Chapter 73: Each One’s Thoughts (3)

“…….”

“…….”

A heavy silence lingered within the altar.

“I see.”

After some time, her tightly shut lips slowly parted.

“It’s hard to believe, but…”

Yoo So stared at me with wide, surprised eyes.

“This isn’t your first life, is it, Yeomyung?”

“……Yes, that’s correct.”

I glanced sideways at the three people who had entered Qi Circulation and replied cautiously.

‘They didn’t hear that, right?’

They were probably locked in a fierce struggle with their inner demons, so it was unlikely they heard anything.

“Incredible. Truly incredible.”

Yoo So’s insight was astonishing, seeing through my situation down to the inner truth just from my current condition.

Of course, she had lived for centuries in a spirit form, a bodyless existence, so it was only natural her perspective had shifted into something beyond the norm.

“Well, I have my reasons, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t ask further.”

Fortunately, she nodded without hesitation.

“Since you’re my Yeomyung, I can grant that much of a request. Though I am very curious…”

“So? Am I disqualified now?”

“Of course not. Now that you’ve stepped into the formation’s influence, you can’t leave this place either—not until you pass the wall.”

Whoosh!

With a wave of her hand, Yoo So caused the bodies of the three in Qi Circulation to float midair and drift toward the corner.

It was an application of void manipulation so refined it didn’t disturb even a single hair on their bodies—a demonstration of true mastery over the technique.

Once the obstacles had been moved to the side—

“Take the sword.”

An unfamiliar and strange aura began to flow from Yoo So’s entire body, something I had never sensed before.

“I shall grant you a gift, Yeonja.”

Demonic Spirit Soul-Binding Qi Flow Formation. This formation, a collaborative work between Yoo So and the former Heavenly Demon, held one additional arrangement just for the Yeomyung.

“A special power shall awaken within your body. A force capable of breaking the ‘Awakened Forms’ of those who carry the bloodline of the ancients…”

And one day—

“I hope you reach a different ending than we did.”

***

“Aaah!”

A girl around ten years old dropped her sword.

Her wrist had been injured from a sharp counterattack.

But the girl immediately picked up the sword again, glaring fiercely at her opponent.

“I’ll kill you! I swear I will!”

Receiving that venomous glare was another young girl.

Cheon Yura let out a cold, faint laugh.

“Cheon Yujeong, it’s pointless. You’re no match for me.”

“You—You bitch!”

As Cheon Yujeong prepared to charge at her again—

“That’s enough!”

An adult rushed in and stepped between them.

The winner of the match was then declared.

“The winner—Cheon Yura!”

“W-Wait a minute!”

The girl called Cheon Yujeong protested in shock, but there would be no overturning the decision.

From the very beginning until now, it had been a completely one-sided duel.

“With this, the Heavenly Demon Cult’s Young Cult Leader contest concludes! The winner is Cheon Yura, eldest daughter of Cheon Taejong!”

“…….”

“…….”

Though it had taken the form of a tournament, there was no applause from the surrounding onlookers.

It was expected.

To every one of them, all others were rivals.

“Hmm, just as expected?”

“Well, it’s not like the Cult Leader would’ve neglected his own daughter.”

“Still, her talent is overwhelming. Yujeong was by far the most gifted among the collateral lines, and yet the gap is… unreal.”

The elders of the Cheon Clan muttered quietly among themselves.

And at the same time—

“Cheon Yuraaaa!”

The loser, Cheon Yujeong, shrieked at Cheon Yura.

“I swear I’ll get my revenge! One day, I’ll take that seat from you!”

Despite the adults trying to hold her back, she screamed desperately.

If an ordinary child heard that, they probably would’ve burst into tears.

“Do as you like.”

But Cheon Yura, who was far from ordinary, simply turned away without interest.

Words laced with hatred like those—she had heard them hundreds of times before. They didn’t move her in the slightest.

“Aaah! Aaaaagh!”

Cheon Yujeong screamed even more violently at her cold reaction, but she was eventually restrained and dragged away by other adults.

Without paying any attention to her, Cheon Yura calmly walked toward her father—her sky, and the Cult Leader of the sect.

“Well done.”

“Thank you, Cult Leader.”

Cult Leader Cheon Taejong was known to be mischievous and smooth-talking, but within the Cheon Clan, no one truly believed in his lighthearted demeanor.

“You’ve only crossed one mountain. Now that you’ve earned the right to learn the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art, a grueling schedule awaits you starting tomorrow.”

“……Yes, sir.”

“Rest well for today.”

The rest Cheon Yura was given lasted just one day.

Yet compared to the harsh schedule she’d endured so far, it was practically an act of mercy.

“Yura. You must become the Absolute Supreme to succeed me. That is the wish of both your mother and me.”

“Yes, Cult Leader. I will not fail to meet your expectations.”

Cheon Yura responded with the answer she had always given.

***

–You have talent. But your limits are also clear. Give up on becoming the head of the family.

–The clan will be succeeded by Bihwan. You will serve as the confidante of the Young Cult Leader.

–You’ll marry the one I choose for you. Someone from the Ma Clan or Jin Clan would be ideal, considering age compatibility.

As the eldest daughter and the fourth child of the Sa Clan, these were the words Sa Biyeon had heard repeatedly since childhood.

She had great ambition.

One day, she would stand at the peak of the Sa Clan and take revenge on the family head who had offered her as a tool in a political marriage and a maidservant to the Young Cult Leader.

That determination had taken root when she was just eight years old, proving how exceptional her potential truly was.

She had three older brothers above her.

The eldest, Sa Bihwan; the second, Sa Bimun; and the third, Sa Bijun.

Among them, the eldest, Sa Bihwan, had once been named among the Six Demonic Dragons. Once he came of age, he began shadowing the Clan Head, effectively undergoing training as the successor of the Sa Clan.

Sa Bimun and Sa Bijun were also regarded as respectable First-rate Martial Artists and had earned favorable evaluations from the Demon Dragon Hall.

Despite all that, Sa Biyeon realized early on that her talent surpassed that of all her brothers.

However, she lacked the most important and essential quality to succeed a prestigious clan—something required above all else.

She was not the eldest child.

In terms of birth order, she wasn’t even second—she was the fourth.

From the very beginning, there was no possibility for her to become the Clan Head.

But Sa Biyeon didn’t give up.

Some asked her,

“Why do you burn with such ambition?”

And she always replied,

“What’s so wrong with that?”

Man or woman—it didn’t matter.

Eldest or not—it didn’t matter.

If you had the ability, you could aim for the peak. That was the merit of this world called the Heavenly Demon Cult, was it not?

Still, her very birth had blocked all possibilities.

At one point, she even considered killing all her older siblings.

But the Heavenly Demon Cult was a place where discipline coexisted with violence. If she pulled something like that, she wouldn’t survive.

So she looked for another path.

And the path she found was this—use the power of a family ranked even higher than her own, the Cheon Clan.

To be exact, she would use her own strength to help someone become the Young Cult Leader—and then become that person’s most trusted aide.

If there was anything fortunate about this wretched environment, it was that the current generation of Young Cult Leader candidates were all about her age.

And more importantly, the leading candidates for Young Cult Leader were all female.

If the next Young Cult Leader had been a man, she would have been sold off as a concubine candidate—but thankfully, that didn’t happen.

—”Nice to meet you. I’m Cheon Yura.”

The first time Sa Biyeon met Cheon Yura, the latter was not yet the Young Cult Leader, only one of the candidates.

—”I’m Sa Biyeon. From now on, I’ll be your hands and feet.”

The daughter of the current Cult Leader and the one known as the Heavenly Demon.

Her talent hadn’t yet been widely recognized, but even that alone made her the clear front-runner in the competition.

Sa Biyeon saw Cheon Yura as a stepping stone.

I’ll serve as your loyal subordinate, win your trust, and make sure you become the Young Cult Leader.

And when you become the Cult Leader, I’ll make full use of your influence. With that power, I’ll sweep aside all the siblings standing in my way!

That was what Sa Biyeon had vowed at the time.

If only Cheon Yura hadn’t said what she did right after their first meeting.

—”I can feel the burning ambition coming off you. You want to become the head of the Sa Clan, don’t you?”

—”……?!”

Cheon Yura had seen straight through her the moment they met. How?

It was known that members of the Cheon Clan had remarkably sharp instincts passed down through generations—but how could she know right away?

If Sa Biyeon had been a few years older, she might have managed to lie her way through it. But back then, she was still just a little girl who hadn’t yet learned to control her emotions.

—”Isn’t that a good thing? I heard your clan often has female Clan Heads. If you’re going to be my maid, you better be capable of that much.”

—”L-Lady Yura!”

And so, when Cheon Yura acknowledged her existence so naturally, Sa Biyeon opened her heart almost instantly.

After a few conversations, she poured out everything—her resentment, her ambition, her desire for revenge.

And immediately regretted it.

—”L-Lady Yura, please… Don’t tell anyone about what I just said….”

—”Ahaha, come on. Even I’m not that tactless.”

Cheon Yura laughed heartily, a sound far too carefree for her age.

—”You and I—we both have clear goals. You’ll become the head of the Black Gold Sa Clan, and I’ll become the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Well, first I have to become the Young Cult Leader!”

Ah, now that she thought about it, Cheon Yura used to be quite talkative as a child.

Not just talkative—mature beyond her years.

She always read people’s moods with uncanny precision and responded with a consideration that didn’t feel at all like someone in a position of power.

She wasn’t just gifted in terms of personality. Her talent in martial arts was flawless.

The moment Sa Biyeon realized that, she understood.

Even without her help, Cheon Yura would’ve climbed to the position of Young Cult Leader without difficulty.

At age ten, in a match that would determine the leader of the Lesser Demon Hall, one of the Seventeen Halls of the cult—

Cheon Yura defeated four children sent by rival factions of the Cheon Clan and seized the title of Young Cult Leader.

There was no room for objection.

Who could stop a monster who could already imbue her sword with intent at the age of ten?

At first, Sa Biyeon had only seen her as a stepping stone. But as time passed, she became more and more captivated by her.

To her, Cheon Yura became the sun.

A being who made her realize her own talent had been nothing but arrogance.

That was why, rather than aiming to become the head of the Black Gold Sa Clan, it became far more exciting to simply watch how far Cheon Yura would rise.

And then—

Less than a year after becoming Young Cult Leader—

She grew noticeably quiet.

It wasn’t due to a change in environment.

Looking back now, the change had begun when the Cult Leader came to the Lesser Demon Hall to pass on a certain martial art.

Years later, Sa Biyeon would learn that Cheon Yura had begun learning the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art.

In other words, she wasn’t merely a candidate for Cult Leader—she had become a candidate for the next *Heavenly Demon.

At some point, she began obsessing over martial arts like a madwoman. What kind of burden had the Cult Leader placed on her for her to change like that? Sa Biyeon couldn’t understand at the time.

The Cult Leader, for all his gentleness, showed a terrifying madness when it came to martial arts.

Cheon Yura’s transformation was likely deeply influenced by his will.

That was why Sa Biyeon couldn’t understand when the Exchange Ceremony between the Six Great Demonic Clans was hosted under the Cult Leader’s supervision.

The title of Demonic Faction Lord was, in itself, a political whirlwind.

Given Cheon Yura’s current state, it would only worsen her mental instability and anxiety.

Even the Six Clans’ responses to the decree were lukewarm.

Though the title of Demonic Faction Lord gave influence over the next Cult Leader, the opposite was also true: it made one vulnerable to interference from above. The clans were fully aware of that.

Especially with the Cheon Clan’s absolute power—if they made the wrong move, their entire families could end up subordinate to the Cheon Clan. Naturally, the Six Clans reacted half-heartedly.

Thus, those who attended the Exchange Ceremony were disappointing, to say the least.

Just barely enough to preserve face for their clans.

But even that was utterly crushed beneath Cheon Yura’s overwhelming talent.

The brat from the Ma Clan had shown a decent amount of fighting spirit, but her master’s expression didn’t look pleased.

Just as growing disappointment began to cloud Cheon Yura’s face—

That man appeared before her eyes.

***

While the situation at the altar was becoming increasingly tense—

Things were also reaching a fever pitch on the other side of the ruins.

The Yaksha Heaven-Slaying Corps was a group strong enough to counterattack despite the continuous ambushes from two Supreme Master-Level demonic experts.

As a result of their retaliation, most of the subordinates brought by the Yin-Yang Fist Demon were wiped out.

“…Phew.”

Myeong-oh.

Former vice-captain of the Third Division of the Ghost-Slaying Unit under the Demon Emperor, and former comrade and junior of the division leader Byeok Cheon-un.

And a survivor of the Slaughter Order incident that broke out over a decade ago after the Ghost-Slaying Unit was deemed obsolete.

Having survived the Slaughter Order, she had thrown herself into the Heaven-Defying Society for the sake of revenge.

To be more precise, it was the Yin-Yang Fist Demon who first approached her after realizing she was still alive and fanned the flames of her vengeance.

A former training instructor of the Ghost-Slaying Unit, Myeong-oh used her experience and expertise to form the Underworld King’s Unit—an elite assassination squad directly under the Eight Armies.

Over the span of ten years, she trained the Underworld King’s Unit to the point that even the organization acknowledged their usefulness.

However—

“So in the end, we were nothing but disposable tools.”

Gazing at the long, deep wound that had nearly severed her waist, Myeong-oh muttered bitterly.

Because of the foolish decisions of the Second and Third Orders, the Underworld King’s Unit, which he had carefully nurtured, had suffered a near-total wipeout.

But Myeong-oh’s misfortunes didn’t stop there.

After entering this massive ruin, things had devolved into every-man-for-himself, and she had essentially been abandoned.

The Third Order was busy hiding, and the Second Order had lost his mind, babbling the name of the Young Cult Leader, who wasn’t even here.

‘So this is the end for me too, huh.’

Hiding deep within a pit, Myeong-oh pulled a small box from inside her robes.

Inside was something that looked like a syringe—something rarely seen in the Central Plains.

Just as she was about to stab the syringe into her artery—

“Hey, what the hell are you doing?”

“…Senior?”

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