Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Sixth Disciple
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“Who is over there?”
Un-pyo asked Ho Ryang, the Unit Commander of the Azure Dragon Unit.
“People of high standing.”
“People of high standing?”
“The twelve Elders of our cult, the Five Pavilions, the Three Palaces, and… the Cult Leader’s five disciples.”
“The Five Pavilions and Three Palaces. Do you know of them?”
Jin Guk and Ho Ryang took turns speaking.
“The Pavilion Lord of the Supreme Emperor Pavilion, Ja Geum-gyeong, who is said to burn down mountains with a single flight.”
“The Pavilion Lord of the Red Demon Pavilion, Hwang Cheol-ung, who was recently released from prison.”
“The Pavilion Lord of the Ghost Spirit Pavilion, Cheon O, known for his mastery of information, rumors, and the art of concealment.”
“The Pavilion Lord of the Swift Body Pavilion, Hu Geuk, said to be one of the top five in the cult when it comes to movement techniques.”
“And the straightforward powerhouse with a hearty laugh, the Pavilion Lord of the Mengwu Pavilion, Bul Wi.”
It was as if they had rehearsed it, their timing was perfect.
“And the Three Palaces?”
“You know of the Sun and Moon Divine Maiden of the Sacred Fire Palace, don’t you?”
“Yes, I’ve heard much about her.”
“Other than that, there is the Killing Palace, a den of murderers specializing in assassination, reeking of blood.”
“The master of the Killing Palace, the Killing King, Cho Seon-neung, who is said to have buried the most masters in history.”
“Then there is the Law Palace, which oversees criminal law and regulations. In a cult that prioritizes the ruthless logic of the strong devouring the weak, the power of the Law Palace is bound to be greater than any other faction.”
“And the supreme master, the Palace Lord of the Law Palace, Cheon Gi-gyeong, who is said to have instantly killed a master at the peak of his power when a dispute arose with an Elder over a matter of law.”
“All of them are powerhouses ranked within the top thirty of our cult.”
They were supreme masters whom no one in the cult could treat lightly.
In truth, it was unusual for so many prominent figures to gather for the first round of the Divine Dragon Assembly. But the reason they were all here today was that the sky of the cult, the Cult Leader himself, had announced he would make a major declaration at the opening ceremony.
While a multitude of cultists gathered in a boisterous crowd, the Sun and Moon Hall alone maintained a lofty silence.
At the very top of the Sun and Moon Hall, the symbol of power that all cultists looked up to.
The supremely high seat of the Cult Leader.
It was because the one and only sovereign had ascended to the highest floor.
The Cult Leader approached, his gaze sweeping over the world as if observing all of creation. To his right stood the Bright Heavenly Demon Unit, his direct retinue.
The Bright Heavenly Demon Unit Commander, Jin Mu.
The Left Emissary of Brightness, Seo Deung.
The Right Emissary of Brightness, Ma Ji-seung.
To the Cult Leader’s left stood the Guardian Unit.
The Grand Guardian, Yu Jong.
The Left Guardian, Geum Hwi.
The Right Guardian, Mu Hwi.
Flanked by these supreme masters, the Cult Leader, Cheon Mu-jin, sat on the highest floor of the Sun and Moon Hall and gazed at the dueling stage firmly fixed in the Heavenly Lake. Feeling the time was right, the Bright Heavenly Demon Unit Commander, Jin Mu, gave a signal, and the sound of a drum echoed.
*Boom!*
A drumbeat, louder than any before, resounded through the Heavenly Mountain.
The Bright Heavenly Demon Unit Commander and the Grand Guardian, both having reached the pinnacle of their art, stood on either side of the Cult Leader and shouted with internal energy as mighty as a great mountain.
[ Silence! ]
Though it was just a single word, the atmosphere trembled as if struck by thunder.
Then, the Cult Leader rose and revealed himself at the edge of the Sun and Moon Hall’s balcony. Every sound throughout the Heavenly Lake area, including the audience, quieted to a hush.
Not only the spectators but also the honored guests in the Sun and Moon Hall swallowed nervously.
Cheon Mu-jin, the seventeenth Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. The supreme ruler of the cult, its very sky. His appearance alone made everyone tense, causing them to control even the sound of their breathing. They closed their mouths and opened their ears.
The Cult Leader imbued his voice with profound internal energy, carrying it across the Heavenly Mountain.
[ Cultists of the Divine Cult. ]
His voice alone created a great vibration across the vast dueling grounds, causing the Heavenly Lake to ripple.
[ Today, I shall announce my sixth disciple. ]
“““...!”””
The Cult Leader’s declaration shocked not only the ordinary cultists and merchants but also the honored guests. Among them, the most surprised were, of course, his five disciples.
The Ice Demon, the Blood Demon, the Flame Demon, the Sword Demon, and the Mad Demon. Each one of the Cult Leader’s disciples was a master at the peak of their art.
They said nothing, nor did they emit any aura, but the air around them crackled with tension, as if space itself was distorting.
Every faction in the cult was focused on the Cult Leader’s words, as were the ordinary cultists, among whom a low murmur began to spread.
The whispers all pointed to one question.
‘So, who is the sixth disciple?’
Just then, the drum sounded again.
*Kwoong!*
[ Silence! ]
The drumbeat echoed like a warning, and Jin Mu and Yu Jong roared. The shout of the two supreme masters froze even the surprised gasps that had escaped.
As the murmuring died down, the Cult Leader continued.
[ The sixth disciple is… ]
The Cult Leader looked toward the waiting area of the Divine Dragon Assembly and spoke.
[ The fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family, Baek Mu-heun. ]
“““!!!”””
The Heavenly Dance Family?
The fourth young master?
Baek Mu-heun?
A name no one had expected was announced.
A name that the heads of the Elder-level factions might have heard once, but had not paid much mind to. A name that was anathema to the Pavilion Lord of the Red Demon Pavilion. The fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family, Baek Mu-heun.
“W-what…! Baek Mu-heun? What in the world is…”
The Pavilion Lord of the Red Demon Pavilion, Hwang Cheol-ung, barely managed to stop a curse from leaving his lips.
*Calm down. The one speaking is the Cult Leader, the sky of the Divine Cult.*
He had only recently been released from confinement after pinning the blame on a subordinate. If he acted on his temper here, death would be the only outcome.
However, there was one who showed the complete opposite emotion. It was the Pavilion Lord of the Mengwu Pavilion, Bul Wi. The name he had been waiting and hoping for today had come from the Cult Leader’s own mouth, and he felt a surge of joy.
“Hahahahahaha!”
*The look of shock on the Red Demon Pavilion Lord’s face is quite amusing!*
Upon hearing Baek Mu-heun’s name, the Mengwu Pavilion Lord intentionally burst into loud laughter.
The Red Demon Pavilion Lord knew what the laughter meant, but he couldn’t rashly show his emotions and could only endure it.
Like the two Pavilion Lords, everyone’s reaction was starkly different.
It was understandable. The fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family had a well-known moniker: the scoundrel of the Heavenly Dance Family.
Though rumors of his exploits in Blade Leaf Valley had circulated, some had dismissed them as insignificant, while others had only checked to see if he had finally come to his senses.
But now, his name had come from the Cult Leader’s mouth. All previous labels and judgments about him had to be re-evaluated. However…
The most mixed reactions came from the Cult Leader’s five disciples. Among them, the Blood Demon let out a hollow laugh.
“Hah, Master is truly… What is this all of a sudden…”
“Indeed, Senior Brother. Master certainly knows how to surprise us.”
The Flame Demon chimed in, echoing the Blood Demon’s sentiment. The five disciples, who had been shrouded in a tense atmosphere when the words ‘sixth disciple’ were spoken, were rather deflated upon hearing it was the fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family.
They simply brushed it off as one of their master’s absurd eccentricities. Most of the Elders thought similarly.
*Though he underwent a complete transformation through secluded training, it seems he cannot defy his age.*
To take a disciple who has accomplished something of note only once…
Something like this would have been unthinkable for the previous Cult Leader.
While most thought this way, a few had different ideas, even if they were just suspicions for now.
The Ninth Elder, Tenth Elder, and Eleventh Elder.
And the Twelfth Elder, the Head of the Heavenly Dance Family, Baek Gun-hak.
These four Elders, along with the Sun and Moon Divine Maiden Mi-wol of the Sacred Fire Palace and the Mengwu Pavilion Lord Bul Wi, felt differently.
*Boom!*
The drum boomed loudly once more, and the dueling grounds fell silent.
Regardless of who the sixth disciple was, or what anyone thought, the one speaking was the Cult Leader, the sky of the Divine Cult.
No one present had the right to question his decision. They could only react to the situation at hand.
[ Let the Divine Dragon Assembly begin. ]
With the Cult Leader’s final words.
“““Waaaaaaaaaah!”””
A roar like thunder erupted.
Though overshadowed by the cheers that shook the heavens, the Cult Leader’s proclamation was etched into everyone’s hearts. And so, the Divine Dragon Assembly began.
However, the atmosphere in the participants’ waiting area was quite different.
***
-Divine Dragon Assembly Participants’ Waiting Area
Mu-heun stood in the participants’ waiting area, located directly opposite the Sun and Moon Hall across the Heavenly Lake, and gazed out at the water.
“A dueling stage floating on the lake… How unusual.”
The waiting area was filled with the numerous young talents participating in the Divine Dragon Assembly. With the tournament about to begin, the successors were on edge, and there was little conversation.
Un-pyo and Pa-sun spoke from beside Mu-heun.
“This is my first time seeing it as well.”
“They say each participant must travel by boat when it’s their turn.”
The method of getting from the waiting area on land to the dueling stage in the middle of the lake was to take a small boat.
Mu-heun looked at Pa-sun and Un-pyo, who had just returned from scouting the waiting area, and asked.
“How many participants are there?”
“Sixty-two selected from the Twelve Elders, the Five Pavilions, and the Three Palaces, plus thirty-eight from minor families. A total of one hundred.”
This place, filled with young martial artists of the Demonic Cult who had not yet passed their thirties, exuded an atmosphere more murderous than anywhere else. It was only natural, given it was composed of the young and strong raised within the Demonic Cult.
There were those chosen by the upper echelons, and skilled fighters who, though not from major factions, had passed the preliminaries. Their collective energy made the waiting area feel suffocating.
*Boom!*
The drum signaling the start of the tournament sounded, and the Cult Leader appeared.
“Hah…”
The moment the Cult Leader appeared, the murderous glares of all the young successors turned into looks of respect and admiration. From Mu-heun’s perspective, it was a truly absurd sight.
[ Cultists of the Divine Cult. ]
Everyone in the waiting area focused intently, trying not to miss a single syllable of what was being said.
[ I shall announce my sixth disciple. ]
“““...!”””
The murmuring was the same in the waiting area as it was outside.
Mu-heun already knew, having been told by the Cult Leader beforehand, but he was already tense. He didn’t know how the leaders of each faction would react, let alone the response in the waiting area.
Among them, the ones he was most concerned about were the Cult Leader’s five disciples.
Just then, the scions of renowned families exclaimed in shock.
“W-what in the world does that mean?”
It was a natural reaction. The people in the waiting area were all deliberating which of the Cult Leader’s five disciples, all contenders for the succession, they should align themselves with.
And now, a sixth disciple?
*Boom!*
A warning drum sounded, and the Cult Leader continued.
[ The sixth disciple is the fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family, Baek Mu-heun. ]
“““!!!”””
This time, they were twice as shocked as before.
“W-who?”
“Brother, it’s that guy. That one! The fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family!”
“The fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family? You mean that scoundrel, Baek Mu-heun?”
Unlike the heads of the factions, the people in the waiting area were slow on information. To them, Mu-heun was not ‘a noteworthy individual who returned after achieving merit in Blade Leaf Valley,’ but simply ‘the scoundrel of the Heavenly Dance Family.’
“You mean to say that brat, who barely looks to be of age, received the Cult Leader’s choice?”
“I can’t believe it.”
As everyone expressed their disapproval, the three martial artists representing the Red Demon Pavilion saw an opportunity.
Ak Jin-sam, Gang In, and Wi Gun-seong were all in their mid-thirties and were the representatives of the Red Demon Pavilion.
Gang In and Wi Gun-seong had reached the peak of their art, while Ak Jin-sam had completely mastered it and had one foot in the transcendent realm.
Ak Jin-sam, the strongest of the three, walked toward Mu-heun.
Ak Jin-sam had been quite famous for some time.
Everyone knew of his martial prowess and his violent nature, so a few people looked at Mu-heun with concern.
At that moment, Pa-sun and Un-pyo stepped in front of Mu-heun, drawing their weapons.
“Hoho, why so sensitive? I merely came to greet the sixth disciple announced by the Cult Leader.”
Not believing his words for a second, Un-pyo raised his greatsword, gathered his energy, and spoke.
“Back off.”
Annoyed by Un-pyo’s attitude, Ak Jin-sam released a powerful killing intent, formed a sword seal, and gathered his internal energy.
“How dare you…”
The energy gathered in his sword seal formed an intangible blade.
Just then.
Mu-heun, who had been sitting, vanished in an instant and reappeared behind Ak Jin-sam.
“……!”
He reached out with a demonic hand and seized Ak Jin-sam by the throat.
*Crack!*
“Kuh, keoheok!”
“““!!!”””
Ak Jin-sam’s face turned crimson, and veins bulged around his neck.
An overwhelmingly dominant scene that unfolded in an instant.
Every martial artist in the waiting room was horrified.