Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Proposing the Demonic God Tournament
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Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Dozens of demonic cultists marched in perfect formation through the heart of the inner castle, aligned as if measured with a ruler.
They exuded an overwhelming presence.
Their boiling aura, as if ready to charge into battle at any moment, made passersby step aside and glance nervously from afar.
And at the forefront of that procession, one man in particular radiated a chilling atmosphere, like frost whipping through the air.
Their identities weren't hard to guess.
The Cult Leader and his guards from the Heavenly Demon Palace.
Hyeok Mulin and the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad.
"What in the world is going on?"
"Has war broken out somewhere?"
"I've never seen the Cult Leader personally escorting the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad down the central road of the inner castle..."
Just a glance revealed the heavy tension in the air.
Seeing Hyeok Mulin's icy gaze and the heavily armed Divine Demon Blood Death Squad, people sensed something amiss and whispered quietly among themselves.
Moments later, as the procession headed in a specific direction, people began piecing together their destination one by one.
A place in the inner castle where particularly tall pavilions and halls jutted prominently into view.
"No way, that direction is...!"
"The Cheon Clan?!"
People's eyes widened in shock as they stared at each other in stunned silence.
The Cult Leader, leading a heavily armed guard unit straight to the Cheon Clan?
Ever since the Cult Leader had declared divorce, their relationship had shifted from mere discomfort to open hostility, widely known throughout the world. This situation was far from something that could be brushed off lightly.
Swallowing hard, people scattered in all directions to spread the news.
And before long, Hyeok Mulin arrived at the entrance of the Cheon Clan estate.
A massive main gate.
It boasted such grandeur that one couldn't take it all in at a single glance from the front.
Hyeok Mulin stared at it briefly before stepping forward again.
As he approached the gate, the gate guards blocked his path.
Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the Cult Leader, they couldn't hide their panic.
"C-Cult... Leader..."
"Step aside."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a ferocious aura erupted from Hyeok Mulin's body.
"Urk!"
Overwhelmed by the sudden pressure, the guards bent at the waist like shrimp.
The force felt like carrying an entire house on their backs, forcing them to their knees and collapsing to the ground.
Hyeok Mulin passed them by and stood directly before the main gate.
A closed gate was no obstacle.
If it wouldn't open, he'd simply shatter it.
BOOM!
He didn't even need to touch it.
Simply unleashing his aura was enough. The gate exploded outward from the explosive energy surging from Hyeok Mulin's entire body.
Sunlight poured brilliantly through the now-empty gateway.
Hyeok Mulin strode through the gaping entrance into the estate.
Vast and magnificent buildings filled his view.
Towering halls with eight-sided roofs tiled in jade-green.
Statues of heroes carved from blue jade.
And beyond them, every pavilion, tower, wall, structure, statue, pond, tree—even the paths—radiated immense grandeur without exception.
As if proclaiming that the clan's prestige soared to the heavens.
Hyeok Mulin gazed at the scene steadily before murmuring softly.
"...Still the same as ever."
He hadn't set foot here since reaching middle age in his previous life, so it had been decades.
There were slight differences, but the estate's emphasis on majesty remained unchanged.
Lowering his gaze, Hyeok Mulin spotted Cheon Jungak standing rigidly across the front courtyard.
Behind him, the clan patriarch's guards stood ready, facing off against the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad.
A chilly silence descended between the two groups, spaced a zhang apart.
Tension hung thick in the air, as if battle could erupt at any moment between the glaring forces.
In the heavy atmosphere, Cheon Jungak spoke first.
"Greetings, Cult Leader."
But with no reply from Hyeok Mulin, he added,
"...You've changed a great deal since last we met."
In truth, the moment he saw Hyeok Mulin radiating such a chilling aura, Cheon Jungak had been inwardly shocked.
'Such growth in that short time?'
He had been impressed before.
For someone so young, he had reached an extraordinary realm.
But now, comparison was impossible.
Even judging him purely as a martial artist regardless of age, few in the cult could match him.
Gauging Hyeok Mulin's level, Cheon Jungak marveled inwardly again and again.
Of course, his face remained stern and impassive.
Soon after, Hyeok Mulin parted his lips.
"I've changed. But it seems this place has seen many changes too—not just me."
"Time cuts sharply, after all."
Cheon Jungak stared at Hyeok Mulin as he spoke.
Something flashed in his mind, and he posed a probing question.
"Could it be... during your absence, you entered the Illusion Gate rather than secluded cultivation?"
Cheon Jungak had realized Hyeok Mulin had traversed the Demon God Realm.
No record existed of anyone passing it in such a short time, but such growth without it made even less sense.
'Hate to admit it, but impressive.'
Until now, Cheon Jungak hadn't expected the Cult Leader to enter the Demon God Realm.
Once entered, it was a trial from which few returned.
Better to go after gaining ample experience.
And who would enter at such a young age, not knowing how long it would take?
Though an enemy, he had to respect that bold decision.
"Who knows."
Hyeok Mulin offered no direct answer.
There was a subtle but crucial difference between certainty and confirmation—a gap vast as heaven and earth.
"......"
"......"
Their gazes clashed sharply in the air.
Then Cheon Jungak half-turned and said,
"You seem to have much to say. Shall we continue inside?"
"Lead the way."
Cheon Jungak stepped toward the estate's interior.
Glancing at his subordinates, they stayed put instead of following.
Hyeok Mulin did the same with the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad.
"Wait here."
"Understood!"
Afterward, Hyeok Mulin followed Cheon Jungak at a distance.
Soon, they entered a garden lush with large and small bamboo groves.
They stepped into a pavilion at the garden's center.
Thud.
The two sat facing each other.
Before long, maids placed small trays with tea before each.
But neither touched their cups, exchanging only cold stares.
In the frigid atmosphere, Hyeok Mulin spoke first.
"While I was away, you stirred up quite a storm."
Sound Group, Myriad Li Merchant Association, Divine Demon Blood Death Squad, Yagul Clan, Lone Valley Clan—and every other matter tied to Hyeok Mulin had been sabotaged.
Their thorough schemes weren't planned in a day or two.
Clearly, they'd been sharpening their blades since ties with Hyeok Mulin were severed.
Yet Cheon Jungak responded slyly to what was less rebuke than accusation.
"Heh heh. What a curious coincidence. We merely cleared obstacles hindering clan affairs."
Hyeok Mulin smirked at the tale no three-year-old would believe.
After a brief silence, Cheon Jungak glanced around and changed the subject.
"Do you know when I created this garden, Cult Leader?"
"No idea. Why would I know another clan's business?"
"I made this garden after you declared divorce."
Originally, Cheon Jungak saw no need for sentimental spaces like gardens.
But when the Cult Leader he had backed abruptly ended the political marriage, even his cold-blooded nature boiled over in rage.
To calm his fury, his wives devised this bamboo garden.
He soothed his mind gazing at the straight bamboos; if not, he hacked them down until his anger subsided.
"Since you chose divorce, shouldn't you humbly accept this level of retaliation?"
Cheon Jungak revealed his inner thoughts.
To Hyeok Mulin, it sounded like this:
In the end, one of them had to die.
He couldn't fully agree, but he understood a little.
Still, he couldn't yield to it.
Cheon Jungak's desired end was Hyeok Mulin's downfall.
Responding to the blatant threat, Hyeok Mulin said,
"Yet in our cult today, you're the only one after my head."
He was merely obsessed with restoring his damaged pride from the divorce.
"For the sake of my cult, I can no longer tolerate your tyranny."
Nearly half a year had passed with strife among the Seven Great Demon Clans.
It affected not just warriors but ordinary folk deeply.
"Cannot tolerate, you say. An intriguing choice of words."
Rumble!
Cheon Jungak unleashed a bone-chilling aura from his body.
The bamboos shook violently as if battered by a fierce gale.
"If you won't stand by, what do you intend to do, Cult Leader?"
"......"
Groooar!
Sharp internal energy surged from Hyeok Mulin's body.
The pavilion's pillars trembled violently side to side.
"Do you truly wish to see this to the end?"
Their energies clashed chaotically in the air.
Amid the contest of strength, Cheon Jungak, staring at Hyeok Mulin, withdrew his aura first and spoke.
"No need for that. There's a simple way to resolve this dispute."
He met Hyeok Mulin's eyes squarely and continued.
"Step down from the Cult Leader position. Then we'll immediately cease all interference in matters related to you."
Hyeok Mulin withdrew his aura and replied.
"Impossible."
Even if he abdicated, Cheon Jungak wouldn't let him go peacefully—he'd keep biting.
Besides, Hyeok Mulin had no intention of stepping down.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult he envisioned was one only he could create.
"I figured as much. People find it hardest to let go of what they hold."
Cheon Jungak sneered as if he'd expected it.
But Hyeok Mulin wasn't finished.
"However, I understand your grievances."
If this continued, the cult's members would suffer greatly.
Thus, Hyeok Mulin proposed a clean resolution to sever old grudges.
"So let's return to the essence and decide it there."
"...The essence?"
As confusion flickered in Cheon Jungak's eyes at the abrupt words, Hyeok Mulin declared firmly.
The essence of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Based on the Supremacy of the Strong.
"We shall hold the Demonic Path Martial God Tournament."