Chapter 86: Great Elder (1)

Thousand-Day Pass.

A legendary gate said to have been created by the First Heavenly Demon in order to temper his six disciples.

Those six disciples, who passed through that gate over the course of a thousand days, each became so powerful they could plunge the entire Central Plains into terror.

Cheon Taejong smiled mischievously.

“Your face looks like you’re wondering, ‘How does he know that?’”

“N-No, of course not. How could I possibly!”

“Hahaha, no need to deny it. I’m sure the Pavilion Master of the Thousand-Day Pass has told you at least some of the truth. It’s only natural to be curious.”

I hunched my shoulders even further.

This place wasn’t somewhere you could expect answers just because you were curious.

“I heard that Jin Sang showed you the Martial Arts Repository within the main Thousand-Day Pass.”

“Jin Sang? Ah!”

Jo Jin-sang, the Pavilion Master of the Thousand-Day Pass—no, Cheon Jin-sang. He was the one being referred to.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hm. In truth, no one in the current era knows exactly when that repository was created. Even my predecessor couldn’t provide a clear answer.”

Cheon Taejong looked at me with a lingering gaze as he spoke.

“What do you think is inside that repository?”

My mind started to spin rapidly.

‘Should I just tell the truth? No, there’s no point in lying here. It wouldn’t work anyway, and I can’t read the Cult Leader’s intentions at all.’

I obediently voiced the hypothesis I had been harboring.

“I believe it’s a plan left behind by the Second Heavenly Demon.”

“And your reason?”

“Because of the existence of the One Iron Gate.”

That massive gate, for which the Absorbing Orb served as a key.

The one I had seen in the Tomb of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden bore a striking resemblance to the door guarding the repository.

‘Moreover, the structure that required the same martial art to be executed in order to open it—there are many elements that raise suspicion.’

Cheon Taejong nodded.

“Indeed, I’ve never been to Qinghai, but from Wang Cheongeol’s report, I am aware that such a gate exists.”

As expected, the current Cult Leader was thinking the same as I was.

What was the Cult Leader trying to get from me?

I thought he was finally about to get to the point, but—

“You must’ve had a hard time in Qinghai, Little Junior. Take some time to rest.”

“……Pardon?”

I unknowingly lifted my head in surprise.

It was an unthinkable breach of etiquette, but Cheon Taejong didn’t scold me for it.

“Why, is there something else you want to say?”

“I thought for sure you would hold me accountable for something.”

“Me? Hold you accountable? Hahahahaha!”

Cheon Taejong waved his hand and laughed heartily.

“You’re too tense. Didn’t I tell you earlier? This isn’t a place for blame.”

Since the Cult Leader had gone so far to reassure me, I figured there was no immediate danger anymore.

Still, I felt a strong need to push things just a bit further—to get a definitive answer on one particular issue.

“Then, may I ask why you haven’t taken any action despite me learning the martial arts from the Heaven-Defying Clan?”

“Hm.”

For a brief moment, Cheon Taejong’s demeanor grew heavier.

I clenched my teeth and pressed forward.

“The Pavilion Master of the Thousand-Day Pass told me that simply learning the Heaven-Defying Clan’s martial arts is not forbidden.”

“That’s right.”

“But even so, that fact alone is surely offensive to the Cheon Clan and to you, Cult Leader. Though I realized this truth rather late, I still cannot help but fear potential consequences as a mere subordinate.”

Heaven-Flying Boundless Divine Art… No, Heavenly Divine Art.

And the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword, also known as the Celestial Deer Sword.

As long as I was training in these two, I could be targeted at any time, from anywhere.

That was a fate I wanted no part of.

“So that’s what you were worried about?”

Cheon Taejong nodded, seemingly understanding.

“Looks like I need to tell you a few more things.”

His tone now resembled that of a parent soothing a child.

“First of all, I have no real interest in so-called Heaven-Defying martial arts or the legacy of ancient ancestors.”

No interest?

“I only asked because of simple curiosity. There are clues to a mystery that’s lasted hundreds of years. And as a human being, isn’t it only natural to poke at them a little?”

Cheon Taejong rose from his jade throne.

Then he began slowly walking toward me.

“The Pavilion Master likely told you this already, but the Yu Clan’s rebellion happened a thousand years ago. And in all that time, excluding the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden four hundred years ago, the Yu Clan hasn’t once influenced our Cult. Their existence is nothing more than legend.”

In other words, whether or not I trained in their martial arts at this point, it would no longer pose any threat to the rule of the Cheon Clan or the Six Great Demonic Clans.

“And… whatever our ancestors may have left there, it wouldn’t be of much use to me anyway.”

“……!”

“Besides, thanks to your guidance, even Yura received a portion of the ancient legacy. I have even less reason to threaten you.”

Tap.

Cheon Taejong lightly placed his hand on my shoulder.

“I have high expectations for you, Little Junior.”

“…….”

“I hope you’ll continue as you have been.”

After giving my shoulder a gentle pat, the Cult Leader turned back toward his throne.

As I looked at his back, I spoke.

“Cult Leader.”

“…Is there something more?”

He responded without turning around.

He had no intention of harming me.

He wouldn’t interfere no matter what I had trained in up until now, nor in what I might learn in the future.

He even affirmed that he wanted my relationship with Cheon Yura to continue as it had.

The Cult Leader had given me every confirmation I could’ve wanted.

There was nothing more to say between us—no reason to continue this conversation.

And yet.

“One last thing. I have just one more question to ask.”

“You really are full of curiosity, Little Junior.”

Cheon Taejong slightly tilted his head, expression devoid of emotion.

“Considering your contributions, I’ll grant you one question. Just one.”

Which meant—if I said anything unnecessary after this, he wouldn’t let it slide.

I quietly exhaled a sigh of relief.

Daring to gauge the thoughts of the Cult Leader…

“Do you believe, Cult Leader, that a True Supreme must be eternally alone?”

“…….”

A heavy silence followed.

Cheon Taejong said nothing.

For a moment, I regretted speaking, thinking I had gone too far. But I soon took that regret back.

If I couldn’t get an answer to this question now, then the path ahead would be no different than a vast sea without a compass.

How much time passed?

A hellish silence continued.

“How arrogant.”

“Gah!”

Cheon Taejong released the presence he had kept hidden until now.

“Huff! Hrk! Grrrrgh!”

A sticky darkness pressed down on my senses again, enveloping my entire body.

As I twisted like an insect beneath its weight, he let out a faint sigh.

“You have excellent senses, Little Junior. Almost annoyingly so.”

I couldn’t tell what kind of look he was giving me.

But I was certain of one thing—he didn’t intend to kill me, at least not now.

“Still, a promise is a promise. I’ll answer your question.”

And then, from Cheon Taejong’s lips came the answer I had hoped I wouldn’t hear.

“Yes.”

“…….”

“You may leave now.”

With those final words, Cheon Taejong’s presence vanished completely.

As if his very existence had disappeared from the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.

“Haa, haah! Huff!”

Only then was I able to breathe properly.

‘Damn it, fuck!’

I was like a worm before a human.

The gap was enough to make it painfully clear why the Heavenly Demon was called what he was.

I couldn’t move for a while, doing nothing but catching my breath.

I couldn’t even begin to move—just regaining my composure was overwhelming.

Once I had collected myself to some extent…

“Tsk tsk tsk! You really don’t know the value of your own life, do you?”

As if they had timed it perfectly, a voice echoed from the shadows.

‘T-This voice?!’

Before long, an old woman in black and gold robes appeared before me.

She wore garments nearly as luxurious as the Cult Leader’s.

She had a refined, graceful air that suggested she had aged beautifully—someone who, a few decades ago, might’ve been a stunning beauty.

“How curious. You seem to know who I am?”

‘Of course. I know very well.’

That calm and elegant air might fool others, but I had suffered enough in my past life to not to fall for it.

To think I’d meet the very person who used to choke me by the neck, yelling at me to do my work properly!

“It’s an honor to meet you, Great Elder.”

“Hehehe, did Jin Gun-ak tell you?”

I didn’t answer that question and simply remained silent.

The Great Elder—Thousand-Handed Witch Cheon Yeongha.

One of the few female masters in the Cult, a monstrous figure who had reached peak demonic mastery, and a heroine who had held the special seat of Great Elder in the Elder Council for over a decade.

She was also the representative of the Cheon Clan in the Elder Council, acting in the Cult Leader’s stead.

“Well, I don’t care who told you. But, boy, do you realize that you just walked the edge of death?”

“I do. I also know I barely survived.”

If not for the merit of capturing the Yin-Yang Fist Demon, it wouldn’t have been strange if I had died on the spot.

“None of the elders have ever been that bold with the Cult Leader. You’re a truly fascinating one.”

Cheon Yeongha gave a strange smile as she asked me.

“So, why did you go against the Cult Leader?”

“Because there was something I absolutely had to confirm.”

“What was it?”

“Whether he truly intended to pair the Young Cult Leader with someone from the Exchange Ceremony.”

“Ho?”

Cheon Yeongha’s smile deepened slightly.

“And? Did you get your answer?”

“Yes. More than enough.”

“Would you care to share that answer with me?”

Normally, I would’ve tried to conceal the truth and read the other person’s reaction. But at least with the Great Elder before me, it was different.

She was one of the few people in this Cult I could actually trust.

“The Cult Leader never had any intention of pairing the Young Cult Leader with someone from the Exchange Ceremony in the first place.”

“Correct.”

The Great Elder confirmed it with certainty.

“Truly fascinating. How did you figure it out?”

“There was no definitive proof. Just… a few strong suspicions.”

The whole event was far too sloppy for something meant to find a partner for the Young Cult Leader, and the schedule had been haphazard at best.

There were other eerie signs as well.

Most recently, the last words Wang Cheongeol had spoken before disappearing completed the puzzle.

“You wagered your life against the Cult Leader on mere suspicions? Have you lost your mind?”

The Great Elder’s eyes widened.

She bombarded me with questions like a waterfall.

“If you knew that much, why not just stay silent? Why provoke the Cult Leader? I really can’t understand you.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“What is?”

“Because I like her.”

“……?!”

That single shyly spoken sentence hit the Great Elder like a bolt of lightning.

“Who likes whom?”

“I like the Young Cult Leader.”

“Are you insane?”

“I believe I’m perfectly sane.”

“As an elder of the Cheon Clan, it’s odd for me to say this, but while that girl is certainly pretty, she doesn’t exactly have the kind of charm men usually fall for. With your looks and family background, you could pick from the finest beauties—so why her, of all people?”

I let out a sigh and said,

“Beats me.”

“What?”

The Great Elder looked at me like I was trying to joke with her.

Indeed, Cheon Yura had many personality flaws when it came to being a life companion.

She was the complete opposite of affectionate, silent, gentle, and despite her status, couldn’t be more detached from household matters.

Even so—

“What can I say? It’s the sinner’s fault for falling in love.”

“Ho?”

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