrous Creatures.”

“…….”

“…….”

The Southern Murim Alliance had been abandoned.

Completely, by the Grand Heavenly Lord.

“They say Xinyang of Henan Province, where the main base of the Southern Murim Alliance was located, has turned into such a hellscape that barely any corpses could even be recovered.”

Sounds of suppressed sighs were heard here and there.

Those who had faced Demonic Beasts countless times could vividly imagine the horrors.

“And it seems the horde of Demonic Beasts that wiped out the Southern Murim Alliance is now slowly advancing northward toward Luoyang.”

“Northern Murim Alliance….”

Luoyang housed the main base of none other than our Cult’s greatest ally, the Northern Murim Alliance.

Though they were in a much better situation than the Southern Murim Alliance, one could hardly imagine the scale of casualties if they had to face enemies numbering in the thousands.

No, perhaps we should be prepared not just for defeat—but complete annihilation.

“And one more thing.”

“There’s more?”

I pulled out another letter.

“This letter came directly, not through the Pa Clan.”

“……!”

Pa Yeongyeong instantly realized who had written that letter, and her face stiffened.

With a sigh, I let out a shocking truth.

“Beijing has fallen.”

“Beijing, did you say?”

“Yes. That means the Imperial Family has collapsed.”

The chamber grew even more silent.

In a silence so deep even breathing seemed forbidden, I read aloud the content of the letter sent by Saber Demon.

“Though they managed to barely evacuate the Emperor, Crown Prince, and a few others, the majority of the royal family and nobility were massacred. The Royal Guard was annihilated, and during the chaos, the Northern Garrison even launched a rebellion.”

Pa Yeongyeong asked in a trembling voice,

“What of the Clan Head…?”

“Saber Demon evacuated the Emperor and his family to Liaodong. He believed that would actually be the safer option.”

A wise decision.

The north was crawling with remnants of the Yuan dynasty and the rebellious Northern Garrison, while the south held Mount Tai where the Grand Heavenly Lord resided.

Trying to break through west to return to our Cult….

‘Would be impossible while leading a mass of civilians.’

If it were only Saber Demon and the elite of the Pa Clan, perhaps. But from the Ten Thousand Mountains to Beijing, the straight-line distance alone exceeded three thousand li.

Factoring in detours and stopovers, it would likely reach five thousand li, and considering how treacherous the Central Plains had become, that journey would also demand risking their lives.

“We were going to need an army to bring down the Grand Heavenly Lord anyway. Just think of it as the time for that having come a bit earlier.”

“At your command.”

Pa Yeongyeong accepted my words and fell silent.

I turned once more to address those around me.

“What we must do is simple. Rescue the Northern Murim Alliance, annihilate the Grand Heavenly Lord and his forces at Mount Tai during the ritual. And then…”

Crack!

“Retrieve the former Cult Leader, Cheon Yura.”

That last goal was more important than anything.

***

Luoyang, Henan Province.

Now aligned with the Northern Murim Alliance, this city had become known as the safest in terms of public order since the Alliance took root there.

But the current atmosphere in Luoyang was anything but good.

No, perhaps it was fortunate that it was merely ‘not good.’

The cities and counties surrounding Luoyang had become literal living hells.

“Alright, alright! Form a line and present your identification tags!”

Due to the flood of refugees from nearby counties, Luoyang was suffering a major headache.

Not only the regular troops of Luoyang but even the warriors of the Northern Murim Alliance had to be mobilized for security maintenance.

“Those who break the rules will be expelled from Luoyang without warning!”

“Uphold your dignity as citizens of the Empire!”

Those who had been attacked by Demonic Beasts, having lost their families and hometowns, passed through the city gates with darkened expressions.

Over the past month alone, Luoyang had accepted tens of thousands of people.

The number of refugees was beginning to exceed what Luoyang could handle—but they couldn’t just be turned away.

Then it happened.

“I-It’s the Alliance Leader!”

“What?!”

“Where?! Where?!”

The refugees, who had all worn uniformly grim expressions, immediately changed upon hearing the words ‘Alliance Leader.’

“Alliance Leader.”

“Alliance Leader!”

From the distance, a group of warriors approached the Luoyang gates.

There were around thirty of them, give or take, but every single one exuded the presence of someone referred to as ‘Peak Master Level’ in the jianghu.

“Loyalty! Welcome back, Alliance Leader!”

“You’ve had a hard time too.”

At the front of that group stood a woman.

North Murim Alliance Leader, Heaven-Slaying Sword Empress Baek Sang-ah waved to the welcoming crowd with eyes weary from fatigue.

At that moment, her presence was tantamount to that of a goddess in the region around Luoyang.

“How was it today?”

“The same as always. No matter how many I cut down, their numbers don’t seem to lessen.”

She groaned as she leaned into So Cheon’s embrace.

“More than anything, even insect-type Demonic Beasts showed up today…”

“Hmm… now that’s a disaster.”

“Exactly.”

Insect-type Demonic Beasts were the most reviled foes, not just by the North Murim Alliance, but by all.

It wasn’t just their powerful exoskeletons that even blades and spears couldn’t scratch—the real problem was…

“Ughhhh!”

Their grotesque, horrifying appearance that burned itself into one’s retina for days after a single glance.

She wanted nothing more than to soak her body in a full bath and wash away her thoughts, but right now Luoyang didn’t even have enough water for bathing, due to the presence of refugees.

“Damn it, I’m not getting any sleep tonight…”

Baek Sang-ah let out a sigh secretly as she passed through the main gate of Luoyang Fortress.

She was the hope of the refugees in Luoyang.

The goddess who rescued the refugees from the Demonic Beasts that appeared almost daily!

As someone being treated that way, she couldn’t allow herself to appear disheveled.

As soon as she passed the gate, Jegal Eun and Seo Muwon came out to greet her, accompanied by a few escort warriors.

With some time having passed, Jegal Eun seemed to have somewhat moved on from her clan’s destruction.

“You’ve worked hard, Alliance Leader.”

“Anything to report?”

“Yes, there is.”

“…There is?”

Baek Sang-ah’s expression twisted.

Given how much she toiled in the field, most matters—big or small—were usually handled by Jegal Eun or Seo Muwon.

The two strategists knew of Baek Sang-ah’s burdens, and wouldn’t report anything unless it was truly serious…

“While the Alliance Leader was out on a subjugation mission, survivors from the Southern Murim Alliance approached us.”

“The Southern Murim Alliance?”

Her expression contorted.

Understanding that reaction, Seo Muwon nodded.

“They said they want to join the North Murim Alliance.”

“…Ha.”

She wanted to tell them to get lost.

But since the matter had been brought instead of dealt with directly, it clearly wasn’t something she could dismiss lightly.

Even if the Southern Murim Alliance had effectively been annihilated, Luoyang still needed every expert it could get.

“Not just the Southern Murim Alliance. Those who had remained neutral, watching and waiting, are now lining up to unconditionally join us one by one.”

Seo Muwon suddenly gave a short laugh.

“Strangely enough, they all said the same thing in unison.”

“…?”

“They want to proclaim you, Alliance Leader, as the true Leader of the Murim Alliance.”

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