Chapter 7
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: An Audience with the Cult Leader (2)
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Rustle. Rustle.
A magnificent ceremonial robe was carefully draped over firm and sturdy shoulders.
The wildness emanating from his untidy hair and broad physique blended exquisitely with the nobility of the luxurious robe.
An expressionless beauty adjusted his attire, while other women knelt at his feet, their heads bowed.
And far behind them, a middle-aged man was prostrated on the ground.
“I celebrate the Cult Leader's great accomplishment.”
A final adjustment.
His attire was now complete.
Swish.
The women bowed their heads and retreated. Their movements were cautious, yet incredibly swift.
The man in the robe picked up a large wine cup placed to the side. His back was still turned, his face hidden from view.
Gulp, gulp.
Slowly, but without spilling a single drop, he drained the cup and asked.
“What of the Third?”
The prostrated middle-aged man answered.
“He is currently traveling by carriage. He will arrive at the palace within a quarter of an hour.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
The man in the robe lifted the bottle and filled his cup. The clear liquor pouring out was Jiannanchun, a famous wine from Sichuan.
And the cup was immediately emptied again.
His pace was by no means rushed. Nearly half a quarter-hour passed as he drained the large, gold-adorned cup three times in a row.
Like most liquors from the Central Plains, Jiannanchun was quite potent.
Yet, the man seemed completely unfazed, drinking it as if it were water.
“Great Protector.”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
“Guide the Third to the Demon Judgment Pavilion.”
For a moment, the middle-aged man's eyes wavered.
But it was only for a moment.
“I obey your command.”
The middle-aged man bowed respectfully and left.
The man in the robe let out a long yawn with a languid expression.
“So, it's winter.”
* * *
Clatter, clatter.
The carriage wasn't moving very fast. Perhaps because of that, the inside was incredibly comfortable.
Cheon Hajin ran his hand over the seat.
‘This is incredible.’
This was no ordinary carriage. Not only was it large, but the interior was also gold-plated and furnished with plush cushions.
It was so comfortable you could fall asleep just by closing your eyes. It felt like half a day's sleep here would banish all fatigue.
Power certainly has its perks. If this is the carriage for a disciple, what must the Cult Leader's be like?
‘The Cult Leader.’
An undeniable tension crept over Cheon Hajin's face.
‘So I'm really going to see him.’
Living in the martial world, I vaguely thought I'd meet him one day.
After all, I expected that old bastard, the Alliance Leader of the Righteous Heaven Alliance, to send me to the Demonic Cult sooner or later.
Though I never imagined I'd be meeting him after being reincarnated.
‘What kind of person is he?’
There isn't a single person in the martial world who isn't curious about the Heavenly Demon of this era.
And for good reason. He might be the strongest person in the boundless Nine Provinces.
A man who, despite never having shown his true power, was always mentioned—and still is—as a candidate for the title of 'Number One Under Heaven'.
That thrilling mystery sparked an intense curiosity.
‘No. The important thing isn't how strong he is. It's what kind of personality he has.’
Of course, he can't be a good person. The leader of the Demonic Cult, known as the most evil organization in the martial world, couldn't possibly be a good guy.
He's definitely a bad guy, but I can't gauge just how bad.
If he's so bad you wouldn't even want to speak with him... then meeting him right now could be dangerous in itself.
He inwardly shook his head.
‘He can't be the worst kind, the type you can't even reason with.’
While under the Alliance Leader, Cheon Hajin had realized that the factions of Righteousness, Evil, and Demonic had many things in common.
One of them was that none of them wanted a stupid leader.
If the Cult Leader were truly a man consumed by evil, as the rumors claimed, the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon wouldn't have survived this long.
Such a simple-minded person could never rule a massive organization like the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon.
He must be incredibly intelligent and know how to control his emotions at will.
Someone who can control their emotions can never be wholly devoted to either good or evil. They understand the pros and cons of each.
That's why Cheon Hajin concluded that the Cult Leader probably wasn't as vicious as people thought.
Lost in his own fantasies about the Cult Leader, Cheon Hajin soon flopped down onto his back.
“Forget it. Worrying won't make things better. What's done is done. I'll just have to meet him and see.”
He rolled around on the plush cushions for a good while.
But only for a moment.
“Damn it!”
Cheon Hajin shot up and clutched his head.
“Damn it! Hell! Should I have been a little more careful?”
But he's the Cult Leader, right? The Heavenly Demon of this era, right?
Among all the past leaders of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon, fewer than ten had truly earned the title of Heavenly Demon.
And the current Cult Leader was one of those few.
How absurdly strong must he be to confidently call himself the Heavenly Demon?
‘Huh?’
Cheon Hajin snapped his fingers.
Right, maybe the Demonic Cult intentionally spread those rumors?
Maybe he's not actually that strong, and they're just spreading rumors to save face because it's embarrassing...
“...Shit.”
No way, you idiot!
In the demonic martial world, the title 'Heavenly Demon' is equivalent to the name of a god. There's no way they'd use such a noble title just to save face.
In the end, just as I thought before, what's important isn't his martial prowess, but his character.
‘Still... if he were weak, at least it would give me some peace of mind.’
Cheon Hajin had been biting his nails in anxiety, but in an instant, his expression completely changed.
‘No, wait. It's not like I'm some weakling who has to cower before anyone, right?’
In his past life, wasn't he also considered one of the Ten Great Masters of the world?
Although he specialized in assassination rather than direct combat, that was just a result of his training.
‘Besides, when I did fight, I fought with my own brand of confidence.’
It might sound like a boast to others, but it was the truth.
Slitting people's throats from the shadows gets old after a while.
I got so sick of it that eventually, I'd just throw on a mask, walk right through the front gate, kill my target, and stroll out.
Furthermore, he could wield more than just one or two types of weapons.
When people think of assassins, they imagine daggers, hidden weapons, or swords blackened with charcoal—and most assassins were indeed like that—
but he was an inventive man who used spears, axes, whips, and even Mandarin Duck Axes, not to mention rocks and window frames he'd torn off, as weapons.
The strongest assassin in history, who could wield any weapon and kill any person.
That was Cheon Hajin, the King of Slaughter, master of assassination.
“Yeah, that's right. Whether my opponent is the Heavenly Demon or someone else, I was a big shot in my own right.”
Cheon Hajin clenched his fist.
A legend in the world of assassination, called not just the best of his generation, but the best of all time!
The martial world's deadliest Heretic God, the first assassin ever to be named one of the Ten Great Masters!
With credentials like that, even if I can't act all high and mighty, I should at least be able to hold my own, right? Besides, I'm in the body of the Cult Leader's disciple.
There's nothing to worry about.
“No need to be scared, Cheon Hajin. State your demands with confidence!”
By now, Cheon Hajin's face was flushed red with overflowing confidence.
But as the carriage began to slow, his confidence started to shrink just as quickly.
“...”
Cheon Hajin's left leg began to tremble uncontrollably, and his index finger drummed frantically against his thigh.
“Ahem! Are we almost there? Man, that was faster than I thought... Hup!”
Suddenly, Cheon Hajin's expression hardened.
‘...?’
What is this? What's happening?
‘My senses...’
Though there was nothing wrong with his vision, it felt as if his surroundings had grown dark.
He thought he heard a ringing in his ears, and a musty smell seemed to tickle his nose. Goosebumps erupted all over his body.
‘Masters?!’
Just then, he heard gruff voices from the direction of the driver's seat.
“It is the Third Young Master, Seo Ryang.”
“Show me your permit to enter the palace.”
“Here it is.”
“It's confirmed. You may enter.”
Clip-clop.
The sound of the carriage horses' hooves.
Drip. Drip.
Beads of sweat dripped from Cheon Hajin's chin.
‘...Damn it.’
As soon as the carriage stopped, only one thought came to mind.
‘Shit, I've walked right into the monster's maw.’
Vwoooom!
His extrasensory perception, which hadn't activated no matter how hard he tried, seemed to manifest on its own.
The atmosphere here was so extraordinary that his instincts were forcibly heightening his senses.
‘Why are there so many masters here?’
He couldn't sense their presence. But he could feel the unique aura they exuded.
This place was a dragon's lair and a tiger's den.
They weren't on the level of the Ten Great Masters of the martial world, but at least five supreme masters who could easily rank among the top one hundred were hiding here.
And ten times that number of masters were likely surrounding the area, packed tightly together.
It felt similar to when he was trapped in the inescapable net of the Righteous Heaven Alliance and the Iron Blood Fortress.
The numbers couldn't compare to back then, but the sense of hopelessness was even greater. He felt so suffocated that his head spun.
‘The Palace of the Demonic God, was it?’
It seems I've really arrived at the Cult Leader's palace.
‘The security is insane. There's no way to break in.’
The Alliance Leader's guards were formidable too.
Even if he hadn't been poisoned by the Blood Gu, he figured it would have taken at least three months of prep work to get to the Alliance Leader.
And even then, the chance of success wouldn't have been more than fifty percent.
This place is even worse.
Their numbers are smaller, but each one is highly specialized in protection. And yet, their martial prowess is top-tier in the martial world.
As long as you're human, it's impossible to infiltrate this place secretly. Not even if you were twice as strong as the King of Slaughter from his previous life.
‘These lunatics! Is the Cult Leader that important? What's so precious about him that they'd throw this much manpower at guarding him?!’
Cheon Hajin grumbled inwardly, but that was because he didn't understand the nature of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon.
The Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon was both a martial sect and a religion. In other words, the Palace of the Demonic God was not just the Cult Leader's residence, but also a temple.
To them, protecting the Palace of the Demonic God was the same as guarding a holy temple.
From the moment they began their martial arts training, they received specialized education in protection.
The most elite guards of the Divine Cult, chosen with utmost care.
Not just the King of Slaughter, even a Heretic God would find it difficult to infiltrate.
Rumble!
He heard the sound of a gate closing, one he hadn't even realized had opened.
“Young Master, please disembark now.”
“Ah, alright.”
Cheon Hajin disembarked from the carriage, doing his best to hide his nervousness.
“The Cult Leader has summoned you to the Demon Judgment Pavilion. Please go with the attendant.”
“I understand.”
What's the Demon Judgment Pavilion now?
‘I don't know anything about this place.’
He hadn't bothered to learn the details because he thought he'd be leaving soon. He'd figured it was better to spend that time healing his body.
But now, he deeply regretted it. The murderous atmosphere of this place seemed to amplify that feeling.
Guided by the attendant, Cheon Hajin walked in silence.
After walking for some time...
they finally arrived before a small, dark, and gloomy door, barely large enough for one person to pass through. The attendant bowed his head.
“Please enter.”
Cheon Hajin tilted his head slightly.
‘The Demon Judgment Pavilion? Wasn't it a pavilion?’
No, no. I should act like I know everything. Be natural, like flowing water. Don't arouse any suspicion.
The attendant straightened up and grabbed the doorknob.
Creeeeak.
Just as you'd expect from the Demonic Cult, even the sound of a door opening is eerie.
The moment Cheon Hajin stepped through the door.
Whoooosh!
A light so intense it was hard to open his eyes poured down on him.
‘Argh?!’
He couldn't help but instinctively squeeze his eyes shut.
And a moment later.
“...?”
As Cheon Hajin cautiously opened his eyes, they widened in an instant.
“Wha-what is this?”
Before his eyes, a new world unfolded.