Chapter 48
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Great Elder, the Sword Demon (1)
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After returning to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Jinmyeong remained secluded in his residence.
*'Looking at it this way, it really wasn't a big deal.'*
Although the Mad Demon had stepped in, the situation hadn't escalated into a full-blown war with Mount Hua or Kongtong.
It was just a minor clash, the kind of common occurrence in the martial world that might not even be mentioned in the novel.
Just the Righteous Faction and the Demonic Cult growling at each other, as they always had.
*'Is that why there wasn't much of a reward?'*
He had completed the mission properly, but the Heavenly Demon's reward was not substantial.
Just a few elixirs and some money, which felt paltry to Jinmyeong, who had struggled against the Purple Mist Sword and the Kongtong Twin Elders.
*'Maybe it's because I feel like I was the only one who had a hard time.'*
No matter how he thought about it, it seemed he had suffered the most among those who went to the Central Plains.
*'More importantly, how am I supposed to use this?'*
Jinmyeong stared silently at the treasure he had obtained from the Six Families Escort Agency and taken from the Flowing Cloud Escort Agency.
The key to obtaining the sword art left behind by the First Heavenly Demon.
But this key alone was not enough to acquire the sword art.
*'I have to enter the Heavenly Demon's Grotto, a place only the Heavenly Demon can enter.'*
The Heavenly Demon's Grotto was the training ground for all successive Heavenly Demons.
And in the novel, the protagonist Gang Muhwi entered it with Shin Yehyang's help and obtained the sword art left by the Heavenly Demon.
*'How can I get into the Heavenly Demon's Grotto?'*
Mok Jagyeong, who was the Heavenly Demon at the time, didn't know about the grotto.
*'That proves he didn't become the Heavenly Demon through the proper channels.'*
Since he hadn't officially inherited the position from the previous Heavenly Demon, there were likely many things about the cult he didn't know.
However, unlike Mok Jagyeong, the current Heavenly Demon would surely know about the grotto.
And he would definitely not let Jinmyeong enter.
*'They say it also contains insights into the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon.'*
It wasn't a place one could enter just for achieving a minor accomplishment.
*'I'd have to become the Young Cult Leader or achieve something truly monumental.'*
For example, saving the lives of the Heavenly Demon and the Mad Demon from Mok Jagyeong.
*'No matter how I think about it, I can't see how Mok Jagyeong could kill those two.'*
It was unclear whether Mok Jagyeong killed them, or if something happened to them that allowed him to become the Heavenly Demon.
Jinmyeong had to find out how, why, and when the Heavenly Demon and the Mad Demon would lose their lives.
*'To find that out, I need more influence.'*
He couldn't keep wasting time like this.
*'The Young Cult Leader... It would be best to become him, wouldn't it?'*
If he became the Young Cult Leader, he could obtain the First Heavenly Demon's sword art from the grotto and move more freely around the Heavenly Demon Fortress to investigate and prepare for their deaths.
“Where are you going?”
“To the Vice Cult Leader.”
Yang Jeon looked puzzled when Jinmyeong, who had been secluded in his residence for a long time, finally emerged.
“What? So suddenly again?”
“That's right.”
It felt like this had happened before, right before Jinmyeong left.
“How about sending a message first this time?”
Jinmyeong nodded at Yang Jeon's suggestion.
He couldn't just keep showing up unannounced.
“Then I'll leave it to you.”
“Understood.”
“As quickly as possible.”
Jinmyeong left the matter of meeting the Vice Cult Leader to Yang Jeon and headed straight for the training ground.
Through this mission, he had realized many of his shortcomings.
First, the Asura Sword Forms.
He wasn't used to them yet, so he ended up relying more on the Heavenly Demon's Finger and the Heaven-Embroidering Sword Control Arts.
*'I need to become so familiar with it that my body moves on its own.'*
So that he could wield his sword in real combat without hesitation.
*'And my footwork.'*
His footwork was currently his greatest weakness.
He realized this all too clearly while fighting the Purple Mist Sword.
He couldn't even create distance between himself and the Purple Mist Sword.
*'I need to practice performing my sword arts while moving with my footwork.'*
The footwork Jinmyeong had learned was very basic.
It wasn't complex and involved linear movements, which was why Jinmyeong could perform it, but it lacked speed.
*'I thought it was fast footwork.'*
There were two solutions.
Either learn more complex footwork or learn faster footwork.
Jinmyeong chose the latter.
*'No matter how I think about it, the footwork left by the First Heavenly Demon is fast.'*
The footwork he had seen in the manual that came with the Heaven-Embroidering Sword Control Arts.
He had tried to learn it in the cave but gave up because he kept falling over.
The movements themselves weren't that different from his current footwork.
*'Can I learn it now?'*
It was a technique that involved moving at incredible speeds and, when necessary, enveloping the body in martial energy to destroy any obstacles, which made the flow of internal energy complex.
That was why he hadn't thought of learning it, even after he became capable of mastering it.
But things were different now.
Back then, he had to focus all his attention on the Heaven-Embroidering Sword Control Arts, but now, he felt he could finally learn this footwork.
*'An unrefined version of the Heavenly Demon's Supremacy Steps?'*
It was similar to the Supremacy Steps, yet different.
Unlike the Supremacy Steps, which perfected both speed and destructive power, this footwork focused more on speed.
*'That must be why the First Heavenly Demon discarded it.'*
But for Jinmyeong right now, this was the best footwork he could ask for.
He immediately began to practice the nameless footwork discarded by the First Heavenly Demon.
*'Slowly. But precisely.'*
Paying attention to the flow of his internal energy and being careful not to tangle his feet, he began to perform the footwork.
From then on, Jinmyeong's daily routine changed.
He came to the training ground every day and began to practice the footwork he had named the Asura Steps.
Once he grew accustomed to the Asura Steps, he started practicing the Asura Sword Forms along with the footwork.
*'This is difficult.'*
Performing only the external movements wasn't hard.
But the moment he tried to manage the flow of internal energy as well, it became incredibly complex.
*'I was so confident in my ability to control internal energy.'*
It seemed it would take a long time to perfectly execute both the Asura Steps and the Asura Sword Forms.
“Young Master!”
While he was spending his days training continuously, Yang Jeon appeared.
“A reply has come from the Vice Cult Leader's quarters.”
The Mad Demon had given his permission.
Jinmyeong immediately prepared and headed for the Vice Cult Leader's quarters.
“I greet the Vice Cult Leader.”
“So you finally show up.”
After returning to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Jinmyeong hadn't visited the Vice Cult Leader even once.
Since the Mad Demon hadn't summoned him, he thought there was no reason to visit.
“I heard you were quite active in the Central Plains.”
He knew that Jinmyeong had faced the Kongtong Twin Elders and the Cloud Dragon Sword, earning the title of New Demonic Sword Controller.
But he couldn't help but be surprised to hear that Jinmyeong had also faced the Purple Mist Sword.
“It is all thanks to you, Vice Cult Leader.”
“You're good with empty flattery.”
Jinmyeong's fame came not from the Asura Sword Forms given by the Mad Demon, but from the Heaven-Embroidering Sword Control Arts he had been practicing from the start.
It had nothing to do with the Mad Demon.
“Still, it was thanks to you, Vice Cult Leader, that I was able to get the opportunity to go outside.”
“That's enough.”
The Mad Demon scoffed at Jinmyeong's words and waved his hand dismissively.
“Anyway, what brings you here?”
“I've come because I believe it's time to build my own power base in earnest.”
“Hmph. Is the power of the Vice Cult Leader not enough for you?”
Jinmyeong shook his head at the Mad Demon's question.
“Do you intend to step forward yourself, Vice Cult Leader?”
“...”
Of course not.
He had no intention of ever fighting on the front lines.
“But I can lend you the Mad Wind Brigade.”
“The Mad Wind Brigade is strong, of course, but they alone are not enough.”
“So now you're asking me to build a faction for you?”
“No. I came because there is someone I wish to meet.”
“Are you talking about the Great Elder?”
The Great Elder of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Sword Demon.
The man with the highest status after the Heavenly Demon and the Mad Demon.
And one who lent his power to none of the Heavenly Demon's disciples.
“Yes.”
As soon as he heard from Yang Jeon that the Sword Demon was maintaining neutrality, he decided he had to win him over.
The Sword Demon was first mentioned right before the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was defeated by the Righteous Alliance and faced its downfall.
There was a scene where people lamented that if only the Sword Demon, who had disappeared, had been present, they wouldn't have suffered such a futile defeat at the hands of the Righteous Alliance.
*'He must have left the cult because he didn't approve of Mok Jagyeong.'*
So, he thought he might be able to win him over with some persuasion.
“Are you confident you can win him over?”
“I've never met him, so I don't know.”
“I can arrange a meeting, but I have no intention of helping you.”
“Of course.”
The Mad Demon's words could have been seen as cold, but Jinmyeong immediately agreed.
*'If I win him over with the Vice Cult Leader's help, he won't be my man.'*
What Jinmyeong needed now were trustworthy people of his own.
No matter how much the Vice Cult Leader supported him from the shadows, he never acted directly, so no one was approaching Jinmyeong.
“You're aiming too high right from the start.”
The Mad Demon was certain Jinmyeong would fail to win over the Sword Demon.
Unlike himself, who had a connection to Jinmyeong's father, the Sword Demon had no connection to him whatsoever.
“In any case, I promised to help, so I'll do this much for you.”
“Thank you.”
Jinmyeong expressed his gratitude to the Mad Demon and returned to his residence.
“How did your business go?”
“He said he would arrange a meeting with the Great Elder.”
At the mention of the Great Elder, Yang Jeon's expression stiffened.
“Wait, why the Great Elder all of a sudden?”
“I'm going to ask him to help me.”
“What? Is that even possible?”
Yang Jeon looked dumbfounded.
“Why on earth would the Great Elder help you, Young Master?”
“That's what I have to persuade him to do.”
“I see! Then you must have a good way to persuade the Great Elder, Young Master?”
Yang Jeon stared at Jinmyeong with a look of utter disbelief.
“Is there such a thing?”
“What?”
“I don't know much about the Great Elder. Is there something he likes?”
“Why are you asking me? You're the one who arranged the meeting with the Great Elder, aren't you?”
Yang Jeon pounded his chest in frustration.
No matter how hard he pounded, the heavy feeling constricting his chest wouldn't go away.
“Still, he's the Great Elder of the Demonic Cult. Wouldn't showing him my strength be enough?”
“...I never knew you could be so reckless, Young Master.”
He had thought Jinmyeong was a rather calculating person, but right now, he seemed like someone who just plunged into things without any plan.
“So, does the Great Elder really not have any weaknesses or anything like that?”
“He does not.”
Yang Jeon shook his head without a moment's hesitation.
Would the Sword Demon, who held the most power in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult after the Heavenly Demon and the Vice Cult Leader, have any weaknesses?
“Really? That's a shame.”
But contrary to his words, there was no trace of disappointment in Jinmyeong's voice.
“Are you really disappointed?”
“I told you, I am.”
Jinmyeong picked up his sword again and headed toward the training ground.
Left alone, Yang Jeon could only stare at Jinmyeong's carefree back.
A few days later, Jinmyeong was facing an old man.
*'Is this the Sword Demon?'*
A person who never appeared in the novel, only mentioned by name.
Jinmyeong felt immense pressure from the gaunt old man, who looked as if he could barely lift a sword.
“What brings the youngest Young Master to see this old man?”
The old man's tone was so gentle that Jinmyeong felt the tension in his body unconsciously ease at his benevolence.
“And through the Vice Cult Leader, no less.”
But his following words were a reprimand.
In truth, if he hadn't gone through the Vice Cult Leader, Jinmyeong would not have been able to meet the Sword Demon.
None of the Heavenly Demon's disciples had ever had a private audience with the Great Elder, the Sword Demon, like this.
“I had a request for you, Great Elder, so I had no choice but to ask the Vice Cult Leader.”
“Hoh. A request from the youngest Young Master. Go on, what is it?”
He looked as if he were listening to the request of an adorable grandson.
But Jinmyeong could tell the Sword Demon had no interest in what he had to say.
“Please lend me your strength.”
“And what does this old man get in return?”
As Jinmyeong expected, the Sword Demon's reaction was lukewarm.
He already enjoyed absolute power within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Anything Jinmyeong could do, the Sword Demon could also do.
“You already have everything, Great Elder. What more could you possibly desire?”
“Heh heh. Don't beat around the bush. Speak plainly.”
It seemed the Sword Demon disliked long conversations.
“I have nothing to offer you.”
“Is that so? Then this conversation is over.”
The Sword Demon moved to stand, as if there was nothing more worth hearing.
“If things continue as they are, the First Young Master will become the Young Cult Leader, and then the Cult Leader.”
“That is likely. And what is the problem with that?”
“I thought you greatly disliked the First Young Master, Great Elder. It seems I was mistaken.”
“Why would you think that?”
The Sword Demon smiled as if that wasn't the case at all.
*'Did I misread the situation?'*
In the novel where Mok Jagyeong became the Cult Leader, the Sword Demon had disappeared, which made him think he disliked Mok Jagyeong.
But judging by his reaction now, the Sword Demon seemed fine with Mok Jagyeong becoming the Cult Leader.
“So, is this conversation truly over? Have you nothing else to offer?”
“That's right. I have nothing more to offer you, Great Elder.”
The Sword Demon stood up as if there was nothing left to hear.
“Ah, but by the way.”
The Sword Demon, about to leave, stopped in his tracks at Jinmyeong's next words.
“Is there something else?”
“It's about your grandson, Great Elder.”
“...”
The atmosphere instantly turned heavy.
“You would do well to watch your mouth.”
“Haha. You're right.”
Despite feeling as though he were walking on thin ice, Jinmyeong was still smiling.