Chapter 192
Chapter 192
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 192
Chapter Title: The Kirin Token
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The path of a successor candidate for the Demonic Cult was one of endless, blood-soaked struggle.
But the moment one stepped into the Demonic Cult, the status of a successor candidate was met with the most venerable treatment.
After all, they held the right to potentially become the next master of the Demonic Cult, the ruler of the demonic martial world.
They were thus afforded the most reverent and meticulous treatment, befitting the dignity of a successor to the Heavenly Demon.
“Please, ascend.”
Warriors clad in black martial arts uniforms stood in attendance before Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin.
Behind them stood an eight-horse carriage, its flags, emblazoned with the Demonic Cult’s symbol of twin dragons vying for a pearl, fluttering in the wind.
These were the Demonic Cult’s envoys, sent to respectfully escort them the moment the two had entered the Changsha Prefecture, where the cult was located.
*Click.*
As Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin boarded the carriage, an envoy respectfully closed the door.
Then, he called out in a low voice.
“Depart.”
*Thud, thud, thud, thud.*
Warriors on fine steeds escorted the carriage from the front and rear, while others, concealing their presence, secretly followed the procession.
Hyeok So-jin seemed so overwhelmed by the extremely reverent and solemn reception that he kept his mouth tightly shut.
“We have arrived.”
Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin alighted from the carriage, which had passed straight through the main gates of the Demonic Cult.
Guided by an envoy, the two soon reached the front of the Sacred Demonic Pavilion, where the Heavenly Demon resided.
“His Majesty has ordered that you both enter together.”
“Understood.”
When Bu Eun-seol nodded, the envoy gave a light bow and departed.
“…”
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes deepened as he gazed at the pavilion, which soared so high it seemed to pierce the heavens.
The Sacred Demonic Pavilion.
The residence of the Heavenly Demon, who stood tall above a million followers of the demonic path.
A strange question suddenly occurred to Bu Eun-seol.
The character for ‘sacred’ (聖) was typically used by the Orthodox Faction or Taoist sects.
So why was such a word attached to the residence of the Heavenly Demon, the symbol of absolute power who ruled over all the world’s demons?
“I’m really moving up in the world, thanks to you, Brother Bu.”
Hyeok So-jin swallowed hard and wiped the sweat from his brow.
Aside from when he was fighting, he was always languid, never showing a shred of tension.
Yet even he could not hide his nervousness standing before the Sacred Demonic Pavilion, the abode of the greatest master in the demonic path.
*Kuuung.*
Just then, the massive doors of the Sacred Demonic Pavilion slowly swung open.
The inside seemed to be filled with darkness, but in reality, Seven-Colored Luminous Pearls cast a light as bright as day.
As Bu Eun-seol and Hyeok So-jin walked deeper into the pavilion, a vast hall unfolded before them.
And at its very end, the giant who ruled the demonic world sat deeply in a grand armchair.
The Heavenly Demon.
When Bu Eun-seol had first met him, he had appeared as an indefinable being, his form ever-changing and protean.
But it was different now.
He now projected the dignity of a grandmaster who had reached the apex of the mysterious and unfathomable demonic martial arts, a true ruler at the pinnacle of the demonic path.
*‘So that’s what it was.’*
Bu Eun-seol came to a realization.
The way the Heavenly Demon had shown various forms to stir his spirit—that, too, had been a test.
*Crack.*
At that moment, Hyeok So-jin’s body trembled, and he clenched his fists tightly.
“Urgh.”
The whites of his eyes began to turn red, and thick veins started to bulge on his neck and forehead.
He was suffering internal injuries, unable to withstand the immense aura emanating from the Heavenly Demon.
“Are you all right?”
“Of course.”
Hyeok So-jin forced a smile.
But beads of sweat dotted his cheeks, and his skin began to grow as hot as if it had been seared by charcoal.
Hyeok So-jin, who had only just stepped into the Transcendent Realm, could not endure the Heavenly Demon's energy that filled the grand hall.
“You should wait outside.”
“Brother Bu.”
“It seems the Heavenly Demon has changed his mind and wishes to speak with me alone.”
If the intention had been to exclude Hyeok So-jin from the start, he would have been stopped at the entrance to the Sacred Demonic Pavilion.
It seemed the Heavenly Demon, sensing Hyeok So-jin’s martial arts were far too inferior, was sending him away.
“…I understand.”
In the end, Hyeok So-jin bowed his head to the Heavenly Demon.
Then, biting his lip, he turned and left the Sacred Demonic Pavilion. He was forced to turn back without even having seen the Heavenly Demon’s face.
“Disciple Bu Eun-seol greets the Heavenly Demon.”
As Bu Eun-seol stood below the dais and clasped his hands, the Heavenly Demon slowly rose from his armchair.
“…!”
Their eyes met, and Bu Eun-seol’s own wavered greatly.
The Heavenly Demon’s aura, once ordinary yet ever-changing, had become even more complex.
Outwardly, he had the appearance of a common old man, but the unknown entity lurking within him had grown even more powerful.
“Hmm.”
The Heavenly Demon seemed to notice that Bu Eun-seol’s aura had also changed since their last meeting, and he gave a slight nod.
*Ssk.*
As the Heavenly Demon rose from his armchair, he seemed to become a giant looking down upon Bu Eun-seol.
“You handled the matter even better than I expected.”
He had merely opened his mouth to speak, yet it sounded like a great temple bell ringing from the heavens.
The Heavenly Demon smiled as he looked at Bu Eun-seol, who still kept his head bowed.
“I hear you captured the demons of the Jeok-cheon-mak-ji in a most ingenious way.”
“Thank you.”
“But what’s more surprising is that you made the Muhasuyujeong, who had long refused to dirty their own hands, voluntarily join the battle.”
The Heavenly Demon described the Muhasuyujeong’s direct participation in battle as “dirtying their hands,” as if to rebuke them for having long manipulated other clans and factions to fight their proxy wars.
“What method did you use?”
The Heavenly Demon fixed his gaze on Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
Bu Eun-seol felt as though a pair of eyes, like concentrated bolts of lightning, were scanning his body and spirit.
It felt as if that gaze could penetrate all outward appearances and lay bare everything within.
“I merely gave them a choice.”
“A choice, you say.”
The answer was utterly unexpected and brief.
But the Heavenly Demon stared at Bu Eun-seol with his glittering eyes, then slapped his knee.
“I see. Indeed. What those women truly wanted wasn't power itself, but someone who would give them the power to choose.”
Despite being a female sect, the Muhasuyujeong had maintained their position among the Ten Demonic Sects through immense wealth, a unique art of mind control, and extensive connections with both the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions.
But what they truly desired was the power to make their own decisions—in other words, true strength.
Without power, one could not even make a choice.
Knowing this well, Bu Eun-seol had given the Muhasuyujeong the strength to stand on their own.
And when Bu Eun-seol had chosen to fight alone, risking his life, they had protected him.
By their own choice.
“You came with the successor of the Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji.”
The Heavenly Demon’s gaze now turned to Hyeok So-jin as he spoke in a low voice.
“Are you using him as your retainer?”
“Our paths crossed, and we ended up traveling the Jianghu together.”
“Traveling the Jianghu, you say.”
The Heavenly Demon smiled faintly.
But the words that followed were utterly brutal and harsh.
“If you wish to become the successor who will lead this cult, you would do well to erase concepts like 'comrades' or 'camaraderie.' Such things will soon become cumbersome baggage that will only obstruct your path.”
Bu Eun-seol could neither confirm nor deny it.
His own values had originally been similar to the Heavenly Demon’s. But through various experiences, he had unintentionally gained comrades and friends.
*‘But if I become the successor of the Demonic Cult…’*
His retainer, Heuk-pyo, and Hyeok So-jin, a fellow successor of the Ten Demonic Sects, were one thing, but could he maintain his friendships with Dang Gon or Namgung Un?
*‘This is not the time for such thoughts.’*
Just then, as if seeing through Bu Eun-seol's complicated thoughts, the Heavenly Demon spoke in a low voice.
“Well, such things can be considered later.”
Then, with a faint smile, he changed the subject.
“In any case, you have carried out your orders well, so you must be rewarded.”
*Ssk.*
At that, a door on the left side of the hall opened, and a woman appeared, walking carefully with a wooden box held in both hands.
Her skin was very fair, and her eyes were long and beautiful like a phoenix’s.
It was Jin-seol, the woman who had taken the injured Bu Eun-seol to the Elder Hall Master, Jeok-bung, in the past.
“It has been a while, young master.”
She approached Bu Eun-seol and greeted him with a casual smile.
Jin-seol's demeanor was as comfortable and natural as if she were the Heavenly Demon’s own granddaughter.
*‘She wasn’t a handmaiden.’*
No handmaiden would greet someone so naturally in front of the Heavenly Demon.
Only now did Bu Eun-seol realize how little he knew about the people connected to the Demonic Cult.
*‘Wasn’t she from the Elder Hall?’*
She had personally guided the injured Bu Eun-seol to Jeok-bung. But seeing her now, she seemed to be someone directly under the Heavenly Demon.
*‘This is also something to think about later.’*
“Hello.”
After clearing his complicated thoughts, Bu Eun-seol returned her greeting. She smiled brightly and opened the wooden box in her hands.
Inside, resting on a splendid silk cloth, was a token shimmering with five colors.
“I shall bestow upon you the Kirin Token.”
Bu Eun-seol instinctively recalled the ‘Gold Origin Token’ he had received in the past.
The Myriad Demonic Arts Archive, a library and treasure trove of secret manuals.
The Gold Origin Token, the lowest grade, had granted him access to the first floor of the archive, which housed seventy-eight thousand martial arts manuals.
The Kirin Token was likely of a higher grade.
*‘A pity.’*
Before entering the Sacred Demonic Pavilion, Bu Eun-seol had harbored a faint hope.
A hope that perhaps the Heavenly Demon would personally teach him martial arts.
But upon receiving the token, he realized that hope had been in vain.
*‘Of course, he wouldn’t teach me directly.’*
The Heavenly Demon’s martial arts were said to have far surpassed the Ultimate Realm and reached the very edge of the Transcendent-Martial Realm.
Considering that no one in the history of Murim had ever reached the Heavenly Realm, he had reached the absolute limit a human could achieve.
If he were to impart that heaven-defying enlightenment and martial arts to a mere successor candidate… the Ten Demonic Sects, if no one else, would never allow it.
“Thank you.”
As the bowing Bu Eun-seol respectfully accepted the token wrapped in silk, Jin-seol spoke in a small but clear voice.
“The Kirin Token grants access to the second floor of the Myriad Demonic Arts Archive.”
Her voice was so beautiful that its echo lingered in Bu Eun-seol’s ears.
“I will give you ten days.”
In that instant, the Heavenly Demon’s deep voice erased that lingering echo.
“Choose one martial art from there and learn it.”
Bu Eun-seol couldn't hide his confusion.
The first floor of the Myriad Demonic Arts Archive, which he had entered with the Gold Origin Token, had contained over seventy-five thousand demonic manuals.
Of course, the number of high-level arts would be smaller, but to be told to learn just one in ten days…
“Then, seek me out again.”
The moment he heard the Heavenly Demon's command, a thought flashed through Bu Eun-seol's mind.
*‘This is also a test…’*
Bu Eun-seol was certain.
This was another of the Heavenly Demon's tests to select a successor candidate.
If the martial art he learned from the Myriad Demonic Arts Archive did not please him… his status as a successor candidate would be immediately revoked.
“Understood.”
As Bu Eun-seol bowed his head, the Heavenly Demon slowly turned away.
“I wish you good fortune.”
Jin-seol smiled brightly and carefully followed behind the Heavenly Demon.
In that moment, the light of the Seven-Colored Luminous Pearls that had brightly illuminated the hall vanished.
The figures of the Heavenly Demon and Jin-seol disappeared as if sucked into the darkness.
***
“Hah… Hah…”
Outside the Sacred Demonic Pavilion, Hyeok So-jin was gasping for breath.
“Dammit.”
After catching his breath for a long while, he bit his lip and shook his head.
*‘I thought I’d improved by leaps and bounds while traveling with Brother Bu, but…’*
The reality was that he was a half-wit who didn't even have the right to stand before the Heavenly Demon, the greatest master of the demonic path.
And that fact tormented his mind relentlessly.
*‘I still have so far to go.’*
Hyeok So-jin had completely given up martial arts training after the age of ten.
If he had trained diligently all this time… he might not be on Bu Eun-seol’s level, but he would have at least reached a state befitting a successor of the Ten Demonic Sects.
“Are you the one who followed the successor of the Nang-ya-gak?”
A low voice sounded just then.
Turning around, he saw an old man who looked to be over seven feet tall looking down at him.
He had a long scar on his cheek and fierce, glaring eyes, giving him a fearsome appearance.
Judging by his extraordinary looks and the aura he exuded, he was no ordinary person.
“Who are you?”
At Hyeok So-jin’s question, the old man answered nonchalantly.
“I am Sang Hak, the master in charge of the Eight Demonic Hall.”
The Eight Demonic Hall was the armory where the Demonic Cult stored its divine weapons.
And its master, Sang Hak, was a great demon who had once dominated the martial world, a master of weaponry known as the Hundred-Weapon Demonic Fiend.
“No, I didn’t follow him…”
Hyeok So-jin waved his hands, then stopped as a realization dawned, and his shoulders slumped.
He had abandoned not only his activities in the martial world but even his martial arts training, wasting away in the Jeol-cheon-myeol-ji with gambling and drink.
Although he had rapidly improved with Bu Eun-seol’s help, he still lacked the skill to assert his position as a successor of the Ten Demonic Sects.
“…I begged and pleaded to tag along.”
Sang Hak frowned at Hyeok So-jin’s nonsense, then said in a low voice.
“It is the Heavenly Demon's command. Follow me.”