The Third Young Master Wakes
In the dead of night, under a shroud of thick mist, moonlight glimmered over rows of dark red halls, stretching on without end as if to flaunt the sheer majesty of the estate.
This was the domain of the Iron Blood Devil Family, one of the Four Great Devil Families that formed the backbone of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Crack!
At the far end of the broad road leading to the family head’s hall, a man who had come running in a hurry shoved open the massive gate, breathing hard.
Thunk!
At the thunderous sound of the heavy doors, every elder gathered inside the hall turned to look in unison.
“I told you this was a family meeting. What is the meaning of this reckless interruption?”
Blue fire burned in the elder’s eyes.
The others reacted no differently. Was this not the very day they had longed for?
Having cut into the flow of such an important discussion, there was no way they could be pleased.
“What’s all this noise?”
“I-I apologize, Elder. We received urgent information…….”
“Information? Does it concern the grand plan?”
“It does not concern the grand plan.”
“Then what is it?”
“Well…… they say the Third Young Master has awakened.”
The unexpected answer sent the elders into a buzz of startled voices.
“What?”
“……Cheon Sohyeon?”
As confusion spread through the room, the broad-shouldered man seated at the head spoke in a low, heavily weighted voice.
“Is the report certain?”
“Yes, Family Head. I confirmed it repeatedly with the physicians who enter and leave the Third Young Master’s quarters. They say he regained consciousness yesterday.”
“And his condition?”
“They say his internal injuries are severe, and his muscles have stiffened so badly that even simple movement will be difficult.”
Elder Jin Jakhyeok frowned, displeased.
“So that pest has finally crawled back to us, has he? Tsk. This is troublesome.”
“……Indeed.”
As murmurs of concern naturally followed, a comparatively younger elder spoke up.
“Pardon me, but is there any need to pay him much mind?”
“What do you mean?”
“He spent nearly half a year unconscious at a time when he should have been stealing every moment possible for training. His muscles and tendons will have gone stiff, his energy will have scattered—he’s no different from a dead man as a martial artist.”
He continued in a measured tone.
“Besides, he doesn’t even have a proper force behind him, does he? He’s like a kite with its string cut. Unlike the other heirs, he has lived outside the inner palace the whole time, which only proves how miserable his position is.”
“You do have a talent for saying ridiculous things.”
“What did you say?”
“I said it was ridiculous. Have you forgotten how he has been judged all this time, or what opportunities he seized despite having no real backing? Was half a year really such a long time?”
“…….”
“Utterly absurd. If we are considering the family’s prosperity, there is no one we should watch more closely than the Third Young Master.”
It was a sharp rebuke, thick with censure. That reaction was only natural; the Third Young Master had left too deep an impression to be dismissed lightly.
Cheon Sohyeon.
Among the Cult Leader’s five children, he was not only the most gifted in body and skill, but also the one widely regarded as the strongest martial artist in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
And unlike the other young masters, who all had the enormous backing of the Four Great Devil Families, that reputation had been earned purely through his own ability.
The problem was not the reputation itself, but the opportunities that came with it.
Entering the Inner Palace.
A miracle that meant an audience alone with the Cult Leader.
Any disciple of the Cult would have longed for such a thing, yet he had experienced it several times.
Even for the blood of the Cheon family, that was excessive.
All five young masters of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were called disciples and heirs alike, but one-on-one audiences with the Cult Leader were exceedingly rare.
The image of Cheon Sohyeon after those private meetings—his cultivation improving, his martial attainments surging forward—remained branded into Jin Jakhyeok’s mind like a searing iron.
The younger elder spoke again.
“Those were all matters from before he even came of age, were they not? He was too impatient and fell into qi deviation, ending up in a state where he could hardly even move. What can he possibly do now that he’s regained consciousness?”
“…….”
“He was on the brink of life and death because of the aftereffects of that qi deviation. Did you not hear how grave his condition was? There’s no further reason for the main family to worry about…….”
The elder with the stern, wrinkled face furrowed his brow.
“You’re tiresome. Truly tiresome. Since when did the man they called the Sword Ghost grow so soft? Where is your certainty that the Third Young Master won’t recover his body quickly? If he were such a hopeless mediocrity, I don’t think we’d even need to call him the Third Young Master. Would we?”
“…….”
“I’m not saying this to criticize you—I’m genuinely curious. If you’re so sure, then please enlighten me as well. Where does your certainty come from that the Cult Leader will simply overlook him……?”
“Enough.”
The man seated at the head, Jin Muhwi of the Iron Blood Family, cut him off.
“To guess at that person’s intentions is a sin in itself. Be restrained.”
“…….”
When the stern-faced elder fell silent, another elder stepped in.
“I understand what you are worried about. It may be premature concern, but it is still something we must pay attention to. In the end, it will affect the line of succession as well.”
His gaze shifted to Jin Muhwi.
“For now, shall we stir up the other Four Great Devil Families and see how they react?”
“That would be the wrong approach.”
“Then what should we do……?”
Flash!
Red light in Jin Muhwi’s eyes flared like lightning.
“Send word to the Law Enforcement Hall. Only by gauging their reaction can any scheme have meaning.”
* * *
The Cult Leader’s Palace lay under such heavy silence it seemed swallowed by darkness itself.
Only the wavering crackle of torches in the wind filled the vast space.
The grand palace held no unnecessary ornamentation, only a long blood-red carpet stretching forward in a single unbroken line.
Step, step.
Someone was walking across it, each stride measured and respectful.
So this is the first time we’ve met since you ended your closed-door training.
He stopped at the end of the carpet, beneath the dozens of steps leading upward.
Then he bent one knee and waited for the summons.
He dared not do anything that might irritate the master of ten thousand demons.
How long had he waited?
“Left Guardian.”
A solemn voice echoed through the immense hall.
The man lowered his head even further.
“The Left Guardian of Light of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult pays respects to the Cult Leader. I trust you have been well.”
“I have. It took longer than expected.”
On the throne high above the steps, the Cult Leader sat draped carelessly in a magnificent robe embroidered with dragons, looking down at him with indifference.
“So. What is it?”
Even such a simple question made Gwangmyeong Jwasa’s body stiffen. He cleared his throat and replied respectfully.
“The Third Young Master has regained consciousness.”
Wooooong!
In an instant, a crushing pressure wrapped around Gwangmyeong Jwasa’s entire body.
“……!”
Darkness seemed to spill from the throne down the steps, and an overwhelming surge of violent energy rose so fiercely it made his mind reel.
It was demonic qi born of an unparalleled art that could only be mastered by standing above the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“Kugh.”
A faint groan slipped from Gwangmyeong Jwasa’s lips.
He had risen from a mere outsider to a position second to none, a man whose martial power could stand against only a handful of others. And yet even he was nothing more than a disciple before the Cult Leader.
Exhilaration surged through the Left Guardian’s eyes.
In that time, you’ve attained another breakthrough.
He had not unleashed killing intent or erupted his energy. He had simply shown interest in news about the Third Young Master.
Wooooong!
Even so, such immense pressure was pouring down that it felt as though the very floor might split open.
As expected, the Cult Leader…….
Gwangmyeong Jwasa’s mouth twitched, trembling as though in seizure, and then lifted in a smile.
What did pressure matter? Even this felt like a blessing.
How long had he waited? How desperately had he hoped?
That exalted being, so close to the realm of the divine, sat above him.
The return of the god is close at hand.
He felt as though he might be blinded by the image of a sacred dragon on the verge of ascent. Before such loftiness, even the colors of all things would lose their luster.
Thud!
Gwangmyeong Jwasa dropped to both knees and slammed his forehead into the floor.
“The Heavenly Demon returns! May the ten thousand demons rejoice!”
Thud!!
He struck the floor again and again, enough to split the skin, and shouted with all his might.
“The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is invincible!! Glory to the Heavenly Light!!”
Blood from his forehead began to soak his face.
Only when the hot crimson liquid passed over his eyes and gathered at the corners of his mouth did a full smile finally bloom.
Breaking the silence, the Cult Leader’s indifferent voice rang out.
“When.”
“It has been a month. His bones and tendons were damaged, and his strength has clearly declined. The aftereffects of his qi deviation still seem quite severe.”
“Is that all?”
“The moment the Third Young Master regained consciousness, letters requesting audiences began arriving from the heads of the Four Great Devil Families. Shall I set aside time for them?”
Receiving no reply, Gwangmyeong Jwasa slowly raised his head.
“Then I will handle it as I see fit.”
The Cult Leader, seated on the throne, said nothing. Only a deep, dark light shone in his eyes.
There was a transcendent quality to that gaze, the sort possessed only by one who stood above all others.
Even beneath the black dragon robe, the lines of his muscles and his towering frame radiated power enough to command awe, despite the fact that he sat there so casually.
Just as I thought.
Everything about the Cult Leader was close to the divine realm.
Gwangmyeong Jwasa bowed again with utmost reverence.
“I congratulate you on your attainment, Cult Leader. I will take my leave now.”
Step, step.
He began to retrace the path he had come.
His gait was no different from before, but within his heart churned a joy and tremor so deep they seemed almost endless.
Nothing must interfere. Not the Four Great Devil Families, and not anything else.
Everything that might obstruct the path of the Cult Leader’s dominion had to be removed.
That was the mandate given to one who served a god, the duty he was born to fulfill.
His eyes sharpened at once.
What should be done about the Third Young Master?
The news that he had awakened had already spread rapidly throughout the entire Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Several of the Four Great Devil Families had already tried to make contact, believing that the succession line had become uncertain, and all manner of unrest was likely to erupt around him.
No. That isn’t something I need to worry about.
After mulling it over, the Left Guardian quickly cast off the thought.
Even if he had become a wreck, he was still blood of the Cheon family.
If he could not stand on his own, then he would merely prove that he was unworthy; if he could defeat the brutes that came for him with his own skill, then it would mean he had never needed help in the first place.
Either way, there was no reason to extend a hand.
Then a noble voice reached him from behind.
“Bring the third one into the Cult Leader’s Palace.”
Gwangmyeong Jwasa stopped dead in his tracks. In a single breath, he cleared his thoughts and bowed his head.
“Yes. I will carry out your command.”
Every word spoken by the Cult Leader was like doctrine itself. To dare question it would be a brazen act, so Gwangmyeong Jwasa offered his respectful farewell and withdrew.
Creak.
Leaning back against the throne, the Cult Leader remained as indifferent as ever.
“Qi deviation…….”
He lifted a wine jug and slowly filled his cup.
His expression was bored to the point of languor.
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