Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 212
Chapter Title: The Cult Leader Candidacy Tournament Begins
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He usually wore dark purple clothes, but today, since Baek Gun-hak, the head of the Heavenly Dance Family, had prepared the attire, his clothes were entirely white.
Fortunately, the Yin-Yang Twin Dragon Robe he had obtained from the Cheonpyeong Temple changed color to whatever he desired, so it matched any outfit perfectly.
‘How convenient.’
Mu-heun flicked his robe and headed straight for the Cult Leader's Hall.
And then,
he felt a new sensation.
‘I can see what I couldn't before, and hear what I couldn't before... Is this the difference a higher realm makes?’
Mu-heun was adjusting to his ridiculously expanded senses. If he focused, he could even count the legs of an insect passing by ten li away.
Had Mu-heun not ascended through the realms step by step, his mind might not have been able to withstand the indiscriminate flood of information. However, he had already gone through every process step by step with the Heavenly Demon in that all-white space.
His lower, middle, and upper dantian were completely open.
Having completed not only the Thunderclap Arts but also various forms of mental cultivation and enlightenment, there was no problem.
It was just that, while training with the Heavenly Demon, he never had to process this much information. He simply needed time to adapt.
As he reached the Cult Leader's Hall, he saw Jin Mu, the Lord of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Brigade, and Grand Protector Yu Jong approaching from a distance.
Mu-heun cupped his fist and spoke.
"Greetings, Lord Jin Mu of the Radiant Heavenly Demon Brigade and Grand Protector Yu Jong."
Jin Mu and Yu Jong returned the salute, cupping their fists.
"Greetings, Dragon Demon. We heard you emerged from the cave today. The Cult Leader is waiting, so let us go."
"Understood."
Mu-heun was grateful to them.
When he was in closed-door training in the cave, it was strange that there had been no attacks, even though he had ordered his subordinates and Hyeok to guard the entrance.
‘The Cult Leader must have taken care of it.’
Mu-heun soon followed Jin Mu and Yu Jong into the Cult Leader's Hall.
The day he had emerged after finishing his seclusion.
He had sensed the Protectorate and the Radiant Heavenly Demon Brigade guarding the cave.
* * *
- Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Cult Leader's Hall
Cult Leader Cheon Mu-jin felt an overwhelming sense of emotion with every step Mu-heun took.
Dragon Demon Baek Mu-heun. It was because he could feel the immense energy contained in his footsteps.
Mu-heun knelt on one knee, cupped his fist, and spoke.
"I greet the Cult Leader, the sky of our Divine Cult."
The Cult Leader looked at Mu-heun, speechless for a moment. As someone who had dedicated his life to honing his martial arts, who had been obsessed with them, he simply felt a profound sense of awe at Mu-heun's achievement.
Cult Leader Cheon Mu-jin was one of the most powerful leaders in the history of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. As a master of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, he had reached the pinnacle of demonic transcendence, which meant he could replicate the power of the Life and Death Realm.
However, seeing Mu-heun now, he realized.
The strongest Cult Leader in history had appeared.
‘To think that a cult member who has reached a higher realm than me would appear in my lifetime...’
"...Your achievements are great."
Mu-heun was startled by the Cult Leader's words, but
he also sensed something was off.
‘Strange. Before, I couldn't fathom the Cult Leader's martial prowess, but now I can see it clearly... And I can also see that his condition is very poor.’
With his senses now incomparably sharper, Mu-heun examined the Cult Leader's physical condition. The result was shocking.
Mu-heun was bewildered.
‘The Cult Leader was old, yes, but he wasn't in this state before I entered seclusion. Of course, my heightened senses might be showing me his condition more clearly, but,
this is still too severe. Hadn't the Cult Leader's body undergone a complete metamorphosis, maintaining a youthfulness incomparable to other elderly people?
But now, his energy meridians are severely unstable, and his complexion is pale. It's as if he's suffered an internal injury...’
‘Could it be...!’
"Cult Leader. Could it be..."
"So you can sense it. I do not have much time left."
"...Th-that is."
"Those bastards you spoke of came. To be precise, I believe they were their subordinates."
"...Th-they..."
Mu-heun was at a loss for words. If he were a hot-headed young martial artist, he wouldn't have understood why the Cult Leader fought such a dangerous battle to the point of sustaining such a severe internal injury.
But Mu-heun was an old man who had already lived past seventy. He had even had disciples who were like family, and had felt the desire to leave something behind even if it meant the end of his own life.
So, how could he not understand? How could he not know what was in the Cult Leader's heart when he fought those bastards, defeating them alone and suffering an internal injury?
Their target must have been Mu-heun himself. After the commotion he had caused in Hubei, it was only natural.
‘But during my seclusion, Jin Mu and Yu Jong only protected the cave; they didn't call for me.
That means the Cult Leader wouldn't allow my seclusion to be disturbed.’
The Cult Leader's face, when Mu-heun looked up, was serene. How could he be so calm, knowing he didn't have long to live?
Mu-heun did not respect or revere the Cult Leader. He didn't think highly of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult he had built either. What was the point of obtaining immense power?
The number of martial artists the Cult Leader had slaughtered on the front lines would be enough to form mountains. There was no special reason for it. It was simply for the expansion of the Divine Cult's territory.
It would have been better not to have such great power if it was to be used this way.
But the choice he made at the end of his life was clearly... a sign that he had contemplated something. A sign that he had thought about a path other than one for himself. An effort to find the meaning of life.
And the result of that was him.
In a way, he thought it was an irresponsible choice.
But.
‘I will make sure you don't regret that choice.’
Just then, the Cult Leader spoke.
"Come with me. I heard you were coming out, so I have gathered your martial brothers."
"Yes, Cult Leader."
Following the Cult Leader, Mu-heun sensed that the time had finally come.
* * *
- Banquet Hall within the Cult Leader's Hall.
A banquet was prepared there, and the Cult Leader's three disciples, who had arrived earlier, were standing and waiting for him.
Blood Demon Cheon Se-geuk.
Mad Demon Wi Ryeon-gwang.
Sword Demon Cheon Cheong-mun.
They had been waiting for the Cult Leader, but their gazes turned fierce when Mu-heun entered with him.
"We greet the Cult Leader."
"Sit."
As soon as the Cult Leader sat, the three men took their seats, and Mu-heun sat as well. While enduring the piercing glares of his martial brothers, of course.
‘Well, it's understandable they'd be displeased... an outsider has come in and monopolized the Cult Leader's favor.’
"You have all heard that the Cult Leader candidacy tournament was moved up about three months ago."
"""Yes, Cult Leader."""
"Today, I have gathered you to discuss how we should conduct the tournament. Say whatever is on your mind, feel free to speak."
At that, the Sword Demon, Cheon Cheong-mun, was the first to speak.
"To accurately gauge our martial prowess, I believe we should compete in pairs. There are four of us disciples, Cult Leader. After the duels, we can have time to recover, and then the remaining contestants can fight a final battle.
Furthermore, during the duels, we will be monitored by the Radiant Heavenly Demon Brigade and the Protectorate. Wouldn't that be fair?"
The Sword Demon called it a 'duel', but what they were really talking about was a battle to the death. They were not some young prospects; it was not as easy as it sounded for two masters who had reached the realm of demonic transcendence to fight and survive.
However, that was just an unspoken rule. Formally, it was called a duel. And the Blood Demon and Mad Demon also spoke up, following the Sword Demon's lead.
"I agree. If we adopt that method, no matter who faces whom, only the strongest will remain in the end."
"That's right. And we can decide here who will duel whom first."
The Sword Demon's proposal was extremely rational and conventional. There was no reason to refuse it. But Mu-heun was different.
"I would like to propose a different method."
"...!?"
The three martial brothers, excluding the Cult Leader, stiffened at Mu-heun's proposal.
"Speak."
"Starting tomorrow, at noon each day, I will visit each of my martial brothers one by one for a duel. One person a day. For three days. I will finish this candidacy tournament within that time."
"..."
The Cult Leader simply gazed at Mu-heun, saying nothing.
But his martial brothers were different.
The Sword Demon, contrary to his usually composed nature, radiated a rage rarely seen. A vein bulged on his forehead as he responded, his anger palpable.
"...What!?"
The Blood Demon suppressed the bloody aura unwittingly leaking from him and said,
"You bastard... How dare you be so arrogant."
The Mad Demon burst into a scornful laugh.
"Pfft, phuhahahahahaha! You're insane!"
A nonchalant demeanor. But his eyes were filled with killing intent. Since Mu-heun was concealing his energy with the Demon-Sealing Paper, their reaction was understandable.
Enduring all this killing intent with composure, he gently made his request again.
"Why are you all so angry? This isn't a loss for you, my martial brothers. If I visit one of you on the first day and die, we can simply proceed with the method the eldest brother suggested, can't we?"
There was no flaw in Mu-heun's logic.
If Mu-heun were to be defeated in a duel, the remaining contenders could determine the winner as the Sword Demon had proposed. In that case, since only one would survive in the end, the order wasn't particularly important.
"However, if you accept my proposal, there is an advantage for you. Should I defeat the first brother, I will face the second brother the very next day, with no rest. This means the second brother will face me while I am exhausted from the battle with the first, giving him a higher chance of victory.
And if I manage to defeat the second brother as well, the third brother to face me will be fighting an even more exhausted opponent."
"..."
Mu-heun's words were quite logical. For the Sword Demon, Mad Demon, and Blood Demon, there was nothing to lose.
Now that Mu-heun had emerged from his closed-door training.
Now that they couldn't guess how much stronger he had become.
What if Mu-heun was stronger than them?
Although they hated to admit it, the possibility wasn't zero, so there was no need to bet their lives on their pride.
The Mad Demon, realizing this, quickly responded.
"Pfft! Phuhahahahahaha! Interesting! Very interesting! Elder brother! Younger brother! Isn't this fun? If that fellow's skills are inferior to ours, then it's just reckless bravado.
But if his skills are superior to ours... then he is taking a gamble. A gamble that has never happened before in the history of the Divine Cult! Phuhahaha!"
The Blood Demon also understood the Mad Demon's intention and added his words.
"Ahem... That's right. If our younger brother wishes to do it, letting him act on his bravado or adventurous spirit is one way to go. It's not as if the outcome will change because of it."
There was one reason the Mad Demon and Blood Demon were acting this way.
It was to persuade the prideful Sword Demon.
And the Sword Demon accepted the proposal.
"Hmm... Very well. I will watch to see if you become a new legend of the Divine Cult or just a fool who dies from his own recklessness. However, I am against you coming to find us."
"Then, what would you like to do?"
"...That said, it's not like we can decide the order amongst ourselves."
The Sword Demon looked at the Cult Leader and said,
"Cult Leader, how about the three of us each write our names, place them in a box, and you draw them to determine the order?"
After seeing the Cult Leader nod, Mu-heun rose from his seat, cupped his fist, and said,
"Thank you for your consideration, my martial brothers."
After the banquet, the order drawn by the Cult Leader was as follows.
First. Blood Demon Cheon Se-geuk.
Second. Mad Demon Wi Ryeon-gwang.
Third. Sword Demon Cheon Cheong-mun.
Mu-heun confirmed the order and smiled faintly.
"Then, I will see you one by one, starting tomorrow."