The Extreme Heaven Conference
“…It appears the Fifth Apostle and the Eleventh Martial General have been eliminated.”
Gon Ryung, Envoy of Cheongung, knelt before the vast unopened gates and delivered his report to his master, the Lord of Cheongung.
They had failed to secure the Essence of Empty Clarity. Worse still, two precious assets—an Apostle and a Martial General—had each been slain. The bloodstains left behind proved they had even resorted to Spell Release. That meant, no matter who the enemy had been, the existence of their Spells had been exposed to the outside world.
The Fifth Apostle might have been one thing, but the Eleventh Martial General never used Spell Release lightly. And once that Martial General opened a Spell, only someone who had fully reached the mature stage of Hwa-gyeong could possibly stand against him. Unexpected events kept piling up one after another.
“Have you identified the culprit?”
“I am sorry, my lord.”
“The Fifth Apostle, the Ninth Apostle, and now even the Eleventh Martial General are dead. We have not yet properly revealed ourselves, and already three of our valuable puppets are gone.”
“I have no face left to show. This is only conjecture, but a demonic cultivator massacred the Black Spirit Sect in Shaanxi. It cannot be unrelated. I believe this incident originated from the Demonic Cult.”
Normally Gon Ryung never spoke unless he was certain; that was the attitude he always maintained when reporting to the Lord of Cheongung. This time was different. He had failed the task his master had given him, and the result had been the worst possible outcome. To avoid punishment he had no choice but to offer even a guess.
“Summon Heavenly Brain.”
“Then…?”
“An Envoy of mine would never report falsehoods. Inform the Seventh Martial General. The time has come to overturn the Demonic Cult.”
“I receive your command!!”
Gon Ryung smashed his forehead against the floor and withdrew. To move Heavenly Brain and notify the Seventh Martial General meant that Cheongung would now openly bare its fangs to the martial world. Two Apostles and one Martial General were already dead; there was no longer any need to skulk in the shadows. The day the Lord’s Spell stabilized, everything would end.
Cheongung’s long-cherished wish—the Opening of Heaven and Earth—was now within arm’s reach. Before that day arrived, the martial world would have to be purified. That was the sole reason Cheongung existed.
After extracting every scrap of information from Hwa-seon, Shin Gi-woon and his companions returned to Cheon-san. Throughout the journey he never once mentioned Spell Release. It was not that he distrusted his companions; rather, he urged the two women to keep absolute silence.
There might still be people like Hwa-seon left inside the Demonic Cult. Lee Hyeong-seop was gone, yet it was impossible that he had been the only spy. Other Cheongung agents were surely still embedded.
Once he explained that much, both women nodded. Nothing good would come of the existence of Spells becoming widely known. Only a trusted few should ever learn of them.
The moment he set foot back on Cheon-san, Shin Gi-woon headed straight for the Cult Leader’s Hall. His unit was stationed inside Guangming Palace anyway, so it made little difference where he went first. The only thing that struck him as mildly interesting was what happened at the entrance.
“Squad Leader…?”
“Are you truly the Shin Gi-woon I know?”
Someone blocked his path at the gates of the Cult Leader’s Hall. It was Ma Jin-cheon, Commander of the Guangming Guardian Corps.
Shin Gi-woon understood the reaction. In a matter of mere days he had risen from the Peak Realm all the way to the Extreme Demon Realm—an absurd rate of growth. Ask any passer-by on the road and the only answer you would receive was that such a thing was impossible.
Perhaps this was not the real Shin Gi-woon. Entertaining that possibility, Ma Jin-cheon had come in person. Yet after carefully examining the young man’s inner energy, the Great Law Protector’s eyes wavered slightly as he spoke.
“Just what in the world… happened out there in the martial realm?”
“I have a great deal of intelligence to report to the Cult Leader. Will you enter the hall with me?”
“For now… let us go together.”
“Yes.”
Having confirmed it was indeed Shin Gi-woon, Ma Jin-cheon was inwardly stunned. Even if he did not show it outwardly, his mind was reeling. Within the entire Cult, Extreme Demon experts numbered fewer than a hundred. Even across the rivers and lakes, anyone below the level of a Nine Great Sects’ sect master rarely reached Hwa-gyeong, let alone Extreme Demon.
As far as Ma Jin-cheon knew, Shin Gi-woon was only twenty years old—the youngest Extreme Demon in history. When he presented himself before Cheon Yu, the Heavenly Demon would surely be startled as well. It had been a long time since Ma Jin-cheon had seen any emotional reaction from the Cult Leader. With that thought, he accompanied Shin Gi-woon inside.
“Ten thousand years to the Heavenly Demon, ten thousand times ten thousand years. Ma Jin-cheon, Commander of the Guangming Guardian Corps, and Shin Gi-woon, Squad Leader of the Ten-Thousand-Ghost Pursuit Unit, request an audience with the Cult Leader.”
“Enter.”
The massive doors groaned open. Shin Gi-woon and Ma Jin-cheon stepped into the Cult Leader’s Hall. Only then did Shin Gi-woon realize how heavy the air inside had become—or rather, how heavy it had always been. His previous realm had simply been too low for him to sense it properly.
He wondered what Cheon Yu’s reaction would be, yet he did not raise his head first. The one who gave commands was the Heavenly Demon; the one who decided whether a head might be lifted was also the Heavenly Demon.
“It has been some time, Shin Gi-woon. Already at Extreme Demon… truly worthy of being called the greatest rising star of our Cult.”
“I am grateful for the praise.”
“So. This operation seems to have yielded quite a few results?”
Ma Jin-cheon turned smoothly and took up position just inside the doors. Though he had entered as Commander of the Guangming Guardian Corps, as Great Law Protector he now stood guard at the entrance of the Cult Leader’s Hall. Freed from any need to watch his words, Shin Gi-woon reported everything that had occurred in Shaanxi.
The enemy’s true identity was Cheongung. They had planted agents even within Mount Hua. Their hierarchy consisted of Thirteen Heavenly Palace Apostles and Eleven Heaven-Slaying Martial Generals. Their ultimate goal was the Opening of Heaven and Earth—Cheon-ji-gae-byeok. The precise meaning remained unclear, yet it was unmistakably a catastrophe of the highest order.
And then—
“Finally, there is one piece of intelligence I will speak of only to the Cult Leader.”
“Only to me?”
“Cheongung agents… that is, any of them who have reached Peak Realm or higher, possess an ability called Spell Release.”
He reported everything about the Spells as well. Cheon Yu, master of the Demonic Cult, was an absolute ally; so was the Great Law Protector Ma Jin-cheon. The power of Spell Release varied by realm, and those at Transcendent or Hwa-gyeong could fill an entire region with their force.
At those words Cheon Yu’s brows twitched slightly—understandable, given that the concept was entirely new to him. Shin Gi-woon continued, explaining that the only force capable of opposing Spells was demonic qi.
“There are still spies hidden within our Cult. Cheongung seems ready to reveal itself fully to the martial world, so we must root out every last agent as quickly as possible. That is my judgment.”
“For the past three years and six months we have combed every corner as thoroughly as hunting lice. Yet no one has ever been found.”
“We must begin by suspecting those closest to us. Who would ever have imagined that a Mount Hua elder was a spy?”
He spoke bluntly. He had earned the right to offer such counsel now. Even if he were rebuked for overstepping, Cheon Yu was not so petty a man. Moreover, no one who had brought back this mountain of intelligence would be treated coldly.
They had obtained leads on Cheongung, learned their grand purpose, their powers, and a rough outline of their strength. Was this not the work of an entire unit accomplished by one man alone?
“Shin Gi-woon. You have reached Extreme Demon.”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
“Once a year in our Cult, those who have attained the Extreme Demon Realm gather for a conference.”
“You speak of the Extreme Heaven Conference.”
The Extreme Heaven Conference. Including those who lived in seclusion, every Extreme Demon expert within the Cult assembled in one place. The conference was presided over by the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Any martial artist who followed the Cult’s doctrines was obligated to attend—no matter what else might be happening, even if they had already reached the Deconstructive Demon Realm.
By attaining Extreme Demon, Shin Gi-woon had earned the right to participate. There would no doubt be fierce resistance the moment he appeared in the hall.
“Many will pick fights with you simply because of your age.”
“Then I will simply crush them all.”
“Is that so.”
The corner of Cheon Yu’s mouth twitched. From long experience, Shin Gi-woon knew that was a genuine snort of amusement. The young man’s spirit pleased him.
“The Extreme Heaven Conference always revolves around one great theme. And this year’s theme is…”
The Young Leader Contest.
“…!”
Shin Gi-woon’s eyes flew wide at the Cult Leader’s words. The Young Leader Contest was one of the greatest events of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Neither Jamma Cave, nor the Council of Elders of the Seven Great Sects, nor the meetings of the Five Great Units, nor even the Extreme Heaven Conference itself could surpass it. The only ceremony that could even be compared was the Grand Heavenly Rite, in which the current Cult Leader stepped down as Supreme Cult Leader and the newly ascended Young Leader had to prove his qualifications by accepting challenges from numerous experts.
In short, the Young Leader Contest was so profound and vital that it could decide the very survival of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“This Young Leader Contest will be bloodier than any before it. Besides you, there are many renowned powerhouses.”
“You mean…?”
“This seat wishes for you to enter the Young Leader Contest.”
Shin Gi-woon flinched. Why had Cheon Yu spoken the words “Young Leader” in this place? There could be only one clear reason.
“Cult Leader, those words…”
“Se-hwa is strong. Yet she is not as strong as you. Do you understand what I mean?”
Qualifications to enter the Young Leader Contest were fivefold: membership in one of the Seven Great Sects, origin from Jamma Cave, blood of the Cult Leader, or belonging to one of the Five Units of Guangming Palace. Satisfying any single condition was enough.
There was, however, one exception. Candidates from the same generation of Jamma Cave could not both compete.
In other words—
Cheon Yu was offering the position of Young Leader not to his own daughter, but to Shin Gi-woon.