Chapter 8
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: An Audience with the Cult Leader (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Picturesque and cozy places are often compared to a paradise or a peach blossom spring. It means they are as beautiful as the world where immortals live.
But this place was clearly a true paradise.
Chirp, chirp, chirp.
Small, beautiful birds sat on the trees, singing their songs.
Rustle, rustle.
Deer with sleek, glossy coats grazed leisurely on the grass. They must have sensed his presence, yet they paid him no mind.
Gurgle, gurgle.
A stream flowed on one side, and the sky was clear, without a single cloud.
Flower petals danced among themselves on the wind. The gentle breeze carried the full scent of spring, and to one side, rare and beautiful flowers bloomed in profusion.
‘What the…’
What is this?
It was supposed to be winter. While this region was warmer than the north, it should still be bitterly cold.
But here, it was spring.
‘What? Am I dreaming?’
With a dazed expression, Cheon Hajin raised his hands and pulled at both his cheeks.
It hurt.
‘It's not a dream?’
In that instant, a glint appeared in Cheon Hajin's eyes.
‘An illusion formation?!’
An illusion formation is a type of array that deceives the five senses, inducing visual and auditory hallucinations.
Since it was winter, this scene made no sense. Besides, hadn't he come inside a building, not outdoors?
This place must be an area under the effect of an illusion formation.
But...
‘What kind of formation is this realistic?’
To work as an assassin, one needed a certain degree of expertise in formations.
Moreover, to be called the King of Slaughter, one had to acquire near-expert knowledge of them.
Yet, the illusion formation here was so advanced that even Cheon Hajin was uncertain.
It was too soon to say for sure, but it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it one of the top-tier formations in the martial world.
‘Wow, regardless, this place is nice.’
He had always wanted to retire from the martial world and build a large house in a place like this. This was the exact ideal homesite he had dreamed of in his imagination.
As he stood there, mouth agape, looking around...
“This way.”
Gasp, you scared me!
Cheon Hajin turned his head toward the source of the voice.
“...!”
A large pavilion entered his view.
A pavilion that hadn't been there just a moment ago. There was no way he would have missed such a large and elegant structure.
And there, a man in a dragon robe sat with his back to him.
Clench.
His fingers instinctively curled, forming a fist.
After staring at the man's back for a moment, Cheon Hajin slowly began to walk.
Thud, thud.
One step, then another, deliberate and cautious.
Then, something astonishing happened.
Swoosh.
Where he stepped, blades of grass grew up to his shins, only to wither and crumble the moment he lifted his foot.
With his next step, new grass sprouted, and as he lifted his foot, it withered and died.
One step held life, the next seeped death. But Cheon Hajin, his eyes fixed on the man's back, did not notice.
He walked as if possessed.
The man, who had been lowering his head to bring a cup to his lips, had a flash in his eyes.
‘Life and death?’
Slowly setting down his cup, he glanced around.
The tranquil scenery of this paradise was slowly encroaching upon his world, which until now had been like the edge of a cliff.
‘...Interesting.’
Some time passed.
Flinch!
Having reached the steps opposite the pavilion, Cheon Hajin's feet suddenly stopped.
He felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
‘Huh?’
Cheon Hajin quickly looked around.
The world was the same as before. Rare flowers bloomed, and deer and birds played peacefully.
‘I'm sure I felt something strange...’
Flinch!
Suddenly, a sharp, unidentified pain shot up his spine to the back of his neck.
‘...’
Startled, Cheon Hajin flinched and rubbed his neck.
It felt like a bee sting. Thanks to that sharp pain, his mind cleared instantly.
‘I don't know why, but...’
A strong light entered his previously hazy eyes.
‘This place... is dangerous.’
Mind and body are ultimately one.
Although he'd never had a single day of peace, the luxury he had never before experienced in his life had softened his mind and body over the past three months.
But the instincts of the King of Slaughter, honed over a lifetime, were not something that would vanish in just three months.
The cry of instinct that had screamed at him countless times before reawakened in this unfamiliar environment.
And it told him. This place was not safe.
Knowing something with one's head and 'understanding' it deep in one's heart are two entirely different things.
Only now could Cheon Hajin truly perceive that this place was genuinely dangerous.
How dangerous?
‘Enough to suppress the sixth sense engraved in my very soul!’
He placed one foot on the stairs.
Thump.
His heart pounded.
Thump, thump.
As he slowly raised his eyes, the world above him opened up bit by bit.
Shhh.
Finally, Cheon Hajin stepped onto the pavilion.
“Sit.”
Woooong.
The low, resonant voice that cut in as if it had been waiting was truly overwhelming. Cheon Hajin's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.
A man came into his view.
The man was leaning on one arm, sitting at an angle, pouring wine with a languid motion.
Trickle.
The cup slowly filled.
But Cheon Hajin's gaze was stolen not by the cup, but by the man himself.
‘He's huge!’
He had a truly magnificent physique.
Even at a glance, he was nearly seven feet tall, with broad shoulders reminiscent of a mountain range.
His hands were also incredibly large, his fingers completely wrapping around the rather thick wine bottle.
His disheveled hair covered half his face, and the undergarment beneath his loosely worn dragon robe was so askew that his chest was almost entirely exposed.
His powerful yet smooth pectoral and upper abdominal muscles were a dizzying sight.
It was difficult to guess the age of the half-visible face.
His lush hair showed no signs of gray, and his skin was free of wrinkles. Yet, he didn't give off a youthful impression in the slightest.
Contrasting with his build, he exuded an incredibly languid and decadent aura.
What created that atmosphere was a seasoned composure and ease that could never be produced by vigorous youth.
‘The Cult Leader!’
He was finally meeting the current master of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon.
This was the moment he came face-to-face with Lee Cheonsang, the Ninth Heavenly Demon, the ninth in history to receive the divine mandate of the Heavenly Demon.
* * *
“Has the Third Young Master gone in?”
“Yes, he has.”
The middle-aged man, Mu Dam, the Great Protector of the Divine Cult, stared at the door with a complicated expression.
Mu Dam remained silent.
The man standing stiffly beside him spoke up.
“Is there something troubling you?”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“My apologies. I have misspoken.”
Mu Dam did not answer this time either.
Some time passed.
“Since the Cult Leader’s reign began, only two other people have ever entered the Demonic Judgment Pavilion.”
His calm voice held an undeniable tension and concern.
“The first time was twenty-five years ago, when the Cult Leader took in his first disciple.”
The man's eyes lit up.
“His first disciple... you say?”
“That's right.”
“Then, the First Young Master?”
“No. The First Young Master became the Cult Leader's disciple exactly twenty years ago.”
“Are you saying there was another disciple before the current First Young Master?”
“Yes. And that disciple, who existed in the shadows unknown to you, died here, in the Demonic Judgment Pavilion.”
“...!”
“He died with his entire body torn to shreds, as if devoured by beasts.”
The man's face turned pale.
“The Cult Leader...?”
“If the Cult Leader had intended to kill him, he wouldn't have brought him here in the first place.”
That was true. Which made it all the more confusing.
Having never been inside the Demonic Judgment Pavilion himself, the man had no idea what kind of place it was.
He only knew that it was a private pavilion favored by the Cult Leader.
“Then who was the other person to enter this place?”
“The Grand Marshal.”
“...!”
“The supreme authority who oversees all affairs of our cult. The only man in our cult to have risen to a position second to one and above all others not with martial arts, but with his intellect. He was the second person to enter the Demonic Judgment Pavilion.”
“And he...”
“Yes. He walked out with his head held high.”
Mu Dam's eyes grew deep.
“As of today, the Demonic Judgment Pavilion has been opened for a third time. Will the Third Young Master be able to return alive?”
* * *
Overwhelming tension made his legs weak and churned his stomach.
After that one word to sit, Lee Cheonsang said nothing more. He simply continued to fill and empty his cup with slow movements.
Creak. Creak.
Taking a light, deep breath, Cheon Hajin took another step, and another.
When he was about five steps away from the table...
“I greet the Cult Leader.”
Lee Cheonsang's eyes gleamed.
Cheon Hajin stopped and bowed in greeting. A subtle deference emanated from him.
‘...’
Staring at him intently, Lee Cheonsang moved a cup that had been set to one side to the spot opposite him.
Trickle.
“Drink.”
Straightening up, Cheon Hajin sat down and picked up the cup.
The sloshing wine. Its potent yet refined aroma made his head spin.
Closing his eyes for a moment to savor the fragrance, Cheon Hajin then drained the cup.
‘Ahhh, that's good!’
After drinking nothing but cheap liquor day in and day out, a wine like this sent a tingling sensation to the tips of his fingers and toes.
He suppressed the exclamation that almost escaped his lips, carefully set down the cup, straightened his posture, and looked at Lee Cheonsang.
‘...!’
He's different.
Facing Lee Cheonsang across the small table, his presence was simply overwhelming.
Even without exuding any aura, he radiated a dignity as immense as a great mountain.
A simple gesture of his hand, a single short breath—each was imbued with a crushing pressure.
‘Grandmaster of the Demonic Path, King of Ten Thousand Demons—such titles don't do him justice.’
The old leader of the Righteous Heaven Alliance was more skilled in politics than martial arts, but even he was counted among the Ten Grand Masters of the world.
He had never met the Lord of the Iron Blood Fortress, but he was probably at a similar level. He himself could be considered a notch below those two.
This man is different.
Here stood the greatest Martial God in the world, one who had no reason to be confined within the framework of the Ten Grand Masters.
He was a powerhouse of a half-immortal, playing on an entirely different plane—so much so that one could understand why the demonic practitioners worshiped him as a god.
Before admiration, a question arose.
‘If he's this strong, why hasn't he stepped out into the martial world?’
Was he not interested in a world ruled by the Demonic Path?
As Cheon Hajin was inwardly tilting his head in confusion...
“You asked to see me?”
The words, tossed out casually, held no emotion. It was the very epitome of indifference.
“Ah, yes.”
“The reason?”
Damn, he's cold.
Aren't we master and disciple, after a fashion? Is this master-disciple relationship always this grim around here?
Feeling somewhat awkward, Cheon Hajin let out a couple of needless coughs. In any case, it was clear this man didn't like beating around the bush.
No need to ramble on with excuses. Just be direct.
“I have a favor to ask... sir.”
“A favor?”
Was he surprised? A strange light shone once more in Lee Cheonsang's eyes.
“What is this favor?”
The tension didn't lessen, and Cheon Hajin swallowed. Now that he was about to say it, he felt a little nervous.
Still, if he wanted to find freedom, he had to bet the right stakes.
“Ahem! Well... about me.”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“May I... leave the cult?”
At those words that came out of nowhere, Lee Cheonsang stared at Cheon Hajin without a word.
Cheon Hajin felt a cold sweat run down his back.
Damn it, you idiot! Say it with confidence! 'I'd like to step out for a while!' 'I'd like to get some fresh air!' Couldn't you have said it like that?
‘May I leave the cult?’ What kind of out-of-context request is that?!
‘...Dammit, he's too intimidating!’
Above all, the pressure was no joke. Just spitting out that one sentence had drenched his back in sweat.
‘Well, I said it anyway.’
He'll allow it, right?
Yeah, he'll allow it.
It's not like I'm trying to cause trouble, it's just a little outing, right? My body is in this state, surely he can grant one request from his disciple?
While he was at it, he deliberately lowered his gaze and put on a pitiful expression. He even relaxed his tense body to help set the mood.
His pride was a little bruised, but once he got out of here, his brutal life in the Demonic Cult would be over.
The true new life of the human Cheon Hajin would begin. For that, he was willing to dance a jig in front of the Cult Leader.
Some time passed.
Lee Cheonsang, who had been gazing intently at Cheon Hajin, picked up his cup.
“Pour.”
“Ah, yes, sir.”
Cheon Hajin respectfully filled his cup.
After slowly draining the cup, Lee Cheonsang spoke.
“You want to leave the cult?”
“That's right.”
“You mean to sever your ties with the cult?”
Cheon Hajin blinked.
Uh... that is the plan, eventually. But I just said I wanted to go outside the cult?
Ah! Come to think of it, that could be misunderstood, couldn't it?
Cheon Hajin quickly opened his mouth.
“What I meant was...”
“Are you displeased with your position as my disciple?”
“What? Ah, no! That's not what I meant...”
“Then have you already given up just because your body is in this state?”
“Well, about that.”
“Were you only a man of such little worth?”
Saaaaah.
Lee Cheonsang's eyes sank deep, endlessly deep.
Cheon Hajin's Adam's apple bobbed violently up and down.
‘...Shit.’
I'm fucked.